The So So Glos, whose album Blowout came out not too long ago, are playing a free show at Studio @ Webster Hall tonight (5/22) which will be streamed live on MTV Hive. You can get free tickets through Ticketweb but walk-ups will be let in until capacity is reached. Doors are at 7 PM. Flyer for the show is below.

The band's next NYC show is a previously discussed show happening this Sunday (5/26) at Knitting Factory as part of a show put on by Hunter College radio station WHCS. Since we last spoke, Crystal Stilts have been added to that bill, which also includes Dinowalrus, Heavens Gate and Trabajo. Tickets are $12 ($8 if you use promo code "hookmeupwhcs") and still available but if you'd like to go for free, we've got a pair to give away. Details on how to enter are below.

Continue reading "Crystal Stilts playing with So So Glos who also play free "MTV Artist to Watch" show tonight"

Roger Miret w/ Agnostic Front at Power of the Riff 2012 (more by Greg Cristman)

We were just talking about Brooklyn's The So So Glos, who released their pop punk-y new album, Blowout, performed on Letterman, and are currently on tour with Titus Andronicus. That tour doesn't hit NYC (Titus plays a free NYC show in August though), but we said it probably wouldn't be long before The So So Glos announce their own NYC show. Well, they've just announced one and it happens right after that tour on May 26 at Knitting Factory with Heaven's Gate, Dinowalrus, and Trabajo. Tickets for that show go on sale Friday (5/10) at 10 AM.

The So So Glos are also set to play a Northside show in the back room of Public Assembly on June 14 (only the front room will be closed) with Shapes and Le Rug. Tickets for that show are on sale now and Northside badges will also be accepted. Updated dates are listed below.

The Knitting Factory recently announced some other cool punk shows happening there soon too. Oregon Americana punks Larry and His Flask, who we wrote about when they released their Hobo's Lament EP and toured with Frank Turner, are releasing a new full length, By The Lamplight, on June 25 via Cascadian Records in the US and Frank Turner's Xtra Mile Records internationally. They'll support that album with a tour that ends on July 28 at Knitting Factory. Tickets for that show are on sale now. All dates are listed below.

Their pal Frank Turner meanwhile, will be on his own tour that hits NYC for two sold out MHOW shows in July. He just released a new video from his new album, Tape Deck Heart, which you can watch below.

Back to Knitting Factory shows: Agnostic Front frontman Roger Miret will bring his street punk band Roger Miret and the Disasters to Knitting Factory on August 24 with another Agnostic Front-related project, Stigma. Tickets for that show are on sale now.

As mentioned, Avail frontman Tim Barry will hit Knitting Factory on July 20 with Cory Branan and Des Ark. Tickets for that show are still available.

Other upcoming punk shows at Knitting Factory include power pop punks Cheap Girls (whose tour includes other NYC-area shows too) on May 17 (tickets) and post-hardcore rippers Coliseum on May 21 with the Dischord-signed Red Hare (mems. Bluetip, Dag Nasty, Swiz, Garden Variety, and more) (tickets).

All So So Glos and Larry and His Flask dates are listed, along with some videos, below...

Continue reading "So So Glos, Roger Miret & the Disasters, Larry & His Flask and more upcoming punk shows at Knitting Factory"

The So So Glos at Death by Audio in 2010 (more by Leia Jospe)

The So So Glos have been playing around NYC for some time now, and they've been experiencing newfound success this year with the release of their album, Blowout, which Stereogum named their Album of the Week. It also inspired Rolling Stone to call them a Band to Watch, and they landed a spot on Letterman this past Friday (4/26) to perform its single, "Son of An American," which you can watch a video of below. The band actually set up a television at Bushwick DIY venue Shea Stadium on Friday night after Weekend's show so they could watch the Letterman broadcast. If you haven't heard Blowout yet, SPIN is streaming the entire thing.

