photos by David Andrako

"New York's most eager faces and earthy races paraded the liberal grounds of Park Slope via Prospect park on Sunday. They aligned from the realist regions of every borough and bridge for a complimentary concert hosted by Talib Kweli, The Roots and many others entitled "Okay Africa". Inescapably, most of the vicinity was bombarded by a sea of blankets, beer bottles and wine drinkers who arrived bracing themselves to 'rough it up' for a free show. Every path eventually occupied its self by mellow scenesters, Brooklyn heads, hipsters, their families and even a few local celebs that were all in gear for a naturalist's side to life. Ethnic forces ruled by a long-shot with some well-intended culture clashing. Negativity failed to align for the most part, thanks to everyone and their arousal of cool Summer spirit. Good times were clearly in fine perspective." [A Triumphant Discovery]

More from last Sunday's packed show in Prospect Park, below...

Continue reading "The Roots & friends (OkayAfrica) @ Prospect Park - pics "

interview by Billy Jones, top photo by Michael Lavine

TV on the Radio guitarist, multi-instrumentalist and producer David Andrew Sitek has announced his new project Maximum Balloon. Not surprisingly, the TVOTR / Yeah Yeah Yeahs / Liars / Dragons of Zynth / Holly Miranda / Scarlett Johansson producer worked with a host of guest artists on the project, which will see the light of day in the form of a self-titled album on August 24th via DGC/Interscope Records.

"...Then Aku (Dragons of Zynth) called and said he was in town and asked what I was up to and I said, "Making a song that you have to come and fix!" So he came by the studio and he laid the vocals down. We pretty much started Maximum Balloon on that day."

Other guest artists on the album will include Tunde Adebimpe and Kyp Malone from TVOTR, Karen O from Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Yukimi Nagano from Little Dragon, Holly Miranda, Theophilus London and more. David Byrne is rumored. Aku from Dragons of Zynth is featured on "Tiger," the first track to be released off the album. "Tiger" will be available on iTunes and all digital partners on June 15th, but you can also hear it in a video below, or today at www.MaximumBalloon.com. In addition to "Tiger", Maximum Balloon will be regularly releasing a series of digital singles in the weeks leading up to the release of the album.

Billy Jones of new musical project New Moods, who last conducted an interview for this site in 2006, called up Dave on Friday to discuss the making of Maximum Balloon, barbershop quartets, Cyndi Lauper, the future of TVOTR and more. Their chat starts here....

---

Billy: Hey Dave, Can you hear me?

Dave: Yeah...

Billy: I rigged this to be on the speakerphone of my Blackberry to be recording through GarageBand, a slightly complicated setup...

Dave: Awesome, put me through The Crystalizer...

Billy: I actually have you through Long Panning Ping Pong Delay right now...

Dave: I can't wait for Soundtoys to come out with an iPhone app.

continued below....

Continue reading "an interview w/ Dave Sitek of Maximum Balloon (the TVOTR guitarist/producer's new project w/ many guest vocalists)"

Phosphorescent @ Prospect Park in June (more by Tim Griffin)

Phosphorescent and Tune Yards team up for a show at Music Hall of Williamsburg this Saturday (September 5th). Mike Bones is also on the bill. Tickets are still on sale.

After that, Phosphorescent has two weeks of tour dates in October that include a stop at Farm Aid in St. Louis, Mo on October 4th which is kind of awesome, but not surprising since Matthew Houck (Mr. Phos) has become friendly with Farm Aid president Willie Nelson ever since Willie became a fan of Matthew's tribute album. Also on the bill of Farm Aid this year: John Mellencamp, Neil Young, Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds with Jamey Johnson, Jason Mraz, and Wilco. Rumor is that (very prolific) Willie and Phos may even have something else in the works.

Tune Yards (Merrill Garbus), whose debut, BiRd-BrAiNs, was re-released in August on 4AD, is heading to Europe for a set of shows, some of which are with Dirty Projectors (who have their own NYC/N.A. dates coming up). She'll be back in North America and playing shows in October. Her scheduled gigs include a Tuesday, October 6th show at Union Hall with Dragons of Zynth. Tickets are on sale now.

All tour dates are below...

