DOWNLOAD: Black Lips - "Modern Art" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: WIN WIN - VICTIM featuring Blaqstarr (Black Lips Remix) (MP3)

photos by Tim Griffin

[Black Lips] took the stage with their typical energy of 100 firecrackers and ripped into "Sea of Blasphemy", a helpful fan tossing a beer to lead guitarist Ian Saint Pé afterward. Shortly after, the band played my favorite song from their catalog, "Dirty Hands", arguably the best track from their awesome "live" album, Los Valientes Del Mundo Nuevo (and earlier, Let It Bloom). This track had people lip synching and lightly air punching, which then got kicked up a few notches with the first notes of "Katrina", which unsurprisingly got the biggest crowd reaction of the night. Lead singer and bassist Jared Swilley took a moment to mention that, "It feels good to be in Austin when it's not South by Southwest," -[Soundcheck]

The Black Lips and Vivian Girls tour, which ended in Baton Rouge on Saturday, and hit Webster Hall in NYC back on 4/12, swung through Emo's in Austin on Thursday (4/28). John Wesley Coleman opened the Texas show which is pictured in this post.

Vivian Girls are now on tour with No Joy. Black Lips are heading to Europe before coming back for more North American tour dates in June. All of those dates are below.

Black Lips have a new LP produced by Mark Ronson entitled Arabia Mountain due on June 7th. Check out the first single "Modern Art," released officially yesterday, above. While you're up there grab the band's remixing debut via a new WIN WIN remix that appears on a new Scion-sponsored WIN WIN remix EP. Vivian Girls' new LP Share The Joy is out now via Polyvinyl.

More pictures and some videos from Emo's and all dates, below.

Continue reading "Black Lips released a new song & remix (MP3s), toured w/ Vivian Girls, played Webster Hall & Emo's (pics & video)"

"What began as a spontaneous event for friends and neighbors outside the label's Philadelphia headquarters and grew in 2 short years to the largest block party in city, the MAD DECENT BLOCK PARTY is nothing short of a legend. Now in the event's 3rd summer, Mad Decent has teamed with Diesel and JELLY to bring the MAD DECENT BLOCK PARTY magic across the country! Starting in Philadelphia and traveling to New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago over 4 consecutive Saturdays from July 31st to August 21st, the MAD DECENT BLOCK PARTY promises banging music, carnival games, yummy food, super secret guests and all for FREE!"

The NYC show will take place at South Street Seaport. More details below...

Continue reading "Mad Decent & Jelly throwing free block parties in four cities, at South Street Seaport in NYC"

"Damn, I love Die Antwoord. It's like we've taken all the Disney Princesses at Stereotypes R Us, pulled off their wigs, forced their little legs together, and rammed them down the throats of the American purveyors of pop culture dreck, the soulless marketers who make millions every year by selling ersatz imperial myths to the rest of the world.

Okay, perhaps Die Antwoord aren't achieving quite that level of utter cultural domination, but allow me our little victories. The sight of Americans taking Yo-Landi and Ninja seriously is so delicious, I can almost forgive some of the excesses of the music. There's a 20 minute interview with Die Antwoord on Boing Boing, around their debut at the Coachella music festival in California, and it's a marvellous exercise in satire." [CHRIS ROPER | JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA]

That video, along with the updated lineup of HARD NYC @ Governers Island below....

Continue reading "Die Antwoord are playing NYC w/ M.I.A. (and others) "

photos by P. Nick Curran

"The worst group in history just finished on stage at the Fader Fort, Sleigh Bells." - Daniel Berkal

"Sleigh Bells just blew the doors off the Fader Fort" - Enthusiastic Amateur

"M.I.A.-anointed Sleigh Bells closed the showcase with their bombastic drum-and-bass combination, a live show that's growing leaner, tighter and stronger, like a prizefighter before a big payday. Alexis Krauss, Sleigh Bells' frontwoman, is just soaked in superstar potential. She screams, coos, pumps her fist, snaps her head back in the "sexy-lady-moshing" style Sophie described earlier this week. Though the band is just Krauss and guitarist Derek Miller, they sound massive on songs like "A/B Machines," "Crown on the Ground" and "Infinity Guitars." With cred in tow, Sleigh Bells' spring release should be one of the year's most anticipated records." [Time Out]

The review is from the Pitchfork show Sleigh Bells played at SXSW. The pictures are from the Fader Fort where they went on right before Bone Thugs n Harmony!

