Ferraby Lionheart @ Mercury Lounge

Last night [August 30th], I saw Ferraby Lionheart at Mercury Lounge. He has a pleasantly awkward demeanor, and his unique voice definitely steals the show. I don't know how to describe it.

Overall, the show was pretty mellow. In a good way though. He performed some solo acoustic songs on guitar and piano, and he also had a band for a lot of the songs from his new album Catch the Brass Ring. The band consisted of a drummer, a bass player and a trombonist. Apparently, Ferraby had just met the band the night before, so I won't fault them for not being tight at all. They were a nice addition to the show.

I'm mad at myself because I can't find the song that was my favorite last night. I could have sworn it was on Catch the Brass Ring, but it's not :(UPDATE: I found it! The song is "The Ballad of Gus and Sam" off Ferraby's self-titled EP. I LOVE this song and it was so great last night (MP3 below!). Anyway, other song highlights from last night include "Put Me In Your Play," "The Car Maker," "Under the Texas Sky" and "Small Planet."

Ferraby will be back at Merc on October 3rd with The Brunettes. Tix are on sale for $10.

Catch the Brass Ring is out this Tuesday, September 4th. Buy it at Insound.

As I was searching for this MP3, I found that Spin also has some interesting background on the song.

During the spooky session, a guitar amp in the room started making ghostly noises as the board "made references to a spirit named Gus, who confessed to murdering a girl named Sam," Lionheart told SPIN.com. "A couple of days later, one of the girls [at the Ouija session sit-in] said she was visited in her bedroom by the ghost of Sam. One time I was playing that song at a show, and the lights on the whole block went out. It's haunted."

DOWNLOAD: Ferraby Lionheart - "The Ballad of Gus and Sam" (MP3)

Ferraby Lionheart In NYC Tonight

Just wanted to remind you all that Ferraby Lionheart will be in NYC at the Mercury Lounge tonight!

Thursday, Aug. 30th (tonight)
come to The Mercury Lounge
8:00
Record Release Show
copies of the new album will be available
and i miss you

Need any better reasons?

DOWNLOAD: Ferraby Lionheart - "Small Planet" (MP3)

Feist and BSS @ McCarren Pool

I don't know how you could have walked away from McCarren Pool last night [August 29th] and not be in love with Feist. She was truly adorable.


I forgot that McCarren Pool has a 10PM curfew, so I only arrived at the venue for Kevin Drew and Broken Social Scene's last 3 songs. But those songs kicked ass. I saw Kevin and Brendan perform "Superconnected" on Sunday at the Book Eaters show, and it was a sub-par performance at best. Last night, however, it was rocking! I hope that they come around again soon and play one of their three hour shows. They closed with "Major Label Debut," and Feist came out to sing with them. Kevin and Feist were so cute together. Aw.

Shortly after, Feist came back on for her set. She opened with "When I Was A Young Girl," which was amazing. She was so cute and charming, and she managed to somehow turn McCarren Pool into an intimate venue. She sang a lot of songs off The Reminder, and quite a few off Let It Die as well. Last night was also the first night she was performing with her new guitar, and she encouraged the audience to help her name the guitar by putting suggestions in a box or throwing paper airplanes on stage. Some people were a little mean about it, but some others had good suggestions, like "McCarren" and "Mr Irkins." Um yeah...

She closed with "Mushaboom" and "1234." Then for her encore, she played a solo acoustic "Ituition." Next Grizzly Bear and BSS came out to sing "Sea Lion Woman" with her, and she closed with a slow dance of "Let It Die." Overall, it was a great show. I'm sad that I completely missed Grizzly Bear's set, because they were so good on Sunday night, but hopefully I'll get the chance to see them soon.

BSS pix via Kyle Dean Reinford on flickr.
Feist pix via RyanDombal on flickr.

Earlimart @ Joe's Pub

Last night [August 28th], I had the pleasure of seeing Earlimart at Joe's Pub. They played with what was billed as The String Dream Team, and if you know me, you know that I'm a sucker for strings.

