by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Hedgehog - Toy and 61 Festival (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Hedgehog - Waiting for the Last Bus (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Royal Baths - Nikki Don't (MP3)

After surviving a couple minor major acts of nature, we deserve a long break. So for your Labor Day weekend... like usual, it's pretty slow, show-wise. But there are some things to do.

We'll start this week with a movie. Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life is finally getting a U.S. release (it came out in January 2010 in France), albeit a limited one, thanks in part to great reissue label Light in the Attic. The film started it's two-week Film Forum run last night and will be making its way around the country throughout the fall. All play dates are at the bottom of this post.

Heroic maybe, but for sure Serge Gainsbourg led a wild life before succumbing to cancer at age 62 in 1992. You could make a compelling film out of any period of his life, and that the movie tries to cram it all in -- from fleeing Nazi-occupied Paris as a child through his rise to fame, relationships with Bridget Bardot and Jane Birkin to his his '70s dalliance with reggae -- gives too much of your standard Behind the Music story arc.

But it's also untraditional at the same time. Writer-director Joann Sfar is a comic artist (this is his first film) and injects a big element of the absurd courtesy of a puppet-like alter-ego (alter-Id, really) that encourages Gainsbourg to do bad things. Eric Elmosnino, a dead-ringer for Gainsbourg, is terrific, as is the rest of the cast -- including Lucy Gordon as Birkin and Laetitia Casta as Bardot, plus appearances by eccentric singer Philippe Katerine and the late Claude Chabrol. It's got a great sense of style and, of course, the soundtrack is amazing. Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life could be better, but it's still worth seeing.

Weekend

As for actual shows, San Francisco's vociferous and awesome Weekend will be here on Saturday (9/3) at Glasslands and Sunday (/4) at Mercury Lounge. Both shows are with the similarly cacophonous Talk Normal.

Weekend have a new EP, Red, out September 20th on Slumberland which finds the trio exploring new sonic territory, though not the quiet kind. It's still rather pummeling but Shaun Durkan's vocals, previously hidden behind echo and backwards reverb, are dryer and more up front now. The sound is a little sharper all around, but the driving, melodic basslines and guitar squall remain. You can download Red track "Hazel" via a Soundcloud widget at the bottom of this post.

In addition to Talk Normal, the Glasslands show features their Slumberland labelmates Brown Recluse; the Mercury Lounge show also has Fan-Tan on the bill. All Weekend/Talk Normal tour dates are at the bottom of this post.

Royal Baths

San Francisco's Royal Baths bring their heavy psychedelia to Death by Audio on Friday (9/2) with Xray Eyeballs, Hunters and Mountain Cult. I wrote previously: "Royal Baths are kind of bad trip acid rock, dark and seedy but not atonal. But it's definitely down the rabbit hole. In a good way." At the top of this post you can download a track off of Royal Baths debut LP  from last year. The band have a split double-7" with Ty Segall due out on HoZac any time now. Keep an eye peeled for that.

Hedgehog

Bejiing's Hedgehog are back in America for the first time since CMJ: they play Bruar Falls on Sunday (9/4) and Cake Shop on Monday (9/5). After that they head out on tour with Xiu-Xiu and Kindest Lines, and all tour dates are at the bottom of this post.

I caught set at The Woods last year and the venue's atrocious sound didn't deter Hedgehog's tenacity, most ably embodied in Atom, their tiny pistol of a drummer. Looking at them, you might expect pop punk a la Japan's Blue Hearts, but Hedgehog make melodic indie rock. There's a couple tracks to download at the top of this post. They're a blast live, and there aren't a lot of shows Sunday or Monday, so here's a good international option for your concert dollar.

That's it of the "big" stuff in my world. Some more shows -- including a fair amount of free ones -- are listed day-by-day below.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 1

Good show at Shea Stadium tonight. In addition to the recently-profiled Caged Animals, there's also new FatCat singings Forest Fire whose Walkmen-esque album Staring at the X is worth looking out for when it comes out in October on FatCat.

Nerdy rapper and Adult Swim voice talent MC Chris is throwing a record release party at Death by Audio for his new album Race Wars. It's also his birthday. Show is FREE.

continued below...

Continue reading "Serge Gainsbourg, Weekend, Hedgehog, Royal Baths, MC Chris, Hunx, 'English Beat' & more in This Week in Indie"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Mickey - For You (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Fungi Girls - Doldrums (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Pure X - Dry Ice (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Grooms - Tiger Trees (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Wake - Oh Pamela (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Weekend - End Times (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: pow wow! - It's Not That Easy (MP3) 

Mickey

Ok it's really hot out but don't let that stop you from seeing some great stuff this weekend. We've got a couple bands on the Hozac label in town this weekend. First is Chicago glam punks Mickey whose debut Rock n' Roll Dreamer just hit the racks. It's a sleazy vision of excess that is part The Sweet, part Johnny Thunders, part Schlitz malt liquor and three bags of glitter dumped on top. It's hook-filled debauched fun. Check out "For You" at the top of this post for a taste. I have not seen Mickey live but all signs point to chaos.

