photos by Chris La Putt

"[Friday] night the Guggenheim hosted another event for their It Came From Brooklyn series, which brings talented Brooklynites all the way to the Upper East Side. The evening was hosted by Max Silvestri, and featured a (bit too maudlin) reading from Rachel Sherman, and live sets from Tanlines and Yeasayer. A 3-D light show was also advertised, but as the evening went on we were told the glasses were merely for "enhancement" purposes.

The $45 ticket price is a bit high, but those in attendance were also able to check out the Kandinsky retrospective while there... just so long as they didn't have their 3-D enhancement glasses on. The guards were unusually strict about this.

There was a bar set up, with a ticket system in place (one wine was 3 tickets, aka $6); and the museum served as a gorgeous venue, with plenty of great sightlines. Frank Lloyd Wright, however, didn't design it to be acoustically perfect for future indie bands -- leaving Yeasayer sounding more like Mehsayer (sorry). That said, we sort of prefer these museum rock shows over the status quo -- so we hope there are many more to come!" [Gothamist]

Continue reading "Yeasayer, Tanlines & Max Silvestri came from Brooklyn @ the Guggenheim - pics "

photos by Tim Griffin

Cold Cave

"Cold Cave was one of the most hyped CMJ acts to hit New York last week. Their dark, almost industrial music went well with the extremely dark stage [at The Suffolk] and with their look- all black clothes and somber faces. I felt like a vampire or a bat in a cave. But I wasn't scared. Cold Cave's music is both slow and aggressive, moody and somehow poppy. While the crowd brooded I bet inside they were ecstatic. The music of Cold Cave is powerful and visceral. Maybe a little boring in a live setting, but something tells me that's the point. Enjoy the darkness." [Microphone Memory Emotion]

Continue reading "Cold Cave, Harlem, Tanlines, Glasser & Harlem @ The Suffolk (Matador CMJ show) in NYC - pics "

DOWNLOAD: The Very Best - Warm Heart of Africa (Violens remix) (MP3)

Ted Leo @ Pier 54 in July (more by Chris La Putt)

Ted Leo is one of many the acts lined up for the space at 107 Suffolk St (alternately called The Suffolk, Flamboyán Theater and Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural Center) during this year's CMJ Festival. The space, which also has a "beach" bar, isn't unaccustomed to shows - it hosted Ponytail in April - but around this time of year its usually set up as a haunted house (now housed elsewhere).

Ted Leo (now on Matador) will be headlining a True Panther/Matador Records showcase at the Suffolk on Friday, October 23rd. The impressive lineup for that night includes Glasser, Harlem, Cold Cave (who just played NYC with Faust) and Lemonade (who have many other CMJ shows, listed below). It's one of the official CMJ shows there (full schedule is below).

That gig is one of two shows set up by True Panther - on Saturday, October 24th they're also putting on a show at Pianos with Restless People (mems. of Professor Murder/Tanlines who debut five days earlier at Santos), Janka Nabay (backed by Javelin), Glasser (backed by Tanlines), Delorean and Lemonade. Flyer below.

Ted Leo also has some other upcoming dates scheduled including a post-CMJ headlining gig at Bowery Ballroom

The Suffolk is also playing host to unofficial, non-badge, first-come, first-served parties. AAM has one on Thursday, October 22nd (10pm) with Surfer Blood, Air Waves, Surf City, Violens (Very Vest remix MP3 reposted above), Lemonade and New York Night Train DJ Jonathan Toubin (who has his own showcase at Santos on Tuesday).

Finally, it should be noted that The Suffolk has a "back room" and that will also be hosting shows, including a Japanther performance on Wednesday, Oct. 21st (Fool's Gold is also on that bill).

Schedules and flyers for all of the above shows are below...

Continue reading "The Suffolk = Flamboyan Theater = CSV Cultural Center = ex-haunted house -- Ted Leo, others playing CMJ there"

Yeasayer @ Hudson River Park in August (more by Bao Nguyen)

Yeasayer recently revealed in an interview with Pitchfork that they had finished their sophomore album and it would be released on January 19, 2010. There are four new songs they've been playing live; the four new songs are "Madder Red," "O.N.E.," "I Remember," and "Amblin' Alp." Yeasayer has also hinted that they would do something big in October.... [Wikipedia]

Guggenheim's last "It Came From Brooklyn" show featured Julian Plenti aka Paul Banks from Interpol. Julian has more shows on the way in November.

Yeasayer is currently in the UK, on tour with Bat for Lashes (who played NYC in August).

Yeasayer's Anand Wilder and Ira Wolf Tuton worked on Bat for Lashes' new record, Two Suns, which came out in April. As for their own still-untitled CD, Yeasayer's new disc is expected early next year (see above). Pitchfork called their last album, All Hour Cymbals, the 197th best album of the decade.

