photos by Dana (distortion) Yavin

Like he did the night before at Music Hall of Williamsburg, Hugh Cornwell showed up as Fred Armisen & Carrie Brownstein's special guest at Bowery Ballroom on 1/21 (the second NYC show on the the Portlandia live tour). This time Hugh played hit single "Golden Brown" by his band The Stranglers to the sold out Manhattan crowd. Bowery showgoers also got live appearances by Portland mayor Kyle MacLachlan and music by Annie Clark aka St. Vincent (who just announced a tour). Annie covered Pearl Jam's "Black" at the Feminist Bookstore Pop Up Shop (Eddie Vedder, who recently announced a tour, was also a guest on the IFC show this season). Video of the cover with more pictures and the setlist of the show, below...

Continue reading "St. Vincent & Kyle MacLachlan joined Fred & Carrie for Portlandia @ Bowery Ballroom (pics, video setlist)"

Kathleen Hanna at Planned Parenthood rally in February (more by Chris La Putt)

Feminist artist and filmmaker Lynn Hershman-Leeson's documentary !Women Art Revolution made its theatrical debut at Manhattan's IFC Center on June 1. The film is still screening every day at 4:25 PM through June 16. The film features a score by Carrie Brownstein (Sleater-Kinney, Wild Flag), an appearance by Yoko Ono and much more. Get your tickets for the remaining days (and go see Wild Flag at Williamsburg Waterfront).

The movie is one example of how "the Riot Grrrl movement still inspires", as NY Times puts it. The article talks about the Kathleen Hanna tribute show that took place at Knitting Factory this past December and discusses the effect the movement has had on today's indie rock scene. Amanda Warner of MNDR said, "I remember it being weird if you saw a girl in a band, and now it's not weird at all, it's just totally normal."

That Knitting Factory show in December not only served as a tribute to Kathleen Hanna, but also the debut of her new band The Julie Ruin. The project formed as a revival of her late '90s solo project Julie Ruin, the moniker under which she recorded one album of the same name in 1998. The new band also features Bikini Kill bandmate Kathi Wilcox and Kenny Mellman, Justin Bond's sidekick in Kiki and Herb. They are currently working on a debut full length. Details on the album are limited but Kathleen posted pictures from an overdub and mixing session for the album back in May.

A Le Tigre documentary titled Who Took the Bomp? Le Tigre on Tour (pictured above) chronicles the band's 2004 tour and is out now. You can purchase it on Amazon. Last week there was a screening at at Maysles Institute in Harlem which was accompanied by a Q&A with director Kerthy Fix and Le Tigre member Johanna Fateman. Joly was there and taped all 45 minutes of it. If you missed it, check out the Punkcast video below. AND, they do it again on June 26th at the Ace Hotel, complete with Johanna Fateman, Kerthy Fix, AND Kathleen Hanna for the Q&A. All screening dates are listed below.

Kathleen Hanna recently spoke to Spinner, to promote the movie and stuff, and they asked her about Odd Future:

Spinner: Have you been paying attention to the controversy with Odd Future and their homophobic, misogynistic lyrics?

Kathleen: No, not really. They don't seem that interesting to me.

Spinner: Sara Quin just spoke out against them and it created a bit of a media storm.

Kathleen: I feel like, if you don't want to listen to them, don't listen to them. If you do want to listen to them, do listen to them. I couldn't really comment about on exactly what their lyrics are about, because I haven't gotten that deep into it. But if people are writing lyrics that piss you off, hurt your feelings and make you feel like s---, don't listen to it. I don't think the best idea is to have a boycott. Just don't talk about them and they'll go away. The more you talk about them, the more attention they get. Tegan and Sara fans probably wouldn't even know this band existed if they weren't talking about them. I find the whole conversation kind of boring. There are so many great artists that are doing interesting things, that I don't want to focus on boring people.

Ironically (sort of, maybe), Odd Future recently complained that Australians were racist. Australians say no they are not.

