Titus Andronicus at House of Vans in August (more by Ryan Muir)

Titus Andronicus are gearing up to release their great new record, Local Business, next week (10/23) via XL. You've probably already downloaded one of the leaks of the album or streamed it on NPR by now so we know you'll be rushing to your local record store to pick up a copy the day it drops and their tour simultaneously starts. But one day before that, Titus will play an extremely intimate record release show in Brooklyn at Shea Stadium (10/22) with Dan Friel and Liquor Store. Tickets for that show go on sale Tuesday (10/16) at noon via Brown Paper Tickets. The show is sure to sell out so act quick.

Their tour with Ceremony brings the band back to the NY/NJ area for shows at Maxwell's (12/1) (sold out) and the much larger Webster Hall (12/2) (tickets).

An updated list of dates and some song streams from the new album are below.

Continue reading "Titus Andronicus playing record release show at Shea Stadium before tour (updated dates)"

photos by Nate "Igor" Smith, words by Bill Pearis

A skimasked Nobunny at Otto's Shrunken Head, 9/20/2012

Last night at East Village tiki bar Otto's Shunken Head, Sailor Jerry presented a night of garage bubblegum insanity with Nobunny, The Tough Shits and Bad Sports. Nobunny apparently misplaced his disturbing rabbit mask and performed with a skimask instead. Needless to say, the rum-fueled show was wild and sweaty. We've got a few pictures from his set in this post.

UPDATE: The Tough Shits didn't play, word is they couldn't get off work. It's tough being a band, these days.

Hopefully Nobunny has found his mask since, as he and Bad Sports play NYC again tonight (9/21) at Living Bread Deli (2 Knickerbocker) with Xray Eyeballs and Liquor Store. Nobunny and Bad Sports continue their tour Philly tomorrow (9/22) and cross the finish line at next weekend's Gonerfest.

If you haven't checked out Bad Sports, who are Nobunny's backing band on this tour, their 2011 Kings of the Weekend album is sneery, shoutalong punk a la the Ramones or early Damned and can be streamed below via Spotify. All remaining Nobunny/Bad Sports dates are listed below.

Continue reading "Nobunny played Otto's Shrunken Head with Bad Sports (pics); playing tonight at Living Bread Deli"

DOWNLOAD: The Hood Internet - "Grown Up Has No Trigger" (MP3)

As mentioned, The Hood Internet are releasing their new album, FEAT, on October 2 and playing shows in support of it including a NYC date on August 11 at Brooklyn Bowl. That show is no longer happening, and Brooklyn Bowl calendar now lists an early show that day (8/11) with Natural Child, The Peoples Temple, and Liquor Store, and a late show with St. Lucia, Big Black Delta, and Capital CIties.

Instead, The Hood Internet will make their way to NYC for a show on September 14 at Music Hall of WIlliamsburg with Body Language, My Gold Mask, and Oscillator Bug. Tickets for that show go on sale Friday (8/3) at noon with an AmEx presale starting Wednesday (8/1) at noon. All Hood Internet dates are listed below.

The Hood Internet recently made a very topical mashup of Danny Brown's "Grown Up" and Dirty Projectors' "Gun Has No Trigger" called "Grown Up Has No Trigger." You can download that above or stream it below, along with a list of all dates...

Continue reading "Hood Internet replace BBowl show with MHOW (updated dates); mashed up Danny Brown & Dirty Projectors (MP3)"

by Bill Pearis

Neon Windbreaker at NXNE 2012 (more by David Andrako)

Toronto punks Neon Windbreaker will be in NYC this week for two shows: Thursday (7/26) at the Swat Bar in Chinatown (59 Canal) with Skaters and Liquor Store, and then on Saturday (7/28) at Death By Audio with Doomsday Student and Tinsel Teeth. They're also looking to play a show on Friday (7/27)...any takers?

Neon Windbreaker used to be a revolving door line-up of members, that included folks from DD/MM/YYYY, The Meligrove Band and Greys. With their debut out this fall on We Are Busy Bodies (Metz, Julie Dorion), the line-up has solidified with members of Modern Superstitions and Beliefs now in the mix. You can stream two shouty, hyper, and catchy tracks from their forthcoming album below.

Continue reading "Toronto's Neon Windbreaker playing NYC this week"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Mean Jeans - Anybody Out There?(MP3)

One of the most spirited crowds I experienced at this year's SXSW was during Mean Jeans' set at the Dirtnap Records showcase. The room was packed, the pit went half the way back and everyone in it seemed to know the words to every song. It was a super fun show.

The Portland party punks are currently on tour which slams into NYC tonight (6/20) at Cake Shop where they'll play with Liquor Store and Foster Care. If you can't make it tonight they also play June 25 at Knitting Factory with The Copyrights, Dear Landlord, The Nightbirds and Dopamines (tickets). The band are out supporting their new album, Mean Jeans on Mars, which rips through 13 snearing, uber-catchy punk anthems in about half an hour. You can download "Anybody Out There?" at the top of this post and watch the video below, along with a list of all tour dates.

Continue reading "Mean Jeans released 'On Mars,' touring, playing 2 NYC shows"

photos by Devan Council

Natural Child at Death by Audio - 6/16/12

Nashville rockers Natural Child were just in the NYC area to open for King Tuff at Maxwell's last Thursday (6/14), and while they were here, they stuck around for a Brooklyn show at Death by Audio on Saturday (6/16) with The Foxx, Liquor Store, and Philly's The Tough Shits. More pictures from that show are below.

Continue reading "Natural Child, The Foxx, Liquor Store & The Tough Shits played Death by Audio (pics)"

Electric Eel Shock at 502 in San Antonio, TX

After a show at Death By Audio earlier this month, Japan's Electric Eel Shock are returning from a trek down to SXSW with Peelander-Z. Their first trek in the US in six years is almost complete, but they have a few shows left on their itinerary with Hot Cha Cha that include a final show at Cake Shop on March 25th with The Vandelles, Hard Nips and DJ Eric Davidson (Livids, New Bomb Turks). $8 gets you in.

Hard Nips are also on board for the four-day Aputumpu Music Festival that will take place across four venues in NYC over the next four days. The party kicks off TONIGHT (3/22) with a show at Shea Stadium featuring The Suzan, Radical Dads, Osekre & The Lucky Bastards, Habibi, and The Toothaches and continues with shows at Public Assembly, Cameo, and a headlining appearance from Japanther at LPR. Tickets are on sale for the entire weekend.

