There are so many good shows coming up at the Northside Festival, it's tough to pick what to recommend. This is going to be an amazing weekend for music in Brooklyn. Luckily, a lot of the shows are pretty close together, so it may be possible to dash from one to another. I will certainly try and so should you. Here are the highlights, but check out the entire schedule because like I said, it's just hard to pick.
Thursday, June 24
The show to see is...
Wavves, Cloud Nothings, DOM @ Knitting Factory * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $12/$14
Wavves get some hate now, which is the natural backlash after the sort of hype they got around winter/spring of 2008 and 2009. But despite a bad choice in drummers and a lot of bad choices with drugs, Nathan Williams is keeping it real. He brought some sense back to indie rock and he deserves some damn credit. [myspace]
Close runner-up:
Aa, YellowFever, Air Waves, PC Worship, Coasting @ Union Pool * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $10
After finally getting a chance to check out Aa live, I found they are rather overrated – for a band dependent entirely on rhythm, they drum like the white boys they are. By which I mean their rhythms are mired in an unshakable European sense of halves and quarters and downbeats. HOWEVER, the other bands on the bill are among NYC’s most interesting experimental bands and are very worth checking out. [aa myspace] [yf myspace] [aw myspace] [pc myspace]
Other highlights:
Au Revoir Simone @ Warsaw * Greenpoint, Brooklyn * $15/$17
Anni Rossi, ARMS, Ball of Flame Shoot Fire, Shark?, Miniboone @ Matchless * Greenpoint, Brooklyn * $6
My Teenage Stride, I’m Turning Into, German Measles @ The Charleston * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $5
Friday, June 25
The show to see is…
Grooms, Snakes Say Hisss, Darlings, Sisters, Tough Knuckles @ Death By Audio * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $10
Tough pick Friday night, but this one wins it. Death by Audio roster mainstays Grooms and Sisters are awesome, albeit in different ways – Grooms are a dark, experimental post-punk trio while Sisters are a jumpy lo-fi noise-punk pop duo. Darlings are more towards Sisters if you pretend that’s some sort of spectrum. They play unpredictable, loveable indie rock. As for the other bands on the bill, we’ll find out together! [grooms myspace] [snakes myspace] [darlings myspace] [sisters myspace] [knuckles myspace]
Other highlights:
The Fiery Furnaces @ Brooklyn Bowl * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $10
The So So Glos, The Beets, Asa Ransom, Electric Tickle Machine, Shilpa Ray (solo) @ Shea Stadium * Bushwick, Brooklyn * $10
We Are Country Mice, Eternal Summers, Grooms with DJ Sets by Jemina Pearl & John Eatherly (Be Your Own Pet) and Pete Feigenbaum (Dinowalrus) @ Cameo Gallery * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $8
Real Estate, Woods, The Fresh & Onlys @ Music Hall of Williamsburg * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $15/$17
MEN (feat. JD Samson of Le Tigre) @ Knitting Factory * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $15
Shark?, blair, DOM, Darlings, The Grates, Dinosaur Feathers, MiniBoone, The Sundelles @ Public Assembly * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $10
Saturday, June 26
The shows to see are...
AFTERNOON (1 PM): Titus Andronicus, Male Bonding @ Newtown Barge Park * Greenpoint, Brooklyn * $10/$12
Titus Andronicus are the second most inventive hardcore band of our generation (and the second most inventive hardcore band playing Newtown Barge Park on Saturday). They are passionate and sing about history and art and war and they will make you want to jump around and crash into people. Male Bonding play catchy, manic lo-fi punk with sick pop tunez and hella fucking energy. They are as fun as they are tight. Which is very. [ta myspace] [mb myspace]
Liars, Fucked Up, High Places @ Newtown Barge Park * Greenpoint, Brooklyn * $16/$18
The ever nervous, edgy Liars make skittering, experimental noise rock with a lot of yelping and fucked guitars. They’ve got appeal for the casual listener though – driving rhythms, well written songs and a great stage presence. Fucked Up are the number one most inventive hardcore band of our time. They’ve simply demolished boundaries and definitions of what punk can be. [liars myspace] [fu myspace (unofficial)] [hp myspace]
Other highlights:
AFTERNOON (2 PM): Gold Lake, She Keeps Bees, The Shivers @ Matchless * Greenpoint, Brooklyn * FREE
Ducktails, Big Troubles, WOOM, No Demons Here (Luka Usmiani of Fluffy Lumbers), Andrew Cedermark (ex-Titus Andronicus) @ Shea Stadium * Bushwick, Brooklyn
Memory Tapes, Twin Sister, DOM, ZAZA @ Music Hall of Williamsburg * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $15
The Zookeepers @ Glasslands Gallery * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $10
LATE (12 AM): Reading Rainbow, The Beets with DJ sets by Kip (The Pains of Being Pure at Heart) & Jed (My Teenage Stride) @ Knitting Factory * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $5
Sunday, June 26
The show to see is...
