by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Wild Beasts - "Loop the Loop" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Wooden Birds - Two Matchsticks (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Rayon Beach - Wave Pool Ether (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: John Wesley Coleman - Ooh Basketball (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Urge Overkill - Effigy (MP3)

Tom Vek

This week is kind of nuts. I know you're all probably just going to be spending it reading A Dance with Dragons or going to see Harry Potter, but here's your TWII action... let's get into it.

Tom Vek is here for two shows, his first U.S. shows since 2005: an early show tonight (7/12) at Mercury Lounge and tomorrow (7/13) at Union Pool. I don't think either are sold out. His second album Leisure Seizure -- six years in the making -- has remained in constant rotation on my stereo since getting a copy in May and I'm pretty excited for these shows.

The new record still sounds like Tom Vek -- the staccato drum beats, sparse arrangements, his laid-back vocal style -- and maybe it's the absence but it still sounds fresh. It's a great record and a welcome return. I have no idea who is in his band these days, but he was fantastic live back when he toured for We Have Sound in 2005. I have a feeling he's still got it.

Wild Beasts

Wild Beasts are over for four East Coast shows, including two nights at Le Poisson Rouge on Wednesday (7/13) and Thursday (7/14). (They're also playing Philly and D.C.) These will be the first the band have done since releasing their third album, Smother, back in May. As I've said before, this is subtler album than Two Dancers that shows the influence of Talk Talk and The Blue Nile in particular. It's a grower, as they say, and a worthy successor to 2009's best album. Check out "Loop the Loop" at the top of this post.

Live, Wild Beasts are truly something to behold,  transcending their records every time (at least every time I've seen them). Sky Larkin's Katie Harkin is playing keyboards with the band on this Stateside jaunt which is an added bonus for some of us. The rest of North America will get a chance to see Wild Beasts in September when they come back for a proper tour.  All 2011 dates are at the bottom of this post.

Urge Overkill

Shifting gears wildly, we've got Chicago rock gods Urge Overkill in town for two shows this week. They play the Rocks Off cruise on Wednesday (7/13) and then the Rock Shop on Saturday (7/16) as part of the venue's big One Year Anniversary which is happening all this week.

Urge Overkill were odd men out in the '90s, doing suave, heavily postured cock rock in an era dominated by slacker indie and stoner sludge. 1993's Saturation is one of the decade's classics, all big riffs and attitude that has only gotten finer with age. The same can't be said for 1995's Exit the Dragon, which found the band succumbed to the rock n' roll excesses the band exemplified. (There were even rumors the band were too fucked up to even play on its recordings, having most parts subbed by session musicians.)

There were various comeback gigs in the '00s but I don't think anybody expected them to make a new album. Which made this year's Rock'n'Roll Submarine (great title) a double shock: it exists and, more importantly, it's pretty awesome. Kato and Roeser keep the same flame alive: badass riffs, supercatchy choruses, and that unfakeable rock n' roll spirit. (No Blackie Onassis, but some chemistry is just too volatile apparently.) There's also a world-weariness that keeps it all real. They aren't trying to pretend they haven't been through some serious shit. But to paraphrase "Effigy" (downloadable at the top of this post), they've always taken the loud way.

The Wooden Birds

Lovely Austin band The Wooden Birds play two shows this week as well: Thursday (7/14) at Mercury Lounge and Friday (7/15) at The Rock Shop. As you may know at this point, this is Andrew Kenny's post-American Analog Set band, which still has his drony motorik style but in a much more acoustic setting. The Wooden Birds' sophomore album, Two Matchsticks, is (in my opinion) much better than their debut: the arrangements are more dynamic and the addition of Matt Pond (both on guitar and vocally) adds a lot. (Matt Pond PA's Chris Hansen is a touring member as well.) You can check out the title track to the new album at the top of this post.

Tune-Yards @ MHOW (more by Amanda Hatfield)

What else? Hudson River Rocks starts this week (Thursday 7/14) with tUnE-yArDs and Austra which is a pretty hard-to-pass-up free show. While I don't reach for her album much, there's no denying Merril Garbus is a magnetic performer who can win over crowds easily. While Austra's Katie Stelmanis doesn't quite have that charm, there is no denying her stage presence either and I'm a big fan of Austra's debut album which came out earlier this year. Thursday is supposed to be beautiful and this show seems like a no-brainer.

