DOWNLOAD: The Fiery Furnaces - The End is Near (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Fiery Furnaces - Keep Me In The Dark (Eleanor Version) (MP3)

Too many shows this weekend and the Fiery Furnaces contribute to the madness with previously mentioned shows at Brooklyn Bowl (Friday) and Mercury Lounge (Saturday), and a gig at Maxwell's in Hoboken tonight (Thursday, June 24th). Comedian John Mulaney supports on all dates. The Brooklyn show is part of Northside and also includes a set by Woom who are also opening the Beirut shows at MHOW (but not the Beirut show at the Guggenheim).

All three FF gigs still have tickets available and they are listed again below...

Continue reading "the Fiery Furnaces kicking off a 3-night run w/ John Mulaney "

photos by Samantha Marble

Karen Elson @ Studio at Webster Hall

Karen Elson played Williamsburg Waterfront on Sunday, June 20th with Band of Horses and Grizzly Bear. The night before that she headlined a show at Studio at Webster Hall along with Midnight Masses. Samantha Marble was there and wrote: "Looking back on the show I thought that Karen Elson having Midnight Masses open for her was a perfect balance in terms of setting the tone. Midnight Masses posess the kind of power and soul that forces you to see the light. Whereas Karen Elson sings songs gently but powerfully. The mystery in the tone of her voice makes you feel like you are sitting outside during twilight in the country. It's dark but everything is illuminated." Her pictures from that show are in this post.

Karen Elson doesn't have any more shows lined up, but Midnight Masses will be at Union Pool on June 27th with Starring, Wizardry and Skeletonbreath (a Northside show). They'll also be at Mercury Lounge on July 10th with Snowden (tickets) and Cake Shop on July 19th.

The next show at the Williamsburg Waterfront is Silversun Pickups, Against Me! and The Henry Clay People on Friday, June 25th.

Karen Elson's The Ghost Who Walks came out in May on Third Man Records, and a video from her release party set at the label's store/studio in Nashville is posted below (she also played the label's pop-up at SXSW). Conan O'Brien played the same Nashville space on June 10th. A live LP of Conan's performance is available for preorder from the label, and is expected by the end of July.

More pictures from the Studio at Webster Hall show and the above-mentioned video and tour dates are below...

Continue reading "Karen Elson Studio pics & Third Man Records performance video, more Midnight Masses dates & the Conan pre-order"

by Bill Pearis

a day by day Week in Indie-like guide to this week's Northside Festival...

The Hundred in the Hands

The Northside Festival is back for a second year, and I really do think the roster of bands playing over the next four days is pretty impressive: here's bigger bands, more out of town bands, more bands in general. More than plenty of good -- great even -- options to justify the $50 badge. (Most of us spend $50 in four days here anyway.) The bulk of the venues are within walking distance of each other, so why not make good use of the badge and hop around as much as possible.

For opening night (tonight, Thursday, June 24th), if you had to stay in one place the whole night, it's hard to top the line-up at Knitting Factory with DOM, Cloud Nothings and Wavves. It's sold out for tickets, but you can still get in with your badge as capacity allows. Wavves new album, King of the Beach, is going to surprise people expecting Nathan Williams to do more of the same lo-fi haze -- it's a ridiculously catchy set of tunes that drops the sludge and scuzz of his first two releases. Cleveland's Cloud Nothings are good too, much more rockin' live than their recordings might suggest, with a real basher of a drummer. I've yet to see Dom live, maybe tonight's the night. Dom also plays our showcase at MHOW on Saturday night.

Former Bell House/Union Hall booker Jack "Skippy" McFadden (along with the Gothamist folks) has put together a solid schedule of local talent at Coco66, with '90s-loving Mr. Dream, plus Pacific Theater, The Forms, Caveman, Bird of Youth, Luke Folger.

Elsewhere: The Hundred in the Hands are at Warsaw (10PM), opening for Au Revoir Simone (who have a new remix album coming out). THitH's new EP, This Desert, will appeal to folks who liked the dancier side of '90s shoegaze (Curve specifically comes to mind).

Austin's YellowFever, in town for the Voxtrot farewell shows, play Union Pool at 10:45PM. If you've never seen them, please try and correct that. It's a solid show overall, with Air Waves, Aa, Coasting and PC Worship.

ARMS, which is former Harlem Shakes guitarist Tom Goldstein's new band, >play their harmony-laden atmospheric pop at Bar Matchless at 10:30pm. If you miss them, they're also at Barge Park on Sunday.

And it should be a sloppy drunk night down in The Charleston's basement with My Teenage Stride, I'm Turning Into (2/3's of which are also in MTS, and they curated this show) and German Measles.

The full schedule is at Northside's site. More Northside suggestions as the weekend progresses. Stay tuned.

The Hundred In The Hands's new video for "Tom Tom" below...