Continue reading "Phosphorescent touring, playing Farm Aid (like Wilco) & MHOW (w/ Tune Yards who has more dates scheduled too) "

DOWNLOAD: Esau Mwamwaya and Radioclit - The Very Best Mixtape (ZIP)
DOWNLOAD: The Very Best - Warm Heart Of Africa (w/ Ezra Koenig) (MP3)

European producers Radioclit and Malawian singer Esau Mwamwaya have been working together under the name The Very Best for the past two years. You can check out their debut mixtape, which came out last year and samples M.I.A, Vampire Weekend and Michael Jackson, reposted above. "For the recording, the band brings some guests on board: M.I.A. for 'Rain Dance' and Vampire Weekend's Ezra Koenig sings on 'Warm Heart Of Africa.'"

The Very Best are making a limited number of US stops before their set at the Pitchfork Festival on July 19th. One of those will be at NYC's (Le) Poisson Rouge on Saturday, July 18th, where they appear with Dragons of Zynth, the Que Bajo?! dance party, DJ Uproot Andy, Geko Jones, Zuzuka Poderosa, DJ Supervixen and Açai Girl. Tickets are on sale.

Two Very Best videos, with a flyer for the show, and all tour dates, below...

Continue reading "The Very Best are here - playing CA, NYC & the P4K Fest"

photos by Eric M. Townsend

Major label expatriates and rogue rockers ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead announce a national US tour in support of their highly anticipated full-length - The Century of Self - out February 17th, 2009 on the band's Richter Scale Records imprint on Justice Records....produced and mixed by Chris Coady (TV on the Radio, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Grizzly Bear) at his DNA Studio in NYC's East Village - The album was recorded Spring 2008 in Austin, TX with Mike McCarthy (Spoon, Patty Griffin) at The Mob House and Chris "Frenchie" Smith (Sixteen Deluxe, Smog, Jet) at The Bubble. Featuring vocal contributions from Yeasayer and Dragons of Zynth, Trail of Dead's sixth full-length is a return to their indie roots while showing the progression the band has made since its inception in 1994.

TOD frontman Conrad Keely performed a solo set at the NY Cares event at Knitting Factory on December 8th. More pictures from that and all tour dates below...

Continue reading "...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead - new album, 2009 Tour Dates, NY Cares pics"

Anti-Pop Consortium @ Terminal 5 (more by Ryan Muir)

Anti-Pop Consortium - 2008 Tour Dates
Oct 17 - Obamarama @ The Bell House

Party and Silent Auction to benefit Barack Obama
w/ Dirty on Purpose, Dragons of Zynth, Takka Takka and more...

Nov 14 - The Apple Store West 14th St.
Dec 12 - Knitting Factory: Anti-Pop Consortium Presents: MELTDOWN

The KF is closing down and re-locating to Brooklyn and they asked us to curate a special evening...this will be an all club event booked by APC. Stay tuned for special guest announcements...

More upcoming free Apple shows and the Obamarama flyer with details below...

Continue reading "Apple in-stores, Obamarama & Anti-Pop Consortium "

The new space at Webster Hall is hosting free shows all week long during CMJ 2008. More details below...

Continue reading "free CMJ shows @ The Studio, VICE & Stereogum included"

TV on the Radio @ Masonic Temple in Brooklyn
Oct 14 - w/ The Dirtbombs (SOLD OUT)
Oct 15 - w/ Telepathe (SOLD OUT)
Oct 16 - w/ Dragons of Zynth (on sale Thursday @ noon)

All dates below...

Continue reading "TV On the Radio - a 3rd Brooklyn show, updated tour dates "

SFOTE (tonight's charity) tells me that...

The original lineup of "Simply Fly" had to change due to a LOT of major unforseen scheduling and logistical problems that apparently came up on Friday evening. Everything else on the bill is the same, and the late-night party is in place, as well.

We are down to give anyone who purchased tix in advance a chance to get a refund... they should contact Ticketweb for refund information, just spoke with them and gave the OK for anyone who wants a refund before the show tonight to get one immediately.

But I'm hopeful that you can stress that as the event is for a great cause (helping pay for kids' transportation for school in Trinidad-- 100% of the door goes directly to the recipients in need), we hope people will still come out and support the great crew of musicians that are on the bill this evening!

The bill now reads, "performances by SIMPLY FLY: TUNDE ADEBIMPE (TV on the Radio), RYAN SAWYER (Tall Firs, Eye Contact, Stars Like Fleas,) and LIZZI BOUGATSOS (Gang Gang Dance) will be performing along with DRAGONS OF ZYNTH, KANENG LOLANG, and the BROOKLYN JUMBIES (stilt dancing/fire breathing/traditional african drum and dance troupe)."

