Firefly Music Festival 2012 (more by Dana (distortion) Yavin)

Dover, DE festival Firefly Music Festival had a great first year in July of 2012, and afterwards immediately announced it'd return in 2013. The 2013 festival happens from June 21 - 23 at the Dover International Speedway, and the lineup was just announced. It includes Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Passion Pit, Kendrick Lamar, MGMT, Grizzly Bear, Japandroids, The Walkmen, Django Django, Public Enemy, CHVRCHES, Amanda Palmer, Foxygen, Alabama Shakes, Toro y Moi, Dan Deacon, Action Bronson, The Avett Brothers, and more; and the headliners are Red Hot Chili Peppers, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Vampire Weekend, and Foster the People. The full lineup is below and you can watch the announcement video at their website. TIckets go on general sale Thursday (2/21).

Firefly happens a couple weeks after NYC festival Governors Ball, which has some lineup similarities (Kendrick Lamar, Grizzly Bear, Japandroids, Avett Brothers, etc). That one goes down on Randall's Island from June 7 - 9 and tickets are still available.

Firefly lineup below...

Continue reading "Firefly Music Festival announces 2013 lineup (Vampire Weekend, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Passion Pit, Kendrick Lamar, MGMT, Grizzly Bear, Japandroids, Tom Petty, RHCP & more)"

Check out the entire list of 2013 Grammy Nominations below...

Continue reading "2013 Grammy Nominations announced (full list)"

photos by Chris La Putt

Kimbra @ Mercury Lounge

Like Rostam, Best Coast & Kid Cudi did in 2010, and more recently Gorillaz, James Murphy and Andre 3000, Mark Foster, Kimbra and A-Trak have teamed up, on Converse's tab, to create a new song as part of the shoe company's "3 Artists 1 Song" program. Says a press release:

"I had such a good time diving into the creative process working with two incredible artists to create a sound that is uniquely our own," said Mark Foster of Foster The People. "This project has given me a new found appreciation for the power of collaboration which is something that Converse really understands."

"Warrior" is a new genre-bending collaboration that weaves together Mark Foster, Kimbra and A-Trak's individual musical styles to create 4 minutes of pop perfection. Recorded at Converse Rubber Tracks studios in Brooklyn, NY and remotely while on tour, "Warrior" blends the best parts of each artist's contributions and personalities for the latest Converse Three Artists. One Song collaboration.

Last night (3/26), one night after she played with Gotye at Terminal 5, and one night before she plays with Gotye at Webster Hall (tonight), as part of a tour that continues to Coachella, the just-turned-22-today (the crowd sang her Happy Birthday) New Zealander Kimbra headlined her own early show at Mercury Lounge in NYC. An excited 'According 2 G' was there, and says, "She's going to be HUGE!.... One of the songs she performed tonight was 'Plain Gold Ring,' a Nina Simone cover and this girl can SANG, as they say. Wow! She blew the roof off Mercury Lounge and the crowd erupted in screams when the song was finished." Here are some pictures and a video from the small NYC show. More below...

Continue reading "Kimbra played Mercury Lounge (pics), teamed w/ A-Trak & Foster the People dude for Converse song (like James Murphy/Outkast/Gorillaz did)"

DOWNLOAD: Field Mouse - "Happy" (MP3)

Field Mouse at Glasslands last month (more by Devan Council)

Gotye collaborator Kimbra, who appears on "Somebody That I Used to Know" and is touring with him just scheduled her own NYC show happening on March 26 at Mercury Lounge in between the two sold out Gotye shows. TIckets went on sale today at noon. She's also opening all three Foster the People shows at Summerstage, one of which is also with Tokyo Police Club.

Speaking of Mercury Lounge shows that go on sale today, Savoir Adore, who played Santos last night (3/1) (how was that?) plays the Manhattan venue on April 13 with fellow Brooklynites Field Mouse. Tickets go on sale today at noon. Field Mouse has other upcoming local dates including The Rock Shop with Polica (3/27) (sold out) and Cameo on 4/3 (tickets) and a new MP3, which you can download above or stream below.

