Still from Heliotropes' "The Dove" video

Heliotropes are busy putting the finishing touches on their debut album which will be released by Manimal Vinyl sometime this spring. In the meantime they've released the video for the album's single, "The Dove," and you can watch that in all its windblown black-and-white glory below.

Meanwhile, you can catch Heliotropes live in NYC at the previously mentioned show on Thursday (1/10) at Shea Stadium as part of a line-up that includes Hard Nips, Desert Sharks and Hippy. More info on that show is here. The show is the start of a weekend tour for Hard Nips and those tour dates are listed below, along with the Heliotropes video.

Continue reading "Heliotropes made a new video, playing NYC this week with Hard Nips (who are touring) (stream, dates)"

"If my resolution for 2013 had been to eat shrooms, rage in a mosh pit and lose my voice at a @titus_ndronicus show, I'd be done already." - @THEmikewhite

"So many scratches on my body that I look like I was attacked by a werewolf, so I guess last nights concert was fuckin dope @titus_ndronicus" - Dimitri Belkin

"almost 24 hours later and my neck is insanely sore from the @titus_ndronicus #NYE pit. one of the most fun nights of my life" - Travis Yablon

Titus Andronicus at Glasslands on NYE (via Alex Vasquez)

Titus Andronicus rang in the new year in Brooklyn at Glasslands for a Dapwell-hosted show. Titus went on after midnight after sets by Baked and Cosmonaut. They played a wild set with favorites from all three Titus albums and then finished the set off with a run of covers -- Thin Lizzy's "The Boys are Back in Town," The Rolling Stones' "Brown Sugar," and The Modern Lovers' "Roadrunner." The full setlist is below.

Titus frontman Patrick Stickles also just spoke to Pitchfork about his "TOP FIVE RECORD COMPANY FAILS OF 2012" aka his five favorite "Self-released records and unsigned giants," which you can see listed below in alphabetical order. The list includes three of Patrick's Brooklyn neighbors, The So So Glos, Bad Credit No Credit, and Hard Nips (who play Shea Stadium on January 10 with Desert Sharks, Heliotropes, and Hippy). It also includes Boston's Hallelujah the Hills, who play Brooklyn on February 24 at The Rock Shop with Zachary Cale and Woodsy Pride. Patrick's full list with commentary and a list of all Hard Nips dates are below.

Continue reading "Titus Andronicus played Glasslands on NYE (setlist); Patrick Stickles lists his "top 5 record company fails of 2012""

This Sunday (11/11) is the third-annual Tinderbox Music Festival which "powerful, diverse, and innovative female artists and female-fronted bands." We already mentioned that the line-up includes headliners Cocorosie but will also feature Jean Grae (who playes the Hurricane Sandy benefit at Knitting Factory on Thursday), Selebrities, Lili Haydn, Computer Magic, Hard Nips and more. Full line-up, which takes over all three stages at Webster Hall, is below.

Like the two years past, Tinderbox fest goes to support the Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls Girls Write Now, and the Tinderbox Songwriting Workshop, but this year part of the net proceeds will go to New York Cares helping with Hurricane Sandy disaster relief. Tickets ($25) are still available. We're also giving a pair of tickets away and details on how to enter are below.

Continue reading "Tinderbox Music Festival is Sunday w/ Cocorosie, Jean Grae, Selebrities & more; some money going to Sandy relief (win tix)"

Peelander-Z at Googa Mooga 2012 (more by Chris La Putt)

As mentioned Peelander-Red is unfortunately leaving Peelander-Z, but is going on one final tour as a member of the band with Electric Eel Shock. That tour is already scheduled to hit NYC on October 12 at The Studio at Webster Hall with Math the Band (tickets), and now BrooklynVegan is proud to announce that we'll be presenting another NYC show for the band, happening on November 23 at Knitting Factory Brooklyn, which will be Red's final show with Peelander-Z. Tickets for that show are not on sale yet but we'll let you know when they are.

