Deerhunter at Austin Psych Fest 2013 (more by Tim Griffin)

Governors Ball is less than a month away, and the fest has now released the daily schedule. They've done a pretty good job with not too many giant conflicts -- though there's a few like Grizzly Bear vs Beirut, Bloc Party vs The xx, Erykah Badu vs Beach House, and Nas vs Guns N Roses. Check out the daily line-ups across their four stages below.

Continue reading "Governors Ball announces set times"

The 2013 ACL Festival happens in Austin, TX on two consecutive weekends: October 4 - 6 and October 11 - 13. Weekend passes are on sale now and the full line-up is below...

Continue reading "2013 ACL Music Fest lineup announced (Depeche Mode, The Cure, Atoms for Peace, The National, Vampire Weekend + more)"

Governor's Ball 2012 (more by Amanda Hatfield)

As mentioned, single day tickets to Governor's Ball went on sale today and with that, comes their day-by-day lineups, featuring headliners Kings of Leon (6/7), Guns N Roses (6/8) and Kanye West (6/9). Complete daily line-ups are below.

Continue reading "Governors Ball announces artists by day (tickets on sale)"

Governors Ball, which started as a small NYC festival on Governors Island and moved to the larger Randall's Island last year, keeps getting bigger and bigger. This year's fest takes place June 7th, 8th & 9th, and tickets go on sale Friday. Check out the full lineup, in list, video and flyer format - one unannounced headliner included, below...

Continue reading "Governors Ball 2013 lineup (Kanye West, Kings of Leon, Grizzly Bear, xx, Cut Copy, Kendrick, Anco, Beach House & MUCH MORE)"

Band of Horses in Toronto in 2010 (more)

As you may have heard, Caleb Followill of Kings of Leon walked off stage at their show in Dallas, TX on Friday (7/29) after saying he was going to go backstage, vomit, and return for three more songs.

"While KoL's fans stood in the dead heat, precious Caleb was carried off to his all-white dressing room where slaves hand fed him Evian ice cubes and fanned him with swan feathers while spritzing his face with 60º Perrier from a crystal bottle." [Dlisted]

Caleb never returned and Jared Followill then told the crowd, "I don't know what to say. It's not our fault. It's Caleb. He can't play." Jared then tweeted, "Dallas, I cannot begin to tell you how sorry I am. There are internal sicknesses & problems that have needed to be addressed. No words." Jared again tweeted, admitting, "I love our fans so much. I know you guys aren't stupid. I can't lie. There are problems in our band bigger than not drinking enough Gatorade." The band continued to cancel their next two shows, both Saturday (7/30) and Sunday (7/31). Since canceling those dates, the band have gone on to cancel the rest of their entire tour, which was with Band of Horses.

A message on KoL's website reads:

We are so sorry to say Kings of Leon are canceling their entire US tour due to Caleb Followill suffering from vocal issues and exhaustion. The band is devastated, but in order to give their fans the shows they deserve, they need to take this break. Unfortunately, the US dates cannot be rescheduled due to the band's international tour schedule. Tickets will be refunded at point of purchase. Tickets purchased online or via phones will be automatically refunded. The band will resume touring in Canada at the Rogers Center in Vancouver, BC, on September 28th. That show was originally schedule for September 14th.

The cancelled shows include Nikon at Jones Beach Theater on August 10 and PNC Bank Arts Center on August 17. According to Ticketmaster/Livenation, any tickets purchased by Ticketmaster Charge-By-Phone or Ticketmaster.com will be automatically credited back to the card used to order them. All tickets purchased at the box office or a Ticketmaster Ticket Center must be returned to the point of purchase to receive a refund.

Nathan Followill confirmed it's just a break and not a breakup, when he tweeted "Bummed about the tour not happening. So sorry 4 all the fans. We just need some rest. Thanks 4 understanding. WE ARE NOT BREAKING UP!" Despite the fact that the band reports the tour was cancelled so Caleb could rest his voice, US Weekly reports that a source tells them his bandmates are urging him to go to rehab. The source says Caleb "drinks like a fish."

