Speaking of Fleet Foxes members and Sub Pop, Sub Pop also announced the signing of Poor Moon, a band with Fleet Foxes members Christian Wargo and Casey Wescott and The Christmas Cards members/brothers Ian and Peter Muray. Sub Pop will release the band's Illusion EP on March 27. Download the track, "People in Her Mind," off of the EP below in exchange for your email address below.

Poor Moon will be touring this Spring with Lost in the Trees. That tour hits NYC on April 11 at Le Poisson Rouge. Tickets are on sale now. All dates are listed below.

Meanwhile catch Lost in the Trees in NYC at Housing Works on Friday, February 17.

In other Fleet Foxes news, a tumblr has arisen called Fleet Foxes Sing, where a group of people cover songs like James Blake's "The Wilhelm Scream" and Madonna's "Like A Virgin" in the style of Fleet Foxes. It's not nearly as funny or convincing as Bon Joviver though.

Father John Misty is one of two new Fleet Foxes-related projects signed to Sub Pop. The other is Poor Moon.

Widget and dates below...

Continue reading "Poor Moon (mems of Fleet Foxes) sign to Sub Pop too, touring with Lost in the Trees (dates & MP3)"

words by Rachel Kowal, photos by Amanda M. Hatfield

Laura Marling @ Housing Works

With its hardwood floors, book-lined shelves, and high ceilings, the SoHo Housing Works proved to be the perfect setting for a quiet, intimate show last night (6/14). (And it was all for a good cause!)

Though no opener had been advertised on the store's site, Sleepy Doug Shaw (aka Highlife) kicked off the evening with a short, 30-minute set. Fresh off a plane from England, Shaw kept things low key and stuck to a single guitar. Though he asked for reverb a few times, his sound was clear. "This is the most naked I've felt in a while. I just came off a tour where I was playing the same set-up but through a myriad of echoes," he quietly revealed midway through his set.

As his moniker suggests, Shaw's gentle folk songs may have been a bit soporific at times, but the crowd listened to both his woozy guitar melodies and impressively quick finger picking riffs with a quiet reverence.

After a short break, Laura Marling began her set with a string of songs from her last album, I Speak Because I Can. As she began to play "Hope in the Air," she briefly interrupted herself with a bit of a confession. "I've written a really bad set list and put three really intense songs right next to each other. I hope you're not all really sad already," she joked, to help ease the tension.

Of course, nearly all of Marling's songs paint somber pictures. I hesitate to call her a singer-songwriter for fear that it will conjure up a generic cute-sy image for many people. But instead of committing hackneyed topics to conventional lyrics, Marling sings of ghosts, sickness, and hopeless situations with an earnestness that makes her a joy to watch despite the haunting content of her songs.

Last night, Marling offered a glimpse into her third album, which she just finished recording. I can't say the new material is any more light hearted - the first of the three songs was about slipping into madness - but the songs contain the same beauty that marks the rest of her discography. Of course, with so much of her songs veiled in metaphors and folk tales, it's unclear how autobiographical the lyrics are, but I confess I'm glad she still hasn't turned in that dark world view for puppies, rainbows, and carefree love.

With the exception of loud applause after each song, the crowd was quiet to an almost eerie extent. Not usually one for banter, even Marling seemed a bit miffed by the silence. "How are you? Are you ok?" she asked nervously toward the end of her set, as if checking the audience for a pulse. To the delight of the crowd, she concluded her all-too-short set with a couple of older songs, including one of her best, "Ghosts."

Laura Marling's new album comes out this fall on the new Domino-related label Ribbon Music (home of John Maus). Housing Works sells books and serves coffee all year long.

Laura's setlist and more pictures from the whole show, below....

