Rob Sacher (former owner of Luna Lounge) Readies New Book "Wake Me When It's Over" (out March 1st)

Former Luna Lounge co-owner, Rob Sacher, has a brand new book, Wake Me When It's Over, a story of his life as a New York club owner filled with stories about meeting, partying, or working with many iconic bands of the alternative and indie rock world.

Rob's last club was Luna Lounge, which started out on the Lower East Side, and the bar featured the first shows from some awesome bands that have gone on to be some of the world's most important and successful music artists. Luna was the room were The Strokes first performed, where Interpol formed and played their first shows, and where The National, Longwave, stellastarr*, The Bravery, and many other bands got their start. Also, it's the place where Elliott Smith wrote the album XO and first performed those songs for folks who just happened to be at the bar.

Among the people and bands about whom Rob has written are stories about Ray Davies of The Kinks, Debbie Harry of Blondie, Rick Danko of The Band, Joey Ramone, The Psychedelic Furs, The Jesus And Mary Chain, Bjork of The Sugarcubes, The Strokes, Interpol, Longwave, Marty Willson-Piper of The Church, Elliott Smith and Longwave (the title of the book is taken from a Longwave song).

Rob is self publishing his book through his own DIY imprint and is raising promotion money through Kickstarter, a funding website that has helped creative projects raise tens of millions of dollars since its inception. Rob is offering some pretty cool merchandise for helping support this project which include limited edition Hurricane Bells music (Steve Schiltz's post-Longwave band) and copies of a unique edition of the book with your name on a dedication page. The funding campaign ends on February 29th and the official release date of the book is March 1st.

Rob has been in the business for more than thirty years and owned two clubs before Luna Lounge, the Mission and the Sanctuary. Sanctuary was punk, Mission was an East Village bar where Joey Ramone, The Jesus And Mary Chain, The Psychedelic Furs, Nine Inch Nails, Ministry, and other bands would party together among friends.

Links:
Satellite Lounge (Rob's latest bar)

Rob Sacher (former owner of Luna Lounge) Opens His New Bar, Satellite Lounge, this Weekend

Rob Sacher, former owner of the Luna Lounge, was always one of the nicest guys in the industry. Rob's new bar, Satellite Lounge, is having its grand opening this weekend.

Friday, May 8th at 10PM and Saturday, May 9th at 10PM

Satellite Lounge is located at 143 Havemeyer Street (between South First And South Second Streets)

Given Rob's years in the local music scene, I would expect the bar to have a fabulous jukebox.

On a related note, what happened to the Knitting Factory's move into the old Luna Lounge space? I was by there last weekend and it doesn't look like any work has been done and the exterior looked bad. A couple months ago, this place looked "kept up". There were flyers for shows at the Knitting Factory in the display cases, the building walls were clean, etc. The display cases are now gone and the walls are covered with graffiti. You have to wonder if this move is really taking place. The Knitting Factory has shows booked in the "old location" through July and this is completely contradictory to the "closing in January, reopening in Williamsburg in March" story that was going around last year.

Bugs in the Dark Play Luna Lounge in Brooklyn on March 1st

Bugs in the Dark have been playing some shows around town these last few weeks while they are finishing recording their first full-length CD. The band puts on a phenomenal live show and their next show is at Luna Lounge in Williamsburg on March 1st. The Sad Little Stars and Bell Hollow (who are also opening for New Model Army at Southpaw on March 20th) are also on the bill and tickets are only $8.00.

Bugs In The Dark - Southpaw, Brooklyn 1-24-08

I caught up with the band at their show at Southpaw last month and here is a link to a video interview and some live footage of the band.

FiddleWhileYouBurn.Com describes Bugs in the Dark as "a band making some SERIOUS noise with obvious potential. Brooklyn's Bugs in the Dark's have no time for sleepy-eyed, middle of the road, groan along, pseudo-rock anthems - they're too busy delivering ferocious, sweaty punk, fueled by sledgehammer drums and mean dueling guitars . . . Bugs in the Dark are Highly Recommended for fans of classic power-punk trios such as the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Sleater Kinney."

