No Posts....

As you've noticed there haven't been many posts lately. This is becuase Earthlink has horrible internet service and I haven't had a connection in two weeks. I'm sorry but it's difficult to maintain BSC without internet. Anyway I'm going on vacation tomorrow night so now there is another reason BSC will be dead.

On the bright side VH1's Best Week Ever mentioned Ski Club on their blog

Party Tonight

Open bar 10-11 and then a free jello shot with every drink you buy - sounds like a plan. I'll put up with Fat Baby for that deal.

Archie Bronson Outfit - Domino Band

Someone from Domino sent me an email about a band they're working with called The Archie Bronson Outfit. I almost didn't listen to it because of the name but I gave it a chance since Domino seems to have generally good taste.

The track is called "Dart For My Sweetheart" and it starts of kinda weak. In fact after the first ten seconds I was tempted to turn it off but I stuck with it. As the song progresses it gets much, much better. About halfway through I was hooked. This song is good and I really dig the chorus.

MP3:
Dart For My Sweetheart - Archie Bronson Outfit

Here is some info on the band:
Discovered by Domino label boss, Laurence Bell, in his local watering hole - a distinctly off-the-track hostelry - Archie Bronson Outfit are one of the most unique and brilliantly out of step British bands in years. Originally hailing from the West Country, the trio relocated to Southwest London where they studied art alongside future members of current up and coming London contemporaries such as The Beat Up and The Duke Spirit. Juggling their art school education with the grand task of refining their rock and roll vision, Archie Bronson Outfit arrived at their own markedly British rock cocktail - a taut, lean sound, as subtle as it is powerful.

Links:
Homepage
MySpace

** Update: Apparently these guys have been around for awhile.

This Is Performance

Yesterday at work the bossman put on a song called "Short Sharp Shock" by a UK band called Performance. I thought I was pretty up to speed on the latest bands but this was new to me. Not only was it new but it was really good. It sounded a bit like Ima Robot but much more dancey. When I go to parties, which you've probably noticed isn't very often anymore, I want to hear music like this. I dug and I dug but I could not find a damn MP3 anywhere, which is dumb for any upcoming band not to have. So the best I can do is give you the link to their MySpace and hompage.

Listen to Performance
MySpace
Homepage

This Week in Unneccessary Censorship

This is the best skit on late night television.

Art Brut Live MP3

So my internet is still out so I can't upload my pics from Siren, which is why there hasn't been a review yet. To sum up the experience I was bored by the bands - well all of them but Art Brut. They're very good and after hearing them live I'm a fan. I was sent over this MP3 and asked to post it. Enjoy.

Art Brut - Moving To LA (live)

Olga's Picks

This is how I am spending my Sunday, you should join me!

2PM
Pool Parties Presents Pretty Girls Make Graves, Jason Lytle (of Grandaddy), The Bon Savants
@ The Pool at McCarren Park
Lorimer St between Driggs and Bayard Ave, Brooklyn
Free

A day of free music with hipsters in beautiful McCarren park. Is there any better way to spend a Sunday afternoon? I think not!



Have fun,
Olga

Olga's Picks

Here's what's worth checking out today:

8PM
The Deli Magazine Presents: A Place To Bury Strangers, Lions & Tigers, The Jealous Girlfriends, Earlymay, Schwervon!, Radio America
@ Northsix
66 North 6th St
718-599-5103
$10

Here's another chance to catch A Place To Bury Strangers (you better be there!).

8PM
Captured: A Film/Video History of the Lower East Side
@ Anthology Film Archives
32 2nd Ave
212-505-5181
$8

Two nights of films, videos and spoken word drawn from the people who made the pages of Captured: A Film/Video History of the Lower East Side. If you missed last night's influence of sex in the L.E.S. video, it's ok, you can still see tonight's showing which will explore the drug influences on the work of these artists, who were all players in the cinematic world of the Lower East Side.

