"much love to our friends in the desert (and Danny DeVito) for making coachella a truly memorable one for us! Epic crowd, Epic sunshine. x" - Cut Copy

Cut Copy @ Terminal 5 (more by Dana (Distortion) Yavin)

Cut Copy are currently finishing up a tour with Holy Ghost! that had them at Coachella Friday night. Check out videos of the crazy dance party that the Australian band brought to the California desert, below. Check out pictures of other bands who played Coachella that day, HERE.

Cut Copy's tour came to Terminal 5 in NYC three times in a row earlier in the month, and Cut Copy will return to NYC this August to, like Animal Collective, play a headlining show at the Prospect Park bandshell. Tickets for the August 11th 'Celebrate Brooklyn' benefit go on AmEx presale Wednesday at noon, and then regular sale on Friday. Foster the People, who also tour through NYC in June, open the outdoor show.

The new Brooklyn gig comes a day before a show Cut Copy are playing Arizona, and almost a month after they visit North America to, like Animal Collective, play the Pitchfork Festival in Chicago. Most of their other announced dates are in Europe at the moment. They are all listed below...

Continue reading "Cut Copy played Coachella, playing Prospect Park, other dates"

Syl Johnson supporting Yo La Tengo @ Maxwell's (more by Andrew St. Clair)

Deep Groove soul singer Syl Johnson will return to the NYC stage to play a headlining date at The Bell House on June 24th. Tickets are on sale. There he'll be supported by The Sweet Divines who are also scheduled to play a show with soul frontman Lee Fields at Southpaw on May 21st. Tickets are on sale for that too, as is the recently-released "My World" instrumentals on vinyl.

Lee's last show was another sold out affair on Friday, April 1st at Music Hall of Williamsburg with Charles Bradley & The Menahan Street Band...

"Bradley left everything he had out on the stage in about 45 minutes and was promptly relieved by headliner Fields, with the Menahan Street Band staying put and subbing for Fields' usual backing group, the Expressions. Looking like a pint-sized Lou Rawls, veteran singer Fields ably continued the retro-exploration into Daptone's dictionary of journeyman soul. As with Bradley, Fields is an older fellow influenced by the torchy, balladic nature of artists like James Brown and Bobby Womack as well as Al Green and the Hi Records crew." [Magnet]

The Brooklyn Bridge Park Maceo "Funk Dance Party" is the first in a 3-part series of free 'Celebrate Brooklyn' dance parties at the location. May 19th's "Tropical Dance Party" will feature La Excelencia & Que Bajo?!, and May 26th's "Bhangra Dance Party" will feature Red Baraat & DJ Rekha. They promise "Sweeping views, great lawn, dance lessons, beer garden, bike valet & it's free! Three spring evenings featuring some of the coolest dance bands on the planet, the funkiest DJs under the stars, and the greatest view in the world!"

More tour dates and some videos, below...

Continue reading "new Syl Johnson & Lee Fields shows, Budos Band & Maceo Parker dates ++ free dance parties in Brooklyn Bridge Park"

"In 2004, Sounds Familyre released Sufjan Stevens' Seven Swans. And [last week], micro-label On Joyful Wings released Sevens Swans Reimagined. They've gathered quite the cabal of artists who have managed to dive into the Seven Swans material and fish from it some intriguing interpretations of the 2004 record. Appearances include Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, Unwed Sailor, Inlets, and the David Crowder Band, but also our own Half-handed Cloud, Shannon Stephens, and DM Stith. It's quite good!

Profits from the album benefit the Susan G. Komen For The Cure breast cancer foundation." - Asthmatic Kitty

Stream Sevens Swans Reimagined in full below....

Continue reading "Sufjan Stevens playing Prospect Park, touring Europe w/ DM Stith +++ 'Seven Swans Reimagined' out now (listen)"

AB @ the Guggenheim in 2010 (more by Dominick Mastrangelo)

Andrew Bird will be the artist to kick off this summer's season of free 'Celebrate Brooklyn' shows in Prospect Park on June 10th, though if you want to pay, they have that option too:

Friday, June 10, 2011
(rain or shine)
Prospect Park Bandshell
Enter at 9th Street and Prospect Park West

5:30pm Cocktails & Dinner
7:00pm Presentations in the Gala Tent
8:15pm Opening Night Concert with Andrew Bird (free to the public)
10:00pm After-Party with DJ and Dancing, for Friends of Celebrate Brooklyn & Gala Guests

Join us for the Celebrate Brooklyn! Opening Night Gala as we honor and present the Celebrate Brooklyn! Award to Brooklynite Ray Levin and longtime Celebrate Brooklyn! sponsor JetBlue. All proceeds from the Gala will provide vital funds for free, world-class programming at the Celebrate Brooklyn! Performing Arts Festival, which serves 250,000 New Yorkers each year. Support the festival you love and help us ensure performances remain free and accessible to everyone.

