photos by Tim Griffin

Covering a range of material (drawn from their eight studio recordings) and for a duo whose songs are way out-there, the Fieries are amazingly down-to-earth. Especially surprising was the soul in the selections from the band's heavily conceptual Rehearsing My Choir, a collaboration with their grandmother, a Greek church choir director who originally spoke and sung half the vocal tracks. I had to force myself to listen to that release a few times, never really connecting with it, and yet when stripped, once difficult songs (like the frantic "The Garfield El"), along with other previously impenetrable recorded work (from Bitter Tea and Blueberry Boat) were transformed into delights to the ear. Without all the studio bells and whistles (literally) appended to them, Freidberger's songs not only stand the test of being presented without embellishment, with his sister on the mic, they positively shine. [Crawdaddy]

Starting with two shows at Rockwood Music Hall in NYC on May 4th and 5th, the Fiery Furnaces toured the United States through May 21st when they played their 2nd of two shows at Lambert's in Austin, TX. Tim was at one of those two final shows and the pictures are in this post.

Eleanor's next NYC show is solo in a chuch. She has a solo record coming out on Merge. More Austin pictures below...

Continue reading "The Fiery Furnaces toured from NYC to Austin (pics)"

The Fiery Furnaces have scheduled a May tour that starts off with two shows at Rockwood Music Hall in NYC. The May 4th & 5th NY shows are being advertised as "duo shows", and tickets are on sale for both. All tour dates below...

Continue reading "Fiery Furnaces schedule May tour, two nights @ Rockwood"

John Wesley Harding @ the Eugene Mirman Fest (more by David Andrako)

The next edition of John Wesley Harding's Cabinet of Wonders goes down at City Winery in NYC tonight, 2/11, with Eugene Mirman, Ted Leo, The Fiery Furnaces, Evan Dando & Juliana Hatfield, Ben Ottewell (of Gomez), and Rivka Galchen Patrick McGrath. That's an amazing lineup and tickets are still available for the show that features a few people who appeared on the lineup of last night's Neil Young tribute at Carnegie Hall.

As mentioned, Ben Ottewell also plays an early show at Mercury Lounge tonight.

Tonight's show is Ted Leo's only upcoming NYC appearance, though those in Austin in March can catch him at the BrooklynVegan SXSW showcase and at other shows. His full solo tour includes February west coast dates, and April east coast dates (Philly, Scranton & CT included). All dates are listed below...

Continue reading "updated Ted Leo solo dates, John Wesley Harding Cabinet of Wonders at City Winery tonight"

Bob Dylan by Greil Marcus: Writings 1968-2010 was recently released, just in time for the holidays...

"The book begins in Berkeley in 1968, and ends with a piece on Dylan's show at the University of Minnesota--his very first appearance at his alma mater--on election night 2008. In between are moments of euphoric discovery: From Marcus's liner notes for the 1967 Basement Tapes (pop music's most famous bootlegged archives) to his exploration of Dylan's reimagining of the American experience in the 1997 Time Out of Mind. And rejection; Marcus's Rolling Stone piece on Dylan's album Self Portrait--often called the most famous record review ever written--began with "What is this shit?" and led to his departure from the magazine for five years. Marcus follows not only recordings but performances, books, movies, and all manner of highways and byways in which Bob Dylan has made himself felt in our culture.

Together the dozens of pieces collected here comprise a portrait of how, throughout his career, Bob Dylan has drawn upon and reinvented the landscape of traditional American song, its myths and choruses, heroes and villains. They are the result of a more than forty-year engagement between an unparalleled singer and a uniquely acute listener."

You can buy it at Amazon, or maybe pick up a copy at the Strand tonight, 12/1, where Greil will be speaking in conversation with Stephen Hazan Arnoff, Director of the 14th Street Y, "and special guests Matt and Eleanor Friedberger of the Fiery Furnaces, who will perform a few songs."

