OzzFest 2007 Tickets -- Let the Hype Start

As much as I am going to make fun of the hype around this year's free OzzFest tickets and I really hate the idea of the closest location being PNC in Jersey, I am still going to try and get a pair of tickets. (If anyone can get me a photo pass, please drop me an email).

I just received the following email tonight:
----------------------------------------------------------
OZZFEST Announces How Fans Can
Obtain Their Free Tickets
To This Summers Ground-Breaking Extravaganza

You’ve heard about how OZZFEST is boldly redefining the concert industry this year by making all the tickets to the summer’s premiere touring concert festival entirely free for fans.

Well, Ozzfest fans have a number of ways to score a pair of tickets to “FreeFest”--which will rock mightily with festival’s namesake OZZY OSBOURNE and Lamb of God, Hatebreed, Lordi, Behemoth, Mondo Generator, Nile, Ankla, Circus Diablo, The Showdown, 3 Inches of Blood, Daath, Chthonic and In This Moment.

Ticket codes will be distributed through sponsor websites beginning May 12. Details on these programs are available on ozzfest.com, livenation.com, monsterenergy.com, jagermusic.com and fye.com. In the meantime, various sponsors will have offline initiatives, details of which will also be available via their respective websites.

These codes can be redeemed for tickets beginning June 12--exactly one month before the first OZZFEST 2007 show in Seattle. Fans will return to the site where they registered or www.livenation.com/ozzfest, enter their code and download two tickets to the show of their choice. Note: To ensure that everyone gets the chance for free tickets, there is a limit of two tickets per customer.

The 24-city earth-pounding 12th annual OZZFEST will launch July 12 in Seattle, WA at the White River Amphitheatre. OZZFEST will also hit George, WA, Sacramento, CA, Mountain View, CA, Devore, CA, Phoenix, AZ, Albuquerque, NM, Denver, CO, Kansas City, MO, Dallas, TX, San Antonio, TX, St. Louis, MO, Columbus, OH, Tinley Park, IL, East Troy, WI, Indianapolis, IN, Holmdel, NJ, Hartford, CT, Boston, MA, Philadelphia, PA, Pittsburgh, PA, Detroit, MI, Charlotte, NC and West Palm Beach, FL.

Stay tuned to www.ozzfest.com and www.LiveNation.com for the most up to date information on this summer’s extravaganza.

Free Tickets to Patti Smith Shows at Bowery Ballroom with CD Purchase

The record company is really going all out to promote this new CD. More information was announced...I was wondering how Patti was going to play three separate shows and here is how it is going to happen:

The three 30-minute concerts will include acoustic music, spoken word performances, and in-concert surprises. The doors open for each "Bowery Sessions" show at 6pm, 8:30pm, and 10:30pm.

You can also get a free ticket to an of the shows (limit of 4 per customer) by purchasing the CD at any of the following stores:

Borders
461 Park Ave.
New York, NY 10022

Borders
576 Second Ave.
New York, NY 10016

Borders
100 Broadway
New York, NY 10009

Borders
The Shops at Columbus Circle
10 Columbus Circle
New York, NY 10019

Borders
2 Penn Plaza
New York, NY 10121

Virgin Megastore
52 E 14th
New York, NY 10003

FYE
1290 Avenue of the Americas
New York NY 10104

J&R
23 Park Row
New York, NY 1003

It should go without saying that these free tickets are limited.

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

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

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

Tonic (LES Music Venue) To Close Its Doors Next Friday April 13th

It is sad to see yet another area club close its doors. Tonic was a great club so let's hope the owners are able to reopen elsewhere. There is a poll on the main page of the club's site asking "Which NYC borough or neighborhood would you most like Tonic to reopen in?" Thus far, the top choice is "Brooklyn - Gowanus (52%)". It would be great to have Tonic reopen in the neighborhood.

Below is the "farewell" post that John and Melissa have posted to Tonic's website:

Dear Musicians, Fans and Friends:

After more than 9 years as a home for avant-garde, creative, and experimental music, Tonic will reluctantly close its doors on Friday, April 13th, 2007. We simply can no longer afford the rent and all of the other costs associated with doing business on the Lower East Side.

