by Andrew Sacher

Kishi Bashi at Webster Hall in March (more by Bryan Bruchman)

The Barr Brothers (Andrew and Brad Barr of The Slip) and Kishi Bashi (K Ishibashi of Jupiter One and touring member of of Montreal) have a few dates together this month including a NYC show TONIGHT (5/16) at Le Poisson Rouge. Tickets for that show are available.

Maybe you caught Kishi Bashi doing his vocal/violin set as an opening act on Of Montreal's tour. He released his debut album for the project, 151a, last month on Joyful Noise. There are some definite similarities to Owen Pallett, who also creates baroque art pop primarily with his violin and voice, though it's a bit poppier than Owen. You can stream the entire album below. Kishi Bashi will also play a much larger NYC show when he opens for Dr. Dog at Summerstage (9/20) with Delta Spirit.

All dates are listed below, along with the 151a album stream...

Continue reading "Kishi Bashi on tour with Barr Brothers, playing LPR tonight; released '151a' (stream it)"

Frankie Rose @ Township (more by Sarah Frankie Linder)

In addition to the Jens Lekman/Of Montreal show at Williamsburg Park, the Northside Festival (June 14 - 17) just announced a slew of confirmed artists who'll be playing this year, including Future of the Left, the U.S. debut of Iceage-spinoff Vår (formerly War), Frankie Rose (playing the BrooklynVegan showcase at Music Hall of Williamsburg with more TBA), Grass Widow, Cleveland's Gap Dream, Wymond Miles of the Fresh & Onlys,  Chain & the Gang, Kool Keith and more.

Other 2012 Northside Festival artists we've already posted about include Olivia Tremor Control, GZA, Neil Hamburger, Eternal Summers, Ceremony and Screaming Females and Royal Headache. Badges are on sale now and the full list of confirmed 2012 Northside artists is below.

Continue reading "more Northside Festival artists announced (Frankie Rose, Grass Widow, Felice Brothers, Buke & Gass, Vår, Gap Dream & more)"

Five shows is now six. Jens Lekman, of Montreal, The Thermals and Beach Fossils performing an all-ages show at the new Williamsburg Park on Friday, June 15. It's what surely will be the headlining event at the 2012 Northside Festival. Entry is free on a first-come, first-served basis for Northside badge-holders, though there is no guarantee of admission if badge capacity is filled. If you don't want to take your chances with getting in with a badge, tickets ($33.50) go on sale Friday, May 11 at noon.

It's been five years since Jens Lekman's last album, Night Falls Over Kortedala. When are we getting something new? Jens' latest online missive:

The topic for the month of May is : Coffee

When people ask me about my production rate the last five years I sometimes say "Well you can't pour manure in an espresso machine and expect a cappucino to come out". By which I mean that some things you just go through, you don't write about them or make art out of them.

But then my friend informed me that the worlds finest and most expensive coffee is made out of the shit from a small civet. So that backfired on me.

But I've grinded these beans for you now and I finished the last mixes last night. I just have some mastering to do and some design to finish. Two-three different bands to rehearse with for the tours. Three videos to make. A million interviews to sit through. A few months to let the distributors and labels set up their plans. A summer of being worried about what you're going to think of the album. And then it will be out.

How do you take it? Milk? Sugar?

The 2012 Northside Festival happens June 14 - 17 at most of the venues in Williamsburg / Greenpoint. Badges are on sale now.

Off! @ NXNE 2011 (more by Natasha Ryan)

The most memorable thing that happened the year I visited Toronto for NXNE was Iggy Pop & The Stooges playing their big, outdoor, free, no-ticket-or-badge-required show downtown at Yonge-Dundas Square. Last year the Descendents did it. This year they've landed the Flaming Lips which should be an amazing spectacle. And:

