Sondre Lerche @ MHOW, 2011 (more by Dana [distortion] Yavin)

Bad news: due to a hand injury, Van Dyke Parks will not be performing at the Henry Miller Library / Big Sur Brooklyn Bridge concert this Sunday (5/19) at Music Hall of Williamsburg. The show is now being billed as "Philip Glass and Friends," and in addition to Real Estate's stripped-down set, there will also be performances from Bryce Dessner, Tim Fain, Sondre Lerche, Nico Mulhy, and Nadia Sirota. Refunds will be given (details forthcoming), but tickets are still available

That MHOW show ends a week of programming around the Big Sur Brooklyn Bridge Festival. Tonight's event is at Williamsburg bookstore Spoonbill & Sugartown, which will "look at Miller's relationship to a Community of the Free Spirit and the development of Williamsburg and Big Sur." Speakers include Magnus Toren (Director, Henry Miller Library), Dr Scott Von (Psychoanalyst, Director, New Clinic) and James Decker (Professor, Miller Scholar).

by Bill Pearis

Bonnie Prince Billy at ATP NY 2011 (more by Dana [distortion] Yavin)

Lincoln Center's acclaimed series American Songbook returns to the Allen Room (truly one of the most amazing concert settings in NYC) in January for its fifteenth season, which celebrates "the diversity of modern American song." The 2013 season kicks of January 30 with Lea Salonga and includes Bonnie "Prince" Billy on February 7, Sondre Lerche (who isn't American but lives in Brooklyn these days) on February 13, Mavis Staples on February 14, Tom Morello performing "The Nightwatchman" on February 16, Lost in the Trees on February 28, and more.

Additionally, there will be "six special concerts in the exceptionally intimate setting of the Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse, perched high above the Lincoln Center campus" beginning with Lindsay Mendez & Marco Paguia on March 29 and concluding with Ben Sollee on April 20.

Tickets to the American Songbook series go on sale November 13 but Friends of Lincoln Center can purchase starting Monday, November 5.

Full American Songbook line-up/schedule and a video of Ben Sollee playing "A Few Honest Words" at the Lincoln Memorial are below.

Continue reading "Lincoln Center's American Songbook 2013 Season (Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Tom Morello, Sondre Lerche, Ben Sollee & more)"

Bon Iver at Bonnaroo 2012 (more by Dana (distortion) Yavin)

Bon Iver recorded an iTunes session at East West studios which is available exclusively from iTunes starting today. It includes six tracks off 2011's great Bon Iver, Bon Iver and a cover of Bjork's "Who Is It?," which the band has played live many times. You can stream the session's opening track, "Beth/Rest" below.

As mentioned, Bon Iver is touring internationally throughout the summer and fall and will come to NYC on September 19 and 20 at Radio City Music Hall. Both of those shows are now sold out. All Bon Iver dates, including a recently announced European leg, are listed below.

Speaking of Bjork, she's teaming up with the New York Public Library (NYPL) and the Children's Museum of Manhattan to create interactive educational programs for middle school-aged students based on her Biophilia app. Speaking about the program, Bjork said:

"It's not a bookish thing. You cannot learn to make music from a book." "I love books; they're like the best ever," she added. "There are things you can only learn from books, but it's also important to introduce the physical aspects. So for me, it was very important to make, somehow, music education that was physical." (via NY Daily News)

Both Bon Iver and Bjork are set to play Oya Festival in Oslo, Norway this summer (Aug 7-11) with The Stone Roses, Refused, The Afghan Whigs, Bob Mould (performing Copper Blue), Chromatics, Cloud Nothings, John Maus, Purity Ring, Saint Etienne, SBTRKT, Screaming Females, St. Vincent, and more. Full list below.

Way Out West (Aug 9-11) in Gothenberg, Sweden features many of the same bands as Oya like Bon Iver, Refused, Afghan Whigs, St. Vincent, Purity Ring, John Maus, and Bob Mould in addition to Blur, Wilco, I Break Horses, Hot Chip, The War On Drugs, Mark Lanegan Band, Adolescents, Swans, and more. Check out the spotify playlist. The full lineup is listed below.

As mentioned, the reunited Mazzy Star is set to play both of those European festivals. Full lineups and the Bon Iver dates and song, below...

Continue reading "Bon Iver's new iTunes session, Bjork's new program at the NYPL & the full Oya & Way Out West festival lineups"

Sondre Lerche at MHOW in 2011 (more by Dana (distortion) Yavin)

Sondre Lerche turns 30 this September, and in celebration of that he'll reissue his first four albums -- Faces Down, Two Way Monologue, Duper Sessions and Phantom Punch -- on vinyl for the first time ever with bonus tracks and outtakes and release a live album, Bootlegs, on September 4. In support of the releases, Sondre will be heading out on a tour which kicks off in his current hometown of NYC on his birthday, September 5 at Bowery Ballroom with Fancy Colors. Tickets for that show go on sale today at 3 PM.

A list of all dates and some videos are below.

Continue reading "Sondre Lerche releasing live LP & reissues, touring (dates)"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Black Tambourine - What's Your Game? (MP3)

Black Tambourine back in the day...

The first night of chickfactor 2012: for the love of pop, which features sets from reunited Black Tambourine and Small Factory, sold out pretty quick, so Black Tambourine have added another show at Maxwells on Monday April 9 for those who didn't get tickets. It's with Fan Modine and Rose Melberg (Tiger Trap/Softies/Go Sailor) and tickets are still on sale and still available.

To commemorate chickfactor's 20th birthday, Black Tambourine have also recorded an EP of Ramones covers which will be released as a double 7" on Slumberland on May 15. Says the Slumberland press release:

It took a pretty special occasion to bring Black Tambourine out of retirement, even temporarily, and the 20th birthday of BT singer Pam Berry's Chickfactor magazine is definitely such an occasion. When the band were discussing the rather complicated logistics (members scattered across two continents) for the reunion shows, the thought of maybe doing some new recordings came to mind. The band quickly agreed that a tribute to one their favorite bands would be a fun project, and of course the Ramones jumped to the top of the list.

After choosing which songs to work on, the band recorded using the same methodology as they did for the bonus tracks on their self-titled 2010 compilation LP. The gentlemen in the band convened in Maryland to lay down the music, the rough mixes were sent to Pam in London so she could add her inimitable vocals, and then the resulting recordings were sent back to Maryland for Archie to mix.

The final result is OneTwoThreeFour, a double 7" and download EP featuring Black Tambourine's versions of four of their most-loved Ramones tunes.

You can download Black Tambourine's cover of "What's Your Game" (from the Ramones' 1977's LP Leave Home) which features backing vocals from the Rinettes (aka Linda Smith, Rose Melberg, Dee Dee from Dum Dum Girls and Jenny Robbins from Honeymoon Diary). You can also stream it below.

In other chickfactor news, in addition to the Maxwell's show, the 20th anniversary party has added a show in Portland on May 30 at the Bunk Bar, with Barbara Manning, Joe Pernice, The Softies and Selector Dub Narcotic (Calvin Johnson in DJ mode).

Speaking of Joe Pernice, he'll appear in NYC at City Winery as part of John Wesley Harding's Cabinet of Wonders with Meg Baird (Espers), Bhi Bhiman, Sloane Crosley, A.M.Homes, Eugene Mirman, and Sondre Lerche on March 10th. Tickets are on sale.

Though the first night of the 3-day Bell House fest is sold out, you can still get tickets to the May 11 show (Legendary Jim Ruiz, Aislers Set, Pipas, Bridget St John) and the May 12 show (The Pines, The Softies, Stevie Jackson, Honeybunch).

