by BBG

High on Fire at Fun Fun Fun Fest (more by BBG)

March 16th, March 16th, March 16th! If you're going to be in Austin, save the date on your calendar folks! On Friday March 16th, 2012 at Scoot Inn (1308 e4th St), BrooklynVegan, The Power of The Riff, and Southern Lord will combine forces for a MARATHON of events that kickoff at noon and end waaaaay after the sun goes down.

The FREE daytime portion, in conjunction with the four-day Thrasher/Converse "Death Match" event at the venue, is an all-ages shindig that will kick off at noon and feature a skateramp with skaters and bands all day long. Shortly after doors open, expect to see eleven bands across two stages including sets from the following:

March 16, 2012 @ Scoot Inn, Austin, TX (noon-6pm)
* High on Fire
* Off!
* Trash Talk
* Black Cobra
* Ceremony
* Deafheaven
* Full of Hell
* Heartless
* Balaclava
* Dead in The Dirt
* DNF (members of Trash Talk, Touche Amore)

That's right... High on Fire AND Off! AND Trash Talk (playing their FOURTH year of SXSW shows with us) AND Black Cobra AND Ceremony all in the same space, not to mention the awesome undercard of bands like Deafheaven (playing their second year of SXSW shows with BV), new favorites Full of Hell, Balaclava, Heartless and Dead in The Dirt. It is going to be insane, so bring a hard hat.

As the day show comes to a close, we'll get ready for our night show at the same venue... amounting to a total of FOURTEEN HOURS of destruction! Not to mention the food trucks, a full bar, and so much more to keep you fed and hydrated (or buzzed, depending on your poison) during the onslaught. Stay tuned to BrooklynVegan for details regarding the official night showcase, and for more about the day show, including set times. In the meantime, head below for video of some of the bands playing our MEGA-show at Scoot Inn on March 16th!

Continue reading "BrooklynVegan, Southern Lord & Power of The Riff present a back-to-back day show/official SXSW showcase at Scoot Inn"

by BBG

Youth of Today at Chaos in Tejas (more by BBG)

After many years away from the road, Youth of Today will return to play a free CMJ show at Santos Party House in NYC on Saturday, 10/22. This is the same show that Trash Talk & Kylesa are playing, not to mention AraabMUZIK, Action Bronson, Mr. Motherfuckin eXquire, Main Attrakionz and many others for what will be an eclectic mix of stoner, hardcore, and hip hop. Converse's "True Til Def" will be hosted by the venue's own Andrew WK and is open to the 21+ public, but RSVP is required. Full lineup and flyer for the show is below.

In related news, Primitive Weapons (who are also on the 10/22 show) will support Rwake & Hull at Mercury Lounge on 10/10 as part of Hull's record release party. Tickets are on sale.

Trash Talk also plays at least two other CMJ shows.

Converse lineup and flyers below...

Continue reading "Youth of Today playing Converse CMJ show w/ Kylesa, Action Bronson, eXquire, AraabMUZIK, Primitive Weapons & more"

Live Room at Rubber Tracks

Just in time to remind people that Vans is not the only sneaker with a new presence in Brooklyn...

Converse Inc. announced the official opening of Converse Rubber Tracks, a new state-of-the-art recording studio in Brooklyn, NY. Converse Rubber Tracks will provide dedicated artists of all genres the opportunity to record their original music in a high quality studio alongside a team of experienced engineers at no cost. Converse Rubber Tracks is providing a new platform for musicians by helping them overcome one of the biggest hurdles in their career -- affording studio time.

...Converse will support the local New York music scene with the first round of emerging bands set to record at Converse Rubber Tracks. Kicking off today [7/13], five emerging New York area bands including the funk/R&B group Aabaraki (Brooklyn, NY), psychedelic rock group Majuscules (Brooklyn, NY), hip/hop funk group G.I.C & Funk Face (Brooklyn, NY), R&B pop artist Andre Henry (New York, NY) and the pop/punk band Super Rocket Car (New Brunswick, NJ) will begin recording at the space. They will work alongside a team of experienced and professional engineers to lay down original music that the artists themselves will retain all rights for.

