photos by Nathanel Turner

Danny Brown @ Echoplex

Danny Brown walked on stage [...] rocking a leather jacket and combat boots, as if ready for war. He'd come to town to please his fans who hadn't caught him at the Roxy last fall, and likely left with many new ones. Kicking off the set with "Radio Song," Brown emoted cool confidence. One thing I immediately noticed was how much his distinct, nasally cadence manages to stand out over the beat. During "Lie4," you could hear every one of his lyrics clearly, something practically unheard of for a hip-hop concert, which often drown the vocals in bass. The crowd showed appreciation by yelling back the chorus: "Got that income tax swag."[LA Weekly]

Danny Brown, Main Attrakionz, Kid Sister, and Party Supplies played a Check Yo Ponytail show at Echoplex in LA this past Tuesday (1/24). ScHoolboy Q was at the show and joined Danny Brown on stage for "Blunt After Blunt." A video of that performance, along with a video collage and more pictures from the show below.

Danny Brown will be in NYC while on tour this March. Tickets for his Santos Party House show are on sale now.

Main Attrakionz will be in NYC for two shows in March when they play Glasslands (3/4) (tickets) and The Studio at Webster Hall (3/5) (tickets).

ScHoolboy Q JUST (minutes before I typed this) released a new video for "Nightmare On Figg St." off his great new mixtape Habits & Condtractions. Watch that video below (and one we previously posted HERE).

More pics and videos below...

Continue reading "Danny Brown, Main Attrakionz & Kid Sister (and ScHoolboy Q) played Echoplex (pics & videos)"

DOWNLOAD: A-Trak - Fool's Gold Radio - December 2011 Mix (MP3)

A-Trak at DCTV in October (more by Bryan Bruchman)

A-Trak, who heads out on the Holy Ship! cruise in January, has a few North American dates scheduled for when he returns, including one in NYC at Webster Hall on January 13. Tickets for that show are on sale now. All dates are listed below.

A-Trak recently put out a single with Zinc called "Stingray," which you can download from iTunes. The single includes a remix of the track by Benga as the b-side and you can stream both of those tracks below.

Benga (and Skream) also has a NYC show coming up which goes on sale at noon today (12/22). Skream & Benga put out a free EP via Scion earlier this month. Download at the link

A-Trak also just did a mix for Fool's Gold which includes Fatboy Slim, Kid Sister, BS1, and others. You can download it above and stream it below. The tracklist is below too.

All dates and streams below...

Continue reading "A-Trak shows, a December mix, Benga (dates & MP3s)"

A-Trak at Terminal 5 (more by Brook Bobbins)

After a pair of appearances at Coachella (as himself and as part of Duck Sauce) A-Trak will hit the road for a string of US dates with Kid Sister and The Gaslamp Killer dubbed the "Magic 8-Ball Tour". That "Magic 8-Ball" rolls into NYC on April 30th at Terminal 5. Tickets aren't listed yet. All dates are below.

Meanwhile catch A-Trak with Art Brut, White Denim, Lissy Trullie, and The Suzan at Webster Hall on March 4th, aka night one of the two night Downtown Records party that continues at Terminal 5 on March 5th with Miike Snow, Major Lazer, Santigold, DJ Mehdi and others. Webster tickets are still on sale, though Terminal 5 is sold out.

If you don't have a ticket for the Terminal 5 show, you can still catch DJ Mehdi at his own headlining date at Music Hall of Williamsburg on March 4th with JDH & Dave P (Fixed). Tickets are still available.

Speaking of dance parties at Music Hall, Holy Ghost!, who opens for Cut Copy at two of their three upcoming Terminal 5 dates, will headline Music Hall of Williamsburg on April 29th. Tickets are still on sale.

Midnight Magic, who just played Music Hall with Escort, opens the 4/6 Cut Copy show which is the only Terminal 5 show with tickets left.

All current tour dates and some videos below.

