by Andrew Marinaccio

The Tribeca Film Festival is readying itself for another week-long celebration of cinema next month. Screening from Thursday, April 18-29, the event will continue its customary beats, including a variety of talks ranging from a chronicle of Universal Studios with Robert De Niro, Meryl Streep, and Judd Apatow to modern efforts in Avant-Garde film preservation, a gallery installation at New York Academy featuring winning artwork from the festival's jury competition, and family events including an ESPN-sponsored sports day and street fair. Or, if you're feeling limber, you even can attend a showing of "The Goonies" where you can compete in a no-holds-barred "Truffle Shuffle" dance contest. A full list of events can be found here.

Of course, there will also be a host of movies being screened across the city, including a number of music-oriented films, many of which you can watch the trailers for at the end of this post.

Documenting the 150-year history of the Brooklyn Academy of Music, director Michael Sládek (Con Artist) compiles footage from the landmark venue's illustrious past performers in Bam150, including recent interviews with Laurie Anderson and performing arts authority Robert Wilson. The film turns to art history in articulating BAM's role in legitimzing Brooklyn as a modern "cultural Mecca."

Don't Stop Believin': Everyman's Journey tells the story of 2006 Internet curio Arnel Pineda, a Manila native who rose to postmodern stardom via Youtube videos of his cover band's performances. While exposure launched him to ubiquity, it also brought him closer to the bands he emulated than most music video hit-mongers, landing him a singing gig as the successor to Steve Perry in Journey. The documentary follows Pineda from slum squalor to world-tour escapades, studying how he's dealt with the "demands of his newfound fame."

First Winter, the feature-length directorial debut of NYU film graduate Benjamin Dickinson (who's directed music videos for Q-Tip, LCD Soundsystem, and The Rapture) dares to ask what happens to a group of isolated Brooklyn hipsters during a stark blackout when the "sex, drugs, and acoustic guitars" grow dull and give way to tension that threatens their ability to survive the "apocalyptic" outage. Self-proclaimed hipster context aside, the film seems scant on ironic snark as the clan ernestly attempts to rough it in the frigid sticks.

Brooklyn rapper and producer John Forte, most known for his Grammy-winning record work with The Fugees' on The Score, is followed on his "From Brooklyn to Russia With Love Tour!" the first major undertaking of his multimedia company Le Castle in Russian Winter. Petter Ringbom's documentary captures one of the greater creative shifts of a musician reclaiming momentum after serving an 8-year prison prison sentence in the last decade, immersing himself in the sounds of distant culture as he remains dedicated to continuing the art fate gave him a second chance at publically making.

the PS22 Chorus (photo by Bao Nguyen)

Another Youtube phenomenon, the often-seen-on-BV PS22 Chorus, have their viral stardom explained in Once in a Lullaby: The PS22 Chorus Story. Focusing on their days leading up to their performance at the 2011 Academy Awards, chorus teacher Gregg Breinberg attempts to organize his students amid adolescent insecurities like homesickness, feeling left out, and the intevitable disorientation of instant fame. There will be a Q&A with Breinberg and director Jonathan Kalafer after the screening (which is also the film's world premiere).

Editors's note: Not only in the name of full disclosure, we're also proud to point out that BrooklynVegan contributed to the PS22 documentary in small ways whenever possible, including introducing the director (an old friend who happened to decide to take this project on) to BrooklynVegan photographer Bao Nguyen who you will notice is listed as one of the film's producers and Director of Photography. Go Bao!

The Zen of Bennett documents legendary crooner and all-around class-act Tony Bennett as he recorded his latest Duests compilation with the likes of Lady Gaga, Aretha Franklin, and Amy Winehouse. Aside from a short monologue on the obscelence found in modern consumer culture that'll leave you "broke" (stating to have come from an era when "everything was made with quality") he riffs on that topic by simply saying that he hopes to bring that old-world standard of quality to his performances, which Bennett believes is ultimately what the public notices. If Zen gives him the chance to wax philsophic, modern cool should probably pay heed to the teachings from the Book of Bennett and learn a thing or two.

What do you want to see? What else is worth noting? What did we miss?

Ticket packages are available now, with single tickets on sale to the general public on April 16 and on sale to AmEx card holders as of today. Check here for a full list of ticket options and single ticket sale dates for downtown residents (and try their Facebook ticketing thing if you're having trouble figuring it all out like we are).

