LOCAL BOPS @localbopsnyc

There’s a great big world outside of the studio, and few deftly weave a through line between outside and inside spaces quite like Field Guides, the project of the Brooklyn-based multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and graphic designer Benedict Kupstas. Incorporating field recordings of nature into his work, the sounds of environment scaffold Benedict’s work in a way that creates a space evocative of situations in which they were written, inviting listeners into his world while creating a sense of emotional distance and allowing us to experience what he describes as “the feeling of being unmoored from the familiar.” Even on tracks when the outside world isn’t sonically there, nature is a frequent touchstone in the Field Guides catalog, making for an evergreen energy that feels positively verdant.

On this episode, I spoke with Benedict about the process and experiences that informed his new record Ginkgo, which included finding parallels between his own experiences and mythology, and a desire to make intangible, subjective experiences tangible. Our conversation devolved in a thoroughly enjoyable fashion into a wider discussion about the intersections of art and nature, transcendentalism, and the long road that lead to this album’s creation. And, as you’d expect on this podcast, Benedict was kind enough to perform some acoustic versions of the tracks on the record—take a listen.

SONGS USED:
Margaret
Cicadas in the Lemon Tree
Condensate

Follow Field Guides:
http://fieldguides.bandcamp.com
www.instagram.com/fieldguides

Produced, mixed, and edited by Billy Coughlin (aka Bilco):
instagram.com/bilco_bops

Hosted by Connor Beckett:
twitter.com/b_ck_tt
instagram.com/b_ck_tt

Follow LOCAL BOPS:

localbops.com

instagram.com/localbopsnyc
www.patreon.com/localbopsnyc

There are few things more human than the desire to be desired, a theme that's at the center of indie songwriter Charlotte Rose Benjamin's LP Dreamtina. The record, which explores the occupational hazards of romantic engagements, charts infatuation in terms that give its central theme the requisite space, while never feeling too somber or overly serious: Benjamin cites Courtney Barnett and Liz Phair as songwriting influences, which bleed into her craft at the necessary moments to make for an album that's even-handed in its approach to dating around NYC.

In this episode, I spoke with Charlotte Rose Benjamin about the themes at play
on Dreamtina and the stories that informed its ten tracks, which include sitting in the parking lot of a Cumberland Farms, feeling lonely at the party, and what it's like to see your ex show up to a show that you're playing. And as is par for the course, Charlotte was kind enough to regale us with some acoustic cuts from the release—enjoy!

SONGS USED:
Cumbie's Parking Lot
Slot Machine
Satisfied

Follow Charlotte Rose Benjamin:
https://www.charlotterosebenjaminmusic.com/
https://www.instagram.com/charlotterosebenjamin/

Produced, mixed, and edited by Billy Coughlin (aka Bilco):
http://instagram.com/bilco_bops

Hosted by Connor Beckett:
twitter.com/b_ck_tt
http://instagram.com/b_ck_tt

Follow LOCAL BOPS:

http://localbops.com

instagram.com/localbopsnyc
www.patreon.com/localbopsnyc

I spend a lot of time on this podcast talking about the intersection of the city of New York and craft of my guests—which is only natural. This is, after all, a local music podcast. But on this episode with indie duo Miles and Becca Robinson a.k.a Drug Couple, the conversation, for the first time, focused on the ways folks can flourish—both as artists and as individuals—when you finally get away from the five boroughs.

Miles and Becca left New York for a long weekend at the inception of the coronavirus pandemic for Vermont. And while their time away from the Big Apple ended up being far longer than they anticipated (they currently split their time between Brooklyn and there), it was that experience that informed the idyllic, triumphant tone behind their most recent effort, Stoned Weekend.

On this episode we chatted at length about getting away from it all, but we also talked about Miles’ untapped calling as a cult leader, predicting the end of the world, Yo La Tengo, and how to know you’re exactly where you should be. Enjoy!