NXNE Music has confirmed that Bad Religion, Raekwon & Ghostface Killah and Matthew Good will headline free shows at Yonge-Dundas Square (YDS) throughout the seven-day festival. The NXNE Music line-up also includes performances at YDS and in the clubs by Of Montreal, No Use For A Name, Purity Ring, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Death Grips, The Men, Bleached, Good Riddance, METZ, Ceremony, Plants & Animals, The Death Set, The Sadies & Andre Williams, Oberhofer, Reigning Sound, Action Bronson, 2:54, Yamantaka/ /Sonic Titan, The Hundred in The Hands, Rival Schools, Killer Mike, Young Magic, Hayes Carll, Friends, Hollerado, Bran Van 3000, The Black Belles, Doldrums, Odonis Odonis, Mac DeMarco, Bass Drum of Death, Porcelain Raft, Exitmusic, Violens, Grass Widow, Eight and a Half, DZ Deathrays, Jonathan Toubin, Art vs. Science, B L A C K I E, The Nils and Ivan Julian (ex-Richard Hell & The Voidoids).

This year's fest takes place at multiple venues across Toronto from June 11-17, 2012. Tickets are on sale.

Last year BrooklynVegan co-hosted a boat party with M For Montreal and Bruise Cruise.

photos by Greg Cristman

As promised, here are the rest of the pictures from the first of two Of Montreal shows at Webster Hall last weekend. More below...

Continue reading "Computer Magic & Hard Nips (opening for Of Montreal) @ Webster Hall (pics)"

photos by Bryan Bruchman

Of Montreal @ Webster Hall - 3/31/2012

Like they did on Friday, Of Montreal headlined Webster Hall on Saturday night (3/31), but this time with a different set of openers including the super talented and humble, but a bit mismatched Loney Dear, who had some trouble keeping the large crowd's attention. Probably not the best idea to put a singer-songwriter on right before an energetic band like Of Montreal. Kishi Bashi's opening set of vocal and violin looping went over a bit better.

If you compare the written setlist from Friday with Saturday's (below), you'll see Kevin Barnes & company mixed it up a bit to the benefit of people who went both nights.

Of Montreal's tour continues to Boston tonight. More pictures from Saturday in NYC, below...

Continue reading "Of Montreal played Webster Hall w/ Loney Dear & Kishi Bashi (night 2 pics & setlist)"

photos by Greg Cristman, words by Rebecca Strassberg

Last night (3/30), of Montreal stopped in NYC for the first of two shows at Webster Hall, as part of their current tour. (The second one is tonight. UPDATE: It happened and pics are HERE)

Openers Hard Nips and Computer Magic got the audience pumped, but by the time Of Montreal came on it felt as though the floor of Webster Hall was going to collapse before the end of the show. Beginning with songs from their new album, Paralytic Stalks, the band released white balloons, which reflected multicolor lights as they were passed over the crowd.

The energy of frontman Kevin Barnes increased throughout the almost two-hour set, and in typical Of Montreal fashion, the show included people in white bodysuits crowd surfing, white puppets, various psychedelic images flashing on screens, and the guitarist jumping into the incredibly enthusiastic crowd.

The encore was a twenty-minute mashup of some favorites off Skeletal Lamping, and Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer, which as I heard many saying upon exit, made the entire show worthwhile.

Barnes said he was excited to do it again tonight (3/31), but this time with Loney Dear and Kishi Bashi opening (the same openers from Chicago).

Pictures of Friday night's openers are coming later, but here are some of the headliner. More, shot of the setlist included, below...

Continue reading "Of Montreal played Webster Hall (night 1 pics & setlist)"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: pacificUV - Ballerina (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: pacificUV - Funny Girl (MP3)

Athens, Georgia psych pop band pacificUV have been around since the late 90s. They released their well-received debut in 2003 and then moved to Portland to make their second LP, Longplay Vol. 2. Having moved back to Athens, the band are set to release their third album, Weekends on January 31. Like their previous records, Weekends mines blissed-out, synth-heavy spacerock not unlike Recurring-era Spacemen 3 and makes for a good soundtrack for staring endlessly at a lavalamp post-3AM.

