Today in amazing things: Katie Crutchfield (Waxahatchee) and her twin sister/ex-PS Eliot/Ackleys/Bad Banana bandmate Allison Crutchfield (Swearin') have teamed up for Rookie's May "Theme Song", for which they covered Grimes' "Oblivion."

Listen to the song below and read an interview with Katie about why they chose the song at Rookie.

Waxahatchee plays a free NYC show in July.

Continue reading "listen to Katie & Allison Crutchfield cover Grimes' "Oblivion""

LA Fest FYF Fest is celebrating 10 years this year, and will take over Los Angeles State Historic Park on August 24 & 25. Check out the massive lineup in the poster above, and in alphabetical order below...

Continue reading "FYF Fest 2013 Lineup (My Bloody Valentine included)"

photos by Jonathan Bernstein; words by Bill Pearis

The Babies / Waxahatchee at Glasslands - 4/27/13

After Waxahatchee played the WBAR-B-Q at Barnard College on Saturday (4/27), Katie Crutchfield and crew made their way over to Brooklyn for a sold out show at Glasslands with the Woods/Vivian Girls-related The Babies and the Harlem-related Las Rosas. Unfortunately, we missed Las Rosas, but pictures of the other two bands are in this post.

Though Waxahatchee's getting more ink at the moment, the room was packed, dancing and singing along (including Katie Crutchfield doing the latter) for The Babies headlining set. As much as I like Woods and Vivian Girls, I love The Babies and if you haven't gotten with 2012's Our House on the Hill, you should rectify that immediately.

The other star of the night was Glasslands' new lighting installation that made its debut last weekend, which involves clusters of white tubes that span the entire ceiling of the club and can be lit in a variety of colors. While the clouds that hung over the stage for years were iconic, these tubes are dazzling in their own way.

More pics from Saturday night are below.

Continue reading "The Babies and Waxahatchee played Glasslands, whose new lighting installation is up (pics)"

photos by Amanda Hatfield

Waxahatchee / Speedy Ortiz

Barnard College's 20th annual free WBAR-B-B-Q day-long festival went down this past Saturday (4/27) on the Lehman Lawn. The show included sets by Twin Sister, Roomrunner, Waxahatchee (who had the biggest crowd of the day), Speedy Ortiz, and others. It was an outdoor show, and a pretty relaxing one, with much of the crowd lounging on the grass for a lot of the show. But riff rockers Speedy Ortiz and Roomrunner did manage to get people on their feet. And if you were there early on, they had free vegan food. Pictures from WBAR-B-Q are in this post.

You'll have other chances to catch Speedy Ortiz in NYC when their tour brings them to Silent Barn on May 17, Cake Shop on May 31 with Sleepies, and June 15 at Big Snow.

Roomrunner has other upcoming dates too, including a show on JUne 20 at Bowery Ballroom with Shannon and the Clams and Mikal Cronin (whose new album is streaming on NPR). Tickets for that show are still on sale.

And Waxahatchee's next NYC show is a free one, opening for Generationals and Sallie Ford & the Sound Outside on July 11 on Pier 84 as part of the River Rocks series.

More pictures from WBAR-B-Q below...

Continue reading "Waxahatchee, Speedy Ortiz, Twin Sister, Roomrunner & others played the WBAR-B-Q (pics)"

Waxahatchee at 285 Kent earlier this month (more by Amanda Hatfield)

As you may know, Waxahatchee will be playing two shows in NYC this Saturday (4/27). One of those is at Glasslands with The Babies and Harlem-related band Las Rosas, which is now sold out.

Before that she also plays the free, all ages WBAR-B-Q at Barnard College in Morningside Heights. In addition to Waxahatchee, the lineup includes some great bands like Twin Sister, Speedy Ortiz, Roomrunner, Scott & Charlene's Wedding, Krill (who just replaced Swearin'), and others. It runs from noon to 8 PM, and as the flyer points out, is open to the public:

You can also catch Waxahatchee for free in NYC again this summer. She was added to the previously announced Generationals/Sallie Ford show happening on July 11 on Pier 84 as part of the free, all ages RIver Rocks series.

