My Headphones Y'all

Oops

2007-09-21T20:05:00.001-05:00

OMG, so sorry I dropped the ball this week on blogging.

Work was a disaster and I barely had time to get up and pee.

Hopefully I'll be back at it this weekend...

Sorry!

Monday, Monday

2007-09-17T10:26:00.000-05:00

I'm having a real shit day.

So I made a little mini-mix to celebrate it.

Enjoy!

Download: The National - Fake Empire
Downloand: Jolie Holland - Crush In The Ghetto
Download: Peter, Bjorn, and John - Up Against The Wall
Download: Jose Gonzales -Save Your Day
Download: Dan Deacon - My Own Face is F Word
Download: Phoenix - Lost & Found
Download: Wilco - Any Major Dude Will Tell You
Download: Kate Nash - We Get On
Download: Lily Allen - Naive (Kooks cover)

Weekend Picks

2007-09-14T10:08:00.001-05:00

Christina Courtin plays Bowery Ballroom tonight.

Yo yo my fine feathered friends! Can you believe it's ze weekend already? This week flew right by me...and I'm kinda wishing I was Jewish so I could get in on that Rosh Hashanah action.

Anyways, here are my weekend picks:

Friday
One Step Beyond (King Britt, Bonde do Role, Plastic Little) - Museum of Natural History
Michael Gira, Marissa Nadler, Castanets - Highline Ballroom
The Walkmen, The Subjects - Music Hall of Williamsburg
Do Make Say Think - Society for Ethical Culture
Jamie T - Soundfix Records
Teddy Thompson, Christina Courtin - Bowery Ballroom. If you like Ryan Adams, you'll love Teddy Thompson and if you like Regina Spektor, you'll love Christina Courtin.
Interpol, Cat Power, Dirty Delta Blues - Madison Square Garden
Pablo Sanchez (DJ set) - Monkeytown

Saturday
Girl Talk, Dan Deacon, White Williams - Webster Hall (early), Bowery Ballroom (late)
The Wildbirds - Luna Lounge - sounds a lot like Kings of Leon
Simian Mobile Disco - Gramercy Theatre(early), Highline Ballroom (late-DJ sets)
Bonde do Role - Music Hall of Williamsburg

Sunday
Apples in Stereo - Music Hall of Williamsburg
Dan Deacon, USAISMONSTER, Big A little a, Best Fwends, Bill Cosby & His White Pudding Pops - The Yard (2:00 PM)

Watch a video for "421", the opening track of The Wildbird's album, Golden Daze:

Simian Mobile Disco's video for "It's The Beat":

Watch part of Christina Courtin's set at the Living Room:

Who is Jack Penate?

2007-09-13T14:54:00.000-05:00

Jack Penate is another import from the UK, whom I'm sort of on the fence about. If you like the Fratellis, you're going to love this guy. He's got a very British sound, but I feel his songs are somewhat boring; however, he's known for his super-crazy antics during shows, and according to Wikipedia, "soulful ska fueled songs and eccentric dancing".

Born of British and Spanish descent, Penate paid his dues by playing bars and clubs throughout London before getting signed to XL Recordings. His first singles were released in the fall of 2006 and his debut album, Matinee, is slated to drop October 8.

Check out his video for "Spit at Stars":

Here's the video for "Second Minute or Hour":

Stream his music at the Hype Machine.

The Cure announce new tour dates

2007-09-13T12:40:00.000-05:00

Hooray! The Cure have announced their rescheduled tour dates. Because of NBA games in large arenas, the dates are a little later than initially anticipated. Those who want a refund can do so at points of purchase until November 1. They will hit Madison Square Garden on June 20 (originally scheduled to play there on September 23).

And for those lucky people going to Sasquatch! take note: they are slated to play a 150-minute closing set for the festival.

May
Washington, DC Patriot Center (9)
Philadelphia, PA Wachovia Spectrum (10)
Boston, MA Agganis Arena (12)
Montreal, QB Bell Centre (14)
Toronto, ONT Air Canada Centre (15)
Chicago, IL Allstate Arena (17)
Kansas City, MO Starlight Theatre (19)
Morrison, CO Red Rocks Amphitheatre (21)
Salt Lake City, UT E Center (23)
George, WA Gorge Amphitheatre - Sasquatch! Festival (25)
Vancouver, BC General Motors Place (26)
Santa Barbara, CA Santa Barbara Bowl (29)
Los Angeles, CA Hollywood Bowl (31)

June
San Diego, CA Cox Arena (3)
Phoenix, AZ Dodge Theatre (4)
Dallas, TX American Airlines Center (6)
Austin, TX Austin Music Hall (8)
Houston, TX Toyota Center (9)
Tampa, FL St. Pete Times Forum (11)
Ft. Lauderdale, FL Bank Atlantic Center (13)
Atlanta, GA Gwinnett Center (15)
Charlotte, NC Charlotte Bobcats Arena (16)
Cleveland, OH TBA (18)
New York, NY Madison Square Garden (20)

Calvin Harris Party People

2007-09-13T10:34:00.000-05:00

CRED and CRED

Let's talk about how last night's Mercury Lounge Calvin Harris show was redonk. It reminded me of Jamie T, LCD Soundsystem and Daft Punk rolled into one. From the get-go he dropped crazy infectious beats that didn't let up until the end (which was encoreless, sad). The people showed up prepared and knew all the lyrics and more importantly, knew to shake their asses to good music. I appreciate that. In between songs, Calvin offered up some hilarious little bits. (and if you weren't there, make sure to check out his super funny myspace page to experience a dose of his humor). He played his entire album, I Created Disco, and my favorites were probably "This Is The Industry", "The Girls" (love it when he says "I like them Asian girls"...I went nuts), and "Vegas". It was amazing to see people packed like sardines in Mercury, dancing and singing their asses off. Hope he comes back soon. I haven't had this much fun at a show since Daft Punk at Keyspan.

You can stream the entire album here.

Girl Talk - Saturday - second show added

2007-09-12T16:44:00.000-05:00

Hurry and buy your tix now!

This Saturday's Webster Hall Girl Talk show is sold out.

But a second show just went up for sale. AND...he's playing Bowery Ballroom.

Awesome.

Get your tix here.

Marla Hansen CD Release Party Tonight

2007-09-11T16:37:00.000-05:00

Oh man, if I weren't so hung over I'd jump through hoops to go see Marla Hansen perform at Union Hall tonight. She's celebrating the release of her album, Wedding Day.

Who is Marla Hansen? You've probably heard her before and don't even realize it. She sings and plays viola for My Brightest Diamond, Sufjan Stevens, The National and even Jay-Z. With foundations as a classical violist, Hansen got bored with the classical world and began to explore other options in varied genres. She then landed jobs as a violist for an assortment of acts, which eventually lead to the birth of her solo project. On this album, her honey-hued voice weaves its way through plucked violas, bells, and guitars. Collaborators include Sufjan Stevens, Locksley, My Brightest Diamond, and Antony and the Johnsons.

Download: Marla Hansen - A Friend Indeed.mp3
Download: Marla Hansen - Wedding Day.mp3

You can purchase the album here.

The Wildbirds

2007-09-11T12:58:00.000-05:00

Last night I caught The Wildbirds at Pianos. They are a-m-a-z-i-n-g. This Wisconsin-based outfit includes vocalist Nicolas Stuart, guitarist Matthew Reetz, drummer Jon Jon Fries, and bassist Hugh Masterson. With a great stage presence, tight ensemble playing and beautifully-crafted songs, The Wildbirds charged through their set and took control of the room. Stuart has amazing vocals that will undoubtedly garner comparisons to Kings Of Leon frontman Caleb Followill. The old school rock sound that saturates their album, Golden Daze, could've been written in the 60s or 70s--it's got that kind of timeless appeal that will ensure these guys a solid place on your playlist.

Download: The Wildbirds - Shake Shake
Download: The Wildbirds - Way Down Low

The Wildbirds play Luna Lounge this Saturday, September 15. Cover is $8.

Current Tour Dates:
Sep 12 2007 8:00P
Middle East Boston, Massachusetts

Sep 13 2007 8:00P
Jammin’ Java Washington, Washington DC

Sep 14 2007 5:00P
College of Mary and William Williamsburg, Virginia

Sep 14 2007 8:00P
Alley Katz Richmond, Virginia

Sep 15 2007 8:00P
Luna Lounge Brooklyn, New York

Sep 19 2007 8:00P
The Nick Birmingham, Alabama

Sep 20 2007 8:00P
The End Nashville, Tennessee

Sep 22 2007 8:00P
Star Bar (Performer Mag Party) Atlanta, Georgia

Sep 23 2007 8:00P
The Social Orlando, Florida

Sep 26 2007 8:00P
The Maintenance Shop Ames, Iowa

Sep 27 2007 8:00P
Bluebird St-Louis, Missouri

Sep 29 2007 8:00P
Outland Ballroom Springfield, Missouri

Oct 3 2007 8:00P
The Rave (W/ The Bravery) Milwaukee, Wisconsin

AOL/Spinner Listening Party

2007-09-11T12:18:00.000-05:00

Dudes....don't forget to check out the AOL/Spinner Listening Party this week. I am sooooo stoked for the new GO! Team album. Been waiting 2 years for this thing and it's finally here! You can also check out Brit sensation Calvin Harris, Shout Out Louds, Oakley Hall, the highly-anticipated works of Animal Collective, Ani DiFranco and much more.

The Go! Team plays Studio B on 10/27 + Bowery Ballroom on 10/28
Calvin Harris plays Mercury Lounge on 9/12
Shout Out Louds play Bowery Ballroom on 10/25 + Music Hall of Williamsburg on 10/26 + Maxwell's on 10/27
Oakley Hall plays Bowery Ballroom on 10/13
Check out the New York Magazine article and Time Out article on Animal Collective

Mark Ronson Hires Lip Syncers

2007-09-11T11:39:00.000-05:00

Remember that Mark Ronson video shoot casting call? The video for Amy Winehouse's cover of "Valerie" is complete.

Here's the finished project:

Bat For Lashes - Fall Tour

2007-09-07T16:24:00.000-05:00

It's my wet dream come true!

Check out the video for "What's A Girl To Do?"

Bat for Lashes has announced her fall tour. Can't wait to see Natasha and the girls again.

09.23.07 - Philadelphia, PA (Johnny Brenda's)
09.24.07 - Boston, MA (Great Scott)
09.25.07 - New York, NY (Bowery Ballroom)
09.28.07 - Toronto, ON (El Mocambo)
09.29.07 - Montreal, QC (Petit Campus)
10.01.07 - Columbus, OH (The Basement)
10.02.07 - Chicago, IL (Empty Bottle)
10.03.07 - Minneapolis, MN (Varsity Theatre)
10.05.07 - Denver, CO (Larimer Lounge)
10.08.07 - San Diego, CA (Delta Room at House of Blues)
10.09.07 - Los Angeles, CA (Troubadour)
10.11.07 - San Francisco, CA (Slim's)
10.13.07 - Vancouver, BC (Plaza Club)
10.14.07 - Seattle, WA (Crocodile Café)
10.15.07 - Portland, OR (Doug Fir Lounge)

Download: Bat For Lashes - Tahiti

Wax Fang

2007-09-07T11:21:00.001-05:00

Wax Fang is a Louisville, KY based band that consists of guitarist/vocalist Scott Carney, drummer Kevin Ratterman, and bassist Jake Heust. Originally intended as a one-man-band for Carney, he realized additional people were needed to create the effects he desired. I stupidly missed their Mercury Lounge show in June (BUT, I did see the Rosewood Thieves instead...) and they aren't coming through NYC anytime soon.

Last fall these went on the road with My Morning Jacket. MMJ frontman Jim James told the New York Times:

"...it’s got futuristic energy, a lot of elements I’ve never heard work before. A combo of all these things you remember from the past. You can sense some David Bowie in it. It’s so unique, it’s hard to place. The cool thing about it is he [Carney] made it by himself. Every single instrument is played by him and he paid attention to the details….The production is amazing, the songs are amazing. It takes you to a different place. "

Check them out in the Music that Matters, volume 52 Podcast from KEXP.

Download: Wax Fang - Bi-Polar Bear

Download: Wax Fang -Sweet Bloody Murder

It's Fashion Week

2007-09-07T10:28:00.000-05:00

It's hard to forget it's Fashion Week when your office is steps from Bryant Park, models infiltrate Sixth Avenue, and you see the pristine, gleaming white tents take over a little stretch of 42nd Street. Last night was the annual Fashion Rocks show at Radio City Music Hall. You can watch the special on CBS tonight at 9.

The roster included:

Aerosmith

Fergie

Jennifer Hudson

Alicia Keys

Avril Lavigne (shudder)

J-Lo

Ludacris

Maroon 5 (another shudder)

Martina McBride

Santana

Carrie Underwood

Usher

According to Newsday:

The connection between fashion and rock is a mercurial one, no matter how hard Mischa Barton and Tommy Hilfiger try to explain its obviousness. The reality is sometimes it's there and sometimes it isn't. So it's no wonder that the "Fashion Rocks" benefit at Radio City Music Hall Thursday night was pretty hit-and-miss with its unexpected artist pairings or cover version choices.

