by Ryan Barkan

The Darkness played a Superbowl commercial

Another Super Bowl, another year where the Cowboys didn't win, and another year of music-filled commercials. The Patriots entered the field to "Crazy Train" by English metal god Ozzy Osbourne (who is currently having a feud of his own with an old bandmate). The Giants entered to "Written in the Stars" by English rapper Tinie Tempah.

Did you catch that map of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, in the Samsung commercial for their Galaxy (with stylus!)? You know, the one that had a sweet use of The Darkness jam "I Believe In A Thing Called Love"? Yeah, it was there and showed a close up of Berry and N. 1st in Google Maps. Did I mention they also have a stylus? The Darkness are currently in NYC, played Irving Plaza on Superbowl eve and do so again tonight (2/6). Watch the ad which stars the band's Justin Hawkins, below.

My personal favorite music-based commercial of Super Bowl XLVI goes to the Mr. Sandman-induced dream sequence in a new Kia commercial that featured two great music choices.

The spot starts with the Chordettes' "Mr. Sandman" for the first few seconds of the commercial. That song makes way for something completely different, like Motley Crüe. The band actually shows up and plays inside the race track-themed dream of the alpha male hero. He drives the track to impress Adrianna Lima while the Crüe shred on "Kickstart My Heart". Watch "A Dream Car For Real Life" below.

In the "did I just hear Megafaun in a commercial" category, Megafaun wins one for the little guys and gets a song used in a new Toyota ad. The band's song "Hope You Know" sounds super good as the soundtrack to a story-esque spot for the Camry model. Watch it below.

Also of significant note was another brand-infused OK GO music video. The band collaborated with Chevrolet to make a commercial/music video for the song "Needing/Getting", off the 2010 album Of The Blue Colour Of the Sky. The band is filmed strapped inside a Chevy Sonic, singing and utilizing both the car and a strategically placed course sprinkled with over 1100 instruments that more or less sound like the studio version of the song. The set up is meticulous, as is the band's ability to show up in a paid advertisement in an easily-digestible, yet very memorable way.

My single most favorite lyric placed in a Super Bowl commercial goes to the lines I know it must be killing time / unknowingly mine. Audi tries to end the whole Vampire craze with its 2012 game day commercial featuring Echo & The Bunnymen's "Killing Moon." Watch below.

continued below...

Continue reading "music & commercials of Super Bowl XLVI (Darkness, Motley Crue, Megafaun, Art Brut, OK Go, Echo & the Bunnymen, Madonna & more)"

The Outside Lands Festival, which runs from 8/12 - 8/14 in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, released their 2011 lineup in April (and now it's May, so consider this a catch up post). Tickets are on sale.

This year's fest will appearances from The Shins, Muse, Arcade Fire, Arctic Monkeys, The Black Keys, Phish (two sets), !!!, Erykah Badu, Big Audio Dynamite (who played Coachella and are also playing Lollapalooza), Girl Talk and many more. The full lineup is below.

Continue reading "Outside Lands 2011 lineup"

Lollapalooza last year (more by Josh Darr)

Lollapalooza celebrates its 20th anniversary this year with some huge names on its just-announced lineup. See it in full below.

The festival has obviously changed over the years. What started out as a farewell tour for Jane's Addiction with a 'touring festival' lineup that included the Rollins Band, Nine Inch Nails, Butthole Surfers, and Souxsie & The Banshees, has turned into a one-weekend Chicago festival that Lady Gaga co-headlined last year. As leaked a while ago, Foo Fighters, Muse and Eminem all play this year, as will Coldplay, Cee Lo Green, and My Morning Jacket along with the reunited Cars and the continuing-to-be-reunited Big Audio Dynamite and Death From Above 1979, and a bunch of other bands which may or may not be worth the ticket price depending on how you feel about the headliners and generally seeing bands in big, hot, outdoor crowded parks (Lollapalooza happens in Chicago's Grant Park from August 5th - 7th).

Full 2011 Lineup and a couple of videos (one from 1991, one from 2010), below...

Continue reading "Lollapalooza 2011 lineup announced"

Spoon @ Radio City in March (more by Benjamin Lozovsky)

Spoon, whose next show is at the MAHA Music Festival in Omaha, Nebraska, will be coming to New York soon as part of their handful of dates opening for Arcade Fire. Those include the shows at Madison Square Garden on August 4th and 5th (which Owen Pallett also opens).

