As mentioned, Kylesa will release their new LP Ultraviolet on May 28, another expansion on their already ever-changing sound. Begin their new chapter by streaming the LP in full below care of Metal Hammer.

Kylesa are currently in the midst of a US tour with Blood Ceremony, White Hills and Lazer/Wulf that will hit Music Hall of Williamsburg on June 14th (tickets). All other dates are listed, along with the album stream, below.

Continue reading "Stream Kylesa's 'Ultraviolet' in full"

Kylesa are streaming the new track "Vulture's Landing," which is from their forthcoming effort Ultraviolet. The record, which blasts off on May 28 via Season of Mist, is available for preorder now. Listen to it below.

As mentioned, Kylesa will be touring for the LP as well, so catch them on the road including a NYC date at Music Hall of Williamsburg on June 14. Tickets are still available.

Continue reading "stream another track from Kylesa's new LP, 'Ultraviolet'"

White Fence

As mentioned, White Fence's new album, Cyclops Reap, is out this week on John Dwyer's Castle Face label. Tim Presley doesn't seem to be running out of songs and this is another quality batch of paisley-scented psychedelia. You can stream "To The Boy I Jumped In The Hemlock Alley" below and hear the whole record over at Pitchfork.

White Fence will be in Brooklyn for the Northside Festival in June, playing two shows: the Panache showcase at Brooklyn Bowl on June 13 and then a late show at Knitting Factory on June 14. Tickets to the Knitting Factory show are on sale now; no word on Brooklyn Bowl tickets just yet.

The whole Panache showcase line-up is still forthcoming but we do know its being headlined by Mac DeMarco and we have updated dates for him below as well.

These are just a couple of the additions to the 2013 Northside line-up that includes that free Walkmen show in McCarren Park. Other new additions, Kylesa, Torche, Sonny & the Sunsets, Nü Sensae, Kisses, The Luyas and more. Northside line-up as it stands now is below.

Continue reading "White Fence streaming new LP, added to Northside Fest line-up (Mac DeMarco, Nu Sensae, Kylesa, Torche & more too)"

White Hills at MHoW, Dec 2012 (more by Dana (distortion) Yavin)

Brooklyn psychedelic-fuzz crew White Hills have teamed with the jammy Earthless for a split live EP available for FREE via Scion A/V. The effort will feature one track from each band culled from a recent Roadburn-curated event, and you can check out both below including a new interview with White Hills. The WH track and interview make its debut here on BV.

As mentioned, White Hills will hit the road for a string of US dates with Kylesa, Blood Ceremony and Lazer/Wulf. That tour hits NYC at Music Hall of Williamsburg on June 16 (tickets).

In related news, members of Earthless serve in Golden Void, who will team with Pontiak to play Union Pool on Saturday (4/6) alongside My God Music's Terrible. Tickets are still available. The show is the lone US date for Golden Void (who are on their way to Roadburn in the days following), and one of two shows for Pontiak, dates of which are listed below.

Continue reading "White Hills and Earthless share split Live EP (stream it); Golden Void touring, playing NYC with Pontiak (dates)"

Kylesa at Maryland Deathfest 2011 (more by Fred Pessaro // BBG)

The previously discussed Kylesa NYC date at Music Hall of Williamsburg has predictably blossomed into a full North American tour, kicking off in Florida and heading across the US and into Canada in the months of May and June. Blood Ceremony, White Hills and Lazer/Wulf will support on all dates, including Music Hall of Williamsburg on June 14. Tickets are still available for MHoW.

All tour dates are listed, along with a stream of new track "Quicksand" from their forthcoming LP Ultraviolet, below.

Continue reading "Kylesa streaming new track, announces North American tour with Blood Ceremony, White Hills and Lazer/Wulf (dates)"

Kylesa at Maryland Deathfest 2011 (more by Fred Pessaro // BBG)

As discussed, Kylesa have released the new track "Unspoken," from their forthcoming LP Ultraviolet, due via Season of Mist on May 28. The crusty-sludge five-piece have stayed off of the road for the most part as well, but have a single date scheduled so far, and it is set for NYC. Look for Kylesa to headline Music Hall of Williamsburg on June 14 with the awesome Blood Ceremony, White Hills and Lazer/Wulf. Tickets go on AmEx presale on Wednesday (3/13) at noon and regular sale on Friday (3/15) at noon.

