NYC Concert Notes: Tickets for Japandroids, Gaslight Anthem, Amanda Palmer, & More On Sale Fri.

CMJ will hit New York in less than a month, but tickets for some other great autumn shows are going on sale tomorrow, Sept. 21st. If you missed out on getting tickets for hot acts like Japandroids or The Gaslight Anthem, you'll be glad to know that shows have been added for these and other groups. See the list of concerts going on sale, with links to tickets, below.

As for events taking place this weekend, the big news is that the All Tomorrow's Parties festival is finally coming to New York City. "I'll Be Your Mirror," which is curated by ATP and Greg Dulli of the Afghan Whigs, takes place tomorrow through Sunday at Pier 36. Acts include Frank Ocean, the Afghan Whigs, The Roots, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, and the Mark Lanegan Band. (Pier 36 is, the website says, "a new indoor venue sitting on the edge of the East River between the Manhattan & Williamsburg Bridges.")
  
Also tomorrow: If you're a Bon Iver fan, you'll want to watch a live webcast of their Radio City Music Hall show Friday night at 9:15 p.m. at Bowery Presents.

See what concerts are going on sale tomorrow below, after the video for Japandroids' "The House That Heaven Built."


Japandroids, "The House That Heaven Built"

* Thu., Sept. 27th: Two Door Cinema Club at Music Hall of Williamsburg (also playing Sept. 28th at Rumsey Playfield, Central Park) - On sale Friday at Noon

* Tues. to Mon., Oct. 16th, 17th, 19th, 20th, and 22th: Crosby, Stills, & Nash at the Beacon Theatre, performing their 1969 debut album - On sale 10 or 11 a.m. (check specific show page for time)

* Wed., Oct. 24th: Old 97s at Music Hall of Williamsburg - "Too Far to Care" 15th Anniversary 
(also playing Webster Hall Oct. 23rd) - On sale at Noon

* Sun. and Mon., Nov. 4th and 5th: Gary Clark Jr. at Bowery Ballroom - On sale at Noon

* Sat., Nov. 10th: The Tragically Hip at Terminal 5 - On sale at Noon

* Thurs., Nov. 15th: Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience at the Wellmont Theatre (Montclair, NJ) - On sale at Noon

* Tues., Nov. 20th: Of Monsters and Men at Terminal 5 - On sale at Noon

* Fri., Nov. 30th: The Gaslight Anthem at Terminal 5 (Nov. 28th and 29th sold out) - On sale at Noon

* Wed., Dec. 5th: Japandroids at Webster Hall (also playing Dec. 4th) On sale at Noon

* Fri., Dec. 14th: The Killers with Tegan and Sara at Madison Square Garden - On sale at 11 a.m.

* Sat. to Mon., Dec. 29th, 30th, & 31st: Punch Brothers at Bowery Ballroom - On sale at Noon

* Mon., Dec. 31st: Amanda Palmer & the Grand Theft Orchestra at Terminal 5 - On sale at Noon

New Songs & Videos: Japandroids, Aimee Mann, Redd Kross, Dum Dum Girls

New songs and videos are busting out all over... and you can download some of 'em free. Here's what's new:

* Watch the Japandroids' new video for "The House That Heaven Built," from their new album "Celebration Rock"



* Watch the Tom Scharpling-directed video for Aimee Mann's "Charmers," from her album of the same name (sorry, the embed code won't work for some reason, so you'll have to view it at the NPR website here.) The video, which has a cameo by John Hodgman, features Mann teaching a robot double of herself (acclaimed actress Laura Linney) to take over for her and go on tour. Download Aimee Mann's "Charmers" (right-click and choose "Save As" or "Save Link As")

* Download "Lord Knows" by the Dum Dum Girls, from their forthcoming EP "End of Daze"(via Pitchfork)

 

Also from Pitchfork, see DDG performing "Tunnelvision" live at the Echoplex in L.A....

* Watch video of Grimes performing "Genesis" on Jimmy Fallon last night:

Now Streaming: New Albums from Japandroids, Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Kelly Hogan, & More

The new albums from Japandroids and Neil Young and Crazy Horse are two of the biggest attractions in this week's crop of albums streaming online, but there are some other much-anticipated releases as well. But first, a bit about the Neil Young album.

