Death at Purchase Fall Fest (more by Kellyann Petry)

While the Duck Down vs Blacksmith showcase at Music Hall of Williamsburg is indicating that hip hop is alive and well, Afro-Punk is declaring the opposite with a show at the venue just 4 days prior. Billed as "DEATH to Hip-Hop", protopunk pioneers Death will join Cerebral Ballzy, Ninjasonik, and Jersey Klan with Stack-Aly between sets as part of a CMJ event on 10/18 at Music Hall of Williamsburg. Tickets go on sale on 9/22 at noon, or try to get in with your CMJ badge. No other Death dates to report at the moment.

In between the birth and death of hip hop, Music Hall of Williamsburg will feature another two CMJ showcases. 10/20 will see Metronomy team with Class Actress (tickets) while 10/21 is the BrooklynVegan CMJ showcase with BRAIDS, Active Child, Weekend, Pepper Rabbit, and Blue Hawaii. Tickets are on sale for our CMJ show, or be one of the people to get in with your badge.

That leaves only one hole in MHOW's CMJ schedule. Nothing has been announced there for Wed., 10/19 yet. I can't say what will happen that night, but I can say that it will be interesting (and NOT affiliated with CMJ).

Japanther will play The Meatlocker in Montclair, NJ on 9/2 with Cerebral Ballzy (who had to cancel their Living Room show the other night). It will be the first of several NYC dates for Japanther in the month of September, in preparation for their new LP Beets, Limes and Rice due on 10/18. The weekend of September 10th will see a pair of shows from the rowdy duo, including 9/10 at Shea Stadium with Night Toilet, Nonhorse, & Sun Color and a 9/11 show at 285 Kent. Then after two weeks off, the band will embark on a weekend of dates that will conclude with Bowery Electric on September 26th (21+).

Japanther, who celebrated their 10th anniversary as a band earlier this year, clearly have food on the brain with their new LP, which is seemingly inspired by the similarly-titled A Tribe Called Quest LP. Beets Limes & Rice is dedicated to their fallen comrade Beau Velasco of The Death Set (who have dates coming up too) .

All Japanther tour dates and a live video from their recent showing at House of Vans are below.

Continue reading "Japanther schedule a bunch of shows (dates)"

That's a picture of the set times for this year's free Afro-Punk Fest Festival taking place on 8/27 & 8/28 in Brooklyn's Commodore Barry Park. Click the image for a bigger view.

Cerebral Ballzy play on Sunday, one day before they strangely play a Daytrotter show at the Living Room.

Das Racist play this a few weeks before they launch a proper tour at Bowery Ballroom.

Cerebral Ballzy at the Acheron in 2010 (more by Samantha Marble)

Daytrotter is presenting the 'Barnstormer 5,' the website's first East Coast tour, at the end of this month into early September. Various bands play on various dates from New Hampshire to Iowa. All dates are listed below.

As of today, the tour hits NYC twice. First on August 27 at Brooklyn Bowl (instead of Ghent, NY where the show was originally scheduled) with JBM, We Are Augstines, Guards, Doug Paisley, Des Ark, Christopher Paul Stelling, and The Loom. Then again on August 29 at The Living Room with Cerebral Ballzy (??!?), Princeton, Guards, and We Are Augustines. Tickets, not cheap, are available for the whole tour including both NYC dates, but we are also giving away a pair of tickets to each NYC show. Details on how to win, with all dates (most with White Rabbits and some with Deer Tick), below....

Continue reading "Daytrotter bringing 'Barnstormer' tour east (NYC shows happen at Living Room & now Brooklyn Bowl) --- win tix"

Just one day after all the commotion related to whether "Rock Beach" was a success, Jelly slightly redesigned their rockbeach.us website to remove mention of their sponsor Top Man (they taped over their name) and announce that they're bringing back a more conveniently located "Rock Yard", but not in the same location it was last year since that location is now a restaurant. That's their flyer above.

Black Lips are playing the Shank in Brooklyn (98 Bayard St) on Saturday, November 6th with Cerebral Ballzy and Fergus & Geronimo. Doors @ 10PM. Black Lips Set Time @ 2AM. Ticket Price - $5. All dates below...

Continue reading "Black Lips playing NYC Saturday & other dates "

most photos by Jason House, some photos by Keith Marlowe, words by BBG

OFF! at Fader Fort (by Jason House)

OFF! completed their NYC invasion with a three-day stint of reportedly raucous shows at a packed out Europa on 10/21, Generation Records on 10/22, and at Fader Fort on 10/23. I attended Europa and caught the tail end of Cerebral Ballzy and the entire 20+ minute OFF! set which was, exactly how I like my hardcore: brutal, unrelenting, lightning fast, and intensely fun. Fans of Circle Jerks, Black Flag, and early 80s hardcore take note, these guys rule.

