Forgetters at Knitting Factory in 2010 (more by Andrew St. Clair)

As mentioned, Brooklyn's Brain Cave Festival is returning this year and it begins TONIGHT (4/11), continuing through Sunday (4/14). Most shows happen at Europa, and there's also a free day show on Saturday at the Greenpointers.com Market. When we first posted the lineup, there was a "Surprise Special Guest TBA" listed for Saturday's show, and we've since learned that it's Forgetters, the currently project of Jawbreaker/Jets to Brazil frontman Blake Schwarzenbach, who released their self titled album in late 2012.

The Forgetters show is with Monogold, Clouder, and Quiet Loudly. Other bands playing other days of the festival include Peelander-Z, The Suzan, Eula, Cat Martino, Lemonade, and more. Tickets for individual nights and 4-day passes are still available. Updated lineup below.

Forgetters are also playing a Record Store Day (4/20) in-store at Generation Records with Swearin' (who have other local shows with Shellshag coming up), Doug Gillard (Guided by Voices, Nada Surf), and Livids (whose lineup includes New Bomb Turks singer Eric Davidson, and who just opened for The Hives). Blake Schwarzenbach will be DJing, along with Tom Scharpling and others.

Meanwhile, in other Brain Cave Festival related news, Lemonade have been added as an opener to the previously discussed John Talabot tour, including his NYC show on May 28 at Music Hall of Williamsburg with FIXED DJs JDH & Dave P. Tickets for that show are still available.

Meanwhile, catch Lemonade's True Panther labelmates Delorean in NYC TONIGHT (4/11) at 285 Kent. Tickets for tonight's show are still available.

All Lemonade dates are listed, along with the updated Brain Cave lineup, below...

Continue reading "Forgetters playing Brain Cave festival, RSD in-store w/ Doug Gillard, Swearin' & others; Lemonade opening for John Talabot"

Moby's audition did not go well...

As maybe you're heard, The Postal Service are back together for a 10th anniversary tour, including two shows at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. What you may not know is that Ben Gibbard was one of many singers who auditioned for Jimmy Tamborello. Aimee Mann, Moby or even Duff McKagan (plus others) could've ended up in the band... or so this Funny or Die clip (directed by Tom Scharpling) purports which you can watch below.

Continue reading "watch Moby, Weird Al, Aimee Mann, Marc Maron and more audition for The Postal Service"

Already two Brooklyn shows, and the list keeps growing. New Postal Service dates go on pre-sale on Wednesday. All dates are listed below.

Meanwhile, a music video and a short documentary about the reunited band are in the works. The title of the doc, according to IMDB, is "10 Years of the Postal Service", and the one and only Tom Scharpling directed it, as he recently told Matt Pinfield:

"I shot two things with them," Scharpling says. "One is a mini-documentary, getting Ben Gibbard and Jimmy Tamborello to tell the story of how this weird band came together and how they were mailing each other CD-R's back and forth. It's a straight mini-doc thing that should be out shortly. The other is a funny video that takes place in 2002, that shows Jimmy auditioning potential lead singers for Postal Service. We got an amazing group of people to come through."

Continue reading "The Postal Service announce even more Tour Dates, made a video & mini documentary with Tom Scharpling"

Brooke Shields and Tom Scharpling (via Patrick Cotnoir)

Tom Scharpling, Ted Leo, and Marianne Ways put together "A Very Special Benefit Show" on Friday (12/7) at the Bell House with a great lineup of Ted Leo & the Pharmacists, Chris Elliott (joined by Adam Resnick), John Hodgman, Jon Benjamin, Julie Klausner (joined by Gary the Squirrel), Andrew W.K., Kristen Schaal, previously revealed surprise guests TItus Andronicus, and a secret appearance by Brooke Shields. The show began with an intro by Ted Leo and Tom Scharpling, and then the many acts began their (relatively short) sets with auctions spliced in between. Later on in the show, Tom and Ted returned to the stage together to interview Brooke Shields, and before Andrew WK's closing set, Ted played a song on stage with the auction winner. To end the night, after Andrew WK's set, he was joined on stage by Ted Leo and the Pharmacists and members of Titus for a killer cover of "Louie Louie." A picture of the setlist from the show is below.

