Caged Animals @ Bowery Ballroom 4/3/2013 (more by PSquared Photography)

Caged Animals recently wrapped up a tour with Darwin Deez and are finally about to unleash some new songs on the world. While the Brooklyn crew haven't revealed details on their new album, due sometime this year on Lucky Number, they have just released the first track from it, a catchy, synth-driven number called "Cindy + Me." Says frontman Vincent Cacchione, "It's a song I wrote about stealing cars and running away from home when you're a teenager. For all the earth's eternal misfit's, I offer this song to you." You can stream it (via Stereogum) below.

Continue reading "stream a track from Caged Animals' upcoming new LP"

Killing Joke @ Irving Plaza, 2012 (more by Greg Cristman)

Moon King @ BVSXSW (more by Sarah Frankie Linder)

today in NYC
* Jamie Saft @ The Stone
* Killing Joke @ Irving Plaza
* Pharrell @ House of Vans
* Furthur @ Capitol Theatre
* Diana Krall @ Beacon Theatre
* Young Magic @ Ran Tea House
* Clinic, The Cobbs @ Glasslands
* Muse, Dead Sara @ IZOD Center
* Olafur Arnalds @ J&R Music World
* Opeth, Katatonia @ Wellmont Theatre
* Lebowski Fest @ The Gramercy Theatre
* Baby Dayliner, Sir Jarlesburg @ Grand Victory
* Kinski, Ancient Sky, Landing @ Death By Audio
* Blackstreet, Dave Hollister @ Best Buy Theater
* Moon Hooch, Dubious Luxury @ Knitting Factory
* Graham Parker & The Rumor @ The Stone Pony
* Acid Mothers Temple, Tjutjuna @ Mercury Lounge
* Widowspeak, Gambles, LODRO @ Knitting Factory
* The Parlotones, Dinner and a Suit @ Mercury Lounge
* Habibi, BOYTOY, Slothrust, The Migs @ Shea Stadium
* Shuggie Otis, Jesca Hoop @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
* Rod Stewart, Steve Winwood @ Madison Square Garden
* Alvin Risk, Photek, Luminox, Alex English @ Webster Hall
* Wolf + Lamb, Soul Clap, Slow Hands, Tanner Ross @ Output
* Punks On Mars, Young Boys, Secret Lover @ The Rock Shop
* Overlord, Radical Dads, Kleenex Girl Wonder, Ma'am @ Pianos
* Joey Anderson, 12 X 12, L'estasi Dell'oro, N'conduit @ Glasslands
* Spires, Pre War, Pass The Rush, Esther, Jupiter Boys @ Cake Shop
* Cleric, Torrential Downpour, Tidal Arms, Sun Woman @ Saint Vitus Bar
* Who Killed Spikey Jacket?, No Class, Goosebumps, EEL @ The Acheron
* Easy Star All-Stars, John Brown's Body, Selecktah Twice @ Brooklyn Bowl
* Strange Names, Ludwig Persik, Steel Phantoms, Junior Prom @ Union Pool
* The Veda Rays, Grand Resort, Eastern Hollows, Fan-Tan, Rob Karpay @ Muchmore's
* Fu Manchu (performing The Action is Go), Bloodnstuff, Vagina Panther @ Bowery Ballroom
* Bambara, Advaeta, Highway Gimps, Juniper Rising, Isn't Ours, Total Slacker (DJ) @ Silent Barn
* Caged Animals, Moon King, Leapling, Sexy Merlin (members of Moon King). Big Soft (DJ) @ Big Snow
* Jonathan Toubin, Bryan Kasenic, FaltyDL, Scott Mou/Queens, Matt Werth, Caleb Braaten @ Other Music
* French Horn Rebellion, Jody Watley, Body Language (DJ), Ernesto (of Penguin Prison) @ Brooklyn Bowl
* John Wesley Harding's Cabinet of Wonders, Glen Hansard, Rhett Miller, Lucy Wainwright Roche @ City Winery
* Earworms, Low Fat Getting High, Vulture Shit, Old Monk, The Amputees, Clean Girls, Bitter Valentines @ Don Pedro

Good show at Big Snow Buffalo Lodge tonight, with BV SXSW showcase/day party vets Caged Animals and Toronto's Moon King, as well as Leapling. Also playing is Sexy Merlin which shares members with Moon King. $7 at the door.

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Phoenix are currently on the West Coast for Coachella (weekend 2 starts today) and hit Jimmy Kimmel Live last night and -- shades of SNL -- performed "Entertainment," then a medley of "Trying to Be Cool" and "Drakkar Noir" on the show. You can watch those clips below.

As mentioned elsewhere, Colin Stetson will release his new album, New History Warfare Vol. 3: To See More Light, on April 30. He recently released a video that combines two tracks from the LP, "In Mirrors" and "And In Truth," and you can watch that below.

Record Store Day is tomorrow (4/20). Start planning now by checking out our guide to RSD releases and our guide to in-store performances and special events.

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Friday?"

Pentagram @ Power of the Riff East (more by Greg Cristman)

Sean Price @ Duck Down Holiday party, 2012 (more)

today in NYC
* Pentagram @ Saint Vitus
* Amy Speace @ Joe's Pub
* Slobber Pup @ The Stone
* Slavic Soul Party @ Barbes
* Ben Holmes Quartet @ Barbes
* Furthur @ The Capitol Theatre
* Olafur Arnalds @ SoHo Apple Store
* B.B. King, Boogie Long @ B.B. King's
* METZ, Odonis Odonis @ Shea Stadium
* The Red Paintings, Lewis Lazar @ Pianos
* They Might Be Giants @ Academy Records
* Muse, Biffy Clyro @ Madison Square Garden
* El Topo, Les Yeux, Friend Roulette @ Pianos
* Brazos, Snowblink, The Loom @ Cameo Gallery
* Mindless Self Indulgence, Death Spells @ Irving Plaza
* Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band @ Barclays Center
* Morgan Karr, Janelle Kroll, DJ Fromage @ Brooklyn Bowl
* Wilder Maker, Water Liars, Nathan Xander @ Cake Shop
* Born Ruffians, Moon King, Ski Lodge @ Bowery Ballroom
* Chris Brown, Ne-Yo, Wale, Ciara @ Hammerstein Ballroom
* Clementine & the Galaxy, Cold Blood Club @ Mercury Lounge
* Low Fat Getting High, Left & Right, Bloom, Ravenous @ Big Snow
* Fitz and the Tantrums, Hunter Hunted @ The Studio at Webster Hall
* Safe, Le1f, HEEMS, BLKKATHY, Doe Paoro, DJ Dapwell @ 285 Kent
* Woodsman, Baby Birds Don't Drink Milk, White Bike @ Death By Audio
* Danielson Famile, Jeffrey Lewis, Welcome Wagon @ The Knitting Factory
* Christina Courtin, Margaret Glaspy, Julia Easterlin @ Rockwood Music Hall
* William Tyler (Silver Jews / Lambchop), Zachary Cale @ The Mercury Lounge
* Black River Quartet, Sound Rabbit, Tanner Walle, Cherokee Red, Isaiah Panther @ Bowery Electric
* Sean Price, Bishop Nehru, F. Stokes, Children of the Night, Rawbeatz (DJ), Sucio Smash @ Glasslands

Toronto's Odonis Odonis open for METZ tonight at Shea Stadium. Toronto's Moon King open for Born Ruffians at Bowery Ballroom. Moon King's Maddy Wilde sometimes plays with Odonis Odonis. Maybe there will be a guest appearance tonight?

Meanwhile, Moon King also play on Friday (4/19) at Big Snow with Caged Animals, Leapling, and Sexy Merlin.

