Ted Leo writes...

THURSDAY - JULY 23, 2009 - ANNUAL FREE OUTDOOR NYC SHOW @ PIER 54 - RAIN OR SHINE?

It IS, as I said on Twitter, "complicated." My understanding is that it's a call that kind of has to be made on the spot if it's storming - basically, they try to do everything they can to make as much of a show as can happen happen. So if it's raining hard, they might just wait a while to see if it lets up, etc., but if it's only threatening, even if it's threats are extremely frightening, they won't call it off unless there's danger (REALLY bad rain or too much lightening).
As you may or may not know, we've snatched victory from the jaws of the most intense potential defeat with these things a few times before, including being pretty much the only musical event to actually HAPPEN during the blackout a few years ago, and skating in the rain with the kids (I couldn't find a picture of that, so I gave you Jesus riding a dinosaur instead) while we waited to know if we were canceled or not another year, etc., so you can count on us to try and make the best of it, no matter what happens...
I hope that helps!
And in the words of Sweet Sugar Slam, woo-woot!!

Woah - scratch that - FOUND ONE! Thanks to Hope for sending it... [Ted Leo]

The pic of Ted Leo skateboarding in the rain is above. Last year's Blonde Redhead show at the same location was infamously cancelled at the last minute. Tonight's show starts (hopefully) at 7pm:

6 p.m. - doors
7 p.m. - Radio 4
7:45 p.m. - Extra Golden
8:30 - Ted Leo & the Pharmacists

A video of Ted playing "Dancing in the Dark" solo for a segment about Bruce Springsteen, and all tour dates (including some with JEFF the Brotherhood), below...

Continue reading "Ted Leo's free NYC show tonight @ Pier 54 -- rain or shine?"

"pssst! friday show details! we are playing two shows on friday, 9pm at dead herring, and midnight at death by audio. Epic! tell yr friends!"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: JEFF the Brotherhood - Heavy Damage (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Coin Under Tongue - The So Far EP (link to zip)
DOWNLOAD: Sisters - Accolades (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Sisters - Street Cars (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Lovvers - Human Hair (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Darlings - If This is Love (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Darlings - Teenage Girl (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Savoir Adore - Machines EP (link to Zip)
DOWNLOAD: Acrylics - Molly's Vertigo (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Clientele - I Wonder Who We Are (MP3)

JEFF the Brotherhood @ Death By Audio (more by Leia Jospe)

JEFF the Brotherhood are back in town! If you missed them the last two times they were in town, well, you've got three more chances this week: tonight (7/15) at Death by Audio, Thursday (7/16) at Cake Shop and a secret show on Friday (7/17) that will be announced day of show via their Twitter. Seriously, Jake and Jamin put on one of the rockin-est, most fun shows I've seen this year. The boys are putting the final touches on their new album, Heavy Days, which comes out October 6 via their own Infinity Cat label. They've also got a new 7" single, "Heavy Damage," that they should still have copies of at shows, but you can download the a-side at the top of this post. They'll also be touring with the legendary Shonen Knife this fall.

Tonight's show at Death by Audio should be deafening. JEFF shares the bill with noise-pop duo Sisters, who I've written about more than once already, and have become big fans of. Third on the bill are Sisters' Death By Audio Records label-mates Coin Under Tongue who make the kind of stoner, punk-inflected hard rock that Sub Pop used to specialize in, in the label's early days. (I'm talking Tad, Mudhoney, Das Damen). There's other influences in there too -- metal plays a big part, as does UK punk and postpunk I suspect. And there are some really nice guitar parts when the guys aren't stomping on the pedals but basically you're getting balls-to-the-wall, scream-the-chorus rock. It goes without saying Coin Under Tongue are really, really loud. But they've got songs to match the volume. They're finishing work on their new album, but have offered up a progress report of an EP that you can download at the top of this post. It rocks.

Lovvers

Thursday night's show at Cake Shop (JEFF plays first, like 8:30) is also a good lineup, with the kickoff show of Brit band Lovvers' American tour. Try not to hold that double V against them, these guys are good, and play sloppy, catchy garage punk. You see Wipers and Germs comparisons thrown around a lot, but I was more encouraged to check them out when they listed '60s-loving '80s UK act The Baracudas as an influence on their MySpace. There's an EP out now -- you can download it's lead track "Human Hair" at the top of this post -- and their debut album OCD Go Go Go Girls is due out in October.