Trailers and other links below...

Continue reading "Tribeca Film Fest 2012 (April 18-29) -- tix on sale now (PS22 Chorus documentary, BAM150 & The Zen of Bennett included)"

""There is probably no musical artist who has as wide an audience internationally as Bob does," Macdonald says. "You can find people in any country in the world, whether the Arab world or Africa or Asia, who are into Bob. There is this huge built-in audience for people who want to know more about this man whose music speaks to them. And it's a really interesting life story. He lived a rich and eventful life, he died tragically young, and it's a great narrative. The amazing thing about Marley is that he's utterly unique. There is no other superstar in the world of music who came from the Third World -- he's the only one who speaks to the developing world. He's not just a popular musician, he's a philosopher. He's a prophet for them. He's somebody who gives advice and succor in times of need. There's nobody else who's like that. That's why I wanted to make a movie about him, to understand what he was saying and why he was saying it and why it is that the music has this ongoing resonance."" [Hollywood Reporter]

You don't need to wait that long to see it though because BrooklynVegan is proud to present a FREE advanced screening of the film at Knitting Factory in Brooklyn on Thursday, 4/12, at 7pm (first come, first served). Like our recent screenings of The Island President, Boy, Senna, and Exit Through the Gift Shop, seats are put out in the main/back room of the club where a screen comes down over the stage, and the sound booms out of their concert-ready system. See you there.

Check out the trailer and video interview with Kevin Macdonald, Ziggy Marley and his wife Karen, below...

Continue reading "MARLEY documentary opens on 4/20 (BV Presents a free screening on 4/12!)"

photos by Amanda Hatfield, words by BBG

Freshkills @ Hotel Vegan

Grant Hart played SXSW and has other upcoming shows scheduled including one in Philadelphia this Tuesday, one at Cake Shop on April 6th, and one in Brooklyn at Union Pool on April 7th alongside NYC's own post-punk crew Freshkills. Tickets for the NYC show are on sale. All dates are listed below.

Freshkills, who played a record release show at Pianos earlier this month, is also coming off of a tour down to SXSW, where they played the BBG stage on Wed (3/14) at Hotel Vegan. Some pictures from their set are in this post.

Grant Hart will (hopefully) be the subject of an upcoming documentary...

With Grant Hart as the only interview subject, EVERY EVERYTHING will tell the story of his life, from his beginnings, through his days in Hüsker Dü, and up to the present. In this feature-length documentary you'll learn his influences, his obsessions, his loves, his passions, his art, his music, and everything in between, leaving no stone unturned. For the first time ever, you'll hear everything about Grant Hart as told by Grant Hart -- the good, the bad, and the ugly. Think of it as a rock 'n' roll FOG OF WAR!

Continue reading "Freshkills played Hotel Vegan (pics), playing Union Pool w/ Grant Hart (who may be the subject of new documentary)"

by BBG

"Salad Days: The HarDCore Punk Revolution" will be the most comprehensive, honest and insightful look at the DC punk scene from the early 1980s to the decade's end. The film will include exclusive archival photographs, concert footage and interviews with dozens of bands, artists, label owners, zine publishers and others who helped mold and nurture DC's underground community during this inspired decade of music.

In related news, as discussed Bad Brains: Band in DC, a documentary that details the band's roots in the DC hardcore scene and beyond, played at SXSW last week. So far, no plans to screen it in NYC but you can catch the band at one of two now-sold-out NYC shows.

The Irving Plaza show will ALSO feature an appearance from DC's Scream who played a show at Knitting Factory in 2010.

Bad Brains are also playing Bonnaroo this year.

Continue reading ""Salad Days: The HarDCore Punk Revolution" documentary on the way"

If you missed the last round of screenings at IFC Center, you can still catch Better Than Something in the coming weeks when it comes to Nitehawk Cinema in Brooklyn on March 2nd. The documentary, which began production as a promotional video for Watch Me Fall, examines the great Jay Reatard in his final days and his legacy. Tickets are on sale for multiple screenings, including one with a Q&A with the filmmakers and a "Premiere After Party".

Check out a full list of cities showing the Better Than Something documentary, with dates and the trailer below...

