Wow...Public Image Ltd, The Specials, Grizzly Bear, Passion Pit, Echo and the Bunnymen, Grace Jones, Fever Ray, Devo, Hot Chip, Phoenix, Orbital, Spoon, Sly and the Family Stone, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Sunny Day Real Estate, Yo La Tengo, Mew, Camera Obscura, Gil Scott-Heron, The xx, John Waters, Dillinger Escape Plan, Deer Tick, Gary Numan... Full Coachella 2010 lineup below....

Continue reading "2010 Coachella line up announced (Faith No More, Pavement, Muse, Gorillaz, Thom Yorke, Jay-Z, LCD Soundystem, ???)"

Animal Collective @ ATP NY (more by Ryan Muir)

So how the hell did Merriweather Post Pavilion-- an album closer in spirit to the sub-aquatic psychedelia of 2005's Feels and Panda Bear's 2007 solo Person Pitch than its predecessor-- wind up in the Billboard Top 20 and outsell both the Arctic Monkeys and Franz Ferdinand's most recent albums in North America? That mystery is ultimately the most wonderful thing about the album. Unlike so many indie-rock crossover artists before them, Animal Collective did not breach the mainstream by cleaning up their act, or adopting classic-rock conventions, or scoring a strategic soundtrack or iPod-commercial placement. And, above all, they did little to formalize their defining mercurial quality. [Pitchfork]

Pitchfork also listed their Top 100 Tracks of 2009, and the Top Albums of the Decade.

Animal Collective is DJing the Museum of Natural History in January.

DOWNLOAD: Big Boi f. Gucci Mane, "Shine Blockas" (MP3)

In theory, she was an artist you want to root for-- all these ideas about art and celebrity and a flair for the dramatic. But the first few singles made the Lady Gaga project feel so presumptuous, her artsy entitlement overwhelming her songs' occasional strengths. "Bad Romance" was the moment where the music didn't just live up to the (self-inflated) hype, but surpassed it. The track is epic in construction-- by the time she gets to the bridge, more than three minutes in, the realization that there are hooks yet to come is thrilling. It helps that RedOne's production matches the songwriting's torrential drama; the churning, earth-shifting low-frequency synths are a programmatic reflection of the singer's unsteady, perhaps unwise, infatuation. But it's Gaga's performance, the wholly unapologetic fools-rush-in carnal energy, that commitment to emotional bravery in a context of increasingly twee chart pop, that makes "Bad Romance" feel so necessary. --David Drake [39. Lady Gaga "Bad Romance"]

Neon Indian is also on there twice, which is the the same amount of times they're playing Mercury Lounge (Tuesday and Wednesday night).

The video for the 21st best song, below...

Continue reading "Pitchfork's Top 100 Tracks of 2009"

words & photos by Dominick Mastrangelo

One night after headlining a bill with three openers, Phoenix were the only act of a special Clear Channel-sponsored performance (for online station iheartradio.com) at the P.C. Richards & Son Theater in TriBeCa (12/3). They played six songs in a tight 35-minute set, with very little banter, for a full house of contest winners and VIPs. It's been a wildly successful year for the newly-minted Grammy nominees, who also performed their cover of Air's "Playground Love", though Gordon Tracks aka Thomas Mars of Phoenix also sings on the original. More pictures from the show below...

Continue reading "Phoenix played the PC Richards & Son Theater - pics & setlist"

Beast @ CMJ 2009 (more by Chris La Putt)

Lady Gaga was nominated five times. Considering her rocket to fame over the last year, many were expecting more for her. But at least the contests are going to be really interesting: Beyoncé, [Taylor] Swift and Lady Gaga are going head to head in three of the most important categories: album, record and song of the year. Will one of them sweep, or will the lady vote be split?