Odd Future's lesbian member Syd tha Kyd, who famously responded to criticism that she associates with a sexist group by saying, "That's what I do. I slap bitches", is DJing at PS1 'Warm Up' on July 23. Gang Gang Dance also DJ and Laurel Halo, Miracles Club, and Lunice play live sets on the same date. No word on if any other members of Odd Future will be in town at the time.

Film trailers, dates and a mash-up of Tyler, the Creator's "Yonkers" and Tegan & Sara's "Call It Off" by The Jane Doze, below...

Continue reading "Katheen Hanna, Le Tigre, The Julie Ruin, Odd Future & other Riot Grrrl news (movies, articles, events & stuff)"

Ted Leo & Michael Stipe @ IFC House during SXSW

"Big Star's third album, Third/Sister Lovers, has long been revered by artists and critics as one of the most influential albums ever produced. Written and recorded when the legendary 70s band was primarily a studio project consisting of Alex Chilton and Jody Stephens, the third album was never been performed in public with the original string and wind orchestrations. That changed in December 2010, when an all-star band unearthed the original scores, assembled an orchestra and performed Big Star's Third at Cat's Cradle in Carrboro, NC. Performers that night included Jody Stephens (Big Star), Mike Mills (R.E.M.), Mitch Easter (Let's Active), Chris Stamey (the dB's) - the creative catharsis they experienced prompted plans for a historic concert in New York City.

Just announced is Michael Stipe of R.E.M. who'll join a mind-boggling array of indie rock all-stars to recreate Big Star's Third at Mason Hall at Baruch College on March 26th. Stipe will perform one of Chilton's most iconic songs, "Kanga Roo". The show's line-up of songs/performers is unveiled today as well (see below)." [press release]

Continue reading "Michael Stipe talked to Ted Leo (video), joins Big Star 'Third' show cast (full artist/song list announced)"

Tonight, Friday, 1/28, Iron & Wine are playing a free show at the Apple Store in SoHo. On Monday (January 31 at 7pm), Carrie Brownstein & Fred Armisen will discuss their IFC TV show Portlandia, live, at the same location. Meanwhile you can catch Portlandia three times today on IFC, including at 10:30pm.

Carrie Brownstein's band Wild Flag is playing two now-sold-out shows in Brooklyn in March (and other dates). Catch Fred Armisen on SNL this Saturday, 1/29, with musical guest Nicki Minaj (who recently announced a tour with Lil Wayne who was on SNL not that long ago)

That picture above shows Portland band the Thermals (who play a show in Portland tonight) arriving at the Portlandia premiere party in NYC last week. The band performed at the event, though unlike some members of the Decemberists, I'm not sure if the Thermals actually get any screen time in one of the upcoming shows. Carrie Brownstein however, as you might remember, gets some screen time in the recent Thermals video for "I Don't Believe You" which is the same song the Thermals will be performing on February 1st on 'Lopez Tonight'. The song comes from the band's 5th LP Personal Life, as does the song "Never Listen to Me" which now also has a video, which you can watch with other stuff, below...

Continue reading "Portlandia is coming to the Apple Store, The Thermals have a new video (and are playing "Lopez Tonight")"

"People on the subway are staring at my scabs"

Fred Armisen, Kristen Wiig, and Jim Carrey performed as "A Taste of New York" on Saturday Night Live this past weekend (on 1/8). A Taste of New York is an "authentic" band from "an area between Avenue B & Avenue C" in New York City. And though Holy Sons are from the West Coast, we have learned that the sketch/song was inspired by new Holy Sons song "A Chapter Must Be Closed" from the recent Survivalist Tales. Fred Armisen watched the video for the song and the rest is history. Compare/contrast the videos below.

Musical duo The Black Keys also played Saturday Night Live on 1/8, a few days before they appeared on the Colbert Report with Ezra. Video of both songs they played are below too.