Spoon's upcoming tour dates also include Matador's Lost Weekend, Austin City Limits, and a free September 12th show at Clark, NJ's Oak Ridge Park (a little more than an hour by train from NYC). There they'll headline the 13th annual Union County MusicFest. The free five-day fair will have two days of music, Saturday, September 11th and Sunday, September 12th. The first night's bands include The Bravery, Soul Asylum, OK Go, Mike Peters and Friends, Willie Nile, Jesse Malin and the St. Marks Social, and 61 North. Joining Spoon on the second night are Robert Randolph and the Family Band, Nils Lofgren Acoustic Duo, The Zombies and Suzanne Vega. More bands are still to be announced.

All Spoon dates below....

Continue reading "Spoon playing NJ's free Union County MusicFest & other dates "

Tickets are on sale at noon for the Nas & Damian Marley show at Highline Ballroom.

Natalie Merchant is playing shows at Town Hall in NYC on July 15th & 16th. Tickets are on sale at noon.

Tickets are on sale at noon for the Primus / Gogol Bordello show at Williamsgurg Waterfront.

Tickets are on sale at noon for the Gogol Bordello show at Starland Ballroom.

Tickets are on sale for the Brian Jonestown Massacre show at Music Hall of Williamsburg.

Tickets are on sale at noon for the Dead Weather show in Prospect Park.

Tickets are on sale at noon for the Gories show at Bowery Ballroom.

Barenaked Ladies are playing Radio City Music Hall on August 13th. Tickets are on sale.

50 Cent is playing Hammerstein Ballroom on June 22nd. Tickets are on sale at noon.

Juliette Lewis plays Music Hall of Williamsburg on August 21st. Tickets are on sale at noon.

Tickets are on sale for the Melvins/Isis show at Music Hall of Williamsburg.

OK Go are playing Terminal 5 on October 29th. Tickets are on sale at noon.

Tickets are on sale at noon for the Phenomenal Handclap Band show at Music Hall of Williamsburg.

Tickets are on sale at noon for the Gov't Mule show in Central Park.
Check out the ENTIRE Central Park Summerstage schedule.

photos by Leia Jospe

OK Go played their first of two shows at Music Hall of Williamsburg last night (4/29). Anamanaguchi & The Tangents both opened the show. More pictures and the headliner's setlist below...

Continue reading "OK Go, Anamanaguchi & the Tangents @ MHOW (pics, setlist) "

Tickets are on sale (@ noon) for the Broken Social Scene show coming to Rumsey Playfield aka Central Park Summerstage. You can also catch them at the Pitchfork Festival this summer.

Tickets are on sale (@ noon) for the two Massive Attack shows at Terminal 5.

Tickets are on sale (@ noon) for the Public Image Ltd show at Terminal 5.

Tickets are on sale (@ noon) for the just-added (2nd) Morning Benders show at Mercury Lounge.

OK Go are playing Music Hall of Williamsburg on April 30th. Tickets are on sale (@ noon).

Corinne Bailey Rae is playing Music Hall of Williamsburg on May 4th (one night after she plays Webster Hall). Tickets are on sale (@ noon).

Tickets are on sale (@ noon) for the Mumford & Sons / Middle East show at Webster Hall. Coming to SXSW? Catch The Middle East at the BrooklynVegan showcase and other shows.

Tickets are on sale (@ noon) for the Melvins / Isis show at Webster Hall. Also a Music Hall of Williamsburg show is on their schedule, but it's not on sale yet.

Tickets are on sale (@ noon) for the Best Coast show at Mercury Lounge.

Regina Spektor, Local Natives & Jamie Lidell tickets are also on sale.

Akron/Family @ Outsida Lands 2009 (more by Chris Graham)

tonight in NYC
* Imelda May @ Southpaw
* Soulive @ Brooklyn Bowl
* Tilt @ Issue Project Room
* Mose Allsion @ City Winery
* Cruel Black Dove @ Littlefield
* Gil Scott-Heron @ The Blue Note
* Rogue Wave, Avi Buffalo @ Bowery Ballroom
* Gabriel Kahane @ Lincoln Center's Allen Room
* Beat Radio, Stars of Track and Field @ The Bell House
* Cubic Zirconia, Keys N Krates, MeLo-X @ Mercury Lounge
* 'What It Feels Like for a Girl' w/ Supercute @ 92YTribeca
* Happy Ending Music & Reading w/ Phosphorescent @ Joe's Pub
* Efterklang, Daniel Bjarnason, Sam Amidon @ (Le) Poisson Rouge
* Akron/Family, Warpaint, Please The Trees @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
* Armory Show opening w/ The Walkmen, Human Rights, Justin Miller (DJ) @ MoMA
* Cameron Hull, Guitars, Spanish Prisoners, Heavy Birds, The Shivers @ Glasslands
* Big Terrific Show w/ Max Silvestri, Gabe Liedman and Jenny Slate @ The Cameo

The new OK Go video is below...

