Chairlift @ Capitale, Feb. 2013 (more by Dylan Johnson)

As mentioned, Bear in Heaven are playing short film showcase Tropfest which happens in Prospect Park's "Nethermead" on June 22. Since that post, the full line-up was announced: Chairlift, Bear in Heaven, Ghost Beach and People Get Ready will perform, and Neon Indian will DJ. Free tickets are still available.

Meanwhile, Chairlift will play DJ, strangely enough, also in Prospect Park's Nethermead this Friday for GoogaMooga. between Flaming Lips and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

Chairlift's Caroline Polachek provided vocals on Ice Choir's track, "Everything is Spoilt by Use" and you can check out the recent video for that song and more tour dates below.

Continue reading "Chairlift & DJ Neon Indian also playing Tropfest (get free tix)"

Bear in Heaven @ MHOW, May 2012 (more by Amanda Hatfield)

Born 21 years ago in a cafe ('The Tropicana') in Sydney, Australia, Tropfest is now the world's largest short film festival. It is supported by some of the biggest names in the international film community and has received thousands of submissions for its film festivals in Australia, New Zealand, Tropfest Arabia in Abu Dhabi and elsewhere. Tropfest in Australia attracts a live national audience of more than 150,000 people on a single night with live satellite links to outdoor locations in major cities around the country.

In addition to the films, there will be live music as well. All the performers have not been announced yet, but Bear in Heaven will be headlining. The band are also playing Chicago next month at the Taste of Randolph Street Festival on June 15. Bear in Heaven dates and Tropfest video are below.

Continue reading "Bear in Heaven playing free Prospect Park show as part of Tropfest New York (dates)"

photos by PSquared Photography; words by Bill Pearis

GOAT @ MHOW, 4/23/2013

The lights went down and I think half the crowd lit up, as Music Hall of Williamsburg instantly reeked of pot. GOAT, Sweden's premier voodoo disco psych band, took the stage for their first-ever North American show and the packed house was primed to get their minds blown. Dressed in robes and tunics and wearing a variety of masks and hoods, the band came out and without a word to the audience started laying down the fuzzed-out, conga-driven grooves. The band were about as stoic as Oasis, but sounded fantastic and were tight as hell. (The Swedes really excel at this type of thing.) Luckily, the two female masked singers made up for it by dancing up a storm. There was also some dude in front of me doing the hippy dance the whole show but I'm trying to forget that.

We got most of last year's World Music, including "Let it Bleed" which featured a skronky guest saxophonist who looked like he just left the Sun Ra's Ark. GOAT also played both sides of their upcoming Sub Pop single. Apart from wishing the show was somewhere smaller and sweatier (like Glasslands where the show was originally supposed to happen), they definitely met my expectations for this show, even if my mind remained intact.

Opening the night was Austin's Holy Wave who definitely in the Brian Jonestown Massacre / Black Angels school of post-VU psych. They were good and their set was definitely aided by the oldschool trippy oil-based visuals from the folks at Drippy Eye Projections. Bear in Heaven kept things weird as between-set DJs.

Both GOAT and Holy Wave will play Austin Psych Fest this weekend. More pictures from last night's MHOW set are below.

Continue reading "GOAT made their North American live debut at Music Hall of Williamsburg with Holy Wave (pics, review)"

by Bill Pearis

As mentioned before, Sweden's finest retro-psychedelic afrobeat freakout band, Goat, will be making their first trip to North America this spring. Their NYC stop on the tour, April 23 at Glasslands, sold out quick and demand was high so the show has been moved to Music Hall of Williamsburg with Holy Wave opening and a DJ set from Bear in Heaven. Additional tickets go on sale Wednesday (1/30) at noon. All tour dates are listed below.

If you haven't heard Goat's album, World Music, yet you can stream it below.

