by Andrew Sacher

White Rabbits at Escape to NY 2011 (more by Dana (distortion) Yavin)

White Rabbits are releasing their third album, Milk Famous on March 6 via TBD Records and on vinyl on March 13 via White Iris. You can grab the lead track, "Heavy Metal," at their website. Despite the track's title, it's a pretty poppy tune, but who knows, maybe it will lead to an unlikely split with Mastodon or something. The album's artwork and tracklist is below.

White Rabbits will tour in support of the album, kicking off with a Philly show on the day of the album's release (3/6) with Tennis, following that with a few dates with The War On Drugs, and eventually hitting NYC on April 12 at Webster Hall, though no opener has been announced for that show yet. Tickets for the Webster Hall show go on sale Friday (1/13) with an AmEx presale starting Wednesday (1/11) at noon.

All dates and White Rabbits artwork and tracklist below...

Continue reading "White Rabbits announce new album & 2012 Tour Dates"

White Rabbits @ Escape to NY Fest (more by Dana (Distortion) Yavin)

Whoever books the now-annual Fashion's Night Out show at Rockefeller Center must really like Bear Hands. Like last year, Bear Hands will play the free 6-11pm gig on Thursday (9/8). This year they'll be opening for White Rabbits and share a bill with Lissy Trullie and DJ Keiichiro. Flyer below.

For White Rabbits it's one of only two upcoming shows they have scheduled, the other being Chicago's Cultivate Festival.

Bear Hands head out on tour with We Were Promised Jetpacks and Royal Bangs in October.

Continue reading "White Rabbits headline free FNO show @ Rockefeller Center w/ Bear Hands (dates)"

photos by Dana (distortion) Yavin

The Psychedelic Furs news reminded me that we still need to post the pictures from the second day of this year's inaugural Escape To NY Festival in Southampton that took place August 5th and 6th, but not 7th. Furs pics HERE. The rest of Saturday, Au Revoir Simone, White Rabbits, Submarines & Vaccines included, is below...

Continue reading "the rest of the Escape to NY Day 2 pics"

Cerebral Ballzy at the Acheron in 2010 (more by Samantha Marble)

Daytrotter is presenting the 'Barnstormer 5,' the website's first East Coast tour, at the end of this month into early September. Various bands play on various dates from New Hampshire to Iowa. All dates are listed below.

As of today, the tour hits NYC twice. First on August 27 at Brooklyn Bowl (instead of Ghent, NY where the show was originally scheduled) with JBM, We Are Augstines, Guards, Doug Paisley, Des Ark, Christopher Paul Stelling, and The Loom. Then again on August 29 at The Living Room with Cerebral Ballzy (??!?), Princeton, Guards, and We Are Augustines. Tickets, not cheap, are available for the whole tour including both NYC dates, but we are also giving away a pair of tickets to each NYC show. Details on how to win, with all dates (most with White Rabbits and some with Deer Tick), below....

Continue reading "Daytrotter bringing 'Barnstormer' tour east (NYC shows happen at Living Room & now Brooklyn Bowl) --- win tix"

Psychedelic Furs at Wellmont in 2009 (more by Tim Griffin)

The Psychedelic Furs recently reissued their sophomore album Talk Talk Talk (home of "Pretty In Pink") in Europe, where they toured the album in its entirety. On Saturday (6/25), they kicked off a tour for the album in America. That tour doesn't hit NYC, but they will come through in October for a traditional show at Irving Plaza on October 3 with Tom Tom Club. Tickets are on sale now.

Both Psychedelic Furs and Tom Tom Club also have festival appearances scheduled in August and both are playing the Hamptons. As mentioned, Tom Tom Club play Music to Know Fest in East Hampton. Psychedelic Furs were added to Escape to New York at the Shinnecock Reservation in Southampton, NY on August 5 - 7. Tickets are still available. Other recently confirmed acts include Of Montreal, Savoir Adore, Reptar, Mates of State, Tiger Love, and Jolly Boys.

Full Escape to NY lineup and all Psychedelic Furs tour dates below...

Continue reading "upcoming Psychedelic Furs gigs, updated Escape to NY lineup"

DOWNLOAD: ARMS - "Heat and Hot Water" (Passion Pit Remix) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: BELL - Dialtone (MP3)

Bowery photos by Amanda Hatfield

Bell is self-releasing a new LP Diamonite next week (5/31). The album is available for stream and pre-order on her website, including immediate download of two tracks (one of which is free to download above, and streaming below). Bell plays an album release party tonight (5/26) at Knitting Factory with ARMS. Bear in Heaven and Chairlift will be providing DJ sets. Tickets are on sale, AND the show will be streaming online.

