Big names and regulars aside, there are a few bands I want to highlight on the just-announced Sasquatch lineup: Wolf Parade ("indefinite hiatus" rumors be damned), The Flaming Lips (performing "The Soft Bulletin"), Death From Above 1979 (now three reunion shows total), Guided By Voices (they're not done yet), and... Archers of Loaf (!). The full lineup of the fest that goes down in Gorge, Washington in May (Memorial Day Weekend), is below...

Continue reading "Sasquatch 2011 lineup announced (Archers of Loaf, Guided By Voices, Wolf Parade, DFA 1979 & "The Soft Bulletin" included)"

photos by Samantha Marble

DOWNLOAD: The Black Angels - "Telephone" (MP3)

Black Mountain

[The Black Angels] opened [the Bowery Ballroom show] with "You On The Run," a head bobbing shoegazy track filled with Velvet Underground-esque drone replete with tambourines and fuzzy guitars... The Angels pulled songs equally from all three albums, slightly favoring their first, Passover...The band hit a stride with the last three tracks before the closer: "Young Men Dead," "The First Vietnamese War," and "Better Off Alone"--all from their first album. Black Mountain's Stephen McBean played acoustic on the last song of the set appropriately dubbed "Entrance Song"--A melodic trip with purposely-wobbly vocals and heart-thumping drumbeat. -[Death + Taxes]

Continue reading "the Black Angels & Black Mountain played MHOW & Bowery Ballroom (pics & setlist) "

Black Francis @ Hammerstein Ballroom in 2009 (more by Tim Griffin)

today in NYC
* ATP NY
* Oran Etkin @ Barbes
* Rush @ PNC Bank Arts Center
* Tyshawn Sorey @ The Stone
* Bill Frisell @ Village Vanguard
* Mose Allison @ the Jazz Standard
* The Radiators @ Brooklyn Bowl
* New Model Army @ The Bell House
* Black Francis (solo acoustic) @ Joe's Pub
* Lionshare, Starscream, Fiasco @ Shea Stadium
* The Greenhornes, Des Roar @ Mercury Lounge
* The Wooden Birds, Dan Mangan @ Mercury Lounge
* Cookies (formerly Mobius Band) @ Cameo Gallery
* The Dear Hunter, Midnight Masses, O' Brother @ Knitting Factory
* The Dutchess and the Duke, Common Prayer, Arms @ Union Pool
* The Death Set, Hussle Club, Selebrities, Dirty Fences @ Lit Lounge
* BEAK>, People of the North (members of Oneida) @ Bowery Ballroom
* The Get It, Ava Luna, Your Youth, MiniBoone, Bermuda Bonnie @ Pianos
* Weekends, Sundelles, Darlings, Philip Seymour Hoffman @ Monster Island
* Today Is The Day, A Storm of Light, ELKS, Eyes of The Sun @ Santos Party House
* The Dollyrots, The Cliks, Hunter Valentine, Vanity Theft @ The Studio at Webster Hall
* Unnatural Helpers, Mike Hunchback & The Weird Fantasy Band, Passive Aggressor, Period Girls @ Death By Audio

ATP NY kicks off tonight with Iggy and the Stooges, Sleep, Mudhoney, and The Scientists @ All Tomorrow's Parties. Two of those four bands play NYC in the next few days too, and two bands playing NYC tonight play ATP over the weekend.

New Model Army kick off a 2-night run at The Bell House.

The Mose Allison Trio plays six shows at Jazz Standard this weekend.

Black Francis plays his first of three sold out shows at Joe's Pub tonight.

New Black Mountain video for "The Hair Song", below...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Friday?"

words & photos by Benjamin Lozovsky

On their upcoming album Wilderness Heart, the Black Mountain chose to soften up their previously diamond-tough chemical composition with bittersweet acoustic touches and largely uncluttered vocal and melodic elements.

