by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Disappears - Replicate (MP3)

Disappears at Cake Shop, July 2011

Chicago's mighty Disappears release their third long-player, Pre Language, on March 1 via the Kranky label. This is the first album made with drummer Steve Shelly (who may have more time on his hands now?) who has been with the band for a year now. The material on Pre Language was road tested extensively before hitting the studio (Sonic Youth's Echo Canyon West in Hoboken) and sounded amazing when Disappears played NYC back in July ("...new material written with Steve Shelley is groovier, a little slower than their pedal-to-the-metal first albums but equally awesome. [More Neu!, less Stooges.]")

That holds true with "Replicate," the first released track from Pre Language which is downloadable at the top of this post. Less awash in reverb and vocals that are borderline intelligible, this is a much bigger Disappears than we've heard before on record. Disappears are going on a short tour prior to the release of Pre Language but, unfortunately, they're heading West not East. Hopefully they'll come our way soon. Tour dates are at the bottom of this post.

Tour mates for these West Coast dates are The Fresh & Onlys who were slackers in 2011, only releasing two records -- the "I Would Not Know the Devil" 7" and the terrific Secret Walls EP -- unlike previous years where their output rivaled Bob Pollard's. (OK, so frontman Tim Cohen may have released a couple solo albums as well.) Actually, the F&O's were hard at work on their new album, which is due out on Mexican Summer sometime sooner than later.

Wymond Miles

Soonerer than that is Earth Has Doors, the first solo record by F&O guitarist Wymond Miles which comes out February 2 on Sacred Bones. Wymond's otherworldly, textured parts are one of things that really separate the Fresh & Onlys from the garage rock pack they are unfairly lumped in with. On his own, Miles launches some impressively epic-style spacerock. You can stream lead track "Hidden Things Are Asking You to Find Them" at the bottom of this post.

Also below are those Disappears/Fresh & Onlys tour dates, plus Pre Language artwork and tracklisting.

Continue reading "Disappears releasing 'Pre Language' in March (MP3), touring w/ Fresh & Onlys (whose guitarist is putting out a solo record)"

photos by Natasha Ryan

Thee Oh Sees @ Big Sur

Last weekend, on Sunday, July 31st, Woods, The Fresh & Onlys, Thee Oh Sees, Sic Alps, Sun Araw, White Fence, and Real Estate got together for the (annual?) Woodsist Festival at Henry Miller Library in Big Sur. A set of pictures from the day continues below...

Continue reading "Woodsist Fest 2011 @ Big Sur in pics (Thee Oh Sees, Woods, Real Estate, The Fresh & Onlys & more)"

Crocodiles at Mercury Lounge (more by Marcus Lauer)

After a European tour with White Lies (who recently cancelled their NYC show due to snow), Crocodiles will team up with The Fresh & Onlys & Young Prisms for a tour that includes a Brooklyn show at Music Hall of Williamsburg on 4/23. Tickets go on AMEX presale Wednesday at noon (2/2) and then on regular sale Friday.

The Fresh & Onlys will also be at SXSW in March, and have a few other scattered dates scheduled before they hook up with the other two bands in April. Young Prisms meanwhile have a very busy schedule including a tour with The Radio Dept that has them back in NYC in February (though for one show, not two)

While we're on the subject of Crocodiles, Echo & The Bunnymen are performing the LP of the same name along with the Heaven Up Here LP on a North American tour this May. Tickets are still available for the NYC show at Irving Plaza.

Crocodiles (the band) were last here for CMJ, but had to cancel their tour right afterwards due to a death in the family. That family also belongs to Dee Dee of the Dum Dum Girls who also cancelled a tour at the same time and have since scheduled a new one too.

Tour dates and videos below...

Continue reading "Crocodiles, Fresh & Onlys & Young Prisms -- 2011 tour dates"

by BBG

Echo & The Bunnymen (more by Toby Tenenbaum)

Echo & The Bunnymen will repeat themselves, sort of. The band will return to North America to focus on, like they did at Radio City, playing a full album (actually albums) for a tour that includes Irving Plaza on May 13 (the site of their last NYC appearance) and with Kelley Stoltz, who joined them at the venue in 2008 and on a UK tour in 2010... but that's where the similarities end.

Whereas the Radio City show focused on Ocean Rain in its entirety, Irving Plaza will focus on their first TWO LPs, Crocodiles & Heaven Up Here, in their entirety, plus a selection of "hits". Tickets for the NYC show are on sale in regular and VIP varieties, which include "front of the line access, a poster, and access to a designated area of the balcony". All dates below.

In related news, Kelley Stoltz was involved in a fascinating project by Sonny Smith:

Last year, local songwriter/cool guy Sonny Smith started an art project you may have heard a thing or two about: He invented 100 fake bands, wrote 100 different singles from each one (with an A side and B side!), and made art for those 100 singles.

But then, Smith and a bunch of friends began recording some of those songs... Collaborators on the project include: Ty Segall, Kelley Stoltz, the Sandwitches, Tim Cohen of the Fresh & Onlys, and others. -[SF Weekly]

That song stream, all tour dates and some video is below.

Continue reading "Echo & the Bunnymen performing 'Crocodiles' & 'Heaven Up Here' on tour w/ Kelley Stoltz (who's involved in '100 Records')"

by Andrew Frisicano

The Fresh & Onlys squeezed in a late-night Shea Stadium appearance on November 3rd, in lieu of the canceled second NYC date on their tour with Clinic (they were supposed to play the larger Music Hall of Williamsburg that night, and played Bowery Ballroom one night earlier).

At the smoky venue (someone always sees fit to light up half a pack inside, despite the outdoor terrace), the group delivered a tight post-midnight set on the heels of two of the best garage-pop sides of year - the August in My Mind EP and their new LP, Play It Strange. Both of those records showcase the band's melodically focused songwriting, the first with swathes of lo-fi compression, and the latter with cleaner vintage production (steered by Fucking Champs' Tim Green). Frontman Tim Cohen's mystery-soaked baritone thrives on top of the surfy, atmospheric leads of Wymond Miles (who sports a mountainous beehive of a haircut live), and the rest of the band follows suit. The SF crew were at the top of their game, and hopefully they keep the momentum into 2011.

