Jonah on stage with Far at Mercury Lounge (more by Chloe Rice)

Jonah Matranga has a new LP entitled You're All Those Things And Then You're None... or is it a double album? The LP, available in two forms, has one version that is Matranga "solo-style, just me and a guitar" while the second "features vocal and instrumental contributions from fans & friends all over the world". Get a copy of the new LP in all of its various incarnations (vinyl, CD, v1.0, v2.0) at Matranga's site.

Matranga has a few dates scheduled across the US and in the UK as well. In early May he comes east to play NJ, Philly and NYC. That includes Maxwell's on May 4th and Mercury Lounge on May 8th. Tickets for Maxwell's are on sale, as are the Philly tix. Mercury Lounge tickets go on sale Friday (4/15) at noon. All dates are listed below.

Speaking of solo 90's frontmen playing Mercury Lounge, don't forget that Tim Barry of Avail has a show coming up soon. Josh Small (who also plays with Tim) opens the April 16th show, as does Jenny Owen Youngs. Tickets are still on sale for the NYC gig which is part of a handful of dates Tim has scheduled this month.

All tour dates and a couple of recent live Jonah videos, below...

Continue reading "Jonah Matranga announces dates, Tim Barry touring sooner"

Black Lips @ Brooklyn Bowl in March (more by Gabi Porter)

Rock Off have updated their summer schedule of NYC Boat Cruise shows, which, like always, has focus on punk & garage (though there are other genres too). It includes Jello Biafra on May 29th, Electric Six on July 15th, Murphy's Law's annual Jimmy birthday show on August 12th, The Bouncing Souls on September 13th, and an August 2nd show with the Black Lips (who are in town much sooner a free but full RSVP-only show at Knitting Factory on April 29th with Pierced Arrows).

Other gigs includes Dam-Funk on April 24th (TONIGHT), Budos Band on June 11th, three NY Night Train parties, and The A-Bones on June 23rd. Tickets for most of the shows are on sale. No ticket info for Bouncing Souls yet. Black Lips go on sale Friday, April 30th.

Punk and punk-like boat shows are listed below...

Continue reading "Bouncing Souls, Black Lips, Jello Biafra & other boat shows "

photos by Tim Griffin

Jonny Corndawg

"Who the hell is Jonny Corndawg? Well, that's a reasonable question. Performing under a state-fair-sounding moniker, clad in an American flag shirt with an eagle medallion and singing "When a Ford Man Turns to Chevy," could cause plenty of people to write him off as an ironic character, parodying country music for the delight of Williamsburg blipsters, but that's not right. One could spend hours peeling away the layers of Jonny Corndawg, but the best way to sum him up is: a guy who writes and sings really cool songs... and just happens to be an absurdly skilled leather craftsman and airbrush artist." [ThePeoplesMusic]

Tim stopped by Knitting Factory and saw a bit of Jonny Corndawg before heading to Music Hall of Williamsburg for Light Asylum & LCD Soundystem. Unfortunately he (and I) couldn't stick around KF long enough to see Tim Barry's headlining set (or even Red River Clay who played 2nd), but luckily unARTigNYC shot really great video of over 8 minutes of the Avail singer's performance. Check that video after the Corndawg pics which continue below...

Continue reading "Tim Barry & Jonny Corndawg @ Knitting Factory - pics, video"

photos by Tim Griffin

7 Seconds

It's been an eventful time for shows at Webster Hall in NYC. Nine Inch Nails played there Sunday night, and the Bouncing Souls celebrated their 20th anniversary as a band with two shows there on Thursday and Friday.

On Thursday they played with Lifetime (and None More Black). On Friday it was with 7 Seconds and Tim Barry of Avail (who played on the floor). Rob Vitale from Black Train Jack helped sing a song with 7 Seconds. Bouncing Souls covered "Good Lookin' Out" by Sick of It All with Lou Koller from Sick of It All on vocals...

"i haven't seen so many stage dives in sooo long. 7 seconds put on a phenomenal show!!! it was like traveling through a time vortex to an 80's hardcore show! the crowd wasn't even super young or anything like that, i was kind of surprised!

i think this was one of the best new york crowds i've been a part of yet. i don't think i caught one cell phone in the air taking video or 'tweeting' which is a rarity. everyone was part of the pit and everyone wanted to be. amazing.

the bouncing souls totally delivered too, and tim barry [even though i came in not knowing what to expect] put on a super awesome show too! great!!!" [:: smo ::]

Then slightly modified Bouncing Souls lineups then moved to Philly. 7 Seconds and None More Black played with them at the Troc on Saturday. Lifetime and Tim Barry played with them at the Troc last night (Sunday, 8/23).

Kevin Seconds, who recently sat down and talked to Greg Attonito for us, is now on a solo tour that keeps him in the NYC area for a while. Tickets are still on sale for shows at Asbury Lanes, Maxwell's, First Unitarian Church, and Union Hall.

We posted some pictures of the first Webster Hall show HERE. More from the second night, and that BS setlist, below...

