photos & videos by Jessica Amaya

Twin Sister @ Mercury Lounge

Twin Sister played the second show of their current tour at Mercury Lounge in NYC on Thursday night (9/29), with Ava Luna (Factory Floor played the same venue earlier that night). Here are some pictures and videos. They continue below...

Continue reading "Twin Sister & Ava Luna @ Mercury Lounge (pics & video)"

Twin Sister @ Bowery Ballroom on 9/19 (more by Diana Wong)

Twin Sister's previously mentioned tour now begins at Union Pool tonight (9/28). Lost Boy? (who just played Glasslands) opens the 9pm show ($10, no advanced tickets). All tour dates, including Mercury Lounge tomorrow (9/29) with Ava Luna, and a brand new video for "Kimmi in a Rice Field", below...

Continue reading "Twin Sister kicking off tour at just-added UNION POOL SHOW TONIGHT (dates & new video)"

photos by Diana Wong

Great Lake Swimmers @ the U.S. Open

"Serena Williams failed to put a storybook finish on her injury comeback and instead decided on Sunday to once again turn center court at the U.S. Open into a vulgar outlet for her frustrations.

Williams, whose outburst in the U.S. Open semi-final two years ago cost her the match, is praised for her power-hitting and fighting qualities on the court but has also come to be reviled for a lack of self control toward officials.

Her latest incident, which came during a 6-2 6-3 loss to Australian Sam Stosur in the final, featured repeated outbursts toward a chair umpire who reversed a point against her for shouting "Come On!" while the ball was in play.

"If you ever see me walking down the hall, look the other way because you're out of control. You're out of control. You're a hater and unattractive inside, the 29-year-old told the chair umpire during a changeover. "Code violation for this? I expressed myself, we're in America last time I checked. Don't look at me. Don't look my way."" [Reuters]

Continue reading "Great Lake Swimmers, Ava Luna, Serena Williams & others played the U.S. Open (pics) "

by Andrew Sacher

Toro y Moi at Pitchfork Fest (more by Dominick Mastrangelo)

Toro y Moi is releasing the Freaking Out EP on Tuesday (9/13) via Carpark. The EP is the followup to his full length, Underneath the Pine, which came out earlier this year on the same label. You can grab two tracks, "All Alone" and "Saturday Love" (an Alexander O'Neal & Cherelle cover), in exchange for your email address below. Though both will remind you of the disco-y pop of Underneath the Pine, the introductory synth frills on "All Alone" tell you right away that Freaking Out isn't an EP of leftover album tracks.

Toro y Moi's previously announced tour begins this week and hits Webster Hall on September 14 with Unknown Mortal Orchestra and Ava Luna. Tickets are still available. All dates are listed below.

We're also giving away a signed vinyl copy of Underneath the Pine and a pair of tickets to the Webster Hall show. Details on how to win, along with MP3 widgets, album art, tracklist and updated tour dates below...

Continue reading "Toro y Moi kicking off tour, releasing EP -- 2 MP3s, updated dates & a chance to win tix to Webster Hall & a signed album"

Great Lake Swimmers @ SXSW 2011 (more by Dominick Mastrangelo)

The private Matt & Kim/Girl Talk show wasn't the only musical portion of this year's U.S. Open which is now underway in NY. Tennis fans will also get to enjoy sets by indie rock bands like Wye Oak (9/1), Miniature Tigers (9/2), Ava Luna (9/3), Great Lake Swimmers (9/4), and others through the competition's September 11th end date.

For Wye Oak the tennis show is a one-off date before they begin touring with Yo La Tengo and the National, and then Okkervil River, and then Explosions in the Sky. All dates are listed below.

For Great Lake Swimmers, it's one of four NY shows, one of which is at City Winery on September 5th. All dates are listed below...

Continue reading "Wye Oak, Great Lake Swimmers & others playing the U.S. Open (and other shows)"

The Hold Steady at Fun Fun Fun Fest 2010 (more)

Last month, we announced that Truck America is returning to the Catskills in September (the 9th through the 11th) and will be headlined by The Hold Steady and Okkervil River. The only other confirmed bands at the time were Ra Ra Riot and Wye Oak. The lineup has since been updated to include Fruit Bats, Vetiver, The Felice Brothers, CItay, Gary Higgins, Lady Lamb the Beekeeper, Takka Takka, Hospitality, The Low Anthem and others. Check out the full list below. Early bird tickets are still on sale.

