by Bill Pearis

The National at Beacon Theater in 2011 (more by Toby Tenenbaum)

The soundtrack to Game of Thones: Season 2 comes out June 16, a week after the S2 finale airs on HBO. It's mostly Ramin Djawadi's thunderous score, but does contain The National doing "The Rains of Castamere."

This probably doesn't mean so much to people who have only watched the series, but those who have read the books know it as one of the biggest hits in Westeros (#1 in Casterly Rock two years straight), sung by any minstrel worth his lute. (Minstrel songs, and lengthy descriptions of food are probably the two biggest omisions the series has made from the books thus far.) The lyrics are by Song of Ice & Fire (of which Game of Thrones is based) author George RR Martin, but the National penned the appropriately sorrowful music. You can stream it via YouTube below.

Maybe for the Season 3 soundtrack they can get Bon Iver to sing "The Bear and the Maiden Fair." This Sunday is the penultimate episode of Season 2 of Game of Thrones, which was scripted by Martin himself.

Continue reading "The National perform "The Rains of Castamere" on soundtrack to Game of Thrones Season 2"

Mick Jagger hosts and performs on Saturday Night Live this weekend. The above screen shot is from one of the two promo videos you can watch below...

Continue reading "watch Mick Jagger promo this week's SNL with Arcade Fire & Foo Fighters (that Jeff Beck is also playing)"

photos by Joe McCabe

[M. Ward] did not disappoint on Friday. While playing pretty much straight through for almost an hour-and-a-half, he included songs from all of his albums. There was also very little chit-chat, lots of guitar work, and an ever-changing backdrop provided by four windows... The band played some great ones like Poison Cup, Rollercoaster, To Go Home and Never Had Nobody Like You. Also included was one of his guitar solo songs, which is always nice to watch. -[Second Doubles]

M Ward roped in Monsters of Folk collaborator Conor Oberst (who just announced a Carnegie Hall show) during his appearance at Webster Hall on Friday (5/11) to play "Vincent O'Brien", his second encore of the evening. A video of the two musicians performing that song is below. The show, which featured an appearance from the Lee Ranaldo Band as part of a string of dates that they're on together, was the kick-off to an East Coast tour and one of two appearances in NYC that day (he also performed at Late Night with David Letterman which aired that night). Pictures and the setlist from Webster Hall as well as a video from Letterman are in this post.

If you missed Letterman, Webster Hall, or the release of A Wasteland Companion then you're still in luck. Stream the new LP in full at M. Ward's site, and look for the guitar great to play Brooklyn at Prospect Park on August 7th with Yo La Tengo. Tickets are still available. M Ward also has a streamable performance from WNYC available as well.

More pics and setlist from Webster Hall and those videos are below...

Continue reading "M. Ward played Letterman and Webster Hall (joined by Conor Oberst) with Lee Ranaldo (pics, video, setlist)"

by Bill Pearis

The 37th season of Saturday Night Live comes to a close next weekend (May 19) where Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger will pull double duty as both host and musical guest. Before you plan your bathroom breaks you might be interested to learn that Mick's backing band will include both Foo Fighters and Arcade Fire. Though we're still eight days from the live telecast, Jann Wenner has already give the SNL season finale five stars.

Meanwhile, this week's SNL has Will Ferrell and Usher.

What songs Mick will do is anyone's guess, but Will (brother of Win) Butler and other members of the Arcade Fire (as Phi Slamma Jamma) may have been getting some practice with a cover of the Stones' "The Last Time" at last weekend's Crossing Brooklyn Ferry festival.

Last year, Mick released the debut album by his new group SuperHeavy that also includes Joss Stone, Damian Marley and the Eurythmics' Dave Stewart. The video for SuperHeavy's single "Miracle Worker" is below.

Continue reading "Mick Jagger hosting and performing on SNL season finale with Foo Fighters & Arcade Fire"

So, comedian Rob Delaney, who is in town to play two sold out shows at Bowery Ballroom and two sold out shows at Music Hall of Williamsburg is also playing 92YTribeca tonight (5/10) on a bill of all Daily Show contributors inclyding Jenna Kim Jones, Elliott Kalan, and Adam Lowitt. Not sold out. All Rob Delaney dates are listed below...

