photos by Chris La Putt

"[Jenny Lewis's] hour long set (as the opening act for their good friends, Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band) featured Lewis classics such as "Acid Tongue", "The Next Messiah" and Rilo Kiley's "Silver Lining" plus one or two new songs. And of course, they pulled Conor Oberst out to join them on one song, at which point he and Lewis pressed their faces together to share the microphone center stage." [Cassie]

"It was nice being able to just lay down and sun-nap for a little while listening to live music." [Spatula Queen]

"The concert was fabulous. The weather was perfect (clear sky, breezy), and there was a great energy in the park. There were tooons of people there.." [my so-called life]

"conor oberst was great. much better than i thought he would be." [Anonymous | July 4, 2009 10:36 PM]

"Kicked it on a blanket in a park listening to those two for hours. Pretty much one of the best afternoons I had ever had." [Typoscura]

Continue reading "Jenny Lewis & Conor Oberst & the Mystic Valley Band @ Battery Park in NYC (July 4th) - pics & setlists"

photos by Tim Griffin

The fantastic lineup of Jenny Lewis, Deer Tick, and Farmer Dave hit the stage of Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn last night (6/9). If you missed it, Jenny will be back soon, Deer Tick will be back soon, and you can look at a bunch more pictures, including one of Jenny's setlist, below...

Continue reading "Jenny Lewis, Deer Tick, Farmer Dave @ MHOW - pics, setlist"

DOWNLOAD: THE POLYPHONIC SPREE - HAPPY XMAS (WAR IS OVER) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Death Cab For Cutie - Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: OVER THE RHINE - ALL I EVER GET FOR CHRISTMAS IS BLUE (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: RYAN ADAMS - HEY PARKER, IT'S CHRISTMAS (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: SMASHING PUMPKINS - RUDOLPH THE RED NOSE REINDEER (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: SUFJAN STEVENS - JOY TO THE WORLD (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: LIZ PHAIR - WINTER WONDERLAND (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: EELS - CHRISTMAS IS GOING TO THE DOGS (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: THE WHITE STRIPES - SILENT NIGHT (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: BRIGHT EYES - BLUE CHRISTMAS (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: RILO KILEY - XMAS CAKE (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: ROGUE WAVE - CHRISTMAS (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: MY MORNING JACKET - SANTA CLAUS IS BACK IN TOWN (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: WEEZER - THE CHRISTMAS SONG (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: THE KINKS - FATHER CHRISTMAS (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: MORPHINE - SEXY CHRISTMAS BABY MINE (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: DEERHOOF - THE LITTLE DRUMMER BOY (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: PEARL JAM - SOMEDAY AT CHRISTMAS (MP3)

Just some songs Nick and I quicky put together for our Christmas Eve show on Sirius XMU. Enjoy, and happy holidays. More HERE.

I just saw the animated Disney movie Bolt. Like the critics said, it was really great, and not just because it's completely in 3-D.

I won't post any spoilers, but the film is about a dog named Bolt (John Travolta) and his human Penny (Miley Cyrus). In additon to the score, there are basically two full songs in the movie. One is actually sung by John and Miley. That comes at the end. The other, by Rilo Kiley's Jenny Lewis, is during a (what I think was a) major scene of the movie. It completely surprised me. I wasn't 100% sure it was her, but the credits confirmed it, and then the credits confirmed that the child actress is also assistant director which had me leaving the movie thinking she had that job, though IMDB points out that she is the voice of a character called "assistant director" (which makes more sense I think).

The Jenny and Miley songs are both on the soundtrack which is otherwise all John Powell's score. Not on the soundtrack: Motorhead's "Dog Face Boy" which has a quick cameo in the movie (no spoilers). The Jenny Lewis (new) and Motorhead (old) songs, and another video that ties them together nicely, below...

Continue reading "Jenny Lewis barking at the moon in Bolt, Motorhead too"

concert photos by Chris La Putt, backstage shots by Kyle Dean Reinford

DOWNLOAD: Jenny Lewis - Acid Tongue (MP3)

"It was a great show with a nice mix of songs from Rabbit Fur Coat & Acid Tongue and I have to say, the songs from Acid Tongue (most of which I was seeing live for the first time tonight) came across very well, especially "The Next Messiah"! It was a a really nice show tonight and I had a lot of fun!" [Sean]

Sarah Silverman (who made a guest appearance in one of Jenny's videos) made a surprise appearance as the Apollo opener. More pictures below...