For The Low Anthem, it's one of many dates they just announced including one at Terminal 5 with Iron & Wine.

Speaking of The Hold Steady, frontman Craig Finn posted to his Tumblr that he's making a solo album:

"I'm in Austin TX for a few weeks. Making a record. Staying in a friend's guest house. Got here yesterday. So far so good. I'll be tracking the progress here."

Check out the full Truck America lineup update below...

Continue reading "Truck America expands lineup, Craig Finn working on solo LP"

photos by Jessica Amaya, wordsy by Rachel Kowal

Twin Sister @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

The last two nights of Northside were decent, if not a bit predictable. Though I was curious about Kelly Pratt (Arcade Fire/Beirut)'s new band Bright Moments (they played their first show at the Luaka Bop showcase), I decided to play it safe on Saturday night and headed over to the Music Hall of Williamsburg where I was familiar with the last three artists on the bill.

Somehow, the venue was actually running ahead of schedule, leaving me with only one song from the peppy Brooklyn collective Ava Luna. Luckily, I got my fix of group vocals from the next band, London's Allo Darlin'. The mood in the room (both on stage and off) was lively. As if attempting to match the vibrant performance, a number of people near the front of the floor danced enthusiastically (or rather, jumped up and down) for the entirety of the set. The band dedicated one song to Clarence Clemons who passed away earlier that night.

Twin Sister rounded out the evening. With vocalist Andrea Estella's shifting persona, you never really know what you're going to get. This time, Estella was decked out in a long white wig, oversized glasses (sans lenses), and a demure white button-up blouse, complete with matching bowtie. Whether the changing aesthetic is driven by a shyness or confidence is unclear, but it seems to be in keeping with her dramatic and affected vocals.

Toward the mid-section of their set, Twin Sister showcased a handful of songs from their upcoming album, due out in September on Domino. With the combination of charming low-key songs and funkier electro-pop songs, like the new single "Bad Street," the Brooklyn group can sometimes feel a bit schizophrenic to me, but they handled the shifting tempos in their set like pros. After a few punchier songs, nearly everyone in the band cleared the stage save for Eric Cardona and Estella, who stayed on to play a couple of their quieter and more intimate songs, including the lovely "Nectarine" and one from their upcoming album. Far from making the audience lose interest, these were the portions of the show that seemed to garner the most applause.

Mount Eerie @ St. Cecilia's Church (this photo by Michael Barron)

After a string of nights traipsing between venues and navigating the particularly unkind MTA service changes, Northside concluded where it began for me - in St. Cecilia's Church.

Though it was definitely Mount Eerie that sold me on the show, one of the biggest surprises of the long weekend was the first opener, Wyrd Visions. The set-up was simple - just a guy and his guitar, but within seconds of starting to play, the crowd was locked in a silent reverence.

With his hair slicked back and white collar shirt, Colin Bergh serenaded crowd with his long, melodious instrumental interludes and soothing vocals. Though I had never heard his music before, it somehow seemed both comfortingly familiar and organic. What better opener for Mount Eerie than a man who sings of things like ghosts and nature? The setting of the church only added to Bergh's stark mystique.

Up next was Nicholas Krgovich who played his own set before joining Phil Elverum for the main act. In his SADE t-shirt, Krgovich paced around the small space, clutching two mics and singing over samples of sultry saxes and hip hop beats. After a few songs, he was joined by Katie Eastburn who lent her vocal talents for a handful of songs, including a cover of the Prefab Sprout song, "Doo Wop in Harlem."

By the time Mount Eerie began, the church had filled out nicely. As a longtime Phil Elverum fan, I was eager to learn what had made the set list, but from a brief conversation with Elverum before the show, I knew not to expect anything too old. The show began and ended with songs from the darker and heavier album Wind's Poem ("Wind Speaks" and "Stone's Ode," respectively). Sandwiched in the middle were even newer songs that Elverum told me hadn't yet been recorded.

