by Laina Dawes

Matt Pike's High on Fire

Writer/photographer Laina Dawes has just released her new book, WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE? A Black Woman's Life and Liberation in Heavy Metal. The book recounts her journey as a black woman in heavy metal and examines these genres with respect to racial and gender issues. Its a fascinating read, and available now via Bazillion Points. Reccommended.

Laina has seen her fair share of shows this year and as such, we asked her to chime in on her favorites of 2012. Her thoughts and photos are below.

Continue reading "Author / photographer Laina Dawes recounts favorite shows of 2012"

Cat Power @ Hammerstein Ballroom - 10/23/2012 (pic via supergalaxy)

Less than a week after Primus made things 3-D, Cat Power brought laser lights and her tour with Willis Earl Beal and X-Ray Eyeballs to Hammerstein Ballroom in NYC last night (10/23). How was the show? Hopefully nobody fell out of the balcony. The setlist is below...

Continue reading "Cat Power headlined Hammerstein Ballroom (setlist)"

Willis Earl Beal @ Pitchfork Festival 2012 (more by Fred Pessaro // BBG)

Chicago's Willis Earl Beal has signed-on to support Cat Power on a few of her October North American tour dates, including tonight's  Hammerstein Ballroom show (10/23) that also has Xray Eyeballs as an opener (and a few other dates). Tickets are still available.

Willis Earl Beal, who JUST cancelled a headlining NYC show at Bowery Ballrooms earlier this month, had to cancel a few more of his own shows to make this tour work, and you can check out his complete 2012 schedule below, along with a video for "Monotony."

Continue reading "Willis Earl Beal opening for Cat Power on tour, including tonight's NYC show, Xray Eyballs too (dates)"

Willis Earl Beal at MHOW, May 2012 (more by Amanda Hatfield)

Willis Earl Beal was to play Bowery Ballroom tonight (10/9) but that show has been canceled and so far no explanation has been given as to why. No word on the remaining dates of his tour, which are listed below.

In happier news, last week we mentioned that Willis released a free EP, Principles of a Protagonist, which can be downloaded via BitTorrent client uTorrent. It's the soundtrack for his forthcoming, previously-mentioned animated short of the same name.

Continue reading "Willis Earl Beal cancels tonight's Bowery Ballroom show (updated dates & free EP)"

sign at Death by Audio via @andrewstclair

Following 285 Kent's lead, as of October 1, 2012, five-year-old Williamsburg DIY spot Death by Audio is now a NO SMOKING venue. Our clothes thank you.

Speaking of, Great Design says S. 2nd & Kent is "Where Sound is Born." No show at DbA tonight, btw.

Death Grips finally announced a tour! It doesn't include any NYC dates at the moment, but they tweeted, "more tour dates to be announced! (pretty much all the missing spots being mentioned).'

You can also make money off the new Death Grips album.

Willis Earl Beal, who is on tour now, released a "free digital Principles Of A Protagonist soundtrack EP of 5 re-recorded songs from Acousmatic Sorcery" via BitTorrent.

Speaking of BitTorrent and Death Grips, the rap-noise crew are the most downloaded artist on BitTorrent for the first half of 2012, with over 34 million downloads, beating Counting Crows, DJ Shadow, and Pretty Lights.

Generation Records will give you a free ticket to one of the Rev25 shows at Irving Plaza with purchase of a Chain of Strength t-shirt.

Happy Birthday to Talib Kweli (37), Gwen Stefani (43), Tommy Lee (50) and Lindsey Buckingham (61).

We premiered a new Riverboat Gamblers video on BV Austin.

You can stream the new Converge record in full.

Touche Amore do a great cover of The Replacements' "Unsatisfied" for their new split with The Casket Lottery (out now on No Sleep Records). Meanwhile, The Casket Lottery offer their take on Beach House's "Myth." Stream the entire release (both bands offer an original song as well) at the No Sleep Bandcamp.

Legendary black metal crew Von, widely considered to be the first US black metal band, have released a new song (!) in "Jesus Stain" from their upcoming Satanic Blood due on Oct 31. Stream that track below courtesy of Decibel Magazine.

