by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: The Big Pink - Velvet (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Big Pink - Dominoes (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Pants Yell! - Cold Hands (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: JEFF the Brotherhood - Bone Jam (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: JEFF the Brotherhood - Heavy Damage (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Sisters - Accolades (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Sisters - Street Cars (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Coin Under Tongue - Junksmith (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Dinowalrus - Electric Car, Gas Guitar (MP3)

Field Music

Slow week my ass! The next four or five days are positively packed with shows, at least from a TWII standpoint. No time for small talk, let's get into it.

Tonight/Thursday's the big birthday celebration for Skippy who books The Bell House and Union Hall. I wish I could throw a party for myself and get bands like Field Music (one of two American Performances in 2009) and Wye Oak to play it, not to mention a rare appearance by the mostly defunct '90s electropop band The Pulsars. Also, a band (or someone) called "Rumours" is on after Field Music play. Skippy has been tight-lipped about what this is, but my money is on some sort of all-star Fleetwood Mac cover band. (And if that's the case I'd bet you $20 it involves Carl Newman.) You're invited, too, to this "Improbable Birthday Concert" as tickets ($12, cheap!) are still available.

I've had the new Field Music album, Field Music (Measure), on repeat for the last couple days and it's another knockout from the Brewis brothers, 20 tracks that further refine their distinctive mix of baroque pop, nervy new wave, prog, krautrock and whatever else they're into at the time. It's a Field Music album, no doubt about it, but it's less buttoned up, more rhythm heavy ("Let's Write a Book" shows that one of them's been listening to Can) and willing to give anything a try. If you've never seen Field Music live before, you should definitely come out, the Brewises are shit-hot musicians as well (David is an especially impressive drummer). There used to be a lot of switching instruments when they were a trio, but now as a four-piece I wonder if that'll still happen. We'll see tonight

UPDATE:. Field Music canceled, tickets good for tonight AND rescheduled performance, and Rumours details announced.

The Figgs

Long-running Upstate New York power pop band The Figgs are are in town for two shows (or three if you count Saturday night in Staten Island): tonight/Thursday (12/3) at Bruar Falls with the Nouvellas and Friday (12/4) at Cake Shop. Both shows are with Detroit's The Sights who open for The Queers at Maxwell's on Saturday (The Queers play Southpaw tonight).

The Figgs are a band who I've always liked but never closely followed. Luckily, my friend Steve, who writes a genuine photocopied fanzine The Reynolds Report (now also available in convenient blog form) is arguably the foremost Figgs authority (and you'd be a fool to argue with him on this subject), so I asked him to write a little guest paragraph for this week's TWII:

The Figgs have been creating great power pop for two decades now, with no signs of stopping any time soon. Steeped in the tradition of The Replacements, Cheap Trick and Elvis Costello, their annual Christmas shows are always a great time to catch them as the coming of winter seems to kick the trio's playing up just a notch. Look for them to break out songs from their upcoming album (due out in April), a choice Christmas cover or two, a wide selection from their nine albums and their brand new 45 "Casino Hayes." I'm pretty sure it's the best song about a gambling-addicted drummer (um, their own) ever.

There's a competition for the power pop dollar this weekend. If you're not going to the Figgs on Friday (12/4), it's probably because you're going to see Sloan at the Bell House. That's where I'll be. My love of these Canadians is no secret, and even when they've made a less-than-totally-awesome album they're always worth seeing in concert, one of my favorite live bands of the '00s. (I'm pretty sure I've seen them at least once a year since 2001.) They've got a new five-song digital-only EP, Hit & Run, which is pretty darn good. Chris Murphy contributes two tracks, including the excellent "Take it Upon Yourself," and the rest of the band each gets one. Tickets ($17.50) are still available. They play with fellow Torontonians, the lovely and talented trio Magneta Lane, and locals Deleted Scenes.

And wait there's more on Friday! Speaking of Canadian, maybe you happened across one of the 37 reports I recently filed from this year's M for Montreal festival. One of that city's more exciting underground bands, Red Mass, make their American debut at Live With Animals Gallery in Williamsburg (same address as Monster Island). Their brand-new EP on Montreal label Semprini is a nice chunk of psych-garage and they definitely put on a good show. The big question is how big a Mass will they be? I've seen them twice -- once there was 10 of them, the second time only four. Safe bet would be somewhere in between. (Canadians love a good excuse to come party in NYC.) If I wasn't already spoken for, I'd definitely being going to see them. Golden Triangle are also on the bill. Singer Choyce told me their might be a house party gig on Saturday too, so look out for that.

