Joe Lally of Fugazi fame, who now lives in Rome, recently finished a batch of dates in Japan and South America, but will head back to the red, white & blue for a round of dates that will kick off in Austin at Fun Fun Fun Fest on 11/5. From there, the tour will eventually make its way up north and east to to places like Chicago, Canada, and NYC before terminating with a "homecoming" show at Black Cat in DC. Most shows are with Helen Money who maybe you recently caught with Shellac. The NYC show hits Knitting Factory on 11/17 with Appomattox also on the bill, and tickets are on sale. All dates are listed below...

Joe Lally's latest wholly-Italian-sourced LP Why Should I Get Used To It is out now via Dischord Records. Stream portions of it at the Dischord site. You can listen to the title track, along with a live video and all dates, below...

Continue reading "Joe Lally & Helen Money --- 2011 Tour Dates"

Shellac at ATP (more by BBG)

Though tickets for their show on October 3rd are still available, the Shellac / Helen Money tour has added a second night at The Bell House on October 4th. Tickets are on sale. An updated set of tour dates is below.

In somewhat related news, Merge is reissuing a remastered version of Superchunk's 1994 album Foolish (which was produced by Brian Paulson at Steve Albini's home studio in Chicago), "some different album art, special bonus material, and extensive liner notes by drummer Jon Wurster" included. Preorder it now at Merge Records. The band previously reissued/remastered No Pocky For Kitty, On The Mouth, and most recently, Here's Where The Strings Come In. All are available at the Merge store.

All updated Shellac dates and some video is below.

Continue reading "Shellac add shows, Superchunk keep reissuing"

Shellac at ATP NY 2010 (more by Samantha Marble)

Like they did in 2010, Shellac will go on a tour this fall with Helen Money surrounding their appearance at ATP. The only difference is that this year's ATP is in NJ. The tour hits NYC on October 3 at The Bell House. Tickets are on sale now.

All dates below...

Continue reading "Shellac touring w/ Helen Money (again) -- 2011 Dates"

by BBG

Stephen O'Malley on stage with Sunn O))) and Boris (more by Greg Cristman)

"Sunn O))) is on a break. We've been so for about a year now. We did a lot from 2007 to last year. Five tours supporting the album, a hundred shows in a single year I think, which is a lot. We don't really want to become a touring band. Greg said something really funny about it once: 'We're not gonna turn into High on Fire!'. Sunn O))) focuses on irregularity, so when you're taking the irregularity from it, you're kind of sabotaging it. But we're curating a line-up in April at Roadburn festival in Holland, though. We've got Winter playing, Keiji Haino, Corrosion of Conformity, Trap Them, and a bunch of death metal bands. It's going to be amazing, actually, a real mix of old and new acts. We'll be playing too, of course." - Stephen O'Malley:

The above quote comes from a recent interview with Stephen O'Malley done by The Quietus. And while O'Malley doesn't have any current US dates with sunn O))), he DOES have solo dates scheduled including one in Pennsylvania and one on May 14th at Issue Project Room in Brooklyn.

The NYC show is the third night of "the final" Table of The Elements Festival where Stephen will share a bill with Jonathan Kane's February, Helen Money, and Igor Cubrilovic. Stephen describes his solo set as "Primitive, minimal & loud guitar." Mission of Burma's Roger Miller also told us earlier this year that his M2 project would be playing the same fest. Stay tuned for more details (the venue is currently not listing it yet).

Stephen O'Malley recently dropped an LP as part of Aethenor, his project with Daniel O'Sullivan (Ulver, Mothlite, Guapo), Kristoffer Rygg (Ulver) and Steve Noble (N.E.W., Company, etc.). Stream portions of En Form For Bla on the Midheaven distro site.

All tour dates and some videos below...

Continue reading "Stephen O'Malley of Sunn O))) schedules shows including the "final" Table of the Elements Fest"

photos by Samantha Marble

Shellac played the Bell House Tuesday night with Helen Money (aka Alison Chesley and a cello). Both fantastic artists, on tour together, also made an appearance at ATP NY over the weekend (specifically, Saturday 9/4). They also hit Buffalo along the way...

"One of the things that helped make their set most memorable from the last time I had seen them was the amount of crowd banter the band engages in. And last night at the Ninth Ward there were times you may have gotten confused as to whether you were at a rock show or watching stand-up comedy. Albini dropped his most recent favorite one liner. Bassist Bob Weston fielded questions from the crowd during a band solicited Q&A session. And all members took part in ribbing an unwitting attendee." [Buffalo Rising]

Another set of pics from Shellac at ATP (where the Q&A got cut), with some videos from the Bell House, are below...

Continue reading "Shellac played the Bell House, Buffalo, ATP... (pics, video) "

