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December 2, 2005
Stream & Download Iron & Wine / Calexico Live sets
NPR has the streaming audio from the November 30th Iron & Wine / Caleico show in Washington DC. It's their separate sets and their combined one. So Much Silence ripped the sets into MP3s. Get the Iron & Wine. Get the Calexico. Get the Iron & Wine / Calexico.
See the show in NYC in just a few days.
Previously
Calexico playing Joe's Pub - Jan '06
Posted in music at 5:19 PM | Comments (11) | TrackBack
More Jose Gonzalez | Remix & Cover MP3s
If this is really Gorilla Vs. Bear's last Jose Gonzalez post, than this is my last post dedicated completely to linking one of his Jose Gonzalez posts.
Previously
Jose Gonzalez's band - Junip | Video & MP3s
Posted in music at 3:27 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
Bettye LaVette | MP3s, Streams, and Tour Dates
"A star in Britain, ignored at home, real-life R&B singer Bettye LaVette is another in the long line of neglected American soul greats now enjoying the spotlight on her own turf." [DetNews]
HUEY LEWIS & BETTYE LAVETTE
The 2005 Plug Independent Music Awards Nominees (VOTE)
for "Female Artist of the Year" are...
* Annie
* Bettye LaVette
* CocoRosie
* Emiliana Torrini
* Hanne Hukkelberg
* Lady Sovereign
* Laura Cantrell
* Neko Case
* Princess Superstar
* Scout Niblett
* Sharon Jones
* Vashti Bunyan
"'You've got a singer here who is willing to stretch and not content to live in the safety zone. Bettye Lavette's voice is the superb line that connects Lucinda Williams' 'Joy' to Dolly Parton's 'Little Sparrow' via numbers by Sinead O'Connor and Joan Armatrading. Those songs never sounded better and neither has one of R&B greatest under-acknowledged vocalists'" [Elvis Costello]
(read more about the Elvis Costello - Bettye Lavatte - Allen Toussaint connection)
LISTEN TO "The Return of Bettye Lavette" and Betty's cover of Fiona Apple's Sleep To Dream at NPR
DOWNLOAD BETTYE (MP3s)
Let me Down Easy (classic track)
You'll Never Change (classic track)
Bettye is playing Knitting Factory in NYC this Sunday night (12/4/05). Tickets are still on sale. All dates below...
CURRENT TOUR DATES
12/2/2005 North by Northwest Philadelphia PA
12/3/2005 Johnny D’s Somerville MA
12/4/2005 Knitting Factory New York NY
12/7/2005 The Ark Ann Arbor MI Evening with
12/8/2005 Beachland Ballroom Cleveland OH
12/9/2005 PromoWest Pavilion Columbus OH Teeny Tucker Band
2/24/2006 Kalamazoo State Theatre Kalamazoo MI
5/6/2006 Bergen Music Fest Bergen NORWAY Multi act event
Posted in music at 2:08 PM | Comments (7) | TrackBack
Josh Rouse Touring, playing Joe's Pub | tix
Josh Rouse is playing Joe's Pub in NYC on January 30 & 31. That's a much smaller venue than Irving Plaza where he played last time. Tickets are at Telecharge. All tour dates at More Cowbell.
Posted in music at 12:15 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
Larry Tee @ Nouveau | Pics
LARRY TEE DJs NOUVEAU @ FAT BABY | 11/30/05
Gawker (Nikola Tamindzic) was there. So was Last Night's Party (Dennis Rodman wasn't - those pics are from another party near by). Cobra Snake was too, but he hasn't posted yet.
Previously
Larry Tee king of the world | Nouveau! Tonight
Posted in music at 11:57 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Page France @ Sin-e, NYC | pics
DOWNLOAD PAGE FRANCE
Junkyard (MP3)
Page France has some really good songs, and there were a lot of times during their relatively short set at Sin-e in NYC Tuesday night (Nov 29, 2005) that I was really enjoying those songs. Other times I was a bit distracted by the Jesus-retreat-campfire-like aspect of their performance. On the other hand, "Jesus" is one of the best songs live and on album. Listen to it at their PureVolume page. I was about to compare their religiosity to Sufjan Stevens, but then I noticed Pitchfork already did in their 7.8 review of Hello, Dear Wind.
I felt a little bad. The band got caught in some crazy accident traffic while driving from Maryland to NYC for this show. It took them like eight hours instead of four. They were tired and that probably affected things a little.
