"Though promoters around the country report strong early ticket sales for festivals and summer tours, the recession is causing jitters. This year Coachella, which has the most glamorous reputation of all American festivals, began selling tickets on layaway, and 18 percent of its customers took that option, Mr. Tollett said.

The proliferation of big festivals, like Bonnaroo near Nashville and Lollapalooza in Chicago, has not been without casualties. This year Langerado in Miami shut down, citing the economy. The Pemberton Festival in British Columbia is on hiatus after only one year, although its promoter, Live Nation, said the problem was permit delays." [NY Times]

Continue reading "Lollapalooza 2009 - the official & complete lineup"

Friendly Fires @ Bowery Ballroom (more by Chris La Putt)

Friendly Fires just played two nights at the Bowery Ballroom on March 26th and 27th. Coming up, the UK band has two more NYC shows on the far horizon. They'll play (Le) Poisson Rouge on Wednesday, August 12th (Tickets), and the next night, Thursday, August 13th, at Music Hall of Williamsburg (Tickets).

Accompanying Friendly Fires on many of their upcoming shows (though not NYC, as of now) is Hockey, who played four New York shows earlier in the year.

The bands seem to be splitting festivals, with Friendly Fires at Coachella in the US (and lots overseas) and Hockey playing Sasquatch and Bonnaroo (with lots of UK/European fests, as well).

All tour dates for both bands below...

Continue reading "Friendly Fires - 2009 Tour Dates (2 more NYC shows)"

photos by Chris La Putt

Friendly Fires

"White Lies and Friendly Fires, a pair of vigorous young bands from Britain, take divergent paths toward much the same destination. In both cases, the unspoken aim is a kind of submissive bliss: they want you in their thrall, not just listening but experiencing, absorbing. By that measure they were impressively but only intermittently successful at the Bowery Ballroom on Thursday night.

Each band has released one album, making a splash chiefly in Britain, at least for now. A few months ago White Lies made its British chart debut at No. 1 with "To Lose My Life ...," which Geffen released in the United States last week. Friendly Fires had more modest success last year with its self-titled album on XL.

The bands, which are jointly headlining a North American tour, have been sponsored and duly plugged by NME, the British music magazine, with the Soft Pack, from Southern California, as an opening act." [NY Times]

Continue reading "White Lies, Friendly Fires & The Soft Pack @ Bowery Ballroom, NYC - pics "

DOWNLOAD: Tortured Soul - Did You Miss Me (MP3)

Cut Copy @ Terminal 5 - March 21, 2009 (ChrisGoldNY)

This weekend saw the first wave of post-SXSW, pre-WMC deejays and bands come through New York. There were a lot of events lined up that I had seen coming for weeks, but one that somehow got by me until just a few days before, was Disco 3000 with Trus'me and Volcov at APT. Without enough time to sway my more "electro"-minded friends to change their plans, I hit APT solo Friday night and left without an ounce of regret. Upon arriving around 12:30 or so, the basement space was packed with people dancing. While there were some weird and inexplicable ebbs & flows in terms of dancefloor traffic, the music was on point the entire night. Trus'me and Volcov traded off deck duty every hour or so, easily meeting the expectations garnered from the flyer:

Expect to hear all corners of the record shop from the past, present and of course the future. Disco, afro, house, boogie, hip hop, techno, jazz, psyche, reggae, soul, brazilian, dub.

Saturday night I ventured out again, to Terminal 5 to see Cut Copy. I managed to catch a bit of Knightlife's opening dj set which was very well-mixed and balanced, including tracks that were on the more melodic, French house side of things with a tasteful amount of more gritty/synthy electro thrown in.

Matt & Kim @ Terminal 5 - March 21, 2009 (meisemily)

Following Knightlife, Matt & Kim went on. I had seen them open for Professor Murder at Bowery a few years ago and really didn't like them. This time around, despite still not really being into their music, I found their set to be much more entertaining in terms of something to watch. The pair really didn't let the crowd that was standing idly for the first couple of songs get to them. If anything it made Matt & Kim try even harder to get everyone excited. It inevitably worked after a few more songs and some witty banter. By the end, the crowd was very into it. People were jumping and dancing along to the upbeat synth & drum combos, which ended with the previously indifferent crowd, now embracing and ushering Matt to the safety of the stage after his attempt to literally walk on top of them failed.

