As mentioned previously, Brooklyn's Suckers' have a new album, Candy Salad, which is now out on Frenchkiss. The band plays a record release party tonight (May 1) at Glasslands with openers Acrylics, Turn to Crime and Papertwin. The next day, Suckers start a month-long tour with their labelmate Young Man (plus a few dates with labelmate Devin), and all scheduled dates are below.

Pitchfork gave Candy Salad a 6.7, saying:

At their best, Suckers' songs-- rousing post-Arcade Fire uplifters, vitamin E-soaked sunbeamers, and the occasional yearning ballad-- match ornate instrumental flourishes to rousing, roundabout melodies. But Suckers are tinkerers at heart, and with producer Matt Boynton behind the boards this time out, no sound on Candy Salad's left untweaked, untreated, or untroubled. It's a real surplus of sound, but sometimes the songs themselves feel a little lost amidst the shuffle.

Continue reading "Suckers released 'Candy Salad,' going on tour (which begins tonight at Glasslands) -- dates"

the RSD2012 morning line @ Other Music in NYC (via)

How did you fare on Record Store Day 2012? What did you pick up? What did you have trouble finding? If you were in Austin, did you stop by Waterloo Records and meet Garbage? (Tim did.) If you were in NYC, did you stop by Other Music? If not, this is what it looked like...

Continue reading "how was Record Store Day? ---- here's pics from Other Music"

NYC record store Other Music just announced their full Record Store Day 2012 schedule, which includes Ex Cops and more. Check it out below...

Continue reading "Other Music on Record Store Day 2012"

Suckers at Terminal 5 in 2010 (more by Matthew Eisman)

Brooklyn psych poppers Suckers are set to release the followup to their 2010 debut, Wild Smile, on April 24 via Frenchkiss. The new album is called Candy Salad and it was produced by Matt Boynton, who also just produced another Brooklyn psych pop LP, My Best Fiend's In Ghostlike Fading. Check out the album artwork and tracklist below.

The band have some upcoming dates in March surrounding SXSW and will tour in support of the new album in May, kicking off with a hometown show on May 1 at Glasslands. Tickets for that show are on sale now.

All dates and the video for "Black Sheep" off 2010's Wild Smile below...

Continue reading "Suckers releasing new LP, announce tour (dates)"

As mentioned in last week's This Week in Indie, Ill Fits, who played Cameo on Saturday (7/30), have members of MGMT and Amazing Baby. Since that show, more details on the band have emerged. The Village Voice writes of the show:

By the time Ill Fits came on, the crowd had filled out considerably; friends and scene associates were eager to catch the second show of the sorta-supergroup. (Ill fits contains members of MGMT, Amazing Baby, and Foreign Islands, and it's fronted by Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson.) They deal in a tasteful kind of midtempo pop that has shades of new wave and a hint of Genesis. Each member of this band is a consummate professional, but they were still working out the kinks as a group, stopping and starting at a few points. Robinson was a strange mood; whether he was compelling despite or because of this, I'm not sure. He threw a few screeches into his cool intonations, banged his tambourine on the stage, spilled multiple beers, and delivered a whole song lying down, then put the whole mic in his mouth. "Are you having a good time?" he asked the audience. We replied in the affirmative. "Not as good as me!" he answered back.

Suckers don't contribute any members to Ill Fits, but they are in the same group of friends, so we might as well mention again that you can catch Suckers for free at Mercury Lounge Wednesday night.

Check out a stream of Ill Fits track "Blood & Devotion" along with all dates below...

Continue reading "Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson fronts Ill Fits"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Widowspeak - Harsh Realm (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Hoop Dreams - XCPR (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Crinkles - I'm a Dog (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: VHS or Beta - I Found a Reason (MP3)

Widowspeak

After last week's crazy abundance of sonic riches, this week is nicely slim on choices (at least for thing's that interest me.) But even a fallow week has plenty to do.

Tonight (8/2) at Glasslands is the record release party for Widowspeak's self-titled debut, which is out on Captured Tracks. This local trio gets compared to Mazzy Star a lot -- and I am as guilty as anybody -- which is to say singer Molly Hamilton has the same smoky vocal quality as Hope Sandoval. And the band make vaguely '60s-ish pop, dreamy and twangy with lots of vibrato.

I pulled out She Hangs Brightly last night and, really... Widowspeak doesn't really sound all that much like Mazzy Star. Hamilton's voice is more breathy and effervescent than Sandoval's (and an undeniably powerful weapon live, a subtle knife), and their music isn't nearly as drowsy or patchouli-soaked. Beyond that, the band are good songwriters and performers -- the album is quite good. Though I still say their cover of "Wicked Game" is a little too on-the-nose.

Hoop Dreams

The Glasslands show also is NYC live debut of new Captured Tracks signing Hoop Dreams. The six-piece are from Blacksburg, VA, same as fellow C/T band Wild Nothing. (The label has a stronghold on Southwest Virginia talent it seems.) The A-side to their Captured Tracks single, all two minutes of it, is hook-filled in a Spencer Krug kind of way, and you can download it at the top of this post. (The b-side is a little more dour.) It doesn't sound like six people made it, so I'm curious to see them play tonight.

You can also catch the shoegazy sounds of Burlington, VT's Crinkles (check out "I'm a Dog" at the top of this post) and Excops (new band from Hymns frontman Brian Harding).

