Edinburgh's We Were Promised Jetpacks Play Maxwells on June 15th (Closest Show on Brief US Tour)

We Were Promised Jetpacks released their sophomore album, In the Pit of the Stomach, two years ago and this disc (in my not-so-humble opinion) was one of the best British indie-rock discs that I've heard in quite some time. The BBC described the disc as "powered by an edgy, nervous hunger – a sense of being on the verge of getting exactly what you want but full in the knowledge and with the expectation that it won’t ever actually happen."

We Were Promised Jetpacks will be releasing a live album and tour film this fall and the band is playing a short run of East Coast and Midwest shows in June.

We Were Promised Jetpacks June 2013 US Tour
June 6 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Hard Rock Cafe
June 7 - Cincinnati, OH @ Fountain Square
June 8 - Toledo, OH @ Mickey Finn's Pub
June 9 - Chicago, IL @ Ribfest Chicago
June 10 - Grand Rapids, MI @ Pyramid Scheme
June 12 - Philadelphia, PA @ Morgan's Pier
June 13 - Asbury Park, NJ @ Stone Pony
June 14 - Venna, VA @ Jammin' Java
June 15 - Hoboken, NJ @ Maxwells (Advanced tickets are $20)



Links:
We Were Promised Jetpacks

Detroit Garage Rockers The Sights Play Shows at Maxwells (Feb. 15th) and The Bell House (Feb. 18th) Next Week

DOWNLOAD: The Sights - "How Do You Sleep?"
DOWNLOAD: The Sights - "Guilty"

(photo: Doug Coombe)
Now that the White Stripes have called it a day, The Sights are now the uncontested champions of Detroit blues-rock. The band is touring behind their fourth LP, Most of What Follows Is True (Alive Records), which was recorded at Jim Diamond’s (White Stripes, Electric Six, Dirtbombs) Ghetto Recorders in Detroit and released late last year.

“Most of What Follows is rooted in the tough, straightforward, R&B-based rock that's the Sights' bread and butter, though the pedal steel on "I Left My Muse" suggests they've also been listening to some classic country sides, and "Maria" is spot-on pure pop. The album is long on great tunes and rock & roll swagger, but Baranek and his latest edition of The Sights (Dave Lawson on bass, Gordon Smith on keys, and Skip Denomme on drums) never sound arrogant or gimmicky -- what comes through most strongly on Most of What Follows is the sound of four guys playing rock & roll because they love it, and even when the music takes a dark detour on "Take & Take" or slips into the blues on "Back to You," there's an honest joy and enthusiasm that infuses the music at every turn. Baranek sings with an unaffected passion and force that's truly impressive while he and his bandmates play with lots of heart and soul and no false moves; this is strong, rootsy, meat-and-potatoes rock & roll played with gravity, skill, and the enthusiasm of true fans.” – ALL MUSIC GUIDE

For the show at Maxwell's on Feb. 15th, The Sights are playing with The Godfathers and Frosting. Tickets are $15 in advance and $17 DOS.

For the show at The Bell House on Feb. 18th, The Sights are playing with Reigning Sound and Guitar Lightnin'. Tickets are $13 in advance and $15 DOS.

Links:
The Sights

The Love Language - Photos from Maxwell's, Hoboken, NJ 8/6/09

Chapel Hill, NC seven-piece band The Love Language opened for Cursive last Thursday night at Maxwell's. The band has been through the area a number of times over the past few months, touring behind their self-titled debut CD (on Bladen County Records) and they have been alternating between opening for Cursive and playing headlining shows this time around. While the sold-out crowd at Maxwell's was clearly there for Cursive, The Love Language played a solid 40 minute set and probably picked up more than a few fans.



As this was my first time seeing (or hearing) The Love Language, the band struck me like a cross between Jeff Buckley and The Arcade Fire. Guitarist/song writer/singer Stuart McLamb's vocals alternate between a Jeff Buckley-style quaver on some of the slower numbers and an R&B 'swing' on upbeat numbers like "Sparxx" and "Lalita". For anyone who hasn't seen the band perform live, here is a live version of "Lalita" that was recorded at the soundcheck at a recent show in Brooklyn.









Here is The Love Language's upcoming tour dates:
Aug. 09. 2009, 8:00PM, 123 Pleasant Street w/ Cursive & Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band, Morgantown, West Virginia
Aug. 10, 2009, 8:00PM, Musica w/ Cursive, Akron, Ohio
Aug. 11, 2009, 8:00PM, The Dame w/Cursive, Lexington, Kentucky
Aug. 20 2009, 8:00PM, Locally Grown Festival, w/ Lost in the Trees, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Aug. 29 2009, 8:00PM, 40 Watt Club w/Modern Skirts, Athens, Georgia

Links:
The Love Language's MySpace Profile

French Kicks Announce Two Area Shows in February (Vagrant)

French Kicks are back home and have announced shows in Hoboken and Brooklyn next month. The band is playing Maxwell's on Feb. 13th (Tickets are $10 in advance) and The Bell House in Brooklyn on Feb. 21st (Also on the bill are Pomegranates and tickets are $12).

