Damn. The show we just posted about yesterday is no longer with its headliner:

"Due to visa issues, John Talabot has just canceled his upcoming US dates, including FIXED Le Poisson Rouge on March 18th, but Tensnake is still on!"

Doveman at LPR in 2011 (more by Amanda Hatfield)

Doveman will continue his Burgundy Stain Sessions at Le Poisson Rouge into 2012 with LPR shows happening on April 13, July 13, October 5, and December 7. No guests have been announced for these shows yet, but as we saw last year, we can count on many interesting musicians to be making appearances at these shows. Tickets for all four dates are on sale now ($20 each or $60 for a four-show pass called "(Le) Billet Rouge")

Meanwhile catch Doveman aka Thomas Bartlet on 2/6 as part of MoMA's Modern Mondays, "a film discussion series at The Roy and Niuta Titus Theater 2."...

An Evening with Tom Kalin and Doveman
February 6, 7:00 p.m.
For this evening, musician Thomas Bartlett (Doveman) (American, b. 1981) and filmmaker Tom Kalin (American, b. 1962) will discuss their collaboration, which began with a series of short films inspired by Doveman's 2009 album The Conformist and continues with an ongoing project that explores the intersection of recorded and live music, digital composition, and projected film. The pair draw inspiration from themes of broken romance, the truth of small gestures, and transcendentalism in addressing such contemporary issues as displacement and urban isolation. Kalin, a prominent figure in the New Queer Cinema movement, is well known as both a feature filmmaker (Swoon [1992] and Savage Grace [2007]) and as an experimental filmmaker (Third Known Nest, 1991-99). He was a founding member of the AIDS activist collective Gran Fury, known for its provocative public art projects. Doveman is a band founded by the 30-year-old Bartlett, who studied piano with Maria Curcio in London before moving to New York City to attend Columbia University. His ongoing live performances, known as The Burgundy Stain Sessions, occur monthly at Manhattan's Le Poisson Rouge. Organized by Barbara London, Associate Curator, Department of Media and Performance Art.

One of Thomas's recently played shows was as part Irish folk-music group The Gloaming at GlobalFEST (at Webster Hall). You can listen to the set at NPR who write:

The Gloaming features indie-pop favorite Thomas Bartlett (a.k.a. Doveman), fiddlers Martin Hayes and Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh, guitarist Dennis Cahill and singer Iarla Ó Lionaird, whose vocals electrified the collection of pieces by fellow Irishman Donnacha Dennehy which became one of NPR Music's favorite albums of 2011. Bartlett's moody musings at the piano provided a dark undercurrent to Celtic reels and jigs.

All future Doveman dates (that we know about right now) are listed below...

Continue reading "Doveman extends LPR residency, speaking at MoMA & stuff"

photos by Erik Erikson

Andrew WK performed with the Calder Quartet Sunday night at Le Poisson Rouge (1/8). The show featured some of his own compositions reworked specially for the evening, in addition to classical compositions by Bach, Cage, Riley, and Glass. Pictures from the show are in this post.

In related news, Andrew WK appears in a new video with The Evaporators called "I Hate Being Late (When I'm Early)". THe track is featured on the forthcoming Busy Doing Nothing" comp LP out March 6 on Nardwuar/Mint Records. Check out the video for that track (which features Narduwar The Human Serviette himself) below alongside pictures from LPR...

Continue reading "Andrew WK played LPR w/ the Calder Quartet (pics), releasing song w/ The Evaporators (watch the new video)"

Why? @ a 2010 Pool Party (more by Kyle Dean Reinford)

WHY? was recently in NYC for their rescheduled Florence Gould Hall shows earlier this month. A video from this show is below. They'll return for a show at Le Poisson Rouge on March 16 with Danielson. The show is an event within Carnegie Hall's 2012 American Mavericks festival. Tickets are on sale now.

Speaking of Danielson, they released their take on "Visions of the Sugar Plum Fairy" for free on bandcamp as part of A Familyre Christmas - Volume 4. They'll also be featured on Joyful Noise's 2012 Flexi-Disc Series along with Akron/Family, Deerhoof, Lou Barlow, of Montreal, Tortoise, and others.

Why? video below...

Continue reading "Why? & Danielson playing Carnegie Hall show (at LPR)"

Nels Cline's Stained Radiance at Winter Jazz Fest 2011 (more by Andrew Frisicano)

Winter Jazz Fest is returning to NYC in 2012 and will take place in multiple Greenwich Village venues from January 6-7 including Le Poisson Rouge, Sullivan Hall, Kenny's Castaways, Zinc Bar, and The Bitter End. Artists performing this year include Bill Laswell, DJ Spinna, John Medeski, Marc Ribot's Ceramic Dog, Nels Cline Singers, Vijay Iyer Trio, Tyshawn Sorey, Mary Halvorson, Bernie Worrell, Marco Benevento, Jenny Scheinman, and many more. Two day passes and single day tickets are on sale now. There is also a kickoff show happening at Le Poisson Rouge on January 5 with Medeski / Skerik / Deitch, Red Baraat, and Marc Ribot's Young Philadelphians. You can also purchase a pass that includes a ticket for this show plus the two day festival pass (it's a little confusing, but if you click through on each LPR ticket link, you'll see the various options for each one).

