photos by Tim Griffin

"Never one to play by the rules, the Scream eschewed a greatest hits set and instead focused on the latter half of their career. Just over a third of the 16-song set was devoted to tracks off of their last two records, Riot City Blues and Beautiful Future. Group think/conventional wisdom is that these two records don't hold up very well next to the band's Vanishing Point / XTRMNTR / Evil Heat heyday, but "Country Girl" and "Jail Bird" sounded right at home next to older staples like "Kill All Hippies" and "Miss Lucifer."" [DCist, review of Friday's DC show]

Primal Scream played their final show on their US tour last night at Music Hall of Williamsburg (3/29). One night earlier they were at Webster Hall. Kuroma opened both shows. More pictures and the setlist from the Brooklyn show below...

Continue reading "Primal Scream @ Music Hall of Williamsburg, NYC - pics "

Primal Scream @ The Metro in Chicago - March 22, 2009 (theres no way home)

"Steven Van Zandt plays many roles: Guitarist in the E Street Band. Tough-talking club owner Silvio Dante in "The Sopranos." Host of syndicated radio show "Little Steven's Underground Garage."

But early on Friday, March 20, in the Austin Convention Center, he assumed the role of music industry elder statesman and philosopher during the South By Southwest Music and Media Conference.

Van Zandt spoke and answered audience questions in a convention center conference room....

... When a booking agent informed Van Zandt that the British band Primal Scream was not physically capable of doing a 20-show tour he hoped to organize, he did not hide his disgust.

"C'mon. (The E Street Band) does 20 shows a month. You want to be a drug addict? Go be a drug addict. Don't waste my time."
[The Times-Picaynne]

Primal Scream play their 2nd of two NYC shows tonight (3/29). Last night was at Webster Hall (how was that show?). Tonight is at Music Hall of Williamsburg and it is not sold out.

On March 22nd, right after they left Austin, Primal Scream played The Metro in Chicago. The setlist from that show is below...

Continue reading "Primal Scream played Webster Hall, Chicago (setlist) & SXSW (where Little Steven implied they are drug addicts)"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Micachu - Lips (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Chap - Proper Rock (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Choir of Unbelievers - Next Summer (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Youth Group - "Start Today Tomorrow" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Fumes - "Automobile" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Deastro - Parallelogram (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Deastro - Light Powered (MP3)

Micachu @ Cake Shop (more by Tim Griffin)

Welcome to the SXSW Hangover edition of This Week in Indie. Those who went to Austin might not want to go see live music, but for everyone else it's a boon. Most of these bands have been covered before so I'm just going to go night-by-night of the shows I'd recommend...

Continue reading "Deastro, Obits, White Lies, WAVVES, Ladyhawke, Efterklang, Primal Scream & more in This Week in Indie"

Primal Scream make it really hard to figure out where they are playing. Since my last posting, there are now at least four more confirmed US dates - 2 at SXSW, one in Washington DC, and March 29th at Music Hall of Williamsburg. The new Brooklyn show happens one day after their show at Webster Hall in Manhattan. Tickets are still on sale for Webster Hall, and they go on sale Friday for the Brooklyn show (with the Am Ex presale starting Wednesday at noon)). All North American dates are with Kuroma...

Hank Sullivant, lead and founding member of Kuroma may also be known to some as the founding bass player of Athens, GA band The Whigs and for being a former touring member of MGMT. When asked about the inspiration behind the song "In New York, Everything Is Tropical," Sullivant had this to share, "It came to me in a dream. In my dream I was parasailing and the boat below me was blasting a No Doubt song... but it wasn't an actual No Doubt song, it was this song. I woke up and immediately transcribed the whole thing." The pop sensibilities of this track made it a fitting subject for Rich Travali (Pharrell, Jay-Z, Nas) to put his mixing touch on. Kuroma's overall sound brings together a perfect mix of guitar-driven garage rock and psychedelic pop.

Kuroma also plays Mercury Lounge with Starfucker on April 21st, and Union Hall the next day. All tour dates below...

Continue reading "Primal Scream adds Brooklyn show, tour dates w/ Kuroma "

Brian Jonestown Massacre @ Terminal 5 (more by Lori Baily)

Led by enigmatic provocateur and sonic visionary Anton Newcomb, the Brian Jonestown Massacre are a controversial, independent and musically brilliant outfit who have attracted a legion of fans through their wildly futuristic psychedelic rock.

To coincide with the release of their 13th and latest album, My Bloody Underground, cult favourites The Brian Jonestown Massacre embarked on an August 2008 Australian tour. Highlighting this tour, is a LIMITED edition live CD from the 30th August show at The Hi-Fi in Melbourne, Australia. [The Hi-Fi Live]

As previously mentioned, Primal Scream will be visiting the US in March. That means shows in NYC, Philly, Toronto, Austin, and California (tickets). The West Coast dates are March 16th (LA) and March 17th (San Francisco), and both include The Brian Jonetown Massacre playing as opener. The opener for the March 28th Webster Hall show hasn't been announced, but I doubt it will also be Brian Jonestown. Instead, Anton Newcombe and gang will headline their own, even bigger show at Terminal 5 on April 1st. It's the same NYC venue they played over the summer. Since then they also played ATP NY and a smaller show at Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn. Tickets for the new show go on sale Friday. All dates for both bands below...

