DOWNLOAD: DIamond Terrifier - "It's Already After The End Of The World" (Freedom Garden 10-8-11) (MP3)

Diamond Terrifier

Diamond Terrifier (aka Sam Hilmer of Zs) is introducing his new bi-weekly series, 'PRACTICE!' taking place at Zebulon every other Tuesday. This month it takes place on January 17 and 31, and he's performing at and curating each one. The 1/17 show includes Lichens, Hunter Hunt-Hendrix (of Liturgy who are opening for Zola Jesus at Webster Hall), LZA/Dutch E. Germ (of Gang Gang Dance), and DJ sets by Laurel Halo and The Oracle. The 1/31 show includes Dan Friel< GDFX, Rat Attack, and DJ sets by Chief Boima (of Dutty Artz) and The Oracle. All shows in this series are free.

Diamond Terrifier also has a bunch of other shows coming up in NYC this month, including one TONIGHT (1/10) at Spectacle Theater in Brooklyn, where he will perform a live score for the film Shaman of the Blind Country, narrated by William S. Burroughs. He also plays Shea Stadium on Saturday (1/14) with Controlled Bleeding and Dan Friel, and Littlefield on January 18 with Patrick Higgins and Eric Wubbles (tickets). The next night he'll be in Brooklyn again at La Sala (1/19) with Extra Life, and Union Pool on January 24 with Dan Friel, Zulus and Grooms.

Diamond Terrifier is also set to release his first official full length this September via Northern Spy. The album will be produced by Chris Taylor of Grizzly Bear. Until then, he's been releasing a single every month on his website. Check out this month's installment, a live recording of "It's Already After The End Of The World" from Freedom Garden in October, below, and download it above.

All dates and the stream below...

Continue reading "Diamond Terrifier playing & curating shows w/ many special guests, working on an album (dates & MP3)"

by BBG

Ben Greenberg, aka Hubble

Psychic Ills will headline a show at 285 Kent Ave on Saturday (11/19), and along for the ride will be Man Forever, Driphouse, DJs Tim Dewit, Sam Hillmer of Zs and Marty McSorely, as well as Hubble, who will be celebrating a new LP Hubble Drums at the show.

Hubble is Ben Greenberg who you may also know from his project Pygmy Shrews or from his involvement with Sam Hillmer of Zs. Hubble Drums is Greenberg's debut LP which is available now via Northern Spy. It falls somewhere between outer space guitar shred and shoegazey ambience. You can stream the record in its entirety at Vice.

Hubble will also play another show next week if you can't make it to 285 Kent, hitting Cameo Gallery on 11/25 with Xela, Hobo Cubes, and Bretschneider. Full tour dates, song streams, and a video for Hubble's "Hubble's Hubble" (not a typo), below..

Continue reading "Hubble streaming new album, celebrating w/ Psychic Ills & friends @ 285 Kent this weekend"

by BBG

Hold on tight, the following post may make the internet completely collapse upon itself. Christopher Weingarten, notorious blogger/tweeter (as 1000TimesYes) and ex-drummer of Parts & Labor, welcomed his latest book Hipster Puppies over the summer. In celebration, Weingarten is throwing two upcoming events. The first is a (rescheduled due to hurricane Irene) "Hipster Puppies instore" at Sound Fix Records this Saturday (9/10). "Bring a dog, get a dollar off a book." Chris will be DJing. Flyer below.

The second, more my style, is a release party on September 21st at Public Assembly with live musical appearances from Zs, Burning Star Core, Mountains, and Dinowalrus, all of which appear on the Hipster Puppies: New York Cassette which is also celebrating its release that night. Limited to 350 copies, this 87-minute tape is available for purchase or for free to the first 50 people to buy tickets. Tickets are on sale now.

Zs

In addition, Zs will also celebrate their own release of a Sky Burial cassette, "an extremely limited 18-minute sound collage of lo-fi recordings snatched from the band's European encores". Available in two editions, a golden mirror finish and a white one (limited to 50 and 150 respectively), the release is the first of a trilogy of recordings for Zs that will include a 2x7" called 33 and an LP entitled This Body Will be a Corpse. Look for the LP on Playbutton and the 7" on Northern Spy (who will release many upcoming Zs recordings) but in the meantime, stream "33" and a snippet from the Sky Burial below.

Zs is also scheduled to play a release show for 33 in November (details forthcoming) as well as the first night of the Spy Music Festival going down on Oct 1st (at Shea Stadium) and 2nd (at Zebulon). Zs will join Bird Names, Colin L. Orchestra, Dan Melchior und das Menace, Neptune, Eleven Twenty-Nine, and Haunted House for the first night, while the second night will feature appearances from The Spanish Donkey, Hubble, Angels in America, Weyes Blood, and Zaimph. The shows are in celebration of record label Northern Spy's first anniversary. Full details on the festival are below.

In related news, Sam of Zs also is a member of Diamond Terrifier, who will play The Gutter on Sunday (9/11) with Charlie Looker (Extra Life), Patrick Higgins, and Eric Wubbels. $5 gets you into this 21+ event of avant-garde experimentalism. Stream an excerpt from Diamond Terrifer's forthcoming Himalayan Appalachia below, and look for it on limited cassette on 9/17.