Ted Leo was also added to the previously mentioned Concert & Comedy For Sandy Animals: Benefit for the Sean Casey Animal Rescue, which takes place at Littlefield TONIGHT (12/9) with Michael Showalter, Casey Shea, The National Reserve, Jena Friedman, Colleen Pelletier (video), and Rawan Rihani (art). Supercute were initially supposed to play but they had to cancel. Tickets for tonight's show are still available.

In case you missed it, Tom Scharpling also made the mix tape for the first of Yo La Tengo's eight Hanukkah shows last night (12/8). Last night's openers were The Raybeats and Emo Philips. Any guesses on who opens tonight?

Setlist from the Tom Scharpling benefit below...

Continue reading "Ted Leo played The Bell House w/ many guests (like Brooke Shields & Titus) (setlist), added to tonight's benefit at Littlefield"

It's a tradition! Yo La Tengo begin their eight sold out shows at Maxwell's in recently-Sandy-ravaged Hoboken tonight, Saturday, December 8th, the first night of Hanukkah 2012. As always, each night will featured a varied setlist, a charity and a mix of secret musician and comedy openers and special guests. So far we haven't figured out even one this year. Any guesses?

UPDATE: Night 1 openers were a reunion by The Raybeats and comedian Emo Philips. Tom Scharpling made the mix tape of the night (they sell it for charity). The charity of the night was, appropriately, the Fund to Rebuild Hoboken.

The reunited Rascals are about to kick off a series of shows at Capitol Theater, and Yo La Tengo definitely like the Rascals.

Local musical opener and guest possibilities include Ted Leo, Titus Andronicus, Real Estate, Thurston Moore, Stephin Merritt, AC Newman, Kurt Vile, Lee Ranaldo, and Paul Banks.

Someone guessed Big Dipper.

Andrew Bird, Richard Buckner and Os Mutantes will all be in town (as will Jason Lytle and Sera Cahoone).

Thoughts?

That's this year's new t-shirt pictured above. More Yo La Tengo tour dates are HERE.

photos by Lukas Hodge; words by Andrew Sacher

"Titus Andronicus at Webster Hall tonight aka what all rock & roll should be" - Alison McCarthy

"Ceremony. Most aggro pit I've ever seen. Lots of punching. @ Webster Hall" - Dave Surgan

Titus Andronicus @ Webster Hall, 12/2/2012

Titus Andronicus wrapped up their tour with Ceremony in NYC last night at Webster Hall (12/2) after playing Maxwell's in Hoboken the night earlier. But before either band took the stage, Buffalo's Lemuria treated the crowd to a set of their raw Thermals-y pop punk. The place couldn't have been more than half full for their set but Lemuria still looked like they were having the time of their lives and delivered as such. You can catch them in NYC again opening for Fucked Up at Warsaw on December 21 with Night Birds and Parquet Courts. TIckets for that show are still available.

Next up was Ceremony, who, like their Matador labelmates Fucked Up, have been bringing real-deal punk rock to the indie kids, so when they were tapped to open on tour for Titus it sounded like it made a lot of sense. And I can't judge the other 40 something dates on the tour, but at Webster Hall they hardly came off like an opener. In fact, I'd be curious to know how many people bought tickets just to see Ceremony and left after their set. The second Ceremony's drummer, who was donning a Titus Andronicus 'Local Business' shirt, began the drum intro to their opening set, a massive pit broke out and the kids only got more intense throughout the set. Bassist Andy Nelson actually addressed the pit later on in the show: "I know it's really hard to be a white male in America and you have to let out a lot of aggression, but when you punch people you don't know in the face, you look fucking ridiculous." And he actually got a lot of cheers for saying that. On the band's newest record (and their Matador debut), Zoo, they again evolved their ever-changing sound, in favor of Stooges-y garage punk, and cuts off that album like "Hysteria" and "Citizen" fit right into the band's ruthless live show. But before leaving the stage, they played a few songs their early powerviolence days "for the punk kids."

