The Oblivians @ Knitting Factory, 2010 (more by Andrew Friscano)

The Seaport Music Festival already announced that Unknown Mortal Orchestra would be playing on June 28 and they've recently announced a couple more dates on the schedule. Memphis garage legends The Oblivians will play with their Goner labelmates Ex-Cult on June 7. And then on June 21, jangly UK indie pop quartet Fear of Men will play. No opener has been announced for that show yet. All Seaport Music Festival shows are free and all-ages.

More shows are still to be announced. Also happening at Pier 17 at the Seaport is Village Voice's 4Knots Music Fest which happens June 29 with headliners Kurt Vile & the Violators, plus The Men, Parquet Courts, and Marnie Stern and more TBA.

As you may remember, South Street Seaport was hit hard by Hurricane Sandy, taking out most of shops on the brick street area down there which also suffered heavy looting, and most of those storefronts are still empty. (The mall is open, though.) Seaport Music, the label, are putting out a compilation album titled Anchored & Amped and 100% of the sales going to Seaport area businesses impacted by Hurricane Sandy. The record includes exclusive tracks from Ted Leo & the Pharmacists, The Wedding Present, Wire, Savoir Adore and more It will be available on June 4 via local record stores and at Seaport Music Festival shows.

Ex-Cult will also be back in July with Austin's OBN IIIs, playing Mercury Lounge on 7/24. Tickets to that show are still available. Updated Ex-Cult dates are listed below...

Continue reading "Seaport Music Festival announces more shows (Oblivians / Ex-Cult, Fear of Men), releasing Sandy relief benefit LP"

Savoir Adore at Knitting Factory in 2012 (more by Sachyn Mital)

today in NYC
* Hag @ The Stone
* ASSSSCAT 3000 @ UCB
* Fukimaki Miura @ Barbes
* Gael Rouillhac @ Barbes
* Justin Veloso @ The Stone
* Sophia Knapp @ Ace Hotel
* Black Guard, Valor @ Saint Vitus
* Creaghead & Company @ Union Hall
* Milo Greene, Savoir Adore @ Maxwell's
* Hannibal Buress @ The Knitting Factory
* Joey Arias, Kristian Hoffman @ Joe's Pub
* Polyenso, Author, Walking Tree @ Paper Box
* Deftones, Periphery @ The Wellmont Theatre
* Kestrels, Soccer Mom, Relations @ Cake Shop
* Williamsburg Salsa Orchestra @ Brooklyn Bowl
* Jeffrey Lewis & Peter Stampfel @ Mercury Lounge
* Wooden Wand, Steve Gunn, Zachary Cale @ Union Pool
* Girls Names, Lazyeyes, Sapphire Mansions @ Cameo Gallery
* Cigarette, Cloud Become Your Hand, Richie Quake @ Silent Barn
* His Clancyness, Tweens, LODRO, Basement Batman @ Glasslands
* Horrible Present, Juan Wauters (of the Beets), Brothers In Law, Missing Doucments @ Death By Audio

There's a few good foreign bands playing NYC tonight on their way to SXSW. Belfast's Girls Names are at Cameo, Italy's His Clancyness are at Glasslands, and another Italian band, Brothers In Law, is at Death by Audio.

SXSW is only a few days away. Follow @BVSXSW on Twitter. Also check out our BrooklynVegan SXSW shows.

If you're going to the Milo Greene show at Maxwell's tonight, get there early for Savoir Adore.

Follow @BrooklynVegan on Twitter.
Follow @bvChicago for just Chicago stuff.
Also follow @bvAustin for just Austin stuff.

Be our friend on Facebook too, and BV Austin's friend on Facebook and BV Chicago's friend on Facebook.

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Hip hop producer Harry Fraud put out a new mixtape, Adrift, which features tracks with Action Bronson, Juicy J, Smoke DZA, A$AP Twelvyy, Curren$y, Pusha T, Troy Ave, Danny Brown, and more. Stream it below and download it for free at DatPiff.

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Sunday?"

Cincinnati, OH festival Bunbury Music Festival is returning for its second year from July 12 - 14, 2013. The lineup was just announced and it includes MGMT (who were also just announced for Firefly Music Festival), The National (who were also just announced for Bonnaroo and have a huge Brooklyn show coming up), Belle and Sebastian and Yo La Tengo (who just announced a tour together, which includes a Prospect Park show), Camera Obscura, Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears, Savoir Adore, Bear Hands, Oberhofer, We Are Scientists, Chairlift, Cake, Tegan & Sara, Tokyo Police Club, Devotchka, Those Darlins, Buffalo Killers, Sky Ferreira, and more.

Tickets for the festival are on sale now. Full lineup below...

Continue reading "Cincinnati festival Bunbury Music Festival 2013 lineup & tix (MGMT, The National, Belle & Sebastian, Yo La Tengo & more)"

photos by Amanda Hatfield

Ra Ra Riot @ MHOW, 1/22/2013

Congratulations are in order for Ra Ra Riot, who released their latest LP, Beta Love, via Barsuk yesterday (1/22). The release was celebrated at Music Hall of Williamsburg last night with Savoir Adore, the first of two NYC shows.

You could sense a change in the crowds temperament when the band reached back and delivered "Too Too Too Fast", "Can You Tell", "Oh, La", "Ghost Under Rocks", and "Boy." The band took a risk and covered U2′s "Two Hearts Beat As One" and they surprisingly nailed it. You wouldn't normally put Ra Ra Riot and U2 cover band in the same sentence, but trust me, it worked.

To no surprise the grand royal was "Dying Is Fine." It's arguably the bands finest moment to date. It's where the bands energy and the crowds reciprocation connected to form their own super-group. Hearing the song in such a magical moment caused a whole bunch of memories to come flooding back to me that were associated with that song years ago.-[We All Want Someone To Shout For]

Hopefully you got into the sold-out show and if not, then maybe you streamed it on Youtube. If you did neither, you can still catch the archived show streaming below. Ra Ra Riot, who have been without Alexandra Lawn for almost a year now, play NYC again on Friday (1/25) at Webster Hall with Guards (sold out).