Extra Life also have a show coming up at Glasslands.

All streams, Spy Music Fest details, Zs dates and stuff below...

Continue reading "Hipster Puppy events, limited cassettes, Zs, Spy Music Fest"

by Andrew Frisicano

Tonight (7/6) is the first of three chances you'll have to check out Noveller, the guitar-based soundscapes project of Sarah Lipstate, over the next two weeks. The show is at Public Assembly, where she's on a bill with JACK Quartet (who've been playing around town quite a bit, including a set at the BoaC marathon) and Zs (performing as a trio). After that, Noveller plays Thursday at Coco 66 and next Tuesday (7/15) at Shea Stadiumwith Zs-related Diamond Terrifier (video below).

Noveller recently released a new record, Glacial Glow, which you can hear-- along with the rest of the Noveller catalog--on Bandcamp. The disc takes a different approach than 2010's stellar Desert Fires, swapping its broad, meaty textures for a more spare, melodic sound. That same approach carries over into Matt Kleiner's video for new song "Alone Star," which captures the urban landscapes of Sydney and Melbourne in stark black & white. That video and all tour dares are below....

Continue reading "Noveller released 'Glacial Glow' (stream), playing shows (dates at Public Assembly, Coco66 & Shea Stadium)"

by Andrew Frisicano

DOWNLOAD: Zs - Acres of Skin (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Zs - Diamond Terrifier (Zebrablood remix) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Zs - AcresRMX (Gabe Andruzzi Remix) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Zs - Gentleman Amateur (Leg Lifters "Professional" Remix) (MP3)

Unlike basically every other cultural outlet, the writers of Tiny Mix Tapes voted to give their Album of Year honors to an artist that isn't Kanye West. Instead, they gave it to NYC avant-noise/rock group Zs for their excellent 2010 album New Slaves. (Don't worry: Kanye still made #10.)

Zs will start the new year with a complement to that record, New Slaves II: Essence Implosion!, a collection of remixes that comes out on the Social Registry on Tuesday, January 25th. On the record, the band's tracks are reworked by the likes of Genesis P. Orridge, JG Thirwell, Gabe Andruzzi of The Rapture and others, and the whole thing starts off with a new track featuring Charlie Looker, Weasel Walter and WFMU's Marty McSorely. Two of those remixes are posted above, along with an exclusive mix not on the release done by Justin Pearson of The Locust (That's the Leg Lifters "Professional" Remix of "Gentleman Amateur"). You can also check out "Acres of Skin" from New Slaves, to give you a taste of the source material.

Zs have an album-release show for the disc Monday/tonight at Knitting Factory with Thee Majesty (Feat. Genesis P-Orridge), Ecstatic Sunshine, Cex and DJ DRUZZ (The Rapture/Throne Of Blood). The group has a special set (with an extra member) planned in honor of the release, so expect something unusual. Tickets are still on sale.

Also coming up, Zs: Black Crown Ceremony will play with Sightings, White Suns and Normal Love at Death By Audio on January 28th.

See a Zs live session from SXSW, the album's tracklist and more below...

Continue reading "Zs releasing 'New Slaves II' (MP3s), celebrating @ Knitting Factory tonight w/ friends (dates)"

GT photos by Tim Griffin

DOWNLOAD: Thee Oh Sees - I Was Denied (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: So Cow - Start Over (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Golden Triangle - Neon Noose (MP3)

Golden Triangle @ the Spider House in March

As we just pointed out, Friday (7/16) at the Seaport Music Festival it's Thee Oh Sees, Golden Triangle, and So Cow. The free show starts early, with So Cow on at 6:30. (Bill is DJing in between sets, just an FYI.) As two of the three bands are from out of town, there are a few related shows you might want to know about too.

Tonight, 7/15, at Death by Audio, main Oh See John Dwyer is performing with Sam Hilner of Zs. Not sure what this duo is cooking up, but given the rest of the line-up I'd say we're in for an evening of experimental, improvisational noise. The rest of tonight's bill: Charlie Looker of Extra Life, and The Weasel Walter Trio.

Now some of you might be saying: "hold on, aren't So Cow and MINKS were playing Death by Audio tonight?" That was definitely listed in a few different places as such, but that either was never actually the case or has been changed. However, So Cow is playing Death By Audio on Saturday (7/17) with Yvette and the Sundelles. Flyer and other dates below.

Thee Oh Sees new EP, Warm Slime, is six more short servings of the band's patented style garage, thick as oatmeal, plus one 13-minute freakout that opens the record. You can download "I Was Denied" at the top of this post. Also up there: a track from So Cow's first official full-length, Meaningless Friendly, and Golden Triangle's "Neon Noose".

Thee Oh Sees flew in just to play the Seaport (sort of), but will tour in September when they return to NYC to play Santos Party House. We know that last bit because tickets are on sale. All dates below.