The So So Glos are on tour now with Titus Andronicus (not for the first time). That tour kicked off in CT last night (4/28) and continues in Cambridge tonight. No NYC dates are announced for it, but Titus will play a free show on August 8 as part of the River Rocks series, and The So So Glos are sure to add something in their hometown sooner than later too.

Updated dates are listed, along with the Letterman video, below...

Continue reading "The So So Glos on tour, played Letterman, streaming new LP"

Titus Andronicus at House of Vans in 2012 (more by Ryan Muir)

The band led by Patrick Stickles will further support local businesses with a 3 song 12" EP they've done for Record Store Day (Saturday April 20, 2013), aptly titled "Record Store Day." This limited edition release includes one Local Business album track- "Still Life with Hot Deuce and Silver Platter" backed with two previously unreleased songs "(I've Got A) Date Tonight," and "The Dog." The genius RSD/Local Business themed sleeve includes pictures of just a few of the many indie stores Titus Andronicus has supported while touring across America. Titus Andronicus loves indie record stores!

All dates are listed, along with the tour flyer and a video, below...

Continue reading "Titus Andronicus releasing Record Store Day EP, announce tour with The So So Glos (dates)"

"If my resolution for 2013 had been to eat shrooms, rage in a mosh pit and lose my voice at a @titus_ndronicus show, I'd be done already." - @THEmikewhite

"So many scratches on my body that I look like I was attacked by a werewolf, so I guess last nights concert was fuckin dope @titus_ndronicus" - Dimitri Belkin

"almost 24 hours later and my neck is insanely sore from the @titus_ndronicus #NYE pit. one of the most fun nights of my life" - Travis Yablon

Titus Andronicus at Glasslands on NYE (via Alex Vasquez)

Titus Andronicus rang in the new year in Brooklyn at Glasslands for a Dapwell-hosted show. Titus went on after midnight after sets by Baked and Cosmonaut. They played a wild set with favorites from all three Titus albums and then finished the set off with a run of covers -- Thin Lizzy's "The Boys are Back in Town," The Rolling Stones' "Brown Sugar," and The Modern Lovers' "Roadrunner." The full setlist is below.

Titus frontman Patrick Stickles also just spoke to Pitchfork about his "TOP FIVE RECORD COMPANY FAILS OF 2012" aka his five favorite "Self-released records and unsigned giants," which you can see listed below in alphabetical order. The list includes three of Patrick's Brooklyn neighbors, The So So Glos, Bad Credit No Credit, and Hard Nips (who play Shea Stadium on January 10 with Desert Sharks, Heliotropes, and Hippy). It also includes Boston's Hallelujah the Hills, who play Brooklyn on February 24 at The Rock Shop with Zachary Cale and Woodsy Pride. Patrick's full list with commentary and a list of all Hard Nips dates are below.

Continue reading "Titus Andronicus played Glasslands on NYE (setlist); Patrick Stickles lists his "top 5 record company fails of 2012""

Will Sheff at SXSW 2012 (more by Tim Griffin)

Like last night (11/5), there are many more Hurricane Sandy Relief benefits going on in NYC.

Knitting Factory is hosting a show on Thursday (11/8) with a large (and kind of random) lineup tonight with WIll Sheff (of Okkervil River), Jean Grae, Geoff Rickly (of Thursday), Jennifer O'Conner, Holly Miranda, Jaymay, Bird of Youth, Kevin Devine, Brian Bonz, Jared Evan, Zumo Kollie, Sonya Kitchell, and DJ Rajni Jacques. Tickets for this show are available.

The previously mentioned Bad Brains tribute show happening at The Bowery Electric tonight with Bad Brains frontman H.R., Kyp Malone (of TV on the Radio), Steve Earle, members of Cro-Mags, Living Colour, Faith, Danzig, and more is now also a Hurricane Sandy Relief benefit. All proceeds will be sent to Amnesty International and the American Red Cross. Tickets are still available.

