New York Dolls at Bowery Ballroom in March (more by Dana (distortion) Yavin)

After releasing their fifth LP earlier this year, New York Dolls celebrated with two nights at Bowery Ballroom before kicking off an extensive amount of international dates including the tour with Motley Crue and Poison that brought them to Nassau Coliseum, and most recently a short UK run with Alice Cooper. The Dolls are back home for the holidays and will round out 2011 with a hometown show on December 30 at Irving Plaza before playing New Year's Eve in Boston the next night. Tickets for the NYC show are on sale now.

UPDATE: THE NYC SHOW IS CANCELLED.

Last week, Bob Gruen and his wife Nadya Beck, who released the New York Dolls Documentary All Dolled Up in 2005, released a DVD of live clips and interviews filmed of the band in the 70s titled Lookin' Fine On Television. You can purchase the DVD on Amazon and check out a clip of the band performing "Lookin For a Kiss" off the DVD below.

All dates and video below...

Continue reading "NY Dolls subject of new DVD, playing end of year shows"

photos by Dana (DISTORTION) Yavin

"While most of the music-loving world has descended upon the indie music mecca of SXSW in Austin, Tx., some of us poor souls are stuck tooling around in boring ole New York. What's there to do in this city, anyway?

The answer to that was easy last night: see the New York Dolls. Even 38 years after their debut - which is still the most convincing argument that rock is best played loud, fast and in drag - the New York Dolls own the stage like they invented modern rock. Which isn't that far from the truth anyway." [Entertainment Weekly]

Continue reading "New York Dolls & Make Out played Bowery Ballroom (pics)"

As previously mentioned, New York Dolls are playing Bowery Ballroom tonight and tomorrow (3/16 and 3/17) with opener Make Out. Check Ticketmaster for tickets. Last night they signed copies of their new album Dancing Backward In High Heels at Best Buy in Union Square.

If you miss these shows, New York Dolls will be back on a slightly different tour at Nassau Coliseum on July 20th opening for Motley Crue and Poison. Tickets go on sale this Friday (3/18) at 11:00 AM EDT. Like the two Bowery Ballroom shows, the Nassau Coliseum show is presented by Bowery Presents who do shows their now too).

New York Dolls also just released a video for their new single "Fool For You Baby" off the new album. The video is directed by Jeremy Johnstone (Mono, Young Widows) and features NY Dolls members David Johansen and Sylvain Sylvain. Watch that below...

Continue reading "NY Dolls kicking off 2 nights @ Bowery, made a video"

by BBG

New York Dolls have added another show at Bowery Ballroom on March 17th, the day after the band plays the previously announced show at the venue and two days after the band appears at Best Buy in Union Square to sign copies of their forthcoming LP Dancing Backward In High Heels. Tickets for the 3/16 show are still available, and tickets for the 3/17 date go on sale at noon today (3/2). Make Out opens both shows.

After the NYC dates and a stint overseas, New York Dolls will head out on a completely different tour, as support for (gulp) Motley Crue & Poison. The tour is scheduled to hit Nassau Coliseum on July 20th. The teacher is now the student, I guess.

All tour dates and some video below...

Continue reading "New York Dolls add 2nd Bowery Ballroom show, touring with... Motley Crue & Poison"

New York Dolls at Irving Plaza (more by Tim Griffin)

Mick Burgess: As far as style goes Cause I Sez So was probably the most varied New York Dolls release to date and in many cases was quite a departure from your rock`n`roll roots. Will you be spreading your musical net widely again or will you be keeping things simple and direct?

Sylvain Sylvain: What they love us for is "Personality Crisis", "Looking For A Kiss", "Trash" and stuff like that but we've already done that. We don't have to make records. We have a name which we can use and perform probably for the rest of our lives. That's not the kind of musicians and performers that we are. We're doomed to write songs whether they are good or not, are well received or not, or flop like they did in the beginning. We were told that we didn't know how to sing, we didn't know how to write and we couldn't tune a guitar so why even bother, but you know what? We thought we looked pretty damned good doing that, even if it was a big crash. We had the last laugh though. It's like those guys that'll say "You only had one hit" but at least we got there once!!

The tracklisting and album art for the new LP which was produced by Louis XIV's Jason Hill, and some videos, below...