Mary J. Blige and Usher teamed up for a playful version of Stevie Wonder's "Do I Do" to close out an old-school soul medley where Blige tackled "Respect" and Usher paid tribute to James Brown with "It's a Man's World" and some impressive splits.

Jennifer Hudson showed that her "Dreamgirls" performance was no fluke, serving up a powerhouse version of The Beatles' "Come Together" with Aerosmith's Joe Perry on guitar that sizzled with style and sass. And Carrie Underwood rocked through "Go Your Own Way" with Lindsey Buckingham, even pretending to duel with him on guitar.

Aerosmith's pairing with Fergie on "Walk This Way," while fashionable, didn't quite rock, as Fergie's shouty vocals unfortunately overpowered Steven Tyler. And Carlos Santana's duet with Nickelback's Chad Kroeger on "Into the Night" seemed as stilted as the awkward presenter banter between Teri Hatcher and 50 Cent.

Santana's duet with Alicia Keys on "Black Magic Woman," however, was a sultry thrill.

Keys was even better on her own, showcasing her new single "No One," which transformed from a gorgeous piano ballad to a massive, stadium-worthy anthem and back again.

In the end, many stars did much better on their own, doing their own material. Jennifer Lopez was stunning with a high-concept performance of her new single "Do It Well," which played out like a Broadway musical number complete with fake paparazzi and a troupe of dancers. Then, after a bit of a struggle removing her first outfit, she delivered a remixed version of "Waiting for Tonight" that seemed built for the runway with all the wind machines and strutting models.

Martina McBride was also strong with her hits "This One's for the Girls" and a stirring version of "Where Would You Be" that showed off her powerful voice. And Avril Lavigne pepped things up with her punk-cheerleader anthem "Girlfriend," though that was one song that would've benefited from a special guest, perhaps Brooklyn rapper Lil' Mama, who spices up the song's remix.

Weekend Picks

2007-09-06T15:15:00.000-05:00

Gotta love Labor Day. Can you believe that the weekend is upon us already? So awesome.

These are my weekend picks:

Friday:
Editors, Ra Ra Riot, and Biffy Clyro at Webster Hall
Joseph Arthur and the Lonely Astronauts at Music Hall of Williamsburg
Damien Rice at Theatre at Madison Square Garden
Satanicide at Bowery Ballroom
Palomar at Soundfix Records
Bill Callahan (Smog) at Highline Ballroom
Brooklyn Country Music Festival at Southpaw. I really love country, but I have no idea what bands to check out during this 2-day event. I think it's definitely worth heading over to Park Slope to listen in on a less-loved genre of music (at least in New York).

Saturday:
Todd P presents Monster Island Art Center. This free event features bands (Big A little a, Tiger Streifen), karaoke, BBQ, art shows, plays, and film. All day long: from 2 - 10 PM.
Vampire Weekend, The Harlem Shakes, and Yeasayer at Music Hall of Williamsburg
Cloud Cult, Land of Talk at Bowery Ballroom
Modest Mouse, Love as Laughter at McCarren Park
Oh No! Oh My! at Soundfix Records
The Ditty Bops at Irving Plaza (otherwise known as The Fillmore)
Midlake, Dawn Landes at Webster Hall
Dappled Cities at Union Hall

Sunday:
Tony Bennett at Radio City Music Hall
Aesop Rock at Irving Plaza (otherwise known as The Fillmore). Aesop Rock did this awesome Nike running mix that I absolutely love. Check it out here.
Farm Aid at Randall's Island, featuring Willie Nelson, Neil Young, The Allman Brothers Band, The Ditty Bops, Counting Crows, Matisyahu (what happened to him??)
The first annual Ludfest brings The Secret Machines, Dub Trio, A Place To Bury Strangers, and Emok to the Lower East Side. The event runs from 12-8 PM

Did I miss anything? What are y'all going to?

If you don't know some of these bands, take a listen:
Download: Aesop Rock - None Shall Pass
Download: Dawn Landes - I Don't Need No Man
Download: Vampire Weekend - Oxford Coma
Download: Harlem Shakes-Sickos
Download: The Ditty Bops - Moon Over The Freeway
Download: Oh No! Oh My! -Walk in the Park

This Charming Man

2007-09-06T13:49:00.000-05:00

A Morrissey musical is in the works!

The co-creators and actors of Reno 911! Thomas Lennon (the always hilarious Lt. Dangle) and Robert Ben Garant (Deputy Travis Junior) have cooked up the idea of employing Morrissey's large catalogue in Broadway show. Lennon and Garant also co-wrote Night at The Museum and Balls of Fury.

Thomas Lennon says in an interview with New York Metro:

I have an outline in my head, like "Mamma Mia"-type musical but with the music of Morrissey called "I've Changed My Plea to Guilty". It's for a very diehard set of fans.

No dates have been announced.

Not over until the fat guy sings...

2007-09-06T11:14:00.000-05:00

Above: Pavarotti in 1966 with soprano Joan Sutherland and Spiro Malas in Donizetti's La Fille du Regiment.

You've probably already heard that famed opera tenor Luciano Pavarotti passed away early this morning at age 71. I'm guessing most of you aren't opera lovers, but I grew up listening to Pavarotti with my dad on Saturday afternoons when the Metropolitan Opera ran its live broadcasts from Lincoln Center. My favorite role of his was probably Rudolfo from Puccinni's La Boheme.

Pavarotti embodied a charisma that transcended musical genres and he was able to traverse the boundaries of musical genres that generally prevent opera singers from becoming household names. One of his most well-known performances took place in 1972 at the Metropolitan Opera House, when he hit a string of high-C's effortlessly in Donizetti's La Fille du Regiment. In the 1990s, he gained worldwide recognition as one of the The Three Tenors (the others being Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras). As he gained more fame, Pavarotti embraced collaborations with non-classical stars such as Sting, Elton John and Bono.

The New York Times covers Pavarotti's struggle in today's edition:

His death was announced by his manager, Terri Robson. The cause was pancreatic cancer. In July 2006 he underwent surgery for the cancer in New York and had made no public appearances since then. He was hospitalized again this summer and released on Aug. 25.

“The Maestro fought a long, tough battle against the pancreatic cancer which eventually took his life,” said an e-mail statement that his manager sent to The Associated Press. “In fitting with the approach that characterized his life and work, he remained positive until finally succumbing to the last stages of his illness.”

Sondre Lerche to score film

2007-09-05T13:36:00.000-05:00

On his blog, Sondre Lerche has announced that he is writing the score to Peter Hedges' new film, "Dan In Real Life", which stars Juliet Binoche (Chocolate, The English Patient) and Steve Carrell. Lerche and his band, The Faces Down, will perform the well-loved song "Modern Nature" in a closing scene of the film.

Lerche says of the music:

Peter was very determined that he wanted a "handmade" feel to the music in the film. Big orchestral sweeps and sugary strings were completely out of the question. In stead he wanted the acoustic guitar to be up front. He deemed Kato's piano playing on one track too accomplished, and so it was that my poor, poor piano abilities finally were needed.

Peter kept talking about a sloppy trumpet, so I decided to give it a shot. I actually had to record my overqualified trumpet player while he was learning the melodies to get the right sensibility. By the time he knew what he was playing, he was simply too good.

We didn't want the music to tell you how to feel or who to sympathise with. And with such great actors and a great script there's certainly no need for the music to take any responsibility in terms of telling the story. It's all there and the music is just supposed to underline the characters and what they go through.

In short, my job has simply been to create the music that Peter sometimes would hear clearly in his head and at other times would have no idea what was or could be. It's been such a refreshing experience. I mean, for so long I've been trying only to make the music heard in my own head. To step outside of your own world for a moment and become a small part of a big process that involves hundreds of insanely talented people and that's all about expressing the truth in someone else's life has been a very valuable experience.

The soundtrack will be released on October 2nd through Virgin.

Tracklisting is:
1. Family Theme Waltz - Sondre Lerche
2. To Be Surprised - Sondre Lerche
3. I'll Be OK - Sondre Lerche
4. Dan and Marie Picking Hum - Sondre Lerche
5. My Hands Are Shaking - Sondre Lerche
6. Dan In Real Life - Sondre Lerche
7. Hell No - Sondre Lerche and Regina Spektor
8. Family Theme - Sondre Lerche
9. Fever - A Fine Frenzy
10. Airport Taxi Reception - Sondre Lerche and The Faces Down
11. Dan and Marie Melody - Sondre Lerche
12. Human Hands - Sondre Lerche and The Faces Down Quartet
13. I'll Be OK (Instrumental Reprise) - Sondre Lerche
14. Let My Love Open The Door - Sondre Lerche
15. Dan and Marie Finale Theme - Sondre Lerche
16. Modern Nature - Sondre Lerche and Lillian Samdal

Watch the trailer here. Looks cheesey, but at least the music will be good!

Music Hall of Williamsburg????

2007-09-05T12:38:00.000-05:00

Dude, what is going on with this Hall? People are saying tonight's show (Against Me! and Matt & Kim) is also cancelled.

Gothamist has just posted this article about the delayed opening. Apparently Gothamist contacted the Bowery Presents team and has yet to receive a response. I've done the same and haven't heard back from the guys there, either.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs are going to China!

2007-09-05T10:07:00.000-05:00

Yeah Yeah Yeahs have just been scheduled to headline the Modern Sky Festival on October 4 in Beijing, China.

Beginning on October 2 at Haidian Park, the three-day festival will feature 120 acts from all over the globe. Day passes are only 60 yuan (7.9 US dollars) and 3-day passes are 120 yuan. Other bands include Snapline, Joyside, Re-TROS, and Carsick Cars.

Klaxons win the Mercury Prize

2007-09-05T09:48:00.000-05:00

Beating out favorites Amy Winehouse and Bat For Lashes, The Klaxons took home the Mercury Prize last night. Their album, Myths of the Near Future, won album of the year from an outstanding crop of 12 nominees. After accepting the prize and a 20,000 pound check, the band mentioned how the Arctic Monkeys inspired them to record a new album and band member Simon Taylor gave shout-outs to Amy Winehouse and Bat for Lashes.

The Mercury Prize was established in 1992 and has a reputation for awarding underdogs, rather than the favorites. History has proven that the award increases record sales, especially for smaller, less-established artists.

The 2007 nominees were:
Amy Winehouse - Back to Black
Arctic Monkeys - Favourite Worst Nightmare
Basquiat Strings - Basquiat Strings
Bat for Lashes - Fur and Gold
Dizzee Rascal - Maths and English
Maps - We Can Create
The Klaxons - Myths of the Near Future
New Young Pony Club - Fantastic Playroom
Fionn Regan - The End of History
Jamie T - Panic Prevention
The View - Hats Off to the Buskers
The Young Knives - Voices of Animals and Men

Fresh from rehab (no pun intended), check out Amy Winehouse's comeback performance from last night's awards ceremony:

Patti Smith show cancelled

2007-09-04T16:17:00.000-05:00

Dude, the Patti Smith show tonight that was slated to open the Music Hall of Williamsburg got canned.

What happened? The word on the street is the venue isn't ready. Hmmmmm....

I'm upset!

AOL Listening Party

2007-09-04T10:45:00.001-05:00

The always dreamy Ferraby Lionheart.

Yo! New jams are up for listening on the Spinner/AOL Listening Party.

Black Lips - Good Bad Not Evil
Ferraby Lionheart - Catch The Brass Ring
The Mercury-prize nominated New Young Pony Club - Fantastic Playroom
Liars - Liars
Pinback - Autumn of the Seraphs
Pink Floyd - Piper at the Gates
Just Jack - Overtones

Pinback plays Nokia Theatre on October 9. Buy your tix here.
Ferraby Lionheart plays Mercury Lounge with the Brunettes on October 2. Buy your tix here.
Just Jack recently gave his US debut at Hiro Ballroom.

Enter Shikari Plots US Tour

2007-09-04T10:17:00.000-05:00

The British band Enter Shikari has announced their first United States tour this fall. In the meantime, their album, Take To The Skies, is slated to drop October 9.

The tour dates are:

September:

Austin, TX Emo's - 1
Plano, TX The Plano Centre - 2
Kansas City, KS Grand - 4
Chicago, IL Subterranean - 6
Cleveland, OH Grog Shop - 7
Toronto, ONT V-Fest Islands Park - 8
Philadelphia, PA North Star - 10
New York, NY Bowery Ballroom - 11
Baltimore, MD Ottobar - 12

Download: Sorry You're Not A Winner

Download: OK time for plan B

Buy your tix to the Bowery Ballroom show here.

More Britney Spears Singles Leaked

2007-09-04T09:31:00.000-05:00

Awesome!

A ton of Britney singles leaked...and they are not that bad! One of them samples Eurythmics song "Sweet Dreams". Obviously she's not really singing and it's over-over-over produced, but still fun cheesey stuff. Her new album is slated for release on November 13 and features the work of Ne-Yo, T-Pain, Sean Garrett, and Nate "Danja" Hills.

Download: Got Me High

Download: Been A While

Download: Everybody

Download: Gimme More (Remix Ft. T.I.)

Download: Your...

Download: It Feels Nice

Rick Rubin

2007-09-04T09:24:00.001-05:00

How was your long weekend?

