It goes without saying, but our thoughts and prayers are going out to all those in Boston right now, and to all those affected everywhere.

Black Francis at LPR in 2011 (more by Adam Siegel)

Onetime Pixies frontman Black Francis recently went on a tour with collaborator Reid Paley that hit the NYC area back in February for a Maxwell's show. Now Black Francis has more dates scheduled, including one happening in NYC on May 17 at Symphony Space (2537 Broadway) in the Peter Jay Sharp Theatre, and Reid Paley is opening that one too. He'll be playing "an evening of solo acoustic songs spanning his career." Tickets for that show are on sale now.

All dates are listed below...

Continue reading "Black Francis playing shows (Symphony Space included)"

Lou Barlow @ Terminal 5 (more by Gretchen Robinette)

Like Dave Hill, Gretchen Robinette and many of us, The Dinosaur Jr. 'you're living all over me' 25 year celebration show at Terminal 5 was a major highlight of 2012 for Dinosaur Jr.'s own Lou Barlow. He told Pitchfork:

people kept saying 'can you believe it's been 25 years since that record was released??' yes, yes i can.. easily.. so much happened since the release of that record..many bands, more band mates, lotsa fights, lotsa love..children! babies were born in the interim, human children ..so , i -can- believe it ..what REALLY surprised me was Frank Black singing one of the new dinosaur jr tunes ( 'almost there' (? , it really is impossible to figure out the names of J's songs) - the one i like to call the 'birkenstock tune' ) AND dinosaur jr playing a pixies song ('tame') with francis on vocals.. yea.. that part blew me away.. after years of fighting it i am ready to be a pixies fan, i will resist no longer.. he's got a serious set of lungs and learned our song like a proper musician.. much respect.. that ridiculous anniversary show was the #2 highlight of my year..or maybe it was number #1 ..i can't really rate events like this , once my mind is blown it's all equal, if you know what i mean..

More pictures and a recap of that show HERE. Lou's full list of three 'Best Moments' of 2012, below....

Continue reading "Dino Jr. Terminal 5 show - one of Lou Barlow's 'Best Moments'"

words by Phillip Pantuso, photos by Gretchen Robinette

J. Mascis / Frank Black

Throughout the 90s and the first half of the 2000s, Dinosaur Jr. was one of the last rock groups you would have expected to get the old band back together, go on tour, and record new music--not to mention new music that's every bit as good as anything the original lineup made in the 80s. When J Mascis unceremoniously kicked out Lou Barlow, his high school friend and longtime bandmate, in 1989, it seemed like a mercy killing of the original lineup, which had devolved into a psychodramatic mess, marred by lack of communication and irreconcilable personality difference between Mascis and Barlow. ("It makes me sick that I spent six or seven years putting my heart and soul into that band," Barlow told Cut zine in 1990. "They're sleazebag snob pigs like no one I have met in my entire life. J's always been an asshole.") Mascis and Murph, and then just Mascis, went on to record a string of major-label records throughout the 90s that, though inconsistent, contain some of Dinosaur Jr.'s best and most well-known songs.

When Mascis killed Dinosaur Jr. in 1997, it seemed inconceivable that, a decade later, Mascis, Barlow and Murph would reunite. Time heals all wounds, I guess. It's perhaps less surprising that the band would be able to ably reprise their sprawling, melodic, blitzkrieg guitar-rock sound. Three records in to the latter-day reign of Dinosaur Jr., the band sounds as good as they ever have.

On Saturday at Terminal 5, Dinosaur Jr. celebrated the 25th anniversary of the release of You're Living All Over Me, their second album and the one that made nonchalance cool, made the extended guitar solo cool (again), and wedded melodic tendencies with noise and feedback in a theretofore unheard of fashion in the indie rock underground. The band opened their set with "Thumb," from 1991's Green Mind, with Suzanne Thorp of Mercury Rev guesting on flute, before Mascis matter-of-factly announced that now they'd be playing You're Living All Over Me in full.

