the label connections of Slayer-->Passion Pit-->the Antlers--> Local Natives --> Freelance Whales --> Tokyo Police Club

Local Natives @ BV loft – CMJ 2009 (more by Chris La Putt)

Frenchkiss Records is celebrating its 10th year in existence. Started by Les Savy Fav‘s Syd Butler in 1999 as a way for his band to release their second album, the label has grown to include over 25 bands with over 40 releases. Most recently they’ve found success with The Dodos, The Antlers, and of course, Passion Pit who are definitely now pretty “huge“. Though still on Frenchkiss, Passion Pit are also shared with Columbia Records (home of Mew, MGMT, The Ting Tings, Bob Dylan, Neil Diamond, and… Slayer).

And it continues. Frenchkiss announced this week that they signed not one, but two CMJ 2009 buzz bands – both with fine new albums and impressive live shows to match. The NYC label will release California band Local Natives‘ Gorilla Manor (already out in Europe) on February 26, 2010. They also just signed NYC’s Freelance Whales, though like with Passion Pit, that deal is shared with someone else – Mom+Pop Records to be exact, aka. the label that also just snagged Tokyo Police Club (who share a manager with Passion Pit).

The Antlers headline Bowery Ballroom on December 15th. Get tickets before they sell out. Uninhabitable Mansions and Sharon Van Etten (who is sure to sing with the headliners too) open the show. Their only other scheduled show at the moment is March 3rd at Union Chapel in London.

Local Natives are still on tour with Fool’s Gold and Edward Sharpe. They visited NYC in November which wasn’t long after CMJ when the band played two BV parties – one at Pianos and the one in a loft. Updated dates below.

Freelance Whales are currently on tour with Fanfarlo. That tour ends in NYC on December 18th at Webster Hall. Tickets are still on sale. Freelance Whales also played a BV CMJ show @ Pianos.

Tim Harrington, when not belting out rock songs and climbing over the crowd on a ladder in his underwear as the frontman of Les Savy Fav, makes a “line of patterned products” called Deadly Squire. This Sunday (TODAY), December 6th, Deadly Squire is having a huge sale at Bird in Williamsburg (Brooklyn). Flyer below.

Slayer is going on tour with Megadeth and Testament in January. A “Raining Blood” video with all the other stuff below…

Freelance Whales & Fanfarlo – 2009 Tour Dates
12/06 – The Bottletree – Birmingham, AL
12/09 – Metro Gallery – Baltimore, MD
12/10 – Johnny Brenda’s – Philadelphia, PA
12/11 – Iota Cafe – Arlington, VA
12/12 – Brillobox – Pittsburgh, PA
12/14 – Majestic Cafe – Detroit, MI
12/15 – El Mocambo Club – Toronto, ON
12/16 – Il Motore – Montreal, QB
12/17 – TT the Bears – Cambridge, MA
12/18 – Webster Hall – New York, NY

Local Natives – 2009/2010 Tour Dates
Dec 7 – Department of Safety (allages) Anacortes, Washington
Dec 8 – Biltmore Cabaret w/ Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros and Fool’s Gold Vancouver, British Columbia
Dec 9 – Doug Fir Lounge w/ Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros and Fool’s Gold Portland, Oregon
Dec 10 – W.O.W. Hall w/ Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros and Fool’s Gold Eugene, Oregon
Dec 14 – SOLD OUT Camden Barfly London
Dec 16 – XFM Winter Wonderland at O2 Academy Brixton w/ The Big Pink, Bombay Bicycle Club, and more London
Dec 22 – The Echo w/ Voxhaul Broadcast (allages/ $5 presale/ food drive) Los Angeles, California
Jan 19 – SOLD OUT Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen London
Jan 21 – Paradiso Small Amsterdam
Jan 22 – Doornroosje Nijmegen
Jan 23 – de Helling Utrecht
Jan 25 – La Rotonde Brussels
Jan 27 – Studio 672 Cologne
Jan 28 – Molotow Hamburg
Jan 29 – Vega Copenhagen
Jan 30 – Pusterviksbaren? Gothenburg
Jan 31 – Debaser Slussen Stokholm
Feb 2 – Bang Bang Club Berlin
Feb 4 – Atomic Cafe Munich
Feb 6 – Keller Klub Stuttgart
Feb 8 – La Casa 139? Milan
Feb 9 – Sala Vanni Florence
Feb 12 – Pop Bar Barcelona
Feb 17 – Maroquinerie Paris
Feb 18 – Le Grand Mix Tourcoing, Lille
Feb 19 – Le Normandy Saint Lo
Feb 20 – Route du Rock Winter Festival Saint Malo
Feb 24 – Thekla Bristol
Feb 25 – Rescue Rooms Nottingham
Feb 26 – Concorde II Brighton
Feb 27 – Brudenell Leeds
Feb 28 – Arts Centre Norwich
Mar 2 – Heaven London
Mar 3 – Academy 3 Birmingham
Mar 4 – Club Academy Manchester
Mar 5 – King Tuts Glasgow
Mar 6 – Academy 2 Newcastle
Mar 10 – Academy 2 Dublin
Mar 11 – Limelight Belfast