photos by Tim Griffin

"I went to Pettyfest 2009 at Bowery Ballroom [Thursday] night, which was sick. Lots of drunk and stoned people shouting along to the hits and some great performers-- Nicole Atkins, Adam Green, Steve Schiltz, Antony Ellis, members of The Strokes and The Killers.

One of my favorite performances-- and this took me by surprise -- was the dude from Augustana singing "You Got Lucky." They're not a band I generally have a strong opinion about one way or another, but his voice was sick and he had a commanding presence-- like a subdued Mick Jagger with the wrist at the hips with a dash of Joe Cocker in the vocal tone." [EYTAN]

Jesse Malin, Hymns, Teenage Prayers, The Pierces, and members of Little Joy, Love as Laughter, Longwave (Steve) and Five O'clock Heroes (Anthony) were also among those who performed Tom Petty songs at the show. Most of the Killers were there. It was a night off on their current tour with Wolfmother (who used the evening to play a show at Bowery Electric right down the avenue). Kid Rock was there too (are you scared yet?), but didn't perform. He was in town to play a benefit at Terminal 5 one night earlier. More pictures and some pictures of the setlist below...

Continue reading "PettyFest @ Bowery Ballroom - setlist & pics (Adam Green, Strokes & Killers members, Nicole Atkins, Kid Rock, more)"

DOWNLOAD: Radar Bros - Warm Rising Sun (MP3)

The Radar Bros. are a slowcore indie rock outfit out of Los Angeles, CA consisting of Jim Putnam (vocals, guitar, keyboard), Jeff Palmer (guitar), Steve Goodfriend (drums) and Senon Williams (bass). Jim Putnam is the son of Bill Putnam, founder of Universal Audio and widely considered to be the father of modern music recording. He founded both Universal Recordings and United Western Recorders. Jim was a former guitarist and frontman for Medicine before starting the Radar Bros. and currently has a side project called Mt. Wilson Repeater. [The dude with the massive beard] Senon Williams also plays in Dengue Fever. [Wikipedia]

The MP3 up there is off the Radar Bros album, Auditorium, that Merge Records released all the way back on January 29th of this year. More recently, the band released the song "Baby Jesus" on the Amnesty International Christmas comp we posted about earlier today.

The West Coast band is now here on the East Coast as part of a tour that has them at Mercury Lounge in NYC tonight/Monday and at Union Hall in Brooklyn on Wednesday. All dates, and a video, below...

Continue reading "Radar Bros - 2008 Tour Dates (2xNYC this week) & an MP3"

Barack Rock! continues to update its pro-Obama website with free music by bands like The Teenage Prayers, Bell, Sam Champion, Ra Ra Riot, Frank Bango, Clipd Beaks, Mobius Band, Tapes n Tapes, Sera Cahoone, Port O'Brien, Salt & Samovar, Bear Hands, Au Revoir Simone, Foreign Islands and many more.

(CRED)

BIG rock show in Brooklyn's beautiful Prospect Park Thursday night, drawing hundreds (nearly 1000?) to the bandshell to Celebrate Brooklyn and watch three fine rock bands twirl their guitars, sing their songs and pump the kids full of beer and amplification. Good times all around.

'Twas a sit down fest for The Teenage Prayers and The Big Sleep (more a result of the summer relaxed evening fun), but a stand-up arena rock show (as the crowd swelled) for The Hold Steady. And rightfully so. [Waved Rumor]