Mission of Burma @ Williamsburg Waterfront (more by Bao Nguyen)

Mission of Burma will play two nights in a row at Bowery Ballroom. The dates are January 29th and 30th. Tickets and two-day passes go on sale at noon. All dates and their new video for "1, 2, 3, Partyy", off their latest album "The Sound The Speed The Light", below....

Continue reading "Mission of Burma - 2009 Tour Dates (2 nights @ Bowery) "

We Were Promised Jetpacks @ Southpaw Friday (more by Dominick Mastrangelo)

tonight in NYC
* DANCE
* Digital Primitives @ Zebulon
* The Roots @ Highline Ballroom
* Tanya Morgan, Black Sheep @ SOB's
* Tune-Yards, Dragons of Zynth @ Union Hall
* An Evening Without Monty Python @ Town Hall
* Akiko Yano, Will Lee, Chris Parker @ Joe's Pub
* Lights, Stars of Track & Field @ Mercury Lounge
* Wovenhand, White Hills, Silver Summit @ The Bell House
* Sufjan Stevens, Cryptacize @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
* The Honorary Title, Good Old War, Cory Branan @ Maxwell's
* Lou Barlow & The Missingmen, John de Vries @ Mercury Lounge
* Ex-Humans, Human Eye, Liquor Store, VLC, Terrible Twos @ Don Pedro
* Bushwick Book Club: A Confederacy of Dunces @ Goodbye Blue Monday
* The Toxic Avenger, Mixhell, Franki Chan, Alex English @ Studio at Webster Hall
* Darlings, Snakes Say Hiss, Boogie Boarder, Tony Castles @ Le Poisson Rouge
* Twilight Sad, BrakesBrakesBrakes, We Were Promised Jetpacks @ Bowery
* Steve Martin & The Steep Mountain Rangers, Ralph Stanley & The Clinch Mountain Boys @ Carnegie Hall

Lou Barlow & The Missingmen and John de Vries (of Agitpop) play Mercury Lounge, kicking off what looks to be a solid week at the venue. There's Kurt Vile & The Violators tomorrow and Thee Oh Sees on Thursday (both with Still Life Still and others), then Pierced Arrows on Friday and Drummer (the Black Keys side-project) on Saturday. For all of those bands, minus Kurt Vile and Lou Barlow, it isn't their only NYC show. And Barlow will be back in November with Dino Jr.

Detroit's Human Eye spend their second night in a row in NYC.

A trio of UK acts The Twilight Sad, BrakesBrakesBrakes and We Were Promised Jetpacks play Bowery Ballroom. Their Southpaw show happened on Friday.

Steve Martin & The Steep Mountain Rangers bring bluegrass (and openers Ralph Stanley & The Clinch Mountain Boys) to Carnegie Hall. They play NJ's Wellmont Theatre next week.

Bushwick Book Club tackles John Kennedy Toole's A Confederacy of Dunces at Goodbye Blue Monday tonight. Acts include Herb Scher, Susan Hwang, Isaac Gillespie, Josh Deeter, Preston Spurlock, Laura Brenneman, Maria Sonevytsky, Matthew Varvil and Ben Berlin. A flyer is below.

Sufjan Stevens and Cryptacize move to Music Hall of Williamsburg for NYC show three of four.

An Evening Without Monty Python, an Eric Idle-directed show, is at Town Hall through October 10th. Monty Python reunites October 15th at NYC's Ziegfeld Theater.

The Roots are at Highline Ballroom.

Tune-Yards (Merrill Garbus of the recently broken-up Sister Suvi) plays Union Hall with Dragons of Zynth. She's going on tour with Dirty Projectors in November (incuding that band's 4 NYC shows at Bowery Presents venues).

Mission of Burma's new video for "1, 2, 3, Partyy!" is posted below. It's the first song their new Matador LP, The Sound The Speed The Light, out today.

Damian Abraham, of the Polaris Prize-winning band Fucked Up, goes record shopping. Video below.

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Tuesday?"

