Grimes @ Pier 84, August 2012 (more by Amanda Hatfield)

today in NYC
* The Weeknd @ Terminal 5
* Just Blaze, DJ Soul @ Santos
* Pet Bottle Ningen @ The Stone
* Nouvelle Vague @ Irving Plaza
* 2:54, Jangula @ Mercury Lounge
* Al Green @ The Capitol Theatre
* Lez Zeppelin @ Highline Ballroom
* Counting Crows @ Roseland Ballroom
* Tin Horses, Baked @ Death By Audio
* CMA Songwriters Series @ Joe's Pub
* Milo Greene, Lucius @ Bowery Ballroom
* Silent Drape Runners @ Magic Futurebox
* Langhorne Slim & The Law @ Brooklyn Bowl
* Gabe Kahane, Shara Worden, Brooklyn RIder @ Carnegie Hall
* Disclosure, Jim-e Stack @ Mercury Lounge
* Pamelia Kurstin with Pete Drungle @ Barbes
* Bitch Magnet, Moss Icon @ (le) poisson rouge
* Poison Dartz, Robin Vote, Eartheater @ Zebulon
* Grimes, Myths, Mykki Blanco @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
* Mia Riddle & Her Band, Balene, Paul Jefferson, CBX @ Union Pool
* Lazer Cake, Junior Prom, Rocket & The Ghost @ Cameo Gallery
* Ratking, Sinkane of Yeasayer, Physical Therapy DJ set @ Puma Store
* THEESatisfaction, Mykki Blanco, Wishes, DJ Mursi Layne @ Grasslands
* The New Trust (members of Velvet Teen), Des Ark, Active Bird Community @ Cake Shop
* He's My Brother She's My Sister, Lucy Michelle and the Velvet Lapelles @ Knitting Factory
* The Hate My Day Jobs, Lost Boy?, Queen Orlenes, Bodyface, The N'ere Dowells @ Pianos
* Janeane Garofalo, Christian Finnegan @ EastVille Comedy Club
* Treasure Fingers, Flying Horse, Alex English DJ set, Sean Glass DJ set @ The DL
* Iwrestledabearonce, Oceano, Vanna, Within The Ruins, The Plot In You, Surrounded By Monsters @ Santos Party House

Grimes begins her sold-out, four-night NYC run tonight at Music Hall of Williamsburg.

Meanwhile, The Weeknd begins his three-night NYC run tonight too. Tonight and tomorrow's Terminal 5 shows are sold out but tickets for Saturday's Paradise Theater show are still available.

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The Fresh & Onlys, who are here next week, released a documentary short on the making of their very good new album, Long Slow Dance, which you can watch below.

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Thursday?"

Industrial vets Throbbing Gristle are finally getting around to completing their "reinterpretation" of Nico's Desertshore, an idea of member Peter "Sleazy" Christopherson, who has since passed away. The record, finished by Chris Carter and Cosey Fanni Tutti, is being billed as TG's "nascent, and final, studio album," will come out on November 26, two years after Christopherson's death. It's set to include guest vocals by Antony Hegarty, Cosey Fanni Tutti, Blixa Bargeld, Marc Almond (who was a member of Soft Cell and also collaborated with Christopherson's other band Coil), and Sasha Grey. The band have two teaser videos for the album, which you can watch below.

Speaking of tributes to albums that Nico took part in, there's a Velvet Underground & Nico tribute on the way which features Ty Segall and Thee Oh Sees (who both just played The Well and will play Death by Audio tonight [9/24]), plus The Fresh & Onlys, White Fence, Kelley Stoltz and others. The album will gradually surface digitally across various websites from October 15 to 29 and will be out on vinyl on November 6 via John Dwyer's Castle Face label. The tracklist is below.

Antony and the Johnsons - 'Cut The World'

Speaking of Antony Hegarty, he released his new album, Cut The World, last month via Secretly Canadian. The album features "live symphonic performances" of songs from his first four albums which were recorded on September 2 and 3, 2011 at the DK Concert Hall in Copenhagen. The title track for the album is a new one, however, and it will be featured in The Life and Death of Marina Abramovi, directed by Robert Wilson and staring Antony, Marina Abramovi and Willem Dafoe. He also just made a video for that song, directed by Nabil (Frank Ocean, Bon Iver, Kanye West). Watch that video below. You can read an interview with Antony and Nabil about the video at Pitchfork.

All videos are below.

Continue reading "Throbbing Gristle releasing Nico tribute; Thee Oh Sees & more on Velvet Underground tribute; Antony has a new LP & video"

by Bill Pearis

Tuesday, September 4 is the day after Labor Day which means summer is over for all intents and purposes. (Yes, technically it's not fall till September 21 but still.) But console yourselves to that with the new Fresh & Onlys album, Long Slow Dance, which is out Tuesday. It's a lovely record with surprisingly little flourishes that reveal themselves through repeated listens. You can listen before fall hits, however, as the whole thing is streaming via The Hype Machine.

The band also just released a video for Long Slow Dance track "Presence of Mind" that seems to have vampires on its mind. You can watch that below. The F&Os will be in NYC when their tour hits Music Hall of Williamsburg on November 8 with Quilt and tickets fr that show are still available.

Video is below...

Continue reading "listen to the new Fresh & Onlys album, watch a video too"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Magic Trick - Torture (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Magic Trick - Invisible at Midnight (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Wymond Miles - Pale Moon (MP3)

We mentioned earlier today that The Fresh and Onlys will be in NYC in November, supporting their great new album, Long Slow Dance. But if you would like to hear the warm baritone of Tim Cohen live sooner, his other band, Magic Trick, will be here opening for fellow San Franciscans Sonny & the Sunsets at Maxwell's on August 15 (tickets), Mercury Lounge on August 16 (tickets) and Glasslands on August 18 (tickets).

