by Andrew Frisicano

DOWNLOAD: Japanther - Spread So Thin (MP3)

Mariachi el Bronx @ MWTX (not-SXSW 2010)

[The Bronx] has an alter ego: Mariachi El Bronx, which released an album last year and showed up Wednesday night at Emo's in traditional embroidered mariachi costumes with traditional instruments, from trumpet to guitarron. It performs the Bronx's repertory, but with long-lined melodies and the rhythms of Mexican rancheras and sones. It turns out that Matt Caughtran, the Bronx's lead singer, doesn't have to shout; he can carry a tune. And the Bronx taps a side of Los Angeles that many rock bands ignore. [NY Times]

The pictures here are from Mariachi El Bronx's set at MWTX Fest's first day in Austin, TX on Friday, March 19th.

The Bronx and their alter-egos Mariachi El Bronx start a run of three NYC-area shows with a gig at Maxwell's tonight (4/1). Tickets are still on sale.

They go on to play Music Hall of Williamsburg on April 2nd, then after a pair of out of town shows, Bowery Ballroom on Tuesday, April 6th. Tickets are still on sale for those.

Opening the shows will be Dead Country and Violent Soho, but not Japanther as previously reported ("Due to circumstantial differences").

Japanther did play at new show space Party Expo last night (3/31) with Boys Who Say No and Filthy Savage though. How was that?

More Mariachhi el Bronix pics and all Bronx tour dates are below...

Continue reading "The Bronx on tour w/ Mariachi el Bronx, but not Japanther anymore - 3 NYC-area shows starting now + MWTX pics"

Gogol Bordello @ Carnegie Hall's Tibet House benefit (more by Chris La Putt)

The highlights of the [Tibet House benefit on February 26th] on were the musicians who brought the audience to its feet and got them dancing in the aisles. Gypsy punk band Gogol Bordello's electrifying performance elicited shrieks from the audience, many of whom began running down the Carnegie Hall aisles to crowd the stage area at lead singer Eugene Hutz's feet. He ended the set by proclaiming, "Beautiful house, beautiful cause." [Wall Street Journal]

Gogol Bordello's Rick Rubin-produced, fifth album, Trans-Continental Hustle, comes out April 27th on American Recordings.

They'll be touring the world in support of that this spring. The first of their upcoming shows is in New York City and only a little more than a week away. They play Tuesday, March 9th at Irving Plaza. Tickets are on sale and a portion of the proceeds from the show will go to the American Red Cross for Haiti Relief.

The NYC show is in advance of their North American dates this April with openers DeVotchKa, Jesse Malin and St. Mark's Social, and Tres Leches Afterparty Sound Crew, and their May/June shows in Europe with Forro in the Dark, Mariachi El Bronx (who comes to NYC this April), and Tres Leches Afterparty Sound Crew.

Gogol Bordello played three shows at Webster Hall at the end of 2009.

All tour dates, track list, and a clip of the band and their excited fans are below...

Continue reading "Gogol Bordello - new album info & 2010 Tour Dates"

The Bronx @ Maxwell's in 2009 (more by Justina Villanueva)

Tickets are on sale for the Girls show at Webster Hall.

Tickets are on sale or the Owen Pallett (formerly Final Fantasy) show at Webster Hall.

Tickets are on sale for the Smith Westerns / Male Bonding show at Mercury Lounge.

Tickets are on sale for the Japanther show at Mercury Lounge.

Tickets are on sale for the Japanther / The Bronx show at Music Hall of Williamsburg (Bowery Ballroom one is still not on sale), and for the show at Maxwell's.

Tickets are on sale for the Washed Out / Small Black show at Music Hall of Williamsburg.

Tickets are on sale for the two Red Sparowes / Doomriders shows at Mercury Lounge.

Tickets are on sale for the Grates show at Brooklyn Bowl.

Tickets are on sale for the Monotonix show at Brooklyn Bowl.

Tickets are are on sale for the Soft Pack show at Mercury Lounge, and for the one at Music Hall of Willimsburg, and for the one at Maxwell's.

