As mentioned, Surfer Blood will release their new album, Pythons, on June 11. You can check out the video to their single, "Demon Dance," below.

The band are currently on tour with Foals and will be in NYC at the end of the week to play a sold-out show at Terminal 5 on Friday (5/3). The day before (5/2), Surfer Blood will play an acoustic set as part of Ace Hotel's free "5 at 5" series, which is -- as you might expect -- where bands play 5 songs at 5 PM. Again it's free and the flyer for the show is below.

Surfer Blood have a few other non-Foals shows along the way this summer and all dates are listed below.

Continue reading "Surfer Blood playing free acoustic "5 at 5" show at Ace Hotel before playing T5 with Foals (updated dates)"

by Andrew Sacher

The Thermals in Austin in 2011 (more by Tim Griffin)

The Thermals are having a solid year so far with the vinyl reissues of their Sub Pop albums (out now), and signing to Saddle Creek for their new album, Desperate Ground, which from the sounds of its first single, "Born to Kill," is shaping up to be a good one. They've also got an expanding tour, which already includes a BrooklynVegan-presented show at 285 Kent on Thursday (3/7) with Hilly Eye and Habibi and another NYC-area date on Saturday (3/9) at Maxwell's with TEEN.

We're happy to announce that they'll stick around NYC for a third show in the area, which happens on Monday (3/11) at Ace Hotel as part of the Bowery Presents/Martin Guitar '5 at 5' series. If you're unfamiliar, the series will have the band doing a free 5-song set at 5 PM in the Ace Hotel lobby. The flyer for that show is below. The Thermals' tour also hits Austin for SXSW, where they will play a BrooklynVegan day party on the Friday (3/15).

Updated Thermals dates are listed, along with the show flyer and a stream of "Born to Kill," below...

Continue reading "The Thermals expand tour, playing '5 at 5' at Ace Hotel and BrooklynVegan SXSW day party (updated dates)"

UPDATE: We're told Sharon Van Etten is no longer playing this day party at Ace Hotel.

Sharon Van Etten at Bowery Ballroom in February (more by Amanda Hatfield)

Sharon Van Etten is about to kick off her North American tour which hits NYC on November 15 at Town Hall (tickets), but you can catch her in NYC even sooner than that, in a smaller venue, and for free. Sharon will play the free, all ages Converse and Search Party CMJ day party at Ace Hotel on Thursday (10/18) with Choir of Young Believers, Joy Kills Sorrow, Hey Marseilles, and Brainstorm. That party runs from 11:30 AM to 4:30 PM. The show fliyer and an updated list of Sharon Van Etten dates is below.

Choir of Young Believers have other CMJ shows and they'll also be playing the free BrooklynVegan day party at Public Assembly on Saturday (10/20). The whole lineup is coming soon, we promise.

Speaking of CMJ shows at the Ace Hotel, there will also be "hangout sessions" and DJ sets from various indie labels for the third annual "Notes from the Underground." It takes place on Wednesday (10/17), Thursday (10/18), and Friday (10/19) in the hotel lobby with representation from Beggars Group, Mom + Pop, Modular, Frenchkiss, FADER Label, White Iris, Third Man, and artist Caris Reid. More details are below.

Sharon Van Etten recently made a video for "Magic Chords." You can check out that video, a list of all upcoming dates, and those show flyers below.

Continue reading "Sharon Van Etten NOT playing CMJ show w/ Choir of Young Believers, who are playing the BV day party on Saturday"

DOWNLOAD: Cymbals Eat Guitars - "Hawk Highway" (MP3)

Cymbals Eat Guitars at MHOW in July (more by Chris La Putt)

Staten Island rockers Cymbals Eat Guitars will be taking the ferry over to Manhattan next week to be the musical guests on Wrestling Team's live taping of their podcast, Beginnings, which happens on October 9 at UCBEast. The tapings happen on the second Tuesday of every month (AC Newman played the last one). Tuesday's show will also feature comedian Sara Schaefer. $5 tickets for the show are on sale now.

Sara Schaefer, who is currently living in NYC as well, will also do a show one day earlier (10/8) at Ace Hotel. This show begins at 9 PM, and happens the same night that Erika Spring (of Au Revoir Simone) does her DJ residency in the Ace Hotel Lobby.