All AB dates below...

Continue reading "Andrew Bird kicking off free Celebrate Brooklyn season"

The Decemberists @ Beacon Theater (more by Chris Gersbeck)

If you were wondering what ever happened to that Decemberists / Best Coast show happenning in Prospect Park on June 14th, well it's back as part of an official Decemberists tour announcement that also includes more Best Coast shows, and a bunch with Justin Townes Earle. A presale is happening NOW. Look for Brooklyn tickets to appear back on Ticketmaster this week.

"In other Decemberists news, the band has introduced a Create-Your-Own Polaroid Slideshow on Decemberists.com where fans can pick from more than 2,000 of the Polaroids taken by photographer Autumn De Wilde during the recording of The King is Dead and sort them into a custom slideshow set to one of four album tracks.

The band has also announced the April 16 release of Live At Bull Moose, a limited edition EP in conjunction with Record Store Day. The seven-track CD--which will be available exclusively through participating independent record stores--was recorded live at Bull Moose in Scarborough, Maine, and includes songs from The King Is Dead, as well as a cover of the country ballad "If I Could Only Win Your Love" by The Louvin Brothers."

Continue reading "Decemberists announce dates w/ Best Coast, Justin Townes Earle (2011 shows are on presale now)"

Decemberists at Beacon Theatre (more by Chris Gersbeck)

Though Colin Meloy and Jenny Conlee recently flexed their acting muscles (Portlandia videos below), we are happy to report that they aren't pulling a reverse Jared Leto and The Decemberists will return to the stage (they were meant for it). After a European tour in March and a U.S. tour in April, the band will start hitting festivals like Jazzfest and Sasquatch and the Celebrate Brooklyn series of shows!. They play the Prospect Park Bandshell on June 14th with Best Coast. Tickets for the 'benefit' go on AmEx presale Wednesday at noon (3/2), and regular sale on Friday.... will go on sale soon (they pushed it back a week I think).

The Brooklyn show happens five days after Best Coast play Bonnaroo. All tour dates for both bands, a Best Coast vs. Nardwuar video & more, below...

Continue reading "The Decemberists are playing Prospect Park w/ Best Coast (and other tour dates)"

photos by David Andrako

Rufus Wainwright @ Prospect Park over the summer

"What can I say, playing a solo show (or should I say recital) at Carnegie Hall is perhaps the greatest achievement in the world of musical performance. This concert means more to me than any other show I've done in the City of New York hence, and believe me, I've done a lot of hencing in the City of New York. Please come witness it, and in the meantime while you eat, drink and sleep I will practice! Practice! Practice!" - Rufus Wainwright

And speaking of that last show in Prospect Park (where Rufus's dad Loudon opened and then later joined him on stage), I have a set of pictures that never made it ot the site. Here they are (above and below), with the rest of his tour dates, and the contest details, below...

Continue reading "Rufus Wainwright is excited about Carnegie Hall (win tix), played Prospect Park (belated pics & more dates)"

photos by Lori Baily

"Is there any better big venue live band these days than Sonic Youth? Okay, maybe Radiohead, maybe Phish, and maybe--depending on how their Madison Square Garden debut goes this week--even Arcade Fire. (Yes, we just used Phish in the same sentence as Sonic Youth; the crucifixion line forms on the right!) But none of those bands possess Sonic Youth's illustrious history, or restless dynamism, or reckless edge. Frontman Thurston Moore is middle age (his wife/bandmate Kim Gordon's even older!) but after seeing them crush the Celebrate Brooklyn bandshell in Prospect Park Saturday night, it's clear that their particular blend of punk-pop-noise rock is some sort of magical, anti-aging elixir that ought to be bottled and sold worldwide. Don't grow old gracefully; shred it every step of the way with Tonic Youth." [Gothamist]

Brooklyn's Talk Normal and SanFran's Grass Widow opened. The latter will be back in September for two TBA shows (both still listed without venues by Todd P). Sonic Youth were minus bassist Mark Ibold, who was/is touring with his old band, Pavement (who played Osheaga that weekend). SY's set list is posted below.

