Javelin will be back with their second album, Hi Beams, on March 5 via Luaka Bop. Unlike their first album which the band made themselves on the cheap with a computer, Hi Beams was recorded at Machine With Magnets studio in Pawtucket, RI using vintage equipment, real microphones and the like. Was it worth it? Check out "Nnormal" from it below.

You can hear some other new songs, probably, when the band starts playing shows again next month. A proper tour starts around the album's release date, but there's a few East Coast shows before that, including one at Shea Stadium on February 1 with Guardian Alien and Life Size Maps. Advance tickets for that show are available.

All tour dates are listed below, along with the new song stream.

Continue reading "Javelin releasing 'Hi Beams' and 2013 tour (dates, stream)"

by Andrew Sacher

DOWNLOAD: Dan Friel - "Ulysses" (short edit) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Dan Friel - "Valedictorian" (MP3)

Dan Friel - Total Folklore

Dan Friel of the now-defunct Parts & Labor has been continuing to play a ton of solo shows in NYC since that band's demise and, after recently signing with Thrill Jockey (which he released the Valedictorian/Exoskeleton EP on in 2012), he announced that he'll release his first full length for the label, Total Folklore, on February 19. So far, Dan has let loose two tracks from the album, "Ulysses" (short edit) and "Valedictorian," and if you're a fan of buzzsaw distorted synths, you should check these out. You can download them both above or stream them and check out the full tracklist below. That's the album's awesome cover art (designed by Maya Hayuk) above.

Dan will celebrate the album with a release show the day it comes out (2/19) at Knitting Factory with a solid lineup of likeminded experimental musicians Guardian Alien, Yvette, and DJ set from ex-Battles frontman Tyondai Braxton. Tickets for that show are on sale now. It's Dan's only announced date at the moment.

Streams and tracklist below...

Continue reading "Dan Friel readies 'Total Folklore,' playing release show (MP3s)"

Psychic Ills play Knitting Factory tonight (11/9), a sort of warm-up shot before the pair head to the far east for a Chinese tour (!). Tickets are still available for the shindig that will also feature appearances from Guardian Alien and Starring. After a few weeks away from the road following their Chinese tour, look for the band to split to the West coast to play LA, SF and finally the Sacred Bones five year anniversary show in the Mojave desert alongside labelmates Zola Jesus and Cult of Youth among others. (Oh and to celebrate the apocalypse too.) Full tour schedule is below.

While we wait for completion of the new Psychic Ills effort (in the works), the Brooklyn band has a gift for us in the meantime. Head below to catch a new video for "Travelin' Man" from their 2011 release Hazed Dream alongside a list of all dates and the Chinese tour flyer.

Continue reading "Psychic Ills have a new video, playing Knitting Factory tonight and plot Chinese tour (dates)"

photos by Erik Erikson

Lightning Bolt @ 285 Kent

Spazzy destruction duo Lightning Bolt played 285 Kent on Thursday (9/20) the day before blessing ATP I'll Be Your Mirror on Friday (9/21). The show was also one of two NYC dates for Indian Jewelry, who blessed Public Assembly the following night (on 9/21) as part of Et Cetera. Pictures from the 285 Kent show, which featured a drum-off between Greg Fox & Kid Millions, are in this post.

Lightning Bolt's tour in support of their new compilation Oblivian Hunter comes to a close at the Paradise in Boston today (9/23). The record is currently available for order via LOAD Records.

Stream the song "King Candy" from said release and check out more pictures and a great HD video of Lightning Bolt from 285 Kent, below.

Continue reading "Lightning Bolt played 285 Kent with Indian Jewelry before ATP (pics & video)"

Matmos

Yesterday, we mentioned that Thrill Jockey Records will be celebrating their 20th anniversary this year, and in honor of it are hosting a show at Webster Hall on September 15 with Tortoise, Future Islands, Matmos, Liturgy. and D. Charles Speer. That show is actually just one in a series of 20th anniversary shows the label are putting on around the country, including a much smaller one in NYC at Death by Audio on September 14 with White Hills, Guardian Alien, Man Forever (who also plays DbA on Friday, 7/20), Dan Friel, and Rhyton. Tickets for the Death by Audio show and the Webster Hall show are on sale now.

