Osheaga Festival is returning to Montreal's Parc Jean-Drapeau from August 2-4. This year's lineup includes The Cure, Mumford and Sons, Phoenix, New Order, Vampire Weekend, Kendrick Lamar, Hot Chip, Alt-J, Beach House, Explosions in the Sky, Big Boi, Baauer, Father John Misty, Disclosure, Frightened Rabbit, Angel Haze, Jessie Ware, DIIV, Guards, and many more.

3-Day passes go on sale Friday (3/15) at noon. There are still over 20 artists TBA, but you can browse the complete initial lineup below...

Continue reading "Osheaga Festival 2013 lineup & tickets (The Cure, Phoenix, Vampire Weekend, Kendrick Lamar, New Order and more)"

The Jesus and Mary Chain, Explosions in the Sky, Swans, Divine Fits, Joel Plaskett Emergency, Colin Stetson, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Mac DeMarco and Metz are the first confirmed artists to be announced for the 2013 Sled Island Festival which will happen June 19 - 22 at 30+ venues in Calgary, Alberta. This year's fest, now in its seventh year, is being curated by Tim Hecker & John Dwyer of Thee Oh Sees. Around 250 bands are expected to be a part of Sled Island this year, plus art, film and comedy. Festival Discovery passes are on sale now.

photos by Diana Wong

Primus / Moog Factory / people in hot dog costumes

Moogfest 2012 kicked off unofficially with Justice on Thursday (10/25), and then it officially began on Friday (10/26) with sets by El-P, Buke & Gase, Blondes, Explosions in the Sky, Primus, Miike Snow, Morton Subotnick and more. El-P played a studio session inside of The Moog Factory (where all Moog products are made), which we also took a tour of, and pictures of that are in this post. Those pictures include shots of the analog synth calibration office, the new white version of their Slim Phatty synthesizer, and their recent foray into guitar building.

One of the highlights of day 1 was synth veteran Morton Subotnick who played a set spanning the material he released from 1967's Silver Apples of the Moon, through 1978's A Sky of Cloudless Sulfur. Moogfest always makes a point to book a few forerunners of electronic music for their festival, which mostly features modern artists of the genre. And hearing these tunes, which were written decades ago, alongside much newer artists, it was easy to see how revolutionary Morton Subotnick was in his time.

Primus brought a set heavy with psychedelic visuals. Blondes, who always bring the dance party in NYC, did just as great of a job translating that same experience over in Asheville. And Explosions In The Sky's atmospheric set made for a great come-down later on in the show after a full day of dance parties and trekking through Asheville.

Coverage of the rest of the festival is coming soon and more pics from Moogfest day 1 are below.

Continue reading "Moogfest 2012 day 1 in pics (El-P, Explosions in the Sky, Primus, Morton Subotnick, Blondes, and more)"

photos by Amoreena Lucero

Metallica / Sigur Ros at Outside Lands - 8/11/12

Metallica's headlining set on Saturday featured lots of the band's classic material ("Master of Puppets," "Ride the Lightning," "Creeping Death") paired with a fair amount of pyro and endless shout-outs to San Francisco. "We're very grateful to be playing in the backyard of the greatest city," said frontman James Hetfield. He also noted that a friend of his who lives a good distance from the park told him earlier that he could hear the band soundcheck all the way from his house. "So we're not only playing for you," said Hetfield. "We're playing for all of the Bay Area." [Rolling Stone]

Pictures of day 1 are HERE. More of day 2 are below.

Continue reading "Outside Lands Festival 2012 Day 2 in pics (Metallica, Sigur Ros, The Kills, Tame Impala, Explosions in the Sky & more)"

Moogfest 2011 (more by Diana Wong)

Moogfest, which is becoming one of the most intriguing US music festivals, is returning to Asheville, NC this year on October 26 and 27. Like in past years, the festival includes some legends like Thomas Dolby and GZA performing Liquid Swords (like he is in NYC and other cities), some of our favorite newcomers like Julia Holter, Trust, and Disclosure, electronic heavy hitters like Orbital, Four Tet, Squarepusher, Richie Hawtin, Mouse on Mars, and Prefuse 73 with Teebs, in addition to a diverse list of other artists like Killer Mike, El-P, The Magnetic Fields, Explosions in the Sky, Primus, Santigold, Divine Fits, Actress, Pantha Du Prince, Bear in Heaven, and more. Tickets for this year's fest go on sale Friday (8/10) at noon. The initial lineup is listed below.

