by Andrew Sacher

Hop Along (via)

We're reaching the point of the year where all of the exciting music has pretty much finished coming out and you've got some time before next year to check out all of the stuff that might have flown under your radar over the course of the past twelve months. If you've been doing that and haven't already checked out Hop Along's unfairly overlooked (and great) Get Disowned, you should do yourself a favor and give it a listen. I caught the band back in September and they bring it live too. If you like your indie rock of the Don Giovanni variety (Lemuria, Waxahatchee) with a dash of Neutral Milk Hotel, you'll dig Hop Along. You can stream the whole record below ("Tibetan Pop Stars" is a standout).

Before the year ends, Hop Along will make their way over to NYC for one more show here on Wednesday, December 19 at Public Assembly for Bomb the Music Industry!'s fifth annual holiday toy drive. Franz Nicolay (Hold Steady, Against Me!, and more) is also on the bill. Tickets for that show are on sale now. The only other show Hop Along have scheduled at the moment is in their hometown of Philly as an opener at Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B A Start's reunion show in January.

A list of all dates and the album stream are below...

Continue reading "Hop Along playing shows, including Bomb the Music Industry's annual holiday toy drive in Brooklyn (dates & LP stream)"

Laura Stevenson @ MHOW in June (more by Amanda Hatfield)

Laura Stevenson and the Cans have a short run of dates this month which kicks off in NYC for CMJ and then makes its way south, culminating in Gainesville's The Fest. During CMJ the band will play the Deli showcase at The Delancey on October 16 with Blonds, Shakey Graves, XNY, Backwords, Swear and Shake, and more. Then after that, they'll play the Let's Get Messy showcase at The Rock Shop on October 17 with Roomrunner, Archie Powel & The Exports, Twin Tigers, Pretty & Nice, and more. Advance tickets for the Rock Shop show are available and you can also try to get into both of those shows with your CMJ badge.

As mentioned, when the band returns home after their October run, they'll play a local show in Brooklyn at Public Assembly on November 11 with The Shondes, Leda, and ADVAITA. Tickets for that show are still available.

In related news, The Mountain Goats' 2002 LP, Tallahasse, celebrates its tenth anniversary this year, and in honor of that, Crooked Neighbor is releasing a tribute album called Tallahasee Turns Ten, out digitally on November 5 and physically in January, 2013. The album features covers by Laura Stevenson, Kimya Dawson, Jeffrey Lewis, Miracles of Modern Science, Andrew Jackson Jihad, Bomb the Music Industry! and others. You can stream Laura Stevenson's take on "No Children," and check out a list of all upcoming LSATC dates below.

Continue reading "Laura Stevenson playing CMJ before The Fest, covered Mountain Goats for 'Tallahassee' tribute LP (dates & stream)"

photos by Caroline Harrison, words by Doug Moore

Future of the Left at Europa 6/17/2012

The identity of the "super-secret headliners" at last night's Saint Vitus (6/18) show was spoiled the preceding day at Europa -- by a member of the headliners themselves.

"We'll be playing tomorrow night at Saint Vitus!" thundered Andy "Falco" Falkous of the ex-Mclusky quirk-punks Future of the Left during their Sunday night gig at Europa. Wales's FOTL, who recently released their third full-length The Plot Against Common Sense (stream it), drew on a trio of local powers for support: Freshkills, With Knives, and I Hate Our Freedom.

When Brooklyn's excellent Freshkills opened the show at 9pm, it looked as though the "secret" gig might remain that way. They delivered their warbling post-punk to an appreciative but sparse audience.

With Knives features Joe Trohman of Fall Out Boy and The Damned Things on guitar and vocals. The band serves mostly as a showcase for Trohman's surprisingly extensive chops. His soloing carried their set, despite his noticeable frustration with his gear.

By the time I Hate Our Freedom took the stage, Vitus had filled to near capacity. Their post-hardcore (the black bangs kind, not the buzz cut kind) affectations seemed slightly errant at Vitus, but their delivery befitted their professional pedigree--IHOF features members of Thursday and Texas Is the Reason, among others.

When I think of Future of the Left, one word comes to mind: efficient. The four-piece have mastered musical economy: the songs are short, the guitars are cropped (Falkous often plays a four-stringed SG), and the members are happy to switch instruments when necessary. But FOTL are master showmen, too. Falkous laid about with his acid tongue throughout the evening -- belittling the audience for their lack of athleticism, demanding "more exact heckling," and accusing his own keyboard of racism. Their set, which included three Mclusky tunes ("To Hell With Good Intentions," "Without MSG I Am Nothing," and "Lightsaber Cocksucking Blues"), ended with a fan-friendly deconstruction of the band's gear and drum kit.

Future of the Left will play a free gig with Freskhkills tonight (6/19) at Generation Records. Pictures from Saint Vitus last night and Europa from the night prior (with Me You Us Them and Bomb The Music Industry) are below.

