by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground - He Momma (MP3)

Jon Wiley

It's another busy weekend of shows, so much so I'm breaking this week's TWiI into two parts. First and foremost on tonight's (7/9) agenda is the We Are the Wiley benefit at the Shank featuring Lightspeed Champion, Adam Green and Chairlift. Besides being a great lineup in and of its own, the money goes to a good cause. As you may have read in an earlier post, Jon Wiley -- who fronts Spacecamp when he isn't playing in Adam Green and Lightspeed Champion or being an all-around good guy -- had a scare earlier this year that left him diagnosed with MS, and a mountain of medical bills. Like most musicians out there, Jon's has no insurance so please come tonight and help out. The event is co-sponsored by Wanduta, a new national organization designed to support and protect independent musicians, and all proceeds go towards Jon's medical bills.

And you'll get to see Lightspeed Champion play his killer new stuff (he was great at Mercury Lounge a couple weeks back), headliners Chairlift who have gotten better as a live band every time I've seen them, and the always unpredictable Adam Green. And I wouldn't be surprised if Spacecamp didn't play a couple songs too, seeing as they're the backing band for both Adam and Lightspeed. Admission is $15 and is 21+.

Kay Kay and his Weathered Underground

Philadelphia's Mewithoutyou and Atlanta's The Dear Hunter (not Deerhunter) and on tour together and are playing tonight (7/9) at Music Hall of Williamsburg and tomorrow (7/10) at Bowery Ballroom. But I'm not hear to talk about them. Opening for both shows are Seattle's Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground who are one of the city's best bands though maybe you've never heard of them as they don't play outside of their hometown too often. A musical collective that expands and contracts anywhere from 10 to 15 depending on the show, Kay Kay are led by Kirk Huffman and Kyle O'Quin who have other many bands on thier own. (Huffman in particular stays very busy.) Their self-titled debut is clearly in love with the lush, baroque pop of the late '60s and early '70s: think The Zombies (or Colin Blunstone's first solo album), The Left Banke, and Harry Nilsson. If you wanted more recent comparisons, Jellyfish, Jason Falkner or The Format. It holds up to those comparisons pretty well too, as you can hear on their highly-recommend self-titled debut, which was released on vinyl and digitally last year and came out on CD in May of this year. It's too bad they aren't doing a headling date of their own somewhere, but who knows when they'll make it back this way?

Those Darlins @ Bowery Ballroom (more by Toby Tenenbaum)

And a couple other recommended shows tonight: I've been really enjoying Those Darlins' just-released debut album which is sort of like garage rock Tammy Wynette -- and they are a lot of fun live. The whole bill is solid: Jon Spencer's rockabilly explosion Heavy Trash, and the amazing Shilpa Ray & Her Happy Hookers. And if you can't make it tonight, they play Southpaw tomorrow (7/10) with Country Mice and the So So Glow.

Finally, if you haven't seen The Drums yet, they play Public Assembly tonight, but you've got lots of chances to see them.

Tour dates, videos and flyers after the jump....

Continue reading "Kay Kay & His Weathered Underground, We are Wiley & more in This Week in Indie (part 1) "

photos by Bao Nguyen

Jon Wiley & Lightspeed Champion @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

A circle of Brooklyn-based friends have joined together to throw a benefit for beloved, local musician, Jon Wiley. We Are the Wiley: A Benefit Concert for Jon Wiley will feature Adam Green, Lightspeed Champion, DJ Johnny Tropical, and Chairlift at The Shank-an art space and concert venue in Williamsburg, Brooklyn-on Thursday, July 9, 2009 at 8PM.

On March 5, 2009, professional guitarist, bassist, and keyboardist, Jon Wiley awoke without feeling or mobility in his arms and legs. He was subsequently diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and incurred more than $30,000 worth of medical bills for his week-long hospital stay. After a lengthy recovery process, Jon has regained most feeling in his limbs and has gone on in recent months to record and perform with Lightspeed Champion, Adam Green, and his solo project, SpaceCamp. However, he is still without the means to afford his own healthcare.

Join us to celebrate the extraordinary talent of Jon Wiley, and raise funds to cover the expenses of a musician in need. This is a concrete opportunity to help a friend who, like so many artists and musicians in the United States, lack affordable healthcare. Jon's story highlights the importance of healthcare for every person and the value of living each day to the fullest.

Jon Wiley performed at least three times in the past two days. As Bill pointed out, Spacecamp opened for, and played with, Lightspeed Champion at Mercury Lounge on Wednesday night (6/17). Jon (and the rest of Spacecamp) then backed Dev again last night (6/18) when Lightspeed opened for Phoenix at Music Hall of Williamsburg.

The benefit flyer w/ more details, video from Mercury Lounge, and more pictures from MHOW, below...

Continue reading "Lightspeed Champion played Merc (video) & MHOW (pics), playing A Benefit for Jon Wiley w/ Chairlift & Adam Green"