The Big Pink

Oh crap, there's still more. The Big Pink, who are making a stink in the UK, are on their first major tour of the U.S., stopping at Bowery Ballroom tonight (12/3) and Music Hall of Williamsburg tomorrow (12/4). Haven't seen them live, but their album A Brief History Of Love is a nice slice of electro-shoegaze that reminds a lot of 30-somethings of early-'90s band Chapterhouse. The anthemic, fist-pumper "Dominos" might not stand the test of time but as an of-the-moment signifier, it's one of 2009's more memorable indie singles. You can download it at the top of this post. I hope they use lots and lots of dry ice and strobes. Crystal Antlers and Von Haze open both shows.

Pants Yell! @ The Bell House on 11/14 (more by Tim Griffin)

If you missed them when they played the Slumberland 20 party at the Bell House a few weeks back, you can download the audio from that show, and you can catch Boston's Pants Yell! at Bruar Falls on Saturday night which might be the last time they ever play the NYC area as they've vowed to break up next year. They'd be going out on a good note if that holds true, as their new album on Slumberland, Received Pronunciation, is another charming slice of deceptively gentle guitar pop. Pants Yell! rock more live than you might expect, they're drummer in particular is kind of a beast on the kit. They also know their indie rock history, from the Pastels and Felt to the Aislers Set, Unrest and beyond. The cover art, complete with a faux Japanese Obi strip, was done by Unrest/Teenbeat/Air Miami/Flin Flon/Cotton Candy maestro Mark Robinson.

Also playing at Bruar Falls on Saturday: Fluffy Lumbers, The Surprisers and comedian Mike Albo. Should be a good night.

JEFF the Brotherhood @ Glenn Danzig's House in Nashville (more by Paul Birman)

BV faves JEFF the Brotherhood, who've had a pretty good 2009, are back in town for the zillionth time this year (seems like they're here as much as Nashville) but that's okay, you don't really tire of their awesome power. Have you heard their album, Heavy Days? It's great. I know I tend to like the cardigan pop, but riffs and grooves this intense can not be denied. And they are just the best live. The vinyl of Heavy Days just got a second pressing with a new back cover, and there's also a new single, "Heavy Damage," which you can pick up at the merch table. The play Saturday (12/5) at Bowery Ballroom opening for Ted Leo (sold out), and then again on Monday (12/7) at Mercury Lounge for what they say is their last show of '09.

The Monday show is solid as a rawk. (Did I just write that? I'm doing this super late at night.) Also on the bill are Death by Audio's Sisters (noise pop backed by a foreboding amp monolith) and Coin Under Tongue (old school riff-heavy hard rock), plus Dinowalrus (kitchen sink psych not unlike early Flaming Lips). Sure it's a Monday, you're tired, but this bill is like aura caffeine. Show's eight bucks and tickets are still available. It's a bit weird to have JEFF in town and not playing Death By Audio, but if they can tear up Pianos on a Thursday afternoon (as they did at the BV day party during CMJ), they can destroy Mercury on a Monday night.

Dinowalrus, fronted by Titus Andronicus guitarist Pete Feigenbaum, are also at Union Pool tonight (12/3) with Dan Friel and others.. The MP3 on top of this post is from their debut album "%" which comes out on Kanine in January.

The Besties

And finally, Brooklyn indiepop mainstays The Besties are calling it quits. I know, it's sad. Here it is in their words, straight from MySpace:

The Besties are officially done. As happens with many awesome relationships, stuff happens and things get hard, and so you end it and remain friends and all that junk. It's like that. We guess? Well, Kelly moved to Asheville, and Frank renewed his vows with the city of Boston. And other stuff. So there's that.

Here's the good news! We are playing two last shows around NYC in December, and we plan on going out with a serious bang. So sell some CDs (keep the Lemonheads ones), bodily fluids or organs for plane ticket money, start hitchhiking, do whatever you need to do - let's party!

Like the Besties, I must now say goodbye. But just for this week. Flyers and applicable tour dates follow...

Continue reading "Field Music, the Figgs, Sloan, Big Pink, Red Mass, JEFF the Brotherhood, the Besties & more in This Week in Indie"

the girls of Magneta Lane pose w/ Nardwuar

So.. surprise tour!

Technically we weren't suppose to tour till January but we figured since an opportunity came up with Sloan we couldn't say no. We've toured with the guys before and it was a blast, so here we go for a second round in 2009!

Now along with the good news we have a not so happy announcement to make for Magneta fans and for us :-(

Sadly, French won't be able to make it on this tour. Because of the late notice and spontaneous nature of the tour French must stay back and finish her exams cause she cant put back anymore school at this point and/or flunk out cause that would be a waste of a brain. She is actually a very smart cat and has always balanced music and university at the same time. And over the years has always put Magneta first and we support her now so she can be back on the road with us sooner rather then later, Its her last year folks!

She'll be joining us again right after the holidays. French we luv ya!

We'll be taking our good friend Kat from a favorite Toronto Indie band Lipstick Machine and making the trek together to some American cities and some Canadian... check out the tour section!

