DOWNLOAD: John Grant - "Black Belt" (MP3)

John Grant (middle) w/ Midlake at SXSW 2011 (more by Bill Pearis)

John Grant released his new, synthier album, Pale Green Ghosts, in the UK earlier this year, and as mentioned, it comes out in the US on May 14 via Partisan. The album features guest vocals from Sinead O'Connor and was produced by Biggi Veira of Iceland's Gus Gus. John will be supporting the album with a previously discussed tour that hits NYC on April 25 at Le Poisson Rouge. Tickets for that show are still available, and if you can't make it, you can watch the live stream from the comfort of your own home. His tour was recently expanded, and all upcoming tour dates are listed below.

Ahead of the album's US release, John also had Hercules and Love Affair remix one of its tracks, "Black Belt." You can stream that clubby remix below and compare it to the original track, which you can download above.

In less positive news, John recently spoke to The Guardian about his 2011 diagnosis of being HIV positive, a topic he confronts on the new album:

Only after his HIV diagnosis has Grant accepted that he hadn't conquered his addiction but simply transferred it from substances to sex. "If I can't go out and do fat rails [of cocaine] off the bathroom floor at a club, I want to at least have my sex, because sex is natural. Nobody's going to deny me that, right? But that's just cheating. I was out there fucking for a purpose, to hurt myself, to punish myself for not being good enough. And when I realised I had to deal with that too, I was just so tired. I was like, Are you kidding me? I can't relate in a normal way to anything! I mean, it's enough to make you despair."

Updated dates are listed, along with those song streams, below...

Continue reading "John Grant expands tour, remixed by Hercules & Love Affair, discusses HIV diagnosis & collaborating w/ Sinead O'Connor"

Midnight Magic at BK Night Bazaar in 2011 (more by Dana (distortion) Yavin)

Tippy Toes have existed in different forms over the years but currently consists of Abe Seiferth and Morgan Wiley. Abe and Morgan met at DFA's Recording Studio where Abe was engineering and Morgan was recording keyboard tracks for LCD Soundsystem. They would end up having studios next door to each other in Brooklyn. Late night jams with Abe's drum machines and Morgan's synths soon lead to parties and shows.

Meanwhile, you can catch Morgan at Cameo even sooner when Midnight Magic plays the Brooklyn venue this Saturday (3/16). And to bring things full circle, Kim Ann Foxman of Hercules and Love Affair will open the show. Tickets for that one are on sale now too.

Stream the Tippy Toes live jam below...

Continue reading "Tippy Toes releasing EP on Let's Play House, playing Cameo (where Midnight Magic and Kim Ann Foxman play sooner)"

photos by Toby Tenenbaum

TVotR / Zola Jesus / the crowd, Catalpa Music Fest 7/28/2012

The inaugural Catalpa Festival got off to a soggy start on Saturday in Randalls Island Park, but the intermittent rain that turned the lawns in front of the stages into muddy bogs did little to dampen the enthusiasm of people who came out to see the Black Keys and TV on the Radio...

...The rain started again as the Black Keys took the stage at about 9:30. Yet several thousand people pressed up, some of the men lifting women up on their shoulders, as Dan Auerbach, the band's guitarist and vocalist, launched into "Howlin' for You." A few songs later, Mr. Auerbach and his partner, the drummer Patrick Carney, had the crowd singing along and dancing in the rain as they did "Dead and Gone" and "Gold on the Ceiling," two hits from their most recent album El Camino [NY Times].

Continue reading "Catalpa Music Fest: day 1 in pics (The Black Keys, Zola Jesus, TV on the Radio, Hercules & Love Affair, and more)"

Girl Talk fans @ Governors Ball 2011 (more by Chris La Putt)

The first-ever Catalpa Fest, taking place July 28th and 29th on Randall's Island, has added Girl Talk, Matt & Kim, Cold War Kids, Hercules And Love Affair, Matisyahu, Dirty Heads, The Sheepdogs and Hook N' Sling to the lineup that already included The Black Keys, TV On The Radio, Umphreys McGee, AraabMUZIK, and Snoop Dogg (performing Doggystyle with Warren G, Kurupt, Lady of Rage, Daz Dilinger and other guests). "Full Line Up To Be Announced Shortly." Tickets and more info at the fest's site.

photos by Tim Griffin

DJ Shadow @ the Great Escape

Instrumental hip hop guru DJ Shadow is set to release his first LP in five years The Less You Know, The Better on September 5. He released the single "I Gotta Rokk" back in May. Check out the video for that track below.

