Thrift shopping, adventures, and good times of rock n’ roll; off the band’s
new EP “NYC Rags”; Premiered on PureGrainAudio.com
NEW YORK CITY | May 23, 2018 – If you’re ready for another dose of gritty yet soulful blues-punk-rock, then you’ll want to listen close, because NYC’s Johnny & the Bootlegs deliver a wildly entertaining bite with their music video for “Thrift Shop” today! Bringing you straight into the heart of New York City life, they combine serious talent with lighthearted fun. “Thrift Shop” comes off the band’s new EP NYC Rags, released earlier this month. Always showcasing their very best, Johnny & the Bootlegs simultaneously entertain and reflect, with style, swagger, and good times in tow.
The “Thrift Shop” video brings a balance of comical scripted scenes, and live footage of the band, providing a homage of sorts to ZZ Top and their slew of lighthearted music videos. Santiago shared, “Even though we take our music and performance seriously, we don’t really take ourselves all too seriously and like to keep things light. Our songs take that ride, usually going from a serious bridge, back into a fun verse or chorus. The idea of us going to a thrift shop to try on “somebody else’s clothes to wear our way” just felt like a lot of fun and relatable. I mean, living in NYC, everyone has thrifted at some point – it’s a necessity of sorts. My personal favorite spot (and the boys now agree) is Urban Jungle in Bushwick and we mention the joint in the song because we’ve popped in there and rummaged their racks plenty.”
Live shots of the band were filmed at The Studio at Webster Hall, prior to its closure last year. Frontman John Santiago worked as the General Manager of the legendary joint, which made the opportunity possible. “I came up with the idea in the last couple of weeks before Webster Hall closed up and last minute got Dream But Don’t Sleep Productions to jump on board – we got what is now the final music video ever to be filmed in The Studio at Webster Hall! We went in on a Sunday afternoon while there was a hardcore/metal festival happening on the top three floors and captured the live scenes. We got the filming done and then I jumped into working the event, haha.”
NYC Rags was recorded at Brooklyn’s Studio G by engineer Jeff Berner (Psychic TV, Chris Cubeta and the Liars Club, NAAM, Heliotropes) and released on May 11; it is is available for stream and purchase on Spotify, Apple Music, Bandcamp and all major digital retailers. The band have a number of upcoming regional dates, and will have a northeast U.S. tour coming this fall. New Jersey’s publication The Aquarian listed Johnny & the Bootlegs as one of the “Top 30 NYC Bands to Catch Live in 2018,” so fans will want to stay tuned and catch a bit of debauchery and fun for themselves!
UPCOMING SHOWS:
Thursday, May 31 – Knitting Factory – Brooklyn, NYC [Event]
Friday, June 8 – Asbury Park Brewery – Asbury, NJ [Event]
Wednesday, June 20 – Silvana – Harlem, NYC
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ABOUT JOHNNY & THE BOOTLEGS
Johnny & the Bootlegs are an NYC Blues-Punk-Rock outfit established in 2016. Dedicated to the idea of creating good time, soul inspired, rock n roll, the band’s debut self-titled album was released in August 2017 with cited influence from artists like ZZ Top, Jimi Hendrix, Green Day, and Sublime. Johnny & the Bootlegs is fronted by NYC singer-songwriter John Santiago with Eric Neuberger on bass and the recent addition of Ryan Adams on drums in mid-2017. Their follow-up EP entitled NYC Rags, with Adams on drums, was released May 11, 2018.
WHAT THE PRESS ARE SAYING…
“Their vibe is akin to classic rock, with those strong smoky vocals and amazing guitar riffs of Santiago perfectly supported by Neuberger’s bass and Adams’ drums.” – LAMusicCritic
““NYC Woman” is a fist-in-the-air mix of gritty and catchy, and is a welcome sound for anyone itching for good old fashioned rock n’ roll.” – GroundSounds (premiered “NYC Woman”)
“Johnny & the Bootlegs bring swagger and style to the stage, with a wonderful meshing of soul-inspired rock n’ roll!” – Kill the Music (premiered EP NYC Rags)
