Highly rhythmic Brooklyn collective Superhuman Happiness released their new album, Hands, a couple weeks ago. You can stream the whole thing at their SoundCloud. The group -- which features members of Antibalas, Iron & Wine, The Phenomenal Handclap Band and others -- just released the video for "Sentimental Pieces" which was directed by bandleader Stuart Bogie. We've got its premiere below.

If you want to see them live, Superhuman Happiness are playing NYC at Le Poisson Rouge on March 29 with EMEFE and Live Footage. Tickets to that show are still available.

Continue reading "Superhuman Happiness released 'Hands,' made a new video, playing live"

Sinkane w/ Yeasayer at Jones Beach in 2011 (more by Dana (distortion) Yavin)

Yeasayer drummer Sinkane will be holding a residency at Brooklyn venue Zebulon (258 Wythe Ave) every Monday in August with different special guests each night. The residency kicks off this Monday (8/6) with Rakete (Akwetey of Dragons of Zynth) and DJ Ryan Rasheed. It continues on 8/13 with St. Claire and Cooper Format, 8/20 with Superhuman Happiness and Mrs. Adam Schatz, and 8/27 with Miho Hatori's (of Cibo Matto) other band New Optimism and Chandeliers. The flier for the residency is below.

Sinkane will also support Ava Luna at Mercury Lounge on August 11 and The Very Best at Irving Plaza on August 13.

In related news, tickets for Yeasayer's intimate Music Hall of Williamsburg show (8/15) with Daedelus go on sale today (8/3) at noon. Tickets will probably sell out but if you miss out on picking yours up, the show will stream live at the Bowery Presents YouTube channel.

You also may remember that Yeasayer launched a scavenger hunt of YouTube streams of every song on their new album, Fragrant World (due out 8/21 via Secretly Canadian), this week. All of those videos have since surfaced and will continue to be available until 8 PM EST today (8/3) so watch them while you can. All videos, a list of all upcoming Sinkane dates and the flier for his residency are below.

Continue reading "Sinkane has a residency at Zebulon (dates); tix on sale for Yeasayer's MHOW show"

Fergus & Geronimo at BV-SXSW in March (more by Amanda Hatfield)

Happy New Year's Eve Eve! We've already given you a list of concerts and parties happening tomorrow and followed that with even more things to do. Some are already sold out (like 285 Kent and Glasslands). Some still have tickets (like Deer Tick). Here we are yet again with some more options.

Fergus & Geronimo are playing The Gutter (12/31) in Brooklyn with NT, My Teenage Stride, and The City Streets. Fergus will reportedly be "headlining at midnight" and "debuting tons of songs from their FUNKY new album." Brooklyn's NT are working on a new record and they've got a new song from it up for free download on bandcamp called "Reflection."

Superhuman Happiness are DJing at Union Pool (12/31) with DJ Partypants and visuals by BAMiAM.tv. As Superhuman Happiness point out on facebook, this is a DJ set and will be a very different show than their live set at Cake Shop TONIGHT (12/30). Tonight's post-Phish late show is a Dog Gone Blog presented show that features special guest Colin Stetson and DJ sets by Dog Gone Blog, Unicorn Pudding, and like tomorrow's Union Pool show, visuals by BAMiAM.tv.

Dance & Hip Hop DJ collective The Rub is throwing a New Year's Eve party at Southpaw (12/31) with DJ Ayres, Cosmo Baker, DJ Eleven, and special guest DJ Moma. Tickets are still available.

Rub associate Nick Catchdubs is also DJing a New Year's Eve event in Brooklyn, at the Built by MeanRed party at Loreley (12/31) with Jubilee and a surprise guest. Tickets are available.

The Rub will also DJ at Brooklyn Bowl on January 15 for The Freedom Party vs. The Rub. Tickets are on sale.

One more NYE option is Murray Hill's New Year's Eve Extravaganza at Knitting Factory with Dirty Martini, Bridget Everett, Angie Pontani, Neal Medlyn, Trixie Little & Evil Hate Monkey, Amber Martin, and DJ Sirlinda. More expensive VIP tickets are sold out but $45 general admission tickets are still available.

Fliers below...

Continue reading "more NYC New Year's Eve options (Fergus & Geronimo, Nick Catchdubs, Superhuman Happiness, Murray Hill & the Rub included)"

photos by David Andrako

Prospect Park Bandshell Saturday night

The Heavy, The London Souls and Superhuman Happiness played the free Celebrate Brooklyn show at Prospect Park on Saturday night (6/25). Pictures are in this post.