Continue reading "Bill's 2010 Northside Festival picks (Thursday) "

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: North Highlands - Collar Bones (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Savoir Adore - three tracks from In the Wooded Forrest (link takes you to download page)
DOWNLOAD: The Luyas - Tiny Head (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Gray Goods - Color Divide (MP3)

North Highlands @ South Street Seaport (more by Chris La Putt)

Brooklyn Vegan hasn't met a festival to which we haven't wanted to add one more party. So in addition to the official Brooklyn Vegan show at Music Hall of Williamsburg and two heavy showcases being presented by BV-BBG -- all of which are Saturday night -- there's now a fourth BV-related Northside Festival show, Sunday night (6/27) at Coco 66. This one's being presented by me, as a Brooklyn Vegan's This Week in Indie/Sound Bites and features North Highlands, The Luyas, Savoir Adore and Gray Goods. Tickets are $10 or you can get in with your Northside Festival badge.

If you read/skim TWII on a regular basis you've heard of most of the bands. North Highlands have only been together for about a year but they've really come into their own recently, making gentle, engaging orch-pop that is really rather magical when they play live.  They were just great when they played the Sound Bites Lunchtime Series earlier this month at the Seaport, and I couldn't be happier to have them play this too.

Not that I don't want you to stay at Coco 66 all night, but if you can't make their 11PM set, North Highlands play earlier Sunday night at Cameo; and they also play Saturday afternoon at Spike Hill as part of The L Magazine's "8 NYC Bands You Need to Hear Right Now" showcase which is free -- no badge necessary.

This is The Luyas only Northside show, though the band are down from Montreal for three shows, including Rooftop Films tonight (6/24) and tomorrow night (6/25) at 929 Broadway (same building as Party Expo, but 2nd floor) with Adult Themes. I am super-psyched to have them on the bill.

Savoir Adore are one of my favorite local bands of the last two years and their album, In the Wooded Forrest, made my Best of 2010 list. The record just got released in the UK and the band is heading over there in July for their first-ever tour there. They are also a great live band.

Savoir Adore also play the night before (Saturday, 6/26) at Brooklyn Bowl as part of the Cantora Records showcase that also includes BRAHMS, Gordon Voidwell and The Tony Castles.

Gray Goods is the new band from Ryan Brown, formerly of Soft Pack cohorts Browns. (In fact, Gray Goods' drummer is the little brother of Soft Pack guitarist Matt McLoughlin.) You can check out the Feelies-esque "Color Divide" at the top of this post which is from the new Singles EP on 1928 Recordings. Gray Goods will also play later Sunday night at Bruar Falls.

I think that's a damn good show. Come by if you can. Set times are below....

Continue reading "the 'Week in Indie' Northside show is Sunday + other Luyas, North Highlands, Savoir Adore & Gray Goods shows"

The Northside Festival kicks off today, Thursday, June 24th. We have more previews coming, but in the meantime here's a quick reminder post. The full music schedule is HERE. Films HERE. Badges and other show tickets HERE.

There are FOUR BrooklynVegan shows this year. There's the regular old BV Saturday night show @ MHOW with Memory Tapes, Dom, Twin Sister and Zaza (check out our the very unpopular interview with Dom that we just posted HERE). Then there's the back to back BBG shows happening the same night at Europa and Union Pool. And last but not least, Bill put together a "Week in Indie" show happening Sunday at Coco66... which we haven't posted about yet. Info on that is coming shortly.

Tonight, Thursday, brings the talented and highly entertaining Big Freedia to Public Assembly. Au Revoir Simone meanwhile are headlining a show at Warsaw. WAVVES (and Dom!) is also tonight. Thao and Mirah are at MHOW.

Beirut are not playing the Northside Festival, but Woom are. More coming soon.

interview by Billy Jones, top photo by Ryan Muir

DOWNLOAD: DOM - Jesus (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: DOM - Living In America (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: DOM - Burn Bridges (MP3)

Dom, pictured above playing at a party inside Pitchfork's Brooklyn offices on Tuesday night, are in town to play two Northside Festival shows. The first happens tonight, Thursday, June 24th, at the Knitting Factory. Dom opens for Cloud Nothings and WAVVES. That show is sold out. After that it's Saturday night at Music Hall of Williamsburg aka the BrooklynVegan showcase with Zaza, Twin Sister, and Memory Tapes. That one still has tickets available. Both shows are also accessible with a Northside Festival badge (first come, first served, capacity permitting, etc).

It's been an exciting few months for Dom whose next scheduled NYC show after Northside is the 2010 Siren Festival. Their most recent show before Northside was "Fader Bowl".

Billy Jones (you may have read his recent interview with Dave Sitek) caught up with Dom (the person) via gchat on Wednesday. They talked about Dom (the group), the Pitchfork party, Cults, gingers (they both are), Total Slacker, salvia, Party Expo, merch and more...

---

Billy: sup man
Dom: nothing much. chillin.

