SOTD: "Kingdom of Rust" - Doves

A Birthday Party @ MHOW - 5/27/09

On Wednesday night a friend invited me to attend a birthday party at the Music Hall Of Williamsburg. Knowing that I love the club and that it was a free invite, it was pretty much automatic that I'd attend. The really enticing thing about the show was that there were five bands scheduled to perform: The Antlers, Dawes, Deer Tick, Pela, Tokyo Police Club. I didn't bring my camera because I wasn't sure if it would be cool to take pics & video since I was invited as a guest (and sometimes it's nice to sit back and just take a show in). Here's some general notes off the top of my head about each band:



THE ANTLERS

I had read a bit about these guys and listened to some of their clips a couple of weeks ago. They went on first and I'd say that there were only about 100 people in the crowd so it was easy to get close (actually, it was pretty spacious most of the night which is a nice contrast to the usual club shows). The Antlers were a 3-piece band: Guitar, Keyboard and Drums. I liked their sound and thought they did a nice job getting the show going. Solid opening band for sure. You can check out their website HERE and I'd recommend the song "Bear".



DAWES

This was the one band on the schedule that was completely new to me but my buddy Richard told me that he heard they were really good. Let me tell you, they stole the show in my opinion. It's pretty rare nowadays to be blown away by a band that you know absolutely nothing about but they did that and more. These guys are a four piece from California with guitar, bass, drums and keyboard. Even though they're from out west, they really remind me of a Southern rock band, their lead singer also reminded me a bit of Bruce Springsteen at times. They closed their set with the song "It's Gonna Be Alright" which also featured Matt Vazquez from Delta Spirit on backing vocals. Tremendous harmonies from the guys in the band and just a really tight group. As soon as I got home I looked them up and listened to some tracks online, but I don't think any of them do their live show justice.

Looks like they're headed out on a pretty extensive summer tour opening for Deer Tick. I can't wait until they come back to NYC in late July at the Bowery Ballroom. You've gotta check that tour out, it's going to be fantastic. You can check out their tour dates and listen to some tracks on their myspace page HERE. Also, I'd recommend listening to their Daytrotter session HERE........ especially the song "When My Time Comes".



DEER TICK

I've heard a lot about these guys but never really got around listening to them until about a month ago when my buddy Todd emailed me after seeing their show in Rhode Island. I've listened to them quite a bit over the last few weeks and really dig their sound. Their lead singer has a real raspy voice but it definitely fits in perfectly with their music. They're a pretty traditional band with two guitars, bass (electric and stand-up) and drums, but they also kind of remind me of a southern band.

They played a high-energy set with some really cool songs including a great cover of Tom Petty's "Breakdown". One of my favorite songs of the night was actually sung primarily by guitarist Andrew Tobiassen with lead singer John McCauley on harmonica and backing vocals (unfortunately I don't know the title). Deer Tick closed their set with a raucous version of "La Bamba", including fans holding up about 20+ sparklers and a busted pinata showered into the crowd, talk about going out with a bang! Check out their tour dates and music HERE, especially "Baltimore Blues No.1".



PELA

I just saw Pela last week and wrote about that experience HERE so I don't have a ton more to add. They put on another solid, high intensity show and didn't disappoint. Take a listen to their music HERE, "Waiting on the Stairs" is a great tune.



TOKYO POLICE CLUB

I gotta admit that I didn't make it long enough to see these guys. I must be getting old (or maybe I was just tired) but it was after midnight and Pela was still on so I took off before TPC hit the stage. I did hear that they were good and it doesn't surprise me since I've seen them a couple times before (Coachella, Theater at MSG). Anyways, if you want to take a listen to their music, you can do that HERE, I really like the song "Nature of the Experiment".

All in all a real fun night at a great venue. Thanks to my buddy Richard for the invite and thanks to "Bowery Presents" for a fun night out with some real good bands.