More pics and a stream of last night's show are below...

Continue reading "Ra Ra Riot played Music Hall of Williamsburg w/ Savoir Adore (pics, setlist, video), play Webster Hall this week"

Frightened Rabbit @ T5, Nov. 2010 (more by Lionel Bergeron)

SXSW has just announced another round of bands for the 2013 edition of the annual music festival that will happen March 12 - 17. This brings the total current number of acts to around 1300. Someome of the highlights include Vampire Weekend, Frightened Rabbit, The Thermals, Black Lips, Camera Obscura, Merchandise, Bleached, Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire, Eagles of Death Metal, Parenthetical Girls, Indians, Night Beds, IO Echo, KEN Mode, Prince Paul, Pure Bathing Culture, Sepalcure, UK motorik post-punks TOY, Finnish instrumentalists K-X-P, Toronto's Moon King, UK indie rockers Splashh (not Brooklyn Splash with one "h") and loads more. Head to BV Austin for the whole Round 3 list.

DOWNLOAD: Ra Ra Riot - "Beta Love" (MP3)

Ra Ra Riot at Prospect Park in 2011 (more by Toby Tenenbaum)

As mentioned, Ra Ra Riot will release their new album, Beta Love on January 22 via Barsuk. You can download the title track above and stream it, along with another album cut, "When I Dream," below.

As discussed, the band will support that album with a tour, which hits NYC for a hometown show on January 25 at Webster Hall with Cults-related band Guards (who also have a new album coming). Tickets for the Webster Hall show are still available, but if you'd like to see Ra Ra Riot in a smaller venue, you can catch them a few days earlier at Music Hall of Williamsburg on January 22 with Savoir Adore. Tickets for that show go on sale Friday (1/4) at noon and if you can't make it, you can watch it from the comfort of your own home when it streams live on the Bowery Presents YouTube channel.

An updated list of dates and those song streams below...

Continue reading "Ra Ra Riot adds MHOW show to tour (updated dates, MP3)"

Savoir Adore at Knitting Factory last month (more by Sachyn Mital)

There's a few chances to catch Savoir Adore singer Deidre Munro in NYC this weekend. First, she'll play tonight (11/2) with her solo project-turned-band Deidre & the Dark at Gottscheer Hall in Ridgewood, Queens (657 Fairview Ave) with fellow Brooklynites Ski Lodge and French Horn Rebellion (DJ). The show is a halloween party and there will be prizes for the best costume. $8 advance tickets are still available and it's $10 at the door with a costume, $12 without.

Then on Saturday (11/3), Deidre will play again, this time as a member of Savoir Adore with another Brooklyn band bill of Jarana Beat and Slowdance at the Brooklyn Museum. The show is part of Brooklyn Museum's Target First Saturdays, for which admission is totally free and includes access to galleries, tours, an interactive space, a light show, and more. The full schedule for this Saturday is HERE. Though note: "Please note, due to Hurricane Sandy the programming schedule for the November 3 Target First Saturday may continue to change", AND NO DANCING.

In related news, right next door to the Brooklyn Museum, the Brooklyn Botanical Garden will be reopened with free admission all weekend, starting today and lasting through Sunday.

A video of Savoir Adore playing "Dreamers" at WFUV below.

Continue reading "Brooklyn Botanical Garden open & free; Savoir Adore playing Brooklyn Museum Sat; Deidre & the Dark in Queens tonight"

by Bill Pearis and Andrew Sacher

Rufus the cat getting good use out of CMJ badge (via @robotsvsghosts)

Oh hey, it's CMJ time again (Wednesday to be exact). Here's a little recap of what BrooklynVegan did on Tuesday (10/17) night with some you-are-there type Instagrams. (Follow along in real time with @Brooklynvegan on Instagram or @BVpics and @bvCMJ on Twitter.) Here we go...

Ghost Wave @ Le Poisson Rouge

I was a little thrown off Tuesday as my original plan revolved around seeing French acts Bertrand Burgalat and Juveniles at the Union Square Ballroom. When both canceled last-minute, I had zero plan. After picking up my badge (a breeze) at Judson Memorial Church, I headed over to Le Poisson Rouge for some of the New Zealand showcase that's become an annual CMJ kickoff event at the Village venue. I caught the latter half of Ghost Wave (horrible name, but pretty good classic Flying Nun-style indie) and stuck around for about half of Die! Die! Die! whose blitzkrieg punk was certainly fun to watch.

I then hoofed it over to the L.E.S. where fellow BV writer Andrew Sacher already was... (-Bill)

Indians @ The Living Room (via @llllbfgllll)

The ease of making a record by yourself in your bedroom has inspired countless artists to do so, resulting in a ton of filler, but every now and then some real gems pop up. If you're looking to find a new one of those gems at this year's CMJ, Copenhagen's Indians (aka Soren Lokke Juul) is a good place to start. He played his first CMJ show at Living Room last night (10/16) for a WFUV showcase, and though he didn't have the highest attendance (early Tuesday is tough), those who were there were attentive the whole show. Rather than hiding his voice behind reverb or distortion like many of his peers, Soren's voice is his strong point. He belted out every song while providing piano, acoustic guitar, drum loops, and ambient backing tracks. Even on his own everything was well put together, so when Soren begins playing with a full band (like the one in his 4AD Session video), it feels pretty safe to say it's gonna be great. You can catch Indians again tonight (10/17) at the Hype Machine party at Brooklyn Bowl and Thursday at Fader Fort.

Quilt @ Arlene's Grocery (via @brooklynvegan Instagram)

Boston's Quilt made their way over to NYC last night for their only CMJ show this year, the Easy Apple/Vinyl District/Beyond Beyond is Beyond Records showcase at Arlene's Grocery. The band have been in NYC a bunch of times (they called it their home away from last night) but I've somehow managed to miss them every time until last night, and glad I finally caught them. They filled the venue with trippy Haight-Ashbury vibes, and still managed to sound fresh despite their obvious lineage to an era which is almost half a century old. I guess I had assumed they'd be playing acoustic guitars, but they went strictly electric and still captured the delicate folkiness of the record -- plus it allowed them to throw in some noise freakouts. The band were charming on stage too, cracking tongue-in-cheek jokes about how Flea is no longer in their band, and they gave a shoutout to Bob Weir, who turned 65 yesterday and said he was on stage with them on spirit (which also came off as a joke, but to some extent, they weren't wrong).

