Upcoming Shows: Woods, Warlocks + more

A lot of good stuff coming up! And Wednesday to Friday will be three days of shoegazer heaven...

Tonight!! Tuesday, August 11

Shilpa Ray @ Cake Shop | LES, Manhattan | $8
Shilpa Ray is a tiny woman with a massive stage presence, who plays a hand-powered harmonium, screams obscenities and hops around stage. She loves her audience and always puts on a great show. Her backing band are damn good, too. My current made-up genre name of choice for the music is "soul-punk." That won't mean anything to anyone, and that's fine, because you really should just check it out for yourself. [MySpace]


Tomorrow!! Wednesday, August 12

Himalaya @ Death By Audio | Williamsburg, Brooklyn
I haven't heard Himalaya yet, but they come strongly recommended by one "Salvador." From what I can tell, they play really loud music with dense, guitar-heavy shoegaze-inspired sounds, tinted with post punk darkness. Amidst this sonic assault, great pop melodies shine through. [MySpace]


Thursday, August 13

Autodrone, Black Swan Green, Violet Hour, Vacant Lots @ Public Assembly (back room) | Williamsburg, Brooklyn | $8
Another great shoegazy line-up by Vanishing Point Presents, this show features alt rocker/dream popper outfit Autodrone, an old favorite I reviewed early on in this blog. Their rich, full sound, masterful lead guitar, synthesizer sheen and angsty melodies combine to make a sound that could appeal to almost any species of rock fan. Black Swan Green is another I haven't heard yet, but "Salvador" again recommends, and I've heard good things all around. Like the others, Violet Hour has a shoegaze sound, but their music is more electronic, with layers of sound building on electro beats - wisps of vocal melody, coldly textured synthesizers, dissonant guitar feedback. Vacant Lots are kind of the odd ones out here - an excellent band, no doubt, but more garage punk than shoegaze. [Autodrone MySpace] [BSG MySpace] [VT MySpace] [VL MySpace]


Friday, August 14

The Warlocks + the Morning After Girls, the Vandelles @ Bowery Ballroom | LES, Manhattan |
The Warlocks have been around quite a while now, and have garnered respect from their earliest releases. Their psychedelic music has taken a denser, noisier, darker turn in recent years, bringing shoegaze's wall-of-sound guitars into the fore. The Morning After Girls are similar, if less earthly. And the Vandelles, well, their roaring noise-surf is made for a much bigger space than Cameo Gallery, and I'm glad I'll finally have a chance to hear them on a stage that approaches the size of their music and their outstanding stage presence. [Warlocks MySpace] [MAG MySpace] [Vandelles MySpace]

Woods, Dungen @ Bell House | Gowanus, Brooklyn | $15
Woods are one of the best break-out bands this year, playing haunting psychedelic folk music that will leave you shivering. Dungen is an acclaimed psychedelic pop group from Sweden. At times, their music is a little too mellow for me, and at times too "fusiony." But you may as well check them out, since Woods is on the bill. [Woods MySpace] [Dungen MySpace]

Sundelles, Drums @ Glasslands | Williamsburg, Brooklyn | $7
If you want something smaller, cheaper or more off the beaten track, check out this show instead of the others. I keep trying to hear the Sundelles and missing them. Their music is some sort of old school garage-pop with sweet 50's melodies and an unpolished, noisy, DIY flavor. The Drums are headlining. I haven't heard them, but I've heard good things, so check them out. [Sundelles MySpace] [Drums MySpace]


Saturday, August 15

Pterodactyl @ Southpaw | , Brooklyn | $12
Pterodactyl just keeps getting better and better. Their frantic guitars and wild yelling are the sound of pure joy. The unique and intensely complex guitar and drum arrangements make brains happy. The passionate delivery makes hearts happy. Go to Southpaw, and be happy. (And get there on the early side, since Pterodactyl isn't the headliner.) [MySpace]

Upcoming Shows: Ringo Deathstarr, Vandelles, Blank Dogs + more

TOMORROW - Tuesday, March 10

Autodrone @ The Annex - LES, Manhattan
Autodrone's dense, dark rock combines hints of shoegaze, grunge, metal and new wave in perfect proportion. They seem to be opening, so get there on the early side. :: MySpace


Wednesday, March 11

Vandelles, Ringo Deathstarr and Black Swan Green @ Cake Shop - LES, Manhattan - $8
The Vandelles take 50's and 60's pop music and put it through an incinerator of psychedelia and screaming feedback. Ringo Deathstarr are, without a doubt, one of the best American shoegaze bands out there. They're just up from Austin, TX for a couple of nights so don't miss your chance to see them! Black Swan Green are a fairly new band on the scene, doing something shoegazy and cool. I haven't heard them, but I've heard a lot of good things about them, so show up early and see what they're all about. :: Vandelles MySpace :: Ringo Deathstarr MySpace :: BSG MySpace


Thursday, March 12

The Pogues @ Roseland Ballroom - Midtown, Manhattan
The Pogues. Celtic folk punks. C'mon, they're classic.


Friday, March 13

The Pogues @ Roseland Ballroom - Midtown, Manhattan
The Pogues. Again.


Saturday, March 14

Crystal Stilts, Blank Dogs, Women + more @ Music Hall of Williamsburg - $13
The Crystal Stilts used to be one of my favorite NYC bands, but they recently broke my heart. I'm going to give them another chance but I'm mostly recommending this show because Blank Dogs and Women are among the opening acts. Blank Dogs run with Wavves, Woods, Nodzzz and the rest of the lo-lo-lo-fi crowd. Women is an experimental band that sounds somewhat like post-rock's forebears - you know, the ones that still knew how to rock. :: CS MySpace :: BD MySpace :: Women MySpace


Sunday, March 15

Takka Takka and the Secret Life of Sofia @ Cake Shop - LES, Manhattan - $10
Takka Takka are your typical experimental indie rock, though far above average. They can be a little odd and perhaps pretentious, but they've earned their reputation. The Secret Life of Sofia plays darkly ambient noise-folk, introspective and melancholy but loud enough to keep your attention. :: TT MySpace :: TSLOS MySpace