The Fresh & Onlys @ Psych Fest 2011 (more by Tim Griffin)

The Reverberation Appreciation Society and The Black Angels have released the initial lineup poster for the 5th annual Austin Psych Fest. This year's fest, running from April 27th - 29th (in Austin), will take place at Austin's two newest big venues, recently opened Emo's East and the soon-to-be open Beauty Ballroom which is next door.

Emo's East is now the only Emo's since their Red River location closed on 12/30, and the Beauty Ballroom is (hopefully) having their rescheduled Grand Opening on January 27th (with Theophilus London and Treasure Fingers) and continuing on January 28th.

APF will feature around 60 bands over the three day, two room event. About 40 are included in the poster below, with another 20 or so to be announced in March. Announced bands include the Black Angels (who played Emo's East on New Year's Eve), the Black Lips, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Dead Meadow, Olivia Tremor Control, Wooden Shijps, and many more. Weekend passes go on sale this Saturday (January 21st) at 12pm CST at austinpsychfest.com.

Check out photos from the 2011 edition of Psych Fest (held at Seaholm Power Plant) HERE.

Chaos in Tejas, a different kind of Austin music fest that happens in June, also announced bands on their lineup today.

SXSW, which is in March, continues to announce bands all the time and recently posted their initial schedule.

Psych Fest 2012 poster, lineup and Bandcamp mixtape, below...

Continue reading "Austin Psych Fest annnounces initial 2012 lineup, new venue; SXSW posted their initial schedule"

by Bill Pearis

Feathers at Mohawk, October 2011 (more by Tim Griffin)

Feathers are making the trip from Austin with former Voxtrot singer Ramesh to play Mercury Lounge on March 5. The band have been making waves in Texas over the last few months and this will be their first NYC show, and their only scheduled show at the moment outside of SXSW.

Feathers is the new project from Anastasia Dimou who you may know from NYC band Cruel Black Dove (who are now broken up). Galexy from Ringo Deathstarr is also in the band. Band member Destiny Montague was in Shock Cinema and Midnight Masses too.

At this point, Feathers only have a couple tracks to check out -- you can stream them at the bottom of this post -- but "Land of the Innocent" is a good one, all pulsing synths and siren-song harmonies. Comparisons will be made to Austra and Zola Jesus, but Feathers are a little more dancefloor oriented, with some glammy stompers in their repertoire as well. The other track is a remix of the song "Dream Song" (which has no released regular version yet). The remix was done by Maya Postepski of Austra and Trust (who just signed to Arts & Crafts).

While waiting to hear more -- or see them live -- check out photos from our man in Austin, Tim Griffin, from their first-ever show back in October when they opened for Washed Out, and from a show they played not long after that at Beauty Bar, AND from last week's 'Free Week' show as well.

Songs below...

Continue reading "Check out Feathers -- making NYC debut @ Mercury Lounge -- song stream, a remix & live pics too"

Ted Leo @ SSSeaport in July (more by Tamara Porras)

today in NYC
* The Fab Faux @ City Winery
* The Immaculates @ Zebulon
* Bouncing Souls @ Stone Pony
* Gogol Bordello @ Terminal 5
* Gov't Mule @ Beacon Theatre
* Sandra Bernhard @ Joe's Pub
* Patti Smith @ Bowery Ballroom
* Phish @ Madison Square Garden
* The Bad Plus @ Village Vanguard
* Lucero, Lionize @ Brooklyn Bowl
* Dark Star Orchestra @ Wellmont Theatre
* The New Deal, D.V.S* @ Highline Ballroom
* Rob Curto's Pe De Serra All-stars @ Barbes
* Andrew WK @ Ollie's Point (in Amityville)
* Country Mice, Uncles, Emil & Friends @ Cake Shop
* Afrojack, Bobby Burns @ Roseland Ballroom
* Clutch, Corrosion of Conformity @ Starland Ballroom
* Charanga Soleil @ Brooklyn Academy of Music
* Assembly Of Dust, Dark Loft @ Mercury Lounge
* Annual End Of Year Improv Benefit @ The Stone
* The Spring Standards, Xylos, Bess Rogers @ Glasslands
* The Machine (Pink Floyd tribute) @ B.B. King Blues Club
* Superhuman Happiness, DJ Unicorn Pudding @ Cake Shop
* Cro-Mags, Supertouch, Subzero, Sai Nam @ Highline Ballroom
* Dive, Co La, Habibi, Evi Antonio (DJ set) @ Big Snow Buffalo Lodge
* Penguin Prison, Class Actress, Teachers @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
* Ted Leo & The Pharmacists, Obits, Kurt Braunohler @ The Bell House
* FaltyDL, Dave Q, Kuhn, Rimar, MAUI, DJ Discophantom @ Cameo Gallery
* Madam Trashy, Netherlands, Man Made Sun, Porfirio, Metal Spear @ Pianos
* No One and The Somebodies, Fiasco, Genuine Imitations, Heads Up Display, Old Table, Porches, General Miggs, The Vibration @ Shea Stadium