Continue reading "'Better Than Something' (the Jay Reatard documentary) is screening around the country, plays at Nitehawk"

"A few months ago, the term cassette tape was taken out of the Oxford English Dictionary.

It may seem ironic, then, that the cassette has experienced a quiet comeback over the last few years, as independent labels issuing tape-only releases have begun popping up around the world.

What better excuse to take a look back at this beloved musical format?

As recorded sound continues its love affair with the downloadable, ethereal digital file, the tangible artefact is quickly becoming a thing of the past.

Help us celebrate the A Side, the B Side, the mixtape, and the whole of cassette culture by supporting Cassette: A Documentary. We'll look at all parts of popular culture influenced by the cassette, including hip-hop and B-Boy culture, indie rock, home recording, and beyond."

For more details, head to their kickstarter page and check out a video trailer below.

Continue reading "cassettes making a comeback; help fund the documentary"

LCD Soundsystem at MSG 4/2/11 (more by Dominick Mastrangelo)

LCD Soundsystem played their final show at Madison Square Garden on April 2, 2011 after a four night run at Terminal 5. BV photographer Dominick Mastrangelo, who was at the show, wrote:

From where I was in the middle of the front GA section nobody stopped dancing, or singing along or smiling the entire night. (Save for, like at all four Terminal 5 shows, the couple of awkward, yet brief and deserved intermissions.) Every turn to scan the Garden saw people full-on, in the groove dancing; not just some barely-registered shuffling back and forth. Honestly, everyone who was there should take a bow because they were fantastic.

And no, there was no Daft Punk, but there was Arcade Fire singing joyously along on "North American Scum" (the third set's highlight) and an appearance by Reggie Watts who also played with the band at three of the four Terminal 5 shows. The boys choir featuring members of Mr. Dream was there, as were the two female backup singers, and the horn section that included Kelly Pratt and Colin Stetson. Original LCD guitarist Phil Mossman was back and featured a few times in addition to LCD band members
Nancy Whang, Tyler Pope, Pat Mahoney, Matt Thornley, Gavin Russom, and David Scott Stone.

Continue reading "LCD Soundsystem documentary about final MSG show debuting @ Sundance (watch the trailer now)"

by BBG

Many people have the impression that the Riot Grrrl movement in the mid-90s was the end-all, be-all of female involvement in DIY punk. This is definitely not the case! Plenty of amazing ladies prior to this era paved the way for it, and plenty of amazing ladies continue to help keep DIY together today. [From The Back Of The Room] chronicles the past 30 years of female involvement in DIY punk, and has interviews with over 30 women from across the country, ages 17 to 40. Race, gender, sexuality, motherhood, class, and activism are all addressed in this film, giving a more complete picture of how these women participate in the DIY community, and how it affects their daily lives.

Speaking of the WFMU Record Fair, I hope you've finally paid off all of your prior year debts to make way for this year's extravaganza. The WFMU Record Fair goes down from 10/28 - 10/30 at Manhattan's Metropolitan Pavilion (125 w18th St), and will feature performances from CSC Funk Band, Prince Rama, Black Hollies, and Sediment Club in addition to films, Q&As, and did I mention oodles of VINYL. Admission is $7 or "earlybirds can enter beginning at 4pm on Friday for $25" so they can snatch up all the good shit before everyone else gets there.

From the Back of the Room trailer and a list of showings for the documentary are below.

Continue reading "WFMU Record Fair is coming soon, 'From The Back Of The Room' doc screening tonight (and other dates)"

God Bullies at AM-REP 25th Anniversary (more by Taylor Keahey)

"The Color of Noise" will be a story of music and art, and how the keen musical tastes, and ultra graphic design sense of one independent record label owner brought to the world the sights and sounds that helped to create and influence future musical genres while humbly kicking the crap out of the rock underground! Amphetamine Reptile Records while in full operation from the mid 1980's to the late 1990's turned out an incredible roster of music acts with the participation of up and coming graphic designers and poster artists. Though recent facts prove that there is still activity brewing within the AmRep factory, and have ever since it officially closed it's doors in 1998. The ending of a record label gives birth to a new kind of boutique art movement, where music is the art and the records are on the wall! The Color of Noise is currently filming, and will be throughout the next year... We are looking for archival footage relating to the following artists:

Boss Hog (89'-92' lineup), Chokebore, Cosmic Psychos, God Bullies, Guzzard, Halo of Flies, Hammerhead, Hedonists, Helios Creed, Helmet, Killdozer (pre-90'), King Snake Roost, Lollipop, Love 666, Lubricated Goat (pre-91'), Mama Tick, The Melvins, Mudhoney, Nashville Pussy (97'-2000 lineup), Servotron, Surgery, Supernova, Tad, Tar, The Cows, The Thrown Ups, The U-Men, Today Is The Day, Unsane, Vertigo, Otto's Chemical Lounge, Toadlochen, Billy Childish

We are about 1/2 way through interviewing- meaning we have a heck of a lot more to do, so if you are reading this and were somehow involved with AmRep in any way- employee, band member, poster artist or fanatical music reviewer or even just a fan of the label- get in touch with us.

Fishbone circa 1985

"From the shifting faultlines of Hollywood fantasies and the economic and racial tensions of Reagan's America, Fishbone rose to become one of the most original bands of the last 25 years. With a blistering combination of punk and funk they demolished the walls of genre and challenged the racial stereotypes and political order of the music industry and the nation. Telling it like it is, the iconic Laurence Fishburne narrates EVERYDAY SUNSHINE, a story about music, history, fear, courage and funking on the one.

At the heart of the film's story is lead singer Angelo Moore and bassist Norwood Fisher who show how they keep the band rolling out of pride, desperation and love for their art. To overcome money woes, family strife, and the strain of being aging Punk rockers on the road, Norwood and Angelo are challenged to re-invent themselves in the face of dysfunction and ghosts from a painful past.

Featuring interviews with Flea, Gwen Stefani, Ice-T, Perry Farrell, Branford Marsalis, George Clinton, Tim Robbins, Gogol Bordello, ?uestlove, and others, EVERYDAY SUNSHINE traces the band's history, influence, and struggle as individualistic, genre-blending artists up against an unforgiving music industry that threatens to pass them by.

Angelo will also be playing a show at Bowery Electric on 10/9 "with The RBC plus Dan Bailey and Living Rhythm, Hahn Solo from Dub is A Weapon."

Fishbone have a new EP, New Crazy Glue, due on 10/11/11. Catch the punk-funk crew on the road in October/November, including at Brooklyn Bowl on 11/13. Tickets are on sale. All dates are listed below.

Fishbone are also listed in the credits of Tim Armstrong's new musical web series.

Film trailer, tour dates, and some videos below...

Continue reading "Fishbone documentary screening, members doing Q&A & playing shows (dates)"

BAM WRITES:

Beyond This Place

Part of BAM 150

Directed by Kaleo La Belle
Music composition by Raymond Raposa and Sufjan Stevens

Sun, Oct 30, 2011 at 7:30pm

As part of BAM's 150th anniversary celebrations, filmmaker Kaleo La Belle--joined by childhood friend Sufjan Stevens (The BQE, 2007 Next Wave; TAKEOVER 2008) and singer-songwriter Raymond Raposa--comes to the opera house for a screening of his award-winning documentary Beyond This Place.

Deeply reflective and personal, La Belle's breakout film charts his attempts to reconnect with his perpetually stoned, long-estranged father Cloud Rock during a grueling 500-mile bike tour across the Pacific Northwest. Stevens and Raposa share the stage as special musical guests, providing a live soundtrack to this emotionally nuanced look at family ties and the process of moving on.

BAM Howard Gilman Opera House

Talk to any Formula One fan and they will be unequivocal in their admiration of Ayrton Senna.

And this stunning documentary goes a long way to explaining just why that is.

Compiled from hours of archive racing footage and interviews and the Senna family's home videos, this is a comprehensive look at the Brazilian's F1 career and it's not just for fans of motor racing. [TheVoid]

BrooklynVegan is proud to present a free screening of Senna at Knitting Factory in Brooklyn on Sunday, July 17 (doors at 4pm, movie at 5pm). That's the flyer above.

If you came to our screening of Exit Through the Gift Shop, another movie released by PDA, you know the deal. The venue gets filled with chairs and a screen comes down on the stage. The projector is in the back of the room and the sound system is great.

The screening is first come, first served, and to encourage you to come early, the first 50 people on line will get a free poster (not to mention a better seat). The bar will be serving drinks, and in keeping with the Brazilian theme, we'll also be giving out free Vita Coco. Free movie, free coconut water. You can't go wrong.