Earlier this month (just around the time they opened for Bob Mould actually), Cymbals Eat Guitars put out the song, "Hawk Highway," for the video series Masters From Their Day. You can download that song above or stream it below. You can also read the song's lyrics HERE.

Continue reading "Cymbals Eat Guitars and Sara Schaefer appearing on "Beginnings" at UCB East this month"

photos by Toby Tenenbaum

Efterklang & Wordless Music Orchestra @ the Met - 9/22/12

Denmark's Efterklang release their new album, Piramida, this week (9/25) via 4AD (stream it) and in support of that, they just came to NYC for a show at The Met on Saturday (9/22) backed by Siouxsie & the Banshee's Budgie on drums, and also with Wordless Music Orchestra. They performed the entire album, including "VAELV," a coda for "The Living Layer" commissioned by Efterklang and written and arranged by Brooklyn composer Karsten Fundal. They also came out for a second encore, where they performed "The Ghost" again, after already playing it in their pre-encore set, presumably done because of the taping of the show. That taping streamed live on the Met's website, and an archive will be uploaded later this week to NPR.

The band are hanging around New York for a bit, and while they're here they'll do a couple more events in the city. Tonight (9/24), they're doing a mini concert with DJ sets from Victoire and Efterklang at Ace Hotel at 8 PM. Katinka Fogh Vindelev will also perform. Then on Tuesday (9/25) at Apple Store SoHo, they'll do an in-store performance with the full 6-piece band. Doors are at 6 PM and the band goes on at 7. Admission is free.

More pictures and the setlist from the show at the Met are below.

Continue reading "Efterklang celebrated 'Piramida' at the Met w/ Wordless Music Orchestra (pics), doing two more events in NYC this week"

Chloe Sevigny @ Ace Hotel for Pussy Riot event (via jillypeppa)

IFC reports:

Academy Award®-nominated and Golden Globe®-winning actress Chloë Sevigny (Big Love, American Horror Story) is packing her bags and heading to Portlandia for season three of IFC's original comedy series. Created by Fred Armisen, Carrie Brownstein and Jonathan Krisel, the Emmy® nominated and Peabody Award-winning show depicts a romanticized and dreamy rendering of the city they love, Portland, OR. Season three is in production now and premieres in January 2013 with ten all-new episodes on IFC.

Sevigny will appear in multiple episodes throughout the third season as Fred and Carrie's roommate named Alexandra. Kyle MacLachlan (Made In Jersey, Desperate Housewives) will also return as the city's mayor. Stay tuned for more new residents visiting Portlandia during season three. Guest stars last season included Jeff Goldblum (Jurassic Park, Independence Day), Tim Robbins (The Shawshank Redemption) and Kristen Wiig (Bridesmaids, SNL).

Chloe recently took part in a reading at Ace Hotel for Pussy Riot who were then found guilty and sentenced to two years in prison. Watch video from the event below...

Continue reading "Chloe Sevigny joins Season 3 Portlandia cast; Watch her read for Pussy Riot"

The Hive Dwellers

The show scheduled to take place at the Flatiron Hotel Rooftop Patio tonight (4/6) was moved due to a cell phone tower being still located there (aka fear of cancer). Where was it moved? To Market Hotel!

TONIGHT:

====| FRIDAY 4/6 @ @ THE MARKET HOTEL <-venue-change!- |====
:: HIVE DWELLERS --------- feat CALVIN JOHNSON - unamplified acoustic performance
:::: Hamish Kilgour & Leila Adu -- mem THE CLEAN
:::::: the Curious Mystery
:::::::: Katie Eastburn --- x Young People

| THE MARKET HOTEL |
959 Broadway @ Myrtle Ave | Bushwick, Brooklyn
JMZ - Myrtle Ave, G-Myrtle-Willoughby | 8pm | $8 | ALL AGES
no alcohol will be served at Friday's event

Tonight's Brooklyn show is also just one stop on a larger tour for the Hive Dwellers who also play Staten Island, Hartford CT, SUNY Purchase and Bard by Wednesday. Some of their dates, including tonight, are with their separately touring K Records labelmates The Curious Mystery whose other upcoming shows include a residency at NYC's Ace Hotel. All dates for both bands are listed below...

