Parisian duo Isaac Delusion release their Early Morning EP this week on Cracki Records, which shows off their likeable, effervescent glitchpop style. You can stream the whole thing below and we've got the premiere of the EP's single, "Supernova," below which puts a Warholian twist on the old Mister Chinagain gag.

Isaac Delusion are here for a handful on North American shows leading up to SXSW. Thier tour kicks off with two shows in NYC this week: Glasslands on Tuesday (2/26) with Hess is More (tickets); and Wednesday (2/27) at Mercury Lounge with Doe Paoro (tickets). If you'd like to go to the Mercury Lounge show for free, we've got a pair of tickets to give away. Details are below.

All tour dates are listed below...

Continue reading "French group Isaac Delusion released an EP & new video; touring US, including 2 NYC shows this week (win tix) + SXSW"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Hess is More - Wheel of Fortune (MP3)

Hess is More at at Clocktower Gallery, 11/8/2012 (via)

Hess is More's last show at Mercury Lounge was to happen on Halloween but got canceled due to the Lower East Side having no power in Hurricane Sandy's wake. He got thrown on, last minute, to the Big Freedia show at Brooklyn Bowl but now has another Merc show scheduled, a late show on December 13. Tickets are on AmEx presale today at noon and the regular on-sale is Friday (11/23) at noon. It's their official last show of 2012 with nothing else on the horizon as of now.

If you've only heard Hess is More on record -- like last year's underrated Creation Keeps the Devil Away -- you're missing out. Mikkel Hess is a multiinstrumentalist extraordinaire and he and his crackerjack band make for a thumping, Krautrocky danceparty, especially when Hess sits down behind the second kit. I was a bit knocked out when I saw them open for Fujiya & Miyagi at Glasslands back in August. Definitely worth checking out.

The band's most recent NYC show was playing the Shoplifter's 2012 Nervescape installation at the Clocktower Gallery on November 8 and you can stream Hess is More's performance at Clocktower Radio. Meanwhile Hess just released a brand new track, "Wheel of Fortune," a funky slow-burner that you can download above or stream below.

Also below is a stream of Hess is More's remix album, which put songs from Creation Keeps the Devil Away into some very capable hands.

Continue reading "Hess is More has a new song, playing NYC soon (MP3, stream)"

Cars floating in underground garage on Stone St. (via @wingedfeetxc)

Almost every NYC area show on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday was cancelled, and tonight (10/31) (aka Halloween) is looking a little better but still a large percentage of the shows are cancelled.

Tonight's Big Freedia show at Brooklyn Bowl is still on but opener Vockah Redu dropped off. Doors open at 6 PM and the show starts at 9 PM. Admission is free before 7 PM and after that it's $15-$20. UPDATE: Hess is More and Oh Land added to this show.

As mentioned, Aimee Mann and Ted Leo are playing Music Hall of Williamsburg tonight and honoring tickets for Bowery Ballroom or Music Hall of Williamsburg, with plans to reschedule the original Bowery Ballroom date for some time next week.

Music Hall of Williamsburg was only available for Aimee and Ted's show tonight because the Jackie Greene show is cancelled. Refunds are available at the point of purchase.

The Halloween shows in Williamsburg, including Glasslands' covers show, Death by Audio's covers show, and Cameo's free, weekly Big Terrific comedy (early) and The Hold Steady's Dan Neustadt and friends playing MIchael Jackson's Thriller (late), are still on. All door proceeds for tonight's Glasslands show are going to the Red Cross. Ted Leo tweeted he was gonna try and stop by Glasslands after Aimee Mann.

The Misfits annual Halloween show at Highline Ballroom is still on. No it's not. Update:: "The Misfits will go on, but not tonight. Due to weather complications, it is rescheduled for Dec 16th."

Murphy's Law at Trash Bar appears to be happening.

Saint Vitus is open and hosting a Van Halen / David Lee Roth cover band.

Acheron is open too with Author and Punisher.

The World/Inferno Friendship Society annual Halloween show at Warsaw is still on.

285 Kent, however, cancelled their Halloween show tonight. Organizer Todd P says, "We had to cancel Halloween, but it was not 285 Kent's decision; the organizers and bands involved [cancelled]. We would 100% do it and are pretty determined to book something else."

The Meter Men and other shows at BB King's appear to be happening.

Bad news from Dita Von Teese "Regrettably, all NYC StripStripHooray shows are cancelled. Tix will be refunded by LiveNation, & we will be back in early 2013. Thank you all for the support, we were so excited about these sold out shows! Stay safe, NYC! X." StripStripHooray was to have happened this week at Gramercy Theatre.