Big Audio Dynamite @ Coachella 2011 (more by David Andrako)

The newly reformed Big Audio Dynamite, who last played a somewhat prohibitively expensive (but awesome) show at Roseland back in April, are back in town to play Brooklyn Bowl tomorrow night (8/3). Tickets, a more reasonable $35, are sold out but there will be "limited admission" at the door, which will open at 6PM. Here's some of what I wrote about the Roseland show:

Getting nearly every single the band released plus some choice album cuts, the NYC show was a pretty perfect showcase for what made B.A.D. so great: killer dance songs ("C'mon Every Beatbox," "E=MC²," "Just Play Music"), hip hop and reggae-influenced jams ("Sightsee MC," "BAD"), the band's love of film ("Medicine Show"), and genuinely affecting pop ("The Other 99," "V. Thirteen"). We also got "Beyond the Pale," one of the best songs Jones has ever written, dedicated last night to Joe Strummer (who cowrote much of No. 10 Upping St.).

Apart from the tip of the hat to Strummer, Jones didn't do a whole lot of "remember when" talk and kept things mostly free of drippy nostalgia. He was, however, jovial and chatty, joking with the audience between songs or when things went askew, like a false start to encore number "E=MC²."

Band co-founder Don Letts is just one of the coolest dudes on the planet, and B.A.D. really came alive on any song that featured him, of which there was a fair amount: foreign war critique "A Party," the hard-hitting London travelogue that is "Sightsee MC!" and the band's theme tune, "BAD." (Also the reggae hoedown "Battle of All Saints Road," though I would've prefered No. 10 Upping St.'s "Ticket.") Letts, who's inching towards 60, jumped around the stage, dreads hitting the ground, like it was 25 years ago.

And that's the big stuff for this week in the TWIIverse. (Told you it was a quiet week.) As usual, some more daily picks, starting at Wednesday, are below.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 3

Though it's been a while since they've been in the spotlight, Fountains of Wayne continue to write winning powerpop about everday minutae. That includes their just-released Sky Full of Holes. Hear songs from that -- as well as probably "Stacy's Mom" and "Radiation Vibe" -- tonight at Bowery Ballroom with Nicole Atkins opening. It's sold out, as is their acoustic show on Friday (8/5) at City Winery.

This week's Summerscreen in McCarren Park is '90s classic Clueless, with the sultry and danceable Zambri opening the show.

Music streaming service Spotify is sponsoring a free show at Mercury Lounge with Suckers and Headless Horseman at Mercury Lounge. First come first served, no RSVP necessary.

continued below...

Continue reading "Widowspeak, Big Audio Dynamite, Hoop Dreams, Crinkles, VHS or Beta & more This Week in Indie"

Mates of State at ACL 2008 (more by Kyle Dean Reinford)

As recently mentioned, Other Lives will hit the road with Bon Iver in September after Bon Iver finishes up their tour with The Rosebuds. After they do so, Other Lives will hook up with Mates of State in October for the rest of Mates of State's headlining tour. That tour ends in NYC on October 12 at Webster Hall. Tickets go on sale Friday (7/8) at noon with an AmEx pre-sale starting Wednesday (7/6) at noon.

Mates of States' tour also includes an appearance at Escape to NY and dates with Suckers and Yawn. Neither of those bands play at the NYC show but Suckers have their own NYC show on August 18 at Cameo Gallery with Rewards and magician Matthew Holtzclaw. Tickets are on sale now.

Mates of State release the LP Mountaintops on September 13 via Barsuk. Check out the video for the single "Maracas," along with the tracklist and all tour dates below...

Continue reading "Mates of State releasing 'Mountaintops', touring w/ Other Lives, Suckers, others (dates & new video)"

New Villager

There was a band presale Tuesday morning, but Ticketmaster tickets go on AmEx presale at noon today (2/2) for the Fleet Foxes show at United Palace. General sale starts Friday.

Tickets also go on AmEx presale at noon for the PJ Harvey show happening at Terminal 5. OOPS: No AmEx presale on this one. Tickets on sale Friday at noon.

Suckers are headlining a show at Bowery Ballroom on February 25th with Prince Rama and NewVillager. Tickets go on sale at noon. The show is a full week before Prince Rama kick off a tour with Amen Dunes at Glasslands (also on sale).

NewVillager recently signed with IAMSOUND (home of Salem who just announced some shows too). Check out NewVillager's video for "RichDoors", the first single from the upcoming album, below...

Continue reading "Fleet Foxes, Suckers, Prince Rama & NewVillager tickets"

photos by Matthew Eisman

"They opened with a strong, stirring rendition of "Start A War" (Featuring the immortal lyrics: "You were always weird but I never had to hold you by the edges like I do now. Walk away now. And you're gonna start a war.") and they never looked back. Highlights included stellar performances of "Bloodbuzz, Ohio," "Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks," "Fake Empire" and "Mr. November" some charming, semi spastic arm waving gestures by the tall skinny lead singer with the wonderfully soulful baritone voice and a delicious veggie dog from the roof deck. They closed the show with "Terrible Love"--the opening song from their newest album. The only disappointment for me was they they did not perform "Racing Like a Pro" or the magnificent "Gospel." But it was a really great night. And a great live musical christening of my second half century." [Teddy Vegas]

Continue reading "The National, Suckers & Kurt Vile @ Terminal 5 (SPIN 25) - pics, setlist, live audio "

It's a busy week for big NYC shows. The Flaming Lips are here for two performances, starting with the gig tonight/Monday at Central Park SummerStage. Oneida opens. The Flaming Lips show Tuesday night at Terminal 5 is part of the Spin25 series of gigs running each day this week.