Rayon Beach

Austin's Rayon Beach play three shows this week: Thursday (7/14) at Don Pedro, then Friday (7/15) at Bruar Falls and Saturday (7/16) at Death by Audio. I wrote this a year ago and I think it still holds true:

Like a lot of the bands on Hozac Records (or bands from Austin for that matter), this trio fit under the psych/garage umbrella but there's a decided Brit bent to their music. Baroque garage, is that a thing? Think Syd-era Pink Floyd or The Pretty Things more than Woven Bones. Make no mistake -- Rayon Beach can and do get plenty loud. It's just sometimes with pinkies extended.

Rayon Beach are on tour with fellow Austinite John Wesley Coleman III who is awesome in his own right. Last year's Bad Lady Goes to Jail, on Goner, incorporates country, soul and R&B into his sound (not to mention a unique worldview). He definitely stands out amongst the garage pack. If you feel like you've heard enough of this stuff, do give JWCIII a shot.

Anglophiles might already know that Scottish indiefolk cult legend King Creosote is in town this week, playing a late show at Mercury Lounge on Thursday (7/14) and then at the Rock Shop on Sunday (7/17). Both shows are with the equally talented Jon Hopkins. I wrote about King Creosote back in March:

Scottish indie folk royalty Kenny Anderson, aka King Creosote. Anderson (whose brother Gordon was a founding member of The Beta Band and now fronts The Aliens) has been cranking out album after album of melancholic, wry songwriting since the late '90s. (Seriously, check out his discography.) Many of these have been self-released, but he's had records on Warner Brothers and Domino too.

Anderson teamed with Hopkins for his new album Diamond Mine that revisits and reworks gems from Anderson's 40-plus releases. You can check out the video for "Bubble" at the bottom of this post.

The Radio Dept

And now another weekend of Seaport-related shows. Friday (7/15)  is the final night of this year's abbreviated Seaport Music Festival, with The Radio Dept. The band are in the U.S. for this and the Pitchfork Festival in Chicago and that's it -- so we should count ourselves lucky. If you wanted to see them somewhere small, you're out of luck. (Unless you maybe found yourself at a shop that rocked on, say, Thursday night. Maybe.) Last year's Clinging to a Scheme was one of 2010's best albums (according to me) and though I do wish they'd get a drummer to play with them at shows, they still sound pretty great live.

I'm hoping the merch table has the new 180 gram vinyl reissues of the band's three albums. In particular I want to pick up their classic debut Lesser Matters, one of the best albums of the '00s. Opening are Asobi Seksu which is a pretty perfect pairing. The weather's supposed to be gorgeous, the show is free...this'll be sweet.

Saturday is the Village Voice 4 Knots Festival which is going out of its way to let us know it's not trying to be the Siren Festival. It's a nice line-up of bands, though, scaled to fit the Seaport. Apart from Eleanor Friedberger and Oberhofer, it is a pretty rock line-up what with headliners Black Angels, Titus Andronicus, Davilla 666 and Mr. Dream. If you like to dance, they've got an indoor lounge over at 210 Front Street with an all DJ lineup that includes Yeasayer, Dan Deacon, Brahms and the Finger on the Pulse dudes (also DJing as Punches) spinning tunes. Things kick off at 1PM.

Then Sunday (7/17) is the last show of my Sound Bites Series down at the Fulton Stall Market and I'm super pleased to have Hospitality on cleanup. When I found out we were going to be doing the series again, Hospitality were the first band I thought of. If you haven't heard them, you can download their 2009 EP for free from their Bandcamp site. It's quite lovely. The band have gotten less precious since then, though no less charming, and recently the band expanded to a four-piece with drummer Nathan Michel moving to guitar making them decidedly more skronky now.

