photos by Dana (distortion) Yavin

10:45ish, here come the Lemonheads! They came out and blasted into "Rockin Stroll". From the first chord, first verse you can tell things seem to have fallen in line . There was no fumbling around on stage before starting, no looks of confusion on the face of Dando. My bud who's here from last night turned quickly after the song and said "Like night and day!", commenting on Dando's lucidness, and ability of the band to play the music compared to the previous night (and all other nights of this tour). Last night they didn't perform the entirety of "It's a Shame About Ray", even tho that's what the bill said...

"Confetti" was awesome, and after the first chord of "It's a Shame about Ray" Dando stops like he messed up or something, and then says "Nah, I'm kidding!" and they rocked that sh!t out. That's when I knew they weren't going to have one of those shows I've been reading about. I mean, even tho Dando's sentences didn't make a whole lot of sense, it at least looked as if HE knew what he was talking about. He was conversing with fans, between songs and between amp checks..

They played the [album portion of the show] ...before the band left the stage leaving just Evan and an acoustic guitar to play solo. He never left the stage through the duration of the night, he played what was basically an entire acoustic set after finishing the album. If I had one complaint about the album portion of the show, it would have to be inviting a fan up on stage to sing the lyrics to "Mrs. Robinson". What's up with that? Her voice isn't really projecting through the mic, it's almost like an instrumental.. When Dando asked if someone in the crowd could sing it, we were shouting from balcony "how bout YOU sing it Evan??!?" ... He didn't go near the mic for that one. -[Jay Porks]

Regardless, the tour soldiers on with a show in Boston today, continuing until early November before taking a break and then hitting the UK. All tour dates and more pictures from the second night at Bowery Ballroom with New York Rivals and The Shining Twins, including both Lemonheads setlists from that night, below...

Continue reading "The Lemonheads did a better job @ Bowery Ballroom on Monday (pics & setlists)"

The Lemonheads played their first of two full-album shows at Bowery Ballroom on Sunday night (10/9), sort of. Eric wrote in:

"I just hope you make it known that they FAILED to deliver tonight...after waiting for way too long, they did not perform Its a Shame About Ray...they just FAILED...I have lived in NYC since early 2001 and have gone to MANY MANY shows...and I have never been so completely disappointed and never felt so totally ripped off. Evan seemed like he didnt even care that they didn't perform the album as marketed. I went down to the men's room halfway thru their set and everyone downstairs was like, "WTF are they doing...this is total BS..." It was such a let down...even the merch girl was sorry about them NOT PLAYING THE ALBUM AT ALL...they played more of come on feel the...I don't know...I feel like my time and money got totally wasted..and I loved this band and that album...WTF...BIG DISAPPOINTMENT. I hope I am not the only one who felt this. "

Missed out? They do it again tonight! (though it is currently sold out)

The Shins at Bowery Ballroom (via wonderboymusic)

Mercer's trademark widow's peak was a welcome site as the band immediately launched into two classics; "Caring Is Creepy"... and "Australia" from 2007's Wincing The Night Away. The audience seemed strangely cognizant of Mercer's path as a musician, treating his troubles with departing band members and his elongated Broken Bells hiatus as forgettable. I mean, this guy wrote a song that was played at Heath Leger's funeral! He's a legend!

The newer tracks were met with stifled cheers, but cheers nonetheless... "New Slang" was slightly warped to allow for an electric guitar and a synthesized tambourine, a departure from the original's very organic feel, the words still sting as sharply as they did ten years ago. The surroundings may change, but the core is still compelling. -[BaebleMusic]

As discussed, if you somehow don't own every Pink Floyd album (or want another copy), the band is reissuing material which hits record stores today.

Video from Jimmy Fallon and Bowery Ballroom, and the NYC show setlist, below...

Continue reading "The Shins covered Pink Floyd @ Bowery Ballroom & on Fallon (videos & setlist)"

photos by Sarahana

Oh Land, complete with her "herd of animals dressed as people" aka the nightingale string quartet, headlined a glitter and balloon-filled, sold out show at Bowery Ballroom in NYC last night (9/26). Here are some pictures, the setlist and a video. They continue below...

