Announced: Apes & Androids Playing Shindig!

Brooklyn Ski Club's favorite band, Apes & Androids, will be playing Shindig next week! This will be their only show before they head down to Texas and destroy SXSW.

Details:
Shindig w/ A&A

Atreyu - "Best Of" (I'm In It)

First of all I want to start by saying that this album was completely unneccesary. A greatest hits album by a band that only has three albums is pretty fucking stupid. Especially when there isn't a single track on the album not available on those 3 albums - no live shit, no rarities, etc. It's obvious they only made this album to get out of their contract with Victory.

Now that I got that out of the way I'll get on to the point. Last year I reveiwed the Atreyu show at Nokia Theatre. They were kind enough to give me a photo pass and I got some decent shots. About a month later I got an email from Victory saying they might use some of my pics in the album.

I kind of forgot about it for a while and then the other day I googled my name and I saw that I was in the credits for the album. Still I had no idea which pic it was so I went to the store and checked out. When I looked at the pics I recognized one and thought I found mine. Then I went and looked through my set and realized I was wrong. So now I have to figure out which one is mine but I didn't actually buy the album.

I emailed Victory about getting a copy but, not surprisingly, I never heard anything back. But they did properly credit me for whichever pic they used so at least I got that going for me.

The Morning Benders

Normally in the headline I would write the words "Band Alert" - but since these cats have already been on Pitchfork, Stereogum, and "countless blogs" I doubt I'm alerting you to anything. Nonetheless when I listened to the MP3's they sent me I was very pleased with their sound. I'm not really sure who they sound like but for some reason I thought of The Monkees - and I mean that in a good way. The sound is melodic but very playful at the same time. It's good stuff and I highly recommend checking out the tracks below.

One year ago in the northern region of California among the rolling hills of Berkeley, our lord God in heaven made love to the sweet sounds of rock n roll and gave birth to The Morning Benders. Started in a moment of magical bliss, just listening to the music of these four men combined will cure any disease known to man. They blend guitars with love to create songs that sound very much like a gentle morning walk on a warm summers day, when the wind rides on your shoulders and tosses your hair about with its soft caresses. Their songs remind listeners what it feels like to be alive again, creating an emotional spiral of euphoric ejaculations that dig deep into the heart of Rock And Roll. Indeed, their music is the music of gods, and their heavy show load this past year has proven them to be quite the presence in the bay area. They are a glowing flower of rock in this little musical garden we like to call Earth.

Link:
Morning Benders MySpace

MP3:
Damnit Anna - The Morning Benders
Last Today - The Morning Benders

The new EP "Boarded Doors" comes out on 3/13

Arcade Fire's Neon Bible On NME.com

The new album by Arcade Fire, "Neon Bible," is available in it's entirety on NME.com. The catch is you have to register for NME to stream the album. I'm sure this thing is on the P2P networks by now but if you are opposed to stealing music then this is your best bet for hearing the album before March 6th.

Link:
Neon Bible On NME

Lou Reed & Pete Townsend (Live Video)

Recently I put up a post about Lou Reed, Pete Townsend, and J. Mascis playing together at Joe's Pub. Lots of you asked me if I had audio or video of the performance. Well now Pete Townsend has the performance streaming on his blog. Here it is....

Link:
Pete & Lou

Tonight: Bootie Mash Up Bash Up @ Happy Ending

Here's what you're going to do tonight. Why you ask? Well for starters the Bootie crew makes some seriously groovy mixes. The other reason you're going....because I set up an event promotion for this party and HeyLetsGo.com (that's where I work now). So if you come out tonight make sure you stop by the HLG table and sign up because you'll get a FREE drink out of it. See you there...

Details:
Bootie Bootleg Party

MP3:
Super Freaks On Film - Rick James vs. Duran Duran

Lou Reed & Pete Townsend Played Joe's Pub

Last night Lou Reed was joined on stage by Pete Townsend and J. Mascis. Pete was playing acoustic, Lou played electric, and J played acoustic as well. Apparently it was quite an outstanding show - at least according to the word of mouth I've heard. Here is what Pete had to say about the gig on his blog:

It was good to be a part of last night’s Attic Jam at Joe’s Pub in New York. I played at least one song with all the artists except Rachel’s co-host Jimmy Fallon. I played proper music with Rachel Yamagata, Rachel Fuller, Amos Lee, J-Mascis and Lou Reed. They are all real musicians, and great songwriters. It was particularly good to work with Lou for the first time; I love his music. He downplays his guitar playing, but we meshed perfectly. There was real magic.