Owen Pallett's new video for "Lewis Takes Off His Shirt", below...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Wednesday?"

We'll get a more complete press release in the morning (and confirm what is listed below is 100% correct), but in the meantime below is a picture of the 2010 Sasquatch poster (that someone Tweeted) and the lineup as read by Bradford Cox at tonight's Atlas Sound show in Seattle (and being listed all over the Internet)....

Continue reading "Sasquatch announces 2010 lineup (includes Massive Attack & My Morning Jacket) (and many more) "

After a hectic day of updating the constantly updating Bonnaroo lineup page, the entire thing has been announced. Gwar, Norah Jones, and the rest of the lineup below...

Continue reading "the complete 2010 Bonnaroo lineup (Stevie Wonder, The Melvins, Kings of Leon, Isis, Local Natives & many more) "

The lineup to the 2010 Bonnaroo Festival is being announced today, but not all at once. Bands playing the the festival will each be announcing themselves one by one... making it like a big game for people to figure out, and...

For the first time ever, tickets will go back on sale the same day as the announcement. The top two tiers of tickets sold out quickly during our Holiday pre-sale in December, so make sure to act fast. Payment plans will once again be offered for both GA and VIP tickets.

The festival will be held from June 10-13, 2010 on our beautiful 700-acre farm in Manchester, Tennessee. Get ready for an amazing four-day weekend with more than 150 of your favorite bands, top comedians, art, activities, workshops, vendors and much more.

So far Weezer, Phoenix, Dave Matthews Band, Baroness (who just announced a tour with Mastodon), and OK Go have confirmed themselves on the lineup. Let's keep track of who else in the comments. I'll also keep updating this post...

UPDATES: Jeff Beck, John Fogerty, Medeski Martin & Wood, Punch Brothers, Isis, Chromeo w/ guest Daryl Hall, The Avett Brothers, Cross Canadian Ragweed, Carolina Chocolate Drops (video below), Big Sam's Funky Nation, Neon Indian, The Black Keys, Monte Montgomery, Bassnectar, The Constellations, Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers, Ingrid Michaelson, Blues Traveler, 311, The xx, Mayer Hawthorne and the County, Regina Spektor, Wale, Norah Jones, Jay-Z, Thievery Corporation, GWAR, She & Him, Jimmy Cliff, Tokyo Police Club, Kid Cudi, Japandroids, Dr. Dog, Baaba Maal, Zac Brown Band, The National, John Prine, Dave Rawlings Machine, Manchester Orchestra, Local Natives, Dropkick Murphys, Jay Electronica, The Postelles, Reblution, Damien Marley & Nas, NeedtoBreathe, Tenacious D, Jamey Johnson, They Might Be Giants, Lotus, The Entrance Band, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Clutch, Tori Amos, The Melvins, The Dodos, Kings of Leon, The Dead Weather, Deadmau5, Martin Sexton, Blitzen Trapper, The Gaslight Anthem, Mumford & Sons, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Ave, Tinariwen, Here We Go Magic, Julia Nunes, Disco Biscuits, Rise Against and reportedly the Flaming Lips with Stardeath and White Dwarfs covering Dark Side of the Moon (still not confirmed by the band). Paul Simon is also rumored.

Continue reading "2010 Bonnaroo lineup revealing itself today (keep track of who's playing here) ++ tickets on sale at noon"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Higher Than the Stars (Others in Conversation Mix) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Besnard Lakes - And You Lied to Me (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Cinnamon Band - Buena Vista (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Princeton - Calypso Gold (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Princeton - Sadie and Andy (feat. Meredith Metcalf (MP3)

The Besnard Lakes

(This Week in Indie Pt 1, in case you missed it.)

North of the border, Pop Montreal 2009 is going on as we speak, yet one of the Canadian city's best bands, The Besnard Lakes, are here in NYC playing a show on Saturday (10/3) at Mercury Lounge. I think they must feel an affinity for New York -- Brooklyn too, as their excellent 2007 album Are The Dark Horse (one of my faves from that year) has a song called "On Bedford and Grand," a tongue-in-cheek ode to Williamsburg. As good as that album is, Besnard Lakes are even better live, though it probably depends on their ever-fluctuating line-up. In addition to scoring actor Mark Ruffalo's directorial debut, the band are working on Dark Horse's follow-up, so it will be good to hear some new material. The show also features Philadelphia duo The Cinnamon Band (2/3s of defunct Jagjaguwar band The Union of a Man and a Woman) and Acrylics who I think are one of the city's best new bands.

