photos by Angelina Castillo, words by Andrew Frisicano

Man Man

Yeasayer, Man Man and The Antlers played a free show at Ithaca College on Friday, May 7th. The show was on a field in the middle of campus, and was advertised as students only but ending up being open to anyone. The opener was Zgress and Snack Attack, a local spazzy piano-pop group who previously won a battle of the bands.

Thanks to Angelina Castillo, who took these pictures and writes: Man Man played mostly new songs, and they all sounded totally nuts and awesome. Yeasayer and Antlers both killed it as well, and you could tell Antlers made a lot of converts. Yeasayer split the set pretty even between All Hour Cymbals and Odd Blood, but the AHC songs were definitely the crowd pleasers. Except for "Ambling Alp." People went fucking nuts for "Ambling Alp." Great singalong song. The whole shebang was put on by IC (more specifically the Bureau of Concerts) for an end-of year festival. BOC also brought Dan Deacon, Mountain Goats, Black Joe Lewis and others this year. Most all the bands went out into the field and ate/talked with the crowd afterwards. Ryan Kattner of Man Man [aka Honus Honus] was a total doll, and was seen sweeping many a college chick into his arms for photo ops.

The Antlers tour Europe this May and play with Phantogram and the National in North America afterwards (including the National's Radio City show). They also play NYC's Pier 54-Hudson River Park on July 22nd

Yeasayer just played NYC - they'll be back for a Governors Island show on June 5th. Man Man's short tour runs through the week, but doesn't visit NYC.

More pictures are below...

Continue reading "Yeasayer, Man Man & The Antlers played a free show in Ithaca, NY (pics)"

photos by Ryan Muir

The Flaming Lips played the 2nd date of their April tour at Mid Hudson Civic Center in Poughkeepsie, New York with The Hood Internet and Stardeath and White Dwarfs. The Vassar-sponsored Saturday night show was one night before they played Barton Hall at Cornell in Ithaca, and one night after they performed the Pink Floyd song "Breathe" on Late night with Jimmy Fallon.

Monday night is the show at Wellmont Theater in NJ. More pictures from Poughkeepsie, with videos from Fallon and Ithaca, below...

Continue reading "The Flaming Lips played Ithaca, Poughkeepsie (pics) & covered Pink Floyd on Fallon (video) "

DOWNLOAD: Deer Tick - Smith Hill (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Deer Tick - Easy (MP3)

Deer Tick in a sombrero on a boat (pic by Katie Alexander)

Deer Tick played a boat on September 7th (Labor Day). More specifically, they played a Rock Off Concert Cruise with opener Jonny Corndawg (an old friend and fellow songwriter f Tick frontman John McCauley). Videos from the gig are posted below. Earlier in the weekend, Deer Tick played a set at The Positive Jam in Ithaca...

True-to-heart American music with a kind of dark poetic twist, Deer Tick sounded like the bluesy rock that fuels long nights at the bar talking about your true love, the job you lost, etc. Far from being a stereotype, however, John McCauley's slightly nasal, drawling voice gave new meaning to any preconceived ideas about country or folk music. The audience, which on Sunday was slow to get going, lingered in the shade during Deer Tick's set. Their lyrics encouraged a slow roll rather than rambunctious dancing -- "I've lived lies all my life / and I've been living here a long, long time / And it's been coming down a while now," Cauley sang in "Art Isn't Real." Introspective, indeed. [The Cornell Daily Sun]

Coming up, the band have added a week-long Partisan Records tour to their already-extensive upcoming dates. The NYC part of that tour will happen as part of CMJ at Bowery Ballroom on October 22nd. Deer Tick share the bill with Christopher Denny, Dolorean, Holy Sons and Paleo. Tickets go on sale Friday, September 11th at noon.

Christopher Denny is the latest addition to the Partisan Records family, and was recently seen actually on stage with Deer Tick in Prospect Park.