Musical duo Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein (ex Sleater-Kinney, current Wild Flag) go way back. Their Thunderant series of videos have been making the rounds online for years, and so it's pretty awesome that they've landed a "6-part IFC Original short-based comedy series" called Portlandia which premieres on Friday, January 21, 2011 at 10:30 PM ET/PT on IFC. "Each episode's character-based shorts draw viewers into "Portlandia," the creators' dreamy and absurd rendering of Portland, Oregon."

An assortment of guest stars inhabit PORTLANDIA, including Kyle MacLachlan (Twin Peaks, Sex & The City), Aubrey Plaza (Parks and Recreation), Selma Blair (Legally Blonde, Hellboy), Heather Graham (The Hangover), Edie McClurg (Ferris Bueller's Day Off), Kumail Nanjiani (Michael & Michael Have Issues), Jason Sudeikis (SNL, The Cleveland Show), and Gus Van Sant (Milk). Singer/songwriter Aimee Mann also guest stars, alongside James Mercer (The Shins), and local Portland musicians Jenny Conlee and Colin Meloy (The Decemberists) and Corin Tucker (Sleater-Kinney).

Continue reading "Fred Armisen inpired by Holys Sons for SNL sketch, pairs w/ Carrie Brownstein for new IFC show 'Portlandia'"

photos by Samantha Marble

DOWNLOAD: Gators! - Dinner With the Band theme song (MP3)

The Sword @ IFC House in Austin

IFC House at SXSW this year was a venue dedicated to all things IFC. Bands performed in front of video cameras for webcasts and possible IFC channel tv coverage. They had everyone there from Neon Indian to Broken Social Scene to The Sword who played a show in conjunction with a Dinner With The Band party at the venue. Chef & DWTB show host Sam Mason, and show creators Greg and Darin Bresnitz, were among those in attendance at the packed metal and food event. Pictures from that show are above and below.

The IFC Channel's rock 'n roll cooking show, Dinner With the Band, kicks off its official first season, with ten new artists, on Tuesday, April 27th (it then airs on the cable channel every Tuesday at 10:30pm). That's still two weeks away, but another party in the show's honor will happen at Santos Party House in NYC tonight (4/12). The free event will feature DJ sets by Au Revoir Simone and Vega, and live performances by Gators! (they wrote the show's theme song - MP3 above), Bad Brilliance, and CX Kidtronik. Andrew WK, along with Sam and Thu Tran, host the night which simultaneously celebrates Thu's IFC show "Food Party" (whose new season starts in two weeks too). "There will be FREE Thu Tran inspired munchies, beer and Sam Mason signature cocktails from 7-8PM". The flyer, along with more pictures from the Austin show, below...

Continue reading "The Sword played an IFC party in Austin (pics), Au Revoir Simone & Vega DJ a free one in NYC tonight (flyer)"

by Andrew Frisicano

DOWNLOAD: Califone - Funeral Singers (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Sonoi - Micro-Coliseum (MP3)

Califone's SXSW schedule has filled out. They'll be in Austin for a week of shows, two of which will be screenings of their film All My Friends Are Funeral Singers with a live score. Those movie shows are at Alamo Lamar and Alamo Ritz on March 15th and 19th, respectively. Their other SXSW shows will be regular rock shows including the official BrooklynVegan SXSW showcase on Wednesday, March 17th at Club DeVille. Also on the bill for that are Dawes, Bowerbirds, Here We Go Magic, The Middle East and Serena-Maneesh. Califone play that show at midnight, after Bowerbirds and before SM. Their full schedule is below.

After SXSW, Califone visits NYC for the previously announced show at the Bell House on March 30th with Sonoi. Tickets are still on sale. Califone are now also doing a show one night later with the movie at IFC Center (3/31). Tickets info to come.

Chicago band Sonoi, who open Califone's Bell House show, play beautifully composed, radiating folk-pop - they release their self-titled debut on April 27th through Low Transit Industries. Sonoi went into the studio with Weathervane Music, a non-profit that set the band up with free recording time (their previous session was with Sharon Van Etten). Daniel Smith (aka Danielson) curated and produced the session, which birthed the song "Micro-Coliseum," posted above. Two videos from the session, a video from their forthcoming debut and all tour dates are below...