Lots of people playing tonight are also playing New Year's Eve shows.

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Nardwuar cornered Henry Rollins again. Check out his new interview again...

KEXP just posted a live session video of Ringo Deathstarr (who are one of the many artists playing Free Week in Austin). Check it out below...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Friday?"

Ringo Deathstarr at SXSW 2011 (more by Bill Pearis)

" I call a lot of things shoegaze, but these three have the classic '90s sound -- including Kevin Shields' glide guitar style -- down pat. Some seriously catchy songwriting keeps it out of pastiche territory. They are good and loud on the Palm Door patio, my first of many Lone Star tallboys of the week in hand, and it's a great start to the fest." [Bill]

Ringo Deathstarr, who just played Chaos in Tejas this past weekend (we didn't catch them though), will support Trail of Dead on a week-long run directly before heading out on a three week headlining tour at the end of June. The tour stops at Brooklyn's Shea Stadium on July 3 with Vandelles, Heaven, and Dead Leaf Echo.

Ringo Deathstarr released Colour Trip back in March. Check out a soundcloud stream of the entire album HERE, and the video for "So High" and more dates below...

Continue reading "Ringo Deathstarr album streaming, band touring (dates)"

by Bill Pearis

Colourmusic

"It is what it is." I must've heard that phrase 30 times during SXSW -- be it in reference to alloted set times, equipment, sound or the free food at whatever day party I was at. You have to, as Diamond Dave once said, roll with the punches to get to what's real. Or at least have a good time.

So this year for this year's fest in Austin, I attempted to be as stress free as possible. I mostly avoided anything that would be a pain to get into, be it the hyper-hyped (James Blake, Odd Future), already popular (Strokes, Kanye), or overly hip (Fader Fort, PureVolume House). Which is probably why this was probably the most fun SXSW I've attended yet, with almost no dud bands seen.

I flew into San Antonio this year, where friends picked me up and we then drove down to Austin with a pit stop on the way for lunch, which got us to the Convention Center around 2pm to pick up our badges. First stop: The Palm Door to catch Austin locals Ringo Deathstarr whose album Colour Trip is one of my favorites of 2011 so far. I call a lot of things shoegaze, but these three have the classic '90s sound -- including Kevin Shields' glide guitar style -- down pat. Some seriously catchy songwriting keeps it out of pastiche territory. They are good and loud on the Palm Door patio, my first of many Lone Star tallboys of the week in hand, and it's a great start to the fest.

From there I headed over to Emo's for the first of BrooklynVegan's many day parties. Got there just in time to see the tail end of Mr Heavenly's set. I stuck around for Surfer Blood who I expected to play a bunch of new material but instead gave us an enjoyable hits-packed set from their first album.

Guides and sched.org were scrutinized over dinner, as the evening was planned out. First stop was to Beauty Bar for the Moshi Moshi party, specifically to see electronic duo Beat Connection who sound like they're from Sweden but are actually from Seattle. Not a lot of stage presence (two dudes behind keyboards, one of whom looks like John Daly from Freaks & Geeks) but they sound great and it's already a dance party in Beauty Bar at 8PM.