I am quite enamored with this band and you should definitely come down and see them. They are seriously good. If you come to only one Sound Bites Show this summer... this is your last chance. Hospitality are on at 3PM sharp and I'll be spinning tunes from around 1:30 or so. It's free!

And right after Hospitality finish, you can head across South Street to the Beekman Beer Garden for this week's Beach Party show with Frankie Rose and Xray Eyeballs. Both bands feature on that free downloadable mix you can get over at Insound. The Frankie Rose track is one I hadn't heard before, a cover of Slapp Happy's "Blue Flower" which you may know from covers either by Mazzy Star or Pale Saints.

Last week (Cheeseburger and Hard Nips) was fun and pretty fairly low-key. The spot -- formerly Water Taxi Beach -- is a pretty popular spot on its own, so expect a mixed crowd of those there for the show and those there just for the view/vibe. Bands start at 4PM. It's free.

And that's about it for this week. A few more daily picks are below.

TUESDAY, JULY 12

It's a heatwave today but Cold Cave will have the A/C cranked for their show Knitting Factory tonight. I do really like their new album Cherish the Light Years which kind of reminds me of '80s band Lords of the New Church. The show is with gothy sea chanty singers Cult of Youth, and Zambri who are newly signed to Kanine Records (and who were impressive at Knitting Factory during the Northside fest). The show is part of a tour that ends at Bowery Ballroom with Austra.

The newly reunited Cibo Matto are at Brooklyn Bowl. Though advance tickets sold out, there will be limited availability at the door. Go early. The show is one date of a tour that also hits Bowery Ballroom.

continued below....

Continue reading "Tom Vek, Wild Beasts, Urge Overkill, Wooden Birds, Rayon Beach, King Creosote, Radio Dept & more in This Week In Indie"

Rufus

Maus

today in NYC
* Juan MacLean @ Cielo
* Blue Note Jazz Fest
* John Maus @ Other Music
* Slavic Soul Party @ Barbes
* Rob Brown Trio @ The Stone
* Tell All Your Friends @ Lolita Bar
* Son Lux, Bell @ Public Assembly
* Earth, Wind & Fire @ Beacon Theatre
* Josh Ritter @ Barnes & Noble Union Square
* Charles Downs' Centipede @ The Stone
* Eleven Twenty-Nine, Endless Boogie @ Zebulon
* Black Sheep, DJ Kid Capri Peter Gunz @ Soundview Park
* Puro Instinct, John Maus, Geneva Jacuzzi @ Glasslands
* Descender, Hull, Brown Book, Hellbender @ Lit Lounge
* Chimneys, Ever Isles, Reverend, Jeremy Sessa @ Bruar Falls
* Erika Spring (of Au Revoir Simone) @ Solar One (Rooftop Films)
* Jolie Holland, Sallie Ford & the Sound Outside @ Bowery Ballroom
* Rufus Wainwright performs opera @ World Financial Center Winter Garden
* The Present, People Get Ready, Man Forever Guitar Quintet @ Union Pool
* Future Islands, Ed Schrader's Music Beat, The Immaculates @ Death By Audio
* Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players, Roughstars, Light Spells @ Bowery Electric
* New York Gypsy All-Stars Band (Hudson Square Music & Wine Fest) @ City Winery
* Hubble, Cloud Becomes Your Hand, Dreebs, Alan Watts, Jefferson High @ SilentBarn
* Shemspeed Hip Hop Fest w/ Y-Love, DeScribe, Eprhyme, Kosha Dillz, Bekay, Sneakas, Diwon, Genesis Be, Auzriel, J. Stone & more @ Southpaw
* Mariachi El Bronx , Legendary Shack Shakers, The Two Man Gentlemen Band @ Brooklyn Bowl
* Pass Kontrol, Not Blood Paint, JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound, Bad Credit No Credit @ Cameo Gallery

Josh Ritter wrote a book. He reads from it at Barnes & Noble tonight.

Rufus Wainwright plays a free show.

John Maus plays twice today.

Mariachi El Bronx plays a free show. The Bronx (same members) just played a boat.

The Wooden Birds have a new video for "Two Matchsticks". Watch below.

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Tuesday?"