Continue reading "Goat's NYC debut moved from Glasslands to Music Hall of Williamsburg (updated dates)"

Now Now

As mentioned previously, Bob Mould will be back in NYC next month for two shows at Bowery Ballroom on February 26 - 27 and tickets are still available. What we didn't know at the time was who was opening the shows, which we now do. Bear in Heaven will open the 2/26 show and Minneapolis trio Now Now will open the 2/27 show. Tickets to both Bowery shows are still available.

Bear in Heaven, who played here last month, have a few other dates coming up, including Chicago's Tomorrow Never Knows Festival next week and a few dates with Hooray for Earth. '

Now Now, meanwhile, are also on the road and will hit NYC before the Bob Mould show as part of the Heavy & Light tour that hits Irving Plaza on February 13 and also features Jon Foreman (of Switchfoot), Anthony Raneri, The Lone Bellow and Will Anderson. Tickets for that show are on sale now.

Back to Bob, the Kickstarter for his concert DVD was successfully funded, and See a Little Light comes out January 15 and you can pre-order it here.

All lists of dates below...

Continue reading "Bear in Heaven and Now Now opening for Bob Mould NYC shows and other dates"

Gardens & Villa at Webster Hall in October (more by Amanda Hatfield)

Santa Barbara indie pop crew Gardens & Villa haven't given us an album since their 2011 self titled debut on Secretly Canadian, but they did treat us to some music this year with a cover of "Gypsy" for the the Fleetwood Mac tribute album, Just Tell Me That You Want Me, and a remix of their tourmates Polica's "The Maker" for Polica's remix EP.

We asked the band for a list of their top 10 songs of 2012, and like their own sound, most of the artists they chose lean on the indie pop side of things like Beach House, Ariel Pink, Peaking Lights, Pure Bathing Culture, and others. You can check out their full list below.

Continue reading "Gardens & Villa's Top 10 Songs of 2012"

Freelance Whales @ Webster Hall, 11/7/2012 (more by Sarah Gainer)

Winsome indie outfit Freelance Whales released their latest album, Diluvia, back in October and were just on NPR's World Cafe for a chat about the album and live session as well. You can stream the whole thing over at NPR. The band are also have a few shows with Hundred Waters coming up including Maxwell's on January 15 (tix), Music Hall of Williamsburg on January 29 (tix). The band were kind enough to give us their Top 10 LPs of 2012, which includes some of their Brooklyn neighbors (Bear in Heaven, Here We Go Magic), their tour-mates Hundred Waters, and year-end list regulars Tame Impala, Purity Ring and Django Django. Check out their full list below.

Continue reading "Freelance Whales played NPR's 'World Cafe,' list their Top 10 LPs of 2012"

Bear in Heaven @ MHOW, May 2012 (more by Amanda Hatfield)

As mentioned, Bear in Heaven are playing Music Hall of Williamsburg tonight (12/5) and tickets are still available for that show. One dollar from each ticket sold is going towards Hurricane Sandy relief, and 10% of the bar at the band's afterparty at Public Assembly will go to relief as well.

Meanwhile, frontman Jon Philpot was kind enough to send us his Top 10 LPs of 2012 which includes some of his Brooklyn neighbors (Grizzly Bear, Yeasayer) and a few other familiar names to these lists this year (Frank Ocean, Scott Walker) but his number one is new compilation of Italian '70s progressive/spacerock artist Sensations' Fix titled Music Is Painting in the Air. There's some pretty cool synth work on it that you could see being an influence on Bear in Heaven. You can stream the entire Sensations' Fix (all 30 tracks) LP below and check out Philpot's list in full.

Continue reading "Bear in Heaven list their Top 10 LPs of 2012, play NYC tonight"

Los Angeles' punky, poppy Bleached (Jennifer and Jessica Clavin, formerly of Mika Miko) have just signed to Dead Oceans and the label will release the band's debut album sometime next year. The record was produced by Darker My Love's Rob Barbato and Jennifer Clavin told SPIN that the album will be more than more of what we've heard before:

What we really wanted to do was explore. We've been doing this since we were teenagers and we have a certain sound on our last three seven-inches, but we wanted to show some variety. This new record has songs you'll be familiar with, but there are also things that will be a surprise. It's just really fun.

