The Orwells at BV-SXSW 2013 (more by Amanda Hatfield)

As mentioned several times, the Downtown Music Festival, which is hitting multiple cities this year, is coming through NYC tonight (5/10) and Saturday (5/11) for shows across various multiple LES venues, including Mercury Lounge, Bowery Ballroom, Angel Orensanz Center, Pianos, Cake Shop, Tammany Hall, Element, Capitale, Rockwood Music Hall and more. Tickets (2-day passes, 1-day passes, and individual show tickets) are still available. In fact, even Trash Talk at Cake Shop still has tickets available, probably because of the $25+fees ticket price.

Since we last spoke, some additions to the lineup have been made. Garage rockers The Orwells (who have other upcoming dates) were added to tonight's Palma Violets and Guards show at Bowery Ballroom, making for an all-around great bill for fans of catchy, upbeat rock. The Orwells just revealed the Dave Sitek-produced track, "Other Voices," off their upcoming EP of the same name (due out 6/25 via East End/Canvasback), which you can stream below.

SZA, who recently put out the trippy S EP, has been added to Sky Ferreira's show at Mercury Lounge tonight. Teengirl Fantasy and Mess Kid, who were already announced for the festival but not that specific show, were also added as openers.

Onetime Twin Shadow bassist Rush Midnight (who has other upcoming shows) was added to tonight's show at Pianos with Royal Teeth and Sparxx.

LODRO (who play a BrooklynVegan-curated show on Monday), Xray Eyeballs, and DJ Dog Dick were added to DIIV"s show at Mercury Lounge on Saturday.

Low Fat Getting High, who have a new EP on the way and other upcoming shows, open for Trash Talk and Cities Aviv at Cake Shop on Saturday.

Other shows tonight include Black Hippy (aka Kendrick Lamar, Schoolboy Q, Ab-Soul, and Jay Rock) and Fat Tony at Capitale (130 Bowery), Earl Sweatshirt, Ryan Hemsworth, Antwon, and more at Element (225 E Houston), Beach Fossils and Cosmonauts at Cake Shop, and more.

Meanwhile, Ryan Hemsworth made a new mix in anticipation for the festival, which you can stream, along with the tracklist below. And if you were wondering, yes, it does have his remix of the Backstreet Boys' "Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely."

A stream of that mix, the Orwells stream, and the updated Downtown Music Fest schedule below...

Continue reading "Downtown Music Fest is here; Orwells, SZA & more added; Schedule updated; Ryan Hemsworth made a mix"

by Bill Pearis

Selebrities

Brooklyn quartet Selebrities will release their new album, Lovely Things, on June 25 via the Cascine label. You can stream the crystalline first single, "Temporary Touch," and check out album art and tracklist below.

The band have a couple local shows coming up. They'll play Glasslands on May 23 with oOoOO and Dark Sister (tickets); and then Cameo on June 13 for what is an extremely stacked bill if you like '80s style synthpop. Chad Valley headlines, and the line-up also includes fellow Cascine artists Kisses, Rush Midnight and (non-Cascine band) Ice Choir, plus DJ sets from Airbird and Chocolate Bobka (there's a name we haven't heard in a while). Tickets to that show, a Cascine & Newtown Radio showcase which is part of the 2013 Northside Festival, are on sale now or you can try and get in with your Northside badge if you have one of those.

Speaking of, Rush Midnight (aka onetime Twin Shadow bassist Russ Manning) just released a new single, the laid back and sultry "Don't Give Me Your Love," while he finishes up his debut album. You can check out the video for the song and a remix by Lemonade, below. Rush Midnight plays Friday night (5/3) at Mercury Lounge with Candide and Rioux. Tickets to that show are still available.

And more related news, Kisses (which is Jesse Kivel of Princeton and Zinzi Edmundson) will release their second album, Kids in LA, on May 14 which is also on Cascine. The album was produced by Saint Etienne's Pete Wiggs, and the two bands certainly share a love of classic pop and vintage synthesizers. This is superior modern synthpop with big hooks and fresh production and you can stream a couple tracks (including terrific single "The Hardest Part") below.

