by Bill Pearis

Allo Darlin' at Mercury Lounge, May 2012 (more by Dominick Mastrangello)

Allo Darlin' will release a Christmas 7" on December 7 via fine UK indiepop label Where It's At Is Where You Are. The three-track release is the final release of the label's 2012 7777777 singles club, which offered "seven 7 inch singles; 21 exclusive tracks on 14 grooves by 7 bands, on the 7th day the month, incorporating the 7 days of the week, on vinyl the 7 colours of the rainbow in limited editions of 777." Got that? You can still order the single though there aren't many left. You can stream one of the tracks, "Dear John," below.

Meanwhile, Allo Darlin' second album, Europe, came in at #4 on Rough Trade Shops' Best of 2012 list and was, in fact, the store's best-seller for this year. In celebration of that, the UK record store (which will have a Brooklyn branch sometime soon?) is offering an exclusive 10" covers EP which came out this week. On it, Allo Darlin' cover AC/DC, The Ramones, Bruce Springsteen, Eux Autres, The Go-Betweens and Darren Hayman.

Allo Darlin, who were last here in May, have a few shows remaining in 2012, none of which are in North America but all dates are listed below.

Continue reading "Allo Darlin' releasing Christmas single, covers EP (stream)"

Rough Trade Shop is always one of the first to list their top albums of the year, and their list is always a good one to look at. This year is no different. Check out their Top 10 list, below...

Continue reading "Rough Trade's Top 10 Albums of 2012"

THIS:

Rough Trade Retail Group (RTRG) proudly announces the forthcoming opening of Rough Trade NYC, Williamsburg, New York, USA.

Due to open in Autumn this year, Rough Trade NYC will offer a large saturnalia for music lovers of all ages (even larger than multi-award winning Rough Trade East, London, UK).

In addition to being a place to discover, browse, debate and purchase the finest recorded music, Rough Trade NYC will partner with The Bowery Presents to feature a live performance area for in-store gigs, as well as operating at night as an intimate live music venue. The Bowery Presents has a strong history of operating first class concert venues including the Music Hall of Williamsburg located in the same neighborhood as Rough Trade NYC.

Rough Trade NYC will pay particular attention to its transatlantic dynamic by linking-up with Rough Trade's London stores, encouraging customers (and artists) in each country to interact across the ocean.

"At long last, we can finally confirm the next bold step in our evolution" says Rough Trade's co-owner, Stephen Godfroy. "We're extremely excited at the prospect of handing over the 'blank canvas', that is a Rough Trade store, to the music lovers of New York, allowing them make it their own culture agora, just as the people of London have so successfully achieved, with downturn-defying results."

"The Bowery Presents has always maintained a commitment to developing artists at the inception of their career, with Rough Trade NYC we have that opportunity in an exciting neighborhood and we are excited about the retail store and venue combination concept" says John Moore, partner, The Bowery Presents.

Rough Trade NYC also heralds the forthcoming arrival of a US version of the new, soon to launch, roughtrade.com online store, which will offer MP3 downloads alongside CD and vinyl, complete with subscription services.

Further exciting details will be announced in the months to come.

Josh T Pearson @ BV-SXSW 2011 (more by Amanda Hatfield)

Check out Rough Trade's list of the Top 100 Albums of 2011 (yay Josh T Pearson!), below...

Continue reading "Rough Trade's Top 100 albums of 2011 "

I guess it's getting to be that time of year... Rough Trade Shop's Best of 2010 list is below (though note that Rough Trade Records is owned by Beggars now, and there may still be some connection to Rough Trade Shops too, so though the list is pretty kick ass, it is potentially biased... for instance Gil Scott-Heron's record which is #2 on the list came out on XL Recordings which is also part of Beggars... not that i doubt they mean it... and it would be impossible to have a list without Beggars releases on it... anyway, check it out)....UPDATE:

"Just for the sake of clarity- rough trade shop is totally separate from the label, which is, as you pointed out, is owned by beggars banquet. the shops were sold to staff when that happened." [says anon | November 16, 2010 5:00 PM]

...list below...

