Oberhofer @ 4Knots (more by Amanda Hatfield)

Oberhofer, whose official upcoming tour has him/them headlining Bowery Ballroom in March, has been playing some suprise local show lately. The next, though not exactly a secret, happens tonight (2/14) at 285 Kent and tickets are on sale. Slowdance, Night Manager, and Bear Ceuse are also on the bill.

Alternatively, if you're 21+, you can head to Pianos to see a free show by Devin and others.

DOWNLOAD: Oberhofer - "HEART" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Oberhofer - "Gotta Go" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Pond - "Fantastic Explosion of Time" (MP3)

Oberhofer at MHOW in 2011 (more by Bryan Bruchman)

Oberhofer, who signed to Glassnote for his debut LP, has announced that the album will be called Time Capsules II and it will be released on March 27. We've already posted the new wave-y album cut, "Gotta Go," which you can also grab at the top of this post. He just revealed a second track from the album, "HEART," which you can download above and stream below. The album also includes a number of tracks from his o0Oo0Oo EP, including the EP favorite, "Away FRM U." Album art and tracklist, and some video footage from the making of the album are below too.

They'll be touring in support of the album with Pond supporting most dates. That tour hits NYC on March 21 at Bowery Ballroom. Tickets are on AmEx presale now and go on sale to the general public Friday (1/20) at noon. The tour also includes the sold out Coachellas and a number of other dates. All dates are listed below.

If you're unfamiliar with Pond, they formed a few years ago in Australia and have released three full length albums since 2009. Members Nick Allbrook and Jay Watson have since been playing in another band that you're probably more familiar with; Tame Impala. After Nick and Jay returned home after extensive touring with Tame Impala, they've decided to release another album with Pond, called Beard Wives Denim, and it's coming out on March 6 via Modular, who also put out the Tame Impala album. You can download the single, "Fantastic Explosion of Time," above, and stream it and watch the video for it below.

All dates, videos, streams and more below...

Continue reading "Oberhofer going on tour with Pond (featuring members of Tama Impala) -- dates & MP3s"

Radiohead @ Roseland Ballroom in 2011 (more by Bao Nguyen)

Coachella which is taking place over the course of two weekends this year (April 13-15 and 20-22) revealed their 2012 lineup. Last week, Azealia Banks was the first artist confirmed, and earlier today they confirmed The Weeknd (maybe he found a band?), and before that, Jimmy Cliff, Breakbot, and Housse De Racket. The reunited Pulp then announced itself. The full lineup also includes headliners The Black Keys, Radiohead, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, not to mention, as predicted, the reunited At the Drive In and the reunited Mazzy Star (!), and Madness and Refused (!) and Jeff Mangum and many, many more that you can see below...

Continue reading "Coachella 2012 lineup announced (two weekends worth)"

CMJ takes over NYC venues from October 18-22, and they just announced another round of bands that are playing. They are:

J Mascis, Shonen Knife, Gang Gang Dance, Boy & Bear, Cloud Nothings, Free Energy, T. Mills, Kendrick Lamar, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Casiokids, Oberhofer, Smif-N-Wessun, Pujol, Zomby, Joker, Painted Palms, Flatliners, Robbers on High Street, Bag Raiders, Young Buffalo, Skeletonwitch, Gary Clark, Jr. and 1, 2, 3.

Zomby is also playing Glasslands even sooner.

DOWNLOAD: Oberhofer - "Gotta Go" (MP3)

photos by Bryan Bruchman

A Les Savy Fav show is a parade of ridiculousity mixed in with taut post-hardcore/punk. They're the perfect mix of seriously good band and seriously fun - a perfect band to have playing on the occasion of a four-year anniversary celebration. Brooklyn venue Music Hall of Williamsburg blew out the candles on four years last night (9/6) with the sometimes-scantily-clad-but-always-zany antics of LSF vocalist Tim Harrington, whose band headlined the rainy evening with cheery Brooklyn band Oberhofer and opener Chron Turbine. Pictures from the show are in this post.

The show was one of only two US dates scheduled for LSF in 2011 (10/7 in DC is the other), and one of only three total shows scheduled for LSF if you include their upcoming appearance/curatorial duties at ATP's Nightmare Before Christmas in Minehead in December (featuring the return of Hot Snakes and Bitch Magnet, along with appearances from Battles, Sun Ra Arkestra and many esteemed others).

For Oberhofer, their appearance at MHOW was the second in the past few weeks including their appearance at the Spotify show at Mercury Lounge on August 25th with The Suzan and Exitmusic. Oberhofer recently dropped a new song "Gotta Go" due on their upcoming debut full-length for Glassnote (who, after a long label bidding war, Oberhofer recently announced they signed to). Download it above.

More pictures from the show below...

Continue reading "Les Savy Fav, the Glassnote-signed Oberhofer & Chron Turbine played MHOW's 4th birthday (pics)"

Blood Orange @ PS1 on 8/20 (more by Erez Avissar)

One of the many casualties of Irene was the free Spotify-sponsored CANT/Blood Orange show that was supposed to happen at Mercury Lounge on Sunday. Luckily that show had no trouble rescheduling and will now take place this Tuesday, August 30th. Doors for the free late-night show are at 11:30pm. Expect CANT to hit the stage around 1am. As previously mentioned, this will be CANT (aka Chris Taylor of Grizzly Bear)'s NYC live debut.