That text comes from a press release Converse sent out. An article in the Wall Street Journal mentions that Converse has the lease for 5 years, and reminds us that...

Along with its famous density of music acts, Williamsburg also has a surplus of recording studios. At least four professional studios operate within four blocks of Rubber Tracks. Converse also had reason to worry about riling the locals.

"It's a scary situation to have people give recording time away for free," says Oliver Straus, owner and chief engineer at Mission Sound Recording. He says [the marketing company who helped Converse set up the Studio] Cornerstone approached him a couple years ago with the idea of running the operation out of his studio on Powers Street. But as Rubber Tracks took shape as a stand-alone facility, he says, "there were many assurances that this would not be an adversarial thing."

In fact, Mr. Straus expects to generate some business from Rubber Tracks. Mission Sound is one of the local studios that may be offered overflow work from Rubber Tracks.

More below...

Continue reading "Converse Rubber Tracks studio is now open in Williamsburg"

photos bt Chris La Putt

Ted Leo / Big Freedia

Thanks again to everyone for an amazing extended CMJ 2010 weekend that started Thursday night at Music Hall of Williamsburg, continued Friday afternoon at Public Assembly followed by a loft party followed by the free Converse-presented show at Public Assembly on Saturday afternoon, 10/23 (the subject of this post), and which ended on a high, and heavy, note at Union Pool later that night.

Thanks again to Converse who just opened a big store in SoHo, and to our sponsors V-Spot (go eat there for a great vegan meal in Park Slope), Firefly Vodka + Bourbon, Magic Hat, and Raw Revolution.

This second set of pictures from the event continues below...

Continue reading "BV & Converse day party in pics & video - part 2 (Jamie Lidell, Big Freedia, Ted Leo, Titus Andronicus, Wild Nothing, more)"

most photos by Andrew St. Clair, Jamie Lidell photos by Leia Jospe
videos by Bleary Eyed Brooklyn

Jamie Lidell / Marnie Stern

"As a sucker for daytime events, I headed to Williamsburg's Public Assembly around noon for a show curated by BrooklynVegan. First up (and by "first", I mean, "the first artist I woke up in time to see") was Ted Leo. Performing skeletal, solo versions of his Pharmacists material, Ted more than compensated for the sparse arrangements with furious strumming and hilarious banter. It was nice to see an older, established artist opening a free show designed to showcase rising stars; it sort of set the tone for the rest of the day. His hit-heavy set spanned the full-duration of career, touching on high-water marks like "The High Party" and "Bottled in Cork", and closing with a cover of Euro-dance phenom Robyn's "With Every Heartbeat". This was a perfect set to open the day, and my only recommendation is that the next synth jam he covers be "Chewing Gum", by Annie...

...Closing the show, metal prodigy Marnie Stern dominated stage two, directly opposite neo-funkster Jamie Lidell headlining the main room. While she reveled in the loose atmosphere, dropping hilariously lewd stage banter and slamming PBR's, Lidell tried a throwback set reflecting his early, robotic Warp Records catalog." [MTV Music Blog]

Thanks again to everyone for an amazing extended CMJ weekend that started Thursday night at Music Hall of Williamsburg, continued Friday afternoon at Public Assembly followed by a loft party followed by the free Converse-presented show at Public Assembly on Saturday afternoon, 10/23 (the subject of this post), and which ended on a high, and heavy, note at Union Pool later that night.

Hopefully you got there early on Saturday to catch Morning Teleportation who went on when we opened the doors around noon. If so, you may have also grabbed one of the free EarPeace earplugs we gave out, and grabbed a free V-Spot empanada. Hopefully you also had your fill of the free Firefly Vodka + Bourbon and Magic Hat beer we were giving out, snacked on free Raw Revolution bars, bought a free t-shirt or poster for charity (email if you still want one - we have more left). If you weren't there, maybe you caught the live stream (if we can ever make it available for podcast, I will let you know).

