From Rutgers to Ridgewood: A Night with Slow Joy and Flycatcher
Slow Joy, led by Esteban Flores, brought a blend of shoegaze, Midwest emo, and grunge to Trans-Pecos in Ridgewood, Queens on April 10th, and channeled the spirit of basement shows and late-night drives with music that hit like a memory you didn’t know you had. Their set featured new songs “Wound” and “Gruesome,” which gave a solid glimpse of what’s next for the project.
I’ll admit I hadn’t heard much about Slow Joy before this. A single song in my playlist, and a roommate who mentioned that they were playing nearby and could be cool. I gave them a listen, and I was immediately hooked. Their sound brought me back to the Pacific Northwest with that raw, grunge music I loved while in college at the University of Oregon. Naturally, I had to see what they were like live.
When I walked into the venue, it felt like I had interrupted a family reunion. Everyone seemed to know each other. There were hugs at the bar, hellos yelled from across the room. There was an immediate sense of community, the kind you only ever really find in local scenes. It was one of those beautiful New York moments where you step into a room thinking you’re just going to a show and suddenly you’re a part of something much bigger.
Turns out, most of the crowd was there for the opener, Flycatcher. Flycatcher formed while the members were in undergrad at Rutgers and are now touring with Slow Joy. From the first song, Flycatcher was high energy. They sit more on the pop punk side of the spectrum, with catchy hooks and easy-to-yell choruses. A highlight of their set was “Brother,” a track that had the entire crowd singing along. With what felt like the entire Rutgers music scene packed into the venue, it was the kind of set you can’t help but get swept up in.
Between sets, I chatted with a few Rutgers alums who told me about the music scene they built in college. Complete with sweaty basement shows and DIY setups it sounded a lot like my college experience. They told me how proud they were to see their friends playing to a packed crowd in New York. That kind of support doesn’t happen everywhere, and it gave the night a warmer feel.
Slow Joy closed out the night with an explosive set. Esteban was hopping onto the drum kit, playing in the crowd, and never stayed still for more than a second. It wasn’t just a performance; it felt like hanging out with friends who happened to be ridiculously good at making music. You could tell they were having fun, and the crowd fed off of it.
One of the most memorable parts of the night was seeing Flycatcher’s fans immediately embrace Slow Joy. It didn’t feel like two separate acts at all. Both bands hyped each other up on stage, cracked jokes, and even said it’s starting to feel like they’re “sibling bands.” That kind of camaraderie is rare and feels incredibly genuine. In fact, it might’ve been one of the only shows I’ve been to where the opener brought more people than the headliner, but by the end, everyone was in it together.
It’s that sense of connection that I love most about local scenes. When you know the band members or you grew up watching them play, the music hits different. It means more. And for one night in Ridgewood, Slow Joy and Flycatcher reminded me exactly why live music still matters.