August 25th, 2009 (Austin, TX) - Transmission Entertainment is pleased to announce the lineup for the 2009 Fun Fun Fun Fest, taking place on November 7th and 8th at Waterloo Park in Austin. Fun Fun Fun Fest made its first appearance on a cold Friday evening in 2006, offering a unique approach to festival booking, filling stages with talent bubbling from the underground: what sounded great, and what was making an impact, regardless of what mainstream media said was cool. What started out as a show for a few touring acts and local favorites has become a movement -- a festival that fans and bands alike realize needs to be experienced year after year.

Now in its fourth year, Fun Fun Fun Fest has made a significant impact on the country's winter calendar, successfully combining the vast worlds of indie, punk, rap, electronica and comedy while showcasing some of the city's most unique local businesses.

Continue reading "Fun Fun Fun Fest 2009 lineup (Jesus Lizard, Of Montreal, Gorilla Biscuits, LSF, 7 Seconds, D.R.I. & DANZIG!! & more)"

photos by Bao Nguyen

"that guy from fucked up is fucking hot" - nicholas

On Sunday afternoon, the young and not-so-young of indie Brooklyn convened along the Williamsburg waterfront for the first of this summer's relocated Pool Parties concerts. For the last three years the shows were the miracle of McCarren Park Pool, turning a civic ruin each weekend into an instant oasis of loud -- loud music, loud fashion, loud shouts from the dodgeball court. But with McCarren booked for a $50 million renovation, the Pool Parties were moved to East River State Park, a seven-acre chunk of grass and concrete flanked by luxury condo buildings. (Kind of like McCarren, actually.) Would they still have the magic?

For the 6,000 or more who came out on Sunday for Mission of Burma, Ponytail, Jemina Pearl and a certain hardcore band from Toronto led by a big bear named Pink Eyes, the prevailing feeling about the new space seemed to be positive. But opinion was divided along two lines: those who considered its view and riverside breeze a delicious improvement, and those who found it nice but lacking the character of McCarren.

"I like this much better," said Sacha Chernoff, a teacher who lives in Carroll Gardens. "The water, the view -- it's beautiful." [NY Times]

crowded: yes
lines to get in: no
separate area for booze: yes
[Anonymous | July 13, 2009 10:58 AM]

Continue reading "Fucked Up, Jemina Pearl & Ponytail @ the Williamsburg Waterfront (JellyNYC's first 2009 Pool Party) - pics"

photos by Bao Nguyen

DOWNLOAD: Mission of Burma - 1, 2, 3, Partyy! (MP3)

On October 6, Matador will be releasing Mission Of Burma's fourth studio LP, The Sound The Speed The Light. Recorded in Boston with Bob Weston at the controls, the record is a departure from the pinned-needles roar of 2006's The Obliterati. The new album sounds far more spacious and dynamic. It is more or less divided into 4 sets or suites of 3 songs. Each suite explores a set of moods or colors, across the usual dizzying array of lyrical topics, from alcoholism to fleshly concerns.

Before the album's release, Matador will be putting out a 7-inch single on August 18th with two bonus tracks, "Innermost" and "Here It Comes."

The band has been keeping track of the recording process on their website. On March 22nd, they wrote," And we decided against a couple of album titles: 'The Only Band the Mutters' was one which we, after much deliberation, decided was too obvious. What about 'Mr. Spock?' Uh..."

Album and single artwork, with the rest of the Pool Party pics, below...

Continue reading "Mission of Burma - new album, single, MP3 & Pool Party pics "

photo by Bao Nguyen, words by Andrew Frisicano

The first Jelly NYC Pool Party of 2009 went off under blue skies at the new Williamsburg Waterfront location. A more-than-6,000-strong crowd (according to the NYT) visited East River State Park for a four-band bill of Jemina Pearl, Ponytail, Fucked Up and Mission of Burma.

Baltimore's Ponytail began right at 4pm and blazed through a set of joyful, proggy pop. "Celebrate the Body Electric" came with a bout of crowdsurfing by singer Molly Siegel, who was in energetic top form.

