by Andrew Sacher

DOWNLOAD: Victor Villarreal - "Enters" (MP3)

Victor Villarreal, who played guitar in Cap'n Jazz, as well as a number of its spinoff bands including Joan of Arc, Owls, and Ghosts & Vodka, is releasing his first solo album, Invisible Cinema, on January 24 via Joyful Noise. The album's first track, "Enters" is available for download at the top of this post, and can be streamed below. Like his guitar work in his previous bands, "Enters" is filled with math rock noodling through pretty chord progressions. The largely acoustic guitar and string arrangement-led track is most reminiscent of fellow Cap'n Jazz member Mike Kinsella's work in Owen, but when the vocals finally come in at the end, he reveals a much starker voice than Owen's brokenhearted throb. You can pre-order the album at the Joyful Noise webstore and check out the artwork and tracklist below.

Victor will go on a tour in support of the album with Meryll that includes a Brooklyn show at The Rock Shop on February 10. Tickets for the show are on sale now and Victor has also launched a Kickstarter campaign to help support the tour. He says:

There are many costs associated with touring, even when travelling as a solo musician. I have decided to engage in this Kickstarter campaign to help ensure that my first tour as a solo musician is possible and that I am able to cover my estimated expenses for 3 weeks on the road.

All dates, stream, album art and tracklist below...

Continue reading "Victor Villarreal (of Cap'n, Joan of Arc, etc) releasing solo album & touring (dates & MP3)"

by BBG

Snapcase

It's 1PM in Texas and I just tied a bandana around my face before its time to get down to business. I'm not some outlaw out to rob a bank and hop on a speeding stagecoach; With the dry dirt and the hordes of kids in full-on circle-pit/floorpunch mode, a bandana or a surgical mask is a key tool in dealing with the clouds of dust that form around the chaos.

Chaos it was, off-stage that is, as the crowd popped for the likes of Suicidal Tendencies, Snapcase, Dwarves, Municipal Waste, Gwar, Mastodon and others on Fun Fun Fun Fest's Black Stage (where I spent a good bit of my time). Though I wandered to the Orange Stage to catch amazing performances from Cap'n Jazz, The Hold Steady & Descendents (among many others) and the Blue Stage to catch scorching shows from Big Freedia, Pharoahe Monch, Dam-Funk, and A-Trak, but it was the Black Stage where I caught pretty much every single band in action.

And that's a lot! One of the great things about the Black and Orange stages is that they are actually TWO stages each. A band will finish their set, and then on a stage right next to it, another band will line check and play. Times between bands varied (due to set time length and on occasion, technical difficulties), but there were moments when it was as low as 5 minutes between sets. More music and less downtime.

I started out my Saturday (11/6) with Black Congress, whose powerful post-hardcore impressed the early crowd. Hatred Surge followed, and even with a new singer in tow, the brutality has stayed a constant. Power Trip was next, and they do crossover-thrash that is less DRI/ Municipal Waste, and more serious/furious. Bands this good shouldn't play this early.

I'm very picky about sung vocals and punk rock, so it's sort of no surprise that I didn't care for either Bad Religion (who had no guitar in the mix for the first three songs), The Briggs or The Vandals, but I did enjoy what I saw of Strike Anywhere's live set (even though I am not into their recorded output). Dreadlocked singer Thomas Barnett is as energetic a frontman as I would see on the Black Stage all weekend, and really added tremendous power to the band's melodic hardcore.

Muncipal Waste (more here)

Strike Anywhere is from Richmond, and the band got a "Richmond represent" shout out from the great Municipal Waste that day. The band thrashed their way through one of my favorite sets of the afternoon, complete with thrown trash cans, a wall of death, stage diving, and an "execution" courtesy of fellow Richmond band Gwar. Gwar was fun in a kitschy way and delivered a great set later in the day, but the crowd energy and the precision of MW's live show was the most memorable.

Also on the Black stage were Valient Thorr and The Casualties who both delivered energetic sets, with the latter giving a crusty spin on the Ramones classic "Blitzkrieg Bop". The mohawk-ed kids went ape, and a wall of death, which was later faux-mocked by Municipal Waste when they initiated their own wall of death, was called upon by vocalist Jorge Herrera.

