by Andrew Sacher

DOWNLOAD: WATERS - "For the One" (MP3)

Van Pierszalowski, former lead singer of the recently broken-up Port O'Brien, now records under the moniker WATERS. Rather than the indie folk/pop Port O'Brien had become known for, in WATERS Van opts for a fuzzy '90s-lo-fi approach which can be heard above in the song "For the One." WATERS releases his debut LP Out In The Light on September 20 via TBD Records.

He's currently finishing up a tour in Europe with Wye Oak which he'll follow with three NYC dates. WATERS plays the Flavorpill/IROCKIROLL/The Bell House Northside showcase at Cameo Gallery on June 18 with Sean Bones, Neighbors, Zuzuka Poderosa, Young Adults, and Wojick. They also open for Deervana (aka Deer Tick as Nirvana) at their sold out Northside show at Brooklyn Bowl on June 19. WATERS then plays a headlining show at Mercury Lounge on June 21 with Exitmusic, Milagres, and Anni Rossi. Tickets are on sale.

The Cameo show is one of many that Sean Bones has happening at Cameo this month. He already played there last Thursday and he also plays there on June 23rd (with afro-funk band/collective Superhuman Happiness) and June 30th with the great New Moods. Full residency show lineups are below. Sean is playing new songs at the shows. Those songs will appear on the new record he's finishing recording with Shane Stoneback (Sleigh Bells, Cults, Vampire Weekend). Sean's last record came out on Frenchkiss.

New Moods have also been added as the opener on the July 1st Memory Tapes show at Mercury Lounge. Tickets are still on sale.

All tour dates below...

Continue reading "WATERS (ex Port O'Brien) releasing debut LP (MP3), playing shows ++++ Sean Bones & New Moods too (dates)"

Theophilus London will headline the "Official Northside Festival Opening Party" at Music Hall of Williamsburg on Thursday, June 16th. Tickets go on AmEx presale Wednesday at noon, and then general sale Friday at noon. You can also try to get in with a Northside Festival badge.

The hip hop artist is one of 65+ new artists being officially added to the lineup of this year's Northside Festival (June 16-19 in various venues across Williamsburg and Greenpoint, Brooklyn, NY). Here's the full list:

Continue reading "Northside Fest adds 65+ bands to lineup, Theophilus @ MHOW, Mount Eerie, Iceage & more ++ open studios & DIY films"

Ra Ra Riot @ MHOW in 2010 (more by Amanda Hatfield)

Speaking of Japan benefits, The Bell House has two special ones scheduled....

Continue reading "Ra Ra Riot, Wyatt Cenac, Tim Harrington, Todd Barry & many, many more playing Japan benefits @ the Bell House "

photos by Jessica Amaya

Spoon played Music Hall of Williamsburg last night (9/13) with Sean Bones, one of two shows that the band played yesterday with the first being a video shoot at Cake Shop. At MHOW, Spoon covered their recent LP Transference and reached back as far as 1998's A Series of Sneaks for the opener "Car Radio". Everything in between seemed represented as well, with Spoon even tagging on a pair of covers: "Modern World" (Wolf Parade) and "No Time" (Jay Reatard).

Spoon has no other East Coast dates scheduled at the moment, though the band is scheduled to play the West Coast (leading up to Matador 21) and the Southwest (leading up to Austin City Limits) before jetting out to the EU. Full tour dates, pics/video from MHOW, and setlists from MHOW and Cake Shop are below...

Continue reading "Spoon played Music Hall of Williamsburg - pics, video & setlist (and the Cake Shop setlist too) "

photos by Gabi Porter

Twin Shadow @ Mercury Lounge

This weekend Holy Fuck (who were last in NYC to play Siren) will join a slew of notables to play Reading/Leeds Festivals in the UK, but shortly after, the band will skip back across the pond to kick off a North American tour that hits Le Poisson Rouge in NYC on 9/18 with Twin Shadow and Indian Jewelry. Tickets are on sale. The show is one date of a longer tour that will lead them through most of October.

Before that, Twin Shadow will play another NYC area show in preparation of the new LP due on 9/28 via Terrible Records. Look for them to headline Glasslands on 9/11 with Zambri, My Gold Mask, Distractions, Machu Picchu. Tickets are on sale.