Continue reading "Hive Dwellers (with Calvin Johnson) & K Records' the Curious Mystery on tour; playing MARKET HOTEL (tonight)"

photos by Dominick Mastrangelo

EMA @ the Ace Hotel

If you weren't running around on weekdays seeing CMJ shows this year, maybe you were listening to the ones that were being broadcast live on KEXP at the Ace Hotel. Dominick went and saw at least three of them live. His pictures continue below...

Continue reading "Zola Jesus, Givers & EMA recorded KEXP CMJ sessions @ the Ace Hotel (pics)"

Zola Jesus at Pitchfork Fest (more by Dominick Mastrangelo)

Seattle's KEXP will present free daytime live radio broadcasts during CMJ from the lobby of NYC's Ace Hotel again this year.

On October 19, Zola Jesus, We Are Augustines, Portugal. The Man, and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah will perform during the day with "Matador, 4AD, and Rough Trade DJs" at night. On October 20, there will be performances by Widowspeak, Givers(who opens for Portugal. The Man at Webster Hall), Dum Dum Girls (who also plays Bowery Ballroom), and The Lonely Forest, and DJ sets by Acephale Records and RVNG INTL. On October 21, there will be performances by WATERS (who has other CMJ shows), EMA (who has two other CMJ shows), Atlas Sound, and one more TBA, and DJ sets by Group Tightener and Merge Records. You can just show up and watch, or else tune into KEXP to listen on those days.

Speaking of Zola Jesus, her great new LP, Conatus, came out today via Sacred Bones. Stream the entire thing at The Guardian. She has other CMJ shows at Knitting Factory and Le Poisson Rouge.

Full CMJ KEXP schedule below...

Continue reading "KEXP recording CMJ sets @ the Ace Hotel, new Zola Jesus out today (and still streaming)"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Fan Modine - Julu Road (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Fan Modine - Through the Valley (MP3)

Last here for this year's popfest, Fan Modine (aka North Carolina resident Gordon Zacharias) is back in town this month for two performances of gorgeous orch-pop: there's a free show this Sunday (8/7) at the Ace Hotel with Sam Owens, and then Wednesday, August 17 at The Rock Shop with April March and Hotel Lights (the new band from Darren Jesse of Ben Folds Five).

At the top of this post you can download two tracks from Fan Modine's new album, Gratitude the Shipper, Zacharais' first in six years. If you like The Pernice Brothers, The Divine Comedy, The Left Banke, this album's for you. It's also got a slew of talent on it. Chris Stamey of the dB's produced, and features NC legend Mitch Easter, plus members of Polvo and the Essex Green.

Both NYC performances are full band shows, so hopefully much of Gratitude the Shipper's (and previous albums, like 2004's Homeland) lush arrangements will be represented live.

by Klaus Kinski

Euegene Mirman @ The Eugene Mirman Festival (more by David Andrako)

Ladies and gentlemen, we are approaching that time of year when I feel so oppressed and destroyed by the heat and humidity that I can't help but contemplate suicide knowing that I must endure this for many many many more weeks. As the sweat and grease springs forth from every pore of my body... as the sweat that begins at the back of my neck rolls its way south and converges with my back sweat and picks up momentum and girth as the sweaty tidal wave approaches my butt-crack... as I wince through this every day I think, "Dead people don't have to deal with this. It must be much cooler and shadier being entombed." (it's DEFINITELY cooler being in the band Entombed). People migrate to the beach not just to enjoy the sun and the water; they do so to escape the revolting sight of people like me panting and sweating through our clothing and the sheer lack of comfort we exude. It is at this point in the calendar year that I feel my lowest and need a serious and somewhat sustained pick-me-up. Thankfully, the fine folks at Creaghead & Company have a pile of comedic fare for me to ingest in the coming weeks that will hopefully keep me from the edge. It will do nothing for my perpetual moisture and shininess, but it'll make life more tolerable!

