by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: 14 Iced Bears - Inside (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: 14 Iced Bears - Like a Dolphin (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: 14 Iced Bears - Hay Fever (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The 1900s - Babies (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Tuung - Don't Look Down or Back (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Blank Dogs - Northern Islands (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Dead Gaze - This Big World (MP3)

14 Iced Bears

I did a double take when I saw that UK indiepop cult heros 14 Iced Bears were playing The Rock Shop on Thursday (11/11). I didn't even know they had reformed. They're associated with the jangly C86 scene (though not actually on that famed cassette) and released singles on seminal indiepop labels Sarah and Slumberland. You can download three songs at the top of this post, all of which are on the Slumberland-released singles comp In The Beginning. A little more on the band from Slumberland:

Formed in 1985 by Rob Sekula, 14 Iced Bears ably blended shambolic pop with a psychedelic punk edge that set them apart from their C86 contemporaries. Inspired by bands like the Stooges, Velvet Underground, 13th Floor Elevators and Echo & the Bunnymen, Sekula injected the then-nascent indie-pop sound with a twisted dose of noise and experimental menace. While still owing plenty to the Byrds/Ramones influences evident in the output of labels like Creation and Pink, it was this dark 60s flavor that always set the 'Bears apart. [Slumberland]

If you can find 14 Iced Bears 1988 debut album, it's an underheard classic of the era. I also really like their fuzzed-out cover of "Summer Nights" from Grease, which was my introduction to the band. If you like Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Dream Diary and Crystal Stilts, here's some OG indiepoppers making a rare, totally unexpected appearance on American shores. The band broke up in 1992 and these are their first shows since then. Highly Recommended. The band are over, ostensibly, for Popfest New England which happens this weekend, but are making a short Northeast tour out of the visit. All 14 Iced Bears tour dates are at the bottom of this post.

1900s

The other super-exciting this weekend is the return of Chicago's The 1900s who haven't played NYC in almost two years. They play an early show at Mercury Lounge on Thursday (11/11) and then The Rock Shop on Saturday (11/13). Their new album, Return of the Century, is pretty fantastic, somewhere between Velvet Underground and Fleetwood Mac, brimming with perfectly crafted pop. Says Chicagoist:

The 1900s have many musical precursors, but it seems unfair to name check any of them since the group has obviously labored so hard to create something of their own. And in that they've succeeded. Return of the Century is surrounded by a golden warmth, coursing through every harmony and bittersweet guitar chord. The band has mastered the art of creating a genuine atmosphere, as opposed to taking musical shortcuts to convey sentimentality, and it's impossibly not to lay back and luxuriate in the sound washing over you. Previously The 1900s excelled in mirroring sounds from the past, and the sonic dressings haven't changed, but now there's a genuine and unique beating heart giving their tunes life. It's like watching the difference between four-color print and HD TV, only through gauzy pastels.

You can listen for yourself -- the whole of Return of the Century is streaming via a widget at the bottom of this post. And if you haven't already, you can download an MP3 of single "Babies" at the top of this post. And I do urge you to go see them. The 1900s are just as skilled live, and a lot of fun too.

Tunng

If you don't mind paying again 'cause it's a separate show, you can stick around after The 1900s play at Mercury Lounge on Thursday (11/11) and catch folky UK act Tunng. They also play Bruar Falls on Saturday (11/13). The band have gone through some line-up changes since their last album, most notably the departure of singer Sam Genders (he of the Robert Wyatt-esque voice).

Losing their singer/songwriter could prove disastrous (see: The Concretes new LP review in P4K) but Tunng's fourth album, And Then We Saw Land, is pretty good, if a little more straight-up folk pop than their previous albums which mixed acoustics with glitchy electronics. Laptops still make appearances here and there, but the new LP is breezy pastoral stuff. You can download "Don't Look Down or Back" at the top of this post, and watch the video for single "Hustle" at the bottom. The Mercury Lounge show is the first of a short North American tour, and all dates are at the bottom of this post.

