Outside Lands Fest 2012 (more byAmoreena Lucero)

The 2013 edition of San Francisco's Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival with happen at Golden Gate Park on August 9 - 11. This year's line-up includes Paul McCartney, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nine Inch Nails, Phoenix, Vampire Weekend, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, D'Angelo, Willie Nelson, Grizzly Bear, Band of Horses, Hall & Oates, Foals, A-Track, Jurassic 5, Kurt Vile and many more. Tickets go on sale Thursday (4/18) at noon PDT.

This is the sixth edition of Outside Lands, and the full announced line-up is below.

Continue reading "Outside Lands Fest 2013 line-up: Paul McCartney, Nine Inch Nails, Phoenix, Vampire Weekend, Yeah Yeah Yeahs ++ more)"

DJ and Fools Gold label exec A-Trak released his Tuna Melt EP back in December and has just recently followed that up with a companion EP of remixes. That's the cover art above and you can stream the Grandtheft Remix of "Tuna Melt" below. He'll also be playing some shows this month, including a 4/20 NYC show at Webster Hall with Oliver, Jason Taylor, Mike Church, and Jess Marquis. Tickets are on sale now. Alternatively, Amon Tobin DJs at LPR that same night.

A-Trak will be back in NYC in May for the Red Bull Music Academy, as part of the Culture Clash event at Roseland Ballroom on May 9. It's a four-way DJ crew battle and as part of Fool's Gold, they'll be up against Gold Federation Sound, Just Blaze & Young Guru, and Que Bajo?! Tickets to that are still available too. All A-Trak dates are below.

Continue reading "A-Trak released remix EP, touring including 4/20 NYC show and Red Bull Music Academy Culture Clash DJ crew battle"

Andy Stott/Lee "Scratch" Perry

As mentioned, tickets went on sale today for the previously announced Red Bull Music Academy events, which take over NYC from April 28 to May 31. And now that those are on sale, the rest of the lineup has been announced. In addition to the newly-added Flying Lotus show at Terminal 5, the Red Bull Music Academy events now also include...

A Bunker party with Andy Stott, Atom TM, Objekt, Octo Octa, Kloke, Smax, Bryan Kasenic, and Mike Servito at Public Assembly on May 4; Blondes, Mike Simonetti, Rudi Zygadlo, Astroboyz, CABAAL, Ale Hop, Yodashe, Harald Bjork, Alitrec, Mungo Park, Seretan, and Ada Kaleh at Cameo on May 6; and Le1f, Laurel Halo, Venus-X, and a secret guest at Glasslands on May 7.

Still more: Metro Area, Gerd Janson, and Bok Bok b2b L-Vis 1990 at 88 Palace on May 10; 'Drum Majors' with Mannie Fresh, Boi-1da, Young Chop, J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, Bangaldesh, DJ Mustard, and Drumma Boy at Knitting Factory on May 22; Afrika Bambaataa, Egyptian Lover, DJ Magic Mike, DJ Assault, DJ Funk, Scottie B, DJ Rashad & DJ Spinn, Big Freedia, Salva, Drop the Lime, and Branko & Krampfhaft at Santos on May 23; as well as Skream, Mala, and Plasitician & Hatcha on May 24 at Can Factory (232 3rd St in Brooklyn).

And even more: Oneohtrix Point Never, BIll Kouligas, Evian Christ, Kid Simpl, and ANNALOVE at Saint Vitus on May 26; Benji B, FaltyDL, Dorian Concept, Orquesta, and Somepoe at Sullivan Room on May 27; Pantha Du Prince & the Bell Laboratory with Louis Baker and Anya Kuts at West Park Church on May 28; a killer night of dub with legends Lee Perry & Adrian Sherwood, The Congos vs Sun Araw, M. Geddes Gengras, and the Raw Power Band, Peaking Lights In A Dub Style vs Future Times, and DJ Slow at Le Poisson Rouge on May 30.

Tickets for all events are on sale now.

