Muggabears

MTV News highlights Brooklyn, Todd P, Yeasayer, Grizzly Bear, Dirty Projectors, MGMT and The Muggabears....

Continue reading "Yeasayer, Todd P, Grizzly Bear, Dirty Projectors, Muggabears on MTV News + a special Place To Bury Strangers show"

Dirty Projectors @ Knitting Factory, NYC - New Years Eve, 2007/8 (CRED)

BV contributor Nick Masi was there, and he sent me this quick review:

They were great, of course. It was cool seeing them at Knitting Factory and Longstreth seemed to be in the best spirits I have ever seen him. They went on around 11:40 and played til about 12:20! That was the worst part of the show. I was kind of shocked. Especially because they didn't play "Rise Above." They missed the countdown, like everyone always does, but they made up for it. They stopped "Gimme Gimme Gimme" to do the countdown, and then went right into "New Attitude" to start 2008!

Dirty Projectors were also recently featured on NPR where the comments indicate they are as controversial there, as they are around here.

What sucks about this is that I already have plans. Dirty Projectors (and many others) are playing the 'After The Jump' New Years Eve party at Knitting Factory in NYC. One pair of free tickets goes to someone who....

Continue reading "Dirty Projectors playing New Years Eve, win tix"

"Dirty Projectors. Or High Places. Or The USA Is a Monster. They’re basically making this pop music that is appealing to a lot of people but has textures that are very avant and very experimental, while at the same time being accepted by mainstream crowds. That’s something that didn’t exist in New York. When I moved to New York, pretty much the best bands in the scene sounded like Gang of Four. You know?"

"Cakeshop. I like Glasslands. Those are two places that have all the legal things they have to have to be a club while at the same time being relaxed places that are about the music. I like the Knitting Factory."

"I was handing out the fliers on the sidewalk outside of Bowery Ballroom. The bouncer came over, knocked me down and knocked the fliers out of my hand."

Todd is currently on a break, but his page still lists a few shows - like a High Places show at Death By Audio on Monday December 10th, and a Team Robespierre one at Silent Barn on the 14th.

"There’s a world of cross-references in Dirty Projectors’ music: stuttering modal riffs from Mali, the meandering melodies of opera or modern music theater, pygmy antiphonal vocals, Captain Beefheart, Zimbabwean and Congolese rock, King Crimson, Talking Heads, Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks. Usually Mr. Longstreth sustained a sweetly androgynous croon as the music jittered all around him, but in “Police Story” — set to slow tom-tom thumps, steady guitar chords and a descant from the women’s voices — he followed his winding, leaping melody up to a yelping crescendo of desperation." [NY Times]

More on the Bowery show HERE.

My opinion hasn't changed. A Dirty Projectors concert is an extremely pleasant experience. Like the friendly heckler said, "Why are you so amazing?!" I just wish they played an encore. More photos by Bao Nguyen below....

Continue reading "Dirty Projectors @ Bowery Ballroom, NYC - pics"

DOWNLOAD: Sidetrack (Dirty Projectors) - Too Much Pressure (MP3)

This song will appear in the soundtrack for an independent film, 'Vernon Avenue' by Steffani Jemison and Amiel Melnick that takes place in Bed Stuy. The words are adapted from a scene in the movie where a man is teaching a girl how to play the guitar. I wrote the music, SideTrack and I co-produced. They are playing second at the Bowery on Tues, after Julianna Barwick and before White Williams." -Dave Longstreth of Dirty Projectors

Tonight's show is still not sold out (Dec 4, 2007). Sidetrack was also scheduled to back Grizzly Bear on Conan O'Brien - the show that never happened due to the writer's strike. Grizzly Bear recently offered up these two sweet tracks.....

DOWNLOAD: Daniel Rossen (Grizzly Bear) - Too Little Too Late (Jo Jo cover) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Grizzly Bear - Graceland (Paul Simon) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Feist - Intuition (alternate version) (MP3)

Ed Droste top 15 albums of 2007 below.....

Continue reading "Sidetrack, Dirty Projectors, Bowery show, Julianna Barwick, Grizzly Bear, Daniel Rossen & Ed's top 15 (MP3s)"

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"

DOWNLOAD: White Williams - New Violence (MP3)

White Williams @ Bowery Ballroom, NYC - Oct 17, 2007 (CRED)

White Williams has been added as opener for the Dirty Projectors show at Bowery Ballroom. After seeing White Williams twice during CMJ (one of them being at the show pictured above), I thought, "he's good - kind of mellow, but I don't really need to see him again. Having the album, and having seen him at least once is good enough for now. " That said, I'll still show up early enough to catch him anytime he opens a show that I'm going to anyway. His (their) most recent NYC show was opening for Battles at Webster Hall (which I didn't go to). All tour dates below...