Now I'm not going to pretend that I'm too familiar with their music, but from the moment they came on, I was mesmerized. They're great with dynamics and creating a nice atmosphere. I think that I like their new stuff better than their old stuff. But one of my favorites last night was an old one called "Heaven Adores You," which is on Treble & Tremble. They also played "Everybody Knows Everybody," "Nevermind the Phonecalls" and encored with "We Drink on the Job."

DOWNLOAD: Earlimart - "Nevermind the Phonecalls" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Earlimart - "Everybody Knows Everybody" (MP3)

Their new album Mentor Tormentor was released last week. Buy it at Insound.

The above picture is from Earlimart's recent visit to KEXP. I didn't get any photos last night because my camera still sucks and I didn't want to be the jerk with a camera and ruin the mood.

I Wanna Be Made

If I were to be made... I wouldn't waste it on muthafuckin-wanting to be a hipster! Just what the world needs.. another hipster, right?!

Made: I Wanna Be A Hipster is a 30 minute parody of the MTV self-improvement show. It's incredibly funny.. because you know it's so true. Skinny jeans, Cons, vintage tees... in other words .. the whole East Village basically.

Check out a small snippet:


If you want to watch the whole episode, go to here

Feist w/ Indie Rock All Star Choir on Letterman

SYA probably wouldn't be an indie rock blog without posting this today:

That's Feist performing "1234" on Letterman. Her backing choir wearing all white and some flashy sparkly things include: The National, Mates of State, Broken Social Scene, Grizzly Bear, AC Newman (and new wife Christy!) and Nicole Atkins! Letterman has no idea that almost everyone in that choir has performed on his show before.

More Bands For CMJ 2007

Maybe this year's CMJ will actually be worth all the headaches.

These bands were just announced this morning:

Band of Horses – M.I.A. – Vampire Weekend – Earthless – o'death – Celebration – The Meat Puppets – Rock Plaza Central – The Black Hollies – Old Time Relijun – Takka Takka – Jennifer O'Connor – Health – Centro-matic – Chris Mills – The Teeth – Le Loup – The High Strung – De Novo Dahl – Lewis & Clarke – Moon + Moon – AIDS Wolf – Joan as Policewoman – Catfish Haven – Monotonix – Mike Kinsella – Palomar – Get Him Eat Him – Nashville Pussy – Big Bear – Ecstatic Sunshine – Gowns – The Warlocks

Daft Punk Live Album

Score, Daft Punk is releasing a live album from their Alive tour on November 20th via Capitol. The disc will be offered in two options, a regular single disc or a two-disc edition with extras. It will be titled "Daft Punk Alive 2007." That will make a great Christmas gift ;)

Via Billboard:

Daft Punk's June 14, 2007, show in its Paris hometown forms the basis of "Daft Punk Alive 2007," due Nov. 20 via Capitol. The album will be available as a single-disc set or a two-disc edition that features the encore and a 50-page book.

The tour version of "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" will be issued as a single from the live set, and a video, directed by Oliver Gondry, will feature footage shot by fans during an Aug. 9 show at Coney Island in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Tracklisting:

Disc one:

"Robot Rock" / "Oh Yeah" / "Touch It" / "Technologic" / "Television Rules the Nation" / "Crescendolls" / "Too Long" / "Steam Machine" / "Around the World" / "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" / "Burnin'" / "Too Long" / "Face to Face" / "Short Circuit" / "One More Time" / "Aerodynamic" / "Aerodynamic Beats" / "Forget About the World" / "Prime Time Of Your Life" / "Brainwasher" / "Rollin' And Scratchin'" / "Alive" / "Da Funk" / "Daftendirekt" / "Superheroes" / "Human After All" / "Rock'N'Roll"

Disc two:

"Human" / "Together" / "One More Time" (Reprise) / "Music Sounds Better With You" / "Stardust (Instrumental)"

Revenge of the Book Eaters @ Beacon Theater

Last night [August 26th] was such a great event at Beacon Theater. Revenge of the Book Eaters is a charity event to benefit 826NYC, which is an organization that helps students with their writing needs. The line-up last night was fantastic, and the show flowed really nicely. Starting at a little after 7PM, the show ended at 945PM. Perfect for a Sunday night.


