Off! @ NXNE 2011 (more by Natasha Ryan)

The most memorable thing that happened the year I visited Toronto for NXNE was Iggy Pop & The Stooges playing their big, outdoor, free, no-ticket-or-badge-required show downtown at Yonge-Dundas Square. Last year the Descendents did it. This year they've landed the Flaming Lips which should be an amazing spectacle. And:

NXNE Music has confirmed that Bad Religion, Raekwon & Ghostface Killah and Matthew Good will headline free shows at Yonge-Dundas Square (YDS) throughout the seven-day festival. The NXNE Music line-up also includes performances at YDS and in the clubs by Of Montreal, No Use For A Name, Purity Ring, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Death Grips, The Men, Bleached, Good Riddance, METZ, Ceremony, Plants & Animals, The Death Set, The Sadies & Andre Williams, Oberhofer, Reigning Sound, Action Bronson, 2:54, Yamantaka/ /Sonic Titan, The Hundred in The Hands, Rival Schools, Killer Mike, Young Magic, Hayes Carll, Friends, Hollerado, Bran Van 3000, The Black Belles, Doldrums, Odonis Odonis, Mac DeMarco, Bass Drum of Death, Porcelain Raft, Exitmusic, Violens, Grass Widow, Eight and a Half, DZ Deathrays, Jonathan Toubin, Art vs. Science, B L A C K I E, The Nils and Ivan Julian (ex-Richard Hell & The Voidoids).

This year's fest takes place at multiple venues across Toronto from June 11-17, 2012. Tickets are on sale.

Last year BrooklynVegan co-hosted a boat party with M For Montreal and Bruise Cruise.

"Following last year's 10th anniversary, which crushed previous attendance records and set a new mark for the speed with which tickets sold out, the Sasquatch! Music Festival unveils its 2012 lineup which once again features 4 days of music. The festival, hailed as "a model of well-paced programming...in a four-day schedule as efficient and natural feeling as an expertly built algorithm" by NPR Music while Wired notes, "leave the landscape out of it and Sasquatch! has a lineup to kill for," runs May 25-28 (Memorial Day Weekend) at The Gorge, the internationally acclaimed concert venue carved in the basalt cliffs high above the Columbia River Gorge in Quincy, WA."

Continue reading "Sasquatch! 2012 lineup announced (Bon Iver, Jack White, Beck, Tenacious D, Shins, Portlandia, Spiritualized & more) "

"The Snow Ball Music Festival [in 2011] was chill, in more ways than one. Besides the expected below freezing temperatures Avon gets in early March, the atmosphere of the festival and attitude of the attendees were very relaxed. The tents were set up on snow instead of concrete, and so dancing the first night was no small fete as everyone was slipping on the ice. By the end of the weekend, any movement at all was unpleasant as people were standing in puddles of water, beer, and probably some bodily fluids or stuck to the ground in thick mud. The crowd left their clubbing attire at home and sported their neon ski coats instead as they drifted through the clouds of cigarette and marijuana smoke. Despite the cold weather and the impossible dance floor, most importantly, the music was good." [cause=time]

Early bird and holiday special passes are sold out but regular passes and tickets for the festival are on sale now. Don't forget your "Warm Jackets, hats, gloves, and snow boots."

Current lineup below...

Continue reading "Snowball Music Festival is outside in the Winter in Colorado (2012 lineup) "

photos by Chris La Putt

DOWNLOAD: Gauntlet Hair - Keep Time (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Gauntlet Hair - Top Hair (MP3)

Gauntlet Hair @ BV-CMJ in NYC

Gauntlet Hair, who are just finishing up a tour with Unknown Mortal Orchestra, was one of a few bands to bless our BV day party at Public Assembly on 10/21 (along with names like J.Mascis, Chelsea Wolfe, A Place To Bury Strangers). They played as a 3-piece that day due to one of their members having to get back home before CMJ ended. Some pictures from their set are in this post.

The band will return to NYC for two shows as part of a developing winter tour. Those dates are12/1 at Glasslands with Parenthetical Girls, and a late show at Mercury Lounge on Friday, 12/2 with the Big Sleep and Dive. Tickets for Glasslands and for Mercury are on sale.

Gauntlet Hair recently posted a new video for "Keep Time" (which you can also download as an MP3 above). Check that out, with more pics and all dates, below...