French Kicks were busy in 2008 as they released their fourth full-length, Swimming, which took the band in a new direction. This was followed by "Covers - EP", where the band covered Lindsey Buckingham, The Ramones and others. Three of the four songs on Covers were recorded live in the studio and this gives the songs a loose and relaxed feel.

For anyone who hasn't listened to Swimmers, there are a couple live performances from French Kicks that are available as free (and legal) downloads. The band recorded a session for WOXY that features three tracks from Swimmers and a Daytrotter Session the features four tracks from the disc.

Links:
French Kicks' Website

The Lemonheads Play Highline Ballroom and Maxwell's Later This Month

I don't think anyone expected Evan Dando to reform The Lemonheads after an eight year absence. Last year's self-titled CD (on Vagrant) was a surprising return to the clear-headed power punk sound of the early 90's Lemonheads' lineup.


Drummer Bill Stevenson and bassist Karl Alvarez played on last year's CD and this tour (which started 11/30) marks the first time the trio has played together live. Both musicians are perfect foils for Dando's powerpunk sound given that they both spent years honing their chops in The Descendent and All.



The Lemonheads were in town at the beginning of the year and their February show at Southpaw was filmed by Baeble Music.


The band is at the Highline Ballroom in NYC on December 21st and at Maxwell's in Hoboken on December 23rd. Surprisingly, there are still tickets available for both shows.

Links:
The Lemonheads' Website

The Saints Imperious Delirium Tour Pictures - Maxwell's, Hoboken, NJ 10/30/07

I promise to get off my Saints kick (until they come through town again) after I post these pictures from the Maxwell's show.











I have more pictures from The Saints' show posted to my Imeem profile (BrooklynRocks on Imeem).

Links:
The Saints' Website
The Saints' MySpace Page

The Saints "Imperious Delirium" Tour (Pt. 2) @ Maxwell's, Hoboken, NJ 10/30/07

Here is the last of the video that I shot at The Saints' show in Hoboken last month. This is "Drunk In Babylon" which is the leadoff track from The Saints' latest release Imperious Delirium.



Links:
The Saints' Website
The Saints' MySpace Page
Wildflower Records

The Saints "Imperious Delirium" Tour @ Maxwell's, Hoboken, NJ 10/30/07

This post is long overdue...

The Saints came through the US for a brief series of shows in support of their 13th release "Imperious Delirium" (released on Wildflower Records in the US). While many of The Saints' contemporaries have long-since broken up or have become nostalgia acts (with no new material), The Saints are still burning strong. "Imperious Delirium" is a solid release that is a worthy addition to The Saints' catalogue.

The band was kind enough to let me film a few songs from the show. Here are the first two songs from their set: "Porno Movies" and "(I'm) Stranded".



I'll be uploading my pictures and one more live song from the show later this weekend.

If anyone missed my post from late October, I also did an interview with the band (below) a week before their show at Maxwell's



Links:
The Saints' Website
The Saints' MySpace Page
Wildflower Records

The Saints Bring The "Imperious Delirium" Tour to the NYC Area

Australian punk-pioneers, The Saints return to New York for the "Imperious Delirium" tour and play three shows in the area starting on October 30th.



The Saints are touring behind their latest release "Imperious Delirium" which was just released on Wildflower Records in the US. The new CD is great (here is a link to my review of the disc) and I would expect the band's live show to be equally strong.

Here are the shows in the area:
10/30- Maxwell's- HOBOKEN, NJ
10/31- Little Steven's Underground Garage Present Halloween A Go-Go- NYC
10/31- Club Midway- NYC

The Saints just announce their appearance at Little Steven's Halloween show. Here are the details -- The Saints will be playing with The Chesterfield Kings and Garage Girls A Go-Go. The show is in Times Square at the Hawaiian Trop Zone, 729 7th Ave at 49th Street. Tickets are $15 and include a free drink and a special collectible laminate. The Saints play at 10pm (which means that the Club Midway show will likely start after Midnight).

Chris Bailey (Now in his 33rd Year of The Saints...but see the video in the post that follows as I could be wrong)


Peter Wilkinson - Drums


Casper Wijnberg - Bass


Links:
The Saints Website