photos by Tim Griffin

Yamantaka // Sonic Titan at Mohawk - 6/6/12

Yamantaka // Sonic Titan just finished up a tour with Xiu Xiu and Father Murphy. That tour didn't come to NYC (Xiu Xiu and Father Murphy played here with Dirty Beaches) but it did hit the Mohawk in Austin on 6/6, and YT//ST stopped by for their own show at Mercury Lounge on Wednesday (6/13). Pictures of Yamantaka // Sonic Titan from their Austin show are in this post, and pics of Xiu Xiu and Father Murphy from that show can be found on bvAustin.

Yamantaka // Sonic Titan are one of three bands that were just nominated for the 2012 Polaris Music Prize playing NXNE in their home country of Canada this weekend.

More pics from the Mohawk show below...

Continue reading "Yamantaka // Sonic Titan played Mercury Lounge & shows w/ Xiu Xiu (pics)"

photos by Joe McCabe

Xiu Xiu at Bowery Ballroom 5/4/12

Xiu Xiu and Dirty Beaches (whose live show is no longer a one-man affair) are wrapping up a tour together which hit NYC on May 4 at Bowery Ballroom with support from Father Murphy. Xiu XIu's set covered pretty much his entire catalog, reaching as far back as "Suha" off his 2002 debut, Knife Play, through stuff off this year's Always, and also threw in a cover of Joy Divison/New Order's "Ceremony." He returned for an encore to cover Suicide's "Frankie Teardrop" (video below). It's too bad he didn't bring out his Suicide-worshipping tourmate to help him on that one.

After Xiu Xiu and Dirty Beaches finish their run together this week, Xiu Xiu will continue to tour into next month with Yamantaka // Sonic Titan, who we recently interviewed on bvChicago. That leg of the tour won't return to NYC, but as discussed, YT//ST will play their own show here on June 13 at Mercury Lounge with YVETTE. Tickets for that show are still available.

More pics, videos, and setlist from the Bowery Ballroom show below...

Continue reading "Xiu Xiu and Dirty Beaches played Bowery (pics, videos, setlist)"

Free Paint at DBA 5th Anniversary Party (more by Andrew St. Clair)

As mentioned, Xiu Xiu and Dirty Beaches released a split 7" for Record Store Day and kicked off a tour together earlier this month/week which hits NYC TONIGHT (5/4) with Father Murphy, who just played The Stone on Tuesday (5/1) with Les Bonhommes (who count Deerhoof's Greg Saunier as a member). Tickets for Bowery Ballroom are still available.

Speaking of Greg Saunier, who also produced/played on a handful of Xiu Xiu records, his band Free Paint plays Zebulon on Sunday (5/6) with Shy Hunters, Shahzad Ismaily/Ryan Sawyer/Darius Jones, and Interstitials. Check out a video of Free Paint at Death by Audio's 5th Anniversary Party below.

Xiu Xiu also has a new video out for "Honeysuckle" off his recent LP, Always. Updated Xiu Xiu dates and videos below...

Continue reading "Xiu Xiu on tour, has a new video; Free Paint playing Zebulon"

by Andrew Sacher

Buke and Gase at Prospect Park in 2011 (more by Toby Tenebaum)

Buke and Gase will be curating The Stone from tonight (5/1) to May 15. The curation kicks off tonight with Father Murphy at 8 PM and Les Bonhommes at 10 PM.

After tonight's show, Father Murphy, who are here from Italy, head out on tour with Xiu Xiu and Dirty Beaches (which hits Bowery Ballroom this Friday 5/4). Their album was mixed by Deerhoof's Greg Saunier who is one third of, but not the drummer of, Les Bonhommes (that also features William Kuehn from Rainer Maria).

Other performances throughout the week include former Parts & Labor noisemaker Dan Friel and Bunnybrains on 5/4; a Tonic reunion featuring Mephista with John Zorn, Steve Bernstein's MTO and more; Extra Life's Charlie Looker, Greg Fox, & Jamie Saft and Glass Ghost on 5/11, gonzo drummer Greg Fox and Hubble on 5/12, a powerhouse grouping of Ryan Sawyer, Colin Stetson, Nate Wooley, C. Spencer Yeh Quartet on 5/13, and Matana Roberts and Ches Smith on 5/15, among others.

Buke & Gase don't actually play any of the shows they curated but they do play the Dessner-curated Crossing Brooklyn Ferry fest on May 4 at BAM.

The second half of May at the Stone is curated by Gyan Riley.

Check out the full schedule below...

Continue reading "Buke & Gase curating The Stone's first two week's in May"

Xiu Xiu in Boston in 2010 (more by Benjamin Lozovsky)

Xiu Xiu and DIrty Beaches are set to release a limited edition split 7" on Record Store Day which includes Xiu Xiu covering Erasure's "Always" and Dirty Beaches covering Francoise Hardy's "Tu Ne Dis Rien."

The two will also team up for a number of dates on Xiu Xiu's international tour including a NYC show happening on May 4 at Bowery Ballroom with support from Father Murphy. Tickets for the NYC show go on sale Friday (3/2) at noon with an AmEx presale starting Wednesday (2/29) at noon. All dates, including some with Canada's Yamantaka // Sonic Titan, are listed below.

And, "Always" isn't just the name of the Erasure track that Xiu Xiu is covering. It's also the name of Xiu Xiu's new album which comes out on March 6 via Polyvinyl. The album was produced by Greg Sauiner of Deerhoof and you can stream the entire thing below.

All dates and album stream below...

