photos by Greg Cristman, words by BBG

Alcest, Deafheaven, and Vaura teamed up at a sold-out Public Assembly on March 31st, the last of Alcest's dates with Deafheaven that kicked off directly after SXSW. The bill was the perfect mix of bands that draw from metal, but don't feel the need to be confined by its trappings: Alcest is a shoegaze band with black metal pedigree, Deafheaven is a shoegaze-y band with black metal, post-rock and screamo influences, and Vaura mixes clean vocals with everything from shoegaze to prog to black metal on their recent Selenelion. I enjoyed all of the bands that night, and apparently so did some others:

This show easily enters my God Tier of shows, no contest. All three bands performed wildly beyond my expectations to create one of my favorite live music experiences in recent memory. The only shortcomings were that the sound could have been a bit better, especially during Vaura's set, and the loathsome hipster population both reached and exceeded critical levels* - but that's only to be expected from a show in Williamsburg, the trendiest of Brooklyn neighborhoods. But overall, these negatives paled and withered away beneath the commanding performances of the three acts. If any one of these bands comes to your locale, do not miss out. I can't stress that enough. -[Metalblast]

I was a spectator at the show but also played DJ for the evening, mixing in favorites that ranged from Bolt Thrower to Gauze, and from Totalitar to One Tail, One Head. You can check out my setlist at my twitter if you are so inclined. If you made it to the show, checked out the bands that night, and managed to stomach my DJ set, I can't thank you enough.

More pictures/video from Public Assembly below.

Continue reading "Alcest, Deafheaven & Vaura played a sold-out Public Assembly (with DJ BBG) --- pics & video"

photos by Amanda Hatfield & Tim Griffin; additional pictures by Nate "Igor" Smith

Frankie Rose & band @ Hotel Vegan (by Amanda Hatfield)

BrooklynVegan's Hotel Vegan, located at Austin venues Hotel Vegas & Volstead Lounge, began at noon back on Wednesday, 3/14/2012, on three stages. As "bob dylan wrote propaganda songs" points out:

"...it offered the perfect setting for seeing multiple bands within an intimate setting in a short amount of time. Sure it was a long walk down Sixth Street to get there, and it may not have been the most well kempt venue (I'll be honest, it was a shit-hole), but the three stage set-up provided for prime SXSW day party viewing. I had the pleasure of seeing Chelsea Wolfe, Japandroids, Frankie Rose, Deaf Heaven, and Japandroids all within the span of a couple hours. All of these bands were on my list of bands I wanted to see, and thanks to this venue, I was able to cross more bands off my list than past years"

One of the stages on Wednesday was dedicated to Chicago bands courtesy of BV Chicago, and one was put together by BBG. It was on the latter that we hosted an afternoon set by Deafheaven who created NY Mag's Nitsuh Abebe's favorite moment of SXSW 2012.

Deafheaven @ Hotel Vegan (by Amanda Hatfield)

Like on Friday and all four days, we served complimentary HobNob Wines all day. On Wednesday we also proudly passed out Brooklyn Brewery beer and Sailor Jerry drinks.

Special thanks to our official backline providers Vox, Blackstar and Korg, and thank you to NadaMoo for supplying free vegan treats, and to Honest Tea for the tea.

More pictures from the entire SXSW Wednesday at Hotel Vegan, below....

Continue reading "#HotelVegan Day 1 pics (Future of the Left, Japandroids, Bear in Heaven, Frankie Rose, Maps & Atlases, Deafheaven, more) "

by BBG

Gorguts at Knitting Factory (more by Greg Cristman)

The Death to All tour got a little more interesting today with the addition of the amazing Gorguts to the lineup. The reactivated death metal crew, which now contains John Longstreth (Dim Mak, Origin, The Red Chord), Kevin Hufnagel (Dysrhythmia, Vaura), and Colin Marston (Krallice, Dysrhythmia, Behold.. The Arctopus) in addition to mastermind Luc LeMay, will participate in all dates on the tour including the previously discussed date at Irving Plaza on June 28th. "VIP Tickets" are currently on sale, with general admission hitting on March 30th.

