photos by David Andrako

Sxip Shirey & Angelica Negron @ Merkin Concert Hall - 2/7/2012

"The “mesmerizing” (New Yorker) multi-instrumentalist and composer Sxip Shirey (pictured) teams up with Angélica Negrón, composer of “wistfully idiosyncratic and contemplative” (WQXR) music for an evening of fabulously eclectic and sonically wide-ranging collaboration. In addition to working together, they will be joined by a slate of special guests, including violinist/composer/Ableton master Todd Reynolds, guitar sound-architect Noveller (“simultaneously soothing and mind-wrecking,” NY Press), the wine-glass/guitar marvel Jonny Rodgers (“beautiful, fragile and consistently challenging,” New Haven Register). The teen alt-classical sensations Face the Music (“stunning,” “polished, exuberant,” New York Times) will give the world premiere of Angélica Negrón’s El Gran Caleidoscopio."

The festival continues tonight (2/8) at the same venue with the Arcade Fire's Richard Reed Parry along with Son Lux and yMusic. Bryce and Aaron Dessner of the National have also been announced as special guests on the show. Tickets are still available, and we're giving away a pair on Facebook.

Tickets are also still available for Thursday's show with This Will Destroy You (who are on tour).

More pictures from Tuesday's show, below...

Continue reading "Ecstatic Music Fest 2012 -- show 2 in pics (Sxip Shirey, Angelica Negron, Noveller, more); Dessners play tonight"

words & photos by Keith Marlowe

Scratch Acid @ Webster Hall

In lieu of a review of Monday night's Scratch Acid show at Webster Hall, their first NYC show in many, many years, writer/photographer Keith Marlowe presents this open letter to the band's frontman:

===================

Dear David Yow,

I love you. I've always loved you. I've never felt about other singers the way I feel about you. You gave me "HEAD" with the Jesus Lizard, and I want to return the favor. I want to marry you and have your babies. We both hit the sauce hard, so they would probably be all crazy and hideous, with foreheads so huge we could attach windshield wipers. If we ever got bored with our deformed skull babies, we could give them to some shitty no-talent shock-rock band like Slipknot to use as stage props. Or NAMBLA. I don't care, really. Do you think any of the dudes in NAMBLA have fetal-alcohol-syndrome fetishes? Let's find out together.

I wouldn't expect you to be monogamous, because I figure you treat lovers like you do bands. You've been in long-term relationships with Scratch Acid, the Jesus Lizard, Qui, and had one night-stands with the Melvins, Helmet, Shellac and Cop Shoot Cop, among others. I've caught you numerous times when you've flung your body violently into the audience, so you can trust me to catch you during tough emotional times too. I'll always be there for you, no matter what kind of project you're involved with, even that western you acted in starring the Insane Clown Posse.

It's not just about your music either. I'm very physically attracted to you. I've seen your dick a bunch of times over the years, and I think it's super hot. You make great art too, and if the money ever ran out we could live off all the free booze and cheese at your openings, like the one you just had at the Fuse Gallery right here in NYC.

I love you David, and I hope that someday, you'll love me back. Because that would be the "Greatest Gift" of all.

Yours truly,
Keith

===================

Noveller, who has opened for Jesus Lizard in the past, was added as a last minute opener to the NYC show. More pictures and the setlist, below...

Continue reading "Scratch Acid played Webster Hall (pics, setlist & an open letter to David Yow)"

Mirah with Thao & Mirah at MHOW in June (more by Amanda Hatfield)

Mirah plays Dead Herring tonight (8/19) with two fellow female songwriters. She'll be joined by the anti-folk-leaning K Records labelmate and sometimes-collaborator Tara Jane Oneil, who will be playing guitar in Mirah's band, and the guitar drone of Noveller (aka Sarah Lipstate). According to Tara's website, she'll be playing a singer songwriter style solo set with just her and a guitar.

The show is the first Dead Herring show to have advance tickets on sale. To reserve tickets:

1. send $10 per ticket via paypal to brett@mladysrecords.com
2. make yr subject heading "mirah tickets"
3. yr name will be on the door the night of the show - if you bought more than one ticket, it'll say yr name + 1 or more
4. any questions, write brett@mladysrecords.com for clarity and harmony

Mirah recently released a new song, "Low Self Control," featuring Tender Forever. You can stream the track at her website and download it on iTunes.

