Living Days Interview with Stephonik Youth!

Kevchino.com interviews Stephonik Youth about her band, Living Days! read the interview here.

Today is Record Store Day buy a record!

Today is Record Store Day now go buy a record. There are many special releases from tons of new and classic artists.

Radiohead "Supercollider + The Butcher" by ianbhoy

New Music - EMA

EMA, a/k/a the new project from ex-GOWNS singer/guitarist Erika M. Anderson, is confirmed to support Kurt Vile and Menomena on a handful of US dates late this month and early next. She will join Kurt Vile in Portland, OR, at the Bunk Bar on April 23rd; in Seattle, WA, at The Sunset on April 24th; and in Vancouver, BC, at the Waldorf Cabaret on April 25th. EMA will then support Menomena at the Doug Fir Lounge in her current adopted hometown of Portland on May 2nd. All dates will be played with her full band: sister Nikki on drums, Aaron Davis on bass, and Leif Shackleford on violin/synths. A full itinerary, including previously announced European and UK dates, is below.

EMA's video "California," the first single from Past Life Martyred Saints was filmed by director Shackleford, the video is a one-take performance with no cuts, set against a backdrop of footage of her native South Dakota and West Oakland, her California base for the past five years.

EMA tour dates:

APRIL 23 PORTLAND, OR BUNK BAR*
APRIL 24 SEATTLE, WA THE SUNSET*
APRIL 25 VANCOUVER, BC WALDORF CABARET*
MAY 2 PORTLAND, OR DOUG FIR LOUNGE#
MAY 5 BERLIN, DE BERGHAIN KANTINE
MAY 9 PARIS, FR CAFÉ DE LA DANSE^
MAY 10 AMSTERDAM, NL PARADISO
MAY 11 LONDON, UK THE MACBETH
MAY 12 LONDON, UK CARGO^
MAY 13 MANCHESTER, UK FUTUREEVERYTHING^
MAY 14 BRIGHTON, UK THE GREAT ESCAPE (NME Stage)
* supporting Kurt Vile
# supporting Menomena
^ supporting Scout Niblett

Craft Spells Live at Glasslands 4/9/11

Justin Paul Vallesteros is taking his stunning bedroom project Craft Spells out on the road after the great response to his debut album Idle Labor. Justin originally from Stockton, California moved to Seattle, Washington and assembled a live touring band.

The band of young lads did a great job entertaining the Saturday night Brooklyn crowd, my only gripe was the songs sounded a little loose but I'm sure after the band makes it across the states with Beach Fossils they will get much tighter playing night after night. In all fairness the sound at Glassland's suprisingley wasn't that great either maybe due to the fact the moved the stage and are getting use to the new club set-up.

The band recently signed with Captured Tracks. They will be loved by fellow revivalist's The Pains of Being Pure at Heart fans. Justin's music is an ode to classic late-eighties and nineties bands such as New Order which the debut borrows ever more inspiration from using cover art very similar to New Order's Power, Corruption & Lies. Despite the heart on sleeve influences the album is great fun and Justin and his band seem like they have a good shot at keeping the project moving forward.


Photos & Words by Kevin Serra

Handsome Furs live photos at Bell House 4/14/11

Montreal's Handsome Furs l which is Dan Boeckner (Wolf Parade) and his wife Alexei Perry, treated Brooklyn fans to a large preview of new songs off their forthcoming third album titled Sound Kapital, which will be released on Subpop on June 28th. The duo played a very driving and uptempo set despite the sound was a little muddy. They played all the classics from the first two albums and many songs off their upcoming album including "What About Us" which you can download at the bottom of this post for the price of an email. Barefoot, Alexei was dancing up a storm on every song in very, VERY short dress and would fall down on the floor after many of the songs. Her husband was dressed in as the thin white suite and kept the crowd entertained while delivering vocals, guitar and keys. Super sad their fellow Montreal opener GRIMES was un able to play due to visa issues. Cinnamon Band took her opening slot.