Love,
Lexi

As Lexi pointed out above, Magneta Lane will join Sloan on their previously announced tour that includes stops at Maxwell's and The Bell House. All dates and a video below...

Continue reading "Magneta Lane released an album, touring with Sloan (dates) "

7 Worlds Collide's Sun Came Out is a unique album, a project by Neil Finn with original songs written and performed by Finn, Jeff Tweedy, Johnny Marr, KT Tunstall and others.

The Avett Brothers' I and Love and You is one of the year's musical highlights for me, I can't recommend this disc enough.

Other releases I can recommend this week include Cymbals Eat Guitars' Why There Are Mountains (which finally gets a label release), Ghostface Killah's Ghostdini the Wizard of Poetry, Hope Sandoval's Through The Devil Softly, Karen O's Where The Wild Things Are Original Motion Picture Soundtrack: Original Songs By Karen O And The Kids, Langhorne Slim's Be Set Free, Princeton's Cocoon of Love, and Richmond Fontaine's We Used to Think the Freeway Sounded Like a River.

Genesis Live 1973-2007 is an 8-CD, 3-DVD box set that collects the four (now remastered) live albums the band put out in that period, each with bonus tracks.

Aside from the Genesis live box set, the only reissues worth mentioning this week are two from The Brian Jonestown Massacre (Love EP and This Is Why You Love Me EP) and Matthew Friedberger's 2006 double solo album, Winter Women/ Holy Ghost Language School.

What new music can you recommend this week? What's on your shopping list?

Continue reading "Largehearted Boy's Interesting CD Releases This Week"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Winter Gloves - Let Me Drive (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Woodhands - Dancer (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Slim Twig - Gate Hearing! (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Pow Wow! - My House. Your House. Mine (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Pow Wow! - 23 19 (MP3)

Mystery Jets

While I'm sure there are all sorts of excellent bands playing in NYC this weekend (one of which I'll get to further down), I'm going to skip ahead to two shows that I'd being going to if they weren't both happening the same night, Tuesday February 24...

Priority for me goes to The Mystery Jets who are at Bowery Ballroom. They haven't played here in a while (since September 2007) and you may remember them, if at all, as the overly weird prog rockers whose singer's father was in the band. (That would be singer Blaine Harrison's father, Henry.) Well, Mystery Jets have changed a lot since then. Henry, dropped out of the band and with him went Mystery Jets' prog-rock tendencies. With the help of producers Stephen Street (The Smiths, Blur) and Erol Alkan (Late of the Pier, The Long Blondes), the band embraced the pop song fully on their second album, Twenty One, which was my #2 album of 2008. It's single, "Young Love," which features Laura Marling (who unlike MJ is playing SXSW this year), topped my Best Songs list. The great video for that song, is at the bottom of this post.

The whole album is full of actual and potential singles, and if it errs on the side of being a little too '80s at times (there's saxophone straight out of a Whitney Houston song on "Two Doors Down," and "MJ" might be a little too similar too "Don't Stand So Close to Me" for some) there is no denying the inventive arrangements and giant, stick-in-your-head hooks that are all over Twenty One. (I wrote a lot more about the album over on my blog last year if you care to read it.) It is a mystery (sorry) to me that it hasn't been released in the U.S., but one can guess that this show (and the one they played in L.A. earlier this week) mean they're trying to rectify this. The band just signed to Rough Trade who are re-releasing Twenty One overseas. Hopefully that will happen here too. Tickets are still available for the NYC show.

Winter Gloves

If I wasn't going to see Mystery Jets I would definitely be at Pianos that night for the Paper Bag Records showcase. The Canadian label, home to Tokyo Police Club and The Acorn, are bringing down three of their more recent signings: Winter Gloves, the Josh Reichmann Oracle Band, and Slim Twig. I caught Winter Gloves last November at M for Montreal where they were already local favorites. Not dissimilar from Tokyo Police Club, we're talking keyboard-driven dance rock with a lot of participatory handclapping. "Let Me Drive," which you can download at the top of this post, is pretty typical of their debut album, About a Girl, which came out last year. They're very good live, and I would say it's worth the $8 just for them.

The rest of the lineup has potential, even if I'm not so familiar with the two other bands. Josh Reichmann used to front post-punkers Tangiers, but his new group is more rootsy and soulful, with a lot of saxophone going on. Fans of The Acorn will probably dig. And apparently the group includes a live dancer so that's something you don't see so much these days. Look for the debut, Crazy Power, this spring.

The third artist on the bill, Slim Twig gets compared to everyone from Jon Spencer to Genesis P. Orridge to Scott Walker to Thurston Moore, which is enough to make me want to see him. You can definitely hear those influences in his recordings, which are claustrophobic and paranoid sounding. He's got a full band when he plays live, as well as multimedia elements, so the evening very well could start off with a bang.

