photos by Autumn Andel

Cass McCombs @ MusicFestNW

I was actually more excited to see Cass McCombs than Band of Horses, as I had yet to see him live and really, his songs are just better. I was not disappointed. McCombs and his band played a serene set of emotionally resonant music, highlighted by the material from his latest album, Wit's End. Frankly, a lot of this brilliance was lost on the crowd there...

Band of Horses! People love these guys. I get it, the songs are easy to like, even easier to identify with, and super easy to gain indie cred with. Now, I know I'm sounding like a hater, and I'm not really, I love the band's debut album. I just don't think they're doing anything unique or very interesting nowadays. It's like they found the formula for instant success with any song and they're sticking to it. So, for me, their set was blah squared. They played a couple tracks off that beloved debut, a smattering of songs from their last couple releases, and even some new new, untitled works that are in the process of becoming another new album. Singer Ben Bridwell's voice was hoarse from a long tour and at times he shied away from the more soaring elements of his harmonies, but for the most part it was a nice end to the festival, and that was enough. -[The Portland Mercury]

Band of Horses ended Portland festival MusicFestNW's 5th and final day on 9/11 at Pioneer Square, aided by support from Cass McCombs, and Morning Teleportation. Pictures, which are our final set from the 2011 festival, are in this post.

Members of Band of Horses will be performing at two separate shows in NYC in October, on the same day.

MFNW Day 4 pics HERE. Day 3 pics HERE. Day 2 HERE and HERE. Day 1 HERE. Day 5 continues below...

Continue reading "Band of Horses, Cass McCombs & Morning Teleportation @ MusicFestNW (Day 5 pics)"

Here is the initial lineup for Willamette Week's MusicfestNW, scheduled for Sept. 7-11, 2011 in Portland, Oregon, and it's pretty great. The multi-venue fest includes big outdoor performances by Band of Horses (Sunday, Sept. 11), Explosions in the Sky (Saturday, Sept. 10), and Iron & Wine (Friday, Sept. 9), in addition to shows with everyone from Archers of Loaf to Big Freedia to Butthole Surfers to Neurosis. Tickets go on sale Friday, June 3rd. Check out the full list below...

Continue reading "MusicfestNW 2011 -- dates & initial lineup"

words & photos by Ben Lozovsky

Morning Teleportation

Without insider knowledge, it would be hard to discern where Morning Teleportation was based. Below the surface of flippant freak and awe, the band's boisterous concoction of aggressive Manhattan new wave, longhorn state roadhouse blues, crisp Appalachian finger picking and bittersweet Northwestern sentiments could be from anywhere in the lower 48. At Brooklyn Bowl on Friday (4/08), the second of two nights in New York, the group presented it's bicoastal Indie atlas, stopping briefly for souvenirs and snapshots just about everywhere in between. Woody Guthrie would have been proud.

Guthrie spent time in Oregon, where the members of Morning Teleportation currently reside. Although his stay was brief, the place he called "a paradise" was highly inspirational to his work. During his short month traveling along the Columbia River, Guthrie wrote 26 songs, including some of his most recognized works like "Roll On, Columbia, Roll on." Commissioned by the government, many of those numbers were written essentially as propaganda pieces to promote the region.

Morning Teleportation's own music might as well be used as state-approved examples of Portland's much needed musical expansion. Maybe it's the 10% unemployment or the 80% racial homogeneity there, but either way PDX folk have no choice but to diversify. The band still maintains many of the local trademarks: the plaintive, at times melancholy vocals, the earnest emotion, the springy jangle that could turn dark and weighty with little foreshadowing. It's not surprising that Modest Mouse front man Isaac Brock produced their debut album. That's where the comparisons cease though; instead of a steady barrage of rain-soaked Pacific gloom, there's a recurring sentiment of rejuvenation, a picturesque scene from after the storm.

continued below....

Continue reading "Morning Teleportation & Nicos Gun @ Brooklyn Bowl (pics)"

Morning Teleportation at the BV party during CMJ (more by Chris La Putt)

Morning Teleportation are on the East Coast and currently touring through the dirty south on their way up north and eventually the Midwest. The tour, in support of their recently released Expanding Anyway, hits NYC for a pair of dates: 4/7 at Mercury Lounge (tickets) and 4/8 Brooklyn Bowl (tickets).

