DOWNLOAD: Emmy the Great - "God of Loneliness" (Dems Remix) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Emmy the Great - "Paper Forest" (Dan le Sac Remix) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Emmy the Great - "Exit Night" (Banjo or Freakout Remix) (MP3)

Emmy the Great at BV-CMJ 2011 (more by Chris La Putt)

On May 7, Emmy the Great released a new single for the track "God of Loneliness," which was originally written for her 2011 Virtue LP but did not appear on the album and was since reworked. The single came out on Close Harbour in the UK and is backed by a cover of Mazzy Star's "Fade Into You." You can stream "God of Loneliness" below and also check out videos of performances of both songs at London's Queen Elizabeth Hall from this past March. She nails Hope Sandoval's breathy vocals in "Fade Into You" pretty well. (Hope Sandoval herself performed "Fade Into You" recently at 6 California shows).

In addition to the single, Emmy is planning to release an accompanying short film and remixes of "God of Loneliness" and a few Virtue cuts by Dan Le Sac, Dems, Banjo or Freakout, and CSS. There's also a series comic strips for "God of Loneliness" created by Paul Shinn, which feature the remixers as characters. Check out the strips with Banjo or Freakout and Dan Le Sac below. You can download the Banjo or Freakout, Dan Le Sac, and Dems remixes above, or stream those below.

"God of Loneliness" is available as an iTunes download but the Mazzy Star cover isn't included. The single will be included with the deluxe edition of Virtue, which is due out in the US on May 22. The deluxe edition also includes bonus tracks from the Virtue sessions, "Paper Forest (Birds)" and "Emily."

All videos, comic strips, and streams are below...

Continue reading "Emmy the Great covers Mazzy Star on new single & live (watch)"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Banjo or Freakout - Go Ahead (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Banjo or Freakout - 105 (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Papercuts - Do What You Will (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Still Corners - Endless Summer (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Still Corners - Don't Fall in Love (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Still Corners - Eyes (MP3)

We last saw Banjo or Freakout in NYC  last March for the BrooklynVegan Pre-SXSW party at Knitting Factory where they opened the show. BoF will be back at SXSW this year and will stop in New York afterward, playing Glasslands on March 25 . Right after that they hook up with San Francisco band Papercuts for a short tour which kicks off at Knitting Factory on March 29. All tour dates are at the bottom of this post.

Banjo or Freakout's debut album is out March 8 on Rare Book Room and is a nice expansion of the Spacemen 3/My Bloody Valentine influenced sounds main man Alessio Natalizia has been self-releasing over the last couple years, with more melody and song structure added to his impressive soundscape skills. You can check out two songs from the album at the top of this post and stream the whole album (via the Hype Machine) at the bottom of this post.  As for the live show, BoF had just become a four-piece when they played here last year and I thought they were pretty good.

Papercuts

Papercuts meanwhile will release their fourth album, Fading Parade, on March 1 which will be their first for Sub Pop. If you liked 2009's You Can Have What You Want, you'll dig the new album too. It's a little bigger in scope, with producer Thom Monahan (Vetiver, Little Joy) helping Jason Quever expand Papercuts' sonic palette with glockenspiel, strings and old analogue keyboards. But Quever's intimate-yet-anthemic songs and breathy vocals remain at the heart of Fading Parade. Download "Do What You Will" at the top of this post and there's a widget at the bottom of the post that will let you download that song with another LP track as well as a previously unreleased song.

Before hooking up with Banjo or Freakout, Papercuts have a busy touring schedule. They begin a tour with Beach House this week which hits NYC next week (2/ 23, 2/25) for two sold out shows at Webster Hall. Papercuts will then tour with UK act Still Corners for their first U.S. tour which hits Mercury Lounge on March 26.

Still Corners

Still Corners with also be in NYC before their show with Papercuts, as they headline Glasslands on March 12. We're still waiting for details on their full-length and who is putting it out (they're playing with a few Sub Pop bands while in the U.S...maybe?), but in the meantime check out the band's two excellent singles from last year, "Endless Summer" and "Don't Fall in Love," and their gorgeous cover of Rogue Wave's "Eyes" at the top of this post.

Tour dates for Banjo or Freakout, Papercuts and Still Corners, plus album streams, download widgets and videos are all after the jump.

Continue reading "Banjo or Freakout, Papercuts & Still Corners are playing shows & releasing new stuff (MP3s & tour dates)"

DOWNLOAD: Banjo or Freakout - 105 (MP3)

Just wanted to let you know that we will be giving away a Banjo Or Freakout Christmas album today on bandcamp. First 1,000 copies will be free then after that people can decide what they want to pay for it.

My favourite is frosty the snowman :)
We will also be doing an extremely limited run of physical copies which will be available when you buy the current single '105' from Rough Trade Records. The CD will also include last years Christmas album.

