April 14, 2009 (lana adinne)

Last night (April 14th), Flight of the Conchords played the first of two NYC shows with Kristen Schaal at Radio City.

Sporting boxy robot helmets (red eyebrows, bobbing antennae) and silver lame shirts, the pop duo Flight of the Conchords took the vast stage of New York's Radio City Music Hall last night and launched into their current hit, "Too Many Dicks (On the Dance Floor)."

An expressive crowd -- every one of the venue's 6,200 seats was filled, as they will be for an encore performance tonight -- responded to the nerdy New Zealanders with raucous catcalls and applause that rarely let up during the hourlong set. [Bloomberg]

FOTC show star and tourmate Eugene Mirman hosts tonight's sold out Nada Surf show at the Bell House. Want to go? The venue will be selling 40 tickets at the door.

Mirman will also be appearing at John Wesley Harding's Cabinet of Wonder show at (Le) Poisson Rouge later in the evening.

Holly Miranda is also on the bill for the Bell House tonight. If you miss her, she has another NYC show scheduled for Tuesday, May 5th at the Mercury Lounge, with Illinois. Tickets are on sale now.

Like Flight of the Conchords, Neko Case did a two-show NYC run -- the second of her two shows at Nokia was last night. Opening her first show (April 13th) on was Crooked Fingers, who played a second show at the Bell House last night. Tallest Man on Earth played their first of two shows last night - the second is at Bowery Ballroom tonight with Red Cortez - both bands will play Culture Shock at SUNY Purchase this weekend.

Last but not least (and not related), just wanted to throw in a mention of Canadian songster Hawksley Workman, who played Joe's Pub shows in December and January, is at the same venue tonight. Tickets are still on sale.

Did you do your taxes?

Videos from FOTC's set last night below...

Continue reading "Flight of the Conchords, Eugene Mirman, Nada Surf tickets, Holly Miranda, Neko Case, Hawksley Workman & more "

by Andrew Frisicano

DOWNLOAD: Julian Koster - Jingle Bells (MP3)

Rosie Thomas

Earlier this year, Seattle songwriter Rosie Thomas, who has collaborated with friends Damien Jurado, David Bazan and Sufjan Stevens in the past, again rounded up family and friends to put together A Very Rosie Christmas, a holiday-themed album that mixes traditional songs and covers (Peanuts' classic "Christmastime Is Here" for one) with originals like "Why Can't It Be Christmastime All Year" - a rolling indie-pop singalong truely worthy of release on Thomas' own Sing-a-long Records label. Check out the song in the video below.

Rosie's pair of NYC shows - tonight, December 2nd, at the Living Room (TICKETS) and tomorrow, December 3rd, at the Bell House in Brooklyn (TICKETS) - should be a welcome respite from long evenings locked on WCBS-FM's all-holiday programming. All tour dates below.

Thomas writes that the full band accompanying her includes "my brother Brian Thomas, Josh Myers, Andrew Rudd and my fella Jeffrey Shoop! My friend Sheila Saputo will be coming along too, opening the shows every night for us with her gift of Christmas cheer!" Read Rosie's favorite Christmas memories on her blog..

Another upcoming holiday-music event, The Music Tapes Caroling Tour, has a NYC visit scheduled for December 13th and 14th. Details are scarce but reports from the tour's earlier dates indicate that interested parties who emailed or wrote The Music Tapes in advance should be getting an email the day of with details as to a location. Someone, expect a knock from Juliian Koster between 6pm and 9pm, caroling hours...

Merge recently released Julian Koster's The Singing Saw at Christmastime (click for a preview). MP3 above. Video below...

Canadian major label singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Hawksley Workman is a pretty big deal up North (and in Europe); yet in the States, both his 2008 releases - Between the Beautifuls and Los Manlicious - are import-only...as is Hawksley's amazing 2001 album of Christmas originals called Almost a Full Moon, which features eight (re-released in 2002 with ten) quirky-but-not-cloying cabaret-esque Christmas/winter odes. It's been a annual favorite of mine since finding it a few years ago. Last Friday, Workman and band opened a show at Toronto's Massey Hall with the album's title track. This Friday, December 5th, he plays Joe's Pub as part of the venue's 10th anniversary celebration. Tickets are currently still available. All tour dates and a video below...

For more holiday events, check out our Hanukkah post. For some free tunes, check out our 2007 Holiday Mix, and stay tuned for more holiday-music announcements.

Videos and tour dates below...

Continue reading "Rosie Thomas, The Music Tapes, Hawksley Workman - Christmas shows, albums, videos & stuff"