Let's start by quoting what Bill wrote in May:

Like a lot of folks, Malajube made a big impression on me in 2006 with their record Trompe-L'Oeil and, even more, their string of fantastic CMJ performances that year. The tunes were catchy, they were great live, the language barrier didn't matter so much. I must admit 2009's Labarinthes didn't make much of an impression but I've really been enjoying the band's brand new album La Cavern. The album is out now in Canada and will be available in the U.S. sometime soon on MB3 Records.

The new album walks the line between guitar pop and space rock and I keep imagining them performing songs like the vaguely disco "Le Blizzard" on the Muppet Show. There's a general soft filter '70s vibe to the whole of La Cavern that feels very comforting.

We now know that La Caverne is out physically in the US on September 27th, AND Malajube are back in NYC for two shows. They play tonight (September 16) at Mercury Lounge with Brian Bonz, and Saturday (September 17) at The Rock Shop in Brooklyn with Les Sans Culottes and Jonny Chan & The New Dynasty 6.

The two shows are the start of a US invasion that is spread out between now and October 8th when they play Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art in Hartford, CT as part of a run of dates with fellow Canadians The Besnard Lakes. All tour dates below...

Continue reading "Malajube are here, touring the U.S. (dates)"

photos by Andrew St. Clair

New York Press: You guys reunited last year and now you've got this new record. Tell me how it all happened.

Get Up Kid Matt Pryor: The band broke up basically because we were sick of each other... but the business of the band still existed. There were some tax issues that we needed to get everyone's signature for. So we went to Rob and Ryan's bar in Lawrence and we were just having some beers and it hit me that all, or at least a big bulk of that baggage wasn't there anymore. I was just enjoying hanging out with my friends. Then when someone brought up the idea that we should play a show. We were like, "Yeah, lets do it." So then we were like "Yeah, let's play some festivals," and then a tour. Then at some point backstage we were like, "Let's make a record, but let's write it start to finish and record it in two weeks and that's it." Then we just kind of went from there. It's all been very natural and very pleasant for the most part.

The Get Up Kids are now on tour with Miniature Tigers & Brian Bonz, and they brought the pleasantness to NYC shows at Webster Hall on 3/2 and Music Hall of Williamsburg on 3/3. Pictures from the Webster Hall show and the setlist, below...

Continue reading "The Get Up Kids played MHOW & Webster Hall w/ Miniature Tigers & Brian Bonz (pics & setlist)"

by Andrew Sacher

DOWNLOAD: The Get Up Kids - Pararelevant (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Get Up Kids - Regent's Court (MP3)

Reunited since 2008, The Get Up Kids have recorded their first studio album since 2004's Guilt Show. The album called There Are Rules is set to be released on January 25, 2011 via Quality Hill Records. I had the chance to hear the new album, and I think it's not just a reunion album, but a step forward for the band. It seems like Matt Pryor must have gotten his softer, more melodic side out of his system in The New Amsterdams, because There Are Rules is some of The Get Up Kids' hardest hitting stuff since the classic Something to Write Home About (an album Drowned in Sound gave a 9 when it was reissued, and that Pitchfork gave a 2 when it came out). You can listen to two of the new songs above.

The band have announced new dates for their US tour in support of the new album in early 2011 with openers Miniature Tigers and Brian Bonz. The tour hits New York on March 2 at Webster Hall and March 3 at Music Hall of Williamsburg. Presale tickets will be available on Friday at noon. Tickets go on sale to the general public on December 16. These new dates were added to the end of the first leg of the tour with openers Steel Train and River City Extension, who will not appear at any of the New York dates.

Matt Pryor will also be in New York this weekend as part of the Where's The Band tour with Dustin Kensrue (Thrice), Chris Conley (Saves the Day), and Anthony Raneri (Bayside) (editor's note: yikes!). The four frontmen are each doing solo acoustic performances at Music Hall of Williamsburg on Saturday (12/11) and Highline Ballroom on Sunday (12/12).

Miniature Tigers also returns to New York one more time before The Get Up Kids' shows to conclude their tour with Freelance Whales on December 15 at Webster Hall.

All tour dates and tracklist below...

Continue reading "The Get Up Kids releasing new album touring (MP3 & dates) "

Dean & Britta played Galaxie 500 in August (more by Chris Gersbeck)

Dean Wareham Plays Galaxie 500 is already happening at Music Hall of Williamsburg in December. Turns out, Dean and friends (Britta, etc.) will be doing the same thing much sooner as part of CMJ. The new show takes place at Bowery Ballroom where they did the Galaxie 500 thing previously, one night after the same show at Rock Shop. Catch them at Bowery Ballroom again on Friday, October 22nd, on an eclectic bill with Crocodiles, Wakey! Wakey!, Brian Bonz & The Major Crimes, James Vincent McMorrow and Young Buffalo. Tickets are on sale now (you can also try and get in with your CMJ badge).

And actually, Dean & Britta do a "13 Most Beautiful...Songs for Andy Warhol's Screen Tests" set earlier that same night (10/22) at NYU's Skirball Center. Tickets for that are up too. That makes at least two CMJ shows for Dean and Britta who were part of our own CMJ show at Bowery Ballroom in 2007.

For Crocodiles this gig comes a few days before they kick off a tour with Golden Triangle at Maxwell's.

Recent live videos are below...

Continue reading "Dean & Britta playing two CMJ shows, one as Galaxie 500 w/ Crocodiles (dates) "