The new Handsome Furs LP is called Sound Kapital
Track listing:
1. When I Get Back
2. Damage
3. Bury Me Standing
4. Memories of the Future
5. Serve the People
6. What About Us
7. Repatriated
8. Cheap Music
9. No Feelings

Tour Dates:
Apr 13 Great Scott, Allston, MA
Apr 14 Bell House, The, Brooklyn, NY
Apr 15 Gallery 5, Richmond, VA
Apr 16 Clemson University, Clemson, SC
Apr 17 King's Barcade, Raleigh, NC
Apr 18 Kung Fu Necktie, Philadelphia, PA
Apr 22 RBF Club, Sofia, Bulgaria
Apr 23 Zdravo Mladi Festival, Skopje, Macedonia
Apr 26 Club 21, Pristina,, Albania
Apr 27 Soul2Soul, Podgorica, Montenegro
Apr 28 Orlando, Dubrovnik, Croatia
Apr 29 SLOGA, Sarjevo, Bosnia and Herzegowina
May 03 Flex, Vienna, Austria
May 04 KC Dunaj, Bratislava, Slovakia
May 05 Laznia, Krakow, Poland
May 06 Café Kulturalna, Warszawa, Poland
May 07 Puzzle (PL), Wrocław, Poland
May 08 007, Prague, Czech Republic
May 09 West Germany, Berlin, Germany
May 11 De Centrale | intercultureel centrum, Gent , Belgium
May 12 Bitterzoet (NL), Amsterdam, Netherlands
May 13 Great Escape Festival, Brighton, Ireland
May 14 Buffalo Bar, Cardiff, Cardiff
May 16 Lexington, London, United Kingdom
May 17 Captain's Rest, Glasgow, United Kingdom
May 18 Rainbow, Birmingham, United Kingdom
May 19 Sounds City Festival, Liverpool, United Kingdom
May 20 Fleche D'Or, Paris, France
May 21 Landmark, Bergen, n/a
May 22 Betong, Oslo, Norway

Photos & Words by Kevin Serra

Coachella 2011 Set Times

For those of you making it out to Indio, CA for Coahella this weekend. . . click here for a link to the set times for Friday, Saturday and Sunday!

Build a sustain pedal

Any guitar geek readers? I saw this article in WIRED Magazine an thought I would share. It's instructions to build a sustain pedal out of an Altoids canister. Check out the step by step instructions here.

Outside Lands Announces 2011 Lineup!

April 11, San Francisco, CA -- Another Planet Entertainment, Superfly Presents and Starr Hill Presents, in a partnership with the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department, are proud to announce the lineup for the fourth annual Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival. The festival will once again take place in San Francisco's historic Golden Gate Park August 12 - 14, 2011. Tickets will go on sale Thursday April 14 at 12 Noon PST via www.sfoutsidelands.com. A significant portion of every ticket sold will directly benefit San Francisco's Recreation and Park Department.

The Black Angels live at Williamsburg Hall of Music 4/9/11

I imagine Quentin Tarrentino listens to the Black Angels. The band captures a style of music long dead in a fresh viable way. I’m not sure if they make the old new or just transport me back in time. But as most things, memories are better than reality and I’m sure the reality of the Black Angels far surpasses their predecessors. I can’t believe the only thing I misspelled so far is Tarrentino. But no matter, I spelled it the same way both times so I am consistent.

I didn’t do any research on the bands because I wanted to go in cold and be able to convey my experience to you sans expectations so you won’t get a lot of basic boring info here except that their name comes from a Velvet Underground song. You know what? Go google yourself!

As I arrived at Williamsburg Hall of Music 15 minutes before showtime I couldn’t believe it was sold out. But it filled quickly during opener and was definitely SRO before headliner. Now I can see why these guys are booked almost every night through April and May. There was retro vibe from black and white wavy back drop and remake radio hits with fading beer in plastic. Crowd of misfits and wanna be trendoids. Hoodies, hat and glasses crowd. SMS and K2. Anyone with something to do was on the phone. “I’m a model until I start drinking”. On cue like a soundtrack ‘Just dropped in to see what condition my condition was in’ blared from the loud speakers.

The Suuns took the stage first. Their gear was pawn shop reject. Like kids in the basement switching instruments in search of success with their next attempt they made whale noises and scratchy analog feedback from crappy Kay guitar. I have made this kind of music. I was asked to stop. This was music for whiners, 90’s anti-pop wave. It was however sonically interesting with sincere vocals and tight offbeat percussion. Their set was impassioned and clueless. Channeling Bowie without the sense of style or economy. The crowd sort of enjoyed it, milling, and weaving uncomfortably more than dancing. Working a foot to foot shift in an attempt to anticipate the progression change that was not forthcoming.