The full schedule is below...

Continue reading "Winter Jazz Fest 2012 (January 5-7 in NYC)"

words by Christopher Paragraph, photos by Veronica Luis

Thomas Bartlett's "Burgundy Stain Sessions" has carved out its own unique place in the NYC music scene, bringing tasteful, acclaimed songwriters together with some of the most skilled players in the city. The songwriters in the Burgundy spotlight have ranged from Beth Orton to St. Vincent to Rufus Wainwright to Glen Hansard. This night, however (last night, December 1st), seemed to be a new direction for Bartlett's ensemble, hosting Loudon Wainwright. Loudon rarely collaborates with other musicians and mostly performs solo, so the show was anticipated with cautious excitement and curiosity.

The night started out with the band quietly taking the stage, slowly melding into the opening song with a bit of a wink: Bartlett's "Drinking," which was navigated well by the group. Hannah Cohen joined as a guest vocalist on Bartlett's next song "Boy + Angel," foreshadowing her forthcoming set. Bartlett has mastered the art of making a wandering piano sound precise, and avoids musical clichés without abandoning them. He can wear many different hats on stage equally well, whether taking the reigns as lead singer or smattering notes carefully behind another.

The first guest of the night was Oren Bloedow. Bloedow is the instrumental half of Elysian Fields, but this performance focused on his abilities as a songwriter. He revealed a keen sense of well-crafted pop, in the Joe Jackson / Elvis Costello vein. But his lyrics showed a more complex sensibility, giving equal attention to the meaning and syntax of the phrasing and the actual phonetic sounds of the words themselves. This poetic nature of his songs proved to be the way in which they succeed and separate themselves from the pack. The band (which will be detailed later) provided a well-suited backdrop, displaying Bartlett's skill as the artistic equivalent of a live music A&R man.

Next up was Hannah Cohen, who just finished her debut record (with Bartlett). She played a few smooth, dreamy numbers from the forthcoming album before changing pace with a samba-ish cover of 10cc's "I'm Not In Love." Cohen shows a gift for carefully placing melodies rather than pouring out her soul. The songs are tastefully restrained, even when showing off a vocal run, ghostly and delicate. She seems a perfect candidate to work with Bartlett. Cohen sounded at her best when the arrangement was stripped down, allowing the songs to loosen and bend. It will be interesting to see where she goes as an artist in 2012 and how her debut record sounds. A video preview both morose and sexy can be seen HERE.

Before the anticipated Wainwright set, Justin Vivian Bond was invited up to perform an odd epic heartbreak ballad that challenged concepts from self-identity to deism. This seems to be a trend in how Bond builds a song, as the night's encore echoed the same conceptual structure, a "patriotic" story song that implied thoughts on sex, politics, and natural selection.

Wainwright took the stage, laughing at the fact that he was "back on Bleeker Street." (Wainwright started out here in 1968.) His set began in a rather unexpected manner, a duet with Bartlett on Frank Loesser's "More I Cannot Wish You," from Guys & Dolls. From there, however, Wainwright launched into a few of his old classics, backed seamlessly by the house band (a phrase which seems to instantly undermine their talent). First was "White Winos," a devastating song about alcoholism and his relationship with his mother, which transitioned nicely into "Dreaming," based on a quote of his mother's, "I'd rather be dreaming than living." Wainwright is the quintessential songwriter whose music is morbid under the microscope yet cheerful under a casual glance. The songs are masked in bright melodies and performed with nonchalance, but closer inspection will almost always present the listener with a sharp dissection of the human psyche. Wainwright then played "Motel Blues," (a personal favorite) and a roaring rendition of "Muse Blues" which was most "rocking" moment of the night.

The final encore brought everyone up on stage (including returning guest Norah Jones) to collaborate on an interestingly wobbly re-working of Neil Young's "Only Love Can Break Your Heart," in keeping with the dreamy, melancholic theme of the night.

The band provided a thoughtful, dynamic backdrop for Wainwright (and all the evening's performers). Rob Moose's guitar was particularly great, at times supplying a bed of precise fingerpicking, other times creating a subtle dissonant distortion, reminiscent of his recent work with the Grammy-nominated Bon Iver. The rest of the band (Doug Wieselman on clarinet, Ray Rizzo on drums, Brad Albetta on bass) were just about all one could ever ask for in a backing band. They are well versed and experienced with the careful tactics of songwriter-accompaniment.

Bartlett revealed that this would be the last Burgundy Stain Session of 2011 but that they will be back in action early next year. They have created something that supports the musical community and promotes collaboration and songwriting. Here's hoping they continue to grow in 2012.

----

Catch Thomas, Doug and Loudon together again at Town Hall on December 15th.

photos by Greg Cristman

Plaid & computers @ Le Poisson Rouge

Plaid's new album Scintilli hit the racks in late September, and has spawned at least two videos. Check out "At Last" and "35 Summers" below.

Plaid followed up Scintilli's release with a rare gang of North American dates that hit Le Poisson Rouge in NYC on 11/11/11 with Balinese ensemble Gamelan Dharma Swara. The interesting choice of opener (see the pictures bellw) got a great reaction, and there were at least some in the crowd who came just for them. They played about 3 songs in 40 minutes.