In other news, look for the great Blood Ceremony to play the Wings of Metal festival in Montreal at Katacombes on August 30 - 31. There the band will be joined by Satan, Midnight, Manilla Road, Megiddo and many others. Tickets are on sale.

Check out "Unspoken" from Ultraviolet below.

Continue reading "Kylesa playing NYC with Blood Ceremony, who play Wings of Metal fest this summer"

Autre Ne Veut @ Church of the Messiah, 2011 (more by Erez Avissar)

Desaparecidos @ Stone Pony, 2/15/2013 (more by Guy Eppel)

today in NYC
* Slap @ Barbes
* Ab-Soul @ S.O.B's
* Henry Butler @ The Stone
* Star Talk Live @ The Bell House
* Advaeta, Milk Dick @ Big Snow
* Simon Townsend @ Joe's Pub
* James Hunter @ The Bell House
* Mrs. Magician, Writer @ Maxwell's
* The Mandingo Ambassadors @ Barbes
* Julie Benko's Wandering Star @ Joe's Pub
* Bob Mould, Now Now @ Bowery Ballroom
* Dead Leaf Echo, Lorelei @ Mercury Lounge
* Clinical Trials, Saint James @ Cameo Gallery
* Doe Paoro, Isaac Delusion @ Mercury Lounge
* WIERD w/ Xeno & Oaklander @ Home Sweet Home
* Autre Ne Veut, Majical Cloudz @ Santos Party House
* Free Blood, Baby Alpaca, Gold Lake @ Bowery Electric
* John Brodeur, Dylan James Brock @ Pete's Candy Store
* Double King, Cold Fronts, The Suzan @ Public Assembly
* Deidre & The Dark, Infinite Party, The Wives @ Glasslands
* Arnold Dreyblatt Ensemble, Megafaun @ Merkin Concert Hall
* Ludwig Persik, El Sportivo, Rumors, Cascading Slopes @ Pianos
* Desaparecidos, Joyce Manor, States and Kingdoms @ Webster Hall
* Woodsman, Alex Bleeker & The Freaks, Takka Takka @ Brooklyn Bowl
* New Myths, Peanut Butter Lovesicle, Ben Kenney @ Rockwood Music Hall
* Heaven's Gate, Hurricanes of Love, Buck Gooter, Dyin' Breed @The Ho_se
* Soon-Another, Wolves as Friends, The Chapin Sisters @ The Living Room
* Little Big League, Pocket Hercules, Kerbivore, The Brooklyn What @ Shea Stadium
* Big Terrific w/ Max Silvestri, Kevin Barnett, Mike Recine, Sabrina Jalees @ Cameo
* Mechanical River, Teen Commandments, Pajama People, Painted Zeros @ Death By Audio

Tonight is the last-ever WIERD party at Home Sweet Home. Xeno & Oaklander are the musical guests.

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AlunaGeorge revealed another cut off their anticipated debut album, Body Music, called "Attracting Flies," which you can stream below. The official single will be out on March 10 with remixes from Baauer (the dude who does "Harlem Shake"), S-Type, and others.

Psychedelic sludge metal crew Kylesa are returning with a new album, Ultraviolet, on May 28 via Season of Mist, and they just revealed its first single, "Unspoken," which you can stream below.

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Wednesday?"

Today is John Lennon's birthday, and so Yoko Ono is giving Lady Gaga an award, in Iceland. John would've been 72. Check out a gallery of the former Beatle's drawings (like the one above) over at the Huffington Post. Yahoo Canada takes a look at some of his letters.

Joe's Pub is celebrating John's birthday tomorrow. Symphony Space honors the man in November. Glasslands gets down in December.