Fortunately, Band of Horses are working on scheduling some club dates to make up for the cancelled tour. They wrote on their facebook:

Hey there Friends Of BoH! First off, we're sorry for the lag on updating everyone. We're thrilled by all the support you're showing us, and have been working behind the scenes to do everything we can to come see you. Unfortunately, we won't be able to hit up all of the places we'd planned on visiting with Kings of Leon. BUT!!! We're happy to announce that we're going to play SOME SHOWS!!!
We're playing FT. LAUDERDALE AND CHARLOTTE THIS WEEK! Details are below. We're working on adding more, and will have another update very soon.
We would like to thank Kings Of Leon for the opportunity to play the shows we did, and wish them all the best.
p.s. We're hoping to provide a special treat to the fans coming out to these new dates. Stay tuned and thank you!
Love, BoH

The new dates include a show at Hammerstein Ballroom on August 10 (which is at least way better than Jones Beach). Tickets for the NYC show go on sale Friday (8/5) at noon.

BoH also wants you to help them pick their setlists for the new shows. Because they had planned on playing shorter sets of their more popular songs on the Kings of Leon tour, they now have time to play some of their lesser known cuts. Check out the list of songs to choose from and more details on how to submit your choices at their facebook.

Video of Caleb speaking throughout the Dallas show and ending with Jared's apology, and Band of Horses dates below...

Continue reading "Kings of Leon cancel tour, Band of Horses book club dates"

As that little banner I grabbed off their site says, tickets go on AmEx presale today (4/12) for Tribeca Film Festival movies. To be more exact, starting at 11am, "Single Tickets on sale exclusively for American Express® Cardmembers (Online, Phone, and Ticket Outlets)." Tickets then go on sale to "downtown residents" starting at the same time on Sunday. General public can grab tickets starting Monday, April 18th.

Music-related films this year include Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest, Mama Africa (about Miriam Makeba), The Ballad of Genesis and Lady Jaye, Crash&Burn, God Bless Ozzy Osbourne, Sing Your Song (about Harry Belafonte who will also be on hand for a conversation moderated by "noted broadcaster" Tavis Smiley), The Swell Season (a documentary about Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova and their film Once), The Union (about Elton John & Leon Russell), When the Drum is Beating (about Haiti's 20-member band Septentrional), Roadie (about a roadie for Blue Oyster Cult), and Talihina Sky: The Story of Kings of Leon.

Elton John will also be performing live on opening night, April 20th...

"The first big piece of news about the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival has broken, and it's a doozy. To open the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival, presented by American Express®, we've assembled some serious talent: award-winning director Cameron Crowe, seminal rock keyboardist Leon Russell, and Elton John, with the latter performing live on April 20!

What do these three men have in common? Well, in 2009, Elton John teamed up with his longtime idol Russell to make an album called The Union, produced by the legendary T-Bone Burnett. Director Crowe--himself an avid music fan, having explored the musician's life in such classics as Almost Famous and Singles--decided to film their collaborative process, from writing through recording. The result is a documentary of the same name, the world premiere of which will be shown as the opening night film on Wednesday, April 20, 2011.

"As a longtime fan of both artists, it was a pleasure to spend a year filming their collaboration," said Cameron Crowe. "We can't wait to show it to one of the greatest audiences in the world, the Tribeca Film Festival."

What's more, with this year being the 10th edition of the Festival, opening night will be a free, outdoor screening--as a sincere thank-you to the New York City community for its ongoing support. After the film screens at the North Cove at the World Financial Plaza, the legendary Elton John will perform live for the audience. How cool is that?...

....Details will follow about how YOU can join us on opening night. We can't wait to share The Union with you!" [Tribeca Film Fest]

According to comments on the fest's blog, they're working out a wristband distribution system for the free concert.

Other special events include the Tribeca Drive-In with free films at the World Financial Center Plaza, and the April 30th Family Festival. A clip from "The Union" is below...

