Warrior Soul (Kory Clarke) Play Ace of Clubs on May 31st

Who would have thought Kory Clarke would resurrect Warrior Soul? Kory put a new lineup together last year and the band has been getting great reviews for their shows in Europe. Finally, Kory is bringing the band to the US for their first NYC show since the one-off 'reunion' show at The Continental in 2004.

The Stoned are also on the bill and Kory is both the band's drummer and producer. With Kory having recently replaced Eric Wagner in Trouble, it is amazing that this guy can find the time to be in three bands.

Tickets are $15 in advance and $18 at the door.

Links:
Warrior Soul's Website
Warrior Soul's MySpace Profile

Interview with ism (ismmusic) Founder Andre Mistier

Last Thursday, I caught up with ism's Andre Mistier and talked with him about the band's upcoming sophomore release Urgency and what the band's plans are for 2008. Here is a direct link to the interview with Andre and here is a link to the podcast feed .

Urgency comes out in August and the first single, Sacred Cows, is included in the above podcast. There are a couple additional tracks from Urgency streaming on ism's MySpace page.

ism's next show is the WEQX-FM Riverfest in Albany, NY on June 14th.

Links:
ism's Website

Tristan Prettyman Releases Behind the Scenes Footage from "Madly" Video Shoot

Tristan Prettyman - Behind The Scenes on "Madly"

Here is the original music video:


Links:
Tristan Prettyman's Website
Tristan Prettyman's MySpace Profile

Dead Leaf Echo - Pale Fire CD Review / Show at Trash Bar on May 15th

This is an impressive disc...Dead Leaf Echo's second CD perfectly captures the spirit of the 80's-era Beggars Banquet/4AD bands. The band's sound is part atmospheric wall-of-sound, part goth/new romantic and part shoegazer. The amalgamation of all these styles makes for an interesting disc that warrants repeated play.

Singer/guitarist LG has a world-weary voice, which he complements with a guitar sound that ranges from a jangle (without embracing a 'pop' sound) to a wash of sound. Liza B. plays on integral role with tasteful keys and backing vocals and there is some pretty crisp drumming throughout the disc. In a recent interview with Gearwire , LG says the band’s influences include 4AD, Creation and Factory—delay heavy guitars with lush ethereal vocals.

The disc starts out with the gothic/ambient tracks "Warm Body" and "Thought Talk". Here is the video for "Warm Body" and the black and white 35MM film really captures the essence of the band's sound.



From here, the band shifts into some up-tempo tracks, "Tears" and "Cry The Sea". This is the closest that the band comes to 'rockers' and a good point of comparison may be My Bloody Valentine. The disc ends with two epic wall-of-sound tracks, "Pale Fire" and "Reflex Motion", that showcase the band's intricate and layered sound.

A limited edition second pressing of Pale Fire is available through the band's MySpace profile (link below).

Dead Leaf Echo play the Trash Bar in Brooklyn tomorrow night (May 15th) and Rehab on August 15th.

Links:
Dead Leaf Echo's MySpace Profile
Dead Leaf Echo's Website

Lou Reed Interviews Roderick Romero of Sky Cries Mary

Last year, Sky Cries Mary regrouped and recorded their first new studio album, "Small Town", in a decade. Lou Reed is a fan of the band and he spent some time with vocalist Roderick Romero talking about the new CD and music in general.



For anyone not familiar with Sky Cries Mary, the band has been around 20 years and plays trance/ambient rock in a style similar to Spacemen 3 or My Bloody Valentine. There are three tracks from "Small Town" streaming on the band's MySpace profile (link below).

Links:
Sky Cries Mary's Website
Sky Cries Mary's MySpace Profile

Amplify Is Playing The Charleston in Brooklyn Tonight

Amplify is playing The Charleston (in Williamsburg) tonight and they are going on at 10PM. The band has been playing out a bit more with the release of their debut CD, "Beneath the Beauty Lies Heaven to Burn", which is a great melodic hard-rock disc. The Charleston is located at 174 Bedford Ave (which is between 7th and 8th Street.

For anyone not familiar with Amplify, here is a live video of the band performing "House" from their appearance on WoozyFly.com.



Links:
Pictures from Amplify's March '08 show at The Cutting Room
Amplify's MySpace Profile

Pennywise - Reason to Believe CD Review

Before getting into the music, I think it important to note that Pennywise broke ground with the distribution of their ninth album, Reason to Believe. The band made the album available as a free DRM-free, 320kbps MP3 download via MySpace. As far as I know, Pennywise is the first major act to make an album available to the general public as a high-quality download. (Before anyone mentions Radiohead, their ‘pay what you will’ download was very low quality). I read some complaints that Pennywise partnered with Textango and MySpace on the distribution. The reality is…why does it matter how the band distributed the music?

I should context this review by stating that I haven’t kept up with Pennywise’s career over the years so I can’t compare this release to any of their immediate prior. The last time I saw the band play live was 1994 when they opened for The Meatmen while touring behind “Unknown Road”. This new release, Reason to Believe, certainly seems comparable to “Unknown Road”.

While the music on this disc doesn’t stray far from Pennywise’s established 90’s SoCal skate punk sound, this is an enjoyable release. There are some ‘brushes’ with metal/hardcore but the band sticks with their formula of power-punk guitar crossed with breakneck drumming across most of the disc. Singer Jim Lindberg’s voice is mixed on top of the instruments and there are more call and response sing-a-longs, vocal harmonies and “whoas” than you would find in a Misfits tribute band. Lyrically, the band is just as pissed off as ever. Songs like “Western World” where the lyrics are “We are the dregs of the Western World, the steroid boys and video girls. We are the viral internet stars and the anchor man can’t stop crying. We are the dead with the dreaded disease, the nuclear sons of you and me” are pretty typical of what is on the band’s mind.

When listening to this CD, I kept hearing elements of mid-90’s Bad Religion. Try listening to this disc without thinking of Bad Religion’s “Recipe for Hate” or “Stranger Than Fiction”. This isn’t a bad thing though - fans of Pennywise or SoCal power-punk sound should enjoy this release.

Links:
Pennywise's MySpace Profile
Note: the old www.pennywisdom.com site now redirects to the band's MySpace page

KaiserCartel Release First Single from Forthcoming Debut CD "March Forth"

Brooklyn's KaiserCartel are releasing their debut full-length CD, "March Forth" on June 10th. The disc is coming out on bluhammock music and the band has a CD release party at Joe's Pub that night.