The full festival lineup with all EES tour dates and some video of EES's metal-punk party vibes, below...

Continue reading "Aputumpu Fest begins today; Electric Eel Shock on tour"

by BBG

DOWNLOAD: Roomrunner - "Disintegrate" (MP3)

Roomrunner

Does Denny Bowen think he's Dave Grohl? The former Double Dagger (RIP) drummer is back with a new project called Roomrunner and much like Grohl on that first Foo Fighters LP, Bowen handles all of the instrumentation. Roomrunner is a bit removed from Foo Fighters musically, but does touch on melodic-punk anchored by noisy XL-riffs much like Nirvana or Melvins. Check out "Disintegrate" from the self-titled cassette above (stream all of it below) and stream "Super Vague" from the EP of the same name (due on 5/12) below. Both releases come courtesy of Fan Death.

Roomrunner is also hitting the road for a string of East Coast dates that will include Saturday at Shea Stadium (3/3) with Lanterns, Liquor Store, PC Worship, and Sleepies. All tour dates and streams below....

Continue reading "Roomrunner (ex-Double Dagger) prepares new EP, touring, playing Shea Stadium Saturday (dates & MP3)"

It's here! Uncle Bad Touch. The self-titled debut. We love this album! And to celebrate, we've got a great line-up for the album release show at Death By Audio in Brooklyn on 11/29. Also on the show: Liquor Store, Missing Monuments, and Bosco Delrey.

Congrats to Uncle Bad Touch (mem Priestess) whose album is currently available via Infinity Cat OR, as Bill previously mentioned, at Death By Audio tonight (11/29). $7 gets you in. The show will be headlined by King Louie's Missing Monuments, their second of two NYC shows. Last night's date was at Cake Shop with Night Birds, Ex-Humans and Pretty Quick.

Liquor Store recently played support on two notable shows - with Fucked Up and Titus Andronicus at Warsaw and with Real Estate and Big Troubles at Bowery.

All Missing Monuments dates and some video is below.

Continue reading "Uncle Bad Touch celebrates new LP tonight w/ Missing Monuments (whose tour dates we now know in full)"

photos by Devan Council

Natural Child @ Union Pool

...The show was awesome, Liquor Store, yea buddied all kinds of punk... and Natural Child are so damn fun live with that classic rock stoner massive groove sound, they're just fun to watch. Having the best time, fucking around with the lyrics, changing them to Monster Mash, and just the sweet southern harmony from this sludge blues. I don't care who's done it before them, no one has ever taken it as not seriously as these three. Don't miss them, they will win you over by being simultaneously nice and out of their minds in the best way.

...Liquor Store and Natural Child ...take primal, hilarious points of view, in Liquor Store's case, it's with more of a hardcore punk sound about being an American man or eating a trash sandwich, while Natural Child sings a lot about weed and getting 'strange'... but they don't ever sound like they're selling it. On paper they're both impossible. -[7 Inches]

Natural Child headlined Union Pool on 10/30 with Liquor Store, Ex Humans, and Dry Feet. Belated pictures from the show are in this post, along with the remainder of Natural Child's dates from their current trek (Liquor Store's only upcoming show is at Bowery Ballroom with Real Estate and Big Troubles), below...

Continue reading "Natural Child, Liquor Store, Ex Humans & Dry Feet @ Union Pool (pics & more dates)"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Twin Sister - "Bad Street" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Your Youth - What Smarts (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Metronomy - "The Bay" (Clock Opera Remix) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Class Actress - Keep You (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Sonny and the Sunsets - I Wanna Do It (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Sonny and the Sandwitches - Throw My Ashes from This Pier When I Die (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Night Beats - Puppet on a String (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Craft Spells - After The Moment (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Craft Spells - Party Talk (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Gardens & Villa - Star Fire Power (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Gardens & Villa - Star Fire Power (MP3)

Oh man it's another crazy week. Let's get into it. Tonight's free SummerScreen in McCarren Park tonight is pretty hard to pass up. Not only are they showing the John Hughes classic Ferris Beuller's Day Off (which is 25 years old this year!) but they got Twin Sister to play before it. In addition to performing lots of songs from their forthcoming album on Domino Records, Twin Sister will also be debuting the music video for their single, "Bad Street." You can download the MP3 of that at the top of this post.

Speaking of MP3s, we've also got one up there from Your Youth who are also playing SummerScreen tonight (6:45PM) and couldn't be more different from Twin Sister. "What Smarts" is a new track from the local duo who are kind of proto-grunge punk. Catchy stuff.

It would be really cool if, say, Your Youth covered "Beat City" by The Flowerpot Men and Twin Sister maybe did Dream Academy's "The Edge of Forever". (Why has Ferris Bueller never gotten a posthumous soundtrack release?) Probably won't happen but one can hope. In addition to the movie and the bands, there's loads of giveaways and such.

Metronomy

The show I am absolutely most excited about this week, without a doubt, is Metronomy who play Hudson River Rocks on Pier 54 on Thursday. Metronomy's third album, The English Riviera, just got nominated for the Mercury Prize (sure to lose to James Blake) and got its stateside release yesterday. As I wrote previously:

The new record retains Metronomy's slightly askew, claustrophobic sound while broadening its scope. There's glammy funk ("We Broke Free," the Roxy-ish "She Wants"), a guitar pop ("Everything Goes My Way," a duet with Roxanne Clifford of Veronica Falls), waltz-time ballads  ("Trouble"), and more typical Metronomy-style twitchy disco ("The Bay," "Corrine."). It's also got one of the 2011's best singles, "The Look."

It's definitely one of my favorite albums of the year. (Their last album, Nights Out, was my favorite album of 2008.) The vinyl version comes with the CD which is a trend I would like to see all labels doing. Highly recommended. Watching a few live performance clips , I'm glad to see they're still wearing stick-it-and-click-it lights on their shirts that was a highlight of their old stage show -- even though they're a proper band now (they didn't used to have a drummer).

Also playing the Pier 54 show is American Royalty and Class Actress whose debut album Rapproacher is out October 11 on Carpark. You can snag "Keep You" at the top of this post. Do get there early for openers American Royalty who came out from L.A. just for this show. I caught them at SXSW this year and they kept me entertained on Saturday evening when I was basically burned out on seeing live music. You can check out their hodgepodge electro sound via their Bandcamp page. And if you want to see them again, American Royalty play Lit on Saturday (7/30).

