Tonight: SHAPES @ Piano's; Gunfight! @ Goodbye Blue Monday

Tonight two of our favorite bands are playing shows. SHAPES go on at 10pm so head to Piano's first. Then hop on the J and hit Goodbye Blue Monday for Gunfight! at midnight. Good night.

Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth & Anthrax Playing Yankee Stadium!

When the Big 4 announced they were playing together everyone assumed there would be a North American tour. When they finally announced the dates it was just one fucking show and in California. Needless to say people were pretty pissed off about the whole thing. Well, they just added another date and it's in NYC at Yankee Stadium! This is going to be amazing. My gut tells me tix are going to start at about $75 but given the circumstances it's probably worth it. The tickets go on sale at 10AM on May 6th. The show itself goes down on September 14th.

Bottle Up & Go Have A New Video, "To The Grave"

Bottle Up & Go are an awesome Brooklyn band and pals of ours. They've been off the radar for a bit but just released this killer video for "To The Grave".

Link:

BU&G Release "To The Grave"

BOTTLE UP & GO - "March to the Grave" from Bluebeard Productions on Vimeo.

Tonight: Smell The Glove Returns! @ St. Jerome's

Remember that awesome party we used to throw at St. Jerome's? The one with the cheap booze, hot babes dancing on stage and campy 80's hair metal? Well, Smell The Glove returns to St. Jerome's after a 6 month hiatus! Our good friend Michael T. will be DJing along with Natasha Komis and Ali Hassan from WildStreet.

Of all the events I throw this is hands down the most fun, in my opinion. It gets fucking crazy every single time we do this thing. You should definitely try and make it out next Thursday and don't forget to tell your boss you're going to be sick on Friday.

***Update: Vodka Open Bar 10-11pm! Parris of the legendary CRO-MAGS is hosting! YES & YES!

RSVP & Details:

Smell The Glove Returns!

Tonight: FORlokals, Grand St. Happy Hour @ Lady Jay's (Free BBQ & Cheap Booze); Lightning Bolt @ 285 Kent

Half of Brooklyn is going to see Lightning Bolt tonight. I'm hosting, DJing and grilling at Lady Jay's for the happy hour party I throw with Nickels & Dimes and I Rock I Roll. While it sucks I can't go to the show it will be an awesome place to have a few drinks before you go. Happy hour specials go from 6-10pm and I'll be grilling up free burgers and dogs out back in the yard. The weather is fucking perfecto today so make sure you swing by. 

Link:

FORlokals Grand Street Happy Hour

Tonight: Spirit Family Reunion @ Brooklyn Bowl

The always awesome Spirit Family Reunion are opening for Greensky Bluegrass tonight at Brooklyn Bowl. The show is only $5.

Link:

SFR @ Brooklyn Bowl

Lady Gaga Gives Weird Al The Okay For Parody, "Perform This Way"

When Weird Al sent Lady Gaga his spoof of "Born This Way" she shot it down. She's a serious artist and how dare Weird Al poke fun at her. Well, Weird Al went on the offensive and announced that proceeds from the song would go to charity. So Lady Gaga caved and gave Weird Al the thumbs up. Hooray for Weird Al!

Link:

Weird Al Wins Over Lady Gaga

RIP Gerard Smith (TV On The Radio)

Gerard Smith of TV On The Radio has died from lung cancer. The band has announced that they will cancel a string of tour dates out of respect for their fallen friend.

Link:

Gerard Smith RIP

Cheeseburger & Superjail! Have A New Video, "Winner"

Brooklyn rockers Cheeseburger have an awesome new video out. Why is it awesome? Well, the song is pretty cool but the video features the band playing at Superjail! Don't know Superjail!? It's on Adult Swim and it's the greatest cartoon ever...well, the best one out now at least. Fuck Yes!

Winner by cheeseburgernyc

Village Voice Shuts Down Siren Festival, Announces 4Knots Fest

After 10 years the Village Voice has decided to shutdown Siren Festival. It's a bummer to see it go but frankly, it was pretty hellish. Standing in a parking lot all day with a 95 degree sun beating down on you while you're surrounded by sweaty, drunk hipsters is not much fun.

