photos by Eric M. Townsend

Langhorne Slim and band brought their brand of folk pop to Brooklyn Bowl on Saturday (8/6) with an opening set by The Woes. The show was the same day that Kevin Barnes of Of Montreal (aka List Christee) DJ'd the venue, which was one day before Of Montreal didn't play Escape to NY.

More pictures of Langhorne Slim (and Kevin Barnes) and videos from that show, below...

Continue reading "Langhorne Slim (and DJ Kevin Barnes) played Brooklyn Bowl (pics & video)"

by BBG

DOWNLOAD: Salvador Santana - "Keyboard City" f GZA (Dan Deacon Remix) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Mando Diao - "Dance With Somebody" (The Hood Internet Remix f GZA & Cadence Weapon) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Black Lips - "Drop I Hold" featuring GZA (MP3)

GZA & Black Lips at SXSW 2009 (photo by Bill Pearis)

Still no word on a Gucci Mane/Beirut collabo album, but Wu-Tanger GZA has been hard at work rocking remixes and dropping collabos a-plenty. After appearing on a remix of Mando Diao's "Dance With Somebody" w/ Cadence Weapon by The Hood Internet (get that above), GZA has also popped up on another Hood Internet remix, this time of Salvador Santana's "Keyboard City". That remix inspired a second (a re-remix?) this time with Mr Green Skull himself, Dan Deacon.

Originally, GZA was featured over a remix of the song "Keyboard City" done by The Hood Internet. Now, Dan Deacon took that remix and dissected it into this an awesome blend of Vocoder / electro madness.
This collaboration was inspired by the idea of GZA and Dan Deacon working together and Salvador Santana a platform was set for more original material between the two in the future. GZA first caught wind of Dan Deacon earlier this fall and after a connection via their publicist, Dan ended up taking GZA and Salvador's remix and putting his own twist on it.

It's not the first time that the Genius has collabo'd with indie artists (he teamed up with Black Lips at SXSW, dropped mathematics on a Peter Bjorn & John's forthcoming Living Thing remix LP, and played with King Khan at FFF and elsewhere), and it won't be the last. So far we already know that Fucked Up and Devendra Banhart have contributed some original material for GZA, but now comes word that Health have remixed a track, Har Mar Superstar is on board and Kevin Barnes (Of Montreal) has also hooked up some science for GZA which will appear on his new album out in late spring of 2010. Look for it.

GZA also recently popped up on Fucked Up's charity single which is on iTunes now.

GZA appeared on the stupid dope Raekwon album Only Built For Cuban Linx Pt II, and now that the onslaught of praise has died down somewhat, that Staten Island representative is on a short tour to remind the haters why he rules faces. Count on support from Queensbridge representatives Capone n Noreaga (who aim to "blow holes in your Versace") as well as Queen Yonasda. The trio hits Irving Plaza on 12/16, tickets are still on sale.

Ruff Ryder, D-Block member and OB4CL2 contributor Jadakiss has also scheduled a show at Highline Ballroom on 12/22 with Melanie Fiona & special guests. Tickets are on sale. J-A-to-the-mwah dropped The Last Kiss earlier this year.

Make sure not to forget the previously discussed, Method Man / Ghostface appearance as part of the Hip Hop Legends series at BB Kings on Dec 23. The jawdopping lineup contains a veritable who's who of 80s-90s greats including Doug E Fresh, EPMD, Main Source/Large Professor, Onyx, Showbiz & AG, Masta Ace, Ed OG, "+ more TBA". Tickets are still available.

Dig on some videos below, including one of GZA with King Khan, as well as Raekwon tour dates...

Continue reading "Raekwon on tour (dates), GZA likes to collaborate (Dan Deacon, Har Mar, Peter, Bjorn, John, King Khan & more)"

photos by Chris La Putt

Kevin Barnes & Janelle Monae

Of Montreal followed their Wednesday night fashion week show at Santos with a Friday night public show at Terminal 5 in NYC (9/18). Joining them, as opener and on stage, was the always-photogenic and robotic, Janelle Monáe.

"...what a lot of people are missing about Monáe is that she puts the art of performing above all else, politics be dammed. Even finishing her follow-up record--Metropolis Suites II and III, due out in January--is of less concern than getting onstage and acting it all out....

