by Andrew Frisicano

If looking for a way to see some of CMJ's top bands without a badge or tickets, three stores - Sound Fix, Other Music and Apple Store Soho - are all offering free in-store performances through the week.

Other Music in Manhattan hosts El Perro Del Mar tonight (10/20 @ 8pm). El Perro - real name Sarah Assbring - was to play a Joe's Pub show on November 9th. That's been canceled. She's opening for Peter, Bjorn & John this November - their Nov. 10th show was moved from Terminal 5 to Webster Hall and bumped a day earlier (now Nov. 9th).

If you're out today (10/20), El Perro Del Mar will be DJing (4-5pm) at Pianos this afternoon. Perhaps she'll spin something from her new record, Love Is Not Pop, which is out today (there's some nice dance remixes on at the end of it).

Also at Other Music, The Very Best play a daytime in-store (noon) on Thursday (10/22), which is probably less than 12 hours after they play (Le) Poisson Rouge's Green Owl CMJ showcase on Wednesday night with Theophilus London, Violens, Grandchildren, Ninjasonik and Nat Geo Music (the late show after LPR's New Amsterdam/Cantaloupe Recs showcase).

At Sound Fix (all shows 7pm), Antlers play a short acoustic set on Wednesday (they also play a BV showcase tonight, 10/20, at Music Hall of Williamsburg), and Cymbals Eat Guitars (at BV Pianos party Saturday afternoon) perform on Thursday. Tonight (10/20) at Sound Fix, you can catch Brooklyn's own Bell. More dates below.

At the Apple Store Soho, the extremely busy the xx play on Thursday and Portugal. The Man on Friday. More details below.

Speaking of the xx's busy schedule, let's just go through it: They're also at Mercury Lounge on Wednesday (10/21), Music Hall of Williamsburg on Friday with School of Seven Bells (now sold out) and a late-night Tribeca Grand party on October 23rd with FIXED's DJ JDH + Dave P (RSVP).

If you're after the Antlers and the xx together in one convenient spot, they're both playing a late-night NME CMJ party on Thursday, October 22nd at The Delancey with We Are Enfant Terrible, Reni Lane, Yes Giantesses and Ultra Violent Lights. The xx are the "special guest" on that show.

All times for the CMJ in-stores, tour dates and details are below...

Continue reading "CMJ in-stores @ Apple Store, Sound Fix, Other Music & other shows w/ El Perro Del Mar, Very Best, Antlers, xx & more"

by Bill Pearis

Melbourne, Australia's The Temper Trap are currently on their first big tour of the States, and will head into New York later this week for two shows during the CMJ fest: Thursday (10/22) at Music Hall of Williamsburg (tickets) and Friday (10/23) at Bowery Ballroom (tickets). Already huge in their own country, the band's debut album is currently in the UK Top 40 and their single "Sweet Disposition" (also featured in the 500 Days of Summer soundtrack) is just outside the UK Top 10. Their sound is stadium-ready (I'm talking U2 and Keane) but I do think they have some good songs. I especially like non-single "Down River" and there's no denying "Sweet Disposition" is catchy. So I wouldn't be surprised if the next time they hit town they skip straight to Terminal 5. We'll see.

The MHoW show is a pretty good show overall, where they play with three London bands: the folky, charming Mumford & Sons who were great at Cameo back in March; the underrated, hard-to-pigeonhole Golden Silvers, and Goldhawks who've toured with Temper Trap in the UK and have a somewhat similar sound.

The Bowery show is with Portland's hippy-friendly Portugal. The Man, Boston's country-ish Drug Rug, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Wheel (who play our show at MHoW tomorrow night [10/20]), Cincinnati's anthemic, atmospheric All The Day Holiday, and singer-songwriter Julia Nunes.

A couple Temper Trap videos, plus tour dates, are below...

Continue reading "The Temper Trap from Australia - 2009 Tour Dates (CMJ shows w/ assorted bands @ Bowery & MHOW)"

DOWNLOAD: The Wheel - Whimper and Wail (MP3)

"The Wheel: Stark, eloquent Cash echoes." - NY Times

"Thirteen bands were scheduled to play the BrooklynVegan / Agency Group day party in Austin on Thursday, March 19, 2009. Twelve ended up playing - one of them twice. I think the story is that The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, who had a zillion other shows also scheduled during the SXSW week, got confused about what their set time was. For that reason (and traffic), they showed up too late to go on in their slot. Instead, The Wheel, who was our last-minute addition as opener on the inside stage, immediately went outside and played a second set on the larger outdoor stage in the late band's place. We got at least one "boo" when the "scheduling mixup" was announced, but what could we do? (sorry!) It was awesome of the Wheel to fill on a moment's notice. Hopefully the people outside enjoyed him after they got over the awkwardness. I didn't watch his second set, but he sounded amazing inside." [me]

By "he", I meant Nathaniel Rateliff whose official band name is now "Nathaniel Rateliff & The Wheel". The second Nathaniel left the stage (the first time) I ran up to him and asked if he would please play my CMJ show. He agreed, and now finally over six months later I'm happy to announce it that The Wheel will be appearing at the BV party at Music Hall of Williamsburg on October 20th (the show Fanfarlo are also playing).