Public Assembly is hosting a hummus cook-off and raffle on October 14 to help raise money for the NYC Coalition Against Hunger in memory of Craig Murphey.

Meanwhile you can catch Silver Apples at Public Assembly.

Then you can catch Silver Apples at 92YTribeca.

Help save the Historic Slave Theater in Bed-Stuy.

More stuff below...

Continue reading "ALSO: Death by Audio goes no-smoking; Death Grips are most-torrented; Mark E Smith, Von, Smashing Pumpkins & more"

West Coast janglers Craft Spells are heading East next month to play Cincinatti's Midpoint Music Festival (September 27 - 29) which also features the likes of Grizzly Bear, The Walkmen, Dirty Projectors, Sleigh Bells and many more. Tickets for the fest are still available and the whole line-up is at the bottom of this post.

Before the festival, Craft Spells will be in NYC for a show at Glasslands on September 24 with new new romantics Ice Choir. Tickets for that show are on sale now.

You can stream Craft Spells' new-ish EP, Gallery, plus check out the whole Midpoint Music Fest line-up, below.

Continue reading "Craft Spells playing NYC before Midpoint Music Festival (2012 line-up)"

Willis Earl Beal at MHOW, May 2012 (more by Amanda Hatfield)

Willis Earl Beal has just announced a fall tour that includes a NYC stop on October 9 at Bowery Ballroom. Tickets are not on sale yet but you can keep checking Ticketmaster. All WEB tour dates are listed at the bottom of this post.

Meanwhile, Beal has made an animated short film based on his Principals of a Protagonist novella he made back in 2010. The film uses illustrations by Beal and recordings of songs from his Acousmatic Sorcery album as the soundtrack. Says the artist:

I envisioned it becoming a film. If you don't envision something as actually happening and being in action then there's no motivation to do it. Everything I do is cinematic. Everything I do I imagine what it would look like in the context of cinema- whether writing a song, writing a story or watching a movie and imagining myself in the role of the protagonist walking down the street. The movie for me is amniotic fluid.

Continue reading "Willis Earl Beal making animated film, going on tour (dates)"

photos by Fred Pessaro // BBG

The 2012 Pitchfork Music Festival kicked off in Union Park on Friday (7/13) afternoon after heavy rain slightly delayed the opening of the gates. Rain continued to be a theme of the day, but it couldn't stop the fun. Local garage rock greats Outer Minds played the first set, and the first great set of the day, followed by Jana Hunter's Lower Dens across the park which was the first set streamed live. The webcast continues today, Sunday, with Ty Segall, Real Estate, Chavez, Vampire Weekend and more.

More recaps from the weekend coming. For now, here are the pictures from Friday. One set is on BV Chicago. Another is here on BrooklynVegan, and they continue below...

Continue reading "Pitchfork Fest 2012 pics (part 1) -- Feist, Purity Ring, Olivia Tremor Control, A$AP Rocky, Willis Earl Beal & much more"

Willis Earl Beal at Bowery Ballroom in April (more by Toby Tenenbaum)

The Weeksville Garden Party, a series of free shows in Weeksville Heritage Center which happen every Saturday in July, has been expanded. You already knew that Spoek Mathambo (who played LPR last night) will be playing the one this Saturday (7/14), and since we last spoke the lineup for that show has been expanded. It also includes FlyLo associate/bass wizard Thundercat and R&B singer Georga Anne Muldrow, whose new Madlib-produced LP is one of the best of its genre right now. Georgia Anne will be performing with special guest Dudley Perkins, who she recently toured with. Doors for Saturday's show are at 4 PM.

Then, on July 21, The Weeksville Heritage Center will be graced by Willis Earl Beal, who has yet to reschedule that free show with Bobby Womack but this one should tide us over until then. The show is also with Krystie Warren. No show has been announced as of this post for Saturday, July 28.