Even though he didn't delve too far back into the discography, I was still on the edge of my seat for every song... and yes, a bit heart broken that there was no encore. Whether a product of my ever diminishing attention span or the quickly changing music scene, much of what I listen to has a pitifully short shelf life. Elverum's music is one of the only things that I've held onto year after year, even as he turned in his hushed, lo-fi recordings and ventured into more metal territory. In stark contrast to the "ironic" bullshit that seems to drive some of today's trends, there is something in Elverum's steady voice and calm, down-to-earth demeanor that deeply resonates with me and reminds me why I fell in love with music in the first place.

My only gripe of the evening (apart from the brevity of Elverum's set, of course) is that I didn't have enough money to purchase both The Glow, pt. 2 on vinyl and some music from Wyrd Visions.

---

No mmore pictures from the Mount Eeerie show (which happened at the same time as YACHT and Deervana), but more pictures from Twin Sister/Allo Darlin, below...

Continue reading "Twin Sister, Allo Darlin', Mount Eerie, Wyrd Visions & more (Northside Fest pics & review)"

DOWNLOAD: Secret Cities - "Love Crime" (MP3)

Pujol @ a BV party @ SXSW (more by Amanda Hatfield)

"We'll start by letting Daniel Pujol tell you about his debut LP for Infinity Cat: "The X File On Main St. LP stylistically focuses on Nashville and draws from my work in MEEMAW and Saigon Baby/Wizardz. It is an aesthetic and conceptual assemblage of a lot of the recording and narrative ideas I've experimented with since 2007, but all at once. X File is a record for and about everything around in Nashville since I moved here in 2006. Ben Todd of Nashville's Dead, Dillon "Angel Baby" Watson of D. Watusi, and Wez Traylor of Natural Child and MEEMAW play on it. Their science keeps me honest; the truth is way, way, out there.""
[Infinity Cat]

Pujol are on tour with Secret Cities. Both bands, both with new releases, are making their way to Toronto for NXNE, but meanwhile are in NYC for two shows. These dates are tonight (6/14) at Death By Audio with Dream Diary and Little Gold and tomorrow (6/15) at Cake Shop with Ava Luna.

Pujol and Secret Cities play NXNE together at Wrongbar on June 17 with Ty Segall and Julianna Barwick. Ty Segall is also on the lineup of the BV/M For Montreal 'Bruise Cruise' one day later.

Pujol are also playing the Sled Island festival in Calgary, AB on June 24-25 with Deer Tick, Dinosaur Feathers, Crocodiles, The Muffs and many others.

Ava Luna also play some dates in September with Toro y Moi including Webster Hall.

Secret Cities recently released the album Strange Hearts via Western Vinyl. Check out th3 MP3 of "Love Crimes" above, and the video for "Always Friends" off that album along with all tour dates below...

Continue reading "Secret Cities & Pujol released stuff, are on tour, in NYC now, on way to NXNE & other dates (MP3 & dates)"

photos by Kyle Dean Reinford

DOWNLOAD: Little Dragon - "Nightlight (Unknown Mortal Orchestra Remix) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Unknown Mortal Orchestra - "How Can U Luv Me" (MP3)

UMO @ Glasslands

Unknown Mortal Orchestra headlined Glasslands on 6/4. Headless Horseman, Balkans, and Fort Lean rounded out the rest of the bill. Despite some gear issues, UMO played an hour long set that concluded with "How Can U Luv Me" to a relatively full crowd. UMO is currrently prepping to release their self-titled debut on Fat Possum on 6/21. Stream three songs at the label site and download one above along with a remix the band did for Little Dragon.

The Glasslands show was one of two NYC dates for UMO, who played Webster Hall with their tour-mates Portugal The Man the night before. They'll return both venues in September while on tour with Toro Y Moi who headlines Webster Hall on 9/14. Ava Luna is also on the bill and tickets are still available. One day later, 9/15, UMO return to Glasslands for another headlining show. Tickets are on sale for that too.

UMO also has a bunch of dates scheduled with Yuck.. All dates and more pictures from Glasslands below...