Tickets are on sale for the The Album Leaf show at Bowery Ballroom.

A-Ha, The Specials, Martin Sexton, Sia, Black Keys, Drive by Truckers, Frightened Rabbit & other tickets went on sale today too.

Park Jams at Crotona Park in the Bronx run every Thursday through the end of July. Acts include GrandMaster Caz, Afrika Bambaataa and Biz Markie. Biz Markie who will be at the July 9th launch with Grandwizzard Theodore and more. That series will be followed up in August by Tuesday DJ series in Harlem's St. Nicholas Park. All shows are free. Full schedule and flyers below...

Continue reading "True School NYC - 2009 Summer Park Jams (in Crotona & St. Nicolas Parks) w/ Biz Markie, Afrika Bambaataa, more"

a shot from Sled Island 2008 (more by Rae Holtsabum)

The Sled Island Music and Arts Festival -- taking place at various venues in Calgary, Alberta from June 24 to June 27 -- is pleased to announce the initial line-up and the inclusion of Olympic Plaza as the main venue on Friday, June 26. This year will include over 200 bands performing at 23 venues plus art shows, film screenings, and a comedy component at the Sled Island Music and Arts Festival.

Sled Island 2009 will feature performances by the influential indie rock darlings The Breeders (featuring Kim Deal of the Pixies) making their first Calgary performance, NYC post-punk revivalists Liars bringing the noise, the legendary Canadian metal band Anvil the recent subjects of the critically acclaimed documentary Anvil: The Story of Anvil and the garage rock assault of Tel Aviv's Monotonix known for their incredible live show. New Orleans-based musician and mad genius inventor of the 'drum buddy' Quintron & Ms. Pussycat will bring the party along with blood-soaked party rocker Andrew W.K. and Toronto-based electro tour-de-force Holy Fuck on the more 'offensive' front. Phil Elverum's (of The Microphones) latest moniker Mount Eerie will deliver a symbiotic balance of fuzz and folk matched by Owen Pallett's Final Fantasy surrealist violin stage performance. Calgary-based experimental icons Azeda Booth aim to mystify crowds along with their all-male psychedelic pop counterparts Women making their second festival appearance...The complete festival line-up and schedule will be revealed on June 1. [pr]

Festival passes are on sale now.

As previously reported, Colin Newman, vocalist and guitarist for Wire, will be guest curating this year's festival. Full lineup below...

Continue reading "Sled Island - 2009 fest lineup (Breeders, Liars, Anvil & more) "

words by Black Bubblegum, photos by Justina Villanueva

The Bronx @ Maxwell's

The Bronx was in Hoboken. No, not in some prehistoric-pangea-way - LA punks The Bronx (and Trash Talk) descended upon Maxwell's on April 22nd, one of two shows for the crew in the NYC area. Our esteemed photographer Justina was able to catch The Bronx, but missed Trash Talk. Fortunately, she caught up with the trio outside the venue, who at the time of their meeting, were not huffing paint, vandalizing buildings, or involved in hooliganism of any kind. We can't confirm their later activities.

Trash Talk outside Maxwell's

The Bronx recently dropped two new videos: "Past Lives" (viewable here) and "Knifeman" (viewable here).

Trash Talk's new 7" featuring Keith Morris of Circle Jerks, East of Eden, is currently on pre-order here.

More Bronx pictures below...

Continue reading "The Bronx & Trash Talk @ Maxwell's in Hoboken, NJ - pics"

by Black Bubblegum

The Bronx are on tour with Trash Talk. You may have caught them at Bowery Ballroom on Monday (April 20), or the next day (last night) in Philly. If not, you have another NYC-area chance to see the LA crew at Maxwell's tonight (4/22, tickets here).

In celebration of their area appearance, the band hooked us up with their new video. It's for the song "Past Lives" from their latest LP. Directed by Johnny Bekevac, it may be the greatest video ever made that merges breakdancing and punk rock. Check it out, along with more pictures taken during their set at the BrooklynVegan party they played at SXSW, and all tour dates, below...

