photos by Chris La Putt

Like Darlene Love did last year (and Arlo Guthrie will do tonight at Lincoln Square), Ronnie Spector helped light a christmas tree at South Street Seaport on Friday. Pictures and videos from the holiday event continue below...

Continue reading "Ronnie Spector, Big School Chorus, School of Rock & more helped light the South Street Seaport Christmas Tree (pics)"

Red Chord/Trap Them/ Gaza photos by Brian Reilly, Kvelertak/Zoroaster by Taylor Keahey, words by BBG

Trap Them in NJ

The Red Chord, Trap Them, and Gaza played The School of Rock in South Hackensack, NJ on Friday (3/11) on the road to SXSW where each band will play a BV event, Trap Them & The Red Chord play Full Metal Texas on 3/17 and Gaza are playing Lovejoys on 3/18 with Ringworm, Wormrot, Magrudergrind, many others. Pictures from the NJ show are in this post

Also on 3/11, but on the other side of the U.S., another participant in Full Metal Texas, Kvelertak, made it into the country and played their first US show at Thee Parkside in San Francisco, CA. Pictures of them and tourmates Zoroaster (unfortunately none of Weedeater) are below.

As you can see in the pictures below, founding bassist Brent of Zoroaster is not on board as part of the current trek. Creative Loafing has more on his absence:

In February, stoner metal stalwarts Zoroaster announced that they were embarking on U.S. and European tours without bassist and founding member Brent Anderson. Although no one involved will divulge any details surrounding the temporary split, it's being characterized by the band as a case of tough love. "The future of Brent and Zoroaster is up to him," drummer Dan Scanlan says. "We felt that he needed to take some time to get his personal affairs in order."

Scanlan adds that Anderson has not been kicked out of the band, but his reinstatement depends on how things look for him when the group's schedule slows down in June.

In the meantime, Scanlan and guitarist Will Fiore have recruited Whores' drummer Travis Owen to fill in playing bass on the road.

Speaking of Full Metal Texas, we're happy to announce that Fireball Whisky is on board as a sponsor (free drinks). Another FMT sponsor, March is Metal Month, is giving away a downloadable comp from bands like Wormrot, Hour of 13, Deicide & others, and while you're there check out some records that are currently on sale as part of March is Metal Month.

Trap Them's smashing new LP, Darker Handcraft, is out now via Prosthetic. Stream the entire thingon NPR.

More pictures and all dates below...

Continue reading "Trap Them, Red Chord, Gaza, Kvelertak & Zoroaster played shows on 3/11, on way to SXSW (pics & dates)"

ACL 2008 (more by Kyle Dean Reinford)

October 8-10, 2010 | Zilker Park, Austin, TX

"The Austin City Limits Music Festival began as a modest, two-day event and now, as it enters it's 9th year, has become a perennial American music experience. Taking place at the heart of Austin, Texas in the legendary Zilker Park, ACL Festival has grown to 3 days, 8 stages and over 130 bands."

Tickets go on sale today. The 2010 ACL lineup is below...

Continue reading "Austin City Limits announces 2010 festival lineup (Eagles, Muse, Phish, Strokes, MIA, LCD, Spoon, Gayngs, more) "

also, we are mixing our record in TWO WEEKS with CHRIS WALLA! the new working title is "personal life" -The Thermals

The Thermals @ Pitchfork Fest 2k9 (more by Joseph Xu)

The Thermals have announced an April tour with Past Lives which includes a return to NYC. They'll play a show at Brooklyn Bowl on Tuesday, April 20th show (ahem, 4/20), almost a year after their last New York gigs in May '09. Tickets go on sale Friday, January 15th at noon.

Before then, the band has some West Coast dates lined up for February with their Kill Rock Star labelmates Thao & The Get Down Stay Down. "We will be playing all the hits, plus a few songs from our next LP, coming later this year," writes Hutch. As it says above, Death Can's Chris Walla is mixing the new album.

Walla and The Thermals have a long history together. Chris mixed The Thermals 1st LP More Parts Per Million (Sub Pop, 2003) and produced their 2nd LP, Fuckin' A (Sub Pop, 2004). The Thermals also supported Death Cab For Cutie on a few tours in 2003 and 2004.

The new record is scheduled to be released by Kill Rock Stars on September 7, 2010.

The Thermals are no stranger to cover songs - they've long worked Built to Spill's "Big Dipper" into their sets, and the band's festival circuit shows last summer extended their covers repertoire to include songs like Green Day's "Basket Case" (video below). The Thermals aren't immune from the cover treatment either. Seattle's School of Rock band played their song "When I Died" at a January 9th concert. That spirited rendition, the Thermals' own cover-band antics and all tour dates are below...

Continue reading "The Thermals - new album almost done, covered by School of Rock, 2010 Tour Dates (Brooklyn Bowl) "