Continue reading "Oh Land played Bowery Ballroom w/ Graffiti 6 & French Camp (pics, setlist & video)"

photos by Ryan Barkan, words by Andrew Frisicano

San Francisco's Girls headlined two sold-out nights at Bowery Ballroom on Thursday (9/22) and Friday (9/23). The band performed in a sea of floral arrangements, which seemed to make the connection between their poppy tunes and sunny '60s-era idealism. There was plenty of cheeriness ("Hunny Bunny," "My Love") from their new record, Father, Son, Holy Ghost. But the album has a darker side too: the metal thrashing of "Die," the whispered desperation of "Vomit," with its Dark Side of the Moon-style rapture at the end. The touring band, eight members strong with a trio of backup singers, vacillated between those two modes over the course of their 90-plus-minute Thursday night set.

Girls are excellent at mirroring the musical styles of the past, from surfy Beach Boys tunes to soulful McCartney-esque ballads. And frontman Christopher Owens seemed content to lets the polished sounds of the band take over, though the show's best moments featured him at his most bare. When Owens came back alone for the first song of the encore, "Jamie Marie," the crowd chuckled along at his rambling asides. The band came back to finish that song and play "Substance" and "Just a Song," completing the trio of sleepy send-offs.

In the role of the tortured frontman-down to the bleached blond hair and opiate addiction-Owens is a compelling presence that puts the band beyond being a mere nostalgia act. But the setlist Thursday night didn't really do him any favors. Front-loaded with hits like "Lust for Life" and "Laura," the second-half of the show dragged on, and reinforced the sameness of some of his songs.

Nobunny, whose First Blood is easily one of my top five album's this year, opened the show with a hilarious, grimy set. The opener, "Your Mouth," tipped the crowd off to his perverse humor, which continued with songs that included "(Do the) Fuck Yourself," "Blow Dumb," "I Am a Girlfriend," "Ain't It a Shame" and "You Don't Like Rock 'n' Roll," a Nobunny-penned Hunx song that got the biggest reaction of the night.

The first band, Papa, made up of Girls' guitarist and drummer with a piano player and bassist, proved to be competent musicians, but the group just didn't have the songs to make the set enjoyable.

More pictures from Friday (the review is from Thursday) below...

Continue reading "Girls, Nobunny & Papa played 2 nights @ Bowery Ballroom (pics & review)"

photos by Diana Wong

TPOBPAH @ Bowery Ballroom

[The Pains of Being Pure at Heart singer/guitarist Kip] Berman, who grew up a Green Bay Packers fan after being born in Madison and living in Milwaukee until he was 9, doesn't exactly ooze confidence. The singer critiqued his vocal capabilities ("I can't sing") and downplayed the band's ambition ("We're making songs people will hopefully like to hear next to other songs on a mixtape").

He even worried that his low-key, everyman vibe wouldn't make for a compelling enough narrative for a newspaper story. "I should create a better tortured artist persona where it's like, 'Then I was getting really heavy into narcotics in the studio and we were fighting all the time'."

Berman said he doesn't remember much about his toddler years in Madison. But he does still have family in Wisconsin, and he's looking forward to a mini-family reunion when his band plays the High Noon Saloon on Monday, Sept. 26. When The Pains of Being Pure at Heart opened for the National at Milwaukee's Riverside Theatre this past April, Berman told the crowd that the after-party would be in the suburbs. "I'm going to my grandparents' house to do laundry. It's important." -[Square]

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart recently released a remix by Violens for "The Body" from their LP Belong. Get that for the price of an email address. Jead below for all tour dates, more Bowery pictures (including one from the setlist), and a video from last night...