Sonic Youth's, and Lee Ranaldo's Text of Light's, upcoming shows include ATP NY over Labor Day weekend. Now that's true for Thurston solo too:

"Today we're happy to announce a few last minute additions to the ATP New York line-up.

First of all Sonic Youth frontman Thurston Moore will play a solo set on Sunday as chosen by Jim Jarmusch.

Second we have a fourth comedian to add to Friday's line-up as chosen by Syd Butler; Matt McCarthy." [ATP]

Continue reading "Sonic Youth played Prospect Park this summer (belated pics), Thurston Moore added to ATP NY "

photos by Kyle Dean Reinford

"Metric played the exact same set (shaved a song or two) in the exact same way as they did at Terminal 5 a few months ago but with two big differences.The first was they kicked off with the now well known "Eclipse (All Yours)", their big deal single from their big deal appearance on the Twilight soundtrack, which is apparently some big deal with a lot of people (I wouldn't know, I refuse to watch anything in which vampires sparkle in the sun instead of burn). The live performance was infinitely better than the record. It fit right into the Metric mold. The other big difference was the band sounded better as a whole in the open air of Prospect Park than they did at the acoustic horror of Terminal 5. Same band, same performance, better venue = the awesome thunder of Metric in full display." [Sonic Parthenon]

Joan (Wasser) as Policewoman (who I saw in the crowd at Rufus Wainwright at the same venue a couple of weeks earlier) and Holly Miranda (who played a much smaller NYC three days later, and a medium sized show a month earlier) opened for Metric Thursday night, August 5th, at the all-female-frontwoman, free Celebrate Brooklyn show (two nights before Sharon Jones). More pictures from it, below...

Continue reading "Metric, Joan as Policewoman & Holly Miranda Celebrated Brooklyn in Prospect Park (pics) "

photos by David Andrako

"Sharon Jones absolutely murdered celebrate Brooklyn last night. #legendaryshit #ilovethatwoman" - Sleek

Sharon Jones & Lee Fields

"Wow...just wow. I don't know why it took me so long to experience the stunning Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, but lawdy, I'm sure glad I went to the concert that closed out a great summer of Celebrate Brooklyn! at the Prospect Park Bandshell and finally got to witness the phenomenon that she is. Sharon Jones blew my mind with her energy, singing, dancing -- you name it, she was a solid gold MVP, James Brown heir-apparent. For 2+ hours, she and her stellar bandmates (including members of the Bushwick Philharmonic) kept the [very large] crowd on their feet, grooving along to a wonderful retro-soul/funk sound that did not let up. She was also assisted on a few songs by the charming Lee Fields." [Qbertplaya]

Continue reading "Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings (with help from Lee Fields & the Budos Band) dominated Prospect Park (pics & video)"

photos by Jessica Amaya

"One more time, The Dead Weather stomped Brooklyn last night. Great show." -artgig

"Dead weather KILLED. Didnt celebrate bklyn so much as set it aflame." -rathermarvelous

"I bet you read Brooklyn Vegan too," says Jack White, "any other vegans in the crowd out there? come on stage and we'll kill a cow together" -ndersonTEA

"i saw you at the dead weather concert in prospect park...i was going to say hello to you but you had some guy totally jocking you the whole night. any wasys youre beautiful" -M4W

"Not too many people would have the audacity to walk on stage, blow torch in hand, and proceed to light their front woman's cigarette. Then again, not everyone is Jack White. The Dead Weather was in full force from the moment they graced the stage. The all-black-everything entourage attacked the stage with pristine white guitars that were used as battle axes as they attacked the stage with their raw sound. Alison Mosshart prowled the stage taking complete command of each song as White's drumming thundered between wails on guitar and tight thumping bass. Song after song pummeled the crowd, showing that their strong suit really is in the live performance, as the set built to the electrifying "Will There Be Enough Water?" Once Mr. White strapped on his six string there was no turning back. He ripped through the track while sharing lead vocal duties and microphone battles with Mosshart. Despite being behind a kit instead of his usual lead, White still ran the show, top hat, feather, and all. His fills on the skins were pulsating all evening however, on both the occasions he took duty on guitar his true talent was unveiled. Few have been as productive as Jack White in this past decade and while I still believe that neither of his recent projects have matched the brilliance of the White Stripes, the Dead Weather truly earned much respect last night. "[omg nyc]

The Dead Weather are on Letterman tonight (and they play an invite-only show at Don Hill's). More pictures and the set list from the Brooklyn show (thanks for the shout out Jack), below...