What began as a solo project for Cohen soon became Tim Cohen's Magic Trick and has now morphed into its own entity. While still featuring Tim's songs and melancholic/psychedelic worldview, Magic Trick are more are more pop-oriented than F&O (think Lee Hazlewood) with keyboards, glockenspiel and the lovely harmonies of Noelle Cahill and Alicia Vanden Heuvel. You can download two tracks from their new album, Ruler of the Night, above or stream the whole thing at Spotify.

Meanwhile, I'd be remiss not to talk about F&O guitarist Wymond Miles' new solo album, Under the Pale Moon, which it out now on Sacred Bones. The man whose post-punk, heavily-effected playing style give Fresh & Onlys such distinctive flair goes for dark romance on his own material, posited somewhere near Bowie's Berlin period or Heaven Up Here-era Bunnymen. (I wouldn't be surprised to learn he's a Crime & the City Solution fan, either.) It's a debonair debut and you can download an MP3 from it above or stream it in full at Spotify.

All Sonny & the Sunsets / Magic Trick dates are listed below, along with a Magic Trick video.

Continue reading "Magic Trick released new LP, opening for Sonny & the Sunsets; Wymond Miles released solo debut (dates, MP3s)"

The Fresh & Onlys' new album, Long Slow Dance, is out September 4 and it's their first for Mexican Summer. You can stream the album's first single, "Yes or No," at the bottom of this post.

The band are touring this fall, including an NYC stop at Music Hall of Williamsburg on November 8 with Quilt. Tickets for that show go on sale Friday, August 8 at noon. There are a few gaps in the tour dates we have, so we may see another NYC show while they're here. All dates are listed below.

Continue reading "The Fresh & Onlys ready new LP, touring this fall (dates)"

The Outside Lands Festival, which runs from 8/12 - 8/14 in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, released their 2011 lineup in April (and now it's May, so consider this a catch up post). Tickets are on sale.

This year's fest will appearances from The Shins, Muse, Arcade Fire, Arctic Monkeys, The Black Keys, Phish (two sets), !!!, Erykah Badu, Big Audio Dynamite (who played Coachella and are also playing Lollapalooza), Girl Talk and many more. The full lineup is below.

Continue reading "Outside Lands 2011 lineup"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Naked on the Vague - Clock of 12's (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Trust - Candy Walls (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Fresh & Onlys - Do You Believe in Destiny? (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Cuffs - Privilege (MP3)

Naked on the Vague

It's spring, it's Passover/Easter, flowers are blooming...let's talk goth. Sydney, Australia's Naked on the Vague are here this weekend for two shows: tonight (4/22) at Coco66 with Sacred Bones labelmates Trust and Silk Flowers, and then Saturday (4/23) at Bowery, kicking off their tour with Zola Jesus and Cult of Youth.

Naked on the Vague's new platter, Twelve Dark Noons, which is also the name of a new film that made its U.S. debut last night (yes I'm a little behind) at 92 Y Tribeca, and the band played an "experimental music" set beforehand. Tonight's show is a little more normal for the band -- it's the record release party -- though may not be normal to you depending on what you listen to.

Core duo Lucy Cliche and Matthew Hopkins have recently expanded the band to a four-piece, making for a fuller-sounding dark and doomy racket. Hopkins describes the new album as "Dracula fronting the B-52s." I'm not sure that's how I;d describe it, but this is certainly a more accessible record than last year's Heaps of Nothing which came out on Siltbreeze. If you like the '80s goth touchstones, you'll be into this. Check out "Clock of 12's" at the top of this post and the video is below.

Trust

Opening tonight are Toronto duo Trust who played earlier in the week at the Wierd party at Home Sweet Home. You may recognize Maya Postepski if you've seen Austra play live (she's their drummer). Along with singer Robert Alfons the duo "combine dark synth arpeggios, live and programmed drum beats with haunting, effected vocals." Hear all those things in Trust's debut single, "Candy Walls," which is downloadable above. (And watch the well-photographed, vaguely creepy video below.) Similarities to Postepski's other group are evident, which is to say if you like Austra but wish the songs were sung by a guy who kind of sounds like the Crash Test Dummies dude...Trust is pretty close to that. And not a bad thing. Locals Silk Flowers open tonight's show.

Trust will open for Austra on U.S. dates in May (including 5/23 at Mercury Lounge) if you can't see them tonight.

the Fresh & Onlys

Keeping thing within the Sacred Bones realm, San Francisco's Fresh & Onlys are here tomorrow (4/23) at Music Hall of Williamsburg as they're on tour with Crocodiles. The band have been on a prolific tear for the last two years but have kind of slacked off in 2011. It's April and they've only just released their first record on the year. But it's a good one, Secret Walls (on aforementioned label), continues the band's differentiation from the SF garage scene they were lumped in with. There's not one rocker amongst its six tracks. Which is not a bad thing at all. Tim Cohen's songwriting just keeps getting better and the EP's expansive sound here is a great showcase for the superior musicianship found in all corners of the band. Lovely stuff.

The MHoW show is a pretty happening bill. In addition to Crocodiles, you've got Bay Area shoegazers Young Prisms and Bass Drum of Death, the latter of whom also play tonight at Glasslands.

Karkwa

Shifting gears, tonight at Pianos are Karkwa from Montreal who you might remember won the Polaris Music Prize in 2010 for Les Chemins de Verres, the first-ever Francophone album to receive the award. Yes, that means they sing in French though that really shouldn't stop you from digging them. I've described them before as the French-Canadian Radiohead, which is reductive but gets you there. So if you can listen to Sigur Ros and not worry about what they're saying, you can do the same for Karkwa. Check out their video for single "Le Pyromane" at the bottom of this post. They play giant rooms in Canada so to be in a room as tiny as Pianos should be interesting.