Speaking of Lennons, Martha Wainwright's new album Come Home to Mama, which is also streaming at NPR, was recorded "mostly at" Sean Lennon's home studio in New York City. We're giving away tickets to see Martha at Le Poisson Rouge on Thursday (10/11) via our Facebook.

We are also giving away tickets to The Walkmen's 10/18 show at Terminal 5 with Dum Dum Girls; and Doveman: The Burgundy Stain Sessions featuring Owen Pallett, Dawn Landes, and Steve Salett at Le Poisson Rouge on 10/12.

Speaking of Doveman shows and Wainwrights, help support marriage equality later this month at the Beacon.

In other milestones, Rage Against the Machine's self-titled debut turns 20 this year. To commemorate, the band are reissuing it as a box set, with "never-before seen early concert footage and full 2010 Finsbury Park Victory Concert along with remastered debut album, original demos and treasure trove of videos and music." Yours for only $136.

Likewise, Rancid are celebrating their 20th anniversary by releasing their entire discography as a huge box of 7"s. Pre-orders began today.

To quote Merge Records, "You're Living All Over Me by Dinosaur Jr., the groundbreaking album from the masters of alt-guitar rock, turns 25 this fall. To celebrate, Merge Records is releasing Chocomel Daze, a rare live show (featuring the classic, original line-up of J, Lou, and Murph) recorded in 1987 at Dorrnroosje, Nijmegen, Netherlands. Limited edition on 150-gram vinyl for the first time, this release follows their recent I Bet on Sky." Listen to one of the tracks at the bottom of this post.

Other new Merge releases include the Mountain Goats, Mark Eitzel, Mount Moriah and The Music Tapes.

Mark Eitzel is going on tour later this year.

Rick Ross dropped a new mixtape called The Black Bar Mitzvah. Give it a listen over at bvChicago.

The downside of Louis CK's massive, self-ticked tour: his Emmy-winning FX show Louie won't be back until 2014.

Bummer All Tomorrow's Parties news: ATP Japan has gone from postponed to canceled.

AND more stuff below...

Continue reading "ALSO: John Lennon's Birthday, Rancid & RATM box sets, ATP Japan, Trail of Dead, Kylesa, Luyas, Black Keys & more"

Sergio of Deftones, on stage with Quicksand, 2012 (more by Rebecca Reed)

With Quicksand (who just played Bowery and MHoW) gearing up to play their last show in the forseeable future at FYF in LA, Deftones are gearing up for what looks to be a string of US dates this fall. In addition to dates in Cali and Colorado, an NYC show at Terminal 5 on 10/30 with Scars on Broadway has also emerged. Tickets go on AMEX presale on September 5 at noon, with regular sale hitting Friday, September 7 at noon. Tour dates are below.

In related news, Deftones members have intermingled with members of Isis to form Palms. Now comes word that Isis will release Temporal, a rarities compilation featuring audio and video and packaged in a 2CD/DVD box. Full details on that are below, look for it on November 6.

Speaking of rarites comps, Kylesa have also produced one of their own titled From The Vault, Vol.1. Look for that in November via Season of Mist. Tracklisting for that is below.

Kylesa and Isis LP details and all Deftones dates are listed below.

Continue reading "Deftones add Terminal 5 date on burgeoning tour; Isis and Kylesa produce rarities LPs"

As we found out not long after posting the dates, Bowery accidentaly announced the old tour lineup with the new High on Fire dates. If you missed the post update, note that neither Kylea or Torche are opening for High on Fire at Bowery Ballroom or Music Hall of Williamsburg. Tickets on sale at noon.

by BBG

High on Fire at the BV/POTR Deathmatch (more by Greg Cristman)

Knowing the High on Fire guys, it's safe to say that the Oakland metal trio will probably try to tour their asses off on the strength of their recent LP De Vermis Mysteriis'. Continuing to prove that true, now comes word that the band will headline a pair of NYC shows which will also feature appearances from Torche and Kylesa (who are currently touring with Gwar). The three bands, a repeat lineup from a previous tour, will hit Bowery Ballroom on August 1st and Music Hall of Williamsburg on August 2nd. Tickets for both the Bowery show and the MHoW show go on AMEX presale on April 25th at noon, and regular sale on Friday.

