Matt Bauer interview

Erick Mertz interviews Matt Bauer for kevchino.com. I spent a fun-filled day with Matt Bauer and Dana Falconberry as we trekked around Manhattan and they both performed some of Matt’s songs live songs for Kevchino.com. We filmed in the tram to Roosevelt Island and in a rowboat in Central Park. Then after a long day of live filming, we sat on a bench in Central Park for this interview. Read it here. Be sure to check out the video of Matt Bauer & Dana Falconberry live in Central Park for kevchino.com

Out In The Streets Brooklyn Music Festival

Our friends over at The Sky Report & Birddog Promo are throwing their 2nd annual Out In The Streets Music Festival, on August 27-28 at Brooklyn Fire Proof (East Williamsburg/Bushwick). The line-up is his year features NewVillager, Lemonade, Physical Therapy, Milagres, Janka Nabay & the Bubu Gang, Mi Ami + many more. Check out the full roster below. Tickets are $10 for a single day ticket, or $15 for a 2-day pass. A Limited amount of single day tickets will be available at the door day of. Pick up tickets at Brown Paper Tickets here. Read more info here.


Day 1 – SATURDAY, AUGUST 27
NewVillager
MI AMI
THE FORMS
MILAGRES
BEIGE
CO LA
TINY VICTORIES
HAPPY NEW YEAR
YOU.

After Party w/
PHYSICAL THERAPY (DJ set)
MAGICK MOUNTAIN (DJ set)

Day 2 – SUNDAY, AUGUST 28
LEMONADE
JANKA NABAY & THE BUBU GANG
XYLOS
SELEBRITIES
SAADI
COMPUTER MAGIC
TEEEL
KOHWI
WILD VIBES (DJ’s in between sets)

After Party w/
KNIFESHOW (DJ set)

Visual Art by Joe Jagos
On Site Installations by Gabriel Hurier & Andrew Thomas
FREE Brooklyn Brewery Beer both days (while supplies last)!
Brought to you with the generous support of Brooklyn Brewery, Northeast Kingdom, Tandem Bar, & Cafe Ghia.

New Music - Lana Del Rey

Wow! For not having an album or even an MP3 floating around Lana Del Rey sure has a ton of fans. Were counting the days till we have this on our drives.She reminds me of Nancy Sinatra and has a little bit of Amy Winehouse vibe.

New Music - Pandit

I just stumbled upon this cool dreamy artist called Pandit. Pandit consists of Lance Smith of Lumberton, Texas. He released a FREE download EP called Steady Nerves and a Strong Heartfor his fans. Download it for FREE here. The EP is great but I am hooked on this track "Kathryn, My Love" below.

Marissa Nadler, Faces On Film live at Littlefield 7/30/11

It was my first time hearing Boston’s Faces on Film who opened for Marissa Nadler’s latest East Coast Tour. Faces On Film is Mike Fiore who has an extremely unique and beautiful voice for a male singer. It calls to mind a young Neil Young but a bit more silkier, like Jeff Buckley. He played solo using both acoustic and electric guitars. His song writing was great he had very nice subtle hooks and he even did an amazing cover of Clinic’s “Distortions.” I’m not yet to familiar with his catalog but songs that stood out were “Manitoba” and “Knot in the Vine.” You can preview three songs off his new LP Some Weather over at his bandcamp page but I highly recommend picking up his new LP and his 2008 gem The Troubles via iTunes.

Faces on Film - Manitoba (Acoustic) by mikefiore333

Marissa Nadler took the stage wearing a red dress and started right into her solo set. She sounded amazing. Hats off to the soundman who helped project her beautiful sounds perfectly by blending her voice and guitar throughout the room. On her second song, she busted out a 12-string guitar and rocked out “Salutations in the Dark” acoustically. She blithely mentioned in between songs “Brooklyn is the last show on my tour and I still love Brooklyn despite my car being broken into.” “They broke all the windows but didn’t take anything.” Then, she launched into “Your Heart Is A Twisted Vine” off her new EP Rain Arrangement. After this great tune, she gave fans a real treat playing “Fifty Five Falls” the first track off her first album. Marissa switched microphones in this song to one filled with reverb and delay and did a bit of a vocal solo with layered melodies. Mike Fiore of Faces on Film then joined Marissa on stage and played guitar and sang harmonies with her for the latter half of her set and brought a more alt-country vibe to her songs, giving them an interesting nuance. She left the stage after playing “In Your Lair, Bear “ off her new LP. She was quickly convinced to return for and encore by the loud and persistent crowd. She and Fiore played a stripped down version of one of her singles off her new album “The Sun Always Reminds Me Of You.“ Fiore left the stage and Marissa said she would play us one more song; her beautiful cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Famous Blue Raincoat.”

