by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: White Wires - Pretty Girl (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: White Wires - Ha Ha Holiday (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: White Wires - Did You Forget My Name? (MP3)

White Wires @ SXSW

I think the single best SXSW 2010 performance by a band I hadn't seen before had to have been Canadians The White Wires, who I caught at the Trouble in Mind party at the Longbranch Inn (my vote for Worst Bathroom at SXSW 2010).  The Ottawa trio ripped it up with a short, sharp set of hook-laden rock n' roll that reminded me a lot of late '70s new wave -- think the Nerves, Rezillos or even Tom Petty. Despite being mid-afternoon, they had the crowd dancing and left me wanting more. Seriously awesome.

This week, there's finally more. On their way down to this year's Atlanta Mess-Around (April 23-25), The White Wires are stopping at Cake Shop on Thursday (4/22) where they'll play alongside Alabama's also-good Thomas Function and locals We Are Country Mice. The show is put on by Daed Pizza which is a new label/party night from the Cake Shop/Bruar Falls folks. It's White Wires' only NYC performance, so don't miss it.

There are three White Wires MP3 to download above: "Ha Ha Holiday" from their debut LP which came out last year on Douchemaster Records; "Pretty Girl," the killer A-side to their single on 7"-only label Trouble in Mind; and "Did You Forget My Name" from their upcoming album on Dirtnap Records.

Thomas Function also play on Friday (4/23) at Monster Island with Harlem and Girls at Dawn -- that's a good show too. All tour dates for White Wires and Thomas Function, the full Mess-Around linep, plus some videos, below...

Continue reading "White Wires play NYC, with Thomas Function & this weekend's Atlanta's Mess-Around - MP3s, videos & 2010 dates "

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Fluffy Lumbers - Cruisers (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Thomas Function - Belly of the Beast (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Cheap Time - Woodland Drive (MP3)

Cheap Time

As you may have heard, Jay Reatard's Shattered Tour blows into town tonight (10/1) at Le Poisson Rougue, having seen every band on tonight's bill except for Useless Eaters, I can say this sounds like a whole lot of fun. Except for the part that it's a five band bill where doors don't open till 11pm, which seems super late for a 21+ show. So if you don't have to get up and go to work on Friday, or you've evolved beyond the need for sleep, definitely check it out. (The scheduled set times for the night is below.) Expect nudity, maybe some blood, and a whole lot of catchy garage punk pop from Box Elders, Nobunny, Hunx & His Punx, Useless Eaters, and your host for the night, Mr. Reatard (who is also performing with Useless Eaters). You can download a free sampler featuring all the artsits on the tour at the bottom of our just-posted interview with Jay.

A band that are on some of the Shattered Tour dates, though not tonight's, are Cheap Time who are gonna be in town this weekend playing Friday (10/2) and Saturday (10/3) at Silent Barn. This Tennessee trio leans more on the catchy punk and less on blown-out levels and reverb than many of the bands lumped in the garage universe, with their new single "Woodland Drive" being a big leap forward sonically and songwriting-ly.

Friday's show also has Fluffy Lumbers on the bill. Their song "Cruisers" has gotten a lot of play on my stereo over the last two months. You can download it at the top of this post. The band's line-up is in flux at the moment, so I'm not sure how many Fluffy Lumbers there are at this point, but they're worth listening to. Also playing: art-punks White Diamonds and Beachniks which includes members of German Measels and Crystal Stilts.

The Saturday show also features New Orleans piano-based trio The Pharmacy, plus Columbus, OH's Guinea Worms, Brooklyn's Uzi Rash and The Sediment Club.

Thomas Function

Speaking of Silent Barn, Alabama's Thomas Function played there last night (9/30), their first NYC show since January. You've got two more chances to see them: tonight (10/1) at The Studio at Webster Hall and tomorrow (10/2) at Bruar Falls. Thomas Function have a new album, In the Valley of Sickness, which is out October 13 but I'm pretty sure they've got it to buy at their merch tables this weekend. I've only heard a few songs from it (you can download one at the top of this post). What I've heard sounds a just slightly less raucous than last year's Celebration, but I have a feeling the songs will be a bit wilder when played live. Both NYC shows (and all upcoming dates with TF) are with mysterious French dude Yussuf Jerusalem whose MySpace page and artwork might lead you to believe he makes some sort of scary black metal but in fact it's catchy, slightly gothy psych-rock not that far off from Ohio greats My Dad is Dead.