The neighborhood around us has been increasingly consumed by "luxury condominiums", boutique hotels and glass towers, all making the value of our salvaged space worth more then our business could ever realistically support. We have also been repeatedly harassed by the city's Quality of Life Task Force which resulted in the debilitating closing of the ))sub((tonic lounge in January. Coincidentally, this campaign began as our immediate neighbor, the Blue Condominium building - a symbol of the new Lower East Side - prepared to open its doors.

As a business, we take responsibility for mistakes made along the way. If profit had been our chief motivation we could have changed our programming to something more mainstream and financially lucrative. Instead we were more committed to a certain type of music and loyal to the community that supported us. As a result, we've always just survived but never really prospered. It is, however, unfortunate that it is so difficult for small businesses to operate in this city and that a chain store that can afford a high rent is more desirable than a place like Tonic that has a different kind of value.

While this is certainly the end of Tonic at 107 Norfolk Street, we remain committed to what Tonic represents and plan to try again in some form as soon as possible. In the interim, Tonic will make efforts to present new music in existing venues such as the Abron's Arts Center located just a few blocks away.

We invite you to join us as often as you can over our remaining days to help us celebrate Tonic and more importantly the amazing artists, our unwavering staff, and the nurturing community that made Tonic possible. It’s because of you that we’ve stayed open as long as we have. Thank you!

Sincerely, Melissa and John

Mason Jennings - Bonecloud CD Review

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

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

Jennings has three upcoming shows in the NYC area:

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

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

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

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

Tanya Donelly - Legal Music Download

Who says that you can't go home again? When I lived in DC, Belly was one of the staples on WHFS during the mid-90s. I hadn't heard anything from Donnelly after 1997's Lovesongs for Underdogs and had (incorrectly) assumed that she had left the music business.

I just ran across Donnelly's website and she has some great mp3s posted for downloading (please notice and use the 'tip jar' on the site). I downloaded the 10-track Star demos (which became Belly's first CD) and have had them playing on my iPod non-stop. Very simply - this is a "must have"! This is Tanya playing mostly by herself and the songs take on different arrangements than what ended up on the final CD. It is fascinating to hear these work-in-progress demos.

Here are Tanya's comments on these demos (as posted on her website):

A mere 16 years later, here are the demos for Star (Belly's first), recorded with Joe Harvard at Fort Apache. (Thank you, Ivo, for having the original mixes on cd so I didn't have to mess with the tapes.) They were originally meant to be the second Breeders album, so Kim plays on a couple. She plays the high solo on White Belly and the counter-lead stuff on Feed the Tree. That's what I recall.

White Belly was co-written with Fred Abong, but for some reason he didn't play on it. I think possibly because it was intended for the Breeders, and we weren't planning to start a post-Muses band together at that time. It wasn't long after these demos were recorded that I decided to start my own thing and form Belly, and Fred came along. To be honest, I'm very fuzzy on my own chronology and some details.

Some of the vocals are oddly low -- I think that was my taste at the time, which is too bad. And I was very self-conscious about my voice, sometimes justifiably. And it is all extremely spare, mostly just electric guitar and vocal. But I think in general, these are pretty good, and at least interesting if you liked Star.

Re: Slow Dog -- Mariah Carey hadn't surfaced yet when I wrote this song. This is a very old song that I sat on for a while. The first time I heard her name was when a couple of the Pavement guys (who got the demo from someone who worked at 4ad at the time) said they liked the song I wrote about Mariah Carey. So Mariah became Maria. I always missed Mariah.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy these demos. I'm taking my sister's lead (copying her, in fact) and leaving a virtual tip jar. I'm also planning on putting up an additional live Windham set of mostly old songs that we did on one of the Hungry Life nights. Hopefully in a few months, a song or two at a time. That will be fun.

Aaron Dilloway (Wolf Eyes) Releases Limited Edition LP

I am a big fan of the indie DIY scene and used to be a big record collector. I admire bands like Boris, Sunn O))) and Wolf Eyes for releasing limited edition vinyl LPs. In the past, all of these bands seemed to press enough copies to keep the fans happy without getting stuck with unsold inventory. eBay seemed to change this all for Sunn and Boris (I have read that 8,000 copies were pressed of the recently released LP Altar) but Wolf Eyes and its members continue to plow ahead with ultra-limited edition releases.

