Lou Reed, Laurie Anderson & John Zorn @ the Stone in 2008 (wallyg)

Lou Reed, Laurie Anderson and John Zorn faced a furious crowd on Friday night, playing cacophonous music to a cacophony of boos at the Montreal International Jazz festival. Fans expecting Sweet Jane or Walk On the Wild Side were instead met by the skronk and skree of Reed's more recent free-jazz work, infuriating sections of the crowd. As audience members hollered their complaints, Zorn responded. "If you don't think it's music, then get the fuck outta here." Then the walk-outs began. [Guardian UK] (via)

More than 1,000 people turned out for a night of Reed/Anderson/Zorn improv on July 2nd (a week ago today). Some booed, heckled, walked out, asked (and got) a refund, and went home to complain about it on the internet (other people stayed, some maybe even enjoyed it). A very short clip of the concert is below.

A similar show that took place at The Stone in 2008 is for sale in John Zorn's shop as a live CD. All funds raised from its sale go to benefit the non-profit club. John Zorn next plays the Stone on July 30th.

Laurie and Lou recently went to Australia and Coney Island.

Laurie Anderson plays (Le) Poisson Rouge on Tuesday, July 13th (tickets), and has lots more coming up.

John Zorn will make an appearance at the New Museum on July 13th, and John, Lou and Laurie, as well as Faith No More's Mike Patton, will be getting together again for a show at the NYC Opera in 2011.

Video from the Montreal concert and a press conference from earlier in the day are below...

Continue reading "Lou Reed, Laurie Anderson & John Zorn booed in Montreal"

by Bill Pearis

WhoMadeWho @ Knitting Factory (more by Chris La Putt)

Denmark trio WhoMadeWho were originally supposed to go on last, almost like an afterparty to our official lineup, but when Let's Wrestle couldn't make it we moved them into their slot. Which ended up being a plus for everyone as they kind of stole the show. Looking like a cross between Sparks and Yello (at Octoberfest) and sounding like some kind of synth funk you'd hear from Bizarro World DFA Records, they were weird and awesome and won the initially-perplexed crowd over quickly. If you're going to SXSW, they're definitely a "don't miss" band.

That's what I wrote after the Brooklyn Vegan pre-SXSW party we threw at Knitting Factory back in March. That "don't miss" status remains when WhoMadeWho return to NYC with a June 28 stop at Mercury Lounge. Tickets are on sale.

The trio are over for a few North American dates, including an appearance at the Montreal Jazz Festival the night before. Since the Knitting Factory show in March, I've become a big fan of their current album, The Plot, full of slinky funk and glammy rock not unlike a Danish, DFA version of the Scissor Sisters. Take a minute to watch their excellent video for "Keep Me in My Plane" which is at the bottom of this post.

You should also watch the video for singer Tomas Høffding's  first solo single, "Mother," which he recorded under the name Bon Homme. It's especially funny if you pay attention to music video directors/indie cinema. Both videos were made by Good Boy Creative. Høffding's solo album was released in Denmark two weeks ago... maybe he'll have copies at the merch table?

All North American tour dates for WhoMadeWho and those videos are below.

Continue reading "WhoMadeWho returning this summer - 2010 dates & videos"