Continue reading "Califone add live score shows at SXSW, in NYC & other places (dates) , Sonoi opens the Brooklyn show (MP3, video)"

IFC is creating a cuisine-oriented programming block to air Tuesday nights.

After a successful six-episode run of "Dinner With the Band" that began in November, Rainbow cabler is ramping up its episode order to 10 and teaming it with "Food Party" as an hourlong block.

"Band" teams chef Sam Mason and an indie band, which performs on the show, at a Brooklyn loft. Conversation ensues about life on the road and the food the musicians eat while touring.... Programming block will air from at 10 p.m. beginning April 27. [Variety]

Continue reading "upcoming artists appearing on Dinner With The Band (new IFC season premieres in April) "

"Williamsburg/Lower East Side types - Models okay." [FOTP]

Continue reading "Dinner With the Band needs audience members "

photos by Jacob Blickenstaff

Sharon Jones (and fan) & the Dap Kings @ Knitting Factory Brooklyn

Brooklyn venue Southpaw has two Daptone Records-related shows in its future. Lee Fields & The Expressions, whose new album actually came out on Truth & Soul, will return to the club on December 18th for a show with their T&S labelmates Michael Leonhart & The Avramina. Tickets are on sale. The Budos Band play Southpaw on January 16th. Tickets are on sale for that too.

Lee Fields and The Budos Band shared a not-actually-CMJ bill with their Daptone labelmates Naomi Shelton & The Gospel Queens, Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, and The Menehan Street Band at Knitting Factory in Brooklyn on October 23rd. It was a private show that the Brooklyn label set up to showcase its artists while CMJ was in town.

"The headliner, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings along with guitarist Binky Griptite, was truly the anticipation of the night. This frantically dancing and singing queen wasn't afraid to bring the audience on stage or get down and dirty with her sassy self. Bereft of the glitz and glamor of the previous act, Jones was perfectly quaint in her dark jean jacket and slacks. Her voice had more power than anyone that night, and it's no surprise that she is Daptone Records' star. Outrageously genius, Jones and Griptite ripped the stage apart and threw it at the audience with a grin. Good thing this was the kind of audience who knew how to throw it right back." [Performer Blog]

Naomi Shelton and The Gospel Queens (aka the Gospel Queens of Brooklyn) play every Friday night at Fat Cat.

Sharon doesn't have any NYC shows coming up, but she and the Dap Kings are going on a short tour in December which includes a NJ date. Recently the group performed with Phish in California.

She and the Dap Kings will also be appearing on television TONIGHT (11/24). If you've been near the Bedford L in Brooklyn lately, you may have noticed the mural. Dinner With The Band, "A new series from IFC with tasty meals and rocking tunes", is on IFC every Tuesday at 11pm (starting tonight). Set your DVR.

As previously mentioned, chef Sam Mason will cook not-necessarily-vegan meals with guests that include Final Fantasy, Les Savy Fav, Men, Kid Sister, Flosstradamus, Yacht, and... Sharon Jones.

"Dinner With the Band" started as an online show conceived by Darin and Greg Bresnitz, brothers who were both passionate about music and food. (Mr. Mason is still devising ways to get musicians more involved in the kitchen. "I wanted to help, but he didn't let me," said Kid Sister, a Chicago rapper who appears on a coming episode. "He was real in-control.") When the brothers asked Mr. Mason to host in 2006, they "didn't really know who he was," Darin Bresnitz recalled.

Mr. Mason added, "No joke: they Googled 'tattooed hipster chef', and I came up." [NY Times]

The artists that appear on the IFC show play music in addition to cooking. Check out two clips from tonight's Sharon Jones episode, along with more pictures from Knitting Factory, below...

Continue reading "Dinner With The Band on IFC (tonight) w/ Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings + upcoming Daptone shows & Knitting Factory pics"

Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings @ Radio City (more by Natasha Ryan)

"The new six-part IFC Original Series, DINNER WITH THE BAND is the first alternative cooking show combining culinary delights, musical performances and conversations with some of today's most acclaimed indie rock artists.