Have fun,

Olga

Slayer Listening Party Tomorrow In Brooklyn

I'm always out of town when the good shit happens. Tomorrow at Duff's (killer bar) in Williamsburg will be a Slayer listening party complete with BBQ buffet. Damn it sounds like a good time - beer, BBQ, and Slayer. Actually I'll be in South Jersey so it shouldn't be much different.

New York Dolls Live On Conan + Ecard

The New York Dolls will be performing tonight on Conan O'Brien. Normally this is where I would tell you what time and station but it's Conesy - so you already know. In related news the Dolls have finished their new album which will be released on Roadrunner. You can check out some tracks on the Ecard. I listened to them and they aren't bad but they don't hold up to the live versions.

New York Dolls Ecard


Related post: NY Dolls at CBGB

Stinking Lizaveta Tonight @ Knitting Factory

Stinking Lizaveta is a badass instrumental band from Philly. When I was a teenager they were the local band that opened for all the national acts. Since then they have done their fair share of touring. I'm not a big fan of strictly instrumental bands but Stinking Lizaveta is damn good. I highly recommend going to this show tonight.

8PM
Stinking Lizaveta
Knitting Factory Tap Bar


MP3's:
Bullet Park - Stinking Lizaveta
Running From The Enemy - Stinking Lizaveta
Tenuous - Stinking Lizaveta
Out Of Breath - Stinking Lizaveta
Scream of The Iron Iconoclast - Stinking Lizaveta

People In Planes & Army Of Me @ The Annex Tonight

People In Planes are a good band and this is a great opportunity to see them live. They are currently on tour with Blue October, who fucking suck, and playing the Bowery tonight. Fortunately those slimy bastards won't be at the Annex for the after party.

**Update: Rumor has it this will be an acoustic set

MP3:
Moth - People In Planes

Punk Rock Shows At CBGB's

CBGB's is going out with a bang. Of course the final string of old school punk & hardcore shows will be insanely overpriced but you gotta pay the price if you want to be part of history. All info from Brooklyn Vegan.

8/18 - Dropkick Murphys @ CBGB's

8/19 - H2O @ CBGB's

8/27 - Merauder @ CBGB's
w/ All Out War, Poison Proof, Backlash, Dynamo, Outburst

9/9 - Angry Samoans @ CBGB's

No Internet Again

For the second weekend in a row I do not have a damn internet connection. I was on the phone with Time Warner and Earthlink for 2-3 hours yesterday and they got me nowhere. The last time this happened I miraculously had internet two days later. I don't get it - my modem is showing activity and my computer is acknowledging network activity yet I have no connection. Anyway, the point of this rant is I won't be able to update the site I normally would. I'm on my roommates iBook and it's very limiting since I don't know much about Macs and Blogger limits the features when accesssed through a Mac.

So yesterday I was at the Siren Fest on Coney Island, I'll have a full recap as soon as I'm up and running.

No Borat For Bloggers

So last week I'm in Union Square and I see one of those movie screening people on the corner. I go over to see what movie they're screening and to my delight it's the new Borat movie! The funny thing about that was about 20 minutes prior to that I was showing my girlfriend Borat clips on YouTube. Needless to say I grabbed a flyer and called the number to RSVP.

I left all the information they asked for but I wasn't sure the info went through. When I got home a few hours later I emailed the RSVP address to confirm that my call went through. The email I sent the confirmation from had my URL in the signature (that comes into play later). About ten minutes later I get an auto-response telling me the list was full.

Now I was really worried that I got cut off when I called in my info. You see, there is no movie I want to see more then Borat. I invited my brother to be my guest (everyone gets 1 guest). He is as big a fan of Borat as I am.

Fast forward to yesterday (Thursday), I take off work about an hour early and head to 57th street for the screening. My brother meets me there, here's the thing, he drove all the way from South Jersey (2&1/2 hours away). I made it there before he did so I got in line and waited. After about ten minutes a guy comes up to me and hands me a card to fill out. On the card is an agreement that no information from the movie will be revealed. No big deal, I filled out my card and signed on the dotted line.

