Tonight: Halloween Parties (Mostly Brooklyn)

Here's some shit to do tonight. We've got loft parties, warehouse parties, bars, open bars, bowling, live bands, dead bands, deth rally...you get the point. Good fucking luck getting into the VICE party.

Tonight: Joy Division, Dead Kennedys, Minor Threat, & Gang Of Four (Sorta)

There's a killer show at Silent Barn tonight. In the spirit of Halloween and pretending to be someone you're not there's a cover show tonight. This pretty much has to be fun.

Grocery Thief as Joy Division
Le Rug as Dead Kennedys
Graffiti Monster as Minor Threat
Rainbow Party as Gang Of Four
@ Silent Barn
$??
All Ages

Gunfight! on Spin + Free Show Tomorrow

Another BSC favorite, Gunfight!, just got some love from Spin. The band shot a short video interview about their song "All You Need". You can check out the video and download the song through the link below.

Link:
Gunfight! on Spin

If you still haven't seen them yet you should check them out tomorrow at K&M. Plus I played a small role in putting that show together. It's fucking free (RSVP here) and our homeboys pow wow! are playing too. Yes, two bands and two exclamation points. So it must be good.

Hank & Cupcakes On Fearless Music + 3 Shows This Weekend

Our pals, Hank & Cupcakes, performed live recently on Fearless Music. The taping was at Crash Mansion. Apparently they won some online vote and will be rebroadcast, which is very cool. This is a killer band and they deserve the attention. Plus, they've played three Brooklyn Ski Club shows so they're practically part of the gang at this point.

There are also two H&C three shows this weekend, including Mercury Lounge. I highly recommend checking them out.

Link:
H&C MySpace w/show dates

Tonight: Bottle Up & Go @ Brooklyn Bowl (FREE); The World Series

Our buds in Bottle Up & Go are playing a free show at Brooklyn Bowl tonight. In the world of sports we've got Game 1 of the World Series. Normally I don't give a shit about baseball (at least not since McGwire/Sosa/Bonds ruined it) but I'm from Philly and I live in NYC so Phillies vs. Yankees is a pretty big deal. Despite not being interested in baseball in years I will always hate the fucking Yankees (unless I go back in time when Babe Ruth & Gehrig were on the team) so go Phils!

Saturday Day Shows, CMJ 09.

The day shows today are sick. There's just too much to do. I'm skipping the Fader Fort, where I basically lived last year during CMJ, for the superior lineups of these 3 shows.

12:30-2:30: Brooklyn Vegan Day show at Pianos, free Bloody Marys if you get there when the doors open. BEAST, Moondoggies, and Surf City are supposed to play during that time frame.
2:30-5:15: Deli day show with free gourmet food. During this time frame they have Gunfight!, We Are Country Mice, Freelance Whales, Emanuel And The Fear, Drink Up Buttercup, Elizabeth & The Catapult, Local Natives. WOW!!! That's one hell of a lineup. By the way Freelance Whales are the best band I've seen during CMJ.
5:30-whenever: Impose day party at Don Pedros. Not sure who will still be playing this late but there's a shit ton of awesome bands playing this day party and it's on the way home. Overall this might be the best day show of CMJ 09, if you dig Brooklyn bands. You'll also get to see JEFF The Brotherhood, who destroyed at Piano's.

Free Show: Here We Go Magic, Titus Andronicus, WOODS, Beach Fossils @ Webster Hall

I had a bunch of offers to do a Brooklyn Ski Club showcase for CMJ this year. But because I hate hectic madness I decided to not do anything for BSC (although there will be more shows soon). Then this show happened, which I'm involved in but nothing to do with Ski Club. Although, it's not actually a CMJ show.

I often use the word "awesome" to describe things but that just isn't good enough for this one so I'm going to use a word I hate but is (finally for once) appropriate, "epic." I mean it's a FREE show brought to you by Spinner, Going, and MyOpenBar with some of the buzziest bands out right now.

