Want a piece of art by the Les Savy Fav frontman? Want it for free? Keep reading...

Continue reading "Tim Harrington giving away free art"

photos by Tim Griffin

Les Savy Fav are playing very few shows in 2011. One of them was at Music Hall of Williamsburg on 9/6. Another took place 23 days later in Austin as part of the Mohawk's 5th birthday celebration. Happy birthday Mohawk! Here are some pics from that Texas show. They continue below...

Continue reading "Les Savy Fav helped the Mohawk celebrate 5 years (pics)"

DOWNLOAD: Oberhofer - "Gotta Go" (MP3)

photos by Bryan Bruchman

A Les Savy Fav show is a parade of ridiculousity mixed in with taut post-hardcore/punk. They're the perfect mix of seriously good band and seriously fun - a perfect band to have playing on the occasion of a four-year anniversary celebration. Brooklyn venue Music Hall of Williamsburg blew out the candles on four years last night (9/6) with the sometimes-scantily-clad-but-always-zany antics of LSF vocalist Tim Harrington, whose band headlined the rainy evening with cheery Brooklyn band Oberhofer and opener Chron Turbine. Pictures from the show are in this post.

The show was one of only two US dates scheduled for LSF in 2011 (10/7 in DC is the other), and one of only three total shows scheduled for LSF if you include their upcoming appearance/curatorial duties at ATP's Nightmare Before Christmas in Minehead in December (featuring the return of Hot Snakes and Bitch Magnet, along with appearances from Battles, Sun Ra Arkestra and many esteemed others).

For Oberhofer, their appearance at MHOW was the second in the past few weeks including their appearance at the Spotify show at Mercury Lounge on August 25th with The Suzan and Exitmusic. Oberhofer recently dropped a new song "Gotta Go" due on their upcoming debut full-length for Glassnote (who, after a long label bidding war, Oberhofer recently announced they signed to). Download it above.

More pictures from the show below...

Continue reading "Les Savy Fav, the Glassnote-signed Oberhofer & Chron Turbine played MHOW's 4th birthday (pics)"

Blood Orange @ PS1 on 8/20 (more by Erez Avissar)

One of the many casualties of Irene was the free Spotify-sponsored CANT/Blood Orange show that was supposed to happen at Mercury Lounge on Sunday. Luckily that show had no trouble rescheduling and will now take place this Tuesday, August 30th. Doors for the free late-night show are at 11:30pm. Expect CANT to hit the stage around 1am. As previously mentioned, this will be CANT (aka Chris Taylor of Grizzly Bear)'s NYC live debut.

CANT's debut record, Dreams Come True, is out on September 13th on Chris's own Terrible Records. You can listen to two songs, "Answer" and "Believe", now on Spotify.

The last free Spotify show featured The Suzan, Exitmusic and a headlining set by Oberhofer who, in addition to having a bunch of songs streaming on Spotify, also made a Spotify playlist that you can listen to if you have the application.

Oberhofer's next NYC appearance has also been announced. Catch them opening for Les Savy Fav, along with Chron Turbine, at Music Hall of Williamsburg on Tuesday, September 6th. Tickets are still on sale.

You can also catch CANT at Music Hall of Williamsburg, but only DJing, on September 13th. CANT and Blood Orange head out on a tour in October that hits Bowery Ballroom on October 25th.

Speaking of Exitmusic, they have a new video for "The Hours" which you can watch below...

Continue reading "free CANT & Blood Orange Spotify show rescheduled, Oberhofer added to Les Savy Fav @ MHOW"

by BBG

The graphic on the top page of the Hot Snakes website


After a tease almost exactly a year ago, Hot Snakes are officially back in business with a scheduled appearance at ATP's Nightmare Before Christmas! The previously mentioned UK festival goes down at Butlins Holiday Centre in Minehead from 12/9 - 12/11 and features names that range from No Age to Archers of Loaf to Theo Parrish. Tickets are on sale. Hot Snakes will appear on the Les Savy Fav-curated day, with the other two days curated by Battles and Caribou (who will all perform at the festival). Full lineup is below.

So far, the single UK date is the only Hot Snakes date scheduled, but East Coast-ers look out....