Kisses and Chad Valley tour dates are listed, along with previously mentioned song streams, below.

Continue reading "Selebrities & Kisses ready new LPs, playing Northside together w/ Rush Midnight who plays NYC this week (dates, streams) "

The Rockstar Energy Drink UPROAR Festival tour is happening this summer with Alice in Chains, Jane's Addiction, Coheed and Cambria, Circa Survive, Middle Class Rut, and others. It hits the NYC-area on August 10 at Comcast Theatre in Hartford, CT, August 17 at PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, NJ, and August 18 at Nikon at Jones Beach Theater. Tickets for those shows go on sale today at noon.

Tickets for the Limp Wrist reunion show at Le Poisson Rouge are on sale now. Still no advance tickets for their Union Pool show.

Tickets to see The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion at Music Hall of Williamsburg go on sale today at noon.

Tickets to see Robert Plant & Sensational Space Shifters at a Celebrate Brooklyn! show in Prospect Park go on AmEx and a BRIC presale today at noon.

Tickets to see Death From Above 1979 and Fucked Up play a Governors Ball afterparty at Irving Plaza go on LiveNation and Music Geeks presale today at 10 AM. (Music geeks password is "musicgeeks")

Rush Midnight and Rioux are playing Mercury Lounge on May 3. Tickets for that show go on sale today at noon.

White Fence

As mentioned, White Fence's new album, Cyclops Reap, is out this week on John Dwyer's Castle Face label. Tim Presley doesn't seem to be running out of songs and this is another quality batch of paisley-scented psychedelia. You can stream "To The Boy I Jumped In The Hemlock Alley" below and hear the whole record over at Pitchfork.

White Fence will be in Brooklyn for the Northside Festival in June, playing two shows: the Panache showcase at Brooklyn Bowl on June 13 and then a late show at Knitting Factory on June 14. Tickets to the Knitting Factory show are on sale now; no word on Brooklyn Bowl tickets just yet.

The whole Panache showcase line-up is still forthcoming but we do know its being headlined by Mac DeMarco and we have updated dates for him below as well.

These are just a couple of the additions to the 2013 Northside line-up that includes that free Walkmen show in McCarren Park. Other new additions, Kylesa, Torche, Sonny & the Sunsets, Nü Sensae, Kisses, The Luyas and more. Northside line-up as it stands now is below.

Continue reading "White Fence streaming new LP, added to Northside Fest line-up (Mac DeMarco, Nu Sensae, Kylesa, Torche & more too)"

by Andrew Sacher

SZA surfaced last year with the impressive See SZA Run EP, a chilling mix of dream pop and trippy R&B, and she's set to follow that with a new EP, S, on April 8. The first single off that EP, "Ice Moon," is even more gorgeous than anything on See SZA Run, and makes the anticipation for S pretty high. You can stream "Ice Moon" and See SZA Run in its entirety below.

SZA doesn't have a tour announced at the moment, but we do know that she'll be in NYC on April 12 at Glasslands to open the previously announced Chad Valley and Rush Midnight show happening at the venue that night. Tickets for that show are still available.

Song streams below...

Continue reading "SZA releasing 'S' (hear a song), playing live"

by Bill Pearis

Jonquil member Hugo Manuel released his debut album as Chad Valley last November via Cascine. The album, which features guest appearances by Twin Shadow, El Perro del Mar, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, is glistening dancepop that takes '80s influences and brings them into the now. (His voice is, at times, eerily reminiscent of Tears for Fears' Roland Orzibal.) You can stream the whole thing below.

Chad Valley are going on tour this spring, including two shows in NYC; April 12 at Glasslands with Rush Midnight (tickets); and Mercury Lounge on April 13 with Selebrities (tickets). All Chad Valley dates are listed below.