Thanks to Line 6 and Vinny's Music for providing gear. Thanks to Vinnie's Pizza for helping feed our bands!

Speaking of the bands, hopefully Titus Andronicus's short set didn't bum you out. And if it did, hopefully Big Freedia cheered you right back up.

Like for the Friday party, there are two sets of pictures for this one. The second one is on its way. The first one, along with a bunch of videos, continues below...

Continue reading "BV Saturday day party in pics & video - part 1 (Marnie Stern, Dominique Young Unique, Heavy Cream, No Joy & more)"

For those keeping count, BrooklynVegan will be at Music Hall of Williamsburg Thursday night, Public Assembly on Friday day, and Sunday night at Union Pool. Add to that list (as previously mentioned): Saturday day at Public Assembly. And for this one we teamed up with Converse to bring you the following stellar 100% FREE SHOW....

The date: Saturday, October 23rd, 2010
The time: noon-6pm
The place: Public Assembly (70 North 6th St)
the bands:

STAGE 1
12:00 Morning Teleportation
01:00 Ted Leo (solo)
01:45 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.
02:30 Wild Nothing
03:15 Titus Andronicus
04:15 Big Freedia
05:00 Jamie Lidell
DJ sets by SUNCELEb

STAGE 2
12:15 Evan Voytas
01:00 S. Carey
01:45 The Crayon Fields
02:30 Heavy Cream
03:15 Dominique Young Unique
04:00 No Joy
04:45 Reggie Watts
05:05 Marnie Stern

That's sixteen kick ass (yes, Big Freedia is performing) artists (including the DJ) in six free hours (yes, Ted Leo plays at 1pm). But that's not all... We'll have free alcoholic beverages (sorry, this event is 21+) and free food. And free EarPeace ear plugs to the first 50 people through the door (a $14.95 value). Get there for:

* free EarPeace (while supplies last)
* free V-Spot breakfast burritos & empanadas (while supplies last)
* free Firefly Vodka + Bourbon (while supplies last)
* free Magic Hat beer (while supplies last)
* free Raw Revolution bars

No ticket or RSVP necessary. No badges. Just get there early and get inside. You won't need to spend any money, though we will have some schwag for sale to help raise some cash for Music Has Power (The Institute for Music and Neurologic Function). Moby talks more about what that is in a video we posted in our Friday party announcement.

Can't make it? We'll be streaming select sets live on Converse Radio. Tune in.

Converse is doing a lot lately to help support music, and has especially hooked up Brooklyn. You might have heard about this:

"Converse announced details for an unprecedented initiative that directly supports artistic creativity and the music community in a unique way through the opening of a new, state-of-the-art recording studio in Brooklyn, NY later this year. Converse Rubber Tracks will provide emerging artists with the incredible opportunity to record music in a high-quality studio alongside a team of experienced local engineers at no cost. Converse Rubber Tracks will provide a platform for new musicians and directly help them overcome one of the biggest hurdles in their career-affording studio time."

Musicians should apply for free studio time at the Converse Rubber Tracks site.

Stay tuned to @bvCMJ for even more CMJ news and updates than you'll find on BrooklynVegan.com.

Oh, and if you oversleep, you can also catch Ted Leo later that day at the WFMU Record Fair or in December at Terminal 5 with the New Pornographers.

Thanks to: Zach Jaeger of Tonally Dude Productions for the sweet flyer you see above, and to Vinny's Music for providing us with some sweet gear, and to Underground Press (who have their own day party on Thursday) for getting us some merch printed to help raise money for charity including screenprinted versions of the above poster that we'll have available at the show.

Some videos below...

Continue reading "free BrooklynVegan & Converse Saturday day party @ Public Assembly -- lineup (15 bands, free drinks, food & more)"

photos by Alex Reside

Pictures and video from last night's Converse party at Music Hall of Williamsburg continue below...