Blank Dogs

There's so much good music coming out on Captured Tracks lately much of it in single form. If you haven't heard Craft Spells' "Party Talk" or Soft Moon's "Breath the Fire," you should definitely seek them out. Don't forget about Blank Dogs, the musical alter ego of C/T major domo Mike Sniper. Blank Dogs new album, Land and Fixed, has come a long way from the murky, effects-overload of their early EPs into new sonic clarity. There's still a lot of delay and chorus effects but it no longer sounds like it was recorded in a bog. If you like the weirder side of early Mute Records (Fad Gadget seem a big influence), or the dark pop of Ohio cult legends My Dad is Dead, give BD's new album a listen. It's pretty good.

Really more of a studio thing, the Blank Dogs Live Experience has been a bit more of a mess, but Sniper has formed a new power trio version of the band and given the strength of the last few records it may be time to revisit. They play Friday night at Glasslands as part of a really good bill. Also on the bill: Mississippi's Dead Gaze (super-catchy bedroom recorded pop, check out an MP3 above); Swimsuit (new band from Fred Thomas of City Center/Saturday Looks Good to Me); and the jangly psych-pop of Minneapolis  Velvet Davenport (who also play Shea Stadium on Saturday [11/13]).

That's the main stuff this week. A few more picks, night-by-night, of things not covered above.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 10

I'd kind of forgotten about Favourite Sons who haven't released an album since 2006's underrated Down Beside Your Beauty. But after a dormant period they're about to release it's follow-up, The Great Deal of Love, and play Union Pool tonight. (Watch a video of the title track at the bottom of this post.) Singer Ken Griffin, who sounds a little like Ian McCulloch, fronted the excellent but mostly forgotten '90s band Rollerskate Skinny (seek out 1996's Horsedrawn Wishes, it's a lost classic).

Tonight at Bruar Falls is what is likely Pursesnatchers' last show for what will likely be a while, as Doug Marvin and Annie Hart are expecting a bundle of joy any second. They're on at 8PM and it's FREE.

continued below...

Continue reading "14 Iced Bears, 1900s, Tunng, Blank Dogs, Obits, Magic Kids, Popfest New England & more in This Week in Indie "

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Ty Segall - It #1 (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Ty Segall - The Drag (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Charlie & the Moonhearts - Cagemouth (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Most Serene Republic - Heavens to Purgatory (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Your Nature - Triangle Eyes (M4A)

Ty Segall

This week it's all about San Francisco, as far as this column is concerned. (Actually, next week will also be all about San Francisco, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. Especially, I've already digressed into a long parenthetical statement after only one sentence.) As mentioned previously, garage rock wunderkind Ty Segall will be in town this weekend and I really hope you go see him. His new album, Lemons, is just fantastic, much better than I was honestly expecting and I like his debut. It's thick and sweaty sounding, perfect for the hot and humid nights that are just around the corner. And while the sonics are not so difficult to master (reverb, in-the-red levels), it's the songs that has kept Lemons on repeat lately. The album's not out till July 14, but he'll have copies for sale at the shows: Saturday (6/27) at Cake Shop and Sunday (6/28) at Death by Audio.

Both shows are with Orange County's Charlie & the Moonhearts. At Sunday night's DbA show, you also get New Jersey's Liquor Store and currently hot, constantly gigging Beets.

Girls with girls

Saturday's Ty Segall show at Cake Shop is the don't miss show of the week, however, as San Francisco's hazy, folky, occasionally very very loud Girls are also on the bill. It's been almost a year since they last played in town. I saw them twice then -- at Market Hotel and Glasslands -- and they had people going crazy then (as you can kind of see in murky video I shot, which is at the bottom of this post) with only one single out. A year later, they still haven't released much else but that will change soon -- their debut album is due out on True Panther Sounds on September 22. You can still download two tracks from RCRD LBL, including the awesome, epic "Hellhole Ratrace" which will be released as a 10" single (it's nearly seven minutes long) prior to the album's release. The just-released video for the song is at the bottom of this post.

Actually, all three shows Girls are playing this weekend are worth seeing. Tonight (6/25) is the first, at Mercury Lounge where they share the stage with St. Louis' Radical Sons, Philadelphia DFA signees Free Energy (who are kind of like the Strokes covering Journey, which is better than that may seem), and Texans The Paper Chase whose new album, Someday This Could All Be Yours, just came out on Kill Rock Stars.

