photos by Amanda Hatfield

Anna Calvi @ Bowery Ballroom

"...when Anna Calvi coaxed slinky licks, sweeping chords, and gasping runs out of her Telecaster, I couldn't help but smile. She can really play -- she leaves no room for questions of authenticity. she's there, and she's doing it, bringing a sensuality and nuance to her guitar playing that stands her apart from a lot of guitarists, both male and female." [Broken & the Blessed]

As promised in the post that mentioned David Byrne was in the audience, here are pictures from Anna Calvi's Wednesday night show at Bowery Ballroom with Cuckoo Chaos and She Keeps Bees. More of them below.

Anna and Cuckoo are now still on tour, and Anna's NYC return has already been announced. Tickets are on sale for a July 27th show at Le Poisson Rouge. That's three days before Anna plays Osheaga in Montreal.

Highlights of Anna's Bowery set included her covers of both Elvis's "Surrender", and Edith Piaf's "Jezebel". Videos of both (one from the Bowery show, one from a previous show), with more pictures and tour dates, below...

Continue reading "Anna Calvi played Bowery w/ Cuckoo Chaos & She Keeps Bees (pics & video), playing LPR, Osheaga & other dates"

photos by Chris La Putt

melophobe: From your experience, what's the best way to blow away a live audience?

Peter Silberman: Oh I don't know. It's tricky; it's in their hands. I've found that we've had the best experience when we feel connected to the audience and we feel like they're listening. You can't necessarily control that, but you can make the effort. A lot of bands definitely don't acknowledge the audience, they don't seem appreciative of them. And I think it's really important to appreciate the audience. They don't have to be there. They don't have buy tickets, they don't have to buy your record, they don't have to do anything, they don't have to give a shit about you. The fact that they do, is really cool. And it should not go unthanked.

melophobe: And honestly, as someone who is in the audience a lot, it seems like at the end of the day we are all there to share something. It's not just give and take, we all just supposed to come together and have a good time together. And go inside our heads or do whatever.

PS: Yeah. And if everybody feels like they are sharing something, then hopefully that will lead to a good show. If they like what you are doing. And I don't talk a lot on stage. The more I talk the less sense I make on stage for some reason, so I don't really talk that much, but I try to get across that...how important they are to us.

melophobe: What's a perfect record to you and do you aim for perfection when you write?

PS: Let me think for a minute. Well, I would say like Kid A is a perfect record, and that's an understatement. Not just perfect because every song is really good, it's perfect because it achieves this really, REALLY difficult thing of being incredibly strange, but being so listenable. And I've been working on just trying to, I mean I've been listening to that record for so long now. And I'm only now just starting to understand it. And these new kind of revelations I'm having about are making it better than I ever could have imagined.

The Antlers, who you can catch at Osheaga in Montreal this weekend (with Arcade Fire, Weezer, Metric, The National Sonic Youth, Devo, Pavement, The Black Keys, Stars, Owen Pallett, Beach House, Robyn, Seu Jorge, Avi Buffalo, Jamie Lidell and more) played a NYC show with Dinosaur Feathers at Pier 54 back on Thursday, 7/22. A second set of pictures from that show continue below...

Continue reading "The Antlers @ Pier 54 (more pics) (Osheaga this weekend) "

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Parlovr - Pen to the Paper (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Suuns - Arena (MP3)

Making good use of those year-long visas, Montreal trio Parlovr are heading back down to the States next week for a short North East tour, with two stops here in NYC: Wednesday, July 21 for an early show at Mercury Lounge and and Friday, July 23 at Knitting Factory. Both show are with fellow Montreal act Suuns. (More on them further down this post.)

Parlovr's 2008 debut just got a belated stateside release  -- download "Pen to the Paper" at the top of this post -- and the band are about to head back into the studio for its follow-up. As I've said before, they're an entertaining live band. Here's what I wrote from last year's M for Montreal:

The band's self-titled, self-released 2008 album does not do them justice, making them sound like a Wolf Parade Jr. Live, Parlovr are way more energetic, fun and melodic -- though it may have also had something to do with a fair amount of new material in their set. Singers Louis Jackson and Alex Cooper semi face each other from opposite sides of the stage rocking back and forth like manic Drinking Birds, flipping their '90s skate rat hair around, while mountain man drummer Jeremy MacCuish holds down the beat. They clearly enjoy playing, and it's a lot of fun to watch too.

Be sure to watch Parlovr's two new Takeaway shows which are at the bottom of this post. One of them features an unexpected run-in with a Montreal councilman, the outcome of which probably wouldn't happen in NYC.