Joining them at Shea were the moody, menacing Royal Baths (a fellow Bay Area band), Golden Triangle-connected locals X-Ray Eyeballs and female-fronted pop group Dutch Treat.

A few more pictures from the show including 1 of the F&O setlist, with the few tour dates they have left, are posted below...

Continue reading "The Fresh & Onlys & Royal Baths played Shea Stadium (pics)"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: The Fresh & Onlys - Waterfall (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Erland & the Carnival - Trouble in Mind (Mp3)

The Fresh & Onlys

It's an early installment of TWII this week. Most of the awesome shows (to me) seem to be tonight through Thursday.

First up we've got The Fresh & Onlys who are currently on tour with Clinic. They both play tonight at Bowery Ballroom with Girls at Dawn opening. I like Clinic just fine -- their new album Bubblegum is good -- but we're seeing the Fresh & Onlys still riding a wave of creativity/prolificasy that has been going strong for almost two years. The band's new album, Play it Strange, is maybe their best yet, definitely their most sonically advanced. And live, they always seem to be on. They were great at the Northside Fest back in May. I know I write about them a lot, but they really are tops. Go see them!

There was supposed to be a second Clinic/F&Os show Wednesday night at Music Hall of Williamsburg but that ended up getting canceled, so now The Fresh & Onlys will play Shea Stadium instead (11/3), sharing the bill with fellow San Franciscans The Royal Baths, plus X-Ray Eyeballs and Dutch Treat. The Fresh & Onlys and Royal Baths will also play Vassar on Thursday (11/4).

Royal Baths also play tonight (11/2) at Monster Island Basement with an otherwise all Baltimore bill: Ponytail's Dustin Wong, Holy Ghost Party and Avocado Happy Hour.

The Dears

I will be speeding off to Shea Stadium on Wednesday after seeing The Dears at Knitting Factory, the first their two-night stay previewing their new, yet-to-be-titled album which won't be out till next year. (Tickets are available for Wednesday and Thursday.) As an occasional Dears-obsessive (2004 - 2005 I wouldn't shut up about them) I'm pretty excited about these shows, especially now that guitarist and O-Face master Patrick Krief is back in the band, as well as former members Rob Benvie and Roberto Arquilla. Drummer George Donosso [now in the High Dials] is still missed - we'll see how new member Jeff Luciani does on the kit.

The Dears are masters of epic, anthemic songs and I'm psyched to get to hear a whole new album in this way for the first time. And if this sounds a little daunting, reviews of other shows in Montreal and Toronto where they've been doing the same thing have said they're encoring with a set of favorites. And when the band is on, they can make the hair on the back of your neck stand at attention. Here's hoping we get a little of that bristly excitement this time. You can check out live footage of new single "Omega Dog" at the bottom of this post.

The Duke Spirit

Also mid week: Bluesy London rock band The Duke Spirit are here playing a one-off show at the now-reopened Santos Party House on Wednesday (11/03) where five bucks gets you in the door. I was a big fan of The Duke Spirit's 2008 album, Neptune, which matched big pop hooks with the band's already proven muscle. The band have a new EP, Kusama, out in December -- you can download "Everybody's Under Your Spell" from their website if you give them your email address -- and a new album in February 2011.

The Duke Spirit are definitely worth seeing live. All eyes tend to be on powerhouse vocalist Leila Moss, who has an undeniable stage presence and can play mean harmonica too. And for five bucks it's kind of a no-brainer.

Erland and the Carnival

If you wish The Coral were still doing sea shantys, you might want to check out London's Erland and the Carnival who are in town playing two club shows this week with Ireland's Villagers: tonight (11/2) at Knitting Factory and Wednesday at Mercury Lounge. Then they'll play a headlining show on Friday at The Rock Shop and then open for Paul Weller on Saturday (at the Apollo) and Sunday (at the Nokia Theater).

There's a bit of that hurdy-gurdy folky seaside sound to the group -- they're recording their new record on a ship, apparently -- and their debut album is pretty good if you like Pentangle, Delta blues, Love and The Doors all mixed together in a bucket. Erland Cooper is a talented songwriter, and I'm told a captivating live performer, and managed to recruit guitarist Simon Tong (formerly of The Verve, Blur and The Good, The Bad and The Queen) into his band. Will they be the next Mumford and Sons? I think they're a little too odd for that (probably a good thing), and there's no shortage of opportunities to see them. You can download an MP3 at the top of this post and there are a couple videos below.

A few more shows of note, day-by-day, not mentioned above:

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 2 & WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 3

Vocoder-loving Canadians Shout Out Out Out Out bring their many keyboards to Le Poisson Rouge Tuesday and Glasslands Wednesday (moved from Coco 66). Every time I write about this band -- who are pretty fun live -- I have to count the number of "outs" in their name. I can never remember. (Note to self: four "outs".)

continued below...

Continue reading "the Fresh & Onlys, Royal Baths, Dears, Duke Spirit, Erland and the Carnival, Dandy Warhols & more in This Week in Indie"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Oh No Oh My - Walking Into Me (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Suzan - Home (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Bettie Serveert - Deny All (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Elk City - Jerks on Ice (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Intelligence - Like Like Like Like Like Like Like (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: JEFF the Brotherhood - Diamond Way (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Crystal Stilts - Shake the Shackles (MP3)

The Suzan @ Brooklyn Bowl for the Fool's Gold party (more by Brook Bobbins)

Unlike last year, I managed to make it through CMJ week without getting sick. Normally I try and do a sonic detox and not see any music after CMJ for at least a week. But that's not gonna happen as there's some seriously good stuff rolling through town in the next five days. Early next week too (Clinic/Fresh & Onlys), but let's not get ahead of ourselves too much.

Hey, remember Oh No Oh My? No? Oh. Well, people were going apeshit about them a few years ago. I kinda forgot about them, to the point where when I saw they were playing this week I thought it was Danish band Oh No Ono (editor's note: SAME). Anyway, Oh No Oh My are back!... and will release a new album of pleasant acousticy pop, People Problems, in early 2011. And they're here in NYC for a couple shows: tonight at the Rock Shop, and tomorrow (10/28) at Pianos.

