The rumored two-day NJ Metallica festival is true, and it's happening on June 23 & 24, 2012 in Atlantic City, NJ. 22+ artists (music and comedy) will play with Metallica headlining both nights with special setlists. Metallica will play the Black Album in its entirety on one of the nights "for the first time ever on US soil", and... Ride The Lighting on the other night! The venue is Bader Field (an abandoned airport).

Other bands are:

Arctic Monkeys • Avenged Sevenfold
Modest Mouse • The Gaslight Anthem
Cage The Elephant • Fucked Up • Best Coast
Hot Snakes • Titus Andronicus
Gary Clark Jr. • Lucero • Roky Erickson
The Black Angels • The Sword
A Place to Bury Strangers • Liturgy
+ more TBA

"More than just music, the festival will also feature a lifestyle element showcasing the band's individual interests - and allowing fans to interact directly with each of the band members. More details soon!"

The festival is in partnership with C3 who also does Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits.

St. Vincent @ Portlandia @ Bowery Ballroom (more by Dana (distortion) Yavin)

Look for St. Vincent "on a special Valentine's Day episode of Gossip Girl, Feb 13, performing "Cruel" and "Cheerleader." The show airs Monday, February 13, at 8pm/7pmc on The CW." I honestly didn't even realize Gossip Girl was still a thing until I heard this news. I do however religiously watch Portlandia which featured a guest spot by Annie this week, about two weeks after she was Fred & Carrie's guest at Bowery Ballroom. You can watch her clip from the TV show (Isaac Brock was on the episode too), with a bunch of tour dates and other stuff, below...

Continue reading "St. Vincent was on Portlandia (video), will be on Gossip Girl"

photos by Josh Darr

Flaming Lips / Modest Mouse

"Rockers The Flaming Lips have long had a reputation for extravagant live shows: Fake blood, torrential confetti downpours, animal costumes and comically oversized fists are all standard fare. The band's Sunday night set at this year's Sasquatch Music Festival was no exception, with frontman Wayne Coyne taking to the crowd in his over-sized bubble. Still, the band managed to make its big, flashy show feel like a more intimate affair.

While playing the landmark 1999 album The Soft Bulletin nearly in full, Coyne chatted genially with the audience, taking frequent breaks during "The Spiderbite Song" to relate the anecdotes behind the song's lyrics. Another set highlight, "Waitin' for a Superman" -- stripped down to a delicate piano and voice arrangement -- was introduced as a tribute to departed icon Elliott Smith. Although the band was forced to exclude a couple of songs due to time constraints, it delivered a personal version of what many consider its finest album." [listen @ NPR]

Continue reading "Sasquatch 2011 - Day 3 in pics & streams (Flaming Lips, Modest Mouse, Beach House & more)"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Fergus & Geronimo - Powerful Lovin' (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Final Club - Tragic World (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Final Club - Hot Gaze (MEDIAFIRE LINK - ZIP)
DOWNLOAD: Tyvek - Underwater To (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Tyvek - 4312 (MP3)

Gruff

Welcome to the first This Week in Indie of 2011. We are 12 days into this year and I have yet to see a show. If you add in the time before Christmas...this might be the longest I've gone without seeing live music in a long time. That drought will end for me this week, maybe tonight, but certainly tomorrow (1/13) as Gruff Rhys plays Rockwood Music Hall. I was a little worried this snow was to cancel his flight today, but he is currently on route to NYC as I write this.

Still no word as to who'll be releasing his new solo album, Hotel Shampoo, in the US but it seems likely someone will. Hopefully we'll get to hear a lot it live. As anyone whose seen him before -- either with Super Furry Animals or solo -- know, Gruff is an entertaining guy, who always puts extra effort into his shows. Highly recommended. Eleanor Friedberger of Fiery Furnaces opens. Show starts early -- 7:30.

I also just watched Separado!, the musical travelogue documentary about Gruff's quest to track down distant relative (and '70s caped troubadour) Rene Griffiths in Patagonia. Like Rhys himself, the film is charming, scruffy, funny and full of good songs. Still not released in America but you can order the UK DVD (if you have a region-free player or watch on a computer) or, if you live in Williamsburg, rent it from Videology.

Fergus & Geronimo

Fergus & Geronimo release their debut album, Unlearn, on Hardly Art next week, and are playing three shows this weekend in celebration: Friday (1/14) at Death By Audio (official official release party) with Final Club, Easter Vomit (ex Beets), new Captured Tracks signees Widowspeak, and Philadelphia's premiere surf band Dry Feet; Saturday (1/15) at Columbia University hangout The Ding Dong Lounge with Final Club; and Sunday (1/16) at Mercury Lounge with Tyvek. Xray Eyeballs and The Gaming Commission.

While it suffers from a slight case of identity crisis (droney psych, garagey rave-ups, organ-fueled soul), track-by-track Unlearn is a pretty solid record. Fergus & Geronimo are good at all the styles they dabble in. Check out "Powerful Lovin'" at the top of this post -- that shows off their soulful side. And while I haven't seen them play live in a year and a half, they were good then so I can only imagine they've gotten better.

