photos by Dominick Mastrangelo

DOWNLOAD: Sharon Van Etten @ The Greene Space (MP3)

Sharon Van Etten @ the Greene Space

As you know, Sharon Van Etten played a show at WNYC's Greene Space in Tribeca back on 1/17 (with Audra McDonald & Norm Lewis), one day before she played her entire new album in full at Mercury Lounge. Not only do we have some pictures of that show, you can listen to and download the whole thing too. MP3 above. More pictures and the embedded audio player below.

We recently posted a reminder that the 2012 Ecstatic Music Festival is beginning in NYC on 2/4, but what we didn't mention was that a festival preview event was going down at the Greene Space on 2/1:

Hosted by WQXR's Terrance McKnight, Q2 Music's preview concert features music and conversation with Ecstatic Music Festival composer-performers Jason Treuting, Angélica Negrón, and Jherek Bischoff as well as a conversation with composer and festival founder and curator, Judd Greenstein.

Jherek Bischoff's actual Ecstatic Fest show happens on 2/4 with the Wordless Music Orchestra and special guests David Byrne, Craig Wedren, Greg Saunier, Mirah, Zac Pennington, Carla Bozulich, Charlie Looker & Sam Mickens.

WQXR has also announced that they'll be streaming and archiving select Ecstatic shows as part of their Q2 Music series.

Greene Space pics & audio and contest details below...

Continue reading "Sharon Van Etten played the Greene Space (pics & audio); Ecstatic Music Fest hosting a show there (WIN TIX!)"

Sharon at Music Hall of Williamsburg (more by Jessica Amaya)

First of all, Sharon Van Etten's Green Space show for WNYC is streaming live RIGHT NOW (update: that is over. Keep a look out for the archived footage).

In other news, Sharon, who recently announced a Mercury Lounge show happening on Wednesday (1/18) (which is now sold out), has added another NYC date to her tour. The new show is happening on February 26 at Bowery Ballroom with Carter Tanton and Glass Ghost. The show happens after she plays MHOW on 2/24 and Bowery Ballroom on 2/25 with Shearwater, who plays with her on most of the other tour dates as well. Tickets for the new Bowery show go on sale Wednesday (1/18) at noon and tickets for the other Bowery show and the MHOW show are still available.

Updated dates below...

Continue reading "Sharon Van Etten (currently streaming live on WNYC) adds ANOTHER NYC show"

Sharon Van Etten @ BV-SXSW 2011 (more by Amanda Hatfield)

Sharon Van Etten, who recently opened for and played with The National, contributed backing vocals to a song The National wrote for the movie "Win Win". That song, "Think You Can Wait", is on the shortlist of 39 songs eligible to be nominated for an Oscar. That list, reprinted in full below, also includes songs by Jonsi and She & Him.

In other Sharon news, after the show sold out today, it was revealed that she is the secret guest playing with Ted Leo at Maxwell's on New Year's Eve! (not the first time they've shared a bill). She's also appearing on WNYC's Soundcheck on January 17th. You can buy tickets to attend the afternoon taping at the Greene Space. You can also still buy tickets for other shows she has coming up which will be in support of her new album.

Continue reading "Sharon Van Etten is Ted Leo's special guest, playing the Greene Space, shortlisted for an Oscar (sort of)"

Wild Beasts @ Le Poisson Rouge (by indigouniverse)

Wild Beasts played two shows at Le Poisson Rouge this week with Marques Toliver as part of a short East Coast run that also included a stop at radio station WNYC where they performed on Soundcheck. Check out a video of "Loop The Loop" from their radio performance below.

At the second LPR show, last night (7/14), they played a 13-song set (encore included) mainly consisting of material off the recently released Smother. The rest of the set was filled with 4 Two Dancers tracks and Limbo, Panto favorite "The Devil's Crayon." The 3-song encore ended with the appropriately titled "End Come Too Soon."

The full LPR setlist, WNYC video, some videos from their 7/12 Philly show and more, below...

