Yo La Tengo @ Celebrate Brooklyn, August 2012 (more by Jessica Amaya)

Big Boi @ Austin Fader party on 8/7/2012 (more by Tim Griffin)

today in NYC
* Owen @ Union Hall
* Yo La Tengo @ Maxwell's
* Justin Peake @ The Stone
* 2 Chainz @ Roseland Ballroom
* Os Mutantes @ Le Poisson Rouge
* 4th AnnualLennon Party @ Glasslands
* Reggie Watts @ Etsy Holiday Shop
* Alsarah & The Nubatones @ Barbes
* Royal Trux, Pigeons @ Saint Vitus
* Big Boi @ The Studio at Webster Hall
* Porcelain Raft @ Brooklyn Night Bazaar
* Jonny Santos DJ set @ Etsy Holiday Shop
* Savoir Adore, Willy Moon @ Brooklyn Bowl
* Russell Crowe and Alan Doyle @ Joe's Pub
* Hiro Kone, Drew McDowall, Nymph @ Zebulon
* Marlowe Grey, King Holiday @ Mercury Lounge
* Acid Problem, Half Day, Very Rare @ Big Snow
* State Radio, Black Pistol Fire @ Webster Hall
* Golem, Smoota, Schlep Sisterrs @ Cameo Art Gallery
* Luke Rathborne, Mainland, Lazyeyes, Gracie @ Pianos
* Slow Hands, Brooklyn Bass, Nooka Jones @ Public Assembly
* Mother Feather, Kendra Morris, Wifey @ The Bowery Electric
* Hank & Cupcakes, Charlene Kaye, The Kickback @ Mercury Lounge
* New Found Glory, The Story So Far, Candy Hearts @ Irving Plaza
* St. Lucia, GOLD FIELDS, Ghost Beach @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
* Gary War, Purple Pilgrims, PC Worship, Alan Watts @ Death By Audio
* The Rolling Stones, Mary J. Blige, Gary Clark Jr. @ Barclays Center
* DRI, Mucky Pup, No Redeeming Social Value, Undivided, Blackout @ The Studio
* Wild International, Dinowalrus, Life Size Maps, Spires @ Shea Stadium
* Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Higgins Waterproof Blackmagic Band, DJ Creep @ Union Pool
* Eric Copeland (of Black Dice), YXIMALLOO, Highlife, Ian Drennan @ 285 Kent
* Subsonics, The Upper Crust, The Recordettes, The Lost Crusaders @ Cake Shop
* Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Black Joe Lewis & the Honey Bears @ Terminal 5
* Delicate Steve, The Stone Foxes, Grandfather Child, White Violet @ Gramercy Theatre
* Tinsel Teeth, Big Ups, Osekre & The Lucky Bastards, Advaeta, Yeah Well Whatever @ 255 McKibbin
* Cyndi Lauper Holiday Show w/ Sarah McLachlan, Adam Lambert, St. Vincent, Roberta Flack, Alexis Krauss, Hunter Valentine @ Beacon Theatre

Tons of big deal shows tonight: the Stones at Barclays, Big Boi at the Studio @ Webster Hall, Yeah Yeah Yeahs's Sandy benefit at Union Pool, and "Royal Trux" (minus Jennifer Heremma) playing Twin Infinitives at Saint Vitus, and more.

Happy first night of Hanukkah! That means it's also the first night of Yo La Tengo's annual Hanukkah shows at Maxwell's. Who will be the secret opener tonight?

John Lennon died 32 years ago today. Tonight, Glasslands holds it's annual Lennon Party and this year's features members of Acrylics, Caged Animals, Erika Spring, Ex Cops, Har Mar Superstar, Psychic,, & Rewards, SoftSpot, Sugars, TEEN, White Gallery, Yellow Ostrich and more performing his songs. All proceeds go toward Hurricane Sandy relief. Tickets are still available.

Follow @BrooklynVegan on Twitter.
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As mentioned above, Big Boi plays the tiny Studio @ Webster Hall tonight. Last night he was on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon performing "Mama Told Me" with Little Dragon and you can watch that below.

Roc Marciano just released a video for "Deeper" and you can check that out below.

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Saturday (Hanukkah night 1)"

Today is John Lennon's birthday, and so Yoko Ono is giving Lady Gaga an award, in Iceland. John would've been 72. Check out a gallery of the former Beatle's drawings (like the one above) over at the Huffington Post. Yahoo Canada takes a look at some of his letters.