Continue reading "The Pains of Being Pure at Heart played Bowery Ballroom w/ Twin Sister & Wyldlife (pics, setlist)"

The Shins at Terminal 5 (more by Natasha Ryan)

Annnnnnnd here is yet another MAJOR show announced this morning (My Morning Jacket/Band of Horses at MSG, Radiohead at Roseland). The Shins are scheduled to play this weekend's Popped Music Festival in Philadelphia, and have added a few Northeasten dates at smaller venues as well, including one at Bowery Ballroom on 9/25! Tickets go on sale at noon on Wednesday. Faces on Film open the show. The last time that The Shins played NYC was over two nights at the much much bigger Terminal 5 in 2009.

All tour dates and some videos below...

Continue reading "The Shins playing Bowery Ballroom after Popped! (dates)"

photos by Amanda Hatfield

Active Child

One Thirty BPM: Now that you're going out on your own tour do you feel extra pressure as the headliner?

Active Child (Pat Grossi): Of course! We've done five support tours in the US and UK and Europe and there's still pressure doing that because you're live and you want to impress and get new fans and impress the band you're opening for; there's all this pressure. But then when you're the headliner everyone's there to see you so you don't want to get shown up!

One Thirty BPM: Do you get any comfort from knowing that you're playing to an audience that will be more familiar with your material?

Active Child (Pat Grossi): Yeah, I think so. It seems like every show I play I get more comments from the people who have never heard of me before, but I'm definitely excited to play for an audience that is there specifically for my music.

Continue reading "Active Child, Com Truise & Young Athletes League @ Bowery Ballroom (pics)"

Union Transfer rendering

Lots of interesting stuff to report in the world of live concert promotions...

NYC concert promoter Bowery Presents, who already has expanded to NJ, Boston, Maine, and Canandaigua, NY (not to mention MSG, Jones Beach, the Meadowlands, Radio City, etc), is opening a new music venue in Philadelphia this month. In partnership with Philly's one and only Sean Agnew of R5 Productions, and Avram Hornik and Mark Fichera of Four Corners Management, Union Transfer is...

... "named after the original train depot station that occupied the building [and] was developed by the group to meet Philadelphia's need for a mid-sized live music space and will accommodate 600 people. The general admission venue boasts a flexible capacity and can manage up to 1,000 people for larger crowds. Located at 1004-26 Spring Garden St, steps from Center City, Union Transfer is slated to open on September 21, 2011.

In perhaps less exciting news for Bowery Presents, Mercury Lounge talent buyer Jay Belin has reportedly moved on and started booking Irving Plaza, Gramercy Theatre and the new Paramount Theatre in Huntington, Long Island for Live Nation.

The Paramount Theatre is...

...located on New York Avenue a block and a half north of Main Street. The space is the former home of the nonprofit Inter-Media Arts Center (IMAC), which closed its doors in 2009 after 26 years of hosting jazz, folk and blues concerts.

The 1,500-capacity venue has been undergoing renovations for months. Among the changes, there will be a VIP lounge on the balcony and a member's only "Founder's Room" with a separate entrance in addition to the general admission floor.

"With both the architecture and the vibe of the venue dedicated to quality sound, hospitality, and experience, The Paramount is sure to be a hotspot for all of Long Island, and especially for Huntington," the founders said in a news release." [Long Island Press]

Speaking of moving on, Rock Shop booker Jack McFadden aka Skippy has moved to the music capital of Texas. He is still booking the Brooklyn club (and other NYC rooms) though. You just won't see him there as much.

Speaking of expanding, the race is on to see who can open in Chicago first. Will it be Brooklyn Bowl? or City Winery?