In related news, Peelander-Z's "sister band" Peewonder-Z play a NYC show at The Paper Box TONIGHT (10/4) with Hard Nips, Gelatine w/ Otonana Trio, and Dirty Babylon Breaker. Tickets for tonight's show are available.

We're also premiering Peelander-Z's new music video for "Get Glasses," which was recorded live at Red 7 in Austin. That video, the tour flier, and a list of all dates are below.

Continue reading "Peelander-Z have a new video, add Knitting Factory show to tour (BV Presents)"

The annual Crest Hardware Art Show runs from June 30 - August 31 and kicks off this Saturday (6/30) with Crest Fest 2012 which goes from 1 - 7PM and features a live music stage, two DJ booths, plus local, creative art, and food vendors. Bands performing include Aabaraki, Grey Sky Appeal, Hard Nips, PitchBlak Brass Band and Workout and DJ sets are by Petey Complex, Lucas Walters, Dom Leon, King Cut, Peter Hale and Krunk Pony. The show is free and all ages.

Crest Hardware is located at 558 Metropolitan Ave Between Lorimer and Union in Williamsburg. This year's Art Show will include "100+ works from various artists of different mediums. The art will be installed contextually throughout 10,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor space, including a 5,000 sq ft urban garden...All art is about/made with/or inspired by hardware." Flyers and posters are at the bottom of this post.

Speaking of things happening on June 30 sponsored by Converse Rubber Tracks (which Crest Fest is), White Rabbits are playing a free show at Music Hall of Williamsburg Saturday night and we're giving away a pair of VIP tickets which guarantees you admission to the otherwise first-come, first-served show, and gets you into the VIP balcony. Details on how to enter are below...

Continue reading "Crest Hardware 2012 Art Show starts Saturday with Crest Fest; win VIP tix to see White Rabbits at MHOW"

photos by Greg Cristman

As promised, here are the rest of the pictures from the first of two Of Montreal shows at Webster Hall last weekend. More below...

Continue reading "Computer Magic & Hard Nips (opening for Of Montreal) @ Webster Hall (pics)"

photos by Harriet Roberts, additional EES photos by Keith Marlowe

Electric Eel Shock @ Cake Shop

[Electric Eel Shock are a trio that practices in] ...crazy Japanese metal. These three guys make Boris look like a chamber quartet. They hit the stage to Iron Man with the singer/guitarist leading the crowd in a karaoke version for a verse. Then they are ready to rip into their own songs. The guys with axes are flashy with plenty of cliche metal moves delivered with speed and integrity (and by integrity, I mean a complete enthusiastic honesty in the manner of a satirist who completely accepts his subject). The drummer is wearing shoes and socks, two black gloves and one elongated sock. He often plays with two sticks in each hand. The last time I saw this was when someone was playing a xylophone. -[Review from the DC show by DC Rock Live]

Continue reading "Electric Eel Shock (with a nearly-nude drummer) played Cake Shop w/ the Vandelles, Hot Cha Cha, Hard Nips, more (pics)"

Electric Eel Shock at 502 in San Antonio, TX

After a show at Death By Audio earlier this month, Japan's Electric Eel Shock are returning from a trek down to SXSW with Peelander-Z. Their first trek in the US in six years is almost complete, but they have a few shows left on their itinerary with Hot Cha Cha that include a final show at Cake Shop on March 25th with The Vandelles, Hard Nips and DJ Eric Davidson (Livids, New Bomb Turks). $8 gets you in.

Hard Nips are also on board for the four-day Aputumpu Music Festival that will take place across four venues in NYC over the next four days. The party kicks off TONIGHT (3/22) with a show at Shea Stadium featuring The Suzan, Radical Dads, Osekre & The Lucky Bastards, Habibi, and The Toothaches and continues with shows at Public Assembly, Cameo, and a headlining appearance from Japanther at LPR. Tickets are on sale for the entire weekend.

