Beth Kaplan-Chris Brokaw-Franklin Bruno/Milo Jones @ Mama Tried, Brooklyn, NY 6/14/26

June 15, 2026

Bill: Beth Kaplin-Chris Brokaw-Franklin Bruno/Milo Jones/Curhachestra

Venue: Mama Tried, 787 3rd Ave., Brooklyn, NY

Date: Sunday 6/14/26

Door: Free

6pm Beth Kaplan-Chris Brokaw-Franklin Bruno

Active: Kaplin (1981, Providence, RI via Boston, MA), Brokaw (1987, Boston via NYC), Bruno (1986, Chapel Hill, NC via Los Angeles)

Latest Release: Kaplin: Salem 66-Salt (Don Giovanni, 2025), Brokaw: The Undone Is Done Again (with Tanya Donelly) (Fire, 2026), Lupo Cita-Inverno (12XU, 2026), Bruno: Human Hearts-Viable (Open Boat, 2023)

Affiliated: Kaplin: Salem 66, Brokaw: Come, Codeine, Lupo Cita, Pullman, Consonant, The New Year Bruno: The Human Hearts, Nothing Painted Blue, Tsunami, Mountain Goats

Kaplin: Bandcamp Facebook Instagram Discogs Setlist AllMusic Wiki YouTube Spotify

Brokaw: Bandcamp Facebook Instagram Discogs AllMusic Wiki YouTube Spotify

Bruno: Bandcamp Facebook Instagram Discogs AllMusic Wiki YouTube Spotify

5pm Milo Jones

Active: 1995 (Greenville, NC)

Latest Release: I Belong To You: An Introduction To Milo Jones (Milo Jones, 2025)

Bandcamp Facebook Instagram AllMusic YouTube Spotify

Missed: Curhachestra

I decided to use a free Sunday afternoon and head to Sunset Park for Salem 66 bass player Beth Kaplan and regular stalwart Chris Brokaw with Franklin Bruno. So many indie rock celebrities of yore! It's always a long trek for me since I need to take a bus from Bushwick to get to a connecting R train to 25th St. By the time I arrived I could hear the sounds of Curhachestra outside. Amazingly music is allowed outside in the back yard at Mama Tried again since the one complaining neighbor has apparently been kept at bay by recent soundproofing prevention the offensive reverbations in the nearby hallway.

I was craving a Bloody Mary but the bar had none prepared so I got a fine salad substituting Cucumber-Jalapeno Margarita for Milo Jones. The longtime North Carolina singer songwriter I had never heard of before but he had a song dedicated to his balls so what wasn't to like. He also had a clip on microphone and preferred to play in front of the stage in the audience as opposed to on it.

Since the show was a 4-7 show it soon became clear that this was not a 5 set bill. Beth Kaplan was fleshed out with Brokaw on Guitar and Bruno on Keyboard. Those two have long running solo careers in their own right but to see them there would have to be another day. I came for Beth anyway since I hadn't seen Salem 66 since around 1989 at the Middle East upstairs back when there was no downstairs. Somebody else noted Salem 66 hadn't been in NYC since around that time either. What I didn't realize was the the label Don Giovanni put out a compilation of long out of print Salem 66 material last year, so there has been a little bit of interest beyond Kaplan deciding to do solo gigs. Well I got to hear my favorite hit song of yore "Across The Sea" and see yet another Chris Brokaw configuration which has seemed to be coming up more and more of late. Mama Tried is always good to get food and a couple rounds after those Sunday outdoor day gigs before ambling back to the R to my B26 chariot back (this time Jay St was the recommended route, other times it is Dekalb).

FOR FURTHER REVIEW:

Come @ Elsewhere, Brooklyn, NY 5/11/26

The Chris Brokaw Rock Band @ Mama Tried, Brooklyn, NY 9/21/24

Lupo Citta @ Gold Sounds, Brooklyn, NY 3/7/25

Lupo Citta @ Union Pool, Brooklyn, NY 8/18/24