If you haven't heard Quilt's self titled LP which came out in 2011 on Mexican Summer, you can stream it at bandcamp. They'll be back in NYC to open for The Fresh & Onlys on November 8 at Music Hall of Williamsburg. Tickets for that show are still available.  (-Andrew)

Back to Bill...

Foxygen @ Mercury Lounge (via @brooklynvegan Instagram)

After seeing Quilt at Arlene's Grocery with Andrew, I walked over to Mercury Lounge (a trip Michael Cera needed a car for in Nick & Nora's Infinite Playlist) for the showcase put on by our West Coast blog friends Aquarium Drunkard. Waiting in line to get in I met, Foxygen singer Sam France's two aunts and grandmother who were very, very proud of him. Not sure if they had an influence on me, but I thought Foxygen was the best thing I saw last night, a confident melange of late '60s / early '70s psych pop and glam that was exemplified by the closing number that seemed to merge "Under My Thumb" and "Suspicious Minds" into a new baby. France was a funny frontman too who seems to really enjoy the frontman role. Catch them at our day party on Friday.

Tashaki Miyaki @ Mercury Lounge (via @brooklynvegan Instagram)

Los Angeles trio Tashaki Miyaki were up next. I enjoy their hazy sound (Mazzy Star-esque as noted before) but they were not completely on their game last night, though their laconic vibe is a tough follow to Foxygen's showmanship. I spent much of their set trying to figure out how leftie guitarist played his righthanded instrument upside down. (Some brains just work that way.) Still, current single "Best Friend" sounded pretty sweet, and they should be a nice soundtrack to the early afternoon of our Saturday day party at Public Assembly (where you can catch them again while getting a free tattoo).

BV photographer Amanda Hatfield (her cat Rufus is at the top of this post), who had been at Ben Gibbard's intimate HiFi show earlier in the evening, tried to get in to Mercury Lounge but found it sold out, or badged-out or both. Some venues adopt a one-in-one out policy during CMJ, others give you a stamp that allows you to get back in anytime and others have the old "no reentry" policy, though you don't see that so much in the 10 years since the smoking band came into effect. Whatever way, it pays to show up early to something you really want to see.

Orwells at Mercury Lounge (via @brooklynvegan Instagram)

At midnight it was the NYC debut of Chicago's The Orwells whose album is out on Autumn Tone records (which is run by Justin of Aquarium Drunkard). All still in High School (or should be) and looked it too, they cranked out a hyper set of angst-fueled garage pop driven by wild-eyed frontman Mario Cuomo (not that one) who stalked the stage and generally went apeshit. In a well-worn Batman tee, he definitely brings the danger to The Orwells that otherwise look like someone's nice younger brothers. They were all clearly stoked to be playing New York City. They're playing many times this week, including an opening slot on our Saturday day party at Public Assembly.

Then I went to bed. It was only Tuesday, plenty of late nights to come. (-BIll)

What are you seeing tonight?

--

Savoir Adore played two CMJ shows last night, and one as part of the pre-CMJ Conflict of Interest party on Monday night at Rebel NYC. We missed all three, but check out a video from the Monday one, and a video of Spacehog playing "In the Meantime" at Rockwood Music Hall (true story), below...

Continue reading "CMJ 2012 kicked off Tuesday (Indians, Quilt, Foxygen, The Orwells, Savoir Adore, New Zealand bands + more)"

DOWNLOAD: Blessed Feathers - "Winter Sister" (MP3)

Wisconsin folk duo Blessed Feathers released their debut EP, Ocean of Weeds, earlier this month, and you can stream the entire thing below. The EP was produced by Kevin McMahon (Titus Andronicus, Real Estate) and also features Thor Harris of Swans. You can also grab a free MP3 of one of its tracks, "Winter Sister," at the top of this post, and check out the video for another, "Holyoke/Springfield," below.

The band just landed in NYC for CMJ, and you'll have a number of chances to see them, including the free BrooklynVegan day party on Friday (10/19), where they'll play an opening set in the back room at noon.

In addition to that, they'll play the SESAC showcase at Cake Shop tonight (10/17); the Popular/MCT day party at Bowery Electric on Thursday (10/18) with GHXST, Savoir Adore, Ambassadors, Santah, and Royal Canoe; the Fred Perry Artist Lounge at Stratosphere Sound Recording Studios on Thursday with The Luyas, Poor Moon, Foxygen, Ape School, So So Glos, Slug Guts, and Bleeding Rainbow; the Planetary Group day party at Pianos on Friday (10/19) with The Orwells, The Intelligence, San Cisco, Turbo Fruits, Rah Rah, Twerps, The Trouble with Templeton, Tim Chaisson, Skipping Girl Vinegar, Elephant Stone, and Ditka; and the Bowery Presents day party at Pianos on Saturday (10/20).

A list of all Blessed Feathers dates, a flyer for their CMJ shows, EP stream, and video are below...

Continue reading "Blessed Feathers are here for CMJ (including BV Friday day party) -- dates, EP stream, video, MP3"

by Andrew Sacher

Copenhagen 4AD signees Indians (the project of Søren Løkke Juul ) already released some great singles this year and he's now announced that he'll release his debut album, Somewhere Else, on January 29 via the label. The album will include his new single, "Cakelakers," which you can stream/download via a widget below. If you enjoyed his other singles, this one's further proof that his album is something to look forward to.

Indians will be in NYC this week for CMJ, where he'll play the WFUV showcase at Living Room TONIGHT (10/16) at 7 PM with Savoir Adore (7:40), Wax Poetic (8:20), and Little Green Cars (9:00); the Hype Machine "Handpicked" show at Brooklyn Bowl on Wednesday (10/17) with Unknown Mortal Orchestra, The Virgins, The Neighbourhood, Sua, Jjamz, and DJ Goldroom (free with RSVP); and the Fader Fort at Converse Rubber Tracks on October 18.

