by Andrew Sacher

The Jealous Sound at Terminal 5 in 2009 (more by Kurt Christensen)

The Jealous Sound formed during early part of the last decade after the breakup of frontman Blair Shehan's band Knapsack. He was joined by members of Jawbox and Sunday's Best. They released their debut LP, Kill Them With Kindness in 2003 which combined the emo-pop of Knapsack with an indie rock sensibility. They promised a followup in 2005 but ended up essentially disappearing before its release and posthumously releasing the Got Friends EP in 2008 with the material they had finished before calling it quits. The band then reunited in 2009 to tour as a supporting act on Sunny Day Real Estate's reunion tour.

Now they're again promising a second full length album. The album is titled A Gentle Reminder and is due out on January 31. They've been recording it with Nate Mendel of Sunny Day Real Estate on bass, and are recording it in the Foo FIghters' studio, which Nate is also a member of. They recently revealed the album track, "Your Eyes Were Shining," which you can stream below along with the album artwork. Gone are the powerpop induced youthful anxieties of Kill Them With Kindness, and in their place are cleaner guitars and a more subdued vocal delivery from Blair, who has gone from insisting "there is hope for us," to "you have let me down/you've disappointed me."

The Jealous Sound are going on tour in support of the new album this February. That tour includes a NYC show happening on February 15 at Knitting Factory. Tickets are on sale now. All dates are listed, with the song stream, and album artwork below...

Continue reading "The Jealous Sound are back with a new album & tour dates"

photos by Rachel Carr, words by Daiana Feuer

Gorillaz Clash

The third and final round of the Coachella Music & Arts Festival was funky, and not just because the port-a-potties reeked. Keeping a loose theme every day (see Friday & Saturday), Sunday focused on relentless rhythm and groovy basslines. The absolute golden moment belonged to Yo La Tengo's blistering final song. Rhythm that revels in repetition + guitar that tries to destroy itself = wee mind blown. Sometimes the moodiest things are the most uplifting.

Thom Yorke brought his dancing shoes, his favorite Flea, and Nigel Godrich. His band Atoms For Peace played almost every song off The Eraser, many of which featured strong world rhythm sections. When Yorke didn't have a guitar in hand, he danced, whirled, and punched the air like he was rehearsing a scene from Fame. We wanted a high kick, but it didn't arrive. King Khan & The Shrines, on the other hand, featured legs flying all over the place, DJ Lance Rock and Yo Gabba Gabba characters, burning money, as well as a visit from the police-who crept on stage to snap pictures. Probably the first time Khan runs into cops and doesn't leave wearing cuffs. Sunny Day Real Estate had the audience offering bids to buy property, and Phoenix had people choking on dinner as they tried to dance and eat at the same time.

King Khan Gabba Gabba

Not every Julian Casablancas song captivated, but his band delightfully binged on rhythms. Each musician had a personal backbeat player supporting each fill. The drummer plus his sidekick especially sounded great. Matt & Kim's ebullient smiles inspired chaos in the audience, as usual. Mayer Hawthorne and the County revived Motown soulful brassiness and covered Biz Markie's "Just a Friend." The Big Pink played some new songs from next year's album, reaching out for Depeche Mode with a drummer in a pink bathing suit. Electro sweet popper Little Boots forgot her pants as well, wearing a sparkly shirt and knickers, and played with the lasers on stage. Charlotte Gainsbourg inaugurated her "first tour, first everything" with a feminine "Candy-O" sensibility, sometimes in French. Florence & the Machine rounds out the great lady performances of the day, and brought on Nathan Willett of Cold War Kids.

All clad in white, France's DJ ego-powers Club 75 demonstrated the ability to cooperate together with just a few elbows thrown. Cassius, Justice, Busy P, and DJ Mehdi still use CD's (so old school), and took turns passing on the headphones between them and finishing each other's remix sentences, trading places at each station. Backstage security bobbed along while staying tough. When it was their turn, Rusko turned the Sahara tent into a mechazoid robot battle and Orbital live-produced virtual reality anthems for Satan wearing Matrix miner lights around their heads. Infected Mushroom instructed on the benefits of "Becoming Insane" flanked by two mushrooms with red eyes.