Previously
Page France Tour Dates | playing Sin-e
Page France Guest Blogs 'Said the Gramophone'
Page France | Dear Wind | Full Album Stream
The Sufjan Stevens Christmas Album
Posted in music | pictures at 11:13 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Moby playing with Satanicide Saturday | Peelander-Z
It's not a secret that Moby is a big Satanicide fan. I think I even saw him play drums with them once at Bowery Ballroom. This Saturday (Dec 3, 2005) he'll take the stage with them again at Mercury Lounge in NYC. (tickets)
Highly recommended by Heartonastick, Peelander-Z opens the show.
Previously
The Clap Your Hands Say Yeah-GnR-Satanicide Connection
Satanicide in a Cingular Ad
Posted in music at 10:50 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Grateful Dead Return Tapes to the Archive
Before I even had a chance to hate the Grateful Dead, they ended the download block. "Fans protested after the cult US rock band asked website archive.org to stop making thousands of concert recordings available for free download."
AND
* Lately it occurs to me: Grateful Dead tapes will drive broadband subs
* Jerry Garcia Auction Items Revealed
* Jerry Garcia's toilets go on sale
* Harry and the Potters shows now at the Live Music Archive
Previously
Lots of Live Andrew Bird for Download & album stream
Lots of Live Spoon for Download | Webster Hall, etc...
Kimya Dawson | Internet Archive
Posted in music at 10:37 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
Konono No. 1 @ SOBs, NYC | pics
Konono No. 1 played three NYC shows during their first ever tour of America. The first one was at Joe's Pub. The second one was at SOB's the next day. The third one was right after the second one. These pictures are from the third one (Nov 17, 2005). I think their almost 2 hour set (with encore) was only four songs. Though instructed to dance even more, a lot of people were dancing, especially when the music started to resemble what we typically consider dance music.
"SOBs was jammed with my ethno-curious peers: the kind of kids that sniff disdainfully at ESPN culture but follow alt-sports like English Premier League. And looking around me I was faced with the confronting question: when did the back-country woodsman beard come back in fashion?" [Moist Works]
"They call it Congolese Bozombo trance music, but when leader Mawangu Mingiedi founded the group 25 years ago he was intent on furthering a tribal ancestral tradition, not filling western dance floors." [Boston Herald]
"The most astonishing thing about that band is the bass, and although I knew it was made by likembe, I had expected it to be a big likembe, one you had to sit on or something. I spent a full ten minutes of the show trying to figure out where the bass sound could possibly be coming from before finally realizing that yes, it was actually coming out that tiny handheld thumb piano" [Doveman]
"To hear an approximation of what this live Konono N°1 show sounded like, check out this 1978 Konono N°1 recording that Christopher Porter kindly posted on his blog The Suburbs Are Killing Us. Then go cop yourself a copy of Congotronics (out on Crammed Discs), which Ryko is now distributing domestically to retail outlets big (Amazon) and small (CD Alley)....And look, now we even have a Congotronics 2 CD/DVD comp to look forward to" [Tuba City]
Street performers where they're from, they weren't shy about soliciting donations from the crowd who paid $20 a ticket to get into the show.
One audience member got on stage to dance....
They did good...
Previously
Konono No 1 Playiing
Konono No. 1 playing Joe's Pub (1st U.S. show)
Ice-T, Konono No. 1, & Zap Mama | SOB's Tix on sale
Posted in music | pictures at 12:35 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
December 1, 2005
Andrew Kenny on NYC & Arcade Fire (sort of) & stuff
"That's what music is in New York. It was kind of good going to Europe and the last couple weeks playing shows that are maybe a little bit smaller but kind of on par with what we play in the States, but people were really excited to see us. It's like, we know we don't have a huge following, but we're an important band to a small group of people and it's cool to connect with people like that, and just because you're not the Arcade Fire at the Bowery -- like oh my God, what happened, I couldn't get into the show, it's a huge fiasco! What, you're not on the guest list? You know, it's not always like that. Sometimes we can be not cool and still appeal to people. I guess it's an important thing to remember that it's really hard living in New York. I'm sure you can appreciate this as well. " [PopMatters talked to Andrew Kenny of American Analog Set]
Previously
Arcade Fire with U2 - like oh my God
Final American Analog Set Shows | MP3s
Posted in music at 3:56 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Blondie in Hall of Fame & more CBGB "news"
"Miles Davis, Herb Alpert, Black Sabbath, the Sex Pistols, Lynard Skynard, and NYC's very own Blondie are among an eclectic group of musicians named on Monday to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame." [East-Vilage.com]
"CBGB’s will move to a new location by the end of 2006 as part of a settlement over back rent and safety violations with its nonprofit landlord..." [Crain's Business]
Previously
CBGB Moving, Band Buzz, Bloggers vs Sony | Tect Icicles
Blondie @ CBGB Rally in the Park, NYC | pics
Man with Cat on head @ the CBGB Rally NYC | pics
Posted in music at 3:51 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
Rififi, Scenic, others Raided by MARCH
"....On November 12, a combination of police, fire, and health and buildings inspectors (the dreaded MARCH—Multi-Agency Response to Community Hotspots) raided eight bars around the East Village, issuing 79 violations to six of them: Babel, Horus, Sutra, the Library, Rififi (Cinema Classics), and Rue B; Remote and Bar None escaped unticketed...." [Village Voice]
Previously
Misshapes Raided | Moving to Don Hill's?