OFF! currently has two dates on their calendar though none on the east coast. November 7th will see the band play Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin (tickets) while two+ weeks later the band will appear at Vacation Vinyl in Los Angeles for an in-store.

OFF! performed their entire first EP (of four) on Carson Daly on 10/15 (before CMJ). Dig on video of that, some video from Europa courtesy of ((unartig))), and lots of pictures from Europa, Fader Fort, and Generation Records, setlists included, below.

Continue reading "OFF! played Europa, Generation Records, the Fader Fort... and Carson Daly (pics, video & setlists) "

by BBG

Torche at The Charleston earlier this year (more by Samantha Marble)

Everything goes in cycles and with one cancellation comes another addition. Like Walter Schreifels before them, Torche have cancelled their appearance at Generation Records "due to unforeseeable circumstances", but OFF! will play the store on 10/22 at 7 PM. Buy the 7" from the store "to get priority entrance" to the CMJ-time show.

Torche will still join High On Fire and Kylesa at Webster Hall on 10/24 though (tickets still on sale). OFF! will headline Europa on 10/21 with newly-added opener Cerebral Ballzy (tickets on sale).

In somewhat related news, Fun Fun Fun Fest is getting closer. Not long after CMJ, Off!, High on Fire, Kylesa and Floor (members of Torche) will all share a bill at the three day Austin Fest.

by BBG

Perfume & Piss is the name of GBH's new LP (catchy huh?), marking the UK punk pioneers' eleventh studio effort in their thirty-plus year existence. Hellcat (aka Tim Armstrong of Rancid's label) is doing the honors, and in celebration, the band is currently touring North America and will hit the ultra-swanky Highline Ballroom on July 23rd along the way. Outernational, RazorBlade HandGrenade, and Cerebral Ballzy will support and tickets are on sale.

Razorblade Handgrenade is also scheduled to play another NYC show three weeks later, playing support on the reunion of NYC's Inside Out at Santos Party House. Tickets are on sale.

Full GBH dates, and some recent video of the band playing with members of Rancid, are below...

Continue reading "GBH releasing a new LP & touring (dates)"

photos by Samantha Marble, La Dispute pics by Andrew St. Clair, Trash Talk pics by Marvic Paulo, words by BBG

Trash Talk at Acheron (photo by Marvic Paulo)

A hearty thanks to all who came to the Trash Talk/La Dispute/Cerebral Ballzy/Psychic Limb FREE all-ages rager at Acheron (the venue, not the band who just called it quits after 22 years) on Friday night after the Trash Talk / La Dispute show at Bowery. The new venue was absolutely shocking when I first checked it out. DIY spaces have a (rightful) reputation as cut to the bare minimum, but Acheron's sound and space was nothing like that. With a stage, a respectable PA, and plenty of space to fit 100+, it's nice to see that metal has a new and legitimately great place to play.

Moshpit dudes in fitted mouthpieces aside, the show was tons of fun and lived up to Trash Talk's other recent incredible performances I witnessed in Austin: at the our Pizza Party at Hoeks and at our Attitude Adjustment show at Red 7.

Tons more pics and video from the Acheron show, below...

Continue reading "Trash Talk, La Dispute, Psychic Limb & Cerebral Ballzy played new Bushwick venue the Acheron - pics & video"

by BBG

DOWNLOAD: Trash Talk - "Explode" (MP3)

Trash Talk at Attitude Adjustment at Red 7 (more here)

Is there such thing as too much Trash Talk? I personally don't think so, which is why we invited them to play not only the Attitude Adjustment party at Red 7 in March, but also Hoeks Death Metal Pizza a few days prior. And it's also why BV & 1000 Knives are happy to present a FREE, late night, ALL AGES show featuring said destructors with La Dispute, Cerebral Ballzy and Psychic Limb at new space Acheron on Friday (5/21)! Flyer below.

Trash Talk and La Dispute open for Alexisonfire at Bowery Ballroom earlier that same night. That larger Manhattan show is sold out. Afterwards, they'll scoot on over to Acheron (57 Waterbury St. Brooklyn, L train to Montrose - One block east of Bushwick Ave b/w Scholes and Meserole) to play a second time. Get there right as doors open at 11:30 because the venue is small and it will "sell out".

Trash Talk's new album Eyes & Nines hits store shelves TODAY (5/18) digitally. Order a copy on iTunes or through the band (who are also taking preorders for CDs and LPs).

Full Trash Talk tour dates, the show flyer, and tons of video (including some from Attitude Adjustment 2010) are below...