Fucked Up's Pink Eyes was already undressing during opener "Son the Father" - before the end of the set he'd be down to just boxer briefs. The band's fans showed up to sing along and dance. Event security strained to keep the barricades - a good five-plus feet from the stage - in place despite the surging crowds. That didn't stop Pink Eyes from engaging those right up front; the singer was more than happy to pass the mic, give a high five or, in my case, grab your face and rub it in his bare chest. The band joked around on stage as they layered three-guitar riffs over the hook of "Black Albuno Bones," slow jam "No Epiphany" and the rest. The security got a shout out at the end for doing what looked like one of the day's toughest jobs.

Mission of Burma took the stage after an introduction from the requisite NYC politicians (BP Marty Markowitz even got part of his speech looped by MoB's Bob Weston) (video below). Weston manned the tape and effects from the sound booth, leaving the stage to guitarist Roger Miller, bassist Clint Conley and drummer Peter Prescott, all of whom sang at times. The guitar tone was edgy and pointed, in a good approximation of the band's recorded sound, with the bass loose and under the surface.

The sun, which set right behind the band, backlit the stage and made it tough to see at times. But also provided a perfect chance to check out the area behind the stage. That space allowed a great view of the band and a closer look at the waterfront itself. A roar let loose when the crowd recognized the opening notes of "That's When I Reach For My Revolver." The band closed with "This Is Not a Photograph" and left with a wave of applause and looping static.

In the back of the park, Pool Party staple dodgeball was happening next to a 3-on-3 basketball game. The segregated beer area, a fenced in section along the left side of park, was one change mandated at the new space. For one, it made the area right in front of the stage less congested - not totally a bad thing on a sunny summer afternoon.

The next Pool Party will be on Sunday, July 19th with Magnolia Electric Co., Dirty Projectors and Crystal Antlers (who replace White Denim).

More pictures coming soon. F'd Up, Ponytail & Jemina pics HERE. Mission of Burma pics HERE. Fucked Up and Mission of Burma's setlists, and video of Marty Markowitz's speech, and other videos below...

Continue reading "Mission of Burma, Fucked Up, Pontail, Jemina Pearl & Marty Markowitz @ the Williamsburg Waterfront - setlists, video"

"The emails have been piling up and everyone's asking, "dude, what's up with the Pool Parties?" Well DUDE, so sorry to keep you waiting, but here at JELLY we've been working our asses off to bring you one of the greatest free concert series in history. The Pool Parties are going to be extremely crucial this year, "epic" or "amazing" as you people say these days. Seriously, eight weeks of FREE shows on the waterfront of Williamsburg? Does it get any better? You might be thinking "waterfront"? Yeah, in case you didn't hear the McCarren Pool's closed so get over it :) , and yeah we kept the name Pool Parties even though the East River's not at a pool, so what? We've still got DODGEBALL, basketball, DJ's, bands, burgers the works! We love you more than your parents ever could, and if you want to have fun and hang out with us this summer. [Full schedule below]. Bring your friends but please don't bring these things [pictured above]. As you can see below, underage drinking will not be tolerated. . You guys wouldn't do that though, so there's nothing to worry about. Thank you for visiting and stay tuned!!" -Jelly

Continue reading "JellyNYC announces Pool Parties @ Williamsburg Waterfront!"

Birdsongs of the Mesozoic began as a side project by Roger Miller and Martin Swope, who were members of the Boston band Mission of Burma. They were joined by Rick Scott and Erik Lindgren for their debut recording, a self-titled EP, in 1983. With Mission of Burma dissolving at about this time, Birdsongs of the Mesozoic became a full-time band. The group released the LP Magnetic Flip in 1985 and an EP, Beat of the Mesozoic, in 1986. [Allmusic]

Mission of Burma are playing the Williamsburg Waterfront on July 12. Birdsongs videos below...

Continue reading "Birdsongs of the Mesozoic (Mission of Burma) playing shows"

photos by Bryan Bruchman

Mission of Burma in Maine

Mission of Burma + Fucked Up + Ponytail + free + Williamsburg Waterfront on July 12, 2009 = amazing. The show may be the first not-"pool party" of the summer. They'll then continue for 8 weeks, every Sunday, after that. We know that Simian Mobile Disco is DJing the free show at the outdoor Brooklyn spot on August 9th.