SONGS USED:
Missed Our Chance
Lemon Trees
Ben & Bongo

Follow Drug Couple:
https://drugcouplemusic.bandcamp.com/
www.instagram.com/drugcouple

Produced, mixed, and edited by Billy Coughlin (aka Bilco):
instagram.com/bilco_bops

Hosted by Connor Beckett:
twitter.com/b_ck_tt
instagram.com/b_ck_tt

Follow LOCAL BOPS:

http://localbops.com

instagram.com/localbopsnyc
www.patreon.com/localbopsnyc

On this episode I’m talking to Mary Hood, a folk-inspired artist whose new music charts interpersonal drama in terms triumphant, centered around intimate lyricism and elevated by bombastic, uplifting, and electric instrumentation. Her most recent singles “Lake Sebago” and “Come Back Earth” serve as impressionistic ballads on intimacy and connection, continuing some of the themes established on her 2017 stripped-down effort, Fire and Gasoline. As Mary Hood’s artistry expands into more open sonic spaces, she’s quickly become one of my favorite rising artists in the Five Boroughs

Over the course of our conversation, Mary and I spoke about influences—including our shared admiration of Fiona Apple, relocating to New York and getting your feet wet in the scene, the two-sided coin that is human interconnectedness, and her skills at naming houseplants (before inevitably killing them). Enjoy!

SONGS USED:
Lake Sebago
Water The Fern
Light Pollution

Follow Mary Hood:
https://maryhood.bandcamp.com/
www.instagram.com/mary_hood

Produced, mixed, and edited by Billy Coughlin (aka Bilco):
instagram.com/bilco_bops

Hosted by Connor Beckett:
twitter.com/b_ck_tt
instagram.com/b_ck_tt

Follow LOCAL BOPS:

localbops.com

instagram.com/localbopsnyc
www.patreon.com/localbopsnyc

Repeat listeners of this program will know that my guests tend to be solo acts who have been working towards a singular sound over the course of several years, but on this episode I’m chatting with OMELAS, an upstart six-piece psych crust outfit whose fresh on the scene, yet has already arrived at a confident, identifiable sound. Their first single—and to date only released track—Blood Orange came out in the middle of last year, yet I was immediately entranced by the song’s swaggering energy, boasting a contemporary psych sound replete with playful unison and technicolor textures. After hearing the track, and seeing Omelas perform live, I knew we had to have this novel outfit on the Bops program—thankfully, Omelas were kind enough to invite Bilco and me into the studio as they work on their first proper release.

To that end, we talked about process and influence, the short history of this brand-new band, their cross-disciplinary approach that incorporates classical music and theater into their music, and, of all things, salad. And interspersed among our chaotic, free-roaming interview the band was kind enough to grace us with performances of three, unreleased tracks—enjoy!

SONGS USED:
Red Eye
Soft Shake Wham
Figure It Out

Follow Omelas:
https://omelas.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/omelas_bk/

Produced, mixed, and edited by Billy Coughlin (aka Bilco):
instagram.com/bilco_bops

Hosted by Connor Beckett:
twitter.com/b_ck_tt
instagram.com/b_ck_tt

Follow LOCAL BOPS:

localbops.com

instagram.com/localbopsnyc
www.patreon.com/localbopsnyc

Well despite my best efforts to get this episode out ahead of the holidays, I failed you dear listener—but believe me when I say the wait was worth it. On this episode I’m sitting down with two time LOCAL BOPS alumnus, the venerable merry prankster himself JW Francis to recap what was a momentous twelves months and change for him — releasing two records, 2020’s WE SHARE A SIMILAR JOY and 2021’s WANDERKID, his jet setting across the Atlantic, as well an extended odyssey he took upon America’s very own Appalachian Trail.

Weirdly enough, this interview is also characterized by its own kind of wandering quality—we chatted about JW’s music, of course, but we also took the scenic route to chat about his time as an NYC tour guide, stories from the trail, and other miscellany. And of course our guest was kind enough to regale us with a couple acoustic versions of his tunes, including two unreleased at the time of recording — enjoy.

SONGS USED:
Casino
Cars
Turtleneck Weather

Follow JW Francis:
https://jwfrancis.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/jw__francis/

Produced, mixed, and edited by Billy Coughlin (aka Bilco):
instagram.com/bilco_bops

Hosted by Connor Beckett:
twitter.com/b_ck_tt
instagram.com/b_ck_tt

Follow LOCAL BOPS:

localbops.com

instagram.com/localbopsnyc
www.patreon.com/localbopsnyc