Speaking of Dead Oceans, some of Bleached's new labelmates have shows coming up. A Place to Bury Strangers will play 285 Kent on Saturday (12/1) as part of a Hurricane Sandy relief benefit with Liturgy, Total Slacker and Royal Baths.

Bear in Heaven play Music Hall of Williamsburg on December 5 with Small Black and Eraas. Tickets are still available and part of the proceeds from that show will go to Sandy relief too, as will part of the bar at the afterparty which happens next door at Public Assembly.

Sun Airway, who were last through town with M83, play Glasslands on December 7 with Historics. Advance tickets are still available.

And newish Dead Oceans signee Night Beds, who released their first 7" for the label a couple months ago, have a show coming up at Pianos on December 11 with Snowmine and St. Claire. Tickets are still available.

Bear in Heaven @ MHOW, May 2012 (more by Amanda Hatfield)

"World of Freakout" is one of the strongest cuts off Bear in Heaven's I Love You, It's Cool which came out earlier this year, with throbbing bass and synths ripe for the dancefloor. The band has handed the track over to Nicolas Jaar's Darkside collaborator Dave Harrington who strips it down a bit, making it more of a sleek night drive kind of track. We've got the premiere of this remix which is streamable below.

As mentioned previously, Bear in Heaven are playing Music Hall of Williamsburg on December 5 with Small Black and Eraas. Tickets are still available but if you'd like to go for free we're also giving a pair away. Details on how to enter are below. Bear in Heaven are donating $1 for every ticket sold to Hurricane Sandy relief via Rockaways based Smallwater relief fund.

There's an afterparty for the show happening next door at Public Assembly (doors 11:30 PM) which is free but is also a Smallwater relief fund benefit, and 10% of the bar will go to the fund, so if you go, drink up and order the good stuff. Dave Harrington, Small Black and Bear in Heaven will be DJing.

The Dave Harrington remix of "World of Freakout" is below.

Continue reading "Bear in Heaven released new remix (stream); upcoming MHOW show and afterparty aid Sandy relief (win tix)"

The day when a bill Jeff Mangum on it selling out instantly might be gone, but take note that tickets just went on sale for the 11/15 "People's Bailout, a variety show and telethon to benefit the 99%". The updated lineup is Janeane Garofalo, Lizz Winstead, Max Silvestri, Hari Kondabolu, David Rees, The Yes Men, John Cameron Mitchell, Jeff Mangum of Neutral Milk Hotel, Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth, Guy Picciotto of Fugazi, Tunde Adebimpe of TV on the Radio, Climbing Poetree, the Invisible Army of Defaulters, members of Healthcare for the 99%, Occupy Faith, "and many more."

Note: as strange as it may seem now, the LPR show is not a hurricane-related benefit (though Occupy Wall Street is on the case). The Ivan Neville's Dumpstaphunk & Anders Osborne show at Highline Ballroom on 11/5 is one though. Amy Helm, Eric Krasno (Soulive/Lettuce), Luther Dickinson (N. Miss Allstars), Bela Fleck and Questlove and more are on the bill so far. Tickets are on sale.

Questlove's DJ set at Brooklyn Bowl last night was also a benefit for the Red Cross. Bear in Heaven and Small Black are DJing a Sandy benefit at Glasslands tonight (11/2).

DOWNLOAD: Eraas - "Briar Path" (Remix) (MP3)

Eraas at Knitting Factory, 10/04/2012 (more by Amanda Hatfield)

Black-clad Brooklynites Eraas are out tour for a few dates with Bear in Heaven, beginning tonight (10/24) at Johnny Brenda's in Philadelphia and will also play with BiH at the previously-mentioned show at Music Hall of Williamsburg on December 5 (tickets). Before that, as mentioned, Eraas will play Cameo on November 11 with Dignan Porch (who just played CMJ) and The Young. Tickets to that show are on sale now.