And we know there will be shows happening in the same location even sooner (Dirty Projectors) - ones that possibly cost money.

Ponytail last played Williamsburg in April. They are also playing the Pitchfork Festival this summer.

Back on January 25th of this year, Mission of Burma played a show at the SPACE Gallery in Portland, Maine (Bryan Bruchman's new home). Fucked Up played the same venue one week earlier. Portland band Huak opened for MoB. More pictures from that show below...

Continue reading "Mission of Burma playing Williamsburg Waterfront w/ Ponytail & Fucked Up... ++ some live pics from Maine"

by Ryan Barkan

Advertising agencies make lots of online commercials. You know, spots made not for television, but with the hope the brand's message will spread virally on the net in an organic way. Though lots of them never catch steam like a rickroll, the new Guitar Hero World Tour "Bike Hero" video has already been watched over one million times. The creative takes The Living End's "Prisoner of Society" and turns it into a live action, first person bike ride through the song's playable level in GHWT. It's a pretty cool idea with amazing execution and a slight bit of computer magic. Watch the video below.

Other Notable Licensing News:

Bishop Allen played two shows in NYC over the weekend. They are a band that has benefited from some key licensing placements in the last year. The band appeared and performed in the recent Michael Sera movie, Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist. Watch the scene below. The song they performed, "Middle Management", was also on the soundtrack and used in the film's trailer. They were also used in a commercial for Sony digital cameras late last year - watch the spot here.

Crayola goes indie-cool this holiday season with Dan Deacon and Lightspeed Champion songs in the campaign for the new Glow Station (via Pitchfork). Watch the spots below.

The new holiday commercial from LL Bean features "Valley Winter Song" by Fountains Of Wayne.

Danish band The Blue Van rock the soundtrack to the new Samsung Behold commercial. Watch below.

While enjoying college football on Saturday, I heard Nick Drake's "Place To Be" used in a promo spot for Michigan State. That video is below too.

I have a bunch of friends that can not get enough of the show Top Chef. Some of those friends are also crazy for the Foo Fighters (editor's note: with friends like that who needs enemies? JUST KIDDING. Actually that doesn't even make sense...). Those friends will be in heaven when TC goes "Foo Fighters Thanksgiving" this upcoming November 26th. The episode taped during a tour stop in Rochester, NY; the band will guest judge the few remaining contestants. Apparently, TC is Dave Grohl's favorite show.

You may have heard A-Ha's classic jam "Take On Me" before. It is/was a popular song and video. So popular, A.C. Newman is going to cover it for an upcoming Valentine's Day compilation for Starbucks. Even more so, you can take it on karaoke-style in the new video game by Microsoft, LIPS. The pretty clever commercial for the game uses the song as well. Watch it below.

The game's soundtrack also includes songs by The Police, Coldplay, Duffy, The Cure, Peter, Bjorn, & John, Radiohead, and more.

Nintendo DS and Wii players can now get their skateboard on while on the go with the release of EA's Skate It. The soundtrack contains tracks by Cut Chemist, Fujiya & Miyagi, Judas Priest, The Clash, Sly & the Family Stone, and more.

continued below...

Continue reading "This week in Music Licensing "

words by Black Bubblegum, photos by Kyle Dean Reinford

Mission Of Burma headlined the Rhapsody/Becks/IBM/McDonalds/Taco Bell party at Music Hall Of Williamsburg along with The King Khan & BBQ Show, The Dutchess & The Duke, and Jay Reatard (pics here). OK, so it wasn't all those sponsors. And granted, there was free Becks beer all night. .. but somewhere between the giant video truck parked outside, multiple video cameras in the audience and on stage, spotlights reading Rhapsody and Becks, and the swag, I found the corporate sponsorship of the show a tad annoying. But hey, I guess that's the price you pay when you are getting a line-up like this for five measly bills.