Continue reading "Tribeca Film Fest begins 4/20, tix on sale today, Elton John to perform live, lots of music-related films"

And the nominees for "Album of the Year" are:

* The Suburbs by Arcade Fire
* Recovery by Eminem
* Need You Now by Lady Antebellum
* The Fame Monster by Lady Gaga
* Teenage Dream by Katy Perry

Crazy.

Also funny: Mumford & Sons are up for Best New Artist against Justin Bieber (and Drake, Florence & The Machine, and Esperanza Spalding)

Robyn is up for Best Dance Recording against Lady Gaga (and Goldfrapp, La Roux, and Rihanna).

Arcade Fire are also nominated for Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals against Muse, Kings of Leon, The Black Keys, and... Jeff Beck & Joss Stone.

The Black Keys also landed in the "Best Rock Instrumental Performance" along with... Dave Matthews.

The Black Keys and Mumford & Sons and Kings of Leon and Muse are also all in the "Best Rock Song" category.

"Best Alternative Album" category:

* The Suburbs by Arcade Fire
* Infinite Arms by Band Of Horses
* Brothers by The Black Keys
* Broken Bells by Broken Bells
* Contra by Vampire Weekend

So they give that to Arcade Fire, since Lady Gaga will probably get Album of the Year, or maybe Arcade Fire will just get screwed and they'll give it to someone on a major.

Other names that got nominated: Cee-Lo, Janelle Monae, Big Boi, John Legend & The Roots, Jay-Z, Darcy James Argue's Secret Society, Flight of the Conchords, Devendra Banhart (for "Best Recording Package"), Oh No Ono (ditto), Anais Mitchell (ditto), Danger Mouse, Gorillaz, and Carol Burnett. Full list at the Grammys site.

"Now it's cool to have 14 people in your band doing everything but contributing musically, running around with a helmet on your head, hitting it with a drumstick. You gotta look at what you're in this for: the love of music? The fame? You can have all that if you're smart and play your cards right and don't become a dick."
- Kings of Leon's Nathan Followill

--

Bad Books photos by Kurt Christensen

Bad Books playing Looney Tunes

"We regret to inform you that Kings of Leon's concert scheduled for Nov 18 at the IZOD Center will be rescheduled for mid to late2011, so that the band can accommodate a video production deadline. Refunds will be given at point of purchase. Credit card purchases (online and telephone) will be credited back to the cards used. Details on are scheduled date will be announced soon. Please note, tickets for Nov 18will not be valid for the rescheduled show. We apologize for the inconvenience."

A who what when where? Apparently it's been cancelled for at least a week already. Kings of Leon still headline Madison Square Garden in NYC tonight though.

Manchester Orchestra, whose new side project with Kevin Devine called Bad Books made their debut at Bowery Ballroom during CMJ, open the show. Right after Bowery, Bad Books played an in-store at Looney Tunes in Long Island. Kurt was there and took the pictures you see below...

Continue reading "Kings of Leon cancel NJ show, but play MSG w/ Manchester Orchestra (whose members are in Bad Books -- pics) tonight"

"When are you gonna post about The Kings Of Leon shows?" - Anonymous

"kings of Leon a band best known for their haircuts and getting pooped in their mouths and then walking out on their audience- there, how's that for a post" - Anonymous 2

my eye! (Kings of Leon @ Outside Lands) (more by Vincent Cornelli)

"Pooping pigeons forced the Kings of Leon to abandon their St. Louis, Missouri, concert after just three songs [on a Friday night in July], the rock band's management said [the next day].

An infestation of the birds in the rafters of the Verizon Amphitheatre bombarded the musicians as soon as they took the stage, according to Andy Mendelsohn of Vector Management.

"Jared (Followill) was hit several times during the first two songs," Mendelsohn said of the band's bassist." [CNN]

Fine! Kings of Leon have a new album called Come Around Sundown coming out on October 19th, and since the band is huge, they will be supporting that album with three huge east coast shows a month later. And those are:

11/14 - Boston, MA - TD Garden
11/16 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden
11/18 - East Rutherford, NJ - Izod Center

Tickets for the Live Nation-produced MSG show will go on general sale Saturday, October 2nd at 10am. Tickets for the Bowery Presents-produced NJ show go on sale at the same time. Both shows cost $59.50, and open their doors at 6:30pm.

