photos by Chris La Putt

"MoMA garden party. Hugh Jackman introducing a fully acoustic set by Karen O." - Jared

"Karen O and Nick Zinner" performed at last night's MoMA Party in the Garden, an annual fundraiser that Estelle, M.I.A. and James Murphy have all played in recent years past. They were rounded out by a full band that included Imaad Wasif on acoustic guitar, Russell Simins filling in on drums, and a string section. They played Yeah Yeah Yeahs songs and "All is Love" by Karen O & The Kids (from Where the Wild Things Are). The full setlist, video of "Maps" and more pictures below...

Continue reading "a modified Yeah Yeah Yeahs (Karen & Nick Zinner & friends) played MoMA's Garden Party - pics, video & setlist"

DOWNLOAD: The New Pornographers - Your Hands Together (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Imaad Wasif - "Priestess" (MP3)

The New Pornographers SXSW "Together" shuttle (kelprecords)

A quick gander and the snowfall-laden countdown to the May 4 release of 'Together' reveals you've got limited time to GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER (sorry) to place a pre-order for the 5th and arguably finest studio album from The New Pornographers. And not to apply undue pressure on a Spring Tuesday morning, but you'll have even less time to get it in gear unless you wanna be on the outside looking in when The New Pornographers roll into your town (sadly, on a bus besides this one) in a few weeks time. Tickets for the North America tour starting June 7 go on presale today (dates below). -Matador

The above pictured and referenced bus (aka the "Together Shuttle") was shuttling people (including Andrew Frisicano) from the Austin airport to the convention center and hotels during SXSW. Riders were treated to free drinks and "Together" playing over the sound system. One new song from that new album is available above for free.

And there's a tour. The New Pornographers will be on the road for most of June and July and a few dates before and after that. Most of that time will be spent with The Dodos, and some of the dates are with The Dutchess and The Duke (three bands total) including June 19th at Terminal 5 in NYC. As mentioned above, tickets are now on presale. Other dates are with Imaad Wasif (who goes on tour with Dead Meadow even sooner). All dates below...

Continue reading "The New Pornographers, The Dodos, the Dutchess & The Duke, Imaad Wasif - 2010 Tour Dates, MP3s, stuff"

by BBG

DOWNLOAD: Imaad Wasif - "Our Skulls" (M4A)
DOWNLOAD: Imaad Wasif - "Priestess" (MP3)

Dead Meadow at ATP NY 2009 (more by Ryan Muir)

Dead Meadow will hit the road with Imaad Wasif for a string of dates that include Bowery Ballroom on 4/25 with Endless Boogie. Tickets are on sale. All dates below.

Imaad Wasif is also scheduled to play the Tee Pee showcase at SXSW, rockin' joints from his album The Voidist which impacted late last year. The album features appearances from Dale Crover of The Melvins (who have a tour coming up too), Chad Bamford (Weezer) and Greg Burns (Red Sparowes). A pair of tracks from that record are available above.

Wasif's other recent musical output included his stint as a member of "The Kids" in "Karen O and The Kids" from the Where The Wild Things Are soundtrack. The DVD for that Academy-Award nominated film will be released on Tuesday (3/2). Special features on the DVD include "Series of "Where the Wild Things Are" shorts by Lance Bangs: The Absurd Difficulty of Filming a Dog Running and Barking at the Same Time, Crew Pranks Spike, Vampire Attack: The Max Records Short, and The Kids Take Over the Picture."

Dead Meadow's upcoming new release is also a film and soundtrack...

DEAD MEADOW's forthcoming THE THREE KINGS is a full-length, old-school concert movie with soundtrack. The film consists of live footage from a 2009 LA show intermingled with "vignettes that abstractly depict themes of corruption, destruction and rebirth".

That release hits stores on on March 23rd. Cover art, tracklist, video for "That Old Temple", and all dates, below...

Continue reading "Dead Meadow & Imaad Wasif - 2010 tour dates, new releases (albums & DVDs), videos & MP3s"

DOWNLOAD: Sweet Apple - Do You Remember (MP3)

Thurston w/ Sonic Youth @ MHOW in November (more by Lori Baily)

Society's Ills: In 1994 Society's Ills (Moore, Cadena, Watt, Markey) made their world premier with the now coveted "Skins, Brains, and Guts" release - a slab that managed to cram (9) 7 seconds covers onto one 7". In 2010, the band is back and once again fronted by Thurston but he brings with him a new crue of slayers to launch the hardcore fury:

Thurston Moore: Vocals
J Mascis: Guitar
Don Fleming: Guitar [SY producer & Velvet Monkeys/Gumball frontman]
Andrew W.K.: Bass
Awesome Allison: Drums [from Awesome Color]

This set is their first, but don't worry if you miss it cause I'm sure we can put this together again in another 15 years! [Ecstatic Peace]

Society's Ills play in addition to Thurston Moore solo, Talk Normal, The Entrance Band, Violent Soho, the Slits' Viv Albertine, Awesome Color, Jemina Pearl and more at the Ecstatic Peace SXSW Showcase happening Friday, March 19th at Red 7 in Austin. Curious about Society's Ills? Their version of 7 Seconds' "I Hate Sports" is below.

