William Fitzsimmons

The Wedding Present, Built To Spill's Doug Martsch, Tanya Donelly, Telekinesis, Stars, Katy Goodman, Kitten, William Fitzsimmons, and many others appear on "please, please, please," a new Smiths tribute album that will see the light of day in December via American Laundromat.

Meanwhile Morrissey is about to kick off a North American tour in Chicago on 11/10.

William Fitzsimmons' soft-spoken folk/rock is currently breaking hearts across the EU, a treak that will continue until just before the holidays. After a month off in January, he'll embark on another US tour in support of his recent LP Gold In The Shadow that will include dates from coast to coast and a stop at Bowery Ballroom on 2/18. Tickets for all US dates are currently on fan presale, with regular sale starting today for the Bowery Ballroom date.

All tour dates and some videos below...

Continue reading "William Fitzsimmons on new Smiths tribute album, announces tour (dates)"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Peaking Lights - All The Sun That Shines (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Peaking Lights - Tiger Eyes (Laid Back) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Peaking Lights - Hey Sparrow (MP3)

It never fails, the week after CMJ I get sick. So here I sit, with a big cup of green tea and a stuffy head, writing about shows that I want to go to, but probably won't. But hopefully you are in better health. There's a lot of great options this weekend.

As you may have heard, two-year-old Williamsburg club Bruar Falls is closing November 1. I live pretty close to the place, have seen a lot of great shows there and am bummed it's shutting its doors. But for Bruar Falls' Last Week Ever, it's going out in style with a bunch of great shows. Tonight (10/28) it's The Beets, Tanks Amigo, the Beachniks and, just in time for Halloween, a Misfits cover band.

Saturday night (10/29) is for you punkers out there: Stalkers, Tough Shits, Ex-Humans and Dino's Boys. And then Sunday night (10/30) it's Dive, Shark?, Air Waves and Bright Lights. And then Halloween night (10/31) is the for real last night ever with Friend Roulette, Hunktronik, Clouder and KNTRLR.

A lot of these bands are BF regulars so I imagine there will be a palpable party vibe there all weekend long. I'll miss ya.

Peaking Lights

Tonight (10/28) is the NYC debut of Wisconsin husband and wife duo Peaking Lights whose alluring, dubby album 963 came out early this year on Not Not Fun but is getting wider distribution next month via Mexican Summer and Domino imprint Weird World. You can download a few tracks from the record at the top of this post.

A lot of the strange sounds heard on the album come via homemade instruments and effects boxes that Aaron Coyes makes in the basement of his and singer Indra Dunis' home. You can find out more about this via an episode of VBS TV's Soundbuilders which is streaming at the bottom of this post. After watching that, I'm curious to see how Peaking Lights will pull off a live show, what with all the delicate McGuyver-esque gear. But the record's great and I'm hoping for the best.

Radical Dads

One of my favorite sets at CMJ was seeing Radical Dads at Bruar Falls on Saturday night and reminded me just how good they've become. In fact, I'd go as far to say as they're one of Brooklyn's best bands right now. Certainly one of the more unheralded. If you like Wild Flag, I urge you to check out RD's debut album Mega Rama which has a similar vibe but is much less hyped. There's a streaming player at the bottom of this post.

I'm happy to report that Mega Rama is getting a belated vinyl release in December via Loud Baby Sounds. You can pre-order it now. The album art is one of my favorite record covers of the year and have been dying to own a big 12" version of it -- not to mention getting to play it on my turntable. Also on the vinyl tip, Radical Dads also have a 7" coming out in December, "Skateboarding Bulldog," which you can stream or download via a widget at the bottom of this post.

But more than maybe anything I suggest going to see them live which you can do tonight (10/28) at Spike Hill where they'll play with Plates of Cake, Quilty,  and Conversion Party. Cover's only five bucks.

Star Slinger

If glitchy dance music is more your thing, the weekend has two very good options. Star Slinger, who was supposed to play here in the spring but had to cancel, is finally making his NYC debut at Music Hall of Williamsburg tonight (10/28). After a bunch of head-turning remixes and download tracks, Star Slinger recently released his first "official" single, "Dumbin," via Mountain Dew's Green Label Sound which you can stream or download at the bottom of this post.

After the MHoW, which also has SHLOMO and Shitego on the bill, you might want to swing over to 285 Kent where there's  a "secret guest" headliner. (G-Side and Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire play as well.) Though not mentioned out-and-out, they do link to Star Slinger's website on the Facebook invite.

Gold Panda

Then Saturday night (10/29), the Fixed party at Cameo has UK act Gold Panda who's been remixed by Star Slinger and is following up last year's excellent Lucky Shiner with his spin on the latest installment of K7!'s DJ Kicks series. In a bit of Brooklyn weekend synergy, GP's track "An Iceberg Hurled Through Northern Clouds" just got remixed by Peaking Lights and you can stream the remix of that below.

