Tickets to see Death From Above 1979 and Fucked Up play a Governors Ball After Party at Irving Plaza go on sale today at 10 AM.

Tickets for the The Allman Brothers Band, Grace Porter and the Nocturnals show at Nikon at Jones Beach Theatre go on sale today at 10 AM.

Tickets to see A$AP Rocky and Wiz Khalifa with Trinidad Jame$, Joey Bada$$ and others at PNC Bank Arts Center, Nikon at Jones Beach Theatre and Comcast Theatre go on LiveNation presale today at 10 AM. General on sale starts Saturday at 10 AM. And despite what was initially announced, Smoke DZA is now listed on the PNC Bank Arts Center and Jones Beach dates.

Tickets for the MGMT show at The Wellmont Theatre go on sale today at noon.

Tickets to see Disclosure and TNGHT at Central Park Summerstage go on sale today at noon.

Tickets to see King Tuff at Bowery Ballroom go on sale today at noon.

Tickets for the Father John Misty and Wild Nothing show at Terminal 5 go on sale today at noon.

Tickets to see Polica and Solid Gold play a Governors Ball afterparty at Brooklyn Bowl go on sale today at noon.

Tickets to see Girls Against Boys at Bowery Ballroom go on sale today at noon.

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

Tickets to see Julian Lynch and The Luyas at Mercury Lounge go on sale today at noon. Tickets to their 285 Kent show are on sale now.

Tickets to see Philip Glass and Van Dyke Parks at Music Hall of Williamsburg, as part of Big Sur Brooklyn Bridge, go on sale today at noon.

Herbie Hancock is playing The Capitol Theatre on October 4. Tickets for that show go on sale today at noon.

Cyndi Lauper and Hunter Valentine are playing Beacon Theatre on July 10. Tickets for that show go on sale today at 11 AM.

Tickets for both nights of Stones Fest 2013 at Bowery Ballroom go on sale today at noon.

Tickets for the Pure Bathing Culture and Monogold show at Mercury Lounge go on sale today at noon.

Tickets for the Syd Arthur and Celestial Shore show at Mercury Lounge go on sale today at noon.

Tickets for the JC Brooks and the Uptown Sound show at Mercury Lounge go on sale today at noon.

Snowmine are playing Mercury Lounge on May 20. Tickets for that show go on sale today at noon.

Tickets to see The Revivalists, Roadkill Ghost Choir and Swear & Shake play a Governors Ball afterparty at Bowery Ballroom go on sale today at noon.

Tickets to see Haim and Kate Boy play a Governors Ball afterparty at Brooklyn Bowl go on sale today at noon.

Tickets to see Griz and Cherub play a Governors Ball afterparty at Gramercy Theatre go on sale today at 10 AM.

Tickets to see Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds, Hollis Brown and Shakey Graves play a Governors Ball after party at Brooklyn Bowl go on sale today at noon.

Counting Crows and The Wallflowers are playing Hammerstein Ballroom on June 27. Tickets for that show go on LiveNation and Ticketmaster presale today at noon. General on-sale starts May 3 at 10 AM.

Mina Caputo (formerly known as Life of Agony frontman Keith Caputo) plays Joe's Pub on May 17. Tickets are on sale.

Tickets to see Bob Dylan, Wilco and My Morning Jacket at Susquehanna Bank Center go on sale Saturday at 10 AM. Tickets for the Jones Beach (MMJ not included) and Pier A Park shows go on sale the following Saturday, May 4.

photos by Dominick Mastrangelo

Of Montreal / Ducktails @ Savannah Stopover, 3/8/2013

Amazingly, Athens-based of Montreal's gig was their first ever in Savannah.

Of Montreal's show in the park was also the first time the sweeping backdrop of our so-called band shell was used to full effect. Surreal and colorful, the dancing images looked almost as wonderful from a distance as the ridiculous stage theatrics appeared up close.

That event might have been the signature event of the third annual indie music festival that lures many bands headed to Austin for SXSW, but there were plenty of other gems.

Thursday's opening night lineup was especially impressive.

To get the festival rolling, the rich sounds of The Last Bison filled up the glorious North Garden at the Ships of the Sea Museum. The music ended about six hours later, with Mac DeMarco finishing his set by crowd surfing at The Jinx.

In between, a couple of dozen acts played at a variety of downtown venues, including Thurston Moore and his new band Chelsea Light Moving in the beautifully renovated ballroom at the Knights of Columbus on Liberty Street. - [Savannah Now]

As mentioned, the Savannah Stopover happened over the weekend in its namesake Georgia town with bands from all over the world playing on their way to SXSW. BV photographer Dominick Mastrangelo was there the whole weekend and here are pics from Friday (3/8), including shots of Of Montreal, Braids, Ducktails, Chris Cohen and more. Check them out below.

