Love it or loathe it, New Year's Eve is coming. Here are some of this year's NYC concert options, of which there are many.

One of the biggest shows of the night is Coldplay and Jay-Z at Barclays Center. If you've seen pictures of Coldplay's tour this year, you know they have this bluetooth controlled, light-up wristbands that (no matter how you feel about their music) makes for a spectacular interactive experience. And certainly Jay-Z will throw a good party at his own house.

Jay-Z's pal Kanye West is doing a three-night run in Atlantic City right before NYE (12/28-30) at Revel. Tickets for those shows are still available.

Another hip hop option includes Nas at Radio City Music Hall that also features Elle Varner. Tickets are still available.

Azealia Banks is playing a black tie party on top of The Standard Hotel (aka Boom Boom Room). More info is at the facebook event. You can RSVP for tickets ($250 minimum) by emailing unifiedpromo@unifiedpromo.com.

Also in the biggest NYE show race there is also Phish's sold-out night at MSG, part of a four night run at the venue.

If jam bands are your thing, you might also want to catch The Disco Biscuits, who kick off their four-night run at Best Buy Theater tonight (12/26) and then play NYE at The Theatre at MSG (tickets).

Another jammy option is Gov't Mule's two-night run at Beacon Theatre (12/30-31). Tickets for both nights are on sale.

If you're more into dancing, RJD2 will be DJing at Gramercy Theater with Com Truise and Chrome Sparks; and Moby and many others will be DJing at an as-yet undisclosed location (tickets).

Pretty Lights is also doing two sold nights at Roseland Ballroom (12/30-31). Another dance option that you might want to avoid is Afrojack is playing two nights on Pier 94 (12/30-31), but it's worth mentioning that if you get there early on night 1, you can catch opening sets by Diplo and Rusko. Night 2 (aka NYE) is sold out but night 1 is still on sale.

Brooklyn dance party The Bunker is throwing an event at the 70 N 6 St loft (above Public Assembly) with John Roberts, Mike Parker, Bryan Kasenic, and Mike Servito. Tickets for that party are on sale now.

Downstairs at the actual Public Assembly, Gaze 4 Daze is throwing two queer parties. Room 1 has DJ sets by Rizzla, Sebastian, and D'Hana, along with Emcee Ryann Supamakenzi and host Cherlyn. In room 2, they've got MIchael Magnan, Amber Valentine, Telfar, Mursi Layne, host Helen Harris, and live performances by House of Ladosha, Cakes Da Killa, and Abdu Ali. $10 at the door gets you into both parties.

Brooklyn warehouse party group Rubulad is presenting "Party-Go-Round" in three separate secret Bushwick locations near the Jefferson L stop. There will be live music by Friend Roulette, Not Waving but Drowning, Viva, and more; dance parties with music by DJ Shakey, Ol' Stark, DJ Mojo, $mall ¢hange and more; a puppet show, a midnight champagne toast, and more. Admission is $20, the events start at 9 PM, and there will be a party bus to navigate between the three locations.

Matthew Dear and Superpitcher are at Le Bain (tix); Ian Pooley, Pat Mahoney and more at Cameo; Onra, Nick Catchdubs, and Samo Sound Boy are at Williamsburg's Villian (tickets).

Holy Ghost! and Midnight Magic are at Brooklyn Bowl (sold out) and after that, Holy Ghost!'s DFA labelmate Juan Maclean will DJ an afterparty at the same venue (tickets).

Chris Keating of Yeasayer is DJing a BangOn!NYC-presented party at a secret warehouse location in Williamsburg near the Montrose L stop with Felix Cartal, Chordashian, Alex English, Sean Glass, and many others. There will also be live music by Carousel, Suntalk, and more TBA, art installations, an inflatable obstacle course, food trucks, and more. Tickets (more info at that link) are on sale and RSVP is open. Location will be revealed with the purchase of tickets or an RSVP.

If you'd rather dance to classic soul and R&B, there's New York Night Train Annual Dusk Till Dawn New Year's Ball at Home Sweet Home featuring a live performance from Kid Congo and the K-Holes, plus Jonathan Toubin and a crew of DJs.