One of the usual complaints about the Grammys is that it over-rewards older, established, familiar acts at the expense of newer, fresher ones. MGMT, the Brooklyn synth-rock duo, was nominated for best new artist, a big coup although not unexpected. But some of the shoulda-been names that have been circulated and Tweeted: Grizzly Bear, another acclaimed Brooklyn group; Regina Spektor, a young New York songwriter who started in the underground and has found some mainstream popularity; Diane Birch, a young soul-style singer, just the revivalist type the Grammys usually adore; and the Decemberists, an alt-folk-rock band from Portland, Ore., that released an ambitious concept album this year. [NY Times]

One surprise (for me anyway) came this year in the video category. Montreal's Beast were nominated for "Mr. Hurricane". That video with a list of some of the other nominees, below...

Continue reading "Beast's 'Mr. Hurricane' video & other 2009 Grammy nominees "

photos by Tim Griffin

Passion Pit / Phoenix

Phoenix and Passion Pit shared a NYC concert bill for the third time this year last night at Hammerstein Ballroom (12/2). The WRXP-sponsored holiday show also included sets by Jack's Mannequin and Manchester Orchestra, as well as hosting by the radio station's morning host Matt Pinfield.

It was a big night for Phoenix who were nominated for a Grammy in the "Best Alternative Album" category on the same evening.

Best Alternative Album nominess
David Byrne & Brian Eno, Everything That Happens Will Happen Today
Death Cab For Cutie, The Open Door
Depeche Mode, Sounds Of The Universe
Phoenix, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
Yeah Yeah Yeahs, It's Blitz!

For Phoenix and WRXP, it was their first of two NYC shows this week. More pictures with setlists, below...

Continue reading "Phoenix & Passion Pit played Hammerstein Ballroom w/ Jack's Mannequin & Manchester Orchestra - pics & setlists"

The Wrens @ Sasquatch Festival in May (more by Chris Graham)

tonight in NYC
* Phish @ MSG
* Flobots @ Brooklyn Bowl
* Robin Williams @ Town Hall
* Ian McCulloch @ Other Music
* The Wrens, 12:01 @ Maxwell's
* Phoenix @ PC Richard Theater
* Peter Evans Quintet @ The Stone
* Gil Mantera's Party Dream @ Europa
* Bear in Heaven @ Sound Fix Records
* Antibalas @ Knitting Factory Brooklyn
* The Figgs, Nouvellas & the Sights @ Bruar Falls
* Imogen Heap @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
* McCoy Tyner Trio w/ Gary Bartz @ Blue Note
* Tim Berne's Los Totopos @ IBeam Music Studio
* The Queers, The Leftovers, Tabo, Hollis @ Southpaw
* Field Music, Wye Oak, Pulsars, Rumours @ The Bell House
* The Big Pink, Crystal Antlers, Von Haze @ Bowery Ballroom
* Cable & Liturgy (Until The Light Takes Us party) @ Fontana's
* Seabrook Power Plant, The Inbetweens, Father Figures @ Zebulon
* Your 33 Black Angels, Wakey! Wakey!, Casey Shea @ Mercury Lounge
* Soundpool, Neon Gloworms, Family Portrait, Dream Diary @ The Cameo
* Dan Friel, Dinowalrus, Knyfe Hyts 81 and Electric Tickle Machine @ Union Pool
* Good Old War, Cast Spells, Hezekiah Jones, Gabriel The Marine @ Knitting Factory Brooklyn

UPDATE: Field Music canceled!

"Echo & the Bunnymen's Ian McCulloch plays a rare acoustic in-store performance at Other Music. The show is at 9PM, free admission, limited capacity, first come first served."

The Wrens are playing three shows at Maxwell's. The first, tonight, is a set list by (advance) request. Tomorrow's early show is their album Meadlowlands in full, and the late gig is new songs.

Bear In Heaven play a free in-store @ Sound Fix today and they were recently added as the opener for Mew at Webster Hall tomorrow.

Antibalas play their first of a few shows they have scheduled at Knitting Factory.

Dan Friel (@ Union Pool) is a member of Parts & Labor who have a free show coming up at Brooklyn Bowl.

Goes Cube had to cancel their appearance at Fontana's tonight.

