Big Neck Police (a band that made our recent Best of NYC 2014 list) is a raw sounding three-piece punk band with metal influences. Their latest EP is a split with fellow New Yorkers, Dog, and is available on Bandcamp. What happens in this EP and who are these people, you ask? Educated guess #1: That cool guy in math class you thought was a total slacker was really just bored because he knew the answers to everything. He grew up and today he spills a bowl of hot soup on himself. At first he screams and falls into things in the kitchen. Then takes a deep breath and stays home from work with a lap of 2nd degree burns. The television hypnotizes him. All of his friends are inside it, only they are all sock puppets on a therapy talk show. They get violent with each other. Dr. Phil helps them talk it out in the end but our guy is already asleep on the couch. You don’t believe me? Check them out live at DIY venue Aviv on March 27. (crazy stuff!) - Leora Mandel

There is a growing connection between the up and coming grunge rockers out of New England and a select few New York City bands.  Artists like Krill, Ovlov, and Pile have been taking and doling out influence from and to NYC bands like Bluffing, Big Neck Police and the focus of this review, The Gradients.  The last time I saw The Gradients was at the Living Gallery in Brooklyn last summer, so when I witnessed the solid crowd of followers that the band had amassed at Hot 97.4 this past weekend I was excited to see how their sound had evolved.  Indeed The Gradients have come a long way; their songs contain powerful, driving melodies complete with an exciting, New York City-themed frustration.  Their use of lazy harmonies is especially effective on their new single, "Growing Pile," where the chorus becomes layered in raspy vocals of that good, sweet teenage angst we all know and love.  You can check out The Gradients next week on July 29th at Palisades with Washer, Palm and The Doozies.  - Jake Saunders

It looks like the 1.21 Gigawatts crew managed to grab every single decent to good to great indie rock band that’s up and coming in Brooklyn today for their upcoming 4 day yearly festival at Radio Bushwick on July 17-20: Bluffing, Big Neck Police, Infinity Shred, Sunflower Bean, Shark?, Tonstartsbandht, Celestial Shore, The Gradients, hell they even got Fiasco on the bill?! I remember listening to Fiasco in high school wishing I was cool enough to go to their shows, but back then I wasn’t in it for the music as much as trying to find an identity in this fucked up city we call home (calling all high school indie rockers: don’t be ashamed, you may not be old enough to drink yet but you are allowed to fuck up as many times as you want, so go to these shows, maybe you’ll get lucky and they won’t draw the X’s on your hand too deep!)

There will be also teen indie folk talent and recent Deli Record of the Month Frankie Cosmos. I could keep going, but the bottom line is that 1.21 Gigawatts is having a fun party with lots of talented NYC artist - I'll be there! - Jake Saunders