CANT's debut record, Dreams Come True, is out on September 13th on Chris's own Terrible Records. You can listen to two songs, "Answer" and "Believe", now on Spotify.

The last free Spotify show featured The Suzan, Exitmusic and a headlining set by Oberhofer who, in addition to having a bunch of songs streaming on Spotify, also made a Spotify playlist that you can listen to if you have the application.

Oberhofer's next NYC appearance has also been announced. Catch them opening for Les Savy Fav, along with Chron Turbine, at Music Hall of Williamsburg on Tuesday, September 6th. Tickets are still on sale.

You can also catch CANT at Music Hall of Williamsburg, but only DJing, on September 13th. CANT and Blood Orange head out on a tour in October that hits Bowery Ballroom on October 25th.

Speaking of Exitmusic, they have a new video for "The Hours" which you can watch below...

Continue reading "free CANT & Blood Orange Spotify show rescheduled, Oberhofer added to Les Savy Fav @ MHOW"

Oberhofer @ South Street Seaport (more by Amanda Hatfield)

As mentioned, Spotify Late Nights at Mercury Lounge continue tonight (8/18) with Delicate Steve, The Stepkids, and Parlovr. The next free Spotify show has also now been announced and takes place Thursday, August 25 with Oberhofer, Exitmusic, and The Suzan. Admission for both shows is free and doors are at 10 PM. You must be 21+ and admittance to the venue is first come, first served. Those in attendance will receive an access code for Spotify US. The 8/25 free show happens after Mute Math play a sold out early show at the same venue.

Secretly Canadian-signed duo Exitmusic, whose Aleska Palladino is an actress in Boardwalk Empire, also plays Glasslands on Friday (8/19) with with Yellow Ostrich, Parlovr, and Caged Animals. They open for Black Angels at Music Hall of Williamsburg on Halloween.

The Suzan have other shows coming up too including Saturday (8/20) at Caffe Orwell in Brooklyn and August 23 at Urban Assembly School of Music & Art in Brooklyn. They also open for Peter Bjorn & John in September at MHOW (9/15) and Bowery Ballroom (9/16). The Bowery show is sold out but Tickets are still on sale for the MHOW show.

More dates below...

Continue reading "Oberhofer, Exitmusic & The Suzan playing free Spotify gig & other shows"

photos by Amanda Hatfield

Brooklyn Denim Co. and Nudie Jeans are presenting a free show on Wednesday (7/27) at Brooklyn Denim Co. in Williamsburg on 85 North 3rd St with Oberhofer and Porcelain Raft. The show runs from 7 - 10 PM, open bar included (presumably making the show 21+). To RSVP email rsvp@deathandtaxesmag.com. Flier below.

In August, Porcelain Raft is opening a bunch of dates for The War On Drugs, including Cameo on 8/19 and Mercury Lounge on 8/20. All dates are listed below.

Oberhofer recently played the 4Knots Fest at South Street Seaport. A second set of pictures from that show is in this post. More of them with the dates and flier, below..

Continue reading "more Oberhofer 4Knots pics, a free show w/ Porcelain Raft who's playing shows w/ The War On Drugs too (dates)"

photos by Chris La Putt & Amanda Hatfield

"Patrick from Titus Andronicus just jumped into the crowd!
They are so good live." - Nikki S

"Eleanor Friedberger's solo stuff = awesome!
She's owning the 4Knots stage right now." - Anna Hyclak

"Oberhofer are clearly having a blast at #4knots ...
Fun day so far, especially when cloudy." - Bill

"Davilla 666 delivering good Stooges-punk buzz.
Crowd surfing spotted #4knots" - Jason Gross

"I don't know who Davila 666 are,
but they're burning it down at #4Knots." - Brendan HIlliard

The inaugural 4Knots Music Festival took place at South Street Seaport for most of the afternoon and early evening on Saturday (7/16).

Bands played on the usual Seaport outdoor stage while DJs were around the corner inside on Front Street (Dan Deacon and Yeasayer included). The festival was headlined by The Black Angels and Titus Andronicus and also included sets by Davilla 666 (pics HERE), Oberhofer, Eleanor Friedberger (of The Fiery Furnaces), and Mr. Dream (but not Obits). 4Knots acted as the replacement for Siren Fest, which sadly is no longer happening in Coney Island. 4Knots' lineup wasn't quite as impressive as past Siren lineups which were spread over two much bigger stages, but the festival still left a pretty solid impact on the downtown Manhattan crowd.

Eleanor Friedberger (by Chris)

4Knots was Eleanor's first show since releasing her solo debut Last Summer on Merge last week. According to New Beats:

"Aside from carrying a sound that kind of reminds one of the Velvet Underground's Loaded, some of the songs also possess a groove feel, particularly the mid-tempo "Glitter Gold Year." In addition to performing a majority of Last Summer's songs, Friedberger also threw in a few Fiery Furnaces tunes, including "Lost At Sea" and the punkish, power pop "Tropical Iceland.""

The crowd was the biggest that Brooklyn's own Oberhofer has ever played to, according to Brad Oberhofer, and they seemed to make a bit of buzz while they were there.

"Oberhofer, yes. I'd forgotten how soft-loud-soft prog meets math they are, but so precise and vicious, and in the best way. Singer Brad Oberhofer, (once a lowly intern at Matador), is the amazing piece of gut-instinctual-movement-punk behind said band. While tuning, he mentions, "I'm not used to this, I'm used to luxury cars," and during the set, "This song is dedicated to my grandmother, and all your grandmothers and grandfathers too."