"yeah, im super stokified on this. so far just ATP is confirmed. we are talking about maybe doin a couple more shows before hand. not sure where but not west coast. we will be hangin on the east coast so most likely out there or in europe.i will letchu know. don't know who is playin drums. trying to figure out the scheduling and who is up for it and what makes the most sense. please do not share your thoughts or preferences on the matter. not interested in suggestions. Night Marchers shows most likely will not coincide with this trip. good times." -[John Reis]

Earlier today we mentioned that Obits also have a string of August dates scheduled with Disappears.

Fest curators Les Savy Fav have a NYC show coming up at MHOW.

Full ATP Nightmare before Christmas details and some Hot Snakes videos are below.

Continue reading "Hot Snakes reuniting for ATP UK, planning more shows!"

Les Savy Fav at Mercury Lounge in September (more by Gabi Porter)

Les Savy Fav aren't doing much leading up to ATP UK in December which they are co-curating, but they have a few spread out dates this summer. They open for Handsome Furs in Canada the day before both bands play Seattle's Capitol Hill Block Party this weekend.

After the block party, Les Savy Fav have nothing scheduled until they play a hometown show on September 6 at Music Hall of Williamsburg. Tickets go on sale Thursday (7/21) at noon.

The Handsome Furs tour hits NYC on August 18 at Webster Hall. Tickets are still available for that show.

Meanwhile, Moonface (aka Spencer Krug of Wolf Parade) is in NYC tonight (7/20 at Mercury Lounge with Flow Child. Tickets are still on sale!

All dates below...

Continue reading "Les Savy Fav book a show, Moonface is here now (dates)"

As previously mentioned, Battles have been in the studio working on their follow-up to 2007's Mirrored. The new album, titled Gloss Drop, is set to be released June 7 on Warp and features an array of guests including Kazu Makino of Blonde Redhead, Gary Numan, Yamantaka Eye of Boredoms, and Matias Aguayo. Perhaps they'll help fill the void caused by the departure of guitarist/vocalist Tyondai Braxton. You can preorder the album here. Battles have also announced an international tour in support of the album including April 27 at Le Poisson Rouge. All dates are listed below.

Although Tyondai Braxton will not be performing with them, as mentioned, he will be performing dates with the Wordless Music Orchestra including one at NYC's Alice Tully Hall this Monday, March 7th.

Battles are also co-curating, with Caribou and Les Savy Fav, ATP Nightmare Before Christmas which is happening in the UK this December. Tickets go on sale 3/3 at 5 PM. In other Caribou related news, he is planning a split vinyl with Four Tet. Listen to each artist's contribution below.

Helmet, the band previous home to Battles drummer John Stanier, also plays this month as part of the Metalliance Tour with Saint Vitus, Crowbar, Red Fang, Howl, The Atlas Moth, and Kylesa. That hits Irving Plaza on March 25th.

All Battles dates, tracklisting, and MP3 streams below...

Continue reading "Battles announce new album & tour dates, co-curating an ATP"

Les Savy Fav (more by Gabi Porter)

Les Savy Fav are currently touring Australia and New Zealand, and by the end of February they'll be on tour in the UK, but before then they'll play Bowery Ballroom on 2/16. Tickets for the NYC show go on sale today at noon.

Les Savy Fav will be joined at Bowery by new Frenchkiss signees 1,2,3. 1,2,3 played a NYC show at Public Assembly during this past CMJ, and wrote this on their blog right after:

"Played a brief set at CMJ last night. It went well, thanks to those who came out.

I suppose I'll make it official by saying we start recording our LP this Monday for French Kiss Records. I'm super excited--we're doing it with Nicolas Vernhes (Deerhunter, Animal Collective, Spoon, Black Dice) at Rare Book Room in Brooklyn. Alot of the stuff we've done so far could be considered conservative next to some of the shit we plan to do for the album. We just plan to make a record that makes us happy, and hopefully it'll do the same for others. We'll get some pictures up and maybe a few videos as we go."