There's also chickfactor shows in Arlington, VA's Artsphere on April 6 (Stevie Jackson, Frankie Rose, Honebunch, Dot Dash) and April 7 (Black Tambourine, Lilys, Fan Modine, Lorelei).

Click through for the stream of Black Tambourine's Ramones cover, plus cover art to the new EP...

Continue reading "Black Tambourine add chickfactor show at Maxwell's, releasing EP of Ramones covers"

words by Christopher Paragraph, photos by Dana (distortion) Yavin

DOWNLOAD: Bird of Youth - Bombs Away, She Is Here to Stay (MP3)

Sondre Lerche looking sexy as usual @ MHOW Friday night

The Friday night show at Music Hall of Williamsburg featured three very different songwriters who all happen to live within a few blocks of the venue. The same is true for me so, in terms of proximity, the night was a success before it even began.

Bird Of Youth opened with a couple songs from their self-released album "Defender," breezing through them with ease and on-stage confidence that one would usually expect from a more seasoned band. This helped to counteract the darker themes of the songs, perhaps the best example of which was a song that lead singer Beth Wawerna wrote for her father. The unforgettable closing lines, "you watched me as I watched you watch me cry," caught more than a few off-guard. The songs are unique in terms of Wawerna's vocal phrasing. Rather than writing melodies over single chords, the melodies seem to form themselves over the chord changes. It feels like she allows the phrases to emerge from the song, instead of constructing a song around a pre-conceived melody. As a songwriter, Wawerna is doing something special and distinct. Unlike many female-fronted bands of their ilk, the songs don't hide behind her voice; her voice seems to be dragged along by the force of each song. This may present a problem for a pop singer, but for a band like Bird Of Youth, it proves to be a perfect way to articulate emotional, expressive songs. The last song of their short set took a different turn, however, and was significantly more poppy and conventionally structured. Working in a Nada Surf-esque style, the song succeeds in a way that runs counter the aforementioned thoughts in this review. An interesting way to end the set, leaving the audience pleased but just unsure enough to want to hear more.

Next was Will Sheff, frontman for the successful Okkervil River, a solo set sandwiched between two bands. It was informative and interesting to see Sheff perform solo. Over the years, Okkervil River has come to be known for their energetic, literate folk pop anthems. But most hear them as simply "a rock band." Sheff's folk influences shined through in this set, making the DNA of Okkervil River more apparent. Hearing these songs strummed and picked on an acoustic guitar made clear the influences of British folk songwriters like Roy Harper and Bill Fay. For audience members not interested in the musical roots behind Okkervil River (which many Sondre Lerche fans probably are not) Sheff provided an honest and emphatic set of complex, lyric-driven songs. It was clear form the entranced crowd that Sheff won over a bunch of new fans. Or at least hooked their curiosity. Sheff's lyrics beg the listener to re-listen. As opposed to the chordally-led phrasing of Beth Wawerna, Sheff's songs are driven by lyrics and melodies that command the chords. It was interesting to see songwriting approached from such different angles back-to-back. It is worth noting at this point that there were many people in the far back of the room who seemed intent on talking louder than the music. One can only assume they were attending to "see" Sondre Lerche and felt completely justified in talking over any other artist performing. Sheff took a moment to point out these people (which of course went right over their heads). This resulted in supportive applause from the majority, who were clearly distracted and annoyed by the loud group in the back.

SIDE NOTE: this raises a question, or at least an interesting debate: Is it "OK" to talk loudly at a concert? If someone pays $15 to see a show, isn't it reasonable to expect them to listen to the songs? And even if they aren't interested in a certain artist, isn't it reasonable to expect the respect and courtesy of keeping one's voice quiet, both in regards to the artists themselves and the fans who might actually be trying to listen? In the event that this occurs, should the artist take the initiative to shush them, or should a fellow audience member? Both? Neither? Discuss.

Back to the show. When Sondre Lerche took the stage, a young cavalcade of girls had pushed their way to the front. As he stepped to the mic the screams were shrill and unexpectedly loud. Lerche introduced himself with a solo number before bringing out the band. Although the synth player and bassist had apparently just joined the band a couple weeks earlier, they played tight and confidently, each member brimming with excitement about the songs, not just following charts. The drummer's incredible precision almost stole the show - he brought the energy of the songs out in ways drummers rarely can, and was single-handedly responsible for many "jaw-drop" moments. The only real way to describe it is that it's fueled by real passion for the songs. It's that special intangible thing you can't fake, and this guy clearly has it. Lerche fired off short gems from throughout his career, never letting go of the stranglehold he had on the crowd from the moment he stepped out. On one level his songs are complex, melding jazz chords with pop melodies a la Steely Dan. On another, he's able to perform simple, quiet ballads, which he did at one point, stepping away and unplugging, treating the silent room to an acoustic rendition of "Dear Laughing Doubters."



There were a handful of particularly special moments, including a performance of "When The River," a song about homesickness featuring a choir of the "people he misses most when he's away." This group included his wife, local songwriter JBM, and actor Christopher Abbott. Will Sheff and Beth Wawerna also joined Sondre on stage to trade verses on a cover of Steely Dan's "Dirty Work."

By the time the show was over, it truly felt like Lerche had turned the room into his own house full of friends. He stood atop a monitor wedge and performed the final encore, harmonizing to the 600+ people taking the lead vocal on "Modern Nature." Lerche has toured for years as a solo artist but seeing him with a band showed that he's not just a one-man show. His music is big and the full-band show proved him to be a full fledged rock n roll guy.

More pictures from the show, setlists included, and a video of Sondre and band on Letterman (from 11/22), below...

Continue reading "Sondre Lerche, Will Sheff & Bird of Youth @ Music Hall of Williamsburg (pics, review, setlist)"

Will Sheff of Okkervil River at Fun Fun Fun Fest (more by Tim Griffin)

Okkervil River have released a new covers EP Golden Opportunities 2, the follow-up to 2007's Golden Opportunities EP. Much like that 2007 release, part deux is FREE, but features songs from Ted Lucas, Jim Sullivan, David McComb, Bill Fay, and others. Get your copy at their site.

Okkervil River have no US dates at the moment, but you can catch frontman Will Sheff at Music Hall of Williamsburg on 12/2 with Sondre Lerche and Bird of Youth. Tickets are still available. Note: though Sondre did just tour with them, Peter Wolf Crier are not also opening the Brooklyn show.

In somewhat related news, Will's old band Shearwater, who recently signed to Sub Pop, have dates coming up with Sharon Van Etten that bring them to Music Hall of Williamsburg too.

Sondre Lerche at BV SXSW 2010 (more by Tim Griffin)

Sondre Lerche will tour Europe this fall in support of the EU/UK release date of his recently released self titled album. Shortly after he'll return to the US for a run of dates with Peter Wolf Crier, culminating in a show at Music Hall of Williamsburg on December 2. Tickets for that show go on sale Friday (8/26) at noon with an AmEx presale starting Wednesday (8/24) at noon. All dates are listed below.

Peter Wolf Crier also have a bunch of dates with Milagres and a few others with Birds & Batteries. Those dates include one at Mercury Lounge on September 30 with Milagres. Tickets are on sale now.

Peter Wolf Crier are set to release the album Garden of Arms on September 6 via Jagjaguwar. You can pre-order the album at the Jagjaguwar webstore and grab one track HERE and another HERE.