Continue reading "Jenny Lewis & Sarah Silverman @ The Apollo, NYC - pics"

photos by Kyle Dean Reinford

M. Ward took the stage first to start off Conor Oberst's aftershow at La Zona Rosa around 10 p.m Sunday, without the high-powered band that accompanied him during his Friday set at the festival. Ward is just as good solo as he is with his band, however, as the big sound of his finger-picking style compensates for the lack of umph. He played a few repeats from his Friday set, including, "Sad, Sad Song" and "Chinese Translation," before bringing out Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, who appeared at the festival on Sunday. Rawlings and Ward traded licks and Welch sang backup on Ward's "Fuel For Fire," a mellow cover of "It Hurts Me Too" and Ward's "One Life Away" to finish the set.

Lewis came out second. Her performance on Friday in the WaMu tent was good, but inside La Zona Rosa the show was bigger and better. [Austin 360]

Continue reading "Conor Oberst & Jenny Lewis @ La Zona Rosa, Austin - pics"

photos by Kyle Dean Reinford

Jenny Lewis is in the midst of a tour in support of her new album that has her in Texas at the moment. Yesterday, Friday September 26th, she performed for an hour on the WaMu stage on the first of three days of the ACL Festival. On Sunday she plays another Austin show and by October 4th she'll reach NYC to play one at the legendary Apollo Theater. More pictures from yesterday below...

Continue reading "Jenny Lewis @ Austin City Limits, Austin, TX - pics"

DOWNLOAD: Jenny Lewis - Acid Tongue (MP3)

this much would even last Jay Reatard a while

No I've never heard of a bible officer

"Acid Tongue" (that MP3 up there) is the debut track off the new Jenny Lewis album with the same name. Acid Tongue is out September 23rd via Warner Brothers. I can't tell who the backup singers are on the track, but if we were going to guesss, we have Johnathan Rice, Farmer Dave Scher, Jason Boesel, Jason Lader, M Ward, Chris Robinson, Benji Hughes, Zooey Deschanel, and Vanessa Corbala to choose from. I would have added Elvis Costello to that list, but we already know his track is called "Carpetbaggers". The cover art would make Albert Hofmann proud. You can see it above. The track listing can be viewed below.

Tickets may still be on sale for the show Jenny Lewis is playing at the Apollo Theater on October 4th, and tickets just went on sale for a show she added one day later in New Haven, CT. All tour dates below...

Continue reading "Jenny Lewis - a new MP3, LSD & more 2008 Tour Dates "

Rilo Kiley @ Terminal 5 (more by Kyle Dean Reinford)

Jenny Lewis will release a solo album Acid Tongue on Warner Bros Records in September. This is the follow-up to her internationally acclaimed 2006 album Rabbit Fur Coat (Team Love Records). The album announcement comes just weeks after Jenny wrapped a world wide tour in support of Rilo Kiley's Under The Blacklight album (Warner Bros Records, 2007).

Some of Lewis' most steadfast collaborators appear on Acid Tongue: Johnathan Rice, Farmer Dave Scher, Jason Boesel, Jason Lader and M Ward. She also invited other notable musician friends into the fold, including Elvis Costello for a duet ("Carpetbaggers"), Chris Robinson (of The Black Crowes), Benji Hughes, Zooey Deschanel (of She & Him) & Vanessa Corbala (of Whispertown2000) on backing vocals, Paz Lenchantin (A Perfect Circle / The Entrance Band) and her sister Ana provided strings, Davey Faragher (of The Imposters) on bass, as well as Laurel Canyon's own Jonathan Wilson on guitar, and even members of Jenny's own family. Her sister Leslie Lewis provided backing vocals on two songs while her father, harmonica virtuoso Eddie Gordon makes a star turn on rumbling bass harp.

The all analog, no Pro-Tools sessions were all part of a shared aesthetic between Lewis, her producers, and her musician collaborators, working quickly and tracking her vocals entirely live and without embellishment. Recorded at Sound City Studios in Van Nuys, California in just 3 weeks, the album's tracks, disparate as they are, share a sparkling vitality; Lewis' voice has never sounded so expressive and the narratives have never been so hard-hitting and acerbic.