Continue reading "Wild Beasts played LPR twice, WNYC & Philly (setlist, videos)"

photos by Amanda Hatfield

Garbus, who records under the name Tune-Yards (or, as she prefers, tUnE-yArDs), was joined on stage by a bassist and a two-person saxophone section, but the most critical interaction was the one between her right foot and the pedals clustered around her microphone stand.

Beating time on her hip with a drumstick, she acted as the conductor of her own personal orchestra, using the pedals to record snatches of song and stray drum hits that magically coalesced in perfect unison.

On "Gangsta," from her second album, w h o k i l l, she began by mimicking the sound of a police siren, adding the distorted thump of a bass drum and the off-beat click of a drumstick on her microphone stand. Her voice took on the gravelly patois of a Jamaican rude boy as she sang, "What's a girl to do if she'll never be a Rasta?"

On "Bizness," Garbus played a staccato melody on a ukulele, evoking the clipped sound of a West African thumb piano. She was steeped in the region's music during years spent in Kenya, and has acknowledged the influence - "Any African music it sounds like I'm stealing, I'm stealing," she told one interviewer - but her one-woman approach shields her from any risk of copying her source material too closely. On "Hatari," she sang in Swahili, but the song's hectic overreach seemed to emanate from a country wholly her own.

Garbus' tourmates Buke and Gass, who joined her for the herky-jerk of "Es-So," share her handmade approach. [Philadelphia Enquirer]

Back on 5/18, tUnE-yArDs appeared on WNYC (listen below). As pointed out in "What's Going on Monday", Merrill will again perform for WNYC but this time live in their Greene Space. The short performance is sold out, but it will be streaming live on thegreenespace.org at 7pm tonight (5/23).

tUnE-yArDs' next proper NYC show is a big free one on Pier 54 this summer. Since the initial announcement, Austra was also added as opener for that July 14th outdoor show (which makes it extra awesome). Meanwhile you can catch Austra at Mercury Lounge TONIGHT (5/23), if you have a ticket (it's sold out). Austra also returns in August as part of a tour with Cold Cave.

More Music Hall pictures, and last week's WNYC appearance stream, below...

Continue reading "tUnE-yArDs played MHOW w/ Buke & Gass (pics), playing Green Space (stream) & Pier 54 w/ Austra (who is here now)"

photos by David Andrako

The Mountain Goats stopped by NYC's Greene Space on Wednesday (earlier in the day than his third in a row Bowery Ballroom show) for a live WNYC "Soundcheck" radio appearance along with Suzanne Vega. Each artist performed three songs, Suzanne's were from her new play, and John's were from his new album "All Eternals Deck." Listen to the whole show, check out the setlist, and see more pictures from it, below.

Oh, and speaking of the Greene Space, "Battle of the Boroughs", the Bronx edition, goes down at the venue tonight (4/1).

Continue reading "Mountain Goats & Suzanne Vega played a few songs @ Greene Space (pics & WNYC stream)"

Mountain Goats @ Planned Parenthood Rally (more by Chris La Putt)

The Mountain Goats will kick off a tour on March 24th in Richmond, VA. That includes THREE SOLD OUT Bowery Ballroom shows with Megafaun on March 28, 29 & 30, and now a March 30th WNYC Greene Space appearance with Suzanne Vega as well (I think Billy Bragg was originally on the bill too). Tickets for that 2pm appearance which will be broadcast on WNYC, are on sale.

All tour dates, a UK run included, below....

Continue reading "Mountain Goats sell out 3 Bowery shows, add Greene Space (updated 2011 tour dates)"

photos by Peter Applebaum

The Walkmen in Camden, July 2010

"Lisbon, the fifth album by critically acclaimed band The Walkmen, is due September 14 with iTunes pre-orders beginning August 10. The album's first single "Angela Surf City" is currently available via iTunes. This summer and fall the band will embark on a nationwide tour in support of the record including newly announced stops in Montreal (October 8) and Chicago (October 13).