Check out the movie trailer and poster below...

Continue reading "free 'Senna' movie screening in Brooklyn (BV Presents)"

Sufjan Stevens at Beacon Theater (more by David Andrako)

Tickets for Sufjan Steven's August 2nd's appearance at the Prospect Park Bandshell have flown away. Luckily, the notorious S.O.O.F. will bless the park with a second date on the following night: August 3rd at Prospect Park Bandshell. Tickets for the new Brooklyn show go on AEG/venue presale at 10AM on Thursday (6/17) and noon on Friday (6/17). No word on openers (though we think My Brightest Diamond is opening the first night). We'll keep you posted.

In other SOOF related news, IFC is currently streaming a clip from the film Make:

Directors Scott Ogden and Malcolm Hearn's documentary, "MAKE," is about four artists on the furthest fringes of our society. Isolated by their disabilities, they find a voice and try to make sense of a world that shuns them, through incredible works of art. These are the characters that inspired Sufjan Stevens' album, "The Age of Adz." Stevens, who called the film "a beautiful and insightful look at the sublime task of making art when nothing will else do," based his album's narrative specifically on the life and apocalyptic work of the schizophrenic artist, Prophet Royal Robertson featured in "MAKE."

..."MAKE" includes a soundtrack with original compositions from Sufjan Stevens and Marc Bianchi (Her Space Holiday), along with music by Jim Guthrie, Oneida, Tommy Guerrero, and Au Revoir Simone.

Check out the 17 minute clip below....

Continue reading "Sufjan Stevens adds 2nd Prospect Park show, "Make" documentary screening @ Folk Art Museum"

by Bill Pearis

Gruff Rhys kicks off his North American tour tonight at Knitting Factory and tickets are still available. He's over here supporting his new solo album, Hotel Shampoo, and will wind his way around the country before ending back up here in New York for a show at Mercury Lounge on June 15.

A mostly mellow affair, with detours into Bossa Nova and '70s MOR territory, Hotel Shampoo is another fine record from the hardest working indie musician in Wales. Where previous visits have involved just Rhys and a tablefull of junkshop keyboards and other oddball instruments, this time Gruff will be backed by Y Niwl, the finest surf band in Wales, who'll also get their own opening set. Rhys is one of the most charismatic performers around, do go if you can.

In other news, Rhys' travelogue tour film Separado! will make it's NYC debut on June 18 as part of the BAMcineFest. No word yet as to whether Rhys will be at the screening. Like Rhys himself, the film is charming, scruffy, funny and full of good songs. Tickets to all BAMcinefest selections -- including the Pentagram documentary Last Days Here, and The Ballad of Genesis and Lady Jaye -- go on sale May 23.

All Gruff Rhys tour dates are below, along with videos, trailers and album streams.

Continue reading "Gruff Rhys kicking off tour w/ Y Niwl, BAM premiering his movie @ BAMcineFest (Genesis & Pentagram films too)"

Q-Tip at Rock The Bells w/ A Tribe Called Quest (more by Eric Townsend)

Q-Tip will headline the 7th Annual Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival on July 18th in DUMBO, the last day of a week-long celebration of hip hop culture at various venues in Brooklyn. The daytime show (12-8PM) will undoubtedly also feature a gang of other hip hop notables, but the full lineup is still TBA. Tickets are on sale though.

Q-Tip is featured in the new documentary Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest (which recently played as part of the Tribeca Film Festival), and after previously denouncing the film, has come around:

Despite their initial concerns, it appears that A Tribe Called Quest is finally on board with Michael Rapaport's controversial documentary, 'Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest.'

Though Tribe frontman Q-Tip publicly denounced Rapaport's film, which he claimed was not a fair representation of his group, he has since turned an about-face, voicing his approval, though he was notably absent at its Sundance and Tribeca film festival screenings.

Appearing to "support and represent" at Tribeca Film Festival on Thursday (April 29), alongside Tribe rapper Phife Dawg, DJ-producer Ali Shaheed Muhammad said that the group is happy with the film's final cut, despite Tip's absence.

"Just because Q-Tip is not here does not mean he's not in support of the film," Muhammad told Rolling Stone. "I'm here, and I'm representing Q-Tip. We're happy with the finished version. If none of us were fine with this, no one would be seeing the film."

