DOWNLOAD: Bon Iver - For Emma (MP3)

Merge posted Ivan's 2007 Top 10 list yesterday. Here are some excerpts....

10.) Selling out the Bowery Ballroom in NYC on our US Tour in May. You have to understand that our first ever show as The Rosebuds in NY was at a place called the Sidewalk Cafe on Avenue A, that held about 15 people all of whom were friends of the band we were playing with. Well, I should not say it was a real show because it really was an "Open Mic" night where everyone in the audience got in for free. The only catch was they had a two drink minimum!

2.) Watching Bon Iver's" first show ever at our Rosebuds' show at the House of Rock in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. We drove all night from Chicago to get to the afternoon show on time, and Justin (aka Bon Iver) who was our guitarist on tour kept telling us about how awesome his hometown was and about this place called The Joynt down from the venue where his parents met. Well what was awesome was the Bon Iver set. That was the first time any of us ever saw Justin play those songs. When he played "For Emma, For Ever Ago" and dedicated it to Kelly and me, it was all I could do to even watch the song it was so good. If I would have been more of a man I would have just balled my eyes out like I wanted to right there in front of everyone. But I kept it together that time.

The Rosebuds have some shows coming up. Bon Iver has some shows coming up. More below....

Continue reading "Ivan Howard of the Rosebuds on selling out Bowery Ballroom, Micheal Showalter, seeing Bon Iver and stuff"

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]

Howlin' Rain are playing some shows with Black Mountain who are also playing some other shows with Blood on the Wall and Bon Iver. I already posted the NYC date last year. Soon afterwards someone sent me all the tour dates. They are below.....

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)

Bon Iver's re-released For Emma, Forever Ago is out February 19th. All tour dates below.....

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

Bon Iver (not @ Bowery Ballroom) (CRED)


I was sad I had to miss this show (Dec 7, 2007), but it was in the name of Sly Stone.

American Gangster, out today

So, I (Wendy Day) see three ways to get a deal (that you'd want to have) in this industry (hip hop):

1. Get put on by an established artist (but bear in mind that you may only be as successful as that artist. It's rare that someone puts you on and you blow up larger than they are). This means coming up under Busta Rhymes, Jay Z, Kanye, BG, Jeezy, T.I., 50 Cent, Nelly, Eminem, Dr Dre, etc. With any luck, the artist who puts you on is fair and doesn't do to you what was done to him when he was coming up.

2. Create a buzz. In a perfect world, you want everyone in the industry and on the streets talking about you before you get signed. Young Buck was a perfect example of an underground artist who had a very strong buzz when he was coming up. The trick is to keep it going til you get signed and then turn it up a notch so that the whole industry is buzzing about when you're going to drop (50 Cent is a great example of someone who kept up the buzz). This option usually takes many years to land a good deal.

3. Sell units. This is, of course, my favorite method because it proves to the labels you can sell, which reduces their risk and gives you negotiating leverage. Therefore, you have more control over the "fairness" of your deal, and often a choice of labels to sign with. In a perfect world, you want to be with a label that not only believes in you, but has an experienced hard-working staff in every department that can really make your project happen. Plus, a nice bidding war never hurts… [All Hip Hop]

Here's some (mostly non-hip hop) artists who recently received record deals....

 
* Man Man signed to ANTI
* Bob Mould signed to ANTI
* The Raveonettes signed to VICE
* Murder by Death signed to VAGRANT
* Story of the Year signed to EPITAPH
* Margot & The Nuclear So & Sos signed to EPIC
* Hilary McRae signed to HEAR MUSIC
* Bon Iver signed to JAGJAGUWAR
* Annuals signed to CANVASBACK
* No Age signed to SUB POP
* Blitzen Trapper signed to SUB POP
* Black Kids signed to ALMOST GOLD
* School of Language signed to THRILL JOCKEY
* Quinn Walker signed to VOODOO-EROS
* Russian Circles signed to SUICIDE SQUEEZE
* Growing signed to SOCIAL REGISTRY
* Thao Nguyen signed to KILL ROCK STARS
* Clipse signed to COLUMBIA
* The Cool Kids signed to CHOCOLATE INDUSTRIES
* Radiohead signed to XL RECORDINGS

DOWNLOAD: Bon Iver - Skinny Love (MP3)

Bon Iver @ Bowery Ballroom - Oct 16, 2007 (BV CMJ) (CRED)

Bon Iver, aka former DeYarmond Edison member Justin Vernon, has signed to Jagjaguwar for the official release of his sweet-spot-hitting debut For Emma, Forever Ago early next year." [Pitchfork]

Tour dates & more CMJ pics/reviews, HERE.