Karen Rockower/Bugs In The Dark - Southpaw, Brooklyn 1-24-08


Karen Rockower posted an update on the recording sessions for the new CD to the band's MySpace page and here is an excerpt:

This cd is going to be a real step up from our first EP. With "Shake Shake" we were rushing to get something out as quickly as possible. We love it but it's very raw and simple. With this upcoming cd, we were able to take the time to get creative, add layers, use things like keyboards, shakers, trashcans and more. We even got Julia to sing on "Attention". We tried to get Ozzy to sing, but he mostly just snored in the love seat while we recorded.

Amplify - Rehearsal Studio Interview, Brooklyn, NY 1-18-08

Amplify is a NYC-based alt-metal band made up of longtime music-scene vets. Members have worked with a range of musicians from Peter Gabriel to Fahrenheit 451 and are able to leverage these diverse influences to create Amplify's sound. The band's sound falls somewhere between prog-rock and the hard rock sounds of some of the 80's/90's metal bands (Soundgarden and 'Use Your Illusion'-era Guns N' Roses are the immediate comparisons).

The band released its debut CD, Beneath the Beauty Lies...Heaven to Burn, earlier this year and are starting play some shows around town in support of this disc.

Last month, I had the opportunity to sit in on one of the band's practice session and film some live video and an interview with Bobbie Rae (vocals) and Joe Rodriguez (guitars).

Here is the interview and the live footage will follow in the next few days.



Amplify has a couple upcoming shows:

March 6, 2008 9:00PM @ Fat Baby, NYC
March 14, 2008 10:30PM CD RELEASE SHOW @ The Cutting Room NYC
April 17, 2008 8:00PM @ Luna Lounge Brooklyn

Links:
Amplify's MySpace Page
Amplify's Website

Brian Grosz Returns to Luna Lounge on Friday, September 28th

Brian Grosz's first solo CD "Bedlam Nights" is one of my favorite records of the year. I'm regretting that I am going to miss this show as Brian and band put on a great live show. The band's sound is somewhere between Tom Waits and Nine Inch Nails and Brian's stage presence could be compared to Lee Ving. The chemistry within the band and with the audience really works. (Pick up the "Bedlam Nights" CD while you are at the show)

Tickets are only $5.00 and Brian is playing at 8:30PM.

If you still aren't convinced, check out the tracks from "Bedlam Nights" that are streaming on Brian's MySpace page. Also, check out Brian's "Infrequently Asked Questions" video (below). I haven't laughed this hard in a while...



Links:
Brian Grosz's MySpace page

Meat Puppets Play Knitting Factory and Luna Lounge

The reunited Meat Puppets are playing this Wednesday and Thursday (Aug 29th and 30th) at the Knitting Factory and the band is coming back through town for a September 8th show at the Luna Lounge in Williamsburg. This is the band's first tour in 11 years with original bassist Cris Kirkwood. Unfortunately, original drummer Derrick Bostrom is not part of the reunion -- the drum chair is filled by Ted Marcus.


Here is the set list from the other night in Texas -- I would expect the set at the Knit to be similar:

Sam
Touchdown King
Snow
Up On The Sun
Plateau
Look At The Rain
Lost/
The Whistling Tune
Severed Goddess Hand
Flaming Heart
Never To Be Found
You’re An Island
Station
Oh, Me
Things
Attacked By Monsters
Lake Of Fire

Encore:
Comin’ Down
Back Water
Climbing
Box of Limes
Pee Pee The Sailor

Links:
Knitting Factory
Luna Lounge
Meat Puppets' Website
Derrick Bostrom's Meat Puppets Blog

The Dodos (Meric Long) Play August Shows in Brooklyn and NYC

Psych/folk-duo The Dodos are in town for two shows supporting Jennifer Gentle (Sub*Pop). The shows are August 29th at the Mercury Lounge in Manhattan and August 30th at the Luna Lounge in Brooklyn. After the current East Coast tour, the band is touring the West Coast with Akron Family.

