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November 20, 2009
Carsick Cars, PK-14, Xiao He played powerhouse Arena (videos) & Glasslands (pics), playing more shows this week
photos by Lori Baily, words by Andrew Frisicano
DOWNLOAD: Carsick Cars - You Can Listen You Can Talk (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Carsick Cars - Zhong Nan Hai (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: PK-14 - Behind All Ruptures (MP3)
PK-14 @ Glasslands
Arriving late [to powerHouse Arena on November 5th] I found the place packed, but I was just able to set up in time to get Xiao He's last tune. This piece was a lengthy improv involving electronic looping, acoustic guitar, and Mongolian style throat-singing - all to bewitching effect. Next up were the catchily named Carsick Cars, a young and winsome trio who played just three songs, opening with the liberating 'You Can Listen You Can Talk' and closing with - reportedly a Chinese underground anthem - Zhong Nan Hai - a silly song about a popular cigarette brand that just happens to be named after the seat of Chinese Government. The point being, as I understand it, that being punk is being beyond politics. Lastly came P.K.14, apparently elder statesmen of the movement. Sporting a tight Swedish drummer, and singing in pure mandarin, one could discern a wide mix of influences from pop to punk, to post-punk, to freak-out rock. I've picked two tunes from them - the more melodic 'Eden' and the wild closer 'Some Surprises Happen Too Soon'. [Punkcast]Punkcast was at the "China Underground Invasion" tour's kick off show on November 5th at powerHouse Arena. It was one of the four NYC shows for the tour that've already happened. Another was the next night (11/6) at Glasslands with These are Powers and Soft Circle. Pictures from the Glasslands show are above and below.
The trio of acts return to NYC on Friday, November 20th (TONIGHT) for a gig with The Octagon at UWS club Ding Dong Lounge with The Octagon. They follow that up with a tour-ending show at Secret Project Robot (NOT Monster Island Basement as originally listed in their dates) with Knyfe Hyts 81 and Aa on Saturday (Nov. 21). Knyfe Hyts 81 also have a show booked tonight in Manhattan with Sleigh Bells and Javelin.
Their label, Maybe Mars, lists one more stop for the gang. Guitarist Zhang Shouwang (from Carsick Cars) and Xiao He are slated to appear at the closing Performa 09 event, Scratch the Grand Finale at (Le) Poisson Rouge on November 22nd. But that isn't quite a conventional show - the fest writes that "invited artists will be asked to present a five to ten minute work responding to the following subtitles: Dining on Radio Waves; Lust is a Force; Between Noise & Silence; Songs for Architects; and Motion & Magic. The stage will be set with a arrangement of musical and Futurist inspired instrumentation and means from record decks, green light to perfume and the bassoon." Tickets are on sale.
Speaking of unconventional gigs, These Are Powers' next performance will be November 21st at Galapagos for a free edition (RSVP) of Cinema 16 (silent film+live band). For their set, the group will be scoring a pair of PSAs and one educational video from the '60s and '70s. Included in those will be "One Got Fat: Bicycle Safety" from 1963, summarized as such: "A group of children, wearing ape masks, the dangers of biking the hard way in this strange and dark PSA."
More pictures from the Glasslands show, videos via Punkcast from the powerHouse Arena gig, and more details on the upcoming shows are below...
Posted by brooklynvegan at 4:24 PM | Comments (0)
Javelin played Monster Island w/ Juiceboxxx (pics), plays new venue Under 100 TONIGHT w/ Sleigh Bells & Knyfe Hyts
words & photos by Erez Avissar
MNDR (aka Amanda Warner) opened the Brooklyn show at Monster Island on Wednesday night (11/18). Shouting, singing and rapping over techno-centric beats, she showed respect to tour-mate Juiceboxxx as well as a strong influence by him. She fared better than her mentor though, who played a super-brief, possibly truncated, set of less than 20 minutes. Opening with his most well-known tune/statement of intent, "Thunder Jam #5", Juiceboxxx positioned himself in sort of a "me against the crowd/world" way, alienating himself from the audience. It was unfortunate, because a basement show like this one could have been the ideal place to see him.
Even without their signature boomboxes, Javelin brought much-needed positive energy to the room with highlights like expanded versions of "Mossy Woodland" and "Vibrationz", as well as their skewed "Into The Groove" interpretation and some worldly tropical beats that turned the place into a dance party. The energy stayed with the crowd, who were more than happy to stick around after and dance to pop hits, ranging from Olivia Newton-John to Jay-Z, courtesy of Todd P's iPod.
Javelin live is not to be slept on. Catch them Friday (TONIGHT) with Sleigh Bells (who played Le Poisson Rouge last night) at a new DIY all ages venue in Manhattan called "Under 100." Get there early - Javelin goes on first (9pm). More details about that show and pictures below...
Posted by brooklynvegan at 3:58 PM | Comments (2)
Eli Paperboy Reed playing Brooklyn (Bowl), but not DC, Neon Indian tix on sale, Talib Kweli & other upcoming shows
Eli Paperboy Reed @ The Bell House (more by Jacob Blickenstaff)
Tickets are on sale for the recently-added Neon Indian show at Brooklyn Bowl.
