DOWNLOAD: Mew on AOL's The Interface (MP3)

Mew opening for NIN @ T5 in August (more by Tim Griffin)

Best surprise. Mew are coming back to the United States before the end of the year to play some shows including one on December 4th at Webster Hall. Tickets for the NYC show go on American Express presale at noon, and then general sale Friday at noon. Other announced gigs include Philly and Boston. All currently known dates and four videos from their recent visit to AOL's The Interface (MP3 above), below...

Continue reading "Mew played the Interface (MP3), playing Webster Hall (dates)"

Peter Bjorn and John @ Webster Hall in April (more by Tim Griffin)


Oops! Peter Bjorn and John's November 10th Terminal 5 show has been moved down to the smaller Webster Hall one day earlier (November 9th). El Perro Del Mar and Brooklyn (via Japan)'s The Suzan open the show. All T5 tix will be honored, and some are still on sale too.

El Perro Del Mar was supposed to play Joe's Pub on November 9th, so that was also canceled with this change.

The Suzan...

"was formed by two Japanese girls, RIE(Guitar) and SAORI(Vocal) in the summer of 2003. They had been sicking and tired of recent Japanese POP idol music. So they decided to produce their own songs and bring the movement and revolution to the music scene of not only Japan but also the world by their sound."

Continue reading "Peter Bjorn & John's Terminal 5 show moved to Webster Hall -- The Suzan opening, playing Fool's Gold CMJ (flyer)"

Built to Spill @ Webster Hall - Oct 12, 2009 (joshbg2k)

"I shelled out for the Tuesday show, though it is annoying how expensive the tickets are. I sincerely wish I could see DinoJr with them again, but what can you do. I'm going to need a sick setlist Tuesday, or I will be a bit annoyed. I don't doubt that it will be a great show, as they almost always are." [Anonymous]

Continue reading "Built to Spill played Webster Hall (setlist) - again tonight "

photos by Ryan Muir

"Just got back from playing Webster Hall with Os Mutantes. I think I can retire now." - DeLeon

Brazil has another reason to celebrate beyond landing a future Summer Olympics: one of that country's most beloved rock bands, Os Mutantes (The Mutants), is back on the road after a nearly three-decade break.

Touring North America after the release of their first studio album in 30 years, the seven-member band stopped at the Somerville Theatre Sunday and showed why many in South America consider it the Kinks, the Beatles and Crosby Stills & Nash rolled into one frenzied psychedelic party machine.

While Os Mutantes turned out pop hit after pop hit in Brazil in the '60s and '70s, the only original member, iconoclastic guitarist Sergio Dias, has made sure he's not leading an oldies act. [Boston Herald]

Continue reading "Os Mutantes & DeLeon @ Webster Hall in NYC - pics "

photos by Alexis Maindrault

Near the end of their first New York show in 10 years, at Webster Hall on October 7th, singer-guitarist James Dean Bradfield of the Welsh rock band Manic Street Preachers hit the plaintive opening lick of the Small Faces' 1966 British hit "All or Nothing," leading the rest of his group into a verse and chorus of that mod-soul classic -- a song about giving without quitting -- before veering into the Manics' own 1990 Molotov cocktail "Motown Junk." You can count the number of times the Manics have played New York on one hand; this was the biggest room I've seen them in here. But Bradfield, drummer Sean Moore and bassist Nicky Wire, traveling with a second guitarist and a keyboard player, ran through the whole of their history in 90 minutes -- a greatest-hits set anywhere across the Atlantic, a long list of shots in the dark in the U.S. -- like still-hungry animals with conquerors' pride. There was no encore but, as Bradfield told the ecstatic faithful on the Webster floor, "That doesn't mean we don't love you from the bottom of our filthy Welsh hearts." [David Fricke]