Continue reading "Gauntlet Hair tour dates, live pics from CMJ, new video"

UMO @ the recent Vice party (more by Ryan Muir)

As just mentioned, both DOM & Unknown Mortal Orchestra will make appearances in the "SmartLounge" at Thompson Hotel in NYC during CMJ. Both artists also play a Pitchfork/Brooklyn Brewery-sponsored event at the Aloft hotel on Duffield Street in Brooklyn on Saturday, 10/22. Unknown Mortal Orchestra plays later that same night at Brooklyn Bowl with Givers, Free Energy and others.

In November DOM heads out on tour with Architecture in Helsinki.

Unknown Mortal Orchestra are still currently on your with Toro y Moi and will tour in Novmeber with Gauntlet Hair who are also coming for CMJ. All UMO dates below...

Continue reading "Speaking of DOM/Unknown Mortal Orchestra CMJ shows in hotels... "

photos by Tim Griffin

Dum Dum Girls @ the Mohawk

As previously mentioned, the Dum Dum Girls are touring with Crocodiles and playing shows that include October 21st at Bowery Ballroom and October 24th at Maxwell's.

The Bowery Ballroom show is part of CMJ, and Dum Dum Girls will also play at least three other shows while they're in NYC for the festival. We already mentioned their 10/20 KEXP Ace Hotel taping. They also play two other shows that day. They are the 1am special guest playing the Sub Pop showcase at Mercury Lounge that night, and before that they make an appearance at the Thompson Hotel as part of SmartLounge, a Wednesday/Thursday party that will also include sets by Unknown Mortal Orchestra, DOM, Small Black, Little Red, Araabmuzik, The Stepkids, Gotye and others. You need to download an app to get in. You'll also find more details at the link.

The pictures in this post are from a recent DDG show in Austin at the Mohawk (the one Mark Sultan also played). More of them, and all DDG dates, below...

Continue reading "Dum Dum Girls on tour, playing at least 4 CMJ shows (and Maxwell's), played the Mohawk in Austin (pics & dates)"

photos by Ryan Muir, words by Andrew Frisicano

Rick Ross / DFA1979

One Hanson Place, the cavernous ground-floor space of the Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower, served as the venue for a free-if-you-could-get-in Vice-sponsored concert on Thursday. As expected, the Weeknd didn't appear (he canceled the week before). Instead, the main attractions were Rick Ross, Death From Above 1979, a half dozen other bands, free beer and liquor and the Art Deco interior itself. A second stage in the basement--located inside a room-sized vault, with giant metallic doors at its entrance--featured acts like Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Anamanaguchi, Hanni El Khatib, Total Slacker and the Men. A-Trak was supposed to play, but cancelled after the sudden passing of his friend DJ Mehdi.

Tanlines kicked off the upstairs with songs that were aided by the high-vaulted ceilings and the reverb-heavy acoustics. Death from Above 1979 didn't fare as well; their songs already sound blown out and distorted on record, and the live show sacrifices any remaining fidelity for raw power. That said, both Sebastien Grainger and Jesse Keeler--one in white, one in black--put on spirited performances, thrashing around, with Sebastien at one point crawling along the bank teller windows into the crowd.

Rick Ross took the stage around 1am, after a brief intro set from Maybach Music Group rapper Stalley. The boss's set of about 35 minutes sped through songs that included "John," "9 Piece," "Hustin", "BMF", "MC Hammer," DJ Khaled's "All I Do Is Win" and "I'm On One," Waka's "O Let's Do It," and "Tupac Back" and "Ima Boss" (both Meek Mill's songs I think technically), at least for a chorus or two. Directly in front of the stage, where Ross' verses and exhortations were crystal clear, you could really get a sense of his imposing presence (DJ seemed genuinely afraid after starting one song too soon) and his ability to queue up any tune and make it totally his.

The amount of people upstairs was comfortable and not-overpacked; the downstairs, then, could be described as sadly under-attended. Unknown Mortal Orchestra had the benefit of playing before the main-stage acts started and sounded great. Hanni El Khatib, who played as a two-piece, shuffled out grungy, Americana-influenced rock, but to an audience of only about 50. One of the most pleasant surprise for me was Anamanaguchi, who I haven't seen in a few years. The quartet has molded themselves into an impressive instrumental outfit--with their NES as a less-dominant member--as they navigated their songs' post-rock-inspired swoops and climaxes with skill.

