by Klaus Kinski

Gary Panter is an illustrator, painter, Panter, designer and part-time musician whose name is synonymous with Pee Wee's Playhouse, underground comics, and a post-punk artistic aesthetic. He won three Emmy awards for his work on Pee Wee's Playhouse, and is sort of regarded as an underground comic God. He's done album covers, fliers, comics for books and magazines and all sorts of other stuff. In 2006-2007, Panter was exhibited alongside Winsor McCay, Lyonel Feininger, George Herriman, Elzie Segar, Frank King, Chester Gould, Milton Caniff, Charles Schulz, Will Eisner, Jack Kirby, Harvey Kurtzman, Robert Crumb, Art Spiegelman and Chris Ware at the Masters of American Comics exhibition at the Jewish Museum in NYC.

The Whitney Museum of American Art currently has an exhibition called Lyonel Feininger: At The Edge of the World on view through October 16th. (note: Feininger is a Klaus favorite. This show is not to be missed). As part if the exhibition, the Whitney has organized an epic event on Wednesday July 20th at 7:00pm featuring a panel discussion that will include Gary Panter, Art Spiegelman, and Chris Ware (another Klaus favorite!). They will discuss the intersection of comics and fine art, do a Q&A, and get assaulted by your man Klaus for some autographs. The event will be moderated by John Carlin.

Panter recently donned his musician hat for a new release by Devin Gary & Ross called Four Corners Bounce.

Devin Gary & Ross is a mind melting three- man music making machine. Four Corners Bounce is their first record. The six tunes on it are full spectrum serving of psychedelia that includes washed out wanderings over well- worn terrain, bold ventures into a candy-col- ored abyss and a snappy title track that you will end up signing in the shower.

In other awesome Whitney-related-events-news, be sure to mark your calendars for Wednesday August 10th, 2011. Why? Because in conjunction with the Cory Arcangel: Pro Tools exhibition, the Whitney has scheduled an event called Title TK Meets Danny Goldberg. Who are Title TK? Title TK is a three piece band consisting of Cory Arcangel, Howie Chen and Alan Licht. They are a phenomenal band, though some regard them as slightly banter prone.

Who's Danny Goldberg?

Goldberg has had a long and distinguished career since the late 1960s, ranging from personal manager, record company president, public relations man, and music journalist. Among other things, he served as Chairman and CEO of Mercury Records Group and of Warner Bros. Records, was Vice President of Led Zeppelin's Swan Song Records, and managed The Allman Brothers, Sonic Youth, Nirvana, and the Beastie Boys.

Austra at the BV Day Party (more by Tim Griffin)

Austra have released a new video for "Lose It", the latest single released from their forthcoming Feel It Break (due 5/17 via Domino) and the subject of a new-and-limited 7" due on the same day as the LP. Check out the video for "Lose It" below.

Austra will play a string of East Coast dates in late May which include Mercury Lounge on May 23 (tickets), and the band is also now on board to support Cold Cave on part of their previously announced tour. That includes the Bowery Ballroom show on August 6th (tickets for that go on sale Friday, 5/6 at noon). Cold Cave is also scheduled to play Knitting Factory on July 12th with Cult of Youth, and tickets for that go on sale Friday (5/6) at 10am.

More imminently, Austra is scheduled to perform at a private event at The Whitney on Saturday (5/7) as part of New York Gallery Week. There Austra will be joined by a DJ set from Alex Pasternak (Lemonade, ZZK), "video installations by Jules Marquis (Art & Music by: Sean Hanratty), and a private viewing of Glenn Ligon: America".

The new video for "Lose It", the recent Cold Cave video for "Villains Of The Moon" and all tour dates are below.

Continue reading "Austra has a new video, will tour w/ Cold Cave (and is playing a private show @ the Whitney this weekend)"

photos by Matthew Eisman

Thurston Moore in Prospect Park

Christian Marclay: Festival Performances
Wind Up Guitar: Performed by Thurston Moore
Friday, September 17, 2010 7 PM TODAY
Fourth Floor

Christian Marclay: Festival features multiple daily performances of Marclay's musical scores by individual musicians and ensembles. A veritable "Who's Who" of downtown and avant-garde musicians, these performers will interpret more than a dozen of Marclay's graphic scores.

Please visit the exhibition website for more information about Marclay's scores, along with performers' biographies.

This event is free with museum admission; no special tickets or reservations are required.