In the midst of all this activity, Eraas have taken a stab at remixing their own track "Briar Path" which brings the drumming -- a major element of their live show -- to the forefront. The remix makes it's premiere right here and is downloadable above. If you want to do a little compare/contrast you can hear the original (and the rest of their album) below, along with a list of all upcoming tour dates.

Continue reading "Eraas remixed themselves, are on tour now (MP3, dates)"

Bear in Heaven at MHOW in May (more by Amanda Hatfield)

Brooklyn's Bear in Heaven have been continuing to tour in support of their 2012 LP, I Love You, It's Cool. They're going on a short run this month surrounding their appearance at Asheville's Moogfest, and in December, the band will play a hometown show at Music Hall of Williamsburg on December 5 before heading over to the UK for The National-curated ATP (12/7). The MHOW show is with fellow Brooklynites Small Black and Eraas. Tickets for that show go on sale Friday (10/12) at noon.

As mentioned, Eraas also play Cameo Gallery on November 11 with The Young and Dignan Porch. Tickets for that show are on sale now.

A list of all Bear in Heaven dates and the video for "Sinful Nature" are below.

Continue reading "Bear in Heaven playing Brooklyn show before ATP UK (dates)"

Moogfest 2011 (more by Diana Wong)

Moogfest, which is becoming one of the most intriguing US music festivals, is returning to Asheville, NC this year on October 26 and 27. Like in past years, the festival includes some legends like Thomas Dolby and GZA performing Liquid Swords (like he is in NYC and other cities), some of our favorite newcomers like Julia Holter, Trust, and Disclosure, electronic heavy hitters like Orbital, Four Tet, Squarepusher, Richie Hawtin, Mouse on Mars, and Prefuse 73 with Teebs, in addition to a diverse list of other artists like Killer Mike, El-P, The Magnetic Fields, Explosions in the Sky, Primus, Santigold, Divine Fits, Actress, Pantha Du Prince, Bear in Heaven, and more. Tickets for this year's fest go on sale Friday (8/10) at noon. The initial lineup is listed below.

Orbital, who released their new album, Wonky, this year, which featured a track with Zola Jesus, have a few other North American dates this year (still none in NYC though).

For Divine Fits, the new band featuring Britt Daniel (Spoon), Dan Boeckner (Wolf Parade/Handsome Furs), and Sam Brown (New Bomb Turks), who recently made their live debut in Austin, Moogfest is one of the few shows they've got scheduled this year, including the Chicago show they played last night (8/5) and an upcoming NYC show.

Moogfest 2012 lineup is listed below.

Continue reading "Moogfest 2012 lineup (GZA, Magnetic Fields, Explosions in the Sky, Primus, Santigold, Julia Holter, Disclosure, Orbital, Four Tet, Divine Fits, Killer Mike & more)"

photos by Amanda Hatfield; words by Bill Pearis

Sensory Overload. That is how I'd describe Bear in Heaven's show at Music Hall of Williamsburg on Wednesday (5/9) night. There were '80s goth band levels of fog machine and a barrage of cool lights to go with it, both of which matched well to the bombastic space jams Bear in Heaven produce. Those big fat synths the band favors sound great really loud, as do drummer Joe Stickney's Miami Vice-style fills. I wish the new album, I Love You It's Cool, had the drums mixed that loud, it's definitely one of the signatures of BiH's live show.

They played Bowery Ballroom the night before, but the Music Hall show was the final night of the five-week tour promoting I Love You It's Cool, and playing before a neighborhood crowd the band were both punchy and pumped, especially singer John Philpot who was dancing even more than he usually does. The Zambri sisters hopped on stage to dance during "Reflection of You" and then sang -- as they often do at hometown shows -- on "Lovesick Teenagers."

Both openers on the bill made good use of the projection screen. Portland's Blouse had washed-out slow-mo imagery that looked like a Cocteau Twins album cover come to life which suited the band's rainy day dance music. Montreal's Doldrums played in front of what seemed to duped-over videocassettes, which is kind of what their music sounds like too, though the band (now a trio) sound more and more like a cohesive unit and less like the weird dabblings of Eric Asher every day.