DJ Shadow performed at Glastonbury this past weekend. According to @RadioRassilon, "DJ Shadow in the John peel tent at #Glastonbury - mind boggling. I'm boggled. Boggled flat." We don't have pictures from his set there but we did catch at the Great Escape, also in the UK, in May. As previously seen on the BV Facebook, pictures from that one are in this post.

Those fests were some of many performances Shadow has/had lined up this summer, which is largely being occupied by the touring electronic festival, IDentity Festival in August and early September. IDentity will be headlined by Kaskade, Steve Aoki (who was spotted at the Gay Pride Parade on Sunday), and Steve Lawler. It also includes live sets by Holy Ghost!, Hercules and Love Affair, and Modeselektor. It hits PNC Bank Arts Center in Jersey on 8/14 and Jones Beach in Long Island on 8/21. Tickets are on sale for both.

Video, tour dates, more live pics and the IDentity Fest lineup and flier below...

Continue reading "DJ Shadow announced new LP, touring w/ IDentity Festival, played Glastonbury & the Great Escape (pics & dates)"

photos by Amanda Hatfield

Hot Chip, Joe Goddard in spirit & Holy Ghost!

"By the time darkness fell, the crowd was sufficiently antsy. Their thirst for rich sound was quenched by Hot Chip's arrival, opening with 'And I Was a Boy From School' from their second album. The humid New York night blew through all their albums, playing crowd favorites like 'One Life Stand' and 'Over and Over.' The night was an eveloping blanket of musk, causing the band and the crowd to shed layers of clothing as they raged on.

One of the band members, Joe Goddard, was unable to be there because he was with his wife, expecting their first child. The other members made sure to pay due tribute to their beloved bandmate, closing the night with a gloriously extended version of 'Ready for the Floor' that made the entire island of Manhattan rumble." [Ology]

Coming up, Hot Chip have dates scheduled with LCD Soundsystem. More pictures from Summerstage below...

Continue reading "Hot Chip (minus Joe Goddard), Hercules & Love Affair & Holy Ghost! played Central Park Summerstage (pics) "

Central Park Summerstage (more by Chris La Putt)

The schedule for the 2010 SummerStage series, which has music not just at Central Park, is out, and there are some great looking shows to highlight.

At Central Park, the first "rock" show happens on Saturday, June 5th with Living Colour, Ebony Bones!, Pillow Theory and CX KiDTRONiK. Baaba Maal, who just played Irving Plaza, will be at Central Park too on Monday, June 14th The Tinariwen show on Saturday, June 26th also features Syrian beat & mikeman Omar Souleyman. Gil Scott-Heron plays Central Park in June and Marcus Garvey Park in August.

There's also El Guincho, Bostich and Fussible and others in Central Park on July 7th. Reggae legend Jimmy Cliff plays Central Park on Sunday, July 11th. Raphael Saadiq performs there Saturday, July 17 at 3pm. The Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba/Fool's Gold show on Sunday, July 25th will also feature "West African electronica" band Burkina Electric.

On Wednesday, July 21st, there'll be a Comedy Central's The Daily Show and Friends Central Park gig hosted by Lewis Black with John Oliver, Rob Riggle, Wyatt Cenac, Adam Lowitt and Rory Albanese.

There's also music from St. Vincent, Tune-Yards and Basia Bulat on August 1st at Central Park. The xx play with Jack Penate and Chairlift there on August 8th. At the same spot, Public Enemy play an August 15th day show to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Fear of A Black Planet, and the Specials play on August 22nd with Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears and $mall ¢hange.

The borough-wide shows kick off with Jay Electronica in Red Hook Park on June 1st. Also at that park is Dan Deacon on Tuesday, June 15th. White Rabbits play East River Park on August 12th.

