photos by Caleb Heller

"The unlikely duo of former Belle and Sebastian singer and cellist Isobel Campbell, and Mark Lanegan (Screaming Trees, QOTSA, Gutter Twins) remain initially elusive in order to allow anticipation, as well as the crowd itself in the Bowery Ballroom, to build. Sauntering silently on, backed by a four-piece band, the pair launch into the opener from new album Hawk; 'We Die and See Beauty Reign,' a track that wouldn't sound out of place in David Lynch's Twin Peaks' 'Red Room'; a dream-inducing, pulsating slow dance to hypnotize every listener. Followed by most recent single 'Come Undone,' Lanegan, with words on a music stand in front of him, assumes his trademark stance, gripping the microphone with right-hand, stand with left, wincing with every note and watching over his female counterpart like Halloween's killer Michael Myers. Campbell on the other hand, who has produced the new album, is noticeably nervous, delivering her breathless vocals perfectly, but shifting around to involve her beloved cello and as many obscure percussion instruments in each song as possible." [The Arcane Review]

Mark Lanegan & Isobel Campbell brought their Hawk-supporting tour to Bowery Ballroom on 10/16, their first of two NYC dates with Willy Mason (the last being Sunday, 10/17, at Music Hall of Williamsburg). That's a review of the Bowery show above. Pictures from that show are also in this post.

Mark Lanegan was, as it says above, the frontman for Screaming Trees in the 90s. A pair of vocalists of a similar persuasion: Greg Dulli (of Afghan Whigs, and collaborator in Twilight Singers and The Gutter Twins with Lanegan) and Craig Wedren (of Shudder To Think) are on tour and will play Bowery Ballroom on 10/19 (tomorrow) as part of CMJ. Badges or tickets (which are still available) will get you in.

More pictures from Mark and Isobel's Bowery show, with the setlist, below...

Continue reading "Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan played Bowery Ballroom (pics & setlist) "

"We're still in sunny L.A., in the final stages of recording the album, but plans are already afoot for touring throughout the rest of 2010" wrote Belle & Sebastian at the end of May. Those 2010 touring plans include shows in Europe, Asia and North America (with a TBA trip to South America). As part of that (and as previously reported), the band will be playing Brooklyn's Williamsburg Waterfront on September 30th with Teenage Fanclub (who have a new album of their own coming out). Tickets for the NYC show go on "Internet Presale" Thursday at 10am.

They'll continue on for a show in L.A., a pair in Mexico and a handful more in Canada and the US this fall. Full tour dates are below (Las Vegas still TBA?).

Also due in 2010, ex-Belle & Sebastian singer Isobel Campbell will be releasing her third album with collaborator Mark Lanegan, called Hawk and due August 16th on V2/Cooperative Music. Guests include ex-Smashing Pumpkin James Iha and songwriter Willy Mason.

All B&S tour dates, and Hawk cover art, below...

Continue reading "Belle & Sebastian tour dates, new Isobel Campbell record "

DOWNLOAD: A.A. Bondy - I Can See the Pines Are Dancing (MP3)

In the mid- to late 1990s, Birmingham was a hot spot for music, thanks to the band Verbena - a three-piece band featuring Scott Bondy, Anne Marie Griffin and Les Nuby. There were other members throughout the band's existence, but those three took Verbena to the edge of - dare I say it - stardom. Featured on magazine covers as the savior of rock 'n' roll and the next Nirvana, Verbena released one EP and four full-length albums, including the mind-blowing "Souls for Sale."

The best show I ever saw was not much of a show, thanks to the PA blowing up mid-set. Still, the four or five songs the band played at Birmingham's City Stages that night rocked and sort of changed my life.

Not long after the magazine covers and hype, the band drifted apart, however. Bondy is back - now going by AA Bondy - with the raucous rock behind him; redeemed (if you will), but with the storytelling still in his soul. [Gadsden Times]

The connection between AA Bondy and his old Verbena bandmate Les, now in Vulture Whale, has was recently discussed here. Vulture Whale will actually be back in NYC to play a CMJ show at Trash Bar on October 24th.

AA Bondy's European tour kicks off October 12th and runs through the month. In November, he'll return to the US for shows, many of which are in the South, that lead up to a December 9th headlining gig at Bowery Ballroom with Willy Mason. Tickets go on AmEx presale Wednesday, October 9th at noon. General sale starts Friday at noon.

AA Bondy's last NYC show was on September 9th at Mercury Lounge. Clips from that gig and all tour dates are below...

Continue reading "AA Bondy played Mercury Lounge, playing Bowery Ballroom (and other dates), Vulture Whale playing CMJ"

DOWNLOAD: A.A. Bondy - I Can See the Pines Are Dancing (MP3)

AA Bondy is on tour and in town Wednesday night (September 9th) for a show at Mercury Lounge with Tim Easton (New West Records), Willy Mason (Astralwerks) and Dave Godowsky (yahtzees). Tickets for that are still on sale.

AA's new record, When The Devil's Loose, came out September 1st on Fat Possum. A new MP3 from that, "I Can See the Pines Are Dancing," is posted above.

You may know that Bondy (a.k.a. Scott Bondy) used to play with the band Verbena, which he started with high school friends Les Nuby (guitar, and later drums) and Duquette Johnston (bass). I recently found out that Les' new band is Vulture Whale, who recently came to NYC for a set of shows at the end of August...

"Live the band is amiable and capable. McDonald, through some unfortunate staging [at Pianos], wound up off to the side in the shadows. There were gestures and faces made; his lines' character and cleverness were intact, unemphasized. Lead guitarist Lester Nuby (late of Verbana, where I think he was the drummer?) has chops, boys and ladies, though the guy manning the boards hid him in the mix for the first couple numbers. (Backing vocals were sort of off all night and overwhelmed the lead.) They don't jam, thankfully, though "That's Cold" got teased out and the climactic "Land It" (from their first self-titled album) is designed to be pounded at.

Band got through all but two songs from the superior second record but folks in the crowd responded more to the earlier material. (They also played "Rearranged," maybe one other?) Vulture Whale was the first of four bands Saturday night (after headlining Maxwell's?), there were a decent amount of people there for that. Room wasn't thick with accents or anything, but if, like the band suggested, many were expat Alabamans, they can only be accused of knowing better." [Heartonastick]

A video of Wes from Vulture Whale performing and talking on Birmingham's WCFT, with all AA Bondy & Tim Easton tour dates, below...

Continue reading "AA Bondy connected to Vulture Whale (via Verbena), on tour (NYC tonight) w/ a new album (MP3)"