If you're interested in seeing the openers for both of Chad Valley's NYC shows before April, Rush Midnight and Selebrities are playing together with Bowmont and fellow Cascine recording artist Wildarms on DJ duty at Glasslands on Thursday (2/28). Tickets are still available and the flyer for that show is below.

Continue reading "Chad Valley released debut album, touring (dates, streams); Selebrities and Rush Midnight playing NYC this week"

Holly Herndon

Recent RVNG signee Holly Herndon will release her new album, Movement, on the label this Tuesday (11/13). You can stream the track, "Fade," from that album below and listen to the entire thing over at NPR. She'll be playing a record release for the album in Brooklyn on November 16 at 285 Kent with labelmate Blondes and Maxmillion Dunbar. Admission for the show is $10 at the door and it's a late show with doors opening at midnight. The show flyer is below.

Meanwhile, Blondes will DJ in Brooklyn TONIGHT (11/8) at Glasslands along with Lemonade (also DJing) and more TBA for the B A N A N A S 1 year anniversary party. The show is free with RSVP. Doors are at 11:45 PM.

Lemonade also has an upcoming live show at Glassland on December 15 with Rush Midnight, the project of former Twin Shadow bassist Russ Manning. Tickets for that show are available.

Meanwhile, Rush Midnight has other upcoming shows including another in NYC this Friday (11/9) at The Studio at Webster Hall. Tickets for that show are on sale now.

A list of all Rush Midnight dates and the Holly Herndon track stream and album info are below.

Continue reading "Holly Herndon releasing LP (stream it), celebrating it in NYC w/ Blondes, who play w/ Lemonade, who play w/ Rush Midnight"

Tickets to Tegan & Sara's show at Bowery Ballroom are on sale at noon today.

Tickets to Animal Collective's two Terminal 5 shows (make-up dates for their cancelled Willimsburg Park show) go on "Postponement" presale today at noon (password is "centipede").

The Airborne Toxic Event have added a second show at Webster Hall, which will happen on January 16, 2013, one day after their sold out show at the venue (1/15). Tickets go on AmEx presale today at noon with a regular on-sale on Friday (11/9) at noon.

Lemonade and Rush Midnight play Glasslands on December 15. Tickets for that show are on sale now.

Nite Jewel, who was one of the many artists to react to Obama's win last night, is playing a show at Brooklyn Bowl on November 26. Admission is free with RSVP.

We're giving away tickets to the Tinderbox Music Festival happening this Sunday at Webster Hall (it's also a benefit)

photos by Adela Loconte

Twin Shadow at Webster Hall, 9/27/2012

Twin Shadow played Webster Hall last night (9/27) with Niki & the Dove, his first of two sold-out NYC shows this week. Decked out in a leather motorcycle jacked (keeping with the theme of his record), George Lewis Jr had the crowd's attention the whole set, convincing many to take off their shirts for one song, and jumping into the crowd to play guitar for another. Pictures from the show are in this post.

Twin Shadow plays the more intimate Music Hall of Williamsburg tonight (9/28), again with Niki and the Dove, and will DJ the shows' afterparty at Brooklyn Bowl later tonight which is free with your MHOW ticket. (There will also be tickets at the door.) Meanwhile, former Twin Shadow bassist Russ is playing with his new band, Rush Midnight, down the street at Cameo with Splash. Rush Midnight are on at 9:30 and tickets for that show are still available.

Continue reading "Twin Shadow played Webster Hall w/ Niki & the Dove (pics)"

Twin Shadow in Austin earlier this month (more by Tim Griffin)

Twin Shadow and Niki and the Dove have been on the road together for a few weeks now, and their sold out two-night run in NYC begins tonight (9/27) at Webster Hall and continues Friday (9/28) at the smaller Music Hall of Williamsburg. As mentioned, you can also catch Twin Shadow DJing the official after party on Friday at Brooklyn Bowl. Entry is free with your ticket stub from the Music Hall of Williamsburg show, and otherwise $8 tickets are still available.