There's lots of great jazz too: McCoy Tyner plays with Ravi Coltrane, Esperanza Spalding and Francisco Mela as part of the CareFusion Jazz Festival on June 23rd. He also plays in the Charlie Parker Jazz Fest, which comes at the end of the summer with an incredible lineup. McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Scott, Jason Moran and the Bandwagon and Revive da Live play during the day at Marcus Garvey on Saturday, August 28th. Then the next day, James Moody, Catherine Russell, Vijay Iyer and The JD Allen Trio play at Tompkins Square Park.

The park benefit shows include John Butler Trio and State Radio on June 15th (tickets on sale), The Flaming Lips on July 26th, The Black Keys with the Morning Benders on July 27th and 28th, Hot Chip/Hercules & Love Affair/Holy Ghost on August 4th, Govt' Mule on August 11th (tickets), and one of the four Pavement shows September 21-24. Plus there's a "songbook of Simon & Garfunkel" benefit on June 8th.

Not all "Summerstage" shows are in Central Park anymore which drives home the point even further that the name of the venue in Central Park is actually "Rumsey Playfield" which hosts non-"Summerstage" shows too. Those so far include Coheed/Torche, CAKE, Ween, and Broken Social Scene.

The full Summerstage free show schedule is below...

Continue reading "Summerstage (Central Park & elsewhere) - full 2010 lineup "

words by Showtrotta, photos by Ryan Muir

While it would take a lot to top the great time I had at last years Insiders, this year's CMJ event at Irving Plaza looks pretty great as well.

Hercules and Love Affair perform great live disco, in a way very few bands are doing nowadays. Aeroplane continue to look promising (though I have still yet to see them this week!). James Zabiela has been getting tons of positive feedback lately. I fell in love with his Utilities double mix album several years ago and am excited to get to see him again in a setting that is not Pacha. Shinichi Osawa's opening set for Fatboy Slim in June was great - very hard, but not too in your face. The Fantastic Nobodies' performance art, aka crowd-feathering, during Modeselektor's set at Bowery Ballroom back in January was quite an experience. All in all, it should be a great night. Tickets are available here

Hercules & Love Affair's Andy Butler DJ'd MoMA MiXX on September 26th. Pictures from that event, along with the Insiders flyer and set times, below...

Continue reading "Insiders showcase @ Irving Plaza tonight w/ Hercules & Love Affair +++ pics from MoMA"

by Andrew Frisicano

Hercules & Love Affair @ MHOW in August (more by Sara Skolnick)

Hercules & Love Affair's Andy Butler was one of the many DJs at the Electric Zoo Festival that happened over Labor Day weekend. At the fest he was billed as himself, but on September 26th he'll be DJing as H&LA at MoMA MiXX, a new series of dance parties at the museum.

MoMA MiXX uniquely pairs together major artists with world-renowned musicians or DJs, with each featured performer spinning a set of music that night. The Agnes Gund Garden Lobby will be transformed into a dance floor, and MoMA's Donald B. and Catherine C. Marron Atrium will serve as a lounge area complete with bars. The money raised benefits the exhibition programming for The Museum of Modern Art and P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center.

Tickets for each event are $75 per person (or $200 for the first three events), and include an open bar.

Also on the way, the museum is hosting Between Worlds, an evening-length "pop spectacle" performance by Fischerspooner on November 1st. Tickets TBA. (MoMA is also still running Looking at Music: Side 2, and will be showing a Spike Jonze retrospective with No Age in October.)

Hercules & Love Affair played two live shows in NYC in August. At them, they debuted their new current (but probably not permanent) lineup of Shaun Wright, Aerea Negrot, Kim Ann Foxman, Mark Pistel and Andy Butler.

In the past, Hercules & Love Affair's lineup prominently featured singer Nomi Ruiz. More recently, she's been playing with Jessica 6. They opened for CocoRosie's return-to-NYC show at the beginning of September. Coming up, they're opening for Japanese psych rock band Yura Yura Teikoku at the Music Hall of Williamsburg on September 18th. Then the next night (Sept. 19th), they play as part of the New Languages Festival, which runs for six nights (starting Thursday, Sept. 17th) on two weekends at McCarren Hall in Brooklyn (on 98 Bayard St, an address that might sound familiar). Tickets are available at the door only.