On the Orange stage, I managed to catch Woven Bones, The Appleseed Cast, and Jeff The Brotherhood. Jeff The Brotherhood is a staple of the small stage in NYC, so it was a bit odd to hear that guitar tone blaring out of 50 feet of PA speakers. Odd, but no less fun/impressive.

Along with Municipal Waste, Big Freedia was another one of my favorite sets of the day. Her nonsense odes to ass, ass, and ass-clapping were a pure sugar-rush and left 90% of the crowd in hilarious amazement and the other 10% with a big old "WTF" look. The Freedia set was tamer than her usual appearances, but no matter, it was still much fun and much booty-shakin. Dam-Funk would also get the crowd moving on that same stage hours later.

Seeing Big Freedia meant missing a good portion of Cap'n Jazz, who announced on stage that Fun Fun Fun would be their last show. Unbelieveably kinetic and powerful, Cap'n Jazz reminds me that emo is short for "emotional" and not just a psuedonym for pop-crossover. Mesmerizing and awesome.

Peelander-Z

Sunday (11/7) was a late start for me, so I got to the venue to see the tail end of Junius (who played 2nd, after Eagle Claw on the Black Stage). They're a band I'm very familiar with for their latter-Isis crunch-and-clean vocals steelo. It was surprisingly the next band that really got me going: Peelander-Z. With a large crowd looking on, Peelander-Z delivered an incredible mix of energy, stage presence, audience participation, fun and simple song-craft, and plain old good times. They played from the crowd. They stage dove. They led the audience in a giant game of limbo. They had a footrace. Totally fun.

I have a lot of recent experience seeing OFF!, High on Fire, Kylesa, Floor, Mastodon, and The Bronx, who all played the Black Stage that day. All gave predictably excellent shows though Kylesa in particular seemed a bit more energetic that usual (lots of Laura pogoing). It might have been the fact that FFF marked the end of their US tour with Torche and High on Fire, but they were particularly good on that sweltering Sunday afternoon. Floor was great as usual, though I enjoyed them more at Red 7 later that night... possibly because their music felt like a bookend to a great weekend. Both High on Fire and Mastodon's setlist delved into all of their recorded efforts which, as a long time fan, was comforting.

I'm not particularly scared of anyone, but Human Furnace of Ringworm gives me the shakes. His gravelly voice propels the rest of the Clevo-hardcore band forward and blew my mind that afternoon. They were one of my highlights of the day, and if I had only seen them and Snapcase on Sunday, I would have been content.

If my dad listened to modern music anymore, he would go apeshit for The Hold Steady. The band cranked out a crunchy Springsteen-esque set and sounded better than I have ever heard them before. Though they were killing on the Orange stage, I made the hard decision to bounce to catch the rest of Suicidal Tendencies' set.

Nothing against Mike Muir, but he isn't in the same shape that John Joseph of the Cro-Mags is (Muir and the rest of the known universe). No matter, it doesn't stop him from zigging and zagging back and forth on stage as the rest of Suicidal Tendencies runs through hits like "You Can't Bring Me Down" and "I Saw Your Mommy". High energy stuff; I can't imagine running in circles while trying to recite the words to "Institutionalized". Catch Suicidal and Cro-Mags together at Terminal 5 on November 14th.

If I was to pick two of my favorite sets from Sunday, the winners easily go to Snapcase and Descendents. Snapcase was brutal, technical, confrontational, and totally fun; the crowd gave back every ounce of energy that the band put in. From the opening notes of their third song, "Zombie Transmission" from Progress Through Unlearning, I knew that this was going to be a highlight. We need more shows from Snapcase.

Descendents, who we also need more shows from, are one of the few bands that pass my "no clean vocals in punk rock" test. Their songs are funny without being goofy, melodic without being overtly pop, and driving/hard when they want to be. Classics like "Suburban Home", "Bikeage" and a good portion of Somery, "Everything Sucks" and many of the highlights from that LP, and tons of others all made their way onto the setlist that night. And yes, the band made sure to fit in "All" and "Weinerschnitzel". Too fun, and though I left Mastodon early to catch them, I have no regrets.