Joe's Pub is celebrating John's birthday tomorrow. Symphony Space honors the man in November. Glasslands gets down in December.

Speaking of Lennons, Martha Wainwright's new album Come Home to Mama, which is also streaming at NPR, was recorded "mostly at" Sean Lennon's home studio in New York City. We're giving away tickets to see Martha at Le Poisson Rouge on Thursday (10/11) via our Facebook.

We are also giving away tickets to The Walkmen's 10/18 show at Terminal 5 with Dum Dum Girls; and Doveman: The Burgundy Stain Sessions featuring Owen Pallett, Dawn Landes, and Steve Salett at Le Poisson Rouge on 10/12.

Speaking of Doveman shows and Wainwrights, help support marriage equality later this month at the Beacon.

In other milestones, Rage Against the Machine's self-titled debut turns 20 this year. To commemorate, the band are reissuing it as a box set, with "never-before seen early concert footage and full 2010 Finsbury Park Victory Concert along with remastered debut album, original demos and treasure trove of videos and music." Yours for only $136.

Likewise, Rancid are celebrating their 20th anniversary by releasing their entire discography as a huge box of 7"s. Pre-orders began today.

To quote Merge Records, "You're Living All Over Me by Dinosaur Jr., the groundbreaking album from the masters of alt-guitar rock, turns 25 this fall. To celebrate, Merge Records is releasing Chocomel Daze, a rare live show (featuring the classic, original line-up of J, Lou, and Murph) recorded in 1987 at Dorrnroosje, Nijmegen, Netherlands. Limited edition on 150-gram vinyl for the first time, this release follows their recent I Bet on Sky." Listen to one of the tracks at the bottom of this post.

Other new Merge releases include the Mountain Goats, Mark Eitzel, Mount Moriah and The Music Tapes.

Mark Eitzel is going on tour later this year.

Rick Ross dropped a new mixtape called The Black Bar Mitzvah. Give it a listen over at bvChicago.

The downside of Louis CK's massive, self-ticked tour: his Emmy-winning FX show Louie won't be back until 2014.

Bummer All Tomorrow's Parties news: ATP Japan has gone from postponed to canceled.

AND more stuff below...

Continue reading "ALSO: John Lennon's Birthday, Rancid & RATM box sets, ATP Japan, Trail of Dead, Kylesa, Luyas, Black Keys & more"

It seemed inevitable that Adele would be tapped to do a Bond theme and here we are with Skyfall. The movie actually looks like it might be good! As for the theme song, Adele and cowriter/producer Paul Epworth are channeling classic John Barry-era Bond and will be drawing comparisons to Shirley Bassey. A lyric video of the song is at the bottom of this post. (you can also buy it on iTunes)

Speaking of buying on iTunes, that's one place you can get the new album by Flying Lotus who just announced a CMJ show which happens about a week after all his other NYC appearances including this weekend's record fair.

The Raveonettes are on tour and playing Webster Hall on Friday, but first you can catch them on Letterman tonight. Meanwhile check out some pictures from their Chicago show.

Still time to get a ticket to our free-with-free-ticket AC Newman show happening Monday in Brooklyn. Meanwhile you can stream the new album in its entirety below.

The Punch Brothers are on tour and have plenty of upcoming shows, like Gramercy Theater on 10/5, and Bowery Ballroom on New Year's Eve, and The Paramount Theater in Long Island on October 7, which we're giving away tickets to on Facebook (you can also buy some).

Speaking of the Punch Brothers, as mentioned, primary Brother Chris Thile is one of this year's MacArthur Fellows. Which means he gets lots of money. Congrats also to winner Claire Chase of the International Contemporary Ensemble (aka ICE)., Maybe you caught her recently at the new Original Music Workshop venue, or during the 2010 Bang on a Can Marathon, or at one of the many other times she has performed in and around Brooklyn where she lives.

The big Animal Collective show at Williamsburg Park is this Friday. Tickets are still available. If you go, make sure and get there early for Micachu & the Shapes, or just go see Micachu headline LPR on Monday with recently added opener Mykki Blanco. Win tickets at the BV Facebook.

Micachu also DJs a Brooklyn Bass-presented After Hours party at Cameo Gallery (10/5) after the Williamsburg Park show with DJ Rezzie, No GLow, Evan MIchael, Judge Wise, and T'Angelo. It starts at midnight and admission is $8 at the door or $5 with RSVP to bass.brooklyn@gmail.com.