We're premiering the vocoder-heavy track "Ballerina" in this post. Stream it below or download it above along with "Funny Girl" as well. Weekends -- which features appearances by Of Montreal's B.P. Helium and Olivia Tremor Control's John Fernandez -- is available in some fancy deluxe editions (though not on vinyl from what I can tell).

Click through for a video trailer and cover art for Weekends and a stream of "Ballerina."

Continue reading "pacificUV releasing third album 'Weekends' (track premiere)"

"Our new album, Paralytic Stalks, is officially available for pre-order through Polyvinyl Records! It'll be available on CD / 180-gram 2xLP (limited edition fuchsia, or black vinyl) / cassette / MP3 formats on Feb 7th. Check everything out by clicking HERE. Tracklist below."

Continue reading "Of Montreal announce tour in support of new album (dates)"

Escape to NY Sunday (pic via thinkmgazine)

Yesterday it was officially announced that next weekend's East Hampton MTK music fetival was cancelled, AND THAT tickets would be honored at this weekend's Southampton music festival Escape to NY which wasn't exactly packing them in, especially on Friday. Well, so much for that plan. Escape to NY has just officially cancelled today, alledgedly due to all the rain that soaked the grounds last night and the rain that's still coming too. The cancellation came after a long delayed opening that had people sitting in the parking lot waiting to finally hear the news. Of Montreal was among the bands set to perform at the fest tonight.

Dana (Distortion) Yavin was onsite all weekend taking pictures for BrooklynVegan and is on her way home as we speak with shots from day one and day two. Stay tuned.

P.S. Q-Tip has also cancelled his Brooklyn Bowl DJ gig tonight, but will be replaced by Reptar and a DJ set by Talib Kweli.

No Age @ Don Hill's in 2010 (more by Leia Jospe)

today in NYC
* Blue Note Jazz Fest
* Q-Tip @ Brooklyn Bowl
* Ayo @ Highline Ballroom
* Nellie McKay @ Joe's Pub
* Darius Jones @ The Stone
* Les Chauds Lapins @ Barbes
* New Beard, Lavalier @ Zebulon
* Sloan, HotKid @ Knitting Factory
* TILT Brass @ Issue Project Room
* Mandingo Ambassadors @ Barbes
* Miss Tess & The Bon Ton Parade @ Barbes
* Centro-matic, Sarah Jaffe @ Mercury Lounge
* Walter Schreifels, Vs. Antelope @ Saint Vitus
* Lindbergh Palace, Only Son @ Mercury Lounge
* The Billy Nayer Show, The Archive @ Union Hall
* No Age, HEALTH, Cults, Ceremony @ House of Vans
* Real Estate, Widowspeak, Vacation @ 285 Kent Ave
* Sean Bones, New Moods, Rare Child @ Cameo Gallery
* ArpLine, Bad Girlfriend, Hard Nips, Huntronik @ Coco 66
* Crooked Fingers, Laura Stevenson & The Cans @ Maxwell's
* Alana Amram, Kelli Scarr, The National Reserve @ Union Pool
* Josiah Wolf, First Nature, Prussia, Ohnomoon @ The Rock Shop
* Strike Anywhere, Iron Chic, Soul Control @ Santos Party House
* I'm Turning Into, EULA, Little Racer, Quiet Loudly, Clouder @ Silent Barn
* Four More Years, Vacation, Emily Reo, Quilt, Mutual Benefit @ Cake Shop
* Fiasco, Caddywhompus, A Billion Ernies, Arvid Noe, Red Dwarf @ Death By Audio
* Laurie Anderson, Bill Laswell @ Castle Clinton National Monument at Battery Park
* Justin Townes Earle, Punch Brothers, The Hackensaw Boys @ Prospect Park Bandshell
* Schism (Tool tribute), Jesus Christ Pose (Soundgarden tribute) @ Rocks Off Concert Cruise
* Jack & the Jaywalkers, The Courtesy Tier, Monuments, Man Like Machine, James Dean Wells @ Bowery Electric
* The LOX, EPMD, Talib Kweli, Kid Capri, Large Professor N Neek The Exotic, Nice & Smooth, M.O.P., Keith Murray, Nice & Smooth, Brand Nubian, Black Rob @ Best Buy Theater
* The Moon Show w/ Kristen Schaal and Kurt Braunohler, Todd Barry, MC Chris & more @ 92YTribeca

Check out This Week In Indie

Seefeel and Laurel Halo at Le Poisson Rouge is cancelled.