For the month of September, watch daily musical performances stream live on whitney.org as part of the closing festivities for Christian Marclay: Festival.

Back before Sonic Youth played ATP, when it was still really summer, Sonic Youth played a show in Prospect Park for which we already posted a set of pictures. Here's another...

Continue reading "more Sonic Youth live pics --- Thurston plays the Whitney tonight (you can stream it online) "

photos by Diana Wong

Tanlines @ the Whitney

"The crowd warmed up - and got to dancing as the room filled up - but the most sonically-fulfilling moment of [Tanline's] set didn't come until the impromptu encore, when Cohen finally removed the mutes (read: t-shirts) from his floor tom and bongos and coaxed some really compelling percussion out of the non-computer side of the Tanlines setup. Overall, the pair pumped out a great set that suffered only slightly from the incongruous scales of the acoustics and the room.

DJ /rupture (Jace Clayton) followed quickly on Tanlines' heels, wasting none of the momentum attained in the last few minutes of their set, when the crowd finally reached room-filling proportions and tipped the balance from texting to dancing. Clayton spun a typically globe-trotting and scholarly set, his selections spanning five continents and at least as many languages. Dressed all in lavender and characteristically stoic behind the decks, he opened with a heavy Cumbia rhythm, and continued through cuts of reggaeton, dubstep and dancehall, also weaving in 90's house, some Akon, and something I'm pretty sure was in Hindi." [Melophobe]

Continue reading "Tanlines & DJ/rupture played the Whitney (pics)"

words by Andrew Frisicano, photos by Devyn Manibo

Javelin @ the Whitney

Javelin and Warpaint played a show at the Whitney on Friday, August 13th as part of their now-finished tour together (previously on the trip, both bands played Lollapalooza). The pay-what-you-wish entry fee covered both the music and the museum's current art, which includes the vividly styled watercolors of Charles Burchfield (his previously mentioned Heat Waves in a Swamp retrospective) and Christian Marclay: Festival, a collection of the artist/composer's sound-centric work with daily performances.

On Friday, the line to get in stretched around the block: I arrived at 6pm and got in the door just before Javelin started their 7pm set. The duo, playing off their Luaka Bop-released debut LP No Más, brought their wall of dismembered, rewired and colorfully spraypainted boomboxes to project the sample-based songs. One half of the band, George Langford, stuck to the drums, playing cymbals and a digital pad, while "frontman" Tom Van Buskirk worked up a sweat on the mic. The excellent No Más covers a lot of '80s-inspired ground: breakbeats, New Wave, downtown disco, dream pop and so on. On top of the samples, Buskirk interpolated his own words with borrowed hip-hop verses and hooks from the same era to complete the circle. A neon-painted keytar and fuzzed-out kazoo rounded out the melodies.

Warpaint started shortly afterward, but I didn't see much of them, opting for a quick walk around the museum before closing (in hindsight, pretty stupid: the exhibits require a few hours). Like Javelin, Warpaint's funky drums got the crowd moving and bobbing along, and the band sounded at home in the crowded basement-like space. The sidewalk outside actually provided one of the best viewpoints on the action below.

Warpaint go on tour with the xx and Zola Jesus in September. That includes an October 2nd show at United Palace Theatre (tickets still on sale).

Javelin's next show is Friday, August 20th (TONIGHT) the Yard at Soho Grand along with a DJ set from JD Samson as part of their free Summer Hummer series (RSVP). Javelin also just cut a recently posted Daytrotter session.

The last Whitney Live show of the summer happens August 27th with DJ/Rupture and Tanlines.

More pictures of Javelin and some video of Javelin & Warpaint are below...

Continue reading "Javelin played the Whitney w/ Warpaint (pics, video), playing the Soho Grand (tonight) "

Javelin @ Bowery Ballroom in February (more by Jessica Amaya)

Whitney Live: Summer 2010
Presented by Keds
Fridays: July 2, July 23, Aug 13, Aug 27
Lower Gallery / Sculpture Court 7pm

JULY 2
HIGH PLACES + TORO Y MOI

JULY 23
BEAR HANDS + DARLINGS

AUGUST 13
JAVELIN + WARPAINT

AUGUST 27
DJ/RUPTURE + TANLINES

Shearwater's Jonathan Meiburg and Wye Oak's Andy Stack are playing a show at the museum on Friday, June 25th to ring in an exhibit of art by painter Charles Burchfield.

Last year's summer Whitney shows included Vivian Girls & These are Powers and the Feelies.

