photos by Chris La Putt

Friday night show at Maxwell's marked the last show of Nicole Atkins' tour with Cotton Jones. Some pictures from that show are in this post. And though she kicks off a round of dates in Austin on Wednesday, she said from the NJ stage that she will be making an appearance with her fellow Black Sea band member Jared Samuel at Cameo Gallery tonight (3/15) as part of his other band Minerva Lions (El, Wendy, and Belleweather are also on the bill).

As previously mentioned, Nicole's next public NYC show is at Rockwood Music Hall on 3/30 as part of the Sweet Divines who formed after the Dansettes broke up. Other members of the Dansettes formed the Nouvellas whose members, along with members of Cotton Jones, backed Nicole & the Black Sea when they performed "Cry, Cry, Cry" on Conan in February. The video of that, is under the rest of the pics, below....

Continue reading "Nicole Atkins played Maxwell's w/ Cotton Jones (pics), catch her with Minerva Lions (tonight)"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Lights On - Red Flashing Lights (MP3)

Lights On

Anglophilic San Diegans Lights On are in town this week, playing three shows here in NYC: tonight (7/14) at Knitting Factory, Friday (7/16) at Cake Shop and Saturday (7/17) at Union Hall. They'll also play Larry's in Danbury, CT tomorrow (7/15) night.

Not unlike Foreign Born, the echoes of '80s-era KROQ are all over the band's tuneful debut, Here Comes the Ocean, which is out now digitally in all the usual places and on vinyl/cassette via their website. Echo & the Bunnymen is the comparison they get most often and it's hard to deny, especially on the LP's midtempo closing tracks "She Comes Walking Down Slowly" and "It Never Stops" which coulda come straight off 1987's 'grey album.' The rest of the album is more energetic and not quite as influence-specific, but it's very Velvet Underground '80s sonic diaspora if you get my drift. The whole record's pretty catchy stuff, and you can download "Red Flashing Lights" which reminds me a little of Sweden's Mary Onettes.

Tonight's Knitting Factory show is part of a wine event called Summer of Reisling that also has the Black Hollies, Nouvellas and Himalaya on the bill. $30 gets you into show and four glasses of this particular varietal, seven of which are on offer (it's very similar to the new Vivo in Vino that Holly Miranda is playing coming up). If you just want to see the bands at Knitting Factory, it's $15.

The Cake Shop and Union Hall shows both feature New Mexico (formerly Apes of Wrath) and the Cake Shop show is headlined by synth-rockers Kordan.

All Lights On tour dates after the jump...

Continue reading "Lights On are here & touring (dates & MP3), Knitting Factory pairing bands w/ wine (tonight)"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: The Big Pink - Velvet (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Big Pink - Dominoes (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Pants Yell! - Cold Hands (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: JEFF the Brotherhood - Bone Jam (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: JEFF the Brotherhood - Heavy Damage (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Sisters - Accolades (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Sisters - Street Cars (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Coin Under Tongue - Junksmith (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Dinowalrus - Electric Car, Gas Guitar (MP3)

Field Music

Slow week my ass! The next four or five days are positively packed with shows, at least from a TWII standpoint. No time for small talk, let's get into it.

Tonight/Thursday's the big birthday celebration for Skippy who books The Bell House and Union Hall. I wish I could throw a party for myself and get bands like Field Music (one of two American Performances in 2009) and Wye Oak to play it, not to mention a rare appearance by the mostly defunct '90s electropop band The Pulsars. Also, a band (or someone) called "Rumours" is on after Field Music play. Skippy has been tight-lipped about what this is, but my money is on some sort of all-star Fleetwood Mac cover band. (And if that's the case I'd bet you $20 it involves Carl Newman.) You're invited, too, to this "Improbable Birthday Concert" as tickets ($12, cheap!) are still available.