These join the previously announced shows, talks, and other events with James Murphy, Brian Eno, Giorgio Moroder, Tony Visconti, Nile Rodgers, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Four Tet, A-Trak, Just Blaze, and more. Flyer with the updated, show-by-show lineup is below...

Continue reading "Red Bull Music Academy reveals full NYC lineup (Oneohtrix, Lee Perry, Andy Stott, Laurel Halo, Skream, Le1f, Young Chop, Big Freedia, Pantha Du Prince, Congos/Sun Araw, more)"

James Murphy on SS Coachella 2012 (more by Greg Cristman)

LCD Soundsystem/DFA Records man James Murphy is suing Tim Goldsworthy, who he formed DFA with in 2001, but who moved out of New York to the UK three years ago...

In a lawsuit, DFA accuses Goldsworthy of failing to perform services he was paid for, owing outstanding loans, improperly using the company credit card and making unauthorized withdrawals from its bank accounts.

The lawsuit, filed Friday in Manhattan Civil Supreme Court, says that "attempts to amicably resolve this matter were rebuffed" by Goldsworthy. It also accuses the producer of "breach of contract" and "unjust enrichment."

Goldsworthy owes a total of $93,899, according to DFA. The label, which has a studio in Greenwich Village and boasts such acts as Holy Ghost!, also seeks punitive damages and legal fees. [DNA Info]

Brian Eno

The Red Bull Music Academy is coming to NYC from April 28 to May 31 which will include over 30 events ranging from live concerts and club nights to A/V installations, film screenings and public conversations with big names. Some of those names were recently announced. Details are not complete and tickets to all the shows below go on sale Monday, March 4 at 10 AM.

Perhaps most exciting of these events will be the NYC premiere of Brian Eno's audio-visual installation 77 Million Paintings which is generative software that creates morphing patterns and images. The installation, which be be at Cafe Rouge, will also features an "illustrated talk" on May 6.

James Murphy will head a nine-hour, multiroom show at Grand Prospect Hall in Brooklyn on May 29 as part of DFA's 12th Anniversary celebration. The event will feature 15 live acts and DJs from throughout the label's history. Look for a short documentary, 12 Years of DFA: Too Old To Be New, Too New To Be Classic, to premiere around the same time.

Also part of it will be Four Tet + friends at Webster Hall on May 8. Four Tet, who just released odds-n-sods album 0181 as a free download (stream it below) is celebrating the 10th anniversary of his landmark 2003 album, Rounds, this year with a deluxe resissue due out on Domino in May.

Still more. RBMA will also host the first NYC edition of London party Culture Clash on May 9. The "unique celebration of sound system culture" will feature sets by Max Glazer, A-Trak, Nick Catchdubs, Young Guru, Just Blaze, and Que Bajo?!.

There's also "Drone Activity in Progress" which will happen at the Knockdown Center on May 2, featuring Stephen O'Malley of Sunn O))), Prurient, Alan Licht, and Body/Head (aka Kim Gordon and Bill Nace).

Other events including electronic music legend Giorgio Moroder in his first NYC DJ appearance; a talk with Bowie producers Tony Visconti and Nile Rodgers (maybe Eno will swing by?); Ryuichi Sakamoto and more to be announced. More info on RBMA is here.

Continue reading "Brian Eno, Four Tet, James Murphy, Giorgio Moroder and more participating in NYC Red Bull Music Academy"

Weird Al and Bonarroo phone bank (including Mike Birbiglia and Eugene Mirman...

With help from Eugene Mirman, Chris Gethard, Mike Birbiglia, Portugal. The Man and more, Weird Al just began announcing the 2013 Bonnaroo line-up on the Bonnaroo YouTube page which happens June 13 - 16 in Manchester, TN. Weird Al just announced Pretty Lights, Wilco, A$AP Rocky, and The xx, and over the next hour, more artists will be announced. We'll update this post as more announcements come.

