Tegan & Sara @ Terminal 5 in 2008 (more by Kurt Christensen)

tonight in NYC
* Tegan & Sara @ Town Hall
* Misfits @ Starland Ballroom
* Cypress Hill @ Nokia Theatre
* Pinback, Obits @ Irving Plaza
* Living Colour @ Highline Ballroom
* Tiny Tim Tribute show @ Joe's Pub
* Rock & Roll Hall of Fame concert @ MSG
* Yeasayer, Tanlines @ Guggenheim Museum
* The Long Count @ BAM Gilman Opera House
* The Toasters @ Knitting Factory Brooklyn
* DJ Green Lantern, NinjaSonik @ Brooklyn Bowl
* Gary Lucas's Gods and Monsters @ The Living Room
* King Khan & BBQ Show, Dum Dum Girls @ Bowery Ballroom
* Archipelago w/ Roomful of Teeth, Due East @ Galapagos
* Future Of The Left, Freshkills @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
* Uninhabitable Mansions, Bob Parins, Revival Times @ Union Pool
* Darlings, Shark?, I'm Turning Into, The Sundelles @ Market Hotel
* Dethklok, Mastodon, Converge, High on Fire @ Hammerstein Ballroom
* The Get Up Kids, Kevin Devine, The Life and Times @ Gramercy Theatre
* Lightning Bolt, Black Dice, Mick Barr, & TV Ghost @ Above the Auto Parts Store
* Simian Mobile Disco, Phenomenal Handclap Band, JDH & Dave P @ Webster Hall
* 'Night of The Wickerman' w/ Wooden Shjips, Effi Briest, Silver Summit @ 92YTribeca
* Pissed Jeans, Awesome Color, Drunkdriver, My Mind, Sleepies, Ex-Wife @ (Le) Poisson Rouge

The Get Up Kids are on a huge tour - they play three NYC shows with Kevin Devine and The Life and Times, starting tonight at Gramercy Theatre.

Pissed Jeans, Awesome Color, Drunkdriver, My Mind, Sleepies and Ex-Wife do NYU Halloween Horror Fest at (Le) Poisson Rouge.

Yeasayer and Tanlines play 'It Came From Brooklyn' at Guggenheim Museum. Mr Max Silvestri will be telling jokes.

King Khan & BBQ Show and Dum Dum Girls play Bowery Ballroom before moving on to a show at the Bell House on Halloween.

Webster Hall hosts Simian Mobile Disco, The Phenomenal Handclap Band and Fixed's JDH & Dave P.

Uninhabitable Mansions (mem. of Clap Your Hands and Say Yeah)
play Union Pool with Bob Parins and Revival Times.

The Long Count - featuring Bryce and Aaron Dessner from the National, Kim and Kelley Deal and more - is at BAM Gilman Opera House.

Speaking of twins, Tegan & Sara are playing two nights at Town Hall.

Pinback are in the midst of touring - Obits open three dates including tonight at Irving Plaza.

The monthly Archipelago series happens at Galapagos vocal ensemble Roomful of Teeth and flute-and-percussion duo Due East.

A new Future of the Left (at Music Hall of Williamsburg) video for "Arming Eritrea" below...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Friday? (Mischief Night)"

DOWNLOAD: Future of the Left - Arming Eritrea (MP3)

Future of the Left in Halloween costumes

Freshkills and Dinowalrus open for Future of the Left at Music Hall of Williamsburg tonight (10/30). Tickets are still available to the show, and I have one pair to giveaway. Details on how to win them with all FotL tour dates, and a video they recorded for Fuel, below...