The Black Angels are a Psychedelic band from Texas and that is that. As no-nonsense as Texas and as psychedelic as heyday Haight. Not much on style, except for the stage lined with PBRs, Boleyn’s Root, real vintage Fender Twins, Ampeg, Gretsch, Rickenbacker and Hofner. Just shut up and play. Drummer was the only member I could honestly say had showered that day but then she’s a girl. Damn could she lay down a beefy beatdown beat accompanied at times by bass player on his own floor tom. They opened with Bloodhounds and covered many songs including, Manipulation, River of Blood, Bad vibrations and The Haunting. Claps, hoots and cheers greet the opening strains of each song. Really they play as a band with o one stepping out front to take control. Even lead singer, Christian, seems hesitant in his frontman role.

Every song seems to take off and swirl above us with only bass and drums bouncing back to earth and touching only briefly like a yo-yo on a trampoline. The Turtles with testicles. Tribal and ignorant like a jungle bird exhibit or an amusement park African Queen ride. The constant pulse quickening strobe lights illuminated the tantric tighted skirted chicks dancing. Deafening and relentless. Cavernous reverb jangling hollow bodies reminiscent of ‘64 or 6 or 8. Airplane with Joe Cocker. Stoner Country Joe electric folk perfected. Spooky as the Doors and as powerfully tuneful as the Byrds, It swelled like Hot Tuna.

I had left this type of music behind and for good reason. It was tired. It had been one and only old people listened to it. Discarded like a calliope of steel drums falling off a truck. But this was calculated. It was percolating. The recipes smacked just short of sting. It wrapped me and lulled me with an awesome sense of fear and disproportion. A minor ebb began 25 minutes in as the hypnotic droning grew to a volume intolerable for some.

As many oldsters as kids in the crowd. I really wanted to jump on a board in front of a green screen and watusi like in the old movies. The smell of patchouli and colitis hung in the air. As the frenzy continued and the body heat rose, it kindled a smell that reminded me summer is on its way. It was hard not to dance in place everyone was getting their groove on in their own way.

Even the Yamaha bike parked outside were historici not for the full face helmets hanging carelessly by chin straps. Santa Claus is everywhere.


Review and Photos by Peter Riot

Brooklyn Record Riot!

Need more vinyl in your life? This Sunday April 10th in Greenpoint Brooklyn is the Brooklyn Record Riot!

Early admission ($20) starts at 10 AM
Regular admission ($3) starts at Noon.
The show runs til 8 PM
There will be food, bar, and live DJ's

at WARSAW
261 Driggs Ave

Brain Cave Festival at Shea Stadium

Brain Cave Festival at Shea Stadium features some great bands featuring Dinowalrus, Mr.Dream, She Keeps Bees, Natureboy, Dpony (members of Hooray for Earth), Shark?, Gunfight!, quiet Loudly, pet ghost project, El Jezel, Mussels, Datadog, Quilty, Magnetic Island, Blast Off!!!, The Rex Complex and Flotilla. The event also has art and DJ's too!

Shea Stadium
20 Meadow St.
Brooklyn NY, 11206

April 9th, 2011
2pm-2am
$10
Food by donation from 6-8pm

Living Days tonight at Cameo Galley 4/7/11 Gigantic Hand on 4/8/11

Tonight at 11pm check out Brooklyn's Living Days at Cameo Gallery and tomorrow night at 9pm check out Brooklyn's Gigantic Hand.

New Music - Friends

Formed on Sept. 12th 2010, Friends, played their first show for lead singer, Samantha Urbani’s birthday party in her backyard just 6 days later, before being subsequently thrust into a CMJ showcase. In the few months that have followed, Friends have played all the hotspots amongst NYC’s ever-expanding D.I.Y circuit, like Silent Barn, Shea Stadium and Death By Audio, and have just hit the road for a mammoth 29 date US tour with label-mate Darwin Deez.