The Men closed the night with a post-2am set for the stragglers that hadn't yet succumbed to the hazards of the open bar. On my way downstairs I passed a handful of people doubled over, getting carried out by the EMTs. Downstairs wasn't much safer: at one point, a mic stand went flying into the crowd landing squarely on someone's head (hope you're alright dude).

More pictures from most of the night below...

Continue reading "pics from the Vice party in a bank (Death From Above 1979, Rick Ross, Anamanaguchi, Tanlines & more)"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Hospitality - Friends of Friends (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Dive - Sometime (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Heaven's Gate - Salome (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Unknown Mortal Orchestra - How Can U Luv Me (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Beat Connection - In the Water (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Ski Lodge - I Would Die to Be (MP3)

Blouse

After a couple weeks with not a whole lot going on, we're back to jam-packed week of shows (at least in the TWII-verse). So let's get into it.

Portland trio Blouse are in town for two shows: Thursday (9/15) at Glasslands and then Friday (9/16) at Shea Stadium. After singles on Sub Pop and Captured Tracks, the band's debut is due out in November. You can stream the song "Videotapes" from it at the bottom of this post. The track has a nice melty quality to it that if I was listening on cassette I might think it was time to buy a new Walkman. I've liked everything I've heard from Blouse so far, as it hits my '80s sweet spot: icy synths, moody basslines, big choruses. I'm anxious to hear the whole record, and looking forward to seeing them play.

Unknown Mortal Orchestra

Both Blouse shows are appealing bills. The Glasslands show is headlined by Unknown Mortal Orchestra who are currently on tour with Toro Y Moi, a tour that hits NYC tonight (10/14) at Webster Hall. In addition to the Glasslands show tomorrow, UMO are also playing that Vice party tomorrow that is sure to be a scene. After that, UMO are basically on tour for the rest of the year with a pretty brutal schedule, daring America not to see them.

Also playing the Glasslands show are Hospitality (subbing for Woven Bones who had to bow out) who, you may have read, have signed with Merge. The label will be putting out their debut album in early 2012 and you can get an early taste at the top of this post -- the horn-filled "Friends of Friends." (The whole record is great.) I'm a big fan of this band and couldn't be more pleased to see them sign to a label I love.

Blouse is headlining the Shea Stadium show on Friday that is a pretty exciting lineup too, especially if you want to see a lot of new local bands. Dive is the new band from Beach Fossils guitarist/drummer Cole Smith (he was also in Darwin Deez) and the group's debut single, "Dive," is out soon on Captured Tracks and you can download it at the top of this post. It sounds a lot like Beach Fossils but it's catchy nonetheless.

Heaven's Gate

Also playing are Heaven's Gate which is the new band from a couple of the guys in the now defunct Sweet Bulbs. Like that band, Heaven's Gate are definitely on the shoegaze tip and also remind me a little of Bettie Serveert. Mind you, I've only heard two songs but both are quite good. (I was a big Sweet Bulbs fan too.) Download one of them, "Salome," at the top of this post.

Still more at Shea Stadium: Spacerock band Beige and Night Manager whose new 7" is pretty darn good.

---

Sloan are in town. Did anyone go see them last night at The Bell House? They play Bowery Ballroom on Thursday (9/15) and Maxwell's on Friday (9/16). I've probably written enough about Sloan this year already, but needless to say these shows are highly recommended. And if you haven't grabbed the free Select Singles - 1992 - 2011 compilation yet, the download widget is at the bottom of this post.

Beat Connection

STRFKR (not to be confused with SBTRKT) are rolling though town this week, playing Knitting Factory on Friday (9/16). Despite the whole name-changing debacle (Starfucker --> Pyramid --> Starfucker --> STRFKR), the band's new album, Reptillians, isn't bad at all in a Flaming Lips/MGMT sort of way.

I'm a bigger fan of the opening act Beat Connection. This duo is from Seattle though listening to their debut, Surf Noir, from last year you might think they were Swedish -- Lo Fi FNK and, especially, Studio come to mind when you hear the Baeleric Beat influence that's all over the record. You can download single "In the Water" at the top of this post. I caught them at SXSW and thought they were pretty good though they could use a couple auxiliary members live.

Ski Lodge

Friday night (9/16) at Cake Shop is Ski Lodge which is the new band from Andrew Marr who used to be in the Clementines. There's an EP coming out on Dovecote Records and you can download a track from it, "I Would Die to Be," at the top of this post. There's a Beach Fossils approach to the arrangement of this song, but melodically it's more from the Smiths lineage of indiepop. The whole EP is good. I've never seen them live, but maybe Friday.