My brother gets there about 15 minutes after I do and has to go to the back of the line. Eventually they gave him a card to fill out to and all seemed well. After another 15 minutes in line a guy comes up to me and asks me my name, which of course I give him. He flips through his clipboard and nothing. The other guy with him checks his sheet and there I am. Right away I notice that my name is in bold print (WTF?) .

Then comes the bombshell - "We can't let you in". I ask the douche why and he tells me that he doesn't know but it's likely because they overbooked and had to cut people. Well why the fuck was my name in bold print? Somehting smelled fishy so I started asking around and finally I found the person I needed to talk to.

I politely introduce myself and tell her that I had RSVP'd and that my name was on the list but I was told I couldn't enter the screening. Then I mentioned the bold print and she immediately replied "You do reviews". I told her that I indeed did reviews but of music not movies. She then said that there was nothing I could do.

Apparently signing an agreement which states you will not reveal points from the movie means nothing. Seriously how retarded is this whole thing? I mean what are the odds of me being the only person with a blog in that line? Not to mention even if I am permanently blacklisted I could easily RSVP with the name of a friend and waltz right in. My point is anyone can reveal the movie and anyone could be in that line. Why am I singled out? It's fucking bullshit is what it is.

So thanks Screening Exchange - I love rushing through work all day so I can leave early. And my brother loved driving 2 and a half hours for no god damn reason at all. Now because of you I will forever associate Borat with this fucked up experience. Again thank you.

Buzzcocks Played Greenpoint

On Tuesday night the legendary Buzzcocks played the Warsaw in Brooklyn. The opening bands were The Strays and The Adored. The Warsaw website didn't say who was opening so I had to call the venue to find out who was playing. I needed to know if it was worth going early or better to grab some Anytime and head to the Warsaw after.

Once the lady on the phone told me who was playing I checked out there MySpace profiles. First I listened to the Strays and I thought they were pretty good. Then I checked out the Adored and I wasn't impressed. So I thought instead of hitting Anytime for some grub I would go early catch the Strays and eat some of the Warsaws famous pierogies.

We arrived at the Warsaw around 8:20PM and there was no one there. I was kinda pissed because the stage wasn't even set up so it was obviously going to be a while before the show started. So I did what anyone in my position would do - I grabbed some beer. I also ordered a plate of the Warsaw Special, which for $5 comes with pierogies, kielbasa, sauer kraut, and bread. Despite many ventures to the Warsaw this was the first time I actually had the food they're so famous for. I have to say it was very good. You can't find homestyle food like that - especially at venues.

After I ate and sucked down a few Zwiecs (Polish beer) I headed into the main room for the Strays. They were very English and, based on the way they look, really into the Sex Pistols. They weren't a bad band but they weren't all that good either. During two separate songs I noticed Nirvana riffs, not Nirvana-esque riffs but actual Nirvana riffs. If you're going to rip off a band at least choose a band that isn't instantly recognizable.

Once the Strays finished up we left the Warsaw. I had no interest whatsoever in catching the Adored. The Warsaw is kind enough of a venue to allow for re-entry so we took advantage of 2-4-1 special at the bar on the corner. It's nice to be able to go do something else while the shitty bands play.

We returned to the Warsaw after about 45-minutes. Our timing was near perfect as the Buzzcocks were just about to take the stage. I was very excited to see the band live. In all honesty I'm not a huge fan - in that I don't have a ton of Buzzcock albums. However when I hear them I always perk up. They are a great band and are responsible for one of my all-time favorite songs, "Ever Fallen In Love?".

The came out and I have to say they looked pretty haggard. I mean I guess they should at their age but I still have a hard time with the whole old guy punk thing. Which I shouldn't since all of the old bands (NY Dolls, Mission of Burma) I've seen have consistently been phenomenal. The Buzzcocks were no different in that sense. From the first song up until the last they absolutely destroyed the place.