Milagres, whose new album Glowing Mouth is out 9/13 via Kill Rock Stars, meanwhile play Out In the Street Fest this Saturday in Brooklyn.

All dates and video below...

Continue reading "Sondre Lerche touring w/ Peter Wolf Crier who are touring w/ Milagres (dates)"

Just wanted to take a second to also say that our thoughts and condolences are with the people of Norway today.

The above is a selection of tweets from Norwegian musicians that have graced the pages (and stages) of BrooklynVegan in the past. Blabbermouth has a list of reactions from more in the metal community (from Norway and elsewhere), including the above-pictured message from Enslaved who said, "Our deepest condolences and thoughts go out to everybody touched by the fathomless tragedy that struck Norway yesterday. This is indeed a day for afterthought."

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Wild Beasts - "Loop the Loop" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Wooden Birds - Two Matchsticks (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Rayon Beach - Wave Pool Ether (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: John Wesley Coleman - Ooh Basketball (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Urge Overkill - Effigy (MP3)

Tom Vek

This week is kind of nuts. I know you're all probably just going to be spending it reading A Dance with Dragons or going to see Harry Potter, but here's your TWII action... let's get into it.

Tom Vek is here for two shows, his first U.S. shows since 2005: an early show tonight (7/12) at Mercury Lounge and tomorrow (7/13) at Union Pool. I don't think either are sold out. His second album Leisure Seizure -- six years in the making -- has remained in constant rotation on my stereo since getting a copy in May and I'm pretty excited for these shows.

The new record still sounds like Tom Vek -- the staccato drum beats, sparse arrangements, his laid-back vocal style -- and maybe it's the absence but it still sounds fresh. It's a great record and a welcome return. I have no idea who is in his band these days, but he was fantastic live back when he toured for We Have Sound in 2005. I have a feeling he's still got it.

Wild Beasts

Wild Beasts are over for four East Coast shows, including two nights at Le Poisson Rouge on Wednesday (7/13) and Thursday (7/14). (They're also playing Philly and D.C.) These will be the first the band have done since releasing their third album, Smother, back in May. As I've said before, this is subtler album than Two Dancers that shows the influence of Talk Talk and The Blue Nile in particular. It's a grower, as they say, and a worthy successor to 2009's best album. Check out "Loop the Loop" at the top of this post.

Live, Wild Beasts are truly something to behold,  transcending their records every time (at least every time I've seen them). Sky Larkin's Katie Harkin is playing keyboards with the band on this Stateside jaunt which is an added bonus for some of us. The rest of North America will get a chance to see Wild Beasts in September when they come back for a proper tour.  All 2011 dates are at the bottom of this post.

Urge Overkill

Shifting gears wildly, we've got Chicago rock gods Urge Overkill in town for two shows this week. They play the Rocks Off cruise on Wednesday (7/13) and then the Rock Shop on Saturday (7/16) as part of the venue's big One Year Anniversary which is happening all this week.

Urge Overkill were odd men out in the '90s, doing suave, heavily postured cock rock in an era dominated by slacker indie and stoner sludge. 1993's Saturation is one of the decade's classics, all big riffs and attitude that has only gotten finer with age. The same can't be said for 1995's Exit the Dragon, which found the band succumbed to the rock n' roll excesses the band exemplified. (There were even rumors the band were too fucked up to even play on its recordings, having most parts subbed by session musicians.)

There were various comeback gigs in the '00s but I don't think anybody expected them to make a new album. Which made this year's Rock'n'Roll Submarine (great title) a double shock: it exists and, more importantly, it's pretty awesome. Kato and Roeser keep the same flame alive: badass riffs, supercatchy choruses, and that unfakeable rock n' roll spirit. (No Blackie Onassis, but some chemistry is just too volatile apparently.) There's also a world-weariness that keeps it all real. They aren't trying to pretend they haven't been through some serious shit. But to paraphrase "Effigy" (downloadable at the top of this post), they've always taken the loud way.

The Wooden Birds

Lovely Austin band The Wooden Birds play two shows this week as well: Thursday (7/14) at Mercury Lounge and Friday (7/15) at The Rock Shop. As you may know at this point, this is Andrew Kenny's post-American Analog Set band, which still has his drony motorik style but in a much more acoustic setting. The Wooden Birds' sophomore album, Two Matchsticks, is (in my opinion) much better than their debut: the arrangements are more dynamic and the addition of Matt Pond (both on guitar and vocally) adds a lot. (Matt Pond PA's Chris Hansen is a touring member as well.) You can check out the title track to the new album at the top of this post.

Tune-Yards @ MHOW (more by Amanda Hatfield)

What else? Hudson River Rocks starts this week (Thursday 7/14) with tUnE-yArDs and Austra which is a pretty hard-to-pass-up free show. While I don't reach for her album much, there's no denying Merril Garbus is a magnetic performer who can win over crowds easily. While Austra's Katie Stelmanis doesn't quite have that charm, there is no denying her stage presence either and I'm a big fan of Austra's debut album which came out earlier this year. Thursday is supposed to be beautiful and this show seems like a no-brainer.

Rayon Beach

Austin's Rayon Beach play three shows this week: Thursday (7/14) at Don Pedro, then Friday (7/15) at Bruar Falls and Saturday (7/16) at Death by Audio. I wrote this a year ago and I think it still holds true:

Like a lot of the bands on Hozac Records (or bands from Austin for that matter), this trio fit under the psych/garage umbrella but there's a decided Brit bent to their music. Baroque garage, is that a thing? Think Syd-era Pink Floyd or The Pretty Things more than Woven Bones. Make no mistake -- Rayon Beach can and do get plenty loud. It's just sometimes with pinkies extended.

Rayon Beach are on tour with fellow Austinite John Wesley Coleman III who is awesome in his own right. Last year's Bad Lady Goes to Jail, on Goner, incorporates country, soul and R&B into his sound (not to mention a unique worldview). He definitely stands out amongst the garage pack. If you feel like you've heard enough of this stuff, do give JWCIII a shot.

Anglophiles might already know that Scottish indiefolk cult legend King Creosote is in town this week, playing a late show at Mercury Lounge on Thursday (7/14) and then at the Rock Shop on Sunday (7/17). Both shows are with the equally talented Jon Hopkins. I wrote about King Creosote back in March:

Scottish indie folk royalty Kenny Anderson, aka King Creosote. Anderson (whose brother Gordon was a founding member of The Beta Band and now fronts The Aliens) has been cranking out album after album of melancholic, wry songwriting since the late '90s. (Seriously, check out his discography.) Many of these have been self-released, but he's had records on Warner Brothers and Domino too.

Anderson teamed with Hopkins for his new album Diamond Mine that revisits and reworks gems from Anderson's 40-plus releases. You can check out the video for "Bubble" at the bottom of this post.

The Radio Dept

And now another weekend of Seaport-related shows. Friday (7/15)  is the final night of this year's abbreviated Seaport Music Festival, with The Radio Dept. The band are in the U.S. for this and the Pitchfork Festival in Chicago and that's it -- so we should count ourselves lucky. If you wanted to see them somewhere small, you're out of luck. (Unless you maybe found yourself at a shop that rocked on, say, Thursday night. Maybe.) Last year's Clinging to a Scheme was one of 2010's best albums (according to me) and though I do wish they'd get a drummer to play with them at shows, they still sound pretty great live.

I'm hoping the merch table has the new 180 gram vinyl reissues of the band's three albums. In particular I want to pick up their classic debut Lesser Matters, one of the best albums of the '00s. Opening are Asobi Seksu which is a pretty perfect pairing. The weather's supposed to be gorgeous, the show is free...this'll be sweet.