SOTD: "Bitter Heart" - Zee Avi

DMB @ Beacon Theatre on FUSE/ Streaming Audio on Pandora

A couple of notes on the Dave Matthews Band. As I mentioned last week, DMB's show at the Beacon Theatre next Monday night will be streamed live on HULU. I also just found out that it will be played on TV on the FUSE channel live and commercial free at 9pm (EST). For more information on the concert, you can go HERE.



Also, DMB's new album "Big Whiskey & The Groogrux King" is streaming live on Pandora right now. You can listen to the entire album HERE.

SOTD: "Ashamed" - Deer Tick

Harlem Shakes SXSW Session

Daytrotter has posted some great audio from the Harlem Shakes SXSW Sessions, which you can find HERE (both streaming audio & MP3).

SOTD: "Wolf Like Me" - TV On The Radio

You probably already know this song but it's so damn good.

Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson Duet(s)

Turns out that Pete Yorn and Scarlett Johansson have recorded an album of duets together titled, "Break Up". More information about this interesting pairing can be found HERE. Also, you check out the first single, "Relator" right HERE.

SOTD: "Stillness Is The Move" - Dirty Projectors

NYC Area Concerts week of 5/25

5/27 The Toadies @ The Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza
5/27 Isobel Cambell & Mark Lanegan @ Webster Hall
5/28 Andrew W.K. @ Santos Party House
5/28 Sean Bones @ Mercury Lounge
5/28 The Helio Sequence @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
5/28-29 Grizzly Bear @ Town Hall
5/29-31 X @ Bowery Ballroom
5/29 Cake @ Terminal 5
5/29 Team Robespierre, A.R.E. Weapons @ The Studio at Webster Hall
5/30 The Wave Pictues @ Mercury Lounge
5/31 Grizzly Bear @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

SOTD: "Sit Right Down" - Toots & The Maytals

I've been working all week on a Memorial Day mix for this upcoming weekend. One of the songs I pulled out from the archives is "Sit Right Down" by Toots & The Maytals, a classic and a good way to get in the mood for a fun holiday. Have a great weekend everyone, I hope you can enjoy it with family and friends. Grab a cold drink, kick off your shoes and turn this one up LOUD.....

Still Moving: My Morning Jacket by Sam Erickson

This exhibit starts tonight, here's an excerpt from the ATO Records newsletter (and more info HERE):

"The Morrison Hotel Presents Still Moving: My Morning Jacket by Sam Erickson

From 2002 to 2008 photographer and filmmaker Sam Erickson regularly documented My Morning Jacket as they steadily grew into one of the most acclaimed and influential bands of their generation. His efforts resulted in a stunning collection of images from the recording of the bands last three studio albums.

Beginning on May 22nd, the Morrison Hotel Gallery will show 21 of these images for a six-week exhibition which is aptly entitled Still Moving. These will be hand-printed, archival shots from the film negatives, and will be available in limited editions. None of the images in the show were commissioned photographs; the majority have never before been viewed by the public. This also marks the first instance the Morrison Hotel Gallery has done a show on a band that is ascending, rather than reflecting on a career. "

DMB @ Beacon Theatre Webcast on Hulu

The Dave Matthews Band will be playing an intimate show at the Beacon Theatre in NYC on June 1st and HULU will be broadcasting it live. Below is the email I received tonight from the DMB crew.

"Hulu to Live Stream DMB's June 1st Beacon Theatre Benefit Concert

We are excited to announce that Dave Matthews Band and Hulu are teaming up to present Hulu's first-ever live concert stream. Beginning at 9:00 p.m. EST on June 1st, Hulu will bring the intimate Beacon Theatre show to fans for free via a live stream at Hulu.com. The Beacon concert will take place on the eve of the release of Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King and is a benefit concert for DMB's own Bama Works Fund. Following the exclusive live stream, Hulu will offer on-demand access of the show.