Santos Party House is hosting "A New York State of Mind," a show hosted/supported by A-Trak, Fool's Gold Smokers Club, and others with music by Josh Madden, Deemehlow, DJ Huggy Bear, and Old Money. They're accepting monetary donations or supplies like jackets, hats, gloves, blankets, flashlights, batteries, food, diapers, etc. The flier for this show is below.

GrandLife is hosting shows all week, from tonight through Saturday (11/10), at the Soho Grand (310 West Broadway) and Tribeca Grand (2 Avenue of the Americas) with sets by different DJs each night, each benefiting a different organization. Tonight it's Jared Swiley of Black Lips and Golden Triangle bassist Alix Brown at Soho Grand and Erik Tonnesen at Tribeca Grand, with the proceeds going to Feeding America. Tennessee Thomas DJs Soho Grand on Wednesday (11/7) and Tribeca Grand on Thursday (11/8) with Alix Brown, with the proceeds going to Occupy Sandy. Blue Logan DJs Tribeca Grand on Wednesday and Soho Grand on Thursday, with the proceeds going to Salvation Army. On Friday, Nicholas Kratochvil DJs Soho Grand with proceeds going the Mayor's Fund to Advance NYC, and Florencia Galarza DJs Tribeca Grand with proceeds going to NY Cares. And finally, on Saturday, Mike Nouveau will be at Soho Grand with proceeds going to NY Cares, and Shorty will be at Tribeca Grand, with proceeds going to the Mayor's Fund to Advance NYC. All proceeds from GrandLife's 'Safe & Sound' cocktail and $1 from every beer, wine, or cocktail purchased will be donated. The flyer for these shows is below.

The So So Glos will be hosting a benefit in NYC on November 15. More details TBA.

This one's not a show, but Buke & Gase, who once called Red Hook, Brooklyn home, have put out a new single on bandcamp, "Hard Times" b/w a cover of New Order's "Blue Monday." The single can be downloaded for $5 or more and all proceeds over the next week will benefit the recovery of Red Hook. You can stream those two tracks below.

Continue reading "Will Sheff, Jean Grae, Jared of Black Lips, Bad Brains tribute & more playing Hurricane Sandy Relief benefits in NYC"

photos by Diana Wong

So So Glos / The Luyas / Bleeding Rainbow @ Stratosphere Sound 10/18/2012

Just like in CMJ's past, Fred Perry and recording studio Stratosphere Sound (the studio owned by James Iha, Fountains of Wayne's Adam Schlesinger and Ivy's Andy Chase) teamed to record eight band in eight hours on Thursday of CMJ week (10/18). With Grammy winning producer and engineer (not to mention Edsel bassist) Geoff Sanoff at the helm, The Luyas, Poor Moon, Slug Guts, So So Glos, Foxygen, Blessed Feathers, Ape School, and Bleeding Rainbow did guerilla session of two or three songs that will be made available on an Insound mix tape sometime in the future. Meanwhile check out more pictures of all eight bands below.

Continue reading "Slug Guts, The Luyas, So So Glos, Bleeding Rainbow & more played the Fred Perry artist lounge at Stratosphere sound (pics) "

Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire

Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire is set to release the Power & Passion EP on November 6 via his new home at Universal Republic Records. That EP includes lead single, "Telephuck," which features El-P (who eXquire recently toured with) on the beat and Gucci Mane with a guest verse. You can stream that track below. The EP also features production by SpaceGhostPurrp, Harry Fraud, and others.

Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire will be playing some local shows during CMJ including the previously discussed Leaders of the New Cool CMJ party at SOB's on October 18 with Casey Veggies and others (tickets). That same day (10/18), he'll play an MTV-presented show at The Studio at Webster Hall with Big K.R.I.T., LE1F, and special guests. And on October 20, he'll play the Tumblr CMJ showcase at Knitting Factory with Doldrums, Troy Ave, Prince Rama, and The So So Glos. Tickets for the Studio show and the Knitting Factory show are on sale now.

eXquire also plays a free Mass Appeal party at Gramercy Theater on October 19 with The Alchemist, Prodigy, Roc Marciano, Ninjasonik, Bodega Bamz, Angel Haze, and more. You can get in with your CMJ badge or if you don't have one, just RSVP to rsvp@massappeal.com. The flier for this show is below.

