As mentioned, Roses -- the new band from onetime Abe Vigoda guitarist Juan Velazquez -- are visiting this weekend from LA to play three NYC shows. The band's debut EP will be out on Tuesday (8/5) on Group Tightner and they've just shared a third song, the dreamy/moody "The Fog." You can stream that, along with two other songs ("It's Over" is the real winner here) from the EP, below.

Tonight (8/1) Roses will be at Death by Audio for an extremely solid bill (on a pretty quiet night in NYC), with headliners Future Punx, the poppy indie rock of Darlings, Philly band The Beds, and something mysteriously listed on DbA's website as "The Light in Spanish."

Then on Saturday (8/2) Roses play Cake Shop with Outside World, Wreaths and Yin Yangs, and finally they play Silent Barn on Sunday (8/3) with Grand Resort, Chimes, and Bueno. Flyer for their NYC shows, plus the three song streams, below...

Continue reading "Roses are here, playing three NYC shows this weekend, share third song from new EP (streams)"

photos by Erina Uemura

Flaming Lips / Outcast / Arcade Fire @ Fuji Rocks 2014

The transition from indie darlings to stadium-rockers is rarely a painless one, although a decade on from the release of its debut album "Funeral," Arcade Fire proved that it has at least navigated that path better than most. The band's performance was mature and assured, although lacking the latent spark of aggression that had originally marked it as such an exciting prospect. Occasionally there was a flicker of the Win Butler and co. of old, such as the wonderfully anarchic and incongruous modular synth solo during "Reflektor." The group's renditions of "Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)" and "No Cars Go" were also particularly spirited, even if the latter's lyrics are perhaps a little bit too timely: "We know a place where no planes go."

Conversely, it's hard to imagine The Flaming Lips ever changing their style for anyone. Wayne Coyne, as ever, looked delightfully shambolic, outfitted in a combination of tinfoil and an "Attack on Titan" cosplay bodysuit that he'd no doubt copped from Don Quijote the night before. Naturally, he was flanked by giant dancing mushrooms. The group wasted no time, jumping almost straight into fan favorite "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots Pt. 1″ while unleashing a shower of confetti, setting the tone for a relatively short but saccharine sweet love-in. - [Japan Times]

The Fuji Rock Festival has been happening has been happening the last weekend of July since 1997. Originally held at the Base of Japan's most famous mountain, since 2000 Fuji Rocks has happened at Naeba Ski Resort and the 2014 was last weekend (July 25 - 27), featuring Arcade Fire, Outkast, The Flaming Lips, Saint Vincent, Franz Ferdinand, White Lung, Slowdive, SBTRKT, Disclosure, The Waterboys, Yoko Ono and lots more over its three days. Pictures from all three days are in this post.

Outkast, Lorde, Temples are among the Fugi Rocks performers who are in Chicago's Grant Park this weekend for Lollapalooza. Lot more pictures from the 2014 Fuji Rocks Festival below...

Continue reading "2014 Fuji Rocks Fest in pics (Arcade Fire, Outkast, Flaming Lips, St. Vincent, Damon Albarn, SBTRKT, Slowdive & more)"

dark clouds loom over Grant Park (via @livingmyfestivallife)

Lollapalooza 2014 is now underway in Chicago's Grant Park -- you can watch Courtney Barnett via their live stream as we post this -- and the fest isn't without its hiccups. Weather is always a potential issue, and Mother Nature is rearing her head today, as those clouds in the picture above show:

Attention festivalgoers: Please be prepared for light to heavy rain in the next ~15 mins. We're monitoring the storm & will keep you posted!

— Lollapalooza (@lollapalooza) August 1, 2014

All three stages are currently on 15-delay from the rain. Let's hope they don't get anything like 2012. Meanwhile there are some technical snafus as well:

And the entire computer system for guest list, press and will call for Lolla is down. FYI media pals not yet credentialed.

— Jessica Hopper (@jesshopp) August 1, 2014

Let's hope the computers that are controlling the electric bracelets used in their cashless system are working ok. It seems like most attendees are rolling with the punches, though.

If you're at Lollapalooza, stop by the Toyota Soundwave tent and visit us. You can also follow us on Twitter and Instagram (BVChicago too) Stay tuned for photos and more coverage throughout the weekend.

by Wyatt Marshall

Bastard Noise + Anthony Saunders at Babycastles (via @cularspectra)

The videogame design collective Babycastles, whose DIY arcade games you may have played at the old Silent Barn or Death by Audio, have opened a gallery at 137 West 14th St in Manhattan. In addition to functioning as an interactive art gallery -- the current installation, "Assalamualaikum Babycastles," explores a "'Muslim lived expeience,' through the embedded narratives of independent, contemporary video games" -- the space is hosting shows.

The Chondritic Sound tour with Hive Mind, Redrot, Scant and more rolled through on Wednesday. Thursday night, the space hosted a number of electronic acts including Dadras, Alarke ("electronic wondercore") and Justin Hood and OG Van B Boys. A couple of weeks back, Bastard Noise and Anthony Saunders played the space.

