Regina Spektor @ Tibet House benefit on Feb. 26th (more by Chris La Putt)

Regina Spektor will follow up her set at Tibet House benefit at Carnegie Hall last Friday (2/26) with a benefit of her own at Irving Plaza on March 23rd to support Doctors without Borders' Relief Program in Haiti. Tickets should be going on sale some time today (3/2).

Regina Spektor is one of the artists (with Bon Iver, Bowie, Magnetic Fields) covered by Peter Gabriel on his new all-covers record, Scratch My Back, which is out today in the US.

[Gabriel] chose the material in a kind of social-networking experiment. "Scratch My Back" got its title because when Mr. Gabriel picked a song, he also asked the songwriter to record a Gabriel song in turn. The original plan was to release two albums in tandem. The songwriters agreed -- except for David Bowie, whose collaborator on "Heroes," Brian Eno, will participate -- but the deadlines came and went. "We may not get everybody, but I hope we will."

The Arcade Fire has been working on Mr. Gabriel's "Games Without Frontiers," while Regina Spektor is still choosing her Gabriel song. "Scratch My Back" includes the Arcade Fire's "My Body Is a Cage" and Ms. Spektor's "Après Moi." In a telephone interview Ms. Spektor said: "It's cool not to hear the song in my voice. The leash has been let go from my voice, and now it doesn't just belong to me." [NY Times]

Regina will be at Bonnaroo. She performed her song "Machine" on Jimmy Fallon in early February. That video is below...

Continue reading "Regina Spektor playing a benefit, choosing a Gabriel song"

photos by Chris La Putt

Performances by Iggy Pop, Patti Smith and Gogol Bordello brought the crowd at Carnegie Hall to its feet on Friday night, as the musicians took part in the 20th annual Tibet House benefit.

The concerts, whose musical acts are organized by composer and Tibet House Vice President Philip Glass, are scheduled to coincide with the Tibetan New Year and bring in anywhere from $100,000 to $250,00 for the nonprofit group every year.

The evening began with chanting from several Drepung Gomang Monastery monks, followed by comments from Glass about the difficulty in finalizing a final roster of performers every year given all the participants' busy schedules. Next, Robert A. F. Thurman, the president and one of the co-founders Tibet House, likened the Tibetan people to the Na'vi, the blue, cat-like aliens featured in James Cameron's sci-fi film "Avatar." He noted that both groups of individuals deserved and needed saving, and repeated the film's catch phrase "I see you" for double effect. [Wall Street Journal]

Continue reading "Tibet House Benefit 2010 in pictures (Iggy Pop, Patti Smith, Regina Spektor, Gogol Bordello & more)"

After a hectic day of updating the constantly updating Bonnaroo lineup page, the entire thing has been announced. Gwar, Norah Jones, and the rest of the lineup below...

Continue reading "the complete 2010 Bonnaroo lineup (Stevie Wonder, The Melvins, Kings of Leon, Isis, Local Natives & many more) "

DOWNLOAD: Peter Gabriel - Flume (Bon Iver cover) (MP3)

Peter Gabriel's new record Scratch My Back is an all-cover, orchestra-backed collection of songs from Bowie's "Heroes" to Arcade Fire's "My Body Is a Cage." There's also a Bon Iver cover, a soft-spoken take on "Flume," which you can get above (full track list below). The record is described as "the first part of a series of song exchanges in which Peter and other leading artists reinterpret each others songs." It comes out in UK/Europe on February 15th (through EMI), in Canada on February 16th (through Universal Music) and in the US on March 2nd through Gabriel's own Real World Records.

Gabriel's album-supporting tour is short and sweet. He plays three European cities in March, then there are three North American stops - one night in L.A. and Montreal, and two nights at New York's Radio City Music Hall on May 2nd and 3rd. Tickets go on AmEx presale Sunday, Febraury 7th. General sale starts Tuesday, February 16th at 10am. For all the dates, he'll have a 54-piece orchestra in tow.