The MSG show also lists a Fan Club Ticketmaster-based presale beginning Thursday at 10am. I assume the NJ show will have the same.

I also assume that more dates will be announced, both in NYC and NJ (if these do well), and elsewhere in the United States. But for now the only other dates are overseas.

UPDATE: It is worth noting that Kings of Leon went back to St. Louis this past weekend and played a free show to make up for the pigeon fiasco. I didn't realize that when I first posted.

All dates, with video from the pigeon poop show, below...

Continue reading "Kings of Leon announce big NYC & NJ shows & other dates"

photos by Vincent Cornelli

"You ready for some Grateful Dead action after this?" asked singer Julian Casablancas early in the Stokes set, referring to Furthur, the band led by the Dead's Phil Lesh and Bob Weir, already in progress at the eastern edge of the polo field. The uncertain response suggested fans were staying put - just as others were for Furthur. The Strokes sounded exceptionally muscular in the park's expansive setting. Fabrizio Moretti contributed heavy beats to "Vision of Division" and "Reptilia," as Casablancas eased his vocals from deadpan to excited and back again. "This is It" slowly built to a sing-along as Albert Hammond Jr. and Nick Valensi created an intricate overlap of guitars. "I remember playing these songs in front of four people," Casablancas said, looking out on the tens of thousands of fans. "It's really surreal." Even, apparently, after all the year's of the band's success. -[Rolling Stone]

The Strokes and Furthur were two of many participants (including Bassnectar and My Morning Jacket and Al Green) at the Outside Lands Festival in San Francisco on August 14th & 15th. In addition to sets from Gogol Bordello, Social Distortion, Phoenix, Kings of Leon, and many more (photo sets of all those bands are below), Outside Lands also featured an appearance from "one of the day's best acts" Chromeo ...

"...At about 5:50 PM, one of the day's best acts appeared at the Outside Lands Festival.

The music was thumping, adrenaline pumping, the sun shining, and many in the crowd -- tapping into a singular energy -- could hold back no longer. They put their inhibitions aside and let themselves be drawn to the beats blasting from the Twin Peaks Stage. Some ran, jumped and moved like they never had before, heading toward a common purpose.

Of course, I'm referring to the bum rush of fans that managed to scramble past the guards and bust down part of the fence along John F. Kennedy Drive, allowing scores of people to hustle in before the riot control guards on horsies and the rent-a-guard dudes in orange t-shirts could stop the inflow." - [San Francisco Chronicle]

Videos of the incident, with the rest of our pictures from the 2010 Outside Lands Festival, below...

Continue reading "more pics from Outside Lands (where fans crashed through a fence to get in) (videos of that too) "

Outside Lands 2009 (more by Chris Graham)

San Francisco's Outside Lands Festival 2010 takes place in Golden Gate Park from August 14th-15th. Headlining acts for the fest include Kings of Leon, Furthur featuring Phil Lesh and Bob Weir, The Strokes, My Morning Jacket, Phoenix, Social Distortion, Levon Helm and Al Green. Other acts include Nas & Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley, The Budos Band, Dawes, Gogol Bordello, Cat Power Janelle Monáe and Tokyo Police Club. The full lineup (which will be added to) is below.

Two-day passes go on sale Tuesday, June 2nd at 1pm EST. Single day tickets go on sale Sunday, June 6th.

Check out pictures from all three days of Outside Lands 2009 (which as you may have figured out was one day longer than this year's).

A video trailer for this year's fest and the lineup is below...

Continue reading "Outside Lands 2010 lineup announced"

Built to Spill @ Webster Hall Oct. 2009 (more by Bryan Bruchman)

Built to Spill and The Black Keys are both opening for Kings of Leon on their North American tour this summer. Their travels together don't come near New York City though. The closest Kings of Leon get is the Altantic City Borgata, and that's with The Whigs opening. Tickets are on sale (and only $125).

The Black Keys' upcoming NYC shows are two nights at SummerStage in Central Park (the full lineup for which just got fully announced) with the Morning Benders. (Check out their "sexy new video" if you haven't already.)