Continue reading "The Bronx - new 'Past Lives' video, Maxwell's show tonight"

words & photos by Black Bubblegum

Ancestors @ Room 710 in Austin - March 19, 2009

My SXSW adventure began Wednesday morning at the airport. Talk about starting things off on the wrong foot! A woman fell into a diabetic coma (she was ok later that morning) on my 6:30AM flight. That led to an unplanned stop in NOLA which was followed by a layover in a fogged up Houston Airport... to say I was a little late to our own day show at Emo's was an understatement. Unfortunately, Trash Talk were wheeling their amps out the door when I got there (which meant I also missed Garotas Suecas and Psychedelic Horseshit), but I managed to catch Trash Talk vocalist Lee cruising around, with a microphone grill imprinted on his forehead. His pain, our pleasure...

Continue reading "Black Bubblegum's SXSW-metal recap - part 1 "

photos by Jacob Blickenstaff

Those Darlins & Deer Tick @ the BV SXSW showcase - Mar 18, 2009

"In a world of emo-boys and reluctant band leaders, Those Darlins, country-punk pals from Murfreesboro, Tenn., had a comically leering sexuality and the kind of abandon that seems scarce these days. Their punk hootenanny sensibility reminds us that you don't have to act serious to be taken seriously. South by Southwest, with its quick set ups and tear downs, is always technically challenged, but when these girls blew an amp, they vamped with the kind of jokes and entreaties that can't be rendered here..... After they borrowed an amp from their friends and tour mates in Deer Tick, they borrowed the whole band as well, with the boys serving as accessories as the girls sang a kind of homage to a bird..."
[NY Times]

The music portion of SXSW ran from Wednesday to Saturday (most of it). Looking back, it went by so fast. At the same time, it feels like Wednesday was so long ago. For me, it started out with the BrooklynVegan/Solid PR day party on one of the three Emo's stages, and ended right down the block the same day with six bands at the official Brooklyn Vegan showcase (two of the four BV parties this year). Jacob Blickenstaff stopped by both shows, and went a few other places, as you can see in the pictures below...

Continue reading "SXSW 2009 - Day 1 in photos by Jacob"

Deer Tick @ BV official showcase @ Club De Ville - yesterday

The Bronx (crowd) @ BV day party @ Emo's - yesterday

the mayor of Austin & Titus Andronicus, Austin, TX - yesterday

Future Islands @ the 1896 in February (more by Lori Baily)

tonight in NYC
* Maceo Parker @ SOBs
* Fleetwood Mac @ MSG
* Allman Brothers @ Beacon
* The Roots @ Highline Ballroom
* Butch Walker & The Films @ Maxwell's
* Pronto, Puss 'N Boots @ Mercury Lounge
* CuCu Diamantes (of Yerba Buena) @ Bowery Ballroom
* Double Dagger, Future Islands, Teeth Mountain @ Market Hotel
* Matt Everett, Ingrid Olava, Magdyn Osh, Annie and Her Guns @ Cake Shop

Things will be a little slow today due to SXSW. Sorry! We're trying to keep up.

Speaking of which, if you are in SXSW, come by our Thursday and Friday parties.

Everything went great yesterday - day party at Emo's followed by night party at Club De Ville (more about that later).

Great Lake Swimmers' video for Your Rocky Spine below...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Thursday?"

by Black Bubblegum

DOWNLOAD: HOWL - "Oma" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Trash Talk - "Well of Souls" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: It's Casual - "The Pantry" (MP3)

Dillinger Escape Plan (more by Justina Villanueva)

SXSW is a massive undertaking, no matter what you're into. But if what you're into is the HEAVY, you came to the right place! All week, I'll be twittering my way through Austin, trying to take as much in as possible, including these key younger bands that are probably worth a look. Show info and a ton more MP3's, below...

