Upcoming Shows: Fucked Up, Screaming Females, Trail of Dead + more

[Upcoming Shows Playlist]

Tomorrow!!! Friday, February 19

Fucked Up + Kurt Vile, Frankie & the Outs @ Europa | Greenpoint, Brooklyn | $13
Fucked Up have redefined what hardcore punk can be. And they are one of the most powerful live acts you can see. [(unofficial) myspace]

Andrew WK @ Santos Party House | Chinatown, Manhattan
Andrew WK y’all. Rock’n’roll pianist.

Secret Machines + Bear in Heaven @ Glasslands | Williamsburg, Brooklyn | $12 / $15
Secret Machines once had a bit of a hit. Alt rock with just a touch of shoegaze, nothing to write home about. But if you like them, you should see them at Glasslands because it’s the coziest venue you’ll see them at.


Saturday, February 20

Pygmy Shrews @ Bruar Falls | Williamsburg, Brooklyn | FREE!
These guys are fucking awesome. They are hardcore mo’fos with song titles like "your party sucks." Their cutting distortion and feedback this like a bulldozer. And this show is free. [myspace]

Coyote Eyes, El Jezel @ Union Hall | Park Slope, Brooklyn | $8
Coyote Eyes is one of the most promising bands in Brooklyn, and they’re coming into their own more and more. Their dark web of sound is laced with captivating, catchy melodies. I haven’t heard El Jezel in a long time but they’re pretty okay themselves. [coyote myspace] [el jezel myspace]

Crystal Stilts + Beets, Beach Fossils, German Measles @ Music Hall of Williamsburg | Williamsburg, Brooklyn | $13 adv. / $15 dos
Another big line-up of bands that think they are super cool. Unfortunately for all of us, the Crystal Stilts make some of the best music around. They have a pretty uninspiring live show, though. I’d skip this, but thought I’d let you know just in case. [myspace]


Sunday, February 21

Dum Dum Girls + Frankie Rose & the Outs @ Mercury Lounge | LES, Manhattan | $10
Dum Dum Girls are mostly one girl who is not dum at all. Her name is Dee Dee and she writes great songs and sings them well. She’s a little lo-fi, a little indie pop and maybe a little smidge punk. [myspace]

PRSMS, Unstoppable Death Machines @ Death By Audio | Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Both these bands play aggressive experimental punk. PRSMS are great. UDM are not quite there yet, but they are certainly enjoyable. [prsms myspace] [uds myspace]


Tuesday, February 23

Screaming Females, Jeff the Brotherhood, Stupid Party @ Death By Audio | Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Umm. This is only going to be like the greatest show ever. No big deal. Seriously, Screaming Females are the best rock band on earth right now. Jeff the Brotherhood are not very far behind and Stupid Party, more than any other band right now, represent what is good and right in punk. See, you probably think I am exaggerating, but I’m not. Three of the best bands ON THE FRIGGIN’ PLANET at the best venue I know. [screaming myspace] [jeff myspace] [stupid myspace]

Her Vanished Grace @ Bell House | Gowanus, Brooklyn | FREE!
The only reason you should miss the above show is if you’re dead. But if you’re dead, you might try this one, because it’s free. Her Vanished Grace is a great noise pop band who know how to take control of a stage. Great melodies, great songs, great noise, they’ve got it. [myspace]


Wednesday, February 24

…and You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead (original line-up) @ Union Pool | Williamsburg, Brooklyn
I am trying to figure out if I am hallucinating this listing. You had better double check. [myspace]


[Upcoming Shows Playlist]
The long view...

February
26
Wild Beasts @ Bowery Ballroom (Sold Out!)

27
Glenn Branca (record release) @ Le Poisson Rouge

28
Wild Beasts @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
Shilpa Ray, Asa Ransom @ Cameo
Shoot Spires (mems. Parts & Labor), Pterodactyl, Unstoppable Death Machines @ Union Pool

March
4
Japanther @ Mercury Lounge

5
Muse, the Silversun Pickups @ Madison Square Garden

6
Titus Andronicus, Parts & Labor, Babies @ Bowery Ballroom

7
Awesome Color, Tyvek, Talk Normal @ Market Hotel
Washed Out, Small Black @ Mercury Lounge (sold out)

8
Dinowalrus @ Cameo
Washed Out, Small Black @ Mercury Lounge (sold out)

9
Aa, Screens @ Death By Audio

101
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


[Upcoming Shows Playlist]

Upcoming Shows: New York Dolls, Secret Machines + more

Sorry for the absence and generally being flaky on the blog recently. Regular posts will resume after this weekend's show.


TONIGHT - Wednesday, June 17

Jonathan Richman @ Bowery Ballroom | LES, Manhattan | $15
Jonathan Richman is the guy from the Modern Lovers. If you don't know the Modern Lovers, I'd describe them as an unpretentious version of the Velvet Underground. Richman was indie before there was indie, he was straight-edge before there was straight-edge, he was twee before there was twee. In other words, he's one of the great innovators in American pop and has been for about 40 years. [MySpace]


TOMORROW - Thursday, June 18

Twee As Fuck: The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Cause Co-Motion!, Crystal Stilts @ Cake Shop | LES, Manhattan | $10 / $8 (students)
Nevermind that only one of these bands (The Pains) could remotely be called twee, this is an amazing line-up. And the bands will probably be on the ball, given how often they've played Cake Shop and how much they love the place. The downside is that it's going to be crammed full, wall to wall, with indie pop kids, and you undoubtedly won't be able to move or see anything. So, I'd personally stay home, but if big crowds in small rooms are your thing, you couldn't choose a better set of bands. [Pains MySpace] | [CCM MySpace] | [CS MySpace]


Friday, June 19

Secret Machines, A Place to Bury Strangers @ Santos Party House | Chinatown, Manhattan | $10
Secret Machines are shoegaze-inspired wash-ups trying to make a comeback after the decline of a middling career that saw them flicker on the Billboard 200 in 2006. The band is kind of past its prime, but they're still better than most of what's out there. And APTBS are just fucking amazing. Ten bucks for both? Don't think twice. [SM MySpace] | [MySpace]


Saturday, June 20

Radio Flyer Review Presents: New York No-Gaze - 28 Degrees Taurus, Ifwhen, Gracefully @ 255 McKibben St. | Bushwick, Brooklyn | $5-8 suggested donation
I picked these bands because I think they are amazing and I really admire what they do. They all play experimental, uncompromising shoegaze-influenced music. And they're all great live acts. Booking them for my first RFR Presents show is the highest recommendation I could give. [28DT MySpace] | [Ifwhen MySpace] | [Gracefully MySpace]


Monday, June 22

The New York Dolls @ Music Hall of Williamsburg | Williamsburg, Brooklyn | $32.50
If any pre-punk band was directly responsible for the rise of New York punk, this was it. Though still glammy hard rock, the Dolls raw music and image were one of the most important influences on the inventors of punk proper on both sides of the Atlantic. Without them, there may have been no Ramones, no Richard Hell, no Sex Pistols, at least not as we know them. And the recently reunited Dolls aren't getting any younger, so pay up and get your ass to MHOW on Monday or live a life of shame and regret.