Josh T Pearson @ BV-SXSW 2011 (more by Amanda Hatfield)

Check out Rough Trade's list of the Top 100 Albums of 2011 (yay Josh T Pearson!), below...

Continue reading "Rough Trade's Top 100 albums of 2011 "

The Hold Steady at Fun Fun Fun Fest 2010 (more)

Last month, we announced that Truck America is returning to the Catskills in September (the 9th through the 11th) and will be headlined by The Hold Steady and Okkervil River. The only other confirmed bands at the time were Ra Ra Riot and Wye Oak. The lineup has since been updated to include Fruit Bats, Vetiver, The Felice Brothers, CItay, Gary Higgins, Lady Lamb the Beekeeper, Takka Takka, Hospitality, The Low Anthem and others. Check out the full list below. Early bird tickets are still on sale.

For The Low Anthem, it's one of many dates they just announced including one at Terminal 5 with Iron & Wine.

Speaking of The Hold Steady, frontman Craig Finn posted to his Tumblr that he's making a solo album:

"I'm in Austin TX for a few weeks. Making a record. Staying in a friend's guest house. Got here yesterday. So far so good. I'll be tracking the progress here."

Check out the full Truck America lineup update below...

Continue reading "Truck America expands lineup, Craig Finn working on solo LP"

photos by Toby Tenenbaum

The Low Anthem @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

Last night, 6/15, The Low Anthem played their second NYC area show in three months with Daniel Lefkowitz (they played Bowery in March). The show was at Music Hall of Williamsburg and this time also included a set by These United States. Photographer Toby Tenenbaum described it as "one of the best of the year so far".

Former Low Anthem member Dan Lefkowitz opened the show with a delicate folk/Blues set. He was joined for the last two songs of his set by a bow and saw and the Low Anthem drummer.

These United States followed soon after with an energetic set to contrast Lefkowitz's. The Low Anthem went on stage at 11PM. They played for just under 2 hours... the highlight of the evening [was] when the band surrounded the microphone for the ensemble acoustic numbers. During the encore for "This Old House" Ben Knox Miller performed his now-famous cell phone "69" feedback trick asking all audience members to call the person next to them and place their cell phone inverted next to each other to eerie, yet tuneful, effect.

Continue reading "The Low Anthem played Music Hall of Williamsburg w/ These United States & Daniel Lefkowitz (pics)"

Pete Seeger at Clearwater 2009 (more by )

The 2011 edition of the Clearwater Festival boasts some big names over its two days, June 18th and 19th, in Croton Point Park in Croton-on-Hudson, NY. Founder Pete Seeger will be joined by Drive-By Truckers, Martin Sexton, Indigo Girls, Josh Ritter, Arlo Guthrie, Suzanne Vega, Billy Bragg (who plays NYCx3 a month later), and man other artists who are listed elow. Tickets are still available.

In related news, Martin Sexton will play four NYC shows before that Clearwater appearance, as part of a residency at City Winery. Tickets are sold-out for Martin Sexton on June 2nd, 3rd, & 4th at the venue but he just added a fourth late show on 6/4, and tickets are still available.

All Martin Sexton tour dates and the full Clearwater lineup is below.

Continue reading "Clearwater Fest 2011 lineup & other Martin Sexton dates"

photos by Dominick Mastrangelo

The Low Anthem @ Bowery Ballroom

From the boot-stomping joy of "Hey All You Hippies" (a song off the new album Smart Flesh), to a classical interlude--a clarinet trio playing "Wire," composed by Adams--there is never a dull moment. Before beginning "This God Damn House," Miller instructs the audience to call each other, and hold their phones together when he does the same. The effect is an electrical chirp pulsating throughout the room, producing a sound that is at one moment like a landing spaceship on The X-Files, at another like a field full of crickets.

The encore is the title song off an earlier album, Oh My God Charlie Darwin.... Spellbound, it feels like the whole crowd has broken out in goose bumps. -[New York Press]

Tickets go on sale at noon today (4/8) for a new Low Anthem show at Music Hall of Williamsburg on June 15th, one date of a larger tour for the band that will see them link up with Iron & Wine for some dates, with Mumford & Sons and Daniel Lefkowitz for others (the NYC show doesn't have openers listed yet).

All tour dates, a video and more pictures from the Bowery show, below...