Chain and the Gang plays Mercury Lounge one day after the Savoir Adore/Field Mouse show on 4/14 with Coasting. Tickets went on sale today.

Hess Is More play Mercury Lounge on April 27. Tickets went on sale today. They also have other upcoming NYC shows like opening for Los Amigos Invisibles at MHOW on 3/9 and opening for Mumiy Troll at Highline Ballroom on 4/3. Tickets for both of those shows are available. All dates listed below.

Ravens & Chimes play Mercury Lounge on April 17 with The Apache Relay. Tickets are on sale. Ravns & Chimes also play WYNC Greene Space on June 1.

Ramesh and Feathers play Mercury Lounge this Monday (3/5). Tickets are still on sale.

More dates dates and Field Mouse stream below...

Continue reading "Ravens & Chimes dates, Field Mouse, Savoir Adore, Kimbra & other shows announced"

Tokyo Police Club at House of Vans in 2011 (more by Andrew St. Clair)

Tokyo Police Club, who are opening for Foster the People at Summerstage on 6/11, just added their own NYC show happening one day earlier at Bowery Ballroom 6/10. Tickets for the Bowery Ballroom show are on AmEx presale now and go on sale to the general public on Friday (2/24) at noon.

All dates below...

Continue reading "Tokyo Police Club add NY show (before Foster the People tour)"

"Superfly Presents and A.C. Entertainment are excited to announce the initial lineup for the 2012 Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival. The 11th annual four-day camping and music festival will be held on June 7 - 10 on the same beautiful 700-acre farm in Manchester, Tennessee, 60 miles south of Nashville. A full list of confirmed acts follows, and more will be announced in the coming weeks. The final Bonnaroo 2012 lineup will total over 125 bands and over 20 comedians performing on 13 stages over four days.Tickets for the event will go on sale on this Saturday, February 18, 2012 at 12 noon EST exclusively at bonnaroo.com."

Continue reading "Bonnaroo 2012 lineup announced"

Beach Boys @ The Grammys

Though the Bonnaroo lineup won't be announced until later today (via Spotify), Knoxville.com has supposedly leaked some of it via a photo gallery which includes Beach Boys, Radiohead, Bon Iver, Phish, Foster the People, Alice Cooper, Ludacris, Black Star, Skrillex, Punch Brothers, The Avett Brothers, The Shins, Flogging Molly, Feist and Aziz Ansari. We can't know for sure if this is all correct, but I did hear that the Beach Boys were playing, and many of those bands have been rumored for a while, and the Beach Boys have promised more dates, so... well, we'll see soon! UPDATE: Yep, they are!

If it is all true, I really hope that this time Foster the People stay off the Beach Boys' stage unlike at the Grammys, as you can watch below...

Continue reading "Beach Boys played the Grammys, playing Bonnaroo? (we'll know for sure soon)"

Beach Boys @ The Grammys

Though the Bonnaroo lineup won't be announced until later today (via Spotify), Knoxville.com has supposedly leaked some of it via a photo gallery which includes Beach Boys, Radiohead, Bon Iver, Phish, Foster the People, Alice Cooper, Ludacris, Black Star, Skrillex, Punch Brothers, The Avett Brothers, The Shins, Flogging Molly, Feist and Aziz Ansari. We can't know for sure if this is all correct, but I did hear that the Beach Boys were playing, and many of those bands have been rumored for a while, and the Beach Boys have promised more dates, so... well, we'll see soon! UPDATE: Yep, they are!

If it is all true, I really hope that this time Foster the People stay off the Beach Boys' stage unlike at the Grammys, as you can watch below...

Continue reading "Beach Boys played the Grammys, playing Bonnaroo? (we'll know for sure soon)"

Beirut at Terminal 5 in 2011 (more by VIncent Cornelli)

Beirut are currently on an international tour that includes dates in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and South Korea. They're beginning to reveal some North American dates happening later on this year, including Coachella and a NYC show happening on August 29 at Rumsey Playfield in Central Park (aka Summerstage). Tickets go on sale Friday (1/13) at noon with an AmEx presale starting Wednesday (1/11) at noon.