Random Eugene Mirman encounter outside Rififi
Towers of London @ Scenic | CMJ 2005 | pics
Posted in NYC | music at 3:43 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
Kudu, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Annie | Win Tickets
Tonight is the Annie / Secret Machines benefit show at Webster Hall. It's the show TV On the Radio dropped off of. In their place is Anton from Brian Jonestown Massacre. If Webster Hall holds five times as many people as Pianos, then that's potentially five times more hecklers which might mean five times more of this.
Saturday night is the Annie show at Rothko. Kudu is opening. If you can't stay up late enough to catch Kudu at Nublu on Tuesdays, this is your chance. And if you need another excuse to go, I have a pair of free tickets to give away. If you want them, e-mail BVCONTESTS@HOTMAIL.COM (subject: Annie) and let me know some artists you don't think I post enough about. Same terms as the Goldfrapp contest. I'll pick a winner at noon on Friday (Dec 2, 2005).
Posted in music at 3:34 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
Music Blog shoutouts @ NPR & LA Weekly
Listen and Read NPR's feature on the rise of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. The LA Weekly article also talks about Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and The Arcade Fire in Union Square and Bell Orchestre at Tonic and stuff. Coolfer talks about the article.
Posted in music at 1:13 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
Patti Smith "Horses" | New Years Bowery Shows
"holy cow, she was friggin' amazing last night. she knocked my socks off and i was sitting up in the mezz! go tonight if you can snag a ticket!" [Qbertplaya in the comments]
Living With Legends has another review from Patti Smith's "Horses" show at BAM last night. She does it again tonight (Dec 1).
Pitchfork gave the 30th Anniversary Legacy Edition of "Horses" a 9.4. More on it at the Village Voice.
Patti is playing two New Years shows at Bowery Ballroom this year (Dec 30 & 31st). Tickets go on sale Friday Dec. 2 @ 12 PM.
Previously
Her producer John Cale recently played St Anns
Patti Smith "Horses" Tickets on Sale | Flea
Posted in music at 1:01 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
November 30, 2005
Radiohead Remixed | "Me and This Army" Download
"DJ Panzah Zandahz's "Me and This Army" is a collection of 16 Radiohead tracks remixed with snippets of artists such as MF Doom, Jurassic 5, De La Soul, and more. It's as if the white label gods planted sensors inside my brain; they heard my innermost mashup prayers, and answered them here. It's delicious..." [Boing Boing]
Posted in music at 5:20 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
The Teenage Prayers | MP3s & Tour
It was Wes who first urged me to check out The Teenage Prayers. The Undisputed Heavyweights (Wes' band) and Underrated Magazine are playing/throwing a show at Pianos in NYC Saturday night (Dec 3rd, 2005). Rachael from Underrated heard their CD and played it for Wes. Long story short, The Teenage Prayers agreed to play the show. (Other bands on the bill are A Brief Smile & Paula Valstein).
"My first thought after I finished listening to this album from the NYC based band was: why have I not heard of them before? I'd like to think of myself as pretty NYC band savvy, but somehow these guys have fallen through, and I may not be the only one. But not for long. I've listened to this album at least 3 times now and it gets better every time." [Rachel Underrated]
DOWNLOAD (MP3s)
Center of the World
Annihilation
Oh
Brown Bottle
Stream the same four songs @ their Myspace
CURRENT TOUR DATES
Dec 1 2005 9:30P The LAKESIDE LOUNGE NYC - First-Thursday Residency Continues
Dec 3 2005 11:30P PIANOS with the Undisputed Heavyweights (see above)
Dec 9 2005 9:00P TT the Bears opening for THE FIGGS Cambridge, MA
Posted in music at 4:44 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
The Onion Holiday Party 2005 | The Wrens
The 2005 Onion Holiday party is at Bowery Ballroom in NYC on January 13th, 2006. It's: The Wrens, MC Chris, The Pontani Sisters, and comedian Zach Galifianakis. Tickets are $20.00
Posted in music at 3:08 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Video of The Arcade Fire with U2
You can download the video at MegaUpload of the Arcade Fire performing with U2 in Montreal. Above photo by "Chillie" and the video found in the ArcadeFire.net forums.