The London-based duo that are Plaid were backed by two screens with minimal visuals, but huge bass that, to quote one friend, "had most of the room dancing their asses off." Somewhat unfortunately, the Plaid show was an early one. After their almost-90 minute set, Plaid had to make a quick exit so the room could be cleared for the DJs that were scheduled for the late show.

Plaid continue on the road. More pictures from their NYC show, and those videos, below...

Continue reading "Plaid on tour, played LPR w/ Gamelan Dharma Swara (pics)"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Thee Oh Sees - Carrion Crawler (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Thee Oh Sees - The Dream (MP3)

Some recent Total Control cover art

Australian synth-punks Total Control are currently on tour with Thee Oh Sees, where they'll be in Texas for the Fun Fun Fun Fest this weekend, and then touring the rest of the country, with two stops in NYC: November 17 at 285 Kent and November 18 at Le Poisson Rouge. (For ticket links, click the dates.) All Oh Sees/Total Control tour dates are at the bottom of this post.

Although their web presence is minimal and enigmatic, Total Control's lineage is not: Daniel Young is in Straightjacket Nation, and Mikey Young spends time in Eddy Current Suppression Ring and both are also in UV Race. (Fellow UV Racer Alistair Montfort, plus Zephyr Pavey and James Vinciguerra round out the live line-up.) After a string of 7"s the band released Henge Beat back in August, a real corker of a debut album. It divides its time between motorik synth workouts, jittery post-punk and more Eddy Current style stormers, with a nice layer of repetition repetition repetition coating the whole shebang. You can stream one of the album tracks at the bottom of this post.

Thee Oh Sees' Carrion Crawler / The Dream

Most recently, Total Control released a split 12" with their current tourmates Thee Oh Sees on John Dwyer's Castle Face label which is worth picking up too. It is probably no surprise to learn that there's another Oh Sees album on the way, Carrion Crawler / The Dream, due November 15 on In the Red. Recorded live to tape over a few days this past June, it's a return to the more familiar Oh Sees sound after the demented psych folk that was Castlemania which came out back in May. You can download the two tracks that make up the album title at the top of this post.

Don't forget, this current line-up of Thee Oh Sees features Lars Finberg of The Intelligence and recent, well-deserved recipient of The Stranger's Genius Award for Music. Not that you need any more reasons to go to either (or both) of these shows.

Oh Sees / Total Control tour dates and a Total Control audio stream are below.

Continue reading "Total Control on tour with Thee Oh Sees, playing two NYC shows this month"

photos by Eric Townsend

"I hope he adds a fourth too," I exclaimed when the third Jon Brion show at Le Poisson Rouge was announced. That third show was last night (10/4), and today our wish came true! Brion has added a fourth (and final?) show Le Poisson Rouge on 10/9 (four days from now). Tickets are on sale. I hope he adds a fifth! (it worked last time!)

Brion's three performances at the venue so far were with October 2nd, 3rd & 4th. On the third he was joined by female indie hip hop artist K-Flay. Pictures from that show are in this post along with videos from two of the shows and the 10/2 setlist.

Not long before Brion got to NYC to play LPR (his new NYC regular spot?), he played a show at his regular LA spot the Largo (on 9/30):

Jon picked up an acoustic guitar for the next couple of tracks: first, the Smiths, trailed by his own song. Then he asked for requests. Alas, I didn't get one in this evening -- that is, I tried, but it didn't make the cut. (Come on, there's gotta be another "Boys of Summer" fan lurking in the readership!) As for Jon's final selection, I'm going on context clues because I can proudly say I've never listened to "Freebird." But after hearing the audience shout-out and Jon's fair warning at the outset of the performance (on vibes, by the way), then seeing him flip off the requester at the end of the tune, I put the pieces together.

The next choice was Jon's, as he built up "Walking Through Walls," but this wasn't any old performance -- it brought out Grant-Lee Phillips from the shadows! Matt Chamberlain was also called to the stage, but he didn't actually show up. I would've welcomed his appearance, but honestly, Jon and Grant are all you need to know for a good time (though it never hurts if, say, Robyn Hitchcock hangs around too).

Grant's first two songs were both Bowie tracks, but only one ("Cracked Actor") was delivered in anything resembling a traditional approach. The other selection was channeled through Willie Nelson, which should be familiar to anyone who's seen Grant at Aimee Mann's Christmas shows. Grant called it Willie Stardust, aka the Thin White Red Headed Stranger, and you could barely believe your ears as he works both characters at the same time.-[easily fooled]

Continue reading "Jon Brion played 3 nights @ Le Poisson Rouge (pics, video, setlist), adds 4th show!"

photos by Erez Avissar

"If Gang Gang Dance was the massage, then Flying Lotus was the happy ending of the night. The whole venue was packed with students when FlyLo sauntered on stage just short of nine o'clock. The audience went nuts as the producer asked the crowd if their answer (to no question in particular) was "yes" or "no." Students were in the mood to flail their arms aimlessly and pretend that last night was still part of Electric Zoo as Flying Lotus started his long DJ set." [NYU Local]

Continue reading "Flying Lotus played LPR twice on Thursday (pics)"

We mentioned that it's unfortunate that Jon Brion's rare show at Le Poisson Rouge on October 2 coincides with ATP NJ. Those hoping to catch both are now in luck. Jon added a second date at the same venue happening on October 3. Tickets are available for both shows.