Continue reading "Future of the Left - updated tour dates (Brooklyn tonight)"

Future of the Left @ Siren Fest (more by Chris La Putt)

"The only bad part about the [Future of the Left] set [in San Francisco] was how quickly it was over; each opening act played for roughly 40 minutes and it seemed like that FOTL played for maybe five or ten more. There was easily enough time for another song or two (I would have liked to hear "The Lord Hates a Coward" or "I Am Civil Service"), but the last song ended in the bassist jumping off the stage, giving his bass to someone in the crowd, and doing push-ups while feedback kept coming through the guitar amp, the drum set was taken apart on stage while still being played and the whole thing was a myriad of confusion and awesomeness." [PunkNews]

The band's last NYC show was at Siren Fest on July 18th, where they shared a bill with Japandroids. Japandroids are coming back soon too - they play September 24th at the Mercury Lounge with Mt. St. Helen's Vietnam Band. Tickets are still available.

And for CMJ, which is quickly coming up, Japandroids will play an October 22nd Death+Taxes Party at Glasslands, and a Polyvinyl Records CMJ show on October 23rd at the Bell House (and more dates TBA). Joining them at the latter will be Headlights, the currently-on-tour Cale Parks and James Husband. Tickets are on sale now.

FotL will be touring the US and Canada this October with Trail of Dead (who didn't get to play their Pool Party show due to lightning, but did get to play a set at All Points Wet). Trail of Dead's next NYC shows are September 18th and 19th at Webster Hall and Music Hall of Williamsburg with Secret Machines.

All tour dates below...

Continue reading "Future of the Left touring in October, Japandroids too - Polyvinyl @ CMJ, Trail of Dead & other 2009 tour dates"

photos by Chris La Putt

Thee Oh Sees

"Largely unfamiliar with the bands on the roster, my husband and I went to Coney Island on Saturday to see Built to Spill headlining on the main stage of the annual Siren Music Festival. Normally, I love free shows. I like the freedom to walk away from a disappointing or uninteresting performance-as we did from Monotonix-without feeling guilty. And ticketless shows tend to draw all types, which appeals to the voyeur in me. Neither of us had been to Coney Island before, so it was mildly amusing to see the confluence of century old kitsch and aggressive marketing tactics by softdrink companies. (We tried a sample of something called Vio, "the world's first vibrancy drink," and it tasted vaguely like flourescent lighting and perfume.)

Anticipating the rush toward the stage as Built to Spill began, we found a decent spot where we'd be able to hear the band, if not see their faces. It was as close as we could get without my cheeks grazing across sweaty pectorals while trying to squeeze through. This is the point at any show when the fan in me starts to grin and breathe faster, to feel like I'd rather be right here than anywhere else in the world. To our horror, not only were the people around us talking so loud that we could barely hear the music, they weren't even facing the stage. The crowd was mingling as though at a singles mixer, drink in hand, shouting over the din, completely oblivious to the band on stage.

Now, while I've been known to complain about NYC hipsters at opportune times (like when I'm on the downtown L train), I generally think people are too hard on them. They're pretty benign as far as contrived fashion/music subcultures go. But when they prevent me from hearing and seeing a live performance by one of my favorite bands, simply because they can't stop yakking and flirting for a single minute, I feel, well, displeased.

Next show is hopefully Trail of Dead at All Points East. I'm bringing pepper-spray and my slapping hand." [Home on the Fringe]

Chris's Built to Spill pics are HERE, Raveonettes pics HERE, and the rest below...

Continue reading "the 2009 Siren Music Festival in Coney Island - pics (part 1) "

"Future of the Left, though I've seen them 1,000 times, were a REVELATION tonight, and a finer bunch of gents to hang out with? Hard 2 find." - Ted Leo

Future of the Left @ Spike Hill - twitpic by Ted Leo

The above review and picture are by Ted Leo who was at his former tour-mates' secret show Sunday night at Spike Hill in Brooklyn. The show they played together at Webster Hall was FOTL's first NYC show. The show at Spike Hill was their first in Brooklyn, and an unofficial afterparty for the Pool Party at Williamsburg Waterfront. Tonight (7/13) you can catch FOTL in Jersey (Maxwell's), and then there's Siren and other places... Videos below...