Aaron Dilloway has just released a new LP, Concealed, that is limited to 300 copies. The LP is available from No Fun Productions for $15 (postpaid).

It goes without saying -- get it now or pay eBay prices!

Klaxons Play Studio B in Brooklyn Friday April 13th

I was surprised to see there are still tickets available for the Klaxon's show next Friday at Studio B. The band is playing Bowery Ballroom this Tuesday and tickets for this show sold out fairly quickly. The band also drew a strong crowd as headliners on the just completed NME tour in the UK so I wouldn't count on getting tickets day-of-show for this one.

For anyone not familiar with the Klaxons' music, Wikipedia notes that "HMV describes Klaxons as "acid-rave sci-fi punk-funk", while their MySpace page touts 'Psychedelic / Progressive / Pop'. Though the band's sound is decidedly art rock, they draw upon some less common influences (notably the rave culture of the 1990s, which they appropriate and redefine in a post-modern fashion). This is perhaps most evident in their cover of novelty rave hit "The Bouncer" by Kicks Like a Mule and 'Not Over Yet' by Grace." The Klaxons were recently named the Best New Band at Shockwaves NME Awards and just released their full-length debut Myths of the Near Future on Polydor Records. The new CD and the band's live show have been getting great reviews and many of the band's UK show in May are already sold out.

The show at Studio B is part of MTV Urge Nights and should be a fun night. Bonde Do Role from Brazil and Surkin from France are also on the bill. Tickets are only $10 in advance and $12 at the door. Advance tickets are available at Other Music (in the East Village) and at www.igetrvng.com.

Links:
Klaxons Main Website (link)
Klaxons MySpace Page (link)
Studio B, Brooklyn (link)

Jonah Smith Plays Noika Theatre in Times Square on April 6th

There was a good bit of buzz after Jonah Smith's shows last year at Joe's Pub and the Canal Room. The buzz has continued to grow and Smith is opening for Martin Sexton on Friday night at the Noika Theatre in Times Square. Smith is touring behind his self-titled debut for Relix Records which is continuing to get rave reviews from the national press. Check out the lead-off single from the new CD My Morning Scene [MP3, 3MB] which won an Independent Music Award earlier this year. I read through some of the press clippings on Smith's website (http://www.jonahsmith.com/pages/press.shtml) and was particularly impressed that the new CD has caught the ear of both the Washington Post and the Boston Herald as these aren't the easiest reviewers to impress.

Tickets for Friday's show are $30 and are still available through TicketMaster.

Roky Erickson - You're Gonna Miss Me Movie Premiers On June 8th

Kevin McAlester's documentary on Roky Erickson makes its premier at Cinema Village on June 8th. Cinema Village is at 22 E. 12th Street in the Village.

Chris Blackwell’s Palm Pictures will be releasing Keven McAlester’s directorial debut film YOU’RE GONNA MISS ME in theatres and on DVD. Recently nominated for a 2007 Independent Spirit Award for Best Documentary, the film details the rise and fall of rock legend Roky Erickson, whose band, The 13th Floor Elevators, coined the 1960’s term “psychedelic rock.”

YOU’RE GONNA MISS ME will have a limited theatrical release starting in New York on June 8, and the DVD release shortly following on July 10th.

Outside Austin, Texas, a 53-year-old man sits in an apartment with four radios, three televisions, two amps, a radio scanner, and a Casio electric piano playing all at the same time. Loudly. He has three teeth, his hair is matted into one huge dreadlock, and he has a notarized document on his wall declaring himself an alien, "so whoever's putting shocks to my head will stop."

This is the story of Roky Erickson: the manic singer and front man for the legendary band, The 13th Floor Elevators who are considered by many to be the creators of psychedelic music and muse to Janis Joplin. YOU’RE GONNA MISS ME is a disturbingly intimate portrait of an imploding family and the struggle between modernized medicine and religion. Known for his colossal heroin and LSD binges and an ongoing struggle with schizophrenia, Roky has become one of music's legendary tragic figures.