Eleanor & Matt Friedberger will also be on hand at the 14th St Y and Le Poisson Rouge on Sunday, December 5th, for a day of Dylan events. The concert at LPR is this:

What Kind of Love Is This:
The Music of BOB DYLAN & THE BAND
w/ Steven Bernstein (Sex Mob, Levon Helm Band), John Medeski (Medeski, Martin and Wood), Rob Burger (Laurie Anderson, Marianne Faithful, Iron & Wine), Tony Scherr (Bill Frisell, Norah Jones, Sex Mob), Kenny Wollesen (Norah Jones, John Zorn, Bill Frisell, Sex Mob), and special guests Jolie Holland, Laura Cantrell, Nicole Atkins, John Wesley Harding, and Eleanor and Matthew Friedberger of The Fiery Furnaces. And special Guest Vocalists Chocolate Genius, and David Johansen (New York Dolls).

$35 tickets are still on sale for that part, and $75 tickets which I guess get you into everything at both spaces, are on sale too. If you just want in the symposium happening at the Y, that's $45, described as "a one-of-a-kind exploration of Bob Dylan and the Band's work, featuring scholars, critics, writers, and artists"

Greil Marcus: Author of the definitive book on Bob Dylan and The Band, Invisible Republic: Bob Dylan's Basement Tapes.

Christopher Ricks: Renowned critic and scholar of English literature and poetry, and author of Dylan's Visions of Sin.

John Niven: Novelist whose book Music from Big Pink vividly imagines the world of Bob Dylan and The Band.

Dana Spiotta: Author of mesmerizing portraits of the 60's underground, including Eat the Document.

Matt Friedberger: Co-founder of the visionary rock band The Fiery Furnaces.

D.A. Pennebaker: Pioneering film documentarian, whose credits include Don't Look Back, the first film on Bob Dylan.

Stephen Hazan Arnoff: Executive Director of the 14th Street Y writes and teaches widely on music, art and religion.

Wesley Stace (John Wesley Harding): Singer-songwriter and award winning author of Misfortune.

William G. Scheele: Museum curator and former Equipment/Stage Manager for Bob Dylan and The Band.

Bob Dylan himself, who recently played three nights in a row at NYC's Terminal 5, is not listed anywhere. Maybe he'll come watch. More info on the whole thing at 14th St. Y's site.

John Wesley Harding also has a show coming up at City Winery.

Kaki King @ BAM (more by Kyle Dean Reinford)

tonight in NYC
* Hanukkah
* Talibam! @ The Stone
* The Sway Machinery @ a Synagogue
* Roedelius & Celletti @ Saint Peter's Church
* Hanukkah Gone Metal @ Knitting Factory
* The Havens, Annie Crane @ Sycamore
* Your Nature, Blood Orange @ Union Pool
* Mister Saturday Night Loft Party @ Market Hotel
* Unsilent Night @ Washington Square Park
* Tyvek, The Beets, Home Blitz @ Silent Barn
* La Otracina, Early Man, Naam @ The Charleston
* Black Metal Theory Symposium @ Public Assembly
* Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes @ BB King's
* Matisyahu, John Brown's Body, Dynasty @ Webster Hall
* Kaki King, A Rose Parade @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
* Tombs, Junius, Irepress, Rosetta @ Studio at Webster Hall
* AXIOM plays Steve Reich & John Adams @ (Le) Poisson Rouge
* Six Gallery, Noxious Foxes, Aficionado, Vesper @ Spike Hill
* A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor @ Town Hall
* Vivian Girls, Yellow Fever, Happy Birthday @ Death By Audio
* Menorah Horah feat. Golem & burlesque by The Schlep Sisters @ Southpaw
* The Rapture (DJ), Populette, James F!*#% Friedman @ (Le) Poisson Rouge
* The Petrol Emotion, The Forgery Series, The Mad Scene @ The Bell House
* A Sunny Day in Glasgow, Frances, The Jaguar Club, Wooden Sky @ Union Hall
* Small Black, Tickley Feather, Aeroplane Pageant, Translations @ Cake Shop
* The Fiery Furnaces, Shilpa Ray & Her Happy Hookers, Human Hearts @ Bowery Ballroom

Happy Haukkah. Check out our new guide to Chanukah events.

