written with assistance from Andrew Sacher

UPDATE: "Falls Creek Boys Choir" is a song. Listen HERE.

The Fall Creek Boys Choir, according to a MySpace page created in 2007, are "An amateur singing group from Fall Creek, WI that gets together twice a month and rehearses, drinks 7up and Cranberry juice mixers, and sometimes records at the Cricket Gym," Its members are "Jeff Carter, Bonnie Bennett, Tom Olson, Rich Valvey, Pam Triton, Cal 'Jacket' Teely, Jennifer Teely, Sam Teely, Ashley Gunderson, Pat Robbins, Ashley Pessup, Matt Forser, Cole Perry." We don't recognize any of those names, but you can head below to hear some pretty beautiful harmonies that they created and posted to myspace.com/fallcreekboyschoir (last login October 21, 2008).

The choir once had a proper website. It's gone now, but the URL is still listed on MySpace. It's aprilbase.com ("Justin's website" according to DeYarmond Edison's breakup message). It's obviously not a coincidence that April Base also happens to be the name of Justin Vernon's recording studio in the same small Wisconsin town that the Boys Choir is from. An ApriBase MySpace with the URL Myspace.com/jdvernon (last login October 21, 2008) only further ties it all together (Fall Creek Boys Choir in jdvernon's top friends included). Myspace.com/aprilbase in turn takes you to a page belonging to "Vern" (and it's where we got the above picture).

Back to the Fall Creek songs for a second... We're not totally sure who the voices (or voice) in the mix are, but listening to those harmonies definitely makes us feel like we're listening to harmonies from any of the Bon Iver albums. Let us know what you think.

Update: One of the tracks, "New York (ball point)," contains the same vocal lines used in "Cool Knowledge" from Justin's Volcano Choir project. Remember that nobody had also logged into the myspace containing these four songs since 2008.

We do know that Justin likes to revisit his older work, considering the acoustic guitar intro to his recent single "Holocene" almost mirrors that of "Hazleton" recorded earlier under his own name, pre-Bon Iver.

Last but not least (and really what got us started on all of this)... Earlier today, James Blake tweeted "24th August 2011 - James Blake & Bon Iver "Fall Creek Boys Choir."" Is James Blake joining the Fall Creek Boys Choir? Did Justin get the old gang back together for a collaboration with Mr. Blake? Is Justin just reusing an old name, sort of like he did with April Base? It's a mystery for now, though we were able to get confirmation that the date in the tweet does not refer to a live show.

August 24, 2011 is in a week so it won't be long until we hear whatever it is these two great minds have up their sleeves. Fall Creek Boys Choir songs below...

Continue reading "Did Justin Vernon sing in the Fall Creek Boys Choir? (listen) --- Is James Blake now a member?"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: All Tiny Creatures - An Iris (feat. Justin Vernon) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: All Tiny Creatures - Glass Bubbles (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: All Tiny Creatures - An Iris Mixtape SIDE A (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: All Tiny Creatures - An Iris Mixtape SIDE B (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: All Tiny Creatures - Glass Bubbles Mixtape SIDE A (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: All Tiny Creatures - Glass Bubbles Mixtape SIDE B (MP3)

Wisconsin's All Tiny Creatures are touring in support of their new album Harbors, making two stops in New York: June 4 at The Sycamore and then June 5 at Mercury Lounge. Both shows are with Washington D.C.'s The Caribbean. All dates are listed below.

All Tiny Creatures is led by Thomas Wincek of Collection of Colonies of Bees and Volcano Choir. The latter's bandmate, Justin Vernon, contributes vocals to Harbors track "An Iris" which you can download above along with another cut from the album ("Glass Bubbles," which features vocals from 12 Rods' Ryan Olcot). Like his other two projects, All Tiny Creatures features meticulous performances -- weaving guitar loops together into a larger pattern -- but this band is more rhythmic based. There are definitely Krautrock elements here but it is also effervescent and melodic. It's a lovely record.

Justin Vernon was recently in town to perform a Bonnie Rait cover on Jimmy Fallon who also interviewed him on the Monday night show. If you missed it, we posted the videos.

Both of the tracks above were released as part of mixtapes All Tiny Creatures made that features non-LP music which you can also download above. All tour dates are below.

Continue reading "All Tiny Creatures released 'Harbors' (Justin Vernon vocals included), going on tour (dates & a bunch of MP3s)"

Antony @ Apollo Theater in 2008 (more by Ryan Muir)

tonight in NYC
* DANCE
* Atlantic Antic
* Lucinda Williams @ Irving Plaza
* NY Burlesque Fest @ (Le) Poisson Rouge
* Dinosaur Jr @ Northern Lights in Clifton Park
* Sufjan Stevens, Cryptacize @ Bowery Ballroom
* Woe, Aluk Todolo, Malkuth, Castevet @ Union Pool
* The Legendary Shack Shakers, The Defibulators @ The Bell House
* Chain and the Gang, Silk Flowers, Julianna Barwick, Screens @ Mercury Lounge
* Maps and Atlases, Princeton, Laura Stevenson & The Cans @ Knitting Factory
* Life of the World to Come (film) w/ Rian Johnson, John Darnielle @ Housing Works
* Gavin Friday & Friends w/ U2 members, Rufus Wainwright, Laurie Anderson, Antony & many, many more @ Carnegie Hall

Today is The Ninth Annual New York City International Pickle Day.

Sufjan Stevens kicks off a four-night run with Cryptacize at Bowery Ballroom.