The Middle East should not be confused with The Soft Pack, formerly The Muslims. The former may be from Australia but it sounds like a back porch band from Woodstock, and the latter offers a "Parasite" infestation that's as pure as sunshine and a neat drum set up that packs a giant tom punch. What appears as regular rock on headphones reveals its brilliance when experienced live. One of the strangest live moments of the festival belongs to Sly Stone, who played four hours late and on the wrong stage. He bitched, he slurred, he cursed, lay down, walked off, stopped songs and good grief, made a total mess of himself. But that's rock and roll.

Sly Stone made history look unable to get past its youthful drug phase, but Jonsi, Pavement, and Spoon come from a music scene that did a little bit less cocaine. Jonsi repped the awesomeness of Sigur Rós and great hats. Steve Patterson of White Rabbits joined Britt Daniels and the rest of Spoon to add percussion on "I Turn My Camera On". Spoon's tour-mate Bradford Cox (who played earlier in the day in Deerhunter) also joined Spoon on stage, like he did on their recent Kimmel appearance. Pavement ran through the hits during one of their first U.S. shows since reuniting. "That's the 90's in a nutshell," said Stephen Malkmus after the angsty "Unfair"...

"...Pavement, the iconic slacker band of the '90s, who took the main stage against what turned out to be one of the fest's chief attractions, the finally wildly popular French dance-rock band Phoenix, who wowed possibly the biggest crowd of the entire fest ... while Pavement played to a field half-full of true believers rather than the massive throngs many expected, and thought the band deserved.

No matter, though. Pavement still delivered a set that vindicated the group of prior crimes -- namely a Coachella performance near the end of their career so notoriously bad, many in attendance point to it as the moment the band decided to break up.

This night, however, they were tight, they were loud, and they sounded large on that vast field -- an odd statement, given the fact that in their heyday they were far more known for being introspectively small rather than arena-ready..." [The OC Register]

Virtual Snoop Dogg introduced the Gorillaz set, but Blur's Damon Albarn appeared in the flesh, with a few special guests including Paul Simonon, Mick Jones, De La Soul-who kicked their own old school jams earlier in the day-and Little Dragon's Yukimi. One unique rhythm transcended the next, showing the mutability of hip hop and dance music. And then that was it, suddenly. The festival ended and tens of thousands of people started wondering where they left their car keys...

Radiohead Peppers For Peace

Daiana's Weekend Top 10:
1. Yo La Tengo's last song
2. Little Dragon's Yukimi
3. Gossip leading a revolution
4. Thom Yorke dancing to African rhythms
5. PiL giving a history lesson
6. Sly Stone wigging out
7. Bouncing penises + fat people in undies (Die Antwoord + Major Lazer)
8. Devo putting on the hats that ushered in modern pop culture for "Whip It"
9. John Waters corrupting many young minds
10. The Gorrilaz lyric: "Super fast jellyfish going super fast. You can't even see him but you wanna eat him."

--

Owen Pallett, Local Natives, Miike Snow, and Yann Tiersen also played the fest Sunday. Gary Numan was among those who couldn't. Reviews & pictures from Day One, HERE and Day Two, HERE. Setlists (Thom Yorke and Pavement), pictures, and videos from Day Three, below...

Continue reading "Coachella 2010 - Day Three in pics, video & review (the Thom Yorke & Pavement setlists included) "

Wow...Public Image Ltd, The Specials, Grizzly Bear, Passion Pit, Echo and the Bunnymen, Grace Jones, Fever Ray, Devo, Hot Chip, Phoenix, Orbital, Spoon, Sly and the Family Stone, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Sunny Day Real Estate, Yo La Tengo, Mew, Camera Obscura, Gil Scott-Heron, The xx, John Waters, Dillinger Escape Plan, Deer Tick, Gary Numan... Full Coachella 2010 lineup below....

Continue reading "2010 Coachella line up announced (Faith No More, Pavement, Muse, Gorillaz, Thom Yorke, Jay-Z, LCD Soundystem, ???)"

Thomas Function @ Cake Shop in January (more by Fresh Bread)

tonight in NYC
* DANCE
* Rubies, Essie Jain, The Snow @ Union Hall
* Kid Koala, Adira Amram @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
* The Woes, Phil and the Osophers, Shark? @ Glasslands
* Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band @ Giants Stadium
* Jemina Pearl, Two Tears, The Hoof & The Heel @ Bruar Falls
* A Rose Parade, Midnight Masses, Big Honey Mama @ Union Pool
* The Coathangers, Prisms, Ex-Humans, The Nymphets @ Cake Shop
* Nymph, Emma Kupa, Eskalators, Ava Luna, Aldertone, Air Waves @ Death By Audio
* Thomas Function, Yussuf Jerusalem, Liquor Store, Pink Reason, Indian Casino & Jail Hippies @ Silent Barn

Springsteen does the "albums" thing for the first time tonight, when he and the E Street band play Born To Run at Giants Stadium.