UPDATE: Torche and Kylesa are no longer on these shows, and have disappeared from the Bowery sites.

The shows are in addition to High on Fire's appearance as part of the Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival tour which hits Susquehanna Bank Center in Camden, NJ on 7/27, Saratoga Performing Arts in Saratoga Springs, NY on 7/31, and The Comcast Theatre in Hartford, CT on Aug 5th. That tour includes names like Slayer, Anthrax, Slipknot, Motorhead, and many others, which vary by date. More details are available at the Rockstar site. All tour dates are listed below.

Miami four-piece Torche recently played NYC at Gramercy, are scheduled to hit the Orion Festival, and have a new LP in Harmonicraft. Stream that in full at Spin.

All tour dates and some classic video below.

Continue reading "High on Fire schedule NYC shows during Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival tour (dates) UPDATED"

by BBG

DOWNLOAD: Whores - "Fake Life" (MP3)

Whores

The new Whores LP is another in a long string of wins for Brutal Panda, who will release the band's sludgy noise-core debut Ruiner on December 20th. Stream two songs by Whores below including the new track "Fake Life" (which makes its debut here) and check out other tracks that recently surfaced on Decibel and Metalsucks. Pre-order your copy at the Brutal Panda site - for fans of Unsane, Today is The Day, and latter favorites like Fight Amp.

The trio will follow-up the release with a string of dates that will include New Year's Eve at The Earl with Kylesa and Royal Thunder in their hometown of Atlanta, as well as Saint Vitus in Brooklyn on January 4th with sludge-monsters Javelina (!), the always amazing Tiger Flowers and recent gothic punk favorites Psychic Teens. Ticketing info is forthcoming, but $10 gets you in the door for this 8PM show.

All streams, the tour poster and dates are below.

Continue reading "Whores releasing album Ruiner, touring --- (dates, song debut, a Brooklyn show w/ Javelina & Tiger Flowers)"

by BBG

Youth of Today at Chaos in Tejas (more by BBG)

After many years away from the road, Youth of Today will return to play a free CMJ show at Santos Party House in NYC on Saturday, 10/22. This is the same show that Trash Talk & Kylesa are playing, not to mention AraabMUZIK, Action Bronson, Mr. Motherfuckin eXquire, Main Attrakionz and many others for what will be an eclectic mix of stoner, hardcore, and hip hop. Converse's "True Til Def" will be hosted by the venue's own Andrew WK and is open to the 21+ public, but RSVP is required. Full lineup and flyer for the show is below.

In related news, Primitive Weapons (who are also on the 10/22 show) will support Rwake & Hull at Mercury Lounge on 10/10 as part of Hull's record release party. Tickets are on sale.

Trash Talk also plays at least two other CMJ shows.

Converse lineup and flyers below...

Continue reading "Youth of Today playing Converse CMJ show w/ Kylesa, Action Bronson, eXquire, AraabMUZIK, Primitive Weapons & more"

by BBG

Tragedy fan at Europa (more by Konstantin Sergeyev)

No rest for the wicked. After a grueling weekend of heavy music at Maryland Deathfest (pictures of day 1 HERE, day two HERE, day three HERE, and day four HERE), I am looking forward to a mix of punk, hardcore, metal, crust, d-beat, and indie at Chaos in Tejas in Austin this week! Kicking off on Thursday (June 2nd) the four day festival features appearances from tons notables, day shows, after parties, and in-stores, some for free. Swing down for a blow by blow breakdown of what you should look for every day at the multi-venue music fest.

---

Thursday, June 2

Ah the start of the festival.... fresh legs and feet, and a hunger for tons of good bands. Thursday will sate your hunger too, as there are tons of great hardcore/metal shows to choose from. Shows tonight happen on both stages at Emo's, both stages at Red 7, at the Mohawk, Beauty Bar, Beerland and the Broken Neck.

