by BBG

DOWNLOAD: Kyle Rapps - "Hard Knock Children" with Joell Ortiz (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Kyle Rapps - "Love Love 2" with KRS-One and Homeboy Sandman (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Kyle Rapps - "Universe Traveler" with Talib Kweli (MP3)

Kyle Rapps with Talib Kweli

Make sure and get to Southpaw early tomorrow (2/9, tickets), because in addition to great performances from favorites like Action Bronson and Mr. MFN eXquire, you'll be able to catch a set from Kyle Rapps. The New Jersey MC made waves last year with his Re-Edutainment EP (clearly a tip of the cap to the Blast Master) but more recently dropped On Air:

The eight-track mixtape showcases a new sound for Kyle, with the NYC-based emcee choosing to flip samples from French electro duo Air throughout.

Kyle also threw KRS-One, Homeboy Sandman, and Talib Kweli into the mix, the latter of whom was featured on the EP's first single, "Universe Traveler.

In related news, Kyle Rapps may be revving up the sampler again, as Air just released their latest LP Le Voyage Dans La Lune, a score to the 1902 film of the same name. Check out a clip from the film, with Air's music as the soundtrack, below.

All videos and some streams are below, and check out Kyle Rapps tomorrow at one of the last shows at Southpaw.

Continue reading "Kyle Rapps releases new video, opening for Action Bronson; Air scored a film from 1902"

"I make a lot of coffee," James Murphy told NY Mag in an interview after the movie's premiere. "For my birthday, my girlfriend got me a training course with the world champion. That's what I'm going to do when I get back to London."

Most recently done by Bonnie 'Prince' Billy with his limited edition "Bonny Billy Blend" from Kona Rose Coffee (available for purchase via Drag City), Murphy is planning on reiterating the trend with his own espresso blend.

According to Murphy himself, he plans to "just go to a roaster who lives near me and just start tweaking beans and temperatures," for the fun of it.

He loves coffee so much, he's releasing the hits, "Never As Tired As When I'm Waking Up (Without Coffee)", "Disco Percolator", and "Bean Connection."

Well, not really, but James is keeping busy in the art world too. The LCD Soundsystem documentary Shut Up and Play the Hits just premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 22. Billboard reports:

The film is reminscent of Martin Scorsese's "The Last Waltz" (1978), about rock group The Band's final show, in that it documents an influential group's guest star-laden final live performance and largely focuses on the frontman (in "Waltz's" case, Robbie Robertson). When asked during a post-screening Q&A about trying to best Waltz, Murphy joked: "I was just like, 'that chump Robbie Roberston, I'm gonna take him --'"

Going into the project, Murphy said he was aware of the thematic similarities with "Waltz." "We all talked about it. Knowing that it is there, you can't not deal with it," he said.

And, "Shut Up and Play the Hits" was just one of two movies Murphy was involved with at Sundance this year. He also stars in The Comedy along with Bonnie Prince Billy's Drag City labelmate Neil Hamburger, Tim Heidecker (of Tim & Eric who also premiered another movie at Sundance), Eric Wareheim (of Tim & Eric who also premiered another movie at Sundance), Matador-signed comedian Jeffrey Jensen, Will Sheff (of Okkervil River), and many more. The film was directed by the Jagjaguwar-signed Rick Alverson, and the indie label is also involved with the film. Check out a clip with James,Tim & Eric below...

Continue reading "like Bonnie Prince Billy, James Murphy is making his own coffee (and he's in 2 new movies too) (1 with Tim & Eric)"

Tim & Eric's Billion Dollar Movie, #shrim

"The number of walkouts during a recent Sundance showing of Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie, was almost as funny as the vulgar abominations of comedy happening on screen.

Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim, known for their bizarre comedy sketch show Tim and Eric's Awesome Show, Great Job! on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim, expanded their gallery of grotesques and non sequiturs to a feature-length movie, which made its debut here in Park City.

The surreal (to say the least) story follows Tim and Eric after they lose $1 billion on a movie starring a Johnny Depp lookalike, then have to take over an apocalyptic shopping mall full of hobos, wolves, and losers to earn back the money. Bloodshed, sadistic bathroom humor, and heavy-duty nincompoopery follow.