Finally, a few minutes after 10:30, Titus Andronicus took the stage, with frontman Patrick Stickles returning the favor of their tourmates, decked out in a Ceremony tee. With no more than the quick floor tom roll that kicks off Local Business, Titus went into that album's opener, "Ecce Homo," and as they do on tour and on record, seamlessly transitioned into "Still Life With Hot Deuce On Silver Platter." Local Business has received some (unfair) criticism, much of which is due to living in the shadows of the epic The Monitor, but the fans still love it. There were just as many fist-raised singalongs during the Local Business tracks as there were during "No Future Part Three, "Titus Andronicus," "A More Perfect Union," and the number of other older favorites they played. Titus didn't inspire too much moshing like Ceremony before them, but the masses of fans jumping around had Webster's floor shaking and the stage diving never ceased on the fans' end, and Patrick leapt into the crowd once himself.

One of the things Local Business has become known for is the fact that it's the first record Titus recorded with the same lineup they tour with, and that really came across at the show. It was no longer the Titus Andronicus led by Patrick Stickles, who produced a Civil War epic, putting together a band to take on the road with him. And the results were pretty humbling. Patrick has always felt very much like the frontman at TItus shows -- and he is and deserves to appear that way -- but on this tour he comes off as a member of a band, and for people who embrace DIY aesthetics and local business as much as they do, those communal elements are a big deal. The band have learned a few other new tricks for this tour too, like Patrick ending "(I Am the) Electric Man" with "I am the electric man. Now you know. But there's still something I gotta know..." and then whipping out The Contours' "Do You Love Me." They also learned a cover of the Rolling Stones' "Brown Sugar" for this tour, which after repeated cheers from the crowd they came out to play as an encore. Patrick prefaced the encore with, "We don't usually do this, but if you insist..." and from the looks of past setlists, it's true.

At the show, Patrick mentioned he and the guys are headed to catch Neil Young at the Barclays Center tonight (12/3), and while they didn't play any of Neil's songs last night, they did play "Down by the River" in Neil's hometown of Ontario at their Lee's Palace show (11/27), and you can watch a video of that cover below. He also mentioned on stage that they'll be the surprise guests at the now sold out Tom Scharpling-presented Sandy benefit at The Bell House on Friday (12/7) with Ted Leo & the Pharmacists, Chris Elliott, John Hodgman, Jon Benjamin, Julie Klausner, and Andrew W.K..

The "Down by the River" video and two videos from the Webster Hall show are below, along with video of Ceremony on Last Call with Carson Daly.

Continue reading "Titus Andronicus, Ceremony and Lemuria rocked Webster Hall (pics, review, videos)"

Ted Leo at MHOW earlier this month (more by Dana [distortion] Yavin)

There are a lot of benefits happening to aid Hurricane Sandy relief, and all are very much needed. Many of them are happening at The Bell House as you may have read, such as " The Musical Extravaganza to Restore Red Hook!" which happens on Wednesday (11/21). WFMU's Tom Scharpling, friend to comedians and indie rock royalty both, has gone through his rolodex to put together a pretty killer benefit that will go down at The Bell House on December 7 and features Ted Leo & the Pharmacists, Chris Elliott, John Hodgman, Jon Benjamin, Julie Klausner, Andrew W.K. and "Surprise Guests!" Sometimes when people say "surprise guests" it means "we're still trying to book more acts" but in Scharpling's case it is likely to be the kind to get excited about. Tickets are on sale now and 100% of proceeds go to Occupy Sandy and Staten Island's Stephen Siller Foundation.

In related news, the night before the Bell House benefit (12/6) Chris Elliot will be performing with his comedian daughters Abby and Bridey at The Pit as part of Running Late with Marty Rogowsky. Tickets are on sale for that too. Additionally, fans of Mr. Elliot may already know that a DVD box set of his '90s cult TV show Get A Life came out back in September.

Ted Leo and Andrew W.K have a few other 2012 dates coming up (not together) and those are listed below.

Continue reading "Ted Leo, Tom Scharpling, Andrew W.K., Chris Elliott, John Hodgman and more performing at Sandy Benefit next month"

Ben Gibbard at Hi-Fi Bar in October (more by Amanda Hatfield)

Death Cab for Cutie frontman Ben GIbbard, who played a single intimate show in NYC during CMJ, kicked off his tour with Advance Base in Minneapolis last week and they're set to hit NYC TONIGHT (11/5) at Town Hall. Tickets for tonight's show are still available.

