One of the most eclectic lineups in the US, Hopscotch Festival in Raleigh, NC, will be back for 2013 on September 5 -7. Pulling from all genres, this year's line-up includes names like Big Boi (who plays NYC tonight), Spiritualized, Sleep, Wolf Eyes (who have a new video), The Breeders (performing Last Splash), John Cale, Kurt Vile & the Violators, Gorguts, Inter Arma (who play NYC on Saturday), Double Negative (who played NYC this past weekend), Swearin' (them too), Pissed Jeans, Dan Friel, Waxahatchee and many many others. Three-day wristbands are on sale now with individual day tickets going on sale in June. Full lineup is below.

Continue reading "Hopscotch announces 2013 lineup (Big Boi, Sleep, Spiritualized, Kurt Vile, Wolf Eyes, John Cale, more)"

photos by Greg Cristman

John Cale & Wordless Music Orchestra @ BAM, 1/18/2013

Q. Of all your albums, why are you revisiting "Paris 1919"?

A. It happens to be the one album where I finished all the songs before I went in to record. I wrote them when I had just moved to Warner to work in A&R. I took an office job and I was there every day, and I was writing these songs. After a while I realized, "This is nostalgia, pure and simple: I'm writing about the stuff that I miss about Europe." I wasn't writing to the album's title; I gave it the title afterward, and what it meant was: "Here we are in the height of the cold war; how did we get here?" This album seems to be about how we got there, looking back to the Versailles Treaty [signed in France in 1919]. - [NY Times]

Former Velvet Underground member John Cale played three shows at BAM in the last week as part of the Academy's Next Wave Festival. The first was a star-studded tribute to onetime VU singer Nico on January 16 featuring the vocal talents of Greg Dulli, Kim Gordon, Sharon Van Etten, Peaches, The Magnetic Fields, Joan as Policewoman, Meshell Ndegeocello and more.

Then on Friday and Saturday (1/18, 1/19) Cale collaborated with the Wordless Music Orchestra to perform his 1973 album, Paris 1919, in full, plus other songs from throughout his long musical career. Pictures from Friday's performance are in this post.

More below...

Continue reading "John Cale & Wordless Music Orchestra played BAM after Cale's Nico tribute (pics) "

At the encouragement of Bob Dylan, Beat poet Allen Ginsberg went into the studio in 1971 to record his first ever album of music. He then re-entered the studio in 1976 and 1981 and finally in 1983 he compiled all of the recordings (which featured contributions from Dylan, members of his band, and Arthur Russell, and was produced by John Hammond Sr.) onto a double LP called FIrst Blues. Now, 30 years later, Ginsberg Recordings are reissuing the album in vinyl and digital formats, and to celebrate they're throwing a release party in NYC.

The celebration takes place on January 16 at Housing Works Cafe (126 Crosby St.) with Ginsberg's "friends, collaborators, relatives and co-conspirators" Lou Reed, Anne Waldman, Ambrose Bye, CA Conrad, Steven Taylor, Hettie Jones, Arthur's Landing, and others. A limited edition of "500 seven track vinyl that mimics the original style down to the newspaper insert" will be available at Housing Works that night and online.

John Cale

That same night, Lou Reed's Velvet Underground bandmate John Cale will be doing a Nico tribute at BAM (1/16) with a number of guests including Kim Gordon, Sharon Van Etten, Mark Lanegan, Magnetic Fields, and more. Tickets for that show are still available.

John Cale also performs his solo album, Paris 1919 with the 20-piece Wordless Music Orchestra at BAM on January 18 and 19 and tickets for those shows are still available too.

Some song streams from First Blues below...

Continue reading "Allen Ginsberg's 'First Blues' getting a reissue; Lou Reed playing release party (same night as John Cale's Nico tribute)"

Arto Lindsay

Arto Lindsay of legendary no wave group DNA, The Lounge Lizards, and pursuer of an impressive solo career, will be performing material from throughout his career in NYC TONIGHT (11/30) at the New Museum. Tickets for the show ($12 for members, $15 for non-members) are available.