Brooklyn's Low Fat Getting High, who play Big Snow tonight, are releasing a new EP, Bad Yoga, in May via Dead Broke Rekerds (who has put out releases for Nude Beach, Tenement, and others) and Money Fire Records. Stream a track from that EP, "Better Better Worse," below. They have other upcoming local shows on Friday (4/19) at Don Pedro's and Sunday (4/21) at The Bowery Electric.

SAFE is playing a record release show at 285 Kent tonight with a great lineup of Le1f, Heems, Doe Paoro, BLKKATHY and DJ Dapwell. Tickets for tonight's show are still available. Le1f and Dapwell also both just played the Whitney over the weekend.

Follow @BrooklynVegan on Twitter.
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Veronica Falls made a video for the title track of their most recent album, Waiting for Something to Happen and you can watch that below.

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Tuesday?"

by Bill Pearis

Parquet Courts, SXSW 2013 (more by Amanda Hatfield)

It's that time of year again, when The L Magazine picks their all-NYC "8 Bands You Need to Hear." Like usual, it probably includes some bands you've already heard, some you've maybe heard of, and some names new to you. Parquet Courts are without a doubt the band on the list. Here are their 2013 picks with their next NYC show (if applicable):

Free Time
Parquet Courts (April 20, Bowery Ballroom w/ Iceage)
Coastgaard (May 1, Mercury Lounge)
Juniper Rising (April 11, Death by Audio)
Celestial Shore (April 18, Silent Barn)
Caged Animals
Big Ups (tonight [4/10], Shea Stadium)
The Denzels

So who should've made their list but didn't? Who shouldn't have been on the list? Streams from all eight bands if you wanna check out any you haven't heard.

As mentioned, The L Magazine is celebrating its and Kanine Records' 10th anniversary tonight (4/10) at Union Pool with complimentary drinks and performances from Montreal's Valleys, Royal Baths offshoot LODRO and Xray Eyeballs. RSVP is now closed for this free event.

Cover to the "8 Bands" issue of The L, plus those music streams, are below.

Continue reading "L Magazine names 8 more 'Bands You Need to Hear' "

photos by PSquared Photography

Darwin Deez / Caged Animals @ Bowery Ballroom, 4/3/2013

Darwin Deez's tour with Caged Animals rolled through NYC last night (4/3) for a show at Bowery Ballroom. Darwin's set featured songs from both his debut album and this year's Songs for Imaginative People, plus a little choreography and other theatrics. For Caged Animals it was a chance to debut some new songs from the band's forthcoming album on Lucky Number.

Their tour together is almost wrapped up, hitting Philly tonight (4/3) and Washington, D.C. on Friday (4/5). More pictures from Bowery below...

Continue reading "Darwin Deez & Caged Animals played Bowery Ballroom (pics)"

As mentioned, Darwin Deez is set to release his second album, Songs For Imaginative People, on February 12 via Lucky Number. The first single is "Free (The Editorial Me)" (maybe you saw the video already) and we've got the premiere of a remix done by East London artist Billy. You can stream it below, along with a Unicorn Kid remix.

You can catch Darwin Deez on tour this spring with Caged Animals, including, as previously announced, a NYC show at Bowery Ballroom on April 3 . Tickets are still available for that. Updated dates are listed below.

For big Deez fans, Songs For Imaginative People is coming out as a deluxe CD with a "55min DVD, and a 114 page hardcover Tour Diary with beaucoup photos." You can pre-order that here. You can watch a trailer for the DVD below.

Streams, video and dates below...

Continue reading "Billy remixed Darwin Deez' "Free" ----- stream premiere & updated tour dates"

Tickets for the Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and Sharon Van Etten shows at Beacon Theatre are on presale (password: "CAVE"). General on-sale starts Thursday (12/6) at 10 AM.

Beach Fossils play a record release show for their new album, Clash the Truth at Bowery Ballroom on February 23. Tickets for that show are on AmEx presale now with a general on-sale starting Friday (12/7) at noon. (UPDATE: That show has been removed from Bowery Ballroom's website. Stay tuned.)

Tickets are also still available for Beach Fossils' New Year's Eve show with Blonde Redhead.

Tickets for the Chelsea Wolfe and King Dude acoustic show at Music Hall of Williamsburg are on sale now.

Balkan Beat Box are playing Webster Hall on March 17 with Delhi 2 Dublin. Tickets for that show are on sale now.

Yo Gabba Gabba Live!, who did a seven-show run at the Theater at MSG over the weekend, are doing two shows at Wellmont Theatre on February 10. Tickets for both shows are on sale now.

Tickets for the Indians show at Mercury Lounge are on AmEx presale now.

Tickets for the The Amazing show at Mercury Lounge are on AmEx presale now.

Tickets for the Thao & the Get Down Stay Down show at Bowery Ballroom are on AmEx presale now.

Tickets for the Darwin Deez show at Bowery Ballroom, which Caged Animals are opening, are on AmEx presale now.

Tickets for the Buke and Gase show at Bowery Ballroom are on AmEx presale now.

Tickets for the Takka Takka and Pattern is Movement show at Mercury Lounge are on AmEx presale now.

Tickets for the Shout Out Louds show at Music Hall of Williamsburg are on AmEx presale now.

The Suzan are playing Glasslands on January 28. Tickets for that show are on sale now.

Ken Stringfellow (The Posies, REM, Big Star, etc) is playing Mercury Lounge on February 16. Tickets for that show are on AmEx presale now with a general on-sale starting Friday (12/7) at noon.

Lushlife is opening for Steven A. Clark at Mercury Lounge on January 10. Tickets for that show are on AmEx presale now with a general on-sale starting Friday (12/7) at noon.

by Bill Pearis

Part Time

San Francisco's Part Time released their debut LP, What Would You Say?, last year on Mexican Summer which plays like a hazy remembrance of '80s memories that were probably originally held by Ric Ocasek. It's very sports jacket with pushed up sleeves kind of music (aka very Ariel Pink) and you can stream it below via Rdio. The group will be on the East Coast for a show at Glasslands on November 18 with Splash, Limited and Caged Animals. Tickets are on sale now.

The show is also notable as the second live show from Limited which is a new synthpop project from Alex Craig of Big Troubles. Limited just released its debut single on New Images, the label run by Matt Mondanile of Ducktails/Real Estate. Like with BT, there's still a shoegazy vibe to it, but Craig here is reaching back to the New Romantic era for inspiration as well. If you liked the Ice Choir album, you'll want to check this out and you can stream both sides of the single below. Live, Limited are a three piece.

Splash, of course, fit right in with the night's vibe here, not only sounding but looking like they dropped out of 1986, some kind of unholy mix New Edition and Starship (also by way of Ariel Pink). I will say no matter what you think of the music they play, they're are pretty good at it and put on an entertaining live show. Just be prepared to be anointed with glitter when the fun begins.

Caged Animals are kind of the odd band out here, not owing their sound to any particular decade, merely making very catchy pop. Look for two new releases (an album and an EP) in the new year. Meanwhile, Caged Animals also play tonight (11/9) at Shea Stadium with Jamaican Queens, Phone Tag, and Passalacqua.

Streams and flyer are below.

Continue reading "San Francisco's Part Time playing NYC with Limited (new Big Troubles side project), Splash and Caged Animals (streams)"

Heliotropes at 480 Pixels party in August, one of many bands who had shows at Delinquency this week, (more by Chris La Putt)

To all Delinquency family, friends, performers, and promoters: We regret to inform that we have been forced to close temporarily and relocate all CMJ shows:(((( Please stay tuned for new show locations. We are supper bummed but will be back in a few weeks to continue spreading the loving party vibes and good times we have all shared this amazing summer. - [Delinquency Facebook]

As mentioned above, Bushwick venue Delinquency got shut down and will be closed for the time being, meaning all their CMJ shows are finding new homes. So far:

Tonight's Sleepies, Mr. Dream, Yvette, Alan Watts and Fasano show has been moved to XPO 929 (more info here).

