Lee "Scratch" Perry at Highline Ballroom (more by Greg Cristman)

Lee "Scratch" Perry has a few limited dates scheduled in the US in September, including one SATURDAY NIGHT (9/10) at BB King's with Subatomic Sound System and Jahdan Blakkamore. Tickets are still available. After NYC, the dub legend will take a few days off before hitting the west coast for three days in California in Santa Ana, Ventura, and San Francisco. Full tour schedule is below, alongside an interview and a recent demo.

The Lee Perry appearance is one of several shows scheduled as part of the Dub Invasion festival, which kicks off tonight in NYC with Adrian Sherwood featuring Brother Culture, Subatomic Sound System, and Channel U at Dominion, and will run the following week in both NYC and Boston. The fest will also feature NYC appearances from Dr. Israel at Dominion on 9/15 and two shows with Mad Professor on 9/16, one at Dubspot and a second with Twilight Circus Dub at Knitting Factory (tickets) among many others.

Full listing of Dub Invasion events in NYC, alongside tour dates, video and that demo stream below....

Continue reading "Lee 'Scratch' Perry is part of the 'Dub Invasion' going on in NYC this week"

words by Rachel Kowal

Dent May @ BV-CMJ 2009 (more by Chris La Putt)

A few nights earlier, I tried and failed to see Dent May at a late-night show, but I figured I'd give it another shot, so I headed over to the Cake Shop after the BrooklynVegan CMJ show at MHOW Thursday night, and was delighted to see that they were running on schedule. I thought I was tired at that point, but I've got to hand it to Dent May and his friend Bobby for their dedication to the cause. "We drove 20 hours straight to be with you. Our car got towed. We've been threw a lot of shit, and we love it," May said by way of introduction. A quick look at Bobby's zombie-like stare as he sat, waiting for the show to start, revealed just how tired he was. In addition to their lengthy sojourn to New York, it was their last show of the week and the third of the day. Luckily, their music is upbeat and undeniably catchy. When they started to play, they sprang to life, and many of the people in the audience began to dance.

Dent May doesn't have any more dates on his schedule, but he is on the lineup of the just-announced All Tomorrow's Parties curated by Animal Collective taking place May 13th-15th at at Butlins Holiday Centre in Minehead, UK. Full initial lineup announcement below...

Continue reading "Dent May played CMJ, playing Animal Collective-curated ATP "

by BBG

DOWNLOAD: The Black Heart Procession - "Blank Page" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Three Mile Pilot - "What's In The Air" (MP3)

The Black Heart Procession share a moment....

The Black Heart Procession has been cranking out gothy folk-rock for more than a decade now, and will release their new mini-LP Blood Bunny / Black Rabbit on 10/12 via TRL. Featuring three new BHP tracks, the release spans 40 minutes and features a remix from Eluvium and a collabo with the legendary Lee "Scratch" Perry. Preorder the mini LP, and dig on the first track "Blank Page" available above. The band will tour off of Blood Bunny / Black Rabbit as well, playing LPR on 9/28 before embarking on a tour with The Books. Tickets are on sale for the NYC show. All BHP dates are below, and non-BHP Books dates which include Carnegie Hall, are HERE.

In related news, both members of BHP served time in Three Mile Pilot, and the band has returned from hiatus to release a new LP for TRL. The Inevitable Past Is The Future Forgotten features "What's In The Air" is the first Three Mile Pilot album in 13 years...

Formed in the early '90s, the group released a debut album to a fair amount of acclaim, followed by Chief Assassin To The Sinister, an album that garnered the attention of Geffen Records, with whom they signed for all of one album. After enduring the major label wringer, the group released Another Desert, their most emotionally resonant and commercially successful record to date. Shortly after, bassist Zach Smith formed Pinback with Rob Crow, and singer-guitarist Pall Jenkins began a new project with Three Mile Pilot keyboardist Tobias Nathaniel. Both projects were meant to coexist with 3MP, however, both Pinback and The Black Heart Procession became unexpectedly popular.

Speaking of Lee "Scratch" Perry (who just played Highline Ballroom), BHP isn't the only band that the dub legend has collaborated with as of late. The mad professor has also lent his evil talents to a forthcoming recording with Major Lazer (aka Diplo and Switch) (!) more details are forthcoming.

Full BHP dates and a ton of video from a recent show is below...