Mickey play Death By Audio tonight (7/7) with Liquor Store, Ex-Humans, The Fucking Ocean and Sleepies (this show sounds like trouble), and then Friday (7/8) at Cake Shop with Habibi, Jigglers, Teardrops and Siberians.

Fungi Girls

The other Hozac band is Austin trio Fungi Girls who I've been wanting to see for some time. They play Friday night (7/8) at Death By Audio with Xray Eyeballs and The Beets, and on Saturday (7/9) at Ding Dong Lounge as part of a Group Tightener curated show with the label's bands Pure X (more on them below) and Expensive Looks, plus Cool Cough.

Still in their teens, Fungi Girls seem to have already digested a lifetime of psych-pop influences and make a racket that sounds fresh and well beyond their years. (Why aren't these guys on Slumberland?) 2009's Seafaring Pyramids was excellent and I can't wait to hear the new album, Some Easy Magic, which is out next month. You can download "Doldrums" at the top of this post which was the b-side to a Hozac 7" that came out last year.

Pure X, who play with Fungi Girls on Saturday, are also from Austin and maybe you knew them as Pure Ecstasy which they used to be called. (A San Francisco cover band laid claim to the name.) Now Pure X, the band just released their debut LP, Pleasure, this week and you can download "Dry Ice" from it at the top of this post. Altered Zones has a stream of the whole thing. Recorded live with no overdubs, Pleasure is lovely and languid, not unlike the first Cowboy Junkies album or Galaxie 500. It's a nice Sunday morning kind of album as I'm fond of saying.

The band are in town for two shows. In addition to the previously mentioned Saturday show with Fungi Girls, Pure X also play Friday (7/8) at sweaty 285 Kent for a Chocolate Bobka curated show with Tonstartsbandht, Forma, and Run DMT.

Grooms

If you go see Mickey tonight, Fungi Girls tomorrow and wanna make it three smoky nights in a row at Death By Audio, on Saturday (7/9) it's the record release party for Grooms' very good second album, Prom, which officially comes out next week on Kanine. The show is with Pterodactyl and The Immaculates.

The new album is a big leap from the band's debut, Rejoicer. The overt Sonic Youth-isms have melted and Grooms have come into their own with this one which feels confident and accomplished. It rocks pretty hard too, at times, but has pretty moments as well. Check out album opener "Tiger Trees" at the top of this post. Grooms were fantastic when I saw them at Northside but I imagine they'll be even more on their game at their Death By Audio home base.

The Wake @ NYC Popfest 2010 (more by Dominick Mastrangelo)

And finally a bunch of Seaport-related shows. Friday (7/8) is the third installment of the Seaport Music Festival with Scotland indiepop legends The Wake. As I wrote when they played Popfest last year:

"While they didn't get the attention their Factory Records labelmates New Order and Happy Mondays (or even A Certain Ratio) received, The Wake's catalog is well-regarded, especially 1985's Here Comes Everybody which is a bona fide  indie classic. Check out "O Pamela" at the top of this post. The band's hazy, reverb-laden sound has parallels to current bands like The Radio Dept or Wild Nothing, or any of the chillwave groups out there."

Opening is San Francisco loud music trio Weekend who should not be confused with The Weeknd or Weekends. Weekend are one of my favorite new bands of the last year -- their debut LP Sports made my Best of 2010 list and their live show is not to be missed. I wonder what random Seaport tourists with make of their powerful din on Friday.

(editor's note: I was definitely wondering what random tourists may have thought when they came upon John Lennon's son and his supermodel girlfriend playing a show on the same stage recently).

Saturday (7/9) at the Seaport is an official "warm up" to next weekend's 4 Knots Festival, with Ted Leo and Screaming Females. Ted has played the Seaport five times and often not under the best conditions. He played in torrential downpours and with generator power the night of the 2003 blackout. Saturday he'll be marking the 10th anniversary of his album The Tyranny of Distance by playing it in full. Weather is supposed to be lovely.

Then on Sunday (7/10) is the penultimate Sound Bites Series show with pow wow! who are currently finishing up their debut album. After garnering a lot of buzz (and playing what seemed like every week) back in 2009, they took most of last year off to regroup and rethink. With a slightly retooled sound -- they're definitely a little more '80s indie and a little less early '00s rock now -- they'll play the Fulton Stall Market at 3PM. I DJ before and after. Check out "It's Not That Easy" at the top of this post.

Then after the Sound Bites show, you should head over to the Beekman Beer Garden for the first of the summer's Beach Party shows. This week it's the wildness that is Cheeseburger, plus Hard Nips. I hope Beekman (formerly Water Taxi Beach formerly Spiegeltent) is ready for flying beer. This should be fun. With the truncated Seaport Music Festival schedule this year (and no Pool Parties) I'm glad more is going on down at the Seaport, one of my favorite places during the summer.

If you want to hear more from the bands playing the Sound Bites Series, the Beach Parties, as well as Hudson River Rocks, the Seaport folks partnered with Insound for some free downloadable mixes. Bands include Austra, Metronomy, Xray Eyeballs, The Beets, pow wow!, DOM, Raveonettes, Radical Dads and more. I curated the Brooklyn Local mix with bands who have played both years of the Sound Bites Series, plus some other Brooklyn bands I think people should check out. 