Ben also just recently released a video for "Teardrop Windows" off of his debut album, Former Lives (out now via Barsuk), which was directed by Tom Scharpling, who also recently directed videos for Aimee Mann, Nude Beach, and others. The video stars comedian Kurt Braunohler, who plays a record label executive that tries to turn Ben into a "bad boy." Check out that video and an updated list of dates below.

Continue reading "Ben Gibbard is here, has a new Tom Scharpling-directed video"

Nude Beach at 285 Kent (more by Fred Pessaro // BBG)

Nude Beach are back with a new Tom Scharpling-directed video for "Some Kinda Love," one of the standout tracks from their recent Other Music-reissued II. Clearly shot at Union Pool, the video works as both an introduction to the band and a window into the sidetracked mind of the director. As you'd expect from Scharpling, it's hilarious. Check it out below.

Don't forget, Nude Beach will play the NYC area twice in the coming weeks as part of a string of dates with Roky Erickson. Look for them at The Bell House on 11/7 (tickets) and Maxwell's on 11/8 (tickets).

All tour dates are listed below along with that video.

Continue reading "Nude Beach have a new Tom Scharpling-directed video and are on tour (dates)"

Ted Leo in Aimee Mann's new video

As mentioned, Julie Klauser has some upcoming appearances in NYC, including one at The Bell House on Thursday (9/20) for a screening of The Monkees 1968 film, Head, with former MTV News journalist Kurt Loder, Rolling Stone's Rob Sheffield, and Monkees historian Eric Lefcowitz; and another at The Bell House on October 17 for Julie's How Was Your Week podcast with Ted Leo. You'll also have a third chance to see her when she participates in a live recording of the Going Off Track podcast at Union Hall on Saturday (9/22) with Thursday's Geoff Rickly, Texas Is The Reason's Norman Brannon, and blogger Sarah Lewitinn (aka Ultragrrrl). Tickets for all three of those shows are on sale now.

Speaking of Ted Leo, as mentioned, his tour with Aimee Mann hits NYC for three shows next month. Ted is also featured in Aimee's new video for "Labrador," which was directed by Tom Scharpling, and also features his WFMU cohort (and Superchunk drummer) Jon Wurster and actor Jon Hamm. You can watch that below.

Norman Brannon of Texas is the Reason

Speaking of Texas Is The Reason and Thursday, as mentioned, TITR added a show happening at Music Hall of Williamsburg on October 10 with ex-Thursday and Rival Schools project States & Kingdoms, one day before their sold out Revelation 25 show at Irving Plaza (10/11). Tickets for the MHOW show are still available.

Aimee Mann video below.

Continue reading "upcoming Julie Klausner gigs, 1 w/ Geoff from Thursday, 1 w/ Ted Leo (who's in the Scharpling-directed Aimee Mann video)"

Here We Go Magic at Sasquatch 2012 (more by Chris Graham)

today in NYC
* Braids @ Maxwell's
* Matt Alber @ Joe's Pub
* Jill Sobule @ Joe's Pub
* Mike Doughty @ City Winery
* Band of Horses @ House of Vans
* The Killers @ Paradise Theater
* Sean Sondregger Trio @ The Stone
* Stanley Clarke @ Blue Note
* Et cetera Festival @ Public Assembly
* Slash, Foxy Shazam @ Hammerstein Ballroom
* Jon Spencer Blues Explosion @ Bowery Electric
* Barack Obama, Jay-Z & Beyonce @ 40/40 Club
* Here We Go Magic, High Highs @ Brooklyn Bowl
* Echo-Friendly, Thieving Irons @ Mercury Lounge
* Blood Red Shoes, DZ Deathrays @ Mercury Lounge
* Vensaire, manicanparty, Cultfever @ Cameo Gallery
* The Avett Brothers @ Central Park Rumsey Playfield
* Infernal Stronghold, Geryon, Grudges @ Saint Vitus
* Pete Karp and the Brooklyn Jazz Warriors @ The Stone
* Tropic of Pisces, Neighbors, Moon King, Cookies @ Pianos
* Michael Kiwanuka, Marcus Foster, Foy Vance @ Webster Hall
* Chasing Kings, Swear and Shake @ Knitting Factory Brooklyn
* G-Side, The Block Beattaz, Deniro Farrar, Tron & DVD @ Glasslands
* Bobby Womack w/ Damon Albarn, Kwes and more @ Apple Store SoHo
* Shark?, Caged Animals, Dinosaur Feathers, EULA @ Delinquency
* Seth Herzog, David Wain, Questlove, Ted Alexandro @ The Studio at Webster Hall
* Diamond Terrifier,Ikebe Shakedown, Osekre and the Lucky Bastards, The Forthrights, Tunde Adebimpe/Ohal Greitzer/Daren Ho-Ryan Sawyer/C. Spencer Yeh Quintet @ Zebulon