Despite having been together for under a year, Pittsburgh duo Nic Snyder and Josh Sickels have already made waves in the UK this year,...[receiving] rave reviews for a string of live UK shows in May, including The Great Escape festival & Club NME, which were closely followed by the release of their critically acclaimed Chess Club debut 7" 'Going Away Party', that received multiple Radio 1 plays from Zane Lowe and Fearne Cotton

Big Troubles (who have the best website ever) are also on board for the Bowery show, and have a few other NYC dates scheduled in the coming weeks including the next day (2/17) with The Beets and German Measles at 285 Kent Ave, a show with Gary War at Cake Shop on 4/2, and May 6th at Webster Hall with The Pains of Being Pure At Heart and Twin Shadow (tickets).

All tour dates, and some videos below...

Continue reading "Les Savy playing a NYC show w/ new Frenchkiss-signing 1,2,3 (Big Troubles playing that show & other dates too) "

photos by Gabi Porter

"Came home soaked in beer glitter sweat and smelling like Tim Harringtons arm pit the girl thought strip club nope Les Savy Fav record launch" -JasonFerguson

"glitter & purple spandex & the sweat descends & awesomeness. les savy fav nails it every time." -madeleinepascal

"Thanks to @IAMBEARDO I am covered in glitter for my commute. Another excellent Les Savy Fav experience". -TimDuffy

Tim, Syd & Harrison @ Mercury Lounge Wednesday night

If I didn't head to Brooklyn Masonic Temple last night (9/8) to catch Sleep, without a doubt I would have been at Mercury Lounge to catch the great Les Savy Fav. The show, a release party for the band's new LP Root for Ruin (out now on digital, and avail in hard formats on Tues, 9/14), featured the (anything but) normal antics of vocalist Tim Harrington (who recently played the last-ever(?) pool party) and from the looks of it, the OMGs and ROFLs were bountiful. The band focused heavily on the new record, but threw in old classics like 'Who Rocks the Party' & 'The Sweat Descends' as well. -BBG

Speaking of ROFLs, comedian Matt McCarthy opened the show which just made it a funny past week in general for LSF guitarist and Frenchkiss label-boss Syd Butler who also curated the lineup of comedians that played ATP NY Friday night.

Oh and speaking of comedians, Stereogum sister-site Videogum is hosting the festivities at The Bell House in Brooklyn TONIGHT (9/9). Laugh your way into the Jewish New Year with free comedy by Max Silvestri, Joe Mande, Gabe Liedman, John Mulaney, Jon Glaser & more (8pm doors).

Speaking of Frenchkiss, one of their new signings, Young Man, who are opening the BrooklynVegan CMJ showcase this year, released a Daytrotter session you can grab today.

More pictures and video from the Mercury Lounge show are below....

Continue reading "Les Savy Fav played Mercury Lounge (pics & video), Young Man did Daytrotter (MP3s), Videogum in Brooklyn (tonight)"

photos by Chris Doss

"It was all worth it to see DMC, Andrew WK and a yeti-dressed Tim Harrington on stage together singing "Walk This Way."

Watching that. Then turning around and seeing the Manhattan skyline over the East River. And seeing the hundreds of people sitting in the grass behind the tents. Then walking home to my apartment. And realizing that this is something real that has actually happened. It's hard to be mad at the pretentiousness of a crowd, or peoples' ignorance (heard a dude say "Who is that guy?" when Tim Harrington came out. Made me giggle.) when this is a world where things like this can happen" [Times Ain't That Rough]

Continue reading "Andrew WK & Tim Harrington played w/ DMC (instead of Run) @ the Pool Party @ Williamsburg Waterfront (pics & video) "

Tickets are on sale for the show Les Savy Fav is playing at Mercury Lounge that we are also giving away two pairs for. As previously mentioned, you can also get tickets with a CD pre-order at Other Music.

Video of an "Impromptu jam during Les Savy Fav's Root For Ruin recording session winter/spring 2010", and similar videos, below...

Continue reading "Les Savy Fav Mercury Lounge show on sale "

photos by Andrew Frisicano

Les Savy Fav's new album "Root For Ruin" is out now, but only via iTunes (more about that from Tim Harrington in the video below). Want to listen before you buy? You can do that over at Spinner. On August 24th you can buy the MP3s at all other fine digital establishments, and the record's physical CD/LP release date is September 14th via Frenchkiss Records. Cover art above.

