words & photos by Ben Lozovsky

The Go! Team returned after a three-year lull stateside, bringing their outrageous Saturday morning cartoon funk assault to Brooklyn Bowl Saturday (the second of two NYC shows that included Bowery Ballroom earlier in the week).

On what might be the band's final tour ever, according to group founder Ian Parton, there was never an air of finality or remembrance. From the second the booming beat proclamation that introduced opening number "T.O.R.N.A.D.O." rang out, it was unwaveringly go time for The Go! Team. The band rarely dialed down the raucousness while highlighting the understated yet notable growth on their third and latest album, Rolling Blackouts. There's a darker mood to many of the tracks on the disc, including album bookends "T.O.R.N.A.D.O." and "Back Like 8 Track." On numbers like those, the band managed to provide a seesaw soundtrack for all the pissed-off tweens out there hell-bent on revenge on whoever their oppressor might be. This is monkey-bar brawl music, with a nuanced adult edge- tighter production, unpredictable structure shifts, and jarring atonal horn and orchestral samples demonstrated the band's interest in augmenting its template with intrigue and sophistication.

The band has also embraced its girl power side more than ever. MC Ninja's assault was never much concerned with showcasing the delicacy and emotional depth of the fairer sex, but new tracks like "Ready to Go Steady" and "Secretary Song" have a doo-wop and garage-pop girl group pureness and softness to them. The bitter-sweat jangle of sunny "Buy Nothing Day," one of the standouts of Blackouts, was like an empowering acknowledgement of the confusing burdens of female adolescence.

Even as their music gets more nuanced, the band still bewilder with their live performance. All six members frantically ran around the stage, switching between guitar, drums and keyboards, as well as odder instruments like melodica, steel drums, banjo, and even a type-writer. They created walls of sound and guitar distortion, broke them down with crisp chorus singing, and leaped and cheerleaded at any moment that felt big enough (which was at least several times a song).

They might have had a bit too much fun, because as the band finished their performance with a giant group dog pile, Ninja appeared to have hurt herself fairly bad while caught in the middle. She was carried off-stage when she couldn't lift herself up, and was later evaluated by medics in an ambulance outside, flanked by all her concerned band mates.

Ninja later posted this message to Facebook:

Ninja says: Ended up in hospital last night after the Brooklyn show. A band member body-slammed me in the ribs! (All in the name of rock) Thought I had a punctured lung. X-rays showed no broken bones but I'm still sore. Spent the night in a Manhattan A&E with Sam and kept expecting an actor from Grey's Anatomy to walk past. It happened on stage and I think the crowd thought it was part of the show. Nuff scary.

Also, thank you Brooklyn for braving the violent weather to watch our violent show.

Even as an unpleasant end to a riotous and enthusiastic performance, it was proof that this team sticks together through it all. More pictures from the show, including one of the setlist, below...

Continue reading "The Go! Team played Brooklyn Bowl, Ninja left in an amublance (but is ok) -- pics & setlist"

The Go! Team @ Lollapalooza 2008 (more by Bao Nguyen)

The Go! Team added an April 12th Bowery Ballroom show to their previously announced tour that already included a Brooklyn Bowl show (which is now sold out, but "Limited Admissions at the Door"). Tickets for the new show are on sale.

Four dates on the Go! Team's short tour are with Dom who just announced a massive tour that includes SXSW and Philly, but no NYC dates. Dom is giving away a new free track that features contributions from Ayad of Passion Pit and Madeline and Brian of Cults at their bandcamp page. The remastered version of their EP Sun Bronzed Greek Gods is being released on 2/15 via Astralwerks/Burning Mill (LP, CD and digital).

All dates for both bands, and "An intro to Dom", and some Go! Team songs, below...

Continue reading "The Go! Team add a show, Dom announce a whole bunch"

Raccoons (by Penh)

Remember that 4/15 Brooklyn O'Death show we mentioned? It's happening at Knitting Factory and tickets are now on sale.

Remember that 3/03 Smith Westerns show at Mercury Lounge? Well it sold out already, but the band is also playing Knitting Factory two days later and tickets are on sale.