I saw Battles at South Street Seaport and decided they're not really my cup of tea. Tonight I'm gonna check out the opening of the new Music Hall of Williamsburg. And over the weekend I read this article from the NY Times about Rick Rubin. If you haven't read up on it yet, check it out

here

Music Hall of Williamsburg, Battle of the Concert Promoters Continues...

2007-08-30T09:26:00.000-05:00

Check out the New York Times' article this morning on the continued battle between NYC's largest concert promoters.

The Times notes that a new pattern of clubs has developed over the past year: smaller clubs such as Sin-e, Tonic, and CBGB were forced to close due to rising rent and costs; while larger promoters opened a plethora of midsized clubs such as Gramercy Theatre, Nokia Theatre, Highline Ballroom, and Luna Lounge. The Bowery Presents will open The Music Hall of Williamsburg next Tuesday, another midsized venue formerly known as Northsix. With a capacity of 550, the hall has been described as the Bowery Ballroom of Brooklyn (yes!). The ceilings have been rounded for acoustical reasons, balconies have replaced the floor that used to divde the lower and upper levels, and those annoying old pillars have been removed for optimal sightlines.

The Bowery Presents will also open Terminal 5 on October 11 with The National. Situated in the heart of midtown, Terminal 5 will compete with directly with Roseland and Hammerstein Ballrooms. Peter Shapiro, former owner of the Wetlands, has plans to open the Brooklyn Bowl, a 2,000 seat venue in Williamsburg. And Andrew WK is looking to open a club near Canal Street.

As promoters continue to bombard the market with concerts and new venues, one can't help but wonder if and when the inevitable oversaturation will occur. And what venues will be the ones to lose out?

Revenge of the Book Eaters

2007-08-28T16:49:00.000-05:00

Feist
A.C. Newman
Britt Daniel

Grizzly Bear
Jim James
Demetri Martin

Revenge of the Book Eaters

I know, I know. I'm mega-ghetto late on this coverage. And yes, I did steal these pics from Pitchfork. Until my parents buy me a new camera, that's kinda my deal for now. Anyhow, here are my quick thoughts on the show:

Demetri Martin was hysterical. Loved when he got into fights with audience members and randomly discussed onion rings and donuts.
A.C. Newman was not great, but not bad. I loved his rendition of "Challengers", which is usually sung by Neko Case.
Grizzly Bear was hauntingly beautiful. Loved their duet with Feist.
Jim James killed it. He really stole the show covering some of my favorite MMJ tunes such as "What A Wonderful Man" and "Gideon".
Britt Daniel also killed it...but I'm having a fit of amnesia and I can't remember what the hell he played.
I have a feeling Kevin Drew forgot about this gig and was reminded about it an hour before the show. He seemed unrehearsed and unprepared. Hopefully he'll make up for it at tomorrow night's McCarren Pool show.

Band of Horses returns!

2007-08-28T16:26:00.000-05:00

Everything All The Time was one of my all-time favoritest albums of 2006 and I'm eagerly anticipating (read: peeing in my pants) Band of Horses' follow-up album, Cease to Begin, due on October 9 from Sub Pop.

Today they offer a new track, "Is There a Ghost?", as a little teaser.

American Idols 2007

2007-08-27T17:01:00.000-05:00

Saturday night Elissa, Maureen, Sam, Marci and I went to check out American Idols at Nassau Coliseum. Before making it in the door, we were totally distracted by the gigantic Oscar-Mayer weinermobile camped outside the entrance. Thrilled to discover the Oscar-Mayer people were auditioning for a commercial spot, we decided to get our act together and give it a try. I came up with the ingenious idea of rapping the jingle. DUH! How come nobody thought of that before? Gosh. Here are pics of our audition:

Don't worry. I'll post the video as soon as it goes up on the Oscar-Mayer website.

Sam peeing in her pants as she stands outside an Idol's dressing room.

Backstage with Lakisha and Sanjaya. Lakisha really stole the show with her rendition of "I Will Always Love You." Damn, gina.

In case you didn't know, Pop-Tarts are the official sponsor of the American Idols tour. And they came backstage with boxes and boxes and boxes of Pop-Tarts. Sadly, it was all the same flavor and NOT a good one.

Yup, we got a limo ride home. And here's some evidence (ps - do you like my Asian glow?):

Fiery Furnaces

2007-08-27T15:55:00.000-05:00

CRED

The Fiery Furnaces played Socrates Sculpture Parkthis Sunday--which was awesome since it's only a few blocks from my apartment (and there are NEVER shows in LIC/Astoria). It was great/creepy to see hipsters in Astoria. The beautiful green grass and strange sculptures were a perfect setting for The Fiery Furnaces' moody, eccentric pieces. People bitch about their awful live shows, but they sounded pretty awesome to me. I wish I had gotten there in time to catch "Benton Harbor Blues" and "Teach Me Sweetheart" (they sang all of Bitter Tea).

They have a new album coming out October 9 titled Widow City.

October and November tour dates below:

10/09 Newport, KY / Southgate House / 24 E. 3rd Street
Time: 9pm / Tickets: $12 / Ages: 18+

10/10 Milwaukee, MI / Shank Hall / 1434 N. Farwell Ave.
Tickets: $18 Adv. $20 Day Of / Ages: 21+

10/11 Madison, WI / The Annex / 1206 Recent St.
Time: 8pm / Tickets: $13 Adv. $15 Day Of / Ages: 21+

10/12 St. Paul, MN / Turf Club / 1601 University Ave West
Time: 9:30pm / Tickets: $13 Adv. $15 Day Of / Ages: 21+

10/15 Vancouver, BC / Richard's On Richards Cabaret / 1036 Richards St.
Time: 9:30pm / Tickets: $20 Adv. $25 Day Of / Ages: 19+

10/16 Seattle, WA / Crocodile Cafe / 2200 2nd Ave
Time: 9:30pm / Tickets: $13 Adv. $15 Day Of / Ages: 21+

10/17 Portland, OR / Aladdin Theater / 3017 S.E. Milwaukee
Times: 9pm / Tickets: $15 / Ages: All

10/19 Berkeley, CA / UC Berkeley Campus / Lower Sproul Plaza
Time: 12pm / Ages: All

10/19 San Francisco, CA / The Independent / 628 Divisidero St.
Times: 9pm / Tickets: $15 / Ages: 21+

10/20 Big Sur, CA / Big Sur Fernwood Resort / Highway 1
Time: 8pm / Ages: All

10/21 San Diego, CA / The Casbah / 2501 Kettner Blvd
Time: 9:30pm / Tickets: $14 / Ages: 21+

10/22 West Hollywood, CA / Troubadour / 9081 Santa Monica Blvd
Time: 9pm / Tickets: $15 / Ages: All

10/26 Austin, TX / Emo's / 603 Red River
Time: 10pm / Tickets: $12 Adv. $14 Day Of / Ages: All

10/27 Austin, TX / Emo's / 603 Red River
Time: 10pm / Tickets: $12 Adv. $14 Day Of / Ages: All

10/29 St. Louis, MO / Blueberry Hill / 6504 Delmar
Time: 9pm / Tickets: $15 / Ages: 21+

10/30 Champaign, IL / Highdive / 51 Main St.
Tickets: $13 Adv. $15 Day Of / Ages: 19+

11/02 Millvale, PA / Mr. Small's Theater / 400 Lincoln Ave
Tickets: $12.50 Adv. $14.50 Day Of / Ages: All

11/03 New York, NY / Hiro Ballroom / 363 W. 16th
Time: 8:30pm / Tickets: $20 Adv. $25 Day Of / Ages: 21+

Download:Teach Me Sweetheart.m4a

Download:Benton Harbor Blues Again.m4a

AOL Listening Party

2007-08-27T15:10:00.000-05:00

Above: Aesop Rock's new video to "None Shall Pass", one of the singles off his new album.

Hey Friends!

Lots of great things streaming off the AOL listening party this week:

VHS or Beta
The New Young Pony Club
Aesop Rock
Jamie T
Liars

Check them out!

Daft Punk. Halloween. Mexico City.

2007-08-27T14:45:00.001-05:00

Daft Punk at Keyspan Park, Brooklyn, NY a few weeks ago.

Daft Punk has just confirmed they will play one additional date on their ALIVE tour on Halloween at Palacio de los Deportes, Ciudad de México.

HOT!!!!

Tix are going on sale next week. Oh my god, I want to go.

Amy Winehouse bleeding and bruised after fight

2007-08-23T23:55:00.000-05:00

Amy Winehouse is a mess.

Read the Daily Mail's article on Amy's late-night fight with her husband, Blake.

With the way things are going, it's not wonder she just cancelled her fall tour. Somebody get her help, please!!!

Fight at Highline Ballroom

2007-08-23T14:54:00.001-05:00

Last night The Format played Highline Ballroom and what ensues is a hilarious smack-down from leader singer Nate Ruess. Watch for yourself:

Mark Ronson Casting Call

2007-08-23T14:16:00.000-05:00

DJ/Producer/Trust Fund Baby Mark Ronson is filming his new video for the Amy Winehouse single "Valerie" off his album, Version, next Tuesday, August 28th in London.

According to his blog:

Places are going fast, so email markronson@hsilondon.co.uk if you're interested, with your contacts details and a photograph of yourself. You must be over 16 (with ID!) and can travel to and from Central London on shoot day.

Damn, I wish I could be there. As much as I'm over Back to Black, I'm still head over heels for "Valerie". Amy does a pretty sick cover. I'm guessing she won't be around for the shoot since our Central Park date just got canned as well as the rest of her fall schedule. Le sigh.

Morrissey says no

2007-08-23T13:05:00.000-05:00

Morrissey with Marr in the 80s.

Hmmmm, guess I will never get to see The Smiths in their full glory. According to NME, Morrissey has just rejected a forty-million pound offer to reunite with his former bandmates for a 50-city tour in 2008-2009:

The star, who also rejected a request to headline the Coachella Festival with the group in 2006, was asked if he would perform 50 shows throughout the world in 2008 and 2009.

The only condition was that he would have to tour with the band's guitarist and co-songwriter Johnny Marr, thus meaning it the reunion not dependent on the participation of bassist Andy Rourke and drummer Mike Joyce.

Joyce famously won a court case against Morrissey and Marr in 2006, when he sued for royalties from his days in the band. The proceedings caused a massive rift which has never been healed.

Fujiya and Miyagi Fall Tour

2007-08-23T12:54:00.000-05:00

The first time I saw Brit band Fujyia and Miyagi, they played in the basement of the Barnard College student union. Now they're a bit bigger and have announced a fall tour.

Dates are:

September:
Baltimore, MD Ottobar (25)
Philadelphia, PA Johnny Brenda's(26)
New York, NY Bowery Ballroom(27)
Brooklyn, NY Music Hall of Williamsburg(28)
Boston, MA Middle East Downstairs(29)

October
Montreal, QC Lambi(2)
Toronto, ON Lee's Palace (3)
Pontiac, MI Eagle Theatre (4)
Chicago, IL Empty Bottle (5)
Minneapolis, MN 7 Street Entry (6)
Vancouver, BC Richard On Richards (9)
Seattle, WA Neumos (10)
Portland, OR Doug Fir Lounge (11)
San Francisco, CA Mezzanine (12)
Los Angeles, CA Echoplex (13)
Austin, TX Club Deville (16)

Secret Machines headline Ludfest

2007-08-23T12:43:00.000-05:00

The Secret Machines have been chosen to headline Ludfest, which will be held on Ludlow Street in New York City. Ludfest is a little mini-me festival which aims to raise funds for needy community members under the 7th Precinct Community Council. Other bands include Emok and A Place To Bury Strangers.

The event will take place on Sunday, September 9th from noon to 8 PM.

New Pornographers at Bowery Ballroom

2007-08-22T16:28:00.000-05:00

CRED

Well, how was it? I got this text message from my friend around 11:15 last night: "Show's rockin', some hot new songs, sound guy good. Neko just dissed the Beatles."

I keep hearing it was a fun show and wish I could've heard the new material now that I'm more familiar with it (I caught their July 4th/River2River show and heard bits and pieces of Challengers, but it's always nice to hear songs once your ear is used to their structure, etc).

Set list people, where you at?

Jose Gonzales vs New Pornographers

2007-08-22T10:25:00.001-05:00

Last night New York music lovers were faced with a tough decision: go see Jose Gonzales at the Spigeltent or check out the New Pornographers' unannounced show at Bowery Ballroom. I bought my Jose ticket about a month in advance, plus I'd never seen anything at the Spigeltent so my decision was pretty much made.

Well....from the minute the show started, I realized how much I regretted my choice. Mike Wexler opened and while I hate to dog any artist, this dude was not doing it for me. I guess he didn't do a soundcheck as the system was incredibly screwy; the house right speakers weren't working at all and my ears felt like they were struggling through a mudpit of sound. It's too bad because Wexler has a cool voice (ironically, he sounds a lot like Dan Bejar).

I was willing to pay for the $38 ticket because I thought this was a seated show (apparently it was going to be), but when we arrived the floor was cleared of all tables and chairs. We were lucky enough to grab a booth, but I was super annoyed as we couldn't see over the "attack of the 6'1 dudes" who always manage to take over the front row of any show.