Holy Sons is the solo project of Emil Amos of Om who are also playing Bowery Ballroom in October.

Boat cruise video and all tour dates are below...

Continue reading "Deer Tick played a boat - more 2009 dates (including a Partisan Records tour w/ a CMJ stop @ Bowery)"

Dan Deacon leading a ritual sacrifice @ Brooklyn Bowl 8/2 (more by Bao Nguyen)

Dan Deacon is taking things a bit back to basics, with a slew of Fall dates that will feature him performing solo. As he puts it: "Solo tour: expansion of my floor show set, immersive experience, heavy emphasis on visuals."

Dan Deacon most recently visited NYC on August 2nd on his 'round robin' tour with Deerhunter and No Age. His 7-week tour with Nuclear Power Pants, which kicks off October 1st, doesn't currently have any NYC stops, but there are stops in Austin, at the Treasure Island Festival, in Ithaca, and at many colleges across the country. All dates below...

Continue reading "Dan Deacon - 2009 solo tour dates (Ithaca College)"

photos by Tim Griffin

DOWNLOAD: Deer Tick - Easy (MP3)

Deer Tick @ MHOW 6/9 (more by Tim Griffin)

Deer Tick played with Jenny Lewis earlier this summer. She then played a free outdoor 4th of July show. Deer Tick fans will also get a free outdoor NYC show this summer, but that's not until August 7th. That's when the band play with Grace Potter & the Nocturnals at Prospect Park.

Prospect Park will be free, but it will also only be an opening set. The real show is tonight, July 24th, at Bowery Ballroom with Dawes and These United States. Tickets are still available.

If you miss it, but still want to catch Dawes (or you want to see Dawes again), they're also headlining their own Sunday night show at Union Hall in Brooklyn with Childe and the Seedy Seeds. Tickets are on sale.

These United States also have a show (actually shows) coming up at Union Hall, but not until August 28th. That's when they play an early show (with Vandaveer) and late show (with Motel Motel). Tickets for the early set, late set and both are on sale. These United States recently played an opening set at Prospect Park too. Pictures from the show with Dr. Dog and Phosphorescent are below.

Deer Tick's second album, Born on Flag Day, which came out in June on Partisan Records, has been getting the band some big-name attention -- they were recently awkwardly interviewed by NBC's Brian Williams, who claims to be a big fan and seems to be a fan of iTunes too. See that interview below. Popmatters, in their review of the album, say that "John Joseph McCauley III is a man's man" and that "He has little patience with the Ben Gibbards and Justin Vernons of the world--in fact, he sounds like the guy who stole their wallets and fucked their girlfriends." "Easy" from that record is posted above. Daytrotter and LaundroMatinee both have new live sessions available for free download.

Justin Vernon will be back in NYC in January. No update for Ben Gibbard.

Deer Tick are one of the bands on the bill for The Positive Jam, an all-day outdoor show happening in Ithaca, NY's Stewart Park on September 6th. Headlining will be the (namesake) Hold Steady, with The Felice Brothers, The Rural Alberta Advantage and others. Tickets are on sale. The poster is below.

Speaking of The Hold Steady, their New Jersey show at Starland Ballroom is tonight. NJ's Titus Andronicus is opening. Tickets are still on sale.

The Hold Steady have two other festival dates coming up as well: XPNonential Music Festival on July 25th in Camden, NJ and the Virgin Mobile Free Fest in Columbia, MD on August 30th.

The Rural Alberta Advantage, one of the bands in Ithaca, will also be playing a free show at the Music Hall of Williamsburg on August 4th. The Dig and Hollerado have been added to that Brooklyn show as openers.

A set of Deer Tick videos (including the Brian Williams interview), photos of These United States, all tour dates for all bands, and a Positive Jam flyer, below...

Continue reading "Deer Tick & Hold Steady shows tonight & in Ithaca - Dawes, Titus, Rural Advantage & These United States too - dates"