by Bill Pearis

AVC: What do you think your songs are about?

CE: For as long as I can remember, I've always written about anxiety and loneliness, because those are the two common themes in my life. But recently a friend of mine was really insightful. He was like, "Well, your songs aren't really depressing at all. They seem to be all to be a struggle for survival more than anything." I guess that's the underlying note.

AVC: "The Power" seems to be explicitly about that.

CE: That song was born out of futility. I had a 20-month-long breakup. We were together for about three of those months. You know that scene in Brokeback Mountain where Heath Ledger is like, "I wish I knew how to quit you"? It's kind of that, in a song.

AVC: The two-piece band has seemed to have a comeback, from The White Stripes to Japandroids. Why do you think they're so appealing?

AS: I mean obviously, the dynamic between two people is considerably different. These days, for most bands, money is a huge issue, and it's a lot easier to tour as a two-piece.

CE: Even numerically it's appealing; people just generally prefer two of anything. The onus is on us to create a music experience that is comparable to a proper band. I just bought a bass pedal so I can make the guitar sound like a bass whenever I want it to.

AS: Yeah, I'd never thought about that before.

CE: But it's a beautiful thing, there's a male-female dynamic. I don't want to be filthy, but it's kind of like the intimacy of having sex versus the extravagance of being in an orgy. Sure there's more energy going around, but nobody is getting the full experience. But when it's just two people...

AS: Everybody's getting off. [AV Club Toronto]

After spending time in various Toronto bands, Andy Smith and Carmen Elle started colaborating in 2010, settling on the name Army Girls. With a spare but charged sound powered by Elle's emotion-filled vocals, they remind me a little of Dutch band Bettie Serveert. Last year they released their debut EP, Close to the Bone, which was produced by Fucked Up's Ben Cook. You can stream it below.

Army Girls are currently on tour with PS I Love You. That tour comes to NYC this weekend, hitting Mercury Lounge tonight (5/25) (tickets) and Glasslands on Saturday (5/26) (tickets), and Army Girls are worth showing up early to catch. Neither show is sold out. All tour dates with PS I Love You are listed below.

Continue reading "check out Army Girls who are on tour w/ PS I Love You (playing NYC this weekend)"

by Andrew Sacher

Siberian producer/singer Nina Kraviz is in North America this week and next surrounding her appearance at Movement Electronic Music Festival, which goes down in Detroit this weekend. While she's here, she'll play a NYC show on June 2 at a TBA location. The show is in celebration of Blkmarket's 6th anniversary and also includes Aril Brikha, Kollektiv Turmstrasse, and Talmur & Fahad. RSVP to blkjune2@gmail.com for more info and location, which will be announced the day of the event, and pick up tickets at Resident Advisor. The flier for this show is below. Nina will return to North America in the fall for more dates including Seattle's Decibel Festival with Actress, John Talabot, Maria Minerva, Matthew Dear, Dam-Funk, Julianna Barwick, Ariel Pink and more.

Nina released her self titled debut LP earlier this year via Rekids. It's a real moody, downtempo album that might sound a little better in your headphones on your walk home from the club than playing through the PA while you're there. The beats are well versed in deep house and minimal techno but with greater attention on the low frequencies of the UK bass scene than other recent deep house purveyors like Blondes and Teengirl Fantasy.

Though her production is impressive, the unquestionable standouts of the album are the tracks that prominently feature her voice. The reverb-washed vocals of album opener "Walking in the Night" show Nina sounding like a hushed Kate Bush. Whereas on tracks like "Choices" or "Love Or Go," she sings in a more chopped up fashion, emulating producers who rely solely on sampling the voices of others, in a manner we've seen thrive on everything from "Everything In Its Right Place" to "The Wilhelm Scream."

Nina released her second single from the album, "Aus," this week, which features three different remixes of the track in addition to the album version. Stream all four of those below, in addition to the album's first single, "Ghetto Kraviz," and two of its remixes. Nina also dropped an Essential Mix earlier this month. You can stream that below too.

Those streams, flier for the NYC show, and a list of all dates are below.

Continue reading "check out Nina Kraviz, playing NY next week"

by BBG

Merzbow at Le Poisson Rouge (more by Amanda Hatfield)

Greetings from Maryland Deathfest! I'll be reporting from the festival all weeked, catching some of the greatest metal bands today in downtown Baltimore over the four day weekend, so I'll keep it brief this week. If you aren't at MDF, there is still a multitude of great shows going on in NYC. Make sure to tune in to BrooklynVegan for the latest coverage from the festival, and enjoy yourself at the shows below!

If you didn't get tickets for the previously discussed Merzbow/Wold show at Saint Vitus on 6/4, you are in luck. Though the first performance is now sold out, they have added a second on that same night, doors at 10:30 and tickets are on sale.

More suggested shows and Rorschach live video are below.