We next stopped by the Oklahoma showcase happening at Friends. Stillwater's Colourmusic lay down some awesome Can-style prog, made extra heavy with two bassists. Flaming Lips, early-'90s psych influence casts a shadow on them too. Some crazed (drunk) superfan from their hometown jumps on stage, takes off his shirt and joins the band on the mic, making for the best picture I took all week. Easily one of my favorite performances of SXSW 2011. Their album, My ____ is Pink, is out next month on Memphis Industries and is very good.

While there, a woman comes up to me and asks if I was at SXSW the previous year. I answered yes, to which she then says "Remember me? I was dressed as a hippie rooster and danced all around you." Nope, sorry lady, don't remember that. And I think I would.

Leaving my friends, I hit Maggie Mae's to catch Glaswegian electronic outfit Errors, part of the Creative Scotland showcase. I was a big fan of their first album and had been wanting to see them ever since. Kinda like the Scottish version of Ratatat, their instrumental electro-rock translates well to the stage. Worth the wait. You can see Errors all over the U.S next month on tour with Mogwai (whose label, Rock Action, they're signed to.) Tour dates, two nights at Webster Hall included, are at the bottom of this post.

Looking back over things, Wednesday was maybe the best day for me overall. Next was London's Mazes who make superior '90s style indie rock. (Not to be confused with 1900s offshoot Mazes who have since changed their name I think.) The obvious comparison is Yuck, but it's less GBV/Sebadoh and more Pavement/Number One Cup. Also like Yuck, they're not the most energetic band I've ever seen but they sound great.

I close out the night at Red Eyed Fly. Sky Larkin have been telling me to go see fellow Leeds band Pulled Apart by Horses for nearly three years, warning me I might not want to get too close. I now understand why... they are an explosion on stage, bouncing off the walls, bounding into the crowd, climbing trellises, singing on the bar and other wild behavior. No puking, thankfully, which I hear has happened on occasion. Kinetic and spastic as they are, Pulled Apart by Horses' music -- thrashy, mathy, riffy, shouty -- is not really my cup of tea.

Pete & the Pirates were supposed to be on at 1AM but things were running very late. I'd been up since 3:30AM -- my flight had left at 5:45am -- so when it hit 1:30, I opted for a much-needed full night of sleep. Slightly disappointed but I'd see P&P later in the week anyhow...it is what it is.

A few more pictures, video of Colourmusic's performance, and those Errors tourdates (with Mogwai) are below.

Continue reading "Bill's Week in Austin (Day 1 - Errors, Ringo Deathstarr, Beat Connection, Mazes, Colourmusic & more)"

by Andrew Frisicano

Neon Indian @ MtyMX

The experiment that was the first MtyMx Festival is over. The last day of Todd P's Mexican festival (3/22) featured 14 acts, half of which were from Mexico. Liars, HEALTH, and Neon Indian all made it for their headlining sets (the acts that were flown in had very few problems for the most part). The rest of the last day's lineup included Ratas del Vaticano (Mexico), Indian Jewelry, Lemonade, BamBam (Mexico), Jóvenes y Sexys (Venezuela), Mockinpott (Mexico), Best Fwends, High Places, Alexico (Mexico), Mentira Mentira (Mexico) and Sr. Amable & Mr. Racoon (Mexico). The Monday after-fest show that was held at Yo Garage for all three nights featured sets by Coasting, noisepunks XYX, and Mentira Mentira (again).

Bands that didn't make it for their Monday sets for one reason or another included No Age, Thee Oh Sees (they tried to get past the border at least twice), Liturgy, The Sandwitches, Javelin, Salem, DD/MM/YYY, Fergus and Geronimo, Big Troubles, Pictureplane, Gauntlet Hair, Tearist, Josephine and the Mousepeople, and Baths. Remember that was just day three. It was a similar situation each day, but I never planned on being there for the first day (SXSW), and I got there much later than expected on the second. As I write/dictate this, I'm currently waiting for a noon (note: it's two hours earlier here than it is in NY) Greyhound bus out of Monterrey that's going back to Austin (an approximately 8 hour trip that took about 11 hours of driving and 8 hours of waiting on the way in). There were two 1am Todd P buses that left last night directly after Liars, but our stuff (and a bed) was in our hotel room.

