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Crocodiles, Still Flyin, Thee Oh Sees, Tyvek, Late of the Pier & more in This Week in Indie

by Bill Pearis

Thee Oh Sees
Thee Oh Sees

The post-SXSW music flood has yet to show relief and this week might actually be more jam-packed with goodness than last. Where to start?

Kings of San Francisco’s fertile garage rock scene, Thee Oh Sees are back in town for two shows this weekend in what I’d have to call unlikely venues for the band. Thee Oh Sees are not exactly fond of playing on stages, as I’ve only ever seen them set up on the floor, so I’m not sure how they’re going to handle it at The Bell House (4/4) and Mercury Lounge (4/5). Regardless, if they’re anywhere near as good as they were at the Todd P/Woodsist party during SXSW it’ll be a great time. John Dwyer is an intense frontman, flinging his guitars around and likes to get very intimate with his microphone for maximum in-the-red levels. Speaking of, In the Red is releasing Thee Oh Sees’ great new album, Help, and while it’s not in shops yet, it should be available at the merch table this weekend. Go see them.

Tyvek
Tyvek

Michigan’s Tyvek are playing three shows this week, starting tonight (3/31) at Cake Shop. There is certainly no shortage of this kind of low fidelity, high attitude punk being made right now, but these guys do it better than most I think. The band, who keep changing the spelling of their name (Their Myspace currently has it as “Tyvjk”), are due to drop their debut full-length on Siltbreeze any minute now, so maybe they’ll will be selling it at these gigs.

Tonight’s show at Cake Shop is for the venue’s “World’s Birthday Party” parties held on the last day of each month. Tonight is curated by Peggy of Pains of Being Pure at Heart and Chuk Reutter of Gold Dust who will be playing their last-ever show tonight. Also on the bill: San Francisco’s gothy New Thrill Parade (they sound more than a little like The Birthday Party), and two ca-USE co-MOTION offshoots (Extreme Violence and The German Measles). If your birthday is in March, it’s free entry plus two drink ticket and a “gift” and cake. All others pay $7. Tomorrow (4/1) Tyvek play Death by Audio with local folkies Woods (whose new album, Songs of Shame is pretty darn good) and then on Thursday (4/2) opening for Asobi Seksu at Bowery Ballroom.

Crocodiles
Crocodiles

Also on that Asobi Seksu bill are San Diego scuzz-rockers Crocodiles who put out a JAMC-loving single “Neon Jesus” last year and will release their debut album on April 28th via Fat Possum. Two songs from that album (as well as “Neon Jesus”) are available over at RCRD LBL and show they also seem to like Spacemen 3 a lot too. I missed them at SXSW so I can’t say whether they’re good as a live band or not (editor’s note: I liked what little I saw of them), but I’m guessing it’s gonna be two guys, a drum machine and a truckload of feedback and reverb (editor’s note: YES!). Which is okay by me. In addition to the BB show, Crocodiles also play Pianos on Saturday night (4/4) with the aforementioned New Thrill Parade and L.A.’s pummeling duo Tweak Bird (who BB most recently caught at SXSW).

A few more shows to mention (and all tour dates below):

Still Flyin
Still Flyin

There are a lot of Californians in town this week. San Francisco’s Still Flyin’ are here for two shows and rival both I’m From Barcelona and The Polyphonic Spree for positivity and most members on a single stage. There were around 15 of them when I saw them in Austin two weeks ago (which might have been more than were in the audience) and their horn-heavy, up-with-people party band vibe is pretty infectious. Still Flyin’ play Union Hall on Friday (4/3) and Cake Shop on Sunday (4/5).

Late of the Pier @ CMJ 2008 (more by Leia Jospe)
Late of the Pier

I don’t think SXSW did any favors for Late of the Pier, or vise-versa (all reports I heard were not flattering) but I still say their CMJ shows were great, and given the more controlled environments of Bowery Ballroom (4/2, tix) and Studio B (4/3, tix), the band should be back in their element. Both shows are with the somewhat ridiculous but fun Mancunians The Whip.

Frank Sidebottom
Frank Sidebottom

And lastly, but not leastly, Frank Sidebottom is back in town bringing his own peculiar brand of weirdness to a bunch of shows over the next week or so. For more info, I wrote about him last year when he visited NYC. He’s one of a kind.

