Egg Creams and Bandana Splits

Locals passing by the recently may have noticed people dressed more for the '50s and '60s than 2011.

There was a reason for it: the Brooklyn-based female singing group the Bandana Splits were filming a music video set in that time period inside the vintage-inspired ice cream parlour.

“We just all were attracted to that aesthetic, really cool, very throwback" feel, said Dawn Landes, a Cobble Hill resident and a member of the Bandana Splits. “They have original wooden shelves from the 50s, all the soda jerk stuff is very beautiful and chromey. It's just got a very cool vibe in that place that we responded too.”

“It’s funny because when we were shooting the music video [for the song “Sometimes"] they shut down early for us, and we had like a whole crew, and people dressed in period costumes, all of our friends in the neighborhood," she said. "People were walking by going. ‘Are they shooting Mad Men in there? Are they shooting Boardwalk Empire? We were like, ‘Yes! Awesome!’ That’s what we’re totally going for.”

The members of the Bandana Splits — Landes, Lauren Balthrop and Annie Nero — met in Cobble Hill. Their sound recalls the influence of the girl groups of the 1940s through 1960s — from the Andrews Sisters to the Ronettes. The band is releasing their new album, Mr. Sam Presents The Bandana Splits, a collection of mostly original songs modeled in that retro pop style, on August 16.

The group formed when Landes, who is a singer-songwriter, wrote a Christmas song for a show at Manhattan’s Joe’s Pub featuring the band Balthrop, Alabama, of which Lauren Balthrop and Annie Nero are members.

“We had toured together before so we got to know each other a little bit that way and really loved singing together," said Landes. "So we sang that Christmas song at Joe’s Pub. It was so much fun that we kept getting together, being silly and writing songs. It was so natural."

"It was a bunch of girls hanging out, giggling, drinking rose, making root beer floats and washing dishes," she recalled. "Pretty funny.”

On why that particular style of music, Landes refers to the great harmonies of the girl groups. 

“There’s still harmonies now in pop music…but they’re not as musical to me. There is something to be said for people singing in arranged parts — it’s cool."

Mr. Sam Presents the Bandana Splits features tracks that have that girl group-era sound ("Sometimes", "Chemistry"), but some of the songs contains elements of bossa nova track ("Hold On") and country ("Choo Choo"). As far as the production, the album echoes those great records crafted by Phil Spector and the Brill Building songwriters.

“I really wanted to keep it old school,” said Landes. “We sang around this microphone live…[producer] Sam [Cohen] was there playing guitar and then he basically played almost all the instruments on the thing. I knew that I wanted him to work on the record when we started.”

The Splits are all based in Brooklyn — Landes, Balthrop and Nero are from Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens and Brooklyn Heights respectively; and the album was recorded at Saltlands studio in DUMBO. Landes has lived in Cobble Hill on and off for about five years. Originally from Kentucky, she moved to New York City to study at New York University in the late '90s. She has maintained a solo career that included recording two albums, Fireproof and Sweet Heart Rodeo.

“I had a friend [Mary Gibbons] who owned a comic book store here called Rocketship,” Landes recalled. “Years ago, I was looking for a roommate, she was looking for a roommate and a friend of mine knew her. That’s how I ended up living in the neighborhood. Mary was the mayor of Cobble Hill, [she] knew everyone because she had the comic book store and she also bartended down the street, so she just knew everyone. That was a lot of fun, I got to know all these cool people through her.”

She says there is a community of musicians in Cobble Hill — for example the members of Balthrop, Alabama met on a coffee shop on Smith Street.

“There are so many musicians in this neighborhood. I run into people all the time, which is funny because there are hardly any music venues here. There are some opening in Gowanus and Red Hook, but there aren’t many venues here.” She added: “Bell House is great, or Rock Shop or Jalopy. You can ride your bike there but they’re not right in your face, kind of thing."

The Bandana Splits are planning to perform a few shows outside of New York City. As for the future of the Splits, Landes says that since the members are close friends, they’ll keep on writing whether it results in another album or not.

“It’s such a fun energy,” she said. “When I’m writing by myself, I tend to get a little pensive or something. And when I’m surrounded by these fun ladies, it’s hard not to just write fun things and giggle all the time. The music shows that a little bit.”

The Bandana Splits’ new album, "Mr. Sam Presents the Bandana Splits", is out on August 16. That same day, the group performs at the Brooklyn Farmacy & Soda Fountain, 513 Henry St ., at 8 p.m.