As previously announced, the 2011 Ecstatic Music Festival, presented by New York City's Merkin Concert Hall in association with New Amsterdam Records, is a showcase of imaginative collaborations between more than 150 genre-pushing composers, songwriters and performers who represent a new generation of artists combining diverse influences and techniques to explore the intersection of classical and pop music. All concerts will include premieres. The festival opens with a free seven-hour marathon on January 17, 2011, and continues with 13 additional concerts until March 28, 2011. All concerts will take place at Merkin Concert Hall.

Continue reading "Ecstatic Music Festival kicks off on 1/16, runs through 3/28 (updated schedule w/ tUnE-yArDs, Dan Deacon, Owen Pallett)"

DOWNLOAD: The xx - Basic Space (Micachu Remix) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Speech Debelle - Better Days (Revox) ft. Micachu and Wiley (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Micachu & The Shapes - Lips (MP3)

Micachu & The Shapes @ Siren Fest 09 (more by Chris La Putt)

Icelandic singer Bjork chats with All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen about some of her favorite artists and spins an eclectic mix of music. Hear selections from Syrian musician Omar Souleyman, the post punk duo Eyeless in Gaza, fellow Icelandic singer Olof Arnalds, The Pokrovsky Ensemble and the wildly eccentric, London-based rock group Micachu and the Shapes.
[NPR, June 2009]

Now, Micachu & The Shapes are back in North America for a set of dates including two NYC shows coming up very soon. At the first gig on Friday, October 2nd, they'll be playing at Brooklyn's Littlefield with Julianna Barwick and Mon Khmer. Tickets are on sale.

The second gig, an October 3rd Wordless Music show at (Le) Poisson Rouge, will feature ACME (American Contemporary Music Ensemble) who will be "performing string quartets written by Micachu (aka Mica Levi) and Jefferson Friedman. Tickets are on sale.

ACME plays another show the next week at Galapagos Art Space where they tackle the music of John Cage, Andrew Hamilton, Frederic Rzewski and Louis Andriessen. Tickets are on sale..

Before Micachu & The Shapes get to NY, they stop in Montreal where they will play a Pop Montreal showcase co-presented by BrooklynVegan (me/us). Also on that October 1st bill is Clues and Slim Twig. Check out the poster below.

All Micachu & The Shapes tour dates are below, with their "Golden Phone" video, a "special acoustic session in front of Tempelhof Airport in Berlin in August 2009" and a clip of Jefferson Friedman's "String Quartet No. 3," which ACME will be playing on the 3rd. Check them out...

Continue reading "Micachu & The Shapes - on tour now, playing BV Pop Montreal & two NYC shows (Littlefield & Wordless w/ ACME)"

photos by Justina Villanueva

Shudder to Think had many different lineups while they were active from 1986-1998. Staying consistent with that, they've had varying lineups during this 2007-2009 reunion period as well. Frontman Craig Wedren has also has had many different musical projects since 1998, projects that maybe better represent where he is now than the one he just got back together. One of those solo-like projects, which he has performed with at Le Poisson Rouge and Joe's Pub in recent times, is a collaboration with the mini orchestra ACME.

With that background in mind, maybe last night's show wasn't actually too peculiar. First, Shudder to Think guitarist Nathan Larson wasn't at the show. The official reason was that he was busy with his other band (and wife in) A Camp. Oddly, A Camp doesn't/didn't have any shows scheduled, and Nathan has been a part of the reunion since the start. Second, after a first set of Shudder to Think songs, Craig switched the format of last night's show and actually did bring out, and perform with, ACME. Craig explained that he actually wrote the songs with Jefferson Friedman while STT was still together, so it still counted. None of this made it a bad, possibly final, show... just sayin'.

Shudder's last drummer Kevin March was the drummer last night (as he has been for the whole part of the reunion), and Shudder bassist Stuart Hill was nowhere to be found (same for the whole reunion). The show opened with old songs like A Vampire's Proposal, Lies About the Sky, and About Three Dreams and then seemed to segue into Pony Express material (still no Nathan).

But then came a surprise. Chris Matthews who was the original Shudder guitar player even before Nathan joined the band, came on stage for two songs, one being Red House, the other being Day Ditty (both songs he originally played in). The other guitarist in last night's band is the new guy who has been there since 2007. After the ACME bit they came back to rock again.... Overall they played for around two hours. Other songs included Gang of $, Lies About the Sky, Nine Fingers, She's A Skull, No Rm. 9 Kentucky, Love Catastrophe, X-French T-Shirt, and Hit Liquor... full setlist in the comments.

Hit Liquor is one of many songs that appears on the new Shudder To Think live album being released by Team Love soon. You can grab that track for free HERE.

Pattern is Movement and Blame the Patient opened the Bowery show. More pictures below...

Continue reading "Shudder to Think (sort of), Pattern is Movement & Blame the Patient @ Bowery Ballroom in NYC - pics & setlist "