We've got a pair of tickets to give away for this 21+ show. If you're interested, send an email with your first and last name to BVCONTESTS@HOTMAIL.COM with the subject line "Besnard Lakes" and we'll pick a winner at random.

Saturday is a busy night. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart (9pm), who just released a great new EP called Higher Than the Stars, headline Webster Hall (tickets), the penultimate date on their current tour with Cymbals Eat Guitars (7pm) and The Depreciation Guild (8pm). You can download a brand new remix of Higher Than the Stars title track, which strips off the original's sparkly sheen and gives it a rougher, darker coat of paint. The Webster Hall show has an early start with 6pm doors, which will have you out of there by 10pm, in time for a second show of the night if so desired. The band play Philadelphia on Sunday (10/4), then are taking six weeks off before Europe in mid-November. They are also conspicuously absent from either of the upcoming Slumberland Records Anniversary shows.

The Dø

Also also Saturday (that's 10/3 if you forgot), Finland's The Dø wrap up their first-ever American tour with a NYC stop at Hiro Ballroom (tickets). One night earlier (tonight), they play a show at Pop Montreal. Their 2008 album A Mouthful is a schizophrenic mix of indie rock, dreamy folk, tribal rhythms, and even (less successful) forays into hip hop. One woulda thought the band would have been here a year ago, as A Mouthful's hype hit its pinnacle about a year and a half ago, though it still hasn't gotten a proper U.S. release. (You can get it via iTunes or Emusic, though.) The Dø's show in L.A. as part of the Oohlala Festival didn't go so well, apparently, but their show at Chicago's Empty Bottle was a hit according to Popmatters critic (and ace photographer) Kirstie Shanley:

Creating a live performance full of win, French-Finnish duo The Dø could have easily entertained an audience of thousands. Olivia Merilahti was electricity personified. Flipping her long lustrous hair, coming up to the tip on the stage and leaning into the audience were two of her frequent rock moves. Dan Levy chose to engage the audience with his sudden floor kneeling. But despite the sense of developed chemistry between he and Merilahti, it was she who truly stole the show. [Popmatters]

You've got another chance to catch L.A. band Princeton, who play with Chicago's Maps & Atlases at the new Knitting Factory in Williamsburg on Sunday. Both bands are just now wrapping up a tour supporting Ra Ra Riot. Their debut, Cocoon of Love, is out now and is pretty hard not to like, full of well-dressed scholarly pop not unlike Belle & Sebastian or the Magnetic Fields (or, loathe as I am to admit it, Vampire Weekend, minus the Afrobeat influences). Princeton were to be one the unavoidable bands at this year's CMJ Festival but canceled after being offered an opening slot on Art Brut's upcoming U.S. tour, so this may be the last chance to see them for a while (well, unless you choose the Art Brut show at Maxwell's which is one of the shows they're opening).

And finally, UK legend Frank Sidebottom is visiting NYC again, here ostensibly for the Coney Island Film Festival where he'll debut his film Frank Sidebottom Saves Coney Island. I caught Frank (and his sidekick Little Frank) back in March where he played to confused locals at the 169 Bar, where he first got heckled but eventually won the crowd over with his bizarre, hilarious covers of The Fall, The Smiths, Queen and The Beatles, which includes multiple costume changes. He's playing a bunch of shows throughout the weekend, including two on Sunday (10/4) at Cake Shop and Otto's Shrunken Head. If you're even slightly curious (there are videos below) I recommend you go see him -- there's really nobody else like him.

Videos and tour dates follow...

Continue reading "The Do, Besnard Lakes, Princeton, Pains of Being Pure at Heart & more in This Week in Indie (part 2) "

"Thom Yorke and Flea's new supergroup will play a Radiohead song at their upcoming debut gigs in Los Angeles., it's been revealed.

The as-yet-unnamed band's drummer Mauro Refosco told Brazilian website Abril.com they will play Thom Yorke's 'The Eraser' album in its entirety, four new songs and one Radiohead track at the shows on Sunday and Monday (October 4 & 5).

It's rumoured the band will air Thom Yorke's song he wrote for the Twilight New Moon soundtrack, 'Hearing Damage', as one of the "new" songs." [gigwise]

LA Weekly is also reporting that their might be a secret Thom Yorke show at the Echoplex this Friday night, October 2.

The new Twilight soundtrack, as you may have heard, also includes tracks by many familiar names including Death Cab For Cutie, Muse, Sea Wolf, Grizzly Bear & Beach House's Victoria Legrand, Bon Iver & St. Vincent, and Editors...