The only local band in the group, Golden Triangle, play in town rather often (though they have no other shows besides the Seaport listed at the moment), and they were in Austin this past March for SXSW where they played our day party at Spider House (the same party Thee Oh Sees played). Lots of bands played that show actually, but the pictures got lost in a hole until this week when we also posted sets of The Beets and Kid Congo Powers. Now here are the Golden Triangle pictures.

The rest of those pictures and the above-mentioned tour dates, below...

Continue reading "So Cow & Golden Triangle playing the Seaport Friday too ++ DBA shows, Spider House pics & other related stuff"

photos by Benjamin Lozovsky, words by Andrew Frisicano

no babies in sight this time..

Spain's Delorean played a packed, celebratory free set to a crowd of New Yorkers at the Stuy Town Oval on Wednesday (7/7), appropriately, the same day Spain advanced to the World Cup Finals. A vuvuzela sat on stage (and mercifully remained silent) (unlike at the recent Peelander-Z show). Pictures from that show are in this post.

Delorean continues their NYC stay with a DJ set tonight (7/8) at Littlefield with resident DJs Raspberry Jones and Treeboy.

After that, Delorean is playing a sold-out Bowery Ballroom show on Saturday, July 10th. And then they'll be back for the end-of-the-season Pool Party on August 29th (two headliners TBA).

Previously, Delorean kicked off PS1's Warm up series with Janka Nabay, Glasser and others. And Janka played with another Spaniard, El Guincho, at (Le) Poisson Rouge last night (7/7) - which was El Guincho's second show of the night (earlier he played the SummerStage).

Janka continues his own week of busy shows with a rooftop gig in Bushwick (details below) on Friday and a World Cup Finals party at Zebulon on Sunday with Baye Kouyate. Then he's back at Zebulon with Cafe Antarsia Ensemble on July 31st. If you've noticed, Janka has a new band, the Bubu Gang, which features members of Skeletons and Zs.

Another related Zebulon night, its monthly Cool Places Sound System dance party, put together by Tony from Zs/Bubu Gang and Dean from True Panther Sounds (Janka's label), is happening next on July 17th.

Janka Nabay's new video for his new song "Ah Mufan" (which you can buy here), his tour dates, and more pictures of Delorean at the Oval are below...

Continue reading "Delorean played Stuy Town (pics), Spain beat Germany, Janka Nabay played LPR w/ El Guincho (and is playing more dates)"

by Andrew Frisicano

Grouper @ Terminal 5 in May 2009 (more by Natasha Ryan)

So we managed to sneak into Grouper's rare Brooklyn gig on Friday night and still aren't sure what we witnessed over the course of her main 60-minute set. (She also presented a new tape collage piece.) To be honest, the entire thing looked/sounded incredibly creepy, as if one of The Shining's redrum-happy twins suddenly learned how to sculpt dronescapes and acoustic something-or-others from an ancient keyboard and several effects pedals. It didn't help that the room was humid as hell--literally--with Issue Project Room's single, solitary fan getting switched off in the middle of the first 'song' because it was interfering with Liz Harris' signal. [self-titled]

Coming up, Matt Mottel (Issue's artist-in-residence) brings his jazz duo Talibam! to the venue for a free performance on Wednesday, June 9th. On Friday, June 11th, composer and tape artist William Basinski presents his piece "Vivian and Ondine" at a free show at 110 Livingston (Issue's new being-remodeled space).

Man Forever (Kid Millions from Oneida's new composition for multiple rock drummers) performs with composer/musicians Elliott Sharp, Zeena Parkins, Frank Vigroux and Hélène Breschand on June 25th. Tickets are on sale. Man Forever have a new record almost out, and the project will be touring this summer.

The self-titled debut - two monolithic, hypnotic improvisations for arrays of carefully tuned drums- is due out [June 22nd] in an edition of 300 LPs featuring hand-pulled screens on recycled record jackets from Jagjaguwar vinyl imprint St. Ives. The touring quintet of Kid Millions, YEAH YEAH YEAHS drummer Brian Chase, Oneida cohort and KNYFE HYTS drummer Shahin Motia, drummer Allison Busch of AWESOME COLOR, and SIGHTINGS bassist Richard Hoffman, will be augmented by local percussionists in each city.

Man Forever plays tonight (June 8th) at the Tank with Dump (James McNew of Yo La Tengo), M&M and the New York debut of the Sloppy Heads (who have a new Kid Milions-produced 7", First Gasp, which you can download here as a ZIP). That show has tickets on sale.

Man Forever also headline a Monster Island show on Friday, June 11th.

The night after Man Forever at Issue - Zs, who just put out a new record, play Issue with sound/multimedia artist David Linton (on Saturday, June 26th).

Separate from Darmstadt is the venue's ISSUE Project Room's Sunday Concerts in the Courtyard series that'll be bringing a Sunday, June 27th lineup of Omar Souleyman (who plays Central Park the day before with Tinariwen) and CSC Funk Band (featured here) to the Old American Can Factory courtyard. Tickets are on sale. The other shows in that series are posted below.

On top of all that, Issue will be participating in the two-venue, 65th-birthday celebration for improv legend Anthony Braxton (father of Tyondai from Battles) happening on June 18 and 19th. It's at (Le) Poisson Rouge on the 18th and Issue on the 19th. Details, tickets links and video are below.