Bill talks more about tonight's Field Music show in This Week in Indie.

Phish return to Madison Square Garden for the 2nd night in a row tonight. Some footage of the nitrous party going on outside the venue last night, below...

Phoenix plays their 2nd NYC show in a row tonight. Video of a new Take Away Show they filmed in Paris, below...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Thursday?"

Dec 2 - Phoenix w/ Passion Pit @ Hammerstein Ballroom (RXP show 1)
Dec 3 - Phoenix @ PC Richard Theater
Dec 6 - David Gray & Pete Yorn @ Hammerstein Ballroom (RXP show 2)

The December issue of Q Magazine is an 'Artists Of The Century' special edition, covering all of the acts that the fine staff of the good ship Q feel are the most important of the century so far. As befitting a special edition of the UK best selling music monthly requires a special cover was commissioned world renowned photographer John Wright has spent over a year shooting 34 artists to fit on triple fold out cover.

The issue is packed to the gills with pieces written by Russell Brand on Noel Gallagher, Glastonbury founder Michael Eavis on Coldplay and Queens Of The Stone Age frontman Josh Homme on The Arctic Monkeys. In addition it also includes exclusive interviews and photos from the likes of Amy Winehouse, Dizzee Rascal, U2, Dave Grohl, Lily Allen, Rihanna, Sir Paul McCartney, Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day, Brandon Flowers from The Killers, Elbow's Guy Garvey, Pink, Muse's Matt Bellamy, Murdoc from Gorillaz, The Kings Of Leon, Mark Ronson, Mika, Nick Cave, Robert Plant, Florence Welch, Gary Lightbody of Snow Patrol and Tom Chaplin of Keane.

Continue reading "Q Magazine's Top Albums of 2009 "

Best of 2009: Top 10 Amazon Picks

1) Neko Case
2) Yeah Yeah Yeahs
3) Phoenix
4) The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
5) The Avett Brothers
6) Girls
7) Animal Collective
8) K'Naan
9) Jay-Z
10) Camera Obscura

Jemina Pearl & Fucked Up @ a 'Pool Party' in July (more by Bao Nguyen)

tonight in NYC
* NY Comedy Festival
* Glenn Tilbrook @ Maxwell's
* Takka Takka @ Smack Mellon
* Rufus Wainwright @ New York City Opera Gala
* Herman Dune, Julie Doiron @ The Bell House
* Amy Millan, Bahamas, Blair @ Mercury Lounge
* Ray Lamontagne, Dave Gutter @ Beacon Theater
* Whiplash, Deceased, Mutant Supremacy @ Fontana's
* Carsick Cars, P.K.14, Xiao He @ powerHouse Arena
* Sure Juror, The Pastel Group, Chase Pagan @ Pianos
* Islands, Jemina Pearl, Toro y Moi @ Bowery Ballroom
* Alice Donut, Retada, Free Electric State @ Southpaw
* Child Abuse, Alien Whale, Starring @ Issue Project Room
* Grass Widow, Frankie & The Outs, Air Waves, Hot Box @ The Woodser
* Jeremy Jay, Michael Leviton, The Black Umbrella @ Union Hall
* Bell, Cale Parks, Fan-Tan, Velvet Code @ Knitting Factory Brooklyn
* Dragonette, The Invisible, CagedBaby and Fit For Use @ Santos Party House
* Gunfight, World Atlas, We Are Country Mice, Frat Dad, Brown Recluse @ The Cameo
* Eric Copeland, James Ferraro, Infinity Window, Zaimph, Luke Perry @ DBA
* Extra Life, Diamond Rings, Unicornicopia, Tone Blood Trio, Master Lee & The White Devils @ Cake Shop
* Cerebral Ballzy, Radical Outing Crew, Mr. Star City, Memberz Only, Santhya, Anton Glamb, Strictly Business @ Public Assembly
* 'Chemistry Of Common Life' w/ Fucked Up, Andrew W.K., Vivian Girls, Titus Andronicus, Katie Stelmanis @ Brooklyn Masonic Temple

Amazon is selling Phoenix' 2006 album It's Never Been Like That for $1.99 today. Tickets are still on pre-sale for Phoenix's upcoming show at Hammerstein Ballroom with Passion Pit.

