photos by Andrew St. Clair, words by Andrew Sacher

Tim Harrington @ Death by Audio 3/31/2012

All ages Williamsburg venue Death by Audio celebrated its fifth anniversary last month with sets by Tim Harrington (of Les Savy Fav, playing solo), Free Paint (Deerhoof's Greg Saunier and Flying's Sara Magenheimer), Grooms, and Neckbeard Telecaster. Check out more pictures from the anniversary party below. Meanwhile, they have a number of solid upcoming shows this month and next, which are highlighted in this post.

This Wedneday (4/18), Brooklyn's Hunters will play the venue. We profiled them when they toured with The Kills and Jeff the Brotherhood, after releasing a James Iha-produced, Nick Zinner-mixed EP, which you can stream/purchase at bandcamp. The bill also includes Oakland bands Sister Fucker and Generation, and Brooklyn-via Oakland band Buddy Bag.

Parts & Labor (who are on hiatus) member Dan Friel plays the venue on April 25 and again on May 2. The 5/2 show is with ex-Parts & Labor member Sarah Lipstate aka Noveller, who can also be found at Glasslands on Thursday (4/19) with Lotus Plaza and Disappears (tickets). Dan Friel also plays The Stone on May 4 at 8 PM before Bunnybrains plays at 10 PM. All Dan Friel dates are listed below.

Mr. Dream, who recently returned home after touring with Cloud Nothings, play Death by Audio on May 9 with Yvette, Pile, and Grass is Green.

Guardian Alien, who played DBA this past Friday (4/13), and plays The Stone on Tuesday (4/17), will play Death by Audio on May 11 with DJ Dog Dick and 2 Ton Bug.

The next night, May 12, pg.99 offshoot Pygmy Lush, who opens for Young Widows at Saint Vitus on 4/23, plays with PC Worship, Horse Lords, and Spa Castles. You can catch PC Worship at DBA again on May 25 with Psychic Ills and Ex Cops.

Toronto garage punks Teenanger, who will be in the Northeast US to open for Ty Segall and White Fence in Philly (5/18), will stick around to play Death by Audio in Brooklyn one day later (5/19) with Family Curse.

More pics and dates below...

Continue reading "Death By Audio celebrated 5 years w/ Tim Harrington & friends (pics), have more good shows coming up (as usual)"

"The Straight Arrows play no frills spazz rock and have grown up on a healthy diet of the Ramones and Hüsker Dü, culminating in a fearless, boozy punk. They used to play on the scungy fringes of Sydney's live scene and have since released several fuzzy 7" records. They didn't need an intro [at Manning Bar in Sydney in February] and didn't waste their time with one. They exploded on stage, stabbing the fret boards and punching out stripped back songs at ridiculous volume. It was about texture, not content. Loud, abrasive, loose, obnoxious, immature and really, really good." [Faster Louder]

Like fellow Sydney band Royal Headache, Straight Arrows will tour the United States in September around an appearance at Memphis' Gonerfest. Beginning and ending in NYC, they'll visit Cake Shop on September 5th and Death By Audio on September 30th. The Brooklyn show is with Deaf Wish, PC Worship and Home Blitz who also play Ding Dong Lounge on September 10th with Royal Headache.

All dates on the tour don't have venues yet, but they are listed below...

Continue reading "Straight Arrows touring US around Gonerfest (dates)"

fireworks (more by Chris La Putt)

The 35th Annual Macy's 4th of July Fireworks returns to the West Side to delight New Yorkers and the nation with an awe-inspiring display of patriotic firepower. This year's extravaganza, "Gift of Freedom," will feature more than 40,000 fireworks expertly synchronized to a dynamic 25-minute score that includes a mix of American standards and the hottest pop favorites!

Not in New York? Check out our entertainment
special on NBC, July 4th at 9 pm EST.

Nick Lachey hosts the TV show which will feature performances by Brad Paisley & Beyoncé.