And finally, a weekend show for consideration. I don't know a whole lot about Greenpoint-via-Jersey band Pow Wow! besides what Ive gleaned from their MySpace. Basically a duo of brothers Edward and Jeff Nazareno, the two have been writing together for about three years but only began releasing music last year. And most of it is pretty catchy stuff. The band list Burt Bacharach and The Smiths as influences but their songs are in a similar, laid-back vibe to the Little Joy record. There are two songs to check out at the top of this post and if you like those, pretty much everything they've released is available to download for free from their website. Not sure how their lineup is fleshed out live, but Pow Wow! are playing a bunch of NYC-area shows, the first of which is this Saturday (2/21) at The Annex.

Tour dates, flyers, pictures and videos after the jump...

Continue reading "Mystery Jets, Winter Gloves, pow wow!, Slim Twig & more in This Week in Indie"

Watch new videos by Broken Social Scene, The Big Sleep, The Hold Steady, TV on the Radio, The Dears, Justin Timberlake, Magneta Lane, and The Raconteurs. Below.....

Continue reading "watch new Videos"

DOWNLOAD: DJ Never Forget - Going to Work mix (MP3)

For posterity's sake, here's my Sirius radio playlist from 8/1/2006. Blog whore ;) DJ Never Forget (his latest mix above) joined me in the studio and picked half the songs...

Continue reading "Sirius playlist - Week 9 (w/ guest DJ Never Forget)"

Silversun Pickups played two NYC shows in one day last week (Aug 3, 2006). That meant I got to hear them play the spectacular "Kissing Families" song three times. First they played it during their kick-ass (and packed) performance at Mercury Lounge. Good thing it was kick-ass too because MTV's "You Hear It First" got it all on tape.

SILVERSUN PICKUPS @ MERCURY LOUNGE | AUG 3, 2006

Later that night they played a free & drunken afterparty-show at Pianos. I found out about the second show right before I got to Mercury Lounge where they also announced it to everyone. It was at Pianos that I heard the song that made them famous again.

SILVERSUN PICKUPS @ PIANOS | AUG 3, 2006

The third time I heard "Kissing Families" was later in the same Pianos set when Lexi Valentine from Magneta Lane joined them on stage for an even more drunk, duet-version of the same song. Magneta Lane opened for Silversun Pickups at Mercury Lounge earlier in the night. They were the DJs at this Pianos afterparty.

LEXI VALENTINE (ML) & BRIAN AUBURT (SP) @ PIANOS

Continue reading "You Hear it First: Silversun Pickups & Magneta Lane @ Mercury Lounge & then Pianos, NYC | pics"

Magneta Lane are playing with Silversun Pickups AND Page France at Mercury Lounge in NYC on Thursday August 3rd. Page France are also playing the new Brooklyn venue Union Hall on August 4th. Silversun Pickups are playing Union Hall on August 7th. Tour dates for all three bands below...

Continue reading "Magneta Lane playing buzz bill @ Mercury Lounge | Page France & Silversun Pickups Tour Dates"

I didn't create this playlist with Syd Barrett in mind, but I did dedicate the show to him. Coincidentally it fit. I was feeling especially morbid when I made this one that turned out to be one of my favorite playlists so far.

If you're wondering what I'm talking about, these are the songs I played on my last weekly Sirius radio show (every Tuesday night on Left of Center @ 10 PM EST). If you're wondering why I waited a whole week after the show aired to post this - it's because I'm really good at procrastinating certain things. If you're wondering where the playlist from July 4th is - I took that week off. This is the playlist from July 11, 2006 (with some MP3s)....

1) The Big Sleep - You Can't Touch the Untouchable

Continue reading "Sirius Playlist - Week 6 (Tribute to Syd Barrett)"

BROOKLYNVEGAN BLOG RADIO | THE PLAYLIST - MAY 20, 2006
I was pretty nervous about being on the air for the first time, but overall I'm happy how the first episode of BrooklynVegan Blog radio sounded. To get things started, I ran through the first five months of my blog: August to December 2004. I may continue the format next week by highlighting the first half of 2005. At that rate, I'll be playing brand new music by the 4th or 5th week (and then forever).

Hope you liked it if you listened. Here's the playlist w/ blogified commentary.

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OTHER PASSENGERS @ MERCURY LOUNGE (more)

Other Passengers are the first band I ever wrote about on BrooklynVegan.com. Now they're the first band I ever played on the radio.

1) Other Passengers - In the Belly (MP3) - 4:47

During the first month of August 2004, I also posted pictures of the Zutons @ Mercury Lounge and None More Black @ Knitting Factory.

2) Zutons - Long Time Coming (alternate version) - 2:35
3) None More Black - Banned From Teen Arts - 2:51

I didn't start talking about Lifetime until they reunited, but they're connected to None More Black via None More Black's singer Jason who sang for Kid Dynamite who shared members with Lifetime. Plus, Lifetime and None More Black go good together.

