photos by Don Gochenour; words by Bill Pearis

Tashaki Miyaki at Glasslands, 8/06/2012

The reach of The Velvet Underground is long and many limbed -- a sound so basic that it never really goes out of style, no matter how many bands ape it. As long as you do it well. Take Los Angeles trio Tashaki Miyaki, who made their NYC debut last night at Glasslands, and put some magic hour West Coast rays on that iconic guitar chug, owing as much to David Roback's many bands (like Rain Parade and Mazzy Star) as Lou Reed.

The band only have about 10 songs to their name at this point, and we got most of the high points, including their terrific new single "Best Friend" and a cover of Guns n' Roses "Sweet Child O' Mine." The latter has also been covered in a similar style by Luna but between the sweet female harmonies (drummer singer Lucy and bassist Dora) and no reliance on the song's signature riff (which Dean Wareham used) it still felt fresh. There are probably not many songs that wouldn't work VU-ized. Tashaki Miyaki definitely do it well and the crowd swayed gently throughout the set.

The band are still in town and will play Pianos tonight (8/7, 9PM) with Diego's Umbrella and Karikartura (tickets). If you haven't checked them out yet, song streams are at the bottom of this post along with more pictures from Takashi Miyaki's Glasslands set.

It was a strange bill Tashaki Miyaki were on last night. Dirty Fences preceded them and brought a sizable crowd with them. The Brooklynites play '70s-ish rock dipping three or four years either side of 1976, be it MC5 or The Damned, and have the sound down pat. They were good but definitely a 180 sonically from the headliners. Ex Cops were in the crowd last night -- now that would be a good double-bill.

Before that it was Boston's Dirty Dishes who seemed to leap straight from 1998 with their coo-to-a-caterwaul singer and sound that stayed just shy of alt-metal. (Not bad, but not my thing.) I only caught the last song of openers Sky Picnic who seemed to be going for 1968 acid rock, complete with headbands and white bell bottoms. New York on a Monday: sometimes it's about who can play, not who's most complimentary.

Photos of Dirty Fences and Dirty Dishes are below, along with more shots of Tashaki Miyaki.

Continue reading "Tashaki Miyaki played Glasslands with Dirty Fences and Dirty Dishes (pics, setlist)"

by Bill Pearis

Despite their name, Tashaki Miyaki are not Japanese. The Los Angeles duo's moniker comes from misremembering the name of filmmaker Takashi Miike, creator of such wince-inducing classics as Audition and Ichi the Killer. The band's music, though, is nowhere near as in-your-face as their name's inspiration. They've been called the "female Jesus & The Mary Chain" more than once, but a closer musical antecedent would be the Los Angeles' Paisley Underground scene of the mid-'80s and specifically the laid back, blissed-out vibes of David Roback's many bands (Rain Parade, Opal, Rainy Day, Mazzy Star).

After gaining attention from a cover of The Everly Brothers "All I Have to Do is Dream," Tashaki Miyaki released an EP of originals late last year, from which a pair of gorgeous black and white videos were made. (Watch them below.) A few other singles have been released since -- including a couple more Everly Brothers covers -- and the band will release "Best Friend" on August 6 via Luv Luv Luv Records. You can watch the video (another B&W stunner) below.

Also on August 6, Tashaki Miyaki will play a record release party at Glasslands, their first NYC show. It's with Dirty Dishes and tickets are on sale. The band's other upcoming shows at the moment are in the UK, Canada and their hometown of LA.

All Tashaki Miyaki tour dates are listed below, plus a variety of video and streams to check out as well.

Continue reading "check out Tashaki Miyaki, playing Glasslands (dates & songs)"

photos by Eric M. Townsend

B.O.M.B. Fest went down over Memorial Day Weekend at Comcast Theatre in Hartford, CT. You already saw the Dan Deacon pictures from the first day of the two day fest. Now here are the rest from that Saturday (May 28th) (we have no pics from Sunday). They continue below...

Continue reading "B.O.M.B. Fest 2011 - Day 1 in pics"

Theophilus London will headline the "Official Northside Festival Opening Party" at Music Hall of Williamsburg on Thursday, June 16th. Tickets go on AmEx presale Wednesday at noon, and then general sale Friday at noon. You can also try to get in with a Northside Festival badge.

The hip hop artist is one of 65+ new artists being officially added to the lineup of this year's Northside Festival (June 16-19 in various venues across Williamsburg and Greenpoint, Brooklyn, NY). Here's the full list:

Continue reading "Northside Fest adds 65+ bands to lineup, Theophilus @ MHOW, Mount Eerie, Iceage & more ++ open studios & DIY films"