Sondre Lerche, who recently played Austin, is on tour and plays the Wolf's Den @ Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, CT on Friday (10/5).

Robert Pollard & Tobin Sprout's art show opens in Brooklyn on Friday. Check out pictures from the show Guided By Voices recently played at Emo's.

Kraftwerk, Rush and Public Enemy might be in the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame.

Finally an answer to Rolling Stone's "Women Who Rock!" issue: Seattle's The Stranger presents, "Men Who Rock!," complete with sexy pinup photos. Hot! What, no Lars Finberg?

PD spotted what is estimated to be 7-10 Million Dollars worth of pot growing on a Chicagoland farm with "plants as big as trees."

The first "official" photos of the reunited cast of Arrested Development have surfaced. The improbably fourth season of the show will "air" (stream) on Netflix in 2013. Meanwhile, New York Magazine has details on how you can win a walk-on.

more below...

Continue reading "ALSO: Adele's Bond theme, Micachu, Raveonettes, RDIO, AlunaGeorge, Claire Chase, Divine Fits, the Hobbit + more"

We always thought the Lannisters would be Romney supporters...

Nerds for Obama!

Neil Young , who is now on Twitter and recently played Central Park, thinks MP3s sound like shit and is creating a new 24-bit digital audio service called Pono that he says sounds better.

Neil might not approve but you can stream every single A389 release ever in its entirety at their Bandcamp which is pretty cool. He probably isn't a fan of Eyehategod anyway.

More streaming: give an online listen to Tame Impala's new album Lonerism.

Watch Ty Segall perform on WGN's morning news show... at 8AM. Wonder if he had even been to bed yet?

The Mountain Goats release Transcendental Youth via Merge today. Learn about the recording process in an interview at The Atlantic.

Merge also released the self-titled debut by Mount Moriah today. Mount Moriah is one of the many artists playing the Merge CMJ showcase this year.

Axl Rose is giving an extremely rare interview to Jimmy Kimmel on 10/24, though that is unfortunately before Jimmy starts filming in Brooklyn.

We've got a new interview with Mister Lies over at bvChicago. Mister Lies makes his NYC live debut this week at Cameo.

Conservative blowhard Glenn Beck loves bombastic UK rockers Muse and wrote an open letter to the band to show them just how much. Needless to say, it is nuts.

Radio biographer and historian Alex Cosper discusses the "expanding definition of indie" at the Sacramento Press.

Music Publishing firm ASCAP has just launched a new program called ASCAP OnStage that will pay musicians royalties when their songs are played live.

In other getting paid news, the Spotify-esque web music provider Rdio will pay artists $10 per new subscriber.

Jay-Z played his fourth of eight shows at the Barclays Center last night.

LA via Sri Lanka rapper DeLon traces the reason for him having to drop off a tour with America's Got Talent artist Lindsey Stirling, back to his 2008 criticisms of M.I.A.

more below...

Continue reading "ALSO: Nerds for Obama; Glenn Beck for Muse; Neil Young Vs. MP3s; Axl Rose, Mountain Goats, Tame Impala + more"