More interesting to me are the bands they are playing with. Tonight at the Rock Shop, it's with Japanese bandThe Suzan whose new album Golden Week For The Poco Poco Beat was just released this week. It was produced by Bjorn Yttling of PB&J and you can definitely hear his touch on clever, catchy tracks like "Home" which you can download at the top of this post. Also playing are New Zealand's The Family Cactus.

The Pianos show has another New Zealand band,Street Chant, who were one of the funniest bands, stage-banter wise, I saw at CMJ. One memorable song intro: "We're the biggest rock band in New Zealand and this next song was Number One for nine months in a row!" Street Chant are pretty punk rock and definitely worth catching. Also playing the Pianos show: Boats (not Seattle's BOAT) and Estranged Estates.

The Intelligence @ Market Hotel in 2009 (more by Tim Griffin)

The Intelligence are visiting this weekend, playing Cake Shop on Saturday (10/30) and then the Todd P/Panache Halloween extravaganza on Sunday (10/31)at Ridgewood Masonic Temple . When it comes to surfy garage rock, The Intelligence are in the 99th percentile and if you haven't picked up the band's new album, Males, it's one of my favorites of the year. You can download a track from it above.

Further reading: Front dude Lars Finberg is keeping a tour diary for The Stranger and so far (one entry) it's a very entertaining read:

It's a 14-hour-plus drive to Fargo (basically 20 after my bathroom stops). We've learned to do this at the beginning of the tour as it can be so depressingly boring that all you can do is listen to Erik Satie and stare into the void. We finally stop around 2 am in Dickenson, North Dakota, and every hotel is booked for hunting season. I thought that the whole point of hunting was to drink the deer's blood and sleep under the stars in its carcass. It doesn't seem right to bag a deer and have a Rooty Tooty Fresh and Fruity breakfast and watch Becker in a warm bed at the Comfort Inn, so we drive on. Wait, there's a vacany sign--a true dump glowing like a beacon! "One room left," the clerk says. Highlights include two towels for five people (I am answered with a blank stare followed by a shrug when I ask if we can get more), a hornet in the room, and a shower curtain that emits such a powerful cigarette smell that I want to steal it to impress others.

Bettie Serveert

Visa issues kept Dutch band Bettie Serveert from playing Maxwell's and Southpaw earlier this month, but the band are here now, in the middle their North American tour that hits Bowery Ballroom on Friday (10/29), and Maxwell's a few days later. Their 1990 debut, Palomine, is one of my favorite Matador albums ever and they've consistently performed ever since. Pharmacy of Love is the band's ninth album and a little more rockin' than we've heard from the band over the last few LPs. Check out "Deny All" at the top of this post. Carol van Dyk's voice is still smoky cool, and catchy songs abound. And surely they'll play "Tomboy" and "Kid's Alright."

Opening are Elk City whose new album House of Tongues was kind of overlooked. Smart, well-arranged pop, with ex-Luna guitarist Sean Eden providing some shimmery flair. Download album track "Jerks on Ice" at the top of this post.

And finally, Austin's YellowFever are in town this weekend for a string of shows. Hopefully Jennifer made it through Airport security ok this time. They play tonight (10/27) at the Showpaper 42nd St. Gallery with The Babies, Sewn Leather and more. Then they play The Mug at Vassar College tomorrow (10/28), Dead Herring on Friday with Coasting, Julianna Barwick and more; and Saturday (10/30) at 171 Lombardy forThe Pelly Twins Halloween Party with DOM, Smith Westerns, Total Slacker and Sweet Bulbs.

Also, just in time for halloween, the spooky video for Total Slacker's "Crystal Necklace" which you can watch below.

That's the big stuff. A few more shows, day-by-day, not covered above.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 27

'90s electronic superstars Underworld play Roseland Ballroom tonight. Lager, lager lager!

continued below...

Continue reading "The Suzan, Street Chant, Intelligence, Bettie Serveert, Yellow Fever, Sunny Day in Glasgow & more in This Week in Indie "

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: The Fresh & Onlys - Waterfall (MP3)

The Fresh & Onlys have just released Play it Strange, their third album in a year and a half and first for In the Red. It's also the first they've made in an actual recording studio (two-inch analog tape, mind you.). Like on the Intelligence's Males, the leap to mid-fi suits The Fresh & Onlys well. The band got lumped in with the lo-fi scene due to friends (Oh Sees, Ty Segall) and labels (Trouble in Mind, Captured Tracks) but the band have always been more  psychedelic pop than garage, which is pretty apparent when you listen to the new album. Not only is it their best yet, it's one of the year's best too (According to this guy.) You can download LP track "Waterfall" at the top of this post.

The band are hitting the road this week for a North American tour. The first half will be with drone-psych San Franciscans The Royal Baths, whose debut was just released on Woodsist. After that, they'll hook up with Clinic where they'll play Bowery Ballroom on November 2 and Music Hall of Williamsburg on November 3. Will they sneak in a show at a smaller venue while here? I wouldn't be surprised.

All upcoming Fresh & Onlys dates are below...

Continue reading "The Fresh & Onlys released 'Play it Strange' (MP3), touring w/ Royal Baths & then Clinic (dates) "

Clinic at Joe's Pub, 8/19

"At the Bell House Monday night, the substitution of their scrubs for dashikis, then paired with the trademark masks, might have suggest a wacky vibe, but the band revealed a mellower sound when providing a preview of their new album, Bubblegum, slated for release in October. While still worlds away from bland, the gentleness of first single "I'm Aware" is a departure from the fast-paced post punk mantras and quirky keyboard sounds that they have long made their stock-in-trade. The slightly psychedelic hues of songs such as "Milk & Honey" and "Baby" were hinted at previously with cuts like "The Witch (Made to Measure)" (from 2008's Do It!), but perhaps not the quiet dreaminess of "Linda," which vocalist Ade Blackburn performed solo with an acoustic guitar." [Agit Reader]

Tickets are on AmEx presale now and go on regular sale Friday (8/27) at noon for a November 2nd date at Bowery Ballroom followed by a November 3rd at Music Hall of Williamsburg.

The Fresh & Onlys have a new piece too, the Play It Strange LP due one week after Bubblegum (10/12) via In The Red Records. The band also has the new Impending Doom 7" out now via Agitated Records.

