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.

Todd P says, "ONLINE ADVANCED TICKETS GO ON SALE SOON". All tour dates are listed below.

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.

Download new EP track "The Creature" above.

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 2008, Slate asked, "Why do bands give themselves unprintable names?"

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

The price did go down, though there aren't many on eBay right now. A seller from the UK has some (though he is wrong about there only being 500). David's Town features contributions by fictional punk bands from the town DCTL takes place in. The bands are played by Fucked Up themselves and feature a number of guest vocalists. Download the song "Do You Feed" by the fictional Animal Man above (Mediafire the whole album at your own risk).

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