The Biennial just closed at the museum - there's a video tour of it below...

Continue reading "Whitney Live 2010 - free shows @ the museum in July "

DOWNLOAD: Shearwater - Castaways (MP3)

Jonathan Meiburg @ All Points West 2009 (more by Chris La Putt)

Wye Oak's Andy Stack @ Pianos - BV CMJ 2008 (more by Kyle Dean Reinford)

Shearwater, who released their The Golden Archipelago LP on February 23rd (MP3 above), toured with Wye Oak earlier this year. That trip included a stop at Bowery Ballroom where...

"...Jonathan Meiburg of Shearwater joined Jenn and Andy [of Wye Oak] on stage for their final song, a cover song, and then he came back about 20 minutes later with his own band. Jordan Geiger from Hospital Ships was on the stage for the set, and Andy Stack joined them for a couple songs, so there were upwards of 6 performers on stage, bringing Shearwater's beautifully dramatic songs to life. They played a long set, probably 70 to 80 minutes I'd guess, and played almost every song I'd ever heard of in their catalog... [Vague Space]

Next up, Wye Oak's Andy Stack will join Meiburg for a performance at the Whitney Museum on Friday, June 25th at 7pm...

Charles Burchfield reveled in the sounds, sights, and sensations of nature. He often wrote about his experiences in his journals, and his close study of nature is apparent in his paintings. Join us for a reading of excerpts from Burchfield's journals by Jonathan Rosen, author of The Life of the Skies: Birding at the End of Nature, paired with a performance of songs by Jonathan Meiburg of Shearwater who will be joined by Andy Stack of Wye Oak. Rosen and Meiburg both share Burchfield's enthusiasm for nature, particularly birds. Tonight discover the wonders in paying attention to the backyard bird.

This event is free with Museum admission, which is pay-what-you-wish on Fridays from 6-9 pm; no special tickets or reservations are required.

Shearwater don't have any other dates coming up. Wye Oak, who are releasing an EP, My Neighbor/My Creator, June 8th on Merge, do have some. You may have noticed them (Philly and DC) in Deer Tick's tour dates. No NYC date announced for Wye Oak, but when we contacted Andy with some questions about the Whitney show, he hinted that there was "one really fun" show coming in July (Siren?) (answer = yes). Those questions and answers, with a bunch of videos and other stuff below...

Continue reading "Wye Oak & Shearwater recently toured, covered the Kinks, are playing the Whitney (sort of) (and other shows)"

Holly Miranda @ Zebulon in 2008 (more by Ryan Muir)

tonight in NYC
* Bon Jovi @ the Meadowlands
* Zane Alan, Idgy Dean, Vultures @ Bruar Falls
* Peter Wolf, Bettye LaVette @ Highline Ballroom
* The Kitchen Gala afterparty w/ Chief @ Capitale
* Pete Francis, Annie & The Beekeepers @ Joe's Pub
* Karina Denike, Jeffrey Kish, Sarah Jaffe @ Union Hall
* Holly Miranda, Class Actress, Grooms @ Bowery Ballroom
* Mainland Fever, Violent Soho, Cavalier Rose @ Mercury Lounge
* No Joy, Adult Themes, I'm Turning Into, Shark? @ Shea Stadium
* Divine Slime, Mi Or & The Pedestals, Telecult Powers @ Zebulon
* Dangeroo, Revival Times, Naked Hearts, Gray Goods @ Glasslands
* Hot Hot Heat, The Willowz, We Are Country Mice @ Public Assembly
* Gorguts, Krallice, Portal, Bloody Panda @ Knitting Factory Brooklyn
* Stinking Lizaveta, Kings Destroy, The Brought Low, Pigs @ Cake Shop
* Coheed & Cambria, Circa Survive, Torche @ Central Park Rumsey Playfield
* Smoota, Stuart Bogie's Superhuman Hapiness, (Lone) Wolf and Cub @ Union Pool
* Nine 11 Thesaurus, Ava Luna, Mic Blaque, Sam Kulik, Cheerleaders @ Silent Barn
* The Kitchen Gala w/ Dirty Projectors, Doveman, Nico Muhly, St. Vincent @ Capitale

The Whitney is currently open 24 hours a day

It's Fleet Week, or as Dave Hill "likes to call it- Christmas in May!"