For a performer who’s been dealt a lot of trials and tribulations the last year or so, getting dropped from her label named after her song “Mexican Summer,” having her car broken into in Brooklyn, Marissa Nadler has risen above these challenges and has emerged a more seasoned performer and an artist worthy of ever increasing praise and attention.

Marissa Nadler set list 7/30/11

Hyacinth
Salutations in the Dark
Little King
Wind Up Doll
Your Heart Is A Twisted Vine
Fifty Five Falls
Wedding
Puppet Master
In Your Lair, Bear Encore:
The Sun Always Reminds Me Of You
Famous Blue Raincoat (Leonard Cohen Cover)

Erika Spring and Violens 7 Inch split

On August 2nd Friendly Fire Recordings will release a 7 inch split with Violens and Erika Spring (Au Revoir Simone). Check out Erika's track "6 More Weeks" below.

Erika Spring, "6 More Weeks" by The FADER

EMA Glasslands PIcs 7/20

EMA,Talk Normal, Ablehearts









Ablehearts - A Name by Shinkoyo

Blonde Redhead @ El Rey Theatre, Los Angeles, 07/02/11

Arriving in Los Angeles for a second consecutive show, at the second (and in my opinion a far more sumptuous) venue; Blonde Redhead graced the stage of the El Rey Theatre. As anticipated, their whispered vocals and sultry sounds were front & center on this, a second tour in support of their latest album "Penny Sparkle." This visit the band delivered a more sparse visual presentation, while the sound was as captivating as ever.

With fog drifting about their feet, Vocalist Kazu Makino, along with the brothers Amedeo & Simone Pace (vocals/guitars & drums respectively), enthralled the audience from the start of "Black Guitar," to the last note of the spell-binging encore. Focusing predominantly on the most recent album "Penny Sparkle," they also touched on "23" and "Misery Is A Butterfly," making it a treat for their audience members of multiple eras.

On this night, Blonde Redhead turned the El Rey theatre into Chillwave/Downtempo/Nouveau-Trip-Hop haven as they osculated vocal duties back and fourth between Kazu & Amendo. Drifting fog and lights cutting through the air, were a perfect companion for their mesmerizing sounds. High-points of the evening included the sonically feverish "Spring And By Summer Fall" as well as the clockwork lullaby sounds of "In Particular."

Coming to the close of the night, the encore started with the brightly manic sounds of "Equus," and wrapping with the dreamy whispered "My Plants Are Dead." By the end of the set, the audience was speechless, other than the resounding sounds of yearning for the band to keep playing. Hopefully Blonde Redhead will make it back to town sooner than later... (Or, there's always catching them in Europe this summer...)

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





SetList
1. Black Guitar
2. Here Sometimes
3. Dr Strangelove
4. Spring And By Summer Fall
5. Everything Is Wrong
6. Not Getting There
7. Will There Be Stars
8. Spain
9. Suimasen
10. 23
------------
11. Falling Man
12. Equus
13. My Plants Are Dead