For the indie rock inclined, you could go see Titus Andronicus at Glasslands which is a pretty small venue for them these days. While So So Glos were originally on the bill for this, they have since dropped off. Dapwell, formerly of Das Racist, is your MC for the evening and tickets are still available.

Right next door at 285 Kent, Florida's (awesomely) mopey Merchandise will visit,  plus Blanche Blanche Blanche, Tonstartssbandht and "speciial guests" (note the two ii's is "speciial") will surely be a wild night. Dive in, tickets ($20) are on sale now.

After that, DJ Rashad, DJ Manny, Sasha Go Hard, and others will play an afterparty at 285 Kent (tickets).

Psychic Ills and Herb Craft are playing Saint Vitus. Tickets for that show are on sale.

Also happening in Williamsburg, They Might be Giants play a sold-out show at Music Hall of Williamsburg (one of three shows there that week; Reverend Vince Anderson and His Love Choir will be at Union Pool (free); and at Knitting Factory it's a night of cabaret hosted by the great Murray Hill (tix).

More indie rock: Blonde Redhead and Beach Fossils are at Irving Plaza. Tickets are still available and you can also win a pair from us.

Swimming Cities and Gowanus Ballroom (55 9th St) are presenting The First Party Ever: Primal Reset for the Year Zero with dance parties by Barney Iller, DJ Shakey, and DJ Tinseltown; live music at midnight by Stumblebum Brass Band; an open bar from 11:30-12:30; visuals; "Serret's patented coal fire hot tub time machine"; "Live birth of the antichrist, according to Doctor Adventure"; and more. $15 tickets are on sale now (or $20 at the door, cash only) and all proceeds go to recovery at Serret Metal Works and the "BOATEL" art hotel project in Far Rockaway that were damaged during Hurricane Sandy.

Meanwhile across the Hudson, The Hold Steady will ring in 2013 with Lucero at The Wellmont Theatre in NJ. Tickets are still available.

Before that, Lucero will do a two-night run at Brooklyn Bowl (12/28-29) with Nude Beach supporting on night 1 and Hollis Brown on night 2. Tickets for night 1, night 2, or both are still available.

Amanda Palmer will be at Terminal 5, playing Prince's Purple Rain in its entirety which will surely be a spectacle. She'll play a set of originals too. Tickets are still available.

If you'd like to party like it's 1929, Spirit Family Reunion are bringing the old time religion to Pianos. Tickets are still available, includes a champagne toast.

More rootsy options include The Punch Brothers and Michael Daves at Bowery Ballroom (sold out); and The Felice Brothers, Yellowbirds, and Mail the Horse at Mercury Lounge (sold out).

The Felice Brothers also play Maxwell's (12/30) a day earlier (sold out), and on New Year's Eve, the Hoboken venue will host "Maxwell's Rockin' & Rollin' Ass Kickin' New Year's Eve Dance Party feat. The Two Giants: Todd-O-Phonic Todd & Mono-O-Phonic Matt Porter." They get their name from being big San Francisco Giants fans, and they'll be spinning "some of the greatest soul, r'n'b, garage, rock'n'rol etc" all night. Admission is totally free, no cover.

My Morning Jacket is doing a sold out pre-New Year's Eve three-night run (12/27-29) at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester.

After that, Capitol Theatre will host Steve Miller Band on 12/30 (tickets) and funky METERS with Dumpstaphunk on NYE (tickets).

For some old school punk, Manitoba (the project of Dictators frontman Dick Manitoba) and Sylvain Sylvain (of New York Dolls) will play Bowery Electric with The A-Bones and Daddy Long Legs. Tickets for that show are on sale.

To keep the party going the next day, head to SOB's for Questlove's holiday party.

Whatever you end up doing, be safe!.

What did we miss?

Heading to Austin? We have a list of shows happening there too. Update: And Chicago too.