In other rock legends playing Radio City news, tickets go on general sale Friday for a show Ringo Starr and his All Star Band are playing at the venue in July.

Full Peter Gabriel tracklist w/ album art, an audio interview with Peter about the album, and tour dates, below...

Continue reading "indie rock-covering Peter Gabriel announces shows - 2 nights @ Radio City Music Hall & other dates, Bon Iver MP3, more"

Dirty Projectors released a digital 7" of unreleased Bitte Orca session outtakes today (1/11) through Domino. The two tracks on it (previously available only on the UK-only "Temecula Sunrise" EP), "Ascending Melody" and b-side "Emblem of the World," are available as free downloads through the band's website and via the widget embedded below.

Their only currently announced NYC show is February 19th at Lincoln Center's Allen Room (as part of the American Songbook series). They're supposed to also do a short set at this year's Tibet House US benefit (at Carnegie Hall on Friday, February 26th), but they still don't appear on the lineup which now includes Gogol Bordello, Regina Spektor, and "Additional artists to be announced" in addition to Philip Glass, Baaba Maal, Patti Smith & Pierce Turner. Tickets are still on sale.

Dirty Projectors collaborator David Byrne is giving a free talk in Brooklyn tonight (1/11).

The free songs, a note from the band, and tour dates for their upcoming New Zealand/Australia tour in early March are below...

Continue reading "Dirty Projectors giving away digital 7", Tibet House Benefit concert lineup now includes Regina Spektor & Gogol Bordello "

""Saturday Night Live" grappled with real life--President Obama's surprise win of the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday--as cast member Fred Armisen played the president as the luckiest man in the world--who is not George Bush.

Armisen as Obama: "This came without warning, I didn't even get a call as due to the time difference in Norway, the Nobel people didn't want to wake me up. I wish they had, I could have said to Hillary Clinton, 'Hey, remember that 3 a.m. call you were so worried about? It happened. Nobel Peace Prize." [Sun Times]

Continue reading "Regina Spektor played Saturday Night Live, Fred Armisen mocks Obama's Nobel Peace Prize (videos) "

Regina Spektor will be the musical guest on Saturday Night Live on October 10th, four days before she headlines Radio City Music Hall. Over the summer she was on Good Morning America...

Continue reading "Regina Spektor playing SNL before Radio City Music Hall"

Little Joy opening for Jarvis was really 'Fab' (more by Chris La Putt)

Little Joy will hit the road with their friend Regina Spektor this September. Those dates do not include Regina's upcoming show at Radio City Music Hall (Jupiter One opens that one), though Little Joy did recently open for her at the Beacon Theatre show in June.

Meanwhile, Little Joy have announced their own headlining, Regina-less tour dates that include a September 20th show at Maxwell's (tickets are on sale now), and a headlining a show at Webster Hall on October 2nd. Tickets are on fanclub presale now. AmEx presale starts Wednesday at noon, with general sale starting Friday at noon.

Little Joy's lineup for the Webster Hall show will include Strokes/Little Joy member Fabrizio Morretti, who will not be playing with the band on any of the other dates on the tour. He hasn't been touring with them of late (to record the fourth Strokes album, on the way).

In a somewhat-related note, Morretti's fellow Stroke Julian Casablancas will be performing material from his forthcoming solo release Phrazes For The Young for the first time at a show at Tokyo's Duo Music Exchange on August 31st.

All Little Joy tour dates are below...

Continue reading "Little Joy announces tour dates including Webster Hall w/ Fabrizio Morretti ++ Julian Casablancas is playing Tokyo"

Tickets for Regina Spektor's upcoming show at Radio City Music Hall show are an AmEx presale and "Internet Presale" (@10am) (Password = HEREGINA). General sale starts Monday at 11:00. Grab a live recording of Regina's Beacon Theater show HERE. See her at Barnes & Noble on August 18th. See Nick Cave at Barnes & Noble in September.