As mentioned, Big K.R.I.T. also plays the Cinematic Music Group, Ecko Unltd & XXL Mag showcase at SOB's (10/18), the night of the Studio show, with Joey Bada$$ & Pro Era, Smoke DZA, Fat Trel, and others. K.R.I.T. also produced and is featured on the new Big SANT song, "Say That Shit," which you can stream below.

All lists of dates and song streams are below.

Continue reading "Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire releasing new EP, playing CMJ shows (1 w/ Big K.R.I.T.) (dates & streams)"

Hundred Waters at Bowery Ballroom in August (more by Amanda Hatfield)

As we mentioned before, Hundred Waters signed with Skrillex's OWSLA label, who reissued their terrific self titled debut LP (which initially came out in February via Elestial Sound) this week (9/25). That reissue comes with a bonus track, "Hydrodictyon," which they just made a music video for. You can watch that video below.

The band are on tour now, and as mentioned, they'll be in NYC for CMJ. While they're here, they'll play the previously discussed Windish showcase at Mercury Lounge on October 17 with Doldrums, Strange Talk, High Highs, and others. Tickets for that show are still available. They'll also play the Consequence of Sound showcase at Public Assembly on October 20 with So So Glos, Free Energy, Conveyor, and Delicate Steve. Advance tickets are not on sale yet for that one.

That showcase is one of a few upcoming shows for Delicate Steve, who as mentioned, play Glasslands on Saturday (9/29) with Anamanaguchi (free with RSVP), and the My Social List CMJ showcase at the Martin Room in Webster Hall on OCtober 16 (tickets).

Hundred Waters' video for "Hydrodictyon" and a list of all of their upcoming dates are below.

Continue reading "Hundred Waters made a video for their LP's bonus track, playing CMJ shows (dates)"

Beach Day at Knitting Factory, June 2012 (more by Amanda Hatfield)

Beach Day are staying busy on the road this year, having already visited NYC a couple times, and are preparing for another East Coast tour, that will bring them here for two shows next month: September 14 at Pianos and September 16 at Cameo. Tickets to the Cameo show are on sale now.

The Cameo show is with Blonds, who, as mentioned, will play the Rock Shop even sooner on August 28. That show, presented by Brooklyn Brewery, is the "Brooklyn, Sweden Sendoff" with Telepathe, So-So Glos and Teen Commandments all of whom will play the Brooklyn, Sweden Festival in Stockholm and Malmö over Labor Day Weekend (8/31 - 9/1). Blonde Redhead, The Hold Steady, Cults, Crystal Stilts, Phosphorescent, Au Revoir Simone, Dum Dum Girls, DIIV, Twin Sister, Widowspeak, Maluca, Prince Rama, Caveman, and DJs Finger on the Pulse will also be there, so if you're wondering why Williamsburg seems empty that weekend, that's why.

Tickets to the send-off party at The Rock Shop are on sale now: it's $15 bucks but includes free Brooklyn Brewery beer from 7:30 - 9:30 PM.

A flyer for the Brooklyn, Sweden Sendoff party, plus Beach Day and Blonds tour dates, are below.

Continue reading "Beach Day touring, playing 2 NYC shows; 1 w/ Blonds, who also play Brooklyn, Sweden (dates)"

JD Samson & MEN at Webster Hall (more by Amanda Hatfield)

So The Men aren't liars after all! The Men are NOT playing Gramercy Theatre on July 6th as previously discussed. The show will be headlined by the similarly named JD Samson & MEN instead, with the same support lineup (PS I Love You and The So So Glos). Tickets for that show go on presale Tuesday (6/5) at 10 AM and regular sale on Wednesday (6/6) at 10 AM, or you can get in with your CBGB Festival pass.