Spin25, sponsored by American Express's new ZYNC card (as you can see in the picture above), kicks off with Smashing Pumpkins tonight at Terminal 5, and continues with Flaming Lips on July 27th, the Black Keys on July 28th, the National on July 29th (all at Terminal 5), and Spiritualized on July 30th at Radio City. Show openers are listed below (Spiritualized, which has no opener, is the only one with tickets available currently).

THIS WEEK AT TERMINAL 5
7/26 - Smashing Pumpkins @ Terminal 5 (w/ Kill Hannah & The Jim Jones Revue)
7/27 - The Flaming Lips @ Terminal 5 (w/ Fang Island)
7/28 - The Black Keys @ Terminal 5 (w/ Lee Fields & The Expressions & The Whigs)
7/29 - The National @ Terminal 5 (w/ Suckers & Kurt Vile)
7/30 - Spiritualized playing Ladies and Gentlemen (TICKETS)

You can also watch the shows online: SPIN & ZYNC are streaming them.

Several of the above bands have more shows this week too. The Black Keys play two SummerStage shows with the Morning Benders on July 27th and 28th (the second being the an early show on same night they play T5). Those two shows are also a tour kick-off for the two bands. All dates below.

The National also play Celebrate Brooklyn on Tuesday, July 27th with Beach House opening. They'll be back in September for a show at Wellmont Theatre with Owen Pallett who opens both Arcade Fire shows at MSG next week.

Contest details and dates below...

Continue reading "SPIN 25 this week (win tix, stream the shows) ++ it's a busy week w/ more Black Keys, Flaming Lips & National shows too "

photos by Andrew St. Clair

The music is/was great, but part of the reason I trekked out to see Passion Pit, Tokyo Police Club, We Were Promised Jetpacks & Suckers on Governors Island on Wednesday night (June 30th), especially after having just seen 3/4 of the bill one night earlier in Prospect Park, was to check out Colonel's Row, the area where the show was actually being held.

Unlike "The Beach" where most of the Governors Island concerts are held, there was no sand - just lots of beautiful trees and grass and old buildings on either side. It was a lot like a college campus. The sound was great, the weather was great, and despite the approx-7000 capacity, it wasn't too crowded at all (though the lines for the ATMs were super long). The sides were lined with food vendors (mostly gross-looking food) and there were lots of bars set up all over. I wish they would do more shows there actually (Passion Pit is unfortunately the only one happening in the space this summer).

Colonel's Row, during Tokyo Police Club (via my phone)

Another reason I was really motivated to take the ferry was to see We Were Promised Jetpacks who didn't play Prospect Park the night before. The Scottish band did a great job warming up the crowd with their wailing vocals, wall of guitar sounds, and tension-building rock songs. Many in the young audience cheered along, though the excitement that the three openers experienced didn't come close to what I saw two nights in a row for Passion Pit who had thousands of people cheering, dancing and just generally going crazy to their falsetto-fronted dance songs.

I unfortunately had to leave Passion Pit early this time to catch Delta Spirit at Bowery Ballroom, but photographer Andrew St. Clair not only stayed for the whole show, he stuck around afterward for the backstage karaoke afterparty (the show was the final stop on TPC & PP's tour together). Andrew's pictures from the whole night, below...

Continue reading "Passion Pit, Tokyo Police Club, We Were Promised Jetpacks & Suckers played (and sang karaoke on) Governors Island - pics "

Suckers in Prospect Park the other day (more by David Andrako)

Mishka, Etnies and something called SEEN (located at seenallover.com) are co-presenting a BBQ/party on Long Island City's Water Taxi Beach (dubbed "Red, White & Brews") this 4th of July. Confirmed music includes Suckers, Beach Fossils, The Death Set and Ninjasonik. There are also lots of DJs and they're promising a "Very Special End Of The Night Performance".

Add this one to the list of music events happening this 4th of July in NYC.

A flyer, more details on the party and all Beach Fossils dates are below...

Continue reading "Beach Fossils, Suckers, DeathSet, Ninjasonik & many others playing Water Taxi Beach in LIC on 4th of July"

words by Rachel Kowal, photos by David Andrako

Before the show started, the crowd in front of the bandshell sat and chatted leisurely to pass time, but when they saw Suckers walk on stage, they immediately jumped to their feet, cheering. In their cool shades and neon-colored clothing, Suckers had definitely embraced the outdoor park setting. "We're from Brooklyn. Celebrate!" shouted Suckers singer Quinn Walker early in the show. Drummer Brian Aiken thrashed around with such intensity that before long, his face was nearly the color of his fuchsia shirt. They only played seven songs, but the group harmonies, well-placed trumpet cameos, and over-the-top facial expressions from the drummer made for a pretty entertaining show, and the Brooklyn band's music proved to be a good introduction to the evening. Many of their songs had slower starts, but they definitely filled out by the time the choruses hit.

Tokyo Police Club's music was more immediate. Instead of building up their sound gradually, they seemed to put it out there up front, and their sound was a bit more raucous overall. Like Suckers, Tokyo Police Club really seemed to be enjoying the picturesque setting. It had been another hot day in Brooklyn, but it cooled off just enough to be pleasant for the show. "I hope you enjoyed the beautiful day in the park," said singer Dave Monks. "You guys should really check out these trees when you get a chance. The trees are killing it." And he was right. The trees lining the back side of the bandshell were waving gently in the wind as if swaying to the music.