In related news, we recently mentioned it in a What's Going On? post, but in case you missed it, Waxahatchee's Katie Crutchfield and Swearin's Keith Spencer released a new EP for their Great Thunder project. It's called Strange Kicks and you can stream it in full below.

Waxahatchee isn't the only band playing WBAR-B-Q who also plays a NYC show that night. Speedy Ortiz, who just signed to Carpark for their debut album, are playing a previously discussed release show for their new 7" at Shea Stadium (4/27) with Aye Nako, Butter the Children, and Advaeta. Admission is $8 at the door. You've already heard the a-side from Speedy Ortiz's new 7", and you can now stream the b-side, "Hexxy," below. They have other upcoming shows too.

All Waxahatchee dates are listed, along with all song streams, below...

Continue reading "WBAR-B-Q is this Saturday; Waxahatchee also playing River Rocks; Speedy Ortiz released a new song"

One of the most eclectic lineups in the US, Hopscotch Festival in Raleigh, NC, will be back for 2013 on September 5 -7. Pulling from all genres, this year's line-up includes names like Big Boi (who plays NYC tonight), Spiritualized, Sleep, Wolf Eyes (who have a new video), The Breeders (performing Last Splash), John Cale, Kurt Vile & the Violators, Gorguts, Inter Arma (who play NYC on Saturday), Double Negative (who played NYC this past weekend), Swearin' (them too), Pissed Jeans, Dan Friel, Waxahatchee and many many others. Three-day wristbands are on sale now with individual day tickets going on sale in June. Full lineup is below.

Continue reading "Hopscotch announces 2013 lineup (Big Boi, Sleep, Spiritualized, Kurt Vile, Wolf Eyes, John Cale, more)"

Waxahatchee at 285 Kent earlier this month (more by Amanda Hatfield)

Waxahatchee, who just headlined a sold out show at 285 Kent, has been added as an opener to the previously discussed Babies show happening at the smaller Glasslands on April 27. Las Rosas are on that bill too. Tickets for the show are still available, but perhaps with Waxahatchee being added that won't be true for long.

The Glasslands show is the same day Waxahatchee plays the free, all ages WBAR-B-Q at Barnard College with Twin Sister, Roomrunner, Swearin', Speedy Ortiz and others. Waxahatchee is also touring Europe with Tegan & Sara, and playing Pitchfork Festival in Chicago.

All dates are listed, along with a recent video of Waxahatchee (Katie solo) playing "Swan Dive" for WNYC Soundcheck in Austin during SXSW, below...

Continue reading "Waxahatchee added to The Babies' Glasslands show"

photos by Amanda Hatfield

Waxahatchee @ 285 Kent

Waxahatchee, who has been touring as a three-piece fronted by main member Katie Crutchfield, brought their tour to Brooklyn last night (4/3) for a sold out show at 285 Kent with Certain Spiders, past tourmates Modern Hut, and a solo set from Radiator Hospital. Like they've been doing on other shows on the tour, they played material off of this year's Cerulean Salt and reworked full-band versions of material from her mostly acoustic debut, American Weekend. And on "Blue Pt. II," Katie's sister/Swearin' singer Allison came out to sing the duet vocals that she recorded for the track on the album.

Both Waxahatchee and Swearin' will play WBAR-B-Q at Barnard College on April 27 with Twin Sister, Roomrunner, Speedy Ortiz, and more.

More pictures from 285 Kent below...

Continue reading "Waxahatchee played 285 Kent with Certain Spiders, Modern Hut and Radiator Hospital (pics)"

Waxahatchee @ Permanent Records in Chicago (more by Zach Pollack)

Waxahatchee @ SXSW in Austin (more by Amanda Hatfield)

Brooklyn resident Waxahatchee, who we recently caught in Austin and Chicago, has previously announced shows coming up in Brooklyn (TONIGHT, 4/3, at 285 Kent), Austin, and Chicago. Today we found out about a fourth concert on her/their schedule, and that's the WBAR Barnard College Radio's 20th Annual FREE WBAR-B-Q in NYC with Wax, Twin Sister, Roomrunner, Swearin', Speedy Ortiz, and more. Full lineup and dates below...