Live though, its all-continental upheaval, all the time. With few exceptions, like opening its set at the Knitting Factory Monday (8/30) with "Radiant Hearts," an especially atmospheric Wilderness track full of woozy Melotron, Black Mountain focused on expanding the already waist-busting girth (bore) of their heavy, 70's obsessed riff rock.

Even as their more varied approach on Wilderness does a lot to widen their musical identity, guitarist Stephen McBean and his Vancouver bandmates are still immeasurably spurred forth musically by their idols. The Hammond organs blaring over a sludgy yet punctuated drum beat during "Old Fangs" felt like an ode to Steppenwolf. "The Hair Song," with an unusual (for the band) country-road warmth and spirit of optimism, could easily be a skillful reworking of Zeppelin's "Traveling Riverside Blues."

But pinpointing each individual reference throughout Black Mountain's music is counterintuitive. To experience the group is more of a wholly sensory indulgence than a challenging intellectual pursuit. Monday night, it was better to let the brooding yet ethereal howl of McBean and vocalist Amber Weber confuse your spirits, or to follow the minute subtleties of McBean's hefty but economical guitar, or listen for unpredictable synth lines by Jeremy Schmidt rising from sonic muck, or just let the unflappable rhythm section of bassist Matt Camirand and drummer Josh Wells leave your head freely swiveling in a drugged-out haze.

Opener The War On Drugs make referential drugged-out haze as well, but choose reverb heavy California sounds, distantly approachable Americana, and the Velvet Underground circa Loaded as their template instead. Most of the band's songs progressed slowly throughout their set, each rising with intensity around mostly static drum patterns and droney, arpeggiated chords played by leader and guitarist Adam Granduciel. It was far from the direct and plaintive meets noisy approach on their recorded work, and the group spent most of its set winning over the audience. After most fully capturing the crowd's attention with the foot-stomping Kraut meets Springsteen number "A Needle in Your Eye," the group then inexplicably finished with an unnecessarily prolonged, 10 plus minute drone and noise exploration that instead of bringing their mind altering aspirations to a head, actually sobered most listeners up. The War on Drugs rages on.

Black Mountain hit the road with The Black Angels at the end of October. The War on Drugs played a 2nd NYC show last night at The Rock Shop (how was that?).

Pictures from War on Drug's Knitting Factory set are HERE with pictures from the rest of the show, with Black Mountain's setlist, below...

Continue reading "Black Mountain played the Knitting Factory (pics & setlist) "

photos by Benjamin Lozovsky

DOWNLOAD: The War on Drugs - Comin' Through (MP3)

The War on Drugs @ Knitting Factory Monday night

It's been over two years since The War on Drugs released their debut album, Wagonwheel Blues, via Secretly Canadian. And it's via that same label that we'll finally get another taste on October 26th which is the official release date of the band's 2nd album called Future Weather. Grab "Comin' Through", one of that record's eight tracks, for free above now. Cover art and full tracklist below.

Tonight (8/31), The War on Drugs follow up their appearance with Black Mountain at Knitting Factory last night, with a headlining show at the cozy Rock Shop. This time they share a bill with Light Pollution and Xylos.

More about last night's show later. In the meantime, here are some pics, with all tour dates and the new album's cover art and tracklist, below...

Continue reading "The War on Drugs releasing 'Future Weather' (MP3), played Knitting Factory (pics), playing Rock Shop today & other dates"

by BBG

DOWNLOAD: Black Angels - No Satisfaction (Black Mountain cover) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Black Angels - Telephone (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Black Mountain - The Hair Song (MP3)

The Black Angels at BV SXSW 2010 (more by Tim Griffin)

It's already been nailed down that The Black Angels are definitely on board for the super terrific ATP New York in Monticello this year (the last and final lineup was originally announced), as well as their jaunt with Black Mountain that will take them to Bowery Ballroom on November 3rd (tickets).

But besides those pair of unmissables, The Black Angels are also scheduled to play a secret show in NYC on 9/7, just days after that ATP appearance! The show is NOT open to the public, but we have 10 pairs of tickets available for giveaway! Details on how to win your way into the show (which will also have an open bar), and a free poster to go along with it (sorry you must be 21+ because of the open bar), are below.