The band will also be appearing on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on August 12, the same day they perform in New York City at Governors Island with Grizzly Bear. Additionally, they [were] on WNYC FM's Soundcheck on August 10 at 2:30pm EDT;

Lisbon was recorded over a two-year period in warehouses on Girard Ave. in Philadelphia and on the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn." [PR]

The Walkmen's recent appearances included the WNYC thing and Camden's XPoNential Music Festival in July. The pictures in this post are from the latter. More of them, along with a stream of the WNYC appearance (which includes new songs), updated tour dates (many with Japandroids), and info on how to take the ferry to Governors Island tonight (8/12), below...

Continue reading "updated Walkmen tour dates, Governors Island ferry info, Fallon tonight, a WNYC stream & XPoNential Fest pics"

Hallogallo 2010 @ Lincoln Center (more by Benjamin Lozovsky)

Two streams are embedded below. The first is the complete Hallogallo performance from Lincoln Center via WNYC. The second is the appearance Michael Rother made on Brian Turner's show on WFMU yesterday. The latter includes interviews with Rother, Steve Shelley & Aaron Mullan, and segments of their Primavery Sound show along with a bunch of Rother's recorded material (Harmonia, Neu and solo stuff included). Check it out....

Continue reading "stream Michael Rother's recent NYC & WFMU appearances "

The National on WNYC's Soundcheck

The National's Brooklyn Academy of Music show on May 15th will be going on presale tomorrow (May 6th) at 10am. Tickets are here (pw: "VIOLET"). They go on general sale through BAM May 7th at 10am. Apparently you don't actually need a ZYNC card to get the tickets. You can also try to win your way in (and get flights and a hotel) through KEXP and via KCRW.

The show is a benefit for the Red Hot Organization (which the Dark Was the Night project also supported) and will be filmed by Don't Look Back D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus for an Internet simulcast on YouTube.

The National recently appeared on WNYC's Soundcheck, and videos of their performance on that show are posted below...

Continue reading "National BAM show tickets, presale & contests, WNYC videos "

The National @ The Bell House in March (more by Bao Nguyen)

There's still no word on what will be happening at the The National-curated High Violet Annex May 11th-15th. But the band will be playing at another downtown space today at 2pm for WNYC's Soundcheck. Tickets are long sold out, but you can stream the band's performance at the Greene Space online (video and audio) at WNYC.org or listen on the radio at 93.9 FM and AM 820 (DJ Rob Swift performs too.)

The National's new record is still streaming and they've got other shows (NYC and beyond) on the way too.

Also coming up at the Greene Space are the Hold Steady, who's new album is streaming, on May 14th (which is sold out).

Moby and singer-songwriter Somi play the space on May 4th, and tickets are on sale.

Speaking of Moby, his LES vegetarian/vegan cafe Teany is officially reopening today after a being closed since last June because of a fire. Eater says, "The interior has been restored to its former look, and there's been no word of any menu changes."

DOWNLOAD: Clogs - Red Seas w/ Padma Newsome (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Clogs - On The Edge (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Clogs - Three-Two (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Clogs live on WNYC (MP3)

Olof Arnalds @ SXSW 2010 (more by Dominick Mastrangelo)

Chamber group Clogs played live (and spoke) on WNYC on Monday. You can listen at their site (and download it above).

Wednesday night (tonight, 3/24) is Clogs' record release show at The Bell House in Brooklyn. They've confirmed that Sufjan Stevens and My Brightest Diamond's Shara Worden (who also played with them on WNYC and was a special guest at the Regina Spektor show at Irving Plaza Tuesday night) will be their guests. Whether Sufjan will sing or not isn't 100% clear, but like Shara, he does sing on the new album.

The National's Padma Newsome and Bryce Dessner are permanent members of Clogs. Bryce's twin brother Aaron and the National's Matt Berninger aren't, but will also play with the group when they perform at the Big Ears Fest in Knoxville, Tennessee this weekend.

Opening the Brooklyn show is Julianna Barwick and Olof Arnalds who was just in Texas for SXSW. Tickets are still on sale.

Full Big Ears schedule at their site.