Continue reading "the Dead Weather played Prospect Park (pics & setlist) "

photos by Matthew Eisman

Swell Season @ Prospect Park on July 30th

"In support of a new record, Strict Joy, the Swell Season came to Brooklyn to play to a hypnotized, but almost manic crowd. "Low Rising" from Strict Joy represented the best of where the Swell Season are going - soulful, deep seeded pop music. So no surprise when they later turned out Van the Man's "Into the Mystic", with a backing New York horn section. And they kept the orchestral machinations of the Once soundtrack to a minimum, focusing instead on electric and acoustic guitars, relying on one solid fiddle player for strings. And of course they shined strongest on the sparse acoustic torch songs, just the two of them on "Falling Slowly" (the way the song was meant to be played), and Glenn in particular on the almost over-the-top-it's-so-good "Say It To Me Now".

Meanwhile, The Low Anthem just about stole the damn show. The Low Anthem are a band, and Oh My God, Charlie Darwin is a record, that personifies American roots without immediately summoning a particular brand of it. What's evoked is a creeky, wooden empty room in a house, about sundown, and a few candles or incandescent bulbs alight in a chandelier. The guitars, the horns, the keys, the saw, that amazing upright bass (with a solo for the books) - the ghosts of America, thoughtful and contemplative, lost. Something where Moby Dick, Andrew Jackson, the Civil War, and Leadbelly have a get together."
[Sonic Parthenon]

Both bands also played the Newport Folk Fest over the weekend, and NPR streamed and recorded both sets. The Low Anthem doesn't seem to be up at the moment, but The Swell Season can be listened to now.

One-half of the Swell Season Glen Hansard will be back in NYC in November for a show with his band the Frames at Terminal 5.

The Low Anthem play a free show in CT on Tuesday night (8/3).

More pictures and videos from the show (and Swell Season's performance on Jimmy Kimmel) are below...

Continue reading "The Swell Season & Low Anthem played Celebrate Brooklyn (pics & video) & Newport Folk Festival (stream) "

photos by Amanda Hatfield

"Officials plan to reduce the number of Canada geese in New York State by two-thirds, eventually trimming the population to 85,000 from 250,000, according to a report prepared by several city, state and federal agencies.

The reduction is part of a larger plan that also calls for the near halving of the Canada geese population in 17 Atlantic states, to 650,000 from 1.1 million. The New York Times obtained a copy of the report.

In New York City, the report says, the current goose population of 20,000 to 25,000 is "five times the amount that most people would find socially acceptable," suggesting the number would be reduced to about 4,000...

...The first steps outlined in the plan went into effect last summer, when 1,235 geese in the city were gassed to death. The total for this summer remains unknown, though nearly 400 were killed after being rounded up in Prospect Park this month" [NY Times].

"I think this is the first show we've played that we can walk to", said one of the Dessners to the beyond sold out hometown crowd at the celebratory show. And it was only one of three big sold out NYC shows the band is/was playing in less than two months (the first being Radio City) (the next being Thursday at Terminal 5) (more dates HERE).

The weather was perfect and the setlist was 21 great songs long. you can read it with more pictures of the show that Beach House opened (they sounded their usual good, album-like, dreamy selves), and a video, below...

Continue reading "The National & Beach House played Prospect Park (RIP geese) - pics & setlist"

photos by Kyle Dean Reinford

Konono No. 1 headlined the free annual Celebrate Brooklyn African Festival in Prospect Park on Saturday, July 17th. Other free music in Brooklyn that day included Siren Fest and Jelly's party at the Rock Yard.

"Despite the other big names on the bill, it seemed the crowd in Prospect Park was waiting all day to see Kinshasa group Konono No. 1, since a swell of people appeared close to the stage around the time the sun started to go down over the Bandshell and the group appeared on stage. Despite Konono being over thirty years old, they had all the buzz and jittery eagerness surrounding them on Saturday that a crowd usually reserves for new, up and coming groups of 20-somethings. That's because this music--distinct for its three electric likembé, or thumb pianos--is appealing on so many levels. Their rough, DIY aesthetic is arguably the dominant mode du jour in independent music (just take a gander at a recent Pitchfork review of a Wavves or Ariel Pink album). Also, they are just damn cool with their cowboy hats, stone-faced execution of ten-minute songs, and giant horn-shaped amplifier made of car parts. Finally, this music has been out of reach for far too long and has only reached a large number of American ears in the last few years, so it has the unique combination of sounding brand new and comfortably worn in. And it's about time this music has made it to our shores, because it's exotic and entrancing in a way that exemplifies the best of African culture." [The Afropop Blog]

More pictures from the day, which also featured sets from Omar Pene & Super Diamono, Chiwoniso, Meta & the Cornerstones, Garikayi Tirikoti and Djarara, are below...