Cuffs

As previously mentioned, former Swell Maps and Television Personalities guy Jowe Head is here, playing tonight at Bruar Falls and tomorrow (5/23) at Cake Shop. Tomorrow's show is especially enticing, as it's the NYC debut of Cuffs which is the new band from Andrew Churchman who fronted much-loved Boston band Pants Yell! (That's their exclamation point, not mine.) Cuffs also has Pants Yell! drummer Casey Keenan, as well as "a member of Reports and the blonde kid from Big Troubles."

Cuffs are working on some real recordings as we speak but you can listen to some demos at their Bandcamp site, one of which you can download at the top of this post. For those familiar with Churchman's previous band, you already mostly know what to expect here. He's still writing delicate indiepop, though Cuffs have a little more groove. I remember him saying at Popfest (PY!'s last NYC show) that the new stuff would be more Prefab Sprout influenced and you can hear that lonely jazzy sound in "Albert Kroft."

Pants Yell! were always a louder, more rocking band live than on record, and I bet the same holds true for Cuffs. There also seems to be a little jammy-ness with them too (maybe the Big Troubles factor), so I'm really curious/excited for tomorrow's show.

That's the main stuff this weekend, but there are a few more day-by-day picks below.

FRIDAY, APRIL 22

Personal & the Pizzas, who played last night at Maxwell's, are at Cake Shop tonight laying on the cheese with Georgia's Barreracudas and Los Vigilantes. Personal & the Pizzas and the Barreracudas also play Bruar Falls on Sunday (4/24).

The Bass Drum of Death show tonight mentioned up the post is also with So So Glos, Xray Eyeballs, and Night Manager.

If you like The Drums, check out The Young Friends (who are signed to the Drums' Holiday Records) at The Gutter with Beacon and Kosovo.

SATURDAY, APRIL 23

It's a hard-to-pass-up bill at Glasslands tonight, with Hunx & His Punks, Shannon & the Clams (who played Cake Shop already this week), the wonderful Grass Widow and the K-Holes. Catch Grass Widow again on Sunday (3/24) at Death by Audio with Talk Normal.

And if you want to see that show, chances are you wish you could see Davilla 666 (who played Cake Shop earlier this week too), The Beets and Xray Eyeballs at Knitting Factory.

SUNDAY, APRIL 24

Personal & the Pizzas play Bruar Falls.

That's it for this week. Tour dates and videos are below...

Continue reading "Naked on the Vague, Trust, The Fresh & Onlys, Cuffs, Karkwa, Personal & the Pizzas & more in This Week in Indie "

Guided by Voices @ Irving Plaza, New Year's Eve (more by Chris Gersbeck)

"As previously announced, the 2011 Pitchfork Music Festival will be taking place on Friday, July 15th through Sunday, July 17th at Chicago's Union Park! Tickets went on sale on March 4th, and, as predicted, three-day passes sold out in a record time of 24 hours! That said, eager prospective festival goers should fear not, as single-day passes are still available for the totally reasonable price of $45.

And now, without further ado, the newest additions to the 2011 Pitchfork Festival lineup! Friday will see the addition of Guided By Voices and Neko Case; Saturday's lineup will feature No Age, Gang Gang Dance, G-Side, and Chrissy Murderbot; Sunday's stellar lineup now includes The Fresh & Onlys, Radio Dept., HEALTH, Shabazz Palaces, Baths, How To Dress Well, Kurt Vile, and Twin Sister. Stay tuned for more bands still to be announced in the coming weeks!"

Continue reading "Pitchfork Fest expands lineup (Guided by Voices & more)"

Crocodiles at Mercury Lounge (more by Marcus Lauer)

After a European tour with White Lies (who recently cancelled their NYC show due to snow), Crocodiles will team up with The Fresh & Onlys & Young Prisms for a tour that includes a Brooklyn show at Music Hall of Williamsburg on 4/23. Tickets go on AMEX presale Wednesday at noon (2/2) and then on regular sale Friday.

The Fresh & Onlys will also be at SXSW in March, and have a few other scattered dates scheduled before they hook up with the other two bands in April. Young Prisms meanwhile have a very busy schedule including a tour with The Radio Dept that has them back in NYC in February (though for one show, not two)

While we're on the subject of Crocodiles, Echo & The Bunnymen are performing the LP of the same name along with the Heaven Up Here LP on a North American tour this May. Tickets are still available for the NYC show at Irving Plaza.

Crocodiles (the band) were last here for CMJ, but had to cancel their tour right afterwards due to a death in the family. That family also belongs to Dee Dee of the Dum Dum Girls who also cancelled a tour at the same time and have since scheduled a new one too.

Tour dates and videos below...

Continue reading "Crocodiles, Fresh & Onlys & Young Prisms -- 2011 tour dates"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: The Fresh & Onlys - Waterfall (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Erland & the Carnival - Trouble in Mind (Mp3)

The Fresh & Onlys

It's an early installment of TWII this week. Most of the awesome shows (to me) seem to be tonight through Thursday.

First up we've got The Fresh & Onlys who are currently on tour with Clinic. They both play tonight at Bowery Ballroom with Girls at Dawn opening. I like Clinic just fine -- their new album Bubblegum is good -- but we're seeing the Fresh & Onlys still riding a wave of creativity/prolificasy that has been going strong for almost two years. The band's new album, Play it Strange, is maybe their best yet, definitely their most sonically advanced. And live, they always seem to be on. They were great at the Northside Fest back in May. I know I write about them a lot, but they really are tops. Go see them!

There was supposed to be a second Clinic/F&Os show Wednesday night at Music Hall of Williamsburg but that ended up getting canceled, so now The Fresh & Onlys will play Shea Stadium instead (11/3), sharing the bill with fellow San Franciscans The Royal Baths, plus X-Ray Eyeballs and Dutch Treat. The Fresh & Onlys and Royal Baths will also play Vassar on Thursday (11/4).