Here is the description of the show from JoesPub.com:
"Eclectic, infectious music" are the words Benjamin Cartel uses to describe KaiserCartel’s low-tech, song-driven style. "We want people to feel like a fly on the wall in our living room." says Courtney Kaiser. KaiserCartel’s earthy blend of folk-rock and pop will make you laugh, cry, sing along, and want to hold hands with the stranger next to you. Warm up by the fire with KaiserCartel.

I'm a big fan of the tracks streaming on KaiserCartel's website and MySpace profile and the band just released the first single, "Okay", from March Forth. The band's bio describes "Okay" as "[t]he swirling harmonies between Courtney and Benjamin...are a perfect example of the special bond between them as collaborators and as a couple, as they ask of each other, “How are you feeling?”

The Joe's Pub show starts at 7PM. Tickets are $15 and Lucinda Black Bear is opening the show.

Lou Reed Played Highline Ballroom Last Night (May 6th)

Last night, Lou Reed played the one-year anniversary show at Highline Ballroom. After the negative reviews on Reed's show at Highline Ballroom last year (see previous post), I skipped last night's show.

It sounds as though I missed a good show as Reed was described as being in reasonable spirits and good form. Here is the set list (taken from the Highline Ballroom blog) for the show:

01) Mad
02) Sweet Jane
03) I'm Set Free
04) Ectasy
05) I'm Sticking With You
06) Power of the Heart
07) I Wanna Know
08) Halloween Parade
09) Video Violence
10) Guaridian Angel
11) Magic and Loss
12) Pale Blues Eyes
13) Perfect Day
14) Satellite of Love
15) Walk on the Wild Side

This is an infinitely better set list than the prior year's show and it sounds like one of the highlights of the show was a 15 minute version of "Ectasy" with John Zorn.

Lou is off the road until June when he heads over to Ireland for a couple shows.
Links:
Lou Reed's Website
Village Voice Review of the Show
Pictures from the show from Highline Ballroom blog

Biohazard: The Original Lineup Plays L'Amour on Friday, June 20th

I don't think anyone anticipated the announcement in January that the original lineup of Biohazard was reuniting for a 20th Anniversary tour. Once the announcement was made though, it seemed inevitably that the band would play L'Amour.

Biohazard is playing L'Amour on June 20th and I would expect tickets go quick. Tickets are $35 (forget about tickets at the door) and here is the link to order tickets in advance.

Links:
L'Amour's MySpace Profile
Biohazard's Website

Robert Francis Releases First Video, "Little Girl", from his One By One CD

Robert Francis released his debut CD, One By One, late last year (see previously posted CD review of One By One). Robert just released the first video, "Little Girl", from the CD.



This is a pretty wild video. It takes a little bit of getting used to as the video starts off in reverse (with both the storyline and cinematography) and ends in quite the twist of a beginning.

Robert's currently in the studio laying down tracks for his upcoming sophomore release. Given this, there aren't any upcoming shows scheduled but here is link to Robert's interview and live performance on NPR which was recorded in October of last year.

Links:
Robert Francis' MySpace profile

Tesco Vee & The Meatmen Return with a Show In Long Island on May 11th

After a 12 year absence, Tesco Vee has resurrected The Meatmen and is on the road with his Hate in 08 tour. Tesco is an incredible frontman and he is one of the only people that I have seen, outside of Fear's Lee Ving, who can hold a crowd at bay with just his "witty stage banter".

"A decade spent in my basement toy room /satanic shrine/ torture chamber for neighborhood cats/ Pilsner brewing cave/ and High grade ganga farm. On any given nite you'll find me down there guzzling my drink of choice Bombay Saphire, reefin' on Lucky Strike non-filter heaters , whilst watching Seka and Vanessa Del Rio Beta videos, poking pins in the Hank Rollins voodoo doll and drunk driving in my '59 Ford Galaxie 500.(ya there's a test track down there too!)(I'm a multi taskin' mutuhufucka!) I agree the world needs me more now than ever. Your humble servant returns like a prodigal son, bearing a gilded silver platter bearing Ten Fold Hate…I'M BACK MOTHERFUCKERS!!!!!!!!!!! Thought you were done with my saggy ass didn't ya? WRONG ASSFACE! My recent comeback special in Detroit May 26, 2007 sparked an inner desire to return for another go-round. Why you might ask? Hearing the throngs of cheers and jeers from the chrome dome neanderthal lunkhead contingent, lit a fire in my sack to return to the soap box to preach the gospel of musclehead aggro once more!"

-- from www.tescovee.com

The closest that The Meatmen are coming to the city is The Nutty Irishmen in Bayshore, Long Island. I haven't been to the bar before but, looking at the concert calendar, I have to wonder how The Meatmen got booked. Friday night, a Steely Dan tribute band is booked, Saturday night is an Allman Brothers tribute band and then The Meatmen are playing on Sunday, May 11th.

I haven't seen bookings this eclectic since the 9:30 Club booked Suzanne Vega for an early show and booked The Genitorturers the same night for a late show. I was in the club when an older woman was chasing Vega's child across the empty main floor while Tim Skold and band were setting up.

Links:
Tesco Vee's Website
Tesco Vee's MySpace Profile

The Acorn - Soundfix Records, Williamsburg, Brooklyn 5/4/08

The Acorn are in town for a 4 show run (all at different venues though). The second show was earlier this evening at Soundfix Records in Brooklyn. The band played what has to be close to a complete set, with the majority of the material coming from the new CD, Glory Hope Mountain.



The Acorn capture the intricacy and intimacy of Glory Hope Mountain in their live set and all the members of the band are impressive musicians. NY Press said that "[their] intricate polyrhythms and instrumentation absorbed me immediately and completely". If you are going to Monday or Tuesday's show, get to the club early so that you can get close enough to watch the band play.

The Acorn have two more shows in town. They are playing Piano's tomorrow night (May 5th) and Mercury Lounge on May 6th.

Links:
The Acorn's Website
The Acorn's MySpace Profile

Kory Clarke Replaces Eric Wagner in Trouble

I have missed a few key shows over the years as I always assume the band will be back through the area within the next 6-12 months. I missed Joe Strummer at St. Anne's and now I am kicking myself for missing Trouble's reunion show at BB King's last year. Trouble seemed back in action so I always figured that they would come back through the area once "Simple Mind Condition" was released in the US.