Tuesday's Permanent Wave/Greenpointers Blog/Campers' Rule Records showcase (10/16) with Heliotropes, Leda, Beach Day, Backwords, The Suzan and Easy Lover has been relocated to Public Assembly.

Wednesday's We Listen for You / The Needle Drop / Beats Per Minute day party (10/17) with Dent May, Mac Demarco, Teen Suicide, Poor Lily, The Deloreans, Attic and Abasement has also been moved to Public Assembly

No word yet on where Wednesday night's Mobil party (10/17 with Heems, Sasha Go Hard, Kitty Pryde + more) will end up, or Bird Dog day party on Thursday (10/18 with Ava Luna, Royal Canoe, Fegrus and Geronimo, Murals and more), or the Old Flame Records / Heist or Hit Record day party on Friday (10/19 w/ Caged Animals, Your Youth, Gross Relations and more) but Delinquency has been posting updates on their Facebook.

photos by Amanda Hatfield; words by Bill Pearis

Caged Animals at Fulton Stall Market 8/19/2012

Sunday (8/19) was the third installment of this year's Sound Bites Series (that I curate, full disclosure) that happened down at Fulton Stall Market. Caged Animals, who've played the BV-curated Brooklyn Night Bazar show and SXSW showcase in the past year, did a someone stripped-down acoustic show for a mix of fans and tourists and the band's laid-back, positive vibe made for a chill Sunday afternoon.

Caged Animals have been busy this summer making their new album, which ended up turning into two new records. The first is a concept EP that'll be out in November, with their proper new album due early 2013. Meanwhile, the band's next show is September 8 at Muchmore's with Give To Light + Rosy Street.

This Sunday (8/26) is the final Sound Bites show of the season, with Ski Lodge. As always, I'll be DJing an hour or so beforehand and the band will be on at 3PM. More info here. More pictures from Caged Animals set are below.

Continue reading "Caged Animals played Fulton Stall Market (pics), prep two new records"

Twin Sister at Bowery Ballroom in 2011 (more by Jessica Amaya)

Twin Sister, who played BV-Northside at MHOW in 2010, and played MHOW during Northside again in 2011, will be playing a Northside show once again this year. This time it's the Stereogum/Cameo showcase at Cameo Gallery on Saturday (6/16) with Guards, Physical Therapy, Caged Animals, Blonds, and Phonetag. Tickets for that show are available and we're giving away a pair. Contest details are below. It's the only announced show for Twin Sister at the moment.

Speaking of Northside shows at Cameo, as mentioned, Daughn Gibson plays his there on Thursday (6/14) and tickets are still available.

A Twin Sister video and contest details below...

Continue reading "Twin Sister playing Northside show at Cameo w/ Caged Animals, Blonds, Guards, Physical Therapy & Phonetag"

by Andrew Sacher

Brooklyn folk pop singer Natureboy (aka Sara Kermanshahi) kicks off a residency at Pianos TONIGHT (6/7), which will take place every Thursday night in June. Each show is with a pretty solid lineup; tonight it's Caged Animals, Christine Horberg, Vorhees, and St. Claire. Other artists appearing during the residency include Shenandoah & The Night, Shilpa Ray, Cat Martino, She Keeps Bees, Doug Keith, The Roadside Graves, and more. On the last night of the residency (6/28), Sharon Van Etten, who sings on Natureboy's album, will be DJing and it wouldn't be too surprising if she joined in on vocals during Natureboy's set while she's there. The full schedule and flier for the residency is below and tickets for all four shows are on sale now.

Natureboy's album can be streamed in full at her bandcamp and it's a pretty enjoyable listen. Check it out for yourself over there and stream some tracks below.

Continue reading "Natureboy kicking off residency at Pianos w/ Sharon Van Etten, Cat Martino, She Keeps Bees, Caged Animals & more"

by Bill Pearis

Habibi at NYC Popfest 2012 (more by Amanda Hatfield)

Habibi, Eternal Summers, Caged Animals and Ski Lodge will be this year's lineup for the third Sound Bites series which will take place Sunday afternoons in August at the Fulton Stall Market by South Street Seaport... which I curate. (Shameless plug). There will be a DJ (probably me) at 2PM with the bands playing at 3PM and it's all free. The schedule is this:

August 5: Habibi
August 12: Eternal Summers
August 19: Caged Animals
August 26: Ski Lodge

Habibi will be opening for King Tuff for a few dates, including the show at 285 Kent on June 9. The band have also just made their first music video, "Tomboy," which you can watch below and features guest appearance by some other bands you may recognize.

Eternal Summers, meanwhile, just announced a late show at Mercury Lounge on July 26 which is most likely a record release show for their fantastic new album Correct Behavior (one of my favorites of 2012 so far) which is out July 24. Check out the video for "Millions" at the bottom of this post. Tickets go on sale Friday, June 8. No openers listed yet.

Caged Animals, meanwhile, just released a video for a new song, "This Summer I'll Make it Up To You," which is off their This Summer EP which is out June 12 on Lucky Number. Caged Animals are also playing Saturday (6/2) at Bobby Redd Project Space in Bushwick with Kent Odessa, Bright Future, Sagopalm and The Zabalas.

And Ski Lodge are next playing Pianos on June 13 with Cool Serbia, The Hudson Branch and new Kanine Records signing Beach Day. Ski Lodge also have a new video for "A Game" which you can watch below. Their debut album will be out later this year.

Tour dates for Habibi and Eternal Summers, and videos for all four bands, are below.

Continue reading "Habibi, Eternal Summers, Caged Animals, and Ski Lodge playing the 2012 Sound Bites series at Fulton Stall Market in August; plus other news"

Tickets are now on AmEx, Chase and "Internet" presale for Metric's Radio City Music Hall show.

Talk Normal, Religious to Damn & ATM are playing Glasslands June 22. Tickets are on sale.

Tickets are still on sale for Unknown Mortal Orchestra's show with Doldrums and Field Mouse at Glasslands on 6/8. The show is part of a tour for UMO and Doldrums that also hits Mercury Lounge.

UMO also play Googa Mooga this weekend.

Tickets are on sale for Young Magic & Quilt's 6/28 show at Glaslands. Young Magic recently remixed Doldrums and also play Mercury Lounge on their tour with Quilt.

Though it wasn't in our last-posted list of dates, Zambri, who joined Bear on Heaven on state at MHOW (a show Doldrums opened), have a show coming up at Brooklyn Bowl on 5/23 with Caged Animals, and AIMES Tickets are on sale.

Tickets go on sale at noon for for Lemonade's big show.

The Musical Box, "the exclusive, authorized by Peter Gabriel, recreation of Genesis" are performing The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway with "all 1,100 original slide projections from the '74-'75 tour" this year. Tickets for an 11/23 show at the Grand Ballroom go on AmEx presale at noon. Regular sale starts Friday at noon which is also when you can get tickets for the 11/21 Wellmont Theater show.

The Felice Brothers are playing Brooklyn Bowl on 6/15 as part of the Northside Festival. Tickets are on sale.

Maybe the Felice Brothers will play one of Deer Tick's THREE curated Newport Folk Festival after-shows at the Newport Blues Cafe this summer. Deer Tick curated and play all three nights, July 27, 28 & 29, with special guests. All three just went on sale.