First arrested for carrying one joint of marijuana, Roky enters an insanity plea, which lands him in a minimum-security mental hospital. After numerous attempts to escape, the state of Texas transfers him to Rusk State Hospital for the criminally insane, where he undergoes a series of implausible shock treatments, leaving this rock virtuoso a scarce whisper of his former self.

Now kept under lock and key by his mother Evelyn---who refuses him any treatment beyond love, prayer, and a view of psychiatry gleaned from the shows that she has seen on television. Erickson becomes the centerpiece of a surreal family struggle and the blank screen onto which those around him project their re-imagined pasts and hopeful futures.

Roky appears to be getting back on his feet and is playing two shows in town this month (which are both sold out). Here is his current tour itinerary:

April 13 Brooklyn NY @ SOUTHPAW
April 15 New York, NY @ BOWERY BALLROOM
May 2 New Orleans, LA @ PONDEROSA STOMP
April 28 Indio, CA @ COACHELLA FESTIVAL
June 18 SWEDEN @ HULTSFRED FESTIVAL
Jule 6 DENMARK @ ROSKILDE FESTIVAL
July 8 FINLAND @ RUISROCK FESTIVAL
August 8-11 NORWAY @ OYA FESTIVAL

If anyone has an extra ticket for the Southpaw show, please drop me an email.

Links:
You're Gonna Miss Me Movie (www.rokymovie.com)
Roky Erickson's Main Site (www.rokyerickson.com)

Patti Smith Plays 3 Shows at Bowery Ballroom on April 24th

Patti Smith is playing three separate shows at the Bowery Ballrom on April 24th. This should be a wild night -- I have heard that each show will be a different set and Patti's new CD (Twelve - which is a CD of cover tunes) will be given free with each ticket purchased. Tickets for each show are only $17 and a "3-Session" ticket for all three shows is $51.

If you buy the 3-Session ticket, you get a bonus 7" single with two non-CD tracks which has Patti covering:
A: A Perfect Day (Lou Reed)
B: Here I Dreamt I was an Architect (The Decemberists).

You can also get the bonus 7" when you purchase Patti's new CD from select indie music stores (link).

Lamour Reunion Next Weekend at Mystic Lounge in Staten Island

I spent many a night at Lamour so it will be great to see everyone back for a reunion show. Evidently the response has been so strong, the reunion has been expanded to two night. I am definately going to be at Friday's show -- Bobby Blitz's new band Cursed is playing and Vito Bratta will be signing autographs. There is supposed to be an "all-star" jam so it would be incredible if Vito is a part of this.

Mystic Lounge is located at 2354 Arthur Kill Road, Staten Island. Their phone is 718-605-3900 and the website is http://www.myspace.com/lamourrocks

Soulfly Guitarist Marc Rizzo Finishes New CD and Schedules NYC Solo Show

Soulfly guitarist Marc Rizzo is finishing his new solo CD which is to be released later this year on Shrapnel Records. Rizzo has scheduled a brief East Coast tour which includes a NYC stop on April 13th at Underscore/Bar East. Other dates on this tour are:

April 07 2007 - New Wave Cafe - New Bedford, Massachusetts
April 13 2007 - Underscore aka Bar East - New York, New York
April 14 2007 - Mexicali Blues - Teaneck, New Jersey
May 05 2007 - The Arena - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The Stalkers Play a Free Show Tomorrow at Pass Out Records in Williamsburg

The Stalkers are playing a free show tomorrow afternoon at Pass Out Records in Williamsburg. The show is at 3:00PM and Pass Out Records is located at 131 Grand Street. There are a couple bands playing with The Stalkers which include The Makeout Party (from Los Angeles)and Blondsai (from Chicago).

Thrones, Growing and Plotkin/Wyskida Playing in Brooklyn Tomorrow (Mar. 31)

Todd P has a big show tomorrow night at a new venue in Brooklyn. There are a lot of great acts on this bill for only an $8 ticket.

TroublemanUnlimited reports that the "GROWING's going on a tour of Europe with Thrones and WOLF EYES. Should be fun. GROWING will have their new record entitled VISION SWIM with them in limited tour pressing form. The pressing is limited to 100 with 6-color screened and hand assembled/glued covers by Andrew and Sara of Wacky Prints. These covers are REALLY REALLY nice looking, and were very expensive to make."