All of the ridiculous touring and related hubub is directly related to Phosphene Dream, The Black Angels' new LP, due on 9/14 on Blue Horizon Records in 180 gram vinyl/CD/digital forms. Preorder it now.

Their tour-mates Black Mountain also have that NYC show at Knitting Factory coming up even sooner, August 30th to be exact. Tickets are still on sale. Grab an MP3 of Black Angels covering Black Mountain (which originally appeared on limited edition release a couple of years ago), above (along with a re-post of new songs from both of the bands' new albums).

More details on how to enter the contest, and some Black Angels video with all dates, below...

Continue reading "Black Angels playing a private record release show (win tix), covered tour-mates Black Mountain (MP3) "

DOWNLOAD: Black Angels - Telephone (MP3) (via)
DOWNLOAD: Black Mountain - The Hair Song (MP3)

The Black Keys just left town. The Black Lips just arrived. This fall, the Black Angels are going on a co-headlining tour with Black Mountain. The NYC show is at Bowery Ballroom on November 3rd. Tickets for that show go on sale Friday at noon. Meanwhile tickets are still on sale for Black Mountain's previously announced headlining show at Knitting Factory with The War on Drugs (8/30) which they're playing one day before they appear on Jimmy Fallon (8/31).

The Black Angels will release a new album entitled Phosphene Dream on September 14th. Check out new track "Telephone" above.

Black Mountain will release Wilderness Heart on the same day. Their new song "The Hair Song"" is also above.

All dates and both album covers below...

Continue reading "Black Angels touring w/ Black Mountain - dates & new MP3s"

Black Mountain are heading out on tour this summer ("They are road-testing some new jammers from their upcoming follow-up record to In the Future). NYC gets them on August 30th for a show at Knitting Factory for which tickets go on sale Friday. All dates below...

Continue reading "Black Mountain - 2010 Tour Dates"

by Black Bubblegum

DOWNLOAD: Pink Mountaintops - "Vampire" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Pink Mountaintops - "While We Were Dreaming" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Quest For Fire - "Bison Eyes" (MP3)

Come to McBean country......

Is Stephen McBean, to quote P. Diddy, "preserving his sexy"? Stephen McBean and Pink Mountaintops are currently touring the EU on the heels of the recent release of the new album Outside Love (out now on Jagjaguwar). A month after those dates, which include the damnit-everyone-awesome-is-playing-this ATP festival in Minehead, the also-Black Mountain-er will be back on his native continent, ready to hit the road for a string of US dates including a pair in NYC: The Bell House on June 5 (tickets here) and Mercury Lounge on June 6th (tickets here).

Quest For Fire and their psyche-fuzz-rock will do the honors supporting McBean & Co, drawing from their upcoming (6/9) self-titled LP for Tee Pee Records. Made up of ex-members of The Deadly Snakes and Cursed (!), Chad Ross (guitar, vocals) and Mike Maxymuik (drums) will also pull double duty serving as members of Pink Mountaintops on the trek. Noice!

Check out new tracks from both Pink Mountaintops and Quest For Fire's latest efforts, available above, and the videos for "While We Were Dreaming" by Pink Mountaintops and "Ive Been Trying To Leave" by Quest For Fire, along with all dates, below....

Continue reading "Pink Mountaintops & Quest For Fire - tour dates, MP3s, video"

The Walkmen @ Masonic Temple in December (more by Natasha Ryan)

"We live in scary times. Sure, we might wonder how that inane Southern California woman is going to feed fourteen mouths, but what about the family whose breadwinners lost their jobs, and now have not only no money to pay the mortgage, but feed their kids?

No one seems to care about those people. Everyone's too selfish. I've got mine, fuck you. But what if you suddenly don't have yours anymore?