More pictures from the show, with Bear in Heaven's setlist, below...

Continue reading "Bear in Heaven, Blouse, Doldrums played MHOW (pics, setlist)"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Bear in Heaven - Sinful Nature (Anika With BestMate Remix) (MP3)

Bear in Heaven at Hotel Vegan party, Austin (more by Tim Griffin)

Just a reminder that Bear in Heaven wrap up their North American tour this week with two hometown shows: tonight (5/8) at Bowery Ballroom and tomorrow (5/9) at Music Hall of Williamsburg. Both shows are $15 with two solid openers: synthy Portlanders Blouse and Montreal's Doldrums. After these two shows, Bear in Heaven head to Europe for most of the summer -- all tour dates are at the bottom of this post.

Bear in Heaven last played NYC back in early March at Union Pool where they were billed as "Adventure Hippies":

...watching them play last night with waves of roto-toms and giant synth pads washing over us, it struck me what that is: the Miami Vice soundtrack (Jan Hammer, Phil Collins, Yello, Glen Frey, etc) condensed into one band, albeit one that also loves Yes and late '80s/early '90s techno. Which is a really strange combination, but Bear in Heaven make it work, due in part to excellent musicianship and that they clearly love playing. All three members (singer Philpot, bassist/guitarist Adam Wills and drummer Joe Stickney) let the O Face slip when they're in the moment, which, in their case, is endearing.

Openers Doldrums will tour with Grimes in Europe after their stint with Bear in Heaven wraps up and then head back this way for a string of dates with Unknown Mortal Orchestra, including June 7 at Mercury Lounge and June 8 at Glasslands. Those dates are at the bottom of this post as well.

Continue reading "Bear in Heaven wrapping up tour with Blouse and Doldrums"

Lollapalooza (more by Grant MacAllister)

Chicago Sun Times reports:

Lollapalooza has revealed its official 2012 list of performers -- a typically wide-ranging smorgasbord of genres and styles topped by nearly a dozen mainstage headliners: the Red Hot Chili Peppers, freshly reunited bands Black Sabbath and At the Drive-In, the Black Keys, Jack White, Florence + The Machine, the Shins and Passion Pit, plus spotlighted electronic music including Swedish house titan Avicii, French dance duo Justice and DJ-producer Bassnectar.

The annual music festival is scheduled for Aug. 3-5 in Chicago's Grant Park.

Rumored lineups have circulated widely, as they usually do, and Lollapalooza itself stoked the speculation in recent weeks via a series of CTA and online advertisements that seemed to hint at who would be playing.

The ads featured lyrics from such acts as Sigur Ros, Santigold, Jack White, Kimbra, Twin Shadow, the Weeknd, Bloc Party and more -- all bands that wound up on the bill.

Continue reading "Lollapalooza 2012 lineup (Jack White, At The Drive-In, Sigur Ros, Black Keys, RHCP, Afghan Whigs, M83, Weeknd, SBTRKT, Black Sabbath & more)"

photos by Amanda Hatfield & Tim Griffin; additional pictures by Nate "Igor" Smith

Frankie Rose & band @ Hotel Vegan (by Amanda Hatfield)

BrooklynVegan's Hotel Vegan, located at Austin venues Hotel Vegas & Volstead Lounge, began at noon back on Wednesday, 3/14/2012, on three stages. As "bob dylan wrote propaganda songs" points out:

"...it offered the perfect setting for seeing multiple bands within an intimate setting in a short amount of time. Sure it was a long walk down Sixth Street to get there, and it may not have been the most well kempt venue (I'll be honest, it was a shit-hole), but the three stage set-up provided for prime SXSW day party viewing. I had the pleasure of seeing Chelsea Wolfe, Japandroids, Frankie Rose, Deaf Heaven, and Japandroids all within the span of a couple hours. All of these bands were on my list of bands I wanted to see, and thanks to this venue, I was able to cross more bands off my list than past years"

Deafheaven @ Hotel Vegan (by Amanda Hatfield)

Like on Friday and all four days, we served complimentary HobNob Wines all day. On Wednesday we also proudly passed out Brooklyn Brewery beer and Sailor Jerry drinks.

