by Andrew Sacher

First Aid Kit at BV CMJ 2010 (more by Amanda Hatfield)

First Aid Kit are currently on a tour with Lykke Li that brings them to NJ's Wellmont Theatre on Thursday (11/17). Tickets still available. As previously posted, First Aid Kit also play a headlining show of their own at Mercury Lounge tonight (11/16 with Alessi's Ark. I hope you got tickets, because not only is that show now sold out...

First Aid Kit will return to NYC on March 28 to headline Webster Hall!! That's quite a jump for the Swedish duo. Tickets for the Webster Hall show go on sale Friday (11/18) at noon with an AmEx presale starting Wednesday/today (11/16) at noon.

The show is part of a tour the band will be on in support of their sophomore LP (2008's Drunken Trees was only considered an EP), The Lion's Roar, which comes out on January 24 via Wichita Recordings and was produced by Mike Mogis from Bright Eyes, who First Aid Kit also recently toured with. The full tour hasn't been announced yet, but the dates we do know about are listed below.

First Aid Kit recently revealed the video for "The Lion's Roar," the title track and first single from the upcoming album. It was directed by Mats Udd, who has directed videos for the band in the past. The song has similar vocal harmonies to the band's first album (2010's The Big Black & The Blue), but the percussion's got a much stronger presence here than on their earlier work. Check out that video along with all dates below...

Continue reading "First Aid Kit announce new album & Webster Hall show! (meanwhile Mercury Lounge) -- dates & new video"

photos by Graeme Flegenheimer

DOWNLOAD: Monsters of Folk - Say Please (MP3)

Indie supergroup Monsters of Folk are currently on tour across North America to support their new self-titled debut (the second track of which is above). The tour comes to NYC for two shows, at United Palace on November 6th and Beacon Theater on November 8th. Tickets for both are still available.

The pictures here are from the group's Oct. 18th gig at the Greek Theater in L.A....

Monsters of Folk played a monster-sized set last night at L.A.'s Greek Theatre, running through 35 songs in just under three hours -- with no opener and no intermission -- in support of the indie-rock supergroup's self-titled debut, which came out about a month ago. The Monsters comprise My Morning Jacket frontman Jim James; singer-songwriter (and She & Him guy) M. Ward; and Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis, both of Bright Eyes, and at the Greek the band's set alternated Monsters of Folk cuts with material from each member's respective catalog. Simply put, if you ever wind up in a game of Name That Tune with one of these dudes, come prepared.

Backed up on drums by Will Johnson of Centro-matic, the four musicians traded instrumental duties throughout the concert, with Mogis serving as something of a secret-weapon utility man... [Rolling Stone]

More pictures and the setlist from LA are below...

Continue reading "Monsters of Folk on tour - played LA's Greek Theatre (pics & setlist) ++ Beacon & United Palace shows coming soon"

DOWNLOAD: Monsters of Folk - Say Please (MP3)

Monsters of Folk (Mike Mogis, Conor Oberst, M. Ward, and Yim Yames...or Jim James as most know him) will be heading out on tours of North America and Europe this fall. That tour comes to NYC for two nights in November. One will be November 6th at the United Palace (which recently hosted Sonic Youth). The second will November 8th at the Beacon Theater. Tickets for the NYC shows (and all shows) go on general sale Friday, July 31st, and "an exclusive pre-sale for Monsters of Folk fans begins on Tuesday, July 28th".

For the tour...

The four members will be switching instruments and trading roles throughout each show, maintaining the freewheeling and highly collaborative spirit of their work together thus far.

On this inaugural tour, Monsters of Folk is partnering with Air Traffic Control, a resource for musicians' philanthropic and social change work, to donate monies raised from ticket sales. The band will be donating $1 from every ticket sold on the tour to local non-profits.

The group's self-titled debut will be out September 22nd on Shangri-La Music. Check out the second track from that above, as well as the album track list, below.

M. Ward plays his own show at Central Park Summerstage on August 1st. All MoF tour dates and the album track list, below...