Soul man Eli "Paperboy" Reed is playing a show at Brooklyn Bowl on Saturday night (11/21). Tickets are on sale for that too. Eli, who also plays in Salem, Massachusetts tonight (11/20), was supposed to hit DC on the 22nd, but that's been cancelled "due to some logistical problems".
Jacob Blickenstaff took the picture of Eli you see above. If you happen to be in Memphis, check out his pictures on display at the Stax Museum of Ameican Soul Music.
Speaking of BV photographers with cool other projects, Justina Villanueva just released the first issue of her own magazine. Check out her recent photos from Jesus Lizard at Irving Plaza too.
Sunday is the Talib Kweli show at Brooklyn Bowl. Tickets are still on sale. It's one of three shows Talib will play in the city before the end of the year.
Other shows coming up at Brooklyn Bowl with tickets on sale include Julian Plenti, Dr. Dog, and Dangerous (All Metal Tribute to Michael Jackson). Dangerous also opened for Deer Tick there on Halloween.
It's been a year since Eli performed on Jools Holland. The video from that performance is below...
Posted by brooklynvegan at 2:59 PM | Comments (1)
Negative Approach approach ++ pics from Red 7 in Austin
This Saturday (11/21) will be exactly two weeks since I saw Negative Approach at Red 7 in Austin. It will also be the day NA returns to Southpaw in Brooklyn. Tickets are still on sale (for the early show).
Austin & Brooklyn are two of seven cities NA announced shows in. There's also Sunday (11/22) in Long Branch, NJ.
The Austin show was one of a few official Fun Fun Fun Fest afterparties (another I went to was Forgetters at the same venue one day later). That dude in the cart above was one of many going crazy in the pit. Trash Talk was one of the openers and you can see their singer stagediving in the pictures that are continued below...
Continue reading "Negative Approach approach ++ pics from Red 7 in Austin"
Posted by brooklynvegan at 1:15 PM | Comments (9)
upcoming Bear in Heaven shows & a set of live pictures
photos by Ryan Muir
DOWNLOAD: Bear in Heaven - Wholehearted Mess (MP3)
STEREOGUM: I've been to Barcade [where you bartend]. Used to live a block away from it. Good beer selection, but sometimes the guys playing the games can get a bit too aggro. Have you ever had to intervene with a drunken Dig Dug fan and a battered arcade game?Bear in Heaven have three upcoming NYC shows, the first of which is tonight (11/20) at Zebulon in Brooklyn. It's free (or donations). They share a bill with Chicago's Pillars and Tongues. After that, Bear in Heaven don't have anything listed on their schedule actually, but tickets are on sale (@ noon) for a January 27th show at Mercury Lounge with Denmark's OH NO ONO.Bear in Heaven member Joe Stickney: Eh, every now and then someone will, in a 12% alcohol-beer fueled rage, start banging on Ms. Pacman or Outrun or something, but there's always a manager on board to take care of that. In general the crowd's pretty passive. I used to manage there for a few months and one of my first nights there someone threw up all over Tetris. I think that might have been some belated Iron Curtain protest though.
They'll also play a short in-store set at Sound Fix Records on December 3rd (8pm, free).
The pictures in this post were taken back in September when Bear in Heaven opened for the Rapture at Matchless. More of those pictures below...
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Posted by brooklynvegan at 10:30 AM | Comments (11)
November 19, 2009
What's going on Thursday?
tUnE-YaRds @ Bowery Ballroom last night (more by Dominick Mastrangelo)
Cave In
today in NYC
* Rakim @ BB King's
* Ray Davies @ Town Hall
* The Dig, Locksley @Mercury Lounge
* Reigning Sound, A-Bones @ Maxwell's
* Crystal Fighters @ Santos Party House
* Bob Dylan, Dion @ United Palace Theatre
* Sleigh Bells, Popo, Zuzka @ (le) poisson rouge
* Times New Viking, The Axemen, Mad Scene @ Union Pool
* Veil Veil Vanish, Blacklist, Phantasm @ Death By Audio
* Joshua Radin, The Watson Twins, The Kin @ Webster Hall
* Blind Pilot, Laura Veirs, Mimicking Birds @ Bowery Ballroom
* Cave-In, The Narrows, Trap Them @ Knitting Factory Brooklyn
* Dirty Projectors, tUnE-YaRds, Cale Parks @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
* Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson, These United States @ The Bell House
Tonight is the first of two NYC shows for Ray Davies.
Tonight is the first of three NYC shows for Crystal Fighters.
Tonight is the first of two NYC shows for Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson and These United States.
Tonight is the first of two NYC-area shows for Reigning Sound.
Tonight is the second of four NYC shows for Dirty Projectors and tUnE-YaRds.
Tonight is the third of three NYC shows for Bob Dylan.
Tonight is the second of two NYC shows or Times New Viking (unless you count the private one at Public Assembly which would make tonight the third).