Continue reading "The Low Anthem touring, played Bowery Ballroom (pics), add Brooklyn show (updated dates)"

Bonnaroo (June 9-12 in Manchester Tennessee) has announced the 2011 lineup (slightly early), and like the rumored Lollapalooza lineup, Eminem is among the headliners. Bonnaroo also has Grammy winners Arcade Fire and the Black Keys, in addition to Lil Wayne, Mumford & Sons, the Strokes, The Decemberists, Florence & the Machine, Girl Talk, Beirut (haven't seen them in a while), and many more. Full list below...

Continue reading "Bonnaroo 2011 lineup is here"

DOWNLOAD: Iron & Wine - Tree By the River (new MP3)

Iron & Wine @ Greenespace on 1/5 (more by Aaron Epstein)

Friday, January 28, 2011
7:00 pm - 8:00 pm - Live from SoHo: Iron and Wine
Iron and Wine's Sam Beam has become one of today's greatest musical storytellers, crafting meticulous tales full of forlorn love, religious imagery, and wistful dreams. Join us at the Apple Store for this very special live show by Iron&Wine as they perform tracks from the newly released album, "Kiss Each Other Clean." For guaranteed admission, stop by to pick up a wristband starting Thursday, January 27, at 9:00 a.m.
[Apple Store SoHo]

Meanwhile, those with a TV can check out Iron & Wine on Conan tonight (1/24), and those who either live in California or have an internet connection, can partake in a free show at Amoeba Records in Hollywood.

Iron & Wine (AKA Sam Beam and band) perform live at Amoeba Music Hollywood in celebration of the new album, Kiss Each Other Clean, out 1/25 on Warner Bros. This very special show will also be streamed live on amoeba.com for those who can't be there!

Fans can pre-purchase the new album starting at 5pm on 1/24 and receive a limited-edition Iron & Wine "Live at Amoeba" poster (while they last). Signing after the performance is limited to the first 100 purchasers.

Iron & Wine play live at The Wiltern January 25 & 26.

Iron & Wine's 1/25 Wiltern show is with Laura Marling whose only other upcoming show is in NYC on 1/30. Iron & Wine's 1/26 Wiltern show is with The Low Anthem who also head out on the road with Iron & Wine in April, but not before playing Bowery Ballroom in March. Updated Iron & Wine tour dates (many more North American shows since we last spoke) and updated dates for Cold War Kids and Low Anthem too, below...

Continue reading "Iron & Wine on Conan & streaming from Amoeba Records, add free Apple Store show -- updated dates & Cold War Kids too"

The Low Anthem headlined a Lincoln Center show last night, and have added a headlining show at Bowery Ballroom to their schedule today. Tickets to the March 8th show go on sale at noon.

The Mynabirds are playing Mercury Lounge on March 7th. Tickets go on sale at noon.

Tickets are go on sale at noon for the Hold Steady shows at MHOW & Terminal 5.

Tickets go on sale at noon for the Middle Brother shows at Music Hall of Williamsburg and Bowery Ballroom.

Tickets go on sale at noon for the Of Montreal show at Webster Hall.

Tickets go on sale at noon for the Pains of Being Pure At Heart show at Webster Hall.

Tickets go on sale at noon for the Gwar shows at MHOW and Starland Ballroom.

Tickets go on sale at noon for the Summer Camp show at Mercury Lounge.

Tickets go on sale at noon for the Motorhead/Clutch/Valient Thorr show happening at Best Buy Theater. and for the one at Starland Ballroom.

Fang Island is playing a headlining show at Bowery Ballroom on March 11th. Openers TBA. Tickets go on sale at noon.

Tickets go on sale at noon for the Toro Y Moi shows at Bowery Ballroom and Music Hall of Williamsburg.

Tickets go on sale at noon for the Cave Singers / Lia Ices show at Music Hall of Williamsburg.

Tickets go on sale at noon for the Lost in the Trees show at Mercury Lounge.

Tickets go on sale at noon for the Lucinda Williams shows at Webster Hall.

Tickets go on sale at noon for the OMD/Oh Land show at Webster Hall.

Tickets go on sale at noon for the Versus show at Mercury Lounge.

Tickets are still on sale for the Sam Amidon show at Glasslands.

Tickets are now on sale for the 3rd NYC show Little Dragon just added.

Tickets are now on presale for the Kylie Minogue shows coming up at Hammerstein Ballroom.

words & photos by Dominick Mastrangelo

On an old bio page for Rhode Island's The Low Anthem, the last line reads, "The snowball gathers speed."