Japandroids at Maxwell's in Hoboken in late 2010.

Aptly called "Americana," it's Young's take on classical folk and traditional tunes such as "Oh! Susanna," "Gallows Pole," "Wayfarin' Stranger," and "This Land Is Your Land." And the album ends with a rousing version of "God Save the Queen" (the one that has the same melody as "My Country 'Tis of Thee," not the Sex Pistols' tune). This is the first album Young has put out with his old pals Crazy Horse in nine years, and all of his fans will want to check it out.

The wonderfully noisy Canadian duo Japandroids are back with "Celebration Rock," and they've got a lot to celebrate. They've gained a lot of buzz over the last year or so, and their New York shows next month sold out quickly. Which makes me all the more glad that I got to see them about a year and a half ago at the intimate room at Maxwell's.

I loved last year's self-titled album by Marissa Nadler, and will be looking forward to hearing her new release, "The Sister," which is available for preview over at Spinner. Another female singer I'm eager to listen to is Kelly Hogan, the longtime backup singer for Neko Case. Having always liked her voice, I've been interested to see what songs she would choose to tackle. On "I Like To Keep Myself In Pain," she sings songs written for her by some of her well-known collaborators besides case: such as Stephin Merritt, John Wesley Harding, M. Ward, and Vic Chestnutt. There's also one tune that Hogan wrote.

There's a lot more good stuff for preview this week, including the new releases by Liars, Gemma Ray, Julia Stone (without her brother Angus), and more. [Update, May 30: Rolling Stone has added the new album by Crocodiles; see link below.]

And you'll get a second chance at listening to new albums by artists including Sigur Rós, Regina Spektor, and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros.

It's a jam-packed week of album previews; dig in and enjoy.

Rolling Stone:
"Americana" by Neil Young and Crazy Horse
"Endless Flowers" by Crocodiles (if that link doesn't work, try here)

NPR First Listen:
"Celebration Rock" by Japandroids
"I Like To Keep Myself In Pain" by Kelly Hogan
"Valtari" by Sigur Rós
"WIXIW" by Liars

KCRW Album Preview: 
"Heaven" by The Walkmen

Spinner.com's Listening Party:
"The Sister" by Marissa Nadler
"By the Horns" by Julia Stone
"Here" by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
"What We Saw From The Cheap Seats" by Regina Spektor
"Internal Logic" by Grass Widow
"Anxiety" by Ladyhawke
"Island Fire" by Gemma Ray
"Oh Michael, Look What You've Done: Friends Play Michael Chapman" by various artists (featuring Thurston Moore, Meg Bairds, Maddy Prior, and Lucinda Williams)
(and many more albums at Spinner's website)

New Tunes: Dum Dum Girls "Coming Down" Video; Songs from Garbage, Japandroids, & More

Some great new tunes have come out this week, from bands including Dum Dum Girls, Garbage, Japandroids, and Silversun Pickups. First off is the video of "Coming Down" by the Dum Dum Girls, directed by the band's own bass player, Malia James (who is also a photographer/videographer/writer/who knows what else).

The video uses a shortened, four-minute version of the song, which ran six-and-a-half minutes on DDG's "Only in Dreams" album from late last year. (Related: see photos from the February Dum Dum Girls show at Maxwell's.)

Here's all the new stuff:

* Dum Dum Girls, "Coming Down" video:



* Garbage's "Battle in Me" video (U.K. single). (Via Consequence of Sound, which also features the track listing.):



* Japandroids have a new single, "The House That Heaven Built." You can listen to it at their website. Also: the band is playing Bowery Ballroom on June 27th; get tickets here this Friday at 12 Noon.

* Stereogum as posted a new song download by Screaming Females, "Expire." At the link you can also find their live dates; they're kicking off their tour with an album release show at Maxwell's on April 5th.

* Silversun Pickups are out with a new song, "Bloody Mary (Nerve Endings)," which you can listen to at the link or listen to below (for some reason, SoundCloud embeds aren't working for me).



* Crocodiles, the band fronted by Brandon Welchez (husband of Dum Dum Girls frontwoman Dee Dee), is preparing a new album and has a new video of its own: an album teaser that sends up those old Time-Life Records collections of the past. (Via NME.)

