The Pains of Being Pure at Heart @ Lolla 2011 (more by Grant MacAllister)

today in NYC
* Whiplash @ UCB
* The Necks @ Roulette
* Molotov @ Irving Plaza
* Big Daddy Kane @ BB King's
* The Bad Plus @ City Winery
* Marc Maron @ The Bell House
* Steely Dan @ Beacon Theatre
* Mother of Fire, Raya Brass Band @ Zebulon
* Scott H. Biram, Rayland Baxter @ Mercury Lounge
* Karl Berger's Stone Workshop Orchestra @ The Stone
* Meek is Murder, Tiger Flowers, State Graves @ Saint Vitus
* Tune-Yards, The Suite Unraveling @ Le Poisson Rouge
* Hannibal Montana, Morrow, Caravela, Neur @ Don Pedro
* Reverend Vince Anderson & His Love Choir @ Union Pool
* Eternal Summers, Reading Rainbow, The Hairs @ Glasslands
* Tony Scherr Trio, Jim Campilongo Electric Trio @ Living Room
* Dead Rider, Radio Shock, Lushes, Mrs Adam Schatz @ Cake Shop
* Liam Finn, Generationals, Marques Toliver @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
* The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Twin Sister, Wildlyfe @ Bowery Ballroom
* The Courtesy Tier, Minor Stars, Blood Revenge, Gold Streets @ Death By Audio
* The Morning After Girls, The Black Box Revelation, Those Mockingbirds @ Maxwell's
* Sky White Tiger, Kidding on the Square, Chris Cubeta & Liars Club @ BrooklynBowl
* Talk Like a Pirate Day w/ The Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players, Supercute!, Scurvy Pirates, New Beard, Gotham Beard And Moustache Team @ Public Asembly

Talk Like a Pirate today.

The Bad Plus play City Winery tonight and tomorrow.

Twin Sister open for Pains at Bowery tonight.

Arctic Monkeys have a new video for "Suck It and See". Check it out below...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Monday? (Talk Like a Pirate Day)"

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"

"NEVER STOP is the first album by The Bad Plus to consist entirely of originals. Recorded in Minnesota with a live, stripped-down sound, NEVER STOP showcases the band's range as well as its three distinct personalities. From gentle and melodic to fierce and abstract, from swing to 80's techno, NEVER STOP is tied together by a group sound that embraces diversity as strength. Ten years in, The Bad Plus is here to stay."- The Bad Plus

The Bad Plus play The Village Vanguard in NYC on December 28th, 29th, 30th, 31st, January 1st and 2nd. They play two sets each day except New Years Eve. New Years Eve tickets are $150 each. All the other December shows are either sold out or not selling anymore advanced tickets, but you can still get $25 advanced tickets for 1/1 11pm and 1/2 11pm. Info on their latest CD is above. All Bad Plus tour dats below...

Continue reading "The Bad Plus are at Village Vanguard through 1/2 (New Years Eve included) ++ other dates"

Tickets go on sale at noon for all five My Morning Jacket shows at Terminal 5.

Tickets for one of the two Beirut shows at MHOW go on sale today at noon. The other show will be on sale at Mercury Lounge and MHOW at noon on Saturday.

The Bad Plus are playing Bowery Ballroom on September 15th. Tickets are on sale at noon.

Gallagher is playing Gramercy Theatre on October 29th! Tickets on sale at noon.

by Andrew Frisicano

The Bad Plus will be playing a six-show run at the Village Vanguard to end the year (and start the next). The band plays two sets a night from Tuesday, December 29th to Sunday, January 3rd. Their New Year's eve show is a bit different - a $125 ticket (which includes a $25 drink minimum) covers both sets. NYE will also be broadcast on WBGO (88.3 FM) on Toast of the Nation (as part of NPR's Live at the Village Vanguard series). Tickets are on sale.

TBP pianist Ethan Iverson checks in regularly on his Do the Math blog - his own year-end lists have included so far a rundown of Classic Crime Stories, "Recent Improvisations (and) In Praise of the Independent Label," and "11 Canonical AAM Performances".

It looks like the band will keep a fairly busy in 2010 too - they're scheduled into February with shows (including one on February 8th at Pomona, NJ's Stockton PAC). Videos and all tour dates are below...

Continue reading "The Bad Plus playing New Year's run @ Village Vanguard & other dates"

by Andrew Frisicano

Cecil Taylor & McCoy Tyner...

Born Dec. 11, 1938, [McCoy] Tyner made his name as a member of the legendary John Coltrane Quartet in the 1960s. Since then, he has brought his distinctive playing style, and his compositions, to dozens of records on which he leads his own bands.

[What's his secret?]

Tyner says the secret is simple: Drink carrot juice.

"Well, I like carrot juice," he says. "I have a juice machine at home that helps. Carrot juice is real good for you. Carrot and celery. Don't forget celery." [NPR]

You can buy him a glass at the Highline Ballroom on Sunday, August 23rd, where he'll perform as part of the venue's Piano Series, an 11-night lineup of piano-driven acts that runs from August 17th through August 28th.