Saturday is the Village Voice 4 Knots Festival which is going out of its way to let us know it's not trying to be the Siren Festival. It's a nice line-up of bands, though, scaled to fit the Seaport. Apart from Eleanor Friedberger and Oberhofer, it is a pretty rock line-up what with headliners Black Angels, Titus Andronicus, Davilla 666 and Mr. Dream. If you like to dance, they've got an indoor lounge over at 210 Front Street with an all DJ lineup that includes Yeasayer, Dan Deacon, Brahms and the Finger on the Pulse dudes (also DJing as Punches) spinning tunes. Things kick off at 1PM.

Then Sunday (7/17) is the last show of my Sound Bites Series down at the Fulton Stall Market and I'm super pleased to have Hospitality on cleanup. When I found out we were going to be doing the series again, Hospitality were the first band I thought of. If you haven't heard them, you can download their 2009 EP for free from their Bandcamp site. It's quite lovely. The band have gotten less precious since then, though no less charming, and recently the band expanded to a four-piece with drummer Nathan Michel moving to guitar making them decidedly more skronky now.

I am quite enamored with this band and you should definitely come down and see them. They are seriously good. If you come to only one Sound Bites Show this summer... this is your last chance. Hospitality are on at 3PM sharp and I'll be spinning tunes from around 1:30 or so. It's free!

And right after Hospitality finish, you can head across South Street to the Beekman Beer Garden for this week's Beach Party show with Frankie Rose and Xray Eyeballs. Both bands feature on that free downloadable mix you can get over at Insound. The Frankie Rose track is one I hadn't heard before, a cover of Slapp Happy's "Blue Flower" which you may know from covers either by Mazzy Star or Pale Saints.

Last week (Cheeseburger and Hard Nips) was fun and pretty fairly low-key. The spot -- formerly Water Taxi Beach -- is a pretty popular spot on its own, so expect a mixed crowd of those there for the show and those there just for the view/vibe. Bands start at 4PM. It's free.

And that's about it for this week. A few more daily picks are below.

TUESDAY, JULY 12

It's a heatwave today but Cold Cave will have the A/C cranked for their show Knitting Factory tonight. I do really like their new album Cherish the Light Years which kind of reminds me of '80s band Lords of the New Church. The show is with gothy sea chanty singers Cult of Youth, and Zambri who are newly signed to Kanine Records (and who were impressive at Knitting Factory during the Northside fest). The show is part of a tour that ends at Bowery Ballroom with Austra.

The newly reunited Cibo Matto are at Brooklyn Bowl. Though advance tickets sold out, there will be limited availability at the door. Go early. The show is one date of a tour that also hits Bowery Ballroom.

continued below....

Continue reading "Tom Vek, Wild Beasts, Urge Overkill, Wooden Birds, Rayon Beach, King Creosote, Radio Dept & more in This Week In Indie"

Though it may appear like there's less options than in summers past, there are still lots of great free NYC shows happening. Summerstage and Celebrate Brooklyn have kicked off their 2011 seasons last month, and continue this week. Los Lobos play Prospect Park as part of LAMC with Hello Seahorse! and Zigmat tonight, Friday (7/8), and on Saturday (7/9), a very different type of show will go down when the Brooklyn venue is taken over by Raekwon, Smif n Wessun, and Joell Ortiz.

Summerstage's free hip hop shows continue this Tuesday (7/12) at Crotona Park in the Bronx with Slick Rick and DJ Brucie B, and Central Park Summerstage is hosting free LAMC-related shows too.

In other free hip hop shows news, Pharoahe Monche appears as a guest with the Miguel Atwood-Ferguson ensemble at Harlem Stage on July 8 in Annunciation Park. The show is three days before Pharoahe plays a not-free show at BB King's (7/12).

Tonight (Friday, 7/8), recently reunited '80s post punkers The Wake, whose material is being re-released on Captured Tracks, play South Street Seaport with Weekend.

Saturday (7/9) is also the 4Knots kickoff show at South Street Seaport with Ted Leo and the Pharmacists and Screaming Females. As mentioned, Ted is playing Tyranny of Distance in full at the show.

For something different, Saturday (7/9) also means Pearl and the Beard with Lucius at Moscot and Penguin Prison, Wild Yaks, Janka Nabay, and Monogold at Rockbeach. It's a free show though they are selling $20 bus tickets.. If you miss Monogold at this show, they also play a free show at Pianos in the LES on Tuesday (7/12).

You can also check out the Summer Thunder Series at Union Pool on Saturday (7/9) with Rocksteady Yeti #2 and Prince Rupert's Drops. There will also be free jive energy drinks.

Sunday (7/10) marks the first Beekman Beer Garden 'Beach Party' of the summer with Cheeseburger and Hard Nips at 3 PM. The updated summer lineup is:

July 10 Cheeseburger w/ Hard Nips
July 17 Xray Eyeballs w/ Frankie and the Outs
July 24 Swirlies w/ Psychedelic Horseshit
July 31 The Raveonettes w/ Eternal Summers
August 7 Mission of Burma

Pow Wow! also play as part of Bill Pearis' Sound Bites Series at the Seaport at 3 PM (after a DJ set by Bill that starts at 2).

Head to Insound for a sampler of music related to the RiverRocks, Seaport and Fulton Stall shows.

On Monday (7/11), you can catch Tombs and Primitive Weapons play a free show at Saint Vitus, before Tombs kick off their European tour later this month.

The same night (7/11), Maze with Frankie Beverly play the Martin Luther King concert series at Wingate Field in Brooklyn.

The Stepkids, who are about to release their debut LP on Stones Throw, play a free show supporting Antibalas at Fort Greene Park on Tuesday (7/12). If you prefer your funk with a little more metal in it, you can catch Vernon Reid (of Living Color) play a free show outside City Winery the same evening as part of the Hudson Square Music and Wine Festival.

Wayne's World is screening at McCarren park on Wednesday (7/13).

One of the more exciting free shows of the summer (in our opinion) is the double bill of tUnE-yArDs and Austra. These female fronted art pop titans bring their outlandish shows to Pier 54 on July 14 (Located adjacent to New York City's Meatpacking District (at 14th Street), the Pier 54 gates open at 6 p.m. for all RiverRocks shows, with opening performances scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.).

If you're more in the mood for veteran female rockers, July 14 gives you the choice between Patti Smith's free show at Castle Clinton in Battery Park (where My Brightest Diamond played last night) and Joan Jett's free show in Coney Island (check out the whole summer lineup here).

As if those three shows aren't enough to make July 14 one of the hardest nights to pick a free show to attend, you could also end up at House of Vans for one of their 6 free 'Vans House Parties' and catch Superchunk, Off!, and Lemuria. House of Vans also recently revealed more additions to their summer parties. Check out the lineups which include Fucked Up, Cro-Mags, Man Man, Glass Candy and more.

Celebrate Brooklyn provides performances by Frankie Gavin and De Dannan and Liam O Maonlai & McPeake on Thursday (7/14) too.

You can also start your day off on Thursday (7/14) at Metrotech with Swamp Dogg from noon to 2 PM.

The Radio Dept. and Asobi Seksu hold it down at South Street Seaport on Friday (7/15). On Saturday (7/16) it's between Sondre Lerche's free acoustic in-store at Soundfix in Williamsburg and 4Knots Fest at the Seaport with Black Angels, Titus Andronicus, Eleanor Friedberger, and others.

