DOWNLOAD: Most Serene Republic - Heavens to Purgatory (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Grand Archives - Silver Among the Gold (MP3)

The Most Serene Republic are going on tour this fall in support of their newest record, ...And The Ever Expanding Universe, which is out now on Arts & Crafts. Check out a track from it, above. Those tour dates, which kick off in September, include NYC shows at (Le) Poisson Rouge on October 8th and Southpaw the next night.

The band will be joined at both shows by Seattle's Grand Archives, who join them for the bulk of the tour. That band's new record, Keep In Mind Frankenstein, is due September 15th on Sub Pop. The label writes, "[the disc] opens with the bittersweet elegy 'Topsy's Revenge,' inspired by the infamous 1903 newsreel footage of Thomas Edison electrocuting a rogue Coney Island elephant" (that's timely). Check out a track from the record above; album art and track list are below.

Tickets are on sale for Le Poisson Rouge and Southpaw.

Most Serene are also on the new Arts & Crafts sampler.

In June, Most Serene Republic previewed tracks from their new album at a set of NYC shows, as well as a stop at Toronto's NXNE. Check out two new album songs and the busy stage at that gig (being on Arts & Crafts requires the band to have at least half a dozen members) with all tour dates, below...

Continue reading "Grand Archives & Most Serene Republic - tour dates, albums"

photos by Chris La Putt

Violens

Grand Archives

Grand Archives and Violens played the free show at South Street Seaport in NYC on Friday night (Aug 22, 2008). This coming Friday = Oneida, Endless Boogie & a special guest. Then on Saturday September 6th is the East Village Radio Fest w/ Boris. Then comes fall. More pictures from Friday night below...

Continue reading "Grand Archives & Violens @ South Street Seaport, NY - pics"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Patrick Bower - See Ya When We See Ya (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Amazing Baby - Head Dress (MP3)

a version of Amazing Baby

Wednesday (8/20) has so many good NYC show options it's criminal. Top of the list for me is probably Seattle's BOAT at Union Hall, who (as listed in last week's post) played a great show on Sunday at Cake Shop, one of the most fun shows I've been to all year. Add locals My Teenage Stride to the Union Hall bill and I would say it's a can't miss, but... there's also The Muslims at Union Pool; Vivian Girls/BFF at Death by Audio; and week two of Passion Pit's residency at Pianos (to which there are still tickets, so much for my own McGee-esque overblown hyperbole).

If you do go to Pianos, might I suggest you sneak upstairs beforehand to catch Patrick Bower. He fronts one of my favorite local bands, World Without Magic, but has also just completed a solo album, Beach Closed, which will be out in September. His solo band (at least at this show) will feature members of The End of the World, The Art of Shooting and Daylight's for the Birds. You can hear a couple tracks from Beach Closed on Patrick's MySpace and you can download an MP3 above, and watch a video for the song further down this post.

Grand Archives

This Friday's Seaport Music Festival show should be a good one -- Grand Archives and Violens. Grand Archives' debut has been a real grower for me, one that I find myself listening to a lot. The CSNY vibe to the music really works, they put on a pretty good live show too and make room for choice covers. I like them more than their Sub Pop labelmates Fleet Foxes, but that's just me. And I'm anxious to catch Violens again, not having seen them play since May. I've worn out their three-song EP, though "Trance-Like Turn" (from a Green Owl Records compilation, video below) is their best song yet.

For those Brooklyn Vegan readers in the UK, Violens are opening for MGMT in November. Also playing those MGMT shows will be Amazing Baby, who remain my favorite new NYC band of 2008. That would be a hard tour to pass up if I lived over there, even though I'd say the headliner is the weakest live band of the three.

Amazing Baby also play this Friday (Aug 22) at Market Hotel where there is apparently open bar (Colt 45) all night long. I've seen them four times now -- each time a slightly different line-up but always good. Speaking of good and free, you should download Amazing Baby's Infinite Fucking Cross EP from their website. There's also an even newer song for download on top of this post. It's the same song they perform live in the video below (where you'll also find tour dates and other videos too).....

Continue reading "BOAT, Amazing Baby, Grand Archives, Violens, Patrick Bower & more in 'This Week in Indie'"

Sera Cahoone @ Bowery Ballroom - June 2008 (by Dese'Rae L. Stage)

June 2008: Sera Cahoone & Grand Archives played some shows together.

July 28, 2008: Sera Cahoone plays Knitting Factory in NYC (tonight).

Aug 22, 2008: Grand Archives play the free show at South Street Seaport.

All tour dates below...

Continue reading "Sera Cahoone @ KF ++ Grand Archives playing SS Seaport "

DOWNLOAD: Grand Archives - Torn Blue Foam Couch (MP3)

Sera Cahoone @ Sub Pop SXSW 2008 (more by Ryan Muir)

"How far will this thing go? And what the heck do we call it?

To answer the first question we need to look at the scene's origins. In the beginning, there were two bands.

The first is Carissa's Wierd, a Seattle "sadcore" band whose members included Sera Cahoone, Mat Brooke and Ben Bridwell. (Brooke and Bridwell went on to form Band of Horses, from which sprung Grand Archives). They were true originals, quiet, mournful and eerie; were briefly signed to Sub Pop; and were local favorites from the mid-'90s until their 2003 demise.

The second is Beachwood Sparks, a Los Angeles collective whose music was a clear and proud homage to the Byrds, Neil Young and Buffalo Springfield, the very same godfathers of the Moondoggies, Fleet Foxes and Grand Archives. Beachwood Sparks was also signed to Sub Pop, somewhere around 1999 until the band's dissolution in 2002."
[The new Seattle sound is pretty, pastoral and mellow]

Grand Archives is an American indie rock band, formed in Seattle. The band, originally called Archives, is composed of several noted musicians from that city, led by Mat Brooke, former guitarist and vocalist for Carissa's Wierd and former guitarist for Band of Horses.

The band emerged, under their previous moniker, to little fanfare in March 2007.... [Wikipedia]

Continue reading "Grand Archives & Sera Cahoone (a Sub Pop Seattle mellow double bill) - 2008 Tour Dates (Bowery & Union Hall)"

photos by Chris Graham

Destroyer

Fleet Foxes

M.I.A.

The Sasquatch Music Festival went down in Gorge, Washington this past Memorial Day Weekend. More pictures from day one below....

Continue reading "Sasquatch 2008 - day 1 in pictures (Saturday May 24)"

Sub Pop is now confirming a lot of the rumors and then some.....

Continue reading "Sub Pop Anniversary Festival - SP20 initial lineup announced"

photos by Ryan Muir

DOWNLOAD: Sera Cahoone - Only As The Day Is Long (MP3)

Handsome Furs, SXSW 2008

The Sub Pop showcase was one of the greatest official lineups at SXSW this year (Friday, March 14, 2008).

BOURBON ROCKS STAGE (inside)
Love As Laughter - 8pm
Sera Cahoone - 9pm
Grand Archives - 10pm
Kelley Stoltz - 11pm
Fleet Foxes - 12am
Blitzen Trapper - 1am

BOURBON ROCKS PATIO STAGE (outside)
The Ruby Suns - 8:30pm
Pissed Jeans - 9:30pm
Handsome Furs - 10:30pm
The Helio Sequence - 11:30pm
No Age - 12:30am

The Ruby Suns just played two NYC shows, and they're coming back soon with Foals (also on Sub Pop). All those dates and pictures of them from SXSW are HERE. The rest of the SXSW showcase photos are below....

Continue reading "Handsome Furs, Pissed Jeans & more SubPop (dates & pics)"