DOWNLOAD: Dean & Britta - Making Me Smile (MP3)

"Sing Me To Sleep" is a really fun compilation of lullabies and popular songs re-imagined as lullabies by some of today's best indie artists including: Dean & Britta, Tanya Donelly, The Leisure Society, The Rest, Telekinesis, Jenny Owen Youngs, The Real Tuesday Weld, Snowbird, Neil Halstead, and many more. All proceeds from this wonderful album are donated to The Valerie Fund, a 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organization that provides support for the comprehensive health care of children with cancer and blood disorders. It's a beautifully produced album for indie-hipsters young and old.

Coming up, Joe's Pub will be hosting a June 13th show for the album with contributors Tanya Donelly, backed by a jazz ensemble, Jenny Owen Youngs and Julie Peel. This all-ages, kid-friendly (with face painting, free souvenirs and door prizes) starts at noon. Tickets are on sale.

Songs from the record (including Stars cover of the Smith's "Asleep") are streaming, and the Dean & Britta track is available above. Tracklist for the CD and show flyer are below...

Continue reading "Sing Me to Sleep - indie lullabies out now + an MP3 & NY show"

Deer Tick in Prospect Park, Summer 2009 (more by Chris La Putt)

tonight in NYC
* 45 Grave in NJ
* Pearl Jam in CT
* TBA @ High Violet Annex
* The Black Keys in Tribeca
* Neil Halstead @ Joe's Pub
* Patti Smith @ American Folk Art Museum benefit
* Buzzcocks in Farmingdale, NY
* Gary Lucas @ Joe's Pub
* Donna The Buffalo @ Southpaw
* Dr. Dog, Deer Tick @ Terminal 5
* TBA @ The National's High Violet Annex
* Rooftop Films w/ DeLeon @ Open Road Rooftops
* The Figgs, Kleenex Girl Wonder @ Union Hall
* The National @ BAM Howard Gilman Opera House
* Dinowalrus, Boogie Boarder, The Pharmacy @ Party Expo
* 16volt, Chemlab, Left Spine Down @ Santos Party House
* Prince Rama of Ayodhya, Flaming Fire @ Issue Project Room
* These Are Powers, Aa, True Womanhood @ Secret Project Robot
* The Super Vacations, PC Worship, Blissed Out @ Shea Stadium
* Jessica Lea Mayfield, The Futurebirds (early) @ Mercury Lounge
* Crystal Stilts, Veronica Falls, Minks, Home Blitz @ Glasslands
* New York Night Train Presents: Soul Clap & Dance-Off @ Glasslands
* Barn Burner, Natur, Total Social Suicide, Concussion @ Bruar Falls
* Southern Culture On The Skids, The Swingin' Neckbreakers @ Maxwell's
* Spectrum, Dean & Britta (Joshua Light Show fest) @ Abrons Art Center
* ArpLine, Dinosaur Feathers, Uninhabitable Mansions, Natureboy @ Pianos
* Eric Copeland, Silk Flowers, Tarek Atoui, Robert Airi Aubrey Lowe @ Silent Barn
* Darcy James Argue's Secret Society, Todd Sickafoose's Tiny Resistors @ 45 Bleecker
* Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra, Hannah Marcus @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
* Care Bears On Fire, Kicking Daisies, The Indecent, Maple Street (early) @ Cake Shop
* Parts and Labor, Soft Power, Talk Normal, Guts For Garters @ Kniting Factory Brooklyn
* The London Souls, Madison Square Gardeners (The Deli's Best of NYC Fest) @ Brooklyn Bowl
* The Fresh & Onlys, Liquor Store, Darlings, Girls At Dawn, X-Ray Eyeballs (late) @ Cake Shop
* Jesse Malin & The St. Marks Social, A Million Years, The Stalkers, Don Dilego @ Bowery Ballroom

Check out This Week in Indie.

Tickets are on general sale for the Interpol shows that were recently announced.

Thee Silver Mt Zion kick off a 2 night NYC run this evening.

Sunday is the 5th Avenue Street Fair in Park Slope.

Video from the Small Brown Bike show at Cake Shop last night, below...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Saturday?"

words & photos by Alexandra Marvar, more photos by Claire Bennnett, Gabe Soria & Sonam Zoksang

Roadside Graves @ Truck America

"After 12 years America got its first taste of Truck at a resort in the Catskills about three hours outside of New York City. A more modest affair in size and lineup than the forthcoming Truck in Steventon this July, the Full Moon resort was perfectly situated for the comparatively small event.

The entire weekend made for a remarkably relaxed experience. While the weather in the Catskills in early May is usually akin to that of Oxfordshire in the summer, the days were unseasonably warm and the nights crisp, making sitting in an unheated converted barn after midnight a pleasant experience." [Clash]

Continue reading "The Truck America Festival in pics & review"

The Sadies...