I've had the new Field Music album, Field Music (Measure), on repeat for the last couple days and it's another knockout from the Brewis brothers, 20 tracks that further refine their distinctive mix of baroque pop, nervy new wave, prog, krautrock and whatever else they're into at the time. It's a Field Music album, no doubt about it, but it's less buttoned up, more rhythm heavy ("Let's Write a Book" shows that one of them's been listening to Can) and willing to give anything a try. If you've never seen Field Music live before, you should definitely come out, the Brewises are shit-hot musicians as well (David is an especially impressive drummer). There used to be a lot of switching instruments when they were a trio, but now as a four-piece I wonder if that'll still happen. We'll see tonight

UPDATE:. Field Music canceled, tickets good for tonight AND rescheduled performance, and Rumours details announced.

The Figgs

Long-running Upstate New York power pop band The Figgs are are in town for two shows (or three if you count Saturday night in Staten Island): tonight/Thursday (12/3) at Bruar Falls with the Nouvellas and Friday (12/4) at Cake Shop. Both shows are with Detroit's The Sights who open for The Queers at Maxwell's on Saturday (The Queers play Southpaw tonight).

The Figgs are a band who I've always liked but never closely followed. Luckily, my friend Steve, who writes a genuine photocopied fanzine The Reynolds Report (now also available in convenient blog form) is arguably the foremost Figgs authority (and you'd be a fool to argue with him on this subject), so I asked him to write a little guest paragraph for this week's TWII:

The Figgs have been creating great power pop for two decades now, with no signs of stopping any time soon. Steeped in the tradition of The Replacements, Cheap Trick and Elvis Costello, their annual Christmas shows are always a great time to catch them as the coming of winter seems to kick the trio's playing up just a notch. Look for them to break out songs from their upcoming album (due out in April), a choice Christmas cover or two, a wide selection from their nine albums and their brand new 45 "Casino Hayes." I'm pretty sure it's the best song about a gambling-addicted drummer (um, their own) ever.

The Figgs rock, so go see them! All dates below.

There's a competition for the power pop dollar this weekend. If you're not going to the Figgs on Friday (12/4), it's probably because you're going to see Sloan at the Bell House. That's where I'll be. My love of these Canadians is no secret, and even when they've made a less-than-totally-awesome album they're always worth seeing in concert, one of my favorite live bands of the '00s. (I'm pretty sure I've seen them at least once a year since 2001.) They've got a new five-song digital-only EP, Hit & Run, which is pretty darn good. Chris Murphy contributes two tracks, including the excellent "Take it Upon Yourself," and the rest of the band each gets one. Tickets ($17.50) are still available. They play with fellow Torontonians, the lovely and talented trio Magneta Lane, and locals Deleted Scenes.

And wait there's more on Friday! Speaking of Canadian, maybe you happened across one of the 37 reports I recently filed from this year's M for Montreal festival. One of that city's more exciting underground bands, Red Mass, make their American debut at Live With Animals Gallery in Williamsburg (same address as Monster Island). Their brand-new EP on Montreal label Semprini is a nice chunk of psych-garage and they definitely put on a good show. The big question is how big a Mass will they be? I've seen them twice -- once there was 10 of them, the second time only four. Safe bet would be somewhere in between. (Canadians love a good excuse to come party in NYC.) If I wasn't already spoken for, I'd definitely being going to see them. Golden Triangle are also on the bill. Singer Choyce told me their might be a house party gig on Saturday too, so look out for that.

The Big Pink

Oh crap, there's still more. The Big Pink, who are making a stink in the UK, are on their first major tour of the U.S., stopping at Bowery Ballroom tonight (12/3) and Music Hall of Williamsburg tomorrow (12/4). Haven't seen them live, but their album A Brief History Of Love is a nice slice of electro-shoegaze that reminds a lot of 30-somethings of early-'90s band Chapterhouse. The anthemic, fist-pumper "Dominos" might not stand the test of time but as an of-the-moment signifier, it's one of 2009's more memorable indie singles. You can download it at the top of this post. I hope they use lots and lots of dry ice and strobes. Crystal Antlers and Von Haze open both shows.

Pants Yell! @ The Bell House on 11/14 (more by Tim Griffin)

If you missed them when they played the Slumberland 20 party at the Bell House a few weeks back, you can download the audio from that show, and you can catch Boston's Pants Yell! at Bruar Falls on Saturday night which might be the last time they ever play the NYC area as they've vowed to break up next year. They'd be going out on a good note if that holds true, as their new album on Slumberland, Received Pronunciation, is another charming slice of deceptively gentle guitar pop. Pants Yell! rock more live than you might expect, they're drummer in particular is kind of a beast on the kit. They also know their indie rock history, from the Pastels and Felt to the Aislers Set, Unrest and beyond. The cover art, complete with a faux Japanese Obi strip, was done by Unrest/Teenbeat/Air Miami/Flin Flon/Cotton Candy maestro Mark Robinson.