Continue reading "Brian Jonestown Massacre playing shows with and without PRIMAL SCREAM - 2009 Tour Dates"

"...Europe's finest musical 3-piece, Peter Bjorn and John, release their new album Living Thing on Almost Gold Recordings/StarTime International on March 31st 2009. Produced by the band and Lars Mårtén, who also had the control of the mixing dials, the album was recorded in 2008 in Stockholm, New York City and Los Angeles with an unprecedented level of input from the band and reflects the musical tastes, influences and personality of each individual member more than any previous PB+J album. The first taster "Lay It Down" sets the stage for an album full of perfectly crafted gems, all of which carry the distinctive sound that has come to define the trio. From the moment the album opens with the minimalist groove of "The Feeling" to the childlike hook of "Nothing to Worry About," PB+J have created a thoughtful, finely tuned follow-up to Writer's Block that combines the unique strengths and talents of each musician to ultimately find the band at their most adventurous and cohesive.

In addition to recording Living Thing last year, PB+J released a low-key and mostly instrumental album Seaside Rock and lead singer Peter Morén released his solo album The Last Tycoon. Björn Yttling was also quite busy producing other artists, including Lykke Li, Sahara Hotnights, The Feeling and Primal Scream.

Primal Scream will play Webster Hall in NYC on March 28th, and since that show was announced, it has come out that Primal Scream will also appear at SXSW in Austin a few days earlier. Also appearing at SXSW this year: Peter Bjorn and John, and it can't be long before they also announce a NYC show.

I posted that new Peter Bjorn and John track, and its accompanying funny video, last month. That "Shut the Fuck Up" song is actually called ""Lay it Down" and will be track #8 on the album (thx japple26). The MP3 Kanye West posted on January 6th is also on the new album. Kanye modestly wrote:

WORLD PREMIERE ... THEY SENT THE SONG TO ME FIRST! PETER BJORN & JOHN... SHIT IS DOPE!! DRUMS ARE CRAZY AND I LIKE THE KIDS ON THE HOOK. THERE NEW ALBUM IS CALLED "LIVING THING" ..... WITH ALL THAT SAID I DON'T KNOW THE NAME OF THE SONG... LOL!!!... I'M GONNA ASSUME IT'S CALLED, "NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT"

"NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT" is the name of track four. Full tracklist, and all tour dates, below...

Continue reading "Peter Bjorn and John's new album, an MP3, Kanye West, Primal Scream, SXSW & other tour dates"

Tickets are on sale for the Primal Scream show coming up at Webster Hall.

Tickets are on sale for the Cursive show coming up at Music Hall of Williamsburg.

Tickets are on sale for the Ida Maria show at Mercury Lounge.

Tickets are on sale for the Soft Pack show at Mercury Lounge.

Tickets are on sale for the John Doe/Exene show at Music Hall of Williamsburg.

Tickets are on sale for the Clutch show at Starland Ballroom.

Tickets are on sale for the New Years Eve show at Knitting Factory.

M Ward tickets are still on presale. David Byrne tickets are still on presale.

Lots of tickets also went on sale yesterday.

"A HALF-EMPTY venue and a middle-aged audience appeared to suggest that Primal Scream were not as relevant as they'd like to think they are.

Opening the night with the dirge, electro distortion of Kill All Hippies, the band rapidly ploughed through the hits. The set-list featured songs from throughout their vast back catalogue, including Jailbird, Swastika Eyes, Rocks and a smattering of material from recent album Beautiful Future.

Frontman Bobby Gillespie looked as youthful as ever, but didn't really have any real conviction despite his attempts to come over all rock and roll by turning his back on the audience for one track.

Musically, the Scream sounded tight as a band with new member Barrie Cadogan standing out on lead guitar and gelling well with ex-Stone Roses bassist Mani." [a November 25th UK review]

Primal Scream released their ninth studio album, Beautiful Future, on July 21, 2008. It was produced by "Björn Yttling (of Peter Bjorn and John) and Paul Epworth (who has produced Bloc Party)." The album features special guest appearances from Lovefoxxx (CSS), Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age), Lykke Li (also a friend of Bjorn), Victoria Bergsman (The Concretes, "Young Folks"), Maria Andersson (Sahara Hotnights), Linda Thompson, and many others.

On March 28th, 2009, Primal Scream will play Webster Hall in NYC. Tickets go on sale Thursday. All dates below...

Continue reading "Primal Scream - 2008/09 Tour Dates (Webster Hall)"