photos by Amanda Hatfield

The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger

South Street Seaport kicked off their season of free River to River shows on Friday night (6/26) with a headlining set by Sean Lennon's band The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger.Blood Orange aka Dev Hynes of Lightspeed Champion opened the show. Pictures from the show are in this post.

The next Seaport show was Sunday afternoon when My Teenage Stride played a set at the Fulton Market as part of the Sound Bites Sunday series of shows that continues on July 3rd with The Hairs. The next free Friday show is this Friday, July 1st with Lower Dens and Dirty Beaches. The full list of Seaport shows (not counting the Beekman Beer Garden ones), and more pictures and videos from Friday, below...

Continue reading "The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger (Sean Lennon & Charlotte Kemp Muhl) played the Seaport w/ Blood Orange (pics, video)"

by Rachel Kowal

Rufus Wainwright & Doveman @ LPR (photo by Nicole Gitau)

After missing the last two Burgundy Stain Sessions, I was glad to be back for the fifth installment of Doveman's salon-style shows at Le Poisson Rouge. Between the rotating cast of musicians and the experimental, anything-goes attitude, you never quite know what you'll get over the course of the evening.

Though multiple artists are on the bill, the layout is rather unconventional. Instead of a series of individual performances, all of the artists collaborate and contribute to one long set. It's not seamless, but that's kind of the point. "My goal is for things to be kind of gloriously sloppy here," the host, Thomas Bartlett admitted at one point.

Bartlett (aka Doveman), kicked off the evening with a soft, melodic song on the piano, but it wasn't long before he was joined by a trumpeter and clarinetist who deftly made their way through the crowd and onto the stage, playing all the way. After a few Doveman songs, The GOASTT, aka Sean Lennon and Charlotte Kemp Muhl (of Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger) jumped up from their perch on the side of the stage. Easily one of my favorite parts of the evening, the GOASTT portion ranged widely in emotion and style. One minute it was French spoken word (Lennon) peppered with onomatopoeia interjections (Muhl) and the next featured smooth accordion-rich melodies.

After a few more from Doveman, there was a one-song interlude to "give the band a break" and Barlett welcomed his friend Nathan to the stage to deliver his wildly entertaining "lesbian separatist murder ballad" about the Manson family. Though it sounds odd, it's really the frenetic pacing that keeps things interesting and keep me returning month after month.

As promised, Rufus Wainwright joined in after the break, to wild applause from the audience. Fresh from their Kate McGarrigle tribute at Town Hall, Bartlett and Wainwright (McGarrigle's son) played a few touching covers in addition to one from Wainwright's own discography, "April Fools."

At some point, Muhl and Lennon returned for the grand finale, which, after much buildup and back story turned out to be a cover of "Across the Universe" (with Lennon on backing vox). Apparently, it was the first time Wainwright and Lennon played the song since their collaboration nearly a decade ago for the post-9/11 peace show organized by Yoko Ono. Of course after the Beatles cover, which sent chills down my spine, the encore (the Neil Young cover song "Only Love Can Break Your Heart") was just icing on the cake.

I can only wonder what next month's show will bring.

--

No guests have been announced, but tickets are on sale for the June 24th show at LPR. Doveman also plays a free show in Prospect Park with Junip and the Books five days earlier. Rufus has some stuff coming up too.

Rufus Wainwright @ Prospect Park (more by David Andrako)

Despite the addition of Rufus Wainwright to the bill, and stellar past shows, tickets are amazingly still on sale for Doveman's show at LPR tonight (5/26). The Goastt, aka Sean Lennon and Charlotte Kemp Muhl, were recently added to the show too. There's always surprise guests (like Justin Bond) and an all-star backing band too.

Rufus was also just added to another show too, one that also still has tickets on sale, and one that now boasts an extremely impressive lineup of gay icons. Rufus Wainwright, Justin Bond AND Liza Minelli (!) were all added as special guests to the Sandra Bernhard show happening June 8 at Town Hall. The date will be the world premiere of Sandra's new show "I LOVE BEING ME, DON'T YOU?" The poster confirming this info is below.

Speaking of Rufus (and Justin) at Town Hall, he and Martha just played the venue two nights in a row in honor of their mother with Justin Bond, Norah Jones, Antony Hegarty, Emmylou Harris, Teddy Thompson, Jimmy Fallon, and others. Rolling Stone was there the first night:

Although the three-hour concert was billed as "A Celebration of Kate McGarrigle," the prevailing mood was naturally somber. McGarrigle wrote and sang heartrendingly personal songs throughout most of her life; hearing them now that she's gone was emotional, to say the least. Performers and audience members alike could be seen tearing up during highlights like "I Eat Dinner (When The Hunger's Gone)" (a sweet duet between Harris and Thompson), "Go Leave" (a deeply felt rendition by Hegarty), "(Talk to Me Of) Mendocino" (sung by both Wainwright siblings with Jones), "Tell My Sister" (a wonderfully torchy performance by Martha Wainwright) and most of all "Proserpina" - the last song Kate McGarrigle wrote before her death, a sad, lovely, honest tune that brought nearly everyone back on stage to close the night's first set.

