I live a fair distance from Backwords HQ – a townhouse halfway down a quiet street just east of Prospect Park, in Brooklyn — but I was in the mood for a walk and so threw on a warm coat and a hat and headed out just as the sun was setting. We’ve had a mild winter in New York this year, but this mid-January evening was particularly frigid. As I made my way south from Fort Greene, I stumbled upon quite a few neighborhoods and hangouts. From the hushed residential streets in my neighborhood through the bars and restaurants in Prospect Heights, and past Grand Army Plaza and the massive Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Arch. Beyond the Brooklyn Library it quieted down a bit, and I was flanked by apartment buildings to my left and the quiet of Prospect Park to my right. A random passerby here and there, but mostly a welcome quiet sometimes difficult to come by in everyday life in New York City.

I arrived a few minutes before Adam, who would film the session, and at the same time as Brian Russ, who parked his bike outside and invited me in. It was warm and cozy inside, where we were greeted by John, Tim and Meredith, all equally warm and cozy members of the band, and Abigail Wilensky, their upstairs neighbor who would accompany them on violin.

After Adam arrived and set up we made our way down to their basement studio — a space crowded with equipment and decorated with various posters, paintings and knick knacks. There was some shuffling of instruments and cables and bodies and then they were ready to go. Their performance of Parts and Labor’s Little Ones is a slower, gentler version of the real thing, a welcome distraction from the wintry night.

When they were finished playing they jumped right back into their playful banter as Adam and I packed up, it was the feeling of being with a family. We headed back out into the cold with “biding silently the tidings as there’s little left to say, little time, little minds, little ones” echoing in our heads as made our ways home.
— Sarah