photos by David Andrako

We arrived at about 9PM as Björk was hanging out behind the turntables gearing up to begin her set. The venue "Above The Auto Parts Store" was indescribably hot, but regardless fans packed in to get a glimpse of the one and only Björk. I was prepared to be at the venue for the long haul thinking Björk would be last, but she thankfully was second up on deck. DJ selections included a lot of obscure Asian and Middle Eastern house music, most notably including a cover of 2 Unlimited's "No Limit," along with Major Lazer/Crooker's "Jump Up!" [Tastes Like Caramel]

Bjork, Dave Longstreth of Dirty Projectors, Battles' Tyondai Braxton, and writers Alex Ross and Brandon Stosuy DJed at Above the Auto Parts Store on Sunday (5/2) at a benefit for Partners In Health, a health care nonprofit that works in Haiti. They called it "The Rites of Spring". Alex Ross posted his playlist, which paired The Ex, Justin Bieber, Stravinsky and more. That and more pictures from the event are posted below...

Continue reading "Bjork, Dave Longstreth, Tyondai Braxton & friends DJ'd for Haiti (in the heat) Above the Auto Parts Store (pics)"

Bjork & Dirty Projectors @ Housing Works (more by Chris La Putt)

As you can see on the flyer below, cavernous Bushwick DIY spot Above the Auto Parts Store will be the site of a benefit for Haiti with an eclectic lineup of DJs on May 2nd. Dirty Projectors' Dave Longstreth, Battles' Tyondai Braxton, and music writers Alex Ross and Brandon Stosuy will be joined by...Bjork behind the turntables and iPods for "Rites of Spring." Ross predicts "some combination of Thai soul, death metal, Justin Bieber, and, of course, nude Stravinsky." Brandon, who writes for Stereogum, has the genesis of the event, which involves Bjork/Dirty Projectors show at Housing Works last May, laid out at that site: "Tickets go on sale this Tuesday (4/13) at 5PM at Record Grouch/Old Made Vintage, 441 Metropolitan Avenue (@ Meeker) in Brooklyn. Their hours are 1PM-7PM daily. (There will be no online tickets. Paper tickets only.)"

Speaking of Bjork...

Ólöf Arnalds [who also played that Housing Works benefit with Bjork and Dirty Projectors] was recently featured in NPR's All Things Considered last week. Host Jonathan Richman chatted to the singer songwriter about her new album, and played a snippet of a new song called "Surrender", that features Björk.

Olöf recently finished mixing her second album, Innundir Skinni, at Sundlaugin Studios with Kjartan Sveinsson producing once again. Innundir skinni features more elaborate arrangements and instrumentation than Við og við, with vocals sung both in English and Icelandic. Innundir skinni is set for worldwide release this spring. [Iceland Music]

The NPR show is here. A streaming clip of the song is below with the benefit flyer...

Continue reading "Dave Longstreth, Tyondai Braxton & others DJing Haiti benefit w/ Bjork (who recorded a song w/ Olof Arnalds) "

photos by Andrew Frisciano

Happy Holidays! I take on more than I can handle. That results in a lot of unposted content. In the name of catching up, while also taking it easy during this final week of the year, here's some of that lost material.

Another set of pictures from the October show JEFF the Brotherhood played at Above the Auto Parts Store, continued below...

Continue reading "JEFF the Brotherhood @ Above the Auto Parts Store - pics "

photos by Leia Jospe

"When you hear the stories that after Hisham Bharoocha left [Lightning Bolt] to form Black Dice, Chippendale took over vocals by jamming the microphone into his mouth, it all seems to make perfect sense. Lightning Bolt concentrate their efforts around the sheer propulsion and energy their music drives off. And while Chippendale has always been an excellent drummer, the vocals he provides here and there open up the sounds in immense manners. On the forever moving "Transmissionary," fused with menacing, twirling music that swirls and confuses, his vocals convey a ghostly blend of spectral vision - they're spooky, vital and completely necessary." [adequacy.net]

Hisham Bharoocha is no longer in Black Dice either. He now spends his time performing as Soft Circle. He released a split 12 inch on PPM with High Places in July

Black Dice, Mick Barr and TV Ghost opened for Lightning Bolt at Above the Auto Parts in Bushwick last night (10/30). Leia missed the first two bands, but more shots from the second half of the show, below...

Continue reading "Black Dice & Lightning Bolt played Above the Auto Parts Store in Brooklyn - pics"

photos by Leia Jospe, words by Andrew Frisicano

the brothers JEFF

MyOpenBar presented a show Above the Auto Parts Store which was one of the last shows of CMJ's rainy Saturday night. Many, like Leia, came directly from the Pitchfork show at Market Hotel. I came from the Neon Indian and Almighty Defenders show in Williamsburg, and missed noise-pop duo Sisters and power trio Screaming Females but caught Surfer Blood (who play DBA tonight, 10/26).