Friday night (6/26), Girls play Monster Island Basement with Real Estate (kind of a perfect match), Kurt Vile & the Violators (now on Matador) and Beach Fossils. (Both Real Estate and Beach Fossils also play the Woodsist/Captured Tracks Festival next week.)

If you miss Girls this time around, they'll be back in August with Los Campesinos!

--

Other worthy show choices for you: Tonight is also the latest Adult Swim Presents' Summer Series at Santos Party House. I feel confident in saying that, apart from maybe a festival somewhere down the line, this may be your only chance to ever see Cheeseburger and A.C. Newman on the same bill. Mr. Newman, if by chance you're reading this -- wear old shoes. The stage will be an inch-thick in beer after the mayhem that is a typical Cheeseburger set. There's also the garage rock sounds of Atlanta's Woggles, and burlesque fun with the Pontani Sisters. The evening is hosted by "Jon" from Adult Swim's very funny Witness Protection Program reality show Delocated. As I said, it's free so get there early if you want to get in. Doors are at 7PM, 18+.

Following the Adult Swim mayhem, they're gonna mop the stage (well, they should) and get ready for the second show of the evening: The Phenomenal Handclap Band, who've been gigging a lot lately, which isn't surprising as their debut album just came out this week on Friendly Fire. If you haven't seen them yet, you should definitely make a point to do so -- they are quite the '70s disco/rock explosion. If you RSVP, admission is free for the first 100 through the door -- after that it's only five bucks. If you don't RSVP, you're dumb, and it's $10. Doors are at 10PM, and this one's 21 and over. We've also got a couple pair of tickets to give away.

(editor's note: the triple PHB attack was not planned)

The Most Serene Republic

Also tonight (6/25): Canada's Most Serene Republic are in the midst of a short East Coast tour, revving up interest in their new album, ...And the Ever-Expanding Universe, which is out July 14. While I often find their music a bit too complicated for its own good, I have always found them fascinating live, that they can actually pull off those complex arrangements. I haven't heard the new album, but "Heavens to Purgatory" which you can download at the top of this post, clocks in at a mere 2:34 and is pretty catchy. So maybe they've turned over a new, concise leaf. Most Serene Republic play tonight at Cake Shop with Your Nature who sound like a lot of things I liked in the '80s (U2, The Chameleons come to mind), and you can download thier song "Triangle Eyes" as well at the top of this post. MSR also play Union Hall on Saturday (6/27) with Pursesnatchers and Adam's Castle. In between (6/26), they fit in a Philadelphia show too. All tour dates at the bottom of the post.

Also also, a bunch of good show options on Friday: The Feelies play an special, acoustic show at the Whitney on Friday; Blonde Redhead and the Olof Arnalds play a free Celebrate Brooklyn show at Prospect Park; and I did a double take when I saw that '80s Australian noisemongers Lubricated Goat were playing Don Pedros. Was unware they were still together -- clearly I don't follow this site close enough.

The Legends are also here.

And finally, Steve Wynn and his current band, The Miracle Three, will perform The Dream Syndicate's classic 1984 album, Medicine Show, in full on Saturday (6/27) at the Bell House (tix) -- the first time the album has been played live start-to-finish by Wynn, ever. (They'll do it again in LA on July 9.) One of the originators of LA's '80s "Paisley Underground" scene, The Dream Syndicate were one of those bands that never quite managed to capture the magic of their live performance on a studio album -- but Medecine Show comes pretty close.

Videos, tour dates, and flyers after the jump...

Continue reading "Girls, Ty Segall, Most Serene Republic, Legends, Lubricated Goat, Steve Wynn & more in This Week in Indie"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Springfactory - On the Back of Your Bike (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Springfactory - Get Out of Bed (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Tartans - The Cats of Camerford (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Cats on Fire - Horoscope (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Cats on Fire - Letter from a Voyage to Sweden (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Liechtenstein - Roses in the Park (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Vaselines - Son of a Gurn (MP3)

Firstly, an update on NYC Popfest which starts tonight (5/14) and runs through Sunday (5/17). Advance tickets are sold out for the Saturday (5/16) show with The Radio Dept., Pants Yell! and The Secret History at The Bell House, as has the all-day Sunday show at Cake Shop, though the latter should have tickets at the door. The good news is The Radio Dept. have been added to the Friday night (5/15) show at the Don Hill's which already includes Sweden's Liechtenstein, the spiffy pop of Finland's Cats on Fire, L.A. band The Tartans and local boy Don Lennon. If you ask me, this is the unmissable show of the weekend. Tickets are still available through the Popfest website. Also, if you can't make the show Friday, both Leichtenstien and Cats on Fire play Bruar Falls on Tuesday, May 19.