Other artists playing include Passion Pit, Kendrick Lamar, David Byrne and St. Vincent, Jim James, Big K.R.I.T., Billy Idol, Grizzly Bear, Japandroids, Foals, Wild Nothing, Deap Vally, Killer Mike, Lord Huron, Divine Fits, Nas, Beach House, The Gaslight Anthem, Local Natives, Dirty Projectors, Baroness, The National, The Vaccines, Holy Ghost, Death Grips, R. Kelly, Alt-J, Purity Ring, Cat Power, Wu-Tang Clan, Bjork, Tame Impala, Animal Collective, The Tallest Man on Earth, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Paul McCartney, Earl Sweatshirt, Four Tet, Father John Misty, Swans, A-Trak, Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti, Cults, AraabMuzik, DIIV, Charli XCX, Matthew E. White, Frank Turner, JEFF the Brotherhood, Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit, Calexico, Two Gallants, and more.

Tickets for the festival go on sale Saturday (2/23) at noon EST.

There's also now a video of Daniel Tosh announcing the initial lineup, which you can watch, along with the current list of announced names, below...

Continue reading "Bonnaroo 2013 lineup announcement underway"

A$AP Mob at Roseland Ballroom in September (more by Brook Bobbins)

A$AP Rocky and his A$AP Mob are on tour now with Schoolboy Q and Danny Brown, and as mentioned, when it wraps up, A$AP Twelvy will play his own show at Highline Ballroom on November 22 (tickets). You'll also have a chance to catch the full A$AP Mob again in NYC soon after that when they play Best Buy Theater on November 29 with A-Trak, who just played a Fool's Gold show at Music Hall of Williamsburg during CMJ. Tickets for that show go on sale Friday (10/26) at noon.

Updated dates listed below.

Continue reading "A$AP Mob adds NYC show w/ A-Trak to end of tour (dates)"

photos by Gretchen Robinette

"If you aren't already at the Williamsbsurg Music Hall for the free Fool's Gold show, don't bother now. You will never get in. 500+ line up" - Brian Doc Holidae

A-Trak and Nick Catchdubs' label Fool's Gold turned five and they decided to celebrate, with the help of Converse Rubber Tracks, in a big but but small way on Saturday night at Music Hall of Williamsburg (a Brooklyn venue much smaller than ones A-Trak has charged people to see him in). The free, first-come, first served, during-CMJ show ended up going something this:

09:00 - Ryan Hemsworth
10:00 - Nick Catchdubs
10:45 - Troy Ave (bringing out Chase N Cashe)
11:15 - World's Fair (bringing out Tanboyz + Flatbush Zombies)
12:00 - Donnis
12:30 - Ghostface Killah
01:00 - A-Trak (Chromeo hanging out)
02:00 - Flosstradamus

Continue reading "Fool's Gold celebrated 5 years in fashion (A-Trak, Ghostface, Flosstradamus, Donnis & more) --- pics & video"

photos by Julie Schabel

Flosstradamus @ 285 Kent, 10/5/2012

Fools Gold is turning five years old and Converse Rubber Tracks is helping celebrate with a free show at Music Hall of Williamsburg on Saturday, October 20 which is the last night of CMJ. Performers include Ghostface Killah, A-Trak, Flosstradamus, Donnis, Nick Catchdubs, World's Fair, Troy Ave, and the ever-popular "special guests." Doors are at 9 PM, first come first served, no RSVP. If you'd like to party in style, however, we are giving away a pair of VIP passes to the show and details on how to enter are at the bottom of this post, along with a flyer for the show.

The next night (10/21), A-Trak and Flosstradamus will bring their "House Party Tour" to Asbury Park, NJ at an undisclosed residence. To receive info on the secret locations, sign up HERE. Meanwhile, Flosstradamus played a packed and sweaty show at 285 Kent this past Friday (10/5)and a few pictures from that show are in this post.

Speaking of Converse, the shoe folks are offering up a live version of Green Day's "Oh Love" from their new album ¡UNO! which you can stream below. There are also ¡UNO! Chuck Taylors (green of course)

Continue reading "Converse Rubber Tracks Celebrates Fool's Gold Five Year Anniversary ++ pics from Flosstradamus @ 285 Kent"

wet fans watching the Shins (more by Dominick Mastrangelo)

The sold out 2012 ACL Festival happens October 12-14 in Austin and on YouTube (where you'll find the stream schedule if you scroll down - Jack White, Delta Spirit, A-Trak, Alabama Shakes, The Black Keys, Metric, Rufus Wainwright, Alt-J, Garcy Clark Jr., Polica, Kimbra, Steve Earle, The Weekend, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and the The Shins included).