Continue reading "Evillive (Merzbow, BBG's at Maryland Deathfest)"

photos by BBG, words by Sally Secret

"See you soon. MDF Thursday, I don't know how many shows in NYC on Saturday and Sunday in NJ." - Rorschach

Rorschach @ Maryland Deathfest - 5/24/2012

The Rorschach show at LPR this Saturday (5/26), that Converge was added to, is now sold out, but if you don't have a ticket, don't dispair. There are plenty of other ways to roar on Saturday courtesy of Black God who are now on an east coast tour. As previously mentioned, the Kentucky band that features members of Coliseum, Young Widows and By The Grace Of God, will play TWO NYC shows on Saturday, and both are sort of a mystery. The first, which was just finally listed on the venue's website with a "secret guest", is a matinee at ABC No Rio. The second is still just listed as "Sa 5/26 (night) - Brooklyn, NY @ Announced Day of Show!". Stay tuned!

Rorschach also play a show at Warehouse Motor Club in Middlesex, NJ on Sunday with Torchbearer, Too Many Voices, and Brain Slug (5pm, $10). They played Maryland Deathfest last night (Thursday). Review coming soon. That's one picture above. More below...

Continue reading "Rorschach played MDF (pics), playing a sold out LPR (and other shows); Black God on tour (2 NYC shows Saturday)"

We Are Scientists at SXSW 2010 (more by Tim Griffin)

As mentioned, Union Pool's free Summer Thunder series kicks off this weekend (5/26). Since we last spoke, the lineups and schedules for most of the series has been announced. This is what it's looking like so far:

BAM! SUMMER THUNDER BANDS ANNOUNCED! CHECK IT!
•MAY 26TH - ROCKSTEADY YETI DAYTIME BLOWOUT
•JUNE 9TH - RAIN MACHINE/ERIC COPELAND/SAWYER-YEH-WOOLLEY TRIO
•JUNE 23RD - TURING MACHINE/MIDNIGHT MAGIC/VIOLENT BULLSHIT
•JULY 14TH - SIGHTINGS/SMOOTA/LONEWOLF + BEN VIDA
•JULY 21ST - BUBBLES/TEEN/TEST HOUSE
•AUGUST 4TH - TO BE ANNOUNCED JUNE 4TH!
•AUGUST 18 - TO BE ANNOUNCED JUNE 4TH!

ALL START AT 3PM•ALL FREE•BUNCHES OF FREE BOOZE
SEE YOU ALL SOON!

This weekend's kickoff event is with dub/reggae/dancehall DJ crew Rocksteady Yeti and you can check out the flyer for the show below. Turing Machine and Violent Bullshit, who play 6/23 with Midnight Magic, just shared a bill at the venue last week (5/18). That sweaty sold out show was a record release show for Turing Machine's What Is The Meaning Of What LP, which is out now via Temporary Residence.

In addition to Summer Thunder, Union Pool continues to host other shows and tonight (5/25) they've got We Are Scientists, KUROMA, and Beach Arabs. The rather small show is their only US date before they head to the UK for a tour in July. Advance tickets are no longer on sale, but "tickets may still be available at the door." All WAS dates are listed below.

Other interesting shows on Union Pool's calendar include the previously discussed Leda (formerly Amy Klein and the Blue Star Band) show (6/1) and the Other Music Northside showcase on 6/14 with Nude Beach, Ex Cops, and The Everymen.

All We Are Scientists dates listed below...

Continue reading "Union Pool's Summer Thunder series lineup revealed, kicks off this weekend; We Are Scientists play the venue tonight"

Jonathan Coulton at Williamsburg Waterfront in 2011 (more by David Andrako)

Geek rocker Jonathan Coulton released his newest album, Artificial Heart (produced by They Might Be Giants' John Flansburgh), last year and is continuing to tour in support of it this year. He kicks off a string of dates next month with John Roderick (of The Long Winters), who appeared on Artificial Heart. That tour comes to NYC for a show on June 2 at Gramercy Theater. Tickets for that show are available.

Artificial Heart features the track "Glasses," which a fan (Craig Clark) recently made a video for and Jonathan approves. Check out the video below, along with a list of all dates...

Continue reading "Jonathan Coulton is touring with John Roderick (dates); approves of fan-made video (watch)"

Destroyer at Webster Hall in 2011 (more by Amanda Hatfield

As mentioned, Destroyer will hit the road next month for a North American tour which comes to NYC on June 18 at Brooklyn Masonic Temple and June 19 at Le Poisson Rouge. When we first discussed those shows, no openers had been announced yet, but openers for both shows have since been revealed.

Sandro Perri (who we we profiled HERE) will join Destroyer on most of the tour, including the Brooklyn Masonic Temple show. Tickets for that show are still available.

Meanwhile, the LPR show will be opened by Drag City-signed Sophia Knapp. Tickets for that show are still available. That show is one of a few Sophia will be playing this June, including another NYC show which happens at Knitting Factory on June 28. Tickets for that show are on sale now.

All Sandro Perri and Sophia Knapp dates, along with some videos below...