Tuesday, Oct. 20th

Here We Go Magic, Titus Andronicus, WOODS, & Beach Fossils
DJ Luiza Sa (CSS)
@ Webster Hall
8PM
18+
FREE w/Going iPhone App
(Rumor has it there's another way in free)

Interview - The Raveonettes

Danish rock duo The Raveonettes just played two New York shows in support of their new album In And Out Of Control. One at Webster and one in Brooklyn at the Music Hall of Wiliamsburg. They also played Maxwell's in New Jersey. We weren't in attendance, but we did get a chance to ask a few question of Sune Rose Wagner, the founder and spokesman of sorts for the two piece about a multitude of things concerning the new album, the band's sound and their creative growth over the years since we've known them.


BSCKenya: "Boys Who Rape" is a song one might expect to be dark and sinister, and while lyrically, it tackles a subject matter that is just that, musically, it's ensconced inside light, dreamy pop. This has sort of been a running theme for Raveonettes for a few records now. Would you say this sort of sweet, yet in-your-face confrontation of things like rape and suicide is your most effective writing technique?

Sune: Well, we always liked contrast and the music needs to be a combined entity of various moods and sounds. A light melody goes really well with darker lyrics I think otherwise it all becomes too nauseating.

BSCKenya: Some would say In and Out of Control sits comfortably in between the uber production of Pretty In Black and the raw, DIY production of Lust Lust Lust. Would you give any validity to that sentiment, or ignore it completely?

Sune: I think the new album is a strange mix of lo-fi sounds being blown up in a hi-fi soundscape. We threw so many crazy sounds together and it ended up sounding big and beautiful.

BSCKenya: What are your own feelings on the album as far as where the final results sit musically after Lust Lust Lust?

Sune: I think it's a brilliant pop album you don't get to hear these days. It's daring, confrontational and challenging, not many pop albums have those elements. It's a very different album from what we've done previously, that's for sure.

BSCKenya: Are any of the songs on In and Out of Control revised runoff from previous writing sessions for past albums that didn't make the cut?

Sune: "Heart Of Stone" is from an album I did which was never released. It was originally meant to be on a solo album but I ended up doing a solo album in Danish so this song fit perfectly for this album.

BSCKenya: Since 2002, after five releases on a few different labels, what have you learned that informs the music you make at this moment?

Sune: I follow whatever my heart tells me. I don't follow trends or anything. I'm old fashioned when it comes to writing songs. Whatever works for me and makes my heart beat faster from pure excitement must be the righg thing. I'm into good songwriting like Dylan and Springsteen. A good song is the number one thing then you can cloak in whatever sound you find appealing at the time of recording.

BSCKenya: Every artists wishes to evolve their artistry as time progresses. Do you consider artistic evolution something that should happen naturally, or would you say it is more a purposeful pursuit?

Sune: It happens naturally but we also try to not repeat ourselves too much. This album was written, recorded and mixed in 6 weeks, we never tried that before.

BSCKenya: If you were forced to pick one song on this album that embodies the most growth the Raveonettes demonstrate, which would that be?

Sune: "Last Dance" for sure. It's a big production, extremely catchy melody, very different instrumentation from what we've done before and overall just a smash hit.

BSCKenya: Is there anyone around now that you can get behind musically? Who are you listening to?

Sune: I try to follow what's going on. I've listened to bands like Girls, The XX, The Big Pink, the new Horrors album and Bat For Lashes.

BSCKenya: You're about to embark on the exhilarating madness that is going on tour again. Any anticipation or apprehension about what awaits you in the wake of this new release?

Sune: For the first time ever I feel incredibly confident that we will blow people away with our show cause we've rehearsed many, many cool songs and found new ways of playing some of the old songs as well. We're totally on top of our game and we're ready to go through all of our albums. A few unexpected surprises as well...