About the free Laurie Anderson show today:

Laurie Anderson and Bill Laswell
June 30, 2011 - 7:00pm
Castle Clinton
TICKETS AVAILABLE AT THE GATE!
TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE ON A FIRST-COME, FIRST-SERVED BASIS AT THE GATE STARTING AT 5PM.
THIS VENUE HAS LIMITED SEATING.

Q-Tip DJs at Brooklyn Bowl tonight instead of Questlove, who returns next Thursday (7/7).

New Of Montreal video for "L'age D'or" below...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Thursday?"

Tickets go on sale today (6/29) at noon for the BV presented Little Dragon 'Ritual Union' album release show at Music Hall of Williamsburg.

We were promised 10 ticketed Williamsburg Waterfront shows this summer, and now we have another one to add to the list. The diverse list of bands coming to the Brooklyn venue now includes, well, Stone Temple Pilots. Tickets for this July 25th show go on sale Thursday (6/30) at noon.

Another reunited "grunge" band that we don't need to reunite, though not one from the west coast, or even from America, Bush plays Bowery Ballroom on July 28. Tickets go on sale Thursday (6/30) at noon.

Speaking of reunited grunge bands, we have tickets you can win to the Soundgarden shows at Prudential Center (7/8) and Jones Beach (7/9). E-mail BVCONTESTS@HOTMAIL.COM (subject: Soundgarden). Include your first and last name and venue choice in the email. Winners will be randomly selected and contacted. Good luck! FYI, don't worry, your name/email will not be used for anything else.

Speaking of Williamsburg Waterfront, reunited bands and contests, we're giving away tickets to Death From Above 1979 at our Facebook.

We're also giving away tickets to see Bon Sollee tonight at Music Hall of Williamsburg on our Facebook.

Dr. Dog are playing Williamsburg Waterfront this summer now too.

Frank Turner added a November 3 show at Bowery Ballroom after his 9/21 show sold out. Tickets go on sale Thursday (6/30) at noon. Andrew Jackson Jihad and Into It. Over It open the show.

Tickets are still available for the Frightened Rabbit show at MHOW and the waterfront show with DCFC.

AmEx presale starts today (6/29) at noon for The Rapture's show at MHOW.

We recently mentioned that of Montreal were added to Escape 2 NY. They play the Hamptons Fest on August 7. Kevin Barnes aka DJ List Christee DJs at Brooklyn Bowl on August 6. Tickets for his DJing gig are on sale now.

People are asking if the real Moonface (aka Spencer) is still playing Mercury Lounge in July. He is, and tickets are still on sale.

Tickets are still available for the WU LYF show at Mercury Lounge but are sure to be gone soon so act quick.

Tickets are still available for the John Maus and Puro Instinct show at Mercury Lounge tonight (6/29.

Tickets are still available for Memory Tapes and New Moods at Mercury Lounge on Friday (7/1).

Caveman are playing Mercury Lounge on September 15. Tickets go on sale Friday (7/1) at noon with an AmEx presale starting today (6/29) at noon.

Two Gallants play Mercury Lounge on September 13. Tickets are on sale now.

Pepper Rabbit were not added to the Braids show at Mercury Lounge, but they added their own on August 31 with We Barbarians. Tickets are on sale now.

North Highlands and ARMS play Mercury Lounge on July 27. Tickets are on sale now.

Check out what's happening on the Fourth of July (and in Philly).

Psychedelic Furs at Wellmont in 2009 (more by Tim Griffin)

The Psychedelic Furs recently reissued their sophomore album Talk Talk Talk (home of "Pretty In Pink") in Europe, where they toured the album in its entirety. On Saturday (6/25), they kicked off a tour for the album in America. That tour doesn't hit NYC, but they will come through in October for a traditional show at Irving Plaza on October 3 with Tom Tom Club. Tickets are on sale now.