Continue reading "Black Heart Procession releasing an LP (Three Mile Pilot too), collaborating w/ Lee Perry (Diplo too), touring (the Books too) "

photos by Greg Cristman

The blue and red hair dye, the painted Timbs, the jewel encrusted clothing. It could only be dub legend Lee "Scratch" Perry that could add so much flavor to the influential reggae grooves at Highline Ballroom. The 74-year old played a show at the club (again) as one of only five US dates in celebration of Revelation, his new album and third release this year out now on Megawave.

After dates in Portland (ME), Boston, and Philly, the tour continues today (8/20) in Stephentown, NY at the Soulive-headlined Bella Terra Festival and concludes two days later in Los Angeles.

Lionize opened the show without guitarist Tim Sult (who is also in Clutch), bringing a whole new angle to the term stoner rock with their riffy-reggae infused take.

More pictures and a couple of videos from the show below...

Continue reading "Lee 'Scratch' Perry & Lionize played Highline Ballroom (pics) "

The Apollo Theater's Spring benefit is taking place at The Apollo on June 14th. "The benefit includes special appearances by ANGELA BASSETT, DANNY GLOVER and CHRIS TUCKER and performances by SHARON JONES, ESTELLE, LESLIE UGGAMS, DONNIE MCCLURKIN, MARSHA AMBROSIUS of Floetry and Amateur Night winner CLARK KING. Music Director for the evening is RAY CHEW." Tickets range from $100 to $250 to way more.

N.E.R.D. are playing a free show at Brooklyn Bowl on June 16th. RSVP is Necessary.

Lee Scratch Perry returns to Highline Ballroom on August 17th. Tickets are on sale.

ZZ Top are playing the Beacon Theatre on September 12th. Tickets are currently on Internet Presale (password = HETOP). General sale starts Saturday at 10am.

words & photos by Benjamin Lozovsky

Happy Holidays! I take on more than I can handle. That results in a lot of unposted content. In the name of catching up, while also taking it easy during this final/first week of the year, here's some of that lost material.

With golden-encrusted boots, bristly magenta beard and childlike eyes that could sit deeply sunken on any familiar septuagenarian relative, Lee 'Scratch' Perry wheeled his suitcase on stage. By the time he departed his performance at the Highline Ballroom, Perry took with him more than his Selassie-emblazoned luggage; he had ran off with the crowd's sanity.

Although the reggae world has its fair share of pioneers still eluding that eternal cloud of weed smoke in the sky, few remain as colorful and essential of a performer as Perry. Arguably one of the genre's originators and certainly greatest innovators, the 73 year-old singer/producer continues to tour and be a playful if not amusingly confounding stage presence. With more patches and flair on his jacket than an alt-rock preteen, his outfit alone was eye candy; Perry's music, navigated by a top-notch touring band, was equally appetizing.

Perry was preceded by a set of sarcastic battle hip hop by underground vet Pacewon and DJ Mr. Green, as well as a performance of one-dimensional, sloppy garage rock from Philly duo PO PO. Fans seemed to appear out of nowhere to fill up the venue just in time for Perry, whose soft voice shot through the sound system before he joined his already skanking backing group on stage. Surrounded by younger musicians, Perry's characteristic style was at moments more aggressive than laid-back and ethereal, and there weren't as many stuttering snares and waves of reverb as one might expect from this progenitor of dub. Despite that, the plinking keyboards and tiptoeing riddims of classics like "Roast Fish and Cornbread" and "Dreadlocks In Moonlight" were still worn in and luxurious.

More pictures from Lee Perry's December show at Highline Ballroom, below...

Continue reading "Lee Scratch Perry @ Highline Ballroom in NYC - pics & setlist"

DOWNLOAD: Lee "Scratch" Perry - Santa Claus (MP3)

Lee "Scratch" Perry @ Central Park Summerstage in July (more by Tim Griffin)

Tickets are still on sale for Lee "Scratch" Perry's Highline Ballroom show on Sunday, December 13th (with Popo and Pace Won & Mr. Green). Lee's Narnack label-mates and fellow legends The Slits play the venue one night after (with The Sundelles and Sisters). I have a pair of tickets for each to give away; details are below.

The Lee Perry show is the kick-off for a one week US tour, the full dates of which are below with a very special video tour announcement from The Upsetter. "Santa Claus," a somewhat seasonal but not really very festive track from his 2008 Andrew WK-produced record Repentence (an album that Ari Up of The Slits makes a guest appearance on), is above.

Tour dates, video and contest info below...