In addition to the shows, the label will also celebrate their anniversary with newly commissioned silk screened posters, like this one and this one, and 2-minute video shorts, like the one by Ashby Lee Collinson that you can watch below. They've also asked a number of comedians, including Fred Armisen, to write two jokes (one clean and one dirty) and Thrill Jockey will be recording reactions to the jokes and pressing them on limited edition vinyl.

In related news, experimental duo Matmos (aka M.C. Schmidt and Drew Daniel), who are playing some of the anniversary shows including the Webster Hall one, have just recently signed to Thrill Jockey, and they'll put out their first release for the label, the Ganzfeld EP, on October 15.

All currently known Thrill Jockey 20th anniversary shows (more TBA) are listed below with lineups...

Continue reading "Thrill Jockey announce more 20th anniversary shows; Matmos releasing the 'Ganzfeld' EP"

Some of you may remember art installation The Maze which took over Death by Audio back in Fall 2009 and at at Chashama's Visual Arts Space in 2009. Well it's back, as the You Are Here Festival has returned for a month-long residency at Secret Project Robot Gallery in Bushwick (389 Melrose St) from July 12 - Aug 4.

Just like in previous years, the festival will include a "gigantic life size maze", and will host a grip of performers on Thursday - Saturday during their stay at the space. Thursday's kickoff event (7/12) features Miho Hatori's New Optimism, ZS, Bachanalia, Ann Liv Young and DJ JG Thirlwell of various Foetus incarnations. Other performers throughout the month include Xeno and Oaklander, Hubble, Mick Barr, Dan Friel, Zs, VAZ, Amen Dunes, Extra Life, Diamond Terrifier and many many more. Full schedule for "You are Here" is below including details on the art exhibitions at the space.

The festival is also readying a limited mixtape, featuring unheard/rare tracks from many of the performers scheduled for the event. Get a copy at the shows and at the You Are Here site, and check out "Hubble Potatoes" by Hubble which appears on said comp below.

In related news, both Diamond Terrifier and Hubble will perform at Zebulon tonight (7/10), joining Excepter and Hagfish & Poet Lounge. The show is part of a month-long residency durated by Diamond Terrifier (Sam Hillmer of Zs) on Tuesdays at the venue. The remainder of shows will feature a Patrick Higgins electro-acoustic set with Sleng Teng, and Tetryl Red on 7/17, ATM, with Psychic Reality, and Chuck Bettis on 7/24, and the final show on 7/31 with Talibam!, Violet Raid, Sun Watchers, and GADDFJXR.

Full details on the fest are below. The group is currently seeking funding for a Berlin edition in September 2012, contribute if you can.

Continue reading "The You Are Here Festival (aka The Maze) is coming to Secret Project Robot"

photos and words by Caroline Harrison

The Psychic Paramount at Cameo, 7/8/2012

The Psychic Paramount kicked off a month-long tour last night at Cameo Gallery in Williamsburg. They were supported by Stabbing Eastward and Guardian Alien.

Guardian Alien took the stage first, playing a 40 minute piece driven by the crescendos and decrescendos of Turner William's shahi baaja, a kind of electric Indian zither. However, singer Alex Drewchin's yogic convulsions distracted from the set's otherwise hypnotic drone.

Stabbing Eastward took full advantage of singer Tunde Adebimpe's voice (of TV on The Radio), layering loops and samples underneath his eerie falsetto. Adebimpe snapped and rapped his knuckles on a stool, uniquely complementing Ryan Sawyer's virtuoso drum performance.

The Psychic Paramount produced a dizzying wall of sound in no time at all, filling space between songs with with knob-twiddling tones. The band thudded along at a relentless pace behind their wall of fog and light. The set was exhausting and, despite the lingering smell of the smoke machines, thoroughly cathartic.

