photos by Amanda Hatfield

DOWNLOAD: Phantogram -"Don't Move" (MP3)

Phantogram @ Maxwell's

Phantogram just completed a run of dates with Exitmusic that included a show at Maxwell's in Hoboken on Friday night (11/18). The shows were in support of Phantogram's new mini-album Nightlife which is out now on Barsuk Records. Download the track "Don't Move" from that album above. Listen to the whole thing on Spotify. Check out more pictures from the NJ show, including a shot of Phantogram's setlist, below....

Continue reading "Phantogram released 'Nightlife', played Maxwell's (and toured with) Exitmusic (pics & MP3)"

photos by David Andrako

Mates of State

Mates of State (who head out on a big tour in September), Cymbals Eat Guitars (ditto), and Yellow Ostrich (October & November) played a private Barsuk Records showcase at Mercury Lounge in NYC last night (8/24). Here are some pictures from the show. They continue below...

Continue reading "Mates of State, Cymbals Eat Guitars & Yellow Ostrich played a Barsuk Records showcase (pics)"

DOWNLOAD: Cymbals Eat Guitars - "Definite Darkness" live at BBC Radio 6 (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Cymbals Eat Guitars - "Wavelengths" live at BBC Radio 6 (MP3)

CEG at Siren Fest 2010 (more by Dominick Mastrangelo)

Cymbals Eat Guitars, who took off in 2009 with their self-released debut, and experimented with the small label Sister's Den Records, have signed with long time suppliers of quality indie pop Barsuk Records to release their sophomore LP, Lenses Alien. Like fellow '90s worshippers Kurt Vile and Male Bonding, CEG have gone with John Agnello (Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr) to produce the album, which comes out September 14 on Barsuk. No recordings from the album have been released yet, but if you saw them at Glasslands on May 20, you would have seen them play the entire album. They also did live recordings of the tracks "Definite Darkness" and "Wavelengths" on BBC Radio 6 in September (some of these songs have been around for a while). Grab those recordings above and watch the video of "Definite Darkness" below.

At the moment, Cymbals Eat Guitars do not have a full tour announced UPDATE: TOUR ANNOUNCED, but they do have two shows announced for this October. One of those shows is a headlining show at Bowery ballroom on October 27. Tickets go on sale Friday (6/24) at noon. No opener has been announced.

All dates, album art and tracklist, and the live video below...

Continue reading "Cymbals Eat Guitars releasing LP on Barsuk, playing shows (live MP3s & dates)"

photos by Amanda Hatfield, words by Rachel Kowal

Thirty minutes before showtime, the forecast wasn't looking good. What started as a small shower soon escalated into a near downpour, sending a patchwork of different colored umbrellas springing up at McCarren Park Friday night.

Then it happened: the event that nearly broke Twitter. It began with a low rumble that quickly rippled through the crowd. Then, "OH MY GOD! DOUBLE RAINBOW!" Within seconds, every smartphone was tracked on the sky, and cries of jubilation and cheap sarcasm rang out. If you think Sharon Van Etten is a tough act to follow, try a double rainbow. But Yellow Ostrich was up for trying.

Soon after the buzz died down, the newly signed Barsuk trio took the stage. Somehow despite all the weather-related chaos that had transpired over the past 30 minutes subsided just in time for the show. A Northside miracle.

Recorded, Yellow Ostrich is a fine-tuned, feel-good indie machine, but in a live setting, front man Alex Schaaf and company aren't afraid to let down their hair a bit. Sure, you still get the carefully looped harmonies - a delight to hear in the excellent "Whale" - but the music also takes on a more desperate and raucous tone, especially on new songs like "The Shake Down."

As I watched the stage transform for Sharon Van Etten's set, my excitement grew - especially when I spied Aaron Dessner of The National fiddling around with wires. "Hello, everybody. Thanks for bearing the rain," Van Etten said by way of introduction. She began her set with "Peace Signs."

With her honest lyrics and down-to-earth demeanor, and soul-soothing voice, Sharon Van Etten makes quick work of winning over the crowd. (I mean the woman dedicated a song to her dad in honor of Father's Day. How nice, right?)

As an added bonus, the last three songs of her set featured two additional musicians - Ben Lanz (on trombone) and Aaron Dessner (guitar) who is apparently producing Van Etten's next record.

Then, after a brief interlude from our sponsor, Zach Condon and company emerged to a round of applause that almost seemed more fitting for a Justin Bieber show than for Beirut.

