photos by Jason House

Great Gaylord @ the Bell House

After a raucous, sold-out first night of Norton's 25th Anniversary celebration at the Bell House, the party continued at the Brooklyn venue on Friday (11/11) where once again the night was opened by The Nor-Tones ("Norton's all-employee band includes members of the Little Killers, Daddy Long Legs, Stalkers, Girls At Dawn and LiveFastDie playing the hits of the Norton catalog.")

Night two also featured a set by mysterious cover band the Condo Fucks (aka Yo La Tengo) with Great Gaylord ("the Greatest Lousy Singer of all time"?). For the Condo Fucks it was their second NYC show in a short amount of time, though their first one at Mercury Lounge was sans Gaylord. Yo La Tengo will play eight more sold out shows over Hanukkah at Maxwell's (where Sunday's Norton show headliner The Sonics played on Saturday).

Also on the Friday night bill, some of which fell under the "R&B/Soul revue" umbrella, was Jackie and the Cedrics, a new lineup of Greg Cartwright's band Reigning Sound (featuring members of The Jay Vons), Mark Sultan (aka BBQ whose old partner King Khan played the night before), Lonnie Youngblood and the Bloodhounds with special guest Mick Collins (of the Gories and the Dirtbombs) on guitar, The Mighty Hannibal, Andre Williams (who also stopped by the night before), and Happy Organ man Dave "Baby" Cortez on keys.

More pictures and videos from most of Friday's bash, below...

Continue reading "Norton Records party @ the Bell House - night 2 pics & video (Condo Fucks, Reigning Sound, Mark Sultan, Mighty Hannibal & more)"

photos by Chris La Putt

"the glands the glands the glands!!!" - sami

The Glands @ Mercury Lounge - 11/4/2011

The Glands are on a reunion tour that hits Maxwell's in Hoboken tonight (11/5). Last night it was Mercury Lounge in NYC where the Condo Fucks (aka Yo La Tengo playing covers) opened the show. According to Ahmad Bilal, "That Condo Fucks (@TheRealYLT) set was SO fucking visceral, fun & insanely tight. So glad @NYCtaper is recording. Georgia is incredible!". Stay tuned for that. Meanwhile here are some pictures and couple of videos of the headliner. It all continues below...

Continue reading "The Glands played NYC, Condo Fucks (aka Yo La Tengo) opened for them --- pics & video"

Condo Fucks @ Magnetic Field in 2008 (more by Bryan Bruchman)

Exactly a week before they play the Norton Records celebration at the Bell House, The Condo Fucks will open for The Glands at Mercury Lounge (one of two previously mentioned NYC-area shows that the reunited Georgia band are playing). Tickets for Mercury Lounge and Maxwell's (where Emperor X open) are still on sale.

The Glands have also announced more shows since we last spoke. They're all listed below...

Continue reading "updated Glands reunion dates, and Condo Fucks!"

"The Sonics? Wow!" - Anonymous | May 15, 2009 9:52 AM

Classic NYC garage rock label Norton Records will celebrate their 25th Anniversary over the course of four nights at The Bell House (Nov 10-13). The shows feature some pretty incredible artists, including most notably The Sonics, whose 1965 garage rock classic Here Are The Sonics is regarded by some as the first punk rock album. Norton Records reissued the album in 1999. The Sonics headline the last night (11/13) of the run. Tickets are on sale now for all four nights.

Tickets are also on sale for a daytime Sonics show happening November 12th at Maxwell's. You can hit this show and still not miss the show later that night at the Bell House. Sunday during the day is the Brooklyn Record Riot at Warsaw.

The Sonics need no introduction, but those not familiar should consider that Kurt Cobain said in a Nardwuar interview that "They got the most amazing drum sound I've ever heard. Still to this day, it's still my favorite drum sound. It sounds like he's hitting harder than anyone I've ever known." The White Stripes call them the "epitome of '60s punk," "harder than The Kinks," and say that "life becomes better after buying a Sonics record." Newer band Japandroids love them too, and say, "When you listen to it, even at low volumes, it sounds like it's blasting. And I like how you can feel they would melt your face if you saw them live." Don't sleep on catching them live. Last time they were in NYC was 2007. Who saw them at Warsaw? How was it? Check out videos from a December 2010 KEXP appearance below.