Psychic Paramount will return to Union Pool on August 9th, so anyone who missed last night's show will have a second chance to catch the trio. The band heads to Pitchfork Festival this weekend.

More pictures from Cameo on Sunday are below.

Continue reading "The Psychic Paramount played Cameo with Stabbing Eastward and Guardian Alien (pics, review)"

Dan Deacon at Ecstatic Music Fest (more by David Andrako)

Dan Deacon has released "Lots", the first single from the Baltimore-an's debut LP for Domino Records America, due on August 27/28. In preparation, Deacon has will play a few dates around the states as well as in Europe, including a stop at River Rocks at Pier 84 on July 12th for a FREE show with John Maus and recently added opener Roomrunner. All Dan Deacon dates are listed below. All River Rocks shows are listed HERE.

If you can't wait to get your fix of the noisy-skronk of Roomrunner then head by Cake Shop on June 15th. There the ex-Double Dagger band will team with the also great Dope Body, Zulus, Guardian Alien and Lushes. Full set of Roomrunner dates are listed below along with a stream of their recent EP.

Speaking of John Maus, he's preparing to release A Collection of Rarities and Previously Unreleased Material on July 13th via Ribbon Music. The record features tracks that date back as far as 1999, and you can check out one track "Mental Breakdown" below. Order your copy via the label. the first 500 come in a rare translucent pink.

A listing of all tour dates and some streams are below.

Continue reading "Dan Deacon & John Maus prepping LPs; Roomrunner opening their big free show (and playing other dates too)"

The second-annual Spy Music Festival happens June 29th through July 15th, featuring "46 sets of music at 7 venues in Manhattan and Brooklyn." That's a big expansion from last year when it took place on two nights at Shea Stadium and Zebulon. This year's fest, run by the folks at Northern Spy Records, will happen at Union Pool, the Issue Project Room, The Stone, Vaudeville Park, 285 Kent, Death by Audio and Roulette. Amongst the artists performing are Rhys Chatham, Matthew Shipp, Dustin Wong, Arthur Doyle, Eugene Chadbourne, PG Six, Guardian Alien and Magik Markers.

The full Spy Music Festival schedule -- bands, venues, prices -- is below. There's no all-inclusive festival pass, but tickets to all the shows are available here. And the fest organizers have also made a sampler featuring the artists performing this year and you can stream that below as well.

Continue reading "Magik Markers, Dustin Wong, Eugene Chadbourne, Matthew Shipp and more playing NYC's Spy Music Festival"

Built to Spill at BV SXSW 2012 (more by Ryan Barkan)

The Hopscotch festival in Raleigh, North Carolina will celebrate its third year from Sept. 6-8, 2012 in downtown Raleigh, with 175 bands in 15 venues. The initial lineup, released today, runs the gamut from traditional indie favorites to punk to noise music to hip hop to noisy black metal and all stops in between, featuring performances from Built to Spill, sunn 0))), The Roots, The Jesus & Mary Chain (who played SXSW), Liars (who have a show coming up at Webster Hall), Baroness, Deerhoof, Death Grips (who play NYC soon and have new material on the way), Danny Brown (who was at Coachella and plays Prospect Park soon), Pallbearer (who play an exclusive East Coast Show soon), Screaming Females (who recently played NYC and are on tour now), Thee Oh Sees, The Spits (who just played NYC twice), Tenement, The Mountain Goats (two sets, one of which will be an all metal-covers set!) and so many more.

(and now we know the Jesus & Mary Chain are coming back soon)

Tickets are on sale. The full lineup and flyer (update: and a few more announced J&MC dates) are below...