The tension built as the crew readied the stage for Cut Copy's set...unfortunately, so did the crowd. Just minutes prior to the beginning of the show I realized the floor was so packed I could not lift my arms and it began to dawn on me how hellish the next hour or so might possibly be.

For the most part, it was. Dancing had gone from being the fun, point of the evening, to a battle for personal space. Cut Copy were in top form, as they have been every time I've seen them prior, but the crowd made it difficult to enjoy their set.

In terms of what they played, it was mainly favorites from their albums In Ghost Colours and Bright Like Neon Love, plus the addition of the track "Sands of Time" (recorded at the same time as In Ghost Colours, but never making it onto the album) which sounded amazing live. Thankfully there were just enough brief moments where I found myself with sufficient space to get down and enjoy the music, making me able to walk away from the show feeling good about it (despite the hellish crowd).

Hopefully the positivity will continue into this week. By the looks of what's headed our way, I'm optimistic:

Continue reading "the week in Dance (part 1) w/ Showtrotta (Cut Copy, Prodigy, Friendly Fires, Ellen Allien, Tortured Soul, more...)"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Micachu - Lips (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Chap - Proper Rock (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Choir of Unbelievers - Next Summer (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Youth Group - "Start Today Tomorrow" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Fumes - "Automobile" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Deastro - Parallelogram (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Deastro - Light Powered (MP3)

Micachu @ Cake Shop (more by Tim Griffin)

Welcome to the SXSW Hangover edition of This Week in Indie. Those who went to Austin might not want to go see live music, but for everyone else it's a boon. Most of these bands have been covered before so I'm just going to go night-by-night of the shows I'd recommend...

Continue reading "Deastro, Obits, White Lies, WAVVES, Ladyhawke, Efterklang, Primal Scream & more in This Week in Indie"

Friendly Fires @ the BV party @ Pianos on Oct 23, 2008 (more by Leia Jospe)

Soft Pack (Muslims) @ the BV party @ Pianos on Oct 23, 2008 (more by Leia Jospe)

White Lies, one of the most hotly tipped new British bands of 2009, confirmed that potential with a No. 1 debut for their first album, "To Lose My Life" (Fiction/Polydor) on the new U.K. album chart. Lady GaGa's "Just Dance" (Interscope/Universal) started a third week atop the singles survey.

White Lies was known as Fear Of Flying until about a year ago. The band has released three singles so far under its current name, of which the most successful, also titled "To Lose My Life," edges 35-34 this week. Its instant album chart success came as the Script's self-titled Phonogenic/Sony BMG debut slipped 1-3, while Kings Of Leon's "Only By the Night" (Hand Me Down/Sony BMG) held at No. 2. [Billboard]

Continue reading "White Lies, Friendly Fires & the Soft Pack - 2009 Tour Dates"

Department of Eagles @ the Bell House (more by Kyle Dean Reinford)

today in NYC
* DANCE
* Mystery Palace @ Pianos
* Les Paul @ Iridium Jazz Club
* Whiplash w/ Todd Barry @ UCB
* Cursive, RIG 1 & The Love Language @ Mercury Lounge
* Department of Eagles and Here We Go Magic @ Bowery Ballroom
* Mascott, Locas in Love, LD & The New Criticism, Kansas State Flower @ Cake Shop
* We Are The Seahorses, Real Life Time Machines, Lady Bright & Schwervon! @ Death By Audio
* Heloise & The Savoir Faire, Lights, Patrick Cleandenim & Golden Triangle @ Glasslands

"It's one of those amazing coincidences that forces one to wonder. Today we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Tomorrow is the inauguration of Barack Obama as the first African-American president of the United States. The Washington Post is full of articles and commentary about both events and how they are intertwined."

Dolly Parton was born today in 1946.

Robert Palmer was born today in 1949. He died of a heart attack on September 26, 2003.

