Grace Serene and the Super Clean at Jack Rabbit on 5/17

Like I have said before go to the shows your friends invite you to because it is a telltale sign of a wonderful evening of fun.

I was picking up some rolling papers at a smoke shop on Elmwood, and there was this guy bopping so hard to whatever music he was listening to. I have always wanted to go up to someone grooving out in public and ask them, "What song are you listening to?" I did this for the first time that day and got "7.62 God" by Pooh Shiesty, which is a certified banger. Headed home to get ready for my night, eat dinner, and finish season 1 of my favorite TV show, Atlanta (go watch it if you haven't—I'm on my 10th re-watch).

My friend Chris texted me to come out and see Grace Serene and the Super Clean at Jack Rabbit early Friday, which was perfect because I was figuring out what party to go to for the evening. At 9:37 pm, I start walking over. There is a slight drizzle going on. I am trying to keep my hair dry because we all know what happens when curly hair gets wet—poof. Bopping to Little Simz on my way over there, dancing in the rain.

“I do as I want, I do as I like
I no watch face, I no fear nobody, nobody, hey
Point and kill” - Little Simz

I walk in and hang my raincoat in the spot where I always hang my coat, which is by the stairs going down to the dungeon, next to the Yankee hat that has been there for at least the past six months. Immediately, I see Chris in the dungeon playing darts with Tommy. I go down to join them. These guys are hilarious together, so I know it will be an awesome, fun night. The conversation shifts towards heists, which is a hot topic for me. Please never ask me to do a heist. I would love to do one well and get away with it, but the temptation is too strong, so do not tempt me. Anyway, Tommy goes off on his own tangentially related heist story about the time he scooped his friend on a jet ski after he jumped off the Grand Island bridge. By the time they got back to Tommy's place, there were helicopters in the air and police on the bridge. Of course, someone would call the police about a 16-year-old kid walking up the bridge in his swim trunks only to jump off with a ton of cars whizzing by. Oopsie! All was good but hectic for a minute. Absolutely hilarious story—you gotta get the whole thing from Tommy himself.

Stephen asked if I was working tonight, as in if I was writing. I told him it's my birthday weekend, so no, I am just here to hang out and party. He says he has a drink for me. Awesome. I will write about my life, but probably not publish this weekend, especially the music I see. Unless, unless, unless I do, because I always write when I go out, especially when there is good music involved.

The opener is starting, but Tommy needs a pack of smokes, so we go walk down to the 24 store, and honestly, stories are flying left and right. They are so good I want to write them down, but I am just caught up in the moment, so away they go to the ephemeral. And so it goes.

We go back inside just as Grace Serene and the Super Clean are picking up, sending the crowd into a dancing groove that we all find out that it lasts the whole set. Banger after banger after banger. We, of course, make our way to the very front to capture the most intimate essence of these musicians who are popping off so hot on stage. Chris goes to the bar to grab shots for the whole band. He brings them up on a plate and hands them all out. There is one extra, and the lead guitarist, Zack, hands me one because I am up front and dancing my heart out. "Thank you, Zack! You rip!" After the shot, Grace Serene herself tells me, "I like your pearls." I then go to offer toothpicks to my crew. I carry mint and cinnamon together, so you never know what you'll get, which is a fun game. Stephen always wants mint but always gets cinnamon. I got cinnamon too. I knew it was heavily stacked with cinnamon that night, so I expected it. Tommy got lucky with the mint, though.

Dan, the bouncer, has a new haircut working the door—clean-shaven with a new beard trim, looking fresh as fuck for spring. I am too, with my new summer cut (10 inches off!). Speaking of hair, I love seeing people with bangs like the lead singer, Grace, of this band. Next year, I'll get bangs. Yeah, I will. Why not? And then dance to that feeling of the hair brushing over your forehead. I want to feel that, so I'll let loose my hair from a half-up, half-down style to be able to shake it all about. I let my hair down at that time just when the bass goes for a run. Which I love when that happens at the start of slipping into a groove that sticks! Thanks, Arjun. Let's go boogie and toss my head all around. Let's let these curls fly.

The drummer, Brendon, goes off on a solo. Drum solos allow for tension in the music because you are just getting the pure rhythm going through its intensity. Then, the bass comes back to keep us dancing. They also allow for a hand off to another musician and in this case to their extra percussionist in for the night, Nigel, with mallets and hands on the bongos, it is jaw-droppingly sick. That never happens at a show so it is a beauty to witness. The rest of the band comes back in and pull Chris and I into a fun linked arm dancing set. Around we go. At one point, I was nonchalantly stretching, as I always do as someone part of the Free Stretch movement, and Chris goes to tickle my armpit. He got me.

At one point, the drummer had to run to the bathroom, which just left the band up on stage without a drummer. The crowd was in good hands though because they're true musicians. They kept the party going by swapping some instruments, shuffling around the stage and ripping a classic beat on the drums, then throwing some keys in on top. Hold up, do we have a bass up in here? Yeah, we do, thanks for that drum fill. Finally, now we've got a good rhythm. It was the start of my birthday weekend, so I didn't want to really focus on writing because it can take me out of the present moment, but this band and my night kept pulling me into greatness, which I couldn't help but write about. It wasn't until I read my journal from this night that I realized I had captured something great and would love to put people on to Grace Serene and the Super Clean. I will be catching them the next time they are in town for sure.

Grace Serene and the Super Clean is a Rochester, NY native band that brings a little funk, pop, soul, and rock 'n' roll to every high-energy performance they execute. Having only been together since 2021, they quickly found an explosive chemistry that has led them to the completion of their first album, Super Clean Vol. 1. Frontwoman Grace Serene, who now lives in Nashville, leads the band with passionate vocals. Next to her is Zack Makida on electric guitar, Arjun Baxter on bass, Joe Stehle on keys, and Brendon Caroselli holding it down on drums. They sometimes feature a guest appearance by Nigel Croston on percussion, though he isn't always on stage with the full band. I asked Grace, "So your first album has 'Vol. 1' in the title, so I have to ask, are there plans for a 'Vol. 2'?" She responded, "As far as Volume 2 goes, I can't spill too much. I will say this: We're always writing new music, and Vol. 1 will definitely not be our last release. When the next project really comes together as a unit, we will release it, but who knows?" So stay tuned for their next release. As for me, I am really hoping to catch Grace Serene and the Super Clean when they are back in town. We might have to beg for them to throw another sick party here in Buffalo. I'll be the first on my hands and knees. Hopefully, we can get them here in the fall! You can find their album here: Super Clean Vol. 1.

Photo Context: Taken 5/18 the morning after the show by my downstairs neighbor. He could see my cat, King George, on the 3rd floor window while he walked his dog. King George has no relation to the British Monarchy. I have strong feelings against that. He is purely a King to me hence the name.