Posted in music at 1:40 PM | Comments (17) | TrackBack
Colin Meloy live in Seattle as MP3s
You Ain't No Picasso posted MP3s of Colin Meloy's 10 song set from Seattle in August.
Previously
Colin Meloy on possibly signing to a Major
Colin Meloy Tickets On Sale
Colin Meloy (Decemberists) & Laura Veirs Touring
Posted in music at 1:31 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Neutral Milk Hotel "Monroe Street" demos | MP3s
"Ok, so a little more than ten years ago; the middle part of 1994 to be more precise, I was in college, and I moved into a house with my friend John. One of his housemates, a guy named Jeff, moved out, and I moved into Jeff's room. Lots of musician types and artists lived in this house over the years, there was an ever rotating cast of characters. I happened to move in just prior to the demise of the Monroe Street House. Parties were had, shows were played, music was made, drinks and "other stuff" consumed, etc. It was, to say the least, a fun time. At one point, John gave me a couple of cassettes that contained quite a lot of demos recorded by Jeff, the guy who'd moved out just as I was moving in...." [Yes, Jeff's last name was Mangum. Shannon posted three MP3s]
* AND ANOTHER TRACK at My Old Kentucky Blog
Previously
Jeff Mangum Surfaces at Elf Power show
Posted in music at 12:58 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Def Jam's Lady Sovereign Tour Started
Tonight (Nov 30, 2005) Lady Sovereign returns to Knitting Factory in NYC, this time as a Def Jam recording artist. Last night she played Boston's Middle East. According to the Boston Herald, she was wearing a bright red sweat suit and a gold chain.
The afterparty for the Knitting Factory show is at Joe's Pub, or you can go to Nouveau!.
All LS tour dates at Pitchfork.
Previously
New Lady Sovereign Tour Dates | Tix
SPIN 20th Anniversary Party Reviews
Lady Sovereign played CMJ 3 Times?
Jay-Z backs Kanye and Lady Sovereign
Lady Sovereign @ Knitting Factory, NYC | Reviews
Posted in music at 12:47 PM | Comments (8) | TrackBack
Larry Tee king of the world | Nouveau! Tonight
Tricia Romano wrote in this week's Club Crawl that, "Larry Tee is still king of the world, especially the super-fabulous, gay, disco world. He's kept his crown by dishing his crowd just the right mix of edgy techno—Kompakt and Perlon for the know-it-alls—and the hits for the fashionistas."
Nouveau!, the latest party approved by both Last Night's Party and The Cobra Snake, debuts tonight (Nov. 30, 2005) at Fat Baby on the Lower East Side. Larry Tee, Shaun Slaugter, and DJ Jess (Trash) are DJing. No cover.
Posted in To Do | music at 12:26 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Preview Beck's Guerolito | Remix Album
"It's the season of the remix album, and Beck is set to release Guerolito, his own remix version of Guero. That album was released earlier this year and eventually went on to gold status. Now Beck has joined with artists like Boards of Canada, Air, John King of the Dust Brothers, Adrock of the Beastie Boys, and Mario C (among others) to remix tracks from Guero and release them as a compilation. Cover artist Marcel Dzama of Royal Art Lodge has even been asked to remix his original artwork for the new release." [Spacelab]
Guerolito is out on December 13th. Preview it.
Previously
Beck played in a Mexican Restaurant
Posted in music at 12:02 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
NY may sue Sony & other Sony Stuff
"New York Attorney General is making threatening noises over Sony's rootkit DRM. There are still CDs infected with the malicious software in his jurisdiction and a spokesperson for his office says that he is 'looking into' a lawsuit against Sony. The Texas AG has already announced a lawsuit under his state's anti-spyware law, seeking $100K per CD." [Boing Boing]
AND
* Sony knew about rootkits 28 days before the story broke
* Sony Walkman is Reborn
* Sticky Tape Defeats Sony DRM Copy Protection
* Sony BMG Recall: Amazon.com Proactive, Others Not So Much
Previously
A List of CD's Infected with Sony's BS
Sony does Jose Gonzalez | Heartbeats | More Knife
Posted in music at 11:59 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
The Arcade Fire performed with U2
"Second night in Montreal and Arcade Fire are back on stage at the end of U2's set for an amazing joint performance of Joy Division's Love Will Tear Us Apart." [U2.com] (thx Nick)
Previously
Brandon Flowers & Bono duet in Las Vegas | MP3 & Video
Arcade Fire Played in Union Square Last Night
Arcade Fire & David Bowie @ Summerstage, NYC | pics
David Bowie & Arcade Fire Fashion Rock pics | TV tonight
David Byrne & The Arcade Fire @ The Hollywood Bowl
David Byrne Played with The Arcade Fire
The Arcade Fire - Funeral
Posted in music at 11:17 AM | Comments (11) | TrackBack
Benevento Russo, RANA, Ween, etc. | Tribeca Rock Finale
As previously reported, Tribeca Rock Club is closing in December. The last few scheduled nights currently posted on their site are Dec 7-10. The 10th is a "private party" and the 8th and 9th list bands I'm not really familiar with. That leaves the mysterious lineup on the 7th: BUSTLE IN YOUR HEDGEROW, DANJABOOTS, COME ON FALCON!