Continue reading "Clogs played WNYC (listen), confirm that Sufjan & Shara Worden will join them in Brooklyn (and in Knoxville)"

To celebrate the release of the new album "Life Is Sweet! Nice To Meet You" (U.K 15th Feb / U.S 16th Feb) I'll be playing a special set of songs at Sound Fix Records in Brooklyn (map). I'll be joined by a few guests and it is completely free!
You will also be able to purchase the new album at the instore as well as my new short story collection Bad Era Of Me.

If you can't come to the show that same day I'll also be performing and discussing the new record earlier live on WNYC's SOUNDCHECK show at 2:30pm so tune in! [Lightspeed Champion]

Continue reading "Lightspeed Champion - album out, Sound Fix instore, WNYC"

DOWNLOAD: Fiery Furnaces - The End Is Near (MP3)

Fiery Furnaces @ East River State Park in August (more by Bao Nguyen)

Playing with Elbow in a few days--at the MEN arena. Sometimes referred to as the M.E.N. arena. What a name, no? -Fiery Furnaces

WNYC recently ran a contest to see who could make the best video for the group's song "The End Is Near" (MP3 posted above). The winning entry, and a few others, are posted with all tour dates below...

Continue reading "Fiery Furnaces - 2009 tour dates w/ Cryptacize & Dent May (Maxwell's) ++ video contest winners & losers"

Grandaddy frontman Jason Lytle is opening for Neko Case on the summer leg of her Middle Cyclone-supporting tour. Lytle also has his own headlining shows planned. Those include NYC shows on July 10th at Union Hall and July 11th at Bowery Ballroom. Union Hall tickets are on sale now; tickets for the Bowery show go on sale Thursday (today) at noon.

Lytle released his solo debut, Yours Truly, the Commuter, in April on Anti (also Case's label). He'll be on NPR's Talk of the Nation this afternoon (6/11).

The Decemberists, who played Radio City June 10th, will also be on NPR today. They're broadcasting live at 2pm from the Greene Space in Manhattan for WNYC's Soundcheck. Tickets to watch the show "sold out" yesterday in 10 minutes after Colin Meloy announced the show on the air, however, Greene Space writes, "Doors will open at 1:15 and will close at 1:45. Any ticket not claimed by 1:45 p.m. will be released to the public."

All tour dates for Jason Lytle and Neko Case (who's playing APW, Bonnaroo, Newport Folk Festival and more) below...

Continue reading "Jason Lytle (Grandaddy) tour dates (with & without Neko Case) ++ Decemberists at WNYC Greene Space today "

DOWNLOAD: Grizzly Bear on AOL's the Interface (MP3)

When they weren't busy talking to the NY Times, Fader, New York Magazine, The New Yorker, or one of the many other publications who wrote about them this month, Grizzly Bear stopped by the AOL studios for a session with the Interface. MP3 and picture from that above.

The band also visited WNYC the other day. The results of that session can be streamed at WNYC's site (or downloaded here).

Their new album Veckatimest was released Tuesday, and last night (5/28) was the first of two shows for the band at Town Hall in NYC. Tonight (5/29) is the second. Here We Go Magic is the opener on the whole tour. Pictures are coming, but in the meantime, last night's setlist is below...

Continue reading "Grizzly Bear played Town Hall (setlist), WNYC & AOL (MP3) "

As some already pointed out, Grizzly Bear will not be appearing on Letterman tonight (5/20). As you can see from Ed's Twitter above, they disappointingly got bumped.

They will however be appearing on WNYC tomorrow (5/21), and at least one person (who tunes in tonight @ 8) will get to go:

WNYC will be kicking off the 69th Annual American Music Festival with a LIVE IN-STUDIO set by the Brooklyn-based band GRIZZLY BEAR, including songs from their anxiously-awaited forthcoming album, Veckatimest, on THURSDAY, MAY 21 at 7pm.

One lucky WNYC listener will win a pair of tickets to enjoy the band's performance in-person in the WNYC's studio state-of-the-art music studio.

