by Bill Pearis

Pete & the Pirates @ SXSW Convention Center

Wednedsay, Thursday, Friday, and now Saturday...

"This is the weirdest gig we've ever played. I feel like we're in Las Vegas and you are all eating dinner." Pete & the Pirates singer Thom Sanders was remarking on the weirdness of playing the Dot Com Day Stage at 1PM in the Austin Convention Center. Folding chairs were set up near the stage, there were couches around the periphery, more the kind of place where some CEO reveals annual earnings than hearing some sprightly indie pop.

Yet Pete & the Pirates made it work, 'cause they're so damn good. (The bloody mary I was drinking probably also helped.) They charmed the pants off the room. We got a smattering of songs from their first album, and a few from One Thousand Pictures which is due out in May. This was a great way to start my final day of SXSW.

From there it was off to our final day party of the week, which we were throwing with our friends at the M for Montreal festival. The line-up was pretty sick, if I do say, with !!!, Weekend, Austra, Braids, PS I Love You, Braids, Trail of Dead, Owen Pallet and more. The weather had cooled off a bit making both the outside stage at Barbarella and Swan Dive more comfortable than Friday and it was a great afternoon of music. Highlights for me: Versus, who I'd seen the night before, a kick-ass set from !!! who I don't think I've seen play in three years, an abbreviated but great Suuns, and another killer set from Weekend. (Look for an interview with Weekend soon.) I wish I'd gotten there in time to see Montreal's quirky, funky Misteur Valaire who I heard were the perfect lead-in to !!! (editor's note: they were!).

continued below...

Continue reading "Bill's Week in Austin (Day 4 - Pete & the Pirates & more)"

photos by Amanda Hatfield and Timothy Griffin

Menomena (by Tim)

After 14 hours of BrooklynVegan shows on Wednesday with barely a break (Emo's and then Swan Dive), and while BBG was holding down a stage at Emo's again, we returned to Swan Dive on Thursday, but this time with the addition of the two connecting stages at Barbarella for another full day BrooklynVegan Day Party. The 3-stage affair featured 19 bands, DJ Anika, and comedian Brody Stevens as host.

The day couldn't have started better, as we had one of the artists I was most excited to see playing live on the Swan Dive stage right at noon, and that was the tall, well-dressed and significantly bearded Josh T Pearson. I only wish I wasn't still hecticly dealing with issues after the doors opened so I could have been one of the people sitting down and enjoying his solo set of songs taken from his new album Last of the Country Gentlemen which is out on Mute on March 29. What I did hear sounded great.

Meanwhile, Savoir Adore kicked things off on the outside stage while Shannon & the Clams got things going inside Barbarella. Navigating the three stages and not getting lost was definitely one of the challenges we gave attendees at the venues we camped out at for day shows all week.

After Shannon came Hunx & His Punx who Shannon also plays with. As Andrew pointed out, "Hunx seemed pretty annoyed about the five-show day ahead of him. "Come see the last one," suggested Hunx, saving the goods for that final push. The Punx band showed off admirable chops though, with the drummer pounding away and girl-group-style backups by the bassist." Andrew continues:

"Out at the venue's back stage, Dominique Unique Young had a two-man band providing soulful hooks for her club bangers, which were just fine in the brutal sunlight. And then at Swan Dive, Rural Alberta Advantage made a push for anyone, like me, who hasn't checked out their new disc, Departing, yet to do so soon (live, drummer Paul Banwat easily does the work of two guys)."

Before Dominique came Alex Winston, complete with full band three backing singers. Dominique ended her set early, giving Brody lots of time to talk before late-addition Beans went on. Beans was great and is the coolest guy I met in Austin. That's around when Bill got there:

"...arriving just in time to catch the end of Fergus & Geronimo and Beans' sets. Trying to navigate between the two connected clubs -- blazing sunshine at the patio stage, pitch black for the Barbarella inside stage -- was a bit tough.

I watched most of Yuck's set and thought they sounded great. Not the most exciting band to watch, but that's okay, not everyone can bounce around the stage like Superchunk to whom they owe more than a little sonic dept. Speaking of, Mac McCaughan was their for their whole set which I thought was kind of awesome. I asked him if he was there to collect royalties from Yuck. He laughed and said, "No way, I love these guys!"