"Count yourselves among the fortunate, Philadelphians. Celebrated songwriter Sufjan Stevens is playing only 14 shows on his tour that launched at a sold-out Johnny Brenda's on Monday, and with a repeat performance scheduled last night, two of the indie auteur's dates were set at the cozy Fishtown club.

Stevens' 75-minute set with his six-piece band was notable for more than just its intimate setting. (Last time through town, Stevens - who brought the indie-music world to ecstasy with his 2005 folk-baroque album Illinois - sold out the Tower Theater in Upper Darby, roughly 10 times the size of Johnny Brenda's.)

Coming on stage in a Zoo York skull-and-bones T-shirt and camouflage cap, Stevens was backed by an able and adaptable ensemble that included a trombonist who played guitar and a trumpeter who switched off to French horn and keyboards. Finger-picking a banjo, and singing in a tremulous voice, Stevens began by conveying a sense of spiritual wonder with "All the Trees in the Field Will Clap Their Hands" from 2004's biblical-flavored Seven Swans." [philadelphia inquirer]

Lucinda Williams plays from her 1992-2001 catalogue at Irving Plaza tonight. She played the same venue last night.

Rian Johnson's Mountain Goats concert film, Life of the World to Come, screens at Housing Works Bookstore with the director and John Darnielle in attendance.

Chain and the Gang, Silk Flowers, Julianna Barwick and Screens play Mercury Lounge.

Zazen Boys were scheduled to play Southpaw tonight, but their trip here was canceled.

NY Burlesque Fest continues at (Le) Poisson Rouge.

Union Pool hosts a BV-sponsored metal bill that includes Woe, Aluk Todolo (who played the WFMU Fest this week), Malkuth and Castevet.

Have you checked out the new Knitting Factory Brooklyn yet? Tonight the venue presents Princeton, Maps and Atlases, and Laura Stevenson & The Cans. In October Princeton is going on tour with Art Brut.

Gavin Friday & Friends holds a benefit at Carnegie Hall. Guests include Laurie Anderson, Antony, Elizabeth Ashley, Bono, Adam Clayton, Andrea Corr, The Edge, Flo & Eddie, Joel Grey, Bill Frisell, Guggi, Scarlett Johansson, Courtney Love, Lydia Lunch (who played Music Hall last night), Patrick McCabe, Maria McKee, Shane MacGowan, Eric Mingus, Larry Mullen, Jr., JG Thirlwell, Martha Wainwright, Rufus Wainwright, Chloe Webb and "special guests" (the phrase starts to lose meaning...).

Video of Lady Gaga on SNL, new Breakfast at Sulimay's, Volcano Choir and more below...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Sunday?"

Tickets are on sale for the Julian Plenti show at Bowery Ballroom.

Tickets are on sale for the Julian Plenti show at Brooklyn Bowl.

Tickets are on sale for the Julian Plenti show at the Guggenheim.

Joe Pernice is performing "Music and Stories from It Feels So Good When I Stop" at Mercury Lounge on November 6th. Tickets are on sale.

Tickets are on sale for the Har Mar Superstar shows at Mercury Lounge and Music Hall of Williamsburg.

Athlete is playing Bowery Ballroom on November 3rd. Tickets are on sale.

Florence & The Machine are playing Bowery Ballroom on October 27th. Tickets are on sale.

Three Pavement shows are on sale and/or sold out.

Do Make Say Think, Art Brut, Girls, and Land of Talk tickets went on sale today.

Wolfmother, The Cult & Type O Negative tickets are on sale.

New Yorker Festival tickets went on sale at noon.

Breakfast at Sulimays reviews DJ Tiesto (featuring Tegan & Choir) and Volcano Choir (Bon Iver) in the video below...

Continue reading "Julian Plenti, Har Mar Superstar, Joe Pernice, other tickets "

DOWNLOAD: Volcano Choir - 'Island, IS' (MP3)

Speaking of Bon Iver and his new Volcano Choir. Download the first song above.

Volcano Choir

Wisconsin's Volcano Choir is Bon Iver's Justin Vernon with Collections of Colonies of Bees members Jon Mueller, Chris Rosenau, Jim Schoenecker, Daniel Spack, and Thomas Wincek. Their album, Unmap, recorded in the fall of 2008, comes out September 22nd on Jagjaguwar (9/21 in the UK). The label described their sound as "ranging from David Sylvian and Steve Reich to Mahalia Jackson and Tom Waits." About the Volcano Choir record, Vernon said to Pitchfork, "I sing on it, but there aren't a lot of lyrics-- it's definitely more on the experimental side of things."

Bon Iver @ Sasquatch Fest 2009 (more by Chris Graham)

No word on whether Volcano Choir will play any live shows, but Bon Iver is currently on tour. That group has summer dates all over the place (Europe, the West Coast, Europe again, the West Coast again), up to Austin City Limits in October.

Bon Iver will be premiering a new piece in NYC on Thursday, January 21st, 2010, at Merkin Concert Hall. The show, part of the New York Guitar Festival's "Silent Films/Live Guitars" series, will feature a Vernon-commissioned score to Charlie Chaplin's The Gold Rush. He'll be joined by Volcano Choir collaborator Chris Rosenau. Performing separately at the show will be Steve Kimock, of Zero and Crazy Engine, who is scoring Buster Keaton's Cops. Tickets will be available as 4-show series subscriptions and individually.

More Volcano Choir band pictures, album art, track list and Bon Iver tour dates, below...

Continue reading "Bon Iver plays in Volcano Choir (new album), playing Merkin Concert Hall (NY Guitar Festival), other shows (tour dates)"