If you want to keep the party going on Thursday after Metronomy, head over to Glasslands for all your sissy bounce italodisco soulclap free booze needs. New Orleans Vockah Redu is like Big Freedia but with more choreography and a subscription to Vogue. (Check out the video at the bottom of this post.) They also play the PS1 warm-up on Saturday. Also playing is Portland's Miracles Club, who played PS1 last weekend. Jonathan Tobin is DJing, it's My Open Bar's 5th anniversary, it's a party.

Sonny

What else is going on this week? Sonny & the Sunsets are backfor the first time since October, playing Mercury Lounge on Friday (7/29) and Glasslands on Saturday (7/30). Have you checked out Sonny's new album, Hit After Hit? As I wrote previously:

Unlike last year's laid back and folky Too Young to Burn, the new album is more of a party --inspired by '60s pop and garage. Opening track "She Plays Yo-Yo with My Mind" cribs liberally from The Standells' "Dirty Water."

At least a couple of the songs on Hit After Hit (including "I Wanna Do It") are reworked versions of songs written for Smith's 100 Records project which you might have caught at the late Cinders Gallery last summer. Embued with Smith's (and fellow Sunset Kelley Stoltz) encyclopedic knowledge of pop and his wry sense of humor, Hit After Hit's a great little record.

Tourmates for this go-round are fellow Bay Area residents The Sandwitches who were described by Sunsets drummer/producer Kelley Stoltz thusly: "Imagine a 60's Girl-group is on tour and their van breaks down near a gothic castle high on the hill, Dario Argento invites them in to perform a concert for his tweaked actors in a big dark red room inside and, if the dream is right, it's the Sandwiches - they'd fit right in with those misfits and speak the same language. I'd like to be there to dance."

Sonny Smith put out a record with The Sandwitches last year, so I'd expect to hear those tracks at these shows. Check out one of them, the twangy, mournful "Throw My Ashes from This Pier When I Die" at the top of this post. I caught Sonny last year when he toured with Kelley Stoltz and it was a great show. Sonny doesn't get enough attention i don't think, so do try and make it to one of these shows.

The Night Beats

Seattle trio The Night Beats are currently on tour with The Black Lips opening for sold out shows at Bowery Ballroom on Friday (7/29) and Maxwell's on Saturday (7/30). But if you wanna catch them in a non-sold-out enviroment, free of the Black Lips, they play Sunday night (7/31) at Shea Stadium with Sweet Bulbs, Dinowalrus, Liquor Store, and Yvette.

The Night Beats' stomping debut is out now on Trouble in Mind. I caught the band at the label's party during SXSW:

I got there as Seattle trio Night Beats were just starting. Never heard them before, but really dug their psych-garage sounds, and they definitely looked the part. They ended their set with a cover of The Count Five's classic "Psychotic Reaction," giving their version a little swing which made it their own.

Check out "Puppet on a String" from their TiM debut at the top of this post. The Shea Stadium show is solid, I like all the bands on the bill.

Craft Spells

Speaking of Seattle, Craft Spells are back in town, playing Mercury Lounge on Saturday (7/30)  -- their first area show since playing here back in April. Live, they eschew the keyboards that are so abundant on their Captured Tracks album in favor of a guitar-oriented line-up which works just fine. (It's very Orange Juice.) They are young and enthusiastic and the songs are ridiculously catchy.

The band are on tour with Santa Barbara, CA's Gardens & Villa who are dreamy and synthy and danceable (kinda like Tony Castles). Their debut album just came out via Secretly Canadian and you can download two tracks from it at the top of this post. Also playing are local synthpop act Selebrities whose free downloadable EP evokes favorable comparisons to all sorts of '80s groups. You can download a free EP from Selebrities here.

Eternal Summers

And finally, don't forget about this Sunday's Beach Party at Beekman Beer Garden with Raveonettes and Eternal Summers. The Raveonettes new album, Raven in the Grave, is a slow burn compared to 2009's poppy In and Out of Control but no less enticing and I've always enjoyed them live. And Eternal Summers can do no wrong for me right now. This will be a very fun show, and likely the first where they might have to turn people away because of capacity so come early. Free!

Ok, that's the main stuff I'm highlighting this week but there are quite a few more recommended shows listed day-by-day below.

The Psychic Paramount @ Union Pool -- 7/26

Disappears @ Union Pool -- 7/26

WEDNESDAY, JULY 27

I had my mind blown twice at Union Pool last night: first by the smoke-machine fueled power of The Psychic Paramount (modern instrumental acid rock? Incredible!) and then by Disappears whose new material written with Steve Shelley is groovier, a little slower than their pedal-to-the-metal first albums but equally awesome. (More Neu!, less Stooges.) They play tonight at Cake Shop. Get up close and watch Disappear's bassist lay it down track after track.

There are so many shows tonight! But if you want to see three of the best bands in NYC right now, head to Mercury Lounge for North Highlands, ARMS and Hospitality. All three groups are holding onto new albums that I am dying to hear. Hospitality were incredible when they played my final Sound Bites show down at Fulton Stall Market two weeks ago.

Avi Buffalo test out new material for their second Sub Pop album at the Rock Shop tonight. With Nic Frietas.

Metronomy aren't the only Mercury Prize nominees in town this week. Anna Calvi plays tonight at Le Poisson Rouge.

Out at Bushwick's Brooklyn Fireproof, you can see The Gytters (who I wrote about last week) and Cake Shop house band Moonmen on the Moon, Man... along with Nighty Night and Beat People.

The Barr Brothers, who I really liked at M for Montreal last year, play Rockwood Music Hall tonight. They recently signed to Secret City, home of Patrick Watson & the Wooden Arms, Plants and Animals, Miracle Fortress, Basia Bulat and more.

continued below...

Continue reading "Metronomy, American Royalty, Twin Sister, Sonny & the Sunsets, Night Beats, Craft Spells, Avi Buffalo & more in This Week in Indie"

DOWNLOAD: Natural Child - Hard Workin' Man (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Natural Child - Yer Birthday (MP3)

Natural Child

As Bill pointed out, Natural Child will be in Brooklyn for two shows at Death By Audio (Sunday and Monday), BUT FIRST Natural Child are finishing up some dates with Those Darlins and that includes the Saturday night show at Maxwell's (tickets still on sale).

Those Darlins also play the Big Apple BBQ with Black Joe Lewis on Sunday.

Each of Natural Child's Death By Audio shows, dubbed collectively as "1971 Fest" (named after their new album that was released on 4/20) (yes, 4/20), has a different lineup (as you can see below). Those Darlins are not playing either night, though I'm having some trouble figuring out who Sunday night band "Knockin Boots" is. The link on DbA's site doesn't go anywhere.