OK that's it for this week. A few more Thursday picks are below.

THURSDAY, JULY 7

Steel Phantoms, ARMS, and Shark? are at Brooklyn Bowl. It's free if you go before 7PM. After that it's five bucks.

Colorado band School Knights play Shea Stadium with The Hairs whose singer used to have a band called Knight School. Weird, right? Also playing: Grand Rapids and Radical Dads whose new video for "New Age Dinosuars" is at the bottom of this post.

contininued below...

Continue reading "Mickey, Fungi Girls, Pure X, Grooms, The Wake, Weekend, pow wow! & more in This Week in Indie"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Archers of Loaf - What Did You Expect? (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Art Brut - "Lost Weekend" (MP3)

Archers of Loaf @ Sasquach 2011 (more by Josh Darr)

This weekend marks the return of '90s indie legends Archers of Loaf who play Music Hall of Williamsburg on Saturday (6/25, sold out) and Webster Hall on Sunday (6.26, you can still get tickets). Opening both shows are Mr. Dream which is as perfect an opener as you could imagine.

I didn't care for their later records (or Eric Bachman's Crooked Fingers) but Archers of Loaf's 1993 debut, Icky Mettle, is an indie rock classic that stands tall alongside No Pocky for Kitty, Slanted & Enchanted, There's Nothing Wrong with Love and Sebadoh III. 1995's Vee Vee is pretty awesome too, and both records are getting the expanded reissue treatment from Merge Records in August. You can download "What Did You Expect?" (a 1994 7"-only release) at the top of this post.

Speaking of Mr. Dream, despite the Voice saying that the lineup was final, they added Mr. Dream today to the upcoming 4Knots Fest at South Street Seaport, and DJs and an indoor lounge too...

The Village Voice is excited to announce the addition of the 4Knots Indoor Lounge during the 4Knots Music Festival on Saturday, July 16, 2011. The lounge, located at 210 Front Street, will be open from 2PM till Midnight with free admission, 21+ only. DJ Sets will take place all day from: Yeasayer, Dan Deacon, Finger on the Pulse, PUNCHES, Brahms, and others TBD. Drink specials from Sailor Jerry and Bud Light will be available along with a PopChips photo booth, and much more.

The inaugural 4Knots Music Festival with also include live music on South Street Seaport Pier 17 from 1-8pm. The Black Angels, Titus Andronicus, Davila 666, Oberhofer, Eleanor Friedberger and Mr. Dream and are all scheduled to perform on the outdoor stage at the free, all day, all ages music festival.

---

While we're in the '90s milleiu, Mazes are here opening for White Denim on Saturday night (6/25) at Bowery Ballroom. I'll just quote myself here:

When you think Manchester, England you may think Stone Roses and The Smiths, but in the case of Mazes, it's more Sebadoh and Soul Asylum. Not unlike Yuck, this trio owe lots to '90s indie rock as can be heard on their debut album A Thousand Heys which came out in April.

A Thousand Heys is full of catchy singalongs -- like their current single "Summer Hits" -- and well worth checking out. (Samples from the album are streaming at their label's website.) You can download a previously unreleased track, "Brunswick Stack," at the bottom of this post via a Soundcloud widget.

And if you can't make it this weekend, Mazes return for a headlining show at Glasslands on Tuesday, July 5 where they'll play with Beige, Country Mice, and The Hairs.

Art Brut

What else? Art Brut are on tour and played Maxwell's last night and will be at Music Hall of Williamsburg Thursday (6/23). The band's new album, Brilliant! Tragic!, finds Eddie Argos taking it down a notch and almost singing. Almost. It's really more of a whispery type thing -- not unlike Jarvis Cocker -- and for the most part I think it works pretty well. I especially like the single, "Lost Weekend," which you can download at the top of this post. More than anything, I think the music is the best Art Brut have come up with since their debut. And the band remain a lot of fun to see live. Argos is the real deal.

Sic Alps

Sic Alps roll through town on Friday, playing Death By Audio with Spectre Folk and Weekends. As previously reported, founding member Matt Hartman -- who was half the band originally -- has left the group which is kind of weird Mike Donovan is carrying on with the name with Eric Baur and some kid named Ty Segall (who had briefly joined the band a couple years ago). Shouldn't they be called Sic Andes or something now?

Granted, Mike Donovan did most of the singing (and maybe wrote most of the songs) and I'm gonna bet this new version of the band is pretty awesome. Sic Alps most recent album, Napa Asylum, is another smoldering, thick stew of swamp garage. A lot of bands use the low-fi thing as a crutch, but Sic Alps have always used sludge like it's a member of the band. A new 7", perhaps the first fruits of this new line-up, is out in August.

Fulton Stall Market in 2010 (more by Chris La Putt)

And finally, a little shameless plugging. Sunday afternoon, June 26th, is the first of my four Sound Bites Series shows which take place at the Fullton Stall Market down at South Street Seaport. You can get your vegetables and jingle jangle indiepop all in one place. This Sunday the latter is provided by scene stalwarts My Teenage Stride. The fun (which includes me DJing before the band) starts at 2PM, and it's all free. Do come down and say hi.