In related news,

Two-time Grammy Award-nominated composer Jon Brion has signed to create the original score for LAIKA and Focus Features' animated comedy thriller ParaNorman, currently in production at LAIKA's Oregon studios for nationwide release by Focus on Friday, August 17th, 2012. Following LAIKA and Focus' groundbreaking Academy Award-nominated animated feature Coraline, ParaNorman is only the second stop-motion animated feature to be made in 3D.

Joining the voice cast of ParaNorman are Tucker Albrizzi (Good Luck Charlie), Alex Borstein (Family Guy), and Jodelle Ferland (The Twilight Saga: Eclipse). ParaNorman is being directed by Sam Fell and Chris Butler, from Mr. Butler's original screenplay. Mr. Fell was director of The Tale of Despereaux and Flushed Away. Mr. Butler was storyboard supervisor on Coraline and storyboard artist on Tim Burton's Corpse Bride.

Mr. Brion's original score for Focus' Academy Award-winning Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind earned him a Grammy Award nomination for Best Score Soundtrack Album, among other honors. He was previously a Grammy nominee in the same category for scoring Magnolia. A highly accomplished singer/songwriter, arranger, and conductor, Mr. Brion is renowned for his production work. He holds co-writing credits on albums by such artists as Kanye West, Beck, Aimee Mann, Fiona Apple, Rufus Wainwright, the Eels, and Dido.

Mr. Knight said, "Jon Brion is so prodigiously gifted it's almost unseemly. His virtuoso compositions are at once moody and imaginative, clever and subtle. Jon's inventive, genre-defying musical storytelling will provide the perfect accompaniment to ParaNorman's groundbreaking visuals and emotionally resonant narrative."

Mr. Brion stated, "I've been waiting for the right animation project for some time now. This production and the people at LAIKA and Focus have an inspiring amount of heart. One can't help being swept up in the passion."

In ParaNorman, a small town comes under siege by zombies. Who can it call? Only misunderstood local boy Norman (voiced by Kodi Smit-McPhee), who is able to speak
with the dead. In addition to the zombies, he'll have to take on ghosts, witches and, worst of all, moronic grown-ups, to save his town from a centuries-old curse. But this young ghoul whisperer may find his paranormal activities pushed to their otherworldly limits.

In addition to those actors previously mentioned, the voice cast includes Academy Award nominee Casey Affleck (The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford), Tempestt Bledsoe (The Cosby Show), Jeff Garlin (Toy Story 3), John Goodman (Monsters, Inc.), Bernard Hill (Titanic), Academy Award nominee Anna Kendrick (Up in the Air), Leslie Mann (Rio), Christopher Mintz-Plasse (How to Train Your Dragon), and Tony and Emmy Award winner Elaine Stritch (30 Rock).

Continue reading "Jon Brion scoring ParaNorman, playing TWO shows @ LPR"

photos by Greg Cristman, words by BBG

The Body performed with the Assembly of Light choir at Le Poisson Rouge early Saturday night (6/25). The band and choir alternated playing short sets, but also collaborated on songs like "Even The Saints Knew Their Hour Of Failure And Loss" which features a choir on record. You can check-out an example of The Body WITH the choir in the video below.

Work/Death opened the evening at LPR and the show was out by 9:20PM. The Indian/Bloodiest show at Union Pool saw multiple attendees that fit both in on one night, including photographer Greg Cristman whose Body shots continue below...

Continue reading "The Body played w/ a choir @ Le Poisson Rouge (pics, video)"

Justin Bond & Doveman @ LPR (more by Dominick Matrangelo)

"It looks like another one of the city's shadowy artistic demoiselles is about to take a turn in the limelight. If anyone is the talk of New York City at the moment it is Justin Bond. A tall, blond, transgender cabaret signer, Bond worked his way up through the San Francisco and New York performance undergrounds as part of a duo lounge act called Kiki and Herb. The act, which centered around Bond's character Kiki, an aging, bitter, alcoholic singer who was as poignant, raucous and funny as she was tragic, developed a cult and critical following which led them to Carnegie Hall and a stint on Broadway, earning Bond a Tony nomination. Now he has a much-awaited debut album [out now], and he'll be performing his new solo show at the Bowery Ballroom to celebrate." [Another]

Support at Bowery will come from album contributor Doveman, who has another THREE 'salon' dates coming at Le Poisson Rouge as part of the ongoing Burgundy Stain Sessions that saw him teaming with names like Sam Amidon, Glen Hansard, Norah Jones, Tegan & Sara, St Vincent, Justin Bond, and others in previous sessions. No word on the guests at these shows yet, but tickets are available for shows on April 23rd, May 26th and June 24th.

