photos by David Andrako

Say Hi

Eric Elbogen, a.k.a. Say Hi, is more articulate than the title of his new album, "Um, Uh Oh," suggests. The 12 songs aren't wordy but do offer well-observed vignettes of modern life. What's pruned severely on the Seattle one-man band's seventh album is the music.

...Elbogen has a gruff voice, which he doesn't sweeten with vocal harmonies. Yet this album includes melodious elements that create an interesting tension with the singer's rasp. The pretty riff underlying "Take Ya' Dancin' " promises a sweeping chorus that never quite arrives, and "Trees Are a Swayin'" uses a stately piano motif to certify Elbogen's grand promise to "love you till the end of the world." Both songs are testaments to Say Hi's impressive powers of suggestion." -[Washington Post]

Continue reading "Say Hi, Yellow Ostrich & Blair @ Bowery Ballroom (pics)"

Jon Natchez w/ the Antlers @ BAM (more by Dominick Mastrangelo)

Yellow Ostrich sent me this well laid out email, so I thought I would share it as is:

First - Jon Natchez has joined the band to play bass and horns. Jon's played with Beirut, The Antlers, Okkervil River, and more.

Second - Our Pianos residency starts TONIGHT. The band will be playing The Mistress in its entirety tonight. This show will be the first time ever that The Mistress will be available for sale in the vinyl format (or any physical format, for that matter).

Third, The Mistress LP is officially coming out on 2/15 but Afternoon Records is giving away a test pressing of the album to one person who can guess the score of the super bowl. Contest details:

Finally, we have an upcoming tour with Say Hi which will stretch across the USA and Canada (with a stop at the Bowery Ballroom on 3/7)

Continue reading "Say Hi touring w/ Yellow Ostrich (who now have Jon Natchez in the band, kick off Pianos residency tonight) --- 2011 dates"

Pete's Candy Store photos by Amanda Hatfield, Crash Mansion photos by Jessica Amaya, Pianos & Mercury Lounge photos by Chris La Putt, words by Rachel Kowal

Oh Land @ Rebel NYC (more by David Andrako)

You've been following the CMJ adventures of multiple BV contributors for two weeks now, including the day by day reviews from Rachel Kowal. Before too much more time passes, here is the conclusion of Rachel's week (with the end of day four and all of day five), and assorted pictures from four other shows all rolled into one big post. Check it all out, below....

Continue reading "Rachel's CMJ 2010 recap conclusion w/ lots of pics (Lia Ices, Sarah Jaffe, Ume, Robbers on High Street, Buke & Gass, more) "

words by Rachel Kowal, photos by Amanda Hatfield

The Drums @ Santos, late Wednesday night (this photo by Nathan Lee Bush)

When I started to scope out the schedule for Wednesday night, I planned on spending the first part of the night running back and forth between Spike Hill and Bruar Falls, but I decided to head over to Rock Shop instead, comforted by the knowledge that most of the bands I wanted to see (Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., The Magic Bullets, etc.) would be playing more sets later in the week anyway.

When I arrived at the Park Slope venue, Tape Deck Mountain was mid-set. At the time, I was fairly satisfied with the few songs I did catch (including a cover of "Mother" by Danzig) (a theme this week?). The band has decent vocals and execution, but when I later reflected on the bands I had seen, I realized that nothing about their set really stuck with me.

Up next was Cloud Nothings. The energy in the room picked up immediately when the Cleveland group began to play (of course it helped that the crowd had begun to fill out at that point). Possibly propelled by nerves or sheer excitement, the youthful band raced through their set as if competing at a track meet, slowing down just long enough for vocalist Dylan Baldi to entertain the audience with his endearing asides. Baldi may not have what you'd generally consider to be a 'good' voice, but he more than makes up for it in his delivery.

Just when I had begun to get a little sick of all-guy groups, the next two acts on the bill each featured a more even distribution of the sexes. Up first - Blair. Right before she and her backing band began their set, there was a bit of an upset when her acoustic guitar came crashing down, but she didn't let the setback dampen the mood. "I just broke a guitar, but it's ok," she said surprisingly nonchalantly. Thanks to their matching tie die shirts (worn by 3 out of 4 people anyway), sunny indie pop melodies, and Blair's unadulterated voice and accompanying song topics (she sings about things like love, candy, and dancing to Whitney Houston), things suddenly took a turn for twee, but I was totally ok with that.