The full festival lineup with all EES tour dates and some video of EES's metal-punk party vibes, below...

Continue reading "Aputumpu Fest begins today; Electric Eel Shock on tour"

Hilly Eye at Bowery Ballroom in 2011 (more by Devan Council)

Hilly Eye (aka Amy Klein formerly of Titus Andronicus and Catherine Tung) will release their first 7" on Don Giovanni Records this spring and will follow that with a full length, due out on the label this summer.

They've got two local shows coming up, including one on Thursday (2/23) at Cake Shop with Quiet Loudly, Magnetic Island, and Passenger Peru, and another on March 11 at Public Assemly with Shigeto, Gross Relations, Hard Nips, Desert Sharks, and more. The show is part of Sunrise Fest, a memorial/benefit festival for the one year anniversary of the disastrous earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan last year (3/11/11). The fest runs all day from 2 PM to 11 PM with over 20 performances and is open to "all ages, all races, all people in this generation."

Both dates dates are listed with a video of the band at Ladyfest Boston below...

Continue reading "Hilly Eye signed to Don Giovanni, scheduled shows"

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)"

By Bill Pearis

In the grand tradition of weirdo Japanese artrock come Tokyo trio Trippple Nippples, who have been in town wreaking havoc and dropping jaws for the last week. They were originally here for a string of opening slots for Devo but have stuck around New York for a few more shows. (Maybe you saw them at Glasslands last Thursday.)

You've got three more chances to see them: tonight (12/20) they're at Pianos with Hard Nips (how could they not?) and play again at Pianos on 12/27 with The Suzan (it had to happen), and then Shea Stadium (with Hard Nips again) on January 4.

What could be described as the Japanese manic electro pixie version of Gwar, Trippple Nippples' wild stage shows are the stuff of legend, involving -- but not limited to -- milk-shooting prothetic breasts, buckets of glitter, feathers, and spaghetti. (You might want to wear old clothes.) They make music too, hyper shouty electro rock that is pretty fun on its own merits too. Pharrell Williams is a fan.

You can stream a few Trippple Nippples tracks below, and there's live footage from Glasslands and other video treats below too.

Continue reading "Japan's Trippple Nippples are in town (NYC dates)"

"Our new album, Paralytic Stalks, is officially available for pre-order through Polyvinyl Records! It'll be available on CD / 180-gram 2xLP (limited edition fuchsia, or black vinyl) / cassette / MP3 formats on Feb 7th. Check everything out by clicking HERE. Tracklist below."

Continue reading "Of Montreal announce tour in support of new album (dates)"

photos by Andrew St. Clair

Shonen Knife & CJ Ramone

For the encore [Shonen Knife] returned sporting leather jackets which would lead to their homage to the legendary Queens band [the Ramones]. From there we got seven song high-powered set of Ramones classics... Just before 'Scattergun' was delivered, the girls introduced their special guest C.J. Ramone, who joined them to sing the tune and remained with them for the final numbers. -[Piercingmetal via BraveWords]

Shonen Knife have officially concluded their US tour with dates in upstate NY this past weekend (after Bell House). If you missed them, pick up a copy of their Christmas single to tide you through the holidays.

More stuff, including pictures of Hard Nips and Heavy Cream who opened the show, below...

Continue reading "Shonen Knife played the Bell House w/ Hard Nips, Heavy Cream & special guest CJ Ramone (pics, video, setlist)"

photos by Andrew St. Clair

The Suzan & fan @ Glasslands -- 9/25/2011

Some pictures from last night's show. They continue below...

Continue reading "The Suzan, Hard Nips & Lost Boy? @ Glasslands (pics)"

photos by Winnie Cheung

Cheeseburger & Hard Nips kicked off the series of free Sunday shows at Beekman Beer Garden on Sunday (7/10). The outdoor setting, complete with fake beach, tent, an amazing view, food and, well, beer, is the perfect setting for a summer show. According to Bill, it was a " sedate Cheeseburger show... which means [it was] only 82% insane." More pictures from the day below...

