by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Rooftop Vigilantes - Seth No Jump (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Rooftop Vigilantes - Kitty Vacant (MP3)

Rooftop Vigilantes @ Scion Garage Fest (more by Taylor Keahy)

Lawrence, Kansas' excellent, farfisa-rockin' Rooftop Vigilantes are here this week for CMJ, playing three shows: Cake Shop on Friday (10/22); early Saturday night (10/23 7:50PM) at Bruar Falls for the all-day Cape Shop party,  and then later that night at Cake Shop (12:20 AM) for the Daed Pizza showcase.

These will be the first shows Rooftop Vigilantes have played in NYC this year, as their planned March tour never quite made it out of the gate. If you've never heard them before, check out the two MP3s at the top of this post. Here's what I've said about them in the past:

These guys are up there with BOAT in in the shambly, anthemic, super-catchy school of indie rock -- and if this sounds a little tighter, more pointed than anything on their debut, there's a reason. The band trekked to Baltimore, MD to record the album with Jawbox/Burning Airlines' J. Robbins behind the boards, which seems like a perfect match with Rooftop Vigilantes' sound which has been described in the past as "a very drunk Fugazi."

No word on when that record is coming out, but it is in the can and waiting to be heard. They are seriously great live, so do catch them if you can. The band recently played the Scion Garage Fest in their hometown, and a couple videos from that are below, along with some show flyers and all 2010 tour dates...

Continue reading "Rooftop Vigilantes on tour (CMJ dates + Garage Fest videos) "

The Greenhornes 2007

After detours in The Raconteurs and The Dead Weather among other projects, The Greenhornes are back at it and will release their first LP of new material in eight years via Jack White's Third Man imprint. The record, entitled Four Stars, will be proceeded by select east coast dates that will include Mercury Lounge on 9/3 (free with RSVP) and Maxwell's on 9/4 with The Black Hollies (tickets) leading up to their appearance at ATP NY on 9/5 ("full" lineup).

A month later (on 10/2), The Greenhornes are confirmed for Scion Garage Fest 2010 in Lawrence, Kansas alongside a plethora of killer notables including The Oblivians (who recently played Knit), The Gories (who just played Bowery and toured with Oblivians), The Raveonettes (who are playing Bumbershoot), King Khan & The Shrines (who are playing Santos and Bell House), Best Coast (who just played the Seaport and like weed), Tyvek, Thee Oh Sees, Hunx & His Punx, and a ton of others.

Much like Scion Rock Fest, the show will take place across four venues and is FREE, but RSVP is required. Full lineup is below.

Some videos and the full Scion lineup & flyer is below...

Continue reading "The Greenhornes playing shows - ATP, a free one @ Mercury & Scion Garage Fest (full lineup - Oblivians, Gories, more) "

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Baby Birds Don't Drink Milk - I'm Not a Nintendo (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Bandit Teeth - Encouragement (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Wetdog - Lower Leg (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Rondelles - Please Shut Up (MP3)

Unrest @ The Bell House

Doing anything besides swimming or laying in front of a powerful A/C unit hasn't been appealing this week, let alone going into some club or DIY venue with poor ventilation, but temperatures are dropping and there are a lot of fun things to do this weekend, so it's time to buck up, camper, and go see some rock.

As you may have previously read, tonight is the first show at new Park Slope club The Rock Shop. Curiosity is enough to get me there but for those who didn't get tickets to the TeenBeat 26th Anniversary show tomorrow can see The Rondelles play tonight for free. If you liked Elastica or Veruca Salt or fellow TeenBeat band Tuscadero, you should definitely clear some time to check out The Rondelles who sit nicely amongst their '90s peers. Broken up for nearly a decade, this might be your only chance to see them again (apart from tomorrow night). Also playing are The Love Loves. Did I mention it's free? The Rock Shop is supposed to have a very nice rooftop deck as well.

