by Bill Pearis

Wounded Lion @ Shangri La

After Wednedsay and Thursday... I spent most of Friday afternoon -- the hottest day of the fest, well into the '80s --at Sailor Jerry-sponsored East Side dive Shangri La where Chicago label Trouble in Mind was throwing a party in the back yard. Their party at Scoot Inn the year before was one of my favorites of SXSW2010 and I'd have to say the same the same of 2011. The label, run by husband and wife Bill & Lisa Roe (who are also in CoCoComa), is mostly a 7" label, releasing great singles from some of the best garage-pop artists around. Many of whom were there at Shangri La.

I got there as Seattle trio Night Beats were just starting. Never heard them before, but really dug their psych-garage sounds, and they definitely looked the part. They ended their set with a cover of The Count Five's classic "Psychotic Reaction," giving their version a little swing which made it their own. Look for Night Beats debut LP out on Trouble in Mind this summer.

While Cheap Time were playing, I noticed Lars Finberg milling about the yard...what was he doing here? The Intelligence were definitely not here, was his side-project Puberty playing and I didn't know it? No, he told me he was playing drums for L.A.'s Wounded Lion for their Austin shows. I was already looking forward to seeing WL, now even moreso.

I was getting a little antsy and decided to walk around the East Side a bit, stopping by Cheer Up Charlies where I caught a few songs by Norway's Tôg (who are in NYC as we speak) before heading back to the Trouble in Mind party to catch Nashville's The Paperhead. Looking a bit like Red Kross, the band -- all about 19 I think -- are trippier than anyone else on the bill. Their debut just came out on TiM.

Next up Wounded Lion, whose self-titled debut was one of last year's more underrated records. I think seeing them live would change naysayers opinion, they were one of the rockin'est, most fun shows of the week. Two singers: main man Brad Eberhard does the heavy lifting and guitar playing, while singer/percussionist Raffi Kalenderian is more in the Bob Nastanovich of the band, going apeshit with the tambourine and generally keeping things entertaining. There is much switching of instruments. They also let Lars Finberg take lead vocals for the Intelligence's "Turned to Puke." I really thought they'd do "Pony People," a Wounded Lion song that The Intelligence covered on Fake Surfers, but no. Great, great set.

I then Sprinted over to the BrooklynVegan party at Swan Dive for John Grant. Friday was hot and Swan Dive didn't seem to have AC or even ceiling fans and it was an oven in there, but it didn't matter. Another of my favorite shows of the week. I'd seen him play solo at Mercury Lounge, but this show was with Midlake, his backing band on last year's amazing Queen of Denmark. With the band, Grant's late-'70s leaning epics came to lush life. The drums sounded gigantic. So did Grant's voice. All that was missing was sequined clothing and glasses that made points of light look like starbursts. Highlights for me: power-ballad "Mars" and "Chicken Bones" which is some kind of sonic collision of Gordon Lightfoot and Harry Nilsson.

John Grant @ Swan Dive

continued below...

Continue reading "Bill's Week in Austin (Day 3 - Wounded Lion, John Grant, PS I Love You, TSOOL, WhoMadeWho, Wye Oak, Versus & more)"

DOWNLOAD: J Mascis - Not Enough (MP3)

The first BrooklynVegan Swan Dive/Barbarella Austin Day Party lineup announcement is here! (this is the first of three BV day parties happening at these connecting venues, but just one of nine total BV events.)

This one happens Friday, March 18th from noon-6pm, is co-presented by KF Records (Knitting Factory) and Partisan Records, and features an exclusive Austin day party set by Middle Brother (aka Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes, John McCauley of Deer Tick, and Matthew Vasquez of Delta Spirit). If you want to catch them though, you better get there early because the entire lineup is ridiculous and 100% free, and it looks like this.....

STAGE 1 (SWAN DIVE)
12:00 PM JBM
12:30 PM BOBBY
01:15 PM Holy Sons
02:00 PM Dolorean
03:00 PM John Grant featuring Midlake
04:00 PM Wye Oak
05:00 PM J Mascis

STAGE 2 (Barbarella Patio)
12:00 PM David Wax Museum
01:00 PM Sallie Ford & The Sound Outside
02:00 PM Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit
03:00 PM Deer Tick featuring Jonny Corndawg
04:00 PM Old 97's
05:00 PM Middle Brother

STAGE 3 (Barbarella Inside)
12:15 PM AgesandAges
01:00 PM Paleo
01:45 PM Warm Ghost
02:30 PM Shilpa Ray & Her Happy Hookers
03:15 PM Vetiver
04:00 PM Oberhofer
05:00 PM The Dodos

Note: We have Dolorean who is not to be confused with Delorean, yes that is Midlake up there backing the amazing John Grant, Jason Isbell will stick around to play with Middle Brother (like he did on their record), and yes Jonny Corndawg will be in the house.

I'm also happy to point out that, though everyone will sound great already, they are going to sound even better thanks to our official microphone sponsor Line 6, not to mention due to the help of the Korg keyboards, and Vox & Blackstar amps that we'll have on hand - all generous and much-appreciated BrooklynVegan show sponsors.