Like the Sunday prior, on July 17 you get the option of the Sound Bites Series at Seaport or the Beekman Beer Garden 'Beach Party.' Hospitality play the Sound Bites Series at the Seaport at 2 PM, and Xray Eyeballs, Frankie Rose & The Outs, and The Babies play a Beekman Beer Garden 'Beach Party' at 3 PM. This Sunday also gives you the option of Pink Martini at Central Park and The Manhattans at Crotona Park in the Bronx with Rhythm Revue.

Read more about this weekends' show in This Week in Indie. Stay tuned for another update like this in a week or two. Some flyers below...

Continue reading "upcoming Free NYC Shows (Sondre Lerche, Ted Leo, Superchunk, Tombs, Antibalas, tUnE-yArDs, Slick Rick & more)"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Love Inks - Blackeye (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Lovers - Figure 8 (MP3)

Love Inks @ SXSW (more)

Can you feel the love tonight? I can though mainly because we've got two bands with that in their name playing tonight. Though not in the same place. First is Austin's Love Inks who, as previously mentioned, are playing NYC for the first time. Tonight (6.2) they're at Glasslands with Rewards, Slowdance, and Celestial Shore. They'll also play Tuesday (6/7) at Pianos with Elastic Summer, Monokino and more.

Love Inks' debut, E.S.P., came out last month on City Slang and, as I wrote previously, it's a pretty little understated thing. Minimalist instrumentation -- guitar, bass, drum machine -- that doesn't get in the way of the band's main asset: singer Sherry LeBlanc's honeyed vocals. (In the same timbre as Beth Cosatino.) E.S.P. is what I like to call Sunday Morning music (Galaxie 500, Belle & Sebastian), and a fine example at that. You can check out "Blackeye" at the top of this post.

Tonight's Glasslands show is pretty solid all around. I've been wanting to check out Slowdance for some time. You can download two tracks from their website and both are pretty good: atmospheric rock that is, and yes, danceable. (Though maybe not slowdanceable.) Rewards, as you may remember, is Aaron Pfanning who was in Chairlift; and Celestial Shore are channeling some serious Brian Wilson vibes in a slightly mathy kind of way.

Lovers

The other "love" band tonight is Portland trio Lovers (not to be confused with Lovvers), who are at Cake Shop with Household and Skeleton Head (They played last night at Union Hall...anybody go?). Lovers' most recent album, Dark Light, came out last fall on Badman Recordings and you can download "Figure 8" from it at the top of this post. It's a pretty good representation of the rest of the records: throbbing synths and big choruses. The BPMs are a little to slow to call it dance music, but it's definitely got a groove. Mood music you can move to.

You should get there early for local trio Household who I caught at Bruar Falls a couple weeks ago and really liked. They're in the Lilliput/Raincoats school of minimalist postpunk (or more recently Brilliant Colors or Yellowfever). No releases yet, but Household have a handful of streamable songs on their website which were produced by Andrew Raposo (who plays bass in various DFA-related bands). Definitely worth a listen.

Hospitality @ Pianos in Feb (more)

What else? After what seems like an awfully long time (two years plus), Hospitality are finally getting around to putting out an album. I think it's pretty much done, so hopefully we'll see that sooner than later. In the meantime, the trio are playing a whole bunch in June, starting Friday night (6/3) at Cake Shop where they'll share the bill with country folk act Numbers and Letters, and Edelweiss who kind of sound like first-album Foals and are not to be confused with the shortlived early '90s novelty act of the same name. The show is FREE.

Hospitality also play the final date of my Sound Bites series at the Fulton Stall Market on July 17. All upcoming shows are at the bottom of this post. More Fulton Stall Market (Seaport) shows are listed HERE.

TSOOL @ SXSW (more)

And last but certainly not least, the mighty Soundtrack of Our Lives arrive from Sweden this weekend, playing Le Poisson Rouge on Sunday (6/5) and The Bell House on Monday (6.6). If you enjoy '60s/'70s style rock, there are few bands that do it as well as TSOOL, and certainly not many who put on a better live show. I wrote of their 2009 show at Music Hall of Williamsburg:

A nearly two-hour show of guitar windmills, endless stick twirls, karate kicks, ponderous, psychedelic lyrics and massive riffs. You could watch The Soundtrack of Our Lives and spend the whole time picking apart the references: The Who, Stones, Pink Floyd, Love, Spirit, Faces, Beatles, etc. But to do so is to miss the point of TSOOL, who distill everything that is great about rock's classic late '60s / early '70s era into one incredible band. And an even better live show. Seriously, these guys knock it out of the park every time.

The band have just released a best-of compilation, Golden Greats, which is a fine introduction to the band's catalogue to date (five albums, all doubles) and really showcases what this band does so well. But live is where they make you a believer. TSOOL are promising wildly different setlists for the two shows, and superfans can buy a discounted $35 ticket that gets you into both. These guys love to play, and usually do two-hour sets so... be prepared.

Opening the Le Poisson Rouge show are The Mommyheads ('90s era indie rockers who pop up now and again), and at The Bell House is Montreal's sitar-fueled Elephant Stone (an especially inspired pairing). TSOOL are also on Last Call With Carson Daly tonight (6/2).

That's the main stuff this week. A few more recommended shows, day-by-day, are below

THURSDAY, JUNE 2

Some of you may remember The Barracudas who led the UK surf-rock/garage revival in the early '80s. (If not, there's a video below.) Singer Jeremy Gluck has formed a new line-up of the group and they're playing Union Hall tonight. Don't be confused with Georgia's  Barreracudas on the bill as well. We can only hope they'll hll play together as The Barrarerrarerracudadas.

continued below...

Continue reading "Love Inks, Lovers, Slowdance, Hospitality, Soundtrack of Our Lives, The Barracudas & more in This Week in Indie"

Sondre Lerche at BV Day Party (more by Tim Griffin)

Vulture: Why release a self-titled album now?

Sundre Lerche: Usually I have the title for the record pretty early on. I'll know which song title it is, or if it's a phrase from a song, but this time I didn't really have a clear vision of what it might be. I even asked my followers on Twitter for a suggestion. And of course -- no offense to them -- but that didn't prove to be fruitful. I sort of became obsessed with this whole title thing. I woke up from this dream one day and I had the perfect title, but I couldn't remember it. I'm not going to settle for anything but that title, and if I can't have it, it'll be a self-titled album.

Like last year, Sondre Lerche will join the droves of bands making the trek to Austin for SXSW this month. His list of mid-March shows is below.

Lerche's new and self-titled LP is due on June 7th via Mona Records. He kicks off a tour with Nightlands and Kishi Bashi on June 1st, hitting Bowery Ballroom on June 4th. Tickets for all dates are currently on fan presale, and Bowery Ballroom tickets go on general sale Friday.

Sondre's friend JBM is also returning to SXSW this year. You can catch him on 3/18 at Central Presbyterian Church (Sondre plays the same show) and earlier that same day at the TBA BV day party at Swan Dive (stay tuned).

All Sondre tour dates and some video, below...

Continue reading "Sondre Lerche releasing new album, touring, playing SXSW (2011 dates & presale now)"

Corrosion of Conformity fans (more by BBG)

The lastest list of SXSW additions is below....