In May, Ratking performed as part of a weeklong exhibition exploring underground NYC through video games and hip hop that doubled as a celebration of the release of Ratking's new album and the opening of the space. No further concerts are on the Babycastles schedule as of now, but good to see a space hosting experimental shows in Manhattan. Watch video from that fairly rowdy Ratking performance below.

Continue reading "Babycastles opened a gallery in Manhattan, hosting shows"

Radiohead are a democratic band by all accounts, and drummer Philip Selway seems like a nice guy who would never say something horrible like "it's Selway or the highway!" at band meetings. He gets to make all the decisions, however, on his new solo album, Weatherhouse, which will be out via Bella Union on October 7. That's the cover art above. Get an early taste via the very arty music video for lead track "Coming Up for Air" which was directed by Spanish film collective NYSU. Watch it below.

Continue reading "Radiohead drummer Philip Selway releasing solo album in October (watch a video)"

By Ian Chainey

behold...the Mastadong (via @bhinds)

Mastodon's Brent Hinds carved a giant penis out of wood. That part is fine, it's the fact every metal news site lead with the. . . hard hitting story this week. So remember, whenever you get sick of the omnipresent coverage of an over-hyped band: one giant wooden wiener will always trump them all. Metal!

More dick news: Belgium's Brutal Fest was canceled due to bands battling with the promoter. The concert was set to bring together Vader, Aeon, Aborted, and others, but it was KO'd, in the words or both Aeon and Aborted, "Due to the unprofessional and fraudulent acts of the promoter. . . " Brutal Fest's Facebook followed up with, "I can't continue any longer with this event due medical reasons and that's probably the main reason for the cancellation." Probably the main reason? Is the medical reason Mementosis?

Elsewhere: Can't make a Meshuggah show? Worry not, it's coming to the comfort of your own home. The tech-y Swedes are putting out another concert CD/DVD package called The Ophidian Trek out on September 30 and this one is pretty expansive. You can check out the details below. And, because the internet, Meshuggah also received the "Space Jam" mash-up treatment courtesy of Analog Staple. Seems there is an entire subreddit dedicated to pairing songs with the Quad City DJ's, uh, classic.

A few artists/bands have new irons in the fire: Post-metallers Minsk are set to hit the studio soon. They're eying 2015 for their next album. PHILM, one of the current projects of Dave Lombardo, will release their sophomore album Fire From The Evening Sun on UDR Music on September 16. Num Skull, the cult-adored '80s thrasher, are getting Ritually Abused back out on Relapse Records on September 16 (preorder). You can check out a remastered track below. And Dee Snider is putting on Titus Andronicus with puppets. What do you wanna do with your life? I wanna put on Shakespeare plays with puppets! Look what you did, now your mother can't stop crying. Check out Snider's segment on Fox News' 411 below.

Concert madness: Leprous, the Norwegian progsters famous for backing Ihsahn, will be playing nerd-metal-haven ProgPower on September 12 in Atlanta, Georgia. Then, they'll stay in the states for a bit. They'll check into NYC's Webster Hall on September 20 with the Binary Code (tickets). Their full list of dates appears below. Pyrrhon have a tour coming up and they'll also be playing a show at NYC's Saint Vitus on August 18 with Revocation, Artificial Brain, and Psalm Zero. Tickets are available now. And in the rarely used "Metallica does cool thing" bucket, there's a neat documentary available on YouTube detailing Metallica playing a Netherlands date in 1984. You can watch it below.

Don't forget to keep up with the rest of our metal coverage during the week.

Now that you're, ahem, fully briefed, let's recap all of the A/V transmissions.

For the full-album previews: Appalachian black metallers Panopticon are streaming Roads to North at NPR. That record is also out today. Thrashers Algebra crunched the numbers on Feed the Ego and have released the solution. Their album is out on September 2 through the perfectly named Unspeakable Axe (preorder). The seriously pissed Columns have put up all of Please Explode (August 5, Relapse Records - preorder). Lastly, tradsters Saturn are showing off all of Ascending (Live In Space) (August 5, Rise Above Records - preorder). Check out Algebra, Columns, and Saturn streams below.

For single tracks and teasers, the noisy Rabbits dropped another track from Untoward (August 12, Lamb Unlimited - preorder). Death metallers Lago loosed "Concede To Oblivion" from Tyranny (September 16, Battleground Records). Ragers Old Wounds put up "Dead Beat Blues" off of Death Projection (September 16, Good Fight Music - preorder). Bay Area doomers Cardinal Wyrm laid down the nasty "Born In A Barren Land" from Black Hole Gods (August 5). And mind-effers Big Black Cloud decided two premieres were the way to go in supporting Lessons In Fuck You 2 (August 5, Eolian Empire - preorder). All tracks can be heard below.

Finally, to close things down, Electric Wizard now have a video for "I Am Nothing." Surprise: DRUGS! Time To Die is out on September 30 via Spinefarm Records (preorder). Activate that sixth circuit below.

Got it? Good. To shows we go:

TODAY (FRIDAY, 8/1): The Acheron has classic dooooooooom with Blackfinger, Beelzefuzz, and Kings Destroy (tickets). Kings Destroy are also playing the upcoming Invisible Oranges-presented Black Cobra/Lo-Pan show.