Bell also opens the Diamond Rings and Porcelain Raft show at Europe on June 19th (Northside Festival). Tickets are still available. You can also try to get in with a Northside badge.

ARMS @ Bowery Ballroom in February

ARMS recently tweeted that they were "calling the next album The Denial Variations." It's reportedly due out this spring. While you wait, download the free EP he released last year, and the Passion Pit remix of "Heat and Hot Water" above (if you don't have them already).

Check out some belated photos from ARMS' show at Bowery Ballroom (2/26) with White Rabbits and Caveman below...

Continue reading "ARMS playing tonight w/ BELL (who has a new album), played Bowery Ballroom w/ Caveman & White Rabbits (belated pics)"

"Escape to New York, an art, music and interactive performance party from the creator of the Secret Garden Party UK is pleased to confirm their Friday and Saturday line-ups:

Patti Smith, Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros, The Vaccines, Best Coast, Au Revoir Simone, Chairlift, Lissy Trullie, Graffiti 6, The Submarines, White Rabbits, Static Jacks and The Postelles.

The Sunday Main Stage line up and the weekend's DJ line up will be announced over the next few weeks........

Coming to the US shores for the first time, Escape to New York is the first pop-up destination community and independent experiential music and lifestyle festival to take place on Shinnecock Nation land adjacent to Southampton, New York, from August 5th through 7th, 2011.

Expect the unexpected. Imagine the unimaginable. This special event is unlike anything the east coast has experienced before including the world's biggest brunch at a live music festival, installation and performance art, experimental theater, high-end camping, aka "Glamping" and amazing culinary delights unlike any other festival event. Escape to New York will also feature a safe children play area so families can enjoy the festivities, shade areas to cool off in, traditional Shinnecock arts and crafts and food, and three days/nights of some of the best emerging artists and known heritage acts to be heard anywhere.

"Our goal is turn upside down the conventional music festival experience and recreate it in a way that makes each and every attendee walk away feeling they just had an incredibly unexpected and amazing VIP experience from the moment they entered our gates all the way through to when they pack up to return to their regular lives", shares Escape to New York Executive Producer, Fred Fellowes.

The location of Escape to New York on the sovereign Shinnecock Reservation land is also unique. The Shinnecocks have lived along the shores of Eastern Long Island for thousands of years, and in October 2010 became the 565th federally recognized tribe.

Thus upon entering the reservation you are both in and escaping New York.

"The Shinnecock Nation welcomes the Escape to New York festival that will take here in August and we are working closely with the festival team to assure a success," says Beverly Jensen, Shinnecock Tribe Member and Communications Director. "

What makes a good party?
What you do not what you see
Who you meet not who you see

"As the 2011 North American music festival season kicks into high gear during the next several months, U.K. fest organizer Fred Fellowes will test the New York market with a three-day lifestyle event in August modeled after his Secret Garden Party in England.

The inaugural Escape to New York festival will be held Aug. 5-7 on the Shinnecock Reservation in Southampton, N.Y. The initial lineup includes Best Coast, White Rabbits and the Vaccines, and a full list of performers will be announced in the coming weeks, a representative says.

"We're not coming out guns blazing with a huge mega-list of an event, by any means," says Fellowes, whose summertime Secret Garden Party annually draws about 30,000 people to Grange Farm in Cambridgeshire. Founded in 2003, the event has featured such acts as Phoenix, Florence & the Machine and the xx. "We are trying to start with a modest grass-roots type of approach with about 5,000 people and slowly grow it from there," Fellowes adds.

The idea to stage an event on an Indian reservation was spurred by a chance encounter Fellowes had five years ago at Austin's South by Southwest with entrepreneur Rocco Gardner, who had ties with the Shinnecock tribe." [Billboard]

Continue reading "Escape to New York Fest coming to Southampton, NY"

Caveman

As announced back around Christmas, White Rabbits are about to embark on a short east coast tour. Their 2/26 Bowery Ballroom show with Arms is sold out, but you can still grab tickets to 2/23 at Maxwell's. Opening the NJ show, and the NYC show, and two of the other five dates are Caveman who, as previously pointed out "is the new project from Matty Pickles of The Subjects."

If you were hoping to catch Caveman at Bowery but don't have a ticket, then grab one for the April 14th Wye Oak show happening at the same venue because they're opening that one too.

Listen to two streaming Caveman songs, and watch some videos, with all tour dates, below...

Continue reading "White Rabbits kicking off short tour w/ Caveman (who are also opening for Wye Oak, streaming new songs) "

White Rabbits at ACL 2010 (more by Tim Griffin)

White Rabbits have scheduled some east coast tour dates happening at the tail end of February that include a pair of NYC-area shows: Maxwell's on 2/23 (tickets) and Bowery Ballroom on 2/26 (tickets). All dates and some recent live videos below...