Continue reading "Lee 'Scratch' Perry touring in December (dates) - win tix to the NYC show, download a free Christmas song"

Quietus: What do you think it was about the recording environment that turned Cut into such a great record?

Ari Up: The Slits developed the Slits sound. To this day, no one sounds like us, no one. People trying to categorise the music has fucked us up over the years: "Oh, we can't label you, what are you?" It's... Slits! A totally new sound. We had no heroes. We had no one to look up to. It talks about Patti Smith in the book, but I didn't relate to anyone - I didn't use Patti Smith as my big hero.

Slits bassist Tessa Pollitt: It was just instinctive female music. We weren't trying to play like men. We were just being ourselves.

They're playing a short run of US shows in December. That includes a December 14th gig at Highline Ballroom. Tickets are on sale.

One night before that, fellow legendary Narnack Records artist Lee 'Scratch' Perry is scheduled to play Highline Ballroom (12/13). Tickets for that are still on sale too.

Slits album info, tour dates and a bunch of videos, below...

Continue reading "The Slits - new album & biography out now, December shows (dates) - NYC gig @ Highline Ballroom 1 day after Lee Perry"

Lee Scratch Perry is playing Highline Ballroom on December 13th. Tickets are on sale.

Tickets are on sale (@ noon) for the show Devendra Banhart just added at Music Hall of Williamsburg.

DOOM and Mos Def are playing Nokia Theatre on January 30th. Tickets are on sale.

Tickets are on sale (@ noon) for a January 8th Dutchess and The Duke show at Mercury Lounge. They'll play Union Pool on the same tour.

Tickets are on sale (@ noon) for a January 15th Joe Pernice show at Mercury Lounge. This is a new date. He was supposed to play the venue tonight (11/6), but that show was canceled.

Tickets are on sale (@ noon) for the January 22nd Serena Maneesh show at Mercury Lounge.

Tickets are on sale (@ noon) for a January 5th Adam Franklin (of Swervedriver) & The Bolts of Melody show at Mercury Lounge.

Tickets are now on U2.com presale for the U2 show at "New Meadowlands Stadium" in July. General sale starts Monday at 10am.

Tickets are on sale (@ noon) for the Levon Helm / Okkervil River show coming up at Terminal 5.

photos by Tim Griffin

Alpha Blondy

"4:45 PM: Perry's band is ok. A couple of times they do a little dub, some swirling, echoey organ, some piano but mostly it's just one long vamp after another. From down the hill, most of Perry's vocals are inaudible and those that aren't don't make any sense. Not that they'd make any more sense if they were. It would be nice to be able to see something but it's also nice to be outside under the trees with plenty of space.

5:20 PM: The line has mostly disappeared, but the place is clearly sold out. Ivory Coast reggae legend Alpha Blondy has taken the stage, barely visible from beyond the wooden fence just short of the press tent outside. He's got a couple of women singing harmony, a horn section, a couple of guitars and keyboards. He looks resplendent in his gold robe. The sound is all highs and lows with not much midrange, screechy guitar opening the show with a long, note-for-note Zeppelin riff, bass booming, hypnotic and comforting. Just down the hill behind the back wall of the arena, people have brought their blankets, their picnics, their beer. The sound is great back here, and it's a lot more comfortable than having to stand inside. Scratch Perry's deity is everywhere, in the air, in peoples' lungs, in their red eyes. Time to find a tree that hasn't been taken, get some back support. One with the earth, yes I! Alpha Blondy plays a greatest-hits show..." [Lucid Culture]

Continue reading "Lee Scratch Perry & Alpha Blondy @ Summerstage - pics"

Lee 'Scratch" Perry' @ Central Park Summerstage - July 19, 2009 (by Tim Griffin)

HR of Bad Brains of Fun Fun Fun Fest 2008 (by Tyler Nutter)

Dirty Projectors @ Central Park Summerstage in June (more by Natasha Ryan)

