a Sasquatch 2011 patron (more by Josh Darr)

The new year is approaching, and while you're making last minute plans and thinking up your resolutions, you can also start thinking about what festivals to attend in 2012. Here are some updates on next year's US festivals (not in any particular order).

SXSW, which is taking place from March 9-18 in Austin, with the music portion form March 13-18, has already announced a bunch of bands. If you register before January 13, you'll be able to save a bit.

New Orleans Jazz Fest is taking place from April 27 - May 6. The lineup includes The Beach Boys 50th Anniversary Reunion, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Foo Fighters, Bon IverMy Morning Jacket, Feist, Janelle Monae, and others. The full lineup is below. Tickets are on sale now.

Sasquatch is taking place this year from May 25-28 in Gorge, Washington. 4-Day passes will be on presale through New Year's Eve, and general sale starts February 11. New for 2012, "Patrons who purchase a 4-day festival ticket will be allowed re-entry from the Festival grounds! This will not apply to any other ticket, only the 4-day pass."

Bonnaroo will be taking place from June 7-10 this year in Manchester, TN. Presale tickets have sold out but tickets will go on sale to the general public in the coming months. Also check out a Spotify playlist of the Bonnaroo staff's favorite songs of 2011.

Coachella, will take place over the course of two weekends this year (April 13-15 and 20-22). Other than a fake lineup poster that has been floating around, no artists have been officially announced yet.

Noise Pop will be celebrating their 20th anniversary in 2012 from February 21-26 in San Francisco. So far the lineup includes Archers of Loaf, Built to Spill, Big Freedia, Surfer Blood, Grimes, Bleached, John Vanderslice, Ume, and others. Check out the full list below.

Austin City Limits is taking place from October 12-14 in Zilker Park in Austin. Souvenir 3-day passes and early bird 3-day passes have sold out but regular 3-day passes are on sale now.

Lollapalooza will take place in 2012 from August 3-5 in Grant Park in Chicago. Tickets will go on sale this spring. As BVChicago mentioned, Lollapalooza is also taking place in Chile and Brazil this year.

Bamboozle, now in a new location, is taking place from May 18-20 in Asbury Park in New Jersey this year. So far the scary lineup includes Bon Jovi, Foo Fighters, Skrillex, Blink 182, Incubus, and Mac Miller. 3-Day wristbands are on sale now.

Bumbershoot is taking place from September 1-3 at Seattle Center in Seattle, WA. Tickets are available and Bumbershoot are currently having a holiday sale where single day tickets are half off (originally $150, now $75).

NYC's own Governors Ball, which took place at Governors Island in 2011, has been moved to the bigger Randall's Island and will take place over the course of two days, June 23 and 24. Like last year, there will be no overlapping sets. Compared to the others listed here, this is not quite a big "festival", but unlike anything else listed above, it does happen in NYC. Artist announcements and tickets are coming soon.

Current NoisePop and Jazz Fest lineups below...

Continue reading "2012 Music Festival Roundup (Jazz Fest, Sasquatch, Bonnaroo, Noise Pop, ACL, Coachella, Bamboozle, SXSW, Bumbershoot & more)"

photos by Tim Griffin

Jeff Tweedy of Wilco @ The Moody Theater in Austin 11/30/2011

Wilco taped an episode of the TV show Austin City Limits last night (11/30). They were probably playing around the time the Grammys announced that their new album The Whole Love is nominated for the "Best Rock Album". Pictures from that TV show taping, including one of the setlist, are in this post. Look for the show to air sometime next year.

Who picked up a copy of the limited edition "Speak Into the Rose" 10" that the band released for Record Store Day on Black Friday?

Wilco play the same Austin venue, but to the public and not for TV and with an opening set by Nick Lowe (he did make a special appearance at the TV taping), tonight, before continuing on a tour that includes five Chicago shows later this month. All dates and more ACL pictures below...