Special thanks to our official backline providers Vox, Blackstar and Korg, and thank you to NadaMoo for supplying free vegan treats, and to Honest Tea for the tea.

More pictures from the entire SXSW Wednesday at Hotel Vegan, below....

Continue reading "#HotelVegan Day 1 pics (Future of the Left, Japandroids, Bear in Heaven, Frankie Rose, Maps & Atlases, Deafheaven, more) "

As you know, BrooklynVegan is taking over ALL THREE STAGES at connecting Austin venues Hotel Vegas & Volstead for FOUR DAYS STRAIGHT this week, and it's all 100% FREE (no RSVP or badges either). There's a big outdoor stage, and smaller stages inside Hotel Vegas & Volstead. Collectively we're calling the four day long party "Hotel Vegan" (located at 1500 E. 6th St, Austin, TX).

We announced Thursday, Friday, and Saturday too. Here is Wednesday: Wednesday at Hotel Vegan (March 14, 2012)

Stage 1 (Hotel Vegas Outside)
12:00 PM - Devin
12:45 PM - Big Deal
1:30 PM - Pujol
2:15 PM - We are Augustines
2:50 PM - Sun Araw Band (live) + Matthewdavid (DJ Set)
3:45 PM - Frankie Rose
4:30 PM - Japandroids
5:15 PM - Bear in Heaven

Stage 2 (Hotel Vegas Inside) (BBG Stage)
12:10 PM - Freshkills
12:50 PM - White Ring
1:35 PM - The Coathangers
2:20 PM - Razika
3:05 PM - Chelsea Wolfe
3:50 PM - Deafheaven
4:35 PM - Bleached
5:20 PM - Future Of The Left

Stage 3 (Volstead) (BV Chicago stage)
12:00 PM - Minor Characters
12:35 PM - Gypsyblood
01:15 PM - FIELDED
02:00 PM - White Mystery
02:45 PM - Maps & Atlases
03:30 PM - The-Drum
04:15 PM - Flosstradamus
05:00 PM - JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound

And in addition to the completely free lineup of 24 bands playing on THREE stages, we will also have complimentary drinks courtesy of Brooklyn Brewery (while supplies laset) and HobNob Wines, the official wine parter of our entire week of FREE PARTIES at Hotel Vegan (check out HobNob's Facebook page for free music downloads), and a hosted bar courtesy of Sailor Jerry

We will also have FREE VEGAN TREATS courtesy of NadaMoo! and FREE Honest Tea. Arlo's great Vegan Food truck, located right next door, will be at all four days of Hotel Vegan selling food.

Special thanks to all of our partners and sponsors for making this party possible - including Vox, Blackstar and Korg, our official backline partners. And special thanks to Tim Griffin for making our Hotel Vegan flyer.

--

This just one of four full days at Hotel Vegan. Thursday lineup HERE. Saturday lineup HERE. Friday lineup HERE.

We also have THREE official showcases (Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday), and a Saturday metal day party at Lovejoys, AND a just-announced bridge show.

by Bill Pearis

"Man it's weird playing new songs," Jon Philpot admitted to a beyond-packed Union Pool last night. "But once you go and download that leaked record you're gonna be all, 'oh I like that one.'"

Billed under the pseudonym Adventure Hippies, this badly-kept "secret show" was Bear in Heaven's first in NYC since finishing their third album, I Love You, It's Cool, which is still a month from release but may have made its way to the internet the day before. If the crowd, many friends of the band, had heard it I don't think it had time to sink in. The new songs still felt fresh and foreign, if still distinctly Bear in Heaven.