And in this winter of near-record snow perhaps there's no better way to describe the past year and the year ahead for the folk rock quartet. In recent days they played Letterman and a spot on WNYC's Soundcheck and capped it with a breathtaking performance at Jazz at Lincoln Center on Thursday night (1/13).

The band is already out in support of their upcoming release, Smart Flesh, due February 22nd via Nonesuch (tracklist below), and the unique venue and view that the Allen Room provides, overlooking Columbus Circle seemingly prompted the band to up their game just a bit more.

For their American Songbook set, a beautiful pump organ that was given to the band, was shipped from Providence just for the performance. It hovered over the much smaller pump organ the band usually plays during their shows. Lead singer Ben Knox Miller said it might be the only show they play with it due to the cost of moving such a large, fragile instrument from city to city. Miller's brother, Steve, came up to crank the organ on the couple songs it was used and after one song Miller thanked him for "performing that demeaning task."

The band said they worked during soundcheck to get the sound just right. Given how full songs like set-opener "For Those Who Write History Books" sounded or the snap of the drums on the unusually subdued cover, "Sally Where'd You Get Your Liquor From" or how hushed yet crisp the harmonies of "Ghost Woman Blues" (which they performed on Letterman) were, the extra effort to get the sound just so paid off.

When the band came out for their one-song encore, "This God Damn House," Miller asked everyone to ready their phones as he does almost every time they play the song. And in the instant toward the end of that melancholy song, when Miller whistled into his two cell phones, the audience's phones, set to speaker, crackled to life. Miller turned as he whistled and faced the massive windows and cityscape before him in a bit of wonder. Or perhaps because the sound of that haunting chirp echoing through the room resembled crickets - and that late-night country staple contrasted so starkly against the rushing city below.

UPDATE: The Low Anthem will return to NYC to play Bowery Ballroom on March 8th. Tickets are on sale.

More pictures from the NYC show, new album info, new video the Letterman video, and more dates, below...

Continue reading "The Low Anthem played 'American Songbook' @ Lincoln Center (and Letterman) -- pics & video & more tour dates"

photos by Chris La Putt

Emmylou Harris & the Low Anthem

The Low Anthem opened for, and performed with (see above), Emmylou Harris at the Wellmont Theater in Montclair, NJ on November 13th. A set of pictures from that show is in this post. And:

On February 22, The Low Anthem will release Smart Flesh, the self-produced follow up to their critically lauded 2009 release Oh My God, Charlie Darwin on Nonesuch. The majority of Smart Flesh's eleven tracks were recorded in a cavernous, vacant pasta sauce factory in Central Falls, RI. Additional tracking was done in a Providence garage, dubbed the "gator pit." Mike Mogis (Bright Eyes, Monsters of Folk) mixed the record in Omaha with additional mixing by engineer Jesse Lauter (Elvis Perkins) in New York. The Low Anthem is four multi-instrumentalists - Ben Knox Miller, Jeff Prystowsky, Jocie Adams, and newest member Mat Davidson.

All Low Anthem tour dates and more pictures from the Wellmont, below...

Continue reading "The Low Anthem played Wellmont Theater w/ Emmylou Harris, releasing new album, touring (dates)"

photos by Matthew Eisman

Swell Season @ Prospect Park on July 30th

"In support of a new record, Strict Joy, the Swell Season came to Brooklyn to play to a hypnotized, but almost manic crowd. "Low Rising" from Strict Joy represented the best of where the Swell Season are going - soulful, deep seeded pop music. So no surprise when they later turned out Van the Man's "Into the Mystic", with a backing New York horn section. And they kept the orchestral machinations of the Once soundtrack to a minimum, focusing instead on electric and acoustic guitars, relying on one solid fiddle player for strings. And of course they shined strongest on the sparse acoustic torch songs, just the two of them on "Falling Slowly" (the way the song was meant to be played), and Glenn in particular on the almost over-the-top-it's-so-good "Say It To Me Now".

Meanwhile, The Low Anthem just about stole the damn show. The Low Anthem are a band, and Oh My God, Charlie Darwin is a record, that personifies American roots without immediately summoning a particular brand of it. What's evoked is a creeky, wooden empty room in a house, about sundown, and a few candles or incandescent bulbs alight in a chandelier. The guitars, the horns, the keys, the saw, that amazing upright bass (with a solo for the books) - the ghosts of America, thoughtful and contemplative, lost. Something where Moby Dick, Andrew Jackson, the Civil War, and Leadbelly have a get together."
[Sonic Parthenon]

Both bands also played the Newport Folk Fest over the weekend, and NPR streamed and recorded both sets. The Low Anthem doesn't seem to be up at the moment, but The Swell Season can be listened to now.