Orbital, who released their new album, Wonky, this year, which featured a track with Zola Jesus, have a few other North American dates this year (still none in NYC though).

For Divine Fits, the new band featuring Britt Daniel (Spoon), Dan Boeckner (Wolf Parade/Handsome Furs), and Sam Brown (New Bomb Turks), who recently made their live debut in Austin, Moogfest is one of the few shows they've got scheduled this year, including the Chicago show they played last night (8/5) and an upcoming NYC show.

Moogfest 2012 lineup is listed below.

Continue reading "Moogfest 2012 lineup (GZA, Magnetic Fields, Explosions in the Sky, Primus, Santigold, Julia Holter, Disclosure, Orbital, Four Tet, Divine Fits, Killer Mike & more)"

After teasing folks with a few names here and there -- like Run DMC most recently -- Austin's annual Fun Fun Fun Fest (Nov 2 - 4) has revealed it's full line-up, including Public Image Ltd, De La Soul, Superchunk, Santigold, Refused, X peforming Los Angeles, and lots, lots more. 3-day passes go on sale at 10AM CST.

Full FFF Fest lineup is below.

Continue reading "Fun Fun Fun Fest full lineup (De La Soul, Refused, Fucked Up, Public Image Ltd, Santigold, Sharon Van Etten, Rakim, X, Converge, Japandroids & more)"

photos by Amanda Hatfield

Beck/Devendra Banhart at Governors Ball - 6/24/12

"But the real agenda of Sunday's Governors Ball was a day of crescendos. Separated from Saturday -- a day of computerized repetitions and volume control and equalizer tweaks -- Sunday was for bands building at their own pace. It might be the grunge surges of Cage the Elephant or the strategic crescendos of Explosions in the Sky, but it was hand-played and timed to human impulse. On Sunday, the cheers from the crowd showed how well real-time music-making still moves an audience. Guitars -- in Built to Spill, Cage the Elephant, Alberta Cross -- still grab people." [NY Times]

Continue reading "Governors Ball 2012 -- Day 2 pics (Beck, Explosions in the Sky, Built to Spill, Devendra Banhart, Cults & more)"

As mentioned, Governors Ball goes down in NYC this weekend on Randall's Island from June 23-24. You can check out the full schedule for both days HERE. The lineup includes a number of bands who haven't played NYC in a while, like Passion Pit, who have a new LP coming out which you've heard two songs from; Modest Mouse, who also play the Metallica-headlined Orion Music & More festival in Atlantic City this weekend, Beck, Devendra Banhart, and more.

Fiona Apple did play in NYC pretty recently, but those shows were her first in a while and were also small venues for her and sold out instantly. Fiona also just finally released her new album and it's great, which is all the more reason to catch her set this weekend. She also recently announced a ton of new dates and performed on Fallon with the Roots.

Other bands playing include Built to Spill, Explosions in the Sky, K.Flay (who also plays Glasslands on 7/13), James Muprhy & Pat Mahoney DJ Set, Cults, Phantogram, and still many more. In addition to the music, there will be some other activities like ping pong, beer pong, silent disco, lawn games (bocce ball, croquet, etc), and from looking at the weather forecast, probably the most important of them all: free water refill stations. Tickets for the festival are still available.

Shuttles to the festival from Brooklyn and Philly are sold out but regular ferry tickets ($25), and parking passes if you plan to drive are still available. If you are heading down there by car, subway, bike or foot, here are some directions from NYC, Long Island, Westchester, and Jersey. Once you've found your way there, this map should help you get around the festival grounds. Leave your nunchucks at home.