Reminder: I will I DJ the evening on March 31 at Public Assembly when join Vaura (with Kevin Hufnagel) is joined by Alcest and Deafheaven (both of which played our day parties during SXSW). Tickets are still available, but dangerously close to sell-out.

All Gorguts dates and some video below.

Continue reading "Gorguts added to the "Death to All" tour"

photos by Greg Cristman, words by BBG

Trash Talk @ Scoot Inn, Austin, TX

The BrooklynVegan/Power of The Riff day show took over two stages at Scoot Inn on 3/16, and one day of the multi-day Converse/Thrasher Deathmatch at the venue. With a ticket price tag of free and a stacked lineup that included High On Fire, Trash Talk, Off!, Ceremony, Deafheaven, Black Cobra, Full of Hell, Dead In The Dirt, Code Orange Kids, Heartless, and Balaclava, its understandable that there was a line around the block for most of the amazing day.

We already posted one set of photos from the show at BV Austin, including shots of Heartless, Ceremony, Balaclava, Full of Hell, and Code Orange Kids. Here are some pictures & video of High on Fire, and Off!, and more of Balaclava, Trash Talk, and Ceremony. Photos of Dead In The Dirt, Deafheaven, Black Cobra, and others are on the way. More below...

Continue reading "pics & video from the BV/Power of The Riff Deathmatch party at Scoot Inn (part 2)"

As you know, BrooklynVegan is taking over ALL THREE STAGES at connecting Austin venues Hotel Vegas & Volstead for FOUR DAYS STRAIGHT this week, and it's all 100% FREE (no RSVP or badges either). There's a big outdoor stage, and smaller stages inside Hotel Vegas & Volstead. Collectively we're calling the four day long party "Hotel Vegan" (located at 1500 E. 6th St, Austin, TX).

We announced Thursday, Friday, and Saturday too. Here is Wednesday: Wednesday at Hotel Vegan (March 14, 2012)

Stage 1 (Hotel Vegas Outside)
12:00 PM - Devin
12:45 PM - Big Deal
1:30 PM - Pujol
2:15 PM - We are Augustines
2:50 PM - Sun Araw Band (live) + Matthewdavid (DJ Set)
3:45 PM - Frankie Rose
4:30 PM - Japandroids
5:15 PM - Bear in Heaven

Stage 2 (Hotel Vegas Inside) (BBG Stage)
12:10 PM - Freshkills
12:50 PM - White Ring
1:35 PM - The Coathangers
2:20 PM - Razika
3:05 PM - Chelsea Wolfe
3:50 PM - Deafheaven
4:35 PM - Bleached
5:20 PM - Future Of The Left

Stage 3 (Volstead) (BV Chicago stage)
12:00 PM - Minor Characters
12:35 PM - Gypsyblood
01:15 PM - FIELDED
02:00 PM - White Mystery
02:45 PM - Maps & Atlases
03:30 PM - The-Drum
04:15 PM - Flosstradamus
05:00 PM - JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound

This is a rare opportunity to see Frankie Rose perform songs from her great new album at SXSW. She made a very last minute decision to come to Austin. Everyone on the third stage is from Chicago! (including The-Drum who is not to be confused with the Drums who we have Thursday.) Come early. Stay all day.

And in addition to the completely free lineup of 24 bands playing on THREE stages, we will also have complimentary drinks courtesy of Brooklyn Brewery (while supplies laset) and HobNob Wines, the official wine parter of our entire week of FREE PARTIES at Hotel Vegan (check out HobNob's Facebook page for free music downloads), and a hosted bar courtesy of Sailor Jerry

We will also have FREE VEGAN TREATS courtesy of NadaMoo! and FREE Honest Tea. Arlo's great Vegan Food truck, located right next door, will be at all four days of Hotel Vegan selling food.

Special thanks to all of our partners and sponsors for making this party possible - including Vox, Blackstar and Korg, our official backline partners. And special thanks to Tim Griffin for making our Hotel Vegan flyer.

--

This just one of four full days at Hotel Vegan. Thursday lineup HERE. Saturday lineup HERE. Friday lineup HERE.

We also have THREE official showcases (Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday), and a Saturday metal day party at Lovejoys, AND a just-announced bridge show.