A year later..."Simple Mind Condition" has yet to come out (allegedly it will come out this month but...we have all heard this before) and singer Eric Wagner just left the band. The new singer for Trouble is Kory Clarke (from Warrior Soul and Dirty Rig). I love Kory Clarke but I am going to have to see him fronting Trouble before I decide what I think of this change. Kory has a great voice but I am just having trouble imagining him singing anything from Trouble's first two CDs. At the same time, I can easily image Kory singing the material from Trouble's Def America period.

The new lineup of Trouble is doing a live webcast on July 11, 2008. You can buy a 'ticket' (for $4.99) at www.deeprockdrive.com.

Links:
Trouble's Website

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

Christian George: Interview with BrooklynRocks (new single is "Strangers")

Earlier this month, I had a chance to catch up with Christian George when he was in town promoting his new single "Strangers". Here is Christian's description of the songs on his forthcoming full-length: “Half of my songs are about sleeping with somebody and the others are about heartbreak...this album is very black or white. I’m either making you scream or you’re making me cry.”



"Strangers" is streaming on Christian's MySpace page and his full length disc is due soon.

"Stangers" was formally launched last month at the Winter Music Conference in Miami. There is an audience video posted to YouTube when Christian joined Dirt Nasty (Simon Rex) onstage in Miami to perform Canal St.



Links:
Christian George's Website
Christian George's MySpace profile

Langhorne Slim Plays CD Release Show at Mercury Lounge on Wednesday, April 30th

Langhorne Slim's new CD, a self-titled release on Kemado Records, comes out tomorrow. Langorne got caught up in the whole V2 Records mess so this new CD is his first since his 2006 EP, "Engine".

The new tracks sound like some of the best work that Langhorne has done to date. There are three tracks from this release streaming on Langhorne's MySpace page. Langorne said "This collection of songs represents our most comfortable, cohesive and soul-shaking music to date...Some [songs] came out of the blue, others took some sweat but if the feeling’s there, then you’ve got something and it don’t make a damn difference how it happened. I hope that you feel it."

Langhorne made his network TV debut last month on the David Letterman show and played "Restless" from the forthcoming CD.



Wednesday's show at the Mercury Lounge is sold out but Langhorne is playing a headlining show at Music Hall of Williamsburg on May 31st.

Iller Than Theirs Post Two Previously Unreleased Tracks To Their Blog

Brooklyn's Iller Than Theirs posted two previously unreleased tracks from their debut CD to the band's blog. It is pretty cool that the band put both tracks up as free downloads.

Both Soki Doki (which features J. Howells Werthman) and Diamond Grenades (which features Probe) are complete songs and fully produced.

Here is what the band posted about these songs:
"So when you put together an album of songs you can't include everything you've done. So first you try to include all the "best" stuff. But sometimes you have to leave out really good songs because they don't fit neatly into the larger work. For instance the song "Diamond Grenades" always seemed like a grand finale to close the album. But then we made "Wash, Rinse, Repeat". We couldn't have two Epic endings: so we cut Diamond Grenades. But it's still an awesome song so too is "Soki Doki"

Judas Priest Plans In-Store Appearance at Vintage Vinyl

Rob Halford, KK Downing and Glenn Tipton are making a rare in-store appearance at Vintage Vinyl in Fords, NJ. The first 500 fans to pre-order the forthcoming CD, Nostradamus, from Vintage Vinyl will receive a wristband that will get them into the event.

The signing will be on Friday, May 9th @ 6PM and I would expect wristbands to go quickly. According to Vintage Vinyl's site, this is the band's first in-store in 25 years.

Nostradamus is officially released on June 17th but the title track is available as a free download on LiveNation's site. Judas Priest is touring this summer as part of the Metal Masters tour (with Heaven and Hell and Testament). Local dates are August 9th at PNC Bank Arts Center and August 10th at Jones Beach.

Mark Mothersbaugh (Devo) Art Show Opens in May at 3rd Ward Gallery in Brooklyn

It is probably old news by now that tickets went on sale today for Devo's show at McCarren Pool in Williamsburg. Devo plays the East Coast too infrequently these days (the last NYC show was at Hammerstein in 2005). There are only three East Coast dates scheduled so I don't mind the $52 ticket price but it still bugs the [deleted word] out of me that Ticketmaster surcharges add another 20% to the ticket price.

Mark Mothersbaugh's art exhibit Postcard Diaries open in NYC on May 10th at 3rd Ward Gallery in Brooklyn.

"During his downtime on early worldwide tours with DEVO, Mark began illustrating on postcards to send to his friends and family, which he still creates, and has been creating every day for over 30 years. It's an obsessive habit/hobby, which still yields anywhere from one to a couple dozen new postcard-sized images per day. You can find more info on Mark's visual art at mutatovisual.com."

The public showing starts at 8PM on May 10th. 3rd Ward Gallery's website says the "[o]pening night will be a Super Thing Circus with live music, interactive art, limited edition merchandise, and a cyber appearance by Mark Mothersbaugh himself."

For more information, check out 3rd Ward Gallery's Website.

Cleveland's Mystery of Two Play Shows In Brooklyn Tonight and Tomorrow

Cleveland's Mystery of Two is in town this weekend for two shows in Brooklyn. Tonight's show is at Spike Hill (184 Bedford Ave, Williamsburg) and tomorrow night's show is at Tommy's Tavern (1041 Manhattan Ave, Greenpoint).

Mystery of Two has a 70's art-punk feel to their music and the closest points of comparison would be Rocket From the Tombs/early-Pere Ubu or Television. Singer Ryan Weitzel has a similar vocal style to Pere Ubu's David Thomas and the band's music has some of the same free-form, wall-of-sound elements of both Ubu and Television. There are a number of live and studio tracks streaming on the band's MySpace page. All of the tracks are well worth a listen - good starting points are "Desolate", "Corner" and a punked-up cover of Canned Heat's "Going Up The Country".

Links:
Exit Stencil Recordings

Psychic TV - First Live Performance in Over A Year Streaming on NPR

Psychic TV returned to action last week and played a live set in NPR's World Cafe Studios. Genesis (P-Orridge) also speaks with the interviewer between tracks and he, as always, gives a facinsting interview.

