photos by Tim Griffin

Mayer Buble @ Austin City Limits 2010

"It's no secret that 2010 has been a breakout year for throwback R&B singer Mayer Hawthorne -- even he knows that. But just how big is he these days? Early in the day before his afternoon set at Austin City Limits, he was in Waterloo Records, the town's most famous store for all things musical.

While minding his own business, flipping through vinyl, a man approached him and said, "Can I have your autograph?" Naturally, Hawthorne was taken aback, flattered and most importantly gracious. "Yes," he said, and the man got out a pen and paper. "As I was signing it, the man leans in as I was writing and says, 'You're Michael Bublé, right?'"

Hawthorne isn't Buble big yet, but he did convert the thousands that showed up to check out his early afternoon set. [Spinner]

And now Mayer Hawthorne is about to take a trip across the country with The Heavy. After kicking thigs off in Philly on October 16th, the two groups will hit NYC for two nights in a row. Tickets are still available for the shows at Webster Hall Bowery Ballroom (October 17th) and Music Hall of Williamsburg (October 18th), and I have some you can get for free (update: the Webster Hall show was moved to Bowery Ballroom not long after I first posted this - contest now just applies to the better venue). Deails on how to win, with more pictures from ACL, below...

Continue reading "Mayer Hawthorne (not Michael Buble) played ACL (pics), kicking off tour w/ The Heavy (WIN TIX) "

Dap King @ Brooklyn Bowl (more by Kyle Dean Reinford)

Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings will be returning to NY's historic Apollo Theater on Friday, April 30th. Tickets just went on Fan Club presale (password = SHARON). Then, Apollo Theater Foundation & AEG/Ticketmaster presales start on Wednesday at 10am, before they go on general sale this Friday, February 5th at 10am.

Sharon Jones & band will also be at Wanee Fest in Florida this April.

Their new album I Learned the Hard Way comes out April 6th on Daptone.

Sharon performed "Baby (You've Got What It Takes)" with Grammy winner Michael Buble on SNL Saturday night (1/30). Video from that performance is reposted below with all dates...

Continue reading "Sharon Jones played SNL, returning to the Apollo Theater"

Extra Life @ Knitting Factory in Dec (more by Lori Baily)

tonight in NYC
* Midnite @ SOB's
* comedy @ Union Hall
* Toshi Reagon @ Joe's Pub
* PRISM Quartet @ (Le) Poisson Rouge
* Darlings, Rifle Recoil @ Bruar Falls
* Soft Circle, Free Blood, Hunters, DJ Spun @ Glasslands
* Sam Mickens/Mike Pride Duo, Kush, Extra Life @ Zebulon
* Mama Bear, Pearl & The Beard, Denver Hughes, Sweater @ The Cameo
* Haiti Benefit w/ Runny, The Pioneers of Seduction, Glass Pipe, DJ Half Chemical @ Trash Bar
* Zona w/ White Suns, The Austerity Program, Daniel Malinsky, and Immanent Voiceless @ Public Assembly
* An Albatross, The Wharton Tiers Ensemble, Marc Edwards/Weasel Walter Group @ Knitting Factory Brooklyn
* Hoboken for Haiti Benefit w/ Shrubs, Glenn Mercer (of The Feelies), Schocholautte, Sputnik, more @ Maxwell's
* Schism (Tool tribute), Facelift (Alice in Chains Tribute), Battle of Los Angeles (Rage Against The Machine tribute), Rat Salad (Black Sabbath Tribute) @ Brooklyn Bowl

Tonight is the Grammys.

The all-saxophone PRISM Quartet (tenor, alto, soprano & bari) celebrates their 25th anniversary tonight at LPR with compositions from Steven Mackey, Roshanne Etezady, Jacob TV, Lei Liang, and William Albright. Tickets are on sale. See them performing Dutch composer JacobTV's "Postnuclear Winterscenario No.10" with dance theater Miro, below.

Did you catch Sharon Jones on SNL? She was great, but I wish she was playing with The Dap Kings instead of the Bubbly guy. A video of that performance that someone posted to YouTube (by filming their TV with a video camera), below...

Did you miss Maluca at Santos on Friday? Well, you have another chance to catch her on Monday (2/1) at Public Assembly. It's a Haiti benefit with Bad Brilliance. Flyer below...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Sunday?"

Sharon Jones @ Brooklyn Bowl on December 30th (more by Kyle Dean Reinford)

The release date for Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings' new album, I Learned the Hard Way, has been moved up almost a month, from the original May 4th to April 6th. Jones will be dueting on this Saturday's SNL with musical guest Michael Buble (wait, what?). They'll do the song "Baby (You've Got What It Takes)" off Buble's October 2009 album Crazy Love. Sharon also sings on the album version (which I did not realize until now). That song is embedded in a video below.

Sharon's Dap-Tone labelmates Naomi Shelton & The Gospel Queens will play a Haiti benefit at Knitting Factory Brooklyn on Monday, February 1st. They join the Antibalas-related group Amayo's Fu-Arkist-Ra (which will be bolstered with members of Chico Mann & Fela! cast members), Ikebe Shakedown and DJ Rich Medina. Tickets are on sale. Flyer below...

Continue reading "Sharon Jones duets & playing SNL with... Michael Buble? ++ Naomi Shelton, Fela! cast & others doing Haiti benefit @ KF"