A sleepy-looking Lee Ranaldo came out to share vocals with J on "Little Fury Things." Guests, some announced ahead of time, would be a recurring theme throughout the night, but not until later. Dinosaur Jr. ripped through the songs on their best album as if it were 1987 all over again. "Sludgefeast" was a punishing onslaught of guitar and staccato, gunfire drums, with Mascis's high lonesome whine cutting through the gain and distortion. "Tarpit" set off joyous dancing, propelled by Barlow's chunky bass chords and a deafening roar from Mascis's Jazzmaster that threatened to draw blood from the ears.

Watching Barlow and Mascis play on stage, it's not hard to extrapolate the personality differences that created their rift. Barlow, with his black Rickenbacker slung low, literally bounces from one foot to the other when playing, the joy at doing just this very thing--playing to an audience--so evident. He smiles, he cracks jokes, he acts as if he's living through the music. Mascis, on the other hand, with his laconic, slowhands style and deadpan announcements ("All right. Thanks a lot. That was side one."), plays as if the music lives through him. He's the hermetic savant tuned in to a frequency no one else can hear.

Barlow brought out a ukulele for "Poledo," the "awkward end to the amazing record," in his words. The cavernous space of Terminal 5 made the strident desolation of the song even more acute.

The second half of the show is the stuff legendary bootlegs are made of. A succession of guests filed onstage to help Dinosaur Jr. play their songs, or to transform them into other bands entirely. The first was Frank Black, who sang and played guitar on "Almost Fare," from this year's I Bet On Sky. Next, the band plus Black covered one of Black's songs--"Tame," from The Pixies' Doolittle. Black roared the chorus, tossed a painting into the first rows of the crowd, and exited. Kurt Vile, whose band opened the show, and Al Cisneros from Sleep were next. Cisneros took over bass duties from Barlow for a couple of songs, including the doom metal glazer "Alone" from 1997's Hand It Over. Harvey Milk's Kyle Spence took the drums for that one.

Smiths and Modest Mouse guitarist Johnny Marr and Broken Social Scene guru Kevin Drew emerged to play "The Wagon" with J, Lou and Murph. Then they covered Smiths track "The Boy With the Thorn In His Side," the words to which J was, uh, a little unsure of. Melvins drummer Dale Crover relieved Murph behind the kit for a skin-searing rendition of "Training Ground," a song by Mascis and Barlow's pre-Dinosaur hardcore band, Deep Wound. Don Fleming of Gumball and Dante Ferrando of Iron Cross helped the band cover "Crucified," and Kim Gordon gave a tempestuous performance on "Don't", Barlow's song from Bug that directly addresses the fractured relationship between him and Mascis. Gordon screamed, bellowed and cooed the song's one lyric ("Why don't you like me?") over and over again, dropping to her knees and falling to the stage like she was having an exorcism. It was intense. If Sonic Youth is over, she should start a hardcore band.

The encore began with a cover of the Stooges classic, "T.V. Eye," with Tommy Stinson on bass and Fred Armisen (whose show, Portlandia, will feature an appearance from J Mascis in its upcoming third season) on drums. Dinosaur Jr. closed with two classics: "Start Choppin" and "Freak Scene," the song that invented the slacker generation. It was a poignant, circle-closing moment. "Because when I need a friend," J sang, "it's still you," we all responded. The night was an amazing tribute to a great band, 25 years removed from their (so-far) signature achievement and, improbably, still going strong.

More pictures, some videos, and the setlist from the show (which also counted John Petkovic of Death of Samantha as a guest), below...

Continue reading "Dinosaur Jr. and many guests celebrated 'You're Living All Over Me' at Terminal 5 (pics, videos, setlist)"

Via Buzzfeed & Laughing Squid, comes this handwritten list Kurt Cobain made, as published in Journals in 2002. Read the whole thing typed, below...

Continue reading "Kurt Cobain's 50 favorite albums"

photos by Greg Cristman

The Pixies are currently still out on a "Doolittle" tour with Surfer Blood which started at NJ's Wellmont Theater back on 10/27. The bands returned to the NYC-area to play a Saturday night show (11/5) at Long Island's Paramount Theater...

