photos by Kurt Christensen

"The Wired Store is the ultimate pop up Christmas boutique. They have every tricked out electric gizmo that one never needs but thinks he does. I'll take one of each, thanks. Guests drank and played with toys and video games. Epson was taking pictures in the front to show off their high quality color printer.

Anthology Recordings showcased a performance by King Khan and BBQ Show." [Socially Superlative]

Continue reading "the King Khan & BBQ Show @ the Wired Store, NYC - pics"

photos by Zach Stern

DOWNLOAD: The King Khan & BBQ Show - Teenage Foetus (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The King Khan & BBQ Show - I'll Never Belong (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The King Khan & BBQ Show - Zombies (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The King Khan & BBQ Show - Blow My Top (MP3)

King Khan & The BBQ Show played their 2nd of two Thanksgiving-weekend shows in NYC last night (Sunday, 11/30) at Bowery Ballroom with the A-Bones (a band that features Ira from Yo La Tengo as a member) and Vivian Girls (the makers of the 4th best album of the year according to Gorilla vs Bear). Their (KK & BBQ) next show, as just announced, is this Wednesday at the WIRED Store. Vivian Girls' next local show is New Years Eve at Wellmont Theater with Yo La Tengo. One of VG's other recent NYC shows didn't have King Khan on the bill, but he was also there.

King Khan & BBQ didn't release much this year, but King Khan and the Shrines did release "The Supreme Genius of King Khan and the Shrines" on VICE which at least one person thinks was one of the best albums of the year.

More pictures from Sunday night's Bowery show below...

Continue reading "the King Khan & BBQ Show, Vivian Girls & The A-Bones @ Bowery Ballroom, NYC - pics, MP3s"

Fresh off their appearances at both Bowery Ballroom and Music Hall of Williamsburg (pics coming soon), King Khan & BBQ will be hanging around NYC a little bit longer (well, after they play Boston Monday night) to play a just-revealed third NYC show on Wednesday. It's an Anthology Recordings party at the WIRED store (18th St between 5th & 6th). Flyer and RSVP info below..

Continue reading "King Khan & BBQ played 2 NYC shows, playing WIRED store"

(King Khan and) BBQ @ MHOW, CMJ (more by Kyle Dean Reinford)

today in NYC
* DANCE
* Fastball @ Maxwell's
* Jim Gaffigan @ Town Hall
* Arlo Guthrie @ Carnegie Hall
* Harry Connick Jr @ City Center
* Fishbone @ Knitting Factory
* Real Estate @ Cake Shop (free, late)
* Dr. Lonnie Smith Trio @ Iridium Jazz Club
* They Might Be Giants @ (le) poisson rouge
* Devon Williams & The Feverfew @ Cake Shop
* Ewan Pearson & 2020 Soundsystem @ Studio B
* The So So Glos, Lidia Stone, Radiates & Banzai @ Silent Barn
* El Guincho & Prefuse 73 (both DJ sets) @ (le) poisson rouge
* Gang Gang Dance, Marnie Stern & 18th Dye @ Santos Party House
* Amazing Baby, MBAR, The Muggabears & My Best Fiend @ Mercury Lounge
* King Khan & BBQ Show, Golden Triangle & The Jacuzzi Boys @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

What do you think of Fishbone in 2008? They play Knitting Factory tonight.

King Khan is also at Bowery Ballroom on Sunday. That show is with Vivian Girls.

Dr. Lonnie Smith (master of the Hammond B3 organ) and Jim Gaffigan (comedian) also continue their multiple night NYC runs on Sunday.

The Game was born today in 1979.

Tina Turner hits MSG on Monday - the same night Snow Patrol play their small venue show at Bowery Ballroom.

"I feel like I invite music into my life rather than solicit it. I like peppering my career with very successful music as opposed to going out in a very highly competitive field and missing a lot to get the occasional hit. I have the luxury of doing that because film is my primary career." - says John Travolta on singing in Bolt.

They Might Be Giants play Apollo 18 in its entirety at Le Poisson Rouge tonight (early). El Guincho and Prefuse 73 DJ Le Poisson Rouge tonight (late). They Might Be Giants play Le Poisson Rouge again on January 31st. El Guincho plays Le Poisson Rouge on December 2nd.