Andrew Kenny of The American Analog Set fame is prepping a new LP with his project The Wooden Birds. Two Matchsticks will see a release on June 7th via Barsuk Records, and the band will head out to play select dates from coast-to-coast in celebration. The dates include two NYC shows: July 14th at Mercury Lounge and July 15th at Rock Shop. All tour dates are listed below...

Continue reading "The Wooden Birds announce tour dates"

Matt Pond PA and Rocky Votolato are currently on a tour which stops by NYC this Saturday (3/19) at Bowery Ballroom after hitting The Loft in Poughkeepsie, NY a day earlier. Matt Pond told Austinist that he's finishing up the recording of his new EP Spring Fool due out this spring.

The Wooden Birds, American Analog Set frontman Andrew Kenny's project which Matt Pond has contributed to, are releasing their second full length Two Matchsticks on June 7 via Barsuk.

"Kenny wrote every song on Two Matchsticks and played every instrument, recorded it in a converted bedroom at home, and mixed at Austin's Resonate Studio with producer Louie Lino (Nada Surf). The album also features special guests Ben Gibbard, members of Ola Podrida, and Wooden Birds touring members Matt Pond and Leslie Sisson, who, in addition to backing vocals, takes a solo turn in a song custom penned by Kenny."

They are currently down at SXSW. All dates and a video below...

Continue reading "Matt Pond PA & Rocky Votolato on tour, Wooden Birds at SXSW & releasing a new album"

DOWNLOAD: Broken Social Scene - "All To All" (DJ Mom Jeans Remix)

The Sea & Cake

The Sea & Cake will support Broken Social Scene on their upcoming trek that will see them at Rumsey Playfield in Central Park on 9/18 (tickets). The tour pairing makes perfect sense considering Sam Prekop's (The Sea & Cake) contributions on the recent BSS record, and his new LP Old Punch Card due on 9/7 via Thrill Jockey. A recent press release also states that there is a "rumored to be a split 7" between the two bands in the works". Hmm, rumors in a press release? Look for more details on that 7" soon.

In other BSS news, the band is releasing a series of remixes for their song "All To All". So far contributions from Sebastian Grainger, DJ Mom Jeans, Jojoflores, and Skeet Skeet have emerged, with more due every week. Download one contribution above, and the rest at the remix site. The video for "All To All" (the original) is viewable below.

NYC is looking like Arts & Crafts showcasing ground for the next few days, as TONIGHT (9/1) the previously discussed The Wooden Birds / Dan Mangan tour will hit The Rock Shop (the shows was moved from Union Hall), tagging Mercury Lounge two days later (tickets).

Thursday (9/2) will see recent Mexican A&C signees Chikita Violenta play Mercury Lounge with A Great Big Pile of Leaves (tickets) as part of a larger tour that includes non-NYC dates with A&C-in-Canada labelmates Ra Ra Riot (who play NYCx4 in Sept) and Built To Spill (who play NYC Thursday).

Chikita Violenta is prepping to release their forthcoming LP for A&C, TRE3S, due in early 2011. The album was recorded in Canada with former Broken Social Scene producer Dave Newfeld. An MP3 is being given away at their site.

Last but not least, Chilly Gonzales (who will be in NYC soon with Peaches) is busy helping Feist with her new album. Feist and Gonzales both appear on Jamie Lidell's new album. Chilly's new album, Ivory Tower, is out September 14th.

All tour dates and some videos below...

Continue reading "Arts & Crafts superpost: Chikita Violenta (from Mexico), Dan Mangan & Wooden Birds (also here), Sea & the Cake w/ BSS who have remixes (touring), Sam Prekop, Feist & more"

DOWNLOAD: The Wooden Birds - False Alarm (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Wooden Birds - Sugar (Live @ WOXY) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Wooden Birds - The Other One (Live @ WOXY) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Wooden Birds - Believe In Love (Live @ WOXY) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Wooden Birds - Complete Live @ WOXY session (MP3)

Wooden Birds in Valencia, Spain: Photo: Thomas Wright

The Wooden Birds, fronted by Andrew Kenny of American Analog Set, will be hitting the road this August for shows with Arts & Crafts songwriter Dan Mangan. Mangan's signing to the BSS label was announced in May....