Nick Zammuto at Ecstatic Music Fest (more by David Andrako)

Zammuto (the project of Nick Zammuto of The Books) will hit the road with Explosions in the Sky next month, and after taking a break, they'll head out again, this time acting as a support act for a portion of Gotye's just-announced tour. That portion includes the Brooklyn show at Williamsburg Park on September 27. Zammuto won't open the Radio City show on September 25 though (but Missy Higgins and Jonti will). Tickets for the Williamsburg Park show with Zammuto go on sale Friday, June 8 at 10 AM.

Zammuto released his self titled LP last month. You can stream that in full below, along with a live rehearsal video for "The Shape of Things to Come" and a list of all dates...

Continue reading "Zammuto opening for Gotye on tour (dates)"

photos by David Andrako

Refused/Levon Helm RIP - Friday @ Coachella

The second week of Coachella 2012 (and unfortunately not streaming online this time around) kicked off on 4/20 and continues today, Saturday, Record Store Day...

Once again this year, Record Store Day will be a big part of the festival and is on Saturday, April 21st! ZIA will be celebrating in style by having great music exclusives and special RSD pieces available at the ZIA tent.

Well over 200 Record Store Day Exclusive releases will be available this year and on sale at the Zia tent on the second weekend of Coachella (April 20-22). Zia will also have a limited amount of RSD Exclusives from prior years available both weekends.

Many bands performing this year at Coachella will be releasing Record Store Day Exclusive pieces this year including The Black Keys, Santigold, Feist, The Hives, M83, Florence + The Machine, Arctic Monkeys, The Refused, Miike Snow, Childish Gambino, Mike Watt, Grouplove, The Black Angels, Kimbra, Gary Clark Jr., Laura Marling, Grace Potter & The Nocturnals, Real Estate, M. Ward, Death Grips, fIREHOSE and St. Vincent.

We will also have a few exclusives that will only be available both weekends of Coachella. First is At The Drive-In's amazing Vaya EP is being repressed on colored vinyl and will be limited to only 500 copies. Also Ximena Sarinana will be releasing a Coachella only 7" limited to 500. More exclusives are in the works so stop by and check us out.

ZIA Records will be offering shipping for items purchased over both festival weekends. ZIA will also have an option for customers who would like to have their items put on hold in the comfy, cool ZIA tent.

--
Mazzy Star/Frank Ocean - Friday @ Coachella

This week we're mixing up the photo coverage a bit. We wouldn't normally go to a festival Pulp is playing and miss them, but after seeing them at Coachella last week and two times in NYC, it seemed like it would be better to give others on the five-stage lineup a chance. That's also why you won't find any Black Keys (who were joined by John Fogerty), Madness and Amon Tobin in this post. Unlike last week though, you will find Explosions in the Sky, WU LYF, Frank Ocean & Yuck. No Hasselhof this time, but David did spot Richie Sambora checking out Gary Clark Jr.. More pictures from Friday (4/20), below...

Continue reading "Coachella 2012 Week 2 - Day 1 pics (Mazzy Star, Refused, M. Ward, M83, Dawes, EITS, Kendrick Lamar, WU LYF & more)"

"Another Planet Entertainment, Superfly Presents and Starr Hill presents, in a partnership with the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department, are proud to announce the lineup for the fifth annual Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival. The world's only gourmet music festival will once again take place in San Francisco's historic Golden Gate Park August 10 - 12, 2012. Tickets will go on sale Thursday April 19 at 12 noon PDT via www.sfoutsidelands.com. A significant portion of every ticket sold will directly benefit San Francisco's Recreation and Park Department."

Continue reading "Outside Lands 2012 lineup (Metallica, Stevie Wonder, Neil Young, Jack White, Foo Fighters, Beck, Skrillex...)"

photos by David Andrako

Zammuto @ Ecstatic Music Fest

Ecstatic Music Festival continues on, and welcomed a performance from Nick Zammuto (formerly of The Books) & Jason Treuting (So Percussion, Janus Trio) with appearances from janus, Eric Beach, Daisy Press & Grey McMurray at Merkin Concert Hall on 2/23 . A full set of pictures, and a video which gives a sense of what the performance was all about, are in this post.

