Boardwalk Empire Finale Screening

Brooklyn Exposed & The Green Building are hosting a Boardwalk Empire Finale Screening! Throw on your prohibition era garb and get down and dirty with fellow Nucky lovers! Arrive at 7:30 for $4 drink specials, flapper dancers and photo op fun before the last episode of the season airs. The evening is also sponsored by the Park Slope vintage shop Odd Twin who will host a costume contest and are offering a 10% discount at the store with your ticket purchase. The event is at the lovely Park Slope space The Green Building which the following week will host two Jens Lekman shows. Visit here to get a ticket.

Y La Bamba West Coast Tour 2010

Y La Bamba will kick off their west coast tour with Horse Feathers (Kill Rock Stars) tomorrow starting with stops in Vancouver BC, Seattle WA, and Portland OR. On their new LP, Lupon (produced by the Decemberist's Chris Funk and out now on Tender Loving Empire), front-woman Luzelena Mendozarom draws from her strict Catholic upbringing as an only daughter of Mexican immigrants, a debilitating illness that lead her to fall away from her faith, and the vocal harmonies of the Mexican music she grew up around. To celebrate the tour kickoff, Y La Bamba are giving away the MP3 for "November" from Lupon.

Tour Dates
12/1 - Vancouver, BC - Media Club*
12/2 - Seattle, WA - Tractor Tavern*
12/3 - Portland, OR - Doug Fir*
12/4 - Portland, OR - Doug Fir*
12/7 - Pullman, WA - Bell Tower*
12/8 - Boise, ID - Neurolux*
12/9 - Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court*
12/10 - Boulder, CO - Fox Theater*
12/11 - Denver, CO - Hi Dive*
12/12 - Albuquerqe, NM - Low Spirits*
12/14 - San Diego, CA - The Casbah*
12/15 - Los Angeles, CA - Echo*
12/16 - Santa Cruz, CA - Crepe Place*
12/17 - Oakland, CA - New Parrish*
12/18 - Eugene, OR - Sam Bonds*
2/16 - Bend, OR - Old Saint Francis
2/18 - Troutdale, OR - Edgefield
2/19 - McMinnville, OR - Hotel Oregon
2/20 - Portland, OR - Kennedy School
2/23 - Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom
2/24 - Centralia, WA - Olympic Club
2/25 - Gearhart, OR - Sand Trap
2/26 - Forest Grove, OR - Grand Lodge
* w/ Horse Feathers

New Music - Rewards

Rewards is a new project of Aaron Pfenning who co-founded Chairlift. Check out his tune "I Used To" below and catch a show he's performing on the Warpaint tour.

Rewards “I Used To”.MP3

Nov 30 - Great Scott - Boston, MA
Dec 1 - The Studio at Webster Hall - NYC
Dec 2 - Music Hall of Williamsbug - Brooklyn, NY
Dec 3 - Voyeur - Philadelphia, PA @
Dec 4 - Rock and Roll Hotel - Washington, DC

Interview with Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros

Jessica Nguyen interviews Christian Letts of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. I caught up with Christian Letts, the lead guitarist of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, where the band was performing at the DeLuna Festival in Pensacola, Florida. Christian provided some great insight behind the mantra of this quirky and loveable ten-piece band. Read our interview here.

Sharon Van Etten UK & Japan Tour Dates

Brooklyn's lovely singer/songwriter Sharon Van Etten is heading out for some dates in Japan then the US then picks up in Europe opening for the National.


