SLOW TRAVEL BERLIN
Parquet Courts, Cassiopeia, 7:30pm
Though most bands today exist with at least some semblance of a social media presence, Brooklyn’s Parquet Courts eschews anything of the sort. The reasoning is simple enough. With all kinds of information available via a few clicks, it’s easy to get lazy.
Whereas when the members were growing up, they had to put in an effort and seek out new and non-mainstream music, today they see too many people not putting in that effort, instead waiting to be exposed to new music through Facebook feeds or buzz blogs.
That’s not the only DIY aspect of the band, either. In the beginning, the four-piece sent out 150 mixtapes to people who had ordered the first EP. Though it was meant to showcase and share Parquet Courts’ musical influences, it also was an effective tool for kickstarting a grassroots movement, and additional mix tapes continue to be made and posted to the band’s WordPress page.
Today, Parquet Courts is perhaps more famous than they foresaw: this summer saw the release of third full-length Sunbathing Animals and the band is now in Europe for a month-long tour and festival circuit to promote it. A far cry from the Parquet Courts of old, but the important thing is that they did – and continue to do – things their way. Natalye Childress
Cassiopeia, Revaler Straße 99, 10245 Berlin; 030 47 38 59 49; S+U: Warschauer Straße; admission: €14/€17.