Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Concert Notes: Tickets for Garbage, Final Allman Bros. Show, The Killers, & More on Sale Friday

There are a couple of good second chances coming up for bands you may have missed before. The Allman Brothers Band has added one final show to its annual Beacon Theatre run, on St. Patrick's Day, and Shirley Manson and Garbage are returning to New York nine months after their sold-out show at Hammerstein Ballroom.

Garbage concert tickets
Garbage returns to New York on March 22nd.

Also, Jim James goes on tour to promote his first solo album,  The Killers are at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, and She & Him (M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel) play Central Park SummerStage in July.

All shows go on sale this Friday, Feb. 1st, at the times indicated.

* Allman Brothers Band at the Beacon Theatre, Sun., March 17th. On sale Friday at 9 a.m.

* Garbage at Terminal 5, Fri., March 22nd. On sale at 12 Noon.

* Los Amigos Invisibles at Webster Hall, Sat., April 6th. On sale at 12 Noon.

* Jim James at Webster Hall, Mon., April 29th. On sale at 12 Noon.

* Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes at the Wellmont Theatre (Montclair, NJ), Fri., May 10th. On sale at 12 Noon.

* Paramore and Kitten at Hammerstein Ballroom, Thurs., May 16th. On sale at 10 a.m.

* The Killers at the Barclays Center, Sat., May 18th. On sale at 10 a.m.

* Marina and the Diamonds and Charli XCX at Rumsey Playfield, Wed., May 29. On sale at 12 Noon.

* The B-52s at the Capitol Theatre (Port Chester, NY), Thurs., June 6th. On sale at 12 Noon.

* Fleetwood Mac at Nikon at Jones Beach Theater, Sat., June 22nd. On sale at 10 a.m.

* She & Him and Camera Obscura at Central Park SummerStage, Sat., July 6th. On sale at 12 Noon.

Monday, January 28, 2013

Now Streaming: Hear New CDs from Richard Thompson, Frightened Rabbit, Jim James, & More

There's quite an interesting group of artists with albums streaming online this week. Whether you like current indie bands like Frightened Rabbit, Tegan and Sara, and Thao and the Get Down Stay Down or veteran acts like Eric Burdon, Richard Thompson, and Swing Out Sister. (Speaking of veteran, 79 year old Wayne Shorter is back with a new album streaming this week, too.)

And Jim James of My Morning Jacket is stepping away from the band for his first solo album.



Although I'm familiar with Eric Burdon's work since the 1960s, I have to admit that I didn't know he was still making new music. But I'm glad to hear it, considering the body of work he's assembled over decades. Besides this new album, he's making a limited number of appearances and concerts in the near future. For those in the New York area, he'll be doing a performance and signing at J&R Music World tomorrow night, Tuesday, January 29th.
 
NPR First Listen:
"Electric" by Richard Thompson
"Regions of Light and Sound of God" by Jim James
"We the Common" by Thao and the Get Down Stay Down
"Without a Net" by Wayne Shorter

The Guardian:
"Pedestrian Verse" by Frightened Rabbit

Spinner.com's Listening Party:
"Heartthrob" by Tegan and Sara
"Adam Green & Binki Shapiro" by Adam Green & Binki Shapiro
"Play Nice" by Donora
"Out Of View" by The History Of Apple Pie
"Breaking Away" by Being There
"Til Your River Runs Dry" by Eric Burdon

AOL Music Listening Party: 
"Sentimental Journey" by Emmy Rossum
"Running Still" by Charlie Winston
"Private View" by Swing Out Sister

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Concert Notes: Tickets for Rodriguez, The Black Angels, Sky Ferreira, & More on Sale Friday

Rodriguez, the subject of the acclaimed documentary "Searching for Sugar Man," continues his incredible true-story comeback ride with a show at the Beacon Theatre in April, that that's just one of the shows going on sale Friday, Jan. 25th.

Rodriguez, also known as Sugar Man
The recently rediscovered musician Rodriguez is back on tour, and playing the Beacon on April 8th.