Both Psychedelic Furs and Tom Tom Club also have festival appearances scheduled in August and both are playing the Hamptons. As mentioned, Tom Tom Club play Music to Know Fest in East Hampton. Psychedelic Furs were added to Escape to New York at the Shinnecock Reservation in Southampton, NY on August 5 - 7. Tickets are still available. Other recently confirmed acts include Of Montreal, Savoir Adore, Reptar, Mates of State, Tiger Love, and Jolly Boys.

Full Escape to NY lineup and all Psychedelic Furs tour dates below...

Continue reading "upcoming Psychedelic Furs gigs, updated Escape to NY lineup"

photos by Tim Griffin

DOWNLOAD: Painted Palms - All of Us (MP3)

Of Montreal Fans in Austin

Of Montreal's ongoing tour with Secretly Canadian-signed band Painted Palms brought them to NYC for a headlining show at Webster Hall back on April 30th, four days after both bands released new music. Of Montreal put out thecontrollersphere on Polyvinyl. Painted Palms released the Canopy EP which is where the song "All of Us" comes from (download above). On May 17th the bands hit the Mohawk in Austin. Pictures from the Texas show are in this post (OM's setlist included), and they continue, with all tour dates, below...

Continue reading "Of Montreal & Painted Palms released stuff, on tour, played Webster Hall & the Mohawk (pics)"

Of Montreal at Terminal 5 (more by Matthew Eisman)

After two nights at the considerably larger Terminal 5 with Janelle Monae this past fall, Of Montreal is downsizing a bit with a newly announced NYC show at Webster Hall on April 30th. Tickets go on AMEX presale on 1/12 at noon, with general sale kicking off two days later at that same time (1/14 at noon). The show is part of a campy/glammy/costumed assault of the US that kicks off April 28th in DC and runs through May 20th in Atlanta. All dates below.

Of Montreal has a few southern dates scheduled for this week but shortly thereafter band members Davey Pierce & Nicholas Dobbratz will hit the road for a string of dates of their own as part of their respective side projects Yip Deceiver and Sugar & Gold. The projects, which both have glaring holes in their tour schedule from March 16 - 21 while in Texas (educated guess: SxSW), will hit the Northeast in early March, tagging Knitting Factory on 3/3. Tickets are on sale for their show with Speak.

All tour dates and a stream of some Yip Deceiver material is below...

Continue reading "Of Montreal announce 2011 tour, side projects Yip Deceiver and Sugar & Gold too (dates)"

Azure Ray's latest offering is Drawing Down the Moon, released in the middle of September via Saddle Creek Records. It's their first LP in seven years. Get an e-copy from Amazon for a whopping five bones. This duo, aka Maria Taylor and Orenda Fink, is currently on tour promoting the LP and will be in NYC to play Mercury Lounge on Saturday (11/13, tickets) and Knitting Factory on Sunday (11/14,tickets). All dates are with James Husband. Tim Fite is also on the tour and supports on both NYC shows, but leaves after the DC show and is replaced by Dead Fingers for the remaing three.

The Knitting Factory show has a special poster designed by Two Arms Inc, You can see a picture of it below, buy one for $10 at the merch table the night of the show, and WIN ONE along with A PAIR OF TICKETS to the show. Details below.

James Husband is the alter ego of James Huggins, former Of Montreal multi-instrumentalist. His old band is currently on tour, and recently released a new video for "Famine Affair" which is the same song they're currently holding a remix contest for. Check it out below.

All Azure Ray and Of Montreal dates, videos, the poster and contest details, below...