For Japan's Yura Yura Teikoku, the MHOW is one of three upcoming US dates they have scheduled. The other two are opening for Yo La Tengo on Tuesday (9/15) and Wednesday in Vermont and Boston. Their new album "Hollow Me", which includes their recent EP "Beautiful", is out September 14, 2009 on DFA's Death From Abroad label (which helps explain the Jessica 6 connection). Album tracklist and NYC show flyer below.

The whole lineup for the jazz-based New Languages Festival, which "attempts to provide a panoramic view of 21st century jazz in New York City," is pretty diverse and spectacular. It includes Akoya Afrobeat, which matches the sound of Fela Kuti almost note for note (and integrates some of his songs into their rep), drummer Mike Pride's From Bacteria to Boys combo (who recorded a live session for WFMU in April), a set led by noted improviser and avant-jazz composer Tim Berne, and an opening night performance by Darcy James Argue's Secret Society, whose debut, Infernal Machines, came out in May on New Amsterdam Records.

The full schedule of shows and all tour dates are below...

Continue reading "Herc & Love Affair/Fischerspooner playing MoMA, Jessica 6 playing w/ Yura Yura Teikoku & New Languages Fest (lineup)"

photos by Sara Skolnick

"I saw Hercules and Love Affair this weekend who now have Mark Pistel in the band (founding member of Consolidated) which made me remember about Meat Beat Manifesto and seeing them play live. Fucking great show. They had these dancers with mini crutches, one of whom hit my friend Angy in the head while dancing feverishly on stage. Good times." - waxy yellow buildup

Hercules & Love Affair played two NYC shows over the weekend. Friday night it was at the Gramercy Theatre in Manhattan. Saturday was over the river in Brooklyn at Music Hall of Williamsburg.

As Andy Butler somewhat explained to The Voice, guest vocalists like Antony (who is on the album) and Nomi (who has been a prominent vocalist in the band's live shows) are not permanent members of the band which will continue to change over time. Nomi was not present at the shows where, at Music Hall at least, they played mostly songs from their 2008 self-titled album, and some new stuff too. Jason Kendig opened.

In related news, Andy Butler will be DJing at the upcoming Electric Zoo Festival on Randall's Island, and "Antony and the Johnsons [releasaed] the "Aeon"/"Crazy in Love" double A-side single in the US on August 4th on CD and 7" through Secretly Canadian and on August 3rd in Europe and UK on 7" through Rough Trade."

More pictures from the Brooklyn H&LA show below...

Continue reading "Hercules & Love Affair (w/ Mark Pistel, but not Nomi) played Gramercy Theatre & Music Hall of Williamsburg (pics) "

DOWNLOAD: Justin Miller DFA Mix for Viva Radio (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Schmami - Eurolax mix (MP3)

Drop the Lime & live band @ Summerstage - Aug 8, 2009 (more by Sara Skolnick)

Last week in dance was great, more specifically Saturday. Unfortunately I missed Canyons at Dark Disco in the Park, but arrived just in time for Drop the Lime's live set, which was amazing. As much as I first loved the heavy bass champion's sound when I first started seeing him deejay back in '07, lately his (and the other Trouble & Bass deejays') sets have been a little too bass-heavy for me (I think I'm getting old!). However, the live set on Saturday was the perfect balance of heavy bass, awesome live drums, and great vocals. There is something about adding live elements to dance music that just can't be touched, and Drop the Lime's live act is no exception.

Boys Noize @ Summerstage - Aug 8, 2009 (more by Sara Skolnick)

I was in an excellent mood after Drop the Lime's set and it only got better as Boys Noize took the stage. From the get-go it was clear that it was going to be a great set. It included loads of new tracks and any predictability I had witnessed in some of his prior sets was gone. Check out some video of Boys Noize dropping one of his & Erol Alkan's new tracks "Waves" below:

While there aren't any discos in the park this week, there is still plenty going on dance-wise, starting with Thursday (8/13):

Continue reading "the week in Dance w/ Showtrotta (part 1)"

Andy Butler of Hercules & Love Affair made a DJ appearance at the July 3rd Firecracker party at the Hammerstein Ballroom. Resident Advisor didn't mention Butler's set, but doesn't seem to have enjoyed the vibe of the night...

