brooklynvegan

Carsick Cars, PK-14, Xiao He played powerhouse Arena (videos) & Glasslands (pics), playing more shows this week

photos by Lori Baily, words by Andrew Frisicano

DOWNLOAD: Carsick Cars - You Can Listen You Can Talk (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Carsick Cars - Zhong Nan Hai (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: PK-14 - Behind All Ruptures (MP3)

PK-14 @ Glasslands

Arriving late [to powerHouse Arena on November 5th] I found the place packed, but I was just able to set up in time to get Xiao He's last tune. This piece was a lengthy improv involving electronic looping, acoustic guitar, and Mongolian style throat-singing - all to bewitching effect. Next up were the catchily named Carsick Cars, a young and winsome trio who played just three songs, opening with the liberating 'You Can Listen You Can Talk' and closing with - reportedly a Chinese underground anthem - Zhong Nan Hai - a silly song about a popular cigarette brand that just happens to be named after the seat of Chinese Government. The point being, as I understand it, that being punk is being beyond politics. Lastly came P.K.14, apparently elder statesmen of the movement. Sporting a tight Swedish drummer, and singing in pure mandarin, one could discern a wide mix of influences from pop to punk, to post-punk, to freak-out rock. I've picked two tunes from them - the more melodic 'Eden' and the wild closer 'Some Surprises Happen Too Soon'. [Punkcast]

Punkcast was at the "China Underground Invasion" tour's kick off show on November 5th at powerHouse Arena. It was one of the four NYC shows for the tour that've already happened. Another was the next night (11/6) at Glasslands with These are Powers and Soft Circle. Pictures from the Glasslands show are above and below.

The trio of acts return to NYC on Friday, November 20th (TONIGHT) for a gig with The Octagon at UWS club Ding Dong Lounge with The Octagon. They follow that up with a tour-ending show at Secret Project Robot (NOT Monster Island Basement as originally listed in their dates) with Knyfe Hyts 81 and Aa on Saturday (Nov. 21). Knyfe Hyts 81 also have a show booked tonight in Manhattan with Sleigh Bells and Javelin.

Their label, Maybe Mars, lists one more stop for the gang. Guitarist Zhang Shouwang (from Carsick Cars) and Xiao He are slated to appear at the closing Performa 09 event, Scratch the Grand Finale at (Le) Poisson Rouge on November 22nd. But that isn't quite a conventional show - the fest writes that "invited artists will be asked to present a five to ten minute work responding to the following subtitles: Dining on Radio Waves; Lust is a Force; Between Noise & Silence; Songs for Architects; and Motion & Magic. The stage will be set with a arrangement of musical and Futurist inspired instrumentation and means from record decks, green light to perfume and the bassoon." Tickets are on sale.

Speaking of unconventional gigs, These Are Powers' next performance will be November 21st at Galapagos for a free edition (RSVP) of Cinema 16 (silent film+live band). For their set, the group will be scoring a pair of PSAs and one educational video from the '60s and '70s. Included in those will be "One Got Fat: Bicycle Safety" from 1963, summarized as such: "A group of children, wearing ape masks, the dangers of biking the hard way in this strange and dark PSA."

More pictures from the Glasslands show, videos via Punkcast from the powerHouse Arena gig, and more details on the upcoming shows are below...

Continue reading "Carsick Cars, PK-14, Xiao He played powerhouse Arena (videos) & Glasslands (pics), playing more shows this week" at BrooklynVegan.com

Javelin played Monster Island w/ Juiceboxxx (pics), plays new venue Under 100 TONIGHT w/ Sleigh Bells & Knyfe Hyts

words & photos by Erez Avissar

MNDR (aka Amanda Warner) opened the Brooklyn show at Monster Island on Wednesday night (11/18). Shouting, singing and rapping over techno-centric beats, she showed respect to tour-mate Juiceboxxx as well as a strong influence by him. She fared better than her mentor though, who played a super-brief, possibly truncated, set of less than 20 minutes. Opening with his most well-known tune/statement of intent, "Thunder Jam #5", Juiceboxxx positioned himself in sort of a "me against the crowd/world" way, alienating himself from the audience. It was unfortunate, because a basement show like this one could have been the ideal place to see him.