Continue reading "Azure Ray has a new album -on tour w/ Tim Fite & James Husband (2010 dates & a contest) ++ Of Montreal stuff"

photos by Matthew Eisman

"As the set progressed Mr. Barnes sometimes set clowning aside. Although he sang "Casualty of You" in a gold lamé robe and a miterlike headpiece, it was a bitter piano dirge. He performed most of his set-closer, "The Past Is a Grotesque Animal," without the dancers, as its relentless drumbeat and tense tremolo violin led him toward desperate incantation. And then, for encores, came three songs from Michael Jackson's "Thriller" -- another way to wrap anxieties in gleaming pop.

Of Montreal shared the bill, and the stage, with Janelle Monáe; she sings on "False Priest," and Of Montreal appears on her album, "The ArchAndroid" (Wondaland Arts Society/Bad Boy/Atlantic). Ms. Monáe has a bright voice with more than a hint of Michael Jackson in it, and she shares Of Montreal's fondness for funk, soul and new wave, for science fiction and for overstuffing songs. Her set zoomed through styles and ideas -- rock and soul, swing and Hendrixy psychedelia, futurism and romance. She went high-stepping through them all like a vaudeville trouper, complete with black-and-white saddle shoes to show off footwork ready for Broadway." [NY Times]

Continue reading "Of Montreal & Janelle Monae played Terminal 5 again (twice) - pics, setlist & video of the Michael Jackson medley"

Three videos from last night's episode of Fallon, below...

Continue reading "Of Montreal, Solange Knowles & 'Neil Young' doing Double Rainbow on Fallon (videos) "

Tickets are on sale at noon for the Of Montreal/Janelle Monae shows at Terminal 5 which are part of a much bigger tour. All dates, now announced, below...

Continue reading "updated Of Montreal & Janelle Monae tour dates (tix on sale)"

DOWNLOAD: Of Montreal - Coquet Coquette (MP3)

Of Montreal @ Highline Ballroom in January (more by Benjamin Lozovsky)

False Priest, the forthcoming record by increasingly glammy and theatrical Of Montreal, will be their tenth album. It's due September 14th through their label Polyvinyl. The record's first single, "Coquet Coquette," above. A second track, "Hydra Fancies," which will also be part of The Believer's Music Issue, has also turned up online.

The album, co-produced by Kevin Barnes and Jon Brion, features contributions by indie/pop crossovers Janelle Monáe and Solange Knowles. Both have been known to perform with Of Montreal at the band's gigs (at Terminal 5 even). And there's good odds the band will jam with Janelle, the confirmed opener, at their brand-new Terminal 5 dates on Friday, September 17th and Saturday, September 18th. Tickets go on AmEx presale Wednesday at 11am. General sale starts Friday at noon. Who knows, maybe Susan Sarandon will even show up to spank people again.

All tour dates, appropriately weird album art and tracklist are below...

Continue reading "Of Montreal announce new album (MP3s, cover art, tracklist), more NYC shows w/ Janelle Monae (dates)"

"Ladies and gents, the rumors are true/false/sortakinda accurate, depending on your sources: legendary Wu Tang member Ghostface Killah, Outback Steakhouse-promoting psychedelic indie outfit Of Montreal, and remixing/upcoming Pittsburgh rapper Wiz Khalifa will play Bacchanal on Saturday, April 24th." [The Bwog]

Video of Of Montreal on Yo Gabba Gabba!, below...

Continue reading "Of Montreal, Ghostface & Wiz Khalifa playing Columbia show"

words & photos by Benjamin Lozovsky

Susan Sarandon punishes a pig

Of Montreal didn't come out with quite as many theatrics as usual during their show last night at Highline Ballroom. Playing a smaller venue than they've played before for a rabid all-ages crowd, they could have played motion and emotionless. The furor generated by their die-hard fan base would still rage mightily. Minus the strobe-lit crucifixion scene and the cameo by Susan Sarandon as a schoolteacher with a ruler and a streak of corporal punishment for two misbehaving pig characters, one could almost call it a mellow set visually. Oh and there was the confetti shooting machine, but that's just normal nowadays at shows right?

Of Montreal member and tour-mate James Husband opened and showed flashes of promise, especially when his smooth and almost haunting voice gave way to energetic group breakdowns full of noise and unexpected developments.