Billy: i am ginger
Dom: sick! u kno we are less than 10 percent population

Billy: have you seen the M.I.A. video?
Dom: yes i have

Billy: how do you feel about mia? i am left handed and ginger. fucked.
Dom: i love mia. yeah i wasnt really moved one way or another by the vid. great concept, butttt, i could have done it better

continued below...

Continue reading "an interview w/ Dom (about MIA, gingers, drugs, Pitchfork's Brooklyn office party, the Northside Fest & stuff) "

AA Bondy @ Union Hall in February (more by Kyle Dean Reinford)

" 'How Will You Meet Your End?' by A. A. Bondy - A dark musical tale that seems to reach out from another time, this is a song I can -- and do -- leave on repeat for long stretches. For both "So Cold the River" and "The Cypress House," I turned to this song often because I found its haunting lyrics and melody to be perfect tone-setters." [Michael Koryta]

A.A. Bondy then headlines his own show at Bowery Ballroom on Wednesday, October 6th. No opener announced yet. Tickets go on sale Friday at noon.

Much before that, A.A. Bondy has a NYC show scheduled with Elvis Perkins in Dearland and Arms (previously 'special guest') on Sunday, June 26th at Barge Park as part of Northside Festival. Tickets are still on sale for that. (He's also at the Newport Folk Festival this year.)

JBM (stage name of Jesse Marchant) plays a Bondy-less CD release show July 27th at Mercury Lounge (tickets) for his new album, Not Even in July, which comes out the same day on Partisan Records. Clips from that are streaming on the label's site.

A.A. Bondy played Toronto's Great Hall on June 18th as part of NXNE. A video from that set and all JBM/AA Bondy tour dates are below...

Continue reading "AA Bondy & JBM playing shows, some together (2010 dates) "

words by Andrew Frisicano

Big Freedia & friends @ Wrongbar in Toronto for NXNE - June 18, 2010

"So what the hell is Sissy Bounce? Sort of depends who you ask. Katey Red, arguably the creator of the genre, suggests it doesn't even exist and instead insists it's just sissies producing Bounce. Other artists such as Big Freedia fully embrace the term. Take some of the most hypersexual, bump and grind you can imagine, remove everything but the sexed up chorus, speed it up, and then remove the sexual identity of the artist performing it. What, what? That's right. Sissy Bounce artists are purposely androgynous, sometimes referred to as queer, sometimes transgendered, a very direct intent is to fuck with people's heads about sexuality. It's easy to relate, or be offended when you see one sex singing about the other. But with Sissy Bounce you have no idea. This makes the performances just as important as the music itself, which is perhaps why it's stayed locked down for so long." [Sean Bonner]

The next night Big Freedia brought her act to the city's Yonge-Dundas Square (a free, very public stage surrounded by stores and restaurants )- it looks like they played there with considerably more clothes on. Still, Damian Abraham tweeted: "Big Freedia's performance in Dundas Square today made the Stooges show (which was amazing) look like a Peter, Paul and Mary Concert." (btw, our pics from the Stooges show he's referring to are coming soon).

Big Freedia and crew (that includes Freedia's DJ Rusty Lazer) will be back in Brooklyn for a Thursday night set at CrushFest at Public Assembly. The lineup for the June 24th show, which is part of Northside, also includes Yes Giantess, Fang Island, Iran, MillionYoung, Dinosaur Feathers, Anton Glamb, LE1F, Jason Pants & Chaz Requina (Palms Out Sounds), Denny Le Nimh and No Surrender. Tickets are only $5.00 until 3pm today (6/22) - then the price goes back up to $15. You can also try to get in with your Northside Badge.

More pictures from Toronto, a flyer for the Public Assembly show and a video from a Big Freedia show at Glasslands are all below...

Continue reading "Big Freedia played NXNE (NSFW pics), playing Crush Fest in Brooklyn w/ Yes Giantess, Fang Island, others (tix on sale) "

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Au Revoir Simone - Shadows (Jens Lekman Remix) (MP3)

Just like nearly every other Brooklyn band, Au Revoir Simone is playing this weekend's Northside Festival. Their show is Thursday (6/24) at Warsaw, where they play with The Hundred in the Hands and CALLmeKAT. The ladies are then heading off on a short summer tour of North America in July. All dates are at the bottom of this post.

Meanwhile, on July 6 Au Revoir Simone release Night Light, a compilation of tracks from last year's Still Night, Still Light that have been remixed by the likes of Neon Indian, Aeroplane, Angel Deradoorian, Jens Lekman, Your Twenties, Tanlines and more. You can download the Jens Lekman remix of "Shadows" at the top of this post which is one of the more idiosyncratic on the compilation, turning the 4/4 time song into a string-laden waltz.

Au Revoir Simone tour dates are after the jump...

Continue reading "Au Revoir Simone releasing a remix album - here's the Jens Lekman MP3 & 2010 tour dates (Thursday @ Warsaw)"

by BBG

Javelina (more by Meghan McInnis)

How do you make a big show bigger? We are happy to confirm the additions of Javelina and Hot Graves to the previously announced Floor + Unearthly Trance lineup at Europa on June 26th! Tickets are still available. The EARLY SHOW (begins promptly at 6!) will be Javelina's second Northside appearance, having played the BV-BBG Northside show last year at Europa.