Tickets are still on sale for the Violens show happening at Le Poisson Rouge tonight (5/16).

photos by Amanda Hatfield

"Fun times at @brooklynvegan show last night. Shout out to @titus_ndronicus 4 saving the day. Best thin lizzy cover since Ted Leo." - Caged Animals

"Shouts out to Caged Animals from Hawthorne, NJ #973" - Titus Andronicus

Titus Andronicus @ Bar 96

One night after our Daniel Johnston show at the Belmont, and after a full day of bands on three stages at "Hotel Vegan", we hosted our 2nd official showcase of SXSW 2012, on Wednesday night (March 14). The venue was Bar 96 on Austin's Rainey St., and the lineup loooked like this:

8pm: Caged Animals
9pm: 2:54
10pm: The Young
11pm: Screaming Females
12am: Andrew W.K. (full band)
1am: Titus Andronicus

NJ/Brooklyn's Caged Animals were great and had a decent crowd for being a relatively unknown band playing as doors opened to the six hour, mostly-badges-only show. Bill Pearis, who got to Austin right before this gig, wrote:

"You can sit for the first two songs, but then lets get up and dance" said Vincent Cacchione of Caged Animals who opened the set. He played affable host, running into the crowd and dancing (and hugging people). Nice mellow start to my week.

2:54, who had just come from being in NYC, followed, and clearly the recently signed to Fat Possum band has some serious buzz behind them because the room, which was actually an outdoor, astro-turfed backyard under a tent, filled up nicely for them. Many in the crowd could be heard talking in English accents. 2:54 call London home. Bill wrote:

After that it was 2:54 who have gotten exponentially better than when I saw them at Pianos last year, a much more confident band. I am a sucker for their dark, moody, shoegazy sound. Good set, though it was cut short a song by equipment problems.

2:54's 2011 Pianos show was, completely coinedentally, also with Caged Animals which I forgot until I looked up the link as I was writing this post.

Then Bill left to go catch some other bands, and Austin's Matador-signed The Young, who also played Hotel Vegan the next day, took the stage. Bill was definitely not alone in leaving after 2:54's set, though many were hanging around in the various nooks and crannies of this spacious venue that includes good food, and tables wrapped around an entire house-turned-into-a-bar, adjacent to the backyard stage area.

Screaming Females @ Bar 96

That said, by the end of Screaming Females, the stage area was at capacity. The NJ 3-piece band led by pint-sized powerhouse Marissa Paternoster on guitar and vocals had the place rocking out and going nuts. The talent those three posess is truly mind-blowing, especially with a few Lone Stars in your system. I am positive that every single person at Bar 96 Wednesday night, if they weren't already, left a Screaming Females fan.

Andrew W.W. @ Bar 96

Andrew W.K., complete with full band and Cherie Lily, took to the stage with chants of "It's Time to Party."

"He opened with "It's Time To Party," because it was time to party. He closed things out with a song that was also about partying. In the middle he urged us to party, and Cherie Lily, acting as the Fergie of the ensemble, handed out fist bumps. Sh*t, how do you even review an Andrew W.K. set? "He came out and was Andrew W.K. He continued to be Andrew W.K. until he left."" [UpRoxx]

Mosh pits, fist pumps, and stage diving ensued for the 30+ minutes of Andrew's set. I could see Titus Andronicus frontman Patrick Stickles watching from the crowd, and I felt bad that he needed to follow that act, not to mention Screaming Females. It was only after the show that I noticed he was thinking the same thing, and I think he said something similar from stage, including a bit about feeling that way every night on tour with the Scremales (at this point I was completely wiped out from going for so long with almost no sleep and knowing I needed ot do it again the next morning).

Luckily for Titus, not only was there still a big crowd for their post-AWK, 1am set, they opened with a rousing cover of "The Boys are Back in Town" that got people going again. It was an awesome night.

Here are some pictures and a video of the mayhem during AWK. More below...

Continue reading "Andrew WK, Titus Andronicus, Screaming Females, 2:54, The Young & Caged Animals @ Bar 96 (BV SXSW pics & video)"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Mac DeMarco - "Baby's Wearin Blue Jeans (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: TOPS - Turn Your Love Around (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Korallreven - Sa Sa Samoa (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Korallreven - Sa Sa Samoa (For Real For Sure For You) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD:  Young Prisms - Floating in Blue (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Boy Friend - Egyptian Wrinkle (MP3)

Mac Demarco

It begins. Bands from all over the world -- England! Canada! Sweden! New Zealand! Virginia! -- descend on New York as they beat a path to Austin for this year's SXSW. Which is good for those who aren't going, as well as folks who are but want to see bands play longer than 25 minutes and aren't strung out on a four-day diet of free breakfast tacos, Vitamin Water and Amstel Light. There's lots more going on than what is covered below, but it's what I'm interested in over the next few days.

New Captured Tracks signee Mac DeMarco is in town from Vancouver to play a couple shows. He plays an all-C/T bill tonight (3/2) at Music Hall of Williamsburg with DIVE, Hoop Dreams and headliners Beach Fossils (sold out), and then Glasslands tomorrow (3/3) with  headliners Widowspeak and  Quilt.

Demarco, who used to record under the name Makeout Videotapes, has a smoky baritone that is part Chris Isaak and part Tindersticks. His music owes a little to Isaak as well, with an early '60s vibe (Ricky Nelson, Gene Vincent) by way of '80s neon, all on a four-track budget. You can check debut "Baby's Wearin Blue Jeans" from his debut, Rock n' Roll Hotel (out 3/20) at the top of this post, which is indicative of what Demarco is all about. You can also watch the video for "Only You" which is kind of NSFW. Dude's a provocateur.

Hoop Dreams

Tonight's MHoW show is the first NYC show we've had from Blacksburg, VA's Hoop Dreams in a long while. They were good when I saw them at Glasslands last year and have the potential to be breakouts for the label if they ever get around to releasing another record (only a single so far). Live, they're more in the Arcade Fire/Editors anthemic style than the single might suggest. It will also be a good opportunity to hear new music from Beach Fossils who are busy at work on their second LP.

And of course, DIVE, who are probably one of the more exciting live bands in Brooklyn right now and are a definite SXSW must-see if you don't live here and have the opportunity to catch them twice a week like we currently do. (They're also touring with Frankie Rose in April.) The show is sold out tonight, but I'd be shocked if there weren't tickets at the door at least when the box office opens.

TOPS

Montreal band TOPS are playing 285 Kent tomorrow night as part of a killer bill that includes Blood Orange, Phone Tag and  Caged Animals. The four-piece is comprised of most (if not all) of MTL's Silly Kissers who played here a few times over the last few years and were a little on the precious side (they sometimes wore mime makeup). TOPS, however, are more in the Ariel Pink/Puro Instict brand of minimal keyboard pop. Their debut, Tender Opposites, came out this week on Artibus Records, which is also home to Grimes (in Canada). You can download "Turn Your Love Around" at the top of this post and stream the whole thing (and watch the further down.

As you may have read, 285 headliners Caged Animals will open the Official BrooklynVegan SXSW showcase on March 14 at Bar 69 which also includes Titus Andronicus, Screaming Females, 2:54, The Young and one more TBA. If you haven't heard their tuneful, charming debut Eat Their Own yet, it's still streamable at their BandCamp. And they're terrific live.

So is Blood Orange, despite it just being Dev Hynes, his guitar and a laptop. I saw him last weekend at Glasslands where he spent as much time in the crowd as he did on stage. I do wish he'd get a band, but the one-man Blood Orange is a lot of fun. I haven't seen Phone Tag in a while, but I dig their brand of '80s synthpop.

