Recent Posts in video
November 21, 2009
Land of Talk - "It's Okay" video ++ tour dates (NYC tonight)
In honor of Land of Talk's return to NYC, the band's new video for "It's Okay" is posted (with all tour dates) below...
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Posted by brooklynvegan at 4:27 AM | Comments (3)
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 (4)
an interview w/ BOAT (and videos from Coney Island)
words by Bill Pearis, photos by Ryan Muir
Seattle band BOAT were in town over the weekend playing Friday (11/13) at Union Hall and Saturday (11/13) at Bruar Falls. The band were on at both shows, probably due in part to vocal and ready-to-participate crowds who did not want them to stop playing. BV photographer Ryan Muir was at the Bruar show and took the band out for a photo session after the show. Before the show, I sat down with them over dinner for a long, funny conversation that included such topics as not fitting in in today's indie landscape; how recycling would seem less important if we knew aliens were going to invade; and a quiz about 1989 (the name of the new album's lead track). You'd be reading all of that right now if I properly knew how to operate my digital recorder, which only managed to capture 54 seconds of the interview. I'm infinitely bummed... However, BOAT frontman D. Crane agreed to a little post-tour wrap-up Q&A to make up for it. More of those pictures and that interview below...
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Posted by brooklynvegan at 9:15 AM | Comments (2)
November 18, 2009
Yeasayer release interactive nudie video thing ++++++++++ NYC shows now on presale
Tickets are now on AmEx presale for the two just-announced February Yeasayer album release shows.
Like before, they're still giving away the song "Ambling Alp", but now you download it while listening to trippy background music and attempting to get naked people in focus with your mouse in a new interactive video they just posted.
Like The Flaming Lips, Matt & Kim, Sigur Ros and others before them, the band knows that sex sells appreciates the natural beauty that is the human body.
Posted by brooklynvegan at 6:48 PM | Comments (13)
November 17, 2009
The Cribs played Bowery Ballroom (pics) & Letterman (video) - announced tour w/ Adam Green (dates) ++ new video
photos by Vincent Cornelli, words by Bill Pearis
The Cribs @ Bowery Ballroom
The Cribs played two sold out nights at Bowery Ballroom last Thursday (11/12) and Friday (11/13) -- their first NYC shows with new band-member Johnny Marr. The Von Bondies opened both nights. Thursday the Cribs also played The Late Show with David Letterman, performing "We are the Same Skies" from their new album, Ignore the Ignorant. Video of that, along with the brand new official video for the same song with more pictures from the first night at Bowery Ballroom, below.
I was at the first of the two shows, and the Jarman brothers were in fine form. Maybe not as rowdy but there's been no signs of change with their increased popularity. I think Ryan Jarman was wearing the same clothes as the last time I saw them a year and a half ago. They are a down-to-Earth, no bullshit kind of group.
As for for their new addition, the Jarmans and Marr acted like it was no big deal that one of the greatest guitarists of the last 25 years was now in the group, but there was extra oomph on older tracks like "Hey Scenesters" and "Mirror Kissers," and you could definitely feel Marr's influence on the Smith-y current single "We Share the Same Skies" and Ignore the Ignorant's title track. Likewise, the crowd didn't seem to pay Marr's presence any mind -- maybe some of them didn't know who he was? -- as they were too busy going mental, at least near the stage. I'm a Cribs fan, but I do think this was the best I've seen them since they made the leap from smaller-sized clubs.
Meanwhile, The Cribs just announced dates for a North American tour in early 2010, including a January 16 stop at Irving Plaza. Adam Green & The Dead Trees open that show and most of the dates on the tour. Jemima Pearl then replaces him as opener for the last six dates. Tickets for the NYC show go on sale Wednesdday at noon. All announced tour dates, plus those videos and pictures, below...
Posted by brooklynvegan at 2:01 PM | Comments (16)
November 16, 2009
new Valley Lodge video - 'All of my Loving' (a BV premiere)
Comedian/musician Dave Hill is a man of many talents, and many projects. One of those projects is his power pop band Valley Lodge ("an unstoppable rock band from New York City" according to their bio).