If you actually will be there in person, you can also catch many of the bands at one of the many official late night shows (including the Shins)

And, speaking of the Shins, they played Conan O'Brien last night. Watch both songs below...

Continue reading "Austin City Limits 2012 livestream schedule posted; The Shins played Conan (videos)"

A-Trak at DCTV in 2011 (more by Bryan Bruchman)

A-Trak is set to play the first ever LA installment of Fool's Gold Day Off, which traditionally happens in NYC on Labor Day (this year's featured Danny Brown, Just Blaze, Flosstradamus, and more). After that A-Trak is kicking off what he's calling the "House Party Tour." And he's calling it that because he's literally taking over people's houses for the shows on the tour. He'll be bringing Flosstradamus and Donnis along for the ride. To receive info on the secret locations, sign up HERE.

The tour is set to hit five US cities, culminating in Asbury Park, NJ on October 21. That's the closest they'll come to NYC, but they have nothing scheduled for the day before (10/20), which means they'll be headed towards the NYC area with no plans on the last day of CMJ. So it seems likely that something will be added that day.

A-Trak was last in NYC for Electric Zoo. You can listen to a stream of the first hour of his set at that festival, along with the Day Off LA flier, the House Party Tour flier, and a list of all dates on that tour, below.

Continue reading "A-Trak going on "House Party Tour" w/ Flosstradamus & Donnis after first-ever Fool's Gold Day Off LA (dates)"

by Andrew Sacher

Squarepusher

Back in May, drill & bass master Squarepusher announced a North American tour which included a TBA NYC show set to happen on October 30. Well it turns out the NYC show will actually be on November 1 and it happens at Terminal 5 with a great list of openers; Bonobo (DJ), Holy Fuck, and Mount Kimbie. Tickets for that show go on sale Friday (6/29) at noon with an AmEx presale starting today (6/27) at noon. All Squarepusher dates are listed below.

Squarepusher released his new album, Ufabulum, in May and it's a pretty solid one. It opens with "4001," which is just about the only song that sounds like classic Squarepusher, and is then followed by, "Unreal Square," which brings in a bit of brostep bass wobble. The rest of the album sees Squarepusher diving into nutty jazz fusion and unstoppable breakbeats. You can stream three of its tracks below.

Speaking of Mount Kimbie, they've signed to Warp, the label which Squarepusher also calls home, and currently at work on their second album which will be released on the label. The Terminal 5 show appears to be their only announced North American date at the moment.

Holy Fuck and Bonobo will be in NY even sooner for Camp Bisco, which goes down from July 12-14 at Indian Lookout Country Club in Mariaville, NY. They'll be joining a lineup which includes Tycho, Simian Mobile Disco, Skrillex, Amon Tobin ISAM, Big Boi, Crystal Castles, Yacht, Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire, Shigeto, FaltyDL, Thundercat, and more. Tickets for the festival are still available. The full lineup is listed below.

In related news, You can also catch Holy Fuck frontman Brian Borcherdt in NYC right after Bisco with his new project, Dusted, who play Glasslands on July 15. Tickets for that show are still available.

A list of all dates and song streams below...

Continue reading "Squarepusher adds T5 date to tour (dates); Mount Kimbie signed to Warp; Bonobo and Holy Fuck playing Camp Bisco"

photos by Amanda Hatfield

Passion Pit / Kud Cudi at Governors Ball - 6/23/12

Governors Ball went down in Randall's Island over the weekend (6/23-6/24) with 26 bands across two stages and no overlapping sets. Day 1 was "headlined" by Passion Pit (though Kid Cudi played after them) and also included Chromeo, Major Lazer, Atmosphere, Santigold, Duck Sauce (Armand Van Helden and A-Trak), James Murphy & Pat Mahoney (Special Disco Version DJ set), and more. Probably the most anticipated set of the day was Passion Pit's, who were playing their first NYC area show in about a year and a half, and first since announcing their new album and releasing two singles from it (both of which they played). NY Times didn't seem to approve much of their set though, writing:

Saturday played out as a party punctuated by angst; there were many, many calls for putting hands in the air. Party and angst mix in Passion Pit, who work in two main modes: the shimmering anthem and the pulsating dance-pop song, both with more cryptic lyrics than might be expected. Passion Pit stacked the anthems at the beginning of the set-among them a new song, "Take a Walk," about an immigrant who finds himself financially ruined-before revving up the dance tunes. But the stage didn't add much beyond subwoofers to Passion Pit's songs; Michael Angelakos's vocals, mostly falsetto, needs studio help.

Pictures from Sunday are on the way. More from Saturday below...

Continue reading "Governors Ball 2012 - day 1 pics (Passion Pit, Santigold, Chromeo, Special Disco Version, Kid Cudi, Major Lazer & more)"

The 2012 edition of MusicFestNW takes place in September 5 - 9 at 18 venues in Portland, OR and will feature performances from over 150 bands, including Passion Pit, Hot Snakes, Girl Talk, Danny Brown, Beirut Silversun Pickups, Dinosaur Jr. and Sebadoh, many more.

In addition to those previously announced artists, MFNW has just added The Hives, Flying Lotus, Wild Nothing, DIIV, Quasi, Moon Duo, My Goodness, DZ Deathrays, and Strand Of Oaks to the already impressive line-up. Wristbands, available various levels and packages, and tickets to individual shows are on sale now. Check out the complete MFNW lineup below.

Continue reading "MusicFestNW 2012 lineup expands (The Hives, Flying Lotus, Quasi, DIIV, Passion Pit, Hot Snakes, Beirut, Swans & many more)"

After teasing us with lineup addictions day by day over the past few days, the full lineup of Austin City Limits 2012 is finally here. Check it out below....

Continue reading "Austin City Limits Festival -- 2012 lineup "

Though there may be another release of tickets, the 2nd annual electronic music cruise Holy Ship!! sold out before any acts were announced. Or to be more specific:

Everyone who purchased a pre-book for HOLY SHIP!! will receive a token May 22 with a booking time to reserve a cabin. Only one pre-book is valid per cabin. Cabins can be booked by token holders anytime after the token goes live up until June 20. Token holders who do not book by June 20 are no longer guaranteed a cabin. If any cabins remain after this initial booking period, those who are on the wait list will be contacted.

Here's who ticket holders will get to see at the event taking place Friday, January 4 through Monday, January 7, 2013. Complete lineup listed below...

Continue reading "Holy Ship!! 2013 lineup"

"NEW YORK LOVES AND WILL NEVER FORGET MCA." - El-P

Madison Square Garden pays tribute to Adam (pic via)

Like Coldplay, BADBADNOTGOOD & Bomb The Music Industry!, and Thom Yorke, many, many artists and institutions have been paying tribute to Adam Yauch in their own way, More videos from last night below....

Continue reading "Red Hot Chili Peppers, Deer Tick, MSG, The Mets & more paid tribute to MCA (more videos & pics)"

photos by Chris La Putt

Kimbra @ Mercury Lounge

Like Rostam, Best Coast & Kid Cudi did in 2010, and more recently Gorillaz, James Murphy and Andre 3000, Mark Foster, Kimbra and A-Trak have teamed up, on Converse's tab, to create a new song as part of the shoe company's "3 Artists 1 Song" program. Says a press release:

"I had such a good time diving into the creative process working with two incredible artists to create a sound that is uniquely our own," said Mark Foster of Foster The People. "This project has given me a new found appreciation for the power of collaboration which is something that Converse really understands."

"Warrior" is a new genre-bending collaboration that weaves together Mark Foster, Kimbra and A-Trak's individual musical styles to create 4 minutes of pop perfection. Recorded at Converse Rubber Tracks studios in Brooklyn, NY and remotely while on tour, "Warrior" blends the best parts of each artist's contributions and personalities for the latest Converse Three Artists. One Song collaboration.