Tuscadero @ The Bell House

While I'm on the subject, I went to the first of the TeenBeat 26th Anniversary shows at the Bell House this past Monday (7/5) and it was a good time. Unrest were a little rusty at first but the muscle memory kicked in around "Makeout Club" and the crowd got into it, and the parade of classics ("Isabelle," "Cherry Cream On," "Cath Carrol") undeniable. But I'm pretty certain Tuscadero stole the night, with a lot of fans there just for them, psyched to hear "Dime a Dozen," "Dr. Doom" and others. Too bad they're not also on the bill for Friday's sold-out show. They've still got it.

True Love Always, who I'd never seen before, were good too. There's video at the bottom of this post from Monday's show. Must add that the merch table is pretty sweet too. I picked up a reissue of Unrest's Imperial F.f.r.r. on clear vinyl for only $10, and got a new version of an old Unrest t-shirt I used to own back in the day.

--

We've got two bands from Lawrence, KS in town -- Bandit Teeth and Baby Birds Don't Drink Milk -- playing three shows together: Friday night (7/9) at Cake Shop, a free show Saturday (7/10) afternoon at Union Pool and then Saturday night at Death By Audio. Both bands are worth checking out.

Bandit Teeth

Bandit Teeth got their start in the late '90s but went on hiatus while singer Brad Shanks moved to NYC with his sister Courtney when their band Blood on the Wall took off. Brad moved back to Kansas a few years ago and reactivated Bandit Teeth with Zach Campbell of Rooftop Vigilantes. They're sort of sloppy, snotty and nasally -- not unlike the Jacuzzi Boys -- and you can check out "Encouragement" at the top of this post.

BBDDM

Baby Birds Don't Drink Milk features another Rooftop Vigilante, Oscar Allen, and put out records and cassettes at an alarming rate. Their hazy miasma of sound falls within the Altered Zones demographic but there is poppy song structures under the hiss and reverb. You can check out one of their more straightforward recordings, "I'm Not a Nintendo," at the top of this post.

Friday's Cake Shop show also has Blissed Out and Ana Lola Roman on the bill; the free day Saturday day show at Union Pool also features Violent Bullshit.

Rooftop Vigilantes new album, Real Pony Glue, is due out hopefully before the end of the year. Closer on the horizon is a 7" single that should hit shops in late August or September.

Wetdog

UK band Wetdog are gracing us with another visit, playing Monster Island Basement Friday (7/9) with fellow Captured Tracks band MINKS (who I profiled last week), plus YellowFever (who are out of jail!), and Larkin Grimm. I caught Wetdog back in April at Glasslands and they are definitely worth seeing, definitely within that 1979 postpunk milleiu without sounding exactly like any band of that era. The drummer's minimalist playing style, one leg propped on top of the kick, was something else. The band are playing a few East Coast shows, and all tour dates are at the bottom of this post.

And some day-by-day picks

THURSDAY, JULY 8 (TONIGHT)

In addition to tomorrow night's show, YellowFever are also playing Cake Shop tonight with Dream Diary (who have gotten really good), The Numerators,  and Pterodactyl. Has anyone been to Cake Shop this week? Wondering if they've got their A/C working.

Ann Arbor, MI's Secret Twins and Bad Indians spice up a Death By Audio bill that includes local TWII faves My Teenage Stride and Knight School.

continued below...

Continue reading "Unrest, Tuscadero, Bandit Teeth, Baby Birds Don't Drink Milk, Wetdog & more in This Week in Indie "

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: The Crayon Fields - All the Pleasures of the World (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Rooftop Vigilantes - Seth No Jump (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: You Say Party We Say Die - Laura Palmer's Prom (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Love Is All - Kungen (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Wave Pictures - Come on Daniel (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Oh No Ono - Internet Warrior (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Oh No Ono - Helplessly Young (MP3)

A Sunny Day in Glasgow @ BV/Anso 3/18 day party in Austin (by Tim Griffin)

I'm still somewhat recovering from SXSW, so while I am taking it easy, catching up on my DVR queue, hopefully you're all taking advantage of all the out-of-town bands who're blowing through New York after their visits to Austin -- there's no shortage of them this week.