Below are some of the more notable concerts, listed in order of show date. All of these gigs go on sale at 12 Noon, except where indicated.

* Lord Huron at Music Hall of Williamsburg, Sun., Feb. 24th (2nd show added; Feb. 23rd show sold out).
* Sky Ferreira at Bowery Ballroom, Wed., March 20th, and at Music Hall of Williamsburg, Thurs., March 21st.
* Little Green Cars at Music Hall of Williamsburg, Tues., March 26th.
* The Black Angels at Webster Hall, Mon. April 8th.
* Rodriguez at the Beacon Theatre, Mon., April 8th. On sale Friday at 11 a.m.
* The Joy Formidable at Music Hall of Williamsburg, Wed., April 17th. and at Bowery Ballroom, Thurs., April 18th.
* Akron/Family at Bowery Ballroom, Wed., April 23rd.
* Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers at Town Hall, Tues., June 25th.

And here are a few shows at City Winery that should be of interest to readers of this blog (all are currently on sale):
* Kathleen Edwards with Sera Cahoone, Wed., Jan. 30th and Thurs,. Jan. 31st.
* Southside Johnny and the Poor Fools, Thurs., Feb. 7th.
* Ian Hunter, Sun., Feb. 9th and Mon., Feb. 10th.
* Richard Shindell, Mon., Feb. 18th.
* Sara Watkins, Tues., March 26th.

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Music Notes: Replacements Reunion, Amazon's AutoRip Service, Maura Johnston's New Gig, & More

Here are some interesting recent pieces of news on various aspects of the music scene:

* Longtime Replacements manager Peter Jesperson talks about the band's reunion and its guitarist Slim Dunlap, who suffered a stroke last year, at Consequence of Sound. It was Dunlap's medical condition that got the band members back together to record an EP to raise money funds for his care.

* Amazon has thrown down another gauntlet in its battle with iTunes by introducing AutoRip, a feature that, when you buy certain music CDs, instantly gives you the MP3 version to download (and store in your Amazon Cloud Player, of course). The deal is good only on eligible AutoRip CDs; there seem to be over 37,000 listed now (the company says it is starting with 50,000, with many more to be added).

* Pioneering music blogger Maura Johnston, let go from the Village Voice a few months back, has launched her own publication, Maura Magazine, for the iPhone and other iOS devices on a subscription basis. The Columbia Journalism Review took a look at Johnston's new venture a few weeks ago.

No doubt contributing to her decision to start her own magazine was her thinking on the state of music writing, as expressed in a blog post on NPR last month.

* Finally, here are a couple of good recent TV music performances: The Joy Formidable on Jimmy Fallon, and The Lumineers on last week's Saturday Night Live.



The Joy Formidable, "This Ladder is Ours"


The Lumineers, "Hey Ho"


The Lumineers, "Stubborn Love"

Sunday, January 20, 2013

Now Streaming: New CDs from Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Ra Ra Riot, Buke and Gase, & More

There's a good mix of new music streaming online this week, no matter what your musical preference is. You'll find new albums from Unknown Mortal Orchestra and Ra Ra Riot, and the innovative Buke and Gase (who utilize unusual instruments such as a baritone ukelele).



There's also a new album, "The Beautiful Wild," by Canadian singer-songwriter Jenn Grant; a new album from psychedelic rock group Linus Pauling Quartet; and a best-of collection from The Pogues. And KCRW has the new album from Pillowfight, the mixmaster who has collaborated with everyone from DJ Shadow to Damon Albarn of Blur and Gorillaz.

That's just a sampling of what's streaming this week. Take a look below, and go to the individual websites for more streaming albums.