After their U.S. jaunt, Parlovr will head back to Montreal, where they'll play a free warm-up party for the Osheaga Festival on July 29 at Cafe Campus that is being sponsored by Brooklyn Vegan, M for Montreal, Canadian music mag Exclaim and Blue Skies Turn Black. The 2010 Osheaga Festival is July 31 and August 1, with Arcade Fire, Weezer, Pavement, The National and Metric among the bands playing.

The BV/M4M show is one of a few "Osheaga in the City" events leading up to the big Festival weekend and also features Isis of Thunderheist and Sean Nicholas Savage.

Suuns

Meanwhile, Suuns will continue on in the U.S. after their dates with Parlovr. The band, who until just a couple month ago were known as Zeroes, will hit the road, opening for some of the dates on Land of Talk's fall tour. (Their portion of the tour will end before Land of Talk plays Bowery on November 6 though.) The band's EP, Zeroes, is quite good, sounding a little bit like Clinic -- dark and claustrophobic but also capable of going epic, as on "Arena" which you can download at the top of this post. This will be a good double-bill.

Those two Parlovr takeaway shows, flyers and tour dates for both Parlovr and Suuns are after the jump.

Continue reading "Parlovr touring w/ Suuns (who tour w/ Land of Talk), playing free BV-presented Osheaga show & other dates ++ MP3s"

Arcade Fire @ Mercury Lounge, 2004 (more)

Arcade Fire have been fairly quiet about their forthcoming, third album. Small tidbits have leaked out, like the fact producer Markus Dravs is working on it and that it is complete. Similarly, their summer tour dates are mostly unannounced, though Lollapalooza will be one stop. Now the band's website has been updated with a list of mainly-European summer shows. Three are in North America - Lollapalooza on August 8th, Montreal's Osheaga Festival on July 31st (the closest to NYC), and the Ottawa Bluesfest (July 6-18). The other headliners at Ottawa's massive annual fest include The B-52s, The Swell Season, The Flaming Lips, Passion Pit, Iron Maiden, Rush, Kevin Costner & Modern West, and Weezer. The full lineup is below.

In other Arcade Fire news, they're reportedly working with Spike Jonze on a short film.

"the only bits of information I've been able to uncover from official sources is that the project is another short film. It seems like Spike isn't off his short film kick just yet (if you haven't already, check out his robot love story I'm Here and We Were Once a Fairytale starring Kanye West). I also learned that the film is a collaboration with the band Arcade Fire. You might recall that Spike used Arcade Fire's "Wake Up," from their 2004 album Funeral, in the trailer for Where The Wild Things Are. No word on the length or what the official title might be. Thanks to /Film reader Sam for the tip."

We also just realized that Arcade Fire band member Sarah Neufeld has been a member of the Luyas, who are in town for shows, since 2009. She only gets to play with the Luyas when she's not working with Arcade Fire though. She'll play at their private show tonight (4/21), but not at any of the other shows that the band plays this week (Glasslands, Sycamore, Webster Hall & one more TBA!). Sarah also plays in Bell Orchestre with Richard Perry of Arcade Fire, Stefan Schneider of the Luyas, and Pietro Amato of the Luyas (who is also in Torngat and sometimes Arcade Fire). Another sometimes Arcade Fire member, Owen Pallett, plays Webster Hall on Thursday with The Luyas.

All current Arcade Fire tour dates and the full Ottawa Bluesfest lineup are below...

Continue reading "Arcade Fire playing Osheaga, Ottawa Blues Fest & other shows (dates), Sarah Neufeld plays in the Luyas (tonight) "

DOWNLOAD: Blitzen Trapper - Heaven & Earth (new MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Blitzen Trapper - Black River Killer (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Blitzen Trapper - Gold For Bread (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Blitzen Trapper - Fur (MP3)

Blitzen Trapper will release a new album, Destroyer of the Void, June 8th on Sub Pop.

"During two distant and brief breaks from the band's near-incessant touring for Furr--one in January 2009 and the other in January 2010--Earley and a few of his bandmates entered the attic studio of the lauded Portland musician and studio engineer who had recorded Furr standouts "Lady on the Water" and "Black River Killer," Mike Coykendall (Bright Eyes, M Ward, She & Him). In those two winters, in that old attic, Coykendall worked with Earley to bring life to these songs, including material the songwriter had been working on for years, most notably the piano ballad "Sadie." The producer wasn't the only local luminary to fill out the album. Preternatural musical siblings Peter Broderick (Horse Feathers, Efterklang) and Heather Woods Broderick (Efterklang) wrote the album's string arrangements, while folk standout Alela Diane lent her angelic vocals to the duet "The Tree."" - Sub Pop

One one of the new tracks is a free download above. The full tracklist is below.

On June 2nd they kick off a tour that brins them to Webster Hall in NYC on the 16th. Tickets go on sale Friday at noon. All dates below too...