Continue reading "oh, Rob Delaney plays 92YTribeca tonight (not sold out)"

as you can imagine, shit is just fkd up right now. but i wanna say thank you to all our
friends and family (which are kinda one in the same) for all the love and support.
i'm glad to know that all the love that Yauch has put out into the world is coming right back at him.
thank you.

That picture and message was posted to the Beastie Boys blog by Adam Horovitz on Sunday evening, two days after the band heartbreakingly confirmed MCA's death.

The high profile and on-stage tributes continued on Friday night and throughout the weekend. You saw what Coldplay, BADBADNOTGOOD & Bomb The Music Industry! did, as well as the message that Thom Yorke posted, and tributes by Madison Square Garden, the Mets, Rusko, A-Trak, the Mets and more. Check out even more below...

Continue reading "Ad-Rock posted a 'thank you' on Beastie Boys blog; SNL, Fallon, Social Distortion, Diplo & even Train paid tribute to MCA too"

by Klaus Kinski

For those of us prone to agoraphobia, Comedy Central really brought the stank on Saturday April 21st when they premiered not one but TWO epic specials. First up at 10pm was Patton Oswalt: Finest Hour followed by Paul F. Tompkins: Laboring Under Delusions at 11pm. Patton's Finest came out as an audio cd back in September 2011, so to many of us the material has already been heard, only this time we can see the munchkin himself in action. Both specials were phenomenal and if you missed them because you have a life, don't worry. Patton's special has been available for ages on CD and download and is now available, uncensored and extended, for download on iTunes and Amazon Instant Video and available in HD exclusively on Xbox Live and Sony PlayStation Network. I am sure it'll be on reruns too. PFT's special is also available, uncensored and extended, for download on iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, Vudu, Samsung Media Hub and in HD exclusively on Xbox LIVE and Sony PlayStation Network. Cripes, Comedy Central really made sure you nerds were covered on the download front.

Speaking of Comedy Central, one of the most egregious errors they ever made was cancelling the great Jon Benjamin Has a Van. CC has canceled many, many, many shows over the years and most of the time it was the right move because a lot of their original programming is/was horse shit. However, the loss of JBHAV really stuck in my craw. Jon Benjamin starred as a man on the street reporter, with a van, who always became a part of the stories he was reporting. The show was so goddamned funny I curse the day it was ever canceled. However, GOOD NEWS EVERYONE! Jon left this note on my pillow this morning (he calls me America) (You had to be there) (be glad you weren't):

HI AMERICA, it's me again, Jon Benjamin. I know we haven't spoken since my bar mitvah speech (sorry about my controversial opposition to the IDF's 1978 attack on Lebanon) Anyway, I made a show in 2010 called Jon Benjamin Has a Van and after a full season, myself, Leo Allen and Nathan Fielder decided to celebrate our middling ratings by launching a tour. Soon thereafter, Comedy Central cancelled our show, but the tour will still go on. So, without further adieu, I formally announce our Cancellation Tour. We will be in 7 cities over the course of ten days (a national record) and we'll perform comedy, magic and show uncensored footage and deleted scenes from American Reunion. It will be cheap, fast and easy. Thanks and hope to see you there. Love, Jon.

The Jon Benjamin Has a Tour tour will hit The Knitting Factory in Brooklyn on Thursday May 3rd. Tickets are on sale so get them while you can, because this will sell out and you. will. be. bumming. Full tour dates below.

Speaking of comedy at the Knit, it has been announced that Neil Hamburger will be playing there on a tour too.

Check out JB's tour dates and a video below...

Continue reading "Jon Benjamin Has a Tour (but not a Comedy Central show)"

He was supposed to be in NYC on April 24 & 25, but "will reschedule at a later date TBA." Damn

Pulp on Fallon

Jarvis is keeping busy. One day after he finished a run of shows at the Whitney Museum, and one day before two shows at Radio City, Pulp appeared on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon (last night, 4/9/2012). They performed one song on air, and one off. Watch both below...

Continue reading "Pulp played Like A Friend & Common People on Fallon (video)"

His people report: "TOM WAITS is heading to NYC this month to perform on late night television. It remains a mystery as to what gems the iconoclast will chose to perform on those stages...but he will be talking with the hosts as well as playing songs for the very first time live from his latest, Bad As Me, "the best-reviewed major album of 2011," according to metacritic.com."

He plays Letterman on April 24 & Fallon on April 25 (and hopefully somewhere else while he's in town!).