That makes the total Central Park Summerstage shows, as of January 2012, up to four already. The other three are Foster the People, one of which was just announced with Tokyo Police Club on June 11 (AmEx presale also starts Wednesday at noon).

All currently known Beirut dates below...

Continue reading "Beirut & other Summerstage shows announced"

photos by Jessica Amaya

"Cut copy in prospect park was AMAZING! So good in fact that I woke up with a fever today and my head feels like it may explode. OUCH" - Jackie

"Perfect night for a little cut copy in prospect park.
They're killing it! #celebratebrooklyn" - Ana Maria Lopez

"So much love for Brooklyn. A show we will never forget! Thanks for spending the night in the park with us. X" - Cut Copy

Cut Copy headlined a sold out Celebrate Brooklyn show at Prospect Park on Thursday (8/11) with Midnight Magic and Foster the People (who have TWO SOLD OUT Terminal 5 shows coming up with Reptar). Cut Copy focused mainly on stuff off their two most recent albums, opening up strong with favorites "Feel the Love" and "Take Me Over."

Cut Copy team up with Midnight Magic again on a tour with Washed Out. You can catch them on September 13 at The Wellmont Theatre. Tickets are still available.

More pictures from the Brooklyn show below...

Continue reading "Cut Copy, Foster the People & Midnight Magic played Prospect Park (pics)"

Kanye West & Big Sean @ Irving Plaza Tuesday (Joshua Laboy)

Maybe it was all the excitement of summer finally arriving, but for whatever reason, NYC shows have been pretty heavy on the special guests lately. Here's a few we know about.

Reggie Watts was the secret guest that joined Glenn Kotche and Buke & Gass during 'Wilco weekend' at NYU for the Jab Abumrad's Radiolab Concert on Saturday (6/18). Reggie was a secret because of the two Summerstage shows he's playing this week including the one in Red Hook Park TONIGHT (6/24).

Reptar was a secret guest at the Thee Oh Sees Brooklyn Bowl show on Saturday (Reptar played Governors Ball earlier that day). And as predicted, Thee Oh Sees themselves were the secret headliner at Death by Audio the previous night (6/17).

Reptar, who also opened for Art Brut at Music Hall last night, will open for Foster the People at Terminal 5 on September 27th. The only mystery here is how Foster the People are big enough to headline Terminal 5 already! Tickets are on sale.

Ted Leo showed up as a special guest at the Eleanor Friedberger show at Europa during Northside. Bradford Cox was in the Audience. Catch Ted again at the free South Street Seaport kickoff party for the 4Knots Festival that Eleanor plays at the South Street Seaport a week later. It was just announced that Eleanor will also open for Deerhunter at their Webster Hall shows in August. (Deerhunter frontman Bradford Cox must have really liked her set) Tickets for both Deerhunter shows are still available.

As also recently mentioned both Clams Casino and Neon Indian (DJ) were added as last minute surprises guests to the Northside show at Cameo on Sunday (6/19). The show was one day after Neon Indian played Governors Ball. Monday night Cameo hosted semi-secret DJ sets by YACHT, The Miracles Club & Midnight Magic, all who played MHOW on Sunday.

Kanye West showed up at Big Sean's Irving Plaza show on Tuesday (6/21), the same night Big Sean appeared on the Bon Iver episode of Fallon. Despite two of Kanye's friends being on Fallon on the same night however, Kanye did not make an appearance on the show (not even backstage). Videos from Irving Plaza below.

Justin Vernon did not show up at the S. Carey/David Bazan show at Bowery Ballroom on Wednesday (6/22), as we hoped he would. S. Carey is a member of Bon Iver's band and played with Justin the two days previous on both Fallon and Colbert.

Speaking of Fallon, Bob Mould (who DJs his Blowoff party at Highline Ballroom tonight) showed up and surprised people by playing a Sugar song backed by the Roots on the show. Mould recently performed live with the Foo Fighters during their set at Sasquatch. Video of that special guest appearance is below.

Lenny Kravtiz's daughter Zoë Kravitz and her band Elevator Fight played Southpaw with J*Davey on Tuesday (6/21). Lenny showed up to watch his daughter, but he wasn't the only crowd member blowing up Twitter. Drake was also in the audience to catch the show. FADER grabbed him outside the Park Slope venue for a quick video interview which you can watch below.