Les Savy Fav, Polvo, Grails @ Newtown Barge Park * Greenpoint, Brooklyn * $15/$18
Melodic hardcore punx Les Savy Fav would make this show worthwhile alone, but they are joined by 90’s indie legends Polvo, whose math rock keeps it raw-nerve edgy but whose sense of craft lands them among the most accessible of their mathy peers. [lsf myspace] [polvo myspace]
Other highlights:
My Teenage Stride, The Shivers @ Cameo Gallery * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $8
Islands, Steel Phantoms, Active Child, TV Carnage @ Music Hall of Williamsburg * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $16/$18
Showing posts with label Aa. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Aa. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Upcoming Shows: Buzzcocks, Public Image Ltd + more
TONIGHT!!! Thursday, May 13
The Buzzcocks @ The Fillmore * Union Square, Manhattan * $35
Um, hello? It's the Buzzcocks. One of the top four original UK punk bands. Then again, it's $35.
Big Troubles, My Teenage Stride, Knight School @ Death By Audio * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $7
These three bands have two things in common - they write great, catchy pop songs and they are noisy. MTS are the most conventional "twee" influenced group of the three. They play tightly but their songs are charmingly dorky. Knight School write amazing little pop tunes and soak them in some distortion and fuzz. Big Trouble are a little more rock'n'roll, with a heftier sound - actually, a sheer roar. Three bands for the price of one. And a great venue to top it off! [bt myspace] [mts myspace] [kf myspace]
Panda Riot @ Lit Lounge * East Village, Manhattan * $6
I don't normally advertise shows at Lit Lounge because the acoustics are horrible and the space is small and poorly managed. But Panda Riot are a really great shoegaze band that come all the way from Chicago and this is our big chance to see what they can do live. [myspace]
Tomorrow! Friday, May 14
Silver Apples, Oneida @ Abrons Art Center * LES, Manhattan * $15/$20
Silver Apples were a super obscure wacked out band in the 60's who really pioneered the use of synthesizers and were a precursor to every synth duo ever. They don't normally exist anymore, so this is a rare thing. Oneida play trance-inducing rhythmic music that doesn't really excite me that much but a lot of people think it's good. [sa myspace] [oneida myspace]
Talk Normal, Asa Ransom, Miniboone @ Glasslands * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $8
Seriously, you would be hard put to find three more different bands in New York. But they do have one thing in common - they are all great. And since Deli Magazine is highlighting the best bands in NYC, they picked well. Miniboone play large-scale, old-school pop with punk rock energy. Asa Ransom make dark, rhythmic dance punk. Talk Normal are pretty avant garde, with drones and pounding and rants. They are both ladies. (The other bands are all fellows.) [tn myspace] [ar myspace] [mini myspace]
Saturday, May 15
Parts & Labor, Talk Normal @ Knitting Factory * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $10
Parts & Labor are super loud. They make slamming, skull shattering noise with guitars and electronics and distortion. But winding through this soundscape are stunningly beautiful melodies any pop fan would love. Talk Normal, I already explained about (see above). [pl myspace]
The Vandelles, El Jezel @ Cameo * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $10
The Vandelles play feedback but every second of feedback is tied into high-energy classic pop-rock gems. I haven't heard El Jezel in forever, but if I recall their influences are shoegaze and a little post-rock and lots of regular old cool, melodic indie rock. I could be wrong, though, it's been a while. [vandelles myspace] [ej myspace]
Aa, True Womanhood, These Are Powers @ Secret Project Robot * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $10
Aa are an NYC mainstay of highly percussive, throbbing-beat music you have to dance (or head-bob) to. True Womanhood, well, they sound like Radiohead. Rhythmically off-kilter songs with spooky guitar. These Are Powers have the same throbbing-beat thing but are not nearly as good. I think they were aiming to fill a certain niche, but someone much better beat them to it. Still, should be a fun night, especially if you like to move. [aa myspace] [tw myspace] [tap myspace]
Mahogany @ Open Road Rooftop (Rooftop Films) * LES, Manhattan * $10
Mahogany, masters of noise pop and decade-long veterans of indie music, will be playing on a roof on the Lower East Side before a movie is screened on that same roof. Nice! [myspace]
Sunday, May 16
Silver Apples @ Coco 66 * Greenpoint, Brooklyn
A show that I'm guessing will be cheaper than Friday's and a little less weird (the other features a light show), I suppose I'd recommend catching Silver Apples (see above) here instead.
