Avery Friedman: NY Slice at City Winery 2026

Avery Friedman never set out to become a musician, but found her way there almost by accident. The Brooklyn-based artist, who grew up in Cleveland, used to love wandering New York City alone, getting lost in her thoughts, until a knifepoint mugging made her afraid to take the subway or linger outside for too long.

Retreating into her apartment, Friedman substituted those therapeutic walks with a guitar, using music as a new way to process and reflect. With little formal experience—aside from a few guitar classes and writing about music in school—music had never been her focus until she made a conscious decision to try something new.

Encouraged by friends, Friedman began recording and performing her songs live, leading to her debut album, New Thing, released in mid-2025.

The first song that I heard from New Thing was “Flowers Fell,” and I was struck by Friedman's vulnerability and optimism.

Friedman opened for Mt. Joy's Marquee show last autumn, and performed a "NY Slice" set, including "Underbelly" and a medley of "Into" and "New Thing" from the new album. New Thing was recorded, produced and mixed by guitarist James Chrisman, who joined Friedman for this performance.

[Recorded: 10/1/25; Engineered by Jim O'Hara; produced by Meghan Suma.Videographers: Bella Lipayon, Olivia Iannaccone, Adithi Vimalanathan, and Mia Vilke.]