Continue reading "Xiu Xiu streaming new album, announce tour & split with Dirty Beaches (dates)"

photos by Chris Gersbeck

After a run of dates (including a Boston show) with Xiu Xiu (who play Maxwell's tonight), Deerhoof headlined the Le Poisson Rouge stage in NYC on Wednesday night with their tour-mate Father Murphy, and an opening set by wacky NYC jazz and noise group Talibam!. More pictures from that show, below...

Continue reading "Deerhoof played LPR w/ Father Murphy & Talibam! (pics)"

DOWNLOAD: Deerhoof - "The Merry Barracks" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Physical Forms - "On The Brink" (MP3)

photos by Benjamin Lozovsky

Deerhoof at Paramount Theatre in Boston on October 10th

"Drummer/mastermind Greg Saunier -- in purple pants and bright green sneakers -- bashed at his tiny drum kit as though he were swatting bees (whether there was a song in progress or not), and vocalist/bassist Satomi Matsuzaki busted out callisthenic dance moves between her polyglot chirps. Guitarists John Dieterich and Ed Rodriguez were appropriately centered, braiding jagged melodies together in errant knots that ultimately held each song tight." [Boston.com]

Deerhoof play Le Poisson Rouge TONIGHT (10/13) with Father Murphy and TALIBAM!. The NYC show is the close of a larger tour that was mostly with Xiu Xiu. Deerhoof's only remaining show after tonight at ATP's Nightmare Before Christmas in Minehead, UK (with Godspeed You Black Emperor!, Throbbing Gristle, Neurosis, and others). Tickets to the LPR show are still available. ATP in Minehead is sold out.

Da 'hoof currently has two releases on deck for the coming months. The first is the Deerhoof/Physical Forms - Hoofdriver split 7" due on 11/6, which features Busdriver singing over a Deerhoof instrumental while the flip features him backed by members of The Mae Shi as Physical Forms. Preorder that split and check out "On The Brink" by Physical Forms above.

Deerhoof will also release their new album Deerhoof vs. Evil on January 25th! The new record will see release on LP/CD (preorder via Polyvinyl) and limited cassette (500 copies with digital download on Joyful Noise) formats. Dig on "The Merry Barracks" above.

Most dates Deerhoof played in October have been with Father Murphy and Xiu Xiu, one of which was at the Paramount Theatre in Boston on October 10th.

"If you're wondering how the sound is at the restored Paramount Theatre: It's amazing. You hear everything. During Sunday evening's inaugural rock show for the theater, when I went to jot down a line from Xiu Xiu's Jamie Stewart -- "thinking of her dream makes her feel like it's stupid,'' from "Dr. Troll'' -- the click of my pen echoed like I'd dropped a phonebook." [Boston.com]

Pictures from that show adorn this post.

Xiu Xiu and Deerhoof played their last show together last night, 10/12, at Daniel Street in Connecticut, and though Xiu Xiu does not play the NY show tonight, Xiu Xiu will play their own show at Maxwell's in Hoboken on Friday (10/15), and many other dates after that. Tickets for Maxwell's are still available.

Xiu Xiu played NYC in late September with the great Merzbow. Xiu Xiu played NYC with Deerhoof in July.

All dates and more pictures from Boston below...

Continue reading "Deerhoof is here, releasing new stuff (MP3s), played the restored Paramount in Boston & other dates w/ Xiu Xiu (pics) "

DOWNLOAD: Former Ghosts - Chin Up [ft. Nika Roza Danilova] (MP3)

Xiu Xiu/Deerhoof in Brooklyn this summer (more by Kyle Dean Reinford)

Though we discussed Xiu Xiu's previously announced show at LPR with Merzbow, Ecstatic Sunshine, and Gentle on 9/26 (get your tix), we didn't know at the time that the show was part of a large, scratch that, huge tour that would lead Xiu Xiu into the end of November. Those new dates will impact Maxwell's in Hoboken on 10/15. Tickets are on sale (no opener listed).

Deerhoof and Father Murphy will open a portion of the North American dates though not in NYC where Xiu Xiu and Deerhoof played (Joy Division) together a couple months ago. Zola Jesus (who will play a sold-out United Palace show with The xx on 10/2) has been tapped to support on the European leg of that tour, and bring along Former Ghosts for the ride:

Former ghosts is the project of los angeles based electronic music composer/producer freddy ruppert. The project also includes collaborations from a handful of individuals including jamie stewart of xiu xiu, nika roza of zola jesus, yasmine kittles of tearist

Former Ghosts is prepping a new LP, New Love, for release via Upset the Rhythm on 11/9/10 (it was just recently pushed back over a month). Grab one of the tracks, Zola Jesus included, above. Full tracklist below.

I don't think it's far-fetched to expect some cross-pollination between the bands on those European dates which are listed, along with some videos and stuff, below...

Continue reading "Xiu Xiu & Zola Jesus touring with & part of Former Ghosts"

Xiu Xiu + Deerhoof @ Donaufestival 2010 (armin r)

In April, Deerhoof and Xiu Xiu premiered their joint cover of Joy Division's Unknown Pleasures at a music festival in Austria. On July 11th (five days from now), the bands will again perform the album as joint headliners of the first Williamsburg Pool Party of 2010. Why?, Fang Island and Pictureplane all open that free show.

In the fall, Xiu Xiu and Deerhoof will be touring together in Canada and the North East. Also on the horizon is a new Deerhoof album in 2011.

Videos from that Austrian Xiu Deervision show and all tour dates, below..

Continue reading "Xiu Xiu & Deerhoof will tour together & perform Joy Division again (in Brooklyn this weekend) "