BSCKenya: Which song from the current album would you get the most joy out of performing for your fans?

Sune: All of them, they're all so new, just a few months old really but Sharin is playing drums on "Heart Of Stone" so I'm totally looking forward to that.

Download tracks from the new album, In And Out Of Control: http://share.theraveonettes.com/

Tonight: Here We Go Magic @ Union Pool; Das Racist & Boy Crisis; No Age & Woods; Dodos; Black Angels

• Here We Go Magic are playing a show at Union Pool tonight. Trust me when I say that you will never see this band in a venue this small again. Also on the bill are A Rose Parade and I.U.D. which I think are bands with TVOTR and !!! dudes or something like that. I can't remember, sorry. Starts at 8PM.
• Das Racist and Boy Crisis are playing Piano's. This will be good drunken fun. $10.
  
• No Age & WOODS are playing at LPR. The cover is $15 so I don't blame you if you skip it.
• The Dodos are playing Bowery Ballroom. I was supposed to see them last night but got dropped from the list. Heard it was a great show. $17.
  
• Raveonettes & Black Angels at Webster Hall. I love Black Angels and we just interviewed Raveonettes (coming soon). I was at Webster Hall when they were setting up and well, nothing really. Not sure why that info is at all important. $22.
  

Join The Brooklyn Ski Club Mailing List

In an effort to better get the word out about upcoming Brooklyn Ski Club shows and parties I decided to create an email list. I will only send info about shows and parties. No blog updates or other junk and never any ads. Sign up and you'll be the first to hear about BSC shows.

Join the list, just email:
list [at] brooklynskiclub [dot] com

Download Every Mojo Nixon Album For Free

It's not often that an artist with as many albums as Mojo Nixon decides to give them all away for free. Mojo Nixon is def not for everyone but might as well give it a shot.

Link:
Amazon - Mojo Nixon Discography

Billy Milano (SOD, MOD) Performed Live w/ Lamb Of God (Video)

Video provided by The Gauntlet

Tonight: My Birthday w/ Sigmund Droid, Hank & Cupcakes, Cerebral Ballzy, Radio America, & Forest City

Instead of creating a new post I'm just changing the date on this. So it turns out there's literally nothing else happening tonight. This is the only party in NYC. Weird, huh? I know it's hard to believe but it's true. All the listings on other website are Republican/Nazi/Communist propaganda. I'm the only on you can trust. So here's the info again...
--------------------

For the first time ever I'm having a public party for my birthday. I asked a bunch of bands to play and I think the lineup is pretty solid and fun.


Hank & Cupcakes: If you enjoy fun then this should be your favorite band. They've played 2 BSC shows in the past and were amazing both times. You will be dancing, I promise.

Sigmund Droid: These dudes have been one of my favorites for years now and have also played 2 Ski Club shows in the past (including the first ever). I'm not sure I'd be having this show if they couldn't play.

Cerebral Ballzy: This band is just fucking awesome! High energy thrash / skate punk. For those of you who know me it's pretty crucial that at least one metal/punk band plays my party and these guys are the best around.

Forest City: One of the first bands I reached out to about this show was Boogie Boarder but they couldn't play because of the Monotonix gig on Saturday. Then I was talking to my buddy Jamen and it turns out he just started playing in a band with one of the Boogie Boarder dudes. I went and saw them at Union Pool and it was fun so I asked them to play. They're a little bit of country and a little bit rock n' roll (sorry).

Radio America: Homeboys. Some of my best friends are in this band. Have known these dudes for years. Two of them used to write for Ski Club. I went to high school with one of them. This was a no-brainer. I mean they were going to be there hanging anyway, might as well throw some guitars on.

Cutie & The Catfish: CANCELED

DJs Yoshi Knicknock & Joe Eyeball: Philly DJs I'm related to. They know how to get you dancing. Lots of classic soul & motown, punk, garage, oldies, etc. Good music for a party. ***Update: There might be an issue with setting up turntables at the venue so might just be an iPod thing, which sucks but whatever.

