photos by Chris La Putt

Blood Red Shoes @ MHOW

After Chris left the BV Loft Party all the way back on Friday, October 22nd, he headed over to Music Hall of Williamsburg for the Blue Flowers-presented CMJ showcase for a lineup of mostly UK bands including Chapel Club, Everything Everything, and Blood Red Shoes (who toured North America with Sky Larkin in October). Pictures from that show are in this post.

The occasion (to post these belated pics)? SXSW has already announced an initial lineup of bands playing in Austin from March 16-20, 2011, and Chapel Club is on that list (and I wouldn't be surprised of the other 2 mentioned bands end up coming too). Also on the list: Lia Ices, Braids, Asobi Seksu, Wye Oak, Suuns, Sun Airway, A Place to Bury Strangers and more. Full list under the rest of the MHOW pictures, below...

Continue reading "Chapel Club played CMJ w/ Everything Everything & Blood Red Shoes (pics), playing SXSW 2011 (intial lineup)"

Matthew Dear @ MHOW in 2008 (more by Bao Nguyen)

As mentioned, Pitchfork will be hosting three days of shows at Brooklyn Bowl during, but-it-looks-like/probably completely unaffiliated with, CMJ this year (Thursday/Friday/Saturday CMJ week). "Brooklyn Bowl is located at 61 Wythe Avenue between N. 11th and N. 12th streets. The festival starts at 2 p.m. each day, with doors opening at 1 p.m. Tickets are $10, both in advance and day of the show." They're calling it the #OFFLINE Festival.

Based on the lineups and start time, it looks like each #OFFLINE day will be about a 12 hour show. No set times yet though, but the full lineups and ticket links are below...

Matthew Dear is one of the biggest names on the list (he plays Saturday), and it will be one of three CMJ week shows for Matthew. His first is Friday night at Webster Hall with Jamaica and Dominique Young Unique. His third is later on Saturday at Public Assembly for the FIXED/Making Time Party with Matthew Dear, Crocodiles, Holy Ghost!, Javelin, Gold Panda, Jamaica, and Kisses.

The FIXED/Making Time party starts after the BrooklynVegan party which is also happening at Public Assembly that same day. Just to be clear:

SATURDAY OCTOBER 23RD
* BrooklynVegan @ Public Assembly 12-6pm (free - more details TBA)
* FIXED/Making Time @ Public Assembly 9pm-late (tickets)
* Pitchfork @ Brooklyn Bowl 2pm-late (tickets)
* BrooklynVegan metal @ Union Pool 7pm-late ($5.00 or CMJ badge at the door)

We (BrooklynVegan) will also be at Public Assembly all day on Friday, October 22nd (details TBA), and at Music Hall of Williamsburg on the Thursday night.

All Matthew Dear tour dates (many of which we previously posted including a November show at MHoW), and the Pitchfork #OFFLINE Fest info, below...

Continue reading "Pitchfork announces #OFFLINE not-CMJ parties, Matthew Dear also playing Making Time & Girls & Boys parties (lineups) "

photos by Marcus Lauer

Crocodiles are ready to be criticized. The San Diego group takes much of its aesthetic -- black leather, bubblegum melodies, violent guitar effects -- from the Jesus and Mary Chain, and playing shows like the one it did Wednesday night at New York City's Mercury Lounge, the group does the squalling neo-neo-'60s-pop thing without apology.

"Go home and berate us anonymously on BrooklynVegan," lead singer Brandon Welchez said late in the set, name-checking a website known for its colorful reader comments, presupposing a few haters had snuck in among fans of the band. "I know some of you motherf---ers are going to. Do it -- please!"

...The Crocs played just eight songs, many of which came from their recently released sophomore effort, 'Sleep Forever.' During the fuzz tsunami that preceded 'Mirrors,' keyboardist Robin Eisenberg seemed to mimic the organ riff from Del Shannon's 1961 hit 'Runaway,' which the Crocs' DJ, decked out in rocker threads similar to theirs, had played earlier in the evening.-[Spinner]

Crocodiles headlined Mercury Lounge with support from The Girls At Dawn, Reading Rainbow, and Candy Claws on 9/22. They then played Glasslands one night later with Kria Brekken and her husband DJ Avey Tare.

