by Andrew Sacher

Jessica Pratt at Maxwell's - 5/17/13 (via @cbruno1983)

Loner folk devotee Jessica Pratt just wrapped up a tour supporting Father John Misty, which hit the NYC-area this past Friday (5/17) for a show at Maxwell's, where FJM played solo acoustic, unlike his theatrical performance at The Great GoogaMooga the next day. Jessica played backed by a keyboardist and sounded delicate and wonderful as ever. Check out a video from her set below.

As mentioned, Jessica is about to do a few dates with Grouper, including one in NYC on June 2 at Le Poisson Rouge with Raajmahal and a DJ set from onetime Cocteau Twins bassist (and current Bella Union label head) Simon Raymonde. Tickets for that show are still available. Jessica has since added her own NYC show happening a day earlier (6/1) at Union Pool with Gambles (aka ex-Levy member Matthew Siskin) and Zachary Cale. Tickets for the Union Pool show are on sale now. Show flyer below.

And as discussed, Jessica will return to Le Poisson Rouge on July 12 to open for Julia Holter, which is one of a few shows the two musicians are playing together that month. Tickets for that show are still available

After she wraps up her run with Julia Holter, Jessica will do some West Coast dates with White Fence. Updated dates are listed, along with the Maxwell's video and Union Pool show flyer, below...

Continue reading "Jessica Pratt played Maxwell's w/ Father John Misty, playing more shows (updated dates & video)"

photos by Dana (distortion) Yavin

Father John Misty / Lee Fields / Sharon Van Etten

Saturday (5/18) at Great GoogaMooga in Prospect Park was Misty both onstage and off. J. Tillman (aka Father John Misty) played mid-afternoon set as light, atomizer-like rain frizzed hair and kept everything just a little moist. (Sunday the rain got worse and producers pulled the plug on the event.) Unlike Friday's paid-ticket kickoff event with Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Flaming Lips and The Darkness, Saturday's admission was free (though you had to order tickets) and also featured sets from headliners Matt & Kim, plus Lee Fields & the Expressions, Sharon Van Etten, Jovanotti and more. Pictures from Saturday are in this post. Did you brave the not-too-bad-weather for some music, beer and grub?

You can check out Friday pics of YYYs, The Flaming Lips and The Darkness. More pictures from Saturday below...

Continue reading "GoogaMooga day 2 in pics (Father John Misty, Lee Fields, Sharon Van Etten, Matt & Kim ++ more)"

by Bill Pearis

Wild Nothing have a new EP, Empty Estate, on the way, which will be out May 14 on Captured Tracks. That's the cover art above. Recorded in NYC back in January, the record is pretty different than anything Jack Tatum has done before, with a warbly postpunk/synthpop vibe, like what might have been released by Ze Records in 1979. Here's what Tatum says about it:

This is a record that happened very fast for me. We had just gotten back from a particularly long European tour last November, our first supporting Nocturne, and I was feeling a lot of things. I found myself struggling with what it meant to be a musician, with what music in general meant to me and what part I could possibly play in it. Playing the same songs every night for months left me bored with myself. But when I got home, for the first time in awhile it suddenly seemed that the pressure was off. We didn't have any tours planned for several months and I started to remember again why I love music in the first place. I listened to Brian Eno and David Bowie for weeks on end and felt like I was hearing them for the first time. I took a trip to Miami with my girlfriend. I visited my family. I felt free to try things musically that I would have stifled before. The songs on this EP were recorded over a 10 day period and are a reflection of this time. Of all the frustrations and successes and moments of peace in between.

Look for Wild Nothing on tour later this year, including NYC shows at Governors Ball in June and opening for Father John Misty at Terminal 5 on July 24. Tickets for that T5 show go on AmEx presale on Wednesday (4/26) at noon with the regular on-sale happening Friday (4/26) at noon. All Wild Nothing tour dates are below.