Royal Baths also play tonight (11/2) at Monster Island Basement with an otherwise all Baltimore bill: Ponytail's Dustin Wong, Holy Ghost Party and Avocado Happy Hour.

The Dears

I will be speeding off to Shea Stadium on Wednesday after seeing The Dears at Knitting Factory, the first their two-night stay previewing their new, yet-to-be-titled album which won't be out till next year. (Tickets are available for Wednesday and Thursday.) As an occasional Dears-obsessive (2004 - 2005 I wouldn't shut up about them) I'm pretty excited about these shows, especially now that guitarist and O-Face master Patrick Krief is back in the band, as well as former members Rob Benvie and Roberto Arquilla. Drummer George Donosso [now in the High Dials] is still missed - we'll see how new member Jeff Luciani does on the kit.

The Dears are masters of epic, anthemic songs and I'm psyched to get to hear a whole new album in this way for the first time. And if this sounds a little daunting, reviews of other shows in Montreal and Toronto where they've been doing the same thing have said they're encoring with a set of favorites. And when the band is on, they can make the hair on the back of your neck stand at attention. Here's hoping we get a little of that bristly excitement this time. You can check out live footage of new single "Omega Dog" at the bottom of this post.

The Duke Spirit

Also mid week: Bluesy London rock band The Duke Spirit are here playing a one-off show at the now-reopened Santos Party House on Wednesday (11/03) where five bucks gets you in the door. I was a big fan of The Duke Spirit's 2008 album, Neptune, which matched big pop hooks with the band's already proven muscle. The band have a new EP, Kusama, out in December -- you can download "Everybody's Under Your Spell" from their website if you give them your email address -- and a new album in February 2011.

The Duke Spirit are definitely worth seeing live. All eyes tend to be on powerhouse vocalist Leila Moss, who has an undeniable stage presence and can play mean harmonica too. And for five bucks it's kind of a no-brainer.

Erland and the Carnival

If you wish The Coral were still doing sea shantys, you might want to check out London's Erland and the Carnival who are in town playing two club shows this week with Ireland's Villagers: tonight (11/2) at Knitting Factory and Wednesday at Mercury Lounge. Then they'll play a headlining show on Friday at The Rock Shop and then open for Paul Weller on Saturday (at the Apollo) and Sunday (at the Nokia Theater).

There's a bit of that hurdy-gurdy folky seaside sound to the group -- they're recording their new record on a ship, apparently -- and their debut album is pretty good if you like Pentangle, Delta blues, Love and The Doors all mixed together in a bucket. Erland Cooper is a talented songwriter, and I'm told a captivating live performer, and managed to recruit guitarist Simon Tong (formerly of The Verve, Blur and The Good, The Bad and The Queen) into his band. Will they be the next Mumford and Sons? I think they're a little too odd for that (probably a good thing), and there's no shortage of opportunities to see them. You can download an MP3 at the top of this post and there are a couple videos below.

A few more shows of note, day-by-day, not mentioned above:

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 2 & WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 3

Vocoder-loving Canadians Shout Out Out Out Out bring their many keyboards to Le Poisson Rouge Tuesday and Glasslands Wednesday (moved from Coco 66). Every time I write about this band -- who are pretty fun live -- I have to count the number of "outs" in their name. I can never remember. (Note to self: four "outs".)

continued below...

Continue reading "the Fresh & Onlys, Royal Baths, Dears, Duke Spirit, Erland and the Carnival, Dandy Warhols & more in This Week in Indie"

by Bill Pearis

a day by day Week in Indie-like guide to this week's Northside Festival...

Northside HQ (freedubya)

When I was looking at the full Friday Northside Festival schedule, I was a bit overwhelmed by the embarrassment of riches available to indie rock fans tonight. I felt like writing "Basically just go anywhere tonight and you're going to run into a good show." Which is mostly true. If you have a badge, you can flit between venues and make up your own killer bill.

Some of these shows are going to be crowded though. Like I bet Glasslands will be packed out the wazoo for Tame Impala, so if that's one you're interested in you might just want to plant yourself there early (advanced tickets are sold out). Do they have air conditioning at Glasslands yet? It might get so hot in there you'll start seeing things, which would go well with those Aussies' rhythm-heavy psych rock.

You could also go to Death By Audio (which does have A/C, and now two working bathrooms) for a rock-solid bill of guitar-centric bands brought to us by Less Artists More Condos. The lineup includes voluminous duo Sisters and their giant stack of amps; the under-appreciated and poppy Darlings; skilled noise merchants Grooms; and art punks Regal Degal who I definitely think are a "band to watch."

Moon Duo @ the Big Sur Woodsist Fest on June 12 (more by Rachel Carr)

Moving away from the corner of S. 1st and Kent, the Woodsist Showcase at Music Hall of Williamsburg is kind of a no-brainer. That said, headliners Woods and Real Estate play all the time here. I say go early for the San Francisco triple threat of Moon Duo, Sic Alps and The Fresh & Onlys, then skip off to something else.

Moon Duo, an offshoot of Wooden Shjips, play two chord (at most) psych-drone not unlike Spacemen 3 or Loop. I saw them the last night of SXSW when I was cold and tired, not the state of mind I'd recommend experiencing them. Not that the cold part will be an issue in this weather. There's not a lot to watch, so maybe locate a seat upstairs and bliss out.

Sic Alps are back to a duo after a short stint with Ty Segall on drums.  They haven't released anything in a year -- a long time for what was a pretty prolific band -- but that shouldn't hamper their live show, usually powered by a Jenga-like monolith stack of amps in the center of the stage. Their sound is thick and sludgy, but carefully prepared. It feels like a bog in July -- in a good way.