Liquor Store, who will hit the road with Natural Child in August, are on the Monday night show. Full lineups and all dates below...

Continue reading "Natural Child playing 2 nights @ DbA, now on tour w/ Those Darlins, touring later w/ Liquor Store (dates)"

words by Andrew Frisicano, photos by Andrew St. Clair

Ty Segall @ Death by Audio

Ty Segall and band stopped by on their current SXSW-inclusive tour for a pair of NYC gigs on Tuesday and Thursday. The first of those happened at a crammed Mercury Lounge, where the band played a 45-minute set that mixed Melted gems with new tunes. Last time I saw Ty, his voice was shredded from a day of grueling CMJ performances, and the set ended with a guitar-smashing outburst. Here, coming off a (hopefully relaxing) cruise, there were no such issues; Ty hit all the falsetto cues and edged down to a whisper for the quieter moments. Those lulls always have a way of roaring back, which is part of what makes Ty Segall such a compelling live act: the briefly empty spaces that explode into hair-flailing shred-work. The other part is the melodies, which are catchy and incredibly memorable, even if you can't tell what he's saying, or even what the songs are about ("Finger" something....??).

Ty's Thursday NYC show was at Death by Audio with Heavy Cream, Liquor Store, and Home Blitz. Hopefully Ty and the band will be back in New York soon (or at least by the release of his new disc, Goodbye Bread, on June 21). Heavy Cream (who have a new drummer) return to Death By Audio on April 2nd.

All tour dates, and more pictures and videos from the DBA show, below...

Continue reading "Ty Segall played Mercury Lounge & Death By Audio w/ Heavy Cream, Liquor Store & Home Blitz (pics & video)"

photos by Leia Jospe

"Memphis' JEFF The Brotherhood closed the night by splitting it wide open. This duo incorporates channel splitters (to fill out the entire tonal spectrum, and to avoid paying a bass player) through a Jucifer-inspired pile of amps, speakers, and doodads. It was big, bad, and beautiful, and with just two players on stage handling guitar and drums, it was dynamic, fantastic, and raw." [a review from Rochester]

As you know, JEFF the Brotherhood headlined a show at Music Hall of Williamsburg on Thursday night (10/28). Support came from Ninjasonik, Liquor Store and ELKS.

JEFF, who have a new album on the way, were then supposed to open for The Zeroes at Maxwell's last night, but they got stuck in traffic and never made it to the show. They hopefully won't have similar problems before their next show which is at Union Pool tonight (10/30). More pictures from Music Hall, below...

Continue reading "JEFF the Brotherhood played Music Hall of Williamsburg w/ Ninjasonik, Liquor Store & ELKS (pics), didn't play Maxwell's"

most photos by Jason House, some photos by Keith Marlowe, words by BBG

OFF! at Fader Fort (by Jason House)

OFF! completed their NYC invasion with a three-day stint of reportedly raucous shows at a packed out Europa on 10/21, Generation Records on 10/22, and at Fader Fort on 10/23. I attended Europa and caught the tail end of Cerebral Ballzy and the entire 20+ minute OFF! set which was, exactly how I like my hardcore: brutal, unrelenting, lightning fast, and intensely fun. Fans of Circle Jerks, Black Flag, and early 80s hardcore take note, these guys rule.

OFF! currently has two dates on their calendar though none on the east coast. November 7th will see the band play Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin (tickets) while two+ weeks later the band will appear at Vacation Vinyl in Los Angeles for an in-store.

OFF! performed their entire first EP (of four) on Carson Daly on 10/15 (before CMJ). Dig on video of that, some video from Europa courtesy of ((unartig))), and lots of pictures from Europa, Fader Fort, and Generation Records, setlists included, below.

Continue reading "OFF! played Europa, Generation Records, the Fader Fort... and Carson Daly (pics, video & setlists) "

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Silly Kissers - Treat Me Like You Do (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Grimes - Weregild (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Wolf Gang - Lions in Cages (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Wolf Gang - Pieces of You (MP3)

It's the weekend before CMJ which is usually pretty quiet, but...not this year. Me, I'm probably staying in. But you might want to check out:

Montreal's cute synthpop band  Silly Kissers are visiting, playing three shows this weekend: tonight (10/14) at Cake Shop, then Friday (10/15) at Silent Barn and Sunday at Glasslands. The band were here for CMJ last year, playing the M for Montreal night at Arlene's Grocery where they wore mime makeup which was probably a mistake. They were better when I saw them in their hometown last November:

"Silly Kissers didn't wear mime makeup this time (like they did at CMJ) which is a definite plus, but I really don't think they are "export ready." Which is not a dis. Their low fi, cutesy (sometimes charming) version of '80s synthpop would be more at home at a house party rather than with the fancy lights at club Juste Pour Rire."

Which makes all three places Silly Kissers are playing pretty ideal settings for them. They are fun, and the songs -- sugary, '80s-inspired indie-dancepop -- are undeniably catchy. Check out "Treat Me Like You Do" at the top of this post.

All three shows are with fellow MTL-er Claire Boucher who performs under the name Grimes. Her new record, Halafaxa, is a "pay what you want" download from their label's website. Ethereal, occasionally dub-infected and danceable, Halafaxa should appeal to fans of Delorean and Sally Shapiro (or even old 4AD bands like Colourbox or Dif Juz). Definitely worth a click. You can download "Weregild" from it at the top of the this post to give you a taste. Like a lot of music like this, making it interesting to watch in a live setting is the big hurdle. Can she do it? Go see them live.

By the way, I'll talk more about this later, but as we just pointed out, M For Montreal's 2010 CMJ showcase will again be at Arlene's Grocery, but this time with Random Recipe, The Luyas, Uncle Bad Touch, PS I Love You, Radio Radio, and Red Mass.

London's Wolf Gang play the second of their NYC shows tonight (10/14). I have a soft spot for this sort of melodramatic anthemicism, especially when you add a dancey element to it. Did anyone go see them last night at Santos? You can check out two tracks at the top of this post: "Lions in Cages" which is pretty typical of what Wolf Gang do, and "Pieces of You" which sounds a little more like Grizzly Bear or something.

The show also has Acrylics on the bill who I like a lot but have been pretty quiet for the last six months so I'm anxious to see what they've been up to. Like maybe they've been making their debut album? Let's hope. Also playing are Safe and Painted Faces who I know bubkis about.