Continue reading "The Savannah Stopover: day 2 in pics (of Montreal, Ducktails, Braids and more)"

SXSW is no doubt a great way to see a lot of bands in a short amount of time and can be a lot of fun. But it can also be a little much for some. If you'd like to see many of the same bands but in a more genteel setting, you might be interested in The Savannah Stopover which happens the weekend before SXSW (March 7 - 9) in at various clubs in Savannah, Georgia. Over 100 bands will play, including Of Montreal, Merchandise, Mac DeMarco, Chelsea Light Moving, Hunters, Braids, Delicate Steve, Turbo Fruits, Ducktails and loads more.

Tickets ($30 per day or $75 for three-day pass) are on sale now and more info is at Savannah Stopover's website. The full announced lineup is below.

Continue reading "of Montreal, Chelsea Light Moving, Merchandise, Mac DeMarco, & more playing Savannah Stopover before SXSW"

Frightened Rabbit @ T5, Nov. 2010 (more by Lionel Bergeron)

SXSW has just announced another round of bands for the 2013 edition of the annual music festival that will happen March 12 - 17. This brings the total current number of acts to around 1300. Someome of the highlights include Vampire Weekend, Frightened Rabbit, The Thermals, Black Lips, Camera Obscura, Merchandise, Bleached, Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire, Eagles of Death Metal, Parenthetical Girls, Indians, Night Beds, IO Echo, KEN Mode, Prince Paul, Pure Bathing Culture, Sepalcure, UK motorik post-punks TOY, Finnish instrumentalists K-X-P, Toronto's Moon King, UK indie rockers Splashh (not Brooklyn Splash with one "h") and loads more. Head to BV Austin for the whole Round 3 list.

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Cate Le Bon - Puts Me to Work (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Ed Vallance - Crystaline (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Old Monk - Warm Moustache (MP3)

Veronica Falls

Veronica Falls are back for what is, by far, their biggest NYC show to date: they play Music Hall of Williamsburg on Thursday. The band's debut was my #2 Album of 2011:

"Found Love in a Graveyard" made my Favorite Tracks of 2009 list and have been waiting a full-length ever since. The band does not disappoint. There's not a dud in Veronica Falls' 36 minute running time. New songs are equals to early singles which appear here in newly recorded versions that might actually improve on the originals. This is haunted pop, a brisk October breeze that calls for a nice cardigan.

Veronica Falls just released a new track, "My Heart Beats," to coincide with their North American tour and you can stream it at the bottom of this post. The song is sunnier than what they normally do but still fits within their sound. Sounds like a single to me. The band are touring with Slumberland labelmates Brilliant Colors (in from San Francisco) and local noisemakers Grooms are also on the bill.  Tickets are still available. Veronica Falls look timid in their press photos, but they whip up a storm live. Go see 'em.

Bleached at BV CMJ 2012 (more by Chris La Putt)

After the MHoW show, Bleached will also be part of the Veronica Falls/Brilliant Colors tour. (Dates at the bottom of this post.) The band are currently on the road with The Black Belles, a tour that rolls into town onSaturday (2/11) at Knitting Factory that also has Bleeding Rainbow (formerly Reading Rainbow) and Habibi on the bill. I caught Bleached at the BrooklynVegan day party during CMJ last year and thought they were a lot of fun in a Runaways kind of way. Good snarly attitude and big hooks. Maybe you caught them last week opening for Smith Westerns at Webster Hall?

Habibi

It's worth showing up early for Habibi, whose debut single (streamable below) is a cool, understated take on '60s girl group sounds. You can stream it below.

--
Cate Le Bon

As excited as I am to see Veronica Falls on Thursday (2/9) , I might be slightly more pumped to catch Cate Le Bon's early set at Mercury Lounge that same night. (She also plays Maxwell's on Friday [2/10] as part of her tour) I've been pretty enamoured with the Welsh singer's new album, Cyrk, that came out a few weeks ago. The spare, detached vibe is a little like the Velvet Underground or Electrelane or Stereolab, but there's a hint of pastoral psychedelia in there too. (Shades of Welsh indie royalty Gorky's Zygotic Mynci). The record is loaded with wonderful little touches that reveal themselves with repeated listens. It's a fantastic album.

You can download single "Puts Me to Work" at the top of this post and stream Cyrk at Spotify. Cate has played New York a few times, usually solo, but for this tour she's got her band with her which should be pretty special. Both shows are with local band Pigeons.

Ed Vallance - 'Volcano'

What else is going on? London born, Brooklyn-based singer Ed Vallance released his second album, Volcano, this week and plays a record release show tonight (2/8) at Pianos. The record is dramatic turn from the indie folk of his debut. I bet he still writes his songs on acoustic guitar, but the approach to the arrangements and production are definitely have definitely taken a pop approach this time. While this sort of stuff isn't in vogue so much these days (it's got a distinct early '00s post-Radiohead vibe) it's quite lovely nonetheless. You can download the single "Crystaline" at the top of this post and stream the album at Spotify.

In addition to tonight's show at Pianos, an early show with Pursesnatchersopening, Ed's doing a month-long residency at the Ace Hotel, playing every Sunday in February.

