A Million Years Headline Two Nights @ Mercury Lounge on July 21st and July 22nd

Brooklyn indie-rockers A Million Years had a lot of people stop and take notice after releasing their debut CD, Mischief Maker, last summer. The disc was produced by Shannon Ferguson of Longwave and AbsolutePunk described it as the "lovechild of Interpol and As Tall as Lions". The band played a number of high-profile shows last year with artists that included 30 Seconds to Mars, Phoenix, The Drums and Jesse Malin and ended the year being voted #4 in Deli Magazine's "Best of 2010 NYC Emerging Artists" poll.

After selling out Mercury Lounge (in advance of the show) this past February, the band has been asked to headline two shows at the club on July 21st and July 22nd. For the show on July 21st, A Million Years are playing with Bellevue's Finest (set time 10:15PM) and Whale's Belly (set time 9:30PM). Tickets are $10 are doors are at 9PM. For the show on July 22nd, A Million Years are playing a late show with The Canon Logic (set time 10:30PM). Tickets for this show are also $10 and there is a two-day ticket for $16.



Links:
A Million Years

Tone Tank & Scott Thorough Release Video for "Chip On Your Shoulder" // Show at Southpaw on Sept. 16th

Nuclear Family members Tone Tank (Iller Than Theirs) and Scott Thorough are releasing a seven-song collaboration CD at a record release party at Southpaw on Sept. 16th and all attendees will a hand-painted copy of the new disc.

Tone and Scott just released the first video from the new disc. “Chip On Your Shoulder” is off the new record, Scott & Tone which will be out September 10th on Modern Shark, featuring guest appearances from Serengeti, Kool A.D. of Das Racist, and Mercury The Maroon.



The record release jam is planned for Thursday, September 16th at Southpaw in Brooklyn. Along with Tone Tank & Scott Thorough, the night will feature performances from Junk Science, Serengeti, Safe, and Dillon, and DJ sets from Chances with Wolves.

Links:
Modern Shark
Tone Tank

Tone Tank & Scott Thorough (Nuclear Family): Album Release Party at Southpaw on Sept. 16th

DOWNLOAD: Scott & Tone - "Crack Selector" (featuring Kool A.D.)

Nuclear Family members Tone Tank (Iller Than Theirs) and Scott Thorough are releasing a seven-song collaboration CD at a record release party at Southpaw on Sept. 16th and all attendees will a hand-painted copy of the new disc.

Two of the tracks have been made available as free downloads in advance of the album release. Here is the background on "Crack Selector": Tone Tank and Kool A.D. met while Tone was building props for a video shoot. Tone helped to purchase red ladies boot-sneakers that Kool A.D. ended up loving and wearing around a lot. Also, Kool A.D. was on Ecstasy that day and was all touchy-feely and Tone was like “Yo, why’s this fucking guy touching me!?” Somewhere between then and making this song, Tone realized that dude is a really funny guy and that they should do a song together.

Scott Thorough had made the beat a while back, and after him and Tone heard “Fake Patois” by Das Racist, they decided that it would be the perfect beat for a sequel to that song.

Sharing the bill at the Southpaw show are Junk Science, Serengeti and Safe.

Links:
Modern Shark
Tone Tank

Tone Tank for Borough President/Show at Southpaw on July 3rd

DOWNLOAD: Tone Tank's Campaign Song (produced by Jah-C)

With NYC unemployment skyrocketing, Brooklyn-based rapper Tone Tank has thrown his hat in the ring and is running for Brooklyn Borough President.

Imagine if this story got taken seriously - watching Tone and Marty Markowitz swapping quotes in the press would be priceless. Tone though said "I don't actually want to be Borough President. That's like an actual job and I don't want an actual job. I just want to put my face everywhere and I don't feel like I need to wait for some magazine to do it for me, 'Cause that might not ever happen. I'll just do it for myself. Gotta have a reason, right? Well, 'cause I'm running for Borough President, that's why. I mean, even if I don't win ... I'm still the Borough President... What's somebody gonna tell me, I'm not? I know I'm not... but I am."

Tone's playing a show at Southpaw on July 3rd with Junk Science and Cage. The show is "Day 2" of an album release party for Cage and tickets are $15.00.

Links:
RadioBelly (free downloads from Tone, Kray, Iller Than Theirs and more)

Sworn Enemy is Playing All-Ages Metal Matinee at Southpaw on February 8th

DOWNLOAD: The Judas Syndrome - Death of the Soul (MP3)

Somehow I never thought Southpaw would become the "torch-bearer" for the all-ages metal shows...but this is pretty cool. After all the b*tching that I've done about metal bands skipping over NYC on their tours, it is great to see Southpaw stepping up. (Props to Mikey and Matt)

Sworn Enemy has been playing around the scene for the last seven years, they have played on major festivals like OzzFest and have recorded discs for Stillborn Records, Elektra Records and Century Media. The band is heading off on a major tour of Europe and are playing one local show - this one at Southpaw.

