Recent Posts in pictures
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)
Jesus Lizard & Noveller @ Irving Plaza (night 2) in NYC - pics
photos by Lori Baily
"How can it be that in the wake of the ten year absence of this band, there's really yet to be a front man as captivating, ferocious, unnerving and entertaining? Sure there's Matt Korvette of PISSED JEANS and Eugene from OXBOW as current torch bearers, and I'm not sure that the world needs another GG Allin. Actually, scratch that...I am sure we don't need another GG. But those bands can't hold a 5W bulb to the music of the Jesus Lizard, and Yow's the propellant that gets it all going. He spent probably as much time in/on the crowd as on stage, and never missed a note while singing propped up by the hands of strangers. Highlights? Truly, there were no lulls. How can there be when you've got the mutated hybrid of "Chrome" coming at you, or the manic "Bloody Mary," or the insistent throbbing of "Gladiator"?" [Big Takeover]The Jesus Lizard came to town. Night one pictures and discussion HERE. Night two setlist picture and more discussion HERE. Pictures from when they played a show on Halloween HERE. A whole bunch of pictures from the secomd night at Irving Plaza (11/17), with opener Noveller (aka Sarah Lipstate who also plays in Parts & Labor), below...
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Posted by brooklynvegan at 2:09 PM | Comments (13)
Art Brut, Surfer Blood & Midnight Masses @ Brooklyn Bowl - pics & setlist
photos by Vincent Cornelli
Art Brut's most recent tour brought them into the NYC-area three times with three different sets of openers. Last Friday (11/13), the show was at Brooklyn Bowl with Surfer Blood and Midnight Masses. More pictures from that one, with the setlist, below...
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Posted by brooklynvegan at 1:52 PM | Comments (12)
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...
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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)
Marissa Nadler played w/ Alela Diane & Orba Squara @ LPR (pics) & the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth (video)
photos by Fresh Bread
Orba Squara @ LPR
Despite suffering a car crash followed by a breakup, Marissa Nadler made it to NYC this past weekend to play two shows with Alela Diane (who also played an in-store at Sound Fix while she was here). The first of those two shows was Friday night at Le Poisson Rouge with Orba Squara opening (11/13). That's where the pictures in this post are from.
Marissa and Alela's tour ends Saturday night in Utah. Since leaving they, played a show in Minneapolis. Culture Bully was there, and said...:
Alela Diane [is] a West coast folksinger whose To Be Still is probably the best folk record released this year (next to Cate Le Bon's Me Oh My). Diane's natural stage presence and relaxed manner produced a warm and intimate show that featured standouts "White As Diamonds" and the crowd-requested "The Rifle." Diane also covered Louisiana songwriter Dylan LeBlanc's "If the Good Lord's Willing and the Creek Don't Rise" prompting me to make a mental note to check out the young artist as soon as possible...Orba Squara plays another NYC show this Saturday night (11/21) at Knitting Factory with Jad Fair. More pictures (none of Alela, sorry) from the NYC show at Le Poisson Rouge, and a beautiful video of Marissa shot on the same tour in Fort Worth, TX, below......Visibly nervous onstage, Nadler confessed to crippling stage fright and frequently apologized for imagined shortcomings. No apology was necessary though, as Nadler's otherworldly vocals put the audience under a deep spell. One couldn't help but wonder what she might be capable of free from the constraints of anxiety. Great things, I think, since even in her nervous state Nadler was nothing short of incredible.
Posted by brooklynvegan at 9:45 AM | Comments (1)
2009 mtvU Woodie Awards @ Roseland - pics (Passion Pit, Dead Weather, Matt & Kim, Clipse, Death Cab, more)
photos by Chris La Putt
Indie darlings Matt & Kim kicked off the show -- which celebrates the year's best music as determined by MTVu's college-centric audience -- with an energetic performance of their breakout single "Lessons Learned." Later, the duo returned to accept their Best Video Woodie award.Cyndi presented an award with Gossip Girl's Leighton Meester who also recently made an appearance at the Weezer (and Matt & Kim) show on Halloween that was sponsored by RXP aka the Matt Pinfield station. Matt was also at the Woodies as was Diplo who was DJing and David Cross, Zooey Deschanel, Janelle Monae, Dave 1 from Chromeo, and Mary Louise Parker. Matt and Kim didn't get naked like they do in their winning video (their second MTV win for that video), but their backup singers did strip down to their underwear."We've had one heck of a year," said Matt Johnson, before counterpart Kim Schifino leapt into the crowd.