In other Popfest news, another Swedish band, Stockholm's Springfactory, have been added to the free day show on Saturday at Cake Shop. There's a couple MP3s of theirs to check out at the top of this post. The fest kicks off tonight with an all-locals show at Cake Shop featuring Knight School, Soft City, Dream Bitches, The Metric Mile, My Teenage Stride and the Ballet. Full Popfest lineup is at the bottom of this post and there are loads more MP3s from just about all the bands HERE.

Acrylics

There's lots of other non-Popfest stuff going on this weekend, much of it making me wish I could be in two places at once. Cameo Gallery tonight (5/14) plays host to two Dirty on Purpose offshoots: Joe and the Flying Spoons which is guitarist Joe Jurewicz country-tinged outfit that features a chorus of girl backup singers; and Pursesnatchers which is drummer Doug Marvin's solo project that is the closest in sound of any of the DoP splinter groups to the original. Also on the bill: awesome duo Sisters who I've written about recently and were runners up in this year's L Magazine thing; and Acrylics who make lovely synthy pop not dissimilar to The Rosebuds. The three songs on Acrylics' MySpace are all quite good, definitely worth checking out whether you plan on hitting this show or not.

Cake Shop is celebrating its four-year anniversary this month with a series of special-event Saturdays. This Saturday's (5/16) seems especially special: an ADD-friendly marathon of 16 bands playing four songs each (natch), with different drink specials in between each band. And it's only $4 to get in. The party kicks off with Knight School at 8PM and finishes with Moonmen on the Moon, Man (supposedly from San Diego but who look suspiciously like Cake Shop owners and staff) around 1AM if they stay on schedule. In between, My Teenage Stride, The Beets, Boy Genius, Air Waves and more will get their 15 minutes. Check out the flyer below for the full list of bands and set times. This sounds like a blast.

Spiral Beach

I should also mention that Toronto's Spiral Beach are in town this weekend playing three shows: Tonight (5/14) at Death by Audio, and two shows on Friday (5/15): an early one at Fontana's, and then a house show at 265 Mikibbin St in Bushwick. Spiral Beach opened for Sloan at Bowery Ballroom a couple years ago and I wrote at the time: "I don't even know how to describe them. They're a bit like the Coral or the Zutons, by way of Oingo Boingo (minus the horns). Psychotic circus music?" They were a lot of fun. The band's 2007 album, Ball, just getting released in the U.S.

The Vaselines

And last but not least... The Vaselines! They play Sunday (5/17) at Bowery Ballroom (with Woods) and tickets are still available; Monday's (5/18) show at at Music Hall of Williamsburg with Adam Green is sold out. The band played Seattle on Tuesday and The Finest Kiss had this to say:

Seeing the Vaselines last night was like sex on the second date. The first date was last summer at Sub Pop 20 festival. Their set at Marymoor Park last July was just about perfect with Eugene Kelly and Frances McKee's sexually tinged funny stage banter and even better harmonies, they were easily the highlight of that perfect summer afternoon. After a first date that goes so well, you always kind of prepare yourself for a letdown on date number two. You start to see the imperfections, maybe a few wrinkles or a bald spot. The Vaselines may have their imperfections, but I'm still blinded by lust to really notice any of them. Francis joked saying that you may think you're at the wrong gig if you're looking for the people on the poster, referring to the much younger looking Vaselines that adorned the advertising for the show. They also tried to explain their long absence with wild stories of Eugene becoming a Hare Krishna, explaining his lack of hair, and Frances's time in prison for allegedly getting facials with underage boys...

The better sounding Vaselines is probably due to the band being better musicians than they were 20 years ago. Even though they sounded less ragged, they still have the attitude and humor that made them so special in the first place. There is no way that anyone at this gig went home disappointed from this gig, besides sounding great, they played every single one of their songs and even graced us with two brand new ones.

