photos by Amanda Hatfield

Sharon Van Etten @ Cameo, 12/15/2012

This was so so so so so so lovely. What a treat to see Sharon in such a small space again with just a guitar & Heather Broderick on backing vocals for some of the songs. Sharon commented at one point that it was nice to see no one in the room wearing Santa hats and that this was the anti-Santacon. - BV photographer Amanda Hatfield

Sharon Van Etten will soon be on tour with Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, hitting Beacon Theatre on March 28 - 29. Tickets are still available. More pictures from Saturday night's Cameo show are below.

Continue reading "Sharon Van Etten was the 'special guest' at her show with She Keeps Bees & Speck Mountain (pics, setlist, audio)"

photos by Jessica Amaya

Marcus Foster at Webster Hall (more)

BV contributors Dominick Mastrangelo, Dana (distortion) Yavin, Amanda Hatfield, David Andrako and Fred Pessaro // BBG have all gone to their share of shows in 2012, and each has weighed in on their favorite photos that they took in 2012. Next on the list is a set from Jessica Amaya, who has chronicled her 2012 favorites below in no particular order.

More below, along with Jessica's favorite tracks of 2012.

Continue reading "Jessica Amaya's favorite Live Photos of 2012 (that she took) (her favorite songs too)"

Sharon Van Etten at Town Hall earlier this month (more by Chris La Putt)

Sharon Van Etten put together a show with her "favorite people in the world," happening at Cameo Gallery on December 15. Though she isn't on the bill (anymore), the venue lists "special guests." And though we have no clue if Sharon will actually play her own set at this, She Keeps Bees and Speck Mountain definitely will. Plus there will be DJ sets by Call the Doctor (Christian Schaal and Andreas Knutsen). Tickets for the show are on sale now.

Sharon just played Town Hall with a bunch of guests, and you can check out pics of that HERE.

A stream of She Keeps Bees and Sharon Van Etten's "Cuddle Alone," below.

Continue reading "Sharon Van Etten presenting a NYC show w/ She Keeps Bees, Speck Mountain & "special guests""

Merchandise at Mousetrap in Chicago, April 2012 (more by Jimmy Farabi)

You may have noticed the announcements of CMJ artists trickling out as of late (like Sub Pop's lineup), but now comes the official word from the fest on another batch of bands. Highilights include AraabMUZIK, UK acts Savages and Everything Eveything, Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire, Cities Aviv, Ken Mode (playing with Pig Destroyer), Daughn Gibson (playing with Pissed Jeans), Local H, Slug Guts, Dune Rats, Royal Canoe, and Sleepies among many many others. A full listing of the second round of CMJ artists is below.

One of said surprises is Merchandise, who plays NYC tonight at WIERD (9/12). The show is first of THREE NYC dates for the band, who will also play 538 Johnson tomorrow (9/13) before hitting Saint Vitus on Friday (9/14, tickets).

A list of the second round of CMJ artists is below, along with updated Merchandise dates and a recent video.

Continue reading "CMJ announces second round of artists; Merchandise is here, catch them three times this week (tonight at WIERD)"

photos and videos by Jessica Amaya

Natureboy w/ Sharon Van Etten at Pianos - 6/28/12

Brooklyn's Natureboy (aka Sara Kermanshahi) wrapped up a residency at Pianos last Thursday (6/28). The residencies took place every Thursday in June, and each one featured a different lineup of artists. For the 6/28 show, Sara was joined by Doug Keith, Cat Martino, She Keeps Bees, The Roadside Graves, and DJ Sharon Van Etten, who, as predicted, joined Sara on stage during her set.

In related news, Sharon Van Etten and her bandmate Doug Keith were just interviewed by Nardwuar. A video of that interview is below, along with more pictures and videos from the Pianos show (unfortunately none of Roadside Graves).

Continue reading "Natureboy wrapped up Pianos residency w/ Sharon Van Etten, Cat Martino & more (pics); Sharon interviewed by Nardwuar"

by Andrew Sacher

Brooklyn folk pop singer Natureboy (aka Sara Kermanshahi) kicks off a residency at Pianos TONIGHT (6/7), which will take place every Thursday night in June. Each show is with a pretty solid lineup; tonight it's Caged Animals, Christine Horberg, Vorhees, and St. Claire. Other artists appearing during the residency include Shenandoah & The Night, Shilpa Ray, Cat Martino, She Keeps Bees, Doug Keith, The Roadside Graves, and more. On the last night of the residency (6/28), Sharon Van Etten, who sings on Natureboy's album, will be DJing and it wouldn't be too surprising if she joined in on vocals during Natureboy's set while she's there. The full schedule and flier for the residency is below and tickets for all four shows are on sale now.

Natureboy's album can be streamed in full at her bandcamp and it's a pretty enjoyable listen. Check it out for yourself over there and stream some tracks below.