That is exactly why the only two years I went were years I had VIP passes. Oh man, let me tell you - awesome VIP section. Free booze and snacks under a nice big canopy with industrial fans blowing on you the whole time and when you wanted to check out a band you walked up to the reserved section in front of the stage. It was fantastic but yeah, sans VIP badges it was kinda horrible. Pretty good bands most years though.

With Siren Festival a thing of the past the Village Voice has announced it's next endeavor - 4Knots Festival. They haven't announced any bands yet but they have announced the location, South Street Seaport. It's a better spot than Coney Island for sure but when the Seaport Space gets packed all hell can break loose. This will be interesting. 

Arctic Monkeys, New Video For "Don't Sit Down Cause I've Moved Your Chair"

Earlier this week, Zane Lowe  premiered the Arctic Monkeys first single, “Don’t Sit Down ‘Cause I’ve Moved Your Chair” on BBC's Radio 1 in the UK.  The band has now unveiled the video, directed by Focus Creeps, which launched on their website yesterday. The track is the first single proper from the Sheffield quartet’s highly anticipated fourth album, Suck It and See - out  June 7^th on Domino Records.

Joel Jerome Of Dios, 'When Beck Was Cool' (Free Download)

Joel Jerome of the band Dios has a thing for old Beck tunes. I happen to be a big fan of the old, weird, semi-acoustic, white trash anthem days of Beck. Frankly, I'm bored with artsy, electro Beck and yearn for the days of "Loser" and "Beercan". Anyway, Joel Jerome has recorded an album of nothing but old Beck tunes called, When Beck Was Cool which hits iTunes on April 19th.

Joel Morales - Cyanide Breath Mint by buzzbands

The Death Set Have A New Video, "We Are Going Anywhere Man"

The Death Set have a new video and it's pretty rad. Here's the story about the making of the video.

We wanted to throw a party on our roof so we invited our friends and a bunch of party ingredients. It all worked until we made too much ruckas and apparently knocked “art” off the wall of the douche bag downstairs. Now this guy’s “art” was his “Transformers the Movie” poster and of course threatened to sue and asked if I had “music video insurance”. And of course I have insurance right? Health insurance, dental insurance, music video insurance, insurance on deez nuts and but, all of the above pffff. Just like one of the causes of the economic crisis, hell I got insurance for my insurance… Anyways so we just took the party to our tiny ass apartment and had a time. Reminds me of that game we played as kids where you spin around till you blackout.

Soundgarden Announce Summer Tour Dates!

YES, YES, YES!!! Soundgarden has announced that they're playing shows this summer. They're calling it a tour but so far it's only four shows and the closest one to NYC is in Philly.

The tickets go on sale on Monday for fan club members and April 22nd for the rest of you poor bastards. All pre-sale tickets are being sold in pairs, which is annoying, and range from $119-$149 per pair. That's expensive but I've always said I'd gladly shell out $200 to see Soundgarden so this ain't so bad.

I am so excited for this. I loved Soundgarden growing up but I never got to see them live - this is a dream come true!

• 7/2/11: Toronto, ON @ Molson Canadian Amphitheatre
• 7/13/11: Philadelphia, PA @ Festival Pier at Penn's Landing
• 7/18/11: Denver, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre
• 7/22/11: Los Angeles, CA @ The Forum

Link:

Soundgarden Announce Summer Tour

For Soundgarden fans, this is a moment they’ve been waiting for: since the band’s final show in Hawaii in 1997, fans have hoped that Matt Cameron, Chris Cornell, Ben Shepherd, and Kim Thayil would once again take their exalted rock show on the road. This summer, Soundgarden will do just that.

The band has recently confirmed that they are in the studio in Seattle, and are writing and recording what will be the first newSoundgarden album in over 15 years. In the meantime, they will take a break to play a city near you. Today, four shows from their Summer tour are announced, with more to come in the coming weeks.  Stay tuned to www.soundgardenworld.com for updates. Come experience the noise!

Black Lips & Vivian Girls Played Webster Hall Last Night

Black Lips have an album coming out which was produced by Mark Ronson which will kill lo-fi dead. Last night they brought their insane live show and new tunes to Webster Hall. Brooklyn's own Vivian Girls opened the gig. Metromix posted a short review and some pics from the gig.