"The Vancouver-based songwriter released his acclaimed sophomore LP, Nice, Nice, Very Nice in Canada last year, quickly snapping up national awards including the XM Radio Verge "Artist of the Year", CBC Bucky Awards for "Best Vocals" & "Best Song" and simultaneously triggering a tidal wave of accolades, landing the ridiculously likeable musician on the covers of publications coast to coast. Now, with an eye towards building on that momentum, Mangan has signed a deal with Arts & Crafts in order to bring Nice, Nice, Very Nice to the U.S. on August 10."

Nice, Nice, Very Nice, just came out June 1st on vinyl in Canada.

That US tour includes shows at Union Hall on September 1st (tickets TBA) and Mercury Lounge on September 3rd. Tickets for Mercury Lounge go on sale Friday at noon.

The MP3's above are songs from Wooden Birds' debut, Magnolia, which came out last year on Barsuk Records. In February the group released the Montague Street EP for free online through Insound.

Before the birth of the Wooden Birds, Andrew worked in his Brooklyn Heights home studio on Montague street to find the songs and the sounds that would define his new project. The four songs available now as Montague Street EP were borrowed from those sessions and share the sound of a band about to happen.

Videos of both and all tour dates are below...

Continue reading "Wooden Birds (who released a free EP) touring w/ Dan Mangan (who signed to Arts & Crafts) - 2010 dates, videos, MP3s"

DOWNLOAD: Rocky Votolato - Sparklers (live in East Palo Alto) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Phantogram - When I'm Small (MP3)

Phantogram @ MHOW during CMJ (more by Vincent Cornelli)

Andrew Kenny's band The Wooden Birds just got back from a tour with Great Lake Swimmers and will headline a close-to-home show at Maxwell's in Hoboken tonight (11/3). The soothing sounds of Peasant will open the show. Tickets are $10.00. Check out a recent video interview with the band below.

The Wooden Birds released their debut album on Barsuk Records earlier this year. Barsuk also recently put out the debut by Ramona Falls who just released a new video for the song "I Say Fever". You can watch that below.

Barsuk has two new releases scheduled for February 2010. Rocky Votolato's new album True Devotion will be out on February 23rd. "Sparklers" is one of the songs on that will be on that album. You can download a live version above. Rocky kicks off a tour in a couple of days, but not just any tour. He'll be playing in people's living rooms up and down the east coast. There's a NYC show in midtown Manhattan on November 6th. Tickets are on sale. All dates below.

The other album Barsuk is releasing in February will be by Phantogram who just got done playing a few shows during CMJ including one at Music Hall of Williamsburg with The xx and School of Seven Bells. The album "Eyelid Movies" will be released on February 9th. Download the song "When I'm Small" from that album for free above. Phantogram is now on a tour of Europe, but will be back soon. They play a free show at Brooklyn Bowl on December 19th. All dates below...

Continue reading "Wooden Birds tonight, Rocky Votolato touring, Ramona Falls video, free Phantogram show & MP3 & other Barsuk news"

by Andrew Frisicano

DOWNLOAD: The Wooden Birds - False Alarm (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Wooden Birds - Sugar (Live @ WOXY) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Wooden Birds - The Other One (Live @ WOXY) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Wooden Birds - Believe In Love (Live @ WOXY) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Wooden Birds - Complete Live @ WOXY session (MP3)

The Wooden Birds @ Mercury Lounge in April (more by Jacob Blickenstaff)

Like Lymbyc Systym, Andrew Kenny of The Wooden Birds and American Analog Set played on Her Space Holiday's XOXO album.

The Wooden Birds recently toured Europe and the US. That included three NYC shows in April, including one with Lymbyc System on April 10th at the Mercury Lounge, and a stop at WOXY to record a live session. The Wooden Birds' debut, Magnolia, is out now on Barsuk Records (An MP3 from that, above, with the WOXY session).

The Wooden Birds now have a new May/June US tour scheduled (with more dates to come). This tour includes a June 24th show at the Bell House in Brooklyn with Other Lives. Tickets are on sale.

