photos by Graeme Flegenheimer

TVOTR @ Stubb's (SPIN Party)

"Since TV On The Radio is preparing to drop Nine Types Of Light soon, I just assumed that its Spin party set would be heavy on new, untested material. And as the band slowly warmed up with a few free-jazz drones while Dave Sitek attached a giant set of wind chimes to the end of his guitar, those assumptions turned to worry that said new material was going to herald the beginning of the group's deathly dull "blue period" or something. But all fears were allayed by the crash of opening number "Young Liars," as TVOTR went all the way back to the beginning to remind fans why they'd been missed during their hiatus. Older numbers like "Staring At The Sun" got the benefit of the band's newly forged arena-rock assault, with the set never once waning in energy as it barreled through uptempo songs such as "Dancing Choose" and "Wolf Like Me." Tunde Adebimpe introduced new number "Repetition" by asking everyone whether they would dance if they played it: "But what if it's terrible?" he asked. No worries there. The group turned in easily the best set I've seen all week." [AV Club]

Since Austin, TV on the Radio (whose new album is now up for pre-order) have announced who will be opening for them on their upcoming tour. It varies by date. Some shows have Lissie Trullie, others get Glasser, some are with Celebration, and the Radio City show will be opened by Light Asylum.... who play Glasslands in Brooklyn with Banjo or Freakout tonight (3/25). Radio City tickets are still on sale.

All dates (with openers listed), those pictures, and TV on the Radio's new video for "Will Do", below...

Continue reading "TVOTR made a video, played SXSW, announced tour openers (Light Asylum opens Radio City & plays Glasslands tonight)"

Beach House & Celebration singing "Billie Jean"

"It was a beautiful Summer night and outside the Metro Gallery in Baltimore Beach House and Celebration played some music for some friends. [The below] video features their performances of a few of the their songs, as well as their collaborative rendition of Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean". August 7th, 2009. Produced by Metro Media in conjunction with the bands."

Then there's the much bigger, and possibly much wetter, Michael Jackson celebration that is going on earlier Saturday in Prospect Park.

Beach House play the Williamsburg Waterfront on Sunday.

Above-mentioned video below...

Continue reading "Celebration (playing Market Hotel) & Beach House (playing Pool) covered Michael Jackson (having a birthday) -- VIDEO"

"For 4 years now Wham City has been organizing the WHARTSCAPE. What started as a summer warehouse party turned into a much bigger, multi-day outdoor festival with thousands of bands, performers, and folks traveling to Baltimore from all across the US and Europe.
Since, we organize this festival out of pocket and in our spare time, it is important for us to keep it comfortable and enjoyable for us to do. One thing we talked about at the end of last year's festival was shrinking it down slightly and having it feel more community based and familiar.

This year isn't focused around headliners, but mainly performers and friends that make up the community we tour, work and live in.
We are also greatly reducing the number of MEGA-PASSES (the 3 day pass ticket that grants you entry to every show and every day).
ONLY 300 Mega-Passes will be sold; this is the only guarantee that you can see all the shows.

Tickets will be sold to the individual shows, but it is strongly suggested that you buy a Mega-Pass, as it saves you money and assures you take in the entire poo-poo.
Whartscape will take place July 10-11-12 at the Baltimore Museum of Art, Maryland Institute College of Art Studio Center Parking Lot, and Load of Fun.
We will begin selling tickets at 12 Noon, Monday, June 29th.

Continue reading "Whartscape - 2009 Wham City festival dates & lineup "

DOWNLOAD: Celebration - I Will Not Fall (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Celebration - What's This Magical (MP3)

In March of 2009, [Celebration] began releasing MP3's from a new album, titled "Electric Tarot", on a new website, celebrationelectrictarot.com. Songs from the album will be released as MP3's as they are recorded, with a final vinyl release upon completion. No CD release seems to be planned. [Wikipedia]

Celebration plays Friday, May 8th (tonight) at (Le) Poisson Rouge with Psychic Ills. DJs Hiro Kone and Call the Doctor spin throughout the night. Tickets are on sale.

Videos, with one other Celebration tour date, below...

