R.E.M., who recently described "why President Obama's vision is essential to the notion of equality and democracy in America", posted the following note today:

R.E.M.'s "Losing My Religion" was used in the Fox News coverage of the Democratic National Convention last night. R.E.M. today, through its music publisher, Warner-Tamerlane Music, demanded that Fox News cease and desist from continuing its unlicensed and unauthorized use of the song. Michael Stipe said, "We have little or no respect for their puff adder brand of reportage. Our music does not belong there."

In related news, R.E.M. recently reunited... for dinner.

Twin Sister @ Pitchfork Fest 2011 (more by Dominick Mastrangelo)

today in NYC
* Oyasaba @ Zebulon
* Bowieball @ Le Poisson Rouge
* Las Rubias Del Norte @ Barbes
* Bright Moments Trio @ The Stone
* The Dan Band @ Gramercy Theatre
* Hanukkah Gone Metal @ Knitting Factory
* Oneohtrix Point Never @ Museum of Modern Art
* Passenger Peru, Weird Children @ Fort Useless
* Joseph Arthur, James Maddock @ Bowery Electric
* The National, This Is The Kit @ Beacon Theatre
* Stylofone, Dum Dum Girls DJ set @ Brooklyn Bowl
* Twin Sister, Widowspeak, Ava Luna @ Bowery Ballroom
* Gamelan Kusuma Laras, Kelly Pratt Large Band @ The Stone
* Omegas, Inflatable Children, Death First @ ABC No Rio
* Le Chelsea Beat, Baxx SiSi's, Apehangers @ Union Pool
* Ne(x)tworks, Zeena Parkins, JACK Quartet @ The Kitchen
* Chappo, Jeff Taylor, Monogold, Lucius @ Mercury Lounge
* Atlas Sound, Carnivores, Frank Broyles @ The Bell House
* Juviley, No Sky God, Infinity Hotel @ Pine Box Rock Shop
* Twisted Sister (Christmas show), Jac&jill @ Best Buy Theater
* The Dirtbombs, White Mystery @ Gramercy Theatre (free & late)
* The Slackers, Bomb The Music Industry, DJ 100dbs @ Irving Plaza
* Acheron, Goreaphobia, Funebrarum, Mutant Supremacy @ Saint Vitus
* Bugs In The Dark, Girlfriends, Gone Bad, The Plushies @ Cake Shop
* Scott Weiland ("The Most Wonderful Time of The Year") @ City Winery
* Dead Exes, The Nuclears, J & The 9's, Ruby The Hatchet @ Matchless
* Spanish Prisoners, Young Girls, Honduras, The Dick Tips @ Spike Hill
* Kim Ann Foxmann (Hercules & Love Affair/MR. INTL). Colin Rogister @ Cameo
* Xray Eyeballs, K-Holes, Stalkers, Frankie Rose & The Outs @ Glasslands
* The Hold Steady, Titus Andronicus, Wakey!Wakey!, W/O @ Brooklyn Night Bazaar
* Defeatist, Triac, Psychic Limb, Disciples of Chirst, Backslider @ Death By Audio
* Big Spider's Back, Fables, Tetsuo, Sam Hillmer (DJ set) @ Big Snow Buffalo Lodge
* Escort, Midnight Magic, DJs Sean B and Will Automagic of Spank @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
* Walter Schreifels, A Balance Between, The Death Of Me, Craig (Elemae), The Rose Riot @ Maxwell's
* Unstoppable Death Machines, Behavior, Graffiti Monsters, Ritz Riot, Filthy Savage @ Shea Stadium
* Murphy's Law, Skarhead, Lordz Of Brooklyn, Apathy, Reef the Lost Cauze, Slaine, Darkside NYC, ILL-Roc Soldiers, Rebel Matic, Rick Whispers @ Santos Party House
* Harry & The Potters, Draco & The Malfoys, Potter Puppet Pals, Big Digits, MC Kreacher, The Terror Pigeon Dance Revolt! @ The Bell House

Twin Sister headline the 3rd BV Holiday Party in a week. Stop by our charity raffle table. We're giving away cool stuff and raising money for Toys for Tots.

Twisted Sister play their own Holiday Party at Best Buy Theater.

The Hold Steady and Titus Andronicus hold it down at the third and final day of the Brooklyn Bazaar which by the way was great last night.

Acheron plays Saint Vitus tonight which is confusing. Has Saint Vitus yes played Acheron?

What else?

Tickets are on sale now for a February 23rd Meat Loaf show at Irving Plaza.

The number of Radio City shows Janet Jackson is playing is now up to three. Tickets are on sale for all of them.

Twisted Sister (not La Toya) (not pictured above) are playing a benefit at Best Buy Theater on April 29th. Tickets go on sale at noon.