At least one member of Tanlines (also playing the Guggenheim show) is in a new group with members of Professor Murder called Restless People.

A Jools Holland video, and all tour dates for Yeasayer, which include Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin on November 7th and Brown University on Nov. 13th (with Javelin), are below...

Continue reading "Yeasayer - playing the Guggenheim, new CD on the way"

DOWNLOAD: Real Estate - Beach Comber (MP3)

Real Estate @ Brooklyn Bowl in August (more by Oren Loloi)

Real Estate have only been around short time, but it seems like hardly a week goes by without a show from the band or one of its member's solo projects (Ducktails, Predator Vision, etc.). They'll finally get around to releasing their debut LP, a self-titled record, on November 17th on the Woodsist label. The first track from that is posted above and two other "album versions" are up on their Myspace.

Real Estate play a tour send-off/Showpaper benefit on October 14th at Monster Island Basement with Big Troubles and Honeydos. The tour in question is a short jaunt down South, before they return for a slew of CMJ-related shows. The first of those happen October 21st at Pianos and Santos (the later of which is an Oh My Rockness party with The Drums and others). Their other CMJ gigs include an Underwater Peoples showcase at The Delancey, a Death & Taxes show at Glasslands on October 22nd with Japandroids (one of many CMJ gigs for that band) and a Mexican Summer/Kemado Showcase at Music Hall of Williamsburg on October 24th. Joining them at MHOW will be Farmer Dave Scher (his first in NYC since opening for Jenny Lewis in June), Young Prisms, The Smith Westerns who have other CMJ shows TBA), and The Amazing, a Swedish group with members of the Kemado-signed Dungen, Anna Jarvinen and Sagor & Swing (streaming tracks at their MySpace). Tickets for that Music Hall show are on sale.

One artist who's not playing that show or any CMJ shows at all is Washed Out (Georgia's Ernest Greene). He'll play just one NYC show (his second live show ever) one day before CMJ at Santos Party House on October 19th with Restless People. Tickets are on sale. I tried to get him to open the BrooklynVegan CMJ show at Music Hall on October 20th (one day later), but he said he can't even stay in town that long due to personal commitments back home.

Restless People features members of Professor Murder (and Tanlines). Listen to their first single "Victimless Crime", HERE. The Santos show will be their first show.

Rising, Breaking, Band to Watch vs Bear, Washed Out (the next Neon Indian even), though fairly new to the scene, already appears on a free Outfitters compilation that also includes tracks by Girls, Vivian Girls, A Place to Bury Strangers, No Age, Le Loup, Rain Machine, The xx, The Very Best, Kurt Vile and The Dodos (who have two NYC shows this week). Washed Out's "Life of Leisure" 12" is out on Mexican Summer now.

One day after CMJ (10/25), Real Estate play a 1:00PM NYC show just for kids (Kidrockers) at The Living Room with... Neon Indian. Tickets are on sale ("Adults must be accompanied by a kid and vice versa").

Real Estate will follow up their CMJ with a November tour with Girls. That hits Maxwell's on November 2nd and Bowery Ballroom on November 6th. Real Estate album, tour dates and flyers below...

Continue reading "Washed Out's NYC debut (& 2nd show ever), Real Estate's LP, tour dates & CMJ (Mexican Summer showcase, Kidrockers) "

DOWNLOAD: Suckers - It Gets Your Body Movin' (MP3)

ARTIST: Suckers
TITLE: Suckers EP
IAM 026 | Release Date: 04.14.09

Produced by Yeasayer's Anand Wilder
Tracklisting
01. Beach Queen
02. Afterthoughts & TV
03. Easy Chairs
04. It Gets Your Body Movin'

And if you miss the show, or even if you don't, there are plenty more chances to see Suckers in town. Their current schedule includes an opening slot on the May 12th Pains of Being Pure at Heart show at Bowery Balllroom, and an opening slot at the MGMT show in Prospect Park, and four shows at Pianos in July (a residency). All dates below...

Continue reading "Suckers - new EP, MP3, a party tonight & a Pianos residency"

photos by Ryan Muir

DOWNLOAD: Casiokids - Fot I Hose (Axemax Remix) (MP3)

Slow Club

Sunday (3/15) night's pre-SXSW show at the new venue Cameo in Brooklyn had the impressive lineup of Norway's Casiokids, and England's Mumford and Sons and Slow Club with support from local bands Apache Beat and Tanlines. We posted the pictures of Casiokids already. The rest are below...

Continue reading "Slow Club, Mumford & Sons, Apache Beat & Tanlines @ Cameo in Brooklyn - pics"