Chris Taylor (aka CANT) @ Governors Island, 2010 (more by Dominick Mastrangelo)

today in NYC
* Shahzad Ismaily @ The Stone
* Slavic Soul Party @ Barbes
* Tell Your Friends @ Lolita Bar
* The Lumineers @ Mercury Lounge
* ZZ Top @ Prudential Hall (Newark)
* Dickey Betts, Kristy Lee @ City Winery
* Ches Smith & These Arches @ The Stone
* Crosby, Stills & Nash @ Beacon Theatre
* Male Bonding, Love Inks, Fort Lean @ Cameo Gallery
* Freezepop, Plushgun, Hyena @ Knitting Factory
* The Joe Mande Five Dollar Comedy Show @ Caroline's
* Jonny Corndawg, Ice Rod, The Extraordinaires @ Union Pool
* Guttermouth, The New Threat, Kid Nichols @ Mercury Lounge
* Deradoorian, Sam Mickens, Advanced Base, Concern @ Death By Audio
* Columboid, Long Distance Poison, SETH, members of Excepter @ Zebulon
* Phone Home, Widest Smiling Faces, Speaking in Tongues @ Cake Shop
* CANT (Chris Taylor of Grizzly Bear), Blood Orange (FREE) @ Mercury Lounge
* Mux Mool, Foxes In Fiction, Shigeto, D. Gookin, Teeel, Starfawn, Jacob 2-2, A Setting Sun @ Glasslands

Everyone who goes to the free, but late, CANT/Blood Orange show at Mercury Lounge tonight also gets a free Spotify account code.

Help Jonny Corndawg celebrate his new record at Union Pool tonight.

Check out the new Timber Timbre video for "Too Old to Die Young", below...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Tuesday?"

GGD on a Rocks Off Boat recently (more by Jessica Amaya)

today in NYC
* Evillive
* Burning Fleshtival
* Life in a Blender @ Barbes
* Zeena Parkins @ The Stone
* William Winant @ The Stone
* Kassav, T-Vice @ Terminal 5
* Anvil, ELKS @ Bowery Ballroom
* Black Lips, Night Beats @ Maxwell's
* Scott Kettner's Forro Brass Band @ Barbes
* They Might Be Giants @ the Stone Pony (NJ)
* Marissa Nadler, Faces On Film @ Littlefield
* Virginia Coalition @ Rocks Off Concert Cruise
* Double Dutch Divas @ Josie Robertson Plaza
* Ponderosa Stomp @ Damrosch Park Bandshell
* Eiko @ Koma @ Paul Milstein Pool, Hearst Plaza
* Christie Front Drive, Patrick Park @ The Bell House
* Ill Fits, Rewards, The Sundelles @ Cameo Gallery
* Eels, The Submarines @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
* Albert Hammond Jr. (DJ set), Slam Donahue @ Brooklyn Bowl
* Naam, Dead Stars, Unstoppable Death Machines @ Union Pool
* McDonalds, Bells, Moonmen On The Moon, Man @ Bruar Falls
* Stats, Gods & Queens, Ain't Rights, Dangerbird @ ABC No Rio
* Craft Spells, Gardens and Villa, Selebrities @ Mercury Lounge
* Prince Language, Das Racist (DJ), Ital, Vockah Redu, XXXY @ P.S.1
* The Knux, Mr. Mothafuckin Exquire @ The Studio at Webster Hall
* The So So Glos, Nova Social, Ghost Ghost, Old Monk @ Knitting Factory
* Sonny & The Sunsets, The Sandwitches, Friends, Carnivores @ Glasslands
* Teebs, Saturn Never Sleeps, Taylor McFerrin, Suzi Analogue @ Knitting Factory
* Dr. John & The Lower 911, Chuck Brown, Red Baraat @ Prospect Park Bandshell
* American Royalty, Waking Lights, Crazy & Brains, Prewer Yardsale @ Lit Lounge
* Jesse Malin & The St. Marks Social, Young Things, River James @ Bowery Electric
* Martha Wainwright, Teddy Thompson, Hayes Carll, Rhett Miller @ Stuvesant Town
* Gang Gang Dance, Zeds Dead, Claude VonStroke, BAIO (Vampire Weekend) (DJ set), The Hood Internet, Bosco Delrey (Mad Decent Block Party) @ South Street Seaport
* The Party Machine Hosted By Arden Myrin and Lisa deLarios w/ Janeane Garofalo / Jena Friedman / James Adomian / Bobby Tisdale / Brent Weinbach and Moshe Kasher / Plus, Adira Amram and the Experience @ Union Hall
* Hume, Dope Body, Cloud Becomes Your Hand, The Dreebs, Daniel Moon King @ Death By Audio

Aretha Franklin's PNC Bank Arts Center show tonight was cancelled at some point. She does have a free show coming up in Coney Island though.