Continue reading "White Rabbits -- 2011 tour dates (Bowery Ballroom, Maxwell's)"

words & photos by Chris Gersbeck

United Palace is probably one of those venues that people groan at when they see the stop listed on a band's tour dates. Located on 175th St. and Broadway in Washington Heights, it's probably a hike for most in attendance, but once you arrive it's something special. A movie palace from 1930 through '69, United Palace was restored and turned into a church, and as a few years ago has been used as concert venue. Not many acts have played there since, but among them are Sigur Ros, Bob Dylan, Iggy & the Stooges, Arcade Fire and now, Interpol. I can only imagine the chaos the Stooges caused during their stay--anyone who's seen them knows they're not exactly a seat-friendly act but Interpol's performance was clearly a good fit for the intricately designed hall and big, open environment.

The Brooklyn-based White Rabbits opened the show, their last stop on this tour, a little after 8pm to a theater of mostly empty seats. A six-member group of multi-instrumentalists, their sound was energetic and full, with members constantly switching off instruments and an additional percussionist providing snare rolls, tambourine and tom hits. Admittedly, it was my first time hearing the band, but it came as no surprise when I learned their 2009 album It's Frightening was produced by Britt Daniel; the influence of Spoon was more than apparent. With the bass and percussion often providing a repetitive yet propulsive rhythm, songs would build up frantically as they went along, with keyboardist/co-frontman Steve Patterson doing his best (unintentional?) Thom Yorke impression. Not to say they reminded me of Radiohead, if anything White Rabbits reminded me more of On A Friday, but I'm certain the Radiohead comparison has been made before. Though it's difficult to gauge an audience's interest when they're sitting (and texting), the response was positive in the end, and it being their last show with Interpol, I'm sure a good way to end a tour.

The last time I saw Interpol was at Lollapalooza in '07, mostly a rainy affair, so my anticipation for an indoor theater show like this was strong. As it got closer to them taking the stage, the sold-out theater was now practically full, and people began leaving their seats and standing in the aisles. The band, clad in their iconic suits, took the stage around 9:20pm and opened with the first song, "Success," off their latest self-titled album. Although a bit of a dark and dreary way to open a show, you have to remind yourself that this is Interpol- dark & dreary is what they do. The band made no hesitation in going through their back catalogue, something I always appreciate, immediately following with Turn on the Bright Lights' "Say Hello to the Angels" before going into Antics' "Narc" and "Length of Love". The energy on stage was definitely there, though a lot of the credit there goes to guitarist Daniel Kessler, who rarely stops moving and acknowledging the crowd. I'm sure a lot of fans were initially disappointed upon hearing of Carlos D's departure earlier this year, but current touring bassist David Pajo of Slint is a worthy replacement. One of Interpol's strongest aspects are its flawless bass and drum interplay, and along with Sam Fogerino on drums, I don't think anyone dwelled too much on Dengler's absence.

While the crowd seemed initially reluctant to get too into the performance, by the time they went into "Slow Hands" the aisles were now nearly full of dancing fans. Following it with a slow song like "Untitled" might seem like an excellent way to kill the momentum, but instead playing the first song on their debut felt like the first time the band bonded with its audience. It reminded me of why I got into Interpol in the first place; the band that in 2002 suddenly became the so-called messiahs of New York City's indie scene.

Back to the momentum: a highlight of the show was "PDA", and the guitar breakdown in the middle received the most uproarious response the entire night, but this time following it with slow new song "Memory Serves" really brought things to a halt. They were able to pick things up with the great "Not Even Jail", but in my opinion, not the best way to close a set. Including favorites "Evil and "Obstacle 1" during the encore definitely helped, and while it seemed like for a minute there was going to be a second encore, all hope was lost when some of the brightest house lights I've ever seen shone down on the audience cueing a collective moan. Those who headed for the subway entrance at 175th Street were stuck trying to squeeze into the only two available turnstiles, prompting amusing belittlement to anyone whose Metrocard didn't work on the first swipe. If United Palace starts having more shows they might want to solve that problem, but for now the few big shows they have throughout the year should remain as exceptional as Friday's.

Interpol's next North American tour will include a headlining show at Radio City Music Hall (still no tickets yet). More pictures from United Palace with Interpol's setlist, below...

Continue reading "Interpol played United Palace w/ White Rabbits (pics, setlist) "

photos by Tim Griffin

"An estimated 200,000 people journeyed the grounds of Zilker Park this weekend for the Austin City Limits Music Festival.

The descent of the iconic guitar sign Monday signified the end of an incredibly successful ACL Music Festival, and with eight stages and 130 bands, clean up is expected to take the rest of the week.

"This year's ACL was one of the best. The weather was incredible," City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department spokesperson Victor Ovalle said.