Continue reading "Bouncing Souls, 7 Seconds, Lifetime, Tim Barry & guests played Webster Hall (pics & setlist) & The Trocadero"

The previously mentioned Bouncing Souls / 7 Seconds shows have officially appeared and also include Lifetime, Tim Barry (of Avail), and None More Black (ex-Kid Dynamite) and are now (mostly) on band pre-sale. The lineups look like this:

8/20 - The Bouncing Souls, Lifetime & None More Black @ Webster Hall
8/21 - The Bouncing Souls, 7Seconds & Tim Barry @ Webster Hall
8/22 - The Bouncing Souls, 7Seconds, None More Black @ The Trocadero
8/23 - The Bouncing Souls, Lifetime, Tim Barry @ the Trocadero

Tickets for both NYC shows go on AmEx presale on Wednesday at noon. Tickets for all four shows go on regular sale Friday at noon. More Bouncing Souls dates HERE.

Continue reading "Bouncing Souls, 7 Seconds, Lifetime, Tim Barry & None More Black - 2 shows in NYC & 2 in Philly (presale now) "

Photos by Kyle Dean Reinford

If not obvious by the 2008 Fun Fun Fun Fest coverage so far, I was having the most fun (fun fun) over the weekend with all the punk, metal and hardcore on stages 3a and 3b (two connected stages to avoid long times between sets). Highlights and pictures from day one are HERE. Highlights of day two (9/9) were DOA, Frightened Rabbit, the ska punk, politics and crowd of Leftover Crack, Cro-Mags (jam) (John Joseph w/ one of Cro-Mags' past drummers, AJ from Leeway on guitar and Craig Setari of Sick of it All on bass), what I saw of St. Vincent and Black Angels, the vegan sausage pizza, and Bad Brains. I managed to catch a few songs of Islands who sounded great, but totally missed Spinto Band and Annuals. Also saw pieces of Kevin Seconds, Chuck Ragan, and Ben Nichols's solo-frontmen sets. Saw Black Joe Lewis and most of Trash Talk, but neither lived up to my expectations in the daytime festival setting. I went back and forth between the pre-headliner sets of Minus the Bear and Bouncing Souls, and ran over to watch one song of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah during a Bad Brains reggae segment. Despite the competition, CYHSY still pulled in a respectable sized crowd. The stages were far enough away in general, but I could also still hear Alec Ounsworth's unmistakable voice at times between Bad Brains songs depending on where I was standing (I watched Bad Brains from various areas throughout their set). Clipse were headlining on the stage farthest away from Bad Brains so I totally missed them, and Kool Keith, who played that same stage earlier. Bad Brains ended earlier than curfew which meant I got to run over and catch about 20 minutes of Tim and Eric which was a great way (laughing) to end the hectic two day fest.

One unfortunate aspect of the weekend was the dust. It was a problem at ACL this year too. Dry dirt and wind meant you were constantly breathing it in. A signifigant portion of the crowd was wearing bandanas or other gas mask-like things on their faces. I didn't, but I should have because I think it made me a little sick. More pictures from day two below...

Continue reading "Fun Fun Fun Fest 2008 - (some of) day two in photos "

by Black Bubblegum (though not even close to metal)

Last month, indie rock blog Productshop NYC shuttered it's doors (RIP) to make way for Stories In High Fidelity, a place "for bands, record stores, labels and writers to share their stories, tour diaries, memories and so much more", a sort of "Huffington Post of music", if you will. To celebrate the launch, the site lined up a cocktail of noteworthy music writers like Chuck Klosterman (Sex, Drugs & Cocoa Puffs, Fargo Rock City), Dan Kennedy (Rock On: An Office Power Ballad), Rob Sheffield (Love Is A Mix Tape) and Marc Spitz (We Got The Neutron Bomb) along with musical guests Rocketship Park and a full headlining set by Jaymay. The "pre-CMJ extranvaganza" will be held at Highline Ballroom on Oct 20th, tickets are on sale.

After Highline Ballroom, Jaymay will hit the road with The Hotel Cafe tour... and although she won't be in NYC when the tour rolls through town at the Music Hall Of Williamsburg, Thao Nguyen will, along with Rachael Yamagata, Meiko, Emily Wells, & Samantha Crain. Tickets for the Brooklyn show are on sale. Full tour dates are below.

Compare/Contrast Hotel Cafe's lineup to the "singer/songwriter" one at the Blender tonight (10/13) with Chuck Ragan (Hot Water Music), Ben Nichols (Lucero), Tim Barry (Avail), and Frank Turner. Tickets are still available. "Chuck Ragan The Revival Tour" will be scooting through the US through mid-November, including a date at the Fun Fun Fun Fest with a shit-ton of great bands (but no Flipper), and a string of dates with Tom Gabel of Against Me! (who recently played a solo show of his own).

Thao Nguyen recently ate books with Paul Simon, Department Of Eagles, Tunde Adebimpe, Kyp Malone, Parker Posey, Ira Glass, Bobby Cannavale and Patricia Clarkson.

All tour dates below...

Continue reading "Hotel Cafe vs Chuck Ragan The Revival - 2008 tour dates, Jaymay, Thao Nguyen, & Stories in High Fidelity"