On the bill with Sworn Enemy is Vehement Serenade, if in the chamber, and The Judas Syndrome.

Tickets are $10 and doors are at 3PM.

Links:
Sworn Enemy's MySpace Profile

Akoya Afrobeat Ensemble Returns to Southpaw Tomorrow Night, October 3rd

Akoya Afrobeat is a 14-piece Brooklyn-based band that performs original music in the style of Fela Kuti, the Nigerian musical innovator who created the genre of Afrobeat.

I caught the band at Southpaw last year. The band put on a fabulous live show and got the crowd shaking to the beat. URB Magazine said "Akoya is developing a reputation for whipping dance floors into a frenzy with their fusion of African, Afro-Cuban, Jazz and Funk music". Here is a link to some of the pictures that I took at last year's show.

Tomorrow night's show starts at 9:30PM and tickets are $12. On the bill with Akoya Afrobeat is Bryan Vargas y Ya Esta.

Links:
Akoya Afrobeat's Website
Akoya Afrobeat's MySpace Page

Backwords @ Southpaw, Brooklyn, NY 5/1/08

There was a small but attentive crowd at Southpaw when Backwords took the stage. Backwords plays with a low-key, mellow energy that reminds me of the Dead's Americana period or Neil Young alt-country songs. The talent of the musicians in the band was obvious and I really enjoyed watching the musical interplay between the members. For being a new band, Backwords already has a full-set of original material so it will be interesting to watch what's next for the band.


Backwords' next local show is at Coco 66 (66 Greenpoint Ave) on June 6th.

Links:
Backwords Website
Backwords MySpace Profile

Backwords Are Headlining Southpaw on Thursday, May 1st

Brooklyn's Backwords are headlining Southpaw on May 1st. Backwords is a fairly new band on the scene. The band played their first live show (Pete's Candy Store) and released their first disc ("Factory Angel") in January of this year.

The band's sound is rustic Americana and there are elements of Dylan, Neil Young and Nebraska-era Springsteen in the music. There are a number of tracks from "Factory Angel" streaming on the band's MySpace page and main website (links below).

On the bill with Backwords are Lord Classic and Broken Trees. Tickets are only $8.00.

Links:
Backwords Website
Backwords MySpace Profile

New Model Army - Southpaw, Brooklyn, NY 3-20-08

After being denied visas for the shows scheduled at the end of last year, New Model Army was finally able to bring the "High" tour to the US last month. Southpaw opened a bit late so I had a chance to talk with some of the other concert goers as we were all trying to fit into the same doorway to keep out of the cold. I was pleasantly surprised at the number of people at the gig who had flown in from the UK to tour the states with NMA.

By the time, New Model Army hit the stage, the room was full and the long-time fans and faithful were ready to sing and mosh along. This has to be the first time that I have seen a "pit" at Southpaw though this wasn't like a hardcore show - "The Family" was at the show and ready for a bit of fun.

Below are some of my pictures from the band's set.



New Model Army continues to perform like there is no tomorrow and mixed tracks from their latest CD High with old stand-bys like "51st State". Early in the night, there was a camera mounted to one of the posts facing the stage so I can only assume this live video for "51st State" came from that camera. It would be great to see the complete show released on DVD.



New Model Army returns to NYC on April 18 for a show at the Mercury Lounge with Echoes & Shadows. This is the band's last show in the US for this tour and they start gigging again in the UK in May.

Links:
New Model Army's MySpace Profile
New Model Army's Website

Echoes and Shadows - Southpaw, Brooklyn, NY 3-20-08

Echoes & Shadows went on right before New Model Army last Thursday night at Southpaw. Echoes & Shadows was formed from the remains of the goth/industrial band Still Life Decay and play down-tempo, dark ambient instrumentals. The band made their NYC debut in late 2006 opening for NMA and they are opening all of the local dates on New Model Army's current tour.


Echoes & Shadows have a self-released debut LP/CD, "An Emissary of Mine", which is available through the band's MySpace page. Guitarist Edu Mussi is also a member of Ascension of the Watchers with Burton C. Bell and Bell has joined Echoes & Shadows as a guest vocalist at past shows.

The band's next show is April 18th at the Mercury Lounge with New Model Army.

Bell Hollow - Live @ Southpaw, Brooklyn March 20, 2008

Bell Hollow opened for New Model Army Thursday night at Southpaw. Bell Hollow has been around for a few years but Thursday's show was the first time that I saw the band play live. Simply put - the band is impressive...Bell Hollow perfectly captures the shoegazer sounds of the early 80's Brit-pop bands. Points of comparison are The Chameleons and The Smiths.


