words & photos by BBG

I'd like to think that the washes of green lights after projected flames on stage during Sleep's headlining set Friday night were indicative of the band's devotion to the holy leaf, but then again maybe it just looked cool. Either way, the band headlined the first night of ATP at Kutshers with co-headliner Iggy & The Stooges, Mudhoney, and The Scientists each playing classic material as part of the festival's Don't look Back series. Kutshers hasn't changed in the three years that I have attended the festival (not that I would ever expect it to); leaky ceiling tiles, a general musty smell prevails throughout the facility, and most importantly the vibe; I get none of the drag-and-drop feeling of most festivals and their Budweiser-commercial-with-funnel-cakes-and-apply-for-a-credit-card-here-and-did-I-mention-there's-music feeling. There is an openness at Kutshers that isn't easily replicated, much like the performances last night.

After settling in, slid into the Stardust room to catch the opening bars of "Touch Me I'm Sick" as Mudhoney launched directly into Superfuzz Bigmuff (the album they played in full). The record was them at their noisy, unhinged best, and although the feedback and some of the chunkiness in guitar tone was missing, the Seattle band was taut and fantastic live. I unfortunately missed The Scientists who played before them.

Iggy & The Stooges followed, and of my experiences with Iggy, of which there are a few, it's hard to imagine him wilder, more energetic, and more spastic than he was during his Raw Power set. Backed by James Williamson (Ron Asheton RIP), Scott Asheton, Mike Watt and saxophonist Steve Mackay, the band opened with the title track from the record before beating down the capacity crowd with the fantastic "Search & Destroy". Excellent set from these guys. BV photographer Greg Cristman was also in attendance last night, and as a long time fan of the band, he said that the ATP set was more impressive than their Atlantic City outing a few weeks prior. The crowd, who pogo'ed, crowd-surfed, joined the Detroit legends on stage for a dance during "Shake Appeal", and were generally nutty probably added fuel to that fire.

From the opening solo riff of "Dopesmoker", Sleep ruled the Stardust Room, keeping to the electric vibe that Iggy touched on in his set. The room was full of metalheads (more Slayer shirts than Radiohead shirts at ATP Friday night). Matt Pike's tone and power is truly unmatched on the six (or nine) string, and the reunion of the guitar god with the thundering and similarly powerful low-end of Al Cisneros brought to mind their ancestors, Iommi and Butler.

Though original drummer Chris Hakius has retired his drum throne, Neurosis drummer Jason Roeder was no scab; handily backing what is arguably two of the most powerful instrumentalists in current heavy music. Much like it did when My Bloody Valentine played ATP two years ago, the Stardust rattled, though with a low-end power rumble (as opposed to MBV's earshattering and treble-y feedback). Classics like "Dragonaut" and "The Druid" and were intercut with sections of "Dopesmoker", and even the new-ish jam "Anartican's Thought" made an appearance during their two hour set which, for a portion of the crowd, was more punishment than could be handled (the audience thinned as the night went on).

Except for a brief moment when Matt Pike pulled out an acoustic (!) only to be plagued with technical difficulty (for "Some Grass"?), it was powerful, fantastic, and, to borrow an overused term that is totally applicable here, was truly epic. I can't wait to see them again (and again) in the coming week (tickets for the Monday night show are still on sale).

The music kept me from really checking out the Syd Butler-chosen comedians who were performing in another room, though I did run in for a second to see some of Todd Barry.

ATP NY continues Saturday and Sunday. Three of Friday night's sets will be broadcast by WFMU on Sunday. More pictures from Friday (and even more are coming) below...

Continue reading "ATP NY 2010 - Day 1 in review, pics & video (Iggy Pop, Sleep, Mudhoney & more)"

Mudhoney @ NXNE in June (more)

today in NYC
* Mephista @ The Stone
* Elderflower @ The Stone
* Stone Temple Pilots @ Jones Beach
* Mose Allison Trio @ Jazz Standard
* Snehasish Mozumder @ Barbes
* Lou Barlow, Wye Oak @ Maxwell's
* New Model Army @ The Bell House
* Black Francis (solo acoustic) @ Joe's Pub
* Midnight Magic, Chico Mann @ Brooklyn Bowl
* Detroit in Effect, Teengirl Fantasy @ Coco 66
* Janka Nabay, Highlife, Buke and Gass @ Zebulon
* The Greenhornes, The Black Hollies @ Maxwell's
* Smoke Dza, Big K.R.I.T., Curren$y, Mz. Streamz @ Rock Yard
* Mudhoney, Pissed Jeans, White Hills @ Bowery Ballroom
* The Dutchess and the Duke, The Wailing Wall @ Mercury Lounge
* Holy Ghost!, House of House (DJ set), DJ Mehdi (Warm Up) @ P.S.1
* Fu Manchu, Black Tusk, It's Casual, Vagina Panther @ Santos Party House
* Body Language, Kieren Taylor, J Patt of the Knocks (DJ Set) @ Brooklyn Bowl
* Black Army Jacket, Tombs, Concrete Cross, Grown Ass Men, Defeatist @ Cake Shop
* Fennesz, Soap&Skin, Due East (2010 Moving Sounds Festival) @ Le Poisson Rouge
* King Django, Hub City Stompers, Unlikely Alibi, Uzimon, Manut Bol @ Knitting Factory
* Omega Jarden, Follower, Mirror Mirror, Prayer Town, The Magick Report @ Silent Barn
* Sabbra Cadabra (Black Sabbath Tribute), Black Dog (Led Zeppelin Tribute) @ Mercury Lounge
* Chemical Brothers, Benny Benassi, ATB, Major Lazer, Dirty South, Tom Middleton (Electric Zoo Festival) @ Randall's Island
* Destronauts, Corbu, The Press, Sport of Kings, Madame Trash Heap, Teen Dream (Endless Brooklyn Summer Bash) @ Glasslands
* Explosions In The Sky, Sonic Youth, The Breeders, Fuck Buttons, Tortoise, The Books, Beak>, Bardo Pond, Papa M, Apse, Sleepy Sun, Avi Buffalo @ All Tomorrow's Parties
* Oneida, Aa, Golden Triangle, Fr Murphy, Knyfe Hyts, DubknowDub, K Holes, Divine Order of the Blood Witch, Trycrytry, McDonalds, X-ray Eyeballs, Bezoar, Tyrombous Rex, These Days, Red Dawn 2, Midnight O'connor, Man Forever @ Monster Island (Block Party)