Continue reading "Wild Nothing releasing new EP, opening for Father John Misty (dates & stream)"

Father John Misty at Coachella 2013 weekend 1 (more by Dana (distortion) Yavin)

We knew that Father John Misty was quickly moving up in the world, but after his sold out Webster Hall show, he decided to scale things back a bit by announcing a tour with Adam Green & Binki Shapiro and Jessica Pratt (Adam Green & Binki Shapiro dropped off) which brings him back to the NYC-area for a more intimate show on May 17 at Maxwell's, the day before FJM plays The Great GoogaMooga in Prospect Park. Not surprisingly, that show is long sold out (and so is GoogaMooga), but Father John Misty has expanded his tour to include his largest headlining show in NYC yet, Terminal 5 on July 24. Dream poppers Wild Nothing will be providing support at the show. Tickets for that one go on sale Friday (4/26) at noon with an AmEx presale starting Wednesday (4/24) at noon.

Updated dates are listed, along with some videos of Father John Misty's set at Coachella yesterday (4/21), below...

Continue reading "Father John Misty played Coachella again, expands tour, playing Terminal 5 w/ Wild Nothing (updated dates & videos)"

by Andrew Sacher

Julia Holter at Bowery Ballroom in 2012 (more by Amanda Hatfield)

Julia Holter has a few live dates coming up this spring and summer, including previously discussed NYC dates on April 25 at BAM for day 1 of the Crossing Brooklyn Ferry festival with The Roots, Parquet Courts, Solange, David Longstreth, TV on the Radio, Phosphorescent and others (4/25 tix and 3-day festival passes); and May 1 at Brooklyn Masonic Temple for the Night of Improvised Round Robin Duets as part of the Red Bull Music Academy NYC residency with Andrew Bird, Questlove, Kim Gordon, James Chance, Thundercat, Andrew WK, and many others (sold out).

Julia has since added another NYC date which happens on July 12 at Le Poisson Rouge before she plays Pitchfork Music Festival. Tickets for that show are on sale now. All of her dates are listed, along with a stream of the 15-minute opening track from the digital re-release of her 2010 album, Celebration, below.

Jessica Pratt - 'Jessica Pratt'

Support at the LPR show comes from Jessica Pratt, who, like Julia Holter, owes much to the loner folk of cult legends like Linda Perhacs. But while Julia brings in Laurie Anderson-esque art pop sensibilities and some modern home recording techniques, Jessica Pratt, more similarly to Angel Olsen, is interested in actually sounding like she recorded in the early '70s. Her 2012 self titled record is a raw, bare-bones release (much like Olsen's Half Way Home from that same year), and a really gorgeous listen for anyone seeking Linda Perhacs, Sibylle Baier, or Vashti Bunyan's influence in modern music. Stream the track "Night Faces" below, and if you like what you hear, there's also a Spotify widget of the full album embedded.

Jessica Pratt has also been added as an opener to Father John Misty's tour with Adam Green & Binki Shapiro, including the NYC-area show on May 17 at Maxwell's (sold out). And after that run, she'll play another show at Le Poisson Rouge on June 2 as a support act for the previously discussed Grouper show at that venue. Raajmahal is on that bill too and tickets are still available. That show happens after both Grouper and Jessica Pratt play Chaos in Tejas.

All Julia Holter and Jessica Pratt dates are listed, along with song streams, below...

Continue reading "Julia Holter adds LPR show w/ Jessica Pratt, who's touring w/ Father John Misty & Grouper (seperately) (dates & streams)"

photos by Dana (distortion) Yavin

Wu-Tang Clan / Father John Misty / Grimes / the crowd @ Coachella, 4/14/2013

As the wind whipped through the final day of Coachella's first weekend, it became clear to those at the front of the stage that the techs getting the stage set up for the Red Hot Chili Peppers' festival-closing headlining set had a choice: take down the video screens that clearly were a part of the Peppers' production, or leave them up, risking them blowing uncontrollably around the stage. So they chose the former, leaving behind grandiose production elements in favor of solid -- but not-quite-revelatory -- musicianship.

It's a sort of metaphor for this year's edition of the festival, which never quite hit the watercooler moment. On the final day of the first weekend (the lineup repeats next week), there were no superstar surprises, no Daft Punk appearance and, during the Chili Peppers' set, not even a new song: just a major band, playing through their major hits, for a major audience.

It's been the story of this Coachella from the start, when the two-weekend blowout nearly sold out before the lineup was even announced, but on the field it became immediately obvious: This festival, at least this year, no longer was about "music fans" but about "Coachella fans" -- that is to say, the tens of thousands of revelers who packed the field had no specific allegiance to a band, a genre or an affiliation. - [Hollywood Reporter]

Other acts that played Sunday: Cloud Nothings as a three-piece, Ghost BC (who played too early for our photographer to catch), Jessie Ware (who also made an appearance during Disclosure's set) and San Francisco psych-garage kings Thee Oh Sees, who we also missed but were joined on sleigh bells by fellow Bay Area resident Ty Segall.