Mirah's partner in crime Thao Nguyen also has a bunch of shows coming up.

All Mirah/Noveller dates and Littlefield flier below...

Continue reading "Mirah, Noveller & Tara Jane O'Neil playing Dead Herring & other shows"

Forma

If you've noticed that The Stone has been putting on some pretty great shows this month like Laurel Halo and Metalux, among others, that's because August 2011 is being curated by noise master Carlos Giffoni (of No Fun Fest) and Pi Recordings founder Seth Rosner. (not that any month at the Stone is ever bad.)

Their curation continues throughout the month and includes Spectre Folk and Forma TONIGHT (8/6) after Forma plays Warm Up with Simian Mobile Disco during the day.

Other artists playing throughout the month include White Out with Ikue Mori, Noveller, Oneohtrix Point Never, C. Spencer Yeh and Meg Clixby, Fieldwork, Sickness, Driphouse, Nautical Almanac, and others. Check The Stone's Calender for full show lineups throughout the month.

Some Forma song streams below...

Continue reading "Carlos Giffoni & Seth Rosner curated the Stone (Forma play after PS1 tonight)"

by Andrew Frisicano

Tonight (7/6) is the first of three chances you'll have to check out Noveller, the guitar-based soundscapes project of Sarah Lipstate, over the next two weeks. The show is at Public Assembly, where she's on a bill with JACK Quartet (who've been playing around town quite a bit, including a set at the BoaC marathon) and Zs (performing as a trio). After that, Noveller plays Thursday at Coco 66 and next Tuesday (7/15) at Shea Stadiumwith Zs-related Diamond Terrifier (video below).

Noveller recently released a new record, Glacial Glow, which you can hear-- along with the rest of the Noveller catalog--on Bandcamp. The disc takes a different approach than 2010's stellar Desert Fires, swapping its broad, meaty textures for a more spare, melodic sound. That same approach carries over into Matt Kleiner's video for new song "Alone Star," which captures the urban landscapes of Sydney and Melbourne in stark black & white. That video and all tour dares are below....

Continue reading "Noveller released 'Glacial Glow' (stream), playing shows (dates at Public Assembly, Coco66 & Shea Stadium)"

Noveller @ Irving Plaza in 2009 (more by Lori Baily)

Brooklyn based guitarist Sarah Lipstate, better known as Noveller, is performing a "special solo set + birthday celebration" at The Stone tonight, Wednesday, 3/16. In June, she's going on tour with U.S. Girls, including a show at Bruar Falls on June 26. All dates and a video below...

Continue reading "Noveller playing the Stone (tonight) & other shows"

by Andrew Frisicano

DOWNLOAD: Noveller - Almost Alright (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Noveller - Fades (live on WKCR) (MP3)

That's the retina-popping cover of Desert Fires, the second album from Noveller - Brooklyn guitarist Sarah Lipstate - which came out in June. The two tracks above are the beginning and end of the warm, shimmering record (though the latter is a live cut rather than the album version).

Noveller plays Littlefield tonight (7/20) with Alan Licht, Fair Use (Luke Dubois, Zach Layton and Matty Ostrowski) and pianist Kathleen Supové. Tickets are still on sale.

Coming up, Licht performs with Text of Light, a group that features him, Lee Ranaldo, Uli Krieger, and Christian Marclay, at (Le) Poisson Rouge on September 2nd. Tickets are on sale. They also play ATP NY.

Noveller tours in August and September with unFact, the project of David Wm. Sims of Jesus Lizard (who Noveller opened for at Irving Plaza in November). Noveller returns to Littlefield for a September 9th with Balmorhea and Julianna Barwick (tickets).

The video for "Almost Alright," directed by Chris Habib with hand-drawn film by Sarah, live clips and all tour dates are posted below...

Continue reading "Noveller released an album, touring w/ unFact, playing today"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Dum Dum Girls - Jail La La (Mp3)
DOWNLOAD: Happy Birthday - Girls FM (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Bloodsugars - Light at the End of the Tunnel (Mp3)

Bear Hands

It's another jam-packed week of shows. In addition to Taken By Trees, El Perro Del Mar and The Soundtrack of our Lives, here's some of the ones I'm excited about.

tonight (2/16): New Cantora Records signees Bear Hands play The Studio at Webster Hall. You can download the band's percussion-heavy new single "What a Drag" for free from their website if you're willing to give them your email address. You can also watch the video at the bottom of this post.