tonight in NYC
* DANCE
* Built To Spill, New Numbers @ Maxwell's
* Wardell Quezergue Tribute @ Lincoln Center
* Cooper-Moore: Digital Primitives @ Zebulon
* Roy Nathanson, Sean Sondergger Quartet @ Sycamore
* The Donkeys, Joemca & The Poets, Birdlips @ Union Hall
* Necrophagist, Suffocation, Origin, more @ Irving Plaza
* Holler Wild Rose, Spanish Prisoners, Wild Yaks @ The Cameo
* David Cross, Eugene Mirman & other comedians @ The Bell House
* Tragedy, School of Rock All-Stars @ Beach at Governors Island
* STATS, Many Arms, Talibam!, Hulk Smash, Paris Suit Yourself @ Death By Audio
* The Clientele, Richard Buckner, Ladybug Transistor @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
* Dirty Projectors, Magnolia Electric Co., Crystal Antlers @ Williamsburg Waterfront
* Rock The Bells 2009 w/ Nas & Damien Marley, The Roots, Common, Big Boi, more @ Jones Beach Theater
* Alpha Blondy & The Solar System , Lee "Scratch" Perry & Dubblestandart, and Subatomic Sound System @ Central Park Summerstage
* The Anti-Nowhere League, Duane Peters Gunfight, Cobra Skulls, Ashers, Jakked Rabbits, The Nihilistics @ Europa

Dirty Projectors, Magnolia Electric Co. and Crystal Antlers play the second
Williamsburg Waterfront Pool Party. Pics from the first are here.

After that, you can catch a bill straight from XX Merge, with The Clientele, Richard Buckner and Ladybug Transistor playing the Music Hall of Williamsburg

The Donkeys, who are on tour with Magnolia Electic Co., play Union Hall with Joemca & The Poets and Birdlips.

Built To Spill make a post-Siren, post-P4k
appearance at Maxwell's with the New Numbers.

Ponderosa Stomp brings its Wardell Quezergue Tribute to the Lincoln Center

Rock The Bells 2009 comes to Jones Beach Theater with headliners that include Nas & Damien Marley, The Roots, Common, Big Boi and a "special guest."

Tragedy, an all-metal Bee Gees tribute band, play the Beach at Governors Island with the School of Rock All-Stars.

Death By Audio hosts an avant-rock lineup of STATS, Many Arms, Talibam!, Hulk Smash and Paris Suit Yourself.

Pitchfork Fest is streaming from Chicago.

Lee "Scratch" Perry & Dubblestandart play a free show at Central Park Summerstage with Alpha Blondy & The Solar System and Subatomic Sound System. Yesterday Lee showed up and played a secret set at BKYLY YARD with Ari Up of the Slits. Video below...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Sunday?"

Bela Fleck & Toumani Diabate, Savannah Music Fest '09 (Savannah Grandfather)

Celebrating its twentieth anniversary, City Parks Foundation is pleased to announce the 2009 season schedule of its flagship free performing arts festival, Central Park SummerStage. Internationally acclaimed for presenting world-renowned and emerging talent from around the globe and New York City's own backyard, the Central Park SummerStage season promises to be as electrifying as ever with a calendar chock-full of culturally diverse programs in multiple disciplines including music, dance, word, film, and comedy.

The 2009 Central Park SummerStage season is marked by innovative collaborations and will open on Friday, June 12 at 8:00 PM with a performance by the critically acclaimed singer/songwriter Josh Ritter and his band for the evening, The New York Pops.

City Parks Foundation also welcomes The Metropolitan Opera for the first time ever to Central Park SummerStage as The Met launches its free Summer Recital Series of outdoor concerts in neighborhood parks on Monday, July 13 at 8:00 PM with a special performance of opera arias and popular songs headlined by the Tony Award-winning baritone Paulo Szot and featuring Lisette Oropesa (soprano), Alek Shrader (tenor), and Vlad Iftinca (piano).

Continue reading "Central Park Summerstage - full 2009 concert schedule "

Lee Scratch Perry is hopefully playing Highline Ballroom on February 16th. Tickets are on sale. Did he ever make it to the Grammys?

Tickets are on sale for the 108 show happening at Santos Party House.

Tickets are on sale for the show Kevin Seconds is playing at Pianos.

Tickets are on sale for the Les Savy Fav show happening at Brooklyn Masonic Temple.

Maceo Parker is playing S.O.B.'s on March 19th. Tickets are on sale.

The Toasters are playing Highline Ballroom on February 22nd. Tickets are on sale.

Tickets are on sale for the Kimya Dawson show happening at Europa.

Tickets are still on sale for the Diamond Life show happening at Highline Ballroom on February 13th. Diamond Life is Nomi and others from the Hercules and Love affair band performing Sade songs.

Tickets are still on sale for the Akron/Family shows coming up at Union Pool.

The Coney Island Circus Sideshow are performing with The Hungry March Band at Highline Ballroom on February 28th. Tickets are on sale.

