Recent Posts in pictures
November 8, 2009
Fun Fun Fun Fest - Day 1 in pics
Annual Austin music festival Fun Fun Fun Fest lived up to its name once again today (Saturday, November 7th). And that was just Day One. The fun continues on Sunday which ends with a headlining set by Danzig (and Of Montreal on another stage). More coverage and pictures to come, but before I run out to the Saturday night afterparties (going to try and see Voxtrot at Mohawk and Negative Approach at Red 7), I just wanted to post a few pictures. Check them out below...
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Posted by brooklynvegan at 12:48 AM | Comments (17)
November 7, 2009
Yeah Yeah Yeahs @ Angel Orensanz (Droid party) pics, setlist
words by Andrew Frisicano, photos by Chris Goldberg
Yeah Yeah Yeahs played the Verizon DROID launch party at Angel Orensanz (the previously undisclosed location in NYC's Lower East Side) on Friday, November 6th. Music started at 9pm and was promptly over by 10pm.
The band is playing Fever to Tell in full at Ten Years Of ATP in the UK in December, but the set here was spread between all three of their albums (to the dismay of the guy behind me who kept requesting Fever). If you could ignore the subliminal Google ads flashing before your eyes and the "celebrities" watching the show from the balcony overhead (Christian Siriano from Project Runway looked pensive throughout) the show was a pretty good time. Most of the people there seemed to be fans of the band. The set was brief and to the point (and missed some key material, like all of the good songs off the new album) and there was no encore.
The venue itself was a big highlight: Angel Orensanz Center is one of the oldest synagogues in the US and has beautifully rustic ornamentation.
More pictures from the show and its setlist are below...
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Posted by brooklynvegan at 1:56 PM | Comments (15)
November 6, 2009
have a Who Shot Rock n Roll themed Saturday @ The Brooklyn Museum (where Blondie played)
photos by Eric Weiss
Blondie @ The Brooklyn Museum
The above and below pictures from the Who Shot Rock & Roll opening event at the Brooklyn Museum on Thursday, October 29th. Blondie performed for museum members and invited guests to celebrate the music photographs now on display.
This Saturday, 11/7, the fun continues as Who Shot Rock & Roll becomes the theme for six hours of free "First Saturday" events at the museum. From 5-8 is the previously-mentioned Crystal Stilts, Grass Window and the Beets show. That runs at the same time as a discussion with with photographers Bob Gruen and Justin Borucki which is just one of many events that night. It all ends with a "dance party" and a performance by Terrance Koh. More info at the museum's site. More pictures from the opening, and a flyer for the show designed by The Beets, below...
Posted by brooklynvegan at 3:16 PM | Comments (22)
Fucked Up performed an album w/ Vivian Girls, Andrew WK, Titus Andronicus, Katie Stelmanis & The Girls at Dawn @ Brooklyn Masonic Temple - pics & review
words by Andrew Frisicano, photos by Jake Forney
Apart from a few deviations, Fucked Up succeeded in performing their 2008 album The Chemistry of Common Life in full and in sequence at the Brooklyn Masonic Temple on Thursday, November 5th. The program even found room for the record's hazy instrumentals "Golden Seal" and "Looking for God," both of which featured guest keyboardist Andrew W.K. On the latter, one of the last songs of the night, W.K. was noodley and playful, tacking pointy chords to the song's building progression.
Vivian Girls were another of the night's guests. They added eerie siren-like back ups to "Crooked Head" and "No Epiphany," as they do (with Frankie Rose who was playing her own show across town) on the recorded version.
Another album guest, Katie Stelmanis, who stole the show with her band's unique opening set, dueted with Pink Eyes on the apocalyptic slow-builder "Royal Swan." Her operatic voice tangled with the burly singer's cryptic proclamations. Andrew W.K. was there too, and led the way with an introductory piano figure, cued with a huge wink by guitarist Ben Cook. The epic took minutes to unfold, and it was one of the night's rarer moments.
