photos by Sarahana, words & photos by Chris La Putt, SXSW shots by Graeme Flegenheimer

"Was asked to have my picture taken at the She&Him show because "I dress like Zooey" compliment of a lifetime" - Brandi Bullar.

She & Him @ SXSW

She & Him, backed by The Chapin Sisters, played the first of their two sold-out shows at the Bowery Ballroom last night, March 29th. They're celebrating the release of their second album, aptly named Volume Two. The crowd was a full of Zooey Deschanel look-alikes with floppy hats and fancy bows adorning their heads waiting for some sunny vocals and a blue-eyed beauty (and her partner and expert guitar player M Ward). I was hoping (unrealistically) for a guest appearance by Tilly and the Wall who contibute to "In the Sun" on the album, but no such luck. They did play the song though. Full setlist below.

The Living Sisters (sans Inara George) @ Bowery Ballroom

Opening for Zooey and M. Ward at the Bowery were the the Living Sisters who started the show off with wonderfully offbeat old timey standards with modern lyrics (something to the tune of asking their boyfriends to tie them up in double knots). The band is made up of LA's Eleni Mandell, Inara George (of Bird and the Bee fame), and Becky Stark (Lavender Diamond), but Bird and the Bee backing vocalist and lead singer of Obi Best, Alex Lilly filled in for the Bee as Inara is in LA expecting a baby. Their debut album Love to Live is out today on Vanguard Records.

She & Him finish their March tour tonight (3/30) at the Bowery (The Chapin Sisters open this time), then play scattered days in April, May and June including Coachella, Sasquatch and Bonnaroo. All dates, more pictures from the first night at the Bowery and some from SXSW with a video of Zooey hopping around onstage at the El Rey, below...

Continue reading "She & Him played SXSW & Bowery Ballroom (pics, setlist) w/ the Living Sisters (Becky Stark, Eleni Mandell, Inara George)"

Nic Harcourt's Top Ten Albums of 2008

1. Adele - 19 (XL Recordings/Colombia)
2. Mates Of State - Re-Arrange Us (Barsuk)
3. Coldplay - Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends (Capitol)
4. Ting Tings - We Started Nothing (Columbia)
5. The Raconteurs - Consolers of the Lonely (Warner Bros)
6. The Broken West - Now or Heaven (Merge)
7.Dandy Warhols - Earth to the Dandy Warhols (World's Fair)
8. Duffy - Rockferry (Mercury)
9. Tilly and The Wall - o (Team Love Records)
10.Emiliana Torrini - Me and Armini (Rough Trade)

That kind of scary list is via KCRW WHERE NIC (mostly) NO LONGER WORKS...

Los Angeles, Calif., (December 10, 2008) - LA, Los Angeles Times Magazine today announced the selection of Nic Harcourt as Editor at Large, Music & Culture. Beginning February 8, 2009, in LA's January/February double Oscar issue, Harcourt will contribute a monthly column inspired by his love of music and the culture of Southern California.

Harcourt has been hailed as the most influential DJ in America and ultimate music tastemaker because of his uncanny ability to forecast trends and identify emerging talent. His innovative approach will now provide LA readers with unparalleled insight into the always evolving music and culture hemisphere through his monthly "Listen Up" columns, which will feature a hand-selected playlist, his picks for upcoming local concerts, shows and/or events and Q&As with emerging artists...

It was announced only a day or two earlier that the LA Times' parent company, Tribune Co, went bankrupt.

Adele was on Jimmy Kimmel (in LA) last night. Video below...

Continue reading "Adele lover Nic Harcourt, leaves KCRW, gets job @ bankrupt Tribune's LA Times ++ Kimmel video"

photos by Chris La Putt

DOWNLOAD: Tilly & The Wall - Pot Kettle Black (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Tilly & The Wall - Cacophony (MP3)

Tilly & The Wall played their first of 2 NYC shows at Music Hall of Williamsburg last night (July 29, 2008). They play their 2nd at Bowery Ballroom tonight. More tour dates and pictures from Brooklyn below....

Continue reading "Tilly & The Wall @ MHOW, NYC - pics ++ MP3 & tour dates "

Capital Pride Parade - June 14, 2008 (cred)

The new Wolf Parade album "At Mount Zoomer" is streaming @ AOL (so is Adele, Tilly and The Wall, Verve Remixed 4, and other stuff).

Tickets are still on sale for the 2nd Wolf Parade show at Terminal 5 in New York City. All dates HERE.

In unrelated news, "Bonnaroo attendance down slightly". Check out some videos of Broken Social Scene playing Bonnaroo (which just happened this past weekend in Tennessee) below...