Despite the high profile cancellation of Killing Joke at Emo's outdoor, CIT bounced back and added Cro-Mags to an already awesome lineup of rare appearances from strong>Asta Kask (Swedish d-beat), D-Clone (a rare show from these Japanese hardcore monsters), Veins (featuring Mark McCoy from Charles Bronson/Das Oath as well as Ian from Copremesis/Castevet), Double Negative (North Carolinian hardcore greats who released the awesome Daydreamnation last year), Vile Gash (brutal hardcore on Youth Attack), Japan'sThe Slowmotions, and NYC's Cult of Youth (dark folk with a great new LP on Sacred Bones) and Crazy Spirit (excellent hardcore with members of Perdition).

Thankfully, I can use my wristband from Emo's to hit up Red 7, right around the corner, where an awesome metal show will clash with an awesome garage show on the two stages. Finnish doomers Hooded Menace will headline on stage with Denmark's Undergang, crusty death metallers Acephalix (mems of the amazing Vastum), more death metal from Bone Sickness, and local death and rollers Mammoth Grinder. Meanwhile, the second stage will feature The Spits, the Arrivals, Shellshag, TV Ghost, and others. All of this means that I'll probably miss Converge/Title Fight/Touche Amore/Trap Them/Burning Love/the Menzingers at Mohawk and How I Quit Crack/The Indicator Dogs at Beauty Bar. At least I can end the night right with Tragedy and Origin of M at Broken Neck as part of an after-party. Yikes!

the rest of Thursday's schedule and what to do on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, below...

Continue reading "BBG's Guide to Chaos in Tejas 2011"

words & photos by BBG

Neurosis

After a day of heavy music that culminated in the last US set from Cathedral, the second day of Maryland Deathfest was marked by sets from Neurosis, Aura Noir, Corrosion of Conformity, Funebrarum, Marduk, Exhumed, Kylesa, Machetazo, Cripple Bastards, Pulling Teeth, Nocturnal, The Impalers & Nails. Save for the latter two (and COC), I was able to catch all of them... with my favorite sets of the day going to Neurosis, Cripple Bastards, Funebrarum, and Exhumed.

Neurosis's set touched on songs from their latest Given To The Rising and reached back as far as Souls at Zero for "The Web". The band closed with "Through Silver In Blood" which, considering I had met the album's producer Billy Anderson earlier in the day, had a special meaning and power on top of the band's already considerable weight. Favorites like "Locust Star" and "A Sun That Never Sets" also made an appearance during the band's incredible set. The full setlist is listed below. A picture of Exhumed's is down there too.

Marduk

Marduk, Aura Noir, Black Anvil, and Panzerfaust are on a tour that hits Music Hall of Williamsburg on June 3rd. Tickets are still available. Their full list of dates is below.

A ton more pictures from Friday, below...

Continue reading "Maryland Deathfest 2011 -- Day 2 in pics & review (Neurosis, Cripple Bastards, Funebrarum, Exhumed, Marduk, more)"

Here is the initial lineup for Willamette Week's MusicfestNW, scheduled for Sept. 7-11, 2011 in Portland, Oregon, and it's pretty great. The multi-venue fest includes big outdoor performances by Band of Horses (Sunday, Sept. 11), Explosions in the Sky (Saturday, Sept. 10), and Iron & Wine (Friday, Sept. 9), in addition to shows with everyone from Archers of Loaf to Big Freedia to Butthole Surfers to Neurosis. Tickets go on sale Friday, June 3rd. Check out the full list below...

Continue reading "MusicfestNW 2011 -- dates & initial lineup"

by Kim Kelly

"Grim" Kim Kelly just got home from being on the "Metalliance" tour. She served as crew for the mighty Saint Vitus and rode in the van (read: school bus) with The Atlas Moth. That tour, which also featured bands like Helmet, Kylesa, Crowbar, Red Fang and Howl, hit Irving Plaza in NYC on 3/26, and ended 4/5 in Hollywood. Kim kept a diary and took some pictures on the road. Here is the first half:

Continue reading "on the road with Metalliance (part 1)"

words & photos by BBG

Crowbar @ Irving Plaza

"Helmet promised and delivered the entire "Meantime" album and more. Never got to see them in the early 90's when they were all the rage, cuz' I was already really not into going to shows in 92' and much more into smoking pot and making videos at the School of Visual Arts, but that "Meantime" CD, I remember, sure did get a workout for awhile.

