photos by Sachyn Mital

"Saw We Were Promised Jetpacks tonight at Rockefeller Center for Fashions Night Out! They were amazing!" - Amy DiReda

We Were Promised Jetpacks at Rockefeller Center - 9/6/12

We Were Promised Jetpacks brought their tour to NYC for a free outdoor Fashion's NIght Out (9/6) show at Rockefeller Center with The Lonely Forest. Ken Grand-Pierre wrote on his tumblr, "We Were Promised Jetpacks proved that you could be just as rowdy in a fancy plaza as you could be in a basement esque venue dripping with sweat. It was brilliant seeing the Fashion Night Out crowd go from confused to just going with it, and seeing their fans jumping up and down during the Jetpacks set was awesome."

WWPJ continue their tour at Amityville's Ollie's Point tonight (9/10) and come to Brooklyn on Tuesday (9/11) at The Bell House. Advance tickets for the Bell House show are still available.

More pictures from the FNO show are below.

Continue reading "We Were Promised Jetpacks played a Fashion's Night Out show at Rockefeller Center (pics); Brooklyn show is Tuesday"

"Superfly Presents and A.C. Entertainment are excited to announce the initial lineup for the 2012 Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival. The 11th annual four-day camping and music festival will be held on June 7 - 10 on the same beautiful 700-acre farm in Manchester, Tennessee, 60 miles south of Nashville. A full list of confirmed acts follows, and more will be announced in the coming weeks. The final Bonnaroo 2012 lineup will total over 125 bands and over 20 comedians performing on 13 stages over four days.Tickets for the event will go on sale on this Saturday, February 18, 2012 at 12 noon EST exclusively at bonnaroo.com."

Continue reading "Bonnaroo 2012 lineup announced"

Portugal. The Man at SXSW 2011 (more by Dominick Mastrangelo)

Portugal. The Man, who were just in NYC for two shows last week (how were they?), kicked off a European tour today. In April, they'll head out on a full North American tour which extends into early May with support from The Lonely Forest. That tour hits the NYC-area on April 20 at Music Hall of Williamsburg and April 21 at Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, NJ. Tickets for the MHOW show go on sale Friday (1/27) at noon with an AmEx presale starting Wednesday (1/25) at noon and tickets for the Starland show go on sale Friday at 10 AM with an AmEx presale starting Wednesday at 10 AM.

Check out a video of them covering Mott the Hoople's "All the Young Dudes" at both NYC shows, along with all dates below...

Continue reading "Portugal. The Man played NYC shows, announce tour (dates)"

Zola Jesus at Pitchfork Fest (more by Dominick Mastrangelo)

Seattle's KEXP will present free daytime live radio broadcasts during CMJ from the lobby of NYC's Ace Hotel again this year.

On October 19, Zola Jesus, We Are Augustines, Portugal. The Man, and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah will perform during the day with "Matador, 4AD, and Rough Trade DJs" at night. On October 20, there will be performances by Widowspeak, Givers(who opens for Portugal. The Man at Webster Hall), Dum Dum Girls (who also plays Bowery Ballroom), and The Lonely Forest, and DJ sets by Acephale Records and RVNG INTL. On October 21, there will be performances by WATERS (who has other CMJ shows), EMA (who has two other CMJ shows), Atlas Sound, and one more TBA, and DJ sets by Group Tightener and Merge Records. You can just show up and watch, or else tune into KEXP to listen on those days.

Speaking of Zola Jesus, her great new LP, Conatus, came out today via Sacred Bones. Stream the entire thing at The Guardian. She has other CMJ shows at Knitting Factory and Le Poisson Rouge.

Full CMJ KEXP schedule below...

Continue reading "KEXP recording CMJ sets @ the Ace Hotel, new Zola Jesus out today (and still streaming)"

photos by Dana (distortion) Yavin

"We're Death Cab for Cutie from Seattle, Washington," he had announced after a quick opener of three of their classics: "Bend to Squares," "The New Year" and "Why'd You Want to Live Here." "Thanks for coming out to this label showcase. We're trying to get a record deal tonight." Gibbard was clearly making a joke, but it also seemed like he's actually nostalgic for the days before his band was signed to a major label and selling out small shows like this one in a matter of minutes. It's hard not to be slightly cynical about this pose - the indie rocker professing to be horribly conflicted by his commercial success - but it was also a reminder about how much Gibbard's life actually has changed since he started Death Cab in Bellingham, Washington in 1997. [Rolling Stone]

If you weren't able to get into the too-small venue, you can catch Death Cab with Frightened Rabbit at the much larger Williamsburg Waterfront on August 2, part of a larger tour for the two bands. Tickets for the Brooklyn show are still available.