Continue reading "Manic Street Preachers & Bear Hands @ Webster Hall - pics"

photos by Vincent Cornelli

Okay, so you probably could've guessed it without too much work: Little Joy's opening act [Friday] night, Swami Shave-us Jr, was in fact Devendra Banhart. (The connections? Little Joy's Rodrigo Amarante played on Banhart's Smokey album; Noah Georgeson produced the band's sweet, sunshiney debut; Binki Shapiro played with Banhart on Beck's Record Club project. Phew!) Still, Webster Hall was buzzing with excitement as Banhart took the stage. He played a beautiful, twinkling set of favorites and new songs (including "Little Yellow Spider" and new single "Baby") accompanied by Megapuss bandmate Greg Rogove (on mbira and drums and backups). Little Joy's members grinned from the moment they took the stage, an adoring, fresh-faced crowd singing along with vintage Coca-Cola ad gusto....The band's encore...saw Banhart and Rogove back onstage, along with most of Webster Hall (cue flummoxed security, etc.). Joy indeed. [Time Out]

Two tracks from Devendra's new album, What Will We Be, are currently streaming on his MySpace. The album is set to come out October 27th, 2009 on Warner Brother Records. Via Wikipedia: "The album was co-produced by Banhart and Paul Butler from A Band of Bees. Rejoining Banhart are old band mates Noah Georgeson, Greg Rogove, Luckey Remington, and Rodrigo Amarante, all of whom worked with him on his previous album, Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon."

Banhart spoke to Paste Magazine recently about a possible collaboration with GZA: "I played Coachella, and, lo and behold, I looked on the sidelines and there was GZA. I was stunned," Banhart says. "So we hung out and talked--we talked about atomic energy and how the sun is powered. We talked about dark matter. Then I sent him my catalog. And he said 'Hey man, will you write some stuff? Let's write together.'" At this point, says Banhart, "[GZA] has shared his new writing with me and I've sent a couple sketches. With his new work I can tailor the sketches I already had. We're at the beginning stages."

Little Joy has been quite busy since the release of their debut. No more scheduled upcoming shows at the moment though. Meanwhile, Fabrizio Moretti, who did play with Little Joy at Webster Hall, but is only a part time member now anyway, is probably finishing up another project.

More pictures and videos from Webster Hall, and the new Devendra album tracklist are below...

Continue reading "Devendra Banhart played Webster Hall w/ Little Joy (pics), playing Town Hall (tix), releasing major label album + GZA"

Gogol Bordello @ All Points West on August 1st (more by Tim Griffin)

In what's becoming an annual thing, Gogol Bordello will be playing a series of NYC shows around New Year's Eve. This year's gigs will be at Webster Hall from December 27th to Dec. 29th. A Fan Club presale is happening now. Regular tickets go on AmEx presale Wednesday at noon, and then general sale begins October 9th at noon.

Before then, Gogol Bordello will play a packed schedule of shows in North & South America, Europe and Asia. Full dates are below.

The group released today (10/6) a live CD/DVD Live From Axis Mundi on SideOneDummy Records.

The set features footage from two sold-out nights at Irving Plaza in New York City filmed in 2007. The package features live performances of "Start Wearing Purple," "Ultimate," "Not A Crime" and "Baro Foro" as well as music videos for "Start Wearing Purple," "Not A Crime," "Wonderlust King," "American Wedding," bonus chronicles and extra tracks.

It will also feature a CD of previously unreleased tracks including "Stivali E Colbacco" from the Super Taranta! sessions, the "Troubled Friends" from the Gypsy Punk sessions, "Roumania," a demo of "60 Revolutions" and an instrumental version of "Immigrant Punk." The CD also features six tracks from the band's BBC sessions, recorded on BBC-Radio 1's "In The Company Of (with Colin Murray)" in March 2008.