On DINNER WITH THE BAND, Sam Mason, the tattooed and celebrated NYC chef (Tailor, WD-50), invites a band to his Brooklyn loft where he shows them how to add his signature culinary spin to their favorite "on-tour" food. In the meantime, Chef Mason and the artists converse on food, music, and life while cooking together. After they "chow down" they "get down" as each act takes to the loft's stage to play a rockin' musical set.

Bands with dinner reservations this season include, Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, Kid Sister and Flosstradamus, Les Savy Fav, YACHT, Final Fantasy, and MEN.

Chef Mason, who recently took on Iron Chef Morimoto on Iron Chef America, is the former pastry chef of New York's WD-50 and current proprietor of SOHO's contemporary dining and cocktail parlor, Tailor. A modern day pioneer of avant-garde cooking and a James Beard nominee, Mason brings a casual approach to his dishes that stimulate the palate as well as the dialogue.

DINNER WITH THE BAND will debut on IFC in November 2009."

Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings have a handful of shows scheduled between now and the end of the year, and one of them is taking place at Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, NJ on December 5th. Tickets are on sale. All dates below...

Continue reading "Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings - 2009 Tour Dates (Starland Ballroom) +++ Dinner With the Band (on IFC)"

by Klaus Kinski

How do you get some of the Tri-State area's biggest nerds to yell "Holy shit!", drop their Xbox 360 controllers and head for the door at record speeds? Tell them that IFC and BAFTA are reuniting the entire MONTY PYTHON troupe for one night only in NYC in celebration of their outstanding contributions to television and film. On October 15th, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin, and even the late Graham Chapman will be at the Ziegfeld Theater in NYC to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the creation of comedy troupe Monty Python. The reunion event includes a screening of the theatrical version of the new IFC original documentary Monty Python: Almost the Truth (The Lawyer's Cut), a Q&A with the cast, as well as a special BAFTA Award presentation.

Right now ticket info for this event is scarce but word on the street is that SOME tickets will be available at www.ifc.com in mid-September.

The version of Monty Python: Almost the Truth (The Lawyer's Cut) that will be shown at this preposterously awesome event is actually a condensed version of the larger 6-hour Monty Python documentary of the same name that will be shown in 1-hour installments on IFC from October 18 - October 23 at 9:00pm ET. It is part of IFC's Python-a-thon, a week long Monty Python celebration that also includes showings of Python film classics Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Monty Python's Life of Brian, and Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl. The episode guide for this 6-part series is below.

Continue reading "Monty Python troupe reuniting in NYC (@ Ziegfeld, on IFC) "

photos by Toby Tenenbaum

"I was home most of the day and bored shitless, so I decided to head out to Mercury Lounge [on Wednesday, 7/22] to see a random classic rock/hair metal-ish show, having never heard of any of the bands on the bill. During ZO2's set, they brought out the following guests on consecutive songs, back-to-back:

1.) John Popper on harmonica for what sounded like a ZO2 original;

2.) Marky Ramone on drums for a cover of Zeppelin's "Good Times, Bad Times;"

3.) The lead dude from that hair metal thing on Broadway, Rock of Ages, for a cover of Bon Jovi's "Dead or Alive" (with the guitarist donning a Jimmy Page-esque double neck Gibson);

4.) One of the Steves that was at some point in Journey on guest vocals for a song I didn't recognize. No, it wasn't Steve Perry, you wiseass. One of the other ones." [Tuddd's Muddd]

Continue reading "ZO2 (and John Popper, Marky Ramone & Constantine Maroulis) @ Mercury Lounge in NYC - pics "

by Andrew Frisicano

Died Young, Stayed Pretty...

Exploring the outer edges of design, this candid documentary delves into the underground world of indie rock posters, where outsider artists pick through the dregs of America's schizophrenic culture and piece them back together into arresting images. In posters for groups like Arcade Fire, Radiohead, Sonic Youth and more, these bareknuckle aesthetic brawlers publicly argue the merits of octopus imagery and hairy '70s porn stars with a visual language that's all their own-strikingly obscene, unflinchingly blasphemous and often quite beautiful.