One-half of the Swell Season Glen Hansard will be back in NYC in November for a show with his band the Frames at Terminal 5.

The Low Anthem play a free show in CT on Tuesday night (8/3).

More pictures and videos from the show (and Swell Season's performance on Jimmy Kimmel) are below...

Continue reading "The Swell Season & Low Anthem played Celebrate Brooklyn (pics & video) & Newport Folk Festival (stream) "

The Swell Season @ 92YTribeca (more by Chris La Putt)

The Swell Season & The Low Anthem on Friday, July 30th will be a highlight of the Celebrate Brooklyn season of free shows this summer in Prospect Park (so will Sonic Youth and Sharon Jones). The full schedule is HERE.

The new Brooklyn show is two days before the Swell Season, whose last NYC show was at Radio City, take part in the Newport Folk Festival, and it's one of many shows they have coming up

The Low Anthem also play the Newport Folk Festival, but one day earlier. Their last NYC show was at the Bell House and their other upcoming tour dates include a July 29th gig at Concerts in the Studio in Freehold, NJ.

All dates for both bands below...

Continue reading "The Swell Season & Low Anthem playing a free show in Prospect Park (and other tour dates) "

photos by Dominick Mastrangelo

In a bold move for a live performance, The Low Anthem performed several numbers huddled around one microphone at the center of the stage. As the crowd grew quiet Miller's guitar and voice would begin, drenched in reverb, to take over. Supported perfectly by his bandmates, the result was stunning. To say the very least, they are incredibly accurate as vocalists, and no one voice takes over, but all work in harmony with each other. The addition of a fourth member last year allowed the group to add some excellent touches to their live repertoire. Most notably, the saw and a fiddle made appearances during these low-key portions of the set. And judging by the new material on display here, the four-piece is going to be something to talk about for the rest of the year.

Timber Timbre were the perfect pairing here. The trio opened the night with a set of acoustic and ambient bliss. The collection of songs was minimal while sounding huge. Sparing, but well placed, vocals from Taylor Kirk accompanied a violin, a lapsteel guitar, and Kirk's driving guitar. [Paper Trail Music]

Continue reading "The Low Anthem & Timber Timbre @ the Bell House (pics)"

Newport Folk Festival 2009 (more by Jim Brueckner)

Newport Folk Festival will be happening again at Fort Adams State Park in Newport, Rhode Island, on July 31st and August 1st. The fest will also host a Friday night show on July 30th at the International Tennis Hall of Fame at Newport Casino.

The lineup so far includes Levon Helm's Ramble on the Road, John Prine, Steve Martin & the Steep Canyon Rangers, Yim Yames of My Morning Jacket, The Swell Season, Andrew Bird, The Avett Brothers, Brandi Carlile, Doc Watson & David Holt, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, The Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings, Calexico, Blitzen Trapper, Richie Havens, Sam Bush, The Low Anthem, Tim O'Brien, The Felice Brothers, Justin Townes Earle, Tao Seeger Band, A.A. Bondy, The Punch Brothers with Chris Thile, Dawes, Nneka, Horse Feathers, Pokey LaFarge & the South City Three, Ben Sollee & Daniel Martin Moore, Sarah Jarosz, Cory Chisel & the Wandering Sons, O'Death and Liz Longley.

Tickets are on sale.

Here are pictures from DAY ONE and DAY TWO of last year's fest. Videos from last year and the list of the artists playing this year, by day, is below...

Continue reading "Newport Folk Fest 2010 - initial lineup, dates & tickets "

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: Anais Mitchell - Flowers (Eurydice's Song) (mp3)
DOWNLOAD: Anais Mitchell - Wait For Me w/ Justin Vernon (mp3)
DOWNLOAD: Anais Mitchell - Cosmic American (MP3)

Speaking of The Low Anthem, The Low Anthem's Ben Knox Miller recently joined Justin Vernon (Bon Iver), Greg Brown, Ani DiFranco, and Petra, Rachel, and Tanya Haden to play on the new record by Anais Mitchell, Hadestown, which is due out March 9th on Righteous Babe. The record is a concept album about the Greek myth of Orpheus & Euridice, and each of those singers plays a role...