Also tonight (2/16), Beast kick off what is now a run of three NYC shows. As we pointed out earlier today, "Beast are at the Living Room tonight. They play the Cameo tomorrow night late...and they've added an early set at the Mercury Lounge on Wednesday, where the show is with Fight Like Apes, Honor By August, Stationary Set and Tryptics."

The Bloodsugars

This week is last of Savoir Adore's February Thursdays residency at Cake Shop and we've got a pair of tickets up for grabs. Just email BVCONTESTS@HOTMAIL.COM and we'll pick a winner at random. In addition to Savoir Adore (have I mentioned their album made my Best of 2009 list?),  it's another good group of openers. The Bloodsugars make '80s-inspired widescreen pop that at times sounds uncannily like Prefab Sprout -- and good Prefab Sprout, not "hot dog jumping frog Albequerque" Prefab Sprout. Which is to say these folks know their way around big pop hooks, and are kind of a perfect match with Savoir Adore. You can download "Light at the End of the Tunnel" from last year's underrated I Can't Go On, I'll Go On at the top of this post.

Also on the bill: Pittsburgh's chilled-out Ennui and Brooklyn's synth-heavy Red Wire Black Wire with between-sets DJing from Nora of blog I Rock I Roll.

Also on Thursday (2/18), Dan Black is in town at Mercury Lounge. There's a new version of Dan's single "Symphonies" that features Kid Cudi, and you can watch the new video for it at the bottom of this post.

Bear in Heaven @ Mercury Lounge in January (more by Kyle Dean Reinford)

A few more shows. Bear in Heaven, who were just great at Mercury Lounge a couple weeks back, play Glasslands on Friday night (2/19) with Secret Machines. What I like about them live is that you can tell they all really enjoying being in Bear in Heaven and playing these songs. They're just a lot of fun to watch, and they're pretty tight too with a drummer beats the shit out of his instrument.

Secret Machines are headlining, a band I haven't seen play in some time but have always liked. They've got a trippy, string-heavy new single, "Like I Can," that you can listen to on their website. Also playing what sounds like a full evening are electro rock quintet Mon Khmer, Noveller and Papa.

Saturday (2/20) marks the end of The Beets/Beach Fossils/Christmas Island tour where they'll play Music Hall of Williamsburg along with German Measels and headliners Crystal Stilts who I still haven't managed to catch since Frankie Rose left the drummer's chair.

Dum Dum Girls

Speaking of Frankie, she'll be pulling double duty Sunday night at Mercury Lounge where her own bandThe Outs will open for Dum Dum Girls (she's their drummer). DDG's debut album for Sub Pop is about six weeks away but you can download the album's first single, "Jail La La," at the top of this post. (It's out on 7" today with a nice cover of the Stones' "Play With Fire" on the flip.) I'm usually not one for re-recording songs that have already been released, but I actually think this recording is spruces things up just enough without unraveling their reverby gauze. After heading to London for a few shows, Dum Dum Girls will be back for SXSW and then will go on tour with Girls in April. All dates are at the bottom of this post.

Frankie & the Outs are really coming along as a band too, and thought they were fantastic at Monster Island this past weekend. The vocal harmonies in particular are the band's strong point, with a bit of soul in there too actually, kind of like some late-'60s girl rockers. I'd love to hear them cover The Kelly Affair/Carry Nation's "Sweet Talking Candy Man" from Beyond the Valley of the Dolls. But maybe that's just me.

Also playing are Dum Dum Girls' Sub Pop labelmates Happy Birthday, whose super-catchy song "Girls FM" is downloadable at the top of this post. It's power pop, but kind of gritty/garagy and makes me anxious to hear more.

That's it for this week. Flyers, videos and tour dates after the jump...

Continue reading "Bear Hands, Dum Dum Girls, Happy Birthday, Bloodsugars, Bear in Heaven, Beast & more in This Week in Indie"

DOWNLOAD: Bisco Smith - "Broadcast Live" (Remix of TV On The Radio's "Wear You Out") (MP3)

Rain Machine @ BAM Opera House (more by Vincent Cornelli)

As pointed out in the comments, Noveller's Brooklyn Valentine's Day show at Glasslands will be happening instead at Coco 66. The lineup for that includes Bad Credit No Credit, The Shivers, comic Caroline Contillo and DJ Ropstyle .