4) Lifetime - Young, Loud and Scotty (MP3) - 1:59

The Decemberists sound nothing like Lifetime, but I was pretty obsessed with them and Joanna Newsom in 2004. So I played the Decemberists followed by Joanna Newsom followed by the Decemberists covering Joanna Newsom followed by Final Fantasy covering Joanna Newsom (which I posted in December 0f 2004).

Actually a live version of the Decemberists covering Joanna Newsom was my second post ever. The Decemberists later recorded it for the 2005 Believer Magazine compilation CD that came out during the summer of '05.

5) The Decemberists - Red Right Ankle 3:29
6) Joanna Newsom - Sprout and the Bean 4:32
7) The Decemberists covering Joanna Newsom - Bridges & Balloons - 3:26
8) Final Fantasy covering Joanna Newsom - Peach, Plum, Pear - 2:45 (get it here)

In December 2004 the NY Times used the term "Freak Folk" to categorize the scene comprised of Joanna, Devendra Banhart, Antony & The Johnsons, and their family of friends....

9) Devendra Banhart - A Sight To Behold (2:26)
10) Antony & The Johnsons - For Today I am a Boy (2:37)
11) Devendra covering Antony - Fistful of Love (6:46)

The Antony cover by Devendra is also on the Believer CD. I first heard it when Devendra performed it live at Tonic in February 2005.

TRIUMPH WAS AT THE PANTY FLASH (more)

Next I pointed out that my blog isn't always about music. In August 2004 the Republican National Convention came to NYC and a company called Axis of Eve staged a protest that consisted of girls and guys stripping to their panties. The protest came in the form of Anti-Bush slogans emblazoned on the undergarments. The pictures I posted from that event went on to become one of the most popular pages ever on BrooklynVegan.com, thanks mainly to a link on Fleshbot. That same month I posted pictures of Sonic Youth @ Webster Hall and Murphy's Law on a boat. Coincidentally, both of those bands sing songs about panties...

12) Panty raid by Murphy's Law - 2:57
13) Panty lies by Sonic Youth - 4:15

FIERY FURNACES | SIREN FESTIVAL 2004 (more)

Scissor Sisters, Franz Ferdinand and Fiery Furnaces - Not only do they share a love of alliteration, they shared a lot of space on my blog in the Fall of 2004. To make matters more complicated, Eleanor from the Fiery Furnaces is dating Alex from Franz Ferdinand, and my friend Michael is dating a girl named Laura (true story).

14) Franz Ferdinand - Michael 3:21
15) Scissor Sisters - Laura 3:40
16) Fiery Furnaces - Chris Michaels 7:53
17) Scissor Sisters covering Franz Ferdinand - Take Me Out 4:29
18) Franz Ferdinand - Eleanor put your Boots on 2:50

In "Eleanor put your Boots on" Franz Ferdinand sing about Eleanor from the Fiery Furnaces and Coney Island, more specifically they sing about the Coney Island roller coaster . Some of the earliest concert photos that appear on this blog are of the Fiery Furnaces playing the 2004 Siren Festival in Coney Island. In July of 2005 I found a picture of Eleanor and crew posing in front of the roller coaster from the same day. What does this all mean? It means I need to get more sleep.

BLOC PARTY @ KNITTING FACTORY (more)

Two more exciting things happened in September 2004. Canada's The Arcade Fire released Funeral and the UK's Bloc Party played their first ever NYC shows @ Knitting Factory and Tribeca Grand. Needless to say, those who were reading my website throughout 2004 and 2005 heard a lot about those two bands.

19) Arcade Fire - Haiti 4:07
20) Bloc Party - Blue Light 2:47

ARCADE FIRE @ MERCURY LOUNGE (more)

The CMJ Music Marathon is a yearly music industry conference that takes over all the music clubs in NYC for a few days. This year it begins on October 31, 2006 - the same day CBGB closes forever. October of 2004 hosted the first CMJ while I was blogging. The initial lineup was the subject of my 7th post ever. It was at that CMJ that I saw the Arcade Fire for the first time at Mercury Lounge. Other highlights included a set by Sufjan Stevens at the Museum of Television & Radio for KEXP, Magneta Lane's first U.S. show downstairs at CBGB, and three consecutive nights of Jonah Matranga (Onelinedrawing).

21) Sufjan Stevens - Romulus 4:41
22) Magneta Lane - Kissing is Easy 3:25
23) Onelinedrawing (Jonah Matranga) - Yr Letter 4:01

U2 UNDER THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE (more)

In November 2004 I saw the reunited Pixies play in Montreal and U2 play under the Brooklyn Bridge for free. David Bowie also expressed his love for The Arcade Fire and The Secret Machines that month.