Continue reading "Q-Tip headlining Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival, is okay w/ A Tribe Called Quest documentary (which is out in July)"

Steve Reich will celebrate his 75th birthday with a weekend of events in his honor. The festivities start on April 30th at Carnegie Hall, as Steve Reich will host NYC premieres of three new works, WTC 9/11, Mallet Quartet, and 2 x 5, as well as his Pulitzer Prize winning Double Sextet. Bang On A Can All-Stars, eighth blackbird, Kronos Quartet, and So Percussion will do the performing. Tickets are still available.

The party continues the next night at Le Poisson Rouge (on 5/1), as the avant-composer will be in the house for a screening of a new film about him called "Phase to Face". He'll also take part in a Q+A following the showing alongside director Eric Darmon.

In this profile he looks back on the key stages of his 40-years lasting career, from the formation of his own group, Steve Reich and Musicians, to the American avant-garde he helped to create, from new video performances to his quasi-religious music. Despite his success and wide recognition Steve Reich has never renounced his independent spirit.

This film is about the artist and his music. From the analogue tapes of his first recorded pieces to current technology of sampling and video. We see him at work and clips from his performances and concerts in Le Havre, Tokyo, Rome, New York and Manchester.

A week after the birthday festivities, on May 8th, chamber ensemble AXIOM will perform Steve Reich's "Drumming" (complete) at Le Poisson Rouge. Tickets are on sale.

On June 2nd, Either/Or will perform the music of Steve Reich, and Robert Ashley, Philip Glass, and Andrew Byrne, at the Kitchen. Tickets are on sale.

On January 17th (2012), Reich fans should plan to be in LA where Reich himself will perform Clapping Music with Steven Schick during an "evening devoted to one of America's greatest living composers, including several of his early, seminal works." It all goes down, with the help of Bang on a Can All Stars, at Walt Disney Concert Hall (Single tickets go on sale August 21).

Some videos below...

Continue reading "Steve Reich turning 75, making appearances, having his work performed, is the subject of a documentary"

photos by Dominick Mastrangelo

Ron Sexsmith @ Highline Ballroom

In the documentary film about Ron Sexsmith, "Love Shines," Elvis Costello casts the Canadian musician in the same realm as one of rock 'n' roll's historic performers.

"I think Ron has got one of the purest seams of melody, that he has access to exclusively, since Paul McCartney," Costello says.

There's no higher praise, but some folks are undoubtedly saying "Who's Ron Sexsmith?"

...He's just released a fantastic album, "Long Player Late Bloomer," which features the production of Bob Rock, best known for his work with Metallica, Bon Jovi and Motley Crue. The biopic "Love Shines" premiered recently at South By Southwest, and Sexsmith made a national television appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!"

Sexsmith admits he's excited, a far cry from the melancholy that haunted him after his previous album, "Exit Strategy of the Soul," more or less tanked. When Rock agreed to produce "Long Player" Sexsmith's joy was leavened by a sense of disbelief. -[Pittsburgh Tribune-Review]

Speaking of Elvis Costello, who is playing a solo set at this year's Newport Folk Fest, he's playing a small, late show at Gramercy Theatre tonight (4/1), and probably something before that too. Those staying home can catch him on TV.

Ron Sexsmith played Highline Ballroom on Monday (3/28), part of his US tour with Caitlin Rose in support of the new LP Long Player Late Bloomer which is out now.

More pictures from that show (including one of the setlist), tour dates, videos from Kimmel and SXSW, the documentary trailer & more, below...

Continue reading "Ron Sexsmith played Highline Ballroom w/ Caitlin Rose (pics), subject of a documentary (that premiered @ SXW)"

LCD Soundsystem makes people do wacky things. I know two people who recently flew to Bogota. I know others who are flying into NY to be at Madison Square Garden on April 2nd. That's not that wacky, but then there's this other group of people (pictured dude included) who are raising money to document their cross-country trip to get to the same show (and all the new "friends" they meet along the way). Read and watch more about that, below...

Continue reading "people want to make an "All My Friends" documentary (documenting their trip to LCD Soundsystem's final show)"

Congrats Trent. Sorry Banksy.