Twin Shadow played Mercury Lounge on 8/17 with Sean Bones and New Numbers who open for Robbers on High Street at Rock Shop on August 28th) and You Can Be A Wesley. More pics from that show (none of YCBAW though), a NSFW video of Twin Shadow's "Slow" and tour dates, are below...

Continue reading "Holy Fuck touring, playing LPR w/ Twin Shadow who played Mercury w/ Sean Bones (pics & dates) "

Sean Bones @ Brooklyn Masonic Temple in 2009 (more by Natasha Ryan)

If you're looking for a last minute excuse for a road trip this weekend, the Truck America Fest is happening for three days in the Catskills. Check out the full schedule at their site. Gothamist interviewed fest organizer Robin Bennett...

Gothamist: Would you ever want to bring the festival closer to NYC?

Robin: This is a only 2 and a half hour drive--you have to travel that far to get this type of peace and calm--and it can take that long to get through the Holland tunnel on a bad day!

Gothamist: Please share your strangest "only in New York" story.

Robin: I saw some blog commenters complaining that the festival wasn't in the city.... but that's the WHOLE POINT! Also just witnessed a local radio boss and his promo man arguing about changing the station brand colors from blue and green to red and yelloq--"but that's the color of the San Dego padres!"

if you're staying in the city, Sean Bones is playing a $3 at 3pm Happy Hour show at Pianos on Saturday. Later in the evening Brooklyn Bowl has shows both early (Peelander-Z!) and late (Amazing Baby). There are other shows Saturday too... coming soon in the What's Going on Saturday post. For tonight, check What's Going on Friday.

Saturday and Sunday are Genesis Breyer P-Orridge's tag sale, and a Spring Food and Craft Market at Brooklyn Lyceum.

Sunday head to Hoboken for the Hoboken Arts & Music Fest. More later.

Continue reading "Truck America festival underway, a Food & Craft Market in Brooklyn, Sean Bones, Brooklyn Bowl & other stuff "

DOWNLOAD: Sean Bones - Rhumba Beat (new MP3)

Sean Bones (new MP3 from a new digital single above) and The Watson Twins (two separate acts) (Sean hasn't taken over for Jenny Lewis or anything) share a bill at Mercury Lounge in NYC (where Sean lives) on April 7th (the Watsons are from LA). Tickets are still on sale.

For The Watson Twins, the NYC show is to help promote their new album, Talking to You, Talking to Me. They'll also appear on CBS's Early Show's "Second Cup Cafe" while they're here. Sean Bones's appearance is a one-off before he leaves on tour (a week later) with Dr. Dog. Sean is the opener on that tour until Deer Tick takes over. Deer Tick is the opener May 15th at Terminal 5 which is a very large show... unlike the intimate (but short) one Dr. Dog are playing in NYC TONIGHT (4/6) at the SOHO Apple Store...

Live at the Apple Store: Dr. Dog
Check out Dr. Dog at this special live performance and hear tracks from the new album, "Shame, Shame". April 6, 7:00 p.m.

By the way, David Cross appears in the same store on Wednesday (4/7). He definitely needs to come up with some iPad material. Dr. Dog's new album is out today too. All tour dates for all these bands below...

Continue reading "Sean Bones playing w/ Watson Twins & then touring w/ Dr Dog (who play the Apple Store TODAY) - dates"

Les Savy Fav at Knitting Factory in September (more by Tim Griffin)

