Megafaun at Bowery Ballroom in 2011 (more by Ryan Barkan)

Megafaun are heading out on an extensive international tour this year, starting with a European run in February and then coming to the US in March and April. The tour hits NYC on March 17 at Highline Ballroom with support from William Tyler, who also opens a few of the other US dates. Tickets go on sale Friday (1/13) at noon. All dates are listed below.

Megafaun's Phil Cook is one of the guests, along with Justin Vernon and Norah Jones on Kathleen Edwards' Vernon-produced full length, Voyageur, which comes out this Tuesday (1/17). You can stream the entire album on NPR.

Phil and his brother/bandmate Brad Cook were in a pre-Megafaun band together called Amateur Love. Their album, It's All Aquatic, is being reissued on Justin Vernon's new label, Chigliak Records, which is an imprint of Jagjaguwar. According to a post on the label's website, which has since been removed, Chigliak will release albums that were "never commercially released" or "locally released and never put on vinyl," in addition to new recordings. So far the label is set to release the Amateur Love album, and albums by Sarah Siskind and 12 Rods. Check out an Amateur Love video below.

All dates and video below...

Continue reading "Megafaun announce tour dates; Justin Vernon starts label; Kathleen Edwards streaming new LP"

DOWNLOAD: Naomi Shelton and the Gospel Queens: What Have You Done (MP3)

Sarah Siskind @ Living Room in April (by Chris La Putt)

tonight in NYC
* DANCE
* Zap Mama @ Joe's Pub
* Toadies @ Irving Plaza
* Blacklist @ Home Sweet Home
* Ciam, Bell @ (Le) Poisson Rouge
* Your Nature, Real Estate @ The Annex
* Unwigged & Unplugged @ the Beacon Theater
* BLK JKS, The Present, Popo @ The Bell House
* Kylesa, Wetnurse, The Nolan Gate @ Maxwell's
* Naomi Shelton and the Gospel Queens @ Joe's Pub
* Keane & the Helio Sequence @ Radio City Music Hall
* Angel ov Death (Jamie Saft & Mike Pride) @ Zebulon
* Lary Seven, Nonhorse: Non-Amoral Confusion/Drone @ The Stone
* Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers @ Rubin Museum of Art
* Cymbals Eat Guitars, Hallelujah The Hills, Ford and Fitzroy @ Southpaw
* Sarah Siskind, Catherine MacLellan, Waz, Kate Havnevik @ The Living Room
* Buru Style, Faith, Hanuman Sextet & John Sinclair, DJ Spirit @ Cake Shop
* Jukebox The Ghost, Jenny Owen Youngs, These United States @ Bowery Ballroom
* A Place To Bury Strangers, Shilpa Ray & Her Happy Hookers, Sisters, Coin Under Tongue @ Pianos

Tonight, the Living Room hosts Sarah Siskind (Bon Iver & Bill Frisell tourmate & collaborator), Kate Havnevik and others. Kate will be joined by Kaki King on drums, Mike Savino (from Tall Tall Trees) on upright bass and Daniel Cho on cello.

Bowery Presents is hosting a big birthday party with five bands at Music Hall of Williamsburg tonight. It's free, but invite only. The birthday party happening at Pianos is open to the public, but costs money.

Naomi Shelton & the Gospel Queens celebrate the release of their new album, at Joe's Pub tonight.

Zap Mama plays the first of three shows in a row at Joe's Pub tonight.

A video of the Thermals making things with clay on IFC, below...

Continue reading "What's going on Wednesday?"

"Sarah Siskind (1978 - ) is a singer and songwriter based in Nashville and grounded in folk and Appalachian roots. Her music has been classified as: rock, folk, americana, and alternative. Alison Krauss has championed Sarah and values her songs so highly that she's recorded two of them, both of which became singles and videos that received widespread airplay. Bluegrass/Folk legend Tim O'Brien calls her a rare talent...

...In 2002, Sarah released "Covered." Despite its title, it featured mostly original songs that dealt with love, family and relationships... Sarah invited Bill Frisell, a modern-day giant of jazz guitar, to anchor the studio band.....

...Indie-rock act Bon Iver was so taken with Sarah's song "Lovin's For Fools" that the group closed most of their 2008 tour sets with the song each night, and invited her to join them on their December 2008 European tour. In addition, Ireland's legendary artist, Paul Brady, invited her to join him on-stage for a collaboration in New York City that same year, and had her contribute backing vocals on his new album." [Wikipedia]

Sarah and Bon Iver have also toured together, and Sarah just finished opening for Bill Frisell on a tour that brought the pair to Minneapolis, MN on April 11th. Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) just happened to be in the neighborhood (I guess?), and he joined Sarah and Bill on stage for the above-mentioned favorite song. Watch that video, and others like it, below.

Tonight (Monday, April 27), Sarah is in NYC to play a free show at the Living Room...

7PM - Sarah Siskind
8PM - Jo Williamson
9PM - Caroline Jones
10PM - The Makepeace Brothers
11PM - Jim Campilongo

All tour dates below...

Continue reading "Sarah Siskind, who plays w/ Bon Iver & Bill Frisell (videos), is in NYC - free show tonight & other tour dates"