Continue reading "Celebration: new songs, new video, NYC show tonight"

Teengirl Fantasy (photo by josh sisk)

You don't hear too much from Celebration lately. Well, not totally true. The Baltimore band, known for being tight with Brooklyn's TV on the Radio, are credited as collborators on the new Holly Miranda album that was co-produced by TV on the Radio's Dave Sitek. And this Saturday night, February 21st, Celebration plays a Brooklyn show at Glasslands - the very venue members of TV on the Radio have turned up to play with their side projects in the last few weeks. TV on the Radio also have a NYC show coming up. Holly Miranda has a couple too.

Sound Fix Records, the venue, is not long for this world. Upcoming free shows there include a Friday night (tonight) performance by The Forms, and a Saturday one by Howlies. Tonight's Forms show, presented by Guilt by Association, also doubles as a Sound Fix benefit show, so look for the tip jar as its being passed around. Howlies' record "Trippin With Howlies" is out now. That is the occasion they'll be celebrating when they come back to town to play Death By Audio on February 26th.

Telepathe have been added to the Ladytron and Faint tour in April. That means they'll be playing Webster Hall on the 10th and 11th of that month. No need to wait that long though. In addition to some shows at SXSW in March, you can catch Telepathe twice in NYC this weekend, courtesy of Todd P. Tonight, February 20th, the show is at Market Hotel with These Are Powers, Teengirl Fantay, Soft Circle and Katie Eastburn. Saturday they play with Teengirl Fantasy, Hawnay Troof, and Silk Flowers at 92Y Tribeca. Todd P says...

Especially excited about the 2 shows this weekend featuring TEENGIRL FANTASY from Oberlin, Ohio. Teengirl Fantasy, aka Logan Takahashi and Nick Weiss, are two young guys currently attending Oberlin College, together they make drum machine and sampler heavy dance music that steals as much from the underground noise scene as it does from the dance world. Teengirl Fantasy smash those influences to make transcendently catchy adrenaline anthems that get everyone dancing.

Continue reading "Forms, Howlies, Telepathe, Celebration & Teengirl Fantasy"

photos by Ryan Muir

Holly Miranda @ Zebulon

Holly Miranda, known most for her part in the Jealous Girlfriends, has at least four NYC shows coming up. Tonight (2/13) you can catch her at Southpaw, part of the Sounds Like Brooklyn Festival, with Motel Motel, The Canon Logic, and Ro Agents.

Wednesday (2/18) she opens for White Rabbits at the the first of their two shows at Mercury Lounge. Tickets are on sale. Ravens & Chimes are also on that bill. Bell and Polite Sleeper are the White Rabbits openers on Thursday.

Fast forward a month: Thursday March 12th you can catch Holly at Zebulon in Brooklyn (that's the venue I last saw her in, and where the pictures in this post came from). Tall Firs and Sharon Van Etten are also on that solid bill.

A month after that: Holly Miranda is opening for Nada Surf at the Bell House on April 15th. Tickets are not yet on sale.

Holly has a solo album coming out some time soon (probably when she finds a label to release it) . It was produced by TV On the Radio's Dave Sitek and Celebration's Katrina Ford. Holly said,

..its been a truly magical journey and a family affair, for sure. between katrina and dave producing, sean (of celebration) playing everything with ivory (including a pipe organ in baltimore we sent him to with a midi recorder), stewart and eric (from antibalas) killing it with the sax, trumpet and clarinet, and i think by the time we are done every member of tv on the radio will appear on the album..how sweet is that. plus katrina and i sing two songs together. OH and brendan (from ludlow lions) sings and plays on 'forest green oh forest green' ( a song we wrote together years ago)... there may still be a few guest appearances still to come.

Continue reading "Nada Surf playing Bell House & other HOLLY MIRANDA shows"

DOWNLOAD: Matmos - Rainbow Flag (MP3)

In Baltimore. soon...

Continue reading "Whartscape 2008 lineup, Matmos included "

2008, Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY, FREE
July 13 - Mobius Band & Amazing Baby (after Breeders @ McCarren)
July 17 - DJ Spooky (after DJ Shadow @ McCarren)
July 20 - Celebration (after Liars @ McCarren)
Aug 24 - Heloise & the Savoir Faire & Project Jenny, Project Jan (after TBA @ McCarren)

Many more free NYC shows are listed HERE.

