Yeah Yeah Yeahs at Monster Island (more by Leia Jospe)

Monster Island, Williamsburg's landmark center for the arts home to, Live With Animals, Secret Project Robot Art Space, Kayrock Screenprinting, Todd P. Practice Spaces, Mollusk Surf Shop, Oneida and a multitude of studios and rehearsal spaces would like to say goodbye in style.

Over the last 7 years we have always thrown an annual Block Party where we invite the entire neighborhood in to listen to live bands on the street, tour the building and host 2 giant art installations; as that this is our last block party ever (the building is slated for demolition in November), we'd like your help.

This year's block party will entail over 12 live music performances from building bands and members of bands such as Golden Triangle, Oneida, Man Forever, Soldiers of Fortune, DudknowDub, Cult of Youth, Vaz, K-Holes, Knyfe Hyts, Divine Order of the Blood Witch, TrycryTry and many more. It will host 2 art installations themed "Outer Space the Final Frontier" and "Liquid Gold." It will also host open studios, an all day BBQ, DJ's, a video installation in the basement by Robot Death Cult and live music in several practice spaces.

Monster Island aims to keep the Block Party FREE and is seeking donations via kickstarter. "It will go towards paying performers, printing T-Shirts and totes, setting up a killer PA system on the street, purchasing supplies for 2 art shows and securing the proper permits." They are more than halfway towards their goal. Monster Island's end is looming, but there's still time to go out in style.

The block party will take place September 10th, 2011 from 2pm until 10pm. Monster Island will be closed by October 1st.

Secret Project Robot said back in January that they'll be moving to a new space. That is still true according to their website.

Oneida played Secret Project Robot in June. NYC Taper just posted a live recording.

In related news, Todd P recently wrote, "My show schedule this summer is very reduced, for happy personal reasons. More than ever, I recommend you check out SHOWPAPER for show listings (big announcements coming soon from that organization!) and also follow the list of links to independent, all ages venue/organizer folks on this page."

And the Silent Barn Kickstarter is now over $31,000!

Defeated Sanity @ Silent Barn (more by Samantha Marble)

"The Silent Barn is an immersion into the art of New York City as it lives. It's a double-floor music venue inside of a kitchen, an independent video games arcade, an art theater & performance space, a party surveillance system, a zine library, a museum of gigantic murals, and a home for Castle Oscar. Founded in 2004, The Silent Barn is now grandfather to a beautiful re-emergence of similar spaces across Brooklyn, and a quintessential model for all-ages DIY art and music culture in America. It resides proudly alongside Flux Factory and the Museum of the Moving Image as a rare contemporary art institution in Queens, New York. It has long been the headquarters of both Showpaper and Babycastles, young and booming art institutions in NYC. It has birthed the careers of The Dirty Projectors, Dan Deacon, Future Islands, Deerhunter, Teengirl Fantasy, Vivian Girls, Real Estate, The Black Lips, Pictureplane, and many, many others.

A recent and massive theft has put the Silent Barn in a position to temporarily close operations, and we are viewing this as an opportunity to begin our transition into a viably permanent, resilient, and safe part of New York City. After several years of a rotating cast of operators, including Skeletons, Todd P, John Chavez, and Andy Borsz, The Silent Barn has settled into permanent marriage to G. Lucas Crane (Woods, Nonhorse), Joe Ahearn (ART on AIR, Showpaper), Kunal (Loud Objects, Babycastles), and Nat Roe (WFMU). We are working to co-sign a new 5-year lease for Silent Barn, officially making this a long standing piece of New York City.

We are now raising up to $80,000 in order to ensure the viability of The Silent Barn as a permanent all-ages venue for independent and experimental music, games, and art...."

That blurb comes from the DIY venue's new Kickstarter page which they're using to raise the money. As of this posting, they're at $3,912 already. Those who pledge $1000 or more will get free admission to the venue for life. Those who pledge $10 get some stickers. There are lots of other prices and prizes too. Check it out.

Check out a video of Dirty Projects playing the Queens venue below...

Continue reading "Silent Barn raising money to rebuild & be even better"

Ende Tymes Festival is a 3 day festival dedicated to DIY experimental music and video art. With workshops, discussions, screenings, and live music performances, Ende Tymes will expose local fans and artists to processes and production techniques, as well as the work of distant and older practitioners of the hands-on, street-level experimental media arts. Workshops will be conducted in DIY radio transmission, and Victorian Synths and Other Analog Wizardry. A discussion will occur between elder members of the noise and experimental music scene to talk about "street-level experimental music and the evolution of interface and community." Screenings and live performances with video will happen on 3 consecutive nights, featuring curated artists as well as selected pieces from a public call for submissions. Live performances of noise and experimental music will happen on 3 consecutive nights featuring nearly 40 acts from across the US.