Zammuto will hit the road for a string of Midwest dates supporting Explosions In The Sky, though Zammuto won't be on hand when the Texas quartet play Governors Ball in June.

All tour dates, pictures, and a brand new song off Zammuto's forthcoming self-titled album, below...

Continue reading "Zammuto streaming a new track, played the Ecstatic Music Fest w/ Jason Treuting & more (pics)"

As posted last night, Modest Mouse are playing Governors Ball on Randall's Island during the weekend of June 23-24 (same weekend as Orion), but they are just one of many artists that are now announced, and listed, along with more information, below...

Continue reading "NYC fest Governors Ball announces 2012 lineup (Beck, Passion Pit, EITS, Built to Spill, Devendra Banhart, Cults & more)"

Explosions In The Sky at Wellmont Theater (more by Toby Tenenbaum)

NYU students get a treat this Valentine's Day, a show from Explosions In The Sky! The Texas post-rock quartet will join Grouper and Ducky for a Feb 14th NYU-students-only show (though it's "2 tickets per NYU ID"). The show will be seated on a first come, first serve basis and is a benefit for the Burton CHILL Foundation. Full details, including ticket information, below.

EITS so far has announced a few US festival appearances, but no additional dates. Catch them at Coachella and Sasquatch this year.

In other news, Grouper will team with Tiny Vipers for a collaborative LP entitled Foreign Body. Mirroring, the name for the duo, will release the record on March 19th via Kranky.

So far Liz Harris (Grouper) has a European tour mapped out for March, but no additional US dates to speak of. Full tour schedule is below.

Continue reading "Explosions in the Sky playing Valentine's Day benefit @ NYU; Grouper & Tiny Vipers form 'Mirroring'"

"Following last year's 10th anniversary, which crushed previous attendance records and set a new mark for the speed with which tickets sold out, the Sasquatch! Music Festival unveils its 2012 lineup which once again features 4 days of music. The festival, hailed as "a model of well-paced programming...in a four-day schedule as efficient and natural feeling as an expertly built algorithm" by NPR Music while Wired notes, "leave the landscape out of it and Sasquatch! has a lineup to kill for," runs May 25-28 (Memorial Day Weekend) at The Gorge, the internationally acclaimed concert venue carved in the basalt cliffs high above the Columbia River Gorge in Quincy, WA."

Continue reading "Sasquatch! 2012 lineup announced (Bon Iver, Jack White, Beck, Tenacious D, Shins, Portlandia, Spiritualized & more) "

Radiohead @ Roseland Ballroom in 2011 (more by Bao Nguyen)

Coachella which is taking place over the course of two weekends this year (April 13-15 and 20-22) revealed their 2012 lineup. Last week, Azealia Banks was the first artist confirmed, and earlier today they confirmed The Weeknd (maybe he found a band?), and before that, Jimmy Cliff, Breakbot, and Housse De Racket. The reunited Pulp then announced itself. The full lineup also includes headliners The Black Keys, Radiohead, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, not to mention, as predicted, the reunited At the Drive In and the reunited Mazzy Star (!), and Madness and Refused (!) and Jeff Mangum and many, many more that you can see below...

Continue reading "Coachella 2012 lineup announced (two weekends worth)"

photos by Toby Tenenbaum

Explosions in the Sky @ Wellmont

Explosions In The Sky took the stage and ploughed through one and half hours of hugely dynamic, instrumental music. The band's signature "soft/loud/soft" style was truly effective--arguably more so than on record. Some drum sections from the band's new album, Take Care, Take Care, Take Care were surprisingly brutal and heavier live, proving the band's mastery of dynamic range.

It was definitely the tracks from EITS' 2009 album All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone that got the most attention from the crowd. The band ended with "Your Hand In Mine" to a sea of hands in the air, and left the stage with squealing guitar feedback. -[CMJ]

If you missed the openers, then make sure and swing on over to Webster Hall on December 10th. Tickets are currently on AMEX presale, but hit regular sale at noon Friday (10/7). The show is one of a select few US appearances currently scheduled outside of their inclusion on the Weezer Cruise. Tour dates are below.

