by Bill Pearis

White Fence in Berlin last year (photo by Alexandre Kurek via)

With this weekend's weather forecast looking slightly more hopeful than last's, we should get our first proper Seaport Music Festival show at South Street Seaport's Pier 17 on Friday (6/14). We already knew PAWS were playing but they've just announced that White Fence will be headlining. PAWS are at 7 PM, White Fence play at 8 PM and, like all shows at Pier 17, it's free and open to the public.

As mentioned, White Fence are here for the Northside Festival, playing twice. First, the Panache Showcase on Thursday (6/13) at Brooklyn Bowl with Mac DeMarco and Walter TV. Advance tickets are sold out but there will be limited admission at the door, as well as admitting Northside badges. Then they play a late show Friday at Knitting Factory with Las Rosas and Honey. 11 PM doors for that show and advance tickets are on sale.

White Fence's latest album is Cyclops Reap which is out on Castle Face and can be streamed via Rdio or Spotify. If you've only ever heard White Fence via their (mostly) low-fi recordings, their live show is a different thing altogether. Band guru Tim Presley assembles a usually killer band for much more of a White Fence Rock Experience. Worth catching.

Speaking of free shows at the Seaport, the 4Knots Festival added Hunters to the line-up and a few other new names.

Updated White Fence tour dates are listed below.

Continue reading "White Fence playing Seaport on Friday with PAWS ++ two Northside shows and updated dates"

The Gories at The Bell House in 2012 (more by Jason House)

As mentioned, Mac DeMarco and White Fence will be playing the Panache Northside showcase at Brooklyn Bowl on June 13. That show now also includes Walter TV. Tickets for that show are on sale now. Show flyer below.

White Fence also play another Northside show the next day at Knitting Factory (tickets). Mac DeMarco has a ton of other upcoming dates too, all of which are listed below.

Brooklyn Bowl is hosting other Northside shows too, including one of Questlove's weekly Bowl Train parties as a late show after the Panache showcase (tickets).

The following night (6/14), the venue will be headlined by Sinkane with Xenia Rubinos playing as well.. Tickets for that show are on sale now. Sinkane has other upcoming dates, including another NYC-area show happening on June 16 at Maxwell's (tickets) which is also with Xenia Rubinos. All dates are listed below.

That same night, Bond Music Group are doing their showcase as a late show (doors: 11:30 PM) with Chrome Canyon, Computer Magic, AVAN LAVA (DJ), and Chateau Marmont. Tickets for that one are on sale.

Then, on the Saturday (6/15) of Northside, New York Night Train are doing their showcase, which includes an early show with The Gories and Daddy Long Legs; and a late show with Jonathan Toubin doing his Soul Clap & Dance-Off party with guest DJ Mick Collins (of the Gories and Dirtbombs). Tickets for the early show and the late show are on sale now. Show flyer below.

Finally, on June 16, POP Montreal is doing a show with Born Ruffians, The Spinto Band, and Turf War. Tickets for that show are on sale.

You can also get into any of these shows with your Northside Badge. All Mac DeMarco and Sinkane dates are listed, along with show flyers, below...

Continue reading "Northside shows at Brooklyn Bowl on sale: Mac DeMarco, White Fence, The Gories, Sinkane, Born Ruffians & more"

by Andrew Sacher

Jessica Pratt at Maxwell's - 5/17/13 (via @cbruno1983)

Loner folk devotee Jessica Pratt just wrapped up a tour supporting Father John Misty, which hit the NYC-area this past Friday (5/17) for a show at Maxwell's, where FJM played solo acoustic, unlike his theatrical performance at The Great GoogaMooga the next day. Jessica played backed by a keyboardist and sounded delicate and wonderful as ever. Check out a video from her set below.

As mentioned, Jessica is about to do a few dates with Grouper, including one in NYC on June 2 at Le Poisson Rouge with Raajmahal and a DJ set from onetime Cocteau Twins bassist (and current Bella Union label head) Simon Raymonde. Tickets for that show are still available. Jessica has since added her own NYC show happening a day earlier (6/1) at Union Pool with Gambles (aka ex-Levy member Matthew Siskin) and Zachary Cale. Tickets for the Union Pool show are on sale now. Show flyer below.