Continue reading "Wilco taped an Austin City Limits episode (pics), now on tour "

photos by Tim Griffin

Fleet Foxes visited the Austin City Limits studio at Moody Theater in Austin on Friday (10/7) to tape an episode of the ACL TV show. We now have tthat look forward to in the near future. Meanwhile here are some pictures from the show, including one of the setlist. More below...

Continue reading "Fleet Foxes taped an Austin City Limits episode (pics, setlist)"

photos by Tim Griffin

Arcade Fire / The Walkmen

The 10th annual Austin City Limits festival came to a close on Sunday with a headlining set by Arcade Fire (who also taped an edition of Austin City Limits the TV show one day earlier). It was a rough year for some attendees. I'm talking about smokers. Austin Statesman posted the following before the weekend:

We welcome all the people and music artists attending this year's Austin City Limits Music Festival. It's a special year for the music festival, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary. The talent this year is incredible, with headliners Kanye West, Stevie Wonder and Arcade Fire, as well as local favorites such as Asleep at the Wheel.

Before we get this party started, we must advise attendees that the Austin Parks Department has banned smoking at all Austin parks, greenbelts, trails and golf courses. That includes Zilker Park, site of the festival.

We realize that a smoking ban might be an inconvenience for some. But it is necessary to keep everyone safe. So please have fun at the events, which run today through Sunday, but leave the cigarettes, cigars, pipes -- or whatever else one might be smoking -- behind. (The ban also prohibits wood or charcoal grilling in Zilker and other parks.)

Smoking was allowed at previous ACL festivals, but this year is different. This year, Central Texas is dealing with wildfires that have killed two people, destroyed about 1,500 homes and burned tens of thousands of acres in Bastrop County, Steiner Ranch, Pflugerville and other Central Texas communities. In Austin, city firefighters responded to 469 brush fires from January through July. Cigarettes caused about a fourth of those fires, officials said. [Austin Statesman]

Continue reading "Austin City Limits 2011 -- Day 3 in pics (Arcade Fire, Walkmen, DFA1979, Manu Chao & more)"

photos by Tim Griffin

Arcade Fire / The Antlers

Rain showers fired up crowds for the second day of the Austin City Limits Music Festival, even as much of the excitement Saturday was for headliner Stevie Wonder, who had fans claiming spots by the main stage throughout the afternoon.

Out-of-towners might not have understood the joyful reaction -- which included singing and dancing -- that rain got throughout Zilker Park. "I say, 'God bless the rain,' and we need it," said Austin photographer Greg Davis, who for the fifth year was selling his photos in the fest's art market. "It's bad for business but great for the community."

Some people used shelters put up for extra protection from the sun to escape the intermittent showers, while others didn't let a little water keep them from staking out spots early around the stage where Motown legend Wonder was to perform. The periphery filled so quickly that by the time R&B singer Cee Lo Green took the stage at 6 p.m., several hundred fans had planted chairs in nondesignated areas, causing security to ask them to move so the expected throng of people would have space to approach the stage.

"Our whole plan today has been to scope out a spot so that we don't have to fight the crowds," said Joelle Barnes of Austin, who along with her husband, James, were among the people asked to move their chairs. Although Barnes and her husband had enjoyed Alison Krauss and Union Station, Cee Lo and other performers they had seen on Saturday, the day was all about Wonder. "He's a legend -- you can't argue with that," James Barnes said. "This is such a rare opportunity"... [Austin360]

Pics from Day One HERE. Day Three streaming online today (9/18). More Day Two pictures below...

Continue reading "ACL 2011 -- Day 2 in pics (Antlers, Phosphorescent, Aloe Blacc, Twin Shadow, Arcade Fire TV taping & more)"

photos by Tim Griffin

James Blake / Kanye West

"Light sprinkles ushered in the first day of the tenth annual Austin City Limits Music (ACL) Festival, but it was a welcome reprieve from the humid heat that has been plaguing the area and the state. Music and festival fans came in droves to see their favorite ACL artists, and rumors swirled throughout the day as to who the main headliner of the evening, Kanye West, would share the stage with..." [Pegasus News]

Austin City Limits continues today, Saturday (9/17). You can stream it online. More pictures from Friday below...