Pictures from day 1 are HERE and HERE, pictures from day 2 are HERE. More day 3 Coachella pictures below...

Continue reading "Coachella Day 3 Photos (Wu-Tang Clan, Vampire Weekend, Father John Misty, Grimes, Kurt Vile, James Blake ++ more)"

While Sub Pop officially began in 1986, their offices opened in 1988 which they're using as an excuse to celebrate royally:

Sub Pop Records is visibly full of itself in sharing the initial lineup for our 25th anniversary celebration, the Sub Pop Silver Jubilee, to be held July 13th in Seattle, Washington. The event will feature music and comedy performances from artists from the label's roster and beyond, both past and present.

If you're going, a suggested $5 donation at collection stations at the Jubilee will get you a limited-edition tote bag, set to benefit "local charities like 90.3FM KEXP, Northwest Harvest and the Northwest Parkinson's Foundation."

Sub Pop are also celebrating 25 years by releasing Sub Pop 1000 for Record Store Day 2013. Inspired by the label's landmark 1986 compilation Sub Pop 100, it features contributions by Peaking Lights, Ed Schrader's Music Beat, Starred and more, all exclusive to this compilation. It's on silver vinyl with an 11"x11" booklet and a MP3 download coupon. Limited to 5,000 copies worldwide.

Speaking of Baptist Generals, in addition to their shows with Mountain Goats, they're playing a headlining show at Mercury Lounge on June 6. Tickets for that show go on AmEx presale today (4/10) at noon with the regular on-sale happening on Friday at noon.

Tracklist for Sup Pop 1000, plus details of the Silver Jubilee event, are below.

Continue reading "Sub Pop celebrating Silver Anniversary with Record Store Day compilation, free concert in Seattle"

Phosphorescent at Bonnaroo 2011 (more by Graeme Flegenheimer)

As mentioned, Newport Folk Festival is returning this year to Fort Adams State Park from July 26 to 28, and since we last spoke, the lineup has been revealed. This year's fest includes Beck, The Avett Brothers, Feist, Jim James, Colin Meloy, Andrew Bird, The Mountain Goats (who just announced a tour), Father John Misty, Bonnie 'Prince' Billy & Dawn McCarthy, Justin Townes Earle, Felice Brothers, Jason Isbell, Amanda Palmer, Phosphorescent, Beth Orton, John McCauley, Michael Kiwanuka, Lord Huron, Frank Turner, Black Prairie, Langhorne Slim, TIft Merritt, Spirit Family Reunion, Blake Mills, Houndmouth, Cold Specks, and others, plus more TBA.

Hope you acted quick back in January. 3-Day passes and 2-day passes are sold out, as are single day tickets for Saturday and Sunday, but you can still get single day tickets for Friday.

Speaking of the Rough Trade-signed, Lumineers-like Houndmouth, you have two chances to catch them in NYC this week before they become as big as the Lumineers. They're at Mercury Lounge on Wednesday (4/10) and Rockwood Music Hall on Thursday (4/11).

Full initial Newport Fest lineup below...

Continue reading "Newport Folk Festival -- 2013 lineup (Beck, Feist, Jim James, Phosphorescent, Father John Misty, Bonnie Prince Billy, Houndmouth & more)"

Lollapalooza 2012 (more by James Richards IV)

After it was already confirmed that Phoenix, Vampire Weekend, The Postal Service, The National, The Killers, and Mumford and Sons were playing Lollapalooza 2013, a pretty promising leak came which appeared to potentially reveal the rest of the lineup, and it turns out that leak was real.

In addition to the previously mentioned artists, Lollapalooza will include Nine Inch Nails, Queens of the Stone Age, Kendrick Lamar, Grizzly Bear, The Cure, New Order, Baroness, Beach House, Cat Power, Death Grips, Jessie Ware, Father John Misty, DIIV, Wavves, Alt-J, Hot Chip, Disclosure, Baauer, Palma Violets, Angel Haze, Band of Horses, Crystal Castles and many others.