Jose played a super short set, that was cut even shorter when one of his guitar tuners broke during the encore. He offered a hilarious apology for "not knowing any songs in that tuning" and rushed off stage. I found that odd since I figured most musicians travel with back up instruments. Not to hate on Jose, but I think he just wanted to end his set!

It was great to hear "Lovestain", "Hand On Your Heart" and Jose rolled out some new tunes that were magical. As usual, he did not speak much during the perfomance--except before his encore where he complained about the cold weather and his cold fingers. Cold fingers or what not didn't stop him from weaving dense texture of notes through his fine guitar playing, soothed over by his calm vocals.

I really enjoyed the performance, but overall the night gets an F in my book. How were the New Pornographers? I'm jealous. Even if Dan wasn't drumming.

Check out the super-creepy video of Jose's new single "Down The Line", which was released yesterday.

Eisley played Joe's Pub

2007-08-21T17:05:00.001-05:00

Monday night I decided last-minute to check out Eisley's early show at Joe's Pub. I am super-glad I did! This family-based quintet (Chauntelle, Sherri, Stacy and Weston are all siblings and their cousin Garron plays bass) won me over with their sweet vocals, charisma and excellent ensemble playing.

Formed in 1997, Eisley grew out of a family project and were eventually picked as support for Coldplay's Rush of Blood to the Head tour. They've also hit the road with Switchfoot, Hot Hot Heat, Taking Back Sunday, and Snow Patrol. Recently signed to Warner, Eisley will begin heavy touring (see below for schedule) in support of their initial project on the label, Combinations.

Download their newest single off Combinations:
Invasion

You can catch them on Conan August 30th.

They will return with Mute Math at Irving Plaza (sorry, it shouldn't be named Fillmore!!!) on October 18. You can buy tix here.

Other tour dates are:

September 2007
4 - Boston, MA - The Paradise
5 - Montreal, Quebec - La Tulipe/National
6 - Ottawa, Ontario - Capitol Music Hall
7 - London, Ontario - Rum Runners
11 - Winnipeg, Manitoba - West End Cultural Center
12 - Regina, Saskatchewan - The Distrikt
13 - Calgary, Alberta - The Warehouse
14 - Edmonton, Alberta - Starlite Room
16 - Victoria, British Columbia - Legends
17 - Vancouver, British Columbia - Commodore Ballroom
19 - Boise, ID - The Big Easy
21 - Portland, OR - Roseland Theatre
24 - Sacramento, CA - The Boardwalk
25 - San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore
28 - Los Angeles, CA - The Avalon Theatre
30 - Las Vegas, NV - Jillian's

October 2007
2 - Salt Lake City, UT - Club Sound
4 - Denver, CO - Gothic Theatre
5 - Lawrence, KS - Granada Theatre
6 - Omaha, NE - The Rock
7 - Madison, WI - The Annex
8 - Milwaukee, WI - The Eagles Club
9 - Chicago, IL - House of Blues
11 - Columbus, OH - Newport Music Hall
12 - Grand Rapids, MI - The Intersection
13 - Detroit, MI - St. Andrew's Hall
14 - Cincinnati, OH - 20th Century Theatre/Bogart's/Madison Theatre
16 - Cleveland, OH - House of Blues
18 - New York, NY - Irving Plaza
19 - Baltimore, MD - Sonar
20 - Charlottesville, VA - Satellite Ballroom
23 - Norfolk, VA - NorVa
25 - Myrtle Beach, SC - House of Blues
26 - Charlotte, NC - Amos' Southend
28 - Nashville, TN - City Hall
30 - Charleston, SC - The Music Farm

November 2007
1 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL - Culture Room
2 - Orlando, FL - House of Blues
3 - Atlanta, GA - The Roxy
4 - Birmingham, AL - Workplay Theatre
6 - Tulsa, OK - Cain's Ballroom
8 - Austin, TX - La Zona Rosa
11 - Houston, TX - Warehouse Live

Daryl Hall. Of Hall and Oates. OMG.

2007-08-21T11:08:00.000-05:00

So first off, sorry for the lack of entries for the past couple days, both my work computer and personal computers are running out of space and thus running mega-slow. Yesterday Larry the IT guy worked on my machine for a few hours, so I barely had time to do my real job and couldn't squeeze in any blog entries. Excuses, excuses!

After scanning the headlines this morning, I was thrilled to see that Pitchfork has posted an interview with one of my musical idols, or one half of one of my musical idols: Daryl Hall from Hall and Oates.

TGIF Y'all!

2007-08-17T14:32:00.000-05:00

Ghostland Observatory

What are y'all up to this weekend?

Here's a round-up of what's up for grabs:

Friday:
John Vanderslice plays Soundfix Records in Billyburg
The National, Takka Takka, and The Forms play free South Street Seaport show
Daft Punk movie plays Sunshine Theatre at midnight
Sleepytime Gorilla Museum at Highline Ballroom
Big A little a, Mika Miko, Hand Jobs at Silent Barn

Saturday:
Bishop Allen, Page France rock Bowery Ballroom
Daft Punk movie plays Sunshine Theatre at midnight
PS 1 Warm-Up Party
Si*Se, Toubab Krewe at Governors Island

Sunday:
Wolf Parade at Warsaw
A Fine Frenzy, The Magic Numbers, Rufus Wainwright at Central Park Summerstage
Page France at Soundfix Records (2:00 PM)
Yacht at Soundfix Records (8:00 PM)
Ghostland Observatory at McCarren Pool

Can I Leave With You?

2007-08-17T11:26:00.000-05:00

Last night I joined the hordes of 16-year-old bleach-blonde, Abercrombie-clad, Lon Gisland/Jersey-based, fake-baked girls who descended upon Madison Square Garden to catch tabloid-darling Justin Timberlake. Earlier in the year I was fortunate enough to catch his live rendition of "Dick In A Box" with Andy Samberg, so I knew what I was getting myself into.

Justin is just as impressive the second-go-round. In an industry saturated with well-packaged, non-musical artists, he delivers with his singing, dancing, and stage presence. Unlike his former flame, he sang every note, played various instruments throughout the evening and won over the crowd with his sick dance moves. While it might affect whatever street-cred I've got, it is so much fun to hear and dance to "Senorita", "Rock Your Body", "What Goes Around..." and "Cry Me A River". The other thing I really love about the tour is the 360 degree stage set-up. It's rare that you get to see a show that's formatted in-the-round and I love how Justin makes sure every side of the audience is not ignored.

My only complaint is the cheesey interlude that solely featured Timbaland and a collage of songs he produced with major stars, such as Nelly Furtado's "Promiscious" and Aayliyah's "Are You that Somebody?". We all know he's a spectacular producer, but the 20-minute long interlude and the accompany sometimes stupid and mostly disturbuting video was over-the-top retarded. Yo Timbaland: please go back to the recording studio and stay there. Just make beats and leave the entertaining to the singers.

OK I lied. My other complaint was the incredibly rude, tacky audience. I'm about 5'3. People who were 6 feet or taller repeatedly kept standing in front of me and I repeatedly gave them the smack-down. Why do dudes think they can stand in front of really short girls and get away with it? I think other people never say anything to them, but I was not having it that night. There was an incredibly overweight Puerto Rican girl who wouldn't stop yelling into her phone and who insisted on walking back and forth in the floor area and pushing my friends (literally) around. There was the shim (was it a man? was it a woman?) who parked her 6'1 self directly in front of us and wouldn't move. There was the obviously born and breed Jersey Korean girl who was standing so close to me her constant hair flips kept ending up in my face. Oh my god, I can't talk about it anymore, I'm getting HEATED.

So. Show was good, Justin was amazing. Crowd sucked and Timbaland really sucked. But try to catch the show if you can, it's so much fun.

Work Sucks Mix #1

2007-08-16T11:43:00.000-05:00

Work is mega-ghetto boring today, so I've made a downloadable little mini-mix for those of you who join me in unprecedented levels of boredom. TGIF, y'all!

Broken Social Scene I'm A Flirt (r kelly vs broken social scene)

Phil Collins Easy Lover (Divided Remix)

Junior Senior - Can I Get Get Get

Junior Senior - Move Ya Feet

The Seedy Seeds - Earned Average Dance America

Bjork - I Miss You (Sunshine Mix)

Vampire Weekend - Oxford Coma

1990s - You Made Me Like It

Kavinsky - Wayfarer

The Go! Team - Fake ID

It's From Barcelona!

2007-08-16T10:45:00.000-05:00

Kubik is an open-air club in Barcelona that features various DJs and raucous dance parties most evenings of the week. On other nights, the venue transforms its vibe into a chill lounge with an outdoor bar. The brainchild of artist Andreas Barthelmes and the German art collective ModularBeat, it began as an urban experiment. Constructed of huge water tanks filled with colored light bulbs, the stacked structures stand at most four feet tall. The light bulbs are all connected to a central computer that can cause all the lights to simultaneously dim, brighten or shut off. The overall effect is somewhat like a life-sized Tetris game. Rather than alienate and invade its location, the structure was constructed to integrate its natural surroundings; thus, the resulting effect is somewhat like a modern temple.

Situated in an once-desolated and shady part of Barcelona, Kubik has transformed its surroundings into a must go-to locale. This change is evidenced by the new openings of two bars, one on each side of Kubik's parameters. The original Kubik was birthed in Berlin and I hope the founders will continue to expand the locations of their experiment. I would love to see this project come to Brooklyn. It has "crazy summer time dance parties 2008" written all over it.

We Are Rhythm Bandits

2007-08-14T11:06:00.000-05:00

CRED

Last night Danish duo Junior Senior rocked Highline Ballroom in a high-energy performance filled with classics from their last album and a smattering of catchy, infectious songs from their newest collection, which was released today. I couldn't help but smile and dance my way through "Rhythm Bandits", "Can I Get Get Get" and "Move Your Feet". In between songs, vocalist Jeppe Laursen treated us to some of his hysterical broken English ramblings. Late in the set, he talked about "spilling mistakes" and the need for a "mistake towels" to fix everything. During "Can I Get Get Get", the androgynous JD Samson of Le Tigre came out to rhyme and dance in the style of The Fresh Prince.

Their new album, Hey Hey My My Yo Yo, just came out today and you can stream it here

Check out the video for "Can I Get Get Get" here:

And please check out the hilarious and adorable video for "Move Your Feet":

Bowery Presents continues expansion

2007-08-14T09:58:00.000-05:00

This morning from the NY TIMES:

The Bowery Presents, an independent concert promoter, is expected to announce today that a new rock club is coming to New York, and it’s a big one: Terminal 5, with room for 3,000, at 610 West 56th Street in Clinton. The first concert, featuring the National, is to take place on Oct. 11. Others to appear in the following months include M.I.A., Justice, the Decemberists, Ween and the Shins. In the space once occupied by Exit, a cavernous dance hall, the three-floor, 40,000-square-foot club is the largest concert space to open this year in the city. Next month the Bowery Presents will open the Music Hall of Williamsburg, in Brooklyn. Tickets for the Oct. 11 show at Terminal 5 will go on sale Friday through Terminal 5.

Postcards From Italy

2007-08-12T22:49:00.000-05:00

Beirut is probably one of my favorite bands in the universe. The sounds Zach Condon and his bandmates produce remind me of a lost and distant old world that seem so far from grind of a sticky summer in NYC. Whenever I want to escape for a bit and dream about my non-existent upcoming vacation to Europe, I often play "Scenic World" or "Postcards From Italy". I know these songs are in my "most-played" iTunes list, so imagine how thrilled I was to discover that Condon has produced a video for "Postcards from Italy".

Director lma Har'el has crafted a poignantly beautiful video that features discarded home movie clips from families selling their wares on ebay or in thrift shops. The final product is truly breathtaking as one witnesses moments of children growing up, couples celebrating their love, and family vacations. A hazy nostalgia is not the only emotion elicited from the short--one can't help but feel a sense of sadness as families cast off such intimate films of older generations.

Har'el says of the video: "All the parts with Zach and his girl friend Kristianna were shot while he was staying at my house. On the day he was going to leave for New York we got up really early and shot a lot of Super 8 film around my neighbourhood in Silver Lake, California. I wanted them to match the naive movies that I had on my collection, bitter sweet moments of life lived. Some of them in retrospective can be uncomfortable to watch or cruel but at the time some one found them beautiful and wanted to keep them for ever. Postcards from the dead."

Watch for yourself. Enjoy--the visuals and the music are perfectly wedded.

Universal Music Group Snubs iTunes

2007-08-12T21:50:00.000-05:00

In an effort to equalize the playing field and weaken the hold that Apple has on digital music sales, Universal Music Group has decided to sell digital music without digital rights management. Beginning August 21, UMG will begin to hawk its artists without any DRM at vendors such as Rhapsody, Amazon.com and Wal-Mart. It will also experiment with a widget called the gbox. When customers conduct a Google search for an artist, the results page will include the widget that links to page where he can purchase the artist's music. In the spirit of DIY, fans can embed gbox on their blogs, websites, etc, and immediately connect audiences with the ability to purchase music.