How many neo-soul fans were able to catch both the earlier Fitz & the Tantrums/Lee Fields show in Central Park and this one later all the way in Park Slope? How many afrobeat fans caught Superhuman Happiness in Prospect Park on Saturday and are continuing the weekend with Zongo Junction and Turkuaz @ Brooklyn Bowl tonight?

A set of pictures from Prospect Park show continues below...

Continue reading "The Heavy, London Souls & Superhuman Happiness @ the Prospect Park Bandshell (Celebrate Brooklyn pics)"

photos by David Andrako

Beirut's upcoming shows include Lollapalooza, Outside Lands, and a Northside Festival show in McCarren Park with Sharon Van Etten. Tickets for the Brooklyn show are still on sale. Beirut's recent performances include a big, public, sold out one at the Wellmont Theater in NJ, and a very small, private one in Stratosphere Sound Recording Studio.

Before any of those, back on March 27th, Beirut played three songs at a Brooklyn loft party in celebration of the new Red Hot Tropicália tribute CD, Red Hot + Rio 2, that we discussed HERE and HERE. Like Beirut, Superhuman Happiness, The Phenomenal Handclap Band, Brazilian Girls, and Forro In The Dark, all have songs on the forthcoming Red Hot charity comp, and each of those bands performed the song they have on the CD (and actually, they each performed their song more than once, as the performances were being filmed to help promote the release, and they wanted the videos to be good). The setlist and more pictures from the party, below...

Continue reading "Beirut played a 'Red Hot' loft in March too, w/ Superhuman Happiness, Phenomenal Handclap Band & more (pics) "

The National show in Prospect Park (more by Amanda Hatfield)

We already knew that 'Celebrate Brooklyn' is hosting an impressive lineup of ticketed Prospect Park Bandshell shows this summer: The Decemberists, Animal Collective, Sufjan Stevens, Bon Iver & Cut Copy. And we knew that the 33rd annual series of free shows would start with an Andrew Bird show on June 10th, and that BRIC is also hosting three free 'dance parties' in Brooklyn Bridge Park this summer too.

Now the entire 2011 lineup of "24 free performances, including 20 music concerts, two dance performances, two film screenings with live music, and a family concert" is here! You can check it all out (The Feelies, Real Estate, The Books, Junip, Doveman, Justin Townes Earle, Punch Brothers, Raekwon, Oumou Sangaré, Times New Viking, Ra Ra Riot, Delicate Steve, Buke & Gass and Hal Willner included), below...

Continue reading "Celebrate Brooklyn - complete 2011 Prospect Park show lineup"

sometimes Superhuman Happiness dresses up

Superhuman Happiness, the afro-funk outfit headed by Antibalas's Stuart Bogie, kicks off a weekly Monday residency at Coco 66 tonight (10/4). The regular shows will have guests - some confirmed on the venue's website are Brian Chase of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs on October 11th, comedian Matt Higgins on October 18th, and Jeremiah Lockwood of The Sway Machinery on November 1st.

The Coco 66 show tonight (10/4) will be after (presumably) the free "Music of Fela!" concert at Brooklyn Bridge Park's Pier 1 at 6:30pm (that's cause trumpeter Eric Biondo, Stuart and others play in both bands).

A video of Matt Higgins improvising with Stuart Bogie and drummer Miles Arntzen and Stuart Bogie's Superhuman Happiness at Public Assembly in 2009 are below...

Continue reading "a Superhuman Happiness residency & free Fela! reminder "

Kniting Factory Records, in the process of reissuing all of Fela Kuti's catalog, is hosting at re-release party for 7 CDs (that contain 14 albums) that they're calling "Na Poi" releases (named after his '72 LP/song) tonight (5/10) at Knitting Factory. It's free and there will be music from the Fela Un-Dustrial Complex DJs.

Other upcoming Fela-related events include the after-party for this year's Obie Awards, which will have Antibalas playing a set at Webster Hall on Monday, May 17th. Tickets are on sale. Fela!, which won an Obie for its Off Broadway run, is nominated for 11 Tony awards this year.

Between those, Antibalas & Fela! band member Stuart Bogie plays with his group Superhuman Happiness at Pianos on Friday May 14th.

And don't forget about Antibalas for free in Battery Park, Femi Kuti at Lincoln Center, and Fela drummer Tony Allen at BAM Metrotech and Stuy Town Oval this summer.

Videos are below...

Continue reading "upcoming Fela events - Antibalas at Webster Hall & more"