Explosions In The Sky at Wellmont Theater (more by Toby Tenenbaum)

NYU students get a treat this Valentine's Day, a show from Explosions In The Sky! The Texas post-rock quartet will join Grouper and Ducky for a Feb 14th NYU-students-only show (though it's "2 tickets per NYU ID"). The show will be seated on a first come, first serve basis and is a benefit for the Burton CHILL Foundation. Full details, including ticket information, below.

EITS so far has announced a few US festival appearances, but no additional dates. Catch them at Coachella and Sasquatch this year.

In other news, Grouper will team with Tiny Vipers for a collaborative LP entitled Foreign Body. Mirroring, the name for the duo, will release the record on March 19th via Kranky.

So far Liz Harris (Grouper) has a European tour mapped out for March, but no additional US dates to speak of. Full tour schedule is below.

Continue reading "Explosions in the Sky playing Valentine's Day benefit @ NYU; Grouper & Tiny Vipers form 'Mirroring'"

by Andrew Sacher

DOWNLOAD: A Winged Victory for the Sullen - "Steep Hills of Vicodin Tears" (MP3)

A Winged Victory for the Sullen

A Winged Victory for the Sullen, a collaboration between Adam Wiltzie and Dustin O'Halloran, released their self titled debut LP last month on Kranky. The album combines the droney soundscapes of Adam Wiltzie's Stars of the Lid project with the gentle classical-tinged piano work of Dustin O'Halloran's solo work. It was recorded onto analog tape in large acoustic spaces using old pianos, strings, horns, and other traditional instruments. The album features guest musicianship from Peter Broderick and Hildur Gudnadottir. You can download album track "Steep Hills of Vicodin Tears" at the top of this post.

The duo are heading out on a North American tour at the end of this month with Kranky labelmates Benoît Pioulard and Ken Camden. That tour hits NYC on October 30 at West Park Presbyterian Church. Tickets are on sale now.

All dates below...

Continue reading "A Winged Victory for the Sullen released an LP on Kranky, touring (MP3 & dates)"

In their own words:

Northside Festival is thrilled to announce special series of shows in beautiful St. Cecilia's church in Greenpoint.

St. Cecilia's is one of the most beautiful and vital churches in Brooklyn. We are excited to be working with this community institution and proud to say that St. Cecilia's will be an important part of Northside.

There will be four shows taking place at the most spectacular venue imaginable.

And the shows are:

Continue reading "St. Cecilia's Church in Greenpoint will host Northside Festival shows (Atlas Sound, Woods & Eleanor included)"

DOWNLOAD: Tim Hecker - Chimeras (MP3)

Tim Hecker, gettin down!

Tim Hecker is a Canadian-based musician and sound artist. Since 1996, he has produced a range of audio works... focused on exploring the intersection of noise, dissonance and melody, fostering an approach to songcraft which is both physical and emotive. The New York Times has described his work as "foreboding, abstract pieces in which static and sub-bass rumbles open up around slow moving notes and chords, like fissures in the earth waiting to swallow them whole". His Harmony in Ultraviolet received critical acclaim, including being recognized by Pitchfork as a top recording of 2006... He currently resides in Montreal.

Tim Hecker (also known as Jetone) will headline the latest installment of the Wordless Music Series, bringing two nights of his electronic ambient to Le Poisson Rouge in NYC. The shows are Dec 4th (TONIGHT- tix here) and Dec 5th (tix here). According to his own gigography, these two nights mark his 4th (and 5th) appearance in the NYC-area. He played CMJ in 2001, Bowery Ballroom with Isis in December 2004, and most recently, he played the Issue Project Room in 2007, just a few weeks before it closed down its old location.

Tim is currently readying his new album, An Imaginary Country, due on Kranky in February 2009 ("probably"). He recently released Fantasma Parasite on alien8 records, a collaboration with another ambient-noise-leaning canuck, Aidan Baker (also of Nadja). Stream the whole thing.

Kranky Records was recently showcased at the Brainwaves festival in Boston. Stars Of The Lid was there and also performed a 'Wordless' show at Le Poisson Rouge while they were on this coast.

Nadja is currently touring the Europe, and will again in the new year. All tour dates are below...