Tracks played were "No Good Trying", "Papal Breakdance" and "Foggy Notion" (yes, this is the Velevet Underground song) and here is a link to Psychic TV's live performance and interview.

PTV3 is touring Europe in May and, unfortunately, no US dates have been announced.

Links:
Genesis P-Orridge's Website

Alkaline Trio Release Advance Single "Help Me" from New CD Agony and Irony

You have to love a band who Wikipedia says plays music "characterized by dark lyrics, catchy choruses, fast tempos and recurring subjects of love, alcoholism, depression, fire, drugs, blasphemy, and death."

Alkaline Trio signed to Epic Records last year (after the demise of V2 Records) and are releasing their Epic debut "Agony & Irony" on July 1st. The band has just release the first track from this upcoming release "Help Me". (Click on the art for the single to stream the track).

The band is playing European festivals this summer and a US tour will follow.


Links:
Alkaline Trio's MySpace Profile
Alkaline Trio's Website

Cheyenne Frontman Beau Jennings Releases First Track From Upcoming Solo Disc

Cheyenne's singer Beau Jennings is readying his first solo disc, Holy Tulsa Thunder, and just released an advance single of the disc's title track. This track is a rocker that has a great "Springsteen in his prime" sort of vibe so I'm looking forward to hearing the whole disc.

Links:
Beau Jennings' MySpace profile
Cheyenne's MySpace profile

The Acorn Play Union Hall and SoundFix in May/Video for "The Flood Pt. 1"

The Acorn are coming back through town next month with stops at Union Hall on May 3rd and an in-store performance at SoundFix on May 4th.

The band is touring behind their second CD, Glory Hope Mountain, which is homage to the life story of Gloria Montoya Esperanza (mother of Acorn main-man Rolf Klausener).

The Acorn - The Flood Pt. 1

The band's show at Union Hall in February sold out so I wouldn't wait on getting tickets. Given the buzz and press coverage of this band, I would expect the free show at SoundFix to be packed as well (...line up early).

Links:
The Acorn's Website
The Acorn's MySpace Profile

Robert Francis - One By One CD Review

Robert Francis makes a pretty bold statement modeling the cover of his debut CD after the cover of Bob Dylan's The Times They Are a-Changin'. Francis' CD One to One isn't quite Dylan but it is a solid debut. Both musically and with his lyrical outlook, Robert Francis is closer in spirit to Townes Van Zandt or Cowboy Junkies than Dylan. One to One contains 10 world-weary tales of people, places and heartache. Townes Van Zandt, after being asked why he only wrote sad songs said "Well, many of the songs, they aren't sad, they're hopeless." Francis' melodies and lyrics aren't all hopeless but there is a sort of haunting beauty that carries across these tracks.

There has been a lot of 'to-do' in the media that Francis was only 19 when he recorded this CD. Not to downplay Francis' achievements (which are impressive - he plays guitar, bass, drums, piano, banjo and glockenspiel on this disc in addition to taking on the role of producer) but he is not a newcomer to the music scene. I recently read an overview of Francis' musical career and highlights include receiving a vintage National guitar at age nine from Ry Cooder and taking guitar lessons from Red Hot Chili Peppers' guitarist John Frusciante. Francis is also the younger brother of Juliette Commagere, who fronts Hello Stranger (currently on tour with the Foo Fighters).

The songs on this disc are driven by an equal combination of the instrumentation and Francis' voice. Francis has his sister Juliette Commagere and other female accompanists singing harmonies with him on about half the tracks which provides a bit of light to Francis' weary baritone. One of the standouts tracks is the title track, One By One, which features Commagere's harmonies mixed with a lush arrangement of piano and violins.

In addition to the positive press and a sold out show at the Bowery Ballroom last month, Robert Francis was also nominated for The Shortlist Music Prize for One By One. The Shortlist Music Prize is a music award given annually to an album released in the United States within the last year, as chosen by a panel of musicians, producers and journalists, known as the 'Listmakers'.

This is a strong mature release from a young artist off to a great start. Francis has set the bar high for future releases.

Boris Releases New CD, "Smile", on Southern Lord

Southern Lord just released the latest disc by Japanese noise rockers Boris. The band's new CD "Smile" has been out on the Diwphalanx label in Japan for about a month but the Southern Lord version has a number of different songs and different mixes than its Japanese counterpart. Like most Southern Lord releases, the label has released a limited edition version of this disc for mail order customers. This mail order version is limited to 3,000 copies and comes with a bonus DVD that includes videos for the songs "Statement" , My Neighbor Satan", and "Pink".

All of Boris' releases sell out quickly so get this while you can (...or pay eBay prices later).

Links:
Southern Lord Records
Boris' Website
Diwphalanx Records

Interview with Five Finger Death Punch (FFDP) Guitarist Darrell Roberts

Five Finger Death Punch is playing next Friday night at the Starland Ballroom as part of WSOU's 60th Anniversary celebration before heading out for a couple of weeks with Disturbed. I had a chance to catch up with guitarist Darrell Roberts and talked with him about how FFDP came together, what the band's current plans are and some of the bands he worked with in Hollywood in the late 80's.

Here is a direct link to the interview with Darrell Roberts and here is a link to the .

Five Finger Death Punch is on the Rockstar Metal Mayhem tour (Slipknot, Disturbed, Machine Head, Mastodon and more) this summer. The tour hits this area in August with a stop at Nassau Colliseum on August 3rd.

Links:
Five Finger Death Punch's MySpace Profile
Five Finger Death Punch's Website

Heroes of Popular Wars Play Pianos on April 22nd

I've been hearing good things about Heroes of Popular Wars for a while so I've been meaning to check out the band for some time. Unfortunately, I always seem to have committments, working or traveling whenever they play. The band is playing Piano's on April 22nd with Joemca & Poets (...and naturally, I'm out of town).

I finally had some time tonight to check out a video (below) and some mp3s from the band and am looking forward to catching HOPW live sometime in the future. The band has a carefully sculptured sound that is rooted in electronica but each of the songs posted to the band's website are all somewhat different. As I have been listening, my original point of comparison would have been Section 25 or one of the other early Factory bands but, after listening to the band's tracks a few times, I'm not sure that this comparison completely describes the full extent of the band's sound.