A glaring omission from the chosen retailers is iTunes. By releasing all of its music as DRM-free, UMG could very well edge out the Apple's upper hand in the digital music marketplace. As the ipod is the most popular mp3 player in the US and iTunes primarily distributes DRM music that is incompatible with other players, consumers are locked into Apple's technology. If however, all record labels each chose to distribute DRM-free music , they could slowly unearth the Apple's current monopoly.

An anonymous source working on the UMG project had this to say; "We want to have a robust digital marketplace where there’s healthy competition. We don’t have that now. Apple has a stranglehold on the whole thing, so much so that all the other online retailers are badly disadvantaged because you can’t buy music from their stores and play it on the iPod. We want to open up the market and create a more level playing field. We want to give other retailers a chance to compete...The problem isn’t DRM, it’s the lack of interoperability. We have no illusions that DRM can knock out all piracy. It’s a speed bump. The lack of interoperability specifically inhibits the growth of the market overall. This monopoly-like position Apple has—to dictate terms, to set prices, to limit the way we sell our music—no retailer should have that power. It’s not fair and it’s not good for healthy competition.”

A recent New York Magazine article touches upon the fragile state of Apple's role in the music industry:

"Certainly, Jobs is correct when he says that the reason people buy the iPod is that it’s the best portable music player out there. But the link between the iPod and iTunes is also a barrier to entry for competitors. It’s designed to limit consumer choice, to foster reluctance among consumers who own iTunes tracks to switch to other devices. It has prompted complaints by European governments to the European Commission—which so far have come to naught.

More broadly, though, the resentment over the DRM on iTunes is only growing. In certain quarters of the music industry, Apple is coming to be seen less as an enabler than a gatekeeper. And among some consumers, including this one, the fact that iTunes tracks can be copied to only a limited number of computers, and are of sub-CD quality, is a deal killer. Together with myriad other factors, some economic and some technological, these cavils are stirring up a second online music revolution—one portending nothing good for iTunes or the iPod."

UMG's experiment is certainly the early stages of this online music revolution. One can only hope the outcome is to the music lover's advantage.

Tony Wilson Passed Away

2007-08-10T16:47:00.001-05:00

I knew British taste maker Tony Wilson was quite sick, but I didn't realize how bad it really was until I received the news that he passed away.

One of the backbones of the British music industry, Wilson founded Factory Records and the famed Hacienda nightclub in Manchester. He discovered Joy Division and The Happy Mondays and later founded In The City, one of the UK's primary music festivals and industry conferences. Earlier this year, he came across the pond to New York City for the American premiere of In The City held at the W Union Square. He will be missed.

Below is the obituary that was featured in BBC News:

Anthony Wilson
Tony Wilson was staunchly proud of his Salford roots.

Record label owner, broadcaster, journalist, pop impresario and nightclub founder - Anthony Wilson was famous for many things, but perhaps he was most famous for being a self-styled professional Mancunian.

Tony Wilson was widely regarded as the man who put Manchester on the map for its music and vibrant nightlife. He remained active on the city scene until his death on Friday aged 57.

He was born in Salford's Hope Hospital on 20 February 1950.

He attended De La Salle Christian Brothers' school, before going on to read English at the University of Cambridge in 1968.

In the 1970s he went to work for Granada Television in Manchester, where he fronted programmes including music show So It Goes and current affairs magazine World In Action.

He later went on to be long-time host of the early evening Granada Reports.

Wilson was a founder of Factory Records in the late 1970s, the label behind Joy Division, New Order and The Happy Mondays.

The Hacienda was one of the most famous clubs in the world. He continued to work in television even at the height of his work with Factory records.

In 1982, he set up The Hacienda nightclub, which became known as perhaps the most famous club in the world in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

It became the heart of the "Madchester" scene, playing host to bands such as New Order, The Smiths, The Stone Roses and Oasis.

Even Madonna played her first UK gig at the Whitworth Street club in February 1983.

The club was famous for its dance nights, particularly house music nights where DJs Mike Pickering, Sasha and Dave Haslam regularly played.

In the early 1990s the club was blighted by cash flow problems and it closed its doors in 1997.

The building was demolished in 2002 and apartments were built in its place.

The semi-fictional story of the club, the music and Wilson's life was documented in Michael Winterbottom's 2002 film, 24 Hour Party People.

His character was played by comedian Steve Coogan to critical acclaim.

Wilson later went on to set up the annual Manchester music conference, In The City, with long-term partner and former Miss England Yvette Livesey.

But it was not just in the music world that he made his mark - he was also a key player in local politics and supported a campaign for a regional assembly for the North West.

In 2004 he set up an unofficial coalition calling for regional devolution, called The Necessary Group.

More recently he presented radio shows Ground Rules and Talk of the Town on BBC Radio Manchester and Sunday Roast on Xfm Manchester.

He was the main presenter of the BBC's Politics Show North West.

Wilson fell ill in 2006, before undergoing emergency surgery to have a kidney removed in January 2007.

Doctors diagnosed him with cancer and he started a chemotherapy course at Manchester's Christie Hospital.

The chemotherapy failed to beat the disease and he was recommended to take the drug Sutent, which is not funded by the NHS in Manchester.

Members of the Happy Mondays and other acts he supported over the years had started a fund to help pay for his treatment.

Daft Punk Pics, Part Deux

2007-08-10T16:12:00.000-05:00

More pics from last nights' incredible show:

CRED

One More Time...

2007-08-10T09:42:00.000-05:00

Holy cow, how AWESOME was Daft Punk???

Despite ominous clouds foreboding rain and thunder, the skies cleared around 9:00 just in time for Daft Punk to go on. There is not a more perfect setting for a fun summer show other than Coney Island. Peaking out behind the stage from house left, the Cyclone bid us a hello. Cool breezes ushered in the beginning of the show and a few initial sprinkles didn't stop Daft Punk from bringing crazy energy and heavy beats. Halfway through the show during "Harder, Faster, Stronger" I didn't see a single person who wasn't dancing or attempting to dance. The visuals were amazing. The music was sick. Definitely a night for the books. I'll let the pictures do the talking.

This guy was definitely our BIGGEST FAN last night. He scored one of the free tickets Daft Punk was offering in exchange for him to tape the show. His mom drove him down from Toronto just for the show! On top of that, he attended the Daft Punk show the night before. Sadly, we couldn't find him post-show to get an interview, so this is the best we've got.

CMJ Line-Up Announced

2007-08-09T16:35:00.000-05:00

The Rapture's Halloween show from CMJ 2006.

Today CMJ announced its first round of artists.

I have this love/hate relationship with CMJ. On one hand, I really love that there are trillion great artists concentrated in this teeny-tiny time span every October, but I also hate it because there's no way to see them all. I really love the cool people that come into town for it and I really hate the assholes that come into town for it. I hate that if you buy a badge, it doesn't guarantee entry into any show and you still have to fight with ticket holders. What's the point of getting a badge? But I love staying out late every night cramming in as much music as possible and slinking into the office the next day with a wild hangover.

I'm excited for Dan Deacon, 1990s, The Brunettes, Simian Mobile Disco + Justice (hello school-night dance party!). I've been meaning to check out Tiny Masters of Today and I've missed Rodrigo Y Gabriela about a trillion times (Coachella, Central Park, Bowery Ballroom--whoops). Oh shit, I almost forgot about Spoon--but why are they playing icky Roseland? I would love to see them at Bowery again. Chromeo and MSTRKRFT should be a lot of fun as well! This initial line-up looks pretty solid. I'm looking forward to re-visiting my love-hate relationship this fall.

PS - Who's excited for DAFT PUNK TONIGHT? OMG! I can't think of anyone who's NOT going!

That Thing, That Thing

2007-08-08T23:12:00.000-05:00

Holy cow, I got so busy that I totally forgot about this show on Sunday! I passed up the opportunity to see Lauryn Hill for free because I figured it would be a total shit show trying to get in...and her recent unreliable cancellations and strange performances just strengthened my case. But...according to the reviews, it was a stellar, and possibly epic, show.

Jon Pareles of the NY Times had this to say about Ms. Hill's performance:

And it didn’t seem promising when her set started with a 10-minute overture by her versatile band. But then Ms. Hill — in a reddish Afro and a fringed jacket that made her look like a member of Sly and the Family Stone — arrived onstage for more than two hours of music that was driven, soulful and fiery.

Rapping fluently at top speed and singing more forcefully than she did in the 1990s, Ms. Hill tore into songs from “Miseducation” and the Fugees, often segueing them into righteous Bob Marley songs.

he and her big band — which included two trap drummers, a horn section and backup singers — had thoroughly revamped the music. They replaced the boom-bap of her ’90s hip-hop with music from across an African diaspora: funk, jazz, reggae, ska and other Afro-Caribbean beats.

Although her voice had a hoarse, raspy edge, possibly from the strain of touring, she did not spare herself. She used the rasp for emphasis like a classic soul singer or a preacher, as one more way to telegraph emotion. Often Ms. Hill seized a line of a song as an incantation: repeating it, rephrasing it, pushing it lower and higher, switching from ache to defiance or leaping away to scat-sing a barrage of syllables. She was fervent and insistent, but she also eased off to croon two ballads associated with Roberta Flack — “Killing Me Softly With His Song” (her hit with the Fugees) and “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” — and a Shirelles-style version of “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?”

Newsday called Lauryn's performance one of the year's best performances so far:

And yet Hill displayed complete command of her stage. Dressed in snazzy plaid pants and a flashy fringed jacket, she conjured up the authority and charisma of James Brown himself, delivering wildcat yowls and low grunts while kicking her legs and scissor-stepping neatly around the stage.

With barely a pause, Hill shifted from one high-revving song to another. "Final Hour" became Bob Marley's "We and Dem," played harder and fiercer than Marley probably ever dreamed. The old Fugees track "Fu-Gee-La" turned into a rap-rock headbanger; Hill's new "Lose Myself" steamrolled ahead on a '50s-style backbeat.

Do you go? How was it? I never saw her during her Miseducation glory days, and now I'm regretting this missed opportunity as well. I guess my consolation is knowing I'm going to Daft Punk tomorrow. WOO.

Innocence

2007-08-08T16:39:00.000-05:00

Check out Bjork's new video for "Innocence".

The video was picked out of over 500 entries to Bjork's video competition. Posted on her site around mid-May, Bjork asked her fans to create visuals for "Innocence". Fred and Annabelle from France won the prize and their work is now the official video for Bjork's new single. I love how the animation reflects the musical action of the song. Take a look for yourself:

What'd you do last night? I was at your Mom's house...

2007-08-08T10:02:00.000-05:00

Just kidding.

I was at Joe's Pub for the first half of the evening checking out the up and coming Sachal Vasandani and his awesome band (Jeb Patton- keys, Quincy Davis - drums, Dave Wong - bass). Been following him for a while and now he sounds better than ever. On first glance, Sachal looks like a leading man in a Bollywood film, so it's easy to dismiss him and assume Sachal has gotten this far on looks alone. Once he opens his mouth one is pleasantly surprised with his full-range scats and subtle vocal colorings. Covering a wide range of tunes from Sade's "Its Only Love That Gets You Through" (don't laugh, it wasn't cheesey!) to a rare gem of Percy Mayfield "Strange Things Happen", we got a taste of Sachal's musical flexibility. My only complaint is that he didn't sing longer.

(CRED)

After Joe's, I hopped over to Mercury Lounge to check out the Handsome Furs (the side project of Wolf Parade's Dan Boeckner). I've already seen the Yeah Yeah Yeahs a few times so I thought I'd pass on Webster Hall and check out the band that's produced quite possibly one of my favorite albums of the year so far. And oh man, I was not disappointed. Imagine deep thoughtful vocals snaking through a pulsating drums as it makes its way through some well-crafted songs. I could not have been happier.

New Music Tuesdays

2007-08-07T16:37:00.000-05:00

Hey ya'll--

Lotsa solid stuff streaming from the AOL Listening Party this week:

Flight of the Conchords - The Distant Future
Sebadoh - The Freed Man
Billie Holiday - Remixed & Reimagined
The Brunettes - Structure and Cosmetics
The Budos Band - The Budos Band II

So...I'm a total slacker and didn't make it out to the Flight of the Conchords show at the El Ray when I was out in LA. Now I am HATING myself for that. Oh well. I also missed the the Billie Holiday Remixed & Reimagined show at the Seaport last Friday. Anybody go? How was it?

I haven't listened to a lot of these albums through and through, but I did thoroughly enjoy The Budos Band and obvy Flight of the Conchords is hysterical.

I am also excited for the new Marissa Nadler release and Okkervil River. Woo! What are you stoked about?

Bat for Lashes

2007-08-07T15:27:00.000-05:00

Ahhh, seems like a million years ago since then, but I caught Mercury-nominated Bat For Lashes (aka Natasha Khan) at the Knitting Factory prior to her record release in the States. The material from her solid album, Fur and Gold, coupled with her enchanting voice and stage presence, made for a fantastic show.

All photos courtesy of Mindy from With Reservation.com

Check out her videos here:

And...I'm back! Warped Tour

2007-08-07T13:59:00.001-05:00

Hey Y'all!

I know. It's been a while, huh? My bad!! I was out of town here and there so I couldn't get around to the blog. Things got really busy at work, etc and the next thing I knew, 2 months had gone by since I blogged. DUN DUN DUN! But hopefully I'm back now!