Oh right, I didn't want to mention this because I thought it might ruin it but apparently Jimmy Fallon hosted and he and Pete did a "hilarious" skit together. They're also apparently working on a movie together which I'm sure will be outstanding - just like Taxi.

Links:
Rachel Yamagata Also Played The Show - Her Blog
Another Account

Tonight: Lit 5-Year Anniversary

I've had a bit of a love-hate relationship with Lit over the past year or two but when it comes down to it Lit is a cool spot. In honor of 5-years of drinking and music Max has assembled quite a line-up of DJs and bands. Plus at 10PM there will be FREE booze for all! Here are the details:

DJ's:

Paul Sevigny Nick Zinner (YYY's) Brian Bell(Weezer) Tim Biskup (pop artist) Sean Dack (art star) Jess(Trash) Zack(Fresh Kills)

BANDS:

Color Scheme(ex Built To Spill) Holy Hail Autodrone AlokeStalkers

More details here....

There's no way i'm missing this one - see you there!

Back From Florida

Last night I flew back into the city from a week long stay in Orlando. That's why you haven't been seeing many posts here lately, btw. The week in Florida was a bit of a let down, as it was only over 55 degrees twice while we were there. It even hit 35 one night which is fucking ridiculous.

I was planning on catching up with a few old friends but that didn't happen since I didn't have wheels and I was stuck on the Disney compound. Speaking of Disney, some of the people working there are real bastards. I understand that shit gets tedious but come on buddy, there's no reason to be a jerk-off. The wait staff at Disney restaurants, on the other hand, are top notch and I usually don't notice shit like that.

Anyway, that's about it - I'm happy to be back in NYC. I really missed the cold and the debauchery. The wholesomeness down at Disney was really starting to make me uneasy. Although the teenage Spanish girls in thongs at Blizzard Beach were a nice diversion.

There are some events coming up that I'm going to be involved in so make sure you come back.

Tonight: Re-Make / Re-Model

I'm still down in Florida (don't be jealous, it's cold as fuck here - seriously) but here's what you're doing tonight.

Re-Make / Re-Model

Danzig's House

Recently Glenn Danzig decided to move out of his house and get a new place. Well since the move Danzig worshippers have been flocking to the (un)holy temple and picking it apart. In his front yard Danzig had some kind of brick thing built and now everyday more and more bricks go missing. There is a MySpace profile for Danzig's house, where you can see the destruction.

Link:
Danzig's House

MP3:
Mother - Danzig

Tonight: Andrew W.K. Live @ Misshapes

AWK is everywhere lately - DJing, stand up comedy - but tonight is the first actual performance. Yeah it's at Misshapes but I'm sure AWK's presence will make for a better crowd then usual.

Link:
Misshapes with Andrew W.K.

MP3:
Party Hard - Andrew W.K.

Airport Blues

I'm sitting at JFK right waiting to get on my plane. It's been years since I've flown and damn have things changed. Getting all checked in wasn't nearly as bad as I expected based on some horror stories I've heard. That said it does seem like it's a bit of overkill - taking my shoes off? Anyway, I'm through all the bullshit and waiting to board. I'll be checking in periodically, if there's anything good going down in the Orlando area let me know.

Tonight: Shit Hammered and Andrew W.K. (The Comedian!)

If you haven't heard party-hardy metal maestro Andrew W.K., who recently DJ'd High Voltage, will be trying his hand at stand up comedy tonight (WTF?). The event is sold out so you're going to have to work your magic to get in. If you fail then I suggest you head over to Happy Ending for this weeks installment of Shit Hammered.

Link:
Andrew W.K. Details Here

Shit Hammered
MP3:
We Want Fun - Andrew W.K.

New Type O Negative Song: "These Three Things"

Type O Negative was one of my favorite bands growing up. The Halloween shows at the Troc in Philly were fucking legendary. TON has been on hiatus for quite some time now but they are back with a new album called "Dead Again". Right now they're streaming a new track on their website called "These Three Things" and it's pretty damn good. The changes are a bit abrupt and could have been smoother but overall it's a good song. I'm very excited about hearing some new Type O.