[note: Andrew is now on the bus]

How to get home seemed to be the main focus on everyone's mind early on the last day. Once that was all figured out, things turned more optimistic and Todd P even made announcements referencing next year.

Dan Deacon was a constant presence at the festival. He actually replaced Thee Oh Sees on the last day as "Dan Deacon & friends", a short comedy set. Another group that performed for multiple days was Das Racist who treated late Sunday night arrivals to an energetic set at the after-party.

Though I only spent 36 hours total in Monterrey and saw fewer bands than I caught Thursday afternoon in Austin, I made lots of new friends, saw some great sets, and it was an experience that won't soon be forgotten. Safety was a big question, but though the festival had issues (including theft on the festival grounds, and at least one mugging), people actually getting hurt wasn't one of them.

For more, read yesterday's recap and follow the @bvSXSW Twitter. Videos from the event are below...

Continue reading "MtyMx finishes - 14 bands played Monday, many more didn't show (Andrew reports from his bus ride home)"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: The Veils - Killed by the Boom (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Foreign Born - Vacationing People (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Foreign Born - Early Warnings (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Jaguar Club - Sleepwalking (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Hospitality - Betty Wang (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Horse's Ha - The Piss Choir (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Polvo - Beggar's Bowl (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Obits - Two-Headed Coin (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Obits - Pine On (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Blacklist - Flight of the Demoiselles (MP3)

Jarvis Cocker @ MHOW in 2008 (more by Ryan Muir)

There is a ton of stuff going on this weekend, but clearly the gig of the week is Jarvis Cocker (who is also on Jimmy Fallon tonight) at Music Hall of Williamsburg (7/30). The last last two years Jarvis held my top spot for Show of the Year and I have no doubt he will deliver tonight as well. He's truly on another plane of existence when it comes to performers. But I'm like a lot of you this year, I didn't buy tickets for Terminal 5 (a venue I'm kind of proud I've never been to) and then kicking yourselves when the show got downgraded to MHoW. It's kind of killing me that I won't be at this show, but luckily there are a lot of other good options.

The Veils

If you are an Anglophile, I think your best bet tonight (7/30) is at Mercury Lounge for The Veils and Foreign Born. Tickets are still available. The Veils' new album, Sun Gangs, is a little more palatable, in my opinion, than 2006's Nux Vomica with singer Finn Andrews' vocals a little more reigned-in and less histrionic, though I realize that was a selling point for some people. (I was more of a fan of the first album, The Runaway Found, than the second album.) The new record is good, for fans of moody, heart-swelling anthemic rock. Check out "Killed by the Boom" at the top of this post. Having seen The Veils play for both previous albums (and both times at Mercury Lounge) I have not doubt that Andrews (son of XTC/Shriekback's Barry Andrews) will give 110%, if only that were possible. He will also likely wear a big hat.

Foreign Born

Foreign Born, meanwhile, are from L.A. but clearly were raised on classic KROQ and the influence of The Smiths, Echo & the Bunnymen, and House of Love was an undeniable presence on their 2007 debut, On the Wing Now, of which I was a fan. Their new album, Person to Person, still bears those influences but they've folded them in more delicately with their distinctly American sound so that it's more nuances than nods. (I do still hear a lot of House of Love in the guitars, though.) It's a really good album. They got a boost back in March when Ed Droste gushed about their new record on Grizzly Bear's blog:

I was pretty vocal about my love for their last album On the Wing Now, and this time around it's even better. I gotta say, something about the production of this album is really doing it for me. Crisper sounds, and Matt's voice sounds wonderful. This track "Vacationing People" is a lovely little pop gem, and it's not even scraping the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the album. I hope that you all enjoy the song and check these guys out.

You can download Foreign Born's "Vacationing People" and "Early Warnings" at the top of this post. If you are going, do try and go early and catch locals Jaguar Club who definitely fit well with the night's proceedings. Their debut, And We Wake Up Slowly, is out September 1 and is a nice distillation of various gloomy Brit-rock influences. They're young, still evolving, but worth checking out.