The band's classic compilation, The Way of the Vaselines, just got reissued on Sub Pop as a two-CD/3-platter-vinyl deluxe edition, now retitled Enter the Vaselines and it's just essential. And go see them if you can.

Flyers, videos, tour dates and the full popfest schedule after the jump...

Continue reading "NYC Pop Fest, Acrylics, Vaselines, Springfactory, Cake Shop, Spiral Beach & more in This Week in Indie"

by Black Bubblegum

Brutal Truth @ Maryland Deathfest 2007

Maryland Deathfest's belligerent younger sibling, Auditory Assault Fest, takes place THIS WEEKEND in Brooklyn on May 16th and 17th At Europa. Tickets are still available in daily and two day pass increments.

It was also announced that there will be an afterparty on Saturday (5/16) at The Charleston featuring Buckshot Facelift (ex-Biolich), The Communion, and PurseSnatcher.

AAF set times and poster below...

Continue reading "Auditory Assault Fest this weekend - set times & afterparty"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Box Elders - Hole in My Head (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Jeremy Jay - In This Lonely Town (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Headlights - Cherry Tulips (TJ Lipple Remix) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Headlights - Market Girl (Album Leaf Remix) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Love Language - Lalita (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Julie Doiron - Consolation Prize (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Katie Stelmanis - In My Favour (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Savoir Adore - Transylvanian Candy Patrol (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Darwin Deez - Bad Day (MP3)

The Box Elders are back for the first time since their loin-clothed Market Hotel show back in January, playing Bruar Falls on Friday (4/24) and Cake Shop on Saturday (4/25). For those, like myself, who have played their sole single, "Hole in My Head," to death at this point and are anxiously awaiting new stuff from them... we must continue to wait. Their debut album on Goner, Alice and Friends, won't be out till August 4. Their next release is just a single that's only available via the Hozac Hookup Club which subscriptions sold out quick for. And as mentioned before, Box Elders will have a single out on Jay Reatard's newly-reinvigorated Shattered Records. Maybe the band will have a tour CD-R or something?

Friday should be one of the first real tests of Bruar Falls as far as in-demand shows. The place is teeny-tiny (not that Cake Shop is big). It should be a tight fit. Getting there early would be smart, and luckily the lineup is pretty good, with Bay Area psych folk band Dame Satan; Jackson Heights' The Beets whose debut, Spit in the Face of People Who Don't Want to Be Cool, is out now on Captured Tracks and worth seeking out for those who dig garagey '60s proto-punk; and caUSE co-MOTION offshoot German Measles. The Cake Shop show should be a little more manageable.

Blank Dogs

Whichever night I'm not going to see Box Elders, I'll probably go see Blank Dogs. Originally just the name of Captured Tracks head Mike Sniper's many, many home recordings, Blank Dogs have become a real band over the last year and a good one at that. Sniper has also dropped the anonymity schtick for the most part, actually showing his face in a new press photo, just in time for the new double-LP, Under and Under, which is out in June on In the Red. It's still of the mid-'80s goth sound (I think they sound like Red Lorry Yellow Lorry if you remember them) but more refined and catchier songs. The creepy/funny video to the album's first single, "Setting Fire to Your House," is further down this post.

Blank Dogs play Friday (4/24) at Secret Project Robot in Williamsburg which is the same building at Monster Island, and share the bill with two kindred spirits: the gothy (and a bit silly if you ask me) Cold Cave, and Brooklyn's Mazing Vids who've been around for a while but don't play very often anymore.

Jeremy Jay

Saturday's show at Silent Barn is a bit more varied and probably better for it, with two other bands that would be worth seeing on their own. Jeremy Jay just released his second album on K that swings from Cars-ish new wave, to twangy surf rock. It's a good record, and you can download the single "In This Lonely Town" at the top of this post. Rounding out the solid line-up is Mobile, Alabama's Wizzard Sleeve whose debut is out sometime soon on Hozac. With song titles like "Chrome Intensifier" and "Pterodactly Meltdown" you know your in for a trippy time, but it's not paisley shirt acid rock. Their brand of psych feels very modern, with a big dose of krautrock for good measure. I really feel this show is a hard one to pass up.

Jeremy Jay also plays a show on Friday (4/24) at Union Hall with Illuminations and James William Hindle. Tickets are on sale. All dates below.