He says the right things to a crowd, and he and the whole band plays right along, and thus, it's a captivating show. Just listen to "Away From You" or "I Can Go", or any other track and you'll be transfixed." [Sentimentalist]

Titus Andronicus (by Amanda)

Titus Andronicus went on before The Black Angels, though according to the Village Voice, the upbeat punk crowd were possibly anticipating Titus even more.

"This was a Titus crowd, but how could it not be? The pier we stood on stands less than an hour's drive from the town of Mahwah, where frontman Patrick Sickles sings of spending his senior year on "No Future Part Three: Escape From No Future." And if that wasn't enough, Sickles recalled a few Siren Fest memories between songs. I'm sure a few super-loyal fans were even using the show as an opportunity to even out the sunburn that coated the left side of their bodies as they screamed along to the free show the band played at the Williamsburg Waterfront on the other side of the East River a few weeks ago."

Continue reading "4Knots Fest in pics (Titus Andronicus, Eleanor Friedberger, Oberhofer, Mr. Dream, Davila 666 & more)"

Titus Andronicus last night @ Terminal 5 (more by Amanda Hatfield)

Titus Andronicus (who played Terminal 5 last night with Okkervil River), Obits, and Eleanor Friedberger (of The Fiery Furnaces) will join the previously announced Black Angels (who are listed as the headliner), Oberhofer, and Davila 666 on the lineup of the 4Knots Music Festival at South Street Seaport on July 16th (from 1-8pm, rain or shine).

According to show sponsor Village Voice, this is the final lineup of bands, though more details are still TBA, like set times and DJS for the free outdoor show. 4Knots is the replacement for Siren Fest which is no longer happening in Coney Island.

Ted Leo isn't playing 4Knots, but he is playing a free kick-off show happening one week prior, July 9th, also at The Seaport. It'll be a 10th anniversary performance for Ted Leo & The Pharmacists.

Ted Leo recently played Chaos in Tejas, Europa and Maryland Deathfest as part of an even older band, Citizens Arrest. Citizens Arrest have a new EP out now via Coextinction Records.

The Black Angels have another show happening at Maxwell's on July 15th which goes on sale Friday.

Eleanor Friedberger also has a show coming up sooner as part of the Nothside Festival.

The 4Knots poster (as it looked before these bands got added), and all Ted dates, below...

Continue reading "Titus, Eleanor & Obits complete 4Knots Fest lineup"

Davila 666 at Cake Shop (more by Chris La Putt)

The previously discussed 4 Knots Music Festival has announced its initial lineup. The Village Voice-produced free show at the South Street Seaport on July 16th, which is sadly REPLACING Coney Island's Siren Festival (RIP), will feature appearances from The Black Angels, Davila 666, Oberhofer, and more TBA.

The Black Angels will return from an Australian tour in time for that Seaport show, and have a few other upcoming shows scheduled in cities in the Southwest, and festivals like Primavera Sound in Barcelona, and Bonnaroo. All Black Angels dates are below.

Davila 666 played NYC three times in the past month, at Knitting Factory, Cake Shop and in a wrestling ring (no bullshit). The former show featured appearances from Hunx & His Punx and Shannon & The Clams. Download/stream entire sets by all three (from two separate dates) at The Empty Bottle in Chicago below, alongside all tour dates.

Continue reading "4Knots (which is replacing Siren Fest) announces initial lineup"

by BBG

DOWNLOAD: John Maus - "Quantum Leap" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: John Maus - "Believer" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Gary War - "Sirens" (MP3)

John Maus is preparing his new LP We Must Become The Pitiless Censors Of Ourselves (awesome title!) for Ribbon Music on June 28th. Check out a pair of songs ("Quantum Leap" and "Believer") and a video for "Believer" above/below. Fans of Joy Division, Cold Cave, and cold & reverb-y darkwave take note.

In celebration, Maus will hit the road for some dates in May before a larger tour with Puro Instinct in June that will send him from coast to coast. The first set of dates include a Brooklyn show at Glasslands on May 9th with Gary War, Holy Shit!, DJ International Tapes, and DJ WEIRD MAGIC. Tickets are on sale, but reportedly going fast.

Gary War's Police Water EP is out now via Sacred Bones, and the band recently released a track from the EP for download. Check out "Sirens" streaming below/downloadable above.

Puro Instinct plays an RSVP-free show in Brooklyn on Thursday (4/28) with Cults & Oberhofer. Oberhofer also just added another Brooklyn show happening at Coco 66 on May 14th with Widowspeak and Vacation. Tickets are on sale.

All tour dates, the song stream and that video is below.

Continue reading "John Maus releasing LP on Ribbon Music, touring (MP3, dates) +++ Oberhofer adds show"

Neon Indian @ Brooklyn Bowl, 2010 (more by Erez Avissar)

Cults will team with Oberhofer and Puro Instinct to play a show at Music Hall of Williamsburg on April 28th. The show is FREE (16+) but RSVP is required. The show is a shade also more than a month before Cults's East Coast tour that brings them back to the same exact venue on on June 9th. Tickets for that show are on sale. Still no word on how to get into the show Cults are playing at The Box on June 8th.

Oberhofer head out on tour with Neon Indian on May 16th. No NYC dates on that trek, but Neon Indian plays Governors Island on 6/18 as part of The Governors Ball. Meanwhile Neon Alan is readying a new album, says a press release....

