Loose Buttons Light Up the Bowery Ballroom with Humor and Rock and Jon Hamm makes a cameo

On July 20th, the Bowery Ballroom in New York hosted a spectacular performance by Loose Buttons, a rising alternative rock band from the city comprised of guitarist/vocalist Eric Nizgretsky, bassist Manny Silverstein, guitarist Zack Kantor, and drummer Adam Holtzberg. The venue, nestled in the heart of Manhattan, is renowned for its intimate yet lively atmosphere. Loose Buttons were opening for Night Cap, an indie rock band. Remarkably, this was their first time performing at this venue. We saw the guys at their merch stand and decided it was the perfect opportunity to catch up with the band before the show and get to know them better since we have been fans for a while.

Q: How are we feeling about tonight's show?

Zack: Great. Obviously, this is the best venue in the world. This is our first time playing here, and it's definitely a big moment. There's no bad seat, so I couldn't be more excited about our set.

Q: Can you give us an idea of what the setlist is going to include?

Zack: I can't give it all away, but you probably already know "My Side of the Bed" is one of the more exciting ones. It sounds really big and kind of dark, almost ominous. It really works live. One of my favorite songs we're playing is “Fell Into A Hole.” I always like to play that song, and people dance the most to it.

Q: Is the album going to sound a lot like “My Side Of The Bed”?

Zack: I would say no. "My Side" is more of the dark horse or the Black Cat. The other songs have a similar vibe, but they're a little bit less dark. "My Side" is a little more distorted and verbed out with a loud wall of guitar sound. I would say the album is more similar to the first song that we released, “99 Secrets” or “I Saw Jon Hamm At The Beach.”

Eric: We're early in our writing process, so we're still figuring out the palette, but “My Side Of The Bed” is definitely a bit more on the darker side.

Manny: Each song is kind of getting its own treatment without there being much of a big picture at the moment. It might slowly come into focus down the road.

Sidenote groupies, I discovered them on my birthday, January 11th of this year. Their song “I Saw Jon Hamm At The Beach” came up as a recommendation on my Spotify, and it turns out they released that song on that day. Living in Florida at the time, it was perfect to listen to on the road with the sunny weather and the palm trees in the background. If you need to add a song for your road trips or beach days, this is the perfect tune to have.

I told them my favorite song from their discography is “Am I The Only Reason?” I knew the chances of that song being played live tonight were slim to none, but I still tried. The background harmonies make this song so catchy, plus I think by now we all know how much we love a guitar and drum solo, which this song provides. I wasn’t alone in this—Manny, who plays bass, mentioned his mom loves this song too.

Eric: Manny, our bass player's mom's favorite song is actually "Am I The Only Reason?" She’ll even perform it for you. Ask her to sing it. She'll sing it for you.

I know it’s a joke, but we tried to make it happen. Sadly, we couldn’t. Fingers crossed that we can succeed next time!

Q: What was the reason for the raincoat cover for “My Side of the Bed”? We got American Psycho vibes, but the song doesn’t replicate that.

Eric: I don't think our music has any American Psycho influence, but we love that aesthetic. We did that with "99 Secrets" as well. We used the red poncho. We just kind of kept going with the poncho thing and made it a bit of a motif. We wanted to give each song a color palette. Even though Jon Hamm ended up sort of not having a color—it was kind of green—the other ones will hopefully follow that same pattern. But in terms of why it was a raincoat, it doesn't have to do with American Psycho. No one was killed or harmed in the making of these covers.

Manny: No band members were harmed in the making of the single art, crew, or band friends.

We can attest that this is true. We all laughed.

Q: What’s the songwriting process like?

Eric: It could honestly stem from any one of us bringing an idea, and then we workshop it as a group. It could stem from a lyric, a melody, or a groove. Someone brings an idea, and we just let it sprout.

Setlist

Minor Leaguer

My Side Of The Bed

Strangers In A Nightclub

I Saw Jon Hamm At The Beach

Age of Consent by New Order (Cover)

I Don’t Really Know

Fell Into A Hole

Something Better

The performance didn’t disappoint. Loose Buttons had incredible stage presence, and the crowd loved them. From the moment they stepped on stage, they connected with the audience through humorous anecdotes, such as bringing their cutout of John Hamm to the balcony for everyone to see before performing that song. Their energy was infectious, keeping the audience engaged with their playful banter. This dynamic engagement made everyone feel like an essential part of the performance.

We can’t wait to see more of what Loose Buttons have up their sleeves this year. Hopefully, an album and more shows in the New York area for us to come and listen to. If you get the chance to hear them live, groupies, take it. You won’t regret it.

All our love,

Your Favorite Groupies