Final Club

If your eyes didn't glaze over at the list of bands two paragraphs up, you may have noticed Final Club are playing with F&G twice this weekend. The two bands were Denton, TX neighbors before Fergus & Geronimo moved to Brooklyn late last summer. Final Club are here just for these shows. They are worth seeing in their own right: sneery, melodic indie rock with a tendency to lean on the tremolo bar which gives them a little Swervedriver vibe. Confident and loud.

You can check out "Tragic World" at the top of this post. And if you like that, you can download their Hot Gaze EP as well. Look out for their excellent debut album, Blank Entertainment, later this year. In addition to the two shows with Fergus & Geronimo, Final Club play a headlining gig at Death By Audio tomorrow night (1/13) with Bogan Dust, Clinical Trials and Laserdisc.

Tyvek @ BV-SXSW 2010 (more by Tim Griffin)

Also as mentioned above, Tyvek are in town this weekend. While many of their peers have moved on to mid-fi production, the Detroit band keep it live and murky on their new album, Nothing Fits. It also sounds as anxious, angry and alive as the rest of their material. In addition to the Mercury Lounge show on Sunday mentioned above, they play Saturday night (1/15) at Glasslands with The Beets, Eternal Summers, and Sweet Bulbs. That is a good show. Do note it starts early, 8PM for real, as the Soul Clap dance party starts at midnight. I'll be there.

I should mention that openers The Beets have a new album Stay Home that's just out on Captured Tracks. After last year's swell, cleanly produced "Locomotion" single, they too (like Tyvek) are back to the same intentionally shitty "production" of their first album. (Maybe slightly less shitty.) Which, again, doesn't hurt them at all. The Beets are good songwriters I think, and especially good lyricists. And maybe if they can ever get a drummer to stick around for more than a month they might go places. Or just stay home. There's also a new Beets single, "Time Brought Age," and both the LP and 7" feature the bands signature comic artwork courtesy Matt Volz.

Mister Heavenly

What else? Oh yeah, Mister Heavenly play Bowery Ballroom on Sunday (1/16) with Sun Airway and Little Shalimar. This extra super group just signed to Sub Pop, and the label would like you to know the band features Nick Diamonds (Islands/Unicorns), Honus Honus (Man Man) and Joe Plummer (Modest Mouse). Of course most of the press so far has been about the group's sometimes bassist who you may know from his non-musical day job. I don't mean the banana stand.

Going to see a band because there's a famous actor in it is usually a dumb reason to go (see Dogstar, 30 Seconds to Mars , 30 Odd Foot of Grunts, etc)... plus Mr. Cera is not an "official" member of the band and he may or may not be playing with them on Sunday (note that both the label and the venue told us they don't think Michael will be there). Luckily the rest of the band is known in their own right, so mabye you should go for that reason. Unfortunately there's no recorded music to hear yet, but their few shows so far have been well-documented on YouTube.

That's the main stuff. Here's a few shows, day-by-day, not covered above.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 12

Nashville-via-Ohio band Mona -- one of the BBC's picks for Sound of 2011 -- invade NYC this weekend, starting tonight at Rock Shop. They also play Mercury Lounge on Thursday (1/13) (with Devin Therriault) and Union Pool on Saturday (1/15).

Given the abbreviation of this column you're reading, I would be remiss not to mention that The Twees play The Studio @ Webster Hall, a record release show for their just-released EP. They actually don't sound twee at all. I would say Strokes-esque pop would get you closer to a description.

Quirky, occasionally proggy, pop band Steel Phantoms at Bruar Falls.

more below...

Continue reading "Mister Heavenly, Gruff Rhys, Fergus & Geronimo, Final Club, Tyvek, The Beets & more in This Week in Indie "

photos by Chris Gersbeck, words by Rachel Kowal

"Modest Mouse without a cloud in the sky!" -rojacaliente

"If this were Make A Wish and you were going to die in 20 min, just long enough to play Freebird, we wouldnt play it -Modest Mouse" -georgeferris

"Modest Mouse is testing my love for them by keeping the kid awake with their heavy bass and drumming two blocks away. /fistshaking" -woolyknickers

Lightning may have shut down Modest Mouse in July, but for last night's rescheduled show, the weather was nearly perfect (if not a bit chilly).

This time, the opener was the Americana singer/songwriter Marcellus Hall and his backing band. The pairing was a bit odd. Modest Mouse prompted people to shout along to every song and to rush the stage. Marcellus Hall's performance had people turning around to admire the setting sun over the Manhattan skyline and leaving polite pockets of space throughout the crowd.

After Marcellus Hall's relatively short set, the anticipation for the headliners steadily grew, but more than thirty minutes passed before they marched on stage. As if making up for their severely truncated show last July, Modest Mouse then played a lengthy set - nearly 2 hours long when you factor in the encore.