Read more about the free shows happening this weekend, including The Raveonettes on Sunday at Beekman Beer Garden.

We forgot one in that free shows post though: Martha Wainwright, Teddy Thompson, Hayes Carll and Rhett Miller today at Stuyvesant Town.

Check out This Week in Indie for more on some shows.

Today is another edition of PS1 Warm Up.

Alternatively there's the Mad Decent Block Party happening at South Street Seaport. Set times HERE.

Ill Fits, who play Cameo tonight, has members of MGMT and Amazing Baby.

Newport Folk Fest is this weekend in Rhode Island. The PS 22 Chorus played the fest today. Check out a video of Denise from PS 22 covering Lady Gaga with band director Gregg Breinberg, below.

Timber Timbre have a new video for "Bad Ritual". Check it out below.

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Saturday?"

DOWNLOAD: Austra - "Spellwork" (MNDR Nighttime Remix) (MP3)

Austra at Santos (more by Vincent Cornelli)

2011's short list of nominees for Canada's Polaris Music Prize were announced. They include a mix of indie veterans, grammy-winners, a sax player who has played with those grammy winners, and some new kids on the block like the super buzzy The Weeknd whose resume includes working with Drake. Full nominee list is below.

One of the artists, Austra, will release a remix EP to follow-up their latest release Feel it Break. The remix collection, entitled SPARKLE will be released digitally on July 26th and on wax on August 23rd. The release features remix contributions from MNDR, Mark Pistel, and Planningtorock with the digital collection having an additional four bonus remixes. Preorder it at Domino, and download/stream one track, "Spellwork (MNDR Nighttime Remix)" above/below.

Reminder, look for Austra to play a FREE show on July 14th supporting tUnE-yArDs at Pier 54 in NYC. They'll also be on hand to support Cold Cave at Bowery Ballroom on August 6th (tickets). Cold Cave also plays NYC next week, at Knitting Factory with Cult of Youth on July 12th (tickets).

Braids, also nominated, recently announced a ton of tour dates.

Austra song stream and dates and the Polaris Music Prize nominees are below.

Continue reading "Polaris nominees announced, Austra releasing remix EP"

Over a month after the previously discussed Timber Timbre tour, Marissa Nadler will play a headlining show of her own at Mercury Lounge on July 27th. Tickets go on AmEx presale at noon Wednesday, with regular sale hitting on Friday.

UPDATE: More dates announced including Littlefield. All dates are below.

Nadler will likely be playing material from her forthcoming and crowd-sourced self-titled LP. Stream one song, "Baby, I Will Leave You In The Morning", from that record and check out its accompanying video below. Look for the LP to be released on June 14th via her own Box of Cedar Records and via her Bandcamp.

And while we're on the subject of Timber Timbre (who played NYC in April), the band recently released a new video for "Black Water" from their recent Creep On Creepin' On LP. Check that out below alongside all tour dates and that new Marissa Nadler song stream.

Continue reading "Marissa Nadler has a new video & new shows (tour dates)"

photos by Dominick Mastrangelo, words by Rachel Kowal

Though I can't comment on the first opener, Baby Alpaca, since I didn't get to see them play, the remaining artists on last Thursday night's bill at Glasslands were united by dark undertones and beautiful vocals - a winning combination in my book. I knew I recognized the name Angel Olsen, but it wasn't until I arrived at the venue that I suddenly remembered that she had been the beguiling chanteuse from Will Oldham's side project, The Babblers.

Stripped of Oldham and placed in front of a talkative crowd, Olsen may have lost a touch of luster, but her richly complex voice was no less arresting, and it was nice to see her in the spotlight. Though she often delves into a lower range, Olsen also shines when - with a charming warble in her voice - she suddenly jumps to a higher register. (Let's just say if I had a voice like that I'd never speak. Just sing.)

I can't say the crowd got much better when Snowblink played, but somehow, the duo managed to maintain their composure even when some kid near the front puked near the end of their set. "Yo, is this guy ok?" singer/keyboardist Daniela Gesundheit broke in, mid song. She and her partner continued to play at a hushed volume. "Ok. We've got a buddy down, so everyone send him some nice feelings," she gracefully said before beginning to sing again.

