by BBG

The eclectic sounds of Grails played Knitting Factory on a wet Easter night (last night, 4/24) with tour-mate James Blackshaw. Unfortunately, I missed all of Moonrises's set and at least half of James Blackshaw's, though his twelve-string guitar's resonant (in tone and emotion) and gorgeous compositions sounded amazing.

Grails played material from across their output to a mesmerized crowd. New tracks like "I Almost Grew My Hair" mixed with old songs like encore track "Reincarnation Blues." The six-piece rotated instruments, with Emil Amos (who is also in Om) playing both drums and guitar, while the other band members weilded lap steel, keys, sampler, melodica, shaker, and more. Grails is supporting their current jaw-dropping effort Deep Politics (out now on Temporary Residence).

More pictures from last night's show are below...

Continue reading "Grails played Knitting Factory w/ James Blackshaw (pics)"

by BBG

DOWNLOAD: Grails - "I Led Three Lives" (MP3)

Grails at Newtown Barge Park (more by Greg Cristman)

Want to see me nerd out, and quick? Throw on the new Grails LP Deep Politics, which combines bits of the KPM Library with Lalo Schifrin, 70s prog, David Axelrod, and 100s of oddball influences to create a wholly cohesive and ballsy record. I give it a few months before crate-digging Hip Hop producers like The Alchemist sniff this out.

Deep Politics is out NOW on CD and (gorgeous) 2LP via Temporary Residence Ltd. The gatefold 2LP features colored vinyl, an etching on the fourth side and I have one copy to giveaway! Details on how to win are at the bottom of this post.

The last time that we caught Grails was supporting Les Savy Fav/Polvo during Northside 2010. Now the band is hitting the road in late April for an East Coast tour, tagging Knitting Factory in Brooklyn on April 24th with guitar master James Blackshaw. Tickets for the NYC show are on sale. All tour dates are below.

Meanwhile, you can catch Emil Amos of Grails on stage with his solo project Holy Sons at the BrooklynVegan/Knitting Factory/Partisan Records Day Party at Barbarella's/Swandive on 3/18, one of many dates scheduled for Holy Sons and Dolorean who are touring together before after Texas.

All Grails tour dates, the contest details and some videos below...

Continue reading "Grails released 'Deep Politics', going on tour, playing Brooklyn w/ James Blackshaw (2011 dates & a chance to win the vinyl)"

photos by Stefan Raduta, words by BBG

The Swans are wonderful to look at: three craggy veterans and three younger musicians. One of them is a guy named Thor, who has waist-length blond hair and hammers a set of bells. After he took off his shirt, he looked like nothing so much as a sweating blacksmith. There were three guitars and a pedal steel and another percussionist, all banging away... I saw Michael Gira's lips moving, but I couldn't hear what he was singing. I am told--and I believe--that the loudness is necessary, that it is part of the point. For a while, I found a place on the balcony, right by the railing, and I could look down at the heads of the people below, standing shoulder to shoulder and vibrating. And it was kind of thrilling in a visceral way. It blows everything else out of your head. -[AlternateSideParking]

After a triumphant show at Brooklyn Masonic Temple with accompanying after-party on 10/8, Swans completed their NYC run on 10/9 at Bowery Ballroom (where the above review originates) with support from tour-mate Baby Dee. Reports from attendees of both NYC shows say that Bowery featured a less animated Michael Gira (no thumb-sucking or self-flagellation).

The show was part of a much larger tour for Swans, that was just extended. Updated dates below (no new NYC dates, though that semi-related Shearwater show is almost here).

The setlist from Bowery (which was identical to Brooklyn Masonic), with more pics and all dates below...

Continue reading "more Swans tour dates & Bowery Ballroom pics "

C93's David Tibet with Sasha Grey

S&S: Are you interested in the occult or any other mystical systems? Have you ever experimented with sex magick?

Sasha Grey: Thanks to Jimmy Paige and C93, I became quite fascinated with the writings of Aleister Crowley, and later LaVey. I am sex magic.

S&S: You recently collaborated with David Tibet on Aleph at Hallucinatory Mountain. What was it like working with him?

Sasha: We have an interesting relationship as our lives are drastically different, but there's definitely a subconcious connection that happens between us. I recorded my vocals literally in a few hours, and I was, and still am quite self concious about my music yet I still immensly enjoy the process.

Back in September it was announced that there would be a series of Current 93 shows in April and May in London & NYC. Well, NYC didn't happen, but London did just get two:

"I and all of C93 want to thank everyone who attended the two concerts in London; without you we are nothing. We also want to thank Comus, Simon Finn, Nurse With Wound, Rameses III and These New Puritans for appearing. We were absolutely astounded by all their sets.