Continue reading "Gogol Bordello announce pre-New Year's Eve shows at Webster Hall (dates), release DVD filmed at Irving Plaza "

photos by Jake Forney

DOWNLOAD: The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Higher Than the Stars (Others in Conversation Mix) (MP3)

Cymbals Eat Guitars / Pains of Being Pure at Heart

"Pains went on at 9:15 and Webster Hall was packed. I wonder if it sold out? They played a great set, and I finally got to see them play the song that made me a fan of theirs, "A Teenager in Love." But for me, my two favorite songs are "Come Saturday" and "Everything With You." Matt told me that he knows that those are the two songs I like because that's the only time he'll ever see me move. Yeah, at shows I'm pretty dis-affectionate. It seems that Pains get better every time I see them. And on a personal level, it is true that with new music, I really don't like a good 98% of what's out there, but I love Pains and they'll receive my full support. And I'm no one special, but I am blatantly honest. They write such beautiful, sincere, and catchy music, and the members are some of the nicest people I've ever met, and both Kip and Peggy gave me a hug when I ran into them at the show. Aww, you guys are awesome. And interestingly enough, when I got home from the show I had a last.fm friend request from Kip. (we have "very high" compatibility according to last.fm's taste-meter)" [Alex Caprio]

Continue reading "Cymbals Eat Guitars, Depreciation Guild & The Pains of Being Pure at Heart @ Webster Hall in NYC - pics "

DOWNLOAD: The xx - Basic Space (Micachu Remix) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Florence and the Machine - You've Got the Love (The xx Remix) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: School of Seven Bells - Iamundernodisguse (Alt Mix) (MP3)

The xx @ South Street Seaport in August (more by Chris La Putt)

UK's the xx will have already played a large amount of shows in New York City by the end of 2009, and there are more to announce. The xx have augmented their CMJ schedule with a performance at the Apple store in Soho on Thursday, October 22nd. Before that, they play at Mercury Lounge on Oct. 21st with Javelin and Lia Ices (tickets and CMJ badges at the door). Then the xx play an Oct. 23rd show with School of Seven Bells and First Aid Kit. That gig was supposed to be at Webster Hall, but it has now been moved to Music Hall of Williamsburg. Tickets are still on sale.

School of Seven Bells has a deluxe release of 2008's Alpinisms that's coming out digitally on October 13th. The first song on that, an alternate version of "Iamundernodisguise," is posted above.

The xx's November 11th show at Bowery Ballroom also changed venues - it was originally scheduled for at Mercury Lounge. It's now sold out. Finally, they play December 5th at Webster Hall with Friendly Fires. To recap:

The xx back in NYC
Oct 21 @ Mercury Lounge New York (CMJ)
Oct 22 @ iTunes Instore (Apple Store, SoHo)
Oct 23 @ MHOW w/ School of Seven Bells (CMJ)
Nov 11 @ Bowery Ballroom
Dec 05 @ Webster Hall New York w/ Friendly Fires

Speaking of the Apple Soho store, Phoenix was just there last week (9/24) and Ladyhawke played the store the week before that (9/15). That same day (September 15th), Sonic Youth was to release an iTunes-only four-song EP of their June performance at the store. The record never came out, and seems to be delayed for an unknown period of time. Sonic Youth play NYC's Terminal 5 on November 21st with Cold Cave and Dinosaur Jr. It's sold out, but the Feelies show happening the same night at Maxwell's isn't yet.

The xx recently remixed Florence and the Machine's "You've Got the Love." That is posted above. Florence will come from the UK to play an October 27th show at the Bowery Ballroom. It's sold out, but I wouldn't be surprised if they add another show too.

The xx's debut self-titled record comes out October 6th on Young Turks/XL Recordings. All tour dates for the xx (and Florence) and videos for the xx's two singles are posted below...

Continue reading "School of Seven Bells moves to MHOW, The xx add more CMJ shows, remixed Florence & the Machine (dates, MP3, stuff) "

photos by Ryan Muir

"I saw Fever Ray tonight in New York. Amazing, powerful show. Those of you who have the freedom should try and get down to Webster Hall Tuesday, September 29th at noon and wait patiently for any tickets released by the venue (technically the show is sold out, but there are always extras)." [Airport Through the Trees]

Continue reading "Fever Ray @ Webster Hall in NYC (night 1) - pics "

DOWNLOAD: Holy Fuck - Lovely Allen (No Age Remix) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Holy Fuck - Jungles (MP3)

Holy Fuck @ MHOW in May (more by Tim Griffin)

Canadian electronica/post-rock band Holy Fuck will be in NYC to play a one-off show at Webster Hall's Girls & Boys party on Friday, October 2nd. If you RSVP on Going.com and get there before midnight, entry is supposedly only $1.