Fitting for a musical project that got its start in LA before relocating to Toronto, Snowblink's sound seems to be just as appropriate for candle-lit winter nights as it is for lazy summer lounging. Gesundheit's vocals are inherently sweet and innocent, and her interplay with soft-spoken guitarist/vocalist Dan Goldman is pretty charming, too. Highlights of the set included the sparse but no less catchy "Rut & Nuzzle" and a surprisingly good cover of the Dolly Parton hit, "Jolene," which featured especially strong vocals from Gesundheit.

By the time the delightfully sinister tones of Timber Timbre began to resonate through the room, the floor was fairly packed. (Luckily, the puke had been mopped up and the strong odor of cleaning products lingered to mark the spot.)

The majority of Timber Timbre's set consisted of material from their recently released album, the aptly named Creep On Creepin' On. Other orchestral indie folk groups like Lost in the Trees may be delving into similarly dark places through moody instrumentation and surprisingly grim lyrics, but Timber Timbre takes the macabre a step further, thanks to Taylor Kirk's distinctively chilling vocals.

Given the talent of the group and the uniqueness of their sound, it's surprising that their music hasn't caught on as much in the States as it has in say, Canada or Europe, but I suspect it's only a matter of time before they graduate from Glasslands.

---

Timber Timbre heads back out on tour in May and June. More pictures and their setlist from the Glasslands show, below...

Continue reading "Timber Timbre played Glasslands w/ Snowblink & Angel Olsen (pics & setlist)"

DOWNLOAD: Timber Timbre - "Black Water" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Marissa Nadler - "Baby, I Will Leave You in the Morning" (MP3)

Timber Timbre's new LP Creep On Creepin' On was released on April 5th via Arts & Crafts Records. The whole thing is now streaming at Spinner. The song "Black Water" can also be downloaded above. It's also streaming below along with the video for the song "Woman."

Now on tour (all dates below), the band will hit NYC on April 13 at Joe's Pub (with nobody else on the bill) and April 14 at Glasslands with Snowblink, Angel Olsen, and Baby Alpaca. In June he/they hook up with Marissa Nadler for a few dates starting in Portland.

Meanwhile, Marissa is prepping an LP of her own, an eponymous album due on June 14th, 2011 via her own imprint Box of Cedar records. Check out a track from that record, "Baby, I Will Leave You in the Morning", downloadable above/streaming below with all dates and other stuff...

Continue reading "Timber Timbre released an LP, touring, playing shows w/ Marissa Nadler (who has a new LP soon too) -- MP3s & 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]

The Low Anthem and Timber Timbre played NYC shows on April 14th and 16th as part of their tour together. The first of those was at Bowery Ballroom (opened by the Woes and described by the words above) and the second was at the Bell House (which is where the picture here are from).

The Low Anthem's upcoming dates include a set the Newport Folk Festival on July 31st and a July 29th show at Concerts in the Studio in Freehold, New Jersey (the "house shows" where Alejandro Escovedo just played earlier this month, and John Doe & Exene Cervenka from X are playing on May 1st).

More pictures from the Bell House are below...

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

Canadian songwriter Patrick Watson will be playing a pair of NYC shows this May to kick off a run of US dates. He visits Thursday, May 6th at the Bell House (tickets) and Friday, May 7th at 92YTribeca (tickets). Before those shows, he plays Canada with Timber Timbre (who play NYC and tour with the Low Anthem this April).

Opening the two NYC shows will be Doveman, who joined the National at their recent shows at the Bell House. Doveman/Thomas Barlett also plays with Nico Muhly at the Kitchen on March 18th and 19th in a project called Peter Pears. Tickets are still on sale.

Patrick Watson tour dates and videos are below...

Continue reading "Patrick Watson touring (dates), playing NYC shows w/ Doveman who plays w/ Nico Muhly @ the Kitchen this week"

DOWNLOAD: Broken Social Scene - World Sick (MP3)

Jason Collett's new record, Rat A Tat Tat, came out Tuesday (3/9) on Arts & Crafts. His tour with his backing band, Zeus (who just put out an album of their own), and other opener Bahamas starts this week in Canada before getting to SXSW next week. One of Collett's shows there will be the BrooklynVegan/M For Montreal day party at Galaxy Room on Saturday March 20th. His full schedule for the fest is below.