Sharon Van Etten Tour Dates:
Dec. 3, 2010 Nara, Japan – Nara Café Sample
Dec. 4, 2010 Kyoto, Japan – Kyoto Urbanguild
Dec. 5, 2010 Fukui, Japan – Turuga Pinon-Pinon
Dec. 7, 2010 Aichi, Japan – Nagoya JD Japon
Dec. 8, 2010 Kanagowa, Japan – Kamakura Café Goatee
Dec. 9, 2010 Tokyo, Japan – Shibuya, 7th Floor
Dec. 11, 2010 Nagano, Japan – Matsumoto Cafe
Dec. 12, 2010 Tokyo, Japan - FoundLand
Jan. 8, 2011 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom
Jan. 19, 2011 New Haven, CT - BAR
Jan. 20, 2011 Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda's
Jan. 21, 2011 Columbus, OH - Wexner Performance Space at OSU
Jan. 22, 2011 Nashville, TN - The 5 Spot
Jan. 23, 2011 Asheville, NC – TBD
Feb. 15, 2011 Belgium, Brussels - Forest National w/The National
Feb. 22, 2011 Poland, Krakow – Studio w/The National
Feb. 24, 2011 Poland, Warsaw – Stodola w/The National
Feb. 25, 2011 Germany, Berlin - C-Halle w/The National
Feb. 26, 2011 Denmark, Aarhus – SCC w/The National
Feb. 28, 2011 Sweden, Lund - Färs & Frosta w/The National
Mar. 1, 2011 Sweden, Stockholm – Cirkus w/The National
Mar. 3, 2011 Finland, Helsinki - The House of Culture w/The National
Mar. 4, 2011 Finland, Helsinki - The House of Culture w/The National

See our video below of Sharon singing "For You" from a row boat in Cental Park for Kevchino.com.

Blonde Redhead live at MusicBox Theatre, LA 11/16/10

Ethereally veiled by fog and backed by a 20 foot wall of glowing golden photo-umbrellas, Blonde Redhead took the stage to a packed Music Box Theatre in Hollywood. Vocalist Kazu Makino, adorned in some manner of tribal sea-horse mask, along with the brothers Amedeo & Simone Pace (vocals/guitars & drums respectively), ushered the audience onto the evening's beguiling journey with the ambient and near-whispered "Black Guitar." They followed up with the equally electronically seductive "Here Sometimes" which shared it's chillwave/downtempo/nouveau-trip-hop vive with songs like "Oslo" and "Will There Be Stars" from the new release "Penny Sparkle."

While the band has admittedly morphed over it's 17 years of existence, Blonde Redhead has developed into a sonically consummate force - musical craftspeople of the highest regard, who's tunes are incredibly easy to get lost in.

In true art-rock form, the mood and sound of the evening were as widespread as the the fog under the stage-lights. They played through a chillwave/downtempo set, composed largely of their new material, including the hypnotic "Will There Be Stars" and the breathy "Spain." The performance was further punctuated by their signature tunes, the rhythmic-lullabies of "In Particular," and "SW," as well as the sonically guitar/percussion-driven "Spring And By Summer Fall," and "Equus."

While Blonde Redhead carried a spellbound audience of musical connoisseurs through new and old territories, they also played an intriguing representative sampling from their 17 year repertoire. From slow to faster tempoed vignettes, they had the MusicBox's rapt audience swaying to one after another of their kaleidoscopic soundscapes, until the very last note of the night...

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Clovis IV: Photos & Review
www.clovis-iv.com

Marissa Nadler new song "The Sun Always Reminds Me of You"

Marissa Nadler sent in a new demo of a song called "The Sun Always Reminds Me of You," which will be on her fourth coming self titled LP which she and her fans funded thru Kickstarter.

Domino release reissue of Orange Juice box set

Domino records released of a comprehensive seven-disc anthology of one of the finest groups of all-time, Orange Juice. Coals To Newcastle will be released on November 22nd.

The boxset is made up of six audio compact discs and one DVD that contain the band's complete discography and other studio recordings as well as a collection of their BBC sessions. The DVD contains the band's two promotional clips for "Rip It Up" and "What Presence?!" (the latter directed by Derek Jarman), their four performances on The Old Grey Whistle Test and the rare posthumous concert video "Dada With The Juice". In total, Coals To Newcastle contains 16 previously unreleased tracks with another 23 tracks previously unavailable on earlier re-issues.

Visit here to check out the beautiful box set. Check out the video for "Rip it Up" below.

Sujan Stevens played Late Night w Jimmy Fallon

Sufjan and his day glow band performed the song “Too Much” for his solo network TV debut last Friday night’s Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Brooklyn's lovely Cat Martino is singling harmonies on the left.