Holy Fuck are currently working on their new album, a follow-up to 2007's LP. That album was nominated for the 2008 Polaris Prize, but it wasn't until this year that a band with "fuck" in its name was honored with the award. Currently, the group's only other date is a Halloween show in Chicago.

Flyer below...

Continue reading "Holy Fuck - $1 NYC show on Friday, working on a new album"

photos by Tim Griffin

Between matches we were treated to a bit of burlesque, all of it wonderful, but I am proud to say that at the end of the day the girls from New York outshone their Los Angeles counterparts with audacity and grit.

During the intermission, L.A.-based Lux LaCroix--who had earlier in the evening made her star turn doing a reversedrag striptease as a Purple Rain-era Prince -- told me, "New York burlesque is more performance art, L.A. is more rockabilly."

This made little sense coming from a girl sporting a Zorro moustache. Fortunately, in this case, the "performance art" was local gogo heroes the Wau Wau Sisters, whose trapeze act set to a Guns 'N Roses song featured not only death-defying stunts but also a giant baggie filled with drugs. Never let it be said that I am not an appreciator of fine art.

By the end of the night there had been enough high-flying grappling, giant Day-Glo insects, booby-shaking and gender-bending to satisfy even purists like myself, and certainly the curiosity seekers had something to text each other about on their way back to the L train. [NY Press]

Continue reading "Lucha VaVOOM (wrestling, comedy & burlesque) came to Webster Hall in NYC - pics (NSFW)"

"Little Joy is a Brazilian/American rock band formed in 2007 by Los Hermanos singer/guitarist Rodrigo Amarante and The Strokes drummer Fabrizio Moretti. Amarante and Moretti met in 2006, at a festival in Lisbon where both their bands were performing, and the idea came up to start a new musical project unrelated to their respective bands. In 2007, with Los Hermanos on hiatus "for an undetermined amount of time", Amarante travelled to Los Angeles to collaborate with Devendra Banhart on his Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon album. He and Moretti met during recording breaks and talked about "anything but music."" [Wikipedia]

photos by Tim Griffin

7 Seconds

It's been an eventful time for shows at Webster Hall in NYC. Nine Inch Nails played there Sunday night, and the Bouncing Souls celebrated their 20th anniversary as a band with two shows there on Thursday and Friday.

On Thursday they played with Lifetime (and None More Black). On Friday it was with 7 Seconds and Tim Barry of Avail (who played on the floor). Rob Vitale from Black Train Jack helped sing a song with 7 Seconds. Bouncing Souls covered "Good Lookin' Out" by Sick of It All with Lou Koller from Sick of It All on vocals...

"i haven't seen so many stage dives in sooo long. 7 seconds put on a phenomenal show!!! it was like traveling through a time vortex to an 80's hardcore show! the crowd wasn't even super young or anything like that, i was kind of surprised!

i think this was one of the best new york crowds i've been a part of yet. i don't think i caught one cell phone in the air taking video or 'tweeting' which is a rarity. everyone was part of the pit and everyone wanted to be. amazing.

the bouncing souls totally delivered too, and tim barry [even though i came in not knowing what to expect] put on a super awesome show too! great!!!" [:: smo ::]

Kevin Seconds, who recently sat down and talked to Greg Attonito for us, is now on a solo tour that keeps him in the NYC area for a while. Tickets are still on sale for shows at Asbury Lanes, Maxwell's, First Unitarian Church, and Union Hall.

We posted some pictures of the first Webster Hall show HERE. More from the second night, and that BS setlist, below...