The three-band tour comes to NYC for a pair of shows in April. They'll play Mercury Lounge on April 23rd (tickets) and Union Hall on April 24th (tickets). Zeus will be at both of those shows (previously Mercury Lounge was listed as "Jason Collett only").

Jason Collett's other band, Broken Social Scene, will also be at SXSW, where they're scheduled for two shows. The first is Thursday, March 18th @ Stubb's with Drive By Truckers and Band of Horses. The second is the official Arts & Crafts showcase @ The Parish on Friday, March 19th:

8pm - Still Life Still
09pm - Timber Timbre
10pm - Zeus
11pm - Jason Collett
12am - Broken Social Scene

Arts & Crafts extended family band Metric play a SXSW show at Stubb's on Friday, March 19th (probably with Muse). Timber Timbre play at least one more SXSW show while in Austin and kick off a tour with The Low Anthem later in March.

The collective is currently plotting its support shows for new record Forgiveness Rock Record, which comes out May 4th on A&C. The first song off that is posted above, right above the picture of the boxset version of the album

As far as NYC shows, BSS will play Webster Hall on May 7th, and they're playing Rumsey Playfield in Central Park on September 17th (the weekend before Pavement take over the space). They have summer festival appearances lined up too (Sasquatch, Pitchfork, their own Toronto fest), which are listed below.

Sally Seltmann will also be at SXSW, though she isn't on the lineup of that Parish show. You might remember her from her old moniker, "New Buffalo". Sally's new album "Heart That's Pounding" is out April 6, 2010 on Arts & Crafts. Cover art and all dates below.

Speaking of Arts & Crafts, A&C alums Stars will be putting out a new album, The Five Ghosts, on their own Soft Revolution Records on June 22nd.

We have never written an album with this much cohesion and unity' says vocalist Amy Millan , 'It is the first time we've had the luxury of being together in a huge room writing songs off the floor. The
Five Ghosts is quintessential STARS.'

They're planning a North American tour for this May and June, where they'll be playing The Five Ghosts in its entirety followed by a set of fan-picked songs. The album tracklist, a video of the band in the studio, and tour dates for all of the above are below...

Continue reading "a big Arts & Crafts update - Broken Social Scene, Stars, Jason Collett & more - new albums, MP3s, tour dates"

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"

Bon Iver in a graveyard in Sept. (more by Darren Kim)

tonight in NYC
* Kid Cudi @ Irving Plaza
* Spoon & Mahogany @ Mercury Lounge
* Spacecamp, Your Nature @ Coco66
* Akoya Afrobeat @ Knitting Factory
* Questlove (DJ), Q-Tip (DJ) @ Brooklyn Bowl
* MNDR, Zambri, Tayisha Busay @ Glasslands
* Vetiver, Avi Buffalo, Inlets @ The Bell House
* Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) & Steve Kimock @ Merkin Concert Hall
* Darlings, Lonnie Walker, Motel Motel, Gunfight @ Union Pool
* Free Energy, Eastern Midwestern, pow wow!, Neighbors @ Pianos
* Signal Break, Sunshower Orphans, Mr. Dream, NT Trio @ Cake Shop
* Langhorne Slim, April Smith & the Great Picture Show @ Maxwell's
* Dub Is a Weapon, Bigga Mention, Rob Symeonn @ (Le) Poisson Rouge
* Vampire Weekend, Kwame Dawes (author) @ Barnes & Noble Union Square
* Lady GaGa, Jason Derulo, Semi Precious Weapons @ Radio City Music Hall
* Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players, Supercute, Julia Weldon @ Knitting Factory Brooklyn
* Support Haiti Benefit w/ Lewis Black, Vernon Reid & Corey Glover of Living Colour, Rich Pagano & The Sugarcane Cups, Marshall Crenshaw, David Johansen @ City Winery

Vampire Weekend appear at Barnes & Noble tonight with Kwame Dawes. Expect a line.

Spoon announced that some tickets will be available at the door for tonight's Mercury Lounge show. Expect a line.

Lightspeed Champion is not playing Bowery Ballroom tonight.

Justin Vernon aka Bon Iver appears as part of the NY Guitar Festival tonight. You can catch him in Ohio in April.

Tonight's Cake shop show, put on by Music vs. Hunger, benefits Haiti relief. Questlove and Q-Tip DJ at Brooklyn Bowl for Haiti, too.

Various new videos below.

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Thursday?"

SXSWeek 2010: March 12-21
Interactive: March 12-16
Film: March 12-20
Music: March 17-21

The intial lineup of bands playing the music portion, below...

