By Sean Maldjian, Contributor

Meet Prewar Yardsale

We all need a little bit of anti-folk in our lives, sometimes. Enter Prewar Yardsale, a powerful duo comprised of Dina Levy and Mike Rechner, that delivers with a sincere DIY ethos. This team has been on the scene since 2000, emitting lo-fi goodness distorted with acoustics, found percussion and distinct vocals. 

Fresh of their 2021 release of “Potluck” — a retrospective EP of their work to date — we sat down to chat about their tidying-up, reality show dreams, authentic DIY process, and unique collage aesthetic. 

A self-portrait by, Prewar Yardsale

Would you rather…

your sense of smell or sense of hearing be a hundred times stronger? Why?

I think smell? Oh, wait maybe hearing? I keep going back and forth - like if it’s too loud it will hurt my ears, but the really strong smell might not be that great either - ok I totally didn’t really answer that did I?

Some Questions With Prewar Yardsale

Your 2021 release ‘Potluck’ has tracks that span from 2000-2020. What was it like revisiting some of the older tracks and putting them adjacent to newer works? 

It was actually really fun, and a little nostalgic. We had a couple of new songs that we recorded right before covid and decided why not find a few others and make a little ep? Those older songs had been released before - on a different homemade ep or other places, but they weren’t available anymore, so we picked a few of them and mixed them with the new songs - it was really fun to go thru a bunch of old recordings and decide what we wanted to curate and put out there with the new songs during this wild time. I have a feeling there will be more coming. And it felt really good to get something out there right now.

If you could be on any reality TV show, what would it be and why? 

I think maybe that show with Marie Kondo on Netflix called tidying up? I’ve always wanted someone to come and organize my chaotic space and mind, especially living in an NYC apartment - I’ve read her book and I’ve konmari’d my stuff but I still need help - I am totally not into the other kinds of reality shows, like the Kardashians, etc... I am sort of a closet self-help junkie so that Marie kondo show is like both a mental and a physical de-cluttering concept.

What instruments and techniques do you use to get your raw and intimate sound?

We truly are raw and DIY- Mike uses a Yamaha acoustic guitar with a pickup and an MXR M104 distortion+ pedal which he switches on and off for a distorted, gritty, super loud sound. And I use a bucket and a tin can for drums, and occasionally a little 1980s Casio SK-1 keyboard, or a flute - and that’s about it - we’ve occasionally had other guitarists, bass players, etc either at live shows or on recordings over the years - but it always comes down to just the 2 of us.

What is the inspiration for the collage motif running through your recent album artworks?

Neither of us really know how to make digital art (so you really challenged us here with the drawing in part 1) and we also don’t really like how it looks, it doesn’t fit with our style or vibe. The homemade, collage-y style artwork both fits in with that DIY idea of us making and producing everything ourselves and with our homemade, raw aesthetic- Homemade and DIY - prewar yardsale.

What are your hopes for the New York DIY scene post-COVID-19? 

We really hope the scene comes back somehow (safely of course). So many many diy, accessible and amazing venues had already been shuttering over the last few years in nyc, due to the city becoming more and expensive and harder to afford, both to live in as an artist/musician/creative, but also to afford and maintain running a venue. Some real core antifolk and indie spaces such as the sidewalk cafe, little skips, brownies, Shea stadium, the Silent barn, glass house, etc. had closed and since covid a ton more - and we miss playing live and seeing and hearing all the music. I hope there will be an economic correction that will bring some of that back to NYC, back to the artists, and that it will be ripe for art, music, theater, and all those things that are part of the heartbeat of New York.

What are the worst things about being a musician in NYC? What are the best things? 

Hmmm, the worst? I mean I guess being able to survive in NYC making music? And leaving a gig either owing the venue money or making none. We have always had day jobs in order to be able to afford to live here (and we have a kid so also there’s that)... but we know tons of people who have tried to do it full time and it’s hard, many have had to leave my at some point. Also getting gigs can be really tough - it sort of ebbs and flows - sometimes it seems really easy and other times the expectations (audience guarantee, etc) seem exasperating. so you’ve got to focus on the best part of it - and for us, I’d say the best part is all the musicians we have met over the years that we’ve played with, toured with, worked and collaborated and recorded with- and who’ve become and have been a community and like family - some of our closest friends over the years have all been a part of our lives because of music. And people here want to hear and make music. It’s why so many people are here in the first place.

What is the creative process like between the two of you?

First comes the idea of the song and the lyrics- Mike usually starts that process and I help, then usually the guitar parts, then the percussion and anything else we might want to add (keys etc). And then there are usually some small lyrical rewrites, deciding who’s going sing (one of us, both of us?) - sometimes a song makes the cut and sometimes it gets shelved, sometimes it just rests for a bit and comes back out-there are drawers full of songs that haven’t seen the light of day (or the darkness of a bar or venue). We do most of it together or work thru it while we practice.

Any final comments? (This is your electronic soapbox for one last answer.)- 

hmm - hopefully the nyc music scene is going to be back again one day soon when it’s safe - and I hope we can all get out there and make tons of stuff - feed off each other and make lots of music together - oh and maybe go to bandcamp and listen to our stuff: https://prewaryardsale.bandcamp.com

it’s super raw and intense and sweet and dark and catchy and full of NYC and it’s made to be listened to!