TONIGHT @ MUSIC HALL: Kimya Dawson (not free)

a catch up post....

Mandy Moore and rumored beau Ryan Adams were spotted shopping at Meltdown Comics and Collectibles and Vintage Gear Guitar Shop in Los Angeles yesterday.

The awkwardly-paired duo fell for one another while working closely together on her album Wild Hope last year.

Angster-singer Adams has previously dated a slew of other offbeat brunette actresses, including Parker Posey and Winona Ryder.

This is the first time the happy couple has been snapped together because...well...photogs had no idea who Ryan Adams was until now! [FadedYouth Blog]

Continue reading "Ryan Adams get your hands off Mandy Moore"

DOWNLOAD: The Dead Science - Displacer (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Dead Science - One Final Round (MP3)

The Dead Science

After suffering a minor setback, aka a fire, Zebulon is reopening tonight (May 20, 2008). Little Women, People and The Dead Science (from Seattle) are on the bill.

The Dead Science will soon release a record:

We are extremely excited and proud to announce that our new record, Villainaire, will be released amongst the dog days of this summer by Montreal-based Constellation Records. Precisely, it will drop August 26th in Europe(Happy Birthday Branford Marsalis!) and September 2nd in the USA.(Happy Birthday Salma Hayek!)

It features appearances by a bevy of our rad and sweet friends, including Craig Wedren,(Shudder to Think) Katrina Ford(Celebration) and Morgan Henderson.(of The Blues Brothers, Past Lives)

Continue reading "The Dead Science -touring, new album, MP3 + ZEBULON open! "

And at that website you can listen to six of the Tom Waits songs including "Fannin Street" featuring vocals by David Bowie.

Scarlett Johansson's inspired Atco Records debut album ANYWHERE I LAY MY HEAD features her distinctive interpretations of ten songs by Tom Waits plus one original selection, "Song For Jo." Johansson co-wrote the track with TV On The Radio's David Andrew Sitek, who produced the album and lends his multi-instrumental talents throughout as well. She is also joined by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs guitarist Nick Zinner, Sean Antanaitis from Celebration and others.

Sufjan Stevens w/ fans outside Southpaw, Brooklyn - Dec 17, 2007 (CRED)

Celebration @ Onion Holiday Party, NYC - Dec 18, 2007 (CRED)

Ben Keith, Pegi & Neil Young, & Ralph Molina @ United Palace - Dec 18, 2007 (CRED)

* Jaymay is playing Union Hall
* Public Enemy is playing Irving Plaza
* Bjorkestra & Sun Ra Arkestra @ Paul Robeson Theater ("Surprise show")
* Mark Ronson, Aaron Lacrate & Rakim are DJing Love
* Neil Young plays his 6th & final NYC show @ United Palace
* David Cross, Dave Hill, Janeane Garofalo & others @ Blender
* The Setting Suns (Interpol/Swervedriver) play Mercury Lounge
* Rufus Wainright, Teddy Thompson & friends raise money @ Highline Ballroom
* Dewey Cox & band (Walk Hard) are playing a promotional party @ Knitting Factory
* Watch the first 10 minutes of Walk Hard online
* Lily Allen is pregnant

What else?

DOWNLOAD: Frightened Rabbit - It's Christmas So We'll Stop (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Evangelicals - The Last Christmas On Earth (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Cheyenne - All My Friends Are Snowmen (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Polyphonic Spree - Carol of the Bells (MP3)

both tonight
* NY Mag Not Your Office Holiday Party
* The Onion Holiday Rampage

ALSO UPCOMING: CBS/NYC presents a showcase at UCBT w/ God's Pottery,Chelsea Peretti, Jordan Carlos & more.

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Is "Jew-fro" anti-semitic if said in a way that sounds like an insult by a faux-psychopath trying to be clever in a Christmas-themed album-promo video? Do The Apes hate blogs & tight pants? I can't totally decide....