On July 22nd of this year, The Wheel opened for Bon Iver (the opener of my CMJ show in 2007) in Nathaniel's hometown of Denver...

"Openers The Wheel were playing to a hometown crowd, but nonetheless got the loudest prolonged-cheer reception I have heard for any local band in a long time. Their intricate, melancholy songs are steeped in goodness and ready for a larger stage. The band is magnetically led by the wry, exceptional voice of frontman Nathaniel Rateliff (Born In The Flood) who in the oddest coincidence that you ever think could sound good, vocally evokes a young and impassioned Neil Diamond minus the glitter. The technicolor songs pack a punch, yet sounded timeless through a symphony of strings, aching harmonica and guitars, piano, intuitive drumming, and vocal harmonies that cut through the venue and held everyone's attention." [I Am Fuel You Are Friends]

If you don't make it to the October 20th Music Hall show, don't worry, it's CMJ. The Wheel (sometimes solo, and sometimes with a band) will be playing more than one show that week. One of those shows is October 23rd at Bowery Ballroom with Portugal. The Man, The Temper Trap, Drug Rug, and All The Day Holiday (tickets). Another one of those shows is a BrooklynVegan day party on Saturday, October 24th, at Pianos (many more details TBA on that one).

One MP3 is above. More songs at MySpace. Dates & videos below...

Continue reading "Nathaniel Rateliff & The Wheel (coming to BV-CMJ)"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: The Smith Westerns - Be My Girl (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Portugal the Man - People Say (MP3)

The Smith Westerns

Last night (8/3) I went to the semi-secret Los Campesinos!/Girls show at Union Pool and both bands were great. This was a warm-up gig for their North American tour ("Welcome to our rehearsal," joked lead singer Gareth), which officially launches tonight at Webster Hall. (Tickets are still available.) As mentioned previously this will be the last Los Campesinos tour to feature singer/keyboardist Aleks, though they made no mention of that last night -- It was all smiles and glockenspiels and shouted choruses. Losing Aleks is definitely going to change the band dynamic, so do go see them on this go-round if you can.

And get there early for the openers, too. Last night was the third time I've seen Girls in the last two months and my only complaint was their set was too short. I wrote this when they played Mercury Lounge back in June:

Sometime in the last twelve months, Girls got good. They were good last July when I saw them at both Market Hotel and Glasslands, but but there was a ramshackle vibe that felt like they weren't sure whether they were really ready to leave the bedroom. But at Mercury lounge they are really good. Like "Whoa what happened" good. Credit new drummer (all loosey-goosey Keith Moon fills) and a nimble-fingered lead guitarist for the transformation. Christopher Owens and Chet White have always had the songs, mind you. In a lot of ways Girls are the ultimate San Francisco band: the laid-back vibe, the folky jammy-ness that has always been present there, as well as the neo-psych scene that has popped up over the last ten years. But Girls are working on a whole other plain of dreamy, hazy beauty and noise.

Opening the show are Chicago's Smith Westerns who are all still teenagers but have just put out a promising debut album on the HoZac label and also served time as Nobunny's backing band. While basically making the kind of adenoidal low-fi indie that's popular your DIY clubs around the nation, Smith Westerns add a big dollup of '70s glam to their sound which definitely differentiates them from the pack. That and some pretty strong songwriting. Pitchfork interviewed them recently:

Pitchfork: You're all under 21 Does that make playing shows in clubs tough?

Cullen Omori: Yes and no. You can't really go to a show and expect that you're going to be able to drink there. They're really strict about it. We have no problem getting shows, but it just sucks because you just sit around without being able to drink.

Pitchfork: When you're as young as you guys are, how do you learn about garage rock?

CO: We got Nuggets from one of my parents' old friends. We were making music, and it was just awful punk music. And he's like, "Well, you know, it sounds like this. So here, listen to this." And so he gave us Nuggets and Back From the Grave stuff. And that's how we went about making it. It was just, like, straight that. And then we started listening more to David Bowie and Marc Bolan, T. Rex kinda things. [Pitchfork]

If you can't make any of their dates with Los Campesinos and Girls, Smith Westerns will be back on a tour of their own in about a month. Full tour dates are at the bottom of the post.

Portugal. The Man

Also in town this week are Portland-via-Alaska quartet Portugal. The Man who have an annoying period in the middle of their name and are a little more hippie-friendly than most of the stuff I write about in this column. But I do like their new album, The Satanic Satanist, which focuses more on solid pop songs than psychedelic freakouts. I would call them more groovy than soulful, but it works, and there more memorable songs on the album than you usually get theses days. Tomorrow's show (8/5) at Mercury Lounge is sold out but they play tonight at Union Pool (8/4) and there should still be tickets at the door. If you miss both of those, they will be back in October with a show at Maxwell's (10/16, tickets) and one at Bowery Ballroom (10/23, CMJ). All dates below.

This column to be continued with more going on this week. Tour dates from the above-mentioned bands, below...

