Halloweekend at the Fort: a basement show blanketed in quilts

A line of pumpkins led to the Fort’s entrance on Saturday night. Roughly 50 audience members crowded into the DIY venue. 

This time, the basement in Ridgewood looked a bit different. It was still blanketed in quilts, but purple and orange lights lined the walls, skeletons hung from the ceiling, and a drum kit sat in the back corner — a sign of a heavier show than the unplugged past performances.

For the first time, the Fort had in-house DJs Yes Kovatz (Nicholas Ljeskovac) and Ro Mykoo on the soundboard between sets, creating a fluid vibe throughout the night. 

Part Time Trauma opened the show, a four-piece rock group with Mike Ciocchi up front, Max Mena on bass, Chris Chin on guitar, and Marc Remache behind the kit. Audience members stood up and stomped through the energetic set.

Solo act Ariel Bridges shifted the tone by asking audience members to sit for her stripped-down act. The genre-bending singer/songwriter switched between ukulele, keys, and acoustic guitar and the crowd sang along to covers from Death Cab for Cutie to Chappell Roan.

Audience members were seated once again for the third set, Hàvân, a Vietnamese-American singer/songwriter who was backed by a full band, including all the basics as well as a tenor sax. The performance was relatively calm with a jazzy feel. And the mix of instruments brought a fresh sound to the lineup. 

The show closed with music recording artist Nev Sings, who kept the audience seated and engaged with an acoustic guitar and smooth vocals.