You used to sell ten million records, now you can't even sell two. Those damn pirates! But those pirates are real people. Who overpaid to hear one good track on a CD. They've got no sympathy for you. And they may overpay to see superstars once, but not forever. The Stones don't sell out anymore. Nor does Springsteen, not even Madonna. The printed grosses are high, but that's because of the inflated ticket prices.

Is the concert industry headed for a fall? Just like the recorded music industry?" [Bob Lefsetz]

Most of the bands in this post recently announced a tour, or an update to their previously announced tour, and did not include a NYC-area date. All of them below...

Continue reading "TOUR DATES: Kings of Leon, Walkmen, Coldplay, Bloc Party, Black Mountain, Jason Isbell, Dr Dog, Little Ones & more"

The Sadies @ the Big Apple BBQ 2008 (more by Chris La Putt)

The band consists of Dallas Good (also of Phono-Comb), Travis Good, Sean Dean and Mike Belitsky. Dallas and Travis Good are the sons of Bruce Good, a member of the Canadian country group The Good Brothers.

In addition to their own recordings, the Sadies often collaborate with other country-rock artists, such as Blue Rodeo, Jon Langford, The Tragically Hip, Andre Williams (on the 1999 country-influenced Red Dirt), and are [occasionaly the] live backing band of singer Neko Case. The Sadies are also featured in Adult Swim's 12 oz. mouse. An instrumental performed by the band can be heard during the scene in which Rhoda the bartender is murdered. [Wikipedia]

The Sadies are one of the many contributors to Neko Case's new album. Grab the first officially released track from that record HERE. All Sadies dates below...

Continue reading "The Sadies - 2009 Tour Dates (some w/ Black Mountain)"

by BrooklynVegan Mike

The time has arrived to crown another Polaris Music Prize winner. Last year's Canadian award was met with mixed response as relative unknowns (outside of Canada) Patrick Watson beat Arcade Fire, Feist (my pick to win), and seven others for the top spot.

This is the most open field in the brief history of the award. There are no big acts, though Stars certainly has a large following. Most of the artists on the shortlist have been playing since the beginning of the decade or longer. Coincidently or otherwise, the two youngest artists on the shortlist, Shad (27) and Basia Bulat (24), are two of the favorites this year. With that said, there will be no real "upsets." I can see any of the nominees walking away with the prize. It seems the award has positioned itself more to elevate someone then legitimize a popular artist's success (past losers include the aforementioned Arcade Fire along with Broken Social Scene, and Wolf Parade).

Like last year, I will go over the ten nominees in order of who I think has the best chance of picking up the prize on the 29th. We start with who I think has the least chance...

Continue reading "The 2008 Polaris Music Prize is about to be awarded"

photos by Zach Dilgard

DOWNLOAD: Black Mountain - Tyrants (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Black Mountain - Druganaut (MP3)

Psychedelic-Canadian-stoner-rock band Black Mountain and Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter came through NYC on Tuesday (Bowery Ballroom) and Wednesday (Music Hall of Williamsburg). Zach was at the first show. More pictures from that below...

Continue reading "Black Mountain - Bowery Ballroom pics & Glasslands video "

words by BrooklynVegan Mike, photos by Ryan Muir

The shortlist for the 2008 Polaris Music Prize was announced last week.

a not-for-profit organization that annually honours, celebrates and rewards creativity and diversity in Canadian recorded music by recognizing, then marketing the albums of the highest artistic integrity, without regard to musical genre, professional affiliation, or sales history, as judged by a panel of selected critics and experts.

Crystal Castles, Born Ruffians, Destroyer, and Sandro Perri are conspicuously absent from this year's shortlist, although they did make the original 40-album long list. I think they should have also made the final cut. As we approach the awards, I will once again give my two cents on who I think will win, looking to avenge picking Feist over Patrick Watson, last year's eventual winner.

Basia Bulat also made the shorlist this year. Basia Bulat opened for Devotchka at Terminal 5 in May. Ryan took some pics that we haven't posted yet, so here they are. More of them and the entire 2008 shortlist, below...