Doveman will also be at LPR on April 26th, but as one of the "friends" listed for one of the nights of the Jesse Harris & Friends: "Through the Night" Series at the venue. On that night, the "Through The Night Band, a four-piece ensemble combining rock/brazilian/folk/jazz" will play the songs of Jesse Harris alongside Bill Dobrow, Guilherme Monteiro, Mauro Refosco, and Sasha Dobson. Tickets are on sale. The "Through The Night" series continues weekly in April, and includes a show TONIGHT with The Cosmo Band featuring Larry Goldings, Anthony Wilson, Tony Scherr, and others (tickets). Other upcoming dates include April 12 with The Through The Night Band featuring Bill Dobrow and special guests Norah Jones (his Grammy friend) and Vinicius Cantuária among others; and April 19th with The Cosmo Band featuring Kenny Wollesen, Eivind Opsvik, and special guests Tony Scherr and Antonio Villeroy among others.

Some videos and stuff below...

Continue reading "Doveman adds more shows at LPR (where Jesse Harris also has a guest-filled residency), plays w/ Justin Bond tonight"

photos by Brook Bobbins

In the Stretch & Bobbito world, mainstream was a four-letter word.

...For the eight years it ran, from 1 to 5 in the early hours of Friday morning, "The Stretch Armstrong & Bobbito Show" gave early exposure to artists like Jay-Z, Nas and the Wu-Tang Clan, who eventually went on to mainstream stardom. But for every one who made it, there were several who remained in the underground, happily or otherwise.

Of the many guests on Thursday night [at Le Poisson Rouge, Feb 10th]-- including Raekwon and Masta Killa of the Wu-Tang Clan -- the underground stalwarts were the fiercest, and often the most visibly moved. There was the fantastically gravelly Rock, of Heltah Skeltah, who performed a bit of "Laflaur Leflah Eshkoshka," and Artifacts, who were the night's first guests, and whose "Wrong Side of da Tracks" was still sturdy, more than 15 years after it was released.

After solo sets, Masta Ace and Buckshot collaborated for an impromptu reunion of two-thirds of the Crooklyn Dodgers, the one-off group assembled for the soundtrack of the 1994 Spike Lee film, "Crooklyn." Nice & Smooth closed the night, and almost stole it, with vintage hits, a tribute to Guru of Gang Starr, who died last year, and boundless energy.-[NYTimes]

Continue reading "Stretch Armstrong & Bobbito reunited w/ many special guests in the house (pics from Le Poisson Rouge)"

photos by Amanda Hatfield

Beth Orton, Glen Hansard & Dawn Landes @ LPR

When Glen Hansard sets foot on the stages of a sold-out City Winery TONIGHT, it'll be his third visit to an NYC stage in a month. As advertised, The Frames frontman/Swell Season sensitive-man recently hopped on stage with Beth Orton, Sam Amidon, Nico Muhly, Dawn Landes, and as hinted, St. Vincent at the Doveman "Burgundy Stain Session" at Le Poisson Rouge in January (where these pics come from)...

"Thank you so much for coming," Thomas Bartlett (Doveman) began. "This is the first of these concerts that I'll be doing, and I thought it would be nice to start with just me and Sam because me and Sam have been playing music together since we were five."

The two kicked off the show with a simple, lovely, and faintly religious little song, "All is Well." Ringing out with repeatedly, the titular refrain seemed like a perfect starting point for the evening...

...After Sam had played through a few of his songs, he casually announced, "We're in a gospel mood," which was apparently Annie Clark's (St. Vincent) cue to make her way to the stage to fulfill her role as a "great gospel guitarist." Crouching down on stage in the shadow, Clark joined Amidon for one more song before the spotlight officially shifted to her. As she stood up, the stage lights shone through her messy main of curly hair, creating a halo that complimented her Amidon-annointed title....

...The evening proceded with a potpouri of performances. Hardly a song or two would pass before the configuration on stage would change. Beth Orton, Glen Hansard, and Dawn Landes would each have their turn. "One thing I realized is that I hate talking on stage so much that things are really going to need an emcee," Bartlett joked...." [Rachel Kowal]

The Poison Tree, as I wrote back in August 2009, "is Brooklyn, NY singer songwriter Steve Salett [of the King of France] and a rotating cast of collaborators borrowed from acts including The National, Rufus Wainwright, Antony and the Johnsons, and David Byrne." The Poison Tree's debut album will be released this March 15th on Embarque...

In recording its debut album, The Poison Tree leader Steve Salett, drew on a community of extraordinarily talented musicians that formed around Salett's Saltlands Studio and Saltmines rehearsal spaces in Brooklyn. "I approached it as, 'if you build it, they will come.' After that, a space and community coalesced organically around the rehearsal rooms," says Steve. "For The Poison Tree, we were able to pull musicians who regularly use the Saltmines. If we needed violin, trumpet, whatever, we just walked down the hall."

The supporting cast is extraordinary: Thomas Bartlett, better known as Doveman and briefly a member of King of France, provides much of the atmospheric Wurlitzer, piano, and organ parts. Of The Poison Tree, he says, "Steve is one of my favorite songwriters. Each song is a simple, perfect gesture, but with an elusive, enigmatic quality that will never lose its fascination for me."

Singer Dawn Landes, who will open for Justin Townes Earle on the road next month and also sang on Josh Ritter's latest album, also sang on 'The Poison Tree' record and did some engineering work. Others include bassist Jeff Hill (Rufus Wainwright), drummer Konrad Meissner (Graham Parker), and trumpeter C.J. Camerieri (Rufus Wainwright). Gary Mauer of Hem co-produced the album with Salett.