Firstly, I've got a pair of tickets to give away to see A Sunny Day in Glasgow and Mahogany at the Bell House this Monday (3/29). Just email BVCONTESTS@HOTMAIL.COM with "A Sunny Day in Glasgow" as the subject and we'll pick a winner at random. It's a double dose of neo-shoegaze goodness. ASDIG have been touring constantly since last fall and have a new-ish EP, Nitetime Rainbows, as well as last year's great Ashes Grammar. Mahogany, meanwhile, are finally getting around to following up 2006's masterful Connectivity!, promising a new EP, single and album all this year. Hopefully we'll get a taste of the new songs on Monday. Also on the bill: Brooklyn's Pacific Theater.

Crayon Fields

While on the subject of the Bell House, tonight's (3/25) the big Aussie BBQ with 12 bands from Sydney, Melbourne and other cities I can't name off the top of my head: The Crayon Fields, The Chevelles, Love of Diagrams, Pets with Pets, Paul Dempsey, Sherlock's Daughter, Children Collide, Oh Mercy, City Riots,Beaches, Bliss N Eso, and The Goons of Doom.

The Crayon Fields are also playing Pianos on Friday (3/26). I saw them at Bruar Falls earlier in the week and thought they were fantastic, and can really pull off the lush, late '60s baroque pop sound of their new album, All the Pleasures of the World, in the live setting with an ace cover of Fred Neil's "Everybody's Talking" thrown in for good measure. Go see them. They're also selling vinyl of the new album for only ten bucks. Video from the Bruar Falls show is at the bottom of this post.

Rooftop Vigilantes

Before I get into more SXSW stragglers, I do need to remind you (and myself) that Lawrence Kansas' awesome Rooftop Vigilantes are in town. They played Shea Stadium last night and are at Cake Shop Friday (3/26) and are playing somewhere in the area on Saturday too, still seemingly TBA.

UPDATE: Due to unforeseen circumstances, Rooftop Vigilantes have headed back to Kansas. No NYC shows Friday or Saturday unfortunately.

We'll let you know when that's figured out. Here's what I wrote last month:

These guys are up there with BOAT in in the shambly, anthemic, super-catchy school of indie rock -- and if this sounds a little tighter, more pointed than anything on their debut, there's a reason. The band trekked to Baltimore, MD to record the album with Jawbox/Burning Airlines' J. Robbins behind the boards, which seems like a perfect match with Rooftop Vigilantes' sound which has been described in the past as "a very drunk Fugazi."

To get a better idea of what Rooftop Vigilantes do, check out new track "Seth No Jump" from the J. Robbins sessions above. And they are seriously fun live. The Cake Shop show, brought to you by in-house labels Cape Shok and Daed Pizza, is with Philly's excellent duo Reading Rainbow, Mississippi's Flight and The Ansazis. This is a good show.

You Say Party We Say Die @ SXSW 2010 (More by Dominick Mastrangelo)

Vancouver's You Say Party! We Say Die! are in town for two shows, playing Knitting Factory tomorrow (3/26)  and Pianos on Monday (3/29). Their latest album, XXXX, just came out in the States and is a pretty catchy slab of new wave synth rock, high on melodrama and chunky hooks. Check out "Laura Palmer's Prom" at the top of this post and the video for "There is XXXX (Within My Heart)" further down. I caught them last November at M for Montreal and was pretty impressed. Dominick also just caught them at SXSW.

Love is All

Love is All are are back with a swell new album, Two Thousand and Ten Injuries, that finds the band stretching their creative wings a bit, going out of their manic pop safety zone for their most varied record yet. There's still plenty of the shouty "bah bah bah" choruses you've come to expect. (The albumjust scored an 8.0 on Pitchfork.) Anyone that's seen them know that Love is All are one of the best times you're gonna have at a live show this side of Think About Life. Which you can see for yourself, as Love is All play Maxwell's on Saturday (3/27 with Crystal Stilts and Beachniks) and Knitting Factory on Sunday (3/28 with Beach Fossils and The Beets).