Continue reading "Laura Marling played Housing Works w/ Sleepy Doug Shaw (pics & setlist)"

Dinosaur Feathers at Pier 54 in 2010 (more by Dominick Mastrangelo)

The annual Open Air Street Fair outside Housing Works Bookstore Cafe (on Crosby Street in Manhattan) is taking place Sunday, June 5. The free event starts at 10 AM and is open to all ages. This year's lineup features performances by Darlings, Dinosaur Feathers, Friends, Grand Rapids, and The Woes Like, Mountains (who have replaced the Woes) . The event also includes beer and barbecue, books, movies, CDs, and records on sale for $1 or less, and clothes and accessories. 100% of the profits go to Housing Works which provides housing, healthcare, job training, and advocacy for New Yorkers living with HIV/AIDS.

This is one of several Dinosaur Feathers shows throughout June and July. They also play Silent Barn on June 11 with Shark? and Gross Relations. More Dinosaur Feathers dates and details on the Housing Works day, below.

Continue reading "Housing Works Open Air Street Fair Sunday, and other Dinosaur Feathers dates"

Laura Marling, who never made it to Public Assembly back in January, has just announced that she will appear at Housing Works Cafe & Bookstore in NYC on June 14th. Tickets are supposedly going on sale soon (thanks Andrew).

The rest of her dates, all in Europe, are listed below...

Continue reading "Laura Marling playing Housing Works & a bunch of UK shows"

by Andrew Frisicano

St. Vincent @ Pitchfork Fest in Chicago (more by Kate Gardiner)

David Byrne and Annie Clark are collaborating on music for a future Housing Works benefit. There's no date set for that, but Asphalt Orchestra will be debuting a version of one of the songs they've been working on...

A few months ago we had [Here Lies Love arranger] Tony Finno arrange the horns, and we performed one of the songs -- tentatively titled "Who" -- at the end of Annie's show at the Rose Room at Lincoln Center. Now, having been approached by the Bang On a Can spinoff Asphalt Orchestra, with the help of [Asphalt saxist/producer] Ken Thomson we've adapted another song called either "Two Ships" or "The Movie" for their group. This will be an instrumental version and we'll do a vocal version later. [David Byrne]

In addition to that piece, they'll be debuting a commission by Yoko Ono; other songs in the group's repertoire include commissions by Tyondai Braxton of Battles and Stew & Heid Rodewald of Passing Strange and BAM Next Wave 2010. The 12-piece will release a seven-track CD of its material on August 3rd through Canatloupe Music. That includes a blisteringly dissonant song by Swedish metal band Meshuggah and an intricately-arranged version of Bjork's "Hyper-Ballad." There are a few more typical "ra-ra" maching band songs on the album too (Zappa in particular is already quite melodic and pompy), but the band focuses on getting unusual sounds out of the limited instrumentation. Live, they move in unique coordinated patterns, so the experience is individualized to the space and where you stand.

As an aside, this Saturday at Lincoln Center Out of Doors Festival is going to be particularly amazing, with the "Detroit Breakdown" lineup of Mitch Ryder, ? and the Mysterians, The Gories, Death and more.

St. Vincent has her own free show this weekend, at the Central Park SummerStage Sunday (8/1) afternoon, with openers Tune-Yards and Basia Bulat.

A video of Asphalt Orchestra doing that Meshuggah song on WNYC, and their schedule, plus a video of Annie doing a nylon-string version of "Actor Out of Work," are below...

Continue reading "David Byrne & Annie Clark collaborating for Housing Works, Asphalt Orchestra playing a song (and some shows) "

The Black Keys doubled in size @ MSG (pic by rossmckillop)

"Auerbach and Carney, who used to tour as a duo, will be joined by some extra players for the first time.