Speaking of Unearthly Trance, Ryan of UT serves as bassist/vocalist for Pollution, who will be at Acheron TONIGHT (6/18) alongside Vancouver's White Lung, the conclusion of an east coast tour for the pair (that kicked off at 538 Johnson on 6/10). White Lung has a west coast leg of a US tour scheduled for early July, which kicks off at Sled Island on July 3rd alongside Fucked Up, Built To Spill, Dinosaur Jr, Ted Leo & the Pharmacists, The Melvins (who play NYC tonight also), and so much more. White Lung are touring off of their freshly minted Atlanta 7", out now via Deranged.

For Pollution, this is currently the only NYC date on their calendar, but the band will also play the incredible Dudefest 2010 in Indianapolis this year alongside Arab On Radar, Trap Them, Voetsek, and many others.

Uneathly Trance is also scheduled to appear on July 30th at the Lee Altomare benefit in Amityville, NY alongside the reunited Deathcycle, as well as Altomare's band The Communion, Sick of Talk, Thought & Memory, and Blood of A Zombie. All proceeds will go towards, St. Jude's Children's Hospital and Research Center. Deathcycle will play NYC the next night (7/31) SANS UT, but with rest of the set of that bill (and another TBA) at 538 Johnson.

Tour dates and some video is below....

Continue reading "Javelina & Hot Graves playing with Floor (Northside), Pollution playing the Acheron (tonight) + other dates"

Beirut @ BAM in February 2009 (more by Natasha Ryan)

The last time Beirut played in NYC, they did a four-show week, with gigs at Coco 66, MHOW and two at BAM.

Zach Condon and Beirut now have shows in Europe scheduled for August. In advance of those, they'll play a pair of shows at Music Hall of Williamsburg on Monday, July 5th and Tuesday, July 6th. Woom, the ex-Flying pop duo previously featured here, open both dates.

Tickets for Tuesday, the second show, are $25 and go on AmEx presale Wednesday at noon. General sale starts Friday at noon.

Tickets for Monday, the first show, are $9.99 and can only be purchased in advance and in-person from the Bowery box offices at Mercury Lounge and Music Hall of Williamsburg starting Saturday at noon (though Ticketmaster says they go on sale online Saturday at noon... I'm told they actually won't go on sale online.).

Before then, Woom play a pair of Northside Festival shows on June 25th at Bruar Falls (lineup TBA) and June 26th at Shea Stadium with Ducktails, Big Troubles, Arches, Dana Jewell and No Demons Here.

All tour dates are below...

Continue reading "Beirut playing 2 nights @ MHOW before touring Europe"

Best Coast 'Crazy for You' & WAVVES 'King of the Beach'

Newly christened indie power couple, WAVVES and Best Coast both have new music and plenty of shows planned for summer 2010.

Best Coast's debut, Crazy For You, comes out July 27th on Mexican Summer, while WAVVES' new album, King of the Beach, is out August 3rd on Fat Possum (and on Bella Union in the UK). The song "Post Acid" from WAVVES' new one was released as a free single by Mountain Dew's Green Label Sound.

Both bands are playing NXNE in Toronto this week (June 16-19th) and have NYC shows coming up. WAVVES' upcoming gigs include a show on June 24th at Knitting Factory - it's for Northside Fest and the openers are Cloud Nothings and DOM. Tickets are still on sale.

Best Coast has a free July 23rd show at Seaport Music Festival with Free Energy and Loose Limbs.

Best Coast will go a US & Canada tour with Male Bonding in September. That includes a September 29th show at Bowery Ballroom and a September 30th show at Music Hall Of Williamsburg. Ticket info to come on those. All dates below.

Male Bonding will be in NYC much sooner, for a Saturday, June 26th show with Cults and Titus Andronicus, also part of the Northside Festival.

WAVVES just put out a behind-the-scene video of his album recording process (lots of weed, basketball and some music too). That, all tour dates and album tracklists (and a Best Coast interview recorded in Paris) are all below...

Continue reading "Best Coast, WAVVES & Male Bonding releasing music & playing shows - 2010 Tour Dates "

photos by Kyle Dean Reinford

Active Child & harp @ Mercury Lounge

Active Child played their first NYC show last night (6/7) at Mercury Lounge. They totally killed it according to Wes Martin.

Active Child will play their second NYC show later this month when they open for Islands at Music Hall of Williamsburg on June 27th. The previously announced Northside Festival show (which is still on sale) also added Steel Phantoms and TV Carnage to the bill, AND is actually just the first date of a larger tour for Islands, Active Child and Steel Phantoms. All of those dates, and more pictures from Mercury Lounge, are below...