Lollapalooza goes down in Chicago from August 2 - 4 in Grant Park. Single day passes go on sale Wednesday (4/3) at 10 AM.

Full day-by-day lineup below...

Continue reading "Lollapalooza 2013 lineup announced (Nine Inch Nails, Queens of the Stone Age, Phoenix, Vampire Weekend, Postal Service, Cure, New Order, Kendrick Lamar & more)"

GoogaMooga 2012 (more by Chris La Putt)

Brooklyn food, drink, and music festival The Great GoogaMooga, who we're sure have been working hard on figuring out to do things better the second time around, have announced the lineup for their second year which goes down from May 17 to 19 at Prospect Park. We just mentioned that the fest begins with a kickoff show on the Friday (5/17) with Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Flaming Lips, and The Darkness. The rest of the lineup includes Matt & Kim, Father John Misty, Sharon Van Etten, Lee Fields & the Expressions, and more playing on Saturday; and Sharon Jones & the Dap-KIngs, De La Soul (who recently announced a tour with LL Cool J, Public Enemy, and Ice Cube), Cults, The Soul Rebels, Delicate Steve, and more playing on Sunday.

Tickets for the kickoff show and VIP Cocktail Experience tickets for Saturday and Sunday go on sale Thursday (3/28) at noon, and general admission tickets for Saturday and Sunday become available in an online ticket giveaway which runs from April 1 to 3. "Complimentary tickets will be awarded at random and recipients will be notified by email on or before Wednesday, April 10."

Check out pictures of day 1 and day 2 of last year's festival.

Full music food and drink lineup below...

Continue reading "GoogaMooga 2013 lineup & tix (Father John Misty, Sharon Van Etten, De La Soul, Sharon Jones, Matt & Kim, and more)"

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)"

Weird Al and Bonarroo phone bank (including Mike Birbiglia and Eugene Mirman...

With help from Eugene Mirman, Chris Gethard, Mike Birbiglia, Portugal. The Man and more, Weird Al just began announcing the 2013 Bonnaroo line-up on the Bonnaroo YouTube page which happens June 13 - 16 in Manchester, TN. Weird Al just announced Pretty Lights, Wilco, A$AP Rocky, and The xx, and over the next hour, more artists will be announced. We'll update this post as more announcements come.

Other artists playing include Passion Pit, Kendrick Lamar, David Byrne and St. Vincent, Jim James, Big K.R.I.T., Billy Idol, Grizzly Bear, Japandroids, Foals, Wild Nothing, Deap Vally, Killer Mike, Lord Huron, Divine Fits, Nas, Beach House, The Gaslight Anthem, Local Natives, Dirty Projectors, Baroness, The National, The Vaccines, Holy Ghost, Death Grips, R. Kelly, Alt-J, Purity Ring, Cat Power, Wu-Tang Clan, Bjork, Tame Impala, Animal Collective, The Tallest Man on Earth, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Paul McCartney, Earl Sweatshirt, Four Tet, Father John Misty, Swans, A-Trak, Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti, Cults, AraabMuzik, DIIV, Charli XCX, Matthew E. White, Frank Turner, JEFF the Brotherhood, Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit, Calexico, Two Gallants, and more.

Tickets for the festival go on sale Saturday (2/23) at noon EST.

There's also now a video of Daniel Tosh announcing the initial lineup, which you can watch, along with the current list of announced names, below...

Continue reading "Bonnaroo 2013 lineup announcement underway"

Says the PR

On the heels of a highly successful, critically acclaimed sold-out 2012 festival, the Sasquatch! Music Festival unveils its 2013 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 24-27 (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! Music Festival 2013 lineup is here"

Father John Misty at Webster Hall earlier this month (more by Amanda Hatfield)

Father John Misty, the current project of former Fleet Foxes member Josh Tillman, is continuing to chronically tour internationally over the course of the next few months. His last NYC show was a sold out gig at Webster Hall and he'll be returning to the area for a far more intimate show at Hoboken's Maxwell's on May 17. Tickets for that show go on sale Friday (2/1) at noon.

That show, like most of his spring US run, is with Adam Green (Moldy Peaches) and Binki Shapiro (Little Joy), whose new album together was released today. You can stream it below via Spotify and check out the video for "Just to Make Me Feel Good," which was directed by Dum Dum Girls bassist Malia James.