For what it's worth, it was Blair's upbeat diddy "Hello Halo" that I found stuck in my head at the end of the night, and given the position of her set (right in the middle), that's saying something.

The Rock Shop was treating me well, but sadly, my itinerary called for me to return to Manhattan. I did get to stay just long enough to know what I was missing with Braids though. Their set-up may have been nearly identical to that of Blair, but their sound was much more polished thanks to the many overlapping layers of instrumentation and vocals that they carefully crafted on stage. Though I would have gladly stayed longer, I made my way to the train midway through their set.

When I arrived at Santos Party House for the Stereogum/PopGun show, I was a bit dismayed to see the long line extending down the block, but I somehow managed to get into the venue. I made my way to the smaller downstairs room to see Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. Just when I was really starting to get upset about the obnoxiously long wait (I could have seen more of Braids set!), I understood the reason for at last part of the hold-up: the group's two main members (Joshua Epstein and Daniel Zott) had run backstage to change into their costumes. Yes, costumes. Head to toe Nascar uniforms to be exact. It's hard to say whether this kind of shtick will hold up in the long run, but it's a pretty good way to stand out on a long list of relatively unknown bands (well that and their ridiculous name).

Whether it's your bag or not, chances are you might end up seeing these guys at some point during the week if you haven't already. They're certainly putting in the time. It was apparently their third show of the day. There wasn't much room for dancing in the packed room, but that didn't stop people from trying, and their light-hearted and energetic set certainly helped propel me through the rest of the night.

To close the evening, I darted upstairs to the main room at Santos to catch (the second half of) Wild Nothing and The Drums. It was kind of a weird succession of moods at that point. After leaving the lively basement room, Wild Nothing seemed even more subdued than I had remembered, but the group (under Jack Tatum's lead) put on a tight set. Considering the next band's laid back, sun-drenched sound, "Summer Holiday" was particularly enjoyable since it was distinctly more upbeat than their other tunes.

Then, finally a bit after 1:00am - The Drums. At this point, I was pretty exhausted, so I was pretty glad when singer Jonathan Pierce announced that they were going to play everything "twice as fast" so we could get home. The Drums seem to have mastered that fine balance of playfulness and artistry. It's hard not to grin at Pierce's over-the-top delivery. With a distinct swagger in his voice and some ridiculously exaggerated dance moves, he's a sight to behold - but so is the rest of the band, swaying in the background. These boys have come a long way since last summer.

I may not have gone to sleep until nearly 4:00am last night, but the constant adrenaline rush from just knowing how many good acts there are tonight should be more than enough to keep me going... that and the knowledge that I'm already planning on taking a personal day tomorrow.

----

Also Wednesday: "Viral sensation" Kyle Andrews, Animal Collective friends Prince Rama, and Minneapolis-based "chamber-folk sextet" Dark Dark Dark played the Terrorbird day party at Cake Shop with Kordan, Botany, Revolver, Baths, Marnie Stern, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. Pics of the first three adorn this post.

Dark Dark Dark are also on board for Supply & Demand/InDigest CMJ Official Showcase at CoCo 66 on Friday 10/22 with Franz Nicolay, Vandaveer, The Lisps, Milageres, and Spirit of the Red City. The band will also then Fontana's during the day on Saturday 10/23 to team up with Swells, Brian Bonz, Fairmont, New Numbers, and Skyler.

Prince Rama have a few dates this week, as discussed, including the Paw Tracks/ Car Park show at Cake Shop tonight (10/21) with Cloud Nothings, and the WFMU Record Fair on Saturday (10/23) with Ted Leo (who will also play the BV Day Party earlier that day).

Cloud Nothings also have shows coming up at the Fader Fort and Don Pedro's.

More pictures from Cake Shop show, with all Cloud Nothings dates, below...

Continue reading "CMJ Day 2 in review & pics (The Drums, Wild Nothing, Cloud Nothings, Prince Rama, Dale again & more)"

The Blow

The only place to catch the Blow during CMJ (that I know about), and coming up in NYC at all at the moment, is at the BrooklynVegan showcase at Music Hall of Williamsburg on Thursday night (10/21). According to CMJ, who are correct, we'll be running on this schedule:

October 21st, 2010 @ MHOW
08:00PM Young Man
08:45PM Suuns
09:30PM Screaming Females
10:30PM The Blow
11:30PM The Pains of Being Pure At Heart

Oh, and the first 50 people in the door Thursday night will get a set of free EarPeace ear plugs (a $14.95 value).