---

And finally, classic postpunk band The Raincoats play Friday (9/16) at Warsaw with San Francisco's Grass Widow. More about that HERE.

A few more picks not mentioned above, by day, below...

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14

Japandroids are at Mercury Lounge tonight, road testing new material for their second album. Bass Drum of Death open. Sold out, but we're giving away a pair of tickets.

Grave Babies play with K Holes and Pop. 1280 at Cake Shop.

continued below...

Continue reading "Blouse, UMO, Hospitality, Dive, Heaven's Gate, STRFKR, Beat Connection, Ski Lodge & more in This Week in Indie"

CMJ takes over NYC venues from October 18-22, and they just announced another round of bands that are playing. They are:

J Mascis, Shonen Knife, Gang Gang Dance, Boy & Bear, Cloud Nothings, Free Energy, T. Mills, Kendrick Lamar, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Casiokids, Oberhofer, Smif-N-Wessun, Pujol, Zomby, Joker, Painted Palms, Flatliners, Robbers on High Street, Bag Raiders, Young Buffalo, Skeletonwitch, Gary Clark, Jr. and 1, 2, 3.

Zomby is also playing Glasslands even sooner.

DFA1979 fans @ Lollapalooza 2011 (more by Grant MacAllister)

The Weeknd was playing and then not playing and now it's this:

Following years of hard work, arm wrestling over domain names, and a little bit of high-tech stuff that we can't even begin to understand, we're proud to announce that VICE.COM is here. We've combined VBS.TV and Viceland.com to create super content one-stop-shop for all the videos and words you've come to expect from VICE.

Being that we're VICE, we decided to throw a party to celebrate our new URL with our best friends, like you and Rick Ross. RSVP is now open, details and flier below. Space will be limited.

Full Frontal VICE | The Official Launch of VICE.COM | Presented by boinc

Thursday, September 15th | 9:00PM - 3:00AM
Skylight One Hanson | One Hanson Place, Brooklyn

Performances by:
Rick Ross | A Trak | Death From Above 1979

And More Bands
Tanlines
Unknown Mortal Orchestra
The Men
Hanni El Khatib
Anamanaguchi
Total Slacker

And DJs
Nick Zinner
Black Lips
The New York Night Train
Lemonade
True Panther
Greenie

Complimentary Svedka and Grolsch | Invitation is non-transferable. 21+ and Photo ID required

by Andrew Sacher

Toro y Moi at Pitchfork Fest (more by Dominick Mastrangelo)

Toro y Moi is releasing the Freaking Out EP on Tuesday (9/13) via Carpark. The EP is the followup to his full length, Underneath the Pine, which came out earlier this year on the same label. You can grab two tracks, "All Alone" and "Saturday Love" (an Alexander O'Neal & Cherelle cover), in exchange for your email address below. Though both will remind you of the disco-y pop of Underneath the Pine, the introductory synth frills on "All Alone" tell you right away that Freaking Out isn't an EP of leftover album tracks.

Toro y Moi's previously announced tour begins this week and hits Webster Hall on September 14 with Unknown Mortal Orchestra and Ava Luna. Tickets are still available. All dates are listed below.

We're also giving away a signed vinyl copy of Underneath the Pine and a pair of tickets to the Webster Hall show. Details on how to win, along with MP3 widgets, album art, tracklist and updated tour dates below...

Continue reading "Toro y Moi kicking off tour, releasing EP -- 2 MP3s, updated dates & a chance to win tix to Webster Hall & a signed album"

Toronto R&B singer The Weeknd (aka Abel Tesfaye) is set to make his US live debut in NYC on September 15 at Skylight One Hanson. The performance is part of Vice's Upfront Extravaganza party in honor of the launch of their new URL Vice.com. The party also includes live and DJ sets by A-Trak, Tanlines, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Nick Zinner (of Yeah Yeah Yeahs), and Black Lips. Stay tuned for more details. All we could confirm so far is that this is happening. We can only assume that some sort of RSVP will pop up at some point.

The Weeknd has released two mixtapes this year, House of Balloons and Thursday, and expects to release a third, Echoes of Silence, this fall. Some tracks off both of those mixtapes are below...

Continue reading "The Weeknd making US live debut at Vice.com event in NYC (next week!)"