The Real Estate show tonight at Cake Shop is a free late show after the 4-band bill Devon Williams is playing.

Todd P isn't currently listing any shows, but says, "...a bit of a quiet spell for me. Don't worry though, there are a whole lot of secret(ish) shows in the works, plus some much much bigger plans still in the early but very time consuming stages..."

The Christmas tree lighting @ South Street Seaport is today. The Big Apple Chorus will be there today and every weekend until Christmas. Ice skating and other (more fun) live music is coming to the Seaport soon too. Rockefeller Center's tree gets lit on December 3rd.

Jdimytai Damour, RIP

Video of Reverend Billy preaching in Union Square on Buy Nothing Day (Black Friday) (yesterday) below...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Saturday?"

by Bill Pearis

Red Mass

Day one, Day two, Day three (Saturday)...The final day of M for Montreal featured two separate showcases. The closing night event, at the 2000-capicity Metropolis, featured the best of 2007's fest, including electropunks We Are Wolves and the Vegas-y, Franco-pop of Pierre Lapointe.

The daytime showcase was much more fun, held at the legendary Montreal punk/metal club Foufounes Électriques. Metal - steel, iron, aluminum - was everywhere, and the whole place seems to be welded together. Definitely the most rock n' roll venue of the festival. So, as you'd expect, we got two Franco Canadian hip hop groups, as well as easily the most chart-friendly act of the week. All good in their own way, just a bit of an odd juxtaposition.

Luckily, we also got Red Mass, who spit, pissed, shit and sweated rock n' roll. Certainly the most badass group to feature a clarinet player. Made up of members of infamous garage rock collective CPC Gangbangs, clad in crimson and about ten strong, Red Mass came off like a Brian Jonestown Massacre fueled by speed, The Sonics, MC5 and the Damned instead of the Velvets, Syd Barrett and narcotics. And instead of Joel Gion, Red Mass' percussionist wore only a Speedo and gold paint. King Khan and Mark Sultan (BBQ) are among those they list under "musicians & artists [that] have participated in the Mass".

"This is gonna be a bloody mess," singer Choyce told the crowd, though he obviously meant that as a positive. One guitarist stood on a speaker on one side of the stage, and the gold dude played cowbell and tambourine from the other. In the middle were crammed five or six on the tiny stage, with a few more standing on the floor. Did I mention this was their first-ever show? They barreled though about six songs and with so much onstage mayhem that I sort of felt punch-drunk by the end. It was the only performance of the week I wish had gone on longer.

Gatineau

Red Mass guitarist Giselle Webber (who seems to be in every third band in Montreal) also made an appearance during Gatineau's set. I don't know this for sure, but I'm going to go out on a limb and declare them to be the only hip hop band to feature a harpsichord player. (A drummer is probably more common, if just at Showbiz Pizza.) Gatineau's self-titled album won Hip Hop Album of the Year at this year's GAMIQ awards. Didn't understand a word, yet...awesome.

Even less people understood fellow rappers Radio Radio who looked as if they jumped off the pages of Vice. The four-piece hail from Moncton, New Brunswick where the Chiac dialect, a mix of Acadian French and English, is spoken and is pretty much impenetrable to most of Canada. Whatever they were saying, it sounded good.

The other act of the afternoon was Colin Munroe who became a bit of a YouTube sensation with his cover of Kanye West's "I Want Those Flashing Lights." He writes his own stuff too, having made his album by himself in his bedroom or something. Munroe attempted to it all himself, playing drums and keyboards and singing, with a little help from a guitarist. Not really my thing, but he's clearly talented, and his radio-friendly pop that reminded me a bit of the New Radicals' Greg Alexander. If he doesn't make it as a solo artist, I have a feeling he's going to have a career as a songwriter. Look out Linda Perry!

More pictures and some videos below...