Continue reading "A guide to New Year's Eve shows and parties in NYC"

Yo La Tengo with Norman Blake (photo by Liz Clayton, via)

We opened night eight with "Ohm" (recorded by John McEntire on YLT's forthcoming Fade record). Norman helped us out for the rest of the set. We took care of some unfinished business from our repertoire ("The Cone of Silence," "I Feel Like Going Home"), played some covers both observant ("Goin' Back") and non- ("Walking on Ice"). Next up was one-time Teenage Fanclub producer Don Fleming for his classic "Evelyn Marble," Dylan's "I Wanna Be Your Lover," and TFC's "God Knows It's True." We closed with "I Heard You Looking," from both the Yo La Tengo and Teenage Fanclub book, and -- what else? -- "Eight Days a Week." And that was almost that. We climbed the stairs from the basement one last time, already drumming the intro to "Antmusic," and pulled some percussionists from the front row for a little bonus thunder. Gaylord had a few more observations he wanted to make, and as long as he was there, we backed him on "My Little Red Book" and the Great Gaylord/Condo Fucks classic (by way of the Rolling Stones) "Rice Krispies." And oh yeah, my mom sang "My Little Corner of the World." I unplugged the menorah (if I only I had heard it referred to as the meNorman in time to use that joke on stage), and THAT was that.-[YLT]

Like all the Hanukkah shows at Maxwell's this year and every year, proceeds from Saturday's performance were donated to charity, in this case Jersey Shore Relief. The final night's curated mix cd was from Yoni Wolf of Why? who will be touring in 2013. Yo La Tengo will also be touring a lot more, with a new album, in 2013.

Past YLT Chanukah nights at Maxwell's this year included guests and openers Barbara Manning, El-P, Real Estate, The Feelies, Sun Ra Arkestra, the Raybeats, and Titus Andronicus/Jon Glaser/Jon Benjamin Andrew Bird. Click each of those nights to see more about the show and its setlist. Check out the poster from each night, and the final night's setlist, below....

Continue reading "Yo La Tengo ended Hanukkah 2012 run at Maxwell's (check out what they played & who else played each night)"

Titus Andronicus just announced a short co-headlining European tour which will go down this May with fellow punk bashers Fucked Up. A list of all dates and the tour flyer are below.

In other news, as the tweet above hints, it looks like a pretty good chance that Titus will be opening for Yo La Tengo tonight. UPDATE: They did!

Meanwhile, Fucked Up play NYC on December 21 at Warsaw with support from Lemuria, Night Birds, and Parquet Courts. Tickets for that show are still available.

A list of all dates and flyer are below.

Continue reading "Titus Andronicus announce European tour w/ Fucked Up, opening for Yo La Tengo tonight? update: YES"

Yo La Tengo + Fred Armisen @ Maxwell's, 12/9/2012 (via @j_maxed)

Sunday night was the second night of Yo La Tengo's annual Hanukkah Week residency at Maxwell's with surprise openers Fred Armisen and Sun Ra Arkestra. (Lambchop's Kurt Wagner made the night's mix CD.) Fred actually pulled double duty, playing drums for YLT's entire set (!) making for a double percussion evening that included covers of the Velvet Underground's "Who Loves the Sun?" and the Ramones' "Can't Make it On Time." The whole Sunday setlist is below (and check out Saturday's HERE.).

Any guesses as to who will open for Yo La Tengo tonight? UPDATE: It's The Feelies!

While Fred was laying down the beat, his voice could be heard on last night's episode of The Simpsons where he and Carrie Brownstein played a Portland couple who moved next door to Homer and Marge. The episode also featured Patton Oswalt and The Decemberists. In a strange coincidence, Portlandia returns with a new episode this Friday night (12/14) before the IFC sketch show comes back in earnest on January 4 (there's a private premiere party at a museum in NYC tonight).

Fred was also on this week's Jamie Foxx-hosted SNL, but just barely.

Fred also recently sat in with Dinosaur Jr. at their You're Living All Over Me 25th Anniversary show at Terminal 5 and will be hosting the Snow Ball Ball at The Bell House this Sunday (12/16) which is now sold out.

Last but not least, Fred recently gave us his Top 10 LPs of 2012. Check that out, and take a look at Blonde Redhead's too (theirs contains Yo La Tengo opener Sun Ra Arkestra).

Yo La Tengo's Hanukkah Night 2 setlist is below.