From there it was out to the Patio for Obits' set. There's something about their pedal-to-the-metal rock that sounds a little better in Texas. Plus they played the two songs I really wanted to hear: "You Gotta Lose" from the new album Moody, Standard and Poor, and their first-ever single "One Cross Apiece."

After scarfing down some tacos (courtesy of the El Diablo truck in Barbarella's backyard, yes a sister truck to the one here at Union Pool), I caught a little of Screaming Females, rip-roaring as usual, and Menomena."

Menomena went on to a packed Swan Dive after Damien Jurado and one of Sub Pop's newest signings Memoryhouse played (both of whom I pretty much missed while dealing with technical difficulties on other stages). Gentleman Jesse & His Men and Pete & The Pirates (a UK band who many I know consider one of their favorites, and their set this day definitely didn't disappoint) also played the inside stage.

Mellowhype (by Tim)

But the main attraction of the day goes to... Mellowhype who were playing their second-ever show as Mellowhype (their first was a day earlier at their new label Fat Possum's party at Club DeVille), and who brought the whole Odd Future crew with them (anyone who was in Austin anyway), Tyler included. It was a beyond-packed house full of excitement...

"The assembled crowd of hipsters, blipsters, and media types went nuts when the beats dropped, as this still-teenaged hip-hop collective has been drawing favorable comparisons to early Wu-Tang, especially in terms of production aesthetic and overall energy." [Houston Calling]

You can watch some of the action in videos below.

Thanks to Izzoz, Line 6 (the mics), Korg (keyboard), Vox (amps), Blackstar (and amps), Sensible Portions, Honest Tea, ASCAP, NadaMoo, Raw Revolution, Sailor Jerry, SPARKS, all the bands, Zach, Nevona, our bartenders, sound guys, Ramone, everyone who stopped by and anyone else I'm forgetting.

Lots more pictures and videos from the whole day, below...

Continue reading "BrooklynVegan Thurs Austin day party pics (Mellowhype, Yuck, Menomena, Obits, Beans, Rural Alberta Advantage & more)"

by Bill Pearis

Colourmusic

"It is what it is." I must've heard that phrase 30 times during SXSW -- be it in reference to alloted set times, equipment, sound or the free food at whatever day party I was at. You have to, as Diamond Dave once said, roll with the punches to get to what's real. Or at least have a good time.

So this year for this year's fest in Austin, I attempted to be as stress free as possible. I mostly avoided anything that would be a pain to get into, be it the hyper-hyped (James Blake, Odd Future), already popular (Strokes, Kanye), or overly hip (Fader Fort, PureVolume House). Which is probably why this was probably the most fun SXSW I've attended yet, with almost no dud bands seen.

I flew into San Antonio this year, where friends picked me up and we then drove down to Austin with a pit stop on the way for lunch, which got us to the Convention Center around 2pm to pick up our badges. First stop: The Palm Door to catch Austin locals Ringo Deathstarr whose album Colour Trip is one of my favorites of 2011 so far. I call a lot of things shoegaze, but these three have the classic '90s sound -- including Kevin Shields' glide guitar style -- down pat. Some seriously catchy songwriting keeps it out of pastiche territory. They are good and loud on the Palm Door patio, my first of many Lone Star tallboys of the week in hand, and it's a great start to the fest.

From there I headed over to Emo's for the first of BrooklynVegan's many day parties. Got there just in time to see the tail end of Mr Heavenly's set. I stuck around for Surfer Blood who I expected to play a bunch of new material but instead gave us an enjoyable hits-packed set from their first album.

Guides and sched.org were scrutinized over dinner, as the evening was planned out. First stop was to Beauty Bar for the Moshi Moshi party, specifically to see electronic duo Beat Connection who sound like they're from Sweden but are actually from Seattle. Not a lot of stage presence (two dudes behind keyboards, one of whom looks like John Daly from Freaks & Geeks) but they sound great and it's already a dance party in Beauty Bar at 8PM.

We next stopped by the Oklahoma showcase happening at Friends. Stillwater's Colourmusic lay down some awesome Can-style prog, made extra heavy with two bassists. Flaming Lips, early-'90s psych influence casts a shadow on them too. Some crazed (drunk) superfan from their hometown jumps on stage, takes off his shirt and joins the band on the mic, making for the best picture I took all week. Easily one of my favorite performances of SXSW 2011. Their album, My ____ is Pink, is out next month on Memphis Industries and is very good.