If you can't make Mercury Lounge tonight, both Foreign Born and the Veils are playing on Monday at The Bell House and you can get tickets here.

The Horse's Ha

Another good option tonight (7/30) is at Bruar Falls which has the first Hospitality show since late May, as their bassist pulls double-duty in White Rabbits who were on tour the last two months (and play Saturday at All Points West). I previously wrote in May: "Singer Amber Papini's delicate, airy voice matches so perfectly with her songwriting: jazzy pop that kind of reminds me of '60s chanteuse Claudine Longet or Austin's Yellow Fever. I've yet to see them live but I'm kinda in love with the songs." I've listened to their swoon-worthy CDR EP I don't know how many times since then and was quickly won over when I saw them live. Check out "Betty Wang" at the top of this post and see if you don't feel the same way. They've promised to play a whole bunch of new songs tonight, too.

Also on the Bruar Falls bill are Chicago's The Horse's Ha which is reason enough to go. Primarily a duo of James Elkington of The Zincs (kind of the Windy City's American Analog Set), and Janet Beveridge Bean who has spent time in the great '90s indie rock band Eleventh Dream Day as well as '00s folkies Freakwater. The Horse's Ha are their homage to late-'60s/early '70s Euro-hippy-folk like Fairport Convention and Pentangle, and their voices sound great together on their debut album, Of the Cathmawr Yards, which, like their name, is a Dylan Thomas reference. With a backing band of ace improv-jazz players (Fred Lonberg-Holm, Nick Macri, and Charles Rumback), this should be something. You can download their song "The Piss Choir" at the top of this post.

The Mekons

The Horse's Ha are also playing two more shows this weekend, both of which are opening slots for The Mekons who also call Chicago home these days: Friday at The Bell House and a sold-out show at Mercury Lounge on Saturday. What do you say about the Mekons these days beyond that they are probably the only band from the original punk/post-punk era to rival The Fall on longevity, relevance, line-up changes, and essential output -- the only constant being change. The band are working on their 27th album, recording in Wales, so expect some new tunes at these two gigs: the Bell House show being semi-acoustic, the Mercury Lounge being full electric. Anyone who's seen the Mekons before should know to be prepared for a marathon, booze-soaked performance with a crowd of die-hard hard fans who match the band shot-for-shot, pint-for-pint. It can be a bit much for the uninitiated (or casual fan) but worth the effort. They are legends.

Obits

It's a great double-bill at the Seaport Music Series on Friday: Polvo are in town fresh off their appearance at XX Merge, have just re-signed to the label who will put out In Prism, the band's first album in ten years. You can check out "Beggar's Bowl" from it at the top of this post and if it represents the rest of the album, it definitely sounds like the Polvo I remember: intricate guitar lines, rhythmically complex, shredding indie rock. And Obits have put out one of my favorite rock albums of the year: full of pedal-to-the-metal, cheap trucker's speed style jams. I've seen them twice already this year, and Rick Froberg hasn't lost any snarl. Two downloadable tracks off their I Blame You album at the top of this post.

A complete 180 from Obits are... Modern English. Yes that Modern English, whose classic '80s single "I Melt With You" has been used at least twice in commercials to sell various things with cheese on it over the last 10 years, will be performing at The Studio at Webster Hall on Friday CANCELLED. While that may be the only thing anyone remembers about them, the album that song came from, After the Snow, is actually a really solid platter of goth-tinged pop which, you may not remember, came out on 4AD (home of Cocteau Twins, This Mortal Coil and The Wolfgang Press). It also contains the absolutely brilliant single "Life in the Gladhouse," probably the best thing the band ever did. The two albums that surrounded it (1981's Mesh and Lace and 1984's Ricochet Days) aren't bad either. I have no idea who is in this version of the band -- certainly singer Robbie Grey, probably guitarist Matthew Shipley -- or whether they're any good, but Modern English were more than a one-hit flashback fave.