J Mascis will also be playing at SXSW with Sweet Apple, who are playing Mercury Lounge on April 20th. One of their SXSW sets will be at the showcase for TeePee Records, who are putting out the Sweet Apple debut, Love & Desperation, a track from which is above. That show is Thursday, March 18th at Habana Calle 6, and also on the bill are Priestess, Iron Age, Nebula, Naam, Imaad Wasif and more. Full details and a poster are below. Tee Pee Records has also teamed up with BrooklynVegan and Chronic Youth for another day party taking place on Saturday, March 20th in Austin. This is the first we've mentioned it. Stay tuned for more info.

Lou Barlow will also be at SXSW (backed again by The Missingmen) - one of his shows will be the Merge Records showcase at Cedar Street Courtyard on March 18th also featuring Let's Wrestle, She & Him, and others. Full lineup below. For She & Him it's one of two official SXSW shows. They also play Saturday night (March 20th) at Auditorium Shores (with Justin Townes Earle & TBA). Cheap Trick play the same slot at Auditorium Shores one night earlier.

Merge's showcase mentions that one slot will be filled by "Special Guest". We don't know who that is, but we'd have to guess Superchunk is a strong possibility since Mac & Laura have a speaking engagement (in a bookstore) on March 17th, and another one (official SXSW) at the convention center on March 19th (with Michael Azerrad), and the band is on the bill of the Village Voice day party happening at La Zona Rosa the afternoon of March 19th (with the xx, the Pains of Being Pure at Heart, and Surfer Blood). It's definitely not Spoon who play the NPR show at Stubb's on March 17th with Deerhunter (their tour-mates) and The Walkmen.

Society's Ills Bassist Andrew W.K. will also be performing separately (and speaking) at SXSW (and at MtyMx in Mexico).

Kim and Thurston are playing with the Plastic Ono Band in their two-night Brooklyn Academy of Music run. They were at the dress rehearsal (aka the first night) last night (2/16). BV photographer Greg Cristman was in the audience and told us, "One definite highlight was Thurston and Kim played with Yoko as a trio and did a killer version of Mulberry from Unfinished Music No. 2 while the film Fly was projected on a huge screen behind them!" - a (poor quality) video clip of one of the other songs is below.

Full lineups for the showcases and videos are below...

Continue reading "Thurston Moore (& Kim) rehearsed w/ Yoko @ BAM, recreating Society's Ills (w/ Mascis, WK), appearing @ SXSW (like She & Him, Merge Records, Tee Pee...) "

by BBG

DOWNLOAD: Nebula - "The Perfect Rapture" (MP3)

Nebula at BV-BBG Day Party during CMJ (more by Paul Birman)

After passing through customs on their return from a European trek, Nebula will take a few weeks away from the road before heading back out in middle March for a string of dates that'll take the band through SXSW, on to Pianos in NYC on 3/27, and out to the West Coast by the middle of April. The Pianos date is just one of a few that the band have lined up with their Tee Pee compadres Quest for Fire after SXSW. Then in Chicago on April 1st they team up with The Willowz and Clutch side project Lionize for the remainder of the west-heading tour. All dates below.

The Willowz meanwhile are in the midst of a tour with Delta Spirit that brings them to Pianos in NYC TONIGHT (2/4) (and to Union Hall Friday, 2/5) (and then to the same two venues a week after that).

Nebula's tour dates include the Tee Pee showcase at SXSW on Thursday, March 18th at Habana Calle 6. The two stage affair will feature appearances from Priestess, Iron Age, Nebula, Naam, Quest For Fire, Kreisor, The Atomic Bitchwax, Sweet Apple (featuring J Mascis), Imaad Wasif, Spindrift, Hopewell, Jason Simon (of Dead Meadow), and The Main Street Gospel.

Sweet Apple will play their first NYC show on April 20th.

Nebula and tourmates Quest for Fire are on the verge of going half on a 7". The release, due March 23rd, will feature artwork by Andre Ethier (The Deadly Snakes) and be limited to 1000 copies. Download Nebula's contribution to that split, "The Perfect Rapture", above.

All dates and some videos below...