Continue reading "the 2008 Polaris Prize shortlist, pics of Basia Bulat"

photos by Ryan Muir

DOWNLOAD: Black Mountain - Tyrants (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Black Mountain - Druganaut (MP3)

Black Mountain will be visiting NYC in September. Tickets for shows at Bowery Ballroom and Music Hall go on sale Saturday at noon. In related news, Black Mountain are part of this year's Sub Pop singles club, and Black Mountain are featured on a track on the new Unkle album ("End Titles...Stories for Film" - out July 15). More pictures from the show Black Mountain played at Mess With Texas in March, and all tour dates, below....

Continue reading "Black Mountain - 2008 Tour Dates, Unkle, Sub Pop, live pics "

Black Mountain @ Bowery Ballroom, NYC - Feb 22, 2008 (Jason Bergman)

Black Mountain appeared on Conan the night before they played Bowery Ballroom in February. Video below...

Continue reading "Black Mountain - 'Stormy High' on Conan O'Brien (video)"

Bon Iver @ Bowery Ballroom, NY, NY - Feb 22, 2008 (Jason Bergman)

Bon Iver @ Glasslands Gallery, Brooklyn, NY - Feb 23, 2008 (Tod Seelie)

Bon Iver just played 3 NYC shows. Black Mountain headlined two of them. BV mostly-metal contributor Black Bubblegum was at the Bowery show. Here's what he had to say...

I came there for Black Mountain... I can't lie. They were fantastic. Stephen McBean's guitar tone brought to mind Tony Iommi and Amber Webber did her best Grace Slick. They killed and so does "In The Future".

What surprised me was the stunning power of Bon Iver! Every ounce of greatness that "For Emma...." evokes was matched on the Bowery stage. The disheveled Justin Vernon had the ladies swaying and singing quietly, some holding cameras up to capture the whole set on video (links to those?). Vernon and his bandmates du jour were dead on. "The Wolves (Act I and II)" was easily the highlight, with a Mogwai-like crescendo as the crowd built upon the "what might have been lost" chorus. I have the digital version of "For Emma..." but I decided that I needed the vinyl.

Continue reading "Bon Iver & Black Mountain @ Glasslands & Bowery Ballroom "

Bon Iver @ The Electric Fetus (MN in-store) - Feb 13, 2008 (Staciaann)

Vernon used an array of guitars throughout the night, steel-string acoustics, a Telecaster, a Silvertone blues guitar. For "Skinny Love" he broke out the tarnished nickel National, a metal body guitar whose high, resonant tone recalls the reverberation of a crow cawing across a frozen sky. The sharpness of the chords and the sweetness of the lyrics pleading for love and patience come as distilled honesty, a quality that at once allows the music to be personal and communal. Audiences respect this power, their silence at a Bon Iver show is like a secret pact to feel together. [a review @ Reveille]

Hownlin' Rain just finished a mini tour with Black Mountain, and they've since announced some dates of their own. That includes Mercury Lounge in NYC on April 2nd. Tickets are on sale. Is that Freedom Rock? Well, all Howlin' Rain tour dates below.....

Continue reading "Bon Iver adds 3rd NYC show, Howlin' Rain add one, dates"

My last Black Mountain update included a lot more tour dates than the first time I posted about the Bowery Ballroom show they're playing with Bon Iver. This post adds even more dates. That includes a show at Glasslands in Brooklyn on February 23rd. That's one day after the Bowery show, and two days after Black Mountain play Conan O'Brien.

Their Jagjaguwar labelmate Wilderness also has a Brooklyn show coming up - March 13th at Union Pool. Listen to Bon Iver on MPR. Watch Black Mountain and Kid Millions from Oneida play at ATP. Everyone's tour dates below....