Continue reading "Fred Armisen joined Yo La Tengo & Sun Ra Arkestra for Hanukkah (setlist), was on the Simpsons w/ The Decemberists; The Feelies open tonight"

(via Yo La Tengo twitter)

Yo La Tengo played their first of eight sold out Hanukkah shows at Maxwell's last night (12/8) with opening sets by a reunited The Raybeats and comedian Emo Philips, and the mixtape made by Tom Scharpling (who was part of his own guest-filled event one night earlier). It was a benefit for the Fund to Rebuild Hoboken.

YLT took to their blog to recap the show, and of the openers, they wrote:

We've been seeing the Raybeats for so long that we remember when they were being billed as the Ex-Contortions (we also recall rotary phones, no-security airline check-in . . . stories? oh do we have stories!). Last night they did a too-short smorgasbord from their two lp's--can we cite the set's brevity to rationalize our not coming up with any photos of them? Perhaps, but how do we explain not wrangling drummer Don Christensen to reprise his impLOG version of Jewish songwriters Leiber and Stoller's "On Broadway"?

---

Am I right to suggest that local Emo Philips appearances are nearly as rare as those of the Raybeats? The jokes were coming so fast, it's difficult for me to pick a favorite. But I'll bet WFMU air personality Gaylord Fields would have no such problem: I could hear his dumbfounded laughter when Emo pulled off a punchline drawing the distinction between the Latin and Greek meanings of "homo." (I'm sure Gaylord will be only too happy to explain.)

YLT continue their run tonight. Any guesses on who opens?

UPDATE: Tonight's (12/9) openers are Fred Armisen and The Sun Ra Arkestra, and Lambchop man main Kurt Wagner made the mix CD.

Full setlist and another pic from the show, below...

Continue reading "The Raybeats & Emo Phillips opened for Yo La Tengo, Tom Scharpling made the mix tape (setlist)"

It's a tradition! Yo La Tengo begin their eight sold out shows at Maxwell's in recently-Sandy-ravaged Hoboken tonight, Saturday, December 8th, the first night of Hanukkah 2012. As always, each night will featured a varied setlist, a charity and a mix of secret musician and comedy openers and special guests. So far we haven't figured out even one this year. Any guesses?

UPDATE: Night 1 openers were a reunion by The Raybeats and comedian Emo Philips. Tom Scharpling made the mix tape of the night (they sell it for charity). The charity of the night was, appropriately, the Fund to Rebuild Hoboken.

The reunited Rascals are about to kick off a series of shows at Capitol Theater, and Yo La Tengo definitely like the Rascals.

Local musical opener and guest possibilities include Ted Leo, Titus Andronicus, Real Estate, Thurston Moore, Stephin Merritt, AC Newman, Kurt Vile, Lee Ranaldo, and Paul Banks.

Someone guessed Big Dipper.

Andrew Bird, Richard Buckner and Os Mutantes will all be in town (as will Jason Lytle and Sera Cahoone).

Thoughts?

That's this year's new t-shirt pictured above. More Yo La Tengo tour dates are HERE.

TItus Andronicus at House of Vans, Aug 2012 (more by Ryan Muir)


Titus Andronicus and Ceremony will team up for a US tour in October and November, kicking off in Philadelphia and looping the country, including a stop at Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin. The tour comes to a close in December with a pair of NYC area shows: 12/1 at Maxwell's and 12/2 at Webster Hall. Maxwell's ticketing info is on the way, as is Webster Hall.

The massive tour is intended to welcome Local Business, the band's new LP due via XL Recordings. Look for Titus's new baby to rear its head the day before tour kick-off (10/22), and check out the first song to slip out of the gates, "In a Big City," with all dates, below.

Continue reading "Titus Andronicus touring with Ceremony this fall, including Maxwell's and Webster Hall (dates)"

Screaming Females at Riot Fest Brooklyn in September (more by Gretchen Robinette)

Screaming Females are currently on tour supporting Garbage and in late November they'll head out on a tour supporting Dinosaur Jr. (which they've done before). None of those tours come through the NYC area but in between they'll go out on a headlining run which hits Maxwell's on November 11. Tickets for that show are on sale now.

Like other shows on that tour, the Maxwell's show is with their Don Giovanni labelmates Black Wine, whose most recent album, Hollow Earth, came out over the summer. It's a solid album and should appeal to fans of Replacements-style power pop. You can stream the whole thing below or download it for $7 at bandcamp.

That stream and a list of all dates are below.