Also on the bill are Darlings who, now that I've seen them play and heard their album, I don't think sound anything like Teenage Fanclub or Sloan (so said L Magazine). To me, it's more '90s slacker indie rock -- Pavement, Sebadoh (which The L cited too), or even Small Factory. Comparisons or no, Darlings' debut, Yeah I Know, is chock-a-block with stick-in-your-head songs, two of which you can download at the top of this post.

Rounding out the Cake Shop line up is Stupid Party and Ex-Humans.

Acrylics

Savoir Adore have been written about more than a few times this year and am a big fan. Sometimes anthemic, sometimes danceable, singer-guitarists Deidre Muro and Paul Hammer write hopeful, melodic, pristine pop and their isn't a dud among the 14 tracks on their debut album, In the Wooded Forrest, which is out this week digitally and has been in constant rotation on my stereo this week. They're even better live if you ask me, giving maybe the best performance I saw during the Northside Fest. You can see them live and pick up the album at their record release party Friday night at Cameo Gallery (7/17). The $10 entry gets you a copy of the CD which is a pretty good deal. You can get three of the album's songs for free via their Machines EP which is linked to at the top of this post.

Making it an even better deal is that the show also features Acrylics who were easily the best Northside Fest performance by a band I hadn't seen before. Like Savoir Adore, Acrylics make '80s-tinged guitar pop with boy-girl harmonies and big hooks. You can download their song "Molly's Vertigo" at the top of this post.

Grand Duchy

You can also catch Acrylics with fellow Cantora artists Francis and the Lights at Music Hall of Williamsburg for the official Siren Fest afterparty. This year's Siren is the best line-up they've had in ages... maybe ever. Built to Spill, Thee Oh Sees, Micachu, Japandroids, A Place to Bury Strangers, Monotonix, Future of the Left, Frightened Rabbit -- it's pretty much good band after good band. The worst thing about it is having to make a choice between bands, or trying to run between stages and miss half a bands set in the process. I would like to call out Grand Duchy which is Frank Black and his wife Violet Clark. If you haven't heard their album, Petit Fours, it's really good and not quite like anything like Frank Black has been involved with before. You can also catch Grand Duchy on Friday at Maxwell's.

Saturday's weather report isn't so hot right now -- they're calling for thunderstorms -- but we can hope they're wrong.

Also this weekend are a couple shows featuring bands who'll soon play Merge Records' 2oth Anniversary spectacular, XX Merge. This Friday's (7/17) edition of the Seaport Music Festival is Superchunk and Versus. Superchunk's influence on indie rock over the last 15 years cannot be overestimated (and I'm not even considering that Mac and Laura started the label) while Versus were one of the '90s more under-appreciated groups who are currently recording their first new album in nine years!

And then Sunday, The Clientele are playing Music Hall of Williamsburg -- and you can check out "I Wonder Who We Are," the first released track from their new album, Bonfires on the Heath, at the top of this post.

That's it for this week. Videos, flyers and tour dates are after the jump...

Continue reading "JEFF the Brotherhood, Lovvers, Sisters, Savoir Adore, Darlings, Coin Under Tongue & more in This Week in Indie"

DOWNLOAD: Shonen Knife - Super Group (MP3)

Good Charamel Records is proud to announce the signing of legendary female Japanese Garage Rockers "SHONEN KNIFE"!

GCR will be releasing their latest recording "Super Group" in August, 2009, with an extensive North American Tour to follow in the Fall.

Please stay tuned for up to the minute details on the release, appearances and the 2009 N.American tour !

That record, Super Group, came out last year in Japan. Shonen Knife's fall tour dates, while not announced in full, are starting to filter in. One confirmed gig will happen on Friday, October 16th at Santos Party House in NYC. Tickets are on sale.

Shonen Knife will be playing a string of their West Coast dates with Ty Segall, and several weeks of shows with JEFF the Brotherhood. The Jeff and Shonen tour dates include a Tuesday, November 17th show planned at the new Brooklyn Bowl. No ticket info for that yet.