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 (it has been announced), and for more about the day show (or our OTHER day show on Saturday at Lovejoys), 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

Deafheaven at Bowery Ballroom (more by BBG)

Deafheaven has been added to a string of Alcest dates including the recently announced Public Assembly show on 3/31. I will be on board to DJ the evening, which will also feature an appearance from the just-added Vaura! Tickets are still on sale. Alcest recently released their new LP Les Voyages De L'Âme, stream it in full.

Vaura are prepping to release their debut LP Selenelion for WIERD Records. The LP, which features members of Dysrhythmia, Gorcuts, Religious to Damn and Kayo Dot, goes up for pre-order on 2/14. Stream the previously posted "Obsidian Damascene Sun" below, alongside all tour dates.

In related news, Deafheaven's sometime-drummer serves as a member of Lycus, who is welcoming their demo in physical format via The Flenser. Order your copy via the label, and download a FREE copy or stream that demo in full below...

Continue reading "Deafheaven added to Alcest tour (Public Assembly included); Vaura LP & Lycus demo out soon"

by BBG

Midnight at Rites of Darkness (more by BBG)

2011 was a year that I spent delving deep into record bins, in the pit at shows, and searching for the most brutal of the brutal at festivals across the country including Maryland Deathfest, Chaos in Tejas, Rites of Darkness, SXSW, the A389 Anniversary show, California Discord Fest, and many others. It was also a year when I revisited my hardcore roots, and went further down the rabbit hole with DIY shows and independent records.

2011's choices for best of the year were tougher than I could have imagined, as opposed to my clear cut 2010 choice for favorite album of the year. That said, favorite records are about playability, and these are the LPs that wore out my needle and earned the most plays on my digital device (note: I made sure to remove a record that I was directly involved in because that would clearly be near the top of the list). I hope you enjoyed these records as much as I did in 2011 and if not, please share what you enjoyed below. I already can't wait for 2012.

My favorite records and shows of 2011 are below.

Continue reading "The Year in Heavy (BBG's favorite records & shows of 2011)"

by BBG

Seven Sisters of Sleep at A389 2011 (more by BBG)

Seven Sisters of Sleep (mems Tafkata) are two for two with releases in 2011, dropping both their excellent debut and their similarly crushing split with Children of God this year. Get both at A389. Though no full East Coast trek has been planned, Seven Sisters of Sleep will join the great All Pigs Must Die, labelmates Low Places, and NYC's Grudges for an NYC date at Acheron on 1/20, just a few days after the always awesome A389 Anniversary show at Sonar in Baltimore with Eyehategod, Gehenna, and many others.

All Pigs Must Die was recently given an "honorable mention" in Pitchfork's top metal of 2011 list (though no shout out for Seven Sisters of Sleep). Check out the full list, along with some streaming APMD material and a few videos below...

Continue reading "Pitchfork lists the best metal of 2011, All Pigs Must Die & Seven Sisters of Sleep schedule a Brooklyn show"

words & photos by BBG

Russian Circles @ Bowery Ballroom

I'm covered in drool and sweat from last night (11/14), but couldn't be happier. Besides a blown guitar head that hindered The Men's opening set, Russian Circles/Deafheaven's tour stop at Bowery Ballroom went spectacularly, featuring both touring bands in prime form. And if The Men weren't plagued by technical difficulty (I know what that band is capable of), the show could have possibly gone down as one of my favorites of the year.

The Men opened the show energetically, pulling material from their latest LP Leave Home. After borrowing a head from Deafheaven, the band ripped into three songs before trouble started to set in; the head would not work. After fumbling with it for one song and some awkward pauses, the band went into a final track before calling it a night.

"You're blowing our big chance!" the bassist jokingly said to his bandmates before sounding off for the evening. Disappointing set, but by no fault of their own... the band's rendition of "Think" from the new record was particularly ripping (one of the few songs they played from start to finish).

A fuse was replaced in guitarist Kerry McCoy's rig in between bands, and Deafheaven preceeded to wow the crowd with their screamo-infused take on black metal. Though the band was sporting a pair of new members (on guitar and drums), they sounded no worse for the change. In fact, by the time they really dug into the set-opener "Violet" (which we premiered in February), I was convinced that this was my favorite live outing from the band thus far (I have seen them at least four times by this point... at our SXSW parties and Cake Shop). Maybe it was my experience of seeing them on Bowery Ballroom's juggernaut-of-a-system, but the Bay Area band was in rare form last night.