"On stage banter and bassist Kim Deal's interaction with the crowd played a big role, as you couldn't help but feel like you were part of something special. Highlights of the show include performances of "Here Comes Your Man", "Monkey Gone to Heaven", and "Where is My Mind?" The night concluded with the band's 1988 single "Gigantic", which had fans singing along and moving to its iconic bass line. Members Black Francis, Kim Deal, Joey Santiago and David Lovering then took a bow and made their way backstage. Hopefully this was just a preview of what's in store for the Long Island music scene and this fantastic venue." [SpotonLI]

More pictures, including one of of the Pixies' setlist, below...

Continue reading "Pixies & Surfer Blood played Long Island's Paramount Theater (pics & setlist)"

photos by Dana (distortion) Yavin

There's a lot young people (at shows) just like the old days," Santiago says. "Sometimes you see a parent with, I don't know, a tween kid. You could just see that, you know, it wasn't lack of babysitter. The kid really wanted to be there. It was probably his idea."

The Pixies kicked off another round of "Doolittle" tour dates at the Wellmont Theater in Montclair, NJ last night (10/27). Here are some pictures, including one of the setlist. They continue below...

Continue reading "Pixies & Surfer Blood began a tour @ Wellmont Theater (pics & the Doolittle setlist)"

photos by Adam Siegel

Black Francis @ Le Poisson Rouge

Black Francis played Le Poisson Rouge last night (7/24). Eric Drew Feldman accompanied him like he's done in the past. Reid Paley, who Frank is releasing an album with, opened the show. Pictures are in this post.

Five days earlier, Frank's tour brought him to St Louis where kdhx had this to say:

"Once he was tuned up and ready to go, Frank howled out a fantastic cover of Tom Waits' "The Black Rider" and his own tune "Six-Sixty-Six" over Eric's gorgeous organ accompaniment. The rest of the set found Frank playing whatever came to mind, picking out some fantastic guitar lines and delivering his lyrics in a wailing tenor while Eric switched between electric piano, organ and bass depending on the song. The set mostly consisted of songs from Frank's solo albums, but did include a handful of Pixies tunes, covers of the aforementioned Tom Waits tune and the Gary Green penned "That Burnt Out Rock and Roll" along with the fan suggested "Song of the Shrimp" from his 2005 album Honeycomb."

The full 7/19 setlist is below.

Frank's got a couple more dates left before the Pixies go on a tour that hits Wellmont Theatre on October 27 (sold out), Asbury Park Convention Hall on October 28 (tickets) and The Paramount in Huntington on November 5th (tickets).

More pictures and videos of Black Francis from the 7/24 LPR show, and the 7/19 setlist below...

Continue reading "Black Francis played LPR (pics, video & the St. Louis setlist)"

Paramount Theater and Convention Hall

Bob Dylan has added even more dates to his previously announced summer tour. The new dates include Asbury Park Convention Hall on August 14 in NJ. Leon Russell opens the show like he does on many other dates of the tour. Tickets go on sale Friday (7/8) at 10 AM and currently available for bobdylan.com pre-sale with the password "clarence."

Other upcoming shows at Asbury Park Convention Hall include ATP NJ on Sep 30-Oct 2 and Pixies playing 'Doolittle' on October 28 with Surfer Blood. We're giving away tickets to that Pixies show which you can win by following the directions below. Pixies play Wellmont Theater in Montclair on the same tour.

Updated Bob Dylan dates and the Pixies contest below...

Continue reading "Bob Dylan adds Asbury Park show (on presale), Pixies playing NJ too (win tix)"

"The thing about 'Doolittle,'" said Santiago, the band's guitarist, "is that it's still as fresh today as it was when we recorded it. I loved it then and I love it now."

Pixies at Hammerstein Ballroom in 2009 (more by Tim Griffin)

The Pixies celebrated the 20th anniversary of Doolittle on a 2009 tour that included 4 NYC dates. They've since continued touring the album and are now embarking on another Doolittle run that they're dubbing the "Lost Cities" US tour. The tour will hit smaller cities in the US that the initial tour didn't stop in. Surfer Blood open most of the tour and Imaginary Cities open the last few dates.