And as discussed, Jessica will return to Le Poisson Rouge on July 12 to open for Julia Holter, which is one of a few shows the two musicians are playing together that month. Tickets for that show are still available

After she wraps up her run with Julia Holter, Jessica will do some West Coast dates with White Fence. Updated dates are listed, along with the Maxwell's video and Union Pool show flyer, below...

Continue reading "Jessica Pratt played Maxwell's w/ Father John Misty, playing more shows (updated dates & video)"

Real Estate @ Crest Hardware, Dec. 2012 (more by Fred Pessaro)

As mentioned, the closing night concert of the Big Sur Brooklyn Bridge Festival is happening May 19 at Music Hall of Williamsburg with Phillip Glass, Van Dyke Parks and Friends. To make the evening even more tempting, Real Estate (playing a stripped-down set) have now been added to bill. Tickets for that show are still available.

Speaking of, Real Estate will also be playing in the actual Big Sur for the 2013 Woodsist Festival which happens at the Henry Miller Library on September 22 & 23. The sold-out two-day event also features Foxygen (who have three shows in NYC next week), The Fresh and Onlys, Peaking Lights, The Babies and more.

There is also a Woodsist Fest date on September 28 at Pappy & Harriets in Pioneer Town, CA with Woods, Real Estate, Fresh & Onlys, Parquet Courts and more on the bill. Tickets to that show are still available.

And in other news, Alex Bleeker & the Freaks (who also play both Woodsist fests) will release their second album, How Far Away, via Woodsist on May 28. You can stream a track from the LP, "Leave on the Light," below. They'll play a NYC record release show at Knitting Factory on the same day (5/28) with Spectre Folk and King Cyst. Tickets are on sale now.

All Alex Bleeker & the Freaks tour dates are listed, along with Woodsist Fest line-ups and song stream, below.

Continue reading "Real Estate added to Phillip Glass MHOW show, playing Woodist Fests in CA; Alex Bleeker & the Freaks ready new LP"

photos by Tim Griffin

Goat / Deap Vally / Moving Sidewalks at Austin Psych Fest Day 3 - 4/28/13

Sunday was also about giving credence to the forbears of pysch-rock. Roky Erikson put on an energetic show to a loving and enthusiastic audience. The main attraction, and headliners for the fest, were the Moving Sidewalks featuring Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top. Any time one can catch Gibbons, it's worth paying attention, but unfortunately it seemed like some members of his old band hadn't played since the 1960s. Gibbons's familiar growl and deft guitar work did make up for most of it.

...

Sweden's Goat had the unfortunate slot coinciding with the second half of the Black Angels, but neither the crowd or the band seemed to notice. Dressed as gypsy druids, the band played a sort of jam-pysch rock with insane energy. The band wore masks, but the two female leads stole the show, euphorically jumping and singing throughout each song. [Austinist]

In case you haven't been keeping up with our Psych Fest coverage, pictures of day 1 are HERE and pictures of day 2 are HERE. More of day 3 below...

Continue reading "Austin Psych Fest: Day 3 in pics (Moving Sidewalks, Goat, Roky Erickson, Black Angels, Clinic, Deap Vally & more)"

White Fence

As mentioned, White Fence's new album, Cyclops Reap, is out this week on John Dwyer's Castle Face label. Tim Presley doesn't seem to be running out of songs and this is another quality batch of paisley-scented psychedelia. You can stream "To The Boy I Jumped In The Hemlock Alley" below and hear the whole record over at Pitchfork.

White Fence will be in Brooklyn for the Northside Festival in June, playing two shows: the Panache showcase at Brooklyn Bowl on June 13 and then a late show at Knitting Factory on June 14. Tickets to the Knitting Factory show are on sale now; no word on Brooklyn Bowl tickets just yet.

The whole Panache showcase line-up is still forthcoming but we do know its being headlined by Mac DeMarco and we have updated dates for him below as well.

These are just a couple of the additions to the 2013 Northside line-up that includes that free Walkmen show in McCarren Park. Other new additions, Kylesa, Torche, Sonny & the Sunsets, Nü Sensae, Kisses, The Luyas and more. Northside line-up as it stands now is below.