"Welcome back!" Isaac Brock said by way of introduction. They kicked off the show with "Gravity Rides Everything." Taking no time to get into the show, the crowd enthusiastically sang along from the opening verse. (fittingly, the song contains the line, "Everything will fall right into place.") Isaac Brock hardly talked between songs. He didn't need to. The audience was wholly engaged. Each song was met by cheers and triumphantly extended fists. After all, for many of the people present, this was take two.

From "Cowboy Dan" to "Autumn Beds," the band pulled songs from throughout their career and readily switched between the more raucous and reserved. The pump organ, banjo, glockenspiel, accordion, and trumpet made regular guest appearances that nicely punctuated the set and revealed the surprisingly decent sound quality. The stage lights - which were absent during opening set - certainly helped to set the mood for Modest Mouse.

The band closed their initial set with "The View," leaving the audience with the soothing sound of electronic crickets to underlie their cries for more. After an unusually long wait (10 minutes), they returned for another five(ish) songs before finally concluding just short of 10:00, saying, "Thank you all very much. Have a good night" and delivering a PSA discouraging "driving while drinking and drinking while driving." Luckily, Brock didn't say anything about smoking and riding the subway.

--

Isaac Brock and gang have one set of shows left on their calendar, on October 23rd and 24th at Shoreline Ampitheater in Mountain View, CA as part of the annual Bridge School Benefit. The band will join a reformed Buffalo Springfield. Pearl Jam, Elvis Costello, Lucinda Williams, T-Bone Burnett's Speaking Clock Revue (with Elton John & Leon Russell, Elvis Costello, Ralph Stanley, Neko Case and Jeff Bridges, they play NYC on 10/20), and Grizzly Bear among others.

The Bridge School Benefit lineup by day, more Waterfront pics and the Modest Mouse setlist is below...

Continue reading "Modest Mouse played Williamsburg Waterfront again (pics, setlist), playing Bridge School Benefit in CA (lineup)"

photos by Brian Reilly

Modest Mouse @ Wellmont Theater, July 22, 2010

Due to inclement weather the July 23rd Modest Mouse show at the Williamsburg Waterfront was forced to be rescheduled. The new show date is confirmed for September 14th.

Any patrons unable to attend the rescheduled date should contact Ticketmaster before August 27th at 5pm. Tickets purchased at Ticketmaster outlets and the Nokia Theatre Times Square box office can be exchanged in person for tickets to the rescheduled show. On August 29th Ticketmaster will reissue all tickets purchased online and by phone via the original method of delivery for the rescheduled date.

OSA would like to thank everyone for their patience and understanding while we worked to get the show rescheduled.

The Open Space Alliance for North Brooklyn (OSA) www.osanb.org is a nonprofit organization helping to preserve and enhance green space in North Brooklyn. OSA raises funds, links community volunteers, and works in partnership with elected officials and agencies to develop new parks, and improve existing parks in Williamsburg/Greenpoint.

The Williamsburg Waterfront is located at North 8th Street & Kent Avenue at the East River State Park in Brooklyn, NY.

One night before the Brooklyn show, the same two bands played a show at Wellmont Theater in NJ. Modest Mouse was able to play a whole set at that one. The 19-song NJ setlist, and more pictures from that show, and all upcoming tour dates, below...

Continue reading "Modest Mouse played NJ (pics), RESCHEDULE Brooklyn show"

photos by Amanda Hatfield, words by Rachel Kowal

All day Friday, I kept an eye on the weather forecast, trying to determine if the show on the Waterfront would get rained out, but when I headed over, the sky was bright blue with promise.

Being an out-of-town opener is no easy task - especially when you're opening for a band with the reputation and discography of Modest Mouse. But Morning Teleportation, who are signed to Isaac Brock's label Glacial Pace, were more than equipped to handle the challenge. The Portland five-piece played punchy psychedelic music to match their colorful wardrobe, and they seemed to be having a great time doing it. Guitarist Tiger Merritt may have assumed most of the vocal responsibility, but the other members often sang along, off mic when they weren't singing back-up.

Morning Teleportation's music is engaging, but they also know how to show restraint. Instead of unnecessarily drowning the crowd in sound, they have a handle on their levels. Keyboard jingles, trumpet interludes, guitar riffs, and joyous vocals periodically crescendo and dissipate to create a dynamic sound that benefits from the distinctness of its layers.

At one point between songs, drummer Tres Coker dashed to the front of the stage, and leaned into the mic, saying, "Hey guys. We're playing at the Mercury Lounge soon [July 28th] and you should all come. All 7,000 of you." They may not have managed to build up much of a reputation yet, but the Mercury Lounge does seem like quite a small venue for a band of their talents and enthusiasm.

By the time Modest Mouse began to play, the weather had begun to take a sharp turn, but instead of focusing on the darkening sky, everyone was turned to face the stage. Modest Mouse kicked off their set with the slowly building song "Satellite Skin." After only a few seconds of playing, they suddenly stopped when part of their sound cut out. "That's not going to work, is it?" said Isaac Brock as the crowd expressed their anxious discontent. But the issue was quickly resolved. "We'll restart that song in a second. I'm really glad that didn't happen in the middle of it," countered Brock. But this fleeting technical issue wasn't the only obstacle of the evening. After just a couple of songs, Brock commented on the status of the weather, saying, "We might get a lightening storm [...] Let's hope that doesn't get shit shut down."