Explosions in The Sky will hit Europe with The Drift later this fall, but are now on the road with Baltimoreans Wye Oak. The Baltimore pair also has an NYC show in their near future, on 12/14 at Rock Shop with Pattern Is Movement. Tickets are on sale for the show that happens one day before they open for the National at Beacon Theater. Mostly EU, but also US tour dates for Wye Oak are below.

EITS's setlist, more pictures from Wellmont and all tour dates are below.

Continue reading "Explosions in the Sky & the Antlers played Wellmont (pics), Wye Oak playing Rock Shop b4 National show (tix)"

by BBG

If you only went by the lead song "Horizon" or the video for "Dark Passage", you might get the sense that The Drift tread in similar pounding kraut-rock-y waters as labelmates Maserati. But in the wake of the passing of member Jeff Jacobs, the mood is (save for previously cited examples) very pensive on Blue Hour, The Drift's new LP due via Temporary Residence Limited on 10/4.

As many of you may know, our dear friend and long-time collaborator Jeff Jacobs (trumpet, flugel horn, fx) has departed us, having succumbed early this year to a long and very courageous battle with cancer. He was and remains to be an integral force in the bands development. The amount of passion and energy he gave to music and to the life of this band was paramount. We will miss him beyond what words can express. His light will no-doubt continue to shine on. The recording's we made are in dedication to him, his radiance as an artist, and to the testament of music. May you rest in peace dear friend. Please visit this lovely memorial site his sister Erika Jacobs put together in his honor. His life is to be celebrated.

Explosions in the Sky are meanwhile playing Wellmont Theater in NJ with the Antlers TONIGHT (10/3).

Continue reading "The Drift releasing 'Blue Hour' on Temporary Residence (exclusive stream), touring Europe w/ EITS (dates)"

photos by Autumn Andel

Neurosis / The Antlers

Typhoon played a great set with thirteen people on stage, a friend notes that every time she sees the band there's someone else in it. After their set, lead singer Kyle Morton goes and sits with his family in the crowd after and obliges a female fan who asks to take a picture with him...

The incredibly good-looking boys in Antlers are nearly as sedate as the comatose crowd filling the square. Good thing the crowd is almost as incredibly good-looking as the boys in Antlers. I am distracting myself with untoward thoughts until something interesting happens...

Here's the thing I don't get about Explosions in the Sky: There's really no reason for them to be an instrumental band. Their music isn't evocative enough to NOT require a singer. All the dudes are currently rocking out in great disproportion to the actual rock-out quality of the music. We head to Virginia Cafe. Uh oh...

It's been four years since Neurosis last played Portland. For the full house at Roseland tonight, this is like going to church....

I don't get easily overwhelmed at concerts, but I don't know how much more of Neurosis I can handle. Standing by the PA speakers, my puny earplugs aren't standing much of a chance. And damn if they don't look possessed up there on stage. It's one of the most amazing things I've ever witnessed but am so tired that it's starting to scare me a little bit. - [Williamette Week]

MFNW Day 3 pics HERE. Day 2 HERE and HERE. Day 1 HERE.

More pictures from Day 4, at Pioneer Square and Roseland Theater, below...

Continue reading "MFNW Day 4 pics (Neurosis, Grails, EITS, Antlers, Eluvium...)"

words by Zach Pollack, photos by Grant MacAllister

Sorry for the delay of our third and final installmet of Lollapalooza 2011 coverage, but here it is! Due to the major downpour on the Sunday of the fest, Grant's pictures were almost lost forever in a wet camera, but are now recovered. If you're just joining us, check out parts one and two first. Here is part three...

My third and final day of Lollapalooza (8/7) kicked off at Music Unlimited Stage with an opening set from Titus Andronicus. The Garden State punks began things by playing the opening track "A More Perfect Union" from their incredible 2010 LP The Monitor. Titus generally would make for a fantastic start to the day, but their sound was a bit off, and by the look on frontman Patrick Stickles's face, I think he agreed.