Toys & Tiny Instruments

And finally I'd like to highlight a pretty cool show at Bruar Falls on Friday (10/15). Headlining are Toys & Tiny Instruments who don't need a lot of explanation. You see their name, and you know what they do.  But they're much better than you might expect. They played Bruar Falls back in the Spring and while the night started with some eye-rolling -- oh boy what is this novelty thing about to happen? -- everyone there ended up kinda being wowed. They may buy their gear at Toys R' Us but that doesn't mean they don't write awesome songs, and that they can't play their instruments well. I liked them so much I had them play my lunchtime series at the Seaport over the summer and they were great there too. Friday is the first show they've played since then and it's a release party for their debut EP.

The rest of the bill is pretty notable and eclectic: Joe Jack Talcum of the Dead Milkmen (he sang lead on "Punk Rock Girl"); home recording legend R. Stevie Moore; and Beth Sorrentino who some of you may remember from '90s indie pop band Suddenly, Tammy! whose song "Lamp" still makes it onto mixes around my house.

Sparky Deathcap

And a few more DAILY PICKS NOT COVERED ABOVE

THURSDAY, OCT 14

Fans of Los Campesinos!, who play Music Hall of Williamsburg Friday and Saturday night, might be interested to know that Rob Taylor also performs solo under the name Sparky Deathcap and will be doing so tonight at the Rock Shop. It's a free show starts at 8pm sharp.

The Delancey may feel a bit like Silent Barn tonight what with a lineup that includes My Teenage Stride, Lame Drivers, Suprisers and Easter Vomit. You can download five new MTS songs, all of which are good, over at Free Music Archive.

And if you'd like to laugh, Coco 66 tonight hosts Supershow!, a free comedy variety show, that tonight hasThu Tran of IFC's Food Party, the Found Footage Festival guys, Gabe Delahaye of Videogum, and more.

continued below...

Continue reading "Silly Kissers, Grimes, Wolf Gang, Toys & Tiny Instruments, Turbo Fruits & more in This Week in Indie"

DOWNLOAD: Elks - "Destined For The Sun" (MP3)

photos by Andrew St. Clair

Heavy Suzan Cream

Liquor Store will team up with Heavy Cream, Grooms, and Hunters for a show at Death By Audio TONIGHT (9/7). It's one of a few shows that Heavy Cream have/had scheduled in the NYC area. They played Union Pool and Cake Shop last week and Rock Shop last night. Pics from the Cake Shop show, which featured a headlining set from Unnatural Helpers (who played a bunch of shows in town too) and support from The Suzan (ditto), are in this post.

Heavy Cream are on the road surpporing their new LP Danny which was just released on Infinity Cat Recordings. Dig on what's left of their tour sked below.

Meanwhile, the headliners at Death by Audio tonight, Liquor Store, will also play Music Hall of Wiliiamsburg on 10/28, alongside Elks, Ninjasonik, and "hosts" Jeff The Brotherhood (who are very good friends of Heavy Cream). Tickets are still on sale.

Elks also played Rock Shop last night with Heavy Cream, and are prepping to release their new six-song EP Elks In Space produced by Brendan Tobin of Made Out of Babies. No word on when/who will release the effort, but until then, download one of the tracks above.

More pictures from the Cake Shop show (which doubled as Heavy Cream guitarist Mimi's 23rd birthday party), and UH's setlist, and tour dates, below...

Continue reading "Heavy Cream played Cake Shop w/ Unnatural Helpers & the Suzan (pics), play DbA tonight w/ Liquor Store & other dates"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Fergus & Geronimo - Girls with English Accents (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Fergus & Geronimo - Harder Than It's Ever Been (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Ty Segall - Girlfriend (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Ty Segall - Caesar (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Royal Baths - Nikki Don't (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Eternal Summers - Pogo (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Rayon Beach - The Memory Teeth (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Dog Day - Synastry (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Dog Day - Wait it Out (Mp3)
DOWNLOAD: Deerhunter - Revival (ZIP)
DOWNLOAD: Versus - Invincible Hero (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: How to Dress Well - Ecstasy with Jojo (MP3)

Wild Beasts @ Lollapalooza 2010 (more by Josh Darr)

Just like the August bounty of tomatoes, corn and zucchini that can be currently found at your local farmer's market, we looking at five extremely fertile days of live music, much of it free. Take advantage now -- this crop is extremely perishable.

Wild Beasts are stopping in NYC tonight on their way back from Lollapalooza, playing Highline Ballroom. Their second album, Two Dancers, was my favorite album of 2009 and a year later I'm still listening to it. It's up for this year's Mercury Music Prize and if anybody is going to beat The xx it'll be Two Dancers. If you missed their shows last September, or their appearances here in February , don't miss them this time. Tickets are still available. The fluid interplay between the band is something to behold -- a real case of four people working as one mesmerizing whole. And those who still haven't gotten used to their vocal style, I say go see them live and everything makes more sense.

Domino Records is offering a free downloadable four-song EP featuring "We've Still Got the Taste Dancing on Our Tongues" in original and remixed form, a track previously only available as a Japanese b-side and an acoustic version of "The Devil's Crayon." The download widget is at the bottom of this post and expires August 14 so get on that. And do go see them live tonight if you can. Denmark's The Kissaway Trail and UK artist Lone Wolf are also on the bill.

Fergus and Geronimo

It's been a year since Denton, TX's Fergus & Geronimo were last in town, and while they haven't released anything new since last summer's initial flurry of singles, that should change soon. The band have signed with Sub Pop subsidiary Hardly Art who will hopefully be putting out a record sooner than later. In the meantime, UK label Transparent (who put out "Tell it in My Ear" last year) have offered up a new F&G track "Girls with English Accents" that you can download at the top of this post. Maybe a little more dreamy/folky and less soul-tinged than their previous output, it's still another winner from this excellent four-piece.

I saw them at 92-Y Tribeca last summer and thought they were terrific. Fergus & Geronimo play Cake-Shop tonight (8/11) with Radical Dads and Little Gold. They then play Saturday (8/14) at Don Pedro's with Liquor Store, Home Blitz, Moonmen on the Moon, Man, and Nashville's Pujol. That sounds like a party.

Also here from Texas this weekend are Austin's Rayon Beach who play Bruar Falls on Saturday (8/14) and Death by Audio on Sunday (8/15). Like a lot of the bands on Hozac Records (or bands from Austin for that matter), this trio fit under the psych/garage umbrella but there's a decided Brit bent to their music. Baroque garage, is that a thing? Think Syd-era Pink Floyd or The Pretty Things more than Woven Bones. Make no mistake -- Rayon Beach can and do get plenty loud. It's just sometimes with pinkies extended. Check out Memory Teeth's title track at the top of this post.