PREVIOUSLY: What's going on Saturday afternoon?

Robert Plant tickets go on sale at noon.

Check out our interview with Black Army Jacket, reunited and playing Cake Shop tonight.

Drive up to ATP NY. Tickets available at the door. Set times HERE.

Land of Talk have a new video for "Quarry Hymns". Check it out below...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Saturday?"

And now comes, "You Can Count On Me", the second in the series of 7" singles from Panda Bear previewing his forthcoming album Tomboy, the much-anticipated follow-up to Person Pitch.

A gentle duet between Panda Bear and himself, "You Can Count On Me" glimmers with third world melodic overtones, an ethereal uplifting number that is over before you become too familiar. "Alsatian Darn" on the other hand is a much different creature...a slightly foreboding track with an off-beat melancholy chord progression that occasionally lets the light break through with a jaunty two-step, if ever so briefly.

A limited edition of "You Can Count On Me" will be available in stores beginning October 19th. Only 500 copies are available for pre-order from the Domino Mart.

The news of Panda Bear's new single (that's the cover art above) coincides with a week's worth of live shows kicking off Saturday, 9/4, at FYF Fest in LA. Though originally they were saying Tomboy would be out in September and then October, there doesn't seem to be an actual release date scheduled at the moment. Just the single for now. .

Not counting Moogfest on 10/20, Panda Bear's last tour date is 9/12 in Baltimore which is one day after the 9/11 show at Governors Island in NYC. And since we last spoke, there have been a lot of updates related to that NYC show. Not only will there be opening sets by Teengirl Fantasy and Gala Drop, Panda's Animal Collective bandmate Avey Tare will be DJing between sets. Tickets are still on sale, AND we have a pair you can win. Details at the end of this post.

And speaking of 9/11 NYC shows by Domino-signed bands that I have a pair of tickets to giveaway for, Dirty Projectors and Owen Pallett play Terminal 5 on that Saturday. Details on winning those tickets (you can buy those too) below.

Dirty Projectors will release Bitte Orca Expanded Edition on September 28th via Domino...

This limited edition Bitte Orca expanded 2xCD set comes with premium packaging and a second disc that features never before released tunes from a very special and intimate live acoustic performance at New York's Other Music record store, rare vinyl only b-sides and a stunning cover of Bob Dylan's "As I Went Out One Morning". This is the definitive version of Bitte Orca.

Bitte Orca Expanded Edition will be released on CD and digitally. Pre-order Bitte Orca Expanded Edition.

Full tracklist with updated DP dates below.

Avey Tare, who recently DJ'd with Deakin, also has a DJ set scheduled for Glasslands on September 24th. Deakin plays Glasslands on September 13th.

Can't wait for 9/11? Teengirl Fantasy play a NYC show at Coco66 SATURDAY NIGHT (9/4) with Detroit In Effect:

CLUB DONUTS with resident DJ Pickpocket (Kat Matutina) and resident video/visual artist AC (Alison Childs) will be throwing their 2nd party in New York this summer.

DANCE PARTY WITH LIVE BANDS, DJS & FREE DONUTS ALL NIGHT ! ! !

Witness the first ever live New York performance of DETROIT IN EFFECT!!! With several releases on CLONE, after more than a decade, witness D.I.E. in full effect! Pure Detroit electro tracks in the tradition of Juan Atkins Model 500 project and AUX88 and the likes. Detroit in Effect pure Detroit Electro Techno that bring back the funk in techno and electro!

Get on the Detroit Party Train with these heavy bassed Cybotron inspired electro tracks!

TEENGIRL FANTASY make dream music. With a beat. They play a crazy, fun live show. Experience it for yourself!

All Teengirl Fantasy dates below.