Link:

Metromix Saw Black Lips

Tonight: FORlokals, Grand St. Happy Hour @ Lady Jay's (Free BBQ & Cheap Booze)

Stop by Lady Jay's after work and have a few drinks and hot dogs. The hot dogs are free and the booze is pretty damn cheap. I'll be manning the grill (until it starts raining, at least) and maybe even DJ a few tunes at some point. Carlos (Nickels & Dimes) and Nora (I Rock I Roll) will be DJing. The last edition of FORlokals was super fun - everyone left with bellies full and livers swollen. 

RSVP & Details:

FORlokals

Spirit Family Reunion Need A New Van

Spirit Family Reunion is in need of a trusty new van so they can hit the road this summer. They've created a Kickstarter page for the cause. You can help them out by contributing anywhere from $1 to $1,500. Contributors will be rewarded with things like a private concert, festival passes, lyric sheets and so on.

Link:

SFR Kickstarter

Spirit Family Reunion "Leave Your Troubles At The Gate" from Possum Den Productions on Vimeo.

The Dodos Are Playing NYC

I just got a press release informing me that The Dodos will be hitting NYC for two shows in June. The first show is on June 9th at Bowery Ballroom and then it's Music Hall of Williamsburg on the 10th.

Chris Cornell Played Town Hall Last Night (Video)

Last night the great Chris Cornell played a solo (semi) acoustic show at Town Hall in NYC. The show sold out before I had a chance to snag tix but here are a few videos from last night I found on YouTube. I am so pissed I wasn't at this show.

Tonight: TVOTR @ Music Hall; Black Lips & Vivian Girls @ Webster Hall; Chris Cornell @ Town Hall; Surf City & Darlings @ Glasslands

There are a ton of killer shows tonight. TV On The Radio ($31 - sold out)and Vivian Girls (w/ Black Lips, $20) are both dropping albums today and playing shows to celebrate. Chris Cornell is doing a solo acoustic show  (w/ William Elliot Whitmore, who is amazing) which I would fucking kill to be at. Yes, his new solo shit is atrocious but then again have you ever heard the acoustic version of "Like Suicide"? Hearing that live is worth $50. Not down for big, fancy venues tonight? Surf City and Darlings are at Glasslands ($8). 

Vivian Girls New Album Out Today (Full Stream) + Playing Webster Hall Tonight With Black Lips

There's a new Vivian Girls album, Share The Joy, out today and you can stream the whole damn thing on NPR. Try before you buy and what not. They are playing what will surely be an amazing show with Black Lips tonight at Webster Hall.

Link:

Stream Share The Joy by Vivian Girls

Cheeseburger Has A New Single (Streaming) + New Album Coming Soon

I used to love seeing this band but I haven't heard much from them lately. Well, they're back and working with Adult Swim! They have a new album coming out on May 3rd called Another Big Night Down The Drain. Music from the album will be featured on the upcoming season of SuperJail!, which is the most twisted cartoon ever. Here's a new track from Cheeseburger called, "Winner".

Winner by cheeseburgernyc

Arctic Monkeys Release New Single (Streaming)

Arctic Monkeys have a new tune which will be released as vinyl on May 30th. You can stream the track right here. It's alright, what do you think?

Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair by arcticmonkeys

Art Decade Is Ben Talmi's New Band And They're Totally Awesome (Free Download)

Ben Talmi has a new band called Art Decade and they just sent me some music. The music has moments where it's pretty heavy, bordering on metal, then all of a sudden it goes into MGMT territory and then some late 90's AFI type shit. That description would imply a clusterfuck but it works amazingly. I'm particularly impressed with the track "Weapon". The band will be in NYC on April 20th at Lit and there's no way I'm missing it. In the meantime you can fill out the form on their website and get a free MP3.

Tonight: Spirit Family Reunion & Morgan O'Kane @ Rock Shop; Sundelles @ Ace Hotel; Ritz Riot & Unstoppable Death Machines @ Silent Barn

Despite it being a Sunday there's a shit load of good music tonight.

RSVP & Details:

SFR & Morgan O'Kane ($5)

Sundelles Record Release Party @ Ace Hotel (FREE)

Unstoppable Death Machines, Ritz Riot, Filthy Savage @ Silent Barn ($5)

Spirit Family Reunion - When My Name Is Spoken by BrooklynSkiClub

The Sundelles -- Gold by nikileighbuds

Fuck Yo Shoes (2011 Final) by Ritz Riot

Unstoppable Death Machines - Slumlord by BrooklynSkiClub

Today: Brain-Cave Festival With Gunfight!, Dinowalrus, She Keeps Bees & More

This already started but I doubt any of the bands you want to see have played yet.