Stillwater, Oklahoma band Other Lives, formerly Kunek, just released its debut as well. The self-titled release came out on tbd Records in April.

"When a band's instrumentation includes things like harmonium, vibraphone, electric harpsichord, mellotron, violin, cello, and lap steel, it's easy to feel intimidated; the combination of modern and analog instruments could make for a weird and cluttered orchestra, or a pretentious one at the very least. But Other Lives wield their cumbersome pile of apparatus gracefully, choosing instrumentations carefully, and using them to create a larger variety of feelings--on "End of the Year", the change from charming guitar-peppered opening movement to the darkened string-based middle section makes the song a story in and of itself." [Crawdaddy]

Check out some videos including one of Other Lives playing an acoustic version of "E Minor," a song off their debut, and all dates, below...

Continue reading "Wooden Birds & Other Lives (formerly Kunek) - tour dates"

DOWNLOAD: The Wooden Birds - Sugar (live on WOXY) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Wooden Birds - The Other One (live on WOXY) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Wooden Birds - Sugar (MP3)

photos by Jacob Blickenstaff

The Wooden Birds played the first of three scheduled NYC dates at the Mercury Lounge on Friday, April 10th. Lymbyc Systym opened that show. Pictures from that show above and below.

The Wooden Birds' second gig at the same venue is Thursday, April 16th with opener Home Video. (Tickets still on sale.) The next night, April 17th, the Wooden Birds play with Cale Parks and Sam Izdat at Union Hall. (Tickets are also on sale.)

Last month the band visited SXSW. One stop on that visit was WOXY's Lounge Act sessions, where the band performed tunes off their forthcoming Barsuk debut, magnolia. Songs "Sugar" and "The Other One" from that session are posted above for free download, as well as the studio version of one of them

Andrew Kenny, Wooden Birds frontman, also briefly reunited with his former band, American Analog Set, for a one-night (SXSW day party) performance of their 1999 album The Golden Band.

On hiatus since 2005's Set Free, [American Analog Set] got back together to pull a "Don't Look Back"-esque revisit to 1999's The Golden Band for this show only. A special occasion to say the least. I'd forgotten how beautifully hypnotic AmAnSet was, particularly their earlier records - I'd only seen them live in their (slightly) more upbeat and poppier configurations. This show, however, was all shimmering vibraphone, whirring farfisa and Andrew Kenny's somnambulant vocals - pure aural beauty in its sleepiest form. Though it's great that Kenny has a new project in The Wooden Birds, I hope this isn't the last of AmAnSet (although I sort of do, since it means I was there). [Chromewaves]

The Wooden Birds have more tour dates scheduled, including an April/May European tour with Grand Archives. All dates and more Mercury Lounge pictures, below...

Continue reading "The Wooden Birds @ WOXY (MP3s) & Mercury Lounge (pics) "

DOWNLOAD: Comet Gain - Skinny Wolves (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Comet Gain - Why I Try To Look So Bad (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Comet Gain - Love Without Lies (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Crystal Stilts - Love is a Wave (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Pants Yell! - Magenta and Green (MP3)

by Bill Pearis

Comet Gain

The big news this week is this Sunday's (4/12) Comet Gain show at Music Hall of Williamsburg. Tickets are $13 and still available. Crystal Stilts, who are opening for them on all three of their U.S. dates, wrote this about them in a MySpace post:

It is our tremendous honor to be reminding you all the we will be playing a series of shows over the next few days with Comet Gain, about whom we could string together some words that would inevitably fail to say what it is that makes them the best band in the world. We tried, failed and decided to spare you the embarrassment of that rambling. Perhaps in that failure there is something that proves the point but that isn't worth delving into. Suffice to say, the best they are and we are floored to be playing with them, so do come out, it has been far too long since they have graced these shores with their presence and it is certainly not to be missed.

As you may have heard, Crystal Stilts just did a killer Daytrotter session that included two new songs, one of which, "Sycamore Tree," has been a highlight of their live shows for some time. (Their new Slumblerland single "Love is a Wave" is great too. You can download it at the top of this post. Also playing with Comet Gain and Crystal Stilts are Philadelphia darkwave synth trio Cold Cave who I'm looking forward to seeing for the first time. All three played last night in DC and tonight (4/9) in Philadelphia.