If you feel like a road trip, head on up to Mountain Jam on Hunter Mountain in Bethel, NY on the weekend of June 2nd - 5th. There Morning Teleportation will be joined by My Morning Jacket, Dawes, The Avett Brothers, and many others as part of the jam-friendly festival. Tickets are on sale.

Speaking of My Morning Jacket, band will release their new album Circuital on May 31st through ATO Records. In preparation for the release, MMJ have dropped free live MP3s from their multi-day stint at Terminal 5.

All MT tour dates, their "Expanding Anyway" video, and the Mountain Jam lineup in video format, below...

Continue reading "Morning Teleportation on tour, playing Mountain Jam ---- ----- (dates & festival lineup)"

photos bt Chris La Putt

Ted Leo / Big Freedia

Thanks again to everyone for an amazing extended CMJ 2010 weekend that started Thursday night at Music Hall of Williamsburg, continued Friday afternoon at Public Assembly followed by a loft party followed by the free Converse-presented show at Public Assembly on Saturday afternoon, 10/23 (the subject of this post), and which ended on a high, and heavy, note at Union Pool later that night.

Thanks again to Converse who just opened a big store in SoHo, and to our sponsors V-Spot (go eat there for a great vegan meal in Park Slope), Firefly Vodka + Bourbon, Magic Hat, and Raw Revolution.

This second set of pictures from the event continues below...

Continue reading "BV & Converse day party in pics & video - part 2 (Jamie Lidell, Big Freedia, Ted Leo, Titus Andronicus, Wild Nothing, more)"

most photos by Andrew St. Clair, Jamie Lidell photos by Leia Jospe
videos by Bleary Eyed Brooklyn

Jamie Lidell / Marnie Stern

"As a sucker for daytime events, I headed to Williamsburg's Public Assembly around noon for a show curated by BrooklynVegan. First up (and by "first", I mean, "the first artist I woke up in time to see") was Ted Leo. Performing skeletal, solo versions of his Pharmacists material, Ted more than compensated for the sparse arrangements with furious strumming and hilarious banter. It was nice to see an older, established artist opening a free show designed to showcase rising stars; it sort of set the tone for the rest of the day. His hit-heavy set spanned the full-duration of career, touching on high-water marks like "The High Party" and "Bottled in Cork", and closing with a cover of Euro-dance phenom Robyn's "With Every Heartbeat". This was a perfect set to open the day, and my only recommendation is that the next synth jam he covers be "Chewing Gum", by Annie...

...Closing the show, metal prodigy Marnie Stern dominated stage two, directly opposite neo-funkster Jamie Lidell headlining the main room. While she reveled in the loose atmosphere, dropping hilariously lewd stage banter and slamming PBR's, Lidell tried a throwback set reflecting his early, robotic Warp Records catalog." [MTV Music Blog]

Thanks again to everyone for an amazing extended CMJ weekend that started Thursday night at Music Hall of Williamsburg, continued Friday afternoon at Public Assembly followed by a loft party followed by the free Converse-presented show at Public Assembly on Saturday afternoon, 10/23 (the subject of this post), and which ended on a high, and heavy, note at Union Pool later that night.

Hopefully you got there early on Saturday to catch Morning Teleportation who went on when we opened the doors around noon. If so, you may have also grabbed one of the free EarPeace earplugs we gave out, and grabbed a free V-Spot empanada. Hopefully you also had your fill of the free Firefly Vodka + Bourbon and Magic Hat beer we were giving out, snacked on free Raw Revolution bars, bought a free t-shirt or poster for charity (email if you still want one - we have more left). If you weren't there, maybe you caught the live stream (if we can ever make it available for podcast, I will let you know).

Thanks to Line 6 and Vinny's Music for providing gear. Thanks to Vinnie's Pizza for helping feed our bands!

Speaking of the bands, hopefully Titus Andronicus's short set didn't bum you out. And if it did, hopefully Big Freedia cheered you right back up.

Like for the Friday party, there are two sets of pictures for this one. The second one is on its way. The first one, along with a bunch of videos, continues below...

