words by Rachel Kowal, photos by Andrew St. Clair

Between his DJ gig to kick off the evening and the two separate sets he played with Stars, frontman Torquil Campbell was on stage for nearly three hours, but he didn't seem to tire. As people filtered in the Music Hall of Williamsburg on Friday night (6/4), Campbell, billed as "Dead Child Star", selected a number of 80s tunes, delivered an impromptu lecture on Hall and Oates, and occasionally sung along to the songs he chose when the mood struck him.

Following his DJ set, Campbell took a brief respite back stage, and the anticipation in the crowd grew. There was no opening band - at least not in the conventional sense. Instead, Stars played two sets. For the first, they showcased their upcoming album in its entirety. In typical Stars fashion, The Five Ghosts is an album full of somber but danceable numbers for the brokenhearted. Things like shadows, ghosts, dead leaves, and uneasy souls haunt their lyrics. Just take a look at the ghoulish song titles below to get a taste of the pervading tone, and picture Stars performing in front of two gigantic banners depicting what appeared to be dancing spectres covered in shrouds.

But their songs are not tunes tailor-made for the dead and heartless. As on their previous albums, sexual tension permeates their music and really brings it to life. Though it would be hard to top their sexy (and disturbing) hit "One More Night (Your Ex-Lover Remains Dead)," seeing Torquil Campbell and Amy Millan sing the line, "I don't want your body" back and forth to each other with their faces mere inches apart was pretty hot.

Throughout the evening, Campbell referred to Brooklyn with a touch of nostalgia. Before they built up a reputation for themselves in Montreal, the band allegedly spent some time in New York. "You know," Campbell said, "Stars started here in Williamsburg in 1997... but walking around today, I thought I was on acid. Things are so different. But we're honored to be part of the community again."

The audience, equally appreciative, listened to the new songs with rapt attention, prompting Millan to say, "You guys are doing great. Look at you. Who says the whole country has ADD? You don't!"

Following the conclusion of The Five Ghosts' eleven songs, Campbell expressed his delight that their experiment had worked, and the group took a short break while some Motown played in the background.

By the time Stars returned, white roses had been wrapped around the mic stands and placed throughout the stage. "Give it up for the opening band! Stars!" Campbell exclaimed playfully as he took to the stage for the third time of the evening.

From the opening notes on the melodica of "Your Ex-Lover Is Dead," (from 2005's Set Yourself on Fire), the energy level in the room spiked. Drummer Pat McGee conducted the crowd in an early sing-a-long, and Campbell threw handfuls of white rose petals into the crowd as the song concluded.

The songs for the second set were determined entirely based on online votes before the show from fans, which made for a pretty dynamic show. Apparently, New York was the only city that had voted on "A Thread Cut with a Carving Knife," which appropriately features a "hot and sultry" afternoon in June (and of course, an ending love affair).

Between the additional songs about love and death and the constant scattering of roses, it was quite a romantic evening. And yes, the Canadian five-piece totally closed on "One More Night," which was pretty hot ... even if the song is "literally about fucking someone to death" as Campbell unabashedly reminded the crowd. By the time they concluded their second set, only the rose adorning Millan's mic stand remained on stage. The rest were thrown into the crowd throughout the evening and either thrived in the hands of fans or lied abandoned on the floor, beneath feet and empty plastic cups.

The Music Hall of Williamsburg show was the first of two NYC concerts Stars performed over the weekend (part of a larger tour). The next was Saturday night at Le Poisson Rouge. More pictures and the setlist from Music Hall, below...

Continue reading "Stars played 2 sets @ Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn - pics & setlist"

by Andrew Frisicano

DOWNLOAD: Pavement - Gold Soundz (MP3)

Broken Social Scene @ Masonic Temple, Oct 2008 (more by Kyle Dean Reinford)

Broken Social Scene will be releasing their new, as-yet-untitled album on May 4th, 2010 on Arts & Crafts. Co-produced by the band and Tortoise's John McEntire at Soma Studios in Chicago, with additional recording at Giant Studio and The Schvitz Studio in Toronto, the new album is the follow up to their acclaimed self-titled record, released in 2005.

It's hard to believe that the last BBS record came out more than four years ago. The new album's release will be accompanied by a short set of tour dates in North America and Europe. One of those will be "An Evening With Broken Social Scene" at NYC's Webster Hall on May 7th. Tickets to that are on Arts & Crafts presale now. (as are tickets for their L.A. and San Francisco shows). NYC tickets go on general sale Saturday, 2/16 at noon.

Tickets for BSS's Toronto Centre Island (Olympic Island) show on June 19th are also on sale. Toronto Island Concert will be a full-day festival with Band of Horses and co-headlined by Pavement. More acts are TBA.

Pavement, whose reunion shows are slowly creeping up, recently released the tracklist of their best-of comp, Quarantine The Past: Greatest Hits 1989-1999, coming out March 9th on Matador. Tracklist, album art and updated tour dates are below. A remastered version of "Gold Soundz" from the comp is posted above.

All BSS tour dates, the credits for the new BSS record (which included Feist and Pavement's Spiral Stairs) and more info are below...

Continue reading "Broken Social Scene - new album! & tour dates, Webster Hall & Toronto Island w/ Pavement (who has a 'Best Of' coming)"

Tickets are on sale (@ noon) for the Neon Indian show happening at Mercury Lounge in December.

Neon Indian last played NYC during CMJ. This weekend they play in Austin at Fun Fun Fun Fest. Flyer below.

Also playing FFFFest are Fucked Up who play a very big show in NYC on Thursday. Tickets are still available.

Also playing FFFest is Danzig whose only other scheduled show is in NJ in December. Tickets are still on sale.