And with the unwelcome warning, they launched into "Fire It Up." Modest Mouse hasn't released a proper album since 2007 - just a smattering of singles and an EP last year. Their set list (the little we heard of it) pulled songs from throughout their extensive discography, but unfortunately, everything came to a screeching halt after the surprisingly apt song "Here It Comes" came to a close.

"Apparently, we have to take a 20 minute break. It's about safety - yours," said Brock wryly, when prompted by park officials. After the initial wave of grumbling had subsided, the crowd began to chant, "Fuck that shit." At which point, a woman's voice rung out over the PA, telling everyone to evacuate the park. "We must have 20 minutes since the last bolt of lightning," she said. As the stage lights went dim, I turned around and surveyed the sky. Black clouds hung menacingly over the Manhattan skyline, threatening to swallow it whole. This was the stuff from Armageddon movies. Suddenly, it became clear that all the flashing lights had not been benign camera flashes and stage lights, but regular bolts of lightening. Boos continued to ring out in the crowd as people assessed the situation. After another few minutes, an official jumped back on the PA and told everyone to proceed to the exits. For a minute, I was afraid we'd have a Drake incident on our hands, but then the rain started to fall, sending people scattering. Clearly, the show would not resume.

Sure, it was a real let down to hear only five songs (especially knowing that Brock surely would have continued if it weren't for park officials and safety regulations), but hearing him repeatedly sing the line, "Here it comes" as the sky took on a menacing shade made for quite a dramatic (if not disappointingly abrupt) conclusion.

Modest Mouse's current tour also included full, rain-free sets at the Pitchfork Festival in Chicago and at Wellmont Theater in NJ (pics coming soon).

Rain also caused Sunday's Pool Party at the Williamsburg Waterfront to have to change venues. More pictures and the setlist from Friday's short Brooklyn Modest Mouse show (we'll keep you posted if we hear anything about it being rescheduled), below...

Continue reading "Modest Mouse (all 5 songs of them), Morning Teleportation & a rain storm @ Williamsburg Waterfront (pics & setlist)"

...due to lightning

Day 1 photos by Weekly Dig, Wolf Parade photos by Kate Gardiner

Panda Bear @ Pitchfork Fest Saturday evening (Suckafreemike)

"Dear panda bear: you're playing a music festival, not an art installation." - Etan

"The only explanation for Panda Bear's set at the Pitchfork Music Festival is that it's a practical joke on people who are not on drugs." - lifeinzembla

"Panda Bear killed it. set was almost exclusively new stuff. pushing the art to the next level." - Luke Tipton

Panda Bear @ Pitchfork Fest Saturday evening (iissaaacc)

More pictures from the 2010 Pitchfork Music Festival, below...

Continue reading "mixed reactions to Panda Bear & more pictures from the 2010 Pitchfork Festival (Days 1 & 2)"

photos by Kate Gardiner

"And Yawnfork continues." - Jim DeRogatis

Robyn dominated Friday @ the Pitchfork Festival

"Who knew the best performer of the day would be a blonde bombshell spinning Euro-disco? Robyn -- another Swede and a former child star who's fought hard to regain her own artistic control -- came out throwing punches in the air when she wasn't doing that elbows-high, shoulder-leaning dance all '80s female singers used to do. Fiesty, sexy, spunky, Robyn opened with the virtues of being a "Fembot," assured us that love hurts "With Every Heartbeat" and sang flawlessly through new single "Dancing on My Own" in front of a band dressed in all white, twiddling knobs and pounding synth-pad drums. The latter really exploded at the end of "Cobrastyle," with Robyn showing some kick-box dancing. Her Pink-ish pluck reached its zenith in "Don't F---ing Tell Me What to Do," during which she led some kind of aerobics class (sporting a totally Pat Benatar green beret, too). And she was the crowd favorite. Go figure." [Chicago Sun Times]

This post comes five hours into Day Two of the 2010 Pitchfork Music Festival (which is streaming online). Tonight's remaining acts are Wolf Parade, Panda Bear, and LCD Soundsystem. More pictures and a few videos from most of what came prior, below....

Continue reading "Pitchfork Fest 2010 - Day 1 & most of Day 2 (pictures & video) "

Modest Mouse @ MHOW June 2008 (more by Ryan Muir)

Speaking of Wellmont Theatre, Modest Mouse - in addition to their NYC show at Williamsburg Waterfront on July 23rd - will be playing at NJ's Wellmont Theatre on Thursday, July 22nd. Tickets go on sale Friday (4/16) at noon.

In addition, 80s hit-makers like Crowded House, Huey Lewis & the News, and Tears for Fears all have shows coming up at the venue and it was just announced that Lyle Lovett will play there on Sunday, August 15th. Tickets go on sale Friday at noon.