And just wondering, did anyone go see Love is All's saxophonist James Ausfahrt play Bruar Falls last night? Totally forgot it was happening.

The Wave Pictures @ Knitting Factory pre-SXSW (more by Chris La Putt)

Sunday night (3/28) The Wave Pictures are playing Mercury Lounge (tickets). Maybe you saw them last week at our pre-SXSW party at Knitting Factory (or at our Friday day party at Club DeVille)? If so you know how great they are. I wrote of that performance:

Next up were the Wave Pictures who I'm pretty sure charmed everyone in the room. Singer David Tattersal, in addition to being a hell of a songwriter and pretty fierce guitarist, is a very funny guy. His between-song stories were just as entertaining and the music. At one point he accidentally unplugged his guitar mid-solo, but he hilariously covered the gaff made for one of the more memorable moments of the evening.

Definitely go see them if you haven't yet, and look out for their double-pack CD of their last two UK albums, which will be their first-ever U.S. release, out April 27. There's video from one of their SXSW shows at the bottom of this post.

Oh No Ono recording a Daytrotter Session (On No Ono)

A few more SXSW stragglers of note. Oh No Ono, who played Mercury Lounge last night, open for VV Brown and Little Dragon tonight at Music Hall of Williamsburg. That's a pretty solid bill of foreign buzz bands. Sold out, but if you're going do get their early for Oh No Ono -- you've  never seen anything quite like Oh No Ono. Unless you've seen them before, of course.

New Zealand's Surf City channel the ghosts of Flying Nun past, play Mercury Lounge on Friday (3/26) (and Maxwell's tonight - 3/25). I wasn't exactly blown away by their live show when they played during CMJ, but I really like their records. Maybe they've spent the last six month practicing.

That's it for this week. Videos and tour dates are below.

Continue reading "Rooftop Vigilantes, Aussie BBQ, post-SXSW, Crayon Fields, Oh No Ono, Love is All, YSPWSD & more in This Week in Indie"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Rooftop Vigilantes - Seth No Jump (MP3)

Rooftop Vigilantes @ Cake Shop - Feb 2009

It's been a year since Rooftop Vigilantes last played New York. In the interim, the Lawrence, KS four-piece have wrapped up their second album, Real Pony Glue, and you can download the first released track from that, "Seth No Jump," at the top of this post. These guys are up there with BOAT in in the shambly, anthemic, super-catchy school of indie rock -- and if this sounds a little tighter, more pointed than anything on their debut, there's a reason. The band trekked to Baltimore, MD to record the album with Jawbox/Burning Airlines' J. Robbins behind the boards, which seems like a perfect match with Rooftop Vigilantes' sound which has been described in the past as "a very drunk Fugazi." Says guitarist Zach Campbell:

"I've never really recorded in a situation like that -- it's usually either at my house or at a friends studio on the cheap, etc. We got the chance to go and do it for real, it was rad. It also came with its hangups. We didn't really know anyone in Baltimore, and we all ran out of money so we ended up having to sleep on couches in J's studio, and not shower the whole time after the first night. He was very nice about it, but I'm sure he thought we were all very smelly people."

It's still undetermined who's going to put out the new record, and when it's coming out, but Rooftop Vigilantes will be back in NYC next month for a few shows: Shea Stadium on 3/24 and Cake Shop on March 26 with another show on 3/27 TBD. The band are still putting together an extensive U.S. tour but all March tour dates so far are below (plus some video from Cake Shop last year)...