Speaking of no wave legends, Lydia Lunch (Teenage Jesus and the Jerks), who played Knitting Factory earlier this month will be playing with her band Big Sexy Noise in NYC on December 17 at Bowery Electric with "Caught on Tape" duo Thurston Moore/John Moloney. Tickets for that show are on sale now.

For Thurston Moore and John Moloney, the Bowery Electric show is part of a short December northeast tour that the duo will be on, which also includes the previously discussed Brooklyn show at Union Pool on December 11 with Speedy Ortiz and Lone Wolf. All of their dates are listed below.

In other related news, Thurston's ex-wife/Sonic Youth bandmate Kim Gordon, who will guest at the upcoming, sold-out Dinosaur Jr. You're Living All Over Me show at T5, will also be a guest with John Cale (of the Velvet Underground) when he does a tribute to Nico at BAM on January 16 at the Peter Jay Sharp Building. Other guests at that show include Mark Lanegan, Sharon Van Etten, Magnetic Fields, Joan as Police Woman, Peaches, Nick Franglen, and Meshell Ndegocello. Tickets for that show are available. It's one of two shows that John Cale is doing for the BAM Next Wave festival.

A list of all Thurston Moore/John Moloney dates and some videos, below.

Continue reading "Arto Lindsay, Lydia Lunch, Thurston Moore/John Moloney, Kim Gordon & more playing shows (separately)"

This remains a legal-to-buy accessory

A judge has peeled back one of The Velvet Underground's legal claims involving the use of the band's famed banana logo.

Manhattan federal Judge Alison Nathan tossed the legendary band's request for a court order declaring that the late artistAndy Warhol's foundation doesn't hold a copyright on the iconic image.

Nathan said a promise by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts not to sue the Velvets for using the design had "eliminated any live controversy" over the copyright.

Her ruling didn't affect three other claims filed by the band, which is seeking unspecified damages for alleged trademark infringement and a court order barring the foundation from licensing the logo. - [NY Post]

Lou Reed and John Cale sued the Warhol estate last year after the famed banana began being licensed for iPod cases and other items not deemed cool by the Velvet Underground members. Of course, people have been talking on a banana for years, as seen below.

Meanwhile in less litigious VU news, John Cale's new album, Adventures in Nookie Wood, is out October 2 on Double Six/Domino and you can watch the first video from it, "Face to the Sky," below. Cale also has two musical works debuting at BAM Next Wave fest next year.

Continue reading "The Velvet Underground lose lawsuit against the Warhol estate over rights to banana image"

John Cale has signed to Domino imprint Double Six who will release his new album Shifty Adventures in Nookie Wood on October 1. The former Velvet Underground member made the album at his own studio in LA, "experimenting with MPCs, pounding fists onto pianos, manipulating glitches and lots of signature viola drone while patiently waiting for songs to reveal themselves." Danger Mouse helped out on the album's opening track, "Let Me Talk 2 U." No songs have been released from Shifty Adventures in Nookie Wood (what a title!) but the tracklist is below.

Cale has a busy year ahead. In addition to the new album, he's readying to works for the BAM Next Wave Festival, both of which premiere in January 2013. Life Along the Borderline: A Tribute to Nico is making it's world premiere at BAM on January 16; and the performances of his 1973 album Paris 1919 with the 20-piece Wordless Music Orchestra happen January 18 and 19. Season tickets for BAM Next Wave go on sale to Friends of BAM starting June 11 with individual tickets to shows beginning August 6. Ticket info is here.

Continue reading "John Cale signs to Double Six, releasing new LP in October, performing two programs at BAM Next Wave fest"

Philip Glass at Tibet House benefit in February (more by Dana (distortion) Yavin)

BAM's 30th annual Next Wave Festival is going down from September 5, 2012 - January 19, 2013. The festival encompasses music, theater, film, dance and more. This year's programming includes Robert Wilson, Philip Glass and Lucinda Childs performing in Einstein on the Beach: an Opera in Four Acts; plus John Cale's Life Along the Borderline: A Tribute to Nico (w/ special guests, U.S. premiere); and When Past & Future Collide: Paris 1919 (w/ Wordless Music Orchestra, NY premiere); David Lang and Anonymous 4's love fail; So Percussion and Ain Gordon's Where (we) Live, and more. The complete list of 2012 Next Wave Festival programming is below.