...Not surprisingly, the Kansas City prodigy grew up studying dance and theater, which led to a stint pursuing both disciplines at New York's American Academy of Dramatic Arts. She became bored quickly with life in New York, however, and eventually moved to Atlanta, where she's currently based.

There she began crafting the character Cindi Mayweather, the Alpha Platinum 9000 android who's the heroine of Metropolis Suite I...

...Her friend Kevin Barnes, lead singer of the indie band Of Montreal, guests on the new album, as does OutKast. And Monáe hints at the possibility that Gwen Stefani could be on the record as well. Monáe toured with No Doubt earlier this year and bonded with the polystylistic blonde superstar. "[Stefani] gave me great energy and I felt inspired around her," says Monáe." [Seattle Weekly]

Solange (Knowles) was also in the house at Terminal 5 last night (she's the one in the yellow dress). She joined the band and Janelle for a cover of Diana Ross's "Love Hangover" during the encore. More pictures from the show, and both setlists, below...

Continue reading "Of Montreal & Janelle Monáe played Terminal 5 (pics & setlist), Kevin Barnes & others guest on Janelle's new album "

CSS @ Stubb's in Texas (more by Kyle Dean Reinford)

today in NYC
* DANCE
* CSS @ Webster Hall
* cool DJs at Santos Party House
* Anticon @ the Knitting Factory
* Aimee Mann @ Nokia Theatre
* Evan Dando @ Maxwell's
* The Fakers, Iran (with Kyp Malone), (Lone) Wolf and Cub @ Glasslands
* +/- {Plus Minus}, Pattern is Movement, Ladybug Transistor @ MHOW
* Bell, Holy Hail, Quinn Walker & the Ballet @ Bell House

Keith Richards was born today in 1943.

Kevin Barnes sang When Doves Cry at karaoke last night. Of Montreal is on Letterman tonight.

Morrissey is playing Bowery Ballroom soon.

What else?

photos by Kyle Dean Reinford

DOWNLOAD: Of Montreal - ID Engager (Mad Decent Remix) (MP3)

Though the stage show wasn't AS elaborate as it was at the much bigger Roseland Ballroom (no horse, coffin full of shaving cream or gallows), Of Montreal still did it up at Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn last night (12/16). Their over-2 hour set included most of the songs from their last two albums, a ton of costume changes, and plenty of characters on stage. The packed and engergetic show was over around 1:25 AM.

Catch DJ Kevin Barnes, and friends, and karaoke, tonight (Wednesday, December 17th) at The Bell House. More pictures from Music Hall below...

Continue reading "Of Montreal @ Music Hall of Williamsburg, NYC - pics"

by Andrew Frisicano

Abigail demands "Respect" @ Ted Leo Karaoke @ Studio B (more by Ryan Muir)

DJ List Christee @ SXSW 2008 (Stereogum)

Of Montreal already announced and sold-out its December 16th show at Brooklyn's Music Hall of Williamsburg. The next day (Wednesday December 17th) Of Montreal will still be in Brooklyn at another event, but this time it will be a Kevin Barnes DJ set (DJ List Christee, actually) at The Bell House, as part of the Brooklyn venue's 1st Annual Holiday Karaoke & Dance Party. Kevin will DJ the dance party after the karaoke. The karaoke hosts will include comedians Kurt Braunohler, Kristen Schaal, Dave Hill, Eugene Mirman and more TBA. Expect surprises (but don't be disappointed if there aren't any). Anyone can sign up to sing. Tickets are still on sale.

Looking for what to expect from Kevin Barnes? Here;s one possibility... He played SXSW earlier this year as Christee - and blog Optical Atlas described the performance, in which Barnes ended up actually playing and not DJing, as "an electric guitar-driven set [with] a couple covers and an Of Montreal song."

Afterward, Kevin gave Paste Mag a description of the act:

"I intended to do something really cool and come to SXSW and establish myself as this fantastic modern DJ. But then I didn't have time, so I established myself as a completely uninspired loser DJ. But I made up a DJ name, which I think is essential. I always think of these characters and give them names, and I like the name List. It's such a bizarre first name. They say you can't trust a man with two first names, like Peter George or something. But List Christee, you can trust her. She doesn't even have a first name."