Continue reading "A-Trak tour dates, DJ Mehdi, Midnight Magic & Holy Ghost! too"

photos by Chris Doss

PUBLIC ASSEMBLY - FRONT ROOM
8:00pm Aarnio
9:00pm Class Actress
10:00pm Lemonade
11:00pm Javelin
12:00pm Penguin Prison
1:00am Azari & III
2:15am The Knocks
3:15am Punches

PUBLIC ASSEMBLY - BACK ROOM
8:00pm Free Magic
8:45pm Lloydski & Blu Jemz
9:25pm Michna
10:15pm oOoOO
11:15am Falty DL
12:15am Treasure Fingers
1:15am Tittsworth
2:15am Star Eyes
3:10am Dave P

MUSIC HALL OF WILLIAMSBURG
8:00pm Boody B & Marcus Price
8:30pm The Glass
9:15pm Body Language
10:05pm FHR
10:55-11:30pm BRAHMS
11:40am CREEP
12:30am Cubic Zirconia
1:15am Kid Sister
2:00am Sinden
3:00am Kingdom

Those were the set times of Saturday's Brooklyn Electronic Music Festival that took place in both venues in one night. A set of pictures from the event, continues below...

Continue reading "the 2010 Brooklyn Electronic Music Festival in pics"

It's a little bit later this year, but the third annual The Brooklyn Electronic Music Festival will take place across two venues in Williamsburg on December 18th: Music Hall of Williamsburg and Public Assembly (if you didn't know, they are right next door to each other). The "fest" will feature acts from across the digital spectrum ("emerging and established bands, DJ's and producers from the Boroughs and beyond") including Sinden, Kid Sister, Javelin, Tittsworth, Class Actress, Brahms, Lemonade, and many others, with more to be announced.

Tickets are currently on "Super Limited Reduced Price Advance" sale.

Lemonade meanwhile is out on tour with their True Panther labelmate Delorean. Two NYC shows happen very soon and both are still on sale.

Initial BEMF lineup and two videos from last year below...

Continue reading "Brooklyn Electronic Music Fest returning (in 2 venues), Lemonade on tour w/ Delorean (dates) "

photos by Bao Nguyen & Chris Gersbeck

"Chromeo + Williamsburg Waterfront + Dance Party x Torrential Downpour = best summer show ever" - Diego

"chromeo killed it at the waterfront yesterday. who knew that umbrellas could be a dancing accessory?" - marc koz

"Chromeo was RIDICULOUS!!! Dancing in the rain at Brooklyn waterfront. Never had a better Sunday" - Ali

Despite the rain and potential lightning (Jelly can't catch a break), all four acts scheduled to play the free Pool Party at the Williamsburg Waterfront on Sunday got to play their sets. The bands, chosen by A-Trak and Nick Catchdubs' label Fool's Gold, were Telephoned, The Suzan, Kid Sister and Chromeo.

Senator Chuck Schumer, who earlier that day announced he helped restore the final Pool Party which is happening this coming Sunday (8/29) (Gucci Mane rumored to be one of the special guests), also made another appearance.

Pictures continue below...

Continue reading "Chromeo, Kid Sister, The Suzan & Telephoned played the Pool in the rain (Williamsburg Waterfront pics) "

Kid Sister @ Summerstage 2008 (more by Ryan Muir)

Still no word on who the two special guests were supposed to be on the August 29th cancelled Pool Party (or where Delorean will end up playing), but Kid Sister has been revealed as the special guest opener for Chromeo this Sunday at Williamsburg Waterfront:

August 22nd - Curated by Fools Gold
Chromeo
Kid Sister
The Suzan
Telephoned

The DJs are Treasure Fingers and Kingdom. Free afterparty with Nick Catchdubs at Brooklyn Bowl.

PREVIOUSLY: Jelly responds to OSA, says thanks to everyone else

"What began as a spontaneous event for friends and neighbors outside the label's Philadelphia headquarters and grew in 2 short years to the largest block party in city, the MAD DECENT BLOCK PARTY is nothing short of a legend. Now in the event's 3rd summer, Mad Decent has teamed with Diesel and JELLY to bring the MAD DECENT BLOCK PARTY magic across the country! Starting in Philadelphia and traveling to New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago over 4 consecutive Saturdays from July 31st to August 21st, the MAD DECENT BLOCK PARTY promises banging music, carnival games, yummy food, super secret guests and all for FREE!"