While there, a woman comes up to me and asks if I was at SXSW the previous year. I answered yes, to which she then says "Remember me? I was dressed as a hippie rooster and danced all around you." Nope, sorry lady, don't remember that. And I think I would.

Leaving my friends, I hit Maggie Mae's to catch Glaswegian electronic outfit Errors, part of the Creative Scotland showcase. I was a big fan of their first album and had been wanting to see them ever since. Kinda like the Scottish version of Ratatat, their instrumental electro-rock translates well to the stage. Worth the wait. You can see Errors all over the U.S next month on tour with Mogwai (whose label, Rock Action, they're signed to.) Tour dates, two nights at Webster Hall included, are at the bottom of this post.

Looking back over things, Wednesday was maybe the best day for me overall. Next was London's Mazes who make superior '90s style indie rock. (Not to be confused with 1900s offshoot Mazes who have since changed their name I think.) The obvious comparison is Yuck, but it's less GBV/Sebadoh and more Pavement/Number One Cup. Also like Yuck, they're not the most energetic band I've ever seen but they sound great.

I close out the night at Red Eyed Fly. Sky Larkin have been telling me to go see fellow Leeds band Pulled Apart by Horses for nearly three years, warning me I might not want to get too close. I now understand why... they are an explosion on stage, bouncing off the walls, bounding into the crowd, climbing trellises, singing on the bar and other wild behavior. No puking, thankfully, which I hear has happened on occasion. Kinetic and spastic as they are, Pulled Apart by Horses' music -- thrashy, mathy, riffy, shouty -- is not really my cup of tea.

Pete & the Pirates were supposed to be on at 1AM but things were running very late. I'd been up since 3:30AM -- my flight had left at 5:45am -- so when it hit 1:30, I opted for a much-needed full night of sleep. Slightly disappointed but I'd see P&P later in the week anyhow...it is what it is.

A few more pictures, video of Colourmusic's performance, and those Errors tourdates (with Mogwai) are below.

Continue reading "Bill's Week in Austin (Day 1 - Errors, Ringo Deathstarr, Beat Connection, Mazes, Colourmusic & more)"

We've lost our mind and are doing nine BrooklynVegan shows at SXSW this year. It all starts Wednesday during the day on two stages at Emo's, and continues Wednesday night at Swan Dive where we might as well stay overnight because Thursday at noon is when we start the first of three day parties in a row at the same place (Swan Dive) and Barbarella (they connect).

And the FREE Thursday lineup is:

STAGE 1 (Swan Dive)
12:00 PM Josh T. Pearson
1:00 PM Pujol
2:00 PM The Rural Alberta Advantage
3:00 PM Damien Jurado
4:00 PM Memoryhouse
5:00 PM Menomena

STAGE 2 (Barbarella Patio)
12:00 PM Savoir Adore
1:00 PM Alex Winston
2:00 PM Dominique Young Unique
3:00 PM Beans
4:00 PM Obits
5:00 PM Mellowhype (Odd Future)
HOSTING & JOKES BY: Brody Stevens

STAGE 3 (Barbarella Inside)
12:00 PM Shannon & The Clams
12:30 PM Hunx & His Punx
1:15 PM Gentleman Jesse & His Men
2:00 PM Pete & The Pirates
3:00 PM Fergus & Geronimo
4:00 PM Yuck
5:00 PM Screaming Females

And that's just Thursday! Check out Friday on the same three stages! Saturday still TBA.

Some notes: Mellowhype (aka Hodgy Beats and Left Brain of Billboard cover stars Odd Future - and whatever other Odd Future members decide to come along) are only playing one other show - their label's showcase at Club DeVille. Listen to David Fricke and get to Swan Dive in time to see Josh T Pearson. Shannon & the Clams and Hunx & His Punx share members, and have even been known to show their members. There are lots of bands with "and" in their name playing the Barbarella Inside Stage. Brody Stevens is funny! Anika will be spinning vinyl between sets during the second half of the day. I am super excited to be hosting Screaming Females for a second time.

This party will also have:

• FREE vegan Izzoz breakfast tacos while supplies last!
• lots of FREE snacks courtesy of Sensible Portions!
• a lot of FREE Honest Tea!
• FREE Raw Revolution bars to eat.
• FREE vegan ice cream from NadaMoo
• FREE Sailor Jerry cocktails while supplies last.
• more FREE DRINKS TBA.

