Billy Libby is the Brooklyn-based songwriter and guitarist at the center of the band Fort Gorgeous. With a sound as beautiful, complex, and mysterious as their Maine-based namesake (and island fort in Casco Bay, just off the coast of Portland), the group crafts perfectly composed, heartfelt songs that effortlessly cruise from breezy to epic. The band stopped by the live room at Serious Business Music in DUMBO, Brooklyn to show us how they do it.

The Bottom Of The Sea EP is available now.

00:00 - Fort Gorgeous

00:24 - Round and Round

04:17 - Interview - Fort Gorgeous

09:00 - Sleeping Bulls

13:18 - Interview - Fort Gorgeous

14:41 - Watch The Paint Dry

18:05 - Interview - Fort Gorgeous

20:47 - My Brake

24:30 - Interview - Fort Gorgeous

27:54 - Chickadee

32:10 - Interview - Fort Gorgeous

33:38 - Outro

33:56 - Finish

Bodies Be Rivers is a Brooklyn-based band, formed around the songwriting team of Lauren Smith and Thomas Stephanos. Their intimate songs are incredibly lush thanks to the musical talents of Summer Stephanos (vocals), Jason Lawrence (drums), and Matt Moon (bass). Formed in 2014, the band has just released its debut full length LP, and joined us in the live room at Serious Business Music in Brooklyn for this session.

Things I’ll Tell You When You’re Older is available now

00:00 - Bodies Be Rivers

00:24 - None The Wiser

03:44 - Interview - Bodies Be Rivers

07:08 - Someone Holy

10:46 - Interview - Bodies Be Rivers

14:21 - Rattled

18:00 - Interview - Bodies Be Rivers

21:00 - You Couldn’t Tell

25:09 - Interview - Bodies Be Rivers

28:09 - Nothing More

32:36 - Outro

32:54 - Finish

Trace Mountains is a band started by songwriter Dave Benton. His name and voice may be familiar from the band LVL Up, but unlike that project, here he takes the lead on crafting and singing songs, though Trace Mountains is ultimately a collaborative effort. Benton’s music is often soft and gentle, with crisp grooves and a smattering of fuzzy guitars and keyboards supporting his unique, endearing slight drawl as he sings tales that come across like secrets. The band stopped by Serious Business Music in Brooklyn for this very special session.

A Partner To Lean On is available now from Figure 2 RC.

00:00 - Trace Mountains

00:22 - A Partner To Lean On

03:39 - Interview - Trace Mountains

06:25 - Salty Sweet

08:37 - Interview - Trace Mountains

13:38 - Soil

18:20 - Interview - Trace Mountains

21:42 - Turn Twice

26:28 - Adeline

31:18 - Outro

31:36 - Finish

Yazan is a versatile musician from New York City whose refreshing vibrancy and positivity shines through the music he makes, whether it’s his own or that of several other bands he’s involved with. With a dynamic vocal range and true chops of every sort, we were lucky to have him drop by Serious Business Music in Brooklyn for this session.

Hahaha is available now from Exploding In Sound Records.

00:00 - Yazan

00:24 - Do You Wanna Go?

03:29 - Interview - Yazan

07:42 - Howlin'

12:00 - Interview - Yazan

15:46 - The Star

22:19 - Interview - Yazan

25:46 - Forgiveness

31:03 - Tell Me Baby

34:50 - Outro

35:08 - Finish

Donovan Woods is a Polaris Prize and Juno Awards-nominated Nashville songwriter, originally from Sarnia, Ontario. Writing pop and country songs for some of the industry’s best-known performers, he’s developed a highly enjoyable and refined style that’s garnered wide acclaim for his own performances and recordings in recent years. He brought his band of totally pro players to the live room at Serious Business in DUMBO, Brooklyn to share some tunes with us!

Both Ways is available now.

00:00 - Donovan Woods

00:24 - Burn That Bridge

04:05 - Interview - Donovan Woods

07:50 - Truck Full Of Money

11:26 - Inteview - Donovan Woods

14:56 - Easy Street

18:24 - Interview - Donovan Woods

20:38 - Great Escape

24:36 - Interview - Donovan Woods

29:08 - Another Way

33:04 - Interview - Donovan Woods

33:07 - Outro

33:28 - Finish

Kim Talon is the force behind the project Kino Kimino. There’s no question that the project’s connections to Sonic Youth (recording at their studio with members of the band on the album) often gets them in the door, but it’s truly Talon’s powerful performance and intriguingly quirky delivery - wavering between cute/playful and artfully obtuse -  paired with that familiar no wave-originated roil, that drives things here. With a band rounded out by some of the Brooklyn scene’s most ferociously talented woman, Kino Kimino is a force of nature, and we look forward to seeing what’s in the works as they creep towards the next record, due some time in the near future.