Continue reading "More SXSW 2011 lineup additions"

photos by Dominick Mastrangelo

JBM & Diamond Doves

"Jesse Marchant (JBM) took to the stage for a set that would also last about an hour. In contrast to [Sondre] Lerche's set, which was unified in its sound and delivery, Marchant delivered a set that ran the gamut between quiet and loud, stoic and rocking, solo and with band. The stark contrast between songs served Marchant, as it called attention not only to his versatility, but his ability to completely embrace each of the genres completely.

The material (as might be expected) was sourced largely (entirely?) from his debut record Not Even In July, for which [Tuesday] night was the record release party. However, much like the record, the tracks varied in their arrangement and instrumentation. For part of the set, Marchant was joined on stage by openers Diamond Doves as his backing band, and for others he took a solo seat to his songs. Moreover, even his solo act varied, sometimes finding him behind a makeshift drumkit, sometimes with a harmonica and guitar, and sometimes behind the keyboard." [Hippies are Dead]

More pictures from Tuesday night's Mercury Lounge show, that Sondre Lerche joined the bill on as an opener, below...

Continue reading "JBM, Sondre Lerche (and Dawn Landes) & Diamond Doves @ Mercury Lounge (pics) "

"Saw Diamond Doves last night, Elvis Perkins' band minus him, they were really amazing. The Band to his Dylan. Somebody put out that record." - Carl Newman

As Bill reminded us this morning, Sondre Lerche plays Coco66 tonight (6/25). The show is both an 826NYC benefit and a Northside Festival gig. And as Bill wrote, "Sondre usually plays MHoW or Bowery Ballroom these days, so to see him in such a small venue will be a treat." Following that logic, seeing Sondre play Mercury Lounge on July 27th will be a treat. He's opening for his friend JBM who will be celebrating a record release at that show. Tickets are still on sale.

Also playing that Mercury Lounge show, first on that bill of three bands, is Diamond Doves who are "Dearland" when they back Elvis Perkins. Members include Little Wolf, Brigham Brough and Nick Kinsey. Diamond Doves played their first show on April 4th in Providence, RI with Deer Tick and Those Darlins and have since opened for themselves (Elvis Perkins) and Phosphorescent.

In related news, Elvis Perkins & Dearland and AA Bondy (who is touring with JBM later this year) will share a Northside Festival bill this Sunday in Newtown Barge Park.

Tickets go on sale at noon for AA Bondy's upcoming show at Bowery Ballroom.

by Bill Pearis

a day by day Week in Indie-like guide to this week's Northside Festival...

Northside HQ (freedubya)

When I was looking at the full Friday Northside Festival schedule, I was a bit overwhelmed by the embarrassment of riches available to indie rock fans tonight. I felt like writing "Basically just go anywhere tonight and you're going to run into a good show." Which is mostly true. If you have a badge, you can flit between venues and make up your own killer bill.

Some of these shows are going to be crowded though. Like I bet Glasslands will be packed out the wazoo for Tame Impala, so if that's one you're interested in you might just want to plant yourself there early (advanced tickets are sold out). Do they have air conditioning at Glasslands yet? It might get so hot in there you'll start seeing things, which would go well with those Aussies' rhythm-heavy psych rock.

You could also go to Death By Audio (which does have A/C, and now two working bathrooms) for a rock-solid bill of guitar-centric bands brought to us by Less Artists More Condos. The lineup includes voluminous duo Sisters and their giant stack of amps; the under-appreciated and poppy Darlings; skilled noise merchants Grooms; and art punks Regal Degal who I definitely think are a "band to watch."

Moon Duo @ the Big Sur Woodsist Fest on June 12 (more by Rachel Carr)

Moving away from the corner of S. 1st and Kent, the Woodsist Showcase at Music Hall of Williamsburg is kind of a no-brainer. That said, headliners Woods and Real Estate play all the time here. I say go early for the San Francisco triple threat of Moon Duo, Sic Alps and The Fresh & Onlys, then skip off to something else.

Moon Duo, an offshoot of Wooden Shjips, play two chord (at most) psych-drone not unlike Spacemen 3 or Loop. I saw them the last night of SXSW when I was cold and tired, not the state of mind I'd recommend experiencing them. Not that the cold part will be an issue in this weather. There's not a lot to watch, so maybe locate a seat upstairs and bliss out.

Sic Alps are back to a duo after a short stint with Ty Segall on drums.  They haven't released anything in a year -- a long time for what was a pretty prolific band -- but that shouldn't hamper their live show, usually powered by a Jenga-like monolith stack of amps in the center of the stage. Their sound is thick and sludgy, but carefully prepared. It feels like a bog in July -- in a good way.

And I'm really looking forward to hearing The Fresh & Onlys with MHoW's sound system. While many of their many recordings have been decidedly lo-fi, these guys can really play and I think it's time they shake loose the "garage rock" tag that never really fit them in the first place. This is pop music. They are really a case of the whole adding up to more than their parts -- the whole band is great -- but if you go tonight, be sure to watch lead guitarist Wymond Miles. The guy is a genius and has a rack of pedals that would impress Kevin Shields. The sounds he gets deserve high fidelity. As do their great songs. I'm a huge fan, is it obvious?

Down the street from MHoW, at Cameo Gallery: Kanine Records, Wao Wao Records & Insound are presenting another great lineup under the venue's psychedelic Snuffelupagus. There's a bunch of really good locals (Dream Diary, Grooms, We Are Country Mice) but you might want to swing by to catch Roanoke, VA's Eternal Summers who really impressed me when I saw them at Glasslands a couple months ago. Also: If you like the Pastels, Field Mice and all things indiepop, Dream Diary are your new favorite band if they haven't attained that already.

Madison of Dream Diary is pulling double duty tonight, as she is half of Coasting who'll play at Matchless as part of a bill curated by Georgia of blog Microphone Memory Emotion. Coasting's debut 7" is worth picking up, and if you're lucky you'll get a copy printed on lavender vinyl. Also playing are Family Portrait, Fluffy Lumbers and Bermuda Bonnie.

Over at Coco 66, there's a benefit for 826NYC (badges are accepted despite it being a benefit) with Sondre Lerche and Oberhoffer, plus a reading from author Shalom Auslander. Sondre usually plays MHoW or Bowery Ballroom these days, so to see him in such a small venue will be a treat. Anyone who's seen him before knows what a charmer -- and tunesmith -- he is. Plus, there's up-and-comers Oberhoffer who I wouldn't be surprised if they're playing much bigger venues very soon. Also there's an open vodka bar at 8PM.

Meanwhile at Union Pool, there's an early show (doors at 7PM) that features my new favorite band on Captured Tracks, MINKS. They've only got a single out so far, the Cure-esque "Funeral Song," which doesn't really represent what they do live. The six piece performing MINKS do have some Cure/New Order tendencies, but I'd say Felt is probably just as strong an influence, with clean jangly guitars and jazzy arrangements. Both times I've seen them live, my only complaint has been they didn't play long enough. Not sure of set time for MINKS, but there's not a lot else going on then, you can hang in the backyard of Union Pool and get some tacos from the El Diablo truck to recharge for the night ahead.

That seems like plenty for one night. A video from one of Tame Impala's sets at Pianos last night, below...

Continue reading "Bill's 2010 Northside Festival picks (Friday)"

Sondre Lerche @ BV SXSW 2010 (more by Tim Griffin)

Coco 66 will be hosting Show Off Your Sugar, a new monthly band & author series to benefit 826NYC, a non-profit writing center for students in NYC. The first event will be on June 25th with an acoustic set by Sondre Lerche, a reading by author Shalom Auslander and an opening set by Oberhofer.

The second is on August 11th with an acoustic set by Here We Go Magic (who recently headlined MHOW) and author Chuck Klosterman.

