words by Zach Pollack, photos by Grant MacAllister

a member of Cee-Lo's band

Day two of Lollapalooza 2011 began with a slight drizzle over Grant Park, but it didn't deter the determined early festival-goers from moving about the grounds. After a long Friday, I began Saturday over at the Sony Stage with an extremely tight set from Phantogram. What I assumed was a simple setup from listening to their albums, was actually a complex live rig which kept the trio extremely busy. How many times have you seen an electronic-tinged band who just cue samples all set? Phantogram are not that.

Up next on my schedule were Chicago hometown act Maps & Atlases (which unfortunately meant I missed Friendly Fires). Maps & Atlases drew a very large crowd to the Google+ Stage, which has my favorite area of the whole fest. There's no other stage opposing it, it's a bit smaller than most, and massive trees block out much of the blistering sun. What's not to like?

I then attempted to head back towards Music Unlimited for Fitz and The Tantrums, but that didn't seem to be in the cards due to some unexpected foot traffic. Instead I ate and then headed to the oposite side of the grounds to catch the Black Lips at Playstation. The crowd was enormous for the garage-rockers who usually play to a quarter as many people. A few songs in they pulled out "Family Tree," the opening track to their great Mark Ronson-produced album Arabia Mountain. In typical Black Lips fashion, singer/guitarist Cole Alexander threw up on stage without missing as much as a note, and almost all over the Lollapalooza film crew!

From there things just got more and more massive. I caught Death From Above 1979 for the second time this week, and it was just as thrilling and brutal. Kicking things off with the Y.A.W.I.A.M. staple "Turn It Out," the massive beyond massive crowd went completely insane. Not needing to see the full set, I rushed across the complex to catch a bit of Big Audio Dynamite. The reunited group opened with "Medicine Show," and continued to awe the crowd with "A Party." From there I ran to Google+ to catch the tail end of The Drums.

I walked in just as they were speaking about the release of their forthcoming record Portamento (coming out in the US on Frenchkiss). They then played its single, "Money." The band has definitely matured since I last saw them and they sounded super full live. Just to make my legs die a little bit more, I rushed back over towards Sony and Music Unlimited to catch Local Natives. As mentioned, it was the largest crowd the band had ever played to. Opening with "Camera Talk," as per usual, their live sound even surpassed their great recordings. Towards the end of their set, across the way at Unlimited, things started to fall into place for Cee Lo's set.

His band of attractive studio musicians took the stage sans Green around 6:30PM, and jumped into a short intro track. Complete with matching Gwar-like kinky warrior outfits (strange choice), Cee Lo and his band played to a massive audience, many of whom were camped out to see Eminem on the same stage. I left early, before the booing...

"The soul singer scored a huge crowd, but holding its attention seemed to be another matter. Dressed in shoulder pads topped with huge spikes and a chunky neck chain, Cee-Lo channeled his inner-dungeon master/Billy Idol; he even played an R&B-flavored cover of the 80s star's "Flesh for Fantasy." But the set was anything but smooth: Between tunes, which included Cee-Lo's own "Satisfied," "Bright Lights Bigger City," and Gnarls Barkley's smash "Crazy," he turned the spotlight to his DJ, who inexplicably spun Lenny Kravitz, Nirvana and Depeche Mode - a move that inspired boos from the crowd. "Don't you dare let this wonderful outfit go to waste," he said, palpably annoyed. But the irritation may have worked in his favor (and sent a subliminal message to his fans): On his closer, the Motown-inflected kiss-off "Fuck You," his voice sounded richer than it had all night. " [Rolling Stone]

By then I was over at Google+ for Lykke Li.

Li and her amazingly talented band were a perfect fit for the stage, and drew as many people as would fit in the area. They started things off with the haunting Wounded Rhymes track "Jerome," and continued in that fashion with "I Follow Rivers", "Sadness Is A Blessing" and other songs as My Morning Jacket started to set up for their headlining set over at Bud Light.

Jim James and Co. kicked off a two hour long set at 8PM. It spanned their entire catalog with crowd favorites like "Off the Record," "Touch Me I'm Going To Scream," "One Big Holiday," and much more. Songs were extended with jam sections, brass solos, etc. Their stage setup was absolutely massive, as was the lighting. That said, I snuck away back to the smaller Google+ to check out some of Beirut who was closing out that stage.

Zach Condon and band played mostly older songs in the more intimate setting, and though tight, I was craving some more My Morning Jacket and so headed back to finish off the night with Jim James.