All tour dates, videos from The Bell House and Joe's Pub, and Clinic's recent video for "I'm Aware", below...

Continue reading "Clinic played 3 NYC-area shows (videos), touring w/ the Fresh & Onlys (2010 dates, more NY shows)"

Elvis Perkins @ MHOW in December (more by Dominick Mastrangelo)

More bands have been added to the Northside Festival 2010, happening June 24-27 at venues around Williamsburg and Greenpoint. Those new additions include Elvis Perkins in Dearland, Male Bonding, Sondre Lerche, Tame Impala, A.A. Bondy, Air Waves, The Golden Filter, Slow Club, The Babies, Starring, Takka Takka, Lower Dens, Frankie & the Outs, The Fresh & Onlys and The Grates. The full list is below, and the fest's full schedule (with more new bands) is expected this week. A partial schedule is below.

Elvis Perkins in Dearland, A.A. Bondy and "special guests" will be playing a Sunday afternoon show at Newtown Barge Park - tickets are on sale. Other lineups at that park include Titus Andronicus, Male Bonding and Cults (Sat afternoon); Liars, Fucked Up and High Places (Sat night); and Les Savy Fav, Polvo and Grails (Sun night) at the park venue. Tickets are still on sale for all of them, or you can just get a badge which lets you run around to multiple shows.

BrooklynVegan will be hosting three shows during Northside, all on the same night (6/26) - Jucifer and Gloominous Doom at Union Pool, Floor, Javelina, and Hot Graves at Europa earlier that night (tickets), and Memory Tapes, Twin Sister, DOM and ZAZA at Music Hall of Williamsburg (tickets).

The festival has joined with NYC film houses BAMcinamatek, IFC Films, Indiewire, Rooftop Films and others to show movies at indieScreen, the new Williamsburg movie theater. Details on those films (which include movies by Todd Solondz and James Franco) and the video for Male Bonding's song "Year's Not Long" is posted below...

Continue reading "updated Northside Festival lineup - movies & bands (Elvis Perkins & AA Bondy on sale)"

photos by Erin Kilkenny

Fresh & Onlys...

The place cleared out a bit for Golden Triangle the last band on the bill, and I'm glad they were. This gave them plenty of time to get rip-roaring drunk to prepare for the madness that ensued. They are a 6 piece with 3 guys and 3 gals that seem to like to party. The 2 singers are full of energy and apparently went to the Joel Gion school of tambourine. Every single part of this band is catchy, the vocal melodies, bass lines, lead guitar parts will all stick around with you for a while. They play loud and sloppy, the way rock was meant to be played. At one point during the show one of the guitarist climbed from the stage monitor onto the window seal and outside the window and finished the song out there. He tried once again at the end of the show and ended up falling on his ass. Grade A entertainment. I had heard great things about this band's live shows and I was thoroughly entertained and am waiting for my next chance to see them again, which lucky for me is regularly. [Sound of Confusion]

Golden Triangle play next on May 29th at Glasslands with Psychic Ills, Sunburned Hand Of Man and Hopewell (and have plenty more after that). The Babies are touring the West Coast currently. Coasting play Shea Stadium on May 21st with Baby Birds Dont Drink Milk.

Monster Island next hosts an indie-celebrity-DJ dance party with a live set by Blissed Out tonight (5/19). More pictures from the GT show below...

Continue reading "Golden Triangle & the Fresh & Onlys @ Monster Island (pics) "

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: The Fresh & Onlys - Diamond in the Dark (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Veronica Falls - Found Love in a Graveyard (MP3)

The Fresh and Onlys

Last week, I focused on shows you could get into if you didn't get tickets to the weekend's many, many worthy shows. For this refreshingly informed and enthusiastic edition of TWII, all the exciting stuff (in my opinion) doesn't have advanced tickets. (Only one sold-out exception.) It's a pretty exciting weekend for music, so let's get into it.

San Francisco's fantastic Fresh & Onlys are back in town, playing Friday night (5/14) at Monster Island with Golden Triangle (who headline), The Babies and Coasting (who recently performed at that Chris Knox benefit). They also play Saturday (5/15) at Cake Shop with Liquor Store, Darlings, Girls at Dawn, and Xray Eyeballs (OJ from Golden Triangle's other band). Regular readers of this column, if those exist, know I'm a pretty huge fan of F&Os, but I really do think they're one of the best new bands out of the San Francisco scene. And one of the few bands whose quality nearly matches their hyper-prolific output.

Their latest EP, August in My Mind, is new on Captured Tracks and the band have releases due out this year on Hozac, Sacred Bones and In the Red, who'll be putting out the band's third album (within a year!). The band are already in town -- I ran into bassist Shayde Sartin on the street yesterday and he said the band were hoping to do some recording while here. They are hard workers!

I'm happy to report that singer Tim Cohen's arm has healed after a nasty break last summer that had him switching guitar for keyboards for all of their previous NYC shows. So the axe is back, though I'm gonna guess he'll play a little of both this time out. The MP3 for August in My Mind's "Diamond in the Dark" is at the top of this post. And if you can't see them this weekend, The Fresh & Onlys will be back for the Northside Festival in June.

Veronica Falls

Also this weekend: the American debut of UK band Veronica Falls, who play Glasslands on Saturday (5/15) with Crystal Stilts, Minks and Home Blitz ($12 and you need to RSVP); and then on Sunday (5/16) at Bruar Falls with Frankie Rose & the Outs, German Measles and The Surprisers ($8). Both shows are pretty killer, line-up wise. Veronica Falls are kind like a Fantasy League indiepop band. They met at a Comet Gain show (!), with members culled from short-lived but awesome Glasgow bands The Royal We and Sexy Kids, as well as the excellent-and-still-going Your Twenties. They owe lots to their ancestors -- a song like "Stephen" just has to be about The Pastels -- are mopey without being morose, and are just twee enough to be endearing. It's a delicate line, but Veronica Walls walk it perfectly.

Mind you, they've only released one single so far, the great "Found Love in a Graveyard" (downloadable above) with its killer cover of Roky Erickson's "Starry Eyes" on the flip, but there are few bands recently who've left me so hungry for more. Their second single, the Crystal Stilts-ish "Beachy Head," is pretty good too and due out next week. Hopefully they'll have copies with them at the shows.