Speaking of that Bobby Womack show, if you missed it, just when it looked like things were getting better and Bobby was going to play a MHOW show on July 3, he ended up canceling that one too. Hopefully Bobby will get well soon and finally make his way back to NYC. Check out this recent interview he did with NPR where he spoke about what's been going on:

"Before me, there was a higher and stronger supreme being that put me in the position to have that talent," he adds. "I've seen [drugs] take away my friends, from Wilson Pickett to James Brown to Michael Jackson, and I can just go on naming. I say, if I'm still here, God must still have a purpose for me."

Continue reading "Weeksville Garden Party continues w/ Georgia Anne Muldrow, Thundercat, Willis Earl Beal & more (updated lineup)"

Bon Iver at Bonnaroo 2012 (more by Dana (distortion) Yavin)

Bon Iver recorded an iTunes session at East West studios which is available exclusively from iTunes starting today. It includes six tracks off 2011's great Bon Iver, Bon Iver and a cover of Bjork's "Who Is It?," which the band has played live many times. You can stream the session's opening track, "Beth/Rest" below.

As mentioned, Bon Iver is touring internationally throughout the summer and fall and will come to NYC on September 19 and 20 at Radio City Music Hall. Both of those shows are now sold out. All Bon Iver dates, including a recently announced European leg, are listed below.

Speaking of Bjork, she's teaming up with the New York Public Library (NYPL) and the Children's Museum of Manhattan to create interactive educational programs for middle school-aged students based on her Biophilia app. Speaking about the program, Bjork said:

"It's not a bookish thing. You cannot learn to make music from a book." "I love books; they're like the best ever," she added. "There are things you can only learn from books, but it's also important to introduce the physical aspects. So for me, it was very important to make, somehow, music education that was physical." (via NY Daily News)

Way Out West (Aug 9-11) in Gothenberg, Sweden features many of the same bands as Oya like Bon Iver, Refused, Afghan Whigs, St. Vincent, Purity Ring, John Maus, and Bob Mould in addition to Blur, Wilco, I Break Horses, Hot Chip, The War On Drugs, Mark Lanegan Band, Adolescents, Swans, and more. Check out the spotify playlist. The full lineup is listed below.

As mentioned, the reunited Mazzy Star is set to play both of those European festivals. Full lineups and the Bon Iver dates and song, below...

Continue reading "Bon Iver's new iTunes session, Bjork's new program at the NYPL & the full Oya & Way Out West festival lineups"

Willis Earl Beal at Bowery Ballroom in April (more by Toby Tenebaum)

Bobby Womack and Willis Earl Beal's free Central Park show, which was set to happen on June 7, has been postponed due to illness. The makeup date is TBA but they "plan to reschedule this show in mid-July with both artists still on the bill." Stay tuned for more info. This comes less than a week after Bobby posted to his facebook page that he successfully underwent surgery and does not have cancer. Hope all is well with the recovery, Bobby!

Meanwhile, Bobby Womack has been preparing his new album, The Bravest Man in the Universe, for a June 12 release via XL. It's Womack's first album of original material since 1994 and was co-produced by Damon Albarn (who he worked with on Gorillaz's Plastic Beach) and XL label head/record producer Richard Russell. So far he's revealed the tracks, "Please Forgive My Heart," "The Bravest Man in the Universe," and most recently, "Dayglo Reflection," which features Lana Del Rey. You can check all of those out below.

Speaking of Willis Earl Beal, he was arrested over the weekend after his performance at the Le Guess Who? Festival in the Netherlands for allegedly kicking a homeless man in the face (via Pitchfork). In a YouTube video (which you can watch below), Willis said his goodbyes to to the crowd with the following:

Because of a few bad apples, we all miss out on one more glorious, fantastic, lovely performance. I love you, and I even love the guy whose face I kicked in. I love him, too. He's a good guy! He's just drunk, a little.

Bobby Womack streams and Willis Earl Beal video below...

Continue reading "Bobby Womack and Willis Earl Beal postpone Summerstage show; Willis free from jail; listen to new Bobby Womack songs"

After teasing us with lineup addictions day by day over the past few days, the full lineup of Austin City Limits 2012 is finally here. Check it out below....