The Bruar falls show is with Girls at Dawn and Xray Eyeballs; the Death by Audio show also features The Beets and Andrew Graham & Swarming Branch.

Ty Segall

We're just getting started. Ty Segall and The Royal Baths are here from San Francisco, playing Cake Shop on Thursday (8/12) and Death by Audio on Friday (8/13). For my money, it doesn't get much better in the new garage scene than this guy, who has been cranking out records over the last two years. Amazingly, they're pretty much all good, and each record goes somewhere new. The latest, Melted, just out on Goner Records, adds some nice '60s paisley pop touches. You can download two tracks from it at the top of this post. And he's great live.

The Royal Baths, meanwhile, are sort of the flip side to Ty's sunshine pop. I wrote before that they're "kind of bad trip acid rock, dark and seedy but not atonal. But it's definitely down the rabbit hole. In a good way." Royal Baths debut LP is due out on Woodsist in September and you can check out album track "Nikki Don't" at the top of this post.

Eternal Summers

Still more. Roanoke, VA's Eternal Summers are back -- they were last here for the Northside Festival -- for two shows: Thursday (8/12) at new Williamsburg venue The Pyramids and then Friday night (8/13) at Cake Shop. The band have signed with Kanine records who will put out their first full-length, Silver, in September. You can check out the album's first single, "Pogo," in the popular MP3 format at the top of this post. If you dig C-86 inspired pop like Brilliant Colors or Liechtenstein, you should definitely seek this duo out. Absolutely worth seeing live and nice folks too.

Both shows Eternal Summers are playing have pretty stacked bills. The Pyramids gig is with Philly's Reading Rainbow, all-girl quartet Rescue Bird, the shambly goodness that is German Measles and the wistful surf of Family Trees; Friday's Cake Shop show also has new-ish Brooklyn duo Yvette, the tinny, witty pop of Knight School and Halifax, NS band Dog Day.

Dog Day

Dog Day are actually here playing two shows. They play Thursday (8/12) at Bruar Falls in addition to the Cake Shop show on Friday. It's been a while since Halifax's mid-90s indie explosion that gave us Sloan and Thrush Hermit, but Dog Day are helping put the coastal city back on the map. Led by husband-and-wife team of Seth Smith and Nancy Ulrich, the quartet make moody, melodic indie rock that is not too dissimilar from The Figurines or The Comas. Last year's Concentration was one of 2009's lost gems. There's two songs to download at the top of this post and I highly suggest you do. You might find yourself saying "why haven't I heard these guys before?" Normally a quartet, for these NYC shows Dog Day will just be a duo of Smith/Ulrich and they'll be testing out new songs for their upcoming album.

Savoir Adore @ Coco66 for Northside (more by Don Gochenour)

And last but not least, Friday is the last Seaport Music Festival show of the season but they are really going out with a bang with The Wedding Present and Savoir Adore. I'm told we're getting a full 90-minute set from the Weddoes pretty close to what they played at Bowery Ballroom back in April: a career-spanning "hits" set and then they'll play 1989's Bizarro in full.

I saw the Bowery Bizzaro show and it was fantastic, especially the stuff from Side Two of the LP, the long, jangle-on-speed workouts of "Bewitched" and "Take Me!" David Gedge may be 50 but he can still tear into his guitar like Thatcher was still in office. There's video of "Take Me" from Bowery at the bottom of this post. The hits set was peppered with a few new songs too, which I thought were pretty good.

Savoir Adore, one of my favorite new NYC bands of the last few years, are always good live. If you have yet to check out their self-titled debut from last year, you definitely should.

-----------------------------

As if this wasn't enough, here are a few more picks by day that weren't already covered above:

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 11

Two of the best new bands of the last year -- Twin Sister and Oberhofer -- play Mercury Lounge with Ontario's MemoryHouse. Twin Sister and Memory House also play together on Thursday (8/12) at Monster Island Basement, the start of a two-week tour together. All dates at the bottom of this post.

At Coco 66 it's another installment of Show Off Your Sugar which pairs one band and one author to benefit 826NYC, a non-profit writing center for New York City students. Rock critic Chuck Klosterman reads and Here We Go Magic will rock.

continued below...

Continue reading "Wild Beasts, Fergus & Geronimo, Rayon Beach, Ty Segall, Eternal Summers, Dog Day, the Wedding Present & more in This Week in Indie "

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Miracles of Modern Science - I Found Space (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Jacuzzi Boys - Bricks or Coconuts (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Aerosols - China (AAC)

The Phenomenal Handclap Band

We'll start this week with a contest. The Phenomenal Handclap Band play Music Hall of Williamsburg this Saturday (6/12) and if you'd like to win a pair of tickets, just send an email to BVCONTESTS@HOTMAIL.COM with "Phenomenal" as the subject line (include your first and last name) and we'll pick a winner at random and notify them on Friday. The show is 18+. If you've never seen PHB before, it's '70s psychedelic disco overload, like if Michael Viner had formed a cult where the drink was Mai Tai's, not poison Kool Aid. The record is fun, but seeing them live is where it's at. And, like I said, where it's at is MHoW.

Miracles of Modern Science

If The Incredible String Band wasn't already taken as a band name, that might have been a good one for the next group I'm going to talk about, but since it was they opted for Miracles of Modern Science. Eschewing guitars, the go for cello, double bass, violin and mandolin (plus drums). Actually, I'm pretty sure the whole "science" aspect of their name comes into play too, what with song titles like "I Found Space" (downloadable above), "Bossa Supernova" and "Luminol." So their music is nerdy in two completely separate ways. But it's also clever and catchy and not really pretentious despite all that goddamn science and orchestral stuff they're throwing in our face.

Miracles of Modern Science have a residency at Cake Shop starting this Thursday, with The Albertans (ex-Bravo Silva),  The Royal Chains, and Quiet Loudly rounding out the bill. MoMS play the two following Thursdays as well.

Jacuzzi Boys

Friday night has two competing shows -- both in Williamsburg --  for your garage rock dollar, and if you're into this scene at all you're going to find it difficult to choose between them. Or at least pause for a second.