Truck America is a 3day festival (april 30-may 2) held up in the catskill mountains @ the full moon resort in big indian, ny. the truck family has been putting on festivals and gatherings in the UK for the past 13 years and have just made the jump to the american market. mercury rev (with a full orchestra), white rabbits, here we go magic, ida, the joy formidable and neil halstead are just a few of the confirmed live performances. in addition to lots of live music, they're also going to have handfuls of workshops, kids activities and late night campfire singalongs. weekend pass is only $120 and includes 3 nights of campsite access and parking (day tickets also available). if camping isn't your thing, accommodations are also available at the resort as well as meal packages.

Before then there are a pair of "warm up shows" happening in NYC. The first is tonight (4/21) at The Bell House and features all bands also playing the festival: Atlantic/Pacific (ex-Texas is the Reason), Dusty & The Dreaming Spires (Robin & Joe from Goldrush/Truck), Oxygen Ponies and Cat Martino. The second happens April 26th at Matchless, with The Caulfield Sisters and the Truck Family All Stars (members of Common Prayer, Dusty & The Dreaming Spires & Hopewell).

Sixties-style rockers The Sadies will be one of the bands at Truck America. They also have a new album, Darker Circles, out May 18th at Yep Roc. Their tour dates take them across Canada and down the West Coast, where they play a few shows with Kurt Vile. Back east, Vile plays a release show for his new 12" EP Square Shells, which comes out at the end of May on Matador, at Union Pool on June 18th. Joining him will be Meg Baird and Mad Scene.

The full lineup for Truck America and other tour dates are below...

Continue reading "Truck America's full lineup, NYC warm-up shows, new Sadies album & tour dates, a Kurt Vile EP & show & stuff"

Truck America, the first US version of the 13-years-running UK fest, will take place Friday, April 30th to Sunday, May 2nd at The Full Moon Resort in Big Indian, NY (map), a little less than three hours from NYC. Confirmed bands include White Rabbits, Hopewell, Tim Easton, The Sadies, Ida, The Joy Formidable, Neil Halstead, The Silent League, Cat Martino, Common Prayer, Oxygen Ponies, Brandon Patton, Atlantic/Pacific, Dusty & The Dreaming Spires, The Shoestring Band and headliner Mercury Rev. Tickets are on sale now online (and details on where to get tickets in person are below).

The three-day, three-stage fest will have on-site accomodations, workshops and more. Details and poster are below...

Continue reading "Truck America comes to Big Indian, NY in 2010 - lineup includes Mercury Rev, White Rabbits, Neil Halstead, more"

For staunch fans of his music in the early 1990s, Halstead's transformation might seem like treason. Slowdive, after all, were a fiercely alternative group of teenagers from Reading, and the only people in their school, to Halstead's knowledge, to know who the Smiths were. Thrown out of home at 16 by his father, he lived in a small flat behind a snooker hall and worked in a burger bar, finding escape in bands like My Bloody Valentine and Sonic Youth. After signing with Alan McGee, Slowdive's three EPs and three albums became underground classics, although the band were mocked mercilessly for being middle-class mopers, staring at their distortion pedals rather than engaging with the audience. Nicky Wire from the Manic Street Preachers famously said he hated Slowdive "more than Hitler", but only in recent years has shoegazing undergone a revival, and has Halstead's reputation been salvaged.

Halstead blames timing. "The criticism of bands like us was class-led, weirdly, perhaps because of what else was happening in music at the time. Grunge came about a few years after we started, which was blue-collar, and then the Mancunian thing with the Stone Roses, Happy Mondays was obviously working class." He shakes his head, tiny dots of Guinness sparkling in his moustache. "We went to a comprehensive! Middle-class bands in America were never knocked - it didn't happen to the Lemonheads or Dinosaur Jnr, bands I also loved. [The Guardian]

Continue reading "Neil Halstead - March 2009 Tour Dates"

Neil Halstead @ All Points West 2008 (more by Kyle Dean Reinford)

Now there are two NYC chances to see Neil Halstead that don't involve Jack Johnson or going to the Hamptons. The first is November 11th at Mercury Lounge - tickets on sale Thursday at noon, and the second is one day later at Music Hall of Williamsburg where Neil will be opener at the Brooklyn Mark Kozelek show. All dates below...

Continue reading "Neil Halstead - 2008 Tour Dates (Mercury Lounge)"

photos by Kyle Dean Reinford

Neil Halstead

As previously mentioned, the third and final day of APW started late - especially the smaller stage where Neil Halstead (ex-Slowdive) was opening. That meant I actually got to see him for a second as I ran to the back of the park to catch Amadou & Mariam. I wanted to see more of Neil, but A&M came a much longer way to be there. That was around 2pm. The schedule change also meant that I got to see about half a song of Jason Isbell (ex-Drive By Truckers) around the time when Cat Power played and I think I also accidentaly saw a few seconds of Matt Costa, who like Neil H, is a friend of Sunday headliner Jack Johnson...