"Neon Indian's Alan Palomo has had a busy Winter. He traveled to Helsinki to begin work on the 2nd Neon Indian album, which he's putting the finishing touches on now in New York. Upon his return from Helsinki he was whisked away by the Flaming Lips' Wayne Coyne, resulting in the collaboration EP release The Flaming Lips with Neon Indian.

Today Neon Indian offers the first glimpse at the band's second LP, with a video clip that includes music from the new album. Titled after the first of a three-part instrumental movement excerpted from the upcoming LP, Heart: Attack gives us an initial glimpse into the subzero shores of Helsinki where Alan disappeared to over the winter months in the writing of this record. Shot and edited by Austin filmmaker Sean Lopez.

Currently the new Neon Indian LP has no confirmed title or label yet, but the band promises it will be released in the Fall of 2011."

Continue reading "Cults playing a free NYC show w/ & Oberhofer who's touring w/ Neon Indian (who has a new LP coming) -- video & dates"

DOWNLOAD: J Mascis - Not Enough (MP3)

The first BrooklynVegan Swan Dive/Barbarella Austin Day Party lineup announcement is here! (this is the first of three BV day parties happening at these connecting venues, but just one of nine total BV events.)

This one happens Friday, March 18th from noon-6pm, is co-presented by KF Records (Knitting Factory) and Partisan Records, and features an exclusive Austin day party set by Middle Brother (aka Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes, John McCauley of Deer Tick, and Matthew Vasquez of Delta Spirit). If you want to catch them though, you better get there early because the entire lineup is ridiculous and 100% free, and it looks like this.....

STAGE 1 (SWAN DIVE)
12:00 PM JBM
12:30 PM BOBBY
01:15 PM Holy Sons
02:00 PM Dolorean
03:00 PM John Grant featuring Midlake
04:00 PM Wye Oak
05:00 PM J Mascis

STAGE 2 (Barbarella Patio)
12:00 PM David Wax Museum
01:00 PM Sallie Ford & The Sound Outside
02:00 PM Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit
03:00 PM Deer Tick featuring Jonny Corndawg
04:00 PM Old 97's
05:00 PM Middle Brother

STAGE 3 (Barbarella Inside)
12:15 PM AgesandAges
01:00 PM Paleo
01:45 PM Warm Ghost
02:30 PM Shilpa Ray & Her Happy Hookers
03:15 PM Vetiver
04:00 PM Oberhofer
05:00 PM The Dodos

Note: We have Dolorean who is not to be confused with Delorean, yes that is Midlake up there backing the amazing John Grant, Jason Isbell will stick around to play with Middle Brother (like he did on their record), and yes Jonny Corndawg will be in the house.

I'm also happy to point out that, though everyone will sound great already, they are going to sound even better thanks to our official microphone sponsor Line 6, not to mention due to the help of the Korg keyboards, and Vox & Blackstar amps that we'll have on hand - all generous and much-appreciated BrooklynVegan show sponsors.

Also Note:

• FREE Blublocker sunglasses to first 50 people in the door!
• there will be FREE vegan Izzoz breakfast tacos while supplies last!
• we'll have loads of FREE snacks courtesy of Sensible Portions!
• we'll keep you hydrated with FREE Honest Tea!
• you can keep your energy levels high with FREE Raw Revolution bars!
• FREE Tierras organic tequila cocktails while supplies last!
• more FREE food & DRINK details TBA!
• and there will be awesome giveaways from Partisan & KF Records
  throughout the day!

Continue reading " BrooklynVegan, KF Records & Partisan Records free Austin Day Party lineup (J Mascis, Middle Brother, Old 97's, Dodos, more)"

photos by Andrew St. Clair

"In the music industry, buzz can feel like an unseasonably warm stretch in the dead of winter. It's nice while it lasts, but it never does. The buzz dispensers quickly tire of this week/day/moment's object of adoration and soon move on, and the aftermath can be unpleasant.

Consider Tapes 'n Tapes, who first gained notice when 2006's self-released album "The Loon" turned the Minneapolis quartet into blogosphere darlings. But that quickly faded, and each subsequent Tapes 'n Tapes album has picked up worse reviews than the one before. You can trace the devolution of their critical reputation in hipster circles through the influential website pitchfork.com, which awarded "The Loon" an 8.3 (out of 10) rave. But 2008's "Walk It Off" dropped them all the way to a 5.9 rating, and their current album "Outside" (Ibid Records) just picked up a wince-inducing 5.5.

Alas, slings and arrows are part of the gig.

"I don't think there's much value you can put into reviews because they're just somebody's opinion, and we realize that," says Tapes 'n Tapes frontman Josh Grier over the phone from Minneapolis. "I mean, we all love our music and everybody is entitled to their own opinion. Reading too much into that would be a recipe for disaster - make you into a head case trying to cater to someone else. We make the music we want to make. if somebody else doesn't like it, well, we can't let that affect the music we make in the future."

Undeserved opprobrium aside, "Outside" is an immensely likable record that wears well, setting Grier's nervous yelp to elastic, skittery grooves with hooks sharp enough to stick. It's a less-self-conscious take on Vampire Weekend's worldly underground rock, with a vibe recalling prime Talking Heads." [Newobserver.com]

Continue reading "Tapes 'n Tapes, Oberhofer & Xylos played MHOW (pics, setlist) "

videos by Ian Perlman

Oberhofer @ Bowery Ballroom (more by Chris Gersbeck)

In case you didn't realize (they tried to keep it a secret until after the Vaccines shows), Oberhofer, who is on tour with Tapes 'n Tapes, is in fact opening for T'nT at Music Hall of Williamsburg on Friday. Limited advanced tickets are still available for the Brooklyn gig which features Xylos as first-of-three on the bill.