Here is the video for There's The Bell


...and here are links to a couple mp3s
3rd of July
Goodbye

This is intriguing stuff - I especially like the sample of "How Great Thou Art" that leads into "Goodbye"

Links:
Hereos of Popular Wars Website
Hereos of Popular Wars MySpace Profile

Mackie Jayson Joins Madball

Mackie is one of my favorite hardcore drummers.

This announcement was posted to Madball's MySpace page yesterday:

We’re sad to announce that after 6 years with the band, our drummer Rigg Ross will be moving on. We’d like to wish him all the best for the future, and he will have our love and respect forever.

At the same time, we’d like to welcome Mackie Jayson (former Cro-Mags, Bad Brains) to the band. We look forward to playing our first shows with him later this month. See you all soon!

Unfortunately, Madball doesn't have any area shows scheduled at this time.

Boston (featuring Tom Scholz) is Touring This Summer - Be Very Afraid...

I'm not going to slag Boston (too much) as I still remember what a big deal it was to get their second LP when I was in junior high. (Anyone who tells you that they grew up listening to Joy Division from 10 year old on is lying). Brad Delp, who was the voice of Boston, committed suicide last year so now the band is touring with Michael Sweet from Stryper on vocals along with Tommy DeCarlo who was 'found' after he posted some cover versions of Boston tunes to his MySpace page.

People make fun of the two LA Guns lineups that are touring under the same name but it doesn't get much lower than this...Boston, featuring one original member along with the vocalist from Stryper plus some random fan who sort of sings like Brad Delp.

I'm surprised that Boston is still playing some decent sized venues. Here are the area tour dates:
Aug. 01 - Big Flats, NY - Summer Stage
Aug. 10 - Holmdel, NJ - PNC Bank Center
Aug. 15 - Atlantic City, NJ - Tropicana Casino and Resort

Iller Than Theirs Play Mercury Lounge on April 17th/CD Review

One of the CDs that should have been on everyone's "Best of 2007" list is the debut disc from Brooklyn rappers Iller Than Theirs. The band is composed of rappers Tone Tank and Krayo (along with beats from Scott Thorough and DJ Snafu) who are all part of the Nuclear Family collective. The band is playing at Mercury Lounge of April 17th as part of an Embedded Records showcase.

Iller Than Theirs combines a wicked sense of self-depreciating humor with social commentary on everyday life. All of the is backed by some wicked beats. I'm a tough critic of rap bands as I expect both great vocals and great beats and this CD has held up to repeated play.

Before jumping into a review of the CD, I've shown this live video (of Iller Than Theirs @ Southpaw) to a number of friends and they have all come away with the comment "wow, they are really good".



Iller That Theirs' self-titled CD is about two guys from Brooklyn (the homeland) trying to 'make rap and make rent' in a city that is rapidly gentrifying. This theme runs beneath most of the songs. "Razor Bumps" is about people who pretend to be cool ("too fly to fart"), "To Be Ill" is about people who want something for nothing ("Everyone want a dog but no one want to walk the thing") and "The Same" is about Ratner's gentrification of Brooklyn and the Atlantic Center area.

"The Same" also features guest vocals from Masta Ace (from the Juice Crew). Kray gave an interview to Underground Report where he talks about some of his influences as "indie Hip Hop stuff that started coming out in the mid-'90s: [Company Flow], Fondle 'Em, Stones Throw, Quannum, early Rawkus stuff...The do it yourself spirit of those records were in stark contrast to the huge over-sized hyped up corporate mega-stars of today. You can make art without money behind it - and it can be even better than the big-budget bullshit." Iller Than Theirs is really a throw-back to the raw, honest DIY rap that came out of NYC in the 80's and early-90's.

On this disc, Tone and Kray tell it like it is - no hype and no phony bravado. This disc is essential listening...I know rap isn't in vogue in the mainstream but Iller Than Theirs has the both talent and the heart to break out of the underground.

Check 'em out at the Mercury - It should be a great show.

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

Halou - Sawtooth CD EP Review

Halou has been around for 11 years and had released 3 CDs and 3 EPs prior to Sawtooth. With this release, Halou de-emphasizes the hip-hop/trip-hop sounds of past releases and "Sawtooth" is comparable to 90's era shoe-gazer dream pop. With a heavy focus on Rebecca's voice and a layered guitar sound, the immediate points of comparison are Mazzy Star and Opal.

For fans of indie shoe-gazer pop, "Sawtooth" is well worth picking up. Two tracks from the EP, "Breath Makes Smoke" and "Evensong" are streaming on Halou's MySpace profile.



Check out the live video of Halou performing "Professional" (also from Sawtooth) from their show last month at The Filmore/Irving Plaza.

Online Videos by Veoh.com

Halou just finished a month-long tour with Bob Mould and are back in San Francisco where they are playing some residence shows at Cafe Du Nord. (The first show is April 9th).

The B-52s Performed Funplex on The Tonight Show

The B-52s are starting to hit the talk shows in support of their great new release "Funplex". Check out the band performing Funplex on the Tonight Show (from April 1st).

The B-52s are on the Ellen Degeneres show tomorrow (Friday) performing "Funplex" and "Love Shack". I'll be at work tomorrow so if anyone posts a video from this appearance, please send me a link.

Links:
The B-52s Website
The B-52s MySpace Profile

Manes - "How the World Came to An End" CD Review (Candlelight Records)

This is a bit of a surprising release from Candlelight Records, given that Candlelight is the home of Emperor and other black metal bands. While Manes started off as a ‘traditional’ black metal act, their sound on this 2007 release emphasizes elements of world music, free-form jazz and hip-hop. Immediate points of comparison are the 80’s line-up of King Crimson and/or the world music side of Peter Gabriel crossed with the electronica/goth sounds of 80’s Depeche Mode.

This is an adventurous release by Manes as it is both danceable and accessible to the masses. Tracks like “I Watch You Fall” and “The Cure-All” have both clean vocals and an intricately layered soundscape of melodies and sounds. There are a number of guest vocalists/artists on this release (11 guests are listed on the band’s website) but, even with the stylistic differences between tracks, this disc flows as a cohesive body of work. The atmosphere of the disc is highlighted by crystal-clear production which keeps the layers of sounds from being overwhelming and it also makes for great headphones listening.