After CMJ, on November 9th, Khaela Maricich (aka the Blow) will hit the road with Blair who also has some CMJ shows of her own including a Wednesday show at The Rock Shop with Beach Fossils, Cloud Nothings, Braids, Lesands, and Tape Deck Mountain. And that Friday show at Mercury Lounge with Nada Surf and many others.

Blair will also take part in a Halloween show for kids, one of two upcoming Kidrockers events...

Experience the music at the heart of the CMJ Music Marathon as Kidrockers kicks off the fall season with Eternal Summers and Big Troubles on Sunday, October 24th at 1PM at The Living Room.

The following weekend, on Saturday, October 30th, Kidrockers is part of the NYC Parks and Hub TV Pumpkin Festival at The Central Park Bandshell with Chris Barron and Blair.

Continue reading "The Blow touring w/ Blair after CMJ (dates), Kidrockers hosting two October events"

Nada Surf at The Bell House (photos by Kurt Christensen)

Nada Surf will headline the Paradigm CMJ Showcase at Mercury Lounge in NYC on October 22nd. This is a really small venue for the band, and limited tickets are on sale now. Badge-holders will get a chance to get in too. Other bands on the bill are Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., Francis & the Lights, Reptar, JBM, Blair, and Ume.

You might remember Austin band Ume from CMJ last year. They played the BV day party at Fontana's. At the time BBG wrote...

"Ume started the day with their poppy and suprisingly heavy take on 90s post-punk that is both powerful and charming. Outside of her devilish coo, Lauren is an enigmatic guitarist; all flailing hair, swinging arms, and wild movements. If this band didn't have such catchy songs, you'd probably be content just watching."

JBM recently completed a tour with AA Bondy. AA Bondy plays a NYC show TONIGHT (10/6) with Diamond Doves and Dawn Landes who both played with JBM when he played Mercury Lounge in July. JBM, who played a BV CMJ party in 2009, currently has no other upcoming shows listed outside of the Paradigm Showcase.

All the other bands on the Mercury Lounge bill not only have upcoming shows, but other CMJ shows listed too. All dates and some videos below...

Continue reading "Nada Surf CMJ show on sale, Ume touring, JBM & more dates "

photos by Kyle Dean Reinford

Active Child & harp @ Mercury Lounge

Active Child played their first NYC show last night (6/7) at Mercury Lounge. They totally killed it according to Wes Martin.

Active Child will play their second NYC show later this month when they open for Islands at Music Hall of Williamsburg on June 27th. The previously announced Northside Festival show (which is still on sale) also added Steel Phantoms and TV Carnage to the bill, AND is actually just the first date of a larger tour for Islands, Active Child and Steel Phantoms. All of those dates, and more pictures from Mercury Lounge, are below...

Continue reading "Active Child played Mercury Lounge w/ Blair (pics), touring & playing MHOW w/ Islands (dates)"

photos by Dominick Mastrangelo

"[Quasi] played for about an hour, running through most of the catchier songs from [new album] American Gong, including "Everything & Nothing At All," "Black Dogs and Bubbles," "Rockabilly Party," and "Laissez le Bon Temps Roulez"...that song's lyrics perhaps embody the philosophy of the mature musician in a musical form that favors the youthful. As individuals, the members of Quasi have played with everyone from the late, great Sleater-Kinney and Elliott Smith, to Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks and Bright Eyes. "You might say your race is run or you can rise up on the sound in the center of the sun ... I used to be mad, not crazy, just mad, not anymore, the receding taillights of a teenage dream." Not only is rock and roll not the fountain of youth, but it often eats its own young. Getting older is not for sissies, especially if you are a rock musician.

Performing only a few songs from other releases, including "All the Same, "Sword of God," and for an encore, that great Portland anthem "It's Raining," they ended the show with a perfect rendition of "Pictures of Lily," another song about the dangers of being misled by dreams. Quasi hasn't given up their dreams, they have brought to them a steel edge, pulsing beats and ferocious chords that do not go gently into that good night." [Metro Music Scene]

Both gig were with UK band Let's Wrestle, whose tour with Quasi continues up till May. It was Let's Wrestle's first time in NYC since CMJ after a failed attempt at visiting before SXSW. Blair also opened the NYC show.

The Quasi set was recorded by NYCTaper. His setlist with more pictures and videos from the Bowery show (including a shot of the setlist) are below...