Les Claypool plays there June 5th (a few days before Brooklyn Bowl) with Budos Band and Hot Head Show. Patty Griffin is June 11th.

Flaming Lips are at Wellmont Theatre, one of several planned gigs for the band in the area, on April 19th.

Wilco recently played there two nights in a row.

Modest Mouse @ Terminal 5 in March 2009 (more by Chris La Putt)

Modest Mouse will join Faith No More and Nas & Damian Marley (tickets) as one of the acts set to play at Williamsburg Waterfront in Brooklyn this summer. Their Friday, July 23rd show will be ticketed/non-free (like the others mentioned). Tickets go on sale Friday at noon (which is when the just-added Faith no More show goes on sale too).

Modest Mouse's Brooklyn show is a week after they play the Pitchfork Festival which recently updated its lineup. New acts playing the Chicago fest include Big Boi, Major Lazer, Neon Indian, Beach House, Free Energy, Local Natives, Robyn & more. Check that out in full below. Single day tickets are still on sale.

UPDATE: Modest Mouse's Brooklyn show is one day after they play one in NJ.

Modest Mouse will be reissuing their third album, The Moon & Antarctica, on vinyl for its 10th anniversary, on Record Store Day - this Saturday, April 17th. "The album features restored original artwork and replicates the infinite lock groove found in the original vinyl pressings of 2000. The new vinyl reissue includes a download card for the album." All dates the the P4K Fest lineup, below...

Continue reading "Modest Mouse playing Williamsburg Waterfront, the Pitchfork Festival (updated full lineup) & other tour dates"

The Pitchfork Music Festival celebrates its 5th anniversary this year at Union Park in Chicago. It runs from Friday July 16th - Sunday July 18th. Three-day passes are now sold out, but you can still get single-day passes on Ticketweb.

The Updated Lineup is below:

Continue reading "Pitchfork Festival updates lineup (Broken Social Scene, Jon Spencer, Panda Bear, Girls, El-P & more) "

the 2010 Pitchfork Music Festival will be held at Chicago's Union Park on July 16 - 18. We are pleased to announce the first batch of bands slated to perform, as well as proclaim that tickets are on sale today at 12 PM CST! This year's festival welcomes the highly anticipated return of legendary band Pavement as they make one of their first appearances since reuniting! Pavement will perform on Sunday night. Friday features indie-rock, chart-topping mainstays Modest Mouse, while Saturday and Sunday sees performances by LCD Soundsystem, Raekwon, Here We Go Magic, St. Vincent, Lightning Bolt, Cass McCombs and Sleigh Bells. Stay tuned, as more bands will be announced in the coming weeks.

Continue reading "2010 Pitchfork Music Fest - dates, tickets, initial lineup "

photos by Chris Graham

Happy Holidays! I take on more than I can handle. That results in a lot of unposted content. In the name of catching up, while also taking it easy during this final week of the year, here's some of that lost material.

For what was the worst day weather-wise for San Francisco's Outide Lands Festival, its last day (Sunday, August 30th) may have been the best musically. Cold fog and wind took the place of cloudless, sunny skies, but those who attended witnessed sets by Modest Mouse, the Dead Weather, the Avett Brothers, Band of Horses, Calexico, Matt & Kim , and soul legends Robert Randolph and Betty Layvette, and MIA, who complained via Twitter about the fest's substitution of Tenacious D for the Beastie Boys, then covered two Beasties songs, "Intergalactic" and "Sabatage, in her set.

Scrambling to find replacement headliners for the Beastie Boys was a common theme for festivals in summer '09, after the group was forced to cancel all dates when Adam Yauch was dianosed with cancer (he's since had sugery, and reports say that part of his health regiment is a vegan/organic diet). Beastie Boys' slot was filled by Jay-Z at All Points West and Yeah Yeah Yeahs at Lollapalooza

More pictures from Day Three below...

Continue reading "Outside Lands 2009 - Day 3 pics (Tenacious D, MIA, Ween, Modest Mouse, Band of Horses, Dead Weather, more)"

Monotonix @ Sasquatch Fest in May (more by Chris Graham)