After Titus, I decided to calm things down and went to catch Lia Ices. This was my second time seeing the Brooklyn, NY-based songstress this year, but that did not make her less interesting. Lia's well trained voice fluttered effortlessly over the avant pop she produces. I must admit I was skeptical that she and her band would translate well to an outdoor setting. The four-piece shattered any and all of my doubts.

The next set I caught was Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.'s at the quite favored Google+ stage. The kitschy group are infectious and totally unavoidable. I stuck around for most of their set which included their handmade "Jr. Jr." light boxes on stage and, more importantly, bubble machines.

I then made my way over to watch The Cars, who again consist of their original lineup, except for Benjamin Orr who passed away in 2000. The Cars ran though many of their hits like "Just What I Needed," "My Best Friend's Girl," "Good Times Roll," and a few new ones too. I didn't initially plan on catching their set, am glad that I did.

I then headed to the Sony stage where Portugal. The Man were setting up. I had caught their aftershow with Wye Oak at the Double Door on the first night of Lolla, and they blew me away. I was psyched to hear so many cuts off of their 2009 LP The Satanic Satanist. I was NOT psyched to hear that their van and trailer (gear and all) had been stolen later on that night. The van and trailer have since been recovered... and so has most of the gear!

I left Portugal's set a bit early in order to make it to Best Coast at Google+. Frontwoman Bethany Cosentino entered the stage and jokingly stated, "Fuck you, we're Best Coast." Unfortunately halfway through their set storm clouds that were hanging over Chicago all day finally burst. It poured for a good hour, letting up just before Explosions In The Sky's set.

The Austin, TX-based post rock band entered the stage stating, "I think you just saw 'us,' but now we're going to play some music." I was glad to hear some of my favorite songs like "The Birth and Death of the Day," "Six Days At the Bottom of the Ocean," and "Your Hand In Mine." Their awesome set was more than enough to keep the muddy, sopping festival-goers around.

Everyone legitimately thought the rain had let up, so I headed across to Music Unlimited for Foo Fighters' headlining set. Their set included a handful of songs from the recently released Wasting Light LP and a bunch of older cuts too. A few songs in it started pouring again and I decided to leave the festival along with Grant whose camera had officially stopped working. Unfortunately that meant that I missed Perry Farrell (of Jane's Addiction and founder of Lollapalooza) joining the band on stage for a second during "Everlong," which included the Foos playing a piece of Jane's Addiction's "Mountain Song."

Day 1 pics are HERE and Day 2 pics are HERE. More pictures from Day 3, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart and Arctic Monkeys included, below...

Continue reading "Lollapalooza 2011 -- Day 3 pics & review (EITS, TPOBPAH, Best Coast, The Cars, Portugal the Man, Arctic Monkeys & more)"

Man Man in Chicago recently (more by Grant Macallister)