JEFF the Brotherhood will also be in NYC even sooner - this week to be exact. Shows are at Death by Audio on July 15th, Cake Shop on the 16th, and "TBA" on the 17th. All dates below.

A video from Shonen Knife announcing the promotion of their touring bassist to "official" member, a clip their new album, and tour dates for the three above-mentioned bands, below...

Continue reading "Shonen Knife - 2009 tour dates (Santos & Brooklyn Bowl, JEFF the Brotherhood & Ty Segall) ++ US album release"

photos by Leia Jospe

Nashville bands JEFF the Brotherhood and Turbo Fruits just came through town to play a bunch of shows including one Tuesday night at Death By Audio (5/26). More pictures from that one below...

Continue reading "JEFF the Brotherhood & Turbo Fruits @ Death By Audio - pics "

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Jaguar Club - Beat of My Heart (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Jaguar Club - Who Says We're Last? (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Spanish Prisoners - Los Angeles Guitar Dream EP (Zip)

JEFF the Brotherhood @ Death By Audio (more by Leia Jospe)

Nashville's JEFF the Brotherhood are back in town this weekend and if you missed Jake and Jamin's four-show run at Death by Audio last month you should definitely try to make one of their three area shows: Cake Shop on Friday (5/22), Bruar Falls on Saturday (5/23) or Death by Audio on Tuesday (5/26). They are a serious amount of fun. JEFF just made a video for their song "Bone Jam" which you can watch below.

Along for the ride are their Nashville neighbors Turbo Fruits, fronted by Jonas Stein who was guitarist in Be Your Own Pet. Their self-titled album from 2007 on Ecstatic Peace is a fun slab of grungy, garagey party rock. Since BYOP's dissolution, Turbo Fruits have gone through a couple lineup changes and have signed to Fat Possum, home of WAVVES, Crocodiles, and Andrew Bird. There's a video for their song "Volcano" below.

Spanish Prisoners

Elsewhere this weekend, the Spicy Times party returns to Union Hall with New York locals Jaguar Club, Spanish Prisoners and ECHOecho (who replaced the Shackletons). Most of the press Jaguar Club have gotten make reference to new wave or new-new wave which I think must come from them listing Echo & the Bunnymen, The Smiths and Talking Heads as influences on their MySpace. Apart from the new romantic singing style of frontman Will Popadic, I don't think there's anything overtly retro about Jaguar Club's sound. They're doing their own thing.

Spanish Prisoners are a band I've been meaning to write about for a while, as I thought their debut, Songs to Forget, was one of the more underrated (and underheard) albums of last year. Part of that was they didn't play all that much, the band kind of imploded with main Prisoner Leo Maymind rebuilding it this year into a new precision touring unit. The first fruits of this is a free download EP, Los Angeles Guitar Dream, which is a bit different than what they've done before but is pretty great, especially the ethereal-yet-dancey title track which you can check out at the top of this post. If you want to learn more about Spanish Prisoners and Jaguar Club, Maymind and Popadic recently interviewed each other and it's a pretty entertaining read.

Kingsbury Manx

Another good Saturday option is this week's Cake Shop 4th Anniversary Awesome Saturdays event. While not the 16-band spectacular that was last Saturday's party, this week features Chapel Hill, NC's The Kingsbury Manx who've been plugging away for nearly a decade now making good album after good album of gentle '60s-ish folk pop, garnering good reviews but not much attention. I would like to think this might change with their new album, Ascenseur Ouvert!, which might be their best yet, with songcraft playing as big a part as mood this time. If you like the current roster of Sub Pop folk (Fleet Foxes, Grand Archives) seek this band out. Also on the Cake Shop bill: fellow Chapel Hill natives (and Odessa Records labelmates) Americans in France; two dreamy artists from Arizona (Stephen Steinbrink and Hell-Kite); NYC-via-NZ's The Mad Scene which features Hamish Kilgour of the Clean, as well as Georgia Hubley of Yo La Tengo; and local post punks Fan-Tan.

Tour dates for most of the bands mentioned here, and videos after the jump...