The NYC show will take place at South Street Seaport. More details below...

Continue reading "Mad Decent & Jelly throwing free block parties in four cities, at South Street Seaport in NYC"

photos by Jacob Blickenstaff

Sharon Jones (and fan) & the Dap Kings @ Knitting Factory Brooklyn

Brooklyn venue Southpaw has two Daptone Records-related shows in its future. Lee Fields & The Expressions, whose new album actually came out on Truth & Soul, will return to the club on December 18th for a show with their T&S labelmates Michael Leonhart & The Avramina. Tickets are on sale. The Budos Band play Southpaw on January 16th. Tickets are on sale for that too.

Lee Fields and The Budos Band shared a not-actually-CMJ bill with their Daptone labelmates Naomi Shelton & The Gospel Queens, Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, and The Menehan Street Band at Knitting Factory in Brooklyn on October 23rd. It was a private show that the Brooklyn label set up to showcase its artists while CMJ was in town.

"The headliner, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings along with guitarist Binky Griptite, was truly the anticipation of the night. This frantically dancing and singing queen wasn't afraid to bring the audience on stage or get down and dirty with her sassy self. Bereft of the glitz and glamor of the previous act, Jones was perfectly quaint in her dark jean jacket and slacks. Her voice had more power than anyone that night, and it's no surprise that she is Daptone Records' star. Outrageously genius, Jones and Griptite ripped the stage apart and threw it at the audience with a grin. Good thing this was the kind of audience who knew how to throw it right back." [Performer Blog]

The pictures in this post are from that Brooklyn show.

Naomi Shelton and The Gospel Queens (aka the Gospel Queens of Brooklyn) play every Friday night at Fat Cat.

Sharon doesn't have any NYC shows coming up, but she and the Dap Kings are going on a short tour in December which includes a NJ date. Recently the group performed with Phish in California.

She and the Dap Kings will also be appearing on television TONIGHT (11/24). If you've been near the Bedford L in Brooklyn lately, you may have noticed the mural. Dinner With The Band, "A new series from IFC with tasty meals and rocking tunes", is on IFC every Tuesday at 11pm (starting tonight). Set your DVR.

As previously mentioned, chef Sam Mason will cook not-necessarily-vegan meals with guests that include Final Fantasy, Les Savy Fav, Men, Kid Sister, Flosstradamus, Yacht, and... Sharon Jones.

"Dinner With the Band" started as an online show conceived by Darin and Greg Bresnitz, brothers who were both passionate about music and food. (Mr. Mason is still devising ways to get musicians more involved in the kitchen. "I wanted to help, but he didn't let me," said Kid Sister, a Chicago rapper who appears on a coming episode. "He was real in-control.") When the brothers asked Mr. Mason to host in 2006, they "didn't really know who he was," Darin Bresnitz recalled.

Mr. Mason added, "No joke: they Googled 'tattooed hipster chef', and I came up." [NY Times]

You also know series creators Darin and Greg by their DJ duo name: Finger on the Pulse. The prolific twins seem to be everywhere - that includes their stint as contributors to this very blog. Appropriately enough, one of their posts here included nine remixes of Daptone songs (4 Sharon Jones tracks included), and you can still download every one of them.

The artists that appear on the IFC show play music in addition to cooking. Check out two clips from tonight's Sharon Jones episode, along with more pictures from Knitting Factory, below...

Continue reading "Dinner With The Band on IFC (tonight) w/ Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings + upcoming Daptone shows & Knitting Factory pics"

Vega @ McCarren Pool (more by Bao Nguyen)

Pitchfork: Favorite City to Play?

Neon Indian: I think I'd probably have to do a little more touring to draw that conclusion. And although it's cliché, I think that the most fun that the band will consistently have is in New York City. We played at Cameo, Studio B, even McCarren Park; there's such a wide variety of venues that each have their own appeal and charm, and every show we've played has never been the same crowd twice, there's always been a slight variation. But I feel like I'm preaching to the choir, considering the band is relocating in December.