Russian Circles batted clean-up, utilizing minimal stage lighting and counting on half a dozen light bulbs around stage to set the mood. The Chicago trio played an impressive set of hardcore-infused post-rock, equally as jaw-dropping as their Fun Fun Fun appearance amidst the sunset at Auditorium Shores. Russian Circles cannot make a bad album and in my experience, are incapable of a bad live show.

If you missed the show last night, do your best to get to Maxwell's tonight (11/15). Tickets are still on sale and surely The Men will have worked out their guitar head situation, and will definitely up the ante from an already impressive Bowery Ballroom show last night.

The Men also play a show with Total Control in Brooklyn on Wednesday.

More pictures from Bowery Ballroom are below.

Continue reading "Russian Circles, Deafheaven & The Men played Bowery Ballroom (pics) ------ catch them again @ Maxwell's tonight"

by BBG

Total Control at Fun Fun Fun Fest (more by BBG)

In addition to their previously discussed dates with Thee Oh Sees, Australia's Total Control have added a third NYC date which is actually happening before the others. The band will team with The Men, Nude Beach & Kicking Spit at Saint Vitus on 11/16. Tickets are on sale OR you can roll the dice and try to win a pair! Details on how are below.

Meanwhile The Men, who are going to SXSW in March, will support Russian Circles and Deafheaven at Bowery Ballroom tonight (11/14) and Maxwell's tomorrow.

Total Control's NYC shows with Thee Oh Sees happen at 285 Kent on 11/17 with The Beets and Doomsday Student who ripped it at Public Assembly (tickets), and at LPR on 11/18 (tickets).

All tour dates, contest details, and some streaming audio, below...

Continue reading "Total Control playing 3 NYC shows this week, The Men too"

by Andrew Sacher

Russian Circles (not Danzig) @ FFF Fest (more by BBG)

Post rockers Russian Circles released their most recent LP, Empros, on October 25 via Sargent House. Some of the album, especially the track "Miladek," which you can grab HERE, tends to cross over into the territory where post-rock meets emo and post-hardcore, similarly to The Appleseed Cast, though the sludgy guitars of their earlier albums still come through in full force. Though the majority of the album is instrumental, vocals do appear on the last track, "Praise Be Man." You can listen to the whole thing at Spotify.

Russian Circles are currently on a tour that just hit FFF Fest in Austin, and will come to the NYC-area for shows on November 15 at Bowery Ballroom and November 15 at Maxwell's with shoegazey San Francisco black metallers Deafheaven. The Men are also on both shows. Tickets are still on sale for the Bowery show and the Maxwell's show.

Updated dates below...

Continue reading "Russian Circles released 'Empros', continue on tour"

by BBG

DOWNLOAD: Russian Circles - "Miladek" (MP3)

Russian Circles

Russian Circles willl team with Deafheaven (whose former tourmates KEN Mode just played NYC) for a tour that includes a show at Bowery Ballroom on 11/14. Tickets for the NYC show go on sale on 10/7 at noon.

The tour hasn't been announced in full yet (UPDATE: it has now, dates updated below), but will also include an appearance at Austin's Fun Fun Fun Fest and a free show for FFF ticketholders on 11/5 at Red 7 with Boris as part of "Fun Fun Fun Nites", a string of post-festival after parties with a lineup almost as venerable as the fest itself. Full details on FFF Nites are below and tickets for Fun Fun Fun Fest are still available. BrooklynVegan is a proud sponsor of at least one party during FFF Nites, details are forthcoming.

Before Russian Circles hits the road for those dates, they'll be in readying the release of Empros, the band's new LP and follow-up to the awesome Geneva due on 10/25 via Sargent House. The LP features "Mladek" which is available for download above. LP art and album details are below.

Reminder: Boris plays Irving Plaza on 10/27.

More details on FFF Nites, as well as all known Russian Circles dates are below.