Continue reading "White Fence streaming new LP, added to Northside Fest line-up (Mac DeMarco, Nu Sensae, Kylesa, Torche & more too)"

Tamaryn is DJing at New York's Museum of Modern Art on Sunday evening (4/7) as part of a PopRally event called "Abstract Currents." Against projections of one-minute videos submitted by the public, Tamryn will provide a "hypnotic soundtrack to the collectively built abstract videoscape." It's in conjunction with MoMA's Abstraction, 1910-1925 and Abstract Generation: Now in Print exhibition and tickets are still available.

Later this month, Tamaryn will be in Texas' state capital for Austin Psych Fest (Apr. 26 - 28), which features a pretty amazing line-up that runs the gammut of "psychedelic," including Deerhunter, Spectrum, Black Mountain, OS Mutantes, The Moving Sidewalks, Clinic, Besnard Lakes, Elephant Stone, Roky Erickson, Sweden's GOAT and a bunch more. The fest just announced the day-by-day line-ups which are listed below.

Continue reading "Tamaryn DJing MoMA; Austin Psych Fest finalizes lineup"

I have cyclops vision now. But I'm not a giant. I changed my name and body only, and stabbed my social nous in the right ear. I still read fear but there are no police this year. I can repeat the same dream. I can let birds talk to me. I'm in jail. I have love and a whistle. I lay where the lotus lay and then spring the frozen flowers on any giving day. I apologize to those put in the trees, but I was gathering the Cyclops reap.

In the span of 4 1/2 years. I've lived in two different apartments and have used three different rooms during this time. All in Echo Park, Los Angeles, CA, only a couple miles from one another. After the death of my father in 2008 I started writing and recording non-stop in these rooms. I can't say it was directly because of that trauma, but I think deep down it might have much to do about it. This record was initially going to be a collection of the many songs trapped between the 4 White Fence LP's. As i was putting that together, there were more coming. a better crop. i couldn't stop. So, instead of a retrospective i said "Fuck It". might as well use the most current songs of the bunch. For the exception of "Make Them Dinner At Our Shoes" which is from 2009. - Tim Presley

You can stream "Pink Gorilla" from the new White Fence album and check out the tracklist below. The band haven't announced a formal tour but will be playing Burgerama, Austin Psych Fest and a few more select dates, and those are listed below.

Continue reading "White Fence releasing 'Cyclops Reap' (stream a track)"

Primavera Sound have announced their 2013 lineup, set to go down on May 22-26 in Barcelona, Spain. The announcement came via an animated video and artists performing include Phoenix, The Postal Service, Blur, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, My Bloody Valentine, Tame Impala, Wu-Tang Clan, Dead Can Dance, Grizzly Bear, The Knife, and loads more. Current lineup is below along with the flyer and video...

Continue reading "Primavera Sound 2013 line-up announced"

by Andrew Sacher

Today, we finally get the much anticipated list of Pitchfork's Top 20 Albums of 2012. They revealed Nos. 30-50 yesterday and spent the rest of this week posting Honorable Mentions and tracks. None of the albums that made the top 20 are surprising to see there (which doesn't mean they aren't deserving), but the surprises come from the albums that missed the list all together. Passion Pit got ROBBED! Twin Shadow too! And Wild Nothing! If you're looking for Converge or Baroness, you'll have to redirect yourself to Pitchfork's Metal list (though Pallbearer was in the main top 50). And we could've guessed that Nos. 1 and 2 would be Frank Ocean and Kendrick Lamar... but who took the No. 1 spot? Head below to find out and you can check out individual writer's votes too...

Continue reading "Pitchfork's Top 20 Albums of 2012"

UK music magazine Uncut put out their list of the top 75 albums of 2012. The top ten leans pretty heavy on long-running '60s/'70s survivors who put out new albums this year, but plenty of the list-topping regulars from newer acts are on there too, along with a few interesting surprises (Sun Araw, M Geddes Gengras & the Congos!). You can check out the full list below.