Oberhofer released an "Away Frm U" 7" in January which you can pick up at Inflated Records.

Speaking of the Vaccines shows, right after the Bowery show which we covered with pictures, Oberhofer and the Vaccines played Glasslands. Ian Perlman was there with his video camera. Footage of both bands and all Oberhofer dates, below...

Continue reading "Oberhofer opened for Vaccines, opening for Tapes 'n Tapes"

words & photos by Chris Gersbeck

The British music press would have you believe that the Vaccines' first U.S. appearance would be akin to that of the Beatles'. Was it? No, of course not. But it was a good debut performance, albeit a short one.

Mississippi's Young Buffalo opened the night (not to be confused with Young the Giant who were playing over at Mercury Lounge), with their guitarist and drummer switching instruments halfway through. Both members were great on each. Think the Dodos, but with a greater emphasis on guitar. Brooklyn's Oberhofer were next, playing a frenetic and layered performance as the crowd at the Bowery thickened. Oddly, it seemed like the audience didn't quite know what to make of them. Songs would end and there would be a sort of awkward pause before any kind of response, but that could just be because their songs generally ended with feedback. Though Oberhofer's (ultra) quiet-loud-quiet dynamic definitely got the crowd's attention more than a few times.

As skeptical as I try to be about shows like this, I have to admit--you could feel a sort of anxious vibe in the air awaiting the Vaccines' arrival. They didn't disappoint. The Vaccines' songs were uniquely structured, played with the intensity and precision of a band that's been around for years (they only just formed last year). It's "garage rock" that we may have heard before, but that didn't make it any less fun. Ending their 30 minute set with the Standells' "Good Guys Don't Wear White", most memorably covered by Minor Threat, cemented my opinion that this is a band worth checking out again.

The Vaccines and Oberhofer do it again Saturday night at Glasslands (sold out), and look for both bands at SXSW in March as well. More pictures (including the written setlist) and a video (of the band covering Minor Threat) from the Bowery show, and some other videos, below...

Continue reading "The Vaccines made their U.S. debut @ Bowery Ballroom w/ Oberhofer & Young Buffalo (pics, video, setlist)"

DOWNLOAD: Very Be Careful - La Furgoneta (MP3)

Oberhofer

In addition to the 1/9 date at Living Room as part of KidRockers and the pair of dates with The Vaccines on 1/20 at Bowery Ballroom (tickets) and 1/22 at Glasslands (tickets), Oberhofer have another more imminent date to contend with. On January 7th he'll/they'll team up with Rioux, Great Smokey and Coastal Toast to play Coco66 in Brooklyn. The Rooftop Shout Records (which two of the bands on the bill are associated with) showcase kicks off at 9PM.

All of these dates precede their dates with Tapes n Tapes, who are scheduled to play Music Hall of Williamsburg on 2/4 (tickets). So far, Oberhofer is not part of that MHOW bill, but neither is anyone else.

In related noteworthy-shows-happening-at-the-same-venue-this-week news, Coco66 will house DJ/Rupture the next night, January 8th, a one-off gig for the DJ who can be found on WFMU on Mondays. Very Be Careful are also on the lineup of the Brooklyn show.

Very Be Careful

The Coco66/Rupture gig is also one of three shows that Los Angeles's 'seminal vallenato band' Very Be Careful is playing in NYC this week. It should be a party...

"As you're cruising into the second or third hour of a typical Very Be Careful show -- tequila scorching your tongue, perspiration drenching your torso, accordions and cowbells rattling your ear drums -- it may not occur to you that you're actually listening to some pretty savvy and skilled musicians.

This isn't something that band founders Arturo Guzman, a bassist, and Ricardo, his vocalist-accordionist brother, necessarily want to publicize. Such awareness might compromise the Eastside quintet's image as an easygoing, good-times bar band, dispensers of irrepressible dance grooves for midnight mobs of well-lubricated party animals." [LA Times]

"Trouble Worldwide and Barbès Records present an APAP showcase with Non Stop Bhangra, Very Be Careful, Razia, International Body Music, Sanda Weigl and a Surprise Special Guest.

Here comes trouble, indeed. Forward-thinking San Francisco agency Trouble Worldwide and the worldly New York label Barbès Records have teamed up for the third annual Here Comes Trouble showcase to present six groups that leap borders and continents with a single musical bound at 92YTribeca. A Bhangra dance party closes the night. APAP badgeholders welcome!"

DJ/Rupture's other upcoming gigs include a keynote speech at World's Fair Use Day in DC, and a pair of dates with The Ex whose March tour also includes a NYC show with Liturgy.

All tour dates and some videos, below...

Continue reading "Oberhofer, DJ/Rupture & Very Be Careful are playing shows"

DOWNLOAD: Toro Y Moi - "Still Sound" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Cloud Nothings - Understand At All (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Oberhofer - "Should Have Taken Acid With You" (MP3, Neon Indian Cover)

Toro Y Moi at MHOW (more by Chris Doss)

Labelmates Cloud Nothings and Toro Y Moi (who just DJ'd MHOW) will team up at Mercury Lounge on 1/19, one date on a week-long tour for the former, but the only upcoming date for the latter. Tickets are on sale. Both are welcoming new releases from Car Park in the new year, with Cloud Nothings's self-titled LP hitting on January 25th and Toro Y Moi's Underneath The Pine impacting on February 22nd. Check out tracks from their respective releases, either streaming below, or in downloadable MP3 form above.