As far as pictures go, we already split the fest up into ten other posts, my pictures from Saturday included. This post is number 11 and it includes all my pictures from Sunday (and it is our final set of Fun Fun Fun pics from this year) which continue, below...

Continue reading "Fun Fun Fun Fest in review w/ more Day 3 pics (part 4) - Snapcase, Floor Suicidal Tendencies, Kylesa, Ringworm & more"

Tim's complete set of pictures from FFF Fest Saturday are split into two posts: HERE and HERE. A third set, that I took with far inferior skills and camera, but that fills in some blanks and includes stuff like a dude being thrown into a pool filled with thumbtacks, a member of Gwar storming the stage during Municipal Waste's set, and people waiting in line to get Wavves' autograph, continues below...

Continue reading "Fun Fun Fun Fest 2010 - Day Two in pics (part 3) - Jacob Calle, Butcher Bear and Charlie, Gwar vs Municipal Waste & more"

photos by Tim Griffin

The Dwarves

Appreciative crowds turned up at all four [Fun Fun Fun Fest] stages [this past weekend], and the festival's vaunted circus atmosphere was out in force -- with plenty of traffic at the mechanical bull, the Eurobungy, the skate ramps and the arcade games set to free play. After a few weeks with unexpected, last-minute cancellations and other problems, Moody said the organizers were able to breathe a sigh of relief.

"All the snafus [like Devo cancelling] happened before the fest. We don't have a record of great luck, you know? Whether it be weather or bands or whatever," said Moody. "So when that kind of thing starts happening you start to wonder, 'Oh (expletive), is this gonna be another year with some weird curveball?' We were just hoping it wasn't a run of bad luck and it wasn't. We got a little bad luck before the festival but all kinds of good luck at the festival."

Even the dust cloud had a silver lining.

"We love the dust this year, because at least it's not raining," Moody said. "We hated the dust when it first happened a few years ago, but after it rained last year we were like 'Bring on the dust!'" [Austin 360]

The 2010 edition of Fun Fun Fun Fest, complete with constant dust in the air (a few smart people wore masks or bandanas over their face), is now over (and it's true, the dust is a bit uncomfortable, but the mud and rain last year was worse).

You saw pictures from Friday night, and the first half of Tim's shots from Saturday (11/6). Here are the rest of that day (with more coming soon). They continue below...

Continue reading "Fun Fun Fun Fest 2010 - Day Two in pics (part 2) - Cap'n Jazz, Dwarves, MGMT, Dirty Projectors, GWAR, Delorean & more"

photos by Katie Hovland

Bouncing Souls @ Riot Fest 2010

The Bouncing Souls have announced their 2010 iteration of Home for the Holidays, now in its fourth year and featuring as many nights of shows at The Stone Pony in Asbury Park, NJ. Tickets are on sale for all four shows: 12/26, 12/27, 12/28, 12/29. Each night will have a different set of support, as 12/26 will get Strike Anywhere, Adrenaline OD, & The Great Explainer, 12/27 gets Fake Problems, Lemuria, & The Swellers, 12/28 gets Leftover Crack, The Menzingers, & Top Soil, and the final night (12/29) gets H20, Yuppicide and Dirty Tactics.

H20, on board for the 12/29 date at The Stone Pony, will also hit Highline Ballroom the next night (12/30) with Trapped Under Ice and Wisdom In Chains. The show is part of a short stint of confirmed dates for H20 (12/27 - 12/30) with more to be announced (12/2 - 12/5). Tickets are on sale to the all-ages, no barricade NYC show. Plus, the band is giving the audience the opportunity to pick the songs for the set from over 60+ choices including covers by Minor Threat, Dead Kennedys and others.

Leftover Crack has a headlining show in NYC too, as the band will play Music Hall of Wiliiamsburg on 12/26. Tickets are on sale. Leftover Crack related project Star Fucking Hipsters will play NYC a month prior, hitting Knitting Factory on 11/28. Tickets for that are also on sale.

The Bouncing Souls played Riot Fest in Chicago (October 6th - 10th) alongside bands like Bad Religion, Cap'n Jazz, Circle Jerks, Off With Their Heads, and Propagandhi. Belated pictures from that show, as well as Bouncing Souls and H20 dates, are below.