It appears that Manes’ MySpace page is down, Mains’ website hasn’t been updated in a year and the band parted ways with Candlelight Records earlier this year so I’m not sure what the best way is to keep up with the band. The band though is supposed to be working on a upcoming release, tentatively entitled 'Be All End All', so I’m sure that Manes will resurface on the web soon.

Amplify - Cutting Room, NYC, March 14, 2008

Wow...I got behind in posting pictures from some recent shows

Amplify held their CD release party a few weeks ago at the Cutting Room. Amplify's debut CD is entitled "Beneath the Beauty...Lies Heaven to Burn" and the disc is available through CD Baby.

Amplify plays melodic hard-rock comparable to The Cult or mid-90's era Guns N' Roses. The musicians in the band have been around the music scene for years and their raw talent and energy really come across to make a great live show.

Here are some photos from the show:


Before going to the show, I was looking at some of Roberta Bayley's photos from CBGBs so I wanted to try a few B&W shots.

Bobbie Rae/Amplify
















Joe, Bobbie and Freeze/Amplify


Amplify's next show is at Luna Lounge on April 17th and tickets are only $8.00.

Links:
Amplify's MySpace page

Biomechanical - "Cannibalised" CD Review (Earache Records)

Until I read the band's press release, I wouldn't have known that this disc is the conclusion of a conceptual trilogy that began with Eight Moons. John K says that "This story is told from somebody who realized there is no way out of this reality. Cannibalised is the acceptance of the death of his spirit. Every song is a different take of his emotions. The songs don't run like a story, but describe different thoughts as he plunges into darkness."

Cannibalised is the hardest and most musically dense release of the trilogy. As with the past two releases, John K mixes cinematic themes and layers of sound with blistering power-metal. John's voice ranges from an operatic falsetto (like Halford or Dickenson) to a Cookie Monster death metal growl. Aside for John K, the band completely changed over from The Empires of the Words and the songs on this disc highlight some killer guitar work from newcomers Chris Van Hayden and Gus Drax. Chris Tsangarides continues on from Empire as producer and his crystal clear production emphasizes the band's dense musical soundscapes. Right when the intensity of the band's attack starts to get overwhelming, the band changes pace. "Breathing Silence" and "Consumed" are two of the more interesting and diverse tracks on this release.

There is so much going on within this disc that it requires multiple listenings to take everything in. Multiple listenings though are well worth the effort as Biomechanical is far from your average metal band.

Links:
Biomechanical's MySpace Page
Biomechanical's Website

Cassettes Won't Listen Continue Tour of Brooklyn Industries Stores Tomorrow (March 30th)

Cassettes Won't Listen caught my attention with their free download "One Alternative" (a takeoff on the 90's 'No Alternative' compliation). I was intrigued that CWL is playing 6 shows at local Brooklyn Industries stores this weekend in support of a new shirt that main man Jason Drake designed so I stopped by the first show @ Brooklyn Industries' Smith Street location.

CWL played a 20-25 minute set in the front window of the store. After watching the performance, I'd like to see a full set (...so I guess that says it all). Here are some of my pictures from the show.


Here is the schedule for tomorrow's four Brooklyn Industries shows:
12:00: Williamsburg - (162 Bedford at N. 8th St)
2:00: SoHo - (286 Lafayette bet. Prince and Houston)
3:30: W. Village - (500 Hudson St. at Christopher St.)
5:00: Chelsea - (161 8th Ave. at the 18th St.)

Cassettes Won't Listen is also playing Limewire's party at Crash Mansion on April 4th (another free show).

State Bird: Interview with Coby & Jared + Live Footage from The Annex, NYC

State Bird's second CD, Mostly Ghostly, came out at the end of February and the band kicked off a 5 week tour last night at The Annex. I posted a review of Mostly Ghostly last month and this disc is still one of my favorite releases of 2008.

I caught up with Coby and Jared before they went onstage at The Annex and filmed a brief interview along with "I Saw The Light" which the band opened their set with.


State Bird is playing Friday night at Fat Baby along with Jaques Chirac and tickets are only $10.

Links:
State Bird's Website
State Bird's MySpace Page

Gorilla Biscuits and CIV Added to Black N Blue Bowl @ Studio B, April 5th

I have been procrastinating getting tickets for this show but this recent announcement will get me moving. Black N Blue Productions have comfirmed that both Gorilla Biscuits and CIV will be playing the show next Saturday. I don't think Gorilla Biscuits have played in NYC since their 2006 shows at CBGB and BB Kings and CIV broke up in 2000. The lineup includes Agnostic Front, Madball, Terror, Breakdown (reunion), and Fahrenheit 451.

Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door.

Another Big Machine - Interview with Justin McCoy

Last week, I caught up with Justin McCoy, lead singer of Baton Rouge-based band Another Big Machine. A.B.M. formed a couple of years ago and have a pop/rock sound that is somewhat similar to bands like Matchbox 20 and Better Than Ezra. The band just finished recording their self-titled debut CD which is due out in early summer on the Rising Storm/Universal label.

The band is hitting the road shortly on a radio station tour in support of the new CD and hopefully a full-band tour will follow.

Here is a direct link to the interview with Justin McCoy and here is the RSS feed.

Links:
Another Big Machine's MySpace page

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.

Lair of the Minotaur Releases New Disc, Plays Knitting Factory on May 26th

Chicago's Lair of the Minotaur is releasing their third disc this Tuesday on Southern Lord. The new disc has a heavy sound and the band's press release describes it as "a concept album about solving conflicts with a big f*cking axe!" The band has made available an MP3 of the lead-off track, "Horde of Undead Vengeance".

Like most Southern Lord releases, this disc has beautiful packaging which features art by Jeremy Mohler and layout by Seldon Hunt. CD also contains a 20 page booklet with graphic illustrations for each song. There is also a limited edition version that contains a dropcard with a password activated web link to download exclusive live tracks recorded at a show in Chicago in October 2007.

LotM are touring with Kylesa (check out their cover of Interstellar Overdrive, which is a free download on Kylesa's MySpace page) and The Ocean.