today in NYC
* Totopos @ The Stone
* Wax Poetic @ Joe's Pub
* Elliott Sharp @ Roulette
* The Big Sleep @ The Fort
* Questlove @ Brooklyn Bowl
* Karkwa @ Rockwood Music Hall
* Nicole Atkins @ Symphony Space
* Cheap Trick @ Paramount Theater
* City on Fire, Knox, Awning @ Zebulon
* Ches Smith & These Arches @ The Stone
* Shooter Jennings @ Rockwood Music Hall
* Yelle, Housse De Racket @ Webster Hall
* Tribes, We Barbarians @ Mercury Lounge
* Ben von Wildenhaus, Gym, Deer @ Sycamore
* The Barr Brothers, Jocie Adams @ Union Pool
* Your Skull My Closet, Descender @ Saint Vitus
* The Weakerthans, Dinosaur Bones @ Bowery Ballroom
* Cory Branan, Dave Hause, Sad & French @ Union Hall
* Miracles, Yvette, ATM, Skull Kids @ Death By Audio
* Glass Ghost, Little Horns, Cookies @ Cameo Gallery
* U.S. Royalty, Dreamers of the Ghetto @ Mercury Lounge
* Alabama Shakes, Spirit Family Reunion @ Brooklyn Bowl
* Party Supplies, Snowmine, Mindtroll, Manett @ Cake Shop
* Hooray For Earth, Woodsman, Prince Rama @ Public Assembly
* Loser's Lounge tribute to Diana Ross & the Supremes @ Joe's Pub
* Tatters & Rags, Christy & Emily, Harpoon Forever @ The Rock Shop
* Spanish Prisoners, Slam Donahue, 1,2,3, Crinkles, Gracie @ Pianos
* Cheap Thrills, The Dirty Shames, Thunderfucks, Triple Hex @ Matchless
* Friends, Zambri, Royal Baths, Doldrums, Xray Eyeballs @ Glasslands
* The Ensemble Sospeso plays Morton Feldman's "For Christian Wolff" @ Issue Project Room
* Wishes and Thieves, Life Size Maps, Osekre and The Lucky Bastards, Shark?, I'm Turning Into @ Big Snow Buffalo Lodge
* John Lennon tribute w/ Acrylics, Citay, Eytan & The Embassy, Here We Go Magic, Psychic, Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson, Erika Spring, TEEN @ Knitting Factory
* The Party Machine Holiday Spectacular Benefit w/ Eleanor Friedberger, Arden Myrin, Lisa Delarios, Michael Showalter, Bobby Tisdale, Seth Herzog, Colin Quinn, Adira Amram @ The Bell House
* 5th Annual Yule Prog: Progressive Hip Hop Festival w/ Meyhem Lauren, Open Mike Eagle, Marq Spekt, Billy Woods, Cult Favorite, PremRock & Willie Green, Auxiliary Arms (Masai Bey & L.I.F.E. Long), JunClassic, Adam Warlock, Lyle Horowitz, Prezzure & Elucid, Pruven & Creature @ Southpaw

John Lennon was killed today in 1980. Check out the tribute concert happening at Knitting Factory tonight, and the one happening Saturday at Le Poisson Rouge.

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Thursday? "

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Violens - Acid Reign (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Violens - Violent Sensation Descends (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Fergus & Geronimo - Powerful Lovin' (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Warm Ghost - Open the Wormhole In Your Heart (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Weed Hounds - Beach Bummed 7" (ZIP)
DOWNLOAD: Acylics - Nightwatch (MP3)

Violens

We'll start of this week with a giveaway. Violens play Santos this Saturday and if you'd like to win a pair of tickets to the show as well as a copy of the band's new album, Amoral, just send an email to BVCONTESTS@HOTMAIL.COM with "VIOLENS" as the subject and we'll pick a winner at random.

I think Violens' debut is a pretty sweet slice of glossy goth pop, heavily in debt to bombastic '80s UK mope but with a modern sheen. If it's out-of-step with what's currently in favor in Brooklyn, it's all the more distinctive for it. It also sounds really good loud. Amoral may hold up pretty well down the line, too, as songs like "Violent Sensation Descends," "Acid Reign" (both downloadable above) and "The Dawn Of Your Happiness Is Rising" are cleverly-produced and catchy-as-hell.

The whole Santos show should be pretty fun, with the awesome Light Asylum and Caveman opening (plus, BBG reports that Krallice drummer Lev Weinstein is now playing as a member of Violens too).

John Grant

What else is going on this week? MOJO Album of 2010 recipient John Grant plays two shows this week: an early show tonight (12/8) at Mercury Lounge and then Saturday (12/11) at The Rock Shop. If you haven't checked out the former Czars frontman's solo debut -- produced and backed by Midlake -- you should really do so. From MOJO's year-end review:

[Midlake]'s intervention supplied confidence, empathy and a meticulous '70s soft rock sound, allowing Grant to channel a life's worth of vitriol and self-flagellation into songs of spiritual hunger, emotional fireworks and bile-black humour that always searched for self-improvement and atonement. Here were tales of alcohol and cocaine dependency, self-hate and destructive love affairs that raised the twin ghosts of Patsy Cline and Karen Carpenter. The result was in an intensely bittersweet pop record, that, like a couple of similar MOJO classics before it -- Antony's I Am a Bird Now and Bon Iver's For Emma... -- sounded like it's creator had been waiting his whole life to make.

You can listen to the whole shebang via a widget at the bottom of this post. Unfortunately, Midlake won't be backing him on these shows so we won't get Queen of Denmark is it's truly epic glory but I have a feeling that Grant, with help from multi-instrumentalist  Casey Chandler, will do just fine on a smaller scale.