tonight in NYC
* DANCE
* Kiss @ Nassau Coliseum
* Bob Weir @ Brooklyn Bowl
* Lord of the Rings @ Radio City
* Kayo Dot, Extra Life @ Drom
* Monk at 92 @ WFC Winter Garden
* Ludlow Lions, Indra @ Union Pool
* Rosanne Cash @ St. Ann's Warehouse
* Clutch, Lionize, Wino @ Irving Plaza
* Owen, The One AM Radio @ Mercury Lounge
* The Gossip, Men, Apache Beat @ Terminal 5
* Mancino, Timber Timbre, Rubik @ Union Hall
* Pierced Arrows, Endless Boogie @ Mercury Lounge
* Valley, German Measles, Blue Jungle @ Shea Stadium
* Monotonix, Turbo Fruits, The Beets @ Santos Party House
* Mason Jennings, Anni Rossi @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
* Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band @ Giants Stadium
* Psychedelic Furs, Happy Mondays, Islands @ Roseland Ballroom
* Thee Oh Sees, The Fresh and Onlys, The Beets @ Death By Audio
* TV Ghost, Wizzard Sleeve, FNU Ronnies, Unholy 2 @ Silent Barn
* Grand Archives, The Most Serene Republic, The Diggs @ Southpaw
* Thee Oh Sees, Golden Triangle, The Fresh & Onlys @ The Bell House
* 3 Inches of Blood, Children, Mantic Ritual @ Knitting Factory Brooklyn
* Indian Jewelry, Silk Flowers, The Present, SS Pyramid Snake @ Cake Shop
* Peelander Z, Math the Band, The Eskalators, Lima Research Society @ Maxwell's
* Ben Perowsky's Moodswing Orchestra, Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey @ LPR
* One Step Beyond w/ Amanda Blank, Devlin & Darko @ Museum of Natural History
* Benefit w/ These Are Powers, Lone Wolf and Cub @ Issue Project Room
* Blue Jungle, Valleys, Waters Wolves, Gary B & the Notions, German Measles, Young Boys, Le Rug, and Effing @ Shea Stadium.

Born in the U.S.A. is the seventh studio album by American rock singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released on June 4, 1984. His popular and commercial triumph, it found Springsteen marking a departure in his sound - while the predecessor, the dark and acoustic Nebraska featured songs of pessimism and isolation, Born in the U.S.A.'s lyrics expressed signs of hope in the daily fight of the standard American in following the American Dream, a new feeling complemented by synthesized arrangements and a pop-flavored, radio-oriented sound that helped Springsteen to extend his already-growing popularity and dominate the mainstream audiences. In support of the album, there was an enormous commercial and sociocultural exposure throughout a large string of hit singles, remixes and music videos, and also the renewed image that Springsteen delivered - a muscular physique and a tougher, American-hero-like persona. [Wiki]

Reunited UK rock bands Psychedelic Furs and Happy Mondays bring opener Islands to Roseland Ballroom. Islands are back as part of their own tour with Jemina Pearl on November 5th.

Grizzly Bear and Beach House are up at Vassar tonight.

Monotonix are back in NYC for the first time since the release of their hard-to-beleive-it's-their debut LP in September. Turbo Fruits and The Beets open at Santos Party House. Tomorrow they play Market Hotel, again with Turbo Fruits. Listen to an interview with Monotonix below.

Later in the evening The Beets play Death By Audio with Thee Oh Sees and The Fresh & Onlys who play with Golden Triangle at The Bell House earlier in the night.

Canada's 3 Inches of Blood play Knitting Factory Brooklyn with Children and Mantic Ritual.

Canada's Timber Timbre plays Union Hall with Mancino. Owen, who is at Mercury Lounge tonight, plays Union Hall tomorrow.

Grand Archives and The Most Serene Republic are on tour - they play Southpaw tonight.

Pierced Arrows and Endless Boogie gig at Mercury Lounge.

The ex-Nakatomi Plaza band Ludlow Lions join Indra at Union Pool.

Charlie Looker and Extra Life are at Drom with Kayo Dot.

Rosanne Cash plays only the hits (other people's) at her two-night St. Ann's Warehouse engagement.

The One Step Beyond party at American Museum of Natural History hosts Amanda Blank and Devlin & Darko.

WFC Winter Garden hosts a free Thelonius Monk show, celebrating what would be the pianist's 92nd birthday.

Clutch and Lionize play Irving Plaza for two nights with Wino.

The Gossip's new Rick Rubin-produced record just came out officially last week. They play tonight with Men and Apache Beat at Terminal 5

Issue Project Room hosts a benefit tonight with These Are Powers and Lone Wolf and Cub.

Modest Mouse's new video for "Whale Song" is posted below.

Kurt Vile's video for "Freak Train" is below.

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Friday?"

Daft Punk's first album had helped refresh house music in the mid 1990s; the second went further, rewriting electronic pop's pleasure principles to such a degree that when it came out a lot of people thought Discovery must be a put-on. They took the joy in the record for irony. Rather, the band had simply plunged into the raw popstuff of their 70s childhoods, from AOR to disco, Buggles to Manilow, rock to robotics. They wanted their listeners to get the rush of context-free delight they had hearing music as kids, and on "Aerodynamic" and "Digital Love" they succeeded wildly, dissolving a decade-plus of dance music good taste. And not all of Discovery looked back. The middle of the album is house music as string theory, with the duo finding dimensions of pleasure coiled within the tiniest loops: "Crescendolls" releases an awesome, gleeful energy by repeatedly triggering one five-second sample.