At 7:00 AM, July 4th, young party people ambled out of Manhattan Center into pale light already wearing sunglasses. But it wasn't freedom that was ringing in their ears after a long night out. For ten hours, inside the 20,000 square foot ballroom, miscalibrated bass punched their cochleas. Billed as the event to "pop off" before fireworks over the Hudson, over a thousand had waited patiently for someone to light the fuse.

Despite sound and stage, it was up to the DJs to forget business and elevate the room. Unfortunately, they failed to truly engage the receptive audience or even distinguish themselves from one another. It was a visual spectacle, but ultimately a misdirected marathon with a corporate aftertaste, that never allowed Firecracker to go off.

Butler will also be in NYC (where he lives) for a weekend of Hercules & Love Affair shows on August 14th and 15th. They'll play the Gramercy Theatre on Friday, August 14th. Tickets go on sale July 17th at noon. Then, they're be coming to Brooklyn for an August 15th show at the Music Hall of Williamsburg. Tickets for that go on AmEx presale today (July 15th) at noon; general sale starts Friday at noon.

As a Hercules & Love Affair gig, it's not exactly clear who'll be on hand for the performance...

Village Voice: You know I have to ask about the state of Hercules and Love Affair. You guys cancelled your Coachella appearance, and everybody is slowly starting to form their own little subgroups (Jessica 6/Deep Red, Midnight Magic). What's going on?

Butler: [laughs] The situation is, for the next record, I'm involving a whole handful of new artists, and that's how it was going to be, always. There are a lot of artists I want to work with. Kim-Ann [Foxman], [vocalist] Nomi [Ruiz], all the kids that were working with me on the first record and the tours, they've started doing their own stuff. Nomi has her band, [bassist] Andrew [Raposo] and [keyboardist] Morgan [Wiley] have their own band...

VV: So it was more of a press misconception? Like, this solo project that happened to have a live touring band got cast more as a band when it wasn't?

Butler: Yeah. I mean, these are guest artists. Like, someone like Kim-Ann [Foxman] is potentially ever-present; she and I have a long friendship and a long-standing creative collaboration. The other artists like Antony and Nomi both have solo careers, and when they went into it, they knew they had solo careers and that they would be doing their own thing. So basically, the vocalists are Kim-Ann and a whole new batch of people that I've worked with at various points...I'm co-producing with a new producer. The whole scenery has changed.

Continue reading "Hercules & Love Affair (Andy Butler+Kim-Ann+?) - 2 NYC shows (tix), Lollapalooza, Electric Zoo (and Firecracker)"

DOWNLOAD: Lindstrøm - The Long Way Home (Prins Thomas edit) (MP3)

Andy Butler of Hercules and Love Affair @ Studio B (more by Ryan Muir)

Hercules and Love Affair (aka Andy Butler) is releasing a new DJ mix called Sidetracked... July 21st on Renaissance Recordings. Butler will be making DJ appearances throughout the summer, mainly in Europe. One U.S. gig will be at the July 3rd Firecracker party at the Hammerstein Ballroom (tonight). Also at the event, as mentioned by Showtrotta, will be Steve Lawler, Tiefschwarz, Victor Calderone, Damian Lazarus (live) and Audiofly. Tickets are still on sale.

Butler will be at Lollapalooza on August 8th, and he'll be making an appearance at NY's Electric Zoo Electronic Music Festival, taking place September 5th and 6th on Randall's Island. Other acts at the fest include Special Disco Version (featuring LCD Soundsystem/DFA's James Murphy & Pat Mahoney), Felix Martin & Al Doyle (of Hot Chip), Lindstrom, Frankie Knuckles, Prins Thomas, and many, many more. Above you can check out the Prins remix of Linstrom's "The Long Way Home" off the latter's Where You Go I Go Too. Tickets to the fest, including 2-day passes, are on sale now. Electric Zoo's current lineup is posted below.

Another electronic music suaree, the Brooklyn Electronic Music Festival, is on the way as well, happening August 8th at the Old American Can Factory. The fest's headliners will be Juan MacLean (live) and RJD2; full lineup is still on the way. Tickets are currently on sale.

