Brooklyn Bound: Smith Westerns Interview at Barcade

February 29, 2012



There’s a great American tradition of New York being a welcoming port and FADER teamed up with Converse’s new Rubber Tracks studio in Brooklyn to further it. Once a month, we’ll be welcoming touring artists to the neighborhood with a visit to a local Brooklyn institution, as well as making time for an intimate performance. Catch that exclusive show, interview and MP3s right here.

Union Ave's Barcade, an ingenious combination of a bar and arcade, doesn't have any games that weren't made in the '80s. The young lads of Smith Westerns, who consider themselves more of the "N64 generation," were unfamiliar with any of the games Barcade has in stock, including even Ms. Pac-Man. Where they did find common ground was in their NBA fanhood—Smith Westerns came up in Chicago's illustrious Jordan era, and Paul Kermizian, Barcade co-owner, is a faithful devotee of the Knicks, even before Linsanity. Though they'll likely be at odds come playoff time, Kermizian assured Smith Westerns that they were always welcome to a history lesson on Barcade's machines, and that the bar's playlist even contains some of their music.

Brooklyn Bound: Smith Westerns Interview at Barcade