Tonight's Avett Brothers show at Central Park has been postponed till 9/24 due to the tornado watch that's currently in effect.

Jon Spencer Blues Explosion's new album, Meat and Bone, is out today and BrooklynVegan is presenting record release party tonight at Bowery Electric. The only way in was to have bought the album through Other Music or won tickets from us. It's now sold out but you can, however, watch the JSBX's new video, "Black Mold," below.

Bobby Womack and his all-star band (Damon Albarn, Kwes, mems of TVotR) are playing a free show and Q&A at Apple's fancypants SoHo store tonight at 7 PM which is likely to be very, very crowded.

Band of Horses, who release their new album, Mirage Rock, today and play House of Vans tonight, taped a "Live on Letterman" concert last night (9/17). You can stream that entire concert below. You can also stream Mirage Rock in its entirety below.

Public Assembly's alt-learning festival, "Et cetera," continues tonight with free panel discussions and demonstrations, like "Bad Feminist Readings."

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Aimee Mann's new video, "Labrador," was directed by Tom Scharpling and features his WFMU cohort (and Superchunk drummer) Jon Wurster, as well as Ted Leo and Jon Hamm. Watch it below.

We already posted pics from A$AP Rocky's Fashion Week performance at the Adidas Store, and now you can check out video from the event that also features Jeremy Scott, A$AP Nast and Flatbush Zombies. Watch it below.

The Family Bqnd made a skeletal video for their song "Moonbeams" and you can watch that below too.

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Tuesday?"

Check out what West Village record store Generation Records has going on Saturday, below...

Continue reading "Record Store Day @ Generation Records"

DOWNLOAD: The Young - "Livin' Free" (MP3)

Screaming Females at Generation Records (more by Andrew St. Clair)

This March, Screaming Females, Titus Andronicus, and Diarrhea Planet are heading out on the 'Screaming on Planet Titus' tour which kicks off at The Stone Pony on March 4 in Asbury Park, NJ and ends with a Houston show on 3/12 before Screaming Females and Titus play SXSW. Tickets for the Asbury Park show are on sale now. All dates are listed below.

That Asbury Park show is the closest that the tour comes to NYC, but Screaming Females will play two more area shows in April as part of a longer, headlining tour. Those shows include Maxwell's on April 5 in Hoboken, NJ and The Bell House on April 6 in Brooklyn with Aye Nako, and Swearin'. Tickets for the Maxwell's show and the Bell House show are on sale now. Screaming Females also have a new video for "It All Means Nothing," the single off their great upcoming album, Ugly (due out April 3 via Don Giovanni). Check that video out below.

You can also catch Titus Andronicus frontman Patrick Stickles in NYC TONIGHT (2/29) at Shea Stadium with Alex Drewchin and Clapperclaw. The show is billed as "An Evening with Patrick Stickles: Songs, Stories & Spiels - An Affirmation of Manic Depression in all its Transcendent Glory."

Titus also have a new single out, and currently the only place to hear it is on Tom Scharpling's WFMU show at the 2:37:00 mark.

Both Screaming Females and Titus Andronicus will be playing the official BrooklynVegan SXSW showcase which happens on March 14 at Bar 96 in Austin. Our official showcase also includes Caged Animals, 2:54, The Young, and one more artist TBA (due to a cancellation).

Both 2:54 and The Young have (relatively) new MP3s. Stream those both below, and grab The Young's above.

Speaking of Diarrhea Planet, they've also got an upcoming NYC show in March at the Aputumpu Music Festival at Le Poisson Rouge on March 25 with Japanther, Cerebral Ballzy, Ghost Mice, Osekre and the Lucky Bastards, Liquor Store, and Eula. Tickets for that show are on sale now.

