Matt Pinfield @ RXP concert in 2009 (more by Tim Griffin)

Last month it was announced that "RXP TakLiberty Festival" would take place on September 18 at NJ's PNC Banks Arts Center with Coldplay, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Two Door Cinema Club, The Kooks, and more. According to RXP's website, the show is now cancelled "due to unforseen circumstances". Refunds are available at the point of purchase.

According to "Barry",

"It was so strange that the concert was announced a day before the news that WRXP was being sold. Then it was promoted for over a week. I'm surprised Emmis let this happen. This must represent a lot of work down the drain for some of WRXP's staff. I feel bad for them."

Back on June 21st the Daily News reported:

The future of New York's only contemporary rock radio station, WRXP (101.9 FM), was tossed into the mosh pit today when Emmis sold a controlling interest to a new radio group run by ultra-colorful radio entrepreneur Randy Michaels.

WRXP has been a rock station since Feb. 5, 2008, when Emmis terminated its former smooth jazz format. The station has struggled to find an audience in a town not known for rock radio, but in recent months had shown significant ratings gains.

Merlin Media, which is paying $110-$130 million for a controlling interest in WRXP and two Chicago stations, made no announcement today on the format at WRXP.

Leslie Fram, program director, said that for now the station will continue rocking.

The Village Voice then said that, "It's not too much of a stretch to assume....that the station will change formats before the RXP Takliberty Festival's scheduled date of September 18, hence the cancellation."

Well, they were right. The Daily News has reported today:

Don't tell Leslie Fram a contemporary rock station can't work on New York radio - even though the one she has programmed for the last 3-1/2 years ends its run Thursday, apparently to be replaced by news aimed at soccer moms.

WRXP (101.9 FM), which switched from smooth jazz to rock in February 2008, is being sold by Emmis to Merlin Media, and while the deal hasn't closed yet, Merlin takes over the programming Friday.

Listeners will hear music for a couple of weeks until Merlin launches its new format, expected to be all or mostly news targeting women in their 30s and 40s.

On the surface, this change might seem to again support the often-heard mantra that when it comes to radio music, New York is a rhythm town, not a rock town.

Fram, a WRXP host as well as program director, says she sees every indication that's not true.

She notes that for the last three months, an average of about 2.3 million people per week at some point tuned to WRXP. While that's about half the audience for WHTZ, WLTW or WKTU, it's not a small number.

"There are a lot of rock fans in this area," Fram says. "[Classic rock] WAXQ is a fine station, but there was room for us, too.

"We wanted to be the heritage rock station for people who grew up in the '90s or later, and we could have. Without us now, where will you hear a new Eddie Vedder or Mumford and Son?"

RIP WRXP

Broken Bells at Terminal 5 (more by Amanda Hatfield)

101.9 RXP has announced their 2010 "Yule Rock Holiday Concert Series" - four NYC concerts at 2 different Live Nation venues over the course of 2 weeks. Tickets are currently on presale for all shows in various incarnations:

• Broken Bells/Karen Elson at Irving Plaza on 12/1 (presale password = "1019RXP", AMEX presale now & regular sale at 10AM on 11/5 via LiveNation)
• My Chemical Romance/The Gaslight Anthem at Roseland Ballroom on 12/3 (RXP presale sold out, AMEX presale now & regular sale at 10AM on 11/5 via TM)
• Cake ("an evening with") at Irving Plaza on 12/7 (Presale password = "1019RXP", AMEX presale now & regular sale at 10AM on 11/5 via LiveNation)
• Florence + The Machine/Civil Twilight will play Irving Plaza on 12/14 (RXP presale sold out, AMEX presale at 8AM on 11/4 & regular sale at 10AM on 11/5 via LiveNation)

Almost all of these bands have had recent go-arounds in NYC. Broken Bells played Terminal 5 last month. Cake played Central Park in a hurricane. Florence + The Machine played Terminal 5 this week. Gaslight Anthem played Radio City Music Hall in September.

Speaking of holiday radio shindigs, WFUV will host their sixth annual "Holiday Cheer" on 12/6 at the Concert Hall at the New York Society for Ethical Culture. Amos Lee, Punch Brothers, The Secret Sisters, and Citizen Cope are all on board in this go around and tickets will range you $500 - $45 depending on your choice to VIP pre-party or not.

Julian Casablancas @ Terminal 5 in January (more by Natasha Ryan)

Julian Casablancas already has a run of pre-Coachella shows planned that includes a gig at NJ's Starland Ballroom on March 30th (still tickets available). He's added a date in NYC proper for March 24th at Irving Plaza. Tickets go on sale Friday. The show is also 101.9 WRXP's 2nd anniversary celebration, and there's a presale through the station that runs from Tuesday at 10am to Thursday at 10am.

He's added more shows across the country as well. Updated tour dates are below...

Continue reading "Julian Casablancas adds a NYC show & other tour dates"

photos by Tim Griffin

Passion Pit / Phoenix

Phoenix and Passion Pit shared a NYC concert bill for the third time this year last night at Hammerstein Ballroom (12/2). The WRXP-sponsored holiday show also included sets by Jack's Mannequin and Manchester Orchestra, as well as hosting by the radio station's morning host Matt Pinfield.