Tricky

Trip hop pioneer Tricky is here this week as well, with shows at Le Poisson Rouge tomorrow (12/9) and Brooklyn Bowl on Friday (12/10). Here's one of those artists that even that despite a string of lackluster records, I always give the new album a chance. While there are more than a few regrettable moments on Mixed Race (I don't think anybody could make a Peter Gun sample work in 2010), there's also some of the best we've heard from him in ages that drip that paranoid, slow-burn cool that made his first two albums classics.

Atlas Sound, Feb 2010 @ the Bell House (more by Dominick Mastrangelo)

While Deerhunter's terrific Halcyon Digest is finding its way into many's Top Ten of 2010 lists (maybe mine, we'll see), Bradford Cox stays busy as Atlas Sound who play an Maxwell's on Friday (12/10) and The Bell House on Saturday (12/11). Has any other artist been on such a creative hot streak as Cox since 2008? The guy releases at least one "official" album a year in one of his two guises, with regular demo dumps via his blog that are almost always worth downloading. Like the four-part Bedroom Databank series we got in the last two weeks. May this ride never end.

---

And a few more picks, day-by-day, for shows not covered above.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 8

It's the 30th anniversary of John Lennon's death, and Glasslands pays tribute tonight with a cavalcade of indie names, including: Acrylics, Amazing Baby, Nicole Atkins, Here We Go Magic, Eytan & The Embassy, Psychic, Teen, The Royal Chains, Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson, Bizi Gara, Class Actress, and Brian Harding. Proceeds go to Arts Education International.

My Teenage Stride, who have five new downloadable songs up on WFMU's Free Music Archive, play Pianos tonight with The Art of Shooting, Minneapolis duo Fort Wilson Riot, and Desert Stars.

Over at Death by Audio, you can catch a rock-solid bill featuring bash-pop duo Sisters, Total Slacker offshoot Web Dating, indie rock quartet Shark?, sleazoid garage rockin' X-Ray Eyeballs, and Philly duo Slutever.

Captured Tracks band Further Reductions bring the minimal synth sound to the Weird Party at Home Sweet Home.

continued below...

Continue reading "Violens, John Grant, Tricky, Atlas Sound, Weed Hounds, Acrylics, My Teenage Stride & more in This Week in Indie"

Swans @ Pop Montreal 2010 (more by Dominick Mastrangelo)

Olof Arnalds @ Scandanavia House in 2009 (more by Chris La Putt)

today in NYC
* Comic Con
* Marah @ Maxwell's
* Olof Arnalds @ Joe's Pub
* Boy Crisis @ Brooklyn Bowl
* MV Carbon @ Issue Project Room
* Swans, Baby Dee @ Bowery Ballroom
* K'naan, Paper Tongues @ Webster Hall
* Lord of the Rings @ Radio City Music Hall
* Shoko Nagai's Glimpse of City @ The Stone
* Bustle In Your Hedgerow @ Brooklyn Bowl
* Ratatat, DOM, Bobby Birdman @ Terminal 5
* Tomas Fujiwara & The Hook Up @ The Stone
* Women, DD/MM/YYYY, So Cow @ Knitting Factory
* Sharon Van Etten, Kyp Malone @ Mercury Lounge
* The Stationary Set, Winterpills, Stephaniesid @ Union Hall
* Primus, Mucca Pazza, Oddity Faire @ The Wellmont Theatre
* Wyldlife, The Safes, Thee Lexington Arrows, Glass Trees @ Fontana's
* Celebration, Andrew Cedermark, Woodsman, Up Died Sound @ Glasslands
* Bomb The Music Industry (playing The Blue Album and Pinkerton) @ Silent Barn
* Nuclear Assault, Candy Striper Death Orgy, Black Anvil @ Public Assembly
* Strapping Fieldhands, Watery Love, Willie Lane, Measure, Black Wine @ Cake Shop
* Betty Harris, Harvey Scales, Renaldo Domino, The Sweet Divines (Brooklyn Soul Festival) @ The Bell House
* Kronos Quartet (music of Michael Gordon, Clint Mansell, J.G. Thirlwell, and Dan Visconti) @ Le Poisson Rouge
* Dawn Landes, Anais Mitchell, Freedy Johnston, Jesse Malin, The Chapin Sisters, Lisa Bouchelle, The Kennedys, Tony Scherr (John Lennon 70th Birthday Party) @ City Winery

What else?