Flying Lotus & Just Blaze @ Music Hall (via the Comedian)

Flying Lotus headlined two Brainfeeder showcases (his label) this week. The first was at Bowery Ballroom on Monday (6/20) and the second at MHOW on Wednesday (6/22). Apparently trippy instrumentals aren't the only thing FlyLo digs when it comes to hip hop producers, because Just Blaze (Jay-Z, T.I.) showed up to play with him at the MHOW show. Flying Lotus also surprised NYC by playing a free late show at Le Poisson Rouge too.

Following in FlyLo's footsteps, Ivan & Alyosha gave NYC a gift in the form of a last-minute free late show at Mercury Lounge.

Crowded House frontman Neil Finn played with Eddie Vedder at Beacon Theatre on his tour with Glen Hansard.

And while opener Glen Hansard (Swell Season, the Frames) helped Vedder recreate "Sleepless Nights," the tender duet the pair shared on "Ukulele Songs," and the crowd found their voices and their feet for several of he night's tunes -- "Porch," "Unthought Known" -- the biggest roar erupted when Vedder invited Crowded House/Split Enz frontman Neil Finn to the stage for an impromptu collaboration Vedder jokingly called an "unrehearsed collision." With longtime friend Finn on organ, the twosome blended delicate harmonies on Hunters And Collectors' "Throw Your Arms Around Me." Finn took up a guitar and sat down next to Vedder to trade verses on Finn's Split Enz hit "I Got You," which found Finn playfully calling out chords to Vedder during the bridge. "It turns out we play that song differently," Vedder quipped, "But since he wrote it, he's right."

Decked out in a trio of long white lab coats, Finn (organ) and Hansard (guitar) returned with Vedder for the second encore, the rousing "Big Hard Sun" from "Into The Wild." [Billboard]

As you know, Stephen Colbert was the special guest with The Black Belles on his own show last night (6/23). He performed with the band and also recorded a single with them which is now on sale via Third Man Records. Jack White actually also appeared on the show this time for his third and final appearance during StePhest Colbchella '011 and then appeared with Colbert again today (6/24) at The Lot at the High Line. Jack and the Black Belles were also spotted last night (6/23) bowling at Brooklyn Bowl. According to Questlove (who was DJing the venue), he "has bowling game."

Tonight (6/24) is the another Doveman show at LPR. Lisa Hannigan (who played 3 sold out NYC-area shows this week) and Mike Doughty are billed as openers, but according to Doveman, some secret special guests will be showing up as well (as usual).

Last but not least, as hinted, and confirmed earlier today, Fucked Up are the special guest at 285 Kent Saturday (6/26) with JEFF the Brotherhood and Iceage. Tickets are on sale at Record Grouch. Iceage also played a secret show at 538 Johnson while they were in town for Northside.

Any special appearances we left out?

Videos below...

Continue reading "This Week in Special Guests (Kanye West, Reggie Watts, Reptar, Neil Finn, Drake, Just Blaze, Doveman & more)"

photos by Josh Darr

Wilco / Guided By Voices

"Wilco never makes the second record twice, which makes it doubly remarkable that so many of them are tremendous. As formidable as frontman Jeff Tweedy's catalog is, the sonically inventive rock band really stands out on stage -- the place where extreme technical skill meets the chemistry and rousing showmanship of passionate rock veterans. Of course, it helps that the group has the luxury of drawing highlights from seven very different records when it performs. To see Wilco on stage is to hear the best of the best."

And with this post, our 2011 Sasquatch basically concludes. Previous posts contain The Decembersts, Noah and the Whale, Rebecca Gates, Day 3 pictures, Archers of Loaf, Day 2 pictures, and more Day 2 pics with Day 1 too. The rest of the pictures from Day 4, below...