"We might bring out a couple of people to play a few of songs with us," he said. "The majority of the set will still be two-piece, but [we'll] have a couple of guys come out because we really like a lot of the arrangements on the record and it would be fun to be able to do those live instead of having to strip down. We've got two guys who helped us with the live Blakroc stuff, and we became friends with. Leon Michels, a keyboardist and Nick Movshon on bass -- they're pretty tight." [express night out] (via)

The Black Keys (with four members) opened for Pearl Jam (with Eddie Vedder in a Public Image Ltd t-shirt) at MSG last night (5/20). It was Pearl Jam's 1st of 2 shows in a row at the NYC venue. The next is tonight, Friday, 5/21, but with Band of Horses opening instead (maybe The Black Keys will go check out Macgruber). The Black Keys, who also played a Microsoft Kin show in NYC the other day, played a benefit at Housing Works bookstore one night before MSG. Videos and setlists from both shows (for both bands) below...

Continue reading "Pearl Jam played MSG w/ The Black Keys (who played as a four-piece & in a bookstore one day earlier) - setlists & video"

The Black Keys @ the Roots Picnic 2009 (more by Tim Griffin)

"The Black Keys' new album, Brothers, is due May 18 on Nonesuch Records. In conjunction with the album's release, the band will launch an exclusive pop-up store at New York City's Housing Works Bookstore Cafe, one of downtown New York's most vital community institutions. The pop-up store will be open from May 18 through May 20 only, highlighted by an intimate performance by The Black Keys on May 19 from which 100% of ticket proceeds will go directly to Housing Works, Inc., which provides housing, healthcare, job training, and advocacy for New Yorkers living with HIV/AIDS."

Continue reading "The Black Keys are playing Housing Works Bookstore"

DOWNLOAD: The Morning Benders - Promises (MP3)

photos by Waverly Rose / second set by Fresh Bread

A trio of bands - Cuddle Magic, Morning Benders and Shark? - played acoustic sets at Housing Works's CD swap on Thursday, February 25th. Two separate sets of pictures from that Hype Machine-sponsored event are in this post.

Morning Benders then played Market Hotel two days later and they have a busy upcoming schedule - they'll tour to SXSW and return to NYC for a show on April 22nd at Mercury Lounge which is now sold out (though Harlem, the early show at the same venue that night, is still on sale). Didn't grab tickets? Well, they've added a second show. The new Mercury Lounge date is Wednesday, April 28th. Tickets go on sale soon.

Can't wait that long? The band's album, which you can stream online and get a song from above, comes out March 9th on Rough Trade. So to celebrate they'll play a BrooklynVegan-presented CD release show at The Cameo this Monday, March 8th. The place is small. The show is FREE. Arrive early if you want a shot at getting in. Flyer below.

The rest of Morning Benders' tour dates, including SXSW, are HERE (plus there's at least one more Austin show still TBA). Flyers, a live session with friends (that include members of Girls & John Vanderslice), and more pictures are below...

Continue reading "Morning Benders played Housing Works (pics), add 2nd Mercury Lounge show, playing free CD release show @ Cameo"

DOWNLOAD: The Morning Benders - Promises (MP3

Morning Benders...

Morning Benders, Shark? and Cuddle Magic all convene at Housing Works Bookstore Cafe for a show/CD swap at 6:30pm tonight (2/25). The event, hosted by Max Silvestri and The Hype Machine, benefits Housing Works and to get in you need $5 + at least 1 used CD (to trade).

The Morning Benders' new album Big Echo comes out March 9th on Rough Trade. You can check out a song from it above, or catch the band at one of their many upcoming dates, posted below. They'll be at Market Hotel with Surfer Blood this Saturday (2/27). The band will also tour to SXSW for shows that include the Rough Trade showcase at Emo's Jr. on Wednesday, March 17th with The Strange Boys, The Unthanks, Basia Bulat, Dylan LeBlanc and Warpaint. They'll be back in NYC for a show at Mercury Lounge on April 22nd with Minature Tiger. Tickets are on sale now.

A flyer for the HW show and all Morning Benders and Shark? tour dates are below...