Demetri Martin was the host for the evening. His jokes are always so random, and there's no transition between one joke and the next, but he makes me laugh. The first performer up last night was AC Newman (New Pornographers). He went through a set of 4 or 5 songs, of which my favorite were "Challengers" and King Missile cover of "The Hemophiliac of Love."

Next up was Grizzly Bear. I hadn't seen them before last night, which I now really regret, because they are amazing. Their music is really intense and haunting, and they put on an equally intense and haunting performance. The highlights of their set for me were "Knife" and "Marla," a song written by Ed Drost's great-aunt in the 1930s. Feist also came on to sing a short song with them, and then Grizzly Bear closed with a cover of Paul Simon's "Graceland."

Jim James (My Morning Jacket) then came out, and started off with "What A Wonderful Man." He played mostly on acoustic guitar, but for a couple songs played on a white instrument, and I couldn't figure out what it was. Some kind of synthesizer maybe? Anyway, it was such a cool instrument. I need one.

Then there was a little break in the music and Sarah Vowell came out to tell us more about 826NYC. She showed us a couple trailers from the summer filmmakers series that they have, and then Eugene Mirman, Demetri Martin and Leo Allen came out and did a little sketch of Tutored George Washington vs. Un-tutored George Washington.

Later, Feist came on again and read a few stories written by students at 826NYC, then she performed "The Water," which was really beautiful.

Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning were up next, and performed two songs just on piano and guitar: "Fucked Up Boy" and "Superconnected." Apparently, they originally thought they were performing at a church in Brooklyn last night, so they were a little unprepared.

Closing the night was Britt Daniels (Spoon). I thought Britt was a great closer, as he can really take command of the stage. He opened with "I Summon You" and then sang "Black Like Me." Then AC Newman came out again, and he and Britt sang a song together. Anyone know what that was? I can't remember.

So to sum it all up, last night was a really solid evening of great performances. I couldn't have asked for anything better.

Pics via TammyLo on flickr.

The Long And Short Of The Decemberists

The Decemberists are touring the US with a new concept this fall, called The Long And Short Of It Tour.

We here at Decemberists HQ are pleased to announce our fall US tour, "The Long and Short of It" Tour, which will find your humble Decemberists playing multiple runs in each city -- performing 2 different programs: one, "The Long of It" will be made up of our longer, more epic-in-inclination songs, and the second, "The Short of It" will be made up of songs which, while not being entirely peppy in tone, are quite a bit more succinct and, well, short. A limited number of two-night passes will be available at a $10 discount this Saturday, the 25th of August at noon, via http://www.decemberists.tickets.musictoday.com . On top of the discount, those buying tickets for both nights will recieve a Carson Ellis-drawn custom ticket and a poster.

Here are the dates:

10/28 Chicago, IL Vic Theater ("Long of It")
10/29 Chicago, IL Vic Theater ("Short of It")
11/1 New York, NY Terminal 5 ("Long of It")
11/2 New York, NY Terminal 5 ("Short of It")
11/3 Boston, MA Orpheum ("Long of It")
11/4 Boston, MA Orpheum ("Short of It")
11/6 Winston-Salem, NC Millennium Center ("Long of It")
11/7 Winston-Salem, NC Millennium Center ("Short of It")
11/9 Washington, DC 9:30 Club ("Long of It")
11/10 Washington, DC 9:30 Club ("Short of It")
11/11 Washington, DC 9:30 Club ("Long of It")
11/12 Washington, DC 9:30 Club ("Short of It")
11/15 Columbus, OH Lifestyle Communities Pavilion ("Long of It")
11/16 Columbus, OH Lifestyle Communities Pavilion ("Short of It")
11/18 Milwaukee, WI Riverside Theater ("Long of It")
11/19 Milwaukee, WI Riverside Theater ("Short of It")
11/23 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore ("Long of It")
11/24 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore ("Short of It")
11/25 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore ("Long of It")
11/26 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore ("Short of It")
11/29 Los Angeles, CA The Wiltern ("Long of It")
11/30 Los Angeles, CA The Wiltern ("Short of It")
12/1 San Diego, CA Spreckels Theatre ("Long of It")
12/2 San Diego, CA Spreckels Theatre ("Short of It")
12/5 Portland, OR Crystal Ballroom ("Long of It")
12/6 Portland, OR Crystal Ballroom ("Short of It")
12/7 Portland, OR Crystal Ballroom
12/8 Seattle, WA Moore Theatre ("Long of It")
12/9 Seattle, WA Moore Theatre ("Short of It")