Video from Jarboe's show last night at Union Pool, below...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Wednesday?"

by Chris La Putt

Das Racist took part in the second to last performance piece curated by contemporary California artist Martin Kersels at the Whitney Museum on Friday. Martin originally created an "imaginary" stage to be used for the Whitney's Biennial as a sculpture and place to hold performances. On Friday, CalArts professor Leslie Dick gave a lecture on her interpretation of an essay by famed psychoanalyst Jacque Lacan, Mirror Stage. She says the Mirror Stage is Lacan's conclusion that "knowledge is always detoured through wishful thinking and mistaken identity." In her talk, she admitted that she discovered Das Racist through her 18-year old daughter. She figured that the band and their song entitled "Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell" was the perfect example for her lecture on how knowledge could be often misconstrued and twisted to what the people want. Scott Plagenhoef from Pitchfork painfully described how some people feel upon hearing the band's hipster summer anthem:

"Reactions within our staff have ranged from "I'd like to punch these guys in the face" and "this was sent here to destroy my interest in music" to "Harold and Kumar existentialism" (this wasn't me) and "a critique of commercialism/lack of a leisure culture" (um, this was). At its heart though, "Combination"-- especially this superior Wallpaper. remix-- is just a funny, stupid, silly, brainy, knowing song all at once."

DJ Spooky performed at the event later. Pictures from the Das Racist part below...

Continue reading "Das Racist & Leslie Dick @ The Whitney Museum (pics) "

still from Ari Marcopoulos's film Detroit...

Ari Marcopoulos's photographs and videos capture the rhythm and feel of diverse youth-oriented subcultures from snowboarding to underground music. His honest portraits depict, as he has stated, "something that just stands for life lived." This evening, he brings together musicians from the electroacoustic improvisation scene, including Orphan and Yellow Tears, for a night of performance and noise. [Whitney]

In other SY news, the Thurston-led hardcore band re-forming for SXSW, Society's Ills, has changed is name to Demolished Thoughts (the lineup is still Thurston Moore: Vocals, J Mascis: Guitar, Don Fleming: Guitar, Andrew W.K.: Bass, Awesome Allison: Drums). They're playing at the Ecstatic Showcase on Friday, night (3/19) and a Mog day party on Saturday at the Mohawk (with the Black Keys). For their set, they'll expand on their 7 Seconds repertoire with a mix of hardcore selections from scenes that include Boston, Detroit, LA, DC and NYC.

Back in NYC, Lee Ranaldo, photographer/artist spouse Leah Singer and their two sons will be performing at IVANAHelsinki & Love Contemporary pop-up store (238 Mulberry St btwn Spring + Prince) on Sunday, March 14th. The event, titled "What Is That Little Black Thing I See There In The White?" features Lee Ranaldo/Leah Singer/Sage Ranaldo/Frey Ranaldo doing "Music/Movies/Candy/Paper Cutting." It's all ages and runs from 4-6:30pm.

Videos of some recent Lee Ranaldo sound performances are below...

Continue reading "Ari Marcopoulos @ the Whitney, Demolished Thoughts & other Sonic Youth-related happenings "

photos by Vincent Cornelli

FlavorPill: So you don't have any plans to move Stateside?

Olof Arnalds: Not now. Maybe in a few years it would be great. I have a son who's one and a half years old, and there's so much life quality in Iceland when it comes to having children because it's so safe. It's such a good environment for kids to have the freedom to play. I have a big family, and I wouldn't want to raise my kids anywhere else than Iceland.

FP: Can you talk a little bit about the music scene in Iceland?

OA: It's a very tight scene. Everyone's friends and help each other out. It's really vibrant because you can make things happen really quickly. It doesn't take a long time to make it happen. It's a gutsy environment. People just do things.

FP: How did you meet Kjartan Sveinsson from Sigur Ros, who produced your first album?

OA: His wife, Maria. We're friends from youth. She's from the quartet Amiina that played with Sigur Ros for many years. It's just a small scene of musicians. It's friendship. Sigur Ros and Mum, who I used to play with, are good friends.

Continue reading "Olof Arnalds played the Whitney, Rockwood Music Hall (pics)"

DOWNLOAD: Olof Arnalds - Englar og darer (MP3)

Ólöf Arnalds's beautiful debut album, Við og Við, will be released in the US by One Little Indian on January 12th. Grab track #1 above for free right now! That's the cover art up there too.

NYC is becoming a second home for Olof who is back in town again and will be joined by fellow Icelandic musician Kjartan Sveinsson of Sigur Rós at the Whitney Museum of American Art on November 6th.

