by Andrew Frisicano

DM Stith plays The Stone on X-Mas...
pictured @ 92YTribeca in October (more by Vincent Cornelli)

The Stone has a great lineup of innovative pop-based acts scheduled for this December. Curators Sam Kulik (multi-instrumentalist who plays trombone in Nervous Cabaret) and David Garland (singer & songwriter and host of WNYC's "Spinning On Air" and "Evening Music") are the month's guest curators at the space.

Let's get into some highlights.

Skeletons Big Band and Capillary Action bring their new large-ensemble compositions (which Skeletons have been playing out since September) to the venue on Sunday, December 6th.

Danielson will somehow pack his "family group" into the venue for a night of music on December 22nd. They just put out a new 7" single on his Sounds Familyre label. The video for its lead track "Moment Soakers" is below. Later that night, you can also see M6, a six-person vocal ensemble that performs the work of innovative composer Meredith Monk.

Sisters Ruth and Merrill Garbus (the latter of which heads tUnE-yArDs) will split an evening on December 23rd.

Diane Cluck is there on December 16th.
Larkin Grimm plays after David Garland on the 17th.

Rob Moose plays violin and other instruments with Antony and the Johnsons, My Brightest Diamond, Sufjan Stevens and others. He plays his first-ever solo show at the venue on December 18th.

Currituck County aka Kevin Barker is the late show on the 19th, and the one and only Dave Deporis will be there on the 27th.

And for those with an open Christmas Day, the venue presents an 8pm set from Asthmatic Kitty-signed songwriter DM Stith and a 10pm set that promises to be entertaining: David Garland (piano, clarinet), son Kenji Garland (some-input mixer) and guests present "Processing Xmas" which will features "Familiar seasonal songs processed and emancipated; family improvs; audience sing-alongs; a warm get-together on a winter night."

On December 29th Extra Life, typically a brooding, dark prog ensemble, will play as a duo, with frontman and guitarist Charlie Looker accompanied by the group's violinist Caley Monahon-Ward.

Then the month and year end with "JOHN ZORN'S ANNUAL END OF THE YEAR IMPROV" on Dec. 30th, and a TBA New Year's Eve event.

The Stone's full December schedule is below...

Continue reading "The Stone's December lineup (is really great) - Danielson, DM Stith, Skeletons, Dave Deporis, David Garland & more"

Holden is a French duo who began recording in 1997. Band members are Armelle Pioline (vocals) and Dominique Dépret (aka Mocke, guitar). With Pierre-Jean Grapin (drums), Evan Evans (clavier) and Richard Cousin (bass), they released 'L'arrière monde' in 1998. In 2001, they met the producer Senor Coconut aka Atom aka Uwe Schmidt, who mixed their second album, 'Pedrolira' (2002). They recorded their last album, Chevrotine, in Chile, 2006

Holden's newest album Fantomatisme was released in 2009. The four songs streaming at their MySpace are great. Time Out describes it well: "Parisian duo Holden offers wistful, transporting folk-pop, accented with bossa nova and jazz. Armelle Pioline's yearning French vocals make us feel like we're inhabiting an early Godard film." The slower / bossa nova songs remind me of Keren Ann or Astrud Gilberto, though in some videos (below), they also rock out a little more.

Supposedly the band is big in France, but nobody knows about them here. That means we get to see them in intimate venues while they're visiting NYC for five shows this week. The first was Saturday night at Zebulon (did you catch it?). Sunday (11/15) the show is at Sycamore. Monday is at Matchless. Tuesday at Barbes (as well as a WNYC radio session with David Garland earlier that day), and then Wednesday they end the run at Pianos (they play right before Violent Soho who play before... Group Sounds?!). All dates and some videos below...

Continue reading "French band Holden are here - 5 NYC shows & a WNYC appearance (2009 tour dates & videos) "

by Andrew Frisicano

On Tuesday, April 28th, NYC public radio station WNYC will open the Greene Space, a new street-level venue on the corner of Varick and Charlton Streets in lower Manhattan. The space's inaugural 10-day festival kicks off the same day."Information about ticketing is forthcoming."

As Variety points out, the ground-floor venue will be "something of a downtown version of Rockefeller Center's "Today" show setup (minus the Al Roker groupies)."

"The Greene Space perfectly expresses WNYC's impulse to continue to innovate public radio and inspire people in new ways," said Laura Walker, WNYC President and CEO. "As we produce live events and audio and video programming streetside on Varick Street, we love the fact New Yorkers will be able to see our hosts in action, participate in political dialogues, and enjoy cultural performances. We become a part of the New York City and Hudson Square community in a tangible, visible way. WNYC has tremendous assets: its people, its ethos, its technology, its listeners and the city itself. Finally we have a way to combine them all."

Scheduled programs for the opening week and a half include Lou Reed, Santigold, and string quartet ETHEL appearing on the station's Soundcheck program on Wednesday, April 29 (2-3pm).

The same day, WNYC will host an "audio theater" presentation of H.G. Wells's The Invisible Man from 7-9pm. In the production, "Michael Riesman, Director of the Philip Glass Ensemble, will give a rare live musical performance on piano, blending music from multiple Philip Glass compositions and live improvisation into a never-before-heard piece."