Interested parties should tune in to WNYC's Evening Music on 93.9FM and streaming online at wnyc.org tonight, Wednesday May 20, during the 8pm hour, and wait for host Terrance McKnight to ask listeners to email in. The 10th email to land in the music@wnyc.org inbox wins!

Continue reading "Grizzly Bear not playing Letterman, but are playing WNYC. "

Santigold is playing a benefit on Friday, May 1st at The Jane (113 Jane St). Her set is part of a fund-raiser for non-profit The Art of Elysium. According to the flyer (below), tickets run a $100 donation.

Today, Wednesday, April 29th at 2pm, Santigold will be appearing with Lou Reed and others at the WNYC's new Greene Space venue for a live broadcast of that station's Soundcheck program . That event, like the inaugural concert April 28th, is invitation-only. Both shows will be streaming live at the Greene Space's website though, and on WNYC 93.9 FM.

Santi has a whole slew of summer fest appearances coming up. Those include May 25th at Sasquatch! Festival, the Roots Picnic in Philly on June 6th, Bonnaroo on June 12th, a stretch of European fests & shows in July/August, and Lollapalooza on August 7th.

Her own headlining show at Terminal 5 with Amanda Blank and Trouble Andrew on Tuesday, June 9th appears to be sold out.

All updated Santigold tour dates, with Art of Elysium benefit flyer, below...

Continue reading "Santigold playing a benefit, WNYC's GREENE SPACE TODAY, lots of fests & other 2009 Tour Dates"

by Andrew Frisicano

On Tuesday, April 28th, NYC public radio station WNYC will open the Greene Space, a new street-level venue on the corner of Varick and Charlton Streets in lower Manhattan. The space's inaugural 10-day festival kicks off the same day."Information about ticketing is forthcoming."

As Variety points out, the ground-floor venue will be "something of a downtown version of Rockefeller Center's "Today" show setup (minus the Al Roker groupies)."

"The Greene Space perfectly expresses WNYC's impulse to continue to innovate public radio and inspire people in new ways," said Laura Walker, WNYC President and CEO. "As we produce live events and audio and video programming streetside on Varick Street, we love the fact New Yorkers will be able to see our hosts in action, participate in political dialogues, and enjoy cultural performances. We become a part of the New York City and Hudson Square community in a tangible, visible way. WNYC has tremendous assets: its people, its ethos, its technology, its listeners and the city itself. Finally we have a way to combine them all."

The same day, WNYC will host an "audio theater" presentation of H.G. Wells's The Invisible Man from 7-9pm. In the production, "Michael Riesman, Director of the Philip Glass Ensemble, will give a rare live musical performance on piano, blending music from multiple Philip Glass compositions and live improvisation into a never-before-heard piece."

One regular program to be held in the space will be "Evening Music LIVE with Terrance McKnight and David Garland," whose scheduled guests include "Simone Dinnerstein, Renè Pape, Gabriella Montero, John Zorn, Nico Muhly, Elliott Sharp, Jason Moran, Don Byron and Ute Lemper, among others."

For the space's "First 'First Friday'" on Friday, May 1st, WNYC is partnering with neighbor Sounds of Brazil (SOBs) for a "Cinco de Mayo on El Primero de Mayo" fest with food, music and dancing.

More info on the Greene Space's plans below...

Continue reading "WNYC opening the Greene Space in NYC with a 10-day festival "

M Ward @ Bumbershoot 2008 (more by Chris Graham)

M Ward's show at the Apollo Theater in NYC happens tonight, February 19th. Get there on time if you want to catch the Vivian Girls. Tune into Soundcheck on WNYC at 2pm to hear M play live on the radio, or wait until 4pm when they post the session to their website.

M Ward's new album Hold Time was released on Tuesday (stream the whole thing at AOL). That night, M played one of the new songs on Letterman. That video, and all tour dates (SXSW, Coachella, and Sasquatch included), below...