Electric Zoo lineup with Hercules and Love Affair comp info and tour dates, below...

Continue reading "Electric Zoo on Randall's Island, BK Electronic Music Fest, Hercules and Love Affair DJ sets & CD & more..."

"Though promoters around the country report strong early ticket sales for festivals and summer tours, the recession is causing jitters. This year Coachella, which has the most glamorous reputation of all American festivals, began selling tickets on layaway, and 18 percent of its customers took that option, Mr. Tollett said.

The proliferation of big festivals, like Bonnaroo near Nashville and Lollapalooza in Chicago, has not been without casualties. This year Langerado in Miami shut down, citing the economy. The Pemberton Festival in British Columbia is on hiatus after only one year, although its promoter, Live Nation, said the problem was permit delays." [NY Times]

Continue reading "Lollapalooza 2009 - the official & complete lineup"

James Murphy & Pat Mahoney dressed for the prom (more by Ryan Muir)

After years of raised expectations and inevitable disappointment, after Pretty in Pink and Saved By The Bell season 4 (we remember it, too), 826NYC and Bowery Presents are happy to finally bring you THE PROM YOU WERE PROMISED, a night of formal wear, butt-kicking dance music, and actual spiked punch, featuring rare DJ sets by VAMPIRE WEEKEND, PAT MAHONEY (of LCD Soundsystem), and HERCULES & LOVE AFFAIR, along with jokes from host LEO ALLEN.

The evening will benefit 826NYC, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting students ages 6 to 18 with their creative and expository writing skills, and to helping teachers inspire their students to write.

PROM BASICS:
Who: You, and a date. (Date not required)
Dress code: Prom attire (Your old gown/tux/suit, or the jeans and sneakers you wished you'd worn.)
What: The prom night you've been waiting for.
When: Thursday, May 21, 2009, at 9 p.m.
Where: Music Hall of Williamsburg, 66 North 6th Street, Brooklyn
Why:
1) For the kids-all proceeds benefit 826NYC
2) For the music-three killer DJ sets, each of them worth the price of admission
3) For the replacement memories, made to last a lifetime

A video about 826NYC below...

Continue reading "826NYC having a prom at MHOW (w/ DJ Vampire Weekend)"

DOWNLOAD: Box Elders - Hole In My Head (MP3)

Paul F Tompkins @ the Bell House (more by Tim Griffin)

today in NYC
* DANCE
* Matt Singer @ Union Hall
* Kevin Seconds @ Pianos
* the Benson Interruption @ UCB
* Ecstatic Sunshine @ The Stone
* Bus Driver & Yak Ballz @ Southpaw
* Kevin Seconds @ Generation Records
* Paul F Tompkins guests @ Sound Fix
* Loudon Wainwright III @ Gramercy Theatre
* Medeski, Martin & Wood @ (le) Poisson Rouge
* Michael Ian Black guests @ Sleepwalk with Me
* White Rabbits, Holly Miranda & Ravens & Chimes @ Mercury Lounge
* The Sam Roberts Band & Mother Mother @ Bowery Ballroom

Kevin Seconds plays two NYC today, and one tomorrow.

Loudon's son Rufus just announced an upcoming appearance at Highline Ballroom.

Box Elders are playing SXSW. Their last NYC show was at Market Hotel. Grab an MP3 above.

Hercules and Love Affair played on a roof. Video below...

Video from last night's Fujiya & Miyagi show below...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Wednesday?"

Headliners Paul McCartney, The Killers and The Cure are among the 130-plus acts set for the tenth COACHELLA VALLEY MUSIC & ARTS FESTIVAL (APRIL 17, 18 AND 19) at the beautiful Empire Polo Club in Indio, CA, the same grounds where the COACHELLA VALLEY MUSIC & ARTS FESTIVAL debuted in 1999. Other artists confirmed for America's most critically acclaimed music festival include Morrissey, Amy Winehouse, Franz Ferdinand, My Bloody Valentine, Leonard Cohen, Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band, Thievery Corporation, Yeah Yeah Yeahs (the complete line-up is listed below).