Continue reading "Nebula touring w/ Quest for Fire, Willowz & Lionize - 2010 tour dates (include Tee Pee showcase @ SXSW) ++ new MP3"

by BBG

Red Sparowes w/ Brendan Tobin of Made Out of Babies (more here)

Red Sparowes and Doomriders will team up for a pair of NYC dates at Mercury Lounge on April 13th (tix) and 14th (tix). Tickets go on sale at noon on Friday (2/5).

Red Sparowes will be another species of bird entirely, Mockingbirds, when the band support Imaad Wasif at LA's Spaceland on 2/4. Confused? Let the band explain:

For those of you in the Los Angeles area, we are playing a mostly-improvised set of songs this Thursday night, February 4th at Spaceland under the name Mockingbirds. This is not a set of Red Sparowes songs. There will be no visuals. It's just a chance for us to play around with some musical ideas. We'll have a special guest doing vocals on one song.

Red Sparowes are prepping to release their new LP The Fear is Excruciating, But Therein Lies The Answer via Sargent House on 4/6. Check out a video trailer for that LP below.

Doomriders have a few dates on their calendar as well, including a few with Skeletonwitch. All Doomriders dates are below. Meanwhile Nate Newton of Doomriders' other band, Converge, was recently mentioned in an interesting tweet/twitpic by Coalesce...

If this is a real tour, please someone kindly remove my jaw from the floor...

As pictured in the Fun Fun Fun fest pic on top, Brendan Tobin of Made Out of Babies occasionally fills in for Bryant Clifford Meyer (Isis) on guitar in Red Sparowes. MOoB will be at Union Pool with Unsane, United Nations, and Dark Vibe on 2/12 (a BV Presents prodiction). Tickets are still available, but get 'em now, this show WILL sell out.

All dates and that video below...

Continue reading "Red Sparowes (new LP soon) & Doomriders playing 2 NYC shows together & other dates"

by BBG

DOWNLOAD: Imaad Wasif - "Priestess" (MP3)

Imaad Wasif and Jack Lawrence, keepin' it gangsta

It's not just David Pajo. More than one artist has done time as a live member of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and much like Pajo, Imaad Wasif has also recorded with a few different bands (Lou Barlow, Folk Implosion, in addition to YYY's newest LP) and has a catalog of music of his own. The latest entry in the Wasif canon is his new solo LP, The Voidist, out NOW via Tee Pee Records and featuring "Priestess" (like the band) downloadable above. The LP, which was recorded with his supporting band Two Part Beast, features appearances from Dale Crover (Melvins) and Greg Burns (Red Sparowes) and was laid to tape by Chad Bamford (Weezer).

Imaad Wasif, who was picked by Jack White to open for The Raconteurs and Dead Weather based on his live show, will be in NYC to perform at three CMJ shows: an RSVP-only day party at Pianos on 10/23, the Tee Pee Records 2009 CMJ Showcase at Union Pool with Priestess (like the song), Nebula, Naam, Quest For Fire, Kreisor, Hopewell, Imaad Wasif with Two Part Beast and Weird Owl ($12, or use your CMJ badge), and the third is the showcase with Rain Machine, Sharon Van Etten, Violens, Threes And Nines and Stricken City at Bowery on 10/24 (tix here, or CMJ badges). The Tee Pee showcase is second Tee Pee event happening during CMJ, the first being their day party at Cake Shop on 10/22.

Besides his new solo LP, Waasif can also be found on the soundtrack to the Where The Wild Things Are as one of "the Kids" that make up Karen O & The Kids. Joining Karen O (YYYs), is the rest of her current band, Wasif, Bradford Cox (Atlas Sound, who is playing CMJ) Aaron Hemphill (Liars), Dean Fertita (The Dead Weather), and Jack Lawrence (The Raconteurs). Want a copy? I have TWO UP FOR GRABS as well as a pair of Vice mini-magazines with 24 artists' renditions of Where The Wild Things Are. More on how to win at the botton of this post. For some behind the scenes videos from the movie (which opens TONIGHT, check VBS.TV.

Nebula and Naam are scheduled to play the BrooklynVegan day party at Fontana's on 10/23 with Goes Cube, Ume, and Crystal Antlers (more on those additions later). The night show at the same venue on the same day will be done in conjunction with Relapse Records, and will feature Misery Index, Salome, Revocation, Black Anvil, Complete Failure, Howl, and Gloominous Doom.

Imaad Wasif is also scheduled to play the Fog Rising festival on 11/7 in San Francisco with Witch, Ancestors, Red Fang, Black Math Horseman, and many others. More and that show, including tickets, are here.

Tee Pee showcase flyer, Imaad Wasif and Nebula dates, and a NSFW video for Imaad Wasif's "Redeemer" are below...

