East Village Radio Music Festival Moved to Sunday

Due to tropical storm Hanna, the East Village Radio Music Festival has been moved to Sunday. The festival will run 1PM - 9PM at the South Street Seaport.

I'm looking forward to seeing Boris (for free) but I also want to check out Olof Arnalds, who is a new artist out of Iceland. Here is a video of Olof performing her song "Klara" for Iceland Airways podcast.



Here are the set times for both of the festival stages:

BANDS SCHEDULED FOR @ SEAPORT LOCATION
Lil' Dusty 1:30
Bunnybrains 2:30
Hex Message 3:30
Crystal Stilts 5:30
Woods 6:15
BIG A little a 7:00

BAND SCHEDULE FOR SOUTH STREET SEAPORT STAGE
4-ize 12:45
Hypnotic Brass Ensemble 1:15
Dr. Lonnie Smith 1:45
Olof Arnalds 2:30
Vivian Girls 3:00
High Places 3:45
Awesome Color 4:30
John Oliver 5:00
Devin the Dude 5:30
Flying Lotus 6:15
Mark Ronson 7:00
BORIS 7:45

Links:
Olof Arnalds' MySpace page

Kory Clarke/Warrior Soul Announce The Release of Chinese Democracy

Never one for subtlety, Kory Clarke has named Warrior Soul's forthcoming CD Chinese Democracy.

Chinese Democracy is the first studio album of new material since 1995's Space Age Playboys. Kory said "I'm really proud of this album. It's been great to make another Warrior Soul record and this line up is the best I've ever had."'

The current lineup of Warrior Soul has been together for about two years and has been touring in Europe to strong reviews. The band played their first NYC show in 12 years earlier this year at Ace of Clubs and the song "Let's Get Wasted" was captured on video.


The band is playing The Canal Room on October 26th as part of a Smoke The Vote/High Times event.

Chinese Democracy will be available for sale on Warrior Soul's US tour, which kicks off this month, and the disc will be available in retail stores early next year.

Links:
Warrior Soul's MySpace Profile

Garage Rockers Sister Anne are Playing Fontana's on September 26th

In July, I caught Les Breastfeeders' show at Europa and Brooklyn's Sister Anne opened. I assume that the band's name came from the MC5 song and the MC5's music is a good point of reference for Sister Anne. The five piece band (two bass players) play high-energy R&B infused garage rock.



Sister Anne is playing Fontana's on September 26th and their live show is well worth checking out. During the band's set at Europa, you couldn't help but move to the music and lead singer Kitana was in and out of the crowd getting everyone dancing.

There are a couple live tracks from a show earlier this year at Ace of Clubs streaming on the band's MySpace page.

Austrian Death Machine - Total Brutal CD Review (Metal Blade)

There are some bands in the metal genre that take themselves way too seriously. (As I write this, I'm thinking of a metal band that I saw a few months back who ripped up a Bible in a moment of such pompous seriousness, I almost fell over laughing.) As such, Tim Labesis' new side project, Austrian Death Metal, brings some welcome fun back into the scene.

This disc is not intended to be deep and meaningful, dark and dangerous, a sensitive tribute to Satan or anything of the sort. Tim Lambesis describes the disc as "a tribute to the great Arnold movies. It is a band fronted by Ahhnold with music I wrote and recorded in my free time. But, most importantly, I had so much fun!"

This disc intersperses short spoken word vignettes from an Arnold Schwarzenegger impersonator with thrash metal tunes set to lyrics from das Ahnold's movies. Tim says that "Austrian Death Machine is exactly what you should hear from a heavy band:

- a continuously fast paced tempo you can always circle pit to
- the obvious build up to a breakdown you'll know how to mosh to
- classic sing alongs to pile up and sing along with
- a guitar solo in every song

And yes... I would never leave out the obvious key component. Cliché vocals that sound really angry! None of this scary screaming with makeup or goofy lows that we can all make under our breath."

Tim and company just released their first video:

Austrian Death Machine "Get To The Choppa"


"Get In the Choppa" should give you a good idea as to what the rest of the disc sounds like. On one of the spoken words pieces, 'Arnold' says "...of course [the songs] all sound the same because they all sound brutal".

Even though this disc plays on every cliche (there is a 'hidden track' on the disc entitled "Not So Hidden Track"), it is still great stuff. Who says that metal has to be about dark lyrics and bible ripping?