Continue reading "Quasi, Let's Wrestle & Blair played Bowery Ballroom - pics, video, setlist, recording"

Sam Amidon @ Le Poisson Rouge in 2009 (more by Ryan Barkan)

tonight in NYC
* Zola Jesus @ SUNY Purchase
* Mike Birbiglia @ Carolines
* Asobi Seksu @ Japan Society
* Thou @ ABC No Rio
* Particle @ The Bell House
* Janelle Monae @ Joe's Pub
* Lupe Fiasco @ Irving Plaza
* Sam Amidon, Doveman @ 92YTribeca
* Carlos Giffoni @ Issue Project Room
* Mahogany, Arc in Round @ Littlefield
* Will Johnson & Anders Parker in a Living Room
* Freezepop, Plushgun @ Mercury Lounge
* GWAR Crack-a-thon kickoff party
* Baby Dee & guests @ Santos Party House
* The Wedding Present, The Jet Age @ Maxwell's
* Meta & the Cornerstones, Emily King @ Zebulon
* Darcy James Argue's Secret Society @ Galapagos
* The Defibulators, The Woes, Quintus @ Brooklyn Bowl
* Meshell Ndegeocello sings Gil Scott-Heron @ Joe's Pub
* Mahogany, Arc in Round, Long Distance Poison @ Littlefield
* New York Night Train's Soul Clap and Dance-Off @ Glasslands
* MV & EE, Flower-Corsano Duo, Meg Baird, Nonhorse @ Silent Barn
* The Shondes, Alina Simone, Secret History, Jive Grave @ Southpaw
* Care Bears On Fire, Wild Babies, The Truants, Tunnels @ Cake Shop
* White Mystery, QXBXRX, Zbornak, Richie White Orchestra @ Cake Shop
* Nullsleep, Winslow Turner Porter III, Flavorheard @ Knitting Factory
* Wild Yaks, Lil Daggers, Bad Indians, Nude Beach, Estrogen Highs @ Don Pedro
* Dinosaur Feathers, Shark?, Kleenex Girl Wonder, The Capstan Shafts @ Union Hall
* Washed Out, Small Black, Pictureplane, Pyschobuildings @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
* Weedeater, Gates of Slumber, Black Tusk, Struck by Lightning @ Studio @ Webster Hall
* Roadside Graves, Dusty And The Dreaming Spires, Blair, Common Prayer, The Laureates @ Pianos

The show at Pianos tonight is a release party for Roadside Graves' new You Won't Be Happy with Me EP. Their Aquarium Drunkard labelmate Blair is also on the bill.

Blair started her career in New Orleans, moved to L.A. and now lives in Brooklyn. Aquariam Drunkard says this about her debut, Die Young:

Musically Blair echoes the early days of Liz Phair in the minimalist structure of some of her songs. It's an interesting comparison to make, but it makes sense also as she came of age in Phair's peak as a musician. Within this structure though are moments as scattered and diverse as the Southern shuffle of "Wake Up Shake Up," the girl group shimmy of "Paris France" and the closely cropped haze of "Rampage." The title track even follows the loping, punctuated delivery of Suicaine Gratifaction-era Paul Westerberg. Die Young never abandons its tone and the album keeps a cohesive feel. It always seems to be going somewhere, even if the destination is as uncertain as the lyrics' narrator.

Asobi Seksu perform at Japan Society (333 E 47th St) as part of a 12-hour Open House titled j-CATION. Their show, with opener Me & Mars, starts at 9:30. Tickets will be released first-come, first-served starting at 8pm, and admission to the show is included in the $5 suggested donation for the fest.

Washed Out and Small Black end their tour together with one more NYC show, this time at MHOW. They started the tour with two shows at Mercury Lounge.

White Mystery are featured this week in This Week in Indie (as are The Wedding Present who play Maxwell's tonight).

Sam Amidon and Doveman join forces once again at 92YTribeca tonight. It's a record release party for Sam who we recently interviewed. Video from the Big Ears Fest below.

BrooklynVegen Presents, as BBG said, "a killer four band bill of Weedeater, The Gates of Slumber, Black Tusk, and Struck By Lightning who will lay waste to The Studio at Webster Hall."

Thou play ABC No Rio earlier in the day. Check out the interview we just posted with the band.

The Middle East, Neon Indian, Crystal Castles & Local Natives tickets recently went on sale.

Drive-By Truckers recently stopped by Sirius-XM to record a perormance. Video from that below...

We recently uploaded a video of Olof Arnalds performing at SXSW. Check that out below...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Saturday?"