Continue reading "(Ted Leo saw) Future of the Left @ Spike Hill --- NJ tonight"

DOWNLOAD: Future of the Left - The Hope That House Built (MP3)

Future of the Left @ Webster Hall (more by Nathan Miller)

Welsh trio Future of the Left (ex-mclusky) are coming to North America for a July tour in support of their latest record, Travels With Myself And Another, which is out now on 4AD. The first single from that is above.

That tour starts with a secret show (shhh) at Brooklyn's Spike Hill on Sunday, July 12th. The 8pm gig will act as an unofficial after-party to the Mission of Burma/Fucked Up/Ponytail show at Williamsburg Waterfront earlier in the day. I think the Spike Hill show will also be FOTL's first first headlining NYC show, and their first-ever Brooklyn show.

Their tour also makes NYC-area stops at Maxwell's on Monday, July 13th (with Me You Us Them) and Siren Fest on July 18th. Tickets to Maxwell's are still on sale.

Future of the Left's Andrew Falkous recently had a nice, long rant about why people should leave him alone about working with producer Steve Albini, who recorded a bunch of Falkous' Mclusky records. Faklous said...

..."I'm usually polite about it for the most part but it is very difficult to summon up the effort to answer the question for the seventh time in a day. You end up saying 'I just told that guy over there, see the guy in the orange, fucking ask him what it's like to work with Steve Albini, because I've already used up all the variant ways I can think of of expressing it."...

Continue reading "Future of the Left - 2009 tour dates (SECRET SHOW @ Spike Hill + Maxwells + Siren Fest + more)"

The Village Voice is excited to announce the addition of A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS, THEE OH SEES, TINY MASTERS OF TODAY, JUSTINE D. and DeadHeat DJs to the line-up for the 9th Annual Village Voice SIREN MUSIC FESTIVAL™ at Coney Island on Saturday, July 18, 2009 from 12:00 noon - 9:00 p.m.

These artists join scheduled performers BUILT TO SPILL, SPANK ROCK, THE RAVEONETTES, FRIGHTENED RABBIT, GRAND DUCHY, MONOTONIX, FUTURE OF THE LEFT, JAPANDROIDS, MICACHU & THE SHAPES and BEAR HANDS at the free, all day, all ages music festival on two outdoor stages in historic Coney Island.

The 2nd Annual Official SIREN AFTER PARTY returns to Music Hall of Williamsburg on Saturday, July 18 at 9:00pm. FRANCIS AND THE LIGHTS and GORDON VOIDWELL are scheduled to perform with more to be announced.

Thee Oh Sees are also playing the Woodsist Fest on July 4th.

APTBS play Santos Party House with the Secret Machines this Friday night (6/19).

The following Siren bands also have shows scheduled at Maxwell's: Future of the Left, Built to Spill, Grand Duchy, and Frightened Rabbit.

DOWNLOAD: Future of the Left - The Hope That House Built (MP3)

Future of the Left @ Webster Hall in October (more by Nathan Miller)

Future of the Left is one of the bands that was recently added to the lineup of Siren Festival, which takes place Saturday, July 18th in Coney Island.

And like Built to Spill, Frightened Rabbit and Grand Duchy, Future of the Left have paired their Siren Fest spot with a show at NJ venue Maxwell's. Future of the Left will play the club on Monday, July 13th. Tickets are on sale.

The band's new album, Travels With Myself And Another, comes out June 22nd on 4AD. Pre-orders through the Future of the Left site come with a link to download the album now. The record's first single "The Hope That House Built" is posted above, and the video for the same song, and all tour dates are below...

Continue reading "Future of the Left - new album, MP3, video & Maxwell's show "

Future of the Left @ Webster Hall in October (more by Natah Miller)

The Village Voice, the nation's largest alternative weekly newspaper, is excited to announce the addition of SPANK ROCK, FUTURE OF THE LEFT, JAPANDROIDS and BEAR HANDS to the line-up for the 9th Annual Village Voice SIREN MUSIC FESTIVAL™ at Coney Island on Saturday, July 18, 2009 from 12:00 noon - 9:00 p.m. These artists join scheduled performers BUILT TO SPILL, THE RAVEONETTES, FRIGHTENED RABBIT, GRAND DUCHY, MONOTONIX and MICACHU & THE SHAPES, with more to be announced soon.