Continue reading "ACL 2011 -- Day 1 in pics (Kanye West, Bright Eyes, Big Boi, Cults, Wild Beasts, James Blake, Kurt Vile & more)"

The 2011 edition of Austin City Limits begins today (9/16) at Zilker Park in Austin. YouTube has the live stream on two channels. Full stream schedule below.

Continue reading "ACL 2011 begins -- stream it on YouTube"

photos by Tim Griffin

DOWNLOAD: Twin Sister - "Bad Street" (MP3)

Twin Sister @ ACL Live

Twin Sister have a new album in the works, and like Real Estate's new one, it will be coming out on Domino Records. They'll release their debut full length In Heaven via Domino on September 27. Download the track "Bad Street" above. Stream it and check out the full tracklist, below.

Twin Sister kicked off a tour at ACL Live's Moody Theater in Austin last night (6/8). Pictures from that show, where they opened for Beirut (pictures HERE), are in this post.

Their trek continues in Houston tonight and eventually reaches Music Hall of Williamsburg on 6/18 with Allo Darlin', Ava Luna, and Gabriel and the Hounds. The previously mentioned Brooklyn show is part of the Northside Festival and still on sale for those without badges. Twin Sister played the same venue during the Northside Fest last year.

All Twin Sister tour dates, more pictures from Austin, and the new album stuff, below...

Continue reading "Twin Sister releasing LP on Domino (new MP3), played ACL Live (pics), on tour now (dates)"

photos by Tim Griffin

Beirut @ ACL Live

Beirut are releasing their long-awaited third LP The Rip Tide on August 30 on Zach Condon's own Pompeii Records internationally and on Revolver in the US. New tracks "East Harlem" and "Goshen" both also appear on a limited edition single which is out now, and you can listen to both of those songs streaming below.

Beirut's recent live shows have included a sold out show at the Wellmont Theater in NJ, a small, private show in Stratosphere Sound Recording Studio, a small, private show in a Brooklyn loft, and a big show at ACL Live's Moody Theater in Austin last night (6/8) with Twin Sister. Pictures of Beirut from the Texas show are in this post (the Twin Sister pics are HERE).

Beirut's upcoming shows include Bonnaroo this weekend, Lollapalooza, Outside Lands, and a big Northside Festival show in McCarren Park with Sharon Van Etten which is now SOLD OUT (though they have to let some Northside Badgeholders in).

All tour dates, new song streams, new album tracklist, and more pictures from Austin, below...

Continue reading "Beirut revealed new album details (with 2 streaming songs), played ACL Live (pics), sold out McCarren Park"

The 10th Anniversary ACL Festival line-up is on the books. Stevie Wonder, Arcade Fire, Kanye West, Coldplay, My Morning Jacket, Fleet Foxes, Alison Krauss and Union Station, Nas & Damian "Jr Gong" Marley and Cee Lo top the bill of the over 130 bands. Bright Eyes, Social Distortion, Empire of the Sun, Santigold, Pretty Lights, TV On The Radio, Skrillex, Big Boi and Randy Newman are also on tap to rock September 16-18.

Continue reading "Austin City Limits 2011 festival lineup is here, tickets on sale"

photos by Tim Griffin

Femi Kuti & The Positive Force @ The Moody Theater

The Femi Kuti & The Positive Force 2011 North American tour is still underway and is now on the West Coast until the tour's final show in Seattle on May 15th. Along the way they hit Highline Ballroom & Music Hall of Wiliamsburg in April and the new ACL Moody Theater in Austin on May 6th...

"Austin City Limits Live at The Moody Theater is a state-of-the-art, 2,700 + person capacity live music venue that will also serve as the new home of the KLRU-TV produced PBS program Austin City Limits, the longest running music series in American television history. The venue will host 60-100 concerts a year, in addition to the nights the Austin City Limits show will tape. Commitment to green building standards qualify us to apply for LEED® certification, the highest standard for sustainable development."

