the nyc band That hits like crack - Cab Ellis
All Photos by Dan Arnabar
New York is a melting pot of culture. Look around, there’s hella people from all over the world here. So naturally, the music scene has always been captivating as fuck. NYC is a trailblazer in the music industry, always creating new subcultures and genres. The stomping grounds for boundary pushing artists.
In the 70s - The Ramones, Blondie and Velvet Underground helped define punk music. The 80s - the Bronx created hip-hop and everything changed. The 90s - a golden age for hip-hop and r&b while the hardcore music scene was budding. All this shit brings us to the 2000s. The “Meet Me In The Bathroom” era. A time period that some dreamed of being in. The rise of alt underground rock bands: The Strokes, Vampire Weekend, LCD soundsystem, Interpol and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. The scene was sick, vibrant, and flowing with new creative ideas. At the time, it was some underground shit that ended up impacting the rock music landscape and NYC culture, forever. Since then it seems there has been an absence of that energy. Yet people are chasing that high again. The older heads wanna relive it but younger folks want a moment of their own.
Right now, it kinda feels like some shit is brewing in the big apple again. Bands like Been Stellar, Geese, Model/Actriz, Pan Arcadia and The Telescreens all play a hand in creating a new take on New York underground rock. But amongst the new kids on the block there is one that is igniting the scene on fire. That band is Cab Ellis. A band that merges NYC’s grit and energy with a contemporary yet nostalgic sound, spurring innovation.
“I love the energy I feel like I can release so much. They are super wild the main guy will do front flips & shit. I love dancing and losing my shit. The lyrics are beautiful most of the time but they are great performers.”
When I started going to Cab shows they were in DIY spaces. Once in somebody’s backyard. I hadda climb through someone’s window on the 3rd floor of an apartment. On my way down to the fire escape, a fucking dog nicked my leg - still got to the backyard tho. There was bout 100 people rocking out. They also threw house shows in their own apartment. Even having other bands open for them. Everytime the same chaotic experience, just a different environment. Shit was eccentric and electrifying. The people loved it. While the band locks into every single segment of these grandiose arrangements of songs, the crowd to goes into a frenzy til the very last song. A talented group of 7 guys, each with their own distinct styles and even a brass section that catches the newcomers off guard. People are getting black eyes and busted lips while moshing to a fucking sax and trombone. This type of shit is different.
Their music seems vintage but refreshing. Off first glance they don’t look like type of band to start frantic mosh pits but shit, Cab Ellis proves first impressions wrong. The energy they bring is one of the key drivers making the NYC rock scene alive again. Their looks might not scream punk but their attitude does. Punk is just a spirit, a mindset, it’s not a look or aesthetic. Which, Cab Ellis is a true testament to.
From indie shows in a mansion (Hancock NYC) to rooftops shows, house shows and DIY indie venues like Mudhouse, to more traditional ones like Baby’s Alright, the scene is back and it’s here to stay. The newcomers are creating a wave for past generations to say “Damn, the underground is back.”
Substance Skate Park, Brooklyn NY
I gotta chance to talk to the face of Cab Ellis - lead vocalist Connor Abeles. A guy that absolutely fucking loses it on stage and captivates the crowd time after time. He does backflips off of speakers and spazzes out during songs, like a man possessed. An embodiment of the band’s music.
Rell:
Yo how would you describe the band's sound and aesthetic?
Connor:
Uhh, I think its just unleashed. A different monster comes out when we are playing live. The way I try to analyze shows - y’know i’m always super particular. Thinking about what we did wrong after em but at the end of the day, i’m always thinking bout the energy. If the energy felt oozing and rabid and off the wall, it’s fine. That's what I try to capture.
Rell:
When you're songwriting, do you purposely write to provoke that type of energy from the crowd or is it more personal to you?