There's a craft fair at 3rd Ward, and a naughty holiday party in the same venue later in the night.

Bill's top pick for tonight is That Petrol Emotion.

About the Kaki King show @ MHOW tonight

Kaki King is currently recording the follow-up to 2008's Dreaming of Revenge with producer Malcolm Burn at his Kingston, NY, studio. The new record, tentatively titled Junior, is due out in Spring 2010.

King will be debuting material from the new LP at her show on December 12th at the Music Hall of Williamsburg before heading Down Under for a two-week tour of Australia's major clubs and festivals, including the Falls Festival, Woodford Folk and Southbound Festival.

A Rose Parade will open the Brooklyn show. ARP is a newly formed collaboration between Shannon Funchess (!!!) and Gerard Smith (TV On the Radio).

Vivian Girls + YellowFever + Happy Birthday @ DBA.

The Fiery Furnaces play for the 2nd night in a row tonight. Check out their new video for "Even in the Rain", below...

Lightspeed Champion's solo project Blood Orange is at Union Pool tonight. Lightspeed Champion plays Bowery Ballroom in 2010.

Tickets are on general sale for the Eric Clapton / Jeff Beck shows.

Muse tickets are on sale too.

Darlene Love is at BB King's on Sunday.

What else?

Continue reading "Whats going on Saturday?"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Violens Winter Mixtape (website link to Zip)
DOWNLOAD: Acrylics - All of the Fire (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Class Actress - Careful What You Say (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Air Waves - Lightning (MP3)

Violens

A pretty killer line-up at Mercury Lounge tonight (12/9). Headliners Violens just got back from a big European tour opening for White Lies, and this looks to be their last show of 2009. They've been rather pokey in getting out their debut LP, but it looks set to finally come out early next year. You can get a taste on their downloadable Winter Mix Tape which features a couple album tracks, some remixes, demos, a cover of Saint Etienne's "Avenue" (!) -- plus singer Jorge Elbrecht singing overtop Wire's "Outdoor Miner" and The Byrds' "I See You." (The latter, he sings My Bloody Valentine lyrics). If you've never heard Violens before, this is a pretty good place to start, giving you a sense of the disparate influences the band bring together.

Also playing Merc are Acrylics and Class Actress, both of whom are signed to Grizzly Bear Chris Taylor's Terrible Records. I've written about Acrylics a bunch of times are definitely one of my favorite new local bands. Their debut EP, All of the Fire, was produced by Taylor and came out a couple weeks ago and is at its best when Jason Klauber and Molly Shea sing together. The title track, which you can download at the top of this post, finds them at their Fleetwood Mac-iest, with that dreamy pedal steel and echo handclaps.

Class Actress

Class Actress, meanwhile, could be lumped in with the coldwave/darkwave scene depending on what song you hear first -- the synths on "Careful What You Say" are pretty icy -- but there's a strong heartbeat running through Elizabeth Harper's songs, and the EP (produced in part by Violens' Elbrecht) is pretty varied and quite lovely. I haven't seen her perform live yet, so I'm looking forward to tonight.

Yellow Fever

As mentioned previously, Yellow Fever are in town this weekend, ostensibly to play a record release party Saturday (12/12) night at Death By Audio for their debut LP on Vivian Girls Wild World records. Vivian Girls headline. Happy Birthday open. Yellow Fever's album is basically a compilation of everything they've released to date -- a couple CDR EPs and singles. They definitely work the "less is more" angle, with spare arrangements that play off Jennifer Moore's haunting vocals (not entirely unlike Cowboy Junkies' Margot Timmins). They're something special.

If you ask me, at this point in their popularity, Vivian Girls + Death By Audio = too much nutty behavior for me, so I'll probably catch Yellow Fever at Bruar Falls on Friday (12/11) where they play with Tyvek, Air Waves (a nice NYC match to Yellow Fever, download their song "Lightning" above) and Noveller (the musician, not the macroblogging service). Yellow Fever also play Silent Barn on Sunday (12/13).