Continue reading "Bouncing Souls, 7 Seconds, Lifetime, Tim Barry & guests played Webster Hall (pics & setlist) & The Trocadero"

photos by Bao Nguyen

"The sweatiest I've ever been in my entire life... Also the greatest show I've ever seen in my entire life." - kskill

"The setlist for [the Bowery Ballroom] show was an excellent mixture of old and new and provided over 2 hours of kickass entertainment. Those of you seeing any of the future NIN shows on this leg of the Wave Goodbye Tour are in for a treat because I've been assured that the shows will all be different and Trent Reznor has got a bunch of really amazing surprises in store (if just *one* of the setlist scenarios I heard about turns out to be true, I will DIE)." [Pink is the New Blog]

Continue reading "NIN (waving goodbye) @ Webster Hall in NYC - pics & videos"

The Horrors & Nine Inch Nails @ Webster Hall (pic via Pink is the New Blog)

"I decided to approach this show like I was going to see any other band. I went to dinner, and went to the show shortly after the doors opened. It felt weird to not wait in line all day, but it was one of the best decisions I've made in a while. I just wanted to see what it felt like to casually approach a NIN show; plus, I wanted to spend time with my friend and in NYC instead of being in NIN tunnel vision mode. And since [Bowery Ballroom] only held 500 people, I thought my chances of still getting a good spot were high... In a few hours, I'll be doing this all again at Webster Hall. Today, I love my life.."
[Hardrockchick @ Bowery Ballroom]

Tonight's show is the 2nd of 10 shows on the NIN 'Wave Goodbye' tour, and they played The Downward Spiral from start to finish! There were a total of 24 songs with no encore. Some great pictures HERE. A few more pictures, and some videos, and the full setlist, below...

Continue reading "Nine Inch Nails played The Downward Spiral @ Webster Hall tonight - pics, videos, & setlist"

photos by Brian Woodward

"There were plenty of things those crowd-surfing at the Bouncing Souls show Thursday night at Webster Hall were wearing or holding on to that seemed like potential liabilities: glasses, hats, a backpack, a purse, a wheelchair.

Come again?

During "Lean on Sheena," one of the Bouncing Souls' more agitated numbers, a few muscular young men toward the back of the crowd hoisted one of their friends, upright in his wheelchair, and thrust him forward. He rode the crowd, dozens of hands reaching upward to grip the tires, until he was deposited onstage, prompting the band's bass player, Bryan Kienlen, to exult, "That's Jersey right there for you!" [NY Times]

Continue reading "Bouncing Souls, Lifetime & a crowd surfer in a wheelchair @ Webster Hall in NYC - pics & video"

photos by Sara Skolnick

"Best Fwends is made up of Anthony Davis and Dustin Pilkington both out of Forth Worth, a city known for basically being considered Dallas, Texas by people who don't live there. By all accounts, it's a pretty boring place which explains how two people were basically able to lock themselves into a room and create electronic music fast as hell on what sounds like toy keyboards and microphones. If you've only heard their releases Alphabetically Arranged or Not-So-Alphabetically Arranged, then you're really unprepared for the live show.

Dustin, the redhead, seems to lead most of the songs and dances while Anthony seems to be the more introverted of the two. There is a large amount of staged elements found in their sets, such as the song "Hail", a thrash metal emulation which involved them taking on the mantle of metal singers throwing up the goat on each chant of "Hail!" then becoming almost monkish as they fold their hands into prayer during an instrumental section of the song, as following a dark faith, they close their eyes and stride in a circle through the audience to end up back where they began in time for the song's end." [King of the gigabitches]

Continue reading "Best Fwends, Das Racist, Body Language & Nature Boy Jim Kelly @ the Studio @ Webster Hall - pics "

DOWNLOAD: The xx - Basic Space (Micachu Remix) (MP3)

The xx @ South Street Seaport on 8/14 (more by Chris La Putt)

"The XX played 972 shows in NYC this weekend but the one we saw at Mercury Lounge after they played [Mark] Ronson's Authentic Shit on [East Village Radio] was mangled by bad sound until Ronson himself handed singer/guitarist Romy Croft a new guitar and the band played one more song. Their mics worked the whole time though, along with the drum machine for the most part, so aside from some light picking, not much was missed. In fact, their eerie spareness was enhanced, and for the first time in recent memory, the people in the back stopped talking to hear what was going on." [FADER]

The xx also have their own headlining gig at the Mercury Lounge on November 12th. Same deal with tickets for that.