24) David Bowie - Oh! You Pretty Things - 3:14
25) U2 - I will Follow 3:38
26) The Pixies - Debaser (live @ Hammerstein Ballroom) 3:04

BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE @ BOWERY BALLROOM (more)

The Pixies' track I played is Debaser live from NYC's Hammerstein Ballroom in December of 2004. It's from one of the eight sold out nights they played there. Each night was taped. Each night had a different opener. One night was Broken Social Scene who played two headlining shows at the Bowery Ballroom the same week. I went to all three shows, so I ended the radio show with an ode to BSS and Arts & Crafts.

27) Broken Social Scene - KC Accidental 3:50
28) Feist - Secret Heart 3:49
29) Jason Collett - Hangover Days w/ Metric's Emily Hanes 4:36
30) Stars - One More Night 5:18

Then I thanked people for listening and reminded them to tune in next week (June 6) for episode two, and to tune in tomorrow (Wednesday) for Gorilla Vs. Bear, and every Monday for Product Shop NYC.

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I didn't mention the next bit on the show, but while I'm reminiscing about 2004, I might as well mention some holiday shows that ended the year on a high note...

JOANNA NEWSOM @ BOWERY BALLROOM (more)

AND...

WILCO @ PIANOS (more)

Previously
Sirius Blog Radio kicks off tonight

MERCURY LOUNGE, NYC | MAY 28, 2006 (cred)

The schedule for this past Sunday night (May 28, 2006) at Mercury Lounge reads "CLOSED FOR PRIVATE EVENT". The event in question was Mercury Lounge talent buyer Johnny Beach's annual birthday party. Magneta Lane came all the way from Canada to play the list-only show curated by Johnny himself. Set and Setting, Love as Laughter, Sam Champion, and one of Johnny's favorite New York bands Dirty on Purpose were also on the bill.

SAID ONE ANONYMOUS ATTENDEE
Real fun night involving numerous Beach shout outs, a cake in his face, a pinata filled with candy and glass mini-bottles of tequila that (duh) mostly shattered on the ground. The show closed with a set of covers by Noah and Ryan from Sam Champion, Matt from Rana/King of France, and a guy from Love as Laughter. No Sam Champion set.

"Phosphorescent is the musical experiment of 26-year-old Matthew Houck (pronounced “How-k”) and a rotating cast of musicians from Athens, Georgia. His second full-length album, Aw Come Aw Wry, was just (2005) released by Austin’s own Misra Records." [Austinist]

Not counting the Tuesday night Comedians of Comedy show, Phosphorescent was the first band I saw at SXSW. It was 1:30 PM on Wednesday (March 15, 2006) in the semi-outdoor Emo's Annex tent. I'm a sucker for trumpets, big bands, and folky music, so it's no surprise that I liked this show. Being outside in Texas with free veggie food helped too. Listen @ Myspace.

Continue reading "Phosphorescent @ Emo's Annex, Austin, TX (SXSW) | pics"

Toronto's Tokyo Police Club first came to my attention when I noticed they were real friendly-like with Toronto's Magneta Lane. A few days later I found out Magneta Lane's label Paper Bag Records went ahead and signed Tokyo Police Club too. Their EP comes out in Canada on April 27th. Here's hoping they make it to the U.S.A. by C.M.J.

DOWNLOAD Nature of the Experiment (MP3)

Check out the songs streaming at their Myspace and download an MP3 at BSOF too.

MORE TPC
* An article @ Chart Attack
* Blog love from I (heart) Music
* A show review @ Chart Attack

Seeing Magneta Lane @ Emo's Annex on the first day (March 14, 2006) of SXSW makes up for the fact that I was too slow to get to Mercury Lounge on time last week to see their 3rd-ever NYC performance (April 10, 2006).

Sound Bites got there too late too, but Jeff and Jasper made it and they really, really liked them.

Continue reading "Magneta Lane @ Emo's Annex, Austin, TX (SXSW) | pics"

Sorry for the lack of updates since I got to SXSW. Hopefully I'll find some time soon to start posting. Plus I can't get the pictures off my camera right now.

In the meantime...Tuesday night I caught the Comedians of Comedy show at Emo's with Aziz Ansari, Eugene Mirman, Patton Oswalt, Brian Posehn and Flight of the Conchords. It was awesome. Wednesday I saw 20 bands. Some highlights were Phosphorescent, Magneta Lane, Tapes 'n Tapes, The Zutons, Young Knives, The Grates, and Forward Russia. I have so many pictures and stories, and even some tour dates to post, but for now I have to sleep. Talk to you soon.

Voxtrot performed on WOXY. Gorilla vs. Bear has the MP3s: PART1 & PART2

SUPPORT WOXY

Previously
Magneta Lane playing NYC w/ Voxtrot & Aloha

As if you needed another reason to go see Voxtrot AND Irving AND Aloha at Mercury Lounge on April 10th, Canada's Magneta Lane is now on the bill too. It'll be their first non-CMJ NYC show.