All dates, video, streams, and the flier for tonight's show below...

Continue reading "Titus Andronicus reveal new song, touring from NJ to SXSW w/ Screaming Females (who added NYC dates too); Patrick Stickles is at Shea TONIGHT (and stuff)"

photos by Erik Erikson

How Was Your Week? -- 2/2 @ the Bell House

Now 49 episodes in, each week Julie Klausner posts another free edition of her podcast "How Was Your Week?". Grab them all and subscribe at iTunes, and stay tuned for the edition that was taped at the Bell House back on 2/2 with Tom Scharpling, Sandra Bernhard, Ted Leo, Ira Glass, and Joe Mande. Meanwhile, check out Joe Mande every Thursday night at UCB East (including tonight), and check out more pictures from the 2/2 podcast event, below...

Continue reading "How Was Your Week? with Julie Klausner (podcast & live pics)"

Real Estate at Williamsburg Waterfront (more by Dana (distortion) Yavin)

Tom Scharpling of "The Best Show on WFMU" directed a new video for Real Estate's "Easy". Check that out below.

The band begins a string of East Coast dates this weekend bookended by a pair of NYC shows. As discussed, look for the band to hit the sold-out Terminal 5 on Saturday (1/14) with Girls and King Krule (who also plays two OTHER sold-out shows this week), but ALSO look for Real Estate to team with The Babies and Dogleather to play K&K Super Buffet in Queens on January 28th. Not familiar with K&K?

K&K SUPER BUFFET is a transformer. Family-style Chinese steam-table buffet restaurant by day... soaring ceiling-ed, opulently decorated, decadent party palace and cheap-assed bar by night. Lots of rooms and zones, great sight lines and terrific vibes. Just off the Myrtle/Wyckoff L train, just over the Queens border in Bushwick Heights, aka Ridgewood, with ample parking for anyone driving in.

Real Estate will also play Coachella 2012, alongside names like Radiohead, Pulp, At The Drive In, Justice, fIREHOSE, Refused, Bon Iver, and many many more.

All tour dates and that "Easy" video is below.

Continue reading "Real Estate releases Scharpling-directed video, adds Queens show at K&K Super Buffet to schedule (updated dates)"

DOWNLOAD: Kurt Vile - The Creatures (MP3)

To quote Matador Records...

On November 8, Kurt Vile will be releasing a brand-new 6-song EP on the 12" vinyl and digital formats, entitled So Outta Reach. The EP contains 5 original songs initially recorded during the sessions for Smoke Ring For My Halo but not used for the album, which were reworked with producer John Agnello this summer. In addition, the EP contains a cover of Bruce Springsteen's "Downbound Train."

On the same day there will be a deluxe 2-CD version of Smoke Ring For My Halo with a new color cover. The deluxe CD will include the So Outta Reach EP on a second disc, all at the same price as a regular CD.

Kurt heads out on tour later this month with Bright Eyes who just played Williamsburg last week. Kurt played the same Brooklyn venue earlier in the summer with Sonic Youth and Wild Flag who have a new Tom Scharpling-directed video out today for "Romance". Check it out below. Wild Flag's new album (out 9/13 on Merge) is streaming too.

Kurt's next NYC show is a big headlining one at Webster Hall. All tour dates are listed below.

And speaking of Matador bands that have Manhattan shows coming up in the fall, Girls' new album Father, Son, Holy Ghost is streaming too, and that is also below...

Continue reading "new Kurt Vile MP3, Wild Flag video, Girls album stream, "

by Andrew Sacher

DOWNLOAD: Fucked Up - "Queen of Hearts" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Fucked Up - "The Other Shoe" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Fucked Up - "A Little Death" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Animal Man - "Do You Feed" (MP3)

Fucked Up at ATP NY 2010 (more by Samantha Marble)

Fucked Up are set to release their upcoming hardcore-punk rock opera, David Comes To Life, on June 7 via Matador (buy early, get now). The album is a concept album that takes place in a fictional British town in the late 1970s and early '80s, and is centered around the character David. David falls in love with a girl, Veronica, who soon dies and the album continues, telling the story of David's subsequent struggles as he deals with Veronica's death while reconnecting with his former lover, Vivian. Although using the words "punk" and "rock opera" in the same sentence can be unnerving, to the say the least (think American Idiot), Fucked Up have eschewed the bombastic qualities associated with the often-presumptuous "punk opera," and created their sincerest record yet. I don't think we'll be seeing Damian Abraham on Broadway any time soon (though those in Canada can see him on TV).