And Bear in Heaven definitely have a sound, and watching them play last night with waves of roto-toms and giant synth pads washing over us, it struck me what that is: the Miami Vice soundtrack (Jan Hammer, Phil Collins, Yello, Glen Frey, etc) condensed into one band, albeit one that also loves Yes and late '80s/early '90s techno. Which is a really strange combination, but Bear in Heaven make it work, due in part to excellent musicianship and that they clearly love playing. All three members (singer Philpot, bassist/guitarist Adam Wills and drummer Joe Stickney) let the O Face slip when they're in the moment, which, in their case, is endearing.

The band sounded up to speed with the new material even if the audience wasn't. I Love You, It's Cool has more of an ear to the dance floor than Beast Rest Forth Mouth, and the techno-leaning "World of Freakout" and likely-second-single "Cool Light" really stood out, as did "The Reflection of You," which is the only song off the album we were really familiar with. Bear in Heaven threw us a couple old bones too, "You Do You" and "Lovesick Teenagers" which Philpot joked "that's classic Adventure Hippies there, going way back!"

Bear in Heaven will begin playing under their own name starting Saturday in Hamden, CT, as they make their way to Austin for SXSW, the start of an extensive North American tour that has them playing through March and April, winding up back in NYC for shows at Bowery Ballroom on May 8 and Music Hall of Williamsburg on May 9.

All Bear in Heaven tour dates are below, as is the zoom-crazy, potentially nausea-inducing video for "The Reflection of You" which was directed by John Lee of PFFR/Wonder Showzen/Delocated/Muckafurgason...

Continue reading "Bear in Heaven played Union Pool"

Bear in Heaven @ Webster Hall in 2009 (more by Dominick Mastrangelo)

Bear in Heaven will play their first NYC show in over a year at Union Pool in Brooklyn TONIGHT (3/1). It's a secret show. They're listed on the bill as "Adventure Hippies" who play after Helado Negro who play after Test House.

All of their tour dates, and their new video for "Reflection of You", below...

Continue reading "Bear in Heaven released a new video, playing UNION POOL TONIGHT & CT Saturday (dates)"

DOWNLOAD: Bear in Heaven - "The Reflection of You" (MP3)

Blouse at 285 Kent earlier this month (more by Dominick Mastrangelo)

Blouse (who was recently in NYC to play 285 Kent) and Doldrums have been added as openers to Bear in Heaven's upcoming tour. That tour culminates in NYC with shows happening on May 8 at Bowery Ballroom and May 9 at MHOW. Tickets for both shows are still on sale. All dates are listed below.

Bear in Heaven's new album, I Love You, It's Cool (due out April 3 via Dead Oceans) is still streaming at 400,000% slower than actual speed at the band's website. They recently spoke to VICE about it...

VICE:Are any of your fans who were drawn in by the pop sound bewildered by this experiment? How's the overall fan response?

Bear in Heaven: So far the response has been great. Bear in Heaven fans can handle our artistic leanings. I read one thing on Twitter where a person asked if we were printing the drone on vinyl. He wanted to know so he could buy a new shelf.

Speaking of Doldrums, he's one of the guests on Grimes' upcoming album Visions, which you can now stream in full on NPR. The album is due out on February 21 in the US via 4AD. Grimes plays three NYC shows on her upcoming tour.

All dates and stream below...

Continue reading "Blouse & Doldrums added to Bear in Heaven tour; Grimes' new album streaming in full"

JONATHAN TOUBIN BENEFIT
Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Heavy Trash, Stabbing Eastward (Tunde Adebimpe & Ryan Sawyer), Royal Baths, Rotating DJ's All Night Long: Gibby Haynes (Butthole Surfers), Billy Miller (Norton Records), Bear In Heaven, Leo Fitzpatrick, Habibi, and Slowdance
FRI, DECEMBER 16, 2011
DOORS: 10:30 PM / SHOW: 11:30 PM
$25.00 - $100.00

THIS EVENT IS 21 AND OVER
100% OF THE PROCEEDS WILL GO TO ASSISTING WITH JONATHAN'S HOSPITAL & MEDICAL BILLS.
$25 MINIMUM DONATION IN ADVANCE.
$35 MINIMUM DONATION DAY OF SHOW.

