Casiotone for the Painfully Alone @ Monster Island in July (more by Ryan Muir)

today in NYC
* Zachary Cale @ Barbes
* MiniBoone @ Trash Bar
* Sparky Deathcap @ The Rock Shop
* Buffy Sainte-Marie @ Joe's Pub
* Curtis Hasselbring @ The Stone
* Richard Garet @ Issue Project Room
* Eyal Maoz, Adam Matta @ The Stone
* Ben Folds, Nick Hornby @ Barnes & Noble
* Rain Machine, Lone Wolf & Cub @ Union Pool
* Dungen, The Entrance Band @ Knitting Factory
* The Love Language, Roadside Graves @ Maxwell's
* Pink Skull, Silly Kissers, Grimes @ Cake Shop
* Mobile Wash Unit, Tora Fisher, Brent Katz @ Pianos
* Etta Place, Pezzettino, Field Mouse @ Cameo Gallery
* We Are Scientists @ The Wonder Bar in Asbury Park
* Wolf Gang, Acrylics, Safe, Painted Face @ Glasslands
* Hurrah! A Bolt of Light!, Whale Belly @ Littlefield
* Grizzly Adams w/ John Medeski, Jerseyband @ Southpaw
* Jimmy Eat World, We Were Promised Jetpacks @ Terminal 5
* Dan Deacon Ensemble @ Northern Lights in Clifton Park, NY
* Gross Relations, Heliotropes, Beloved Rogue @ Bruar Falls
* Silk Flowers, Cntrl Top @ Elizabeth Foundation For The Arts
* Apollo Run, New Motels & 'Super Secret Special Guest' @ Union Hall
* So Percussion, Tristan Perich, Corps Exquis @ Galapagos Art Space
* Ryan Bingham & the Dead Horses, The Rustlanders @ Bowery Ballroom
* Run DMT, Woodsman, La Big Vic, Night Manager, Birthdays @ Shea Stadium
* Tom Tom Club, Caravan of Thieves, The Tony Castles @ Santos Party House
* Daniel Francis Doyle, Fiasco, Bird Names, Dinowalrus, Cavex @ Death By Audio
* Lame Drivers, My Teenage Stride, The Surprisers, Easter Bonnet @ The Delancey
* The Lifted Crew, Black Taxi, Kid Savant (Royal Flush Festival party) @ Brooklyn Bowl
* Casiotone For The Painfully Alone, Otouto, Sam Mickens' Ecstatic Showband & Revue @ Mercury Lounge

For more check out This Week in Indie.

Casiotone For The Painfully Alone plays two of his final shows in NYC tonight and tomorrow.

Dungen also plays in NYC tonight and tomorrow, and then opens one of the My Morning Jacket shows at Terminal 5.

We Were Promised Jetpacks open for Jimmy Eat World at Terminal 5 for the 2nd night in a row tonight.

The Love Language played Bowery Ballroom with Here We Go Magic last night. Catch them tonight at Maxwell's with Roadside Graves.

TV on the Radio member Kyp Malone, aka Rain Machine, will play live at Union Pool tonight. TV on the Radio member Dave Sitek, aka Maximum Balloon, will DJ at Brooklyn Bowl during CMJ.

Japan's Zazen Boys played Pianos the other night. A Punkcast video from that show, below...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Thursday?"

photos by Chris La Putt

"2 hours until puffy amiyumi plays. Am so excite. waited 10 YEARS for this. Just like #gorillaz. Good weekend 4 that." - Jenny

"At echostream and puffy amiyumi show.
Echo only played like 3 songs wtf." - Katie Lee Grosskopf

"Watching Puffy Amiyumi on stage.
Not a fan, but they are doing really great out there." - Manga Therapy

"If your wondering why I'm still up at midnight.... I just got home from the PUFFY AmiYumi concert" - Stephanie???????

Puffy AmiYumi @ Irving Plaza

"[Saturday], I attended the panel for Far East to East Showcase (FETES), a concert taking place Sunday night at Irving Plaza. Performing at the show are Zazen Boys (not in attendance at the panel), Echostream, Boom Boom Satellites, and Puffy AmiYumi. The panel was moderated by a representative of Superglorious (actually, he introduced himself as Superglorious), the producer of the event.