For the premiere, there's an afterparty/concert at 92YTribeca with the classic-rock-styled BM Linx and Iranian rock band Hypernova.

While rock-show posters may not seem like the most engaging subject for a feature length film, the trailer really sells the idea of their weird, isolated subculture well. Check it out, with the schedule for showings in other cities, below...

Continue reading "Died Young, Stayed Pretty (a movie about show posters) - NY premiere tonight, after-party concert & other screenings "

Resolutely independent filmmaker Jem Cohen (Chain, Benjamin Smoke, Instrument) and special guests musician Ian MacKaye (Evens, Fugazi, Minor Threat) and John Cohen (That High Lonesome Sound, There Is No Eye) present an evening of screenings and discussion exploring folk, punk and underground filmmaking as forms of homemade expression.

Among the films shown as part of the evening are John Cohen's 1963 music documentary That High Lonesome Sound; Jem Cohen's Nice Evening, Transmission Down, a portrait of Sparklehorse's Mark Linkous; a short film of Patti Smith's cover of Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit"; never-before-seen outtakes from Jem's Fugazi film Instrument; and other surprises.

It's the first of three-part series with Jem Cohen at IFC. The second event, which includes Cohen's "documentary musical hallucination" Empires of Tin, will be on Tuesday, August 11th. The last, "Shorts, Rarities and Things to Come," will take place on Thursday, September 3rd.

More info on the event, plus an interview with Jem about his Fugazi documentary, Instrument, below...

Continue reading "'Film and the Folk/Punk Connection' w/ Jem Cohen, Ian MacKaye speaking @ IFC Wednesday + other movie dates"

The April 13th Wilco documentary ("Ashes of American Flags") screening at IFC is now sold out, so they added a late show on the same night which will be introduced by the filmmakers (who will have just finished discussing the movie with Fred Armisen and the people who watched the early screening). Tickets are on sale (note: no Fred Armisen at the late show).

Full U.S. screening schedule HERE.

The forthcoming and still-untitled next Wilco album is nearing completion. Jim Scott and the band spent the last few weeks mixing in Jim's studio in Valencia, California and [below is] a list of song titles spied on the reels -- note this is not necessarily complete and not in sequence.

Rumors and blogs regarding a guest appearance on that last track are, amazingly, quite true. Feist does indeed lend a great vocal to You and I. Other details will emerge in the coming weeks. The release is currently scheduled for late June on Nonesuch.

Wilco's live concert film "Ashes of American Flags" will have its New York premiere on Monday, April 13 at the IFC Center as part of Movie Night with Fred Armisen, go here for more details. The film had its world premiere February 20 at the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival in Missoula, Montana where it won an award for Best Cinematography. The DVD is now available for pre-order via the Wilco store by clicking here.

More information about the film is available at ashesofamericanmovie.com, including a full screening schedule and we've just added a Google calendar as well which you can access here. The DVD release via Nonesuch Records is set for April 18. You can watch the trailer here, and [BELOW].

Wilco don't have any NYC dates coming up, but Fugazi member Joe Lally does, as does but Feist. She plays the Dark Was The Night fundraiser at Radio City Music Hall on May 3rd.

Wilco member Nels Cline has also been playing guitar as part of the Jenny Scheinman Trio at the Blue Note here in NYC. You can catch them twice a day tonight (4/9), Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

No other Feist dates at the moment, but all Wilco ones, and the movie trailer, are below...

Continue reading "new Wilco album & documentary, Feist, movie night w/ Fred Armisen, Nels Cline & Jenny Scheinman live & whatnot"

Continue reading "Scott Walker '30th Century Man' movie opening (NY/LA/SF)"

A movie w/ special guests @ the IFC Center in NYC this weekend...

Continue reading "Wild Combination: A Portrait of Arthur Russell - this weekend @ IFC... with Jens Lekman?"