This free, all day, all ages music festival will feature international, national and local bands and DJs performing on two outdoor stages in historic Coney Island. Now in its 9th year, the SIREN MUSIC FESTIVAL™ has solidified its status as a leading New York City outdoor music festival, drawing over 100,000 music fans by showcasing indie rock veterans and emerging artists.

Siren will be Japandroids' 3rd NYC show in July, and they play the Pitchfork Festival in Chicago the same weekend. All dates HERE.

Spank Rock performed with Ninkjasonik at at pool party happening during Coachella this year. Video below...

Continue reading "Coney Island Siren Festival adds bands to 2009 lineup "

The 2009 Capitol Hill Block Party takes over Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood July 24-25. The Block Party is an annual music festival that draws upon and showcases the best indie and underground rock in the US, with a special focus on its Northwest artists. Launched 12 years ago, the Block Party has evolved into Seattle's most anticipated outdoor party. With over 40 bands on 3 stages, great food, and plenty of cheap beer, this is by far the best party of the summer.

Continue reading "Capitol Hill Block Party in Seattle - initial 2009 lineup"

Trail of Dead @ ATP NY 2008 (more by Zach Dilgard)

today in NYC & NJ
* DANCE
* Earthless & Witch @ Asbury Lanes
* Tanlines & Hex Message @ Zebulon
* David Byrne @ Radio City Music Hall
* Juana Molina & Lukas Ligeti @ (le) poisson rouge
* The Pains of Being Pure at Heart & Trail of Dead @ MHOW
* Pterodactyl, Sonoi, DM Stith & Deleted Scenes @ Cake Shop
* Van Morrison (performing "Astral Weeks") @ Theater @ MSG
* Uninhabitable Mansions, Spacecamp & Vessels @ Union Hall
* White Magic, Highlife, Eric Copeland (of Black Dice) @ 92YTribeca
* Blitzen Trapper, Plants and Animals, Alela Diane @ Bowery Ballroom
* Soft Black, Werewolves, Adam Green (DJ Set) & Endless Grift @ Death By Audio
* The Swirlies, Takka Takka, Gregory & The Hawk & Autodrone @ Mercury Lounge
* MV & EE, Marissa Nadler & Mountainhood @ Lutheran Church of the Messiah

"So now we know: What cemented the relationship between Barack and Michelle Obama in their early days of romance was a shared passion for the music of Stevie Wonder."

Kanye West vs. Radiohead.

Lily Allen calls New York Times 'Cheap Skanks'.

Future of the Left's new video for 'The Hope That House Built' below...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Friday?"

Photos by Nathan Miller

Against Me!, Ted Leo & The Pharmacists and Future of the Left are on tour together. Saturday night (October 11th) that tour hit Webster Hall in NYC (one night after Starland Ballroom in NJ). We already posted the pics from Future of Left's set. The rest of the NYC pics are below...

Continue reading "Ted Leo & Against Me! @ Webster Hall, NYC - pics"

Photos by Nathan Miller

DOWNLOAD: Future of the Left - The Hope That House Built (MP3)

First up was Future of the Left a Welsh trio featuring two members of the late, great Mclusky.

The main differences between the two bands are: 1) In FotL, there are a couple of songs in which Andy Falkous plays a keyboard instead of guitar; 2) Falkous and the bassist haven't grown to hate each other. Other than that, it's pretty much the same, and that is a very, very good thing. [Washington Post]

Continue reading "Future of the Left @ Webster Hall, NYC - pics"

By Andrew Frisicano

Heads up on the Against Me/ Ted Leo/ Future of the Left shows this weekend, Friday at Starland Ballroom and Saturday at Webster Hall. As of Thursday afternoon, tickets for both Friday and Saturday are still available.