Continue reading "Russian Circles readying new LP, touring w/ Deafheaven --- MP3, some dates & initial FFFFest afterparty lineup"

by BBG

Deafheaven @ Cake Shop

Sans KEN Mode (who was originally scheduled to play the show but changed their tour to go to Europe), Deafheaven ripped the basement of Cake Shop on Friday night (6/17) with the help of the one-man-black-metal-meets-Jesu of Planning for Burial (who I enjoyed thoroughly), as well as the impressive doomy post-hardcore boom of Gholas who also played with the band in Philadelphia and Connecticut (the shows surrounding NYC). The Cake Shop appearance is part of an ongoing tour for Deafheaven, who will link back up with KEN Mode in the coming days after KEN Mode returns from an appearance at Hellfest in France.

All three bands were impressive on Friday night. Planning for Burial combined black metal, shoegaze, clean vocals, and looping to create ethereal soundscapes before Gholas brought the shock and awe with their Isis-influenced hardcore nuggets featured on their current LP Загадка. Get that for FREE via via mediafire. Though Deafheaven is clearly derived from strains of black metal, the band's roots in hardcore show live as vocalist George gets into the crowds faces and provokes singalongs, shoving the microphone into members of the crowd's face. After the show, I was talking to George outside of Cake Shop when a fan approached him:

"Your lyrics are so inspiring to me. You are an English major right? So am I, I can definitely tell in your writing".

I've been to enough bullet-belted and nail-cuffed shows to know that this sort of interaction is a rarity amongst the corpse-painted set, but then again Deafheaven doesn't neatly fit into that or any category.

After the show, I headed to Public Assembly to catch Iceage and Prurient. More about that later.

More pictures from Cake Shop, all tour dates and a video of all of Planning for Burial's set, below...

Continue reading "Deafheaven played Cake Shop w/ Planning for Burial & Gholas who are giving away their new LP (download, pics, video)"

Nick Bassett from Whirr/Deafheaven at Lovejoys (more by Samantha Marble)

Congrats go out to Nick Bassett of Deafheaven, whose side project Whirr (formerly Whirl) has signed to Tee Pee Records. The band will begin recording the new LP in August for a release soon thereafter. Their current LP of shoegazey gorgeousness is called Distressor. Stream that LP in full below and get an e-copy via their bandcamp.

I haven't seen Whirr live, but I do know that Deafheaven wowed me at SXSW and will definitely do so when they play Cake Shop on June 17th with the also awesome Gholas.

Listen to "Violet" (we premiered the edit of "Violet" early this year) off Deafheaven's new LP Roads To Judah, and the album stream, below...

Continue reading "Deafheaven sideproject Whirr signs to Tee Pee, first LP streaming now (listen)"

La Dispute @ the Acheron in 2010 (more by Samantha Marble)

Sound and Fury Fest, notoriously shut down after a riot last year, returns this year and takes place in the Earl Warren Showgrounds in Santa Barbara, CA from July 22-24. The lineup consists of several hardcore and metal bands including Defeater, Burning Love, and Deafheaven, who all have upcoming NYC shows.

Tourmates Defeater and La Dispute play The Studio tonight (5/24), after having played Krazy Fest this past weekend. Tickets are still on sale if you need some last minute hadcore plans. You can read about the 5/20 show at Altar Bar at 'A Brief Intermission'...

"...One thing is for sure, La Dispute do not lack energy. Dreyer and company rarely stayed still, and that energy was reciprocated enthusiastically by the crowd. They played a set full of great songs from their incredible full length, Somewhere at the Bottom of the River Between Vega and Altair, including the crowd favorite "The Castle Builders," in which, to the fans delight, they considerably slowed down the ending sing-along. They also played both songs from their split with Touche Amore, which translated into incredible live songs and were certainly favorites of the crowd.

Meanwhile Touche Amore are touring ferociously in support of their upcoming sophomore album Parting the Sea Between Brightness and Me which will be released June 7 via Deathwish. Their 3+ month tour includes the previously announced Santos Party House show on June 24 with Title Fight, The Menzingers, and Dead End Path (tickets). Touche also head out on a European leg with La Dispute. All dates are listed below.