Fela's two most successful Afrobeat-playing sons are Femi and Seun. Seun even now leads Fela's old band Egypt 80. As you might have noticed in this summer's Celebrate Brooklyn lineup, Seun has a show (shows) coming up too. The free Brooklyn one happening at the Prospect Park Bandshell is listed like this:

FRIDAY, JULY 22, 7:00 P.M.
SEUN KUTI & EGYPT 80 | FAAJI AGBA

The yearlong celebration of Nigeria's 50th anniversary of independence that began last October continues here with a generation-bridging concert. Fronting his father Fela's legendary band, Seun Kuti is the living embodiment of afro-pop. Faaji Agba's lineup of Afrobeat pioneers--including Fatai Rolling Dollar, Chief Seni Tejuoso and Prince 'Eji' Oyewole of the Afro-Skittles Band--makes them Nigeria's answer to the Buena Vista Social Club: a supergroup of veteran musicians who are re-popularizing faaji grooves, agidigbo blues, juju and other styles of Nigerian roots. Travel support provided by Arik Air.

A full Seun North American tour will be announced soon, but in the meantime, all known Seun & Femi dates, and more Femi pics, below...

Continue reading "Femi Kuti tour continues (Austin pics), Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 playing shows this summer (Prospect Park & other dates)"

photos by Tim Griffin

"An estimated 200,000 people journeyed the grounds of Zilker Park this weekend for the Austin City Limits Music Festival.

The descent of the iconic guitar sign Monday signified the end of an incredibly successful ACL Music Festival, and with eight stages and 130 bands, clean up is expected to take the rest of the week.

"This year's ACL was one of the best. The weather was incredible," City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department spokesperson Victor Ovalle said.

The show's producer, C3 Presents, takes care of cleaning up Zilker Park, and the city sends crews into the surrounding neighborhoods to remove any trace of music fans who know how to have a good time.

After C3 Presents leaves the park later this week, fertilizing and watering the grass will city's number one priority." [News 8 Austin]

Continue reading "ACL 2010 Day 3 in pics (Foals, Eagles, Yeasayer, Norah Jones, Ted Leo, Devendra Banhart, Morning Benders & more)"

photos by Tim Griffin

"Watching Deer Tick at One Eyed Jacks in
the French quarter..." - Wayne Coyne, one day after ACL

"Burbank, CA - What would Halloween be without THE FLAMING LIPS? Certainly nothing as magical and incendiary as their annual Ghouls Gone Wild event held in their hometown of Oklahoma City, that's what. As we fall into the crisp Autumnal night air of the season's darkest yet sweetest holiday, THE FLAMING LIPS ask the question: Want to Participate in This Year's MARCH OF 1000 FLAMING SKELETONS?

This October 23rd, The LIPS will once again host their annual MARCH OF 1000 FLAMING SKELETONS Parade in downtown Oklahoma City's Bricktown district, just a stones throw away from FLAMING LIPS ALLEY.

Last year's third annual Ghouls Gone Wild event was a huge success that drew LIPS fans from around the globe. Naturally, this year's Supernatural procession will be even more elaborate as festive floats, (in)appropriately adorned cars, walking groups and plenty of surprises along with 1000 strong undead snaking through the streets of Oklahoma City.

Order your costume bundle for this year's parade now in the official Flaming Lips store: www.flaminglips.com/store

Continue reading "the Flaming Lips played ACL (pics, setlist), made a poster w/ Wayne's blood (video), announce Skeleton Parade, other dates"

photos by Tim Griffin

Night fell down on Austin Town and it figured it'd be a busy night. And with The xx and Temper Trap setting the table for LCD Soundsystem, Gogol Bordello, Monsters of Folk, Deadmau5, Matt & Kim, MIA and Muse, Saturday did indeed set it self up to be remembered as ACL 2010's strongest.

Except for the part where MIA screwed things up during her set...

...M.I.A.'s set saw plenty of anticipation on the west end of the fairgrounds, but little payoff: The first song saw didn't even see Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam on stage, and, though she came out for the second, that first song worked as a fitting metaphor for her entire mumbled performance.