Continue reading "JEFF the Brotherhood, Spanish Prisoners (free EP), Turbo Fruits, The Kingsbury Manx & more in This Week in Indie"

photos by Leia Jospe

"new yark again! hung with max from nashy, jamin turned 21, cy got to see avenu A (where the cro-mags are from) got some records and treats, 2nite we are playing with BLACK PUS, brian chippendale of lightning bolt's solo project, cooooool!" [Jeff the Brotherhood's blog]

JEFF the Brotherhood played one of their many NYC-area shows this week at Death By Audio last night (4/22). They shared a bill with Black Pus (pictured above, and as they pointed out above), Necking and Tussle (but not Sisters who they played some other shows with). More pictures from the show below...

Continue reading "Black Pus, JEFF the Brotherhood, Necking & Tussle @ Death by Audio in Brooklyn - pics "

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Sisters - Accolades (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Sisters - Street Cars (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Screaming Females - Bell (Mp3)

JEFF the Brotherhood

Nashville's hard-rockin' duo JEFF the Brotherhood are invading the NYC-area for five shows in as many days, including two separate record-release shows at Death by Audio for their two new split-7"s. The first 7" and DbA show (Sunday, 4/19) is with Brooklyn two-piece Sisters. The second 7" and DbA show (Monday, 4/20) is with New Brunswick, NJ's Screaming Females. Other NYC dates include Market Hotel, and Death by Audio again. All dates below.

[Jeff the...] Brothers Jake and Jamin Orrall are Nashville scene mainstays, and were at one point both in Be Your Own Pet. Says the Nashville branch of The Deli:

When it comes to JEFF the Brotherhood and Nashville, there are two kinds of people: those that love their music and those who haven't heard it yet. If you are in the former group, you most likely already own this album; if you belong to the latter, then stop reading this and go buy it right now. JEFF's fast-paced blend of psychedelic garage rock has been waking up neighbors from surrounding basements for a few years now, and as a result a steady fan base has emerged. The Orrall brothers (Jake and Jamin) certainly seem to know what they're doing--their last release, Castle Storm, received a positive response from practically everyone who heard it, and now they're back with a new album, The Boys R Back in Town. JEFF's songs are similar to a shot of whiskey. They're short, they're sweet, and they hit hard.

I picked up the Jeff/Sisters 7" at Sisters' show at Dead Herring this past weekend and both sides are pretty good. The show was my introduction to Sisters and I left a fan. For just two guys (singer Aaron Pfannebecker and drummer Matt Conboy), they use a massive stack of amps (and effects pedals) which makes for great knock-you-back indie rock a la Dinosaur Jr., Husker Du or Isn't Anything-era My Bloody Valentine.

Sisters

Sisters' debut album is due out on Death by Audio Records this summer. They've got more shows coming up in addition to Sunday's 7" release party and all the dates are at the bottom of this post.

Screaming Females

Screaming Females, meanwhile, only feature one female, singer Marissa Paternoster... but her pipes have the power of a gang of girls. In addition to the split-7' with Jeff the Brotherhood, their new full-length, Power Move, came out April 14th, and have been getting a lot of attention, most recently in this week's Village Voice:

Whether they're making the floor tremble at Brooklyn DIY hot spot Silent Barn, playing beneath a perilously low and crumbling ceiling in New Brunswick, or performing all lit up at the Music Hall of Williamsburg (where they recently opened for Throwing Muses), a Screaming Females show is a noisy, thrilling thing. Wearing a trademark vintage mandarin dress as she wails and pumps out frenetic riffs, Paternoster's bangs fall over her eyes, her mouth stretched in a cartoonish oval that echoes her glossy bowl-cut as her voice swoops between throat-bleeding howls and catchy choruses, the disciplined racket of the rhythm section seething behind her. The band's new full-length, Power Move, their third, is full of prickly rock and darkly clever tunes that blend angsty yelling, feverish melodies, and guitar-goddess solos in ways that variously recall Sleater-Kinney, Fugazi, and the Gits, with occasional hints of the kind of slinky, dirty blues perfected by the Gossip.

Check out their track, "Bell," at the top of this post. Tour dates and videos for all three bands after the jump...

Continue reading "Sisters, Screaming Females & JEFF the Brotherhood ---------- new records, NYC shows & other 2009 Tour Dates"