Bon Iver @ Pianos, NYC (BV CMJ) - Oct 17, 2007 (CRED)

Bon Iver played two shows during CMJ - the first was at Bowery Ballroom on October 16th (the BV official showcase)...

...the first set we saw at CMJ '07 will probably be one of the very best: We learned Bon Iver is simply astounding. (We also learned it's pronounced "bone ee-vare.") [Stereogum]

... and the second was the BV day party on October 17th. He was the only artist who played two BrooklynVegan parties, and it was because when I first booked him I didn't want him to make the trip all the way to NYC just to play one show, especially if he was going to be the opener on a 7-band bill. If you came to see him/them at Pianos and were confused about when and where he was going on....

The members — three of them in this incarnation — were scheduled to play a free show at 5:30, upstairs at Piano’s. But if you had left someplace early (a meeting at the Midtown headquarters of a newspaper, for example) to rush downtown, you would have found you had plenty of time to spare. Thanks to the usual complexities of club scheduling (one passerby mentioned a particularly thorough Meat Puppets set), the show was moved to the main stage, and it didn’t start until sometime after 7. [NY Times]

...it was because we made a last minute decision to move him to the main stage after Celebration. We did that because there seemed to be time to do it (oops), and because the upstairs room didn't really have all the equipment Bon Iver needed. Luckily...

The show was worth the wait. (Not to mention the price.) [NY Times]

Thanks to everyone who waited around to see him. Coincedentally, he started at the same exact time as the night before - except the delay at that show was due to one of the bands not showing up.

Both shows were great, but the Bowery one was my favorite one - it was first, and the acoustics/sound/whatever was amazing (Justin even said so himself during the performance). Luckily then, (no offense to Pianos who have been amazing), Bowery is where Bon Iver is playing again next - he's opening for Elvis Perkins on December 7th. That show will be solo though (just Justin) - we'll see how that goes - I'm sure fine (though I liked that band!) Tickets are on sale. More tour dates and pictures below....

Continue reading "Bon Iver played two BV shows + more 2007 Tour Dates"

TODAY! (Oct 17) @ Pianos in NYC . free show. 15 bands including MEAT PUPPETS, and including Elk City, and including Bon Iver who also played a mesmerizing set at Bowery Ballroom last night. DJ Annie Mac. open bar too.

photos by Ryan Muir

Bon Iver @ Bowery Ballroom, NYC - Oct 16, 2007

Amazing show start to finish last night at Bowery Ballroom. Thanks all who came. Thanks all who played. Sorry about Miracle Fortress. Bon Iver was amazing. Come see him again at his only other CMJ performance - at Pianos this afternoon (Oct 17), but get there early - space upstairs at Pianos is of course limited - get there really early for (more good music and) free drinks.

Everyone else who played was amazing too. More pics below.....

Continue reading "BrooklynVegan CMJ showcase @ Bowery Ballroom - pics"

DOWNLOAD: Yip Yip - Sprinkle Council (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Bon Iver - Blindsided (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Bon Iver - For Emma (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Sally Shapiro - He Keeps Me Alive (MP3) (new album out today!)