It was a big night for Phoenix who were nominated for a Grammy in the "Best Alternative Album" category on the same evening.

Best Alternative Album nominess
David Byrne & Brian Eno, Everything That Happens Will Happen Today
Death Cab For Cutie, The Open Door
Depeche Mode, Sounds Of The Universe
Phoenix, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
Yeah Yeah Yeahs, It's Blitz!

For Passion Pit, it was their 2nd recent show in one of the big NYC venues. They played the Woodies at Roseland last month. They complete the trifecta when they hit Terminal 5 (for three nights in a row) in January.

For Phoenix and WRXP, it was their first of two NYC shows this week. More pictures with setlists, below...

Continue reading "Phoenix & Passion Pit played Hammerstein Ballroom w/ Jack's Mannequin & Manchester Orchestra - pics & setlists"

Dec 2 - Phoenix w/ Passion Pit @ Hammerstein Ballroom (RXP show 1)
Dec 3 - Phoenix @ PC Richard Theater
Dec 6 - David Gray & Pete Yorn @ Hammerstein Ballroom (RXP show 2)

photos by Ryan Muir

People (including one very small child) waited in line over 12 hours outside "Third Man Records" aka the Envoy Gallery at 131 Chrystie Street on the LES in NYC for a chance to get in to see Jack White's new band The Dead Weather play a free show at noon today (7/16). Ends up, the band didn't play in the pop-up store, but right downstairs in the bar called Home Sweet Home (which not long ago hosted that Sonic Youth 'Eternal' party).

Inside the yellow store people can buy Dead Weather merchandise (including their album Horehound that was released this week) from the one and only Matt Pinfield and his WRXP co-host Leslie Fram. Downstairs, the band which features The Kills' Alison Mosshart on vocals played for about 30 minutes with one encore to the 175-or-so people that jammed into the hot and sweaty basement. Jack played drums and sang on one song, and in usual Jack White style, everyone associated with the band, even the roadies, were well dressed. Ryan said the band sounded great, and he couldn't think of a better place to catch the band than a dive bar like Home Sweet Home...

...which isn't saying much for the much, much larger venue the band is playing tonight (7/16) and tomorrow (7/17). The Screaming Females open both NYC shows at Terminal 5. More pictures from the Third Man Records in-store, below...

Continue reading "The Dead Weather @ Home Sweet Home under the Third Man Records pop-up store (w/ Matt Pinfield on the register) - pics "

Vagrant Records and The Hold Steady announce an April 7 release date for A Positive Rage, a double disc package featuring a documentary on DVD and their first-ever live album. The set will be released on April 6 on Rough Trade Records in the UK and Europe.

A Positive Rage captures the excitement and high spirits of both the band and their fans in the days surrounding the release of their third full-length, Boys and Girls in America, (Vagrant) and ensuing world tour in 2006.

The 53-minute documentary begins with The Hold Steady's first ever London performances with never-before-seen live footage, back stage interviews with the band members, fan commentary and the original, raw audio. Cameras follow the band as they return to the US for a 24-date tour that culminates on screen with an especially poignant performance at First Avenue in Minneapolis.

The live album was recorded on October 31, 2007 and includes seventeen songs that Craig Finn, Tad Kubler, Galen Polivka, Franz Nicolay, and Bobby Drake performed on the second of their two-night sold-out stand at the Metro in Chicago. The enhanced album will also feature five bonus studio tracks: "Ask Her For Adderall," "Cheyenne Sunrise," "Two Handed Handshake," and the previously unreleased tracks "Spectres" and "40 Bucks."

The booklet features personal photos and the band's memories of the tour, including this excerpt from Craig Finn... "It ended up being a fantastic suburban blow out with band and audience on the floor, Frisbee and tailgating in the adjoining parking lot, and everyone singing along to every song.... It reminded me of the hardcore shows I loved as a kid, everyone sweating and screaming together in a rented hall. And drinking in the parking lot, of course. The next night worlds converged.... "

The Hold Steady, in addition to appearing at SXSW in mid-March, will kick off their late-March-into-April tour at Irving Plaza in NYC on March 30th. $25.00 tickets to the "WRXP Anniverary Show" will go on sale Friday February 20th at 10AM via LiveNation.com. Openers TBA.

In related Vagrant news, they just announced that they signed the UK's Olivia Broadfield. "I have been blown away by how well things have been going for me over the past year and signing with Vagrant is quite simply the cherry on top," said Broadfield. "I am so excited to be working with Vagrant, they have shown such faith and belief in me as an artist and I know that my album will be in good hands. It's taken a lot of hard work to get this far and I can't wait to take things to the next level with Vagrant by my side."

In related Hold Steady news, the band covered Bruce Springsteen's "Atlantic City" for the new "War Child Heroes" charity comp. "A Postive Rage" tracklist, and all tour dates, below...

Continue reading "Hold Steady tour dates (Irving Plaza, SXSW) & a documentary"