Upcoming 2011 Tour Dates
Mon, 7/18 – Chicago, IL – Millennium Park
Tues, 7/19 – Chicago, IL – The Bottom Lounge
Europe & Israel Summer
Sat, 8/6 – Katowice, Poland – OFF Festival
Sun, 8/7 – Prague, Czech Republic – Lucerna Music Bar
Mon, 8/8 – Munich, Germany – 59:01:00
Tues, 8/9 – Frankfurt, Germany – Brotfabrik
Thurs, 8/11 – Cannes, France – Le Pantiero Festival
Sat, 8/13 – St. Malo, France – La Route de Rock
Tues, 8/16 – Madrid, Spain – Serrano 41
Thurs, 8/18 – Paredes de Coura, Portugal – Paredes de Coura
Fri, 8/19 – Lausanne, Switzerland – For Noise Festival
Sat, 8/20 – Kiewit Hasselt, Belgium – Pukkelpop
Mon, 8/22 – Utrecht, Netherlands – Tivoli
Tues, 8/23 – Bremen, Germany – Lagerhaus
Weds, 8/24 – Berlin, Germany – Lido
Thurs, 8/25 – Koln, Germany – Luxor
Sat, 8/27 – Paris, France – Rock en Seine
Sun, 8/28 – Luxembourg, Belgium – Atelier
Mon, 8/29 – Dortmund, Germany – FZW
Thurs, 9/1 – Tel Aviv, Israel – [To Be Announced]
Sat, 9/3 – Stradbally Hall, Co Laos, Ireland – Electric Picnic
Mon, 9/5 – Manchester, UK – Academy
Tues, 9/6 – London, UK – Union Chapel
Thurs, 9/8 – Milan, Italy – Carroponte
Fri, 9/9 – Florence, Italy – Viper Theatre
Sat, 9/10 – Modena, Italy – Festa dell’Unita
Sun, 9/11 – Rome, Italy – Piper Club

Marissa Nadler Tour Dates & guests on Cloud Seeding singles project

Marissa Nadler is heading out for some more US & Canada tour dates with Faces on Film. She also has some upcoming Europe dates yet to be announced in October.

Marissa Nadler sings on two tracks from the debut single from Cloud Seeding. You can stream both tracks below and pick it up digitally via iTunes and Amazon. The single is released on Bleek Records and you can order a limited edition CD of the single here.


Ink Jar / Unquestioning - Single by Cloud Seeding


Marissa Nadler Tour Dates with Faces On Film:
Fri. July 15 - New Haven, CT w/ Wye Oak - Wadsworth Atheneum
Mon. July 18, - Montreal, QC - Il Motore
Tues. July 19 - Toronto - ON - Supermarket
Thurs. July 21 - Chicago, IL - Schubas
Fri. July 22 - Minneapolis, MN - Turf Club
Sat. July 23 - Madison, WA - Frequency
Mon. July 25 - Pontiac, MI - Pike Room
Wed. July 27 - New York, NY - Mercury Lounge
Thurs. July 28 - Philadelphia, PA - The Chapel
Fri. July 29 - Washington, DC - The Red Palace
Sat. July 30 - Brooklyn, NY - Littlefield

Matt & Kim, 06/15 @ MusicBox, Hollywood

As if an animated-elastic-tiger had twins and named them Matt & Kim; the irreverently playful synth & drum duo bounced into Hollywood's MusicBox Theatre, spreading their audaciously fun brand of Indie-Pop. This outing for the Brooklyn based twosome, was in support of their third and latest album “Sidewalks,” though shared album representation with "Grand" as well as their self titled release.

The flashing lights and theme to the movie Rocky marked Matt & Kim’s triumphant return to Hollywood and the MusicBox’s stage. After a victory lap, the dynamic duo started into “Block after Block” followed by “I Wanna.” Adding to their infectious exuberance, one of the most intriguing points was their atypical periodic interaction with their drums & synth: Kim’s dancing on her drum kit / Matt’s jumping & standing on his seat, and both of their running around the stage. Playing everything from their most recognizable hits, to the tunes not-as-easy put your finger on; their entire set expressed a playful buoyancy from nearly the first note to the encore’s close. The exuberant connection with their audience was definitely symbiotic.

Turning up the audience's excitement, the duo launched into "Lessons Learned," a song memorable for numerous reasons (not least of which being the music video showing the two of them sans-clothes/bearing-it-all in Manhattan). Rolling on into "Cinders," "Yea Yeah," and a dozen more the band definitely gave the audience more than a cookie cutter performance.