Instead, Glasslands (before its Neon Indian/French Horn Rebellion/Cubic Zirconia DJ party) will be hosting a Valentine's Day show with TV on the Radio's Kyp Malone & friends. There'll be sets by Rain Machine (Kyp's band), Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson (Kyp is a huge fan, a friend, and appears on his album), Iran (also Kyp's band) (sometimes) and Candles of Paradise.

Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson's backing band shares members with Holly Miranda's (its a night off from her Tegan & Sara-supporting tour) and Holly's forthcoming album, The Magician's Private Library, was produced by TVotR's Dave Sitek who also produced Iran's Dissolver (which came out last year). In related Sitek news, Dave also has a remix on the new 12" from DOOM (who plays NYC with Mos Def on February 26th).

Miles Benjamin is also playing a show at Le Poisson Rouge on March 10th with Shilpa Ray and Suckers. Tickets just went on sale.

And to complete the TVotR roundup, we should mention that Tunde is one of the guest vocalists on the new Massive Attack record, and TVotR's "Wear You Out" was recently remixed by Brooklyn MC Bisco Smith, re-linked above.

Some classic TV on the Radio videos (and others you'd probably rather not see) are posted below...

Continue reading "Noveller moves to Coco66, Kyp Malone & friends playing Glasslands, Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson also at LPR"

Freelance Whales @ Bell House Haiti benefit, Jan 27 (more by Jonny Leather)

Freelance Whales have added another NYC show to their upcoming schedule. The newly announced show is the farthest away - they'll play Bowery Ballroom on Tuesday, April 13th. Tickets are on sale.

Before then they open for Mumford & Sons and Shout Out Louds (separately), and go on tour with Cymbals Eat Guitars and Bear In Heaven. That trip goes around North America and includes SXSW. Those two bands, minus Freelance Whales, finish the tour at Music Hall of Williamsburg on April 9th. tickets are still on sale.

Before then you can catch Bear in Heaven at Glasslands on February 19th, when they play with Secret Machines, Mon Khmer (who also play a show at Union Pool with Midnight Masses), Noveller (who plays Coco66 on V-Day; all shows are below) and PAPA. Ticket info is here.

Video from Freelance Whales' recent NYC show and all tour dates are below...

Continue reading "Noveller touring (dates), Valentine's Day show w/ Secret Machines, Bear in Heaven ++ Freelance Whales add NY show"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Sisters - Accolades (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Sisters - Street Cars (MP3)

Sisters @ Above the Auto Parts Store (more by Leia Jospe)

While they have yet to release an album, Brooklyn duo Sisters have been busy releasing split 7"s with JEFF: the Brotherhood and helping run Death by Audio the venue. Death by Audio, the label, will release their full-length debut in the spring of 2010. The guys don't have any local shows till February (when they'll open for Atlas Sound and Neon Indian) but they play Toronto on January 15 with Little Girls. Singer-guitarist Aaron Pfannnebecker, and drummer/keyboardist Matt Conboy sum up their 2009, and explain why two people need so much volume...

Continue reading "an end of 2009 interview w/ Sisters"

Dr. Dog @ Prospect Park in the Summer (more by Tim Griffin)

tonight in NYC
* Shadowbox @ Coco66
* Dr. Dog @ Brooklyn Bowl
* Mucky Pup @ Mexicali Live
* .357 Lover, Sxip Shirey @ Galapagos
* Glen Matlock of the Sex Pistols @ Nublu
* Sebastien Schuller, The Present @ Sycamore
* The Gaslight Anthem @ Wellmont Theater
* Mountain Man & Alex Beeker @ Lutheran Church
* Arctic Monkeys, Screaming Females @ Terminal 5
* Das Racist, Popo, Gordon Voidwell @ Glasslands
* The Whigs, The Features, Mean Creek @ Irving Plaza
* forgetters, Humanbeast, Chastity Wig @ Market Hotel
* The Cliks, Hunter Valentine @ Knitting Factory Brookln
* The Beets, The Wowz, Great Lakes @ Brooklyn Tea Party
* Tyvek, Yellow Fever, Air Waves, Noveller @ Bruar Falls
* Knight School, Old Books, Order, Alphabet @ Silent Barn
* Curtis Harvey, The Glorytellers, Chris Brokaw @ Cake Shop
* A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor @ Town Hall
* The Woes, Previously on Lost, Zongo Junction, Height @ Death By Audio
* Holly Golightly & The Broke-Offs, T Model Ford, Tough Shits @ Maxwell's
* The Phenomenal Handclap Band, Javelin, The Eclectic Method @ Bowery Ballroom
* Gunfight, Bottle Up & Go, Beach Fossils, The Toothaches, The Vultures @ Live at the Pyramids
* The Fiery Furnaces, Shilpa Ray & Her Happy Hookers, Private Income @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

Nice Jewish Girls Gone Bad are at Bleeker Street Theater.