Cage a Swallow Can't You But You Can't Swallow A Cage: A Sonnet Sequence for Roni Horn

November 6
Performances at 7 pm and 8 pm

Composed in honor of Roni Horn by poet Anne Carson, this performance of sung and spoken word features a mix of voice and harmonium. Icelandic musicians Olof Arnalds and Kjartan Sveinsson of Sigur Ros, join Carson and poets R. Currie and Penelope Thomas for this special program.

That is one of two (actually three) chances you have to see Olof in the next week. She will also return to Rockwood Music Hall for a show on November 9th (10pm set).

In September Olof stopped by KEXP's studios to perform some songs. Check out those videos below...

Continue reading "Olof Arnalds - new album in 2010 (MP3), a Whitney show w/ a Sigur Ros member, a Rockwood show, KEXP videos & more "

words & photos by Anna Scialli

Jazz Hand Job & These Are Powers

Fans trekked through the rain and packed the cafeteria of the Whitney Museum of American Art on Friday (7/31) to catch Vivian Girls and These Are Powers play a (very) early set. It was the fourth of four (or fifth if you count the Feelies show) shows that were put on in conjunction with the Dan Graham retrospective at the museum.

By 7pm, the crowd was eager to hear These Are Powers, hailing from as close as Brooklyn and as far as Chicago. While the cafeteria of the Whitney clearly wasn't built with rock-show acoustics in mind, Anna Barie belted out song after song without concern for the unconventional venue. Pat Noecker, on bass and vocals, and Bill Salas on electroacoustic drums and vocals accompanied, pumping out catchy tunes encouraging the crowd of hipsters, youngsters, and other Whitney patrons to bob in place. Alongside the band was Providence dance troupe Jazz Hand Job, a team of sparkly interpretive dancers, with choreographed numbers for a few songs. Throughout the set, they weaved through the crowd dancing to the electronic beats.

As Vivian Girls took the "stage", the cafeteria was filled to capacity- crowds spilling out to the back patio or watching from between the shelves of art books. The three women dove into their set, with Cassie Ramone on guitar and lead vocals, Ali Koehler on drums, and Kickball Katy on bass. The crowd watched and listened closely as the trio mixed interesting melodies with well considered discordant reverb to make a sound all their own. While the Vivian Girls are fun and energetic live; it's no surprise that an art-rock band like them would play at a free Whitney show. Still, I couldn't help but wish I was hearing them in a venue with better acoustics. Luckily they'll be playing Death By Audio on August 25th in Brooklyn for everyone who missed them or wants to catch them again- at a more traditional venue.

More pictures from the show below...

Continue reading "Vivian Girls & These are Powers (with interpretative dancers) @ the Whitney Museum in NYC - pics "

Austin's YellowFever have arrived, and not just to play the Whitney. Dates below...

Continue reading "YellowFever kicks off a 5-night NYC run tonight (dates)"

photos by Tim Griffin

Abe Vigoda's new drummer @ The Whitney

Abe Vigoda is currently on tour with Talbot Tagora. That trip brought the two bands to Cake Shop and Market Hotel in NYC over the weekend (the Market Hotel show was originally scheduled for Monster Island). Abe Vigoda also played a free show at The Whitney with Grooms while they were here. More pictures and a video from that show below...

Continue reading "Abe Vigoda played Cake Shop, Market Hotel & the Whitney w/ Grooms (pics & video) "

photos by Leia Jospe

"I am standing behind a kid during the last song of Titus Andronicus' fascinating set at the Whitney Museum of American Art. The concert is part of the pop conceptual artist Dan Graham's retrospective, and the kid is on tip toes on the edge of the performance area (there is no stage) and he is doing a restrained pogo and leaning towards the band and it's as if he is straining every sinew in his body not to explode into a wild dance. But the kid can't dance because Whitney security have threatened to stop the concert if dancing continues which leaves lead singer Patrick Stickles in the unenviable position of trying to stop the audience from doing what he is trying to get the audience to do.

A little earlier opening band, fellow New Jersey natives, and longterm friends Real Estate performed a superb set. What connects the two bands is Real Estate and Titus both use repetitive chord progressions to build a wall of sound. What makes them different is where they take the sounds..." [rnlar]

Continue reading "Titus Andronicus & Real Estate @ the Whitney, NYC - pics "

The Feelies @ The Whitney (photo by Scott Rudd)

Reunited NJ band The Feelies played an acoustic set to help open the Whitney Museum's Dan Graham Retrospective last week (on Friday, June 26th). Last night (7/2), the same band kicked off three-night run at Maxwell's in Hoboken which goes until July 4th which is also the day the Whitney is having a special -- $4 admission ("$4 on the 4th"). It'll be open that day from 11am to 6pm... which actually means you have plenty of time to spend the day at the Whitney before heading to see the fireworks in Jersey before heading to Maxwell's to catch The Feelies (if you have a ticket, because all three shows are now sold out).