RSVP & Details:

Brain-Cave Festival

EULA Record Release Party @ Bruar Falls With Shark? & Pow Wow (April 16th)

EULA has a new album coming out soon so they're having a little party over at Bruar Falls to celebrate. Shark?, pow wow! and Ghost Bunny will be joining them. That's one hell of a lineup. The show is on April 16th, costs $6 and starts at 8pm.

RSVP & Details:

EULA Record Release

Beastie Boys, "Fight For Your Right" (Revisited)

Tonight: The Drums @ Mercury Lounge; Dirty Fences @ Don Pedro's

I'm still pissed at The Drums for cancelling last minute on two shows I was involved with back when they first started getting popular (not cool bros). That said, they're a good band you should try and see at some point ($15 cover tonight). But if sunny, surfer music isn't your speed you can head to Don Pedro's for one of the best down and dirty rock n' roll bands in NYC, Dirty Fences (FREE SHOW).

DIRTY FENCES by DIRTY FENCES

AgesandAges Are Pretty Good (Free Download)

Just got an email about some band from Portland called AgesandAges. While their name needs a little work the songs are pretty damn good. They're kinda folky but not in the annoying hippie way. Give them a listen (the songs in MP3 format are better than the tune in the video) and if you want to see them live they're in town on the 29th and 30th at the Knitting Factory and Mercury Lounge.

MP3:

So So Freely - AgesandAges

No Nostalgia - AgesandAges

Times New Viking Shares A New Song, "Ever Falling In Love" (Free Download)

I don't love Times New Viking but this tune is pretty good. Give it a whirl. By the way, they're playing the Knitting Factory on May 27th.

MP3:

Ever Falling In Love - Times New Viking

Sundelles Have New Songs, "Kiss The Coast" & "Can't Win" (Free Download)

Just got a new MP3 to share from the Sundelles. It's called "Kiss The Coast" and it's very West Coast. It makes me want to go surfing. "Can't Win" actually hit the blogs a little while ago but here it is anyway in case you missed it.

MP3:

Kiss The Coast - Sundelles

Can't Win - Sundelles

Sundelles are also playing a couple of shows in NYC soon, including their record release show. 

4/9 - NYC - Glasslands w/ Cloud Nothings
4/10 - NYC - Ace Hotel -  Record Release Party - FREE Show

City & Colour Release New Track, "Fragile Bird"

Alexisonfire (I'm wearing an AOF shirt right now, creepy) frontman, Dallas Green, has a new tune out. There is way more going on here than your typical C&C track. I'm not completely against the new sound but what is going on with the vocals? Dallas has the best voice in the game and your covering it with effects, fuck that shit Alex Newport. Get your head out of your ass, dude. Again, good song but I hate the production and especially when it comes to the vocals. The new album comes out on June 7th, it's called Little Hell.

Link:

City & Colour on Spinner

Kurt Cobain

Yesterday marked the anniversary of Kurt Cobain's death. I was 13 years old when Kurt Cobain killed himself. I was just reading Igor's post on DrivenByBoredom about Nirvana and how it affected him and I thought I'd write my own.

I had a friend named Greg who lived in the neighborhood. Greg was a year or two older and was absolutely obsessed with Nirvana. He had every b-side (even the super rare Hormoaning EP), poster, shirt and even a powder blue Jag-Stag guitar.

Black Lips Premiere Video For "Modern Art" On VBS

A new tune from Black Lips and it's fucking awesome! "Modern Art" is one of the Ronson produced tracks and if they all sound like this then I couldn't be more excited to hear the album. The most notable difference is how the vocals are loud and up front in the mix. Historically the Black Lips, and all garage bands, tend to bury the vocals and keep them kinda muddy. Ronson has the boys sounding like a proper rock n' roll band. I like it! Oh, and the video is weird as shit and totally awesome.

Link:

"Modern Art" on VBS

Biggie's Son In New Will Ferrell Movie

Yup, the fat kid is none other than the son of Biggie Smalls.

New TV On The Radio Album, Nine Types Of Light (Full Album Stream)

TV On The Radio has a new album out and they're streaming the whole damn thing on Rhapsody. They're also playing NYC on April 12 & 13 at Music Hall and Radio City.