Continue reading "Cheeseburger & Hard Nips encouraged beer drinking @ Beekman Beer Garden (pics)"

photos by Andrew St. Clair, additional Friends photos by Sharese Frederick

Peelander-Z brightened up The Studio at Webster Hall on Saturday, 5/6, with a set of their effervescent pop-punk alongside Friends & Hard Nips. Pictures from the NYC show adorn this post.

Peelander-Z's next officially scheduled rendez-vous in the NYC area will be part of Vans Warped Tour 2011. They'll play all festival dates from 7/20-2/29 including Nassau Coliseum on 7/23 (tickets) and Monmouth Park Raceway in Oceanport, NJ on 7/24 (tickets).

And though Peelander-Z have no proper NYC dates on the calendar, they did announce another special event at the Studio. As you can see in the pictures above, "Sister of Peelander" Peewonder-Z... well, exist, and you can catch them at Death By Audio on June 9th with Peelander-Z side project Black Cherry (comprised of Green and Red) and DJ Yellow. What are Peewonder-Z? We think they may have said they are a Peelander-Z cover band. Stay tuned for more details or just show up to DbA on 6/9 to find out. Update: Facebook invite created.

Hard Nips and Friends both have NYC shows coming up soon, and both at 285 Kent. Friends play with Dan Deacon on May 21st. Hard Nips play with Quintron & Miss Pussycat on May 28th.

More pictures and a video from The Studio are below.

Continue reading "Peelander-Z played The Studio w/ Hard Nips & Friends (pics), Peewonder-Z playing DBA w/ Black Cherry"

Peelander-Z at The Studio in January (more by Leia Jospe)

Welcome home Peelander-Z! The NYC band is finally home after an extended tour with Anamanaguchi that kicked off at SXSW and ended on April 30th. And though the tour is over, the band is ALREADY back out on the road, playing Newark, Delaware tonight and a hometown show back at The Studio at Webster Hall Saturday (5/7) with Hard Nips and Friends. Tickets for that one are still available (and, update: we're giving away a pair on Facebook).

Anamanaguchi has a new NYC show on their calendar too, which they say "is gonna be AWESOME. we're gonna have: JAMS // VISUALS // STROBES // UNICORNBROS DOING SECURITY // FURBIES // RAINBOWS // W33D420 // OK." Bowery Presents may have to give some of their staff a night off to make way for those UNICORNBROS, because Anamanaguchi are talking about a show at Music Hall of Williamsburg on 7/22. Tickets are on sale.

You don't need to wait that link to see Anamanaguchi though. The band will play day one of this year's Blip Festival, the annual three day festival in celebration of "low-bit video games and home computers". This year's fest takes place at Manhattan's Eyebeam (540 West 21st Street) from May 19-21. Tickets are on sale with 3-day and 1-day options available. The full lineup is listed below. It includes Tristan Perich, Bit Shifter, Nullsleep, Starscream and many more.

Anamanaguchi, Starscream and Peelander-Z played a show together at the Studio at Webster Hall back in January. Check out the pics.

Hard Nips, who play with Peelander on Saturday, are also scheduled to support Quintron & Miss Pussycat with Super Nice Bros and X-ray Eyeballs on May 28th at 285 Kent. Friends, who also play with Peelander Saturday, play 285 Kent soon too, with Dan Deacon.

All tour dates, the Blip lineup and some videos below.

Continue reading "Blip Festival coming, Anamanguchi announce shows, Peelander-Z play one this weekend (dates)"

Ra Ra Riot @ MHOW in 2010 (more by Amanda Hatfield)

Speaking of Japan benefits, The Bell House has two special ones scheduled....