For those of you not in the know, Creaghead & Company is a small, mom and pop outfit from Brooklyn that puts together some seriously rad music and comedy events. You may not have known it, but Creaghead & Company was/is behind events and tours such as Pretty Good Friends (a weekly comedy show at Union Hall hosted by Eugene Mirman) (there was also a PGF tour that featured Mirman, Reggie Watts, and Kumail Nanjiani), The Eugene Mirman Comedy Festival, Heart of Darkness (brain child of Greg Barris), Marking Out (hosted by Matt McCarthy), and more. The shows C&Co put together aren't just standard stand-up fare. Each and ever yone of these shows DO feature some of the best minds in comedy currently drawing breath.

A more elaborate listing of their upcoming events are listed below, but allow me to take time out of MY busy day and give YOU a quick de-briefing (not the underwear kind) of what to expect in the coming days/weeks. The fun starts, like, soon... as in, like, Monday July 11th when Matt McCarthy's show Marking Out hits the Ace Hotel with guests including Michael Showalter, Joe Mande, Adam Lowitt, and musical guest Toys & Tiny Instruments. For the record, McCarthy is an absolute comedic force. Sort of like the real Klaus Kinski, only hilarious and completely different looking. Or maybe like the Minor Threat of comedy where you want to be up front gnashing your teeth and pumping your fist with him, but instead reel it in and respectfully listen while he does his thing. One of my favorites in the biz.

Marking Out is at 8pm which means you can probably catch it before Whiplash, which, like every Monday night, starts at 11pm at UCB.

Then on Wednesday July 13th you can catch Tom Shillue's FunnyStory.biz at Caroline's On Broadway. The show is hosted by Klaus favorite Tom Shillue and features Kurt Braunohler, Rich Vos, Swords, and John Flynn. Yes, it's at Carolines but it's only 10 bucks. And as side note, I know Caroline's gets a lot of shit for being a corporate Time's Square tourist venue, but they have made a serious effort lately to have $5 shows, one of which is hosted by the great Joe Mande. So give 'em a break. You pompous shrill.

Then on Saturday July 16th you can catch Heart of Darkness at Union Hall. Hosted by Greg Barris, Heart of Darkness is waaayyyy more than a stand up revue. I spoke about it in my little corner of the internet, but to sum:

"It is an incorporative show," explains the project's charismatic creator, 28-year-old comedian Greg Barris, who will also take the stage. "The band and the comics will all be performing together, the audience will be involved, special guests will be involved--the whole way through. And people's sins will be forgiven."

Head back to Union Hall on Monday July 18th for a pretty serious Creaghead & Company Mandatory Staff Meeting featuring Head Creaghead Caroline Creaghead. The meeting will also feature Department Heads: Eugene Mirman, Murderfist, Mike Pomranz, and intern Roger Hailes. And more. This event is actually not optional. If you don't go you'll be fired, from life. Pretty serious stuff.

Also, you might want to make sure that on July 29th you get your cut-off wearing ass over to the Williamsburg Waterfront for Creaghead & Co. related event Pretty Good Friends featuring Eugene Mirman, Patton Oswalt, Todd Barry, Kristen Schaal, and They Might Be Giants. The setting is beautiful, the event is free, and you deserve a good laugh. Trust me, you do.

More details on all these shows below...

Continue reading "Klaus Kinski's Comedy Canon (07/11/11)"

The Beets @ Death By Audio (more by Zach Stern)

The Princetonian: What are your favorite venues to play?

The Beets: There is definitely a nice feel to house shows -- I guess it feels more like a communal thing, where you are on par with the people watching you (like they're just as important as you are for the show to happen). I think some of that gets lost when you play bigger venues. In terms of specific venues, we really like Dead Herring, which is actually someone's apartment. Death by Audio and Silent barn have always treated us great. They are run by really passionate people who are so easy to get along with.

What's the rock scene like in New York?

The Beets: New York is chock full of scenes and different bands, I wouldn't know where to begin. As for the scene we seem to be a part of, it is adored. It's great to be able to play shows with a community of people that you don't just respect musically but that you can get along with on a personal level. Some people hate it, some people love it and that's how it will always be. The important thing is that we adore doing what we're doing and glad we have found a venue to do it.

Continue reading "The Beets are playing Ace Hotel, SXSW, a lot of other shows"