Things have been moving this fast for Urbani since the spring of 2010 when, based in Brooklyn, Urbani recorded a batch of songs “bubbling out of her brain” onto ‘GarageBand.’ Summer saw Samantha temporarily relocate to Berlin to study, frequenting artist communes akin to the ‘Market Hotel’, where she currently resides, and further extending her unorthodox life approach, having been home schooled, by a free spirited, artistic small family unit in the suburbs of Connecticut. Upon returning to NYC, Urbani knew she needed a band to realize her ideas into something bigger.

Hence, Friends was formed naturally by the, well, friends surrounding her at the time. Self-taught, play anything musician Lesley Hann, 22, a striking performer of bass and keys in the band, whom Urbani had known from childhood, and stand-up drummer, Oliver Duncan, 23, were playing in a rock band together, and crashing on Urbani’s couch to avoid their bed bug problem. Close friends Matthew Molnar, 28, and Nikki Joe Shapiro, 33, worked, together with the singer, at the now locally-notorious vegan restaurant in the east village, Angelica Kitchen, where Darwin Deez had also previously eked out a living, and so, the quintet was complete.

Wildbirds & Peacedrums Spring Tour

Wildbirds & Peacedrums is set to tour North America this Spring. These dates are in support of their release Rivers (The Control Group) and their first N.A. dates since supporting Lykke Li and St. Vincent respectively in 2009 & 2010.

Rivers is a double release of two distinctly different, five-song EP’s: Retina and Iris and also features the 12-strong Schola Cantorum Reykjavík Chamber Choir (same choir used by Björk on Medulla). The twin EPs were carefully developed by both Mariam Wallentin and her husband, drummer Andreas Werliin.

Wildbirds & Peacedrums will also be part of the 20 person super-group coming together for the Congotronics Vs. Rockers European festival tour this summer. The super-band will feature 10 Congotronics musicians and 10 indie musicians including Juana Molina, Deerhoof and more.

Wildbirds & Peacedrums are amazing live. Hands down one of the best live shows I've ever seen. If you have not seen them live put them on the top of your list this spring.

North American tour dates
May 30 Toronto ON – Drake Hotel
May 31 Montreal QC – La Sala Rossa
Jun 01 Cambridge MA – TT The Bear’s
Jun 03 New York NY – Mercury Lounge
Jun 04 Brooklyn NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg
Jun 05 Philadelphia PA – Johnny Brenda’s
Jun 06 Washington DC – Black Cat Backstage
Jun 07 Chicago IL – Empty Bottle
Jun 09 Seattle WA – Triple Door
Jun 10 Vancouver BC – Waldorf Hotel
Jun 11 Portland OR - Doug Fir Lounge
Jun 13 San Francisco CA - Café Du Nord
Jun 15 Los Angeles CA - The Satellite

DOWNLOAD: “Fight For Me” mp3

Death Cab For Cutie “You Are A Tourist” vdeo shot live

Video streaming by Ustream

Washed Out "Feel it all Around" song source

I just heard the song sample for Washed Out's "Feel it all Around," which is now the theme song for the IFC television series Portlandia. The sample was taken from Gary Low "I Want You." (Above) Washed Out definitely chilled out the tune quite well in his chillwave classic.

Dirty Gold NYC & Brooklyn Shows!

Dirty Gold are Lincoln and John Ballif & Grant Nassif. Their music is inspired by the sounds of the 50's/60's, eclectic global finds, and drippy guitar lines. Lincoln handles the vocals and lead guitar, John is the keyboardist/rhythm guitarist, and Grant is the drummer. Dirty Gold signed to Autumn Tone Records in December, 2010, and has since been working on their upcoming EP, ROAR, to be released April 12th, 2011. Throughout the months following the first releases of the demos "California Sunrise" and "Overboard," hype for the relatively unknown band grew steadily. Reaching the number one spot on hype machine and permeating the blogosphere, the band developed an international, online fan-base. The band are in town for two NYC shows and one Brooklyn show. See details below.

4/4 Monday - Cake Shop (9pm set time)
4/5 Tuesday - Mercury Lounge (7pm set time)
4/6 WednesdayUnion Hall, BK (10pm set time)

Dirty Gold - California Sunrise.Mp3


Put in your email below to download the free split with San Diego's TV Girl & Dirty Gold. Each cover each others song.