Code 46 and 24 Hour Party People are screening at 92YTribeca tonight.

Hatcham Social were scheduled to open for the Charlatans UK at Maxwell's tonight, until that tour was canceled. Now Hatcham are going on tour with Echo and the Bunnymen in the fall, though they won't be opening the show Echo just announced at Mercury Lounge.

Kid Koala presents The Slew: Live - a show that's "drums, bass/keys [featuring ex-Wolfmother rhythm section]...and six turntables [in] seventy minutes of raw guitar cuts and heavy beats" - at Music Hall of Williamsburg. Adira Amram opens. Her video for "Mom Song" is below.

According to their bio, "In less than three years, The Coathangers, Julia Kugel (guitar/vocals), Stephanie Luke (drums/vocals), Candice Jones (keyboard/vocals), and Meredith Franco (bass/vocals) have grown from a band of girlfriends buying the cheapest instruments an Atlanta pawn shop could offer, to a group of formidable, adaptable performers..."

The Coathangers played the Maze at DBA last night. Tonight they play at Cake Shop with Prisms, Ex-Humans and The Nymphets. Bands at the Maze tonight include Nymph, Emma Kupa, Eskalators, Ava Luna, Aldertone and Air Waves.

Also from the South (though she lives in NYC show): Jemina Pearl plays Bruar Falls tonight. In October she goes on tour with Islands.

A video of Nat Baldwin at the Silent Barn from 2006 is posted below. Tonight the venue hosts Thomas Function and others.

Nat is in Dirty Projectors who played Fallon two nights ago.

Sunny Day Real Estate performed "Seven" on Jimmy Fallon last night. Video below...

Wayne Coyne talks about the new Flaming Lips album in the video below...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Wednesday?"

photos by Kurt Christensen

"...Sunny Day Real Estate about to take stage at Terminal 5. Been waiting 10 years for this show." - Kevin Vasconcellos

"terminal 5 with my favorite season. never heard of sunny day real estate but they're pretty decent." - Dan Colonna

"...last nights Sunny Day Real Estate show at Terminal 5? Most amazing show I've been to in ages" - soynutz7

"The band was flawless and all the hits from both "Diary" and "LP2" were represented with amazing tenacity and one of the best sets I have seen in recent years. After they played the new song from the set, I yelled "10 more". Interesting note as of course I was wearing my Washed Up Emo logo shirt and at one point Jeremy looks up at the 2nd level and he squints, what feels like reads my shirt then laughs as he starts back into a verse. Was there a giant blow up of Pete Wentz's ego? Not sure but my point had been made, the crowd was washed up and old but we are here Sunny Day Real Estate and we aren't going away.
After a pleasant turn of events, I got to meet all the members of the band and some quality time was had. In those moments I learned and will share with some that will be helpful for this blog and hope you find exciting.

- They consider emo a bad word and use it as an insult.
- Possible recording of a new album is a GOOD possibility when they get back from tour.
- They wanted to end with "Days Were Golden" as on the "How it Feels Tour..." but no dice.
- Dan from SDRE heard me yell "10 more" and agrees with me that the vibe is so good now it could happen!
- Dan also approves of WashedUpEmo.com and wants it to continue for its good work on education on his band and others like it.

Nuff said, I pretty much take that as if President Obama said it to me. I take your challenge Mr. Dan (was in Dashboard Confessional for a hot minute) Hoerner and will continue my fight against all that has been ruined with this genre, all that has been put in neon lights, tight pants and keyboards.

Take back the loud/soft dynamic, take back the screaming and heartfelt lyrics and TAKE BACK what is rightfully ours. Sunny Day Real Estate are back and God help me but I think we are making progress." [WashedUpEmo.com]

The Jealous Sound (who play Southpaw tonight/Tuesday, 9/29) opened up Sunday night's Yom Kippur Sunny Day Real Estate show at Terminal 5 in NYC (9/27). All reunion tour dates HERE. More pictures, some videos, and the setlist from the show, below...

Continue reading "Sunny Day Real Estate played Terminal 5 in NYC w/ The Jealous Sound - pics, video & setlist"

Sunny Day Real Estate

City Pages: So what got you guys talking seriously about doing this reunion? What was the turning point?