Continue reading "Screaming Females touring with Black Wine this fall (dates)"

The Felice Brothers at Culture Shock 2012 (more by Kellyann Petry)

Today has been some sort of unofficial New Year's Eve Show Announce Day what with My Morning Jacket, Nas and Lucero/Hold Steady already today. Well here's another 12/31 option for you: The Felice Brothers will play an NYE show at Mercury Lounge with two support bands TBA. Tickets go on sale Friday, September 14 at noon with an AmEx presale starting Wednesday (9/12) at noon.

Additionally, The Felice Brothers will play Maxwell's the day before (12/30) and tickets for that show are on sale now. Meanwhile, Ian Felice will play solo in an opening set for Conor Oberst at Carnegie Hall on November 21 and tickets for that show are still available.

All Felice Brothers tour dates are listed below.

Continue reading "Felice Brothers playing Maxwell's, New Year's Eve at Mercury Lounge & other dates"

Braids at BV-CMJ 2011 (more by Amanda Hatfield)

Braids (not Braid, who just played NYC on their tour) will be in NYC for ATP I'll Be Your Mirror on Pier 36 on September 23, and they've just announced a few other Northeast dates surrounding that festival. Those dates include a show at Maxwell's on September 18. Tickets for that show go on sale Friday (8/17) at noon. All dates are listed below.

Braids are also planning to release the followup to 2011's Native Speaker in early 2013 with a darker and "more electronic-based" album. Regarding the new album, the band told SPIN:

We could play [Native Speaker] cuts for hours on end and we would never get drained. But some of these songs we're like, 'Oh this is kind of a dark song.' If you work on it for more than a couple hours it starts to get pretty dark in the room. You have to take a break and go get lunch or something then finish the song. It's been a good emotional journey for sure.

Continue reading "Braids working on new LP, playing shows before ATP (dates)"

John Vanderslice at Mercury Lounge in 2010 (more by Amanda Hatfield)

John Vanderslice and Crooked Fingers (the project of Archers of Loaf frontman Eric Bachmann) are teaming up for a co-headlining tour together this fall which hits the NYC area for shows at The Bell House on November 2 and Maxwell's on November 4. Tickets for those shows are not on sale yet but check ticketweb for updates on the Bell House and ticketfly for Maxell's. Tickets for other dates on the tour are going on sale this Friday (8/10). All dates are listed below.

John Vanderslice recently performed David Bowie's 1974 album, Diamond Dogs (the one with radio hit "Rebel Rebel") in its entirety at San Francisco's Vogue Theater (8/2). John was joined by Jason Slota on drums, Jamie Riotto on upright bass, and Rob Shelton on Rhodes for the show. After finishing the performance of the album, he also threw in a cover of "Ashes to Ashes" from Bowie's Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps). Videos of John and band playing "Big Brother" and "Ashes to Ashes" at the show are below.

Those videos and a list of all dates are below.

Continue reading "John Vanderslice touring w/ Crooked Fingers, covered Bowie's 'Diamond Dogs' in San Francisco (dates & videos)"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Magic Trick - Torture (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Magic Trick - Invisible at Midnight (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Wymond Miles - Pale Moon (MP3)

We mentioned earlier today that The Fresh and Onlys will be in NYC in November, supporting their great new album, Long Slow Dance. But if you would like to hear the warm baritone of Tim Cohen live sooner, his other band, Magic Trick, will be here opening for fellow San Franciscans Sonny & the Sunsets at Maxwell's on August 15 (tickets), Mercury Lounge on August 16 (tickets) and Glasslands on August 18 (tickets).

What began as a solo project for Cohen soon became Tim Cohen's Magic Trick and has now morphed into its own entity. While still featuring Tim's songs and melancholic/psychedelic worldview, Magic Trick are more are more pop-oriented than F&O (think Lee Hazlewood) with keyboards, glockenspiel and the lovely harmonies of Noelle Cahill and Alicia Vanden Heuvel. You can download two tracks from their new album, Ruler of the Night, above or stream the whole thing at Spotify.