Arctic Monkeys play with Screaming Females again at Terminal 5. Pictures from last night HERE.

Dr. Dog plays Brooklyn Bowl tonight and will be back later to play Terminal 5.

Glen Matlock of the Sex Pistols plays Sex Pistols songs acoustic at Nublu tonight. Flyer below.

Shilpa Ray opens for the Fiery Furnaces tonight at MHOW and then again tomorrow at Bowery Ballroom.

Yellow Fever play with Tyvek tonight and then with Vivian Girls and Happy Birthday tomorrow. Noveller is also on the Bruar Falls bill tonight. Check out a live video below...

Bonnie Baxter is Shadowbox

forgetters featuring Blake from Jawbreaker is at Market Hotel tonight.

Glorytellers featuring Geoff Farina from Karate is at Cake Shop tonight.

Small Black play Cake Shop Saturday (with Tickley Feather).

Gwar is in the area and touches down in NYC on Sunday.

Yo La Tengo is not playing playing a show tonight.

What else?

Continue reading "Whats going on Friday? (Hanukkah night 1) "

Dan Friel @ Cake Shop NYE 2008 (more by Lori Baily)

Parts & Labor have a short string of shows coming up: one in Massachusetts on December 5th, one in Connecticut on December 6th, then a free show at Brooklyn Bowl on Tuesday, December 8th with The Tony Castles. Flyer for the latter and more details below.

Before that, P&L member Dan Friel plays a solo set at Union Pool on December 3rd. Also on the bill are Knyfe Hyts 81, Dinowalrus and Electric Tickle Machine.

Another Parts & Labor affiliate, their former guitar player Sarah Lipstate (she left the band in July to focus on her solo project after being a member for only 14 months), who plays as Noveller, will perform at Bruar Falls on December 11th with Yellow Fever and Air Waves (who are also playing December 5th with Talk Normal, US Girls and Total Slackers at Secret Project Robot).

That's also another show for Austin's Yellow Fever, who are already lined up to play a December 12th show at Death By Audio with Vivian Girls. Yellow Fever's self-titled LP is available now through Wild World, a label run by Vivian Girls, and the show is a release party for that record. Happy Birthday is also on the bill. Yellow Fever also lists a TBA NYC show on December 13th.

Happy Birthday member Ruth Garbus plays a show with her sister Merrill Garbus at The Stone in December too.

As of now, it's the last scheduled Vivian Girls show for '09 before they tour the UK in January.

All tour dates and a poster for the Parts & Labor BK Bowl show are below...

Continue reading "upcoming shows for Parts & Labor, member Dan Friel & EX-MEMBER Sarah Lipstate (Noveller) - 2009 dates"

photos by Lori Baily

"How can it be that in the wake of the ten year absence of this band, there's really yet to be a front man as captivating, ferocious, unnerving and entertaining? Sure there's Matt Korvette of PISSED JEANS and Eugene from OXBOW as current torch bearers, and I'm not sure that the world needs another GG Allin. Actually, scratch that...I am sure we don't need another GG. But those bands can't hold a 5W bulb to the music of the Jesus Lizard, and Yow's the propellant that gets it all going. He spent probably as much time in/on the crowd as on stage, and never missed a note while singing propped up by the hands of strangers. Highlights? Truly, there were no lulls. How can there be when you've got the mutated hybrid of "Chrome" coming at you, or the manic "Bloody Mary," or the insistent throbbing of "Gladiator"?" [Big Takeover]

Continue reading "Jesus Lizard & Noveller @ Irving Plaza (night 2) in NYC - pics "

Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin - Nov 7, 2009 (by Chad Wadsworth)

There have been plenty of chances to catch The Jesus Lizard since they reunited. They've played Europe and a bunch of festivals. They played the Pitchfork Festival, Fun Fun Fun Fun Fest, and even ATP NY just a short drive north of the city. They even played in NYC on Halloween at a Vice party. They have not however yet played a completely public show as a reunited band in NYC. That is until tonight, 11/16, at Irving Plaza with Skeleton Key (and tomorrow at the same venue with Noveller). Tickets are still available for both shows (though only a "handful" left for tonight at the door).