Saturday the whole gang went to Warped Tour out on Long Island at Nassau Coliseum. Our buddies at the venue hooked us up in the tent backstage and we got an open bar and free eats (AND GUITAR HERO) all day long! Totes Mos Def a Saturday to go down in the books.

Here is part one of the pics (part deux should be up sometime tomorrow):

AOL listening party

2007-06-20T11:59:00.000-05:00

Great stuff is streaming this week off the AOL/Spinner Listening party: Art Brut, Polyphonic Spree, Memphis, Mooney Suzuki, Maps

On the AOL Listening Party you can hear: Mandy Moore (HA HA), Marc Broussard

Prince to play Roosevelt Hotel

2007-06-20T11:51:00.001-05:00

Beginning on Saturday, June 23, Prince will play seven intimate shows at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, which will feature "3121".

Details below:

"The evening will begin at the Dakota restaurant with Prince’s personal chef Lena Morgan presenting a VIP dinner, taking over the kitchen from executive chef Tim Goodell. Then the 130 special guests, along with another 70 standing room only attendees, will be welcomed into the Blossom Room for a musical performance like no other. Following every two-hour performance, fans can experience a late-night impromptu jazz set presided over by Prince.

VIP packages, including dinner at the Dakota (tax, alcohol, and gratuity excluded), will be limited to 130 seats, sold in pairs (65) for $3121.00. An additional 70, standing room only tickets will be made available for $312.10 each."

Ticket and VIP package requests can be requested by emailing: 3121HRH@ThompsonHotels.com

3121 at The Roosevelt Evening details:
7:30pm Seated VIP dinner at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel’s Dakota Restaurant
9:30pm 3121 Doors open with DJ
11:00pm 3121 Performance in Blossom Room
1:00am After-hours free form jazz jam

Ticket Information:
VIP Packages – Dinner at Dakota and Seated Show Access for 2 – $3121.00
Standing Room Only Tickets – $312.10
3121 @ The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel Dates:
Saturday, June 23rd and Sunday, June 24
Thursday, June 28th , Friday, June 29th, and Saturday, June 30th
Two additional dates forthcoming

HOW TO GET TICKETS:
Email: 3121HRH@ThompsonHotels.com for ticket and VIP package requests.
Please include name, affiliation, date and tickets requested and credit card number.
Call: 323–769-7275

I'm in NC right now...

2007-06-20T11:04:00.000-05:00

...so sorry for the lack of updates. But here are few good ones:

1. Arcade Fire is going on the road with LCD Soundsystem as their support.
This leg of the tour starts September 17 at Denver's Red Rocks. The only other confirmed date for the tour is September 20 at Hollywood Bowl. A pre-sale for these tix can be found here and starts today through June 22. No on-sale date for the general public has been announced yet.

2. Patti Smith has been announced as one of the launch acts for The Bowery Presents newest venue, The Music Hall of Williamsburg. Smith will perform September 4 and tickets will go on-sale June 23 for $35.00 a pop. The Hall, a reincarnation of Northsix, has been described as the Bowery Ballroom of the east and encompasses three levels equipped with the latest recording, lighting, and sound system technologies. More information can be found on the venue's website.

3. Daft Punk Helmets are for sale for a mere $65,000.

Here are the specs:

"These helmets were commissioned by the punk band Daft Punk for a music video. Over the years, LED Effects has received many inquiries from people who wanted to purchase their own helmet. Unfortunately, these helmets are custom designed stage props and cost over $14,000. While the helmets are reasonably simple in design, the cost of labor and materials make it impractical to mass produce and market them. In addition, Daft Punk owns the copyright and concept rights to the helmets, so there may be additional licensing fees to pay. In short, yes, we can build you a helmet, but it will cost you thousands of dollars and take a year to produce. Here is how the helmets were made:

1. A model shop cast the face of the musician. This was used to create a bust which was
used as a template for the design.
2. The next step was to modify a motorcycle helmet. The body was cut away to allow for
cables and electronics. Two pin holes were provided so the wearer could see out.
3. Clay models were created for all the unique parts. This included a back pack and an arm
band controller.
4. Electronic displays were designed using prototype PC board materials.
5. The LED display panels were assembled by placing each LED one-by-one into a plastic
sheet and glued into place. Each LED required three feet of wiring to connect it to power
and control circuitry. The finished panel was bolted to the helmet frame.
6. The LED cabling was routed around the â€œearsâ€ of the helmet and out the back. The
helmet cables led down to the backpack where the main controller board was located.
7. The system was originally powered by batteries, but this was later switched over to a
power cord system.
8. The control keypad on the armband was a custom manufactured PC board.
9. Exterior plastic molding and finishing materials were custom manufactured by a special
effects studio to complete the helmet. Once these pieces were added, the helmet details
were touched up with paint.
The helmets were used to produce a music video. As far as we are aware, the units are
still in use for performances. "

4. I did get in to Paul McCartney last week. I know this is totally belated, but I'll try to upload pics later on this...have a bunch of stuff going on so I haven't been able to blog as much as I'd like to.

More stuff on Paul McCartney Secret Show

2007-06-12T16:22:00.000-05:00

Here's an article on tomorrow's Paul McCartney Secret Show in NYC.

Feist Played Town Hall

2007-06-12T12:13:00.001-05:00

CRED and CRED

Last night Feist played Town Hall.

This was my first time catching her live as I kept dropping the ball last summer for her shows. Her voice sounded more amazing in concert than on any recordings I've heard: it has a crisp, clean quality. The set opened up with "Honey, Honey" as Feist looped her own voice to create a dense swarm of harmonies.

Kevin Drew of Broken Social Scene (and her boyf) came out to play piano on "Lover's Spit" while Feist sang. It was an incredible performance and definitely one of the highlights of the show.

Feist asked the audience to whistle along to the end of a song (I can't remember which one...think it was "So Sorry"?). Audience participation wasn't super where I was sitting, but Feist spotted a guy whose whistle sounded like a flock of birds. She brought him onstage, recorded his whistle, and looped it during the beginning of "The Park". It was quite beautiful and magical.

Towards the end, Feist asked us to sing the hook of "1234", announcing that she would play this on Conan today.

For the finale, Feist wound up a small music box that produced the chorus to "Mushaboom". After the box died down, she sang it herself with a nice addition of horns. Encores included "Sea Lion Woman" and "Let It Die".

Paul McCartney to play Highline Ballroom

2007-06-12T11:49:00.000-05:00

Paul McCartney is playing Highline Ballroom tomorrow night.

Tickets are free and being distributed at Highline RIGHT NOW, however, I've just heard word that the line wraps around the block!

GOOD LUCK!

The Bad Veins at Union Hall, Pianos

2007-06-09T20:01:00.001-05:00

While goofing off at work again on Friday, I stumbled upon "Warm and Gold", a great single from The Bad Veins. This Cincinnati-based duo (Benjamin Davis and Sebastien Schultz) offer up lots o'dreamy sounds by delivering vocals through a megaphone and telephone coupled with lush background orchestrations to create an old-timey sort of effect.

During their second performance together as openers for Snowden, Davis and Schultz impressed their headliners and were asked to come along on the road. After only playing five shows together as a duo, they were asked to play at Movable Hype, the music festival curated by Jen Carlson of Gothamist. Awesome luck! But also awesome music.

You can check them out at Union Hall on June 16 and Pianos on June 17. Sadly, I'll be back in North Carolina, so please go for me!

Check out Gothamist's interview.

Check out their offical website.

Download their WOXY Lounge Act recording.

Listen to tracks off The Hype Machine.

Eames Era at Union Hall

2007-06-09T19:51:00.000-05:00

The Eames Era is playing Union Hall on June 15.

I've never seen them live, but I highly recommend you snag a ticket. If the band sucks (which I really don't think they will), you can always go upstairs and have a beer and relax in the lovely setting or play a game of bocce ball. Or you can catch them following night at Pianos. Think Rilo Kiley with a touch of Bound Stems.

Check out my previous posting on them, where you can download tracks.

Battle of the Concert Promoters, Part Deux

2007-06-07T18:17:00.000-05:00

Well here we are again, folks...The Battle of the Concert Promoters in NYC continues...earlier today everyone was aflutter about this article.

You can check out my previous posting to get yourself up to speed on this stuff....

Math and Physics Club

2007-06-07T15:33:00.000-05:00

Math and Physics Club

This five-piece Seattle outfit has a wonderful sound that I adore. Childhood friends Charles and James had played together for a while before finding Saundrah, Kevin and Ethan through Craig's List in the summer of 2004. Rather than play shows, the quintet initially focused on recording a demo which they mailed out to their favorite indie labels. To their surprise, Jimmy Tasso of the UK label Matinee, was drawn to the recording and reached out to them. Eventually the demo was turned into an EP and MAPC found themselves signed as the only American band to their UK label. Also to to their good fortune, John in the morning, an influential DJ from the internet indie radio station KEXP, loved the demo and began spinning it during his show. WOXY also picked it up and the rest is history...

Read a great interview with the Math and Physics Club here

Stream their songs off the Math and Physics Club Myspace Page

(Sorry guys, I don't have any MP3's I can share with you...)

The Maccabees, The Noisettes play Knitting Factory

2007-06-07T11:04:00.000-05:00

Last night, The Maccabees (pictured above) and The Noisettes (pics below, thanks Maureen) took a night off from supporting Bloc Party and played their own show at The Knitting Factory.

I fell in love with the Maccabees even though I got there late and only heard 2.5 songs. Lead vocalist Orlando Weeks is extremely charismatic and has a great voice. I don't know what else to say except that I love their sound and their refreshing stage presence. The (mostly British) crowd must have agreed with me as they were singing and dancing along with Weeks. You would think the singing was annoying, but it actually enhanced the charm of the show. Love those Brits!

I did not fall in love with The Noisettes. Shoniwa is beautiful to look at and has a great voice, but they're sort of a one-trick pony. She's amazingly talented and I see her as a combination of Billie Holiday, Bjork, and maybe a little Mick Jagger...BUT I think that maybe the band kind of limits her potential. Guitar and vocalist Dan Smith sounds kinda like Anthony (from Antony and the Johnsons) and I love it when he sings with Shoniwa. I love all the individuals of this band but collectively I don't know if it's the best combination. I really want them to branch out and try writing other types of songs, but I'm not sure if it would work...

Download The Maccabees:
Toothpaste Kisses

Precious Time

Long-lost updates

2007-06-04T21:32:00.000-05:00

OK. So I know I didn't update for a while. My bad. It's mostly because my computer is dying and I'm quickly running out of space for my pics and music. Whoops, my iphoto keeps crashing every time i try to open it. You know, I'd really like to go ahead and buy a new computer, but that takes imoney which i ain't got.

ANYWAYS. Let me back it up and bring on the updates:

Man Man at the New York Magazine Secret Kitchen

All photos courtesy of Pitchfork.

The concept of this event was really, really sick. You buy an all-inclusive ticket that encompasses dinner, a Man Man show, and a year-long subscription to the magazine. I was looking forward to this event all week since it had all my favorite elements of life: food, music, and NY Magazine. The location of the dinner wouldn't be disclosed until 24 hours before event, making it seem THAT much cooler. When we found out that NY Mag was hosting at Grand Harmony Palace--home of some notoriously, ridiculously amazing dim sum, I thought I was going to explode from happiness. Vegan chef Isa Moskowitz was cooking. While that didn't thrill me, I figured NY Mag would be idiots to use a vegan chef that only cooked things like cardboard soup for meat-loving subscribers like myself.

My enthusiasm was cut short when the dinner began and my table quickly realized there was not enough food for all of us. I suppose it was my mistake for coming to dinner super hungry...by the time dessert rolled around, I was ready to leave and go to NY Noodletown. I will say that the cupcakes, the latkes and the seitan noodles were all very tasty, thank you. I just wish there had been more of it. After six drinks and barely any food, I couldn't really focus on Man Man's performance. I tried! We stayed for three songs but all my growling stomach and tipsy head wanted to do was go home and eat a steak. Since concentrating proved difficult, I cut my night short and to comfort myself with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Sorry Man Man!!! I really wanted to hear them. But I also really wanted to eat.

If you click here, you can see a glimpse of me and Elissa (since we repeatedly got harassed by the NY Mag videographers all night). Er, maybe we repeatedly harassed them. It's hard to tell after six bottles of wine!

The National - Bowery Ballroom

I know, I know. You've already read BV and Scott Stereogum and all the other NYC blogs that sing The National's praises. Yes, they were friggin amazing. Yes, I can't wait for their Seaport show, even though I doubt it will be the same since it won't be as intimate. There were so many awesome musical moments. Standing house left, we were surprised when Matt Berninger tip toed off the edge of the stage, climbed over the opener's backline and stood right in front of us. We were literally right next to him for a good while. Throughout the entire show, I couldn't stop thinking about much Berninger's voice reminded me of Stephen Merritt from Magnetic Fields. (Thanks to Maureen for the pics.)

Ra Ra Riot Drummer Found Dead

2007-06-04T14:27:00.001-05:00

Ra Ra Riot's drummer, John Pike, was found dead this weekend in Massachusetts. The band played a gig at The Living Room in Rhode Island Saturday, June 2. He went missing after a party they attended following the gig. Police found his body the water of Buzzard's Bay, which is about a mile from the party's location.