I would just end the post there, but might as well keep going.

Tickets are also on sale at noon for the Rick Ross show at Best Buy Theater and for the Lupe Fiasco show at Webster Hall.

Raekwon and a bunch of other hip hop shows are on sale too.

Still can't find a ticket link for Brochella

Tonight's Mission of Burma show at Maxwell's is sold out, but tickets are still on sale for the gig at the Bell House.

Tickets are on sale for the Miike Snow/Major Lazer/Santigold shindig at Terminal 5.

Browse the "Tour Dates" category for more recent show announcements (and their corresponding ticket links),

B.B. King is playing United Palace Theatre in NYC on February 12th. Tickets are now on Live Nation Presale (password = record) and Citi Cardmember presale. General sale starts Saturday at 10am.

United Palace is also the location of this Friday's Monsters of Folk show for which tickets are still on sale.

Twisted Sister holiday shows are now a yearly tradition. They return to Nokia Theatre in Times Square on December 6th. Tickets are on sale.

Nokia Theatre is also where DOOM and Mos Def are playing on January 30th. Tickets are on AmEx Presale (@ 10am).

Some tickets went back on sale for the upcoming Pixies shows at Hammerstein Ballroom.

Hammerstein Ballroom is where Phoenix and Passion Pit are playing on December 2nd. Tickets are on Internet Presale (password = 1019RXP) (@ 10am).

Tickets are now on U2.com presale for the U2 show at "New Meadowlands Stadium" in July. General sale starts Monday at 10am.

Tickets are on AmEx presale (@ 11am) for the Levon Helm / Okkervil River show coming up at Terminal 5.

The Mary Onettes kicked off a tour of the USA last night (10/3) in Boston. Tonight (10/4) they play their first of three NYC shows. It's at Union Hall. Blacklist opens. Tickets probably available at the door.

The Amygdaloids

The Rock-It Science Festival will bring together eight outstanding--and noted--scientists and academics who share a second career as musicians, along with six additional performers with international exposure and a great appreciation for science.

Dr. Joseph LeDoux conceived the idea for this unique event, which serves as the closing event for the Sensation to Emotion Conference on March 2 and 3. LeDoux is a professor of neuroscience at New York University who not only has pioneered study of the brain's mechanisms for emotion and memory and is the author of The Emotional Brain and The Synaptic Self, but is also guitarist and lead vocalists of rock band The Amygdaloids, who will be performing at Rock-It Science. The Amygdaloids line-up also includes three other NYU scientists: neuroscientist Daniela Schiller, PhD candidate Nina Galbraith Curley, and Environmental Sciences professor and author Tyler Volk.

The Rock-It Science Festival will start rockin' at 6:30 p.m. on March 3 at the Highline Ballroom, 431 W. 16th Street in New York. Australian Go-Go dancer and variety show star Anna Copa Cabanna will emcee the event, promising an interesting and humorous evening. Rufus Wainwright will highlight an evening that will also include musician, writer and record producer Lenny Kaye, who is the long-time collaborator of poet-rocker Patti Smith.

Other guest artists at Rock-It Science include Grammy-nominated songwriter and international recording artist Gary Lucas, and Peter Holsapple, an acclaimed musician, songwriter and side man who is co-leader of the legendary dBs, and has performed extensively with R.E.M. and Hootie & The Blowfish. American folk-rock duo The Kennedys, jazz/cabaret performer Pamela Luss, acclaimed songwriter Steve Wynn (of the Dream Syndicate and the Miracle Three), and Stuart Chatwood, previously the bassist and keyboard player for platinum rock band The Tea Party, also make the Rock-It Science lineup.

Rufus Wainwright performed in NJ on Friday, and has another NYC show coming up on March 4th.

Dee Snider was Santa this past Christmas.

The Db's are playing the R.E.M. tribute at Carnegie Hall in March.

More info on the Rock-It Science Festival below...

Continue reading "Rufus Wainwright, Dee Snider, NYU academics & others playing for science @ Highline Ballroom"

today in NYC
* Jewltide w/ DeLeon @ Southpaw
* Yo La Tengo & ????? @ Maxwell's
* 4 Generations of Miles @ Iridium

An animated Christmas video from Twisted Sister below...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Wednesday? (Christmas Eve & Hanukkah)"

photos by Tim Griffin

Mick Foley & Dee Snider

Lita Ford

Lita Ford, Mini Kiss, a statue of Ozzy Osbourne, and Mick Foley (wrestler Mankind) were among the guests who showed up to help Twisted Sister celebrate Christmas at two shows at Nokia Theatre in NYC over the weekend. After Mini Kiss made like reindeer and pulled Santa Dee Snider on stage in his sleigh, the band broke into a set full of Christmas songs and true-to-form versions of their classics like 'I Wanna Rock' and 'We're Not Gonna Take It'. And like she does on Twisted Sister's Christmas album, and in the new official video, Lita Ford sang a 'dedicated to the troops' version of "I'll Be Home For Christmas" with the band. A great live video of that, and tons of pictures, below...