Six days before that, September 8th, the band will play an intimate release show at Mercury Lounge in NYC (Doors: 9:30). Tickets will cost you $15 (on sale on Ticketmaster Friday), but you can also get a free ticket if you pre-order "Root For Ruins" at Other Music (for a limited time and while tickets last). We also have two pair you can try to win.

Contest details, a set of pictures from NXNE where Les Savy Fav played a late-night Scion-sponsored show at Wrongbar with Best Coast, and more, below...

Continue reading "Les Savy Fav playing intimate NY release show (win tix, stream album, buy @ iTunes, check out some NXNE pics, more)"

"Seth" @ Union Pool - July 24, 2010 (amythistle)

TheDeathSet, No Age, Lightning Bolt and Cap'n Jazz play today's free Pool Party at the Williamsburg Waterfront Brooklyn Bowl. Afterwards? Well, Cap'n Jazz is playing Maxwell's (yes, they are), and it looks like a band with five letters total in their name (?? ???) are headlining that Universal Order Of Armageddon show at Death By Audio. hmm...

Speaking of secret shows, Les Savy Fav guitarist Seth Jabour is getting married. To celebrate, his bandmates held him a bachelor party at Union Pool last night which was a ladies-only Les Savy Fav concert. That's a picture taken at the show above. One more, along with the invite, below...

Continue reading "Pool Party today, secret shows later & last night"

photos by Greg Cristman

Einstein Music Journal: What are the challenges of being both the owner of your record label and an artist on the roster?

LSF's Syd Butler: It's awful! But I wouldn't want it any other way. Thank God for Paul (label manager at Frenchkiss Records) or I would be submitted into a hospital. The big challenges come when I am in label mode and talking to my band mates about what is expected - as a label you want your band to tour and do as much as you can to work the record. My band has other plans - it's like herding cats.

Les Savy Fav traveled to Canada for a sweaty, close-quarters show at NXNE (pics from which are coming soon). They'll have a full tour this fall (TBA), but currently, they're back in Canada for a July 3rd set at Calgary's Sled Island Fest.

LSF's new album, called Root for Ruin, will be released September 14th on (bandmember Syd Butler's) Frenchkiss Records. The track list, cover art, more info and more pictures from the Newtown Barge Park show, below...

Continue reading "Les Savy Fav played Newtown Barge Park w/ Polvo & Grails (pics), announce new album (details)"

DOWNLOAD: Fucked Up - Here Lies Are (MP3)

Fucked Up @ MWTX in Austin (more by Andrew Frisicano)

Lineups for Brooklyn's Northside Festival are coming together-- and some of the bigger shows (that aren't at Music Hall) are going to be at Greenpoint's Newtown Barge Park. First, Titus Andronicus, Cults and a special guest play an afternoon (1pm) show on Saturday, June 26th. Later that night, Liars, Fucked Up and High Places play the space (6pm). Then the next night (6/27, 6pm), Les Savy Fav performs with Polvo and Grails. Tickets to all three are on sale now. The shows are all ages (badges, which you must be 21+ to purchase, get you in too, capacity permitting).

Northside writes that the shows will be the first at the 1,500-capacity park space. Newtown Barge Park is a triangle of land at the corner of Franklin and Commercial Streets, and is part of the proposed plan (PDF) to expand Williamsburg/Greenpoint's waterfront park space.

The BrooklynVegan Northside show takes place the same Saturday as Titus --> Fucked Up/Liars, but at Music Hall of Williamsburg. Doors for that are 8pm, and it goes later. Tickets are now on sale.

Titus may DO NOT have another Brooklyn show coming up, on Thursday, June 3rd at Glasslands with Boogie Boarder. It has been cancelled. It was supposed to be a benefit for Neighbors Allied for Good Growth, a group frontman Patrick Stickles has talked about before...

Pitchfork: Best Purchase of the Past Year

Patrick Stickles: We can't take too much pride in the things we that own, can we? If I can get on my soapbox for a minute.... Isn't it much more important not what things we bought, but where we bought them? I'd love for you to remind your Brooklyn-based readership that they should make a point of not supporting the new Duane Reade that's moving in across the street from the historic Kings Pharmacy on Bedford Avenue. If you'd pass that along I'd appreciate that a lot. You can read a lot more about it at the website of this community group called Neighbors Allied for Good Growth. We all need to remember to vote with our dollars and take a stand for locally owned independent businesses, because that's what makes American capitalism great.