The show's producer, C3 Presents, takes care of cleaning up Zilker Park, and the city sends crews into the surrounding neighborhoods to remove any trace of music fans who know how to have a good time.

After C3 Presents leaves the park later this week, fertilizing and watering the grass will city's number one priority." [News 8 Austin]

Continue reading "ACL 2010 Day 3 in pics (Foals, Eagles, Yeasayer, Norah Jones, Ted Leo, Devendra Banhart, Morning Benders & more)"

photos by Andrew St. Clair

White Rabbits & Hospitality played a free show in East River Park (now part of "Summerstage") last night. It was one of a few big outdoor shows that happened in NYC on Thursday (8/12). Maybe you listened to it from home on East Village Radio. More pictures and the WR setlist, below...

Continue reading "White Rabbits & Hospitality played East River Park Summerstage (pics & setlist) "

Tonight's free White Rabbits & Hospitality Summerstage show in East River Park (which is competing with the free Deerhunter and Real Estate show on Pier 54) will be streaming live on East Village Radio.

The show starts at 7pm tonight (8/12). White Rabbits have no other upcoming dates, but you can check out a bunch of recent special video the band has made, including a recent appearance on East Village Radio, below...

Continue reading "free White Rabbits show streaming on EVR (tonight)"

words by Rachel Kowal

Here We Go Magic (veropie)

Record release shows are typically festive events, but the fanfare was rather minimal for Tuesday night's Here We Go Magic show at the Music Hall of Williamsburg - with the possible exception of Luke Temple's festive red Hawaiian shirt.

When the first opener of the evening, Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson, unceremoniously walked on stage and started playing, the room was nearly empty, but since the show was piped down into the basement bar, people gradually began filtering upstairs as they realized that the show had begun. Despite the growing number of listeners, however, MBAR's energy level changed very little throughout his performance. His occasional stage banter (if you can call it that) seemed to be delivered, tight-lipped, through a smirk as if he didn't care whether he was intelligible or not.

Robinson often performs with a backing band, but for last night's performance (perhaps because he was a late addition to the bill), he was solo. With the exception of the final song, the majority of Robinson's set contained just a keyboard and pre-programmed beats. For his last song, Robinson juggled both the guitar and the keyboard, saying under his breath at the song's conclusion, "I guess I should have tuned my guitar before the song and not during it."

Hearing Robinson live is nothing like hearing his albums (his first was produced by Grizzly Bear's Chris Taylor, and his second, by TV on the Radio's Kyp Malone.) Take it or leave it (and some people will definitely leave it), Robinson is an intriguing musical enigma who already has something of a fabled past.

It's hard to tell if he takes himself too seriously or if he is overly cynical and sarcastically self-aware. He performed in one of the t-shirts he sold at the merch table, which says, in big black block letters, "MILES BENJAMIN ANTHONY ROBINSON IS DEAD," and he performed a cover of the Hall and Oates song "Rich Girl" midway through his set.

Next up was The War on Drugs, who put on an enjoyable enough set despite some minor feedback issues. With their rock and roll hair, jangly guitar riffs, soaring keyboard melodies, and fuzzed out lyrics, it's easy to get lost in the Philly three-piece's music. As with the first opener, the War on Drugs' vocals were largely indecipherable, but to be fair, that did not seem to be the focal point of their music. They jammed for a solid two minutes before singing at all at the top of their set.

review continued, with tour dates, below....

Continue reading "Here We Go Magic played MHOW w/ MBAR & The War on Drugs, playing Bonnaroo, Pitchfork & other summer tour dates"

ACL 2008 (more by Kyle Dean Reinford)

October 8-10, 2010 | Zilker Park, Austin, TX

"The Austin City Limits Music Festival began as a modest, two-day event and now, as it enters it's 9th year, has become a perennial American music experience. Taking place at the heart of Austin, Texas in the legendary Zilker Park, ACL Festival has grown to 3 days, 8 stages and over 130 bands."

Continue reading "Austin City Limits announces 2010 festival lineup (Eagles, Muse, Phish, Strokes, MIA, LCD, Spoon, Gayngs, more) "

words & photos by Alexandra Marvar, more photos by Claire Bennnett, Gabe Soria & Sonam Zoksang

Roadside Graves @ Truck America

"After 12 years America got its first taste of Truck at a resort in the Catskills about three hours outside of New York City. A more modest affair in size and lineup than the forthcoming Truck in Steventon this July, the Full Moon resort was perfectly situated for the comparatively small event.