At least one couple storming out of the theater actually hollered back at the screen. Heidecker and Wareheim could barely contain their glee at a post-screening Q&A. "What'd he say?" Heidecker demanded." [EW]

A few lucky (?) people will also get to check it out on a big screen before 3/2 along with the stars of the film Tim Heidecker & Eric Wareheim in the house, appearing as part of a Q&A session. You'll find Tim & Eric in San Francisco, Chicago, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Austin, Los Angeles, and NYC in February and early March, though tickets to all these special screenings (like at Sunshine Cinema in NYC on February 16th) are pretty much sold out.

More details on the appearances and the trailer and other videos below...

Continue reading ""Angry moviegoers storm out of Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie" (which goes on demand today)"

"Everything Is Terrible!, to promote the March 2nd, 2012 (DVDs will be available online and at shows on January 27th) release of their third inner-eye opening DVD, DoggieWoggiez! PoochieWoochiez!, is embarking on a 60+ date Tour of the US and Canada.

EIT!, as they have been lovingly dubbed by their followers, are the video collective responsible for some of the most intriguing and horrifying viral videos in the Universe. From cat massages to pedophile-hunting yellow dinosaurs, EIT! salvages the best VHS moments from thrift stores across the nation and posts their daily finds on the Internet for the world to see. Each year, the group edits thousands of these resurrected treasures into one mind-melting feature-length movie. With DoggieWoggiez! PoochieWoochiez!, EIT! has elevated their craft to new heights, creating a remake of Alejandro Jodorowsky's 1973 Film, The Holy Mountain, using only dog-related found footage! After a grueling year of combing every Air Bud movie for something remotely worthwhile, the group is groomed and ready to tour the continent in homemade, full-body mascot costumes, delivering a psychedelic live show experience that can not be rivaled. This all-new "live in the fur" show picks up where Cirque Du Soleil and The Rock-A-Fire Explosion left off... finally. Oh yeah, and ARFFFF!"

Continue reading "Everything Is Terrible! taking Doggie Woggiez! Poochie Woochiez! on tour (2012 dates)"

"A few months ago, the term cassette tape was taken out of the Oxford English Dictionary.

It may seem ironic, then, that the cassette has experienced a quiet comeback over the last few years, as independent labels issuing tape-only releases have begun popping up around the world.

What better excuse to take a look back at this beloved musical format?

As recorded sound continues its love affair with the downloadable, ethereal digital file, the tangible artefact is quickly becoming a thing of the past.

Help us celebrate the A Side, the B Side, the mixtape, and the whole of cassette culture by supporting Cassette: A Documentary. We'll look at all parts of popular culture influenced by the cassette, including hip-hop and B-Boy culture, indie rock, home recording, and beyond."

For more details, head to their kickstarter page and check out a video trailer below.

Continue reading "cassettes making a comeback; help fund the documentary"

LCD Soundsystem at MSG 4/2/11 (more by Dominick Mastrangelo)

LCD Soundsystem played their final show at Madison Square Garden on April 2, 2011 after a four night run at Terminal 5. BV photographer Dominick Mastrangelo, who was at the show, wrote:

From where I was in the middle of the front GA section nobody stopped dancing, or singing along or smiling the entire night. (Save for, like at all four Terminal 5 shows, the couple of awkward, yet brief and deserved intermissions.) Every turn to scan the Garden saw people full-on, in the groove dancing; not just some barely-registered shuffling back and forth. Honestly, everyone who was there should take a bow because they were fantastic.

And no, there was no Daft Punk, but there was Arcade Fire singing joyously along on "North American Scum" (the third set's highlight) and an appearance by Reggie Watts who also played with the band at three of the four Terminal 5 shows. The boys choir featuring members of Mr. Dream was there, as were the two female backup singers, and the horn section that included Kelly Pratt and Colin Stetson. Original LCD guitarist Phil Mossman was back and featured a few times in addition to LCD band members
Nancy Whang, Tyler Pope, Pat Mahoney, Matt Thornley, Gavin Russom, and David Scott Stone.