Continue reading "Uncut's Top 75 Albums of 2012"

Sasquatch! 2012 (more by Chris Graham and Rae Graham)

Quincy, WA music festival Sasquatch! has announced that it will return for its 12th installment to The Gorge over Memorial Day Weekend (5/24 - 5/27) in 2013. A limited number of discounted four-day festival passes will go on sale Friday (11/23) at 9 AM PST at the Sasquatch! website. The lineup will be announced in February.

In other US festival news, as recently mentioned on BV Austin, Austin Psych Fest will go down in Carson Creek Ranch from April 26 to 28 with Deerhunter, The Black Angels, Boris, Spectrum, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Clinic, Warpaint, DIIV, and many more. More info HERE.

Industrial vets Throbbing Gristle are finally getting around to completing their "reinterpretation" of Nico's Desertshore, an idea of member Peter "Sleazy" Christopherson, who has since passed away. The record, finished by Chris Carter and Cosey Fanni Tutti, is being billed as TG's "nascent, and final, studio album," will come out on November 26, two years after Christopherson's death. It's set to include guest vocals by Antony Hegarty, Cosey Fanni Tutti, Blixa Bargeld, Marc Almond (who was a member of Soft Cell and also collaborated with Christopherson's other band Coil), and Sasha Grey. The band have two teaser videos for the album, which you can watch below.

Speaking of tributes to albums that Nico took part in, there's a Velvet Underground & Nico tribute on the way which features Ty Segall and Thee Oh Sees (who both just played The Well and will play Death by Audio tonight [9/24]), plus The Fresh & Onlys, White Fence, Kelley Stoltz and others. The album will gradually surface digitally across various websites from October 15 to 29 and will be out on vinyl on November 6 via John Dwyer's Castle Face label. The tracklist is below.

Antony and the Johnsons - 'Cut The World'

Speaking of Antony Hegarty, he released his new album, Cut The World, last month via Secretly Canadian. The album features "live symphonic performances" of songs from his first four albums which were recorded on September 2 and 3, 2011 at the DK Concert Hall in Copenhagen. The title track for the album is a new one, however, and it will be featured in The Life and Death of Marina Abramovi, directed by Robert Wilson and staring Antony, Marina Abramovi and Willem Dafoe. He also just made a video for that song, directed by Nabil (Frank Ocean, Bon Iver, Kanye West). Watch that video below. You can read an interview with Antony and Nabil about the video at Pitchfork.

All videos are below.

Continue reading "Throbbing Gristle releasing Nico tribute; Thee Oh Sees & more on Velvet Underground tribute; Antony has a new LP & video"

Baroness at Terminal 5 in May (more by Joe McCabe)

Earlier this week, we posted an update from Baroness showing that things were looking upwards for the band. Unfortunately though, with two members having broken vertebrae and frontman John Baizely having a broken arm and leg, it doesn't come as much of a surprise that Baroness have in fact cancelled some of their upcoming North American tour dates, including their NYC show at House of Vans and LA's FYF Fest. They will not be replaced on the House of Vans lineup, which happens on August 29 and now just includes Turbonegro, Doomriders, and Nightbirds. This is a bummer but it makes sense that the band takes the time they need to recover, and we wish them a speedy and successful recovery!

Meanwhile, FYF Fest, which Wild Flag also dropped off of, recently expanded its lineup. It now features The Faint (who just announced they'll be reissuing Danse Macabre and touring the album), Glass Candy, King Tuff, and newcomers The Orwells. Tickets for FYF Fest are still available. The updated lineup and flier are below.

Continue reading "Baroness dropped off House of Vans and FYF Fest, who added bands (updated lineup)"

FYF Fest. September 1st and 2nd, 2012
At the LA State Historic Park, Los Angeles, CA
Tickets are $77 and go on sale Friday June 22nd.

Quicksand recently reunited at Revelation Records' 25th Anniversary on the West Coast, and I would't be surprised if they do the same at Irving Plaza in October.

American Nightmare has two shows coming up at Webster Hall.

Full FYF lineup, in alphabetical order, below...