"The Fireworks can be viewed from any area with an unobstructed view of the sky above the Hudson River. For the best views, head to 12th Avenue below 59th Street at the following access points along 11th Avenue." Note that: The Westside Highway will be closed from 22nd Street to 59th Street beginning at 4:00 pm. You can also watch from NJ. I wouldn't recommend trying to see them from Brooklyn, though it may be possible if you get up high enough somewhere. One option for watching the fireworks is aboard a Rocks Off ship.

Unfortunately there will NOT be a free concert in Battery Park this year, not that last year's was anything special (for people over 5 years old anyway). There will not be a free show on Governors Island this year either. Last year they had a free She & Him show and a Rosanne Cash show too. This year the beach on Governors will be occupied by a not-free Pacha-presented dance party (part of the four-day Dance.Here.Now. Festival).

4th of July NYC show options are pretty slim in general this year, though Shea Stadium is hosting Summerjam III with Extreme Animals, Sightings, Liturgy, PC Worship, Hubble, La Otracina, Fuckton, In Buenos Aires, Dubknowdub, Black Ribbons, Future Shuttle, and more. Zebulon, Brooklyn Bowl and Barbes are all also open that day.

July 4th is a Monday though, and it's a Monday you probably have off of work (like Bowery Presents does -- all their clubs are closed that day). That means you can stay up late Sunday, July 3rd which is when Panda Bear plays Music Hall of Williamsburg, Tinsel Teeth are at Death By Audio, The Hairs play a free afternoon show at the South Street Seaport Fulton Market, Jaga Jazzist play Le Poisson Rouge, and the Feelies play their third of three Maxwell's shows.

What else?

The second annual Hopscotch Festival will go down in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, across 12 different venues with over 135 bands, from September 8th through 10th. The lineup this year runs the gamut of independent music... from traditional indie staples (The Flaming Lips, Guided By Voices, Superchunk) to southern-inflected rock (Drive-By Truckers) to noise (Prurient) to hip hop (Beans) to garage (Jeff The Brotherhood) to funk (Budos Band) to metal (Krallice), and everywhere in between (Swans, Rhys Chatham, etc etc). Tickets are currently on sale. Full lineup is below.

Hopscotch happens almost three months after Guided By Voices play a Brooklyn Northside Festival show in McCarren Park (tickets) which is one day after Beirut plays a Northside Festival show on the same McCarren Park stage with... Sharon Van Etten (though she may have been accidentally announced at one point, they officially kept her placement on the bill under wraps until after Saturday's Music Hall of Williamsburg show). Tickets for Beirut/SVE are still on sale, and another opener will be added too.

Guided by Voices (whose Brooklyn show also has more openers coming) are also playing Pitchfork in July with Animal Collective whose Prospect Park show is now on AmEx presale.

Swans' upcoming NYC show is now on AmEx presale too.

Hopscotch lineup below...

Continue reading "Hopscotch Fest returns to Raleigh (2011 lineup announced), Sharon Van Etten officially added to Northside Fest"

"The new location is a pristine secluded beach area called Raptor Point, at the North end of the main (decommissioned) runway of the abandoned airport, right on Jamaica Bay. Gorgeous views of Jamaica Bay, Mill Basin, and of the distant Manhattan skyline; and a pretty phenomenal sunset spot." - Todd P

Details below...

Continue reading "Todd P's Unamplified Acoustic BBQ is Sunday (new location) "

DOWNLOAD: Future Islands - Tin Man (MP3)

Future Islands at a BBQ show in 2009 (more by Sarahana)

You can almost count on one hand the shows happening this July 4th. She & Him, The Old 97s and Rosanne Cash all play free shows, while the Feelies hold fort a Maxwell's in Jersey. Add to those Shea Stadium's all-day BBQ show, that'll also be celebrating the one-year anniversary of its 20 Meadow Street location. The bands & genres range from black metal (via Liturgy) to 'minimalist funk' (courtesy of CSC Funk Band ) to sludge rock of La Otracina to synthy post-punk Future Islands (grab one of their songs above).

A flyer, more details and videos are below...