Grails has a new EP coming out. Grab an MP3 from that.

Fucked Up recently posted a new song that'll appear on a 12" split with Serena-Maneesh. You can get it above. Also, Damian from Fucked Up has been Internet debating the new Arizona immigration laws with fellow Canadian band Stars via Twitter and Stereogum.

All tour dates for Titus and Fucked Up are below...

Continue reading "Fucked Up, Liars, Titus Andronicus, Les Savy Fav, Polvo & others playing Greenpoint's Barge Park (and other dates) "

"Like last year, everything will be taking place in Williamsburg and Greenpoint because walking long distances is a drag when there are bands to see and beer to drink, we mean seriously. Us here at The L Magazine will be booking a share of shows on our own, but, for a large chunk of the festival, we've once again handed over curatorial control to some of the most tasteful, talented and dedicated folks in New York's independent music scene -- record labels, bloggers, promoters and more -- allowing them to showcase the bands they think you need to hear. The Williamsburg Gallery Association is again on board to highlight special exhibitions and other events at over 25 art galleries in the neighborhood. And to celebrate Northside's second year, we've invited a few of the city's biggest aficionados of independent film to curate four nights of New York-made movies at Brooklyn's new, as-yet-unopened film house-music club-restaurant-bar, indieScreen."

Music, art and movies will be happening at "30+ venues" and "dozens of galleries" over the course of four days in Greenpoint and Williamsburg. Like SXSW & CMJ, you can buy tickets to individual events, or you can get a badge which gets you in to everything that isn't already at badge-capacity. $50 badges are now on sale to those 21 and over. If you buy a badge, "Arrive to venues early - badgeholders are admitted on a first-come, first-served, one-out, one-in basis."

If you buy a badge you can take your chances at getting into one of the four Northside shows happening at Music Hall of Williamsburg (BrooklynVegan showcase included), Fiery Furnaces at Brooklyn Bowl, and WAVVES & Cloud Nothings at Knitting Factory. TONS more shows TBA, but the initial list of bands that will be playing has been announced (I'm especially excited to see The Wave Pictures, Fucked Up, Liars, Parenthetical Girls and Les Savy Fav on there in addition to what we've previously talked about) (and yes Titus Andronicus is on there). Check it out below...

Continue reading "2010 Northside Festival - tickets & intial lineup (includes Liars, Fucked Up, Les Savy Fav, Polvo & many more)"

The NXNE music festival (650 bands, 7 days, 40 films, 50 venues) happens in Toronto from June 14th-20th. The 2010 lineup for that fest so far includes Iggy & the Stooges, X, Les Savy Fav, Sloan, The Raveonettes, De La Soul, Man or Astroman, Thee Oh Sees and many more. The full list is posted below. Tickets are on sale.

Continue reading "NXNE 2010 - initial lineup, dates & tickets"

by BBG

DOWNLOAD: Saxon Shore - "This Place" (MP3)

Saxon Shore (photo by Geordy Peterson)

American post-rockers Saxon Shore hit back. It Doesn't Matter, the quintet's follow-up to 2005's The Exquisite Death of Saxon Shore is a welcome return to form for the band and their original leader Matthew Doty.

Having gone through a long period of upheaval - be it line-up changes and relocations - the band spent four solid years as a unit before plucking up the courage to hit the Tarbox Road Studios Cabin out in Cassadega, New York.

Apt then, that the unearthing of It Doesn't Matter follows a line of melodic delicacy that recent post-rock efforts appear to have departed. Album opener "Nothing Changes" rocks gently into the onslaught of feedback drenched guitars while 'Bar Clearing Good Times' maintains an unexpected steadiness that other same-vein bands like Explosions In The Sky often make the habit of breaking from. -[Altsounds]

Les Savy Fav @ BAM - 1/29/10 (photo by Steven P. Marsh)

'Sounds like Brooklyn' kicked off last night (1/29) at BAM (the only venue hosting shows during this first weekend of the fest) with Les Savy Fav and Vivian Girls...