Continue reading "JD Samson & MEN (NOT The Men) playing Gramercy during CBGB Festival"

by BBG

The Men at Death By Audio (more by BBG)

Posted in late April:

hey
we're heading up to Big Indian on Tuesday to start recording the new record. we'll be gone for a few weeks.

we're coming back to do a show at Webster Hall in NYC on May 16th. That's going to be our last New York show for a while, so come out.

Then, we hit the road again - tour dates to the right.

Matador 7" comes out pretty soon
Immaculada repress on Deranged Records should be out pretty soon too.

See you out there.
Mark

UPDATE: The Men are NOT playing, but JD Samson & MEN are.

The Men's aforementioned Matador single hits as part of the label's Singles Going Home Alone series, which is available now. Details on the repress of Immaculada, The Men's debut LP, are forthcoming.

Also included on said subscription series is Austin's OBN IIIs, who are in NYC TONIGHT as part of an East Coast tour and a pair of local dates: June 1st at Cake Shop and June 2nd at Don Pedro.

PS I Love You, meanwhile, were just in town over Memorial Day weekend, where the band made their NYC debut as a trio. The new member traded off on bass and keyboards and helped bring the bigger sound of the band's second album, Death Dreams, to life.

All updated PS I Love You and The Men tour dates are listed below.

Continue reading "UPDATE: The Men are NOT playing NYC show w/ PS I Love You and So So Glo's as part of CBGB Festival"

photos by Guy Eppel

all the bands @ Shea Stadium

Ted Leo, Titus Andronicus & the So So Glos got together at all ages, DIY Brooklyn venue She Stadium on Monday night (11/21) to benefit the National Lawyer's Guild who help the Occupy Movement. As you can see from the above pic, the night included some collaboration. There were topical covers too...

Near the end of Titus's set, someone requested a drinking song. "This is not a song about fucking drinking," replied Stickles, agitated. "This is a song about fucking justice." Titus launched into a brash and unsubtle cover of "I Fought the Law," and then invited Ted Leo and So So Glos vocalist Alex Levine to play Billy Bragg's "To Have and To Have Not," the chorus of which was exchanged among the frontmen: "Just because you're better than me/ Doesn't mean I'm lazy/ Just because you're going forwards/ Doesn't mean I'm going backwards."

Ideas about Occupy Wall Street were in the air, foremost among them the political idea of consistency. In occupying a specific location for a lengthy period of time, protesters effectively buried themselves in a national conversation and physically articulated their willingness to stick to their guns. "You know how old I am?" Leo rhetorically asked the crowd. "You know how many marches I've been on? I get home and I feel great and two days later any media presence evaporates." [Village Voice]

Continue reading "Ted Leo, Titus Andronicus & the So So Glos supported Occupy Wall Street @ Shea Stadium (pics & video)"

Ted Leo @ FFFFest 2011 (more by Tim Griffin)

Ted Leo (who recently covered Misfits in Texas, covered Replacements in NYC, and is playing a New Year's Eve show in Hoboken) and Titus Andronicus (who recently lost a member and played two shows with Fucked Up) are teaming up with The So So Glos to play a last minute benefit at Shea Stadium on Monday night. More details, in Ted's and Patrick's words, below...

Continue reading "Ted Leo & Titus Andronicus playing OWS benefit Monday"

Just one day after all the commotion related to whether "Rock Beach" was a success, Jelly slightly redesigned their rockbeach.us website to remove mention of their sponsor Top Man (they taped over their name) and announce that they're bringing back a more conveniently located "Rock Yard", but not in the same location it was last year since that location is now a restaurant. That's their flyer above.

by Andrew Sacher

Frequent Dan Deacon tourmates and friends Nuclear Power Pants are bringing their outlandish live show to NYC twice in the next week. They'll play Thursday (8/4) at Shea Stadium with The So So Glos, Pygmy Shrews, and RoomRunner. The show is a benefit for Silent Barn, who are currently raising money to rebuild the damaged venue. Nuclear Power Pants will also play Monday (8/8) at Death By Audio with Religious Girls, The Terror Pigeon Dance Revolt, and Blastoids.

