Concerts for Everyone

On Saturday, July 26, a small crowd gathered in Tompkins Square Park to watch a band perform. It wasn’t your typical street performance, but a curated concert of some of New York’s up-and-coming bands organized by Show Brain, a nonprofit that puts on free shows in historic city parks.

Show Brain was born during the COVID-19 pandemic when its founder, known to most as simply “Ozzie,” started busking in Union Square to enthusiastic crowds.

"They would come and they were so excited because they hadn't been to a concert in over a year at that point,” he said.

That inspired Ozzie to grow the events and feature multiple bands. Now, Show Brain puts on official concerts a few times a month.

Nacho Herrera stumbled across a Show Brain concert on Saturday. It was his first time visiting New York from Argentina, and he stuck around a while to hear the music.

"I think here in New York, the culture of music is really special and I just wanted to see what the local artists have to show,” he said.

Artists playing that day included Joudy, Two-Man Giant Squid, P.H.O, and Avishag Rodrigues.

Torture and the Desert Spiders was also doing a set. Frontwoman Anna Kunz, known as “Torture,” has attended the free concerts as an audience member in the past. She appreciates the thought and energy Ozzie puts into planning them.

“A lot of promoters in New York don't really curate,” she said. “They try to, but at the end of the day, ticket sales get in the way of curation. Ozzie does not do that. He and all of Show Brain put what I genuinely think are the best bands in New York on.”

Many bands booked by Show Brain mostly play ticketed events at 21+ venues, but the organization is open to all ages and income levels. To Torture, that makes it inherently political.

“It is revolutionary to take music that is supposed to be what you're supposed to confine,” Torture said. “Queer people, poor people, artists and creatives. You're supposed to confine us to two in the morning at a club, where normal people don't have to see us. But that's not how we live anymore.”

Ozzie said he is not trying to create something revolutionary – he is just making live music more accessible.

"I'm not a politician, I'm not an activist. I just like music,” he explained. “I love what we're doing, and I just want to bring people together and have a good time.”

So far, Ozzie has been successful. Show Brain’s next couple of shows are in partnership with Creem, the revered and recently revived rock magazine that broke boundaries in music journalism.

Each year, more volunteers and fans come out to the shows, which is beyond what Ozzie first anticipated. “It's been overwhelming to the point where I'm thinking, ‘Okay, like this is actually building something greater than what I imagine."

Show Brain has more dates ahead for their concerts, listed via their Instagram.

This interview ran on the What’s What podcast from WFUV on August 6, 2025.