The 2013 ACL Festival happens in Austin, TX on two consecutive weekends: October 4 - 6 and October 11 - 13. Weekend passes are on sale now and the full line-up is below...

Continue reading "2013 ACL Music Fest lineup announced (Depeche Mode, The Cure, Atoms for Peace, The National, Vampire Weekend + more)"

Single day tickets for Downtown Music Festival, which hits multiple LES venues and includes Black Hippy (aka Kenrick Lamar, Schoolboy Q, Ab-Soul, and Jay Rock all playing together), Purity Ring, Earl Sweatshirt, Sky Ferreira, DIIV, Palma Violets, Trash Talk, and more, go on sale today at 11 AM.

Tickets for The Specials at shows at The Paramount in Huntington, NY and Stone Pony Summer Stage in Asbury Park go on sale today at 10 AM, and their Danbury, CT show goes on sale at noon. Tickets are still available for their Pier 26 show.

Admission to the Hot 97 Summer Jam Festival Village show at MetLife Stadium with Action Bronson, Joey Bada$$, A$AP Ferg, Vinny Cha$e, Smoke DZA, Bodega Bamz, Troy Ave, Kid Ink and Radamiz can only be gained with your Summer Jam ticket, which go on sale today at 10 AM.

Big Black Delta are playing Glasslands on June 22. Tickets for that show go on sale today at 10 AM.

Tickets to see Adam Ant on two nights at Irving Plaza go on sale today at 10 AM.

Tickets for the Cibo Matto shows at Littlefield go on sale today at 10 AM.

Tickets to see Night Beds at Glasslands go on sale today at 10 AM.

Tony Bennett is playing Radio City Music Hall on October 11. Tickets for that show go on sale today at 10 AM.

Tickets to see Tom Jones at Bowery Ballroom go on sale today at noon.

Tickets to see Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks at Glasslands go on sale today at noon.

Tickets for the Gaslight Anthem at shows at Pier 26 at Hudson River Park (one with Bouncing Souls, one with The Hold Steady) go on sale today at noon.

Tickets to see The Mountain Goats at Maxwell's with The Baptist Generals go on sale today at noon.

Tickets to see The Baptist Generals play their own show at Mercury Lounge go on sale today at noon.

Dan Croll is playing Mercury Lounge on June 17. Tickets for that show go on sale today at noon.

Flobots and Wheelchair Sports Camp are playing Santos Party House on June 4. Tickets for that show go on sale today at noon.

Tickets to see OBN lIIs and Ex-Cults at Mercury Lounge go on sale today at noon.

Tickets to see Old 97's on their three-night stint at Brooklyn Bowl go on sale today at noon.

Tickets to see Hooded Fang at Mercury Lounge go on sale today at noon.

Tickets to see Villagers at Bowery Ballroom go on sale today at noon.

Tickets to see Nightlands at Mercury Lounge go on sale today at noon.

Tickets to see Treetop Flyers at Mercury Lounge go on sale today at noon.

Tickets to see Frank Turner on two nights at Music Hall of Williamsburg go on sale today at noon.

Tickets to see Mobb Deep with Waka Flocka Flame and Heems at Best Buy Theatre go on sale today at noon.

Tickets for the Social Distortion show at Warsaw with Cheap Time and Dave Hause, and their show at Stone Pony Summer Stage with that same lineup plus Hot Water Music, are on sale now.

Tickets to see Coastgaard (who were named by L Magazine as one of the 8 "bands you need to hear") at Mercury Lounge go on sale today at noon.

The Black Crowes, Tedeschi Trucks Band and The London Souls are playing PNC Bank Arts Center on August 9 and Nikon at Jones Beach Theatre on August 10. Tickets for those shows go on sale today at noon.

Dead Confederate and Roadkill Ghost Choir are playing Maxwell's on May 19. Tickets for that show go on sale today at noon.

Tickets for the Pacific Air show at Mercury Lounge go on sale today at noon.

Tickets for the Bob Schneider show at Bowery Ballroom go on sale today at 3 PM.

Lissie is playing Bowery Ballroom on June 3. Tickets for that show go on sale today at noon.

photos by Chris La Putt; words by Bill Pearis

CHVRCHES @ Mercury Lounge, 3/18/2013

Hot off a busy SXSW, Scottish trio CHVRCHES made their NYC debut at Mercury Lounge last night (3/18), playing an early and a late show, both sold out. I was at the early show where the crowd was ready to have a good time. Good news: "The Mother We Share" and new single "Recover" are not the only catchy songs in their arsenal. We got 10 originals (plus a cover of Prince's "I Would Die 4 U") and nearly every one of them had a giant hook at its core. I would say at least four of the new ones seems single-worthy.

The bad news: they've got a ways to go in the live show department. Singer Lauren Mayberry's voice was in fine form, but she is a timid performer and doesn't quite seem comfortable in the spotilight. (A funny and foulmouthed between-song banterer, though.) And, like with so many synth-MPC acts these days, there's not a lot to watch. That said, they weren't bad. They just just need to build up the confidence and figure out the live setup. Like a drummer? Six months of touring, including the summer festival circuit will hopefully take care of that. But the crowd last night -- which hit all social and age strata -- didn't seem to mind,  with very enthusiastic singing, dancing and clapping along to the band's two singles.

