Bob Dylan by Greil Marcus: Writings 1968-2010 was recently released, just in time for the holidays...

"The book begins in Berkeley in 1968, and ends with a piece on Dylan's show at the University of Minnesota--his very first appearance at his alma mater--on election night 2008. In between are moments of euphoric discovery: From Marcus's liner notes for the 1967 Basement Tapes (pop music's most famous bootlegged archives) to his exploration of Dylan's reimagining of the American experience in the 1997 Time Out of Mind. And rejection; Marcus's Rolling Stone piece on Dylan's album Self Portrait--often called the most famous record review ever written--began with "What is this shit?" and led to his departure from the magazine for five years. Marcus follows not only recordings but performances, books, movies, and all manner of highways and byways in which Bob Dylan has made himself felt in our culture.

Together the dozens of pieces collected here comprise a portrait of how, throughout his career, Bob Dylan has drawn upon and reinvented the landscape of traditional American song, its myths and choruses, heroes and villains. They are the result of a more than forty-year engagement between an unparalleled singer and a uniquely acute listener."

You can buy it at Amazon, or maybe pick up a copy at the Strand tonight, 12/1, where Greil will be speaking in conversation with Stephen Hazan Arnoff, Director of the 14th Street Y, "and special guests Matt and Eleanor Friedberger of the Fiery Furnaces, who will perform a few songs."

Eleanor & Matt Friedberger will also be on hand at the 14th St Y and Le Poisson Rouge on Sunday, December 5th, for a day of Dylan events. The concert at LPR is this:

What Kind of Love Is This:
The Music of BOB DYLAN & THE BAND
w/ Steven Bernstein (Sex Mob, Levon Helm Band), John Medeski (Medeski, Martin and Wood), Rob Burger (Laurie Anderson, Marianne Faithful, Iron & Wine), Tony Scherr (Bill Frisell, Norah Jones, Sex Mob), Kenny Wollesen (Norah Jones, John Zorn, Bill Frisell, Sex Mob), and special guests Jolie Holland, Laura Cantrell, Nicole Atkins, John Wesley Harding, and Eleanor and Matthew Friedberger of The Fiery Furnaces. And special Guest Vocalists Chocolate Genius, and David Johansen (New York Dolls).

$35 tickets are still on sale for that part, and $75 tickets which I guess get you into everything at both spaces, are on sale too. If you just want in the symposium happening at the Y, that's $45, described as "a one-of-a-kind exploration of Bob Dylan and the Band's work, featuring scholars, critics, writers, and artists"

Greil Marcus: Author of the definitive book on Bob Dylan and The Band, Invisible Republic: Bob Dylan's Basement Tapes.

Christopher Ricks: Renowned critic and scholar of English literature and poetry, and author of Dylan's Visions of Sin.

John Niven: Novelist whose book Music from Big Pink vividly imagines the world of Bob Dylan and The Band.

Dana Spiotta: Author of mesmerizing portraits of the 60's underground, including Eat the Document.

Matt Friedberger: Co-founder of the visionary rock band The Fiery Furnaces.

D.A. Pennebaker: Pioneering film documentarian, whose credits include Don't Look Back, the first film on Bob Dylan.

Stephen Hazan Arnoff: Executive Director of the 14th Street Y writes and teaches widely on music, art and religion.

Wesley Stace (John Wesley Harding): Singer-songwriter and award winning author of Misfortune.

William G. Scheele: Museum curator and former Equipment/Stage Manager for Bob Dylan and The Band.

Bob Dylan himself, who recently played three nights in a row at NYC's Terminal 5, is not listed anywhere. Maybe he'll come watch. More info on the whole thing at 14th St. Y's site.

John Wesley Harding also has a show coming up at City Winery.

DOWNLOAD: Fiery Furnaces - The End is Near (MP3)

The Fiery Furnaces @ Middle East Downstairs (6/12/09) (gikthechamp)

"Eleanor kept mentioning how most of the new songs were about ex-boyfriends, and at one point was almost apologizing for that fact, joking that they were now out of ideas. She shouldn't be so concerned. I love the more obscure and whimsical topics that have come up in past Furnaces releases, but I welcome this more straightforward, emotionally driven material. They've done it before, but it's never been as bittersweet as this, nor as neat and soulful. It was time to shift gears, and they made exactly the right decision -- their melodic sensibility is front and center, the preciousness is dialed down considerably." [Fluxblog]

Fluxblog's review refers to the June 11th show at Le Poisson Rouge where the Fiery Furnaces played a complete and re-arranged version of their new album I'm Going Away (out July 21 on Thrill Jockey). Setlist below. New studio-recorded track from that album, above.