Korallreven

Sunday night (3/4) at Bowery Ballroom is the NYC debut of Swedish duo Korallreven, one half of which is The Radio Dept.'s Daniel Tjäder. I like their debut album a lot, all lush, synth-driven dream pop but, like a lot of music like this, I wonder how they're going to make it an interesting concert experience. I envision two guys behind laptops and keyboards bobbing their heads and singing, with some projections and hopefully smoke machines.  Maybe they could move the downstairs couches to the main room? Maybe I'm wrong. We'll see. I'm sure it will sound great in any case.  If you haven't heard them yet, you can download "Sa Sa Samoa" in regular and remixed form at the top of this post and watch the video at the bottom of this post. Also playing: Lemonade and Young Magic.

Bachelorette

Also playing Sunday night, at Cameo, is Bachelorette -- aka New Zealander Annabel Alpers who I think lives here now. Buoyed by Alpers delicate, breathy voice, Bachelorette make ethereal synthpop not miles away from The Magnetic Fields, with whom she's going on tour for seven shows. (All dates at the bottom of this post.) I liked it better when she had a band, but the loop pedal incarnation is pretty lovely too. You can check out a couple videos below or stream her most recent album on Spotify.

Young Prisms at the Comet, Seattle (photo by Finest Kiss)

And looking into early next week, San Francisco's Young Prisms and Austin's Boy Friend are at Glasslands on Monday (3/5). Young Prisms new album, In Between, is out March 27 on Kanine and is a real step forward for the band. Their still mining first-wave shoegaze, but the songs are much stronger this time out with a couple that go for jangly Velocity Girl style pop. They will be very loud I guarantee you. Boy Friend will make a nice opener, with their hazy, 4-AD miasma vibe. You can download MP3s from both bands at the top of this post. Also playing, seemingly from another show, are Alex Bleeker & the Freaks and Tanks Amigo.

That's the big stuff for the next four days. But wait, there's more. Day-by-day picks of things not covered above:

The Young Empires at M for Montreal 2011

FRIDAY, MARCH 2

Like Friendly Fires and Foals? Check out Toronto's Young Empires are at Glasslands, with Saint Motel, Fan-Tan, and Transmission NYC (DJ set).

Expect a wild evening at Death by Audio with "original line-up" Tyvek, plus Habibi, Feelings and the Numerators. Stick-in-the-muds, go see something else!

Boston's pop veterans The Figgs play Littlefield. The band's new double album, The Day Gravity Stopped, is out sometime soon.

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Caged Animals at Brooklyn Bazaar in 2011 (more by Alyssa Tanchajja)

Some pretty solid shows are going down at 285 Kent in Brooklyn this weekend. Tonight (3/2), they're hosting a dance party with Ital, Slava (live), Laurel Halo, Rezzie Weird Magic, Ilirjana Alushaj, Jan Woo, and special guests. More details below.

On Saturday (3/3), it's Caged Animals (who also play the official BV SXSW showcase in Austin later this month), special guest Blood Orange (who recently sold out Glasslands), TOPS, Phone Tag, and Royal Baths (DJ) at the Brooklyn venue. More details below.

The Men's record release show for Open Your Heart goes down at 285 Kent on Wednesday (3/7).

Brooklyn show details below...

Continue reading "shows @ 285 Kent this weekend include Blood Orange & Caged Animals (who play the BrooklynVegan showcase @ SXSW)"

DOWNLOAD: The Young - "Livin' Free" (MP3)

Screaming Females at Generation Records (more by Andrew St. Clair)

This March, Screaming Females, Titus Andronicus, and Diarrhea Planet are heading out on the 'Screaming on Planet Titus' tour which kicks off at The Stone Pony on March 4 in Asbury Park, NJ and ends with a Houston show on 3/12 before Screaming Females and Titus play SXSW. Tickets for the Asbury Park show are on sale now. All dates are listed below.

That Asbury Park show is the closest that the tour comes to NYC, but Screaming Females will play two more area shows in April as part of a longer, headlining tour. Those shows include Maxwell's on April 5 in Hoboken, NJ and The Bell House on April 6 in Brooklyn with Aye Nako, and Swearin'. Tickets for the Maxwell's show and the Bell House show are on sale now. Screaming Females also have a new video for "It All Means Nothing," the single off their great upcoming album, Ugly (due out April 3 via Don Giovanni). Check that video out below.

You can also catch Titus Andronicus frontman Patrick Stickles in NYC TONIGHT (2/29) at Shea Stadium with Alex Drewchin and Clapperclaw. The show is billed as "An Evening with Patrick Stickles: Songs, Stories & Spiels - An Affirmation of Manic Depression in all its Transcendent Glory."

Titus also have a new single out, and currently the only place to hear it is on Tom Scharpling's WFMU show at the 2:37:00 mark.

Both Screaming Females and Titus Andronicus will be playing the official BrooklynVegan SXSW showcase which happens on March 14 at Bar 96 in Austin. Our official showcase also includes Caged Animals, 2:54, The Young, and one more artist TBA (due to a cancellation).

Both 2:54 and The Young have (relatively) new MP3s. Stream those both below, and grab The Young's above.

Speaking of Diarrhea Planet, they've also got an upcoming NYC show in March at the Aputumpu Music Festival at Le Poisson Rouge on March 25 with Japanther, Cerebral Ballzy, Ghost Mice, Osekre and the Lucky Bastards, Liquor Store, and Eula. Tickets for that show are on sale now.

All dates, video, streams, and the flier for tonight's show below...

Continue reading "Titus Andronicus reveal new song, touring from NJ to SXSW w/ Screaming Females (who added NYC dates too); Patrick Stickles is at Shea TONIGHT (and stuff)"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Cate Le Bon - Puts Me to Work (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Ed Vallance - Crystaline (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Old Monk - Warm Moustache (MP3)

Veronica Falls

Veronica Falls are back for what is, by far, their biggest NYC show to date: they play Music Hall of Williamsburg on Thursday. The band's debut was my #2 Album of 2011:

"Found Love in a Graveyard" made my Favorite Tracks of 2009 list and have been waiting a full-length ever since. The band does not disappoint. There's not a dud in Veronica Falls' 36 minute running time. New songs are equals to early singles which appear here in newly recorded versions that might actually improve on the originals. This is haunted pop, a brisk October breeze that calls for a nice cardigan.

Veronica Falls just released a new track, "My Heart Beats," to coincide with their North American tour and you can stream it at the bottom of this post. The song is sunnier than what they normally do but still fits within their sound. Sounds like a single to me. The band are touring with Slumberland labelmates Brilliant Colors (in from San Francisco) and local noisemakers Grooms are also on the bill.  Tickets are still available. Veronica Falls look timid in their press photos, but they whip up a storm live. Go see 'em.

Bleached at BV CMJ 2012 (more by Chris La Putt)

After the MHoW show, Bleached will also be part of the Veronica Falls/Brilliant Colors tour. (Dates at the bottom of this post.) The band are currently on the road with The Black Belles, a tour that rolls into town onSaturday (2/11) at Knitting Factory that also has Bleeding Rainbow (formerly Reading Rainbow) and Habibi on the bill. I caught Bleached at the BrooklynVegan day party during CMJ last year and thought they were a lot of fun in a Runaways kind of way. Good snarly attitude and big hooks. Maybe you caught them last week opening for Smith Westerns at Webster Hall?

Habibi

It's worth showing up early for Habibi, whose debut single (streamable below) is a cool, understated take on '60s girl group sounds. You can stream it below.