This is the full Sunday show lineup:

JUNE 26: MY TEENAGE STRIDE
JULY 3: THE HAIRS
JULY 10: pow wow!
JULY 17: HOSPITALITY

July 10th is also the first of six free shows at Beekman Beer Garden which is at South Street Seaport too. The free Friday Seaport shows begin this Friday, but more about that below.

Some additional daily picks follow:

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22

Iceage play a free show at Other Music today.

THURSDAY, JUNE 23

Black Dice's Eric Copeland, McDonalds and Regal Degal play Secret Project Robot. It's a record release party for both Copeland and McDonalds, so do check out the merch table. The Copeland record, Waco Taco Combo, is only a 500 copy pressing.

Dinosaur Jr. are at Terminal 5 performing their classic 1988 album Bug (that's the one with "Freak Scene") in its entirety. And probably some other songs as well. Many people will be going just to see Fucked Up, not to mention Off!.

Beach Fossils and Javelin play Santos Party House. It's a free show if you RSVP.

continued below....

Continue reading "Archers of Loaf, Mr. Dream, Art Brut, Mazes, Sic Alps, Iceage, Sundays @ The Seaport & more in This Week in Indie"

fireworks @ the Seaport in 2010 (more by Chris La Putt)

INITIAL SOUTH STREET SEAPORT CONCERT LINEUP
June 24: The Ghost of a Sabre Tooth Tiger (Sean Lennon) + TBA
June 26: My Teenage Stride (Sunday)
July 01: Lower Dens & Dirty Beaches
July 03: The Hairs (Sunday)
July 08: The Wake & Weekend
July 10: Pow Wow! (Sunday)
July 15: The Radio Dept. & Asobi Seksu
July 16: 4Knots Music Festival (Saturday)

All Friday shows start at 7pm. Sunday shows, which are the return of our own Bill Pearis' Sound Bites series (but now on Sundays instead of at lunch), begin at 2pm. Both are part of the annual River To River Festival at The Seaport.

More free Seaport dates, shows and bands TBA, including maybe a Mad Decent Block Party.

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Eternal Summers - Prisoner (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Crystal Stilts - Through the Floor (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Zaza - Distance Creator (ZIP)

Lyonnais

Coachella may be happening on the other coast but it's a lovely day here in NYC and I don't feel like I'm missing anything this weekend staying here. For one thing it's Record Store Day which also falls the same weekend and Tax Day which may be good or bad depending how you did this year. And there's lots of other stuff worth seeing too, so let's get into it.

McDonalds are one of these local groups whose name I'd seen around for a while and given the bands they often played with -- German Measles, Home Blitz, Tyvek -- I had it in my mind they sounded one way when, in fact, they don't. Well, that's not exactly true. They are kind of shambly indie. But their great new single "Good Parts" is like some lost obscure 7" from 1990 Manchester, that era when C-86 melted into the baggy scene. You can check it out -- in video form -- at the bottom of this post in a fun green-screened clip starring a lot of people you might recognize if you hang out at Bruars Falls or Cake Shop with any regularity.

McDonalds have three shows coming up in the next week: tonight (4/14) at Union Pool with Lyonnais and Helado Negro, then Saturday (4/16) as part of Cake Shop's Record Store Day extravaganza (more on that in a minute), and then next Wednesday (4/20) with former Swell Maps/Television Personalities dude Jowe Head & The Extremities.

As mentioned above, also playing the Union Pool show tonight are Atlanta four-piece Lyonnais whose dark, ethereal sound will likely draw comparisons to My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive... or even mid-'80s goth like Xmal Deutchland or Red Lorry Yellow Lorry. Their debut album is still being shopped around, but you can stream "Transitive Properties of Youth" at the bottom of this post, and a few more at their MySpace.

In addition to tonight's show, Lyonnais play tomorrow (4/15) at Glasslands and I imagine playing under the venue's stormcloud installation will be pretty apropos. I hope they are really loud too.

Eternal Summers

That Glasslands bill also features Roanoke, VA's Eternal Summers who have a new EP titled Prisoner out on Kanine/Forrest Family next week. The title track -- downloadable above -- is one of my favorite Eternal Summers songs yet and the whole EP is pretty excellent overall. The band, at least the last time I saw them, have expanded to a trio for live shows which fills out their sound nicely.

The Glasslands show, in addition to Eternal Summers and Lyonnais, features Toronto's Golden Dogs and locals Dream Diary who don't play together so much anymore now that guitarist Madison moved to Memphis. Brad Oberhofer will DJ in-between bands.  That's a good night of music.

Eternal Summers also play Cake Shop on Saturday (4/16) which is the venue's Record Store Day extravaganza, featuring a slew of great -- mostly local -- bands. The downstairs will be a record mart during the day (noon - 6PM). Bands during the evening include the previously-mentioned McDonalds, Natural Child, Widowspeak, Overlord, Hands & Knees, Night Collectors and Twitchers. Eternal Summers head out on tour next month with the Beets and all those tour dates are at the bottom of the post.