today in NYC
* GDLK @ Zebulon
* Kotorino @ Barbes
* The Snow @ Barbes
* INXS @ Beacon Theatre
* Laurel Halo @ The Stone
* Questlove @ Brooklyn Bowl
* Rachelle Garniez @ Barbes
* Andy Cooney @ Tappen Park
* Maxi Priest @ MetroTech Commons
* Raya Brass Band @ Broadway Plaza
* Dr. Lonnie Smith Nonet @ Jazz Standard
* Okkyung Lee, Carlos Giffoni @ The Stone
* Joan Osborne, Carter's Chord @ City Winery
* Man Man, Glass Candy, Crystal Antlers @ House of Vans
* Anni Rossi, Dinowalrus, Ezra Buchla, Yvette @ Bruar Falls
* Vagina Panther, Mount Olympus, Heavy Sons @ Saint Vitus
* The Men, Nomos, Brain F, Only the Messenger @ 538 Johnson
* Filligar, Hollis Brown, Jones Street Station @ Bowery Ballroom
* Aretha Franklin @ Coney Island Seaside Summer Concert Series
* Los Straitjackets, Bill Kirchen, Lost Bayou Ramblers @ Maxwell's
* Gospel Gossip, Quiet Loudly, Magnetic Island, Trabajo @ Cake Shop
* The Click Clack Boom, Ex-Cops, Raccoon Fighter, Dialogue @ Pianos
* Aaron Lee Tasjan, Will McCranie Trio, The Cleaners @ Brooklyn Bowl
* Sorceress, The Naked Heroes, Twin Guns, The Foxx @ Bowery Electric
* McCoy Tyner Quintet featuring Ravi Coltrane & Gary Bartz @ Blue Note
* Alloy Orchestra, Marika Hughes w/ "Metropolis" @ Prospect Park Bandshell
* Malkit Singh, Dengue Fever @ Lincoln Center's Damrosch Park Bandshell
* Aaron Pfenning (Rewards), Only Son, Blood Orange (DJ set) @ The Manhattan Inn
* The So So Glos, Nuclear Power Pants, Pygmy Shrews, Roomrunner @ Shea Stadium
* Sandra St. Victor, V. Jeffrey Smith, Tom Hammer, Marcus Machado @ Highline Ballroom
* Radical Dads, Spanish Prisoners, Ball of Flame Shoot Fire, Gabriel and the Hounds @ Littlefield
* Off With Their Heads, Dead To Me, The Holy Mess, Raptor Man, Brian Bruner @ Knitting Factory
* Sam Micken's Ecstatic Showband Revue, Bad Credit No Credit, Not Blood Paint @ Public Assembly

Check out This Week in Indie.

Kevin Barnes of Of Montreal DJs Brooklyn Bowl this weekend. We're giving away two tickets on our Facebook.

Explosions in the Sky played "Postcard From 1952" on Letterman on Tuesday night (8/2). Check out a video of that below.

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Thursday?"

Treasure Island Music Festival is returning to San Francisco, CA on October 15 and 16. The lineup includes Cut Copy, Beach House, The Hold Steady, Flying Lotus, Death From Above 1979, YACHT, Shabazz Palaces, The Antlers, St. Vincent, and many others. 2-Day passes go on sale Wednesday (7/27) 10 AM and single day tickets on Friday (7/29) at 10 AM.

Speaking of St. Vincent, if you haven't already, check out her new track at StrangeMercy.com. The full album is out September 13th via 4AD. More info and tour dates HERE. Still no info on tickets for her Met show.

Full Treasure Island lineup below...

Continue reading "Treasure Island Fest announces 2011 lineup, includes St. Vincent (who recently released a new song)"

DOWNLOAD: Mister Heavenly - "Pineapple Girl" (MP3)

Descendents at FFFFest (more by Tim Griffin)

Much like last year, FYF Fest 2011 is poppin' off with some incredible bands, many of whom recently reunited. This year the LA fest will host a coveted Descendents appearance, a Death From Above 1979 show, Guided By Voices, another Kid Dynamite reunion, The Dead Milkmen, Explosions in the Sky, the return of The Weakerthans and many, many notable others. Full lineup is below. The show goes down at 1st and Main in downtown Los Angeles on September 3rd. Tickets are on sale.

Future Islands plays FYF Fest and plays Death By Audio in Brooklyn TONIGHT (6/28).

For Kid Dynamite, which features members of Lifetime, Paint it Black and None More Black, the reunion is their first since re-emerging for This is Hardcore last year with Ink & Dagger. The band called it quits in 2000 and reunited in 2005 at CBGB and some other times too. I hope they schedule another NYC show, but it's just LA for now.

This is Hardcore THIS YEAR features an appearance from Ressurection, which also featured Dan Yemin on guitar. Tickets for This is Hardcore 2011, taking place in Philly's Starlight Ballroom, is mostly sold-out, with tickets for the Sunday show still available.

The Descendents appearance at FYFest is one of several dates scheduled for the reunited band, NYC's Roseland, Chicago Riot Fest, and Philly's Riot Fest included. Tickets are still available for the 9/23 Roseland show.