Tickets are also still on pre-sale for Devendra Banhart's upcoming Music Hall show.

It's The Invisible's 2nd of three NYC shows tonight at Santos.

Grass Widow play their first of many NYC shows tonight at The Woodser.

Ghostface Killah performed "Baby" with Raheem DeVaughn on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Video below...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Thursday?"

B.B. King is playing United Palace Theatre in NYC on February 12th. Tickets are now on Live Nation Presale (password = record) and Citi Cardmember presale. General sale starts Saturday at 10am.

United Palace is also the location of this Friday's Monsters of Folk show for which tickets are still on sale.

Twisted Sister holiday shows are now a yearly tradition. They return to Nokia Theatre in Times Square on December 6th. Tickets are on sale.

Nokia Theatre is also where DOOM and Mos Def are playing on January 30th. Tickets are on AmEx Presale (@ 10am).

Some tickets went back on sale for the upcoming Pixies shows at Hammerstein Ballroom.

Hammerstein Ballroom is where Phoenix and Passion Pit are playing on December 2nd. Tickets are on Internet Presale (password = 1019RXP) (@ 10am).

Tickets are now on U2.com presale for the U2 show at "New Meadowlands Stadium" in July. General sale starts Monday at 10am.

Tickets are on AmEx presale (@ 11am) for the Levon Helm / Okkervil River show coming up at Terminal 5.

The Mary Onettes kicked off a tour of the USA last night (10/3) in Boston. Tonight (10/4) they play their first of three NYC shows. It's at Union Hall. Blacklist opens. Tickets probably available at the door.

Phoenix @ The Apple Store in September (more by Ryan Muir)

Phoenix and Passion Pit played two big NYC shows together in September. Phoenix also played their own shows at Terminal 5 that same month (a benefit), and a few months before that (which they accompanied with a smaller show at MHOW). Meanwhile, Passion Pit, who played two shows at Bowery in June, now have THREE headlining shows of their own coming up at Terminal 5 in January.

It seems unreasonable to believe at this point that Phoenix and Passion Pit would be teaming up for yet another NYC show that will happen before 2010 even gets here, but it's true! They are two bands on a four band bill that also includes Jack's Mannequin and Manchester Orchestra at Hammerstein Ballroom on December 2nd. Tickets for Matt Pinfield's Holiday Extravaganza go on sale Friday at 10am with a Live Nation presale starting Wednesday at the same time (password = 1019RXP).

After NYC, Phoenix will head up to Canada for a few shows. All dates below...

Continue reading "Phoenix & Passion Pit playing RXP show @ Hammerstein w/ Jack's Mannequin & Manchester Orchestra"

Built to Spill @ Webster Hall on Tuesday (more by Bryan Bruchman)

tonight in NYC
* Dave Hill @ UCB
* R. Kelly @ NJ PAC
* Lenny Kravitz @ Irving Plaza
* Spike Jonze & No Age @ MoMA
* Port O'Brien @ Sound Fix Records
* Evan Parker & Fred Frith @ The Stone
* Dead Man's Bones @ (Le) Poisson Rouge
* Them Crooked Vultures @ Roseland Ballroom
* So Percussion: Imaginary City @ BAM Harvey Theater
* Loney Dear, Asobi Seksu, Anna Ternheim @ Maxwell's
* Bang Camaro, That Handsome Devil @ Santos Party House
* Langhorne Slim, Dawes, Marcellus Hall @ The Bell House
* Galactic, The Hood Internet, Corey Henry @ Brooklyn Bowl
* Minus the Bear, New Idea Society, Heather Duby @ Gramercy Theatre
* Titus Andronicus, The So So Glos, Grooms @ Knitting Factory Brooklyn
* Built To Spill, Disco Doom, Violent Soho @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
* White Hinterland, Sam Buck Rosen, Twin Sister, New Villager @ Bruar Falls
* The Airborne Toxic Event, The Henry Clay People, Red Cortez @ Webster Hall
* The Gaslight Anthem, Murder By Death, Jesse Malin, Broadway Calls @ Terminal 5

As part of its Spike Jonze retrospective, MoMA is hosting "An Evening of Skate Videos" with Patrick O'Dell of Epicly Later'd, Spike Jonze and No Age (who play a post-screening show at the museum). No Age play New Museum tomorrow and Above the Auto Parts Store on Saturday.