As mentioned, Indians will also return to NYC on his tour with Other Lives, which hits Bowery Ballroom on 11/28 and MHOW on 11/29. Tickets for both of those shows are still available.

Speaking of Little Green Cars, who also play the WFUV showcase at Living Room today, the Glassnote-signed Dubliners are also playing a KEXP show at CMJ Union (10/18) and the Bowery Presents day party at Pianos (10/20).

A list of all Indians dates and the MP3 widget are below.

Continue reading "Indians announce LP details, in NYC for CMJ (dates, stream)"

photos by Sachyn Mital

Savoir Adore @ Knitting Factory, 10/9/2012

Savoir Adore celebrated the imminent release of their second album, Our Nature, with a record release show at Knitting Factory last night (10/9) and pictures from their performance are in this post. If you missed their show last night, NYC folk can catch the band twice on Tuesday (10/16): at 7 PM they'll play the WFUV showcase at The Living Room; and then they'll hit  Santos later (10:25 PM) as part of the Neon Gold CMJ showcase with Queen of Hearts, Blackbird Blackbird, Robert DeLong, Ghost Beach, Alex Winston, RAC and Viceroy (tickets). The band are also out on tour with Ghost Beach and Royal Canoe and those dates are here.

Meanwhile, you can stream Our Nature in full over at My Old Kentucky Blog. More pictures from Knitting Factory are below.

Continue reading "Savoir Adore played a record release party at Knitting Factory; CMJ shows announced (pics, updated dates)"

by Bill Pearis

As mentioned previously, Savoir Adore's new album, Our Nature, is out next week and the band have just released a new single from the record. "Empire of Light" is one of the more contemplative, ethereal tracks on the album which in general is a bit more groove-oriented than their first. We've got the premiere of the track's video that has the band piled in a Sprinter van driving around sun-dappled upstate New York. You can check it out below.

Savoir Adore play a record release party for Our Nature in NYC tonight (10/9) at Knitting Factory with tourmates Ghost Beach and Royal Canoe. Tickets are still available but if you're like to go for free, we're also giving a pair away. Contest details and the video for "Empire of Light" are below.

Continue reading "Savoir Adore made a new video; their record release show is tonight in Brooklyn (win tix!)"

Action Bronson at MHOW in August (more by Ryan Muir)

Paul Banks at FYF Fest 2012 (more by Debi Del Grande)

Complex is throwing a big, free, multi-genre, non-CMJ party during CMJ at Brooklyn's House of Vans on October 18. The show's got two stages -- a rap and a rock stage -- with the rap stage being headlined by Action Bronson and the rock stage by Interpol frontman Paul Banks. The rest of the lineup includes The Alchemist, Ratking, Ka, Spaceghostpurrp, Savages, Savoir Adore, and a surprise special guest. RSVP is required for the free show and you must be 21+. The flier is below.

Meanwhile, you can catch Action Bronson in NYC even sooner when he plays a free show at Public Assembly on October 10, and he'll also be back for a show at Highline Ballroom on October 30 with Cypress Hill.

Paul Banks, whose tour brings him to NYC for a headlining show on November 13 at Webster Hall, will also play one of the just mentioned KEXP shows in Union Square during CMJ.

We also just mentioned that Hot Charity signees Ratking have CMJ shows scheduled including free shows at Glasslands and Mercury Lounge on October 19 and a not-free show at Glasslands on October 20.

Savages have a number of CMJ shows scheduled too. They're playing Mercury Lounge on October 19 with Choir of Young Believers, Daughter, San Cisco, Emma Louise, and J. Thoven. Advance tickets for that show are sold out but you can still try to get in with your CMJ badge. They also play the Stereogum showcase with Dum Dum Girls, Guards, Port. St Willow, IO ECHO, and Icona Pop (DJ) (tickets), and it was just announced that they'll play the free Bowery Presents day party on October 20 at Pianos with The Orwells, Foxygen, Born Ruffians, Little Green Cars, Ava Luna, J. Thoven, San Cisco, Sky Ferreira, Opossom, Murals, Zulu Pearls, and Blessed Feathers.

The flier for the Complex show and an updated list of Action Bronson and Paul Banks dates are below.

Continue reading "Action Bronson, Paul Banks, Spaceghostpurrp, Savages, Alchemist & more playing House of Vans party during CMJ"

by Fred Pessaro // BBG

Andrew WK at Webster Hall, April 2012 (more by Dana (distortion) Yavin)

As part of David Blaine's Ultrabook Experience event, "Electrified," Andrew W.K. will perform a unique keyboard solo using a tesla coil powered instrument in which David Blaine will be imprisoned as 1,000,000 volts of party music surge through his body. Presented by Intel, "Electrified" will find the master magician this weekend standing on a 20-foot-high platform at Hudson River Park Pier 54 in New York, surrounded by seven towering metallic orbs - or tesla coils - that will stream 1 million volts of electricity around him for 3 days and 3 nights. The sounds W.K. creates with this groundbreaking new musical instrument will send electric currents through Blaine's entire body!

The "Electrified" event will go down  10/5 - 10/8 but you can look for Andrew WK to play his solo on Sunday 10/7 at 7:30PM at 13th St and 11th Ave. Alternatively, check it out on youtube who will streaming the entire event.

UPDATE: There's an RSVP

Besides that "electrifying" performance (I'll be here all week!), Andrew WK will be hosting/DJing The Syndicate's annual pre-CMJ Conflict Of Interest show on 10/15 at Rebel NYC (251 West 30th Street, New York) alongside performances from Savoir Adore, Team Spirit, Pacific Air and The Hounds Below. Doors are at 7PM and the show is free with RSVP.

by Bill Pearis

Savoir Adore

CMJ just released the third round of artists playing this year's fest which happens in three weeks (October 16 - 20). Names include Dent May (who we already knew about) Penguin Prison, Toronto's Born Ruffians, Erika Spring, Berlin trio Fenster (who were here in March) Chad Valley, Rush Midnight and more. Full list is at the bottom of this post.