Continue reading "Brooklyn's Shea Stadium hosting all-day July 4th BBQ (lineup)"

photos by Leia Jospe

JEFF @ DBA

Miss Pussycat @ DBA

JEFF The Brotherood and Quintron & Miss Pussycat are on tour and made stops at Death By Audio (Friday), Asbury Lanes (Saturday) and Santos Party House (Sunday). NYC Taper was at the Sunday show and posted the JEFF audio...

"The show began with an extended solo by Jake and a dramatic entrance by Jamin to begin the the first number. Midway through the too-short set, Jake took a leap from the stage to the bar and worked his way briefly along the bar. Later, he would work through the crowd from front to back while performing the outstanding extended jam to end the set. These antics did not detract from the show, but rather enhanced the two-brothers-just-playing-rock-and-having-fun vibe that permeates JEFF's live performances."

JEFF, who are making their way to Toronto for NXNE at the moment (Andrew Frisicano and I will both be there too), play Philly on Saturday 7/17. I wonder if they'll announce a 7/18 NYC show that is free and outdoors and in Brooklyn??? More pictures and some video from the Friday show at DBA (that PC Worship and Golden Triangle also played), below...

Continue reading "JEFF the Brotherhood played DBA & Santos w/ Quintron & Miss Pussycat (pics, video, live recording), playing a Pool Party?"

"Dan Deacon & Dustin Wong absolutely murdered it tonight at Cake Shop "Silence like the wind overCakes me, 5 yr anniversary!"" -corygreenwell

Dan Deacon @ Cake Shop on May 27th (via Youtube, below)

Dan Deacon played one of the last shows of Cake Shop's five-year-anniversary month on Thursday, May 27th. Also at the gig were Height, Eternal Summers, Big Troubles and Dustin Wong. A YouTube slideshow of pictures from the show is posted below.

Dan Deacon and his friends at Wham City have posted details on this year's Whartscape Festival in Baltimore on July 22-25. Confirmed acts include Wye Oak, Deakin, Javelin, Lightning Bolt, No Ave, Talk Normal, Zach Hill, Arab on Radar, Xiu Xiu, Yip Yip, Dan Deacon Ensemble and Ponytail (Beach House was intially listed but has since been removed). More bands are TBA. Tickets go on sale at WhamCity.com and Baltimore's True Vine Records on June 15th.

For Arab on Radar, this is yet another date to add to the list of reunion gigs they have scheduled in July, August and September.

Wye Oak are also playing Siren in July.

Deakin (ex-Animal Collective) will hopefully schedule a NYC show one day soon.

Dan Deacon will be back in NYC for a show on June 15th at Red Hook Park (part of a series of shows in the park that kicks off TONIGHT - June 1st).

The full Whartscape lineup and pictures from the Cake Shop show are below...

Continue reading "Dan Deacon played Cake Shop, Whatscape 2010 lineup announced (Lightning Bolt, Deakin, Ponytail, tons more)"

WAVVES @ Market Hotel in September (more by Leia Jospe)

WAVVES' last trip to NYC included a show at Santos and Market Hotel and a scuffle with a member of Black Lips.

On Tuesday, February 16th, WAVVES (Nathan and drummer Zach Hill) (UPDATE: We are told that Zach no longer plays in WAVVES) will return for a free show at Brooklyn Bowl (which is where one of three NYC Black Lips shows is happening in late March).

The previous (pre-Zach) drummer of WAVVES, Ryan Ulsh, has a hand in running Norfolk, VA's SHDWPLAY Records Showcase. The label brings its bands The Super Vacations (a garage rock outfit featuring Ryan), Sore Eros, PC Worship and Florida to Glasslands on Friday January 29th for a show presented by Other Music (who is giving away tix and vinyl, details below). The Super Vacations, PC Worship and Teeth Mountain play Market Hotel the next night. And the SHDWPLAY showcase is in Philly the next.

If you were at SXSW last year, WAVVES (and an anti-WAVVES shirt) were everywhere. They'll be at the Austin fest again this year too. A video of Nathan at SXSW 2009, "covering" "Barbie Girl" and more are below...

Continue reading "WAVVES playing free Brooklyn gig & SXSW (but not w/ Zach Hill), SHDWPLAY Records throwing shows even sooner -dates"