DOWNLOAD: Lee Scratch Perry - Pum Pum (MP3)

Narnack is excited to announce the signing of "The Slits"... this pioneering all girl act is noted for it's influence on many of music's most acclaimed female musician's and was espousing on the riot girl ethic before most of the movements artists had even picked up an instrument.

The band is rehearsing new material now and will be returning to the studio for their first full-length album with all new material in over 20 years. Look for all the original members (Ari, Tessa & Palmolive) to be back in the studio for the new album which will start recording in February. The Slits will also be touring the US and abroad in 2009.

Also, Lee Scratch Perry's "REPENTANCE" has been nominated for Best Reggae Album of 2008. Oo-produced by Andrew WK and featuring Moby, seminal producer Don Fleming and drummer Brian Chippendale of staccato noise duo Lightning Bolt!. The Upsetter will be attending his first ever Grammy Awards ceremony here in Los Angeles on Feb. 8th. Be sure to tune in...

For more Narnack, check out the pics from their CMJ 2008 showcase.

Lee 'Scratch' Perry @ Bumbershoot (more by Chris Graham)

As you can see on Ticketmaster and Ticketweb, Lee "Scratch" Perry is, not surprisingly I guess, no longer playing his previously announced shows.

by Black Bubblegum

DOWNLOAD: Lee "Scratch" Perry - "Pum Pum" (MP3)

Perry, scratching his chin. Photo by Andrew WK

For a 72-year-old man, he sure gets around. Lee "Scratch" Perry is playing that Oct 25th CMJ show at Santos Party House with Restavrant, Iran, Vaz, The Muslims, and The Sundelles as part of a Narnack Records CMJ showcase.

AND the (mad) man has lined up a second date the night before (Oct 24th) at Gramercy Theater. Tickets are on sale. Just to be clear, that's two NYC shows in two CMJ days for Lee "Scratch" Perry.

Perry recently released his latest album, Repentance, on Narnack in August with a lead single (download it above) and video entitled... ahem... "Pum Pum". The album is produced by Andrew WK (part owner of Santos Party House where the CMJ party is) and features Moby, Don Fleming, Brian Chippendale (Lightning Bolt) and.... Sasha Grey? Is that where the "Pum Pum" comes from?

More tour dates TBA soon. Videos below...

Continue reading "Lee 'Scratch' Perry - 2 NYC shows during CMJ, MP3, video "

photos by Chris Graham

Lee Perry's new album 'Repentance' - out since Aug 19, 2008 on Narnack

Lee Perry @ the Bumbershoot Festival - Aug 31, 2008

Lee's only upcoming scheduled gig is September 8th at Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach, CA, BUT he is listed as one of the artists playing CMJ this year, so stay tuned for exact details of an October live show in NYC (which may or may not be at Santos Party House on October 25th where Narnack band Restaurant is listing a show). Yes, that is smoke coming out of Lee's head. More pics from Bumbershoot below....

Continue reading "Lee 'Scratch' Perry - new album, Bumbershoot pics, CMJ"

Something tells me that Andrew WK is just amusing himself by calling the venue fomerly known as SANTA'S Party House, "Santos' Party House", but who knows...

Santos' Party House has prepared their downstairs space for a series of nightly pre-opening parties. Now you can come dance. The upstairs will be open soon.

Santos' Party House is located at 100 Lafayette Street, one block south of Canal Street, Manhattan, New York City.

Santos' Party House is a two-level, 8000 sq. foot venue, centrally located in the downtown New York City, straddling Chinatown and Tribeca.

Focused on blurring the lines between music and art culture, the venue is designed to function as a concert hall, dance club, and lounge.

Featuring a top-notch, global lineup of weekly residents and one-off events, Santos' Party House has been built from the ground up to rival any venue in the world.

More coming... [Andrew WK]

Andrew WK is playing a 'live solo pianos' show at "Get Weird" @ the New Museum in NYC this Thursday May 15th. More details and stuff below...

Continue reading "ANDREW WK playing New Museum, calling New Venue "Santos' Party House", working with Lee Scratch Perry"

Back when the Rocks Off "School of Rock" festival in NJ was announced, I definitely wondered if, and hoped that, the Weakerthans would play their own NYC show as well. The Bad Brains are doing it - also for Rocks Off - on a boat (now sold out). Ends up - so are the Weakerthans, and it's this Friday June 22nd (NOT SOLD OUT).

Lee "Scratch" Perry (tix), Lucero (tix), Clutch (tix) RJD2 (tix), and many others are playing concert cruises too.