by Andrew Frisicano

Jeffrey Lewis @ Kidrockers - 2/8/09 (Maryanne Ventrice)

New York's Jeffrey Lewis has been busy in the last year. (To see exactly how busy, check out Jeff's "A Year in Love and Music" entry on the NYT's Measure for Measure blog, to which he's been contributing.)

Jeff's four-date tour with Dufus finishes this Saturday, March 14th in Brooklyn at Pete's Candy Store with a CD release show for Dufus's new record, In Monstrous Attitude (samples at link). In May/April, Dufus will head out on a European tour (dates below). The Dufus album features comic art by Jeffrey Lewis, who is releasing his own new album (as full-band Jeffrey Lewis & The Junkyard) 'Em Are I on April 20th (UK/Europe) and May 19th (US), both on Rough Trade Records.

Jeffrey recently put his drawing talents to use (as he does in his comics and elsewhere) in a new video for the song "To Be Objectified" (which appears on the upcoming album). The video was created with Jack Ferry and $99 Music Videos - a site that challenges musicians to make a video for that sum with a set of bare-bones criteria. Watch it, and the making of it, below.

Jeff will tour Europe March-May with a solo/full-band tour that eventually reaches New York's Bowery Ballroom on Wednesday, May 20th (tix on sale now) - a venue featured prominently in Lewis's "Williamsburg Will Oldham Horror," video below.

Next Thursday (3/19), Jeff will give a lecture on Watchmen (the topic of his college thesis) at midtown comic spot Jim Hanley's Universe. "It should be stressed that it's for people who have read the book, not for people interested in it looking for some kind of introduction... he'll be revealing too many spoilers!." Jeff gave a similar lecture in Portland, OR, and London earlier this year.

All tour dates, Jeff's "A Quick Biography of Barack Obama," and the above-mentioned videos, below...

Continue reading "JEFFREY LEWIS tour dates, DUFUS, comics, WATCHMEN (lecture), a new video & Rough Trade album"

Tad Kubler, by Chris La Putt (more)

In case you missed it in the Hold Steady post, Tad of the Hold Steady was wearing a "Barack Obama" Bad Brains shirt last night. The shirt is available at BarackBrains.com, though I doubt they'll be flying off the shelves now that Barack already won. Maybe?

words & photos by Kyle Dean Reinford

Last night, election night, I made my way to The Bell House in Park Slope/Gowaus for what was sure to be a nervously excited crowd counting down the minutes until the new president was announced. I've only been to The Bell House once, but I can't imagine that the new venue has ever been more packed than it was last night. People came out in masse for the election coverage - so much so that they even turned people away at the door. I think I heard 500 people. Watching an election in a large group of like-minded individuals like that was truly overwhelming - especially when they announced Virginia and a bunch of people jumped on stage and gave everyone a beer shower.

After Obama gave his acceptance speech, things didn't calm down. Host Eugene Mirman said a few words congratulating our first "half-white president," and introduced The Blue Album Group, who rocked out, pretty much note for note, Weezer's Blue Album. Though a lot of people went home, those that were left drunkenly danced and celebrated. After the last note of "Only in Dreams" rang out, I grabbed a quesadilla from the Red Hook soccer field vendors - another big draw of the evening. It was delicious.

More pictures below...

Continue reading "election night in Brooklyn w/ Eugene Mirman & The Blue Album Group @ the Bell House - pics"

Barack Rock! continues to update its pro-Obama website with free music by bands like The Teenage Prayers, Bell, Sam Champion, Ra Ra Riot, Frank Bango, Clipd Beaks, Mobius Band, Tapes n Tapes, Sera Cahoone, Port O'Brien, Salt & Samovar, Bear Hands, Au Revoir Simone, Foreign Islands and many more.

Photos by Kyle Dean Reinford

Last night (October 7) 6 musicians and 6 comedians came together to raise money for Democrtaic presidential candidate Barack Obama. The not-so-packed, but sold out event went on over the course of 5 and a half hours, ending with a set by Andrew Bird who thought this was the greatest afterparty he could imagine. The $40 event was highlighted by an appearance by not-so-secret-guests Franz Ferdindand (who play the same venue again tonight)

"Thanks for letting a bunch of Limeys like us play your rally," said Scot and Greenpoint resident Alex Kapranos. "We only hope you'll invite us back for your victory party." It was a fun night in support of who many of us hope will be the next President of the United States. [Sound Bites]

Fiery Furnaces may have played all new songs, I didn't recognize an of them at least. Once again, they've reinvented themselves since last seeing them at MHOW last December. They're now organ-heavy, early '70s funk. I still marvel at Elanor's ability to memorize Fiery Furnaces insanely-verbose lyrics. [Sound Bites]

More pictures below...

Continue reading "Barack Rock (Franz Ferdinand, Les Savy Fav, Fiery Furnaces, Andrew Bird, etc) @ Music Hall of Williamsburg, NYC - pics"

Join us for CHANGE ROCKS
at The Hammerstein Ballroom featuring Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen & Friends

Purchase your ticket using the form below [this link].
Tickets must be purchased by October 14th.

Thursday, October 16 @ 8:30 PM

For more information, please contact
ny-finance@barackobama.com or call 212-763-4850

Bruce Springsteen is also playing the Superbowl Halfime show in 2009 and is rumored to be playing the final show at Yankees Stadium which is rumored to be November 9th. Billy Joel played the final show at Shea Stadium which hosted its final baseball game this past weekend - just a short while after the Yankees played their last game in their old home.

Video of a "Drunk, Sleeping Fan Victimized by Beer Cups at Shea Stadium", below...

Continue reading "Bruce Springsteen & Billy Joel playing a NYC show for Barack Obama +++ a belated RIP for Shea Stadium"

Andrew Bird / Eugene Mirman / The Fiery Furnaces / Kumail Nanjiani / Alina Simone / Heather Lawless / Guster / Lizz Winstead / Martin Bisi / John Roberts / Adira Amram / Special Secret Musical Guests -- (Not appearing in order)
ALL PROCEEDS GO TO THE OBAMA CAMPAIGN!

Tue 10/7, on sale 9/27 12:00 pm, 18+
Doors 6:30 pm / Show 7:30 pm
$40 advance / $40 day of show
@ Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY

photos by Chris La Putt

Stella Hosted, Nina Persson, Alberta Cross, OK Go & Joan as Policewoman played

Paul Rudd also showed up at the event. More photos & videos below...

Continue reading "Shudder To Think reunited @ Get Up & Vote @ Bowery"

Continue reading "Grateful Dead members to reunite for Barack Obama"

(CRED)

I am watching Hillary Clinton in her victory speech in new Hampshire....they just threw a bunch of college kids behind her, and had her talk about student loans, and had her daughter come out for a long awkward hug...done anyone actually buy it? Surely young people are too media savvy to be fooled by this kind of shit.
do we live in a democracy so we can just keep electing the same families?
Barack is the first candidate in my lifetime to strip some of this bullshit away, and I just hope we don't blow this chance.
man if we miss this opportunity we don't deserve it....how bad does it have to get?

fuck!!!!!!!! [Win Butler of Arcade Fire]

What else?

Craig Wedren @ Pianos, NYC (BV CMJ), NYC - Oct 20, 2007 (Bao)

Craig Wedren helped put together this "Get Up And Vote" show at Bowery Ballroom on February 4th. All his friends from Stella will be there, his former bandmate Nathan Larson, Nathan's wife Nina Persson, Joan as Policewoman, AND: OK GO (of YouTube fame) are headlining. More details below.....

Continue reading "Barack Obama "Get up and Vote" show @ Bowery Ballroom"