Here's the thing about performing in festivals, especially on a main stage: Very few people actually see the performers; they rely on the accompanying video screens to share the visual side of the performance. But rather than the performer (or any of her five packing dancers or DJ) , M.I.A.'s screen showed illustrations. M.I.A., meanwhile, spent minimal time in her set's early going on stage, instead opting to interact o the grass in front of her closest fans. An admirable offering, perhaps, but it left the rest of her crowd in the dark, straining their necks to see her dancers or maybe just the neon "Maya" sign that served as her backdrop.

Her vocals weren't helping matters, either. They were already mixed too low, and Maya, for the most part, mumbled her way through the proceedings. Audiences thinned out--only to be pulled back in once the video screens finally--mercifully--showed the performer stalking the stage, and performing her biggest hit, "Paper Planes." [Dallas Observer]

Continue reading "ACL 2010 Day 2 in pics (Monsters of Folk, M.I.A., LCD Soundsystem, Broken Bells, deadmau5, Muse & more)"

photos by Tim Griffin

Mayer Buble @ Austin City Limits 2010

"It's no secret that 2010 has been a breakout year for throwback R&B singer Mayer Hawthorne -- even he knows that. But just how big is he these days? Early in the day before his afternoon set at Austin City Limits, he was in Waterloo Records, the town's most famous store for all things musical.

While minding his own business, flipping through vinyl, a man approached him and said, "Can I have your autograph?" Naturally, Hawthorne was taken aback, flattered and most importantly gracious. "Yes," he said, and the man got out a pen and paper. "As I was signing it, the man leans in as I was writing and says, 'You're Michael Bublé, right?'"

Hawthorne isn't Buble big yet, but he did convert the thousands that showed up to check out his early afternoon set. [Spinner]

And now Mayer Hawthorne is about to take a trip across the country with The Heavy. After kicking thigs off in Philly on October 16th, the two groups will hit NYC for two nights in a row. Tickets are still available for the shows at Webster Hall Bowery Ballroom (October 17th) and Music Hall of Williamsburg (October 18th), and I have some you can get for free (update: the Webster Hall show was moved to Bowery Ballroom not long after I first posted this - contest now just applies to the better venue). Deails on how to win, with more pictures from ACL, below...

Continue reading "Mayer Hawthorne (not Michael Buble) played ACL (pics), kicking off tour w/ The Heavy (WIN TIX) "

photos by Tim Griffin

The xx @ Austin City Limits 2010

"Let's put it this way. If you ever want to get into someone's pants, there's no need for red roses or pick-up-lines. Totally unnecessary. All you really need to woo your love-to-be are the sweet, melodic verses of The xx.

At first, taking the A train all the way up to the Bronx sounded like a less than ideal situation, but one must sacrifice distance for the love of music. Church by day and music venue by night, United Palace is a beautifully bipolar theater with acoustics that could put Carnegie Hall to shame. This venue was a perfect match for a band that has meticulously mastered the art of producing huge sounds from whispers. Going from the Mercury Lounge to United Palace, The xx have had quite the year, and this show was a testament to this." [The Wild Honey Pie]

At United Palace, and probably at other shows on the tour, the Mercury Prize-winning band covered Robin S's now-classic dancefloor hit "Show Me Love" (Robin S is not to be confused with Robyn who is currently causing people to tear up dancefloors). Video proof from the NYC show, with the video from their appearance on Jimmy Kimmel last night (10/11), and more ACL pictures, below...

Continue reading "The xx toured from United Palace to ACL, covered 'Show Me Love', wore red, played Kimmel (pics & video) "

photos by Tim Griffin

Lucero are currently on the road. Tonight, 10/11, will be their third Texas show in a row. The run started on Saturday at Austin City Limits where they played a 2:30pm set in direct competition with The Gaslight Anthem (which is unfortunate since they definitely share fans). On Thursday Lucero link up with Social Distortion and Frank Turner for that previously mentioned tour that stops at NYC's Roseland Ballroom on November 4th. Tickets are still on sale.

All dates and some more pictures from ACL, below...