The Soft Pack @ Bowery Ballroom in March (more by Chris La Putt)

The Soft Pack are also back in town this weekend, playing their first shows since being odd men out on that NME tour that had them sharing the bill with UK acts Friendly Fires and White Lies. Their show at Bowery Ballroom on Friday (10/2) makes a lot more sense, with onetime 1928 labelmates The Sundelles, plus Right on Dynamite and The Dig. The band did spend part of their summer in Brooklyn, recording their debut for Kemado Records which should be out in early 2010. I haven't seen them since their Union Pool show back in January with Those Darlins which is one of the best times I've had all year, and I'm anxious to hear some new tracks, like "C'mon" which you can watch a live performance of at the bottom of this post.

There'll be more This Week In Indie later, including The Dø, Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Besnard Lakes, the return of Frank Sidebottom and more. Stay tuned. In the meantime, check out videos, flyers and tour dates after the jump.

Continue reading "Cheap Time, Thomas Function, The Soft Pack, Fluffy Lumbers & more in This Week in Indie (part 1)"

DOWNLOAD: Ty Segall - It #1 (MP3)

Ty Segall @ Cake Shop (more by Tim Griffin)

After my own greasy foray into a Popeye's a few blocks away, I was ready to see the wunderkind, who is freshly graduated from the University of San Francisco. Once upon a time, Segall was a one man band, but he's expanded his outfit to a three-piece. Clearly the night's headliner at Amnesia, he packed the joint. After sets by openers Snakeflower 2 and the Rantouls, he mostly played familiar songs from his 2008 self-titled release on CastleFace Records. However, he also delivered a few examples of his self-described "sludgier" work on the brand new Lemons (Goner Records).

Sludge or no sludge, Segall's solid work ethic is evident. He's constantly playing gigs at bars like the Knockout, the Hemlock, and the Eagle Tavern -- basically anywhere flannel is the prevailing fashion, alongside those straw fedora hats favored by the fixed-gear crowd. Despite his omnipresence on SF's dive bar scene, he's pretty modest about his dedication to his music. "There are a lot of ways that I am a slacker," he explains over the phone a month after the fateful Amnesia show as he and his band drive to New Orleans. "But if I'm not doing music, I feel like I'm wasting my time." [SF Bay Guardian]

An MP3 from Lemons is at the top of this post. Ty returns to NYC for a trio of shows on his North American tour in September. On September 18th, he'll play Death By Audio's 'The Maze' (the art installation being supported by this Saturday's 12-hour benefit at the venue).

Ty plays a Mercury Lounge show on September 20th with Golden Triangle and tourmates and fellow SF band The Mantels. Tickets for that go on sale Saturday, July 25th at noon. Ty Segall then goes to New Jersey for a September 21st show at Maxwell's. The Mantels opens that too, with Digital Leather. Tickets are on sale now.

Ty will be one of the acts at Goner Fest 6, put on by Goner Records September 24th-26th in Memphis, TN. Other acts include a reformed version of Jay Reatard's first band The Reatards, Thee Oh Sees, The Fresh & Onlys, Magic Kids (who are in NYC this weekend), Box Elders, The Intelligence, Nobunny, Cheater Slicks and just about every other vital band you could vaguely lump in with the current "garage" scene (No Sic Alps, though). Tickets for day one, two and three of the fest are on sale now (though three-day 'Golden Passes' seem to be either sold out or hard to find).

More info on that festival, with all Ty Segall dates and a couple videos, below...