Continue reading "NY Dolls releasing another new album, playing Bowery"

photos by Chris La Putt

Eleanor Friedberger / David Johansen

What Kind of Love Is This:
The Music of BOB DYLAN & THE BAND
w/ Steven Bernstein (Sex Mob, Levon Helm Band), John Medeski (Medeski, Martin and Wood), Rob Burger (Laurie Anderson, Marianne Faithful, Iron & Wine), Tony Scherr (Bill Frisell, Norah Jones, Sex Mob), Kenny Wollesen (Norah Jones, John Zorn, Bill Frisell, Sex Mob), and special guests Jolie Holland, Laura Cantrell, Nicole Atkins, John Wesley Harding, and Eleanor and Matthew Friedberger of The Fiery Furnaces. And special Guest Vocalists Chocolate Genius, and David Johansen (New York Dolls).

Continue reading "Bob Dylan was celebrated @ Le Poisson Rouge (pics, video & setlist) -- David Johansen, Fiery Furnaces & many more"

"Yeah, that was me next to Andy Rourke at the NY Dolls show last nite..."-proBRUCEr

"Guy falls down on stage. Guy jumps on other guys shoulders. Guy crawls up curtain. Only at the New York Dolls." -tiffanynapper

photos by Lori Baily

New York Dolls played a show at Warsaw in Brooklyn on Saturday, May 22nd with openers Foxy Shazam and Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black. The ticketholders from the canceled Naughty by Nature show were invited to attend the NY Dolls gig, as were (reportedly) residents of the Ohm apartment building in Chelsea.

Coming up, frontman David Johansen has a show of his own at Highline Ballroom on June 27th (tickets). Batusis, Syl Sylvain's group with the Dead Boys' Cheetah Chrome, have a tour this July with a date at NY's Irving Plaza on July 23rd. Tickets are on sale, and that will be the New York debut of the band (they weren't on the Joey Ramone B-day show as previsouly reported). The Dolls also have a three shows (non-NYC) in June.

Those dates and more pictures from the show are below...

Continue reading "NY Dolls, Foxy Shazam & the Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black played Warsaw - pics & Batusis tour dates"

"We are going to miss him terribly" - David Johansen

Recording artist, manager of the Sex Pistols, provocateur, fashion designer, impresario -- Malcolm McLaren, who died of cancer April 8th at 64 was all those things. He was also, briefly, the manager of the New York Dolls just before their breakup in 1975. Dolls guitarist Sylvain Sylvain spoke with Rolling Stone about his encounters with McLaren. "I always thought the most important member of the Sex Pistols was Malcolm McLaren," Sylvain says. "When they got back together in the '90s, I thought, 'They're missing their most important star, and that was Malcolm.' "

Rolling Stone: When did you first meet McLaren?

NY Doll Sylvain Sylvain: It was at a clothing trade show back in 1971 in New York City. I had a knitwear company, and he and Vivienne [Westwood] were down at the end of the hallway with their clothing line Let It Rock, which was basically rockabilly clothing. Malcolm had this long blond pompadour, long sideburns and white baggy pants. He was like Jerry Lee Lewis, really cool looking. On the last day of trade shows, designers sell their samples, so I said to David Johansen and Johnny Thunders, "You gotta come over." So we bought some things from Malcolm and Vivienne and invited them down to see us at the Mercer Arts Center. He fell in love with the New York Dolls, and we fell in love with them. Vivienne would tell us, "You boys look so much better in women's clothing."

About to kick off a tour in Europe, it has been announced that the New York Dolls will play Warsaw in Brooklyn on Saturday, May 22nd. Tickets are on sale for the joint Knitting Factory and Scenic production.

You can also catch David Johansen solo on June 27th at Highline Ballroom. All dates and some videos below...

Continue reading "New York Dolls remember Malcolm Mclaren, playing Warsaw in Brooklyn, touring Europe (dates) "

"Malcolm McLaren, the former manager of the Sex Pistols and impresario, has died. He was 64.

McLaren had had cancer for some time. His condition recently deteriorated rapidly and he died this morning in New York. His body is expected to be brought home to be buried in Highgate cemetery, north London.