Continue reading "Trent Reznor wins Oscar, 'Exit Through the Gift Shop' doesn't"

by Andrew Sacher

Like he did on stage in California in December (they played "Marigold"), Dave Grohl is bringing together the surviving members of Nirvana for the seventh Foo Fighters album, due out April 12. Produced by Butch Vig, who produced Nirvana's breakout album Nevermind, Grohl has chosen to record the entire album in his garage on entirely analog equipment. He has also confirmed that Nirvana's touring guitarist Pat Smear is again a full time member of Foo Fighters and has recorded on every track on the new album. But most importantly, Nirvana bassist Krist Noveselic recorded bass and accordian for the track "I Should Have Known." Butch Vig talked to MTV News about the recording:

"We had Krist Novoselic come in and play bass [on the song], and I'm not exactly sure what the song's about, but to me, it seems there's definitely some references about Kurt Cobain, and it's one of the most primal, raw things the Foo Fighters have ever done, and I think it's one of the best tracks on the record," Vig said. "It's distorted and raw, and Dave, the take on the vocals is like the first take he did at the end of the song. He's just blowing his lungs out. ... We played the record for some people yesterday, and the whole record is great, but that song, God, it's quite an emotional roller-coaster ride when you hear it."

The Foo Fighters are also planning a documentary spanning Dave Grohl's career from his time as the drummer of Nirvana through The Foo Fighters' 16 year career. The film also includes in-depth footage regarding the release of the new album. The film will be making its premiere at the SXSW Film Festival, and the band is rumored to be performing at SXSW, as are Queens of the Stone Age and the Strokes (all rumors at this point).

Other festivals Foo Fighters will appear at include the recently announced Sasquatch Festival, Hang Out Fest in Alabama, and according to Greg Kot, Lollapalooza along with Eminem and Muse.

In other Dave Grohl related news, on Wednesday, Matador Press tweeted an illustrated letter from a 15-year old Dave Grohl to Seattle band Aerobic Death about a compilation tape in 1984. That letter and all tour dates below...

Continue reading "all living Nirvana members play on new Foo Fighers (rumored to be playing SXSW like the Strokes & Lollapalooza like Muse)"

For those not afraid of the possibility of being immortalized on film enjoying a striptease...

"Want to be an EXTRA? A taped performance for the documentary Big City Grind: The NYC Burlesque. Featuring performances by World Famous *Bob*, Tigger, Creamee Stevens, Bunny Luv, Nasty Canasta, Peekaboo Pointe, Legs Malone, Stormy Leather, Melody Sweets and Bambi The Mermaid. Show starts at 8pm. This performance is free but please rsvp for tickets at bigcityrsvp@gmail.com "

And over at Superfine,

"THE UNTITLED BOBBY BARE JR. DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKERS COLLABORATE WITH SUPERFINE TO PRESENT: AN EVENING SHOWCASING INDEPENDENT MUSIC & INDEPENDENT FILM.

NASHVILLE ROCKER BOBBY BARE JR. MAKES HIS DUMBO DEBUT AND WILL BE JOINED BY SPECIAL GUESTS CAREY KOTSIONIS & BONNIE WHITMORE! ENJOY FREE TITO'S HANDMADE VODKA & PBR AS THEY TAKE OVER THE STAGE AT SUPERFINE BAR & RESTAURANT!"

photos by Tim Griffin

Shot over 11 years by renowned fashion photographer Steven Sebring, Patti Smith: Dream of Life is an intimate portrait of the legendary rocker, poet and artist. Following Smith's personal reflections over a decade, the film explores her many art forms and the friends and poets who inspired her -- William Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg, Bob Dylan, Robert Mapplethorpe and Michael Stipe. She emerges as a crucial, contemporary link between the Beats, punks and today's music. Shot in lush, dark tones, featuring rare performance clips and narrated by the artist herself, Patti Smith: Dream of Life is an impressionistic journal of a multi-faceted artist that underscores her unique place in American culture. Winner of the 2008 Sundance Film Festival Excellence in Cinematography Award: Documentary. A production of Clean Socks and THIRTEEN. Produced by Steven Sebring, Margaret Smilow and Scott Vogel. [PBS]

More pictures from her first of three Bowery shows (12/29 aka last night), below...

Continue reading "Patti Smith played Bowery Ballroom (night one pics), catch her new documentary on PBS on her birthday (TODAY!) "

Rogue Wave @ All Points West '08 (more by Kyle Dean Reinford)

Oakland based indie rock band Rogue Wave will release their highly anticipated 4th studio album, Permalight, on March 2, 2010 on Brushfire Records.