The full Issue/Darmstadt schedule, video from Zs' Gulf Coast benefit show at Shea Stadium on June 2nd, and more are posted below...

Continue reading "Darmstadt continues @ Issue Project Room, Man Forever, Zs, James McNew, Omar Souleyman & Anthony Braxton's birthday"

by BBG

Arab on Radar

Dudefest isn't the only recipients of the Arab on Radar return, as NYC and ten other cities will get a taste of their own during select dates in July, August and September. The dates include Cake Shop in NYC on July 31st with Child Abuse, No Babies, and Orange Coax. Full dates for the band are below.

One of the supporting bands a the show, Child Abuse, are also scheduled to play Shea Stadium on June 2nd as part of a benefit for the victims of the Gulf Coast alongside headliner Zs, Controlled Bleeding, Cellular Chaos (feat Weasel Walter), and with DJ 1000TimesYes. All proceeds go towards The Greater New Orleans Foundation. Show flyer is below.

Child Abuse is also scheduled to play Death By Audio on June 28th with The Bastard Noise, The Communion (aka Kanalbrigade), and EID. The show is one of TWO Bastard Noise shows set for June.

Tour dates, the flyer, and some videos are below...

Continue reading "Arab on Radar reunion tour dates & a Zs Gulf Coast benefit "

The Middle East @ SXSW 2010 (more by Tim Griffin)

tonight in NYC
* Whiplash @ UCB
* Antibalas @ Webster Hall
* Weasel Walter, Vialka, CSC Funk Band @ Zebulon
* Nas, Damian "Jr Gong" Marley @ Highline Ballroom
* Reverend Vince Anderson & His Love Choir @ Union Pool
* Leslie & The Badgers, Ferraby Lionheart @ Mercury Lounge
* Mumford & Sons, The Middle East @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
* 45 Grave, the Dead Sextons, Psychocharger & the Arkhams @ Europa
* Doppelganger, Tiberius, New Moods, Patrick Holmes/Ryan Sawyer Duo @ Cake Shop
* Daniel Pujol, McDonalds, Wild Harem, Knight School, Joey Wyoming @ DBA
* Philip Seymour Hoffman, Second Floor Stories, The City And Horses, Sexy Neighbors @ Knitting Factory

Tonight's Whiplash show @ UCB features comedy by Pete Holmes (Ugly Americans, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon), Baron Vaughn (Comedy Central), Rory Scovel (Comedy Central), Hari Kondabolu (John Oliver's New York Stand-Up Show), and Sandra Bauleo.

Mumford & Sons play their first of two NYC shows this evening at Music Hall of Williamsburg (the other is at Webster Hall). Opener The Middle East also play an extra one this week at Mercury Lounge with Mountain Man. All three gigs are sold out.

New Moods is a new NYC electro-duo comprised of Other Passengers frontman Billy Jones and Gang Gang Dance engineer Sean Maffucci. They make what I think is their NYC live debut (they previously performed in Austin during SXSW) tonight at Cake Shop. Two demos are streaming at their MySpace (and there's more on their NSFW bandcamp page).

Video of Zs playing "Acres Of Skin" live at 118 South 3rd Street in Williamsburg on May 15th, below...

Holy Ghost! tested out their new live band for the first time at a private show Saturday night at Under 100. A video from that show below...

Recent Captured Tracks signing MINKS performed at Glasslands on Saturday night. Video from that below...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Monday?"

by Andrew Frisicano

DOWNLOAD: Zs - Acres of Skin (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Zs - Diamond Terrifier (Zebrablood remix) (MP3)

Avant-garde band Zs are celebrating their new LP New Slaves (out now on Social Registry) with a show at Knitting Factory in Brooklyn tonight (5/11), and they've brought along a pretty amazing cast of characters to pad the show. Kicking off at 8PM, the Brooklyn band will be joined by noise collective Excepter, guitar god Mick Barr and synth band Silk Flowers with river-dredging vocals, in addition to Dutty Artz DJs Matt Shadetek & Lamin. Tickets are still available.

It's one of two NYC shows on the calendar for Zs, with the second taking place June 26th at Issue Project Room with david linton: bicameral research sound & projection system.

New Slaves marks Zs' first full-length LP on Social Registry, after dropping their Music of the Modern White EP on the label last year. The band recently debuted the track and a video for "Acres of Skin". Download that track above, and check out its video below.

The band also sent along an exclusive new remix of their song "Diamond Terrifier" done up by Zebrablood of Excepter (who play their show tonight). The result is a 12-minute dancefloor-from-hell take on the breathy 13-minute drone-like original; don't listen alone with the lights off.

That song figures into the band's plans for future, which include a record of New Slaves remixes with contributions expected from Brian Degraw (Gang Gang Dance), Gabe Andruzzi (The Rapture), Genesis P-orridge (Throbbing Gristle/Psychic Tv) Jim Thirwell (Foetus), Dutty Artz DJs, Zebrablood (Excepter) and others. They plan on touring Europe in late July/early August.