Continue reading "CD Swap at Housing Works (tonight) & other Morning Benders tour dates"

JEFF the Brotherhood @ Death by Audio in April (more by Leia Jospe)

tonight in NYC
* Whiplash comedy @ UCB
* It is It comedy @ Pianos
* Kate Havenick @ Rockwood Music Hall
* Rev. Vince Anderson @ Union Pool
* Good for the Jews @ Highline Ballroom
* Les Paul Guitar Tribute w/ Pat Martino & Eldar @ Iridium
* Rhett Miller, Jill Hennessey @ Housing Works Bookstore
* Wesley Willis's Joy Rides (film), Eric Lindley, Teenage Prayers @ Glasslands
* Split Lip/Chamberlain, Walter Schreifels, Atlantic/Pacific @ Bowery Ballroom
* JEFF The Brotherhood, Dinowalrus, Sisters, Coin Under Tongue @ Mercury Lounge
* Shark?, Dinosaur Feathers, Coyote Eyes, I'm Turning Into, Sherpas @ The Cameo
* eTown live radio show taping w/ Tori Amos & Jesse Winchester @ Grand Ballroom
* Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, Blame The Patient, Jason Anderson @ The Bell House

Rhett Miller plays at Housing Works Bookstore Cafe tonight with Jill Hennessey. He and his band, the Old 97s, play four quasi-New Year's shows at Dallas's Sons of Hermann Hall from Dec 27th-Dec 30th.

JEFF The Brotherhood opened for Ted Leo last night - tonight they headline the Mercury Lounge with Dinowalrus, Sisters and Coin Under Tongue.

The reunited Split Lip/Chamberlain play Bowery Ballroom (their only upcoming booked show) with fellow veterans Walter Schreifels and Atlantic/Pacific (Garrett Klahn of Texas Is The Reason).

In a weekend full of bad news, Jack Rose passed away and Rivers Cuomo and family were in a bus crash.

Joly posted a new Jack Rose video he recorded in 2004. Check that out below...

Videos of Mission of Burma performing live on KEXP, below...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Monday?"

John Darnielle will be in attendance at a screening of a movie of him playing music. The event is this Sunday (10/4) at Housing Works in NYC. Free. First come, first served. For an actual live Mountain Goats show, you'll have to wait until December.

photos by Tim Griffin

Yellow Bird Project presents a performance by Elvis Perkins and DJ Set by members of Ra Ra Riot in celebration of the release of their Indie Rock Coloring Book. Books and shirts will be available, cash bar. All proceeds benfit the Yellow Bird Project and its network of charities as well as Housing Works. Tickets are $15, and guarantee only standing room, as seating is limited and first-come-first-served. Beer, wine, coffee, and snacks will be available.

Continue reading "Ra Ra Riot DJ tonight (w/ Elvis Perkins) +++ unseen APW pics & more 2009 Tour Dates (w/ Princeton)"

DOWNLOAD: Elvis Perkins - Slow Doomsday (MP3)

Tickets are on sale for the shows Elvis Perkins is playing at Bowery Ballroom (with Bowerbirds) and Music Hall of Williamsburg in December, and updated dates were just announced along with news of a new EP...

"We call this thing The Doomsday EP for obvious reasons, and its middle name to which it also answers is The EP of the Id. Being drawn to the many faces of the American strain it seems we have more or less subconsciously produced a collection speaking to/and or from several of them at once. It's a document of impulses sleeping egos and their superiors let pass to tape. I myself didn't know what these songs sounded like in the hands of EPID until they were processed and played back. You have a song that arrived like the rest of us by boat, a selection from the Sacred Harp, a rock 'n roll heralding the eternal advent of rock 'n roll, an ode to the soul of the undead and, finally (and firstly), two takes on a single song called Doomsday, one which comes from our March release and the other which leans in the direction of its original conception as something of a gospel number. And here they all are, risen from their cribs and graves, under one moonlight while their folks and undertakers look the other way." - Elvis Perkins

The new tour dates include a September 2nd solo show at Housing Works Bookestore Cafe in NYC. Members of Ra Ra Riot will be DJing. The show is part of a series of events "to celebrate and promote Yellow Bird Project's new Indie Rock Coloring Book". "All proceeds will benefit Yellow Bird Project and its network of charities, and Housing Works, the nation's largest community-based AIDS services organization." Tickets are on sale.