Speaking of Brooklyn Bowl, and last but not least for this post, the Wetlands is having a Class of '96 reunion at Brooklyn Bowl on Sunday (9/11). Ex-employees of the famed Tribeca club who will probably be in attendance include Rocks Off founder Jake Szufnarowski, Bowery Ballroom (and Union Transfer co-booker) Johnny Beach and of course ex-Wetlands owner and current Brooklyn Bowl owner Peter Shapiro. Brooklyn Bowl hosted a Wetlands get together of sorts in 2010 too, though that one was on a much sadder note, as it was to remember Wetlands' very first employee Dave Nolan who died of a heart attack last year.

photos by Ryan Barkan

DOWNLOAD: Washed Out - "Amore Fati" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Washed Out - "Eyes be Closed" (MP3)

Washed Out @ Bowery Ballroom

[Washed Out's] set wasn't quite an hour long but it covered the bases. The undulating synths of "Hold Out" off the Life of Leisure EP opened the show, as footage of waves flashed on the screen behind the band. Next a new song, "Echoes" was introduced, with soaring melodies no longer buried and double tambourines to provide a bigger sound to the live mix. Greene asked for help with singing "New Theory," as the crowd exploded with recognition of the hit. A sax player was brought on stage for a solo in "Soft" and stayed for a revised arrangement of "Feel It All Around." Then the lead off track of the new release, "Eyes Be Closed," served as the encore with the band exiting to the final chords of the song continuing from an empty stage. -[NewMusicMatters]

Grimes recently released the video for "Beast Infection" from the Geidi Primes rerelease due on 8/8/2011. Order that here, and if you missed her, you can check her out at one of her dates below which include August 20th at PS1, again with Blood Orange, as well as Juan Maclean, Solange, and Pictureplane.

Check out the Grimes video, dates and more pictures from Bowery below...

Continue reading "Washed Out played Bowery Ballroom w/ Grimes & Blood Orange (pics, LP out today) "

photos by Deneka Peniston, words by BBG

Cro-Mags @ Bowery Ballroom

The venue was packed and it was a tattoo convention of NYC born and bred punks. You could tell the band was beloved by the hometown crowd and John Joseph's patter with the crowd was on cue. He got a message across (it's the food not the pharmaceuticals that can save us) along with some humor "you need to watch some soul train clips before you come back up here with that stuff" to one rhythmically challanged stage diver...

NYHC is a genre unto itself, with bands like Agnostic Front, Murphy's Law, Madball and of course the Cro-Mags doing the heavy lifting to get it where it is today, which is, I assure you from my travels abroad, very international and still growing. -[Punk Outlaw]

If, like me, you spent your July 4th weekend out of town and half-wishing you didn't miss the show, you're in luck: Cro-Mags will play a FREE show at House of Vans on July 29th and with Fucked Up! (thanks Sean). The Friday night date is one of the four unannounced House of Vans lineups. NO RSVP yet, but RSVP is still open for the next House of Vans event on July 14th with Superchunk, OFF! and Lemuria.

Meanwhile find Jon Joseph on one of his historic Rocks Off walking tours. He and Jake Szufnarowski (whose band 'Tragedy' is in residency at Brooklyn Bowl this month) take groups out every Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Fucked Up and Cro-Mags also both recently played Chaos in Tejas. Fucked Up was also just in NYC to play Terminal 5 and 285 Kent.

More pictures of Cro-Mags (none of the support) and a video from Bowery, below...

Continue reading "Cro-Mags played Bowery Ballroom (pics), playing free show at House of Vans with Fucked Up"

photos by Dana (distortion) Yavin

"We're Death Cab for Cutie from Seattle, Washington," he had announced after a quick opener of three of their classics: "Bend to Squares," "The New Year" and "Why'd You Want to Live Here." "Thanks for coming out to this label showcase. We're trying to get a record deal tonight." Gibbard was clearly making a joke, but it also seemed like he's actually nostalgic for the days before his band was signed to a major label and selling out small shows like this one in a matter of minutes. It's hard not to be slightly cynical about this pose - the indie rocker professing to be horribly conflicted by his commercial success - but it was also a reminder about how much Gibbard's life actually has changed since he started Death Cab in Bellingham, Washington in 1997. [Rolling Stone]

If you weren't able to get into the too-small venue, you can catch Death Cab with Frightened Rabbit at the much larger Williamsburg Waterfront on August 2, part of a larger tour for the two bands. Tickets for the Brooklyn show are still available.

Check out more pictures and the full setlist from the Bowery show, below...