Touche Amore's Deathwish labelmates Deafheaven play Cake Shop on June 17 with Gholas. As mentioned, KEN Mode unfortunately dropped off the show, though they will still appear on other dates of the tour. An updated list is below.

Burning Love open for Converge and Trap Them Wednesday (5/25) at the sold out Santos Party House, and at other dates which are listed below. La Dispute opened for Trap Them at the Acheron in 2010.

All tour dates below...

Continue reading "La Dispute, Defeater, Sound & Fury Fest, Deafheaven, KEN Mode, Touche Amore --- dates & stuff"

by BBG

Deafheaven at the BV/Feed The Beat Day Party (more by Samantha Marble)

KEN Mode is on a seemingly neverending US tour in support of their new LP Venerable, and the band will bless NYC one more time in June, this time with touring partners Deafheaven. The pair will hit Cake Shop on June 17th with support from the mighty Gholas. Congrats to Deafheaven, who recently welcomed their new album Roads To Judah via Deathwish. Both Deafheaven & KEN Mode played the BV/Feed The Beat Day Party during SXSW.

All KEN Mode dates, suggested upcoming NYC shows, some streams, and video from last week's Batillus/Morne/Belus show are below.

Continue reading "Evillive (Deafheaven, KEN Mode & more) "

photos by Samantha Marble & BBG, words by BBG

Tombs @ Lovejoys

After a day of mayhem and floorpunches with Ringworm on Friday (3/18), the BrooklynVegan/Profound Lore Records day show on Saturday at Lovejoys centered more on the metal side of things. The 3/19 show featured nine bands in total, of which four called the label home. The amazing Tombs headlined, and I couldn't help but feel a large share of local (NYC) pride since three of the nine bands call Brooklyn home (Tombs, Castevet, Batillus).

more below....

Continue reading "BV/Profound Lore Day Party @ Lovejoys - pics & video (Tombs, Bruce Lamont, Mike Williams, Batillus, Dark Castle & more)"

photos by Samantha Marble & Tim Griffin

Surfer Blood (by Tim Griffin)

SXSW started out for us this year on two stages with fifteen bands at Emo's for a free six hour BrooklynVegan day party presented by Feed the Beat.

On the big stage Anamanaguchi kicked things off right at noon with a high energy, 8-bit pop rock set to a dedicated crowd who showed up early to catch them. Fresh off the Bruise Cruise, the garage rockin' Turbo Fruits kept the party going. By 1:30, with a buzz already kicking in thanks to the free Sailor Jerry and Sparks we were serving, a Place To Bury Strangers brought it with their intense, high volume noise, and then Darwin Deez followed, replacing armed-cross spectators with pockets of dancers and coordinated dance routines on stage. By the time Chiddy Bang (who arrived a bit late and therefore also had to play a shorter set) took the stage, the large room was filled in and people were ready to sing along to the rappers whose setup includes a mic and drumset, and backing tracks courtesy of bands like MGMT and Passion Pit (members of whom were in the audience). The Vaccines, all the way from the UK, kept the momentum going with their brit rock, though they also played a short set reportedly due to worries over the singer's voice.

By the time Mister Heavenly took the stage, you were lucky to find a place to stand, due in part to the many wanting to check out Michael Cera's bass skills. Many were also multitasking, aka watching music and eating the massive amounts of free burritos that Taco Bell delivered through the back door and were handing out all over the place. As Andrew pointed out, "Mr. Heavenly perfored an appropriately lovely set, its two frontmen trading verses in their own styles." The two frontmen are of course Nick Diamonds from Islands and Honus Honus from Man Man. The group is rounded out by Modest Mouse drummer Joe Plummer.

And finally, as Bill pointed out, Surfer Blood "gave us an enjoyable hits-packed [headlining] set from their first album." That of course was going down on the bigger outside stage while Kylesa was completely destroying on the inside stage - I actually watched more of Kylesa than Surfer Blood, but BBG can tell you more about that...

Deafheaven (by Sam Marble)

Despite traffic issues that made The Roller open the inside stage on the late side, the Austin band's bulldozing doom thunder opened the BV festivities at SXSW with a roar. The Roller is one of my favorite heavy bands in Austin, so it was great to see this powerful foursome in action on a BV stage (until I can convince 'em to come up north!).