Don't forget that every day a new track of Dark Was the Night is being streamed at their MySpace. Today is "Deep Blue Sea" by Grizzly Bear.

Friendly Fires' new video for "Skeleton Boy" below...

what else?

Continue reading "What's going on Monday? (Martin Luther King Day)"

Last week was so packed with dance events that I managed to hit 3 dancefloors despite not being here Saturday or Sunday. Things started calmly Tuesday night, chatting about music (what else) while the Prodigy's fifth studio album Invaders Must Die (due out March 3rd on Take Me To The Hospital/Cooking Vinyl) played in the background. You can check out the video for the title track here. Believe it or not it's actually one of the calmer tracks on the album, which definitely hearkens back to the heavier sound the Prodigy pioneered, but in an updated way.

I would've stayed put and listened for hours, but instead scurried over to the Annex for Friendly Fires. I arrived in time to see Lemonade (who opened) for the first time. Initially their set didn't appeal to me as it reminded me of a more mellow, island-ey version of Professor Murder (who I like). I enjoyed a few of Lemonade's more upbeat songs and the band's enthusiasm as the performance went on, but overall their sound was a little more chill/laidback than I prefer.

Friendly Fires @ the Annex - December 9, 2008 (more by Kyle Dean Reinford)

I was in a bit of a daze after that, partially due to how hot the super crowded Annex was becoming, plus a longer than normal wait in between bands due to sound problems. As I had hoped, Friendly Fires' instantly energetic performance brought me back to life and had me and everybody in the Annex going accordingly bananas. Lead vocalist Ed McFarlane sang away song after song from the band's excellent, self-titled debut album and still managed to inject some Jagger-ish moves into the performance despite the crowded set-up on the Annex's small stage. Ed's energy was matched by the rest of the band who enthusiastically drummed and strummed away, while added percussive elements really gave the whole show a rich and highly danceable sound. These guys are easily one of the most lively and fun bands I've seen in a while.

More on last week later, here are some options for tonight/Thursday (12/19)...

Continue reading "the Thursday night in Dance w/ Showtrotta (The Prodigy, Friendly Fires, Greenskeepers, Voodoo Funk & more...)"

photos by Kyle Dean Reinford

Friendly Fires and Lemonade shared a bill at The Annex in Manhattan last night (12/9). Kyle liked Lemonade even more than he liked them when they opened for El Guincho. Friendly Fires took the stage around 11 PM and played for around 45 minutes to the overfilled LES venue. There was lots of energy, lots of sweat, frontman Ed Macfarlane in the crowd for a song, and no encore. More pictures below...

Continue reading "Friendly Fires & Lemonade @ The Annex, NYC - pics"

DOWNLOAD: Friendly Foes - Couch Surfing (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Friendly Foes - My Body (Is A Strange Place To Live) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Friendly Foes - Get Yr Shit Together (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Ryan Allen (Thunderbirds are Now!) - Elves on Strike (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Ryan Allen (TAN!) - Jingle Hell (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Scott Allen (TAN!) - Assassination on Christmas Eve (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Scott Allen (TAN!) - Winters Wonderland (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Scott Allen (TAN!) - Christmastime is Here (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Scott & Brad Allen (TAN!) - Silent Night (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Thunderbirds are Now! - Christmas in Hollis (MP3)

Friendly Foes

That's Friendly Foes in the picture above. You might recognize the lead singer. He's none other than Ryan Allen from Thunderbirds are Now!. (do you put a period at the end of a sentence if it ends with a band name that has punctuation in it already?). Grab three MP3's above. Their album "Born Radical" is out in stores via Gangplank Records on January 13th, but is available digitally now.

Catch Friendly Foes live, in NYC, tonight/Tuesday (12/9) at the Bell House or Wednesday at The Studio @ Webster Hall. Do not show up at the Bell House tonight thinking you're going to see the UK band signed to XL Recordings that recently played a bunch of shows during CMJ. Friendly FIRES is playing at the Virgin Store and the Annex tonight. Friendly FOES is at the Bell House. All tour dates below...