Continue reading "WBAR-B-Q 2013 lineup includes Twin Sister, Roomrunner, Swearin' & Waxahatchee (who plays 285 Kent tonight)"

Pitchfork Festival 2012 (more by Fred Pessaro // BBG)

The final Pitchfork Festival lineup has now been announced, and in addition to previously announced acts like R. Kelly, Joanna Newsom, and Swans, it now includes M.I.A., Lil B, Solange, Wire, Yo La Tengo, Low, Savages, Toro Y Moi, Phosphorescent, Metz, Autre Ne Veut, Mikal Cronin, Parquet Courts, Merchandise, Woods, Julia Holter, Glass Candy, Andy Stott, Pissed Jeans, Frankie Rose, Ryan Hemsworth, Waxahatchee, Blood Orange, Daughn Gibson, Evian Christ, White Lung, KEN Mode, and DJ Rashad.

Three-day passes and single-day tickets are still available.

In other Chicago music festival news, Lollapalooza early bird passes went on sale today, sold out, and then regular 3-day passes went on sale and sold out. Single day tickets go on sale April 9.

Full Pitchfork Festival lineup and schedule below...

Continue reading "M.I.A., Solange, Wire, Savages, Phosphorescent, Julia Holter, Waxahatchee, KEN Mode & more added to Pitchfork Festival"

photos by Amanda Hatfield; words by Andrew Sacher

White Lung / Nu Sensae @ Holy Mountain, 3/13/2013

The Enabler/Don Giovanni/Suicide Squeeze/Sacred Bones SXSW showcase went down at Holy Mountain last night (3/13) in Austin with a bunch of great bands like White Lung, Waxahatchee, Nu Sensae, California X, and more.

I'm a fan of California X's self-titled album, which came out recently on Don Giovanni, but much like Torres did earlier that day, these guys really blew me away live on a level I didn't get from the record. They tend to get grouped into the "bands that sound like Dinosaur Jr." category, but after seeing them for my first time last night, I really think they come off as force of their own. They rock out, swing their long hair around, and deliver a solid mix of riffage, punchy tunes, and sludge-drenched heaviness, that only sounds hinted-at on their album. Someone get these guys in the studio with Steve Albini.

Easily one of the most anticipated artists at this year's SXSW is Waxahatchee, whose new album, Cerulean Salt, just hit shelves and is driving a lot of people wild. And her live show lives up too. She played full band and stuck to the more rock-oriented songs and rock versions of softer tunes, and at least in the front of the room, the crowd was completely zoned in. "I loved Waxahatchee!" I excitedly said to someone at the show. "Yeah, everyone does," was her response. It's true.

The show ended with two Vancouver punk bands (who also happen to be good friends), Nu Sensae and White Lung. Nu Sensae played a pretty short set on the backyard stage and their great mix of noise rock, punk, and no wave was spot on last night. Then White Lung took the stage indoors and really tore things up. Singer Mish Way is a powerhouse on stage and her band are no slackers either (watching that guitarist shred is about as intense as Mish's shouts). The crowd was super into them too, starting mini moshpits and fist-raised shoutalongs, especially during tracks like "Thick Lip" and "Glue."

You can catch White Lung at our free SXSW day party on Saturday (3/16) at 3:45 PM on The Jr. stage.

Continue reading "White Lung, Nu Sensae, Waxahatchee and more played SXSW (pics); White Lung play BV day party on Saturday"

by Bill Pearis, Fred Pessaro and Andrew Sacher

Savages @ CMJ 2012 (more by Dominick Mastrangelo)

SXSW gets underway today (3/13) in earnest, with 83,207 bands* playing SXSW this year. Trying to figure out who to see can be an overwhelming feeling. (Actually, just standing on 6th St. on Friday night is an overwhelming feeling.) Hopefully this post will give you some inspiration if you're among the throngs of people. Or maybe just some new stuff to listen to if you're not there.

Of course you could just hang out at all our day parties (our first starts at noon today!) and evening showcases, as we're really proud of our line-ups. But there are bands who we are pumped to see who aren't playing too. So here are 40 bands we're genuinely pumped to see in Austin this week. We made a Spotify playlist of all the bands (at least the ones on the service) you can stream below.

Check out our list below...

*not the actually number of showcasing bands. But it feels accurate.