The band has been compared to a wide range of artists but I think the closest comparison is to Nick Drake and/or early Tyrannosaurus Rex (the acoustic duo era). The Dodos' last CD, Beware of the Maniacs, made a number of "Best of the Year" lists for 2006. Check out The Ball and Nerds from this release. I would expect this to be a great show.

Here is what Deli Magazine had to say about the last CD...."When Meric Long released his solo EP 'Dodo Bird' in March of 2006, he attracted a slew of quality-loving indie fans with his songwriting/ guitar/vocal talents. Now, with experimental drummer Logan Kroeber on his side, he is breaking all the rules, and doing it well. On 'Beware of the Maniacs', Long and Kroeber craft each song with full, almost orchestral blends of multiple guitar and drum tracks. Long's classic, raw voice displays raw and deep emotion through his often personal and descriptive lyrics. The almost tribal drums compliment the varied guitar sounds, from heavy chords to intricate finger-picking."

The Dodos have a new release, tentatively entitled "Visiter", scheduled to be released this fall.

Links:
The Dodos/Meric Long's Website
The Dodos/Meric Long's MySpace Page

The Kin @ Luna Lounge, Brooklyn, NYC June 27, 2007

The Kin continue to put on a fabulous live show. At last Wednesday's show at Luna Lounge, the band played as a three-piece (Isaac, Thorry and Shakerleg). Both the band and the crowd seemed very relaxed which made for a nice set. I only caught the end of the act before The Kin (and didn't catch their name) as I stepped out to find some dinner. For the few songs that I did see, the crowd chatter seemed as loud as the band. This wasn't the case for The Kin. The band played a 50 minute set and held the crowd's attention from start to finish.

Even though the band played as a three piece, the music didn't seem to lose any of its richness. The band seemed to have a lot of fun during the set and check out the picture below of Thorry on drums.


The band's next show is at Gramercy Theatre on July 28 2007 and the band will be opening for Lez Zeppelin (who has Helen Destroy [x-Lunachicks] on drums).

Links:
The Kin's Main Website (link)
The Kin's MySpace page (link)

Thorry

Isaac

Shakerleg

Brian Grosz @ Luna Lounge, Brooklyn, June 27, 2007

Brian Grosz held his CD release party this past Wednesday at the Luna Lounge. He played about a 45 minute set and was simply great. This was one of those shows where everything came together -- the lights were low, Grosz has a great voice and stage presence, the band sounded tight and there was a good-sized crowd that was responsive and enthusiastic. Grosz's new CD, Bedlam Nights, and his live show are definately worth checking out.

Grosz salutes the person who refreshed his Jack & Coke.

You have to admire a man who can play the ukulele while singing a song about cocaine and lap dances.




Here are Grosz's upcoming tour dates:
JULY 18 - 8pm - THE TONIC ROOM, CHICAGO, IL
JULY 24 - 8PM - CAT CLUB, W. HOLLYWOOD, CA

Links:
Brian Grosz's Main Website (link)
Brian Grosz's MySpace page (link)

Brian Grosz CD Release Party at Luna Lounge in Brooklyn on June 27th

Dogs of Winter frontman Brian Grosz is releasing his first solo CD this Tuesday and the CD release party is at the Luna Lounge the next night.

Musically, this disc is a departure from the hard-rock sounds of Dogs of Winter. Grosz heads into late-night, whiskey soaked territory occupied by Jeffrey Lee Pierce, Tom Waits and Everlast. There is a quote from Dee Snider on the press release that accompanied this CD that says "Tom Waits + Nine Inch Nails + a BAD attitude = One Cool Ass, Mutha F*cking CD". That is a pretty good description of what this disc sounds like. This is the kind of music that you can easily imagine coming off the jukebox in some down-and-out bar (think the Mars Bar in the East Village or Tommy's in Williamsburg) while the regulars are all trying to decide whether to drink all night or go home and sleep it off.