Wild Flag at Williamsburg Waterfront (more by Dana (distortion) Yavin)

The first round of CMJ 2011 artists have been announced. The initial list includes Neon Indian (Webster Hall with Purity Ring), CSS (Webster Hall with EMA and MEN), Zola Jesus (KF and LPR), Wild Flag (Bowery Ballroom with Eleanor Friedberger and Hospitality), Metronomy (MHOW), Portugal. The Man (T5 with Givers and Alberta Cross), Viva Brother, Wombats, The Good Natured), Kvelertak, Handsome Furs, Memoryhouse, Pharoahe Monch, and more.

The Viva Brother show is on October 19 at Bowery Ballroom with 1,2,3 and Kitten. Tickets are on sale now (or you can try to get in with your CMJ badge). All dates below.

The Wombats show is on October 19 at Webster Hall with The Postelles and The Good Natured. Tickets are on sale now (or you can try to get in with your CMJ badge). All dates below.

Other bands scheduled to play that aren't part of CMJ's initial announce include Still Corners, Shonen Knife at Public Assembly, PS I Love You, and Revolver. Full list below...

Continue reading "CMJ 2011 initial lineup (Handsome Furs, Viva Brother, Wombats, Memoryhouse, Kvelertak, Pharoahe Monch, more)"

by Bill Pearis

Portland's dreamy trio Blouse are playing their first NYC show at Glasslands on September 15, opening for Unkown Mortal Orchestra. (Woven Bones and Man/Miracle also play.) It's their only NYC show too, though others may be added?

Blouse currently have singles out on Sub Pop and Captured Tracks. The latter will be putting out their debut album this fall and like a lot of C/T bands, Blouse channel the John Hughes '80s: icy synths, moody basslines, delay-pedal guitars and big catchy choruses. You can stream a few songs at the bottom of this post.

Continue reading "check out Blouse --- song streams, tour dates, a NYC show"

The Antlers at Sasquatch 2011 (more by Josh Darr)

Levi's recently launched The Commuter, a line of jeans designed for biking the city streets. In honor of the new clothing line, Levi's are teaming up with Urban Outfitters for the "Get in the Saddle Tour," where they'll travel around America "to cyclists' hot spots promoting The Commuter". The tour kicks off in NYC with performances by The Antlers and Unknown Mortal Orchestra at Liberty Hall in the Ace Hotel tonight (8/5). We didn't post this earlier because we were told it was turned into a private show. That still might be true. Go at your own risk. Doors are at 7pm.

You can also catch The Antlers on their international tour that includes opening for Explosions in the Sky at Wellmont Theatre (10/3). Tickets for that show are still on sale.

UMO will go on tour soon too and play Webster Hall on September 14 with Toro y Moi and Ava Luna and Glasslands on September 15 with Woven Bones, Blouse, and Man/Miracle. Tickets are on sale for the Webster Hall show and the Glasslands show.

photos by Kyle Dean Reinford

DOWNLOAD: Little Dragon - "Nightlight (Unknown Mortal Orchestra Remix) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Unknown Mortal Orchestra - "How Can U Luv Me" (MP3)

UMO @ Glasslands

Unknown Mortal Orchestra headlined Glasslands on 6/4. Headless Horseman, Balkans, and Fort Lean rounded out the rest of the bill. Despite some gear issues, UMO played an hour long set that concluded with "How Can U Luv Me" to a relatively full crowd. UMO is currrently prepping to release their self-titled debut on Fat Possum on 6/21. Stream three songs at the label site and download one above along with a remix the band did for Little Dragon.

The Glasslands show was one of two NYC dates for UMO, who played Webster Hall with their tour-mates Portugal The Man the night before. They'll return both venues in September while on tour with Toro Y Moi who headlines Webster Hall on 9/14. Ava Luna is also on the bill and tickets are still available. One day later, 9/15, UMO return to Glasslands for another headlining show. Tickets are on sale for that too.

UMO also has a bunch of dates scheduled with Yuck.. All dates and more pictures from Glasslands below...

Continue reading "Unknown Mortal Orchestra played Glasslands (pics), touring with Toro y Moi, playing Glasslands again (dates)"

Here is the initial lineup for Willamette Week's MusicfestNW, scheduled for Sept. 7-11, 2011 in Portland, Oregon, and it's pretty great. The multi-venue fest includes big outdoor performances by Band of Horses (Sunday, Sept. 11), Explosions in the Sky (Saturday, Sept. 10), and Iron & Wine (Friday, Sept. 9), in addition to shows with everyone from Archers of Loaf to Big Freedia to Butthole Surfers to Neurosis. Tickets go on sale Friday, June 3rd. Check out the full list below...