Continue reading "Monsters of Folk - 2009 tour dates (Beacon & United Palace)"

DOWNLOAD: Monsters of Folk - Say Please (MP3)

Monsters of Folk - comprised of Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis, My Morning Jacket's Jim James and singer/songwriter M.Ward - have made a track from their forthcoming self-titled debut album available for FREE on their website. http://www.monstersoffolk.com is giving away the song, titled "Say Please", to anyone who visits the site and types "please" into the request form. The.. full length album will be released in the US on Shangri-La Music on September 22nd.

M. Ward plays Central Park Summerstage on August 1st.

DOWNLOAD: Jarvis Cocker - Angela (MP3)

Julian

Pulp front-man Jarvis Cocker is currently playing dates in support of his newest solo record, Further Complications, which came out in May on Rough Trade. Check out a track from it above. His tour was to include a July 30th show at Terminal 5. Instead, that show will happen at Music Hall of Williamsburg. Tickets for the other venue will be honored, but new tickets are not available - the show went instantly to "sold out" status when it moved (that's one way to sell out a show in this recession - move it to a venue 4-5 times smaller).

Jarvis's Rough Trade label-mates Little Joy will be opening that show. Little Joy usually features Strokes drummer Fabrizio Moretti, but he most likely won't be at the MHOW show (except maybe as a special guest) as he'll be busy recording the forthcoming, fourth Strokes album. At Little Joy's last Bowery Ballroom show, Fabrizio only joined the band for their final song, as did Regina Spektor who Little Joy opened for at Beacon Theater less than a week earlier.

At the same time, Strokes singer Julian Casablancas is preparing to release his solo album, Phrazes for the Young, due later this year on Cult Records/RCA. The record is produced by Jason Lader (who's worked with Elvis Costello, Rilo Kiley and others) with additional production by Monster of Folk Mike Mogis, and will be accompanied by solo tour dates, to be announced.

Check out a YouTube preview of that record and its synthy, New Age direction, with all Little Joy tour dates, below...

Continue reading "Jarvis Cocker show moved to MHOW, Little Joy (no Stroke) opening, (Stroke) Julian Casablancas releasing solo album"

DOWNLOAD: Yim Yames - Behind That Locked Door (MP3)

1 of 4 Monsters of Folk @ Battery Park 7/4 (more by Chris La Putt)

Monsters of Folk - comprised of Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis, My Morning Jacket's Jim James and singer/songwriter M.Ward - will be releasing their first collaborative album on September 22nd. The self-titled effort was recorded in Malibu, CA and Omaha, NE, and produced by Mike Mogis. Although these critically acclaimed artists have shared the stage before, this album marks their first recorded output as a band. The record will be released in North America on Shangri-La Music, and internationally on Rough Trade (UK/Europe), Spunk Records (Australia/New Zealand) and P-Vine Records (Japan). All four members play every instrument on the album, supplying everything from drum kills to cascading backing vocals.

Of the group, Conor Oberst is one of the members who's touring this summer. That includes some dates with AA Bondy. As you can see above (and we've mentioned a few times already), Oberst just played 4th of July in NYC's Battery Park. He also played Friday at Toad's Place in CT.

"There's nothing that the road cannot heal," Oberst sang Friday night at Toad's Place in New Haven, leading his backing quintet, the Mystic Valley Band, through a spirited version of "Moab."

Clad in a traditional Mexican shirt, necklace and black sombrero -- a gigantic hat nearly as large as the UFOs often spotted in Tepoztlan -- the singer and guitarist strummed hard and made wild gestures, sometimes pointing off into the distance." [Hartford Courant]

M. Ward is also on the road. His summer stops include XX Merge in July and a free Central Park Summerstage show (with the new Yuka Honda/Dougie Bowne/Nels Cline/Mike Watt band opening) on August 1st.

Jim James Yim Yames and My Morning Jacket are currently taking some time off. This summer James will be releasing a George Harrison tribute EP called Tribute To, which is available now for download and presale through his site. The record is under the name "Yim Yames" and hits stores on August 4th. A portion of the proceeds of this album will go to Woodstock Animal Sanctuary.

A widget to preview Tribute To, with both album tracklists, below...

Continue reading "Monsters of Folk = Oberst, Mogis, M Ward & Jim James aka YIM YAMES (whose George Harrison EP is available now)"