BENEVENTO/RUSSO DUO
Further inspection of that lineup reveals that "Bustle in your Hedgerow" is a Led Zeppelin cover band made up of Sir Joe Russo & Marco Benevento (Benevento/Russo Duo), Scott "boom boom" Metzger (RANA), and "Diamond" Dave Dreiwitz (WEEN). Danjaboots is Russo and Metzger "singing country tunes about fightin' and f*ckin'" and Come on Falcon! is Benevento and Russo doing something else. According to Tribeca Rock's description, "Not even we are quite sure what to expect from this one." ADVANCED TICKETS ARE ON SALE
ALSO @ SCENIC: "Marco will be hooking up with Marc Friedman and Andrew Barr from the Slip at Scenic on December 9th and 10th for another round of improv collaborations. Tickets for this very intimate performance are available right here."
AND IF YOU LIKE LED ZEPPELIN COVER BANDS: The all Lesbian Led Zeppelin cover band, Lez Zeppelin, is headlining Bowery Ballroom on January 27th.
Posted in music at 11:05 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
November 29, 2005
2nd Sufjan Stevens show added at Lincoln Center
Tickets are on sale. (thx Kelly)
Previously
Sufjan Stevens playing Lincoln Center | tickets
Posted in music at 5:29 PM | Comments (12) | TrackBack
Radio 4, Tim Fite & Tussle -New Years Eve | Win Tix
RADIO 4
Radio 4, Tim Fite, and Tussle are playing Knitting Factory (main space) in NYC on New Years Eve (Dec 31, 2005). It's only $20.00 a ticket.
DOWNLOAD TUSSLE (mp3s)
DISCO D'ORO-MUNK REMIX (12")
HERE IT COMES-(Kling Klang excerpt)
EYE CONTACT-(Kling Klang excerpt)
UNTITLED- {unreleased recording}
I also have some tickets to give away. If you want to win a pair to this show, email BVCONTESTS@HOTMAIL.COM (subject: RADIO 4), and give me your suggestions for improving BrooklynVegan.com. Contest ends Monday Dec 5th, 2005 @ 12PM. A winner will be picked at random and notified. I won't share your email address with anyone. Let me know if you don't want to be added to a BrooklynVegan mailing list in the future.
Previously
You Can't Even Get a NY Band Name Right
Tim Fite @ CMJ | a pic
Tim Fite @ Joe's Pub, NYC | Pics
Mike Patton playing Tonic on New Years & Warsaw
Posted in music at 2:14 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Rumor | Favourite Sons Sign to Vice Records
"...in other local band news, i hear that favourite sons (featuring members of aspera) have signed with vice records, although i can't find any evidence of it anywhere. i saw them open for american analog set last week (post to come, um, soon?) and thought they were way better than the last time i saw them. upbeat, strokes-ish indie rock. good for them!" [Manic Mess]
Posted in music at 2:00 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Mike Patton playing Tonic on New Years & Warsaw
"Mike Patton (born Michael Allan Patton, January 27, 1968) is an American musician. He is best-known as the lead singer of Faith No More from 1988 to 1998, but has also handled lead vocals for Mr. Bungle, Tomahawk and Fantômas. He often produces side projects in collaboration with other musicians, such as John Zorn, Dan the Automator, The Melvins, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Melt-Banana, Sepultura, and Merzbow, Lovage, Maldoror, Weird Little Boy, Rahzel, and Kaada. Along with Greg Werckman, he co-founded and runs Ipecac Recordings. He performed live with Amon Tobin, a.o. at the 2005 Dour Festival." [Wikipedia]
Mike Patton & Rahzel are playing Warsaw in Brooklyn on December 28th & 29th, 2005. Tickets are on sale.