If you can't make either show, or you like them so much you want to see them again, by all means come to Cake Shop next Thursday (5/20) when Veronica Falls play NYC Popfest along with Sweden's Leaving Mornington Crescent, the UK's Horowitz, the Sweater Girls from Los Angeles, plus winsome locals Dream Diary and Elephant Parade. We're going to be giving away a NYC Popfest festival pass...stay tuned to this channel for details!

And a few more shows, night by night:

Continue reading "Fresh & Onlys, The Blow, Veronica Falls, Rooftop Films, Eddie Argos, the Lindsay Buckingham Appreciation Society & more in This Week in Indie"

by Bill Pearis

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

Woods

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

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

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

The Fresh and Onlys

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

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

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

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

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

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Golden Triangle - Jinx (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Golden Triangle - Neon Noose (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Sandwitches - Back to the Sea (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Title Tracks - Every Little Bit Hurts (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Pretty & Nice - Tora Tora Tora (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Pretty & Nice - Tora Tora Tora (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Summer Cats - Hey You (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Summer Cats - Super (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Summer Cats - Let's Go (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Summer Cats - TV Guide (MP3)

March is consistently one of the most insane months for shows, due to nearly every band being on tour thanks to SXSW. The flood doesn't really kick in till next week, so view this weekend as the relative calm before the storm. Also, before we get into my recommendations, I'd like to mention that New York Noise, the NYC-TV show that has been documenting the local indie scene for eight seasons, is in danger of cancellation. Given it's new Tuesdays at 5AM slot (and its showpage on the website now gone), it almost might as well be off the air -- a worse fate than 120 Minutes ever saw. There are so few outlets to watch music videos on actual television anymore, let alone ones from semi-obscure indie rock bands, and even less done in such consistently clever, funny, fresh ways. (Breakfast at Sulimays was not the first to interview old people about indie rock.)

Music is a huge part of New York City culture and surely the only show on the air about it deserves to continue. If you feel the same way I urge you to sign the Bring Back New York Noise petition. You can read more about it and what's going on with the show over at the Village Voice. And there are some highlights from the show at the bottom of this post.

The Sandwitches

Ok, back to the music. San Francisco's The Sandwitches are visiting this weekend for three shows before heading off on a tour that will lead them to Austin for SXSW where they'll play more than a few parties including the BrooklynVegan Thursday day party.

They play the Rockstar Bar tonight (3/5) and then Monster Island on Saturday (3/6) with Golden Triangle.  Singers Heidi and Grace both spent time in The Fresh & Onlys and drummer Roxy used to be in Brilliant Colors. Like Donnie & Marie, they're a little bit country and a little bit rock and roll. In a San Francisco indie sort of way, which means a fair amount of reverb.

Kelley Stoltz says of the Sandwitches: "Imagine a 60's Girl-group is on tour and their van breaks down near a gothic castle high on the hill, Dario Argento invites them in to perform a concert for his tweaked actors in a big dark red room inside and, if the dream is right, it's the Sandwiches - they'd fit right in with those misfits and speak the same language. I'd like to be there to dance." I'm not sure I can top that description. I like their album, How to Make Ambient Sadcake, quite a bit and you can download opening track "Back to the Sea" at the top of this post.

After SXSW they'll play Todd P's MtyMx festival and then tour back to San Francisco with Thee Oh Sees and The Baths.

Golden Triangle

That Monster Island show on Saturday is the official record release party for Golden Triangle's debut, Double Jointer, which came out this week on Hardly Art. You can check out two songs from the album at the top of this post. I think you either like this sort of fuzzed out, reverb-soaked garage rock or you don't, but this record is a lot of fun -- a psychedelic art school party band that's part B-52's, part paisley underground, part Cavestomp.

Saturday should be a fun one, with an almost all-girl lineup. In addition to the Sandwitches, there's Girls at Dawn and Coasting, all of whom I like. Golden Triangle are also playing a lot of shows during SXSW including the same Thursday BV show as Sandwitches. All dates are at the bottom of this post.

Title Tracks

Playing together two nights this weekend are Washington D.C.'s Title Tracks and Boston's Pretty & Nice. They play Saturday (3/6) at Union Hall and then Sunday (3/8) at Cake Shop.

As mentioned before, Title Tracks is the new band from John Davis, previously of much-loved Q and Not U, and the great but unfortunately shortlived Georgie James. That said, Title Tracks' just-released debut, It Was Easy, is pretty great, full of guitar-centric power pop in a late '70s style that might bring to mind Rockpile, Marshall Crenshaw or the dB's... or more recently Sloan and the New Pornographers. Two songs are at the top of this post. Davis is a fantastic songwriter (and performer) and while we may miss his previous bands, be glad he's still cranking out great tunes.

Pretty & Nice

Pretty & Nice's music tips just the other side of 1980, with slightly nervier pop (XTC and Chris Stamey's songs with the dB's being obvious influences) but just as catchy and their 2008 album, Get Young, didn't get enough attention I don't think. Hopefully they've got a new album out sometime soon and we'll hear songs from it at one of the shows. They're fun live.

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And last but in no way least are Australian band Summer Cats who make their NYC debut tonight (3/5) as part of the Mondo! party at Don Hills. They also play Sunday at Bruar Falls. Super-pumped to see these guys live tonight. I wrote loads about them earlier in the week so go read that, won't you? The Bruar Falls show also features local power-poppers Onward Chariots who sound pretty good on their Myspace. I'll be at an Oscar party (I'm bringing Hummus: Based on the Novel Precious by Sapphire) but those who don't care about the Academy Awards should show your support to these Cats. Like most of the bands in this post, they'll be in Austin for SXSW too. And elsewhere. Go see 'em.

That's it for this week. Videos and tour dates are below....

Continue reading "NY Noise, The Sandwitches, Golden Triangle, Title Tracks, Pretty & Nice, Summer Cats & more in This Week in Indie"

DOWNLOAD: Fresh & Onlys - Invisible Forces (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Beach House - Norway (MP3)

Surf City @ Pianos/BV-CMJ Party 2009 (more by Chris La Putt)

Surf City was just one of the 'surf' bands that made a splash at this year's CMJ. Both groups (the other being Surfer Blood) are set to repeat the feat at SXSW.

