Forming Art and Community with Binghamton's Punks
At the Punk Show Artist Collab event, the first priority was enabling everyone to experience and create art
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📝This week's piece comes from Sullivan Harris. They are a musician and music photographer based in Binghamton. You can follow their Instagram account documenting the local music scene @NoMoreZines
BINGHAMTON – More than 200 local music lovers filled the Polish Community Center for a one-of-a-kind concert experience – one that sought to not just present music, but enable others to create it from the ground up.
“MEET OTHER ARTISTS / MUSICIANS. THE TIME IS MOTHERFUCKIN NOW” was the headlining message announcing the “Punk Show Artist Collab” on May 16, featuring five regional punk music acts and hoping to be the genesis of more.
Upon arrival, guests were able to select from a variety of colored yarn bracelets, with each color signaling to other attendees what they hoped to get out of the event.
Looking to start a band? Wear blue. Looking to provide art for local musicians? Wear purple. Looking to book shows? Wear yellow.
Once inside, the wide open space of the Community Center provided ample room for budding musicians to meet new friends and collaborators.
For organizer Raven Celtys, shows have been a home for connection and creation, and this event was a way to foster that space for others.
“I’ve always wanted to do an event where people can meet and have the ice broken,” Celtys said about the event.
“I want people to know it just starts with an idea, and if you take action, it can happen.”
Celtys would know – she has been making it happen herself for almost a decade.
The first show she ever booked was the result of a message from a member of Cellmate, one of the bands that played on Saturday, asking for a last-second venue in Binghamton.
“I had two days to set it up, and I got 40 people to come out to a venue called the Genome Collective,” Celtys said.
“Maria and her band Jigsaw Youth ended up guiding me on how we can do all this ourselves. I’m 25 now, and I have not stopped. I can’t stop. I won’t stop.”
A strong moral compass and a dedication to art have led Celtys, who also opened the show with her new band The Raven, to build lasting connections far beyond the borders of the Binghamton music scene.
Closing out Saturday’s lineup was Baltimore-based indie-rock sensation Pinkshift, known for their viral hit single “I’m Gonna Tell My Therapist on You” and two instant-indie-darling albums Love Me Forever and Earthkeeper. In a joint statement, members of Pinkshift recall their lasting relationship with Binghamton and Celtys.
“Raven has been bringing us out to Binghamton since we started touring,” the band members said.
“No matter the venue, Raven always creates an environment that feels fun, connected, special, and safe. I always walk away feeling really inspired and grounded. She really cares, and that love she has for the local scene is highly contagious. Saturday was no exception!”
Rounding out the bill were Binghamton’s very own unflinching rock-punks Glitch, New York City electronic dream outfit Blisspoint, and the aforementioned Kingston dance-punk group Cellmate.
Scenes from the Punk Show Artist Collab on May 16 | Photos: Sullivan Harris
All five bands on the bill were fronted by femme or non-binary individuals. For attendee Reed Lord, this representation makes all the difference.
“Having recently stepped back into the local scene after a long absence, I have been inspired with how inclusive this community has become,” said Lord. “The show last weekend is a perfect example of that diversity and acceptance.”
Another attendee, Alex Germann, could be found crowdsurfing during Pinkshift’s set and loved how the event turned out.
“For me, it was an amazing gathering of community,” said Germann. “Everyone is there for different reasons, but supporting the amazing artists with strong energies. It was a great night.”
Encouraging others to make new groups and art, Raven yelled to the crowd at the end of the night, emphasizing to everyone there that her role in putting events together is not irreplaceable.
“When I'm booking a band, I try to make sure it's something I can get behind, and it's something that I love, and it's something that I think is awesome,” Celtys said after the event.
“Because if you start focusing on the surface-level stuff, like following and all that, you'll lose the message. So make sure you know what your message is. Why are you doing this? And is it for good? You know what good is. You feel it in your chest.”
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