"Two years and counting in this celebration of Doolittle's 20th anniversary," laughed drummer Lovering. "But people keep asking us to bring 'Doolittle' to their city, and we're really happy to do it."

The tour will start in Montclair, NJ, where the band will play on October 27 at Wellmont Theatre with Surfer Blood. The tour moves to Asbury Park the next day and then to CT before continuing to NH, ME, Rochester. It then hits Easton, PA and then Huntington, NY. No NYC dates, but lots of options for those willing to take a short trip. Tickets for all shows go on sale on July 15th.

Speaking of Surfer Blood and the Pixies, Surfer Blood recently covered "Gigantic" for A/V Undercover with Sarah Baldwin from The Girls at Dawn on lead vocals. Watch that below.

"We are all big fans of Surfer Blood," said Pixies' Black Francis. "They're a young and energetic band and write great songs. And it will be terrific to have Imaginary Cities back on the road with us. They were a big success on our Canadian tour earlier this year."

Black Francis has shows coming up too including July 24 at Le Poisson Rouge. Tickets are still available.

All Pixies tour dates with more info on what to expect at the shows, and that video, below...

Continue reading "Pixies announce more Doolittle dates, many with Surfer Blood"

Black Francis at Joe's Pub in September (more by Andrew St. Clair)

Black Francis and frequent collaborator Reid Paley recently recorded some material together in Nashville which they'll release as Paley & Francis on September 13 via Sonic Unyonl. Frank Black will head out on a tour this summer, with Reid Paley opening some of the shows. Only nine July dates have been announced at this point, but according to Frank Black's website more dates are coming soon. They'll bring their tour to NYC on July 24 at Le Poisson Rouge. Tickets are on sale now.

In related news, the Pixies recently spoke to Spinner about a possible new album:

You released a single a while back, but there's been no follow-up album. Kim made another Breeders album. Is there a reason Pixies haven't put out fresh stuff?

David: We were happy to just tour, and it's been non-stop because people want to see us. We've talked about it for years, but nothing's come to fruition.

Joey: I'm gonna answer this honestly, for once. In the back of our minds I think we're afraid that it might cause friction. Right? Don't you think? It might, and that "might" is gonna be an "Uh oh, what the f--- are we doing now?"

David: The thing is, we want to protect the legacy. If we do something, it better be good. And as we go along -- it's been seven years now -- it gets more difficult to make that decision.

Black Francis tour dates and tracklist below...

Continue reading "Black Francis releasing album w/ Reid Paley, touring (dates)"

photos by Andrew St. Clair, words by Patricia Scull

"For the first time in my life, I just don't care," Frank Black sang Friday night (9/3), opening his solo acoustic show at Joe's Pub (his first of three sold out Labor Day Weekend shows at the intimate venue). While the song containing these lyrics ("Horrible Day") was released in 2003, it seems that Black has taken them and run. From his wearing sunglasses through the entire performance in the dimly lit Joe's Pub, to a mocking reference to his guitar skills ("And on guitar, we have Jack Shit,") Frank Black, a.k.a. Black Francis, a.k.a. the frontman of influential 90's alt-rock band the Pixies, seems numb to the hoopla. Black's billing at the club is promoted as a "solo acoustic show," however it should be noted that the stage setup contained a Baldwin grand piano, a pump organ, a bass guitar, drum set, and yes, featured Black on electric guitar.

Starting the show with some warm-ups and donning a variation of an outfit some might refer to as the "Canadian tuxedo" (loose fitting blue jean button up shirt, untucked, and blue jean pants), Black immediately mezmerizes as soon as he opens his mouth to sing. Black's powerful timbre consistently leads the crescendo, with electric instruments following behind, sometimes singing melodically, sometimes screeching madly.