The songs on this disc cut across a range of styles and all of the tracks are held together by Grosz's strong voice, which ranges from a whiskey rasp to a whisper. The lyrical themes are all dark -- this isn't light stuff but rather tales of twisted relationships and murder/suicide ballads. The sound on this disc is full and open -- a welcome return to the days when music wasn't over-produced and the listener can really understand the driving forces behind the music. There is also some very interesting non-conventional instrumentation on this disc (cookware, cat purring, etc.) which adds to the atmosphere of the disc.


I am looking forward to seeing Grosz's show at Luna Lounge as the club has good sound and low lights which should make for a perfect atmosphere. Grosz goes on at 7:30PM and tickets are only $10.

Links:
Brian Grosz's Main Website (link)
Brian Grosz's MySpace Page (link)

The Kin Are Playing Luna Lounge in Brooklyn on June 27th

The Kin are one of my favorite local bands and they are headlining a show at the new Luna Lounge on June 27th. The band is a great live act and they played a stellar show when they headlined at the Bowery Ballroom back in April.

The Luna Lounge should be a great venue to see The Kin play as the sight lines and sound are great. The Kin are scheduled to play at 9:30PM but I would recommend getting to the club early to check out the opening acts. I'm a fan of Brian Grosz who is going on at 7:30PM and this show is his CD release party.

Links:
The Kin's Main Website (link)
The Kin's MySpace page (link)

UMAMI Plays Free Show @ Luna Lounge on Saturday, May 12th

UMAMI, who is a pretty cool local bass and drums act, is playing a free show at the Luna Lounge on May 12th with a couple of other up-and-coming Brooklyn bands. Check out the tracks streaming on UMAMI's MySpace page and then check out the show.

Here is the complete lineup for the night:
8pm Broadband --- all-girl math-punk geniuses
9pm Limbs --- thoughtful, swirling compositions and moody vocals
10pm UMAMI --- two busy bass players, one frenetic drummer: intricate,high energy thunder
11pm Pink Noise --- fuzzy, dreamy drone-pop to get lost in

Mason Jennings - Bonecloud CD Review

Most of the CDs that I review are either metal, punk or hardcore so it takes a special singer/songwriter to catch my attention. Mason Jennings caught my attention...this is a great CD! I have read some reviews that compare Jennings' sound to Jack Johnson (whose songs frankly annoy me) but I don't hear a basis for this comparison. The songs on this disc are folk/Americana tunes that could be compared to works by Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash and Mary Chapin Carpenter.

Bonecloud is Jennings' fifth CD and his first release on a major label - Isaac Brock's Glacial Pace Recordings (distributed by Epic Records). Jennings keeps this disc interesting by varying styles, tempos and rhythms across songs. Most of the songs are carried by Jennings' voice and not overpowered by the music. The music is carefully arranged but never overwhelming and when combined with Jennings' narrative lyrics, this draws the listener into each of the songs in a powerful manner. Some of my favorite tunes are Be Here Now which has a big sound and will likely become the radio hit from this disc, Moon Sailing on the Water which is a plaintive ballad backed with a sparse piano arrangement, Jesus Are You Real which has an 1970s Americana sound and Some Say I'm Not which contains some impressive percussion work. What I really enjoy about this disc is that each song stands on its own and tells a story. My only disappointment was the liner notes are sparse but songlyrics are available on Jennings' website. This is a minor complaint as this is a strong CD.

Jennings has three upcoming shows in the NYC area:

April 13 - Beacon Theatre (Supporting Guster)
April 18 - Luna Lounge, Brooklyn
April 21 - Gramercy Theatre, Manhattan

The following has nothing to do with this CD review but, with this being Easter day, is one of the funniest things I have read in a while.
(source: Mason Jennings' MySpace page)

Well, Easter week is here. My friend asked me if I was ready for the big Easter tradition of Peep Jousting. Well, I just looked at her for a while. Then she told me, after she got over the initial shock of me having no idea what she was talking about, that you put two Peeps facing each other in the microwave. You stick a toothpick into each Peep and turn the microwave on high for a few minutes. The peeps get huge, change shapes and, well, joust.