Last night (3/26), one night after she played with Gotye at Terminal 5, and one night before she plays with Gotye at Webster Hall (tonight), as part of a tour that continues to Coachella, the just-turned-22-today (the crowd sang her Happy Birthday) New Zealander Kimbra headlined her own early show at Mercury Lounge in NYC. An excited 'According 2 G' was there, and says, "She's going to be HUGE!.... One of the songs she performed tonight was 'Plain Gold Ring,' a Nina Simone cover and this girl can SANG, as they say. Wow! She blew the roof off Mercury Lounge and the crowd erupted in screams when the song was finished." Here are some pictures and a video from the small NYC show. More below...

Continue reading "Kimbra played Mercury Lounge (pics), teamed w/ A-Trak & Foster the People dude for Converse song (like James Murphy/Outkast/Gorillaz did)"

As posted last night, Modest Mouse are playing Governors Ball on Randall's Island during the weekend of June 23-24 (same weekend as Orion), but they are just one of many artists that are now announced, and listed, along with more information, below...

Continue reading "NYC fest Governors Ball announces 2012 lineup (Beck, Passion Pit, EITS, Built to Spill, Devendra Banhart, Cults & more)"

DOWNLOAD: A-Trak - Fool's Gold Radio - December 2011 Mix (MP3)

A-Trak at DCTV in October (more by Bryan Bruchman)

A-Trak, who heads out on the Holy Ship! cruise in January, has a few North American dates scheduled for when he returns, including one in NYC at Webster Hall on January 13. Tickets for that show are on sale now. All dates are listed below.

A-Trak recently put out a single with Zinc called "Stingray," which you can download from iTunes. The single includes a remix of the track by Benga as the b-side and you can stream both of those tracks below.

Benga (and Skream) also has a NYC show coming up which goes on sale at noon today (12/22). Skream & Benga put out a free EP via Scion earlier this month. Download at the link

A-Trak also just did a mix for Fool's Gold which includes Fatboy Slim, Kid Sister, BS1, and others. You can download it above and stream it below. The tracklist is below too.

All dates and streams below...

Continue reading "A-Trak shows, a December mix, Benga (dates & MP3s)"

A-Trak, Lord Finesse and Roc Raida (R.I.P)

They say that the good die young, and that was definitely the case for the legendary Roc Raida, who passed from this mortal plane two years ago. In memoriam, A-Trak will link up with DJ Premier, DJ Stretch Armstrong, and the rest of Roc Raida's crew, X-Ecutioners, for an event to remember the turntablist and pioneer. Tickets are still available for the 10/25 event at Brooklyn Bowl.

A-Trak just played NYC on Saturday night as part of a SPIN CMJ event with the Rapture & Crystal Castles. Pictures HERE.

In related news, Duck Sauce (featuring A-Trak with Armand Van Helden) recently released the new single "Big Bad Wolf" to iTunes. Check out the video below.

Continue reading "Roc Raida tribute/benefit w/ A-Trak, Premier & more this week"

photos by Bryan Bruchman

The Rapture

The Rapture, Crystal Castles & A-Trak played a show at DCTV firehouse in Chinatown on Saturday night (10/22). Here are some pictures from the dance party (hopefully you danced with that lineup!). They continue below...

Continue reading "The Rapture, Crystal Castles & A-Trak played a SPIN/Ray-Ban CMJ party @ DCTV (pics)"

photos by Tim Griffin

As you may have heard, SPIN is throwing a Ray Ban-sponsored party in NYC Saturday night with the giant lineup that is the Rapture, Crystal Castles and A-Trak. They're giving away tickets through various methods. One of those is right here on BrooklynVegan. For instructions on how you can enter to win a pair (if you're 21+), see below.

The Rapture were just on a tour that brought them to La Zona Rosa in Austin on 10/12. Here are some pictures from that show too. More of them with the contest details, below...