Continue reading "The Onion, Celebration, NY Mag, WAS, UCB & The Apes - Tour Dates, holiday parties & MP3s"

The Clean @ Other Music, NYC - Nov 26, 2007 (CRED)

Tinariwen @ Other Music, NYC - Nov 27, 2007 (CRED)

Did you want to catch Celebration at Other Music last week, but didn't? The Clean? Tinariwen? Will you not make it to Richard Hawley tonight? Well, now thanks to the magic of high-quality streaming video, you won't have missed anything. "Live at Other Music" kicks off with the October St. Vincent performance. Beautiful

Celebration @ Bowery Ballroom, NYC - Nov 28, 2007 (CRED)

One down, two more Celebration shows to go. Celebration & Holy Fuck remixed each other. Listen and download, below....

Continue reading "Celebration played Bowery Ballroom, 2 shows to go"

Tinariwen @ Oya Festival, Norway, 2007 (CRED)

Bill made my day yesterday when he pointed out Other Music's upcoming free in-store show schedule...

Tinariwen - Wednesday, November 28 @ 8PM
Celebration - Friday, November 30 @ 9PM
Richard Hawley - Monday, December 3 @ 8PM
White Williams - Thursday, December 6 @ 8PM

NYC, 2007
Nov 27 - Tinariwen @ Highline Ballroom (How was the show?)
Nov 28 - Tinariwen @ Other Music (TODAY!)
Nov 28 - Celebration @ Bowery Ballroom (TODAY!) (win tix)
Nov 30 - Celebration @ Other Music
Dec 01 - Richard Hawley @ Bowery Ballroom (excited) (not sold out yet)
Dec 03 - Richard Hawley @ Other Music (double excited) (all dates)
Dec 04 - White Williams & Dirty Projectors @ Bowery Ballroom (triple excited) (tix)
Dec 06 - White Williams @ Other Music (all dates)
Dev 18 - Celebration @ Crash Mansion (with comedians)

A few new Dirty Projectors dates, below...

Continue reading "Tinariwen, Richard Hawley, Celebration, White Williams, Other Music, Dirty Projectors"

The Onion Holiday Rampage will be taking place at Crash Mansion on December 18, 2007 and it is a whopper. This evening of wonder will be hosted by the great Kristen Schaal and Kurt Braunohler and feature the comedy of John Oliver and Jim Gaffigan as well as the music of Northern State and Celebration. Tickets for this 21+ show are $15.00 and can be purchased at ticketweb. Proceeds from the show will go to benefit 826 NYC.

Last year's party was a bit of a fiasco. Let's hope a public onsale through ticketweb will make things a bit smoother. -Klaus

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In related news, Celebration play their headlining show at Bowery Ballroom TONIGHT (Nov 28, 2007). Holy Fuck & Effi Breast open. I have two pairs of tickets to give away. Details on how to win, the Onion flyer, and more tour dates, below....

Continue reading "Onion Holiday party, Celebration & a ticket contest"

Celebration @ Pianos (BV show), NYC - Oct 17, 2007 (CRED)

* Stereogum sees Sparrow House & The DeathSet
* Andrew WK, Bradford Cox & more on the Windish party
* Sterogum also visited the BV Bowery Ballroom show
* Stream Live CMJ Shows on Something Called "Friendster"
* Rolling Stone saw Cool Kids & Kid Sister @ Hiro
* Music Snobbery didn't like Team Robespierre as much as I did
* or as much as Dfactor did @ Pianos yesterday
* Pop Tarts saw Thurston Moore at the Apple Store
* Pop Tarts also saw Wakey! Wakey! @ the BV show @ Pianos
* Ear Farm stopped by to see Le Loup
* Three more BV parties (with four more lineups) to go

* Ted Leo vs. Taco Bell
* Walk for Farm Animals
* MC Hammer: Not dead
* Lupe Fiasco relieved
* 1990s are @ Maxwell's
* Britney Spears suing Perez Hilton
* Van Morrison is @ United Palace again
* The Gowanus Harvest Festival @ The Yard
* U.S. ATF agents arrest rapper T.I. on gun charge
* Kelly Clarkson is at Beacon Theatre
* Gina Gershon is playing the Box
* They Might Be Giants are playing Columbia
* Tiny Masters of Today are @ SoundFix Records
* Tiny Masters of Today are playing a BV party on Sat. Oct 20th
* Live Nation could lose money on Madonna deal
* Voxtrot, The Little Ones, and Pratique are playing Music Hall
* Voxtrot is also playing Bowery Ballroom on Tuesday
* RSVP for the Oct 20th BrooklynVegan CMJ afterparty @ 205

A new promotional Celebration 'campfire songs' video is below. What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Sunday?"

