October in New Paltz brings many wondrous things: cooler weather, pumpkin flavored treats and loads of new music releases from our favorite local bands. Kale and monarch. are two bands to keep an eye on.
Kale, a prominently known indietronica band, has been playing shows together since 2022. The boys went from attracting decent crowds at the Groovy Blueberry outdoor venue to embarking on an East Coast tour in the matter of months. Booking venues from upstate New York to Long Island to Vermont, the trio have become quite the hot commodity.
Consisting of Brendan Bartow on vocals and keys, Jack Salzman on vocals and bass and Sam Kirschner on drums, Kale has been reveling in their success over the past few months.
“Thank you from the bottom of our hearts to everyone who’s come out to shows and our friends who continue to support us in everything we do. We can’t thank you all enough,” Bartow gushed. “This weekend specifically is our one year anniversary of becoming the trio, and it’s been incredible how far we’ve come in just a year. This is our absolute passion, what we love doing and everyone supporting allows us to continue to grow.”
Their single, “Everybody’s Falling,” will be released on Oct. 27, after being heavily anticipated by fans. It’s been performed live on countless occasions: from house shows to Snug Harbor. The original song has received nothing but positive reactions from crowds.
“I think the main thing behind it is that feeling of falling and not knowing where you’re going, but not in a bad way,” Bartow shared. “Maybe you’re falling for someone, or you’re drunk on Main St. falling over laughing, or just a classic night out in town with your friends, not knowing where it’ll take you. I think it leaves it up for interpretation, but has that positive connotation.”
They had a little help from their friends during the recording process of “Everybody’s Falling,” traveling around the Hudson Valley to complete their masterpiece.
“We recorded it over the summer with our friend Christine a few minutes out of town, she’s a super talented musician and producer,” Bartow remarked. “The drums were done at Rock City Road Studios up in Chatham, NY, and the mixing/master was done by Tom Rosato of Zena Mastering.”
To soak in their continuous success, the band is taking a trip to Italy and Paris before their final shows of the year in New York. Soon after, the boys will be embarking on a ski town tour, which is a dream for the small-town band.
In honor of the single, the band’s hosting a release party on Oct. 28. They’ll be playing their annual Halloween set at Snug Harbor for the occasion. Be sure to check out their killer set and stream “Everybody’s Falling” on Oct. 28!
Another popular band, monarch., has been dazzling stages around New York with their funky beats and plethora of professionally recorded tracks. They’ve just released their newest single,“In the Mood” on Oct. 13, making for a fortunate Friday the 13th.
Fans immediately took to social media to express their praise for the single, which is no surprise as their previously released tracks are charming to the ear. The band’s Instagram was flooded with reposts from pleased listeners.
The band is composed of Sarah Hartstein on vocals, Nick Pappalardo on guitar, Jesse Hartstein on bass, Alex Alfaro on drums and Darius Beckford on keys. The five-piece band has gained quite the fan base in their short time performing.
By streaming the song, you’re immediately transported into a different universe.
“I was listening to a lot of Miles Davis records from the 80s, so I wanted to write something that would put me in a different state of mind,” Pappalardo shared about the new single. “Anything seductive is good at doing that, it can take you out of any mood and heal you in a sense. I also originally based some of the form off of a minor blues but made some alterations and extensions. I’m happy with how it came out.”
The band is constantly crafting new original songs for their fans to rock out to. With almost 1,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, they must be doing something right.
“We have a few songs in the works currently, and we hope to write more soon as well and release over time,” Hartstein remarked.
The instrumental for “In the Mood” was created by Pappalardo months before Alfaro crafted lyrics to accompany the beat. After some fine tuning, the band pieced together a final product they’re proud to share with the world.
“We recorded the single at Eric Dalton Productions in Wappingers Falls. It was mixed by Ian Vargo, and mastered by Zach Grappone,” Hartstein stated.
The band is ecstatic about the praise they’re receiving from their new release, and they’re hosting a release party show on Oct. 21 in Brooklyn, NY. Be sure to check out their instagram @monarchtheband.ny for updates and more information!