Continue reading "FYF Fest 2012 lineup: Quicksand, Refused, American Nightmare, Desaparecidos, M83, Hot Snakes & MUCH more"

by Andrew Frisicano

Ty Segall @ Webster Hall (photo by roedood)

Of the handful of times I've seen Ty Segall live (admittedly only a fraction of his shows in the city), his set at Webster Hall was without a doubt the best. People often talk about performers feeding off the energy of the room--that interaction was palpable between Ty and crowd Wednesday night.

The band pieced together a front-to-back set of rockers, and the front half of the crowd went nuts: kids dancing, smashing into each other, doing back flips off the stage, passing around flask-sized bottles of Jack, screaming about being on mushrooms (that last one was just one guy, but he was loud). It was nothing you wouldn't see on a Friday night at most sweaty DIY spaces, but still pretty encouraging considering the scene: a large venue that was at or near capacity for a lineup of unpolished rock bands. Assuming no one landed on your head, it was hard not to have fun (Ty at one point politely reminded everyone to be careful and watch out for one another).

And the snotty garage rock tunes fit perfectly with the offstage madness. Ty and band seemed gamely down for the end-of-semester party they'd walked into and ripped through the material, hitting "Girlfriend" and "Finger," two Melted highlights, early with the requisite head-banging, and easing judiciously into new songs before coming back into some extended jams (Slaughterhouse, the first record with the touring band, is due June 26 on In the Red). A crushing version of "Caesar" closed the encore. Barking into his overdriven mic, Ty twice called it the best show ever.

White Fence, who played before, were also in punky, blown-speakers mode, leaving behind the druggy jangle that marks most of their recorded output and honing in on driving rhythms and lots of Tim Presley solos. The joint songs, from the White Fence/Ty Segall split Hair, were great too. The pair--aided by Ty bassist Mikal Cronin and White Fence drummer Nick Murray--sandwiched those tunes between their band's sets and traded off licks and lyrics. Hopefully they'll get together again.

On the undercard, Strange Boys growled through a set of swampy rock tunes. Jonathan Toubin, who has lots gigs scheduled now that he is back, provied the music between sets. The Men started things off, but I missed their set (how was it?).

--

Ty Segall and White Fence continue on tour.

by BBG

Ty Segall at Fun Fun Fun Fest (more by BBG)

Just a reminder that Ty Segall, White Fence, The Strange Boys, The Men, and the impeccable record collection of the one and only DJ Jonathan Toubin will descend upon Webster Hall tonight (5/16). This is an extremely solid, rockin' lineup and tickets are still available for all of you procrastinators.

The show is one of several Jonathan Toubin DJ gigs currently scheduled on his unofficial comeback. He will also play Home Sweet Home on Friday (5/18) in addition to Glasslands on June 9th, Lincoln Center on July 7th, a "special amazing free tba" on July 14th, Glasslands again on July 21st, and ATP I'll Be Your Mirror on September 22nd. Full set of Jonathan Toubin dates are below.

Speaking of Home Sweet Home -- SHAMELESS PLUG -- I will also be behind the decks tonight (5/16) as part of the weekly WIERD party at the venue. Cleansing Wave will headline the evening with special guest Goosebumps, and I'll be manning the turntables along with Zach of Freshkills and Glenn from Cult of Youth. The show/DJ event will set you back a cool $5 and more details are available at the Facebook event.

A listing of all tour dates and related flyers are below.

Continue reading "Ty Segall & White Fence, The Men and Strange Boys play Webster tonight w/ DJ Jonathan Toubin; other related items"

The indirectly-yet-directly Grammy-nominated Quintron & Miss Pussycat, the musical husband-wife duo, will hit the road for an extensive set of tour dates. The band, who cancelled their last tour, and are still basking in the glory of their Sucre Du Sauvage LP, will kick off their three-month tour in Atlanta at The Earl, before heading North to play two NYC shows: at 285 Kent on 4/28 with Bosco Delrey, Cellular Chaos, DJ Musa and Glittering Prizes, and Mercury Lounge on 4/29 with The K-Holes, Josh Dust (of White Fence), DJ Tony Lo-Fi. Tickets are on sale for Mercury Lounge. They also play ATP I'll Be Your Mirror in Asbury Park, NJ. All tour dates and a video below.