Continue reading "Sasquatch 2011 - the rest of Day 4 in pics (Wilco, Guided by Voices, Sharon Jones, Deerhunter, Chromeo & more)"

DOWNLOAD: Gardens & Villa - "Black Hills" (MP3)

Craft Spells at Culture Shock - photo by Hannah Tashkovich

Craft Spells are heading out on tour with Secretly Canadian signees Gardens & Villa in July. The tour stops by Mercury Lounge on July 30 with support from Selebrities. Tickets are on sale now. Craft Spells will immediately follow the July dates with a short August run supporting The Pains of Being Pure at Heart. In April they were here as part of a tour with Beach Fossils. They also played Purchase festival "Culture Shock" during that trip. A few photos from the school show are in this post.

--
Gardens & Villa...

Santa Barbara's Gardens & Villa are releasing their self titled debut July 5 via Secretly Canadian. Watch the video for the track "Black Hills" below and download the MP3 above. The dates with Craft Spells are part of a longer summer tour the band is going on in support of the album, including a run with Foster the People that hits at Music Hall of Williamsburg on June 20 (sold out). They also play Glasslands on June 24 with The Beets, Tony Castles, and Moon King (not to be confused with Moonface). Tickets for the Glasslands show are still available.

All dates, more pictures of Craft Spells at Culture Shock, a video, and the Gardens & Villa album artwork and tracklist are below...

Continue reading "Gardens & Villa touring w/ Craft Spells, releasing an LP on Secretly Canadian (dates, MP3, video)"

The 10th Anniversary ACL Festival line-up is on the books. Stevie Wonder, Arcade Fire, Kanye West, Coldplay, My Morning Jacket, Fleet Foxes, Alison Krauss and Union Station, Nas & Damian "Jr Gong" Marley and Cee Lo top the bill of the over 130 bands. Bright Eyes, Social Distortion, Empire of the Sun, Santigold, Pretty Lights, TV On The Radio, Skrillex, Big Boi and Randy Newman are also on tap to rock September 16-18.

Continue reading "Austin City Limits 2011 festival lineup is here, tickets on sale"

The Outside Lands Festival, which runs from 8/12 - 8/14 in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, released their 2011 lineup in April (and now it's May, so consider this a catch up post). Tickets are on sale.

This year's fest will appearances from The Shins, Muse, Arcade Fire, Arctic Monkeys, The Black Keys, Phish (two sets), !!!, Erykah Badu, Big Audio Dynamite (who played Coachella and are also playing Lollapalooza), Girl Talk and many more. The full lineup is below.

Continue reading "Outside Lands 2011 lineup"

Lollapalooza last year (more by Josh Darr)

Lollapalooza celebrates its 20th anniversary this year with some huge names on its just-announced lineup. See it in full below.

The festival has obviously changed over the years. What started out as a farewell tour for Jane's Addiction with a 'touring festival' lineup that included the Rollins Band, Nine Inch Nails, Butthole Surfers, and Souxsie & The Banshees, has turned into a one-weekend Chicago festival that Lady Gaga co-headlined last year. As leaked a while ago, Foo Fighters, Muse and Eminem all play this year, as will Coldplay, Cee Lo Green, and My Morning Jacket along with the reunited Cars and the continuing-to-be-reunited Big Audio Dynamite and Death From Above 1979, and a bunch of other bands which may or may not be worth the ticket price depending on how you feel about the headliners and generally seeing bands in big, hot, outdoor crowded parks (Lollapalooza happens in Chicago's Grant Park from August 5th - 7th).

Full 2011 Lineup and a couple of videos (one from 1991, one from 2010), below...

Continue reading "Lollapalooza 2011 lineup announced"

"much love to our friends in the desert (and Danny DeVito) for making coachella a truly memorable one for us! Epic crowd, Epic sunshine. x" - Cut Copy

Cut Copy @ Terminal 5 (more by Dana (Distortion) Yavin)

Cut Copy are currently finishing up a tour with Holy Ghost! that had them at Coachella Friday night. Check out videos of the crazy dance party that the Australian band brought to the California desert, below. Check out pictures of other bands who played Coachella that day, HERE.