Continue reading "Tim Hecker - NYC shows Thursday & Friday, new album soon"

by Black Bubblegum

I used to take took the infamous Chinatown bus from NYC to Boston all the time, but one ride was particularly memorable. I was sitting in the back of a full bus. There were no more seats, but then one more passenger wanted to get on, so the driver told this passenger to wait a minute and proceeded to put a lawn chair for them in the aisle...

Where am I going with this? Well, the Brainwaves Festival taking place at the Regent Theatre in Boston this weekend is a good reason to risk sitting in a lawn chair.

Two years ago, [Brainwashed's Jon] Whitney [that's not him in the picture] took on the role of concert promoter in a big way when he organized Brainwaves, an expansive, three-day festival of Brainwashed-related music and video. True to form, it was a monstrously ambitious undertaking.

"Brainwashed was 10 years old. For 10 years it hadn't really made any sense, so why not do a festival that didn't make sense? You know, we needed a party! And though it was two years in the making, all the work was worth it, since we eventually came up with a great group of musicians." [The Phoenix]

This year's eclectic, experimental lineup includes Matmos, Meat Beat Manifesto, Silver Apples, Stars of the Lid along with a day dedicated to Kranky, Major Stars,JG Thirlwell's Manorexia, Gary Wilson, Marisa Nadler (who started a new blog), and one bonafide legend in Peter Christopherson [that's him in the picture above], founder of Psychic TV, Throbbing Gristle, Coil, and the performing Threshold HouseBoys Choir (the latter is the one billed as playing the fest). Christopherson recently told TinyMixTapes he is retiring THBC, so this is your last shot to see him live before he retires to his home in Thailand. Tickets are still available, and check the festival's site for more travel and lodging options.

A few of the festival participants have hit or will be hitting NYC this week as well... Silver Apples will be in NYC with Grails (but not Flower Travellin' Band, who postponed), To Kill A Petty Bourgeoisie and Boduf Songs play Pianos and the Annex, Meat Beat Manifesto played Bowery Ballroom Wednesday, and Stars Of The Lid   will play a pair of shows at Le Poisson Rouge while they're on this coast.

Psychic TV (sans Christophersen) recently played Europa. The full Brainwaves lineup is below...

Continue reading "2008 Brainwaves Festival (this Fri-Sun in Boston) w/ Peter Christopherson, Matmos, Major Stars, SOTL, more"

To Kill A Petty Bourgeoisie

To Kill a Petty Bourgeoisie consists of Jehna Wilhelm, guitar and vocals, and Mark McGee, electronics and sound manipulation. Originally from Richmond, VA, the duo has been involved with this project for 4 years and has been supported by an ever-changing cast of players and musicians. They now reside in Minneapolis, MN where they run their own label, The Riley Bushman Recordings & Archives, which they use as an outlet to release various projects and collaborations. [Kranky]

Kranky label-mates To Kill A Petty Bourgeoisie and Boduf Songs (aka Mat Sweet, who lives in Southampton England) are going on a tour together that kicks off at this weekend's Brainwaves Festival in Boston.

"Capping the weekend is a day-long tribute to Kranky, celebrating the 15th anniversary of the label, which is home to avant-garde rockers like Deerhunter and ambient pioneers Stars of the Lid. "For Kranky, we've got a whole day planned. Windy [of Windy & Carl] and Thomas Meluch [of Benoit Pioulard] will perform together," he says. "Stars of the Lid will headline, Lichens, Nudge and Strategy will leave the crowd stunned, and we'll get a rare glimpse of To Kill a Petty Bourgeoisie and Boduf Songs live. Unfortunately we failed to pull off Out Hud, Labradford, Godspeed You Black Emperor and Bowery Electric reunions, but we did try."" [Weekly Dig]

NYC can also get a rare glimpse of TKAPB and Boduf live, TWICE. The first show is Tuesday, November 25th at Pianos. The next one is that Friday in the same LES neighborhood, at The Annex. All dates below...

Continue reading "To Kill A Petty Bourgeoisie & Boduf Songs (Kranky)- 2008 Tour Dates (2xNYC, Brainwaves Festval)"