It’s 101 degrees outside, so yeah motherfuckers, summertime is here. What does that mean for you, aside from nonstop Mr. Softie jingles and risking heatstroke as soon as you walk anywhere near your bike?
That’s right, the L Magazine-sponsored event is back, and every Wednesday all summer long you’ll be treated to great bands and free movies smack dab in the middle of McCarren park. This year it’s extra exciting — not only are all the movies based on our childhood crushes (ok, childhood for us 80s babies), but Free Williamsburg is in charge of curating the music!
First up, playing before for the 1989 classic movie Say Anything (starring a young dreamy John Cusack) is the noise pop duo Sisters (with the Sundelles opening). (ps – the movie for next week is Labrynth. Five points if you can guess who we’ll have play then).
Free Williamsburg sat down with Aaron Pfannebecker (vox, guitar) and Matt Conboy (drums, keyboards) of Sisters to talk about summertime in Brooklyn, their music, and whether the new McCarren park pool will be gross or not.
Summerscreen is every Wednesday at 6pm in the Mccarren park ballfields.
Free Williambsurg: What’s your favorite thing about Summer in Brooklyn?
Aaron Pfannebecker: The pizza.
Matt Conboy: I love being outside in the sun riding bikes and seeing friends.
FW: How do you feel about playing Summer Screen?
Aaron: It is really cool to open up for a movie, especially such a cool summer defining rom-com that captures the human spirit and has the quintessential holding up of the boom box moment.
FW: have you ever had a Say Anything moment outside someone’s window with a boom box?
Aaron: I haven’t, but I’ve wanted to. I was going to. It didn’t work out.
FW: Tell me about your music – how would you describe it? What are you going for?
Aaron: Our music is free form heavy liquid. We are trying to play songs that people will think might be catchy and might stick with them for a little bit and be kind of different, but still rock songs.
Matt: There is also a general idea of pop melodies with kind of noisier parts. Something that might be kind of scary and fun at the same time.
FW: How long have you guys been playing music together?
Aaron: A few years. Since college. I was wearing purple pants and Matt asked me if I knew a drummer. And then a few years down the line, Matt is that drummer he was always looking for.
FW: what do you like most about being with Death by Audio?
Aaron: The people. It’s a place to make art.
FW: Did you ever go to screen when it was still in the McCarren park pool? And are you happy or sad they’re now turning it back into a real pool again?
Aaron: It is kind of amazing that it is becoming a pool again. They are going to need a lot of chlorine because people pee in these things all the time. So that is kind of gross. But it is a nice place as haunted relic and it will be a nice place as a place where people swim and pee.
Matt: I saw several summer screen events. It was always pretty fun, and free is always a big plus. I think a pool is a good thing, especially if it will be open to everybody. I have to say that I will miss that quiet little abandoned corner. There aren’t very many left anymore.
FW: Do either of you play with anyone else?
Aaron: Matt plays in a noise group called Fuck Ton, and I play with myself.
FW: After this, what’s next?
Aaron: We have our record coming out on September 28th on Narnack Records. It is called Ghost Fits.
i hope they’ve sorted a decent sound system for this this year, last year it was impossible to hear anything unless you were sat right at the front.