There's No Party like a BAYO Party

August 04, 2023

There’s nothing quite better than a summer concert, especially if that concert is BAYO Summerstage. Located in the heart of Central Park, Haitian electronic producer Michaël Brun took on NYC’s iconic Summerstage and put on a night filled with singing, dancing, and just pure enjoyment. Having garnered a global reputation, and having performed at thousands of festivals, Brun brought an energetic experience alongside around twenty special guests to share the stage with.

The musical entourage included none other than the ultra talented Lolo Zouai, DJ Bullet, Naika, Masego and many more. Listening to everyone’s individual songs brought excitement to the audience with people signing along to nearly every word. After the legendary set, office took to Brun and asked some questions about the memorable night.

Interview by Cassie Jekanoski
Photos courtesy of Universal Music Group

What was your favorite part of the performance?

My favorite part was hearing the crowd know every single word to Jessica. We only just dropped the song 2 days before so this was a really special moment for me.

What was it like performing with that many people all together?

All the guest artists are friends I’ve known for years, so it felt like a big family gathering. I’m really grateful for all the positive energy at the BAYO shows

How can you describe the energy of the crowd of the Summerstage set?

10/10. Everyone brought the best energy. We worked really hard to make the stage and performances feel like a perfect summer day in the Caribbean.

What are you looking forward to next?

Lots of new music and growing BAYO into the biggest global diaspora festival in the world.

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On Tour With Primal Rat Screw and Efron Danzig

December 23, 2024

When Will McGoran decided that he didn’t want to wait for someone else to create the thing that he wanted to see in the world, he started Primal Rat Screw. Since the Philadelphia-based band’s inception in 2021, McGoran has credited the band’s unique sound to their sources of inspiration, whether it be Playboi Carti’s new music or his bandmate Kade’s Primus tattoo.

office favorite and Issue 20 cover star Efron Danzig grew up playing music with the band – who’s current line-up consists of Gabriel Garcia-Leeds (guitar), Kade Holt (bass), Matt Morrin (drums), and Will McGoran (vocals & songwriting). Danzig, who lived with McGoran and Holt at the time of the band’s creation, returned to her roots this November, accompanying and photographing them on their November tour.

Photography and Interview by Efron Danzig

Efron: Hey, Gabe. What’s up?

Gabe: Not much. I'm working on a flyer for a show I've got on Friday with my other project.

Oh cool, Where's the show at?

G: It's at this, like, yoga studio in West Philly, but it's cool because I just got a magician and, this, Slavic women's choir in Philly, and they're gonna play it too now.

Will: I've been, like, so tired since I got back from tour. I'm actually going to go to Atlanta on Monday to practice With Sword(2). I think I had a fever. I got, like, really sick. I was just sweating through my sheets and had a really crazy headache and

shit at the end.

The last day, when I woke up in your bed and I looked over at you and then you just smiled at me and then farted.

W: That was insane. Yeah.

Favorite food on tour?

W: My favorite food on tour? Fucking, uh, Boscoff.

Boscoff?

W: Yeah.

What's Boscoff?

W: It's, like, the… it's, like, the cookies they give you when you fly to, like, England.

Oh, a Biscoff?

W: A Biscoff?

Yeah. Is it Biscoff? Yeah. I love those on the plane.

W: Yeah, yeah, I, I buy them a lot. They're good.

Dip them in your coffee.

I already know but for the readers out there, how long have you been playing music?

G: I started playing guitar when I was 7 because I wanted to be like Hannah Montana.

W: I've been in bands for like 11 years and been touring in bands for 9 years. I feel like I've played music with these guys for so long, other bands, I've known them since I was a younger teenager. And every time we tour, or kind of any time that we do anything altogether, it's always validating, of the kind of relationships that we have with each other. I write all the songs on all the instruments. Although, Kade writes a lot of the bass lines. But everyone always adds their own style to it.

Do you have a rose, bud, and a thorn from the tour?

W: What does that even mean?

Matt: My thorn was heavy traffic coming from Boston to New York and being late to sound check. Oh, yeah, that day was pissing in bottles and you threw up.

I forgot that I threw up. Multiple rounds of projectile vomit out the window.

M: Yeah, and I saved you. I got the window open.

Yeah, you did thankfully

W: We are working on an album right now, I’m pretty excited about that.

Taco Bell or McDonald's?

W: Uh, Taco Bell.

Why?

W: Uh, McDonald's feels like I'm eating like a scab of a burger.

I like fillets o fish

W: Eww

It’s good. It tastes like chemicals.

W: Everybody loves it I just refuse to eat fish from McDonald’s.