AND THANKS TO:

• Our official microphone sponsor Line 6.
• and our backline sponsors Korg, Vox & Blackstar.
• and to ASCAP for sponsoring too.

and of course to Zach Jaeger of Tonally Dude for creating the racy flyer you see below....

Continue reading "BrooklynVegan Free Thursday Austin Day Party lineup ----------- (3 stages @ Barbarella & Swan Dive)"

photos by Chris La Putt

Happy Holidays! I take on more than I can handle. That results in a lot of unposted content. In the name of catching up, while also taking it easy during this final week of the year, here's some of that lost material.

Pete & the Pirates played the free BrooklynVegan & Bowery Presents show at Pianos On October 24th (twice). More pictures from their encore performance (downstairs) set below...

Continue reading "Pete & the Pirates (downstairs) @ Pianos (BV CMJ) - pics "

photos by Chris La Putt

Happy Holidays! I take on more than I can handle. That results in a lot of unposted content. In the name of catching up, while also taking it easy during this final week of the year, here's some of that lost material.

Pete & the Pirates played the free BrooklynVegan & Bowery Presents show at Pianos On October 24th (twice). More pictures from their (upstairs) set below...

Continue reading "Pete & the Pirates (upstairs) @ Pianos in NYC (BV CMJ) - pics "

DOWNLOAD: Takka Takka - Silence (MP3)

(the new) Takka Takka @ Glasslands Gallery in Brooklyn - CMJ 2009

photo by Erin Molitor

Brooklyn band Takka Takka are playing a show in DUMBO tonight (11/5). This gig follows a few shows that the band played in town during CMJ. You can see them playing at one of the showcases in the picture above. If you're familiar with the band, you may notice some changes including one less member, and no it's not front-man Gabe Levine aka Samuel Izdat. Gabe/Samuel has started playing solo, but that's in addition to being in the band.

In light of all this, I asked Takka drummer Conrad Doucette if he would answer a few questions...

---

BV: Name and position?

Conrad: Conrad Doucette, second base

BV: Did you watch the last game of the World Series last night?

Conrad: I did.

BV: Were you jumping up and down and screaming really loudly when the Yankees won?

Conrad: I was jumping up and down and screaming loudly in the alternate universe where the Cincinnati Reds have a chance to win a World Series.

continued below...

Continue reading "an interview w/ Conrad Doucette of Takka Takka (who have a new lineup & a free show in DUMBO tonight) "

by Bill Pearis

Fake Male Voice @ Glasslands in February (more by Jacob Blickenstaff)

Thanks to everyone who came out to our day party at Pianos yesterday. There were almost too many highlights to count. We've got four more parties still to come, three of which are today/tonight. Lots of great options all around today (10/23). I'm trying to highlight some of the ones you may not know about.

DAYTIME:

BrooklynVegan has another free day party today, this one on the harder-edged tip with Los Angeles' Nebula, Brooklyn's Naam, BV day party veterans Crystal Antlers, Goes Cube (read our interview with the band) and Austin's awesome Ume at Fontana's (105 Eldridge, NY, NY) today from 1 - 7. First band on at 2. Set times and flyer below. Free Miller beer and Vitamin water.

Over at Crash Mansion, there's a cool mid-day party (4 - 7) put on by the folks at Beyond Race with the lovely and mellow Helado Negro, Kiss Kiss, L.A. power poppers Army Navy and London's awesome Pete & the Pirates. who played a great set at the Bell House on Wednesday Night. Don't forget, Pete & the Pirates also play the Brooklyn Vegan Bowery Presents day party Saturday (10/24) at Pianos.

There's a lot going on in Brooklyn today too. The new Kemado Studios called The Co-Op (87 Guernsey St, Brooklyn) (which I hear is a pretty cool space) has Harlem, Viva L'American Death Ray Music, and Smith Westerns.

The Village Voice is putting on a day party at Knitting Factory with Javelin, Portland's Shaky Hands, Headlights and Orba Squara.

And then at Bruar Falls there's a kind of potentially amazing line-up, including Fake Male Voice (Tunde of TV on the Radio), mi-gu (Yuko of Cornelius and Plastic Ono Band) with Sean Lennon and Yuko Honda, as well as Ladybug Transistor, James Husband (Jamie of Of Montreal) and Hard Nips. This one is not free, $8 admission. Starts at noon.