You can purchase two-night passes starting on Saturday here.

Also, on September 25th, The Decemberists are releasing a new EP called The Perfect Crime 2. A Junior Boys remix of the title track is available for FREE by clicking here.

Oh! And just now, as I was finding the link to the T5 shows, I saw that Laura Veirs and the Saltbreakers are opening for them! (At least in NY).

PS1's Warm Up

Last Saturday [August 18th] I went to PS1 for one of the Warm Up parties. I wasn't really that into the music that they had at the party, but walking around the museum was pretty amazing.

However, on September 1st, the music at the Warm Up party looks like it'll be something more my speed:

Twisted Ones hosts a Brooklyn/Pittsburgh Underground Rock Celebration with:
Oneida
Sightings
Ex-Models
Dirty Faces
DJ Knox Overstreet
DJ Weirds
DJs Fitz and Brad Truax
Mighty Robot AV Squad

I've always wanted to see the Ex-Models and the last time I saw Oneida was really fun, so I highly recommend trying to get to this show if you'll be in town.

Jose Gonzalez @ Spiegeltent

I only have one really blurry picture from Tuesday night's [August 21st] Jose Gonzalez show at Spiegeltent. This is mostly due to the fact that my camera sucks, but is also due to the fact that the show was GA standing room and not seated! I mainly chose this Jose show, as opposed to the 3 others scheduled in September, because I thought this one would be more intimate and comfortable.

But aside from any frustrations that I may have with the venue, the show was pretty great. He played a lot of In Our Nature, with some songs from Veneer and Stay in the Shade thrown in as well. The highlight of the night for me was his Kylie Minogue cover, "Hand On Your Heart." That song just makes me melt.

I don't have an MP3 of "Hand On Your Heart," but here's "Stay in the Shade," which was also amazing the other night.

DOWNLOAD: Jose Gonzalez - "Stay in the Shade" (MP3)

First Date With... Montag

"We have no time for life, but we have sound" has become my new mantra for the week.

After stumbling upon Montag's album, "Going Places" last week -- it easily became my new favorite record of the month. Hailing from Montreal, Montag (AKA Antoine Bedard) presents us with an orgasmic aural experience of "symphonies of incandescent electronic pop" and his minimalist style. We'd describe him as an even more eccentric m83 with a beat--laden with retro elements and sounds you don't hear in everyday music.

Montag's colorful compositions and arrangements of analog, electronic and acoustic instruments easily makes him one of Canada's most promising electronic artists. "Going Places" features guests artists including Anthony Gonzales of M83, Amy Millan of Stars, Victoria Legrand of Beach House, Au Revoir Simone and Owen Pallett of Final Fantasy.

Standout tracks include the title track, which is a collage of 70 collaborators from 15 different countries. Others include, "I Have Sound," "Best Boy Electric," and "Alice."