Hadestown began its existence in 2006 as a live "folk opera" that the Vermont-based singer/songwriter created in collaboration with director Ben t. Matchstick (Bread & Puppet Theater) and arranger/orchestrator Michael Chorney. After loading the sets and the 22-member cast of Vermont performers into a former circus bus and touring New England during "full-on winter," it was time to rework a few songs. Next, Mitchell called upon a few fellow musicians to lend their voices to a recorded version--not a cast album, but a stand-alone, self-contained song cycle. The result is a veritable Who's Who of modern indie folk/rock: Justin Vernon of Bon Iver plays Orpheus; Greg Brown is Hades, Lord of the Underworld ("king of the kingdom of dirt"); and Ani DiFranco plays Hades' strong-willed, subversive wife, Persephone. Also on hand in smaller roles are the Haden Triplets (Petra, Rachel, and Tanya) as the Greek-chorus-like Fates and Ben Knox Miller of The Low Anthem as the messenger Hermes. Mitchell herself sings the part of Eurydice, the character whose (metaphoric) death propels Orpheus into "Hadestown."

In other Justin Vernon collaboration news, he recently performed live with St. Vincent two times (one, two) in NYC, and one of his Bon Iver songs is covered on the new Peter Gabriel album.

Anais's upcoming shows include an April 23rd show at Joe's Pub billed as "Anais Mitchell & the Hadestown Orchestra". Tickets are on sale. All dates and a video of Anais performing with Justin, below...

Continue reading "Anais Mitchell playing shows, releasing 'Hadestown' - concept album w/ Justin Vernon, Greg Brown, Hadens, more (MP3s)"

DOWNLOAD: The Low Anthem - Charlie Darwin (Live On WOXY) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Low Anthem - Sally, Where'd You Get Your Liquor From? (Live On WOXY) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Low Anthem - This God Damn House (Live On WOXY) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Low Anthem - Cage The Songbird (Live On WOXY) (MP3)

The Low Anthem...

The Low Anthem and Timber Timbre (Toronto's Taylor Kirk) team up for a tour after SXSW (which they'll both attend). The March & April trip has two NYC dates scheduled: the first at Bowery Ballroom on April 14th (tickets) and the second at the Bell House on April 16th (tickets).

Both groups released albums in 2009, Low Anthem with Oh My God, Charlie Darwin on Nonesuch and Timber Timbre with his third, self-titled record on Arts & Crafts (which is very worth checking out) (grab their Daytrotter session).

A bunch of videos and all tour dates, including plenty of Low Anthem shows with Avett Brothers, are posted below...

Continue reading "the Low Anthem touring w/ Timber Timbre, Avett Brothers"

by Andrew Frisicano

DOWNLOAD: Opsvik & Jennings - Windswept (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Opsvik & Jennings - Anchor Lane Parade (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Opsvik & Jennings - September and Starry-eyed (MP3)

Dave Douglas...

FONT (Festival of New Trumpet music) hosts Forward Flight, a four-night fest of diverse cross-genre jazz, chamber pop and classical, at Abrons Arts Center from Wednesday, January 13th to Saturday, January 16th. Last night was the opening benefit night which featured brass innovator and composer Dave Douglas, trumpeter and fest honoree Wilmer Wise and "a gathering of special surprise guests."

Tonight (1/14) Wise leads new chamber arrangements of Ornette Coleman works. Then Friday (1/15), the fest hosts an eclectic bill: chamber pop group Opsvik & Jennings pairs with electro-acoustic trumpeters Ignite a Noise Trumpet Trio (who also use iPhones, Wiimotes and more), Thrill Jockey jazz from Chicago Underground Duo (Rob Mazurek and Chad Taylor, whose new album Boca Negra , just came out on the label), and folk group The Low Anthem with special appearance by Dave Douglas. Full fest passes and individual tickets are on sale.

The tracks above are from Opsvik & Jennings's latest, A Dream I Used to Remember, which came out on the Loyal labelin 2009. A stop-motion video of Low Anthem's song "Charlie Darwin" is below.

Drummer Chad Taylor and another of his groups, Circle Down (with pianist Angelica Sanchez and bassist Chris Lightcap), will be at Jazz Gallery for two sets on January 14th. Tickets are on sale. The band plays again at The Stone on January 29th.

A full schedule and videos are below...