Meanwhile, FJM recently recorded an acoustic version of "Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings" live at TRI Studios. A video of that performance and a list of all dates are below.

Continue reading "Father John Misty announces tour w/ Adam Green & Binki Shapiro (whose LP is out today) (dates, streams)"

Click it for the bigger poster.

photos by Amanda Hatfield

"Who the heck is Father John Misty? Apparently he hosted a mass last night at Webster hall that my entire Instagram feed went to." - William Gruger

Father John Misty

Former Fleet Fox Father John Misty (aka Josh TIllman) has been doing really well on his own and the FJM project is starting to rise (almost) as quickly as the Foxes did. His debut album hasn't even been out for a full calendar year and he's quickly made the move up from the solo set we saw him play at SXSW to a much larger full-band show with great lights and dance moves from Father John Misty himself. He first brought that show through NYC this past fall for two sold out shows at Bowery Ballroom and MHOW, and he returned last night for an even larger sold out show at Webster Hall with Magik Trick (aka Tim Cohen of Fresh & Onlys).

More pictures from the show and a video of FJM playing standout track, "Hollywood Forever Cemetery SIngs," below...

Continue reading "Father John Misty & Magic Trick played Webster Hall (pics/video)"

photos by Greg Cristman

Sleigh Bells / !!! / "ladies night" @ SS Coachella, 12/22/2012

Here are shots from the final day of the second voyage of S.S. Coachella that went down at the end of December. Though most of the boat was a little partied out from the wild day in Jamaica (and afterparty) the day before, people got back in the spirit for Girl Talk, Sleigh Bells and !!!. For the latter's final number, !!! invited members of Warpaint, Father John Misty and others for a group sing-a-long. After that it was a "ladies night" party that made sure everyone was bleary eyed for their trip home the next days. Says our photographer Greg Cristman, "Amazing that no one fell overboard."

You can check out pictures from day 1 HERE, day 2 HERE, day 3 HERE. More pics from day 4 are below.

Continue reading "SS Coachella weekend 2 day 4 pics (Sleigh Bells, !!!, Girl Talk +++ more)"

photos by Greg Cristman, review by Nathan Stout

Yeasayer / Warpaint / Father John Misty @ SS Coachella 2012

The S.S. Coachella cruises went down at the end of last month/year and we've been posting pictures of the one that set sail off the coast of Jamaica (12/19-23). Pictures of day 1 are HERE, day 2 HERE, and pictures of day 3 are in this post. On that day we caught Yeasayer, Black Lips, Warpaint, Father John Misty, and Gaslamp Killer. Of Black Lips, reviewer Nathan Stout writes:

I get shoved in the back so hard I almost hit my head on the microphone stand. Black Lips are belting out 'Bad Kids' and the crowd behind me is going fucking nuts! Moshing, shoving, jumping up and down; this is one of the crazier performances I have seen. It is exactly what I expected. Cole Alexander holds his guitar over his head, spits on it, then shakes his guitar until the spit falls back onto his tongue. Nasty. Dirty. Fun. Another shove. The song crescendos! Cole is running his tongue up his guitar frets in a slow sexual way. He doesn't stop playing. These guys are filthy. Fuck yeah!

Continue reading "SS Coachella weekend 2 day 3 pics (Yeasayer, Black Lips, Warpaint, Father John Misty, Gaslamp Killer)"

Local Natives at Bowery Ballroom in October (more by Tracy Allison)

Local Natives, who we hadn't heard from in a while until they were revealed as the secret headliner at a Bowery Ballroom show during CMJ, soon after announced that they'll release their new album, Hummingbird, on January 29 via Frenchkiss, the followup to their 2009/2010 debut, Gorilla Manor. The new album will be supported by a tour which includes three sold out NYC shows in February.

But while we wait for new material from Local Natives, we're still wrapping up our 2012 coverage so we asked Local Natives for a list of their top 10 albums of 2012, which singer/guitarist/bassist Taylor Rice and singer/keyboardist/percussionist/guitarist Kelcey Ayer compiled and sent our way. You can check out their list below.