Continue reading "Hopscotch lineup announced; Jesus & Mary Chain will be in NC in September; John Darnielle to do metal covers set "

Liturgy at Webster Hall in February (more by Amanda Hatfield)

If you've noticed a handful of interesting shows at The Stone happening next week, like the acoustic Vaura show (4/20) or the Amen Dunes and Guardian Alien show (4/17), they're part of Chippy Fest, which goes down at John Zorn's non-profit venue from April 17-22, and was curated by John Zorn's exclusive designer Heung-Heung Chin (aka Chippy)

On April 21, the night after Vaura plays, Toby Driver (who is a member of Vaura and also fronts Kayo Dot/maudlin of the Well) will present the world premiere of his new trio, Ichneumonidae, which includes violinist Timba Harris (of Secret Cheifs 3) and Michelle Morinaga. That same night, Toby also plays as a member of Stern with Chuck Stern, Keith Abrams, and Tim Byrnes.

As mentioned, Kayo Dot, Vaura, and Dysrhythmia share a bill at DBA on 4/28.

Other 'Chippy Fest' shows include Mick Barr (of Krallice), Hunter Hunt-Hendrix (of Liturgy), and Nymph on Wednesday (4/18) and Miho Hatori (with Ahmed Gallab of Yeasayer), Timo Ellis, and Unstoppable Death Machines on Thursday (4/19). The Stone's full calendar is here.

Speaking of Mick Barr, his music and William Brittelle's music will be performed by ACME: American Contemporary Music Ensemble on May 11 at 12 at The Kitchen. ACME players for this concert are Caleb Burhans (violin, banjo, and voice), Clarice Jensen (cello), Eric Lamb (flute), Megan Levin (harp), Caroline Shaw (violin), Nadia Sirota (viola) and Chris Thompson (percussion). Tickets are on sale now.

Speaking of Hunter Hunt-Hendrix, he kicks off a residency at Issue Project Room on Saturday (4/14) with Liturgy bandmate Bernhard Gann. The show is free but "sold out". Other dates in the "3-month residency" have not been announced yet but presumably will be soon.

Meanwhile, Hunter's ex-bandmate Greg Fox's Guardian Alien project (who also plays The Stone next week) plays Death by Audio TONIGHT (4/13) with Black Pus (of Lightning Bolt), Mounds, Buck Gooter, and Alien Whale. Guardian Alein will return to DBA on 5/11 with DJ Dog Dick and 2 Ton Bug.

by BBG

Racebannon video still

"These Midwestern weirdos have a real knack for crafting some of the most out-there noise-core imaginable. Whether it's teaming up with the "God of Noise" Merzbow, for the Merzbannon project, or crafting a rock opera centered on somebody who makes a pact with the devil to become a transsexual rock star, these guys certainly know how to push the limits of extreme music and get under your skin.... [Verbicide]"

The dates are in celebration of the band's Six Sik Sisters, out now and featuring "Thee Desparate" which makes its debut in video form below. Video and tour dates below...

Continue reading "Racebannon announce tour dates & new video (debut)"

photos by Andrew St. Clair

"Shit is about to get pretty real @sheastadiumbk #trippplenippple" - Titus Andronicus

Trippple Nippples played the last of the few NYC shows they scheduled over the past two weeks while visiting from Tokyo, at Shea Stadium in Brooklyn on Wednesday night. They were sporting a very similar look to what they wore on New Year's Eve at 285 Kent. As mentioned, there was also a secret guest who ended up being Anamanaguchi. Bad Credit/No Credit, Hard Nips and Guardian Alien played the show too. More pictures below...

Continue reading "Trippple Nippples, Hard Nips, Guardian Alien & secret guest Anamanaguchi played Shea Stadium (pics)"

Extra Life at Webster Hall in 2010 (more by Sarahana)

Extra Life have a few shows coming including one at Death By Audio on September 25 with Little Women and Vaz and another at Glasslands on October 9 with Pygmy Shrews, Mick Barr (of Krallice), GDFX (aka Greg Fox who just left Liturgy), and DJ Caroline Teagle. Tickets for the Glasslands show are on sale now.

GDFX has other shows coming up including one tonight (9/7) at 285 Kent Ave with The Terror Pigeon Dance Revolt!, Knife City, and Extreme Animals. Greg also plays a record release show for his Guardian Alien project on September 23 at Shea Stadium. Guardian Alien also plays Bruar Falls on October 5 with Alan Watts and Zebulon on October 9, the same night as the GDFX show at Glasslands.

