New York Junk at Coney Island Baby

Brooklyn has its indie scene, but Manhattan is all about rock and roll, and many of these bands are led by veterans of the punk movement of the 1970s. New York Junk currently is among these seasoned buzz bands. Raised in Long Island, New York, lead vocalist/guitarist/songwriter Joe Sztabnik played the local punk rock circuit in the Dragons decades ago. In 1977, bassist Cynthia Ross formed the ‘B’ Girls, an all-female garage-pop band who moved from Toronto, Canada to New York City after touring with the Clash. Both the Dragons and the ‘B’ Girls split in the early 1980s, and in the mid 1980s, Sztabnik and Ross played together briefly in the Renegades. Two decades later, Sztabnik and Ross reunited in 2008 in Sztabnik's basement studio in Queens, New York, and the concept for New York Junk was born. Guitarist Jeff Ward and drummer Gary Barnett completed the ranks. New York Junk’s second and most recent album, 7 Train, was released on July 15, 2018.

New York Junk performed a record release party tonight at Coney Island Baby as the official debut of the new album, but some of the material had been in the band's live set for years, including the title track. Played together, the new songs suggested that the band might be leaning away from Sztabnik's earlier lyrics-as-narratives manner and embracing a more hardened yet simplified rock and roll rally. Sztabnik's lyrics were as mature and intelligent as ever, easily capable of being at home in acoustic singer/songwriter circles, but here many were given a blistering rock arrangement, with Sztabnik and Ward trading guitar leads between Sztabnik's vocals. Ross' backing vocals lent the songs personality and balance, and Barnett's rapid and heavy striking on the drums led and strengthened the cohesion. New York Junk can show many younger musicians how to pack more punch into their music.

Setlist:

1. Scared
2. All My Friends
3. Passion
4. Downtown Rave
5. I Know Everything
6. Doing Time In New York City
7. Love Song To My Mirror
8. I Ride The Subway Train For You
9. Thunder
10. Going Back To Max's Kansas City
11. Virgin Veins
12. 7 Train

Encore:

1. Dreaming of You