Mountain Man

For those looking for a quieter option on Friday (12/11), Brooklyn blog Chocolate Bobka has put together a unique show at the Lutheran Church of the Messiah in Greenpoint featuring the spooky folk of Vermont's Mountain Man, Real Estate bassist Alex Bleeker, and Liam the Younger. It's not only acoustic, it's unamplified. The suggest brining blankets or yoga mats to sit on. More info on the exquisite flyer which is at the bottom of this post or available in a big version here.

Fiery Furnaces are playing this Friday (12/11) at Music Hall of Williamsburg and Saturday at Bowery Ballroom (Shilpa Ray opens both nights). While I don't like everything the Friedbergers do, it's always good to check back in with them as, chances are, it will sound completely different from the last thing. They've just released Take Me Round Again (out 12/15 on Thrill Jockey), which they're calling a covers record -- Matthew doing some of Eleanor's songs, and vise versa. The reworked versions of songs were also influenced by their "deaf descriptions" project on their website, where fans wrote reviews of FF's other 2009 release, I'm Going Away, before they actually heard the record. The AV Club NY has a nice interview with Matthew this week, where he talks about '70s television theme songs and what's next for Fiery Furnaces:

AVC: How do you see your music evolving from here?

MF: It's good to write music all the time, if that's what you want to do. When you're in a band, when you have something going, the hardest thing you have to do is to put everything into what's ongoing.. Especially these days you never know what you're supposed to do--if you should be more hectic, give away songs, or do a project with the voice from the Muppets. You have to have a record on Twitter. The band lends itself to do that sort of thing,

AVC: You mean gimmicky stuff?

MF: Yeah, we do a lot of gimmicky things, but it comes from us. We don't think that's so strange for us. But we've had people tell us, "Give a song away so you get people's e-mail addresses and you can send them an e-mail saying, 'Buy our box set for $90.'" All these [music] professionals, they don't know what they're doing. What can you do? You just have to do what you have energy to finish. Luckily you probably won't follow through on things you're not really into.

AVC: Does that mean we're not going to see you giving away an album on Twitter any time soon?

MF: Well, we are on Twitter, but someone did tell us, "If you're not on Twitter, you don't exist." That's the way the world is now. You could just be interested in writing in 140 characters, but it's also your obligation to be friendly too. We still have to figure out which way to go with that, so our Twitter posts aren't very interesting.

That's it for today. I'll talk about That Petrol Emotion, A Sunny Day in Glasgow and more in the second half of this column, coming tomorrow to this very blog! Meanwhile, click through for flyers, videos and tour dates...

Continue reading "Violens, Class Actress, Acrylics, Mountain Man, YellowFever, Fiery Furnaces & more in This Week in Indie (part 1) "

photos by Chris La Putt

Bad news, my friends. I'm down with what my doctor now believes to be the dreaded H1N1 flu virus. I was especially bummed to cancel my hometown Halloween show on Saturday, but now I'm sorry to announce the following performances w/ Fiery Furnaces and Cryptacize have been cancelled:

11/4 hoboken, nj
11/5 northampton, ma
11/6 troy, ny
11/7 toronto, on

I'll be back in full force for a special headlining show at Schuba's in Chicago on Tuesday, Nov 10th, and I'll continue on with the Furnaces and Cryptacize to finish out the tour. I can't apologize enough to you guys, and I hope to make it up to the aformentioned cities sooner than later. - Dent May

As noted by the date above (11/4), that Maxwell's show is tonight. According to the venue's website, there is no one replacing him and tickets are still on sale. Feel better Dent!

Tickets are also still on sale for the two shows the Fiery Furnaces are playing in NYC in December (MHOW with Private Income and Bowery Ballroom with opener TBA).

More picture of Dent May from the BV/BoweryPresents day party at Pianos on Saturday (10/24) during CMJ, a video of him playing in Fader's CMJ bathroom, and all tour dates, below...