Meanwhile, I'd be remiss not to talk about F&O guitarist Wymond Miles' new solo album, Under the Pale Moon, which it out now on Sacred Bones. The man whose post-punk, heavily-effected playing style give Fresh & Onlys such distinctive flair goes for dark romance on his own material, posited somewhere near Bowie's Berlin period or Heaven Up Here-era Bunnymen. (I wouldn't be surprised to learn he's a Crime & the City Solution fan, either.) It's a debonair debut and you can download an MP3 from it above or stream it in full at Spotify.

All Sonny & the Sunsets / Magic Trick dates are listed below, along with a Magic Trick video.

Continue reading "Magic Trick released new LP, opening for Sonny & the Sunsets; Wymond Miles released solo debut (dates, MP3s)"

The Macy's fireworks may be viewed from any area with an unobstructed view of the sky above the Hudson River. For the best views, head to 12th Avenue below W. 59th Street at the following access points along 11th Avenue:

Access Points
24th-26th Streets
27th-29th Streets
33rd-34th Streets
40th-42nd Streets
44th-50th Streets
52nd-54th Streets
56th-57th Streets

The following are NOT viewing areas for the 2012 show:
East River
Battery Park
Battery Park City
All Hudson River Piers (except limited access to Pier 84)
Hudson River Park promenade between W. Houston and 59th Street
Hudson River Park Bike Path between W. Houston and 59th Street

Another option: get on a boat. Rocks Off presents a Fourth of July Cruise aboard The Half Moon with DJ Buffalo Bill. it's $99 a person, but gives you a prime view complete with food and 3 hours of open bar, and it's probably more fun than Circle Line's "Private Pier Party." What other good spots do you know about?

You can also of course just stay home watch the fireworks on TV, complete with "performances" by Katy Perry and Kenny Chesney. Or not at all.

Meanwhile check out some fireworks in Coney Island tonight and every Friday. They rule and you can watch them from the beach.

Kurt Vile @ Sasquatch 2012 (more by Chris Graham)

A weekend of Kurt Vile begins tonight, Friday (6/15), at Maxwell's in Hoboken where Kurt will open and headline a sold out show at the initimate NJ venue. If you're going, especially all the way from NYC, keep in mind that the venue tells us Kurt goes on at 7pm! Don't be late (no opener), or you may find yourself confused and trying to get in to the sold out mewithoutyou show that starts right after Kurt's crowd is cleared from the room. The good news here is that after Kurt you have plenty of time to get from Hoboken to Brooklyn in time to catch Caveman, Frankie Rose and more at the BV show at Music Hall of Williamsburg!

Don't have a ticket to Maxwell's... don't have money even? You're in luck! Kurt's 2nd show of the weekend is a free one at Central Park Summerstage on Saturday (6/16), but don't be late to that one either because Kurt opens the show for Dawes, and that one starts at 7pm too! (getting there early will also guarantee you a spot at the free show that is first come, first served.)

For Dawes, Central Park is one of two shows in the area this weekend, as they're also on the bill of the Clearwater Festival which goes down in Croton Point Park in Croton, NY on Saturday and Sunday. Deer Tick, Alejandro Escovedo, Punch Brothers, Bela Fleck, Arlo Guthrie, Martin Sexton, Ani Difranco and many more also play in Croton.

After NYC, Kurt takes a few days off before getting on a plane to begin a summer tour of Europe. All of his dates are listed below...

Continue reading "Kurt Vile plays 2 EARLY shows before heading to Europe; Clearwater Fest also this weekend "

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: King Tuff - Bad Thing (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: King Tuff - Keep on Movin (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Jaill - Waste a Lot of Things (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Jaill - Perfect Ten (MP3)

King Tuff

After a 2010 album with his band Happy Birthday, Scuzz popper extraordinaire Kyle Thomas has returned to his solo King Tuff moniker for his brand new album, out this week on Sub Pop. The self-titled LP is 12 songs of boogie riffs, Stonesy sneer, big hooks and that nasally whine you either dig or dislike. You can download two tracks at the top of this post ("Bad Thing" is pretty damn catchy) and stream the whole album -- and watch the horror spoof video for "Bad Thing" -- below.

King Tuff, whose shows at SXSW this year were rauccous fun, is heading out on tour with two stops in the NYC area on June 9 at 285 Kent with Habibi, and June 14 at Maxwell's with Habibi and Natural Child. Tickets to the Maxwell's show are on sale now.