More on what's in the works for Zs and their sax player/community-mover-and-shaker Sam Hillmer (straight from Sam's mouth) - including the last concert of the Real Bushwick/Bushwick Real series on June 4th with Janka Nabay, nine11thesaurus and more, and another Maze, which he says is being planned for fall 2011, and will be constructed of chain link fences outside - is posted below...

Continue reading "the Zs record is out - MP3, a new remix, show tonight w/ Excepter & other dates & Sam Hillmer news"

by Andrew Frisicano

Forward-thinking group Skeletons are a frequent live presence around NYC, but record-wise, they've been quiet since the release of their 2008 LP, Money. In recent months, Skeletons have played out as the expanded Skeletons Big Band, switched their core lineup, and continued to put on great shows. In the spirit of curiosity, we e-mailed guitarist Jason McMahon for an update on their ongoing projects. He said,

So, Skeletons, eh? Due to the inevitable departure of long-time band member Tony Lowe, Skeletons is changing. In the midst of mixing and mastering at least two brand massive new albums worth of material from the last two years, including the promised concept PEOPLE (an album about specific people), as well as recordings of the 16-piece Big Band, we're also now rehearsing with a new organ player (Mike Gallope, a friend from Oberlin and member of Starring) and a new bass player (Pete Vogl, from Bow Ribbons). I expect there to be a new album coming out on Tomlab this Summer or Fall, and that will be PEOPLE.

We're playing on March 27th at the SILENT BARN, a venue we founded in 2005 and haven't been to in years, with sister bands Zs (of which Tony Lowe is now a member), and Extra Life (whose leader Charlie Looker used to be in Zs). It's all very incestuous. It should be a grand reunion/show down of bands that have so much in common that they're actively differentiable.

VNine 11 Thesaurus @ the Maze at DBA last September (more by Tim Griffin)

¿REAL BUSHWICK/BUSHWICK RÉAL? is a new performance series representing the multi-faceted communities that make up Bushwick's vibrant arts scene, and highlighting musicians, dancers, poets, and other performers from Bushwick and surrounding Brooklyn neighborhoods. Each show features a mix of youth performers, community-based performers, and other artists with ties to the community and represents an opportunity for families to share intergenerational music and performance interests.

On February 26, REAL BUSHWICK teams up with The Silent Barn to present Zs, Lucky Dragons, Nine 11 Thesaurus, Non Horse, Mega Calderos, DJ Shadatek, and Cool Places Sound System.

Continue reading "¿REAL BUSHWICK/BUSHWICK RÉAL?"

Naomi Shelton @ Joe's Pub in 2009 (more by Jacob Blickenstafff)

tonight in NYC
* Whiplash comedy @ UCB
* Chicha Libre @ Barbes
* Butch Morris (seminar) @ The Stone
* White Hills, Pontiak, Eidetic Seeing @ Cake Shop
* Les Paul Guitar Tribute w/ Dorado Schmitt @ Iridium
* Maluka & Bad Brilliance Haiti benefit @ Public Assembly
* Jim Campilongo Electric Trio @ The Living Room
* Reverend Vince Anderson & His Love Choir @ Union Pool
* Martin Bisi, Paul Wallfisch, Rachelle Garniez, John Dylan Keith @ The Delancey
* Retribution Gospel Choir feat. Alan Sparhawk, Datus, Arms & Legs, Himalaya @ Mercury Lounge
* Amayo's Fu-Arkist-Ra (w/ members of Chico Mann and Fela!), Naomi Shelton & The Gospel Queens, Rich Medina, Ikebe Shakedown @ Knitting Factory

The Knitting Factory show tonight is a benefit for Haiti.

Butch Morris gives a seminar tonight at The Stone. Toby Driver's month of choices kicks off on Tuesday.

David Byrne and Justin Vernon showed up as surprise guests at the St. Vincent show on Friday night.

David Byrne's newest album won a Grammy, as did many other people and albums last night.

Les Paul Guitar Trio with guest Dorado Schmitt does a special show for Django Reinhardt's 100th b-day at Iridium. Jeff Beck and Imelda May honored Les Paul last night on the Grammys.

Killing Joke are releasing a new album, playing more shows.

Tinariwen are one of the first acts announced for the 2010 season at Central Park Summerstage.

Mayhem tickets went on sale.

Passion Pit tickets went on sale.

Video of Zs playing "New Slaves" at Market Hotel on January 29th, below...

Efterklang's new video for "Modern Drift", below...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Monday?"

photos by Lori Baily, words by Andrew Frisicano

Zs clapping

On September 3rd, Glasslands hosted an eclectic lineup of Larkin Grimm, Extra Life, Zs and Liturgy. If you missed it, there are plenty of opportunities to see every band on the bill again. For instance, Liturgy is playing both The New Yorker Festival at The Bell House, and a Halloween show at Market Hotel.