Tokyo Police Club showcased a number of songs from their recent album, Champ. After their set had ended, the eager crowd tried a few different methods to get Passion Pit out on stage, but neither the chanting nor the slow clap did the trick. Shortly after 9:00, the tech guy gave a signal with his flashlight and yellow lights started flickering madly on stage as the band walked out. The production value definitely went up with each band's performance. For Passion Pit, each song seemed to have its own color scheme for lights: reds, oranges, purples, blues, and greens all made an appearance as the evening progressed. By the third song, a colorful banner (resembling the cover art of the Manners re-issue) fell against the backdrop to the delight of the audience.

For the most part, the sound throughout the evening was pretty good for an outdoor show. But the vocals did seem to be a little low in the mix - especially for Passion Pit. I'm not sure if it was just where I was standing or if there was a technical oversight, but there were times when I'd see Passion Pit singer Michael Angelakos open his mouth as if to sing but no sound came out. Of course, it didn't help that he had a tendency of holding the mic a bit too far away. (Were the officials trying to thwart the non-paying park goers from hearing the show outside of the official venue space?)

Regardless of the levels, the crowd seemed to be thoroughly enjoying themselves. Throughout the show, they sang along, clapped to the beat, jumped up and down, and danced. There was also more than one attempt at crowd surfing as the evening progressed and the excitement mounted. The band was clearly thrilled to be performing in front of such a large, enthusiastic audience. Angelakos paced and danced around the stage with glee and kept effusively thanking everyone in between songs, eventually saying, "People make fun of me for always thanking everybody, but we're just in awe of everything that's just happened in the past year. This show sold out in like ten minutes. We're from Boston, but this city made us. Thank you so much! This is the biggest show we've ever played."

For their encore, Passion Pit played a delightful cover of the hit 1994 song "Dreams" by The Cranberries before closing with their own hit - "Sleepyhead." Though the crowd left behind a wasteland of bottles and cups, the tinkling of the aluminum Bud cans as they rolled over the cement surface made for an oddly melodic exit.

They do it again, at an even bigger venue with the same lineup (and the addition of We Were Promised Jetpacks) tonight (6/30) at Colonel's Row on Governors Island. More pictures from last night, some videos and Passion Pit's setlist, below...

Continue reading "Passion Pit, Tokyo Police Club & Suckers Celebrated Brooklyn in Prospect Park - pics, video & setlist"

tonight in NYC
* Scorpions @ Jones Beach
* Cross-Pollination @ Pianos
* 50 Cent @ Hammerstein Ballroom
* Ana Lola Roman, YOU @ Glasslands
* Steel Train, Hymns @ Mercury Lounge
* Eddie Palmieri Y La Perfecta II @ Soundview Park
* Drumadics, Ed Vallance, Neckbeard Telecaster @ The Cameo
* Baby Gramps, Peter Stampfel, Sour Mash Hug Band @ Zebulon
* The Field Recordings, Animals Hands, Dixon, Hyperpotamus @ Pianos
* Holiday Band, AcHT(eN), Kate Ferencz, Emilyn Brodsky @ Death By Audio
* Balene, Pearl & The Beard, Carl Hauck, Tricia Scully @ Knitting Factory
* Adrian Belew's One Man Electric Show Painting with a Guitar @ Joe's Pub
* Darwin Deez, Scary Mansion, Mixel Pixel, Gordon Voidwell @ Santos Party House

"Atlantic recording artist Phil Collins has revised the schedule for his upcoming series of concerts at New York City's Roseland Ballroom. Due to scheduling and production difficulties, the first show, originally slated for June 22, has been cancelled. The remaining shows, on June 23, 24 & 25, will go on as scheduled. Tickets purchased for the June 22 show can either be refunded or will be good for one of the other shows. Those wishing refunds or exchanges should go to their point of purchase or call 800-745-3000."

João Gilberto canceled his CareFusion Jazz Festival show tonight at Carnegie Hall because of "international travel restrictions."

Cyndi Lauper is signing autographs at J&R at 12:30pm.

Baby Gramps is (still) in town

Darwin Deez, who is at Santos tonight, has a new video for "Up in the Clouds". Check it out below...

Suckers' new video for "Black Sheep", also below...

What else?a

Continue reading "What's going on Tuesday?"

by Andrew Frisicano

Local Natives

Both [Local Natives & Suckers] played music from their debut albums, on the Frenchkiss label. Between them there were three-part vocal harmonies, clear-pinging guitars, repurposed dance rhythm. There was electronic geekery and lyrical vagary, and drums pounded by someone other than the drummer. There was a Talking Heads tune, a trumpet, an occasional augment of strings. There was a makeshift cape and memorable facial hair.

Local Natives has two appealing lead singers, the guitarist Taylor Rice (mustache) and the keyboardist Kelcey Ayer (beard). Another guitarist, Ryan Hahn, completes those three-part harmonies, which have earned the band a lot of reflexive comparisons to Fleet Foxes and Grizzly Bear. But "Gorilla Manor," the band's impressively sure-footed first outing, involves more driving rhythm than either of those other bands typically employs. The show made this distinction even clearer. [NY Times]

Local Natives and Suckers tour together through May. This summer, Local Natives will play an August 7th show on Governors Island.