The crowd started of just kinda bopping around but about halfway through the set there was a full on mosh pit (a weak one but a pit nonetheless). The 50-year-olds were mixing it up just fine with the teenagers.

The set was perfect and no one there was disappointed. For the encore the band played the classic "Ever Fallen In Love?" - which was what I was waiting for. It was absolutely amazing and played to perfection. I'm beginning to think punk is like the blues. Maybe it's not a young man's game after all. Time and time again the elder statesmen of punk blow the kids out of the water. So tell your dad to pick up a guitar and string some power chords together.

MP3's:
ESP - Buzzcocks
Nostalgia - Buzzcocks

Ever Fallen Love? (live @ Warsaw)

Olga's Picks Part II

Hope you all survived your Friday night (FYI - I am still recovering) because today is Siren Music Festival.

1PM
Siren Music Festival
@ Coney Island
Free

Scissor Sisters, She Wants Revenge, Stars, Art Brut, Tapes 'N Tapes, The Stills, The Cribs, Celebration, Man Man, Priestess, Serena Maneesh, The Roger Sisters, Deadboy and the Elephantman, and Dirty On Purpose are all playing this year (for FREE!) This event is not to be missed.



11PM
The Cribs After Party
@ R & R
416 West 14th St Between 9th and Washington Ave
$5

The place to be at after the Siren Fest is R&R, hands down. Why, you ask? Well, my girl Victoria a.k.a. the hottie of Riot City is djing.




Have fun,
Olga

Olga's Picks

Hey Brooklynites,
As many of you know (or don't know) today is Bastille Day a.k.a. French Independence Day. Now there's not a ounce of French in me, but any holiday is an excuse to party and drink (now that's the Russian in me talking).

10PM
Le One Night Stand Celebrating Bastille Day
@ Hiro Ballroom
363 West 16th St
$10 before 11; $5 after

Live performances by Nous Non Plus and René Risqué and the Art Lovers. Plus, DJs Melody Nelson, Josh Styles, Peppermintwist, and Les Handclaps set the mood.



Have fun,
Olga

TVOTR Video Shoot In Brooklyn

TV On The Radio will be filming the video for "Wolf Like Me" in Brooklyn tonight at 8PM. There is an email address that you were supposed to RSVP to if you wanted to be in the video but I assume it's too late for that. They are supposed to be "performing" but that could just mean they play along to an audio track - which is stupid.

More Info:
Brooklyn Vegan

Related Posts:
TVOTR w/trent Reznor & Bauhaus
TVOTR @ Prospect Park Video
TVOTR Album Leak

Album Streams: The Bronx, All That Remains, & Helmet

Here a couple of full album streams for your listening pleasure:

Links:

The Bronx - s/t
All That Remains - The Fall Of Ideals
Helmet - Monochrome (must register)

The Best Firefox Extension Ever?

I am very worried about reporting this extension because I have a feeling it might not last very long if people are aware of it's power.

Two days ago I randomly stumbled upon what may be the greatest online tool I've ever used. It's a Firefox extension which allows you to see all of the contact info for whatever site you happen to be on. It's fucking amazing. The extension gives you all sorts of stats for the page, including Alexa and Google page ranks. But I don't really give a rat's ass about that, the contact info feature is the reason you must get this.

For shit's and giggles I went to Screech's website and tried it out - well what do you know? After I right clicked on the Alexa bar in the right hand corner and clicked on "Contact Info" a little box popped up. An email, an address, and a phone number was listed. Someone I know gave the number a call and I was told that the person who picked up said it was Screech's office or something like that. I tried it with several other sites and it's remarkably accurate.
So the point is this is the greatest Firefox extension ever. For all you online marketers out there this thing will make your job a lot easier.

I tried it for some other sites too - including the Cobrasnake. It worked just fine but don't abuse this power. I do not support prank calling the Cobrasnake and telling him you found a dumpster full of headbands in the middle of Bed-Stuy.