Even without their signature boomboxes, Javelin brought much-needed positive energy to the room with highlights like expanded versions of "Mossy Woodland" and "Vibrationz", as well as their skewed "Into The Groove" interpretation and some worldly tropical beats that turned the place into a dance party. The energy stayed with the crowd, who were more than happy to stick around after and dance to pop hits, ranging from Olivia Newton-John to Jay-Z, courtesy of Todd P's iPod.

Javelin live is not to be slept on. Catch them Friday (TONIGHT) with Sleigh Bells (who played Le Poisson Rouge last night) at a new DIY all ages venue in Manhattan called "Under 100." Get there early - Javelin goes on first (9pm). More details about that show and pictures below...

Continue reading "Javelin played Monster Island w/ Juiceboxxx (pics), plays new venue Under 100 TONIGHT w/ Sleigh Bells & Knyfe Hyts" at BrooklynVegan.com

Eli Paperboy Reed playing Brooklyn (Bowl), but not DC, Neon Indian tix on sale, Talib Kweli & other upcoming shows

Eli Paperboy Reed @ The Bell House (more by Jacob Blickenstaff)

Tickets are on sale for the recently-added Neon Indian show at Brooklyn Bowl.

Soul man Eli "Paperboy" Reed is playing a show at Brooklyn Bowl on Saturday night (11/21). Tickets are on sale for that too. Eli, who also plays in Salem, Massachusetts tonight (11/20), was supposed to hit DC on the 22nd, but that's been cancelled "due to some logistical problems".

Jacob Blickenstaff took the picture of Eli you see above. If you happen to be in Memphis, check out his pictures on display at the Stax Museum of Ameican Soul Music.

Speaking of BV photographers with cool other projects, Justina Villanueva just released the first issue of her own magazine. Check out her recent photos from Jesus Lizard at Irving Plaza too.

Sunday is the Talib Kweli show at Brooklyn Bowl. Tickets are still on sale. It's one of three shows Talib will play in the city before the end of the year.

Other shows coming up at Brooklyn Bowl with tickets on sale include Julian Plenti, Dr. Dog, and Dangerous (All Metal Tribute to Michael Jackson). Dangerous also opened for Deer Tick there on Halloween.

It's been a year since Eli performed on Jools Holland. The video from that performance is below...

Continue reading "Eli Paperboy Reed playing Brooklyn (Bowl), but not DC, Neon Indian tix on sale, Talib Kweli & other upcoming shows" at BrooklynVegan.com

Jesus Lizard & Noveller @ Irving Plaza (night 2) in NYC - pics

photos by Lori Baily

"How can it be that in the wake of the ten year absence of this band, there's really yet to be a front man as captivating, ferocious, unnerving and entertaining? Sure there's Matt Korvette of PISSED JEANS and Eugene from OXBOW as current torch bearers, and I'm not sure that the world needs another GG Allin. Actually, scratch that...I am sure we don't need another GG. But those bands can't hold a 5W bulb to the music of the Jesus Lizard, and Yow's the propellant that gets it all going. He spent probably as much time in/on the crowd as on stage, and never missed a note while singing propped up by the hands of strangers. Highlights? Truly, there were no lulls. How can there be when you've got the mutated hybrid of "Chrome" coming at you, or the manic "Bloody Mary," or the insistent throbbing of "Gladiator"?" [Big Takeover]

The Jesus Lizard came to town. Night one pictures and discussion HERE. Night two setlist picture and more discussion HERE. Pictures from when they played a show on Halloween HERE. A whole bunch of pictures from the secomd night at Irving Plaza (11/17), with opener Noveller (aka Sarah Lipstate who also plays in Parts & Labor), below...