Continue reading "Friendly Foes vs. Friendly Fires, tour dates & MP3's "

Friendly Fires @ MHOW (more by Gabi Porter)

Friendly Fires are DJing tonight/Monday at Le Royale in NYC. They'll be playing a free in-store at the Virgin Megastore in Union Square at 7PM tomorrow/Tuesday (12/9) before their show at the Annex with Lemonade.

DOWNLOAD: Red Foxx - Live atLovelife, Providence 5/9/08 (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Joee Irwin - Decks, Box & MBP (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: LA Riots - Remixes, Volume 1 (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: LA Riots - live at I Love Techno, 11/15/08 (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: BM LINX - 123CAT (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Twelves - When You Talk (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Friendly Fires - Paris(Aeroplane Remix) (MP3)

After spending 3 relaxing, but tame nights in suburbia over Thanksgiving I was more than ready to hit the floor this past Saturday night. I arrived to a pretty full Studio B (especially considering it was only 11:30), that was already getting down to the beginning of 2020Soundsystem's set. The live electronic band from Leeds started off with some mellower, techno sounds which seemed to progress as their set went on, becoming richer and more upbeat with each successive track.

As I was getting more and more into their set, two thoughts kept coming to mind: 1. I really wish the drummer would get going on those drums. It was puzzling to see a live electronic band using programmed drum beats while their drummer sat calmly, quietly adding subtle taps on the drums and cymbals. and 2. I really wish they had somebody singing.

After a while I spotted Dominique Keegan in the crowd which reminded me that he had done some vocals for 2020. A few minutes later Ralph Lawson (dj,beats, etc.) called Dom onstage, where he lent his vocals for the last few songs of their set which included 2020soundsystem's remix of "Won't Bother Me" by the Glass as well as what I assume was "No Order" (one of the tracks they had collaborated on prior) and some others. Dom's vocals and presence coupled with drummer Danny Ward finally pounding on the drums really brought everything together into the live electro-techno dance party I was hoping it could be.

The fun continued from there as JDH & Dave P took the crowd into a great, varied deejay set of some awesome, recent tracks I hadn't heard played out much (if at all). You can download one particularly notable one, Aeroplane's remix of "Paris" by Friendly Fires' (who will be here next week!) at the top of this post.

Before I knew it JDH & Dave P surrendered the booth to excellent Berlin deejay/producer Ewan Pearson. Despite producing & remixing loads of acts over the past ten years, and creating an equally impressive amount of his own tracks, Ewan has flown under my radar save for a handful of remixes. I had very little idea what to expect from his set. From 1:30 until the lights came up at 4, Ewan treated the enthusiastic Studio B crowd to a set that started off on the techno side of things and gradually got deeper and more techy as the night went on. Ewan's set was one continual build-up that ended with him touching on a variety of genres from electro to disco to house while somehow still maintaining the deep, techno feel. I would love to provide a setlist for such a great night of music, but my limited familiarity with Ewan's tracks combined with the amount of new material a friend told me he was playing made that impossible. He played a great, very stripped down version of Tiga's "Mind Dimension" toward the end and that was literally the only track I could identify the entire night - a pleasant change from hearing deejays play the same 15 songs which inevitably make you lose it on enough floors until they eventually bore you.

If you didn't make it out that night or if you did and want to hear more, Ewan was on Beats In Space on Tuesday and the show is available to stream/download. 2020Soundsystem will also be back in the states in March.

Things don't really seem to get going until Friday(12/5) this week, so that's where we're starting:

Continue reading "the week in Dance w/ Showtrotta (2020Soundsystem, Ewan Pearson, the Rub, the Martinez Brothers, more...)"

DOWNLOAD: Friendly Fires - Paris(Aeroplane Remix) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Minotaur Shock - This Plane Is Going To Fall (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Future of the Left - The Hope that House Built (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Magistrates - Make this Work (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Department of Eagles - No One Does it Like You (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Friendly Fires - Jump in the Pool (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Anni Rossi - Wheelpusher (MP3)

today in NYC
* DANCE
* Tina Turner @ MSG
* Puma party @ MHOW
* Les Paul @ Iridium
* Jim Jones @ Mercury Lounge
* Snow Patrol @ Bowery Ballroom
* Thurston Moore introduces David Bowie videos @ MoMA
* Sara Schaefer & Conrad Doucette music trivia @ The Bell House

Tickets are on sale for the upcoming Pogues shows.