Speaking of Philip Glass, the Philip Glass Ensemble will continue to celebrate his 75th birthday this year with a free show at Rockefeller Park on June 20 as part of the RIver to River Festival. The show will be opened by youth ensemble Face the Music, who will be performing Philip Glass' Glassworks. The show happens a few days after Philip finishes up his intimate three-night run at Issue Project Room.

Complete 2012 Next Wave Festival programming below...

Continue reading "BAM 2012 Next Wave Festival announced; Philip Glass Ensemble playing a free show in Rockefeller Park"

by Andrew Frisicano

After canceling his October 19th appearance at MoMA because of a "sports-related injury," John Cale has rescheduled his talk at the museum for Monday, February 15th. The event connects with the museum's now-closed Looking at Music: Side 2 exhibit. Tickets for the event, billed as a film screening, must be purchased in person. Information on how to get them is posted below.

John Cale won't be playing any music there (that we know of) but he did have a show recently - he played his 1973 album Paris 1919 in full on Friday, November 21st in Cardiff, UK. Videos from that are posted below too.

Some other Velvet Underground members (Lou Reed, Maureen Tucker and Doug Yule) are appearing at NYPL's Stephen A. Schwarzman Building on Tuesday, December 8th. Hopefully you already have a ticket because, as documented in the comments, not only is the event sold out, but due to a human error, some people who bought tickets were later informed that the event had sold out before their purchase

While at NYPL, get in the holiday spirit by checking out Charles Dickens' own copy of "A Christmas Carol", marked-up by the author for his own public performances of the book.

Brooklyn Central Library has events coming up as well (which are free). It hosts a conversation between Suicide's Alan Vega and music writer Tony Fletcher on Thursday, December 10th. The event, in lower level of Dweck Center, is free. (The VU event promotes "The Velvet Underground: New York Art," while this one coincides with Fletcher's new book "All Hopped Up and Ready to Go," described as a "history of the NYC music scene from 1927 to 1977.") Vega & Suicide played ATP NY in September. They're going to be at ATP UK (with Iggy & the Stooges) in May.

The Brooklyn Library event is one of a few upcoming promotional appearances for Tony and his new book (another is at Cake Shop). Flyer below.

The BK Central Library has some noteworthy live music too (vs. these talks about music): on the afternoon of Sunday, December 20th (4pm) it presents "Classical Interludes: yMusic"...

This uniquely configured chamber ensemble, comprised of string trio, flute, clarinet and trumpet, is equally comfortable in the often overlapping classical and pop music worlds. This concert is the premiere of Gabriel Kahane's Concerto for Trumpet and Small Ensemble and a new work by British composer, Simon Hale. The rest of the program will draw on contemporary classical works by composers such as Arvo Part and Nico Muhly and arrangements of instrumental pieces by Sufjan Stevens and Ryuichi Sakamoto.

yMusic is a sextet whose members have backed Sufjan, The National, Doveman and many others. Rob Moose of the group plays a solo show at the Stone two days before. The group will be at Archipelago series at Galapagos in April (the next Archipelago on December 18th features NOW Ensemble, which shares flutist Alex Sopp with the group).

John Cale videos, MoMA ticketing info and more, below...

Continue reading "John Cale's rescheduled MoMA visit, Tony Fletcher's new book on music from NY, Alan Vega in a library & more"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Blind Man Color - Heavy Cloud Hustle (JVG Remix) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Beach Fossils - Vacation (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Mitch Easter - Time Warping (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Mitch Easter - Sudden Crown Drop (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Asteroid #4 - Flowers of Ours (MP3)

Beach Fossils

Hope everyone stayed cool this weekend. Before I get into picks for the first part of this week, I'd just like to point out that we've got a remix (a BV exclusive, I'm told) of Blind Man's Colour's "Heavy Cloud Hustle" in the popular MP3 format to download at the very top of this post. The band were in town this weekend and I caught their Saturday night set at Union Hall where I was surprised to see a traditional guitar-bass-drums-keyboard setup for a band whose album, Season Dreaming (out tomorrow 8/18) leans heavily into Animal Collective sound collage territory. They pulled it off pretty well for only have played live for a month, though the band could use a few more peppy songs.

