Bugs In the Dark Are Playing Lit Lounge Next Thursday, Sept. 25th

Brooklyn's Bugs In The Dark are playing the Lit Lounge next Thursday (Sept. 25th) night.

There are a couple bands from the area that I expect to break big next year and Bugs In The Dark are on the top of this list. The band released their fabulous debut full-length disc earlier this year, Grand Avenue, and their live shows continue to get great reviews (link, link).

For anyone who hasn't heard the band...Bugs In the Dark have a sound that is sort of an amalgamation of Pylon, Sonic Youth and Hole. Check out "Gasoline", which is the first video from the new CD.



Next Thursday, Bugs In the Dark are playing at 10:30PM and tickets are $6.00.

Links:
Bugs In the Dark's MySpace Profile

French Kicks are Playing Bowery Ballroom on September 24th

French Kicks are headlining the bill at the Bowery Ballroom on September 24th. The band is touring behind their fourth album Swimming (Vagrant) which was released earlier this year to strong reviews.

Swimming is the first disc to be produced and mixed by the band and the band shows a new level of artistic maturity. The band's garage/post-punk roots haven't been abandoned but the band is exploring more melodic territories. You can check out some tracks from Swimming on a Daytrotter session that the band recorded over the summer. One of my favorites is "Over The World".

French Kicks are playing with Passion Pit and Salt & Samovar at the Bowery Ballroom show. Tickets are $15.00.

Links:
French Kicks' MySpace Profile
French Kicks' Website

Holy Moses: Interview with Vocalist Sabina Classen (Thrash Metal)

Last week, I had the pleasure of speaking with Sabina Classen, vocalist from Holy Moses. Now in its 27th year, Holy Moses has its 12th disc, "Agony of Death", coming out (in the US) on October 7th on SPV Records. Sabina and I talked a bit about the concepts behind the new album, the band's upcoming first-ever tour of the US, her recent work with Doro Pesch and more.

Here is the link to the podcast feed and here is a direct link to the mp3.

You can check out the sound of the new disc on this video of the band rehersing for the Wacken Open Air Festival.

Holy Moses rehearsal for Wacken Open Air 2008


Links:
Holy Moses' Website
Holy Moses' MySpace Profile

Is Noel Gallagher (Oasis) Playing in the NYC Subways Tomorrow?

Oasis was originally scheduled to play Terminal 5 in support of their forthcoming CD Dig Out Your Soul. Tonight's show was canceled after a crazed fan pushed Noel Gallagher into his monitor a few nights ago in Toronto.

As part of a promo behind the album release, the Gallagher brothers were supposed to be teaching three songs from the new disc to NYC street musicians who were then scheduled to do a series of live performances around the city today.

I'm a bit confused as a post from The Blender Blog was just forwarded on to me that says that the performances will be tomorrow in the subways. There is also a rumor that Noel Gallagher will be performing at some of the locations. Here is a quote from the Blender post "Beginning tomorrow morning, an army of street musicians will be performing tracks from the band’s new album on subway platforms at major Manhattan stations including Times Square, Astor Place, and Penn Station."

I'm not sure what to think on this...all the press releases say that this was supposed to happen today but there are no pictures, reviews, YouTube videos, etc. posted online as of yet. Maybe this got postponed a day...

Links:
Oasis' Website

Juliana Hatfield Plays Bowery Ballroom Tomorrow and Housing Works Bookstore in October

Juliana Hatfield has just released her 10th CD, How To Walk Away, which reviewers are calling new best disc in years. Village Voice recently did an in-depth write-up/review on Juliana and her new CD, which they describe as "her best".

The new disc is produced by Andy Chase (from Ivy) and (according to the Voice article) "he pushed her to focus on writing stuff where each song reveals an onion layer of who Juliana is." This is a mature and personal album which is also marked by Juliana singing in a lower register than what she typically has done over her career.