Continue reading "Unknown Mortal Orchestra played Glasslands (pics), touring with Toro y Moi, playing Glasslands again (dates)"

Laura Stevenson at MHOW in February (more by Andrew St. Clair)

Annual, all ages, Brooklyn DIY music festival Hillstock takes place at 285 Kent Ave on June 3, 106 Emerson Place on June 4 (free admission), and 402 1/2 Park Avenue on June 5. The lineup features a number of local mainstays including So So Glos, Eskalators, Terror Pigeon Dance Revolt!, Ava Luna, and Laura Stevenson (solo) in addition to many lesser known names. Saturday also features a special appearance by Grand Wizzard Theodore. Full lineup and poster below.

Continue reading "Hillstock this weekend (3-day DIY Brooklyn music fest lineup)"

Toro Y Moi at Bowery Ballroom (more by Toby Tenenbaum)

Shortly after enjoying a relatively leisurely summer compared to his year so far (SXSW, Bowery Ballroom, Mercury Lounge) , Toro Y Moi will hit the road after Labor Day for a string of U.S. dates that will include a stop at Webster Hall on 9/14 with Ava Luna. Tickets for Chazwick Bundick's biggest NYC show yet go on sale at noon on Friday (5/20).

Toro Y Moi welcomed the Underneath The Pine LP in February, and will follow it up with the Still Sound Remix 12" via Amazing Sounds on June 13.

Toro Y Moi recently made a mixtape featuring awesome names like King Tubby, Dorothy Ashby, Ennio Morricone, and Goblin. In related news, Goblin's Claudio Simonetti will play Santos Party House on May 24th as part of Daemonia, his metal band that updates classic songs by Goblin. They'll be joined by Wolf Eyes and tickets are still available.

All tour dates and some video is below.

Continue reading "Toro Y Moi announces tour dates (Webster Hall included) & new 12" +++ Daemonia playing Santos w/ Wolf Eyes"

Marty Markowitz & Beirut & L Magazine staff @ Brooklyn Borough Hall

As you can see in the above photo, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz was on hand at the press conference this morning, as was now-confirmed Northside Festival headliner Beirut. Tickets will be HERE. More confirmed artists below...

Continue reading "Northside Fest confirms Beirut, Deer Tick, Twin Sister, Allo Darlin' & more (initial lineup)"

photos by Andrew St. Clair

DOWNLOAD: Darwin Deez - Where's the Chocolate (from Wonky Beats mixtape) (MP3)

NY Press: How in the hell were you big in the U.K. before here?

Darwin Deez: It was big there first because we had professionals working on it. We didn't have that here, because we were holding out for somebody decent. No labels came around that we liked. We were just waiting until now to do it, and we're doing it with the same people that were overseeing the release elsewhere in the world. It just needs to be done. We're all more available to focus on the American side of things now...

NY Press You also recently released a rap mix tape using only samples from Willy Wonka. You totally pulled a reverse Lil Wayne by going from pop to hip-hop.

Darwin Deez: I'm exactly that--a reverse Lil Wayne. Lil Wayne's rock album is shitty. My rap album is probably shitty.

And now, armed with his debut album full of pop hits (out in the USA TODAY), Darwin Deez is on his way to doing very well in his native country too, and especially his home of NYC. His show at Bowery Ballroom on Saturday night with Ava Luna & Friends was sold out. Pictures from the whole night are in this post.

Friends release their debut 7", called Friend Crush, in March via the same label (Lucky Number) that Darwin is signed to. You can stream the whole thing now below.

Darwin is about to kick off a European tour that ends before SXSW where he'll be playing at least two shows - one of which is a BrooklynVegan day party (stay tuned for more details). All Darwin dates, audio, video, and more pictures from Bowery Ballroom, are below...

Continue reading "Darwin Deez played Bowery Ballroom, released a Wonky mixtape, AND AN ALBUM (pics, MP3, more dates & stuff)"

by Andrew Sacher

CMJ (pic by thewildhoneypie)

The 2010 CMJ Music Marathon took place in NYC from Tuesday, 10/19 through Saturday, 10/23. Here's what I did, broken down by day...

Tuesday

I started day one of CMJ, my first-ever CMJ, at the 'Future of the Music Business, Really?' panel. It was really interesting and I learned a lot. The panelists discussed potential ways to keep the industry of recorded music alive, and from what I gathered, most of them agreed that if there was some way to pay a fee for unlimited music downloading, it would probably result in the most positive reception.