Also, for the real record nerds, Cake Shop is running a fun little contest. They've made 77 versions of the Record Store Day flyer, each with different backgrounds taken from album covers. Take a look, name the artist and album of as many as you can and email your answers to cakeshopusa@gmail.com. The entry with the most correct answers (or first entry in case of a tie) wins either a $77 bar tab at Cake Shop or $77 credit for the Cape Shok record mart during that day. Winner's choice. I got about 55 for sure, with another 15 I could figure out with a little time.

---------------------------

And finally, Spectrum (aka Pete "Sonic Boom" Kember who also co-fronted Spacemen 3) are in town this weekend playing two shows with Crystal Stilts: Saturday (4/16) at Le Poisson Rouge and Sunday (4/17) at Music Hall of Williamsburg. Kember is one of the forefathers of drone pop and in the past few years has become known for his work behind the boards, having produced MGMT's underrated/misunderstood Congratulations album, and he mixed the new Panda Bear. There's a new Spectrum album duo sometime soon too. Kember's influence seems more relevant than ever. Glad to see he's staying busy.

Crystal Stilts

Crystal Stilts owe more than a little to Kember's many records. The band just released their second LP, In Love with Oblivion and I think it's pretty great, pretty easily besting their 2008 debut (which was one of my favorite albums of that year.) The production's better, the songs are better, and the artwork's really nice as well. It's hard to listen to the new album without thinking of Frankie Rose whose relentless drumming style, I feel, probably had a lot to do with the way standout songs like "Sycamore Tree" and "Death is What We Live For" were formed. Both of those Kraut-heavy tracks made their debut in late 2008. As much as I like Rose's solo work, I miss her being in this band.

But the new new songs show that it's still guitarist JB Townsend and singer Brad Hargett writing great songs. The biggest improvement over the first album is probably the influence of keyboardist Kyle Forrester, whose parts add a bright color to Crystal Stilts' sound, especially on "Silver Sun" and single "Shake the Shackles." The record got a deserved 7.9 in Pitchfork today. You can download "Through the Floor" at the top of this post and watch the video below. Crystal Stilts are on tour starting next week and all dates are below.

That's it for this edition. Some daily picks and more after the jump.

Continue reading "McDonalds, Lyonnais, Eternal Summers, Record Store Day @ Cake Shop, Spectrum, Crystal Stilts, Zaza, Rebecca Gates & more in This Week in Indie"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: The Octagon - Suicide Kings (MP3)

The Octagon

I wrote at length already about this week's Serena Maneesh shows. Now here are some other daily picks to take you through the weekend...

Continue reading "The Octagon, Free Energy & more in This Week in Indie "

Castanets @ Central Park Summerstage (more by Toby Tenenbaum)

tonight in NYC
* DANCE
* Julianna Barwick @ Sycamore
* Japandroids, Slim Twig @ Pianos
* Francis and the Lights @ Joe's Pub
* Japanther, Ninjasonik @ Whitney Museum
* Drunkdriver, Total Abuse @ Market Hotel
* Wakey! Wakey!, Casey Shea @ Gramercy Theatre
* Jason Lytle (of Grandaddy) @ Bowery Ballroom
* Pollution, Bukkake Boys, The Choke @ Don Pedros
* The Golden Filter, Nomi (DJ) @ Tribeca Grand Hotel
* Subhumans, Witchhunt, The A-heads @ Knitting Factory
* Radio Happy Hour w/ Michael Showalter @ (Le) Poisson Rouge
* Castanets, M.A. Turner, Babies @ Silent Barn
* Forro in the Dark, Nation Beat, Red Baraat Festival @ The Yard
* pow wow!, the Sundelles, more @ Nellie's Lawn in Prospect Park
* Wakey!Wakey!, Casey Shea, Pearl and the Beard @ Gramercy Theatre
* Willie Mae Rock Camp For Girls Showcase Concert @ Bowery Ballroom
* Midsummer's Night Swing w/ Big 3 Palladium Orchestra @ Lincoln Center
* Parts and Labor, Fiasco, Big Bear, Child Bite, Birdcage @ Market Hotel
* The Friggs, Jesse Bates & His Flying Guitars, The Vondells @ Union Hall
* Skeletons, Our Brother the Native, Religious Girls, Extra Life @ Ash's Place
* Celebrate Brooklyn w/ They Might Be Giants (kids show) @ Prospect Park Bandshell
* NY Eye & Ear Fest w/ Blacklist, Martial Carternal, John Wiese, Freshkills, more @ 92YTribeca
* Dark Star Orchestra & Keller Williams, Pete Francis & Barefoot Truth @ Beach at Governors Island
* NY Ear & Eye Fest: "Women of NYCinema" w/ Sarah Lipstate, Liz Wendelbo, Rachel Blackwell & Dirty Churches @ 92YTribeca
* Citysol w/ Dead Prez, DJ Green Lantern, Fiasco, Hi Red Center, So So Glos, Shilpa Ray & Her Happy Hookers, Outasight, Love Like Deloreans, Schwervon! @ Solar One (set times below)

They Might Be Giants play a free Celebrate Brooklyn show for kids at the Prospect Park Bandshell today. Japanther and Ninjasonik play a family-geared gig at the Whitney Museum.

Citysol Festival at Solar One features sets from Dead Prez, DJ Green Lantern, Fiasco, Hi Red Center, So So Glos, Shilpa Ray & Her Happy Hookers, Outasight, Love Like Deloreans and Schwervon!. Set times below.