The concert is one of numerous elements of Hulu's first music partnership. Beginning on Thursday, May 28th, Hulu will begin introducing DMB videos leading up to the Beacon Theatre concert, including an exclusive airing of "Scenes from Big Whiskey," the documentary about the making of Big Whiskey, behind-the-scenes footage and original and live music videos. Hulu will also air Dave Matthews Band's upcoming performances on "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" and the "TODAY" show."

Gogol Bordello Tour Kickoff

Gogol Bordello's US Tour kicks off tonight! Tour dates are below and you can go HERE for more information:

5/22 Santa Cruz, CA USA The Catalyst
5/23 Santa Cruz, CA USA The Catalyst
5/25 George, WA USA Sasquatch! Music Festival
5/27 Murray, UT USA Murray Theatre
5/28 Boulder, CO USA Fox Theatre
5/29 Kansas City, MO USA Beaumount Club
5/30 Minneapolis, MN USA Cabooze - Outdoor Stage
5/31 Chicago, IL USA Congress Theatre
6/02 Royal Oak, MI USA Royal Oak Music Theatre
6/04 Baltimore, MD USA Ram's Head Live
6/05 Boston, MA USA House of Blues - Boston
6/06 S. Burlington, VT USA Higher Ground
6/07 S. Burlington, VT USA Higher Ground

SOTD: "Wind Phoenix" - Cymbals Eat Guitars

Save Paste Magazine

You may have already seen some stories online discussing this but Paste Magazine is reaching out to its readers to help save the magazine. With a minimal donation, you get access to over 100 downloads from various bands supporting the magazine and you're also eligible to win a bunch of prizes. Here's just some of the prizes:

Collection of cool indie-rock concert posters from artist Clinton Reno including Neko Case, Franz Ferdinand, Over the Rhine, The Decemberists, The Gutter Twins, Rilo Kiley, Death Cab for Cutie, and Nada Surf. (Note: these are not signed by the musicians.)
2 Free tickets to the SOLD OUT Austin City Limits Festival
Special items:
2 original Sufjan Stevens Illinois promo posters from before the image of Superman was removed (rare collector's item)
An entire Of Montreal Skeletal Lamping Collection
Cheap Trick Live at Budokan CD/DVD Box & autographed Budokan poster
Billy Joel The Stranger autographed 30th Anniversary Legacy Edition Box Set
Signed items from Morrissey, Marianne Faithful, James & Duncan Sheik, Brian Wilson, Randy Newman, k.d. lang, Ry Cooder & Wilco
Concert tickets from Aimee Mann, The Wrens & Joan Baez
More to come!

I donated last week and got an email from them last night with an update.....the good news is that they've raised $148,000 (pretty amazing), but they're still short of their goal of $300,000. HERE'S more information on the campaign, take a look and see if it's something you'd be interested in supporting.

SOTD: "I Love You Like A Madman" - The Wave Pictures

Frightened Rabbit Tour Dates

Frightened Rabbit has announced some July tour dates including a local club show at Maxwell's in Hoboken, NJ (this place is TINY). Tickets for that show are HERE. Dates below:

July
17 - Hoboken, N.J. @ Maxwell's
18 - Brooklyn, N.Y. @ Siren Festival
19 - Chicago, Ill. @ Pitchfork Festival
21 - Detroit, Mich. @ Magic Stick
22 - Toronto, Ontario @ Horseshoe Tavern
23 - Montreal, Quebec @ Les Saints
24 - Providence, R.I. @ Jerky's
25 - Northampton, Mass. @ Iron Horse Music Hall

SOTD: "Two Weeks" - Grizzly Bear

Tonight Show Premiere: Conan & Pearl Jam

Awesome news from PJ's website:

Pearl Jam is scheduled to appear as the inaugural musical guest for the June 1, 2009 premiere of “The Tonight Show With Conan O’Brien.” The band will perform songs from their upcoming studio album.