Continue reading "Bill reports from M for Montreal, Night Three (Red Mass)"

Photos by Gabi Porter

King Khan w/ LiveFastDie

"Livefastdie are probably my favorite band in New York right now. Seeing them live is like watching three-to-five crazed gibbons spinning out of control on the edge of a towering precipice, if that were a rock and roll band who play funny songs that sound like the Ramones. (I know citing the Ramones is music-journalism shorthand for "I don't know any other punk bands," but in this case it's true.)" [VICE]

Continue reading "LiveFastDie & Vivian Girls @ Don Pedros (MyOpenBar) - pics"

words by Black Bubblegum, photos by Kyle Dean Reinford

Mission Of Burma headlined the Rhapsody/Becks/IBM/McDonalds/Taco Bell party at Music Hall Of Williamsburg along with The King Khan & BBQ Show, The Dutchess & The Duke, and Jay Reatard (pics here). OK, so it wasn't all those sponsors. And granted, there was free Becks beer all night. .. but somewhere between the giant video truck parked outside, multiple video cameras in the audience and on stage, spotlights reading Rhapsody and Becks, and the swag, I found the corporate sponsorship of the show a tad annoying. But hey, I guess that's the price you pay when you are getting a line-up like this for five measly bills.

Unfortunately, I slid in a touch late (Sorry Jay, Dutchess, Duke) to see King Khan on stage with BBQ. Lots of very simple, garagey soul-inflected fun but frankly, I find his live show with The Shrines much more compelling. Not only is the music much more dynamic (and just as FUN), it gives King Khan much more breathing room to do what he does best... act like a horse's ass in ridiculous costumes. That said, you know King Khan isn't showing up in his civvies.... no sir e bob. King Khan was wearing a ridiculous sparked bikini bottom and a Stevie Wonder wig circa Hotter Than July. Good times.

The thing that shocked me the most about Mission of Burma (and I hope I am not coming off as an age-ist here - NOT my intention) is how much energy they have and how just plain amazing they are on stage... STILL. Lead guitarist Roger Miller's angular riffs were just awesome, and punctuated with swift headbutts of the microphone in between his pogo-ing. I enjoyed seeing these post-punk legends thoroughly.

MOB's setlist and more pictures from the show below...

Continue reading "Mission of Burma, King Khan & BBQ show, and the Dutchess & the Duke @ the Rhapsody party @ MHOW, NYC - pics"

Photos by Leia Jospe

More photos from the Friday night Antics party below...

Continue reading "Black Lips (and King Khan) @ Antics Warehouse, NYC - pics"

The new space at Webster Hall is hosting free shows all week long during CMJ 2008. More details below...

Continue reading "free CMJ shows @ The Studio, VICE & Stereogum included"

Mission of Burma @ P4K Fest 2008 (more by Elizabeth Weinberg)

Mission of Burma are headlining a Rhapsody party at Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn on Thursday, October 23rd. That's during CMJ, but the show is not part of CMJ. Instead it is completely open to the public and only costs $5.00. Also on the bill: The King Khan & BBQ Show, The Dutchess & The Duke and Jay Reatard.

That ups the number of NYC-area shows Jay is playing that week to five (so far). There's also the shows at Santos, Bowery Ballroom, Glasslands, and Maxwell's. Amazingly, the Maxwell's show is the same night as this $5.00 Williamsburg show...

Jay Reatard - 2008 NYC Tour Dates
10-23 MHOW w/ Mission of Burma & King Khan & BBQ Show (tix on sale Oct 3)
10-23 Hoboken, NJ - Maxwell's (CMJ) (tix)
10-24 Bowery Ballroom ) w/ Violens, White Lies, Longwave & Japanese Motors (tix)
10-25 Glasslands w/ Amazing Baby, Women & Crystal Antlers (tix)
10-26 Santos Party House w/ Vivian Girls (tix)

King Khan & the BBQ Show also have NYC dates scheduled at the end of November. The Dutchess & the Duke are also playing the Sub Pop / Hardly Art showcase. More JR tour dates HERE. All (barely any) Mission of Burma dates below...

Continue reading "Mission of Burma for $5.00, more King Khan & Jay Reatard shows, CMJ & other tour dates "

'Rednecks for Obama' @ the Pepsi Center, Denver, CO (wan · der · lust)

Tickets are on sale (@ noon) for the Fleet Foxes show at Grand Ballroom.

Brazilian Girls are playing Terminal 5...they are?? Tickets are on sale (@ noon).