Friday pictures HERE. Sunday on the way. B.A.D. pics HERE. More pictures from Saturday, Dom included, below...

Continue reading "Lollapalooza 2011 -- Day 2 pics & review (My Morning Jacket, Beirut, Cee-Lo, DFA1979, Lykke Li, Maps & Atlases & more)"

Animal Collective @ Celebrate Brooklyn 2009 (more by Ryan Muir)

today in NYC
* Monogold @ Pianos
* Slavic Soul Party @ Barbes
* Gregory Attonito @ Watermark (NJ)
* Tell All Your Friends @ Lolita Bar
* Peter Frampton @ Wellmont Theater (NJ)
* Old 97's, Robert Ellis @ Stone Pony (NJ)
* Slick Rick, DJ Brucie B @ Crotona Park
* Cibo Matto, Sxip Shirey @ Brooklyn Bowl
* Antibalas, The Stepkids @ Fort Greene Park
* RX Bandits, Maps & Atlases @ Irving Plaza
* Joe Morris, Agusti Fernandez @ The Stone
* Tom Vek, Secret Music @ Mercury Lounge
* Emily Wells, Live Footage @ Tammany Hall
* Bill Callahan, Ed Askew @ Bowery Ballroom
* Alex Barnett, Brett Naucke, Slava @ Zebulon
* YOB, Dark Castle, Batillus @ Le Poisson Rouge
* Jim Campilongo Electric Trio @ Cameo Gallery
* Cold Cave, Cult of Youth, Zambri @ Knitting Factory
* The Belle Brigade, Nightmare & The Cat @ Mercury Lounge
* Little Shalimar, Tit N Twat, secret guest @ Union Pool
* Jason Anthony Harris, Stark & Nimo, Hilly Eye @ Bruar Falls
* Starlight Girls, Anni Rossi, Wild Vibes, Hello Phones @ Glasslands
* Start Making Sense (Talking Heads tribute) @ Rocks Off Concert Cruise
* Animal Collective, Black Dice, Beta & Hatch @ Prospect Park Bandshell
* Bad Banana, Tacocat, Forever, Little Victory, Aye Nako @ Death By Audio
* Ingebrigt Haker-Flaten, Nate Wooley, Joe McPhee, Joe Morris @ The Stone
* Vernon Reid, The Barr Brothers (Hudson Square Music & Wine Festival) @ City Winery
* Whiskey Bravo, Noahs Arcade, Who Is James Kennedy?, Mira Stroika, Julian Fulton & The Zombei Gospel @ Bowery Electric
* Ghetto Metal feat. Dr Cornel West & The Corner West Theory, Bazaar Royale & Game Rebellion, Bilal, more @ SOB's

Today is a Manhattanhenge

Ska-turned-prog rockers RX Bandits are currently on their last ever tour. According to an interview with Playmaker, RX Bandits are not breaking up, they're just doing their last tour. RX Bandits hit the scene in the mid-to-late '90s playing pretty standard poppy ska punk. By 2003's The Resignation, the Bandits showed signs of experimenting outside of the realm of the genre and have since released 2 more progressive albums and have shared significant members with far-out experimental rockers The Sound of Animals Fighting. Catch them in NYC tonight (7/12) and Wednesday (7/13) at Irving Plaza with Maps & Atlases. Check out the latter's recent video for "Solid Ground" below. - Andrew Sacher

Old 97s and Robert Ellis play The Stone Pony in Asbury Park tonight (7/12) and then arrive in Brooklyn for shows at The Bell House on July 13 and 14. The tenth person to email BVCONTESTS@HOTMAIL.COM (subject: Old 97s) will win a pair of tickets to the Wednesday night show at The Bell House (7/13) and access to soundcheck. Include your first and last name in the email, and check our facebook for more chances to win the same prize (we're giving away 5 pairs total actually). Check out a video of the Old 97's performing "State of Texas" in Texas last month, below...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Tuesday?"

Lollapalooza last year (more by Josh Darr)

Lollapalooza celebrates its 20th anniversary this year with some huge names on its just-announced lineup. See it in full below.

The festival has obviously changed over the years. What started out as a farewell tour for Jane's Addiction with a 'touring festival' lineup that included the Rollins Band, Nine Inch Nails, Butthole Surfers, and Souxsie & The Banshees, has turned into a one-weekend Chicago festival that Lady Gaga co-headlined last year. As leaked a while ago, Foo Fighters, Muse and Eminem all play this year, as will Coldplay, Cee Lo Green, and My Morning Jacket along with the reunited Cars and the continuing-to-be-reunited Big Audio Dynamite and Death From Above 1979, and a bunch of other bands which may or may not be worth the ticket price depending on how you feel about the headliners and generally seeing bands in big, hot, outdoor crowded parks (Lollapalooza happens in Chicago's Grant Park from August 5th - 7th).