The Beach at Governors Island opens up with a music from Dark Star Orchestra & Keller Williams and Pete Francis & Barefoot Truth.

You can see Rachel Trachtenburg's Homemade World at both of those venues tomorrow.

Skeletons, Our Brother the Native, Religious Girls and Extra Life play Ash's Place in Brooklyn (234 Wythe Ave @ N 4th St).

NY Eye & Ear Fest II goes into its third day with a record fair and concert at 92YTribeca. The "Women of NYCinema" program, also at 92YT features work from Sarah Lipstate, Liz Wendelbo and Rachel Blackwell (with Dirty Churches).

Japandroids played Cameo last night. They play a sold-out show at Pianos tonight with Slim Twig.

Jason Lytle of Grandaddy ends his two-night NYC run at the Bowery Ballroom. Last night it was Union Hall.

Radio Happy Hour at (Le) Poisson Rouge, which kicked off last month with Norah Jones, happens again with Michael Showalter hosting.

pow wow!, The Sundelles, Gutsies and others will play free acoustic music at Nellie's Lawn (off of the park's East Drive) in Prospect Park from 4:30 pm to 9:30ish pm. See the map and hand-drawn flyer below. The event is hosted by The Co-Op.

"Superman and Batman took on New York's Finest last night in an epic Crossroads of the World battle that left the Caped Crusader in cuffs. Stunned Times Square tourists and office workers watched agog as cops struggled to subdue Clark Kent's alter ego without kryptonite." [NY Post]

Ted Leo and Of Montreal appear in a promo for the upcoming season of It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia, below...

What else?

Continue reading "Whats going on Saturday?"

DOWNLOAD: The Glass - Wanna Be Dancin' (Radio Edit) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Glass - Come Alive (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Grum - Sound Reaction (Heart Beats) (original mix) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Grum - Sound Reaction (Heart Beats) (radio edit) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Grum - Sound Reaction (Heart Beats) (the Revolving Eyes remix) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Grum - Sound Reaction (Heart Beats) (the Phantom's Revenge remix) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Hostage - Special Brew (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Hostage - Concrete Mix (MP3)

Fake Blood @ Cheeky Bastard - 213 N. 8th St., Williamsburg (more by Nicky Digital)

Last week in dance was another busy one as usual. I wasn't around for the weekend but managed to get out a bit before then. On Thursday I caught an awesome set from Fake Blood in Williamsburg, followed by a great night of dancing downstairs at APT on Friday, where Trus'me dropped everything from disco, house, and techno to soul at Disco3000. The dancing continues this week, starting with Thursday and Friday:

Continue reading "the week in Dance w/ Showtrotta (part 1)"

Shea Stadium, the new Brooklyn space that's hosting a Showpaper benefit with Fiasco, Dinowalrus and others on May 30th, is opening in full this weekend (May 22nd).

On Friday, May 22nd, Whack, Grocery Thief, and No One & the Somebodies play the venue. Then, Shea hosts a kick-off party on Sunday, May 24th with Golden Error, Pow Wow!, Bad Credit No Credit and Donner Party Picnic with the So So Glos DJing.

It turns out the venue is also rigged for live recording and has plans to release recorded shows on their website ("think Daytrotter with an audience").

Shea Stadium is a progressive art space that serves a dual purpose as both a recording studio and live music venue. Our deal is simple....bands are invited to come and use our space and our equipment free of charge to make a live recording of their set. During these live recording sessions our doors will be open to the public: all bands are encouraged to treat these sessions as a show and bring as many of their friends/fans as they like. A small cover charge at the door (we have to pay the bills right??) grants you admission to the entire night of sessions as everyone is welcome to stay for the duration of the evening's festivities. As both a studio and show space, our mission is to create a fun-loving environment that will bring out the best in all the bands who perform, as well as the audience.

The new venue was started by producer Adam Reich, who is a childhood friend, and the producer of, The So So Glos, who are some of the people behind Market Hotel. It's one big DIY family.

More info on the venue, the kick-off-show flyer, and more below...

Continue reading "Shea Stadium - new all ages Brooklyn venue, recording studio & Daytrotter-like website "

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: The Beets - What Did I Do? (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Pow Wow! - My House. Your House. Mine (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Pow Wow! - 23 19 (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Browns - For the Saints (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Browns - Forgotten Son (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Browns - Two of You (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Sundelles - So Long (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Gary War - Bounce Four (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Papercuts - Future Primitive (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Papercuts - Future Primitve (Ruby Suns remix) (MP3)

The Beets @ Bruar Falls

As you may have heard, L Magazine put out their annual "8 NYC Bands You Must Hear" issue this week. Tonight (5/1), three of the eight are playing live... and two of them are playing the same show. Those two would be pow wow! and The Beets who play at the Red Star bar in Greenpoint and I heartily give the thumbs up to both of them. I caught the latter last Friday when they played with Box Elders at Bruar Falls and thought they were great, maybe even just a smidge better than the Box Elders. In a weird way, The Beets kind of remind me of a more simplified version of '60s frat rock (The Troggs, Swingin' Medallions) by way of New Zealand. Though live their songs don't so much end as stop, somehow it all works. Their vinyl-only album, Spit in the Face of People Who Don't Want to Be Cool (a nod to WWE's Carlito), is well worth seeking out. They've got a new EP on Captured Tracks coming out sooner than later too, so be on the lookout for that too. An MP3 is at the top of this post.