Check them out on tour this summer:
August 23rd - Denver, Colorado @ Mercury Café
August 24th - Des Moines, Iowa @Vaudeville Mews
August 25th - Milwaukee, Wisconsin @ Cactus Club
August 26th - Madison, Wisconsin @ The Annex
August 27th - Chicago, Illinois @ The Empty Bottle - FREE SHOW!
August 28th - Detroit, Michigan @ Scummage University
August 29th - Cleveland Heights, Ohio @ B Side Lounge
August 30th - Hamilton, Ontario @ Pepper Jack Café
August 31st - Toronto, Ontario @ The Whipper Snapper Gallery
September 1st - Ottawa, Ontario @ Zaphod's
September 2nd - Montreal, Qc @ Casa del Popolo
September 3rd - Burlington, Vermont @ Kriya Studios
September 4th - Peterborough, New Hampshire @ Reynolds Hall
September 5th - Cambridge, Massachusetts @ Middle East (upstairs)
September 6th - Brooklyn, New York @ Union Hall
September 7th - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania @ First Unitarian Church
September 9th - Washington, Washington DC @ DC9

DOWNLOAD: Montag - "Best Boy Electric"
DOWNLOAD: Montag - "Going Places"

New Stars Video: "Take Me To The Riot"

Here's the first video from Stars' latest album In Our Bedroom After The War. The album releases on September 25th, but is currently available in digital formats.

Catch Stars at Town Hall on October 18th.

The New Pornographer Wedding

Carl (AC) Newman, of New Pornographers fame, had what most indie rockers would consider the dream wedding recently: Neko Case singing, Eugene Mirman as the master of ceremonies and Mates of State at the afterparty.

Via P4K:

And while normally we'd let our favorite indie rockers go about their marryin' in peace and private, this particular ceremony just so happens to have been written up in The New York Times.

The Times also reports that groom Newman and bride Christy Simpson, a marketing manager at Newman/New Pornographers label Matador, were hitched to the tune of Neko Case belting out a bunch of "songs about love gone wrong."

It was typically surreal for a ceremony that also included Eugene Mirman as master of ceremonies, David Cross in whale-print pants, and fellow Pornographers Dan Bejar, Kathryn Calder, Blaine Thurier, and John Collins in attendance. Mates of State even performed at the afterparty, which soon spun karaoke-ways, with Newman doing Phil Collins' "Against All Odds" and Neko and Kathryn teaming for Pink's "Get the Party Started".

DOWNLOAD: The New Pornographers - "My Rights Versus Yours" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The New Pornographers - "Myriad Harbour" (MP3)

Jose Gonzalez In Town

In preparation for Jose Gonzalez's show tomorrow at Spiegeltent, I've been listening to all his music that I have on my computer. And I realized that I totally forgot about the Dert remix album, featuring Jose's songs from the Veneer album with rapping over it. The rappers include Kayne West, Talib Kweli and Common.

DOWNLOAD: Jose Gonzalez - "Heartbeats / The Light" [featuring Common and Erykah Badu] (MP3)

Tickets are still available for tomorrow's show for $35.

Jose's new album In Our Nature is out on September 26th. He'll be back in NYC on September 27th and 28th at The Gramercy Theater and in Brooklyn on September 29th at the Music Hall of Williamsburg.

Above is the video for Jose's new single, "Down The Line."

Walk Hard

Written by: Judd Apatow

Featuring:

Jack White as Elvis Presley
John C. Reilly as Dewey Cox (the parody of Johnny Cash, Ray Charles, etc...)
Jenna Fischer as Darlene (the parody of June Carter)
and many more cameos

Release Date: December 21, 2007

Georgie James: Places

Indie pop rock duo Georgie James will release their debut full-length next month via Saddle Creek. Entitled Places, the new album is set to be out on September 25th.

Georgie James consists of John Davis (of Q and Not U fame) and Laura Burhenn. They will be on tour this fall to support the album, including a stop at the Greenpoint joint Europa on October 3rd. Tix are on sale for $10.

Tracklisting for Places:

01. Look Me Up
02. Cake Parade
03. Need Your Needs
04. Long Week
05. More Lights
06. Henry And Hanzy
07. Comfortable Headphones
08. Hard Feelings
09. Places
10. Cheap Champagne
11. You Can Have It
12. Only Cause You're Young

DOWNLOAD: Georgie James - "Need Your Needs" (MP3)

Via CMJ.