Continue reading "Active Child played Mercury Lounge w/ Blair (pics), touring & playing MHOW w/ Islands (dates)"

Elvis Perkins @ MHOW in December (more by Dominick Mastrangelo)

More bands have been added to the Northside Festival 2010, happening June 24-27 at venues around Williamsburg and Greenpoint. Those new additions include Elvis Perkins in Dearland, Male Bonding, Sondre Lerche, Tame Impala, A.A. Bondy, Air Waves, The Golden Filter, Slow Club, The Babies, Starring, Takka Takka, Lower Dens, Frankie & the Outs, The Fresh & Onlys and The Grates. The full list is below, and the fest's full schedule (with more new bands) is expected this week. A partial schedule is below.

Elvis Perkins in Dearland, A.A. Bondy and "special guests" will be playing a Sunday afternoon show at Newtown Barge Park - tickets are on sale. Other lineups at that park include Titus Andronicus, Male Bonding and Cults (Sat afternoon); Liars, Fucked Up and High Places (Sat night); and Les Savy Fav, Polvo and Grails (Sun night) at the park venue. Tickets are still on sale for all of them, or you can just get a badge which lets you run around to multiple shows.

BrooklynVegan will be hosting three shows during Northside, all on the same night (6/26) - Jucifer and Gloominous Doom at Union Pool, Floor, Javelina, and Hot Graves at Europa earlier that night (tickets), and Memory Tapes, Twin Sister, DOM and ZAZA at Music Hall of Williamsburg (tickets).

The festival has joined with NYC film houses BAMcinamatek, IFC Films, Indiewire, Rooftop Films and others to show movies at indieScreen, the new Williamsburg movie theater. Details on those films (which include movies by Todd Solondz and James Franco) and the video for Male Bonding's song "Year's Not Long" is posted below...

Continue reading "updated Northside Festival lineup - movies & bands (Elvis Perkins & AA Bondy on sale)"

As previously mentioned, indieScreen, a new movie theater at 285 Kent Avenue (at S 2nd Street) in Williamsburg (on the same block as Glasslands), is expected to open for business officially by the end of June. Before then, the theater will be hosting films for the Brooklyn International Film Festival which runs until June 13th. Check out the schedule at their site. Tonight, Monday June 7th, you can see THE "FLESH CHAPTER 1, ANGLE OF TRAJECTORY", "DISPOSABLE", and "HIGGS, INTO THE HEART OF IMAGINATION". Trailers for all three of those below.

The theater will also be screening films as part of the Northside Festival happening June 24-27.

The 12-rows, 93-seat theater (which has a 17-feet by 8-feet screen) will be accompanied by a restaurant and a full bar, AND will be hosting live music. Their website is still under construction, but there's more info about what they have there and how you can host an event there if you click around enough.

Continue reading "Indiescreen is a new movie theater & music venue in Williamsburg (Brooklyn Film Fest happening now) "

by BBG

Jucifer at Cake Shop (more by Justina Villanueva)

How do you follow up a band like FLOOR? BV & 1000 Knives are proud to present the Floor afterparty, AKA the return of 10,000 watt sludge duo Jucifer with the goofy fuck-ups in Gloominous Doom at Union Pool on 6/26 as part of the Northside Festival. Doors for Jucifer will open at 10PM, just a short time after Floor leaves the stage at Europa, leaving plenty of time scoot on over from Europa to Union Pool to continue the ROCK.

Both shows have a certain amount of tickets reserved for Northside Festival badge holders. Advanced tickets for Floor are also still available. Jucifer will be $10 for non-badges at the door.

Alternatively, 6/26 is also the BV Northside showcase at MHOW with Memory Tapes, Twin Sister, DOM and ZAZA. Tickets are still on same for that too if that's more your thing.

Jucifer recently dropped their new album Throned In Blood. Pick up a copy at The Omega Order.

Some videos, including the new Jucifer video for "Contempt", and current tour dates are below, with more to come.

Continue reading "Jucifer & Gloominous Doom playing 3rd BV Northside show & other dates "

Voluptous Horror of Karen Black (w/ more clothes on than usual)

The lineup for the New York Dolls show at Warsaw in Brooklyn on Saturday, May 22nd has been filled out with opening acts performance-art/punk Voluptous Horror of Karen Black and party glam band Foxy Shazam. Tickets are still on sale. We have two pairs to give away as well. Details are below.

The Warsaw has a bunch of other shows coming up too. Details on those (and ticket links) and videos of both NY Dolls openers (including a brand new "What's In My Bag?" at Amoeba with Kembra Pfahler of Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black) are below...

Continue reading "Voluptous Horror of Karen Black added to NY Dolls show (win tix), Au Revoir Simone & other bands playing Warsaw too"

by BBG

Floor at The Earl (more by Rich Gaccione)

South Florida's FLOOR were around for roughly 10 years and recorded well over a dozen times during their on-and-off existence... and only in the wake of their demise did underground audio followers finally take note...