Ólöf Arnalds @ MusicBox Theatre, Hwd, 11.16.10

Hailing from the land of vikings, volcanoes, and among other things, Björk - up-and-coming international folk multi-instrumentalist Ólöf Arnalds recently graced the Los Angeles stage, in support of Blonde Redhead.

In performance, Arnalds emoted a folk resonance similar to Joni Mitchell, and a vocal kinship to that of Sigur Rós - not surprising, as they're one of the many bands that she's worked with on the Icelandic music scene. Mostly in her native Icelandic, she preformed songs from her 2007 solo debut "Vid Og Vio" as well as this year's release "Innundir Skinni."

Playing truly a solo performance, it was just Arnalds and a guitar (and the interspersed ukulele) on stage. The vocals seemed sweet with a tinge of sadness - every note acoustically resonating with the audience. It should be interesting to see how this folk ingenue develops, broadening Iceland's exports to the world.

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Clovis IV: Photos & Review
www.clovis-iv.com

Hannis Brown live at Zebulon 11/23/10

Experimental artist Hannis Brown performs his first east coast show along with Matt Steckler's Persiflage and Call Me On the Allophone at Zebulon this coming Tuesday, November 23, 2010 at 9:00 PM. Don't miss out if your a fan of the Dirty Projectors or Charles Mingus. Hannis Brown released his debut album entitled Oh Ah Ee read our review here. Hannis also contributed vocals on a track for the upcoming Cloud Seeding music project on a song "Parker Place" click here for a listen.

Shilpa Ray & Grinderman!

This past Tuesday (11/16) morning, Shilpa Ray woke up to some pretty amazing news. Grinderman, currently in the midst of their North American Tour, were in need of an opener for their show that night in Washington, DC, and they were personally requesting she be there to play the date. Without hesitation she jumped out the door, harmonium in hand, and was on her way south to the 9:30 club.

Once praised by Nick Cave as a "Band of The Day" in the Canadian paper the National Post Shilpa Ray was honored to help warm up the audience that night. She will join Grinderman on their next few dates in Atlanta, Memphis, and Nashville as well.

18 - Atlanta, GA - Variety Playhouse
19 - Nashville, TN - Cannery Ballroom
20 - Memphis, TN - Minglewood Hall

Grinderman fans interested in hearing tracks from Shilpa Ray And Her Happy Hookers upcoming album Teenage and Torture (January 18th 2011) may help themselves to a sampling via the songs below.

"Heaven In Stereo".mp3
"Venus Shaver".mp3

Following the release of their album January 18th 2011, and a CD Release party at Brooklyn Bowl January 21st with Hooray For Earth and Soft Black, Shilpa Ray And Her Happy Hookers will embark upon a National Tour with Japanese psychedelic group Acid Mothers Temple. Dates below!

Upcoming Tour Dates:
% = w/ Grinderman
* = w/ Acid Mothers Temple

NOVEMBER
18 - Atlanta, GA - Variety Playhouse %
19 - Nashville, TN - Cannery Ballroom %
20 - Memphis, TN - Minglewood Hall %

JANUARY

21 - Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Bowl (Record Release w/ Hooray For Earth, Soft Black)
22 - Buffalo, NY - Mohawk Place

MARCH
23 - Los Angeles, CA - Spaceland*
24 - San Francisco, CA - Bottom of the Hill*
26 - Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge*
27 - Bellingham, WA - The Wild Buffalo*
28 - Seattle, WA - Chop Suey*
29 - Vancouver, BC - Biltmore Cabaret*
31 - Calgary, AB - Broken City*