Continue reading "Blitzen Trapper - new album, MP3, 2010 Tour Dates"

by Andrew Frisicano

The 4th edition of the Osheaga Music and Arts Festival will take place in Montreal's Parc Jean-Drapeau on August 1st and 2nd. Osheaga is proud to announce that the headliners for this year's edition are the multi-platinum selling band Coldplay on Saturday, August 1st and hip-hop pioneers Beastie Boys on Sunday, August 2nd....Osheaga is one of only two North American festival appearances that Coldplay will make this year.

The other North American festival is All Points West, which takes place the same weekend in NJ, and also has the Beastie Boys, Lykke Li, Arctic Monkeys, Crystal Castles, the Ting Tings, Elbow, and Kitty Daisy and Lewis in common with the Canadians.

Also playing the Osheaga Fest will be The Roots (who played APW last year, and...), who, because of their Jimmy Fallon gig, are mostly sticking to NYC-area gigs this year. They will also play the outdoor fest of their own in Philly over the summer.

This year will mark the fourth year for the Osheaga Festival. BV Mike was there last year: Day 1 and Day 2, and in 2007 too. The 2008 festival was also when Iggy & the Stooges - with Mike Watt - got their equipment stolen.

Tickets for the festival go on sale Friday, April 3rd at noon. More info and full (initial?) line-up below...

Continue reading "Osheaga Festival (in Montreal) - 2009 linuep announced"

photos by Bao Nguyen

DOWNLOAD: Sharon Jones - 100 days, 100 nights (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Menahan Street Band - Make the Road by Walking (MP3)

"Hey, Duffy: This is what soul sounds like: Tribal, earthy, hip-shakin', swerve-throwin' Sharon Jones." [Time Out Chicago]

She played Coachella. She played Bonnaroo. She played Lollapalooza. She played Osheaga. She played the Virgin Festival in Baltimore. And this past Sunday she and the Dap Kings (they were at all those other places with her too) headlined Central Park Summerstage in NYC. Other Daptone family members shared the bill...

Naomi Shelton first lifted her soulful voice into the Daptone family back in the Desco days of the late 1990s. Under her maiden name, Naomi Davis, she gave us "Forty First Street Breakdown," which has become a secret weapon for funk DJs....Naomi has a regular Friday-night residency at the West Village's Fat Cat, during which she and her band regularly blow away the audience with her powerful vocals, popping basslines, and spot-on harmonies (andfor only $3, it's probably one of the cheaper ways to change your life)...

...Menahan Street Band is one of the many projects of Thomas Brenneck, best known, perhaps, as the guitarist for the Dap-Kings, the Budos Band, and Amy Winehouse. Recorded entirely in analog in his Brooklyn home, Menahan Street Band's debut LP, Make the Road by Walking, out October 14, redefines the idea of bedroom project.

Sharon Jones always brings audience volunteers up on stage to dance with her. At the Apollo show she brought a guy named Rik up on stage. I know it was Rik because she brought him up AGAIN Sunday at Summerstage and he blogged about it.

The pictures in this post are from the Virgin Festival. More of those, and some videos from Lollapalooza, below...

Continue reading "Sharon Jones played Summerstage, Lollapalooza, Osheaga & the Virgin Festival (pics, video, tour dates)"

by BrooklynVegan Mike

Day 1, Day 2....

The Go! Team @ Osheaga (Doùdoù)

It is an open secret that the Osheaga festival is on shaky ground. It is rumored that the festival lost money the last two years. This year was make or break. When I spoke with somebody connected with the festival, he commented that they really only need one big day to turn it around and come back next year. With a combination of big names (Jack Johnson, Broken Social Scene, The Weakerthans) and a string of artists with a rep for killer live performances (MGMT, The Go! Team, Gogol Bordello), Osheaga organizers seemingly set Day 2 (Monday August 4) as that day....

Continue reading "Osheaga 2008 - day 2 (a review with pics)"

by BrooklynVegan Mike

DOWNLOAD: Duchess Says - Ccut Up (MP3)

Osheaga (Vero.b)

Osheaga, the outdoor music festival in Montreal, celebrated its third birthday this weekend with a bevy of local acts, some emerging talent, and great live performers. Day one (Sunday August 3rd) of the festival was also one of the most hectic musical days in recent [Montreal] memory. The week long Francophone music festival, FrancoFolies, concluded the same day with a performance by former Osheaga artist Malajube, and Wolf Parade (another former Osheaga performer) finished a tour downtown with their first Montreal performance since the release of At Mount Zoomer....

Continue reading "Osheaga 2008 - day 1 (a review with pics & videos)"

by BrooklynVegan Mike

"There isn't any artistic integrity in just getting the band back together
and playing the old songs."