Connor:
The way I try to write and perform music is like you’re passing off one thing to the next thing. If somebody doesn't like my lyrics, hopefully they will be taken by the fucking energy on stage. If not the energy then hopefully they can sit down at a table and read my lyrics and then they’ll understand. There is just as much passion with the lyrics than with the music. They play hand in hand. I want people to feel what I feel when I listen to songs that inspire me. I want people to be motivated to do something. I want people to come to the show and feel like they are the shit.
Rell:
Yeah, I wanna say you guys are such an oxymoron of a band. For your live performances the atmosphere is lowkey punk coded but the musicality isn’t really what people would call “punk”. Bc you guys have a brass section and shit, it’s just different. You wouldn’t expect people to be fucking stage diving and moshing to it. How’d you guys create that culture?
“It’s like smoking a bowl of fucking crack and going into the pit. It’s truly like being on drugs interacting with Cab Ellis.”
- Megan
“Ive been coming to Cab Ellis shows since 2021. We were shocked bc Connor was doing flips and having a stroke on stage. Harry Styles album came out the same night as the East Coast Hold On album and I listened to Cab Ellis over Harry Styles. It’s like smoking a bowl of fucking crack and going into the pit. It’s truly like being on drugs interacting with Cab Ellis. They really care bout if the audience is having fun or not. The spirit of Cab is just wanting community. ”
Connor:
So many things have influenced the band, I first started off rapping. All I wanted to do was be impressive at 15 and 16. I didn’t know how to leave space. You have a show where there is punk energy and i’m trynna get all these words out and people are like WTF is he saying. That’s where things butt heads a lil but something comes out of that. You want people to care about what you're saying but you want people to dance and be free. I grew up on classic rock and soul. There is so many influences that i’m trynna dig into and figure out how I relate to them. But sometimes it's the motion of life and energy of the city. I think the energy comes from anger. You get angry walking around the city. I feel like theres a lot of people that like shit happens to em and you say “fuck you” but there is still way more inside of you. So like when you're on stage it's an outlet to bug out and be angry. Just get it out.
Rell:
When you talk about your influences is there anybody that inspires you?
Connor:
The best performers I've ever seen are people who look as if they are letting you in on a secret. People that are like I know something that I want to tell you. Some secret to the world. I'm always tryna access that. I watched a video of Etta James performing live. Im always so spastic on stage but theres someone like that, where she can just stand there and look at someone in the crowd and its like the whole world is spinning. And that’s something as impactful as someone running around be spastic. Etta James I’d Rather Go Blind 1975 Montreal Jazz Festival, I’ll send it to you.
Rell:
Damn Etta James you probably like shed tears and shit.
Connor:
Nah I did, the first time I watched it I cried. I was like holy shit. She’s powerful but in a different way. That’s why I'm always learning. There is always fat I'm tryna trim off, it's so easy to just be excited all the time.
Rell:
Facts, that’s why I love when yall play New York Time. It’s such a change of pace from the other tracks. Do you feel like you need to do more laid back songs like that?
Connor:
I mean, I do lyrically driven songs alot they just aren’t soft and tender like New York Time. Lyrics are the thing i care about the most, it's the most precious and I spend the most time on them. I try to think of every song as having that potential of like under this backdrop of the music you have the lyrics that are important. Even if there is less of it or not a serious topic. I'm a serious guy and this is very serious to me… music. When we step on stage, we are trynna tell you something. We are trynna make you see the world & your own life in a completely different way y’know. It's not a joke, it's not a game.
Rell:
I feel like you want to leave a legacy in some way but not necessarily want fame. Like I feel like alot of newer musicians nowadays just want fame but none are really trying to connect with people on a deeper level. What do you think separates yall from the rest of bands in NYC rn.
Connor:
You’re gonna see something that you have never seen before, every show. There’s a lot of bands you go to one show and you get it. I don't think you can get us if you only go to one show. I think there is a lot of people that go to our shows and are like WTF was that. And that's the draw for them. They don’t understand it and they want to know more about it. You rehearse the songs and you know them but on stage there’s 7 people and that’s cool because its always gonna be different while performing live.