Banjo or Freakout's self-titled debut album will be released by Rough Trade in early 2011. The song "105" (download it above) appears on that album and on the Rare Book Room-released single (with b-side "Dead In the Snow") that is out now on 7" and digitally.

photos by Chris La Putt, words by Bill Pearis

WhoMadeWho/The Wave Pictures

Last night (3/15) was the Brooklyn Vegan Pre-SXSW party at Knitting Factory which was a whole lot of fun with four great bands and free PBR. The night started with Banjo or Freakout which on recordings is basically one guy making tripped-out pysch on his laptop. Honestly, I was a little worried we might get something similar onstage. But this was Banjo or Freakout the rock band, a four-piece, still sounding like Spacemen 3 but the very loud and rocking version of that band. With a proper light show these guys could be a knockout.

Next up were the Wave Pictures who I'm pretty sure charmed everyone in the room. Singer David Tattersal, in addition to being a hell of a songwriter and pretty fierce guitarist, is a very funny guy. His between-song stories were just as entertaining and the music. At one point he accidentally unplugged his guitar mid-solo, but he hilariously covered the gaff made for one of the more memorable moments of the evening. The Wave Pictures play the BV day party in Austin on Friday, March 20 at Club Deville (5:30 set time) and will be back in New York  on March 28 at Mercury Lounge.

Denmark trio WhoMadeWho were originally supposed to go on last, almost like an afterparty to our official lineup, but when Let's Wrestle couldn't make it we moved them into their slot. Which ended up being a plus for everyone as they kind of stole the show. Looking like a cross between Sparks and Yello (at Octoberfest) and sounding like some kind of synth funk you'd hear from Bizarro World DFA Records, they were weird and awesome and won the initially-perplexed crowd over quickly. If you're going to SXSW, they're definitely a "don't miss" band.

I wouldn't want to have to follow WhoMadeWho, but Casiokids' craft fair dancepop -- full of cheap keyboards, cowbell, woodblock and a pineapple shaker -- did just fine. Opening with "Togens Hule," their set started slow but built steadily and had the crowd dancing by the one-two punch finish of of their double a-side "Verdens Storste Land" and "Fot I Hose." The latter was especially impressive as by the end of the song, every band member was playing a different instrument and the beat never stopped. It's tough not to smile while watching these guys.

I spent a lot of the night in the sound booth, DJing in-between sets which was a blast (for me, at least), especially on a really nice sound system like Knitting Factory's. Hope everyone who came had fun too. Now it's time to pack for Austin. Hope to see some of you there.

More pictures from the night below...

Continue reading "The Wave Pictures, WhoMadeWho, Casiokids & Banjo or Freakout played our pre-SXSW show @ Knitting Factory - pics"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Megaphonic Thrift - Acid Blues (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Good The Bad - 004 (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Pirate Love - A Kiss Hello (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Choir of Young Believers - Action/Reaction (MP3)

Casiokids

By now you hopefully you know that Norway's awesome Casiokids are playing our Brooklyn Vegan Pre-SXSW party, alongside Let's Wrestle, The Wave Pictures, Banjo or Freakout and WhoMadeWho. There's now also free PBR for an hour or two (exact details on that soon). And I'll be DJing in between sets. It's all very exciting, isn't it? There are still some tickets available -- only $8.

In that previous post about Casiokids, we mentioned a compilation of the band's 2009 singles called Topp stemning på lokal bar that was, as of that writing, only coming out in Norway. The band have since announced that they've signed to Polyvinyl in the U.S. who will release the album, complete with bonus disc of remixes just like in Norway.

The Knitting Factory show is actually one of three that Casiokids will be playing in NYC before they head to Austin for SXSW. They will also play Pianos this Saturday (3/13) along with Banjo or Freakout, Denmark's synth-rock quintet Spleen United and our Italian friends A Classic Education. Casiokids also play Littlefield on Sunday (3/14) afternoon for an all-Scandinavian party that again features Spleen United, plus Denmark's only surf/flamenco band, The Good The Bad, and The Megaphonic Thrift.

The Megaphonic Thrift are made up of members of Casiokids and The Low Frequency in Stereo and are definitely of the '90s indie rock variety (in this case think GBV or Dinosaur Jr.) that seems to be coming back into style lately. You can download their single "Acid Blues" at the top of this post. Their debut, Decay Destroy, just came out in Norway and is available here through your favorite digital store. I haven't seen them play yet, but BV caught them at by:Larm and said they were pretty good. Pictures from their February 18th show at Oslo club Sub Scene are below.

In addition to the Littlefield show, Megaphonic Thrift are playing Sunday night (3/14) at Bowery Electric and then on Monday night at Santos Party House for a Oya Fest / Oh My Rockness party with fellow Norwegians Pirate Love (High energy, Hives-ish garage) and Hanne Hukkelberg (orchestrated pop), plus The Depreciation Guild. Mind you this is the same night as our Knitting Factory show, so Megaphonic Thrift will play Santos then certain members will race across the Williamsburg Bridge to join their Casiokids bandmates in time for that set. It's all going to work out fine.

