Karabas Barabas Set Double Album Release Show in New York

Brooklyn-based trio Karabas Barabas will present a double album release show in celebration of their fourth album, 99 Cent Store, and the re-release of their third album, Degenerate National Anthem, at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 17 at Arlene’s Grocery, 95 Stanton Street, New York, New York.

This performance will also honor the band’s mentor, the late Steve Albini, who recorded and mixed both albums in his famed Chicago studio, Electrical Audio.

Karabas Barabas plays rock music with a wonderfully weird, fun, punk twist. At their May 17 show, the band will open for The Sees and Karabas Barabas’ good friends, Night Spins.

99 Cent Store, just released, is a concept album in the spirit of Pink Floyd’s The Wall but with the maturity of Trey Parker or Matt Stone. The tale of a clerk who, abandoned by his father, spirals into a low-wage job at a 99 cent store and eventually burns the store down, 99 Cent Store is a hilarious, raucous, cathartic celebration of the demise of late stage capitalism.

Blending rock, country, Russian dinner music, new wave, punk, and jazz, with some Roy Orbison vibes thrown in, Degenerate National Anthem (originally released in 2020) is a polished, politically antagonistic album. Each “degenerate” story has its own vibe, but the album is tied together by an overall sense of absurdity.

“We were truly lucky to collaborate with Steve Albini,” says Karabas Barabas’ Frank Gallo. “Steve was one of the smartest, kindest, most honest sonic gurus to ever man a tape machine, and largely because of him, these albums represent our best work.”

In addition to his musical activities, Frank Gallo is running for mayor of New York City as a write-in,  independent candidate on a platform of minimal-cost, practical solutions geared to dramatically improving the day-to-day existence of New Yorkers. 

Photo credit: Andrew Bisdale