That night's show -- that also included San Diego's Lights On and Philly's Drink Up Buttercup -- was stolen by locals Beach Fossils who've figured out a distinctive sound: two guitarists but neither of them play chords, just single notes that play off each and the bouncy basslines. The band bounces around a lot too; nobody stands still in this band. It's a sound somewhere between the Clean and early R.E.M. and it's hard to dislike. I wish they'd drop the vibrato effects on the vocals which I think are an unnecessary affectation, but otherwise I'm a fan. They haven't put out anything yet, but they've got records out sometime soon on Woodsist and Captured Tracks (not surprisingly they played the festival put on by the same two labels), and you can download an MP3 of their track "Vacation" at the top of this post. They've also got ties to the Underwater Peoples Records who are putting on a show at Market Hotel this Saturday (8/22) that Beach Fossils are playing -- along with every band associated with the label. That includes Ducktails, sister band Real Estate, Air Waves, Fluffy Lumbers and bunch more. The show's only $5 and doors are at 4pm. Full schedule for the show is at the bottom of this post.

Ambulance LTD

Rewinding a bit, Ambulance LTD play their first shows this week since finally being released from their contract from former, bankrupt label, TVT. I really like their 2004 debut and hopefully we'll get to hear its John Cale-produced follow-up sooner than later, but you can get a taste live this week. The band's show tomorrow night (8/18) at Mercury Lounge is sold out, but you can still get tickets for tonight's show (8/17) at Union Hall. Both shows are with the great Savoir Adore so get there early and be sure to pick up a copy of their debut, In the Wooded Forrest, which is only available at their shows (or digitally) right now.

In town for two shows this week is North Carolina indie rock legend Mitch Easter, who plays Southpaw on Tuesday (8/18) and Maxwell's on Thursday (8/20). While he's maybe best known as a producer (the first two R.E.M.'s albums [with Don Dixon], Pavement's Brighten the Corners, Moose's ...XYZ among other things), but Easter has had a long career as a musician, as a part of The Sneakers in the late '70s and frontman/songwriter for Let's Active, easily one of the most underrated bands of the '80s. He's also an incredible guitarist, and Let's Active albums are resplendent with awesome axe-work.

I like everything they ever did but 1986's Big Plans for Everybody is especially great, one of my favorite albums of that decade. Mitch put the kybosh on Let's Active in 1990 and didn't release any original material until last year's Dynamico, an album which showed he still has chops and songs to spare. He opened for the dB's at Bowery Ballroom two years ago where he played most of Let's Active's big songs ("Every Word Means No," "Waters Part," "Fell," "In Little Ways") and has since been touring with his "Let's Active cover band" Gravel Truck that splits the set between classics and new songs. Easter helped shape the sound of the underground in the '80s and '90s, and is absolutely still worth checking out.

Both shows are with Amy Speace whose new album 'The Killer In Me' was engineered by Mitch.

The Asteroid #4

And lastly, Philadelphia's The Asteroid #4 is playing Tuesday night (8/18) at Glasslands in Brooklyn. The band recently toured with The Brian Jonestown Massacre which gives you a good idea of what you can expect, and they're not unlike Philly neighbors (The Sounds of) Kaleidescope... but they're better. Last year's These Flowers of Ours, is pretty ace, a nice blend of The Byrds, Ride and Spiritualized. You can stream the whole thing here and download the album's title track at the top of this post. The Glasslands show is with a couple likeminded bands: Austin's Runaway Sun and Brooklyn's Revival Times.

That's it for now. Tour dates, flyers and videos after the jump...

Continue reading "Beach Fossils, Ambulance LTD, Underwater Peoples, Mitch Easter, Asteroid #4 & Blind Mans Colour in This Week in Indie"