Julie Doiron

There are a lot of hard to pass-up shows this weekend. Canadian singer Julie Doiron is in town, playing Cake Shop on Friday (4/24) and Union Hall on Saturday (4/25). Some may know her for her work with Mt. Eerie, and others remember Julie from her days fronting Eric's Trip who released three albums on Sub Pop in the early '90s. She's been prolific ever since Eric's Trip broke up in 1997, releasing a string of quality, if somewhat downcast solo albums. Her latest, I Can Wonder What You Did With Your Day, is ebullient in comparison but no less special. She's got one of those voices, not unlike Chan Marshall or Beth Orton, that can make the hair on the back of your neck stand at attention. Check out the album's "Consolation Prize" at the top of this post, and the video for "Heavy Snow" at the bottom.

Katie Stelmanis

The Julie Doiron Cake Shop show is an early one, so you could theoretically hit it before going elsewhere. Plus, speaking of magical, unique voices, fellow Canadian (and Cake Shop fave) Katie Stelmanis is also on the bill. There's an MP3 at the top of the post (and a video below) and here's what Popmatters said earlier this year:

Katie Stelmanis was already starting to pick up steam in 2008. Almost a year since her nearly unnoticed debut album, Join Us dropped on Blocks Recording Club (a record co-op based in Toronto), Stelmanis was featured on Fucked Up's Chemistry of Common Life, and split a Matador released 7" with them in late 2008. In 2009, people are bound to pick up on the ethereal and eerie leanings of this powerful vocalist and songwriter.

If you're a fan of Bat For Lashes (there's a similar Kate Bush thing going on), Katie is well worth checking out. She also plays Death by Audio later that Saturday night, and new Brooklyn venue Sycamore the next day (4/25).

Opening for Julie Doiron at the Union Hall show on Saturday is Purse Snatchers, which is former Dirty on Purpose drummer Doug Marvin's new musical project.

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A few more recommended shows:

I've plugged local band Savoir Adore before, who in my opinion are one of the best unheralded pop bands in town. They're playing tonight (4/23) at Pianos and you should really go out and see them. There's a newish song to download at the top of this post and is more indicative of what they do live than their concept-EP debut from last year. If you like Stars or The Go-Betweens or any classic pop, I really don't think you'll be disappointed. Also on the bill is Darwin Deez, who make infectious, '80s-tinged dance pop that's kind of hard to dislike. One of their MP3s is above too.

As you may have read on this site, Chicago's Headlights are playing on Friday (4/24) at the Bell House. If you're going to that show (or are looking for something to do and everything else I've written about here doesn't sound interesting to you), I implore you to show up early and check out North Carolina's The Love Language. I really like their self-titled debut that is warm and inviting, lush and low-fi at the same time.

And Sunday night (4/26) at Maxwells is the Fourth Anniversary party for Musicsnobbery.com. Last year, Moby filled in when headliners The Teeth broke up days before his Third Anniversary party. This year there's no such drama, but the line-up is solid: Crystal Stilts, Mahogany (both faves of mine) and Motel Motel. Might I suggest you bring Musicsnobbery blog founder Chris some cookies in appreciation?

Tour dates and videos after the jump...

Continue reading "Jeremy Jay, Julie Doiron, Katie Stelmanis, Blank Dogs, The Beets, Wizzard Sleeve & more in This Week In Indie"

photos by Chris Becker

Dirty on Purpose @ Mercury Lounge in NYC - Dec 31, 2008

Dirty on Purpose said their final goodbyes at Mercury Lounge in NYC on New Years Eve. As announced less than a month earlier, they're "going the way of the dodo", but "reserve the right to change our minds and get back together in six months". Regardless, as they also pointed out, there are pleny of side other projects to keep them busy and us entertained.

Joe and the Flying Spoons (Joe's band) and Purse Snatchers (Doug's band) have a show scheduled this Sunday (1/4) at Cake Shop with Uninhabitable Mansions. As we've also pointed out before, Uninhabitable Mansions includes CYHSY's Robbie and Tyler, and Au Revoir Simone's Annie Hart who is also in Purse Snatchers.