It's not the first time (Jim Davidson)

Regina Spektor is playing some shows in September and October and that includes a headlining performance at Radio City Music Hall in NYC on October 14th! It makes sense since her last show was at the sold out Beacon Theater. Tickets are now on PRESALE. She also has a show coming up in a book store. All dates below...

Continue reading "Regina Spektor tour dates (Radio City Music Hall -- presale)"

Regina Spektor is playing a free show at the SoHo Apple Store today (7/24). Her Barnes & Noble show is in August.

DOWNLOAD: Jarvis Cocker - Angela (MP3)

Julian

Pulp front-man Jarvis Cocker is currently playing dates in support of his newest solo record, Further Complications, which came out in May on Rough Trade. Check out a track from it above. His tour was to include a July 30th show at Terminal 5. Instead, that show will happen at Music Hall of Williamsburg. Tickets for the other venue will be honored, but new tickets are not available - the show went instantly to "sold out" status when it moved (that's one way to sell out a show in this recession - move it to a venue 4-5 times smaller).

Jarvis's Rough Trade label-mates Little Joy will be opening that show. Little Joy usually features Strokes drummer Fabrizio Moretti, but he most likely won't be at the MHOW show (except maybe as a special guest) as he'll be busy recording the forthcoming, fourth Strokes album. At Little Joy's last Bowery Ballroom show, Fabrizio only joined the band for their final song, as did Regina Spektor who Little Joy opened for at Beacon Theater less than a week earlier.

At the same time, Strokes singer Julian Casablancas is preparing to release his solo album, Phrazes for the Young, due later this year on Cult Records/RCA. The record is produced by Jason Lader (who's worked with Elvis Costello, Rilo Kiley and others) with additional production by Monster of Folk Mike Mogis, and will be accompanied by solo tour dates, to be announced.

Check out a YouTube preview of that record and its synthy, New Age direction, with all Little Joy tour dates, below...

Continue reading "Jarvis Cocker show moved to MHOW, Little Joy (no Stroke) opening, (Stroke) Julian Casablancas releasing solo album"

Regina Spektor - Beacon Theatre, NYC - 06/17/2009 (absolutelyaudrey)

Half an hour into her joyful set at the Beacon Theater [June 17th] Regina Spektor has completely lost her place. She is giggling at first and then laughing and then almost gurgling with pleasure. "Rehearsing at the Beacon theater," she says, "there's so many of you". then she shrugs, "Fuck it," and turns back to arranging the song with her string section. "I'm so happy," she says and she is obviously in a great mood.

Except for two songs on guitar ("I wish I knew more") Spektor sits at her piano throughout the set. She opens with "Folding Chairs" off her new album and continues with another seven new songs till reaching an oldie, a splendid "On The Radio", and it doesn't matter. All the new stuff is maybe her best stuff ever, every song cuts deep with a bouyancy that is like maybe a ball bouncing on the ocean: the undertow pulls her down but she is still light and above it. [Rock NYC Live and Recorded]

Regina Spektor rounds out July with tour dates in Europe, and currently has a set of North American shows planned for September. Her full schedule is below.

She's also appearing at Barnes & Noble's "Upstairs at the Square" series on Tuesday, August 18th with host Katherine Lanpher and writer Kurt Andersen. The event at the store's Union Square location (33 E 17th St in NYC) will include an interview and a performance. Entrance is free, but admission is first come, first served. Considering the fact that her Beacon show sold out (see above), a sizeable crowd should be expected.

Set list and videos from the Beacon Theatre show, with all tour dates, below...

Continue reading "Regina Spektor played Beacon Theatre, playing Barnes & Noble (and other places - all tour dates)"

DOWNLOAD: God Help the Girl - Come Monday Night (MP3)

Regina Spektor's new album Far pushes the singer-songwriter even closer to pop superstardom without sacrificing any of the melodic or lyrical wit that is so endearing.

Drive-By Trucker Patterson Hood's second solo album, Murdering Oscar (and Other Love Songs), is in stores tomorrow. He is currently on a tour with two NYC shows this week.

