Kait Dugan The 502s brought their beachy charm to Irving Plaza in NYC for an amazing night of folk-pop on September 23rd, 2025. Opener Arts Fishing Club started the show off, warming up the crowd for a night of jumping and singing along.
Arts Fishing Club
Arts Fishing Club is the indie-folk project of Nashville-based bandmembers Christopher Kessenich, Peter Eddins, Jimi Greene, Brian Kempson, and Matthew Siffert. If you are a lover of folk-rock that craves music you could listen to while hiking up a mountain, swimming in a river, or driving with the windows down, Arts Fishing Club is the perfect band for you. Comparable to the likes of Mt. Joy and Wilderado, the band’s lyricism portrays feelings of adventure, love, friendship, and exploration, and their sound compliments this well. Frontman Christopher Kessenich explained how awesome it was to share their music, especially in such a large hub of culture like New York City.
Photos by Kait Dugan. Copyright © 2025 Kait Dugan ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
The 502s
Although it was the second day of fall, The 502s make every show feel like a night on the beach in hot July. Seriously, for a second I forgot that we are days away from October. With flowers scattering the stage, bouquets attached to microphone stands and their bright backdrop designed to look like you are taking a walk down “Easy Street,” I nearly felt transported into the early stages of summer. The 502s description of themselves is certainly correct: “with breezy banjos, shout-along choruses, and an energy that bursts like a cannonball into a swimming pool, their music feels like sunshine you can dance to.”
Beach Folk. Folk Orchestra. ½ Rock, ½ Bluegrass? There’s a lot of ways you could categorize their sound. I think it’s simpler to call it Pure Fun. If you want an example of this, just check out their opening song, “Sayonara.” The 502s are constantly searching for joy in their songs, trying to limit negativity and bad times in their lives. What I like about The 502s is that they’re a little bit of everything. Sometimes, this can be a lot and a little too chaotic. The 502s combine different sounds, visuals, and lyrics perfectly to create a mix that makes for a highly enjoyable live show. Let’s go back to the visuals. Have you ever seen anyone jump for 22 songs in a row? How about an entire band? How about the whole crowd? If you haven’t, like I had never, I beg you to go see The 502s live. Your feet may ache the next day, but it’s soooo worth it.
It’s also a really special thing to see everyone in a room light up and enjoy the same thing. As an observer, there was not one single ounce of daily troubles in the room the second the set started. All I saw was pure joy and smiling faces in the 1,100 cap venue.
Earlier this summer, the band released Easy Street, their 5th full length album. Written primarily by bandleader and singer Ed Isola, the album is very personal, but also very applicable to us all. Many of us need music to pull us out of tough times, bad mindsets, and stress. These songs were written to be performed and to do just that: to find a place where people can connect, be positive, and work our way back into a better mindset. The Florida-based band says, “we made this album to be a place where we can all go to trade stress for stories, noise for melody and reality for those few golden moments where everything just feels right. That’s Easy Street – and we hope you find yourself there every time you press play.”
Irving Plaza and the entire New York City crowd definitely found themselves on “Easy Street” on Tuesday night. Lovably referred to as the “Happiest Band on Earth”, The 502s certainly live up to the name, and will continue to prove this throughout the Easy Street Tour.
Photos by Kait Dugan. Copyright © 2025 Kait Dugan ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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