Tickets for both are currently on sale.

More about 826NYC and a song by Blake Schwarzenbach at a benefit last year are below...

Continue reading "Sondre Lerche, Here We Go Magic, Chuck Klosterman & others playing 826NYC benefits @ Coco 66 "

Elvis Perkins @ MHOW in December (more by Dominick Mastrangelo)

More bands have been added to the Northside Festival 2010, happening June 24-27 at venues around Williamsburg and Greenpoint. Those new additions include Elvis Perkins in Dearland, Male Bonding, Sondre Lerche, Tame Impala, A.A. Bondy, Air Waves, The Golden Filter, Slow Club, The Babies, Starring, Takka Takka, Lower Dens, Frankie & the Outs, The Fresh & Onlys and The Grates. The full list is below, and the fest's full schedule (with more new bands) is expected this week. A partial schedule is below.

Elvis Perkins in Dearland, A.A. Bondy and "special guests" will be playing a Sunday afternoon show at Newtown Barge Park - tickets are on sale. Other lineups at that park include Titus Andronicus, Male Bonding and Cults (Sat afternoon); Liars, Fucked Up and High Places (Sat night); and Les Savy Fav, Polvo and Grails (Sun night) at the park venue. Tickets are still on sale for all of them, or you can just get a badge which lets you run around to multiple shows.

BrooklynVegan will be hosting three shows during Northside, all on the same night (6/26) - Jucifer and Gloominous Doom at Union Pool, Floor, Javelina, and Hot Graves at Europa earlier that night (tickets), and Memory Tapes, Twin Sister, DOM and ZAZA at Music Hall of Williamsburg (tickets).

The festival has joined with NYC film houses BAMcinamatek, IFC Films, Indiewire, Rooftop Films and others to show movies at indieScreen, the new Williamsburg movie theater. Details on those films (which include movies by Todd Solondz and James Franco) and the video for Male Bonding's song "Year's Not Long" is posted below...

Continue reading "updated Northside Festival lineup - movies & bands (Elvis Perkins & AA Bondy on sale)"

DOWNLOAD: Fol Chen - In Ruins (MP3)

Liars @ SXSW 2010 (more by Bryan Bruchman)

tonight in NYC
* Cypress Hill @ SOB's
* Questlove (DJ) @ Brooklyn Bowl
* Liars, Fol Chen @ Bowery Ballroom
* Sisters, Darlings @ Brooklyn Bowl
* Fan-Tan, Hopewell, Fuxa, Floorian @ Cake Shop
* Maps & Atlases, Drink Up Buttercup @ Maxwell's
* Krishna Das, Deva Premal & Miten @ Webster Hall
* 25 O'Clock Band The 25-year reunion @ The Stone
* Surfer Blood @ Terrace Club Princeton
* Mountain Goats' Life of the World to Come @ IFC Center
* Das Racist, Nvr Frvr, Cameron Hull (late) @ Glasslands
* North Highlands, Unwed Sailor, Common Loon @ Union Hall
* Brother Ali, Fashawn, BK One @ Knitting Factory Brooklyn
* Fixed w/ Matthew Dear, JDH & Dave P @ Santos Party House
* The Dirty Pearls, The Party Death (late) @ Mercury Lounge
* Live Footage, Setting Sun, Quitzow, Rykarda Parasol @ Pianos
* Kaki King, An Horse, Glass Ghost @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
* John Wesley Harding's Cabinet of Wonders @ (Le) Poisson Rouge
* We Are Country Mice, Your Youth, Apollo Heights @ Bruar Falls
* The Dirty Pearls, The Click Clack Boom (early) @ Mercury Lounge
* Liquor Store, Roman Gabriel Todd's Beast Rising Up Out Of The Sea @ Don Pedro
* Caspian, Arms and Sleepers, Sainthood Reps, Golden City @ Studio at Webster Hall

More in THIS WEEK IN INDIE.

Best Coast will be playing a Seaport show on July 23rd with Free Energy - their new video for "When I'm with You" is below.

Tickets to see Kele of Bloc Party at Webster Hall are now on AmEx Presale.

Tonight's "Cabinet of Wonders" at LPR features John Wesley Harding and his Band, The English UK along with Larry Murphy, Sondre Lerche, Ben Greenman, Rick Moody, Nicole Atkins, Daniel Felsenfeld and Leona Naess.

For Nicole Atkins and Sondre Lerche, it will be at least the second time they've shared a bill in the past month.

Mountain Goats' concert film The Life of the World to Come, filmed by Brick director Rian Johnson, plays at IFC Center tonight. The flyer is below.

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Thursday?"

photos by Tim Griffin

Lucero

"...The bands were running late at Club Deville, but I was pleased to hear Centromatic on the stage. They sounded like classic rock and when Steve Miller Band's "Rock'N Me" came on after their set, it was in the same vein, but Centromatic was above and beyond.

Lucero came on next and killed it. Nichols' voice is like sandpaper on gravel and it has a booze-soaked and sorry quality that makes it sound like the hard nights and heartbreaks that he sings about are real experiences. Lucero is one of the few bands that I've seen (Free Energy comes to mind as well) that broke through to fans. Quite a few folks were dancing, jumping, singing and generally rocking out during their set..." [Rock Candy]

...It was a perfectly rowdy ending to the BrooklynVegan/DailyMotion day party at Club DeVille on Friday, March 19th (one of our seven shows this year). The day's eclectic lineup ranged from country to electro to singer-songwriter to comedy. We also made a huge effort to feed people and give away free stuff this year. Those who stopped by the free show got free Ear Piece ear plugs, Magic Hat beer, Firefly Sweet Tea vodka (that lasted the entire 6+ hours), Gundlach Bundschu wine, Raw Rev bars, Nadamoo ice cream, Hail Merry "Grawnola", breakfast tacos and Daily Juice catering. Action For Animals was on hand with baked goods for sale that helped raise $800 for charity. Somebody (and every band and comedian) won some Original Penguin clothes. Members of Passion Pit (aka the Wet Bandits) played the music between bands. KEXP was filming video. All in all an amazing day.

Catch Lucero in NYC at Music Hall of Williamsburg this Tuesday, March 30th with Glossary (tickets are still on sale). Centro-matic kicks off a house tour in Houston the same day.

You've already seen some of this Friday party HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE. Pictures, reviews and videos from it continue below...

Continue reading "Lucero, Centromatic, Nicole Atkins, Holly Miranda, Zola Jesus, more @ Club DeVille (BV/DailyMotion day party) - pics & video"

by Kurt Christensen

Nada Surf played the first show of their sold out three night NYC run last night at Bowery Ballroom (3/25). Each night they will be playing one of their albums in its entirety. Last night was 2003's "Let Go", arguably the most "popular" album in their catalog.

The floor was already crowded when opener Sondre Lerche took the stage at nine. He played a great set covering a wide breadth of his material. The biggest issue with his set was that it was really hard to hear if you were more than halfway back, because of the ridiculously loud chatter from the people near the bar. The shushing by people who actually wanted to hear music at a show they bought tickets for did little to silence the loud talkers. I know Sondre was the opener in this case, but there's a bar downstairs, and plenty of other places people can talk. I wish people would have more respect for the artists on stage and go downstairs or shut up. If you aren't there for the music, why are you there? To be seen? So you can text people and update your Facebook status? To get an achievement on FourSquare? /end rant. (editor's note: :-) )

Nada Surf followed Sondre, and immediately went into Blizzard of 77, prompting a sing-along by much of the crowd. They sounded fantastic, despite the fact that Matthew Caws had a cold, and Daniel Lorca had a hoarse throat (evident on his vocals on "Là Pour Ça"). The band was also joined by a few special guests including Joe McGinty on keys.