Continue reading "Rostam, Best Coast & Kid Cudi performed "All Summer" (and others songs) @ MHOW (pics & video)"

You may have heard by now that Vampire Weekend, XL Recordings and a photographer named Tod Brody are being sued for 2 million dollars by Contra cover model Kirsten Kennis. She claims that she never gave permission for them to use a picture that was taken of her in 1983 (back when she was actually a model), and that the photographer basically tricked the band and label into thinking they were buying it legally. She says the band and label are also at fault for not doing due diligence when they paid $5000 for the picture from Tod. She thinks she deserves 2 million because her picture was obviously the reason the band's album was so successful... That's basically the info that most sites are posting, but I obtained a copy of the court documents and there's more...

First of all, her full name is Ann Kirsten Kennis, though when she was a model she just went by "Kirsten". She was a "high-fashion model under contract with prestigious agencies in New York City" in the 80's and early 90's. Her picture has appeared in clothing, jewelry, cosmetics and automobile ads, and for that she was "highly compensated" and "enjoyed numerous assignments".

She lives in Fairfield, CT, and most interestingly, she claims Tod didn't even take the picture. Her real last name doesn't even appear in the contract Vampire Weekend signed when they bought it. The allegedly forged/fake contract is with "Kirsten Johnsen" and signed by "Kirsten Johnson" (yes, the document has the last name spelled two different ways).

If Tod didn't take the picture, I'm not sure how he thought he would get away with it since she would obviously eventually see it. Whether he took it or not, it's still displayed in his portfolio (with "kirsten" in the file name), though his page that displayed the Vampire Weekend album cover is now gone.

Not content with all that, I went on a search for another picture of Kirsten, but unfortunately I came up dry though I do think I found a picture of her dog, and what might be her not-quite-operational "Cosmic Cubs" teddy bear website (which would be consistent with the possibility that her family is in the toy business). It's also possible that back before she was married, her name may have been Ann Klendshoj which is the name of someone who had a nasty run in with a creepy doctor in 1994. Speaking of creepy, I'll end this paragraph here.

Rostam from Vampire Weekend, Kid Cudi & Bethany of Best Coast made a new song for Converse. The video for that track, "All Summer", is below...

Continue reading "Who is Ann Kirsten Kennis? (besides the Contra album cover model suing Vampire Weekend, XL & photographer Tod Brody)"

photos by Matthew Eisman

"Home from Portugal. Not the country. The Man. Beautiful day on governors island. NYC is a truly remarkable place." - David Colicchio

Portugal. The Man headlined Saturday's edition of "Gone to Governors", the Converse--presented free series of shows on Governors Island this summer which also had a special edition on July 4th, one day later, with She and Him and Oakley Hall.

The next free gig on the island is Saturday, July 10th, with Lucero and J-Roddy Walston and The Business (and possibly one more act TBA) (Doors: 6:00PM/ Show: 8:00PM).

Hopewell and Alberta Cross (pictured above) opened the July 3rd show. More pictures from that one, with the headliner's setlist, below...

Continue reading "Portugal the Man, Alberta Cross & Hopewell played Goverors Island (pics & setlist)"

Hopewell @ ATP NY 2009 (more by Ryan Muir)

As discussed, the free Converse-presented "Gone to Governors" show on Governors Island this Saturday, July 3rd, will be: Portugal. The Man w/ Alberta Cross & Hopewell. Doors: 6:00 pm/ Show: 8:00 pm. First come, first served. If you can't be there, listen from home on ConverseRadio.com.

Portugal The Man (do I have to put a period in the middle of their name?) debuted a new video for their song "The Dead Dog" today. Check that out with specific ferry instructions for the Saturday show, below...

Continue reading "new Portugal. The Man video & free show Saturday (take a ferry there or stream it at home)"

DOWNLOAD: The Morning Benders - Cold War (Wallpaper. Winter Remix) (MP3)

Caribou @ Bowery Ballroom (more by Benjamin Lozovsky)

What is now being considered the full lineup for the ten-show, Converse-sponsored "Gone to Governors" series at Governors Island is almost complete (openers still TBA). There are ten shows total - seven of which are on Saturdays. One is on a Friday. Two are on Sundays (one of which is July 4th). All except Local Natives on August 7th are free.