Night stuff HERE. Fliers and set times below....

Continue reading "CMJ 2009 - Bill's Friday daytime picks"

DOWNLOAD: The Purrs - Stay With Me (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Pete & the Pirates - Jennifer (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Let's Wrestle - Tanks (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Surf City - Records of a Flagpole Skater (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Surf City - Kudos (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: A Classic Education - We Can Always Run to Hawaii (MP3)

A Classic Education

DAYTIME:

Again today (10/21) I suggest you just stay on the Lower East Side for your free day party action. At Cake Shop is the Terrorbird Digital party with the mod-ish Black Hollies, dark and dreamy Zaza, Nashville's fun Turbofruits, LA all-girl trio Warpaint, Montreal's Silver Starling and San Francisco's Tempo No Tempo. Plus: free cupcakes while they last.

Up the street at Pianos is the Force Field PR party which has Real Estate, Kentucky's These United States, CMJ overachievers Surfer Blood (who were good yesterday at Cake Shop), San Francisco's good time party pals Still Flyin', noisy locals Grooms (who were also good at Cake Shop yesterday), Sub Pop band Holopaw, UK act Stricken City and L.A.'s Seven Saturdays.

And you might even wander down to Santos Party House for the Hype Machine/Babelgum party that has a nice lineup of dance acts: Australia's Midnight Juggernauts, retrofuturist VEGA, Brooklyn duo Sleigh Bells, smooth and soulful sounds of Theophilus London, and Norway's Alan Wilkis who puts his own spin on early '80s new wave funk. This one starts a bit later than the other day parties, at a civilized 3PM.

If you're in Williamsburg this afternoon (maybe to pick up your Vice Late Nights info at American Apparel) you might want to swing by Bruar Falls where they'll be a low key day show featuring Bologna, Italy's A Classic Education (who will also be playing the Brooklyn Vegan day party tomorrow [10/21] at Pianos). They were one of my favorites from SXSW. Also on the Bruar bill are three Brooklyn bands: My Teenage Stride, Knight School and Palomar. 2 - 6PM. Free!

NIGHTTIME:

Personally, this is my most conflicted night with at least three shows in completely different places that I feel I could stay at the whole night. If you're downtown at the day parties, you might want to head over to the M for Montreal showcase which starts with a 5PM performance from Parlovr. I was talking to a friend yesterday who was raving about their recent Pop Montreal performance and said they might be the next MTL band to break out. The rest of the M4M bill is solid, including Think About Life who were just fantastic last night at the official BrooklynVegan showcase at Music Hall of Williamsburg. Also dont' miss BEASTand Duchess Says, the latter of whom will also play our free day party Thursday at Pianos.

Then there's also the great show at The Bell House with personal faves Pete & the Pirates and excellent New Zealanders Surf City -- both of whom are also playing the free BrooklynVegan/Bowery Presents day party on Saturday at Pianos. Also on the bill are Pete & the Pirates' Stolen Recordings labelmates Let's Wrestle, as well as North Carolina's The Love Language, the latter of whom will be playing our Friday night loft party. The Bell House show is $14 without a CMJ badge.

There's also a great lineup of bands at Santos tonight on two floors, including Cymbals Eat Guitars and DEASTRO (who both play our Saturday party), Free Energy, Real Estate, and Beach Fossils, plus a couple awesome bands from Norway: Ungdomskullen and I Was a King. It's $15 if you don't have a badge.

Richard Davies

And I'd like to highlight a couple artists who play their only CMJ shows tonight, at the same timeslot (9pm) in different Bleeker Street venues. (I know.) At Kenny's Castaways is Richard Davies who fronted the great Australian band The Moles in the late '80s/early '90s, and then moved to the U.S. where he formed chamber pop duo Cardinal with Eric Matthews, and their sole 1994 album remains one of the best things Sub Pop has ever released. After Cardinal, he put out three very good solo albums (1998's Telegraph is pretty great, actually), and then in 2000 or so, he decided to go to law school and has had his own practice since. But he's started playing again recently and, according to this interview, he and Matthews have restarted Cardinal, which is kind of exciting. But tonight here he'll play as a trio with a new band. Glad to have him back.

The Purrs

And down the street at Wicked Willy's are The Purrs who hail from Seattle and have just released their very good second album Amused, Confused and More Bad News. Mix a little '80s Paisley Underground with '90s Britpop and you're in the ballpark of their sound. You can download their song "Stay Here With Me" at the top of this post. 9PM at Wicked Willy's (149 Bleeker).