Continue reading "Imaad Wasif - new album, MP3, tour dates (CMJ) & Where The Wild Things Are (movie out today, win a soundtrack)"

DOWNLOAD: Rain Machine - Give Blood (MP3)

"Rain Machine" with TVOTR in Philly in June (more by Tim Griffin)

TV on the Radio has become an alternative-rock sensation, with a blend of musical styles that's not only innovative but also brilliantly authentic. For vocalist/guitarist Kyp Malone (who just released the debut CD from his Rain Machine solo project), keeping it real, however, has its limits.

"It's pretty old. It's on the bedbug list," Malone says, complaining about the prewar building in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, where he's lived in a one-plus-bedroom, sixth-floor walk-up for the past four years. "I've seen people cycle through. They spray and bomb and all the things you're supposed to do, but it doesn't work."

Despite the building's bedbug misfortune (a bullet he's managed to dodge), the apartment, which Malone has shared since December with his artist girlfriend, Jessie, has served him well through multiple redecorations. [NY Post checks out Kyp Malone's apartment]

Rain Machine played at the Bell House on September 21st with Sharon Van Etten and Candles of Paradise. Videos from that gig are below.

Kyp and Co. are currently on tour, working their way back from the West Coast. They'll play a CMJ show on October 24th show at Bowery Ballroom. Again, they'll have Sharon Van Etten opening, along with Violens, Imaad Wasif, Threes And Nines and Stricken City. Tickets are on sale Wednesday, September 30th.

There's a reason Sharon Van Etten and Kyp Malone seem to keep showing up at the same gigs...

Van Etten went to college in Tennessee to study recording but dropped out after her first year. To take her music in a more serious direction and to reconnect with her family, Van Etten moved to New York City. It was there that she hooked up with TV on the Radio's Kyp Malone, whose brother was a close friend of hers in high school. The connection proved fruitful for Van Etten.

"[Kyp] ended up taking me under his wing," says Van Etten, "introducing me to friends, and showing me new music that I didn't know existed. If it wasn't for him I probably would have played at a place called Zebulon, which is my favorite place in Williamsburg. I started playing more seriously and getting encouraged by people." [Microphone Memory Emotion]

Sharon just played two nights in NYC with Great Lake Swimmers and The Wooden Birds (which unfortunately we lost pictures from due to a faulty memory card). She leaves that tour on October 3rd to join Rain Machine, who she'll play with through October 25th.

Videos and tour dates are below...

Continue reading "Rain Machine played Bell House, doesn't have bed bugs, playing CMJ/Bowery Ballroom, is buds w/ Sharon Van Etten"

Karen O @ Lollapalooza 2009 (more by Paul Birman)

"DGC/ INTERSCOPE TO RELEASE WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK: ORIGINAL SONGS BY KAREN O AND THE KIDS. ALBUM OUT SEPTEMBER 29! LEAD SINGLE "ALL IS LOVE" OUT DIGITALLY AUGUST 25! MOTION PICTURE IN THEATERS OCTOBER 16!

Inside Karen O is a Wild Thing - as singer for the Grammy-nominated Yeah Yeah Yeahs, her wild thing is in your face, vulnerable, obnoxious, tender, exciting... a self-proclaimed "spazoid." However, to Oscar-nominated Where the Wild Things Are director Spike Jonze, Karen O and her music possess a child-like innocence, a guileless charm that put her exactly on the right emotional wavelength to sonically capture the highly-anticipated film.

To compose music for the film, O enlisted friends and fellow musicians she believed had the musical intuition that would bolster her intent to marry sound to vision. Dubbed Karen O and the Kids, the kids include Tristan Bechet (Services), Tom Biller (co-producer with Karen O and member of Afternoons), Bradford Cox (Deerhunter), Brian Chase (YYY), Dean Fertita (The Dead Weather), Aaron Hemphill (Liars), Greg Kurstin (The Bird and the Bee), Jack Lawrence (The Dead Weather), Oscar Michel (Gris Gris), Imaad Wasif (New Folk Implosion), Nick Zinner, (YYY) and an untrained children's choir." [Where the Wild Things Press Release]

As the press release says above, the song "All is Love" is out today. You can listen to it at MySpace.

In related news, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs are playing Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn on September 29th. That's six days after their much larger Manhattan show at Radio City Music Hall which sold out, I am told, in less than a day (UPDATE: There are a few random single tickets still available for Radio City at the moment, so not completely sold out yet)... I'm sure the MHOW show will sell out in less than a minute when tickets go on sale Friday at noon (2-ticket limit, will call only, opener TBA).

Some related videos below...

Continue reading "Yeah Yeah Yeahs add MHOW show - Karen O & the Kids made the Where the Wild Things Are soundtrack (single out now)"