The entire weekend made for a remarkably relaxed experience. While the weather in the Catskills in early May is usually akin to that of Oxfordshire in the summer, the days were unseasonably warm and the nights crisp, making sitting in an unheated converted barn after midnight a pleasant experience." [Clash]

Continue reading "The Truck America Festival in pics & review"

Titus Andronicus in East River Park - June 28, 2008 (forklift)


Free shows in East River Park, Manhattan, NYC
At the Band Shell / Ammphitheater
along the East River in NYC
Between Grand & Jackson Sts.
Tues, 8/4 7:00pm - George Lamond, Judy Torres and DJ Lucho
Thur, 8/12 7:00pm - White Rabbits
Fri, 8/13 7:00 pm - Paul Taylor II and Naganuma Dance
Sat, 8/14, 7:00 pm - Complexions Contemporary Ballet + Wideman/Davis Dance
Thur, 8/19 7:00pm - Our Latin Thing with DJ Lucho: A Tribute to The Fania All-Stars
Fri, 8/20 8:00pm - Goodbar by Waterwell
Sat, 8/21 8:00pm - Goodbar by Waterwell
Sun, 8/22 8:00pm - Goodbar by Waterwell
Mon, 8/23 8:00pm - Five Days in March by Toshiki Okada
Tue, 8/24 8:00pm - Five Days in March by Toshiki Okada
Wed, 8/25 8:00pm - Beowulf - A Thousand Years of Baggage
Thu, 8/26 8:00pm - Beowulf - A Thousand Years of Baggage
Fri, 8/27 8:00pm - Beowulf - A Thousand Years of Baggage

The "Friday Night Lights" version of White Rabbits' "Percussion Gun" video (and the normal version), below...

Continue reading "free Summer 2010 shows in NYC's East River Park"

The Sadies...

Truck America is a 3day festival (april 30-may 2) held up in the catskill mountains @ the full moon resort in big indian, ny. the truck family has been putting on festivals and gatherings in the UK for the past 13 years and have just made the jump to the american market. mercury rev (with a full orchestra), white rabbits, here we go magic, ida, the joy formidable and neil halstead are just a few of the confirmed live performances. in addition to lots of live music, they're also going to have handfuls of workshops, kids activities and late night campfire singalongs. weekend pass is only $120 and includes 3 nights of campsite access and parking (day tickets also available). if camping isn't your thing, accommodations are also available at the resort as well as meal packages.

Before then there are a pair of "warm up shows" happening in NYC. The first is tonight (4/21) at The Bell House and features all bands also playing the festival: Atlantic/Pacific (ex-Texas is the Reason), Dusty & The Dreaming Spires (Robin & Joe from Goldrush/Truck), Oxygen Ponies and Cat Martino. The second happens April 26th at Matchless, with The Caulfield Sisters and the Truck Family All Stars (members of Common Prayer, Dusty & The Dreaming Spires & Hopewell).

Sixties-style rockers The Sadies will be one of the bands at Truck America. They also have a new album, Darker Circles, out May 18th at Yep Roc. Their tour dates take them across Canada and down the West Coast, where they play a few shows with Kurt Vile. Back east, Vile plays a release show for his new 12" EP Square Shells, which comes out at the end of May on Matador, at Union Pool on June 18th. Joining him will be Meg Baird and Mad Scene.

The full lineup for Truck America and other tour dates are below...

Continue reading "Truck America's full lineup, NYC warm-up shows, new Sadies album & tour dates, a Kurt Vile EP & show & stuff"

photos by Rachel Carr, words by Daiana Feuer

Gorillaz Clash

The third and final round of the Coachella Music & Arts Festival was funky, and not just because the port-a-potties reeked. Keeping a loose theme every day (see Friday & Saturday), Sunday focused on relentless rhythm and groovy basslines. The absolute golden moment belonged to Yo La Tengo's blistering final song. Rhythm that revels in repetition + guitar that tries to destroy itself = wee mind blown. Sometimes the moodiest things are the most uplifting.

Thom Yorke brought his dancing shoes, his favorite Flea, and Nigel Godrich. His band Atoms For Peace played almost every song off The Eraser, many of which featured strong world rhythm sections. When Yorke didn't have a guitar in hand, he danced, whirled, and punched the air like he was rehearsing a scene from Fame. We wanted a high kick, but it didn't arrive. King Khan & The Shrines, on the other hand, featured legs flying all over the place, DJ Lance Rock and Yo Gabba Gabba characters, burning money, as well as a visit from the police-who crept on stage to snap pictures. Probably the first time Khan runs into cops and doesn't leave wearing cuffs. Sunny Day Real Estate had the audience offering bids to buy property, and Phoenix had people choking on dinner as they tried to dance and eat at the same time.