One regular program to be held in the space will be "Evening Music LIVE with Terrance McKnight and David Garland," whose scheduled guests include "Simone Dinnerstein, Renè Pape, Gabriella Montero, John Zorn, Nico Muhly, Elliott Sharp, Jason Moran, Don Byron and Ute Lemper, among others."

For the space's "First 'First Friday'" on Friday, May 1st, WNYC is partnering with neighbor Sounds of Brazil (SOBs) for a "Cinco de Mayo on El Primero de Mayo" fest with food, music and dancing.

More info on the Greene Space's plans below...

Continue reading "WNYC opening the Greene Space in NYC with a 10-day festival "

Bridget St John, David Garland, Dave Deporis (CRED)

This Sunday, Oct. 28, Sufjan Stevens will premier a couple pieces from his new orchestral project "The BQE" on David Garland's radio show Spinning On Air. That'll be heard Oct. 28, 7- 8 pm on WNYC-FM 93.9 in New York City, and online. David will also interview Sufjan. David also threw a preview up on YouTube....

Continue reading "Sufjan Stevens The BQE, Part 6 on WNYC (video)"

DOWNLOAD: David Deporis - Swan King In The Snow (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Bridget St. John - The Body Breaks (MP3)

This Sunday, Oct. 7th, be startled, amazed, awakened, and moved by three wonderful performers--Larkin Grimm, David Deporis, and Bridget St. John, in concert at Joe's Pub. It's a 20th anniversary celebration for my WNYC radio show Spinning On Air. I'll be there hosting, and I hope you'll be there, too!

For those of you outside New York, the event will be broadcast live on WNYC-FM 93.9 and wnyc.org

Tickets are $15. You can buy tickets and see LOTS of info about the event and musicians here:

Sunday, Oct. 7th, starting promptly at 7 pm, at Joe's Pub, 425 Lafayette Street, New York City.

--David Garland

The mysterious David Deporis - in action again. Sounds like a great show.

DOWNLOAD: David Garland - In My Room (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Fionn Regan - Getting Better (Beatles cover) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Devotchka - How it Ends (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Pelican - Far From Fields (MP3)

Did you check out today's free Vieux show that already happened....

Vieux Farka Toure in NYC, July 24, 2007 (by Jefferson)

* The White Stripes play MSG
* Grinderman play MSG
* Porter Wagoner plays MSG
* Devotchka play their first of two shows @ Spiegeltent
* Pelican reaches Bowery Ballroom
* Mercury Prize nominee Fionn Regan is at Joe's Pub
* A member of the Dresden Dolls is @ Joe's Pub too
* Smif N Wessun & Dead Prez are in Red Hook park
* Bon Iver & The Comas @ Mercury Lounge
* David Garland is at Union Hall
* The Swell Season (Glen Hansard, Marketa Irglova) are @ Gramercy Theatre
* a cult classic starring some Sex Pistols @ McCarren tonight
* Jill Cunniff & The Epochs play an ASCAP/Delo party @ the Annex tonight

What else?

DOWNLOAD: The Mugs - Frank (MP3)

Dave Hill & John Hodgman @ UCB, NYC - June 21, 2007 (CRED)

It was almost a year ago that I said "Union Hall | a new Brooklyn music venue in Park Slope", and so it's time to celebrate:

"Union Hall presents our 1st anniversary week!"
July 09: MATTHEW CAWS (of Nada Surf) + THE RAVEN MAYHEM + guest MC Sara Schaefer
July 10: JONATHAN COULTON + special guests + MC Dave Hill
July 11: SECRET SCIENCE CLUB with Nobel prize winning neuroscientist ERIC KANDEL
July 12: TIM FITE + THE MUGS + guest MC Reggie Watts
July 14: 8pm: ENON + special guests

Tickets for these shows will go on sale on Ticketweb 6/25 at noon.

Nada Surf @ Brooklyn Ale House - June 3, 2007 (CRED) (post-Domino)

Related facts

• Matthew Caws was recently spotted at the White Stripes show, and was last seen at Union Hall on stage with John Vanderslice.
• MC Sara Schaefer hosts a (weekly?) game of "Name that Tune" at Union Hall - the next one is June 24th.
• Jonathan Coulton and Dave Hill were last seen on stage together LAST NIGHT! Dave Hill will be on stage again with his band Children of the Unicorn at Mercury Lounge tonight!
• Dave Hill once MC'd a show that The Mugs played at.
• Reggie Watts is hosting ROFL at Joe's Pub TONIGHT
• Gabby Glaser of Luscious Jackson is playing Union Hall on June 28th.
• Gruff Rhys of Super Furry Animals is playing Union Hall on September 22nd.

AND...

Michael Showalter @ Sasquatch - May 29, 2007 (CRED) (Develop Don't Destroy!)

Michael Showalter, co-host of the weekly "Tearing the Veil of Maya" comedy show at Union Hall, star of the State, Stella and other stuff - is recording a CD - to be released on JDub records. He'll do it @ Union Hall Thursday July 26th at 7:30pm and 9:30pm. Tickets go on sale today at noon.

Tim Fite is going on tour. Dates below...

Continue reading "UNION HALL's anniversary, MICHAEL SHOWALTER JDub CD recording, TIM FITE Tour Dates, etc"