Pants Yell!

Almost as exciting for me is that Boston's Pants Yell! are playing Saturday (4/11) at Dead Herring. Their most recent album, Alison Statton (named after Young Marble Giants lead singer), was one of 2007's best records you might not have heard. This is indie pop done just about perfectly, great songs, arrangements full of horns and glockenspiel yet never falling into the dreaded "twee" abyss. They were one of the best bands I saw at last year's NYC Popfest, where I wrote at the time, "On their excellent third album from late last year, Alison Statton, they sound polite, but live it's more hyper-kinetic. You could even say they rocked." They'll play this year's Popfest too (on 5/16 with Radio Dept) but, despite living as close as they do, don't play NYC all that often, so I highly recommend going. The whole bill at Dead Herring is a good one, with Brooklyn locals Knight School, Sisters, and World Atlas.

Eugene Chadbourne

As mentioned elsewhere on this site, Eugene Chadbourne will be playing the Issue Project Room next week, but first he'll be playing an early show on Saturday (3/11) at Cake Shop. The 1991 edition of The Trouser Press Record Guide says this about him, "On his compulsive own, the guitarist/leader of the late, lamented Shockabilly has spewed forth a ceaseless stream of records and cassettes that easily represent the oddest version of country and folk music ever." From what I can tell, Chadbourne hasn't really mellowed or slowed down since. Chadbourne has collaborated with a Who's Who of improvisational/experimental musicians, including Marc Ribot, Henry Kaiser, John Zorn, and Fred Frith, as well as bands like Camper Van Beethoven and They Might Be Giants... many of whom performed at the two-week Chadfest in August 2007. I don't claim to follow Chadbourne's career closely, but he is a legend and there is a direct through-line from his work to bands like Animal Collective (who just added another Brooklyn show) and Dirty Projectors (who just released the first track off their new album). A chance to see him up close somewhere like Cake Shop should be a treat.

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More shows this weekend: If you're looking for something weird and funny, San Francisco's bizarre Borts Minots is at The Studio at Webster Hall tonight (4/9) with Uni & Her Ukulele, Rachel Trachtenburg and Kiwi comedian Griffin Point.

The Wooden Birds, the new group from American Analog Set's Andrew Kenny, play Mercury Lounge on Friday (4/10). Their record is lovely and I caught them in Austin during SXSW, definitely worth seeing.

Flyer, videos and tour dates after the jump...

Continue reading "Eugene Chadbourne, Pants Yell!, Comet Gain, Borts Minorts & more in This Week in Indie"

by Andrew Frisicano

Andrew Kenny is a native Texan who after nearly six years in Brooklyn, NY has returned to beautiful Austin, TX. He's best known as the singer/songwriter behind mellow indie favorites the American Analog Set. However, he's also performed as a guest artist with the Album Leaf, Her Space Holiday, Styrofoam, Arthur and Yu, Ola Podrida, and most recently the Broken Social Scene.

His latest project is called The Wooden Birds...

The Wooden Birds perform for their hometown crowd at SXSW's Barsuk/Merge Showcase showcase on Saturday, March 21st at The Parish. The band's NE dates, before heading to Europe, include two Mercury Lounge shows, first on Friday, April 10th with Lymbyc System (tickets on sale here), then Thursday, April 16th (tickets here). The next night (4/17) The Wooden Birds play Union Hall in Brooklyn (no tickets for that one yet).

The band, recently signed to Barsuk Records, will release its debut, magnolia, on that label in May.

During SXSW, Kenny will also play with The American Analog Set, performing its 1999 record The Golden Band straight through at InSound.com's 10th anniversary party, Friday, March 20th at Club de Ville.

Insound SXSW flyer and Wooden Birds tour dates below...

Continue reading "Andrew Kenny forms The Wooden Birds - Barsuk debut, 2009 tour dates (3 NYC shows), SXSW & American Analog Set"