Lastly, besides writing all of the songs and playing guitar and vocals, the multi-talented Salett also co-produced and plays dulcimer, Rhodes, and whistle.

Don't forget that Sam Amidon has a show coming up at Glasslands on 2/16 (tickets), and even before that will join Nico Muhly, Bishi, Bryce Dessner, and ACME at St.Ann's Warehouse as part of Nico Muhly's Tell The Way. Tickets are available for all three shows, Feb 10th-12th.

More pictures from the 1/14 Doveman are below...

Continue reading "guests announced for 2/8 Doveman show (Justin Bond, Poison Tree, Beth Orton) --- St .Vincent, Glen Hansard & more played last time (pics)"

photos by Matthew Eisman

"His symphony No. 15 for 12 musicians, performed for the first time on Saturday night at Le Poisson Rouge and subtitled "Running Through the World Like an Open Razor," ran about two-thirds along familiar lines and one-third off the wall. It signaled a difference from the start; as it moved along, it grew weirdly wide, showing a completely different side of his musical imagination, if only to make you prefer the one you already knew." [NY Times]

Continue reading "Glenn Branca performed 'Symphony No. 15' @ LPR (pics) "

Deerhoof at LPR (more by Chris Gersbeck)

Deerhoof will welcome their new split/collaborative 7" on Saturday (11/6), featuring Busdriver and Physical Forms (Busdriver plus members of The Mae Shi). Preorder that now. Deerhoof's new full length LP, Deerhoof Vs Evil, being released on 1/25/11 via Polyvinyl/Joyful Noise. And it's around that time that the band will go on a headlining tour with Nervous Cop, and Ben Butler & Mousepad. All dates below.

Recent NYC shows were at Le Poisson Rouge and Williamsburg Waterfront (collaboratively with Xiu Xiu). Deerhoof will return to one of those venues in March, but first skip the conventional venues to play Ridgewood Masonic Temple on February 8th, 2011 with all of the openers mentioned above (the same venue that Todd P just hosted a Halloween party at). The March show is actually after the tour, on March 14th at Le Poisson Rouge, and is entitled "Deerhoof & Friends: A musical event within Carnegie Hall's 2011 JapanNYC Festival, presented by Wordless Music." Not much else is known about the rest of the LPR lineup, but tickets are now on sale.

But wait, there's more: Check out this thing starting at the Kitchen in NYC TONIGHT

"Just a friendly reminder about The Kitchen's U.S. premiere this week of BAND, Adam Pendleton's new three-channel video installation. Pendleton's BAND is a form-and-content refashioning of Jean-Luc Godard's Sympathy for the Devil, which stands in open contrast to the earlier film. BAND tracks the indie rock band Deerhoof working on and recording a new song, I Did Crimes for You over the course of a day during the Toronto International Film Festival in 2009. Using the structure and techniques of avant-garde film as a means to explore ideas about contemporary experimental practice, language and the (re)making of history, BAND acts as a meditation on the present, read backwards through the canonical traces of history. The exhibition also features new wall-based works from Pendleton's ongoing System of Display series.

Curated by Rashida Bumbray, BAND will be on view from November 3-December 23, 2010. The Kitchen's gallery hours are Tuesday through Friday, 12:00 P.M. to 6:00 P.M. and Saturday, 11:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M. Admission is free. There will be an opening reception for the exhibition at The Kitchen (512 West 19th Street) on Wednesday, November 3, 6:00 P.M.-8:00 P.M.

Continue reading "Deerhoof touring, playing a Wordless/JapanyNYC Fest show, part of a video installation @ the Kitchen (opens tonight)"

photos by Andrew St. Clair, words by Patricia Scull

Holy Fuck

Brooklyn-based Twin Shadow takes the stage first at Le Poisson Rouge Saturday night (9/18), where George Lewis, Jr., mastermind behind Twin Shadow, seems to already have a following. Playing songs off their first album Forget, Twin Shadow seems to have found the portal to the 80's, taking the smoothest beats and synth riffs and totally reinventing the wheel for the here and now, while letting obvious 80's influences shine through. Lewis's vocal style is low and nonchalant but on certain choruses and words, the texture goes way up, almost bordering on screamo, and returns to melodic utterances almost as quickly as it once rose. Someone in the audience shouts for an encore, but they'll just have to wait until Twin Shadow headlines their own show. Twin Shadow is now on tour with Jamie Lidell.

Houston, TX band Indian Jewelry commandeers the LPR stage shortly after Twin Shadow, laying down some ground rules for watching their set: "No flash photography. It makes us look awful. Think about it," along with "No texting on your fucking phones." Opening their set with a completely dark stage, the lighting situation quickly turns to something dangerous for one with epilepsy. Flashing strobe light and indiscernible images projected on a screen complete the visual effects, while bass and reverb boom from the speakers. Using audio effects like consistently grinding electronic bass and guitar layered over an evacuation-type alarm sound with distorted lyrics floating overhead is typical of this band's style, who not only provide a creative visual show but an introspective sound show as well.