TV on the Radio's next NYC shows are at the Masonic Temple. Tickets for those shows are on sale.

photos by Leia Jospe

Film School

PART 0 + PART 1 + PART 2 + what is below...

Continue reading "the 2008 Coney Island Siren Festival in pictures (part 3)"

STEPHEN MALKMUS AND THE JICKS, BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE, THE HELIO SEQUENCE, BEACH HOUSE, TIMES NEW VIKING,
JAGUAR LOVE, THE DODOS, ANNUALS, FILM SCHOOL, PARTS & LABOR, DRAGONS OF ZYNTH, THESE ARE POWERS and more to be announced!

This free, outdoor, all-ages, two-stage show happens in Coney Island, Brooklyn, NY on Saturday, July 19, 2008 from 12:00 noon - 9:00 p.m.

High Places @ Market Hotel, Brooklyn, NY (mercurialn)

For rock bands this is a great time to be weird and independent in Brooklyn. After years in which the sound of New York was defined by various shades of retro monochrome -- the new wave minimalism of the Strokes, the disco-punk of the Rapture and LCD Soundsystem, the moody Anglophilia of Interpol -- a new generation is making music that is indefinably eclectic and complex, and finding acclaim around the world. [NY Times]

SEE ALSO: MTV NEWS' "The Noise From Brooklyn"

Citysol kicks off tonight and tomorrow morning (FREE SHOWS). Flyers below....

Continue reading "1st Citysol shows are tonight & Friday MORNING"

Television - Marquee Moon alt take

It really is summer. Summerstage kicks of the concert season tonight in Central Park (Friday June 15th) with Cassandra Wilson & Olu Dara. Then tomorrow is the show I've really been waiting for: TELEVISION w/ Apples in Stereo & Dragons of Zynth (3-7 pm). AND Sunday - also 3-7 - Tiken Jah Fakoly, Idan Raichel Project, and DJ Kadafi. All three shows are FREE.

Tickets are also on sale for Rufus Wainwright, Beastie Boys, The Levon Helm Band, The Black Crowes and others. There's also still some left for Decemberists/Land of Talk/Grizzly Bear.

Apples in Stereo are also playing Housing Works tonight.

Previously
* Summerstage 2007 Schedule now official
* Television DATE CHANGE + Apples in Stereo + Dragons of Zynth
* Television playing Summerstage! + Richard Lloyd Tour Dates

DOWNLOAD: Les Savy Fav - The Sweat Descends (MP3)

I'm excited to finally get to announce the kick-ass FREE show I've been working on for months with the fine people at Solar One. Thanks also to everyone who got in touch and volunteered their band and/or time for this cause.

I told you to save the date, and here's why:

Brooklyn Vegan & Solar One present Citysol....
A FREE SHOW on SATURDAY JULY 14 (1pm-10pm) in NYC w/
* LES SAVY FAV (!!)
* Land Of Talk (previously announced)
* O'Death (yeah)
* The Besnard Lakes (previously announced)
* These Are Powers (ex-Liars)
* The Budos Band (funky)
* Frankpollis (starring Jackson)
* plus a very special performance from OCDJ (Dance Party until the solar goes out!)

@ Solar One at Stuyvesant Cove Park - located along the East River between 18th and 23rd Streets. Solar One sits in the north end of the park, near the 23rd Street entrance and the Gulf Gas station.

We're also co-sponsoring the free Menomena/Beat the Devil show at the Seaport the day before, and hosting an opening night party the night before that with DRAGONS OF ZYNTH, DJ Mistakes (bicycle-powered turntablism), and Brightside.

Some interesting facts about the show on the 14th:

• It is the same weekend as the Pitchfork Festival in Chicago - more reason to stay home.
• It is outside (please don't rain, please don't rain).
• It is one day before the free 'Ponderosa Stomp' show at McCarren Pool in Brooklyn
• The bands will be performing on a solar + biodiesel powered stage.
• It is one week before the free Siren Festival in Coney Island
• There will be art installations to look at, and a "green product marketplace" for you to buy stuff at.
• It will rock.

All festival details below.......

Continue reading "LES SAVY FAV to headline FREE Citysol show ++ all 4-DAY NYC FESTIVAL DETAILS"