All of the band members were shy at first, but they warmed up as Superglorious asked them questions. They talked about writing music, touring, American audiences (described as being "more direct than Japanese fans" by Puffy). Then the floor was opened to mostly dumb questions from the crowd. I doubt these musicians flew all the way from Japan to guess what character a guy was cosplaying. I shouldn't be rude; as my friend Kim Kindya, a 20-year veteran of these kinds of conventions, put it, this is the only chance these fans have to see their heroes. I should be more forgiving. But I did think it was stupid when one guy asked if Puffy were single. I suppose that was the directness Puffy mentioned." [shrinecastle]

That's a summary of what went down at the Javits Center on Saturday. The panel was part of the Anime Convention which is part of Comic Con which you can see pictures from HERE and HERE. A set of pictures from last night's related concert at Irving Plaza, continues below...

Continue reading "Puffy AmiYumi, Echostream, Boom Boom Satellites & Zazan Boys did Anime Fest, played Irving Plaza (pics) "

Zazen Boys @ Cake Shop in March 2009 (more by Tim Griffin)

Japanese post-punks Zazen Boys, who last visited NYC in March '09, will be in New York soon for a pair of shows. The band plays Irving Plaza on October 10th along with Puffy Amiyumi, Boom Boom Satellites and Echostream. That gig has been dubbed "Far East To East Showcase" (it's being put on by promoters Superglorious). Tickets are on sale.

The show is in conjunction with the New York Anime Fest which takes place in conjunction with New York Comic Con (October 8 - 10, 2010 at the Jacob Javits Center). All the bands on the Irving Plaza bill will also be at the convention.

Then on October 12th Zazen Boys play Pianos along with Wolf Gang, DZ and Zebra and Snake.

Videos of the group live are below...

Continue reading "Comic Con, Anime Fest, Puffy Amiyumi & the Zazen Boys are coming (dates) "

photos by Tim Griffin, words by Andrew Frisicano

Happy Holidays! I take on more than I can handle. That results in a lot of unposted content. In the name of catching up, while also taking it easy during this final week of the year, here's some of that lost material.

Zazen Boys...

We were anticipating a somewhat speedy return to the US after the three NYC-area shows in March by Japan's Zazen Boys. While here, the band expressed interest (in an interview) in coming back in the fall, and then there was an October 4th show at Southpaw scheduled. But no other dates were announced and eventually that show was canceled. Here's hoping they manage to make a return to NYC and the US in 2010.

The set of pictures here are from their from Cake Shop show on Friday, March 6th, which they played with Sweden's Paper, who played the venue three nights straight. More pictures are below...

Continue reading "Zazen Boys & Paper @ Cake Shop in NYC - pics "

Antony @ Apollo Theater in 2008 (more by Ryan Muir)

tonight in NYC
* DANCE
* Atlantic Antic
* Lucinda Williams @ Irving Plaza
* NY Burlesque Fest @ (Le) Poisson Rouge
* Dinosaur Jr @ Northern Lights in Clifton Park
* Sufjan Stevens, Cryptacize @ Bowery Ballroom
* Woe, Aluk Todolo, Malkuth, Castevet @ Union Pool
* The Legendary Shack Shakers, The Defibulators @ The Bell House
* Chain and the Gang, Silk Flowers, Julianna Barwick, Screens @ Mercury Lounge
* Maps and Atlases, Princeton, Laura Stevenson & The Cans @ Knitting Factory
* Life of the World to Come (film) w/ Rian Johnson, John Darnielle @ Housing Works
* Gavin Friday & Friends w/ U2 members, Rufus Wainwright, Laurie Anderson, Antony & many, many more @ Carnegie Hall

Today is The Ninth Annual New York City International Pickle Day.

Sufjan Stevens kicks off a four-night run with Cryptacize at Bowery Ballroom.

"Count yourselves among the fortunate, Philadelphians. Celebrated songwriter Sufjan Stevens is playing only 14 shows on his tour that launched at a sold-out Johnny Brenda's on Monday, and with a repeat performance scheduled last night, two of the indie auteur's dates were set at the cozy Fishtown club.

Stevens' 75-minute set with his six-piece band was notable for more than just its intimate setting. (Last time through town, Stevens - who brought the indie-music world to ecstasy with his 2005 folk-baroque album Illinois - sold out the Tower Theater in Upper Darby, roughly 10 times the size of Johnny Brenda's.)