Links:
Lair of the Minotaur's Website
Lair of the Minotaur's MySpace page

Anti-Flag Play MySpace (Not So) Secret Show at Knitting Factory on Wednesday, March 26th

Political punkers Anti-Flag have a new CD, "Bright Lights of America" coming out on April 1st, and are playing a FREE MySpace "Secret Show" at the Knitting Factory on Wednesday, March 26th. This is likely to be a pretty crazy show as it is first-come, first-serve with doors @ 8PM so I would expect the line to start early. Anti-Flag is playing venues 2x - 3x the size of the Knitting Factory on their current tour so there is no way everyone who shows up is going to get in.

Now, if you can get in...Brooklyn's Outernational are opening and are worth getting in early for. Outernational had a Knitting Factory showcase canceled earlier this month when the club was closed by the fire mashal because of a broken water pipe. Outnational has a "Rage Against the Machine crossed with World Music" sound and was just in California recording their debut CD with Rage's Tom Morello.

Links:
Anti-Flag's MySpace Page
Knitting Factory

Pennywise - New CD Available for Free on MySpace

This is an interesting promo - if you 'friend' Textango on MySpace before March 25th, you will receive high quality DRM-free high-quality MP3s of the new Pennywise CD for free.

This is the band's ninth CD and will be released on MySpace Records in the US (I didn't know MySpace had a label) and Epitaph in Europe and Asia. The European vinyl version (limited edition) will contain two bonus tracks unique to this release.

Click on the CD cover to go to Textango's Myspace page.

Links:
Pennywise's MySpace page

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.

Christian Death/CD1334 Call It A Day - Final Show Later This Month

The original ("Only Theatre of Pain") Christian Death line-up (minus Rozz Williams) reunited just over a year and, after some initial shows in Los Angeles, have been touring Europe. I was hoping the band would come to the East Coast but, according to Rikk Agnew's MySpace page, the band's show in Mexico City on March 29th will be the band's last.

It sounded like a good idea when the band got back together and a new album was supposed to follow. Unfortunately, the band seemed to be plagued by problems from the get-go. First George Belanger (drums) dropped out of the band and then the lawsuit from Valor followed. It appears that bassist James McGearty has also left the band, replaced by someone named Corwin.

A live DVD from the band's first official show last April at the Henry Fonda Theatre was supposed to have been released in December on Horror Rock Records but it doesn't look like the site has been updated in a while. Hopefully this disc doesn't end up getting tied up in litigation...

There are a bunch of clips from the band's reunion tour on YouTube. Here is Spiritual Cramp from the band's show in Madrid.

Christian Death 1334 - Spiritual Cramp

Tantric - An Interview with Hugo Ferreira

Yesterday, I spent some time catching up with Hugo Ferreira, lead singer from Tantric. Hugo reformed Tantric with a new lineup and the band has a new disc, "The End Begins", due out on April 22nd on the Silent Majority Group label. The first single from the new disc, Down and Out, is available on iTunes and is getting some good airplay. (The track is also streaming on the band's MySpace page)



Hugo was kind enough to let me record the interview so here is a link to the mp3 and also a link to the RSS feed.

The band is playing a few shows in the Northeast and will be touring the US in April with Vayden.

Links:
Tantric's MySpace Page

Simone Celebrates Nina Simone's 75th Birthday @ the Canal Room, NYC 2-21-08

Last month, Nina Simone's daughter Simone celebrated what would have been her mother's 75th birthday with a tribute concert at the Canal Room. The Canal Room show was to celebrate songs from Simone's upcoming CD Simone on Simone, which is a big band tribute to her mother. Simone on Simone is scheduled for release on May 13th (on Koch/High Priestess). The new CD features some of Nina Simone's little known gems such as "I Hold No Grudge" and "Don't Pay Him No Mind" along with well-known songs such as "Black Is The Color Of My True Love's Hair" and "Love Me or Leave Me".



Simone's next concert in the area is at Berks Jazz Festival in Reading, PA on March 29th.

Links:
Simone's Website

The Acorn - Glory Hope Mountain CD Review

The Acorn's sophomore CD, "Glory Hope Road", has been generating considerable buzz in the blogs. The band played their first US show last month here in NYC to a sold-out crowd at Union Hall. CMJ was at the show and here is a link to their photos and a brief review.

The Acorn's press bio describes "Glory Hope Mountain" as "a touching homage to the life story of Gloria Montoya Esperanza(loosely translated as Glory "Montoya" Hope), as told by her son, Rolf Klausener...Glory Hope Mountain is part historical narrative and part surreal fairy tale." Rolf Klausener recently did an interview with My Old Kentucky Blog and he describes the background for Glory Hope Mountain as "[t]he themes and some of the stories were culled from about 9 hours of interviews I conducted with my mother in the Spring of 2006. Originally, I set out to record her stories so that I could add them to the Klausener family history that my Great Uncle George compiled in Switzerland in the 1950's. The book documents our family's history going back to early 1500's." (Here is a link to the complete interview)

Musically, The Acorn falls somewhere between world beat (as they incorporate Honduran instruments and rythms) and Appalachian folk. For the most part, this music is a soundscape that accompanies and complements Klausener's vocals but rarely overshadows the vocal narratives. The is also a brief vocal interlude from Gloria Montoya Esperanza on the track "Sister Margaret". Lyrically, the songs don't form an end-to-end story per-se but provide the basis for the re-telling of stories and events from Gloria's life.

This is an intimate and inviting record that should hold up well to repeated listenings.

Links:
The Acorn's MySpace page

Toilet Boys - "Sex Music" CD Review

The Toilet Boys have returned for one last hurrah. A new CD of previously unreleased tracks, "Sex Music", was released in December on Dead City Records.

This isn't a Toilet Boys reunion though as the majority of tracks were written and demo'd by the band prior to their breakup in 2003. There is one newly written song on this disc, "Drug of Choice", along with a remix of this song by each of the three band members.

This disc is a fun return to the not-so-long-ago days when the East Village was both sleazy and dangerous. Anyone who caught the band's live show in the late 90's will know exactly what I mean. This disc captures the high-energy glam/gutter punk sounds of the first few Toilet Boys releases and the leadoff track, "Sex Music", sets the tone for the rest of the disc. "Sex Music" starts with a spoken word intro from Theo and Debbie Harry and song has the repeated chorus "This is the sound of flesh". To repurpose a quote that Sean Pierce gave to Rolling Stone 10 years ago...Sex Music is the sound of an "already an up-and-running rock & roll machine going for broke and kicking ass".