If you stand close to the stage, be ready to catch David Yow. He is known to jump the second they hit the stage. Above picture from Day One of Fun Fun Fun Fest. Video and all dates below...

Continue reading "Jesus Lizard are here! See David Yow jump (at Irving Plaza Monday & Tuesday night) (and other tour dates) "

The Jesus Lizard plays at 11:45pm at ATP tonight (9/11). They play Irving Plaza in NYC on November 16th with recently added openers Skeleton Key and Noveller. They play Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin on Saturday November 7th... at 8:35pm which means you need to decide between them, Ratatat, The Pharcyde and Destroyer. On Sunday, November 8th, people need to choose between Danzig and Of Montreal. Full FFFFest schedule below...

Continue reading "Fun Fun Fun Fest set times ++ Jesus Lizard NYC openers announced (and the ATP NY show is TONIGHT) "

Sam Hillmer (left) playing with Zs @ the Yard (more by Sarahana)

You Are Here (The Maze) is a performance festival in a sculptural maze taking place at Williamsburg's Death By Audio from September 10 - October 2, 2009. Emphasizing the sprawling and interconnected nature of New York's underground, a trip through the maze offers a peak inside NYC's diy art/music scene. A meditation on passage and desire, You Are Here engulfs the space and presents beckoning inhabitants, dead ends, and uplifting epitaphs. Medium and genre vary and overlapping and simultaneous performances are frequent, each performer establishing a different corner or dead end as his or hers.

Skeletons kick off the first night of the festival on September 10th as the Skeletons Big Band, a 12-piece band (expanded from their usual four) that's also playing September 7-9th at Roulette. There they'll be performing "New Works for a Larger Ensemble" which includes "excerpts and new arrangements from their record in progress "PEOPLE," a long form piece based around conversations in Greyhound busses and stations, and beyond..."

The full schedule for the Maze (and the lineup for Skeletons Big Band) is below...

Continue reading "Death By Audio's The Maze - schedule (includes 1 of 4 upcoming Skeletons Big Band shows & much more) "

words by Black Bubblegum, photos by Lori Baily

Bastard Noise

"LOUDER!" "TURN IT UP!"

After leaving Melvins at Webster Hall on Friday (May 15, 2009), where the thundering basstones of Trevor Dunn were vibrating my chest, it was a little odd that the sounds emanating from British power electronic terrorists Grey Wolves over at Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn, were comparatively silent. As their No Fun Fest set went on, the volume would increase from "mildly harsh" to "razor sharp", but one thing stayed constant: the squalls of caustic harsh noise squelching out of the PA.

Sound fun? It was. Behind that backdrop, Grey Wolves spewed caustic lyrics about hate, terrorism, and a desire to "fuck the pain way", and not like Peaches sang playfully in 2000. In between the confrontational lyrics, the vocalist sneered and grabbed his crotch, but not in the Jackson Family manner, the kind that would make your mother call the po-po. Intense, immense, a tad shocking, and completely enjoyable.

After Grey Wolves, my journey into the Melvins past would continue with their ex-bassist Joe Preston and his solo project Thrones. With a looping pedal, drum machine, and some sort of vocal harmonizer (anyone know?), Joe churned out compelling and doomy rhythms, leads, and everything in between, making for a fascinating one man show. I had originally thought that the Wolves In the Throne Room/A Storm Of Light show coming up with Krallice at The Studio @ Webster (5/26, tickets here) was the definite winner of the NYC shows on that tour, but after seeing Thrones on Friday, its a toss up... unless I make it to Coco66 on 5/21 to catch him with Blues Control, then I may go see him again with WITTR at Europa on 5/22 (tickets here)

The last act for the evening was Bastard Noise, the noise project of fallen powerviolence legends Man Is The Bastard. I caught a few songs from the noise-terrorists, enough to see Eric Wood thrashing around like a madman and require another listen from their awesome new album Rogue Astronaut.

How were all the acts who came before them? For poor Raglani, it was his last with his gear. Pictures and video from the whole night below...