Continue reading "Ty Segall tour dates (3 NYC shows) + 2009 Goner Fest lineup "

by Black Bubblegum

DOWNLOAD: Young Widows - "Old Skin" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Young Widows - "The Heat Is Here" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Young Widows - "The Charmers" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Annihilation Time - "Splashback" (MP3)

The Bronx

What are you up to Wednesday, March 18th? If you're in the greater Austin region, it might be a good idea to slide on down to Emo's for a day of killer bands, suds, and full on badass-ed-ness. To get all official and shit, we'd like to announce the FREE BROOKLYN VEGAN/SOLID PR DAY PARTY featuring

• 5:45pm: The Bronx
• 5:00pm: Young Widows
• 4:15pm: Annihilation Time
• 3:30pm: Trash Talk
• 2:45pm: Psychedelic Horseshit
• 2:00pm: Garotas Suecas

The bands kick off at 2PM, but get there by 1:15 to experience the NEW Big Business record Mind The Drift before it hits the shelves on Mar 31st. Our friends from ilovemikelitt will also be on hand to help spread good causes and cheer, and special thanks goes out to Timmy for all his help in putting this together.

This all goes down inside Emo's on the 2nd stage on the afternoon of the first day of SXSW Music. Happening at the same time on the main stage of the same venue is the also-killer, also-free Fat Possum Records day party with King Kahn & BBQ, Wavves, Thomas Function, Strange Boys, Crocodiles, Thomas Function and more.

Later that same night is the official BrooklynVegan SXSW showcase at Club De Ville, about a block away. We're (BrooklynVegan) also doing sorta-TBA, free day parties on the Thursday and Friday of SXSW (full details coming shortly).

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Young Widows recently dropped the video for "Old Skin" from Old Wounds, a song that premiered right here on BrooklynVegan. The band is logging some miles in the coming months (dates below), linking up with Australian band My Disco for the trek and playing Europa in Brooklyn with The Austerity Program & Tournament on April 1st in the process (tickets here). The pair will also drop a split 7", one of a series with the likes of Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Pelican, and Melt-Banana.

The Bronx are touring the US like mad dogs including playing a show at Bowery Ballroom with Trash Talk on April 20th (tickets here), and a show at Maxwell's on April 22nd (tickets here).

NYCers will have FOUR chances to check out Garotas Suecas in the coming month, three in person and one on the Pat Duncan Show on WFMU on March 26th. The band has lined up live appearances at Mercury Lounge on March 24th (tickets here), Death By Audio on April 5, and Zebulon on April 6th.

Psychedelic Horseshit have a "a self released LP collecting our very first and oldest 4 track recordings" due in "March or April" entitled Golden Oldies as well as a TON of new material including Shitgaze Anthems 12" EP on Woodsist (spring 09), Acid Test 12" EP on Troubleman Unltd. (late spring/early sum 09), Beached Wails 7" with a "surprise release date", and their second LP, Too Many Hits, on Slitbreeze (late summer 09). The Columbus, Ohio crew have a few dates on the calendar as well, check THOSE out, along with everyone's tour dates, below...

Continue reading "a BrooklynVegan/SolidPR day party @ Emo's and other YOUNG WIDOWS & THE BRONX & TRASH TALK tour dates"

photos by Fresh Bread

DOWNLOAD: Thomas Function - Belly of the Beast (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Thomas Function - Conspiracy (MP3)

Thomas Function played Cake Shop in NYC Saturday night (1/24). FB wrote, "I missed the the openers except for three songs by Spanish Prisoners. Thomas Function came on shortly after 11pm and were off by 11:45. A good number of people in the crowd sang loudly as the band raced through their songs. Their geeky garage rock vibe came across as endearing. All was good during the set except for the few seconds when it smelled like burnt carpet - an amp shorted out and was a few seconds away from causing a fire..."

Thomas Function also played inside Other Music record store on Friday, and they play again tonight, Sunday January 25th, at Mercury Lounge with Don Chambers and Goat and Trampled by Turtles. More Cake Shop pictures below...