Mister Heavenly will hit the road for a string of dates on the West Coast leading up to FYF Fest. Check out their full tour schedule below, and look for their new LP Out of Love on 8/16 via Sub Pop. Check out "Pineapple Girl" from that record above.

The Death From Above 1979 appearance is one of several slated for the band in the coming months, including a 7/22 appearance at Williamsburg Waterfront. Tickets are still available OR, you can try your hand by winning a pair at our Facebook. The full set of DFA1979 dates are below.

The Weakerthans have a few other dates slated for Europe and Canada in the coming months. Hopefully they add more US dates too. All dates for now are listed below.

A few bands on the FYFest lineup (namely, Cults, Off!, and No Age) will also appear in NYC at the House of Vans this summer, and for FREE. The FYF-presented House of Vans series of shows starts this Thursday (6/30). You just have to RSVP to get in (and maybe get there early).

All Weakerthans, DFA1979, and Mister Heavenly dates, some video, and the full FYF Fest lineup is below.

Continue reading "FYF Fest in LA, This is Hardcore in Philly, Future Islands in BK, Mister Heavenly on tour, a DFA1979 contest & more"

photos by Dana (Distortion) Yavin & Graeme Flegenheimer

The Strokes

"The 10th anniversary [of Bonnaroo] was a celebration of how far the festival has come but also reminded us how it got there. There was something for everyone. The String Cheese Incident and Widespread Panic, who played at the first Bonnaroo, were there to remind people of the festival's jam-band roots. Lil Wayne and Big Boi were there along with Eminem to represent what the festival has become. In between, there were legendary acts like Robert Plant and The Band of Joy, Buffalo Springfield, Gregg Allman, Loretta Lynn, Dr. John, and Bruce Hornsby, which attracted an older crowd that resembled festival crowds of years past.

There were also more recently successful bands that attracted a younger crowd, such as Arcade Fire, The Strokes, The Black Keys, Neon Trees, Mumford & Sons, and The Decemberists.

One of the greatest features of Bonnaroo is that there are plenty of non-music entertainment options for those who need a break from music, the heat, or just need a diversion.

There was a cinema tent where rockumentaries and movies were screened, if you wanted to get out of the heat and cool down. There was a comedy tent that has been graced by comedians like Conan O'Brien and Margaret Cho. Dave Attelland hosted one of my favorite Bonnaroo performances when Flight of the Conchords performed in 2007. This year saw funny-men Lewis Black, Cheech Marin, and Tim Minchin among others in a strong rotation.

Sports fans concerned about the NHL and NBA Finals were happy to find the Bonnaroo Sports Bar where they could play pop-a-shot and watch the games on flat-screen monitors.

Artists were encouraged to show their stuff on the graffiti walls that lined much of the 700-acre farm. By the end of the weekend, you could spend all day walking up and down along the wall, finding some beautiful (and some not so beautiful) creations. " [The Epoch Times]

Bonnaroo 2012 is on sale at noon. The 10th Bonnaroo happened last weekend. Pictures of Karen Elson from Day One are HERE, with the rest of Day One HERE. Pictures of Decemberists from Day Two HERE, with the rest of Day Two HERE. Pictures of Gogol Bordello from Day Three are HERE, and the rest of Day Three are HERE. Robyn from Day Four HERE. The rest of Day 4, and the end of our 2011 Bonnaroo pictures, below...

Continue reading "Bonnaroo 2011 - Day 4 in pics (The Strokes, Mavis Staples, Beirut, EITS. John Waters, Greg Allman & more)"

Here is the initial lineup for Willamette Week's MusicfestNW, scheduled for Sept. 7-11, 2011 in Portland, Oregon, and it's pretty great. The multi-venue fest includes big outdoor performances by Band of Horses (Sunday, Sept. 11), Explosions in the Sky (Saturday, Sept. 10), and Iron & Wine (Friday, Sept. 9), in addition to shows with everyone from Archers of Loaf to Big Freedia to Butthole Surfers to Neurosis. Tickets go on sale Friday, June 3rd. Check out the full list below...

Continue reading "MusicfestNW 2011 -- dates & initial lineup"