Au Revoir Simone's Erika Forster used to be in Dirty on Purpose. As you can see from the picture above, they brought her back to join them for their final show at Mercury Lounge that A Place to Bury Strangers headlined (and helped ring in 2009) (Mr. Brownstone played the late-late show in the same club later the same night).

Purse Snatchers also have a show coming at Cake Shop (again) on February 26th with Coin Under Tongue who are also playing Death By Audio on February 28th with Sisters. Death by Audio is the warehouse space in the same Brooklyn building that houses Death By Audio the effects pedal company which is owned by Oliver Ackermann whose band is A Place to Bury Strangers and who oversees is associated with the new Death By Audio label (where all the bands do everything for themselves according to the below comment). The two bands currently signed to the Death by Audio label are Sisters and Coin Under Tongue. George from Dirty on Purpose is in Coin Under Tongue.

More pictures from New Years Eve below...

Continue reading "Dirty on Purpose is gone, but the side projects are busy "

Hello friends,

After six years of spending an unhealthy and unusual amount of time together, Dirty on Purpose is going the way of the dodo. We got back from tour about a month ago and sat down to talk about recording another record, and realized we didn't really want to record another record. Not now anyway. So we're going our separate ways. Our best friends and practice space sharers of many years, A Place to Bury Strangers, offered us the opening slot on their New Year's Eve gig at Mercury Lounge. We thought it was an appropriate way to wind things down and say goodbye to our friends and fans.

Get your tickets now -- it's gonna sell out.

We're still playing music and we hope you'll come support our other projects: Joe and Doug harmonize sweetly in Neckbeard Telecaster; George shreds the bass in Coin Under Tongue; Joe helms Joe and the Flying Spoons; and Doug plays with Purse Snatchers and Black Acid.

Finally, we're all still buddies and live in the same town, so we reserve the right to change our minds and get back together in six months if we feel like it.

Love,
DOP

by Bill Pearis

help us name this new column in the comments!

Sloan in Detroit - June 15, 2008 (PhilipSouthern)

In Pitchfork's review of 2004's Action Pact, Alex Linhardt wrote, "Sloan is not anyone's favorite band." He'd obviously never been to a Sloan show. People are nuts for them. Sloan fans are obsessive, protective and they stand by them even when they make a less-than-great album (cough cough Action Pact).

There are a number of reasons for this. For all the success they've had over their 17-year carreer, Sloan are an anomaly. All four members of the band write and sing, each with distinctive styles, which makes them nearly impossible to categorize. And they usually change their sound from album-to-album, reflecting what they've been listening to - which was, more often than not, out-of-step with what everyone else was doing at the time.

Here's a band that started off being called the Canadian Nirvana (though really they were more the Canadian My Bloody Valentine) on the release of their first album, Smeared, but have channel-flipped over the years from Beatlesque and other '60s pop to Thin Lizzy style cock rock, '70s AM Gold, pop-punk, etc, etc, etc. It does not make for casual fans. It breeds obsessives, though. For all the style-hopping, it's those four good songwriters and musicians behind it all that make it work.

The real reason I think fans stick by them is their live shows. Sloan are one of the most consistently awesome live bands of the last 15 years. They know all the Rock Moves by heart and know how to use them without being self-consciously showy, although bassist and defacto leader Chris Murphy is a real ham who isn't afraid to do something retarded (like lick the mic stand) in the name of a laugh or good crowd reaction. He also does an amazing Keith Moon impersonation (all fills, all the time) behind the kit when regular drummer Andrew Scott comes forward to sing his songs.

And with nine albums under their belt, including the just-released Parallel Play (which is really good and you can stream the whole thing ), you're bound to get a cherry-picked setlist with at least a handful of classic Sloan fist-pumpers like "Iggy & Angus," "Losing California," "Money City Maniacs"... and maybe even "Underwhelmed" which is kind of their "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and at least some of the band loathe it but I think still holds up.

But don't just take my word for it. Sloan are playing Bowery Ballroom this Thursday (tix) and Friday (tix) and if you've never seen them, I suggest you rectify that immediately. Neither show is sold out. I really don't think you'll be sorry if you do. If you care to read more about them, I've got at least three concert reviews on Sound Bites. If it's not made clear, I am a Sloan superfan. All dates at the end of this post.

I have Sloan on the brain, but I am aware there is other cool stuff going on......

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