Discovery was simply the decade's best good-times record, with Daft Punk as pyramid-toting party wizards and the chipmunk Kraftwerk of "Harder Better Faster Stronger" their anthem. But this most celebratory of records has a bittersweet streak, too: Daft Punk know that a rush always carries the risk of exhaustion. Perhaps the album's most underappreciated track is the sad but gorgeous "Short Circuit", a three-minute robot graveyard of crumbled transistors and dying LEDs. But from Romanthony's first blissful, vocoded shout of "one more time!" the dominant emotion on Discovery is joy. A joy that wasn't afraid to be sentimental and funny as well as hard and futuristic, and is all the better for that. When a generation looks back and tries to catch a fuzzy hold of the music that made them happy this decade, Daft Punk's will be top of the list. --Tom Ewing [Pitchfork]

Continue reading "Pitchfork announces the top 20 albums of the decade "

Nels Cline @ Central Park Summerstage on Saturday (more by Paul Bachmann)

tonight in NYC
* DANCE
* Steely Dan @ Beacon Theatre
* The Roots @ Highline Ballroom
* Frankie Negron @ Red Hook Park
* Craig Wedren w/ ACME @ Joe's Pub
* Kath Bloom, Little Wings @ Zebulon
* Los Campesinos!, Girls @ Webster Hall
* Depeche Mode, Peter Bjorn & John @ MSG
* Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit @ City Winery
* Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit @ Hudson Square
* Incubus, The Duke Spirit @ Radio City Music Hall
* Erykah Badu, Janelle Monáe @ Beach at Governors Island
* Dark Habits DJs with Mia Clark, Sara Jaffe @ Bruar Falls
* White Hills, Modey Lemon, Fiasco, Prisms @ Death By Audio
* Portugal the Man, Pistola, The Sway Machinery @ Union Pool
* Sister Mantos, Mirror Mirror, Light Asylum, Rachel Mason Band @ Glasslands
* Gary Panter & Devin Flynn, R. Stevie Moore, Ear Pwr, Toro y Moi @ Cake Shop
* The Rural Alberta Advantage, The Dig, Hollerado @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
* Stories in High Fidelty w/ Dean Wareham, Dan Kennedy, Rob Harvilla @ Union Hall
* Bushwick Book Club w/ Corn Mo, Susan Hwang, M. Lamar @ Goodbye Blue Monday
* Duke & the King, Tyburn Saints, Morning Pages, Maya Solovey @ Mercury Lounge
* Jenny Scheinman w/ Nels Cline, Jim Black, Matt Penman @ Le Poisson Rouge

Free outdoor music tonight includes Frankie Negron at Red Hook Park and Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit at Hudson Square. Jason and band also play inside City Winery for another show tonight.

The Rural Alberta Advantage play a free show with The Dig and Hollerado at the Music Hall of Williamsburg.

The Duke & The King play Mercury Lounge tonight...

"The Duke and the King is an alliance of Simone Felice of the Felice Brothers and his longtime friend (and sometime George Clinton collaborator) Robert "Chicken" Burke, along with a highly talented cast of others. They have pulled off a quite remarkable feat on Nothing Gold Can Stay - each song somehow sounding like a classic, each live performance suggesting we are in the presence of a rare, fiery brilliance." [The Guardian]

Los Campesinos! and Girls kick off their tour with a show at Webster Hall. Last night they played Union Pool.

The Roots continue their residency at Highline Ballroom, and they just announced a show with Common at Terminal 5.

Erykah Badu and Janelle Monáe play the first AEG show at the Beach at Governors Island.

Depeche Mode and Peter, Bjorn & John play a second night at Madison Square Garden. PB & J are also playing a secret show somewhere.

Shudder to Think's Craig Wedren plays at Joe's Pub with classical group ACME (American Contemporary Music Ensemble). Shudder to Think comes to town September 2nd.

Jenny Scheinman performs in her last gig for a while with Mischief & Mayhem (Nels Cline, Jim Black and Matt Penman) at (Le) Poisson Rouge.

The monthly Bushwick Book Club series tackles the Bible at Goodbye Blue Monday. Songwriters include Corn Mo, Susan Hwang, M. Lamar, Sweet Soubrette and Emilyn Brodsky. Flyer below.

Dean Wareham follows up his Dean & Britta Celebrate Brooklyn show on Saturday with a reading at Union Hall. The event, Stories in High Fidelty, will also feature music writer Dan Kennedy and Village Voice music editor Rob Harvilla.

Mia Clark (Electrelane) and Sara Jaffe (ex-Erase Errata) read from the new book The Art of Touring at Bluestockings, then DJ at Bruar Falls tonight.

The Cribs, whose lineup now includes Johnny Marr, put out a new video for "Cheat On Me," posted below. Marr previously gigged with Modest Mouse, who just released their Heath Ledger-directed video for "King Rat," also below.

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Tuesday?"

"STREET SCENE, one of the nation's longest running music festivals, will celebrate its 25th anniversary with two full days of music Friday, August 28 and Saturday, August 29. The Black Eyed Peas, M.I.A., Thievery Corporation, Modest Mouse, The Dead Weather and Cake are among the more than 35 acts that will bring the streets of downtown San Diego's East Village neighborhood alive with music and entertainment from 4:00 PM to midnight daily. The venue site will include Tailgate Park (adjacent to Petco Park) in the heart of East Village, incorporating 14th Street as the main thoroughfare and bordered by Imperial Avenue to J Street."