Pirate Love will be back after SXSW for a couple shows with UK garage act Thee Vicars. Catch them at Cameo Gallery on March 26 and Lit Lounge on March 27.

Spleen United @ CMJ 2009

The aforementioned Spleen United are also playing this Wednesday (3/10) at Union Hall with fellow Danes Choir of Young Believers. I caught Spleen United at CMJ back in October and they reminded me of the kind of band that 20 years ago would've been on Wax! Trax! or Play it Again Sam records -- the poppier side of goth/industrial. They've had #1 albums in Denmark I've since learned. With multiple percussionists, they put on a pretty good live show too.

Choir of Young Believers were also here at CMJ. Their debut, This is for the White in Your Eyes, is elegiac folk that gets the band compared to Fleet Foxes quite a bit but CoYB are a bit more instrumentally varied and grandiose than Robin Pecknold and co.  It really is a lovely record. The Union Hall show also features The Loom (who played that BV loft show during CMJ 2009) and Spain's The Right Ons. Choir of Young Believers also play Pianos on Thursday (3/11) with Brooklyn's ARMS who are worth checking out in their own right.

Choir of Young Believers

That's more than enough for one post. Below are videos, flyers and tour dates for some of the bands mentioned here...

Continue reading "Megaphonic Thrift, Casiokids, Choir of Young Believers & other Scandinavian bands playing SXSW, NYC, other dates"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Banjo or Freakout - Left it Alone (MP3)

In addition to Casiokids, Let's Wrestle and The Wave Pictures, we've added a fourth band to our Pre-SXSW party at Knitting Factory on March 15: Banjo of Freakout. I'm excited to have them on an already great bill. Tickets are only $8 and on sale now.

Italian native, now London resident Alessio Natalizia has been recording under the BoF name for over three years. You could make comparisons to the current crop of chillwavers, but I think Banjo or Freakout are more direct descendents of Spacemen 3, crafting layered Sunday Morning dreampop that glides on the breeze. You can check out his most recent single, "Left it Alone," at the top of this post. And if you want to hear more, check out blogs from both Banjo or Freakout and their UK label, Half Machine. Lots more to download there, including some interesting cover versions.

This won't be Natalizia's first time in New York, as he spent three weeks of early 2010 recording his debut album at Rare Book Room Studio in Greenpoint.  And Banjo or Freakout, who're currently touring with The Soft Pack in the UK, will play a few shows in NYC in addition to ours before heading to SXSW and Todd P's MtyMx festival, including a March 11 stop at Market Hotel with Miho Hatori, and then March 13 at Pianos with Casiokids again, and Italy's A Classic Education (who played one of our CMJ day parties last year).

All tour dates and the lovely videos for "Left it Alone" and "Upside Down" are below.

Continue reading "Banjo or Freakout added to our pre-SXSW party, playing SXSW, MtyMx, other NYC shows & more - 2010 dates, MP3"

the concert site...

==BIG NEWS!==

It is my pleasure to announce the inaugural MtyMx All-Ages Festival of Art and Music!

The MtyMx festival will happen on March 20th, 21st, and 22nd at Autocinema Las Torres in Monterrey, Mexico

The MtyMx festival is a collaboration between Yo Garage and Todd P and will feature up to 25 bands a day for three days, playing outdoors on two stages in a beautiful drive-in movie theater on the side of a mountain in the Sierra Madre Oriental. Over one third of the bands playing are from Mexico!

Tickets are $30 for a three day pass. 75 bands!

Confirmed bands include: Dan Deacon, Neon Indian, Washed Out, Thee Oh Sees, Pocahaunted, Indian Jewelry, Male Bonding, Best Fwends, Banjo or Freakout and many many more, along with Mexican groups Los Fancy Free, Los Margaritos, and more to be announced in the coming days. -Todd P

You can add to that list of confirmed bands: No Age, Fucked Up, Das Racist, dd/mm/yyyy, Lemonade, Quiero Club (MX), Los Llamarada (MX), Toro y Moi, Small Black and Liturgy.

The only bad news (for SXSWers) is that Todd will not be bringing his multi-day fest of day shows to Ms. Bea's again this year, though he doesn't seem to be ruling out doing at least something in Austin before Mexico.

Scared of Mexico? In an e-mail, Todd P told us, "Monterrey has a lower violent crime rate than NYC, Dallas, or Houston, even accounting for international drug trade violence. A major goal of the festival is to dispel US misconceptions that Mexico is the 3rd world, uneducated, dangerous and backwards. Mexico is a modern country with a surging middle class and a vibrant, plugged in 1st world art and music community. Another major goal is to correct the disenfranchisement of Mexican artists and bands caused by strict US visa restrictions on Mexicans. In short: these bands and fans can't go to SxSW."

Details and reservations for Austin-to-Monterrey round-trip bus service, hotel options and onsite camping are forthcoming. More info on MtyMx is below...

Continue reading "Todd P officially announces MtyMx Fest (March 20-22) in Monterrey, Mexico (expanded lineup - No Age & more)"