While at the Whitney, you can check out the museum's regular wares along with the Dan Graham exhibit. That show includes rock artifacts like Graham's '80s doc Rock My Religion, which incorporates footage of Patti Smith, Sonic Youth and Black Flag. The music series in conjunction with the Graham show continues on July 10th, with a concert in the museum by Titus Andronicus and Real Estate. Bands over the next three Fridays after that include Vivian Girls, Woods, Abe Vigoda and These Are Powers. Full schedule below.

The Brooklyn Museum is also free this 4th of July from 5pm-11pm, running its First Saturdays special on the holiday. The Met (always by donation) is open too, as is the MoMA, whose free night is on Fridays. The MoMA is currently showing "Looking at Music: Side 2," whose focus overlaps some with the Whitney's Graham exhibit (both are connected to Sonic Youth, New York in the late '70s, etc.)

Two more pictures from the Feelies museum show, and one of Jasper Johns' Three Flags (which is in the Whitney's permanent collection), and the Whit's full music schedule, below...

Continue reading "The Feelies (with 3 Maxwell's shows this week) played the Whitney Museum (which is $4 on the 4th of July)"

Ninjasonik @ MHOW Jan 2009 (more by Zach Stern)

Just down the street from the Danbro Studios Warehouse in the Bushwick/East Williamsburg part of Brooklyn is a (new-ish?) loft space called The Jungle (286 Meserole St) which has hosted some events in the past, and which is scheduled to host a big show that caught our eye on Saturday, August 22nd. Bands listed (though not totally confirmed) include Ponytail, Japanther, The DeathSet, Double Dagger, Team Robespierre, Ninjasonik, Juiceboxxx, Cerebral Ballzy, Boogie Boarder and Snakes Say Hiss.

The most unconfirmed band on that bill is Ponytail, who are more-officially playing a summer show with Mission of Burma and Fucked Up at the Williamsburg Waterfront on July 12th (or are they?). The Waterfront show is a few days before Ponytail go out on tour with Yeasayer (dates below).

Many of those other bands have other NYC shows scheduled sooner too. On June 28th, Studio B will host a day party with Team Robespierre, Ninjasonik, Hearts Revolution, Anamanaguchi and others. Japanther, Ninjasonik and Deathset will be at Lit Fuse Cyclery (409 Willoughby, Brooklyn) for a show on July 4th. Then, Ninjasonik and Japanther team up again for a show at the Whitney on July 11th.

Ninjasonik is also playing with the newly reformed 2 Live Crew on July 25th at Studio B. Tickets are on sale. 2 Live's new record, Just Wanna Be Heard, is out now on iTunes.

Yeasayer is playing a free show in Manhattan over the summer. All/more tour dates for everyone, below...

Continue reading "Brooklyn venue The Jungle, Japanther, Ninjasonik, Team Robespierre, The DeathSet, Ponytail, Yeasayer, 2 Live Crew"

The Feelies @ Battery Park (more by Jason Bergman)

Feelies have added a 3rd Maxwell's show to the two that were already planned for the venue on July 3rd and 4th. The additional gig will happen at Maxwell's on Thursday, July 2nd. Tickets to that show are on sale. Tickets to July 4th gig are still available too. July 3rd is sold out.

Feelies are scheduled to play their 1980 album, Crazy Rhythms, in full at ATP NY on September 11th.

Before that, Feelies will open the Whitney's Dan Graham Retrospective music series on June 26th with a special acoustic set.

That Whitney series had a "TBA" listed for the Friday, July 24th show with YellowFever. The "TBA" band will in fact be Woods who fit in perfectly with rest of the bands playing the museum that month... Vivian Girls, Titus Andronicus, etc..

Other upcoming Woods shows include July 15th at the Bowery Ballroom with WAVVES', and the Woodsist/Captured Tracks Fest happening July 3rd and 4th at 979 Broadway Backyard in Brooklyn. Woods member Jeremy Earl is also head of the Woodsist label (whose roster includes WAVVES).