APRIL
01 - Missoula, MT - The Badlander*
02 - Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge*
03 - Denver, CO - Larimer Lounge*
04 - Lincoln, NE - Bourbon Theatre*
05 - Minneapolis, MN - 7th Street Entry*
06 - Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle*
07 - Kalamazoo, MI - The Strutt*
08 - Toronto, ON - El Mocambo*
09 - Montreal, QC - Il Motore*
10 - Allston, MA - Great Scott*
11 - Milford, CT - Daniel Street*
13 - Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brendas*
14 - Washington, DC - Red Palace*
15 - Baltimore, MD - Ottobar*
16 - Chapel Hill, NC - Local 506*
17 - Knoxville, TN - Pilot Light*
18 - Atlanta, GA - The Earl*
19 - New Orleans, LA - One Eyed Jacks*
20 - Houston, TX - Fitzgeralds*
21 - Dallas, TX - The Loft*
22 - Austin, TX - Red 7*

NYC Zero Film Festival this Saturday with Natureboy & School of Seven Bells

The 2010 New York Zero Film Festival Closing Night Party

Featuring new work and the best films from the 2010 program. Two short film blocks followed by a live performance from School of Seven Bells, an award ceremony, a Natureboy set and all night dance party.

Free Brooklyn Brewery Happy Hour.

Good times, planet Earth.
NOTE: No one under 18 years old will be admitted.
Screening Starts at 7p.m. 18+ Bring your party hat and dancing shoes.

Get you tickets here.

Visit here for more info.

Azure Ray Knitting Factory Brooklyn, NY 11/14/010

I and less than a hundred other people saw the Azure Ray show at the Knitting Factory in Brooklyn last Sunday night. Going in I felt a little like I was going to a chick flick with my match.com date, but I got a drink and took my place by the merch table (there where Azure Ray corkscrews and friendship bracelets). I was sent to review Azure Ray, but I feel the need to mention the two opening acts.

First, James Husband: singer-songwriter, guitar, voice, and cello. His voice sounded just like Jeff Tweedy’s. He was doing his clever—too good for the café—songs not without charm, and although the cello added some cheese, it implied an "I Am the Walrus" vibe.

Second, Tim Fite: a talented performer. He played to production tracks and had a projector show featuring himself accompanying himself with guitar and backup vocals. His show also included rapping, yodeling, and a glowing boom box. I could see him playing with Pleaseeasaur. A fun set, I recommend.

Then came the headliner: Azure Ray. The two ladies played with a drummer (James Husband), a cellist, and a lead guitar player. They seemed to be conserving energy, given it was week five of their tour and a Sunday. Their set was predictable and weak. I think partly due to them phoning it in and partly to their material. It feels like it was made for the end credits of TV dramas. The best part for me was that they both were wearing guitars, and one is left-handed, which creates a nice mirror image effect. I would say "cut the fat," but all you would be left with is a snail’s worth to slime across your dashboard as you drive to your office job or singles bingo. The fact remains there is a market for this stuff—a market that Azure Ray fills to the brim, like a lukewarm mug of Ovaltine.

Words by Cedar Apffel

Jens Lekman adds second Brooklyn show!

I just received this email from Jens Lekman:

You have one more chance to see Jens Lekman live!

Hi everyone, this is Ben.
Jens is out in the wilderness at the moment but wanted to let you know that we're preparing to announce a 2nd Brooklyn show tomorrow. Our friends over at Brooklyn Vegan will be posting a link to purchase tickets at exactly 12:00pm EST tomorrow, Wednesday November 17th.

This show will be at 450 Union Street on December 9th.
Okay, thanks so much!
Ben


Jens had two other shows but both now sold out!
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
December 10th, 2010
Brooklyn
New York, USA
Green Building on Union
450 Union St
Brooklyn, NY 11231
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
LA
December 4th, 2010
Los Angeles
California, USA
Mondrian Hotel Skybar
8440 Sunset Boulevard, West Hollywood
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The Beatles are now finally available on iTunes!

Starting today, each of the Beatles' 13 legendary remastered studio albums, including "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," "Revolver," "The Beatles [The White Album]," and "Abbey Road", will be available as iTunes LPs, which create an immersive album experience with a beautiful design and expanded visual features including a unique mini-documentary about the creation of each album. Click picture above to visit the iTunes Store!