tonight in NYC
* Toshi Reagon @ Joe's Pub
* Evan Dando, The Candles @ Maxwell's
* Chad Taylor's Circle Down @ The Stone
* Asobi Seksu, Arms @ (Le) Poisson Rouge
* Christina Courtin @ Rubin Museum of Art
* Archipelago w/ Sam Sadigursky @ Galapagos
* Amanda Blank, Maluca @ Santos Party House
* Joseph Arthur, Bobby Bare Jr. @ City Winery
* Gospel, Drunkdriver, Tournament @ Union Pool
* St. Vincent @ Lincoln Center - The Allen Room
* Vaz, Animal, Stats, Teething @ Death By Audio
* Mission of Burma, Freshkills @ Bowery Ballroom
* Oneida, Zs, Red Dawn II, Noveller @ Market Hotel
* Descender, Bearface, Forward/Backward @ Trash Bar
* Blip Blip Bleep, Still Life Still @ Mercury Lounge
* Gene Ween Band, Jonny Corndawg @ Highline Ballroom
* Gates of Heaven, A Lull, Demonlover @ Glasslands (late)
* Cold War Kids, Alec Ounsworth, Flashy Python @ Terminal 5
* Les Savy Fav, Vivian Girls @ BAM Howard Gilman Opera House
* The Brooklyn What, Red Abbey, Sweet Hook @ Santos Party House
* KRS-ONE, Donnie Goines, Jah C & The Antidote, Eternia @ Southpaw
* Pure Ecstasy, Twin Sister, Family Portrait, Run DMT @ Bruar Falls
* Super Vacations, Sore Eros, PC Worship, Florida @ Glasslands (early)
* Death Unit, Northampton Wools, Spykes, Regression, Dog Lady @ Coco 66
* Sean Bones, Preacher and the Knife @ Clemente Soto Velez Cultural Center
* Sam Mickens' Ecstatic Showband Revue, D. Rider, Whales & Cops @ Cake Shop
* Here We Go Magic, Midnight Masses, Glass Ghost @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
* Liturgy, Brandon Can't Dance, Fiasco, Sweet Bulbs, So So Glos (DJ) @ Silent Barn
* Steve Gunn & Johnny Truscinski, Spectre Folk, Bill Nace, Tom Carter @ Issue Project Room
* The Child Ballads, White Diamonds, Crash and Burn, Thomas Simon @ Knitting Factory Brooklyn
* Judas Priestess (All Girl Judas Priest Tribute), Cheap Trick Or Treat (All Female Cheap Trick Tribute) @ Brooklyn Bowl

Dangerous: All Metal Michael Jackson Tribute isn't playing Brooklyn Bowl tonight.

Ska-influenced Sean Bones and echo-y Preacher and the Knife play CSV Cultural Center tonight. Flyer below.

"Coco 66 & No Fun Productions Proudly Present Death Unit (Giffoni / Corsano / Tremaine / Sullivan), Northampton Wools (Thurston Moore / Bill Nace), Spykes (John Olson of Wolf Eyes), Regression (Nate Young of Wolf Eyes) and Dog Lady"

Saxophonist/composer Sam Sadigursky's Archipelago show tonight at Galapgos serves as a released party for his Words Project III: Miniatures, the third in a series of albums that combine art songs and poetry. A Carl Sandburg-based song is below.

Oneida play tonight at Market Hotel with Zs, Red Dawn II and Noveller. They'll be at Knitting Factory Brooklyn on Friday, March 19th. Tickets are on sale.

St Vincent, recently seen playing as part of a supergroup called Songer Singwriter, headlines her own show at Lincoln Center tonight.

BAM 'Sounds Like Brooklyn' this weekend.

David Sedaris is performing a show at the Apollo. Tickets are on sale (@ 10am).

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Friday?"

The xx @ Webster Hall during CMJ (more by Vincent Cornelli)

tonight in NYC
* Sharon Jones @ Starland Ballroom
* Darmstadt @ Issue Project Room
* Friendly Fires, The xx @ Webster Hall
* Gnaw, Earthen Grave, Iron Man @ Europa
* Brendan Benson, Cory Chisel @ Maxwell's
* Bowerbirds, Sharon Van Etten @ Union Pool
* Richard Buckner, Milagres @ Mercury Lounge
* Stalkers, The Beets, War Party @ Glasslands
* Golden Error & Red Mass @ Dead Herring
* Espers, Azita, Doug Paisley @ The Bell House
* Hot Tuna, Loudon Wainwright III @ Beacon Theatre
* Alicia Hall Moran, Gordon Voidwell @ The Kitchen
* Ladytron (DJ), Yes Giantess @ Tribeca Grand Hotel
* The Queers, The Leftovers, The Sights @ Maxwell's
* Ghostland Observatory, Slapping Purses @ Terminal 5
* Finding Fiction, Beehive, Picture Picture @ The Cameo
* Sam Champion, Matt Trowbridge, Electric Owls @ Union Hall
* Heloise & The Savoir Faire, Midnight Magic @ Brooklyn Bowl
* El Vez, Los Straightjackets, The Lovely Elvettes @ Bowery Ballroom
* Pants Yell!, The Surprisers, Mike Albo, Fluffy Lumbers @ Bruar Falls
* Air Waves, Talk Normal, US Girls, Total Slacker @ Secret Project Robot
* Black Sheep, Shinobi Ninja, Rad Out Crew, Nacirema @ Santos Party House
* Christina Courtin, Alaska Alaska, Alec Stephen, EJS @ Pete's Candy Store
* Zeke Virant & the Brain Rain Players, Cloud Nothings, Coasting @ Shea Stadium
* Elvis Perkins in Dearland, Himalayas, Max Silvestri @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
* Terra Nova: Sinfonia Antarctica w/ DJ Spooky & ICE @ BAM Howard Gilman Opera House
* Benefit show w/ Tony Conrad & Jutta Koether, Aki Onda, MV Carbon @ ParisLondonWestNile
* Ambergris, Boogie Boarder, Dubknowdub, Graffiti Monsters, Mark Lord, Nick Gazin, Sam Gas Can, Russian Tsarlag @ DBA