Woods will also be at the Saturday, June 13th Northside Fest show at The Shank. That Woodsist-friendly bill also includes Kurt Vile (and the Violators), who was on the label and recently signed to Matador, Grooms (ex-Muggabears) (also playing the Whitney), Pygmy Shrews and Blues Control.

Woods' own new full-length, Songs of Shame, was co-released in April by Woodsist and Shrimper Records.

Blues Control's 2007 disc Puff came out on Woodsist; their new LP, Local Flavor, is out July 14th on Siltbreeze. The record includes a guest contribution by Kurt Vile on trumpet and acoustic guitar. And the Northside Shank show isn't the only Vile/Blues Control show coming up. The two bands will share a NYC bill twice in August - at Cake Shop and Silent Barn.

More info on those gigs, plus all Woods and Blues Control tour dates, with album info, below...

Continue reading "Feelies add 3rd NJ show, Woods playing the Whitney & other shows w/ Woodsist bands, Kurt Vile, Blues Control..."

Vivian Girls @ Bowery Ballroom in December (more by Zach Stern)

As we pointed out back in April, and further confirmed in a list of Abe Vigoda tour dates, The Whitney is hosting some indie rock shows this July, in conjunction with their Dan Graham Retrospective. And the full schedule looks something like this:

Fri, June 26 - Acoustic Evening with The Feelies
Fri, July 10 - Titus Andronicus / Real Estate
Fri, July 17 - Abe Vigoda / Grooms (Muggabears)
Fri, July 24 - (band TBA) / YellowFever
Fri, July 31 - Vivian Girls / These Are Powers

The Feelies show is "Free with Museum admission (free for Whitney members)." and "Tickets for this [Feelies] concert are available day of show only, beginning at 1 pm at the Museum. Space is limited; tickets are first-come, first-served." The other four shows basically say the same thing, but just, "Free with museum admission. Seating is first-come, first-served. No reservations." More details below.

Other programs include "Dan Graham in Conversation with Glenn Branca" and a family performance of Rock and Roll Ice Cream by Japanther. Full schedule below...

Continue reading "indie rock shows @ The Whitney in July (Vivian Girls, Titus Andronicus, These are Powers, Yellow Fever & more) "

DOWNLOAD: Abe Vigoda - Don't Lie (MP3)

Abe Vigoda @ South Street Seaport 7/11/08 (more by Chris Tuite)

LA punks Abe Vigoda are going on tour across North America this July. That includes three NYC shows: Friday, July 17th the band plays an early set at the Whitney Museum, then a late set at the Cake Shop. The next night, Saturday, July 18th, the band is at the Monster Island Basement. All those NYC gigs are with tourmates Talbot Tagora, who, as we recently mentioned, are one of the Seattle bands that recently signed to Hardly Art.

The Whitney show is part of the museum's Dan Graham retrospective running from June 25th to October 11th. As we previously wrote, the museum is planning shows on July 10th, 17th, 24th and 31th, during its weekly pay-what-you-wish Friday 6-9pm slot. Those performances are to feature "young bands that have inherited the New York rock scene from bands that Dan Graham has written about and/or worked with, such as The Feelies, Television, and Sonic Youth."

The Feelies are one of the band's playing the museum -- they have an acoustic set scheduled for Friday, June 26th.

The newest Abe Vigoda release was the band's Reviver EP, which came out in February on Post Present Medium. "Don't Lie," from that record, is posted above.

All Abe Vigoda tour dates, with clips that include "Don't Lie" live with the Vivian Girls and more, below...

Continue reading "Abe Vigoda & Talbot Tagora - 2009 Tour Dates (Whitney Museum, Cake Shop & Monster Island)"

by Andrew Frisicano

Dan Graham (blue stripes), Thurston & Kim? @ the MOCA (ricardodiaz11)

Dan Graham has been a central figure in contemporary art since the 1960s. [Dan Graham: Beyond], his first American retrospective, traces the evolution of his art from his early conceptual projects and performances, to his films and videos, architectural projects and pavilions, and sculptures as well as his collaborations with musicians and rock bands such as Sonic Youth and Japanther.