Continue reading "Lucero played ACL (pics), kicking off tour w/ Social Distortion & Frank Turner (updated dates) "

photos by Tim Griffin

""This festival is super-cool," said Strokes singer Julian Casablancas from the stage at Austin City Limits on Friday night. "Lotta stuff." It's true: The festival, now in its ninth year, packs 130 bands onto eight outdoor stages arranged around the 350-acre Zilker Park in Austin, Texas. The lineup is a mix of huge rock acts (the Eagles headline Sunday) and big-name indie bands, plus DJs, country singers and the occasional rapper. With an expected attendance of around 70,000 a day, the festival similar in size, if not in spirit, to Lollapalooza. "Lollapalooza has that city energy. It's like the hot girl you want to take home," one organizer, Lisa Hickey, said. "ACL is more laid-back -- it's like your best friend." And unlike South By Southwest, the music and film showcase that takes over the Texas town every spring, ACL doesn't have much of a music-industry angle -- it's almost strictly for fans.

On Friday night, the packed lineup presented the crowd with a happy problem: Four big-name guitar bands -- Spoon, Sonic Youth, Vampire Weekend, and the Strokes -- all had sets starting within two hours of each other, and seeing each set in its entirety was impossible."
[Rolling Stone]

Kings Go Forth pictures are HERE. The rest of the pictures from the first day of the 2010 Austin City Limits Music Festival (where Ezra Koenig joined Miike Snow on stage), continue, with a bunch of setlists (including Spoon's which points out that Eleanor Friedberger played a Fiery Furnaces song with Spoon) (video proof too), below...

Continue reading "ACL 2010 Day 1 in pics (Strokes, Phish, Black Keys, Spoon, Beach House, Vampire Weekend & more) "

photos by Tim Griffin

"ACL has never been this hyped this early. At three in the afternoon, you had the Clear 4G tent packed in anticipation of Kings Go Forth, while Swedish techo-rockers Miike Snow had what seemed to be 30,000 kids jumping up and down to the beat.

Milwaukee's nouveau soul band Kings Go Forth no longer has the element of surprise: folks are expecting them to blow the roof off. But the band's weakness- fresh songwriting- became apparent four songs into the set when every blaxploitation film score had already been remined. KGF has been together less than three years and should beef up their reprtoire in the years to come." [Austin 360]

Continue reading "Kings Go Forth kicked off a short tour @ ACL (pics & dates) "

this goes out to our busdriver... (more by Ryan Muir)

Official statement from the band:

Last night, GAYNGS' tour bus, containing all of the band's gear, personal belongings, and livelihood, was mistakenly driven across the country from Emo's Downtown, en route to the ACL Festival Grounds. Unable to reach the driver of the bus, the band reported the gear stolen at approximately 4:20am.

After a sleepless, worry full night, the band made every attempt to borrow and backline equipment so the show could go on, however, we regret to announce that we will not be able to perform without the necessary equipment that was taken by the bus.

We are insanely bummed out by these events. We can only hope to have the opportunity to make it up to all of you. Thanks for your support on this tour. It was truly a dream come true.

Due to unfortunate circumstances Gayngs regretfully has to cancel their performance on the ZYNC stage at 3pm-4pm

ACL is pleased to announce Lance Herbstrong will be performing at the ZYNC stage at 3pm. [Austin360]

Gayngs' tour is now completely over. Last week they hit NYC twice.

Welcome to ACL 2010! (photo by Tim Griffin)

Another year of the Austin City Limits Music Festival is underway. It is a weekend tens of thousands of people have been waiting for.

The festival began just as it always has, with the Star Wars theme song blasting through the park.

The crowd of ticket holders lined up at the gate began pouring into the park around 11:00 a.m. Friday.

Visitors came in from across the world; different cities, states, and countries. Festival coordinators estimate about 65,000 people will attend the festival each day.

Most people got their tickets within hours of them going on sale. Others were not so lucky. One man wearing an Event Staff shirt says he found a different route inside the festival gates.