Continue reading "SXSW 2010 - dates & initial band lineup "

Timber Timbre s/t album cover

Timber Timbre, the project of Torontonian Taylor Kirk, released their third album and US debut, a self-titled release on Arts & Crafts in June. The band was on the label's CMJ showcase at Union Pool on October 22nd along with labelmates Still Life Still (who just announced a tour with Wild Beasts), Zeus and others.

They play live as a trio, with Kirk's guitar, kick drum and M. Ward-style vocals boosted by violin and lap steel. Their current tour comes to NYC's Joe's Pub on Friday, November 20th (tickets are on sale). One day later they head upstate for a show in Alfred before making it back into Canada for a gig in Montreal.

Timber Timbre played KRCW in Santa Monica, CA, just before Halloween. A video of that appearance with other videos all tour dates below...

Continue reading "Timber Timbre played KCRW (video), now on tour (dates)"

by Bill Pearis

The Beets @ Death by Audio in August (more by Leia Jospe)

As mentioned earlier, Thee Oh Sees are playing a late show at Death by Audio, now thankfully Maze-free (I was scared of the minotaur), with The Fresh & Onlys and The Beets (who also play with Monotonix at Santos tonight). They're listed as "The Ghosties" but in case you're still in doubt, at Mercury Lounge last night John Dwyer said onstage "if you wanna see the Oh Sees in a sweaty, shitty little room, come to Death by Audio tomorrow night" so the cat is officially out of the bag.

So basically you have two chances to see Thee Oh Sees and Fresh & Onlys tonight -- earlier at The Bell House (with Golden Triangle) or super late (Beets are on at 11PM supposedly) at Death by Audio. The adventurous might go to both. They were both great last night at Mercury Lounge: The Fresh & Onlys' low-fi recordings disguise their impressive musicality a bit, they are a seriously good band; and Thee Oh Sees are just one of the best live bands out there right now. Whichever show you go to, get as close to the action as you can. Seeing John Dwyer's demented facial expressions is half the fun.

Turbo Fruits @ Death By Audio (more by Leia Jospe)

Also on that Monotonix bill tonight at Santos -- and at their show tomorrow (10/10) at Market Hotel -- are Nashville's Turbo Fruits whose new album on Fat Possum, Echo Kid, is a lot of fun. With a slight rockabilly influence (they do live in Music City), it's party rock in the best sense of the term, super-catchy and danceable, with a nice swagger to it. Check out "Mama's Mad Cause I Fried My Brain" at the top of this post. If you can't see them this weekend, Turbo Fruits will be back for CMJ in two weeks (two weeks!), playing Union Pool on Saturday October 24, with Lovvers (with whom their touring) and hometown pals JEFF the Brotherhood.

Lovvers are also on the bill of the TBA BrooklynVegan day show at Pianos on October 22nd that Speech Debelle isn't playing.

Timber Timbre

Timber Timbre (aka Toronto resident Taylor Kirk) is town for two shows: tonight (10/9) at Union Hall and tomorrow at Mercury Lounge. Like fellow Torontonians Still Life Still, who were here the last two nights, Timber Timbre is on the Arts & Crafts label who released his third album over the summer. The most obvious comparison, and one that is hard not to make, is Devendra Banhart. (Bon Iver is not entirely inappropriate, either.) I think it's the quivery element in his voice more than the music, which has a spooky Tom Waits-ish vibe to it at times. It's a nice record. He'll be back for CMJ too if you can't make this weekend's shows.

On somewhat related notes, Still Life Still were just added to the other TBA BrooklynVegan day party happening at Pianos during CMJ (10/24), and tickets went on sale today for Devendra Banhart's upcoming show at Town Hall.

Valleys @ Pop Montreal (more by Ryan Muir)

And finally, there's a massive show tonight (10/9) at Shea Stadium (the Williamsburg DIY venue, not the home of the Mets) tonight featuring Blue Jungle, Valleys, Scotland's Waters Wolves, Gary B & the Notions, German Measles, Young Boys, Le Rug, and Effing. A weird line-up, due to two shows being sort of crammed together (some of it was supposed to be at Silent Barn where the TV Ghost show is happening instead), but it's nights like this that you might just discover your new favorite band.

Tour dates, videos, blah blah blah after the jump..

Continue reading "Turbo Fruits, Timber Timbre, Shea Stadium, The Ghosties & more in This Week in Indie (part 2.5)"