Also on the just-added list are Brooklyn's Savoir Adore who will release their new album, Our Nature, the week of CMJ (10/16 specifically). The band recorded it at the same upstate studio as their 2010 debut, In the Wooded Forest, and are self-releasing this one. If the last album was wide-screen pop, the band have gone CinemaScope with Our Nature. It's dancier, more anthemic and brimming with hooks and just plain bigger sounding. Last year's "Dreamers" single (which opens the new album) is a good indicator of what to expect, and you can watch the video for that below along with a stream of album track "Regalia."

Before CMJ, Savoir Adore will play Knitting Factory on October 9 for an Our Nature record release party with Ghost Beach and Royal Canoe. Tickets for that show are on sale now. Those three bands are touring together immediately after and judging by their schedule, their only open day to play CMJ will be 10/16.

The list of all Savoir Adore dates, the list of third round CMJ artists, that song stream and video are below...

Continue reading "CMJ announces third round of artists, including Savoir Adore whose new LP is out soon and who are touring (dates)"

photos by Amanda Hatfield

Stars / Diamond Rings at Webster Hall, 9/22/2012

Stars played twice in NYC on Saturday (9/22), playing an "early" show (meaning done at the usual time) at a sold-out Webster Hall followed by a later show that night at Mercury Lounge with Savoir Adore. Both shows, and the rest of their current tour, are in support of Stars' fine new album, The North.

The tour with Diamond Rings, who joined them at Webster Hall with California Wives, stretches till late November, at which point Stars will hop the pond to play a string of dates in the EU. Diamond Rings, meanwhile, will continue to tour North America with a headlining show at Bowery Ballroom on December 4 in support of his new album, Free Dimensional. Tickets to that show go on sale Friday (9/28) with a AmEx presale happening Wednesday (9/26).

All Stars and Diamond Rings tour dates and more pictures from Webster Hall are below.

Continue reading "Stars played Webster Hall with Diamond Rings who will play Bowery Ballroom in December (pics, dates)"

Stars at Deluna Fest 2011 (more by Dana (distortion) Yavin)

As mentioned, Stars came out with a new album, The North, earlier this month and will kick off a tour with Diamond RIngs next week in support of it. That tour hits NYC on September 22 at Webster Hall with California Wives. That show is sold out but Stars will play a free show later that night at the much smaller Mercury Lounge (9/22) with Savoir Adore. You can reserve yourself a spot at that show by picking up "tickets" from the Thrillcall iPhone app, starting Tuesday (9/18) at 10 AM.

An updated list of Stars dates is below.

Continue reading "Stars playing an intimate show at Mercury Lounge after their sold out Webster Hall show (updated dates)"

by Bill Pearis

Deidre

While Savoir Adore are still kickin', finishing up Album #2, singer Deidre Munro has been performing solo as well which has now turned into a band, Deidre & the Dark. Not that far off from the widescreen electropop that her other band performs, you can check out a couple cuts from last year's Curious Parcel EP below, along with a a couple music videos. One of the songs below, "Classic Girl," will be released as a 7" later this year.

You can catch Deidre & the Dark tonight (7/25) at Glasslands for what they're dubbing a "Summer Seance" with Fast Years, The Living Kills and Lorna Dune. Ouiji boards may be involved. Flyer for the show is below.

Meanwhile, Savoir Adore play Santos on Thursday, August 2, opening for Haim and Pop Etc.

Continue reading "Deidre & the Dark throwing "Summer Seance" at Glasslands tonight; Savoir Adore opening for Haim at Santos next week"

photos by Chris La Putt

Diedre & the Dark @ Knitting Factory - 4/24/2012

When not playing in Savoir Adore, Deidre Muro can sometimes be found leading her other project Diedre and the Dark (her Savoir Adore partner Paul Hammer included). This was the case when Diedre & the Dark opened for Alex Winston at Knitting Factory on Tuesday (4/24). Check out some pictures from that show, along with some videos which showcase their smooth sound, below...

Continue reading "Diedre (of Savoir Adore) and the Dark (pics & videos)"

DOWNLOAD: Field Mouse - "Happy" (MP3)

Field Mouse at Glasslands last month (more by Devan Council)

Gotye collaborator Kimbra, who appears on "Somebody That I Used to Know" and is touring with him just scheduled her own NYC show happening on March 26 at Mercury Lounge in between the two sold out Gotye shows. TIckets went on sale today at noon. She's also opening all three Foster the People shows at Summerstage, one of which is also with Tokyo Police Club.

Speaking of Mercury Lounge shows that go on sale today, Savoir Adore, who played Santos last night (3/1) (how was that?) plays the Manhattan venue on April 13 with fellow Brooklynites Field Mouse. Tickets go on sale today at noon. Field Mouse has other upcoming local dates including The Rock Shop with Polica (3/27) (sold out) and Cameo on 4/3 (tickets) and a new MP3, which you can download above or stream below.

Chain and the Gang plays Mercury Lounge one day after the Savoir Adore/Field Mouse show on 4/14 with Coasting. Tickets went on sale today.

Hess Is More play Mercury Lounge on April 27. Tickets went on sale today. They also have other upcoming NYC shows like opening for Los Amigos Invisibles at MHOW on 3/9 and opening for Mumiy Troll at Highline Ballroom on 4/3. Tickets for both of those shows are available. All dates listed below.

Ravens & Chimes play Mercury Lounge on April 17 with The Apache Relay. Tickets are on sale. Ravns & Chimes also play WYNC Greene Space on June 1.

Ramesh and Feathers play Mercury Lounge this Monday (3/5). Tickets are still on sale.

More dates dates and Field Mouse stream below...