Dan Hoerner: I think the turning point was Nate. He had the opening in his schedule--Nate's very much involved with the Foo Fighters--and it was the perfect time for everybody and Nate was kind of the impetus. I had no inkling, no idea that it was even a possibility. If you had asked me even one day before Nate called me if I expected Nate to call me within the next five years, I would have laughed. So when he gave me the shout, what am I going to say? I'm busy? No: I was like, "YES! Tell me when!" It was Nate. Ultimately, everybody had the time and everybody was in the right place to do it, and to get the push from Nate and to know that Nate's got a whole team of people he works with now that are fantastic, so just all the stars aligned in the right way.

tonight in NYC
* DANCE
* Brown Recluse @ Cake Shop
* Hull, Batillus, Dark Vibe @ Union Pool
* Japandroids, Makeout Videotape @ Mercury Lounge
* Sunny Day Real Estate, The Jealous Sound @ Terminal 5
* Gary War, Tom Crter, Purple Haze @ Issue Project Room
* Darius Jones Trio, Jason Ajemian & The High Life @ Zebulon
* papercranes, Yoni Gordon, The Wiitala Brothers @ Pete's Candy Store
* Great Lake Swimmers, The Wooden Birds, Sharon Van Etten @ Bowery Ballroom
* Onion Flavored Rings, Stupid Party, Bad Blood, Weird Weather @ Silent Barn
* MC Chris, The Hamiltons, Deepsleep, Wingnut Dishwasher's Union, Groucho Marxists, Night Birds, Assassination, Ya Witness @ Cake Shop

Fever Ray is here Monday.

The new season of SNL debuted last night with new cast member Jenny Slate who dropped the F bomb on live TV. Video below...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Sunday?"

Willamette Week's Musicfest NW announces this year's festival line-up which will be held at various venues around the Portland, OR metropolitan area on September 16, 17, 18 & 19. On the heels of the most successful MFNW to date, MFNW 2009 launches with nothing but the hope of a bigger and better festival. MFNW's ultimate aim is to provide Portland with a unique and special musical experience that features all types of acts including nationally renowned artists while still honoring and supporting the special musical scene of the Northwest.

Four-day passes to the fest are on sale now.

The lineup so far, including the newly-reunited Sunny Day Real Estate, is below...

Continue reading "Musicfest NW in Portland, OR (Sept 16-19) - lineup"

Tickets are now on AmEx and Fan Club presale for the Sunny Day Real Estate show at Terminal 5. The Fan Club password is "sunnydayrealestate" (thx Brian).

Following a more than 10 year hiatus, all four original members of pioneering Seattle rock band Sunny Day Real Estate will regroup for a 20-date US tour starting Sept. 17th, 2009. In addition, Sub Pop Records will re-issue both Diary and the band's second full-length album, commonly known as LP2 (or "The Pink Album" for its entirely pink cover). Both re-mastered albums will include rare bonus tracks as well as newly written liner notes and will be released on both CD and LP Sept. 15, 2009, just prior to the start of the tour. [Sub Pop]

These rumors have been floating around for months, and I'm really glad they came true. Thanks to everyone who has emailed in about this as well.

The tour includes a Sunday, September 27th show at NYC's Terminal 5. Tickets go on sale Friday, June 26th at noon. More info and all tour dates below...

Continue reading "Sunny Day Real Estate reunites! - 2009 tour dates & reissues "

Jeremy Enigk is going on tour soon. Tickets are on sale for a December 7th show at the Blender Theater in NYC. All dates below..

Continue reading "Jeremy Enigk - 2008 Tour Dates (Blender Theater)"

Jeremey Enigk & Damien Jurado

Jurado's solo career began during the mid-1990s, with him releasing lo-fi folk based recordings on his own cassette-only label, Casa Recordings. Gaining a local cult following in Seattle, he was brought to the attention of Sub Pop Records by Sunny Day Real Estate singer Jeremy Enigk. After two 7" releases ("Motorbike" and "Trampoline") Sub Pop issued his first full album, Waters Ave S. in 1997. His second album Rehearsals for Departure, released in 1999, was a relative breakthrough. Produced by Ken Stringfellow (The Posies, Big Star), Jurado's second album established him as both a singer and songwriter of great ability. [Wikipedia]

Tickets go on sale at noon for a June 1st show at Bowery Ballroom in NYC. All dates below....

Continue reading "Damien Jurado/Jeremy Enigk (old friends) - 2008 Tour Dates"