If you've seen Nuclear Power Pants, then you know pretty much know what they're all about. If you haven't, you can expect zany dinosaur/robot/alien costumes, off-kilter keytar lines, spastic drumming, and one or two male vocalists frantically shouting as three or four female vocalists pull off synchronized dance moves and piercing harmonies. To get a taste of Nuclear Power Pants' sound, check out their album Wicked Eats the Warrior which is streaming at their myspace. The NYC shows are their only two shows we know of at the moment.

Some videos and more info on the Shea Stadium show below...

Continue reading "Nuclear Power Pants playing shows (one of which is a Silent Barn benefit @ Shea Stadium)"

Laura Stevenson at MHOW in February (more by Andrew St. Clair)

Annual, all ages, Brooklyn DIY music festival Hillstock takes place at 285 Kent Ave on June 3, 106 Emerson Place on June 4 (free admission), and 402 1/2 Park Avenue on June 5. The lineup features a number of local mainstays including So So Glos, Eskalators, Terror Pigeon Dance Revolt!, Ava Luna, and Laura Stevenson (solo) in addition to many lesser known names. Saturday also features a special appearance by Grand Wizzard Theodore. Full lineup and poster below.

Continue reading "Hillstock this weekend (3-day DIY Brooklyn music fest lineup)"

photos by Chris La Putt

The Pogues completed their short tour and 3-night NYC run at Terminal 5 on St. Patrick's Day. We already posted about the first NYC show. Here are some pictures from the second, and they continue below..

Continue reading "The Pogues & the So So Glos @ Terminal 5 (pics)"

photos by Andrew St. Clair

Now a New Yorker, Lady Lamb The Beekeeper played 'The Rumble' at the Studio at Webster Hall on Monday, her last NYC date before shipping off to the great Texas stage known as SXSW. The So So Glos at with Bow Ribbons also played the free NYC show - pictures and videos in this post.

Lady Lamb's first show in Austin happens as part of the BrooklynVegan official showcase at Swan Dive on 3/16 with Olof Arnalds, Ted Leo (solo), Sam Amidon, Sharon Van Etten, and Evan Voytas. Lady Lamb is on at 8pm sharp, so don't be late! Two days later Lady Lamb plays a set on the new Dot Com Day Stage in the SXSW convention center where you'll also find a BrooklynVegan stage on Thursday.

All Lady Lamb tour dates and more pictures and some videos from the NYC show, below....

Continue reading "Lady Lamb The Beekeeper played The Studio w/ the So So Glos & Bow Ribbons -- pics, video & more tour dates"

Titus Andronicus (more by kolored)

Did you get tickets to the sold-out Willie Mae Rock Camp For Girls benefit at Mercury Lounge on Thursday (2/10)? If you didn't, that's OK... you can still see Titus Andronicus in the coming weeks, in the general area, and for a good cause. The NJ band will play on 2/26 in Manville, NJ at the VFW Hall as part of a benefit for NJ Children's Specialized Hospitals. The show will also feature an appearance from The So So Glos and tickets are on sale.

Besides those benefit shows, Titus has another FOUR in the NYC area. We already knew about the pair of dates supporting The Pogues at Terminal 5 (tickets are still available for 3/15 and 3/16), but in addition to those, Titus will end a string of US dates that kick off in late March with headlining shows at Maxwell's on 4/29 (on sale now) and Music Hall of Williamsburg on 4/30 (tickets go on AmEx presale Wednesday and and regular sale Friday).