Loney Dear, Asobi Seksu and Anna Ternheim are all on tour together. Tonight they play Maxwell's, and tomorrow it's Bowery Ballroom.

Guitarist Fred Frith joins avant-garde sax legend and current Stone curator Evan Parker at The Stone.

Minus the Bear display tunes from their new album, out Oct. 27th, with their show tonight at Gramercy Theatre with New Idea Society and Heather Duby. The Antlers don't open this show, but they will be on tour with Minus the Bear soon.

Titus Andronicus and The So So Glos close their tour with a show at Knitting Factory Brooklyn. Grooms open. Last night the show was at Maxwell's.

Built To Spill play the last of their four-night NYC run, tonight at Music Hall of Williamsburg with Disco Doom and Violent Soho. Stick around for a DJ set by Doug Martsch after the set and then get home in time to watch the band on Letterman (if that's possible).

NYC gets a show from Them Crooked Vultures, the group of Dave Grohl (on drums), Josh Homme and John Paul Jones, tonight at Roseland Ballroom.

Speaking of bands whose members you might know, Dead Man's Bones, one half of which is actor Ryan Gosling, plays (Le) Poisson Rouge. The afterparty is at Tribeca Grand.

So Percussion's Imaginary City runs at BAM Harvey Theater through Saturday.

The Gaslight Anthem, Murder By Death, Jesse Malin and Broadway Calls play Terminal 5 tonight. Gaslight fans who got rained out at APW get a free beer, and tomorrow the bands play Brooklyn Bowl.

Phoenix were just on Carson Daly. Video below...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Thursday?"

photos by Ryan Muir

Phoenix's Thomas Mars in the SoHo Apple Store

"As a devoted follower of Phoenix, I was considerably excited to see them perform again after their appearance at the Apple Store last Thursday. While the music was gorgeously executed and the setlist was everything I could ask for, the quotidian annoyances of attending a large-capacity outdoor concert presented considerable obstacles. But Phoenix is the kind of band that is worth seeing even if frat boys are elbowing and shoving you, sorority girls are trampling on your feet, and everyone in your vicinity is blowing a variety of unpleasant smokes into your face all the while.

With that said, Phoenix played a set of songs mostly from Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, but with a few from Alphabetical and United, their earliest records. Thomas Mars owned the stage with great warmth, more so than at the Apple Store, and the band passed their enormous energy on to the vast crowd, which was undeterred by the rain that began to fall toward the end of "Rome" and steadily increased through the end of the encore. The two songs that Thomas and Laurent Brancowitz performed alone during the encore provided a glimpse of what a Phoenix show might sound like in a venue like the Bowery Ballroom." [Trust Me On This]

Continue reading "Phoenix played 2 Central Park shows w/ Passion Pit, Fallon & the SoHo Apple Store (pics, setlist) "

EUREKA -- Sequoia Park Zoo has announced the results of its recent "Name Our Foxes" contest.

Of the hundreds of names suggested by zoo visitors, the zookeepers voted for Farrah Foxcett (for the female) and Phoenix (for the male). Three people -- Matthew Sain and Miya Vasek of Humboldt County and Amber White from New Jersey -- suggested Phoenix and local resident Candida Wolff-Vodden came up with Farrah Foxcett.