Continue reading "the 2010 Celebrate Brooklyn African Festival in pics (Konono No 1, Omar Pene & Super Diamono, more) "

photos by David Andrako

"New York's most eager faces and earthy races paraded the liberal grounds of Park Slope via Prospect park on Sunday. They aligned from the realist regions of every borough and bridge for a complimentary concert hosted by Talib Kweli, The Roots and many others entitled "Okay Africa". Inescapably, most of the vicinity was bombarded by a sea of blankets, beer bottles and wine drinkers who arrived bracing themselves to 'rough it up' for a free show. Every path eventually occupied its self by mellow scenesters, Brooklyn heads, hipsters, their families and even a few local celebs that were all in gear for a naturalist's side to life. Ethnic forces ruled by a long-shot with some well-intended culture clashing. Negativity failed to align for the most part, thanks to everyone and their arousal of cool Summer spirit. Good times were clearly in fine perspective." [A Triumphant Discovery]

Continue reading "The Roots & friends (OkayAfrica) @ Prospect Park - pics "

Dedicated to his art as he was, Monet famously painted his wife as she lay dying. I ask [Rufus] Wainwright if, as his mother was dying, he found himself standing back and thinking 'I must tap into this intensely emotional experience creatively'?

'I guess so. I think my mother more than anyone knew the importance of inspiration. If it was occurring, you had to use it. I felt blessed that I was able to be with her in the final month.

'She very much led the way for all of us and it was a lesson in grace and nobility. It's funny because, on the one hand, she didn't really want to hear me practising my new album, because it was making her sad [the album is an elegy to his dying mother].

'She knew she wouldn't be around when I was touring it. It was like: "This is the album he's going to be performing when I'm dead." So she very gently asked me not to play so much.' It is a touching comment: a son's desire to win his dying mother's approval coupled with an endearing lack of self-awareness. [Telegraph]

Continue reading "Loudon playing w/ Rufus Wainwright in Prospect Park (win tix) ++ updated tour dates "

"Our annual celebration of African music, food and culture builds to an ecstatic crescendo with the distortion-fueled trance music of Congolese thumb-piano wizards Konono No. 1. Dakar heavyweights Omar Pene & Super Diamono, seminal figures in the birth of the modern Senegalese sound, add a jolt of energy to the proceedings, while the distinctive voice of Zimbabwean Afro-soul diva Chiwoniso, the pan-African reggae of Meta & The Cornerstones, and the festival horns and drums from Haiti's Djarara bring other unique flavors to the day."

Konono No 1
Omar Pene
Chiwoniso
Meta & The Cornerstones
Djarara

Konono are currently touring in support of a new album. They also recently contributed the track "Nsimba & Nzuzi" to a charity compilation called "Raise Hope For Congo". Click the link to check it out. The full tracklist, along with updated tour dates, below...

Continue reading "Konono No 1 on tour (African Fest Saturday, a show w/ Javelin Sunday) , on the 'Raise Hope For Congo' comp"

guy w/ vuvuzela @ the concert in Prospect Park - 7/11/2010 (koopstakov)

"The Roots headline the OkayAfrica World Cup 2010 Finals party to celebrate the first time in its 80-year history the tournament will take place on African soil. With a kick-off by Sahr Ngaujah, the star of the hit Broadway musical Fela!, the show features performances by artists from all corners of the Diaspora, including host Talib Kweli (Brooklyn), Bajah + The Dry Eye Crew (Sierra Leone), Blitz the Ambassador (Ghana), and many others to be announced. Musically omnivorous hip-hop icons The Roots honor the fresh music of Africa jamming throughout the day with surprise guests and capping it all off with a closing set."
[the official description of Sunday night's show in Prospect Park]