All dates and the new EP tracklist, below...

Continue reading "Elvis Perkins - new MP3, EP, tix, tour dates (Housing Works)"

DOWNLOAD: Heartless Bastards - The Mountain (MP3)

Heartless Bastards @ Bowery Ballroom Oct. 2008 (more by Nathan Miller)

Ohio's Heartless Bastards, led by Erika Wennerstrom, will be opening up the Friday lineup at All Points West this weekend. The only people who go on before them at the Jersey City fest are "College Humor" on the Queen of the Valley, sometimes-comedy stage. Their record The Mountain came out earlier this year on Fat Possum. The title track is above.

You can also catch Erika performing solo tonight (July 30th) at Housing Works Bookstore Cafe (126 Crosby Street New York, NY) with Butterfly Boucher as part of the non-profit's Live from Home series. Tickets are on sale (thx rajohn).

Housing Works recently hosted a variety show benefit which featured an acoustic performance by Fiery Furnaces, and will be holding an event with Dredg and Salman Rushdie on October 1st.

Heartless Bastards are on tour through August. They open a bunch of shows for The Decemberists and then for The Avett Brothers. They'll also be making an appearance at the Austin City Limits Festival in October. It's a Texas fest they also played in 2008. They also taped a set for the TV show with the same name last June.

Clips of Heartless Bastards on ACL and at ACL Fest, with all tour dates, below...

Continue reading "Heartless Bastards - 2009 Tour Dates (Erika Wennerstrom solo @ Housing Works tonight, APW Friday, ACL, more)"

DOWNLOAD: Fiery Furnaces - The End is Near (MP3)

Fiery Furnaces @ Barack the Vote (more by Kyle Dean Reinford)

Dear Sir or Madam,

Regarding your recent story about the Fiery Furnaces in the bowling alley: thank you for writing about us; and thanks to the bowling alley for having us there. However, and as it happens, we feel obliged to report that the tone of our remarks was often misrepresented. For instance: the quote which begins the piece was said, in actual fact, with quite a bit of sarcasm. To be sure, it was not a very witty remark. But it certainly was sarcastic. In the future, the band will strive to be more obviously insincere and disdainful.

In writing this we of course imply no disrespect to the bowling alley, which is no doubt providing, as employer or client, a much needed boost to the economy of North Williamsburg; to say nothing of the remarkable atmosphere it certainly succeeds in promulgating. Conversely, we would not like to be thought in anyway dissatisfied with the efforts of the writer of the piece, whom we continue to regard as extremely pleasant and very intelligent.

Needless to say, we hold it an honor to be mentioned in any capacity by as legendary a publication as the Village Voice. As always, we are proud to patronize your advertisers and be personally affected by your editorial positions.

Sincerely, and with affection,

The Fiery Furnaces

For a more extended look at the Fiery Furnaces, whose I'm Going Away just came out on Thrill Jockey, they'll be playing the August 9th Williamsburg Waterfront Pool Party with Simian Mobile Disco, Dark Meat and Finger on the Pulse DJs.

On October 1st, Housing Works will host a benefit titled "Liner Notes, an Evening of Music and Literature." For that event...

Acclaimed author Salman Rushdie and progressive rock band Dredg will co-headline Liner Notes...to explore the cross-pollination of music and literature and raise funds for Housing Works, a New York-based AIDS service organization. The event will be presented by SPIN and its SPIN.com Book Club, and will celebrate the recent release of Dredg's fourth album, The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion, which was inspired by Rushdie's essay "Imagine There's No Heaven: A Letter to the Sixth Billionth Citizen."

Dredg is currently on tour with RX Bandits. They play Irving Plaza and Bowery Ballroom at the end of July. Fiery Furnaces are going on tour with White Rabbits in August. All dates below...