Continue reading "40 artists we're excited to see at SXSW"

by Andrew Sacher

Waxahatchee at Saint Vitus in 2012 (more by Fred Pessaro // BBG)

Waxahatchee (the project of Katie Crutchfield, formerly of P.S. Eliot) released her new album, Cerulean Salt, last week (3/5) via Don Giovanni. It follows her personal, lo-fi, mostly acoustic debut, American Weekend, and though this one's got cleaner production and some other musicians on it (including members of her sister's band, Swearin'), it's just as deep and honest as her debut. The album pulls elements of slowcore, early Death Cab/Rilo Kiley-era emo, and punkish indie pop into a mix that's truly her own. And really what's most impressive about it is the lyrics. Katie's not singing about anyone's experiences besides her own, but they're so unfiltered and close to her core that it's difficult not to hear your own experiences in her words. You can listen to a Spotify stream of the entire album below.

Waxahatchee just did a few NYC shows last month like the Don Giovanni Brooklyn showcase and Indie Pop Prom, and now she's headed to Austin for SXSW, but you'll get another chance to see her in NYC when she plays 285 Kent on April 3. Tickets for that show are on sale now.

All dates are listed below...

Continue reading "Waxahatchee expands tour, playing NYC after SXSW (dates)"

John Baizley at Union Transfer (more by Maclyn Bean)

Baroness, Bitter End, Coliseum, Culo, Cut Hands, Soul Search and Waste Management are the latest batch of additions to the 2013 iteration of Chaos in Tejas, joining names as varied as Bolt Thrower, Manilla Road, Terveet Kadet, Framtid, Andy Stott, The Marked Men, The Damned, The Bats, Iceage and many more. The fest happens May 30 - June 2. Full lineup is below and tickets are still available.

In addition to the festival, Chaos in Tejas will ALSO host at least a pair of shows during SXSW including an unofficial show at Beerland on Thursday night with Blundertown (3/14) featuring Wiccans, The Spits (who play the BV day party on Thurs), Off with their Heads, Waxahachee, Meat Market, Virals and Rough Francis (who also play a BV day party). Then look for Chaos in Tejas to split Red 7 along with Relapse on Saturday 3/16, bringing along another eclectic lineup that includes Iron Lung and Big Freedia. Wow. Flyers are below.

As mentioned, John Baizley of Baroness plays his ONLY solo show at North Door on 3/16, part of the Invisible Oranges/BrooklynVegan official SXSW showcase.

Chaos line-up and SXSW flyers below...

Continue reading "Chaos in Tejas lineup expands again, announces SXSW shows"

by Bill Pearis

San Francisco's Permanent Collection released their debut album, Newly Wed Nearly Dead, last August on Loglady Records. Frontman Jason Hendardy, who runs the label with Lauren loPrete, used to be in Young Prisms and there's more than a little shoegaze in PC's sound but is definitely poppier than Hendardy's old band. You can stream the whole thing below.

Permanent Collection are visiting NYC at the moment, playing Shea Stadium tonight (3/8) with Darlings, Field Mouse, and Honeydrum (info here, that's a good show!); and the previously-mentioned Cake Shop show on Saturday (3/9) with Italy's His Clancyness, Spires and former Get Him Eat Him frontman Matt LeMay.

Meanwhile, Cake Shop and Loglady will be in Austin next week for SXSW, co-presenting a showcase that happens Friday (3/15) at Trailerspace Records. Permanent Collection are playing, as are Part Time, California X, TV Ghost, Grandma's Boyfriend, Waxahatchee, and Dead Angle (ex-Tartans). It's a free show, all ages. More info here, and all Permanent Collection dates are listed, along with the Loglady/Cake Shop flyer, below.

Continue reading "San Francisco's Permanent Collection are on tour, including two NYC shows ++ Cake Shop/Loglady showcase during SXSW"

photos by Bruno Simões; words by Bill Pearis

TPOBPAH @ Indie Pop Prom @ 285 Kent

My prom didn't have a band, just a DJ who was our electrical engineering teacher, Mr. Sark. (His DJ name was Sark After Dark.) But it was always a fantasy to have a cool band play it. (I did once attend a wedding with a Smiths cover band.) And while it wasn't an actual prom, some people's fantasies probably came true Thursday night with the Indie Pop Prom at 285 Kent where The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Swearin', Waxahatchee, Potty Mouth, and Weed Hounds dressed up fancy, rocked out and then maybe took a limo through Times Square while dancing through the car's sunroof. The show doubled as Maria Sherman's Birthday Bash (happy birthday Maria!), and Frankie Rose and Shirley Braha (Weird Vibes) were the DJs.