Continue reading "FONT Music's Forward Flight Fest is underway (Dave Douglas, Opsvik & Jennings, Low Anthem, & more)"

The December issue of Q Magazine is an 'Artists Of The Century' special edition, covering all of the acts that the fine staff of the good ship Q feel are the most important of the century so far. As befitting a special edition of the UK best selling music monthly requires a special cover was commissioned world renowned photographer John Wright has spent over a year shooting 34 artists to fit on triple fold out cover.

The issue is packed to the gills with pieces written by Russell Brand on Noel Gallagher, Glastonbury founder Michael Eavis on Coldplay and Queens Of The Stone Age frontman Josh Homme on The Arctic Monkeys. In addition it also includes exclusive interviews and photos from the likes of Amy Winehouse, Dizzee Rascal, U2, Dave Grohl, Lily Allen, Rihanna, Sir Paul McCartney, Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day, Brandon Flowers from The Killers, Elbow's Guy Garvey, Pink, Muse's Matt Bellamy, Murdoc from Gorillaz, The Kings Of Leon, Mark Ronson, Mika, Nick Cave, Robert Plant, Florence Welch, Gary Lightbody of Snow Patrol and Tom Chaplin of Keane.

Continue reading "Q Magazine's Top Albums of 2009 "

"Join hosts Nick and Helen Forster at this 2-plus hour special recording of the nationally syndicated radio variety show "eTown." This "more-than-a-concert" experience will feature live performances PLUS up close and personal conversations with musical guests Tori Amos and Jesse Winchester as well as the presentation of this week's prestigious E-Chievement Award®." That describes what's going on at The Grand Ballroom at Manhattan Center on December 7th. Tickets are on sale.

Lady Gaga has added two more shows at Radio City Music Hall making the total four. Tickets to the new shows go on sale Friday morning.

Rosanne Cash, The Low Anthem and Mike Doughty all play a WFUV Holiday Cheer Benefit Concert together at the Concert Hall in NYC on December 8th. Tickets are on sale.

Yeasayer tickets are on American Express presale.

ALL and other tickets are on sale too.

photos by Jim Brueckner

"Half a century ago, Pete Seeger helped found the Newport Folk Festival, a weekend notorious for its dichotomies- Rhode Island high society and scrappy folk singers, old time traditions and new sounds, social rebellion and responsible activism. At this year's 50th anniversary, the festival came full circle for Seeger and other Newport regulars.

In addition to appearing and performing for the umpteenth time, Seeger was honored with an all out stage show courtesy of indie rockers the Decemberists. With frontman Colin Meloy narrating and guitarist Chris Funk playing the part of Seeger, plus Shara Worden (My Brightest Diamond) as Bob Dylan, the crew reenacted an infamous scene from the 1965 festival: the moment when Bob Dylan "went electric." According to Rolling Stone, while Funk was miming a frazzled Seeger attempting to unplug Dylan's raucous reinvention, Meloy quipped, "This was back in the day when the PA system was fueled entirely by burning wood. Pete was back there cutting the wood, and he became so overwhelmed with emotion that his hatchet almost slipped and severed the power cables."

Seeger knew the sketch was all in good fun and soon joined the Decemberists on stage for a sing-a-long. Gillian Welch, Fleet Foxes, and even Seeger's grandson Tao joined in on the jam. The 90-year-old legend even cranked out a solo or two. After all, as festival promoter George Wein said Saturday, "Pete Seeger is the Newport Folk Festival."" [American Songwriter]

Continue reading "Newport Folk Fest 50 - Day 1 pics, video, audio (Pete Seeger, Decemberists, Fleet Foxes, Shara Worden as Dylan & more)"

The Hold Steady @ Terminal 5 11/6/08 (more by Chris La Putt)

All four of the Hold Steady's scheduled NYC shows, June 8th - 11th, have sold out, though the group's second Music Hall of Williamsburg show (Thursday, June 11th) is part of the Northside Festival, which still has badges available.

Openers for those shows are Right on Dynamite (6/8 @ Bowery Ballroom), Mischief Brew (6/9 @ Bowery Ballroom), Gost Trio (6/10 @ MHOW) and Hype of the States (6/11 @ MHOW).

The Hold Steady's other upcoming dates include them playing as openers themselves for the Counting Crows (in the UK in May) and the Dave Matthews Band (in the US in June).

The band also just announced some new headlining dates including a Friday, July 24th show at the Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, NJ. Tickets go on sale Friday, May 15th at noon.

