I could see my breath and feel winter on my ears as I climbed up the Bedford subway steps last week in Brooklyn. The crunchy sidewalk on Driggs Ave. took me past school fields of snow to Enid’s, a delightfully shabby neighborhood diner with the motto stamped on their pens:
“Enids, since before you moved here.”
I was in love.
It was nearly empty on this Thursday mid-afternoon and I gratefully sat along the wall-sized window of warm sun. Banana pancakes were the obvious menu choice as I edited a video until Michelle Cable arrived. Michelle is the founder of Panache Booking, a boutique talent agency with offices in Brooklyn and San Francisco, with a roster of 126 bands playing the globe.
Michelle and I first met backstage at Mac DeMarco’s performance at the FYF Festival last summer while I clicked a quick burst of press portraits of Mac and his irreverent band buddies in the warm dusty LA sun.
Mac DeMarco and band.
Mac DeMarco surfing in LA.
At the time, Michelle impressed me with a calm, casual professionalism. No wonder that now Michelle also personally manages Mac and Ty Segall, both rising indie stars.
We sat at the old faded wooden table in the quiet sun – she with green tea and me with hot chocolate – and chatted about bi-coastalness, touring and imagery. She generously gave me Panache Booking’s brand new mixed tape of 25 songs from her artists. As it turns out, one of them, Thee Oh Sees, gave me one of my favorite rock photos.
John Dwyer of Thee Oh Sees
She must have seen it in my face and asked if I had a cassette player. I stammered “umm…” and we smiled.
The Panache series volume 1 mixtape.
I was relieved no low-fi 'sters were listening in.