Continue reading "Austin City Limits Festival -- 2012 lineup "

The 2012 edition of Calgary, Alberta festival Sled Island is set to take place from June 20-23 at venues throughout the city. This year includes over 200 bands performing at 30 venues plus a large comedy schedule, film screenings, and art shows.

Sled Island 2012 will once again use outdoor venue Olympic Plaza as its main stage, featuring performances by Feist, The Hold Steady, Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks, The Dudes, Shabazz Palaces, Parlovr, and others.

Acts including Russian Circles, Hot Snakes, The Antlers, Boris, Thurston Moore, Willis Earl Beal, Trust, Yamantaka // Sonic Titan, Terry Malts, Neil Hamburger, How To Dress Well, The Evaporators (aka Nardwuar's band), DJ Jonathan Toubin, Hannibal Buress, Andrew W.K., Tim Heidecker, Archers of Loaf, and many more will be performing at various bars and venues. Check out the full lineup at the bottom of this post.

Festival passes, individual tickets for some clubs shows, and tickets for the Olympic Plaza events only are all on sale. The full festival schedule iwill be announced in June.

Full lineup and 2012 festival trailer below...

Continue reading "Feist, Stephen Malkmus, The Hold Steady and lots more playing Calgary's Sled Island Festival (full line-up)"

photos by Toby Tenenbaum

Willis Earl Beal had me at his opening line, "I am gonna sing you some songs and then I am gonna get off the Goddamned stage!"...He's a born performer and for the duration of his hour long set, he sang like a man possessed! Think of the vocals of Screamin' Jay Hawkins' "I Put A Spell on You" and add a whole lot of soul with an addictively entertaining stage presence and you've got Willis Earl Beal. [accordingtog]

Willis Earl Beal mainly has European dates scheduled in the upcoming months, but he'll be in the US for a few festival dates and a free NYC show at Central Park Summerstage on June 7 opening for Bobby Womack.

All Willis Earl Beal dates are listed below alongside more pics from the Bowery Ballroom show...

Continue reading "Wu Lyf and Willis Earl Beal played Bowery Ballroom (pics); Willis playing Summerstage w/ Bobby Womack "

photos by Amanda Hatfield

WU LYF @ MHOW

Manchester's WU LYF stormed Brooklyn for rousing renditions of highlights from their excellent debut Go Tell Fire to the Mountain... While the band was limited to brief material (this is why bands with one album get overplayed and burnt out too fast), they still poured endless energy into each track and believe it or not, the growling vocals from a visceral Ellery Roberts continued beyond the songs and into the chatter setting an even deep tone to the show. "Spitting Blood" and "Concrete Gold" were delivered without a hitch, and a stellar "Heavy Pop" brought the main set to a close before the band returned for a laid back "Brooklyn Girls" and a night ending thunderous execution of "We Bros". -[omg-nyc]

As for opener Willis, Amanda Hatfield says:

Willis Earl Beal is incredible - he alternately sat and played a guitar on his lap or sang over tape reels, and even with the sort of silly affectations - one black glove, dark glasses indoors - he blew me away. Dynamic performer + amazing voice. Plus, I'm totally down with anyone who starts a set by reading a line of Bukowski.

Continue reading "Wu Lyf & Willis Earl Beal @ Music Hall of Williamsburg (pics)"

Amadou & Mariam

As you may remember from the past couple of years, "Summerstage" now encompasses more than just Central Park, but Central Park Summerstage will still always be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of the series. Here's the 2012 schedule. Check it out below...

Continue reading "Central Park Summerstage 2012 schedule (Alabama Shakes, Dawes, Kurt Vile, Gary Clark Jr, Amadou & Mariam & more)"

photos by Ed Lefkowitz, words by Andrew Frisicano

Rahzel & Kenny Muhammad @ BAM

The Questlove-curated "Shuffle Culture" debuted at the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House last night (4/19). As promised, a rotating cast of performers including Deerhoof, the Metropolis Ensemble, DJ Jeremy Ellis, D.D. Jackson and Sasha Grey (not to be confused with Gray) graced the stage at different times, performing in 5 to 10 minute bursts before transitioning into the next act. I had little idea what to expect going in and I think the show benefits from the blind approach (aka don't click below if you're going tonight).