I've written about pow wow! previously and have seen them a couple times now and they are a lot of fun, and have the kind of party vibe about them that would make them perfect for a residency at Ruby's Bar in Coney Island. If such things existed. At both shows I saw, pow wow! had the crowd dancing. Also on the bill are The Wild Yaks and The Subjects. Entry's only $4 and there's free Colt-45 from 9-10. Flyer below.

The other L Magazine trumpeted band playing tonight are Darlings who'll be at the 92Y Tribeca. I'm not so familiar with them, but here's what the L said:

They call to mind a sloppier Teenage Fanclub or Sloan at times, with whimsical melodies that feel completely timeless. Then, out of nowhere, they turn into a loud, screamy rock band, like early Replacements or the Jason Lowenstein contributions to Sebadoh, or maybe even... Nirvana? Basically, they've held onto the idea that this whole music thing was always supposed to be fun because you get to bang on shit really, really hard -- it just so happens they bring an awful lot of other stuff to the table as well.

Comparing a band to Teenage Fanclub and Sloan is a quick way to get me to listen. Darlings play with Snakes Say Hiss, and Boogie Boarder. They also play May 7 at Glasslands with pow wow! and the Sundelles.

Speaking of, The Sundelles also play tonight (5/1) at Matchless with The Browns who made the L Magazine's "Honorable Mentions" list:. Both bands are on 1928 Recordings which is also home to The Soft Pack and sound not dissimilar to that band. (Actually, Browns frontman Ryan McReynolds owns 1928 Recordings so maybe it all makes sense.) And like The Soft Pack, The Browns do that uninterested-but-sneering-with-contempt attitudede thing particularly well. The Sundelles are a little happier and a little more low-fi, but also quite good. MP3s for both Browns and Sundelles are at the top of this post.

My other recommended Friday show would be The Dears.

Kurt Vile @ Silent Barn (more by Jacob Blickenstaff)

Moving on to Saturday, there's a potentially good show at Silent Barn (not my favorite Todd P venue i must admit) featuring Kurt Vile and Gary War who have played together there before. They both share a love of putting out a zillion releases in every format and as many labels as possible. Philadelphia's Kurt Vile is a good musician -- don't let his low-fi aesthetic fool you -- and his Woodist album, Constant Hitmaker, is very good. (His EP on Mexican Summer is less interesting to these ears.) Gary War is a bit weirder, more psychedelic and, like Blank Dogs, he likes to run his vocals through weird, watery effects. And also like Blank Dogs, he gives away his music on his blog, including the whole of his new album, New Ratheonport, which features "Bounce Four," which you can download at the top of this post, and a way-trippy cover of Alan Parsons Project's '70s soft rock classic, "Eye in the Sky." Two bands separate Kurt and Gary on the bill: Sightings and Drunkdriver.

Papercuts

And last but not least this week, we've mentioned before that Vetiver are in town for two shows: Sunday (5/3) at Bowery Ballroom and Thursday (5/7) at The Bell House. As much as I like the headliners -- and I do -- I'm more excited about openers Papercuts, who've made one of my favorite records of the year so far, You Can Have What You Want, which came out two weeks ago. The nom-de-rock of San Francisco resident Jason Quever, his second album is dense, layered, melodic and sounds like a warm Sunday morning, not unlike Cass McCombs. I liked Papercuts' 2007 debut, Can't Go Back, but this new one is just miles better. I have yet to see Papercuts the band (Quever augmented with a few friends) play live, and I know previous NYC stops have gotten mixed reviews, but I can't wait to see what they're like.

Videos and tour dates are below...

Continue reading "The Beets, Papercuts, The Browns, Gary War, pow wow! & more in This Week in Indie"

Mogwai @ MHOW (more by Ryan Muir)

tonight in NYC
* DANCE
* Tribeca Film Festival
* The Dead @ IZOD Center
* The Roots @ Highline Ballroom
* Del the Funky Homosapien @ BB King Blues Club
* El Ten Eleven, The Sway Machinery @ Mercury Lounge
* Mogwai, The Twilight Sad @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
* Spectrum, Psychic Ills, Cheval Sombre @ Death By Audio
* Peter Bjorn and John, Chairlift, Luke Top @ Webster Hall
* pow wow!, Eula, Elizabeth Harper and the Matinee @ Crash Mansion
* The Fugs, Golden Triangle, White Williams, Acrylics, Further Reductions, Mount Olympus @ The Bell House

Lots of people showed up to the Knitting Factory to be Spiderman.

pow wow! are a 2009 L Band to Watch.

Video of the Decemberists on The Colbert Report the other night, below...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Wednesday?"

8 bands

The did it in 2007, and again in 2008, and this year L Magazine is back with their list of "8 NYC Bands You Need to Hear" (plus some runner-ups). Check out the 2009 list, and discuss, below...