In the "album trailer" for DCTL (watch below), Tom Scharpling, host of "The Best Show on WFMU," says, "They kind of didn't change themselves to make a concept album, they made the notion of a concept album come to them." That's what what sets the album apart from ambitious punk failures of the past. Fucked Up apply a 78 minute love story to the vigor and spirit of the late '70s/early '80s punk and hardcore that they've honed throughout their career. Damian retains his throaty growl, but favors pop melodies over a more traditional hardcore delivery.

David Comes To Life features guest vocals from Madeline Follin of Cults as Veronica and Canadian pysch-folk singer Jennifer Castle as Vivian. Download Madeline Follin's contribution above in the track "Queen of Hearts" and one of Jennifer Castle's multiple appearances in "The Other Shoe," as well as the track "A Little Death." David Comes To Life is currently streaming in its entirety on NPR, who refers to the band as "F---- Up". I guess they're a little closer than the 2007 NY Times article which chose not to name the band at all. As The Guardian points out, this is still a problem:

While sitting on my sofa this morning, my seven-year-old daughter turned to me and said, 'Daddy, what does 'fucked up' mean?'", wrote the reader, referring to a music review of a punk band called Fucked Up, on page 22 of The Guide on 30 April 2011...What age do you recommend for Guardian readership if you are content to write 'Fucked Up' in bold text at the top of a review? 16 years old? 18 maybe?

In support of the album, Fucked Up released the compilation album, Fucked Up Presents: David's Town on Record Store Day. On April 16th the band posted this message:

Hey everyone, you may have tried to buy or bought our LP for Ebay Day, Davids Town. Since lots of creeps went out to buy this specifically to flip it on ebay as soon as they got home and make up random pressing amounts to put in the listing title, here are some facts:

-THERE ARE 2000 COPIES OF DAVIDS TOWN.
-IF YOU BUY IT ON EBAY NOW INSTEAD OF WAITING 2 WEEKS FOR THE PRICE TO GO DOWN YOU ARE DUMB
-THE PRICE WILL GO DOWN ON EBAY IN TWO WEEKS JUST LIKE LAST YEAR

Fucked Up head down to Texas this week for Chaos in Tejas and then play an amazing free outdoor NXNE show with Descendents (who recently reunited to play Fun Fun Fun Fest), Off!, Rusty, and Metz on June 16 in Toronto's Yonge and Dundas Square (the same stage Damian hosted last year). They also play a not-free show later that night at WrongBar.

They'll follow the festival appearances with a summer tour including the previously mentioned show opening for Dinosaur Jr. and Off! at Terminal 5 on June 23. Tickets are still available. They then tour with JEFF the Brotherhood who play a show with "special guest" at 285 Kent in Brooklyn on June 25.

All tour dates, album art and tracklists, and album trailer below...

Continue reading "Fucked Up's new concept album (streaming), companion comp (on eBay), name (still unprintable), tour dates (NXNE & more)"

Remember when Tom Scharpling and Titus Andronicus asked people to join them on a video shoot NJ tour? Well, that video is now a video and you can watch it below.

Titus Andronicus have been on the road for most of March and April, Pogues shows at Terminal 5 included. They wrap things up with two shows in the NYC-area this weekend: tonight/Friday at Maxwell's with Dinowalrus, and Saturday at Music Hall of Williamsburg with Dinowalrus and The Suzan. Both are sold out, as is the "Our Band Could Be Your Life" show that Titus is part of at Bowery Ballroom on 5/22, but tickets are still on sale for the June 7th show at Terminal 5 where Titus will once again play opener, but this time to Okkervil River who they'll be out on tour with at the time. All dates and the new video, below...