Tuesday, May 17
Public Image Ltd @ Terminal 5 * Midtown, Manhattan * $40
Don't go to this show to hear seminal post punk band Public Image Ltd - it's Terminal 5 and I promise you won't be able to hear anything. Go to this show to be in the same room as John Lydon a.k.a. Johnny Rotten. I need to touch him. [myspace]
The long view...
May
19
Public Image Ltd @
Diana Ross @ Radio City Music Hall
21
Fuck Buttons @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
22
Fuck Buttons @ Le Poisson Rouge
New York Dolls @ Warsaw
NYC PopFest: Wake, Boat, My Teenage Stride + more @ Bell House
27
Forgetters @ Bell House
28
Holy Fuck @ Le Poisson Rouge
29
Psych Fest: Weird Owl (yay), Hopewell (blech), Golden Triangle (blech), Psychic Ills (yay), Sunburned Hand of the Man (yay) + more @ Glasslands
June
4
Psychedelic Furs @ the Fillmore
6
Brian Jonestown Massacre @ Webster Hall
18
Melvins + Isis @ Webster Hall
Woven Bones @ Mercury Lounge
24
Wavves @ Knitting Factory
July
24
M.I.A. @ Governors Island
30
Big Takeover: Springhouse @ Bell House
31
Big Takeover: Springhouse, For Against @ Bell House
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Upcoming Shows: Japanther, Titus Andronicus + more
Tomorrow, March 4
Japanther @ Mercury Lounge * LES, Manhattan * $12
They may be kind of full of themselves and annoying at times, but Japanther make some damn good and ofter underrated punk. It's heartfelt and youthful and they are releasing a record and the party is tomorrow so you should go hear them. Plus, their excellently-named friends Cerebral Ballzy are opening. [myspace]
Sunburned Hand of the Man @ Death By Audio * Williamsburg, Brooklyn
If Japanther are too conventional for your tastes, check out the highly experimental, psychedelic, folk inflected noise of Sunburned Hand of the Man. [myspace]
Friday, March 5
Shellshag, Stupid Party, the Measure, Groucho Marxists @ Cedar Mansion * Bushwick, Brooklyn
Everyone knows the best shows are house parties and everyone knows the best house party shows are hardcore punk and everyone knows the best punk rockers around the tri-state area these days hang around the Don Giovanni Records crowd. So it follows that now that you know this show exists, you also know it's the greatest show ever. Duh. [shellshag myspace] [stupid myspace] [measure myspace] [grouchy marxists myspace]
Saturday, March 6
Titus Andronicus, Parts & Labor, Babies @ Bowery Ballroom * LES, Manhattan * $13 adv. / $15 dos.