Continue reading "Quintron & Miss Pussycat going on a 3-month tour (dates)"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Ty Segall & White Fence - I Am Not a Game (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: White Fence - It Will Never Be (MP3)

Today the world got the first taste of Hair, the upcoming colaboration between Ty Segall and White Fence which is out April 24 on Drag City. That morsel, "I Am Not a Game," is downloadable above. Like most of the album (which I've heard), it feels more like a White Fence record than a Ty Segall one, though it is slightly less tinny than most of White Fence's output. Ty does take lead on a couple songs ("Easy Rider" and "Crybaby") and his influence is more likely to be heard when the two head out on tour together  -- a show that will hit Webster Hall on May 16.

If you need more White Fence, no worries. Main man Tim Presley is a writing/recording machine with the the two volume Family Perfume coming at ya May 15, though the first volume will be available digitally April 3. You can check out "It Will Never Be" from Vol 1. at the top of this post. Click through for Ty Segall / White Fence tour dates.

Continue reading "check out the first MP3 from Ty Segall & White Fence LP"

Ty Segall and White Fence are teaming up for a collaborative album called Hair, which will be out on April 28th via Drag City. Tracklist below.

They'll be touring together in support of the release in May and will hit NYC on May 16 at Webster Hall. Tickets for the NYC show go on sale Friday (2/10) at noon with an AmEx presale starting Wednesday (2/8) at noon. The Men are supporting at Webster Hall, and The Strange Boys open in Chicago and many other dates. They're all listed below.

White Fence and Ty Segall are working on their own releases this year as well. White Fence will release Family Perfume on April 3 via Woodsist and Ty's as-of-yet untitled album should see a release this September via Drag City.

Album info and tour dates below...

Continue reading "Ty Segall & White Fence made an album, touring (dates)"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Savoir Adore - Dreamers (MP3)

It's been two years since Savoir Adore released their debut album In the Wooded Forrest. While they're busy finishing the follow-up, the band just released a new single on Neon Gold Records and you can download the track at the top of this post. "Dreamers" is high-fi, reaching-for-the-stars widescreen pop. You can dance to it too. Cover art below.

Meanwhile, Savoir Adore have four CMJ shows lined up: Thursday afternoon at Cake shop (10/20, 5PM FREE) for the NYC Taper party; Friday Night at Santos (10/21, 10:30PM, $10 w/o a badge) as part of the Neon Gold Showcase; Saturday afternoon at Bowery Electric (10/22, 5PM FREE w/ RSVP) and then Saturday night at Pianos upstairs (10:10PM, FREE). Flyers and lineups below.

The band also did a session for BlipTV, performing a new song "Loveliest Creature" which you can watch here.

Continue reading "Savoir Adore's new single & a bunch more CMJ parties"

Fucked Up at House of Vans in July (more by Chris La Putt)

Bruise Cruise II, which will take place February 10-13, 2012 off the coast of Miami, added a few more artists to their lineup earlier this month. Those additions include Fucked Up, The Togas (feat. Ty Segall, Philip Sambol of The Strange Boys, Lance Wille of Reigning Sound, and Shannon Shaw of Shannon & the Clams), Vivian Girls (DJ set), and more to be announced soon. Tickets for the cruise are on sale now.

Bruise Cruise and Panache Booking (who co-founded the cruise) have a CMJ showcase scheduled too. The showcase will take place at Public Assembly on October 22 with Shonen Knife, Cheeseburger, White Fence, Vockah Redu, Turbo Fruits, Jacuzzi Boys. and others. Tickets for the showcase are on sale now, or you can try to get in with a CMJ badge.

Panache Booking are also doing their own showcase at Knitting Factory on October 20 with Matthewdavid (who plays Highline Ballroom with Dam-Funk 5 days later), Pterodactyl, Evi Antonio, Mike Viser, and The Immaculates. TIckets are on sale now.

Speaking of Fucked Up, who just played Webster Hall with Wavves, they've got a video for the song "Do You Feed" by the fictional band Animal Man, from Fucked Up's fictional compilation album. You can watch that below. You can also watch a video of Damian Abraham dancing on stage with Yo Gabba Gabba.

Videos below...

