The Besties

Last updated
The Besties
Origin Brooklyn
New York
United States
Genres Indie pop, punk, pop-punk, power-pop, oi!
Years active20052009, 2014, 2017
Labels Skipping Stones Records
Hugpatch Records
Art of the Underground
Members Kelly Waldrop
Marisa Bergquist
Richard Francis Walsh IV
Frank Korn
Clayton Rychlik

The Besties were an American indie pop band from Brooklyn, New York. Their sound can best be described indie pop or "twee", although at shows they were known to introduce themselves as a punk band. TimeOut Chicago describes the band as sounding like "the Go-Go's on Epitaph Records", and Allmusic compares them to Cub and the All Girl Summer Fun Band. [1] [2]

Contents

History

The Besties were formed when members Marisa Bergquist, Kelly Waldrop, and Rikky Walsh met while attending college in Tallahassee, Florida. Their first album, Singer, was released by Skipping Stones Records in 2006. Drum machines were used in the recording of this record because the band did not yet have a drummer. To fill this need, Frank E. Korn joined the band prior to the recording of their second album, Home Free , which was released in February 2009 on the Hugpatch label.

Breakup

The Besties announced their breakup on October 12, 2009. They played their final shows December 4, 2009 at Asbury Lanes in Asbury Park, NJ and December 6, 2009 at Bruar Falls in Brooklyn, NY. The Asbury Lanes show also featured The Measure SA, Black Wine, Psyched to Die, and Night Birds. The Bruar Falls show also featured The Specific Heats and Bunnygrunt. The Besties' final release was a 7" single on Art of the Underground Records, "Terrible & True" b/w "Take 'Em All." The b-side was a cover of a song originally performed by UK punk band Cock Sparrer.

Post-breakup activity

Following the band's split, members of the Besties have gone on to form numerous groups.

Marisa Bergquist has launched several musical projects. She formed a short-lived band called Old Books and performed in a duo called Ergquist (with Mikey Erg), before she co-founded the power-pop project Chandeli'ers, which recorded a self-titled 12" EP in 2013 on 1-2-3-4 Go Records/Tender Buttons and an LP in 2016 called Breaker on Dead Broke Rekerds/Dirt Cult Records. The band played their final shows in 2016. Subsequently, Marisa has formed a punk rock band called Headlines, which began in 2017. Additionally, she has been a frequent collaborator with New Jersey punk rock band Nervous Triggers, with whom she has played keys both on recordings and live.

Rikky Wlash formed a new alternative/indie rock band called Glyph City in 2014. He sings and plays guitar for the band. They have released new material in 2016 and 2017, and continue to record and play live.

2014 Reunion

The band reunited for a one-off reunion weekend, playing the Cake Shop in Manhattan during NYC Popfest on Thursday, May 29, 2014, as well as Asbury Lanes in Asbury Park, NJ on Saturday, May 31, 2014. The Cake Shop show also featured Dressy Bessy, Martha, Tape Waves, and Franny and Zooey. The Asbury Lanes show also featured Full of Fancy (who were also reuniting for the show), Mikey Erg, and brick mower. These reunion shows also functioned as the record release shows for the band's LP Home Free, which was being released on vinyl for the first time (having been originally available only on CD).

2017 Reunion

On Saturday, July 22, 2017, The Besties played a show at Sunnyvale in Brooklyn, NY for the 40th birthday party of longtime friend of the band, Fid. The show was a benefit for Planned Parenthood, and also featured The Ergs (also reuniting for the show, although playing secretly, having been advertised under the pseudonym "Fidnight Oil"), Shellshag, Weird Skin, and Nervous Triggers.

Related Research Articles

The U.S. state of New Jersey is located in the Northeastern United States and is part of the Mid-Atlantic region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Explosion</span> American punk rock band

The Explosion is an American punk rock band from Boston, Massachusetts. On February 13, 2007, the band announced that they had left Virgin Records, and on April 30, 2007, that they were to split up. On September 4, 2007, the band played their final show in New York though they have subsequently played multiple reunion shows.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dance Hall Crashers</span> American ska punk band

Dance Hall Crashers was an American ska punk band formed in 1989 in Berkeley, California. Initially founded by former Operation Ivy members Tim Armstrong and Matt Freeman, the band has had a fluid lineup over its career, with the most recent lineup includes Elyse Rogers and Karina Deniké on vocals, brothers Jason Hammon and Gavin Hammon on guitar and drums respectively, and Mikey Weiss on bass. They have released four studio albums, highlighted by the 1995 release Lockjaw which featured the minor hit song "Enough", produced by Rob Cavallo and featured in the film Angus.

Treble Charger is a Canadian rock band formed in 1992 in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, consisting of vocalist and guitarist Greig Nori, vocalist and guitarist Bill Priddle, bassist Rosie Martin and drummer Richard Mulligan. They began with a melodic indie rock style but evolved into more of a pop punk band after signing to a major label in 1997. They disbanded in 2006 and reunited in 2012. Between 1996 and 2016, Treble Charger was among the Top 150 selling Canadian artists in Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dirt Bike Annie</span>

Dirt Bike Annie was a rock band formed in New York City that played pop punk and power pop music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Acceptance (band)</span> American pop punk band

Acceptance is an American pop punk band from Seattle, Washington, formed in 1998. They released their first EP, Lost for Words, in 2000, followed by Black Lines to Battlefields in 2003. Their debut album, Phantoms, was released in 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Soviettes</span> Minnesotan punk rock band, formed 2001

The Soviettes were a punk rock band from Minneapolis, Minnesota, founded in 2001. The group is composed of Annie (guitar), Sturgeon (guitar), Susy, and Danny (drums), all of whom share singing and songwriting duties.