The two-show run concludes tonight with Willis Earl Beal and Gray (not to be confused with Grey) replacing Reggie Watts. Both should fit well into the atmosphere of the gig. Tickets are still on sale.

More about the show and pictures are below...

Continue reading "Questlove brought 'Shuffle Culture' to BAM (pics and review), does again tonight (tix still available)"

photos by Chris La Putt

Willis Earl Beal @ Mercury Lounge

Willis Earl Beal is on a tour which brought him to NYC for a Glasslands show on 3/29 with Zulu Winter and a Mercury Lounge show on 4/1 with She Keeps Bees and Fenster (who play again at Knitting Factory on 4/4). Pictures from the Mercury Lounge show are in this post. More below.

That tour was supposed to include an opening slot at SBTRKT's Webster Hall show tonight (4/3) (which is sold out, Sepalcure is still opening, and will be streaming online) but Willis has cancelled tonight's show due to illness. The official statement reads, "Unfortunately Willis is sick and his doctor has ordered him not to perform tonight. The rest of the tour dates are on as planned." Bummer.

UPDATE: DJ Jim E Stack, who played with SBTRKT last night at Music Hall of Williamsburg, will open for SBTRKT in Beal's place tonight.

The rest of that tour includes dates with WU LYF that brings both bands to NYC on MHOW on 4/26 and Bowery Ballroom on 4/27. Willis will also be back in NYC for the Questlove-curated Shuffle Culture Fest at BAM which goes down on April 19 and 20.

Willis also just made a video for "Montony" off his debut LP, Acousmatic Sorcery, which is out now on Hot Charity. That video, updated dates, and more pics from the 4/1 show at Mercury Lounge, below...

Continue reading "Willis Earl Beal made a video, played Merc w/ Fenster & She Keeps Bees (pics), IS NOT playing w/ SBTRKT tonight (dates)"

Questlove at Brooklyn Bowl (more by Eric M. Townsend)

The lineup for BAM's Questlove-curated Shuffle Culture Fest has been announced and includes Reggie Watts, Deerhoof, Sasha Grey, Willis Earl Beal, Metropolis Ensemble and others. The full list is posted below. Tickets for the two-night affair (Apr 19th & 20th) are already on sale.

In addition to that, the lineup to the Roots Picnic in Philly on June 2nd and 3rd was recently announced.

Also coming up at BAM (and on sale) are Crossing Brooklyn Ferry, the Bryce and Aaron Dessner-curated shows, and several nights with Dr. John (whose guests include the Black Keys' Dan Auerbach, Rickie Lee Jones, Blind Boys of Alabama).

* "A Louis Armstrong Tribute" (March 29-31), an homage to the great Louis Armstrong by Dr. John and his collaborators.
* "Locked Down" (April 5-7), the first time Dr. John, Auerbach, and their handpicked band will perform songs from the new album of the same name.
* "Funky But It's Nu Awlins" (April 12-14), an all-out funk-infused night of New Orleans music featuring key players from the Crescent City including The Blind Boys of Alabama.

Continue reading "Questlove & Dr. John BAM lineups announced (Deerhoof, Reggie Watts, Sasha Grey, Willis Earl Beal)"