Jeremy Jay

And finally, K Records artist Jeremy Jay is in town this week, playing Glasslands tonight (2/8) and Cake Shop tomorrow (2/9). Jeremy's most recent album is Dream Diary, which came out about a year ago. Like most of his work, it's minimal folk rock with a strong '80s influence. He's an engaging live performer, and tonight's Glasslands show is a stacked bill with Boston psych-folk band Quilt, quality locals Slowdance and Backwords. The Cake Shop show is with Sapphire Mansions and a couple TBDs. (Cake Shop's website isn't especially updated these days.) Jeremy lives in London these days, so go see him while he's here -- all tour dates are at the bottom of this post.

That's the big stuff this week. Some more day by day picks, of things not already covered, are below.

Old Monk

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 8

The second week of Old Monk's Cake Shop residency is tonight. These guys are good! Tonight's with Haybaby, elctro-rockers Year of the Tiger and Code Name Viper.

continued below...

Continue reading "Veronica Falls, Bleached, Habibi, Cate Le Bon, Ed Vallance, Jeremy Jay, Ida & more in This Week in Indie"

photos & video by Jessica Amaya

North Highlands @ Mercury Lounge

North Highlands, ARMS, and Hospitality shared a bill at Mercury Lounge on 7/27. As Bill pointed out, all three of these NYC bands are currently working on new albums. Pictures and video from the show are in this post.

North Highlands has a few more dates this month, including a shows in Riverhead, New Haven, and one in Brooklyn on August 27 at Cameo with Neighbors and Snowmine. Tickets for the NYC show are on sale now.

More pictures and videos from Mercury Lounge, below...

Continue reading "North Highlands played Merc w/ ARMS & Hospitality (pics & video), schedule more shows (dates)"

by Rachel Kowal

Dustin Wong

The weather may have been a bit brisk, but the long lines stretching around the New Design High School last night signaled a strong start to the fifteenth year of Rooftop Films.

Though there are a number of summer movie festivals, Rooftop Films is a bit different from the rest due to its extensive schedule (45+ events from now through August 20), diverse and lofty locales (15 spread out over 4 boroughs), and unique material (emerging talents, recent productions). Oh yeah... and nearly all the screenings also feature live music and free booze after the show.

After a brief introduction from the festival's founder, Mark Elijah Rosenberg, Friday night's show began with a solid performance by Dustin Wong. Grabbing a chatty audience's attention can be a difficult task - especially when that audience is 600 people strong and perhaps more interested in the movie programming than in the pre-show. But for a one-man, one-guitar affair, Wong put on a surprisingly compelling show. With help from an army of pedals, he looped together layer after layer, beginning with the rhythm line and methodically adding quick-fingered guitar melodies and chords until he had crafted a lush, cinematic sound.

Wong's thirty-minute performance ebbed and flowed in intensity over the course of his set, but he didn't pause once for even a beat of silence. Then suddenly, after about thirty minutes of continual play and a few late vocal additions, Wong put down his guitar, bowed slightly, and sheepishly muttered a quick "thank you" before Rosenberg came back to introduce the next segment of the evening.

Typically, the events hinge on a full-length film, but Friday night's program featured nine shorts, each one tied to the theme of storytelling. They ranged from random (Chris Beckman's montage of Youtube videos in Oops), to zany (Matthew Silver's street corner prophet in Heartpocalypse), to unsettling (Carter Smith's taken on high school sex life in Yearbook), and just plain disturbing (David O'Reilly's sadistic and suicidal cartoon creations in The External World).

Stand-outs for me included Olivier Treiner's short The Piano Tuner, which begins as a comedy and ends on a rather surprising and suspenseful note, and David Lowery's heartwarming piece The Pioneer, which features Will Oldham (Bonnie 'Prince' Billy) spinning a bedtime tall tale to an adorable little boy.

Sure, they may not be screening any cult classics but Rooftop Films offers a nice alternative to the typical summer offerings. Other featured musicians yet-to-come include: Widowspeak, Secret Mountains, and Snowmine.

Meanwhile you can catch Widowspeak tonight (5/17) at 285 Kent with Vivian Girls.

The next Rooftop Film is Thursday (5/19) and features the film The Sound of Noise ("A clever and maniacally entertaining Swedish comedy about a group of "musical terrorists" who break into hospitals, banks, and other public places to play compositions using the surroundings as their instruments") with live music from Swedish band Prylf AND "Special LIVE Heavyweight Drum Battle between the Drummers and the Filmmakers!" Movie trailer below.

Dustin Wong plays another NYC show Wednesday night (5/18) at Silent Barn with hear hums, emily reo, dark sea of awareness, and philip seymour hoffman. Dustin's band
Ponytail released a new album in April. A video of Dustin in action can be watched below...

Continue reading "Rooftop Films kicked off its 2011 season with help from Dustin Wong (who plays again Wednesday)"