Continue reading "Dent May played CMJ (pics), has H1N1, cancelled some Fiery Furnaces/Cryptacize shows (including Maxwell's) -2009 dates"

Though they will hit Hoboken, there are no NYC dates listed in the Fiery Furnaces's November tour with Cryptacize and Dent May. NYC will just have to wait until December. Tickets go on AmEx presale on Wednesday followed by a general sale on Friday for two dates: December 11th at Music Hall of Williamsburg and December 12th at Bowery Ballroom.

DOWNLOAD: Fiery Furnaces - The End is Near (MP3)

The Fiery Furnaces @ Middle East Downstairs (6/12/09) (gikthechamp)

"Eleanor kept mentioning how most of the new songs were about ex-boyfriends, and at one point was almost apologizing for that fact, joking that they were now out of ideas. She shouldn't be so concerned. I love the more obscure and whimsical topics that have come up in past Furnaces releases, but I welcome this more straightforward, emotionally driven material. They've done it before, but it's never been as bittersweet as this, nor as neat and soulful. It was time to shift gears, and they made exactly the right decision -- their melodic sensibility is front and center, the preciousness is dialed down considerably." [Fluxblog]

Fluxblog's review refers to the June 11th show at Le Poisson Rouge where the Fiery Furnaces played a complete and re-arranged version of their new album I'm Going Away (out July 21 on Thrill Jockey). Setlist below. New studio-recorded track from that album, above.

Three days later, Matt's other band King's Crescent played a Martin Bisi-curated Northside Festival show at Spike Hill. Lucid Culture writes that they "flipped the script and played a joyous, virtuosic, completely in-the-pocket set of vintage Meters covers."

On August 9th, the Fiery Furnaces will join Simian Mobile Disco (who are playing DJ) on the bill of the free JellyNYC Pool Party at the Williamsburg Waterfront. Finger on the Pulse are also DJing at this one. All FF dates below...

Continue reading "Fiery Furnaces played LPR, King's Crescent played Spike Hill, FF playing Pool Party w/ Simian Mobile Disco ++ new MP3"

The Fiery Furnaces will be releasing their newest studio album, I'm Going Away, on July 21st on Thrill Jockey Records.

Some facts you should know about the album, provided by the Matt and Eleanor Friedberger...

" I'm Going Away is The Fiery Furnaces' eighth album.
" Made on location in the 88th, 90th and 94th Precincts, NYC at the end of 2008 and the beginning of 2009.
" Produced by Matthew Friedberger.
" Recorded by and mixed with Jason Loewenstein of Sebadoh.
" Drums and percussion: Robert D'Amico.
" Vocals: Eleanor Friedberger.
" Guitars, Keyboards, Vocals: Matthew Friedberger.
" Bass Guitar: Jason Loewenstein.
" Matt and Eleanor are siblings; Bob and Jason are friends who have played with the band since 2005.
" The songs are a Friedberger and Friedberger collaboration!
" Except the title track, which is traditional, arranged by Friedberger & Friedberger.
" Like all the Fiery Furnaces' other albums, I'm Going Away sounds different than all The Fiery Furnaces' other albums.
" Matt wrote most of the tunes. Eleanor wrote most of the words.
" "Charmaine Champagne" is not an R-rated song; Eleanor sings "She's gonna get me folked up, fairly beat."

And - a note from Matt and Eleanor:

All rock music is a sort of dramatic music. And since the times are tough, it makes sense to have that 'drama' be something more like a version of Taxi than something like a version of Titanic. We like Taxi better than Titanic anyway. So we hope that some of the songs on this record can be used as theme songs to folk's own personal versions of Taxi. Because--ideally--the dramatic setting of the music isn't provided by the story or image of the given act or band. It's provided by the lives of the people who use--listen to--the music. That's all kinds of pop music's promise and problem, or danger. So be careful and don't get canceled.

Best,
The Fiery Furnaces

The Fiery Furnaces are playing a "Wordless Music" show at Le Poisson Rouge in NYC on June 11th with Newspeak. Tickets are on sale. All dates, 2 album promo videos, the album tracklist & cover art, below...