Paige Hamilton, probably the most infamous post-hardcore millionaire ever, has always been an interesting fella in the annals of the mini-major/independent controversies that sort of started and ended in the post Nirvana, halcyon days of 90 whatever, with A & R's running around and signing every art school weirdo, whilst taking all the blue M&M's from their green rooms. Interesting to see them after all these years and ponder, "Has it really been 20 fucking years since film school?" Jeez. Paige looks good and his guitar was quite loud and supra, ahem, "staccato". Just a really weird bill, what with Helmet sort of inheriting that weird art school place they once lorded over. Not really metal, not really alternative, not really punk. Couldn't help but wonder how much of that one million bucks he still has? Great set, nada banter, just loud and sing alongish..." [TrashmansReader]

Metalliance is in Merriam, Kansas tonight (without Helmet). All dates and more pictures and some videos from Irving Plaza are below...

Continue reading "Helmet played 'Meantime' & Saint Vitus, Crowbar, Kylesa, Red Fang, Howl & the Atlas Moth played Irving Plaza too (pics)"

Guided by Voices @ Irving Plaza, New Year's Eve (more by Chris Gersbeck)

"As previously announced, the 2011 Pitchfork Music Festival will be taking place on Friday, July 15th through Sunday, July 17th at Chicago's Union Park! Tickets went on sale on March 4th, and, as predicted, three-day passes sold out in a record time of 24 hours! That said, eager prospective festival goers should fear not, as single-day passes are still available for the totally reasonable price of $45.

And now, without further ado, the newest additions to the 2011 Pitchfork Festival lineup! Friday will see the addition of Guided By Voices and Neko Case; Saturday's lineup will feature No Age, Gang Gang Dance, G-Side, and Chrissy Murderbot; Sunday's stellar lineup now includes The Fresh & Onlys, Radio Dept., HEALTH, Shabazz Palaces, Baths, How To Dress Well, Kurt Vile, and Twin Sister. Stay tuned for more bands still to be announced in the coming weeks!"

Continue reading "Pitchfork Fest expands lineup (Guided by Voices & more)"

Metalliance photos by Samantha Marble, Whitehorse photos & words by BBG

Helmet @ Dirty Dog

Metalliance swoops in on NYC TONIGHT (3/25) at Irving Plaza (tickets still available). The tour moves into its East Coast leg after hitting SXSW and the south last week. Pictures of Saint Vitus, Helmet, Crowbar, Kylesa, Red Fang, Howl, The Atlas Moth and more from the Austin stop adorn this post.

A friday night during SXSW is always nuts, but nothing could compare to the scene at Dirty Dog which was packed to the gills on 3/18. With a line snaking down the block through the already heavily trafficked 6th Street, Dirty Dog was clearly beyond capacity (and then some) with people itching to see the traveling festival to the riff, as well as the SXSW addition of the almighty Weedeater (the show also featured Witchburn, who I/we missed). Dirty Dog was the place to be that night for metal fans in the area and it showed; during Kylesa's set the venue frantically removed tables to add extra capacity and even reportedly/unfortunately told a few bands that they had to remove their merch table as well. Venue issues aside, the bands sounded great and there was a reason why everyone wanted in; Metalliance is stacked with killer bands and performances.

Saint Vitus @ Dirty Dog

It may sound blasphemous, but knowing I would see Saint Vitus tonight in NYC, I left halfway through their set to head to the WFMU showcase down the street. It was there in a relatively light Barbarella that I caught one of my favorite performances at SXSW, Australians Whitehorse who tore the place down with their crushing death-doom punctuated with noise. Absolutely sick band that deserves to be playing to the hessian masses, and luckily for NYCers, you'll be able to catch them with The Body at Acheron on 4/1.