Plow United is an American punk rock formed in Wilmington, Delaware in 1992. They play fast punk rock with pop, thrashcore and hardcore influences. Their lyrics are sometimes labeled "emo". Band members are Brian McGee, Sean Rule (drums) and Joel Tannenbaum (bass).

Hugpatch Records is a record label based out of Brooklyn, New York. It was founded in 2006 by Maxwell Williams. It was originally a 7" single only record label, which gives it the reputation as "the world's tiniest record label." Its releases are limited to 500 copies of each record. Releases include singles by Brooklyn-based indie-pop band The Besties (HP01), Gijon-based pop group Nosoträsh (HP02) and Austin, Texas-based minimal pop trio Yellow Fever (HP03). In 2007, Hugpatch was one of the organizers of the pop music festival, NYC Popfest. Later on, the label began releasing full-length albums, beginning with The Besties' Home Free (HP08), originally released on CD, and later as a vinyl LP. The label also produces an internet radio show for the American Apparel radio station, Viva-Radio.com.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tiny Masters of Today</span> American indie punk rock band

Tiny Masters of Today are an American indie punk rock band, consisting of siblings Ivan and Ada Wolin and their friend Jackson Pollis. All members are from Brooklyn, New York.

Star Fucking Hipsters is an American punk rock band from New York City who have released albums on Fat Wreck Chords and Alternative Tentacles records. They have been called a "punk supergroup" and feature members from numerous notable bands including Leftöver Crack, Ensign, and The Ergs!

The Ergs! are an American punk rock band formed in 2000 in South Amboy, New Jersey, by three high school friends: drummer/lead vocalist Mikey Erg, guitarist/vocalist Jeff Erg, and bassist Joey Erg. The band developed in the New Brunswick, New Jersey music scene. Through touring and recording the Ergs! became recognized on a national and international level, touring and playing with such noted acts as The Descendents, The Bouncing Souls, Lifetime, Less Than Jake, The Loved Ones, The Gaslight Anthem, Dillinger Four, None More Black, The Explosion, Municipal Waste, Lemuria, and more. They have appeared at a number of festivals including Riot Fest, Insubordination Fest, and The Fest, the latter of which the band played four consecutive years, including as a headlining act in 2008, and making a fifth appearance as a headlining reunion act in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Depreciation Guild</span> American dream pop and shoegaze band

The Depreciation Guild was an American dream pop and shoegaze band from Brooklyn, New York, formed in 2005 by lead vocalist and songwriter Kurt Feldman and guitarist Adrian Hashizume. Before disbanding, their lineup included Feldman, Christoph Hochheim, and Anton Hochheim. They were joined for live performances by Raphael Radna on bass guitar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asbury Lanes</span> Vintage bowling alley and bar in Asbury Park, New Jersey

Asbury Lanes located in Asbury Park, New Jersey is a vintage bowling alley and bar with live performances ranging from live musical acts, burlesque, hot rod, dance parties, film and art shows. It is one of the many historic music landmarks located within Asbury Park. These include The Stone Pony, the Wonderbar, the Saint and the Fastlane.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Dopamines</span> American punk rock band

The Dopamines are an American punk rock band originating from Cincinnati, Ohio, formed in late 2006 by Matt Hemingway (drums), Jon Lewis and Jon Weiner. In 2008, Hemingway left the band and was replaced by Michael Dickson. Their loud style of punk has been compared to Midwestern punk bands like Dillinger Four.

Mikey Erg is a punk rock drummer, guitarist, and vocalist, from New Jersey. He has played in numerous bands, most famously The Ergs!, but also Star Fucking Hipsters, The Dopamines, The Unlovables, Dirtbike Annie, Parasites, and The LLC. In 2016, he released his first solo album, Tentative Decisions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sainthood Reps</span> American indie rock band

Sainthood Reps is an American indie rock band from Long Island, New York, formed in 2009. Their debut album, Monoculture, was released on Tooth & Nail Records in the summer of 2011 and was produced by Mike Sapone. The band released their second album, Headswell, in October 2013 through No Sleep Records.

Chumped was an American pop punk band based in Brooklyn, New York, United States. The band formed in 2012, and released two extended plays before releasing their sole LP, Teenage Retirement, in 2014 on Anchorless Records. The band announced an "indefinite hiatus" in 2015 and performed their final show in February 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cayetana (band)</span> American rock band

Cayetana were an American rock band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The band was formed in 2011 by Augusta Koch on vocals and lead guitar, Kelly Olsen on drums, and Allegra Anka on bass. They released two studio albums, Nervous Like Me (2014), and New Kind of Normal (2017), as well as three EPs before breaking up in 2019.

Pink Couch Sessions was a musical performance video series hosted by If You Make It. The series features primarily acoustic performances of independent DIY artists, primarily within the genres of punk, pop punk, folk punk, and indie pop. The website and all its features were hosted by Dave Garwacke, a musician who has played drums for such bands as Laura Stevenson and The Cans and Kudrow. The series takes its name from Garwacke's titular pink couch, on which the artists sat while performing in most of the videos.

References

  1. "The Besties | Listen and Stream Free Music, Albums, New Releases, Photos, Videos".
  2. https://www.allmusic.com/artist/p817974