Previously
Magneta Lane playing SXSW, new album, touring
Magneta Lane @ Tonic - CMJ 2005 | pic
Magneta Lane @ CBGB - CMJ 2004 | pics
Aloha | 2006 Tour Dates
Voxtrot @ Magnetic Field, Brooklyn, NY (12/05) | pics

Magneta Lane released a new album in Canada on February 14th. It's called Dancing with Daggers and two songs from it are streaming on their Myspace. No full U.S. tour yet, but they'll play multiple shows in Austin during SXSW this year. All Canadian, SXSW, and Japan tour dates below...

Continue reading "Magneta Lane playing SXSW, new album, touring"

"This growing list of performers confirmed to appear at the 2006 SXSW Music Festival is subject to change. This list is current as of 1/20/06"....

Continue reading "The latest SXSW Performer List"

Speaking or URB, today is actually the last day to vote in the URBS.

Previously
Antony Wins! | Top Singles of 2005
Antony is Mother of the World, Nomi is My Sister
Bloc Party Remixes | MIA MashUps
Bloc Party was hot, Webster hall was not, NYC | Pics

EMILY HAINES IS SEXY (not actually related to this post)

In reaction to Information Leafblower's list of top American bands, I Heart Music brings us the 33 hottest bands in Canada. Not fair....

a) Picking bands for a list would of been so much easier had I The Arcade Fire, Broken Social Scene, Wolf Parade and The New Pornographers to choose from.
b) I like the term "hottest" better than "top"

I wonder how similar a list of the 'hottest North American Bands' would be to a list of the 'hottest Canadian bands'. I wonder if any American bands besides Sufjan Stevens would make a list of the hottest bands from anywhere.

I'm glad to see Magneta Lane made the list. I bet Islands gets a better score next year. Where's The Most Serene Republic?

Previously
Islands (Unicorns) playing NYC | Tix
The Most Serene Republic remixes Stars | MP3
Bell Orchestre @ Tonic, NYC | pics
The Arcade Fire in Union Square Video | Cure Cover
Broken Social Scene Tour Reviews | NYC Dates Added
Wolf Parade @ Northsix, Brooklyn, NY | pics

I wanted to go to the Clap Your Hands Say Yeah appearance on KCRW (listening right now...wish I went), catch the Patti Smith performance (Bob Dylan thing at Lincoln Center), see the Hold Steady at day stage, attend a panel about blogs, etc... Instead I did nothing during the day for the third day in a row.

It all started at Tribeca Rock Club at 5 PM with the Loose Record / Woxy show featuring Voxtrot, Chin Up Chin Up, and Dios Malos.

VOXTROT @ TRIBECA ROCK CLUB

CHIN UP CHIN UP @ TRIBECA ROCK CLUB

After the first two bands played, I asked them if they wouldn't mind posing for a picture.

DIOS @ TRIBECA ROCK CLUB

The Cribs also played the Tribeca show, but I had to be at Tonic by 8:30 for the return of Magneta Lane.

MAGNETA LANE @ TONIC

Conveniently, another Canadian band called Camouflage Nights went on right after Magneta Lane.

"Camouflage Nights are ex-Thrush Hermit members Ian McGettigan and Rob (Tigre) Benvie. Benvie is also formerly of The Dears and currently in Presse. Camouflage Nights are not just McGettigan and Benvie; on disc they are joined by any combination of many people, including Feist, Buck 65, City Field’s Matt Murphy, Sloan’s Chris Murphy and many more." [Being There]

CAMOUFLAGE NIGHTS @ TONIC

CAMOUFLAGE NIGHTS @ TONIC

While trying to figure out what to do next, I walked by Mercury Lounge. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah weren't even going on for a few hours...

CLAP YOUR HANDS SAY YEAH @ MERCURY LOUNGE

(line to the corner in both directions)

I like Secretly Canadian so I stopped by their showcase at Scenic (where I now see I missed a J Mascis side project earlier in the day). I saw this guy who sits on the floor and does lots of weird stuff open for TV on the Radio once. There he was again. Now I'll remember that his name is Ty Braxton. He was just finishing his set. Though I wanted to see Wilderness who were coming on later, I wasn't in the mood to try out Big Bear who were coming on next.

TY BRAXTON @ SCENIC

Then I realized a bunch of bands I wanted to see were playing the Kill Rock Stars showcase at Knitting Factory, and I made it there in time to catch a bit of The Robot Ate Me in the basement before the venue forced him off stage. (He said he was playing a house party somewhere in Brooklyn on Saturday for those who wanted more though.)

THE ROBOT ATE ME @ KNITTING FACTORY

Next I saw the Gossip for the first time (on the main stage). I'm sorry I waited so long. They were awesome - like awesome-awesome.