Japandroids End Their Long Tour with a Rousing Maxwell's Show

Brian King (left) and David Prowse of Japandroids at Maxwell's Wednesday night.

During Wednesday night's show at Maxwell's in Hoboken, Brian King of Japandroids announced that this was their first ever show in New Jersey. As it turns out, he and bandmate Dave Prowse couldn't have chosen a more appropriate place for their first concert in the Garden State, which also happened to be the last date on their lengthy tour.

After more than a year and around 250 gigs, Japandroids wrapped things up with sore voices but energy to spare at the club that for more than 30 years has hosted a who's who of up-and-coming artists. R.E.M. played there in 1981 (back when Michael Stipe still had hair), and since then the Maxwell's stage has hosted performers ranging from Beck to The Fall to Throwing Muses, The Donnas, and Sleater-Kinney.

I had heard lots of good things about Japandroids over the last year and a half, but had never seen them live until last night, having missed three previous shows for a variety of reason. The show had all the sound and fury I expected, and though Japandroids have gotten enough acclaim and great press to have developed swelled heads, Brian King sounded remarkably modest onstage, several times thanking the crowd for coming out for a mid-week show.

By the time Japandroids tour again, their popularity may preclude them playing a venue as small as Maxwell's (which holds about 200); they've already played much larger venues in New York. But it was great to see them in such an intimate space.

Live Music Tonight: Japandroids Wrap Up Their Tour at Maxwell's; Oberhofer Opens

Japandroids, Canada's dynamic duo of garage rock, bring their glorious lo-fi racket to Hoboken with a gig at Maxwell's. Brooklyn-based Oberhofer opens the show, which begins at 9 p.m. This is the last stop on the Japandroids' 250-show tour, NJ.com says.

You can listen to 20 Japandroids songs at the CBC Radio 3 website to get a taste of the band. Brian King (guitar and vocals) and David Prowse (drums and vocals) formed the group in 2006 and have released a number of EPs and 7" singles since then. And they've done a lot of touring—supposedly 250 dates since mid-2009 (the tour was supposed to start earlier, but was delayed when King needed emergency surgery for a perforated ulcer).

I first heard of Oberhofer last month when their WNYC radio featured them in their "gig alert" series and offered a free download of their song "OOooOOooOO." The group, led by 19-year-old Tacoma, Washington native Brad Oberhofer, was among those that CMJ Showcase Director Matt McDonald suggested checking out.

As of this afternoon, tickets were still available for the show.

Japandroids with Oberhofer
Maxwell's, 1039 Washington Street, Hoboken
Doors: 8 p.m.; show: 9 p.m.

Built to Spill Headlines 2009 Siren Festival on Coney Island

After missing every previous Siren Festival, the all-day, two-stage indie music festival on Coney Island, I'm determined to make it to this year. As usual the festival, which takes place Saturday, July 18th, features a fine lineup of indie/alt-rock acts. Built to Spill headlines on one stage while Spank Rock leads the way on the other stage.

The bill also includes Danish duo The Raveonettes, Scottish band Frightened Rabbit, Frank Black's band Grand Duchy, and up-and-coming Canadian rockers Japandroids. Each stage will have a DJ spinning tunes between sets.

Check the official Web site for the 2009 Siren Festival schedule as well as directions, frequently asked questions, and more information. To answer a few of the main questions:

• The Siren Festival is totally free, and no tickets are required.
  
• The event is an all-ages show, and goes on rain or shine.
  
• The live music starts at 1 p.m. (Tiny Masters of Today, on the Main Stage)
  
• The last band to play is scheduled to go on at 8:00 p.m. (Spank Rock, on the Stillwell Stage. Built to Spill takes the Main Stage at 7:30 p.m.)
  
• The D, F, Q, and N trains will get you to the Siren Festival. Check the official Web site for the stations to use on each line. Note: as the site says, the trains to Coney Island can take about 45 minutes.
  

You can find updates on the festival at the Siren Festival's Twitter page, www.twitter.com/SirenFestival.

The New York City tourism site NYCgo.com has an interview with Siren Festival headliners Built to Spill.