Continue reading "No Fun Fest @ MHOW - night 1 in pics, video & review "

UPDATE: the May 31st benefit show at Bell House has been postponed

The 3rd annual Willie Mae-Ra-Thon is a four-day, all-Brooklyn music extravaganza with 20 diverse and talented bands taking the stage at Brooklyn venues such as Union Pool, The Bell House, and the newly opened Bruar Falls. Participating bands include legendary indie rock bands Antietam and Babe the Blue Ox, art punk upstarts Taigaa! and Pterodactyl, experimental funk ensemble Burnt Sugar and Brooklyn noise-pop faves Parts & Labor, among others.

The Willie Mae-Ra-Thon runs from Thursday, May 28th through Sunday, May 31st. All shows are 21+. The annual event is organized by the Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls Advisory Board, which is made up of camp volunteers, camper parents, and other members of the Rock Camp community.

The camp is also putting on a Spring Carnival on Saturday May 30th and Sunday, May 31st at 163 Plymouth Street in DUMBO. More info on that, and the Mae-Ra-Thon, below...

Continue reading "Willie Mae rock camp Mae-Ra-Thon benefit & carnival - shows by Parts & Labor, Antietam, Pterodactyl & more "

NYC's very own critically-acclaimed lyricist Jean Grae will perform at NYC's New Museum on Friday, May 1st along with "the soul-inspired hip-hop of Derrin Maxwell and the gritty, heavily-fried underground funk of 3beanstew." Tickets are on sale.

That show is part of the museum's Get Weird series. A week later (Friday, May 8th), Get Weird hosts the Younger Lovers (featuring Brontez Purnell of Gravy Train!!!!) and Gamma Rays. Tickets are on sale.

During the No Fun Fest, taking place May 15th-17th at the MHoW, the New Museum will partners with Rhizome and the No Fun to present "No Fun 2009: Infinite Sound and Image" on Saturday, May 16th. The live-music and silent film screening includes Jim O'Rouke (a man with many credits including Sonic Youth and producing Wilco), Robert Beatty (of Hair Police and Three Legged Race), Sarah Lipstate (of Noveller), and C. Spencer Yeh (of Burning Star Core). Noveller and C. Spencer Yeh both also make separate NFF appearances. Tickets for the New Musem show are on sale. Full program details are below.

The museum combines its Get Weird music series and its Younger Than Jesus exhibit (artists less than 33 yrs old) and gets a show with BARR/Brendan Fowler and MEN on Friday, June 12th. Tickets are on sale for that too.

All details, with more upcoming New Museum music events (including Nick Hallett performing Meredith Monk, Karlheinz Stockhausen and others) below...

Continue reading "Jean Grae, Jim O'Rourke & others playing the New Museum"

by Andrew Frisicano

April 11th will be ISSUE Project Room's 6th anniversary. We're amazed at how much has happened in this period of time. ISSUE started on East 6th street as an impromptu and spontaneous music, experimental cinema and performance venue...quickly gaining attention and expanding from 60 performances a year to over 250. By 2005, ISSUE had to leave the East Village and migrated to an iconic and beautiful silo along the banks of the Gowanus Canal. This unusual and extraordinarily fun location was voted "Best Art Bayou" by the Village Voice and named "New York's Best Kept Secret" by the Whitney Museum.

Producing amazing performances by Rhys Chatham, Anthony Coleman, Marianne Amancher, Elliott Sharp, Jandek and WFMU's own Kenny G, ISSUE Project Room enjoyed its stay at the silo immensely but then had to move once again. This time to its current location at the Old American Can Factory at 232 3rd Street in Brooklyn. This room, the "sanctuary", was formerly a rehearsal studio for a circus troupe. Instead of trapeze artists, we've now got Stephan Moore's 16 channel hemispherical speaker system hanging from the ceiling, enabling us to move sound over and around the heads of the audience.

This past year we found out that we were awarded a rent free, 20 year lease on the elk's club room at the former Board of Education building at 110 Livingston Street. It's a pretty amazing room and an amazing opportunity to build a kind of "Carnegie Hall of the Avant Garde" for the next 20 years. It's up to us to bring it up to code and move in, though...so we'll be fundraising for the time being...getting ready for the future. [ISSUE Project Room via Free Music Archive]

One highlight (of many) is Moby's "first-ever live electronic/ambiant performance" on Friday, April 24th. Tickets for the show are on sale now - regular and VIP. The full package includes: "an intimate pre-performance cocktail party with Moby [to] hear advance tracks from his forthcoming album, meet and talk with the artist, and enjoy a sneak-preview of his new music video directed by David Lynch." Not surprisingly, Moby was one of many artists who recently appeared at Radio City Music Hall to help raise money for the David Lynch Foundation. Moby was also a part of the Issue Project Room fundraiser that took place at Santos Party House last year (that Tony Conrad also performed at).