Continue reading "The Rapture played La Zona Rosa (pics), playing SPIN party Saturday w/ Crystal Castles & A-Trak (win tix!)"

photos by Ryan Muir, words by Andrew Frisicano

Rick Ross / DFA1979

One Hanson Place, the cavernous ground-floor space of the Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower, served as the venue for a free-if-you-could-get-in Vice-sponsored concert on Thursday. As expected, the Weeknd didn't appear (he canceled the week before). Instead, the main attractions were Rick Ross, Death From Above 1979, a half dozen other bands, free beer and liquor and the Art Deco interior itself. A second stage in the basement--located inside a room-sized vault, with giant metallic doors at its entrance--featured acts like Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Anamanaguchi, Hanni El Khatib, Total Slacker and the Men. A-Trak was supposed to play, but cancelled after the sudden passing of his friend DJ Mehdi.

Tanlines kicked off the upstairs with songs that were aided by the high-vaulted ceilings and the reverb-heavy acoustics. Death from Above 1979 didn't fare as well; their songs already sound blown out and distorted on record, and the live show sacrifices any remaining fidelity for raw power. That said, both Sebastien Grainger and Jesse Keeler--one in white, one in black--put on spirited performances, thrashing around, with Sebastien at one point crawling along the bank teller windows into the crowd.

Rick Ross took the stage around 1am, after a brief intro set from Maybach Music Group rapper Stalley. The boss's set of about 35 minutes sped through songs that included "John," "9 Piece," "Hustin", "BMF", "MC Hammer," DJ Khaled's "All I Do Is Win" and "I'm On One," Waka's "O Let's Do It," and "Tupac Back" and "Ima Boss" (both Meek Mill's songs I think technically), at least for a chorus or two. Directly in front of the stage, where Ross' verses and exhortations were crystal clear, you could really get a sense of his imposing presence (DJ seemed genuinely afraid after starting one song too soon) and his ability to queue up any tune and make it totally his.

The amount of people upstairs was comfortable and not-overpacked; the downstairs, then, could be described as sadly under-attended. Unknown Mortal Orchestra had the benefit of playing before the main-stage acts started and sounded great. Hanni El Khatib, who played as a two-piece, shuffled out grungy, Americana-influenced rock, but to an audience of only about 50. One of the most pleasant surprise for me was Anamanaguchi, who I haven't seen in a few years. The quartet has molded themselves into an impressive instrumental outfit--with their NES as a less-dominant member--as they navigated their songs' post-rock-inspired swoops and climaxes with skill.

The Men closed the night with a post-2am set for the stragglers that hadn't yet succumbed to the hazards of the open bar. On my way downstairs I passed a handful of people doubled over, getting carried out by the EMTs. Downstairs wasn't much safer: at one point, a mic stand went flying into the crowd landing squarely on someone's head (hope you're alright dude).

More pictures from most of the night below...

Continue reading "pics from the Vice party in a bank (Death From Above 1979, Rick Ross, Anamanaguchi, Tanlines & more)"

DFA1979 fans @ Lollapalooza 2011 (more by Grant MacAllister)

The Weeknd was playing and then not playing and now it's this:

Following years of hard work, arm wrestling over domain names, and a little bit of high-tech stuff that we can't even begin to understand, we're proud to announce that VICE.COM is here. We've combined VBS.TV and Viceland.com to create super content one-stop-shop for all the videos and words you've come to expect from VICE.

Being that we're VICE, we decided to throw a party to celebrate our new URL with our best friends, like you and Rick Ross. RSVP is now open, details and flier below. Space will be limited.

Full Frontal VICE | The Official Launch of VICE.COM | Presented by boinc

Thursday, September 15th | 9:00PM - 3:00AM
Skylight One Hanson | One Hanson Place, Brooklyn

Performances by:
Rick Ross | A Trak | Death From Above 1979

And More Bands
Tanlines
Unknown Mortal Orchestra
The Men
Hanni El Khatib
Anamanaguchi
Total Slacker

And DJs
Nick Zinner
Black Lips
The New York Night Train
Lemonade
True Panther
Greenie

Complimentary Svedka and Grolsch | Invitation is non-transferable. 21+ and Photo ID required