Continue reading "new Rooftop Vigilantes MP3 & tour dates"

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"

Sharon Jones @ the Beacon Theater last year (more)

today in NYC
* DANCE
* Fashion Week
* Easy Action @ Rehab
* Lemonade @ the Shank
* French Kicks @ Maxwell's
* Paul Simon @ Beacon Theater
* some of Justice @ Webster Hall
* Lexie Mountain Boys @ The Stone
* Diamond Life @ Highline Ballroom
* Grouper & High Places @ the New Museum
* Craig Wedren & ACME @ Le Poisson Rouge
* Motel Motel & Holly Miranda @ Southpaw
* These Are Powers @ Secret Project Robot
* Rufus Wainwright @ the Wellmont Theater
* Clap Your Hands Say Yeah & Chairlift @ BAM
* Heloise & The Savoir Faire & Lights @Le Poisson Rouge
* Deer Tick, Thaliz Zadek & The Weight @ Bowery Ballroom
* Mike Bones, Endless Boogie & Rooftop Vigilantes @ 92YTribeca
* Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings & Menahan Street Band @ Nokia Theater
* Michna (with Raw Paw), Woodhands & Red Wire Black Wire @ the Studio

Rooftop Vigilantes played Cake Shop last night. Videos from that performance below...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Friday (the 13th)?"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Woodhands - Can't See Straight (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Woodhands - Electric Avenue (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Rooftop Vigilantes - Drew Want Dino (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Rooftop Vigilantes - Copper is Free (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: caUSE co-MOTION - This Just Won't Last (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Right on Dynamite - Mantra for the Madness (MP3)

Woodhands

Toronto dance-rock duo Woodhands are back in NYC this week for the first time since playing last summer with Crystal Castles at Studio B. I caught them when I attended M for Montreal back in November and they were really fun live, putting on a sweaty, two-man disco party. Singer Dan Werb rocks a keytar as unironically as one can, and drummer Paul Banwatt is a human drum machine. They also, when I saw them, brought their own laser light show which I certainly hope comes with them this week when they play Death By Audio on Thursday (2/12) and The Studio at Webster Hall on Friday (1/13). For some reason I find the idea of lasers at Death By Audio hilarious and awesome. Hopefully they'll also do their cover of Eddie Grant's '80s classic "Electric Avenue" which you can download above.

Rooftop Vigilantes

This week is not as action-packed as last, but there are some other notable shows happening. Lawrence, Kansas' Rooftop Vigilantes highlight a very solid bill at Cake Shop on Thursday night (2/12). Their label describes them as "a very drunk Fugazi" which kind of works but they are poppier than that and actually remind me of semi-obscure San Francisco band Oranger. (Comparisons to The Replacements aren't unwarranted either.) Loose and wild, but with solid pop songs holding them up, their debut Carrot Atlas blazes through 16 songs in under half an hour and you can tell by the recordings that they'll be a lot of fun live. (Lawrence.com has a bunch of MP3s to download and an interview with the band.) Rooftop Vigilantes also play 92YTribeca on Friday (2/13) with Endless Boogie and Mike Bones. More Rooftop Vigilantes dates at the end of this post.

Also on that Cake Shop bill: caUSE co-MOTION, who just played with The Pains of Being Pure at Heart this past Saturday; Right on Dynamite who I've written about before; Beachniks which sometimes includes JB of Crystal Stilts but they are on a European tour as we speak so I don't think he'll be there; and Mr. Falcon who I know absolutely nothing about but the two songs on their MySpace are both really good.

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And finally, tonight (2/10), Patrick Bower and Joe & the Flying Spoons are playing a free show at Zebulon. Bower's band has grown to include Doug from Dirty on Purpose and Steven Mertens of Spacecamp; meanwhile, Joe of Flying Spoons was in Dirty on Purpose and also features Chris of Spacecamp (and Patrick Bower's other band, World Without Magic). It's more than a little incestuous in the Williamsburg music scene. Both bands are vaguely country-ish, with Bowery leaning more towards lush, beardy folk, and the Flying Spoons more upbeat and feature a chorus of lovely ladies. Worth checking out.

Tour dates and videos after the jump...

Continue reading "Woodhands, Rooftop Vigilantes, Joe & the Flying Spoons & more in This Week In Indie"