I would have guessed that Austrian Death Machine was just a one-time studio project but Tim & the band are playing two shows this month:

Sep 19 2008 8:00PM, The Nitty Gritty, Rancho Cucamonga, California
Sep 20 2008 5:00PM, 98KUPD End of Summer Scorcher - Peoria Sports Complex Phoenix, Arizona

Links:
Austrian Death Machine's MySpace Page
Metal Blade

Municipal Waste Shops at Generation Records Prior to Irving Plaza Show

Metal Injection just posted a video interview with Municipal Waste prior to the band's show with At The Gates in July. Metal Injection's Grim Kim talks with the band as they shop for records in Generation Records in the Village.



Municipal Waste is doing a mini-tour next month with The Casualties but the tour isn't coming any closer than Philadelphia.

Here are the current tour date:
Oct 8 2008 7:00PM, The Ottobar, Baltimore, Maryland
Oct 9 2008 7:00PM, J C Dobbs, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Oct 10 2008 7:00PM, Club Paradise, Buffalo, New York
Oct 12 2008 8:00PM, Riot Fest,Chicago, Illinois
Nov 1 2008 6:00PM, The Fest!, Gainsville, Florida

For anyone who missed the Irving Plaza shows, here is what looks to be a cell phone video of the "Wall of Death" from the July 10th show.



Links:
Municipal Waste's MySpace Profile

Hades Announce Forthcoming Live DVD from 1988 Show

New Jersey's Hades always seemed right on the edge of hitting it big and then they would break up (this happened twice). The band was part of the original NY/NJ thrash metal scene in the 80's and played with bands like Nuclear Assault, Danzig, Manowar, Overkill and many others.

The band isn't getting back together but they are releasing a live video from a show recorded on December 30, 1988 in Boston where the band opened for Manowar and Nuclear Assault. The DVD includes 'Behind The Metal' filmed during the recording of The Downside album. It also includes interviews with Dan Lorenzo, Alan Tecchio, Jimmy Schulman, Ed Fuhrman and Scott LePage plus old video clips, live footage and TV show appearances, as well as a video for "Frozen Planet" from Dan Lorenzo's first solo album.

There are some interviews on Hades' MySpace page (link below) where the band members are asked about this upcoming DVD.

Here is what Alan had to say:

Question: Any memories of Hades show in Boston, out on DVD soon?

Alan: I recall being very bummed out about some guys in the front row who were giving me the finger all night. The were cursing at us screaming, "You suck!" and "Get off the stage!" The upside was that I had my 'I Hate You' shirt on and at one point in the video you can see me tugging on my shirt and pointing at them. That made me feel somewhat better.

The new disc is out in November on Cruz Del Sur Music.

If you aren't familiar with Hades, check out "King In Exile" from the band's 1988 release, If At First You Don't Success.



Links:
Hades' MySpace Page

Sunn O))) Will Be Selling 3 LP Grimmrobe Picture Disc @ 10th Anniversary Shows

Stephen O'Malley posted that Sunn O))) will be selling a limited edition (500 copies) of a three LP picture disc of the Grimmrobe Demos on their upcoming 10th Anniversary Tour.

SOMA provided no description as to what is on the third disc. I've tried zooming in on the picture but it looks like the writing is reversed so it is hard to make anything out. Obviously, this will go quick and likely end up on eBay the same night of the show.

Sunn O))) are only playing four shows in the US for this mini-tour. Here are the tour dates:

10/10/2008 Safari Sam’s - Los Angeles, CA w/John Weise, more TBA
www.safari-sams.com

10/12/2008 Berbati’s Pan - Portland, OR - Fall Into Darkness Fest

10/15/2008 Knitting Factory - New York, NY w/Tony Conrad and Thou
http://ny.knittingfactory.com

10/16/2008 First Unitarian Church - Philadelphia, PA w/Thou and Earth
http://www.r5productions.com

Links:
Southern Lord

The Spinto Band - Moonwink CD Review

There seemed to be a huge buzz in the blogs when The Spinto Band released Nice and Nicely Done but I just couldn't get into either "Oh Mandy" or "Brown Boxes" and I found the whole chamber-pop thing somewhat unsettling.

The band's sound has really matured over the past three years and Moonwink is a great set of infectious hyperactive/ADD pop tunes. I would expect this release to break big for the band and they have already moved from a Union Hall residency (capacity: 100) to playing Music Hall of Williamsburg (capacity: 550).

The first single from this release "Summer Grof" is available on iTunes and the band has also posted a video to YouTube. The frantic Self-Righteous Brothers/White Rabbits pace of this song will give you a good feel for what the rest of disc sounds like.



The band describes "Summer Grof" as "a vague tribute to the great comedienne Janeane Garofalo" and this single was released with a non-LP b-side, "Snowball".