It's going to be $3 at the door and please give a couple more bucks if you can. The bands are getting paid from the door and $3 ain't much so please be generous. Also, I might add another band but I can't say who yet.

Invite Your Fucking Friends!
Facebook
Going

***Update: Think about the band I've written about the most lately. Got it? Well they might be stopping by to play a few songs!

Wild Yaks Played The Charleston

Last night started with some Big Buds at Rosemary's on Bedford. They had the baseball games on and while I don't particularly give a shit (not in non-athletic hipster way, I play/watch sports, in the baseball is a snore way) some of the people I was with were into it.

We were there until about 10:30 killing time before the Yaks went on. I stepped out to head over to The Charleston and Martin from Yaks was walking by so I asked when they were playing. He said not until 11:30 so we went back in for another Big Bud.

When we finally got to the show the Yaks were all at the bar drinking. I asked the dudes when they were going on and it turns out there was still another band before them. So it was looking more like midnight which prompted us to grab some beers and free pizzas.

After the band downstairs finished we all headed downstairs. The Yaks were plugging in and setting up. There were two additional members with them. They had a guy on sax (which I've only seen play with them once before) and a second rhythm guitar player (who looked like the neighbor in Office Space). After tuning up they started into some loud noise shit which built up and right when everyone expected a song to bust out they put down their instruments and headed back upstairs for beer. The chorus sigh of disappointment from the crowd was pretty damn funny.

About 10 minutes later they were back downstairs with fresh beers. I've seen Yaks so many times now and I have to say this was one of the best shows ever. Maybe it was because the added guitar gave Rob more freedom on the mic. Maybe it's because of the seedy punk rock basement show vibe at The Charleston. Maybe it's because I was with a bunch of drunk friends, all of us dancing and singing front and center. Maybe it's because this is one of Zach's last shows ever with the Wild Yaks.

That's a lot of maybes so let's say collectively those elements made for one hell of a show. It's a huge bummer that Zach is leaving the band but the sunny side of that is the Yaks will be able to tour more. If you want to see them with Zach I believe they have three more shows lined up before he hangs it up. Check their MySpace page for dates and locations.

Did I mention their might be a surprise guest at my birthday show? Kinda weird I would randomly mention that in this post isn't it?

Interview - Man On Earth @ Urban Noise Fest

Back in August I was at the Blender Theater attending Urban Noise Summer Fest. It was a free show and Me Talk Pretty were performing with another band I wanted to see, Man On Earth. A band I knew of, but had never really seen live before. My sister Kendra put me on to one of their songs, "Come In Closer" and I seriously dug it. Of course, it's one of those songs designed to immediately hook any person of the female persuasion with it's slow rhythm and suggestive lyrics. But ... that's beside the point.

Point is, I checked them out on Myspace. I wasn't over the moon about what I heard, but I went into the show with some decent expectations. I mean it was free, and I had been given the opportunity to chat with the guys after their set, so it was a good deal all around.

My expectations were met and exceeded.

I don't know if it had anything to do with the two eight dollar glasses of vodka cranberry I had been drinking with Kendra, but they blew me away. Seriously, these guys know how to put on a show. Everything sounded ten times better; executed with skill and ease. Lead singer Steve Nathan commanded the audience with confidence and personality. He whipped what had previously been a thinning crowd into a dancing clapping mass advancing on the stage. Dude's vocal prowess is impressive, and coolly complimented by bassist Alex Goumas. The one band member who absolutely killed it for me though (this means he blew my eyeballs into the back of my sockets with his awesome) was the guitarist Alex Polaris.

Next to "Come In Closer", the opener "It Feels Like" was one of the highlights of the set and he had some solos that had my jaw on the ground. I admire skill. It makes me endlessly curious about where it comes from in the person that possesses it. Needless to say, I was very excited to talk to the band after such a powerhouse performance.