Tickets are on sale at noon for the show The Rosebuds are playing at Bowery Ballroom.

Tickets are still on sale for the benefit David Cross is playing at Knitting Factory.

The Muslims are now called The Soft Pack.

Axl Rose vs. Dr. Pepper

Keren Ann is one of many artists performing R.E.M. songs at Carnegie Hall in March.

The Jesus Lizard is back.

Pylon is playing Knitting Factory this month.

Today is World Aids Day.

Friendly Fires play The Annex this month. I just found out Lemonade are opening for them. Lemonade opens for El Guincho at Le Poisson Rouge tomorrow.

All the songs on the top of this post come from the Beggars Group family of labels. Matador is a Beggars label. Jay Reatard is on Matador. His new video for "See/Saw" is below...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Monday? (December 1st)"

photos by Leia Jospe

Thursday during CMJ (10/23) I headed over to the BrooklynVegan CMJ day party at Pianos to see Friendly Fires for a third time after seeing them at Bowery on Tuesday and popping round the corner to the Annex after Wednesday's show at Mercury. Friendly Fires were consistently awesome each time, but I think they played some different songs at Pianos making that set even more enjoyable. After they finished I hung out for a while and was able to catch Sebastien Grainger and the Mountains, who I thought were very good, despite not being an electronic/dance act. They basically rocked in a very straightforward and loud way (like lots of less than amazing bands do) but Sebastien Grainger and the Mountains were actually talented musicians, so it was good. - Showtrotta

Continue reading "Friendly Fires - Dec shows (NYC/LA) & Pianos pics (BV CMJ) "

Love it or hate it, licensing songs seems to be the new reality for "indie" bands (or any bands) looking to make money and gain exposure. As an avid music fan and Senior Director of Advertising & Video Games at Primary Wave Music Publishing, Ryan Barkan makes sure to stay on top of news related to artists getting their songs in ads, on TV, in movies, in video games and just about anywhere else a band would get paid to put a song. As someone who never pays attention to any of that, I thought the site could use a weekly column to identify who sold out this week help fill in what I'm missing (think M.I.A. in the Pineapple Express commercial, Nick & Norah, Santogold shilling Bud Light, Chairlift & CSS for Apple, etc..). For that...please welcome Ryan (who also goes by the blog and photographer name "Fresh Bread")....

---

by Ryan Barkan

Microsoft's Halo 3 video game commercial was so amazing that it won the Grand Prix (i.e. best of show) at this past year's Cannes Advertising Awards, in June, in the "Film" ad category. The spot, titled "Believe", was created by San Francisco advertising agency T.A.G. and featured the dramatically delicate "Raindrop Prelude No 15" by Chopin against a violent and disturbing war scene.

Another huge 2008 release for Microsoft is the upcoming sequel to the game Gears of War, creatively called....wait for it...Gears Of War 2 (available November 7th exclusively on Xbox360). What works once should work again right? T.A.G. thought so and took the same approach with the music as they did with the "Believe" spot, juxtaposing the hard war visuals against a beautiful song, but this time with a more contemporary artist, Devotchka. The beautiful song they used by the Colorado band is called "How It Ends" and the trailer will debut on network television this Sunday, November 2, during NFL Sunday Night Football. You can also watch it right now. The video for that, and of the full version of "Believe", are below.

----------

Other Notable Licensing News:

The Walmart-exclusive AC/DC edition of Rock Band is out November 2nd and now MTV/Harmonix have announced a Beatles video game that will be based on the "Rock Band" engine, but not branded "Rock Band". "The Best Of The Who" edition of Rock Band was released in July as DLC (downloadable content).

Hypebeast has the info on a new line of Miles Davis-inspired T-shirts by urban boutique and shoe company, Supreme.

Flaming Lips, the B-52's, BB King and others were commissioned by NBC to create their own interpretation of the network's classic "Chime In"...