Oberhofer @ Monster Island (more by Erez Avissar)

On the non-NYC dates, Cloud Nothings will be joined by Oberhofer. Though Oberhofer isn't on the Mercury Lounge show, you'll have a few chances to catch them in the area in January: two shows are with The Vaccines (Bowery on 1/20 tickets, Glasslands on 1/22 tickets) and the third date will see Oberhofer will play a Kidrockers event at the Living Room on 1/9 (you can go if you have a kid with you). Brad Oberhofer is also taking part that Rock Lottery at Knitting Factory on 12/18. A week after those Vaccines dates, Oberhofer will hop on tour with Tapes N Tapes, though Oberhofer are currently not scheduled to appear with them at Music Hall of Williamsburg on 2/4. Full Oberhofer schedule is below.

Philip Seymour Hoffman is also scheduled to appear at the Cloud Nothings/Toro Y Moi Mercury Lounge show, though probably not the PSH you are thinking of. The Mercury Lounge show is the LA band's lone East Coast date, but they are scheduled to play a few shows in their hometown including the FMLY Fest on 12/26 & 12/27 with Truman Peyote, Vacation Dad, Nicole Kidman (not that one), Kevin Costner Saves the World, Back to the Future The Ride, Insects vs. Robots, Halloween Swim Team, and many many others. Flyer for FMLY Fest and all PSH dates are below.

All tour dates, as well as the Cloud Nothings & Toro Y Moi tracklistings and song streams are below.

Continue reading "new Toro y Moi & Cloud Nothings MP3s & albums & dates ++ Oberhofer & Philip Seymour Hoffman too"

by BBG

Alix of Golden Triangle (left) needs your attention... and for a good cause!

The Rock Lottery began in Denton, TX in 1997 (and in Seattle in 2006). This will be Brooklyn's inaugural Rock Lottery. The premise is simple, but effective. Twenty-five hand picked musicians meet at 10:00AM at the evening's performance venue. These volunteers are organized into five groups through a lottery-based chance selection. The five separate groups are then released to practice at different locations. The musicians have twelve hours to create a band name and three to five songs (with a one cover-song limit). The groups will then perform what they have created that evening in front of a waiting audience.

So what do the two ladies in the above picture have to do with The Rock Lottery? The one on the left is bassist Alix Brown of Golden Triangle, who is a participant in the show. The lady on the right is Carlie Rabalais (also Golden Triangle) and the picture is a production still taken from the video shoot for "Crystal" by Carlie's other band X-Ray Eyeballs who will release heir debut album, Not Nothing, via Kanine Records on April 19th, 2011. No word on when "Crystal" will hit the rounds, but you can catch the band at a pair of shows in the near future, including supporting Tyvek and Fergus & Geronimo at Mercury Lounge on 1/16 (tickets are still on sale) and Bruar Falls this Wednesday (12/15) with Food Stamps + My Teenage Stride.

Full participant list in The Rock Lottery, some recent video of X-Ray Eyeballs at Shea Stadium, and tour dates below.

Continue reading "Brooklyn musicians getting together for a 'Rock Lottery', X-Ray Eyeballs getting together for shows (and a bath)"

words by Andrew Sacher, photos by Erez Avissar

Oberhofer played at least once a day last week at CMJ, and then again last night at Maxwell's with Japandroids. I caught their set at the Neon Gold/Chess Club showcase on Thursday, October 21 at Public Assembly, and Friday, October 22 at the BrooklynVegan day party, also at Public Assembly. Neither of the two performances were anything short of impressive. Oberhofer's set mainly consisted of songs off their debut EP o0Oo0Oo, recorded entirely by their frontman, Brad Oberhofer. The live band is not only able to do his songs justice, but they add an even higher intensity than the recorded versions

Oberhofer is about to embark on a tour with The Morning Benders and Twin Sister, though the NYC show on that tour (November 18th at Webster Hall) will actually be opened by Cults instead of Oberhofer (despite what was originally advertised)

Oberhofer will also be back in Brooklyn even sooner though. One day after they leave that tour, November 13th, they play the "Zero Film Festival Opening Night Event" at 1896 Studio Nutroaster Studios on 120 Ingraham St. in Brooklyn (note new location) with Asobi Seksu (who also played last Friday's BrooklynVegan day party) and Sherlock's Daughter (not Autolux as originally advertised). Tickets are on sale.

All tour dates, and more pictures from a show Oberhofer played at Monster Island Basement on 9/17 with Indian Jewelry, below...

Continue reading "Oberhofer played some shows, touring w/ Morning Benders, playing Zero Film Fest event w/ Asobi Seksu (dates & pics) "

photos by Amanda Hatfield, videos by Bleary Eyed Brooklyn

"Phantom Band at Public Assembly. This is making me very happy" - amanda farah

"Just learned that DeVotchKa is headlining today's BV free CMJ day party at Public Assembly. I'm so there!" - M. Millions

Devotchka

"[Friday] included a bit of borough hopping between Brooklyn and Manhattan. First up was the Brooklyn Vegan showcase at Public Assembly. This included two rooms of free music and free alcohol (if you like [Magic Hat] or Firefly). There was also a table selling BV shirts, proceeds of which go towards "Music Has Power" (The Institute for Music and Neurologic Function). Good music + a good cause = good party by the Vegan. There's another one [Saturday] that has a sick line-up. Gonna head there first thing [Saturday].