All tour dates, including some with Bright Eyes, and some videos below...

Continue reading "Titus Andronicus announce many more tour dates (including a benefit in NJ, Maxwell's, MHOW & elsewhere)"

photos by Leia Jospe

Anamanaguchi have tonight off, but will play Atlanta tomorrow (1/11) as part of a two-week tour that has them scooting up and down the East Coast. The tour kicked off at Knitting Factory on 1/6 (where these pics come from) and hits The Studio at Webster Hall on Friday (1/14) when the band will team up with Peelander-Z and Starscream. Tickets are still available or you can try your luck at winning one of two pairs in our still-running ticket contest.

Anamanaguchi was supported by Lionshare & The So So Glos at Knitting Factory. More pictures from that show and the rest of their current tour sked is below.

Continue reading "Anamanaguchi, So So Glos, Lionshare @ Knitting Factory -pics"

Peelander-Z w/ Starscream at Santos in November (more by Andrew St. Clair)

The wild boys of Japanese-Comic-Punk of Peelander-Z will team up with FourLoko-guzzling boys of Anamanaguchi to play The Studio at Webster Hall on January 14th with Starscream. Tickets are still available or you can try your luck at winning one of two pairs! Details on how to win are below.

The show at The Studio at Webster Hall is the second-to-last date on an Anamanaguchi tour that kicks off TONIGHT at Knitting Factory in Brooklyn (1/6) with Lionshare & The So So Glos. Tickets for that show are still available too.

All tour dates, as well as the latest Peelander-Z video for the song "Taco Taco Tacos" (I can't make this stuff up), below...

Continue reading "Anamanaguchi kicking off tour tonight in Brooklyn (dates), playing Manhattan w/ Peelander-Z (win tix)"

photos by Chris La Putt

Ariel Pink

I'm pretty sure the Big Apple Circus is considered a humane circus, so hopefully that means they treat all those white ponies that ran in circles at Tuesday's show, really well. There were ponies, and contortionists, and Ariel Pink who caused a Kodak moment by climbing one of the tent's support beam things while singing, and there was Nick Zinner and Aska, and Amazing Baby and more at the second day of Lincoln Center's 'Rock & Roll Circus' which went way better than the first/Japanther night did. A full set of pictures from both days, with video of Ariel Pink and the ponies, continues below...

Continue reading "Ariel Pink, ponies & the rest of the Rock & Roll Big Apple Circus @ Lincoln Center in pics & video"

"The Rock & Roll Circus, a two-day, three-ring, musical extravaganza featuring Ariel Pink, Amazing Baby, Nick Zinner and Aska, Saint Motel, contortionist, acrobats, and more will kick off 2011 under the 40,000 square foot Big Apple Circus Tent at Lincoln Center on January 3rd and 4th."

words by Andrew Sacher, photos by Kellyann Petry

Brooklyn based garage rock band The So So Glos, who announced from stage that they're no longer signed to Green Owl who just released their EP Low Back Chain Shift, opened the show. The audience was initially unresponsive, but the band didn't let their energy die. By the second to last song, "Execution," the crowd started to feed off of the band's enthusiasm and broke out into a full blown push pit.

Instrumental downtempo artist Ras G played a DJ set mainly focused on hip hop influenced electronic beats. The set contained a great deal of improvisation and most songs flowed directly into the next. His songs put a greater emphasis on using monotonous ambience than melody to complement his beats. He added to the diversity of the show, but being sandwiched between two hard hitting rock bands definitely overshadowed his calmer performance.

If you ever find yourself in a darkened room, and three tall figures in black hooded cloaks who call themselves Death appear in front of you, you're about to encounter one of two things; either an eternity of suffering and punishment, or the reunited proto-punk trio from Detroit executing a half hour of raw fury. Once the band removed their cloaks, revealing that they were not in fact satanic demons, Death made no hesitation to crash down on the opening chords of "Views" and turn the entire room into a mass frenzy. The level of intensity only heightened when Death went straight into "Keep On Knocking" and proceeded to play For The Whole World To See in its entirety (other than switching the order of "Freakin' Out" and "You're A Prisoner").