Cloud Nothings are in town. They played their first show ever last night at Market Hotel. Their second show is tonight at Shea Stadium.

Red Mass played their first NYC show last night at Live With Animals. I'm told they're the secret guest at Dead Herring tonight. Flyer below..

MARTHA STEWART HOLIDAY CRAFT SALE

Where: Starrett-Lehigh Building, 601 W 26th St between Eleventh and Twelfth Aves, ninth floor (marthastewart.com)
When: Saturday, December 5, noon-6pm, free
Why go: It's the domestic diva's first-ever holiday craft sale, which features home accessories, jewelry, ornaments and apparel from employees and friends of Martha Stewart Living Ominmedia, as well as crafters who've appeared on the Martha Stewart Show. In other words: by Stepford types, for Stepford types.
Don't miss: BrooklynVegan's DJ Bill Pearis spinning holiday music and indie rock, and the very Martha-esque gift-wrapping station. - Time Out

There's also a craft fair on Mulberry Street, and the Bust Holiday Craftacular is Sunday.

Sunday is also the day to see Beatles songs performed on ukuleles.

Sam Champion make a rare appearance at Union Hall tonight. In fact, it might be their last show ever.

Q: Did Sam Champion break up?
A: Kind of, yeah, I think so.

Q: Is Saturday, December 5th at Union Hall your last show?
A: maybe?

Sam Champion member Sean Bones will DJ between sets. Sam Champion's remake of Weekend at Bernie's below..

Black Sheep play Santos tonight! Video for "Without a Doubt" below...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Saturday?"

Thursday, 10/22 - CMJ showcase @ Mercury Lounge in NYC

Sean Bones 1:00
Local Natives 12:00
Hockey 11:00
Ambulance LTD 10:00
Alec Ounsworth (of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah) 9:00
Patrick Watson 8:00
JBM 7:00

Alec Ounsworth and/or his alias Flashy Python have three shows coming up. One of them is in NYC and is listed above. It's a CMJ show with no advanced ($12) tickets. The other two dates are in Philly. They're listed below along with a full stream of his new Flashy Python album (not to be confused with his new Alec Ounsworth album)....

Continue reading "Alec Ounsworth playing shows (dates), CMJ w/ Ambulance LTD, Patrick Watson, JBM, Sean Bones & more"

Benson's new record...

"[Producer Gil Norton (Pixies, Foo Fighters) is] very strict -- he dictates everything, down to how the kick-drum pattern should go," says [Brendan] Benson, who wasn't used to working with such a heavy-handed producer. "But I was glad. After making records by myself for so long, I wanted somebody to fucking take control."

As for the Raconteurs, he says the band is on hiatus. "Doing two back-to-back records wasn't our plan," he adds. "When we made Consolers of the Lonely [released in 2008, two years after the band's debut], we thought, 'We'll do this record, do our respective things, and maybe come back together at some point." [Rolling Stone]

Benson's new record, My Old, Familiar Friend, which comes out Tuesday (August 18th) on ATO Records, is currently streaming on NPR.

His tour kicks off with a show on August 17th (tonight) at the Bowery Ballroom. Sean Bones opens. Tickets are still on sale. All dates below...

Continue reading "Brendan Benson kicks off tour in NYC, new album streaming"

Cale Parks performing at the Diesel Store - 7/22 (Christopher Holloran)

The Diesel store on the corner of 5th Avenue and 54th Street in Manhattan is hosting live (and DJed) music all this week.

Today (Thursday):
3pm Phenomenal Hand Clap Band

Friday
12pm Black Gold
2pm Elevator Fight
4pm Here We Go Magic
7-9pm Suckers

Diesel's bigger Diesel U show at Webster Hall is on July 30th. That show will feature the Roots, Passion Pit and others (tickets start to become available on July 25th).