Videos and tour dates below…

Thee Oh Sees – LIVE @ MRS BEAS, Austin TX 2009

Thee Oh Sees – 2009 Tour Dates
Apr 4 – -The Bell House Brooklyn, New York
Apr 5 – The Mercury Lounge New York, New York
Apr 14 – annies social club sf, California
Apr 29 – el ricon sf, California
May 1 – de young museum sf, California
May 15 – amnesia sf, California

Crocodiles – Neon Jesus

Crocodiles – 2009 U.S. Tour Dates
Mar 30 THE RED AND BLACK Washington DC, Washington DC
Apr 2 BOWERY BALLROOM w/Asobi Seksu New York, New York
Apr 3 JUANITA & JUAN’S Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Apr 4 PIANOS New York, New York
Apr 5 31st STREET PUB Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Apr 6 CAFE BOURBON STREET Columbus, Ohio
Apr 7 PAPA PETE’S Kalamazoo, Michigan
Apr 10 THE TURF CLUB St. Paul, Minnesota
Apr 13 EMPTY BOTTLE Chicago, Illinois
Apr 14 BEACHLAND TAVERN Cleveland, Ohio
Apr 15 SONAR w/ the Faint & Ladytron Baltimore, Maryland
Apr 16 THE NATIONAL w/ the Faint Richmond, Virginia
Apr 17 ORANGE PEEL w/ the Faint & Ladytron Asheville, North Carolina
Apr 18 VARIETY PLAYHOUSE w/ the Faint & Ladytron Atlanta, Georgia
Apr 20 WAREHOUSE LIVE w/ the Faint & Ladytron Houston, Texas
Apr 21 STUBB’S w/ the Faint & Ladytron Austin, Texas
Apr 22 GRANADA w/ the Faint & Ladytron Dallas, Texas
Apr 24 RIALTO THEATER w/ the Faint & Ladytron Tucson, Arizona
Apr 25 THE GROVE w/ the Faint & Ladytron Anaheim, California
Apr 26 HENRY FONDA THEATER w/ the Faint & Ladytron Los Angeles, California
Apr 27 HENRY FONDA THEATER w/ the Faint & Ladytron Los Angeles, California
Apr 29 THE FILLMORE w/ the Faint & Ladytron San Francisco, California
Apr 30 THE FILLMORE w/ the Faint & Ladytron San Francisco, California
May 1 ROSELAND w/ the Faint & Ladytron Portland, Oregon
May 2 SHOWBOX w/ the Faint & Ladytron Seattle, Washington
May 5 OGDEN THEATRE w/ the Faint & Ladytron Denver, Colorado
May 11 THE CASBAH w/ Spectrum San Diego, California
May 16 ECHOPLEX w/ Magick Daggers & Blue Jungle Los Angeles, California

Still Flyin – “Good Thing Its A Ghost Town Around Here”

Still Flyin’ – 2009 U.S. Tour Dates
Apr 3 Union Hall Brooklyn, New York
Apr 4 PA’s Lounge Boston, Massachusetts
Apr 5 Cake Shop New York, New York
Apr 6 Johnny Brenda’s Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Apr 7 Zodiac (FREE SHOW) Baltimore, Maryland
Apr 8 Carabar Columbus, Ohio
Apr 9 Al’s Bar Lexington, Kentucky
Apr 10 The Abbey Pub Chicago, Illinois
May 8 The Blue Lamp Sacramento, California
May 9 ALBUM RELEASE JAMDOWN at Cafe Du Nord San Franzisco, California

Late of the Pier – “Focker”

Late of the Pier – 2009 U.s. Tour Dates
APR 1 BOWERY BALLROOM NEW YORK
APR 2 YALE NEW HAVEN
APR 3 STUDIO B BROOKLYN
APR 4 THEATER OF LIVING ARTS PHILADELPHIA
APR 7 930 CLUB WASHINGTON
APR 8 PARADISE BOSTON
APR 9 LES SAINTES MONTREAL
APR 10 KOOLHAUS TORONTO
APR 11 CONGRESS CHICAGO
APR 14 CHOP SUEY SEATTLE
APR 15 DANTES PORTLAND
APR 16 POPSCENE SAN FRANCISCO
APR 19 EMPIRE POLO GROUNDS INDIO
AUG 22 PSTEREO FESTIVAL TRONDHEIM

Frank Sidebottom’s Proper Telly Show in b/w

Frank Sidebottom – 2009 U.S. Shows
Apr 2 cake shop lower east. new york
Apr 3 the pat duncan show wmfu radio – new york
Apr 3 ottos shrunken head tiki bar manhattan – new york
Apr 4 free record store show long island – new york
Apr 4 the ace of clubs manhattan – new york
Apr 5 don stugots experience cmsradio.net
Apr 5 the 169 bar east brdway. new york
Apr 6 galapagos arts centre brooklyn – new york
Apr 7 medusa lounge philadelphia p.a. 19103H