Continue reading "MusicfestNW 2011 -- dates & initial lineup"

Cocorosie @ MHOW in 2010 (more by Amanda Hatfield)

Brooklyn venue Glasslands have booked a pretty impressive list of upcoming shows this month and next. We've already mentioned last night's John Maus show, the John Maus show coming in June, tonight's Julliana Barwick/Helado Negro show, Adventure and Pat Jordache (5/14), Cymbals Eat Guitars (5/20), an acoustic show with Dum Dum Girls and Crocodiles (5/27), and Love Inks (6/2).

Most notably, in addition to those, CocoRosie play Glasslands on May 23. At the moment it is their only US show before heading to Europe for a July tour. Openers TBA. Tickets are on sale now.

Meanwhile, Princeton play Glasslands on Wednesday, May 11 with High Highs, New Villager, and Ivana XL, before they open for CSS and Sleigh Bells at Music Hall of Williamsburg (5/12) and Bowery Ballroom (5/15). Tickets are on sale now.

High Highs also play a show on May 19th with Acrylics and Junip at Bowery Ballroom, and they open for Memoryhouse at two NYC shows in June. All dates are listed below.

Xylos, McDonalds, Mansions & Junipers, and Flashlights are playing Glasslands on May 12. Tickets are on sale now.

Dirty Beaches @ Bowery Ballroom (more by Amanda Hatfield)

Dirty Beaches plays Glasslands with Psychedelic Horseshit, Pterodactyl, and Beige on May 13 (tickets), a day after they play Mercury Lounge with Widowspeak (5/12). All tour dates, South Street Seaport included, are listed below.

White Mystery, who just released their sophomore full length Blood & Venom, play Glasslands on May 17 as the kick off to a 5-night NYC run that looks like this:

05/17/11 Glasslands Brooklyn, New York
05/18/11 Generation Records New York, New York
05/19/11 Public Assembly Brooklyn, New York
05/20/11 Death By Audio Brooklyn, New York
05/21/11 Brooklyn Fireproof Brooklyn, New York

My Teenage Stride play an early show at Glasslands on May 21 with Sea Lions, Beachniks, The Surprisers, and Plains. No advanced tickets for that one, or for the free show they're playing at South Street Seaport this summer.

French Horn Rebellion, who recently released Infinite Music Of French Horn Rebellion, are playing Glasslands on May 26 for their album release party. The show is being opened by Savoir Adore, who play Brooklyn Museum on 5/13 and the In Vino Wine Bar on June 26 (Tickets). Tickets for the Glasslands show are on sale now. French Horn Rebellion are on tour with Yelle now.

Unknown Mortal Orchestra, who are currently on tour with Portugal. The Man and Telekinesis play their own show at Glasslands on June 4, one day after they play Webster Hall with those bands. Unknown Mortal Orchestra are releasing their self titled debut on June 21 via Fat Possum. Hear three songs off the album on Fat Possum's website. Tickets are on sale now for the Brooklyn show with with Balkans + more TBA. Updated dates are below.

The Beets (maybe you saw them Saturday at Cake Shop) play Glasslands on June 24. Openers TBA. Tickets on sale now. Meanwhile they are out on tour.

Videos and dates below...

Continue reading "Cocorosie, Princeton, White Mystery, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Dirty Beaches, Savoir Adore & other shows"

photos by Brook Bobbins

...been meaning to catch the smith westerns for some time now and friends they didn't disappoint. their breezy kinda rock was the perfect way to welcome in spring to new york. playing a set under an hour, a sold out crowd left a little disappointed that the smith westerns glassed over an encore. despite that, the infectious tune "weekend" is stuck in my head the morning after.-[sharocks the blogspot]

Unknown Mortal Orchestra also played their own show at Pianos on Sunday, and a late one with Bass Drum of Death on Saturday night at Shea Stadium while they were in NYC. After they finish their tour with the Smith Westerns, they'll prep for another tour, this time with Portugal. The Man and Telekinesis. That tour hits Webster Hall on 6/3 (tickets are still on sale).

All tour dates and more pictures from Bowery Ballroom are below....