Against Me's Tom Gabel will also be performing a free acoustic in-store at Generation Records (210 Thompson St between Bleecker and W 3rd Sts) on Saturday at 4PM for those lucky enough to get on the now-full list. If you didn't, luckily Generation Records was kind enough to reserve 5 spots for BV readers. Email BVCONTESTS@HOTMAIL.COM (subject: Against Me) if you want in. Include your first and last name. Winners will be contacted.

BTW, Trail of Dead will be playing an in-store at Generation Records soon too.

Tom Gabel is also playing a solo show at the Knitting Factory in NYC on November 20th (Tix) in support of his first "solo" record, Heart Burns EP, out October 28th on Sire Records. The show is also the last date of an almost-month long solo tour. All dates are listed below. Those hoping for a return to old-style acoustic AM! can check out the posted tracks, recorded by New Wave producer Butch Vig, on Gabel's MySpace. We've also got a video below.

Ted Leo R/X recently released a "hastily written and recorded" four-song EP, Rapid Response to benefit Democracy Now! and Minneapolis Food Not Bombs. It's available digitally, for $4, at Touch and Go.

Check out the BV archives for more on Future of the Left. All Tom Gabel dates below...

Continue reading "Tom Gabel playing solo in a store (win a spot), on album & on tour ++ Against Me!, Ted Leo & FOTL are here"

DOWNLOAD: Future of the Left - The Hope That House Built (MP3)

Tickets are still on sale for the previously-mentioned Against Me! / Ted Leo / Future of the Left show at Webster Hall on October 11th. Updated tour dates below...

Continue reading "Future Of the Left - updated 2008 Tour Dates, new MP3"

by Black Bubblegum

DOWNLOAD: Future of the Left - adeadenemyalwayssmellsgood (MP3)

Future Of The Left have announced a NYC show at Webster Hall on Oct 11th with headliner Against Me! and Ted Leo & The Pharmacists (who headlined Webster Hall on his own and who recently played Castle Clinton on his own too). Tickets go on sale Friday 8/8 at noon here. Tickets go on sale the day after that for the same lineup at Starland Ballroom one day earlier. The rest of the current Future Of The Left and the Against Me! tour schedule so far is down below. Nothing official, but look for FOTL to add a few more dates on this tour (here's hoping for a headline date in NYC soon too)

Future of the Left dropped the Manchasm 7" on the now defunct Too Pure in April. "Manchasm" can also be found on Curses which dropped in the tail end of 2007.

Ted Leo is also playing at MoMA on Tuesday August 12th.

Future Of The Left is also scheduled to play the Reading & Leeds festivals this month. A video and all tour dates below...

Continue reading "FUTURE OF THE LEFT, Against Me!, Ted Leo, 2008 tour dates"

DOWNLOAD: Future of the Left - adeadenemyalwayssmellsgood (MP3)

I totally forgot about the new Future of the Left album "Curses" until I just looked through this week's list of new releases. I had the advance version in regular rotation months ago - so much so, that I was trying really hard to get them to come over from the UK to play CMJ, but it didn't happen (specifically because their album wasn't coming out here until now I think) (It came out in September in the UK). then I accidentaly forgot about it. Future of the Left...

consists of singer/guitarist Andy "Falco" Falkous and drummer Jack Egglestone, both previously of Cardiff band mclusky, alongside singer/bassist Kelson Mathias, formerly of the Ammanford-based group Jarcrew.....[Wikipedia]

Continue reading "Future of the Left - "Curses", MP3, videos"

Radiohead releases a box set this week (titled simply Radiohead). The box includes the seven EMI releases from the band (in Digipak sleeves with original artwork and booklets), including:

Pablo Honey (1993)
The Bends (1995)
OK Computer (1997)
Kid A (2000)
Amesiac (2001)
I Might Be Wrong (Live/2001)
Hail To The Thief (2003)

The incredibly short list of interesting music releases will probably inspire me to dig through bargain bins this week. Are you picking up any new releases? Have I left any noteworthy albums off the list?

Continue reading "Largehearted Boy's Interesting CD Releases This Week"