Continue reading "Ra Ra Riot, Wyatt Cenac, Tim Harrington, Todd Barry & many, many more playing Japan benefits @ the Bell House "

In what is now an annual tradition, we're playing catch up during this final week of the year. If this post seems outdated, that's because it is. Happy Holidays!

photos by Andrew St. Clair

Mussels, the Zoobombs, and Hard Nips played the Rock Shop back on the day before Thanksgiving. A set of pictures from that show continues below...

Continue reading "Zoobombs, Hard Nips & Mussels @ The Rock Shop (pics)"

photos by Andrew St. Clair

The Shonen Knife US tour has officially come to a close. Along that tour the peppy and colorful Japanese pop punk band played two NYC shows. The first one was at the Asia Society. Then two days later (9/28) they played Knitting Factory in Brooklyn with Hard Nips and Grooms. Pictures from that show are in this post.

And speaking of Japanese bands, a bunch more notable ones will be hitting NYC this weekend along with Anime Fest. The rest of the country should look out for Peelander-Z (also very colorful) who are on tour now.

More pictures from the Knitting Factory show, with their setlist in Japanese, below...

Continue reading "Shonen Knife, Hard Nips & Grooms @ Knitting Factory (pics) "

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)"

There are two new events to go along with the Islands show set for June 27th at Music Hall of Williamsburg, which is part of the Northside Festival (Tickets still on sale).

For one, the band will take part in the next Radio Happy Hour at (Le) Poisson Rouge on June 15th along with actor Eddie Kaye Thomas (aka Finch from American Pie). Tickets are on sale. The last monthly Radio Happy Hour show featured David Bazan and Jesse Eisenberg.

For the other, Nick from Islands will re-assume his Nick Diamonds stagename for a Saturday, May 29th "Tux and Chucks" show/party at the Bell House with Nick Diamonds and the Skylighters, Cheeseburger, Hard Nips and DJ Kristine Barilli. RSVP for that here.

Islands and Diamonds videos are below...

Continue reading "Islands/Nick Diamonds add 2 more NYC shows (one for free with Cheeseburger)"

by Bill Pearis

Fake Male Voice @ Glasslands in February (more by Jacob Blickenstaff)

Thanks to everyone who came out to our day party at Pianos yesterday. There were almost too many highlights to count. We've got four more parties still to come, three of which are today/tonight. Lots of great options all around today (10/23). I'm trying to highlight some of the ones you may not know about.

DAYTIME:

BrooklynVegan has another free day party today, this one on the harder-edged tip with Los Angeles' Nebula, Brooklyn's Naam, BV day party veterans Crystal Antlers, Goes Cube (read our interview with the band) and Austin's awesome Ume at Fontana's (105 Eldridge, NY, NY) today from 1 - 7. First band on at 2. Set times and flyer below. Free Miller beer and Vitamin water.

Over at Crash Mansion, there's a cool mid-day party (4 - 7) put on by the folks at Beyond Race with the lovely and mellow Helado Negro, Kiss Kiss, L.A. power poppers Army Navy and London's awesome Pete & the Pirates. who played a great set at the Bell House on Wednesday Night. Don't forget, Pete & the Pirates also play the Brooklyn Vegan Bowery Presents day party Saturday (10/24) at Pianos.

There's a lot going on in Brooklyn today too. The new Kemado Studios called The Co-Op (87 Guernsey St, Brooklyn) (which I hear is a pretty cool space) has Harlem, Viva L'American Death Ray Music, and Smith Westerns.

The Village Voice is putting on a day party at Knitting Factory with Javelin, Portland's Shaky Hands, Headlights and Orba Squara.

And then at Bruar Falls there's a kind of potentially amazing line-up, including Fake Male Voice (Tunde of TV on the Radio), mi-gu (Yuko of Cornelius and Plastic Ono Band) with Sean Lennon and Yuko Honda, as well as Ladybug Transistor, James Husband (Jamie of Of Montreal) and Hard Nips. This one is not free, $8 admission. Starts at noon.

Night stuff HERE. Fliers and set times below....

Continue reading "CMJ 2009 - Bill's Friday daytime picks"