Suckers have a few big NYC shows coming up: they play their own record release show at Music Hall of Williamsburg on June 18th, and then play Prospect Park Bandshell with Passion Pit and Tokyo Police Club on June 29th and Governors Island with those same bands and We Were Promised Jetpacks on June 30th.

More pictures from Local Natives/Suckers' Friday, May 7th Bowery Ballroom show (they played the same venue the night before too) and Local Natives' new video for "World News" are below...

Continue reading "Local Natives played 2 nights @ Bowery Ballroom w/ Suckers (pics), released a new video for "World News""

Suckers @ SXSW (more by Tim Griffin)

Suckers play two sold-out shows with their labelmates Local Natives on May 6th and 7th at Bowery Ballroom. They'll have an NYC show of their own at Music Hall of Williamsburg on Friday, June 18th as a release party for their debut, Wild Smile, out June 8th on Frenchkiss. Tickets go on sale Friday at noon.

Suckers have also been added to the lineup of the sold-out Passion Pit/Tokyo Police Club show at Prospect Park on June 29th and the show the next night at Governors Island with the same bands plus We Were Promised Jetpacks.

Local Natives play Governors Island in August. On Sunday they played Coachella. Passion Pit played the California fest on Friday. Tokyo Police Club played Saturday.

All Suckers dates below...

Continue reading "Suckers opening Passion Pit shows, headlining their own"

words by Bill Pearis & (most of the) photos by Tim Griffin

Will Sheff & Roky Erickson

"Welcome to Montreal -- how do you like the Weather?" - Martin Cesar, Think About Life.

After three lovely days of sunny, mild weather, the skies went grey and cold for the last day of SXSW, Saturday, March 20th, with temperatures dropping to around 45 degrees. Almost no one seemed prepared for it, judging by the throngs of under-dressed shivering all over town. With a lot of the Austin venues being outdoor, it especially hurt.  Our final party of a very busy week of parties was a free badge-less official SXSW event that we did with the M for Montreal folks, at the two-stage Galaxy Room (formerly Radio Room & Bourbon Rocks). The main stage was outside -- under a tent, which helped just a little -- and while temperatures were low, spirits were high and it was maybe the most fun I had all week.

My favorite set of the day came early. Think About Life are so much fun live, so much genuine positivity, it's hard to be in a bad mood with them on stage. An instant hangover cure. I think this was the first time a lot of the audience had ever seen them play, if the number of people who asked me who they were was any indication. At one point singer Martin Cesar left the stage as if their set was over, only to appear in the middle of the crowd dancing, hyping people up. That they didn't do "Johanna" is my only complaint. NYers can see them on April 27 when Think About Life play Mercury Lounge. It's part of a fairly extensive U.S. tour, do go see them.

I was also super-pumped to see The Besnard Lakes whose new album The Besnard Lakes Are the Roaring Night is pretty fantastic. Specifically, I wanted to hear its epic opener, "Like the Ocean, Like the Innocent," and have it knock me back. Like a lot of Montreal bands, The Besnard Lakes' line-up ebbs and flows. Theirs does so around the core of Jace Lasek and Olga Goreas. I've seen them seven strong before, but here they were a lean mean quartet and did not disappoint. They're on tour in May, including a 5/28 show at Bowery Ballroom.

Duchess Says

Another set I knew would be fun was Montreal's Duchess Says who played one of our CMJ day parties last year. While their more aggressive take on Devo-style protopunk is fun, it's all about singer Annie Claude who looks very cute and innocent... until the music starts. She shrieks, jumps in the audience, tackles people, pulls them to the floor,  and causes general mayhem. It's more mischief than menace though. There are lots of other singers who do similar things, but never anything quite like her. After you've seen them once, part of the fun is watching other people experience them for the first time. The inside room was packed to the gills (it was warmer there). My favorite part of the show had her sitting down in the middle of the audience, methodically pulling people down with her, draping their arms over her into a giant pile of people. There's video at the bottom of this post.

The other major highlight for me was Roky Erickson with Okkervill River. I'd never seen him before and this was certainly a great live introduction to someone whose music I've loved for a long time. Will Sheff produced Roky's new album (first in 14 years) and Okkervill was his backing band on it, so the set was tight, rocking and just sounded fantastic. Roky was in great form too, and we got a few 13th Floor Elevators nuggets in there, as well as "Starry Eyes," one of my favorites of his solo material. They tour in May including a show at Webster Hall.

And there was lots more: the great Wye Oak kicked off the party with a lovely set despite cold fingers; Jason Collett was a class act with superbly-crafted country-pop (see video of his set below); Crystal Antlers filled in for BEAST who couldn't make it; Andrew WK was in full Meatloaf mode with a set of piano ballads; Plants and Animals were lush and harmony-laden; metal legends Voivod showed they've still got it; and a percussion-heavy set from L.A.'s Local Natives was probably the biggest draw of the day -- they were excellent.

Local Natives

Somehow I entirely missed sets by Holy Fuck (who I heard were great) and Suckers (who I've seen before many times here in NYC). A last minute addition, Nardwuar was there too, providing funny, heavily-researched band introductions as only he can. It was a great, if cold, day. Stay tuned for his video interview of Will and Roky.

Thanks to everyone who helped put this all together, and to our sponsors. More pictures and videos from the whole day below...