Continue reading "White Williams - 2007 Tour Dates (Dirty Projectors show)"

Dirty Projectors in London, October 2007 (CRED)

Currently busy on tour in Europe until the end of November, Dirty Projectors will play a headlining show at Bowery Ballroom in NYC on December 4th (tix on sale Wednesday). Yeasayer recently said an interview,

One of the best shows we’ve ever played was with Dirty Projectors, Spank Rock, and Ponytail all on the same bill. That kind of diversity is ideal. [Drowned in Sound]

I saw a show of a band called the Dirty Projectors at the Black Cat, I was screaming like a girl they were so good. Oh my god! I was actually starting to worry about my relationship with rock and roll, nothing was really like... I mean there were things I would appreciate and enjoy listening to, but I hadn’t been obsessed with rock music for a while. And I kind of got a band crush, I kind of flipped out about this band. [DCist]

Continue reading "Dirty Projectors playing Bowery -- 2007 Tour Dates"

First of all, Dirty Projectors are playing Zebulon tonight (Oct 3)

Dirty Projectors @ Mercury Lounge, NYC - Sept 28, 2007

The Dirty Projectors show at Mercury Lounge on September 28th was my favorite show in recent history. Amazing. Led by Dave Longstreth on guitar and vocals, the Dirty Projectors change lineups all the time. I didn't like them in the past, but what I saw Friday night completely blew me away. It was just unfortunate that they only played for 45 minutes - on the other hand, maybe it was perfect. Brian Mcomber plays drums, and Amber Coffman & Angel Deradoorian perfectly accopmany Dave on vocals and guitar & bass - a tight back and forth of highs and lows and I don't even know (cause as I said, I have a trouble describing it). It's tight. Just see them if you can (unless the CD turns you off - then they just might not be your thing).

More photos by Sandwich! below....

Continue reading "Dirty Projectors played Mercury Lounge - playing Zebulon"

DOWNLOAD: Dirty Projectors - No More (MP3)

Dirty Projectors' Rise Above is one of my favorite albums of 2007, and I fell in love with it within 30 seconds of first putting it on. That was a few months ago, and it still sounds great now. My first reaction was something like "Yes, this is exactly the album I've been waiting for!" - something like when I first heard Antony & The Johnsons. It doesn't even matter that the album is a "reimagining" of Black Flag's Damaged - it's just great at what it is, which is a complicated, emotional up and down all over the place, yet melodic something or other. I'm not good at describing albums, so download the MP3 above, and for a more detailed analysis check out Pitchfork, Stylus, and Tiny Mix Tapes. Purchase at Insound.

Dirty Projectors are playing a free show at Sound Fix in Brooklyn @ 7pm tonight (Sept 28). Later tonight they play Mercury Lounge with Ecstatic Sunshine. They won't be at CMJ because it's the same time they're starting a tour overseas. All dates below....

Continue reading "DIRTY PROJECTORS playing SoundFix & Mercury Lounge -------------------- RISE ABOVE"

Showpaper art by Lightning Bolt's Brian Chippendale

There was one Dirty Projectors & Ecstatic Sunshine tour date I forgot to mention - the one that goes down this Saturday August 4th at Death By Audio in Williamsburg...

BENEFIT FOR SHOWPAPER

|| Dirty Projectors
|||| Effi Briest ------------> mems Psychic Ills
|||||| Ecstatic Sunshine
|||||||| Spectre Folk -----> Pete Nolan from Magik Markers

8pm | $7-15 sliding scale | ALL AGES

Continue reading "rock for Showpaper, party for Universal Health Care"

DOWNLOAD: Dirty Projectors - No More (MP3)

Brooklyn's Dirty Projectors are not just going on tour in August and September with buzzy bands like Yacht, Vampire Weekend, and Ecstatic Sunshine, they're playing a cool show in a museum this Friday:

Psychedelia’s Progeny: Dirty Projectors
FRIDAY, JULY 20 at 6:00 pm

Whitney Museum of American Art
945 Madison Avenue at 75th Street
Lower Level Gallery

Dirty Projectors, an emerging avant-pop group, create a psychedelic carnival. The group, led by composer David Longstreth, performs reconstructions and reinterpretations of Black Flag's Damaged album.

Whitney Live is free with Museum admission, which is pay-what-you-wish on Fridays, 6-9 pm. [Whitney Museum]

Continue reading "DIRTY PROJECTORS - 2007 Tour Dates (Whitney Museum, Yacht, Vampire Weekend, Ecstatic Sunshine) + video"

DOWNLOAD: Dirty Projectors - No More (MP3)

...to Vegetarian's Paradise....

Continue reading "VIDEO: Dirty Projectors - from Washington Square Park..."