"To my surprise, [Les Savy Fav] played very tight rhythms that zagged all over the place but were not sloppy. I was reminded of times I had seen Modest Mouse, Built To Spill or The Flaming Lips, with the music being loose and jangly, yet deliberate and well-crafted at the same time. The band itself held my interest quite well, as they played the straight men to the antics of Harrington, who, instead of being a distraction, complemented the instruments rather well, reminding me at times of Jello Biafra with his voice and dialogue with the audience. Yes, he was a crazy looking fat dude running all over the stage and into the crowd, but his angry-goofy-gibberish song rants, energy, enthusiasm and sheer earnestness overcame my pre-judgment. At the start of LSF's set, Harrington dropped into the crowd beckoning people to stand, and it ended up being the right thing to do. Despite the opera house setting with assigned seating, it quickly became apparent that it would take a lot more than that to contain the force that is Les Savy Fav." [Qbertplaya]

The full Sounds Like Brooklyn schedule, along with a Les Savy Fav video from last night, below...

Continue reading "Les Savy Fav played BAM, Saxon Shore playing the Knit, 'Sounds Like Brooklyn' underway - full schedule & more "

IFC is creating a cuisine-oriented programming block to air Tuesday nights.

After a successful six-episode run of "Dinner With the Band" that began in November, Rainbow cabler is ramping up its episode order to 10 and teaming it with "Food Party" as an hourlong block.

"Band" teams chef Sam Mason and an indie band, which performs on the show, at a Brooklyn loft. Conversation ensues about life on the road and the food the musicians eat while touring.... Programming block will air from at 10 p.m. beginning April 27. [Variety]

Continue reading "upcoming artists appearing on Dinner With The Band (new IFC season premieres in April) "

Les Savy Fav rides the ladder at Fun Fun Fun Fest (more)

"Launched in 2007, Sounds Like Brooklyn Music Festival (formerly known as Brooklyn Next) is BAM's annual showcase of the some of the most innovative music coming out of the borough. The program features concerts in the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House, BAMcafé, and partner venues around Brooklyn that highlight the breadth and depth of music produced by Brooklyn artists working in jazz, hip-hop, rock, electronic, brass band, and every other hybrid genre in between. As a vehicle for artist development, Sounds Like Brooklyn focuses on emerging and mid-career musicians working at the intersection of innovation and tradition."

Continue reading "Les Savy Fav, Antlers, Vivian Girls, Ra Ra Riot & more playing 2010 BAM Sounds Like Brooklyn shows"

Local Natives @ BV loft - CMJ 2009 (more by Chris La Putt)

Frenchkiss Records is celebrating its 10th year in existence. Started by Les Savy Fav's Syd Butler in 1999 as a way for his band to release their second album, the label has grown to include over 25 bands with over 40 releases. Most recently they've found success with The Dodos, The Antlers, and of course, Passion Pit who are definitely now pretty "huge". Though still on Frenchkiss, Passion Pit are also shared with Columbia Records (home of Mew, MGMT, The Ting Tings, Bob Dylan, Neil Diamond, and... Slayer).

And it continues. Frenchkiss announced this week that they signed not one, but two CMJ 2009 buzz bands - both with fine new albums and impressive live shows to match. The NYC label will release California band Local Natives' Gorilla Manor (already out in Europe) on February 26, 2010. They also just signed NYC's Freelance Whales, though like with Passion Pit, that deal is shared with someone else - Mom+Pop Records to be exact, aka. the label that also just snagged Tokyo Police Club (who share a manager with Passion Pit).

The Antlers headline Bowery Ballroom on December 15th. Get tickets before they sell out. Uninhabitable Mansions and Sharon Van Etten (who is sure to sing with the headliners too) open the show. Their only other scheduled show at the moment is March 3rd at Union Chapel in London.

Local Natives are still on tour with Fool's Gold and Edward Sharpe. They visited NYC in November which wasn't long after CMJ when the band played two BV parties - one at Pianos and the one in a loft. Updated dates below.

Freelance Whales are currently on tour with Fanfarlo. That tour ends in NYC on December 18th at Webster Hall. Tickets are still on sale. Freelance Whales also played a BV CMJ show @ Pianos.

Tim Harrington, when not belting out rock songs and climbing over the crowd on a ladder in his underwear as the frontman of Les Savy Fav, makes a "line of patterned products" called Deadly Squire. This Sunday (TODAY), December 6th, Deadly Squire is having a huge sale at Bird in Williamsburg (Brooklyn). Flyer below.