"Let Go" is probably their most cohesive album overall, in that it has the proper ebbs and flows to bring you up and back down. This lent itself really well to a good concert setlist. Not too many up-tempo songs in a row, and no long stretches of slow songs. Songs like "Fruit Fly" start out mellow, and then really rev up towards the end. Every song from the album sounded just as good as, if not better than on record, with perhaps the exception of Daniel's vocals on Là Pour Ça, which he had a legitimate excuse for. After playing the album, they took a short break and came back for another lengthy set, to a slightly smaller crowd.

The next set featured songs from their new all covers album "If I Had a Hi Fi", which is currently only available at their shows. They played a cover of Depeche Mode's Enjoy The Silence, which (while totally recognizable as the DM song) definitely had the Nada Surf signature sound on it, turning into an up-tempo power-pop number. The crowd seemed to mellow out quite a bit during the covers, but when the band went back to their originals, they immediately got everyone's attention back. They played several songs from their other albums, including "Weightless", "Blankest Year", "Do It Again" and "80 Windows" and "Hyperspace" from The Proximity Effect. They closed the show with a raucous and faithful cover of (The Clash's cover of ) "I Fought The Law ", where Matthew Caws even sounded an awful lot like Joe Strummer with his vocals.

Anyone going to the Bell House tonight (3/26), or Music Hall of Williamsburg on Saturday, is in for a treat. Pictures continued below...

Continue reading "Nada Surf played 'Let Go' @ Bowery Ballroom, Sondre Lerche opened (for those that were paying attention) - pics "

photos by Tim Griffin

"Oi! @brooklynvegan gig was a riot! Met new fans who said my singing sounded like DirtyProjectors guy and Michael Buble, respectively!?!" - Sondre Lerche

Sondre Lerche & JBM share (a manager and) a bill at City Winery in NYC tonight (3/22). Tickets are still on sale. Before SXSW, Sondre played a NYC-area show at Maxwell's in Hoboken (JBM was supposed to open that show, but instead went on tour with Rogue Wave - something he'll do again in April).

Both Sondre and JBM were in Austin for SXSW, and one of Sondre's shows was the BrooklynVegan/DailyMotion day party at Club DeVille where the pictures in this post are from. Later in the week Sondre took part in the Big Star tribute at Antone's, and before that he paid tribute to Alex Chilton in a small way at the BV show too. That video segment is below with all dates and more pictures from the party (and a video of JBM at another Texas show too)...

Continue reading "Sondre Lerche & JBM played SXSW (pics & video), play City Winery in NYC tonight & other dates"

photos by Ryan Barkan

Just as everyone at the SXSW Music Festival was finding their groove Wednesday, news of the death of Alex Chilton hit. "Austin's in shock about Alex," read one of the countless social media memes. On Saturday, heartsick Big Star fans got to hear Chilton songs performed by a cast of guest musicians sitting in on the regularly scheduled Big Star showcase, held down by the remaining members of the band's current incarnation, Jon Auer, Ken Stringfellow and Jody Stephens...

But first a letter from Chilton's widow, Laura, who the 59-year-old musician had only recently married, was read by publicist Heather West [video below]...

...Curt Kirkwood of the Meat Puppets lumbered through "In the Street," otherwise known as the theme song for That 70's Show. M. Ward of She & Him croaked an elegant "Big Black Car." Mike Mills of R.E.M. found his religion with "Jesus Christ." John Doe of X dispatched a crystal clear "I'm in Love with a Girl." And in what was the night's biggest surprise, Sondre Lerche provided an intense, harmonic "The Ballad of El Goodo."

And that's how it went for the entire hour and a half, with guest musicians including Chris Stamey, Chuck Prophet, Evan Dando, Amy Speace, the Watson Twins, Susan Cowsill, and original Big Star member Andy Hummel (who came in from Lithuania for the show) all getting a chance to pay tribute to Chilton. A rendition of the classic "Thirteen" was one of the final songs of the night, the lyrics of which encapsulated not only the special moment that was taking place in the storied Antone's blues club, but the entire SXSW Music Festival: "Rock & roll is here to stay/ Come inside where it's okay." [Rolling Stone]

The full setlist with more pictures and a video from the show, below...

Continue reading "Big Star members & many special guests paid tribute to Alex Chilton Saturday night @ SXSW - pics, video & setlist"

*Friday, March 19, 2010*
BrooklynVegan Free Day Party Presented by DailyMotion
@ Club DeVille - 900 Red River St, Austin, TX (NOON - 6 PM)
*free and open to the public, no RSVP necessary

Main stage:
12:00 Princeton
12:45 Twin Sister
01:30 Nicole Atkins
02:15 Sondre Lerche
03:00 Holly Miranda
03:45 The Antlers
04:30 Centro-matic
05:15 Lucero

DJs: Passion Pit

Inside stage:
12:30 - Active Child
01:15 - Pearly Gate Music
02:00 - Tig Notaro (comedian)
02:15 - Katie Stelmanis
03:00 - Joe Mande (comedian)
03:15 - Zola Jesus
04:00 - Abe Vigoda
04:45 - MNDR
05:30 - The Wave Pictures

FREE DRINKS COURTESY OF: Magic Hat & Firefly Vodka
(while supplies last)
FREE VEGAN BREAKFAST TACOS FROM: Izzoz Austin
(starting @ noon. while supplies last)
VEGAN BAKE SALE FOR CHARITY BY: VegAustin & Action for Animals
MORE FREE FOOD COURTESY OF: Daily Juice (catering from 2-5)
MORE FREE FOOD COURTESY OF: Raw Revolution Bars
MORE FREE FOOD COURTESY OF: Hail Merry
FREE EAR PLUGS FROM: Ear Peace
+ more TBA

If you've been following along, both on this site and at our @bvSXSW Twitter account, you probably pieced most this lineup together already. And I'm extremely happy to report that this is the final BrooklynVegan party lineup we have left to announce this year. We'll see you on Wednesday at Emo's and Club DeVille, Thursday at Hoek's and Spider House, Saturday at Red 7 and Galaxy Room and on Friday right here at Club Deville from noon-6pm (on TWO stages) (the second stage is inside).

Thanks to DailyMotion for helping make this all possible. They're not only our presenting partner on this party, but we'll be uploading live footage from SXSW all week long to our account at their site. Some of that footage, including from this party will be shot by our official radio partner, KEXP.

Thanks to also to Original Penguin clothing for providing some clothes to giveaway to a few lucky attendees at the show.

Like at Emo's and Red 7, we'll have 10 kegs worth of Magic Hat beer to give out at this show, not to mention lots of Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka to pour. And like at Emo's and Galaxy Room, we'll have free breakfast tacos and then late afternoon free catering by Daily Juice. All of our parties will be stocked with free Raw Revolution bars and Hail Merry Grawnola as well. And as if that's not enough, we're hosting a vegan bake sale for charity, courtesy of the fine folks at VegAustin.com and Action for Animals at this show. All money raised goes to Food for Life, an organization feeding Haitian and Chilean earthquake survivors.

Flyer design by Tammijean Triplett. Videos below...

Continue reading "a BrooklynVegan & DailyMotion Austin day party @ Club DeVille - full free lineup (Lucero, Antlers, Abe Vigoda, more) "