And I'm really looking forward to hearing The Fresh & Onlys with MHoW's sound system. While many of their many recordings have been decidedly lo-fi, these guys can really play and I think it's time they shake loose the "garage rock" tag that never really fit them in the first place. This is pop music. They are really a case of the whole adding up to more than their parts -- the whole band is great -- but if you go tonight, be sure to watch lead guitarist Wymond Miles. The guy is a genius and has a rack of pedals that would impress Kevin Shields. The sounds he gets deserve high fidelity. As do their great songs. I'm a huge fan, is it obvious?

Down the street from MHoW, at Cameo Gallery: Kanine Records, Wao Wao Records & Insound are presenting another great lineup under the venue's psychedelic Snuffelupagus. There's a bunch of really good locals (Dream Diary, Grooms, We Are Country Mice) but you might want to swing by to catch Roanoke, VA's Eternal Summers who really impressed me when I saw them at Glasslands a couple months ago. Also: If you like the Pastels, Field Mice and all things indiepop, Dream Diary are your new favorite band if they haven't attained that already.

Madison of Dream Diary is pulling double duty tonight, as she is half of Coasting who'll play at Matchless as part of a bill curated by Georgia of blog Microphone Memory Emotion. Coasting's debut 7" is worth picking up, and if you're lucky you'll get a copy printed on lavender vinyl. Also playing are Family Portrait, Fluffy Lumbers and Bermuda Bonnie.

Over at Coco 66, there's a benefit for 826NYC (badges are accepted despite it being a benefit) with Sondre Lerche and Oberhoffer, plus a reading from author Shalom Auslander. Sondre usually plays MHoW or Bowery Ballroom these days, so to see him in such a small venue will be a treat. Anyone who's seen him before knows what a charmer -- and tunesmith -- he is. Plus, there's up-and-comers Oberhoffer who I wouldn't be surprised if they're playing much bigger venues very soon. Also there's an open vodka bar at 8PM.

Meanwhile at Union Pool, there's an early show (doors at 7PM) that features my new favorite band on Captured Tracks, MINKS. They've only got a single out so far, the Cure-esque "Funeral Song," which doesn't really represent what they do live. The six piece performing MINKS do have some Cure/New Order tendencies, but I'd say Felt is probably just as strong an influence, with clean jangly guitars and jazzy arrangements. Both times I've seen them live, my only complaint has been they didn't play long enough. Not sure of set time for MINKS, but there's not a lot else going on then, you can hang in the backyard of Union Pool and get some tacos from the El Diablo truck to recharge for the night ahead.

That seems like plenty for one night. A video from one of Tame Impala's sets at Pianos last night, below...

Continue reading "Bill's 2010 Northside Festival picks (Friday)"

photos by Rachel Carr

Kurt Vile @ the Henry Miller Library

"We hot footed it down to the Henry Miller Library for the Woodsist festival. It was hidden among the trees like a secret garden and as we laid on our rugs drinking strong vodka cranberry, the place seemed to glow. We watched the bands, perused the library, went exploring and hung out at the merch table and before long the sunlight faded and the fairy lights came out. Oh and then we saw Kirsten Dunst, just hanging out in the bookstore and Joe let his cool mask slip and got all star-struck and gaspy. The day was magical but tinged with melancholy. I couldn't shake this feeling and this feeling was the end." [In Another World]

Continue reading "Woodsist had two fests in California (pics from Big Sur)"

DOWNLOAD: Memory Tapes - Bicycle (MP3)

The intial lineup for Noise Pop 2010, which takes over San Francisco February 23rd to March 1st, has been updated. Newly announced acts include Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band (with Cornelius, Yuka Honda, Sean Lennon), The Dodos & Magik Magik Orchestra collaborative performance, !!!, Harlem, Deerhoof, Memory Tapes, The Fresh and Onlys, Scout Niblett, Far (Reunion Show), The Mumlers, P.E.E (Reunion Show), Mirah, Laura Gibson, Nico Vega, Japanese Motors, Princeton, Free Energy, The Growlers, Nurses, Magic Wands, The Lonely Forest, The Hot Toddies, Tempo No Tempo, Judgement Day. The full current lineup is posted below.

Tickets and passes for most of those are on sale now. Tickets for Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band (with Deerhoof) on February 23rd and the Dodos & Magik Magik Orchestra collaborative shows go on sale on Sunday, January 10th.

Memory Tapes, chillwave Jerseyan Dayve Hawk, is one of the acts scheduled for the fest. He's going to be in the UK for a short run of shows this January, and he's confirmed that US dates and a European tour are forthcoming. The song "Bicycle" off his debut, Seek Magic, is above. The album is being re-issued on Feb 8th, "with an exclusive 48 minute 4 track CD2 through Urban Outfitters and digitally exclusively via iTunes".

UPDATE: Memory Tapes is opening for Atlas Sound at The Bell House on February 3rd. Tickets are still on sale.

More info on Noise Pop 2010 below...

Continue reading "Noise Pop expands 2010 lineup - updates include !!!, Far, Yoko Ono & Memory Tapes who is touring soon "

"Lenny Kravitz has admitted that he's finding it hard to stick to his vow of celibacy. The rocker, who has previously been involved with Kylie Minogue, Madonna, and Nicole Kidman, has not dated anyone in four years." [oneindia]

tonight in NYC
* Lenny Kravitz @ Irving Plaza
* Kylie Minogue @ Hammerstein Ballroom
* Blitzen Trapper, Wye Oak @ Bowery Ballroom
* Terry Riley, Gyan Riley @ (Le) Poisson Rouge
* White Rabbits, Glass Ghost, The Dig @ Maxwell's
* Om, Six Organs of Admittance, Lichens, Naam @ Europa
* Le Loup, Nurses, Freelance Whales, Backwords @ Mercury Lounge
* Los Lonely Boys, Alejandro Escovedo, Hacienda @ Highline Ballroom

Placebo is NOT playing Terminal 5 tonight.