We previously reported that Tyner's Lincoln Center shows in May would be his last NYC gigs for a while, and though according to his website that's still true, Tyner will bring his Trio (bassist Gerald Cannon and drummer Eric Kamau Gravatt plus guest saxist Gary Bartz) to the Highline for one two-set night.

Another Hall-of-Fame level jazz great, Cecil Taylor, will play as part of the series too. He'll perform solo on Tuesday, August 25th (two sets also).

The series mixes those legends with a slew of younger but equally impressive acts like the The Bad Plus, Matthew Shipp, and the Benevento/Russo Duo, who are all playing the series.

Tickets to all the shows are on sale now.

The Piano Series' full schedule, which includes non-jazz pianists too, is posted below...

Continue reading "Highline Ballroom Piano Series - 11 shows @ the NYC venue"

The Bad Plus are playing a show at Bowery Ballroom on February 17th. Tickets are on sale (@ noon).

If there are any left, tickets go on sale (again) (@ noon) for the Cold War Kids show at Mercury Lounge.

Tickets are on sale (@ noon) for the recently added Lykke Li show happening at Music Hall of Williamsburg.

Tickets are on sale (@ noon) for the Lambchop show happening at Bowery Ballroom.

Tickets are on sale (@ noon) for the Lucero show happening at Mercury Lounge. Lucero is also opening two Black Keys shows at Terminal 5.

Tickets are on Am Ex presale (@ noon) for the two NYC Demetri Martin shows.

Tickets are now on presale (@ noon) for both of the Levon Helm shows happening at the newly renovated Beacon Theatre (password = bowramble).

Tickets are still on sale for the Primal Scream show happening at Webster Hall.

For more, check out the ticket post from earlier in the day.

today in NYC & NJ
* ASSSSCAT 3000 @ UCB Theatre
* The Musical Box @ Nokia Theater
* The Bad Plus @ Village Vanguard
* Vivian Girls & Screaming Females @ Court Tavern in NJ
* Uninhabitable Mansions, Joe & the Flying Spoons, Purse Snatchers @ Cake Shop

Sound Fix is also hosting a mixtape exchange.

Bon Jovi is playing a benefit @ Town Hall to help Hillary Clinton get out of debt (not today).

Some people in the comments seem to think My Morning Jacket is like Bon Jovi.

Robert Christgau's writing can now be found on Barnes & Noble's website.

Sasha Frere-Jones gives Chris Dane Owens video of the year.

Heartonastick went to see Letters to Cleo at Bowery Ballroom.

Rainbow Room to close restaurant, citing economy.

Fire in Thailand Nightclub Kills at Least 59.

Jett Travolta, RIP

Skeletons played Death By Audio on January 2nd. Video from the show below...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Sunday?"

Todd Barry @ the Bell House - Dec 15, 2008 (by nariposa)

today in NYC
* DANCE
* Todd Barry @ Comix
* Gregg Allman @ Blender Theater
* The Bad Plus @ Village Vanguard
* The Sundelles @ Union Pool
* Free Blood, The Present, Silk Flowers & Weekend @ Death By Audio
* Lucinda Black Bear, The Antlers & Sharon Van Etten @ Cake Shop
* model Jamie Bochert & her boyfriend's band Pagoda @ The Annex

Thomas Bangalter of Daft Punk was born today in 1975.

The Present is Rusty Santos>'s band. Rusty produced albums for Animal Collective, Panda Bear and others.

What else?

By Andrew Frisicano

Avant-jazz cross-over act the Bad Plus will play a series of NYC shows as part of its neverending schedule of gigs. First, the trio - Ethan Iverson on piano, Reid Anderson on bass, Dave King on drums - hosts a special performance as part of French Institute Alliance Française's "Crossing the Line: FIAF Fall Festival 2008"

From the band's blog, Do the Math, (updated by pianist Iverson):

"Once in a while TBP gets a commission to arrange a well-known piece of music. So far, we have done Bernstein, Sedaka, Radiohead, and turned down a couple of others. This Saturday [9/20], thanks to FIAF, we will be unveiling our transfiguration of "La Ballade de Melody Nelson" by the great hero of French pop music, Serge Gainsbourg. ...[opening the show] Dave King will play duo with the fabulous Benoît Delbecq."

The piano-playing Delbecq will play a solo set to begin the night.

The following Tuesday (9/23), the Bad Plus will kick-off six nights of 9pm- and 11pm-set club gigs at New York's Village Vanguard. (Tix here.) The band, which recently left Columbia for indie label Heads Up, is most well-known for its free-form rock-song covers; their latest, Prog, features renditions of "Life on Mars," "Tom Sawyer," "This Guy's in Love with You," "Everybody Wants To Rule the World" and (as an iTunes-only bonus) Interpol's "Narc."

Pianist Iverson will perform and speak with jazz legend Lee Konitz on September 18 at Joe's Pub. (Tix here.) Iverson and Konitz, whose many notable appearences include alto sax on Miles Davis's Birth of the Cool and an extended stint with the Stan Kenton Orchestra, will engage in a "free-form combination of music and conversation." Among other things, the pair will discuss free-jazz progenitor Lennie Tristano, who Iverson recently wrote about at length on Do the Math.

All tour dates below...

Continue reading "FIAF Fall Festival 2008 & other Bad Plus shows, residencies"