Continue reading "Bouncing Souls Holiday Shows & other Leftover Crack & H2O dates ++ pics from Riot Fest "

Cap'n Jazz at Brooklyn Bowl over the summer (more by Leia Jospe)

Joan of Arc play Columbia, Missouri tomorrow (11/2) as part of a string of US dates leading up to a November 6th appearance at the Mohawk in Austin for a Fun Fun Fun Fest after-party event (Tim Kinsella's other project Cap'n Jazz will play FFF proper the same weekend). A couple weeks later, Joan of Arc will blast off to the EU for a string of dates with Joan of Arc/Make Believe member Bobby Burg's other project Love of Everything.

Then after some time off, Joan of Arc will return east for for a NYC appearance at Mercury Lounge on February 1st, 2011 with Soft Circle. Tickets go on presale Wednesday, 11/3 at noon, and general sale Friday 11/5 at noon. The show looks to be part of a TBA tour with Philly and DC dates also scheduled so far (they're listed below).

Joan of Arc recently dropped a cassette box set of their recorded output to date on Joyful Noise Recordings (listing is below). The full set is sold out, but tapes (with lossless MP3s) of all the LPs are still available. Order them now while you still can.

Joan of Arc also recently released the new Meaningful Work 7" (with download codes) via Polyvinyl (cop it). And Joan of Arc's 11th LP is on the way too... that's if the band can muster up the cash for it via Kickstarter. Steve Albini will produce and although it looks like the band is well on the way towards that goal, contribute to the cause if you can and get some merch and rarities in return.

Though Devo, Crocodiles, Dum Dum Girls, and Cold Cave have all cancelled their appearances at Fun Fun Fun Fest, (they were all replaced and) you can see Cap'n Jazz, Joan of Arc, Descendents, Weird Al Yankovic, Mastodon, Scream, Floor, Cults, The Antlers, and even BrooklynVegan at Fun Fun Fun Fest and its associated after-parties this coming weekend. Tickets are still available.

All Joan of Arc tour dates and some video below...

Continue reading "Joan of Arc releasing stuff, scheduling dates (including Fun Fun Fun Fest weekend in Austin w/ Cap'n Jazz)"

by BBG

Off! (photo by Lindsey Byrnes)

Whether or not the band name Off! is a not-so-subtle reference to another band that featured the great Keith Morris and dealt destruction to the insect populi, one thing is certain, they rule. Besides the incredible vocalist for Circle Jerks/Black Flag, punk supergroup Off! also features a killer lineup including Dimitri Coats (Burning Brides), Mario Rubalcaba (Earthless/Hot Snakes/Rocket From the Crypt) and Steven McDonald (Redd Kross) and the foursome have announced their debut material to be released with Vice Records!

Off!, who you may have caught at SXSW this year, will release the accurately titled First EP via limited edition 7" inch on October 12th. Featuring art and an exclusive poster courtesy of Raymond Pettibon, aka the evil genius behind Black Flag's iconic album covers, the release is the first of four 7"s to be compiled on the First Four EPs (another Black Flag nod) due on November 23rd - a collection of 16 songs which will each feature its own Pettibon sleeve art.

As the tour dates indicate below, Off!, in addition to playing FYFFest and Riot Fest this year, has announced their involvement in Austin's Fun Fun Fun Fest (happening November 6th and 7th). For those of you counting at home, that brings the list of confirmed FFFFest bands to Woven Bones, Suicidal Tendencies, Slick Rick, Best Coast, Dirty Projectors, Cap'n Jazz, The Gories, Yelle, Snapcase, The Dwarves, High On Fire, and The Hold Steady! Stay tuned for more lineup announcements for the great Texas festival.

Meanwhile, Mario Rubalcaba was NOT part of the recent (and impromptu) Hot Snakes reunion that took place on July 29th at an Obits/Night Marchers show in San Diego, CA (the bands were on tour together).

You can view video of the three Hot Snakes songs from that set, as well as all Off! tour dates & a video from their first show in LA, below...

Continue reading "Off! signs to Vice, Fun Fun Fun Fest announces part of the lineup, Hot Snakes reunited (sort of) "

photos by Leia Jospe

Cap'n Jazz @ Brooklyn Bowl....