Continue reading "Fiery Furnaces - new album, a NYC show, other tour dates"

The Fiery Furnaces are the "TBA" artist playing a free show in Manhattan's East River Park on July 17th. They're also playing Bonnaroo and other places.

"Remember" is a 2-CD (or 3-LP) live album. It comes out August 19, 2008 on Thrill Jockey. Tracklisting below...

Continue reading "Fiery Furnaces - playing East River Park, releasing live album"

Fiery Furnaces @ Locals Only, Indianapolis - April 22, 2008 (_dde)

String Cheese Incident keyboardist Kyle Hollingsworth will explore his more indie-centric side this week when he opens a run of shows with Brooklyn, NY's The Fiery Furnaces. Hollingsworth will play keyboards with the band on a number of upcoming dates, including stops in Wooster, OH (4/18), Chicago (4/19), Ann Arbor, MI (4/20), Cleveland, OH (4/23), Boston (4/25) and Brooklyn (4/26). While String Cheese Incident and The Fiery Furnaces may seem a world apart on paper, both acts are managed by Madison House Inc. As previously reported, Hollingsworth will also appear at the Jammy Awards on May 7. [jambands.com]

It should also be noted that tonight's Brooklyn show "will include songs written in collaboration with YOU- the Citizen-Fan-Audience (Democ-Rock Live)".

New/more tour dates below....

Continue reading "Fiery Furnaces - new (jam) band member & new tour dates (tonight at Southpaw)"

Olga Sarantos, nee Kokoris. Beloved wife of the late Dr. James W. Sarantos; loving mother of Joan Friedberger and Dr. William J. (Joanne) Sarantos; cherished grandmother of Matthew and Eleanor Friedberger, Michael and Constance Sarantos; devoted daughter of the late Nicholas and Vasiliki Kokoris; dear sister of Peter (Elaine) Kokoris, Demetra (Tyki) Coston, and the late Katherine Kokoris; fond daughter-in-law of the late Vasilios and Ioanna Sarantopoulos; dear sister-in-law of the late Mary (the late Stelios) Polenas; devoted aunt of many. A singer, pianist, organist, harpist and choral director, Olga Sarantos began her musical career at the age of 12 as an organist at St. George. [Chicago Tribune] (via)

Fiery Furnaces @ Music Hall of Williamsburg, Dec 8, 2007 (CRED)

The Fiery Furnaces are kicking off a January tour at Maxwell's in Hoboken on January 17th - their first scheduled NYC-area appearance of 2008. According to NYCTaper, their December 8th Brooklyn show was their 8th NYC-area appearance in 2007. Can't complain about that. All tour dates below....

Continue reading "The Fiery Furnaces - 2008 Tour Dates"

the Fiery Furnaces @ Hiro Ballroom, NYC - Nov 3, 2007 (CRED)

Of a good thing, mostly, and in any case that seems to be the point. At a time when indie bands and their devotees are worried about short, blog-enabled cycles of hype and backlash, the Fiery Furnaces have decided to reward their fans by overwhelming them. In a few years the Friedbergers have gone from promising upstarts (on “Gallowsbird’s Bark”) to celebrated indie favorites (with “Blueberry Boat” in 2004) to polarizing iconoclasts (with “Rehearsing My Choir” from 2005, a song cycle starring their grandmother, Olga Sarantos) to respected veterans. If that means they’re now playing Hiro Ballroom a few years after playing for a much bigger crowd at Town Hall — well, neither of them seems too worried. [NY Times]

NYC Taper taped the show. The Fiery Furnaces also recently played live on KCRW. Listen to, or watch, that. Their new album Widow City is out now. Related videos, below....

Continue reading "The Fiery Furnaces played Hiro Ballroom + videos"

DOWNLOAD: The Fiery Furnaces - One More Time (Clash cover) (MP3)

Tickets have started going on sale for an upcoming Fiery Furnaces tour that includes a June 30th date at Maxwell's in Hoboken, and a July 1st date at Studio B in Brooklyn. All tour dates below...

Continue reading "The Fiery Furnaces - 2007 Tour Dates (Studio B)"