The most impressive thing about "electronic" band Holy Fuck is that the multitude of sound pouring off the LPR stage is house-made. While maintaining dance-worthy rhythms and pulses of sound via multiple (toy) keyboards, bass, and drums, keyboardist Brian Borcherdt rips ribbons of 35 mm film through a film synchronizer. This in turn produces an awesome visual element to the show while providing rhythmic sound scratches that are the life and soul of the audio element. The four members come together on stage like some crazy supercomputer from the future, and rock out like madmen using sound in innovative ways to create real-deal compositions that are emotionally and aurally appealing. Because the material presented is all created organically, the live show is more visually engaging, with Borcherdt and fellow keyboardist Graham Walsh busy playing their multiple instruments, turning dials, flipping switches, and pulsing physically with the beats, while Matt Schulz and Matt McQuaid keep things flowing with drums and bass, respectively. Hailed for their innovative methods and quality output, Holy Fuck is keeping the love alive with a US tour promoting their latest release, Latin, that extends through late October.

Updated dates and more pictures from the NYC shows, below...

Continue reading "Holy Fuck played LPR w/ Twin Shadow & Indian Jewelry (pics), on tour now (dates) "

Battles

Battles' October 26th show at (Le) Poisson Rouge has been canceled, to be rescheduled for sometime later in the fall. No explanation has been given as of yet, though maybe the delay is related to the ongoing recording of their second album. "All tickets purchased online will be refunded immediately. If you purchased tickets in the box office at the venue you can bring your ticket to the venue for a full refund."

The band's London show four days later seems to still be on (though that could change).

Speaking of LPR, Pete Rock plays there Thursday, and tickets are on sale for the September 14th Jim Jones Revue show.

photos by Anna Scialli

Akron/Family and guests ("Xtended Family") that included William Parker and Hamid Drake played a special collaborative set at (Le) Poisson Rouge on June 30th to close the 11-day Vision Fest XV. Before, William Parker led his own band Southern Satellites.

Akron/Family also played a semi-secret show at Monster Island Basement the next night (July 1st). NYCTaper recorded their set from that, which you can download.

More pictures from LPR are below...

Continue reading "Akron/Family played LPR (pics) & Monster Island (audio) "

"Recorded in Berkeley (Fantasy Studios) and San Francisco (Cafe Du Nord), this is a heapin' helpin' of The Singers: a studio and a 'live' disc. The studio disc sees us moving into some decidedly different terrain. I actually use my voice (wordlessly) on some tracks, Devin plays bass guitar... All hell has broken loose! There are special guests, even! The studio disc features David Witham and Yuka Honda on keyboards. The 'live' disc features Satomi Matsuzaki, Greg Saunier, and John Dieterich (AKA three fourths of Deerhoof) on percussion (on a blazing and/or totally indulgent version of Weather Report's "Boogie Woogie Waltz"). Produced by David Breskin and recorded and mixed by Ron Saint Germain, this is either the most friendly Singers recording to date or the most antisocial, depending on who you are and what you expect. The package features beautiful photographs of the Large Hadron Collider at CERN by Simon Norfolk throughout (as well as some 'live' shots from the Cafe Du Nord gig by Peak), so all in all you know this is another Cryptogramophone production of visionary packaging excellence. And you might like the music, too.

You can pre-order the CD online now at Indiejazz.com or check out the special BUNDLE offer (w/ CD, shirt & tote bag) here!" [Nels Cline] [

Deerhoof, who you can see above contributed to the new live album, will be in NYC on Sunday, 7/11, as part of a collaboration with Xiu Xiu. All Nels' official dates below...

Continue reading "the Nels Cline Singers are on tour, Nels also appears soon @ Village Vanguard, the Stone, Living Room & more (dates)"

photos by Lori Baily

"Last night, in the g(l)aze of Glenn Branca's heroin eyes alongside Dan Graham and Lee Ranaldo, I found a secret meaning to the universe." - C. Kushmider

Glenn Branca & Paranoid Critical Revolution...

Glenn Branca and Paranoid Critical Revolution (guitarist Reg Bloor and drummer Libby Fab, who both play in Glenn Branca Ensemble) performed at (Le) Poisson Rouge on Saturday, June 19th. Glenn manned a double-bodied 'Harmonics Guitar' for a solo set, and PCR played from their new record, Euphobia. The videos below capture a few minutes of both acts' wailing improv sets. Those and more pictures below too...

Continue reading "Glenn Branca & Paranoid Critical Revolution played Le Poisson Rouge (pics, video)"

by Andrew Frisicano

The 12th annual MATA Festival 2010, which focuses on new works by young composers, kicks off tonight (Monday, April 19th) with a free show at LPR's Gallery Bar. Turntablist/composer Matthew Wright will be performing his MATA comissioned Totem for Gobi-New York, an "interactive audio/video installation" with guest, sax improviser Evan Parker. The rest of the concerts, which run through this Thursday, are also happening at (Le) Poisson Rouge. Many are free, including the closing event with Argento Chamber Ensemble and Italian ensemble L'Arsenale on Thursday.

Tickets to the non-free shows (like Calder Quartet's Tuesday show) are available through LPR. Audio samples of the festival's new commissions are up here. The full artist schedule, more information and composer interviews are posted below...