Aimee Mann at Nokia in 2008 (more by Chris La Putt)

Saturday would have been John Lennon's 70th birthday, and a gang of musicians will link up on November 12th at Beacon Theater to participate in the 30th Annual John Lennon Tribute going down at the venue (tickets):

The tribute will benefit Playing For Change Foundation. This concert is a once-in-a-lifetime gathering of artists who will come together to celebrate the life, music and creative spirit of John Lennon. The all-star lineup of performers span nearly four generations, ranging from legendary music icons Jackson Browne, Patti Smith and Cyndi Lauperto acclaimed artists, Aimee Mann, Keb' Mo', Joan Osborne, Martin Sexton, Shelby Lynne, Taj Mahal, Meshell Ndegeocello, Alejandro Escovedo, Playing For Change, The Kennedys, Vusi Mahlasela, Rich Pagano of the Fab Faux, YouTube sensation Chris Bliss, Wendy Osserman Dance and the Tribute's co-creator and MAD Magazine Senior Editor, Joe Raiola.

Aimee Mann will also play a string of shows in the Northeast surrounding that appearance as well: Tarrytown Music Hall in Tarrytown, NY will see her on 11/11, SOPAC in South Orange, NJ gets her on 11/13, and Aimee Mann also has a date with Music Hall of Williamsburg on 11/22. Tickets for the latter are currently on AMEX presale, and go on regular sale today (10/8) at noon.

All dates and some videos below...

Continue reading "Aimee Mann touring, playing MHOW & a John Lennon Tribute w/ Patti Smith & many others (dates) "

tonight in NYC
* Slavic Soul Party @ Barbes
* Further @ Hammestein Ballroom
* Nate Wooley @ Issue Project Room
* Pure Horsehair, Sam Amidon @ Zebulon
* J.A.M.B.I.E. w/ Jon Irabagon @ The Stone
* Parts and Labor, The Tony Castles, Screens @ Brooklyn Bowl
* The Prigs, The Stationary Set, Red Wire Black Wire @ Knitting Factory Brooklyn
* WFUV benefit w/ Rosanne Cash, The Low Anthem, Mike Doughty @ Concert Hall
* The Music of John Lennon featuring performances by members of: Acrylics, Amazing Baby, Gillian Rivers and the SET Quartet, Here We Go Magic, Lauren Bahr, Nicole Atkins, Psychic, The Royal Chains, & Suckers @ Glasslands

Parts and Labor, The Tony Castles and Screens play a free show at Brooklyn Bowl. Former Parts & Labor member Sarah Lipstate plays as Noveller on Friday with Yellow Fever and Air Waves at Bruar Falls.

Video of Alec Ounsworth live on KEXP below...

Video of Surf City live on KEXP below...

Video of The Moondoggies live on KEXP below...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Tuesday?"

"The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Annex NYC will conclude its stay in New York on January 3 at 8PM. The Rock Annex is exploring opportunities for a tour that would bring exclusive artifacts to music fans and rock enthusiasts around the world. Fans have just one more month to experience the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Annex NYC, showcasing rare artifacts from legendary artists including Springsteen, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, Michael Jackson and its featured exhibit, JOHN LENNON: THE NEW YORK CITY YEARS"

Not too surprising. Adult tickets are $25.60 each. Videos from inside the museum, below...

Continue reading "NYC's Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Annex closing in January"

1. Paul McCartney - Great Day
2. Coconut Records - Wires
3. Robert Plant and the Strange Sensation - All The King's Horses
4. James Taylor - Carolina On My Mind [live]
5. Warren Zevon - Keep Me In Your Heart
6. Adam Sandler - Real Love [live]
7. Neil Diamond - We [early take]
8. Wilco with Andrew Bird - Jesus, etc. [Live Summer '08]
9. Adam Sandler - George Simmons Soon Will Be Gone
10. Coconut Records - I Am Young
11. Maude Apatow & Larry Goldings - Memory (from Cats)
12. Warren Zevon - Numb As A Statue
13. Ringo Starr - Photograph
14. John Lennon - Watching The Wheels [acoustic]

There was a screening of "Funny People" in NYC yesterday. "Funny People is the new Judd Apatow movie that stars Seth Rogan, Adam Sandler, Leslie Mann, and Raaaaaaaandy. As you can see in the track listing above, the soundtrack features a live Wilco song that was recorded when they were playing shows last year with Andrew Bird who joined them on stage. Some video examples of that below.