Ends up, Built to Spill will be in NYC too this summer - they play a Wednesday, July 28th show at Irving Plaza. Tickets go on Live Nation presale Thursday at 10am. General Sale starts Friday at 10am.

All Kings of Leon tour dates and their other openers (The Features, The Stills) are below...

Continue reading "Built to Spill touring w/ Kings of Leon, playing NYC too (dates)"

After a hectic day of updating the constantly updating Bonnaroo lineup page, the entire thing has been announced. Gwar, Norah Jones, and the rest of the lineup below...

Continue reading "the complete 2010 Bonnaroo lineup (Stevie Wonder, The Melvins, Kings of Leon, Isis, Local Natives & many more) "

Eclectic rocker Neil Young, who has made no secret of his disdain for the Grammys, finally won a coveted trophy on Sunday for the first time in a career spanning almost 50 years.

Fittingly, the Canadian singer/songwriter was honored for a long-delayed boxed set collecting more than 120 tracks from his early days.

"Neil Young Archives Vol. 1 (1963-1972)" won the Grammy for best art direction on a boxed or special limited-edition package. Young, 64, shared the award with fellow art directors Gary Burden and Jenice Heo.

"Thanks a lot, everybody," Young said as he accepted his statuette.

He also competed for best solo rock vocal Grammy but lost to Bruce Springsteen, whose career total rose to 20.

On Friday he was honored by the music industry at its annual MusiCares charity fundraiser in recognition of his annual concerts for the Bridge School for disabled children.

The 10-disc "Archives" boxed set has been in the works for years, with Young frequently delaying its release so that technology could catch up with his vision. It boasts studio and live tracks, demos, outtakes and other rarities, as well as videos and the first digital release of his directing debut, "Journey Through the Past."

Fans have the choice of three configurations: CD, DVD and Blu-ray -- the most expensive at more than $200. [Reuters]

Kings of Leon won three. MGMT won none. Loudon Wainwright, Steve Earle, Levon Helm, Steve Martin (bluegrass), and Michael J Fox all won Grammys. Phoenix won for best Alternative Music Album. David Byrne & Brian Eno's CD won for 'Recording Package'. Neil Young, Leonard Cohen, Les Paul and Michael Jackson were honored. Stephen Colbert won in the comedy category which came later in the show than his iPad bit. Video of that with the full list of winners below...

Continue reading "full list of 2010 Grammy Award Winners (Phoenix, Stephen Colbert, Kings of Leon, David Byrne, Leonard Cohen & more) "

Beast @ CMJ 2009 (more by Chris La Putt)

Lady Gaga was nominated five times. Considering her rocket to fame over the last year, many were expecting more for her. But at least the contests are going to be really interesting: Beyoncé, [Taylor] Swift and Lady Gaga are going head to head in three of the most important categories: album, record and song of the year. Will one of them sweep, or will the lady vote be split?

One of the usual complaints about the Grammys is that it over-rewards older, established, familiar acts at the expense of newer, fresher ones. MGMT, the Brooklyn synth-rock duo, was nominated for best new artist, a big coup although not unexpected. But some of the shoulda-been names that have been circulated and Tweeted: Grizzly Bear, another acclaimed Brooklyn group; Regina Spektor, a young New York songwriter who started in the underground and has found some mainstream popularity; Diane Birch, a young soul-style singer, just the revivalist type the Grammys usually adore; and the Decemberists, an alt-folk-rock band from Portland, Ore., that released an ambitious concept album this year. [NY Times]

Neko Case, Imogen Heap, Phoenix, Silversun Pickups, David Byrne, Wilco, Death Cab for Cutie, and Yeah Yeah Yeahs are some of the other familiar names in the list of Grammy nominees this year. As Ben Sisario in the NY Times alludes, the nominations are a complete joke and predictable... but fun to look at anyway. Nobody expects Animal Collective to get picked, despite their soon-to-be status of being one of the highly rated artists of the year (and decade maybe).