One other thing worth noting about that BV party is one of the bands: Shrag. This band was from the UK, which got me thinking about how many bands travel from all over the world (especially places like the UK and New Zealand) just to come to CMJ. I think it's really cool how this festival gives people a chance to experience music from not just all over the country, but from different parts of the world as well. Because let's face it, how many of us are going to be visiting New Zealand any time soon?" [News on Shuffle]

Jonny Corndawg is an Esmont native who plays in Charlottesville all the time (his website says he's in Nashville) and who I caught for the first time over the weekend. His square jaw was beard-covered and framed in a cowboy hat and huge sunglasses. The silly facade--"Jonny Corndawg" is inlayed on his acoustic guitar!--can only hide his chops for so long. If he didn't have chops, would he have written these lines:

"Drink water and juice with a little slice of lemon/ eat a raw clove of garlic every once in a while/ meditate, appreciate, learn a foreign language/ and understand that immigrants have the hardest lives." [c-ville]

As Andrew also pointed out, John Vanderslice (who played Mercury Lounge the night before) ended his solo set in a very special way - on the floor with 2 guest musicians (one with a horn). The crowd, dreaded member of Nada Surf included, had the three performers completely surrounded. After the set, John went out to coffee with fans (or at least that's what he said he was going to do).

Devotchka capped things off on the main stage, complete with more horns. Thanks again to Vinny's Music for the equipment. More pictures and some videos from the whole day (with a second set on its way). below...

Continue reading "BV Friday day party in pics & video - part 1 (Devotchka, Ty Segall, John Vanderslice, Asobi Seksu, Dom & more) "

by Andrew Sacher

CMJ (pic by thewildhoneypie)

The 2010 CMJ Music Marathon took place in NYC from Tuesday, 10/19 through Saturday, 10/23. Here's what I did, broken down by day...

Tuesday

I started day one of CMJ, my first-ever CMJ, at the 'Future of the Music Business, Really?' panel. It was really interesting and I learned a lot. The panelists discussed potential ways to keep the industry of recorded music alive, and from what I gathered, most of them agreed that if there was some way to pay a fee for unlimited music downloading, it would probably result in the most positive reception.

From there I hit the 'American Hardcore and the Rise of Modern Rock' panel. This was probably the most interesting panel I went to all week. It was moderated by American Hardcore: A Tribal History author Steven Blush and the panelists talked about how so many aspects of modern rock really are directly influenced from the early '80s hardcore scene, especially regarding the relevance of indie record labels, street teams, and samplers.

They also discussed how the American hardcore movement really is an art movement, not just a style of music. Among the panelists were Vic Bondi from Articles of Faith and Jack Rabid from the magazine, The Big Takeover. It was great to hear things about the movement from people who had really been there when it was prevalent. The event was one of many recent promotional appearances for Steven Blush. You can catch him again in NYC at The Strand at 7pm on 12/15.

Then I made my way over to the Ground Control showcase at Irving Plaza which was headlined by Jenny and Johnny (who I couldn't stay for). I really enjoyed Times New Viking - my first time seeing them. The drummer has the band move from one song to the next so quickly. I also enjoyed Wild Nothing's set a lot, especially now that I knew their album. I had actually seen them over the summer open for The Morning Benders but wasn't really familiar with them at the time.

continued below...

Continue reading "a college student @ CMJ (a College Music Jounal journal)"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Allo Darlin' - Dreaming (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Allo Darlin' - My Heart is a Drummer (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Hedgehog - Toy and 61 Festival (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Hedgehog - Waiting for the Last Bus (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Sound of Arrows - M.A.G.I.C. (MP3)

Thg Sound of Arrows

I'm just going to declare Thursday to be the bonkers, overstuffed day at CMJ2010. Even without a badge, you're gonna have to make some tough choices about what you want to do. It would also be a good day to call in sick.

Impose magazine is putting on great FREE unofficial shows all week -- nights at Don Pedros, days at The Woods.  Today's lineup currated by Pop Jew. It's definitely where I'll be this afternoon, and not just because it's four blocks from my house. The whole lineup is great  but above all else,Allo Darlin' is playing at 6PM, a band that has the ability to put a smile on the face of even the most hardened curmudgeon. (Chris Weingarten is currently in Finland so I can't actually prove this.) You would be dumb to miss them. It's one of two shows they're playing at CMJ.

The rest of the line-up is swell too: Bejiing  trio Hedgehog (their drummer is a pint-sized pistol); , Brooklyn's best new indiepop band, Dream Diary;  slacker-ish Bright Lights and local punks The Sleepies and Othermen. Bands start at 2PM and the show is not too crowded so there might be longer sets than you get elsewhere.... and there's a good taco truck in the back. This would make a great warm up if you are going to our night-time showcase at MHOW. Just an idea.

Of course there is good action as always on Ludlow St. At Pianos, I Guess I'm Floating presents two floors of bands, including This Week in Indie faves Violens, Oberhofer and Beach Fossils, plus Baths, Pepper Rabbit (a band I need to check out this week), Teen Daze, Million Young,  Young the Giant, Young Man (that's three "Young"s!), Coolrunnings and more! Bands start and noon. Free entry, free beer.