The pacing of the album did need some energy injected at times - that came in the form of "Crusades," which the band inserted after "Black Albino Bones" (dedicated to "anyone who collects records"). "Peaceable Kingdom," a ChemCom bonus track almost never performed live, was uneventful, until Pink Eyes decided to join the night's many stagedivers (many annoying and wasted) by falling into the crowd and writhing on the ground for a while.
For the encore, the band treated the crowd to "David Comes to Life" and a full-guest version of "Louie Louie." There was no "Party Hard" as requested many times, and that was for the best. Titus Andronicus hinted at that song by jamming on its opening riff while setting up. They played tightly-packed opening set, which had one brief lull. "I thought it was okay after one string broke, but now I'm down to four..." said singer/guitarist Patrick Stickles before grabbing a seafoam green guitar backstage. "I hope the very nice lady in the first band doesn't mind."
That would be the guitarist for Katie Stelmanis, who joined the singer and a percussionist (also on marimba) to perform gothy pop with a booming, crisp sound. On stage, Stlemanis projected a world of drama with the subtlest gesture. The following act, The Girls at Dawn, did off the cuff, girl-group-inspired punk. Their front-woman (girl) was covered in fake blood.
Pink Eyes stuck around until the last fan got his 7-inch signed and a shirtless hug. More pictures from the show below...
Posted by brooklynvegan at 1:48 PM | Comments (56)
The Very Best & Sleigh Bells played Santos in NYC - pics
words & photos by Benjamin Lozovsky
It's hard to be The Very Best without showing up. That's a lesson Esau Mwamwaya learned the hard way, but one he was eager to make up for as his burgeoning new project with English production duo Radioclit made their return to New York City Wednesday night at Santos Party House. They last properly played NYC in July and two recent no-shows at scheduled performances in the New York area increased the anticipatory grumblings among their fans. First there was a much-awaited appearance at this year's CMJ Music Marathon that never materialized, then there was a Halloween night slot at a benefit concert that found the band performing without their singer.
With a typical display of warmth that has categorized his new group's quick rise to prominence however, the Malawian born, London-based vocalist was roundly apologetic for his previous absences. "I know people were disappointed," said Mwamwaya after the show. "I personally feel so bad for not coming for CMJ, but what could I have done? I had no choice."
continued below...
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Posted by brooklynvegan at 12:44 PM | Comments (10)
November 5, 2009
BV Loft during CMJ 2009 -pics (Love Language, D&D, Local Natives, The Loom, Inlets, Blacklist, Immaculate Machine)
photos by Chris La Putt
The Love Language / Local Natives
One of the best times I've had a show in a long time was at the BV loft during CMJ on Friday night, October 23rd. I hope to do it again. The mix of great bands on the bill, the crowd and the location all made for a super memorable night. Both Local Natives (from California) and The Love Language (from North Carolina) said it was their favorite show to play during their hectic week in NYC. Thanks to everyone who played and stopped by.
The night kicked off with a set of catchy post-punk jams by Blacklist. The all-dressed--in-black band warmed up the arriving crowd nicely as people got used to their apartment surroundings which... well, the pictures speak for themselves. The loft filled up to a full, but still comfortable level by the time The Loom came on. As people came and went all night, partially due to informative tweets about the capacity level, it stayed just full enough until The Love Language ended their set (slightly by force) at 2am (we ran late... didn't want to upset the neighbors). It was the first time I had seen The Loom live, and at the time I tweeted that they were "killin it with horns" (though none of the pictures below actually show them playing horns). I'm excited for the new album they said they were working on.
Next up was the Dutchess and the Duke who had just arrived in town and were leaving right after their set to play the Vice party in the same neighborhood on the same night. Now with a new lineup, Canada's Immaculate Machine came on next and continued to entertain at a slightly higher volume than Inlets who came on after them. By that time people were getting their drink on and Inlets play soft music so it was a challenge to pay attention over all the talking coming from the other side of the room, but they still sounded great.