Here are the details about tomorrow's show:

DEATH BY AUDIO - 49 S 2ND ST
49 S 2nd St btwn Wythe & Kent | Williamsburg, Brooklyn
L to Bedford, JM to Marcy, G to Metropolitan | 8pm | $8 | ALL AGES

:: STAGE NAPROXEN SODIUM
::
:: Thrones
:::: Ocrilim
:::::: Growing

:: STAGE IBUPROFEN
::
:: Child Abuse
:::: Microwaves
:::::: Plotkin/Wyskida
:::::::: Little Women

[ THE FORMS ]
"The Forms craft wiry, punchy indie pop. The singer's silvery voice soars like the album's namesake. Keep an eye and an ear out." - Pitchfork "The Forms are one of the most exciting, if not one of the best, new acts in indie rock right now. It is unbelievable how many musical ideas they get across." -Popmatters
-- MYSPACE / MP3s

[ GIANT SQUID ]
"The band intertwines folk elements, along with classical composition chops and a strange sense of melody, to its bass-heavy atmospheric doom. This is a band truly deserving of the word "epic," and their tales of seamen gone astray rival anything put out in their concept albums. It's just damned good and I wish I'd found them sooner." - decoymusic.com
-- MYSPACE / MP3s

[ TWO TON BOA ]
"Like a vivid collision-course journey through shadowlands of our fears and neuroses, Two Ton Boa's grinding musical landscape is equally unsettling, captivating and enveloping." - SxSW
-- MYSPACE / MP3s

[ 31 KNOTS ]
31 Knots is on Polyvinyl and make "streamlined indie-prog - but the importance of 31 Knots's rhythm section, the two Jays (Pellicci and Winebrenner), shouldn't be underplayed: Their supple, delicately shifting armature is a vital component of the songs' impact. But the central figure in the band is Joe Haege, who's responsible for the lyrics, vocals, guitars, samples, and piano. It's Haege's voice that first draws you to 31 Knots-- it's a powerful instrument, evoking operatic singers from Jason Molina to Jeff Buckley to Craig Wedren. Haege forgoes the mealy-mouthed style of the day and sings from the diaphragm; his voice is resonant and clear as a bell." - Pitchfork.com
-- MYSPACE / MP3s

[ GRAYCEON ]
"Grayceon is a composite group of sorts. Featuring Max Doyle (guitars) and Zack Farwell (drums) of excellent San Fran thrashers Walken, the band’s lineup is rounded out by one Jackie Perez Gratz on cello and vocals. Gratz is a veteran of long-running Relapse act Amber Asylum as well as a new member of the up-and-coming Giant Squid, not to mention a contributor to albums by the likes of Today is the Day and Neurosis, so you could say she’s something of a genre-buster veteran. It certainly comes out in Grayceon’s songwriting; this trio’s sound is immediately distinct and unusual. Highly recommended." - Metal Review
-- MYSPACE / MP3s

[ THRONES ]
Joe Preston, one time member of MELVINS, and later on HIGH ON FIRE, delivers bonecrushing solo-bass action with miles of bass rig stacks and mounds of pedals. Awesome and awe-inspiring spectacle.
-- SITE / MP3s

[ OCRILIM ]
"Ocrilim is the latest project from legendary guitarist Mick Barr. Admirers of Mick’s previous work with Orthrelm, Octis, and Crom Tech, will recognize his unmistakable sound, a virtuosic welding of metal-guitar expertise with influences as diverse as late-era Coltrane and Master Musicians of Joujouka. But it won’t take long to realize that this shows a new side of Mick Barr. Though still seriously heavy, the songs have a more deliberate compositional component. Themes and variations recur throughout, giving the complexity of Mick’s guitar work a new level of harmonic depth, like an extended suite of string duos. The record ends up sounding like the improbable, awesome child of Beethoven, black metal, and drone-pioneer Giacinto Scelsi." - I and Ear Records
-- MP3s / MYSPACE

