by Bill Pearis

Helmet at Irving Plaza, March 2012 (more by BBG)

'90s alt-rockers The Toadies and Helmet are hitting the road this summer for a co-headlining tour, stopping in NYC on August 2 for a show at Webster Hall. Tickets to that show go on sale TODAY (5/18) at noon.

While the good times vibes of The Toadies and the math-rock blast of Helmet probably didn't cross paths a lot back in the day, it makes a little sense through the haze of '90s nostalgia. Hair-flying Austin trio Ume open on all dates and are absolutely worth showing up early to see.

The Toadies have a new album, Play.Rock.Music, that will be out July 31. Helmet most recent album is 2010's Seeing Eye Dog. As for openers Ume, the band (who played Hotel Vegan during SXSW) will go on a co-headlining tour with The Life and Times before hooking up with the Toadies and Helmet.

All Toadies/Helmet and Ume dates are listed below...

Continue reading "The Toadies, Helmet and Ume touring together this summer, playing Webster Hall (dates)"

photos by Dana (distortion) Yavin, words by BBG

Without the mega-firepower of the Metalliance lineup with Saint Vitus, Crowbar, Kylesa (who play NYC on 10/22), Red Fang (who support Mastodon), Howl (who plays the Metal Suckfest) and The Atlas Moth (who recently played NYC) backing them, Helmet headlined a different kind of show at Bowery Ballroom on Tuesday (10/11), with support from Skeleton Key. This time the focus was NOT on their classic LP Meantime but quite the opposite; Helmet pretty much avoided the LP entirely save for a performance of "Give It". Full set-list is below along with more pictures from the show.

In semi-related news, the Metal Suckfest has completed its lineup for the the two-day festival (and pre-game with Mayhem), adding appearances from All Pigs Must Die, This is Hell, 3, and Last Chance to Reason. Tickets are still available.

For Bowery Ballroom, this Helmet show came right after a two-night run by the Lemonheads and before the Rosebuds headlined the stage.

More Helmet pictures and all tour dates are below.

Continue reading "Helmet played Bowery Ballroom w/ Skeleton Key (pics, setlist), Metal Suckfest completes lineup (tix)"

Helmet at Irving Plaza (more by BBG)

Page Hamilton's latest incarnation of Helmet have a few scattered dates that look like the makings of a burgeoning US tour in September-October. The shows include a stop at Riotfest Chicago, as well as an NYC date at Bowery Ballroom on October 11th with support TBA. Tickets go on AMEX presale at noon on Wed, 8/17 and regular sale two days later. More dates are listed below.

Helmet, who's last NYC date was playing all of Meantime at Irving Plaza with Saint Vitus, Crowbar, and many others as part of the Metalliance tour, will join a star-studded line-up at RiotFest Chicago, including "Danzig Legacy".

Danzig Legacy is also scheduled to play NYC at Hammerstein Ballroom on 10/29 as well as Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin. Tickets are on sale for both Fun Fun Fun and the Hammerstein show.

All known Helmet tour dates and some videos below.

Continue reading "Helmet touring again, playing Bowery Ballroom after Riot fest Chicago (dates)"

We previously discussed Phily's Riot Fest East that will feature an appearance from the mighty Descendents and The Suicide Machines who they also play with in NYC. Riot Fest East, an offshoot of the Chicago festival, happens on September 24th.

The Chicago version of the festival, October 5-9, previously announced that Weezer, Social Distortion, Descendents, 7 Seconds, ALL (two different eras!), Helmet, and X (playing Los Angeles) were all on the lineup, but left one big announcement for today...

On Friday October 7, 2011 Danzig will headline Riot Fest and perform a career spanning show featuring sets of Danzig, Samhain and Misfits songs with none other than Doyle joining on guitar the Misfits set. We've waited years for this and we can't wait to see the inside of the Congress Theater turn into a churning sea of humanity.

Tickets for both Riot Fest Chicago and Riot Fest East are now on sale, and more band announcements are stil to come(!).

Tickets are now also on sale for the Descendents show at Roseland Ballroom that Suicide Machines and H20 are opening.

X are performing Los Angeles at both Riot Fests AND on two nights at Irving Plaza in NYC. Tickets are on sale for those shows too.

Riot Fest show flyers and some videos is below.