I don't know exactly what time it was, but we were officially running late by the time the two most energetic and buzzed-about bands of the evening came on. Luckily the space's owners let us extend the hours which was enough time to let the out of town bands play medium-sized set that got the room's full attention. Local Natives had everyone cheering, clapping, and dancing. The Love Language ended the night by getting the lights turned off and the entire room dancing. Sorry it took so long to post the pics. They are continued, along with some other reviews and stuff, below...
Posted by brooklynvegan at 3:48 PM | Comments (8)
The Dutchess & The Duke - 2009 Tour Dates & BV Loft pics
photos by Chris La Putt
DOWNLOAD: The Dutchess & The Duke - Living This Life (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Dutchess & The Duke - Hands (MP3)
The Dutchess & The Duke's CMJ week shows included an appearance at the Sub Pop/Hardly Art showcase at Mercury Lounge on Saturday, Oct. 24th and a set at the Brooklyn Vegan loft party the night before (10/23). The pictures here are from that party.
The band tours soon with Greg Ashley into December. For their 2010 dates, they'll tour with Medication, and that trip includes a pair of NYC shows. The Dutchess & the Duke play Union Hall on January 7th and Mercury Lounge on January 8th. Tickets for Mercury Lounge are now on AmEx presale. General sale starts Friday, Nov. 6th at noon. Union Hall tix TBA.
More pictures and all tour dates are below...
Continue reading "The Dutchess & The Duke - 2009 Tour Dates & BV Loft pics "
Posted by brooklynvegan at 9:30 AM | Comments (3)
November 4, 2009
Dent May played CMJ (pics), has H1N1, cancelled some Fiery Furnaces/Cryptacize shows (including Maxwell's) -2009 dates
photos by Chris La Putt
Bad news, my friends. I'm down with what my doctor now believes to be the dreaded H1N1 flu virus. I was especially bummed to cancel my hometown Halloween show on Saturday, but now I'm sorry to announce the following performances w/ Fiery Furnaces and Cryptacize have been cancelled:As noted by the date above (11/4), that Maxwell's show is tonight. According to the venue's website, there is no one replacing him and tickets are still on sale. Feel better Dent!11/4 hoboken, nj
11/5 northampton, ma
11/6 troy, ny
11/7 toronto, onI'll be back in full force for a special headlining show at Schuba's in Chicago on Tuesday, Nov 10th, and I'll continue on with the Furnaces and Cryptacize to finish out the tour. I can't apologize enough to you guys, and I hope to make it up to the aformentioned cities sooner than later. - Dent May
Tickets are also still on sale for the two shows the Fiery Furnaces are playing in NYC in December (MHOW with Private Income and Bowery Ballroom with opener TBA).
More picture of Dent May from the BV/BoweryPresents day party at Pianos on Saturday (10/24) during CMJ, a video of him playing in Fader's CMJ bathroom, and all tour dates, below...
Posted by brooklynvegan at 3:10 PM | Comments (8)
Freelance Whales played CMJ (pics & video), playing Pianos (again) & touring w/ Fanfarlo (dates)
photos by Bryan Bruchman
DOWNLOAD: Freelance Whales - Ghosting (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Freelance Whales - Generator 2nd Floor (MP3)
Queens' Freelance Whales were one of the stand-out acts at this year's CMJ. The still-unsigned band played a number of shows, including the BV Pianos day party on Thursday, October 22nd, where they played a very applause-worthy, acoustic set of feel-good indie pop in the venue's upstairs to a large crowd for 1pm on a weekday. Among the many instruments they had with them: a watering can. Picture above. Another picture and some videos below.
The NY Times caught their Wednesday, October 21st set at Santos...