Surfer Blood's tour takes a New York turn in late February, while New Zealand's Surf City hits NYC post-SXSW. They play a March 25th show at Maxwell's with Headlights (who play Bowery on their tour with David Bazan two nights earlier). Tickets to Maxwell's are on sale.

The next night, Friday, March 26th, Surf City play a late show at Mercury Lounge. Tickets go on sale Wednesday at noon.

Before both of those, Surf City will be on a bill with fellow New Zealander Bachelorette at Union Hall on March 22nd (ticket info TBA).

While in NYC, Bachelorette will also be playing at Cake Shop on March 20th before heading out on tour with Beach House from March 26th to April 19th (Beach House continue with Washed Out after that). Beach House celebrate their new record (and their 9.0 Best New Music) at Bell House tonight (1/26).

Surf City do make some pre-SXSW stops on their way to Austin too. One is in L.A. on March 13th with The Fresh & Onlys, who will also be in Austin March 17th-20th. In addition, Fresh & Onlys play Noise Pop 2010 in their hometown of San Fran, and tour with King Khan & The Shrines (with no NYC date unfortunately) in April. The track above is off The Fresh & Onlys' 2009 Woodsist album Grey-Eyed Girls - they have a new just-completed third record due this spring on In The Red.

All tour dates and a video are below...

Continue reading "Surf City, Bachelorette, Beach House, Fresh & Onlys and King Khan & The Shrines are playing shows, touring, etc"

by Andrew Frisicano

DOWNLOAD: Kurt Vile - Overnite Religion (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Kurt Vile - Hunchback (MP3)

Canada's Still Life Still (pictured above) just released their debut, Girls Come Too, in August on Arts & Crafts. Behind the controls for the record were Broken Social Scene's Martin Davis Kinack and Kevin Drew, so it's no surprise that the band takes some sonic cues from the influential collective. Still Life Still impart their BSS-style dense arrangements with lyrics and energy that seem rooted in '90s-era pop-punk. Check it out on their MySpace.

They're in town for two stacked shows at Mercury Lounge on October 7th and 8th. On Wednesday, October 7th they play with Kurt Vile & the Violators, Birds of Maya and Coconuts. Then on October 8th they join a bill with Thee Oh Sees and The Fresh & Onlys (on tour together and playing the next night at the Bell House) and Girls At Dawn. Tickets for both the Oct. 7th and Oct. 8th shows are still on sale.

Still Life Still are also playing a CMJ show October 22nd at Union Pool. It's an Arts & Crafts showcase and they'll be joined by Timbre Timbre, Hollerago, Zues and others.

Kurt Vile's Matador debut, Childish Prodigy, finally comes out October 6th and the Mercury Lounge show is just one of the dates he's playing to support it. Two tracks from that record are posted above ("Hunchback" is especially recommended).

While in town, Thee Oh Sees are also opening for Pierced Arrows at Maxwell's on October 10th (the night before, 10/9, Pierced Arrows play Mercury Lounge). Thee Oh Sees have a new record out (or out soon) called Dog Poison on Captured Tracks (information is somewhat scarce). The new LP takes the band in a slightly more acoustic, less straight-ahead-rock direction (at least compared to their early '09 release Help). Its cover is below.

Still Life Still's album art, tracklist and tour dates are also, below...

Continue reading "Still Life Still on Arts & Crafts - opening for Kurt Vile & Thee Oh Sees (both w/ new records) in NYC this week + CMJ"

Jay Reatard @ the Wired Store (more by Tim Griffin)

As I was saying (and Bill will say even more about later), Jay Reatard and his Shattered Records crew (Nobunny, Hunx & His Punx, Box Elders & Useless Eaters) are on their way from Pop Montreal to NYC for a late show at Le Poisson Rouge tonight (10/1). Tickets are still on sale.

Yesterday, with some help, I rushed together some questions for an email interview with Jay (not the ideal format). Jay in turn rushed some answers back this afternoon, presumably from the road and after playing a late show last night. With that in mind, you can find that interview, which attempts to set the record straight on Jay's recent hate for Brooklyn, and what time Hamburghini practice starts, with all dates and tonight's set times, below....

Continue reading "an interview w/ Jay Reatard (whose Shattered Records tour hits Le Poisson Rouge in NYC tonight) "

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: The Fresh & Onlys - Invisible Forces (MP3)

The Fresh & Onlys @ Woodsist Fest (more by Tim Griffin)

When The Fresh & Onlys return to New York in October with Thee Oh Sees, their second album of 2009, Grey-Eyed Girls, will be, um, fresh on people's minds -- it's out September 15 on Woodsist. The first track from that album has been just released, "Invisible Forces," and you can download it above. It's dark and gothy in an early Bunnymen kind of way, and was, for me, the highlight of their Woodsist Captured Tracks Festival performance.

When I interviewed bassist Shayde Sartin back in March, he had this to say about the difference between the Woodist album and their debut which came out on Jon Dwyer's Castle Face Records back in the Spring:

The album differs quite a bit from the one on Castle Face in that it's a much moodier record with more of a focus on concise pop songs. It's 12 songs in 32 minutes. We had also become a bit more familiar with the way we work and had a system more in place for writing, recording and mixing. There's still a lot of the same muscularity but there's definitely more indulgence in our melodies.

The band are opening for Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks for a few California shows this week before joining The Oh Sees in September (Mercury Lounge and The Bell House), and will tour with Box Elders after that. All Fresh & Onlys tour dates, plus a video of them performing "Invisible Forces" at the Woodsist / Captured Tracks Fest, after the jump...

Continue reading "The Fresh & Onlys - new MP3 & 2009 Tour Dates (w/ Stephen Malkmus, Thee Oh Sees and Box Elders)"

DOWNLOAD: Ty Segall - It #1 (MP3)

Ty Segall @ Cake Shop (more by Tim Griffin)

After my own greasy foray into a Popeye's a few blocks away, I was ready to see the wunderkind, who is freshly graduated from the University of San Francisco. Once upon a time, Segall was a one man band, but he's expanded his outfit to a three-piece. Clearly the night's headliner at Amnesia, he packed the joint. After sets by openers Snakeflower 2 and the Rantouls, he mostly played familiar songs from his 2008 self-titled release on CastleFace Records. However, he also delivered a few examples of his self-described "sludgier" work on the brand new Lemons (Goner Records).