From the living rooms and basements of 1992 to the studios of 2001/2002, FLOOR had an incredible evolution from the GODFLESH and early-MELVINS-inspired sludge worship, to the unrivaled sugary doom/pop amalgamation which would eventually pave the way for TORCHE, HOUSE OF LIGHTNING and others. The changes in sound from recording-to-recording... against what would eventually follow, it becomes crystal clear that FLOOR were consistently operating on that fabled "next level". [Robotic Empire]

It's one of two shows the reunited Floor are going to play during their visit North. The first will take place one day earlier, 6/25 at First Unitarian Church in Philly with two great openers, Gods & Queens and Javelina.

And it's one of two shows that the great Unearthly Trance has in store for NYC, including June 3rd as part of the Tones of Death monthly shindig (which includes Gnaw, Bubonic Bear and Sin of Angels this week, May 6th). For more on that show, head to the Facebook invite.

Floor's Steve Brooks plays Rumsey Playield in NYC on May 26th with Torche as part of their tour with Coheed & Cambria and Circa Survive. Tickets are still available.

Floor at Eruopa is an earlier show, so you should be able to make it across town to catch at least part of BV's other show that same night at MHOW, with Memory Tapes, Twin Sister, DOM and ZAZA. Tickets are up, or try to use your Northside badges.

Floor are supporting their recent mega-boxset, out NOW on Robotic Empire.

Show flyer for Europa and some video from their show at The Earl on 4/3, below...

Continue reading "Floor playing Philly & a BV Northside show in NYC! (dates)"

DOWNLOAD: Fucked Up - Here Lies Are (MP3)

Fucked Up @ MWTX in Austin (more by Andrew Frisicano)

Lineups for Brooklyn's Northside Festival are coming together-- and some of the bigger shows (that aren't at Music Hall) are going to be at Greenpoint's Newtown Barge Park. First, Titus Andronicus, Cults and a special guest play an afternoon (1pm) show on Saturday, June 26th. Later that night, Liars, Fucked Up and High Places play the space (6pm). Then the next night (6/27, 6pm), Les Savy Fav performs with Polvo and Grails. Tickets to all three are on sale now. The shows are all ages (badges, which you must be 21+ to purchase, get you in too, capacity permitting).

Northside writes that the shows will be the first at the 1,500-capacity park space. Newtown Barge Park is a triangle of land at the corner of Franklin and Commercial Streets, and is part of the proposed plan (PDF) to expand Williamsburg/Greenpoint's waterfront park space.

The BrooklynVegan Northside show takes place the same Saturday as Titus --> Fucked Up/Liars, but at Music Hall of Williamsburg. Doors for that are 8pm, and it goes later. Tickets are now on sale.

Titus may DO NOT have another Brooklyn show coming up, on Thursday, June 3rd at Glasslands with Boogie Boarder. It has been cancelled. It was supposed to be a benefit for Neighbors Allied for Good Growth, a group frontman Patrick Stickles has talked about before...

Pitchfork: Best Purchase of the Past Year

Patrick Stickles: We can't take too much pride in the things we that own, can we? If I can get on my soapbox for a minute.... Isn't it much more important not what things we bought, but where we bought them? I'd love for you to remind your Brooklyn-based readership that they should make a point of not supporting the new Duane Reade that's moving in across the street from the historic Kings Pharmacy on Bedford Avenue. If you'd pass that along I'd appreciate that a lot. You can read a lot more about it at the website of this community group called Neighbors Allied for Good Growth. We all need to remember to vote with our dollars and take a stand for locally owned independent businesses, because that's what makes American capitalism great.

Grails has a new EP coming out. Grab an MP3 from that.

Fucked Up recently posted a new song that'll appear on a 12" split with Serena-Maneesh. You can get it above. Also, Damian from Fucked Up has been Internet debating the new Arizona immigration laws with fellow Canadian band Stars via Twitter and Stereogum.

All tour dates for Titus and Fucked Up are below...

Continue reading "Fucked Up, Liars, Titus Andronicus, Les Savy Fav, Polvo & others playing Greenpoint's Barge Park (and other dates) "

"Like last year, everything will be taking place in Williamsburg and Greenpoint because walking long distances is a drag when there are bands to see and beer to drink, we mean seriously. Us here at The L Magazine will be booking a share of shows on our own, but, for a large chunk of the festival, we've once again handed over curatorial control to some of the most tasteful, talented and dedicated folks in New York's independent music scene -- record labels, bloggers, promoters and more -- allowing them to showcase the bands they think you need to hear. The Williamsburg Gallery Association is again on board to highlight special exhibitions and other events at over 25 art galleries in the neighborhood. And to celebrate Northside's second year, we've invited a few of the city's biggest aficionados of independent film to curate four nights of New York-made movies at Brooklyn's new, as-yet-unopened film house-music club-restaurant-bar, indieScreen."