Zs' Sam Hillmer is co-curating Death By Audio's The Maze, which takes place through October 2nd, with Zs performing that last night. The inaugural gig for the space will be a show on September 10th with Skeletons Big Band, who are currently doing 3 nights at Roulette. That group's expanded lineup shares some members with Sam Mickens' Ecstatic Showband & Revue. Mickens (of The Dead Science) & Co. are playing the Cake Shop on Wednesday, September 16th with Wildbirds & Peacedrums (who are playing NYC with Deerhoof and Fanfarlo that same week), Katie Eastburn, and Charlie Looker (of Extra Life who also plays in the Revue).

Extra Life has their own shows at both Death By Audio (on September 12th) and Cake Shop (on November 5th) as well as one at Alphabet City spot Drom on October 9th.

More pictures from Glasslands and dates below...

Continue reading "Extra Life & Zs played Glasslands (pics), Wildbirds & Peacedrums add NYC show w/ Sam Mickens & more (dates)"

by Black Bubblegum

DOWNLOAD: Liturgy - "Ecstatic Rite" (MP3)

Liturgy in a moment of "om"

Liturgy's killer new album Renihilation has only been out around eight days now, and Hunter and the boys are already swimming in accolades. A short US tour kicks off next week, but until then look for them at one last hometown show to sate those who haven't seen them live and can't wait until The New Yorker Festival in October or Halloween with Malkuth and Mount Eerie.

Tonight (9/3) Liturgy will team up with Extra Life (mem STATS), Zs, and Larkin Grimm at Glasslands Gallery in Brooklyn.

Both Liturgy and STATS are alumni of BV-BBG events; Liturgy played Europa and STATS played the Show No Mercy/BV-BBG event at Public Assembly.

Speaking of bands that played BV-BBG at Europa, Howl are scheduled to play Europa on Sunday (9/6) with Toxic Holocaust. Tickets are still available.

The last time that Howl played NYC was at a FREE show at Fontana's, and ANOTHER one of those takes place TONIGHT (9/3)! Black Anvil will be celebrating the re-release of their awesome 2008 LP, Time Insults The Mind, on Relapse. The band will be joined by a very special guest and The Binary Code. Flyer is below, and again, it is FREE.

Also this sunday (9/6), the previously mentioned Show No Mercy at Public Assembly featuring Gnaw, Mick Barr, Castevet, and Period. Period shares a member with Extra Life.

All Liturgy tour dates as well as flyers for Show No Mercy and the Black Anvil Fontana's show are below.

Continue reading "Liturgy tour dates, Glasslands tonight, Black Anvil for free @ Fontana's, Show No Mercy Sunday & more upcoming shows"

Sam Hillmer (left) playing with Zs @ the Yard (more by Sarahana)

You Are Here (The Maze) is a performance festival in a sculptural maze taking place at Williamsburg's Death By Audio from September 10 - October 2, 2009. Emphasizing the sprawling and interconnected nature of New York's underground, a trip through the maze offers a peak inside NYC's diy art/music scene. A meditation on passage and desire, You Are Here engulfs the space and presents beckoning inhabitants, dead ends, and uplifting epitaphs. Medium and genre vary and overlapping and simultaneous performances are frequent, each performer establishing a different corner or dead end as his or hers.

Skeletons kick off the first night of the festival on September 10th as the Skeletons Big Band, a 12-piece band (expanded from their usual four) that's also playing September 7-9th at Roulette. There they'll be performing "New Works for a Larger Ensemble" which includes "excerpts and new arrangements from their record in progress "PEOPLE," a long form piece based around conversations in Greyhound busses and stations, and beyond..."

The full schedule for the Maze (and the lineup for Skeletons Big Band) is below...

Continue reading "Death By Audio's The Maze - schedule (includes 1 of 4 upcoming Skeletons Big Band shows & much more) "

photos by Sarahana

Future Islands / Screaming Females

"OH GOD, THIS PARTY WAS A LOT OF EFFING WORK, BUT IT WAS TOTALLY WORTH IT. I'VE NEVER BEEN SO OBSESSED WITH THE WEATHER CHANNEL, PRAYING AND PLEADING FOR IT NOT TO RAIN. BUT IT ALL TURNED OUT FUCKING GREAT AND I FELL IN LOVE AGAIN WITH ALL THE BANDS WHO PLAYED. CHECK OUT THE NEW IMPOSE T-SHIRTS! - THANKS TO SEASICK MAMA APPAREL FOR PRINTING THEM.

THANKS TO: BOOGIE BOARDER, FUTURE ISLANDS, AIR WAVES, SHARON VAN ETTEN, SILVER SUMMIT, ZS, SCREAMING FEMALES, PSYCHIC ILLS, SEASICK MAMA, VIVA RADIO, COLT, CINEMA 16, AND ALL THE VENDORS!!

STAY TUNED FOR PARTY WITH TABLES IN JANUARY!"
[Karen Aragon]

Continue reading "Screaming Females, Future Islands, Boogie Boarder, Psychic Ills, Sharon Van Etten, Air Waves, more @ Bklyn Yard - pics "

Remember Death By Audio's 12-hour benefit on July 25th for something called You Are Here: A Maze?