Link:
SearchStatus

New Sparta Track - "Taking Back Control"

Sparta just released a new track from their upcoming album Three's (Oct. 10th). The song is called "Taking Back Control" and it's available to stream on MySpace. I dig the song but it's not great - it's kinda poppy. The radio will probably like it and the emo kids will likely cream their pants. It is worth a spin either way. If the rest of the album sounds like this then I don't think I could sit through it but Sparta tends to mix it up a bit.

Link:
Sparta MySpace

Zidane Headbutt Animation

This is pretty damn funny. I like the Street Fighter ones the best. (via Waxy)

Link:
Zidane Animation

New Helmet Track - "Gone"

Helmet was the reason I ever picked up a guitar and started a band. I'm a huge fan of the early Helmet stuff but the later songs kinda suck. Well have no fear - it looks like the old Helmet is back. Musically this is very reminiscent of early 90's Helmet. My only complaint is the vocals are weak. Page sounds like he blew out his voice. He sounded like this when I saw them last September. Aside from that it's exciting to hear the king of the riff back in action.

The new album is called Monochrome and it hits stores on July 18th - hopefully they hook me up with a copy.

MP3:
Gone - Helmet

Gone

The old stuff

In The Meantime


Unsung


Milktoast


Wilma's Rainbow


Bad Mood

New Mars Volta Track - "Viscera Eyes"

The Mars Volta have posted a track from their upcoming album on MySpace. The tune is called "Viscera Eyes" and it's pretty good...and long. Make sure you listen to both parts as it's length called for it being split and posted as two seperate tracks.

Mars Volta Myspace

Hasselhoff "Jump In My Car"

The Hoff and Kit back together after all these years. This song is amazing, wait till the end when he changes it up and throws some skank out his car - it's genius.

"Jump In My Car"

**Update: This is too good, the making of "Jump In My Car"

More on The Hoff: Hasselhoff gets booted from Wimbledon

New Band Alert: Kiss Kiss

About a week and a half ago I went to Sin-e on the recommendation of a friend. His friends band was playing and he thought I might like them. The band was Kiss Kiss, who I had heard of somewhere before, and since I recognized the name and had nothing better to do I checked them out.

I'm not writing a show review here so I'm not going to go through the whole set. Let me say this though, this band is great live and you should go see them. The energy level is really intense throughout the show. They have a spastic energy wrapped around perfect timing. Most of the time when I hear a band I can pinpoint what they sound like, "they sound like Rancid with Mr. T on vocals and Tina Turner playing trumpet", but I just couldn't figure it out with Kiss Kiss. Dare I say that this band has an original sound (gasp).

Don't get me wrong - you will hear bits and pieces that remind you of other bands. But it only reminds you of other bands it doesn't really sound like them. I noticed several parts that reminded me of Arcade Fire (which apparently applies to every band), there were definite Blood Brothers moments, I think I heard a Bear Vs. Shark thing happening at one point, even a little part that had a System Of A Down thing going on. That said, in whole they sound nothing like any of these bands. It's hard for me to explain a band that doesn't really sound like anyone else - I really heavily on comparisons.

The point is go see this band, go buy their album, and go tell your friends to do the same.

Mp3:
Says My Doctor - Kiss Kiss

Superman Returns!

I just got back from seeing the new Superman movie. I have to say it far exceeded any expectations I had. Wow! What a phenomenal movie. The beauty of Superman Returns is the simplicity to it. They made this movie about Superman and everything that he represents. Unlike other super hero movies, this was not about "modernizing" the character or the story. There were no "updated" costumes, CGI villains, or new characters.

Superman Returns is a great movie and will instantly be recognized as such. This sounds cliche but it really gives you a sense of hope - which is what Superman is about. I really can't say enough good things about this movie.