[ GROWING ]
Two-piece "enveloping waves of finely wrought feedback and static that tap into the cosmos' universal hum - holy whorls of drones." - Portland Mercury. Growing have records out on Kranky Records, Zum and Animal Disguise, and are soon to release an album on MegaBlade / Troubleman Unlimited. "Reach for an initial word, a label - say Doom Metal - then watch, as the demonic guitars slowly morph into demonstrative bliss. Drone may come a bit closer to the truth, but only slightly, as silence plays an equally significant role in the proceedings. Alas, Growing's anomalous sounds dwell in perpetual nigh-fidelity, permeating the gaps between equalizer settings with evasive intent, frustrating any attempt at optimization, and therefore, classification." - Luke Calzonetti, Child Abuse
-- VIDEO
-- IMAGE

[ CHILD ABUSE ]
Luke Calzonetti plus Oran (x X27, x Cop on Fire) plus bass - keyboards, metaloid effects, screaming, distorted bass destruction, and plodding, hypnotic drum bursts. "Total blissful fast/stacatto jello-sounds for the new punks. CHILD ABUSE place audience members into complete aural convulsion and, at the same time, drench them in their own metaphorical I vomit. How? CHILD ABUSE combine the best of heavy machine gun spurts of atonal tech-metal to confusing off time blurps, growls and howls to 70s mud groove rock improvisations with the spirits of Drumbo and Carl Nielson hovering ominously overhead." Members have had stints in San Francisco mainstays Caroliner Rainbow, Mesh, Murder Murder and NYC's X27." - Luke Calzonetti. Recordings out on Folding Cassettes.
-- MP3s / MYSPACE

[ MICROWAVES ]
"In the anti-tradition of whitebread Bay Area thrash metal, the violent morass of New York no wave, and a familiarity with Ralph Records insanity, Microwaves draws from a palette that is somehow as wide as it seems limited. Kuzy spits tonality-impaired riffs like so much chaff from a surgically calibrated tree shredder. MacGregor processes his fretless bass with all manner of effects, often rendering it as more a bowel-rumbling presence than an instrument. When the two "groove" along to Roman's cyborg clatter, it is more the exception than the norm. The dual vocal attack of MacGregor's narrations from the edge and Kuzy, the detached town crier - seals the deal. Indeed, Microwaves pride themselves in creating a blues-free vacuum in a shot-and-beer milltown rife with 12-bar ponytail-growers." - Microwaves HQ
-- MP3s / MYSPACE

[ PLOTKIN/WYSKIDA ]
"Plotkin & Wyskida are a of stream-of-consciousness invention for guitar and drums. Themes rise, permutate into new themes and then fall into chaos. The dissonance becomes melodic upon further investigation. Rhythms stutter and threaten to solidify, but then refuse. Too dirty to be jazz, yet too free to be rock, their work lies slightly beyond these restrictive terms." - Ars Nova
-- MP3s / MYSPACE

[ LITTLE WOMEN ]
Ben Greenberg-guitar, Darius Jones- Alto saxophone, Jason Nazary- Drum set, Travis Laplante- Tenor saxophone
-- MP3s / MYSPACE

Mason Jennings Plays Three Shows in NYC in April

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


Here are the upcoming shows:

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

New Tori Amos Single Big Doll Premiers on AOL Music

Tori Amos' new CD American Doll Posse is scheduled to be released on May 1st. The first track, Big Wheel, premiers on AOL Music today along with previews of two other songs from the CD.

Tori describes Big Wheel as

"'Big.' One of my favorite words, along with 'Little.' Now if I'm a guy, I'm probably going to prefer the word 'Big' when associated with my abilities, rather than my other favorite word. As a woman, I don't mind at all if the whole world thinks that I have a Big Aspiration to straddle that piano stool every night for over 100 shows by Christmas. I don't mind that at all."

Milwaukee Metal Fest Announces Undercard

I just received this press release...With round-trip tickets from LaGuardia to Milwaukee currently selling for under $250, this has really gotten me thinking about trying to make it out to this show.

Milwaukee Metal Fest XIX is proud to announce that the majority of our undercard has been booked! Undercard bands are featured, non-headlining bands. 36 featured bands are listed below. Though the list is substantial, it's not quite all of them! We'll be making more undercard announcements in a few days.

Many of you are chomping at the bit to know who the main headliners are. Well, folks, me too. We are working hard to get them confirmed.