Your last chance to catch Greg playing as a member of Liturgy is on their tour with Boris and Asobi Seksu which hits NYC on October 27 at Irving Plaza. Tickets are still available.

Krallice also has shows coming up including 9/12 at the Bell House Wolves in the Throne Room and Thou. Krallice were supposed to open for the same bill on September 14 at Death By Audio, but they've switched shows. Krallice also play on September 17 at Union Pool with Urfaust, Black Anvil, and Ruin Lust

All dates below...

Continue reading "Extra Life, GDFX, Guardian Alien, Mick Barr & other shows"

by BBG

Greg Fox (center) on stage with White Hills (more by BBG)

Spazzy drummer Greg Fox of Liturgy will leave the Brooklyn "white metal" crew after their October tour with Boris. The departure is amicable. Liturgy tours a lot and Greg wants to shift his focus to other things, like his solo project GDFX (who recently released One Thing, stream it), Guardian Alien (who play a release show on 9/24 at Shea Stadium), and more (stay tuned). Fox told us:

Liturgy was fun and educational, but it's time for me to move forward. As a drummer in New York City, I have the opportunity to learn a lot from many very talented folks, and I'd like to be more open to those opportunities. If it makes sense for bands to last a long time then they do, otherwise you have to move on to the next thing, new experiences, new chapters. I wish Liturgy all the best. I'm excited about the future, about trying new things and making other plants grow, about growing personally, and about eating more pho.

Catch Fox's final NYC show with Liturgy when they play with Boris/Asobi Seksu at Irving Plaza on 10/27. Tickets are still available.

All tour dates and some video is below.

Continue reading "Greg Fox leaves Liturgy (he tells us why)"

by BBG

Greg Fox behind the kit with White Hills (more by BBG)

As discussed, Greg Fox of Liturgy is GDFX, and as just mentioned, his new LP One Thing is out NOW via Impose on blue vinyl. While the LP is definitely heavy on Fox's weapon of choice (drums) at times, it isn't in many of the ways you would expect. The new LP touches on stuttering samples, glitch, uber compressed snares, 8-bit and even some drone over the course of its 40 minutes, all of which you can exclusively stream below.

If you missed GDFX at Shea Stadium last night (8/25), well, he plays two more shows tonight (8/26). One of them is back at Shea Stadium with Woodsman (their second of two NYC shows this week). The other is with Amen Dunes at Saint Vitus.

If you miss the St Vitus show, Amen Dunes will also play a show at the soon-to-be-closed Live With Animals in Brooklyn on 9/24 with with K-Holes, CAVE, and PC Worship.

Before then PC Worship will do some touring with Greg's band Liturgy in September. That's before Liturgy play a string of dates with Boris that brings Liturgy to Irving Plaza on October 27.

Greg also plays in/as Guardian Alien. A record release show for that project happens at at Shea Stadium on 9/23.

Greg has filled in on drums for White Hills, and that band (sans Greg) will play a free show as part of the Rock Yard series.

Album stream & all tour dates for GDFX, Liturgy and PC Worship are below.

Continue reading "GDFX (aka Greg Fox of Liturgy) -- 'One Thing' full album stream & upcoming dates (TWO shows tonight)"

DOWNLOAD: Future Islands - Tin Man (MP3)

Future Islands at a BBQ show in 2009 (more by Sarahana)

You can almost count on one hand the shows happening this July 4th. She & Him, The Old 97s and Rosanne Cash all play free shows, while the Feelies hold fort a Maxwell's in Jersey. Add to those Shea Stadium's all-day BBQ show, that'll also be celebrating the one-year anniversary of its 20 Meadow Street location. The bands & genres range from black metal (via Liturgy) to 'minimalist funk' (courtesy of CSC Funk Band ) to sludge rock of La Otracina to synthy post-punk Future Islands (grab one of their songs above).

A flyer, more details and videos are below...

Continue reading "Brooklyn's Shea Stadium hosting all-day July 4th BBQ (lineup)"