Wintersleep and Elliot Brood were supposed to play Knitting Factory last night, but are instead playing tonight.

Pete's Candy Store is open.

The Pit is open.

Open mic comedy at The Creek, followed by comedy by MURDERFIST, Joe Machi, Jesse Joyce, and The Cowmen, followed by more open mic comedy is all happening.

The Halloween show at Union Hall with Dionne Werewolf and Hall-oween and Oates is still on.

Halloween at The Film Society at Lincoln Center is open.

The Halloween show at Goodbye Blue Monday with Snake Monsters, Scorpion Child, and The Biomechanic is still on.

Littlefield is hosting a Halloween comedy show.

The Everymen, Runny, and Zac Clark & the Griswolds play Grand Victory tonight.

As mentioned, Andrew WK's Autumn Bowl show is cancelled.

As mentioned, Smashing Pumpkins at Barclays Center is cancelled.

As mentioned, the Park Slope Halloween parade and the Village Halloween Parade are both cancelled. But the VIllage Halloween Parade may still happen on a later date.

As mentioned, the Halloween show at the Bowery Electric is cancelled tonight.

The Hess Is More Halloween concert at Mercury Lounge is cancelled. UPDATE: Hess is More and Oh Land are now playing with Big Freedia at Brooklyn Bowl.

The Halloween show at WEIRD with Bellicose Minds and others is cancelled.

The Halloween show at SOB's is cancelled.

The party at House of Vans is cancelled. They write, "Hallo-Wolfbat is cancelled. The house of vans got two feet of water inside. We are planning to reschedule for a later date. It could be up to a month. All the electrical, sound, and lighting was damaged. Please spread the word. I'll let everyone know the outcome. Looks like it may be a end of the world party in December. I'm sorry"

The Reckless Kelly show at Bowery Ballroom has been postponed.

The Halloween party at The DL with Designer Drugs has been postponed.

Le Poisson Rouge still lists shows for tonight as of this post, but has no power, so cancellations are likely. And actually, "We are sorry to report that Mondo Indie Dance Party Presents MONDOWEEN! is canceled tonight due to power outages from Hurricane Sandy. We wish you all a safe Halloween and a speedy recovery from the storm." UPDATE: LPR confirms they are totally closed.

The Bell House is closed.
Canal Room is closed.
Pianos is closed.
The Living Room is closed.
Cake Shop is closed.
Rockwood Music Hall is closed.
Fontana's is closed.
Santos Party House is closed.
Sunshine Cinema is closed.

A whole bunch of Thursday show are cancelled too.

What else?

Tickets for the Titus Andronicus and Ceremony show at Maxwell's go on sale today at noon and tickets for their Webster Hall show go on AmEx presale today at noon with a general on-sale starting Friday (10/5) at noon.

Caveman is playing the Bowery and Martin Guitar presented "5at5" show at Ace Hotel today (10/3) (the same series Indians played over the summer), where an artist plays five songs at five o'clock. Today's show is free, takes place in the Ace Hotel Lobby at 5 PM.

Icona Pop are opening for Marina and the Diamonds at Terminal 5 on December 6 and The Paramount on December 7 (Huntington, NY). Tickets for those shows go on AmEx presale today (T5 at noon, Paramount at 10 AM) with a general on-sale starting Friday (10/5). Icona Pop will also be here for CMJ to play Santos Party House on October 18 (lineup TBA) and Brooklyn Bowl on October 19 with Penguin Prison (DJ), Born Ruffians, Free Energy, Chad Valley, and Flume. Tickets for the Brooklyn Bowl show are on sale now. All Icona Pop dates are listed below.

Sinkane is playing a free show at Brooklyn Bowl on October 23. Admission is free with RSVP or $5 at the door.

Tickets for the School of Seven Bells and Twin Sister show at Music Hall of Williamsburg go on AmEx presale today.

Tickets for The Vaccines show at Terminal 5 go on AmEx presale today at noon.

Tickets to The Amazing show at Mercury Lounge, which takes place during their tour with Tame Impala, go on AmEx presale today at noon.

Tickets for the Screaming Females show at Maxwell's with their Don Giovanni labelmates Black Wine are on sale now.

Speaking of Don Giovanni, Laura Stevenson and the Cans play Public Assembly on November 11 with The Shondes, Leda, and ADVAITA. Tickets for that show are on sale now.

Hess Is More is playing Mercury Lounge on Halloween (10/31) with "very special guests TBA." Tickets for that show go on AmEx presale today at noon with a general on-sale starting Friday (10/5) at noon.