Visual Aids: Andrew Bird

Andrew Bird does music videos? Apparently he does -- the video for "Imitosis" was posted today on his Myspace page

Andrew Bird - "Imitosis"

Also, he will be hitting the road once again in his bio-diesel tour bus:

Sep 1 - Vancouver, BC - Richard's On Richards
Sep 2 - Seattle, WA - Bumbershoot 2007 (Mural Stage)
Sep 8 - Chicago, IL - 11th Annual Hideout Block Party
Sep 10 - Knoxville, TN - The Bijou Theater
Sep 11 - Asheville, NC - The Orange Peel
Sep 12 - Durham, NC - The Carolina Theatre
Sep 13 - Atlanta, GA - The Variety Playhouse
Sep 15 - Austin, TX - Austin City Limits Festival
Sep 17 - Lawrence, KS - The Granada (solo show)
Sep 18 - Louisville, KY - WL Lyons Brown Theatre (solo show)
Sep 19 - Bloomington, IN - Buskirk Chumley Theater (solo show)
Sep 20 - Madison, WI - Wisconsin Union Theater
Sep 21 - Urbana, IL - 2007 Pygmalion Music Festival at Tryon Festival
Theatre, Krannert Center (solo show)
Sep 22 - Iowa City, IA - The Englert Theatre (solo show)
Sep 24 - Buffalo, NY - Asbury Hall at The Church (solo show)
Sep 25 - Toronto, ONT - The Opera House
Sep 26 - Montreal, QUE - La Tulipe
Sep 28 - South Burlington, VT - Higher Ground
Sep 29 - Baltimore, MD - Sonar
Sep 30 - Richmond, VA - Toad's Place Richmond
Oct 1 - State College, PA - State Theatre
Oct 2 - Pittsburgh, PA - Carnegie Music Hall

Leah Siegel @ Joe's Pub

Leah Siegel has been on the NYC music scene for a few years now, but she's only now gaining the recognition she deserves. Her music is dynamic, in a way that we so rarely hear nowadays. I've seen her a couple times at Rockwood Music Hall, and she's blown me away each time.

Listen for yourself:
DOWNLOAD: Leah Siegel - "A Day At The River (With You And Your Lover)" (MP3)

Leah's playing at Joe's Pub tonight at 7PM. Tix are still on sale.

The Illusive Terminal 5

A few days ago, we posted about The Shins coming to NYC in October, playing at a venue called Terminal 5. On the pre-sale page for the shows, they listed the address for Terminal 5 as 61 W. 56th Street. Confusing, because I work a mere 4 blocks from there, and can't imagine a rock show happening in this neighborhood.

BUT the NY Times enlightens us today, with news that music mafia Bowery Presents is opening a new venue where the old club Exit used to exist at 610 W. 56th Street. Terminal 5 will have a capacity of 3000, is three floors and by far the largest venue to open this year. All that is great, but my favorite part of this news is the band BP chose to open the venue: The National. I cannot wait.

Terminal 5 opens on October 11th. Tix for The National show go on sale on Friday for $20. Other acts booked for the venue include: M.I.A., Justice, The Shins, State Radio and Ween.

Via My Headphones.

Feist's Handwritten Note

If you go to Feist's site right now, you'll see the above image. Apparently, Feist wasn't happy with how she's been represented online, so she took the site OFFLINE. "It was a robot with a paper mask of my face on it." Umm, a little melodramatic, eh?

So if you wanna find Feist online, head to her myspace. Obviously that makes sense, because myspace isn't owned by an evil corporation or anything. I think her statement would have more meaning if she took everything offline. Diva alert!

Soirée à Emporter

La Blogotheque held their first Soirée à Emporter on July 30th, with "Beirut & SiDi ALi, the mighty Kocani Orkestar, Inlets, Jeremy Warmsley and David-Ivar Herman Düne. Sparrow House & Sebastian Schuller also made surprise appearances."