The lineup's latest additions include co-headliners Caribou & Phantogram with The Chain Gang of 1974 (July 16th), and Josh Ritter with openers Justin Townes Earle and Dawn Landes (August 8th).

Here's the whole thing:

1. June 05 - Yeasayer, Keepaway, Delicate Steve
2. June 19 - The Morning Benders, Freelance Whales & TBA
3. July 03 - Portugal. The Man & TBA
4. July 04 (Sunday) - She & Him
5. July 10 - Lucero & TBA
6. July 16 (Friday) - Caribou, Phantogram, The Chain Gang of 1974
7. July 17 - Dr. Dog & TBA
8. Aug. 07 - Local Natives & TBA ($10 ticket)
9. Aug. 08 (Sunday) - Josh Ritter & The Royal City Band, Justin Townes Earle, Dawn Landes & the Hounds
10. Aug. 14 - Neon Indian & TBA
11. Aug 15 - Dr. Dog

The doors are at 6pm, show at 8pm for all shows (except for the afternoon She & Him show, which has doors at noon, show at 4pm). I originally thought there would be shows every Saturday, but I'm told this is it (for now anyway).
http://www.brooklynvegan.com/archives/2010/06/dr_dog_governor.html
Ferry service to Governors Island for the "Gone to Governors" shows is free. As previously reported the series is being co-produced by Bowery Presents, Highline Ballroom and Mad Dog Presents with Converse and event partner Water Taxi Beach. BrooklynVegan is the media sponsor.

The shows will be held at the Beach at Governors Island, one of three venues on the Island. The others are Colonel Row (where Passion Pit will be playing, for instance) and South Island Field (which'll host M.I.A./HARD NYC). Michael Franti & Spearhead w/ Trombone Shorty kicks off the season of pay-shows at the Island with a Thursday, June 3rd performance there.

The Morning Benders will headline the second show in the series on June 19th, and they just released new song "Go Grab A Stranger," a Big Echo b-side currently available as a limited tour 7", streaming below. A remix of their song "Cold War" by Oakland act Wallpaper is available above.

"Go Grab A Stranger" and more info on the Gov. Island shows are below...

Continue reading "Gone to Governors - full 10 mostly-free show lineup (Caribou, Phantogram, Josh Ritter, She & Him & Local Natives included)"

photos by Chris La Putt, words by Andrew Frisicano

"This is the first outdoor New York show we've played where it hasn't rained," said Dirty Projectors' Dave Longstreth (or something like it) of the sunshine and light clouds that soared over his band, and both of Sunday's openers, Magnolia Electric Co. and Crystal Antlers (who replaced White Denim on the bill). (it rained during Dirty Projectors' Sumerstage show in June and their lightning-backed Seaport gig last year.)

It was the second Jelly NYC Pool Party at the Williamsburg Waterfront aka East River State Park where activities include dodgeball, basketball, and drinking beer in a roped off area (but not slip n slide). The view of Manhattan, Empire State Building included, along with the breeze from the water make it a great place for spending the day outdoors. The live music makes it even better.

After the inaugural Waterfront event on July 12th, the July 19th show was more of a laid back affair -- a vibe carried by the organ-driven sound of Jason Molina and Magnolia Electric Co., who went on around 4:30pm. The band from Indiana made it clear they were very happy to be there and having a great time. After their set you could catch them behind their own merch table until the end of the show.

From the opening notes of "Two Doves" at 6:15, Dirty Projectors' set got off to a slow start (that opener being one of the most low energy songs on either of their last two albums). The band continued with new-album material before launching into a mid-set stretch of older songs. I was wondering how they'd rearrange the older material, it turns out they didn't. The band played the Rise Above and before material with their two new touring members (singer Haley Dekle and bassist Nat Baldwin) off the stage. The combination of "Fucked for Life," "Gimme Gimme Gimme," "Thirsty & Miserable" and "Rise Above" injected some much-needed energy into the crowd. In my opinion, the tension and drama in those is unmatched by anything on the (still good) new record. From there, single "Stillness Is the Move" solicited cries of excitement and applause. That song led a straight shot through the Dirty Projectors' poppiest numbers, closing with a two song encore and Dark Was the Night track "Knotty Pine" (though without David Byrne there to sing his part like he did at Radio City and Bonnaroo).

