I have to be one of the very few people in North Brooklyn who wasn’t aware of the band and art collective The Bushwick Hotel, Made up of: Gregory Ferreira (vocals/guitar/keyboard/percussion), Rudy Temiz (slide guitar/background vocals), Matt La Von (tenor, alto, soprano sax/clarinet/background vocals), Erik Naslund (bass/background vocals), and Ben Teters (drums/background vocals). If I’m not, this article will hopefully change that. I talked my way into meeting with the band at their Williamsburg studio called The Dojo last Saturday night, and was greeted at the door by Rudy Temiz and the infamous Gregory Ferreria . I had previously met Rudy at the bands show at Ella Lounge a week prior that I was invited to, to see their set during Fashion Week. The band put together an amazing artistic presentation with the help of Catherine Westergard (who created the fashion exhibit and content for the show), and Jacob Morales from Puerto Rico who did the projection installation.
The set didn’t last as long as I would have hoped or even anticipated, but I was slightly distracted anyways by all the good looking 20 somethings the guys managed to attract to the event. I felt similar to my days (but mostly nights) living in Bushwick, and I felt like I could be myself and drink Jameson until it was time to go. Hell, I actually did. I knew that when the doorman handed me two drink tickets for the bar courtesy of the band that I was in for a good time. Back to Saturday night, when I got my actual sit down with two members of the collective/band.
In a nut shell (no pun intended since it’s a mostly all male collective), the gentlemen came together as a band as Rudy informed me “very organically”. Gregory started The Bushwick Hotel and then jam sessions with the not yet members turned into vibes, and vibes turned into magic. Their latest album Graffiti of the Young Man’s Mind proves that the guys are onto something. The album will be released on November 19th and surely won’t disappoint fans of true indie Rock & Roll. The most interesting piece to this puzzle is that they are genuine visual artist as well. The guys sell NYC maps, printed with street art on Bedford Ave. every weekend, and have managed to secure a spot at Chelsea Market five days a week, including the weekends as a part of Artist & Fleas. The maps were started by a member of the collective Kevin Marcell who is the mastermind behind the whole map project. I got to see a few of the maps the guys had been promoting and I was thoroughly impressed by the detail and artistry put into them. The color choices alone were amazing. I won’t ramble on about the guys, but I will say the gentlemen know how to have a good time , and while at Dojo Studios they let me know about their next few gigs including their upcoming showcase and show at one of Chelsea’s biggest art galleries and their participation in CMJ this October. The guys have also managed to draw the attention of the Australian magazine Aussie, and got a full spread in the magazine.
The guys from The Bushwick Hotel have successfully mixed business with pleasure, and have done so by building solid friendships with the artists involved in the collective and really love what they do. Walking away from my interview last Saturday, I’m anxious to see what the guys do next with their plans to push forward with their “High Fashion fused with Street Art” agenda & the release of their album. I know I’ll be watching. You can find out more about the band on their website www.TheBushwickHotel.com