"Our foxes were both rescued locally after sustaining injuries in the wild. The Humboldt Wildlife Care Center was able to offer the medical care they needed and rehabilitated both the foxes over the course of a few months," said Melinda Booth, fund development director. "Although both Farrah Foxcett and Phoenix healed well and are now healthy and strong, their injuries were such that they cannot be released back into the wild. So, Sequoia Park Zoo was delighted to be able to offer a permanent home for these two beautiful creatures. If you haven't seen them yet, you can usually find them sunning themselves on the rocks or snoozing on a platform in the tree while Rosemary (the bear) ambles around them. " [Times Standard]

Passion Pit recently played in Juan's Basement for Pitchfork.TV. Watch that below....

Continue reading "Farrah Foxcett & Phoenix (Apple Store tonight, Summerstage Thursday/Friday w/ Passion Pit who played Juan's Basement)"

Phoenix are playing a free show at the SoHo Apple store on Thursday (9/24, 8pm). Their sold out shows at Central Park Summerstage with Passion Pit happen on Friday and Saturday.

Continue reading "Phoenix are playing the Apple Store Thursday -- the Summerstage shows are Friday & Saturday "

Phoenix @ MHOW (more by Bao Nguyen)

It might seem like the end of summer, but there's still a month left before they stop having concerts at Central Park Summerstage (though now the venue goes by its other name "Rumsey Playfield"). September 25th and 26th are when Phoenix play two shows there with Passion Pit. Both are sold out.

The two shows are part of a North American tour for Phoenix that was set to begin at the Monolith Festival on September 13th. Now that tour starts in NYC one day earlier.

In what may be the only time that Phoenix ever share a bill with Gary 'Baba Booey' Dell'Abate (the Howard Stern star is making a "special appearance"), Phoenix, Kid Cudi and DJ Clinton Sparks are playing a Lifebeat benefit show at 610 W 56th St (aka Terminal 5) in Manhattan on September 12th. MTV is hosting. $40 tickets are on sale. Flyer below...

Continue reading "Phoenix, Kid Cudi AND BABA BOOEY playing Lifebeat Benefit in NYC before the Monolith Festival (tix on sale) "

The final lineup for Monolith Festival, which takes place at the Red Rocks Ampitheatre in Morrison, Colorado, on September 12th-13th, is below. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Girl Talk headline Saturday night at the festival, and the Mars Volta and MSTRKRFT top the bill on Sunday. Deer Tick, Passion Pit, Doom, The Walkmen, The Thermals, and HEALTH are also some of the bands on the two-day bill.

Tickets and two-day passes are still on sale. We also has a pair of weekend tickets to give away. Details on that, with the full lineup, below...

Continue reading "Monolith Festival - final 2009 lineup ++ WIN a two-day pass"

The Soft Pack, a band you may remember by their former name - The Muslims - are going on tour this fall, with dates across North America. The trip starts in California, where they open a set of shows for Phoenix (who are coming to NYC for two nights in September and whose dates are updated below). The Soft Pack tour closes with a return to Cali, their home, to play alongside WAVVES.

In the middle, the Soft Pack will pay a visit to NYC's Bowery Ballroom on October 2nd. Ticket info to come.

The San Diego-based Soft Pack are currently in the process of recording their debut LP in Brooklyn with Eli Janney of Girls Against Boys (who has also produced Jawbox, Obits, Secret Machines, and others). That disc will come out on NYC label Kemado Records.

All Phoenix and Soft Pack tour dates below...

Continue reading "The Soft Pack & Phoenix - 2009 Tour Dates (some together) "

photos by Natasha Ryan

Phoenix @ Terminal 5

"Phoenix's 75-minute set at the sold-out Terminal 5 showed that the success of "Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix" is only the starting point. They are aiming for far bigger things." [Newsday]

Continue reading "Phoenix & Amazing Baby @ Terminal 5 in NYC - pics, setlist"

Passion Pit fans @ Bowery Ballroom - June 20, 2009 (TimmyGUNZ)

"The members of Passion Pit -- Mr. Angelakos, Ian Hultquist on keyboards and guitar, Ayad Al Adhamy on keyboards, Jeff Apruzzese playing bass and Nate Donmoyer behind the drums -- were arranged onstage amid a maze of synthesizers. It was a stymieing set-up; even when the band was sonically flamboyant, it was visually dull.