Freelance Whales sang anthems for the utterly diffident: "We could be friends/We have several interests in common." Quavery high lead vocals, banjo picking, march beats and the inevitable glockenspiel were elevated by crescendos that were no less effective for being so methodical, each verse thickening with countermelodies from synthesizer and guitars. Sure, Freelance Whales -- really, it's not too late for a band name change -- is glancing over its shoulder at Arcade Fire, but in song after song, twerpiness discovered its own dignity.The band, whose self-released debut, Weathervanes, came out in September (tracks from it are above), are doing well for themselves without a label (though that probably won't be their status for long). They're set to head out on a six-week tour with Fanfarlo that starts Nov. 9th in Chicago. The tour finishes with a show at Webster Hall on December 18th. Tickets are on sale.
Before they leave, Freelance Whales will play a pre-tour, kick off show at Pianos on Friday, November 6th with Radical Sons and The Invisible (who are also playing two other NYC shows while they are here from the UK). Tickets are on sale.
The band also writes that they're going to be featured on this week's seaon finale of Bored to Death, in which "jason schwartzmann and zak galafianakis (sp?) get colonics and dodge strollers in brooklyn, as they themselves deal with their oral and anal fixations, as adult infants." Sounds interesting!
Videos from their acoustic set at Pianos, and all tour dates, are below...
Posted by brooklynvegan at 2:11 PM | Comments (11)
Fuck Buttons & Growing played Bowery Ballroom w/ These are Powers (pics), WILL be back to play Market Hotel
words & photos by Jake Forney
Monday's show was a display of the full spectrum of showmanship, from milking the crowd to ignoring it. Openers These Are Powers found all three members nearly equal in enthusiasm, vocalist/noise-maker Anna Barie only barely distinguishing herself as the front-person of the group. Bassist Pat Noecker (formerly of Liars) marched along to his riffing on his modified bass, often in the upper register, leaving much of the low-end to drummer/sampler Bill Salas. Of the three bands, they were the most pop-oriented, playing the only set that was not non-stop from start to finish, but had distinct beginnings and ends of songs. Their forward-driving beats have an undeniable dance-ability, getting even a half-full room to move a bit. Their next NYC show is this Friday with three bands from China.
Growing, also of New York, presented a complete about-face. The trio took the stage, each behind a table with their respective pedals. Aside from guitarists Joe Denardo and Kevin Doria rocking back and forth to their delay-drenched loops, the band remained relatively stagnant. The crowd however, did not. The beats blasting out of the Ampeg onstage rivaled the PA for anyone within the first ten rows. In response to the music, the crowd sometimes limply nodded heads or draped limbs, though other times the Ballroom could have been mistaken for a nightclub, hands in the air, and yes, even some grinding was witnessed. As the last loop faded and the lights went up, newest member Sadie Laska simply looked at the crowd and raised one eyebrow with a small grin and then exited the stage.
Headliners Fuck Buttons presented a high-energy mixture of the two openers in demeanor. The set, primarily their new album Tarot Sport, didn't take long to get the now packed room moving again with the heavy club beat of album-opener "Surf Solar." Each track was surprisingly spot-on to the recording, the only variations were nuanced changes - sometimes sooner, but more often later in a song than on the album. Standing at opposite ends of a folding picnic table, the British duo, Andrew Hung and Benjamin John Power, kept an eye towards the crowd. They read the room for the right time to push the scale of things from grand to epic, or to take it away, fading the beat into a static of chords, produced from a collection of small keyboards and pedals housed in suitcases. Their teamwork was evident too, simple nods led to the next transition, most evident during the encore of "Sweet Love for Planet Earth" off last year's Street Horrrsing.
It's hard to deny the grandeur of Tarot Sport. And even harder when you can feel the floor shake when they unleash the gnarliest synth drones from small, modified kids' toys. The effect is akin to the visual of the movie 300, except Fuck Buttons has nuance and adrenaline-laced buildups where the movie has cheese and abdominals.
Fuck Buttons and Growing are now on tour and will in fact be back in NYC to play Market Hotel on November 27th. More pictures from Bowery Ballroom below...
Posted by brooklynvegan at 11:07 AM | Comments (19)