What else?
Posted by brooklynvegan at 6:42 PM | Comments (10)
Crystal Fighters (their name) are here from the UK/Spain - MP3s, videos, 3 NYC shows, other 2009 tour dates
DOWNLOAD: Crystal Fighters - I Love London (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Crystal Fighters - I Love London (Douster remix) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: CRYSTAL FIGHTERS - KITSUNE 1 HR RADIO MIX (MP3)
Crystal Fighters looking sexy in the woods
Crystal Fighters - 2009 NYC Tour DatesThe Kitsune-signed, London-Based (but from Spain) electronica band Crystal Fighters (not to be confused with Crystal Castles, Stilts, Antlers, or Skulls) are kicking of a three night run of shows in NYC tonight (11/19). NYC dates above. Videos, flyers and all tour dates below....
Thursday Nov 19 @ Santos Party House
Friday Nov 20 @ Glasslands w/ Tanlines & Lemonade
Saturday Nov 21 @ Le Poisson Rouge w/ Little Dragon & Body Language
Posted by brooklynvegan at 6:13 PM | Comments (22)
Reigning Sound are here (Maxwell's tonight, Southpaw Friday), but not long enough to catch Jack Oblivian (Sunday)
It was my first time seeing Reigning Sound live, and it was certainly worth the drive to Detroit. The city's garage-rock faction was well represented. I'm told that was Detroit Cobras guitarist Mary Ramirez front-and-center for most of the night, singing and dancing like a superfan. Head Reigning Sound honcho Greg Cartwright, a legend in garage-rock circles for his work in the '90s with the Oblivians, was appreciative, taking several opportunities to thank everyone for coming out on a Monday night and calling Detroit "my home away from home."Just a quick reminder that ex-Oblivians will have a strong garage rock presence in the area starting tonight (11/19) with the Reigning Sound tour hitting Maxwell's in Hoboken. The A-Bones, who also have a gig lined up at Mercury Lounge on New Years Eve with the Detroit Cobras, open the NJ show. You can also catch Reigning Sound Friday night (11/20) at Southpaw (that time with the Jay Vons as support). Tickets are still on sale.Highlights of the evening for me included rousing versions of "Stop and Think it Over" by Cartwright's other former band, Compulsive Gamblers, and "You're so Strange," the final track off of Albums of the Aughts honoree "Time Bomb High School." [mlive]
From there the band heads north to finish up their tour with dates in Buffalo and Toronto. That means they definitely won't be sticking around long enough to cross paths with fellow Oblivian Jack Obvlivian who plays his own show at Southpaw on Sunday (11/22). Tickets for that are on sale too. All dates below...
Posted by brooklynvegan at 5:33 PM | Comments (3)
Dr. Dre, Diplo, will.i.am & others DJing in Best Buy today
"Best Buy is kicking off the Club Beats experience by hosting several celebrations across the country with today's top music talent, including this Thursday November 19th @ the Best Buy store location in New York City's Union Square. Club Beats starts at 4pm with appearances by Dr. Dre, Jimmy Iovine (Charmain Interscope Geffen A&M Records), will.i.am, Major Lazer featuring Diplo & David Guetta special guest DJ performances."
Diplo DJ'd at the Woodie Awards at Roseland last night, and they also billed him as "Diplo from Major Lazer". I guess that is how he is known from now on?
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Posted by brooklynvegan at 12:39 PM | Comments (5)
November 18, 2009
What's going on Wednesday?
Dirty Projectors @ Housing Works in May (more by Ryan Muir)
tonight in NYC
* Holden @ Pianos
* Woodies @ Roseland
* Philip Glass @ BAM
* Air Waves @ Brooklyn Bowl (free)
* Golem, Can!!Can @ Cake Shop
* Bob Dylan, Dion @ United Palace Theatre
* Akiko Yano w/ Marc Ribot @ (Le) Poisson Rouge
* Ed Schrader, DJ Dog Dick and Adventure @ Santos
* A Storm of Light, Goes Cube, Biclops @ Ace of Clubs
* Javelin, Juiceboxxx, MNDR @ Monster Island Basement
* Times New Viking, The Axemen, Home, Cave @ Mercury Lounge
* Evangelicals, Holiday Shores, Teenage Prayers @ Union Hall
* Dirty Projectors, tUnE-YaRds, Glass Ghost @ Bowery Ballroom
* The Cranberries, Griffin House @ Nokia Theatre Times Square
* Big Star, Kurt Vile and the Violators @ Brooklyn Masonic Temple
* Papa M, Soft Circle, Rain Machine, Kevin Barker @ Knitting Factory Brooklyn
* Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, Fool's Gold, Local Natives @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
* John Wesley Harding's Cabinet of Wonders w/ A.C. Newman, Rhett Miller, Steve Almond @ (Le) Poisson Rouge
Tune-Yards opens all four Dirty Projectors shows this week. Check out a 25 minute "4AD Session" video she made, below...
What else?
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Posted by brooklynvegan at 6:04 PM | Comments (16)