Coming on stage in a Zoo York skull-and-bones T-shirt and camouflage cap, Stevens was backed by an able and adaptable ensemble that included a trombonist who played guitar and a trumpeter who switched off to French horn and keyboards. Finger-picking a banjo, and singing in a tremulous voice, Stevens began by conveying a sense of spiritual wonder with "All the Trees in the Field Will Clap Their Hands" from 2004's biblical-flavored Seven Swans." [philadelphia inquirer]

Sufjan performed all of Seven Swans at ATP NY this year.

Lucinda Williams plays from her 1992-2001 catalogue at Irving Plaza tonight. She played the same venue last night.

Rian Johnson's Mountain Goats concert film, Life of the World to Come, screens at Housing Works Bookstore with the director and John Darnielle in attendance.

Chain and the Gang, Silk Flowers, Julianna Barwick and Screens play Mercury Lounge.

Zazen Boys were scheduled to play Southpaw tonight, but their trip here was canceled.

NY Burlesque Fest continues at (Le) Poisson Rouge.

Union Pool hosts a BV-sponsored metal bill that includes Woe, Aluk Todolo (who played the WFMU Fest this week), Malkuth and Castevet.

Have you checked out the new Knitting Factory Brooklyn yet? Tonight the venue presents Princeton, Maps and Atlases, and Laura Stevenson & The Cans. In October Princeton is going on tour with Art Brut.

Gavin Friday & Friends holds a benefit at Carnegie Hall. Guests include Laurie Anderson, Antony, Elizabeth Ashley, Bono, Adam Clayton, Andrea Corr, The Edge, Flo & Eddie, Joel Grey, Bill Frisell, Guggi, Scarlett Johansson, Courtney Love, Lydia Lunch (who played Music Hall last night), Patrick McCabe, Maria McKee, Shane MacGowan, Eric Mingus, Larry Mullen, Jr., JG Thirlwell, Martha Wainwright, Rufus Wainwright, Chloe Webb and "special guests" (the phrase starts to lose meaning...).

Video of Lady Gaga on SNL, new Breakfast at Sulimay's, Volcano Choir and more below...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Sunday?"

by Andrew Frisicano

DOWNLOAD: Paper - Out of It Into It (MP3)

Zazen Boys @ Mercury Lounge on 10/5/08 (by Jeff Winterberg)

"Zazen Boys were formed in 2003 by Mukai Shutoku, former leader of Japanese rock band Number Girl. In a word, Zazen Boys aspire to be `Led Zeppelin in kimono."

Japanese funk-rockers Zazen Boys are playing three NYC-area dates this weekend - Friday (3/6) at Cake Shop; Saturday (3/7) at The Saint in Asbury Park, NJ (tix); and Sunday (3/8) at Pianos.

A Baltimore City Paper review of the band's visit to that city (in support of their September 2008 release IV) captures the band's dueling improv-art-rock and dance groove tendencies, with plentiful name dropping:

After a brief introduction in delightfully accented English--"From Matsuri Studio, Tokyo, we are Zazen Boys!"--the quartet first pounded away with some mathy hardcore and obnoxiously endearing noise. In a far-fetched conception, this portion of the band's set was like California's Health, but with dramatically fewer loops and noise explosions; the drummer was adequately primal but keen to all the subtle transitions of art-rock composition.

But as the Boys softened a few of the hard edges and brought out funk fit for dancing shoes, it was possible to view them more accurately as disciples of the Dismemberment Plan, or even George Clinton. The hit "Weekend," with its juicy slap bass, pornographic guitar noise, and bilingual (nearly spiritual) party lyrics, made the show definitely feel like the "buzzworthy" arrival of foreign rock stars. "I Don't Wanna Be With You" was a delicious club number with hip-swerving runway synthesizers and pitch-altered Dan Deacon-esque vocals. It was unexpectedly mind-blowing, a show more than worth the in-box clutter.

At the Cake Shop, Zazen Boys will share the bill with NYC's Frankpollis, and Sweden's Paper who we also recently featured and are playing Cake Shop two other times that week.

Videos from Zazen Boys's 2008 release IV, and those dates in list & flyer format (their only scheduled shows at the moment), below...

Continue reading "Japan's ZAZEN BOYS - 3 NY-area shows, Cake Shop w/ Paper"