Juliana kicked off a tour a few days ago and is playing Bowery Ballroom tomorrow night with Hayden. Juliana is back in town for a CMJ Show at Housing Works Bookstore on October 23rd. Tickets for tomorrow night's show are still available and are $18 at the door.

Links:
Juliana Hatfield's MySpace Profile
Juliana Hatfield's Website

Monika H. Band - Disguised As Umbrellas We Slept CD Review

Avant-rock/jazz vocalist Monika H. is releasing her second CD, Disguised As Umbrellas, We Slept, on October 28th and she is having a record release party that night at Nublu in Alphabet City.

Disguised As Umbrellas, We Slept is an eclectic disc that combines elements from dream-pop, psychedelia, avant-rock and jazz into into a unique amalgamation of sound. The sensation of listening to Monika's music has been described as "being perched on a high cliff at a perfect angle of repose, where the fall is visible but not inevitable, sitting just outisde of dissonance, barely safe from chaos."

"Your Doom" is the first video to be released from this forthcoming album. This tune is a dark-tinged trippy and psychedelic adventure that is fairly reflective of the musical vibe on this disc. Monika (Heidemann) says that "a lot of the music and lyrics start with dreams that [she has] that are interesting to interpret and then develop."

Monika H. - Your Doom


Lyrically, Monika describes her songs as "highly emotional pieces that deal with relationships and the pain that comes out of searching for yourself. But they're not completely gloomy - there's a lot of humor and playful sexuality in the mix as well." Lyrical themes include the panic caused by significant loss ("Foodstamping"), the over-use of perfume and hairspray by people on the subway ("Night Spray") and love and relationships ("Moonshine" sets the poem written by Richard Murphy to music).

Monika is an established live player and she is playing with an all-star band which includes Simon Lott (from Charlie Hunter's band), Rob Jost (who has played with Imogen Heap and Bjork), Erik Deutsch (who also plays with Charlie Hunter) and Jason Lidner (from Me'Shell Ndegeocello's band). Last year, Monika won a grant from the Meet The Composer organization to play the Vilnius Jazz Festival in Lithuania's capital city and here is a live video from one of her shows in Latvia.



Monika is having a CD release show on October 28th at Nublu. Nublu is located at 62 Avenue C (between 4th and 5th Street) in Alphabet City. Prior to this, Monika will be performing live on Columbia University Radio (WXCR/89.9 FM) Live Constructions show on October 26th. Live Constructions airs from 10PM - 11PM.

Links:
Monika H.'s MySpace Profile

The Walkmen Performing Live in San Francisco Available as Free Download

Wolfgang's Vault, which owns Bill Graham's live concert archives, just posted a live show by The Walkmen as a free download. The show was recorded on February 27, 2008 at Independent in San Francisco.

Tracks are:
01) On the Water
02) In the New Year (incomplete)
03) All the Hands and the Cook
04) Donde Esta La Playa
05) If Only It Were True
06) Wake Up
07) Another One Goes By
08) The Blue Route
09) Four Provinces
10) What's In It For Me
11) Little House of Savages
12) I Lost You
13) They're Winning
14) The Rat

Ponytail Return to NYC for a Halloween Show

Baltimore's Ponytail is off on a fall tour with Brooklyn's High Places and they are finishing up the tour with a Halloween show in Brooklyn.

Ponytail will be playing Todd P's Halloween show which will be held at Danbro Studios Warehouse @ Goldenrod Brewery (268 Meserole St @ Bushwick Pl, East Williamsburg Industrial Park, Brooklyn). Also on the bill are matt & Kim, Aids Wolf, DMBQ and The Homosexuals. The show is all-ages and starts at 8PM.

Ponytail is currently working on a video for "Beg Wevs" and below is the video for "Die Allman Bruder".

Ponytail - Die Allman Bruder

For anyone who hasn't caught Ponytail live, here is a link to a live recording of the band at the Mercury Lounge in July.