From there I hit the 'American Hardcore and the Rise of Modern Rock' panel. This was probably the most interesting panel I went to all week. It was moderated by American Hardcore: A Tribal History author Steven Blush and the panelists talked about how so many aspects of modern rock really are directly influenced from the early '80s hardcore scene, especially regarding the relevance of indie record labels, street teams, and samplers.

They also discussed how the American hardcore movement really is an art movement, not just a style of music. Among the panelists were Vic Bondi from Articles of Faith and Jack Rabid from the magazine, The Big Takeover. It was great to hear things about the movement from people who had really been there when it was prevalent. The event was one of many recent promotional appearances for Steven Blush. You can catch him again in NYC at The Strand at 7pm on 12/15.

Then I made my way over to the Ground Control showcase at Irving Plaza which was headlined by Jenny and Johnny (who I couldn't stay for). I really enjoyed Times New Viking - my first time seeing them. The drummer has the band move from one song to the next so quickly. I also enjoyed Wild Nothing's set a lot, especially now that I knew their album. I had actually seen them over the summer open for The Morning Benders but wasn't really familiar with them at the time.

continued below...

Continue reading "a college student @ CMJ (a College Music Jounal journal)"

Brooklyn DIY fest Hillstock will be returning this year for three days of music from June 11-13. It opens with a Friday show at Shea Stadium that features Terror Pigeon Dance Revolt!, the Eskalators, Ava Luna, The Toothaches, Fiasco and more. The second day is a backyard BBQ headlined by Aa, and the third is singer-songwriters on a rooftop.

Both three-day wrist bands ($15) and individual shows tickets ($7) will be available at the shows.

More info on tickets, venue locations, a full schedule of bands and videos from last year are below...

Continue reading "3-day Brooklyn DIY fest Hillstock happens this weekend "

Speaking of things to do on Memorial Day weekend...

Continue reading "free Bushwick Rooftop Festival this weekend (with 22 bands)"

DOWNLOAD: Deer Tick - Beautiful Girls (Sean Kingston Cover) (MP3)

Murphy's Law @ Culture Shock '09 (Serenaz)

The lineup is out for Culture Shock 2010, which will take place April 16th and 17th at SUNY Purchase. Headliners for this year's fest are pop-punk band Bayside (avoid the "Beautiful Girls" cover on their MySpace) (and check out another version above) and indie-pop collective Los Campesinos (who'll play Irving Plaza April 22nd) Friday night, and rapper Jay Electronica and The Books on Saturday. The rest of the bill is a varied mix that includes Surfer Blood, Black Milk, Maps & Atlases, L Mag Band You Need To Hear Ava Luna, Maluca, Das Racist, The So So Glos and Turbo Fruits. The annual event isn't technically open to non-students. The full lineup is below.

Last year's lineup was headlined by Drake and The Cool Kids. In 2008, Fucked Up's headlining performance was cut short by the police.

The bands were announced earlier this month via film at an event at the school. That video, the lineup and more are below...

Continue reading "SUNY Culture Shock 2010 lineup"

by Bill Pearis

The L Magazine's fifth annual "8 NYC Bands You Need to Hear" issue just hit the streets and the internet. It's got some familiar names (Twin Sister, North Highlands, Oberhofer) and some less-known ones (Nohow On, Asa Ransom). And like ever year, it's sure to spark some friendly debate, which I'll start: what, no Beach Fossils? Anyway, here's the L's Class of 2010, with each band's next NYC show just in case you wanna check 'em out (three of them are conveniently playing together at Cake Shop this Tuesday, April 6):

• Ava Luna (April 6, Cake Shop)
• MiniBoone (April 6, Cake Shop)
• Twin Sister (April 1, Glasslands)
• Asa Ransom (April 6, Cameo Gallery)
• Nohow On (April 17, Cameo Gallery)
• Ball of Flame Shoot Fire (April 6, Cake Shop)
• North Highlands (April 15, Union Hall)
• Oberhofer (April 6, Music Hall of Williamsburg (opening for Cymbals Eat Guitars)

P.S. The L Magazine-produced Northside Festival returns this year: June 24-27

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Oh No Ono - Internet Warrior (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Oh No Ono - Helplessly Young (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Hooray for Earth - Surrounded by Friends (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Field Music - Measure (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Twin Sister - Vampires with Dreaming Kids EP (Zip)