It was at least Surfer Blood's tenth set at the five day festival, but they didn't let it show. Attempting to bring some much needed energy to the waning crowd, the band's additional fifth member worked a percussion rack and a tiny, standard-issue MicroKorg and passed out maracas and shakers to the crowd. Surfer Blood loads its echoey pop with familiar musical and lyrical references. Their song "Twin Peaks," which makes mention of the frequent indie muse (see Mount Eerie's newest album), has a certain Vampire Weekend buoyancy but with a harder edge. Instead of crisp sounds, spacey vocals take the lead through their winding melodic lines and African-inspired rhythms. Surfer Blood were good, but in a tough spot, sandwiched between Screaming Females and JEFF the Brotherhood - two bands that radiate full-on essence of rock - in a mostly empty second-floor garage at 2am.

Spacious as the massive garage was, and with a crowd sized more for a smaller venue like Death By Audio, once JEFF the Brotherhood took the stage everything changed. People who had been idly dozing off, or smoking on the entry ramp as it seemed like more than half were, lined up along the front of the stage to pound their fists on the plywood floor, jump around and more or less go totally fucking nuts. The band (actual brothers) has a heavy, crunchy sound for only two members (something to do with Jake's three-string guitar?) and the rock riffs are leavened with bubblegum hooks and direct choruses that resonate even if you're floating on a sea of hands. It was the perfect introduction to the band.

It was one of a ton of shows for JEFF, including three earlier in the day and a showcase for their Infinity Cat label on Friday, but not their last for long. They go on tour with Shonen Knife (which has two NYC-area stops in November) and open for Ted Leo at Bowery Ballroom on December 6th.

Screaming Females' next show, before they head out with Arctic Monkeys (at Terminal 5 on December 11th) and play a holiday show with Bouncing Souls, will be a benefit at Asbury Lanes for 180 NJ, a non-profit organization set-up to help combat domestic violence & sexual assault. That happens on November 21st with Full of Fancy, No Connection, the reunited Kanamits, Sick Fix, Black Kites and Human Failures. A flyer is below.

Surfer Blood will soon go on tour with Art Brut, and both are scheduled at Brooklyn Bowl on November 13th. Finally, Brooklyn's Sisters have an upcoming TBA Halloween show and a gig at Market Hotel on December 4th with Pterodactyl.

Darren Mabee and Sally Burtnick were in the crowd, especially during the Screaming Females set, and they let their presence be known. More pictures (NSFW), below...

Continue reading "JEFF the Brotherhood, Surfer Blood, Screaming Females & Sisters @ Above the Auto Parts Store (NSFW pics)"

photos by Leia Jospe

Went to No Age last night and it was pretty insane. Craziest mosh pit crowd ive seen since warped 05 -CGEsperanza

At no age- have't seen legit crowd surfing since 1999. Love -dandybandit

No Age's show at "Above the Auto Parts Store" on Saturday, October 17th was the last and most straight-ahead of the band's four-show NYC run last week. With shows at two contemporary-art institutions and a well-equipped downtown club, closing out with a packed warehouse show (that featured a carted-in sound system) made sense.

The bill was rounded out by new Sub Pop band Male Bonding (who's going to be around quite a bit during CMJ), Soft Circle and Hot Box. NYC Taper was on hand and recorded No Age's 40-minute set, noting one pre-encore incident - "the show came to a halt when one over-ambitious jumper hit the stage and began bleeding at the end of the song -- and you can't make this stuff up -- called 'Get Hurt.'"

No Age's Losing Feeling EP came out October 6th on Sub Pop. More pictures and tour dates (which include FFF Fest in Austin) are below...

Continue reading "No Age, Soft Circle, Male Bonding & Hot Box @ Above The Auto Parts Store - pics, recording"

by Bill Pearis

New Sub Pop signees Male Bonding are in from London for a string of New York shows, starting tonight (10/17) where they'll play with No Age, Soft Circle and Hot Box at a Todd P-related venue that, for now, is being called Above the Auto Parts Store. (Details on that at the bottom of this post.) Who are Male Bonding? Here's what Sub Pop says:

Made up of Robin Silas Christian (drums), John Arthur Webb (guitar & vocals) and Kevin Hendrick (bass and vocals), and rising from a flourishing DIY scene in their adopted hometown of Dalston, London, Male Bonding became a very real thing in May, 2008, with their first show, at an insane house party called "RAGE!" Male Bonding was born raging and it's been non-stop ever since. That party evolved in to a split 7" release with PENS on Male Bonding's own label Paradise Vendors Inc. (which sold out in a week). To date, Male Bonding has dispatched seven releases including a Flipper tribute 7" (on Domino Records) alongside PPM Allstars, Lovvers and Ponytail. The band has toured the UK with Brooklyn's Vivian Girls and played shows with Lovvers, HEALTH, Fucked Up, Graffiti Island, Mika Miko, These are Powers, NISENNENMONDAI, Magik Markers, and Finally Punk among others. We are excited by, about and for Male Bonding. You should be too.

Apart from tonight's show, the rest of Male Bonding's shows will fall during CMJ, playing six shows, finishing with the official Sub Pop/Hardly Art showcase on Friday (10/24) that also features Obits, Pissed Jeans, Golden Triangle, Duchess & the Duke, Moondoggies, Dum Dum Girls and Unnatural Helpers. All Male Bonding dates are at the bottom of this post.