Born in North London, McLaren was best known as the manager of the iconic punk band The Sex Pistols... His spokesman Les Molloy told The Independent: "He had been suffering from cancer for some time, but recently had been full of health, which then rapidly deteriorated. He died in New York this morning. We are expecting his body to be brought back to London and buried in Highgate Cemetery." [The Independent]

Continue reading "Malcolm McLaren, RIP "

photos by Tim Griffin

"The New York Dolls -- the two original dudes with the good fortune to still be alive, plus three sonically and sartorially like-minded newer recruits to replace those original members who were much less fortunate -- will take no offense if you prefer the thrillingly brash, iconic garage-punk version of "Trash" that appeared on their 1973 self-titled debut to the slowed-down, hammed-up ska remake that graces this spring's Cause I Sez So, their second reunion album, which vacillates between the thrilling garage-punk that made them famous and stranger, more disquieting flights of fancy like, say, doing a ska remake of one of their most famous songs. Tonight they mash both versions together into one unwieldy but energetic beast, our two survivors --cuddly guitarist Sylvain Sylvain and lithe, lascivious Lou Reed/Gumby hybrid frontman David Johansen -- prancing nonchalantly about, the guitars roaring quasi-melodically as usual, and this whole thing continues, against all odds and to their infinite credit, to not feel like a travesty."
[Rob Harvilla @ the Village Voice]

Miami New Times: How did you get on the New York Dolls tour? Did you have any contact with them before?

Black Joes Lewis: I don't know, I have no idea. My manager was like, Y'all wanna do this tour? I don't know if they requested us, or if it was some industry thing they pull with agents around the country. I think it'll go good because I'm a big fan of the 1970s punk rock stuff, like the Dead Boys, and the Stooges, Radio Birdman, that kind of shit. I love that music. A lot of my guitar playing is based loosely on those styles.

Continue reading "New York Dolls & Black Joe Lewis @ MHOW - pics, setlist"

Sonic Youth - 1983 (Stephanie Chernikowski via MoMA)

As previously mentioned, MoMA's Looking at Music: Side 2 opens June 10th and will run to November 30th. The exhibit, which catalogs NYC's early '70s and '80s music scene, will include an installation of photos, videos, audio and more, as well as live events, and punk-film screenings from September-November".

The audio guide for the exhibition will include three conversations specifically recorded for MoMA: Richard Hell in conversation with Vito Acconci; James Nares in conversation with Coleen Fitzgibbon; and Diego Cortez in conversation with Fab 5 Freddy. Richard Hell will also do a poetry reading at the museum in July.

Other highlights of the exhibition include rock film screenings (The Blank Generation, New York Dolls - All Dolled Up, and others), Bob Gruen's 1976 video "New York Death Cult (Live at Max's Kansas City)" which features footage of the famed New York music venue from that era, early issues of Search & Destroy, Punk Magazine and Interview magazine, and lots of audio stations playing "iconic music from the era".

Not connected with Looking at Music, but also happening at MoMA: the next MoMA Monday Nights show (a PopRally event) will be Stars Like Fleas on June 8th (5:30pm-8:45pm). More info, and a coupon for half-off entry to the show can be found HERE.

More details on Looking at Music, with film schedule, below...

Continue reading "MoMA's Looking at Music: Side 2 - exhibition includes Richard Hell, Bob Gruen, Fab 5 Freddy & more... "

Back in April we posted an interview with Jonah Matranga who is putting out a new Far album, and playing Mercury Lounge solo on May 21st (tickets). Since then he added a NJ show at Maxwell's. That happens to be TONIGHT (5/19). Tickets are still available.

Speaking of NJ shows, that Hold Steady show happening at Starland Ballroom is on sale. The band's NYC shows at Bowery Ballroom and Music Hall of Williamsburg are sold out.

The June 22nd NY Dolls show at Music Halll of Williamsburg is not yet sold out, and now they too are playing a NJ show at Starland Ballroom. The June 20th date goes on sale Wednesday at noon.

Poison the Well is co-headlining every date on a "10 For $10 summer tour" - ten bands for $10. Bands will vary at each stop.

Freddy Cricien of Madball said, "This 10 for 10 tour concept is way overdue in my opinion. I'm glad and thankful, that the people involved, stepped up to actually make something like this happen! Our genre (Hardcore) in the states, is in a "strange" place right now. There is somewhat of a lack of appreciation for this "sub-culture". A lot of people want to say they know certain bands, or are affiliated with this underground scene,etc,etc... Because it gives them some credibility, it sounds cool! Well, this is everyone's chance to re-introduce themselves, and actually get involved with a very unique and authentic genre/movement. It's also a chance for all of us, the bands, to show our stuff as well!"

Tickets also recently went on sale for H2O, Sick of it All, Agnostic Front, and many other shows. All 10 for $10 dates below...