King Khan Gabba Gabba

Not every Julian Casablancas song captivated, but his band delightfully binged on rhythms. Each musician had a personal backbeat player supporting each fill. The drummer plus his sidekick especially sounded great. Matt & Kim's ebullient smiles inspired chaos in the audience, as usual. Mayer Hawthorne and the County revived Motown soulful brassiness and covered Biz Markie's "Just a Friend." The Big Pink played some new songs from next year's album, reaching out for Depeche Mode with a drummer in a pink bathing suit. Electro sweet popper Little Boots forgot her pants as well, wearing a sparkly shirt and knickers, and played with the lasers on stage. Charlotte Gainsbourg inaugurated her "first tour, first everything" with a feminine "Candy-O" sensibility, sometimes in French. Florence & the Machine rounds out the great lady performances of the day, and brought on Nathan Willett of Cold War Kids.

All clad in white, France's DJ ego-powers Club 75 demonstrated the ability to cooperate together with just a few elbows thrown. Cassius, Justice, Busy P, and DJ Mehdi still use CD's (so old school), and took turns passing on the headphones between them and finishing each other's remix sentences, trading places at each station. Backstage security bobbed along while staying tough. When it was their turn, Rusko turned the Sahara tent into a mechazoid robot battle and Orbital live-produced virtual reality anthems for Satan wearing Matrix miner lights around their heads. Infected Mushroom instructed on the benefits of "Becoming Insane" flanked by two mushrooms with red eyes.

The Middle East should not be confused with The Soft Pack, formerly The Muslims. The former may be from Australia but it sounds like a back porch band from Woodstock, and the latter offers a "Parasite" infestation that's as pure as sunshine and a neat drum set up that packs a giant tom punch. What appears as regular rock on headphones reveals its brilliance when experienced live. One of the strangest live moments of the festival belongs to Sly Stone, who played four hours late and on the wrong stage. He bitched, he slurred, he cursed, lay down, walked off, stopped songs and good grief, made a total mess of himself. But that's rock and roll.

Sly Stone made history look unable to get past its youthful drug phase, but Jonsi, Pavement, and Spoon come from a music scene that did a little bit less cocaine. Jonsi repped the awesomeness of Sigur Rós and great hats. Steve Patterson of White Rabbits joined Britt Daniels and the rest of Spoon to add percussion on "I Turn My Camera On". Spoon's tour-mate Bradford Cox (who played earlier in the day in Deerhunter) also joined Spoon on stage, like he did on their recent Kimmel appearance. Pavement ran through the hits during one of their first U.S. shows since reuniting. "That's the 90's in a nutshell," said Stephen Malkmus after the angsty "Unfair"...

"...Pavement, the iconic slacker band of the '90s, who took the main stage against what turned out to be one of the fest's chief attractions, the finally wildly popular French dance-rock band Phoenix, who wowed possibly the biggest crowd of the entire fest ... while Pavement played to a field half-full of true believers rather than the massive throngs many expected, and thought the band deserved.

No matter, though. Pavement still delivered a set that vindicated the group of prior crimes -- namely a Coachella performance near the end of their career so notoriously bad, many in attendance point to it as the moment the band decided to break up.

This night, however, they were tight, they were loud, and they sounded large on that vast field -- an odd statement, given the fact that in their heyday they were far more known for being introspectively small rather than arena-ready..." [The OC Register]

Radiohead Peppers For Peace

Daiana's Weekend Top 10:
1. Yo La Tengo's last song
2. Little Dragon's Yukimi
3. Gossip leading a revolution
4. Thom Yorke dancing to African rhythms
5. PiL giving a history lesson
6. Sly Stone wigging out
7. Bouncing penises + fat people in undies (Die Antwoord + Major Lazer)
8. Devo putting on the hats that ushered in modern pop culture for "Whip It"
9. John Waters corrupting many young minds
10. The Gorrilaz lyric: "Super fast jellyfish going super fast. You can't even see him but you wanna eat him."

--

Owen Pallett, Local Natives, Miike Snow, and Yann Tiersen also played the fest Sunday. Gary Numan was among those who couldn't. Reviews & pictures from Day One, HERE and Day Two, HERE. Setlists (Thom Yorke and Pavement), pictures, and videos from Day Three, below...

Continue reading "Coachella 2010 - Day Three in pics, video & review (the Thom Yorke & Pavement setlists included) "

by Benjamin Lozovsky

Spoon has made a long and fruitful career out of simultaneously fulfilling and denying the expectations of fans, critics and record labels. On Friday night (3/26), the band greatly exceeded its own expectations by headlining a sold-out Radio City Music Hall.

It was a big deal for a band that's taken small but inquisitive steps over 16 years and 7 records. This show came in support of their latest effort, Transference, a moody yet powerful record of micro-experimentation that ultimately saw the band reinvigorating their inner scruffiness (they celebrated the release of that record by playing a much smaller NYC venue in January). But unlike some recent tour dates which saw Transference heavy setlists, on this night Spoon played a well curated sampling of many of their past gems; it felt like a therapeutic nod to history for a band eager to revisit the moments that brought them this far.