Oh No Ono

Denmark's Oh No Ono are in town this week for their first-ever NYC shows, the first of which was an in-store at Sound Fix last night. Anybody go? I'm seeing them tonight at Mercury Lounge, where they'll be playing with Bear in Heaven, ArpLine and Jaguar Club. Tomorrow they're at Union Hall with Depreciation Guild and Hooray for Earth. Oh No Ono's new album, Eggs, is impressively bonkers and almost impossible to describe succinctly. It's psychedelic, baroque, glammy, 70's AM, with some synth pop and the occasional church choir thrown in. And very catchy stuff too. Maybe they're the Sid and Marty Kroft version of Mew? Hear it for yourself -- there's two tracks at the top of this post. I can't wait to see how they pull all this off live.

Tonight's Mercury Lounge show is sold out, no surprise given they're playing with Bear in Heaven. Tomorrow's Union Hall show is just as solid though, with eight bit shoegazers The Depreciation Guild who will soon head off with Pains of Being Pure at Heart (Kurt Feldman's in both bands) for a tour of Japan. Also playing are Hooray for Earth, who neatly straddle the line between electronic pop and electrified rock. The sound is familiar and inviting yet I don't seem to be able to come up with any obvious comparisons to another band, which is a good thing. They've got a new EP, Momo, that is currently only available through Emusic (the latest in the Emusic Selects series) but I wouldn't be surprised if they were selling it at their merch table. It's definitely worth picking up. You can download the lead track, "Surrounded by Friends," at the top of this post.

Field Music

After cancelling their performance last-minute at Skippy's birthday party back in December, Field Music are back for their make-up date this Saturday (1/30) at the Bell House. If you bought tickets before, they're still valid. And if you haven't got tickets, they're still on sale. The Brewis brothers' new album, Field Music (Measure), is out February 16 and here's what I wrote last time:

...it's another knockout from the Brewis brothers, 20 tracks that further refine their distinctive mix of nervy new wave, prog, krautrock, tea party pop and whatever else they're into at the time. It's a Field Music album, no doubt about it, but it's less buttoned up, more rhythm heavy ("Let's Write a Book" shows that one of them's been listening to Can) and willing to give anything a try. If you've never seen Field Music live before, you should definitely come out, the Brewises are shit-hot musicians as well (David is an especially impressive drummer). There used to be a lot of switching instruments when they were a trio, but now as a four-piece I wonder if that'll still happen.

Twin Sister

Friday (1/29) at Bruar Falls is a band a lot of people seem to be talking about right now: Twin Sister. To me, there's a little '80s delay-pedal shimmery-ness to them (Cocteau Twins, Disintigration-era Cure), nods to '70s muted-fretboard soft rock soul, as well as a pastoral folk thing going on. Basically, dreamy and beautiful stuff. They also remind me a bit of Montreal's Luyas who, if they ever make it down this way, Twin Sister would make a perfect double bill. Thier EP from last year, Vampires with Dreaming Kids, is a free download from their website, which we link to at the top of this post. A new EP titled Color Your Life is due in March on Infinite Best Recordings. There's a video trailer for the EP at the bottom of this post.

Twin Sister have a bunch of shows coming up. In addition to Friday's Bruar Falls -- which is free, btw-- they're also playing Saturday (1/30) at the loft above Richie's Gym which is out by the Myrtle JMZ stop. Both those shows are being presented by busy blog Chocolate Bobka and also feature Austin's languid, reverby Pure Ecstasy. The Bruar show also has Family Portrait and Baltimore's Run DMT. Twin Sister have a bunch more shows lined up in February, including 2/25 at Cameo with Toro Y Moi. All dates are at the bottom of this post.

A few other weekend picks, videos and tour dates below...

Continue reading "Oh No Ono, Hooray For Earth, Field Music, Twin Sister, Javelin, Diehard & more in This Week in Indie"

Hey everyone,

TONIGHT'S SHOW IS CANCELED. THANKS FOR ALL THE SUPPORT.

Check the Ava Luna myspace for future shows.
www.myspace.com/avalunaband

LAMC