For those of you who were with us last week, you will fully understand why it’s taken us a full week to recover from the 10 Years of Mom + Pop anniversary celebration. We are so grateful to be able to celebrate 10 years of independent music with such incredible artists, our friends/family and (of course) our city. Infinite thanks to Courtney Barnett, Tom Morello, Sleigh Bells, Neon Indian, Alice Merton and Sunflower Bean for lighting up the Brooklyn Steel stage. To our friends at Bowery Presents, we could not have done it without you. To our awesome partners at Vans, Glossier and Fender, thank you for sending our artists home with the best swag. To the incredibly talented Shervin Lainez, thank you for capturing the essence of our artists through your stunning portraits. Also behind the lens, want to give a special thanks to Charlie Gross for capturing some great live shots. Last and certainly not least, the evening would not have been complete without Flume and Future Classic providing the sounds for the after party at Good Room. The energy in both of these rooms will serve to motivate us as we look ahead to the next decade. If this past week is any indication, we can’t wait for what lies ahead. We are still gathering all of our thoughts, photos and videos, but for now here are some of our favorites.
Top 10 Moments from 10 Years of Mom + Pop
1. Julia Cumming Overcomes Injury as Sunflower Bean Deliver Fiery Opening Performance
Sunflower Bean bassist/vocalist, Julia Cumming, may have shown up to Brooklyn Steel in a full on neck brace but that wasn’t going to stop her and the band from hitting the stage and delivering one of the most fiery opening performances we’ve ever seen at Brooklyn Steel.
2. Alice Merton Performs to Second Sold-Out NYC Crowd of the Week
After selling out Bowery Ballroom only two days prior, Alice Merton captivated yet another sold-out crowd across the river. She may have “No Roots” but we have to say, NYC is proving itself quite the home away from home for Alice.
3. Neon Indian Makes Triumphant Return to NYC
Having recently relocated to Los Angeles, Neon Indian’s Alan Palomo made a triumphant return to his old stomping grounds in Brooklyn. His set included a mix of classic tunes with one or two unfamiliar sounds, hinting there may be new music on the horizon…
4. What Happens in the Artist Gifting Suite…
… Get’s posted on the M+P Website. We teamed up with our friends at Vans, Glossier and Fender to send our artists home with a gift bag of items every touring musician needs on the road. We also had our incredibly talented friend/photographer Shervin Lainez posted up taking portraits. While no amount of gifts can convey how grateful we are to these artists, we’re hoping it’s the the thought that counts?
5. Mom + Pop Fearless Leaders Goldie and Thaddeus Make Big Screen Debut
If you caught the short video playing on the big screen in between Neon Indian and Sleigh Bells, you may have seen our very own fearless leaders Goldie and Thaddeus in their acting debut. Major Larry David meets Broad City vibes from these two and we’re obsessed. See for yourself below.
6. Sleigh Bells Bring Out Tom Morello to Electrify Crowd
Just in case Sleigh Bells’ backline of stacked marshall amps wasn’t packing enough punch, the band brought out legendary guitar god, Tom Morello, to perform their 2013 track “Bitter Rivals.” Watch the duo electrify the crowd over on Stereogum.
7. Tom Morello Speaks to Long History with Mom + Pop Founder Michael Goldstone
You may not know this but Tom Morello and Mom + Pop founder Goldie go back to the Rage Against the Machine days. While introducing his Brooklyn Steel set, Tom recalled how in the early 2000s Goldie (then A&R exec at Epic Records) helped the band sneak explicit lyrics past Viacom. Once story time was over, Tom then proceeded to melt the faces off of everyone in the crowd.
8. Courtney Barnett Closes Out the Evening with Epic Performance and Balloon Drop Finale
To witness Courtney Barnett in concert is always a privilege. It was a privilege back in 2013 when we caught her CMJ set at Pete’s Candy Store. And it is a privilege now, many years/records later, just down the road at Brooklyn Steel. Her finale set was the perfect mix of old and new tunes, cementing the evening as a celebration of the past, present and future of independent music within Mom + Pop and beyond... Plus, who doesn’t love a good color coordinated balloon drop?
9. Say Cheese! Photo Booth Shenanigans and Family Portraits For All
One of hardest parts of putting on a show with six bands is figuring out what to do during those dreaded set changes. Luckily for us, our awesome production team designed some photo-worthy backdrops to pass the time with friends. Check out our family portrait below and be sure to grab your photobooth GIFs if you haven’t already.
10. Flume and Future Classic Keep The Party Going at Good Room Afterparty
It would not be a proper 10 year celebration without a DJ set from Flume and our friends over at Future Classic. When we imagined what our 10 Year celebration would look like, we thought what better way to end the evening than with a Monday night (or shall we say Tuesday morning?) back to back set at Greenpoint’s very own Good Room.
And the 10 Year Celebration Continues…
Just cause the show’s over doesn’t mean we’re done celebrating 10 Years of Mom + Pop! Lookout for our 3xLP compilation coming to stores November 23rd for Record Store Day/Black Friday. You can pre-order the digital version now and listen to early tracks on the record including Lucius’ “Ghosting,” Courtney Barnett’s “Small Talk,” and Sleigh Bells’ “Holly.” Be sure to also check out our limited edition 10 Year Anniversary Picture Disc reissues and new-and-improved label merch over on our webstore. HINT type in MP10 at checkout and receive 10% off.