DOWNLOAD: Team Robespierre - 88th Precinct (MP3) (via)
DOWNLOAD: Joan As Policewoman - Eternal Flame (MP3)

Team Robespierre & Joan as Policewoman

As you know, I'm throwing a total of five shows during CMJ this year. The first is Tuesday night October 16th - an official showcase that you can buy tickets for. The second is the very next day - a 2-floor (whole club) FREE day party at Pianos on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Bon Iver, Sparrow House, and others (TBA) are playing upstairs. Here's who is playing downstairs....

Wednesday October 17, 2007
12:00 Cut Off Your Hands (album stream & more info)
12:45 Team Robespierre (MP3 above & more at MySpace)
01:30 Le Loup (info)
02:15 Joan as Policewoman (MP3 above & more info)
03:00 THE DEATHSET (info)
03:45 The Meat Puppets (info)
04:30 Celebration (info)

Annie Mac (BBC) will also be our very special guest DJ in the front room from 4-5pm. Other DJ's TBA too.

Celebration @ WH, NYC - Oct 2, 2007 (CRED)

Tickets go on sale Friday for a November 28th Celebration show at Bowery Ballroom, but you can see them in NYC much sooner than that. October 16th @ Union Pool is their official CMJ show, and October 17th @ Pianos is their UNofficial CMJ show aka my free now-annual day (afternoon) party - the same one Black Ghosts are DJing. More details on that TBA soon.

How were they last night at Webster Hall? All tour dates below....

Continue reading "CELEBRATION - Webster Hall, Bowery Ballroom & a BV CMJ show +++++++ even more 2007 Tour Dates"

Celebration @ Barnard College, NYC - Sept 20, 2007 (CRED)

I still love this song. Here's the video.....

Continue reading "CELEBRATION playing CMJ & w/ Man Man ++ 'Evergreen video"

DOWNLOAD: Celebration - Evergreen (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: High Places - Head Spins (MP3)

This show should be good.

WBAR Barnard College Radio Presents...
* HIGH PLACES
** CELEBRATION
THURSDAY, Sept 20, 2007
Doors: 8PM, Music: 8:30PM
@ LEHMAN LAWN, Barnard College
FREE!!!
Subway: Take the 1 to 116th St, enter through gates at 117th st and bway
www.wbar.org for more info

Citysol breakfast-show veterans High Places were recently interviewed by Fader, dubbed 'Band of the Week' over at Pop Tarts Suck Toasted, and reviewed favorably by Pitchfork. They're also playing with the Most Serene Republic at Union Hall Friday.

Celebration is also opening for Man Man at Webster Hall on October 2nd. All tour dates below...

Continue reading "Celebration, High Places, free show, tour dates, MP3s"

DOWNLOAD: Celebration - Evergreen (MP3)

Photo by TV on the Radio's Dave Sitek

It's taken me a while to warm up fully to Celebration, but though I had my doubts before, the above new song has officially sold me on this band. I'm looking forward to hear the rest of their new album - "The Modern Tribe" out October 9th on 4AD. How was their show at the Pool with TV on the Radio? To find out more about the album name, and just what the band has been up to in general, check out a letter Katrina posted on the band's website, below...

Continue reading "new CELEBRATION MP3 from"The Modern Tribe""

By the time I realized it would definitely stop raining in time for this show to happen, I had already made other plans. Damn....

Kyp Malone & Katrina Ford (Celebration) @ McCarren Pool - July 29, 2007 (CRED)

I know I wasn't the only one scared away. Did it end up being necessary to RSVP afterall? How was the music? More TVOTR tour dates below....

Continue reading "TV on the Radio & Celebration @ McCarren Pool"