Speaking exclusively to Gigwise, Editors frontman Tom Smith said: "The films aren't aimed at people our age but I look at the bands that we're next to on that soundtrack and it's just a good thing.

"It's not selling out, it's not putting your song on an advert or selling a product.

"It's just being part of something that, to me, as collective seems like a pretty attractive thing."

New Moon is the second instalment of the vampire franchise, which stars British actor Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart.

Cover art and tracklist below...

Continue reading "Thom Yorke's LA setlist, a secret show?, Twilight soundtrack"

The final lineup for Monolith Festival, which takes place at the Red Rocks Ampitheatre in Morrison, Colorado, on September 12th-13th, is below. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Girl Talk headline Saturday night at the festival, and the Mars Volta and MSTRKRFT top the bill on Sunday. Deer Tick, Passion Pit, Doom, The Walkmen, The Thermals, and HEALTH are also some of the bands on the two-day bill.

Tickets and two-day passes are still on sale. We also has a pair of weekend tickets to give away. Details on that, with the full lineup, below...

Continue reading "Monolith Festival - final 2009 lineup ++ WIN a two-day pass"

Tickets are on Am Ex presale (@ noon) for the upcoming Passion Pit show at Bowery Ballroom.

Tickets are on Am Ex presale (@ noon) for the upcoming Modeselektor show at Bowery Ballroom.

Tickets are on Am Ex presale (@ noon) for the upcoming Black Lips show at Bowery Ballroom. Tickets are on Am Ex presale (@ noon) for the upcoming Black Lips show at Music Hall of Williamsburg too.

Tickets are on Am Ex presale (@ noon) for the upcoming AC Newman show at Bowery Ballroom.

Head Automatica (Daryl Palumbo) are playing Music Hall of Williamsburg on January 8th. Tickets are still on sale.

OK Go play Music Hall of Williamsburg on March 8th. Tickets are on Am Ex presale at noon.

The Virgins are playing Music Hall of Williamsburg on February 14th. Tickets are on Am Ex presale at noon.

Tickets are on Am Ex presale (@ noon) for the Ben Kweller show at Town Hall.

Tickets are still on sale for the show Swirlies is playing at Mercury Lounge.

Loudon Wainwright III is playing Blender Gramercy Theatre on February 18th. Tickets are on sale. Every other Wainwright is playing Carnegie Hall tonight/Wednesday December 10th. Tickets are still on sale.

Alex Battles will celebrate Johnny Cash's 77th birthday at Southpaw on February 28th. Tickets are on sale.

Tickets are on sale Friday @ noon for the Pretenders show coming up at Roseland Ballroom.

Will Sheff plays a free show at Other Music tonight/Wednesday.

Tickets are on Am Ex presale (@ noon) for the Webster Hall show Tokyo Police Club are playing. If you don't have an Am Ex, they also go on Artist Arena presale at 3PM. Regular Ticketmaster sale begins Friday.

Tickets are on sale (@ noon) for the Department of Eagles show at Bowery Ballroom.

Tickets for the upcoming Sharon Jones shows at Nokia Theatre are on Am Ex presale (at noon).

The Teenagers are playing MHOW on Thursday. Tickets are still on sale. Their other NYC show is opening for Vampire Weekend at Terminal 5.

Tickets are back on sale for tonight/Wednesday's Vampire Weekend show at Terminal 5.

Tickets are now on presale (PASSWORD = BUYTIXNOW) fot two shows Antony & The Johnsons are playing at Town Hall.

Martin Sexton is playing two shows at Town Hall in February too, and tickets are also now on presale (PASSWORD = BUYTIXNOW ?).

Tickets are on Am Ex presale (@ noon) for the recently added Black Keys show at Terminal 5.

OK Go are playing MHOW on March 8th. Tickets are on Am Ex presale (@ noon).

Tickets are on sale for the show Coliseum is playing @ Europa on February 27th.

Tickets are on Am Ex presale (@ noon) for the 2nd Crystal Castles show at MHOW.

Tickets go on sale Friday for Amanda Palmer's New Years Eve show.

The above design can be had on a t-shirt.

Craig Wedren @ Pianos, NYC (BV CMJ), NYC - Oct 20, 2007 (Bao)

Craig Wedren helped put together this "Get Up And Vote" show at Bowery Ballroom on February 4th. All his friends from Stella will be there, his former bandmate Nathan Larson, Nathan's wife Nina Persson, Joan as Policewoman, AND: OK GO (of YouTube fame) are headlining. More details below.....

Continue reading "Barack Obama "Get up and Vote" show @ Bowery Ballroom"