Also Note:

• FREE Blublocker sunglasses to first 50 people in the door!
• there will be FREE vegan Izzoz breakfast tacos while supplies last!
• we'll have loads of FREE snacks courtesy of Sensible Portions!
• we'll keep you hydrated with FREE Honest Tea!
• you can keep your energy levels high with FREE Raw Revolution bars!
• FREE Tierras organic tequila cocktails while supplies last!
• more FREE food & DRINK details TBA!
• and there will be awesome giveaways from Partisan & KF Records
  throughout the day!

Continue reading " BrooklynVegan, KF Records & Partisan Records free Austin Day Party lineup (J Mascis, Middle Brother, Old 97's, Dodos, more)"

by Bill Pearis

Like every other UK music mag, MOJO published their Top Albums of 2010 list today. Your first reaction to their Album of the Year might be "Who is John Grant?" After hearing him you're likely to say "How have I not heard this before?"

Former frontman of The Czars, John Grant's solo debut, Queen of Denmark, came out back in April and features Midlake as his backing band. No surprise given the musicians involved, Queen of Denmark has a lush '70s sound somewhere between The Carpenters and Harry Nilsson (who he uncannily sounds like at times) with some pretty heavy lyrical themes. A little more info courtesy The Guardian:

Queen of Denmark is all about the 41-year-old Grant finally coming to terms with who he is. It's also the word-of-mouth hit of 2010, the ecstatic reviews that greeted its gentle soft rock melodies and grimly sardonic lyrics followed by a nomination for best breakthrough act at the Mojo awards earlier this month. Made with the assistance of acclaimed Texan folk rockers Midlake, who lent him their studio and nursed him through his emotional wobbles, it's offering Grant a first real chance of success: his previous band, the Czars, split in 2004 after struggling to muster even cult appeal. Text-book catharsis, Queen of Denmark manages to be frank, funny and sweet - much like Grant himself - while considering the origins of its author's crippled self-esteem. Growing up gay in a religious family in the midwest didn't help, nor did alcohol and drug abuse, nor difficulties in maintaining relationships. In fact, it was the demise of his most recent romantic entanglement that nudged him over the edge last autumn.

All John Grant tour dates, the streaming player and video for "I Wanna Go to Mars," plus MOJO's entire Top 50 Albums of 2010 list are after the jump.

Continue reading "MOJO's Top Albums of 2010 + John Grant tour dates & stream"

photos by Chris Graham

Midlake @ Sasquatch Festival

Midlake, pictured here at this year's Sasquatch Festival (it happened in May), will be touring this September with Rogue Wave and Peter Wolf Crier. The tour hits NYC on September 29th for a previously-mentioned show at Webster Hall. The ticket information for that must have gone up prematurely, as it was taken down and is now TBA.

When that was posted, Rogue Wave's gig in Montauk on July 31st was also mentioned.

Peter Wolf Crier is currently on tour with Heartless Bastards and Builders and The Butchers. They just played MHOW and Bowery Ballroom.

All tour dates and Rogue Wave's video again for "Solitary Gun," plus Midlake at Sasquatch pictures, are below...

Continue reading "Midlake touring w/ Rogue Wave & Peter Wolf Crier (dates), played Sasquatch (belated pics) "

Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, None More Black, Teenage Bottlerocket, Smoke or Fire, Dead To Me, The Flatliners, and Cobra Skulls are playing the Fat Wreck Chords CMJ showcase at Music Hall of Williamsburg on October 23rd. Tickets are on sale at noon.

Tickets are on sale at noon for the Land of Talk show at Bowery Ballroom.

Tickets are on sale at noon for the Tallest Man on Earth show at Webster Hall.

Tickets are on sale at noon for the Tom Tom Club show at Brooklyn Bowl. Tickets are also still on sale for the Santos Party House show.

Tickets are on sale at noon for the English Beat show at Webster Hall.

Tickets are no longer going on sale at noon for the Rogue Wave / Midlake show at Webster Hall. Stay tuned for more info.

Tickets are on sale for a GBH show at Highline Ballroom.

The Matador 21 Fest, Devendra Banhart, Of Montreal, Scissor Sisters, Ratatat & other tickets went on sale at noon too.

Rogue Wave @ SXSW 2010 (more by Dominick Mastrangelo)

Rogue Wave have dates scheduled across the states this summer. As part of that tour, they play Surf Lodge in Montauk, NY on July 31st.

NYC gets Rogue Wave on September 29th when they play a show with Midlake at Webster Hall. Tickets for that one are on AmEx presale. General sale starts Friday at noon.

Midlake are currently touring Europe, will head to Australia before the summer is over, and then back to Europe in November. The September show with Rogue Wave is presumably part of a larger TBA North American tour that includes their October 10th stop at this year's Austin City Limits festival.

Rogue Wave's new video for their song "Solitary Gun" of their 2010 release, Permalight, is with all tour dates below...

Continue reading "Rogue Wave & Midlake playing a show, touring (dates) "

ACL 2008 (more by Kyle Dean Reinford)

October 8-10, 2010 | Zilker Park, Austin, TX

"The Austin City Limits Music Festival began as a modest, two-day event and now, as it enters it's 9th year, has become a perennial American music experience. Taking place at the heart of Austin, Texas in the legendary Zilker Park, ACL Festival has grown to 3 days, 8 stages and over 130 bands."