Spinner.com's Listening Party:
"Beta Love" by Ra Ra Riot
"True North" by Bad Religion
"Paragraph Nights" by Drgn King
"Little Broken Hearts Remix EP" by Norah Jones
"The Very Best of the Pogues" by The Pogues
"Nobody Dances in This Town" by He's My Brother She's My Sister
"13.0.0.0.0" by This Town Needs Guns
"The Beautiful Wild" by Jenn Grant
"Yearling" by The Parson Red Heads
"Assault on the Vault of the Ancient Bonglords" by Linus Pauling Quartet

NPR First Listen:
"II" by Unknown Mortal Orchestra
"General Dome" by Buke and Gase
"News from Nowhere" by Dark Star
"Heavy Flowers" by Blaudzun

KCRW Album Preview: 
"Pillowfight" by Pillowfight

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Concert Notes: Tickets for Leonard Cohen, The National, Bad Religion, & More On Sale Friday

There are lots of good concerts in the weeks and months ahead, and a bunch of them are going on sale this Friday, Jan. 18th. Leonard Cohen, who recently played at Madison Square Garden, plays the more intimate Radio City Music Hall in April. Bad Religion plays a couple of area shows in March, as does Savages.

And The National (below), which has been largely off the road for what seems like months (and hasn't played in NYC for more than a year), takes the stage at Brooklyn's Barclays Center.

Enjoy!

The National at BAM
The National playing at BAM in 2010. Photo: Kenny Chung

* Lee Bains III and the Glory Fires at Mercury Lounge, Mon., Feb. 4th. On sale Friday, Jan. 18th at 12 Noon.
* Savages at Bowery Ballroom, Mon., March 8th. On sale Friday at 12 Noon.
* Savages at Music Hall of Williamsburg, Tues., March 19th. On sale Friday at 12 Noon.
* Bad Religion at the Wellmont Theatre (Montclair, NJ), with Against Me! and Polar Bear Club, Sat., March 23rd. On sale Friday at 12 Noon.
* Bad Religion at Terminal 5, with Against Me! and Polar Bear Club, Tues., March 26th. On sale Friday at 12 Noon.
* Alicia Keys and Miguel at the Barclays Center, Fri., April 5th. On sale Friday, at 12 Noon.
* Leonard Cohen at Radio City Music Hall, Sat., April 6th. On sale Friday at 9 a.m.
* Alica Keys and Miguel at Madison Square Garden, Thurs., April 11th. On sale Friday at 12 Noon.
* Daughter at Bowery Ballroom, Wed., May 1st. On sale Friday at 12 Noon.
* Black Rebel Motorcycle Club at Terminal 5, Sat., May 4th. On sale Friday at 12 Noon.
* The National and Youth Lagoon at the Barclays Center, Wed., June 5th. On sale Friday at 11 a.m.

Monday, January 14, 2013

Now Streaming: New CDs from Christopher Owens, Hilly Eye, Widowspeak, & More

A couple of long-awaited debut albums are the most notable of this week's new free streaming albums. Ever since Christopher Owens left the popular (and now defunct) indie-rock band Girls, fans had been wondering when he would appear with a solo album, and what it would sound like. Wait no more, for you can now preview Owens's "Lysandre" below at Spinner.

Hilly Eye album cover
Hilly Eye's debut album is streaming at Paste this week.

The album came out today on Turnstile/Fat Possum, and Owens and his band will play two nights at Bowery Ballroom next week, Jan. 21st and 22nd (get tickets here).

Amy Klein had been working on musical side projects when she was with Titus Andronicus, and cited those efforts in her decision to leave that successful New Jersey band. Klein has been playing in two different bands, Hilly Eye and Leda, since departing from Titus, and it is the former that is now releasing its first album.

While the two-piece Hilly Eye (Klein and Catherine Tung) has released a few songs in recent months, its first album, "Reasons to Live," is streaming this week at Paste Magazine (below). You can enjoy the noise-rock, psychedelia-inflected album this week, and see the band play at the Don Giovanni Records showcase on Feb. 8th at Music Hall of Williamsburg (get tickets here). The album drops Jan. 22nd.

Also streaming this week: the new albums from Brooklyn's Widowspeak and Philadelphia's Free Energy, plus the soundtrack to "West of Memphis," the documentary about the years-long effort to free the West Memphis Three. The soundtrack features contributions from a diverse range of artists: Henry Rollins, Natalie Maines, Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, Marilyn Manson, Band of Horses, and Eddie Vedder, among others.

