Fred Armisen @ NBC Experience Store in NYC - 12/4/2011 (photo by anthonyquintano)

Fred Armisen, who will be out on tour with Carrie Brownstein in January, has been making other promotional appearances lately including one in the NBC Store yesterday (12/4, one day after he was hanging with the Black Keys) and one during lunch, an autograph signing, at J&R today (12/5). On Sunday, 12/11, Fred will be at Other Music with his playlist, or something like that... Just check out the description below...

Continue reading "Fred Armisen out promoting Portlandia, playing (or something) at Other Music"

photos by Tim Griffin

Ted Leo headlined the Matador/True Panther CMJ showcase at The Suffolk on Friday night. The show reached capacity early with a long line still outside. On Wednesday afternoon Ted played a solo set at the NBC Experience Store (like The xx did on Friday afternoon). More pictures from the Matador show, and a video of him playing a new song at the NBC thing, below...

Continue reading "Ted Leo played CMJ - pics from the Matador showcase, video of a new song @ the NBC Experience Store "

photos by Tim Griffin

"Two highly touted bands -- the XX from England and Cold Cave from Philadelphia -- are dedicated, and largely derivative, throwbacks to the late 1970s and early 1980s, when punk met synthesizers. The XX was decidedly understated, matching its austere, quietly morose songs, while Cold Cave deadpanned its way through glum songs with a dissonant wallop, singing, "I've seen the future and it's no place for me." But the Montreal band Duchess Says, whose songs also rode big drumbeats and repetitive synthesizer riffs -- fat ones from a Moog -- was a lot more fun [at the BrooklynVegan day show at Pianos on Thursday]. Its singer, Annie-Claude, had herky-jerk stage moves that she carried into the audience, even climbing onto a fan or two." [NY Times]

...What the "venue" lacked in ambiance (they set up & played next to the frozen yogurt counter upstairs), it made up for in lack of crowd noise: dead silent during and between these quiet songs. I don't imagine that will be the case at the Tribeca Grand tonight, but the band was so good that I may give it a shot anyway... [Anonymous]

Continue reading "The xx played the NBC Experience Store in NYC - pics "