Just when it seemed like the show couldn't get crazier, Death's Dannis Hackney attacked his drums in "Rock-N-Roll Victim" with a ferocity matched only by his brother Bobby's piercing shouts, which cut through the music even more sharply than on 1975's recorded version. After truly making the audience feel like victims of Death's rock-n-roll, they lent a little bit of breathing room with "Let The World Turn." This song gave Death a chance to show off their more psychedelic, progressive side with Bobbie Duncan's reverb drenched guitar acting as the only complement to Bobby Hackney's confident vocal delivery. About two minutes in, however, the band schizophrenically shifted back into breakneck rock and roll, reigniting the audience's frenzy.

Later on, Bobby Hackney took the time to introduce the band members and honor his brother David, the original guitarist of Death, who passed away in 2000. "We refer to him not as the late David Hackney, but the early David Hackney," Bobby told the crowd, who responded with shouts of support. Hackney also took time before their last song to deliver one more speech. He told the audience that back in the '70s, under the reign of Nixon, anyone over the age of eighteen was constantly in fear of being drafted. Hackney added that although we don't have that problem today, the government is always taking new approaches to get in our way. "No matter what it is, we still say: POLITICIANS IN MY EYES!" The crowd erupted with applause as the one single Death was able to release back in 1975 thundered through the room, ending the set even more forcefully than it began.

Earlier that day I sat down with Death who answered some of my questions. Read that interview HERE.

Fucked Up didn't get kicked off by the cops this time, but they undoubtedly incited a riot. The assault of Fucked Up's triple guitars coupled with the fact that frontman Damian Abraham spends as much time in the audience as he does on stage was worthy of at least a misdemeanor. The audience didn't think twice about adding to the beast that the band created. At least one person stage dived every other second into the sea of mosh pits. After a half hour of pure aggression, Fucked Up ended their set with a rendition of Nirvana's "Breed."

If you were to walk in on the middle of Omar Souleyman's set, you wouldn't know what the hell was going on, but you would know that you wanted to be a part of it. Omar Souleyman, who played Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn three days earlier, is a pop musician from Syria who plays a style of music native to his country known as dabke. Whether or not you're familiar with dabke, you can enjoy its perfect mix of Arabic melodies and dance beats. Omar Souleyman built upon that sound with a prophetic vocal delivery that captivated the audience until the moment he left the stage. It's unlikely that anyone in the audience understood a word of what Souleyman was saying or singing, but not even the language barrier could prevent a dance party breaking out both on and off stage.

Wu-Tang Clan member Raekwon, whose solo debut Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... was one of the defining albums of the golden age of hip hop, has been making a huge comeback after the release of 2009's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... Pt II, the thematic follow-up to his debut. Since its release, he has been performing constantly and writing prolifically (including releasing 2010's Wu-Massacre with Method Man and Ghostface Killah, and is currently working on another solo album expected to be released in 2011). Raekwon's performance at SUNY Purchase's Fall Fest furthered the impact of his comeback. He performed songs off of both parts of Cuban Linx in addition to some Wu-Tang classics, including a throwback/dedication to O.D.B. In between songs, he gave appropriate advice for a college crowd, advocating a balance of partying while still getting a degree: "You can do your drugs and still be a smart mothafucka." He remained positive even when a fight broke out on stage during one of his songs. Raekwon stopped the song and did everything in his power to clear the stage and break up the fight: "Push that bitch off stage!"

Raekwon opens for Disco Biscuits at Terminal 5 in December, and the rest of Wu-Tang tours the same month. More pictures from Fall Fest below...

Continue reading "Purchase Fall Fest in pics & review (Raekwon, Omar Souleyman, Death, Fucked Up, So So Glos & more) "