On ISSUE Project Room's actual birthday, April 11th, Pitre, with special guest avant-composer/filmmaker Tony Conrad, will perform original composition ED09 "with a 17-piece string/woodwind ensemble". Tickets are on sale. ISSUE Project Room is where Tony teamed up with Genesis P-Orridge (of the reunited Throbbing Gristle) for two shows earlier this year. Video from one of those shows below.

The IPR schedule also has a Tuesday, April 21st show with producer and SNL music supervisor Hal Willner featuring Sean Lennon, Yuka Honda, Chloe Webb and special guests. Tickets to that are on sale. One of the albums Hal recently produced is the new Marianne Faithfull. Still waiting to hear if he'll be back at Prospect Park this year.

Noveller/Sarah Lipstate (who is playing Cinema 16 at the Bell House on Sunday, April 19th) performs at the ISSUE Project Room on Saturday, April 25th as part of artist-in-residence Duane Pitre's Bowed Harmonic-Guitar Ensemble.

Some videos and the venue's full April schedule, below...

Continue reading "Issue Project Room is 6 -- April (pre-move to Livingston St) benefit/birthday schedule w/ Moby, Hal Willner & more"

by Andrew Frisicano

Noveller (Sarah Lipstate)

Noveller is the solo project of Brooklyn-based sound artist and filmmaker Sarah Lipstate. She has performed in Rhys Chatham's Guitar Army, and as a member of Glenn Branca's 100 guitar ensemble. In March 2008, Lipstate joined Parts & Labor as their new guitarist.

This month's event presents: Experimental Brooklyn musician and singer Julianna Barwick performs an original score for "1734" (a short by Joel Schelmowitz) and "Pleasure Dome" (by Kenneth Anger). Brooklyn filmmaker and sound artist (and also Parts & Labor guitarist) Sarah Lipstate as her solo project Noveller performs an original score to a selection of her own original films.

Continue reading "Noveller (Sarah Lipstate) - Cinema 16 & other appearances "

here's some new pictures & tour dates with a sort of old interview (that I'd rather post than throw away) (hope you don't mind)....

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words by Black Bubblegum, photos by Lori Baily

Dan Friel @ Cake Shop, NYC - New Years Eve (Dec 31, 2008)

ATP NY (2008) (think all the way back to September for a second) was littered with luminaries. We've previously documented our run-ins with some of the great performers, but we also ran into a few artists who were just there for the good time. One of those artists was Dan Friel.

Friel is probably best known for his participation in Parts & Labor, the Brooklyn experimental noise pop/rock band he formed in 2002 with BJ Warshaw (also of Shooting Spires). Over the years, Parts & Labor have released three LPs and multiple seven-inches, contributed to many a compilation, and even dropped a split LP with Tyondai Braxton (Battles). All along, Dan Friel has been working on solo material... dropping EPs and a cassette leading up to 2008's triumphant Ghost Town, out now on Important.

We cornered Dan Friel at ATP (literally... he could NOT escape) for a couple minutes to discuss the festival and his plans for the next few months.

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So Dan, what were some of the motivating factors for you coming to ATP? What are some of the bands you really wanted to check out?

Dan Friel: Today I'm pretty excited about seeing Polvo. I've been sort of starting to listen to them again, a bunch in the last couple of years which I think a lot of people have, and it will be great to see them play again. I haven't seen Lightning Bolt in a couple of years, so that'll be pretty cool. I've never seen Low, and that's kind of a big deal because I like their records quite a bit. And Fuck Buttons and Alexander Tucker are both friends and amazing people. So I'm excited to check that out.

continued below...

Continue reading "an interview w/ Dan Friel, pics from New Years Eve"

No Fun Fest 2009. May 15,16,17 at Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn. Daily Schedule,ticket info/prices will be announced by January 12.

Continue reading "Sonic Youth, Merzbow & Bardo Pond playing No Fun Fest 2009 (full 3-day, Brooklyn lineup)"