Personally, I wish to thank all of C93: Andrew W.K., Matt Sweeney, Keith Wood, James Blackshaw, Stephen Emmel, William Breeze, Baby Dee, Michael Cashmore, Eliot Bates, John Contreras, Andrew Liles, Sarah Dietrich and Alex Neilson. To have Bill Fay appear with us was an experience that was so meaningful for us all; Bill Fay is Divinity! And thank you Sebastian Horsley for introducing us on both nights--I love you!" [David Tibet]

Andrew WK was there, and I'm sure he will be again when the NYC shows actually do happen. That's because David has also announced that "C93 will be playing two or three nights at Santos Party House in NYC [Andrew's club], probably some time between 10-20 October. More details soon. These will be our only US shows this year." Stay tuned for more details.

David Tibet contributed to Baby Dee's recently released A Book of Songs for Anne Marie, out now on Drag City. Baby Dee is touring with Swans.

Bon Iver @ Sasquatch Fest (more by Chris Graham)

Tickets are now on sale for all of Merkin Hall's upcoming 2009/10 concerts. Those shows include the NY Guitar Festival's Silent Films/Live Guitars series (previously mentioned here), which features David Bromberg and Marc Ribot playing alongside Charlie Chaplin films on January 14th, Bon Iver's Justin Vernon (Charlie Chaplin's The Gold Rush) with Steve Kimock (Buster Keaton's Cops) on January 21st, and more. The full lineup, with details, is below.

The venue is also hosting the New Sounds series, which includes performances by ETHEL and the Bang on a Can All-Stars. Details on those are below. Check out a video of the BoaC All-Stars rehearsing a Steve Reich piece from a few years back below too. You'll notice Bryce Dessner of the National is in the ensemble in that video. He's currently working on his own new piece with brother Aaron and Matthew Ritchie to debut at BAM this fall.

Also, as part of their trio of "Contemporary Contexts" concerts, Merkin Hall will be bringing Signal, who will premiere a new work from Nico Muhly and UK composer Harrison Birtwistle, in May.

The full schedule is below...

Continue reading "Bon Iver, Marc Ribot & other NY Guitar Fest tickets on sale ++ full upcomng Merkin Hall schedule (New Sounds, etc)"

DOWNLOAD: Marissa Nadler - River of Dirt (MP3)

With a new touring band, a refurbished banjo and some personal clarity ("I just cut this person out of my life who I've been writing about for four records," [Marissa] Nadler said), she sounded extremely pleased talking amid rehearsals for the new tour [with the Handsome Family Band].

"I'm psyched about it because I've just spent too much time alone in hotel rooms for the past five years of my life," she said. "And people will be like, 'Well, God, write a happy f---ing song.' And I'm like, well, why would you be happy if you've been stuck your entire 20s in a hotel room by yourself?

"That's kind of like my sense of humor, I guess. Maybe I'll start writing pop songs once I fall in love and get happy and rich, I don't know," she added. "Kidding, kidding." [University of Maryland's Diamondback 4/22/09]

The Handsome Family Band tour's April 25th stop at the Highline Ballroom was Nadler's most recent show in NYC.

The singer/songwriter has a European tour planned for May. When she returns, she'll play the Mercury Lounge in NYC on Tuesday, June 9th with James Blackshaw. Tickets are on sale.

UK guitarist Blackshaw is signed to Michael Gira's Young God Records, which will release his seventh studio record sometime this year.

"James has received a lot of attention lately as a prodigy/virtuoso of the 12 string guitar. He used to be in punk bands in England, but then he started listening to people like John Fahey, Robbie Basho etc, and I assume soon locked himself in a room for 12 hours a day for several years and just played constantly. It takes intense discipline and a religious commitment to get to the place where he's at with his instrument. But his music isn't about his "skill" - it's not showy. It's deeply meditative - the secret language of a pre-thought, pre-dream place. He plays soulful and kaleidoscopic ever-shifting mantra cycles of, in my view, incredible beauty." [Altsounds]

In addition to the Nadler show, Blackshaw will be touring North America. NYC shows include the Issue Project Room on Monday, June 8th and Fortune Cookie Basement at Lucky Cheng's on Friday, June 19th with Chris Weisman & Greg Davis. Lucky Cheng's?

An MP3 from Nadler's latest, Little Hells, out now on Kemado Records, is posted above (again).

All tour dates below...

Continue reading "James Blackshaw - 2009 Tour Dates (3 NYC shows including one w/ MARISSA NADLER)"

Since last year's The Cloud of Unknowing (Pitchfork's 34th favorite album of 2007) introduced James Blackshaw and his formidable 12-string skills to a wider audience, fans exploring Blackshaw's back catalogue have been in for quite a dig. Some of the UK guitarist/composer's earliest limited-run CD-Rs and LPs have been out of print. But thanks to his current label Tompkins Square, four of those releases will again see the light of the laser and the prick of the needle on March 25. [Pitchfork]

Thanks to a last minute tip (thx), I just realized that James Blackshaw is in NYC - playing Orchard Gallery tonight (Jan 25), and Sound Fix tomorrow, and then Philly, and then Orchard Gallery again, and then Issue Project Room. Plenty of chances to see him. All tour dates below....

Continue reading "James Blackshaw (UK) 2008 Tour Dates (4 NYC shows)"