New York, NY (Top40 Charts) 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!