--
Cate Le Bon

As excited as I am to see Veronica Falls on Thursday (2/9) , I might be slightly more pumped to catch Cate Le Bon's early set at Mercury Lounge that same night. (She also plays Maxwell's on Friday [2/10] as part of her tour) I've been pretty enamoured with the Welsh singer's new album, Cyrk, that came out a few weeks ago. The spare, detached vibe is a little like the Velvet Underground or Electrelane or Stereolab, but there's a hint of pastoral psychedelia in there too. (Shades of Welsh indie royalty Gorky's Zygotic Mynci). The record is loaded with wonderful little touches that reveal themselves with repeated listens. It's a fantastic album.

You can download single "Puts Me to Work" at the top of this post and stream Cyrk at Spotify. Cate has played New York a few times, usually solo, but for this tour she's got her band with her which should be pretty special. Both shows are with local band Pigeons.

Ed Vallance - 'Volcano'

What else is going on? London born, Brooklyn-based singer Ed Vallance released his second album, Volcano, this week and plays a record release show tonight (2/8) at Pianos. The record is dramatic turn from the indie folk of his debut. I bet he still writes his songs on acoustic guitar, but the approach to the arrangements and production are definitely have definitely taken a pop approach this time. While this sort of stuff isn't in vogue so much these days (it's got a distinct early '00s post-Radiohead vibe) it's quite lovely nonetheless. You can download the single "Crystaline" at the top of this post and stream the album at Spotify.

In addition to tonight's show at Pianos, an early show with Pursesnatchersopening, Ed's doing a month-long residency at the Ace Hotel, playing every Sunday in February.

Jeremy Jay

And finally, K Records artist Jeremy Jay is in town this week, playing Glasslands tonight (2/8) and Cake Shop tomorrow (2/9). Jeremy's most recent album is Dream Diary, which came out about a year ago. Like most of his work, it's minimal folk rock with a strong '80s influence. He's an engaging live performer, and tonight's Glasslands show is a stacked bill with Boston psych-folk band Quilt, quality locals Slowdance and Backwords. The Cake Shop show is with Sapphire Mansions and a couple TBDs. (Cake Shop's website isn't especially updated these days.) Jeremy lives in London these days, so go see him while he's here -- all tour dates are at the bottom of this post.

That's the big stuff this week. Some more day by day picks, of things not already covered, are below.

Old Monk

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 8

The second week of Old Monk's Cake Shop residency is tonight. These guys are good! Tonight's with Haybaby, elctro-rockers Year of the Tiger and Code Name Viper.

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by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Hospitality - Friends of Friends (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Big Sleep - Valentine (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Big Sleep - Ace (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Moonmen on the Moon, Man - Hey Look, a Sweat Baloon Artist (MP3)

Hospitality (photo by Kyle Dean Reinford)

Happy Groundhog Day folks. As you may have heard, Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow so we're getting six more weeks of winter. If that means the kind of winter we've had so far, I'm okay with that. I'm much more likely to head out and go see shows when not faced with the dreaded wintry mix. And there's lots of good shows this weekend, so let's get out there.

First up, the Hospitality record release party at Glasslands this Friday (2/3) (tickets still available). Their album came out this week on Merge, and I think makes a great case for not rushing things. Hospitality started playing about three years ago and released a CDR EP in the spring of 2009 that got them some notice. Most bands would've had an album out by the end of the year, but Hospitality took their time, honed their craft and became a really great live band. And the album is terrific, not a bad song in the bunch; winsome but there's some muscle in there too. You can stream the whole shebang at Merge's website or with Spotify.

The record release party also Glass Ghost and Dustin Wong on the bill. The band are also heading out on a quick tour of both coasts and will be in Austin for SXSW. All scheduled tour dates are below.

The Darkness

On the complete opposite end of the spectrum are The Darkness who are back for their first US tour in six years, playing Irving Plaza on Saturday (2/4, sold out) and Monday (2/6, still available). As stated before, I'm a huge fan of the Darkness' first album, 2003's near-perfect Permission to Land, which I picked as one of the best of the '00s. As a pop album. Justin Hawkins knows his way around a giant hook. After the overblown excesses of One Way Ticket to Hell (And Back) and Justin Hawkins' ill-advised Sunset Strip spandex group Hot Leg, the band seem to be back on track with new single "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us" which is a little more in the "Growing on Me" vein.

The Darkness' show at Bowery Ballroom back in 2003 was one of the most fun shows I've been to in the last ten years, and from YouTube footage of recent shows it looks like they've still got it. They are a kick-ass live band -- it takes skill to play "I Believe in a Thing Called Love's" solo whilst riding on your roadie's shoulders through the audience. (I hope they're still doing that.) Tickets are still available for Monday's show.

The Big Sleep

Hospitality aren't the only ones with a record release party this week. The Big Sleep released The Nature Experiments this week, their first album in four years and their record release show is tonight (2/2) at Knitting Factory. It might be their most melodic record to date, with more songs that have caught my ear on first listen than I remember them doing before. You can download two of the album's best tracks at the top of this post and the listen to the entire album at Spotify. The Big Sleep are touring as well, and all dates are at the bottom of this post.

Moonmen on the Moon, Man

Still more record release party fun: Tomorrow night (2/3) at Cake Shop is a dual record release party for Moonmen on the Moon, Man and Glass Anchors who both have record coming out on the venue's subsidary Cape Shok label which finally seems to be in gear after a lot of promise but inactivity. MMotMM, which might feature members who work or even own Cake Shop, rock in an late-'80s/early-90s college radio kind of way. Their endearingly sloppy pop -- with a little punk and twang -- woulda been right at home on, say, Frontier Records, nestled in amongst Flop and Thin White Rope and Redd Kross. You can download a track from the EP at the top of this post.

Glass Anchors is the musical project of songwriter Annie Sicherman who I admit to not knowing much about but her Cape Shok EP is lovely, dusty folk pop. Says the press release:

Honing her songs in various bands over various years, soaring songstress Annie Sicherman brings us GLASS ANCHORS. The songs on her fledgling EP are plaintive, reflective, honest, and good. GLASS ANCHORS sounds best tearing up road (preferably dirt), the one to oblivion - right after you ended the longest relationship you ever had, the one you thought would last, the one with the proposal. That road can be in your head, but certainly GLASS ANCHORS has the ability to take you there every time... with Glass Anchors, we have the real Annie 3000%, no matter what road you're on.

You can stream Glass Anchors' EP at the bottom of this post. The Cake Shop show also features Bright Lights, Overlord and Fergus & Geronimo.

That's the big stuff this week. A few more picks, day-by-day, are below of things not already covered here.

Classixx

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2

LA's Classixx play the Popshop party at Santos with Workout and The French Horn Rebellion. You may know Classix from their remixes, like the excelent one they did for Phoenix's "Lisztomania." The group's new single is out this summer on a new label that's a joint venture from the Kitsune Maison folks and, I'm not kidding, the Cobrasnake.

Spacecamp, Mon Khmer, Romans and Skaters are at Bowery Electric. Spacecamp's new EP is pretty good, especially if you like a little Police in your pop rocks.

The Death Set, who I haven't seen play since maybe SXSW 2008, are at the Delancey. Always fun live.

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by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Howler - I Told You Once (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Fujiya & Miyagi - Ecstatic Dancer (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Dinowalrus - What Now (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Pre War - Out There (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Royal Baths - Darling Divine (MP3)

Howler

Welcome to the Stop SOPA edition of TWII. Do you know how hard it would be to do this column without free knowledge via the internet? It would be riddled with factual errors. More so!

Minneapolis underage upstarts Howler are in town playing a whole bunch of shows. The onslaught began last night with an in-store at Other Music (their album came out yesterday), and continues with: an early show tonight (January 18) with Happy People andTiberius,  January 19 at Death By Audio with Grooms andClouder, January 20 at Cameo Gallery with St. Lucia, and January 21 at Pianos with Dear Lions, Cemeteries, and The Everymen.