Continue reading "Neil Halstead, Jason Isbell & the rest APW Sunday - pics"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Sky Larkin - "Molten" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: BOAT - "(I'm A) Donkey for Your Love" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: BOAT - "Last Cans of Paint" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: BOAT - "The Bar is Too Low to Fail" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Cheeseburger - "Jelly Bean" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Cheeseburger - "Saturday Night" (MP3)

Sky Larkin

Don't miss show(s) of next week: The American live debut of Leeds, UK group Sky Larkin, who are one of 2008's real hopefuls (to me at least). Not really part of any scene that would get them on the cover of NME, Sky Larkin are pretty straight-forward melodic guitar pop with a charismatic frontperson (Katie Harkin) and two ace singles under their belt. A bit slow in released material (they've been together since 2005), but the floodgates are about to open as the band have just finished recording their debut album in Seattle with producer John Goodmanson. They're here in New York to shoot a video and are thankfully playing two shows when not in front of the camera: Wednesday (8/13) at Pianos and Thursday (8/14) at Union Hall (tix).

Seattle's sloppy, poppy BOAT are making a rare trek to the East Coast for a tour they've dubbed "We Jam Super Econo and a Bit Cramped." Signed to one of my favorite American labels, Magic Marker Records (Tullycraft, The Bats, The Owls), BOAT have a sort of classic American indie rock sound (think Pavement or Butterglory), with super-catchy songs and a nice sense of humor. I highly recommend last year's Let's Drag Our Feet, and hopefully the band will be bringing lots of copies of their new baseball-themed single "Topps" that comes with trading cards and stiff, crunchy bubblegum. Along for the ride will be similar-minded Philly band Creeping Weeds. The tour hits Cake Shop on August 17 and Union Hall (with the great My Teenage Stride as well) on August 20 (tix).

------------------------

This weekend is all about All Points West (well, Friday and Saturday...are people going on Sunday?), but there are some worthy shows that aren't part of the megafestival.

This Friday's entry in the Seaport Music Festival is a good one: Cass McCombs, who didn't get as much attention as he probably deserved for last year's fine Dropping the Writ; and Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson who might be getting more attention than he really needs right now, like him as I do.

-------------------------

Saturday (8/9) brings the Vice/Colt 45 Tour with Cheeseburger to Glasslands Gallery, the last date on the tour. Has there been a more perfect marriage of rock to tour sponsors? I've never been good at math but Cheeseburger + free malt liquor + last night of the tour = mayhem. It's also free with an RSVP but, you know how these things work, get there early or don't get in.

Rogue Wave @ Lollapalooza 2008 (more by Bao Nguyen)

Also on Saturday at Union Hall is "Endless Shovels", a "Rogue Wave Tribute Band" which seem like an odd thing to have when Rogue Wave are actually in town the next day playing APW. Hmm... Tickets are on sale.

------------------------------

And if you are going to APW on Sunday, be sure to get there early to catch supertalented Slowdive/Mojave 3 guitarist Neil Halstead (check out our interview) who'll be there supporting his brand-new, very good 2nd solo album, Oh Mighty Engine. He's also playing Hamptons celeb hangout The Surf Lodge on Saturday if you're up that way, as well as opening for Jack Johnson on a few dates before continuing on his own. All dates and videos below...

Continue reading "Sky Larkin, BOAT, Cheeseburger, a 'Rogue Wave tribute band' & more in This Week in Indie"

by BrooklynVegan Mike

Day 1, Day 2....

The Go! Team @ Osheaga (Doùdoù)

It is an open secret that the Osheaga festival is on shaky ground. It is rumored that the festival lost money the last two years. This year was make or break. When I spoke with somebody connected with the festival, he commented that they really only need one big day to turn it around and come back next year. With a combination of big names (Jack Johnson, Broken Social Scene, The Weakerthans) and a string of artists with a rep for killer live performances (MGMT, The Go! Team, Gogol Bordello), Osheaga organizers seemingly set Day 2 (Monday August 4) as that day....

Continue reading "Osheaga 2008 - day 2 (a review with pics)"

by BrooklynVegan Mike

"There isn't any artistic integrity in just getting the band back together
and playing the old songs."

Neil Halstead, as a co-founder of Slowdive, was one of the architects of shoegazer, a genre that has seen a revival as of late with the reformation of My Bloody Valentine and Swervedriver. In 1995, most of Slowdive morphed into Mojave 3 and has since been making beautiful countrified dream-pop. Halstead also mellows things out more on his solo records. His sophomore release Oh! Mighty Engine dropped last week on Jack Johnson's label Brushfire Records. He is also currently on tour with Jack. (yeah, we know).

This Sunday he opens the third day of the All Points West festival in Jersey City - the same day Jack closes. You can also catch Neil one day earlier at the Surf Lodge in Montauk. We caught up with Neil after he opened the second day of the Osheaga Festival in Montreal on Monday. We discussed tour mate Jack Johnson, a Slowdive reunion, and the re-emergence of shoegazer.

---

You've played a lot of festivals in your twenty year career. How does it feel to open a festival?

Neil: It's a dubious honor, isn't it? [laughs]. I would trade in the honor for a few more people. But the people were really nice. Very sweet. We enjoyed it.

You've been opening for Jack Johnson on his tour. How has that been?...

Continue reading "an interview w/ Neil Halstead (Slowdive, Mojave 3) +++++++++++++++++ 2008 Tour Dates (All Points West)"