Like my senior prom, I didn't actually go to Indie Prom either, but maybe you did? It seemed like a good time from what I gathered on Twitter and Instagram. Did they have a photo area on the way in? Anyone spike the punch?

We only have pictures from TPOBPAH's headlining set, unfortunately, but you can check out more of them below...

Continue reading "Pains of Being Pure at Heart headlined Indie Pop Prom (pics)"

Shellshag at Don Giovanni 2013 Showcase (more by Caroline Harrison)

Brooklyn duo Shellshag, who recorded the track, "Green Vapors," with Screaming Females for their Chalk Tape, will release their new album, Shellshag Forever, on April 16 via Don Giovanni. The album features the track, "Face to Face," which Shellshag performed an acoustic version of for the BrooklynVegan 'Green Room Sessions', and you can stream the punky studio version below. Also below is the album artwork and tracklist.

As usual, Shellshag have a number of upcoming local (and some non-local) shows. Most excitingly, they'll share a bill with Screaming Females on April 20 at Maxwell's, which hopefully means they'll collaborate on stage during "Green Vapors." The rest of that show's lineup is great too, including Swearin' (who play Indie Pop Prom tonight [2/28]) Hilly Eye, and Great Thunder (the project of Waxahatchee's Katie Crutchfield and her boyfriend/Swearin' bassist Keith Spencer). Tickets for that show are on sale now.

Shellshag's other local dates include Friday (3/1) at Lulu's (113 Franklin St), March 11 at Acheron with Pity Party, March 21 at Silent Barn with Extra Feeler, and April 13 at Union Pool with RVIVR, Dogjaw, and Extra Feeler. Advance tickets for the Union Pool show are on sale now.

All dates are listed, along with the song stream, album art and tracklist, below...

Continue reading "Shellshag releasing new album, playing shows (one with Screaming Females, Swearin', Hilly Eye & Great Thunder)"

Solange at Bowery Ballroom in 2012 (more by Amanda Hatfield)

today in NYC
* Whiplash @ UCB
* Brain Cloud @ Barbes
* Chicha Libre @ Barbes
* Poundcake @ City Winery
* Manoel Feliciano @ Joe's Pub
* Solange, Kelela @ Webster Hall
* 'This is Spinal Tap' @ Videology
* Oh Land @ Rockwood Music Hall
* Neil Casey, Rachel Dratch @ UCB
* Michael Ian Black @ The Bell House
* Wyatt Cenac, Adam Newman @ Littlefield
* The Dreebs, GDFX, VaVatican @ Big Snow
* Frank London's Shekhina Big Band @ The Stone
* Iron Reagan, Meek is Murder, Narc @ Saint Vitus Bar
* States & Kingdoms, Emanuel Gibson @ Mercury Lounge
* Cum Blood, Jerkagram, Weasel Walter @ Death By Audio
* Mara Flynn, Brittany Campbell, Condola Rashad @ Pianos
* Reverend Vince Anderson and His Love Choir @ Union Pool
* Ian Hoagland-Henefield, Tavo Carbone @ Pete's Candy Store
* Little Spoon, Foxes in Fiction, The Spookfish, Max Alper @ Silent Barn
* Hannibal Buress, Taylor Ketchum, Kate Hendricks, Michael Che @ Matchless
* The Everymen, Daytona, pow wow!, The Brooklyn What @ Glasslands

Follow @BrooklynVegan on Twitter.
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Be our friend on Facebook too, and BV Austin's friend on Facebook and BV Chicago's friend on Facebook.

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NPR is streaming great new albums from Youth Lagoon and Waxahatchee. You can also still listen to albums by Atoms for Peace, Chelsea Light Moving, Shout Out Louds, Deathfix, and Cloud Cult.