Speaking of Halloween shows, tickets are still available for the Big Freedia Halloween show at Brooklyn Bowl.

Spirit Family Reunion are playing Mercury Lounge on November 16 with Adam Arcuragi. Tickets for that show go on AmEx presale today at noon with a general on-sale starting Friday (10/5) at noon.

YACHT and Strange Talk are opening The Presets show at Terminal 5 on October 19. Tickets for that show are still available.

Tickets are still available for tonight's M83 show at Hammerstein Ballroom with Sun Airway. We're giving away a pair too. Tickets for their Wellmont show on Thursday (10/4) are still available too.

All Icona Pop dates are listed below...

Continue reading "Caveman (tonight), Titus Andronicus, Ceremony, Icona Pop, Sinkane, Twin Sister, The Amazing & more tix on sale"

DJ Rashad

Chicago footwork producer DJ Rashad released the excellent TEKLIFE Vol. 1: Welcome to the Chi album earlier this year, and played a Brooklyn show at 285 Kent soon after with Total Freedom and J-Cush. All three of those artists will be returning this weekend for another show at 285 Kent on Sunday (9/23) with Visionist and a "surprise special guest." No word on who the guest is, but the show is the official after party for the Gang Gang Dance and Prince Rama show happening at 285 Kent earlier that night (the third of three GGD shows in NYC this weekend). Admission for this all ages party is $5 before 1 AM and $10 after.

As for LA producer Total Freedom (aka Ashland Mines), who opened on tour for Gang Gang Dance last year, he'll be landing in Brooklyn a bit earlier for a warehouse party at 110 Troutman TONIGHT (9/21) with $hayne and Rizzla. The flier for tonight's show is below.

Meanwhile, J-Cush will also be at 285 Kent on Saturday (9/22) for the previously mentioned Sasha Go Hard show. That bill also includes DJ Manny, Cedaa, and Durban. $5 at the door before 1 AM. That will be Sasha's second NYC show of this week, having played Santos with LE1F last night (9/20). How was that show? Sasha loved it.

If dancing into the wee hours of the night is your thing, those three shows are only two of the many dance options in NYC this weekend. Head below to see more...

Continue reading "DJ Rashad, Total Freedom, Midnight Magic, Nicholas, Pictureplane & more dance options in NYC this weekend"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Omega Male - Omega Male (MP3)

Omega Male

As mentioned previously, Fugiya & Miyagi are in the U.S. for this weekend's Bumbershoot Festival in Seattle but are stopping in NYC this week to play Glasslands on Thursday (8/30) with Hess is More and Wishes. Tickets for that show are still available.

While Fujiya & Miyagi are between albums, frontman David Best has formed a new musical venture called Omega Male which is a collaboration with Sammy Rubin of Brooklyn's theatrical electroppers Project Jenny, Project Jan. While Best seems to be the dominent force in this partnership -- his breathy delivery remains intact and you could imagine these being F&M songs -- the instrumentation, which includes a lot of non-analogue snyths, definitely gives Omega Male a different feel.

The Omega Male album will be out in October via Full Time Hobby but you can download the album's lead track (and group theme song) at the top of this post. Cover Art for the album and a stream of that track are below.

Continue reading "Fujiya & Miyagi frontman forms new duo Omega Male; F&M in town this week"

Slow Club

A couple shows at Glasslands in August we should point out. On their way to Seattle's Bumbershoot Festival, Fujiya & Miyagi will stop by on August 31 for a show at the Williamsburg venue with Hess is More and Wishes. Tickets for that show are on sale now. It's their only other U.S. date scheduled at the moment. Did you go see them at Glasslands back in January?

And then the next night (8/31) Glasslands hosts Slow Club for what is their only current American date we can find. The show is with Secret Cities and tickets for that show are on sale now. Something must be brewing. Slow Club were here back in February. The band just released a video for new single "Beginners" (you may recognize it's star, even without the lightning bolt scar, watch it below) and are currently wrapping up recording for a new EP.

Continue reading "Slow Club and Fujiya & Miyagi playing shows (separately) at Glasslands in August"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: The Stepkids - Shadows on Behalf (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Stepkids - Legend in My Own Mind (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Cuckoo Chaos - Just Ride It (MP3)

The Stepkids

Is it too late to say Happy New Year to all of you out there? Probably. Okay, nevermind. It is a New Year though, and the rock machine is already in full swing. If you haven't spent all your money on tickets to the chickfactor fest (I can't tell you how psyched I am to see Small Factory) there's some good options.