Lenny Kravitz kicks off a five night run at Irving Plaza tonight.

Kylie Minogue kicks off three nights at Hammerstein Ballroom.

"Canada's a bit more tuned in than the States, but Kylie Minogue's audience in North America still largely seems to consist of gay men and geeky music writers who over the years have consistently found themselves as wooed by the wee Aussie superstar's classy brand of haute couture pop as they have her feminine wiles." [Toronto Star]

According to Facade, Lenny and Kylie are 71% emotionally compatible, but only 33% physically compatible.

Blitzen Trapper (Sub Pop) and Wye Oak (Merge) perform at Bowery Ballroom.

Europa hosts Om, Six Organs of Admittance, Lichens and Naam. The same lineup is at Bowery Ballroom on Tuesday.

Le Loup and Nurses are on tour. They play with Freelance Whales and Backwords tonight at Mercury Lounge.

Freelance Whales also have some CMJ shows coming up, one of which is with Fanfarlo who are also playing the official BrooklynVegan CMJ show at Music Hall of Williamsburg.

Freelance Whales are not to be confused with Vulture Whale who are also playing CMJ.

Heartonastick has "A Goddamned Guide to All These Goddamned Whale Bands (Part One, A - N)".

Built to Spill kick off a NYC run on Monday.

The Fresh & Onlys are no longer in town. Video from their Bell House show below...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Sunday? (Lenny Kravitz vs Kylie Minogue)"

by Bill Pearis

The Beets @ Death by Audio in August (more by Leia Jospe)

As mentioned earlier, Thee Oh Sees are playing a late show at Death by Audio, now thankfully Maze-free (I was scared of the minotaur), with The Fresh & Onlys and The Beets (who also play with Monotonix at Santos tonight). They're listed as "The Ghosties" but in case you're still in doubt, at Mercury Lounge last night John Dwyer said onstage "if you wanna see the Oh Sees in a sweaty, shitty little room, come to Death by Audio tomorrow night" so the cat is officially out of the bag.

So basically you have two chances to see Thee Oh Sees and Fresh & Onlys tonight -- earlier at The Bell House (with Golden Triangle) or super late (Beets are on at 11PM supposedly) at Death by Audio. The adventurous might go to both. They were both great last night at Mercury Lounge: The Fresh & Onlys' low-fi recordings disguise their impressive musicality a bit, they are a seriously good band; and Thee Oh Sees are just one of the best live bands out there right now. Whichever show you go to, get as close to the action as you can. Seeing John Dwyer's demented facial expressions is half the fun.

Turbo Fruits @ Death By Audio (more by Leia Jospe)

Also on that Monotonix bill tonight at Santos -- and at their show tomorrow (10/10) at Market Hotel -- are Nashville's Turbo Fruits whose new album on Fat Possum, Echo Kid, is a lot of fun. With a slight rockabilly influence (they do live in Music City), it's party rock in the best sense of the term, super-catchy and danceable, with a nice swagger to it. Check out "Mama's Mad Cause I Fried My Brain" at the top of this post. If you can't see them this weekend, Turbo Fruits will be back for CMJ in two weeks (two weeks!), playing Union Pool on Saturday October 24, with Lovvers (with whom their touring) and hometown pals JEFF the Brotherhood.

Lovvers are also on the bill of the TBA BrooklynVegan day show at Pianos on October 22nd that Speech Debelle isn't playing.

Timber Timbre

Timber Timbre (aka Toronto resident Taylor Kirk) is town for two shows: tonight (10/9) at Union Hall and tomorrow at Mercury Lounge. Like fellow Torontonians Still Life Still, who were here the last two nights, Timber Timbre is on the Arts & Crafts label who released his third album over the summer. The most obvious comparison, and one that is hard not to make, is Devendra Banhart. (Bon Iver is not entirely inappropriate, either.) I think it's the quivery element in his voice more than the music, which has a spooky Tom Waits-ish vibe to it at times. It's a nice record. He'll be back for CMJ too if you can't make this weekend's shows.

On somewhat related notes, Still Life Still were just added to the other TBA BrooklynVegan day party happening at Pianos during CMJ (10/24), and tickets went on sale today for Devendra Banhart's upcoming show at Town Hall.

Valleys @ Pop Montreal (more by Ryan Muir)

And finally, there's a massive show tonight (10/9) at Shea Stadium (the Williamsburg DIY venue, not the home of the Mets) tonight featuring Blue Jungle, Valleys, Scotland's Waters Wolves, Gary B & the Notions, German Measles, Young Boys, Le Rug, and Effing. A weird line-up, due to two shows being sort of crammed together (some of it was supposed to be at Silent Barn where the TV Ghost show is happening instead), but it's nights like this that you might just discover your new favorite band.

Tour dates, videos, blah blah blah after the jump..

Continue reading "Turbo Fruits, Timber Timbre, Shea Stadium, The Ghosties & more in This Week in Indie (part 2.5)"

Thee Oh Sees in Kansas in September (by Bond Natalya)

10.9 @ death by audio

.special guests "the ghosties"
..the fresh and onlys [san francisco]
...the beets

For The Beets, DBA is also one of two shows tonight. Their first is with Monotonix at Santos Party House. Monotonix also play Market Hotel on Saturday.

A video of The Intelligence covering Thee Oh Sees' "Block of Ice" in Dallas on October 3rd, below...

Continue reading "Thee Oh Sees & The Fresh & Onlys played Mercury Lounge, playing Death by Audio w/ The Beets after the Bell House"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: The Fresh & Onlys - Dude's Got a Tender Heart (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Fresh & Onlys - Invisible Forces (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Blue Jungle - Here We Go Again (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Valleys - Silent Woods (MP3)

Thee Oh Sees @ 2009 Siren Fest (more by Chris La Putt)

Why oh why are there so many shows I want to see all happening on the same night? Tonight is jam-packed. Top of my list is the return of San Francisco's Thee Oh Sees and The Fresh & Onlys who play tonight (10/8) at Mercury Lounge and tomorrow (10/9) at the Bell House. Thee Oh Sees also play Maxwell's on Saturday (10/10) without the F&Os (but with Pierced Arrows).