Unfortunately, I slid in a touch late (Sorry Jay, Dutchess, Duke) to see King Khan on stage with BBQ. Lots of very simple, garagey soul-inflected fun but frankly, I find his live show with The Shrines much more compelling. Not only is the music much more dynamic (and just as FUN), it gives King Khan much more breathing room to do what he does best... act like a horse's ass in ridiculous costumes. That said, you know King Khan isn't showing up in his civvies.... no sir e bob. King Khan was wearing a ridiculous sparked bikini bottom and a Stevie Wonder wig circa Hotter Than July. Good times.

The thing that shocked me the most about Mission of Burma (and I hope I am not coming off as an age-ist here - NOT my intention) is how much energy they have and how just plain amazing they are on stage... STILL. Lead guitarist Roger Miller's angular riffs were just awesome, and punctuated with swift headbutts of the microphone in between his pogo-ing. I enjoyed seeing these post-punk legends thoroughly.

MOB's setlist and more pictures from the show below...

Continue reading "Mission of Burma, King Khan & BBQ show, and the Dutchess & the Duke @ the Rhapsody party @ MHOW, NYC - pics"

by Bill Pearis

Sharon Van Etten

Even if you don't have a badge, CMJ (Oct 21-25 in NYC) can be overwhelming... especially these days with the proliferation of day parties, unofficial showcases and afterparties. Running around like a crazy person trying to catch everyone you want to see can be fun, but sometimes it's not such a bad idea just to pick one place and stay there. With that in mind, I've picked one day party and one evening showcase for each of the five days, as well as late night parties where applicable. The guide to Thursday (10/23) is below...

Continue reading "your guide to CMJ, Thursday October 23, 2008"

Mission of Burma @ P4K Fest 2008 (more by Elizabeth Weinberg)

Mission of Burma are headlining a Rhapsody party at Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn on Thursday, October 23rd. That's during CMJ, but the show is not part of CMJ. Instead it is completely open to the public and only costs $5.00. Also on the bill: The King Khan & BBQ Show, The Dutchess & The Duke and Jay Reatard.

That ups the number of NYC-area shows Jay is playing that week to five (so far). There's also the shows at Santos, Bowery Ballroom, Glasslands, and Maxwell's. Amazingly, the Maxwell's show is the same night as this $5.00 Williamsburg show...

Jay Reatard - 2008 NYC Tour Dates
10-23 MHOW w/ Mission of Burma & King Khan & BBQ Show (tix on sale Oct 3)
10-23 Hoboken, NJ - Maxwell's (CMJ) (tix)
10-24 Bowery Ballroom ) w/ Violens, White Lies, Longwave & Japanese Motors (tix)
10-25 Glasslands w/ Amazing Baby, Women & Crystal Antlers (tix)
10-26 Santos Party House w/ Vivian Girls (tix)

King Khan & the BBQ Show also have NYC dates scheduled at the end of November. The Dutchess & the Duke are also playing the Sub Pop / Hardly Art showcase. More JR tour dates HERE. All (barely any) Mission of Burma dates below...

Continue reading "Mission of Burma for $5.00, more King Khan & Jay Reatard shows, CMJ & other tour dates "

photos by Joseph Juechao Xu

Boris

dancing in the mud

and much more....

Continue reading "a set of pictures from the 2008 Pitchfork Music Festival "

photos by Elizabeth Weinberg

"Sun is falling down/Sky is falling down/Seasons falling down/Air is falling down," Boston art-punk legends Mission of Burma sang in "Weatherbox" Friday night, midway through the opening set of the fourth Pitchfork Music Festival, as their guitars, bass, drums and tape loops evoked the fury of bombs falling in the midst of an earthquake during a vicious thunderstorm.

Thankfully, the real downpour stopped not long before the band officially opened the three-day festival in the West Side's Union Park. But it was an ominous message nonetheless, with the weather threatening to dampen souls if not spirits all weekend long at what has become the premier celebration of the musical underground in Chicago and the entire U.S.