Continue reading "Fiery Furnaces @ Housing Works tonight/Wednesday, Dredg w/ Salman Rushdie in October & other tour dates & stuff"

photos by Dese'Rae L. Stage

[Wednesday] night after an impossibly drizzling/humid day, Neil Gaiman & Amanda Palmer performedat Housing Works Bookstore as a part of SPIN's "Liner Notes", an event that combines a musician and an author to discuss creativity. This was the second event of the series, the first being Augusten Burroughs with Tegan (of Tegan & Sara).

The set opened with Gaiman reading a section from he and Palmer's soon-to-be released book Who Killed Amanda Palmer? The piece seemed to be a preface or at least an opening story to the book, a collection of photographs of Amanda Palmer dead with short stories by Gaiman.

After the story, Palmer launched into "Astronaut", the first song off the "Who Killed Amanda Palmer?" album, a great choice. [cupcake witch]

Continue reading "Amanda Palmer & Neil Gaiman @ Housing Works, NYC - pics "

Bjork @ Housing Works (more by Ryan Muir)

For one night only in New York City, see and hear Björk's "Voltaic: The Volta Tour Live in Paris" in glorious high definition video and audio in one of North America's greatest new venues. The School of Visual Arts' beautiful new theater, with its state of the art equipment, provides the optimal situation for viewing and hearing this concert film from one of the most innovative artists of our time. [Cinema Purgatorio]

Bjork's most recent concert in NYC took place at Housing Works. Also on that bill were the Dirty Projectors (who have two announced NYC shows coming up) and Olof Arnalds (who is playing the BrooklynVegan Northside Showcase at MHOW on Friday, June 12th).

Other events coming up at Housing Works Bookstore & Cafe in SoHo include a show by Amanda Palmer, TONIGHT, June 3rd, and a street fair on Crosby St. this Saturday, June 6th.

The Bjork DVD will also be screened in other cities and states. More information on it with the full list of dates and the poster, below...

Continue reading "Bjork 'Voltaic' screenings & a Housing Works street fair"

DOWNLOAD: Ólöf Arnalds - Við og Við (MP3)

Olof Arnalds @ Housing Works in NYC (more by Chris La Putt)

Last Friday, 300 lucky guests crowded into Housing Works Bookstore for a very special installment of the bookstore's Live From Home concert series: the occasion was a collaboration between musical legend Björk and the up-and-coming Brooklyn band The Dirty Projectors. It was a night of never before heard music to benefit Housing Works Inc., which provides direct services for homeless New Yorkers with HIV and AIDS.

Guests drank beer from Whole Foods, Hendricks Gin and Reyka Vodka cocktails and wondered what lay in store. Björk and the Dirty Projectors each chose an opening act: Olöf Arnalds, a singer from Björk's native Iceland, and Kurt Weisman, from Vermont were introduced by the headliners. Hosting the evening was bookstore board member and Stereogum writer Brandon Stosuy...

...The music was transcendent, and the night was a huge success as a fundraiser-raising $40,000 for Housing Works, Inc. Thanks to everyone who helped make it such an amazing night."
[Housing Works press release]

Thursday, June 11 @ Union Pool - Olof Arnalds w/ François Virot, Lisa Li-Lund, Sharon Van Etten, and Ivana XL (Uncensored Interview Presents "The Speakeasy: A Showcase of Transatlantic Alt-Folk")

Friday, June 12 @ Music Hall of Williamsburg - Olof Arnalds w/ John Vanderslice & The Tallest Man On Earth & one more artist TBA. (the BrooklynVegan showcase)

The Tallest Man/Vanderslice/Olof/TBA show at MHOW is now one of two BV Northside Fest shows. The 2nd one is, courtesy of Black Bubblegum, much heavier.

Olof covered Bjork at the Bjork Housing Works show. Watch that video, and others like it, below...