The Phenomenal Hand Clap Band played another show at Joe's Pub on Tuesday, and coming up, they will be at LPR on August 12th with Friendly Fires and at the BKLYN Yard on August 15th before a West Coast trip at the end of August.

Suckers continue their Pianos residency tonight (July 23rd) and July 30th. Tonight they'll be joined by Bear In Heaven, Intermissions and Hexa. Next week support comes from Sean Bones (who played Glasslands last night), Acrylics and Class Actress.

If you don't frequently find yourself on 54th & 5th, you can see what it looks like at the Diesel Store, in the video (which includes an appearance by Sean Bones) below...

Continue reading "Diesel Store schedule (w/ Phenomenal Handclap Band today, Here We Go Magic & Suckers tomorrow) & more"

DOWNLOAD: Sean Bones - Easy Street (MP3)

Rings, the debut LP of Sean Bones, the stagename of Sean Sullivan, the guitarist for Sam Champion, is out now on Frenchkiss Records. Check out a track from that above, as well as a video for Bones' song "Dancehall" below.

Glasslands is hosting a CD release show for the album tonight (July 22nd) with a bill that includes Bones, Kuroma and Hesta Prynn. If you're reading this from 10am-12pm EST, you can also catch Sean now on East Village Radio.

Sean Bones will also be playing with The xx, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, and Free Energy at the Mercury Lounge on August 7th. Tickets for that are on sale now.

All tour dates, a video and a flyer for the Glasslands show, below...

Continue reading "Sean Bones - CD release show @ Glasslands & other dates"

Passion Pit (more by Tim Griffin)

Not quite on the scale of their last NYC music event (that I know about), but Diesel Jeans's U:Music tour will visit NYC for a show at Webster Hall on Thursday, July 30th. The lineup for that includes The Roots (with a special guest), Drake, Cobra Starship (huh?), Passion Pit, Theophilus London, and contest winners (two bands won a contest to get on the bill) The Terror Pigeon Dance Revolt! (as seen HERE and HERE) and Heartsrevolution. "To get in, one has to appear at the store's participating NYC locations wearing a pair of Diesel jeans, though tickets are limited."

All Diesel fans will have a chance to witness this private event with a limited amount of invitations to be given away at participating Diesel stores. One must show up to participating stores in a pair of Diesel jeans to qualify...

The rest of the info below...

Continue reading "Diesel throwing shows @ Webster Hall (Passion Pit, Roots, more), in their store & in their store window..."

The Antlers @ Cake Shop (more by Kyle Dean Reinford)

Frenchkiss Records will be re-releasing a remastered version of Hospice, the debut new album by NYC band The Antlers, on August 18th (and digitally on June 16th). That means they are now label-mates with Sean Bones WHO they are playing with (listed as "special guest") at The Delancey on May 20th (flyer below). One day later you can catch The Antlers with White Rabbits and Cymbals Eat Guitars at Bowery Ballroom (you can also catch Cymbals Eat Guitars at the opening Rooftop Films party tonight). And you can catch the Antlers at Music Hall of Williamsburg on May 29th with Au Revoir Simone who they are then going out on tour with before meeting up with Cotton Jones for even more touring. All dates below...

Continue reading "The Antlers sign to Frenchkiss - 2009 Tour Dates (Bowery Ballroom, MHOW, the Delancey & Au Revoir Simone)"

by Andrew Frisicano

DOWNLOAD: Harlem Shakes - Strictly Game (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Sean Bones - Easy Street (MP3)

Harlem Shakes @ Highline Ballroom (more by Ryan Muir)

The lineup at Pianos tonight (5/6) at has had some changes since we last wrote about it.

Harlem Shakes are still playing a free early show with The Cringe and Sean Bones, but Japandroids, who were originally scheduled to play the show's late set, had to reschedule all of their dates because of illness. They'll be in town instead on July 10th and 11th. Heavenly States canceled as well. Instead, we have the Octagon, Electric Owls, and Stars Like Nesseth for the post-Shakes late show (10pm start).