Part of King Tuff's tour -- not the part coming to NYC -- is with Sub Pop labelmates Jaill whose new album, Traps, will be out June 12. That's a pretty good double bill! You can download a couple tracks from Traps at the top of this post as well. All King Tuff and Jaill dates are listed below.

Continue reading "King Tuff released new LP (stream), touring with Jaill (who also have a new album coming out) (dates & MP3s)"

JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound at #HotelVegan (more by Amanda Hatfield)

Call Maxwell's the unofficial New Jersey headquarters for the Big Apple BBQ. The Hoboken venue will host three of the six artists scheduled to bless the Manhattan festival devoted to woodsmoke in the days surrounding that weekend, each with headlining shows.

First up is JC Brooks and The Uptown Sound, who will hit Maxwell's on June 9th. Tickets for that show are on sale. The show is one of a few extended weekends scheduled for the band, who are mainly playing East Coast/Midwest dates throughout the summer (including XPoNential Music Festival), save for a trip to Bumbershoot 2012.

Similarly, Maxwell's on June 11th will be the home for Alejandro Escovedo, one of several area dates for the singer-songwriter. Tickets for that show are on sale. You can also catch Escovedo at the Clearwater Festival, the Stuyvestant Town Oval on July 28th and Bowery Ballroom on June 5th for his record release.

And lastly, the venue will also host Southern Culture on the Skids on June 10th. Tickets for that show are on sale too.

All three bands' upcoming tour dates are listed below, along with some videos.

Continue reading "JC Brooks, Alejandro Escovedo, & Southern Culture on the Skids playing Maxwell's after Big Apple BBQ (not together)"

Roky Erickson at Webster Hall in 2010 (more by Kurt Christiansen)

Psych rock legend Roky Erickson is on the move, playing a few dates around the country, mostly in association with festivals. In addition to playing the Orion Music & More Festival in NJ on on June 23, the former 13th Floor Elevator frontman will also play a much more intimate show at Maxwell's the night before (June 22). Tickets for the Maxwell's show are on sale AND the Orion festival are on sale. All Roky Erickson tour dates are listed below.

In other news, Roky's performance at last year's Austin Psych Fest 4 has been immortalized on video in the form of a new DVD which is out now. In addition to Roky the concert film also has footage of Spectrum, A Place to Bury Strangers, The Fresh & Onlys and more. This year's Austin Psych Fest recently wrapped up, and you can check out pictures of day 1 HERE and day 2 HERE.

Check out the trailer for the Austin Psych Fest 4 DVD and the list of Roky Erickson tour dates below.

Continue reading "Roky Erickson touring, playing Maxwell's & Orion Fest (dates)"

The Detroit Cobras at Bell House (more by Chris La Putt)

Garage covers crew The Detroit Cobras have some upcoming summer shows including a weekend on the East Coast that includes Maxwell's in Hoboken on July 20th. Tickets for the NJ show are on sale.

UPDATE: There's a Rocks Off Boat show and other dates too.

Its been five years since The Detroit Cobras released Tied & True, and so far no word on a follow-up long-player. Until then, you can catch them live at the tour dates listed below...

Continue reading "The Detroit Cobras schedule dates"

Kurt Vile with Hellride East at LPR earlier this month (more by BBG)

Kurt Vile will play one of the many free Summerstage shows this summer when he opens for Dawes at Central Park on June 16. That show is free, but if you'd rather spend a few bucks and see Kurt in a more intimate environment, he'll be playing Maxwell's on June 15, the day before the Summerstage show. Tickets for that show are on sale now.

Speaking of Dawes, band members Taylor and Griffin Goldsmith will be in NYC later this month for Dylan Fest at Irving Plaza (5/24-25). Dawes will also play Clearwater Festival in Croton, NY after the Central Park show.

All Kurt Vile dates are listed below...

Continue reading "Kurt Vile playing Maxwell's before Summerstage (& other dates)"

Reigning Sound will kick off a string of mostly-Midwest dates with a show at Maxwell's on June 13th, before heading out for dates in Canada (including NXNE) and then looping back. Tickets are on sale for the NJ date.

Nude Beach, recently profiled here, will support the band in Philadelphia though support at Maxwell's has yet to be announced.