What else is good today? Hip Hop recommendations HERE. Flyers and day party set times, and all Classic Education dates, below.

Continue reading "CMJ 2009 - Bill's Wednesday picks & stuff (day, night parties, A Classic Education, Richard Davies, The Purrs, more)"

DOWNLOAD: The Wheel - Whimper and Wail (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Surf City - Records of a Flagpole Skater (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Surf City - Kudos (MP3)

Dent May

Sharon Van Etten

Cymbals Eat Guitars @ Brooklyn Bowl in August (more by Oren Loloi)

By the time Saturday, October 24th gets here, six BrooklynVegan shows will have come and gone. The first is on Tuesday. Then there are two on Thursday (night and day), and three on Friday (day, night, and night). Finally, the seventh and final BV party of CMJ 2009 (which is not technically part of CMJ) is happening Saturday at Pianos, and the 2-stage lineup is:

DOWNSTAIRS @ Pianos on the afternoon of 10/24/2009

1:15 Surf City
2:00 The Moondoggies (Hardly Art)
2:45 Local Natives
3:30 Still Life Still
4:15 Deastro
5:00 Cymbals Eat Guitars

UPSTAIRS @ Pianos on the afternoon of 10/24/2009

1:00 Dave Godowsky
1:45 Sharon Van Etten
2:30 The Smith Westerns
3:15 Pete & The Pirates
4:00 JBM
4:45 Dent May
5:30 Nathaniel Rateliff and The Wheel

Those times are all P.M. It's an afternoon show and it's 100% free. Come hang out.

Not only is this show 100% free, there will be free Miller beer (High Life and Lite) and free Vitamin Water (first come, first served). Same free stuff at all three BrooklynVegan day parties this year (Thursday @ Pianos, Friday @ Fontana's, and Saturday @ Pianos aka this party). Flyer for this party, which was put together in conjunction with Bowery Presents who wanted the same space on the same day (Double Booked!), below.

We talked about Surf City who are from New Zealand, and a bunch about Pete & The Pirates from the UK.

For the Moondoggies, this is one of only two CMJ-time shows. Their other is the official Sub Pop / Hardly Art showcase at Mercury Lounge.

Two bands on this bill are playing two BV parties. LA's Local Natives are also in the loft. Denver's The Wheel are also Tuesday night at Music Hall of Williamsburg.

Still Life Still are that band that new Arts & Crafts band that just came through town. You know Dent May from the roster of Animal Collective's label Paw Tracks.

Dave Godowsky and Sharon Van Etten are both singer-songwriters making their second appearances at BV parties in the upstairs room of Pianos. You may have caught Dave when he opened for Dave Bazan at Bowery Ballroom on Sunday night. You may remember Sharon's voice from the new Antlers record (The Antlers are another band playing the BV show at MHOW).

Ghostly International artist Deastro has a tour coming up with Max Tundra in 2010. Don't wait that long to see him.

The Smith Westerns. You remember them. JBM too. And Cymbals Eat Guitars. Maybe another band TBA (probably). I'm too tired to keep writing. Flyer below!

Continue reading "BrooklynVegan & Bowery Presents were Double Booked! ...........(free Saturday day party during CMJ 2009 @ Pianos)"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Pete & the Pirates - Jennifer (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Let's Wrestle - Tanks (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Tap Tap - Queen of Hearts (MP3)

Let's Wrestle

Two of UK label Stolen Recordings' best bands will be here next week for CMJ: Let's Wrestle and Pete & the Pirates. Both are playing The Bell House Wednesday night (10/21) as part of a pretty killer line-up that also includes New Zealand's great Surf City and Chicago's The Love Language. While the Bell House is far from the Lower East Side heart of the CMJ action, there's enough good bands on this bill that it would be hard to feel like you're missing out on anything better.

Maybe you saw Let's Wrestle back in March when they played NYC right before SXSW. Their debut album, In the Court of Wrestling Let's, came out earlier this year and is charmingly shambolic, full of catchy songs and self-deprecating humor. They were the last band I saw at SXSW which was a great way to close out the festival.