More pictures from Metalliance and Whitehorse at WFMU, and tour dates, below.

Continue reading "The Metalliance tour hits NYC tonight, Whitehorse is coming soon (here are pics from both at SXSW)"

photos by Samantha Marble & Tim Griffin

Surfer Blood (by Tim Griffin)

SXSW started out for us this year on two stages with fifteen bands at Emo's for a free six hour BrooklynVegan day party presented by Feed the Beat.

On the big stage Anamanaguchi kicked things off right at noon with a high energy, 8-bit pop rock set to a dedicated crowd who showed up early to catch them. Fresh off the Bruise Cruise, the garage rockin' Turbo Fruits kept the party going. By 1:30, with a buzz already kicking in thanks to the free Sailor Jerry and Sparks we were serving, a Place To Bury Strangers brought it with their intense, high volume noise, and then Darwin Deez followed, replacing armed-cross spectators with pockets of dancers and coordinated dance routines on stage. By the time Chiddy Bang (who arrived a bit late and therefore also had to play a shorter set) took the stage, the large room was filled in and people were ready to sing along to the rappers whose setup includes a mic and drumset, and backing tracks courtesy of bands like MGMT and Passion Pit (members of whom were in the audience). The Vaccines, all the way from the UK, kept the momentum going with their brit rock, though they also played a short set reportedly due to worries over the singer's voice.

By the time Mister Heavenly took the stage, you were lucky to find a place to stand, due in part to the many wanting to check out Michael Cera's bass skills. Many were also multitasking, aka watching music and eating the massive amounts of free burritos that Taco Bell delivered through the back door and were handing out all over the place. As Andrew pointed out, "Mr. Heavenly perfored an appropriately lovely set, its two frontmen trading verses in their own styles." The two frontmen are of course Nick Diamonds from Islands and Honus Honus from Man Man. The group is rounded out by Modest Mouse drummer Joe Plummer.

And finally, as Bill pointed out, Surfer Blood "gave us an enjoyable hits-packed [headlining] set from their first album." That of course was going down on the bigger outside stage while Kylesa was completely destroying on the inside stage - I actually watched more of Kylesa than Surfer Blood, but BBG can tell you more about that...

Deafheaven (by Sam Marble)

Despite traffic issues that made The Roller open the inside stage on the late side, the Austin band's bulldozing doom thunder opened the BV festivities at SXSW with a roar. The Roller is one of my favorite heavy bands in Austin, so it was great to see this powerful foursome in action on a BV stage (until I can convince 'em to come up north!).

When the Deafheaven guys arrived, their tees were a dead giveaway. Sporting merch from Hate Forest, Hellfish (records), and Slowdive, it was obvious to see the band's influences, but their live show was definitely born of hardcore. Wide-eyed cocalist George Clarke was in the audience's face, or thrashing maniacally as the band tore through tracks like "Violet" from their forthcoming Roads To Judah and "Libertine Dissolves" from their demo.

The Secret followed Deafheaven, and their blistering blast-y down-tuned hardcore reminded me of breathren Trap Them, Rotten Sound, or Converge in the live setting. Furious blackened hardcore that was technical and powerful.

KEN Mode was next, delivering the hardcore-infused noise rock jams that shine on their new LP Venerable. KEN Mode would leave shortly after their set to headline Scoot Inn as part of a Thrasher show with Dark Castle, The Body and others.

Blackened electric swamp-blues from Dax Riggs kept energy levels on high before Trash Talk brought the crowd to a circle pitting/crowd-surfing frenzy. The band was short their usual bassist though, as Spencer was in the hospital after being stabbed by some "nazi motherfuckers" at a hardcore show in their native California. Despite the replacement, Trash Talk was undeterred and as incendiary as ever.

Kylesa closed the day out with faves like set-opener "Hollow Severer", "Tired Climb", "Running Red", and "Scapegoat", before calling it a day before a sold-out crowd. Excellent set from these Savannah greats, who seem to get better (and bigger) with each show.