Stream:

Nine Types Of Light by TV On The Radio

VICE Is Huge Now

VICE is becoming a proper corporate entity. The NY Times is reporting that VICE is,

...preparing to announce investment partnerships with Tom Freston, MTV’s co-founder; WPP, the giant media conglomerate; and the Raine Group, a boutique investment firm. To help it expand, Vice has also enlisted William Morris Endeavor Entertainment and its chief executive, Ari Emanuel, to represent the company.

Well, shit. Lot's of the old schoolers are already crying sell-out but when it comes to VICE that's nothing new. People have been calling VICE sell-outs for the better part of ten years. Whether you agree with that sentiment or not, the fact is they're still one of the more honest and edgy media groups out there. VBS for example produces pretty amazing documentaries about everything from the plights of war-torn, third-world countries to black metal to underground sex parties. And now with their MTV show they're bringing much of that footage to the masses (although it is highly cut down).

Frankly, I'm happy for them. They turned a Canadian punk mag into a worldwide media empire. The only thing I'm pissed about is that I never tried getting a job there. I know people there, I work in marketing and music, I produce events, I live in Brooklyn and I've been in shitty punk bands - how the fuck do I not work at VICE? Oh well, congrats VICE.

Link: 

VICE Media Empire Is Near A Big Infusion Of Cash

***PS: VICE, I won a free subscription on Twitter. You never sent it. What the fuck? 

Tonight: Ra Ra Riot, Diamondsnake, Eugene Mirman + More @ Bell House (Japan Benefit)

This will be super fun and it's for a good cause. I don't love trekking out to the Bell House but this is well worth the effort.

RSVP & Details:

Brooklyn <3 Japan

Tonight: Subhumans @ Santos Party House

There are quite a few decent shows tonight but the only one we're listing is Sub-fucking-humans! This might be the most punk rock band in history. And despite being crusty old dudes they will put on one of the best shows you've ever seen. I got to see them at the old Knitting Factory a few years back and it was fucking incredible. Anyone who makes any claim to punk should go see this band tonight.

Link:

Subhumans @ Santos

Tummy Touch Records Showcase Was Cool

This comes a little late but on Monday we went over to Rockwood Music Hall for the Tummy Touch Records showcase. It started nice and early and featured a full open bar the whole night. The show consisted of short performances by their artists in rapid succession. Each artist was rather unique from the other so I'm just going to go through them one by one, in order of appearance.

• The Bandana Splits are an all girl vocal group. The three girls in the group wear matching outfits and have a great stage presence. The vocals are impressive. It's very doubtful I would ever listen to this group on my iPod but I would certainly see them live, they're lots of fun. 
• Bing Ji Ling looks and sounds like a coke fueled 70's porno. It's hard to tell if this is all supposed to be tongue-in-cheek or not. Bing Ji Ling is just one dude singing 70's acoustic rock and he looks like a caricature of Walter Becker (Steely Dan). It's really weird.
• Project Trio is a three piece jazz type of band. It's an upright bass, cello and flute. The music was jumping and even when it mellowed out it had a soul to it you usually don't get from these types of groups. They were very impressive and the crowd was totally into their set. Apparently they play around NYC so it would be well worth checking them out. 
• Kyan Kuatois is British pop singer who played solo with piano. At first he came off as kind of bland but as he loosened up a bit (it was his first NYC show ever, after all) his voice really stood out. This kid can sing! Most of the songs are pure pop but the few times he touched on soul he reminded me of Stevie Wonder. I think we'll be hearing a lot from this kid.
• Twi The Humble Feather is just fucking weird shit. They sound like the soundtrack to some nerdy role-playing game. There's weird chanting and medieval sounds and it's just odd. It kinda creeped me out a bit. 
• Turner Cody is a guy with a guitar and he sure knows how to use it. His voice immediately reminded me of Mountain Goats but his guitar style is more Jack White. The first song sounded so much like Mountain Goats that I dismissed this guy as a rip off but he won me back with the rest of the sets which was bluesy and bad ass. Check this guy out for sure. 
• Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players were the headliners and as always they were both awesome and hilarious. If you're not familiar with the band well you should change that. It's a top notch comedy set combined with rather awesome music. But hey, Trachtenburg is already a big deal (they were on Conan, after all) so I don't need to tell you what you already know.