Continue reading "Rough Trade Shops lists the 100 Best Albums of 2010 "

DOWNLOAD: Dylan LeBlanc - If Time Was For Wasting (MP3)

Louisianan Dylan Leblanc is one of the most recent acquisitions for Rough Trade, who'll be putting out the Ryan Adams-esque twangy songwriter's debut LP, Pauper's Field, on August 24th.

Dylan played City Winery last night with Calexico, and Pianos with Pronto & Todd Barry the night before that. People keep mentioning how good he was. And he still has three more NYC shows to go. He plays tonight (July 20th) for free at Other Music, Wednesday at Joe's Pub (tickets), and Friday, July 23rd at Maxwell's with Dawes... which we have a pair of free tickets to give away (you can also buy some). Contest details below.

The Joe's Pub gig is before the DM Stith/Inlets show at the venue.

Dylan's video for "If Time Was For Wasting", the contest, and tour dates (just those NYC gigs) are below...

Continue reading "Dylan LeBlanc is here - MP3 from Rough Trade LP, video & dates (including Other Music tonight, Maxwell's w/ Dawes)"

by Andrew Frisicano

DOWNLOAD: Pantha du Prince - Welt Am Draht (Animal Collective Remix) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Pantha du Prince - "Stick To My Side" (feat. Panda Bear) (Four Tet remix) (MP3)

Pantha du Prince...

German electronic music maven Pantha du Prince (Hendrick Weber) will be playing his first US shows in three years starting tonight, June 15th, in Washington DC. He visits NYC for a live set at Santos Party House on Thursday, June 17th. Also at that will be Fixed residents JDH and Dave P and Swedish duo Dada Life. Tickets are still on sale.

Pantha's third album and his first on Rough Trade, Black Noise, came out earlier this year. Weber is clearly a well-connected guy - the record features a guest vocal spot by Panda Bear and a bass-guest turn by Tyler Pope of LCD Soundsystem/!!!/Out Hud. The AC crew even remixed one of the album tracks. That's posted above, along with a Four Tet remix of the Noah Lennox song. The album is still streaming at the label's site.

Pantha du Prince's three June US shows will be followed up by a full stateside tour in the fall. In the meantime, Pantha du Prince crisscrosses Europe this summer. The video for "Stick to My Side" (again, that's the Panda Bear one), all tour dates, and the upcoming schedule for Fixed are all below...

Continue reading "Pantha du Prince is here for 3 US shows - those dates (include Fixed), Animal Collective remixes, album stream & more"

DOWNLOAD: The Morning Benders - Promises (MP3)

photos by Waverly Rose / second set by Fresh Bread

A trio of bands - Cuddle Magic, Morning Benders and Shark? - played acoustic sets at Housing Works's CD swap on Thursday, February 25th. Two separate sets of pictures from that Hype Machine-sponsored event are in this post.

Morning Benders then played Market Hotel two days later and they have a busy upcoming schedule - they'll tour to SXSW and return to NYC for a show on April 22nd at Mercury Lounge which is now sold out (though Harlem, the early show at the same venue that night, is still on sale). Didn't grab tickets? Well, they've added a second show. The new Mercury Lounge date is Wednesday, April 28th. Tickets go on sale soon.

Can't wait that long? The band's album, which you can stream online and get a song from above, comes out March 9th on Rough Trade. So to celebrate they'll play a BrooklynVegan-presented CD release show at The Cameo this Monday, March 8th. The place is small. The show is FREE. Arrive early if you want a shot at getting in. Flyer below.

The rest of Morning Benders' tour dates, including SXSW, are HERE (plus there's at least one more Austin show still TBA). Flyers, a live session with friends (that include members of Girls & John Vanderslice), and more pictures are below...

Continue reading "Morning Benders played Housing Works (pics), add 2nd Mercury Lounge show, playing free CD release show @ Cameo"

DOWNLOAD: The Morning Benders - Promises (MP3

Morning Benders...

Morning Benders, Shark? and Cuddle Magic all convene at Housing Works Bookstore Cafe for a show/CD swap at 6:30pm tonight (2/25). The event, hosted by Max Silvestri and The Hype Machine, benefits Housing Works and to get in you need $5 + at least 1 used CD (to trade).