Blacklist

I wonder if the members of Blacklist wouldn't be watching Modern English if they weren't playing at Cameo on Friday (7/31). Surely they've got a copy of Mesh & Lace in their record collection somewhere. Blacklist's debut, Midnight of the Century, was released this week and would've sounded at home on 4AD or Beggars Banquet in 1984. They've worked out the best bits of '80s goth: killer pumping basslines, effects-drenched guitars, the just-melodramatic-enough singing, and giant anthemic choruses. If you ever liked Sisters of Mercy, The Bolshoi, Death Cult, Xmal Deutschland, you're gonna dig Blacklist. It's pastiche, but it's done to perfection. You can check out "Flight of the Demoiselles" at the top of this post.

The Cameo show also features Austin's loud-as-hell shoegazers Ringo Deathstar who are way better than their name might suggest. Might be a good way to prep your ears for the My Bloody Valentine aural assault that will happen at All Points West on Saturday (7/31).

Justin Ripley

This is a big column this week! And it's almost over. Seattle's Justin Ripley is also in town this weekend. You may remember The Pamonas, the band he had in Lawrence, KS a couple years ago. Since relocating to Seattle, he went on a songwriting binge and has released three downloadable albums this year so far. It's a lot of material, wildly ranging in styles and fidelity, but quality across the tracks is surprisingly high. Plus, he's got power pop at his core and I'm gonna guess that's what you can expect from this weekend's shows, especially with half of the awesome, raucous Rooftop Vigilantes as his backing band. He plays Glasslands on Friday (7/31, with Midnight Masses), the Alphabet Lounge on Saturday (8/1) and Monkeytown on Sunday (8/2).

And finally I would be remiss to not mention All Points West, which is at Liberty State Park this weekend as I'm sure BV readers are already aware. I think it's a better lineup overall than last year (no Jack Johnson) and Saturday and Sunday are both pretty strong, though I'd have to give a slight edge to Sunday, what with Echo & the Bunnymen, Elbow, MGMT, Slilversun Pickups, Mogwai and Lykke Li. (Also La Roux, who I'm curious as to what they're like live.) I am no fan of outdoor festivals, but I had fun last year and am looking forward to this weekend.

Tour Dates and videos after the jump....

Continue reading "The Veils, Foreign Born, Hospitality, Horse's Ha, Mekons, Polvo, Obits, Modern English, Blacklist, Jarvis, Justin Ripley, Ringo Deathstarr, APW & more in in This Week in Indie"

John Wesley Harding's Cabinet of Wonders (more by Lori Baily)

today in NYC
* DANCE
* Reggie Watts @ The Studio
* Let's Wrestle @ Maxwell's
* REM Tribute @ Carnegie Hall
* Hall & Oates @ Irving Plaza
* Alaska In Winter @ Glasslands
* Coltrane Motion @ Public Assembly
* Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek @ The Blue Note
* J-Live & Rabbi Darkside @ Mercury Lounge
* AIDS Wolf, Sightings, Fiasco & US Girls @ Death By Audio
* The Soundtrack of Our Lives, Violens & The Urges @ MHOW
* The Vandelles, Ringo Deathstarr & Black Swan Green @ Cake Shop
* John Wesley Harding's Cabinet of Wonders @ Le Poisson Rouge

Ringo Deathstarr are in town for two nights.

We announced our Wednesday day party @ SXSW.

Is the LiveFastDie show at Don Pedro's tonight still happening?

The video for Architecture in Helsinki's new single "That Beep", below...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Wednesday?"

Sebastien Grainger @ Mercury Lounge, CMJ (more by Gabi Porter)

today in NYC
* DANCE
* Dr. Dog @ Webster Hall
* Peasant @ Public Asembly
* Silver Apples @ The Kitchen
* Diego Garcia @ the Living Room
* Nellie McKay @ Le Poisson Rouge
* Rosie Thomas @ the Living Room
* Q-Tip & The Cool Kids @ Highline Ballroom
* El Guincho & Lemonade @ (le) poisson rouge
* Stellastarr*, The Picture, & Princeton @ Pianos
* Sebastien Grainger & The Mountains @ Union Hall
* Felice Brothers, Bruce Hornsby, Dar Williams & James Hunter @ the Concert Hall

Alex Gomez RIP. If you don't know himn, you might remember him from Southpaw and other Brooklyn bars where he worked.