If you missed it, Crocodiles will be back to play Maxwell's on October 26th. The show is the kick-off date for a tour the west coast band is going on with Golden Triangle and Dirty Beaches. The tour leads up to Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin on November 7th (which Crocodiles are playing, but not their tour-mates). No NYC dates listed at the moment, but maybe they'll add one before Maxwell's (which happens 3 days after CMJ ends) (Golden Triangle will be playing some CMJ shows).

All dates & more pictures from Mercury Lounge (and the place to comment), below...

Continue reading "Crocodiles played Glasslands & Mercury Lounge w/ Candy Claws (pics), touring w/ Golden Triangle (dates) "

Candy Claws were last in NYC in July and have since toured with Magic Kids and been given even more accolades by various websites across the internet. My biggest question with an atmosphereric band like Candy Claws, is whether they are worth seeing live. Check out the five videos embeded below to help make up your mind. I'm still slightly undecided.

I might try to make one of their two NYC shows this week, the first being tonight (9/21) at The Rock Shop, and the next happening Wednesday (9/22) at Mercury Lounge on a stacked lineup that is headlined by Crocodiles, and also includes The Girls at Dawn and Reading Rainbow (tickets).

All dates and videos below...

Continue reading "Candy Claws are back - 2010 tour dates & some videos "

Stereogum listed the "40 Best New Bands of 2010". They have a lot more detail, but you can also check out their list, alphabetically, below...

Continue reading "Stereogum lists the "40 Best New Bands of 2010" "

by Andrew Frisicano

DOWNLOAD: Magic Kids - Summer (MP3)

Magic Kids in Nashville in March (bekah_cope)

Now that Memphis' Magic Kids have wrapped up their tour with Ariel Pink (which includes a NYC stop at Irving Plaza and a Magic Kids-headlining show on a boat), they've announced their return to the city. Those shows, on their November tour with Bosco Delrey (the Mad Decent dude who just played a South Street Seaport block party), are on November 12th at Mercury Lounge and November 13th at Silent Barn. Tickets for Mercury Lounge are on AmEx presale at noon Wednesday, general sale Friday at noon.

Currently, Magic Kids have a run of record store in-store in the South and Midwest, with more shows out West to follow. They have a European tour in October, and the North American dates that include NYC in November.

The band's intensely poppy debut, named after their hometown Memphis, comes out August 24 via True Panther Sound. The single above is one of the album's most syrupy, with orchestra flairs and a retro exotica breakdown. All tour dates and videos (including one on their NYC boat cruise) are below...

Continue reading "Magic Kids playing shows w/ Candy Claws & Bosco Delrey - 2010 Tour Dates"

DOWNLOAD: Candy Claws - Sunbeam Show (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Candy Claws - Catamaran (MP3)

"Our car caught fire in Pennsylvania, destroying all of our gear, most of our cds and other merch, Riley and Marty's everything, Kay and Meghans clothes, and tons of electronics, gps, computers, cameras, video camera, recorder.

That's life though. Tour 2010!"

That unfortunate message was posted Sunday by Colorado dream pop band Candy Claws who, as the message points out, are still on tour despite Saturday's car fire. Catch them in NYC tonight (7/13) at Pianos with We Are Country Mice or Wednesday at Glasslands with Pepper Rabbit who also play Thursday at Mercury Lounge with The Love Language.

Grab the two free MP3s above (via Pitchfork).

If you'd like to donate any money to the band (who unlike Phosphorescent will not be getting their vehicle back), you can do so via their label 2 Syllable. All tour dates below..

Continue reading "Candy Claws are here (despite losing all their gear in a car fire) - 2010 tour dates & MP3s"