Grinderman & Armen Ra live at Best Buy Theatre, New York NY 11/14/10

Upon Grinderman's second trek to New York since their inception, Nick Cave and company outdo their 2007 stadium tour, with a powerful intimate performance at the Best Buy Theater in Times Square Sunday night.

The grinder-men come off as a tight unit despite the looming shadow cast by main attraction, Nick Cave, who fronts the band. However the biblically bearded Warren Ellis, again proves to be a good colleague to feed off of live on stage with his interchanging use of guitar, violin, maracas, etc. The set juggled a good mixture of selections between their two albums. Mr. Cave himself gainfully displays his newly acquired role as backing guitarist and other instruments of old in his repitoir. Some of the strongest excerpts from the performance are perhaps the more obvious standout compositions found on either Grinderman albums. 'Heathen Child,' 'Honey Bee' and 'No Pussy Blues' certainly carry more thunderous authority in their live renderings. All of which make the more grating moments in the set ('Man in the Moon,' 'Grinderman') perceivably more balanced out and bearable in the sliding scale of intensity.

When the dust settled and the collective equiblerium in the room was regained, something had changed. It hadn't occurred to me until our cab slid south into the belly of the city, that Times Square got the breath of hades it hardly ever sees anymore. Especially with its disney-shaded eyewear it chooses to observe itself with. It's good to know that even Nick Cave can have a show on Broadway even if only for a night.

Words by Jon Prusik Photos by Kevin Serra

Grinderman opener . . . the amazing theremin player Armen Ra!

Yeah Yeah Yeahs Nick Zinner playing with Arcade Fire on SNL.

On the second song Arcade Fire performed on SNL "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)" in the back right Yeah Yeah Yeahs guitarist Nick Zinner is playing keyboards with them. Below is the first song they played ""We Used To Wait."

Os Mutantes, Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti Webster Hall 11/13/10

Getting the chance to see in the flesh one of psychedelic music’s father’s is one of those things, at least for me, I can check off my musical list of must see shows in life and Os Mutantes certainly did not disappoint! Being on a bill with Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti seems like an odd pairing but made perfect sense once the bands got under way.

Leading off the night was opener DIVA who hit the stage dressed in what looked like a white see through sheet, face paint and horns (yes horns!) and played bass over recorded beats while singing slightly off key. She had balls for coming out to a packed house at Webster Hall on her own but aside from totally hypnotizing her audience, and how could you not dressed like that, her music needed some work. While it was ethereal and ambient, it was missing something. I will say her cover of “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow” was gorgeous.

Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti hit the stage next, and he played several tracks off his newest album Before Today including opener “Beverly Kills,” which got the crowd going. If you’ve never heard him before, Ariel Pink is AM radio. With garbled lyrics and smoothed out music he makes some really cool music. His song “Round and Round” had the crowd going crazy. The members of his band were actually incredible players and the intricacies of Ariel’s music seemed effortless with them at the helm.

Headliners Os Mutantes came out in robes and while the two remaining original members Sergio Dias Baptista (guitar/vocals) and Dinho Leme (drums) remained, the all new band were top notch musicians who captured the bands psychedelic sound while updating it. Vocalist Bia Mendes was by no means a Rita Lee replacement as she didn’t sound anything like the original, and she did a fantastic job of singing classics like “Bat macumba,” and an updated version of “El Justiciero” which poked fun at Bush and Obama and “A Minha Menina.” Highlight of the night was Os Mutantes rendition of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” and weep it did as Sergio Dias went into a stirring guitar solo that totally had the audience by the seat of their pants. It was a great show featuring different acts that were completely different in their own right but all psychedelic in their own way.

Words Dave Lipp Pix Kevin Serra

Massive Attack/Thievery Corp, 11/05 at Santa Barbara Bowl

Arriving in the sleepy beachside town for the Santa Barbara Bowl's concert season finale, Massive Attack and Thievery Corporation composed an intriguing double-headliner; creating an evening of sumptuous and sinister grooves, with a wide array of vocal styles represented.