Friendly Fires and The xx played Music Hall of Williamsburg (where the girl danced) one night after Friendly Fires played Le Poisson Rouge with The Phenomenal Handclap Band (who play PS1 this Saturday, 8/22). Micachu, who remixed the xx song available for download above under the name M.A.T.H.E.S., was scheduled to play Le Poisson Rouge on October 3rd, but that has been canceled.

All FF & xx tour dates are below...

Continue reading "The xx played Bruar Falls, Monkeytown, Pianos, Music Hall... playing Mercury Lounge (again) & Webster w/ Friendly Fires"

by Black Bubblegum

7 Seconds & Bouncing Souls on tour in 1994

Twenty years is a major milestone for any band, but in a genre like punk rock that thrives on boundless energy, ducking authority, and youth, it's a particularly notable achievement. This year marks the 20th anniversary of The Bouncing Souls, and yet more clicks on the odometer in the touring van. The band kicks off a set of dates this week with fellow NJ luminaries Lifetime and punk rock legends 7 Seconds.

7 Seconds know a thing or two about longevity. The band is currently approaching it's 30th (!) year and prides itself on being one of the longest standing hardcore bands in existence, joining the esteemed ranks of Bad Brains, DOA, and Circle Jerks among others. Vocalist Kevin Seconds has been the face of the band since inception, spending the last few years on the road as a solo acoustic act, similar to like-minded punks Chuck Ragan, Walter Schriefels, and Greg Attonito of The Bouncing Souls.

On the eve of the Bouncing Souls / 7 Seconds dates in NYC (which impact 8/21 & 8/22, Lifetime opens on 8/20 & 8/23), we got a pair of punk rock veterans to sit down for an interview... with each other! Greg called in to speak with Kevin Seconds while on the Warped Tour, and the two discussed their upcoming tours in their respective bands and as solo artists, as well as what it means to still be a punk in 2009. Read it below....

Continue reading "7 Seconds (Kevin) & Bouncing Souls (Greg) in conversation"

DOWNLOAD: Royksopp - The Girl & The Robot (w/ Robyn) (Chateau Marmont remix) (MP3)

The most recent album from Norwegian electronica duo Royksopp, Junior, came out earlier this year, and now the group is traveling to the US, possibly for the first time since 2005, for a short set of gigs. Two of those will happen at NYC's Webster Hall on November 23rd and 24th. Tickets for both shows are on AmEx presale now; general sale starts Friday, August 21st at noon.

According to Wikipedia, "Senior is a forthcoming album from Norwegian duo Röyksopp, set for release toward the end of 2009. The new album has been described as an introspective, withdrawn, atmospheric counterpart to energetic Junior." Junior features guest appearances by Karin of the Knife aka Fever Ray (who has two Webster Hall shows coming up too), Anneli Drecker, Lykke Li, and Robyn who sings on the song "The Girl and the Robot". A remix of that song is above. The video of it is below with all tour dates...

Continue reading "Royksopp - 2009 Tour Dates (2 shows @ Webster Hall), new album w/ Fever Ray, Lykke Li & Robyn (video & remix MP3) "

photos by Bao Nguyen

'Natasha killed it tonight. Seeing her so happy made me so happy. Great show.' - Anonymous

"best use of props: bat for lashes at webster hall. do you like wolves? natasha khan does. from the backdrop to the tapestry hanging over her piano, the set was wolf-tastic and so was bat for lashes. ms. khan jumped into a "glass" and followed up with "sleep alone". the crowd was in for some haunting, lush tones from the very first raise of natasha's faux hair sleeves.

natasha didn't talk to much during the set though she responded to an erratic "you're amazing" with an equally erratic "thank you".

encore included: "good love", "moon and moon", "trophy" and karate kid favorite "daniel". [sharocks]

Continue reading "Bat for Lashes & Other Lives @ Webster Hall - pics, setlist"

photos by Chris La Putt

Jesse "the Devil" Hughes On Axl Rose: "Like any other Guns N' Roses fan, I find Axl to be really insulting. He cost a lot of people their jobs, a lot of heartache and probably some mental breakdowns while he fucked around on a record [Chinese Democracy] for 16 fucking years--just because he wanted to be a dick. I firmly believe that the gods of rock 'n' roll just chose me to kick him out of the gang for gross misuse of power. Axl still has the opportunity to do something that no one expects him to do, which is something cool. I honestly think he can do it, but first, he really needs to control himself a bit, and most importantly, get a real friend."