Continue reading "Roky Erickson/Okkervil River, Local Natives, Think About Life, Duchess Says, others @ Galaxy Room (BV/MfM day party) - pics"

Brooklyn four-piece SUCKERS will be releasing their debut full-length, Wild Smile, on June 8 through NYC tastemaker label Frenchkiss Records (Les Savy Fav, The Dodos, Local Natives, The Antlers and more). The album was recorded, produced and mixed in NYC by Chris Zane (Passion Pit/Walkmen), except for "It Gets Your Body Movin'" (produced by Anand Wilder and Chris Moore) and "Save Your Love For Me" (Chris Moore), and was mastered by Joe Laporta (Vampire Weekend). SUCKERS will also be joining labelmates Local Natives for tour dates in May - scroll down for dates.

The first single from the album, yet to be announced, will be released in April. In the meantime, check out the SUCKERS' cover of The Raveonettes track "Boys Who Rape (Should All Be Destroyed)" from their album In and Out of Control (out now on VICE Music).

Suckers' pre-SXSW tour with Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson and Shilpa Ray and Her Happy Hookers kicks off at Le Poisson Rouge in NYC on March 10th. Tickets are still on sale. Suckers' tour with Local Natives kicks off April 22nd and hits NYC for two now-SOLD OUT shows at Bowery Ballroom. New album tracklist and all dates below...

Continue reading "Suckers kicking off tour to SXSW, announce Frenchkiss signing, added to Local Natives spring tour (dates) "

I've been announcing individual bands on this party before now. Finally we have the full exciting lineup!

You know M For Montreal as the Canadian festival we've visited for two years in a row. Their yearly festival showcases bands from their home city in their home city, and they take that show on the road each year to both CMJ in NYC and SXSW in Austin (we already announced their official 2010 night showcase).

Being that we are such huge fans of so many Montreal bands, I thought it would be a great idea see if they wanted do a party together... and here we are. The lineup mixes some of our favorite Montreal bands with some or our other favorite Canadian (like Jason Collett of Broken Social Scene) and non-Canadian bands (like Andrew WK).

We have 13 bands total, a DJ set by another band, free ice cream from the Ice Cream Man (some of which is vegan), free vegan food courtesy of Austin's own Daily Juice and other surprises (drink specials on this particular party are pending). We're also proud to announce that KEXP is the official radio sponsor of all BV day parties this year. You'll find them, video cameras in hand, at many of our day parties throughout the week including this one. Those in attendance at this show will also have a chance to check out and win a pair of Nudie Jeans (another one of our kind sponsors).

Also unlike any other BV day party, this one is officially part of SXSW. That does NOT mean you need a badge. NO BADGES REQUIRED for this free show, but you will find the party listed on SXSW.com (and you can add it to your schedule on there). Full lineup with set times below...

Continue reading "BrooklynVegan & M for Montreal free SXSW day party lineup (Roky Erickson, Andrew WK, Voivod, Holy Fuck, Local Natives, other bands, free food & more)"

Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson's March 10th show at (Le) Poisson Rouge with Suckers and Shilpa Ray & Her Happy Hookers is part of a larger tour for the bands that includes a trip to Austin for SXSW. At the fest, MBAR will be playing the Saddle Creek Showcase on Thursday, March 18th at Maggie Mae's with Common Loon, Unwed Sailor, Pomegranates, The Mynabirds, UUVVWWZ and The Rural Alberta Advantage.

Shilpa Ray will also be at SXSW - her schedule is below. And she plays at the Cameo this Sunday with Bizi Gara and Asa Ransom.

In Austin, Suckers play the French Kiss/Mom+Pop show on Friday, March 19th with Freelance Whales, Local Natives, An Horse Galaxy, The Antlers and Les Savy Fav. Suckers will also play the free BrooklynVegan & M For Montreal show at Galaxy Room on Saturday, March 20th (noon-5:30pm). Other announced bands on that bill so far are Roky Erickson (backed by Okkervil River) and Andrew WK. Full lineup TBA shortly.

Suckers are playing this...

Shilpa Ray actually played the official BV SXSW show in 2009, and Miles Benjamin played one of our CMJ parties the same year. All upcoming dates and MBAR live videos are below...

Continue reading "Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson, Suckers & Shilpa Ray - 2010 Tour Dates (NYC, SXSW, more)"

DOWNLOAD: Bisco Smith - "Broadcast Live" (Remix of TV On The Radio's "Wear You Out") (MP3)

Rain Machine @ BAM Opera House (more by Vincent Cornelli)

As pointed out in the comments, Noveller's Brooklyn Valentine's Day show at Glasslands will be happening instead at Coco 66. The lineup for that includes Bad Credit No Credit, The Shivers, comic Caroline Contillo and DJ Ropstyle .

Instead, Glasslands (before its Neon Indian/French Horn Rebellion/Cubic Zirconia DJ party) will be hosting a Valentine's Day show with TV on the Radio's Kyp Malone & friends. There'll be sets by Rain Machine (Kyp's band), Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson (Kyp is a huge fan, a friend, and appears on his album), Iran (also Kyp's band) (sometimes) and Candles of Paradise.

Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson's backing band shares members with Holly Miranda's (its a night off from her Tegan & Sara-supporting tour) and Holly's forthcoming album, The Magician's Private Library, was produced by TVotR's Dave Sitek who also produced Iran's Dissolver (which came out last year). In related Sitek news, Dave also has a remix on the new 12" from DOOM (who plays NYC with Mos Def on February 26th).