Wilco came to NYC this week to play a big show at Keyspan Park in Coney Island (7/13). That show also featured many special guests including Leslie Feist who most likely flew in mainly to join Wilco for their appearance on the David Letterman show which aired last night (7/14), but was recorded yesterday afternoon which gave Jeff Tweedy plenty of time to make it over to the movie screening (which he was spotted at). Letterman video below...

Continue reading "Wilco - w/ Feist on Letterman (video), w/ Andrew Bird on the Funny People Soundtrack (Raaaaaaaandy.......)"

by Ryan Barkan

10. CLOUD CULT: "LUCKY TODAY" - ESURANCE.COM
It's a music video! It's an ad! It's a music videad! It's the band Cloud Cult, fully animated in a TV spot for Esurance, but there isn't a sales pitch to be found. The Minneapolis psychedelic-pop band had traditionally shunned marketers, but the DTC insurance company won them over with some hard-fought green credentials. The result is a charming spot that not only fits in with the visual style of the band, but also features one of Cloud Cult's best songs.
[Ad Age Ad Songs of the Year]

This commercial came out late in 2008...though I think I only saw it one or two times. But thanks to an increase in rotation (January is the busiest month for car insurance!) partially influenced by the above placement in Ad Age, Esurance's Cloud Cult cartoon commercial has been on TV heavily over the past few weeks. The band shows up as animated characters in what comes off more as a music video for their 2005 song "Lucky Today", than as a sales pitch for insurance. A quick jump to Esurance's website and you can find a special Cloud Cult microsite where you can watch the commercial, stream/download a few songs, read why the band finds similarities in their and Esurance's love for being green, and learn how to be more eco-friendly.

According to SoundScan, the band sold more individual digital downloads of "Lucky Today" (1,400) in the last week than they usually sell in a month from all albums...combined.

Other Notable Licensing News:

Radiohead gave gratis (aka free) permission to the National Coalition For The Homeless to use the song "MK1" in a spot that attempts to show homelessness can happen to anyone. (via Songs For Soap). This was their first commercial license ever. Watch the spot below.

Michael Stipe was cool with giving a gratis license for Amnesty International to use REM's "Until the Day Is Done" in a powerful new spot. Watch that below as well.

"In fact, it seems like the one thriving corner of the music business is ad placement. The only people making any money are the artists landing their songs in TV commercials and the royalties that come along with that, so the most successful bands this year will be the ones whose songs are most conducive to selling shit. Which means that Santogold is your Artist of the Year for 2009. Once the shampoo companies find out about 'I'm a Lady', forget about it. It's a wrap." [Tom Breihan in the new L Magazine]

Santogold says 'aha' a lot in the new commercial for the Samsung Pixon phone with her song, "Say Aha". Watch it here.

Audi goes old school in the new spot for the Q5, breaking out Woodie Guthrie's fun "Car Song."

Another car manufacturer went NOT-old school - Volkswagen stayed local (German) with the Berlin electro-group Team on their new (clearly inspired by the movie The Matrix) spot for the Golf. Watch below.

Vancouver band, Readymade, has a song used by Unilever in their new Sun spot, highlighting "Human Potential."

I'm addicted to Diet Pepsi. It's my friend-mesis. Pepsi has rebranded my favorite drink and its overall image with a new "smile" logo. The brand launched its commercial campaign with a spot featuring the music of The Apples In Stereo (Via YANPicasso).

Papa John's sponsored an NCAA football bowl game last month. During said bowl game, the pizza maker debuted a commercial celebrating their 25th anniversary featuring Wang Chung's "Everybody Have Fun Tonight".

John Lennon may not be alive, but that didn't stop Yoko Ono from lending his voice to a good cause. Watch the OLPC PSA below.

Walmart promotes the football season with a commercial using Queen's anthem "We Will Rock You".

Fashionista Kanye West is teaming up with one of his favorite designers, Luis Vuitton, to create six shoes for the brand. You may have also noticed Kanye's song "Flashing Lights" in the Season 6 promo to the F/X channel's show "Nip/Tuck". Commercial below.

continued, with videos, below...