It's easy to take shots at Pitchfork's opening-night "Don't Look Back" concept of bands performing one of their classic albums in its entirety and to dismiss it as a gimmick or cheap nostalgia. But as with everything else, it all depends on the music in question.

A long since gone-Hollywood Liz Phair performing "Exile in Guyville" or the reunited sorta-Smashing Pumpkins rendering "Gish" arguably are as sad as any state fair act. But a band like Mission of Burma is a different story: Its music was always far ahead of its time; it ended the first round of its career prematurely, in part because of guitarist Roger Miller's tinnitus, and the new albums it has recorded since 2004 have been every bit as good as "Vs." (1983), the subject of Friday's retrospective.
[Jim DeRogatis @ Chicago Sun Times]

Continue reading "Mission of Burma performed 'Vs' @ Pitchfork Fest 2008 - pics"

photos by Lori Baily

Mission of Burma took the stage and singer bassist Clint Conley exclaimed "Let's get this out of the way . . . [opener] Neptune kicked our asses!" They launched into a few old tunes to warm up then busted into their 1981 EP Signals, Calls, and Marches. Highlights included "Academy Fight Song," "Max Ernst," and of course the highly covered "That's when I reach for my revolver." Roger Miller rocked like a twenty year old punker using some crazy custom pedals, which made his guitar screech and wail along side of Bob Weston's tape manipulations and Peter Prescott's precision drumming. The band had the crowd jumping up and down and signing along with all the tunes off Signals, Calls, and Marches. [kevchino]

Continue reading "Mission of Burma @ Bowery Ballroom, NYC - pics (night 1)"

Bradley: So how did the idea of running through each album over two nights come about? Obviously the recent Matador reissues played a part, but were you all into the idea initially, or was anyone resistant?

Clint Conley: The idea first arose when we were asked to do "vs" at the Pitchfork Fest. That seemed quite an honor, and an idea totally worth stealing and repeating. Seemed to me we were of like-mind on the matter.

Roger Miller: I can't recall exactly, but I think (MoB manager and Fenway Recordings head honcho) Mark Kates suggested it. It's that "Don't Look Back" idea that the ATP festival started, where bands perform their classic albums. It just kind of made sense given the reissues. We certainly would not have done this except that the reissues are coming out. Last fall we hardly performed any of the old stuff, because we were focusing on the new ideas.

You can still buy tickets too. All dates below....

Continue reading "Mission of Burma kick off tour, perform albums - win tix"

Off the Grid 2008
April 19, 2008
1:00 pm to 8:00 pm

New York University's first sustainable music festival, featuring an afternoon of great talent, food, and organizations bringing the community together to kick off Earth Week at NYU and around the world. Featuring: Mission of Burma with special guests Revision, Tree Union, The Amygdaloids, and DJ Nuuro This event will be greened with bio-diesel generators, wind credits, solar panels, a waste management program, and more.

Mission of Burma is also playing full albums in NYC and Boston in June.

Mission of Burma said there wouldn't be a two day pass at Ticketmaster, but there is.

Tour dates, presale info, etc, below.....

Continue reading "Mission of Burma playing albums in NYC/Boston (presale)"

Mission of Burma @ MHOW, Brooklyn, NY - Jan 19, 2008 (Bryan Buchman)

One year ago to the day, we last saw Mission of Burma in New York at Irving Plaza. Our recording of that show is available at archive.org (here). It became clear at that show that Mission of Burma was not just another 80’s legend reforming to capture past magic. This is a working band whose recent output is as compelling as its classic material. Last night, the newer material dominated the setlist and powered an ear-shattering blast of sonic post-punk by its virtual inventors. [NYCTAPER taped it]

I thought I had posted these dates already, but I guess not. Mission of Burma is playing Music Hall of Williamsburg on January 19th, and a benefit for Burma in Boston the next day (Burma for Burma).

Mission of Burma has teamed up with the US Campaign for Burma to put on a benefit concert for the country of Burma on Jan 20th, with their friends The Neighborhoods and The In Out. The night will also include slides, images, video projection, and speakers about and from Burma.