Graham (b. 1942) has been a central participant in the development of contemporary art since the 1960s --- from the rise of minimalism, conceptual art, video art, and performance art, to explorations of architecture and the public sphere, to collaborations with musicians and the culture of rock and roll. [press release]

Graham has a strong connection to the rock and avant music world. As the press release below documents, Graham has written about bands like the Kinks, the Fall (who recently signed to Domino Records), and the Sex Pistols. And his hour-long "video-essay" Rock My Religion (1982-84) uses "footage of Patti Smith, Sonic Youth, and Black Flag, mingled with historical images of a rapt Ann Lee, the founder of the Shaker religion to trace a continuum between the Shakers, the early-American religious sect that sought spiritual transcendence through collective dance and song, and rock music."

Kim Gordon and Thurston Moore performed as Mirror/Dash at Beyond's debut opening at L.A.'s Museum of Contemporary Art in February. The pair also joined Graham for a panel discussion as part of that event (video below).

During Beyond's run in New York, the Whitney will host a series of free Friday concerts. The shows, held in the museum's Lower Gallery, are scheduled for July 10th, 17th, 24th, and 31th at 7pm. No word on who specifically, but the museum writes, "These events feature young bands that have inherited the New York rock scene from bands that Dan Graham has written about and/or worked with, such as The Feelies, Television, and Sonic Youth. As always, admission to the Whitney on Friday evenings is pay-what-you-wish from 6 to 9pm."

Last year, the Whitney's free shows included Dan Deacon on February 8th, May and April Biennial-related-shows by Gang Gang Dance and Lucky Dragons, and four free Wordless Music showsin June (with Prefuse 73, Times New Viking and others).

Other plans for the Graham exhibit include:

A music event to kick off the series; the U.S. premiere of "Put Blood in the Music" (1989), an experimental documentary on the late-nineties New York downtown music scene, introduced by filmmaker Charles Atlas; a conversation between Dan Graham and Glenn Branca, followed by a screening of Graham's "Westkunst (Modern Period): Dan Graham Segment" (1980); and a roundtable discussion exploring key themes in the work, such as sound, perception, and performance.

The Feelies will play an acoustic set at the Whitney on Friday, June 26th (presumably the 'music event to kick off the series').

We recently talked about The Feelies' continued reunion - including their big show last July 4th (when they played with Sonic Youth). Other upcoming dates for the Feelies include July 3rd & 4th at Maxwell's in Hoboken, NJ (tickets on sale) and September 11th at ATP NY, where the band will perform its debut Crazy Rhythms in full (tickets on sale).

The above-mentioned videos of Dan Graham talking with Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon, Mirror/Dash live, and an interview with Graham, all from his L.A. MoCA exhibit earlier this year, plus full Whitney press release, below...

Continue reading "Dan Graham exhibit @ The Whitney, The Feelies performing"

DOWNLOAD: Wilderness - Strand the Test of Time (MP3)

Wilderness's new record (k)no(w)here was released by Jagjaguwar on Nov 4th.

Written for a performance at this year's Whitney Biennial, this obnoxiously titled release continues Wilderness's exploration of icy post-punk that falls tonally between PiL and U2. Guitarist Colin McCann uses delay and echo to create repetitions similar to those of the Edge and Keith Levene; the slowly shifting harmonies from Brian Gossman's calm bass gives those repetitions forward movement -- something similar to the dub influence of Jah Wobble and the solid simplicity of Adam Clayton. Singer James Johnson, meanwhile, has a howl that combines the idiosyncratic style of John Lydon with the populist war cry of Bono: Johnson's voice bays and every note seems to emanate from the back of his throat before tightening into focus. As for songs, the band lets them flow into one another to create a 40-minute piece. This could prove strenuous, but the album is more contemplative than didactic -- a (k)no(w)here that's difficult to study but easy to inhabit. [The Phoenix]

Continue reading "Wilderness - 2008 Tour Dates, a Biennial album, an MP3"

The Berg Sans Nipple @ The Whitney Museum - June 6, 2008 (Lori Baily)

June 06 - The berg sans nipple
June 13 - A sunny Day in Glasgow
June 20 - Prefuse 73
June 27 - Times New Viking

Continue reading "Wordless @ the Whitney ends tonight w/ Times New Viking"

photos by Bao Nguyen

DOWNLOAD: The Berg Sans Nipple - Mystic Song (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Berg Sans Nipple - Along the Quai (MP3)

When not creating music as The Berg Sans Nipple, Aspegren and Berg are still creating music. Aspegren can be heard playing drums on the latest Bright Eyes record 'Cassadaga' and Berg was most recently a member of the beloved and hyped French anti-folk group Herman Dune. [The Devil Has The Best Tuna]

Continue reading "The Berg Sans Nipple played Bowery, playing Whitney "