Tickets are on sale (@ noon) for both of the upcoming King Khan & BBQ show shows happeing in NYC.

Moby's band The Little Death (NYC) are playing Mercury Lounge (NYC) on September 20th. Tickets are on sale.

Mark Kozelek tickets recenty went on sale. So did Cheech & Chong.

Check the free show calendar for free shows.

King Khan has been making a big splash. His cool friends, over the top guest appearances and entertaining shows with the Shrines (who he just put out a high indie-profile album out on VICE Records with) means the world now knows about Atlanta's musical shock-value showman and that means that next time he comes back to NYC with his old friend BBQ, he/they won't be playing the basement of Cake Shop anymore. In fact, the King Khan & BBQ show will be headlining both Bowery Ballroom and Music Hall of Williamsburg over the course of two days in November. Tickets are on sale Wednesday.

The photos in this post by alexdan are from the show the KK & BBQ show recently played at Santos Party House. All tour dates below...

Continue reading "King Khan & BBQ Show - 2008 Tour Dates, some Santos pics"

Jay Reatard (and King Khan) @ Pitchfork Fest 2008 (run and shoot)

"Jay [Reatard] Lindsey did not want to play the show. Why?

He is rich now and likes to remind people of that fact. My favorite quote by him: "You know how much money I have in the bank!" Actually, Yes; $250,000 courtesy of Matador Records.
He got paid almost Four times the Dallas guarantee in Austin the night prior.
He had been doing coke for 12 hours straight.
He had not slept in two days.
He left to go buy $55 worth of LSD."[Parade Of Flesh]

half of the photos by Leia Jospe

I was all ready to see the Black Lips when I heard the band begin. That's when I noticed Bradford Cox on the stage and realized that it was Deerhunter playing, and that Black Lips were going to be the headliner of the day. Maybe Black Lips are bigger now, maybe it was because the Black Lips had just come in from Lollapalooza, or maybe it was just good planning on their part. The higher energy Black Lips set was a much more fitting end of the McCarren Pool day. Deerhunter could have even played before King Khan & The Shrines for that reason.

Anyway, I thought that listening to/watching Deerhunter was going to be a semi-boring way to stand out in the sun on a Sunday afternoon, but my mood changed a few songs in. At that point I really got into it and wasn't really thinking about my surroundings anymore. Moving closer and closer helped. That way it got louder and louder. They played a new song that "hasn't even leaked yet" and there was a guest appearance by Cole of the Black Lips (who also plays with Bradford as Ghetto Cross), and various onstage cameos by King Khan. The guests really helped the energy too.

King Khan (a true ham) then ended up creating the most (unfortunately) memorable part of the show. Right as Deerhunter were playing their final notes - right after Bradford and gang were making their dramtic-guiars-pushed-against-the-amps-and-over-our-heads-and-we-all-fall-down exit, King Khan pulls down his pants and slowly meanders across the stage with a flower stuck in his crack for all to see and photograph and photograph.... More pics (NSFW, NSFLUNCH, NSATALLREALLY) below...

Continue reading "Deerhunter & King Khan's butt @ McCarren Pool - NSFW pics"

According to this message board...

K-Holes are a new local collection of Atlanta expats featuring current and former members of Black Lips, Wet Dreams, Golden Triangle, and McNasty himself (who ain't actually from Atlanta but married into it)!

photos by Leia Jospe

In a way, Sunday's free King Khan & the Shrines / Deerhunter (they didn't headline) / Black Lips show was also a King Khan show in three parts. Part one was the very entertaining performance by King Khan & The Shrines. Part two was King Khan on stage with Deerhunter whose final notes were overshadowed by King Khan's bare ass with a flower stuck in it. Part three was King Khan on stage with Black Lips which included a one-song guest appearance by The King Khan & BBQ Show (who are playing Santos Monday night) and a grand finale with the entire Atlanta crew on stage throwing toilet paper, ripping apart pillows and just generally being silly. The photos in this most are basically limited to act one...