Links
Mason Jennings Main Website (link)
Mason Jennings MySpace Page (link)

Mason Jennings Plays Three Shows in NYC in April

Minneapolis' Mason Jennings plays three shows in the area in support of his major label debut Boneclouds. This is an impressive CD so I am expecting Jennings' live show to be equally strong.


Here are the upcoming shows:

April 13 - Beacon Theatre (Supporting Guster)
April 18 - Luna Lounge, Brooklyn
April 21 - Gramercy Theatre, Manhattan

The Young Knives - Luna Lounge, NYC March 20, 2007

The Young Knives put on a fabulous show last night at Luna Lounge. I strongly recommend catching their show at Annex on Friday night, which is also the last night of the tour. (Tomorrow's show at the Mercury Lounge is sold out) The band will be playing big rooms soon so catch them in the clubs while you still can.



TimeOut New York dismissed the band as being Clash wannabes. This description isn't even close. The band has a unique sound that I would compare to a cross between Gang of 4, The Jam and Stiff Little Fingers. Before last night, I hadn't seen a bass player whom I would compare to Bruce Foxton.





I hate to slag another band in a review but I can't help comparing this show to The View's show at the Mercury in January. What a night and day difference....The View played a 30 minute set to a sold-out room and I spent the first fifteen minutes wondering why they sounded like a Star Spangles cover band. The Young Knives played almost an hour to a half-full room and balls-out rocked from the first song to the last.


I never see multiple nights on any band's tour but last night's show was that impressive that I am very tempted to hit the Annex show on Friday. If tickets are still available, I'd get them quickly.

The Young Knives debut CD is out on Rykodisc (in the US) and is packaged with a bonus DVD that contains a live performances from a show in London along with a number of the band's videos. I'll be posting a review of the CD/DVD in the next few days.

The Pipettes, Luna Lounge, NYC March 12, 2007

Last night was my first time at the Luna Luna since its reopening in Williamsburg. I really enjoyed the show -- The Booze (pictures to follow) were reminicent of the 1965 version of the Rolling Stones and The Pipettes were simply a lot of fun.

As this was my first time in the club - my general comments are great sound and great sight lines.



I picked up The Pipettes set list as I was leaving the club:
- Intro
- Baby Don't Leave
- Yr Kisses
- Why Did You Stay
- Your Love For Me
- Cuz It's Not Love
- Diuretics
- Hurts 2 C U
- Guess Who
- Tell Me What
- Really That Bad
- I Love You
- True Love Waits
- One Night Stand
- Judy
- Dirty Mind
- Pull Shapes

Additional Tickets for The Pipettes' Show at Luna Lounge Just Released

Luna Lounge just released a handful of tickets to The Pipettes' sold out shows on Sunday and Monday. Get 'em quick!

Tickets are available through Ticketweb.

The View & The Young Knives Reschedule Tour - Both are Playing Luna Lounge

Both The View and The Young Knives have seem to have resolved their visa issues and have rescheduled their respective US tours.

The View are playing the Bowery Ballroom on May 1st and the Luna Lounge in Brooklyn on May 2nd.

The Young Knives are playing Luna Lounge on March 20th, Mercury Lounge on March 22nd (sold out)and Annex on March 23rd.

I would expect both shows to sell out so get your tickets soon!

Young Knives Show @ Luna Lounge Rescheduled

I was expecting this...

Luna Lounge has postponed Saturday night's Young Knives show until March 20th. The acts that were scheduled to open on Saturday, Foreign Islands and Soft, will be playing for free that night. I don't think I have ever seen a show canceled because neither of the co-headliners (The View were originally on the bill) couldn't get into the country.

For anyone looking for a great show on Saturday, check out Unearthly Trance (Relapse Records) at Water Street Lounge. Tickets are only $10.

The View Cancel US Tour

The View have canceled their US tour which included a March 3rd show at Luna Lounge and a March 20th show at Bowery Ballroom. The band apparently has visa problems but there aren't a lot of details online. The Bowery Ballroom show was postponed but the Luna Lounge show will go out without The View, who were scheduled to open for The Young Knives.

Hopefully this isn't the result of bad behavior with Pete Doherty and the like...