Titus Andronicus are another of the best hardcore bands around, though lately they've backed slightly off of the straight-up punk model and turned a bit slicker, rockier and more polished. They write good drinking songs and act like wild men on stage. Parts & Labor make great, dramatic, sweeping pop songs and then drown them out with massive amounts of noises. I haven't heard Babies yet, but it's members of Woods and Vivian Girls, so it's at least of interest. [titus myspace] [p&l myspace]
Sunday, March 7
Tyvek, Talk Normal, Awesome Color @ Market Hotel * Bushwick, Brooklyn
Tyvek come down from Michigan every now and then to play us some awesome punk songs. They are kind frail looking kids, like the kind who live in the basements of college libraries because they melt in sunlight. But they are kind of angry and have fun yelling about things in punk songs they write. Talk Normal are two weird ladies who make strange, droning songs with muttering and shouting and some erratic banging of a tom-tom. Awesome Color play punky psychedelic rock and look cool. [tyvek myspace] [talk myspace] [awesome myspace]
Monday, March 8
Dinowalrus doesn't list this show, but Cameo does, so check before you go. Dinowalrus make psychedelic experimental music that wanders around without losing track of its strong beats and melodies. It's a rare band that can so well balance being fun and accessible with being musically edgy and innovative. [myspace]
Update: No show. Just a private performance for a music school seminar. So never mind - but do check out Dinowalrus soon.
Tuesday, March 9
Aa, Screens, PC Worship @ Death by Audio * Williamsburg, Brooklyn
This should be an extremely rad show - three of Brooklyn's most original bands at its best venue. Aa are a Brooklyn mainstay with a highly percussive core. Their music is their rhythms and their rhythms are awesome. Screens are one of my new favorites, an experimental band with driving beats and rich, scared-sounding melodies. PC Worship are another new favorite. They often keep it toned down a bit, mixing quiet lo-fi songs with inspired sonic experiments. If you don't go to this show, you'll end up really regretting it. [aa myspace] [screens myspace] [pc myspace]
The long view...
March
10
The Magnetic Fields @ Town Hall
11
The Magnetic Fields @ Town Hall
Iran @ Knitting Factory
12-13
Henry Rollins @ The Fillmore
18
Killswitch Engage @ The Fillmore
19
Killswitch Engage @ The Fillmore
Oneida + Sightings @ Knitting Factory
23
Black Lips @ Brooklyn Bowl
24
Black Lips @ Bowery Ballroom
25
Nada Surf play Let Go + surprise guest @ Bowery Ballroom
Jello Biafra and Guantanamo Schools of Medicine @ Brooklyn Masonic Temple
26
Nada Surf play The Weight Is a Gift + surprise guest @ Bell House
Spoon, Deerhunter @ Radio City Music Hall
27
Nada Surf play Lucky + surprise guest @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
30
Big Pink, A Place to Bury Strangers @ Webster Hall
April
2
The Bronx, Japanther @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
Captured Tracks Showcase: Blank Dogs, Wet Dog + more @ Glasslands
3
Soft Pack, Nodzzz, Male Bonding @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
6
The Bronx, Japanther @ Bowery Ballroom
8
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club @ Webster Hall
10
Washed Out, Small Black @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
15
Liars @ Bowery Ballroom
18
Liars @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
21
Apples in Stereo @ Bowery Ballroom
May
3
Chapterhouse @ Bell House
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Upcoming Shows: Dinowalrus, Gang Gang Dance + more
TONIGHT!!! Wednesday, January 13
Mahogany @ Bell House | Gowanus, Brooklyn | $7
Mahogany have been one of the very best dream pop bands for over a decade. Their dense, shimmering walls of sound are made up of intricate guitars, synthesizers and drums locking in like gears. And the melodies are good too. [myspace]
Tomorrow!!! Thursday, January 14
Frozen Warnings, Coyote Eyes @ Death by Audio | Williamsburg, Brooklyn | $7
Two of the bands I told y'all to watch in 2010 are playing together tomorrow at Death by Audio, only the best DIY venue in town. Frozen Warnings are new but probably psychedelic and noisy with deep understated melodies - we'll see. Coyote Eyes play arty post punk with great singing and an amazing use of rhythm. They are both just so friggin awesome. Go to this show. [fw myspace] [ce myspace]
Friday, January 15
Gang Gang Dance + DJ /rupture @ Music Hall of Williamsburg | Williamsburg, Brooklyn | $15
Gang Gang Dance are some hardcore motherfuckahs. Their intensely rhythm-focused experimental dub has club/dance smarts but builds eclectic sonic art around that core. The result is relentlessly inventive, dark and enticing. Gang Gang Dance are too cool for words. [ggd myspace] [dj/r myspace]
Saturday, January 16
Dinowalrus (record release!), Aa + PRSMS @ Cake Shop | LES, Manhattan
I just reviewed Dinowalrus's new record. It is awesome and they are even better live. Go celebrate with them and their even odder, more drum-focused pals Aa at Cake Shop. Do it... [dino myspace] [aa myspace]
Bell, Grooms @ Glasslands | Williamsburg, Brooklyn | $5
You should go see Dinowalrus but if for some reason that doesn't pan out, you should check out this show instead. Bell is one of the better Bjork-compared singers, with an odd but powerful voice and pretty strange music to back her up. Grooms sound a lot like Sonic Youth, with experimental, noisy post punk that explores dark melodies and deafening sound. [bell myspace] [grooms myspace]
Dinosaur Jr. @ Bowery Ballroom | LES, Manhattan | SOLD OUT!