Both last played NYC together at the Woodsist / Captured Tracks Festival on July 4. They also both just released their second of two albums this year, and weirdly enough, The Fresh & Onlys' Grey Eyed Girls is on Woodsist, and Thee Oh Sees' Dog Poison is on Captured Tracks. (More crossover trivia: Captured Tracks' honcho Mike Sniper did the art for Grey Eyed Girls.) I like both albums a lot. Grey Eyed Girls is darker than the F&O's self-titled album from the spring, at times (like on "Invisible Forces" which is downloadable above) a bit like early Echo & the Bunnymen. Elsewhere it's pretty and sweet ("Dude's Got a Tender Heart," also downloadable). The new Oh Sees album is rather different for John Dwyer and company, trading sonic assault for acoustic guitars and the occasional flute. It's still perfect beach music, but this is more sundown than shooting the curl. In addition to new albums, both have released something like 23 new 7"s between them since the summer, so look out for all that stuff at the merch table.

Both bands really bring it live. John Dwyer beats the crap out of his guitars, while shoving his microphone all the mouth for maximum distortion. His eyes bug out a little. The dude gives 110%. If that were possible. And The Fresh & Onlys are great too, though I hear singer Tim Cohen's wrist is still in a cast (bassist Shayde Sartin shoved him down some stairs during some spirited horseplay) so he'll be on keyboard duty, but they managed to whip up a storm back in July -- none of the band seem to be able to stand still.

The Girls at Dawn

Opening bands are worth seeing too. At Mercury Lounge, it's Toronto's Still Life Still, who also opened for Kurt Vile at the same venue last night, as well as locals The Girls at Dawn. The latter are an all-girl trio who draw influence from both Phil Spector and C-86, and if that sounds like something you're heard before (Brilliant Colors, Liechtenstein, a certain other bunch of Brooklynites), I'll say Girls at Dawn do it pretty well and manage to carve out their own little corner of a crowded market. I like what's on their MySpace and tonight's show is a record release party for their debut 7" on HoZac, and they'll soon have records out on Tic Tac Totally and Captured Tracks, so expect to hear their name (and their music) more often in the coming months.

At the Bell House, Fresh & Onlys are on first, and then it's the wild world of Golden Triangle whose debut album is due out early next year on Hardly Art (whose CMJ showcase they're also playing). Their live performances are usually pretty fun, ranging from the somewhat chaotic to completely out of control, but I'd say it'll be the former given your average Bell House crowd. But then again, this may not be your average Bell House crowd.

All dates and flyers below...

Continue reading "The Fresh & Onlys and Thee Oh Sees are touring & in NYC -- The Girls at Dawn play Mercury Lounge + other show dates "

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: The Fresh & Onlys - Fog Machine (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Fresh & Onlys - Love & Kindness (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Ganglians - Hair (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Bachelorette - Mindwarp (MP3)

It used to be Independence Day weekend was dead in NYC, the city emptying out, leaving only tourists and those unfortunate enough not to have some sort of beach hookup. There was nothing to do but barbeque with fellow left-behinds and see whatever Will Smith movie had just been released. (Actually, I like it when the city is empty.) And the only show would be whatever was at Battery Park on the 4th. Not this year.

The Woodsist/Captured Tracks Festival is two days of just about every band on the two label's roster and also manages to be one of the best collections of reverb-lovin' lo-fi/pych/garage bands you're likely to see, including many names you may recognize if you read this column on a regular basis. You can buy a two-day pass for $25 or buy individual $15 tickets for Friday or Saturday.

As both Woodsist and Captured Tracks are Brooklyn labels, a lot of the bands are local and chances are if you're into this kind of music at all you've probably managed to already see some of these bands, probably more than once: Crystal Stilts, Vivian Girls, Blank Dogs, The Beets, caUSE co-MOTION, Kurt Vile, and Woods.

The Fresh & Onlys @ SXSW 2009

But there's also a bunch of great West Coast bands who have yet to hit NYC, which is what makes it most exciting for me. First and foremost are San Francisco's Fresh & Onlys who I caught at the Todd P/Woodsist party during SxSW and have become one of my favorite new bands. They play the Saturday (7/4) which is definitely the more essential line-up of the two days. The band features members of Skygreen Leopards and Black Fiction, and have also spent time recently backing up Rodriguez and Ty Segall (though not on the East Coast.)

The band's first album of 2009 came out in April on John Dwyer's Castle Face label, with a sound not that far off from what you might expect from cohorts of The Oh Sees (who headline the Saturday show), though The Fresh & Onlys are definitely more pop and less psychedelic freakout. Their second album of 2009, Grey-Eyed Girls, is out in August and they've also got 7"'s out or out soon on Chuffed, Dirty Knobby, Hozac and Captured Tracks. If you like 13th Floor Elevators, The Chocolate Watchband and other Nuggets era bands, I think you're going to dig them. I interviewed bassist Shayde Sartin a couple months ago on my blog if you'd like to know more.

If you can't make the daytime show, The Fresh & Onlys also play a post midnight show that same day at Market Hotel that also features Babies (members of Woods, Vivian Girls and Bossy) (does anyone know which members?) and Pink Reason, and maybe a solo performance from Crystal Stilts drummer Frankie Rose. And The Fresh & Onlys will be here again in October when they'll be on tour with fellow San Franciscans Thee Oh Sees.