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Art Brut, Surfer Blood & Midnight Masses @ Brooklyn Bowl - pics & setlist

photos by Vincent Cornelli

Art Brut's most recent tour brought them into the NYC-area three times with three different sets of openers. Last Friday (11/13), the show was at Brooklyn Bowl with Surfer Blood and Midnight Masses. More pictures from that one, with the setlist, below...

Continue reading "Art Brut, Surfer Blood & Midnight Masses @ Brooklyn Bowl - pics & setlist" at BrooklynVegan.com

Negative Approach approach ++ pics from Red 7 in Austin

This Saturday (11/21) will be exactly two weeks since I saw Negative Approach at Red 7 in Austin. It will also be the day NA returns to Southpaw in Brooklyn. Tickets are still on sale (for the early show).

Austin & Brooklyn are two of seven cities NA announced shows in. There's also Sunday (11/22) in Long Branch, NJ.

The Austin show was one of a few official Fun Fun Fun Fest afterparties (another I went to was Forgetters at the same venue one day later). That dude in the cart above was one of many going crazy in the pit. Trash Talk was one of the openers and you can see their singer stagediving in the pictures that are continued below...

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ATP NY 2010 tickets on sale - Sleep performing Holy Mountain! + Stooges confirmed & Mudhoney & the Scientists

by BBG

DROP OUT OF LIFE WITH BONG IN HAND......

BrooklynVegan: A lot of your US fans are wondering why [Sleep] aren't doing a US tour or even a show in San Francisco and NYC. Whats the reasoning? Is that mostly due to Chris?

Sleep's Matt Pike: I think the dude just wants to retire.... He lives up in the hills and he's got a lot going on... I don't think the rock lifestyle is really for him. Chris is really a "to himself" kind of guy... he's an awesome guy and an awesome drummer. But yeah, I don't think that's the lifestyle he wants... and me and Al... both of us are obviously lifers. But he still wanted to [reunited Sleep for shows in Europe] genuinely to wrap up what we started so long ago... and for our fans. I mean we played Jerusalem as Dopesmoker for a long time on tour, but people didn't even get into it until we broke up.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Kutscher's is going to need a fumigator and a team with some SERIOUS HVAC experience. Sleep has announced that they will perform all of Holy Mountain at ATP New York 2010, right beside Iggy & the Stooges performing Raw Power, Mudhoney doing Superfuzz Bigmuff + Early Singles and The Scientists (their first ever US show) who will preform all of Blood Red River!!!

To continue our year-long celebrations of Ten Years of ATP we are thrilled to announce that All Tomorrow's Parties will return to Kutsher's Country Club, Monticello for it's third ATP New York festival over Labor Day weekend, running from Friday 3rd September - Sunday 5th September. Weekend and Day Tickets are available, with a Layaway Ticket option available. [ATP]

The "Iggy & The Stooges" lineup (as opposed to The Stooges) means the addition of James Williamson back into the fold, who Iggy collaborated with on Raw Power, Kill City, and New Values. The Raw Power announcement isn't much of a surprise, as Iggy let it slip last month.

Al Cisneros of Sleep/Om recently played NYC as part of Shrinebuilder along with Rwake and Liturgy. Pics from that show are here. Matt Pike of Sleep also played NYC recently, as part of High On Fire. Dig on pics from that show here and here.

Another flyer, more info on this year's fest, and some videos from the Sleep reunion in the UK are below...

Continue reading "ATP NY 2010 tickets on sale - Sleep performing Holy Mountain! + Stooges confirmed & Mudhoney & the Scientists" at BrooklynVegan.com

Vampire Weekend, Hot Chip, Yeasayer, Magnetic Fields, Wild Beasts, People Under the Stairs & other tickets

Tickets are on sale (@ noon) for the three upcoming Vampire Weekend shows in NYC (United Palace, Bowery Ballroom, and Webster Hall)

Tickets are on sale (@ noon) for the two Magnetic Fields shows happening at Town Hall. BAM tickets are also now on sale.

Tickets are on sale (@ noon) for the two February Yeasayer album release shows at Bowery Ballroom and Music Hall of Williamsburg.

Tickets are on sale (@ noon) for the Hot Chip / xx show happening at Terminal 5.