Continue reading "the 2009 guide to Metal @ SXSW (with lots of MP3's)"

by Black Bubblegum

DOWNLOAD: Young Widows - "Old Skin" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Young Widows - "The Heat Is Here" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Young Widows - "The Charmers" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Annihilation Time - "Splashback" (MP3)

The Bronx

What are you up to Wednesday, March 18th? If you're in the greater Austin region, it might be a good idea to slide on down to Emo's for a day of killer bands, suds, and full on badass-ed-ness. To get all official and shit, we'd like to announce the FREE BROOKLYN VEGAN/SOLID PR DAY PARTY featuring

• 5:45pm: The Bronx
• 5:00pm: Young Widows
• 4:15pm: Annihilation Time
• 3:30pm: Trash Talk
• 2:45pm: Psychedelic Horseshit
• 2:00pm: Garotas Suecas

The bands kick off at 2PM, but get there by 1:15 to experience the NEW Big Business record Mind The Drift before it hits the shelves on Mar 31st. Our friends from ilovemikelitt will also be on hand to help spread good causes and cheer, and special thanks goes out to Timmy for all his help in putting this together.

This all goes down inside Emo's on the 2nd stage on the afternoon of the first day of SXSW Music. Happening at the same time on the main stage of the same venue is the also-killer, also-free Fat Possum Records day party with King Kahn & BBQ, Wavves, Thomas Function, Strange Boys, Crocodiles, Thomas Function and more.

Later that same night is the official BrooklynVegan SXSW showcase at Club De Ville, about a block away. We're (BrooklynVegan) also doing sorta-TBA, free day parties on the Thursday and Friday of SXSW (full details coming shortly).

---

Young Widows recently dropped the video for "Old Skin" from Old Wounds, a song that premiered right here on BrooklynVegan. The band is logging some miles in the coming months (dates below), linking up with Australian band My Disco for the trek and playing Europa in Brooklyn with The Austerity Program & Tournament on April 1st in the process (tickets here). The pair will also drop a split 7", one of a series with the likes of Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Pelican, and Melt-Banana.

The Bronx are touring the US like mad dogs including playing a show at Bowery Ballroom with Trash Talk on April 20th (tickets here), and a show at Maxwell's on April 22nd (tickets here).

NYCers will have FOUR chances to check out Garotas Suecas in the coming month, three in person and one on the Pat Duncan Show on WFMU on March 26th. The band has lined up live appearances at Mercury Lounge on March 24th (tickets here), Death By Audio on April 5, and Zebulon on April 6th.

Psychedelic Horseshit have a "a self released LP collecting our very first and oldest 4 track recordings" due in "March or April" entitled Golden Oldies as well as a TON of new material including Shitgaze Anthems 12" EP on Woodsist (spring 09), Acid Test 12" EP on Troubleman Unltd. (late spring/early sum 09), Beached Wails 7" with a "surprise release date", and their second LP, Too Many Hits, on Slitbreeze (late summer 09). The Columbus, Ohio crew have a few dates on the calendar as well, check THOSE out, along with everyone's tour dates, below...

Continue reading "a BrooklynVegan/SolidPR day party @ Emo's and other YOUNG WIDOWS & THE BRONX & TRASH TALK tour dates"

by Black Bubblegum

The Bronx

The Bronx have announced a pair of NYC area shows including The Bowery Ballroom on 4/20 with Trash Talk and Maxwell's on 4/22. Tickets for Maxwell's go on sale on 2/11 at noon while Bowery goes on sale 2/13 at noon.

The Bronx are currently touring around Europe, ultimately linking up with Fucked Up and Rolo Tomassi for a brief tour of the UK and then their US tour. One of those US dates, April 5th, is part of the Bamboozle Left Festival in Irvine, CA... an otherwise lackluster festival of mallcore, deathcore, and psuedo-emo feturing headling sets by a reuniting Get Up Kids, (gulp) Fall Out Boy, Taking Back Sunday, and (lord help us) 50 Cent. Full lineup below.

Why even mention Bamboozle Left? Well, besides The Bronx, Kevin Seconds (who has some NYC shows, and a few others... Deftones will make their return to the stage at this show, but with a new bassist...

Continue reading "The Bronx announce tour dates, Deftones' have new bassist"

The Bronx

A list of shows happening at the Lower East Side venue....

Continue reading "CMJ shows @ Fontana's, The Bronx, Trash Talk, Akimbo"