Even despite Of Montreal's minutely toned down performance act, musically the band sounded tight and focused, switching effortlessly from insidiously bubble gum sing-alongs to dark, discoed-out dance-hop material. All with the power and professionalism of a hardened rock band. Sporting one less musician on this tour meant none of the instrument swapping and running around that was such a presence at their last several New York City tour stops, and maybe that enabled a little more time for poise and togetherness amongst the members of the band. The band was augmented by one member for the encore, as indiephile Solange Knowles joined Of Montreal to play a chill, funky version of The Jackson Five's "I want You Back." Even that addition was just for musical engagement, no hoopla required. Maybe for Of Montreal, sometimes less is more.

Solange is one of a few collaborators announced for the next OM album. More pictures from Highline Ballroom, including one of the setlist, below...

Continue reading "Of Montreal was joined by Susan Sarandon & Solange Knowles @ Highline Ballroom in NYC - pics & setlist"

DOWNLOAD: Hesta Prynn, Can We Go Wrong (MP3)

The Walkmen @ the Guggenheim in 2009 (more by Kurt Christensen)

today in NYC
* Paul Dianno @ BB King's
* The Necks @ Issue Project Room
* Hesta Prynn, Workout, Sally Head @ Pianos
* Daniel Higgs, Stellar Om Source @ Maxwell's
* Darius Jones' Elizabeth-Caroline Unit @ Roulette
* Kevin Devine and The Goddamn Band @ Brooklyn Bowl
* Jessica 6, Yes Giantess, Body Language, Brahms @ Santos Party House
* Bear in Heaven, Oh No Ono, ArpLine, The Jaguar Club @ Mercury Lounge
* The Holy Experiment, Skeletons, Mirrorgate, Nude Photo @ Glasslands
* Wild Yaks, Steel Phantoms, I'm In You, Ball of Flame Shoot Fire @ Union Hall
* Haiti Benefit w/ Breakfast In Fur, No Eye Contact, El Medio, Drew Citron @ Bruar
* Private Income, White Hills, Romanian Buck, Cheryl or Sheryl? @ Knitting Factory
* Hal Willner's I Gotta Right to Sing the Blues? Music and Readings from A Fine Romance: Jewish Songwriters, American Songs, featuring Rufus Wainwright, Bill Frisell, Van Dyke Parks, and more @ The Allen Room
* Haiti Benefit w/ The Walkmen, Ted Leo, The Wrens, Freelance Whales, Sondre Lerche, A.C. Newman, Rhett Miller, Nicole Atkins, Here We Go Magic, Lauren Ambrose and The Leisure Class, The Blow, Senator Diane Savino, Jimmy Fallon, Michael Showalter, Eugene Mirman @ The Bell House

Skeletons play a benefit at Glasslands for show space ParisLondonWestNile with Mirrorgate, Nude Photo and Holy Experiment (flyer below). They play with Marc Ribot's Ceramic Dog at LPR on February 2nd. Then they're at Zebulon for a BAM Sounds Like Brooklyn show with Up Died Sound.

Hesta Prynn of Northern State has gone solo. She plays a show at Pianos tonight. MP3 from her forthecoming album above.

Cale Parks has stopped going solo and is now in a trio called Brahms (who already opened for Passion Pit at Terminal 5). They plays Santos Party House tonight with Jessica 6 featuring Nomi who some thing of as the frontperson for Hercules & Love Affair.

Tonight may be the first public appearance Rufus Wainwright makes since the very recent death of his mother.

Solange Knowles helped Of Montreal cover the Jackson 5 at Highline Ballroom last night. Video below...

Beach House played The Bell House last night. Video of them playing "Norway" at SXSW 2009 below...

Jeffrey Lewis read/sang "the And song" at the recent Tuli Kupferberg Benefit St. Ann's Warehouse. Video below...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Wednesday?"