Gala Drop are coming all the way from Panda Bear's current home, Lisbon, to open the Governors Island show though they will play at least one other show while they're here, and that takes September 10th in Chinatown at a No Ordinary Monkey party.

All dates and stuff below...

Continue reading "Panda Bear single & updated dates (w/ Governors opener info), Dirty Projectors Bitte Orca expanded, ticket contests, Teengirl Fantasy & more"

Last night's Zach Williams show at Bowery Ballroom featured an opening set by Sarah Fullen who happens to be a member of the Gregory Brothers who are the ones behind Auto Tune The News who just scored a hit song based on the words spoken by Antoine Dodson to a news team after someone tried to rape his sister in the projects (they also gained some notoriety just a month or so earlier thanks to their auto tuned Double Rainbow song). Well, Sarah brought the whole family (though not Antoine) along to Bowery Ballroom and gave a surprise to most in attendance. Video below...

Continue reading "the Gregory Brothers played 'Bed Intruder' @ Bowery (video) "

Phish parking lot (more by Ryan Barkan)

"Vampire Weekend's Tomson is upfront about his jam band days but protects the identities of others. "I don't want to out anybody," he says.

But [Real Estate's Alex] Bleeker sees greater acceptance on the horizon. It will be a vibe-heavy, groovy new world, where nobody will be ashamed to let their songs soar past the seven-minute mark. "I don't want 'jam band' to be a dirty word in the indie-rock community anymore," he says." [Washington Post]

photos by Chris Gersbeck

DOWNLOAD: Built to Spill - Three Years Ago Today (live on the boat) (MP3)

"Hopefully this boat isn't built to spill, yuk yuk yuk" - Matthew Conover

Built to Spill played a BV-presented show on a Rocks Off boat last night (9/2), and all those in attendance did in fact safely make it back to shore (aka the West Side Highway) in one piece. Not everyone may remember it though.

If you missed it, or even if you were there and remember every detail, you'll be happy to know that they'll be back in NYC soon. The band will play record release shows on October 5th at Music Hall of Williamsburg and October 6th at Highline Ballroom. Tickets for the Manhattan show are now on sale. Brooklyn show tickets go on sale Friday, 9/10, at noon. The new shows will both be opened by ReVoLtReVoLt, will feature a post-show DJ sets by Doug Martsch (who DJ'd the boat too), and they come right before the Philly show on their recently announced tour.

More good news: NYC Taper taped it and will be posting the full audio soon. In the meantime, you can get a preview of the recording above, and check out the full recording setlist with more pictures, below....

Continue reading "Built to Spill played a boat (pics, setlist & live recording), playing Highline Ballroom & MHOW in October "

Kutscher's (ATP 2009) (more by Ryan Muir)

Heading back to the Catskills! WFMU is going to be live from All Tomorrows Parties at Kutshers Resort in Monticello, New York on Sunday, September 5th from 3-10PM. We'll be set up at both stages giving play by play, and carrying full and partial sets from some of the festivals' participants (full lineup for the weekend here), with our broadcast schedule after the jump. But we've got Iggy and the Stooges (doing Raw Power!), the Scientists, Mudhoney, Sonic Youth, Kurt Vile, Hallogallo, Fursaxa, Fucked Up, White Hills and maybe more lined up! This year's festival is being curated by filmmaker (and WFMU supporter!) Jim Jarmusch.

So they'll be broadcasting Sunday, but the sets will be recorded from all three days. That includes, as they pointed out, The Stooges, Mudhoney and The Scientists who are all playing tonight.

Hallogallo is one of the sets being recorded/broadcast, making them a very documented live band.

WFMU broadcast schedule below...

Continue reading "WFMU broadcasting sets from ATP NY"

SATURDAY DAYTIME STUFF
* FYF FEST in LA
* Warm Up @ PS1
* ATP NY @ Kutscher's
* hip hop @ the Rock Yard !
* Monster Island Block Party
* Electric Zoo on Randall's Island

! Bun B doesn't appear to be playing the Rock Yard anymore

Robert Plant tickets go on sale.

also see: What's Going on Friday?

What else?

by BBG

Black Army Jacket at Best Friends Day 2010

After a return to the stage at Best Friends Day 2010, Black Army Jacket are readying to play Cake Shop on SATURDAY (9/4) with the newly added Tombs (!), Defeatist, Concrete Cross, and Grown Ass Men (ex Phobia, Wheelbite, Stop It!). The show will be the first for the band in ten-plus years, and as such, we cornered bassist Carlos Ramirez to ask him about the return of Black Army Jacket, some of his fond memories from that time, and possible plans for the future....

Continue reading "an interview w/ Black Army Jacket (who play NYC Saturday) "

Sleigh Bells at HARD NYC (more by Matthew Eisman)

The last time we caught the duo Sleigh Bells they were sharing the stage with a none-too-happy M.I.A. and the Gummo-bounce of Die Antwoord at Hard NYC on Governor's Island (photos here, here, and here).

The band will be at Wellmont on 9/23 as part of their tour supporting LCD Soundsystem (tickets), but also just announced a headlining show at The Studio at Webster Hall three days earlier (9/20). The show is part of "MTV's Live in NYC" series and tickets are on sale now.