Continue reading "Austin City Limits announces 2010 festival lineup (Eagles, Muse, Phish, Strokes, MIA, LCD, Spoon, Gayngs, more) "

We'll get a more complete press release in the morning (and confirm what is listed below is 100% correct), but in the meantime below is a picture of the 2010 Sasquatch poster (that someone Tweeted) and the lineup as read by Bradford Cox at tonight's Atlas Sound show in Seattle (and being listed all over the Internet)....

Continue reading "Sasquatch announces 2010 lineup (includes Massive Attack & My Morning Jacket) (and many more) "

DOWNLOAD: Midlake - Rulers Ruling All Things (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Midlake - Acts of Man (MP3)

Midlake's new album, The Courage of Others is, coming out February 2nd in the US (Feb 1st in UK & Europe) on Bella Union. The band has meanwhile put out a limited-edition 12" featuring two songs from the record (download them both above). More info on where to get physical copies of that at their website.

Midlake's upcoming dates include a UK/European tour from late January into February, and a North American starting at the beginning of March and winding up at SXSW. After that, the band's future show plans include a two night NYC stand on April 7th and 8th at Bowery Ballroom. Tickets go on AmEx presale Wednesday January 13th at noon; general sale starts Friday at noon.

All tour dates and album tracklist are below...

Continue reading "Midlake new record (MP3), tour dates (SXSW, 2 nights in NYC)"

St. Vincent @ Radio City Music Hall (more by Eric M Townsend)

On May 5, 4AD will release 'Actor' the anticipated new album by St. Vincent (nee Annie Clark), and the follow-up to her first album 'Marry Me'. 'Actor' was co-produced by Clark and John Congleton (Modest Mouse, Polyphonic Spree etc...) and features eleven new songs, all written and arranged by Clark.

'Actor' takes the ambitious compositional and sonic underpinnings of Clark's debut as a starting point and never looks back. The arrangements are more masterful, the songwriting grander, the performances ever more confident and inspired. "I wanted to make these songs technicolor animatronic rides," says Clark.

Clark, "a playful chanteuse [and] fearsome shredder" (NY Times), sings and plays guitar, bass and keys on 'Actor,' with woodwind contributions from Hideaki Aomori (Sufjan Stevens) and Alex Sopp (Bjork, Phillip Glass), and additional rhythm section work by McKenzie Smith and Paul Alexander of Midlake. Other musicians on the album include Mike Atkinson (French horn, score consultant), Daniel Hart (violin, sarongi), William Flynn (bass), and percussionists Jeff Ryan, Matthias Bossi, and Aynsley Powell.

St. Vincent will preview songs from 'Actor' with two shows at this year's South by Southwest conference in Austin: Wednesday, March 18 at the Central Presbyterian Church as part of the 4AD showcase, and Friday, March 20 at Antone's as part of the Billions Corporation showcase. Clark will also tour the U.S. this year with Bonnaroo and Sasquatch! Festival performances already confirmed and a full itinerary to be announced soon.

Continue reading "new St. Vincent (Actor) & Yeah Yeah Yeahs (It's Blitz!)"

The Chemical Brothers have a bunch of shows coming up, but just two in the United States. They play Los Angeles on September 29th, and on September 21st they're at Hammerstein Ballroom in NYC. Tickets go on sale today. All tour dates below...

Continue reading "The Chemical Brothers - 2007 Tour Dates"

DOWNLOAD: The New Pornographers - Myriad Harbour (new MP3)

It started to rain towards the end (CRED)

As advertised, Neko was in the house (CRED)

The played a mix of new and old stuff (CRED)

Midlake opened the show (CRED)

Did anyone have any trouble getting in? More pics by Jonny Leather HERE.

Last year Belle & Sebastian played. Stephen Malkmus and Yo La Tengo did the year before that.

4th of July Ticket Update One Last Chance!

All reserved tickets to the July 4th concert featuring The New Pornographers with Midlake at Battery Park that have not already been picked up have been released.

The good news is there is a second chance to get tickets: any remaining tickets (and supply is limited) will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis starting at 9 am on July 4th in Battery Park near Castle Clinton. Click HERE for a map with the exact location.

Looking forward to a fun-filled 4th - see you there!

Didn't get a free ticket to see Midlake & The New Pornographers on July 4th? Well, you can probably still get in if you try, or you can wait for their next NYC show which will be September 8th At Webster Hall. It's part of a month-long tour that starts on September 4th in Atlanta, hits Austin City Limits on September 16th, and ends October 3rd in the town William Burroughs lived in from 1983 until his death in 1997.

There's a PRESALE Friday, and all tour dates below....

Continue reading "Midlake - 2007 Tour Dates & presale"

DOWNLOAD: Midlake - Roscoe (Beyond the Wizard's Sleeve remix) (MP3)

Midlake - SXSW 2007 (CRED)

Midlake are opening for The New Pornographers at Battery Park on July 4th. Check out my growing list of NYC's summer concerts.