All in all it was an amazing first day at SXSW that continued two hours later with six more hours of bands at Swan Dive.

Thanks to Feed the Beat, Orange (who provided the thunder behind Kylesa), Line 6 (the mics), Korg (keyboard), Vox (amps), Blackstar (and amps), Sensible Portions, Honest Tea, Raw Revolution, Sailor Jerry, SPARKS, everyone at Emo's, The Syndicate, Andy, Erik, Katie, Zach, Nevonah, The Roller, Anamanaguchi & Surfer Blood for being so amenable, as well as all of the bands for being incredible! Mostly, we'd like to thank anyone/everyone who made it out on a Wednesday afternoon... your support is appreciated.

Lots more pictures and videos from the whole day, below...

Continue reading "BrooklynVegan/Feed the Beat Emo's Day Party in pics & video (Surfer Blood, Kylesa, Mister Heavenly, Trash Talk & more)"

"the 2011 Pitchfork Music Festival will be taking place on Friday, July 15th through Sunday, July 17th! Tickets will officially be on sale today at 12 PM CST, with single-day tickets for $45 and three-day passes for $110! If last year was any indicator, three-day passes will sell out in under a week (last year they sold out in FIVE DAYS!), so be sure to get your tickets ASAP!"

Continue reading "2011 Pitchfork Music Festival - initial lineup & tickets"

by BBG

Kylesa @ Santos in January (more by Samantha Marble)

The Metalliance tour featuring Helmet (playing all of Meantime), Saint Vitus, Crowbar, Red Fang, Howl & The Atlas Moth has expanded, adding dates on the west coast and adding the great Kylesa to the bill as well. All dates are now on sale including tickets to March 25th at Irving Plaza.

Crowbar's killer new LP Sever The Wicked Hand is out now via E1. Order a copy, it's definitely highly recommended and could be Windstein's best work yet.

Saint Vitus's Wino just completed a solo tour with Scott Kelly. Maybe you caught them Saturday night at Mercury Lounge.

The full updated set of Metalliance tour dates and some videos, below...

Continue reading "Metalliance expands tour, adds Kylesa (updated dates)"

Bonnaroo (June 9-12 in Manchester Tennessee) has announced the 2011 lineup (slightly early), and like the rumored Lollapalooza lineup, Eminem is among the headliners. Bonnaroo also has Grammy winners Arcade Fire and the Black Keys, in addition to Lil Wayne, Mumford & Sons, the Strokes, The Decemberists, Florence & the Machine, Girl Talk, Beirut (haven't seen them in a while), and many more. Full list below...

Continue reading "Bonnaroo 2011 lineup is here"

photos by Samantha Marble, words by BBG

Compared to fellow Georgians Mastodon & Baroness, Kylesa have always been sort of the underdog. Now entering their 10th year as a band, it seemed like sweet justice on Wednesday (1/26) to see the band pack a headlining show at Santos Party House, and play with another THREE underrated bands in their own right.

Rosetta, East of The Wall, and Fight Amp all deserve bigger audiences than they usually draw. East of The Wall's Isis-meets-jazzy-tech is technically astounding, brutal, and endlessly watchable. Fight Amp conjure the best of Am-Rep, leaning towards hardcore. Rosetta's post-rock-meets-hardcore is spacey, atmospheric, emotional, and a live juggernaut.

I could tell from not only the crowd's size, but from some of the faces, that Kylesa's new LP Spiral Shadow has been attracting attention from some different corners of the music world. Nevertheless, the bulk of the crowd popped for fan fave "Hollow Severer" (from 006's Time Will Fuse Its Worth). Material from personal fave Static Tensions received the same warm welcome... if by welcome you mean stagedives and windmills. It was another excellent set from this crew, who unfortunately had some extra work to do the next morning.

More pictures from the show and the setlist are below...

Continue reading "Kylesa played Santos Party House w/ Rosetta, East of The Wall and Fight Amp (pics & setlist)"