Apollo Heights

Entries tagged with: Apollo Heights

5 result(s) displayed (1 - 5 of 5):

Echo and the Bunnymen

There was nothing wrong with the Bunnymen show [in Washinton DC] on Friday [April 30th]. OK, that's not exactly true. We could have done without some of those meandering medleys that seemed to exist just so Ian McCulloch could sing a verse of "Walk on the Wild Side." The band sounded fine, Will Sergeant still plays great guitar, McCulloch still earns the right to wear sunglasses (and smoke) indoors. We put up with a handful of new tunes and they played all the hits everyone came to hear: "Bring on the Dancing Horses," "Seven Seas," "Villiers Terrace," "Lips Like Sugar," "The Killing Moon," etc.

A few dudes in their 40s and 50s wearing Docksides danced and played air guitar. It was fun, but all nostalgia, as it goes for an increasing number of shows these days. At these kinds of shows expectations will often be met, but rarely exceeded. (Note: This is not a cut-and-dried rule and when you hear me claim that the Clean played show of the year on Friday night, feel free to call me out.) [Washington Post]

Echo and the Bunnymen played two nights in a row at Irving Plaza, May 1st and 2nd, a pair of shows that wrapped up their post-Coachella North American tour. The first was with Kelly Stoltz instead of Hatcahm Social and the second was opened by Apollo Heights.

All upcoming tour dates, a new Blogotheque session and more pictures from the second NYC show, below...

Continue reading "Echo & the Bunnymen played Irving Plaza (belated pics) "

posted at 9:27 PM on May 17, 2010 in music | pictures | Comments (6)

Janelle Monae @ MHOW in April (more by Tim Griffin)

This summer Afro-Punk, BAMcinematek and Toyota will present the 5th annual Afro-Punk Festival, taking place July 3rd - July 8th, 2009 in the heart of Brooklyn, NY. The festival is the definitive destination for the global Afro-Punk community and audiences yearning to experience true AP culture!

Headliners at this year's fest include Pure Hell and Whole Wheat Bread on July 4th, Living Colour and Earl Greyhound on July 5th, and Saul Williams and Janelle Monae on July 6th.

Schedule and more info, below...

Continue reading "Afro-Punk - 2009 Brooklyn festival dates & lineup (Janelle Monae, Living Colour, Earl Greyhound, Saul Williams...) "

posted at 3:41 PM on June 4, 2009 in music | tour dates | Comments (16)

DOWNLOAD: The Phenomenal Handclap Band - Testimony (MP3)

The Phenomenal Hadndclap Band

In the midst of popular electronic-based production teams such as Justice and DFA, Embassy Sound Productions (ESP) emerges with a fresh approach to dance-oriented rock and roll, using live instrumentation to evoke the intricate arrangements of Norman Whitfield, Quincy Jones, and Phil Spector as well as the pared down beats of contemporaries like The Neptunes and Danger Mouse.

ESP is Daniel Collás and Sean Marquand, two New York underground club DJs who became restless with the concept of playing other people's music. Having been involved with and disenchanted by the local rock and roll scene, they began to focus on producing.

Their initial projects resuscitated the respective careers of two veteran soul acts (New York's Joe Bataan and Brazil's União Black) and garnered critical acclaim, leading Daniel & Sean to set their sights on The Phenomenal Handclap Band, a supergroup comprised of a "who's who" of the indie rock and underground soul scenes. Members of such diverse bands as TV on the Radio, L'Trimm, Calla, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Mooney Suzuki, and Sí Se all contribute their individual talents to the album.

The Phenomenal Handclap Band sound is an anthemic, dancefloor-oriented blend of progressive rock, disco, electro, and '60s soul with sprinklings of hip hop-styled orchestral breakbeats and moody, synth-heavy hooks.
[that's the description written on their MySpace]

I was going to list a whole bunch of keywords that come to mine when listening to the The Phenomenal Handclap Band, but I think they have it covered. Maybe throw in 'B movie soundtrack' (I mean that in a good way). Their unsigned, unreleased album also features contributions by (in addition to who they already mentioned) members of Antibalas, Oakley Hall, the Dap Kings, Amy Winehouse's band, Diamond Nights, Persephone's Bees and Apollo Heights. The people in the picture (can you name any?) are the core group of the band. So far the collective has only played one show. Tonight (Thursday September 25th) is their second. I think there will be 12 people on stage. Details below...

Continue reading "The Phenomenal Handclap Band - MP3, Disco D'or tonight"

posted at 11:26 AM on September 25, 2008 in dance | MP3 | music | Comments (20)

Apollo Heights

Check out the track above and a lot more like it at Apollo Height's MySpace page. Their "Everlasting Gobbstopper EP will be released on iTunes and other fine online stores this August. It will feature four unreleased tracks including the extremely rare 'Angel Heart' with Robin Guthrie."

Check out Apollo Heights tonight (August 20) if you're in NYC. They play Blender/Gramercy Theater with three other bands and according an email I have, it will be "Free for the first hour (7-8pm), and $5 after 8." Either way it is pretty cheap. A video below...

Continue reading "Apollo Heights - new EP, video & a cheap/free show tonight"

posted at 1:56 PM on August 20, 2008 in music | To Do | Comments (10)