God Help The Girl "is a story set to music by Stuart Murdoch of Belle and Sebastian, and features the vocal talents of Catherine Ireton, Alex Klobouk and Celia Garcia." MP3 above. Video below.

Other albums I have heard and can recommend include Foreign Born's Person To Person, A Hawk and a Hacksaw's Delivrance, Tift Merritt's live album Buckingham Solo, and Sunset Rubdown's Dragonslayer.

A remastered edition of R.E.M.s Reckoning (complete with bonus disc) is the reissue highlight of the week, along with a vinyl remaster of the band's Murmur album.

The Pavement Brighten The Corners: Nicene Creedence Ed. 4-LP box set is tempting (if a little pricey). The CD version was incredibly well put together, so I'm anxious to see what's in the vinyl edition.

What new music can you recommend this week? What's on your shopping list?

Continue reading "Largehearted Boy's Interesting CD Releases This Week"

Metric @ APW 2008 (more by Kyle Dean Reinford)

tonight in NYC
* DANCE
* THIS WEEK IN INDIE
* Nouvelle Vague @ Irving Plaza
* Earth Wind & Fire, Chicago @ MSG
* Portugal the Man, Kiss Kiss @ Southpaw
* Regina Spektor, Little Joy @ Beacon Theatre
* Tinted Windows, Locksley @ Highline Ballroom
* Mostly Other People Do the Killing @ The Stone
* The Phenomenal Handclap Band @ Music on the Oval
* Jonathan Richman, Vic Chesnutt @ Bowery Ballroom
* Metric, Sebastien Grainger, Smile Smile @ Terminal 5
* pow wow!, Browns, Dinosaur Feathers @ (Le) Poisson Rouge
* Clues, Drink Up Buttercup, Bridges and Powerlines @ Santos
* Hip Hop Legends w/ Raekwon, Naughty By Nature @ BB King's
* Pepi Ginsberg, Emilie Simon, Glass Ghost @ Public Assembly
* Sisters, My Teenage Stride, Knight School, I'm Turning Into @ Glasslands
* Jon Spencer Blues Explosion & The Teenagers @ South Street Seaport
* Walter Schreifels, Borrowed Eyes, Glacier Hiking @ Studio at Webster Hall
* Junkstar, The Drums, Action Painters, What Would Jesus Drivev@ The Annex
* Loudon Wainwright III, Sloan Wainwright, Lucy Wainwright Roche @ Madison Square Park
* Slasher Risk, Grasshopper, Effing, Power Animal, Chaos Majik, Fiasco @ Death By Audio
* Lightspeed Champion, Apache Beat, Hurray for the Riff Raff, Spacecamp @ Mercury Lounge

The much-anticipated NYC debut of Clues, the band featuring ex-Unicorn Alden Penner, hits Santos tonight.

Nouvelle Vague's show at Irving Plaza is one of only four U.S. gigs for the French band.

Dave Hill was just at Bonnaroo. Tonight he plays guitar in Walter Schreifels's band.

Jonathan Richman and Vic Chesnutt play the second of two Bowery Ballroom shows. Their tour continues.

Jon Spencer Blues Explosion for free at South Street Seaport!

The first free Wednesday Madison Square Park shows of the season comes tonight with "A Wainwright Family Concert" featuring Loudon, Sloan and Lucy.

The Phenomenal Handclap Band play a free set at the Stuy Town Oval. Coming up, they'll be celebrate the release of their debut record at Santos Party House on Thursday, June 25th at Santos.

Just as a heads up, the BAM R&B Fest that happens in the Metrotech Commons every Thursday at noon will continue tomorrow with singer Simone, who's the daughter of jazz legend Nina Simone.

It'll be your first chance in a while to catch Lightspeed Champion and Regina Spektor. Newish videos from both: Lightspeed doing new song "Marlene" acoustic and live, and Regina's official video for new album track "Laughing With," below...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Wednesday?"

STREAM: Regina Spektor - Laughing With (WINDOWS, QUICKTIME)

Radiohead have gone back into the studio to start work on the follow-up to their 2007 album In Rainbows.