Continue reading "Twisted Sister's Christmas show w/ Lita Ford & Mini Kiss @ Nokia Theater, NYC - pics & video"

Til Tuesday (Aimee Mann then)

Aimee Mann (now)

Twisted Sister

What do Aimee Mann and Twisted Sister have in common? They were both popular in the eighties (though maybe Twisted Sister are the only ones still living in it) and are still at it today, they both put out Christmas albums in 2006, they both played Christmas shows in 2007 (Aimee also played one in 2006), and they both are playing Christmas shows in 2008 - both of which are at Nokia Theatre in NYC in December. Twisted Sister plays two nights (tickets are on sale), and Aimee Mann plays one (she had two nights, but one was already cancelled) (tickets are also on sale).

In case the title confused you Aimee & Dee are not sharing the same bill (just the same BV post, again).

Twisted Sister is advertising two openers: ZO2 and The Dirty Pearls. Aimee Mann is saying that "This years special guests include: Nellie McKay, Grant-Lee Phillips, Morgan Murphy, Patton Oswalt and Paul F. Tompkins.", but her tour is eleven dates long and it's unclear who will be appearing at each show along the way, BUT Nokia Theatre IS listing all of those guests EXCEPT Patton. All tour dates and a whole bunch of related videos, below...

Continue reading "Aimee Mann & Twisted Sister - 2008 Christmas Tour Dates, Nellie McKay, Patton Oswalt, videos w/ Lita Ford & stuff"

Siouxsie Sioux @ Irving Plaza - Feb 9, 2008 (Lori Baily/Prefix)

* The Cliks play Knitting Factory
* News Analysis Who Won the Writers Strike?
* Bon Jovi is playing Hammerstein Ballroom
* The Kooks & The Duke Spirit are at Music Hall
* Foals, Team Robespierre & The Teeth play Bowery Ballroom
* Saviours & Titan play Luna Lounge (Witch cancelled)
* Bobby Brown almost peed on Dee Snider
* Type O Negative 'Dead Again' re-release party @ Duff's
* world's first "vegan strip club" opens in Portland

What else?

"By Overwhelming Demand, 2nd Show Added." Limited tickets still available for the December 21st show. $42.50 tickets go on sale Thursday at 10am for the new December 20th show. Oh Come All Ye Faithful....

Continue reading "Twisted Sister add 2nd NYC Christmas show"

Lordi (cred)

I'm a sucker for a good stage show - schtick or not. I like the music to be good too though. That is possible. Gwar used to be great - original, talented and creative. Somehow I tricked myself into believing that Lordi - despite not looking at all original - would play good music, and that overall it would be a good time. Hey - they're big in Europe (yeah I know, so is David Hasselhoff) - "Hardrock Halellujah" rocks like Kiss - they even won the Eurovision Award. So last night (Oct 29, 2007) I went to see them open for Type O Negative at the venue formerly known as Irving Plaza (their first NYC show I think). One word: horrible. Not even "so bad they're good" (ok, maybe that a little - sometimes I laughed). Just kind of unoriginal, cheesy (with cheap props), and bad. Luckily I was mainly there to see Type O anyway.

Worth noting at least: Twisted Sister guitarist Jay Jay French came out to play one song with Lordi (without a costume on). Twisted Sister play the same venue on December 21st. Lordi & Type O Negative play two more shows together - tonight in Philly, and at Starland Ballroom in Jersey on Halloween.

Celebrate Christmas with Twisted Sister (AGAIN)! Tickets are now on sale for a show in LA on December 13th, and one on December 21st at Irving Plaza in NYC. Last year it was a Christmas CD. This year they made it a DVD. Video below...

Continue reading "Twisted Sister - A Twisted Christmas LIVE"

First, let me take this opportunity to warn you to avoid, at all costs, the new Christmas album by 80's icon Aimee Mann. I took a quick listen. Not only is it dreadfully depressing, it adds nothing new to the already-too-large body of Holiday music covers. Perhaps there's a gem hidden on there - I just couldn't listen that far.

Second, I urge you to immediately seek out the brand new Christmas album by 80's icons Twisted Sister. The mashup of Brooklyn Jewish hair metal and schlocky Christmas songs is a work of genius, but don't take my word for it - just go STREAM THE WHOLE THING at their website. A quality stocking stuffer indeed.

Some Twisted Sister tour dates below....

Continue reading "new Twisted Sister Christmas album - STREAM IT"