THE GOSSIP @ KNITTING FACTORY

Listen to the Gossip at Myspace.

After such a great performance, I couldn't I couldn't justify staying out any later for a (supposed) 2 AM Lady Sovereign show at Bowery Ballroom. Turns out I made the right choice... Bowery wouldn't let the under-21 performer in the venue!

Previously
Chin Up Chin Up vs. Voxtrot (part 2) | Pic
Cloud Cult @ 169 Bar, NYC | CMJ DAY 2
CMJ Day 1 - A recap in Pictures
Dios Malos @ Webster Hall, NYC | Pics
Magneta Lane "The Constant Lover" Video

Canada's Magneta Lane are returning to NYC for an 8:30 CMJ show at Tonic on Friday Sept 16, 2005. The last and only other time they were here was for CMJ 2004.

All tour dates (including a Chicago show opening for Stellastar) at Paperbag Records

Previously
Magneta Lane "The Constant Lover" Video
PopMatters: Magneta Lane vs. Thunderbirds Are Now!
Magneta Lane's The Constant Lover Released in the U.S.A.

Finally, a CMJ post meets a CBGB post:
"The band (Dandy Warhols) will also perform for the first time at CBGB's, paying its respects to the endangered NYC club during the CMJ Music Marathon in September. A full U.S. tour will kick off in November." [PASTE]

Previously
Magneta Lane @ CBGB (CMJ 2004) | Pics
and more shows at CBGB CMJ 2004

DEBBIE HARRY @ CBGB - AUGUST 1st, 2005

photo from the Metro newspaper

CBGB's lease expires on August 31st (although shows are scheduled through September 10th). The NY Times reports that their landlord wants them out. Last night (August 1st) was the kick-off of the 41 day run of announced benefit shows at the club. According to Steven Van Zandt (not "ZANT" Daily News!), there's also a bigger concert taking place in Washington Square Park on August 31st. (let's hope for Talking Heads, Beastie Boys, Blondie, and the reincarnated Ramones.)

Feedback is rolling in from the August 1st show:
* "On August 1, the first day of the last month of the venue's current lease, Steven Van Zandt, Tommy Ramone, Debbie Harry, Lenny Kaye, Handsome Dick Manitoba, Legs McNeil, Jesse Malin, and a host of other speakers and performers banded together to raise the public's awareness about the very real possibility of the death of CBGB." [SPIN]
* "Little Steven was there, as was Lenny Kaye. Debbie Harry went on (listed as solo acoustic) at 8PM, before anyone in their right mind showed up. Brian Jonestown Massacre got squeezed in and squeezed out. Ted Leo played a set in each room, going on at 12:15AM in the Gallery, and closed with a killer solo version of 'Dancing in the Dark.'" [heartonastick]
* "was SO INCREDIBLY AMAZING. ted leo... holy crap. and all five bands before him were good at worst and really, really good at best." [anonymous]
* "Deborah Harry of Blondie fame commandeered the stage for an impromptu jam session after a news conference yesterday." [Daily News]
* "Ted Leo rocked. It's so bizzare to see him play there so recently after he sold out irving plaza... and it wasn't even crowded." [Yeti Don't Dance]

Wireimage has some small pictures.

Support CBGB and local bands tonight (August 2nd) with JOKER 5 SPEED, SUPERVILLIAN, THE X's, TRASH, LIGHT VISION, HONOR AMONG THIEVES, DRAG CITIZEN, and TURBO ACs.

Previously
Sick of It All, The Vandals, & more @ CBGB | Tix on sale
Steven Van Zant, CBGB & The Sopranos
Ted Leo, Debbie Harry, & more @ CBGB Monday night
The Offspring playing CBGB | Tix on Sale
Gorilla Biscuits @ CBGB Sold Out?
Misfits Tour & play CBGB Benefit
The Exploited playing CBGB and Brooklyn Music Terminal
Kid Dynamite, Damnation AD, Lifetime Reunions | None More Black
CBGB Benefit Concerts on sale now
Chevelle CBGB Benefit Concert on sale
CBGB Benefit Show Dates
Gorilla Biscuits show is August 14th @ CBGB
CBGB The Book | by David Byrne, Hilly Kristal
Best thing about CBGB Closing | Concerts!
My opinion on Saving CBGB
Life of Agony @ CBGB, NYC | Pics
Project Save CBGB & OMFUG
CBGB to DEFINITELY Close??
Patti Smith Playing CBGB
CBGB to move to Vegas?
CBGB Update | The Ramones Obviously Not Playing a Benefit
Luna, Fez, Tonic, AND CBGB
Ted Leo & Chuck D @ CB's 313 Gallery Friday
Magneta Lane @ CBGB (CMJ) | Pics
Punk Rock Action Figures