DOWNLOAD: James Husband - A Grave in the Gravel (MP3)

Of Montreal @ Lollapalooza 2009 (more by Paul Birman)

The anticipated new of Montreal album may or may not be complete. Kevin Barnes says it all depends on how some upcoming sessions with Jon Brion work out. Barnes, who's always worked at home, alone, will meet up with Brion in early spring to work on the 16 songs that will likely make the new record. "If I wasn't going to go out there with Jon then they'd basically be done. They could be done. If I go out there with Jon and we both decide it's not working or whatever, I'll still have an album. And if I go out there and figure this is really great, then I'll have a different album," he says. Either way, the album won't be Skeletal Lamping over again. Barnes says the band is using this break to rethink their live performances, and have made an album that accommodates that. His plans are ambitious: he'd like to get rid of of Montreal's pre-recorded backing tracks, and round out the band line-up to ten or so musicians. "We're going to try to do something closer to the kind of bands that Curtis Mayfield or Stevie Wonder had in the '70s," says Barnes. [Stereogum]

More importantly, Of Montreal is launching a last minute tour in Baltimore on January 25th. They hit NYC's Highline Ballroom the very next day (1/26). Tickets go on sale at noon. All dates are with James Husband "which features longtime of Montreal band members Husband, alongside Dottie Alexander, and Davey Pierce". All dates below...

Continue reading "Of Montreal working on new album, touring w/ James Husband, playing Highline Ballroom THIS MONTH"

by BBG

DOWNLOAD: Salvador Santana - "Keyboard City" f GZA (Dan Deacon Remix) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Mando Diao - "Dance With Somebody" (The Hood Internet Remix f GZA & Cadence Weapon) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Black Lips - "Drop I Hold" featuring GZA (MP3)

GZA & Black Lips at SXSW 2009 (photo by Bill Pearis)

Still no word on a Gucci Mane/Beirut collabo album, but Wu-Tanger GZA has been hard at work rocking remixes and dropping collabos a-plenty. After appearing on a remix of Mando Diao's "Dance With Somebody" w/ Cadence Weapon by The Hood Internet (get that above), GZA has also popped up on another Hood Internet remix, this time of Salvador Santana's "Keyboard City". That remix inspired a second (a re-remix?) this time with Mr Green Skull himself, Dan Deacon.

Originally, GZA was featured over a remix of the song "Keyboard City" done by The Hood Internet. Now, Dan Deacon took that remix and dissected it into this an awesome blend of Vocoder / electro madness.
This collaboration was inspired by the idea of GZA and Dan Deacon working together and Salvador Santana a platform was set for more original material between the two in the future. GZA first caught wind of Dan Deacon earlier this fall and after a connection via their publicist, Dan ended up taking GZA and Salvador's remix and putting his own twist on it.

GZA also recently popped up on Fucked Up's charity single which is on iTunes now.

GZA appeared on the stupid dope Raekwon album Only Built For Cuban Linx Pt II, and now that the onslaught of praise has died down somewhat, that Staten Island representative is on a short tour to remind the haters why he rules faces. Count on support from Queensbridge representatives Capone n Noreaga (who aim to "blow holes in your Versace") as well as Queen Yonasda. The trio hits Irving Plaza on 12/16, tickets are still on sale.

Ruff Ryder, D-Block member and OB4CL2 contributor Jadakiss has also scheduled a show at Highline Ballroom on 12/22 with Melanie Fiona & special guests. Tickets are on sale. J-A-to-the-mwah dropped The Last Kiss earlier this year.

Make sure not to forget the previously discussed, Method Man / Ghostface appearance as part of the Hip Hop Legends series at BB Kings on Dec 23. The jawdopping lineup contains a veritable who's who of 80s-90s greats including Doug E Fresh, EPMD, Main Source/Large Professor, Onyx, Showbiz & AG, Masta Ace, Ed OG, "+ more TBA". Tickets are still available.

Dig on some videos below, including one of GZA with King Khan, as well as Raekwon tour dates...

Continue reading "Raekwon on tour (dates), GZA likes to collaborate (Dan Deacon, Har Mar, Peter, Bjorn, John, King Khan & more)"