Continue reading "LCD Soundsystem documentary about final MSG show debuting @ Sundance (watch the trailer now)"

by BBG

Karp was a post-hardcore band from Tumwater, Washington, that formed in 1990 and lasted until 1998. The band was formed by Chris Smith aka Chris "Slayer", Jared Warren, and Scott Jernigan. They released three full length albums entitled Mustaches Wild, Suplex, and Self Titled LP. (Note that "Self Titled LP" is a literal title. The title is not "Karp." Even the CD version of the record is titled "Self Titled LP.") They also released several EPs and 7" records. Their recordings were released by several Northwest-related labels such as K Records, Kill Rock Stars, and Punk In My Vitamins. Karp managed to mix the terror of hardcore, The Melvins, and Black Sabbath with an ear for pop-influenced song assembly. The band name is inspired from a newsletter/zine that Chris Smith put out in highschool and is an acronym that stands for "Kill All Redneck Pricks".

Members went on to play with Tight Bro's from Way Back When, The Whip, Dead Air Fresheners, and Big Business (currently playing with The Melvins). Drummer Scott Jernigan died in a boating accident on June 10, 2003.

Spectacle Theater will host a bunch of music related films in the coming weeks as part of "ROCKUARY", "music-themed special events and films of all kinds- ranging from features, documentaries, shorts, remixes, live performances, and many special guests." The current slate of films include a documentary on Friends Forever, Shamans of The Blind Country (which will be scored by Diamond Terrifier), a documentary on Morrissey's impact on Latino culture (Passions Just Like Mine), Deadlock (which was scored by Can) and much much more. Head to the Spectacle site for more details.

In semi-related news, Pygmy Shrews and The Men have BOTH cancelled their 1/13 appearance at Union Pool.

All Kill All Redneck Pricks screenings and some videos are below.

Continue reading "Karp Lives! - Karp documentary on screening tour, screens tomorrow at Spectacle Theater (part of ROCKUARY)"

Joe's final tweet...

TMZ reports on the death of Joe Bodolai. As Gothamist summarizes:

He also appears to have posted a suicide note on his blog, titled, "If This Was Your Last Day Alive What Would You Do?" The post includes a list of things he regrets ("my inability to conquer my alcoholism"), things he would have liked to have seen happen in his life ("living in Paris or New York again"), predictions for 2012 ("sales of Mayan Calendars up for 2012, drop for 2013"), and the things he is proud of (his time at SNL and "writing the first draft of Wayne’s World with Mike Myers"). At 3 a.m. on December 24th, he Tweeted a link to the post, adding, "Godbye." He then Tweeted a link to this video, and lastly, at 3:53 a.m., he wrote: "When people tell you to "dream" to make my life better I'd say 99.9% of them have never been beaten and robbed."

by Andrew Sacher

Marketa Irglova (aka 1/2 of The Swell Season) released her first solo album, Anar, this past October via ANTI-. Though she's credited as a main writer for a few of The Swell Season's songs, her personality as a songwriter comes through much stronger here than on any Swell Season album. The songs are all led by her piano which tends to suit her voice better than Glen Hansard's folk guitar. There's also a lot of early Joni Mitchell coming through and the horns on "Go Back" tread into Feist territory. The video for "Crossroads" is below and the album is available on iTunes.

She played some shows in November including one at Bowery Ballroom. She has a few upcoming dates in February including two in NYC happening on February 15 and February 22 at Joe's Pub. Tickets for both shows are on sale now.

In related news, the "Once" musical (which does not star Glen or Marketa) is running Off Broadway through January 15th. You'll have trouble getting a ticket to the remaining performances, BUT tickets are on sale now for the show's new home at the Bernard B Jacobs Theatre on Broadway. Broadway previews begin February 28th.

All Marketa dates and a video below...

Continue reading "'Once' musical moving to Broadway; Marketa Irglova schedules more live shows (dates)"

Here's the info:

'we bought a zoo' released
today, december 13th, sees the release of the soundtrack for the forthcoming movie 'we bought a zoo' - the soundtrack comprises of over 30 minutes of brand new music from jónsi; two new songs from jónsi: "ævin endar" (life ends) & "snærisendar" (end of a rope) as well as nine shorter "theme" pieces, plus reimagining's of songs from jónsi's debut solo album "go". the soundtrack also includes "hoppípolla" by sigur rós.

information about the album, tracklisting, ordering and preview streams are all available on jonsi.com

to celebrate this release, today (december 13th) in new york city there will be a live q&a session with jónsi & the movie's director cameron crowe. this event [at Barnes & Noble] starts at 7pm nyc time and will be streamed live

Continue reading "'We Bought a Zoo' soundtrack released; Jonsi & Cameron Crowe appearing in NYC (and online) today"