Three of the new disc's eleven tracks are streaming on the band's MySpace page. One of the stand-out tracks is "Later On" which kicks off the disc. There is also a live video for this song on The Spinto Band's website where the band plays an "acoustic" version of the song using kitchen utensils and fruit.

Moonwink was recorded with Producer / Engineer Dave Trumfio (Wilco, Built To Spill, Billy Bragg, Mates of State) and Mixing Engineer Tchad Blake (Tom Waits, Los Lobos, Cibo Matto, Paul Simon). Moonwink will be released October 7th on Park The Van Records.

The Spinto Band plays Music Hall of Williamsburg on October 18th with Frightened Rabbit and The Sw!ms -- Tickets are $15.00.

Army-Navy (Los Angeles Power Pop) Plays Mercury Lounge Tonight and Union Pool on Thursday

Army-Navy makes what is probably their NYC debut tonight with a show at the Mercury Lounge.

The band is based out of Los Angeles and is fronted by Justin Kennedy (who co-led Pinwheel in the 90's with Death Cab for Cutie's Ben Gibbard). The band combines rich vocal harmonies with jangle/power-pop sounds which bring to mind bands like The Posies and Teenage Fanclub.

The band's debut CD will be released on October 14th (on The Fever Zone record label) but there are a number of advance tracks streaming on the band's MySpace page. Check out the band's cover of Maxine Nightingale's "Get Right Back".

Tonight's show at Mercury Lounge is $8.00 and Army-Navy goes on at 8PM. Thursday's show at Union Pool is also $8.00.

Blackmore's Night - Secret Voyage CD Review

Blackmore's Night has now been together for an uninterrupted 11 years, which is longer than Ritchie's original tenure in either Deep Purple or Rainbow. Secret Voyage is the group's 7th studio album and it was released on the SPV record label last month.

Secret Voyages follows in the spirit of the band's 2006 release The Village Lanterne as the tracks are a combination of the medieval renaissance music that Blackmore's Night started out with in 1997 crossed with Joe Lynn Turner-era Rainbow. As on old Rainbow fan, it is nice to hear Ritchie bring a heavier sound back into his music.

For anyone who has been keeping up with Blackmore's Night, there are no real surprises on this disc. On the rock side, "Locked Within The Crystal Ball" is a strong first single. This disc also includes covers of Rainbow's "Rainbow Eyes" (originally sung by Ronnie James Dio) and Elvis Presley's "Can't Help Falling In Love". On the renaissance side, Ritchie and Candice rework traditional folk melodies from France (“Gilded Cage”), Russia (“Toast To Tomorrow”), Germany (“Prince Waldeck’s Galliard”) and England (“Peasant’s Promise”).

While this disc doesn't stray far from the established Blackmore's Night sound, Ritchie's guitar work continues to be stupendous and the heavier sound that has been drifting into the last few BN releases may start converting a few Rainbow fans.

Links:
Blackmore's Night Website

Magic Bullets - Live at Piano's, NYC 8-7-08 + Exclusive Interview

San Francisco's Magic Bullets made their East Coast debut earlier this month with a two-night stand at Piano's. After catching the band's live show, I can see why they have been selling out clubs on the West Coast. The band plays incredibly catchy post-punk style tunes that could almost be mistaken for one of the early 90's Britpop bands.

The band released their debut CD, A Child But In Life Yet A Doctor In Love, early last year and are going into the studio later this year to record their followup. The band has released the first single "Upstairs Room" from their forthcoming disc (entitled Young Man's Fancy) which is currently available from iTunes.

The band was kind enough to let me film some of their set at their second show at Piano's. Here is a live version of "Upstairs Room" along with a post-show interview with Phil (vocals) and Nathan (bass).



Magic Bullets are back home in San Francisco and their next show is September 3rd at The Rumble @ Harlot.

Links:
Magic Bullets' MySpace Profile

Kings of Leon Release First Video, "Sex On Fire", From Their Forthcoming CD

Kings of Leon's new disc Only By The Night drops on September 23rd. The band just released the first video, "Sex on Fire" from this release.

Kings of Leon - Sex On Fire


The band released the first single, "Crawl", from this upcoming release a few weeks ago and this tune has been in the band's live set for a number of months.

"Sex on Fire" was debuted live at the All Points West festival a few weeks ago and someone captured the performance on video.



Kings of Leon are playing Webster Hall on September 23rd with The Whigs and tickets are $36.00.

Links:
Kings of Leon's Website

Ten Shekel Shirt Release New CD "Jubilee": Exclusive Interview with the Band

On August 19th, Ten Shekel Shirt released their third CD Jubilee (Rounder Records). Vocalist/songwriter Lamont Hiebert had taken some time off from music prior to this release to form Love146, which is a non-profit organization dedicated to help end child slavery and exploitation.