Continue reading "L Mag's 2009 list of "8 NYC Bands You Need to Hear""

As mentioned, Bruar Falls is opening its doors on Grand St. in Williamsburg tonight (3/27). Brought to us by the people behind Cake Shop, the new Brooklyn music venue located in the spot that previously housed the Lucky Cat (RIP), will basically be using tonight to test out the new system. Deastro and Choir of Believers are on the bill. The venue is not 100% complete, so if you go, don't be hard on them. Also, they will only be letting around 100 people in. Then after tonight they will stay closed for further renovation until April 1st (when Pow Wow, White Hinterland and others play a show there).

The official grand opening party will happen on April 4th with a Brooklyn band that has been growing in popularity enough for them to be listed as "secret guest" (for now). The 'ex ski-resort employees' will be joined on that night by Acrylics and DJ Justin Miller.

In general, owner Andy Bodor tells me that the new space "is going to be simply 'dancier' than Cake Shop", "showcasing more of the futurist/damaged beat/artschool/vintage synth/go-go vs ghostpunk whatever-it-is sound". I'm super psyched about it.

Full schedule and more info HERE, and on the new venue's site.

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Winter Gloves - Let Me Drive (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Woodhands - Dancer (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Slim Twig - Gate Hearing! (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Pow Wow! - My House. Your House. Mine (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Pow Wow! - 23 19 (MP3)

Mystery Jets

While I'm sure there are all sorts of excellent bands playing in NYC this weekend (one of which I'll get to further down), I'm going to skip ahead to two shows that I'd being going to if they weren't both happening the same night, Tuesday February 24...

Priority for me goes to The Mystery Jets who are at Bowery Ballroom. They haven't played here in a while (since September 2007) and you may remember them, if at all, as the overly weird prog rockers whose singer's father was in the band. (That would be singer Blaine Harrison's father, Henry.) Well, Mystery Jets have changed a lot since then. Henry, dropped out of the band and with him went Mystery Jets' prog-rock tendencies. With the help of producers Stephen Street (The Smiths, Blur) and Erol Alkan (Late of the Pier, The Long Blondes), the band embraced the pop song fully on their second album, Twenty One, which was my #2 album of 2008. It's single, "Young Love," which features Laura Marling (who unlike MJ is playing SXSW this year), topped my Best Songs list. The great video for that song, is at the bottom of this post.

The whole album is full of actual and potential singles, and if it errs on the side of being a little too '80s at times (there's saxophone straight out of a Whitney Houston song on "Two Doors Down," and "MJ" might be a little too similar too "Don't Stand So Close to Me" for some) there is no denying the inventive arrangements and giant, stick-in-your-head hooks that are all over Twenty One. (I wrote a lot more about the album over on my blog last year if you care to read it.) It is a mystery (sorry) to me that it hasn't been released in the U.S., but one can guess that this show (and the one they played in L.A. earlier this week) mean they're trying to rectify this. The band just signed to Rough Trade who are re-releasing Twenty One overseas. Hopefully that will happen here too. Tickets are still available for the NYC show.

Winter Gloves

If I wasn't going to see Mystery Jets I would definitely be at Pianos that night for the Paper Bag Records showcase. The Canadian label, home to Tokyo Police Club and The Acorn, are bringing down three of their more recent signings: Winter Gloves, the Josh Reichmann Oracle Band, and Slim Twig. I caught Winter Gloves last November at M for Montreal where they were already local favorites. Not dissimilar from Tokyo Police Club, we're talking keyboard-driven dance rock with a lot of participatory handclapping. "Let Me Drive," which you can download at the top of this post, is pretty typical of their debut album, About a Girl, which came out last year. They're very good live, and I would say it's worth the $8 just for them.

The rest of the lineup has potential, even if I'm not so familiar with the two other bands. Josh Reichmann used to front post-punkers Tangiers, but his new group is more rootsy and soulful, with a lot of saxophone going on. Fans of The Acorn will probably dig. And apparently the group includes a live dancer so that's something you don't see so much these days. Look for the debut, Crazy Power, this spring.

The third artist on the bill, Slim Twig gets compared to everyone from Jon Spencer to Genesis P. Orridge to Scott Walker to Thurston Moore, which is enough to make me want to see him. You can definitely hear those influences in his recordings, which are claustrophobic and paranoid sounding. He's got a full band when he plays live, as well as multimedia elements, so the evening very well could start off with a bang.

And finally, a weekend show for consideration. I don't know a whole lot about Greenpoint-via-Jersey band Pow Wow! besides what Ive gleaned from their MySpace. Basically a duo of brothers Edward and Jeff Nazareno, the two have been writing together for about three years but only began releasing music last year. And most of it is pretty catchy stuff. The band list Burt Bacharach and The Smiths as influences but their songs are in a similar, laid-back vibe to the Little Joy record. There are two songs to check out at the top of this post and if you like those, pretty much everything they've released is available to download for free from their website. Not sure how their lineup is fleshed out live, but Pow Wow! are playing a bunch of NYC-area shows, the first of which is this Saturday (2/21) at The Annex.

Tour dates, flyers, pictures and videos after the jump...

Continue reading "Mystery Jets, Winter Gloves, pow wow!, Slim Twig & more in This Week in Indie"