I was a bit farther back, but upfront Chris had a different view of something I missed... (of someone who wasn't content yelling his marriage pleas from the crowd).

"It was a blur. During the Dirty Projector's set a man managed to get into the photographer's pit and attempted to rush the stage. He climbed onto one of the speakers in front of the stage nearly toppling it over before security managed to pull him off and escort him out of the pit."

Yikes!

Crystal Antlers opened the show, but I personally got there too late to see them. Chris did get pictures though. More of them, along with an attempt at the DP setlist, below...

Continue reading "Dirty Projectors, Magnolia Electric Co & Crystal Antlers @ the Williamsburg Waterfront - pics & setlist"

by Black Bubblegum

DOWNLOAD: Harpoon - "Frogs, Boils, Locusts..." (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Complete Failure - "Like Rainbows in Gasoline" Demo (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Complete Failure - "Brown Acid Brainwound" Demo (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Complete Failure - "Subliminal Force of Suggestive Notion" Demo (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Super Happy Fun Slide - "Fast One" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Super Happy Fun Slide - "Bohemian" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Elder - "White Walls" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Serpentcult - "The Weight Of Light" (MP3)

Welcome to this week in Metal! This week we'll start with the pedal to the floor with Harpoon of Chicago, who will release their new LP Double Gnarly / Triple Suicide on Interloper Records. Featuring members of 7000 Dying Rats, the band recorded the LP in August 2008 with Andy Nelson (Weekend Nachos), sending it off to metal-mastering go-to Scott Hull (Pig Destroyer, Agoraphobic Nosebleed) for the finishing touches. The trio takes advantage of the drum machine gun to create a relentless grind assault reminiscent of Plague Bringer, Agoraphobic Nosebleed, or Genghis Tron (sans keys). Check out "Frogs, Boils, Locusts..." available for download above, and cop it on limited LP (400 in black, 100 in white & blue marbled vinyl) when it drops on Feb 10th! Harpoon recently added bassist DJ Baracca (ex-Lair of The Minotaur) to their ranks and have added a few live dates in and around the Chi (dates below).

Absu have announced a new self-titled album, posting the ripping new track "Girra's Temple" to their myspace. Due on Feb 24th on Candlelight Records, the band have also lined up a few dates including SXSW on Mar 20th at Spiros and at... you guessed it... Maryland Deathfest. Meanwhile, Absu is garnering alot of media attention lately... check out features in Metal Maniacs, Terrorizer, and Zero Tolerance.

Hot off of the release of his first solo album Punctuated Equilibrium, Wino will play his first show with his solo band (featuring skinsman extraordinaire Jean-Paul Gaster of Clutch) at the 9:30 club in Washington, DC on Sat Feb 7th! Wino will be joined by King Giant and the mighty Salome, who will be in NYC with Ocean on Feb 15th. In related news, Clutch have released their first digital single "King Of Arizona" (iTunes users, buy it here), from the upcoming remastered Slow Hole to China, Rare & Unreleased. The band have lined up a few dates with their alter ego (most of 'em anyway), The Bakerton Group including Feb 27 at The Chance in Poughkeepsie and Feb 28 at The Crazy Donkey in Farmingdale. Full tour dates below.

As much theorized and finally realized, The Auditory Assault Festival will take place at Club Europa on May 16 & 17.

Complete Failure announced a short tour of the east coast and the midwest with Polish grinders Antigama including an NYC date at Europa on May 20th. Details are forthcoming, full tour dates are below. The Pittsburghers (CF) have posted a trio of demo tracks at their website, check them out above. Antigama is prepping for March 3rd, when Relapse will drop their new album Warning.