Here's how our chat went down:

BSCKenya: Ok, what's up? First question is about how you describe your sound as 'experimental rock'. How's that demonstrated through your music?

Nathan: Well I just think it comes down to the fact that we don't try to pigeon hole ourselves into any certain style. We're free to just write whatever we want. We'll come up with something weird and then, once we get together and play it, it comes together and we're completely happy with hit.

BSCKenya: So your sound isn't streamlined in one direction or category.

Nathan: Yeah, pretty much.

BSCKenya: And how's it going with the current album (The Time Spent Wondering)? Going the way you want it?

Nathan: Well, the purpose of the album is to have a full record so we could shop it and license it and put it out. We're talking to some locals that are interested in licensing it. So everything is going as planned.

BSCKenya: So, are you getting tired of playing/hearing about "Come In Closer" yet? I know it's one of your most popular songs.

Alex: No we aren't at all. I mean we do play it a lot, it's requested a lot. But we try to keep the rotation of songs on our set list fresh.

Nathan: People buy the record because of that song, so that's ultimately a good thing.

BSCKenya: What's the collaboration like with you guys? Is it a group effort, or is there a main songwriter in the band?

Nathan: What we do is usually someone will come up with an idea. We'll get into the studio and another someone will add their ideas to it.

Alex: We all come from really different backgrounds in terms of writing music. Polaris will come up with ideas that I'd never tried to invision in my life. We all have these weird little things about ourselves. You tie it in to all the things that might not necessarily be anyone's else's style and that's how you evolve.

BSCKenya: I'm completely fascinated by the journey of a band. What was the road like for you from where you first began until now, and where do you want to go from here?

Alex: We set a goal in our minds of what we want to do. We're shooting for that point where we can just make music for a living. The journey has been hard. This band's gone through members who were just like 'we can't do this anymore.'

Nathan: Each time though, the success gets bigger and bigger. The whole thing about being in a band is that you don't really 'see' what's going on. I mean, you're busy working your day job. You still feel like you're in the same place. Until you get to the point where you have fans coming back who've been listening to your stuff.

We played Jones Beach a couple of weeks ago with Creed. The only thing I can say about Creed is that they're nice dudes who gave us this opportunity. We played Jones Beach, and for us that's huge, regardless. People were telling us "you guys fucking killed it" and then we go back and we're sitting at our desks. That's a hard thing to do, but the important thing to know is that we're heading somewhere. We are accomplishing things.

BSCKenya: Yes, I was going to ask if you guys have day jobs, I mean obviously you do. I know guys in different bands, a couple of which have broken up, because the balance is so hard to maintain. It's like one step forward, two steps back.

Nathan: Always.

BSCKenya: Do you feel like you're in a place now where your band's doing well enough that you're going to stick with this?

Dave: I feel like we're at a point right now where we're actually starting to get taken seriously. We're getting to that point where we're getting attention. We're having people reach out to us now.

Alex: It's more than just 'sticking with it'. We've all always had our own goals and different things going on. We all had a general direction we were headed in, whether it was palying in other bands or pursuing solo projects. It's just that our general direction led us to each other. And at this point, I can't imagine not sticking it out. I look at it individually as I worked to get to this band and this isn't something else I'm looking to move on from. I got where I wanted. And we have new goals to work towards as a band.

Polaris: I agree. I've worked all my life and also put a lot of work into this band as well. We've come a long way from going to shows with no stage and hardly anybody there, to playing places like here [Blender]. Our goal was to get people to like us. No matter what music you play, I feel, if you can do that, that means you're a good musician.

Nathan: Man we've shared the stage with Death Metal bands. And we played punk rock shows where people were literally kicking each other in the head while we were on stage!

BSCKenya: Does this have to do with the versatility of your sound or is it just a matter of 'wherever, with whoever, we'll play?'