Continue reading "Jonah Matranga, Hold Steady, NY Dolls, Starland Ballroom, 10 for $10, VOD, Madball & other tickets"

NY Dolls @ John Varvatos Store - May 5th (more by Tim Griffin)

Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears are on the road until May 24th with Lucero who stay on the road into June when they hit the NYC-area for shows at Maxwell's and the Big Apple BBQ.

On June 2nd, Black Joe Lewis joins up with the New York Dolls for a tour, and though it looks like they may still have some dates to fill in, we do know that the two bands will share the bill at Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn on June 22nd. Tickets go on AmEx presale on Wednesday at noon, and regular sale Friday.

All dates below...

Continue reading "NY Dolls & Black Joe Lewis - 2009 Tour Dates (MHOW)"

photos by Tim Griffin

""Oh, this is beautiful!" said singer David Johansen, who emerged before a wall-to-wall crowd in a snug black blazer and skin-tight jeans, with a silky leopard print scarf draped around his neck, and who, along with guitarist Syl Sylvain, is one of the band's two surviving original members. (Guitarist Johnny Thunders died a mysterious, drug-related death in 1991, and bassist Arthur "Killer" Kane passed away from leukemia just weeks after the British singer Morrissey reunited the Dolls for a concert in London in June 2004.)

"This is beyond my wildest dreams," the rail-thin Mr. Johansen continued a few songs later. "Did you hear that shit? That was good. Let's dance to this next one!"

To the disappointment of some in the audience, almost all the songs played during the roughly 45-minute set were new, save a half-blazing, half reggae-esque version of the iconic Dolls' anthem "Trash" during the encore. But the performance was, after all, a record release party for the band's new disc, 'Cause I Sez So, as well as the launch of Mr. Varvatos' new rock 'n' roll show on Sirius Radio, which was broadcast live. [The New York Observer]

Continue reading "NY Dolls @ the John Varvatos Store (ex-CBGB) in NYC - pics "

NY Dolls @ SXSW 2009 (by Stereocourier)

In support of their new album 'Cause I Sez So' produced by Todd Rundgren, New York Dolls return to US with Summer 2009 dates. MORE DATES TO BE ANNOUNCED IN THE NEXT WEEK! [NYDolls.com, April 15th]

NY Doll David Johansen is also appearing at Red Bank, NJ's Count Basie Theatre for its Friday, May 1st Writers in the Raw show. He'll share the stage that night with Rhett Miller (of Old 97's), Alec Ounsworth (of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah), and Ashton Shepherd for "an informal evening of songs and stories."

A video of the band at SXSW, new album tracklist, and all dates, below...

Continue reading "NY Dolls playing CBGB (Varvatos store) & other places"

Meat Puppets @ ATP NY 2008 (more by Abbey Braden)

Stubb's in Austin is like Roseland Ballroom in NYC, except it's outdoors, it's conveniently located downtown near all the other venues, and you actually want to go see shows there (in my experience anyway). A lot of the "big" SXSW shows happen there. Last year Stubb's hosted R.E.M. and Motorhead. Metallica is still rumored to be playing there on the Friday night (which may or may not be the same show Jane's Addiction is or isn't playing). It's where the Decemberists will play their new album for the first time on that Wednesday, and it's where Andrew Bird is playing on the Thursday. PJ Harvey plays there that Saturday.

Each Stubb's bill has up to seven artists, and I think more than any other venue, they put together some... interesting combinations. Gomez is playing before Andrew Bird who is playing before Ben Harper. PJ Harvey and John Parrish are opening for... The Indigo Girls who are opening for... Third Eye Blind. AND, last but not least, The Meat Puppets are playing after... KATY PERRY. View the whole schedule, as it currently stands, at SXSW's site.

There are a couple of other big bands playing SXSW this year that I wanted to mention. The first is New York Dolls - they're playing Friday March 20th at 12:30 AM at Smokin' Music. The second is Echo and the Bunnymen - the UK band that recently headlined Radio City Music Hall have THREE official showcases scheduled in Austin, and they're scheduled to play the annual SPIN party at the 2500 (approx)-capacity Stubb's on Friday, March 20th, in the afternoon. Glasvegas, Passion Pit, Hot Leg (Justin Hawkins from the Darkness), Black Lips, and Cut Off Your Hands are also on SPIN's (invite only) bill.