Continue reading "Future of The Left played Europa and a "surprise" show at Saint Vitus (pics); play Generation tonight"

photos by Andrew St. Clair

NYU's annual Strawbery Festival happened on May 4 in Washington Square Park and featured people dressed as strawberries, the world's longest strawberry shortcake and performances by Laura Stevenson & the Cans and Bomb the Music Industry (who at one point counted Laura Stevenson as a member). Pictures from the event are in this post.

Bomb the Music Industry play Europa TONIGHT (5/23) with Good Luck, Spoonboy and Swearin', and tickets are still available.

Meanwhile, BtMI's Jeff Rosenstock's other band, The Arrogant Sons of Bitches, have two shows coming up this week, both of which Laura Stevenson and the Cans will open: Saturday (5/26) at Webster Hall's Grand Ballroom (tickets still available) and Sunday (5/27) at Warsaw (sold out).

After that, Laura Stevenson and the Cans will continue to tour, culminating in a Brooklyn show on June 10 at Death by Audio with Iron Chic, Swearin, and Low Culture.

More pics from Strawberry Fest and a list of all dates below...

Continue reading "Bomb the Music Industry & Laura Stevenson and the Cans played NYU Strawberry Festival (pics), playing NYC this weekend (but not together)"

BADBADNOTGOOD @ Brooklyn Bowl (5/4/2012) (via @hollaPino)

As I'm sure countless musicians who happened to have shows scheduled yesterday did from stage, Coldplay (at Hollywood Bowl and like they did at All Points West), BADBADNOTGOOD (at Brooklyn Bowl), and Bomb The Music Industry! (at the NYU Strawberry Festival) paid tribute to Adam Yauch with a Beastie Boys cover worked into the set (who else did?). Watch video of the three mentioned, below...

Continue reading "Coldplay, BADBADNOTGOOD & Bomb The Music Industry! paid tribute to MCA (videos from last night)"

photos and video by Jessica Amaya

Laura Stevenson & the Cans @ Knitting Factory

Laura Stevenson & the Cans, who along with Bomb The Music Industry will play the annual NYU Strawberry Fest on 5/4, played a show at Knitting Factory two Fridays ago with Lady Lamb the Beekeeper and Dangerous Ponies. Here are some pics & two videos from the Brooklyn show. Continued below...

Continue reading "Laura Stevenson & the Cans played the Knit, playing NYU Strawberry Fest (pics & video)"

photos by Andrew St. Clair

Laura Stevenson, BTMI & friends celebrating the holidays


Titus Andronicus were the special guests at Europa on Sunday, 12/18, with Bomb the Music Industry (who played their newest album Vacation from front to back), Laura Stevenson (who recently played a song in a stairwell for us), Bridge and Tunnel, and The Golden Age of Radio. Titus were revealed last minute after playing Brooklyn Bazaar one night earlier (12/17). The Europa show was a holiday benefit...

"This is our FOURTH ANNUAL HOLIDAY CHARITY SHOW or the "WE GIVE A SHIT" as it's often called. All the money left over from the door after expenses will be donated to Safe Horizon... a great non-denomiational charity that aims to move victims of violence from crisis to confidence by providing food, shelter, and all that other good stuff so many of us are lucky to have."

Continue reading "Titus Andronicus, Bomb The Music Industry, Laura Stevenson & friends played Europa (pics)"

Officially revealed now that they played their set at Brooklyn Bazaar last night, Titus Andronicus are on the bill of the benefit happening at Europa in Brooklyn tonight (12/18) along with Laura Stevenson, Bomb The Music Industry and more. $10 tickets are still available.

by Anderew Sacher

DOWNLOAD: Feelies - Should Be Gone (MP3)

Real Estate @ Hudson River Rocks in 2010 (more by Natasha Ryan)

As we've mentioned, R. Stevie Moore is hosting and performing at this year's Culture Shock at SUNY Purchase. The full lineup for the festival has been announced and is being headlined on Friday (4/15) by Cam'ron and on Saturday (4/16) by The Feelies. Other performers include A Place To Bury Strangers, Twin Sister, Beach Fossils, Screaming Females, Real Estate, Woods, Talk Normal, O'Death, Bomb the Music Industry! (performing Weezer's Blue Album), and others. The event isn't technically open to non-students. The full lineup is below.

Culture Shock is one of the few shows The Feelies are playing in support of their new album Here Before which drops April 12 via Bar/None. They also play The Bell House on May 13. Tickets are still on sale. Download the track "Should Be Gone" off the new album above.

Real Estate also has four other shows in the area coming up including April 23 at Colgate University, May 20 at The Bell House with Julian Lynch, Big Troubles and Family Portrait, May 21 at Maxwell's with Big Troubles, and they will appear at B.O.M.B. Fest at Western Connecticut State University on May 28.

Full CS lineup and a video below...

Continue reading "the Culture Shock 2011 lineup & other Real Estate dates too"