One surprise (for me anyway) came this year in the video category. Montreal's Beast were nominated for "Mr. Hurricane". That video with a list of some of the other nominees, below...

Continue reading "Beast's 'Mr. Hurricane' video & other 2009 Grammy nominees "

photos by Fresh Bread

"You might hear a song and think it's from the second album, it just sounds like it." - Erlend Oye @ Bowery Ballroom

Kings of Convenience were really good [at Bowery Ballroom] last night (9/10). they went on about 940ish. First half the show was spent debut new material, which sounds really good. Not much of departure from their previous stuff, but being that KOC has kind of signature sound, I really wasn't surprised. Then, they started busting out a bunch of tunes from their previous two records, much to the delight of the crowd. All the while, the band was very talkative and incredibly charming and funny. They ended their with a cover of "It's my party and I'll cry if I want to".

But the real suprise was the encore. The boys walked out in sang with no mics and did an unplugged version of "The Build-Up". Half way through the song, a voice started singing from the balcony unplugged. They put a spotlight on her and it was non other then Leslie Feist! The place went crazy as she belted this tune out. After a huge ovation, she came to the main stage and did a little dance and back up singing for the boys final song.

All and All, a fantastic ending to a wonderful show! [Anonymous]

Kings of Convenience, not to be confused with Kings of LEON,...

"No shit - I was talking with two girls before the show started who were from Australia, they had walked by and bought tickets at the door. They HONESTLY thought they were there to see Kings Of Leon. You should have seen the look on their faces when I said "you know you are getting ready to see Kings of Convenience, right?"" - Fresh Bread

...have no other upcoming North American dates at the moment. Last night's show was a one-off. More pictures and the setlist, below...

Continue reading "Kings of Convenience w/ FEIST @ Bowery Ballroom - pics"

Elvis Perkins @ the 2009 Newport Folk Festival (more by Jim Brueckner)

tonight in NYC
* DANCE
* Orgfest (benefit) @ Southpaw
* Kid Rock (benefit) @ Terminal 5
* John Zorn's work @ The Stone
* Big Terrific (comedy) @ The Cameo
* Jason Anderson @ Pete Candy Store
* John Fogerty @ South Street Seaport
* Pet Shop Boys @ Hammerstein Ballroom
* Cocorosie, Jessica 6 @ Highline Ballroom
* Joe Jack Talcum & Kevin Seconds @ Asbury Lanes (NJ)
* Ned Sublette (reading) @ Barnes & Noble (82nd & Bway)
* Elvis Perkins, Ra Ra Riot (DJ) @ Housing Works Used Book Cafe
* Talk Normal, Jana Hunter, Gary War, Effing, Twistycat @ Market Hotel
* Throw Me the Statue, The Brunettes, Nurses, U.S. Royalty @ Mercury Lounge
* The Black Crowes, Levon Helm Band, Truth & Savages Co. @ Rumsey Playfield
* Shudder To Think, Pattern Is Movement, Blame the Patient @ Bowery Ballroom
* Titus Andronicus, The Smith Westerns, The So So Glos @ Monster Island Basement

Titus Andronicus and The So So Glos, who are hitting the road together, play the first show of that trip at Monster Island Basement with The Smith Westerns. More about The Smith Westerns in This Week in Indie.

Former CCR frontman John Fogerty plays a free show at South Street Seaport tonight.

"The second installment of Orgfest, a show to benefit the Women's Refugee Commission, will take place at Southpaw on September 2nd at 9 p.m. For the $10 cover, the bill packs a serious punch: the Brooklyn neo-folk outfit Dinosaur Feathers, the live hip-hop of Architects + Demolition Men, a rare solo performance from acclaimed artist Emanuel Ayves from Emanuel and the Fear, and comedians between sets."

Pet Shop Boys return to Hammerstein Ballroom for a second night. Pictures of last night are HERE.

Cocorosie kick off their first N.A. tour in more than two years with a show at Highline Ballroom. Jessica 6 (featuring Nomi of Hercules and Love Affair fame) opens.

Elvis Perkins and Ra Ra Riot play at a benefit for and at Housing Works Used Book Cafe.