The Undercard:

GOD FORBID
SKINLAB
RE:IGNITION
EXCITER
BYZANTINE
VICIOUS RUMORS
3 MILE SCREAM
MASTERY
BROKEN TEETH
MACABRE
JUNGLE ROT
VIRGIN STEEL
CAGE
CORPSICLE
VAMPIRE MOOSE
AGENT STEEL
BATTERED (FORMERLY EINHERJER - NORWAY)
A.N.J. (RUSSIA)
HURT LOCKER
PAIN PRINCIPLE
YEARS OF FIRE
SNAKE EYES SEVEN
AZREAL'S BANE
PURITY
LUPARA
ACHERON (Performing The Rites of The Black Mass Set)
GODLESS RISING
UNMERCYFUL
ANAL BLAST
DEVITALIZE
CARDIAC ARREST
ENGORGE
THUS DEFILED
DIABOLIC POSSESSION
TERATISM
RAISE HELL
Milwaukee Metalfest XIX May 11-12, 2007, Waukesha Expo Center, Waukesha, WI
Pre-party: May 10, 2007, venue to be announced.

For more information visit www.chavisrecords.net, www.myspace.com/chavisrecords, www.myspace.com/milwaukeemetalfest

The Young Knives - Voices of Animals and Men CD/DVD Review

I have really enjoyed this disc and the bonus DVD adds to the fun. Musically, The Young Knives sound somewhat like The Jam or Stiff Little Fingers but they also incorporate the start/stop rhythms made popular by Gang of 4. Guitarist Henry Dartnall and his brother "House of Lords" have solid voices for this type of music (think Jimmy Pursey and/or Bruce Foxton) and share and trade off vocals throughout this disc.

This disc is well produced but shouldn't be confused with the slick pop sounds of Green Day or Franz Ferdinand -- many of these songs are played with the same urgency that The Jam had in their day. The songwriting is solid across this disc and the band is able to change and explore different sounds and tempos without losing their core sound. All of this keeps the disc interesting from start to finish.

There wasn't a lyric sheet with the disc so I haven't yet made out all of the words to the songs but what I have heard is interesting. A number of the songs are narratives in the style of the Stan Ridgeway-era Wall of Voodoo and highlight the band's dark and wicked sense of humor.

The DVD is quite enjoyable as well. It features 6 songs from a 2005 performance in London and includes two previous unreleased tracks. There are also some Monkees-ish non-sequiturs between tracks that add to the band's charm. There are also 9 videos that follow the band's live concert that play upon the band's humor and highlight their strong songwriting skills.

As this disc is priced lower than most single CDs ($14 on Amazon), I would consider this a "must have".

Previous Posts:
Review and Pictures from the Band's Show at Luna Lounge, Brooklyn [link]

Links:
The Young Knives Main Website [link]
The Young Knives MySpace Page [link]

Time of Orchids Headline Water Street Lounge, Brooklyn on Friday, March 30th

Water Street Lounge continues booking some interesting acts each weekend. Here are the bands that are playing this Friday:

Time of Orchids
Hazel Rah (mem. Friendly Bears)
Chubby Behemoth
A Three Ring Circus



8:30 - A Three Ring Circus
(as described on their myspace page):a wild depression-era bum canudleing with Stravinsky and Philip glass at a morose shadow puppet performace somewhere in java whilist lou reed and steven reich mutually masturbate behind the curtains.

9:30 - Chubby Behemoth
The Behemoth Returns! These guys were great the last time they played Water Street. They work from a definate Jazz foundation with compositions streatched and pulled into many different genres. Avant-fusion-thrash-rock?

10:30 - Hazel Rah
The Hazel Rah Returns! Tim Byrnes of Friendly bears is the brains behind this operation. That's all you need to know! You're psyched now!

11:30 - Time of Orchids
Time of Orchids reviews
"Seeing TIME OF ORCHIDS live is a crazy experience. While some songs top out at 10 minutes, moving from disjointed metal to eerie dream pop, others are 55 seconds of pure insanity. Their new Sarcast While features vocals by Julee Cruise and is out now on John Zorn's Tzadik Records." - Village Voice "Best of NY" issue, 10/05 ("Best Epic Avant Rock")

Shows are all ages and admission is only $10.