Link:
Type O Negative Homepage

via Blabbermouth (also has tour dates - no NYC)

People Are Assholes

What's wrong with people? Why do people go out of their way to start shit amongst others whom they don't even know? It's goddamn retarded, but hey that's how things go.

MP3:
Shut The Fuck Up - Cypress Hill

Check out the rest of Brooklyn Ski Club

Band Alert: The Hourly Radio

OK, so I know alot of you out there have at least heard of The Hourly Radio before. They've received some decent print coverage but the blogs haven't quite gone crazy for them. They have a show in Brooklyn coming up on the 24th of February, and possibly another gig in NYC that's yet to be announced. Go give them a listen and download the MP3 below, it's called "Deaf Ears" and it's damn good.

MP3:

Deaf Ears - The Hourly Radio

Today: Housing Works $20 Bag Sale

I don't usually function this early in the morning but this is one hell of a deal. For $20 you get as much clothes as you can cram into a bag - that's a lot. Housing Works always has some good shit too. The only bummer about this thing is that it's in Queens.

Link:
Housing Works Sale Details

Ian MacKaye Testifies

Ian MacKaye recently testified against a bill to ban all-ages clubs in the DC area.

MP3:
Rend it - Fugazi

Jack Bauer Vs. Aqua Teen Hunger Force

The thing with Aqua Teen explosives has reached sucha level that the feds had to call in Jack Bauer to take care of the situation. Can he stop the Mooninites?

24: Aqua Teen Hunger Force

Ozzfest Update - Still Free...

With the exception of the lineup all of your questions concerning the free Ozzfest have been answered.

Q: Will Ozzy play at my show?

A: Ozzy will headline ALL Ozzfest dates on the main stage.

Q: How do I get tickets?

A: Those signed up to Ozzfest.com will get the info on how to obtain their free tickets first! You will need to get a ticket just like previous Ozzfests however you will do so online and for FREE. You will need to go to Ozzfest.com or one of our sponsors websites to do this. Those who are signed up to Ozzfest.com will get an email with instructions and links once tickets are available.

You will print out your tickets and bring them to Ozzfest or get them from one of our sponsors. Yes each venue has it's own capacity level and only the amount of people allowed will gain entry. You will know you will be allowed entry because you have your ticket in advance. The show will be general admission. The seats will be first come first to sit there and watch the show in that seat basis. There will be still a 2nd stage and it will be located in the same area of the venue as previous Ozzfest. Yes, it will still be an outdoors show.

Now you are inside and you paid nothing. Merch, beer, water, food and soda price will NOT be raised more than any other show at that venue in the summer of 2007 to cover your free entry.

Q: Will there be a limit to the number of tickets I can buy?

A: Again, yes, there will be. The amount has not yet been determined, but there will be.

Q: How will I gain entrance?

A: You will print out or recieve the tickets that you have secured and you will bring those with you to the event, where you will exchange them for entrance.

Q: How will the seating be decided?

A: As in previous years, the second stage will still be general admission for everyone without seats. However, as far as main stage, it will be first come, first serve basis for both general admission AND the seats. Of course, you do not stake claim to seats, meaning that if you stand up and leave the seats, others are entitled to sit there.

Q: Will merchandise and concession prices be raised to make up for the lack of ticket price?

A: No. The prices will remain up to the individual artists to decide, however, there will be no expected raise in prices.

Q: How will the artists make money off of this?

A: They are free to book themselves at local shows on days before, after, and days OF the fest. Also, they are, as always, welcome to bring and sell merchandise.

Q: How different will the bill be from date to date?

A: Some second stage acts may change, however, the main stage acts will be comitted and appear throughout the tour, unless otherwise stated.

Q: Will bands autograph CD's at the FYE tent in 2007?

A: There will still be a tent where the bands sell and do their cd signings. It may be FYE or could another store who handles it, but either way you will be able to purchase the bands' performing cds and have them sign those.

Via The Gauntlet

HORSE The Band Design Contest

My favorite pack of crazies need your help creating an ad for their upcoming tour. Here are the details, the bold is best part.