Dinosaur Jr. put the guitar back into indie rock in the 1980's. Let's hope they can do it again now! At the time of writing, there are still tickets available for the 1/18 show at Brooklyn Bowl. [myspace]
Sunday, January 17
Dinosaur Jr. @ Music Hall of Williamsburg | Williamsburg, Brooklyn | SOLD OUT!
See above. [myspace]
Mos Def @ Highline Ballroom | Chelsea, Manhattan | $45 adv. / $50 dos.
I don't care how much white people like him, Mos Def is not worth $50. But if you just won the lottery or something and want to go see a rapper who white people aren't afraid of, you couldn't do better than this show.
Monday, January 18 - MLK Day!
Dinosaur Jr. @ Brooklyn Bowl | Williamsburg, Brooklyn | $20
See above. [myspace]
The long view...
January 2010
20
Big Troubles, My Teenage Stride, the Sundelles @ Le Poisson Rouge
22
Bob Mould @ City Winery
23
Pterodactyl @ Issue Project Room
25
Cheap Trick @ The Fillmore
26
Beach House @ Bell House (sold out)
29
Asobi Seksu @ Le Poissson Rouge
Here We Go Magic @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
Mission of Burma @ Bowery Ballroom
Oneida @ Market Hotel
Sounds Like Brooklyn: Les Savy Fav, Vivian Girls (yick) @ Brooklyn Academy of Music
30
Mission of Burma @ Bowery Ballroom
Sisters, Fluffy Lumbers, Total Slacker @ Shea Stadium
February
3
Atlas Sound @ Bell House
4
Atlas Sound, Neon Indian, Sisters @ NYU Kimmel
Cold Cave @ Mercury Lounge
5
Sounds Like Brooklyn: Ra Ra Riot, the Antlers @ Brooklyn Academy of Music
6
Don Giovanni showcase: Shellshag, Screaming Females, Jeff the Brotherhood + more @ Bowery Ballroom
9
The Residents @ Webster Hall
10
Harlem @ Mercury Lounge
12
Jonathan Richman @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
13
Jonathan Richman @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
The Magnetic Fields @ Brooklyn Academy of Music
14
Jonathan Richman @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
19
Fucked Up, Kurt Vile, Frankie Rose & the Outs @ Europa
Andrew W-K @ Santos Party House
20
Crystal Stilts, Beets, Beach Fossils, German Measles @ Music Hall of Williamsubrg
21
Dum Dum Girls, Frankie Rose & the Outs @ Mercury Lounge
26
Wild Beasts @ Bowery Ballroom
27
Glenn Branca (record release) @ Le Poisson Rouge
28
Wild Beasts @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
March
5
Muse, the Silversun Pickups @ Madison Square Garden
6
Titus Andronicus, Parts & Labor, Babies @ Bowery Ballroom
10-11
The Magnetic Fields @ Town Hall
12-13
Henry Rollins @ The Fillmore
18-19
Killswitch Engage @ The Fillmore
23
Black Lips @ Brooklyn Bowl
25
Nada Surf play Let Go + surprise guest @ Bowery Ballroom
26
Nada Surf play The Weight Is a Gift + surprise guest @ Bell House
Spoon, Deerhunter @ Radio City Music Hall
27
Nada Surf play Lucky + surprise guest @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
30
Big Pink, A Place to Bury Strangers @ Webster Hall
April
15
Liars @ Bowery Ballroom
18
Liars @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
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