Bell Hollow released their first full-length release, Foxgloves, last year on the five03 Records label. Three of the CD's 10 tracks are streaming on Bell Hollow's MySpace page. Standout tracks are "Copper Crayon" and "Eyes Like Planets".

The band's next show is at Annex on April 10th with Thrushes, Soundpool and The Art of Shooting.

Bugs In the Dark - Live Video and Backstage Interview

Bugs in the Dark returned to Southpaw on January 24th and I had a chance to catch up with the band before they went on stage. The band was kind enough to do a pre-show interview with me in addition to letting me film some of their set.

For anyone not familiar with the band, I'd describe them as having an "art-punk" sound that falls somewhere between the Pylon, The B-52s and X. (see previous post on the band)

Bugs in the Dark - Backstage Interview & Live, Southpaw, Brooklyn 1-24-08


Bugs in the Dark are a great live act and you can check out a number of tunes from their debut EP, Shake Shake, on the band's MySpace page.

Here are the band's upcoming shows:
Saturday, February 9th, Cake Shop
Wednesday, February 13th, Cutting Room (house band for a comedy show)
Saturday, March 1st, Luna Lounge

Bugs In the Dark Return to Southpaw This Thursday (Jan. 24th)

I've been wanting a chance to see Bugs In The Dark play live having missed their shows at Luna Lounge and Southpaw at the end of last year.

The band is coming back to Southpaw this Thursday with Kid Beyond & Mike B. Bugs In The Dark's EP is streaming on their MySpace page and the band will be playing two new songs during their set which will be on a new CD coming out in April.

If you need more details, check out the band's MySpace page or the writeup that I posted on the band late last year (see previous post). I am expecting this to be a great show.

Tickets are $8.00 (I received an email from the band that said "other bands are charging $10--make sure to tell them you're there for Bugs!") and the band goes on at 8:30PM.

Links:
Bugs In the Dark MySpace Page

The Ropes Play Southpaw Tonight (Sunday - December 9th)

The Ropes, along with Beasts of Eden and Ice Palace are playing a show at Southpaw tonight. This is a pretty cool lineup of bands and tickets are only $8.00.

The Ropes have sort of an early Garbage/Shirley Manson thing going on that works well for them. The band started getting a buzz with the last year's release of their debut EP. The EP hit the CMJ Top 200 list and the band has sold over 5,000 copies to-date. The new EP, "Cry to the Beat" is now out and a number of tracks from both EPs are streaming on the band's MySpace page. The video for "Kill Her Off" (from the first EP) is below.

The Ropes - Kill Her Off


Links:
The Ropes' MySpace page

Care Bears on Fire @ Southpaw, Brooklyn, 11/9/07

The Care Bears played a double-bill with Mink last Friday night. The hometown Brooklyn crowd was out in force so there was a lot energy in the room. This was the first time that I have seen the crowd demand an encore and the band came back to the stage to cover The Clash's "Should I Stay or Should I Go".

The Care Bears are always a fun live act and the pictures below speak to that.



Izzy/Care Bears on Fire (check out the Ramones t-shirt)


Lucio/Care Bears on Fire


Sophie/Care Bears on Fire


Sophie and Izzy @ the Merch Table


I have some additional pictures of the Care Bears from both Southpaw and Club Midway posted to my Imeem profile (BrooklynRocks on Imeem).

Anyone catch the writeup on the Care Bears in the November issue of Spin?

It doesn't look like the band has any upcoming shows but keep checking the band's MySpace page as it is updated regularly.

Bugs In the Dark are Playing Southpaw This Friday (Nov. 2nd)

Brooklyn's Bugs in the Dark are playing Southpaw on Friday. This should be a wild night because, in addition to Bugs in the Dark, Rahim (Frenchkiss Records) is also playing on the bill. Tickets are only $8.00 and Bugs in Dark are supposed to go on at 8:30PM sharp.

For anyone not familiar with Bugs in the Dark, they have an "art-punk" sound that falls somewhere between the Pylon, The B-52s and X. The band has a male and female guitarist and both sing on some of the tracks which emphasize the X and B-52s comparisons. On the other tracks where guitarist/vocalist Karen Rockower takes lead vocals, the vocal stylings are closer Vanessa Briscoe Hay (Pylon) but the lyrical content is more comparable to Courtney Love ("Hot Shit, She's too rich, She has a big mouth, I want to punch it out").

The band just released a 4-song EP which is available through CD Baby and all four tracks are streaming on the band's MySpace page. If you take a look at the band's MySpace page, you will see that they have done a lot of cross-country touring this year and, based on the live pictures and reviews that are also on the band's MySpace page, Bugs in the Dark look like a lot of fun live.

Links:
Bugs In the Dark MySpace page
Southpaw (Brooklyn)

Akoya Afrobeat Ensemble Plays Southpaw on October 4th

I love the diversity of the Brooklyn music scene.