What else?

by Andrew Sacher

Waxahatchee at Saint Vitus in 2012 (more by Fred Pessaro // BBG)

Waxhatchee (aka Katie Crutchfield, formerly of PS Eliot) will release her sophomore album, Cerulean Salt, on March 5 via Don Giovanni, and you can stream the first single, "Peace and Quiet," below. The album sometimes features a fuller band approach than her mostly acoustic debut, American Weekend, and the recordings aren't as raw, but the songs are no less intimate.

Waxahatchee will be going on a tour this winter which includes two previously discussed NYC dates. One of those is the Don Giovanni showcase at Music Hall of Williamsburg on February 8 with Laura Stevenson and the Cans, Jeffrey Lewis, Lemuria, and Hilly Eye (tickets; and the other is Indie Pop Prom on February 28 at 285 Kent with The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Swearin' (Katie's sister Allison's band), Weed Hounds, and Potty Mouth (tickets). Both shows have great lineups and either would be a good place to see her.

In related news, Katie also plays in the band Great Thunder with her boyfriend Keith Spencer (who also plays bass in Swearin') and that band plays their first Brooklyn show TONIGHT (1/24) at Death by Audio with Heavens Gate, The Guts, and Marvin Berry & the New Sound.

A list of all Waxahatchee dates, the tour flyer and the "Peace and Quiet" stream below...

Continue reading "Waxahatchee announces new album and tour (dates, stream)"

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart at Summerstage in 2012 (more by Chris La Putt)

On February 28 at 285 Kent, the Brooklyn venue will be hosting Indie Pop Prom, a show with a totally killer lineup headlined by The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, and also featuring sets by Swearin', Waxahatchee, Weed Hounds, and Potty Mouth. There will be DJ sets by Frankie Rose and Shirley Braha (Weird Vibes) and the show was produced by Maria Sherman. Tickets are $10 or $8 if you come dressed in prom attire, and are on sale now.

In addition to looking like a totally fun night, and the fact that seeing TPOBPAH at 285 Kent is probably crazy with any support lineup, a few other things are notable about this show. You may know that Swearin' singer Allison Crutchfield and Waxahatchee (who also plays the Don Giovanni showcase) singer Katie Crutchfield are twin sisters and used to be in PS Eliot together, and it's the first show in about two years for Weed Hounds (who have played NYC a bunch in the past). And if you're going to the show, be sure to get there early to check out Potty Mouth.

Show flyer below...

Continue reading "Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Swearin', Waxahatchee, Potty Mouth & Weed Hounds playing Indie Pop Prom at 285 Kent"

Frightened Rabbit @ T5, Nov. 2010 (more by Lionel Bergeron)

SXSW has just announced another round of bands for the 2013 edition of the annual music festival that will happen March 12 - 17. This brings the total current number of acts to around 1300. Someome of the highlights include Vampire Weekend, Frightened Rabbit, The Thermals, Black Lips, Camera Obscura, Merchandise, Bleached, Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire, Eagles of Death Metal, Parenthetical Girls, Indians, Night Beds, IO Echo, KEN Mode, Prince Paul, Pure Bathing Culture, Sepalcure, UK motorik post-punks TOY, Finnish instrumentalists K-X-P, Toronto's Moon King, UK indie rockers Splashh (not Brooklyn Splash with one "h") and loads more. Head to BV Austin for the whole Round 3 list.

Pitchfork just posted their Honorable Mention Albums of 2012, which they consider "20 records didn't make [their] Top 50 but they're not necessarily just Nos. 51-70." There are some similarities to their Overlooked Records of 2012 list that they posted halfway through the year. It also includes Frankie Rose's Interstellar, which did actually get Best New Music upon its release, unlike the other albums here. And it's got Waxahatchee's American Weekend and Jeremih's Late Nights with Jeremih, neither of which were reviewed throughout the year. Though they did review Waxhatachee (Katie Crutchfield)'s sister Allison's band Swearin', who also makes this list, and who (along with Jeremih) made Pitchfork's Top 100 Tracks list.

Full list below...