Continue reading "M Ward - Apollo & WNYC today, full album stream, Letterman video & more 2009 tour dates"

WNYC's long-awaited annual winter film series returns to the World Financial Center featuring classic silent films set to innovative and energetic scores by Gary Lucas, the BQE Ensemble, and The Cinematic Orchestra.

Each night, starting at 7PM, experience a different film and its inventive new music score.

On Tuesday night, Feb. 10, Gary Lucas performs ghostly improvisational solo guitar for three surrealist films: "Entr'acte", "Ballet Mecanique", and "The Cameraman's Revenge."

Wednesday evening, Feb. 11, the BQE Project's palette of exotic instruments from Middle Eastern drums to mandolin accompanies "The Golem."

And on Thursday night, Feb. 12, the Cinematic Orchestra's moody, electronica-tinged jazz-funk follows "Man with a Movie Camera."

And it's all FREE!

Continue reading "Gary Lucas, Cinematic Orchestra & The BQE Project playing live silent movie scores in NYC this week (free)"

Trail of Dead Generation Records (more by Tim Griffin)

RCRD LBL: So tell me about how you wrote [the song] "Bells Of Creation".

TOD's Conrad Keeley: Well, I wrote it after I saw a band, a friends band. We're friends with the guys from Secret Machines, we've toured with them before, and Ben from Secret Machines left to start his own band called School Of Seven Bells. And the show that I went to see them for the first time was really inspiring and [I was] really into what they were doing.

Where was the show?

I don't think that venue is around anymore, it closed. It was on Ludlow, just off Delancey on the Lower East Side. It was one of those clubs that just closed in the last year, you know a bunch of clubs were bought out by rent. So, I had that kind of sound in my head and I was inspired by that. The association of "Bells" being there, I named the song I was writing, inspired by that show, after a hymn, called "Bells Of Creation" that we used to sing when I was in school back in England. Every morning the school would have assembly, and all the kids would gather in the assembly hall and we'd all sing hymns. And that was one of my favorite hymns, "Bell Of Creation." It was just singular, "The bell of creation."

School of Seven Bells also have a bunch of shows coming up of their own.

On December 17th, Trail of Dead visited WNYC's Soundcheck. You can listen to that HERE. RCRD LBL has "Bells of Creation" for free download. All dates below...

Continue reading "Trail of Dead - updated 2009 tour dates, tickets & SOSB"

photos by Kyle Dean Reinford

DOWNLOAD: PWRFL POWER - It's Okay (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: PWRFL POWER - Alma Song (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Damien Jurado - Gillian Was a Horse (MP3)

Damien Jurado

Currently on tour in support of his latest album Caught in the Trees, the newly married Damien Jurado played a 1.5 hour set at Union Hall in Brooklyn last night (October 1). He also played Mercury Lounge in Manhattan one night earlier.

The famous Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson (with full band) and the quirky PWRFL Power opened the show which was great from start to finish (says Kyle).

Damien also visited WNYC's Soundcheck while he was here. You can stream that interview and performance at their site. More pictures from last night below...

Continue reading "Damien Jurado, Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson and Pwrfl Power @ Union Hall, Brooklyn, NY - pics"

photos by Kyle Dean Reinford

WNYC, July 18, 2008 - In an interview with host David Garland, Greg Saunier of Deerhoof admitted that he has recently liberally taken ideas from Igor Stravinsky. What more perfect pairing than this Wordless Music Series concert of the forward-thinking indie rock band Deerhoof and a wild re-imagining of Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring by the Metropolis Ensemble? The unlikely playbill was recorded live by WNYC at the Prospect Park Bandshell in Brooklyn, N.Y. [read more & LISTEN to the whole show @ NPR]

Continue reading "Deerhoof & Metropolis Ensemble (Wordless Music Series) @ Prospect Park Banshell - pics & STREAM"

The Wordless Music Series pairs rock and electronic musicians with more traditional chamber and new music performers, to create an entirely new concert experience. As Wordless Music opens on a new season, WNYC presents four one-hour specials featuring some of the greatest performances from the ground-breaking '07-'08 season, hosted by Radio Lab's Jad Abumrad.