Music, art and movies will be happening at "30+ venues" and "dozens of galleries" over the course of four days in Greenpoint and Williamsburg. Like SXSW & CMJ, you can buy tickets to individual events, or you can get a badge which gets you in to everything that isn't already at badge-capacity. $50 badges are now on sale to those 21 and over. If you buy a badge, "Arrive to venues early - badgeholders are admitted on a first-come, first-served, one-out, one-in basis."

If you buy a badge you can take your chances at getting into one of the four Northside shows happening at Music Hall of Williamsburg (BrooklynVegan showcase included), Fiery Furnaces at Brooklyn Bowl, and WAVVES & Cloud Nothings at Knitting Factory. TONS more shows TBA, but the initial list of bands that will be playing has been announced (I'm especially excited to see The Wave Pictures, Fucked Up, Liars, Parenthetical Girls and Les Savy Fav on there in addition to what we've previously talked about) (and yes Titus Andronicus is on there). Check it out below...

Continue reading "2010 Northside Festival - tickets & intial lineup (includes Liars, Fucked Up, Les Savy Fav, Polvo & many more)"

Fiery Furnances @ a Pool Party in 2009 (more by Bao Nguyen)

The Fiery Furnaces will be playing a late show at Mercury Lounge on Saturday, June 26th. The night before that they'll play much larger Brooklyn Bowl as part of the Northside Festival. Tickets for both go on sale Friday at noon (Mercury Lounge, Brooklyn Bowl). You can also get into the Brooklyn Bowl show with your Northside Badge which is on sale now (capacity permitting).

Those two shows are exactly half of the band's currently scheduled shows, the others being in the UK this May. A pair of recent-ish videos from the Friedbergers and all tour dates are below...

Continue reading "Fiery Furnaces schedule shows in NYC & the UK (dates)"

by Andrew Frisicano

DOWNLOAD: Nick Thorburn - gone bananas (rough mix)

Islands TV?.... (via)

Islands, (one of) the post-Unicorns projects of Nick Thorburn/Diamonds, has been almost totally quiet since the band canceled their European tour at the beginning of 2010. They are signed on to the tentative, possibly doomed Mountain Man Festival in Saratoga Springs on July 24th, and Nick has been busy on Twitter, which is where the above picture is from. Its caption reads: "here's a promo for my NBC dramedy airing this summer at 8/7 central. Make sure you tune in!" In January Islands released a new video featuring Michael Cera. The song was from their Anti-released album that came out in September. Their last NYC show was part of that supporting tour at Bowery Ballroom in the beginning of November.

Consider the band one step closer to active duty - they have a confirmed show at Music Hall of Williamsburg scheduled for Sunday, June 27th. It's part of the second annual Northside Festival. The four-day Fest is in the process of being announced, but we now know all four Music Hall shows:

6/24 - Thao Nguyen & Mirah
6/25 - Woodsist
6/26 - BrooklynVegan (us!)
6/27 - Islands (this post)

Nick posted a free song called "Gone Bananas" on his website with a note, which is pasted below with another solo song and other videos...

Continue reading "Islands playing a Northside show. A Nick solo record soon?"

by BBG

DOWNLOAD: Grails - "Up All Night" (new MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Grails w/ Simeon of Silver Apples - "Silk Road" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Grails - "Reincarnation Blues" (MP3)

Grails - Black Tar Prophecies Vol 4

While Al Cisneros is busy rattling skulls in Shrinebuilder and Sleep (!), Om drummer Emil Amos continues to show his instrumental prowess in Grails. Volume four of the band's Black Tar Prophecies is currently on deck (volume 5 is already in the works) and impacts May 25th on Important (who recently dropped Ocean's last LP on wax). The release will be available in the form of 500 pic discs/1000 Stoughton jacketed LPs and will later be compiled with Volume 5 for a release on Temporary Residence Limited (new home of Coliseum and current home to many other notables). Check out the first serene and silently melancholy track "Up All Night" available above and the trippy-as-usual trailer for the band's release below (resembles their DVD). The EP will serve as a primer for the band's upcoming full-length excursion, due on Important in spring 2011.

Meanwhile, Grails is scheduled to hit the shores of Europe in the coming week, leading up to a date at the Pavement-curated ATP. Tour dates for that trek is below.

UPDATE: Grails will be in Brooklyn some time between June 24-27 to play a Northside Festival show. Stay tuned for more info.

Unlike Grails, Shrinebuilder DIDN'T make it out to Europe and are rescheduling their dates in November. However, they DID play a surprise show at Europa while the EU tour situation was in limbo. Thank you/damn you volcano.

Sleep is scheduled to play ATP NY along with sunn o)))/Boris, Hope Sandoval & The Warm Inventions, Iggy & The Stooges, Sonic Youth, and a jaw-dropping list of others. Tickets are still available.

Some video, tour flyer, and EP tracklisting is below..