Top of my list this weekend is the previously mentioned Stepkids show at Knitting Factory on Saturday (1/14). Their self-titled debut made my Favorite Albums of 2011 list (#36) and don't feel it got enough attention. I wrote:

Like The Bees, The Stepkids recreate a specific era of sound -- early '70s psychedelic soul -- with such skill you might think it was some obscure Fifth Dimension album or outtakes from Psychedelic Shack. That it works beyond an exercise is mimicry shows how talented these three are.

And they are crazy talented. All three members write and sing and spent time playing with the likes of Alicia Keys, Lauren Hill and 50 Cent before deciding to take a stranger path in music. I do wish they'd make a 15-piece Stepkids Love Unlimited Orchestra so they could really do the complexities of the album justice in a live setting, but what they accomplish as a trio is still pretty damn impressive. (A killer light show helps in that department.) They were great when they played our day party at Public Assembly during CMJ week during which we taped them doing an acoustic cover of Nirvana's "Heart Shaped Box" which you can watch at the bottom of this post. Also down there is the Tom Sharpling-directed video for "Legend in My Own Mind" which is pretty funny.

Cuckoo Chaos

Opening for The Stepkids are San Diego band Cuckoo Chaos who also play Friday (1/13) at Mercury Lounge with Country Mice. The band have toured with Anna Calvi and were last in town during CMJ. The band play an appealing take on afrobeat-y indie rock with nice harmonies. I do really like their song "Just Ride It" which is downloadable at the top of this post. If you like that one, check out their album Woman (listen on Spotify, buy at eMusic) and consider going to one of their shows this weekend.

Radical Dads at Brooklyn Night Bazaar, December 2011

A few spots above the Stepkids on my Albums of 2011 list (#29) is Radical Dads' debut, Mega Rama, which is nine tasty chunks of shouty/catchy indie rock wrapped up in one of my favorite sleeves of the year. They're also a total blast live, as evidenced by anyone who showed up early to the BV-presented show at Brooklyn Night Bazaar last month.

You've got your first chance to catch Radical Dads in 2012, as previously mentioned, Friday night (1/13) where they play Cameo Gallery. The whole evening's card is pretty stacked with local talent. Also playing are mellow folk pop band Backwords (stream their new album below), the sloppy pop of Moonmen on the Moon, Man and the electro-tinged stylings of Yanqui.

King Krule, last night at Mercury Lounge

I would mention the King Krule shows happening this weekend but as they're all sold out, you're either going or you're not. I thought he was good when I saw him at Glasslands during CMJ. He looks even younger in person, but that voice seems to be from someone 30 years older. Anyway, a few more weekend picks are below, day-by-day....

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 12

Chain And The Gang, 5 Dollar Priest, Eleanor Friedberger, Nicole Atkins and many more play a Jonathan Toubin benefit at Music Hall of Williamsburg tonight.

Next door at Public Assembly, the Juan Maclean and Com Truise are playing a party celebrating new MTV show I Just Want My Pants Back. Tickets were free with RSVP but list is at capacity.

continued below...

Continue reading "The Stepkids, Cuckoo Chaos, Radical Dads, Backwords & more in This Week in Indie"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Hess is More - Creation Keeps the Devil Away (MP3)

Danish musician Mikkel Hess just released Creation Keeps the Devil away on Nublu Records, the new album under his punny moniker Hess is More. The album's out this week and you can download the title track at the top of this post and watch the video for the very catchy "Burn" below.

Hess is More plays a record release show Tuesday (10/11) at Westway (75 Clarkson St.) and it's free with RSVP. While his records are a solo thing, Hess is More live is a seven-piece band which sounds pretty interesting. Nomi Ruiz is DJing.

In addition to the "Burn" video, there are streams of Hess is More covers of Blondie's "Heart of Glass," Talking Heads' "Once in a Lifetime" and Simon & Garfunkle's "The Only Living Boy in New York" -- a tribute to the city where he made his new album. Hess says:

Sometimes it can be overwhelming to think about how much amazing music that has been created already. Maybe you know the feeling of songs from that endless pool of music that just fall into your head, and you don't know where they came from. You might not even recall the title or the artist, but some part of it is stuck with you. I started acting on these bits and pieces dropping in, by making cover versions. Not studying excactly the orginal, but based more freely on the bits and pieces I could remember in the moment. Here are three songs that are somehow all related to New York City. Thanks.

Flyer for record release party, videos and cover version streams are all below.

Continue reading "Hess is More celebrating new LP w/ free NYC show, NYC cover songs (dates, MP3 & video)"