The Sayreville show is then one day before the Hold Steady play a show further south at the 2009 XPoNential Music Festival. The three days fest runs from July 24-26 at Wiggins Park at the Camden Waterfront. Yeasayer, Peter Bjorn and John, Aimee Mann, and many more artists are on the bill.

Complete fest lineup, and all Hold Steady tour dates below...

Continue reading "2009 XPoNential Music Festival lineup (in Camden) & more Hold Steady tour dates (Starland Ballroom)"

The 50th annual Newport Folk Festival will take place at Rhode Island's Fort Adams Park on Saturday, August 1st and Sunday, August 2nd. Tickets go on sale Wednesday, May 6th at 10am

Pete Seeger, who is a cofounder of the Festival and who just celebrated his 90th birthday with a show at MSG, will be playing both nights. On Sunday, he'll be joined by Judy Collins, who is also performing a free Folks on the Island show Sunday, July 26th on NYC's Governors Island.

Saturday acts at the Fest include Billy Bragg and Tom Morello, who just shared a stage with Iggy Pop at NYC's Nokia Theatre, and the Decemberists, who have a big summer tour that's stopping at NYC's Radio City Music Hall on June 10th, Fleet Foxes, who have tour dates including All Points West, and the Avett Brothers, who are on tour and playing NYC's Irving Plaza on June 12th and 13th. Langhorne Slim will be there too (he's also at Lollapalooza this summer). Iron & Wine are playing both this, and ATP NY.

Sunday's show is heavy on big-name folkies with Collins (mentioned above), Joan Baez and Arlo Guthrie all performing. Arlo Guthrie is also playing a free show at Castle Clinton in NYC this summer.

Neko Case, playing Sunday, just did two nights at NYC's Nokia Theater and will be at All Points West, among other festivals.

Elvis Perkins in Dearland will be there. Perkins and Co. played the Bowery in March, and their summer tour includes a May 20th show at the Bell House in Brooklyn (tickets), and the Clearwater Festival (another project founded by Seeger) on June 20th and 21st in Croton-on Hudson, NY.

Also on Sunday is Deer Tick, whose big summer includes opening for Jenny Lewis at MHoW on June 9th, headlining the Bowery on July 24th (tickets go on sale Friday, May 8th at noon), and playing a free Celebrate Brooklyn show at Prospect Park on August 7th.

Full Newport Fork Festival info below...

Continue reading "Newport Folk Festival - 2009 lineup & tickets info (Pete Seeger, Neko Case, Iron & Wine, The Decemberists & more)"

!!! is playing ACL 2009 (more by Chris Graham)

"The 2009 Austin City Limits Music Festival will showcase a diverse blend of acts both fresh and familiar at the eighth edition of the event in Zilker Park October 2-4. Pearl Jam, Dave Matthews Band, and Beastie Boys are performing for the first time at the Festival, with Kings of Leon, Ben Harper and Relentless7, and Thievery Corporation returning to Zilker Park once again. John Legend, The Dead Weather, and The Levon Helm Band will also make their ACL Festival debut, while Austin's own Ghostland Observatory will no doubt deliver another memorable set for festival goers.

With over 130 artists on this year's bill, the list of acts awes at each note with the likes of Sonic Youth, Mos Def, Toadies, Flogging Molly, The B-52s, Lily Allen, Citizen Cope, Arctic Monkeys, The Decemberists, Coheed and Cambria, Andrew Bird, Girl Talk, and many more.

In the tradition of the TV show from which it was born, the Festival has always aimed to offer musical discovery for the fans. The 2009 lineup is rich with pop, country, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, indie rock, hip-hop, and gospel, to name a few, spanning cultures and countries from New Orleans to Venezuela to France."

Continue reading "ACL (Austin City Limits) - 2009 festival lineup announcement"

"Though promoters around the country report strong early ticket sales for festivals and summer tours, the recession is causing jitters. This year Coachella, which has the most glamorous reputation of all American festivals, began selling tickets on layaway, and 18 percent of its customers took that option, Mr. Tollett said.

The proliferation of big festivals, like Bonnaroo near Nashville and Lollapalooza in Chicago, has not been without casualties. This year Langerado in Miami shut down, citing the economy. The Pemberton Festival in British Columbia is on hiatus after only one year, although its promoter, Live Nation, said the problem was permit delays." [NY Times]

Continue reading "Lollapalooza 2009 - the official & complete lineup"