Continue reading "new Grails EP (MP3), dates & stuff "

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Woods - I Was Gone (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Fresh & Onlys - Diamond in the Dark (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Moon Duo - Stumbling 22nd St. (MP3)

Woods

There's a lot going on in the wild world of Woodsist Records. Firstly is the Woodsist night at Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn on June 25 that's part of the Northside Festival (June 24 - 27). The show features Real Estate, Woods, The Fresh & Onlys, Moon Duo and Sic Alps. Tickets ($15) go on sale Friday (4/30) at noon. This and the Brooklyn Vegan show with Memory Tapes, Twin Sister, Zaza and DOM on June 26 are two of four Northside events at Music Hall of Williamsburg this year (Thao and Mirah is another).

Woodsist is also doing two mini-festivals on the West Coast next month: June 12 at the Henry Miller Library in Big Sur and June 15 at the Echoplex in Los Angeles. The line-ups differ slightly, but both shows feature Real Estate, Woods, Kurt Vile, The Mantles and The Art Museums. Full line-ups for both shows are at the bottom of this post.

Woods, who also have a show coming up at Abrons Arts Center in May, will be releasing their third album, At Echo Lake, next week. Clocking in just under 30 minutes, it's full of catchy West Coast-ish folk pop. It might be their best yet. You can download "I Was Gone" at the top of this post. The band is touring the West Coast leading up to those two mini-fests. All dates are below.

The Fresh and Onlys

The Fresh & Onlys will be here a full month before the Northside Festival too, playing with Golden Triangle and The Babies at Monster Island (which now has real, permanent stage!) on May 14, and Cake Shop on May 15. The band continue to release records at a Pollardian rate, with a fantastic new EP, August in My Mind, our on Captured Tracks (download "Diamond in the Dark" above), a split 7" with Golden Triangle, and at least two other singles out this year already. There's a video for "Vanishing Cream" at the bottom of this post, which is a single on French label Plastic Spoons. They've also finished their third album which will be out on In the Red sometime this year.

Moon Duo, which features Wooden Shjips' Erik Johnson and Sanae Yamada, released an EP on Woodsist earlier this year -- check out "Stumbling 22nd St." at the top of this post. I caught them the final, cold night at SXSW where I was a little worn out and cranky at that point for their droney, extended Loop-meets-Suicide two chord jams but I could imagine digging it more under sunnier circumstances.

Real Estate also have many more dates coming up between now and the end of August. Sic Alps are touring and reporting that a Captured Tracks Fest is happening in NYC again this summer too.

Woodsist Fest lineups, videos and everyone else's tour dates below...

Continue reading "mini Woodsist Fests in NYC & CA, Woods shows, Fresh & Onlys tour dates, Moon Duo & more"

DOWNLOAD: Memory Tapes - Bicycle (Little Loud Remix) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Dom - Jesus (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Memory Tapes - Bicycle (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Twin Sister - Lady Daydream (Cassette Version) (MP3)

Memory Tapes @ The Bell House in February (more by Dominick Mastrangelo)

I'm happy to announce the BrooklynVegan Northside Festival showcase, happening on Saturday, June 26th at Music Hall of Williamburg with Memory Tapes, Twin Sister, DOM and ZAZA. $15 Tickets (ARE NOW ON SALE) --- go on sale Friday, April 30th Saturday at noon (the show is 18+). A certain amount of tickets will also be reserved for Northside badge holders. Info on those passes and other Northside shows TBA.

The L Magazine-created Northside Festival debuted last year, and runs from June 24-27 this year, the same weekend as Williamsburg Walks. Most of the venues in Williamsburg and Greenpoint will be participating. If you missed it last year, it's like a mini CMJ where you can either just go to whatever shows you want, or buy a badge that lets you jump from show to show, capacity (and mood of the venue) permitting. The idea is that it's all contained within the Brooklyn neighborhood(s), mostly walking distance from each other.

For Memory Tapes, the Brooklyn show will be their third NYC performance ever (despite head member Dayve Hawk living in Jersey). He previously opened for Atlas Sound at The Bell House, and played a Self-Titled party at Tribeca Grand right after that. The sequenced tracks on his CD, Seek Magic, might have you wondering about the band's live arrangement. For that, Hawk sings and plays guitar, and is now backed by one band member. They'll be debuting a "reworked live show" at Music Hall. Check out video of past shows below.

Twin Sister has been playing around town quite a bit over these past few weeks - most recently at the Morning Benders' Mercury Lounge show last night (pics coming). They'll be at Rooftop Films Opening Night on May 14th and a release show for their Color Your Life EP at Glasslands on May 28th. They tour with Bear in Heaven this July.

DOM of Worcester, Mass, has sooner shows coming up as well, one of those is the release party for Keepaway's EP at Mercury Lounge on May 18th.

ZAZA, who Bill recently called "one of the best, most under-appreciated bands in the city right now", are in Europe on tour with Black Rebel Motorcycle Club this May.

Sample tracks are above, and videos from all the bands (including Twin Sister covering Daft Punk on a roof) are below...

Continue reading "Memory Tapes, Twin Sister, DOM & ZAZA are playing the BV Northside Fest showcase (and other dates) ++ MP3s, video "