On one of the sunniest day of the year so far, Hobokenites came out in droves to eat, see local art and hear live music at the Hoboken Arts and Music Festival on Sunday afternoon...

The Baseball Project... proceeded to rip a hole through the afternoon with the sheer power of their rocking and songwriting prowess. Highlights (and there were many) included Wynn's ode to Detroit Tiger's pitcher Mark Fidrych entitled '1976', McCaughey's wordtastic 'Panda and The Freak,' and the ridiculously talented rhythm section of Buck and Pitmon.

Craig Finn (of the Hold Steady) made a truly electric guest appearance on a tune for which he penned the lyrics called, 'Please Don't Call Them Twinkies.'" He was entirely captivating and having never heard/seen him sing live before, I think I fully understand now why his band is so popular. -[Patch]

As promised, Craig Finn also showed up two days earlier at The Baseball Project's 4/29 show at the Bell House. Watch Craig sing with them at the Brooklyn show, in a video below. In between Hoboken and Brooklyn, they also played a show at Drew's House in Ringwood, NJ where their setlist included covers of both the Cramps and the Flamin Groovies. Videos from that show are also below.

And with those triumphant dates in their rearview, The Baseball Project has announced their return to NYC with a date at City Winery on June 5th. Tickets are on sale. The NYC date is part of a larger string of mostly Northeastern dates that will also include a stop in Baseball Hall of Fame home Cooperstown on June 3rd (they play a brewery there).

All of this touring is in support of their second album, Volume Two: High and Inside, which was released March 1 on Yep Roc and includes guest appearances from Craig Finn, Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie, Steve Berlin of Los Lobos, Yo La Tengo's Ira Kaplan, and Chris Funk and John Moen of The Decemberists.

All tour dates, a video of the band on "Extra" (where they play "Fair Weather Fan" and talk about being accepted by the baseball community), and the above-mentioned videos, below....

Continue reading "The Baseball Project played Hoboken & Brooklyn w/ Craig Finn (and Drew's House too), announce more dates (City Winery)"

The Baseball Project

Like he recently did with the Mountain Goats, Twins fan Craig Finn will reportedly make a guest appearance with The Baseball Project at the Bell House in Brooklyn tonight (4/29). As Wikipiedia puts it, "The Baseball Project is a supergroup composed of Peter Buck, Scott McCaughey, Steve Wynn and Linda Pitmon formed in 2007." Also playing tonight's show is Baseball Project member Steve Wynn's band Steve Wynn & The Miracle Three.

Yo La Tengo's Ira Kaplan probably won't make it to collaborate or see the Brooklyn show because he'll be busy playing with Marshall Crenshaw over at City Winery. Ira did recently play with a bunch of R.E.M. members though, at a show whose focus was Big Star.

if you miss the Brooklyn show, you have a couple more chances to catch the Baseball Project this weekend, especially if you know Drew (they play at his house in Ringwood, NK on April 30th), and if you don't mind heading to Hoboken for the annual and FREE Hoboken Arts & Music Festival on Sunday (5/1) with Ian Hunter and more on three stages (I bet Ira is at that one). Full fest schedule, a video of Craig Finn playing a new song, and all tour dates bleow...

Continue reading "the Baseball Project is here (Craig Finn will join them), Hoboken Arts Fest this weekend (they play that too)"

Alex Chilton @ Hoboken Arts & Music Fest 2009

This year's Hoboken Arts & Music Festival will happen on Sunday, May 2nd, 11am to 6pm, on Washington Street (b/w Observer Highway and 7th St). The musical offerings include pop-rock hit-makers Fountains of Wayne (who play a sold-out show at Maxwell's the night before), songwriter Freedy Johnston, NJ roadhouse blues The Doughboys and others plus "over 300 artists, sculptors, photographers and craftspeople."

Last year's fest featured members of The Feelies (who are playing July 4th weekend shows in Hoboken) and '60s group The Box Tops (Alex Chilton RIP).

More info with the current music lineup, and videos from last year, below...

Continue reading "Hoboken Arts & Music Fest 2010 lineup includes Fountains of Wayne & Freedy Johnston (the Box Tops played last year)"

Hoboken Arts & Music Festival, Spring 2006 (David Pfeffer)

The annual Hoboken Spring Arts & Music Festival is taking place this year on Sunday, May 3rd. Bands scheduled to perform include East of Venus, Yung Wu and Wild Carnation -- all of which feature members of The Feelies -- plus reunited '60s group The Box Tops.

The Box Tops were a Memphis pop music group of the late 1960s. They are best known for the hits "The Letter," "Neon Rainbow", "Soul Deep" and "Cry Like A Baby," and are considered a major blue-eyed soul group of the period...Vocalist Alex Chilton went on to front the power-pop band Big Star and to launch a career as a solo artist.... [Wikipedia]

Chilton will be there as will 4/5 of the original group.

Feelies bassist Brenda Sauter plays with Wild Carnation, East of Venus has Glenn Mercer and drummer Stan Demeski, and Yung Wu includes Dave Weckerman, Mercer and others (basically the whole band has gigged with Yung Wu at times).

The Feelies have performances together coming up, too. The band is playing an acoustic set at The Whitney on Friday, June 26th, and has a pair of July 4th-weekend shows at Maxwell's in Hoboken. The band plays ATP NY in September.

Catch a video of The Box Tops playing their most well known tune, "The Letter" -- plus a strangely intense clip of the song on American Bandstand -- with the Hoboken fest's full schedule and directions, below...

Continue reading "2009 Hoboken Spring Arts & Music Festival lineup - The Box Tops, three Feelies-related bands & more"

Sunday, Sept. 28th, 2008 - 11am to 6pm along Washington St. in Hoboken - Observer Highway to 7th St. Featuring three stages of live music & over 300 artists, sculptors, photographers & craftspeople

Mary Weiss and the rest of the lineup below...

Continue reading "2008 Hoboken Arts & Music Festival - full lineup & schedule"