On January 31, 2015, Ben asked Barbara to show him a song she had written, and she sang the vocal melody. Ben picked up a guitar, fiendishly composed, and a few hours later, “Allow” was written. Though they had been friends since 2003, and had supported each other’s artistry, they had no idea they could collaborate that well. The next morning, they wrote the song “Down.” They played both songs dozens of times for two days, and on February 3, 2015, they played them at the open mic in Astoria, NYC, signing up as “The Repressions.” That ten minute set changed everything, because so much of art, training, study, wildness, work, and friendship fell into place in a scene and a way that was simply right. There are few moments in life when we are absolute in clarity, purpose, and home. This was such lightning.

Their dear friend Ashley came out, cheered, and took this photo:

In February of 2015, the newly formed band played twelve open mics, and wrote eleven original songs, including Allow, Down, The Repressions Theme Song, Flee, Whatever Happened to the Bookstore, Weird Place, Tiny Little Love Song, Where’s the Sun, Let’s Get Depressed, The New Brooklyn, and Medicate Me. The year 2015 would see seven more original songs, and seven shows, with the first official show on June 26, 2015.

That same February of 2015, at that same open mic in Astoria, Barbara and Ben met a solo singer songwriter named Nate. He came to their shows and they to his, and by the next year all three were jamming together. Nate officially joined the band in 2017, and The Repressions were a trio for many shows.

During this time Ben was continuing his solo music career, and found success with his other band, Ruderals. When Ben was accepted into his Masters’ program in early 2019, he stepped back from The Repressions, and the trio became a duo. However, the three still play together when they can, because they love it.

Nate and Barbara have been playing live all over New York City and occasionally beyond, with livestream shows on Twitch, dozens of original songs, new releases, video game vocals, radio features, and podcasts. They also fell in love. The artist life is neither steady nor easy, but they do feel that they are living the dream. They continue.

The Repressions has always been a band with a mission statement, sometimes three. These songs about injustice, oppression, and sorrow are more relevant than ever, and we hope that they will be shared to anyone feeling alone, marginalized, or frightened. We will always entertain, in an inclusive and upbeat style, because music is community, and art is activism.

In 2015, Barbara and Ben met Nate, and they also met other artists that would become true, hardcore friends, and people who encouraged and inspired the weird wildness. We have to thank Sam Rasiotis, Brandon Glasgow, Kyle Rogers, Virginia Marcs, Andreas Karantzikos, John Cavaliere, Andy Sydor, John Keegan, Nelly Dubarry, the late and dearly missed Keith Malonis, Katelyn Richards, Rick Rocker, Kayla O’Keefe, Paul Trust, and Chris Sayre. The next years would bring more amazing friends and colleagues into their lives, and there are more thanks to give to Miguel Hernandez, Paul Howells, R. Andres, Rebecca Moore, Sara Hurwitz, Jeannie Skelly, Natalie Asport, Diana the Vegan, Michael Hernandez, Ali Derie, Stewart Mitchell, Jasmine Sandler, Rashmi, Riley Burke, Faustian Organ, Dante Harasz, Diana Morgan, the radiant twins Dashita and Phil, Jimi Durso, Apryl Knight, The Konexos, Vlad, and so many more. We keep meeting amazing musicians and people.

It has been a privilege to work with Stunshine Music, and to play shows with hundreds of bands and songwriters in these past ten years. You can scroll through the website to see the gig posters and memories.

Special thanks to Ashley, Shelly, David, Lisa, Nancy, Bill, Taeko, Jina, Daniel, Kori, Kalia, Ro, Zach, David B., Nichole, and Karl.

The Repressions have big news and a lot of new music for 2025, and we hope that you will follow us wherever you find music. If you are in the New York City area, we hope to see you at a show, and if you are anywhere else in the world, join us on Twitch. Life is challenging, and art can lift and carry us through the dark times. Thank you for an amazing decade!