Having heard announcements that the show would start promptly at 6:30, I was surprised to only initially see a hand-full of people at 6:15 (Santa Barbarians are notoriously laid back.) One of the other press commented that the audience was probably on their way - they just probably stopped on the way; what with having the munchies and all... Happily, 3000+ people seemed to show up all at once; minutes before the set started; and off the evening went.

On-stage first was the duo hailing from Washington DC, Thievery Corporation, composed of Rob Garza and Eric Hilton. I wasn't sure how interesting a concert with the two principals being on turntables & keyboards would sound. That question was answered almost from the start of their set. Acting as more a production-duo than traditional band, Thievery Corporation had a menagerie of guest artists (vocalists & musicians) join them on stage, making something that was anything but a prerecorded set.

The night's set featured eastern & dub infused songs. “Lebanese Blonde” was preformed with Sista Pat on vocals and Rob Myers on sitar (and later songs on guitar.) The set featured Electronica/Jamaican-flavored dub styling of vocalists Sleepy Wonder, and the safari-hat dressed brothers Zeebo & Rootz Steele of SEE-I, on other memorable tracks like "Richest Man in Babylon" and "Liberation Front." Their performance rolled on, song after song with nearly as many vocalists & musicians on stage as songs. The further the set went, the further the energy built from each song; proving that the DJ duo known as Thievery Corp. can put together a great show.

(and then the lights went down, in anticipation...)

Taking the stage at the Santa Barbara Bowl just before 8:30, Massive Attack turned the venue into Downtempo/Trip-Hop haven as they launched into the mostly instrumental but intense, "United Snakes." The band composed of Robert del Naja and Grantley Marshall, took the production-duo concept into a darker, more subtly sinister sound-space. The instrumental array that Massive Attack brought to the stage included two drum kits, as well as the standard adornment of bass, guitar, as well as multiple keyboards, and a shrouded but ubiquitous DJ setup.

High-points included Robert & Grantley sharing vocal duties on the lasciviously laced "Risingson," as well as the trippy "Inertia Creeps" and ""Future Proof." In addition to their moody vocals, the evening's set included stirring guest vocalists Martina Topley-Bird as well as Horace Andy; both featured on Massive Attack's recent release "Heligoland." Otherworldly seeming & tutu adorned; Martina, sung her way through beguiling renditions of the recent "Babel" as well a "Teardrop" from 1998's release "Mezzanine." Horace as a counterpoint, lent his presence and acumen to songs such as "Splitting the Atom" and "Girl, I love You."

In addition, the light show for Massive Attack's performance deserved kudos of it's own. Utilizing horizontal bars of programmable LED lights the width of the stage, the area behind the band proved to be nearly as visually stimulating as the band. The lights presented imagery in the form of binary data, inspirational & political quotes, flight schedules, and graphics; which left none-too-subtle impressions in the audience's subconscious. It also conveyed more than a slight political statement, in the form of the quotes from Howard Zinn & Noam Chomsky.

By the end of the set, the audience was speechless from Massive Attack's impressive audio and visual stimuli; making the evening as well, a massive success...

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Clovis IV: Photos & Review
www.clovis-iv.com

Fortnight Journal Benefit with Patti Smith & Shilpa Ray, Outernational & Tamar Korn

Southpaw was a packed house his Thursday evening for the Fortnight Journal benefit show. According to their website, the Fortnight Journal “pairs fourteen unheralded young contributors from the Millennial generation in a critical and creative dialogue with luminary mentors.” Tonight’s Fortnight Journals mentor was the legendary singer-songwriter, poet, and visual artist Patti Smith, and Jesse Smith and Michael Campbell, Shilpa Ray and Her Happy Hookers, Outernational, and Tamar Korn were maybe six of the fourteen young contributors from the Millennial generation.