No other information has been released regarding Pike's death or the status of their summer touring schedule.

Our thoughts go out to them.

Ra Ra Riot's Myspace Page

Saddle Creek Records opening new venue

2007-06-04T10:50:00.000-05:00

Saddle Creek Records, home of Bright Eyes, Maria Taylor, The Faint and Two Gallants (and formerly Rilo Kiley) will open a venue in Omaha, NE this Friday, June 8th. Label executives Robb Nansel and Jason Kulbel will open Slowdown, a 470-capacity room that fills Omaha's need for a smaller venue where indie rock acts can nest. Currently, the city's only rooms are the Qwest Center, which attracts larger arena acts and much smaller rooms that can not handle larger crowds. Nansel and Kulbel believe that Slowdown will be successful as theirs is the only venue with the latest sound equipment and ability and capacity to attract larger indie-rock acts. While it is unusual for a record label to own a venue, I'm excited to see how Saddle Creek plans to support the growth of Omaha's indie-rock scene.

Read more about it here

Read more about Saddle Creek Records: here

Tahiti 80

2007-06-01T16:15:00.000-05:00

I'm soooooooooooooo late on this since their last album, Fosbury, was released in 2005, but I have to gush about Tahiti 80. After tooling around at work and hearing one of their songs on the radio, I dug up some info to find they are a French pop group formed in 1993. Consisting of 4 members, Tahiti 80 creates catchy, upbeat tunes that sound like a hybrid of Phoenix and Pharrell. Lead singer Xavier Boyer and bassist Pedro Resende met in college as students. Following many, many demos, they coaxed guitarist Mederic Gontier and drummer Sylvain Marchand to join their band. The group's name was inspired by an old T-shirt stating "Tahiti 80" belonging to Boyer's father and acquired on a trip to Polynesia in 1980. Recently, Boyer has branched out and started a side project called Axe Riverboy (an anagram of Xavier Boyer). I've only listened to a few of Axe Riverboy's songs, but they are much more mellow than Tahiti 80 and remind me a lot of slower Phoenix songs.

Download:

All Over Again

Fallen Down

They also have a sick remix of The Postmarks' Goodbye:

The Postmarks - Goodbye (Tahiti 80 Remix)

Read more about them:

Tahiti 80

Myspace Page

Knitting Factory issues Text Tix

2007-06-01T12:21:00.000-05:00

The Knitting Factory has taken advantage of the modern age: tickets are now being replaced with text messages!

According to the CMJ site:

"Powered by ShopText mobile, the system works like this: See a flyer or poster with the ShopText logo, text the event's code number to 467467, enter your credit card number, receive a unique PIN (for future purchases) and enjoy the show. You can also first register and create an account at shoptext.com for a quicker initial sign-up. All transactions are guaranteed security. "

President and CEO of Knitting Factory Entertainment, Jared Hoffman, is wisely adjusting to a more technological era: " The times you are most likely to want to buy a ticket are often the times you are least likely to have full Internet access—in a venue scanning the upcoming show listings... seeing a flyer or poster. It's not just the concert industry, the whole nature of commerce is changing—people want it now, they want it fast—and the device that can make that all possible is the mobile phone."

Sounds good to me. Fast, easy, and instant. I wonder if this will catch on with other NYC venues...

Memphis in Brooklyn

2007-06-01T10:19:00.000-05:00

Last night Stars frontman Torquil Campbell and Chris Dumont brought their band Memphis to Union Hall in Brooklyn. Bucky, formerly of Land of Talk, showed up to play drums. We were treated with Torq's beautiful voice and charisma.

Opening with "I Dreamed We Fell Apart" and "In The Cinema Alone" we were immediately enveloped by Torq's beautiful voice as he spun a web of lonely, wistful lyrics. During "Ghost Story", all the lights were turned off and the audience ordered to sit on the floor. Sitting cross-legged while Torq sang the story, I felt like a third-grader again as Memphis had transported us to a world of summer camp and scary stories. I'd waited all week to hear"Incredibly Drunk on Whiskey" and was so pleased it sounded better than the recording. Upon hearing the thumping bass line and mischievous saxophone stacked on top of Torq's pleading "Let's get incredibly drunk on whiskey", I couldn't help but dance and smile.

Memphis will return to NYC on June 16 to Southpaw and June 18 to Mercury Lounge with Apostle of Hustle (and The Muggabears -- but only on June 18). Catch them if you can, it's quite magical.

Set list:
I Dreamed We Fell Apart
In The Cinema Alone
I'll Do Whatever You Want
A Little Place In The Wilderness
3:15
06.21.00
Anyone 18
A Ghost Story
Second Summer
Time Away
Incredibly Drunk on Whiskey
Into the Wild
Love Comes Quickly
Ferry Boy

Download: Incredibly Drunk On Whiskey

Sufjan, I'm back, etc.

2007-05-31T13:23:00.000-05:00

Sorry guys, I really dropped the ball on blogging for a while there...but hopefully I am back! I've been pretty busy going to shows and what not. (Most recently The National, Bright Eyes, Man Man, Velvet Revolver...and most sad about The Handsome Furs cancellation last week. Updates coming soon!)

First off for today, Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) has commissioned indie-darling Sufjan Stevens to compose a "music and film" work inspired by the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. The piece will premiere at BAM's Next Wave Festival on November 1-3. Inspired by potholes, traffic patterns, road signs, and the effects the BQE's construction has brought to its adjacent neighborhoods, Stevens has created a virtual roadtrip accompanied by an orchestra and band. This event will also include performances of Sufjan's songs from previous albums.

You can read more here and here

Happy Phantom

2007-05-25T10:30:00.000-05:00

Check out this new Paul McCartney music video for his song "Dance Tonight". (The video seems a little too scary-pants for the mood of the song.) Natalie Portman stars as a mischievous ghost.

PS - Did you know Natalie is dating Andy Samberg? I am mad jealous.

The Tough Alliance

2007-05-18T16:49:00.000-05:00

According the always trusty Wikipedia, The Tough Alliance is a music duo from Gothenburg, Sweden, that plays electronic pop. The duo first came together in 2003 and consists of the childhood friends Henning Fürst and Eric Berglund. They used to be on Swedish record label Service but have now started their own, Sincerely Yours. They are notorious for encouraging violence at their shows generally by swinging baseball bats, although Fürst and Berglund both strongly deny this allegation.

Recordings:
2004 - Make It Happen - EP

2004 - Holiday - EP

2005 - The New School - full-length album

2007 - A New Chance - full-length album (just came out May 15...I'm trying to get my hands on it)

Below is the video to their mega-danceable track "Koka Kola Veins":

Pitchfork actually wrote something positive about this band! I don't really take their advice because most of the time it's a pile of horse poop, but it's nice that they finally gave good feedback to a deserving band.

The following MP3's below are for your downloading pleasure:

The Tough Alliance - First Class Riot.mp3

The Tough Alliance - Silly Crimes.mp3

The Tough Alliance - 25 Years and Runnin'.mp3

The Tough Alliance - Something Special.mp3

dumb theatre names

2007-05-18T09:48:00.000-05:00

Ew, i woke up to find an email in my inbox telling me that the Theatre at Madison Square Garden is officially the WaMu Theatre now. Gross!! I hate how big arenas have become havens for corporate giants to plaster their names all over the place. (Above: that's us at TMSG Radiohead show last summer.)

Although WaMu Theatre might not be the worst title in America. Here are some other silly-sounding names:

Energy Solutions Arena
Jobing.com Arena
FedEx Forum
Big Sandy Superstore Arena
iPayOne Center
NuSkin Theatre (no link available)
Wells Fargo Arena

If I've left out any good ones, let me know!

Grab Bag #1: Why is this week so loooooooooong?

2007-05-17T16:27:00.000-05:00

I don't know about you guys, but this week is dragging its heels. I am more than ready to throw back some tequila shots and eat some guac with my buddies on Friday. In honor of my inability to focus at work, I've assembled some key tracks to get you through the next day:

Alton Ellis - You Make Me Happy.mp3

PM Dawn - Set Adrift (tittsworth neutron dance remix).mp3

Peter, Bjorn and John - Young Folks (Diplo Drums of Death Remix).mp3

Peter, Bjorn and John - Young Folks (Datashat Remix).mp3

Muscles - Ice Cream.mp3

Grizzly Bear - Don't Ask (Final Fantasy Remix).mp3

Death From Above 1979 - Sexy Results [MSTRKRFT Edition].mp3

Arctic Monkeys: Biggest Fan

2007-05-17T13:02:00.000-05:00

Preface: These 2 guys wowed me with their impressive dance moves and their incredible ability to remember the lyrics to every single Arctic Monkeys song on the setlist. In a danceoff, these guys would cream Zoolander.

This interview was quite long so we had to divide it up into 2 YouTube clips:

Below is the abbreviated version if you don't have time to watch the lengthy videos (which are hard to hear, anyways).

Headphones: So, how old are you guys?

Frank (on left): 23

Headphones: No you're not.

Frank: (stays silent)

Headphones: Ok, how old are you?

Matt (on right): 31

Headphones: How much did you drink tonight?

Frank: 1 beer

Headphones: Suspect.

Frank: but since then...5 beers.

Headphones: OK.

Matt: 5 beers.

Headphones: Let's get back to the music. Who are your favorite musical artists besides the Arctic Monkeys?

Matt: Oasis, Beatles, Stone Roses, Radiohead

Frank: Slayer, Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden

Headphones: What part of the city are you from?

Frank: Jersey, Morrisville. (Points to Matt) He's from the city. He's from the Upper East Side.

Headphones: OK.

Headphones: How would you describe your personal style? Where do you get the majority of your clothing?

Matt: Well, I come from work...

Headphones + friends: What's your job?

Matt: IT guy for a law firm.

Headphones' friend: Hey, can you fix my computer? It won't turn on...

Headphones: What's your favorite drink?

Matt: Um, beer.

Headphones: What kind?

Matt: Foster's.

Headphones: AUSTRALIAN!

Headphones: What was your favorite moment of the show?

Matt: Meeting you four lovely ladies.

Headphones: Aw.

HALLELUJAH! PRAISE THE LORD!

2007-05-17T12:37:00.000-05:00

Mash-up artist/DJ Girl Talk (aka Gregg Gillis) has quit his job to become a full-time musician!!!! Thank God. I can't believe he was trying to balance out a full-time job as a biomedical engineer during the week while crisscrossing the country to gigs on the weekends. I can't tell you how happy this makes me.

Read all about it here.

Girl Talk's Myspace page

If you're not familiar with any of his songs, download these:

Bounce That.mp3

That's My DJ.mp3

Summer Smoke.mp3

I was wrong...

2007-05-16T16:24:00.000-05:00

Ok. I'd like to start off this post admitting I was wrong. I hate doing that...BUT, a while ago when the new LCD Soundsystem album was released, I dogged it. For some reason, I couldn't get into the music. Monday night at Webster Hall changed my mind. SICK! James Murphy had incredible energy and sounded even better than the recording. Too bad the crowd was all mega-ghetto lame-pants and NOT DANCING AT ALL. Gotta love the NYC-crossed-arms-bobbing-head-I-am-too-cool-for-school concert pose. I went with Shelves of Vinyl and her incredibly fun posse (including guest-blogger Jaime W.) . We were dancing up a storm and even got some of our neighbors to join us.

Download some different versions of "All of My Friends":

LCD Soundsystem - All My Friends (John Cale Remix).mp3

LCD Soundsystem - All My Friends (Franz Ferdinand Remix).mp3

Wednesday, the Coachella 2007 Y'all bunch had a reunion and saw a private screening (spotted in the audience: SNL Producer Lorne Michaels 2 rows behind us and Andy Samberg) for the new movie Hot Rod starring SNL's Andy Samberg (of Lazy Sunday and Dick-in-a-Box fame). I gotta give mad props to A-Train Samberg, he is consistently hilarious and balls-out. I haven't laughed that hard since my 9th screening of Zoolander. And it's not just a movie with some funny bits strung together in between tedious, boring scenes, the entire production is hysterical. I think it comes out in August 2007. I can not WAIT to see it again. Definitely buying it when the DVD comes out.

After the movie, we cabbed it over to Arctic Monkeys at Hammerstein. Maybe walked in on the third song. I ain't gonna front, I don't know their material that well, but it is obvious they practice A LOT. Or they are talented in a SICK kind of way. Everything was super tight. I won't lie, I was one of those people who initially HATED HATED HATED HATED them. Their set at Coachella changed my mind and this show just reinforced that. They sound great, but I was still a little bored with them...am I nuts? Tons of people love them, but after several attempts, I'm unable to really sink into their material. At least I don't hate them anymore?

After we went to the bar with SJ (above), we headed for some tasty White Castle treats. How serendipitous to stumble upon our favorite thing in the world: 25-cent toy machines!

I'm in love...

2007-05-14T14:47:00.000-05:00

...with Arts & Crafts.

I know it's bad, but I just snagged another leaked song off the upcoming Stars album, Do You Trust Your Friends? It's SO GOOD! Please do yourself a favorite and download below. Kevin Drew, frontman for Broken Social Scene, gives us his best realization of "Celebration Guns".