Aside for the remixes, which are fun but unessential, there isn't a bad track on this disc. The Toilet Boys even tip their hat to former tour mates The Ramones with a glammed-up cover of "Carbona Not Glue".

The band held a CD release party at the Marquee a few weeks ago but, sadly, have no active plans to record or tour. It looks like each of the Boys will keep on with their current solo projects - Sean is playing in Theo's band, Eddie is in Psychic TV and Miss Guy is finishing up a solo CD.

Protest The Hero - Photos from the Nokia Theatre, NYC 2-22-08

Here are some of my pictures from Protest The Hero's show last month at Nokia Theatre. The band has dropped off the Silverstien tour but they are heading out on the Warped Tour in June.

The Warped Tour has two stops in the NY/NJ area:
Jul 25 2008 12:00P WARPED TOUR-Susquehanna Bank Center Camden, NJ
Jul 26 2008 12:00P WARPED TOUR-Venue T.B.A Uniondale, NY

Protest The Hero - Live @ Nokia Theatre, NYC 2-28-08

Previous Post: Live footage from Protest The Hero's show at Nokia + backstage interview with Rody Walker

Links:
Protest The Hero's MySpace page

The Teenage Prayers - An Interview with Tim Adams

Yesterday I had a chance to catch up with Tim Adams, singer from The Teenage Prayers. The band started a tour earlier this month in support of their second CD, "Everyone Thinks You're The Best", which comes out Tuesday, March 18th. The band is currently in Austin, TX and are playing a showcase tonight at SxSW with Cassettes Won't Listen and Care Bears on Fire.

The Teenage Prayers are back in town on April 5th for a record release party at SoundFix (in Williamsburg).

Here is a direct link to the mp3 of the interview with Tim and here is a link to the RSS feed.

Links:
The Teenage Prayers' MySpace page

Hulda - "Always Haunted" CD Review

This is very little information about Hulda's history on the band's MySpace page so I wasn't able to find much background material. According to Interpunk.com, "Always Haunted" is the band's second release and 'they have added keyboards to their sound with the inclusion of George on the keys'. The band has been around for about five years - I haven't kept up with their gig history but do remember the band opening for Mudhoney at the Knitting Factory in 2006.

The sticker on this CD says "Dark Edge Rock with female vocals. For fans of Lacuna Coil, Evanescence and Flyleaf". I'm not familiar with Flyleaf but I am not hearing the comparisons to Lacuna Coil or Evanescence. Hulda's music is closer to that of Concrete Blonde and the predominant keyboards leads to a comparison to 45 Grave. In a nutshell, this is 80's style dark-wave music.

Across "Always Haunted", the band doesn't deviate musically from their goth/dark-wave format but this isn't a bad thing. This disc has continued to hold my attention after a couple listens. Two tracks from this disc ("Blame the Devil" and "Always Haunted") are streaming on the band's MySpace page and that should give the listener a good feel for what the rest of this disc sounds like.

Stand-out tracks: "Everything's Back", "Blame The Devil" and "Green River"

The Canon Logic Play Sullivan Hall in the West Village tonight (March 7th)

Philadelphia transplants, The Canon Logic, are playing Sullivan Hall tonight. Sullivan Hall is the old Lions Den (214 Sullivan Street). The band is playing with "A BIG YES...and a small no" (who goes on at 9:30PM) and tickets are only $10.

According to the The Canon Logic's MySpace page, the band relocated to Brooklyn and have their second release, "White Balloon", due out on May 20th. The Canon Logic earned some great press for their first EP with its blend of Beach Boys' style vocal harmonies mixed with Cheap Trick style power-pop. One of the stand-out tracks on the EP is Delia.

The band has such an incredibly tight sound, both musical and vocally, so I have been wondering how well this translates to the band's live shows. I just ran across an audience clip of the band performing acoustic version of Delia on World Cafe and they sounds great. (You can't fake it acoustically)



The Canon Logic are off to SxSW for a couple shows and the next local show is at The Tank on April 10th.

Links:
The Canon Logic's MySpace Page
The Canon Logic's Blog

Lost Tricks Headline Mercury Lounge on March 13th

Lost Tricks played Mercury Lounge this past January for a CD release show and the band is returning to the Mercury on March 13th for a headlining show with support from M-Lab. Lost Tricks is now a four piece band and this show is the biggest that they have played (yet) in support of the new album "Keep It Together".

In a previous post, I described Lost Tricks as "piano-based rock in the style of Keane and Ben Folds". For anyone who hasn't heard the band, there are a lot of tunes streaming on the band's MySpace page and there are some demos and rough mixes on the 'music' page of the band's website.

Tickets are only $10 and Lost Tricks take the stage at 10:30PM.

"Rock Over London" Showcase Returns to NYC on March 11

Britian's traveling new music showcase, Rock Over London, is playing three cities in the US this month. This showcase takes over Piano's, Mercury Lounge and Bowery Ballroom on March 11th before heading out for shows at SxSW and Los Angeles.

The big show is at Bowery Ballroom which hosts a "buzz" lineup of agit-pop bands The Pigeon Detectives and Joe Lean and the Jing Jang Jongs, along with folkie Emmy the Great. Tickets are only $10.

Mercury Lounge hosts a night of British rap/hip-hop artists. The lineup includes Dan Le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip, Sway and Riz MC. Tickets are only $14.

Piano's is hosting an eclectic mix of singer/songwriters. The lineup includes Liz Green, Declan Bennett and Son of Dave. This show starts at 10PM and tickets are only $10.

Baltimore's Kix to Play New York and New Jersey in June

Here is where I show my age...I must have seen Kix play over a dozen times while growing up in Baltimore.

Kix and Crack The Sky were the "local" bands that everyone thought would make it big. Kix called it a day in the mid-90's but the band started playing reunion shows around the Baltimore area a few years ago. Kix is finally playing a few shows outside of the Mid-Atlantic and has scheduled shows in New York and New Jersey in June.

Here are the dates:
June 06 – Dexter's Entertainment Complex - Riverdale, NJ
June 07 - Mulcahy’s Concert Hall - Wantagh, NY

It has probably been 15 years since Kix was last in NY so GET OUT AND SEE THE BAND as this is a rare area show. Kix always puts on a great live show and I have read that the Baltimore reunion shows have been great.