When the Deafheaven guys arrived, their tees were a dead giveaway. Sporting merch from Hate Forest, Hellfish (records), and Slowdive, it was obvious to see the band's influences, but their live show was definitely born of hardcore. Wide-eyed cocalist George Clarke was in the audience's face, or thrashing maniacally as the band tore through tracks like "Violet" from their forthcoming Roads To Judah and "Libertine Dissolves" from their demo.

The Secret followed Deafheaven, and their blistering blast-y down-tuned hardcore reminded me of breathren Trap Them, Rotten Sound, or Converge in the live setting. Furious blackened hardcore that was technical and powerful.

KEN Mode was next, delivering the hardcore-infused noise rock jams that shine on their new LP Venerable. KEN Mode would leave shortly after their set to headline Scoot Inn as part of a Thrasher show with Dark Castle, The Body and others.

Blackened electric swamp-blues from Dax Riggs kept energy levels on high before Trash Talk brought the crowd to a circle pitting/crowd-surfing frenzy. The band was short their usual bassist though, as Spencer was in the hospital after being stabbed by some "nazi motherfuckers" at a hardcore show in their native California. Despite the replacement, Trash Talk was undeterred and as incendiary as ever.

Kylesa closed the day out with faves like set-opener "Hollow Severer", "Tired Climb", "Running Red", and "Scapegoat", before calling it a day before a sold-out crowd. Excellent set from these Savannah greats, who seem to get better (and bigger) with each show.

All in all it was an amazing first day at SXSW that continued two hours later with six more hours of bands at Swan Dive.

Thanks to Feed the Beat, Orange (who provided the thunder behind Kylesa), Line 6 (the mics), Korg (keyboard), Vox (amps), Blackstar (and amps), Sensible Portions, Honest Tea, Raw Revolution, Sailor Jerry, SPARKS, everyone at Emo's, The Syndicate, Andy, Erik, Katie, Zach, Nevonah, The Roller, Anamanaguchi & Surfer Blood for being so amenable, as well as all of the bands for being incredible! Mostly, we'd like to thank anyone/everyone who made it out on a Wednesday afternoon... your support is appreciated.

Lots more pictures and videos from the whole day, below...

Continue reading "BrooklynVegan/Feed the Beat Emo's Day Party in pics & video (Surfer Blood, Kylesa, Mister Heavenly, Trash Talk & more)"

BrooklynVegan Week in Austin begins once again at Emo's where we'll kick off a six hour day party presented by Feed the Beat at noon on Wednesday, March 16th. The 100% free, two-stage lineup looks like this:

Outside / Main Stage @ Emo's
12:00 PM Anamanaguchi
12:45 PM Turbo Fruits
1:30 PM A Place To Bury Strangers
2:15 PM Darwin Deez
3:00 PM Chiddy Bang
3:45 PM The Vaccines
4:30 PM Mister Heavenly
5:15 PM Surfer Blood

Inside / Metal Stage @ Emo's Jr
12:20 PM The Roller
1:10 PM Deafheaven
1:55 PM The Secret
2:40 PM KEN Mode
3:30 PM Dax Riggs
4:20 PM Trash Talk
5:10 PM Kylesa

It's another lineup I'm super excited about, and note: We purposely put Darwin Deez and Chiddy Bang back to back to encourage live collaboration, Mister Heavenly is the new Sub Pop-signed supergroup of sorts, and this is the only day party where you'll be able to catch a set by Kylesa!

I'm also happy to point out again (like at our Friday party), though everyone will sound great already, they are going to sound even better thanks to our official microphone sponsor Line 6, not to mention due to the help of the Korg keyboards, and Vox & Blackstar amps that we'll have on hand - all generous and much-appreciated BrooklynVegan show sponsors.

Also Note:

• we'll also have FREE snacks courtesy of Sensible Portions.
• we'll keep you hydrated with FREE Honest Tea.
• you can keep your energy levels high with FREE Raw Revolution bars.
• FREE Sailor Jerry cocktails while supplies last.
• and there will be even more FREE FOOD and DRINKS (TBA)!