Tickets are on sale (@ noon) for the upcoming Wild Beasts / Still Life Still show at Bowery Ballroom.

Alberta Cross is headlining Bowery Ballroom on February 4th. Tickets are on sale (@ noon).

Tickets are on sale at noon for the three Jonathan Richman shows taking place at Music Hall of Williamsburg in February.

People Under the Stairs are playing Bowery Ballroom on January 23rd. Tickets are on sale (@ noon).

Slayer, Tinariwen, and other tickets are on sale too.

Pictured above is ROCKABILLY BARBIE.

Continue reading "Vampire Weekend, Hot Chip, Yeasayer, Magnetic Fields, Wild Beasts, People Under the Stairs & other tickets " at BrooklynVegan.com

Nader Sadek playing Santos, Shining touring with Behomoth

by BBG

Nader Sadek at Mayhem (more by Paul Birman)

Ever since the Mayhem show at Irving Plaza earlier this year, I've wondered about the shadowy costume figure that set up Atilla's stump/podium and mounted heads on spears before they took the stage. Turns out it was performance artist, and Mayhem stage designer, Nader Sadek, who will perform his new piece at Santos Party House on Saturday (11/21).

B'doun Wag'h (Faceless), provocatively incorporates Arabic design, Death Metal music, and Darfur activism. Musicians from the well-known metal bands Morbid Angel, Cryptopsy, Krallice, and Behold... the Arctopus played a specially commissioned composition on a stage featuring Middle Eastern elements that ambiguously resonate with the occult iconography of this underground music scene. Woodwork screens and geometric patterns that frame blistering guitars and frenetic drumming blur configurations of private and public, holy and profane, ritual restraint and impulsive aggression. [from Nader's bio]

Tickets for the all ages B'doun Wag'h show are still available. Look for Sadek to be joined by Steve Tucker (ex-Morbid Angel), Flo Mounier (Cryptopsy), and Mike Lerner (Behold..The Arctopus).

Speaking of Morbid Angel, the much revered death metal band recently signed with Season of Mist.

Shining also recently announced their signing to Season of Mist, and will hit US shores in the new year with Behomoth and Septicflesh. That tour impacts Gramercy on 1/30/10. Get presale tickets here now, or wait until noon to get tickets here.

Full US Tour dates for that Behemoth/Shining/Septicflesh trek, as well as a few Nader Sadek videos and the flyer for the show are below.

Continue reading "Nader Sadek playing Santos, Shining touring with Behomoth" at BrooklynVegan.com

upcoming Bear in Heaven shows & a set of live pictures

photos by Ryan Muir

DOWNLOAD: Bear in Heaven - Wholehearted Mess (MP3)

STEREOGUM: I've been to Barcade [where you bartend]. Used to live a block away from it. Good beer selection, but sometimes the guys playing the games can get a bit too aggro. Have you ever had to intervene with a drunken Dig Dug fan and a battered arcade game?

Bear in Heaven member Joe Stickney: Eh, every now and then someone will, in a 12% alcohol-beer fueled rage, start banging on Ms. Pacman or Outrun or something, but there's always a manager on board to take care of that. In general the crowd's pretty passive. I used to manage there for a few months and one of my first nights there someone threw up all over Tetris. I think that might have been some belated Iron Curtain protest though.

Bear in Heaven have three upcoming NYC shows, the first of which is tonight (11/20) at Zebulon in Brooklyn. It's free (or donations). They share a bill with Chicago's Pillars and Tongues. After that, Bear in Heaven don't have anything listed on their schedule actually, but tickets are on sale (@ noon) for a January 27th show at Mercury Lounge with Denmark's OH NO ONO.

They'll also play a short in-store set at Sound Fix Records on December 3rd (8pm, free).

The pictures in this post were taken back in September when Bear in Heaven opened for the Rapture at Matchless. More of those pictures below...