Check out more pictures and the full setlist from the Bowery show, below...

Continue reading "Death Cab For Cutie played Bowery Ballroom (pics, setlist)"

Two Door Cinema Club at Coachella (more by David Andrako)

"We've decided to do one last tour before we take a little time off to finish the second album. We're very excited to be heading back out to the USA and Canada in September! It's probably the best line up we've ever had with support coming from Bombay Bicycle Club and The Lonely Forest." - Two Door Cinema Club

Meanwhile The Lonely Forest will support Death Cab for Cutie on the tour later this month that includes the uber-sold out Bowery Ballroom on June 1st. Death Cab For Cutie is also scheduled to play Williamsburg Waterfront on August 2 as part of their later tour with Frightened Rabbit.

All tour dates below...

Continue reading "Two Door Cinema Club, Bombay Bicycle Club & The Lonely Forest --- 2011 Tour Dates"

Death Cab For Cutie at Radio City Music Hall (more by Eric M. Townsend)

In addition to the previously-announced "limited 13 date run" of small venues in support of Codes & Keys, Death Cab For Cutie have announced a larger set of North American dates taking place later in the summer. Those include an NYC show at a venue a little bit bigger than (the way sold-out) Bowery Ballroom. Tickets go on fan presale on 4/29 and general sale Friday May 6th for DCFC at Williamsburg Waterfront on August 2nd with Frightened Rabbit who open a bunch of shows on the tour (as you can see in the list of dates below).

The Lonely Forest are Death Cab's tour-openers during the small-venue part. They play the sold out Bowery show, but you can catch them in NYC even sooner: they play NYC this Friday night, 4/29, with the Joy Formidable at Webster Hall. Tickets are still available. All dates from that tour are also below.

DCFC will also appear on a forthcoming episode of VH1's Storytellers (airing 5/27) and recently posted a trio of songs from their new album to soundcloud. Stream all three below alongside all dates below...

Continue reading "Death Cab For Cutie touring w/ Frightened Rabbit (playing Williamsburg Waterfront) -- 2011 dates"

Death Cab for Cutie's seventh LP is on the way. Codes and Keys, pictured above, will be released by Atlantic Records on May 31 which is around the time the band will be on the road for a limited 13 date run dubbed the 'Underplay' tour. After playing the sold out Sasquatch on 5/28, DCFC will in head to NYC for an 'underplay' at the too-small Bowery Ballroom on June 1st with The Lonely Forest who also open more dates on the tour. SPIN says that "ticket pre-sale for fan club members begins on March 24, with general sales on March 26."

All dates, the new LP track listing and some videos, below...

Continue reading "Death Cab For Cutie releasing new LP, touring small venues"

photos by Amanda Hatfield, words by Rachel Kowal

It was a night of tempered (but cautiously hopeful) expectations at the Music Hall of Williamsburg last Wednesday (9/29). With Rogue Wave/Midlake playing at Webster Hall and Best Coast at the Bowery Ballroom, the competition for the evening was fierce, and it didn't help matters that the headliner of the evening, Margot & The Nuclear So & So's, recently lost/replaced a number of its members, including the band's only female - Emily Watkins.

Though energetic enough, even the two out-of-town openers seemed to have relatively low expectations. Each were convinced that no one knew who they were, but during both sets there were moments of recognition and appreciation from the audience that helped to lighten the mood and inject some energy into the sparsely populated room. At one point, opener Cameron McGill dedicated an older song to a friend, saying, "not that anyone has that album" only for someone to yell out, "I do!"