There are several moments where Superman is clearly framed in the image of Jesus. I thought that was a bit unnecessary but I can overlook it. The movie clocks in at about 3 hours but you really won't notice the time pass. I looked at the time when I got out and was shocked. I really had no idea that 3 hours had passed.

Whoever the hell the guy is who played Superman does an outstanding job. I cannot think of anyone who could have done it better. Spacey is, well, Spacey... which is to say damn good, as always. The rest of the cast did their part but no else one really stood out as far as performance is concerned.

So that's all I can say without giving everything away. Go see this movie - you have to, seriously.

MP3:
Superman Theme

Sonic Reducer (Video)

One of the best songs ever.

Dead Boys - Sonic Reducer

Ride The Lightning

Some guy got struck by lightning and it might have been his iPod that caused it. The science guys won't confirm that the iPod drew the lightning towards him but say that the head phone line could carry the charge to the head. It's all on Boing Boing, make sure you read the update at the bottom of the post - it's funny.

Link:

Ride The Lightning

Borat The Movie Trailer

I can not wait for this movie!

4th of July Parties

and:

Also:
--JULY-4TH-ROOFTOP-BBQ--> a Brooklyn 'n friendz awesome all-stars bands army assembles to raise money for New Orleans charity CommonGroundRelief.org -- JAPANTHER, PARTS & LABOR, MATT & KIM, Pterodactyl, Battleship (Oakland), Knyfe Hyts (current & ex Ex Models), Deathset (Australia), and NECKING - STARTS AT 4PM and will go fast! @ 330 MELROSE ST - ROOFTOP!

VIDEO: TV On The Radio w/ Trent Reznor & Peter Murphy (Bauhaus)

This is un-fucking-real, TV On The Radio performing with Trent Reznor and Peter Murphy. It's just an amazing performance. Hearing the voices of Nine Inch Nails and Bauhaus with TV On The Radio is simply beautiful. Here are the videos:

Dreams


Bela Lugosi's Dead


Final Solution

The sound quality is awesome - at some point I'm converting these to MP3's

4th of July - Olga's Picks

Hey Brooklynites,
It's the 4th of July and you all know what that means - beer, bbq, beer, and some more beer. Here is something to motivate you and get out of your crib.

2-8PM
DUMBO Block Party
@ The Pearl Street Triangle
Pearl St between Water and Front St
Free



3PM
Boswijck
@ Office Ops
57 Thames St, Brooklyn
$15

Celebrate the 4th in Bushwick (of all places). Live performances by The Occasion, Rusty Santos, Damon McMahon, TK Webb, Zachary Cale and free wine till it runs dry, which means come early if you want to get $15 worth.

And if worst comes to worst, just walk down any street in Williamsburg and or Bushwick (well, careful which streets you walk down there) and follow the beer stentch/loud noise. You'll surely find some loft party.

Have fun, well not too much fun, remember tomorrow is Wednesday (yes, that means work for most of us).

Olga

Happy 4th - Be Careful With Fireworks (Video)

Many parties tomorrow, email me if you are looking for something.

TV On The Radio @ Prospect Park Video

I'm so pissed at myself for not going to this show. TV On The Radio is one of my most beloved bands and I just couldn't get past my hatred for traveling to Prospect Park. Well, I guess I have to live with my stubborness. Here is some video from the show.

Links and News

So I've been slacking with the posts lately. Just when things start to pick up around here I get bogged with bullshit. So I'm going to post some crap that may have warranted full posts a few days but now I'm just going to condense them together.

If you already work in the music biz then you probably already know about these. If you want to work in the music biz then these are good places to start.

Links:
HITS Daily Double
Music Biz

The Velvet Rope

The easiest way to locate MP3 files online: G2P Beta

Superman ain't shit compared to this crazy fuck: The Flying Man

It was only a matter of time: PornoTube

As much as I want to hate this, it looks pretty badass: Transformers

Sigmund Droid Tonight @ Sin-E

Don't be stupid - go to this show. Sigmund Droid is playing and they are damn good.