There are more albums streaming besides the ones shown here; see the websites below for NPR Music, Spinner, and AOL Music to see their full line-ups. Happy listening!

Paste Magazine: 
"Reasons to Live" by Hilly Eye

NPR First Listen:
"Almanac" by Widowspeak
"No Beginning No End" by Jose James
"My True Story" by Aaron Neville

Spinner.com's Listening Party:
"Lysandre" by Christopher Owens
"Love Sign" by Free Energy
"West of Memphis Soundtrack" by various artists
"Don't Stop" by Willy Mason
"Manifestra" by Erin McKeown
"Don't Let Me Sleep" by Midnight Spin
"Academy Songs, Vol.1" by Holopaw
"Sky Burial" by Rice Cultivation Society

AOL Music Listening Party: 
"Plan-Do-Check-Act" by Recovery Council
"The Lone Bellow" by The Lone Bellow

Saturday, January 12, 2013

WFMU Mini Record Fair & Benefit Concert this Sunday in Brooklyn

Hurricane Sandy clobbered longtime free-form radio station WFMU, but the Jersey City institution takes another step toward regaining it's footing with a pair of benefits in Brooklyn this Sunday, Jan. 13th. WFMU has always run on a tight budget, but Sandy dealt it a physical and financial blow. (See this article in Friday's Wall Street Journal for details.)

Yes, that's the free-form station of the nation featured in the Wall Street Journal!

Among other things, the storm forced cancellation of WFMU's 2012 weekend-long record fair, a big fundraiser held every October. The station previously held a kind of mini-fair, and is holding another one—and a concert—Sunday at the Bell House.

From WFMU's website:
This Sunday, January 13th, WFMU is hosting a Mini-Record Fair and blowout benefit show at The Bell House in Brooklyn! The fair happens 11-5pm (no admission after 3pm due to space constraints), and at 7:30 we'll be kicking off a night of music mayhem with Arrington Di Dionyso of Old Time Relijun, followed by the Dot Wiggin Band (of the Shaggs!), the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, and Texas psych/gospel dynamos The Relatives! Jonathan Toubin spins and Chris Gethard MCs! Tickets for the Music Benefit at this link here, and more info below.

Tix are $10 for the fair (tickets at the door only) and $20 for the concert, with advance tickets for sale here!! All proceeds benefit WFMU in its post-Hurricane Sandy Recovery.

The fair and concert are both separate events, and the inner hall will be cleared out at 5pm to reopen for the show at 7:30. Set times:

7:30 Arrington Di Dionyso
8:10 Dot Wiggin Band
9:00 Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
10:00 The Relatives
It should be quite an extravaganza for music lovers. It's eminently affordable, and it's all for a good cause to boot. And the PATH trains are even back to nearly full service, if you're coming from out WFMU way in New Jersey (though it seems the Hoboken/World Trade Center line will be suspended; check PATH schedule here).

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Concert Notes: Tickets for the Allman Brothers, Nick Cave (Third Show), Galactic, & More On Sale Friday (Links)

There's a good batch of upcoming concerts in the NYC area going on sale Friday, Jan. 11th, including the annual slate of Allman Brothers Band Beacon shows that were announced recently. Below is a rundown of some of the best shows going on sale tomorrow, with links to buy tickets.

Tickets for the third & final Nick Cave show at the Beacon, and other shows, go on sale Friday. 

* Lord Huron at Music Hall of Williamsburg, Sat., Feb. 23rd. On sale Friday at 12 Noon.

* Allman Brothers Band at the Beacon Theatre, March 1st, 2nd, 5th, 6th, 8th, 9th, 12th, 13th, 15th, and 16th. On sale Friday at 10 a.m.

* The Men at Bowery Ballroom, Thurs., March 7th. On sale Friday at 12 Noon.

* Tristan Prettyman at Bowery Ballroom, Tues., March 12th. On sale Friday at 12 Noon.