Tickets are on AmEx presale (@ noon) for the show Devendra Banhart just added at Music Hall of Williamsburg.

Tickets are still available for the show Wolfmother added at Music Hall of Williamsburg.

Tickets are on AmEx presale for the Levon Helm / Okkervil River show coming up at Terminal 5.

Tickets are on sale for a December 15th Retribution Gospel Choir (Feat. Alan Sparhawk of Low) show at Mercury Lounge.

Tickets are on AmEx presale (@ noon) for a January 8th Dutchess and The Duke show at Mercury Lounge.

Tickets are on AmEx presale (@ noon) for a January 15th Joe Pernice show at Mercury Lounge. This is a new date. He was supposed to play the venue this Friday, but that show was canceled.

Tickets are on AmEx presale (@ noon) for the January 22nd Serena Maneesh show at Mercury Lounge.

Tickets are on AmEx presale (@ noon) for a January 5th Adam Franklin (of Swervedriver) & The Bolts of Melody show at Mercury Lounge.

Noah and the Whale play their third of three shows in a row at Mercury Lounge tonight (11/4).

Tonight (11/4) is also the Very Best & Sleigh Bells show at Santos Party House.

Amy Millan of Stars/Broken Social Scene gets to town Thursday (11/5) for a show at Mercury Lounge followed by one at the Bell House. Amy's new video for "Bury This" below...

Continue reading "Neon Indian, Devendra Banhart, Alan Sparhawk, Serena Maneesh, Adam Franklin, Joe Pernice, Amy Millan, other tix"

Amy Millan is set to release her sophomore full-length, Masters Of The Burial, on September 8 through Arts and Crafts International. The follow up to her acclaimed 2006 debut, Honey From The Tombs, was recorded earlier this year with renowned producer/sound technician Martin Davis Kinack (Apostle of Hustle/Sarah Harmer/Broken Social Scene) in rural Ontario.

Following the release of that record, Amy will set out on a tour of Canada and the US. That trip brings her to NYC for a Thursday, November 5th show at the Mercury Lounge and a November 6th show at the Bell House. Tickets go on sale for the Mercury Lounge show Friday, August 7th at noon. Bell House tickets are on sale now.

This summer Amy has been playing in Broken Social Scene including at Rothbury and at the July 11th Toronto show that had her back on stage alongside fellow BSS-alums Feist and Emily Haines. She also performed a free solo show at Harbourfront Centre in Toronto on July 25th. The setlist of that show (below) included a cover of Death Cab For Cutie's "I Will Follow You into the Dark" which is a song that also happens to appear on her new album.

Video of that performance, with all tour dates, and the full new album tracklist, below..

Continue reading "Amy Millan (BSS) - new album, Death Cab cover & tour dates "

Leslie Feist & Grizzly Bear's Ed Droste on the Cyclone - July 13, 2009

Like she will Tuesday on Letterman (tonight, 7/14), Leslie Feist joined Wilco on stage at Keyspan Park in Coney Island on Monday night (7/13) for a few songs. Edward Droste of Grizzly Bear played with them too. Collectively they performed Woody Guthrie's "California Stars". Yo La Tengo opened the show, and then also joined Wilco on stage during the encore. Pictures and more from the show coming soon HERE. Full setlist below.

Earlier in the evening Feist and Ed rode The Cyclone, the famous Coney Island roller coaster (as you can see in the picture above). If you've never been on it, this Saturday during the Siren Festival might be a good time to change that.

For Grizzly Bear and Feist, it was just another example of a growing history of collaborations that includes multiple TV appearances, touring, recorded stuff, and on stage appearances. It's not clear if Ed will be on Letterman tonight too, but we do know that Feist and Wilco will perform the new Wilco song "You and I" on the show. They performed the same song together in Coney Island, and for the first time, in LA on June 25th. Video from that earlier one below.

Two nights before playing in Brooklyn, Feist reunited again with Broken Social Scene on stage at the Harbourfront Centre show in Toronto. For Feist it was at least the second time recently she played with her old band. To make this one even more special though, Emily Haines and Amy Millan were also all up there on stage at the same time - it was a proper BSS reunion. Videos below.

Above mentioned videos, and Wilco's entire Keyspan Park setlist, and video of Ed and Feist singing backup on "You Never Know", below...

Continue reading "Ed Droste, Feist (who just played w/ BSS) & Yo La Tengo played w/ Wilco (& rode the Cylcone) in Coney Island (setlist)"

Photos by Fresh Bread

DOWNLOAD: Stars on WNYC, March 2008 (MP3)

Saturday night (September 20) Stars played their first New York gig since last October in support of their new EP "Sad Robots". Terminal 5 is the largest venue the band has headlined in NYC, and though it may have not sold out, the place looked packed. Like fellow Canadian Basia Bulat did one night earlier at Highline Ballroom (Oh, My Darling), the band played a good chunk of their 2008 Polaris Prize nominated album (In Our Bedroom After The War).

More photos of Stars and their rose-covered stage below...

Continue reading "Stars @ Terminal 5, NYC - pics & setlist"

photos by Bao Nguyen

We've been following Broken Social Scene all over the place lately. Way back when there was Bonnaroo. Then Sled Island. Then there were the two NYC shows - Mercury Lounge and the Siren Festival. Finally there was this past weekend which included a performance in Montreal at the Osheaga Festival, and a show in Chicago at the Lollapalooza Festival. Stars' Amy Millan joined them on stage in Chicago and Montreal.

Tickets are now on sale for Broken Social Scene's next NYC show. More pictures from Lolla below...

Continue reading "Broken Social Scene - Lollapalooza pics & NYC TICKETS"