Sludge or no sludge, Segall's solid work ethic is evident. He's constantly playing gigs at bars like the Knockout, the Hemlock, and the Eagle Tavern -- basically anywhere flannel is the prevailing fashion, alongside those straw fedora hats favored by the fixed-gear crowd. Despite his omnipresence on SF's dive bar scene, he's pretty modest about his dedication to his music. "There are a lot of ways that I am a slacker," he explains over the phone a month after the fateful Amnesia show as he and his band drive to New Orleans. "But if I'm not doing music, I feel like I'm wasting my time." [SF Bay Guardian]

Ty plays a Mercury Lounge show on September 20th with Golden Triangle and tourmates and fellow SF band The Mantels. Tickets for that go on sale Saturday, July 25th at noon. Ty Segall then goes to New Jersey for a September 21st show at Maxwell's. The Mantels opens that too, with Digital Leather. Tickets are on sale now.

Ty will be one of the acts at Goner Fest 6, put on by Goner Records September 24th-26th in Memphis, TN. Other acts include a reformed version of Jay Reatard's first band The Reatards, Thee Oh Sees, The Fresh & Onlys, Magic Kids (who are in NYC this weekend), Box Elders, The Intelligence, Nobunny, Cheater Slicks and just about every other vital band you could vaguely lump in with the current "garage" scene (No Sic Alps, though). Tickets for day one, two and three of the fest are on sale now (though three-day 'Golden Passes' seem to be either sold out or hard to find).

More info on that festival, with all Ty Segall dates and a couple videos, below...

Continue reading "Ty Segall tour dates (3 NYC shows) + 2009 Goner Fest lineup "

DOWNLOAD: Those Darlins - Red Light Love (MP3)

Titus Andronicus @ Bowery Ballroom (more by Leia Jospe)


Titus Andronicus will be playing the Colt 45/Vice Magazine party at Glasslands on Thursday, July 9th (tonight). The band's MySpace reveals that The So-So Glos will also be appearing (though the show flyer, below, only lists a "special guest"). The show is free with RSVP, though there's limited capacity.

The So So Glos are also playing a show on Friday, July 10th at Southpaw with Those Darlins who play a show with Heavy Trash and Shilpa Ray at Mercury Lounge tonight. All dates below.

Titus is also scheduled to play July 10th with Real Estate at the first of the Whitney Museum's four July rock shows. That's still happening -- the concert is free with admittance to the museum which is free from 6-9pm on Fridays - so it's a free show, but first come, first served.

The MySpace schedule for Real Estate, who just played in Brooklyn on July 4th, lists an additional NYC date for San Francisco's Fresh & Onlys. That show, the Mexican Summer/Insound party at Cameo Gallery on July 16th, can be added is not actually part of the Fresh & Onlys extensive upcoming schedule. The show is happening, but the Fresh & Onlys aren't playing it. Actually on the bill are Woods and Golden Triangle.

Or you can catch Woods and Real Estate a day prior (July 15th), when they play Wavves' first post-European-tour-cancellation show at the Bowery Ballroom.

A flyer for the Glasslands show, with all tour dates, below...

Continue reading "Titus Andronicus, the So So Glos, Real Estate, Those Darlins & other upcoming shows (dates)"

photos by Tim Griffin, words by Andrew Frisicano

The Woodsist/Captured Tracks Festival's Day One (7/3) was moved inside the Market Hotel. Thankfully, the weather held out for its second, 4th of July lineup, which went off as planned in the grassy, rock-filled lot of 979 Broadway Backyard.

I arrived just as Real Estate was going on, and the New Jersey band nearly stole the show with dreamy rock that seemed to be made for a sunny afternoon. The Beets held down their set with a casualness befitting a park lodge show (kind of what the fest was on a slightly bigger scale). The guys gave new meaning to the word "ramshackle" as things seemed to be toppling over continually onstage.

German Measles played a set before I got there. Bill caught them and said they "aren't actually that bad... But they're also not very good. And that kind of seems to be the point. Shambolic is an understatement, like 'why rehearse when we can just play shows?"

The Great Excape did a set of Jersey-style pop-punk that included their own theme song, several politically-themed tunes (a nice touch) and a cover of "Summertime Blues." Ganglians brought one of the day's only keyboards, and burst with a flurry of reverb and overdrive.

Brilliant Colors started out with straight-ahead noise punk, with a bit of a melody void left by their super-reverbed vocals (maybe a theme of the night) and washed-out guitar. When the bass stepped up its riffs a few songs in, the band immediately sounded twice as catchy. The Fresh and Onlys took that bass-forward momentum and went with it. Their bassist pounded the notes in between and then some. As a result, the group had one of the most complete sounds of the night (with a tambourine and three-part harmonies rounding it out). They dedicated their last song to the member of Tyvek in the hospital (the reason for that band's cancellation). Hopefully their situation turns out better.

Dum Dum Girls had to be one of the night's cleanest sounding groups. The band relied heavily on singer Dee Dee's vocals, which harmonized with drummer Frankie Rose on their songs' many hooks.

The atmospheric rock of Woods definitely got jammier as it progressed. As Bill Pearis pointed out, the group's fourth member, who sat on the floor twiddling effects and singing into a microphone strapped to his face, was a bit strange considering the rest of the guys were dressed proper enough for church. Whatever you have to do to make it sound good I suppose.

Kurt Vile & the Violators roared into the night as the sun finally went down. Vile and Vivian Girls (who, as one commenter pointed out, "played with a great intensity") more than warmed up the crowd for Thee Oh Sees, who capped the night (for some) with an unstoppable set. Frontman John Dwyer was literally foaming at the mouth as a streak of white drool smeared across his face for part of the set. Thee Oh Sees' strange, repetition-laced anthems are amazing for shaking and rattling, as the crowd proved. The band even got talked into playing an encore before sending everyone into the night.

The rest of the pictures from Day Two, with a bunch of videos, below...