today in NYC
* Ollabelle @ City Winery
* Questlove @ Brooklyn Bowl
* The Flowdown @ Spike Hill
* Ninjasonik, Ken South Rock @ Littlefield
* Saint Motel, Young Empires @ Mercury Lounge
* School of Seven Bells, Rewards @ Mercury Lounge
* Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo @ The Wellmont Theatre
* The Spits, TV Ghost, Night Birds, Livids @ Cake Shop
* Craig Finn, Marcellus Hall & The Hostages @ Maxwell's
* Soulive, Rahzel, Questlove, Karl Denson, Big Sam @ Brooklyn Bowl
* Natur, Windhand, Pilgrim, Magic Circle @ Public Assembly
* Bear in Heaven, Helado Negro, Test House @ Union Pool
* EMEFE, Ikebe Shakedown, Big Mean Sound Machine @ Glasslands
* Van Halen, Kool & the Gang @ Madison Square Garden
* My Best Fiend, TEEN, No Ordinary Monkey, Warm Ghost @ Le Poisson Rouge
* Hume, Sore Eros, Images, Street Gnar @ Big Snow Buffalo Lodge
* Drunken Sufis, Violent Age, Great American Thunder Bison @ XPO 929
* Man Forever, In Buenos Aires, Harlem 70, BEEF, GDFX @ Shea Stadium
* Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds, American Babies @ Bowery Ballroom
* Chiddy Bang, The Knocks, St. Lucia, Savoir Adore @ Santos Party House
* A Great Big Pile Of Leaves, Young Statues, Mansions @ Knitting Factory
* Fred Frith, Shahzad Ismaily, Matthias Bossi, Lucas Niggli Duo @ The Stone
* Pat Hull, Trevor Wilson and Vocal Ensemble, Zavracky @ The Grand Victory
* August Burns Red, Silverstein, Texas in July, I the Breather @ Irving Plaza
* Ferocious Fucking Teeth, LUSHES, We Run, The Aviation Orange @ The Delancey
* Peelander-Z night w/ Electric Eel Shock, Peewonder-Z, Black Cherry @ Death By Audio
* Unearthly Trance, Syphilitic Lust, The Communion, Water Torture @ The Acheron
* Woodsman, Alex Bleeker & The Freaks, Each Other, Flower Orgy, Liquor Store @ 285 Kent Ave
* Mariam Wallentin, Mikael Karlsson, American Contemporary Music Ensemble @ Merkin Concert Hall
* Corrosion of Conformity, Torche, Valient Thorr, A Storm of Light @ Gramercy Theatre

Van Halen's second NYC gig of their tour is happening tonight as MSG, though they also hit Atlantic City later this month.

Watch Willis Earl Beal's new video for "Evening's Kiss", below...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Thursday? "

The press release say:

The 2012 Pitchfork Music Festival returns to Chicago's Union Park Friday, July 13 - Sunday, July 15! Seven years in, this independently run three-day event has consistently proven to be one of the most welcoming, comfortable, reasonably priced and rewarding weekends of music around.

A tremendously focused and thoughtfully curated event, the Pitchfork Music Festival has historically introduced emerging bands while also honoring a great number of already beloved and internationally renowned acts. This year continues with that high standard and welcomes Vampire Weekend, Feist, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Hot Chip, AraabMUZIK, A$AP Rocky, The Field, Liturgy, Kendrick Lamar, Grimes, Cloud Nothings, Tim Hecker, and Willis Earl Beal! But this is only the beginning! There are more than 30 acts to still be announced.

Additionally, we are excited to announce that the Pitchfork Music Festival will not be raising ticket prices in 2012! Our goal has always been to create an affordable atmosphere with music at its focus, and do so in a way that is sustainable and exciting. So why raise ticket prices if you don't need to, right? Tickets for the 2012 Pitchfork Music Festival go on sale Friday, March 9 at 12 PM CST, with single-day tickets for $45 and a limited number of three-day passes for $110! Based on years past, three-day passes will sell out very quickly. Tickets will be available on the festival website.

In addition to its musical offerings, the Pitchfork Music Festival also features a wide array of other activities for its 50,000 attendees of all ages from 45 states and 26 countries to easily enjoy. With 50 individual vendors, as well as specialty fairs, the fest not only supports local businesses and economy, but also promotes the Chicago arts community as a whole.