Continue reading "BV Saturday day party in pics & video - part 1 (Marnie Stern, Dominique Young Unique, Heavy Cream, No Joy & more)"

by Andrew Sacher

CMJ (pic by thewildhoneypie)

The 2010 CMJ Music Marathon took place in NYC from Tuesday, 10/19 through Saturday, 10/23. Here's what I did, broken down by day...

Tuesday

I started day one of CMJ, my first-ever CMJ, at the 'Future of the Music Business, Really?' panel. It was really interesting and I learned a lot. The panelists discussed potential ways to keep the industry of recorded music alive, and from what I gathered, most of them agreed that if there was some way to pay a fee for unlimited music downloading, it would probably result in the most positive reception.

From there I hit the 'American Hardcore and the Rise of Modern Rock' panel. This was probably the most interesting panel I went to all week. It was moderated by American Hardcore: A Tribal History author Steven Blush and the panelists talked about how so many aspects of modern rock really are directly influenced from the early '80s hardcore scene, especially regarding the relevance of indie record labels, street teams, and samplers.

They also discussed how the American hardcore movement really is an art movement, not just a style of music. Among the panelists were Vic Bondi from Articles of Faith and Jack Rabid from the magazine, The Big Takeover. It was great to hear things about the movement from people who had really been there when it was prevalent. The event was one of many recent promotional appearances for Steven Blush. You can catch him again in NYC at The Strand at 7pm on 12/15.

Then I made my way over to the Ground Control showcase at Irving Plaza which was headlined by Jenny and Johnny (who I couldn't stay for). I really enjoyed Times New Viking - my first time seeing them. The drummer has the band move from one song to the next so quickly. I also enjoyed Wild Nothing's set a lot, especially now that I knew their album. I had actually seen them over the summer open for The Morning Benders but wasn't really familiar with them at the time.

continued below...

Continue reading "a college student @ CMJ (a College Music Jounal journal)"

by Bill Pearis

Jamie Lidell @ MHOW in June (more by Leia Jospe)

Final day. Are you tired yet, or just getting started? I am the former, but there is lots of great bands and shows to be excited about. I'll rest tomorrow. (Actually I can't but maybe Monday.) Forgive me if I've left out anything obvious and major...I'm a little tired. OK, let's do this...

Today is our second day party at Public Assembly, with Marnie Stern, Jamie Lidell, Wild Nothing Titus Andronicus, No Joy, Ted Leo, Crayon Fields, Big Freedia, Reggie Watts and lots more. Show up early for free EarPeace earplugs, food, Firefly Vodka, Magic Hat, Raw Revolution bars, and other goodies (and of course the bands). I'm biased, I know, but this line-up is seriously awesome. FREE. Evan Voytas kicks things off at 12:15. It is 21+.

Bruar Falls has an all-day extravaganza that kicks off at 2:20PM (we'll see) with Shrag who were just so good yesterday at our day show. Demand they play "Habit Creep." Also playing in the afternoon portion of the programming: Sweet Bulbs, Dead Gaze, Toronto's Little Girls (I didn't know they were in town!), Mathmagic, and Flight. $10 without CMJ badge, but it's good for the night portion too which is pretty stellar -- see the flyer at the bottom of this post for lineup and set times.

On Ludlow, Bowery Presents is having a day party at Pianos. The Phantom Band, who were phenomenal yesterday at our day party, play here. I personally wouldn't begrudge you missing our party to see them. Also playing: Oberhofer, Generationals, Morning Teleportation (who play this show late, and our show early) and more. FREE. Bands start at noon.

Moving down the street, Music Snobbery is throwing a day party at the Living Room with fantastic locals North Highlands, Dominant Legs, Sherlock's Daughter, Alessi's Ark and more. FREE, and bands start at 2:30PM.

And at The Delancey, I Rock I Roll and Nachos NY are teaming for an afternoon full of 13 bands across three floors, including Ravens & Chimes, Savoir Adore, Pretty & Nice, and Young the Giant. Bands start at noon. FREE.

The WFMU Record Fair is also underway.

NIGHTTIME stuff HERE. DAYTIME flyers and setlists below...