Continue reading "new Wolf Parade stream, BSS Bonnaroo videos, stuff"

DOWNLOAD: Tilly & the Wall - Cacophony (new MP3)

Tilly and the Wall and Lightspeed Champion in the UK

Tilly and the Wall are going on a tour this summer to support their new album "O" - out June 17th on Team Love (though you can get it on June 3rd).

Tickets are on sale (@ noon) for a July 29th show at Music Hall of Williamsburg and for one the next day at Bowery Ballroom.

Derek's other band Flowers Forever is touring this summer too (with Lightspeed Champion) and they are also playing Bowery Ballroom. All Tilly dates below....

Continue reading "Tilly and the Wall - 2008 Tour Dates, new album & MP3"

sort of....

"Born of social ineptitude and an ageless belief in trick-or-treatery, EL MADMO offers escape, justice, karmic postulation, and that feeling you get when you know something that no one else does. Starting out as a garage band trapped in the basements of various hockey arenas, theirs is a powerfully raw sound that could only be inspired by the smell of Zamboni fuel and sweaty skates.

The band consists of guitarist/singer, Maddie, bassist/singer, El, and majestically afroed drummer, Mo. Their self-titled debut album is a solid piece of body rocking ear-munition revealing a musical labyrinth that challenges you to, "Choose your own adventure." From the Aeolian darkness of "Vampire Guy", to the sassy cha-cha of "Fantasy Guy", to a song that simply asks, "What good is a smile when your head's in a vise?", EL MADMO serves up a hot and tasty meal that'll fill you up and also "Rock Yer Balls Off."

EL MADMO's Debut record will be released on 5/20."

To be more specific, the record will be released on Team Love Records (a New York City-based independent record label founded by Conor Oberst and Nate Krenkel in 2003"), home of Tilly & The Wall, Jenny Lewis, Gruff Rhys, David Dondero, and Craig Wedren. You'll notice the press release doesn't actually say anything about Norah Jones, but you can see that that's her if you look close at the picture. Okay, I wouldn't have noticed either, but when I heard the news, I thought, "El Madmo....that sounds familiar....". Cover art and tracklist below.....

Continue reading "Norah Jones signs to Conor Oberst's label Team Love"

Pretty & Nice @ Emo's, SXSW 2008 (Bandepart.FM)

Tilly & the Wall, SXSW 2008 (linoleum jet)

Sons & Daughters @ Free Yr Radio stage, SXSW 2008 (Chromewaves)

Bodies of Water @ the Mohawk, SXSW 2008 (chasingfun)

Jim Noir, SXSW 2008 (Sarah Pants)

* Jim Noir at Sound Fix (7pm)
* The Ting Tings are at Le Royale
* Modeselektor is playing Studio B
* The Living Room keeps celebrating
* Tilly & The Wall is playing Knitting Factory
* The Shackletons are playing Canal Room
* God is an Astronaut is playing Knitting Factory
* Pretty & Nice and Exit Clov are playing Trash Bar
* The Budos Band & Sweet Divines play Maxwell's
* The Octagon and Ford & Fitzroy are at the Red Door
* Sons and Daughters, Bodies of Water & The Brunettes play MHOW
* The Most Serene Republic, Miracle Fortress & Liam Finn play Mercury Lounge

Pretty and Nice is Sub Pop offshoot Hardly Art's latest signing. They're also from Boston. They're playing Trash Bar tonight with Exit Clov who they're also touring with, and they're playing Junkyard Palace in New Brunswick on March 32rd.

Jim Noir is in town from the UK. He took part in the Living Room 10th Anniversary celebration last night, and he's playing a last minute free show at Sound Fix tonight at 7pm - right before the Cassettes Won't Listen/Diggs show.

MusicSnobbery announced that he's throwing a show to celebrate his 3rd anniversary (not tonight). The Teeth, Salt & Samovar, and La Laque are all playing the April 10th show at Maxwell's.

Heartonastick is listing 53 reasons to hate Vampire Weekend. Check out Part 1.

What else?

Fader's Top 15 Hot Chip Remixes*

15. Kate Nash, "Mouthwash"
14. Neon Neon, "Trick for Treat"
13. Kraftwerk, "Aerodynamik"
12. Free Blood, "Quick and Painful"
11. The Aliens, "Robot Man"
10. Kraftwerk, "La Forme"

Hot Chip have a new video, a new album coming out, and some U.S. shows scheduled. The Hot Chip afterparty in NYC is happening at Studio B. The rest of Fader's list below...

Continue reading "Top 15 Hot Chip Remixes & other Fader favorites"

Tllly and The Wall are going on a tour with Capgun Coup in February and March that includes a stop at Knitting Factory in NYC on March 21st. Tickets are on sale. Get some free Tilly songs at Daytrotter. All dates below....

Continue reading "Tilly and The Wall - 2008 Tour Dates"