KEN Mode at Saint Vitus earlier this month (more by Caroline Harrison)

Unfortunately, Pinkish Black has been forced to cancel tonight's appearance (March 16) at the BV / Invisible Oranges showcase at The North Door. We are super bummed but happily, valiant Canadian metallic-noise-rock crew KEN Mode are always down to annihilate and as such, a hearty thanks goes out to the trio for filling in at the last minute! Here's what you can look forward to tonight:

7PM doors open
8PM Homewrecker
9PM KEN Mode
10PM Full of Hell
11PM Mutilation Rites
12PM John Baizley
1AM Pallbearer

See you there!

Pallbearer at Knitting Factory, Sept 2012 (more by Fred Pessaro // BBG)

Invisible Oranges and BrooklynVegan are proud to announce an official SXSW showcase! The show will be the first ever Invisible Oranges showcase and looks like this

Saturday, March 16th at North Door in Austin:
Pallbearer
John Baizley (Baroness)
Mutilation Rites
Full of Hell
Pinkish Black
Homewrecker

The show, which features everything from black metal to grind to doom to dark post-punk, will go down on Saturday, March 16th at North Door (formerly ND Studios, 501 Brushy, Austin, TX) Doors open at 7PM. Get there early to join in on the festivities, but if you cant make it we will be streaming the show in its entirety LIVE from the venue. Details on that are forthcoming, but you officially have no excuse to miss out!

The official showcase is one of TWO BrooklynVegan Official nighttime SXSW showcases in 2013. The other is one night earlier, and not metal. The show is also one of TWO Invisible Oranges related events going down during SXSW. The second IO event will be a day party on March 15th as part of our residency at the old Emo's location. Details on that party are on the way, but save the date! You won't want to miss it.

Check out video of the bands playing the inaugural IO/BV showcase below!

Continue reading "Pallbearer, John Baizley & more playing Invisible Oranges / BrooklynVegan SXSW Showcase (which will also stream live)"

Left for Dead at A389 in Baltimore, Jan 2013

Chaos In Tejas have announced the latest batch of bands for the Austin, Texas festival set for late May/early June. New additions include announced reunions for Left for Dead and the Rats (pre Dead Moon/Pierced Arrows), with other appearances including Mobb Deep will perform all of their classic The Infamous LP, No Statik, Parquet Courts, Pharmakon, Pinkish Black, Grouper, Lust For Youth, Waxahatchee, Benediction, Jessica Pratt, True Widow, Vassafor, Violent End, Speedwolf, Waxahatchee, Who Killed Spikey Jacket?, Replica, Lotus Fucker, Cold World, Jessica Pratt, Joyce Manor, Marshstepper and much more. Head below for the current Chaos in Tejas lineup. Tickets are on sale.

Full lineup and a multi-camera video from their Baltimore reunion at A389 is below.

Continue reading "Chaos in Tejas expands lineup again, now w/ Left for Dead (!), the Rats, No Statik, Parquet Courts +++ more"

by Fred Pessaro // BBG

One Tail One Head at Inferno Festival, April 2012 (more by Fred Pessaro // BBG)

2012 was a year of considerable personal growth for me, as a person, a photographer and a music fan. As I recounted in my favorite photos of 2012, I got to shoot some of my favorite bands of all time and travel the globe in search of new ones. The beginning of the year was spent dealing with personal drama, and if it werent for key records in my life I shudder to think at where I would be right now. To every band on this list and many who aren't, I cant thank you enough.

First order of business, my musical pallette is much much larger than just a series of metal records. This is NOT a list of my favorite records of the year, because that would surely include other entries from across many different genres. This is, however, a list of some of my favorite heavier records.

To me, the term "heavy" can be defined in many ways, from the elongated riff on a doom record to a noise squall to a particularly punishing punk-rock beatdown. While most of the following records are "heavy" in the traditional "distortion and loud guitars" sense, a few are not. You'll see metal, you'll see deathrock, you'll see raw punk, you'll see hardcore, and many spots in between in the numbered list below. And to answer your question, yes you'll see Swans... right beside D-Clone and Asphyx.

My favorite records of 2012 are below. Hopefully you'll see a connection in favorites or maybe discover something new. Regardless, I hope you found your own favorites of the year whether in this list or outside of it.

Continue reading "The Year in Heavy (Fred Pessaro // BBG's favorite metal, punk & other records of 2012)"

by Fred Pessaro // BBG

Svarttjern at Inferno Festival

Its been quite a ride for me personally and as a photographer in 2012. I've had the distinct honor to cover some of my favorite bands in the world this year, including legends and favorites that vary as widely as Morrissey (HERE), New Order (HERE), Autopsy (HERE and HERE), Godflesh (HERE), Dead Can Dance (HERE), Swans (HERE), Jesus & Mary Chain (HERE), Chain of Strength (HERE) and many many more.

But I'm also very interested in the new, and 2012 afforded me the ability to shoot great younger bands like Terrible Feelings (HERE), Whitehorse (HERE), White Lung (HERE), Milk Music (HERE), Nude Beach (HERE) and loads more. Its been a great year, and though I still have some shooting left in the tank for 2012, here are my favorites as of right now along with brief blurbs on why . We'll start with the above photo....