You have until 2:30 pacific standard time to create a half page ad for us that will be featured in the next issue of outburn magazine, a real publication.

the ad must be 300 dpi, half page magazine size.

it has to say HORSE the band's RADICALYSM TOUR

it has to have an erupting volcano with a radical dude surfing down the lava. the lava must be destroying a coastal metropolis in the background. other good things to include are dying and fleeing civilians, helicopters, and heavy duty jeeps, and maybe a harbor and marina being boiled by the lava.

the best ad wins. if you lose you get nothing

leave space (in the ocean or sky) for us to fill in the tour dates, and also a small space under our name for the other bands' logos.

GO

oh yeah send us links to ads here or email them to horsethebooking@hotmail.com

MP3's:
Manateen - HORSE The Band
Soaring Quails - HORSE The Band

Free Ozzfest

Ozzy and Sharon have announced that this year's Ozzfest is going to be free. To be honest with you I highly doubt that free actually means free. There's gotta be some kind of catch, maybe you have to sign up for Sprint or some dumb shit like that. And even if it is really free then the frenzy to get tickets might make it too much of a hassle to even bother. Once I see the lineup, which is due in two weeks, I'll decide whether or not to brave the storm.

Link:
Free Ozzy


MP3:
I Just Want You - Ozzy

Tonight: Spiral Flag @ Matchless

Gabe (Spiral Flag), sometimes album reviewer for BSC, is playing tonight at Matchless in Greenpoint. I know alot of you live nearby so go check him out. It's free so what do you have to lose? Nothing that's what.

MATCHLESS
Tonight
9pm Spiral Flag,
10pm Magdyn Osh,
11pm The Hidden Ratio
FREE FREE FREE FREE
2for1 on selected drinks

Matchless
Manhattan ave @ Driggs ave
Greenpoint BK.

The Good, The Bad & The Queen (Review)

WTF? I posted this review Tom wrote last week and I just was looking through posts and I realized it wasn't there. I have no idea how that happened, the browser didn't crash during posting or anything. So without further adieu...


Tom says:

I think that it's only right that I ought to start this piece by admitting the following: I have grown into a very, very angry individual over the course of the past couple of years. Sometimes this anger seems to manifest itself as focused rage, and other times it comes as, well, a deep and palpable despair. And it reminds that, well, I'm angry. I'm angry about inequality, whether it's economic, social, or otherwise. I'm angry about it happening on national and global scales. Yeah. And I'm angry about the state of geopolitics and local politics, too. I'm angry that everyone in my generation is doomed to scales of debt and ecological disaster that will have no earthly frame of reference. I'm angry that personal morality has become a question of legislation coming from the douchebag Right, and the puissant Left, and that our country still has no idea of how to foster a sense of community or social responsibility on any useful scale. And yeah, I'm angry that two of the towns I've called home, New York and Boston, are being converted into giant, rival, city-sized condominium-estates. It's Bushworld meets the Bloomberg Republic and whenever I pause to think about I feel completely overwhelmed.

This sense of anger unloosed is one reason that, if pressed to make a pick, I would say that my favorite record from last year was The Thermals “The Body, the Blood and the Machine.” Suffice it to say that the album is a fucking classic punk rock treatise which skillfully suffused anger and melody and the like, and its release had impeccable timing. Anyway, “The Body...” is great, if you don't have it, get it. Because, if you're like me, then the Thermals' house brand of spot-on, shambling rock'n'roll is inspirational and life-affirming.

While “The Body, The Blood and The Machine” mined one side of existential dread, specifically that of fury, the record that I am discussing today, “The Good, The Bad and The Queen,” tackles the despair half. Make no mistake, Damon Albarn's new “supergroup” (perhaps the most outwardly blasé one ever constructed in terms of its collective demeanor), has not made a record about throwing in the towel or cashing in the chips or retiring to Iceland to watch the glaciers melt. The album never collapses in self-pity or bleak prophesy. Nonetheless, everything, every word, every harmony, every guitar or synth line, and every single drum break or fill, smacks of a kind of powerful solemnity. Whereas Albarn's last tour-de-force, the Gorillaz' “Demon Days” was not without thoughtful complexity or dread (see: title), “The Good, The Bad & The Queen” does not come off as its darker, grown-up companion piece. This is despite the fact that Danger Mouse is back once more on board behind the, err, the boards. Instead the resulting album is like neither Gorillaz album really. It's much more akin to the fantastic late-period Blur albums such as “13” and “Think Tank,” with the sonics of the former and the crafted cohesion of the latter. In short, Albarn has never written a record so beautiful, poetic, powerful, or well-resolved by its end.