Continue reading "The Smith Westerns, Los Campesinos!, Girls, Portugal. The Man & more in This Week in Indie (part 1)"

Willamette Week's Musicfest NW announces this year's festival line-up which will be held at various venues around the Portland, OR metropolitan area on September 16, 17, 18 & 19. On the heels of the most successful MFNW to date, MFNW 2009 launches with nothing but the hope of a bigger and better festival. MFNW's ultimate aim is to provide Portland with a unique and special musical experience that features all types of acts including nationally renowned artists while still honoring and supporting the special musical scene of the Northwest.

Four-day passes to the fest are on sale now.

The lineup so far, including the newly-reunited Sunny Day Real Estate, is below...

Continue reading "Musicfest NW in Portland, OR (Sept 16-19) - lineup"

Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival is taking place this year August 28th-30th at Golden Gate Park. Tickets for the fest go on Visa presale Wednesday, April 15th at 1pm ET, and general sale Sunday, April 19th at 1pm ET.

Like last year, the San Francisco fest shares a headliner with NJ's All Points West. In 2008, it was Radiohead. In 2009, it's the Beastie Boys.

Also on the schedule for the fest is the Dead Weather, Jack White's new band. Dead Weather plays its first show tonight (April 14th) at the Bowery Ballroom.

M.I.A., Ween, TVOTR, Mastodon, Os Mutantes, Extra Golden, Tom Jones, and many others are also playing. Full Outside Lands line-up and poster below....

Continue reading "Outside Lands 2009 festival lineup, Dead Weather tonight"

Crystal Castles @ MHOW - New Years Eve (more by Ryan Muir)

Al Green @ the Wellmont Theater - Nov 2008 (more by Eric M Townsend)

Superfly Productions and A.C. Entertainment are excited to announce the initial lineup for the 2009 Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival. The eighth annual four-day camping and music festival will be held on June 11 - 14 on the same beautiful 700-acre farm in Manchester, Tennessee, 60 miles south of Nashville. Every year Bonnaroo seeks to make history by offering unique and exclusive performances by rock's greatest legends as well as its most significant newcomers. A full list of confirmed acts follows, and more will be announced in the coming weeks. The final Bonnaroo 2009 lineup will total over 120 bands and over 20 comedians performing on 13 stages over four days. Tickets go on sale exclusively through www.bonnaroo.com on Saturday, February 7 at 12:00 PM Eastern.

As rumored, Bruce Springsteen (who just played the Superbowl Halftime show) and Phish (who just had some trouble selling tickets to other shows) are headlining this year's Bonnaroo. Nine Inch Nails (who played Lollapalooza last year), Beastie Boys, David Byrne (who has two shows coming up at Radio City), Wilco, Al Green, Erykah Badu, TV on the Radio, Yeah Yeah Yeahs (who are also playing Coachella), Andrew Bird (who just played Carnegie Hall), The Decemberists, Bon Iver, Animal Collective (who are very popular right now), Neko Case, Jenny Lewis, Santogold, Grizzly Bear (who have a new album coming out), St. Vincent, Ted Leo, Crystal Castles, and many others are also on the bill according to the now-officially announced initial lineup.

Coachella announced their initial lineup less than a week earlier.

Metallica played Bonnaroo in 2008. Metallica played NY & NJ this past weekend.

Full (initial) 2009 Bonnaroo lineup below...

Continue reading "Bonnaroo announces initial 2009 lineup (Bruce Springsteen, Phish, Beastie Boys, NIN, Wilco, Animal Collective...)"

Minus the Bear is going on tour with The Big Sleep and Portugal the Man. Tickets go on sale Friday for a show at Webster Hall on April 7th. The Big Sleep also play in NYC tonight (Feb 21). All tour dates below...

Continue reading "Minus The Bear - 2008 Tour Dates w/ The Big Sleep"

A few years ago, Big Sleep drummer Gabe Rhodes bought a dodgy little cabin for a song. Two hours north of New York City, the thing teeters on pillars of rock and cement that appear to have been poured by a junior-high shop class or maybe drunk trappers circa 1780. Inside, three small cozy rooms with beautiful exposed rafters, fireplaces, hanging lanterns and more candles than you can count. No plumbing. No electricity. And The Big Sleep needs electricity like Prince needs purple. So, how to make one of the loudest live bands in New York City come alive ? Behind the cabin, there's a gasoline-powered generator that Gabe uses for power tools. The band had never plugged its amps into a gas-generator. After five minutes of sound-checking, the amps started warbling and guitarist Danny Barria was worried : "I think this amp is melting down," he said. "Let's kill the power for a minute and then let's do this take." The result is a thunderous and intimate misfit moment : The Big Sleep â€" dar ! kness, long-hair, provisioners of noise â€" pulverizing the stunning serenity like a bully does to the good student. The cabin stood. [La Blogoteque]

The Big Sleep' new record "Sleep Forever" is out now on Frenchkiss. Help them celebrate tonight at Mercury Lounge w/ Sian Alice Group, Priestbird, and Heavy Creatures. DJ Chris Alker spins between sets. More tour dates below...

Continue reading "The Big Sleep - in the woods, new record, 2008 Tour Dates"