Continue reading "Olof Arnalds playing 2 Northside Festival shows (BV showcase included), helped raise lots of $$$ for HW (amount) "

photos by Ryan Muir

The songs were largely or entirely Mr. Longstreth's -- he took half the lead vocals, leaving Bjork the lead on three songs -- but her presence brought out their longer melodic lines amid the counterpoint. Where Mr. Longstreth's lead vocals can sound mannered, Bjork sings like a force of nature. The songs became ballads of innocence and discovery, particularly the delicate finale, a moment of mystical interspecies communion concluding with a line from Kurt Cobain: "All in all is all we are." It would have been a crowd-pleasing touch to follow up with a rearranged Bjork song as an encore -- Dirty Projectors recorded her "Hyperballad" on that Bjork tribute CD -- but they chose to leave that gentle homily in the air.

Bjork and the Dirty Projectors each chose an opening act: Olof Arnalds, a woman from Bjork's native Iceland, and Kurt Weisman, from Vermont. Both were songwriters who put unexpected melodic tangents and other idiosyncratic twists into sparse, folky material. [Jon Pareles @ The NY Times]

Continue reading "Bjork & Dirty Projectors @ Housing Works - a 2nd set of pics"

photos by Chris La Putt

I'm wiped. It was amazing. Here are some pics and a bit of summary....

Continue reading "Bjork & Dirty Projectors @ Housing Works in NYC - pics "

Amanda Palmer & friends @ Coachella (more by Darren Kim)

"Musician Amanda Palmer and author Neil Gaiman will co-headline Liner Notes, an event at Housing Works Bookstore Café on Wednesday, June 3, 2009, to celebrate the cross-pollination of music and literature and raise funds for Housing Works, a New York-based nonprofit organization. The event will be presented by SPIN and its SPIN.com Book Club, and will celebrate the upcoming release of Palmer's photo book Who Killed Amanda Palmer, with text by Neil Gaiman and photos by Kyle Cassidy & Co. "

Bjork and Dirty Projectors are playing Housing Works this Friday.

DOWNLOAD: Ólöf Arnalds - Við og Við (MP3)

Ólöf Arnalds @ South Street Seaport (more by Chris La Putt)

Ólöf Arnalds has just finished recording her second solo album which was once again produced by Kjartan Sveinsson from Sigur Rós. This time round Kjartan also plays on the record along with his wife María (of Amiina), Skuli Sverrisson (Laurie Anderson), Shahzad Ismaily (Tom Waits, Bonnie 'Prince' Billy), and Davíð Þór Jónsson (Mugison). [press release]

Ólöf will again be in New York and sharing a talent-laden stage. She's one of two acts opening the sold-out, May 8th Housing Works benefit headlined by fan and fellow icelander Bjork, and Dirty Projectors. (Kurt Weisman is the other opener.) At the show, Ólöf will be "showcasing tracks from [her new record] as well as [songs from] her award-winning solo debut, Við og Við." The MP3 above is the title track off that debut.

She'll also be playing three nights of NYC shows leading up to the benefit. The first is at Union Hall on Tuesday, May 5th. Tickets are on sale.

The second and third are at Ditmas Park venue Sycamore on Wednesday, May 6th and the Scandinavia House on Thursday, May 7th. A reception will follow the latter.

All tour dates with a video of Ólöf Arnalds on music-doc show Dig For Fire, below...

Continue reading "Ólöf Arnalds - a new album, an MP3 & 4 NYC shows "

There will be a VERY limited number of $50 tickets for sale at Housing Works Bookstore on April 15. These tickets will be sold in pairs by lottery at 12pm on April 15. To enter the lottery, come to the bookstore at noon. The drawing will happen at 12:30pm.