Polaris: I don't think it matters what your sound is. I think it's more a matter of connecting with people. If you can do that, you're successful. Even if you are playing with people who like the kind of music you're playing, it is of course going to be easier, but if you can't connect with them, you've failed.

BSCKenya: Tell me about Urban Noise. Why's this show free?

Nathan: It's free because Urban Noise recognizes the need to showcase local bands to as many people as possible, and what better way to do that. In New York City, it's such an uphill climb. I think we realized that if we could support bands in a venue like this it could help sell tickets for these bands at bigger venues down the road. That would be a mutually good thing for both the venue and the bands.

I also had the option to make it a paid entry thing, but when I put together this festival, Urban Noise, I decided that what we would do, is we'd do a bunch of them and introduce people to a lot of new bands and then this way we could eventually charge people and make it a continuous event. It's about bands supporting bands and working together. You can only get so far if you're just out for yourself, in my opinion. If you work with other people, you can make things happen. If we were just out for ourselves, tonight we would have played at Pianos. But we're working with other bands, and sharing the stage at the Blender. We did it in June, August, and we're doing another one in October.

Polaris: We had an option to sell the tickets, but considering how many people you and the other bands bring, you can expose yourself and your music a hundred times over.

Dave: When you play a gig like this everyone is here to have a good time. It's worth it. The different fans get a long, because everybody here is here for the music. It's cliche, but we have so much fun!

Alex: This is our fourth time doing a Monday, and every time it just gets bigger and bigger.

Nathan: There are three hundred and eighty people here on a Monday night. That's amazing.

BSCKenya: It is amazing. Free entry, and really strong drinks make for a very fun night. Thanks guys.

As they mentioned, there is another Urban Noise Autumn Bomb Fest coming up next Monday, October 12th at the Blender Theater. Bands performing include:

Under The Elephant
Man On Earth
Atomic Tom
Cosa Nostra

I plan on going, as I had a blast last time. They are a great act to catch, and also pretty smart guys. Even if they aren't your cup of tea, the show is free, the drinks are strong, and they may change your mind once the lights go down.

Tonight: Famous Class Party!

The Famous Class crew are having a party tonight at LPR. Boogie Boarder, Darlings, Snakes Say Hisss, & Tony Castles are all on the bill. Yeah buddy! And it will only cost you a single $8 bill.
Speaking of Boogie Boarder, one of the BB dudes is in Forest City who are playing my birthday party on Friday with Sigmund Droid, Cerebral Ballzy, Hank & Cupcakes, & Radio America (and yes, I will figure out a way to work my party into every post this week).

City & Colour w/ Gordon Downie @ The Juno Awards (Video)

I'm on my monthly Alexisonfire / City & Colour kick and I started digging around on YouTube for live C&C video. I came across this gem from the 2009 Juno Awards. This is an absolutely brilliant version of one of my favorite C&C songs. Watch this and then try to tel me Dallas Green isn't one of the best musicians, and especially vocalists, around right now.

Tonight: Where The Wild Things Are After Party (Open Bar); Jay Reatard & NoBunny @ LPR; Dance!! Attack!! @ PA

• WTWTA After Party @ Tribeca Grand: VICE is hosting an after party for Where The Wild Things Are. There's free booze from 11-12 and no cover with RSVP. Isn't Tribeca Grand a bit fancy for the VICE crew? Movin' on up with those movie studio bucks, aye boys? RSVP Here
• Jay Reatard, Hunx, NoBunny @ LPR: Shouldn't this show be at like DBA or Market Hotel or something? I guess you can't charge $15 in Brooklyn (seriously the cover is $15). Jesus.
• Dance!! Attack!! @ Public Assembly: Most likely I'll end up here tonight. We got some deep Brooklyn DJs spinning, Dirty Fingers & Anton Glamb, and free Colt 45. It's like that house party you went to in Bushwick last month only with a better sound system and shittier beer. <Link>