Continue reading "Sandro Perri touring w/ Destroyer; Sophia Knapp opening the LPR show & playing other shows too (dates)"

by Andrew Sacher

After So So Glos, Lost Boy, Life Size Maps, and Big Ups play 285 Kent tonight (5/25), an entirely different show will go down at the venue. Weird Terrain is throwing a dance party which will kick off at midnight and reign until the wee hours of the morn. The party's being headlined by Traxman (aka Cornelius Ferguson), who's pretty much running the game of footwork right now and has been a mainstay in the Chicago dance scene since the 90s. He recently released a great new full length, Da Mind of Traxman, on Planet Mu and you can stream the track, "1988" from that release below.

Tonight's lineup also includes Howse (aka Nathaniel Oak), one of the newest members of the small, but always impressive Tri Angle Records family. Like labelmates Balam Acab, Clams Casino, and oOoOO, Howse's beats emerge from dark, otherworldy swamps, rarely feeling like they've ever seen the light of day. And he'll be a great fit with Traxman tonight too -- underneath those swampy layers, he's blasting minimal footwork patterns that no doubt are inspired by the scene Traxman has long been part of. Tri Angle will issue Howse's most recent EP, Lay Hallow, on May 28. Listen to the track, "VBS" below.

Also on tonight's bill is 100% Silk artist Octo Octa (aka Michael Morrison), who dropped a collaborative 12" with La Vampires (aka Amanda Brown) last week. The collaboration is some of the strongest material I've heard from either artist. See for yourself by checking out the video for "Freedom 2K" and stream another track from the collab, "Wherever, Boy" below.

Joining Traxman, Howse, and Octo Octa tonight will be Naka Naka (who's in town from Mexico), The Range, and Rezzie (Weird Magic). Check out more info at the facebook event. Flier below.

You can keep the party going at 285 Kent on Saturday (5/26) too when Lazer Sword (who are on Modeselektor's Monkeytown label) come through on their North American tour which kicks off tonight in Charlotte, NC. Tomorrow's show is with Night Slugs producers MORRI$ and Helix, along with resident Fade to Mind, Weird Magic, and S!CK DJs. Tickets are available. The tour is in support of Lazer Sword's new album, Memory, out now on Monkeytown. Stream the track, "Missed a Spot," from that release below.

Another dance option for tonight (5/25) is the Turbotax party at Santos Party House, which is billed as 'Fade to Mind vs Night Slugs." It's part of a North American tour that Bok Bok (Night Slugs) is on, and tonight he'll by joined by Rizzla (Fade to Mind) and Kingdom (who has releases on Night Slugs and runs Fade to Mind), along with Turbotax regular Rem Koolhaus. Check out a recent Night Slugs mix Bok Bok made, which features material from Night Slugs labelmates Girl Unit and Jam City, here. A list of all Bok Bok dates, his tour flier, and the flier for tonight's show are below.

Speaking of Night Slugs, both Jam City and Girl Unit have new releases out on the label this month. Stream clips of Girl Unit's Club Rez EP below and stream a genesis mix for Jam City's Classical Curves LP (his debut full length) here. Jam City is currently supporting that release on tour and will come to NYC for a turbotax party on July 27. A list of all Jam City dates and the tour flier are below.

One last related bit, LA duo Nguzunguzu, who have released material on Kingdom's Fade to Mind label, have a new EP coming called Warm Pulse. It will be out July 3 digitally and August 14 physically via Hippos in Tanks. The cover art is below.

A list of all dates, streams, video and fliers below...

Continue reading "Traxman, Howse, Octo Octa, Bok Bok, Kingdom, Lazer Sword and other electronic artists playing NYC this weekend"

by Bill Pearis

Lorelei at Slumberland 20 (more by Tim Griffin)

'90s era DC shoegazers Lorelei came out of retirement a in 2006 years ago, having notably played the Slumberland 20th Anniversary at Bell House in 2009 and the Chickfactor anniversary in Arlington, VA this spring. But the band are doing more than just playing a few shows, and will release a new album, Enterprising Sidewalks, on Slumberland Records this fall. You can stream their 2003 EP, Informed by the Future, at the bottom of this post.

Lorelei has a few shows scheduled this summer including one in NYC at Glasslands on July 19 with openers The New Lines. Tickets for that show are on sale now.

A list of all dates and that EP stream below...

Continue reading "Lorelei ready new LP for Slumberland, playing shows (dates)"

Reggie Watts @ @ the Vic last week (more by Ben Rodig)

Reggie Watts, who played the Vic in Chicago last week and is now on a tour that hits Austin for two shows this weekend, recently played a sold out show at Webster Hall in NYC and was just announced on the lineup of the upcoming multi-venue CBGB Festival in NYC. Well, Reggie's venue has been revealed and it is The Bell House in Brooklyn on July 6th with a reunited Radio 4 and The Jigglers. if you don't want to mess with a CBGB Fest badge, tickets are on sale.

A list of all Reggie Watts tour dates, and the new Hot Chip video that he stars in, below...

Continue reading "Reggie Watts touring, playing NYC show w/ reformed Radio 4 "