Akoya Afrobeat Ensemble is readying a second CD and are playing Southpaw on Oct. 4th. This should be an great show and watching this 14-piece band perform at Southpaw should be an experience not to miss.

I lifted the following snippet from the bio on the band's website:

With a furious storm of thundering congas and the deep boom of the KALETA drum, the Akoya Afrobeat Ensemble takes to the stage an explosion of dance rhythms. Fusing a mixture of African, Afro-Cuban, Jazz, and Funk music, Akoya is New York’s finest example of a musical melting pot. Featuring members from Panama, Ghana, Benin, South Africa, Japan and the US, this 14-piece ensemble embraces unity and positive vibrations. Armed with original music and an arsenal of songs by Afrobeat founder, Fela Kuti, Akoya consistently brings a new level of dance floor frenzy with every performance. The group features lead vocalist Kaleta, who for 10 years performed and recorded with the immortal Fela Kuti and Egypt 80.

What brings it all together for me is the music -- take a listen to the first cut, BFBF (Panama), from the band's forthcoming CD PDP [President Dey Pass].

The band is playing with DJ Nickodemus (of Turntables On The Hudson). Tickets are only $10. Doors are at 8PM and the show starts at 9:30PM.

Links:
Akoya Website
Akoya MySpace Page
DJ Nickodemus' Website
Southpaw

Care Bears on Fire Video Premier and CD Release Party

Care Bears on Fire released the first video, "Everybody Else", from their upcoming CD on August 31st. Over the last ten days, the video has gotten close to 100,000 plays.

Care Bears on Fire - "Everybody Else"



The band's CD, "I Stole Your Animal", comes out on October 2nd (here is a link to my review of the CD) and the band is having a CD release party at Southpaw in Brooklyn on Friday, September 28th.

Tickets are only $8.00. This is an early show - 6:30 pm doors/7 pm show. CBOF are sharing the bill this night with the Art of Shooting.

Links:
Care Bears on Fire MySpace Page
Southpaw

Iller Than Theirs - Exclusive Interview & Video Release Party

Last Thursday, I had the pleasure of speaking with Kray and Tone from Iller Than Theirs. The band has their debut CD coming out later this month and is having a record release party at the Mercury Lounge on September 29th. I got an advance copy of the CD (CD review to be posted shortly) and it has some infectious beats and killer vocals.

I really enjoyed talking to Tone and Kray as their purpose/mission is really simple and straightforward. They are two old-school Brooklyn guys trying to keep it real in a borough that has probably seen more changes in the last few years than it has in last decade.

Iller Than Theirs is having a video release party at Southpaw on Wednesday for the video of the leadoff track from the new CD "Razor Bumps". Kray La Soul & Kool Kear will also be spinning 45s all night. The first showing of the video will be promptly at 9:30 and doors are 8PM.

I think Wreck Room nights at Southpaw are free but call the club in advance to confirm.

Here is a direct link to an MP3 of the interview I did with Tone and Kray and here is a link to the RSS feed.

Links:
Iller Than Theirs' MySpace page
Iller Than Theirs' Blog

New Model Army Returns to New York in September

After 27 years, New Model Army is still going strong. The band is releasing their 10th CD, "High", on September 4th and are kicking off their US tour in Philadelphia on September 5th.





The band is playing three shows in the area:
September 6th - Mercury Lounge
September 7th - Maxwell's
October 5th - Southpaw (last date of US tour)

I have seen the band a few times and always thought they were a great live act - very much in the same "ragged but right" spirit as The Clash or Sham 69. The Big Takeover said that "On any night… they’re the closest thing to The Clash out there: and not even Joe Strummer has much on Sullivan".

Without ever having had a Top 20 hit in any country in their 27 year history, New Model Army have album sales in the millions, have attracted some of the biggest producers on the planet (Glyn Johns, Tom Dowd, Andy Wallace) and built up an almost religious devotion amongst fans. They’re a classic modern cult band, opting for the pursuit of musical and lyrical vision rather than celebrity status. By the mid 1990s, having grasped that the Internet was changing the whole music industry, they opted for the totally independent path of owning their own label.

"High" is NMA’s most guitar-driven and melodic album for some time, while the lyrics are the customary mixture of political and personal, timeless and absolutely current, but always with a vivid piece of storytelling at their heart. As is their tradition, New Model Army has once again placed a legend behind the boards with Chris Kimsey (The Rolling Stones, Jimmy Cliff, Killing Joke) both producing and mixing the album.

The current line up of New Model Army is Justin Sullivan (vocal and guitar), Nelson (bass), Michael Dean (drums), Dean White (keys) and Marshall Gill (guitar).

Links:
New Model Army's MySpace page (seems to be the band's main website)
New Model Army's Website (hasn't been recently updated)
New Model Army's Wikipedia entry