Continue reading "Natureboy kicking off residency at Pianos w/ Sharon Van Etten, Cat Martino, She Keeps Bees, Caged Animals & more"

photos by Chris La Putt

Willis Earl Beal @ Mercury Lounge

Willis Earl Beal is on a tour which brought him to NYC for a Glasslands show on 3/29 with Zulu Winter and a Mercury Lounge show on 4/1 with She Keeps Bees and Fenster (who play again at Knitting Factory on 4/4). Pictures from the Mercury Lounge show are in this post. More below.

That tour was supposed to include an opening slot at SBTRKT's Webster Hall show tonight (4/3) (which is sold out, Sepalcure is still opening, and will be streaming online) but Willis has cancelled tonight's show due to illness. The official statement reads, "Unfortunately Willis is sick and his doctor has ordered him not to perform tonight. The rest of the tour dates are on as planned." Bummer.

UPDATE: DJ Jim E Stack, who played with SBTRKT last night at Music Hall of Williamsburg, will open for SBTRKT in Beal's place tonight.

The rest of that tour includes dates with WU LYF that brings both bands to NYC on MHOW on 4/26 and Bowery Ballroom on 4/27. Willis will also be back in NYC for the Questlove-curated Shuffle Culture Fest at BAM which goes down on April 19 and 20.

Willis also just made a video for "Montony" off his debut LP, Acousmatic Sorcery, which is out now on Hot Charity. That video, updated dates, and more pics from the 4/1 show at Mercury Lounge, below...

Continue reading "Willis Earl Beal made a video, played Merc w/ Fenster & She Keeps Bees (pics), IS NOT playing w/ SBTRKT tonight (dates)"

photos by Amanda Hatfield

Anna Calvi @ Bowery Ballroom

"...when Anna Calvi coaxed slinky licks, sweeping chords, and gasping runs out of her Telecaster, I couldn't help but smile. She can really play -- she leaves no room for questions of authenticity. she's there, and she's doing it, bringing a sensuality and nuance to her guitar playing that stands her apart from a lot of guitarists, both male and female." [Broken & the Blessed]

Anna and Cuckoo are now still on tour, and Anna's NYC return has already been announced. Tickets are on sale for a July 27th show at Le Poisson Rouge. That's three days before Anna plays Osheaga in Montreal.

Highlights of Anna's Bowery set included her covers of both Elvis's "Surrender", and Edith Piaf's "Jezebel". Videos of both (one from the Bowery show, one from a previous show), with more pictures and tour dates, below...

Continue reading "Anna Calvi played Bowery w/ Cuckoo Chaos & She Keeps Bees (pics & video), playing LPR, Osheaga & other dates"

photos by Tim Griffin

Anna Calvi in Brighton

"Calvi was midway through a lean eight song set when I entered, but I was utterly spellbound for the four songs I caught. 'Desire' was a particularly stirring highlight from the singer who has recently recovered from a serious hand injury to be back on guitar playing duty, providing inspired flamenco-inspired flourishes to her otherworldly brand of Banshees-esque goth-pop. Her lips curling around harsh consonants provided subtle breaks to her commanding and powerful vocal, which was offset beautifully against her charmingly dainty asides. Her presence and poise was there for all to see, though this is no idle hype; Calvi will be a real force to reckon with and I await her further output with baited breath." [Skiddle]

Now Anna Calvi is about to kick off her post-injury North American tour with a show in Philadelphia before heading to NYC to play Bowery Ballroom on 5/25 with Cuckoo Chaos and She Keeps Bees. Tickets for the NYC show are still available, and you can try your luck at winning a pair! Details on how to enter our contest are under her full list of tour dates below.

In April Anna played a show in Paris that you can watch in full online.

Cuckoo Chaos is a 5-piece San Diego Lefse-signed band comprised of "players from other bands including The Vision of a Dying World, The Paddle Boat, Black Mamba, and Cousins." They've appropriately tagged their own Bandcamp page with "tropcal hipster jams," and they'll be on the road with Anna from NYC to San Francisco. Show up early to check them out. All dates, more Brighton pics, and the contest details, below...

Continue reading "Anna Calvi played the Great Escape (pics), about to tour w/ Cuckoo Chaos (win tix)"

photos by Jessica Amaya

While a crazy rain storm was happening outside Saturday night, Sharon Van Etten, Megafaun, and She Keeps Bees (who replaced Little Scream) played a show at Music Hall of Williamsburg. Lady Lamb the Beekeeper, who played a show at Fontana's earlier that day and who opened a few dates for Sharon last week, joined Sharon and band on a song during their headlining set. Video of that moment, and more pictures from the Brooklyn show, below...