Continue reading "Death Cab For Cutie played Bowery Ballroom (pics, setlist)"

photos by Amanda Hatfield, words by Andrew Frisicano

The "Our Band Could Be Your Life" tribute Sunday night at Bowery Ballroom ran more than four hours with 14 bands playing the music of 13 bands (plus a special encore act that covered Nirvana). Set changes were kept short, and bands generally played about 10-15 minutes (between one and four songs). Unannounced guests included Tim Harrington and Lee Ranaldo singing the Minutemen, Craig Finn playing the role of Minneapolis cop, and Dan Deacon's multimedia barrage and three-piece band. More highlights, lots of pictures, and a bunch of videos (UPDATE: NPR has audio of the show) are below...

Continue reading "'Our Band Could Be Your Life' in pics, video & review (Dirty Projectors, St Vincent, Dan Deacon, Ted Leo, Wye Oak & more)"

photos by Winnie Cheung

PopMatters: José, at what point did you so decide you wanted to focus your creative energies on Junip?

José González: : Ever since I started touring seven years ago. After my first album [Veneer], our first attempt with Junip was in 2005. I've been really bad at saying "no: to stuff, so I was always headed back out on tour. So in 2008 it needed us to just put our foot down and decide properly that "next year we're going to record it, right? Right?!'

PopMatters: Do you work better when you set a deadline for yourself like that?

José González: It wasn't a deadline. It was more about a start line. More about saying 'no' to other stuff--not having a deadline, but starting to write and letting it take the time it needs. Deadlines are bad actually.

PopMatters: You guys met on the hardcore scene in Gothenburg in the 90's, which coincided with the city's death metal scene.

Tobias Winterkorn: I played bass in a death metal band. Very briefly. Some death metal stuff is quite good. I liked it more than I liked the hardcore scene for example.

José González: And Elias used to play drums in a death metal band.

Continue reading "Junip, Acrylics & High Highs played Bowery Ballroom (pics)"

photos by Tamara Porras

...From the beginning it was flawless, for better and, as the night ploughed on, a bit worse.

Several Yuck songs are built around searing and time-tested melodic riffs, indie rock made indie again. The way that Mr. Blumberg and Max Bloom, the band's other guitarist, creep from one chord to the next, slowly and deliberately, is eerie, the ghost of 1992 hanging above them at all times.

But Mr. Blumberg is also a naturally flexible singer, able to pull off a range of styles: there's a nasal Oasis sneer on "The Wall," and a more sensible and polite take on Pavement on "Suicide Policeman." He's even capable of occasional sweetness, as when singing in tandem with the bassist Mariko Doi on "Georgia."

But while the band cycled through songs nimble ("Coconut Bible," "Holing Out") and lethargic ("Suck," "Shook Down"), it never appeared unkempt. There was rarely any more disruption than the sight of Mr. Blumberg gathering the mop of hair atop his head and pushing it away from his eyes. At the end of the encore the band -- which also includes the drummer Jonny Rogoff -- left its instruments onstage, with feedback blasting for a couple of minutes, but even that didn't feel sloppy.
-[NY Times]

Bowrey Ballroom was one of the last US shows that the band has for a while, as they'll tour Europe starting this weekend before eventually hopping the pond to play Pitchfork Festival in Chicago on July 17th.

In other Yuck news, the band recently announced the new Get Away 7" that the band will self-release. Preorder it now.

More pictures of Yuck (though unfortunately none of the support bands), alongside all tour dates, below....

Continue reading "Yuck self-releasing a 7", played Bowery Ballroom (pics)"

photos by Toby Tenenbaum

Toro y Moi @ Bowery Ballroom

Toro y Moi, Braids, and Adventure toured through NYC earlier this month, playing two sold out shows at Bowery Ballroom while they were here. Pictures from one of those shows is in this post.

Adventure returns on May 14th to play a show at Glasslands with Pat Jordache. Tickets are on sale. All future tour dates for all three bands and more pictures from Bowery, below...