Cut Copy's tour came to Terminal 5 in NYC three times in a row earlier in the month, and Cut Copy will return to NYC this August to, like Animal Collective, play a headlining show at the Prospect Park bandshell. Tickets for the August 11th 'Celebrate Brooklyn' benefit go on AmEx presale Wednesday at noon, and then regular sale on Friday. Foster the People, who also tour through NYC in June, open the outdoor show.

The new Brooklyn gig comes a day before a show Cut Copy are playing Arizona, and almost a month after they visit North America to, like Animal Collective, play the Pitchfork Festival in Chicago. Most of their other announced dates are in Europe at the moment. They are all listed below...

Continue reading "Cut Copy played Coachella, playing Prospect Park, other dates"

Thanks in part to their super catchy tune "Pumped Up Kicks", LA band Foster the People is blowing up quick. The Columbia Records-signed group plays sold out show at Mercury Lounge tonight and Knitting Factory tomorrow, and then in June they return to headline Bowery Ballroom and Music Hall of Williamsburg. There's a really good chance those shows will sell out quick too. Tickets go on sale at noon. All dates below.

Tickets also go on sale at noon for the Sufjan Stevens show in Prospect Park.

Tickets also go on sale at noon for the TV On the Radio show at Music Hall of Williamsburg.

Tickets are still on sale for the show the Dead Milkmen are playing at Warsaw this weekend.

Tickets also go on sale at noon for the Chad VanGaalen show at Music Hall of Williamsburg.

Tickets also go on sale at noon for the Art Brut show at Music Hall of Williamsburg.

Tickets also go on sale at noon for the Cloud Cult show at Music Hall of Williamsburg.

Tickets also go on sale at noon for the David Bazan show at Bowery Ballroom.

Tickets for both upcoming NYC Bill Callahan shows go on sale at noon.

Tickets go on sale at noon for the show Thurston Moore is playing at Music Hall of Williamsburg on May 20th.

Tickets go on sale at noon for the show Dinosaur Jr. is playing with Henry Rollins (who is speaking), Off! and Fucked Up at Terminal 5.

NONCERTS #2 is on sale.

Continue reading "Foster the People, TVOTR, Sufjan, Bill Callahan & other tickets"

Bowery Ballroom photos by Lionel Bergeron, SXSW photos by Josh Darr

Noah & the Whale @ Bowery Ballroom

"I would gladly spend my last night on earth with Noah & the Whale... The fullness and the richness of their song whether on acoustic folk songs or rock songs on the electric guitar is amplified a thousand times by the band's enthusiasm. It's easy to see on their faces that they love what they're doing: even their bleakest, darkest songs like 'I Have Nothing' have a purity and an elegance that sets them apart from broody emo ballads on the radio. Similarly, Noah & the Whale's poppiest, most playful songs aren't just throwaway songs: substance and masterful lyrics complement pure infectiousness. -[Trust Me On This]

The NYC shows came just a few days after the band were down at SXSW to play a few shows including a showcase at Stubb's on March 17th with TV On The Radio (who also played a day party at the same venue), Charles Bradley & the Menahan Street Band (who have a Brooklyn show coming up), Portugal The Man (whose upcoming tour brings them to Webster Hall), and Foster The People (who have two upcoming sold out NYC shows).

TVOTR's set is watchable at Spinner's site.

Pictures from both the 3/21 Bowery show AND the official SXSW showcase, all bands included, adorn this post. They continue below along with some new Noah & the Whale song streams, Noah's NYC setlists and more dates...

Continue reading "Noah & the Whale played 2 nights @ Bowery Ballroom & SXSW w/ TVOTR, Portugal the Man & Charles Bradley (pics)"

Big names and regulars aside, there are a few bands I want to highlight on the just-announced Sasquatch lineup: Wolf Parade ("indefinite hiatus" rumors be damned), The Flaming Lips (performing "The Soft Bulletin"), Death From Above 1979 (now three reunion shows total), Guided By Voices (they're not done yet), and... Archers of Loaf (!). The full lineup of the fest that goes down in Gorge, Washington in May (Memorial Day Weekend), is below...

Continue reading "Sasquatch 2011 lineup announced (Archers of Loaf, Guided By Voices, Wolf Parade, DFA 1979 & "The Soft Bulletin" included)"