Three days later, Matt's other band King's Crescent played a Martin Bisi-curated Northside Festival show at Spike Hill. Lucid Culture writes that they "flipped the script and played a joyous, virtuosic, completely in-the-pocket set of vintage Meters covers."

On August 9th, the Fiery Furnaces will join Simian Mobile Disco (who are playing DJ) on the bill of the free JellyNYC Pool Party at the Williamsburg Waterfront. Finger on the Pulse are also DJing at this one. All FF dates below...

Continue reading "Fiery Furnaces played LPR, King's Crescent played Spike Hill, FF playing Pool Party w/ Simian Mobile Disco ++ new MP3"

Fiery Furnaces @ Barack Rock (more by Kyle Dean Reinford)

The Fiery Furnaces play (Le) Poisson Rouge tonight (June 11th) with Newspeak. That ensemble will debut a piece by the Furnaces' Matthew Friedberger titled "U.S. Cold Storage Pleads Its Case To The NLRB" (slightly different than originally reported). Tickets are still on sale.

At the show, The Fiery Furnaces will play "among other things, a version, complete and re-arranged, of their not-yet released album, I'm Going Away," performed 'in the round.' I'm Going Away will be showcasd at the band's other tour dates, below, as well. That record comes out July 21st on Thrill Jockey.

On Sunday, June 14th, Matthew Friedberger and Fiery Furnaces drummer Bob D'Amico will perform with King's Crescent at a Northside Festival show at Spike Hill. The lineup for that gig, curated by Martin Bisi, also includes SUSU, Kerry Kennedy, Alina Simone and Bisi himself.

On King's Crescent, Amico wrote in March...

i have another sorta-new band with my good friends jeff steinhauser on guitar, jeff martini on bass/vox, matt friedberger on organ and me on drums. the band is called Kings Crescent. right now we're playing mostly the music of our funk heroes from New Orleans- The Meters. we will expand our repotoire a bit and incorporate some of our other soul/funk heroes as well....and some Minutemen jams played in the vein of those heroes.

A live video of the Furnaces playing "Single Again" off their 2005 EP, with all tour dates, below...

Continue reading "Matt Friedberger plays in King's Crescent (Northside show) ++ Fiery Furnaces show details (tonight & other dates) "

by Andrew Frisicano

Brian Snow of Newspeak...

Fiery Furnaces and NYC ensemble Newspeak are playing a Wordless Music show at (Le) Poisson Rouge on Thursday, June 11th. Tickets are still on sale.

That night, Newspeak's set will include the world premiere of a piece composed by Fiery Furnaces frontman Matt Friedberger. That song, titled "Amalgamated Bakery and Pastry and Ice and Coal Drivers Local Union No. 953 v. National Licorice Co," will be "the first time in Wordless Music history that a member of the rock band is writing a piece for the classical ensemble."

Also on the show's program is a song by Newspeak group member Caleb Burhans, "Requiem for a General Motors in Janesville, WI." The eight-piece ensemble played that tune as part of their set (photographed here) at the Bang on Can benefit at LPR on Wednesday, June 3rd. Though "Requiem" composer Burhans, the group's regular violinist, was absent from the lineup, he was ably subbed for by NYC violin luminary Todd Reynolds. Reynolds helped the group tear through songs like the dissonant, blast-beat-filled "Breaking and Entering," which closed the set.

Currently, that tune is streaming at the band's MySpace (though be warned, the recording doesn't do it justice). Also streaming is a song by band director and drummer David T. Little, "Sweet Light Crude," which is also on the program for June 11th. See the full program for that night, below.

In other Wordless Music news, the Signal performance of Steve Reich's Double Sextet on Monday, June 22nd has added a second set. Tickets for those early and late shows are on sale now.

Also coming up for Wordless Music is the US debut of Jóhann Jóhannsson at LPR on Thursday, June 25th. NYC ensemble ACME, who just played the Tribeca New Music Festival (happening through Sunday), will be accompanying Jóhannsson and opening the show. Tickets for the early set (6:30pm) and late set(9pm) are still on sale.

More Newspeak pictures below...

Continue reading "Newspeak playing w/ Fiery Furnaces (and a Matt Friedberger piece), played the Bang on a Can benefit (pics) ++ 2nd Steve Reich 'Double Sextet' show added "

DOWNLOAD: Times New Viking - Drop-Out (MP3)

In addition to opening tonight (Feb 24) and tomorrow's Super Furry Animals shows at Bowery Ballroom, Times New Viking are playing a book release show in Brooklyn on March 1st. Check out the flyer above. Check out more tour dates, and more book parties, below....

Continue reading "Times New Viking - 2008 Tour Dates, 'Perfect From Now On'"