The Weakerthans' upcoming tour dates have been updated with openers and additional shows. Those plans include a West Coast run in July and an East Coast second leg in September. Jason Collett of Broken Social Scene opens for the band in July, with Rock Plaza Central (who have a new album out) and Tomte opening the band's September dates. The latter include the Weakerthans' NYC dates on September 17th and 18th, when they play the Music Hall of Williamsburg and Bowery Ballroom, respectively. Tickets for those are on sale.

An acoustic session and interview with Weakerthans' John K. Samson (whose great lyrics have been repped by Craig Finn and others), with all tour dates, below...

Continue reading "The Weakerthans - updated tour dates & openers (Jason Collett in the West, NYC w/ Rock Plaza Central & Tomte)"

DOWNLOAD: Rock Plaza Central - Handsome Men (MP3)

Rock Plaza Central's sophomore album, At the Moment of Our Most Needing is my favorite disc of this week's meager release list.

Tiny Masters of Today's Skeletons and The Builders and the Butchers' Salvation Is a Deep Dark Well are two other releases I have heard and can recommend.

Two worthwhile albums are out on vinyl ahead of their CD releases, Patterson Hood's Murdering Oscar (And Other Love Songs) and Those Darlins' self-titled debut.

Vinyl reissues are the highlights of this week's music release week, with Big Star's #1 Record/Radio City along with several releases by both Roxy Music and the Beach Boys available, as well as the Red House Painters' Songs for a Blue Guitar

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

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

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: The Drums - I Felt Stupid (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Drums - Instruct Me (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Pelle Carlberg - Clever Girls Like Clever Boys More Than Clever Boys Like Clever Girls (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Pelle Carlberg - I Love You, You Imbecile (feat. Ida Maria) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Pelle Carlberg - 1983 (Pelle & Sebastian) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Pelle Carlberg - 51,3 (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: I Was a King - Norman Bleik (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Rural Alberta Advantage - Don't Haunt This Place (MP3)

Those Dancing Days @ Spaceland in LA - 05/23/09 (Clap Your Mirror Say Yeah)

Those Dancing Days were in town this week and the Scandinavian invasion continues through the weekend. Stockholm resident Pelle Carlberg, fresh from playing San Francisco's Popfest, is here on Saturday (5/30) at Union Hall (tix). While his new album, The Lilac Time, isn't quite as strong as 2007's In a Nutshell, he's a great performer and wouldn't miss him for the world. If you like Belle & Sebastian type pop (even he acknowledges he sounds a bit like them, see the MP3 at the top of this post), funny stories, and suitcases used as drums, you shouldn't miss it either.

The other reason not to miss it is the second-ever show by NYC Popfest breakout stars The Drums. For a band who claimed to have had their first practice a mere two hours before the show, The Drums seemed to have it pretty together at Popfest, with a full band and backup singers. Their MySpace lists gloomy Manchester post punk as reference points - the main influence to me seems to be the beach. As in where the surf meets the sand. The music's a little twangy, with the most whistling heard since "Young Folks," and song titles include "The Saddest Summer," "Down by the Water" and "Let's Go Surfing." Perfect for Watusi-ing. They're a lot of fun. And they've got a June residency at the Annex and will be playing the Northside Festival if you can't make the show on Saturday.

The Rural Alberta Advantage

Also Saturday night, over at Mercury Lounge, are Norway's I Was a King playing their second of three NYC shows. Their first is earlier that day at Generation Records. I have friends who saw them in Chicago and said they were great so I'm really looking forward to catching them. As I wrote previously, if you like Teenage Fanclub-y, harmony-and-feedback style pop, definitely go see them. They also play Union Hall on Sunday (5/31).

The Saturday show (which is an early one) is with Canadian trio The Rural Alberta Advantage, who also headline tonight (5/29) at The Bell House. The band won over crowds at SXSW, including at least one Pitchfork writer:

The percussive, stripped down indie-folk trio plays acoustic everything, but there's nothing quiet about them. Frontman Nils Edenloff sings in a strained yelp and plays his guitar like he's mad at it. This is the kind of band you imagine would do just fine unplugged. And at the end of their set, they did just that, walking to the center of the room and making their voices do all the work...

Edenloff held everything together, but multi-instrumentalist Amy Cole did more to make this band fun to watch. She's a totally winning stage presence, grinning huge and clapping along when she didn't have anything to play. And her xylophone dings and backing vocals added warmth and stillness to the driving songs. Every one of those songs, according to Edenloff, concerns the Canadian province that gave the band their name. And every one of those songs just goes for it, in a racing-toward-the-sun kind of way. This band could be huge.