"I'm working, but it's a positive thing. I get to listen to the music, you know, from so many different bands. I have to stay in my work area, but I get to still listen to all the music and enjoy all of the people coming in," he said.

There are eight stages set up at Zilker Park for the festival; 130 bands will perform on the stages, which is about 40 a day. [KVUE]

And we'll have more pictures by Tim Griffin coming soon.

ACL 2008 (more by Kyle Dean Reinford)

October 8-10, 2010 | Zilker Park, Austin, TX

"The Austin City Limits Music Festival began as a modest, two-day event and now, as it enters it's 9th year, has become a perennial American music experience. Taking place at the heart of Austin, Texas in the legendary Zilker Park, ACL Festival has grown to 3 days, 8 stages and over 130 bands."

Continue reading "Austin City Limits announces 2010 festival lineup (Eagles, Muse, Phish, Strokes, MIA, LCD, Spoon, Gayngs, more) "

Passion Pit @ Central Park Summerstage (gohingplaces)

"This whole summer - the past three months - have been all festivals," said Passion Pit bassist Jeff Apruzzese. "So I feel like I'm finally getting used to it and now it's over."

So, was this exhausting, rainy weekend worth it?

It was for Passion Pit who said they would "love" to play at ACL again.

"Definitely [we would come back]," said keyboard player and guitarist for Passion Pit Ian Hultquist. "Hopefully when we come back it will be more relaxed and not super intense like it was today." [the battalion]

Opening the T5 show is a Canadian band who also got their NYC start at Pianos, and who is headlining their own show at Bowery Ballroom this Wednesday night (Oct 7). I'm talking about The Rural Alberta Advantage. Tickets are still on sale. Kittens Ablaze and The Lovely Feathers are the openers.

All dates below...

Continue reading "Passion Pit playing Terminal 5 w/ Rural Alberta Advantage who headline Bowery on Wednesday - 2009 Tour Dates"

"Wormed all the way up to the front, hoping to hear some of the new songs the Raves have been working on for their new album, which didn't happen... a few songs in Sune mentioned that since the new album was just recently completed they didn't have enough time to practice the new ones. Minor bummer, but whatevs, live Raves is always rad, no? This was to be the 10th time I've seen 'em, for fuck's sake! Well, not exactly. This turned out to be the worst set I've ever seen by them, hindered by Sune's guitar being practically inaudible as well as some real jackass hecklers behind me. Or maybe the Raves are just vampires and they wilt in the light (first time I've ever seen 'em outdoors). Never mind. Decent, but not up to their usual awesomeness." [Tuddd's Muddd]

More pictures and the setlist from the Siren Festival (the free Saturday show that the above review is referring to), and all Raveonettes tour dates (not many of them), below...

Continue reading "The Raveonettes played Siren (pics, setlist), playing MHOW "

!!! is playing ACL 2009 (more by Chris Graham)

"The 2009 Austin City Limits Music Festival will showcase a diverse blend of acts both fresh and familiar at the eighth edition of the event in Zilker Park October 2-4. Pearl Jam, Dave Matthews Band, and Beastie Boys are performing for the first time at the Festival, with Kings of Leon, Ben Harper and Relentless7, and Thievery Corporation returning to Zilker Park once again. John Legend, The Dead Weather, and The Levon Helm Band will also make their ACL Festival debut, while Austin's own Ghostland Observatory will no doubt deliver another memorable set for festival goers.

With over 130 artists on this year's bill, the list of acts awes at each note with the likes of Sonic Youth, Mos Def, Toadies, Flogging Molly, The B-52s, Lily Allen, Citizen Cope, Arctic Monkeys, The Decemberists, Coheed and Cambria, Andrew Bird, Girl Talk, and many more.

In the tradition of the TV show from which it was born, the Festival has always aimed to offer musical discovery for the fans. The 2009 lineup is rich with pop, country, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, indie rock, hip-hop, and gospel, to name a few, spanning cultures and countries from New Orleans to Venezuela to France."

Continue reading "ACL (Austin City Limits) - 2009 festival lineup announcement"