* CMJ kicks off
* My first-ever official CMJ showcase is happening @ Bowery Ballroom

6pm - Bon Iver ("recommended")
7pm - The Shaky Hands (not to be confused with...)
8pm - Miracle Fortress (those crazy Canadians)
9pm - Most Serene Republic (those crazy not actually Canadians)
10pm - Dean & Britta (Luna)
11pm - The Rosebuds (a dance party)
12am - Voxtrot

* Voxtrot (those bastards) are playing w/ Jack Penate too
* Morrissey tickets get cheaper again
* Sound Bites says go to Bowery Ballroom
* Pop Tarts Suck Toasted is liking what he sees too
* Bouncing Souls & Lifetime are playing Webster Hall
* Muddd says to see Cheeseburger @ Galapagos
* The Cool Kids will be @ 205 Chrystie
* Q-Tip is playing @ Gramercy Theatre
* Stephen Colbert is at the Apple Store
* James Murphy & Annie Mac are DJing @ Hiro Ballroom
* Regina Spektor is headlining Hammerstein Ballroom
* OM Records CMJ showcase - free w/ RSVP
* Other Passengers & friends are @ Europa
* Day shows kick off @ The Indaba Loft
* A bunch of new CD's are released (in addition to Sally)
* Stembo & Le Loup are playing Sound Fix
* Felice Brothers & others are at Southpaw
* Celebration is playing Union Pool
* St Vincent is doing an instore @ Other Music
* IAMX is playing Music Hall of Williamsburg

Chris Corner (born 1974 in England) is an English musician and songwriter best known for his work with Electropop band Sneaker Pimps (of which he was a founding member), and his own solo project, which he records with under the name IAMX. He also makes music with Sue Denim, under the name The Siblings. [Wikipedia]

* Health & Yip Yip are playing SUNY Purchase
* Dan Deacon, TheDeathSet, Juiceboxxx & Team Robespierre @ Silent Barn
* Two of those bands are playing together again the next day
* Oh My Rockness set up a full CMJ show list
* CMJ's site also has a list of the official showcases

Yip Yip (via)

What else?

DOWNLOAD: Bon Iver - Skinny Love (MP3)

Bon Iver (with band) is playing the official BrooklynVegan CMJ showcase @ Bowery Ballroom in NYC on October 16th with The Shaky Hands (not to be confused with Cut Off Your Hands), The Rosebuds, Polaris Prize nominee Miracle Fortress, Dean & Britta (ex-Luna), The Most Serene Reupublic (Arts & Crafts), and one more special guest (who can't be announced yet for contractual reasons, which sux, but whatever). TICKETS ARE ON SALE.

See Bon Iver (Oct 17) AGAIN the next day at the BrooklynVegan day party at Pianos - with Celebration, Cut Off Your Hands (not to be confused with The Shaky Hands), and more (TBA soon).

Pitchfork "recommended" Bon Iver today. Stream For Emma, Forever Ago here. Get more free MP3s here. Buy it at his MySpace. Read interviews with Bon Iver here and here.

DOWNLOAD: Bon Iver - Skinny Love (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Bon Iver - Blindsided (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Bon Iver - For Emma (MP3)

As usual, I realized at the last minute that I haden't posted about an artist I meant to post about. I say it's the last minute because in less than six hours from the time I'm writing this (July 24, 2007), Wisconsin-based (band?) Bon Iver is playing a set at Mercury Lounge at the modest set time of 7:30 pm - he's opening for the Comas. Why can't Porter Wagoner go on later than 8:00 - oh well. More about Bon::

Justin Vernon, former songwriter/singer/guitarist of the much heralded, former Eau Claire, WI based, Raleigh, NC implanted band, DeYarmond Edison, arrives back home with a new project - one that he created over the course of three months this past winter in the woods of Northwestern Wisconsin, isolated from all in his father's hunting cabin with nothing more than a few select microphones and a handful of ancient instruments.

The "Skinny Love" song especially reminds me of Tim Fite. He also channels Chad VanGaalen, Wolf Parade, TV on the Radio, Neil Young, and a few others I can't think of. Mostly I just think it sounds pretty good. Check out the beautiful-sounding MP3s above, and stream Bon Iver's whole album For Emma, Forever Ago right here. More Bon Iver love @ MOKB. See Bon Iver tonight, or on July 26th @ "TBA" in Chicago (no other scheduled tour dates at the moment).