This marks the first ever U.S. festival appearance for McCartney who is currently supporting his latest release ELECTRIC ARGUMENTS.

"I have heard that Coachella is one of the greatest festivals in the world. I'm really excited to get out there and rock!" McCartney says.

Throbbing Gristle and the rest of the full (real) line-up (as of 1/30) is below:

Continue reading "Coachella 2009 - OFFICIAL lineup announced (My Bloody Valentine, Leonard Cohen, Paul McCartney, Morrissey, The Cure, Antony, Amy Winehouse...) - tix on sale"

photos by Toby Tenenbaum

Morgan Wiley and Andrew Rasposo are members of both of the bands that played at Le Poisson Rouge in NYC last night. Nomi fronts (headliner) Deep Red and sang one song with Midnight Magic (opener). Pat Mahoney of DFA / LCD Soundsystem was the DJ for the night.

It was Deep Red's first NYC show (maybe their first show ever). Their second (at the moment) is February 13th at Highline Ballroom where they'll be performing Sade songs. Tickets are still on sale.

Nomi is now best known as the frontwoman of Hercules and Love Affair. Deep Red's other members also play with that band, and based on what I've heard so far, the apple hasn't fallen far from the tree (is that the right expression?).

How was last night? More pictures below...

Continue reading "Deep Red & Midnight Magic @ (le) poisson rouge, NYC - pics"

DOWNLOAD: Deep Red - Fun Girl (MP3)

Deep Red is a collaboration that includes Hercules & Love Affair keyboardist Morgan Wiley, bassist Andrew Raposo, and vocalist Nomi Ruiz who met while on the 2008 Hercules & Love Affair Tour. They combine minimal electro, dance, and R&B to create what sounds like a cross between Afrika Bambaataa, Kraftwork & Madonna. The synergy of their live show [by who I'm not sure] is said to evoke Fleetwood Mac & Sade incorporating live saxaphone & flute.

Their first single 'Fun Girl', is a dark dance number full of tough vocal hooks, dirty bass and spooky synth lines. They are preparing to release a 12" this Spring followed by a run of shows in Europe and the US.

Deep Red make their debut in NY at Le Poisson Rouge this Thursday, January 22nd. Doors at 9pm, Midnight Magic 10pm Deep Red 11pm. DJ Pat Mahoney (DFA/LCD Soundsystem) will be spinning throughout the entire evening.

Deep Red is also playing as "Diamond Life" as Sade at Highline Ballroom on February 13th. Tickets are on sale.

Andrew and Morgan were also in Automato.

The flyer for tonight is below...

Continue reading "Deep Red is Nomi from Hercules & Love Affair & band ------------- 2 NYC shows (1 as Sade) & an MP3"

Edward Droste of Grizzly Bear's Top 10 of 2008

1. Beach House, Devotion (Carpark Records)
2. Department of Eagles, In Ear Park (4ad Records)
3. Portishead, Third (Mercury)
4. Nico Muhly, Mothertongue (Brassland Records)
5. Final Fantasy, EPs (Tomlab)
6. Hercules and Love Affair, Hercules and Love Affair (Mute U.S.)
7. M83, Saturdays=Youth (Mute U.S.)
8. Ssion, Fools Gold (Sleazetone)
9. The Chap, Mega Breakfast (Ghostly Int'l)
10. John Maus, Love is Real (Upset! The Rhythm)

Continue reading "updated Beach House tour dates, Ed Droste's Top 10 "

M83 @ Bowery Ballroom (more by Bao Nguyen)

Anthony Gonzalez of M83's Top 10 of 2008:

1. Chairlift, Does You Inspire You (Kanine Records)
2. MGMT, Oracular Spectacular (Columbia)
3. Fleet Foxes, Fleet Foxes (Sub Pop)
4. Vampire Weekend, Vampire Weekend (XL Records)
5. Hercules and Love Affair, self-titled (DFA Records)
6. Cut Copy, In Ghost Colors (Modular/Interscope)
7. No Age, Nouns (Sub Pop)
8. Free Kitten, Inherit (Ecstatic Peace)
9. James Blunt, All the Lost Souls (Atlantic)
10. Sun Kil Moon, April (Caldo Verde)

Speaking of which, no need to go to MSG to see M83 because they've added a smaller show at Irving Plaza, on the day they have off one day earlier. Tickets for the January 24th show are on sale. All dates below...