Continue reading "Ravens & Chimes dates, Field Mouse, Savoir Adore, Kimbra & other shows announced"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Sophia Knapp - Close to Me (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Sophia Knapp - Into the Waves (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Cardinal - Love Like Rain (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Cardinal - Carbolic Smoke Ball (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Savoir Adore - Dreamers (Golden Pony remix) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Savoir Adore - Dreamers (MP3)

Del Fuegos in the '80s

Things are beginning to heat up, show-wise, as SXSW gets closer so if you're going to Austin you might do the smart thing and stay home and rest. But if you're dumb like me, there's lots of good music this weekend. To wit:

Dan Zanes these days is best known for his highly successful career as a maker of children's music, but in the '80s he fronted Boston's Del Fuegos, whose brand of no-nonsense roots rock was a college radio staple in the Reagan years. Dan and his brother Warren, plus other original members Tom Lloyd and Woody Giessmann have gotten the old band back together so 40-somethings can call the sitter and go hear him sing songs for grown ups. They play Bowery Ballroom tonight (2/23) and The Bell House on March 3.

In addition to records like 1984's The Longest Day and 1985's Boston, Mass, The Del Fuegos were one of the first "cool" bands to be accused of selling out, appearing in a Budweiser Miller commercial (which you can watch at the bottom of this post) that, if nothing else, inspired the classic Young Fresh Fellows song "Beer Money." Seems kind of silly today, and I'm sure Del Fuegos singles like "Don't Run Wild" and "I Still Want You" have held up pretty well.

The band have recorded a new EP, Silver Star, and you can stream one of its songs at the bottom of this post, where you'll find all Del Fuegos 2012 tour dates.

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Sophia Knapp

Another option tonight, over at Union Pool, is Sophia Knapp who you may know from Lights or Cliffie Swan but will release her solo debut on Drag City next week. The press release for Into the Waves offers up "melodic psych pop of the 60's, Tropicalia ballads, chilly '80s New York dance records, and the seduction of Stevie Nicks or Françoise Hardy" as influences but I think it sounds uncannily like the soft-focus pop of late-'70s Olivia Newton John.

You can download two tracks from her album at the top of this post and watch the video for "Nothing to Lose" further down. In addition to tonight's show at Union Pool, Sophia plays a free record release show at Sway on Wednesday, Feb 29 (leap day), and opens for Nite Jewel at Bowery Ballroom on April 24.

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Cardinal (Richard Davies on the right)

There are a lot of good shows Friday night (2/24) and we'll start with Richard Davies at Cake Shop. The Australian-born singer fronted cult band The Moles in the late '80s, and whose 1994 album with Eric Matthews, Cardinal, is a baroque pop classic. Improbably, Davies and Matthews made a second Cardinal album, Hymns, that came out last month and basically picks up where the first one left off. It's a little more indie rock and a little less harpsichord and trumpets, but it's recognizably Cardinal. You can download two tracks from Hymns at the top of this post.

Davies will also be playing SXSW next month. He can be hit-or-miss live, but is a legend and worth going to see. Also playing are What Next?, the new band from onetime Cause Co-Motion dude David Klein that also features members of The Beets and Beachniks, so expect some scratchy shambolic (maybe charming) indiepop. Check out one song at their Bandcamp page. Also playing: The Pharmacy and Intuitions.

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Pat Jordache

Montreal's Pat Jordache play Glasslands Friday night (2/24). Pat was in Sister Suvi with Merrill Garbus and though his music is a little more trad-indie than tUnE-yArDs, it's still rather weird. When I saw them at CMJ, they reminded me of '80s goth but their album that dark side isn't quite as pronounced. Maybe it was the two drummer thing. Anyway, Pat Jordache make a cool racket and know how to play to a crowd. They're opening for Javellin which I realize is why most people are going to go to this show, but do get there early for Pat.

Savoir Adore

Over at Cameo on Friday, Savoir Adore are having a record release party for their Dreamers EP. The single "Dreamers" came out on Neon Gold late last year and expands on their heartfelt, big pop sound. The EP expands that 7" with a bunch of remixes, one of which you can download at the top of this post. The band are going out with fellow Neon Gold acts The Knocks and St. Lucia, touring their way to SXSW and all dates are at the bottom of this post. Savoir Adore are putting the finishing touches on their new album, Our Nature, which will be out later this year.

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Spanish Prisoners

And finally, Spanish Prisoners are playing Knitting Factory Friday (2/24) with fellow locals Clouder. Spanish Prisoners album from last year, Gold Fools, is still a pay-what-you-want download from their Bandcamp page and is a terrific album if you haven't heard it yet. The band just released a video for "Know No Violence" which you can watch at the bottom of this post. Like pretty much every band in America, they're going on tour next month, stopping in Austin for SXSW, and all tour dates are below.

And that's the main stuff for this week's TWII. A few more day-by-day picks for shows not mentioned already are below

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23

We haven't heard from Acrylics in a while. See what they're up to at Cameo, with Kuroma, Tezeo, and Bright Moments.

Get trippy at Glasslands with Prince Rama, Gary War, Future Shuttle, ^w0rm b1n^, plus a DJ set from Gang Gang Dance.

Snowmine wrap up their Pianos residency tonight, playing with Tiny Victories, Decades, and Awning.

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Continue reading "Del Fuegos, Sophia Knapp, Richard Davies, Savoir Adore, Pat Jordache, Spanish Prisoners & more in This Week in Indie"

DOWNLOAD: Body Language - Holiday (Savoir Adore Remix) (MP3)

today in NYC
* Whiplash @ UCB
* Brain Cloud @ Barbes
* Hot Tub @ Littlefield
* Common @ Highline Ballroom
* Marianne Faithfull @ City Winery
* Wale, Meek Mill @ Best Buy Theater
* Body Language (DJ set) @ Brooklyn Bowl
* Puss n Boots Christmas Spectacular @ Bell House
* Matisyahu, Aunt Martha @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
* Reverend Vince Anderson & His Love Choir @ Union Pool
* Dan Neustadt plays songs from the REM catologue @ Knitting Factory
* Belikos, Pants Velour, The Canon Logic, Escape Directors @ Pianos
* Rachel Cox, Pat Sullivan, Stephanie Rabins, Brian Osborne @ Zebulon
* Dear Lions, The Sanctuaries, Your 33 Black Angels, Sam Bay @ Cake Shop
* Woods, Alex Bleeker & The Freaks, Steve Gunn, Tide Eyed (DJ Set) @ Glasslands
* Teddy Kumpel Loopestra, Steve Broderick, The Vanity Belles, Stephanie White & The Philth Harmonic, Derek James, Jay Stolar, Morgan Karr, Abby Ahmad, Martin Rivas, The Vanity Belles, Emily Kinney, Jeep Rosenberg, Tiff Randol @ Rockwood Music Hall
* Wolf!, Tony Scherr Trio with Anton Fier and Rob Jost, Chris Riffle, The Goodnoise @ The Living Room

Death By Audio is closed from 12/19 to 1/3.