Sam Hillmer & Laura Paris, who dubbed their art collaboration Trouble, had the first You Are Here festival in 2007, at 44th street between Sixth Avenue and Broadway. Paris drew out the floor-plan of the maze, while Hillmer, who plays tenor saxophone for the Zs, booked bands to play in the space and coordinated efforts to bring people inside to interact with the maze.

"It didn't seem like the kind of thing that could just sit in a gallery, it needs constant traffic," Hillmer explained. "That is the piece, people dealing with the situation [presented by the maze]."

This year's festival, scheduled for Spetember 10th through October 2nd, will take up the entire space of Death by Audio and feature a maze constructed out of salvaged doors from Built It Green, a nonprofit organization that sells surplus building materials. The space will also have woodchip-covered floors ("to reference mazes built out of bushes," Hillmer notes). The twists and turns of the venue will be littered by some 200 of Paris' sculptures, molded from some of her pieces and then cast repeatedly. [Greenpoint Gazette]

The preliminary lineup (aka almost a month's worth of shows at the venue while the maze is up) mixes interesting out of town names (Calvin Johnson, Ty Segal, The Coathangers) with local acts like Skeletons (as 'Skeletons and the Kings of All Cities'), Mick Barr (he is local right?), Extra life and Stars Like Fleas. Full lineup to be announced soon but more of it is below, along with video footage of the first Maze (starring Dave Longstreth, Thee Oh Sees and others), and other details and the flyer for the new Maze...

Continue reading "Death by Audio maze installation running Sept 10-Oct 2 (Skeletons, Mick Barr, Calvin Johnson, Extra Life, Ty Segall)"

Coney Island - July 3, 2009 (setusthebomb)

tonight in NYC
* DANCE
* Deicide @ BB King's
* Allen Toussaint @ Joe's Pub
* BLK JKS @ Weeksville Heritage Center
* Oumou Sangare, Les Nubians, Asa @ Summerstage
* The Entrance Band, TK Webb and The Visions @ Southpaw
* Brian Borcherdt (of Holy Fuck), My Best Fiend @ Mercury Lounge
* Psychedelic Horseshit, Wet Hair, John Maus, Ganglians @ Monster Island
* Afro-Punk Festival w/ Earl Greyhound, Tamar-Kali, London Souls @ BAM
* Show No Mercy w/ Anal Cunt, Fuck The Facts, Locrian, Gwynbleidd, Copremesis @ Public Assembly
* Recovering from July 4th...

"Fireworks burst into the night sky above New York with a kaleidoscope of colors shooting 1,000 feet into the air on an Independence Day that began with the Statue of Liberty's crown opening to the public for the first time since Sept. 11, 2001." [AP]

The Brooklyn Afro-Punk Festival get into its second of three days. Living Colour is no longer on the bill though. Monday you can catch Saul Williams and Janelle Monae.

Ganglians play on a bill with Psychedelic Horseshit, Wet Hair, John Maus and Dead Luke at Monster Island.

"Reporting from Washington -- A day after Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin resigned, a federal official in her home state dismissed one potential explanation for her sudden and unexpected resignation: a rumored FBI investigation into the former Wasilla mayor on public corruption charges." [LA Times]

The Entrance Band opened for Sonic Youth on Friday night. Tonight they headline their own show at Southpaw.

Zs played Death By Audio on July 3rd. Video below...

Allen Klein, RIP

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Sunday?"

by Black Bubblegum

DOWNLOAD: STATS - Marooned EP (Zipped MP3s) (donation button below)

Brooklyn mathematicians STATS (formerly known as Stay Fucked) are playing a show at Death by Audio in their home borough on 6/18 (tonight) with Upsilon Acrux and Clan Of The Cave Bear. It's STATS' first show since bassist Tony Gedrich returned from a European tour with his other band, Extra Life.

"STATS started life in the early days of the new millennium as three fourths of New York indie-pop group Super Lucky Cat. Bassist Tom Kelly, guitarist Joe Petrucelli (now of Hexa) and drummer Hank Shteamer (formerly of Aa) gradually discovered an affinity for stranger, more challenging forms of rock, and after SLC disbanded, the three regrouped to form Stay Fucked in 2002. This band, a largely instrumental trio, combined the driving force of punk with complex, eccentric song structures.

This lineup dissolved in 2003 after self-releasing a debut EP, but Shteamer and Petrucelli soon reformed the project, working with bassists Ben Haberland and Andres Marino to record two more EPs and embark on a self-booked 2006 U.S. tour. Soon after, Shteamer and Petrucelli recruited bassist Tony Gedrich, also of Extra Life and Archaeopteryx, who has worked with the band ever since.

James Plotkin's old band, Khanate, recently dropped their final LP, Clean Hands Go Foul. Stream that entire record here.

Meanwhile Ben Greenberg's band, Zs are prepping for a few dates of their own in the coming months, including local shows at Secret Project Robot on June 24th, Death By Audio on July 3rd, and Cake Shop on August 28th. The shows will serve as a coming-out party for their new 12" EP on The Social Registry, Music Of The Modern White, with the June 24th date serving as a record release party with 9/11 Thesaurus, Effi Briest, Grade 13, Earthbound, and DJ Jaiko Suzuki.