Coming April 10: Front Row VIP Auctions! Bid on a front row table for two with a bottle of champagne, gift bag and more! (if you win an auction you can trade in your previously purchased ticket) Tickets to this event are completely sold out, but we're offering a few more fans the chance to of a lifetime--bid on a table for two in the front row! You and a lucky guest could be sitting just a few feet away from the stage, knocking back vodka and listening to what promises to be the musical event of the season. Auction will include:

* Front row table for two
* Complimentary bottle of Icelandic vodka
* Signed limited edition poster*

In a never before seen or heard collaboration with The Dirty Projectors, Björk will perform a suite of new music composed for her by David Longstreth of The Dirty Projectors. The suite, written for five voices, will pair Björk with the Projectors (Dave Longstreth, Amber Coffman, Angel Deradoorian, and Haley Dekle).

The Icelandic environmental documentary Nattura-Summer 2008 [was] released exclusively on iTunes on March 10 (One Little Indian) via an exclusive digital distribution partnership with E1 Entertainment Distribution U.S. The film focuses on the current environmental issues that face Iceland and includes interviews with Björk along with many other well-known Icelandic figures. All proceeds from the documentary will benefit the Nattura Campaign.

Directed by Charlie Lightening, Nattura-Summer 2008 focuses on the proposed plans to increase the use of aluminum smelters as a means to harness Iceland's natural energy. As an alternative to these industrial practices, the documentary offers innovations and attempts to reinvigorate a larger discussion and debate on these key issues. In addition to Björk's commentary, the film features interviews with well-known Icelandic politician and environmentalist, Ómar Ragnarsson, as well as Andri Snaer Magnason. Magnason is the author of the award-winning, best-selling book, Dreamland: Self-Help Manual for a Frightened Nation, which offers a detailed critique of the Icelandic government's current energy-harnessing practices.

The documentary continues Björk's close involvement with the Nattura Campaign, which was founded in an effort to generate alternative, sustainable and eco-friendly ways to utilize Iceland's natural resources. In Björk's own words, "It is now more important than ever before to emphasize a respect for nature...I believe that profits, technological advances and working together with nature can all go hand in hand. None need to be sacrificed at the expense of the others."

In related news, Dave from Dirty Projectors will NOT be performing with Bang on a Can on April 2nd.

by Black Bubblegum

Dirty Projectors on March 19th @ SXSW (more by Jacob Blickenstaff)

Bjork and Dirty Projectors have scheduled a teeny tiny show (300 capacity!) to benefit Housing Works on Friday, May 8th, at 8PM at Housing Works Bookstore & Café (126 Crosby Street) in Manhattan. After 4/1, "physical tickets will be available at the Housing Works bookstore on Crosby Street as well as a couple Brooklyn locations TBA", but a limited number of tickets are available online NOW. Go-go-go-go-go!

In addition to the show being super special... the performances in particular will be pretty special as well:

In a brand new collaboration, Björk will perform music composed for her by David Longstreth. The suite, written for five voices, will pair Björk with Longstreth and Projectors' Amber Coffman, Angel Deradoorian, and Haley Dekle. The band will also perform material from Dirty Projectors' oeuvre, using only voices and one acoustic guitar. There will be two openers, Kurt Weisman chosen by Longstreth and Ólöf Arnalds chosen by Björk. -[Stereogum]

Housing Works is committed to ending the twin crises of AIDS and homelessness. We believe that all people have the right to a rich and empowering life. Since 1990, we have provided the highest quality services for homeless men, women, and children living with HIV and AIDS in New York City and beyond. -[HousingWorks]

David Longstreth will also perform a piece with the Bang on a Can All-Stars on April 2nd. Dirty Projectors recently played SXSW and have been added to the TV On The Radio tour (including Summerstage on June 5). Check out updated tour dates below.

The band has also lined up an appearance at the Dark Was The Night show at Radio City on May 3rd with Feist, The National, My Brightest Diamond, Dave Sitek (of TVOTR), Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings and recent addition Bon Iver. Tickets are still available. Dirty Projectors collaborated with David Byrne on the Dark Was the Night CD.

Dirty Projectors have a new single coming on April 21st and vocalist Angel Deradoorian has a new solo EP out May 5th on Lovepump United. She is playing a CD release show at Cake Shop the same day.

All dates below...

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