Full 2011 Lineup and a couple of videos (one from 1991, one from 2010), below...

Continue reading "Lollapalooza 2011 lineup announced"

DOWNLOAD: Dominique Young Unique - Hot Girl (Delicate Steve treatment) (MP3)

The above MP3 speaks for itself. Delicate Steve is on tour now with Maps & Atlases. Together they play Bowery Ballroom in NYC tonight (4/19) with Gypsyblood. Tickets will be available at the door if you're looking for last minute plans.

Tickets are now on sale for the show Dominique Young Unique is playing at Mercury Lounge on May 4th, and now that show has an opener (Prussia).

And speaking of Doms and Bowery Ballroom, Dom plays Bowery Ballroom on Wednesday (4/20) with Fergus and Geronimo, Friends, and Total Slacker. Tickets are still available and I have a pair you can win (details below). It's Dom's only upcoming show at the moment.

All Delicate Steve and Maps & Atlases tour dates are listed below...

Continue reading "Delicate Steve remixed Dominique Young Unique (MP3), on tour w/ Maps & Atlases, play Bowery tonight (Dom play there tomorrow)"

J Mascis @ Summerstage in 2009 (more by Chris La Putt)

J Mascis has set to release his first solo acoustic album of new material (Martin & Me was a live acoustic LP with no new acoustic material), and first album for Sub Pop on March 15. The album is called Several Shades of Why and is his first solo release since 1996's Martin + Me. The tracklist is below.

As far as dates, all J has coming up at the moment is a performance on Saturday, November 13 at Prema Yoga to benefit Amma's charities. All proceeds from the show will be donated to Embracing The World, the humanitarian efforts of Mata Amritanandamayi Devi (Amma). Mascis will be joined on stage by Devadas and Tony Jarvis. Dinosaur Jr. will be performing Bug in its entirety at ATP in London on July 1.

In other Dinosaur Jr. related news, Lou Barlow has stated the following in a journal entry on his website dated 10/25/10:

I'm going to Japan on Halloween to visit a Mike Watt/Missingmen tour already in progress... play a few shows with them... THEN I'm going to Spain for Thanksgiving-time shows...
It doesn't seem possible for me to be home for more [than] a few weeks at a time... writing new songs doesn't seem possible either... I need home-time deluxe for that... to settle and spread my head
but there's talk of a new Dino record, I'll get something together if that happens... Also Sebadoh will be touring in support of the next 'classic' reissues: Bakesale and Harmacy... myself, Jason and Bob D'Amico... working those songs out should be fun, always is... February for Sebadoh tours, dates forth-coming.

The Mike Watt/Missingmen tour that Barlow mentioned was in support of Watt's new album Hyphenated-Man which is out now in Japan on Parabolica Records. Hyphenated-Man is Watt's third opera, fourth album overall, and is his first since leaving Columbia. An American release is rumored for 2011. The 30-song tracklist, with some live videos from the recent tour, is below.

Watt's tour just ended this past Sunday, but Tera Melos (who opened the October 17-22 dates) have just embarked on a US tour with Maps & Atlases. All dates, album tracklists and stuff below...

Continue reading "J Mascis is releasing a solo album, Sebadoh to tour soon, Mike Watt released an album in Japan & stuff"

Cults @ Ridgewood Masonic Temple (more by Jessica Amaya)

After the coming out party that was their gig opening for Sleigh Bells at Ridgewood Masonic Temple on May 11th, new band Cults are ready to see the country. The band will tour North America with Chicago's Maps & Atlases this July and August, starting in California and heading east. They both play NYC's Mercury Lounge on August 12th (tickets TBA) and Knitting Factory on August 13th (tickets).

Maps & Atlases' debut, Perch Patchwork, comes out June 29th on Barsuk. Cults has songs available for free here, and there's a video from their set at the Ridgewood Masonic Temple, and one from their show at Mercury Lounge which was before that, below. That and all tour dates, including Maps & Atlases' current dates with Frightened Rabbit, are below...