That was no obstacle to the crowd. On the single "Sleepyhead" most of the audience members pumped their fists in the air; a few pounded the walls. On "Little Secrets" Mr. Adhamy and Mr. Hultquist led the crowd in an enthusiastic chant. (On the album these vocals are provided by the chorus from Public School 22 on Staten Island.)" [NY Times]

Up next for both bands: Two will-be-sold-out shows at Central Park Summerstage in NYC this fall. There is the previously-announced show happening on September 25th (tickets), and the new show they just added at the same venue one day later. Tickets for the September 26th show go on AmEx presale Wednesday at 11am, and then regular sale on Thursday at noon.

All dates below...

Continue reading "Passion Pit played Bowery Ballroom (twice) +++ Phoenix add 2nd Summerstage show (tix)"

photos by Bao Nguyen

Jon Wiley & Lightspeed Champion @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

A circle of Brooklyn-based friends have joined together to throw a benefit for beloved, local musician, Jon Wiley. We Are the Wiley: A Benefit Concert for Jon Wiley will feature Adam Green, Lightspeed Champion, DJ Johnny Tropical, and Chairlift at The Shank-an art space and concert venue in Williamsburg, Brooklyn-on Thursday, July 9, 2009 at 8PM.

On March 5, 2009, professional guitarist, bassist, and keyboardist, Jon Wiley awoke without feeling or mobility in his arms and legs. He was subsequently diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and incurred more than $30,000 worth of medical bills for his week-long hospital stay. After a lengthy recovery process, Jon has regained most feeling in his limbs and has gone on in recent months to record and perform with Lightspeed Champion, Adam Green, and his solo project, SpaceCamp. However, he is still without the means to afford his own healthcare.

Join us to celebrate the extraordinary talent of Jon Wiley, and raise funds to cover the expenses of a musician in need. This is a concrete opportunity to help a friend who, like so many artists and musicians in the United States, lack affordable healthcare. Jon's story highlights the importance of healthcare for every person and the value of living each day to the fullest.

The benefit flyer w/ more details, video from Mercury Lounge, and more pictures from MHOW, below...

Continue reading "Lightspeed Champion played Merc (video) & MHOW (pics), playing A Benefit for Jon Wiley w/ Chairlift & Adam Green"

photos by Bao Nguyen

"Mid-set, Phoenix singer Thomas Mars laid down down on the carpeted floor of the stage at Music Hall of Williamsburg, with his head resting on the monitor. Meanwhile, his bandmates began crafting the opening sounds of "Love Like a Sunset"--the mostly instrumental centerpiece of the band's new record Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. Mars continued to lay, as the song built up further and further, until finally Mars took to his feet for the second movement. As the instrumentation calmed, in came his voice, and just like it is on record, the moment felt like a truly glorious event. The song relies on a certain listener patience that few other Phoenix songs require, but the reward is bigger than anything else they've ever created." [NY Press]

Letterman video and more pictures from MHOW, below...

Continue reading "Phoenix played MHOW (pics) & Letterman (video), playing Terminal 5 (tonight) & Summerstage (still on sale) "

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Amazing Baby - Smoke Bros (MP3)

Amazing Baby

"I actually miss the days when you just wrote about Amazing Baby in eeevery post." - BV commenter Eric Serpa | June 4, 2009 4:59 PM

Do they have questionable taste when it comes to fashion, their album covers and music videos? Maybe, but I don't think you can accuse Amazing Baby of the same, musically, or jumping on any bandwagons. Rewild is psychedelic without being being retro, danceable at times, heavy, glammy, catchy as hell and full of inventive arrangements and production. It rocks and swoons and sounds great loud. And they don't sound like any single other band out there. You can download "Smoke Bros" (which reminds me of Shriekback a little bit) at the top of this post. And you can stream the whole album at their MySpace.

