The Village Voice is excited to announce the addition of A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS, THEE OH SEES, TINY MASTERS OF TODAY, JUSTINE D. and DeadHeat DJs to the line-up for the 9th Annual Village Voice SIREN MUSIC FESTIVAL™ at Coney Island on Saturday, July 18, 2009 from 12:00 noon - 9:00 p.m.

These artists join scheduled performers BUILT TO SPILL, SPANK ROCK, THE RAVEONETTES, FRIGHTENED RABBIT, GRAND DUCHY, MONOTONIX, FUTURE OF THE LEFT, JAPANDROIDS, MICACHU & THE SHAPES and BEAR HANDS at the free, all day, all ages music festival on two outdoor stages in historic Coney Island.

The 2nd Annual Official SIREN AFTER PARTY returns to Music Hall of Williamsburg on Saturday, July 18 at 9:00pm. FRANCIS AND THE LIGHTS and GORDON VOIDWELL are scheduled to perform with more to be announced.

Thee Oh Sees are also playing the Woodsist Fest on July 4th.

APTBS play Santos Party House with the Secret Machines this Friday night (6/19).

The following Siren bands also have shows scheduled at Maxwell's: Future of the Left, Built to Spill, Grand Duchy, and Frightened Rabbit.

Future of the Left @ Webster Hall in October (more by Natah Miller)

The Village Voice, the nation's largest alternative weekly newspaper, is excited to announce the addition of SPANK ROCK, FUTURE OF THE LEFT, JAPANDROIDS and BEAR HANDS to the line-up for the 9th Annual Village Voice SIREN MUSIC FESTIVAL™ at Coney Island on Saturday, July 18, 2009 from 12:00 noon - 9:00 p.m. These artists join scheduled performers BUILT TO SPILL, THE RAVEONETTES, FRIGHTENED RABBIT, GRAND DUCHY, MONOTONIX and MICACHU & THE SHAPES, with more to be announced soon.

This free, all day, all ages music festival will feature international, national and local bands and DJs performing on two outdoor stages in historic Coney Island. Now in its 9th year, the SIREN MUSIC FESTIVAL™ has solidified its status as a leading New York City outdoor music festival, drawing over 100,000 music fans by showcasing indie rock veterans and emerging artists.

Siren will be Japandroids' 3rd NYC show in July, and they play the Pitchfork Festival in Chicago the same weekend. All dates HERE.

Spank Rock performed with Ninkjasonik at at pool party happening during Coachella this year. Video below...

Continue reading "Coney Island Siren Festival adds bands to 2009 lineup "

photos by Zach Dilgard

Cursive went ahead and announced a whole bunch more tour dates since last week - many with Man Man. They also played Bowery Ballroom in NYC last week. Pictures from that show and all dates below...

Continue reading "Cursive Bowery Ballroom pics, updated 2009 Tour Dates"

Cursive @ Union Hall (more by Natasha Ryan)

On March 1st, Saddle Creek and Cursive began offering Cursive's new album Mama, I'm Swollen as a digital download for only $1 through the Saddle Creek website, launching a special promotion to allow fans to buy the album early at a lower cost. For eight days, the new album was available as a digital download at a pro-rated price that increased by $1 each day (i.e., the price is $2 on March 2nd, $3 on March 3rd, $4 on March 4th, etc.). When the record hits stores on March 10th, the digital album will then remain at the regular price of $9.

The band will be on the road during March, playing eight shows around the release of Mama, I'm Swollen and leading up to multiple performances at SXSW.

One of Cursive's SXSW performances will be at the free BrooklynVegan day party at Radio Room in Austin on March 19th (that Thao is also playing). More details TBA. Another one of their SXSW shows is the party The Van Pelt and Frodus are reuniting at. All Cursive dates below...

Continue reading "The King Left & Peasant are opening for CURSIVE who is playing a BrooklynVegan day party @ SXSW & other places"

DOWNLOAD: Obits - Pine On (MP3)

As previously mentioned, tickets are on sale for a March 27th Obits show at the Bell House with Lycaon Pictus, The Browns, and Rope. The show will celebrate the March 24th Sub Pop release of their new album, I Blame You.

"We're not into innovation as a band," says Froberg, who's already done his fair share of innovating with Drive Like Jehu and Hot Snakes. "I think innovation is overrated and an overestimated quality. Anything that's going to be original is going to happen without your control. Things that make your band sound like you, are things you wouldn't be able to change anyway. We just go ahead and play the stuff we like, and we don't worry about originality per se, because that takes care of itself."

Produced by Geoff Sanoff, Eli Janney and Obits, I Blame You is the band's debut full-length album.

Orphan is not playing the Brooklyn show, but they will play the five dates with Obits leading up to that one. Instead you can catch Orphan in NYC this Wedneday (tomorrow, 2/11) when they open for Warship and Goblin Cock at Highline Ballroom. All GC tour dates HERE. All Obits & Orphan dates below...

Continue reading "OBITS - new MP3, 2009 tour dates, some w/ ORPHAN"

Akron/Family played the final song at the Knitting Factory (Josh Haner/The NY Times)

"It was a particularly cacophonous performance of "Auld Lang Syne." But for the Knitting Factory's last night in Manhattan, it was appropriate, as the shaggy avant-folk group Akron/Family led a version of the Scots New Year's hymn on Wednesday night that mutated from a simple singalong to screeching feedback to a meditative one-note drone." [NY TIMES]

• Jan 09 - Bear Hands, Holy Hail, Atarah Valentine & Statehood
• Jan 24 - Oxford Collapse, Suckers & Real Estate

Leonard Street, 3-floor location, RIP.

Browse the archives for memories. Leave yours in the comments.

Video from the Cro-Mags show there on Sunday, below...

Continue reading "Knitting Factory (Tribeca), RIP"

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 Tim Griffin

Les Savy Fav played Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn on Sunday night (October 12) - the same venue they played a shorter set with less band members (for Barack) earlier in the week. Bear Hands and Phil and the Osophers opened the show last night. Fred Armisen joined LSF on drums for the encore. More pictures below...

Continue reading "Les Savy Fav & Bear Hands @ MHOW, Brooklyn, NY - pics"

Saturday, July 26, 7:00 P.M.
Ghostland Observatory / Jealous Girlfriends / Bear Hands
Verizon Concert Series / Prospect Park Bandshell

Continue reading "Ghostland Observatory -free Brooklyn show, 2008 Tour Dates "

Back in May, L Magazine told us to listen to Brooklyn's Bear Hands. Well, it took me a while, but now I'm listening. In fact, I I've been listening to their 4-song (two of which are streaming on MySpace) EP a lot lately.

Why Bear Hands now? Partly because a friend (thx Greg) sent me the "Golden" EP (which is actually not out until November 13th), and partly because I noticed a recommendation by Oh My Rockness, and furthermore because of all the shows Bear Hands have been playing lately, and will be playing in the future - one of which is tonight (Sept 7) at Union Hall in Brooklyn with Aloha (who, by the way, played the "NYU Mystery Concert" last night with Beirut and Ted Leo), and three of which are part of an upcoming Pianos residency. Check their MySpace for more details, or see below for exact dates too....

Continue reading "Bear Hands - a Brooklyn band, an EP & 2007 Tour Dates"