Slayer is going on tour with Megadeth and Testament in January. A "Raining Blood" video with all the other stuff below...

Continue reading "the label connections of Slayer-->Passion Pit-->the Antlers--> Local Natives --> Freelance Whales --> Tokyo Police Club"

Annual Austin music festival Fun Fun Fun Fest lived up to its name once again today (Saturday, November 7th). And that was just Day One. The fun continues on Sunday which ends with a headlining set by Danzig (and Of Montreal on another stage). More coverage and pictures to come, but before I run out to the Saturday night afterparties (going to try and see Voxtrot at Mohawk and Negative Approach at Red 7), I just wanted to post a few pictures. Check them out below...

Continue reading "Fun Fun Fun Fest - Day 1 in pics "

Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings @ Radio City (more by Natasha Ryan)

"The new six-part IFC Original Series, DINNER WITH THE BAND is the first alternative cooking show combining culinary delights, musical performances and conversations with some of today's most acclaimed indie rock artists.

On DINNER WITH THE BAND, Sam Mason, the tattooed and celebrated NYC chef (Tailor, WD-50), invites a band to his Brooklyn loft where he shows them how to add his signature culinary spin to their favorite "on-tour" food. In the meantime, Chef Mason and the artists converse on food, music, and life while cooking together. After they "chow down" they "get down" as each act takes to the loft's stage to play a rockin' musical set.

Bands with dinner reservations this season include, Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, Kid Sister and Flosstradamus, Les Savy Fav, YACHT, Final Fantasy, and MEN.

Chef Mason, who recently took on Iron Chef Morimoto on Iron Chef America, is the former pastry chef of New York's WD-50 and current proprietor of SOHO's contemporary dining and cocktail parlor, Tailor. A modern day pioneer of avant-garde cooking and a James Beard nominee, Mason brings a casual approach to his dishes that stimulate the palate as well as the dialogue.

DINNER WITH THE BAND will debut on IFC in November 2009."

Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings have a handful of shows scheduled between now and the end of the year, and one of them is taking place at Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, NJ on December 5th. Tickets are on sale. All dates below...

Continue reading "Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings - 2009 Tour Dates (Starland Ballroom) +++ Dinner With the Band (on IFC)"

photos by Tim Griffin

Knitting Factory's move to Brooklyn is finally complete and the doors are open. After a friends and family performance-less soft opening on Tuesday, Les Savy Fav truly broke in the place with one of the band's trademark bonkers performances on Wednesday evening (9/9). Comedian and new SNL writer Hannibal Burress warmed up the attentive, approximately-250-capacity crowd with a solid 20 minute set. The room was full, but never too packed. Bill wrote a little bit more what it was like inside on the previous night.

Check it out tonight (9/10) when Boss Hog hits the Brooklyn stage (with Shilpa Ray opening). On Saturday, Boss Hog perform at ATP in Monticello. Full Knitting Factory schedule HERE.

More pictures from opening night, below...

Continue reading "Les Savy Fav & Hannibal Buress helped open the new Knitting Factory in Brooklyn - pics "

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Princeton - Calypso Gold (MP3)
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DOWNLOAD: Sondre Lerche - Good Luck (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Marmoset - Peach Cobbler (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Marmoset - Florist Fired (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Marmoset - Winter (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Marmoset - Lemon Meringue Live (Zip)

Wild Beasts @ Joe's Pub, Tuesday night - 9/8/09

Even without All Tomorrow's Parties, this week is bananas with quality shows, so much so I'm dividing this week's column into two parts. (Which means more tomorrow.) I caught Wild Beasts' New York debut last night (9/8) at Joe's Pub and they were fantastic, wowing pretty much everyone in the room. I wrote over at Sound Bites...

Wild Beasts' magic is in the interplay between the four members, and it's best just to think of them as one slithering unit. Vocals trade lines between Flemming and Thorpe like twins, and the guitar lines snake around one another, bass pulses and ebbs, while drummer Chris Talbot (the band's secret weapon) gives most songs a tribal feel -- lots of toms, not so much cymbals. Nobody stood still for a second, bassists-guitarists-singers Hayden Thorpe and Tom Flemming swinging and swaying, hooting and howling. A bit more "rock" than the versions on new album Two Dancers (Talbot plays a little more four-on-the-floor live) but if it's subtleties are missing, it's made up in a mesmerizing group performance.