You may not know that the notes to NBC's famous chimes are G, E, and C, but chances are you'd recognize the Peacock jingle in an instant. With that in mind, executives at the network decided to have some fun with their famous chimes and launched a national campaign calling for a 21st century reinvention of the 75-year-old television staple. [Hollywood Insider]

What do Friendly Fires, The Duke Spirit, The Submarines, The Black Keys, Black Kids, The Virgins, and Robyn have in common? They've all had songs featured in an episode of Gossip Girl this month.

What about Lykke Li, Passion Pit and The Kooks? Well, as you may have read earlier, they'll all be appearing in future episodes of Gossip Girl/OC-creator Josh Schwartz's new "music-themed scripted web series" Rockville, CA.

I really dig the new spot for the Google Android Phone. The commercial features a song by The Black Angels called "Black Grease" - not sure if it'll convince me to switch from the iPhone but it's a nice placement nonetheless. Video below...

Continue reading "It's Not Selling Out Anymore -- This Week in Music Licensing"

Photos by Chris La Putt

Lykke Li went from the Tribeca Grand to Bowery Ballroom on Tuesday (10/21) to Music Hall of Williamsburg on Wednesday. At Bowery, her only official CMJ show, she was joined by Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson and Friendly Fires. More pictures from that one below...

Continue reading "Lykke Li, MBAR & Friendly Fires @ Bowery Ballroom - pics"

DOWNLOAD: Pretty & Nice - Tora Tora Tora (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Eagle Seagull - Photograph (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Twi the Humble Feather - higher than the end (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: James Jackson Toth - Nothing Hides (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: James Jackson Toth - Doreen (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Muslims - Beside Myself (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Shad - I Get Down (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Japanese Motors - Spendin Days (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Japanese Motors - Single Fins & Safety Pins (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Peasant - Exposure (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Sharon Van Etten - It's Not Like (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: PWRFL POWER - It's Okay (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: PWRFL POWER - Alma Song (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Sebastien Grainger - American Names (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Wye Oak - Warning (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Phosphorescent - A Picture Of Our Torn Up Praise (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Friendly Fires - Jump in the Pool (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Crystal Antlers - A Thousand Eyes (MP3)

ABOVE: You can download at least one MP3 from every artist playing the BrooklynVegan party at Pianos today (Oct 23, 2008). Which one do you like best?

Phosphorescent's video for "At Death, A Proclamation" below...

Continue reading "OCT23 PIANOS DAY MIXTAPE (17 songs to download)"

Photos by Gabi Porter

Friendly Fires

Believe it or not, best ass of the night belonged to Friendly Fires' clean-cut lead singer Ed Macfarlane, not Lykke Li. [Jessica Suarez]

Continue reading "Friendly Fires & Lykke Li @ MHOW, NYC - pics"

Wye Oak

In the short time Bill has been here, many bands have been featured in his Week In Indie column on BrooklynVegan. At least 19 of those bands are playing shows for, and during, CMJ in NYC this week. Each of those bands is listed below with links back to what Bill said about them...

Continue reading "'Week in Indie" bands playing CMJ this week "

by Showtrotta

DOWNLOAD: The Whip - Trash (South Central remix) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Esau Mwamwaya and Radioclit - The Very Best Mixtape (ZIP)
DOWNLOAD: The Whip - Divebomb (FFS remix) (MP3)

Shout Out Out Out

It's CMJ time again. In a city where there are almost always some good acts passing through it's hard to understand what exactly the big deal is about the CMJ Music Marathon. Then you realize there will be "over 1,000 artists, in more than 65 venues in 5 days" and you have yet to even look at the schedule! Get crackin', run around, and get down! While last year's marathon (which featured Simian Mobile Disco, the Black Ghosts, MSTRKRFT, and Justice to name a few) will be hard to top in terms of dance music, this year's is by no means shabby.

What looks good to me on the official schedule is here (though note that the Little Boots Annex show is actually on Thursday). Explanations & more info is below. Also, be sure to read the official CMJ schedule carefully, as typically late night dj events will often be listed under the following day (ie: a Tuesday night dj set starting at 1am will actually be listed on CMJ's schedule under Wednesday)....