Continue reading "Fred Pessaro // BBG's favorite Live Music Photos of 2012 ---------(that he took)"

Pinkish Black at WIERD, Nov 2012 (more by Fred Pessaro // BBG)

Second chances are great. Third chances are even better. Pinkish Black played WIERD earlier this week (on 11/28) and Saint Vitus last night (12/1) and have now added a THIRD show at Acheron on 12/3 with Bezoar, Gentlemen and Dolores Boys for all of you procrastinators who didn't get a chance to catch them their first two times. If you haven't had the pleasure, I highly recommend you do so. - Fred Pessaro // BBG

by Fred Pessaro // BBG

Pinkish Black @ WIERD, 11/28/2012

Pinkish Black, who have a new record to show off, played the first of two NYC area shows at the WIERD party at Home Sweet Home last night (11/28), part of a stint of dates for the darkwave Texas duo. Bathed in fog, the band seemed perfectly suited for the multi-colored lighting and overall gothic vibe of the weekly WIERD shindig at Home Sweet Home. Pictures from the band's excellent performance are in this post.

If you missed Pinkish Black, the band is currently on the road in the Northeast (dates below) and will return to play Saint Vitus on 12/1 alongside Naam. Tickets are still available.

Next up at WIERD (12/5), the party will host a performance from Theologian which will feature a live percussionist in addition to noise technicians Fade Kainer and Lee Bartow. The rest of the month doesn't look to shabby either.

More pictures from WIERD are below. Before hitting Home Sweet Home, I checked out Eyehategod at Saint Vitus and those pictures are here.

Continue reading "Pinkish Black played WIERD as part of their East Coast tour, play Saint Vitus on Saturday"

by Fred Pessaro // BBG

Michael Berdan of Believer/Law, on stage with Veins, June 2011 (more by Tim Griffin)

Dating back nine years, it's no wonder that the weekly WIERD party draws some great bands and especially for a late night on a Wednesday. WIERD's anniversary will be celebrated tonight at their homebase of Home Sweet Home (11/21) with an appearance from Sacred Bones artist Led Er Est. Come out and party.

But if you can't make it to WIERD this week, there are still a bunch of great bands in the coming weeks as well. Next Wednesday (11/28) means an appearance from Texas band Pinkish Black, who just signed to Century Media for a new LP. The band's last NYC appearance was at Saint Vitus on June 15th as part of Northside, on a bill with Deafheaven, Indian Jewelry and Vattnet Viskar.

Sweden's Lust for Youth will begin their trek towards the end of the world (if you believe this kind of stuff) with a show at Wierd on 12/12/2012. The band recently released Growing Seeds via Sacred Bones earlier this month after a smaller release in the EU on Avant! Records. Check out a song stream below.

And last but not least, the WIERD Holidaze Party (12/19) will feature Believer/Law with DJ Ryan DAIS. The band features vocalist Michael Berdan (Drinkdriver/Veins, etc) and steers away from some of his previous hardcore-based focus, instead opting for keyboard-driven gothic-industrial. Check out a new song below, along with a live video. The holiday party will also double as a record release show for the band's upcoming cassette on Robert & Leopold (LP due on Blind Prophet soon).

Check out video from some of the bands with forthcoming WIERD performances below, along with tonight's 9th Anniversary Flyer. Congrats, WIERD!

Continue reading "WIERD celebrates nine years tonight with Led Er Est; upcoming shows with Pinkish Black, Lust for Youth & Believer/Law"

Deafheaven at Public Assembly (more by Greg Cristman)

With only twelve days to go, Pitchfork's "Show No Mercy" have announced their Northside Festival showcase with Wierd Records. The June 15th show at Saint Vitus will feature an exclusive headlining appearance from Deafheaven, who will be joined by Austin psychedelics Indian Jewelry, gothic post-punk crew Pinkish Black (who we recently profiled) and black-metallers Vattnet Viskar. Tickets are on sale or you can get in with your Northside badge.

The show is at the same time as the previously discussed show with Harkonen, The Atlas Moth, Fight Amp, and Whores show at Union Pool. The show features a rare appearance from Harkonen, one of their first in NYC since their 2005 dissolution and one of only three dates on the East Coast. Tickets are still available for that as well, or you can also get in with your badge.

Vattnet Viskar, who released a self-titled EP earlier this year, recently signed with Century Media for their next LP. The band played Lit Lounge last month as part of a Broken Limbs showcase (pictures).

Deafheaven appears on the latest Deathwish sampler, which is out now and FREE.

Flyer for the Show No Mercy/WIERD Northside show is below.

Continue reading "Deafheaven, Indian Jewelry, Pinkish Black & Vattnet Viskar playing Show No Mercy/WIERD Northside Showcase "

by BBG

Pinkish Black art

Fort Worth crew Pinkish Black cite names like Suicide, Magma and Scott Walker as influences on their new self-titled effort which is due via Handmade Birds on May 15th. While there are definitely elements of all of those highly-influential greats, Pinkish Black also utilize elements of post-punk, goth, black metal, deathrock, noise, ambient and all other manners of darkness on the release. They come off like a death-obessed Om on the band's first track "Bodies in Tow" (video below) yet very Nick Cave/Birthday Party on "Fall Down" the band's second track which premieres in this post. Listen below...

Continue reading "Pinkish Black prepare debut LP, release new track (premiere)"