For The Lonely Forest, that uplifting moment came early in the set when someone yelled out, "Tomato Soup!" "What? Metal Soup?" asked lead singer John Van Deusen. "TOMATO SOUP!" the fan yelled again. "Holy shit! You know one of our songs? Wow." Van Deusen's dimpled smile registered his excitement. "Someone actually knows who we are." The three members not constrained by a drum kit proceeded to show their enthusiasm by jumping around on stage.

As for Margot, though a number of fans sang along, the reception was largely underwhelming, and the relatively low turn-out didn't help matters. Sadly, it seemed that the change in line-up took a tool on both the band the audience. The venue pushed back the show by 20 minutes since attendance was so slim an hour after doors, and they even closed off the balcony in a painfully obvious attempt to plump up the pit.

Kudos to Margot multi-instrumentalist Erik Kang for keeping a smile on his face and punching up the set with regular contributions from the lap steel and occasional (but always delightful) violin interludes. The absence of the cello, horns, and backing female vox (all distinguishing features for the band in the past) was certainly felt.

Of course there were high points, like crowd pleasers "Skeleton Key" and "Quiet Like a Mouse," but overall, the set dragged. By the time someone came on stage and left behind two bottles of partially consumed Jameson, the band was already wrapping things up. One song later, lead singer Richard Edwards thanked everyone for coming and headed off stage.

It was the rare occasion when an encore didn't seem like a given. Before the room began to empty, however, there was a glimmer of hope for fans. Kang briefly appeared in the empty balcony to survey the crowd before making his way back to the stage, and at his beckoning, the band returned for another two songs.

The ultimate cringe moment of the evening came just before the encore. Everyone but Edwards had appeared back on stage, prompting bass player Tyler Watkins to teasingly say, "I think someone's missing." After a brief pause, a response came from near the front of the crowd. "Yeah. Like half of the members of your band." (Yikes.)

Despite my chagrin that night, I like Margot. They were good sports for the most part, but I fear the group's recent restructuring seems to have left them somewhat detached and dejected - like a band recovering from a forced lobotomy. Let's hope Margot's identity is still in flux.

--

The Music Hall show was one of two NYC dates on a larger tour for the band in promotion of their new LP Buzzard which is out now.

More pictures from the Brooklyn show, and videos from both NYC shows, below...

Continue reading "Margot & The Nuclear So & So's played Bowery & MHOW (pics)"

DOWNLOAD: Margot & the nuclear so and so's - Lunatic, Lunatic, Lunatic (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Margot & the nuclear so and so's - New York City Hotel Blues (MP3)

old band picture

new band picture

Margot & the nuclear so and so's, now with a new lineup (see above), are on tour now in support of their new album called Buzzard. They relesaed it via their very own label they call Mariel Recordings (with distribution via Redeye). Download "Lunatic, Lunatic, Lunatic" and "New York City Hotel Blues" from that album above.

And speaking of NYC hotels, the Indiana band might be staying in one as I write this because they play Bowery Ballroom in Manhattan tonight (Sunday, 9/26) . Tickets are still available for that show and for the show the band is playing Wednesday at Music Hall of Williamsburg. Both shows, and I assume at least part of the tour, are with The Lonely Forest and Cameron McGill & What Army. All dates below...

Continue reading "Margot & the nuclear so and so's on tour (dates & new MP3s)"

photos by Chris Graham

"At the sold-out Sasquatch, bands holding down the headliner spots haven't necessarily turned out to be the biggest draws. Sure, My Morning Jacket played to a mostly packed house on Saturday, and Massive Attack was overwhelmingly solid on Sunday despite a not-so-full amphitheater floor, but the band drawing the most populous, most stoked, most deserved gathering was unquestionably Vampire Weekend." [SPIN]

Continue reading "Sasquatch 2010 Day 1 in pics (My Morning Jacket, Hold Steady, Broken Social Scene, Vampire Weekend, Miike Snow & more) "

We'll get a more complete press release in the morning (and confirm what is listed below is 100% correct), but in the meantime below is a picture of the 2010 Sasquatch poster (that someone Tweeted) and the lineup as read by Bradford Cox at tonight's Atlas Sound show in Seattle (and being listed all over the Internet)....

Continue reading "Sasquatch announces 2010 lineup (includes Massive Attack & My Morning Jacket) (and many more) "

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 "