At Death by Audio, there's Quintron and Miss Pussycat, JEFF the Brotherhood and Golden Triangle. Actually, garage isn't the right term for Quintron's sleazy keyboard R&B which is augmented by some homemade equipment like the Drum Buddy, The Disco Light Machine and the Spit Machine. Quintron shows are a party. As are JEFF shows as you should know by now. As are Golden Triangle shows. Both of whom will be in their element at DBA and it will no doubt be packed to the gills and sweaty as hell. If you want to see JEFF and Quintron (who are on tour together) in more temperature-controlled environs, they also play Santos on Sunday (6/13). More dates HERE and below.

The other garagey option Friday (6/11) is at Knitting Factory with what is a pretty killer bill: Seattle protopunks The Spits, and the depraved lunacy that is Nobunny, plus Florida's Jacuzzi Boys and Liquor Store. I've written about The Spits and Nobunny before so I'm gonna focus on Jacuzzi Boys here if I may.

While definitely within the garage milieu, there's definitely more going on here with this Miami trio. Jacuzzi Boys sound is less blown-out sounding than most of their brethren, with a  strong post-VU New York vibe with them -- Television and The Feelies are pretty obvious influences here I think -- and their album from last year, No Seasons, is pretty damn great. A new single on Mexican Summer is worth checking out too, and you can download it's A-side at the top of this post.

If you can't make it Friday, Jacuzzi Boys also play Cake Shop on Sunday (6/13) with K-Holes (mems of Black Lips) and Xray Eyeballs (half of Golden Triangle).

The Aerosols

Visiting us from San Francisco are The Aerosols, playing four shows this weekend, hitting three boroughs. When you hear about Bay Area bands these days, you tend to think of reverb, scratchy guitars and in-the-red levels of distortion. The Aerosols are more a little more jingle jangle, blissed-out sunshine pop that might go better with a nice cup of tea instead of a PBR. You can check out their song "China" at the top of this post to hear what I mean but if you dig mid-90s Elephant Six you're gonna like The Aerosols. The band they really remind me of -- and I'm going obscure here -- is the late '90s UK band Salako who put out records on Jeepster (Belle & Sebastian's original label) who always sounded to me like a field of daisies.

The Aerosols play Thursday night (6/10) at Silent Barn with My Teenage Stride, Dream Diary (who were one of the Popfest highlights this year) and The Surpriserswhich I think is the don't-miss show of their NYC visit.

They'll also play the Rock Star bar on Friday (6/11) with Fly Ashtray, Nude Broom (members of Flaming Fire), Bucolic Night Light Fungus' Fungus The(e); Staten Island's Doorway (62 Van Duzer St.) on Saturday (6/12) with Artanker Convoy; and then finally the downstairs room at Santos on Monday (6/14) with Persephone's Bees, Lily and the Parlour Tricks, and Alana Amram & the Rough Gems.

A few more shows, night by night:

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 9

School of Seven Bells debut material from their quite good second album, Disconnect from Desire, tonight and tomorrow at Mercury Lounge. Both shows are sold out but lurking outside hoping someone's got an extra ticket does pay off sometimes.

Breakthru Radio are throwing a fifth anniversary party at Glasslands with Glass Ghost, Werewolves, Phil & the Osophers and My Teenage Stride. It's a free show with free beer.

continued below...

Continue reading "Miracles of Modern Science, Quintron, Jacuzzi Boys, The Aerosols, TPHB, Starring & more in This Week in Indie "

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Eternal Summers - Able To (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Beach Fossils - Youth (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: North Highlands - Collarbone (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Regal Degal - I Saw the Smoke (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Common Loon - Dinosaur Vs. Early Man (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Natural Child - Dogbite (MP3)

Eternal Summers

Happy Tax Day! This week's column is jam-packed with cheap options for great shows if Uncle Sam left your bank accounts depleted. Let's get to it.

Duo Eternal Summers have been getting blog attention for about a year, and I'll admit I didn't listen at first due to their name, fearing they'd worsen my Beach Music Fatigue (BMF). But then I saw they were from Roanoke, Virgina and my interest was piqued. I grew up 90 minutes West of Roanoke which had the closest good record store to me (The Record Exchange, which closed in 2006).

Back then they didn't have a music scene outside of country and cover bands. (Though I did see Huey Lewis & the News at the Civic Center way back when.) Not sure how thriving it is now, but Eternal Summers have, in my book, put Roanoke on the map. (Their label, Chimney Sweep, shows that Southwest Virgina's doing well musically.) I'm glad I listened. Apart from their name, they don't really have a lot in common with the beach scene (be it Real Estate, Washed Out, Best Coast, etc). The guitars are a little more slashy, the vocals less bathed in reverb. Check out their song "Able To" at the top of this post, which is from their self-titled EP. If anything, to these ears they're more akin to the C-86 inspired pop of San Francisco's Brilliant Colors.  There's a definite Anglo slant to their sound.

Eternal Summers have three shows in three days. Friday (4/16) is at Bruar Falls where they're part of a killer bill that includes Beach Fossils, Total Slacker, Air Waves, and Beachniks. They will also play Saturday (4/17) at Glasslands with The Beets, The Maine Coons, German Measles and Family Trees. And then on Sunday, Eternal Summers play Coco 66 with Marshmallows, Honey Dos, Beachniks, and The Maine Coons. Do check out one of these shows.

Natural Child

Natural Child play an awesome bill at Death By Audio Saturday including , Sisters, Boogie Boarder and Regal Degal.

The trio are Nashville neighbors, pals and labelmates of JEFF the Brotherhood, and play shambly, garagey party rock. I don't mean just that they're fun (and they are), but also that all of their songs are about some aspect of partying. Whether they bring the party to their live shows or not, I have yet to experience. But I'm ready to find out.

Natural Child also play Friday night (4/16) at Lulu's in Greenpoint with Liquor Store and Foster Care, and have dates in New Brunswick, NJ and Philly --  all 201o tour dates are below.

Beach Fossils

That Beach Fossils show Friday night is the only one they've got lined up for a month so you might want to head that way. (Plus the rest of the bands that night, all of which I endorse.) If you haven't  seen them lately, or ever, Beach Fossils have really come into their own I think, not bad for a band that's barely been playing for year. They've worked out a distinctive sound -- almost no strumming, instead spinning interweaving lines of guitar and bass -- and are confident singers now too.

And they're a great live band too. None of the four members stay still longer than they have to, twirling around like tops, with mom-jean-wearing drummer Cole Smith doing as much dancing as banging on his instrument. They were fantastic opening for Love is All at Knitting Factory a few weeks back, video from which is below.