The Morning Benders' new album Big Echo comes out March 9th on Rough Trade. You can check out a song from it above, or catch the band at one of their many upcoming dates, posted below. They'll be at Market Hotel with Surfer Blood this Saturday (2/27). The band will also tour to SXSW for shows that include the Rough Trade showcase at Emo's Jr. on Wednesday, March 17th with The Strange Boys, The Unthanks, Basia Bulat, Dylan LeBlanc and Warpaint. They'll be back in NYC for a show at Mercury Lounge on April 22nd with Minature Tiger. Tickets are on sale now.

A flyer for the HW show and all Morning Benders and Shark? tour dates are below...

Continue reading "CD Swap at Housing Works (tonight) & other Morning Benders tour dates"

DOWNLOAD: Warpaint - Billie Holiday (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Warpaint - Elephants (MP3)

Akron/Family @ ATP NY in September (more by Ryan Muir)

Akron/Family are currently in Europe, and they're playing Australia and New Zealand this December, but come March 3rd, the band will be playing a show at Brooklyn's own Music Hall of Williamsburg. Psychedelic folk ladies (and one guy) Warpaint open. Tickets go on sale AmEx presale Wednesday, November 11th at noon. General sale starts Friday, Nov. 13th at noon.

LA's Warpaint were another buzzy band this past CMJ. Their signing was announced soon after...

We at Rough Trade are happy to announce the signing of LA quartet Warpaint.

Warpaint weave intricate guitar lines,hypnotic vocals and driving post punk rhythms into gorgeous, sprawling songs that skirt the line between psychedelia and intimacy.

At the core of the band are founding members Emily Kokal, Theresa Wayman and Jenny Lee Lindberg who formed the band in 2007.

"We are all very excited about being involved with such a unique and inspiring group and we welcome them to the label".

A 6 track EP Exquisite Corpse will be available in the USA this October and UK & Europe in November through Manimal Vinyl. Rough Trade will be releasing a full length album next year.

Akron/Family's ATP NY set was their last "area" appearance. They write...

In the midst of this amazing tour we stopped off on the Borscht Belt to participate in the Flaming Lips curated ATP. It was a great weekend with one of the most mind/body/soul altering performances we have ever seen by the Boredoms. We also got to participate in Oneida's 10.5 hour performance on Sunday. We had the coveted early slot at noon.

Continue reading "Warpaint, now on Rough Trade (MP3s), opening for Akron/Family in Brooklyn - 2009 Tour Dates "

by Black Bubblegum

Blur @ Rough Trade East

What happens when you take a recently disassembled New Order, subtract one, and add in a partial Blur. Apparently, you get an Abel Ferrara film starring Harvey Keitel. Confused?

Frontman Bernard Sumner, drummer Stephen Morris and guitarist Phil Cunningham have joined with Blur's Alex James for Bad Lieutenant's debut album, due in October. "I'm very proud of it, it's a very good album," Sumner told the BBC. "It's pretty guitary too because we've got three guitarists in the band." There may yet be more guitarists added - Sumner has promised that other Manchester musicians are to join the "collective" on tour. -[The Guardian]

Around 10:42, Graham Coxon's Twitter page gave the game away, rallying the troops to Brixton Academy for eighteen minutes later. A mad dash over the river, through the market and into the unnervingly miniscule queue ensued and fifteen minutes later, wrists were endowed with shining green/ gold dust wristbands emblazoned with the band's now iconic freeform font. All that was left to do was wait.... Until eventually, ...phones and electronic inboxes alike were bombarded with conclusive info as to the wheres and then the whens; Rough Trade East, on stage at 7pm sharp, no arrivals before half six for fear of jeopardising the whole shebang.

...Rough Trade is transformed into the best garage gig never to entail smashed windscreens as involuntary feedback rasps through the murky humidity of an Amazonian rainforest. Invigorating, inspiring and utterly unmissable, the reunion never sounded so victorious. - [Virgin Blog]

The recent shows in the UK are only a handful of their upcoming festival-heavy schedule. Check that out, as well as setlists from both nights and video from last night, below...

Continue reading "Blur played some shows (setlists, video, more dates) + Alex James & most of New Order form Bad Lieutenant "

by Andrew Frisicano

Jeffrey Lewis @ Kidrockers - 2/8/09 (Maryanne Ventrice)

New York's Jeffrey Lewis has been busy in the last year. (To see exactly how busy, check out Jeff's "A Year in Love and Music" entry on the NYT's Measure for Measure blog, to which he's been contributing.)