Download: Celebration Guns - Kevin Drew Remix.mp3

Speaking of Kevin Drew, let's talk about his girlfriend, Feist. I am sick of hearing about her, aren't you? BUT...I love The Reminder so much that I wanted to share the delicious, summery track "Fighting Away the Tears" with Mocky.

Download: Feist - Fighting Away The Tears (w_Mocky).mp3

Battle of the Concert Promoters

2007-05-14T09:57:00.000-05:00

New York Magazine has an interesting side article concerning the state of New York City concert promoters. You can check it out here.

Here's a Cliffs Notes version:

The Contenders:
Live Nation (spawn of Clear Channel)
Bowery Presents
AEG LIVE
John Scher/Metropolitan Presents

The Venues:
Live Nation: Roseland, Irving (Fillmore), Blender Theatre, Luna Lounge

Bowery Presents: Mercury Lounge, Bowery Ballroom, Webster Hall, The Music Hall of Williamsburg

AEG LIVE: Nokia Theatre Times Square, booking consultant for the Highline Ballroom(owned by the boys of B.B. King's)

John Scher: None

Venues that are Free Agents:
Madison Square Garden
Radio City Music Hall
Beacon Theatre
United Palace Theatre
Hiro Ballroom

The Verdict:
It's hard to tell who's going to win this war (dude, I can't lie, my money's on Bowery Presents), but with promoters building and opening so many venues at once, it seems like there is bound to be over saturation with the market, correct? Or maybe I'm wrong. Perhaps this growth reflects the increasing demand for shows from NYC audiences. Suddenly New Yorkers have an overabundance of options for any night. Last week and this week were both nightmares to plan since there were so many good shows slated for the same dates(uh, how do you choose between Arcade Fire, Beirut and Bjork?!?!). For now, it's a good problem to have.

PS - The New York Times also has an article regarding new music spaces in the city.

Cliffs Notes version: Lots of great new venues are not necessarily in Manhattan and not necessarily concert-specific/concert-geared spaces.

Arcade Fire + Cornelius Pics

2007-05-13T09:56:00.000-05:00

I finally fixed my camera somehow and managed to get my Arcade Fire and Cornelius pics:

Kelly Pratt climbed up to play!

Cornelius at Webster Hall:

Radars to the Sky

2007-05-11T17:29:00.000-05:00

Today I was listening to WOXY and heard a fantastic LA-based band, Radars to the Sky. They are unsigned and have played together barely under a year. The beautiful blend of female and male vocals plus driving guitars creates a kind of sound that I can not stop listening to. I'm sure my office mate is sick of hearing them on repeat all day! Do yourself a favor and download the track below. I promise you won't be disappointed.

Download: Radars To The Sky - Long Walk Home.mp3

my camera's busted

2007-05-11T10:12:00.000-05:00

CRED

CRED

So I checked out Cornelius at Webster Hall last night and it was pretty cool. They had funky videos synchronized to the beats of their songs. It kinda reminded me of a Flaming Lips show, minus the people dressed as animals, the big bubble with Wayne walking in it, and all the confetti. I took some really kick ass pictures but my camera is super busted and none of the dudes in my office know how to fix it. SIGH. You can check out pics here and listen here.

CRED
CRED
CRED

I also had some sick pics from the final NYC Arcade Fire show, but those may be forever lost, too. It was magical! It was my third and by far my favoritest yet. The energy between the band and the audience was phenomenal. I heard people complaining about their set list but I loved it. Yes, it is true AF chose to play a lot of their slower songs, but they are just as powerful as the "Rebellion" or "Tunnels #3 (Power Out)". Hearing Regine sing "Backseat" was out of this world. Win was totally misbehaving and invited people to come down to the front--obviously this was a nightmare of RCMH security. We tried to push our way to the front, but a huge guard kept cock blocking us.

I know this sounds so cheesey, but I feel so free and alive when I'm at an Arcade Fire show. I can not wait to see them again. Think I'm going to Austin City Limits, so it will be fairly soon!

Tomorrow night, I'm going to check out Dan Deacon at Mercury Lounge.

Download: Dan Deacon - My Own Face is F Word.mp3

In The City of New York

2007-05-09T14:26:00.000-05:00

In The City of New York is a two-day event that will take place on June 13 and 14. During the day, panels will cover timely industry topics listed below.

Acts such as The Happy Mondays, Enter Shikari, Biffy Clyro, Blood Red Shoes, The Rakes, and Pigeon Detectives will be featured at the Highline Ballroom and Nokia Theatre.

The event is based out of the W Hotel Union Square.

DRM: The end is nigh or is it?

Jobs and Niccoli say it’s over; it’s what Ged Doherty said at In The City in Manchester last October. Didn’t go down well. He got in trouble for his honesty and his pains; whose pain will DRM be if it continues?

Scott Cohen - The OrchardRob Wetstone – eMusic VP Label RelationsDavid Card – Jupiter Research Alex Rofman – SNOCAP – VP Corporate and Business DevelopmentWilliam E. Pence – Senior VP and Chief Technology Officer Napster

Hey, man, New York Freeway’s blocked, man: Festivals in the 3rd Millennium

Glastonbury sold out in minutes, Coachella getting full of Brits, who says the music business is in trouble?

Ed Bicknell - William Morris AgencyFrank Riley - High Road TouringRob Hallett - AEGGerry Gerrard - ChaoticaMarty Diamond - Little Big ManBrandon Schmidt - B23 Management

The Howl Seminar “I have seen the best minds of my generation”

Debate the futureof this wonderful business It’s chaos out there for the record companies; they don’t knowwhether they’re coming or going. Most of them think they’re going. To offer some signpoststo the future, ITCofNY invites some of its favorite clever people. Correction,very clever people. You don’t need a weatherman but you do need to listen to these folks.

Ralph SimonMarc GeigerTom Silverman Ted Cohen Andy Gershon

Bring me your poor and huddled masses – and we’ll make stars of them and ship them back.

From Hendrix to the Killers: why/how do US bands get their first exposure in the UK? Is it thatthe UK is we’re more open? Is it because your radio is shit? Let’s all hear it for Chas Chandler; how come it took a Geordie bass player to launch the creator of the electric guitar?Martin Heath – Lizard King RecordsJonathan Shalit – Shalit Global Asif Ahmed - ShmanagementLesley Bleakley - Beggars GroupMark Reiter - Q PrimeMatt Safer - The Rapture, Throne Of BloodGabriel Andruzzi – The Rapture, Throne Of Blood Steve Ferguson – Little Big Man

DIY “There’s a brand new dance but I don’t know its name”

Not signing to a major and DIY

Paul Adams – Magus EntertainmentMark Kates – Fenway RecordingsNoah Dinkin – UFO MusicMike McCormack – Universal Ian Johnson - Enter ShikariNick Stern - Clap Your HandsKevin Arnold – IODA

A Brand New Approach to Music

A music industry in crisis still looks attractive to anyone trying to sell anything to young people…make that sell anything to anyone. Here in the UK they’re selling Marks and Spencer’sclothes with Itchycoo Park. “What did you do there? I got high.” Yeah. Maybe we don’t sellmusic anymore, we sell other people’s products.

Andy Varley - MD: Insanity Artists Agency Ltd Adam Bauer - CEO: Big Sky MediaBarry Lederman - Managing Partner: BEAT GlobalMatt Mazzeo - Creative Artists AgencyUsher Winslet - CEO Whitecap GroupKris Chen – Senior VP A&R XL Recordings
SYNC PanelSanne Hagelsten – Zync Music NYMarisa Porter – Zync Music LAJayson Atienza, - Senior Art Director/Writer, BBDO AgencyCarlos Arias - Editor, Final CutRobert Kaplan, - Director of Music Production, McGarry Bowen AgencyStephanie Diaz-Matos - Founder of The Search PartyLyle Owerko - Director, Reebok, Bhrama Beer, Casio, Sundance Promos
MociologyRalph SimonJim Griffin – CEO One House Bob Ezrin – New Media/Producer Live NationAdam Sexton - Groovemobile

A Case Study of Big Champagne

Joe Fleisher – CEO Big ChampagneEric Garland – CEO Big Champagne

The New Media: All online news/and BloggingIs print passé?

Have we foregone the trusty bibles of music for the intra-web formats, do we now depend on bloggers, mp3s, internet tv/radio, and e-zines for all of our music needs? How is this affecting advertising and bands as editorial goes up in real time, and publications spread tointernet radio, TV and more!?

Dev Sherlock – Porcupine MediaJosh Glazer – Editor, URB Lynnel Herrera – Artist Relations/Communications Director, FlavorpillPiotr Orlov – Editorial Director, URGE/MTVElliot Aronow – Blogger, Simple MissionAdam Shore – General Manager, VICE Records

"The Making of…” BPI Special
The ITC HypotheticalIn The City’s most in-demand ticket as a group of industry insiders are taken through a hypothetical situation, which demands cunning, and in some cases even moral fiber. PANELISTS TBA

Celebrity Interviews

Ed Bicknell IV Peter MenschEd Bicknell IV Marc GeigerRichard Gottehrer IV Fred Davis

Bjork, Night #3: Biggest Fan

2007-05-09T01:07:00.000-05:00

Last night Bjork played her final NYC show at the Apollo Theatre. I was a bit sad that this was going to be my last time seeing her until who knows when?

To celebrate the evening, we went to Sylvia's and chowed down on ribs, fried chicken, mac n cheese and sweet tea. This is the only place in NYC that I've been able to order these southern delicacies and had them prepared properly.

I was almost lured to Amy Winehouse's performance at the Highline Ballroom, but I'm glad I stayed strong. Tonight Bjork gave her best performance out of the all the times we've seen her. Or maybe I am just getting used to seeing her and becoming comfortable with the consistent setlist. Barefoot, enshrouded in a luscious gold frock with huge ruffles and flesh-colored tights, Bjork sang "Earth Intruders", "Hyperballad", "All Is Full Of Love", "Bacherlorette", "Army of Me", "Innocence" and "Declare Independence". Antony returned for "The Dull Flame of Desire" as well as pipa-player Min Xiao Fen to play "I See Who You Are".

Now for our Biggest Fan portion of the show report:

Headphones: Wow, fantastic dress! Where did you score this?
Nari: It's Ebay!

Headphones: Mind me asking how old you are?
Nari: 25

Headphones: And what part of the city do you hail from? (I had my money on Brooklyn or LES)
Nari: Brooklyn

Headphones: (Suspicions confirmed) What part?
Nari: Cobble Hill

Headphones: Man, I love that area.
Nari: Yeah, I feel like a little princess walking around there.

Headphones: Ha! So, what was your favorite moment of the show this evening?
Nari: Oh man, "Venus As A Boy" is my favorite Bjork song.
Her male companion: Oh but Hyperballad was the shit.
Nari: Oh you're right. Ok scratch that, Hyperballad was definitely my favorite part of the show.
Headphones: Me too. Loved the laser synchronization with the beats.

Headphones: So obviously you love Bjork. Who are your other musical loves?
Nari: Loretta Lynn, Lou Reed, David Bowie, David Byrne, Langhorne Slim, The Epochs, Grizzly Bear. Oh, my friends are in the last 3 bands.

Headphones: Dude, you know Grizzly Bear?!?! That's pretty sick.
Nari: Well, they are friends of my friends.

Headphones: Hot. Ok. So tell me more about your personal style. How would you describe your look and where do you get most of your clothing?
Nari: Eclectic. Most of my clothing is vintage. I want to look different from everyone else.

Arcade Fire Tix ON SALE NOW

2007-05-07T15:07:00.000-05:00

The Bowery Presents just opened up more Arcade Fire tickets for tonight and tomorrow night's shows at United Palace Theatre.

Tonight's are available at the venue box office.

Tomorrow nights are available on Ticketmaster.com or by calling: 212.307.7171.

2007-05-07T12:12:00.000-05:00

Largehearted Boy has a bunch of Coachella sets up for grabs right here.

Let the downloading begin!

You can also listen to a bunch of releases this week, including Wilco, Maximo Park, Fields, Travis, and Lavender Diamond here.

Bjork, Night #2: Biggest Fan

2007-05-07T10:44:00.000-05:00

We continue our Biggest Fan feature with Brian, who attended Bjork's second New York City performance at United Palace Theatre. In case you didn't get a ticket, you can stream the entire show here.

Below is a clip of the interview.

If you're at work and don't have time to watch the video, here's an abbreviated transcript below:

Headphones: So, what part of the city do you live in?
Brian: Brooklyn

Headphones: Ooooooh. What part of Brooklyn?
Brian: Bushwick

Headphones: So, who are your favorite artists? Obviously you like Bjork.
Brian: LFO...(I couldn't really hear what he was saying. If you can, please let me know!)

Headphones: How would you describe your look tonight? How did you put it together?
Brian: Well, it's kinda like a joke, actually. Just like a forest-thing gone wild.

Headphones: Is that fake or real fern on your head?
Brian: Real. Well, real fake real fern.

Headphones: How would you describe your personal style?
Brian: Ah, I would say I generally feel like an alien washed ashore.

Headphones: Hmmm. Kind of like an Earth Intruder?
Brian: Yes. Kind of like an Earth Intruder.