Here are Ponytail's upcoming tour dates:

Thursday September 25 2008 @ Grinnell College in Grinnell IA*
Friday September 26 2008 @ The Mill in Iowa City IA*
Saturday September 27 2008 @ Rhinoceropolis in Denver CO*
Monday September 29 2008 @ Kirby Court in Salt Lake City UT *
Tuesday September 30 2008 @ Badlander in Missoula MT*
Thursday October 2 2008 @ Nectar in Seattle WA*
Friday October 3 2008 @ Department of Safety in Anacortes WA *
Saturday October 4 2008 @ Richards on Richards in Vancouver BC*
Monday October 6 2008 @ Backspace in Portland OR *
Wednesday October 8 2008 @ Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco CA*
Thursday October 9 2008 @ TBD in Santa Cruz CA*
Friday October 10 2008 @ The Smell in Los Angeles CA*
Saturday October 11 2008 @ UC Irvine in Irvine CA
Sunday October 12 2008 @ Modified in Phoenix AZ *
Thursday October 23 2008 - @ The Ottobar in Baltimore MD - Cal Robbins Benefit
Friday October 31 2008 - Todd P NYC in Brooklyn NY w/ Matt & Kim, DMBQ, The Homosexuals
* w/High Places

Links:
Ponytail's MySpace page

Abigail Williams Release New CD and Play NYC Next Month

Phoenix death metalers Abigail Williams announced both a tour with The Faceless and the release of their debut full-length CD in October.

The band's new CD, In the Shadow of a Thousand Suns, will be released on October 28th on Candlelight Records. The new disc was produced by James Murphy and features contributions from Emperor/Zyklon drummer Trym Torson. (Note: Abigail Williams was hand-picked to open for Emperor's Los Angeles show in 2006).

The band is off on a two month tour with The Faceless and the tour stops at the Gramercy Theatre on October 27th. Here are the complete tour dates:

10/17/2008 Chain Reaction - Anaheim, CA
10/18/2008 The Sets - Phoenix, AZ
10/19/2008 Launchpad - Albuquerque, NM
10/20/2008 Marquis Theatre - Denver, CO
10/21/2008 Club Oz - Wichita, KS
10/22/2008 Rockstar - St. Louis, MO
10/23/2008 Mojoes - Chicago, IL
10/24/2008 Elva's - South Bend, IN
10/25/2008 Skateland - Detroit, MI
10/26/2008 Penny Arcade - Rochester, NY
10/27/2008 Gramercy Theatre - New York, NY
10/28/2008 L'Anti, Quebec - City, QC
10/29/2008 Underworld - Montreal, QC
10/30/2008 Reverb - Toronto, ON
10/31/2008 Peabodys - Cleveland, OH
11/01/2008 Broad Street Ministries - Philadelphia, PA
11/02/2008 Jaxx Nite Club - Springfield, VA
11/03/2008 Volume 11 - Raleigh, NC
11/04/2008 Masquerade - Atlanta, GA
11/05/2008 Crowbar - Tampa, FL
11/07/2008 Java Jazz - Houston, TX
11/08/2008 White Rabbit - San Antonio, TX
11/09/2008 Ridglea Theater - Ft. Worth, TX
11/11/2008 The Rock - Tucson, AZ
11/12/2008 Key Club - Los Angeles, CA
11/13/2008 The Exit - Fresno, CA
11/14/2008 Metro - Oakland, CA
11/15/2008 Riverdale Grange - Roseburg, OR
11/16/2008 Studio Seven - Seattle, WA
11/17/2008 Satyricon - Portland, OR
11/20/2008 The Dome - Bakersfield, CA
11/21/2008 Boardwalk - Sacramento, CA
11/22/2008 Soma - San Diego, CA

Links:
Abigail Williams' MySpace Profile

Burzum - Lord of Darkness Anthology CD Review (Candlelight Records)

It is hard to know where to start with this review -- Burzum is a one-man black-metal project of Varg "Count Grishnackh" Vikernes, who was the one-time bass player for the Norwegian black-metal band Mayhem. Vikernes has been in jail since 1993 after being sentenced to 21 years imprisonment for the murder of Mayhem guitarist Oystein "Euromymous" Aarseth and a number of church arsons.