But it wasn't just looking back for the fuzzy feeling of nostalgia. Britt Daniel and co. breathed new sophisticated life into songs like "I Summon You" and "Someone Something." The latter was sung as a duet with Eleanor Friedberger of the Fiery Furnaces, one of several guests (Dan Boeckner of Wolf Parade and Stephen Patterson of White Rabbits) who appeared during the show. Dan and Eleanor performed one of their own songs with the group as well as assisting on Spoon numbers, as the headliner graciously and generously dolloped the trademark Spoon appliqué onto numbers like "Waiting To Know You" and "Modern World."

Radio City Music Hall is often a tough sell for rock fans, and Friday was no exception. It wasn't until midway through Spoon's first set, when the band was augmented by a seven piece horn section for numbers like "Don't You Evah" from their brass heavy 2007 album Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, that the crowd finally took notice of the scorching effort brought forth by the band members and joined in on the revelry of this potential poster child for indie rock perseverance affixing its name to such an illustrious marquee.

Attempting to warm up the crowd were lively but somewhat underdeveloped The Strange Boys (sans new member Jenna Thornhill-DeWitt) and Deerhunter. Many attendants preferred to mingle in the gold-plated lobby of Radio City rather than check out the openers, but neither band did everything they could to completely win over the crowd either. Deerhunter didn't outright disappoint, but they didn't sound as impactful as normal. For the majority of their performance, the powerful streams of noise normally associated with the band were muted in the large hall. Instead the bare trappings of their songwriting were exposed, which might have been an interesting contrast for a frequent listener, but to the uninitiated came across as listless and at times sluggish. When Bradford Cox and his bandmates played to their more expansive and propulsive leanings though, things improved. They finally turned up the volume and intensity in the finale which was topped off with a long cacophonously exciting outro. Then they seemed to be having fun as eccentric noise makers in such a staid arena.

Still neither of the younger bands could match the passion of the older Spoon, who now might be considered elder statesmen of the genre they often like to eschew connections with. Daniel has an ageless croon, even if it faltered occasionally Friday. One couldn't help but feel Spoon could go on forever taking small steps at musical progression and growth. As a performance though, this was one giant leap.

More tour dates HERE. The full Radio City setlist with more pictures and some videos, below...

Continue reading "Spoon (and Dan Boeckner & Eleanor Friedberger), Deerhunter & the Strange Boys @ Radio City Music Hall - pics & video"

by Andrew Frisicano

DOWNLOAD: Glass Ghost - The Same (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Glass Ghost - Like a Diamond (MP3)

Here We Go Magic @ South Street Seaport - Summer 2009 (more by Chris La Putt)

Here We Go Magic, a band who have already headlined the 600+ capacity Music Hall of Williamsburg, are playing a show at the much tinier Zebulon this Friday, March 5th. The gig is free (they usually pass the hat for the bands) and also on the bill are Caveman and Glass Ghost. Brooklyn's Glass Ghost are a keys and drums duo whose play synth-based, rhythmic pop that doesn't fall into standard electro cliches (in particular see "The Same," above). Their debut, Idol Omen, came out on Western Vinyl last September. Their video for "Like a Diamond" is posted below.

Here We Go Magic's upcoming North American tour includes SXSW, where one their shows in the official Brooklyn Vegan showcase at Club DeVille on March 17th with Califone, Dawes, Bowerbirds, The Middle East and Serena-Maneesh. They also play Pitchork's official showcase three nights later. They'll be back in the NYC area for an April 30th show at Maxwell's. Tickets are on sale.

They're also touring North America with White Rabbits and Europe with The New Pornographers. All dates are below...

Continue reading "Here We Go Magic playing Zebulon, Maxwell's, SXSW, touring with White Rabbits, New Pornographers - 2010 dates"

Truck America, the first US version of the 13-years-running UK fest, will take place Friday, April 30th to Sunday, May 2nd at The Full Moon Resort in Big Indian, NY (map), a little less than three hours from NYC. Confirmed bands include White Rabbits, Hopewell, Tim Easton, The Sadies, Ida, The Joy Formidable, Neil Halstead, The Silent League, Cat Martino, Common Prayer, Oxygen Ponies, Brandon Patton, Atlantic/Pacific, Dusty & The Dreaming Spires, The Shoestring Band and headliner Mercury Rev. Tickets are on sale now online (and details on where to get tickets in person are below).

The three-day, three-stage fest will have on-site accomodations, workshops and more. Details and poster are below...