As for that Above the Auto Parts Store venue, here's what Todd P's website says:

ABOVE THE AUTO PARTS STORE is a rad Brooklyn raw loft space, it's heated & has a stage & we're renting a monster sound system for the night! Entrance is via an awesome ramp all the way to the 2nd floor, & the bands play in front of a wall of windows looking out onto the streets of Brooklyn!

====| SATURDAY 10/17 @ ABOVE THE AUTO PARTS STORE |====
:: NO AGE
:::: Male Bonding
:::::: Soft Circle
:::::::: Hot Box --- x the Good Good

| ABOVE THE AUTO PARTS STORE |
600 Bushwick Ave @ Jefferson St | Bushwick, Brooklyn
JMZ-Myrtle/Broadway, L-Jefferson | 8pm | $12 | all ages

All dates for Male Bonding, plus video, below.

Continue reading "Male Bonding (Sub Pop) in NYC for 7 shows (one with No Age)"

Lightning Bolt @ Broadway Backyard in August (more by Leia Jospe)

"Fearsome in his trademark hand-made Mexican wrestler mask, Chippendale must have gashed his hand open at one point, and during the set, the yellow electric tape he'd used to affix the skin to his palm was destroyed a couple songs in. His voice sinister through a warped mouthpiece, he asked into crowd for a "professional" glove. No glove forthcoming, Chippendale nevertheless continued to play, blistered palms be damned. After the set, audience members chanting "LIGHT-NING-BOLT!" were treated to a two-song encore." [BushwickBK]

Last time Lightning Bolt was in town they played at Broadway Backyard with Talk Normal (who are opening for Sonic Youth at one of their upcoming NYC shows on November 24th) (tickets are on sale).

Lightning Bolt will be back on October 30th, and this time they're playing right down the street at another Bushwick space, Above the Auto Parts Store (600 Bushwick Ave @ Jefferson St). TV Ghost, who played WFMU Fest and couple other NYC shows last week), opens.

Lightning Bolt's new record Earthly Delights is out on Load Records on Tuesday (October 13th).

"Can Lightning Bolt even make a bad album? Well, I suppose if they, I dunno, started sporting J Crew, ripped off Paul Simon's whiteboy Afrobeat, and wrote a concept album about how rad their dad's Cape Cod estate is, sure, that would be relatively gnarly." [The Decibel Tolls]

Vampire Weekend's new album is out in January

All tour dates below...

Continue reading "Lightning Bolt new album out, playing Bushwick, other dates"

DOWNLOAD: TheDeathSet - Intermission (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: TheDeathSet - Paranoia (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: TheDeathSet - Negative Thinking (James Stovall Remix)

TheDeathSet in Baltimore (CRED)

Now that I finally got the Best Fwends post out there, it's finally time for the one about one of their friends - another Todd-P-Baltimore-Wham-City-Dan Deacon-Spank-Rock-Punk band that I've been getting pretty excited about lately - THE DEATH SET.

TheDeathSet @ Glasslands Gallery, Brooklyn, NY - May 25, 2007 (CRED)

This is also my chance to finally bring up the water balloon incident...

Last Friday was a show at Glasslands put on by Bikes In The Kitchen. It was a pretty great line-up, with Pterodactyl, Team Robespierre, Best Fwends, and theDeathset. The show was a sweaty good time (very sweaty, perspiration was condensing on the metal roof and occasionally dripping down on the crowd), until a random tragedy hit right at the start of Deathset's set. Some girls thought it would be funny to throw water balloons down on the crowd from the balcony. And it was funny. Until one of them, for whatever possible reason, decided to start throwing them past the band at the back of the stage where all of the amps/speakers/cables/sound equipment was.....[Suckapants on May 28, 2007]

..........

....Meanwhile "Fuck you you fucking fuck" girl decides instead of simply giving me her details it would be a better idea to call the police after first trying to fight me all the time me thinking how ridiculous it actually is that my first fight will be with a girl. Luckily peoples pull her off. So in summary, this girl is not only an imbecile and an idiot, she is also a narc, causing the party to end. The police come and side with me after they hear the story and I tell them I don't want her to be arrested and they advise me to get an attorney which I don't have the first clue about and obviously being in a touring band can not afford. [TheDeathSet - June 4, 2007]

The Death Set have a new (twelve song) EP out this week. It features remixes by Dan Deacon and Bonde Do Role. Tonight (June 22, 2007) and tomorrow they play shows in NYC followed by a whole bunch more shows all over the place. Tonight is going to be especially nuts because they're on a bill with Matt and Kim and Parts and Labor - Above the Auto Parts Store....

Lightning Bolt - Above the Auto Parts Store, Brooklyn, NY - May 27, 2007 (CRED)

Tomorrow night TheDeathSet play in Brooklyn again - @ Don Pedro's w/ SSS-spectres, The Trucks, DD/MM/YYYY, and Team Robespierre. All tour dates below....

Continue reading "THEDEATHSET - 2007 Tour Dates, MP3's, video & the water balloon incident (+tonight w/ Matt & Kim & Parts & Labor)"