Despite promoting his latest solo release Non Stop Erotik, Black pulls some of his Pixies repertoire off the shelf, performing "Nimrod's Son," Cactus," and "Planet of Sound." His solo material is more solemn and less experimental than his work with the Pixies, often using the catharsis of the pump organ as a backdrop for his grainy vocals. His solo material (including that billed as Frank Black and the Catholics) seems as if age and experience has cast a new light over his work, with introspection and flashes of wisdom. "If your heart is sad," Black laments, "this is your new home." At times, Black reverts back to his signature Pixies vocal style, proving that he's no "Burnt Out Rock And Roll" star, a song he included in the set, along with "Manitoba," Ten Percenter," "Los Angeles," and "I Heard Ramona Sing." Black closed the show with a brief and somber encore, reminding the audience to "Sing for joy/Sing for laughs/ If nothing else/Sing for joy."

More pictures from Friday's show, below...

Continue reading "Black Francis played 3 shows @ Joe's Pub (night 1 pics)"

Frank Black is going solo acoustic at Joe's Pub in NYC on September 3rd and 4th. Tickets just went on sale. All dates below.

You can also catch Frank at some upcoming Pixies shows.

And stop by Joe's Pub tonight (6/23) to catch Villagers.

The Breeders are playing two shows around their appearance at ATP NY this year. Those dates are below too...

Continue reading "Black Francis playing acoustic shows @ Joe's Pub & other dates, the Breeders playing gigs too"

Black Keys fan @ Bonnaroo 2010 (by Laura Fedele for WFUV)

Tickets go on sale at 11am for all five of SPIN's 25th Anniversary shows.

7/26 - Smashing Pumpkins @ Terminal 5 (TICKETS)
7/27 - The Flaming Lips @ Terminal 5 (TICKETS)
7/28 - The Black Keys @ Terminal 5 (TICKETS)
7/29 - The National @ Terminal 5 (TICKETS)
7/30 - Spiritualized playing Ladies and Gentlemen (TICKETS)

Check out what the Flaming Lips just did at Bonnaroo (a festival The National and The Black Keys also played).

The My Morning Jacket five-night pass goes on sale at noon. Those five nights all happen at Terminal 5 and each feature a different MMJ album live.

A lot of Pixies tickets go/went on sale today. That includes the September 7th PA show which is on sale now. Still no NYC date on the band's upcoming tour.

Tickets are on sale for Iggy & The Stooges in Atlantic City.

Tickets for Arcade Fire/Spoon @ MSG went on sale Saturday morning.

...and those new dates are now on presale

"JERUSALEM (JTA) -- In more apparent fallout from Israel's interception of a Gaza-bond flotilla, the American alternative rock band the Pixies canceled a scheduled concert in Israel.

The band was scheduled to perform Wednesday in Tel Aviv in its first concert in Israel.

"The decision was not reached easily, and we all know well the Israeli fans have been waiting for this visit for far too long," read a message received Sunday by the concert's producers in Israel from the band's management, according to reports.

"We'd like to extend our deepest apologies to the fans, but events beyond all our control have conspired against us. We can only hope for better days, in which we will finally present the long awaited visit of the Pixies in Israel."

Two other groups, Klaxons and the Gorillaz, canceled their scheduled performances in Israel following the deaths of nine activists during clashes with Israeli Navy commandos during the boarding of one of the flotilla's ships early on May 31.

The cancellations come less than a month following the cancellation of British rocker Elvis Costello, who was making a political protest. Costello called the cancellation of his scheduled June 30 and 31 concerts "a matter of instinct and conscience."" [JTA]

Pixies won't be heading to Israel, but they will continue touring in 2010 with more "Doolittle" shows now scheduled through the end of September. There were four NYC Doolittle shows in November of 2009. The closest show to NYC at the moment is Philly in September of 2010, and those tickets, like all the new dates, are on presale now ("All pre-sale ticket purchases include a download of the live recording from the show, delivered to the purchasing fan via email the day after the show*. Pre-sale prices are all-in, and are less than total cost of tickets at public outlets. This fan-only presale ends at 11:59 pm on Friday, June 11. All tickets can be claimed at WILL CALL, unless otherwise noted.). All dates and a widget that will get you a free live EP right now, below...