Also playing at Bruar Falls on Saturday: Fluffy Lumbers, The Surprisers and comedian Mike Albo. Should be a good night.

JEFF the Brotherhood @ Glenn Danzig's House in Nashville (more by Paul Birman)

BV faves JEFF the Brotherhood, who've had a pretty good 2009, are back in town for the zillionth time this year (seems like they're here as much as Nashville) but that's okay, you don't really tire of their awesome power. Have you heard their album, Heavy Days? It's great. I know I tend to like the cardigan pop, but riffs and grooves this intense can not be denied. And they are just the best live. The vinyl of Heavy Days just got a second pressing with a new back cover, and there's also a new single, "Heavy Damage," which you can pick up at the merch table. The play Saturday (12/5) at Bowery Ballroom opening for Ted Leo (sold out), and then again on Monday (12/7) at Mercury Lounge for what they say is their last show of '09.

The Monday show is solid as a rawk. (Did I just write that? I'm doing this super late at night.) Also on the bill are Death by Audio's Sisters (noise pop backed by a foreboding amp monolith) and Coin Under Tongue (old school riff-heavy hard rock), plus Dinowalrus (kitchen sink psych not unlike early Flaming Lips). Sure it's a Monday, you're tired, but this bill is like aura caffeine. Show's eight bucks and tickets are still available. It's a bit weird to have JEFF in town and not playing Death By Audio, but if they can tear up Pianos on a Thursday afternoon (as they did at the BV day party during CMJ), they can destroy Mercury on a Monday night.

Dinowalrus, fronted by Titus Andronicus guitarist Pete Feigenbaum, are also at Union Pool tonight (12/3) with Dan Friel and others.. The MP3 on top of this post is from their debut album "%" which comes out on Kanine in January.

The Besties

And finally, Brooklyn indiepop mainstays The Besties are calling it quits. I know, it's sad. Here it is in their words, straight from MySpace:

The Besties are officially done. As happens with many awesome relationships, stuff happens and things get hard, and so you end it and remain friends and all that junk. It's like that. We guess? Well, Kelly moved to Asheville, and Frank renewed his vows with the city of Boston. And other stuff. So there's that.

Here's the good news! We are playing two last shows around NYC in December, and we plan on going out with a serious bang. So sell some CDs (keep the Lemonheads ones), bodily fluids or organs for plane ticket money, start hitchhiking, do whatever you need to do - let's party!

Those two shows are Friday (12/4) at Asbury Lanes in Asbury Park, NJ and then their last-ever performance will be Sunday (12/6) at Bruar Falls, which is made extra special because Bunnygrunt are coming in from St. Louis just to play this farewell show.

Like the Besties, I must now say goodbye. But just for this week. Flyers and applicable tour dates follow...

Continue reading "Field Music, the Figgs, Sloan, Big Pink, Red Mass, JEFF the Brotherhood, the Besties & more in This Week in Indie"

by Andrew Frisicano

DOWNLOAD: Benjy Ferree - Fear (MP3)

Brightest Young Things: I wanted to ask about your new record...where did all the reviews get the idea that it's a concept record?

Benjy Ferree: Man I have no idea; I never said that it was a concept record.

BYT: The name is from an Altman movie right? I remember loving it as a kid but I don't if it has any bearing on the story of Bobby Dee...

BF: I don't know, I just stole the title, you know?

...I guess Benjy hasn't read his own press release, which basically tells the entire story of Bobby Driscoll and how it relates to his new album. One sentence: "Come Back To The Five And Dime, Bobby Dee Bobby Dee, the second full-length album from D.C. musician Benjy Ferree, gives Bobby Driscoll a recognition that is long overdue: a musical eulogy to a forgotten child star who was chewed up and spit out by the unforgiving Hollywood meat market."