Continue reading "Adventure played Bowery Ballroom w/ Toro y Moi & Braids (pics), playing Glasslands & other dates"

photos by Brook Bobbins

...been meaning to catch the smith westerns for some time now and friends they didn't disappoint. their breezy kinda rock was the perfect way to welcome in spring to new york. playing a set under an hour, a sold out crowd left a little disappointed that the smith westerns glassed over an encore. despite that, the infectious tune "weekend" is stuck in my head the morning after.-[sharocks the blogspot]

Unknown Mortal Orchestra also played their own show at Pianos on Sunday, and a late one with Bass Drum of Death on Saturday night at Shea Stadium while they were in NYC. After they finish their tour with the Smith Westerns, they'll prep for another tour, this time with Portugal. The Man and Telekinesis. That tour hits Webster Hall on 6/3 (tickets are still on sale).

All tour dates and more pictures from Bowery Ballroom are below....

Continue reading "Smith Westerns played Bowery Ballroom w/ Unknown Mortal Orchestra who're touring w/ Portugal. The Man (pics & dates)"

photos by Kurt Christensen

Harris is in a nostalgic mood in "The Road," a song addressed to Gram Parsons, with whom she made the excellent albums Grievous Angel and Sleepless Nights. Parsons recognized that her surging harmonies worked well in contrast to his baleful croon. For her part, Harris acknowledges in "The Road" that Parsons pushed her to be more daring in every way.

"The Road" is one of two songs on Hard Bargain addressed to a friend who's gone. The other is "Darlin' Kate," a fond farewell to the great singer-songwriter Kate McGarrigle, who died of cancer last year. Harris' choice of poetic language may verge on the trite -- even The Simpsons and Ronald Reagan have appropriated John Gillespie Magee's phrase "slipped the surly bonds of Earth." But it's the ache in Harris' voice that delivers the true emotion. [NPR]

Emmylou Harris (whose next NYC show is a Kate McGarrigle tribute) released her new album Hard Bargain this week and celebrated with an intimate show at Bowery Ballroom in NYC Tuesday night that was opened by Josh Ritter (her next headlining NYC show is at the much larger Summerstage), followed by a Letterman performance last night (4/27), and a performance on the Today Show today. Pictures from the NYC show are in this post. More of them with videos from the two TV apperances and a Yahoo session she just recorded, below...

Continue reading "Emmylou Harris played Bowery Ballroom w/ Josh Ritter, Letterman & the Today show (pics & video)"

photos by Winnie Cheung

Chris Thile and the Punch Brothers played a sold out, headlining show at Bowery Ballroom on Saturday (4/16). They're known for having fun and doing covers, and one of their choices this time was the Strokes' 'Reptilia.' Video of that, more pictures from the show and dates too, below...

Continue reading "Punch Brothers played Bowery Ballroom w/ Lake Street Dive, covered the Strokes (pics, video)"

photos by Dominick Mastrangelo

The Low Anthem @ Bowery Ballroom

From the boot-stomping joy of "Hey All You Hippies" (a song off the new album Smart Flesh), to a classical interlude--a clarinet trio playing "Wire," composed by Adams--there is never a dull moment. Before beginning "This God Damn House," Miller instructs the audience to call each other, and hold their phones together when he does the same. The effect is an electrical chirp pulsating throughout the room, producing a sound that is at one moment like a landing spaceship on The X-Files, at another like a field full of crickets.

The encore is the title song off an earlier album, Oh My God Charlie Darwin.... Spellbound, it feels like the whole crowd has broken out in goose bumps. -[New York Press]

Tickets go on sale at noon today (4/8) for a new Low Anthem show at Music Hall of Williamsburg on June 15th, one date of a larger tour for the band that will see them link up with Iron & Wine for some dates, with Mumford & Sons and Daniel Lefkowitz for others (the NYC show doesn't have openers listed yet).

All tour dates, a video and more pictures from the Bowery show, below...

