Kid Colossal

by Bill Pearis

Comet Gain

Here's the second part of the NYC Popfest 2012 preview. For info on tonight's show at Knitting Factory can read part one here.

SATURDAY, MAY 19

Outerhope

There's a free show at Spike Hill with Sweden's rough-and-tumble Lisa Bouvier, the gentle sounds of  Philippine band Outerhope (who also play The Rock Shop on Monday [5/21]) plus Pale Lights (featuring Comet Gain's Phil Sutcliffe and Andy from Crystal Stilts) and Brooklyn up-and-comers Habibi.

For those going to Spike Hill, you might want to head to Williamsburg early to check out the Brooklyn Flea Record Fair that is happening at food hipster mecca Smorgasburg from 11AM-6PM. Indiepop-friendly labels like Angular, Kanine, and What's Your Rupture? will be there, with some exclusive product as well. Plus lots of amazing food. Get there before noon to beat the insane lines.

It's an all-Williamsburg day for Popfest as the Saturday night show happens at Public Assembly with two legendary UK bands headlining; Comet Gain and The Pooh Sticks. The former, celebrating their 20th year in existence, are playing their first Popfest and first shows in NYC since 2009. Last year's Howl of the Lonely Crowd was another fine addition to their canon of footstompers and floorshakers.

The Pooh Sticks

The Pooh Sticks haven't played NYC since 1992 back when they were supporting the American release of their stone-cold classic Great White Wonder which cemented their rep as masters of tongue-in-cheek, arched brow indie. Actually it was already established with shambly 1988 singles "I Know Someone Who Knows Someone Who Knows Alan McGee Quite Well" and "On Tape" which is the "Losing My Edge" of its day. Arch, tuneful and not afraid to steal, The Pooh Sticks are indiepop royalty and, if recent live video on YouTube is correct, they still got it.

The rest of the Public Assembly line-up:  Seattle's charming Seapony (who play Friday night [5/18] at Littlefield); the gentle jangle of Gothenburg, Sweden's Electric Pop Group.

Pushy Parents

But the best group of the night -- or at least the best one you've never heard of before (probably) -- are on first. A quick listen to Pushy Parents are you can guess they're from Sweden (Stockholm to be specific) with a sound somewhere between early Cardigans and the Concretes. Their new Secret Secret EP is terrific: equal parts effortless melody, skill and just-right production. You can stream the whole thing and watch the video for its title track at the bottom of this post.

SUNDAY, MAY 20 (LITTLEFIELD)

Allo Darlin' with Gary Olson at Mercury Lounge (more)

Popfest ends with an all-day affair at Littlefield, featuring tourmates Allo Darlin' and The Wave Pictures who have been written about before and you can see pictures from both band's visit to Mercury Lounge a few weeks back. They are both great and reason enough to go on Sunday.

But not the only reason. The Littlefield show will also feature the first-ever American show from White Town (aka Jyoti Mishra) who made many excellent albums before and after his fluke hit "Your Woman" in 1997. That song, as good as it it (and it is!) also isn't especially representative of White Town's body of work which tends to mix wispy melodies, delicate guitars and budget drum machines. Mishra has stayed active, continuing to release albums over the years, including last year's Monopole.

Also playing: Brooklyn indiepop mainstays The Ladybug Transistor whose frontman Gary Olson usually lends his trumpeting skills to at least one other Popfest band who needs it. (He'll probably also sing the male vocal parts on Allo Darlin's "Dreaming" as he's done before.)

The Holiday Crowd

And come early to Littlefield to catch local power pop combo Swearin' (which shares a couple members with Dear Marje who also play Popfest this year); Washington DC's Dot Dash, which features members of Julie Ocean and wordy '90s indiepoppers Tree Fort Angst.

There's also two Canadian bands on Sunday's bill: Sleuth from Vancouver, and Toronto's The Holiday Crowd who have clearly listened to their share of The Smiths.

The full Popfest Saturday - Sunday schedule is below, along with that Pushy Parents stream and video.

Continue reading "NYC Popfest 2012 preview (Pt. 2): Comet Gain, The Pooh Sticks, White Town, The Ladybug Transistor, The Wave Pictures, Allo Darlin', Pushy Parents, and more" at brooklynvegan

Holy Diva

This weekend in NYC offers you a plethora of tribute band options starting tonight (5/18) at Brooklyn Bowl where all girl tribute to Motley Crue "Girls Girls Girls" are sharing a bill with the female-fronted Dio tribute band Holy Diva and Bottoms Up who are a tribute to classic Van Halen - the only classic Van Halen you're going to get in the NYC-area for a while (or maybe just until Saturday) .

If you meet a member of Holy Diva in the crowd, find out what their thoughts are on Black Sabbath's decision to crop Bill Ward out of photos. DIO Rest in Peace.

Saturday (5/19) the fun continues in Prospect Park when GoogaMooga hosts a set by Unchained (another Van Halen tribute band). All girl Led Zeppelin tribute Lez Zeppelin play GoogaMooga on Sunday.

Saturday night is the return of Guns 'N Roses cover band Mr. Brownstone at Bowery Ballroom where they'll be joined by Rolling Stones tribute Mick's Jaguar, which should be a good warm for the Mick Jagger episode of SNL which you can watch on your DVR when you get home from the show. Tickets are still available and we're giving away a pair on Facebook. Adam Hertz & the Interns (ft. The Internettes) and Thunderpony are also on the bill of what should be a very drunken night (though hopefully not one met with serious bodily harm).