The Shakes have been busy since the release of Technicolor Health on Gigantic Music in March. I caught their show at the Starr Space on Thursday, April 23rd, where the band closed the night. The late Harlem Shakes set was persuasive enough to convince most of the crowd to stick around and sacrifice a totally alert work/school day. Accordingly, the front of the room was packed with people dancing to the band's new album songs, which they played as A Christmas Story rolled on the projector. The hardwood surface of the Starr Space were less than ideal acoustically (the PA speakers mounted behind the crowd didn't help either), but no one seemed to notice -- most were more interested in the party anthem choruses of songs like "Strictly Game" and "Sunlight."

At the end of May, the band heads out on tour with Passion Pit and Cale Parks across North America. After that, the Harlem Shakes will headline a July 1st show at the Bowery Ballroom. Tickets are still on sale.

Max & Willow (Sean Bones & Norah Jones in Wah Do Dem)

Also playing the free show tonight (7pm, you better hurry) is Sean Bones, "solo project of Sean Sullivan aka the guitarist of Sam Champion." He's set to release his debut LP (a reggae album), Rings, July 21st on Frenchkiss Records. Coming up, Bones will also play the Delancey on May 20th, open for the 1990s at the Mercury Lounge on May 28th, and perform at the Frenchkiss Records Northside Fest showcase at Bruar Falls on June 12th.

Sean Bones stars with Norah Jones in the indie flick Wah Do Dem, premiering at the LA Film Festival in June. Jones also sings on "Turn Them," the closing track on Bones' new disc.

You might recognize the other band on tonight's bill, The Cringe, as the group that features Rachael Ray's husband, guitarist/singer John Cusimano. The group has performed at Ray's pre-SXSW Santos show and SXSW BBQ in March of this year, her 2008 SXSW party, and other Ray-sponsored gigs. She's also hosting tonight at Pianos (Watch Entertainment = her production company) (flyer posted again below).

Two new clips from the Harlem Shakes' record release party at MHOW on March 26th, and the Sean Bones record track list and and IFC interview, and the trailer for Wah Do Dem, below...

Continue reading "Sean Bones - new record & movie, Norah Jones & tonight w/ (Rachael Ray and) The Harlem Shakes (new live videos) "

DOWNLOAD: Harlem Shakes - Strictly Game (MP3)

Harlem Shakes @ Highline Ballroom (more by Ryan Muir)

Harlem Shakes' new album, Technicolor Health, is out now on Gigantic. The disc's first single , "Strictly Game," which we've posted before, is posted again above.

The band has upcoming May/June tour dates with Passion Pit and Cale Parks, though none in New York. But that doesn't mean there aren't any Harlem Shakes shows to be had.

First the band plays a "Big Ups to Jules De B." show at Bushwick's Starr Space on Thursday, April 23rd with LD Beghtol (Magnetic Fields, Flare), Hospitality, and Mr. Dream. That show is a party for Jules De Balincourt, who did the artwork for the band's newest record. (More details and artwork below.)

Then the band has a free early show at Pianos on Wednesday, May 6th with The Cringe and Sean Bones. (That's before the Japandroids, The Octagon, Heavenly States show the same night.) Poster for the Shakes gig below.

Then, after a May 16th Sarah Lawrence show (in Westchester County) and the Passion Pit/Cale Parks tour, Harlem Shakes return for a July 1st show at the Bowery Ballroom. Tickets go on sale Friday, April 24th at noon. Openers aren't announced yet.

Before embarking on that tour, Cale Parks (you may know him as one of the guys who plays percussion/piano/vibes in Aloha) is performing at Santos Party House on Saturday, May 9th with Cymbals Eat Guitars, So So Glos, Real Estate and Luke Temple (Here We Go Magic). The show, hosted by Andrew WK, is a benefit for DKMS, which is the world's largest bone marrow donor center. Tickets for that show are on sale.

One day after finishing their tour with the Harlem Shakes, Passion Pit play two headlining shows of their own at Bowery Ballroom (both now sold out).

Video from the Harlem Shakes' March 26th MHOW gig, details on the band's Bushwick show, and all upcoming tour dates below...

Continue reading "Harlem Shakes - 2 small NYC shows, 1 free, 1 big one & other 2009 Tour Dates (w/ Passion Pit & Cale Parks) "

The Dodos @ Brooklyn Masonic Temple (more by Natasha Ryan)

Sunset Rubdown and The Dodos, two of the bigger names listed in The Northside Festival lineup, will both be playing their June Brooklyn shows at Studio B. Sunset Rubdown is Friday, June 12th (the same night as John Vanderslice at MHOW), and The Dodos are Sunday, June 14th (the same night as Bill Callahan at MHOW)

When Spencer Krug isn't playing with Sunset Rubdown, he can be found with his other bands Wolf Parade and Swan Lake. Swan Lakes's new album "Enemy Mine" is out now. Grab some MP3's.