Jubilee is very accessible musically (Snow Patrol is a good point of comparison) but the lyrical themes are pretty heavy. Lamont breaks down each song on one of his MySpace blog posts and here are a few excerpts.

Daylight
A guy recently told me that he liked my old songs better. He said the old ones made him feel good while the new songs made him think about others. I took it as a compliment.

Although I cut my teeth in the music industry on "worship music" I believe it is dangerous and unhealthy to be self-absorbed with vertical religion. I often warn faith-based audiences that if we hold our hands in the air for too long we become spiritually constipated. Conversely, if we strive to be about God's business without His influence of love, forgiveness, justice, mercy, compassion, etc… we soon become burned out and bitter.

Jubilee
The origin of the word Jubilee has nothing to do with a wedding anniversary or a schmaltzy Las Vegas show. It has everything to do with the emancipation of slaves and the celebration of freedom and justice. When I wrote the title track, Jubilee, I combined that ancient meaning of the word with this true story of a teenage girl rescued from slavery and her first moments in a safehome.

At the tender age of 12, she was sold to a brothel by her stepfather. After 4 years of unspeakable violence, cruelty and shame she was rescued and brought to a safehome our charity (Love146) supports. The first moment she entered the home she noticed a small picture of Jesus on the wall. When she saw it she fell down and wept in utter relief and astonishment. She then explained that while she was in captivity she would often dream of being in a safe place and that in those dreams she would picture that face.

I had the chance to catch up with Lamont and guitarist Johnny Rodgers on the day that the album was released. We talked a bit about the new disc, the inspiration behind it and what's going on with Ten Shekel Shirt.



Ten Shekel Shirt is currently out on a lengthy tour and they have a date at First Baptist Church in Queens tomorrow night. Here are the band's tour dates for August/September.

Aug 30 2008 8:00PM, First Baptist Church, Queens, New York, New York
Sep 12 2008 8:00PM, Palm Beach Atlantic University, West Palm Beach, Florida
Sep 14 2008 7:00PM, Harriet Himmel Theater, West Palm Beach, Florida
Sep 17 2008 8:00PM, Southern CT State University, New Haven, Connecticut
Sep 19 2008 7:00PM, FBC, Portland, Maine
Sep 27 2008 7:00PM, Matsqui Centennial Auditorium, Abbotsford, British Columbia

Links:
Ten Shekel Shirt's MySpace Profile

The Jesse Lynn Band is Playing The Bitter End Tomorrow Night

Teddy Williams from Automatic Children turned me on to Jesse Lynn and it was a great recommendation.

There isn't much of a bio on Jesse's MySpace page but there are a couple live tracks streaming on the page. Jesse plays piano/keyboard and if you check out the track "But Here I Am", you will hear that Jesse has somewhat of a Norah Jones vibe. Other tracks like "Citywise" are more in the Tori Amos/Fiona Apple vein.

It should be a good show and tickets are only $10.00.

Woodhands - Live Footage and Interview from Silent Barn, Queens 8-16-08

Woodhands was in town last weekend for one of Todd P's shows at the Silent Barn. The band's debut disc, "Heart Attack", was released in Canada earlier this year (on Paper Bag Records) and the disc was released in the States yesterday.

Here is part of a live clip of "Can't See Straight" along with a post-show interview with the band.



The band puts on a wild live show and they say on their MySpace page that their goal is "emotional, sweaty dance floors". The band is back in the States for a show in Chicago at The Empty Bottle on September 5th but no East Coast dates have been announced.

For anyone not familiar with Woodhands, check out I Wasn't Made for Fighting. There are also a number of other tracks from Heart Attack streaming on the band's MySpace profile.

During the interview, Dan mentioned that the band was just in NYC to film a video for the "I Wasn't Made For Fighting" and the band just posted a link to a fan-made video for the song.



Links:
Paper Bag Records

Sonic Youth Play Final Show at McCarren Pool on Saturday, August 30th

There are still tickets left for the final show at McCarren Pool this Saturday with Sonic Youth.

Sonic Youth is playing with Wolf Eyes, Times New Viking and Vivian Girls. Doors open at 4PM and tickets are $35.00.

Green Point Wines is one of the sponsors of the event, and the profits from every glass of wine sold go to The Open Space Alliance, a nonprofit responsible for the preservation and renovation of Brooklyn parkland and open spaces.

Links:
Sonic Youth's Website
The Open Space Alliance's Website