Continue reading "Sharon Van Etten, Megafaun & She Keeps Bees (and Lady Lamb) played Music Hall of Williamsburg (pics & video)"

Little Scream @ a BV Day Party @ SXSW (more by Amanda Hatfield)

TV on the Radio's (new album and) Brooklyn show date has arrived, and though they're not listing any opener, I think there might be a surprise tonight at Music Hall of Williamsburg. Not a surprise at all is that Light Asylum is opening for TVOTR at RCMH on Wednesday. Tickets for that larger show are still on sale. AND, we have TWO PAIRS of tickets you can win to see the band headline Radio City. Want them? Details on how to win are below (all of TVOTR's dates are down there too).

Speaking of bands opening sold out shows at Bowery venues on 4/12 (today), Frankie Rose is the reason to show up early to the Go! Team's sold out show at Bowery Ballroom tonight.

Jesper Of Junior Senior DJs before The Go! Team play their set at Brooklyn Bowl on Saturday (their second of two NYC shows which are part of a short tour). That show is also sold out, though the venue says, "WE WILL HAVE A LIMITED AMOUNT OF ADMISSIONS TO RELEASE ON THE NIGHT OF THE SHOW STARTING AT 11:00 PM. ALL ADMISSIONS AT THE DOOR ARE FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE AND WILL BE $12, CASH ONLY."

Speaking of opening bands playing shows in Williamsburg on Saturday night, Little Scream is NOT. Sadly, at some point after it was announced, Little Scream dropped off the last six dates of Sharon Van Etten's tour to instead play some dates with Jose Gonzalez in Europe. Don't worry, everyone's still friends. BV Zach was actually at their final show together the other day at Lincoln Hall in Chicago, and he told me...

Little Scream announced that it was their last show on tour with Sharon Van Etten, and that it has been an honor to work with her. Little Scream consists of two strong female singers (playing guitar and violin respectively), plus an also guitar-toting drummer. Their sound referenced the likes of Andrew Bird-esque violin plucking, interwoven with streams of freak folk and choral arrangements. Later during Sharon's encore, all of Little Scream returned to the stage to take part in a cover of Fine Young Cannibals' "She Drives Me Crazy".

She Keeps Bees, not to be confused with Sea of Bees (I was actually confused until I wrote that sentence), have replaced Little Scream on the Brooklyn Bill. Megafaun also play that Brooklyn show and amazingly tickets are still available.

Continue reading "Frankie Rose opening for Go Team!, Little Scream not opening for Sharon Van Etten. Someone opening for TVOTR? (win tix)"

DOWNLOAD: Acid Mothers Temple - "In O" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Acid Mothers Temple - "In A" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Shilpa Ray & Her Happy Hookers - "Heaven In Stereo" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Shilpa Ray & Her Happy Hookers - "Venus Shaver" (MP3)

photos by Greg Cristman

Acid Mothers Temple @ Knitting Factory

Acid Mothers Temple, in the form of Acid Mothers Temple and the Melting Paraiso UFO, will return to tour North America in March. That tour hits Knitting Factory in Brooklyn on April 12th. Tickets are on sale.

The last time Acid Mothers Temple was at Knitting Factory was last April. A lost set of pictures from that show adorn this post. Acid Mothers Temple released their latest LP In O To Infinity via Important Records. Two MP3s above come from that release.

Almost all of Acid Mother's upcoming tour, including the Brooklyn show, is with Shilpa Ray and Her Happy Hookers who have a new LP on the way. Teenage and Torture will be released on January 18th via Knitting Factory Records. Dig on a pair of songs from that release, including the previously posted "Venus Shaver" that appears on the 7", above.

Help Shilpa celebrate that new LP at a show happening on Friday, January 21st at Brooklyn Bowl with Soft Black and She Keeps Bees. Tickets are on sale for the gig which is one of two Shilpa has scheduled this month. The other is in Buffalo.

All dates and more AMT pictures below...

Continue reading "Acid Mothers Temple playing KF again (pics from last time), touring w/ Shilpa Ray (who plays an LP release show soon) -- (dates & MP3s)"

photos by Amanda Hatfield

Sharon Van Etten and full band played two NYC area dates this weekend as part of an extended weekend of shows that would see her eventually link up with Bowerbirds who arrive back in NYC on Tuesday (10/12). If you missed either her 10/8 show at Rock Shop with Julianna Barwick and She Keeps Bees, or her 10/9 show at Mercury Lounge with Kyp Malone, never fear, SVE will return to the NYC stage next week to play the annual Chouette day party, this year at Bruar Falls, on 10/20 during CMJ. The show, which will also feature Lower Dens, Highlife, and Sebastian Blanck, will kick off at 3PM and will feature SVE in the top slot (at 6PM). Set times are below.

Not long after CMJ, Sharon Van Etten heads out on the road with Junip. All dates, as well as pictures from Rock Shop are below (Mercury Lounge pictures are on the way)...