Fellow '60s garage rock vets ? and the Mysterians, best known for their 1966 single "96 Tears," headline the night before them. Other noteworthy bands include The Real Kids, led by John Felice of the The Modern Lovers, and The Randy Fuller Four. Randy Fuller was part of his brother's group The Bobby Fuller Four in the 1960s, who recorded the first successful version of the single "I Fought the Law," popularly covered by The Clash. Folllowing Bobby's untimely death in 1966 at age 23, Randy took over the group, which he renamed The Randy Fuller Four.

Reigning Sound, Mark Sultan (BBQ), The Condo Fucks, A-Bones, Flamin Groovies.... there are so many people on these bills, it's too much to list. Full lineup and some videos, below...

Continue reading "Norton Records anniversary shows happening at the Bell House, two Sonics shows too!"

photos by Jacob Blickenstaff

Condo Fucks (aka Yo La Tengo) in NOLA

The above and below photos are from a show the Condo Fucks played with the A-Bones at One Eyed Jacks in New Orleans on April 27th.

At that gig, the A-Bones were joined by Roy Loney of the Flamin' Groovies. The next night, at the Ponderosa Stomp Festival, the A-Bones played as the backing band for Loney and Cyril Jordan (also of The Flamin' Groovies). That reunited combo comes to Maxwell's in Hoboken on July 23rd and Southpaw in Brooklyn on July 24th. Tickets for the Southpaw show and tickets for the Maxwell's gig are both on sale.

Coming up even sooner, A-Bones will celebrate the release of their record, Not Now! on Norton Records, with a boat cruise show around NYC on July 10th. Tickets are still available for that show.

Yo La Tengo currently have three shows booked. The band plays Primavera Sound Festival tonight (May 29th) in Barcelona. The band opens for Wilco at Brooklyn's Keyspan Park on Monday, July 13th (tickets still on sale for that) and plays Pitchfork Music Festival's "Set List by Request" night on July 17th.

More pictures from New Orleans and all tour dates below...

Continue reading "Roy Loney & Cyril Jordan (Flamin' Groovies) backed by the A-Bones (2 NYC shows) + New Orleans Condo Fucks pics"

photos by Jacob Blickenstaff

Ira Kaplan, The A-Bones + Flamin' Groovies

Among the resurrected bluesmen, rockabilly cats, garage rockers and soul shouters at the eighth annual Ponderosa Stomp were various "Littles," including Little Willie Littlefield, Little Joe Washington, Lil' Buck Sinegal -- not to mention Long John Hunter and Lazy Lester. Though each of these acts that held court at the festival (held April 28 and 29 at the House of Blues in New Orleans), and several others -- including a master's class given by newly inducted Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Wanda Jackson -- demonstrated the breadth and width of American music, one undisputed highlight was the Wednesday reunion of the two prime forces in the Flamin' Groovies, who played a set together for the first time since 1971.

Groovies frontman Roy Loney and guitarist Cyril Jordan, who co-founded the Bay Area rock band in 1965, tore through selections from the three critically heralded LPs released before Loney's departure, with backing by Brooklyn combo the A-Bones (which featured Yo La Tengo's Ira Kaplan on keyboards and guitar, and, appropriately, former Flamin' Groovies Fan Club president Miriam Linna behind the drum kit). As Loney explains, "Cyril and I rehearsed in San Francisco and the A-Bones rehearsed in New York" -- yet this bicoastal convergence showed no signs of disconnect, jelling as if they were a long-estabished unit. [Spinner]

Pictures from Day One are HERE. The rest of Day Two, below...

Continue reading "the 2009 Ponderosa Stomp in New Orleans - Day 2 in pics (the A-Bones / Ira Kaplan / Flamin' Groovies reunion included)"

by Andrew Frisicano

The A-Bones, a garage rock band that sometimes features Yo La Tengo's Ira Kaplan on keyboard, are releasing a new record, The A-Bones, Not Now!, on Norton Records.