* The Damnwells at Bowery Ballroom, Fri., March 15th. On sale Friday at 12 Noon.

* Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds with Sharon Van Etten at the Beacon Theatre, 3rd show added Sat., March 30th. On sale Friday at 12 Noon.

* Carolina Chocolate Drops at Bowery Ballroom, Thurs., April 4th. On sale Friday at 12 Noon.

* The Black Crowes at Terminal 5, Fri. and Sat., April 5th and 6th. On sale Friday at 10:13 a.m.

* Galactic with Toots and the Maytals and the Nigel Hall Band at Terminal 5, Sat., April 13th. On sale Friday at 12 Noon.

Tuesday, January 08, 2013

Now Streaming: Hear New CDs from Yo La Tengo, Dropkick Murphys, & More; New David Bowie Single

New albums by Yo La Tengo and Dropkick Murphys headline this week's selection of free album previews. And on the occasion of David Bowie's 66th birthday today, Ziggy Stardust is giving the gifts, in the form of a new song and video ("Where Are We Now?," below) and the promise of a new album, "The Next Day," to come in March.  It's his first album of new music in 10 years; read more in Rolling Stone.

And to commemorate Bowie's big day, CBC Music has put together a video collection of seven of the best (and worst) Bowie collaborations, from "Under Pressure" (with Queen) and "Peace On Earth/The Little Drummer Boy" (with Bing Crosby). You can guess which category those tunes belong in.



Yo La Tengo played some of the songs from its new album, "Fade," at its Hanukkah shows at Maxwell's last month, and now you can hear the whole album below at Pitchfork.

NPR Music is streaming new music I wasn't familiar with, including The Lone Bellow, a group it compares to Mumford & Sons and The Civil Wars, and the soundtrack to the film "Hecho En Mexico," which features songs by a number of contemporary Mexican performers, including Lila Downs, Ruben Albarran of Café Tacuba, Julieta Venegas, and Kinky.

Check it all out below...

Pitchfork:
"Fade" by Yo La Tengo

NPR First Listen:
"The Lone Below" by The Lone Bellow
"Somewhere Else" by Indians
"Hecho En Mexico (Soundtrack)" by various artists

Spinner.com's Listening Party:
"Signed and Sealed in Blood" by Dropkick Murphys
"Gangster Squad (Original Soundtrack)" by various artists
"5-4-3-2-1...Perhaps?" by Snuff

Friday, January 04, 2013

Music Notes: Allman Bros. Announce Beacon Dates; The Living Room is Moving (and You Can Help); More

We're getting a late start to the new year, but here's a smattering of music news to kick off 2013:

* The Allman Brothers Band has announced the dates for its 2013 run at the Beacon Theatre, and tickets go on sale to the general public Friday, Jan. 11th at 10 a.m. (Get tickets for the Allman Brothers at the Beacon here.)

 The Allman Brothers Band has announced its 2013 slate of shows at the Beacon Theatre.

* The Living Room, a staple of the downtown music scene for a decade and a half, is moving from its Ludlow Street location, and is having a fan-funded campaign (what else?) to finance the relocation.

As you'd expect, the Pledge Music campaign is offering some tasty goodies for funders, including albums featuring some of the many artists who've played the venue (including Jesse Malin, Norah Jones, and Joseph Arthur). The Living Room hopes to be in its new, unnamed location in the Spring.

* Another fundraising effort with some top-notch musical talent is "The Storm is Passing Over," a new Hurricane Sandy benefit album. The CD, from Brooklyn's Mason Jar Music, features a collection of songs with storm or aquatic themes, performed by Americana singer-songwriters including Rosanne Cash, Tift Merritt, Dawn Landes, Aoife O’Donovan, and Abigail Washburn and Béla Fleck.

* Speaking of singer-songwriters, Irish transplant Susan McKeown got a nice write-up in today's Wall Street Journal. I mentioned her a couple of months ago when her latest album, "Belong," was streaming online. She's playing the 92nd St. Y Tribeca Saturday night, Jan. 5th; you can learn more and get tickets here.