"I don't even feel like it's a performance," Barnes says. "I'm not a DJ. I'm a real-time playlist arranger. A DJ pumps up the crowd and scratches and does creative stuff on the fly. I was basically just chilling and playing music. During my first set ever, I was an iPod DJ in Oslo at this little bar and they actually pulled the plug on me. 'We don't play that kind of music.' I was playing The Cure, Beck and things that were considered more mainstream by them. It is really humiliating to have the plug pulled on you, and then to have to do the cold walk of shame home with your iPod between your legs."

No stranger to karaoke, Of Montreal also acted as NY Magazine's live-karaoke backing band at their event at Studio B back in 2007. The latest event like it was just this month, and featured Ted Leo as the house band. That night made a star of Abigail thanks to her stunning rendition of "Respect" (picture above, video below). Want to see Abigail do that again? The Bell House is also promising she will be in the house on Wednesday.

Video, flyer and all dates below...

Continue reading "DJ List Christee (Kevin Barnes) & karaoke @ the Bell House"

by Andrew Frisicano

Nesey Gallons

Julian Koster (NMH), William Cullen Hart (Olivia Tremor Control), Scott Spillane (NMH), Laura Carter (Elf Power), Eric Harris (Elf Power), Nesey Gallons and many more [along with The Singing Saw, the 7 Foot Tall Metronome, Static the Television and many others] will join together as a traveling variety show this October. Julian describes the evenings as "a big orchestra, variety show, silly happy thing." The large gathering of Elephant 6 members will be playing the music of The Music Tapes, Circulatory System, Scott Spillane, Gerbils, Elf Power, Olivia Tremor Control, Nana Grizol, Nesey Gallons and more...

The 13-date "holiday surprise tour" will swing by the Knitting Factory in Manhattan (before it moves to Brooklyn in January) on October 11th. Tickets are on sale.

The tour also marks the debut of the "Major Organ and the Adding Machine" short film, directed by Joey Foreman and Eric Harris. The film will screen at the beginning of each show on the Holiday tour.

The film is currently being submitted to film festivals and will be coming out as a CD/DVD set in the Fall of 2009. Accompanying the Orange Twin DVD Edition will be the expanded version of the film's soundtrack, originally released in early 2000, that includes several unreleased bonus tracks and illuminating new liner notes by co-director Harris. The film and album stand as the consummate collaboration of the Elephant 6 collective, and feature musical and theatrical contributions from Jeff Mangum, Kevin Barnes, William Cullen Hart, Julian Koster, Andrew Reiger, Dixie Blood Moustache and all and sundry who participated in the hypercreative halcyon days of late-90's Athens, Georgia

Mangum-spotters can take note that past sightings have occured at various Elephant 6 NYC shows: Mangum sang briefly withOlivia Tremor Control at the Bowery in August 2005, with Elf Power in November of the same year at the Knitting Factory, and then with the Instruments at the Cake Shop in 2006.

Also, generally mysterious leader of Neutral Milk Hotel Jeff Mangum is said to be in the movie as well; although he is dressed in a lobster suit so it could possibly be anybody. [Wikipedia]

Post-tour, Julian Koster (of NMH, Major Organ, Oliva Tremor Control) and others is scheduled to return to NYC with The Music Tapes on October 25th to play the Merge CMJ Showcase at Mercury Lounge (the rest of that lineup TBA). The band just released Music Tapes for Clouds and Tornadoes, and Koster is set to release The Singing Saw at Christmastime (currently streaming at Merge) on October 6th.

Elephant 6-ers Of Montreal will also visit NYC at the Roseland Ballroom October 10th as part of their tour supporting the forthcoming LP, Skeletal Lamping. (There's a listening party tonight - Sept 8 for the album in Portland, OR). Kevin Barnes also appears in the movie.

All tour dates and the "Major Organ" trailer (and cast listing), below....

Continue reading "Elephant 6 Holiday Surprise Tour, Music Tapes + Major Organ and the Adding Machine - film, Merge, 2008 Tour Dates"