Shudder To Think plays with Pattern Is Movement and Blame the Patient at Bowery Ballroom.

Nurses are touring with Le Loup this fall. But before that, they're on the road with Throw Me the Statue and The Brunettes -- which is who plays Mercury Lounge tonight, with U.S. Royalty.

NYC guitarist Ned Sublette, who was a section leader in Rhys Chatham's Crimson Grail, reads from his new book, The Year Before the Flood: A Story of New Orleans, at Barnes & Noble (82nd & Bway).

The Mad Decent Block Party, which went off in Philly on August 15th, featured music from Major Lazer and a whole lot more. See a brand new video from the party below.

An interview with the always eloquent Damian Abraham of Fucked Up is below.

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Wednesday?"

"Due to overwhelming demand, Kings of Leon have reconfigured their production to make available some amazing seats for September 12. It's your chance to get some of the best seats in the house. Tickets will be released 5 PM Thursday, August 6."

PREVIOUSLY: more Kings of Leon MSG tickets released??

photos by Chris Graham

"Sasquatch was hot. H-O-T. Not Paris Hilton "hot," but temperature hot. For a mossed-over clutch of Northwesterners who have been shrouded under rain and clouds for the past eight months, the brutal sun at the Gorge this weekend was a shocking jolt into summer. Sure, it was generally nice to be out in the sun, but any shade cover at the 'Squatch was few and far between, and there was almost no chance of relief. A small row of spindly trees dotted the upper walkway, and overheated concertgoers crammed themselves underneath them. When the sun dipped behind a cloud during Animal Collective's generally unimpressive set, the crowd cheered louder than they had for any band. Clothing sweated clean through, energy was conserved, and water was at a premium. It was a weekend of dizzy sunburning and frizzled brain." [Portland Mercury]

The 2009 Sasquatch Festival ran from May 23-25 (Memorial Day Weekend) in Gorge, Washington. More pictures from Day One, below...

Continue reading "Sasquatch 2009 - Day 1 in pics "

!!! is playing ACL 2009 (more by Chris Graham)

"The 2009 Austin City Limits Music Festival will showcase a diverse blend of acts both fresh and familiar at the eighth edition of the event in Zilker Park October 2-4. Pearl Jam, Dave Matthews Band, and Beastie Boys are performing for the first time at the Festival, with Kings of Leon, Ben Harper and Relentless7, and Thievery Corporation returning to Zilker Park once again. John Legend, The Dead Weather, and The Levon Helm Band will also make their ACL Festival debut, while Austin's own Ghostland Observatory will no doubt deliver another memorable set for festival goers.

With over 130 artists on this year's bill, the list of acts awes at each note with the likes of Sonic Youth, Mos Def, Toadies, Flogging Molly, The B-52s, Lily Allen, Citizen Cope, Arctic Monkeys, The Decemberists, Coheed and Cambria, Andrew Bird, Girl Talk, and many more.

In the tradition of the TV show from which it was born, the Festival has always aimed to offer musical discovery for the fans. The 2009 lineup is rich with pop, country, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, indie rock, hip-hop, and gospel, to name a few, spanning cultures and countries from New Orleans to Venezuela to France."

The entire 2009 lineup is below...

Continue reading "ACL (Austin City Limits) - 2009 festival lineup announcement"

Tickets are on sale (@ noon) for Wilco's show at Keyspan Park in Brooklyn.

Tickets are on sale (@ noon) for both of Kings of Leon's upcoming NYC-area shows - the Izod Center and Nassau Coliseum.

Tickets are on on sale (@ noon) for the Phoenix show at Music Hall of Williamsburg.

Tickets are on sale (@ noon) for the Juan Maclean / Field show at Webster Hall.

Tickets are on sale (@ noon) for the Apostle of Hustle / Forro in the Dark show at Bowery Ballroom.

Tickets are on sale (@ noon) for the Harlem Shakes show at Bowery Ballroom.

PJ Harvey tickets went on sale earlier.