More details at the fest's site. Full lineup below.

Continue reading "Ende Tymes Festival of Noise and Experimental Liberation :: June 24-26 @ Silent Barn & Outpost :: Ridgewood NY"

Broadway Backyard (more by Tim Griffin)

Woodsist and Captured Tracks have joined forces with Todd P to present a two-day festival of bands at Broadway Backyard in Brooklyn this July 3rd and 4th. More info and full lineup (so far) below....

Continue reading "Woodsist & Captured Tracks throwing a festival in Brooklyn"

words by Andrew Frisicano, photos by Tim Griffin

Dan Deacon, wearing an arm sling because of a dislocated shoulder, played three shows in NYC over the weekend (3/16 & 3/17). The first was a performance at 979 Broadway Backyard, an open lot in Bushwick, Brooklyn under the M train. The spacious spot was a mixture of rocky terrain, freshly cut grass and refuse-laced rubble. Amazingly, even with stage diving through most of the show and Dan Deacon's constant dancing instructions that sent people running across the space, there weren't any (more) major injuries (that I know of) from falling on the dark, uneven ground.

Acoustically, Deacon and the band sounded much better than at their Brooklyn Masonic Temple performance last December (didn't see NYU in April). "The ensemble," as Deacon referred to his band throughout the night, played clearly, with a sound that added nuance to Deacon's usual overblown-synth sound.

Dan Deacon stood on stage all set and filled the space between songs with instructions for dancing, rants about elves, warnings about stavediving (particularly after someone knocked his gear on to the front row) and appreciation to the neighborhood. The heavy crowd participation (singing, making people-bridges, dancing in a circle) came off as genuine and matched the spirit of the ad hoc venue (which I'm sure took a lot of cooperation to get together), its summer-fest vibe and the energetic crowd.

Teeth Mountain and Future Islands opened the show. One commenter writes that "homosexuals were an unannounced special guest, right at 6:15."

The second and third Dan Deacon shows of the weekend were at the Bowery Ballroom on Saturday, March 16th. How were they? On Sunday he played the 9:30 Club in DC, and like they did for Animal Collective, NPR recorded and is streaming the whole show.

More pictures from the Friday show with all tour dates from Dan Deacon's upcoming European tour, below...

Continue reading "Dan Deacon played Broadway Backyard in Bushwick (pics), Bowery Ballroom & the 9:30 Club (NPR stream) "

Vanishing Point is a D.I.Y. venue in Bushwick, Brooklyn. We are a 4700 sq. foot industrial loft that presents amazing shows, parties, and performances.

We are obsessed with the creativity that is overflowing in this city, the incredible nitelife that has emerged from it, and the musicians, artists, DJs, and promoters that are making it all happen.

Vanishing Point was created to be a host to all of that.

Our location in central Bushwick is convenient and extremely accessible

240 Meserole Street, Brooklyn, NY
L train to Montrose Ave. stop - walk 1 block
L train to Grand St. stop - walk 4 blocks

Vanishing Point has a very busy schedule for the next few months...

Continue reading "Vanishing Point is a D.I.Y. venue in Bushwick"

====> SUNDAY 6/15 @ OLIVA'S REFRIGERATION <====

--IMPORTANT--> pls respect Olivo's store and do not stand on, tag, orotherwise damage his stock of used refrigerators and appliances. Olivo is a struggling small businessman - this store & those refrigerators are all he's got. Please exercise RESPECT

|| Boyfriends
|||| Other Passengers
|||||| Golden Error

378 Bedford Ave @ S 5th St | Williamsburg, Brooklyn L-Bedford, JM-Marcy, G-Metropolitan | 8pm | all ages | $tba
[Todd P]

"stuff" includes the Bike Film Festival going on now....

Simone Pace of Blonde Redhead @ Studio B (Bike Fest) - May 28 (jenac)

Video below....

Continue reading "I Heart Brooklyn TV looks at DIY venues & stuff (video)"

Continue reading "'Seaport Music Producers Launch DIY Shows'"

Showpaper is a FREE bi-weekly print-only publication which aims to list and promote all ages DIY shows in the NYC and tri-state area. We hope to spread the word about shows that would otherwise slip under the radar. Each issue will also feature a full color piece of art by a contemporary artist. Look for it in your local record store/gallery/café.

The recognizable art you see on the cover of issue 3 above was done by Best Fwends' Dustin Pilkington.