Pete and the Pirates

Pete & the Pirates, however, topped my list of SXSW 2009 favorites:

Easily the best band I saw at SxSW this year. Of course, as their album Little Death made my Best of 2008, I already had a predilection to like them but Pete and the Pirates so nailed their great songs live -- the harmonies, the guitar interplay, everything -- that I just had a big grin on my face the whole time. My only regret: not seeing them more than once.

And what I wrote about their album, Little Death:

I can't quite put my finger on who Pete and the Pirates remind me of -- the Bats? Billy Bragg? Somewhere in between? -- but I can't get their songs out of my head. Spot-on harmonies, jaunty melodies, nice arrangements, funny-sad-literate lyrics, and great song after great song.

Pete & the Pirates are putting the finishing touches on the follow-up to Little Death, but if you're a fan and are in the need of new songs, frontman Tom Sanders also has a solo project, Tap Tap, which just released its second album, On My Way, which is also very good. I'm not really sure what differentiates the two, but as long as there are enough songs to go around I don't care.

In addition to the Wednesday Bell House show, both Pete & the Pirates and Let's Wrestle will be playing unofficial shows during CMJ as well. Pete & the Pirates, along with Surf City, are playing the free BrooklynVegan/Bowery Presents party at Pianos on the afternoon of Saturday, October 24th (full details TBA). All dates for both, as they stand right now, plus some videos, are below.

Continue reading "label-mates Pete & The Pirates and Let's Wrestle coming for CMJ (MP3's, videos & 2009 tour dates) "

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Surfer Blood - Floating Vibes (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Surf City - Records of a Flagpole Skater (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Surf City - Kudos (MP3)

Surfer Blood @ Bruar Falls

Florida's Surfer Blood went from being ignored to super-hyped overnight. One night in particular, actually: August 27, 2009. The band had been in town playing a string of woefully attended gigs. The last was to be at the Surf Bar, only to get a venue change to Bruar Falls that night. Thanks to the Internet, they manage to play to 30-40 people at Bruar that night and I think just about everyone who was at that show felt at least a little like I did:

It's not very often you go into a show blind and leave wowed but that what my reaction to seeing West Palm Beach, Florida's Surfer Blood last night at Bruar Falls. I think I was expecting a slightly poppier take on the shambolic noise skuzz that blows through smaller Williamsburg venues these days. But, despite reverbed vocals and echo guitars effects that would sometimes seize and glitch like an episode of Tim & Eric, Surfer Blood make accomplished, hook-filled indie rock with clever arrangements and great harmonies, as performed by four guys who can actually, you know, play. You hear so little music like this anymore from new bands -- Seattle's BOAT come to mind -- that is this catchy, skilled but not polished. It's not going to change your life or anything (yes, they do sound a little like the Shins), but it'll have you humming and awaiting the next time they come through town.

If you were following Twitter that night, you could actually watch the buzz from the Bruar Falls show to the Pitchfork 'Forkcast' the next day. If they'd had one more night in NYC after that, who knows what would've happened.

Their upcoming debut LP, Astro Coast, is choc-full of super catchy indie rock. And soon back for CMJ, if you miss Surfer Blood this time, it's because you're actively trying to avoid them -- according to their MySpace, they're playing 10 shows (announced so far) here next week. If there's a band playing more shows, I haven't heard about it. All dates below including the free BrooklynVegan day party at Pianos on Thursday, October 22nd (noon-6pm) (full details TBA).

Surf City

Giving them a run for the money is New Zealand's Surf City, easily one of my most-anticipated bands of CMJ 2009, who are playing three official CMJ events and a bunch of day parties. They had a full schedule posted on their MySpace last night including eight area shows...which has since been taken down. Guess things are in flux. It's been a long time since a new Kiwi band so evoked the classic Flying Nun sound, and had such good songs to boot. Not that they've released much to date -- an EP and a song for MORR Music's tribute to Flying Nun is about it -- but everything so far is pretty great, especially if you're a fan of The Clean, Tall Dwarfs, and The Bats. Check out "Records of a Flagpole Skater" and the especially good "Kudos" at the top of this post.

Official CMJ shows: There's an opening night Giant Step party on Tuesday at the Red Bull Space (40 Thompson) where Surf City are part of an all-Kiwi line-up, including Die! Die Die!, Bang Bang Eche, Kingston, Motocade, Kidz In Space, David Dallas, and Smashproof. The show is FREE with RSVP, and you can check out videos and MP3s from all the bands at the RSVP page.