Continue reading "Local Natives list their Top 10 Albums of 2012"

Gardens & Villa at Webster Hall in October (more by Amanda Hatfield)

Santa Barbara indie pop crew Gardens & Villa haven't given us an album since their 2011 self titled debut on Secretly Canadian, but they did treat us to some music this year with a cover of "Gypsy" for the the Fleetwood Mac tribute album, Just Tell Me That You Want Me, and a remix of their tourmates Polica's "The Maker" for Polica's remix EP.

We asked the band for a list of their top 10 songs of 2012, and like their own sound, most of the artists they chose lean on the indie pop side of things like Beach House, Ariel Pink, Peaking Lights, Pure Bathing Culture, and others. You can check out their full list below.

Continue reading "Gardens & Villa's Top 10 Songs of 2012"

Brooklyn Bowl during a Deer Tick show (more by Tracy Allison)

As you probably know, we've been posting a bunch of year-end lists from artists this year, and we've also posted a few from venue guys like Josh Moore and Johnny Beach from Bowery Presents, Jack "Skippy" McFadden of Emo's in Austin, and Andy Bodor from Cake Shop. Now we've got a top 10 albums list from Brooklyn Bowl talent buyer (aka booker) Adam Geringer-Dunn. You can see Adam's full list below.

Brooklyn Bowl is where Lucero (who gave us two year-end lists) are beginning their New Year's Eve run. The country punks will play a two-night stand at the Brooklyn venue on Friday (12/28) with Nude Beach and Saturday (12/29) with Hollis Brown. Tickets for night 1, night 2, or both nights are still available, and we're also giving away a 2-day pass. Details on how to enter to win are below. Lucero also play NYE at Wellmont Theatre with The Hold Steady, which is one of many New Year's Eve options in the NYC area.

Adam Geringer-Dunn's year-end list and contest details below...

Continue reading "Adam Geringer-Dunn's (from Brooklyn Bowl) top 10 albums of 2012 +++ a chance to win a 2-day pass to Lucero"

Frank Ocean at Angel Orensanz, Sept 2012 (more by Fred Pessaro // BBG)

BBC Music has announced their Top 25 records of 2012. Like lists from MOJO, Q, and Uncut, it's got familiar names like Frank Ocean, Baroness, Swans and Grizzly Bear... but if you're expecting a UK indie act to top their list, you might be surprised at the Beeb's #1 choice. Check out the entire list below.

Continue reading "BBC Music's Top 25 albums of 2012"

Grimes @ Music Hall of Williamsburg (more by Amanda Hatfield)

Josh Moore, talent buyer at Bowery Presents, is in charge of booking shows at Music Hall of Williamsburg, but you'll also find gigs he booked at places like Brooklyn Bowl, Webster Hall and Terminal 5. You can also blame him for both Jam Cruise and Holy Ship. Like his his associate Johnny Beach and ex-Bell House/Union Hall/Rock Shop booker Jack "Skippy" McFadden before him, Josh gave us a list of his favorite albums of 2012. Check it out, along with some related videos, below...

Continue reading "Josh Moore from Bowery Presents: Best Albums of 2012"

Freelance Whales @ Webster Hall, 11/7/2012 (more by Sarah Gainer)

Winsome indie outfit Freelance Whales released their latest album, Diluvia, back in October and were just on NPR's World Cafe for a chat about the album and live session as well. You can stream the whole thing over at NPR. The band are also have a few shows with Hundred Waters coming up including Maxwell's on January 15 (tix), Music Hall of Williamsburg on January 29 (tix). The band were kind enough to give us their Top 10 LPs of 2012, which includes some of their Brooklyn neighbors (Bear in Heaven, Here We Go Magic), their tour-mates Hundred Waters, and year-end list regulars Tame Impala, Purity Ring and Django Django. Check out their full list below.

Continue reading "Freelance Whales played NPR's 'World Cafe,' list their Top 10 LPs of 2012"

Bowery Ballroom (more by Tracy Allison)

If a show is happening at NYC's famous Bowery Ballroom, it was booked by Bowery Presents talent buyer Johnny Beach (who started at the company booking Mercury Lounge). Johnny also keeps busy by co-booking Webster Hall, Terminal 5, Union Transfer in Philly, and other Bowery Presents-affiliated venues. The man books shows all day and is literally at one or more almost every single night. He told us what albums he listened to the most in 2012. Check out his list, and some related videos, below...

Continue reading "Johnny Beach from Bowery Presents: Top 10 Albums of 2012"