Neil Halstead, as a co-founder of Slowdive, was one of the architects of shoegazer, a genre that has seen a revival as of late with the reformation of My Bloody Valentine and Swervedriver. In 1995, most of Slowdive morphed into Mojave 3 and has since been making beautiful countrified dream-pop. Halstead also mellows things out more on his solo records. His sophomore release Oh! Mighty Engine dropped last week on Jack Johnson's label Brushfire Records. He is also currently on tour with Jack. (yeah, we know).

This Sunday he opens the third day of the All Points West festival in Jersey City - the same day Jack closes. You can also catch Neil one day earlier at the Surf Lodge in Montauk. We caught up with Neil after he opened the second day of the Osheaga Festival in Montreal on Monday. We discussed tour mate Jack Johnson, a Slowdive reunion, and the re-emergence of shoegazer.

---

You've played a lot of festivals in your twenty year career. How does it feel to open a festival?

Neil: It's a dubious honor, isn't it? [laughs]. I would trade in the honor for a few more people. But the people were really nice. Very sweet. We enjoyed it.

You've been opening for Jack Johnson on his tour. How has that been?...

Continue reading "an interview w/ Neil Halstead (Slowdive, Mojave 3) +++++++++++++++++ 2008 Tour Dates (All Points West)"

mike watt's 1963 gibson eb-3 "the little bass"

IGGY AND THE STOOGES
EQUIPMENT STOLEN ON AUGUST 4, 2008
OUTSIDE THE EMBASSY SUITES HOTEL
208 SAINT ANTOINE OUEST,
MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA

all equipment was in a rented penske 15 foot yellow truck with u.s. (michigan) license plate number AC46493 parked immediately outside the hotel, the theft had to have happened in the morning, between 6:30 and 7:30 am - truck and all gear stolen

They were in Montreal to play the Osheaga Festival. Mike Watt is in the Stooges. The list of stuff and more info below...

Continue reading "Iggy & the Stooges (and Mike Watt)'s gear stolen in Montreal"

by BrooklynVegan Mike

Though the initial lineup has been announced for some time, more bands were recently added to the 3rd Annual Osheaga Music Festival (August 3 & 4, 2008). Spiritualized and The Kills are new additions to the Montreal outdoor music extravaganza that will be headlined by The Killers (on Day 1) and Jack Johnson (on Day 2). Other acts scheduled to appear include Iggy and the Stooges, Cat Power, The Go! Team, MGMT, and Plants and Animals.

Continue reading "3rd Annual Osheaga Music Festival in Montreal - lineup/dates"

Gogol Bordello @ The Leeds Festival 2006 (Guy Eppel)

Continue reading "Gogol Bordello - 2008 Tour Dates (McCarren/ACL/Osheaga / Virgin/Coachella/Bonnaroo/Rothbury/Popped)"

by BrooklynVegan Mike

Osheaga 2007 (CRED)

A label rep I was talking to told me that it takes a festival four to five years of good reviews and turnouts to be considered a serious destination on the festival circuit. In its sophomore year, Osheaga has followed up their triumphant debut with an impressive lineup that should continue the reputation they built for themselves last year. Once again, I was granted the task of covering this event...

Thunderheist @ Osheaga 2007 (CRED)

Arriving for day one of the two day festival around 12:30, I could hear the tail end of Apostle of Hustle opening the festivities on one of the alternating main stages. I made my way to the smaller stages on the other side of the park. Hopes were high for Thunderheist, a local hip-hop/house outfit comprised of DJ Grahm and female rapper Isis,. Taking the stage, Isis seemed to apologize in advance saying "we've been up all night." What followed was a rather limp set that took the wind out of my sails. I chalk it up to just a bad set, as I've heard that their smaller shows around town have been really good. It happens to the best of them. Over on the main stage, Jamie T performed to a somewhat apathetic audience. Unfamiliar with his music before that day, he vocally reminded me a lot of The Arctic Monkeys, a point I'm sure he'll have to have to answer questions about for years to come if his career gains traction.

Continued below...

Continue reading "Osheaga 2007 - Day 1"

The 2-day Osheaga Music Festival is happening this weekend in Montreal. Smashing Pumpkins, Bloc Party, Feist, M.I.A., Interpol, Arctic Monkeys, and Voxtrot are among the many artists playing. BrooklynVegan Mike will be on the ground to let us know how it all goes. It was at last year's festival that Mike first sat down with Wolf Parade's Dan Boekner (shortly after the infamous G Love cheese-throwing incident). He also talked to the Stills.

If Osheaga is Montreal's version of Lollapalooza & Coachella, then Pop Montreal is Montreal's version of SXSW & CMJ. And like CMJ, Pop Montreal also happens this October. Keep reading for more on that (by Mike)....

Continue reading "Osheaga this weekend, and Pop Montreal coming soon"