Sunday was an eventful day. TheDeathSet kicked off the 'Pool Party' at Williamsburg Waterfront in the afternoon, but was quickly told to stop due to rain. The organizers got on stage and announced that the free show was moving to Brooklyn Bowl, and the race was on. Those lucky enough to get to Brooklyn Bowl quick enough were let in before the show reached capacity, but thousands of others who had planned on seeing Lightning Bolt, No Age... and the only NYC appearance of the reunited Cap'n Jazz, were out of luck.

Luckily Cap'n Jazz was also playing that night at Maxwell's in NJ, and No Age were playing Death By Audio, so a few more people got to see each of them (especially Cap'n Jazz) (though you had to decide between Cap'n Jazz and Universal Order of Armageddon).

Back to Brooklyn Bowl though...

"Cap'n Jazz was amazing, no better word for it. Tim Kinsella's stage presence was ridiculous and prickish in the best way possible. When people jumped on the stage to crowd surf, he'd push them before they were ready. He rolled on the crowd while he sang, grabbed the shoe off one guy as he floated past, held the French horn comically high above him when he played, and was just all around entertaining. Davey von Bohlen was also really into it. He thrashed on the guitar, rocked out with the drummer, and was having a blast.

The audience loved it too and knew every word. A high note was during "In the Clear" when Kinsella was supposed to scream the alphabet. He couldn't seem to find his microphone in time and everyone picked up the slack, "A! B! C!" Kinsella shrugged.

"Oh Messy Life" and "Little League" were other high points to the show, the audience seemed to go most crazy for Cap'n Jazz's only cover song, "Take On Me." People danced and screamed the words, the same words Kinsella read from a paper as he sang." [NY Press]

Hopefully Cap'n Jazz announce more dates for those who missed them.

For No Age, this was the second year in a row that they played a Pool Party in Brooklyn Bowl due to rain,

More pictures and some Cap'n Jazz videos from Sunday's show at Brooklyn Bowl (and Williamsburg Waterfront), below...

Continue reading "Cap'n Jazz, Lightning Bolt, No Age & the DeathSet played Brooklyn Bowl/Williamsburg Waterfront (pics & video) "

"Seth" @ Union Pool - July 24, 2010 (amythistle)

TheDeathSet, No Age, Lightning Bolt and Cap'n Jazz play today's free Pool Party at the Williamsburg Waterfront Brooklyn Bowl. Afterwards? Well, Cap'n Jazz is playing Maxwell's (yes, they are), and it looks like a band with five letters total in their name (?? ???) are headlining that Universal Order Of Armageddon show at Death By Audio. hmm...

Speaking of secret shows, Les Savy Fav guitarist Seth Jabour is getting married. To celebrate, his bandmates held him a bachelor party at Union Pool last night which was a ladies-only Les Savy Fav concert. That's a picture taken at the show above. One more, along with the invite, below...

Continue reading "Pool Party today, secret shows later & last night"

photo & interview by Patrick Gipson

Davey von Bohlen on stage @ Forecastle Fest in Kentucky - July 10, 2010

"Davey von Bohlen (born August 11, 1975) is an American musician and songwriter, best known for his roles as guitarist and vocalist in Cap'n Jazz, The Promise Ring, Vermont, and currently, Maritime. He is well known for his charismatic stage presence." [Wikipedia]

Cap'n Jazz kicked off their short reunion tour (which comes to Brooklyn Sunday) at the Forecastle Festival in Louisville, KY on July 10th. Writer and photographer Patrick Gipson got a chance to speak to guitarist Davey von Bohlen about 40 minutes before they went on stage (right after he talked to Victor). You can read their chat below...

Continue reading "an interview w/ Davey von Bohlen of Cap'n Jazz "

photos & interview by Patrick Gipson

Victor Villareal on stage @ Forecastle Fest in Kentucky - July 10, 2010

Cap'n Jazz kicked off their short reunion tour (which comes to Brooklyn Sunday) at the Forecastle Festival in Louisville, KY on July 10th. Writer and photographer Patrick Gipson got a chance to speak to guitarist Victor Villareal about an hour before they went on stage. You can read their chat below...