Though Condon composed much of his newer music with a 17-piece mariachi band in mind, the six people on stage impressively flushed out the sound by constantly rotating through an assortment of instruments, including: French horn, tuba, drums, trombone, trumpet, accordion, and piano. But it was the ukulele - the crux to much of his earlier catalog - that seemed to garner the most applause.

After two short sets, it was nice to see Beirut take their time on stage. The band enthusiastically played through their set - no doubt inspired not only by the dedication of the rain-braving crowd but also by the stunning scenery in the distance. "It's nice to be playing for the Chrysler and the Empire State Building," Condon remarked. Of course with such a healthy play time (19 songs, by my count), they covered both the standards ("Postcards From Italy," "Elephant Gun," "Nantes," "Scenic World," and "Mount Wroclai" to name a few) and a handful of newer songs.

Though I was tempted to stay longer, if there was an encore, I didn't see it. After missing out on Seapony twice last week, I dashed out of the park and over to Pianos, where I made it in time to hear the last five songs from the delightful Seattle group. For the record, it was totally worth it.

More pictures from the Beirut show below...

Continue reading "Beirut, Sharon Van Etten, Aaron Dessner, Yellow Ostrich & a double rainbow in McCarren Park (pics & review)"

by Andrew Frisicano

"...opening act, Zach Tillman, began playing. He immediatley filled the space with melodic finger-picking, deep-voiced Leonard Cohen-like tunes. He sang about a girl named Lola as well sarcasticly driven songs about Jesus to set up the night for his older brother's band, in which Zach plays bass." [fend magazine]

His full-length, self-titled debut is due May 18th on Barsuk - a 7" single off that is available now. Three songs off the album are streaming on his MySpace. He also visited Daytrotter in early February.

Pearly Gate Music will be at SXSW this year, and one of his shows will be the brooklynVegan Friday (3/19) day party at Club DeVille, where he'll play alongside Twin Sister, Centro-matic, Lucero, The Antlers and more (full lineup TBA very soon).

Album info & artwork, live videos (including a cover of Pavement's "Shoot the Singer") and all tour dates are below...

Continue reading "Zach Tillman is Pearly Gate Music - on Barsuk, playing SXSW"

DOWNLOAD: Rocky Votolato - Sparklers (live in East Palo Alto) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Phantogram - When I'm Small (MP3)

Phantogram @ MHOW during CMJ (more by Vincent Cornelli)

Andrew Kenny's band The Wooden Birds just got back from a tour with Great Lake Swimmers and will headline a close-to-home show at Maxwell's in Hoboken tonight (11/3). The soothing sounds of Peasant will open the show. Tickets are $10.00. Check out a recent video interview with the band below.

The Wooden Birds released their debut album on Barsuk Records earlier this year. Barsuk also recently put out the debut by Ramona Falls who just released a new video for the song "I Say Fever". You can watch that below.

Barsuk has two new releases scheduled for February 2010. Rocky Votolato's new album True Devotion will be out on February 23rd. "Sparklers" is one of the songs on that will be on that album. You can download a live version above. Rocky kicks off a tour in a couple of days, but not just any tour. He'll be playing in people's living rooms up and down the east coast. There's a NYC show in midtown Manhattan on November 6th. Tickets are on sale. All dates below.

The other album Barsuk is releasing in February will be by Phantogram who just got done playing a few shows during CMJ including one at Music Hall of Williamsburg with The xx and School of Seven Bells. The album "Eyelid Movies" will be released on February 9th. Download the song "When I'm Small" from that album for free above. Phantogram is now on a tour of Europe, but will be back soon. They play a free show at Brooklyn Bowl on December 19th. All dates below...

Continue reading "Wooden Birds tonight, Rocky Votolato touring, Ramona Falls video, free Phantogram show & MP3 & other Barsuk news"

DOWNLOAD: David Bazan - Bless This Mess (MP3)

David Bazan of Pedro the Lion will set out on a five-week North American tour this October in support of his first full-length solo record, Curse Your Branches, out September 1st on Barsuk Records. "Bless This Mess," an upbeat, organ-heavy track loaded with Bazan's trademark images and religious tangles, is above. His tour comes to NYC on October 18th for a show at the Bowery Ballroom. Opening for Bazan on that date and others will be Seattle's Say Hi. Tickets go on sale Friday, August 7th at noon.