Patti Smith, I believe, joined Jesse Smith and Michael Campbell onstage for a song or two; then Lenny Kayne and a few more band members joined the stage and transitioned into a Patti Smith set. She performed a bunch of songs, including her classic tune "Because The Night," written by Bruce Springsteen and Patti Smith in the late seventies. Patti and her group ended their set with "Pissing in a River," which she dedicated to Fortnight. The band encored with an energetic version of "People Have the Power!" Patti said she had never played Park Slope's Southpaw before, but had been to Gorilla Coffee. She did mention Southpaw had nice sound and she'd be back again sometime.
The crowd was very excited for Shilpa Ray to take the stage. When she did, everything appeared normal with her and Her Happy Hookers, but once the band launched into the first song, you knew there was something different. Guitarist Andrew Bailey wasn't holding an electric guitar, but an acoustic. The band played a more semi-acoustic set, as bassist Nick Hundley and drummer John Adamski held back a slight bit in volume but nothing else as they helped create a more lazy and psychedelic sound. Shilpa and the band fired off songs back to back, one after the other. It was a slower build than most Shilpa sets, with the absence of the bombastic electric guitar, but Shilpa got her groove on. By the third song, she was screaming and hollering like a tiger, and old fans were pleased, and new fans were writing her name down on their futuristic phones. The band performed a beautiful rendition of a Beat The Devil classic, "Plea Bargain." Andrew's acoustic guitar playing was executed beautifully, and it gave Shilpa's sound some intoxicatingly great new textures. Hopefully the band might consider incorporating this acoustic sound into their future sets for a song or two, for its formula added a pleasant surprise to the band’s already amazing sound.

Shilpa and Her Happy Hookers will release their follow-up album titled Teenage and Torture on Knitting Factory Records in early 2011. In the meantime, be sure to pick up their new seven-inch single, "Venus Shaver." The B-side, "Natural Selection,” is an unreleased song from her Black Dirt recording session.
Samantha Hinds came out for a few and explained a bit about Fortnight Journal, then announced the lovely Shilpa Ray.
Outernational frontman Miles Solay's presence reminded me a lot of Joe Strummer. The New York City band had a slightly altered gypsy punk vibe similar to Gogol Bordello. Dr. Blum played a harmonium and trumpet, while Leo Mintek strummed a nylon string guitar that added some Spanish and ska elements to the mix. Solay told a story about meeting Patti Smith at a CBGB show they performed with Fishbone, where she mentioned something to the effect that the new bands would be the future voice of music. The band then launched into "Future Rock," which closed their set. Tom Morello of Rage Against The Machine appears on the band's latest EP, Eyes on Fire, on the tune "Fighting Song." He also produced their forthcoming full-length record.
Tamar Korn opened the show singing two songs by her lonesome. She had a very lovely voice with a very old sound to it. Think Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, or Katharine Whalen of Squirrel Nut Zippers singing to imaginary music by Cab Calloway. At times her beautiful, jazzy voice would take on the sounds of a trumpet or even a theremin. She sometimes performs with jazz band The Cangelosi Cards.

All in all the show was really great with the very eclectic group of musicians. Cheers to Fortnight Journal for putting on such an amazing show. I can't wait to see what they come up with next.

Words and Pics by Kev Chino

Fortnight Journal Benefit with Patti Smith & Shilpa Ray and much more

BrooklynTheBorough.com sponsors
An Acoustic Benefit Night in Support of Fortnight Journal
featuring Shilpa Ray & Her Happy Hookers
Outernational
Patti Smith & Lenny Kaye
plus Tamar Korn and special late night guests

Thursday, Nov 11, 2010 8:00 PM EST (7:00 PM Doors)
Southpaw, Brooklyn, NY
21 years and over

They still have a few tickets left get them here.

Marissa Nadler & Glass Ghost secret show

Marissa Nadler & Glass Ghost perform a show tomorrow Nov. 11 at a secret venue. The space is perched on the top floor of an industrial Bushwick loft, is elegantly adorned with rustic details: hanging plants and antique lanterns, birch stumps, and handcrafted Edison bulbs. Homemade wooden benches encircle the stage, which fits snugly in a cozy alcove. The ticket price includes an open bar and locally sourced gourmet hors d’oeuvres, including crostini from Roberta’s and cheese from the Bedford Cheese Shop. For tickets click here.

Stream Stereolab new LP Not Music on NPR

Click here to stream the new LP by Stereolab entitled Not Music via NPR