A number of Burzum CDs have been released while Vikernes has been in prison and this anthology covers tracks from Burzum's recording career from 1991 - 1999.

There are nine tracks on this disc:

1) Feeble Screams from Forests Unknown: is from Burzum's self-titled debut in 1992. This is a lo-fi recording that, musically, would be comparable to Christian Death's Only Theatre of Pain or Deathwish. The gothic music is complemented by Burzum's genre-expected "tortured death rasp" vocals

2) Stemmen Fra Taarnet (The Voice From The Tower): is from the 1993 Aske EP. Like a couple of the tracks that follow, the music starts to drift further into the area of goth-punk.

3-4) Lost Wisdom & Svarte Troner: are from Burzum's second LP Det Som Engang Var. The first song continues in the same goth/death rock vein as Stemmen Fra Taarnet while Svarate Troner is an ambient instrumental piece.

5) Det Som En Gang Var (That Which Once Was): is from the Hvis Lyset Tar Oss album. This track, which is mostly instrumental, is an aggressive 14 minute soundscape that is powered by pounding drums, a gothic keyboard sound and clean, ringing guitars.

6-7) Jesus' Tod (Jesus' Death) and Gebrechlichkeit II (Decrepitude): are both from Filosofem. Burzum's musical style continues to shift and the best comparison to Jesus' Tod would be Ministry. The song's intensity is powered by some aggressive drum work and Vikerens' vocals are as clean as I have ever heard them.

Gebrechlichkeit II shifts styles again and is an ambient piece that would be comparable to some of the work of Brian Eno. This is an all instrumental piece where machine noises are combined with low-tuned fuzzed guitars and a delicate piano sound.

8) Balferd Baldrs (The Burning of Balder): is from Dauoi Baldrs. This is a keyboard-based piece that includes both strings and horns.

9) Ansuzgardaraiwo (Warriors Of Asgard): is from Hlioskjálf. This is another keyboard-based piece but the arrangement is much more sparse and mechanical sounding than Balferd Bladrs.

For someone like myself who wasn't that familar with Burzum's music, this anthology serves as a fascinating introduction to Vikerens' music and its evolution over the years.

Links:
Burzum's Website

Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam: Does Anyone Really Click on Phishing Emails?

The phising emails have gotten so bad that I can't believe that anyone would click through and enter their personal information. After all the media hype and warnings, are people still falling for these fake emails?

Yesterday, I received an email from Laurentian Bank asking me to click on their link to log in and 'validate account activity'. Hmm...a Canadian bank is telling me that there is suspicious activity in an account that I didn't know that I had. It gets better; the email was sent as an image so I have Gmail asking if it should display images from mhkceq@yahoo.com.

A couple days ago, I received an email from "PayPal" where the spammer misspelled the company name.

It looks like cutbacks in education are leading to a stupider class of criminals -- what can you do but laugh?

East Village Radio Music Festival Moved to Sunday

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

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



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

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

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

Links:
Olof Arnalds' MySpace page

Kory Clarke/Warrior Soul Announce The Release of Chinese Democracy

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

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

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


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

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

Links:
Warrior Soul's MySpace Profile

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

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



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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tim and company just released their first video:

Austrian Death Machine "Get To The Choppa"


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

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

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

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

Links:
Austrian Death Machine's MySpace Page
Metal Blade

Municipal Waste Shops at Generation Records Prior to Irving Plaza Show

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



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

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

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



Links:
Municipal Waste's MySpace Profile

Hades Announce Forthcoming Live DVD from 1988 Show

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

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

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

Here is what Alan had to say:

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

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

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

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



Links:
Hades' MySpace Page

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Links:
Southern Lord

The Spinto Band - Moonwink CD Review

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

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

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



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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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