Jeff's four-date tour with Dufus finishes this Saturday, March 14th in Brooklyn at Pete's Candy Store with a CD release show for Dufus's new record, In Monstrous Attitude (samples at link). In May/April, Dufus will head out on a European tour (dates below). The Dufus album features comic art by Jeffrey Lewis, who is releasing his own new album (as full-band Jeffrey Lewis & The Junkyard) 'Em Are I on April 20th (UK/Europe) and May 19th (US), both on Rough Trade Records.

Jeffrey recently put his drawing talents to use (as he does in his comics and elsewhere) in a new video for the song "To Be Objectified" (which appears on the upcoming album). The video was created with Jack Ferry and $99 Music Videos - a site that challenges musicians to make a video for that sum with a set of bare-bones criteria. Watch it, and the making of it, below.

Jeff will tour Europe March-May with a solo/full-band tour that eventually reaches New York's Bowery Ballroom on Wednesday, May 20th (tix on sale now) - a venue featured prominently in Lewis's "Williamsburg Will Oldham Horror," video below.

Next Thursday (3/19), Jeff will give a lecture on Watchmen (the topic of his college thesis) at midtown comic spot Jim Hanley's Universe. "It should be stressed that it's for people who have read the book, not for people interested in it looking for some kind of introduction... he'll be revealing too many spoilers!." Jeff gave a similar lecture in Portland, OR, and London earlier this year.

All tour dates, Jeff's "A Quick Biography of Barack Obama," and the above-mentioned videos, below...

Continue reading "JEFFREY LEWIS tour dates, DUFUS, comics, WATCHMEN (lecture), a new video & Rough Trade album"

Continue reading "Jeffrey Lewis - a history of Rough Trade Records (video)"

outside Rough Trade in London, Jan 16, 2008 (CRED)

No offense to the Wordless Music Series (they are good), but I do think it was confusing to non-Classical people (myself included) to list the show as "Jonny Greenwood" when Jonny Greenwood won't actually be there. If you look at the 2007-2008 Wordless schedule, the list of performers reads: "Do Make Say Think, Beirut, Valgeir Sigurdsson, Grizzly Bear, Mum, Max Richter, Jonny Greenwood: Jonny Greenwood: Popcorn Superhet Receiver". The Jonny one is the only time it's a "piece" instead of a performer. That said, I realize now that there is no real reason for Jonny to be there, and I'm sure the string orchestra performing his work will still be great (though I bet there will be at least one disgruntled Radiohead fan in the crowd). The NY Times has an article today (thx Hiro)....

In a way this is a peculiar program for Wordless Music, now in the middle of its second season. Most of Mr. Givony’s concerts have offered both indie rock bands (or members of more famous groups in solo spinoffs) and classical performers, an expression of Mr. Givony’s conviction, as a longtime rock fan and newcomer to classical music, that anyone who likes Bjork, Radiohead or other experimental pop would also enjoy classical pieces.

In related news, Mr. Ronen Givony will soon also be doing shows @ The Village Gate. He is also expanding the Wordless Music Series. Not only is the upcoming Stars of the Lid show in NYC a "Wordless" show, so are the ones in Portland and Minneapolis. Tickets will be in sale in about a week. Plus, there are those upcoming David Byrne shows too.

And further proof Jonny won't be there tonight: Radiohead are about about to webcast a live performance from the Rough Trade shop in London.

DOWNLOAD: Jeffrey Lewis - End Result (MP3)

Speaking of The Sidewalk Cafe and touring with The Mountain Goats, Jeffrey Lewis is playing Sidewalk tonight (Jan 3) at 11. Jeffrey is also playing a Rough Trade showcase with Basia Bulat at Joe's Pub on January 10th, and a record release show at Mercury Lounge on January 30th.

The record being released is called "Jeffrey Lewis: 12 Crass Songs". It's out now in the UK and Europe (pictured to the left), but won't be released to US stores until January 29th (on Rough Trade/Beggars).

In February, Jeffrey is then going out on tour first with Super Furry Animals, and then with The Mountain Goats. Exact dates below....

Continue reading "Jeffrey Lewis - 2008 Tour Dates (sidewalk, joes, merc)"