Continue reading "Black Mountain, Bon Iver, Brooklyn, Wilderness, Tour Dates"

DOWNLOAD: Howlin Rain - Roll On the Rusted Days (MP3)

Oakland, CA: Howlin Rain, the epic spin-off project of Comets on Fire (Sub Pop) co-founder and lead singer Ethan Miller, has just been signed by Rick Rubin to American Recordings. Progenitors of the heavy psych/folky sound that has been branded "The New Weird America" by the press, Miller has put together an outfit that exudes the magical musical legacy of their Bay Area blues-driven homebase (Quicksilver Messenger Service and Grateful Dead), taps into the psychedelic brotherhood of the 13th Floor Elevators and calls to order the songmanship of classic CSNY, while possessing the originality to create their own visionary sound. Howlin Rain’s spring 2008 release, Magnificent Fiend, will be a joint venture with San Francisco's Birdman Records. [press release]

Continue reading "Black Mountain, Bon Iver, Blood on the Wall & the Rick Rubin-signed Howlin Rain - UPDATED 2008 Tour Dates"

DOWNLOAD: Black Mountain - Tyrants (new MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Ruby Isle - Tyrants (Black Mountain Cover) (MP3) (info)
DOWNLOAD: Black Mountain - Druganaut (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Bon Iver - Skinny Love (MP3)

Jajaguwar label-mates Black Mountain & Bon Iver aren't actually going on tour together. Well, maybe they are, but one hasn't been announced yet. They are playing together at Bowery Ballroom on February 22nd though. Tickets are on sale. It will be Bon Iver's third Bowery show - the first was CMJ, and then he opened for Elvis Perkins.

Black Mountain's new double album called In the Future is out January 22nd.

The new album possesses immense breadth, seamlessly showcasing short and classic folk-pop gems along with driving modern rock masterpieces, peaking with "Bright Lights", a seventeen-minute multi-dimensional opus that gives Pink Floyd's "Echoes" a run for its money. (says their press release)

Continue reading "Black Mountain & Bon Iver - 2008 Tour Dates, new albums"

DOWNLOAD: Blacklist - Blue Shifted (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Ravens & Chimes - January (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Ravens & Chimes - General Lafayette! You Are Not Alone (MP3)

Black Mountain @ Mercury Lounge by Noah Kalina (more)

Jay Reatard in Washington DC - Oct 9, 2007 (CRED)

E-mail BVCONTESTS@HOTMAIL.COM (subject: Architecture) right now to win a pair of tickets to see Architecture in Helsinki at the Gramercy Theatre tonight. Make sure you definitely want to go, and include your first and last name. Two winners will be picked randomly, and contacted ASAP.

* Tori Amos is @ WaMu Theater @ MSG
* Jay Reatard @ Death By Audio
* Digitalism are @ Studio B
* !!! and The Field are @ Webster Hall
* Moby, The Juan Maclean & Stretch Armstrong DJ @ Hiro Ballroom
* Pink Nasty is playing Pete's Candy Store
* Architecture in Helsinki & Lo Fi Fnk @ Gramercy Theatre
* Blacklist & Popscene NYC DJ's @ The Annex
* Division Day, Rahim, and Ravens & Chimes are @ Union Hall
* The National & St. Vincent launch the new venue Terminal 5
* The Raveonettes & Nicole Atkins are @ Maxwell's
* Black Mountain & The Caver Singers are @ Southpaw
* Klaxons are playing Conan O'Brien
* Jose Gonzalez was on KCRW
* Jose Gonzales is playing Jimmy Kimmel

BONUS NSFW: Qui let their balls hang out at Mercury Lounge (literally)

What else?

DOWNLOAD: Black Mountain - Drugganaut (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Lightning Dust - Listened On (MP3)

Black Mountain's next album comes out in early 2008 on JagJaguwar. Lightning Dust is the side project of Amber & Josh from Black Mountain. Lightning Dust's self-titled album came out on JagJaguwar in June - it was around then that they went on a West Coast tour with The Cave Singers. Next - The Cave Singers are going on tour with Black Mountain. They play Mercury Lounge and Southpaw on October 10th & 11th. All tour dates below...

Continue reading "Black Mountain & The Cave Singers - 2007 Tour Dates"