Continue reading "upcoming Bear in Heaven shows & a set of live pictures" at BrooklynVegan.com

Marissa Nadler played w/ Alela Diane & Orba Squara @ LPR (pics) & the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth (video)

photos by Fresh Bread

Orba Squara @ LPR

Despite suffering a car crash followed by a breakup, Marissa Nadler made it to NYC this past weekend to play two shows with Alela Diane (who also played an in-store at Sound Fix while she was here). The first of those two shows was Friday night at Le Poisson Rouge with Orba Squara opening (11/13). That's where the pictures in this post are from.

Marissa and Alela's tour ends Saturday night in Utah. Since leaving they, played a show in Minneapolis. Culture Bully was there, and said...:

Alela Diane [is] a West coast folksinger whose To Be Still is probably the best folk record released this year (next to Cate Le Bon's Me Oh My). Diane's natural stage presence and relaxed manner produced a warm and intimate show that featured standouts "White As Diamonds" and the crowd-requested "The Rifle." Diane also covered Louisiana songwriter Dylan LeBlanc's "If the Good Lord's Willing and the Creek Don't Rise" prompting me to make a mental note to check out the young artist as soon as possible...

...Visibly nervous onstage, Nadler confessed to crippling stage fright and frequently apologized for imagined shortcomings. No apology was necessary though, as Nadler's otherworldly vocals put the audience under a deep spell. One couldn't help but wonder what she might be capable of free from the constraints of anxiety. Great things, I think, since even in her nervous state Nadler was nothing short of incredible.

Orba Squara plays another NYC show this Saturday night (11/21) at Knitting Factory with Jad Fair. More pictures (none of Alela, sorry) from the NYC show at Le Poisson Rouge, and a beautiful video of Marissa shot on the same tour in Fort Worth, TX, below...

Continue reading "Marissa Nadler played w/ Alela Diane & Orba Squara @ LPR (pics) & the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth (video) " at BrooklynVegan.com

an interview w/ BOAT (and videos from Coney Island)

words by Bill Pearis, photos by Ryan Muir

Seattle band BOAT were in town over the weekend playing Friday (11/13) at Union Hall and Saturday (11/13) at Bruar Falls. The band were on at both shows, probably due in part to vocal and ready-to-participate crowds who did not want them to stop playing. BV photographer Ryan Muir was at the Bruar show and took the band out for a photo session after the show. Before the show, I sat down with them over dinner for a long, funny conversation that included such topics as not fitting in in today's indie landscape; how recycling would seem less important if we knew aliens were going to invade; and a quiz about 1989 (the name of the new album's lead track). You'd be reading all of that right now if I properly knew how to operate my digital recorder, which only managed to capture 54 seconds of the interview. I'm infinitely bummed... However, BOAT frontman D. Crane agreed to a little post-tour wrap-up Q&A to make up for it. More of those pictures and that interview below...

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Lady Gaga, Slayer/Megadeth/Testament, Tinariwen, and other tickets on sale

As previously mentioned, Lady Gaga added two NYC shows at Radio City Music Hall making her grand total a crazy four nights in a row at the prestigious venue. Kid Cudi opens all of them. Tickets for the two new ones (1/23 & 1/24) are on sale (@ 10am).

Tickets are also on sale (@ 10am) for the upcoming Slayer, Megadeth and Testament show at the Izod Center in NJ - part of the "American Carnage Tour".

In somewhat related news, Paul Di'Anno (the original Iron Maiden vocalist) is playing BB King's on January 27th. Tickets are on sale.

Tickets are now on sale for the two upcoming Tinariwen shows in NYC: Highline Ballroom & The Bell House.

Tickets are also still on sale for the David Johansen show coming up at Highline Ballroom.

Popo played Le Poisson Rouge with Sleigh Bells last night. Popo has been added as opener on the December 13th Lee Scratch Perry show at Highline Ballroom. Tickets are still on sale.

Tickets are also still on sale for the Slits show happening at Highline Ballroom one day later.

Tickets are also still on sale for the Life of Agony show happening at the same venue one day after the Slits.

Blind Pilot and Laura Veirs play Friday night (tonight - 11/20) at the Bell House. Tickets are still on sale.