I previously posted that "M.I.A. is playing NYC & LA Hard Fests & Oya (lineup), co-releasing the new Sleigh Bells". An update to that is that Sleigh Bells are opening the NYC show which is taking place at South Island Field @ Governors Island on Saturday, 7/24, 5pm. Blaqstarr, 12th Planet, Destructo, Nguzunguzu, Borgore & more" are also on the "Hard" bill. "$40 Pre-Sale Tickets / $45 Limited Advance Tickets / $55 Advance & Day of Show Tickets + $5 Round Trip Ferry Fee for all tickets". On Sale Fri 3/26 at 12:00PM. More pictures from Fader, and a video, below....

Continue reading "Sleigh Bells played SXSW (pics), opening for M.I.A. at Governors Island (tickets & more lineup info announced)"

M.I.A. @ Outside Lands 2009 (more by Chris Graham)

M.I.A. will be playing "HARD Fest" shows in L.A. and NYC this July - her first scheduled US shows for 2010. The L.A. date is July 17th at the Los Angeles State Historic Park. NYC's is July 24th.

Tickets for L.A. go on sale Friday, March 26th. NYC ticket info TBA.

M.I.A. has a new record due this year (possibly in June). Her Neet Recordings will be putting out Treats, the debut record from Sleigh Bells (who play SXSW and have plenty of other shows coming up), in conjunction with (as previously mentioned) Mom + Pop Records on May 11th. Neet has also signed Blaqstarr.

M.I.A's other shows include Øya Festival in Oslo on August 10th-14th, and Underage Festival in London on August 1st.

A flyer for the L.A. show, the current Oya lineup, and a teaser video for an M.I.A. song called "THERES SPACE FOR OL DAT I SEE" is posted below...

Continue reading "M.I.A. playing NYC & LA Hard Fests & Oya (lineup), co-releasing the new Sleigh Bells"

photos by Chris Graham

"Mos Def took the stage looking like a New Orleanean shaman.

He kept gesturing beyond the crowd to the Columbia River, saying, "The dream is real! Look around you!"

My favorite moment: Mos Def rapping over a personal favorite beat by Oxnard, CA artist called Oh No (find it on an album called "Dr. No's Oxperiment"). It's got a strong '60s/'70s Turkish psych-rock guitar line running the whole way through...I want to say the original is by an artist called Selda. Not sure. But I remember when heard the beat about two years ago, I went straight to the music store and bought the album it was sampled from. Pretty sure Selda is the correct name. I just bought a greatest hits album. I don't know a lot about Turkish/Anatolian psych-rock. Wish I knew more,

Anyhow, I'm one of those long-time Mos Def fans that loves his singing voice, but wishes he'd rap a little more. And there he was, killing one of my favorite beats, rapping like he meant it. Felt great." [Seattle Weekly]

That review comes from Mos Def's performance at the 2009 Sasquatch Festival in Washington State over Memorial Day Weekend. The pictures in this post are from that show too.

Tonight (5/30), Mos Def reunites with Talib Kweli for two Black Star shows at NYC's Nokia Theatre. The early show (with 88 Keys and Black Violin) is sold out, but tickets still remain for the late one (with Blaqstarr).

As the NY Daily News pointed out in a feature yesterday, 88-Keys is also known as a "Kanye West protege". Special guests are definitely rumored at tonight's show.

More pictures from Sasquatch below...

Continue reading "Mos Def played Sasquatch (pics) -- Black Star reunites tonight"

The World Wakes Up To M.I.A.
"Paper Planes" Enters Top Five; How Many Votes Fix Mix Released
M.I.A. Takes On World
Opens School; Starts Label; Launches Clothing Line

"Everyone's a winner now, we're making that fame/Bona fide hustler, making my name."
As it turns out, "Paper Planes" is no mere smash, it's also a proven prophecy. Over a year after the release of Kala, M.I.A.'s playful boast has become reality.
BANG! BANG! BANG!

The BANG! press BANG! release BANG! is continued below...

Continue reading "MIA 'takes On world', starts label, releases Vote Fix Mix, etc"