You'll also have another chance to catch Niki and the Dove in the NYC area when their tour supporting Miike Snow hits United Palace (10/19) and Wellmont Theatre (10/23). Tickets for United Palace and Wellmont Theatre are still available.

Rush Midnight

If you're going to Twin Shadow's shows this week, you won't be seeing bassist Russ Manning. As mentioned, Russ has left the band to focus on his solo project Rush Midnight. He's releasing his debut EP, +1, on October 30 via Cascine. The EP was produced by Twin Shadow main man George Lewis Jr. and features guest vocals on a track by Doe Paoro, who Russ has remixed in the past. You can watch the video for EP single, "The Night Was Young Enough," below.

Rush MIdnight has a few upcoming shows including one in Brooklyn this Friday (9/28) at Cameo Gallery with Splash and Rarechild (tickets) and the Ghostly/Cascine CMJ showcase at Le Baron on October 17. After that, he'll kick off a short tour in November which begins in NYC at The Studio at Webster Hall on November 9. Tickets for that show are on sale now.

A list of all Rush Midnight dates and that video are below.

Continue reading "Twin Shadow's sold out NYC run begins; Rush Midnight releasing an EP, playing shows (dates & video)"

by Bill Pearis

Savoir Adore

CMJ just released the third round of artists playing this year's fest which happens in three weeks (October 16 - 20). Names include Dent May (who we already knew about) Penguin Prison, Toronto's Born Ruffians, Erika Spring, Berlin trio Fenster (who were here in March) Chad Valley, Rush Midnight and more. Full list is at the bottom of this post.

Also on the just-added list are Brooklyn's Savoir Adore who will release their new album, Our Nature, the week of CMJ (10/16 specifically). The band recorded it at the same upstate studio as their 2010 debut, In the Wooded Forest, and are self-releasing this one. If the last album was wide-screen pop, the band have gone CinemaScope with Our Nature. It's dancier, more anthemic and brimming with hooks and just plain bigger sounding. Last year's "Dreamers" single (which opens the new album) is a good indicator of what to expect, and you can watch the video for that below along with a stream of album track "Regalia."

Before CMJ, Savoir Adore will play Knitting Factory on October 9 for an Our Nature record release party with Ghost Beach and Royal Canoe. Tickets for that show are on sale now. Those three bands are touring together immediately after and judging by their schedule, their only open day to play CMJ will be 10/16.

The list of all Savoir Adore dates, the list of third round CMJ artists, that song stream and video are below...

Continue reading "CMJ announces third round of artists, including Savoir Adore whose new LP is out soon and who are touring (dates)"

Justin Vernon wants this image on his body

We already posted lots of posts today. Here's some more, and some reminders too...

Bon Iver's Justin Vernon is looking to get a tattoo based on '90s TV show Northern Exposure (which is where he got his band name) and maybe you can help? They play this week don't you know.

How did you spend your Occupy Wall Street anniversary? Possibly in temple? What are you doing tonight?

As you can see in this new set of Austin pictures, Twin Shadow bassist Russ Manning has been replaced. Russ is now focusing on his solo project Rush Midnight instead.

We interviewed Jack Tatum of Wild Nothing.

Duo AlunaGeorge made a video for their awesome, recently released single"Your Drums, Your Love" which you can watch below.

Out now on paperback (which I noticed via an ad on this site): Will Oldham on Bonnie 'Prince' Billy.

Check out pictures from this past weekend's A.V. Fest / Hideout Block Party (and here).

Can you beat Swans' Michael Gira at a staring contest? Try it below (via Pitchfork).

more stuff below...

Continue reading "Also: Justin Vernon seeks 'Northern Exposure' tattoo; Wye Oak on Papa Roach; 'Palmer Vs. Albini' Round 2, and much more"

The full list of artists confirmed for the 2012 CMJ Music Marathon so far is below...

Continue reading "CMJ 2012 initial lineup announced"