“The energy that Cab has at their shows is unmatched. You come to a show and you have a million issues in your life but they all disappear and you’re just enjoying the moment. You can’t trade it for anything.”
Rell:
I feel like having a 7 man band, yall’s music is distinct from the other indie bands in NYC. Do you find it hard to not “sell out”? Especially since yall have been getting more recognition lately?
Connor:
It’s like you get this far, im not going abandon what got us to this point. Like I said, I feel like we have something to say. It’s a longer journey and longer process but thats what you gotta trust. We as a band always have to believe that we are always on to something.
Rell:
Would you sign to a big label if you couldn’t maintain your artist integrity or would you just be like fuck you and stay independent?
Connor:
A label would try to make us more like everybody else. We are trynna do something that nobody else is trynna do. It’s hard bc you want it to be your living and everybodies living. 7 guys in the band, 7 times as hard. I just want to prove them wrong. Everybody in the industry will always say that's the way it goes. Bro I booked bowery ballroom with my fucking sister. A Friday night slot. Having never played there before. That’s already against the grain. “You need this, you need that, to do this.” Fuck that.
Josh - Bass
“Go forth & make it rain”
Olin - Guitar
“Devlin’s gettin’ popped”
Connor - Vocals
“Gnash your teeth, we’re going to war”
Chris - Drums
“You dont know what I got”
Greg - Sax
“Going 80 in a school zone”
Devlin - Guitar
“Back the fuck up motherfucker”
“YOU’RE GONNA GET SOAKED”
shoutout Gabe on Trombone not pictured
Rell:
I think that’s what makes you guys punk on the low, whether yall fucking know if know it or not.
Connor:
Thats the point if you know it, no need to say it. If you go out and overtly try to be punk on purpose that isnt punk, Just go out there and do it.
Rell:
So how do you feel about the NYC indie rock scene right now?
Connor:
Theres a lot of different shit and pockets going on. What's going on in music mirrors the city itself. Everything feeds off of each other and wants to put that footprint down but everybody’s kinda doing their own thing. I think there is a pulse happening in the city rn. Everybody wants to say that Its back and its happening, manifestation or whatever the fuck but you really don’t realize that til afterwards. I think the point is to just do what you're doing.
Rell:
Would you say it feels different from previous NYC rock eras or nah?
Connor:
None of us was apart of the other scenes. We never experienced it. We all of fucking studied it. Different eras, different bands that inspired us but at the end of the day you are living the moment that your in. Thats the only thing that you’ll ever fucking have and I think that there is something special going on right now. But you cant fucking compare it anything else. Thats how you doom yourself. The whole point is to create your own moment. You can’t compare it to other scenes even if it inspired us. Who the fuck cares. I care about right now. There is a buzz. Theres something ready to burst. The scene does have this sorta rabid energy. Its fucking awesome. There’s people that you are happy to see at shows - your like fuck yea thank god that person is here cuz now Ik some skulls are gonna get knocked in the crowd. It’s not just about the bands, it’s about the people.
Rell:
Speaking of people, how important is it to you to create a community?
Connor:
Community is massive but I don’t think you can consciously try to create a community. It is a byproduct of you honing in your shit. You have to get to a place specific enough for people to be like Ik what df that is. I get it. I want to be apart of it. You need people that your shit speaks to bc energy is nothing unless it has something to bounce off of. Hopefully with us we don’t wanna be defined. We don’t want our style to end somewhere. We hope the community we create will change with us since we are always trynna go somewhere different. We don’t want to be able for you to pin us down. We would be nothing without community.
“They are the best they mean a lot to me on a different level. They were there for me during a crazy part of my life. Im from Long Island & alot of people are assholes. Cab is cool and the music is great. It’s 2 different experiences. If you go into the pits it’s crazy. Tons of energy, its absolutely awesome there is no other band like Cab Ellis. It’s so fun seeing other people engage with it and to have their message being spread. The sound is unique, gorgeous, exquisite.”