That quote is from a newly-posted Pitchfork interview with "Neon Indian" though to be specific, it was with Alan Palomo who also plays as Vega, and it was Vega who actually played in all of those NYC venues. Neon Indian (currently residing in Texas) (despite their claim on MySpace that they are from "Brooklyn/Austin") has only played in a random warehouse so far (and maybe The Living Room if you count the kids show they/he played the next afternoon). Actually, that interview even happened before those CMJ-time Neon Indian shows (as evidenced by Alan's answer to the last live show he saw) (Phoenix at the Monolith Festival in September) (not that it matters).

Also, Neon Indian is not actually moving to NY in December. They had planned to and still want to, and still may in February, but no definite plans at the moment.

Neon Indian will be back to visit in December though. First they play at two sold out shows at Mercury Lounge and then a show they just added at Brooklyn Bowl on December 17th. Tigercity is opening. $5.00 tickets will go on sale this Friday.

Meanwhile Vega is rumored to have signed to Fool's Gold (not to be confused with the band that is playing MHOW tonight). It's the A-Trak-co-owned label that put the new Kid Sister record "Ultraviolet" this week. Kid Sister has a NYC show coming up at Webster Hall on Friday 11/27 with Flosstradamus.

All tour dates below...

Continue reading "Neon Indian adds 3rd show in NYC (which may be their new home), Vega signs to Fool's Gold? (home of Kid Sister)"

Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings @ Radio City (more by Natasha Ryan)

"The new six-part IFC Original Series, DINNER WITH THE BAND is the first alternative cooking show combining culinary delights, musical performances and conversations with some of today's most acclaimed indie rock artists.

On DINNER WITH THE BAND, Sam Mason, the tattooed and celebrated NYC chef (Tailor, WD-50), invites a band to his Brooklyn loft where he shows them how to add his signature culinary spin to their favorite "on-tour" food. In the meantime, Chef Mason and the artists converse on food, music, and life while cooking together. After they "chow down" they "get down" as each act takes to the loft's stage to play a rockin' musical set.

Bands with dinner reservations this season include, Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, Kid Sister and Flosstradamus, Les Savy Fav, YACHT, Final Fantasy, and MEN.

Chef Mason, who recently took on Iron Chef Morimoto on Iron Chef America, is the former pastry chef of New York's WD-50 and current proprietor of SOHO's contemporary dining and cocktail parlor, Tailor. A modern day pioneer of avant-garde cooking and a James Beard nominee, Mason brings a casual approach to his dishes that stimulate the palate as well as the dialogue.

DINNER WITH THE BAND will debut on IFC in November 2009."

IFC recently picked up Dinner With the Band which was previously made just for the Internet.

Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings have a handful of shows scheduled between now and the end of the year, and one of them is taking place at Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, NJ on December 5th. Tickets are on sale. All dates below...

Continue reading "Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings - 2009 Tour Dates (Starland Ballroom) +++ Dinner With the Band (on IFC)"

August 25th, 2009 (Austin, TX) - Transmission Entertainment is pleased to announce the lineup for the 2009 Fun Fun Fun Fest, taking place on November 7th and 8th at Waterloo Park in Austin. Fun Fun Fun Fest made its first appearance on a cold Friday evening in 2006, offering a unique approach to festival booking, filling stages with talent bubbling from the underground: what sounded great, and what was making an impact, regardless of what mainstream media said was cool. What started out as a show for a few touring acts and local favorites has become a movement -- a festival that fans and bands alike realize needs to be experienced year after year.

Now in its fourth year, Fun Fun Fun Fest has made a significant impact on the country's winter calendar, successfully combining the vast worlds of indie, punk, rap, electronica and comedy while showcasing some of the city's most unique local businesses.

Greatest. Festival. Ever...

Continue reading "Fun Fun Fun Fest 2009 lineup (Jesus Lizard, Of Montreal, Gorilla Biscuits, LSF, 7 Seconds, D.R.I. & DANZIG!! & more)"

Health @ Knitting Factory (more by Ryan Muir)

Kid Sister's November 24th show at Bowery Ballroom was rescheduled for February 2nd. Tickets are on sale.

Tickets are on sale for the Phosphorescent / Virgin Forest show coming up at the Bell House.

Tickets are on sale for both Los Campesinos! shows coming up at Bowery Ballroom.