All Zs tour dates, the Marooned tracklist, and EP Paypal donation button, below...

Continue reading "STATS (formerly Stay Fucked) - free EP & a Brooklyn show"

by Andrew Frisicano

DOWNLOAD: The Dead Science - Throne Of Blood (The Jump Off) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Dead Science - Make Mine Marvel (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Dead Science - Days Of Future Past [mixtape track] (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Dead Science - Garden Wall [mixtape track] (MP3)

The Dead Science

Seattle's The Dead Science (not to be confused with The Dead Weather) are planning a North American tour this June. That includes two NYC shows: Monday, June 15th the band plays the Studio at Webster Hall with Bobby Conn & Monica Bou Bou and Zs (Tickets). The next night, Tuesday, June 16th, the band performs at Death By Audio with Skeletons, From Bacteria to Boys and Charlie Looker.

The Dead Science's last record, Villainaire, came out on Constellation Records in 2008. The supporting tour for that release brought the Dead Science to NYC's Knitting Factory on a bill with Brooklyn band Extra Life. This time around, the band will play with Extra Life's songwriter/frontman, Charlie Looker, on its second NYC show, and Zs, a band that included Looker for six years, on its first.

Extra Life are currently on a month-long tour of Europe. The DBA show is scheduled to be Looker/Extra Life's first show back in the US.

Also opening at DBA is From Bacteria to Boys, jazz project of drummer Mike Pride. On April 8th, the group played a live set, now streaming, at WFMU's studios.

Pride plays in a number of local groups (that counts collaborating with Charlie Looker on a project called Period). Recently, Pride gigged as part of Whoopie Pie at Pie member Jamie Saft's Wednesday residency at Zebulon. On Wednesday, May 6th, Whoopie Pie's special guest was Marc Ribot (who's in the midst of a weeklong b-day retrospective). Tonight, Wednesday, May 13th, at Zebulon, the group will be joined by Dead Science frontman Sam Mickens as "special guest vocalist."

Mickens returns to Zebulon just two days later, on Friday, May 15th, to record and film a live album with the "Sam Mickens Ecstatic Showband and Revue." That band includes Mike Pride on drums and in the past has featured Charlie Looker and other members of Extra Life.

The final band on that June 16th DBA bill, Skeletons, has other upcoming NYC dates too. Those include May 19th at the Cake Shop with Nick Krgovich, To Bad Catholics and Katie Eastburn and June 24th with Zs at the Studio at Webster Hall.

All Dead Science and Skeletons tour dates below...

Continue reading "Sam Mickens playing Zebulon (twice), the Dead Science touring (Studio & DBA) - 2009 dates & MP3's"

Anni Rossi

Brooklyn label Social Registry is presenting the show at 92YTribeca in Manhattan tonight (3/27). Sian Alice Group, Lights, Zs, and a group we recently featured, Mountains are on the bill. Updated Mountains tour dates below.

Speaking of NYC shows happening tonight and Mountains... the Mountain Goats, and John Vanderslice are here for their show at the Society of Ethical Culture.

Also related to today (3/27)... Having just played a few shows at SXSW, including the official showcase of her (and the Mountain Goats') label 4AD, Los Angeles/Chicago's Anni Rossi is currently on tour and plays a show at Union Pool in Brooklyn tonight with Midnight Masses and Wild Yaks. You may have also caught Anni when she opened for her label-mates Camera Obscura at Mercury Lounge the other night.

To say that Anni Rossi has given new life to the viola is an understatement. Together with her alternative folk style and lilting vocals, Rossi has reinvented the way this classical instrument is typically used and given new light to how Americana music is structured and presented.

Entrancing and beautiful, Rossi shared several songs with the Current from her upcoming CD, "Rockwell," out in March of 2009. [Minnesota Public Radio]

Camera Obscura also played a show at The Bell House in Brooklyn the other night, and tickets are now on sale for the show they have coming up at Webster Hall.

Midnight Masses (playing Union Pool with Anni) just went on tour with, and share a member with, Trail of Dead (who we also caught at SXSW).

Continue reading "Anni Rossi, Mountains, Social Reg, Noah & the Whale & stuff"

DOWNLOAD: Skeletons - The Things (MP3)

"With a sound that truly verges on unclassifiable, Brooklyn-based freak-niks Skeletons are an anomaly even at the venerable Tomlab label, which stables an entire herd of experimental artists. For a group to stand out as uniquely off center amid labelmates such as Xiu Xiu and Deerhoof is rather remarkable.

Fronted by singer/multi-instrumentalist Matt Mehlan, the fifth full-length album ["Money"] under the Skeleton's banner (third for the full group) features dispirate, seemingly incohesive musical undertones that are tenuously held together by Mehlan's R&B/pop croons. Fretboard noodling, sputtering drums and a menacing bass undercurrent comprise a confounding blend on "The THINGS," which segues unknowingly into "RIPPER a.ka. The Pillows," the latter sounding like Perry Farrell fronting John Zorn's avant-jazz band Naked City. [Lost at Sea]

Continue reading "Skeletons - MP3 & 2009 Tour Dates (DBA, Roulette, Zebulon)"