Continue reading "free late-night Trash Talk show Friday night after Bowery"

by BBG

DOWNLOAD: Saxon Shore - "This Place" (MP3)

Saxon Shore (photo by Geordy Peterson)

American post-rockers Saxon Shore hit back. It Doesn't Matter, the quintet's follow-up to 2005's The Exquisite Death of Saxon Shore is a welcome return to form for the band and their original leader Matthew Doty.

Having gone through a long period of upheaval - be it line-up changes and relocations - the band spent four solid years as a unit before plucking up the courage to hit the Tarbox Road Studios Cabin out in Cassadega, New York.

Apt then, that the unearthing of It Doesn't Matter follows a line of melodic delicacy that recent post-rock efforts appear to have departed. Album opener "Nothing Changes" rocks gently into the onslaught of feedback drenched guitars while 'Bar Clearing Good Times' maintains an unexpected steadiness that other same-vein bands like Explosions In The Sky often make the habit of breaking from. -[Altsounds]

Saxon Shore released their gorgeous Dave Fridmann-produced LP It Doesn't Really Matter last year. The song "This Place" from that album is available for download above. You can catch the band live (their only upcoming scheduled show) at the Knit on 2/5 as part of the Sounds Like Brooklyn Festival put on by BAM ("60+ shows. 15 venues. 2 weekends. Celebrating Brooklyn's best music and bands with shows throughout the borough.") American Dollar and The Abbasi Brothers open the NYC show. Tickets are on sale.

Les Savy Fav @ BAM - 1/29/10 (photo by Steven P. Marsh)

'Sounds like Brooklyn' kicked off last night (1/29) at BAM (the only venue hosting shows during this first weekend of the fest) with Les Savy Fav and Vivian Girls...

"To my surprise, [Les Savy Fav] played very tight rhythms that zagged all over the place but were not sloppy. I was reminded of times I had seen Modest Mouse, Built To Spill or The Flaming Lips, with the music being loose and jangly, yet deliberate and well-crafted at the same time. The band itself held my interest quite well, as they played the straight men to the antics of Harrington, who, instead of being a distraction, complemented the instruments rather well, reminding me at times of Jello Biafra with his voice and dialogue with the audience. Yes, he was a crazy looking fat dude running all over the stage and into the crowd, but his angry-goofy-gibberish song rants, energy, enthusiasm and sheer earnestness overcame my pre-judgment. At the start of LSF's set, Harrington dropped into the crowd beckoning people to stand, and it ended up being the right thing to do. Despite the opera house setting with assigned seating, it quickly became apparent that it would take a lot more than that to contain the force that is Les Savy Fav." [Qbertplaya]

The fest continues tonight (1/30) at the same venue with a show by Rain Machine and Anti-Pop Consortium. Tickets are still available. The Antlers and Ra Ra Riot play the opera house venue on February 5th.

The full Sounds Like Brooklyn schedule, along with a Les Savy Fav video from last night, below...

Continue reading "Les Savy Fav played BAM, Saxon Shore playing the Knit, 'Sounds Like Brooklyn' underway - full schedule & more "

Details below...

Continue reading "Bikes in the Kitchen show Saturday (noon-??)"

Ninjasonik @ MHOW Jan 2009 (more by Zach Stern)

Just down the street from the Danbro Studios Warehouse in the Bushwick/East Williamsburg part of Brooklyn is a (new-ish?) loft space called The Jungle (286 Meserole St) which has hosted some events in the past, and which is scheduled to host a big show that caught our eye on Saturday, August 22nd. Bands listed (though not totally confirmed) include Ponytail, Japanther, The DeathSet, Double Dagger, Team Robespierre, Ninjasonik, Juiceboxxx, Cerebral Ballzy, Boogie Boarder and Snakes Say Hiss.

The most unconfirmed band on that bill is Ponytail, who are more-officially playing a summer show with Mission of Burma and Fucked Up at the Williamsburg Waterfront on July 12th (or are they?). The Waterfront show is a few days before Ponytail go out on tour with Yeasayer (dates below).

Many of those other bands have other NYC shows scheduled sooner too. On June 28th, Studio B will host a day party with Team Robespierre, Ninjasonik, Hearts Revolution, Anamanaguchi and others. Japanther, Ninjasonik and Deathset will be at Lit Fuse Cyclery (409 Willoughby, Brooklyn) for a show on July 4th. Then, Ninjasonik and Japanther team up again for a show at the Whitney on July 11th.

Ninjasonik is also playing with the newly reformed 2 Live Crew on July 25th at Studio B. Tickets are on sale. 2 Live's new record, Just Wanna Be Heard, is out now on iTunes.

Yeasayer is playing a free show in Manhattan over the summer. All/more tour dates for everyone, below...

Continue reading "Brooklyn venue The Jungle, Japanther, Ninjasonik, Team Robespierre, The DeathSet, Ponytail, Yeasayer, 2 Live Crew"