Rival Schools were the opener, and it wasn't the first time Walter Schreifels shared a NYC bill with the sort-of-QOTSA off-shoot. More pictures and setlists below...

Continue reading "Eagles of Death Metal & Rival Schools played Webster Hall in NYC - pics & setlists"

photos by Bao Nguyen

The nominees for this year's MTV Video Music Awards Breakthrough Video are Anjulie, Bat For Lashes ("Daniel"), Chairlift, Cold War Kids, Death Cab For Cutie, Gnarls Barkley, Major Lazer, Matt and Kim, Passion Pit, and Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

Bat For Lashes, who is also up for this year's Mercury Prize, and who will be back in NYC on August 12th, has a new video for the song "Sleep Alone". Check it out, with more pictures of Passion Pit playing the Diesel Party at Webster Hall on 7/30, below...

Continue reading "Passion Pit (Webster Hall pics) vs Matt & Kim vs Bat for Lashes (new video) vs others for MTV Video award"

FF photos by Joseph Xu

DOWNLOAD: Mountain Goats - Genesis 3:23 (new MP3)

Final Fantasy @ P4K

Final Fantasy played the Pitchfork Festival on July 18th, which is where the photos in this post are from (check out his Mayhem t-shirt). About a week later he played the Hillside Festival at Guelph Lake in Canada during a storm (probably not a good idea)...

A few songs into his bravura one-man baroque-pop set, the skies filled with thunder and lightning as rain began to drench Pallett, who continued shredding his bow fiercely across his violin.

As stagehands covered equipment with plastic, and organizers frantically tried to cut him off, Pallett kept playing the appropriately dramatic 'Lewis Takes His Shirt Off.' "One more minute," he yelled, as sheets of water hit him full force.

The stunned (and soaked) crowd broke into wild cheers as one minute turned into two and Pallett sped toward the song's big finish like a man possessed -- until the stage crew finally pulled the plug. Still, his heroics had already created Hillside's most memorable moment. [Spinner]

This November he (Owen Pallett) heads out on tour to open up for The Mountain Goats (John Darnielle), who will be playing as a full band (though there is a much shorter string of Darnielle solo dates too). The trip ends with a pair of NYC gigs on December 1st and 2nd, when they respectively visit Webster Hall and the Bell House. Tickets for Webster Hall go on AmEx presale today at noon; general sale starts Friday, August 7th at noon. Bell House tickets are on sale today at noon.

The occasion for this tour is a new record from The Mountain Goats, enigmatically titled The Life of the World to Come, which comes out October 6th on 4AD. All song titles on the new album are Bible verses. John says,

The album was recorded between April and June: first at Electrical Audio with Brandon Eggleston; then at Sonic Ranch with John Congleton; and finally at Baucom Road with Scott Solter. Scott also mixed the entire album at Baucom Road. The band is still Jon Wurster, Peter Hughes, and me; Owen Pallett did string arrangements & played on the Electrical session.

I guess the obvious question is going to be: "John, have you had some sort of religious awakening?" and while I guess lots of people might want to be coy about answering that, that's never really been my style, so: no. It's not like that. It's not some heavy-narrative-distance deal either, though, and it's not a screed. It's twelve new songs: twelve hard lessons the Bible taught me, kind of. More than that I'd want to wait to say until some people have heard it, which won't be long.

Continue reading "Mountain Goats - new Bible album, MP3, 2009 tour dates w/ Final Fantasy (who played Pitchfork & Hillside in a storm) "