Continue reading "Bruise Cruise linueps, 1 @ CMJ, new Fucked Up video & stuff"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Archers of Loaf - What Did You Expect? (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Art Brut - "Lost Weekend" (MP3)

Archers of Loaf @ Sasquach 2011 (more by Josh Darr)

This weekend marks the return of '90s indie legends Archers of Loaf who play Music Hall of Williamsburg on Saturday (6/25, sold out) and Webster Hall on Sunday (6.26, you can still get tickets). Opening both shows are Mr. Dream which is as perfect an opener as you could imagine.

I didn't care for their later records (or Eric Bachman's Crooked Fingers) but Archers of Loaf's 1993 debut, Icky Mettle, is an indie rock classic that stands tall alongside No Pocky for Kitty, Slanted & Enchanted, There's Nothing Wrong with Love and Sebadoh III. 1995's Vee Vee is pretty awesome too, and both records are getting the expanded reissue treatment from Merge Records in August. You can download "What Did You Expect?" (a 1994 7"-only release) at the top of this post.

Speaking of Mr. Dream, despite the Voice saying that the lineup was final, they added Mr. Dream today to the upcoming 4Knots Fest at South Street Seaport, and DJs and an indoor lounge too...

The Village Voice is excited to announce the addition of the 4Knots Indoor Lounge during the 4Knots Music Festival on Saturday, July 16, 2011. The lounge, located at 210 Front Street, will be open from 2PM till Midnight with free admission, 21+ only. DJ Sets will take place all day from: Yeasayer, Dan Deacon, Finger on the Pulse, PUNCHES, Brahms, and others TBD. Drink specials from Sailor Jerry and Bud Light will be available along with a PopChips photo booth, and much more.

The inaugural 4Knots Music Festival with also include live music on South Street Seaport Pier 17 from 1-8pm. The Black Angels, Titus Andronicus, Davila 666, Oberhofer, Eleanor Friedberger and Mr. Dream and are all scheduled to perform on the outdoor stage at the free, all day, all ages music festival.

While we're in the '90s milleiu, Mazes are here opening for White Denim on Saturday night (6/25) at Bowery Ballroom. I'll just quote myself here:

When you think Manchester, England you may think Stone Roses and The Smiths, but in the case of Mazes, it's more Sebadoh and Soul Asylum. Not unlike Yuck, this trio owe lots to '90s indie rock as can be heard on their debut album A Thousand Heys which came out in April.

And if you can't make it this weekend, Mazes return for a headlining show at Glasslands on Tuesday, July 5 where they'll play with Beige, Country Mice, and The Hairs.

Art Brut

What else? Art Brut are on tour and played Maxwell's last night and will be at Music Hall of Williamsburg Thursday (6/23). The band's new album, Brilliant! Tragic!, finds Eddie Argos taking it down a notch and almost singing. Almost. It's really more of a whispery type thing -- not unlike Jarvis Cocker -- and for the most part I think it works pretty well. I especially like the single, "Lost Weekend," which you can download at the top of this post. More than anything, I think the music is the best Art Brut have come up with since their debut. And the band remain a lot of fun to see live. Argos is the real deal.

Sic Alps

Sic Alps roll through town on Friday, playing Death By Audio with Spectre Folk and Weekends. As previously reported, founding member Matt Hartman -- who was half the band originally -- has left the group which is kind of weird Mike Donovan is carrying on with the name with Eric Baur and some kid named Ty Segall (who had briefly joined the band a couple years ago). Shouldn't they be called Sic Andes or something now?

Granted, Mike Donovan did most of the singing (and maybe wrote most of the songs) and I'm gonna bet this new version of the band is pretty awesome. Sic Alps most recent album, Napa Asylum, is another smoldering, thick stew of swamp garage. A lot of bands use the low-fi thing as a crutch, but Sic Alps have always used sludge like it's a member of the band. A new 7", perhaps the first fruits of this new line-up, is out in August.

Fulton Stall Market in 2010 (more by Chris La Putt)

And finally, a little shameless plugging. Sunday afternoon, June 26th, is the first of my four Sound Bites Series shows which take place at the Fullton Stall Market down at South Street Seaport. You can get your vegetables and jingle jangle indiepop all in one place. This Sunday the latter is provided by scene stalwarts My Teenage Stride. The fun (which includes me DJing before the band) starts at 2PM, and it's all free. Do come down and say hi.