"We just went in last week," bassist Colin Greenwood said. "It was really good. It was really noisy and chaotic and really fun."

But the group do not have fully formed songs yet, he said.

"We're at the stage where we've got the big Lego box out and we've tipped it out on the floor and we're looking at all the bits and thinking, what next?"

The new album, which will be their eighth, will again see producer Nigel Godrich work with the band. [BBC]

Continue reading "Radiohead in the studio, David Byrne releases/streams new live benefit EP, and another new Regina Spektor song"

The first presale for this show sold out instantly. Tickets go on "Venue and Live Nation Presale" today/Thursday at 10am. The password may be HEREGINA. If that doesn't work, try "live". Tickets then go on regular sale on Friday at noon.

Tickets are also on sale for the show Little Joy is playing at Bowery Ballroom.

A ticket pre-sale begins at 1:00pm for the June 17th Regina Spektor / Little Joy show at NYC's Beacon Theater. And to sweeten the deal:

THE TICKET FOR THIS SHOW INCLUDES A 2-SONG GIVEAWAY FROM WARNER BROTHERS RECORDS. With every ticket purchased, you will receive a download of two new Regina Spektor songs from her upcoming album "Far" including her new single "Laughing With" and "Blue Lips." To redeem "Laughing With" and "Blue Lips," you will receive a separate e-mail including the instructions to download by Monday 5/18/2009.

As previously reported, Little Joy, the band with Fabrizio Moretti of the Strokes, has a June US tour coming up. That includes a Tuesday, June 23rd show at the Bowery Ballroom. Tickets are still on sale.

In that post, we highlighted the connection between Little Joy/The Strokes and Regina Spektor (touring together, recording together, etc.)...as it turns out, Little Joy will be opening for Regina Spektor at Beacon Theatre on Wednesday, June 17th. No ticket info yet. And that's just one of many dates Spektor is expected to announce for the summer.

And bad news for those who like Little Joy at least a little because of who is on drums... Fabrizio Moretti is skipping most of this Little Joy tour to record the Strokes' fourth full-length album.

While concert-goers shouldn't be surprised if co-founding member Fabrizio pops in to make an occasional cameo appearanceon stage, he will for the most part be occupied with recording obligations to the Strokes, and therefore unable to tour with the band for the large majority of the dates.

Rodrigo (vocals and guitar) and Binki (vocals, keys) will fill out the band with Todd Dahlhoff and Matt Borg from The Dead Trees (on bass and guitar, respectively), Matt Romano from Albert Hammond Jr.'s band (drums) and Jack Dishel from Only Son (guitar, backing vocals).

All Little Joy tour dates below...

Continue reading "Regina Spektor playing Beacon Theater & other (possibly Stroke-less) Little Joy tour dates "

Little Joy @ Mercury Lounge (more by Zach Stern)

Little Joy is playing the Bowery Ballroom on Tuesday, June 23rd. Tickets for the NYC show go on presale Wednesday, May 6th at noon. General sale starts Friday, May 8th at noon. The show looks like it's part of a larger, not-fully-announced tour (all known dates below).

Little Joy is Binki Shapiro, Rodrigo Amarante and Fabrizio Moretti -- the last of whom is the drummer for the Strokes. News with that band includes a March 27th message on the Strokes' website, which reads "The Strokes are now all back hard at work in their NYC space on writing and rehearsing new material for a 4th full-length album."

Regina Spektor, friend and collaborator of the Strokes, is set to release her own new album, Far, on Tuesday, June 23rd on Sire Records. The Stokes and Spektor have a long past together. One part is the fact that "Spektor's first nationwide tour was accompanying The Strokes as the opening act on their 2003-2004 Room on Fire tour" (Wikipedia). Other past connections include collaborating on Reptilia b-side "Post Modern Girls"/"Modern Girls & Old Fashion Men," Spektor playing piano on Strokes bassist Nikolai Fraiture's Nickel Eye side-project album, and Spektor playing shows with Albert Hammond Jr. That includes the rainy stop at McCarren Pool last summer.