Then on New Years Eve, Mike is playing two more shows at the roughly 200-capacity Tonic in Manhattan. The 7:00 PM early show is listed as "Hemophiliac: John Zorn, Mike Patton & Ikue Mori / Electric Masada." The 10:00 PM late show says "Electric Masada with special guest Mike Patton." There are a bunch of ticketing options.
Posted in music at 1:31 PM | Comments (10) | TrackBack
Colin Meloy on possibly signing to a Major
Prefix: What’s coming up for you guys?
The Decemberists: Well, I think we’re just going to continue on the course. This record that comes out in March is going to be our last record on Kill Rock Stars, I mean at least contractually. We don’t know what we’re exactly going to do. We’re talking to some labels. We’ll see.
Prefix: Are you necessarily opposed to signing with a major?
The Decemberists: No, as long as we’re able to do everything on our terms. There seems to be a lot of bands of our ilk that are looking at majors or looking to move up to majors. It seems the environment is such you can really tailor your own deal. We won’t make any rash decisions I don’t think.
Read the rest of the undated interview at Prefix
Previously
The Decemberists sign to Capitol
Posted in music at 12:47 PM | Comments (7) | TrackBack
BV Interviews Undisputed Heavyweights Wes
Some of you probably know Wes. He's a regular commenter on this site. He runs his own blog. He's in a band. He promotes other bands, and when he's not "working," he's out watching & supporting other bands. Since he's got so much going on, I asked if he'd like to do an(other) interview. He agreed.
DOWNLOAD UNDISPUTED HEAVYWEIGHTS (MP3s)
Money (acoustic demo)
Roll Your Windows Down (demo)
WES & CASEY
brooklynvegan: Hey Wes. Readers of my last inverview with you already know you throw free weekly singer-songwriter mashup sessions in NYC. They might not realize that you also make your own music. Your band is called the Undisputed Heavyweights, and your URL (betterthanelvis.com) claims you're better than Elvis. Can you tell us about that?
wes: First of all, we don't claim it as much as we prove it each show. But that's semantics perhaps. The band got it's start a little over a year ago when I met a great singer-songwriter called Casey Shea at an open mic. We chatted for a bit and started writing this song in the back kind of spontaneously. Then this drunk guy started bothering us and he got a little aggressive and we ended up in a full fledged bar-fight with pool cues and beer bottles and everything. Casey got cut pretty badly and I accompanied him to the hospital for his stitches (he was totally fine, just looked bad) and we decided that this kind of first meeting bonding experience was obviously a sign from God to form a band together.
We then also invited our mutual friend and singer-songwriter Jeff Jacobson to join and form the original trinity. We added bass and drums a few months later after a series of acoustic shows when the buzz had driven us to bigger rooms where that kind of sound was necessary.
brooklynvegan: Like for your Pianos residency? How did that go by the way?
wes: The residency went really well. We had a lot of fun, great opening bands, the crowd really seemed to dig and kept getting bigger each week with lots of new faces. We went through about 300 2 song promo discs we did for those 4 shows with Alloy Radio so that was exciting.
brooklynvegan: Who were some of those great opening bands?
wes: Derek James was probably my favorite, Granian was great too, and they didn't open for us but we shared a bill with the lovely Au Revoir Simone one of those nights and they were great. The last Friday we had a great bill with the Twenty Twos (Epic), Jaymay and Cock Lorge
brooklynvegan: Speaking of Jaymay, I realize you and she had a business relationship at one time. I'm referring to "Liberated Matter." Is that your own record label?
wes: We originally started organizing acoustic shows in the East Village and Philadelphia and then expanded our activities to bigger shows, booking, management and releasing a few Jaymay projects. I wouldn't call it a full fledged label at that point, but right now we're working on going in that direction. In the first quarter of 2006 we hope to unveil an exciting roster with small family of 4 to 6 artists we really believe in.
brooklynvegan: Awesome. Keep us posted as it develops, and thanks for talking. Any last words?
wes: Maybe just that I'm very excited about the state of music today and the direction in which I believe it to be moving in the near future. Great stuff is coming to the surface in a wonderfully organic way. Listener and artist driven.
SEE THE UNDISPUTED HEAVYWEIGHTS - Saturday night (12/3/05) @ Pianos. Check their tour page for more info.
Posted in interviews | music at 12:26 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
Jose Gonzalez's band - Junip | Video & MP3s
Jose Gonzalez has a band called Junip. They have an album called 'Black Refuge.'