As mentioned, Howler's debut album came out yesterday and is titled America Give Up which kind of feels like a "just try not to like us" dare. Their sound -- a little Strokes, a little Jesus and Mary Chain, a little West Coast garage -- is indeed easy to like, even if there isn't much "new" about it. But the band have no shortage of hooks and a good dose of hard-to-fake attitude. As previously mentioned, ou can stream the whole thing at NPR.

Most of the hype is coming from the UK press who are still enamored with the Vaccines (with whom Howler's toured). I like Howler better than them and am going to make an effort to catch one of their shows this week. You should too, surely you've got one night free this week?

Fujiya & Miyagi

Also in town this week are Fugiya & Miyagi, playing Glasslands on Thursday (1/19) and Mercury Lounge on Saturday (1/21, sold out). The band have a new single out, "Ecstatic Dancer," that you can download at the top of this post. It's the kind of slinky, glammy stomper you could imagine Goldfrapp doing but with David Best's whispery vocals. No album attached to it as far as I can tell so it seems the single supports the tour, not the other way around as usual.

The band are also on the Power, Corruption & Lies Covered CD that comes with the February issue of MOJO, where the entirety of cover stars New Order's second album is covered by the likes of Destroyer, S.C.U.M. and Errors. Fujiya & Miyagi contribute a fairly wrote version of Side Two opener "Your Silent Face." (Stream it below.) The band are a good time live and are equally adept at both Neu!-style motorik and funky Can rhythms as you may already know. My favorite song is still "Ankle Injuries" but I'm looking forward to seeing them tomorrow.

Thursday's Glasslands show is with Zambri, who really impressed me at Glasslands last month, Rarechild and The Golden Filter on DJ duties. For Saturday's show at Merc, openers are Aimes, Jangulaand Dinowalrus.

Dinowalrus

Dinowalrus' second album, Best Behavior, is due out March 6 on Old Flame records. If you haven't seen them in a while, the band dropped the dissonance in favor of a sound under the influenced of late '80s Manchester. While that means some danceable tracks, it also means atmospheric rockers like "What Now" which veers closer to The Chameleons or The Sound. You can download it at the top of this post.

Jonathan Wilson

If you're looking for something a little more mellow, man, perhaps you should check out onetime Eisley bassist Jonathan Wilson who is here for three shows this week. He's at Mercury Lounge tomorrow (1/19) for an early show and again  on Friday (1/20) for a late show with Quilt), and then hits the Rock Shop on Saturday (1/ 21).

Jonathan Wilson's Gentle Spirit made its way onto many Best of 2011 lists, coming in at #4 on MOJO's year end coverage. Pazz n' Jop notsomuch, only three votes, which landed it in a 21-way tie for #372. Mind you, Wilson's music -- which recalls the heyday of early '70s Laurel Canyon -- is prime fodder for a magazine like MOJO that has a Beatle on the cover at least once a year, but Gentle Spirit is a genuinely gorgeous album that exudes a West Coast vibe even in the coldest New York winter. Spotify users can listen to the album here.

This is the only picture on Pre War's Facebook

And finally, for many in New York the phrase "pre war" is code for "not many electric outlets and no sink in the bathroom" but maybe that will change with Pre War the rock band who have dusted themselves off from the recently defunct Conversion Party. Like that band, Pre War traffic in catchy, big-chorused indie rock. Check out "Out There" at the top of this post and you can listen to more at the band's Tumblr.

You can catch Pre War live Thursday (1/19) at Cake Shop where they play with Grand Rapids, Plates of Cake, and Hunny.

That's the big stuff for this week. Day-by-day picks not covered above are below. Fight the power!

--
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 18

Sharon Van Etten is at Mercury Lounge which if you don't have tickets, is sold out. She's got lots more shows coming up, though. Her new album, Tramp, is really good.

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photos by Alyssa Tanchajja

Fucked Up @ Brooklyn Night Bazaar

We had a busy first-half-of December. Not counting business-as-usual and the many metal shows BBG throws on a regular basis, Brooklynvegan put together four big shows (relatively speaking). We started the month off with G-Side/eXquire/Cities Aviv @ Glasslands, continued at Music Hall of Williamsburg with Anna Calvi/Eleanor Friedberger/New Moods, then did Fucked Up/Dom/Big Troubles/Caged Animals/Radical Dads @ Brooklyn Night Bazaar, and finished it off Twin Sister/Widowspeak/Ava Luna style at Bowery Ballroom.

Here's a second set of pictures from the Bazaar show (which was one night before The Hold Steady/Titus Andronicus played there). They continue (sans Radical Dads) below...

Continue reading "more pics from BV night @ Brooklyn Night Bazaar (Fucked Up, Dom, Big Troubles & more)"

photos by Erik Erikson; words by Bill Pearis

One night after James Murphy and other DFA peeps occupied the Kent Ave space, Friday night was the BV Presents evening of programming at the Brooklyn Night Bazaar, a ridiculously huge warehouse space that was home to holiday shopping, food vendors and rock music. I was taken aback by how big the performance space was, which had room for at least a dozen picnic tables, a half-pipe (nobody skated Friday night that I saw), and three bar areas, including a mezzanine.

Despite it being an enormous concrete box, sound was quite good and lighting was better than 90% of NYC's venues, and there were very cool video projections that mixed real-time footage of the show with vintage stock footage. As a person who actively avoids Terminal 5, I would frequent this space as-is if it were a real venue.

The evening kicked off with Radical Dads who were just terrific even though they had to play at 7PM. I really do think their spirited '90s style indie rock one of this city's best kept secrets, and their album Mega Rama is one of my favorites of 2011. And they're a great live band.

It was a fun evening all around. Caged Animals sounded terrific and Vincent Cachionne is an engaging, intense frontman who provided the night's confetti quotient. Big Troubles played a short, tight set that stuck mainly to the high points of this year's Romantic Comedy (of which there are many), and Dom were in top party-rock form.

The most fun for myself was getting to DJ with Frankie Rose in between bands. We decided to go song-for-song which is a fun competition, trying to find something that goes well off what the other person just played. This did lead to some fun, weird places, like me playing The Human League's "The Things Dreams Are Made Of" directly before Fucked Up took the stage. These things have a mind of their own...it made sense at the time.

Fucked Up were, as usual, awesome. They basically had just gotten off the plane from their stint opening for the Foo Fighters in Australia but if they were jetlagged you couldn't tell. Damien told the crowd it was great to be in front of people who were there to see them. We got a little over an hour set, which included their spirited cover of "Jingle Bells" which you may have seen them perform on the Anthony Bourdain holiday special and will be available this week as their side of a split 7" with Sloan. Stuff that in yer stocking.

Thanks to everyone who came out. Click through for lots more pics from Friday night's fun.

Continue reading "Fucked Up, Dom, Big Troubles, Caged Animals & Radical Dads played Brooklyn Night Bazaar (pics, review)"

By Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Parlovr - Heaven/Hell (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Atlas Sound - Terra Incognita (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Atlas Sound- Te Amo (MP3)

Parlovr at M for Montreal 2011

It's that time of year again, so let's sing it up real pretty. Are we all in the spirit? Better be, because there's a zillion holiday parties going on this weekend, including two thrown by this very blog you are currently reading. How these parties differ from the shows we go to the rest of the year? Only a Scrooge would ask such a question. But to answer it: there's maybe more strand lights. And some Christmas songs thrown in sparsely by DJs or as covers by the bands playing. And some snowflakey sweaters. Whatever you call it, there's lot of great music to go see this weekend. Here's some of it.