Continue reading "Riot Fest Chicago completes lineup with "Danzig Legacy"! Descendents East Coast shows on sale too"

by Kim Kelly

"Grim" Kim Kelly just got home from being on the "Metalliance" tour. She served as crew for the mighty Saint Vitus and rode in the van (read: school bus) with The Atlas Moth. That tour, which also featured bands like Helmet, Kylesa, Crowbar, Red Fang and Howl, hit Irving Plaza in NYC on 3/26, and ended 4/5 in Hollywood. Kim kept a diary and took some pictures on the road. Here is the first half:

Continue reading "on the road with Metalliance (part 1)"

words & photos by BBG

Crowbar @ Irving Plaza

"Helmet promised and delivered the entire "Meantime" album and more. Never got to see them in the early 90's when they were all the rage, cuz' I was already really not into going to shows in 92' and much more into smoking pot and making videos at the School of Visual Arts, but that "Meantime" CD, I remember, sure did get a workout for awhile.

Paige Hamilton, probably the most infamous post-hardcore millionaire ever, has always been an interesting fella in the annals of the mini-major/independent controversies that sort of started and ended in the post Nirvana, halcyon days of 90 whatever, with A & R's running around and signing every art school weirdo, whilst taking all the blue M&M's from their green rooms. Interesting to see them after all these years and ponder, "Has it really been 20 fucking years since film school?" Jeez. Paige looks good and his guitar was quite loud and supra, ahem, "staccato". Just a really weird bill, what with Helmet sort of inheriting that weird art school place they once lorded over. Not really metal, not really alternative, not really punk. Couldn't help but wonder how much of that one million bucks he still has? Great set, nada banter, just loud and sing alongish..." [TrashmansReader]

The Metalliance tour hit Irving Plaza on Friday, 3/26, kicking off at the early hour of 6:30 PM with The Atlas Moth. At that hour it's a bit optimistic to expect a full crowd, but there were quite a few folks that made it in for the duration of the sold-out show. Headlined by Helmet (who played Meantime, and in order), the rest of the show was rounded out by Crowbar (who were awesome as usual), Saint Vitus (ditto), Kylesa (again), Red Fang, and Howl (along with the previously mentioned Atlas Moth).

Metalliance is in Merriam, Kansas tonight (without Helmet). All dates and more pictures and some videos from Irving Plaza are below...

Continue reading "Helmet played 'Meantime' & Saint Vitus, Crowbar, Kylesa, Red Fang, Howl & the Atlas Moth played Irving Plaza too (pics)"

Metalliance photos by Samantha Marble, Whitehorse photos & words by BBG

Helmet @ Dirty Dog

Metalliance swoops in on NYC TONIGHT (3/25) at Irving Plaza (tickets still available). The tour moves into its East Coast leg after hitting SXSW and the south last week. Pictures of Saint Vitus, Helmet, Crowbar, Kylesa, Red Fang, Howl, The Atlas Moth and more from the Austin stop adorn this post.

A friday night during SXSW is always nuts, but nothing could compare to the scene at Dirty Dog which was packed to the gills on 3/18. With a line snaking down the block through the already heavily trafficked 6th Street, Dirty Dog was clearly beyond capacity (and then some) with people itching to see the traveling festival to the riff, as well as the SXSW addition of the almighty Weedeater (the show also featured Witchburn, who I/we missed). Dirty Dog was the place to be that night for metal fans in the area and it showed; during Kylesa's set the venue frantically removed tables to add extra capacity and even reportedly/unfortunately told a few bands that they had to remove their merch table as well. Venue issues aside, the bands sounded great and there was a reason why everyone wanted in; Metalliance is stacked with killer bands and performances.

Saint Vitus @ Dirty Dog

It may sound blasphemous, but knowing I would see Saint Vitus tonight in NYC, I left halfway through their set to head to the WFMU showcase down the street. It was there in a relatively light Barbarella that I caught one of my favorite performances at SXSW, Australians Whitehorse who tore the place down with their crushing death-doom punctuated with noise. Absolutely sick band that deserves to be playing to the hessian masses, and luckily for NYCers, you'll be able to catch them with The Body at Acheron on 4/1.

More pictures from Metalliance and Whitehorse at WFMU, and tour dates, below.

Continue reading "The Metalliance tour hits NYC tonight, Whitehorse is coming soon (here are pics from both at SXSW)"

by BBG

Kylesa @ Santos in January (more by Samantha Marble)

The Metalliance tour featuring Helmet (playing all of Meantime), Saint Vitus, Crowbar, Red Fang, Howl & The Atlas Moth has expanded, adding dates on the west coast and adding the great Kylesa to the bill as well. All dates are now on sale including tickets to March 25th at Irving Plaza.