Continue reading "A Few Albums That Definitely Didn't Make Pitchfork's Top 50 of 2012"

by Fred Pessaro // BBG

The Men @ Saint Vitus

The Men headlined a Pitchfork-produced Sandy-benefit at Saint Vitus on Friday (12/14) with Widowspeak (who play Brooklyn Bowl and Mercury Lounge soon), Sweden's Lust For Youth (who also played WIERD two nights prior) and Don Giovanni-signed Waxahatchee. The show was a one-off, hometown show for the Men who will tour down under in the new year. Pictures are in this post.

I was most excited to catch The Men and Lust for Youth. The latter's synth-propelled darkwave sounded excellent in the room at Vitus, though watching the pair play was far from a live spectacle. A band like this does extremely well in a setting like WIERD at Home Sweet Home, where lights, strobes and fog are all very common-place. Made me wish I caught them there.

The Men have changed quite a bit in the past few years, so while it wasn't shocking that the band came out with four acoustic guitars in hand given some of the softer-side of Open Your Heart, it was nonetheless a side I hadn't seen before. Gone is the bubbling undercurrent of hardcore (probably my favorite era- the Immaculada/Leave Home records), with most of the tracks slanted in a Replacements-y direction but with a bit of a twang due to the addition of accordion and Rhodes. The band has definitely gone in different directions from the days of sweaty, packed-out 538 Johnson shows (pics), and I gotta say I miss those good 'ole days.

More pictures of all four bands at Saint Vitus are below.

Continue reading "The Men & Widowspeak played a Sandy Benefit at Saint Vitus with Lust for Youth & Waxahatchee (pics)"

Hilly Eye at Cake Shop in June (more by Andrew St. Clair)

Tickets for the Don Giovanni showcases which go down at Music Hall of Williamsburg on February 8 and 9 with sets from Screaming Females, Laura Stevenson, Jeffrey Lewis, Lemuria, Waxahatchee, Hilly Eye, Black Wine, Stormshadow, Home Blitz, and Shellshag went on sale today (2-day pass option included). If you haven't snagged yours you can still do that, but if you're in the Don Giovanni spirit, you won't have to wait until February to see all of those bands, because two of them are playing NYC tonight (12/14).

Waxahatchee (the project of Katie Crutchfield, formerly of PS Eliot) play the Hurricane Sandy benefit at Saint Vitus tonight with The Men, Widowspeak, Lust For Youth and DJ sets by Caleb Braaten (Sacred Bones) and Jenn Pelly. Tickets for that show are still available.

Meanwhile, Hilly Eye (Amy Klein formerly of Titus Andronicus and Catherine Tung) will be at Death by Audio tonight with Trophy Wife, Flown, and Thurn & Taxis. No advance tickets for that one.

Song stream and video are below...

Continue reading "Hilly Eye playing NYC tonight; Waxahatchee too"

by Andrew Sacher

Screaming Females in LA in October (more by Wei Shi)

New Brunswick label Don Giovanni are throwing their annual Brooklyn showcases in 2013 at Music Hall of Williamsburg on February 8 and 9, and this year they're doubling as the label's tenth anniversary shows. Both nights have typically great lineups, with the 2/8 show featuring Laura Stevenson and the Cans, Jeffrey Lewis, Lemuria, Waxahatachee, and Hilly Eye, and the 2/9 show featuring Screaming Females (I hope this means Marissa is getting better!), Black Wine, Stormshadow (who the label refers to as "original, political, tight musicians" who "made fantastic art" but "broke up and no one outside of New Brunswick knew who the band was," and they'll be reuniting for this show as well as reissuing their album, Set On Destroy, via Don Giovanni this winter), Home Blitz and Shellshag. Tickets for both nights and a 2-day pass option go on sale Friday (12/14) at noon and AmEx presale for the individual nights begins Wednesday (12/12) at noon. The flyer for the showcases is below.

California X at Tommys Tavern in June (more by Fred Pessarro // BBG)

One band that we're a little bummed to see not on this lineup is Amherst's grungy California X, who have a great self titled LP coming out via Don Giovanni on January 15. I know we're still in year-end-list of 2012 mode, but this is already one of my most anticipated records of 2013. You can stream the single, "Pond Rot," below.

Song stream and show flyer are below.

Continue reading "Don Giovanni showcases announced (Screaming Females, Hilly Eye, more); new California X album on the way"