Continue reading "Truck America comes to Big Indian, NY in 2010 - lineup includes Mercury Rev, White Rabbits, Neil Halstead, more"

photos by Paul Birman

"Thanks to everyone who came to the BV Haiti benefit last night. You made it really special." - St. Vincent

"St. Vincent and Justin Vernon performing together was easily one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen/heard." - Steph Lo

Wyatt Cenac was funny. Then came Britt Daniel (of Spoon) with White Rabbits frontman Stephen Patterson. They had such a good time on stage together, you can tell they were buds. Janeane Garofalo came next - she has the smartest humor and is a strong rooted New Yorker. Made a ton of jokes about the L train and hipsters which the crowd took very warmly to. Gosh she's tiny. St Vincent went on and sounded like the lovely thing she is. Someone yelled while she was setting up 'show us your bush'????', In which she replied, 'that is the strangest thing someone has ever said to me...on or off stage'. Adorable. Following her was Zach Galifianakis who everyone was undeniably waiting for. It really looked like he just rolled out of bed, picked up some papers from a table and walked on stage totally winging his whole act...hilarious. Alas came Justin Vernon (aka Bon Iver). His voice sounded just as amazing it does on record. The room was at its most quiet during "Flume". Unreal. He was the last act but did say something about a special guest - I heard it was Megafaun/My Brightest Diamond (had to leave early), which I imagine rounded out the benefit nicely. Really awesome that these guys all came together"...
[Stadiums & Shrines]

The night opened with a great debut set by singer-songwriter John Shade (previously Dave Godowsky) who brought out Justin Vernon on drums for two songs. Before and after John, and between every set of the night, came comedy by our two able hosts: Bobby Tisdale and Leo Allen. St Vincent's set included a National and a Nico cover. Justin covered John Prine. Britt Daniel did three songs, which was one less than he played at Sound Fix a few hours earlier.

And yep, the special guest after/during Justin's set was in fact Shara Worden (My Brightest Diamond) who (after headlining Bowery Ballroom one night earlier) played two jaw dropping numbers - one with Colin Stetson on his most-insane giant saxophone, and a cover of Prince's "How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore".

But it didn't end there. A supergroup called Songer Singwriter featuring Annie, Justin, drummer, and Brad from Megafaun came back to close the night off right with a set of four more covers. Neil Young's "Harvest Moon", Tom Petty's "Face in the Crowd" (with Brad on lead), Dolly Parton's "Jolene", and Annie Lennox's "Why". Each of those final covers was better than the next. To quote one of my tweets, "To quote my friend, 'Sounds like sonic youth playing a dolly parton song. Sick!' and now Annie Lennox Why! Full room Bon Iver singalong".

We ran almost non-stop for 3.5 hours straight (8-11:30), and raised over $20,000. I'm still waiting for an exact number. More pictures (one of two sets we have) and some videos from the show, below....

Continue reading "Britt Daniel, Justin Vernon, St Vincent, Zach Galifianakis, Janeane Garofalo & others raised money for Haiti @ MHOW - pics & video "

White Rabbits at APW over the summer (more by Chris La Putt)

tonight in NYC
* MonkeyTown's final night
* Ben Sollee & Carrie Rodriguez @ Maxwell's
* John Zorn Benefit Improv Night @ The Stone
* Lycaon Pictus, SSPS, The Totallys @ Glasslands
* White Rabbits, Glass Ghost, Cavemen @ Bowery Ballroom
* Silverghost, Von Haze, Hallelujah, Kordan @ Cake Shop
* Desert Stars, Veelee, Gross Ghost, Miracles @ The Cameo
* Larkin Grimm, Martin Bisi, Susu, Snowbaby @ Mercury Lounge
* Lady GaGa, Jason Derulo, Semi Precious Weapons @ Radio City Music Hall
* AMOLVACY, Neel Murgai Ensemble, Maria Chavez & Shelley Burgon @ MonkeyTown
* Haiti Benefit w/ Rosanne Cash, Madeliene Peyroux, BETTY, Nada Surf, Tabou Combo @ City Winery
* I'm Turning Into, Lady Blanche, Elizabeth Devlin, The Pendulum Swings w/ Jason Trachtenburg @ Pete's Candy Store

Tonight is the final night of MonkeyTown.

Ben Sollee, who has an album coming out soon on Sub Pop with Daniel Martin Moore, plays at Maxwell's tonight with Carrie Rodriguez.

Gross Ghost plays the Cameo tonight. Glass Ghost opens for White Rabbits at Bowery Ballroom.

White Rabbits are one of the many bands playing Coachella this year.

The drummer (or one of them) of White Rabbits backed Britt Daniel at Music Hall of Williamsburg last night. Videos from that show, and the one Britt played earlier in the day at Sound Fix, below..

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Sunday?"