I can't tell you how much I enjoy watching La Blogotheque's Take Away Shows. They simply amaze me. The videos just capture a sense of spontaneity that is very unlike seeing an artist or band perform at a show. Seeing someone play in an unexpected place conjures a feeling of excitement at a different level than you normally get.

Anyway, watching this video of the first Soirée à Emporter with Beirut definitely brings that same excitement of a Take Away Show to a live show. What a brilliant concept. "Sunday Smiles" is great to watch, but the real magic here is "Siki Siki Baba," when Zach Condon plays with the Kocani Orkestar.

Via La Blogotheque:

That initial astonishment infuses this song with Kocani Orkestar. "Sunday Smile" is taut with anxiety and joy. It is bursting with Zach’s gratitude for the beauty of this moment. By the end of the song he is nearly bowing down before his guests from Macedonia.

When the call for "Siki Siki Baba" is sounded, Zach raises himself up and promptly jumps into the fray. "Watching me listen to this song," he wrote last year for Said the Gramophone, "is like watching a hyperactive four-year-old without his Ritalin. Pure excitement." Watching him not only listen but play along to this song is doubly exciting.

The crowd that only an hour ago was held spellbound by delicate sounds is now erupting, their energy in each chorus threatening to break out the windows of this former train station. Zach gushes along with the rest of them, waving his arms like some deranged conductor. His eyes are often closed or fixed upon the distant ceiling as if the sight of this swell is just a little too much. When he opens them and looks around, he can barely contain his laughter.

We are so thoroughly whipped into musical fervor that the end of the song is not an option. The crowd continues to bleat out its ecstasy in chorus after unscripted chorus. Our consolation, when the last note falls, is that this song is only the beginning of our night with Kocani Orkestar.

Let’s hope this is also only the beginning of these Soirées à Emporter.

Energetic Apples

So, Apples In Stereo will be in NYC soon again! Well, Brooklyn and Hoboken to be specific. On September 16th they'll be at the Music Hall of Williamsburg and on September 20th they'll be at Maxwell's. Tix are still available for both shows. Still haven't seen them live yet myself. Thoughts?

Above is a New Balance commercial where their song "Energy" is featured. If I were in an indie rock band and licensed my songs for commercial use, this one would be up there with the cooler ones.

Scavenger Hunt with Dan Deacon?

Oh New York Magazine. You spoil us so. Another amazing NYxNY event? Incredible!

This latest event in New York Mag's series is a Scavenger Hunt during Labor Day weekend on September 2nd at McCarren Park. It features open bar all night AND a performance by the dance circle man himself, Dan Deacon.

Gather your most ruthlessly resourceful gang together to see if you can find your way to the hidden-away parts of the city and win somewhat interesting prizes. Do you know where to find boiled peanuts in New York City? Where is the original Original Ray's Pizza? Can you figure out how to-- Britney Spears style-- get married and divorced in the same day? We're going to bring you to places that you never knew existed. It'll be totes fun, we promise. The teams will be in competition to win a prize, or a few of them. Then of course, we'll reward those sore losers who couldn't claim their prize with the ultimate after party.

Tix are $25, and as always includes a year's subscription to New York Mag.

DOWNLOAD: Dan Deacon - "The Crystal Cat" (MP3)

The Shins: New Tour Dates!

Speaking of The Shins, apparently they'll be coming to NYC in October (not for CMJ). They'll be here on October 23rd and 24th at a venue called Terminal Five with special guests Vetiver. Anyone ever heard of this venue? I can't find anything about it, other than what's on The Shins site. It's on 61 W. 56th. New?

Anyway, there's a pre-sale going right now for tix on The Shins site. Tix are $39.50.