A video of Maiden performing "Phantom of the Opera" when Paul was still in the band, and the audio of Paul covering Megadeth, below...

Continue reading "Lady Gaga, Slayer/Megadeth/Testament, Tinariwen, and other tickets on sale" at BrooklynVegan.com

Bob Dylan completed his three night run at United Palace Theater in NYC - night 3 setlist

Bob Dylan & band @ United Palace Theatre (on night 1) (wflines)

"...this was the first show I've seen since guitarist Charlie Sexton rejoined the band. The setlist was phenomonal: they opened [night three] with a hard rocking, swagger heavy "Gonna Change My Way Of Thinking" (from Slow Train Coming), followed by a loose "The Man In Me" (from New Morning, and also used in the opening credits of The Big Lebowski). The fans loved the semi-obscure picks. Then he played my favorite song from my favorite album of 2009: "Beyond Here Lies Nothing" from Together Through Life. He also played "Jolene" and "My Wife's Home Town" from that album, all of which were great. Dylan is such a '60s icon, and of course he has nearly five decades of material to draw from, I'm glad he still plays so much recent music, which shows his continued relevance: the album he drew from the most was 2006's Modern Times: "Thunder On The Mountain," "When The Deal Goes Down," "Workingman's Blues #2" and "Ain't Talkin'." He played my favorite song from 2001's "Love & Theft," "High Water (For Charlie Patton.)" And I was glad he hit one of my favorites, "Cold Irons Bound," from 1997's Time Out Of Mind. Over 50% of the show was from the past 12 years, which I think is awesome. As you know, I consider Bob to be one of the best artists of the '00s." [No Expiration]

Bob Dylan played his third show in a row at United Palace Theatre in NYC on Thursday night (11/19). It was also the last show of his current tour. The setlist varied night to night. You can see Tuesday's HERE, Wednesday's HERE, and Thursday's, along with a widget for his new Christmas album and a video from the first night, below...

Continue reading "Bob Dylan completed his three night run at United Palace Theater in NYC - night 3 setlist" at BrooklynVegan.com

2009 mtvU Woodie Awards @ Roseland - pics (Passion Pit, Dead Weather, Matt & Kim, Clipse, Death Cab, more)

photos by Chris La Putt

Indie darlings Matt & Kim kicked off the show -- which celebrates the year's best music as determined by MTVu's college-centric audience -- with an energetic performance of their breakout single "Lessons Learned." Later, the duo returned to accept their Best Video Woodie award.

"We've had one heck of a year," said Matt Johnson, before counterpart Kim Schifino leapt into the crowd.

Additional performers included veteran alt-rockers Death Cab for Cutie, who rocked the audience with its "New Moon" soundtrack single "Meet Me on the Equinox," as well as Passion Pit, the Dead Weather and Clipse, who were joined onstage by fellow rappers Cam'ron and Rick Ross.

Presenter highlights came from Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz and pop prankserts 3OH!3. Wentz rolled onto the stage holding a red Solo cup, while 3OH!3 gave a nod to Lady Gaga by dressing in her various VMA outfits. Asher Roth, will.i.am, and surprise guest Cyndi Lauper also presented awards. [Billboard]

Cyndi presented an award with Gossip Girl's Leighton Meester who also recently made an appearance at the Weezer (and Matt & Kim) show on Halloween that was sponsored by RXP aka the Matt Pinfield station. Matt was also at the Woodies as was Diplo who was DJing and David Cross, Zooey Deschanel, Janelle Monae, Dave 1 from Chromeo, and Mary Louise Parker. Matt and Kim didn't get naked like they do in their winning video (their second MTV win for that video), but their backup singers did strip down to their underwear.

The Dead Weather also played a show one day before the Woodies in Brooklyn. The Woodies air December 4th at 10pm. More pictures from the event (11/18 at Roseland Ballroom in NYC), below...

Continue reading "2009 mtvU Woodie Awards @ Roseland - pics (Passion Pit, Dead Weather, Matt & Kim, Clipse, Death Cab, more) " at BrooklynVegan.com