Continue reading "Jenny Lewis - 2008 Tour Dates & a new album starring Elvis Costello, She, Him, Chris Robinson & others"

photos by Kyle Dean Reinford

Nguyen is raspy and jarring where Lewis is sweet and graceful, and her energetic, slightly manic performance definitely left an impression on the crowd. Extra kudos go to Thao's backing band, The Get Down Stay Down, for replacing almost an entire percussion section with really enthusiastic clapping and the best use of mariachis I've seen since grade four music class. [a review of last week's Toronto show]

Continue reading "Thao Nguyen WTGDSD @ Terminal 5, NYC - pics"

photos by Kyle Dean Reinford

The set was split pretty evenly between the band's last three albums. There was a jovial performance of "Breakin' Up," which has to be the most cheerful break-up song ever recorded. "With Arms Outstretched" included what was perhaps Lewis' best moment of the night when she really let loose during the song's climactic ending chorus. "I Never" and the encore performance of "Portions For Foxes" were also highlights. [a review of last week's Toronto show]

Continue reading "Rilo Kiley @ Terminal 5, NYC (night 1) - pics "

Tickets will be available at the door for a late headlining Thao Nguyen show at Mercury Lounge on Wednesday. Tonight and tomorrow Thao opens for Rilo Kiley at Terminal 5. All dates below....

Continue reading "Thao Nguyen WTGDSD adds 3rd NYC show + other tour dates"

Thao by Bao (more)

Thao with the Get Down Stay Down is touring and then touring some more with Rilo Kiley including both shows at Terminal 5 in NYC. Tickets are still on sale for at least one of those. All dates below....

Continue reading "Thao w/ Get Down Stay Down - 2008 Tour Dates (Rilo Kiley)"

Tickets are on presale for the 2nd Terminal 5 show and others.

indie rock paper dolls (sally grosart)

* Rilo Kiley added a 2nd show at Terminal 5.
* The Kooks added a 2nd show at Terminal 5.
* Beth Orton added a 2nd show at Hiro Ballroom.

Can you name everyone in the above picture?

Continue reading "Rilo Kiley - 2008 Tour Dates (Terminal 5)"

Genghis Tron (crowd) @ Market Hotel - Mar 1, 2008 (mercurialn) (video)

* Help Wanted
* Yaz is reuniting
* Killing Joke is reuniting
* Vampire Weekend is playing SNL
* Blake Sennett's fiance is Winona Ryder
* Jenny Lewis's boyfriend Johnathan Rice is playing Bowery
* The Constantines are NOT playing Mercury Lounge anymore tonight
* Saturday Looks Good To Me are playing Knitting Factory w/ Spanish Prisoners

Video of Rilo Kiley (Jenny Lewis) watching the Paris Hilton sex tape below.
What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Monday?"

Winona Ryder revealed she is engaged to Blake Sennett, a guitarist in the indie rock band Rilo Kelly, at the fall 2008 Valentino fashion show in Paris. In addition to the surprising engagement, she and Sennett have been working on a film Water Pill and she'll soon start filming The Private Lives of Pippa Lee. Winona has had a history of romances with rockers ranging from Soul Asylum's Dave Primer to Counting Crows' Adam Druitt, prompting former BFF Courtney Love to remark, "You're no-one in music until you have feuded with me or until you sleep with Winona". [Getty]

ELSEWHERE: Jenny Lewis is working on a new solo album "which features several guests, including the Black Crowes' Chris Robinson, M. Ward, actress/singer Zooey Deschanel and Elvis Costello."

More photos of the happy couple (by Eric Ryan of Getty Images) below....

Continue reading "Winona Ryder NOT engaged to Rilo Kiley's Blake Sennett"

DOWNLOAD: The Verve - Bittersweet Symphony (MP3)

As rumored, the LA Times is reporting that reunited British band The Verve are among those playing Coachella this year....