Continue reading "an interview w/ Victor Villareal of Cap'n Jazz (who play with No Age and Lightning Bolt on Sunday)"

@ a 2009 Pool Party (more by Tim Griffin)

I don't know what Veoba is either. The press release explains it though...

For the past 4 years, JELLY has hosted over 200,000 people for what has become one of the most groundbreaking FREE concert series in New York. Summer Sundays in Brooklyn have become synonymous with The Pool Parties and in the series' 5th Anniversary year, Pool Parties promises not to disappoint.

This year, The Pool Parties are again on the Williamsburg Waterfront for 7 dates from July 11th--August 29th. Due to scheduling conflicts, our August 1st date will be moved to a "Block Party" in and around Brooklyn Bowl making it 8 total "FREE Pool Party Sundays".

In celebrating our 5th Year Anniversary, JELLY also would like to give a big thanks to Senator Chuck Schumer and Phillip Goldfeder from the Senator's office for all of their support ensuring JELLY'S return to the Williamsburg Waterfront. JELLY owners Alexander Kane and Sarah Hooper state that, "It has been a long hard road this year to bring this series back to Williamsburg and it 100% could not have been done without Senator Schumer's efforts. "

The Pool Parties will be co-presented by VEOBA, an online resource for artists, managers, and record labels. Based in Chicago, but with global reach, VEOBA provides the music community with select services to progress and maintain their livelihood. VEOBA launched in May 2010 as a collective made up of music industry veterans, writers, managers, artists, and cartoon characters. From co-founder Jay Parkin, "More often than not, musicians rely on others to take their careers to the next level. We're here for those who care enough to do it themselves." Sharing Jelly's values of creativity and innovation, the people at VEOBA are thrilled to be involved in this summer's production. Parkin concludes, "For the independent and the like- minded, VEOBA facilitates the next step."

JELLY as well wants to give a shout out to all of their partners this summer from the new faces to old friends. Special thanks to AllSaints and Vans. As well as Amp Energy, vitaminwater®, SESAC, ZICO Pure Premium Coconut Water, ZYNC from American Express^(SM), Spin Magazine, KEXP, and Main Drag. Along with OSA sponsors: Time Out New York, Brooklyn Brewery, and Heineken.

Now onto our official Pool Parties 5th Year Anniversary lineup! Check back soon for surprise guests we cant announce yet, the official DJ lineup for The Pool Parties 2010, and more fun things that are SURE to make the 5th Year Anniversary series one you will never forget!

The Official After-Pool Parties, presented by Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum, will be held at Brooklyn Bowl following every Sunday's Pool Party!

They didn't announce who is playing the Brooklyn Bowl block party on August 1st. One complication might be that one of the bigger bands cancelled.

The only difference between the leaked lineup and the official lineup is the addition of another "SECRET SPECIAL GUEST" and the listing of some curators. You can see the full list of confirmed free shows, below...

Continue reading "Jelly & Veoba confirm Williamsburg Waterfront 'Pool Party' lineups ('Secret Special Guests', Brooklyn Bowl afterparties)"

No Age in LA (more by Rachel Carr)

EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN (CD/LP) SP892
Release Date: SEPTEMBER 28, 2010
Recorded in Los Angeles from the end of 2009 and into 2010, Everything in Between is the new album from No Age, the duo of Dean Spunt and Randy Randall...
...."Everything in Between is a bold step in their creative evolution. It documents their lives and their artistic progression more prominently welded into a permanent union. It is a culmination of reflecting upon life's ruptures and triumphs; the process of moving through these moments banged and bruised, yet better off for the wear and tear. They've pushed themselves in challenging and different directions, deconstructing their weird-out pop songs while still maintaining their original aesthetic and intent. Melody is formed from noise and samples; disorienting rhythms, howling tones, fuzzed-out scuffs, cuts and grazes, and heart-wrenching skree are all vital to embellishing the raw sentiment of the album. "
[Sub Pop]

The full tracklist for No Age's new Sub Pop album is below.

No Age will play various live dates this summer. Those include the Whartscape Festival in Baltimore on July 24th. Who knows, maybe they'll just head north after that to play a free show in Brooklyn on Sunday, July 25th with Cap'n Jazz and Lightning Bolt (who also play Whartscape as part of a tour and are free on the 25th).