Miles Benjamin is also playing a show at Le Poisson Rouge on March 10th with Shilpa Ray and Suckers. Tickets just went on sale.

And to complete the TVotR roundup, we should mention that Tunde is one of the guest vocalists on the new Massive Attack record, and TVotR's "Wear You Out" was recently remixed by Brooklyn MC Bisco Smith, re-linked above.

Some classic TV on the Radio videos (and others you'd probably rather not see) are posted below...

Continue reading "Noveller moves to Coco66, Kyp Malone & friends playing Glasslands, Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson also at LPR"

photos by Oren Loloi

Cymbals Eat Guitars

"It's hard to believe online indie record store Insound has been around for ten years. Actually it's just hard to believe 1999 was a decade ago, but the calendar says it's so. Insound is also based out of NYC, so we're lucky enough to be invited to their 10 year birthday party at Brooklyn Bowl featuring a hard-to-pass-up line-up of local talent: Cymbals Eat Guitars, These Are Powers, The Drums, Real Estate and at least one band yet-to-be-announced (sort of)." [Bill Pearis @ BrooklynVegan.com]

Brooklyn Bowl is a great place to hang out, bowl, and especially see a show (and I guess eat).

I missed Real Estate who went on at 7:30, but I got there in time to see an energetic (maybe too energetic) set by The Drums whose music I've listened to so much lately I realized at the show I could sing along with almost every song they played.

Suckers, who went on next, have that one good song, and they played it last (I wasn't too into them).

These Are Powers came on around 11:00, and I was nervous that the bowling crowd would all start fleeing from the venue as the music segued from the danceable, radio hits that the DJ was playing to TAP's brand of, um, well...

"A trip to These Are Powers' Last.fm page will tell you that they're commonly referred to as noise rock, experimental, art rock, and their own made up genre, ghost punk (among other already poorly-defined terms). I'm not sure about you, but a couple of those don't exactly measure up to the uncomfortable force these three Brooklyn-Chicago interminglers gravitate around. In reading some of the other press about this alienated trio, I have yet to find anything that accurately describes precisely what they do" [Aural States]

...which is unfortunate because Cymbals Eat Guitars justified their spot as headliner of the night. They were so good. Catch them on tour with Pains of Being Pure At Heart. And then I went home. More pictures from the whole night below....

Continue reading "Cymbals Eat Guitars, The Drums, These Are Powers, Real Estate & Suckers @ Brooklyn Bowl in NYC - pics "

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Dinosaur Feathers - Early Morning Risers (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Hospitality - Betty Wang (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Acrylics - Molly's Vertigo (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Beach Fossils - Vacation (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Family Portrait - Mega Secrets (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Darwin Deez - Bad Day (MP3)

Cymbals Eat Guitars

It's hard to believe online indie record store Insound has been around for ten years. Actually it's just hard to believe 1999 was a decade ago, but the calendar says it's so. Insound is also based out of NYC, so we're lucky enough to be invited to their 10 year birthday party tonight (8/27) at Brooklyn Bowl featuring a hard-to-pass-up line-up of local talent: Cymbals Eat Guitars, These Are Powers, The Drums, Real Estate and at least one band yet-to-be-announced (sort of). $10 gets you in the door and there's free Brooklyn Brewery beer from 6 - 9.

Effi Briest

Another very good option in Williamsburg tonight (8/27) is happening at Glasslands, featuring Effi Briest, Mahogany, and Free Blood (but not Deradoorian). The all-girl Effi Briest are in the same spooky, rhythm-heavy realm as the Life Without Buildings or the Slits (and maybe just a little Siouxsie). They've got a split 7" with Telepathe that's out now and they're working on their debut album as we speak. Mahogany, whose new line-up now (nine-strong according to their Myspace) seems to have been nailed down with the addition of former Dirty on Purpose bassist DJ Boudreau, will hopefully be playing some new material as it's been three years since their fantastic Connectivity. Free Blood bring a surprising amount of heat for such a minimal sound, thanks to the chemistry between ex-!!! John Pugh and Madeline Davy. And rounding out the bill are (The) Tony Castles who share a member with Boogie Boarder and are about to hit the studio with Jake Aron (Chairlift, Yeasayer, Acrylics).

Acrylics

This weekend is the After the Jump Festival which happens Friday - Sunday at Gowanus art space/venue Littlefield. ATJ is a group of bloggers that puts on events throughout the year, but this is the third year for their multi-day event and every night is pretty solid featuring some of the best new bands in NYC and a few from out of town. The full schedule and flyer is at the bottom of the post but I'll highlight a few from each night.

Friday (8/28): I have yet to see sound-collage dance act Javelin but I do like their records and am curious to see how they pull it off live. It's also their last show possibly November, so get in while you can. You can also catchy buzzy Florida band Holiday Shores (more on them below), indie pop royals My Teenage Stride, and the beachy Dinosaur Feathers.

Saturday (8/29): Philly's Free Energy (not to be confused with Free Blood) are a lot of fun if you have no problem with early '80s stadium rock or silly outfits. Despite a feeling I should know better, their live show and giant hooks won me over. Also: the Tom Waits-meets-garage-rock of Wild Yaks and the clattering, poppy Drink Up Buttercup. The night ends as a dance party with just-added Ninjasonik and the wacky Das Racist.