Continue reading "San Diego's Street Scene Festival announces 2009 lineup"

Bonnie Prince Billy (by Eva Vermandel for WIRE)

tonight in NYC
* DANCE
* Your Nature, Space Camp @ The Annex
* Jamie Saft w/ Kalashnikov @ Zebulon
* Green Day @ PC Richard & Son Theater
* La Otracina, Matta Llama @ The Stone
* St. Vincent, Pattern Is Movement @ Webster Hall
* Elvis Perkins in Dearland, The Woes @ The Bell House
* Alex Battles and the Whisky Rebellion @ Hill Country
* Antigama, Complete Failure, Mutant Supremacy @ Europa
* Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Lightning Dust @ Santos Party House
* Nick Krgovich, Katie Eastburn, To Bad Catholics @ Sycamore
* Psychedelic Horseshit, Little Girls, Sisters @ Union Pool
* Sean Bones, Greg Johnson, Kumail Nanjiani, The Antlers @ The Delancey
* Shilpa Ray & Her Happy Hookers, Ford & Fitzroy, Overlord, Higgins @ Pianos
* Jeffrey Lewis & The Junkyard, Diane Cluck with Anders Griffen, Pepi Ginsberg @ Bowery Ballroom

Grizzly Bear are playing Letterman tonight.

Modest Mouse has a new video for a new song that they also just performed on Letterman. Both videos below...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Wednesday?"

Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival is taking place this year August 28th-30th at Golden Gate Park. Tickets for the fest go on Visa presale Wednesday, April 15th at 1pm ET, and general sale Sunday, April 19th at 1pm ET.

Like last year, the San Francisco fest shares a headliner with NJ's All Points West. In 2008, it was Radiohead. In 2009, it's the Beastie Boys.

Also on the schedule for the fest is the Dead Weather, Jack White's new band. Dead Weather plays its first show tonight (April 14th) at the Bowery Ballroom.

M.I.A., Ween, TVOTR, Mastodon, Os Mutantes, Extra Golden, Tom Jones, and many others are also playing. Full Outside Lands line-up and poster below....

Continue reading "Outside Lands 2009 festival lineup, Dead Weather tonight"

The 39th annual Bumbershoot: Seattle's Music & Arts Festival, Presented by Samsung Mobile announces a small portion of the 2009 lineup. The 3-day urban event takes place Labor Day Weekend (September 5 - 7). The Festival stretches across the 74-acre Seattle Center, located beneath the city's iconic Space Needle, and programs 20 indoor and unique outdoor venues. This progressive Festival features a diverse array of arts including live music, comedy, theatre, dance, film, urban crafts, and literary and visual arts.

Continue reading "Bumbershoot announces partial 2009 lineup & ticket info"

words by Andrew Frisicano, photos by Natasha Ryan

Modest Mouse played Terminal 5 in NYC on Sunday, March 15th, with openers Japanese Motors, Tab the Band, and Mimicking Birds. It was the last date on the band's spring 2009 tour with Jim Fairchild of Grandaddy filling in on guitar for Johnny Marr of the Smiths who has had the job for a few years (on a somewhat related note, one day after Johnny wasn't here, Morrissey was).

In related news..

Modest Mouse plans to release the music video actor Heath Ledger directed before his death in January 2008. [Ledger] helmed the animated clip for "King Rat," a bonus tune off 2007's We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank. No specific date has been set for the release, which is expected to happen "soon." The video was animated by [director/animator/Monty Python member] Terry Gilliam....

The band will drop a 7" orange vinyl single April 18 (out digitally April 21) with two new songs, "Satellite Skin" and "Guilty Cocker Spaniels." Though the band hasn't confirmed any other releases, New Jersey record store Vintage Vinyl reports MM will offer three more singles before releasing an eight-song EP, No One's First and You're Next, this August.

Modest Mouse will perform "Satellite Skin" on the Late Show with David Letterman on March 18. [Spin.com]

Continue reading "Modest Mouse - Terminal 5 pics & setlist, the Heath Ledger video, Letterman & other news"

Tickets are on sale (@ noon) for the upcoming Modest Mouse show at Terminal 5.

Tickets are on Am Ex presale (@ noon) for the Modest Mouse show at Terminal 5.

Tickets are still on sale for Cat Power's Thursday show at Music Hall of Williamsburg.

Tickets are on Am Ex presale (@ noon) for the Ratatat show at Terminal 5.

Tickets are on presale (password = venue) for The Prodigy show at Roseland Ballroom. (thx Ben)

Tickets are on presale for the Franz Ferdinand show at Roseland Ballroom. (thx Telo)

Tickets are on Am Ex presale (@ noon) for the Pela shows at Mercury Lounge.

Tickets are on Am Ex presale (@ noon) for the Kills shows coming up at Music Hall and Webster Hall.

Tickets are on Am Ex presale (@ noon) for the Crystal Stilts / Women show coming up at Music Hall.

Tickets are on Am Ex presale (@ noon) for the Vivian Girls / Ariel Pink show coming up at Music Hall.