"Whereas Gonzalez's solo debut 'Veneer' was a wistful collection of musical gems that eschewed the oft histrionic excesses of romanticism in favour of sleight musical (yet fathom deep emotional) dissertations, 'Black Refuge' sees him embark on a markedly more expansive sound alongside Elias Araya and Tobias Winkerton. Opening through the title track, Junip combine a bluster of organ thrums, thickly rendered percussion and Gonzalez's beautifully placid vocals to produce a sound which is at once spiralling yet very much rooted in the emotional bedrock." [Boomkat - where you can buy the CD]
DOWNLOAD (MP3s)
Ghost of Tom Joad (Bruce Springsteen cover)
Official
Watch the Black Refuge Video
Previously
José González covers Kylie Minogue | MP3
Sony does Jose Gonzalez | Heartbeats | More Knife
Jose Gonzalez @ The Living Room, NYC | pics
Posted in music at 11:50 AM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
Live & Rare Sufjan Stevens Downloads | MP3s
'Ear Farm' has the entire Sufjan Stevens concert from July 30, 2005 as MP3s for download. That includes "John Wayne Gacy Jr," "Casimir Pulaski Day," and "The Star Spangled Banner."
'You Ain't No Picasso' posted a song only available on the vinyl version of Illinois.
Previously
The Sufjan Stevens Christmas Album
Sufjan Stevens @ Bowery Ballroom (show 4/5), NYC | pics
Posted in music at 10:44 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Laura Veirs on KCRW | MP3s
Kevin of So Much Silence was nice enough to turn Laura Veirs' recent appearance on KCRW into 9 MP3s.
Previously
Colin Meloy (Decemberists) & Laura Veirs Touring
Posted in music at 10:37 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
The Sharp Things Holiday Spectacular | A Benefit
A letter from the Sharp Things...
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Ho ho HO!
The date is fast approaching for THE SHARP THINGS HOLIDAY SPECTACULAR, Saturday, December 10 at the BROOKLYN LYCEUM. We really, REALLY want and NEED you to attend this big, BIG show, but we understand you may have questions. So...
Q: Brooklyn? I can't go to Brooklyn!
A: Sure you can. It's easy! The Brooklyn Lyceum is just steps away from the Union Street stop on the R train. Hop on and let the MTA do the rest!
Q: Subway? I can't take the subway!
A: So drive already. The Brooklyn Lyceum is easy to get to by car, just two miles from the Tillary Street exit on the BQE. Here's a map:
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=227+4th+Ave,+Brooklyn,+NY+11215&iwloc=A&hl=en
Q: Is the show really starting at 6:45? Why so early?
A: THE SHARP THINGS HOLIDAY SPECTACULAR is a family show, for children of all ages. We don't want anyone up past their bedtime -- unless they want to be.
Q: Twenty bucks? That's a fortune. Why so much?
A: THE SHARP THINGS HOLIDAY SPECTACULAR is a benefit for CF CARE, an organization that helps people with Cystic Fibrosis. One hundred percent of the proceeds will be donated. We want to raise as much as we can without bankrupting our fans.
Q: Gee, I dunno...
A: Come on! The cheap seats at Radio City are $50 -- and we'll have LIVE musicians, thank you. This is not just some lame, 40-minute set. We're talking over TWO HOURS of quality holiday entertainment. And the drinks are cheap. Such a deal!
Q: Are you just playing Christmas songs? I hate Christmas songs!
A: No sweat, Ebenezer. The second half of the show is a full set of Sharp Things originals.
Q: What's with the puppets?
A: We wish we could tell you, but we don't know ourselves. Come and find out with us!
Q: OK, enough already, you sold me! What now?
A: Go here and reserve your tickets:
http://thesharpthings.com/noflash/holiday.html
See you on the 10th!
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Posted in To Do | music at 10:30 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
November 28, 2005
The Sufjan Stevens Christmas Album
These MP3s were floating around last year. They're even more relevant now that Sufjan is the bee's knees. Download all 24 Sufjan Stevens Christmas songs at Irresponsible Jouralism.
(photo of Sufjan as Santa from NOW Toronto)
Previously
Sufjan Stevens is #1 in America
Sufjan nominated for Plug Awards
Sufjan #1 at Amazon
Posted in music at 2:47 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
Ticket Contests, here and elsewhere | Fiona Apple
* Congrats to the winners of the Doveman @ Joe's Pub and Paul Oakenfold @ Crobar contests.
* You have until 5 PM today (Nov 28) to enter the Ris Paul Ric @ Northsix ticket contest. If you missed the post, it may be because you're not scrolling down far enough (currently 17 posts below this one on the homepage).