The album was written and recorded by founding members Zach Rogue [né Schwartz] and Pat Spurgeon over the course of several months in 2009 at Sweet Tea Studios in Oxford, MS with producer Dennis Herring (Modest Mouse, Elvis Costello).

"This record sounds, for lack of a better word, fun," said frontman Zach Rogue.

In addition, "D Tour," the documentary chronicling Pat Spurgeon's struggle with kidney failure, search for a living organ donor and the challenges associated with finding a viable match, [aired in November] on PBS's series Independent Lens. The film addresses issues with the health care system, lack of affordable insurance and the importance of organ donation. The film features performances from Ben Gibbard, Nada Surf, Ryan Miller, John Vanderslice, The Moore Brothers, and of course, Rogue Wave.

A trailer for the D Tour documentary and all tour dates are below...

Continue reading "Rogue Wave - new album, documentary & 2010 tour dates "

by BBG

A pale and heavily photoshopped David Pajo returns from church

As previously discussed, Until The Light Takes Us is the much talked about documentary chronicling the Norwegian Black Metal scene, which after months of anticipation, is FINALLY getting a theatrical release in NYC on Dec 4th (you can catch it at Cinema Village). Featuring a killer lineup of interviewees (Fenriz, Hellhammer, Frost, Abbath, Harmony Korine, and even the elusive and now free Vark Vikernes himself) as well as a soundtrack with many faves of different genres (Darkthrone, Mayhem, Ulver, Thorns, Enslaved, Boards of Canada, Black Dice, Sunn 0))), Múm, many others), fans of all types of music should be able to follow the fascinating story behind one of the most extreme musical scenes in modern history.

Maybe all of the years of research put into the documentary has burned the filmmakers out on buzzing guitars, pained vocals and frost-bitten blasts though, because they recruited bands of a different sort for their release party at Knitting Factory TONIGHT (11/18): Papa M, Rain Machine, Soft Circle, and Devendra Banhart collaborator Kevin Barker. Tickets are on sale. Flyer below.

The director of Until The Light Takes Us Aaron Aites and Rain Machine aka Kyp Malone (of TV on the Radio) are in a band together, Iran, who currently have no US dates lined up. Rain Machine have a total of four.

Papa M, aka David Pajo (who is also now in the Yeah Yeah Yeahs), will be showcasing all of his 1999 LP Live From A Shark Cage at the show as one of only two US dates (the other is in San Francisco on 12/20), with a third date as part of the previously discussed and sold out Ten Years of ATP show in Minehead. Pajo is also prepping to release his new LP, Evila, which is set to blast off in early December. Full tour dates are below.

Kevin Barker, who has also been known to collaborate with Joanna Newsom, Devendra Banhart, Vashti Bunyan, and Antony and the Johnsons among many others, has one other date on his calendar, Dec 20th at The Stone. His new album You and Me is out now digitally and features many of those same people as guest musicians.

The movie trailer and party flyer with Papa M dates and a video of Pajo covering "Where Eagles Dare" by The Misfits, below..

Continue reading "Papa M performing full album three times (dates) - tonight in NYC w/ Kevin Barker @ black metal movie opening party"

DOWNLOAD: - Michael Hurley & Ida - Wildgeeses (MP3)

Glorytellers (the Boston trio fronted by Geoff Farina of Karate and The Secret Stars) have a new record out, Atone, on Southern Records. "Just What I Was Thinking" from that is streaming on their Myspace and another, "Fours" is at Southern Records. The band is planing an East Coast/Midwest tour for December, and a European trip in February. Dates for both are TBA.

Before that though, Glorytellers will play Union Hall in Brooklyn with Ida on Saturday, November 7th. Tickets are on sale.

Ida released a collaboration with old-school folkie Michael Hurley on the Gnomonsong label on October 6th. "Wildgeeses" off that record is above. Director Marc Israel put together a documentary of sorts (with copious puppetwork) on Hurley called "Snock 'N Roll: Adventures With Michael Hurley" (Snock is his nickname). It's worth watching and posted in full, with all album info, below...

Continue reading "Glorytellers released LP, playing Brooklyn w/ Ida who released an LP w/ Michael Hurley (a documentary subject)"