Continue reading "CMJ 2010 - Bill's Saturday DAYTIME picks (a BV party w/ Jamie Lidell & Ted Leo & much, much, more)"

For those keeping count, BrooklynVegan will be at Music Hall of Williamsburg Thursday night, Public Assembly on Friday day, and Sunday night at Union Pool. Add to that list (as previously mentioned): Saturday day at Public Assembly. And for this one we teamed up with Converse to bring you the following stellar 100% FREE SHOW....

The date: Saturday, October 23rd, 2010
The time: noon-6pm
The place: Public Assembly (70 North 6th St)
the bands:

STAGE 1
12:00 Morning Teleportation
01:00 Ted Leo (solo)
01:45 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.
02:30 Wild Nothing
03:15 Titus Andronicus
04:15 Big Freedia
05:00 Jamie Lidell
DJ sets by SUNCELEb

STAGE 2
12:15 Evan Voytas
01:00 S. Carey
01:45 The Crayon Fields
02:30 Heavy Cream
03:15 Dominique Young Unique
04:00 No Joy
04:45 Reggie Watts
05:05 Marnie Stern

That's sixteen kick ass (yes, Big Freedia is performing) artists (including the DJ) in six free hours (yes, Ted Leo plays at 1pm). But that's not all... We'll have free alcoholic beverages (sorry, this event is 21+) and free food. And free EarPeace ear plugs to the first 50 people through the door (a $14.95 value). Get there for:

* free EarPeace (while supplies last)
* free V-Spot breakfast burritos & empanadas (while supplies last)
* free Firefly Vodka + Bourbon (while supplies last)
* free Magic Hat beer (while supplies last)
* free Raw Revolution bars

No ticket or RSVP necessary. No badges. Just get there early and get inside. You won't need to spend any money, though we will have some schwag for sale to help raise some cash for Music Has Power (The Institute for Music and Neurologic Function). Moby talks more about what that is in a video we posted in our Friday party announcement.

Can't make it? We'll be streaming select sets live on Converse Radio. Tune in.

Converse is doing a lot lately to help support music, and has especially hooked up Brooklyn. You might have heard about this:

"Converse announced details for an unprecedented initiative that directly supports artistic creativity and the music community in a unique way through the opening of a new, state-of-the-art recording studio in Brooklyn, NY later this year. Converse Rubber Tracks will provide emerging artists with the incredible opportunity to record music in a high-quality studio alongside a team of experienced local engineers at no cost. Converse Rubber Tracks will provide a platform for new musicians and directly help them overcome one of the biggest hurdles in their career-affording studio time."

Musicians should apply for free studio time at the Converse Rubber Tracks site.

Stay tuned to @bvCMJ for even more CMJ news and updates than you'll find on BrooklynVegan.com.

Oh, and if you oversleep, you can also catch Ted Leo later that day at the WFMU Record Fair or in December at Terminal 5 with the New Pornographers.

Thanks to: Zach Jaeger of Tonally Dude Productions for the sweet flyer you see above, and to Vinny's Music for providing us with some sweet gear, and to Underground Press (who have their own day party on Thursday) for getting us some merch printed to help raise money for charity including screenprinted versions of the above poster that we'll have available at the show.

Some videos below...

Continue reading "free BrooklynVegan & Converse Saturday day party @ Public Assembly -- lineup (15 bands, free drinks, food & more)"

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.

Awesome news, especially since those who went to the July 23rd show are getting an extra show in addition to the set by Morning Teleportation and five Modest Mouse songs they already saw (I realize those who traveled far for the show might not agree).

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)"

photos by Chris Graham

"At the sold-out Sasquatch, bands holding down the headliner spots haven't necessarily turned out to be the biggest draws. Sure, My Morning Jacket played to a mostly packed house on Saturday, and Massive Attack was overwhelmingly solid on Sunday despite a not-so-full amphitheater floor, but the band drawing the most populous, most stoked, most deserved gathering was unquestionably Vampire Weekend." [SPIN]

Pictures of Vampire Weekend, My Morning Jacket, and the rest of Day One of this year's Sasquatch Festival (which just went down over Memorial Day Weekend), below...

Continue reading "Sasquatch 2010 Day 1 in pics (My Morning Jacket, Hold Steady, Broken Social Scene, Vampire Weekend, Miike Snow & 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) "