Continue reading "This week in Music Licensing"

Nada Surf @ Bowery Ballroom (more by Kurt Christensen)

today in NYC
* DANCE
* Les Paul @ Iridium
* Friendly Fires (DJ set) @ Le Royale
* EPMD & Folk And Stress @ Santos Party House
* Deerhunter, Violens & Bell @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
* Vampire Weekend & Ra Ra Riot @ The Wellmont Theatre
* David Cross, Fred Armisen & Marnie Stern @ Knitting Factory
* Pwrfl Power, Lesser Gonzalez Alvarez & Oars @ Cake Shop
* Cristy & Emily, The Silent League & Essie Jain @ Union Hall
* Don Caballero, Fiasco, Villa Vina & La Otracina @ Europa
* Radar Bros & Teenage Prayers @ Mercury Lounge
* Nada Surf, The Jealous Girlfriends & Mary Kate O'Neil @ Maxwell's
* Spirit Family Reunion, Sharon Van Etten, Donald Beaman (The Double) @ Pianos

The show at Music Hall of Williamsburg is the Gummy Awards. Thanks to everyone who voted! The results are in.

The benefit show tonight at Knitting Factory expanded the lineup since originally announced.

The show tonight at Union Hall is also a benefit - for orphans in Nairobi.

I have one pair of tickets to giveaway to the Don Cab / Fiasco show at Europa tonight to the first person who emails their name to BVCONTESTS@HOTMAIL.COM (subject: Don Cab)

Tigercity is DJing tonight @ The Foggy Monocle holiday party at The Professor's Loft.

WFMU is broadcasting live from a party at Rubulad tonight (8PM - 2AM).

Nick Zinner of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs was born today in 1974. John Lennon was killed six years later.

new Metallica video at YouTube.

Smashing Pumpkins' new video for G.L.O.W. below...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Monday?"

Wire @ South Street Seaport (more by Jason Bergman)

today in NYC
* DANCE
* Beck, MGMT @ United Palace Theatre
* Matt Hales (of Aqualung) @ Joe's Pub
* Suckers, Bell, Crooked Looks @ Glasslands
* The Wedding Present, Taxi Taxi @ Southpaw
* Daniel Francis Doyle, Yellow Fever @ Cake Shop
* Howlin Rain, Children & Endless Boogie @ Santos
* Catfish Haven, Dead Confederate, Kuroma @ Mercury Lounge
* Wire, Times New Viking @ The Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza
* Luke Temple, Steve Burns & The Struggle, Musee Mecanique @ Union Hall

WFMU will also be broadcasting the Wire show.

Happy birthday Lennons! John Lennon was born today (1940) (RIP). Sean (John's son) was born today in 1975. BB King's is having a party.

Jackson Browne was born today in 1948.

Check out a new video interview with Silver Apples below...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Thursday? (Yom Kippur)"

DOWNLOAD: RATATAT - Mirando (YACHT Remix) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Stereolab - Self Portrait With "Electric Brain" (YACHT Remix) (MP3)

"Hardcore fans of 30 Seconds to Mars aren't the only ones who want more of the band's music. Virgin Records has sued the group for $30 million, saying it has failed to deliver." [CNN]

"Australian media say a lost humpback whale calf has bonded with a yacht it seems to think is its mother." [CNN]

Speaking of Yacht, get some new remixes above.

"The Killing of John Lennon," which took a Special Jury Prize at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival and was picked up for American distribution by IFC films, opens at the IFC Center on Wednesday. "All Chapman's words are his own," declares a preliminary title in Mr. Piddington's film. Extensive first-person narration by Mr. Bell as Chapman (the actor's prior credits are, not surprisingly, mostly confined to voice-over work) is apparently culled from Chapman's own journals. But the Beatle-killer's feature-length monologue is itself peppered with quotes from "Taxi Driver," "Apocalypse Now," and, of course, J.D. Salinger's "Catcher in the Rye." It would appear that Chapman's head was not exactly buzzing with original ideas. [NY Sun]

Trailer below....

Continue reading "The Killing of John Lennon"

Paul McCartney Nutcracker, Seattle, 2007 (cred)

....I feel like I made the right decision, because right after I left, EMI got sold, so obviously something was wrong. They are now in new hands and are applying themselves and they're going to bring themselves into the modern world. This is the point. They were floundering. Like a lot of these record companies, they were in the old world and they needed to enter the new world. It's not just me. Look at Radiohead's new outing. Artists are taking it into their own hands again, and it's really showing the record companies that it's time they get their act together. It's not the end of the world for EMI, they are like family to me. But the funny thing was, they understood. I'd told people I'd known for years at the label, "Hey, guys, I've gotta make this move." And some of them said quietly, off the record, "I really don't blame you, man."....... [Paul McCartney to Chicago Tribune]

Help! is finally out on DVD...

Continue reading "Paul McCartney on Radiohead & labels, Help! on DVD"