SOTD: "Quiet Little Voices" - We Were Promised Jetpacks

A few weeks ago my buddy Jackson emailed me about this band.......I've been listening to them consistently ever since. They're only touring Europe right now but hopefully they'll get over to the US sometime soon. Here's something to get your Monday morning going......

NYC Area Concerts week of 5/18

5/18 Iron and Wine @ Arbons Art Center
5/18 Passion Pit @ Rocks Off Concert Cruises
5/18 The Shins, Delta Spirit @ Terminal 5
5/20 St. Vincent @ Webster Hall
5/21 Vampire Weekend, Pat Mahoney, Hercules and Love Affair @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
5/21 The Shins @ Terminal 5
5/21 White Rabbits, Cymbals Eat Guitars @ Bowery Ballroom
5/22 Ben Lee, Low Vs. Diamond @ Bowery Ballroom
5/22 Holy Fuck, A Place To Bury Strangers @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
5/23 Holy Fuck, A Place To Bury Strangers @ Bowery Ballroom

Gogol Bordello Tour Kickoff Party

If you're in LA this weekend, I'd check this out on Saturday night......

SOTD: "What's So Bad About Feeling Good?" - Ben Lee

Coldplay Live: Free Download

Go HERE to download the free live Coldplay album "LeftRightLeftRightLeft".

SOTD: "Australia" - The Shins

Pela & The Postelles @ Mercury Lounge 5/11/09

On Monday night, a friend invited me and my buddy Dan to the Mercury Lounge for "The Alternate Side" launch party featuring two bands, The Postelles and Pela. Mercury Lounge is such a great venue, it's tiny and only holds a couple hundred people (at the most) so there's really not a bad seat in the house.



The Postelles played first and even though I hadn't heard them before, I definitely dug their sound. They seem pretty young and kind of remind me of a poppier version of the Strokes, a little bit like the Kooks also. They rolled through 7 or 8 songs and their lead singer thanked the crowd and WFUV numerous times for letting them play, they were definitely gracious. After a little research, it looks like they've got an EP on Itunes and they're working on a new album. I took a video (below) that you can check out, not sure if "I Wanna Love You" is even the name of this song but it'll work until I find out. Check out their site HERE for more information, they're going to play the All Points West Festival in NJ this summer.

"I WANNA LOVE YOU"



Pela (rhymes with Layla) followed the Postelles and I was really excited to see these guys. My buddy Chris sent me one of their songs a couple weeks back and I've been listening to them quite a bit. I don't know who I'd compare them to currently but they kind of remind me of some of the bands I used to listen to in the 90s (that's a good thing to me). I had read some positive things about their live show, so I was looking forward to see if they delivered. They kicked off their set with the song "Waiting On The Stairs", a really good high-energy tune (video below). This was a great choice to come out firing, immediately got the crowd into them whether people knew their music or not. They followed that with "Lost To The Lonesome", another upbeat song that I featured as the SOTD a little while back. Pela absolutely ripped through another 5 or 6 songs and frontman Billy McCarthy left it all on stage and was covered in sweat at the end of their show.



I came away really impressed with these guys, definitely a band I'd recommend seeing. They just finished a tour with Gaslight Anthem and looks like they're heading to Seattle, you can check out their site HERE for more information.

"WAITING ON THE STAIRS"



All in all a fun night of music at a great club. Special thanks to Lindsay for hooking up the tix, much appreciated!

SOTD: "Percussion Gun" - White Rabbits

Regina Spektor @ Beacon Theatre Tix

Just announced, Regina Spektor will be playing the Beacon Theatre in NYC on Weds. 6/17/09 (with Little Joy opening). Tix go on sale today at 1pm (eastern) HERE.

A couple years ago I got to meet Regina at the Bridge School Festival in California ( which I wrote about HERE). Ever since that weekend, I always keep my eyes open to see if she's got anything going on in the area. A talented performer and just a really nice person, hopefully I'll get to catch this show.