Continue reading "Smith Westerns played Bowery Ballroom w/ Unknown Mortal Orchestra who're touring w/ Portugal. The Man (pics & dates)"

photos by Brook Bobbins

Duo Bass Drum of Death released their debut, LP GB City, via Fat Possum on April 12th, 2011, and are on tour now in support of it. That tour brought them to NYC this weekend for two shows. They're opening for Crocodiles and The Fresh & Onlys tonight (4/23) at Music Hall, and last night they played their own show at Glasslands which is where these pictures are from.

UPDATE: Make that three shows. they also play at 1:30am Saturday night at Shea Stadium with Unknown Mortal Orchestra who play Pianos Sunday night.

More pictures, with all tour dates, below....

Continue reading "Bass Drum of Death on tour, played Glasslands (pics)"

The second annual Hopscotch Festival will go down in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, across 12 different venues with over 135 bands, from September 8th through 10th. The lineup this year runs the gamut of independent music... from traditional indie staples (The Flaming Lips, Guided By Voices, Superchunk) to southern-inflected rock (Drive-By Truckers) to noise (Prurient) to hip hop (Beans) to garage (Jeff The Brotherhood) to funk (Budos Band) to metal (Krallice), and everywhere in between (Swans, Rhys Chatham, etc etc). Tickets are currently on sale. Full lineup is below.

Hopscotch happens almost three months after Guided By Voices play a Brooklyn Northside Festival show in McCarren Park (tickets) which is one day after Beirut plays a Northside Festival show on the same McCarren Park stage with... Sharon Van Etten (though she may have been accidentally announced at one point, they officially kept her placement on the bill under wraps until after Saturday's Music Hall of Williamsburg show). Tickets for Beirut/SVE are still on sale, and another opener will be added too.

Guided by Voices (whose Brooklyn show also has more openers coming) are also playing Pitchfork in July with Animal Collective whose Prospect Park show is now on AmEx presale.

Swans' upcoming NYC show is now on AmEx presale too.

Hopscotch lineup below...

Continue reading "Hopscotch Fest returns to Raleigh (2011 lineup announced), Sharon Van Etten officially added to Northside Fest"

photos by Shanda Boyett

The Smith Westerns played Knitting Factory on March 5, two days after a show at Mercury Lounge, and their last public stop on a pre-SXSW tour. But they're not headed off to Austin just yet. FIRST, a visit to a... department store....

Continue reading "Smith Westerns played Knitting Factory (pics), playing... Saks Fifth Avenue before SXSW & other dates"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Levek - Look on the Bright Side (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Levek - Second Second (MP3)

By day, Florida native David Levesque drives a school bus. In the off-hours, he records catchy tunes as Levek. You can check out two songs at the top of this post. Now a six-piece band, Levek is on a short tour that hits town this weekend, Saturday (3/5) at Cameo with Dinosaur Feathers, Motel Motel and ohnomoon, and then Sunday at Pianos with Unknown Mortal Orchestra who are touring with the Smith Westerns.

Levek will then play a few shows in his home state with neighbors Holiday Shores and Idiot Glee. What, no SXSW?

Meanwhile, Motel Motel are also playing Cake Shop tonight (3/4) with Shark? and Dinosaur Feathers. The band claim this weekend's shows are likely to be their last hometown gigs ever as they're going on "permanent hiatus." Before calling it quits Motel Motel are going on One Last Tour (with Dinosaur Feathers) that includes stops at SXSW.

All Levek and Motel Motel/Dinosaur Feathers tour dates are below.

Continue reading "Motel Motel going on permanent hiatus, touring w/ Dinosaur Feathers ++ Levek is here & on tour (dates & MP3s)"

Smith Westerns at 171 Lombardy (more by Ian Perlman)

Glasslands on 1/18. Mercury Lounge on March 3rd. Knitting Factory on March 5th. These are a list of recent and future NYC shows that Smith Westerns have sold out. Now comes word of another one, this time at Bowery Ballroom on April 25th. Tickets go on AMEX presale Wednesday (2/16) at noon, and regular sale on Friday. By the way, all February and March shows (Merc and KF included) are with Unknown Mortal Orchestra who have an EP you can listen to at Bandcamp.

The Bowery Ballroom show precedes a stint of dates with fellow Chicago-ans Wilco, who so far have no NYC dates in their near future (nor does Jeff Tweedy). Check out all Wilco, Jeff Tweedy, and Smith Westerns dates along with some video below.

Continue reading "Smith Westerns add NYC show before Wilco tour (dates)"