Hot Leg also plays an official showcase Saturday night at Emo's Annex.
Videos below...

Full SXSW schedule at SXSW's site.
Lots more SXSW coverage right here at BrooklynVegan.

Continue reading "Katy Perry vs. Meat Puppets -- Stubb's -- New York Dolls, Echo & the Bunnymen, Hot Leg and other SXSW stuff"

Bishop Allen @ Fun Fun Fun Fest 2008 (more by Kyle Dean Reinford)

today in NYC
* DANCE
* Stella @ Union Hall !
* NY Dolls @ Stone Pony
* Ani Difranco @ Town Hall
* Rasputina @ the Bell House
* Al Green @ Wellmont Theater
* The Hackensaw Boys @ 92YTribeca
* Robyn Hitchcock @ Symphony Space
* Slutty Puppets @ Galapagos Art Space
* The Dig & Frankpollis @ The Studio at Webster Hall
* Baroness, Coliseum & Minsk @ Bowery Ballroom
* Electric Six, Local H, Fall On Your Sword @ Webster Hall
* Bishop Allen, Drink Up Buttercup & Electric Owls @ MHOW
* Peter & The Wolf, Ava Luna & Draw Into Disorder @ Silent Barn
* We Are Scientists, Mobius Band & Grandma's Boy @ Irving Plaza
* Grails, Silver Apples, Dinowalrus & Nudge @ Knitting Factory
* Hopewell, Bear in Heaven, Artranker Convoy & Tulips @ Cake Shop
* Cheap Time w/ The Black Clouds, The Konks, and Golden Error @ Asterisk Art Space

in Boston: The Brainwaves Festival

! I have no idea when they added the Stella show at Union Hall, but Union Hall's site reads "SOLD OUT: no tickets are available". It's a warmup for the upcoming tour and shows at Nokia Theatre. It's not clear whether Michael Showalter will also be performing with Eugene Mirman at Union Hall this Sunday. How was the Showalter/Black show at Caroline's?

Local H goes on at 7:45 tonight at Webster Hall (or someone just told me maybe 9:00).

Bishop Allen also plays MHOW on Sunday.

Tonight was supposed to be the first of two Flower Travellin Band shows at Knitting Factory.

NY Dolls added tonight's NJ show since I last posted their tour dates that include Irving Plaza in December.

Ludacris is playing Highline Ballroom Tuesday night.

Bjork turned 43 yesterday.

Karen O was born today in 1978.

Steven Van Zandt was born today in 1950.

John F. Kennedy died today in 1963.

Grails played Union Pool last night. Video below...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Saturday?"

by Black Bubblegum

Dave Johansen, Sylvain Sylvain and the sleazy glam of proto-punk legends The New York Dolls will grace the stages of Irving Plaza once again, right after Christmas, on December 27th. Last year it was the 28th & 29th and the shows were taped and released as "New York Dolls: Live at the Fillmore East" - sort of a lie, sort of not.

Tickets for the 2008 show go on sale October 11th 10AM and the Irving/Fillmore show is one of two December US dates the band is playing. The other is in LA seven days earlier. Their only other US date is also in California and scheduled one day after they visit the west coast to tape an episode of The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. Hopefully they're not planning on wearing an Obama t-shirt while they're on TV. All NYD dates below...

Continue reading "NY Dolls - 2008 Tour Dates (Irving Plaza aka Fillmore East)"

New York Dolls are playing the Fillmore Irving Plaza on December 28th & 29th. I think it's great that they're keeping it going, but I don't think I can (should/need to) see them anymore - I feel satisfied with the memories of the first few times.

I think I've seen the current incarnation of the NY Dolls enough times now, and you might think I would say the same about Voxtrot, but I really don't want to miss them, so I guess my biggest conflict is the slight overlap of Voxtrot & M.I.A. - of course there's always Studio B.....

Continue reading "The 2007 Siren Festival schedule"

Despite the July 21st date being set in stone for some time, it seemed a lot of people had their doubts that the annual, free Village Voice Siren Music Festival in Coney Island would even happen this year. Perhaps with the destruction of Astroland and what not, 2007 will indeed be the last year. Enjoy it while you can. The Village Voice just announced the following intiial list of bands:

New York Dolls
We Are Scientists
Matt And Kim
The Black Lips
Dr. Dog
Lavender Diamond
The Detroit Cobras
Elvis Perkins
The Twilight Sad
The Noisettes