Crowbar's killer new LP Sever The Wicked Hand is out now via E1. Order a copy, it's definitely highly recommended and could be Windstein's best work yet.

Saint Vitus's Wino just completed a solo tour with Scott Kelly. Maybe you caught them Saturday night at Mercury Lounge.

The full updated set of Metalliance tour dates and some videos, below...

Continue reading "Metalliance expands tour, adds Kylesa (updated dates)"

by BBG

Crowbar at Santos (more by Samantha Marble)

As discussed, the "Metalliance" tour will join Helmet (who will play all of Meantime) with Saint Vitus and Crowbar. Tickets are currently on sale for the NYC stop which will hit Irving Plaza on March 25th with additional openers Howl, Red Fang, and The Atlas Moth (and even more bands TBA). The full lineup for the entire tour will be revealed in one week, but until then you can check out the routing below.

Meanwhile Kirk Windstein of Crowbar will be back in NYC to play Nokia Theater on April 28th and in NJ at Starland Ballroom on April 30th as part of Down. Tickets go on AMEX presale at 10AM on 1/26 and regular sale at noon on 1/28 for Nokia, and at noon on 1/28 for Starland Ballroom.

Down's Jimmy Bower will play Europa on Feb 18th as part of Eyehategod. Tickets are still available for the show which includes Misery Index, Magrudergrind, Strong Intention & Mutilation Rites.

Don't forget that Crowbar's new LP Sever The Wicked Hand will hit store shelves on February 8th via E1 Music. Tour dates and some videos below...

Continue reading "NYC Metalliance date on sale ++ Down announce shows"

by BBG

Wino (of Saint Vitus) on stage with Shrinebuilder (more by Greg Cristman)

Helmet, Saint Vitus, and Crowbar. The three names alone are some of the most important in heavy music in the past two decades. And now BrooklynVegan is proud to co-present ALL THREE on ONE TOUR! That's correct, Helmet, who will be performing all of their 1992 classic Meantime, will team up with St Vitus & Crowbar to play a string of dates that will kick off on March 17th and conclude on April 5th. The trek, called the Metalliance tour, will also showcase some of my favorite names in underground music as opening acts. It's going to be a hell of a tour.

Look for some tour dates in the very near future! (including one in NYC? And maybe during SxSW?) More to come.

Helmet recently played NYC during CMJ with the great Intronaut and Fight Amp (who is playing Santos on 1/26 with Kylesa, tickets). Saint Vitus last played NYC at Europa with Saviours. And Crowbar destroyed NYC just in time for the holidays.

Wino (of St Vitus) will be in NYC in the very near future, and with his Shrinebuilder bandmate Scott Kelly. The pair will play Mercury Lounge on 2/10 (tickets) as part of a stint of tour dates for the pair.

Full press release, and some classic video is below...

Continue reading "Saint Vitus & Crowbar are going on tour with Helmet (who will be playing all of 'Meantime')"

SoSB @ MHOW - CMJ 2009 (more by Vincent Cornelli)


The CMJ Music Marathon & Film Festival "has announced its first round of performing artists." The full list, BrooklynVegan showcase semi-included, and more is below.

One of those performing artists is School of Seven Bells who headline the Windish showcase at Santos Party House on Saturday, October 23rd. Tickets are on sale for that (or you can try to get in with your CMJ badge). SoSB played MHOW during CMJ last year.

Meanwhile School of Seven Bells will kick off a tour with Active Child at Brooklyn Bowl in Williamsburg on September 9th. $5.00 tickets are still on sale.

All SoSB dates, the CMJ artist list, Bad Books info and more, below...

Continue reading "CMJ announces initial 2010 lineup (list), School of Seven Bells touring w/ Active Child (dates) ++ "Bad Books" & more"

by BBG

Page of Helmet, Dec 2006 (photo by Lauren Dukoff)

Ask me about some of my favorite albums of the 90s and you'll surely get a Helmet record in there. Henry Bogdan, John Stanier (who went to Tomahawk and then Battles), and even Chris Traynor are long gone now, and a new version of the band (with Page Hamilton alongside a trio of new members) will release a seventh LP Seeing Eye Dog. That LP is due in late August, and Helmet will hit the road shortly after for a string of dates that will include Gramercy Theatre in NYC on October 23rd. Tickets go on sale at noon on Wed (7/21).

Seeing Eye Dog is currently up for presale via the band in various forms (CD, vinyl, with a tee, with a laminate, etc etc). Stream a few new songs from the record at the Helmet site.

All dates and some videos below...

Continue reading "Helmet releasing new album, touring (dates) "