Continue reading "Pitchfork Music Fest 2012 initial lineup announced"

Willis Earl Beal in Chicago (more by Zach Pollack)

Chicago singer/songwriter Willis Earl Beal, who is opening a number of dates on SBTRKT's upcoming tour, but not any of the NYC shows, has been announcing a few shows he'll be playing in NYC surrounding the tour. We already mentioned his Glasslands show (3/29) opening for Zulu Winter (tickets). He's since announced two more. A couple days after Glasslands, he'll headline his own NYC show at Mercury Lounge on April 1, and after his run on the SBTRKT tour ends, he'll open five dates on WU LYF's tour including Music Hall of Williamsburg on 4/26 and Bowery Ballroom show on 4/27. Tickets are still available for both WU LYF shows and tickets for Willis Earl Beal's Mercury show go on sale Friday, 2/10 at noon with an AmEx presale starting Wednesday (2/8) at noon.

All tour dates and Willis Earl Beal's "Evening's Kiss" below...

Continue reading "Willis Earl Beal adds more shows, touring w/ WU LYF (dates)"

by Andrew Sacher

Field Mouse

As mentioned, Polica has dates coming up in support of their debut LP, Give You The Ghost (due 2/14 via Totally Gross National Product), including NYC shows happening on March 27 at The Rock Shop and March 28 at Mercury Lounge. Tickets for the Rock Shop show and the Mercury show are still on sale.

When we first announced those shows, no openers were announced, but they've since been added. The Rock Shop show (3/27) will be supported by Brooklyn's catchy dream poppers Field Mouse. They recently released a video for their track "Glass" (watch below_ and are releasing a 7" for "You Guys Are Gonna Wake Up My Mom" on February 28 via Small Plates. They have a number of upcoming local shows happening even sooner at Pianos on February 2 with SNOWMINE, Spanish Prisoners, and Ben Lear, Lulu's on February 4 with Procession, ERAAS, and Abandoned Lighthouse, Spike Hill on February 16 with Allison Weiss (who also plays bass in Field Mouse), The Explorers Club, and Color Bars, and February 22 at Union Hall with Shark? and Great Western Plain. They're also playing SXSW.

Polica's Mercury Lounge show (3/28) will be supported by UK reverby rockers Zulu Winter. They released the "Never Leave" b/w "Let's Move Back To Front" single last year on Double Denim. You can stream both of those songs below and grab them at iTunes.

Willis Earl Beal @ Schubas on 1/14 (more by Zach Pollack)

While Zulu Winter are here, they'll play SXSW and another NYC show the day after the Mercury Lounge show at Glasslands (3/29) with Willis Earl Beal, who we recently mentioned signed to XL imprint Hot Charity and is touring with SBTRKT. Stream his track, "Evening's Kiss," below. Tickets for the Brooklyn show are on sale.

Polica's next Austin show is the fourth date in a Marijuana Deathsquads & Har Mar Superstar residency at Mohawk that begins tonight (2/1). Polica also played the fourth night of the same residency when it happened at Bowery Electric in NYC, which was right before Polica played CMJ.

All dates, videos, and streams below...

Continue reading "Willis Earl Beal, Zulu Winter & Field Mouse schedule shows (some with Polica, some with SBTRKT)"

SBTRKT in Sweden in 2011 (more)

As mentioned, SBTRKT added a DJ set with special guests happening at Music Hall of Williamsburg on April 2 the day before their live set at Webster Hall (4/3). Sepalcure has since been added to both NYC shows. Tickets for the Brooklyn show are on AmEx presale now and go on sale to the general public on Friday (1/27) at noon. Tickets for the Webster Hall show are still available too.

It's since been announced that these shows are part of a larger North American tour from SBTRKT, running from SXSW to Coachella, and in addition to dates with Sepalcure, includes some with Machinedrum (who is 1/2 of Sepalcure and a favorite of SBTRKT's) and others with Willis Earl Beal who recently signed to XL imprint Hot Charity.

Speaking of Machinedrum, he released the SXLND EP last week via LuckyMe. Listen to it on Spotify.

All tour dates and flier below...

Continue reading "SBTRKT announces tour, adds Sepalcure to NY shows (dates)"