Knitting Factory in Brooklyn, Tuesday night - 9/8/09

After Wild Beasts, I bolted back to Williamsburg for the "soft opening" of the new Knitting Factory space which will get baptized officially tonight (9/9) by Tim Harrington and the rest of Les Savvy Fav. No bands last night, just drinks and a looksee around the place. It's nice. The Knitting Factory folks have completely transformed the Luna Lounge space which suffered from being one giant space with nowhere to go if you wanted to escape the noise. They smartly divided the space in half, with a bar room up front and the performance space in back. The front bar room has a number of booths and a nook where a small band could play. The actual bar is set against the wall that divides it from the performance space which is where the double-layer of super-thick soundproof glass windows are, so you can still see the bands play even if you'd rather be talking to friends. They'll pipe in a monitor feed to the bar room so you can still hear the bands, just at a much lower volume.

Knitting Factory in Brooklyn, Tuesday night - 9/8/09

The elongated Knitting Factory performance space looks to be about the same capacity as Mercury Lounge, with what looks to me like a slightly smaller stage than when it was Luna Lounge. There's a bar stage right so you don't have to go to the other room for a drink. The floor slopes down slightly from the sides of the room, like the world's gentlest half-pipe so the shorter among us might want to stay to the sides for a better view. There was no band playing last night, so I can't say how it sounds, but stage lighting looked really nice and they have built-in smoke machines for when Blacklist or Cold Cave play. It's a nice space and I'm anxious to actually see a band play there. Tonight will definitely be a trial by fire with Les Savy Fav, and the place should have a bit of that lived-in feel after they get done. Tomorrow night (9/10) is Boss Hog and Shilpa Ray, and Friday has Seattle's The Spits and Austin's Woven Bones, two bands who might just put those smoke machines to use. More on them tomorrow in TWII Pt2. More upcoming shows mentioned HERE. More pictures inside the new venue at Gothamist.

Sondre Lerche @ Bowery Ballroom, Tuesday night - 9/8/09 (more by Tim Griffin)

Just a couple other reminders of shows I've mentioned before. Sondre Lerche played Bowery Ballroom last night (9/8), which was a record release party of sorts for his very entertaining sixth album, Heartbeat Radio. He does it again tonight, this time in his neighborhood at Music Hall of Williamsburg. You should be able to get tickets at the door. As I said last week, he's a funny, entertaining performer with lots of between-song stories.

Princeton

Princeton play Union Hall tonight (9/9) which is kind of a record release party for their full-length debut, Cocoon of Love. It's not actually out till Sept 29 but you can get it via iTunes as of yesterday. It's a really nice bit of harmony-laden chamber pop (you can stream the whole thing at Spinner), with shades of Belle & Sebastian and Magnetic Fields. You can download the album's "Calypso Gold" at the top of this post. They're pretty good live too. After tonight's Union Hall show, Princeton head out on tour with Ra Ra Riot. All tour dates are below.

Maromoset

And Indianapolis' Marmoset hit town today for their first of two shows. Tonight (9/9) it's Cake Shop and Thursday is Bruar Falls. If you like your indie rock heavily influenced by the likes of early Creation records, Syd Barrett, and Swell Maps while being filtered through some sort of off-kilter David Lynch sensibility, well you probably already know and like Marmoset. In reviewing their 2007 album Florist Fired, Pitchfork wrote "Marmoset's previous full-length, 2001's 13-song, 33-minute exercise in Anglophilic indie Record in Red, quietly ranks among the best albums released by Secretly Canadian." Marmoset's brand-new album, Tea Tornado, is more of the same. And that's a good thing.

Tomorrow in TWII Pt2: Kings of Convenience, Super Furry Animals, The Intelligence, Woven Bones, The Spits and more.

Tour dates and appropriate video after the jump...

Continue reading "Wild Beasts (played Joe's, 2 more to go), Knitting Factory (opens tonight), Princeton & more in This Week in Indie"