Reigning Sound recently released , a mini-LP available for free download via Scion. Stream one of those tracks below.

Still no update on that impending Oblivians record, but hopefully Greg Oblivian will spill the beans at some of the tour dates that are listed below.

Continue reading "Reigning Sound touring in June, playing Maxwell's & NXNE"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: The Trypes - (From the) Morning Glories (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Trypes - Belmont Girl is Mad at Me (MP3)

The Feelies at Prospect Park 2011 (more by Tamara Porras)

The Feelies, who recently played The Bell House, have announced more dates including plans to take over Maxwell's on Fourth of July weekend again. Well, technically, the Fourth is on a Wednesday this year, so the shows are Friday, June 29, Saturday, June 30 and Sunday, July 1. Click the dates for links to buy tickets ($25), and you can also get a $60 three-day pass for you Feelies obsessives out there.

In other news, Acute Records just released Music for Neighbors, a compilation of Feelies offshoot The Trypes and you can download a couple tracks from that at the top of this post. (Read more about it here.) The Feelies are in Boston next weekend and all their tour dates are below, along with a clip of their appearance (doing Bowie's "Fame") in Jonathan Demme's Something Wild....

Continue reading "The Feelies announce more dates, three nights at Maxwell's; reissued Trypes side project"

Polica at Brooklyn Bowl last month (more by Amanda Hatfield)

When Polica, who even more recently here to play Fallon, were here to play Rock Shop, Mercury Lounge, and Brooklyn Bowl, we mentioned they'd be back east in May (this month) but at the time had no NYC-area dates scheduled. They've since announced that they'll play Maxwell's on May 13 in Hoboken, NJ. Tickets are on sale now. Updated dates are listed below...

Continue reading "Polica added a Maxwell's date to May tour (updated dates)"

Man Man @ House of Vans in 2011 (more by BBG)

Man Man will hit the road in June. Kicking things off in Lancaster, PA on 6/1, they'll play a show at Maxwell's in Hoboken on 6/4. Tickets for the NJ show are on sale now. All dates are listed below...

Continue reading "Man Man announce June tour -- 2012 Tour Dates"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Heavy Cream - John Johnny (MP3)

Heavy Cream

Nashville's Heavy Cream are opening tonight's Hunx show at Mercury Lounge. The band have gone through a couple line-up changes but have come through the other side with their second album, Super Treatment, which is out May 8 on Infinty Cat. The record was produced by Ty Segall (who is a busy dude these days) who gives it a down-n-dirty vibe, plus some strange and amazing drum sounds. Check out "John Johnny" at the top of this post and we've got the artwork to Super Treatment below.

Natural Child

Heavy Cream's stint with Hunx wraps up tomorrow (4/5) with a show at Vassar, and then fellow Nashvillians Natural Child take over opening duties just in time for Friday's (4/6) show at Glasslands. Natural Child also play tonight (4/4) at Maxwell's with Liquor Store, Black Wine and Ba Babes. Natural Child's new LP, For the Love of the Game, will be out April 20 (yes, it's intentional) on good time rock n' roll label Burger Records. You can stream a track from it at the bottom of this post, get an eyefull of the album's NSFW artwork, and see all upcoming Natural Child tour dates...

Continue reading "Nashville's Heavy Cream & Natural Child opening for Hunx (on different nights), releasing new LPs, touring (dates & MP3)"

Rhett playing (in the convention center?) @ SXSW 2012 (via nattibeth)

In support of his upcoming self-produced solo album The Dreamer, frontman Rhett Miller announced a Spring tour with backing band The Serial Lady Killers that will hit Maxwell's on June 7 and Bowery Ballroom on June 8. Tickets for both are on sale now at the links. All dates are listed below.

Meanwhile, Rhett, fresh from a string of SXSW performances will play a sold out gig tomorrow night (3/23) at City Winery with Salim Nourallah. He also has some shows coming up with his 90s alt-rock cohorts in Old '97's.

The Dreamer is set to drop June 5 via Miller's own Maximum Sunshine Records. A free download for the album's first single "Out of Love" and a complete list of tour dates can be found below...

Continue reading "Rhett Miller announces new LP & tour (dates)"