This tour will be his first with a band since Pedro the Lion's last gig in 2005.

Joining Bazan on tour will be: Eric Elbogen: guitar (Say Hi), Andy Fitts: keyboards + guitar (Aqueduct), Casey Foubert: drums (Richard Swift, Sufjan Stevens), Blake Wescott: guitar (long-time Bazan collaborator).

For the past couple weeks (and through the end of April), Dave Bazan has been going across the states playing intimate house shows. Most of them, if not all, are pretty much sold out as they are limited to only 35-40 folks.

Recently he played a super casual intimate house show (actually it was more like an office show) in Troutdale, OR. If you've ever been to any of Dave's shows (even when he was in Pedro the Lion), you know he opens up a question and answer period at various points in his set.

A majority of the questions focused on his personal life and his songs from Control, including the meaning of "Priests and Paramedics", how he had to explain to his wife about the song "Options", and that one song his wife forbade him to perform for a few years.

On the light side, he talked about the bain of Pitchfork, good movies and music of late, the process of his songwriting, how he liked the sound of the trains that passed by during his set, his first band 'Coolidge' with Damien Jurado and his new album Curse Your Branches. [Three Imaginary Girls]

Continue reading "David Bazan - solo LP (MP3) & tour dates w/ Say Hi (Bowery)"

DOWNLOAD: Ramona Falls - Russia (MP3)

Mirah @ Highline Ballroom (more by Kyle Dean Reinford)

Mirah will be back in NYC for a show at the Bowery Ballroom on Saturday, October 10th. Tickets go on AmEx presale today at noon. General sale starts Friday, July 17th at noon.

She's still playing behind her latest record, (a)spera, which came out earlier this year on K Records. That disc has been met with, according to Metacritic, "universal acclaim."

Ramona Falls

Mirah makes a guest appearance on a new record by Ramona Falls (named after a place in Oregon), the the solo debut of Menomena's Brent Knopf. That record, Intuit, comes out August 18th on Barsuk Records, and Mirah is just one of the disc's many guests, which include members of The Helio Sequence, Loch Lomond, 31 Knots, Talkdemonic, Nice Nice, Tracker, Dat'r, Dear Reader, 3 Leg Torso and Matt Sheehy. Check out "Russia" from that album above.

Ramona Falls has an August/September tour planned that includes a pair of NYC shows. He'll be at Pianos on September 17th and has a TBA Brooklyn show on September 18th.

Ramona Falls album art, and all tour dates, below...

Continue reading "Mirah playing Bowery, appears on album by Ramona Falls (Menomena member solo) who is touring (dates & MP3)"

by Andrew Frisicano

Andrew Kenny is a native Texan who after nearly six years in Brooklyn, NY has returned to beautiful Austin, TX. He's best known as the singer/songwriter behind mellow indie favorites the American Analog Set. However, he's also performed as a guest artist with the Album Leaf, Her Space Holiday, Styrofoam, Arthur and Yu, Ola Podrida, and most recently the Broken Social Scene.

His latest project is called The Wooden Birds...

The band, recently signed to Barsuk Records, will release its debut, magnolia, on that label in May.

During SXSW, Kenny will also play with The American Analog Set, performing its 1999 record The Golden Band straight through at InSound.com's 10th anniversary party, Friday, March 20th at Club de Ville.

Insound SXSW flyer and Wooden Birds tour dates below...

Continue reading "Andrew Kenny forms The Wooden Birds - Barsuk debut, 2009 tour dates (3 NYC shows), SXSW & American Analog Set"

photos by Kyle Dean Reinford

It was a free show last night....

Continue reading "Barsuk band RA RA RIOT @ 70 Greene St, NYC - pics"

The only thing worse than regular people who mislabel Flickr photos (for instance the people who tagged every single photo from their NYC vacation with "CBGB"), are street team people who mislabel pictures on Flickr - actually - street teams just need to stop using Flickr at all. For instance, here's a few pictures that came up when I just did a search for "Arctic Monkeys"....

Yep, that's David Bazan in the last photo (sometimes mistaken for an Arctic Monkey - especially when holding a small flag, but actually just a Pedro the Lion), and it was just announed that David signed to Barsuk - ex-home of his tour-mate Ben Gibbard's band Death Cab For Cutie.

How were Arctic Monkeys at Hammerstein, and while we're at it - how were Ben Gibbard and David Bazan at Town Hall?