CHVRCHES stick around NYC tonight (3/19) to DJ at 285 Kent and tickets to that show are still available.

UPDATE: They're playing live tonight too. Says the band, "Hi New Yorkers. We will be playing a 30 min live set tonight at 285 Kent in Brooklyn along with a DJ set from Martin. We will be on at midnight. " Tickets here.

I missed almost all of opener Dan Croll's set but what I heard was in the "whoa-oh" and "ahhhh ahh" heavy Fleet Foxes school of folky rock. The UK singer plays again on Wednesday (3/20) at Glasslands with Feathers and Lorna Dune. Tickets are still available.

More pictures from the early show at Mercury Lounge, including some of Dan Croll, below...

Continue reading "CHVRCHES made their NYC debut last night at Mercury Lounge (pics, review); playing again at 285 Kent tonight"

photos by Amanda Hatfield

Scottish synthpop trio CHVRCHES made their SXSW debut last Wednesday (3/13) at the Windish Agency showcase at Austin's Red 7. For a band with giant hooky dancepop anthems, they are still on their shy side, playing a reserved set, according to BV photographer Amanda Hatfield. That didn't stop the crowd from singing along to "The Mother We Share" and "Recover," though.

CHVRCHES play two back-to-back sold out shows tonight (3/18) at Mercury Lounge with Dan Croll opening. They'll also be DJing on Tuesday (3/19) at 285 Kent and tickets are still available to that. Their album is due out this fall, so probably look for a return appearance (most likely somewhere bigger) then. More pictures from SXSW below...

Continue reading "CHVRCHES played SXSW (pics), making NYC debut tonight"

by Andrew Sacher

Dan Croll

As mentioned, Scottish electropop trio CHVRCHES are making their way to the US for a tour around SXSW time and will play a NYC show on March 18 at Mercury Lounge. That show just went on sale and sold out almost immediately, and the band just added a late show happening the same night at the same venue (doors: 9:30). Tickets for the newly added show go on sale today (1/18) at 3 PM. Updated tour dates are listed below.

UK singer Dan Croll opens the early NYC show, but no opener has been announced for the late show yet (UPDATE: he opens both shows). Towards the end of last year, Dan released the "From Nowhere" single, which you can watch the video for below. Like CHVRCHES, Dan makes pretty addictive indie pop, but his is on a much brighter side of the spectrum. He's got enough "ahh-ahhs" and reverby guitar stabs to make a pretty good case that he's a big Grizzly Bear fan, but while they often delve into pastoral passages, Dan Croll appears more interested in making fat-trimmed (and safer) pop music.

He's got a few other US dates scheduled, and while he's in town for the Mercury Lounge show, he'll play another NYC show at Glasslands on March 20 with Feathers and Lorna Dune. Tickets for that show are on sale now.

Lists of dates for CHVRCHES and Dan Croll, and the "From Nowhere" video, below...

Continue reading "Dan Croll visiting US; CHVRCHES sold out Mercury Lounge, add late show (updated dates & video)"

Tickets for Thurston Moore's Chelsea Light Moving show at Bowery Ballroom go on sale today at noon.

Tickets for the newly-added Solange show at Webster Hall go on sale today at noon.

Tickets for the Savages shows at Bowery Ballroom and MHOW go on sale today at noon.

Tickets to the Disclosure shows at MHOW and Bowery Ballroom go on sale today at noon.

Tickets for the Mykki Blanco show at Bowery Ballroom go on sale today at noon.

Tickets for the Jim James show at Music Hall of Williamsburg go on sale today at noon.

Tickets for the CHVRCHES show at Mercury Lounge go on sale today at noon.

That CHRVCHES show is being opened by Dan Croll, who also plays Glasslands on March 20 with Feathers and Lorna Dune. Tickets for that show are on sale now.

Tickets for the Shuggie Otis show at Music Hall of Williamsburg go on sale today at noon. Tickets for his BB King's show are still available.

Tickets for the Cloud Cult show at Bowery Ballroom with JBM go on sale today at noon.

Tickets for the Daughter show at Bowery Ballroom go on sale today at noon.

Tickets for the Black Rebel Motorcycle Club show at Terminal 5 go on sale today at noon.

Tickets for the Bad Religion and Against Me! show at Terminal 5 and tickets for their Wellmont Theatre go on sale today at noon.

Tickets for the Drive-By Truckers and Old 97s shows at Capitol Theatre and Wellmont Theatre go on sale today at noon.

TIckets for the Kate Nash show at Bowery Ballroom go on sale today at noon.

Tickets for the Cold War Kids show at Webster Hall go on sale today at noon.

Tickets also just went on sale for The National's huge show at Barclays Center with Youth Lagoon.

The Postelles, The Arkells and Ambassadors are playing Santos Party House on March 5. Tickets for that show are on sale now.

Ivan & Alyosha are playing Santos Party House on April 18 with The Lone Bellow. Tickets for that show are on sale now.