SOTD: "For Today" - Avett Brothers

Pete Yorn & Coldplay Free Ticket Contest

Pete Yorn will be opening for Coldplay on several dates this spring/summer. Go HERE to enter your email address and name for a chance to win two (2) tickets to see Pete Yorn and Coldplay in concert! The tour dates are below:

05/15 West Palm Beach, FL Cruzen Amphitheater
05/17 Atlanta, GA Lakewood Amphitheater
05/18 Birmingham, AL Verizon Wireless Amph
05/20 Virginia Beach, VA Verizon Wireless Amph
05/21 Washington, DC Nissan Pavilion
05/23 Hartford, CT Meadows Music Cntr
05/24 Hershey, PA Hershey Park Stadium
05/26 Philadelphia, PA Susquehanna Bank Cntr
05/27 Saratoga Springs, NY Saratoga Perf Arts Cntr
05/30 Pittsburgh, PA Post-Gazette Pavilion
06/01 Buffalo, NY Darien Lakes
06/02 Detroit, MI DTE Energy Center
06/04 Cincinnati, OH Riverbend Music Center

SOTD: "Boy With A Coin" - Iron & Wine

NYC Area Concerts week of 5/11

5/11 Vivian Girls @ Bowery Ballroom
5/11 Crystal Antlers @ The Bell House
5/11 The Thermals @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
5/12 Horse Feathers @ Joe's Pub
5/12 Crystal Antlers @ Mercury Lounge
5/13 Wye Oak @ Mercury Lounge
5/13 Animal Collective @ Terminal 5
5/15 Dan Deacon, Future Islands, Teeth Mountain @ 979 Broadway Backyard
5/15 Melvins @ Webster Hall
5/16 Dan Deacon @ Bowery Ballroom
5/16-17 Leonard Cohen @ Radio City Music Hall
5/16 Sonic Youth @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
5/17 Iron and Wine @ Arbons Art Center

SOTD: "Lost to the Lonesome" - Pela

My buddy Chris sent me this clip a couple weeks back, really like the song......

Ryan Montbleau @ Fairfield Theatre Company - Saturday Night

If you're in the tri-state area and looking for something to do on Saturday night, take a trip to my hometown of Fairfield, CT to see singer-songwriter Ryan Montbleau perform at the Fairfield Theatre Company (which is also conveniently located right off the metro north train station). All the show information can be found HERE.

SOTD: "Please Concrete" - Wye Oak

Green Day to play Webster Hall 5/19

Green Day will be playing a show at Webster Hall in NYC on May 19th. "The List" on myspace is giving away 300 tickets.

Here is how it works. Email your name, your city and email address to thelist@​myspacemusic.​com

The week of the show 300 lucky winners will be selected at random and, come May 19th, they will be on The List to see Green Day play this performance.

SOTD: "Young Adult Friction" - The Pains of Being Pure at Heart

Hudson River Park's River Rocks 2009

Hudson River Park has announced several shows at Pier 54 in NYC for this summer:

July 9: Matt & Kim

July 23: Ted Leo & The Pharmacists

August 13: Yeasayer

This is a pretty cool venue on the Hudson River on the west side of Manhattan (at 14th St.) All the information can be found HERE. Pumped for that Yeasayer show, those guys are great.

SOTD: "Inside A Boy" - My Brightest Diamond

Since I wrote a bit about her below in the DWTN highlights, I figured I'd pick one of her songs to showcase today......

Dark Was The Night 5/3/09

On Sunday night, a few buddies and I went to see the Dark Was The Night benefit show at Radio City Music Hall (one of my favorite venues). The show consisted of several bands, each playing approximately 2-4 songs. What was really cool was how many of the bands came out to support each other, whether on backing vocals or instruments, there were a lot of great collaborations. My friend JT got us fantastic seats, front row of the first balcony so we had a dead on view of the stage without any obstructions (this was a huge help for taking videos since I could just put the camera on the ledge in front of me). Here were some of the highlights for me:

- David Byrne and The Dirty Projectors: David Byrne came out a couple songs into their set to sing the song "Knotty Pine" that's on the benefit album, cool song and it was fun to see David Byrne in person, this was my first time seeing him perform.