Diego Garcia of Elefant has a Tuesdays-in-December residency at the Living Room starting tonight. Stellastarr* kick off their five-night run at Pianos.

Upcoming shows at the Apollo Theater include Chrisette Michele on December 5th and Tony Bennett on the 16th.

Rosie Thomas also plays a holidy show at The Bell House tomorrow.

The Blip Festival is at The Bell House this weekend.

Cursive are playing some shows in January.

King Khan & BBQ play the WIRED store Wednesay.

Happy Birthday Britney Spears! Her new album is out today, and she's going on tour in 2009. NYC-area shows are at Nassau Coliseum on March 11th, and Prudential Center on the 13th. Both shows are with Pussycat Dolls.

Britney shares a birthday with Treach of Naughty By Nature.

The band Ringo Deathstarr performed at Cake Shop in September. Check out two videos from that show below...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Tuesday? "

Wye Oak

In the short time Bill has been here, many bands have been featured in his Week In Indie column on BrooklynVegan. At least 19 of those bands are playing shows for, and during, CMJ in NYC this week. Each of those bands is listed below with links back to what Bill said about them...

Continue reading "'Week in Indie" bands playing CMJ this week "

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Army Navy - Saints (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Army Navy - My Thin Sides (MP3)

Army Navy

Not the most action-packed week of shows, at least as far as I'm concerned, but there's always a few worthwhile things to check out. In town this week are LA-via-Seattle band Army Navy, playing shows tonight (9/2) at Mercury Lounge and Thursday (9/4) at Union Pool. These guys mostly mine various eras of Scottish jangle, from the brittle, manic sounds of early-80s Postcard Records (Orange Juice, Joseph K) to the harmony-laden sounds of Teenage Fanclub and Cosmic Rough Riders. This is super-catchy stuff -- their self titled debut (due Oct 14) has spent a lot of time on my stereo this past week. You can download two tunes from the album at the top of this post -- they're both really good.

It was only after listening to -- and liking -- the album did I find out some interesting factoids about the band: Frontman Justin Kennedy spent his Seattle youth in Pinwheel, the "shitty punk band" that also featured Ben Gibbard; When their drummer left to pursue a screenwriting career (he's penning the Peter Berg-directed Dune redux, due in 2010), Attractions drummer Pete Thomas filled in on the stool for the album's recording sessions; and they're featured on the soundtrack to the music-obsessed comedy Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist which you might've seen a thousand commercials for already. And they're playing this week.

Ringo Deathstarr

In competition with Army Navy on Thursday are Austinites Ringo Deathstarr (not to be confused with Atlanta's Gringo Starr), and also draw influence from Scottish indie rock. But in this case it's The Jesus and Mary Chain (circa "Sidewalking") and My Bloody Valentine. We're talking striped-tees-and-sunglasses shoegaze. Are they doing something new? Maybe not. But do they do it well? Definitely. Their show at Cake Shop is their only NYC show so if you're a dreampop fan, this might be a good holdover till MBV for real.

Liam Finn

I'm not sure there's a whole lot else going on this week that hasn't already been mentioned multiple times. Liam Finn plays Bowery on Thursday and if you've never seen him before I can't recommend it much higher. He's certainly not the only performer to do the loop pedal one-man-band thing, but few do it as well or with better songs. Just wait till he gets on the drums. His album from last year, I'll Be Lightning, is fantastic. Also playing that show (and the rest of of Finn's US 2008 dates) are The Veils whose first record I liked a lot more than their most recent one but frontman Finn Andrews (who, like Liam Finn, has a notable dad, XTC/Shreikback's Barry Andrews) is also an engaging live performer.

And then there's the three free music festivals on Saturday, though it's really hard to compete with the East Village Radio Festival's killer line-up but that's just me.

All tour dates below...

Continue reading "Army Navy, Ringo Deathstarr, Liam Finn & The Veils. ....................... it's This Week in Indie"