The Fixed party at Cameo also features Lemonade, Blondes and an open bar from 8 - 10. Gold Panda then heads the next day (ouch) to Moogfest in Ashville, NC.

----

Saturday night has a pretty killer show at Glasslands. Obits headline and are still driving on the high octane tank of gas that is their second album, Moody, Standard and Poor.  Perhaps even more exciting, for some folks, is opener Office of Future Plans which is the new thing from Jawbox man J. Robbins.

Terry Malts

And finally, a little preview into early next week. Don't forget that the Wax Idols/Terry Malts tour hits Cake Shop on Tuesday (11/1) and Shea Stadium on Wednesday (11/2) for a double dose of San Francisco style fuzz. As I wrote elsewhere on this site:

Wax Idols are the new group from Hether Fortune, who has spent time in Hunx & His Punx and Bare Wires. Fuzz pedals crash into jangly guitars, vocals are high sneer but also full of harmony, and there's room for both girl group balladry and a tough cover of Wire's "Sand in My Joints." The band's debut, No Future, is out next month on HoZac and is quite good. You can check out "Dead Like You" from it at the top of this post.

As for the Terry Malts, their debut 7" on Slumberland from earlier this year is three quick blasts of sunny pop covered in a thick blanket of white noise. (Somewhere between '80s West Coast punk and C-'86 lies their sound.) It's the new project from most of the guys in Magic Bullets, a band that has been put in cold storage -- they played their final show August 24. They've got a new 7" out in about a month, and you can download "Distracted" from the first one at the top of this post.

Other bands on the Cake Shop bill are still TBA but the Shea Stadium show also features Sundelles, Habibi, and the ever-present Dive (if you haven't seen them yet, you're making an effort not to).

That's the main stuff. More daily picks are below.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28

Pixies continue to tour their best album, Dolittle, tonight at Asbury Park Convention Hall with Surfer Blood opening.

Meanwhile... Tanya Donnely, who was in the original line-up of the Breeders (not to mention Throwing Muses and then Belly) is doing a show at Joe's Pub. She'll be aded and abetted by Michael Hearst of One Ring Zero, writer Rick Moody, as well as Magnetic Fields cohorts Claudia Gonson and Sam Davol, plus Carrie Bradley who was also in the Breeders at one point (and folk rock band Ed's Redeeming Qualities).

Over at St. Vitus, it's an evening of dark sounds, with French minimal waver Frank (Just Frank), Bootblacks and Philly's Hot Guts.

continued below...

Continue reading "Peaking Lights, Star Slinger, Radical Dads, Bruar Falls, Gold Panda, Wax Idols, Obits & more in This Week in Indie"

DOWNLOAD: Dean & Britta - Making Me Smile (MP3)

"Sing Me To Sleep" is a really fun compilation of lullabies and popular songs re-imagined as lullabies by some of today's best indie artists including: Dean & Britta, Tanya Donelly, The Leisure Society, The Rest, Telekinesis, Jenny Owen Youngs, The Real Tuesday Weld, Snowbird, Neil Halstead, and many more. All proceeds from this wonderful album are donated to The Valerie Fund, a 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organization that provides support for the comprehensive health care of children with cancer and blood disorders. It's a beautifully produced album for indie-hipsters young and old.

Sing Me To Sleep: Indie Lullabies came out in May on American Laundromat Records (the first pressing came with a bonus 7" with a song by Sigur Rós). Check it out if you can, it's a great compilation (for adults at least - I haven't tested it with kids!)

Coming up, Joe's Pub will be hosting a June 13th show for the album with contributors Tanya Donelly, backed by a jazz ensemble, Jenny Owen Youngs and Julie Peel. This all-ages, kid-friendly (with face painting, free souvenirs and door prizes) starts at noon. Tickets are on sale.

Songs from the record (including Stars cover of the Smith's "Asleep") are streaming, and the Dean & Britta track is available above. Tracklist for the CD and show flyer are below...

Continue reading "Sing Me to Sleep - indie lullabies out now + an MP3 & NY show"

John Wesley Harding & Eugene Mirman @ CoW in April (more by Tim Griffin)

John Wesley Harding's Cabinet of Wonders variety show, which graced the city in February, March and April, in addition to tour dates around the country, will be back for shows on September 16th, October 7th and November 18th at (Le) Poisson Rouge. Tickets for all three are on sale now, AND now the shows have full lineups.

Like before there will be many special guests at each show. These include Tanya Donelly, John Roderick, A.C. Newman, Todd Barry, Rhett Miller, and many others. Each night is different. Full lineups with all JWH tour dates, below...

Continue reading "John Wesley Harding bringing John Roderick, Tanya Donelly, AC Newman, Rhett Miller & many more to LPR (dates) "