Montreal's Parlovr are visiting, playing two shows. Tonight (12/15) they play the Popgun Holiday Party at Glasslands and then tomorrow (12/16) at Mercury Lounge with Shout Out Louds offshoot thing Serenades.

I'm on record as being a fan of this trio who I most recently saw at this year's M for Montreal. I'm not sure any of their records have quite captured the band's live energy, which is why you should go see them. But the recorded version of my favorite song, "Hell/Heaven," comes pretty close. You can download it above. Live, there's lots of flying hair (via singer/guitarists Alex and Jeremy) and flying limbs (lanky drummer Louis) that fits well with Parlovr's spiky indie rock. The band have recorded a holiday track called "Spike the Eggnog" which judging from the video (you can watch below) the spiking involves something much stronger than whiskey.

The Popgun Holiday Party tonight looks to be a good time, with Bell and TWII-faves North Highlands playing as well. There's also a "+ Special Guest" listed as well, no idea who that might be but the Popgun folks usually don't throw around that phrase too lightly.

Serenades

Tomorrow's show is with Serenades which is a Swedish super-duo consisting of Adam Olenius from Shout Out Louds and Markus Krunegård of Laakso. Their album Criminal Heaven is out next year in the U.S. and is chock-full of sparkling pop that seems aimed directly at the charts. It's slicker than Shout Out Louds (Laakso were pretty shiny, though they sang in Swedish) but still maintains that sharp melodic sense and shaggy, sad-eyed lyrical bent. You can download a track at the top of this post. Serenades also play tonight (12/15) at Knitting Factory.

Brooklyn Bazaar

There's also the Brooklyn Night Bazaar which runs tonight through Saturday. The enormous space (40,000 square feet!), the layout of which was based on the set of Lars Von Triers' Dogville (!!!), is a holiday shopping, eating, drinking and live music extravaganza as you have probably already heard. Tonight (12/15) is James Murphy DJing, along with Poolside, the Crystal Ark Party Machine and Midnight Magic. Saturday night (12/17) is The Hold Steady, Titus Andronicus and Wakey! Wakey!

Friday (12/16) is the BrooklynVegan Presents night with a SPIN Album of 2011 winners Fucked Up, plus Dom, Big Troubles, Caged Animals, and Radical Dads. Frankie Rose and myself will be spinning tunes before the bands start and between sets. And only $10, so that's only two bucks a band. What a bargain! Tickets will be available at the door too. I am DJing starting at 5PM, Frankie will be there from 6PM and bands start at 7PM, with Radical Dads up first. (Then Caged Animals, Big Troubles, Dom, and Fucked Up.) If you're coming, do make an effort to get there in time for them, they're awesome. As are all the bands on the bill I think. Shop, eat, rock out, eat and shop some more, rinse repeat. Say hi.

Frankie Rose

In addition to DJing our party tomorrow, Frankie Rose is also playing an acoustic set at Glasslands on Saturday (12/17) as part of a Jonathan Toubin benefit that also features Xray Eyeballs, K-Holes and The Stalkers. Frankie Rose's new album, Interstellar, is out in February and I think will surprise a lot of people. She is definitely out of the garage on this one, ditching the reverb and embracing synthesizers, jangly guitars and her inner pop star. Like a lot of folks this year, The Wake seems to be an influence. Fans of Craft Spells are gonna like it.

As previously mentioned, Frankie will debut her new record and new band at the Knitting Factory on February 21.

And to wrap up BV holiday party related items, Saturday's fest with Twin Sister, Widowspeak and Ava Luna is sold out! Hope you got tickets! If you're going, we're raffling off a load of cool prizes -- like every Domino release of 2011 -- with all proceeds benefiting Toys for Tots.

Atlas Sound

And last but not least we've got Atlas Sound here for two shows this weekend:The Bell House on Saturday (12/17, tickets still available) and Bowery Ballroom on Sunday (12/18, sold out). Andrew Sacher wrote about Atlas Sound's new album Paralax a few weeks ago which I'm gonna quote:

The flow of the album subtly works in the slower, more ambient cuts to space out the relatively high amount (for an Atlas Sound record) of pop standouts. Like many pop experimentalists before him, Bradford Cox has mastered the art of leaving his own weird touch on even the simplest tune. This comes across most strongly on "Mona Lisa," a re-recording of a track that appeared on his Bedroom Databank collection. The song is carried by the sort of upbeat acoustic guitar rock that Bowie experimented with on Hunky Dory, and Bradford sings with a fragile falsetto that brings to mind Lennon's "#9 Dream."

I'll add that Parallax has a post-2AM vibe to it and some of Cox's best songs yet. It also reminds me, a bit, of Spoon too.

That's the big stuff. Some more picks, day-by-day, follow.

Continue reading "Parlovr, Fucked Up, Dom, Frankie Rose, Atlas Sound, Serenades, Jonathan Toubin & more in This Week in Indie"

By Bill Pearis

One could argue (and we did, in our story on the band in the January-February issue!) that Fucked Up's rock opera David Comes to Life was uniquely resonant upon its June release because of the emotional synchronicity between an album that spilled forth with such an appropriately chaotic narrative and a year in which tumultuous disarray became the norm. But good lord, David Comes to Life could've been sung in backwards Tagalog and it still would've made perfect sense in 2011. That's the power of a gang of punks playing with Olympian levels of passion and purpose. [SPIN]

SPIN publishes it's year-end issue next week, naming Fucked Up's David Comes to Life as 2011's best album. The top ten also includes EMA, Wild Flag, PJ Harvey, Lykke Li and more. The entire SPIN Top 50 Albums of 2011 is at the bottom of this post.

As you hopefully know, Fucked Up will be performing this Friday (12/16) at the BV-curated night of this weekend's Brooklyn Night Bazaar, a full evening of music that also includes Dom, Big Troubles, Caged Animals, Radical Dads, as well as Frankie Rose spinning tunes. Tickets are only $10 and still available.

There's a lot more Fucked Up news actually. Tonight (11/12) the band will be guests on Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations Holiday Special, which also features Christoper Walken, Norah Jones and a lot of extremely non-vegan cooking (though the Vegan Black Metal Chef is also a guest). Maybe Fucked Up will play in Bourdain's fridge, like Das Racist did on last year's Holiday Special.

Next Tuesday (12/20) in the band's hometown of Toronto, Fucked Up will perform David Comes to Life in its entirety, with proceeds going to charity. (PS I Love You, The Sadies and Quest for Fire also perform.)

Fucked Up are also releasing a split Christmas single with Sloan, with proceeds benefiting the COUNTERfit Harm Reduction Program and the Barriere Lake Legal Defense Fund. Fucked Up's side is their take on "Jingle Bells," while Sloan tackle "The 12 Days of Christmas" (which is streamable below). Only 500 are being printed -- maybe they'll be some at the merch table this Friday?

The band have also announced the release of 2012's annual Chinese New Year single, "Year of the Tiger," which is out February 21. The 15-minute track features guest vocals from Austra, Duchess Says' Annie-Claude and Jim Jarmusch, which Matador claims is "MAYBE THE BEST THING FUCKED UP HAVE EVER RECORDED" but being their record label they're prone to such proclamations. But maybe it is.

Click through for a just-released video of "Turn the Season" plus video of the band performing "The Other Shoe" on Canada's George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight show, as well as the entire rundown of SPIN mag's Top 50 Albums of 2011...

Continue reading "Fucked Up named Album of 2011 by SPIN, on 'No Reservations' tonight, playing Brooklyn Friday, releasing Christmas single w/ Sloan & 'Year of the Tiger' single"