(note: also catch one of those Youngs, Young Man at our MHOW showcase at 8pm sharp)

Down the street at Cake Shop, it's the NYC Taper day party, with 12 bands in six hours on one stage, which seems pretty ambitious, but that's what CMJ is all about. Overload. The line-up is pretty choice too, including Soft Black, Diamond Rings (one of two day parties for Diamond Rings today), Keepaway, She Keeps Bees, ArpLine and more. First band (Courtesy Tier) is on at 12:30 and if you can't make it, I'm sure all the sets will be up on NYC Taper at some point. Free.

There are also two all-day parties going on. The first I'll mention is the Neon Gold party at Public Assembly which goes from 3PM to 3AM. Pop is the key word here, be it on the guitar side (Obefhofer, Savior Adore, Ava Luna) or the dancey side (Penguin Prison, Fenech-Soler, Brahms, The Knocks). Most interestingly, to me, is that Swedish band The Sound of Arrows is playing their first American show. I didn't even know they played live at all. The band have only released a few singles in their three-year existence, but their track "M.A.G.I.C" (downloadable above) was my #3 Single of 2009. I'm a little skeptical about them pulling it off live, but... might be worth checking out. The Neon Gold website has MP3s of every band playing. Limited badge entry, $12 otherwise.

Then there's Day 1 of Pitchfork's #Offline Fest, which runs from 2pm - midnight, with such bands as Dave Sitek/Maximum Balloon (he's DJing), glitchy UK act Gold Panda, Surfer Blood, Wild Nothing, Small Black and more. While it's hard to question the line-up, almost all of these are all bands are playing many other times during the week, often for free. And while Brooklyn Bowl is an awesome place in theory, it is pretty much insufferable Thurs - Sat nights: the bar is five deep, and half (if not more of) the crowd doesn't even realize there are bands playing at all. And I don't think the weekend conditions will be different because there's a "festival" happening. This will no doubt be the most tollerable of the three nights though, as I said, no arguing with the talent they've got on the stage.

NIGHTIME picks coming right up HERE. Flyers, some set times, etc after the jump.

Continue reading "CMJ 2010 - Bill's Thursday DAYTIME picks (Sound of Arrows, Hedgehog, Allo Darlin, NYC Taper, lots of Youngs & more)"

by Bill Pearis

Yo La Tengo @ Pitchfork Fest 2009 (more by Joseph Xu)

What, it's Tuesday already? CMJ is here and I'm not really ready. Can we postpone for a week? No? All right. Here we go. Let's not go too crazy tonight (10/19), there's still four more days of this to come.

DAYTIME

Pretty much all the free daytime action happens on Ludlow St. today. Biggest among them is The Music Slut's party at Pianos, which features the dark synths of Brahms, the cheery synths of Hooray for Earth, plus Oberhofer (who play our day party on Friday), Young the Giant, Pearl and the Beard, and more. Party starts at noon, with the first band (Vancouver's Yukon Blonde) on at 1PM.

Moving down the street, Paper Garden Records has a showcase at The Living Room, with Denmark's Alcoholic Faith Mission, two bands from Toronto (Freedom or Death, Kidstreet), Emmanuel and the Fear, Motel Motel, Young Mammals and Saadi. First band is on at 1PM.

And then at Cake Shop, it's the Flower Booking/CapeShok party with Million Young, Sunglasses and Azalia Banks. This one starts a little later -- first band is on at 4PM.

And somewhere between day and night is the free New Zealand showcase at Le Poisson Rouge which starts at 5:45PM. I especially recommend you check out Lawrence Arabia, whose material ranges from delicate folk to ELO style orch-pop. Also playing:  electropop artist Zowie, Kids of 88, Street Chant, Ruby Frost and Electric Wire Hustle. Did I mention it's free? You do need to RSVP if you don't have a badge.

NIGHTTIME

Big ticket shows for tonight: Yo La Tengo play for free at the official CMJ kickoff show at Brooklyn Bowl with Screaming Females (who play our showcase Thursday night) and DOM (who play our Friday day party); Former Afgan Whigs frontman Greg Dulli is at Bowery Ballroom with Craig Wedren; and Jenny and Johnny, Wild Nothing, Times New Viking, Happy Birthday and La Sera (Kickball Katy of  Vivian Girls) at Irving Plaza;

If you wanna dance, you might want to head to Highline Ballroom for a night bands that sound like they could be on a Kitsune Maison compilation: the electro-soul sounds of Dan Black, Italo-disco lovers The Golden Filter, helium voiced Neon Hitch, Denver's The Chain Gang of 1974, and more.

UPDATE: "Chain Gang has dropped off tonight's show due to food poisoning. All other shows are set to occur as scheduled." (10/20 @ Maxwell's, 10/22 @ Cameo, 10/23 @ Santos)

For hip hop, it's Duck Down Music vs. Blacksmith at LPR.

And tonight at Cake Shop is your only chance this week to catch The Billy Nayer Show (11PM), the live band behind such cool sci-fi western musicals as The American Astronaut and last year's Stingray Sam. (Frontman Cory McAbee also directs and stars in them.) They're a one-of-a-kind, and playing as part of the Panache Booking showcase that also features Audacity, Dinowalrus, Onra, Janka Nabay, O'Death and Gary Wilson.

There's tons more shows, obviously. But that's what looks interesting to me. What are you going to see? Flyers and day party set times are below.

Continue reading "CMJ 2010 - Bill's Tuesday picks & stuff (Yo La Tengo, The Billy Nayer Show, Greg Dulli, day parties & more) "