Continue reading "Pixies cancel Israel shows, add more Doolittle dates in the US "

"Lovering just DESTROYED the triangle part on the slow version on WAVE OF MUTILATION." - John Hodgman

Pixies @ Hammerstein - 11/24/2009 (photo by John Hodgman)

"The Pixies are a strange story, getting stranger. Perfecting the circuitry between punk and a lusher kind of art-rock, they existed for seven years, until 1993. Since first gathering for reunion shows in 2004, they've been in a lucrative post-history for five years. When five reaches seven, if they have still not made any new music (besides one song, "Bam Thwok") and are still playing phantasmagorically hot songs with a scientifically cool affect, they may come to seem out of balance." [NY Times]

The Pixies played their second of four shows at Hammerstein Ballroom in NYC on Tuesday night (11/24). Jay Reatard opened. A few hours later they played "Debaser" and "Hey" on the Jimmy Fallon show (taped earlier in the day). Video from both, and the setlist (b-sides + Doolittle + two encores again) from Hammerstein, below...

Continue reading "Pixies played Fallon & Hammerstein again (video & setlist) "

Julian Plenti @ Guggenheim in September (more by Vincent Cornelli)

Paul Banks has been covering the Pixies song "Into the White" since his official "Julian Plenti" debut show at the Guggenheim on September 25th. Now coincidentally his current tour coincides with the Pixies' Doolittle tour. They both played the song in Chicago on November 21st. The Pixies played it again last night at Hammerstein Ballroom.

Both acts will share a town again for the next two nights (November 24th & 25th) - the Pixies are at Hammerstein Ballroom and Paul Banks/Julian Plenti at Bowery Ballroom then Brooklyn Bowl. I'm In You opens the Plenti shows, as they have all tour.

Videos of both acts playing "Into the White" on their respective tours (plus Plenti with another song he's been covering, "A Horse With No Name") are below...

Continue reading "Maybe Julian Plenti will cover the Pixies again tonight & tomorrow in NYC (dates & video) "

photos by Tim Griffin

the "Chien Andalou" film started at 9, band started 9:07, done by 10:30. if you're driving in, note that some streets near venue seem closed for upcoming Macy's Thanksgiving Parade" [Anonymous]

The Pixies played their first of four NYC shows in a row on Monday night at an extremely packed Hammerstein Ballroom (11/23). The mostly-predictable setlist started out with four Doolittle b-sides followed all of Doolittle which was followed by two encores that ended with two of their biggest hits back to back (Where is My Mind into Gigantic).

"the mood was really friendly (Kim kept cracking jokes like "we're halfway through side one" and Frank cracked up at the "God is 7" line) but the big surprise was they had more of Joey Santiago's guitar sound than the slick studio versions, so it was revelatory to hear how raw and loud these songs could get." [Anonymous]

The screens on the back of the stage provided visuals, and most of the movement - you don't go to see the Pixies for a crazy stage show. You go because you love the songs that they wrote (and because you can afford it), and the band do a pretty decent job at it. Like in 2004 at the same venue when they first reunited, I definitely felt a disconnect from the performers, but that's also because of the large venue size.

Black Gold opened the show (instead of Bad Lieutenant). Tuesday night Jay Reatard gets that honor. On Wednesday (at the early show) it's Rain Machine. No opener at the late and final show that same night.

Pixies will also appear on the Jimmy Fallon show on Tuesday night (11/24).

The Hammerstein setlist and the rest of the pictures, below....

Continue reading "Pixies @ Hammerstein Ballroom 2009 (night 1) - pics, setlist"

Pixies @ Aragon Ballroom - Nov 20, 2009 (jjohnson1120)

When a group of revered and influential rockers come back together after a decade of acrimonious separation and/or inactivity, all but the most hard-hearted punks can grant them one lap around the reunion circuit playing the old should-have-been-hits, if only to collect the accolades and the cash that probably eluded them the first time.