The band's self-titled debut is set for release May 25 on Captured Tracks and you can download the jangly "Youth" from the album at the top of this post. I've heard the whole thing and it will definitely make for great summer listening. After Friday, Beach Fossils' next local show is May 13 at Brooklyn Bowl with Midnight Masses.

Sisters

A little more on the Death by Audio show on Saturday (4/17). Sisters have finished their album for Death by Audio Records which should be out sooner than later. You can hear two of the album's tracks ("The Curse" and "Glue") on their MySpace, both of which I like a lot. Sisters also play tonight (4/15) at Brooklyn Bowl with Darlings. That's a pretty good show too.

The other band on the DBA bill is Regal Degal, who I caught last Friday at newish venue North Fourth.  The trio is fronted by Josh da Costa who you may know as Dinowalrus' drummer. Regal Degal are less psych and more post-punky, drawing influence from post punk's darker side. (I hear a lot of Chairs Missing/154 era Wire in them.) The band doesn't have a MySpace, but they do have an infrequently updated blog. You can check out their song "I Saw the Smoke" at the top of this post, which they describe as sounding like "we're playing from within a beautiful porcelain toilet bowl. This is the result of spending a lot of time on an initial mix, then too much time listening back to it and not enjoying it enough, and then spending very little time on this more enjoyable and questionable mix."

Common Loon

This column is never-ending I know. Champagne, IL duo Common Loon have flown into town for two shows: tonight (4/15) at Union Hall and then Friday night (4/16) at Pianos. Both shows are with Tulsa, OK's Unwed Sailor. Common Loon's debut album, The Long Dream of Birds, came out last week on Hidden Agenda (home of The 1900s and Moonbabies) and it's recommended if you you like hazy 90s-ish indie like Oliva Tremor Control, Grandaddy and The Flaming Lips. You can check out their song "Dinosaur Vs. Early Man" at the top of this post.

Also playing tonight's Union Hall show is North Highlands who I've written about a few times already and were recently named one of the "8 NYC Bands You Need to Hear Now" by The L Magazine. You can hear them, in fact, right now by downloading their lovely track "Collarbone" at the top of this post. They are very good live and I think 2010 will be a big year for them.

In addition to tonight's show you've got two more chances to see them in the next week. They play Sunday (4/18) at Glasslands with Uninhabitable Mansions, Polite Sleeper, and North Carolina's Charming Youngsters. And then they play next Saturday (4/24) at Solar One with Cold Cave, fellow L Mag pick Oberhoffer and a "surprise headliner."

North Highlands

Speaking of L Magazine "8 NYC Bands" issue, Twin Sister play this Saturday at Los Hermanos Tortilleria in Bushwick. The show is being put on by blog Chocolate Bobka and also features Austin, TX's Pure Ecstasy and local band Weed Hounds. Go early (doors at 7pm) for free tacos (while supplies last which probably won't be very long). They've got good tacos (which are cheap even when not free). $7, BYOB. Twin Sister also open for the Morning Benders at Mercury Lounge on April 28 if you're going to that (sold out).

And finally, don't forget, Saturday (4/17) is Record Store Day and local shops participating include Other Music, Etherea, Academy Records Annex, Rebel Rebel, Sound Fix, and loads more. There's tons of cool exclusive releases coming out, and the RSD website has a handy, fairly comprehensive list of what is being released (PDF). Other Music has live performances by The Drums and Pains of Being Pure at Heart, plus indie celeb DJs. There's similar things going on at other stores too - like Generation Records, and we'll be posting more today and tomorrow.

Okay, that's enough for four days. Click through for tour dates, videos and lots and lots of flyers...

Continue reading "Eternal Summers, Natural Child, Beach Fossils, Regal Degal, North Highlands, Twin Sister & more in This Week in Indie"

Box Elders @ Market Hotel - Jan. 2009 (more by Tim Griffin)

Nebraskan's Box Elders are touring with Black Lips this March. They both play Maxwell's on March 21st, Brooklyn Bowl on March 23rd and Bowery Ballroom on March 24th.

Between those, Box Elders split off for a show at Bruar Falls on Monday, March 22nd with Liquor Store (who have other shows coming up, listed below) and others TBA.

Videos of Box Elders live and all tour dates are below...

Continue reading "Box Elders play 3 NYC-area shows w/ Black Lips, and one Liquor Store - updated 2010 tour dates"

by Bill Pearis

move over Easter Bunny, Here Comes Nobunny

Like Peter Cottontail's drunk, degenerate brother who arrives just a little late for Easter, Nobunny is rolling into town on Monday (4/13 at Cake Shop) and Tuesday (4/14 at Union Pool) to fill your baskets with rock n' roll. Eggcited?
Here's What Victim of Time says:

The mysterious Tucson local, Nobunny, is certainly hitting a chord that's turning ears all over into fuzzy, pink, and protruding embarrassments. Although, he's been kicking around the sud bucket for longer that most realize, it's seems like only recently has he poked his rabbit head up for the rest to take notice. Like a pop machine spewing out a small rivulet of hits, he is not necessarily onto something completely new. Both GG Allin, and The Ramones were touching on the same fizzy button years ago, and the formula of bubblegum fuzz is one oldest socks in the sack, but either way it's good to see it's back. Nobunny's ability to deliver blithesome songs with a maddened and frothy smile is simply brilliant. His bouncy and rollicking style conjures images of dirty bubbles rising over a landscape of unkempt, and insanely catchy hooks that will have the stuffiest of the arm folding camp dancing and acting like idiots within the first couple of chords.

Or, as the Tuscon Weekly put it, "If you've never been hugged by a horny, drunken Muppet, you should seek him out."

Nobunny @ SXSW 2009

I caught a sweaty Nobunny performance in Austin during SXSW, where he wore his dingy, furry rabbit mask and very little else. Slightly disturbing, but the show was one of the more fun I went to during the week. Nobunny's hard-to-find 12-song, 22-minute debut album, Love Visions, was recently reissued by Oakland label 1-2-3-4-Go and is recommended for those who dig The Ramones, The Trashmen, The Cramps, etc.

Nobunny now does his thing out of San Francisco and is touring the U.S. and Europe with like-minded Bay Area band Rock n' Roll Adventure Kids. Both NYC shows are also with New Hampshire's Live Fast Die. Jersey's Liquor Store also plays with them at Union Pool.

Tour dates, flyers and video after the jump....

Continue reading "Nobunny - 2009 tour dates (2 post-Easter NYC shows)"