Shellac @ ATP NY (more by BBG)

today in NYC
* One Ring Zero @ Joe's Pub
* The Black Angels secret show
* Charlie Hunter @ Cameo Gallery
* Blonde Redhead @ Tribeca Grand Hotel
* Hanson, Dan Black @ Roseland Ballroom
* Shellac, Helen Money @ The Bell House
* The Shake, My Dear Disco, Push @ Pianos
* Big Boi, Dr Dog, The Knocks (DJ) @ NYU
* Delicate Steve, Blair, Bluejay @ Union Pool
* Joey Baron and Bill Frisell Duo @ The Stone
* Hank Williams III @ Northern Lights (Clifton Park)
* Pop. 1280, Wizzard Sleeve, Daily Void @ Cake Shop
* Hot Hot Heat, 22-20s, Hey Rosetta @ Bowery Ballroom
* Pennywise, The Riverboat Gamblers @ Starland Ballroom
* The Do, The Paper Raincoat, Aislyn, Papa @ Mercury Lounge
* Dinosaur Feathers, Shark?, I'm Turning Into @ Bruar Falls
* Liquor Store, Heavy Cream, Grooms, Hunters @ Death By Audio
* Happy Birthday, Awesome Tapes From Africa (DJ) @ Brooklyn Bowl (free)
* Ladycop, Shilpa Ray & Her Happy Hookers, The Vandelles, Nico's Gun @ Knitting Factory
* Altar w/ Sunn O))) & Boris, BXI (Boris & Ian Astbury), Jesse Sykes & The Sweet Hereafter @ Brooklyn Masonic Temple

Tickets are now on sale for all BAM Next Wave Festival shows.

Hanson and Dan Black at Roseland Ballroom tonight is free. Dan Black headlines Bowery Ballroom on Thursday. Both shows are timed for Fashion Week.

And Fashion Week is why Blonde Redhead is playing tonight.

Charlie Hunter begins a residency at Cameo tonight.

Delicate Steve continues their residency at Union Pool tonight.

Hank III does not play in PA tonight as originally scheduled. It's Northern Lights instead, and Music Hall of Williamsburg tomorrow.

A video of Helen Money performing live, below...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Tuesday?"

words and pics by BBG, additional Sonic Youth pics by Samantha Marble

Thurston

Unlike Friday (and Sunday), people weren't throwing devil horns on Saturday. With the Saturday lineup dominated by indie acts, including many longstanding ones (Sonic Youth, Tortoise, Dave Pajo/Papa M, Shellac, The Breeders, etc etc) there were less shirts that repped the heaviest of the heavy, like Dystopia, Grief and Electric Wizard, and more "vintage look" Judas Priest and Dio with bowl cuts, and 80's style librarian glasses. In other words, there was a definite crowd shift from day one to day two at the 2010 edition of ATP New York.

While cruising through the lobby on my way to my first performance, Text of Light with Lee Renaldo, I paused to catch Helen Money (on tour with Shellac) at the "Lobby Stage". The 10+ minutes of Text of Light was a bust - squalls of guitar feedback with wailing sax made for a fascinating few minutes, but grew tiresome quickly. Helen Money's looped cello was already gone by the time I had returned from the second stage, but I wish I hadn't left. Later on I would catch Frankie Don at the lobby stage, who played hits of the 70s and 80s with Casio presets while the drunk, acid-drenched, and generally out-there spazzed on the dance floor. It was my own personal Tim & Eric Awesome Show episode.

Fuck Buttons were the first band I caught on the main stage, and the tribal drumming, rumbling saw wave bass tones, and pulsing electronic soundtrack were well-represented in the Stardust Room. The band's live show stuck to their recent recorded output and was quite the contrast with my next conquest, the out-there chamber-folk of Fursaxa on stage two, complete with cello and harp. I preferred the former.

Sleepy Sun

After a bit of Tortoise's jazzy math post-rock rhythms, I scooted down to Sleepy Sun (playing Knitting Factory Monday night) on the second stage; the Cali psych-rock band impressed me so much in the exact same room last year. Their set was not as impressive this time around, but more so than The Breeders who played the larger stage later that night and were a touch messy/off-key as they stammered through hits like "Divine Hammer".

On the other hand, Shellac (who also played in 2009) and Papa M killed it though in much different ways. Shellac's treble-y stomping punk rock was a triumph, and their Kutsher's set ("We are Shellac, and we only play ATP shows") included recent faves like "The End of Radio" and "Steady As She Goes". The band nixed their now famous Q&A session during their show due to their shortened set time, so their usual dry-sarcastic humor didn't play out as much this go around. Hopefully they have no curfew Tuesday at the Bell House. Papa M delivered ambient-y guitarscapes on the second stage, impressing immensely.

If you live in NYC, you've probably had your share of live Sonic Youth experiences. I've seen them at least six times. But whether it was the atmosphere, perfectly balanced soundsystem, or the band having a particularly ripping night, SY delivered probably my favorite Saturday set, focusing primarily on earlier material (Daydream Nation was a focal point it seemed). The sound in the Stardust Room was (still) flawless, and they closed out the night with a bang (set list below).

I also saw bits of Avi Buffalo, The Books and Hallogallo on Saturday. I completely missed BEAK> (stay tuned for our coverage from their Bowery Ballroom show though), Sian Alice Group, and Apse (catch them Monday and Wednesday night in NYC). I also missed Explosions in the Sky, but Sam caught them (her pics coming soon).

Read about Friday HERE. Sunday coverage is coming. Saturday (with more pics also coming later), continues below...

Continue reading "ATP NY 2010 - Day 2 in review & pics (Sonic Youth, Shellac, Papa M, Sleepy Sun, Fuck Buttons & more) "

Shellac @ ATP NY 2009 (more by Ryan Muir)

Shellac (aka Steve Albini, Bob Weston & Todd Trainer) and Helen Money (aka Alison Chesley from Verbow) will head out on tour in September around Shellac's September 4th appearance at ATP NY 2010. And like BEAK>, there is a NYC show. It's at the Bell House on September 7th and tickets are on sale now. All dates below...

Continue reading "Shellac schedules tour w/ Helen Money around ATP (dates) "