Continue reading "The Low Anthem touring, played Bowery Ballroom (pics), add Brooklyn show (updated dates)"

photos by Ryan Barkan

DOWNLOAD: Middle Brother - Me Me Me (MP3)

Jonny Corndawg, Matthew Vasquez, Taylor Goldsmith

"There's a singer-songwriter intimacy in many of the songs on Middle Brother, as though band members John McCauley, Taylor Goldsmith and Matthew Vasquez were sharing secrets and anecdotes and decided to set them to music. All three men belong to bands -- Deer Tick, Dawes and Delta Spirit -- that trade on folk, blues and country traditions; even their up-tempo songs are less rave-up rockers than hand-clapping foot-stompers." [NPR]

Since then I saw Middle Brother again at SXSW, where, like in NYC, the country-stylish Jonny Corndawg (as seen in today's NY Post) almost stole the show. The Austin show I saw was the BrooklynVegan Day Party at Barbarella, but they also played an official showcase at Auditorium Shores which is streaming at NPR.

I just realized that not only haven't I posted the SXSW pictures yet, I never even post the NY ones, so here is the set from Bowery Ballroom and it continues below...

Continue reading "Middle Brother, Dawes, Deer Tick, Matt Vasquez & Jonny Corndawg @ Bowery Ballroom (pics) "

photos by Amanda Hatfield

John Darnielle's The Mountain Goats played their first of three shows at Bowery Ballroom with the amazing Megafaun last night (3/28). Surprise guest Craig Finn from the Hold Steady (whose upcoming Terminal 5 show was being advertised via projection on the wall at last night's LCD Soundsystem show) came out and sang on "This Year" as you can watch in a video below.

And they do it again tonight (3/29). More pictures, the video and the setlist from last night, below...

Continue reading "The Mountain Goats w/ special guest Craig Finn & Megafaun played Bowery Ballroom (night 1 pics setlist, video)"

Bowery Ballroom photos by Lionel Bergeron, SXSW photos by Josh Darr

Noah & the Whale @ Bowery Ballroom

"I would gladly spend my last night on earth with Noah & the Whale... The fullness and the richness of their song whether on acoustic folk songs or rock songs on the electric guitar is amplified a thousand times by the band's enthusiasm. It's easy to see on their faces that they love what they're doing: even their bleakest, darkest songs like 'I Have Nothing' have a purity and an elegance that sets them apart from broody emo ballads on the radio. Similarly, Noah & the Whale's poppiest, most playful songs aren't just throwaway songs: substance and masterful lyrics complement pure infectiousness. -[Trust Me On This]

The NYC shows came just a few days after the band were down at SXSW to play a few shows including a showcase at Stubb's on March 17th with TV On The Radio (who also played a day party at the same venue), Charles Bradley & the Menahan Street Band (who have a Brooklyn show coming up), Portugal The Man (whose upcoming tour brings them to Webster Hall), and Foster The People (who have two upcoming sold out NYC shows).

TVOTR's set is watchable at Spinner's site.

Pictures from both the 3/21 Bowery show AND the official SXSW showcase, all bands included, adorn this post. They continue below along with some new Noah & the Whale song streams, Noah's NYC setlists and more dates...

Continue reading "Noah & the Whale played 2 nights @ Bowery Ballroom & SXSW w/ TVOTR, Portugal the Man & Charles Bradley (pics)"

photos by Chris Gersbeck

The Quad: I have to say, I've been to a bunch of shows here, and this is definitely one of the most engaged crowds I've seen.

Nils: That's definitely good to hear.

Paul: The people who come to our shows are super nice.

The Quad: It seems like your fans are really nice, for lack of a better word.

Nils: It's funny 'cause some people are like, 'oh, nice Canadians, do you get beat up by Americans when you go there?' It's like, oh, not most of the time, we have nice friends that come out, nice audience members. I guess we don't court danger too well as a band. (Laughs).

A set of pictures from Bowery continue below....

Continue reading "The Rural Alberta Advantage, Pepper Rabbit & the Loom played Bowery Ballroom (pics)"

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)"