Continue reading "Thomas Function @ Cake Shop, NYC - pics"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Thomas Function - Belly of the Beast (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Thomas Function - Conspiracy (MP3)

Thomas Function

Alabama's Thomas Function are in town this weekend for a trio of shows as part of trawl down the East Coast. Admission: I think I picked up Thomas Function's debut album, Celebration!, about four times last year thinking it was a LCD Soundsystem record -- singer Joshua Macero, whose mug graces the cover, looks a lot like James Murphy, at least when quickly flipping through CDs. After seeing so many times I finally got around to actually listening to it, and while absolutely nothing like the DFA head (not that I expected it to be), these Alabamians raise quite a ruckus with their spirited, organ-driven garage rock.

There's also come country and bluegrass in there too, as you might expect from a band living that far south but, really, Thomas Function grooves to their own beat. The band have also released a slew of 7" singles, most of which are now out of print or at least hard to find. Maybe they'll have some of them to sell at their shows. They play a free show at Other Music tonight (1/23), Cake Shop on Saturday (1/24) and Mercury Lounge on Sunday (1/25). Full tour dates and video at the bottom of this post.

Golden Triangle

The most interesting show of the weekend for me is Friday (1/23) at Death By Audio. Headlining are locals Golden Triangle, whose debut EP just came out on Kemado's vinyl-only imprint, Mexican Summer. (You can get it digitally from Emusic, though.) Some songs veer towards Vivian Girls/Fuzzbox/Slits territory, other songs remind me a lot of The Fall, and they cover Redd Kross' "Annette's Got the Hits." That's a one-two-three punch for me. (It's also the second band I've written about here to do a Redd Kross cover, the other being Box Elders.) The six-piece are about to head out on tour with King Khan & the Shrines so the rest of the country will get a chance to check them out too.

Also on the bill: Brazilian band Garotas Suecas, who will be compared to Os Mutantes because it's obvious and easy, but these kids are a little more straight up fun garage rock a la Mando Diao or The Fleshtones. I like what I've heard and it's the only NYC performance they have left (they also played Vassar last night). Plus, the lovely, downcast electric folk of NYC's Tall Firs; and hushed trio Metal Mountains that features Helen Rush, Samara Lubelski and Pat Gubler, all of whom spent time in Tower Recordings. So the night starts quiet and gets progressively louder and crazier.

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I'd also like to (also) recommend the Valerie Collective show at Webster Hall tonight (1/23). Collective is a key term here. Many of the groups playing share members and the difference between Anoraak and College (my two favorites of the night), sonically, is minimal (one sings more than the other) but it's such a cool sound. It's big, lush, and retro, unabashedly '80s, and done to perfection. I have no idea if the groups will really translate to the live setting but if you're dancing you probably won't notice if they don't. Steve Moore's Lovelock is also on the bill.

The Week That Was

Lastly, SXSW will be upon us any minute and even if you aren't heading to Austin, New Yorkers are able to experience a little of the excitement as bands from the UK and Europe often make a pitstop here on their way to or from the festival. We already mentioned that Swedish rockers The Soundtrack of Our Lives are playing both Bowery and Music Hall of Williamsburg (tickets are on-sale today, 1/23) which I wholeheartedly recommend you check out, but I'm even more excited to see that The Week That Was are playing Mercury Lounge on March 9.

TWTW are one of the two splinter groups created when Sunderland, UK's Field Music decided to retire that moniker but still basically make music together. David Brewis released a phonetics-obsessed solo project under the name School of Language (which toured here last March). His brother Peter created The Week That Was, a concept album equally obsessed with (lyrically) The Media and (sonically) the Big '80s production style of Kate Bush and Trevor Horn. It's a brilliant album that made my Top Five of 2008. Both David Brewis and Field Music keyboardist Andrew Moore, plus about five others on percussion and strings. I'm not sure how many members strong they'll be at Mercury Lounge, but if they even come close to replicating the album's wall-of-sound, it will be worth attending. Tickets are on-sale today since Noon.

All tour dates, videos and flyers after the jump....

Continue reading "Thomas Function, Golden Triangle, Valerie Collective, The Week That Was & more in This Week in Indie"