Continue reading "M83 name top 10 albums of 2008, add NYC show (on sale)"

DOWNLOAD: Steinski - The Payoff Mix (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Steinski - Lesson Two (James Brown Mix) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Steinski - Lesson Three (History of Hip Hop) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Bon Iver - Skinny Love (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Shearwater - Leviathan Bound (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Fleet Foxes - White Winter Hymnal (Dj Doc Rok Remix) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Fleet Foxes - White Winter Hymnal (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Fucked Up - No Epiphany (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Fucked Up - Twice Born (MP3)

Plush's Fed & The Dodos' Visiter

It's the time of year when people start talking which album was the best this year. That usually means I start cramming and trying to figure out what I still haven't heard and look forward to what others have to say to make my selection process slightly easier. Part of what I'm saying is, I'm not ready to answer that yet. According to the aggregated critics at MetaCritic, this is what was best this year...

1 London Zoo by The Bug
2 Fed by Plush
3 For Emma, Forever Ago by Bon Iver
4 Dear Science, by TV On The Radio
5 Exit by Shugo Tokumaru
6 Fleet Foxes by Fleet Foxes
7 Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!! by Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds
8 Robyn by Robyn
9 Hercules And Love Affair by Hercules And Love Affair
10 What Does It All Mean? 1983-2006 Retrospective by Steinski

Other bands currently ranking in Metacritic's Top 30: The Dodos, The Music Tapes, Shearwater, Portishead, Harvey Milk, Torche, The Hold Steady, Drive By Truckers, and Fucked Up.

Also put out albums this year: Sigur Ros, Jamie Lidell, Laura Marling, Lykke Li, Marnie Stern, Jenny Lewis, She & Him, Conor Oberst, My Morning Jacket, MGMT, The Black Keys, Calexico, Crystal Stilts, Crystal Castles, Crystal Antlers, Grails, Al Green, Anathallo, Flight of the Conchords, Frightened Rabbit, Wolf Parade, Vampire Weekend, Vivian Girls, The Walkmen, Santogold, Parts & Labor, Cut Copy, Hot Chip, David Byrne, Death Cab For Cutie, Beck, Beach House, Elbow, REM, M83, NIN, No Age, Of Montreal, Destroyer, Department of Eagles, Deerhoof, Deerhunter, The Dears, and Deer Tick (though Deer tick was out in 2007 and reissued in 2008) (and I guess Radiohead is qualified too) (and Metallica, AC/DC and Guns N' Roses) (and JACK JOHNSON) (and a million others).

Who else? What are your favorites this year? Who will Pitchfork pick as #1?

The Bug is going on tour with Nine Inch Nails. Those dates are below...

Continue reading "What is the best album of 2008? (when did it come out?)"

Photos by Chris La Putt

Nomi, now best know as a singing member of Hercules & Love Affair, played solo at the Zipper Factory in NYC on Tuesday night (September 30). The next time Nomi performs in New York will be with Hercules & Love Affair when they open for the B-52s at Hammerstein Ballroom. More pictures from the solo show below...

Continue reading "Nomi @ the Zipper Factory, NYC - pics"

I think tonight's show at the Zipper Factory might be the first solo show Nomi's played in NYC since Hercules & Love Affair took off. I could be wrong. Joining her on the bill is the Death Comet Crew featuring her old friend High Priest.

Hercules & Love Affair also recently announces some dates including November 1st at Hammerstein Ballroom with the B-52's.

The B-52s are playing a show at Hammerstein Ballroom in NYC on November 1st, 2008. In 2007 they played a show on Halloween with The Rapture at Roseland. This year they play the day after Halloween with Hercules & Love Affair and Special Disco Version (James Murphy and Pat Mahoney deejaying). Both years cost $50. Tickets are on sale (@ 10am).

Hercules & Love Affair and The B-52's also have a bunch of other fall shows scheduled without each other. All dates are listed below....

Continue reading "Hercules & Love Affair tour dates, the B-52s, James Murphy"