The record release party for that disc will be a NYC boat cruise show hosted by Rocks Off on Friday, July 10th. Tickets are on sale.

Even sooner, the A-Bones play a show at NJ's Maxwell's on Friday, May 8th with Roddy Jackson and The Memphis Morticians. Tickets for that show are also on sale.

Tickets are on sale for other Rock Off boat shows too. Ska bands the Slackers (June 27) and the Pietasters (August 15) and UK punks the Business (May 15) are some of the bands on the schedule so far.

Down in New Orleans, the A-Bones are playing a show with the Condo Fucks (aka Yo La Tengo) on April 27th. That's followed by appearances at the Ponderosa Stomp Festival in the same town on April 28th and 29th. NYC's own mini version of that festival will happen at Lincoln Center in mid-July. The A-Bones aren't currently scheduled to be a part of that, but the full line-up won't be announced until April 22nd.

More info on the new A-Bones album, all tour dates, plus videos including one with Ira from YLT on vocals and guitar, below...

Continue reading "new A-Bones album & shows & other 2009 Rocks Off cruises"

"Legendary New London, CT trio the Condo Fucks returned to the stage last March after a long absence from the Tri-State Area's concert circuit. A secretive Hoboken rehearsal was recorded and is being released March 24, 2009 by Matador as the LP/CD, Fuckbook.

Eschewing such Condo Fucks originals as 'Fuckin' Gary Sandy' and 'Let's Get Rid Of New Haven', the trio - Georgia Condo (drums), Kid Condo (guitar), and James McNew (bass) - instead tear through covers of The Small Faces, Richard Hell, Beach Boys, Electric Eels, Troggs, Flaming Groovies and Slade classics in the style that previously won them so much acclaim from the Nutmeg State's music journalists and radio programmers all those years ago.

In the go-go 1990s, the Condo Fucks released 4 titles on the Matador label, some of which were prominently advertised on the inner sleeve of Yo La Tengo's I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One. Sadly, these titles are long out of print and we are unable to provide the media with copies." [Matador Records]

The Condo Fucks are known by many names, and for many things. One such thing is comedy and one such name is Bo Ra Flengo. Tickets are on sale a March 19th NYC show at 92Y Tribeca with Jon Glaser, Eugene Mirman and more.

Find out more about the Condo Fucks in the video below...

Continue reading "Condo Fucks aka Bo Ra Flengo aka Yo La Tengo - releasing new album, playing 92Y Tribeca w/ Delocated's Jon Glaser"

photos by Bryan Bruchman

Magnetic Field in Brooklyn is closing down, and this is sadly their final week of shows. Last night's show featured The A-Bones and special guests the Condo Fucks. Bryan Bruchman (aka Subinev) was there to document the action....

Continue reading "the A-Bones & the Condo Fucks (Yo La Tengo) @ Magnetic Field's final Friday night of shows, Brooklyn, NY - pics"

not to be confused with Fuck Buttons....

The Condo Fucks are playing Magnetic Field in Brooklyn Friday night (March 28, 2008). It;s one of the venue's last shows ever. Who are they? According to the club they are,

Of "Government Problem," "Fuckin' Gary Sandy," etc. fame.

The other band on the bill is The A-Bones. Their show description reads...

Adieu Magnetic Field! Friday night of the final week for a venue that must shoulder much of the blame for us still being together. Say it ain't so!!!! We're extra jazzed to be playing with The Condo Fucks of "We're Moving In!" fame.

And most interesting of all is this message from Matador Records:

Legendary Matador Recording Artists Return To The Stage This Friday

The Condo Fucks are supporting the A-Bones this Friday night at Brooklyn's Magnetic Field. Doors open at 8pm, there's an $8 cover and DJ Phast Phreddie will be spinning. Records, presumably.

At first I thought of Stephen Malkmus because he has three NYC shows coming up, but he'll be in DC Friday night. Now I think it's got to be Yo La Tengo, or at least related to them somehow, but really I have no idea.

Fuck Buttons are playing that night too, but at Bowery Ballroom.