You might assume that the Dodos Northside show is the Frenchkiss Records showcase (like I did at first), but it's not. Frenchkiss's own show will be something much smaller at Bruar Falls earlier in the week. I think we CAN assume that Sean Bones, also listed on the Northside lineup, will be one of the performers at that one.

Sunset Rubdown will be touring Europe later this month. The Dodos will be at Sasquatch in May. All tour dates below...

Continue reading "Sunset Rubdown & Dodos playing Studio B & other dates"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: The Rakes - 1989 (click to stream)

London's The Rakes are back in New York this week (Monday 4/6 at Bowery Ballroom; 4/7 at Union Hall) for their first shows in almost two years. The band took a break after their second album, Ten New Messages (which didn't get a U.S. release), but reconvened last year in Berlin to record their new album, Klang!, which was just released in the UK. It's been two years since The Rakes last played NYC. Klang! was recorded in Berlin with producer Chris Zane (Les Savvy Fav, The Walkmen). Why Berlin? Singer Alan Donohoe told Drowned in Sound:

The London music scene is so dull right now - it's like wading through a swamp of shit. We just wanted to be somewhere more inspiring...The album is raw, playful, exciting, complex and schizophrenic - much like the personality of Berlin itself. It couldn't be more of a fitting place to record it. Chris has found this raw but massive sound, it's sharp like razors; like pouring boiling bleach on our peers.

While you couldn't call Klang! a big departure from their two previous albums (tales of urban ennui set to spiky guitars and nervous rhythms), it's another solid record from one of Britain's more underrated bands. Check out the album's first single, "1989," at the top of this post. (Its video is below.) And of the UK Class of 2004/2005, the Rakes have always been one of the best live bands, playing even faster than on record, and are as tight as they are tightly-wound. But for me it's singer Donohoe's awesomely spazzy dance moves that really make The Rakes so much fun to watch, some of which can be seen in a live video at the bottom of this post. below. Tickets are still available for both the Bowery (The Dig and Sean Bones open) and Union Hall (Radical Dads open) shows.

Videos and tour dates below...

Continue reading "The Rakes are here - new album & 2009 Tour Dates"

words and photos by Natasha Ryan

crowd surfing on Friday the 13th

Although the press release urged showgoers to wear their best PJs (editor's note: I definitely missed that), there didn't appear to be any striped pants sets or long johns in the crowd at the the Les Savy Fav pajama party themed show at the Brooklyn Masonic Temple on Friday (the 13th) night. The cavernous temple looked far removed from the suggested festivity - that is until Tim Harrington appeared amid the audience, donning a cotton nightie with Goldilocks wig snugly tucked under a pink shower cap. He cried "Girl's night!" as he made his way through the crowd, slapping green facial masks on those in desperate need of an exfoliation. The stage was covered with down pillows for fights, and Tim gossiped with the audience, played some Bloody Mary (do you say it 3 times or 100 times?), and did a little party levitation when he later crowd surfed in a Jason Voorhees mask as he chanted "light as a feather, stiff as a board." The party went late, ending around 1:00 am, or just a little before Tim crawled around on the feather-littered floor tangled in his endless microphone cord during "Je T'Aime."

Frenchkiss's newest signing Sean Bones, and the one and only Francis (and the Lights) opened the show. More pictures below...

Continue reading "Les Savy Fav, Francis and The Lights & Sean Bones @ Brooklyn Masonic Temple - pics"

DOWNLOAD: Sean Bones - Easy Street (MP3)

That's a picture of Sean Bones aka the solo project of Sean Sullivan aka the guitarist of Sam Champion aka one of Frenchkiss Records' latest signings aka the first of two openers (2nd TBA) at the upcoming Les Savy Fav (the kings of Frenchkiss Records) show at Brooklyn Masonic Temple in Brooklyn, NY on March 13th. Tickets on sale Feb 3rd.

Listen to the Sean Bones tracks streaming at MySpace. Download one of them above.

Les Savy Fav also have a show coming up this Saturday and one at Noise Pop in San Francisco on March 1st. All dates below...

Continue reading "Les Savy Fav shows (Brooklyn Masonic) and Sean Bones"