Continue reading "Woodsist/CT Fest Day Two in pics & video (Thee Oh Sees, Real Estate, Ganglians, Fresh & Onlys, Woods & more)"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: The Fresh & Onlys - Fog Machine (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Fresh & Onlys - Love & Kindness (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Ganglians - Hair (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Bachelorette - Mindwarp (MP3)

It used to be Independence Day weekend was dead in NYC, the city emptying out, leaving only tourists and those unfortunate enough not to have some sort of beach hookup. There was nothing to do but barbeque with fellow left-behinds and see whatever Will Smith movie had just been released. (Actually, I like it when the city is empty.) And the only show would be whatever was at Battery Park on the 4th. Not this year.

The Woodsist/Captured Tracks Festival is two days of just about every band on the two label's roster and also manages to be one of the best collections of reverb-lovin' lo-fi/pych/garage bands you're likely to see, including many names you may recognize if you read this column on a regular basis. You can buy a two-day pass for $25 or buy individual $15 tickets for Friday or Saturday.

As both Woodsist and Captured Tracks are Brooklyn labels, a lot of the bands are local and chances are if you're into this kind of music at all you've probably managed to already see some of these bands, probably more than once: Crystal Stilts, Vivian Girls, Blank Dogs, The Beets, caUSE co-MOTION, Kurt Vile, and Woods.

The Fresh & Onlys @ SXSW 2009

But there's also a bunch of great West Coast bands who have yet to hit NYC, which is what makes it most exciting for me. First and foremost are San Francisco's Fresh & Onlys who I caught at the Todd P/Woodsist party during SxSW and have become one of my favorite new bands. They play the Saturday (7/4) which is definitely the more essential line-up of the two days. The band features members of Skygreen Leopards and Black Fiction, and have also spent time recently backing up Rodriguez and Ty Segall (though not on the East Coast.)

The band's first album of 2009 came out in April on John Dwyer's Castle Face label, with a sound not that far off from what you might expect from cohorts of The Oh Sees (who headline the Saturday show), though The Fresh & Onlys are definitely more pop and less psychedelic freakout. Their second album of 2009, Grey-Eyed Girls, is out in August and they've also got 7"'s out or out soon on Chuffed, Dirty Knobby, Hozac and Captured Tracks. If you like 13th Floor Elevators, The Chocolate Watchband and other Nuggets era bands, I think you're going to dig them. I interviewed bassist Shayde Sartin a couple months ago on my blog if you'd like to know more.

If you can't make the daytime show, The Fresh & Onlys also play a post midnight show that same day at Market Hotel that also features Babies (members of Woods, Vivian Girls and Bossy) (does anyone know which members?) and Pink Reason, and maybe a solo performance from Crystal Stilts drummer Frankie Rose. And The Fresh & Onlys will be here again in October when they'll be on tour with fellow San Franciscans Thee Oh Sees.

Thee Oh Sees are also playing Siren in July, and playing maybe the best of the Woodsist fest's offshoot shows on Thursday night (7/2) at Glasslands. They're headlining the Glasslands show and Saturday night of the fest, and are definitely worth seeing twice, or even thrice. Also playing Glasslands: Golden Triangle who are working on their debut album for Sub Pop offshoot Hardly Art; The Beets who, the last two times I've seen them, have had Crystal Stilts' JB Townsend filling in on drums for an absent Jacob Warstler; and German Measels which features half of caUSE co-MOTION wearing fake moustaches.

Ganglians

A little earlier at Woodsist Fest on Saturday (3:45 if they keep to the posted schedule) are Sacramento's Ganglians, who just released an EP and an album on Woodsist. Not all that far off from The Fresh & Onlys, Ganglians have equal worship for solid songwriting and trippy arrangements/production. I think both records are worth picking up: the self-titled EP shows off more of their rocking side (which they favored when I saw them at SxSW), like the surfy, Kiwi-esque "Hair" of which there's an MP3 at the top of this post. The album, Monster Head Room, is more acoustic and owes a lot to Brian Wilson. If you can't make the July 4th show, they'll be playing the next night (7/5) at Monster Island basement with Psychedelic Horseshit.

In between Ganglians and Fresh & Onlys on Saturday (4:30PM) are San Francisco's Brilliant Colors, an all-girl trio who play short, scratchy pop with a definitely New Zealand vibe. They also play the late show that night at Market Hotel, and will be on WNYU on July 8.

Dum Dum Girls, who play after the Fresh & Onlys at 6PM, are from L.A. and owe much to the C-86 scene that has been an influence on Pains of Being Pure at Heart and Vivian Girls. Actually, Dum Dum Girls is just one girl, Dee Dee, who may or may not have a band with her when she plays. Dee Dee is also in The Mayfair Set, a collaboration with Blank Dogs (and Captured Tracks domo) Mike Sniper, who will make their live debut (I think) Friday (7/3) at 6:30.

I've got MP3s for most every band playing the Fest over at my blog.

Brilliant Colors

A couple non-Woodsist/Captrax Fest recommendation for the Fourth weekend. New Zealand's Bachelorette is back in town, playing the kickoff show of this year's Seaport Music Festival, opening for Here We Go Magic. I saw Bachelorette at Cake Shop a couple weeks back and was so smitten I bought everything at the merch table. There was a fair amount of laptopping going on, but Annabel Alpers' breathy, fragile voice was definitely live and the three-piece oozed unassuming charm. Bachelorette also play the sold-out Rooftop Films Fourth of July party Saturday night which happens on the roof of the Chelsea Art Museum.

And Thursday (7/2) starts The Feelies' three-night run at Maxwell's. Friday's show (7/3) is sold out but you can still get tickets for Thursday and for Saturday (7/4). Bring comfortable shoes -- they're doing two sets each night. The excitement of their reformation may have faded a bit since this time last year, but their great songs -- and still-awesome guitar interplay -- have not.

Full Woodsist/Captured Tracks Festival schedule and other tour dates after the jump...

Continue reading "Ganglians, Fresh & Onlys, Brilliant Colors, Bachelorette, lots of Woodsist bands & more in This Week in Indie "

Broadway Backyard (more by Tim Griffin)

Woodsist and Captured Tracks have joined forces with Todd P to present a two-day festival of bands at Broadway Backyard in Brooklyn this July 3rd and 4th. More info and full lineup (so far) below....

Continue reading "Woodsist & Captured Tracks throwing a festival in Brooklyn"