- My Brightest Diamond: I didn't know much about her before the show but man can she sing, great voice. My favorite part was when she came out and sang "Flume" with Bon Iver (see the video below).



- The National: They played two new songs, "England" and "Vanderlylle Cry Baby" (I think that's right). I really like these guys, so it was great to hear some new material. Justin Vernon of Bon Iver also came out and played electric guitar during one of the songs and had a pretty sick solo.

- David Byrne: He came out accompanied by a six piece percussion group and went right into the song "Don't Fence Me In", great tune.



- Bon Iver: I just love these guys, I was really excited to hear them in Radio City and they didn't disappoint. They played four songs and the highlight was probably "Big Red Machine" with Matt Berninger of the National singing vocals with Justin. Awesome set.

- Feist: This was my first time seeing her perform also and she came out solo with an acoustic guitar. Not an easy thing to do in front of a full house at Radio City but she sounded great. I loved a song she sang called "Look At What The Light Did Now".

- Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings: I've seen them before so I knew to expect some high energy and they delivered. Sharon is such a great performer/entertainer, you couldn't help but feed off her energy. They closed their set with a great song, "100 Days, 100 Nights".




After they wrapped up, all the performers (except for David Byrne I think) came out to sing "This Land Is Your Land" in a folky "campfire like" sing-a-long. A couple of minutes in, Sharon Jones walks back out and interrupts and goes into an up-tempo funk version with the Dap Kings. This got people up and out of their chairs and dancing in the aisles, good time and a fun way to end a great Sunday night at Radio City.

Here's some videos I took:

David Byrne & Dirty Projectors: "Knotty Pine"




Bon Iver & Matt Berninger (The National): "Big Red Machine"




Bon Iver & My Brightest Diamond: "Flume"

SOTD: "Lovin's For Fools" - Bon Iver & Sarah Siskind

One of my favorite acts that I've discovered over this past year has been Bon Iver. A few months back, I took my wife to see them at a beautiful venue in NYC called Town Hall, and old theater that occasionally has great concerts here in the city. The show was one of the best I've seen and the group ended the concert with a version of the song "Lovin's For Fools", by Sarah Siskind. You can check out her site HERE, I think this is something everyone should get a chance to hear...enjoy!

NYC Area Concerts week of 5/4

5/4 The Dears, Great Northern, Eulogies @ Bowery Ballroom
5/4 The Kills, The Horrors, Magic Wands @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
5/5 Loney, Dear @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
5/5 Adele @ Roseland Ballroom
5/5 Ben Harper & Relentless7 @ Webster Hall
5/6 Akron/Family @ Bowery Ballroom
5/6 Patrick Wolf @ (le) Poisson Rouge
5/6 Vampire Weekend @ Joe's Pub
5/7 Fischerspooner @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
5/7 Franz Ferdinand @ Roseland Ballroom
5/7 Junior Boys @ Webster Hall
5/8 Bjork, Dirty Projectors @ Housing Works Used Book Café
5/8-9 The Thermals @ Bowery Ballroom
5/8 Bjork, Dirty Projectors @ Housing Works Used Book Cafe
5/8 Ben Harper and Relentless7 @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
5/8 Fischerspooner @ Webster Hall
5/9 Mastodon @ The Fillmore at Irving Plaza
5/9 Horse Feathers @ The Bell House
5/9 The Crystal Method @ Webster Hall
5/10 Chairlift, Takka Takka @ The Bell House
5/10 Mastodon @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

SOTD: "Airport Surroundings" - Loney Dear

Put this song on at 4:55pm and let it play you out of the office and into the weekend. Here's a good one to get you started.....

Lemonheads 2009 Tour

The Lemonheads have announced a 2009 tour that will hit both the east and west coasts and venues in between. All the details can be found HERE.