Continue reading "It was really crowded in Prospect Park tonight. "

words by Rachel Kowal, photos by David Andrako

Before the show started, the crowd in front of the bandshell sat and chatted leisurely to pass time, but when they saw Suckers walk on stage, they immediately jumped to their feet, cheering. In their cool shades and neon-colored clothing, Suckers had definitely embraced the outdoor park setting. "We're from Brooklyn. Celebrate!" shouted Suckers singer Quinn Walker early in the show. Drummer Brian Aiken thrashed around with such intensity that before long, his face was nearly the color of his fuchsia shirt. They only played seven songs, but the group harmonies, well-placed trumpet cameos, and over-the-top facial expressions from the drummer made for a pretty entertaining show, and the Brooklyn band's music proved to be a good introduction to the evening. Many of their songs had slower starts, but they definitely filled out by the time the choruses hit.

Tokyo Police Club's music was more immediate. Instead of building up their sound gradually, they seemed to put it out there up front, and their sound was a bit more raucous overall. Like Suckers, Tokyo Police Club really seemed to be enjoying the picturesque setting. It had been another hot day in Brooklyn, but it cooled off just enough to be pleasant for the show. "I hope you enjoyed the beautiful day in the park," said singer Dave Monks. "You guys should really check out these trees when you get a chance. The trees are killing it." And he was right. The trees lining the back side of the bandshell were waving gently in the wind as if swaying to the music.

Tokyo Police Club showcased a number of songs from their recent album, Champ. After their set had ended, the eager crowd tried a few different methods to get Passion Pit out on stage, but neither the chanting nor the slow clap did the trick. Shortly after 9:00, the tech guy gave a signal with his flashlight and yellow lights started flickering madly on stage as the band walked out. The production value definitely went up with each band's performance. For Passion Pit, each song seemed to have its own color scheme for lights: reds, oranges, purples, blues, and greens all made an appearance as the evening progressed. By the third song, a colorful banner (resembling the cover art of the Manners re-issue) fell against the backdrop to the delight of the audience.

For the most part, the sound throughout the evening was pretty good for an outdoor show. But the vocals did seem to be a little low in the mix - especially for Passion Pit. I'm not sure if it was just where I was standing or if there was a technical oversight, but there were times when I'd see Passion Pit singer Michael Angelakos open his mouth as if to sing but no sound came out. Of course, it didn't help that he had a tendency of holding the mic a bit too far away. (Were the officials trying to thwart the non-paying park goers from hearing the show outside of the official venue space?)

Regardless of the levels, the crowd seemed to be thoroughly enjoying themselves. Throughout the show, they sang along, clapped to the beat, jumped up and down, and danced. There was also more than one attempt at crowd surfing as the evening progressed and the excitement mounted. The band was clearly thrilled to be performing in front of such a large, enthusiastic audience. Angelakos paced and danced around the stage with glee and kept effusively thanking everyone in between songs, eventually saying, "People make fun of me for always thanking everybody, but we're just in awe of everything that's just happened in the past year. This show sold out in like ten minutes. We're from Boston, but this city made us. Thank you so much! This is the biggest show we've ever played."

For their encore, Passion Pit played a delightful cover of the hit 1994 song "Dreams" by The Cranberries before closing with their own hit - "Sleepyhead." Though the crowd left behind a wasteland of bottles and cups, the tinkling of the aluminum Bud cans as they rolled over the cement surface made for an oddly melodic exit.

They do it again, at an even bigger venue with the same lineup (and the addition of We Were Promised Jetpacks) tonight (6/30) at Colonel's Row on Governors Island. More pictures from last night, some videos and Passion Pit's setlist, below...

Continue reading "Passion Pit, Tokyo Police Club & Suckers Celebrated Brooklyn in Prospect Park - pics, video & setlist"

The ensemble:
Leyna Marika Papach - violin
Elena Moon Park - violin
Olivia Deprato - violin
Karen Waltuch - viola
Isabel Castelvi - cello
Steven Bernstein - trumpet
Ravi Best - trumpet
John Chudoba - trumpet
Darryl Shaw - trumpet
Art Baron - trombone
Curtis Hasselbring - trombone
Marcus Rojas - bass trombone / tuba
Marty Ehrlich - woodwinds
Bill Ruyle - concert percussion
Renaldo de Jesus - latin percussion
Fima Ephron - bass
Ben Perowsky - drums
Knox Chandler - guitar
Christian Gibbs - keys
Ted Reichman - keys

Steroid Maximus will be performing the Ectopia album and selections from the score of The Venture Bros. JG will be joined by long-time colleague Steven Bernstein as musical director and on trumpet. Dr Lonnie Smith Trio will support. More info below...