Continue reading "the CMJ week in Dance w/ Showtrotta "

DOWNLOAD: Friendly Fires - Jump in the Pool (MP3)

Friendly Fires

@ Pianos in NYC, Main stage, Thursday, October 23, 2008, FREE

time (PM), band
12:00 Pretty & Nice (Hardly Art)
12:45 Eagle Seagull
01:30 The Muslims
02:15 Japanese Motors
03:00 Friendly Fires
03:45 Crystal Antlers
04:30 Sebastien Grainger

Friendly Fires play their first of two NYC shows with Lykke Li tonight (Oct 20)

Check out a video of Crystal Antlers playing a show at The Yard below...

Continue reading "BV CMJ day party #1 - Pianos main stage lineup & set times"

The new space at Webster Hall is hosting free shows all week long during CMJ 2008. More details below...

Continue reading "free CMJ shows @ The Studio, VICE & Stereogum included"

DOWNLOAD: Sebastien Grainger - American Names (MP3)

CSS @ a BV Pianos during-CMJ show, Nov 1, 2006 (CRED)

BrooklynVegan is returning to Pianos on the Lower East Side of Manhattan this year for another free 2-floor day show during CMJ. The date is Thursday October 23rd. The times are noon to 5:30 PM. The initial lineup is Peasant (an encore BV Pianos performance), Pwrfl POWER, Merge Records' Wye Oak, the one and only Phosphorescent, The Muslims, Crystal Antlers, Friendly Fires, and as someone figured out, Sebastien Grainger (check out our interview with the ex-DFA1979er) (his official showcase is at Mercury Lounge). As always, this party is 100% free. Full lineup and schedule TBA very soon!

Not free: the Tuesday night BV showcase at Music Hall of Williamsburg.

Also free: another BrooklynVegan day party. Announcement coming soon!

Check out Wye Oak's official video for "Please Concrete" below...

Continue reading "BV's during-CMJ 2008 day party #1 - Thursday, October 23rd"

Andrew Bird rocking for Barack (more by Kyle Dean Reinford)

today in NYC
* Prince
* DANCE
* Frank Sidebottom!
* MSTRKRFT @ Webster Hall
* Brazilian Girls @ Terminal 5
* Beck, MGMT @ United Palace Theatre
* Of Montreal, Love is All @ Roseland Ballroom
* Dead Confederate, Kuroma @ Union Hall
* Project X with Kool Keith @ BB King's
* Yellow Fever, Daniel Francis Doyle & TV Ghost @ Silent Barn
* Matt Hales (of Aqualung), KaiserCartel @ Union Hall
* Citay, Christy & Emily, Land of Tomorrow @ Cake Shop
* Man Man, Titus Andronicus, Charlyne Li @ Webster Hall
* The Albertans, Sigmund Droid, Takka Takka @ Glasslands
* The National, Grizzly Bear & Stella @ Hammerstein Ballroom
* Against Me!, Future of the Left & Ted Leo @ Starland Ballroom
* Brad Mehldau, Chris Thile @ (le) possion rouge (A concert for Obama)
* The New Year, Dirty on Purpose, The Orsi @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
* The Heartless Bastards, Langhorne Slim, Those Darlins @ Bowery Ballroom

David Lee Roth was born today in 1954 in Bloomington, Indiana, home of Dead Oceans records.

Dead Oceans Records recording artist Citay are at Cake Shop tonight.

Lafayette, Indiana band TV Ghost are on the same Todd P bill as Yellow Fever.

Those 10 free shows at Joe's Pub happen this weekend.

Did you get Diesel tickets today?

Don't forget to RSVP for the Crystal Stilts show Saturday.

Did you know Mike Patton made a song with Serj Tankanian?

Grizzly Bear play with the National at the NY Magazine party tonight. Most of the National was in the audience when Grizzly Bear side project Department of Eagles played their first show at the Bell House the other day.

Friendly Fires made a video for "Paris". Watch it below...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Friday?"

Continue reading "Bon Iver & Lykke Li...together, in a video "