The Knight News recently sat down with Birds In The Boneyard, a band from Queens formed in 2017, about their recent ascent and new album release. The band initially consisted of brothers Mikey and Petey Condoleon but later added Teo Vanovski on drums and have used various other musicians at times to bolster their sound.
The band’s first album, entitled “Presenting Birds In The Boneyard ” was released in 2020, with 14 songs including hits “Ten Girls” and “For The Rest of Your Life”. “Ten Girls received over 350,000 streams on Spotify while “For The Rest of Your Life” had over 140,000. When listening to “Presenting Birds In The Boneyard ” however, It’s hard to pinpoint the genre in which you would classify the album. “Presenting Birds in the Boneyard” has a bit of a funk jazz/old blues style to it inspired by Ray Charles and Jon Batiste but mixed with the influences of rock legends Led Zeppelin and Jack White of the White Stripes, helping them form their unique, genre-bending, sound. The band also credits Queens itself as a major influence. As Petey notes, “Because of [its] cultural diversity, Queens has helped shape us[ and our sound]”.
As mentioned, the band got its start right here in Queens, and it did so with a bang. Their very first show at a local pub sold out immediately, and their following steadily grew from there. Though they started in Queens, BITBY (as they’ve come to be known by some fans) has since branched outside of the borough, playing in venues across the city. Still, the band has never forgotten their roots in Queens and how much the borough has done for them. From the beginning, “Queens was incredibly supportive” Mikey said, “[the fans are] very dedicated”.
Perhaps the most dedicated group of fans are college students, including many Queens College students. Why does BITBY appeal so much to this demographic? The band thinks it’s simple, “We give them something they can relate to” they said.
In keeping with the band’s roots in Queens, their second studio album, “To Be With You” released last month, was recorded almost entirely in the borough. This latest album has a more pop-influenced sound, with a hint of the original stylings of funk Jazz, blues, and rock mixed in. The band said this album is part of the process of “discovering who we really are” calling the album, “the full package.” “To Be With You,” like it’s predecessor, is already very successful with the title track already receiving over 118,000 streams on Spotify since its release, and the song “Hurt” getting over 27,000 streams.
Supported and inspired by where they came from, Birds In The Boneyard rose to prominence in Queens and are now are growing larger both nationally and internationally. With their palpable love for music and the drive to chase their dreams in the oftentimes cutthroat music business, the BITBY have just gotten started showing what they can do. We here at The Knight News can’t wait to see what their future holds and what their next steps will be.
Walking down an aisle in Wegmans supermarket in Bethlehem, PA. I see a guy wearing a feathered coat. Being an old rocker from the 60’s, I said great retro 60’s look. He thanked me and said we are in a band which I already figured. Having 22 guitars, we struck up a conversation about music and guitars. Probably my best grocery shopping trip ever.
Perhaps I met future rock and roll royalty on this trip? As Jeff Lynn of the ELO said, “Hold on tight to your dearms.”