Last but not least, this free show was made possible due to our co-presenters Feed the Beat, who hook touring bands up with free Taco Bell (where eating vegetarian, and even vegan, is easy). As they say, "for five consecutive years, the Feed the Beat® program has provided a total of 365 music artists/bands with food on the road. Touring music artists can relate to eating on the road and the Feed The Beat helps by picking up their post-show late-night dinner tabs."

Feed the Beat artists (past and present) include Dr. Dog, White Rabbits, Wavves, Best Coast, Andrew W.K., Cults, Passion Pit, Phosphorescent, Suckers, Tokyo Police Club, The Sword, Anamanaguchi, Girl Talk, Delta Spirit, A Place to Bury Strangers, Lucero, Turbo Fruits, Municipal Waste, Chiddy Bang, The Bouncing Souls, The Gaslight Anthem, Those Darlins and many more.

Thanks also to Zach Jaeger of Tonally Dude for creating the flyer you see below...

Continue reading "BrooklynVegan & Feed the Beat present a Wed. Day Party (Emo's 2-stage lineup announcement)"

by BBG

George live (photo by Bryan Proteau)

Momentum is king in the music world, and Deafheaven has it in spades. It began with two guys and eighty-five dubs to cassette, the result of which was the Deafheaven demo (streaming below and available for purchase at their Bandcamp page), a combination of classic screamo and pensive black metal that lit up the underground. Labels came calling and the San Francisco band teamed with Deathwish Inc for a limited release of tracks from the demo, as well as their forthcoming LP.

While a great demo is one thing, it doesn't always indicate staying power. Fortunately Deafheaven's new LP Roads To Judah is cut from a similar cloth, featuring another four tracks of pummeling and emotionally-tinged black-metal colored with sheets of post-rock. Check out the first song from the highly anticipated new LP, "Violet", in an edited form (for the first time anywhere), below. Look for Roads To Judah on April 26th via Deathwish Inc.

Deafheaven is hitting the road in early March and is scheduled to play two Brooklyn Vegan events - one still TBA, and the other is the previously mentioned BrooklynVegan/ProfoundLore Day Party on March 19th at Lovejoys along with Tombs, Wolvhammer, Castevet, Dark Castle, and a host of others. In anticipation of those shows and Roads to Judah, we sat down with George Clarke of Deafheaven to ask him about his band, the new LP, and the infamous demo. The results of that discussion, along with the stream of "Violet" and all tour dates, are below.

Continue reading "an interview w/ Deafheaven ++ a song premiere & dates too"

by BBG

Flyer, with art by Glyn Smyth of Scrawled Design

I am ecstatic to announce my partnership with the great Profound Lore Records for an Austin day party at Lovejoys (604 Neches St, right downtown) on March 19th! The free day show (lineup above) will run from noon-7pm and include Dark Castle, The Body, Deafheaven, Wolvhammer, Grayceon, Castevet, Batillus, Altaar from Norway (!), and the blasting NYC killers Tombs. Set times and more details are forthcoming but in the meantime save the date!

Altaar @ by:Larm 2010

March 19th is the last of FOUR BV DAY PARTIES catering to fans of heavy music, including the previously discussed Full Metal Texas show on 3/17 at Emo's with Trap Them, Rwake, Hull, All Pigs Must Die, and the recently added Kvelertak! Details on March 16th and 18th are still to come.

Moments after the BrooklynVegan/ProfoundLore day party comes to a close, the official Profound Lore SXSW showcase will begin at Valhalla! That show kicks off at 7PM and will feature a headlining set from Slough Feg, as well as performances from KEN Mode, Castevet, Grayceon, Bruce Lamont, and Wolvhammer. Check out the incredible show poster below and get a screened copy of it at the show from the artist, Glyn Smyth of Scrawled Design.

Bruce Lamont plays Union Pool in Brooklyn on SUNDAY (2/27) with Lichens, Kevin Hufnagel & Cocaine & Abel. Union Pool will also host The Body TONIGHT (2/22) with Braveyoung & Elks.

Show flyers, a stream of Deafheaven's awesome demo and more pictures of the mighty Altaar from Norway's by:Larm 2010 are below!

Continue reading "BrooklynVegan & Profound Lore present a Free Day Party @ Lovejoys (lineup, related shows, live Altaar pics & more)"