Boston's proto-alternative quartet the Pixies took that victory lap in 2004. Now, while they remain popular enough to play three nights at the Aragon Ballroom [in Chicago]--Friday and Saturday sold out, though Thursday only was about half full--it's hard to consider them anything but a cynical corporation cashing in on blatant nostalgia--a hipper version of Creedence Clearwater Revisited or Journey and whoever is singing with that group these days.

Bandleader Black Francis, bassist Kim Deal, guitarist Joey Santiago and drummer David Lovering have had nearly five years during their second act to prove that they are once again a vital, vibrant and forward-moving creative unit. Instead, absent even the whiff of a new album, the twist they've put on their latest tour is that it's the 20th anniversary celebration of "Doolittle," their second and best studio album, and an epic of free-associated weirdness, twisted sexual imagery and religious symbolism.
[Jim DeRogatis @ Chicago Sun Times] (via)

The Pixies are popular enough to play FOUR shows in NYC (actual capacity comparisons aside), though like in Chicago one show (the LATE one) is not sold out (yet?). That run begins tonight (Monday, 11/23). Black Gold opens the show (instead of Bad Lieutenant).

In related news, Jim DeRogatis just released a book on the Velvet Underground.

"It is with frustration and regret that Bad Lieutenant reluctantly announces the cancellation of the band's four U.S. dates set to commence next week. The more stringent immigration laws and changing visa parameters resulted in an inability to process the necessary paperwork.

"We were all so very excited about coming to the States to play our new music for our American fans," said Bad Lieutenant's Bernard Sumner, "and are extremely disappointed that on this occasion, we won't have the opportunity to do so. We plan to reschedule the Chicago and New York shows along with some additional U.S. dates in Spring.""

Black Gold, whose credits include touring with Panic at the Disco, are replacing Bad Lieutenant as the opener for the Pixies at Aragon Ballroom in Chicago on November 19th and at Hammerstein Ballroom on November 23rd.

Hello, this is Ticketmaster Customer Service with an important alert for your upcoming event. Bad Lieutenant, scheduled at Webster Hall on Saturday, November 21, 2009, at doors 7:00 pm, has been cancelled.
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Though nothing official has been announced by the band yet, I'm told it was due to visa issues which means their whole tour (aka 4 shows) must be cancelled. They were supposed to be opening for the Pixies at Hammerstein Ballroom and in Chicago.

This news comes exactly a week after we found out that fellow UK band Echo & The Bunnymen were cancelling their upcoming trip to the United States, though visas weren't blamed like they were for Speech Debelle and First Aid Kit in October. The Rakes cancelled their tour because they broke up. Charlatans blamed an injury.

All dates BL were supposed to play, below...

Continue reading "Bad Lieutenant cancel US dates (Webster Hall, Pixies shows)"

Bernard Sumner told Rolling Stone that his band Bad Lieutentant would be opening for the Pixies at Hammerstein Ballroom this year. That is true, but they're only opening the first one. Those with tickets to that sold out November 23rd show win the opener contest...

Pixies @ Hammerstein Ballroom
Nov 23 w/ Bad Lieutenant
Nov 24 w/ Jay Reatard
Nov 25 w/ Rain Machine
Nov 25 (late show) w/ no opener?

Tickets are still available to the last show (too bad they're over $60 each). Tickets are also still on sale to the Bad Lieutenant show happening at Webster Hall on November 21st (which is three days after they play Park West in Chicago).

Rain Machine is currently on tour and will play a CMJ show at Bowery Ballroom.

Jay Reatard is currently looking for a new band.

by Bill Pearis

Bad Lieutenant, the band Bernard Sumner formed after New Order officially split three years ago, will make their New York debut at Webster Hall on November 21 -- tickets are on American Express pre-sale Wednesday, with general sale starting Friday (10/9). And according to Sumner in a Rolling Stone interview, Bad Lieutenant will also open for all four of Pixies' Doolittle shows at Hammerstein Ballroom that same week, though there has yet to be any official confirmation.