All No Age dates below...

Continue reading "No Age announce new album, playing a Pool Party? w/ Lightning Bolt & Cap'n Jazz? (and other dates) "

Cap'n Jazz reunited @ the Empty Bottle - Jan 2010 (DrLama)

While we wait patiently for Jelly to announce this summer's lineup of seven free Pool Parties at the Williamsburg Waterfront, one of which may be a July 25th Cap'n Jazz reunion day time show, tickets have gone on sale for a July 25th night time "Tim Kinsella" show at Maxwell's in Hoboken (thanks Keith).

In related news, you can download a soundboard recording of the above pictured reunion show, for free! Updated Cap'n Jazz dates below...

Continue reading ""Tim Kinsella" playing Maxwell's after Cap'n Jazz Pool Party?"

DOWNLOAD: Cap'n Jazz - Oh, Messy Life (MP3)

Cap'n Jazz announced that they were officially getting back together earlier this year. At the time we mentioned there would definitely be dates outside Chicago, and they did announce a few more since then. They're playing Forecastle Fest in KY on July 9th (initial lineup below), and there's a Friday, July 23rd show at The Black Cat in DC (tickets still on sale) and a Saturday, July 24th show at Starlight Ballroom in Philly (sold out). No NYC date has been announced yet, but it's coming and I'm guessing it will be Sunday, July 25th at Williamsburg Waterfront aka at one of the eight free Pool Parties still TBA for this summer. But that's still just a guess.

All dates and the initial Forcastle Fest lineup, below...

Continue reading "Cap'n Jazz reunion dates (Williamsburg Waterfront?) +++ the initial Forcastle Fest lineup "

DOWNLOAD: Cap'n Jazz - Oh Messy Life (MP3)

Jade Tree is thrilled to announce that one of our most influential and popular titles, Cap'n Jazz's seminal discography Analphabetapolothology, will be released on vinyl for the very first time on June 15th. A little over ten years have passed since the original CD release and we are proud to give the record the proper full featured vinyl issue that it deserves. As Cap'n Jazz has grown in popularity, so has the demand for the anthology on vinyl and we are more than happy to combine our efforts to put together a package well worth the wait...

There is more. As you may have heard, Cap'n Jazz played a short surprise set in January. Well, the show went so well that the band has decided to reunite again, starting at the Bottom Lounge in Chicago on July 17th with select dates soon to follow. This is a one time reunion and this summer will be your one chance to see the band live, so don't miss it. We'll see you there!

Video from that reunion show, which happened Friday, January 22nd as part of Joan of Arc's Don't Mind Control Variety Show at Chicago's Empty Bottle, is below. Time Out Chicago wrote of their four-song set: "Though the group's once-spastic youthful energy was slightly tempered with age, it was replaced with noticeably improved musicianship. Die-hard fans may have missed hallmarks of the group's heyday like Tim's trumpet honking, but the capacity audience didn't seem to mind the omission, opting instead to revel in the intense nostalgia of it all."

A track off the soon-to-be-on-vinyl Analphabetapolothology is above.Cap'n Jazz's next and only currently scheduled reunion show takes place July 17th at the Bottom Lounge in Chicago (same night and city as Pitchfork Music Fest). It's already sold out. Stay tuned for more dates to be announced including a show in NYC.

Joan of Arc, Tim Kinsella, put out Don't Mind Control on Polyvinyl in January. That album is "41+ members strong -- the Joan of Arc extended family comes together for 18 exclusive songs curated by Joan of Arc frontman Tim Kinsella. Joan of Arc Presents: Don't Mind Control features new songs by Tim Kinsella, Owen, Cale Parks, Vacations (ex-Chin Up Chin Up), Ghosts and Vodka (ex-Cap'n Jazz), Euphone, The Cairo Gang, and many more. All bands feature members who have played in Joan of Arc at one time or another."

Joan of Arc will be at SXSW for a show on Saturday, March 20th at Galaxy Room (formerly Radio Room).

Mike Kinsella also has upcoming shows as Owen; dates and videos are below...

Continue reading "Cap'n Jazz reunited (tour TBA), Joan of Arc playing SXSW"