* You have until 5 PM Thursday (Dec 1) to enter the Goldfrapp @ Nokia Theatre ticket contest.
* Brooklyn Industries is giving away tickets to see Fiona Apple @ Nokia Theatre.
* Oh My Rockness has a contest for free tix to Blood on the Wall @ Knitting Factory
Posted in music at 12:57 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
Goldfrapp | Number 1 Video, Audio & Ticket Contest
Above photo from Goldfrapp's sexy "Number 1" video. Download it. That via BTAE who said, "Great song and freakin bizarre but highly enjoyable video featuring Goldfrapp's transformation in a, er, canine-operated clinic."
MORE AUDIO
* Stream Strict Machine
* Watch the Twist video
As previously posted, Goldfrapp are playing their only U.S. show at the Nokia Theatre in NYC on December 5th. I've got a pair of tickets to give away. To enter, email BVCONTESTS@HOTMAIL.COM (subject: Goldfrapp) and tell me some of the artists you wish I'd talk more about. Contest ends Thursday Dec 1st, 2005 @ 5PM. A winner will be picked at random and notified. I won't share your email address with anyone. Let me know if you don't want to be added to a BrooklynVegan mailing list in the future.
Posted in Contests | To Do | music at 12:36 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
Rumor | The Decemberists Signing to Capitol Records
THE DECEMBERISTS @ WARSAW IN BROOKLYN (more)
EARLASH: Cool. So my last question: you talked about how the Decemberists are on an upswing right now and you're getting a lot of attention all of a sudden. Where do you think this is going and where do you want it to go? What's the five-year plan?
COLIN MELOY: I think we want to keep it realistic in keeping it in the indie community. Not to say that the major label industry has ever been that healthy, but it seems to be particularly unhealthy right now and really messed up and not a lot of positive, productive, creative stuff is coming out. And I think the indie community right now is as strong as it's ever been and there's some really, really great stuff coming out. So I'd like to keep moving in that circle. And to continue maintaining our creative freedom. We have an ideal situation at Kill Rocks Stars. They let us do whatever we want. And yeah, just to be able to quit my day job at some point and be able to do music full time. [from an earlash interview - July 2003]
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HUSH RECORDS: What is your opinion of the Portland music scene?
COLIN MELOY: I go back and forth on that. I'm really pleased to see how many solid indie labels have taken such a vested interest in a lot of the more marginalized Portland bands right now: The Thermals, Desert City Soundtrack, The Standard, KOLS, The Joggers. Regardless of how disparate their musics, they all deserve what they get. I think a lot of other bands who are sinking themselves into the mire of major label grovel-dom could learn a thing or two from these bands and change their tune. [The rest of that undated interview]
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It seems inevitable that The Decemberists will follow in Death Cab For Cutie's footsteps and sign to a major label. Word on the street says they're joining Radiohead, Coldplay, The Magic Numbers, and Morningwood over at Capitol Recods.
Previously
Colin Meloy (Decemberists) & Laura Veirs Touring
Decemberists to Release Animated "Tain" DVD | Stills
Posted in music at 12:07 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
November 27, 2005
The Life Aquatic - Seu Jorge Bowie Covers CD
I picked up a copy of "The Life Aquatic Studio Sessions Featuring Seu Jorge" today. If you saw The Life Aquatic, heard the Life Aquatic soundtrack, or read one of my old Seu Jorge posts, you probably already realize that this CD contains acoustic David Bowie cover songs in Portuguese. There are 14 songs to be exact, and I didn't realize until after I bought it that the iTunes version has a bonus track. A few of the songs are on the regular LA soundtrack too.
TRACKS: 1. Rebel Rebel 2. Life on Mars? 3. Starman 4. Ziggy Stardust 5. Lady Stardust 6. Changes 7. Oh! You Pretty Things 8. Rock N' Roll Suicide 9. Suffragette City 10. Five Years 11. Queen Bitch 12. When I Live My Dream 13. Quicksand 14. Team Zissou
DOWNLOAD (MP3s via Sucka Pants)
Seu Jorge - Life On Mars
Seu Jorge - Rebel Rebel
"Had Seu Jorge not recorded my songs acoustically in Portuguese I would never have heard this new level of beauty which he has imbued them with" - David Bowie
Previously
Seu Jorge @ Bowery Ballroom, NYC | pics (part 3)
Seu Jorge @ Bowery Ballroom, NYC | pics (part 2)
Bowie in Portuguese vs. The Cure in French (accents)
Seu Jorge | Tour Dates
Arctic Monkeys remind David Bowie of Action
Posted in music at 11:51 PM | Comments (9) | TrackBack