Mastodon's Crack The Skye artwork

Mastodon is currently streaming "Divinations" from the upcoming Crack The Skye. Check it out kids... it's a burner! The single is also available for sale with a limited edition tee. Mastodon and Genghis Tron are playing the Coachella festival this year.

Eyehategod, Rotten Sound, Cripple Bastards, Malignancy, Resistant Culture, and Voetsek have been added to the Los Angeles Murderfest!

Napalm fucking Death will be in NYC in April!

Rise Above dropped the new album by Belgians Serpentcult, a doomy hybrid of Electric Wizard and High on Fire fronted by Michelle Nocon, a female with some SERIOUS pipes. The Weight of Light was produced by Billy Anderson (Sleep, Neurosis, Melvins) and the band is streaming three of those tracks at their myspace, with the title track available for download above. So far the band haven't added any North American dates, but if they do, we'll let you know (european tour dates below). Meanwhile, dig on an interview that Serpentcult did with Hellride Music here.

Coliseum have announced a slew of tourdates (below) as well as a new seven-inch entitled "True Quiet / Last Wave" on Deathwish! Full tour dates are below. Coliseum with join Converge, Genghis Tron (who was recently added), Ceremony, Pulling Teeth, and Rise & Fall at Europa on March 27th.

Blut Aus Nord have posted "The Formless Sphere (Beyond The Reason)" to their myspace page, the first new song from the upcoming Memoria Vetusta II - Dialogue With The Stars. Look for in Feb 23rd on Candlelight.

Valient Thorr have added a February 6th show at The Shank in Greenpoint (98 Bayard @ Leonard) with Acid Tiger, Golden Error, with Tournament. This show makes it TWO NYC dates.... don't forget about their upcoming show with Anthrax and a half pipe.

Minsk, Slayer, Battlefields, Devourment, Obituary, and more below...

Continue reading "This Week In METAL (02/02/09)"

DOWNLOAD: Nickel Eye - Dying Star (off East Village Radio) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Nickel Eye - Brandy of the Damned (off East Village Radio) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Native Korean Rock - Rapt (from MySpace) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Native Korean Rock - OOO (live @ Union Pool) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Native Korean Rock - Day Go By (live @ Union Pool) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: N.E.R.D. - My Drive Thru w/ Santogold & Julian Casablancas (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Albert Hammond Jr. - GfC (MP3)

Band Members: nickel eye (guitar, vocals, electric bass, double bass, harmonica); South: Joel Cadbury (steel guitar), Jamie McDonald (guitar), Brett Shaw (drums) and very special guests: Regina Spektor (piano), Nick Zinner of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs (guitar), Jack Dishel of Only Son (back up vocals), Jesse Wallace (drums) + more...

About nickel eye: Soon to be released The Time of the Assassins... For the moment, you can visit Mark Ronson's most recent radio broadcast (06/06/08) of "Authentic Shit" at www.eastvillageradio.com. At 1hr and 19mins, you will find a sneak preview of two songs and an interview with nickel eye.

Get it? Nickel Eye. Nikolai.

Regina Spektor is also working with Ben Folds and playing a show with another Stroke, Albert Hammond Jr., who has some new music out of his own.

And while Albert and Nickel Eye are busy doing their thing, Julian has been wearing Converse and hanging with Pharrell (soon to be a daddy?) and Santogold. I don't know what's up with The Strokes, but if there is something up, Pharrell also wants to be involved.

And while Nick Zinner has been keeping busy with Nickel Eye, Karen O has been also doing her Native Korean Rock thing which included two shows the other night at Union Pool and some demos on MySpace. Yeah.

Download a whole bunch of MP3s above. The Karen O live tracks were ripped from two of the three YouTube videos you can watch below...

Continue reading "3 Strokes side projects, 2 Yeah Yeah Yeahs, 4 bands, 7 MP3s"

Amy spotted the above sign in Red Hook today.

You probably already heard that Converse is giving away a song written by Pharrell Williams, N.E.R.D., Santogold and Julian Casablancas "as part of the brand's Century celebration". I put the whole press release for that one below....

Continue reading "Converse recording artist Santogold filming in Red Hook"