Tickets are on sale for the Gene Ween Band show at Music Hall of Williamsburg.

Tickets are on sale for the Cut Copy show at Terminal 5.

Continue reading "2008 Fool's Gold CMJ Showcase"

photos by Ryan Muir

Kid Sister opened the free and rainy Vampire Weekend show at Summerstage on Saturday. Her friend A-Trak was her DJ. A-Trak (his own show this time), Santogold (not to be confused with SANTO GOLD), Diplo and Kid Cudi play the free one on July 20th. More pictures from the Kid Sister show below

Continue reading "Kid Sister & A-Trak played Summerstage, A-Trak again soon "

"Spank rock isn't real hip hop , it would be disrepectful to have him on the same bill as Rakim.." [Anonymous]

I don't know who wrote the above anonymous comment, but I've had more than one conversation with more than one hip hop fan about the very same thing - "real" vs "hipster" and/or "fake" hip hop. Are Spank Rock and friends "hip hop"? Does it matter? I don't care, but it's always a fun conversation, and I couldn't help but notice the strong prescence Spank Rock and friends have on this year's Rock the Bells festival lineup - a festival that is is, for the most part anyway, about hip hop.

on a related note: Santogold also has shows coming up at the Virgin Megastore and Summerstage. Spank Rock is playing Studio B.

Lollapalooza 2008 headliners confirmed
Lollapalooza's Austin, Texas-based promoters C3 Presents are not scheduled to make their official announcement of the acts performing at this year's weekend-long music festival in Grant Park until Monday, but the Sun-Times has confirmed through industry sources all of the major artists.

Art-rock giants Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails, the reunited Rage Against the Machine, Jack White's side project the Raconteurs and hometown heroes Wilco and Kanye West will headline the main stages on Aug. 1-3.

The Raconteurs, Wilco and West will each be making their second appearance at the reinvented destination festival. Other repeaters among the more than 100 acts on this year's bill are Gnarls Barkley, the Black Keys, Broken Social Scene, G. Love & Special Sauce, Blues Traveler and Mates of State.

Quite a few of the other acts -- including many of the most promising -- have earlier performed at Chicago's two independently produced music festivals, Pitchfork and Intonation. These include Bloc Party, Cat Power, Stephen Malkmus, Girl Talk, Kid Sister, Office, the Cool Kids, Battles, the Go! Team, Jamie Lidell and Grizzly Bear.

Advance three-day passes are now on sale for a limited time for $190 (after which the price increases to $205) at www.lollapalooza.com. [Chicago Sun Times] (thx Hiro)

photos by Bao Nguyen

DOWNLOAD: Chromeo - Tenderoni (Sinden Remix featuring Kid Sister) (MP3)

Before there was Vampire Weekend, there was Chromeo.....well, at Bowery Ballroom anyway. The photos in this post are from the 2nd of two sold-out NYC shows (Jan 28, 2008). More pictures below.....

Continue reading "Chromeo @ Bowery Ballroom, NYC - pics (night 2)"

and A-Trak and Kid Sister too....

Besides the fact that he was wearing what I think was a big, nasty fur coat, Kanye West's surprise set at the Flavorpill 'One Step Beyond' party in the Museum of Natural History in NYC last night was pretty sweet (Jan 25, 2008). More photos below...

Continue reading "Kanye West @ The Museum of Natural History, NYC - pics"

DOWNLOAD: Chromeo - Tenderoni (Etienne de Crecy remix) (MP3)

Etienne de Crécy is largely responsible for the electro inspired house sounds coming out of Paris right now. Back when everyone was doing their best filtered house Daft Punk impersonations, Etienne, the boys from Air, and Alex Gopher sped their bpm up, switched on a 303 and Super Discount was born. This remix of Chromeo's "Tenderoni" rips the track into a peak-time blog house anthem. - David Bruno

Tickets are on sale for a July 6th show at Studio B in Brooklyn with Chromeo, Flosstradamus, and Kid Sister. All tour dates below....

Continue reading "ETIENNE DE CRECY remix of CHROMEO's Tenderoni (MP3) + 2007 Tour Dates (w/ FLOSSTRADAMUS)"