"Fear," off that record and posted above, may not actually be about a doomed child star, but it's still pretty good white-guy-soul song.

Benjy Ferree's tour with The Black Hollies kicked off September 3rd in Benjy's homebase of DC. Tomorrow (Sat, Sept.5th) both bands play Mercury Lounge (tix available at the door), and tonight (9/4) they play Maxwell's with The Nouvellas. Tickets are still on sale.

Ferree on NPR's Tiny Desk Concert and all tour dates are below...

Continue reading "Benjy Ferree & The Black Hollies - 2009 Tour Dates (tonight)"

The Persuasions

The annual 5th Avenue Street Fair in Park Slope is not a cookie cutter street fair, and with lots of entertainment along the route, it's always a worthwhile day for music lovers. 5th Avenue also happens to be home to both Union Hall and Southpaw, not to mention lots of good restaurants (like V Spot) and bars (like The Gate). This year the fair takes place on Sunday, May 17th, and runs on 5th Ave. from Sterling to 12th Street.

Southpaw will have outdoor stages at both Southpaw and The Gate. Their lineup is:

The Persuasions / The Nouvellas / Chin Chin / Miss Fairchild / Keys & Crates / Sonia's Party & Everyone's Invited /BeetRoot / Josephine Band / Puppetryarts / Questions for a Super Champion / Blame The Patient / Chances With Wolves DJ's / DJ's PQ & SuZan Z Anthony
entertainment begins at noon & goes to 6pm

Plus, inside Southpaw will the NYC Punk & Underground Record Fair with "30+ tables of punk, hc, power pop, d.i.y, new wave & indee music + A FULL BAR". $5.00 to get in, 10 am doors.

Check out a Nouvellas video below...

Continue reading "the Park Slope 5th Ave Street Fair is Sunday ++ record fair "

The Nouvellas @ South Street Seaport (more by Chris La Putt)

Two Nouvellas appearances, three craft fairs, four NYC holiday events...

Continue reading "Holiday Soul, craft fairs & Nouvellas (upcoming NYC events)"

Yo La Tengo's Ira Kaplan on keyboard (more by Jason Bergman)

The A-Bones is a garage rock band from Brooklyn, New York. The band was formed in 1984 by Billy Miller and Miriam Linna, who had previously been the editors of Kicks, a pop culture journal, and the founders of Norton Records. The band, which was named after a song by The Trashmen, also featured Mike Mariconda, Mike Lewis (a founding member of both Boston's Lyres and Hoboken's Yo La Tengo), Bruce Bennett, Marcus "The Carcass" Natale, and Lars Espensen, with Miller, Linna, Bennett, Natale, and Espensen playing on the bulk of the band's recordings and for most of the band's touring life. Aside from recording three albums, two EPs, and roughly a dozen 45's, The A-Bones also performed as a backup band for acts such as Hasil Adkins, Ronnie Dawson, Cordell Jackson, The Flamin' Groovies' Roy Loney and many others. Though the band broke up in 1994, The A-Bones reunited in 2004 and continue to perform sporadic gigs in the US and in Europe, in their core line-up frequently augmented by Yo La Tengo's Ira Kaplan on keyboard. [Wikipedia]

The A-Bones - 2008 Tour Dates
Sep 7 - Maxwells in Hoboken w/ Magic Christian, New Jersey (TICKETS)
Sep 13 - Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn w/ The Ettes and Nouvellas (TICKETS)

King Khan @ South Street Seaport - June 27, 2008 (more by Jason Bergman)

All of El Guincho's upcoming North American tour dates are cancelled. That includes the Pitchfork Fest and the free show he was playing with Atlas Sound at South Street Seaport on July 25th. They don't have a replacement at the Seaport yet, but they did just add the following to the free summer seaport schedule:

July 18 -- Nouvellas, and The Lost Crusaders
August 1 -- The Rub
August 8 -- Cass McCombs with Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson

TODAY AT THE SEAPORT: Telepathe, Abe Vigoda, and No Age. 6pm. FREE as always. Stream Abe Vigoda's new album at AOL.

Abe Vigoda are also playing the Yard on Saturday (so are Crystal Antlers) and Mercury Lounge on Sunday (so are The War On Drugs).