Continue reading "Sharon Van Etten played The Rock Shop (pics), playing Chouette day party (and other dates) "

words & photos by Dominick Mastrangelo

La pluie. It just wont stop. From sun up to sundown and well into the night here in Montreal the rain continued, making the second day of Pop Montreal (Thursday, September 30th) , and everyone attending, a soggy mess. Buses were crowded, Bixi (the public bike racks that blanket the city) were not an option. It was taxis or hoofing it.

The rain forced the "Pop BBQ" indoors and up Boulevard St. Laurent to the Barfly where Lost In The Trees were first up. The set times were moved up an hour and upon arriving there were maybe 20 people in the bar. Nestled back in the corner the seven-member ensemble performed, without microphones. It had the feeling of a Take Away show with people carrying on quiet conversations, watching the band or sitting at the bar nursing a beer. After playing a raucous sold-out show the night before it had to be just a bit disappointing for the band. But you wouldn't know it by how they sounded.

After hiding out in the Notman House where registration and the hospitality area are, it was back up the boulevard and a fun, hip-hop set by Montreal's Socalled. "Does anybody want to play bass with Socalled tonight?" asked bandleader Josh Dolgin to the rapidly filling up space. (One of the curious things about some of these shows in Montreal is the way a venue will be nearly empty 10 minutes before a set and by the time a band takes the stage nearly packed.) Two songs in a guy came walking up with a bass and joined right in.
While waiting for Greenland's Nive Nielsen to begin at boutique clothing store next to the Barfly, I popped in to see who was on and was surprised to catch Brooklyn's She Keeps Bees killing it to what appeared to be the same 20 people from a few hours earlier.

Then if was off to see the see Polaris Prize-winners Karkwa. I arrived early and caught most of Montreal's Leif Vollebekk. Sounding a bit like the Bowerbirds with a voice that sounded equal parts Ryan Adams and Andrew Bird, his set was the more impressive of the two bands. And their sounds couldn't have been more differennt. If you stripped away the blistering light show, Karkwa's songs come away a bit less impressive. But from a spectacle standpoint it was worthy and the Montreal crowd was very much in love with them.

A dash through the rain and into The National to close out the evening. I arrived early and caught the last bit of the Black Feelings. Women followed and might have been the highlight of the night. Liars capped the evening and were loud, loud and more loud.

Read about the first day of the festival. HERE. More pictures from the second day below...

Continue reading "Pop Montreal 2010 - Day 2 in pics & review (Liars, Women, Karkwa, She Keeps Bees, Socalled & more) "

photos by Chris La Putt

Though I'm personally having trouble getting excited about the UK band, a wave of sudden hype (much of it from friends) got me out to Mercury Lounge last night to check out The Joy Formidable who were playing their second sold out show at the NYC venue in a week. People, many from the music industry and a bunch with accents similar to the band's, were packed into the club that the three-piece rocked for less than an hour. And they do rock, especially animated front-woman Ritzy Bryan who simultaneously handles vocal duty, guitar and a large board of pedals. She/they were tight, loud and fun to watch. Many people around me were feeling more than that too. I expect to see them play somewhere at least as large as Bowery Ballroom for one or even two nights in a row next time they visit (which they promised was soon).

Their eight-song EP entitled A Balloon Called Moaning is out now in the USA on Black Bell Records (it was released in 2009 in the UK and before that in Japan). More pictures, including one of the setlist, from the Merc show (that She Keeps Bees also played), and a video, below...

Continue reading "The Joy Formidable & She Keeps Bees @ Mercury Lounge in NYC - pics & video"

DOWNLOAD: David Thomas Broughton - Weight of My Love (MP3)

Talented UK experimental-folk artist and friend of Doveman/Sam Amidon, David Thomas Broughton will make a rare and brief stop in NYC before heading to SXSW next week. All in all he'll play only two shows in the US, both of which are for The Local. "The Local is an evening of fine live music hosted by Howard Monk. It's an unpretentious affair, and friendly too." More specifically, The Local is a UK EVENING of fine live music, and on March 17th they will be "in New York for a second time"...

Hosted by Howard Monk ('Later with Jools Holland meets Phoenix Nights. Result!' Time Out), The Local hosts two events in the U.S, in NYC and Austin, Texas (SXSW) and will feature live performances from the inimitable David Thomas Broughton (SXSW & NYC), last seen layering and sampling his melancholy tales with a banana in his mouth; the much celebrated Liz Green (NYC & SXSW), winner of Glastonbury Festival's Emerging Talent competition last year, and with a new album on its way, the 'flickering and hummable' stories of Shearwater (SXSW) and the much vaunted Alela Diane (SXSW).

Continue reading "David Thomas Broughton & The Local coming to NYC, SXSW "