Continue reading "Cults and Maps & Atlases - 2010 tour dates"

DOWNLOAD: Deer Tick - Beautiful Girls (Sean Kingston Cover) (MP3)

Murphy's Law @ Culture Shock '09 (Serenaz)

The lineup is out for Culture Shock 2010, which will take place April 16th and 17th at SUNY Purchase. Headliners for this year's fest are pop-punk band Bayside (avoid the "Beautiful Girls" cover on their MySpace) (and check out another version above) and indie-pop collective Los Campesinos (who'll play Irving Plaza April 22nd) Friday night, and rapper Jay Electronica and The Books on Saturday. The rest of the bill is a varied mix that includes Surfer Blood, Black Milk, Maps & Atlases, L Mag Band You Need To Hear Ava Luna, Maluca, Das Racist, The So So Glos and Turbo Fruits. The annual event isn't technically open to non-students. The full lineup is below.

Last year's lineup was headlined by Drake and The Cool Kids. In 2008, Fucked Up's headlining performance was cut short by the police.

The bands were announced earlier this month via film at an event at the school. That video, the lineup and more are below...

Continue reading "SUNY Culture Shock 2010 lineup"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Higher Than the Stars (Others in Conversation Mix) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Besnard Lakes - And You Lied to Me (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Cinnamon Band - Buena Vista (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Princeton - Calypso Gold (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Princeton - Sadie and Andy (feat. Meredith Metcalf (MP3)

The Besnard Lakes

(This Week in Indie Pt 1, in case you missed it.)

North of the border, Pop Montreal 2009 is going on as we speak, yet one of the Canadian city's best bands, The Besnard Lakes, are here in NYC playing a show on Saturday (10/3) at Mercury Lounge. I think they must feel an affinity for New York -- Brooklyn too, as their excellent 2007 album Are The Dark Horse (one of my faves from that year) has a song called "On Bedford and Grand," a tongue-in-cheek ode to Williamsburg. As good as that album is, Besnard Lakes are even better live, though it probably depends on their ever-fluctuating line-up. In addition to scoring actor Mark Ruffalo's directorial debut, the band are working on Dark Horse's follow-up, so it will be good to hear some new material. The show also features Philadelphia duo The Cinnamon Band (2/3s of defunct Jagjaguwar band The Union of a Man and a Woman) and Acrylics who I think are one of the city's best new bands.

We've got a pair of tickets to give away for this 21+ show. If you're interested, send an email with your first and last name to BVCONTESTS@HOTMAIL.COM with the subject line "Besnard Lakes" and we'll pick a winner at random.

Saturday is a busy night. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart (9pm), who just released a great new EP called Higher Than the Stars, headline Webster Hall (tickets), the penultimate date on their current tour with Cymbals Eat Guitars (7pm) and The Depreciation Guild (8pm). You can download a brand new remix of Higher Than the Stars title track, which strips off the original's sparkly sheen and gives it a rougher, darker coat of paint. The Webster Hall show has an early start with 6pm doors, which will have you out of there by 10pm, in time for a second show of the night if so desired. The band play Philadelphia on Sunday (10/4), then are taking six weeks off before Europe in mid-November. They are also conspicuously absent from either of the upcoming Slumberland Records Anniversary shows.

The Dø

Also also Saturday (that's 10/3 if you forgot), Finland's The Dø wrap up their first-ever American tour with a NYC stop at Hiro Ballroom (tickets). One night earlier (tonight), they play a show at Pop Montreal. Their 2008 album A Mouthful is a schizophrenic mix of indie rock, dreamy folk, tribal rhythms, and even (less successful) forays into hip hop. One woulda thought the band would have been here a year ago, as A Mouthful's hype hit its pinnacle about a year and a half ago, though it still hasn't gotten a proper U.S. release. (You can get it via iTunes or Emusic, though.) The Dø's show in L.A. as part of the Oohlala Festival didn't go so well, apparently, but their show at Chicago's Empty Bottle was a hit according to Popmatters critic (and ace photographer) Kirstie Shanley:

Creating a live performance full of win, French-Finnish duo The Dø could have easily entertained an audience of thousands. Olivia Merilahti was electricity personified. Flipping her long lustrous hair, coming up to the tip on the stage and leaning into the audience were two of her frequent rock moves. Dan Levy chose to engage the audience with his sudden floor kneeling. But despite the sense of developed chemistry between he and Merilahti, it was she who truly stole the show. [Popmatters]

You've got another chance to catch L.A. band Princeton, who play with Chicago's Maps & Atlases at the new Knitting Factory in Williamsburg on Sunday. Both bands are just now wrapping up a tour supporting Ra Ra Riot. Their debut, Cocoon of Love, is out now and is pretty hard not to like, full of well-dressed scholarly pop not unlike Belle & Sebastian or the Magnetic Fields (or, loathe as I am to admit it, Vampire Weekend, minus the Afrobeat influences). Princeton were to be one the unavoidable bands at this year's CMJ Festival but canceled after being offered an opening slot on Art Brut's upcoming U.S. tour, so this may be the last chance to see them for a while (well, unless you choose the Art Brut show at Maxwell's which is one of the shows they're opening).

