photos by Rachel Carr

Kurt Vile @ the Henry Miller Library

"We hot footed it down to the Henry Miller Library for the Woodsist festival. It was hidden among the trees like a secret garden and as we laid on our rugs drinking strong vodka cranberry, the place seemed to glow. We watched the bands, perused the library, went exploring and hung out at the merch table and before long the sunlight faded and the fairy lights came out. Oh and then we saw Kirsten Dunst, just hanging out in the bookstore and Joe let his cool mask slip and got all star-struck and gaspy. The day was magical but tinged with melancholy. I couldn't shake this feeling and this feeling was the end." [In Another World]

The described and pictured Big Sur Woodsist Festival happened on Saturday, June 12th at the Henry Miller Library. It was one of two west coast Woodsist events. The second was last night, June 15th, at Echoplex. NYC gets its own on June 25th at Music Hall of Williamsbug as part of the Northside Festival. Tickets are still on sale. More pictures from the Big Sur fest, below...

Continue reading "Woodsist had two fests in California (pics from Big Sur)"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Woods - I Was Gone (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Fresh & Onlys - Diamond in the Dark (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Moon Duo - Stumbling 22nd St. (MP3)

Woods

There's a lot going on in the wild world of Woodsist Records. Firstly is the Woodsist night at Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn on June 25 that's part of the Northside Festival (June 24 - 27). The show features Real Estate, Woods, The Fresh & Onlys, Moon Duo and Sic Alps. Tickets ($15) go on sale Friday (4/30) at noon. This and the Brooklyn Vegan show with Memory Tapes, Twin Sister, Zaza and DOM on June 26 are two of four Northside events at Music Hall of Williamsburg this year (Thao and Mirah is another).

Woodsist is also doing two mini-festivals on the West Coast next month: June 12 at the Henry Miller Library in Big Sur and June 15 at the Echoplex in Los Angeles. The line-ups differ slightly, but both shows feature Real Estate, Woods, Kurt Vile, The Mantles and The Art Museums. Full line-ups for both shows are at the bottom of this post.

Woods, who also have a show coming up at Abrons Arts Center in May, will be releasing their third album, At Echo Lake, next week. Clocking in just under 30 minutes, it's full of catchy West Coast-ish folk pop. It might be their best yet. You can download "I Was Gone" at the top of this post. The band is touring the West Coast leading up to those two mini-fests. All dates are below.

The Fresh and Onlys

The Fresh & Onlys will be here a full month before the Northside Festival too, playing with Golden Triangle and The Babies at Monster Island (which now has real, permanent stage!) on May 14, and Cake Shop on May 15. The band continue to release records at a Pollardian rate, with a fantastic new EP, August in My Mind, our on Captured Tracks (download "Diamond in the Dark" above), a split 7" with Golden Triangle, and at least two other singles out this year already. There's a video for "Vanishing Cream" at the bottom of this post, which is a single on French label Plastic Spoons. They've also finished their third album which will be out on In the Red sometime this year.

Moon Duo, which features Wooden Shjips' Erik Johnson and Sanae Yamada, released an EP on Woodsist earlier this year -- check out "Stumbling 22nd St." at the top of this post. I caught them the final, cold night at SXSW where I was a little worn out and cranky at that point for their droney, extended Loop-meets-Suicide two chord jams but I could imagine digging it more under sunnier circumstances.

Real Estate also have many more dates coming up between now and the end of August. Sic Alps are touring and reporting that a Captured Tracks Fest is happening in NYC again this summer too.

Woodsist Fest lineups, videos and everyone else's tour dates below...

Continue reading "mini Woodsist Fests in NYC & CA, Woods shows, Fresh & Onlys tour dates, Moon Duo & more"

by Nick Masi

DOWNLOAD: Eat Skull - Seeing Things (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Psychedelic Horseshit - Rather Dull (MP3)

Eat Skull

Portland, Oregon's Eat Skull have been making noise for less than two years now, but in that time have attracted a lot of attention. They've been lumped into the popular "lo-fi" or do I dare say, "shitgaze," genre, with the likes of Times New Viking, TVK and Pink Reason. Eat Skull incorporates elements of hardcore into their songs, making their poppy sound a little more rough. After releasing a number of 7"'s, all of which sold out almost instantly, Eat Skull finally put out their first full length, "Sick to Death," on Siltbreeze Records back in May. Like Panther, Meth Teeth and White Fangs, they're part of a new generation of bands making noise outside their hometown of Portland. MTV News invaded the city for a recent piece on the entire scene including The Thermals. That video is embedded below.

Eat Skull's Siltbreeze label-mates Psychedelic Horseshit, like Times New Viking, hail from Columbus, Ohio. Though also linked to the "lo-fi" sound, PH are a lot harder and more abrasive than most. The pop element is still there, just not as heavy. Psychedelic Horseshit sound like a band that is having fun. They don't care about being tied down to a specific genre and they like to play at a very high volume. Their live shows are always a good time and LOUD. Like Eat Skull and the town of Portland, Psychedelic Horseshit and the "lo-fi" sound were also the focus of an MTV News piece. That one was previously posted.

Eat Skull are on their first nationwide tour and will be in NYC this weekend. TONIGHT (9/19) they're at Dead Herring in Brooklyn with USAisamonster and Little Claw, Sunday they play DCTV (formerly the Tank) with Blank Dogs, and Monday (9/22) they're at Death By Audio. The latter two shows are also with Psychedelic Horseshit (...hey, isn't Brooklyn Yeasayer's turf?) who are then continuing on the road with Eat Skull down to Georgia. All Eat Skull and Psychedelic Horseshit tour dates, and video, below...

Continue reading "Eat Skull & Psychedelic Horseshit - 2008 Tour Dates, MP3s"