Continue reading "MATA Festival kicks off at LPR (runs through Thursday)"

by Andrew Frisicano

DOWNLOAD: Sam Amidon - Relief (R. Kelly cover) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Beth Orton and Sam Amidon - Thirteen (Alex Chilton) (MP3)

Footloose... coming to LPR

The new monthly Unsilent Film series kicks off Wednesday, April 7 with a free concert from Kría Brekkan (ex-Múm, Avery Tare & Kría Brekkan) as she debuts a live-improvisational score to Jean Epstein's 1928 horror masterpiece The Fall of the House of Usher. Then on April 25 Doveman will perform revised versions of tracks from his reinterpretation of the Footloose soundtrack and his album The Conformist to excerpts from the films Footloose and The Conformist. And on May 23 the series will feature jazz guitar luminary Marc Ribot doing his solo-guitar score to Charles Chaplin's 1921 slapstick comedy The Kid. [Le Poisson Rouge]

Also coming up, Doveman will be opening for Patrick Watson on May 6th at the Bell House and May 7th at 92YTribeca. He'll also be performing with collaborator Sam Amidon at Sam's album release show at 92YTribeca on Saturday, April 10th. Tickets are still on sale.

Doveman also has a show on Thursday, April 15th at Barrow Street Theater with Uncle Monk (Tommy Ramone's bluegrass duo), Penny Arcade, Bandana Splits (a group that includes Dawn Landes) and Tyrone Cotton. That's being put on by NYC/Kentucky-based festival Motherlodge.

One of the songs on Sam's new record, I See the Sign, which is out now, is a dead serious cover of R. Kelly's "Relief" that's actually sort of affecting. The song is posted above. Beth Orton contributes to Sam Amidon's new album (and vice versa), and he joined her for two NYC shows in January. They also recently recorded a cover of Big Star's "Thirteen" with Dave Schramm and David Mansfield for Radio Free Song Club.

As we gathered on St. Patrick's Day to tape show number four, we learned of the death of Alex Chilton. Beth Orton and Sam Amidon were in the studio that night and worked out a version of Big Star's "Thirteen". Ted found the lyrics online, Sam picked out the chords and they sang it for the first time.

Marc Ribot will be performing in a trio with bassist Henry Grimes and drummer Chad Taylor at Rose Live Music on April 12th. And he'll do two sets at the Stone on May 6th (1st Henry Kaiser, Marc Ribot & John Zorn; 2nd Duo with Henry Kaiser & Marc Ribot).

The film screening tonight is the only announced upcoming date for Kría Brekkan. check out a video of her and Fall of the House of Usher, both pasted below...

Continue reading "film w/ music series w/ Kria Brekkan, Doveman, Marc Ribot ++ Sam Amidon MP3s (Alex Chilton & R Kelly covers) & more "

by Alex Lewis

Bryce Dessner (we think) @ the Big Ears Festival (more by Andrew Frisicano)

While in Knoxville for the Big Ears Festival (March 26-28, 2010), you knew you were at the right show if Bryce Dessner was in sight. When The Ex performed Friday night, Dessner was in attendance with his entourage that included his twin brother Aaron and Sufjan Stevens. This turned out to be one of the most exciting shows of the weekend. On Saturday, instead of seeing Vampire Weekend at the Tennessee Theater, he was at the Knoxville Museum of Art for the Big Ears film co-op that featured presentations of experimental films with live improvised performances from a number of the festival's artists. Then again, it was hard to miss Bryce completely, as he performed with Clogs, The National, and in a number of other settings.

The intimate relationship between artists and audience at Big Ears is one of the most unique parts of the experience. This interface takes place partly because Knoxville is small and there are few places for artists to hide. But it's also built into the festival's program and embodied by its co-curator. I met with Bryce at the Knoxville Museum of Art after the film co-op. We discussed the festival, venues in NYC, and more...

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How did you get involved with Big Ears?

Ashley [Capps, head of AC Entertainment] called me about a year ago, probably because of Dark Was The Night. But then also because of a much smaller festival that I've run in Ohio for the past 5 years. He was basically just fishing to see if I was interested in coming down [to Knoxville] and doing something. He was very open-minded about what that might be. Originally, he didn't care if The National played. He was more interested in Clogs because we don't often get the opportunity to do something like this. I'm usually wary of curating. Inside Cincinnati I know I can control because it's a very small thing. It's just a very small theater and that's the only venue. It's a very intimate kind of thing and because I've billed it for years now people understand what's going to happen. It's very flexible.

So in the past I've been asked to do other festivals and I've usually said "no", mainly because it's rare to find someone who is open-minded and cool to go with it. So basically Ashley is that person. As much as any musical collaborator that I love and have a great time with, he is that person for this. Working on a festival is so ephemeral and in the moment, that it's kind of my favorite thing in music. More than the commercial side of the industry that's related to releasing records, festivals just happen and then they're over. Especially if there's site-specific going on that's really only happening at that festival. I think that Big Ears is kind of new. It's a different format for hearing music. I got the sense that Ashley was interested in pushing something in that way and that's why I said, "sure".

continued below...

Continue reading "an interview with Bryce Dessner (Big Ears co-curator and guitarist in Clogs/The National)"