And if you need more earnest Canadians, Rock Plaza Central are in town, at Cake Shop on Monday (6/1) and the Bell House on Tuesday (6/2).

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A few short bits:

Two great alt-rock icons are in town: X are at Bowery Ballroom all weekend (playing what you asked them to play). Tonight (5/29) and Saturday are sold out, as is but there are still tickets for Sunday's show. And former Husker Du drummer/singer Grant Hart will play Cake Shop tonight (5/29) and the Bell House on Monday (6/1).

Au Revoir Simone kick of their summer tour tonight at Music Hall of Williamsburg. If you haven't heard their new, critically-acclaimed album Still Night, Still Light (which I still have to look up to make sure I'm getting the title correct), it really is very good. Also on the bill and on the tour is The Antlers.

Did you get tickets for Art Brut Week? At this point, everything except the Monday (6/1) show is sold out and it's likely to go soon. If you haven't heard Art Brut Vs. Satan, maybe it's time rediscover the brilliance of Eddie Argos.

Select tour dates and videos after the jump...

Continue reading "Pelle Carlberg, X, The Rural Alberta Advantage, The Drums, Au Revoir Simone & more in This Week In Indie"

DOWNLOAD: Rock Plaza Central - my children, be joyful (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Rock Plaza Central - when we go, how we go, part 2 (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Suckers - It Gets Your Body Movin' (MP3)

Rock Plaza Central

Toronto's Rock Plaza Central is touring North America this May and June in support of its forthcoming, extravagantly titled disc, At The Moment Of Our Most Needing, Or If Only They Could Turn Around, They Would Know They Weren't Alone, due June 16th on Paper Bag Records.

That tour comes to NYC for two day of shows. They play Monday, June 1st at the Cake Shop with Josh Reichmann, Bird Of Youth and Mean Creek opening. Then, the group visits the Bell House on Tuesday, June 2nd for a show with Suckers and Josh Reichmann. Tickets for the Bell House show are on sale.

BTW, speaking of the Bell House. Tickets are now also on sale for the Veils/Foreign Born show happening there on August 3rd.

Suckers have a busy summer planned. That includes playing five shows with Rock Plaza Central, opening for MGMT at Prospect Park on July 1st and a July Pianos residency. Updated tour dates, along with their new video, and a live one, below.

Rock Plaza Central's new disc is the follow-up to 2006's Are We Not Horses?. Two MP3's from that previous album are posted above. The announced dates are only the first leg of the band's summer tour. All dates, album art and track list, also below...

Continue reading "Rock Plaza Central & Suckers - tour dates, new album, MP3s"

by BrooklynVegan Mike

Day 1, Day 2....

The Go! Team @ Osheaga (Doùdoù)

It is an open secret that the Osheaga festival is on shaky ground. It is rumored that the festival lost money the last two years. This year was make or break. When I spoke with somebody connected with the festival, he commented that they really only need one big day to turn it around and come back next year. With a combination of big names (Jack Johnson, Broken Social Scene, The Weakerthans) and a string of artists with a rep for killer live performances (MGMT, The Go! Team, Gogol Bordello), Osheaga organizers seemingly set Day 2 (Monday August 4) as that day....

Continue reading "Osheaga 2008 - day 2 (a review with pics)"

DOWNLOAD: Plants & Animals - Faerie Dance (MP3)

Plants & Animals @ SXSW 2008

Plants & Animals are back in NYC from Canada, and so are Rock Plaza Central. TONIGHT (May 16, 2008) Plants & Animals are playing at Mercury Lounge at 9pm and Rock Plaza Central is playing that benefit with the Mountain Goats. TOMORROW (May 17, 2008) both bands are playing together at Union Hall in Brooklyn. Tickets are still available. Check out our interview with Plants & Animals. All tour dates below....

Continue reading "Plants & Animals, Rock Plaza Central - 2008 Tour Dates (tonight, tomorrow, Mercury, Masonic, Union Hall...)"

Dave Hill @ Pianos in February (more by Elizabeth Weinberg)

Supersnack's Big Third Ball: An Evening of Music, Hilarity and Hitting AIDS Where It Hurts" featuring (A BENEFIT FOR AIDS WALK NY) Featuring: The Mountain Goats, John Oliver (The Daily Show), Rock Plaza Central, Dave Hill (MTV, VH1) & more! / Presented by Redhook Ale Brewery and Goose Island Brewery.

Friday, May 16, 2008 8:00 PM EDT (7:30 PM Doors)
at Brooklyn Masonic Temple

100% of proceeds go to benefit AIDS WALK NY

PREVIOUSLY: Mountain Goats - cancel Australia. add a Brooklyn benefit