Tickets are still on sale for both Yann Tiersen shows at Highline Ballroom, but since first announcing they clarified that the Feb 18th show will be "unplugged with orchestra" and Feb 19th will be "regular band."

Speaking of two nights in a row at Highline Ballroom, tickets are on sale for both Devotchka/Mariachi El Bronx shows that are happening in March.

Tickets are on sale for the Versus show at Mercury Lounge.
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Versus the band should not be confused with "Versus: An evening of contests, interviews and duets" that is happening at Littlefield on 1/26 with Eugene Mirman, Julie Klausner, Sean O'Connor & Julian McCullough, Robert Krulwich, Damian Kulash, Michael Moschen, Lucy Wainwright Roche, Carla Rhodes & Cecil Sinclaire, The Brothers Lucas, Matt Oberg. Tickets are on sale for that too.

Takka Takka have been added as opener on the Trail of Dead show happening at Littlefield. Tickets are still on sale.

Back in December we mentioned that Kings Go Forth are playing Southpaw in February. They're playing SOB's too, and tickets are on sale for both (updated dates below).

The Go! Team return to NYC in April. They play Brooklyn Bowl on the 16th of that month. Tickets are on sale. All dates below.

Continue reading "the Smith Westerns, O'Death, Yann Tiersen, Devotchka, Kings Go Forth, The Go! Team & other tickets"

photos by Bao Nguyen

I liked The Go! Team at first, but now I really don't. Their live show, though energetic, has been a complete turn off for me. 'BrooklynVegan Mike' saw them this past weekend at Osheaga and holds a different opinion. Bao saw them this past weekend at Lollapalooza and I can't remember what he thinks and he's already at All Points West for the day where he may see The Go! Team again because they take the main 'Blue Comet' stage in less than 2 hours from the time I'm writing this. This is what it may look like...

Continue reading "The Go! Team - Lollapalooza pics, All Points West today"

Lollapalooza 2008 headliners confirmed
Lollapalooza's Austin, Texas-based promoters C3 Presents are not scheduled to make their official announcement of the acts performing at this year's weekend-long music festival in Grant Park until Monday, but the Sun-Times has confirmed through industry sources all of the major artists.

Art-rock giants Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails, the reunited Rage Against the Machine, Jack White's side project the Raconteurs and hometown heroes Wilco and Kanye West will headline the main stages on Aug. 1-3.

The Raconteurs, Wilco and West will each be making their second appearance at the reinvented destination festival. Other repeaters among the more than 100 acts on this year's bill are Gnarls Barkley, the Black Keys, Broken Social Scene, G. Love & Special Sauce, Blues Traveler and Mates of State.

Quite a few of the other acts -- including many of the most promising -- have earlier performed at Chicago's two independently produced music festivals, Pitchfork and Intonation. These include Bloc Party, Cat Power, Stephen Malkmus, Girl Talk, Kid Sister, Office, the Cool Kids, Battles, the Go! Team, Jamie Lidell and Grizzly Bear.

Advance three-day passes are now on sale for a limited time for $190 (after which the price increases to $205) at www.lollapalooza.com. [Chicago Sun Times] (thx Hiro)

Now with new music, The Go! Team are returning to the States to play a few shows. That includes October 27th @ Bowery Ballroom, and the next day at Studio B.

Their new album 'Proof of Youth' is out September 11th via Sub Pop/Memphis Industries.

The album is another treble-heavy adventure in audio, bombing melodies into the stone-age with its needle-in-the-red, anti-production approach and lurching from bubblegum pop to white noise in a heartbeat. And this time, it’s not just the band—they’ve invited some of their friends to the party, including hip-hop luminary Chuck D of Public Enemy, the original Double Dutch Divas, Maryland’s pint-sized Rapper’s Delight Club, Marina from Bonde Do Role, Amsterdam’s Solex, and Washington, DC’s Frederick Douglas All Star Cheer Team.

Cover art, tracklist, and all tour dates below...

Continue reading "The Go! Team - 2007 Tour Dates & Sub Pop album"