The Indiana State Fair reopened Monday with a public memorial service for five people killed when a concert stage collapsed during a storm.

The fairgrounds were closed Saturday night following the accident, which occurred shortly before the country music duo Sugarland was to take the stage before an audience of about 12,000.

"While we will never forget this horrific event and those who perished, may we Hoosiers find the courage to unify, rebuild and re-emerge with a stronger heart," said Indiana first lady Cheri Daniels, who attended Saturday's concert and was one of several speakers at Monday's ceremony.

Audience members at the service honored victims with a moment of silence and later sang "Amazing Grace."
Officials Monday were focusing on grieving with victims and beginning repairs to get the fair back underway, Gov. Mitch Daniels told CNN.

"Our first instinct in Indiana is not to go rushing around, looking for scapegoats. It's to take care of business, take care of those who've been hurt and then, of course ... study to see if something could have done better and learn any necessary lessons," he said.

On Sunday he described the stage's collapse as a "freakish accident."

"I'm not saying that we're not going to find many things that could have been done differently," Daniels told CNN Monday. "I'm only saying that I know the people who run this operation. They think safety all the time, and I know that their hearts are broken that, in this case, this event took place as it did." [CNN]

Video of the tragic stage collapse, and of the press conference that happened on Sunday, below...

Continue reading "5 dead from stage collapse @ Indiana State Fair (which reopened today with a memorial service)"

by BBG

Arab on Radar

Arab on Radar are a Providence, Rhode Island based noise rock band founded in the mid-1990s. They went on hiatus in 2002. Members of the band went on to form or join the bands The Chinese Stars, Athletic Automaton, Made in Mexico... Arab on Radar's early sound was typified by thickly distorted, repeated bass grooves, 4/4 drum beats, and two deafening guitars that employed contrasting melodies and near-unison chords that drew comparisons to the Contortions.

Arab on Radar will reform to headline Dudefest 2010 in Indianapolis, Indiana on July 9th and 10th. The band will join a stacked lineup that includes Municipal Waste (playing Knitting Factory Thursday, tix), Trap Them, Voetsek, Landmine Marathon, Weekend Nachos, Get Rad, Coffinworm, and many notable others. Full lineup for the show is below. More info is forthcoming.

It's one of two notable shows recently announced for the Midwest this summer, with the incredible 25th anniversary of Amphetamine Reptile being the second! That show goes down in Minneapolis at Grumpy's on 8/28, and features a plethora of the label's greats including Melvins, Boss Hog, Today Is The Day, God Bullies, a Hammerhead reunion, and many others. For those considering the trek to Minnesota, the label has set up group rates for a hotel. Show flyer is below. Somewhere I hope that Unsane and pre-Betty Helmet's phone is ringing....

The Melvins are touring and playing NYC with Isis. Tickets for Webster Hall are still on sale. The Melvins will welcome their new LP, The Bride Screamed Murder via Ipecac on June 1st.

Weekend Nachos have a new EP on the way, while Get Rad was recently profiled in the latest edition of Short Wave Warfare.

Full dudefest lineup and AmRep flyer/more detals are below.

Continue reading "Arab on Radar playing Dudefest 2010 in Indiana, Amphetamine Reptile celebrating 25 years in Minneapolis (both lineups)"

Andrew Bird rocking for Barack (more by Kyle Dean Reinford)

today in NYC
* Prince
* DANCE
* Frank Sidebottom!
* MSTRKRFT @ Webster Hall
* Brazilian Girls @ Terminal 5
* Beck, MGMT @ United Palace Theatre
* Of Montreal, Love is All @ Roseland Ballroom
* Dead Confederate, Kuroma @ Union Hall
* Project X with Kool Keith @ BB King's
* Yellow Fever, Daniel Francis Doyle & TV Ghost @ Silent Barn
* Matt Hales (of Aqualung), KaiserCartel @ Union Hall
* Citay, Christy & Emily, Land of Tomorrow @ Cake Shop
* Man Man, Titus Andronicus, Charlyne Li @ Webster Hall
* The Albertans, Sigmund Droid, Takka Takka @ Glasslands
* The National, Grizzly Bear & Stella @ Hammerstein Ballroom
* Against Me!, Future of the Left & Ted Leo @ Starland Ballroom
* Brad Mehldau, Chris Thile @ (le) possion rouge (A concert for Obama)
* The New Year, Dirty on Purpose, The Orsi @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
* The Heartless Bastards, Langhorne Slim, Those Darlins @ Bowery Ballroom

David Lee Roth was born today in 1954 in Bloomington, Indiana, home of Dead Oceans records.

Dead Oceans Records recording artist Citay are at Cake Shop tonight.

Lafayette, Indiana band TV Ghost are on the same Todd P bill as Yellow Fever.

Those 10 free shows at Joe's Pub happen this weekend.

Did you get Diesel tickets today?

Don't forget to RSVP for the Crystal Stilts show Saturday.

Did you know Mike Patton made a song with Serj Tankanian?

Grizzly Bear play with the National at the NY Magazine party tonight. Most of the National was in the audience when Grizzly Bear side project Department of Eagles played their first show at the Bell House the other day.

Friendly Fires made a video for "Paris". Watch it below...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Friday?"