Continue reading "warm up for SNL with Mick's Jaguar, curse Ozzy w/ Holy Diva, mourn Van Halen's cancellation w/ Bottoms Up & Unchained" at brooklynvegan

by Andrew Sacher

Jayne County and the Electric Chairs (not a recent pic)

Looks like CBGB isn't the only legendary NYC punk venue celebrating a "reunion" this year. Max's Kansas City will be throwing an alumni reunion for four days in June at The Bowery Electric from June 7-10. Max's existed just above Union Square on Park Ave. South from 1965-1974 and again from 1975-1981. It was during its second run as a venue that it became known, along with CBGB, as one of the birthplaces of punk in NYC, having played host to Ramones, Blondie, Television, Talking Heads, New York Dolls, Patti Smith, Suicide, and many others.

The alumni reunion at Bowery Electric will include proto-punk legends Jayne County and the Electric Chairs (formerly Wayne County and the Electric Chairs, Jayne changed her name after the band's breakup and began identifying as a woman), who are best known for their single, "Fuck Off," and their excellent cover of the Electric Prunes' "I Had Too Much to Dream Last Night." They play on June 7 with The Rattlers, Sea Monster, Ruby & the Rednecks, and NY Junk. Tickets for that show are on sale now.

On June 8, we'll get Billy Rath's Street Pirates (Billy played bass with Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers), The Sic F*cks, Avant Duel, power pop greats The Shirts (who have been reunited since 2003 with founding members Robert Racioppo and Artie Lamonica, but without lead singer Annie Golden), and The Brats. Tickets for that show are on sale now.

On June 9, it's The Nihilistics, The Waldos (featuring Walter Lure of Johnny Thunders' band), The Planets, and Stumblebunny (tickets) and finally on June 10, it's King Bee & the Stingers, The Rousers, The Deer France & Dee Pop Experience, The Bowerytones, Four on the Floor, Street Corner Review, Hudson Dusters, and Honey Davis (tickets). A four day pass, which gains you access to all four shows, is also available.

Speaking of proto-punk shows at the Bowery Electric, Deniz Tek (of Australia's Radio Birdman) is currently on a tour of the US and Europe which brings him to Bowery Electric TONIGHT (5/18), Maxwell's on Saturday (5/19) in Hoboken, NJ and a Philly show on Sunday (5/20). The Master Plan open all three of those shows and Daddy Long Legs are on the Bowery Electric and Philly show. Tickets for tonight's Bowery Electric show and Saturday's Maxwell's show are available. All Deniz Tez dates are listed below.

Now that we're talking about Maxwell's, it's worth mentioning that another NYC punk legend will be there this month when Manitoba plays on May 25. In addition to being the reason that Dan Snaith started using the Caribou moniker, Manitoba is also the current project of Handsome Dick Manitoba, lead singer of The Dictators (who recorded a punk cover of "California Sun" two years before the Ramones did, and had a handful of solid originals as well). Manitoba also includes fellow Dictators Ross the Boss and JP Patternson, Daniel Rey (who's produced records for late-period Ramones, Richard Hell, Misfits), and Dean Rispler. Tickets for the Maxwell's show are on sale now. Manitoba also opens for Dick Dale on a Rocks Off Concert Cruise on 7/22 with The Detroit Cobras (tickets).

Lastly, speaking of CBGB, in addition to this summer's CBGB festival, The Telegraph points out that a CBGB biopic is also in the works which will profile the history of the club and how it became a breeding ground for the thriving late '70s punk scene. The film will star Alan Rickman (aka Severus Snape aka Hans Gruber) as CBGB founder Hilly Kristal, directed by Randall Miller (who worked with Rickman on Bottle Shock) and co-produced by Hilly's daughter, Lisa.

A list of all Deniz Tek dates and some videos are below...

Continue reading "Max's Kansas City alumni reunion, Deniz Tek on tour (dates), Manitoba playing Maxwell's, & other proto-punk news" at brooklynvegan

In a conversation with SPIN's Steve Kandell earlier this year, Afghan Whigs frontman Greg Dulli said he preferred not to disclose which four covers he and his recently reunited outfit had recorded alongside new material just a month earlier...

"Wes Anderson," Mark Mothersbaugh says, "is at times delightful, frustrating, confusing, enigmatic and a genius." The 62-year-old Devo co-founder would know, having provided original music for the lion's share of Anderson's filmography, from Bottle Rocket and Rushmore to The Royal Tenenbaums and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou...

This train is no longer making all stops

Van Halen have canceled most of their summer reunion tour, affecting all tour dates after their June 26th show in New Orleans. Over 30 shows have been abruptly postponed, including the July 13 show at East Rutherford, NJ's Izod Center on 7/13. No explanation has been given for the canceled dates... are the boys fighting again?

A full list of Van Halen dates, both still scheduled and postponed, are below.

Continue reading "Van Halen cancel/postpone most of summer tour" at brooklynvegan

We Are Augustines @ Hotel Vegan 2012 (more by Tim Griffin)

A total of seven Williamsburg Park shows are on sale and that includes Jane's Addiction and Die Antwoord (which will take place on August 17).

It also includes "The Outlaw Roadshow Featuring Counting Crows with Special Guests" which takes place on July 17. Those special guests include We Are Augustines (ex-Pela) and Field Report (ex-bandmade of Justin Vernon), both of whom played Hotel Vegan at SXSW this year (Counting Crows also played SXSW this year). Kasey Anderson & the Honkies is one of the special guests too.

Now there are eight Williamsburg Park shows total announced, one of which is free, and one of which is part of the Northside Festival.

Continue reading "Jane's Addiction tickets, Field Report (and Counting Crows), and other Williamsburg Park news" at brooklynvegan

Every year, Portland nonprofit PDX Pop Now! puts out a compilation that spotlights the city's vibrant local music scene. Along with fundraisers, grants, and donations, sales of the record help the group hold an annual three-day festival and conduct youth-oriented outreach programs...