At a news conference scheduled for today, Tollett and his business partners, which include concert promotion giant AEG Live, plan to announce the full lineup for the ninth edition of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio this April. It will include the Verve, the Raconteurs, Jack Johnson, My Morning Jacket and Rilo Kiley. (thx CDS)

* American Music Awards
* VNV Nation is at Music Hall
* Ani Difranco is playing Town Hall
* The Bird and the Bee are @ the Gramercy Theatre
* Buck 65 was moved from Bowery Ballroom to Mercury Lounge

The American Music Awards are on tonight, The White Stripes (friends of Beck) are up for Favorite "Alternative Rock Music" Artist. Their competition? Linkin Park and My Chemical Romance (only three artists are nominated in each category). Nickelback, Maroon 5 & Linkin Park are competing for "Favorite Band, Duo or Group". I guess there's no reason to watch that one. Performers include Duran Duran (who were recently affected by the Broadway strike) and Rihanna (who appears on a new disc of Def Jam rarities). Slash (who has a new book out) and Gene Simmons (who doesn't care about Radiohead) are both presenting awards.

Speaking of awards, below you'll find a bunch of videos from the mtvU ones (including one of Spank Rock live-blogging). What else?

Continue reading "What's Going on Sunday? (American Music Awards)"

Tickets go on sale Wednesday for a December 18th Lupe Fiasco "record release" show at the Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza. The new record is called "The Cool", and the first single "Superstar" is streaming at Lupe's page.

I saw Lupe Fiasco perform last week - ONE WHOLE SONG (and with a member of Fall Out Boy) at the mtvU awards at Roseland - the same show Spank Rock was drunk at. That's Lupe in the photo above. It was taken by Leia Jospe for BrooklynVegan. So were all the other pictures in this post. More photos of Lupe, Rilo Kiley (played 2 or 3 songs), Annie Lennox (accepted an award), Peter Bjorn and John (nominated, men about town), Spank Rock (played 2 songs), Tokyo Police Club (played 2 or 3 songs, then explored the basement of Roseland with us) & other characters present at the event....

Continue reading "LUPE FIASCO playing NYC + pics from the 2007 WOODIES (Tokyo Police Club, Spank Rock, Rilo Kiley)"

Rilo Kiley's Street Team (CRED)

Rilo Kiley have been confirmed to play the MTVu Woody Awards at Roseland Ballroom in NYC tomorrow night (Nov 8, 2007)...

Calling all Rilo Kiley fans in the NYC area!!
Rilo Kiley will be performing at the 2007 MTVU Woodie Awards this Thursday, 11/8/07 at the Roseland Ballroom in NYC. We need true, dedicated COLLEGE fans to be part of this show. For FREE tickets send an e-mail ASAP to woodieawards@mtvstaff.com and please include the following info:
-Name
-Age
-Phone number
-Where do you go to college?
-What is your favorite Rilo Kiley song?
-Are you available from 6pm to 10pm this Thursday evening?
-Have you seen them in concert before?

And as promised, I also have 10 pairs of tickets to give away. To win, E-mail BVCONTESTS@HOTMAIL.COM (subject: Woody). Ten winners will be picked at random and contacted ASAP.

Ulrich Schnauss @ Bowery Ballroom, NYC - Sept 21, 2007 (CRED)

Subhumans @ Studio A in Miami - Sept 15, 2007 (CRED)

Rilo Kiley @ Webster Hall, NYC - Sept 22, 2007 (CRED)

* Hair in Central Park - FREE!
* Takka Takka record re-release party @ Sound Fix
* Subhumans are playing Knitting Factory again
* Eartha Kitt is still @ Cafe Carlyle
* Bjork, Klaxons & Santogold @ MSG
* Beirut is at the Society for Ethical Culture
* Thurston Moore is playing Maxwell's
* Spank Rock & Santogold @ Rebel
* Kate Nash is at Luna Lounge for free
* Mystery Jets are playing Joe's Pub
* Bettye LaVette is playing BB King's
* Scott Matthews is playing Joe's Pub
* Aloke premiere a new lineup at the Annex
* Angela McCluskey & Papercranes are at Mercury Lounge
* Bruce Springsteen is playing Asbury Park

Kate Nash, Eartha Kitt, Bjork, Bettye LaVette, and Angela McCluskey all in one night. So many divas (and I don't mean that negatively) to choose from. Thank god Nellie McKay's Brooklyn show is not until tomorrow. What else?

Rilo Kiley's new album Under the Blacklight is streaming at MySpace. Listening to it brings me to another place, and by 'another place', I mean the waiting room at my dentist's office, or a really, really long elevator ride.

Yesterday I posted a few tour dates. Now here's the presale and the rest....

Continue reading "Rilo Kiley - all 2007 Tour Dates & presale"