SATURDAY (8/2): The Acheron strikes again, this time with crusty sludge: Noothgrush, Ruine, Show of Bedlam, and Grudges (tickets).

SUNNNNNNNDAY (8/3): One of the premier tickets of the summer hits the Bowery Ballroom. Boris, the Atlas Moth, and SubRosa will deafen all comers (tickets). The next day, Boris play a drone set at Saint Vitus.

Looking for late adds and dates ahead? NYC Metal Show Calendar has got you covered.

Let's talk IO: We were juggling tons of features this week. As we always do, we tracked the week's new stuff in Upcoming Metal Releases. We went all music television with two video premieres: Music Blues and Below. Ah, now I'm sad. We premiered two albums: the Dogma/Corrupt Leaders split and a Sarcofago repress. We hit the reviews hard with Coral Cross and Fallujah. Dave Hall put his Canadian citizenship in doubt with a rant against the Polaris Prize. And we interviewed Aðalbjörn Tryggvason of Sólstafir.

Alright, consider the decks cleared. What did we miss? What are your plans? Let us know and catch all of the dates, reams of streams, and other noted details below...

Continue reading "The Heavy Lowdown: "Mastodong," Meshuggah, Minsk, Leprous, Panopticon, Pyrrhon, Electric Wizard & more"

by Rob Sperry-Fromm

Ben Frost at Brooklyn Masonic Temple in 2011 (more by Greg Cristman)

Iceland-by-way-of-Australia extreme noise composer Ben Frost has recently announced some fall tour dates as he continues to support his excellent 2014 album A U R O R A. The tour will include a stop in NYC for a show at The Wick on October 18. That show is presented by Pitchfork's metal arm, Show No Mercy, and preexisting metal series Blackened Music as the first in a new series they're calling "Tinnitus," which will focus on "composers of extreme sound." Frost generally performs with a band that includes master percussionists Thor Harris (Swans) and Greg Fox (Liturgy, Zs), among other talented musicians, and his live show is something to behold. No word on who'll be playing with him (or the rest of the lineup) but tickets are on sale now.

Check out full tour dates for Ben Frost along with video of a live performance, below...

Continue reading "Ben Frost touring, playing NYC concert series 'Tinnitus' (dates)"

Museum of Love

DFA Records threw one helluva party last year to celebrate their 12th Anniversary. This year they're throwing another party, a smaller scale summer soiree if you will (actually, that's what they're calling it), at The Wick on August 23. It will feature the NYC live debut of Pat Mahony's new band, The Museum of Love, plus DJ sets from Sinkane, Nancy Whang, Holy Ghost, plus a "special guest TBA."  Tickets for the show go on sale Monday (8/4) at noon.

In related news, you can catch Sinkane performing live at The Lot LIC Music & Film Series kickoff show which happens Saturday (8/2) afternoon (3 - 9 PM) and is free.

The Juan Maclean, who have a new album out soon and seem suspiciously absent from the DFA party lineup (along with Shit Robot and you-know-who), will be DJing at Output on August 16 as part of the afternoon "Kaviar Disco Club" party (tickets).

Flyer for the DFA Summer Soiree and Sinkane's The Lot show, plus a couple Museum of Love tracks, below...

Continue reading "DFA throwing 'Summer Soiree' at The Wick w/ NYC live debut of Museum of Love ++ DJs Holy Ghost!, Nancy Whang, more"

fun with Ghost BC in last year's Lolla Soundwave tent (more by Cory Dewald)

Lollapalooza returns to Chicago for the 10th consecutive year this weekend, taking over Grant Park from Friday, August 1 through Sunday, August 3. The lineup, which is partially streaming online all weekend, includes Eminem, Outkast, Arctic Monkeys, Spoon, Cut Copy, Run the Jewels, Into It. Over It., Chance the Rapper, and many more. We're happy to announce, that like last year, BrooklynVegan is again hosting some of the artists in the Toyota Soundwave tent.

With the help of our on-stage host Billy Jones, we'll have performances and Q&A sessions from Cut Copy, Lucius, San Fermin, The Districts, Duke Dumont, Shy Girls and more. You can find the BrooklynVegan-presented & suggested part of the schedule below, and you can find the Soundwave tent on the Lollapalooza 2014 map north of the central fountain, and just south of Jackson Drive -- not far at all from the BMI Stage, and stumbling distance from Da Beers Garden.

Schedule below...

Continue reading "Lollapalooza 2014 begins -- find us in Toyota Soundwave tent (w/ Cut Copy, The Districts, Duke Dumont, Lucius, more)"

Strangely, the KahBang Music Art & Film Festival, which happens August 7-10, sent out press releases in mid-July announcing the fest was moving from Bangor to Portland (Maine, not Oregon as we original put, whoops). Maybe not surprisingly then, they've now announced just one week before the fest that all music is cancelled this year. The lineup wasn't actually huge, but it did include shows by St. Vincent, DMX, Wheatus and many more.

Read the letter they sent out, in full below...

Continue reading "Maine music fest KahBang Fest cancels all music (St. Vincent included)"