I don't think Rock Shop is closed, but they don't have any more shows scheduled until 1/5.

Savoir Adore, who opened for Oh Land last week, remixed Body Language who DJ at Brooklyn Bowl tonight and who open for Matt & Kim at Hammerstein Ballroom on New Year's Eve. You can listen to the remix below (or download it above).

Matisyahu's beard will not be present at Music Hall of Williamsburg tonight.

SLAYER CHRISTMAS LIGHTS 2011 video below...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Monday?"

photos by Amanda Hatfield

Oh Land @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

Savoir Adore (playing with a full band) and Friends (who are heavily featured in a NY Magazine piece called "Style Tribes Vol. 2: The DIY Music Scene of Bushwick's Market Hotel") opened two NYC shows in a row for Oh Land last week. Pictures in this post are from the first show which was at Music Hall of Williamsburg.

The second show was at Bowery Ballroom on 12/12 which was the same night The National were playing their first of six shows at Beacon Theater. Oh Land's setlist included a cover she does of National song "Bloodbuzz Ohio". An audio stream of the cover, along with video of Oh Land performing it on 12/16 at the El Rey in LA, with more pictures from the Brooklyn show, below...

Continue reading "Oh Land played shows w/ Savoir Adore & Friends @ Music Hall (pics), covers The National (video & stream)"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Savoir Adore - Dreamers (MP3)

It's been two years since Savoir Adore released their debut album In the Wooded Forrest. While they're busy finishing the follow-up, the band just released a new single on Neon Gold Records and you can download the track at the top of this post. "Dreamers" is high-fi, reaching-for-the-stars widescreen pop. You can dance to it too. Cover art below.

Meanwhile, Savoir Adore have four CMJ shows lined up: Thursday afternoon at Cake shop (10/20, 5PM FREE) for the NYC Taper party; Friday Night at Santos (10/21, 10:30PM, $10 w/o a badge) as part of the Neon Gold Showcase; Saturday afternoon at Bowery Electric (10/22, 5PM FREE w/ RSVP) and then Saturday night at Pianos upstairs (10:10PM, FREE). Flyers and lineups below.

The band also did a session for BlipTV, performing a new song "Loveliest Creature" which you can watch here.

Continue reading "Savoir Adore's new single & a bunch more CMJ parties"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Anika - Yang Yang (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Anika - Terry (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Soft Moon - "Total Decay" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Soft Moon - Breath the Fire (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Mikal Cronin - Get Along (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Mikal Cronin - Apathy (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Howler - I Told You Once (MP3)

Anika

Hello and welcome to the ATP Runoff edition of This Week in Indie. (Aka ATPTWII.) Yes the big news is the Portishead-curated All Tomorrow's Parties which is happening this year in Asbury Park, NJ which looks to be super cool. (I would like to see The Pop Group.) There are still tickets available for most of it -- it gets a little confusing what with "Three Day Jeff Magnum" passes and other variations but this column will not get into that. We're talking bands/artists who are also playing NYC shows while here. And some other stuff too.

First and foremost, for me, is Anika who is making her North American live debut tonight (9/27) at Le Poisson Rouge and tickets still seem to be available. Her debut album snuck in late last year but made my Best of 2011 with it's mix of post-punk and dub, and I've been waiting to see her live ever since.  As I wrote before:

Recorded in 12 days, live with no overdubs, it sounds like the missing link between The Slits and Lilliput. Portishead's Geoff Barrow -- his other band BEAK> is the backing band here -- gets the claustrophobic vibe just right. A lot of people have tried and failed to recreate that Martin Hannett Sound... Barrow nails it. And the material -- a mix of girl group covers and politically-charged originals -- suits Anika's Nico-esque delivery perfectly.

You can download two tracks at the top of this post, cover's of Yoko Ono's "Yang Yang" and obscure British girl group singer Twinkle's "Terry." Anika is here on a limited North American tour and all her dates are at the bottom of this post. Anika's live band is a 5-piece that includes two of the three members of BEAK> (Geoff Barrow is the one who doesn't play with her live).

Opening for Anika is local act Slowdance who you may remember made L Magazine's "8 Bands You Need to Hear" list and whose debut EP, Light & Color, was just released last week. It's a "name your price" download at their Bandcamp site. The whole thing is pretty good but I especially dig the opening track "Cake" which is kind of like early B-52's minus Fred Schneider but in French.

DD/MM/YYYY

I mentioned BEAK> who, in addition to sharing members with Anika, will also be performing their own set at ATP and have also just released a split EP with Toronto's proggy, mathy DD/MM/YYYY who are playing Friday night at Cameo with like-minded noisemakers Yvette and Bambara. DD/MM/YY are on short East Coast tour while here for ATP and all dates are at the bottom of this post.

If you like DD/MM/YY or have been curious about seeing them live, you should go to this show... because they're breaking up at the end of October and the Cameo show is their last NYC show before doing so. I last saw them at M for Montreal two years ago, where I wrote:

Also impressive live are Toronto's DD/MM/YYYY who have clearly gotten much tighter than the last time I saw them (Don Pedro's, like three years ago). It's proggy-mathy, but bordering on chaos too. I'm not that crazy about their records -- a little too much going on at one time for my poppier tastes -- but I'd go see them again, no question.

Don't get too sad about them calling it quits, as four of the five are regrouping under the name Absolutely Free and will make their live debut at M for Montreal this year.