Rufus has his own show coming up, a free one where he'll be performing excerpts of his opera, in NYC in June. All tour dates below...

Continue reading "Rufus Wainwright (and Liza Minelli!) will join Sandra Bernhard @ Town Hall (where he recently played 2 nights for Kate)"

Sean Lennon & Irina Lazareanu @ Milk Studios

...according to Sean Lennon and model/musician/birthday-girl Irina Lazareanu who brought up their sadness at Pete not being at the party multiple times throughout the night. Sean said that Pete made it as far as JFK, but was met by cops who forced him to turn around and fly home.

Irina Lazareanu, Adam Green & Charlotte Kemp Muhl

The party was hosted by Irina Lazareanu (both Pete and Sean's ex girlfriend) (she was even engaged to Pete). Irina, in addition to chain smoking, performed with Sean, Sean's current girlfriend and bandmate Charlotte Kemp Muhl and Adam Green (and Adam's girlfriend (?) Cory Kennedy who played tambourine on a song). Pete was supposed to be a part of the supergroup too. They said they rehearsed with him in mind (at which point Sean said he could now get metal and they played a Sabbathy tune). They also played an Adam Green song, a Bob Dylan song, the Twist, and some other stuff.

Sean, BP Fallon & Lenny Kaye

BP Fallon opened the show both as DJ and then as frontman of his own band that included Lenny Kaye on guitar and Sean Lennon on drums. Not counting the photo of Leigh Lezark on the wall, that they were supposedly selling for charity, I didn't see any Misshapes there (they were also on the flyer). Paul Simon and Yoko Ono, both rumored as unannounced guests, were nowhere to be found either. Someone told me Bruce Willis was there, but I didn't see him. Oh yeah, and Adam Green had a black eye. More pics and stuff coming later.

UPDATE: Two videos below...

Continue reading "Pete Doherty never made it out of the airport.."

by Andrew Frisicano

Thomas Bartlett aka Doveman

On November 1st, Doveman opened up at Mercury Lounge for The Ghost of a Sabre Toothed Tiger, a project that features Sean Lenon, his model girlfriend Charlotte Kemp Muhl (who, as announced from the stage, had only learned to play bass a few months prior), Cibo Matto's Yuka Honda and mi-gu drummer Yuko Araki. A week prior, both bands performed at Doveman's loft CD release party for The Conformist with different lineups.

The headlining Ghost of a Sabre Toothed Tiger is a relatively new project (with no records out) that plays tightly composed psychedelic pop. They also dip into Sean Lennon's previous catalog, like for an extended Maggot Brain-esque jam on his 2006 song "Dead Meat." Drummer Araki in particular hit all the fills and accents as if the songs were familiar jazz charts. Doveman came back to guest on GOASTT's last song, "Richard Brown," a jokey tune from an unfinished musical. The whole band (minus Kemp Muhl) is touring Japan right now with Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band in support of her latest Between My Head and the Sky.

Doveman was also joined by a stellar band that included National drummer Bryan Devendorf and guest singer Martha Wainwright. Bartlett is currently on tour opening for Swell Season. He'll be playing at Joe's Pub on December 2nd as part of the Happy Ending music and reading series with Amanda Stern, Hedwig's John Cameron Mitchell and Jonathan Caouette. Tickets are on sale.

Doveman will also be returning to Mercury Lounge for an as-of-now unannounced bill on January 12th. Then he and frequent collaborator Nico Muhly will be doing two nights (of TBA) at The Kitchen on March 18th and 19th.

More pictures from Mercury Lounge and tour dates are below...

Continue reading "Doveman played a show w/ Sean Lennon & Co. (pics), playing some more (Mercury Lounge, Joe's Pub, The Kitchen)"

photos by Ezra Caldwell

BV: And you also played on the new Doveman record, The Conformist, which came out October 20th.

Bryce Dessner: Yeah the three of us, my brother and Bryan from [The National] all play on that record. We're kind of like the house band, so we back him up for a bunch of those songs.

National frontman Matt Berninger sings on The Conformist too. And like the album, and almost anything Thomas Bartlett (aka Doveman) does, a private album release party Doveman held in a NYC loft during CMJ was full of guest stars. Sean Lennon & Charlotte Kemp Muhl, Dawn Landes, Jennifer Charles (Elysian Fields), Bryce Dessner, and Justin Bond were all in the house (and performing with Doveman) on Friday, October 23rd. Pictures from that show are continued below.

A more public album release show happens in NYC, tonight (11/1), at Mercury Lounge. Sean Lennon & Charlotte Kemp Muhl will be there again, but this time as headliner of the show. Doveman plays right before them and as a member of their band. White Circle (Josh Wise of French Kicks) is first of fourth on the bill. The talented Julianna Barwick plays right before Dovemen. Sounds like a great way to spend a Sunday night.

On November 3rd Doveman is going out on tour with The Swell Season, though the Swell Season's Radio City date isn't listed as one of the shows he'll be opening. More pictures from the apartment show, and all tour dates, below....

Continue reading "Doveman & friends played an apt (pics), NYC show tonight (w/ Sean Lennon), 2009 Tour Dates (w/ the Swell Season)"