Additional performers included veteran alt-rockers Death Cab for Cutie, who rocked the audience with its "New Moon" soundtrack single "Meet Me on the Equinox," as well as Passion Pit, the Dead Weather and Clipse, who were joined onstage by fellow rappers Cam'ron and Rick Ross.
Presenter highlights came from Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz and pop prankserts 3OH!3. Wentz rolled onto the stage holding a red Solo cup, while 3OH!3 gave a nod to Lady Gaga by dressing in her various VMA outfits. Asher Roth, will.i.am, and surprise guest Cyndi Lauper also presented awards. [Billboard]
The Dead Weather also played a show one day before the Woodies in Brooklyn. The Woodies air December 4th at 10pm. More pictures from the event (11/18 at Roseland Ballroom in NYC), below...
Posted by brooklynvegan at 1:18 AM | Comments (29)
Red Mass played M For Montreal (where Bill is spending the weekend), playing NYC in December ++ new EP (MP3)
by Bill Pearis
DOWNLOAD: Red Mass - Saturn (MP3)
Red Mass @ La Sala Rossa - Nov 18, 2009
I'm currently up here in Montreal getting ready for the fourth annual M for Montreal, a music festival/industry event mashup that showcases nearly 30 of the city's bands/artists who are ready, in the eyes and ears of festival organizers, to make the leap from a local act to the international stage. Or something like that. In for the fest are journalists, bloggers, talent bookers, concert promoters and music supervisors from around the world (well, mainly North America and Europe) ready to see what Montreal's got.
The action doesn't start proper Thursday tonight but we got an unofficial taste of Montreal Wednesday night at La Sala Rossa, a cool, medium-sized venue that's above a tapas restaurant. The crimson walls and velvet curtains of the club were a perfect backdrop for Red Mass who were having their record release party. Their first-ever gig was at last year's M for Montreal so this served as a one-year anniversary of sorts as well, not to mention being a record release party for their new EP on Semprini Records. You can download "Saturn" from that record at the top of this post. Cover art below.
Last year, there were about 10 folks in the band, including a dude who only wore a Speedo and gold paint. Red Mass have now slimmed to a lean, mean quartet, though a violinist and oboe player were brought out on a couple songs which is maybe not what you'd expect from a band whose sonic influences seem to be of the Stooges/Damned/Misfits variety. Frontman Choyce (late of CPC Gangbangs and a slew of other Montreal garage bands) clearly knows what he wants, no matter how many musicians are on stage. He also carries the whole color thing through -- appearing onstage first in a red cape and hat, and then later in a red smoking jacket; the keyboardist/percussionist had a cherry swath of makeup across the middle of his face. Red Mass tore through eight or nine songs in 20 minutes before taking a 15 minute beer break, returning for a second set of longer, dronier, noisier, weirder material. Good stuff.
Red Mass will make their NYC (and American) debut Friday, December 4 at the Live With Animals gallery (210 Kent, part of the Monster Island space) in Brooklyn, playing with Golden Triangle. I'm told they'll also play the next night too, venue TBD.
Red Mass weren't the only band on the bill at La Sala Rossa. We also got Dead Wife, a very young punk band who've also been together for about a year. All girls apart from their speed machine drummer. What they lacked in chops and songwriting (we're talking straight up shouty shambolic punk) they made up for with attitude. They definitely believe it.
A flyer from the show, a few more pictures and video of Red Mass performing "Saturn" are after the jump...
Posted by brooklynvegan at 12:44 AM | Comments (2)
November 19, 2009
2010 CMJ dates, 2009 CMJ pictures (from the BrooklynVegan showcase @ Music Hall of Williamsburg)
photos by Vincent Cornelli
Fanfarlo @ CMJ 2009
The 2010 CMJ Music Marathon & Film Festival will take place in New York City from October 19 to 23. The 2009 CMJ Music Marathon began on October 20th which was the same night as the BrooklynVegan showcase at Music Hall of Williamsburg. A new set of pictures from that show is continued below...
Posted by brooklynvegan at 3:49 PM | Comments (11)