"Though promoters around the country report strong early ticket sales for festivals and summer tours, the recession is causing jitters. This year Coachella, which has the most glamorous reputation of all American festivals, began selling tickets on layaway, and 18 percent of its customers took that option, Mr. Tollett said.

The proliferation of big festivals, like Bonnaroo near Nashville and Lollapalooza in Chicago, has not been without casualties. This year Langerado in Miami shut down, citing the economy. The Pemberton Festival in British Columbia is on hiatus after only one year, although its promoter, Live Nation, said the problem was permit delays." [NY Times]

With all the leaks of bands playing Lollapalooza this year, there are almost no surprises in the official lineup announcement, except maybe the Animal Collective DJ set... The whole thing below...

Continue reading "Lollapalooza 2009 - the official & complete lineup"

Kings of Leon (are so big??) already sold out MSG, and now they've announced a few new dates including headlining shows at both the Izod Center (formerly Brendan Byrne Arena and Continental Airlines Arena) and Nassau Coliseum in September. Tickets for both NYC-area shows go on sale to general public on Friday, April 24th at noon. Ticket prices for both venues are $49.50 & $40.50. Bowery Presents is doing the September 12th Izod one. Live Nation is doing the September 14th Nassau one.

KoL are currently out on tour with The Walkmen who just played their own headlining show at Webster Hall. All new KoL dates below...

Continue reading "Kings of Leon - Izod Center, Nassau Coliseum & tour dates"

by Black Bubblegum

Jonah Matranga & Ian Love at Gershwin Hotel (more by Tim Griffin)

Jonah Matranga of Far/onelinedrawing/New End Original fame has scheduled a solo show at Mercury Lounge on May 21st. Tickets are on sale.

Jonah might be playing that and a few more shows (listed below) solo, but - even more than before - Far is back...

Vagrant Records is proud to announce that Far has signed to the label. The recently reunited quartet is currently wrapping up their fifth full-length release in The Airport studio in Southern California with producer and guitarist Shaun Lopez at the helm and an early spring release date is expected.

"We had no idea all this would happen," says vocalist Jonah Matranga. "We were just planning on getting to know each other again and playing a few shows... all of a sudden, the songs are coming, and it feels really good."

Far has added a few new West Coast shows in May and June, including one opening for Kings of Leon in Santa Barbara, CA. All dates below, but nothing on the east coast yet.

In the tail end of last year (while he was here for that Gershwin Hotel show), we caught up with Jonah Matranga and asked him about Far, his solo venture(s), and what it means to be back in lock-step with the guys again. Check out that interview below.

Meanwhile, some of Jonah's bandmates in New End Original are getting their old band back together as well. Split Lip, which became Chamberlain in 1995, will reunite with all original members to play a handful of shows in their native midwest, and eventually, the east coast. Tour dates are below.

The dates coincide with the re-issue of Chamberlain's emo-influential Fate's Got A Driver LP on color vinyl with bonus tracks.

Chamberlain's Fate's Got a Driver delivers more emotion in its 30 minutes than most bands do over the course of a career. The record is thought provoking and musically adventurous, a rare feat for a band whose members were barely past twenty when it was recorded. With nods to the Everyman side of Sunny Day Real Estate and the insistent melodicism of Fugazi, Fate's Got a Driver consistently impresses. It's all the product of lead guitarist Adam Rubenstein's thick, Fugazi-style progressions and David Moore's highly poetic lyrics... An amazing achievement by such a relatively young band. -[allmusic]

Jonah discusses Lupe Fiasco, Sepultura, Fort Minor, Radiohead, and more, in the interview below...

Continue reading "an interview w/ Jonah Matranga of Far (who are back with more tour dates & a new album on Vagrant Records)"

the Walkmen @ Masonic Temple (more by Natasha Ryan)

The Walkmen kick off a tour with Kings of Leon in Boston on April 19th. Being that KoL just played APW, headlined MSG, Radio City and Webster Hall, it makes sense that there is no NYC date scheduled for that run. Luckily that also means The Walkmen can play a NYC date of their own which they'll do on April 16th at Webster Hall. Tickets will go on sale March 2nd. Stay tuned.