This is the full Sunday show lineup:

JUNE 26: MY TEENAGE STRIDE
JULY 3: THE HAIRS
JULY 10: pow wow!
JULY 17: HOSPITALITY

Some additional daily picks follow:

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22

Iceage play a free show at Other Music today.

THURSDAY, JUNE 23

Black Dice's Eric Copeland, McDonalds and Regal Degal play Secret Project Robot. It's a record release party for both Copeland and McDonalds, so do check out the merch table. The Copeland record, Waco Taco Combo, is only a 500 copy pressing.

Dinosaur Jr. are at Terminal 5 performing their classic 1988 album Bug (that's the one with "Freak Scene") in its entirety. And probably some other songs as well. Many people will be going just to see Fucked Up, not to mention Off!.

Beach Fossils and Javelin play Santos Party House. It's a free show if you RSVP.

continued below....

Continue reading "Archers of Loaf, Mr. Dream, Art Brut, Mazes, Sic Alps, Iceage, Sundays @ The Seaport & more in This Week in Indie"

Twin Sister (more by Tim Griffin)

Bill didn't have a chance to write a Saturday Northside guide, but since we did do one for Thursday and Friday, I want to at least quickly continue the trend. Here you go:

The big show of the day, today, Saturday, June 18th, is without a doubt Guided By Voices, Surfer Blood, Wavves and The Babies at McCarren Park.

Guided by Voices 7pm
Wavves 6pm
Surfer Blood 5pm
The Babies 4pm

There's no BIG show tonight, but garage giants Thee Oh Sees, who played a secret show at Death By Audio last night, should please at Brooklyn Bowl (where we found out the "secret guest" is Reptar who are also playing Governors Ball today) while Twin Sister and Allo Darlin hold it down at Music Hall of Williamsburg:

Twin Sister 11:30pm
Allo Darlin' 10:30pm
Ava Luna 9:45pm
Gabriel & the Hounds 9pm

Fiery Eleanor Friedberger plays a show at Europa instead of in a church.

Meanwhile over at Union Pool the Sub Pop sister label Hardly Art showcases some of its bands: Woven Bones 11:30pm, Fergus & Geronimo 10:30pm, Colleen Green 9:30pm, Xray Eyeballs 8:30pm.

Those who like to enter Altered Zones will probably be chillin' down at 285 Kent. Flyer reposted below.

Bill hopes to make it to Knitting Factory by midnight to see White Fence. They go on before their tour-mate The Strange Boys, whose next album is coming out on Rough Trade, as part of the late show at the venue. The early show at Knitting Factory features Alela Diane (whose newest album came out on Rough Trade).

Look at the full schedule at Northside's site. Look for even more shows in "What's Going on Saturday."

Continue reading "a guide to Northside Fest Saturday"

photos by Kellyann Petry

Woods @ Culture Shock

If you aren't making the trek up to B.O.M.B. Fest to see Woods over Memorial Day Weekend, no worries. Woods will be back as part of a month-long North American tour that kicks off in middle July. All dates are listed below.

But first, you can also catch Woods in June in a Brooklyn church as part of the Northside Festival. The previously announced show also now includes Ed Askew and Magik Markers on the bill and is still on sale (flyer below). On August 13th look for the band at Bowery Ballroom with Ducktails (mem Real Estate) and White Fence (their second recent show together). Tickets for the NYC show go on AmEx presale today at noon (5/18), and regular sale on Friday.

Woods are welcoming their new LP Sun and Shade via their own Woodsist imprint on June 14th. Look for it then or preorder it now. Stream new track "Pushing Onlys" below, and 7+minute psychedlic jam "Out of The Eye" at Pitchfork.

Like the Feelies, Woods recently played Culture Shock 2011 at SUNY Purchase. Pictures from that show and all tour dates, below...

Continue reading "Woods releasing 'Sun and Shade', annnounce summer tour, played Culture Shock (2 new songs, dates & pics)"