Continue reading "Titus Andronicus' Tom Scharpling NJ tour video released, playing NJ again tonight, touring w/ Okkervil River (dates)"

photos by Jason House

West Village record store Generation Records celebrated Record Store Day 2011 by releasing two new records (Off! and Bouncing Souls, both "Live At Generation Records"), and with a day full of in-store performances by Obits, I Hate Our Freedom, The Jay Vons, and Spa Castles. There were also DJ Sets from Yo La Tengo, Tom Scharpling (WFMU's Best Show), and Eric Davidson (and a special appearance by Fred Armisen who also played a secret set before Joan as Policewoman at Mercury Lounge two nights earlier) during the afternoon of 4/16. J Edward Keyes reports that, "Obits [turned] in a great all-covers Record Store Day set at Generation w. special guests: Ira & Georgia from Yo La Tengo!" You can see the action in the pictures from the whole day, above and below.

Obits play NYC again on Wednesday, and they'll play covers again, but this time at Union Pool as part of a tribute to Brendan of Orphan with Krallice, Mira Bilotte (of White Magic & Quix*o*tic), and Dope Body. Tickets are available at the door, and all proceeds go back to Brendan's family. Bands will be playing reworked material by Orphan, other Brendan material, and possibly some of their own material as well.

More pictures from Generation Records, below...

Continue reading "Generation Records celebrated Record Store Day w/ Obits, Yo La Tengo, The Jay Vons, Spa Castles & more (pics)"

"Hey everybody! It's Tom Scharpling! We're shooting another video and I want YOU to be a part of it! The details are below:"

Continue reading "Spend Sunday w/ Titus Andronicus & Tom Scharpling"

The new New Pornographers?

Neko Case has been keeping busy on the road lately, recording with the Dodos, spending lots of time with Jakob Dylan, and even sometimes playing with her band The New Pornographers, so it's nice to know that she (and the rest of the New Pornos) got the day off when they were making the video for "Moves" from their recent album Together.

In their place is a cast of funny characters including Julie Klausner (as Neko), Jon Wurster (as one version of Carl Newman), Kevin Corrigan (as Dan Bejar), and Ted Leo (as Kathryn Calder). Also look for Todd Barry, Other Music, Death By Audio, Wyatt Cenac, a mound of cocaine, Gabe Delahaye, Max Silvestri, Horatio Sanz, Bill Hader and Paul Rudd (the cast of Expectant Dads) and many more in the Tom Scharpling (who directed this Ted Leo masterpiece) directed video, that you can watch with full credits listed, below...

Continue reading "new comedian-filled New Pornographers video w/ Ted Leo too"

Still no word on the impending Citizen's Arrest reunion, but you can officially nix a Brutalist Bricks broadway production. A new video of Ted Leo & The Pharmacists in training for the great white way (aka his video of "Bottled In Cork" featuring Paul F. Tompkins, John Hodgman, and others including some of you) is below - BBG.

Continue reading "new comedian-filled Ted Leo video (is the big reveal)"

Ted Leo - theater-goer or punk rocker? @ Knit in March (more by Anna Scialli)

While in town for an instore at Generation Record on Thursday (6/17), Ted Leo will also be filming a video for his song "Bottled in Cork," directed by Tom Scharpling (of WFMU's The Best Show). The filming for that will be in Brooklyn at a "top secret filming location" around 4pm on the same day. When the video shoot was announced yesterday, we got confused because it seemed to be happening at the same exact time as the instore. Ted has since cleared that up, sort of. His message with more details and how to RSVP for the video shoot are below.

Ted Leo heads out on tour with Screaming Females after these NYC things, and will be back for Siren Fest in July.

Details on the shoot (including instructions to "wear finest theater-going or punk-rocking attire") are below...

Continue reading "be in a Ted Leo video Thursday (before? his free instore) "

DOWNLOAD: Neil Hamburger - At Least I Was Paid (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Neil Diamond - Love on the Rocks (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Ted Leo & Tom Scharpling - You Don't Bring Me Flowers (MP3)

2008, NYC
July 31 - Neil Hamburger plays Knitting Factory! (tonight!)
Aug 12 - Neil Diamond plays MSG
Aug 14 - Neil Diamond plays MSG
Aug 15 - Neil Diamond plays MSG
Aug 16 - Neil Diamond plays MSG