In fact, I will go so far to say that I think that few ever have. Every single time I listen to “The Good, the Bad and The Queen” I like it more—by factors of like, ten. In one regard, the album sounds vaguely like music visiting emissaries from the future (come to our time) might bring with them. On the other hand, the more I listen to it, the more familiar it seems to become. What I'm really trying to say is that it might be one of the best records that I have ever heard. Honestly. The band, which on paper reads like this A-List Britpop + Ragga/Punk Allstar + AfroBeat Pioneer + B-List Britpop, genuinely pulls-off sounding organically constituted, and astonishingly, greater than the sum of its parts. Who knew that Paul Simonon could still play the bass after spending the last like 75 years in retirement, painting? Who knew that other guy from The Verve was actually stand up, lick for lick, to his English Guitar-Godness Graham Coxon? Who would have ever guessed that Fela Kuti's drummer (and musical director) was a fucking Gorillaz' fan?

Moreover, the album doesn't just cultivate a mood or atmosphere like other similarly ambitious projects settle for. Each and every song itself manages to speak volumes; and hear we get back to that funny thing about the natural cycles of human emotions. No matter how bleak the bass' pattern, or how ominously the piano chords strike in tracks like “Kingdom of Doom,” “Green Fields,” or the title track, invariably something (or rather, someone) manages to come along, by song's end, to elevate the mood of the proceedings. Suddenly, there comes a spectacular drum fill, or guitar flourish and boom! things are back in land of the living. The first verse of the breathtakingly gorgeous “80's Life” begins in such an ominous fashion, “Where do I see the light/ It's all gone dead in a way,” but Albarn can't help himself, and so in verse number two he reverses course, “Suddenly police run out and/ Hope is found in a sound.” Suffice it to say, this lyrical sea change is one of the most moving things I have ever heard. And so, all over “The Good, The Bad and The Queen,” at moments such as this one, despair is miraculously returned to hope and anger turned back into optimism. Fucking marvelous!

9.5 out of 10

Grossman = Gross, Man.

See what I did there? Pretty cute, aye? But seriously folks, what the shit was that last night? Both teams looked horrible...and Grossman, don't even get me started. What the fuck were those floaters he was throwing up. A cripple with three fingers could put more zip on the ball then that sack of shit. There's small aircraft with less hangtime then a pass from Grossman. I think it's safe to say he's the worst starting quarterback to ever play in a Super Bowl.

Speaking of quarterbacks , how about that Peyton Manning? Boy was he a let down. Hey dude, you finally got your ring and it only took you 7 post season interceptions to do it. Good job champ! You also received the first ever Super Bowl MVP By Default award. They had to give it to somebody right? Might as well be Peyton.

God what a horrible game...and I'm not talking regular season horrible. I'm talking about preseason horrible - 3 fumbles, 1 interception, a kickoff return, and a botched extra point. And that was just the first half! The whole thing just plain sucked.

Band Alert: Sky Eats Airplane (They Need A Singer)

I found this band on MySpace about two months ago and I've had a tab up on my browser since then to remind me to write about them. Well I've finally gotten around to doing it. Sky Eats Airplane is a band from Texas and they're pretty fucking cool.

The band mixes electronic music with heavy as balls hardcore (metalcore if you will). I've heard lots of bands try this kind of thing and it usually sounds kinda dumb but these guys really make it work. At some points they kinda have a HORSE The Band thing going on and at other times an As I Lay Dying vibe. All of their songs on MySpace have over 100,000 - which ain't too shabby and means I might need a late pass on these guys.

They get kinda emo-y at times and that's not very cool but when they stick to the heavy electro shit they're killer. I recommend "Honest Hitchhikers" to start and then move up the line.

The band is currently looking for a new singer/screamer. They did a smart thing and posted a track sans vocals to which potential singers are asked to add vocals. Not a bad idea although it might be tough to add a clean sounding vocal line to a one track recording.

Myspace:
Sky Eats Airplane

It starts kinda EMO but stick with it

SEA_live

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