The band's debut album, Never Cry Another Tear, is out this week digitally and will be available in physical form next week. The line-up includes guitarists Phil Cunningham, who replaced founding member Gillian Gilbert in 2001, and Jake Evans who sings lead on a few of Never Cry Another Tear's songs. Live, Bad Lieutenant also features New Order drummer Stephen Morris, with Thom Chapman on bass. Sumner talked to Pitchfork about the new group:

Continue reading "Bad Lieutenant (Bernard Sumner) playing Joy Division, New Order & other songs @ Webster Hall & at all 4 Pixies shows?"

One of the four Pavement shows (the Thursday night) is on sale at the moment.

I don't know if the other three are completely sold out yet, but TICKETS for the fourth Pixies show at Hammerstein Ballroom (a 1am show) are on sale (@ 10am).

Goodie Mob (Big Gipp, Khujo, T-Mo, and Cee-Lo of recent Gnarls Barkley fame) recently reunited and are playing a headlining show at Hammerstein Ballroom on November 13th. Scarface, TECH N9NE and Slaughterhouse are also on the bill. Tickets are on sale.

Other upcoming shows at Hammerstein Ballroom that are on sale or going on sale soon include the Dalai Lama, 311, Kylie Minogue, Mastodon, Red Bull BC One (breakdancing), Echo and the Bunnymen, Brian Setzer Orchestra, Rob Zombie, and Further (members of the Grateful Dead).

Continue reading "Pixies, Pavement, Goodie Mob & other tickets "

"Free Fallin" @ MHOW - Sept 20, 2009

"I was on a stage with a mess of other musicians. Bright lights were shining all around. I was standing in the center in front of the drum riser at The Williamsburg Music Hall in Brooklyn. Between me and upturned faces of the audience was a wall of people. Some were old friends and some were new friends. Directly in front of me was Mark Mulcahy, to my right on the far side of the stage was Lesa Bezo with Philip and Flora from the Winterpills and Naomi Hamby from Spouse. They were circled around a microphone singing through smiles. Behind them was Jason Bourgeois in front of a Nord Keyboard, next to him was Ray Neal from Miracle Legion with a guitar, on my left was Dan Greene of Butterflies of Love and Kevin O'Rourke of Lo Fine and Jose Ayerve of Spouse. Next to Mark was Pat Sansone of Autumn Defense and Wilco. Strewn all around me were members of Gravel Pitt, David Berkeley, Chris Harford, BP Helium, The Parkway Charlies, Senator, Spouse, Lofine, The Mericans, Jeff Ginsburg, Biet and Gryphon, The Autumn Defense, Winterpills, Butterflies of Love, and The Gravel Pit. Directly behind me was the smiling face of Brian at the drums. He was surrounded by people shaking and banging on whatever they could find. Sitting on the drum riser behind him with a guitar was Frank Black and we were all singing, "I'm freeeee. Free fallin'!"

What the?....

It was the finale of a long, night of music. It was an "all-star" jam, folks. The only things missing were Eric Clapton, Phil Collins, and Paul Shaffer.

The day before, I spoke to Mark on the phone and he asked me if Brian and I could be in charge of the encore finale thing. "What song?" I asked. "Free Fallin'" He replied. Then we laughed.

The event was called Ciao My Shining Star and was a concert in memorial of Melissa Mulcahy and in tribute to Mark Mulcahy's music. Over seventeen acts were lined up to perform in a three and a half hour show. Everyone got about ten minutes. It was remarkably organized and on time. This was due in large part to the tireless effort put in by Richard Murray and Myles Mangino and also to the camaraderie of all those involved..." [Henning]

That's part of a review by one of the musicians involved in the September 20th benefit show at Music Hall of Williamsburg. It's the same show that the new Thom Yorke video debuted at, and as henning points out, included Frank Blank of the reunited-again Pixies. Videos from from that are below, and a similar show will happen at Toad's Place in CT on November 13th.

Pixies have added a fourth LATE NYC show at Hammerstein Ballroom to their November touring itinerary. The new date, Thanksgiving - November 26th @ 1:00am (actually a 2nd, later show Wednesday night?), goes on sale Friday @ 10am.

Continue reading "Pixies add 4th NYC show at Hammerstein Ballroom ++ Frank Black & many others played Mulcahy tribute show @ MHOW"