Continue reading "King Khan & The Shrines @ McCarren Pool, NYC - pics"

King Khan & The Shrines @ South Street Seaport (more by Jason Bergman)

Extra Golden @ Knitting Factory (more by Lori Baily)

Perry Ferrell @ Lollapalooza 2008 (by Bao Nguyen)

today in NYC
* FREE
* DANCE
* Lollapalooza (stream)
* Rock the Bells @ Jones Beach
* free shows in Tompkins Square Park
* The African Festival in Prospect Park
* Vetiver, Phosphorescent & Meg Baird @ MHOW
* The Police & Elvis Costello @ PNC Bank Arts Center
* Jamie Lidell, Janelle Monae & Little Jackie @ Summerstage
* Deerhunter, King Khan & the Shrines & Black Lips @ McCarren Pool

It's also Osheaga time in Montreal.

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Sunday?"

King Khan & The Shrines play NYC on August 2nd & 3rd. The King Khan & BBQ Show play NYC (Santos Party House) on August 4th.

photos by Jason Bergman

King Khan and the Shrines played what was advertised as their first U.S. show on Friday at South Street Seaport (June 27, 2008). I heard they played their second later that night at Don Pedro's in Brooklyn. Their next two NYC shows are at McCarren Pool and Mercury Lounge. The latter just went on sale. More pictures from Friday below....

Continue reading "King Khan & The Shrines @ South Street Seaport, NYC - pics"

DOWNLOAD: King Khan & The Shrines - Torture (MP3)

"Tonight you can catch the first ever US performance of the spectacular soul sensation King Khan and The Shrines and his 9-piece live extravaganza. What can you expect from this Indian-Canadian-German shaman of showmanship? Costumes, dancers, horns, Stax, Stones, Nuggets, farm animals, pillow cases, James Brown, Sun Ra, completely unnecessary nudity, and crazy awesome addictive songs. How must one appropriately prepare for a live King Khan show? Read his own words below when Exclaim Magazine asked him the same question....

EXCLAIM: How must one appropriately prepare oneself for a live King Khan show?

KING KHAN: Rub raw onion and basil all over your body. Oh shit, that is how to get rid of scabies! I would say fill your pockets up with cash to throw onstage. I once went to a strip club in Atlanta and a stripper asked if I was from a band and when I said Yeah, she said that if I had some music she would go up and dance. I ran and got the King Khan & BBQ Show CD from the car and they played Shake Real Low and then two black strippers started doing buttsnaps on stage and going all out. As if that wasnt ridiculous enough, the girl I was with named Jessica Jugs (she is South American) got so excited that she just ran up and started taking her clothes off in front of the stage on the floor. She got completely butt naked and all the ballers with golden teeth rolled to the front and showered her with money. Best day of my life! Wait, what was your question again?

King Khan and The Shrines play South Street Seaport (12 Fulton St) at 7pm on Friday. It's also a great place to see Olafur Eilasson's waterfalls.

Continue reading "King Khan & The Shrines - 1st US show tonight (Seaport), updated tour dates (McCarren, Mercury Lounge)"

Continue reading "2008 free McCarren 'Pool Party' lineup announced "

Continue reading "2008 Pitchfork Music Festival - full lineup announced"

The initial 2008 lineup of free summer concerts at South Street Seaport in NYC has been announced. It includes King Khan and the Shrines who just signed to VICE and who may also be playing McCarren Pool with Deerhunter who are playing somewhere this week with Atlas Sound who are also playing the Seaport......

Continue reading "South Street Seaport 2008: Atlas Sound, King Khan, A Place to Bury Strangers, No Age, Mary Weiss, El Guincho & more"

DOWNLOAD: King Khan & The Shrines - Torture (MP3)

Speaking of big bands, VICE signings and Deerhunter shows.....

Continue reading "VICE signs King Khan & the Shrines, new album, MP3"

Pitchfork: Do you plan to interrupt recording at all this summer for any tours?

Cole Alexander: I don't want to tour so much. We're known as this touring band, and I'm kind of sick of that. I don't want to burn out by just being a live band, so I really want to block off the whole summer just to record. We'll do the occasional show here and there. I think we're doing a show at McCarren Park in New York with Deerhunter and King Khan and His Shrines, but, beside that, I want to focus on recording. I feel like, when we die, it's easier to live on through records than live shows.