Valley Lodge came together when John Kimbrough, former singer-guitarist for Minnesota power pop band Walt Mink, met up with comedian/musician Dave Hill (formerly a member of bands such as Cobra Verde, and Sons of Elvis) to compare the home demos they were working on.That March trip inspired Dave Hill's new one man show "Big in Japan" (which he performs this week in LA).Joined by bass player/singer Phil Costello (Satanicide, Tragedy), and drummer Rob Pfeiffer (Sense Field) and inspired by bands such as Cheap Trick, The Raspberries, Thin Lizzy and Big Star they released their eponymous debut in 2005. The album proved particularly popular in Japan even getting a re-release with bonus tracks in 2008. The band went on to tour there in March 2009. [Wikipedia]
If Valley Lodge wasn't so busy being unstoppable, I think they would make great sitcom theme song writers. Actually, I think some of their songs should be sitcom theme songs. One such guilty pleasure is the song "All of my Loving" for which they made a brand new, and very shiny, (and NSFW) video. That's a picture from the video above (Dave never loses his sense of humor, even when making music). Check it out below...
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Posted by brooklynvegan at 2:44 AM | Comments (10)
November 14, 2009
Grizzly Bear bus mishap causes them not to open for Wilco in Italy ++ "Ready, Able" VIDEO
Wilco + Feist + Grizzly Bear in Brooklyn (more by Eric Townsend)
"Driving overnight after the show in Munich Thursday night, the bus and trailer were hit and rendered immovable. The trailer was wrecked and the bus engine split. Everyone involved is fine and spent a day in Austria pulling things together. However, a replacement bus and trailer was supposed to arrive earlier today to pick everyone up in time to make the show in Milan tonight as special guests to Wilco, but it did not show up for hours and thusly we will miss tonight's performance. Rest of tour continues as scheduled. Italy, we will make it up to you." [Grizzly Bear]The Wilco show in Italy was a one-off show on Grizzly Bear's current tour with St. Vincent (Annie is the opener. She plays solo.). Last week GB released a cool new claymation video for the song "Ready, Able". That video and all dates below...
Posted by brooklynvegan at 11:34 PM | Comments (9)
November 12, 2009
Flaming Lips' new nudity-filled video (NSFW)
A deluxe version of Embryonic was released on October 13, 2009.It's no secret that Wayne Coyne loves people to get undressed. In the Flaming Lips' new video for "Watching the Planets", he even gets in on the action. It's embedded below, but that doesn't seem to be working so you can watch it at NME's site.The deluxe edition includes the original 18 tracks (on two discs) as well as a bonus audio DVD which features the album in full dynamic range at 96k 24 bit audio. The CDs and DVD are in a "fur pack" with an extended booklet which features additional art, lyrics, and band photos. The deluxe edition also comes with a 14 inch by 28 inch lithograph featuring the full album cover. A limited number of pre-orders received an additional lithograph autographed by the band, shipped 2-3 weeks after the release date. [Wiki]
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Posted by brooklynvegan at 11:33 AM | Comments (15)
October 21, 2009
Watch a full Wild Beasts show at their website
Check it out in full at their website, or select songs below....
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Posted by brooklynvegan at 1:05 PM | Comments (3)
October 20, 2009
Freelance Whales from Queens playing CMJ - MP3 & videos
by Andrew Frisicano
DOWNLOAD: Freelance Whales - Ghosting (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Freelance Whales - Generator 2nd Floor (MP3)
Who are Freelance Whales? They're a five-piece band from Queens that started up in late 2008 and has already put out their first, self-released full-length, weathervanes, which came out in September on iTunes. The band's varied indie-pop has a humble, homespun quality to it. They lean on banjos and xylophones for tender rural sounds but also use glitchy and elecro backing to good effect. Check it out in the tracks off their LP posted above.
Freelance Whales will be busy during CMJ. They play Wednesday (10/21) at Bowery Ballroom with Fanfarlo (who play tonight at MHOW), Midnight Juggernauts, The Postelles, TigerCity and Findlay Brown. They also play an acoustic set at the BV day party at Pianos on Thursday (10/22 - full details soon), and they have a gig at the Bell House later that night for the Gothamist showcase (with Uninhabitable Mansions, Robbers on High Street, Pomegrates and more). They also play Saturday at the Delancey's Deli Magazine/This Side Up/Young and Hungry party. All dates below.
In the clips below, the band sounds equally crisp on an abandoned Staten Island farm as on the Bedford Avenue L train platform, and there's a nice Sufjan vibe the song "Broken Horse." See those and all tour dates below...
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Posted by brooklynvegan at 2:10 PM | Comments (3)