Bait Is For Sissies is available now.

 

00:00 - Kino Kimino

00:23 - Passion

03:50 - Interview - Kino Kimino

07:54 - Loincloth

11:16 - Interview - Kino Kimino

12:46 - Cast Out

15:52 - Interview - Kino Kimino

18:15 - Rosy Rutiger

21:34 - Interview - Kino Kimino

22:58 - Pale Calico

26:56 - Outro

27:12 - Finish

Varsity is a Chicago band with an especially shimmery take on indie pop, drawing on classic rock ‘n roll grooves without sounding derivative of anything in particular, which is rare and highly appreciated these days. The band’s hooks run deep, with the sort of catchiness you can’t shake for days, so dig in and get ready to spend some time with these songs. They stopped by Serious Business Music in Brooklyn while on tour to share some tunes with us.

Parallel Person is available now from Babe City Records.

V

00:00 - Varsity

00:26 - Must Be Nice

04:26 - Interview - Varsity

08:38 - Gordi You’re A Saint

12:14 - Interview - Varsity

19:06 - Isolation

22:46 - Interview - Varsity

22:51 - Lied To You

26:22 - Outro

26:42 - Finish

NADINE is a project bringing together Nadia Hulett (Phantom Posse), and Brooklyn’s dynamic production/live band duo of Carlos Hernandez and Julian Fader (both of Ava Luna and Gravesend Recordings). Stylistically, the music is subtly subversive, blending jazzy lounge-pop with some real tenacious earworms. The live band delivers on the record’s meticulously crafted grooves and soft warmth in such a perfect complement to the top-notch songwriting, and it was a pleasure to have them join us in the live room at Serious Business Music in Brooklyn for this session. Don’t overthink it, just relax for a bit and take it all in.

Oh My by NADINE is available now from Father/Daughter Records.

00:00 - Nadine

00:26 - Not My Kinda Movie

04:23 - Interview - Nadine

07:05 - That Neon Sign

10:00 - Interview - Nadine

17:49 - Plinth

22:08 - Interview - Nadine

23:54 - Can’t Be Helped

27:21 - Interview - Nadine

33:58 - Pews

38:30 - Interview - Nadine

39:30 - Outro

39:48 - FInish

Aisha Badru has one of those voices that cuts through the music in a very special way. Soft, soulful, and distinct, her songs are deceptively beautifully - delivering a ton of emotion and energy, masked by mesmerizing instrumentation capable of lulling the listener into a daze and - again - that voice. If Aisha Badru’s music is new to you - start paying attention now. She stopped by for this beautiful session in the live room at Serious Business Music in DUMBO, Brooklyn.

Pendulum by Aisha Badru is available now via Nettwerk.

00:00 - Aisha Badru

00:30 - Waiting Around

03:40 - Interview - Aisha Badru

05:22 - Fossil Fuels

07:51 - Interview - Aisha Badru

10:34 - Navy Blues

14:35 - Interview - Aisha Badru

18:33 - Spllntered

23:50 - Interview - Aisha Badru

25:48 - Outro

28:07 - Finish

Lowlight is a rising indie-folk band from Asbury Park, New Jersey. With no shortage of local accolades, the band has recently brought their sound to thousands more potential fans by opening for The Pretenders on tour -- an appropriate and impressive pairing for Lowlight, a band who had the guts to name their latest EP after one of their home state’s most famous albums by a certain Boss... The quintet brought their sweet sounds to the live room at Serious Business Music in Brooklyn for this very special session.

00:00 - Lowlight

00:29 - Nights And Weekends

03:23 - Interview - Lowlight

06:17 - California Blue

10:05 - Interview - Lowlight

13:46 - Can’t Stop Now

21:59 - Interview - Lowlight

24:24 - Motel Chronicles

27:54 - Interview - Lowlight

29:34 - Outro

29:53 - Finish