And here are the dates for the rest of the tour:

Oct 5 – Berkeley, CA @ Greek Theatre
Oct 6 – Santa Barbara, CA @ Santa Barbara Bowl
Oct 7 – Los Angeles, CA @ Greek Theatre – LA
Oct 9 – Mesa, AZ @ Mesa Amphitheater
Oct 10 – Albuquerque, NM @ Univ. of New Mexico/Popejoy Hall
Oct 17 – Atlanta, GA @ Boisfeuillet Jones Atlanta Civic Center
Oct 18 – Charleston, SC @ The Plex
Oct 19 – Raleigh, NC @ Progress Energy Center – Raleigh Memorial Auditorium
Oct 20 – Norfolk, VA @ The NorVa
Oct 22 – Columbia, MD @ Merriweather Post Pavilion
Oct 23 – New York, NY @ Terminal Five
Oct 24 – New York, NY @ Terminal Five
Oct 27 – Las Vegas, NV @ Sam Boyd Stadium /Vegoose Festival
Oct 28 – Las Vegas, NV @ The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel

New Shins Video: "Turn On Me"

The Shins - Turn On Me

"Turn On Me" is one of my favorite songs from Wincing the Night Away by The Shins, and let me tell you, the video does not disappoint. It's full of suspense, and includes: a leathery old lady sun bathing, a leathery old man cleaning the pool, a dog waiting for scraps of food, a crane carrying a piano and a construction worker. You need to watch this video in its entirety to see what happens when their worlds collide. Shocking!

Daft Punk @ Keyspan Park

The stars aligned last night [August 9th] for the most amazing show I've been to this summer. The weather was perfect, with an amazing breeze all night. Keyspan Park is the perfect venue, with views of the Cyclone and the Wonder Wheel, plus its proximity to the beach. And the crowd just had that electric energy. People were in the mood to DANCE!

Daft Punk put on a most incredible show. Their light show was indescribable. And their beats definitely kept you moving. Every single person was dancing last night. You can't say that for any other show in NYC.







They played all the favorites: "Around the World," "Harder Better Faster Stronger," "One More Time" and "Technologic." But I think the highlight for me was "Face To Face."

CMJ 2007!

So it was another busy day at work that didn't lend itself to blogging, but I wanted to post the first round of artists announced to perform at this year's CMJ. I glanced at it really quickly, and I'm already impressed. Have a look for yourself:

Spoon
UNKLE
Justice
British Sea Power
Mates Of State
Coheed And Cambria
Rodrigo Y Gabriela
Xiu Xiu
Del Tha Funkee Homosapien
Dirtbombs
Mute Math
Jesu
Devin the Dude
The Ponys
Islands
Tiny Masters of Today
Eisley
Vietnam
Little Brother
Mickey Hart & Zakir Hussein
Brother Ali
Marnie Stern
No Age
Crystal Castles
MSTRKRFT
Chromeo
The Brunettes
1990s
Ruins
A-Trak
Foreign Islands
Kavinsky
Simian Mobile Disco

What d'ya think?

Enter Shikari Enters the States

I never got a chance to write about my In The City of New York experience, but it was amazing. I saw a lot of great UK bands, including the Pigeon Detectives, The Rakes and most notably Enter Shikari.

So I'm definitely NOT the person you'd peg for listening to scream-o, but after seeing Enter Shikari live I was floored. I've never seen a band with so much energy before. And they just took absolute control of the crowd; it was amazing.

Enter Shikari will be in NYC at Bowery Ballroom on September 11th. Tix are on sale for $15.

Don't forget to bring your finger lights:

New Ferraby Lionheart Out Now!

Ferraby Lionheart's new album Catch the Brass Ring is officially out on September 4th via Nettwerk, but it's available digitally now. You can get it on iTunes or eMusic.

The album is very mellow and pleasant to listen to. Highlights include "Small Planet," "Youngest Frankenstein" and "A Bell and Tumble."

New Flight of the Conchords: The Distant Future

Ok don't really have time to blog due to craziness at work, but I wanted to point you to Spinner. They're streaming some great albums this week, including the new EP by Flight of the Conchords called The Distant Future and another release from Sub Pop by another New Zealand band, The Brunttes Structure and Cosmetics.