Last year’s sticky N.Y.C. summer ruled. Amidst countless Slurpee-fueled city explorations and Saturday Rockaway swim seshes, the most memorable nights, for me, were those spent at jazz band and collective force of energy Onyx Collective’s beautifully curated and expertly executed NYXO events. In the words of the group’s saxophonist and founder Isaiah Barr, “the NYXO is a movement started by The Onyx Collective. Curated by artists and designed for the creative community of New York City. Through knowledge and homage to the past, the NYXO evolves as a timeless and ever-changing experience.”
Though their events were held in a variety of intimate New York spots, the Saturday nights spent at the group’s swanky yet warm Tribeca pop-up venue were some of the most magical. Shows drew in New York’s young, artistic, and curious — mesmerized by house band Onyx Collective, who was regularly joined by guests ranging from young raucous rousers Show Me The Body, Brooklyn’s starry-eyed musical geniuses Phony Ppl, and a handful of other city-dwellers bringing the Lower East Side’s D.I.Y. art, music, and skate scenes to life.
Premiering today on The FADER is a beautiful, black-and-white video montage recapping the 225 West Broadway space’s most memorable moments, overlaid with scenes of cityscapes and an old-school salsa program. Debuting in conjunction with this recap is the lookbook for Onyx Collective’s new spring drop — their first full collection following an initial drop of logo tees — featuring Aaron Bondaroff, Mellany Sanchez, Sage Elsesser, and Remy Banks. The shirt modeled by Bondaroff, Onyx New York Sax Man, was designed by Shawn Powers. Take a look below and cop here, and experience the NYXO experience for yourself tonight at Nick Hakim's album release show at Bowery Ballroom, where Onyx will be opening up.