Lightspeed Champion

Still reading? Phoenix's openers at tomorrow's (6/18) Music Hall of Williamsburg is Lightspeed Champion. That show is beyond sold-out, but tonight (6/17), he's playing a warm up show at Mercury Lounge, which will be his first in a long time. Dev has become a Brooklyn resident in the last year, which is where he also recorded his still-untitled second solo album (due in Oct.) with help from the Spacecamp boys who will also be his backing band at both shows. As a fan of last year's underrated Falling Off the Lavendar Bridge, I'm anxious to hear Dev's new material. Tickets are still available.

Spacecamp are also playing a set of their own at Mercury Lounge, opening the night, though you'd think it would've made more sense for them to play next-to-last and just have Dev come out and join them for a seamless transition, but I am a blogger not a stage manager. The band now have a full-time keyboardist in the mix which has made them a bit funkier (clavinet tends to do that). You can can get an idea of that in the footage Joly shot from Spacecamp's Annex show two weeks ago (below). In between Spacecamp and Lightspeed are Apache Beat and New Orleans' Hurray for the Riff Raff.

Nobunny

The show I'm most looking forward to this week, though, is this Friday (6/19) at Bruar Falls: Nobunny, Hunx and His Punx, German Measels, Baby Shakes and The Beets. I wrote about Nobunny the last time he was through town, having just caught him at SXSW, and his shows are fun and creepy all at the same time. (It's that mask.) If you haven't heard his debut, Love Visions, it's a lot of fun if you like bare-bones Ramones style punky pop. He recently put out a cassette-only album, Raw Romance, of demos and outtakes that was also pretty good -- it's sold out but maybe he'll have copies on tour with him. Nobunny also plays an all-ages show at Death by Audio two nights later (6/21).

The whole evening at Bruar Falls sounds like fun. Hunx and His Punx look and sound like they lept out of a John Waters movie and judging by their music videos I can only hope they bring that level of camp to their live show. Hunx has a new single out, "Teardrops on My Telephone," on Jay Reatard's Shattered label (also home to Nobunny). You can see the video for that song below. Hunx is playing a bunch of shows and parties this week, and all his dates are at the bottom of this post.

Also: the girl group punk of Baby Shakes; German Measels' fake mustache pop; and The Beets who seem to play every four days but I've enjoyed every show I've seen of theirs (including two previous at Bruar Falls).

Other shows of note: there's a TWII-approved line-up at Glasslands on tonight (6/17): Sisters, My Teenage Stride, and Knight School. All the bands are good, but if you haven't seen Sisters yet, you should really rectify that as soon as possible. On of my all time favorite new local bands of the moment.

Crocodiles are back in town, playing Union Pool on Thursday (6/18) and Mercury Lounge on Saturday (6/20). I don't care what Pitchfork says, I think their album is pretty good and they were fun at Pianos earlier this year.

And it wouldn't be a proper TWII column without mentioning this year's Twee as Fuck party at Cake Shop. TaF is a monthy party in London, as well as a fanzine and label, and they bring it over here in June. I went to last year's moderately-attended event which featured Afternoon Naps, Bears, and Pains at Being Pure at Heart who are headlining again this year though it's an understatement to say that things have changed for them. Not that they don't totally deserve it, but it still boggles my mind that the Pains have become a big as they have. TPOBPAH just announced a fall tour and those dates are below. Their next NYC show after Cake Shop is at South Street Seaport (home of tonight's Jon Spencer Blues Explosion Show).

With a lineup that also includes their Slumberland labelmates Crystal Stilts and Cause Co-Motion, as well as London's Hatcham Social, this is gonna be one super-packed, sweaty night at Cake Shop. Advance tickets are sold out, but there are a few available at the door if you get there early. Doors are at 7pm.

That's it for this week. Flyers, videos, and tour dates are after the jump....

Continue reading "Amazing Baby, Nobunny, Hunx & His Punx, Lightspeed Champion, TPOBPAH & more in This Week In Indie "