Sunday (8/30): Two of my favorite new NYC bands are playing on the early side. I've written a little bit about Acrylics before, but I've caught them three times over the summer and have been more impressed each time. "Molly's Vertigo," which you can download at the top of this post gives you a good idea of their sound, which is sort of '80s-ish with a dusty Southwest vibe, which maybe makes them a bit like the Rosebuds or Mirage-era Fleetwood Mac. Vocalists Molly Shea and Jason Klauber nail the harmonies and they've got an excellent pedal steel player. They're on at 8PM, don't miss them. Right before Acrylics are Hospitality, who I've written about before, are very charming live and don't play often enough. I haven't managed to catch them since May and am hoping for lots of new songs Sunday.

You can still buy discounted $25 passes for the whole shebang until Friday (8/28) morning. Individual tickets are $10 are night. There's also free beer each night from 6 - 7PM. Again, the whole After the Jump Fest schedule is below.

Holiday Shores @ Pianos in June (more by Tim Griffin)

More weekend recommendations. Fellow Brooklyn blogger Chocolate Bobka has put together a solid show at Cameo on Saturday night, with four bands that genuinely compliment each other. My previously-mentioned qualms with their vocals aside, Beach Fossils are hard to dislike and a lot of fun live. I've also been listening to the Holiday Shores (who also play the ATJ Fest the night before) dreamy, melodic debut, Columbus'd The Whim, a lot recently. It's a nice end-of-summer record. Connecticut's Sore Eros are pals with Kurt Vile and Gary War; and Washington DC's Family Portrait are part of the Underwater Peoples scene... Real Estate comparisons aren't entirely inappropriate and you can check out their song "Mega Secret" at the top of this post.

And also Saturday, there's an early show (7PM) at Glasslands featuring Phantogram, a duo who, for lack of a better term, are kind of trip-hoppy but in a '00s sort of way (breakbeats but no John Barry or Morricone samples). Chilled, atmospheric, but still danceable. Their debut album, Eyelid Movies, is a pretty good listen. Also playing are Savoir Adore who I've probably written about enough lately, and Darwin Deez.

Full After the Jump Fest schedule, some Flyers and music videos below...

Continue reading "Insound Party, After the Jump, Holiday Shores, Effi Briest, Beach Fossils, Phantogram & more in This Week in Indie "

The 2009 CMJ Music Marathon & Film Festival, which is happening this year October 20th-24th, has announced its initial lineup of shows happening in various venues across NYC.

Some shows like Atlas Sound, Broadcast and The Selmanaires on October 21st, School of Seven Bells at Webster hall, Mum at Le Poisson Rouge (with Iceland's Sin Fang Bous opening), Portugal the Man at Bowery Ballroom, and The Drums at Santos on October 21st have already been reported.

We'll be having our own official showcase at Music Hall of Williamsburg again this year (and some day parties). Stay tuned for more info on that. And the intial list of CMJ performers is below...

Continue reading "CMJ Music Marathon announces initial 2009 band lineup"

Kid Rock is playing the Institute for Music and Neurologic Function benefit at Terminal 5 on September 2nd. It's the show the Beastie Boys played last year. $100 tickets are currently on AmEx presale and go on general sale Saturday at noon.

Get well soon MCA.

Insound are celebrating their 10th Anniversary with a show at Brooklyn Bowl. The August 27th party will feature sets by Cymbals Eat Guitars, These Are Powers, Suckers, The Drums and Real Estate. $10 tickets are on sale.

The Drums and Suckers are both also playing shows at Littlefield that same week as part of "After the Jump Fest '09" - three days of shows at the new Brooklyn venue::

After The Jump Fest 09 (more bands TBA)

After the Jump tickets (single day passes $10, 3 day passes $25 - ALL AGES) and tickets for other shows at Littlefield are available at Littlefield's site.

TONIGHT @ LITTLEFIELD (8/7): Kaki King's Exhibition.

THE DRUMS TONIGHT (8/7): @ the Mondo Dance Party @ Don Hill's

Tickets are on sale for the Circulatory System show at Le Poisson Rouge.

Tickets for the Ray LaMontagne show at Beacon Theatre go on sale Saturday at 10am.

Tickets are on sale for the Pelican show at Brooklyn Masonic Temple.

Chairlift play Bowery Ballroom on September 5th. Tickets are on sale.

Tickets are on sale for the David Bazan show at Bowery Ballroom.

Tickets are on sale for the Mastodon/Dehtklok/Converge/High On Fire show at Hammerstein Ballroom.

Tickets are on sale for the No Age show at Le Poisson Rouge.

Tickets are on sale for the Jay Reatard show at Le Poisson Rouge.

Tickets are on sale for the King Khan Halloween show at The Bell House.

Leonard Cohen MSG tickets are currently on pre-sale.

Tickets are on sale for the Great Lake Swimmers shows coming up at Bowery and MHOW.

Tickets are on sale for the Polvo show at The Bell House.

Tickets are on sale for the Lou Barlow show at Mercury Lounge.

Tickets are on sale for the Soft Pack show at Bowery Ballroom.

Kings of Leon Izod Center tickets were released.

Tickets go on sale Saturday (@ noon) for the Sunset Rubdown show at Grand Ballroom.

Tickets are on "Radio Presale" for the Gaslight Anthem show at Terminal 5. General sale starts Saturday at noon.

Thursday, Mountain Goats, Final Fantasy, Besnard Lakes, Amy Millan, Black Heart Procession and other tickets also recently went on sale.

No tickets necessary for the Moshi Moshi show at South Street Seaport.