Surf City play again later Tuesday night at Cake Shop with ZZZ, Moi Non Plus and more ($8 without a badge) and then Wednesday (10/21) at The Bell House with Pete & The Pirates, Let's Wrestle, The Love Language, and Dawn Landes. ($14 without badge; advance tickets are available.) Surf City are also on the bill of the other free BrooklynVegan day party at Pianos that is happening on the afternoon of Saturday, October 24th (in partnership with Bowery Presents). Check the band's MySpace hopefully soon for full day party schedule.

All scheduled dates for Surfer Blood (who are also playing a bunch of dates with Art Brut including the November Brooklyn Bowl show) and Surf City, plus videos, below...

Continue reading "Surfer Blood (Florida) vs. Surf City (New Zealand) - MP3s & tour dates (both playing CMJ & BrooklynVegan day parties) "

by Bill Pearis

I saw upwards of 50 bands during the four days of SXSW. These were the most memorable. I think.

--

1. Pete and the Pirates (Emo's Annex, 3.20.2009)

Easily the best band I saw at SxSW this year. Of course, as their album Little Death made my Best of 2008, I already had a predilection to like them but Pete and the Pirates so nailed their great songs live -- the harmonies, the guitar interplay, everything -- that I just had a big grin on my face the whole time. My only regret: not seeing them more than once.

Continue reading "Bill's Top 10 SXSW 2009 highlights (with pics, videos)"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Let's Wrestle - I Won't Lie to You (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Screaming Tea Party - I'd Rather Be Stuck on the Stair Rail (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: My Sad Captains - Great Expectations (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Artefacts For Space Travel - Recoup (MP3)

Let's Wrestle


London's Stolen Recordings (not to be confused with Ultragrrrl's Stolen Transmission) is one of the cooler small UK indie labels, having released some great records last year including Pete and the Pirates' Little Death which made my Best of 2008 list. Like seemingly everyone in the music industry, the label is going to have a showcase at next month's South by Southwest Music Festival in Austin, TX, featuring almost their entire roster: Pete & the Pirates, Let's Wrestle, My Sad Captains, Screaming Tea Party and Artefacts for Space Travel. It's Thursday night at Wave Rooftop if you're interested and are attending.

While none of Stolen Recordings records have gotten released in America, you can get almost all of them on Emusic if you subscribe to that. For those in NYC, we get our own mini Stolen Recordings showcase soon, featuring two of the label's groups - Let's Wrestle and Screaming Tea Party. They both will be playing a handful of shows here before they head to Austin.

Let's Wrestle are punky, shambolic, and pretty irresistible. Check out "I Won't Lie to You" at the top of this post, it's probably the band's most well-known song to date and is indicative of singer Wesley Patrick Gonzalez's lyrical style that is both funny and self-deprecating, a style somewhere between Los Campesinos and Art Brut. ("No matter how many records I buy, I can't fill this void.") Their EP from last year, In Loving Memory Of, collected some of their best songs though not "Song for an Abba Tribute Record" or "I Wish I was in Husker Du" two songs that are worth searching for. Maybe they'll show up on their debut, In the Court of Wrestling Let's, when it comes out later this year.

Let's Wrestle are playing four shows in NYC, including one at Maxwell's, one opening for Black Lips at Music Hall of Williamsburg (tickets), and, as previously mentioned, one opening for Pains of Being Pure at Heart at The Bell House (tickets). Pains and Let's Wrestle will also do a few East Coast dates in addition to the Brooklyn show. All dates are at the bottom of this post.

Screaming Tea Party

Tokyo via London trio Screaming Tea Party get compared to Sonic Youth and the Jesus and Mary Chain a lot, and there are plenty of buzzsaw riffs, shouty choruses and blasts of noise to be found on their debut EP, Golden Blue, though they made me think of early-'90s band Daisy Chainsaw, if you remember them at all. Judge for yourself: their single "I'd Rather be Stuck on the Stair Rail" can be downloaded at the top of this post. Screaming Tea Party have three NYC shows -- though none on the same bill as Let's Wrestle -- including stops at Cake Shop, Fontanas, and the Crashin' In pre-SXSW party with Depreciation Guild, Mirror Mirror and We Are Country Mice at Public Assembly.

Full details at the bottom of this post, along with some videos...

Continue reading "Let's Wrestle & Screaming Tea Party are coming - NY, SXSW"