And finally, UK legend Frank Sidebottom is visiting NYC again, here ostensibly for the Coney Island Film Festival where he'll debut his film Frank Sidebottom Saves Coney Island. I caught Frank (and his sidekick Little Frank) back in March where he played to confused locals at the 169 Bar, where he first got heckled but eventually won the crowd over with his bizarre, hilarious covers of The Fall, The Smiths, Queen and The Beatles, which includes multiple costume changes. He's playing a bunch of shows throughout the weekend, including two on Sunday (10/4) at Cake Shop and Otto's Shrunken Head. If you're even slightly curious (there are videos below) I recommend you go see him -- there's really nobody else like him.

Videos and tour dates follow...

Continue reading "The Do, Besnard Lakes, Princeton, Pains of Being Pure at Heart & more in This Week in Indie (part 2) "

Les Savy Fav @ Brooklyn Masonic Temple (more by Natasha Ryan)

BROOKLYN KNITTING FACTORY SET TO OPEN / BROOKLYN'S LES SAVY FAV TO PLAY OPENING NIGHT

"The Knitting Factory, a leader in the New York arts scene for over two decades, is proud to announce that our new venue at 361 Metropolitan Avenue in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, NY will be opening September 2009. Brooklyn-based favorites, Les Savy Fav, will perform and host the opening night on Wednesday September 9th. Upcoming shows will feature performances by: Boss Hog, Rasputina, Mayer Hawthorne, Titus Andronicus, The Raincoats, The Spits, Mucca Pazza, Melissa Auf der Maur, cEvin Key, A Wilhelm Scream, Helado Negro, Maps and Atlases, No Neck Blues Band, Dub Trio, Smokey's Secret Family and much more to be announced. Upcoming special events include this year's Williamsburg Fashion Week's Fashion and Arts Premiere, the Miss LEZ Pageant and the Royal Flush Film Festival.

We've been waiting for this news since first finding out Knitting Factory was taking over the Brooklyn Luna Lounge lounge space in April 2008 (which was followed by official confirmation in July of the same year). Since then, Knitting Factory's Manhattan location closed and reopened (and closed again) and lots of people have been left wondering what the deal was.

Tickets for the September 9th Les Savy Fav show are on sale (thx Coma). They also play Fun Fun Fun Fest in November.

Boss Hog is September 10th (tickets). They play ATP NY on September 12th.

The Titus Andronicus/So So Glos show (tickets) is the last date on a long tour that also includes a show at Maxwell's.

Melissa Auf der Maur plays KF on October 17th as part of the Royal Flush Film Festival which makes sense since she made a movie. Tickets for that event are on sale.

And tickets and dates to all of the above mentioned shows are HERE.

More about the space, HERE.

Tim Harrington apologizes to his mom, in the video below...

Continue reading "Knitting Factory Brooklyn opening September 9th w/ Les Savy Fav (tix on sale) ++ other upcoming shows like Boss Hog"

by Black Bubblegum

Torche @ Webster Hall (more by Jason Bergman)

We just received confirmation that Dredg will hit the road with Miami thunder trio Torche and NOT with the Norwegian nu-metal quartet Torch (as occasionally misreported), for a string of dates in April. One of those nights is at Highline Ballroom with Maps & Atlases on April 19th. Tickets go on sale here, though no on-sale date has been specified.

Torche's aforementioned 12" EP, Healer / Across The Shields is currently on pre-order via Hydra Head. The EP contains the two tracks from Meanderthal that bear it's title, two music videos for those tracks on a bonus DVD, and two NEW jams ("Mash It Up" & "Sugar Glider"). Pick copies of that 12" in purple, orange and black.

Dredg are also on board for SXSW 2009. They play the Independent Label Group showcase at Buffalo Billiards on March 20th with Riverboat Gamblers, P.O.S., As Tall as Lions, Funeral Party, & Lights.

Torche released my numero uno heavy record of last year, Meanderthal. They have been playing as a trio since the departure of Juan Montoya, and will be in Atlanta this weekend as part of the Scion Rock Fest. All dates below...

Continue reading "Torche & Dredg - 2009 Tour Dates"