Factory Floor

More ATPTWII action: London trio Factory Floor play two NYC shows this week: tomorrow (9/28) at Knitting Factory with Apache Beat and FAN-TAN, and then Thursday (9/29) at Mercury Lounge with fellow Londoners Walls.

Factory Floor get a lot of Joy Division comparisons and JD/New Order drummer Stephen Morris is a fan, remixing last year's "Wooden Box" single. But apart from looking sad in their press shots, Factory Floor are more in the minimal wave camp with drone and repetition being their weapons of choice. Their new single "(R E A L L O V E)" is basically a goth/industrial/techno/Krautrock ode to Donna Summer/Giorgio Moroder's "I Feel Love" and is pretty awesome.

The band's next release will be on DFA in November. Judging from live clips on YouTube (like them performing "(R E A L L O V E)" at Rough Trade which you can watch below), Factory Floor are intense live and you might want to rearrange your show schedule to see them.

The Soft Moon

And rounding out the ATP-related shows are San Francisco's The Soft Moon who were supposed to be opening for Mogwai (who had to cancel) but will now play 285 Kent on Saturday (10/1) with White Ring and Beige (video flyer below), and the Wierd Party next Wednesday (10/5). Their new EP, Total Decay, is out on Halloween via Captured Tracks and you can download a track from it (and one from their debut album) at the top of this post. If you like '80s 4AD goth (Clan of Xymox, Xmal Deutchland) you're probably already going.

Veronica Falls

Speaking of goth, in a totally different way we've got Veronica Falls in town for two shows: tonight (9/27) at Glasslands and tomorrow (9/28) at Pianos. Their debut, out last week on Slumberland, is one of my favorite albums of the year so far. I wrote about it over at Sound Bites which I will quote here:

The band get the C-86 tag a lot but, apart from The Velvet Underground (which has inspired 95% of all indiepop), New Zealand seems to be a bigger influence anyway. "Misery" and current single "Bad Feeling" could both be Bats songs. (The Verlaines are a clear influence too, and I bet someone in the band loves The Chills' "Pink Frost.") But this is not a band you really sit around playing "spot the influence" to, as you're too busy swooning to the gorgeous melodies and Roxanne Clifford's truly lovely voice.

There's not a dud in Veronica Falls' 36 minute running time. New songs ("Misery," "Bad Feeling," the effervescent "The Box") are equals to early singles "Found Love in a Graveyard" and "Beachy Head" which appear here in newly recorded versions that might actually improve on the original versions.

When I said "goth" above, I mean more in an old school romance kind of way. Love and death, often intertwined. If you're on Spotify you can listen to the album here. They're great live, do go see them. Tonight's Glasslands show is with German Measles, Tanks Amigo and Darlings; the Pianos show is entirely TWII-endorsed, with McDonalds, Heaven's Gate and The Hairs.

Mikal Cronin

Ty Segall plays Bowery Ballroom on Thursday (9/29) and we've given him a lot of love over the last few years. He's awesome. If you're going, do get there early and see opener Mikal Cronin who plays in Ty's band and used to front Charlie & the Moonhearts. I liked the Moonhearts just fine, but playing with Ty seems to have done wonders. Mikal's self-titled LP on Trouble in Mind (produced by Ty) is far and away the best thing he's ever done, is one of my albums of the year, and I like it more than Segall's Goodbye Bread to be honest.

The album has great song after great song, killer hooks and harmonies -- SoCal garagey surf-pop at it's finest. You can download two tracks from the album at the top of this post.

Total Slacker

Friday is the last night of Monster Island Basement and the DIY venue is going out a big show featuring Regal Degal, Total Slacker, La Big Vic, Hume and Royal Baths. It's the record release party for Total Slacker's debut album, Thrashin', which got a 6.7 on Pitchfork today:

Total Slacker's sense of humor is the album's driving force, and it's both overt and weirdly specific. The lyrics, for the most part, are a goofy celebration of the slacker caricature. Between the references to weed and various snack foods, and the record's languid pace, Rountree perpetuates the archetypal slacker character with his nasal whine. The track "Thyme Traveling High School Dropout", for example, is a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles-style branding for a guy who goes back to the 18th century because marijuana isn't illegal then. And the title "Stealing From Salvation Army" says it all-- he plans on doing just that after he wakes up in the afternoon. That's pretty much the whole album. Thrashin' largely depends on buying into that character and thinking it's funny, or at least interesting, for 40 minutes.

With Total Slacker's propensity for instrument-destroying, this last night at Monster Island could be a doozy.

Howler

And finally, Minneapolis band Howler are playing their first NYC shows this week: Thursday (9/29) at Glasslands and Friday opening for Tapes n' Tapes at Bowery Ballroom. The band just signed with Rough Trade who put out their EP, This One's Different, not too long ago. They're getting more UK press than here in the States. NME gave the EP 8/10 saying:

Howler are musical pizza. They're not a band you define yourself by. They're a band you dance to. Which is not to say that Howler are stupid, or people who like Howler are stupid. They just don't feel the need to prove that they're clever.

The title of this first EP by Rough Trade's most recent signings is both misleading and spot on. There's nothing much different about these Minneapolis boys at all, with their sexy bedhead hair, skinny limbs and small-child-romping-at-a-family-wedding goofy energy. Their bratty guitar pop is as familiar as skin, but also as warm and lovable. But then, how many flat, formulaic takes on this same sound are also-running around out there? Howler are different because they make commonplace components fly with a brilliant nonchalance.

Everybody likes Pizza, right? The review goes on to make a Razorlight comparison, so this pie must have extra cheese. You can download a Howler track at the top of this post.

And that's the big stuff for this week. Slightly smaller stuff is below, day-by day:

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27

Portland duo Viva Voce are at Mercury Lounge tonight. They don't get enough attention -- apart from just being two of them there's no "angle" per se, besides good songs and great musicianship -- and their new album The Future Will Destroy You is pretty good.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28

Reptar, Savoir Adore at the Neon Gold TV launch party at Tammany Hall. Tickets are $5 in advance, $10 at the door.

Somebody is playing Roseland tonight, can't remember who.

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