Thee Oh Sees are also playing Siren in July, and playing maybe the best of the Woodsist fest's offshoot shows on Thursday night (7/2) at Glasslands. They're headlining the Glasslands show and Saturday night of the fest, and are definitely worth seeing twice, or even thrice. Also playing Glasslands: Golden Triangle who are working on their debut album for Sub Pop offshoot Hardly Art; The Beets who, the last two times I've seen them, have had Crystal Stilts' JB Townsend filling in on drums for an absent Jacob Warstler; and German Measels which features half of caUSE co-MOTION wearing fake moustaches.

Ganglians

A little earlier at Woodsist Fest on Saturday (3:45 if they keep to the posted schedule) are Sacramento's Ganglians, who just released an EP and an album on Woodsist. Not all that far off from The Fresh & Onlys, Ganglians have equal worship for solid songwriting and trippy arrangements/production. I think both records are worth picking up: the self-titled EP shows off more of their rocking side (which they favored when I saw them at SxSW), like the surfy, Kiwi-esque "Hair" of which there's an MP3 at the top of this post. The album, Monster Head Room, is more acoustic and owes a lot to Brian Wilson. If you can't make the July 4th show, they'll be playing the next night (7/5) at Monster Island basement with Psychedelic Horseshit.

In between Ganglians and Fresh & Onlys on Saturday (4:30PM) are San Francisco's Brilliant Colors, an all-girl trio who play short, scratchy pop with a definitely New Zealand vibe. They also play the late show that night at Market Hotel, and will be on WNYU on July 8.

Dum Dum Girls, who play after the Fresh & Onlys at 6PM, are from L.A. and owe much to the C-86 scene that has been an influence on Pains of Being Pure at Heart and Vivian Girls. Actually, Dum Dum Girls is just one girl, Dee Dee, who may or may not have a band with her when she plays. Dee Dee is also in The Mayfair Set, a collaboration with Blank Dogs (and Captured Tracks domo) Mike Sniper, who will make their live debut (I think) Friday (7/3) at 6:30.

I've got MP3s for most every band playing the Fest over at my blog.

Brilliant Colors

A couple non-Woodsist/Captrax Fest recommendation for the Fourth weekend. New Zealand's Bachelorette is back in town, playing the kickoff show of this year's Seaport Music Festival, opening for Here We Go Magic. I saw Bachelorette at Cake Shop a couple weeks back and was so smitten I bought everything at the merch table. There was a fair amount of laptopping going on, but Annabel Alpers' breathy, fragile voice was definitely live and the three-piece oozed unassuming charm. Bachelorette also play the sold-out Rooftop Films Fourth of July party Saturday night which happens on the roof of the Chelsea Art Museum.

And Thursday (7/2) starts The Feelies' three-night run at Maxwell's. Friday's show (7/3) is sold out but you can still get tickets for Thursday and for Saturday (7/4). Bring comfortable shoes -- they're doing two sets each night. The excitement of their reformation may have faded a bit since this time last year, but their great songs -- and still-awesome guitar interplay -- have not.

Full Woodsist/Captured Tracks Festival schedule and other tour dates after the jump...

Continue reading "Ganglians, Fresh & Onlys, Brilliant Colors, Bachelorette, lots of Woodsist bands & more in This Week in Indie "

Thee Oh Sees @ Mercury Lounge (more by Tim Griffin)

San Francisco bands Thee Oh Sees and The Fresh & Onlys are playing the Woodsist/Captured Tracks Fest on July 4th, and many other upcoming shows...

On July 2nd (tomorrow), Thee Oh Sees will play a show at Glasslands with Golden Triangle, The Beets and German Measles. Then, they'll be playing a set at Siren Festival in Coney Island on July 18th.

The Fresh & Onlys are also playing a late show at Market Hotel after Woodsist Fest on July 4th. More details on that below.

Both bands are also playing Goner Fest in Memphis, Tennessee on September 25th. From there they'll tour together until they reach NYC where they'll play two more shows: October 8th at the Mercury Lounge and October 9th at the Bell House. (The same two venues The Oh Sees played in early April on their spring tour.) No ticket info for either of those yet.

Bill has much more on both bands, the Woodsist Fest, and this week's other shows. All tour dates below...

Continue reading "Thee Oh Sees + The Fresh & Onlys - 2009 Tour Dates "

Advice for attending July 4th fireworks: arrive early and expect crowds [Everything Hudson]

What are you doing on the 4th? Below we've listed a bunch of other options if you'll be in NYC (and a few if you want to leave)...

Continue reading "Independence Day 2009 - 4th of July events in NYC (Conor Oberst, Woodsist Fest, Japanther, Feelies, fireworks, more)"

DOWNLOAD: Woods - To Clean (MP3)

"...it has been damn near impossible to keep up with [Blank Dog] Mike Sniper's Captured Tracks label, who have hit the ground running with eight releases since the start of the year and many more slated for the near future. Captured Tracks is, to put it plainly, an outlet for Mr. Sniper to release records by bands he loves. In his mind it is "not a boutique label, " and by that he means that the releases are not meant to become instant eBay collectables, and will remain in print as long as there are people buying them. Some will have limited edition versions with alternate artwork or bonuses, but even these editions are easily and widely available. Affordable, available and well made, Captured Tracks is the populist record label. " [Agit Reader]

Continue reading "Woodsist/CT Festival - final 2-day lineup, set times, tickets "

by Bill Pearis

I saw upwards of 50 bands during the four days of SXSW. These were the most memorable. I think.

--

1. Pete and the Pirates (Emo's Annex, 3.20.2009)

Easily the best band I saw at SxSW this year. Of course, as their album Little Death made my Best of 2008, I already had a predilection to like them but Pete and the Pirates so nailed their great songs live -- the harmonies, the guitar interplay, everything -- that I just had a big grin on my face the whole time. My only regret: not seeing them more than once.

Continue reading "Bill's Top 10 SXSW 2009 highlights (with pics, videos)"