Continue reading "JG Thirlwell leads a 20 piece orchestra in Prospect Park (TONIGHT)"

Blitzen Trapper @ Bonnaroo (hshuldman)

Blitzen Trapper's current tour brought them through Bonnaroo, and to Webster Hall in NYC last night (6/16). Tonight, 6/17, they'll appear on Letterman, but first you can catch them live as the special musical guest at Celebrate Brooklyn's free ($3 suggested donation) comedy show in Prospect Park. Also appearing tonight at the bandshell: comedians: Eugene Mirman, Michael Showalter, John Hodgman, Jerry Minor, Kumail Nanjiani, and Janeane Garofalo. The show starts at 8pm. Gates open at 7.

photos by Ryan Muir

"Saturday evening could not have been more beautiful for a concert in Prospect Park. The second evening of music in the 2010 Celebrate Brooklyn season at the park's band shell, featured two of New Orleans' giants, Allen Toussaint and Davell Crawford.

Allen Toussaint started the evening off. With just his piano to accompany him, he entertained the crowd with many of the songs from his long career producing and arranging music for the Neville Brothers, the Rolling Stones and Elvis Castello.

Davell Crawford with his incredible band came on next. The Piano Prince Of New Orleans was electrifying. By the third song, the crowd was on its feet, dancing to his infectious mix of blues, jazz and gospel." [Pardon Me For Asking]

The first show in the series didn't have as much luck with the weather. The third show, happening on June 17th, is comedy by "Eugene Mirman & Pretty Good Friends" ("John Hodgman, Michael Showalter, Kumail Nanjiani, Janeane Garofalo and Jerry Minor. More guest stars tba"). More pictures from the second 2010 show (Allen and Davell), below...

Continue reading "Allen Toussaint & Davell Crawford played Prospect Park (pics) "

"#104 Definition of Hell - Norah Jones in the rain at Prospect Park" - rory ahearn

Norah Jones @ Celebrate Brooklyn - June 9, 2010 (NoriakiKatsuno)

Norah Jones @ Celebrate Brooklyn - June 9, 2010 (qtrainquips)

Despite the rain, Norah Jones helped kick offf the 2010 season of Celebrate Brooklyn in Prospect Park last night. Celebrate Brooklyn continues on June 12th with a free show by Allen Toussaint and Davell Crawford. Check out the whole schedule.

Celebrate Brooklyn '09 (more by Chris La Putt)

The Celebrate Brooklyn series' 2010 schedule is out. Check out the free (or $3 suggested donation) shows that will be happening at Prospect Park this summer below.

There's the previously mentioned shows with Norah Jones, Konono No. 1, Sonic Youth (who have Talk Normal and Grass Widow opening for them), Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings with Budos Band, Swell Season and the Low Anthem, Metric, The Roots and Allen Toussaint, all for free. The ticketed benefit shows are Rufus Wainwright on July 20th, Dead Weather on August 3rd, and already-sold-out shows with Passion Pit and The National.

The full schedule is below...

Continue reading "Celebrate Brooklyn's 2010 Prospect Park concert lineup"

Holly Miranda @ a BV party in Austin (more by Tim Griffin)

Metric will headline a free Celebrate Brooklyn show at the Prospect Park Bandshell on August 5th. Openers for that date are fellow female-fronted groups Holly Miranda and Joan as Policewoman. The show joins a summer lineup of free entertainment that also includes The Swell Season and The Low Anthem. All shows listed HERE.

Way before that, May 16th to be exact, you can catch Metric at Terminal 5 in Manhattan (tickets are still on sale). It's the first of four dates the Canadian band play with Bear in Heaven. Those dates are below. In October Metric will be in the NYC area as part of their tour with Muse.

Joan (as Policewoman) doesn't really have any other shows coming up, but you may have just caught her at the Truck America Fest over the weekend in the Catskills.

You can catch Holly Miranda soon too though. She plays her own headlining show at Bowery Ballroom on May 26th. Tickets are still on sale. Grooms and Class Actress are opening that show. Those at Stony Brook University can catch Holly this Thursday night (5/6). All dates below....

Continue reading "Metric, Holly Miranda & Joan as Policewoman playing a free Celebrate Brooklyn show in Prospect Park (and other dates) "