"Spektor will tour the world beginning in June. Tour dates to be announced soon."

More info on Regina's new album with art, plus two Little Joy videos including an unplugged version of "Keep Me in Mind", below...

Continue reading "Little Joy tour dates (Bowery), a new Regina Spektor album"

photos by Tim Griffin

Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) is the nation's leading sexual and reproductive health care advocate and provider. For more than 90 years, we've done more than any other organization in the United States to improve women's health and safety, prevent unintended pregnancies, and advance the right and ability of individuals and families to make informed and responsible choices.

Tim also said Regina was amazing, and that many in the crowd thought so even more than him ("they kept crying out I LOVE YOU! every 2 minutes"). At the beginning of her long set, she forgot some lyrics, but "it didn't take long for the audience to sing along in unison to prompt her along." As you can see in the pictures, she had a big piano there on the Bowery Ballroom stage.

Ra Ra Riot put on "their usual good show", and Tim said that The Bloodsugars were a good opener "and really earnest". You can catch the Bloodsugars next at the Guilt By Association Vol. 2 Release Party at the same NYC venue on February 5th. Francis and the Lights and Savoir Adore are also on that bill. Ra Ra Riot don't have any other scheduled NYC dates at the moment, but they do have plenty of other tour dates.

More pictures from the show below...

Continue reading "Regina Spektor, Ra Ra Riot & the Bloodsugars @ Bowery Ballroom for Planned Parenthood, NYC - pics"

Regina Spektor and Ra Ra Riot are playing the benefit for Planned Parenthood at Bowery Ballroom in NYC tonight. It was sold out, but now tickets are back on sale. (thx Klaus).

More Ra Ra Riot tour dates HERE.

Tickets are on sale (@ noon) for the Planned Parenthood benefit Regina Spektor is playing at Bowery Ballroom.

Tickets are on sale (@ noon) for the Crystal Castles New Years Eve show at Music Hall of Williamsburg.

Tickets are on sale (@ noon) for the Blonde Redhead New Years Eve show at Terminal 5.

"Great seats" were released this week for My Morning Jacket at MSG on New Years Eve.

Tickets are still on sale for the show A Place to Bury Strangers are playing at Mercury Lounge on New Years Eve.

Tickets are on sale (@ noon) for the upcoming Devotchka show @ Webster Hall

Tickets are on sale (@ noon) for Femi Kuti's headlining show at Webster Hall and don't forget he's playing GlobalFest too.

Tickets are on sale (@ noon) for the show The Sword are are playing at Bowery Ballroom.

Tickets are still on sale (@ noon) for the show School of Seven Bells are playing at Mercury Lounge.

Tickets also are now/still on sale for NYC shows by Steve Winwood, Richard Cheese, BB King & Buddy Guy, Kings of Leon, Stella, Electric Six & Local H, and Bishop Allen.

Not only has Regina Spektor already headlined the very large McCarren Pool venue, she has since gone on to gain extra exposure thanks to a duet she recorded with Ben Folds for his new album. It goes without saying then that the show she's playing at the medium-sized Bowery Ballroom on January 22nd will sell out very quickly. The show is called the "3rd Annual Roe On The Rocks", and all the money goes to Planned Parenthood. $35 tickets go on American Express and Planned Parenthood presale on Wednesday at noon. Regular Ticketmaster sale starts Friday.

Speaking of dueting with Regina Spektor and Bowery Ballroom, tickets are still on sale for the NYC show Sondre Lerche is playing there on November 20th.

The official Ben Folds video for the Regina song, and video of Regina and Ben performing it on Jimmy Kimmel, below...

Continue reading "Regina Spektor - Planned Parenthood show, Ben Folds videos"

Regina Spektor & friends in Brooklyn - Aug 15, 2008 (roddyrick)

Is that Reggie Watts with a beard? Albert Hammond Jr. opened the show. How was it?