Also, another update from the IheartJT Facebook page:

IheartJT Update: Hi everyone! We've set up a po box so that you can send gifts/cards to Jonathan. Please don't send perishables or flowers to this address though. The address is:
Jonathan Toubin
818 SW 3rd Ave
PO Box 293
Portland, Or 97204-2405

By Bill Pearis

Brooklyn's synth-heavy Bear in Heaven have signed with Dead Oceans who will release the band's third album, I Love You, It's Cool, on April 3. A Spring 2012 tour has also been announced that ends with two dates in NYC: May 8 at Bowery Ballroom and May 9 at Music Hall of Williamsburg. Tickets to both of those shows go on sale this Friday (12/1) at noon.

If you want an early listen I Love You, It's Cool, the album will be streaming between now and April 3rd via Bear in Heaven's website. Don't get too excited though. It's more of a trickle. The band have slowed down the album 400,000% so that it will take from now till April 3rd to play through one time. The band explain via a press release:

As a band, we have always sought to balance our interest in art and outsider music with a sense of humor about our place within the entertainment industry. When we began discussing the making of our third record, two recurrent themes emerged:

1. The desire to release a companion piece of music that was more abstract and drone based than the material we had played every night for the last 18 months or will likely play for 18 months straight following the release of this record.

2. An equal desire to have a little lighthearted fun with and comment on the current state of album promotion, hype cycles, countdowns and all the marketing ploys that we accept as a reality of existing within an internet age.

At some point these two ideas merged into one. We would stream our album earlier and for longer than anyone else had before but we'd stream it once. We'd stretch it far beyond the limits of being recognisable as pop music. Draw it out so that snare roll lasts for days. Invite listeners to interpret and consider each sound. Sit back and breathe.

Continue reading "Bear in Heaven announce tour & new album on Dead Oceans ('stream' it now) --- 2012 Tour Dates"

DOWNLOAD: The Antlers - "VCR" (The xx cover) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Korallreven - "Sa Sa Samoa" (ft. Julianna Barwick) (MP3)

The Antlers at Moogfest (more by Diana Wong)

We recently mentioned that Sharon Van Etten and Shearwater are planning a tour together that hits NYC at Music Hall of Williamsburg on February 24 and Bowery Ballroom on February 25. Tickets for both NYC shows are available for AmEx presale now, and general sale starts Friday (11/11) at noon. All dates have also since been announced and are listed below.

After the tour, Sharon will go on a string of dates with The War on Drugs, who open for The National at Beacon Theatre the night before Sharon does. Sharon's new album, Tramp, comes out February 7 via Jagjaguwar.

Sharon's friends and fellow Brooklynites The Antlers are following their release of Burst Apart, which came out earlier this year, with the (together) EP, which features material from the Burst Apart sessions. It includes collaborations with Neon Indian, Bear In Heaven, Nicole Atkins, and a cover of The xx's "VCR," which you can download above. The EP's tracklist is below. The Antlers are currently on a European tour and will return to NYC for a Webster Hall show on December 10 with Suuns. Tickets for that show are still available.

Speaking of The xx, they've recently begun working on a new album and have started a blog, where they've posted the message:

We have started recording our second album! We have also started this blog where we will post our inspirations + pictures + favourite songs. We hope you enjoy it! Lots of Love, The xx

The Walkmen, whose drummer Matt Barrick guests on Sharon's new album, are also working on a new album with producer Phil Ek which will be released next year on Fat Possum/Bella Union.

Julianna Barwick, who is also a guest on Sharon's album, recently released the Matrimony Remixes EP, which features remixes of two of the tracks off of her most recent LP, The Magic Place, which came out earlier this year. The entire EP is available to stream and download for $5 on bandcamp and features remixes by Diplo & Lunice, Helado Negro, Alias Pail, and Prince Rama. Julianna also provided guest vocals to Korallreven's debut LP, which comes out November 15 via Acephale. Her vocals appear on the song "Sa Sa Samoa," which you can download above.

All dates and (together) tracklist below...

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