Moving to the evening's close, the climax hit with a frenetic rendition of Matt & Kim's latest anthem "Daylight." Between confetti falling in the theatre, Kim's instructing all the guys to take their shirts off and swing them above their heads, and the throwing hundreds of balloons out to the audience to blow up and release, the concert was essentially a very fun party hosted by Matt & Kim...

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

Flaming Lips, 06/14 @ Hollywood Forever Cemetery

When I heard the Flaming Lips were coming to the Los Angeles area, I was excited to see them again, this time outside of the festivals that they've been playing in the last few years. I wasn't sure exactly what to expect of the two special events at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. What I knew though, was that the band would be preforming "The Soft Bulletin" & "Dark Side of the Moon" on June 14th & 15th respectively; allowing the full albums to be presented as their unified concepts.

Upon arriving at the cemetery for the June 14th show (insert witty double-entente about FaceBook checking in at a cemetery) - an obligatory stop was made at the memorial of Johnny Ramone - just adjacent to the Fairbanks Lawn, where the half-dome stage stood at the far end the lawn, scattered with a few thousand people on blankets. Making our way down to the stage we passed multiple art installations; ala a tree raining light, the giant mirrored spinning orbs - beautiful, with a very Alice in Wonderland/Wizard of Oz vibe.

The show was less of a standard concert, and more felt like a do-it-yourself kind of event; unusual for a larger band. Before the show/during set change to their gear, lead singer Wayne Coyne was very personable, chatting with the audience. You get this overwhelming sense that he's just a really good guy.

As the set started ramping-up with the band's swirling wall-of-noise intro, Wayne climbed inside the giant bouncy hamster-ball until the apex, when the crew spun him down the ramp & out onto the raised hands of the audience - and the set began.....

In parallel, launching into "Race for the Prize" they continued track by track in-album-order, and the confetti rained down down - bright as day, with the neo-psychedelic rock tunes and an overall and warm-hearted vibe. A few songs in, Wayne shared the first of a few stories with the audience. This one, about "The Spiderbite Song;" taken from a very near-miss that band-mate Steven Drozd had when he got a poisonous spider bite and nearly had to have his hand amputated. The story was anecdotal for making the most of everything & appreciating even the small things like having hands.

The tunes all flowed really good, but the experience was amplified by an amazing LED wall-of-light: sometimes just colored light and sometimes projecting visual clips of the band playing live. The imagery was of such discordant random themes as giant eyeballs, naked woman silhouettes, and the obligatory teletubbues. Random, but awesome.

The next tune to really stand out was "Waitin' for a Superman." This was an emotional trip that they took the audience on; nearly having everyone in tears before the song ended. It was written about Wayne's father's battle with & succumbing to cancer, however it applied in a much broader sense for him, in retrospect. In part of the story, Wayne commented on mortality and his good friend Elliott Smith's chronic depression, which ended up bringing about his death. It also served as reassurance for those who are down to hold on the best they can - that things do get better. Beyond akin to a counseling appointment at this point, the song was even better/more emotionally packed, knowing the back-story.

Finishing off the set (and the album "The Soft Bulletin"), the band turned to the encore which consisted of a three additional hits "She Don't Use Jelly," "The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song," "Do You Realize," of which, all the audience went wild to...


Race for the Prize
A Spoonful Weighs a Ton
The Spark That Bled
The Spiderbite Song
Buggin'
What Is the Light?
The Observer
Waitin' for Superman
Suddenly Everything Has Changed
The Gash
Feeling Yourself Disintegrate
Sleeping on the Roof
---Encore---
She Don't Use Jelly
The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song
Do You Realize??

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

Widowspeak cover Chris Isaak

Widowspeak release a cover Wicked Game by Chris Isaak on their new single out on Captured Tracks on June 21st. I heard it live and the recorded version sounds great too. Click here to have a listen. The a-side "Gun Shy" is a real treat and a nice direction for the band.

Brooklyn Director Christopher Arcella releases debut film to DVD

Independent Brooklyn director Christopher Arcella releases his film Giver Taker Heartbreaker, to DVD. This final version is 89 minutes long, quite a bit tighter than the original 116 minute cut. We attended the premiere in Brooklyn last year and loved the film. You can know pick up a copy for purchase via Amazon here.

Wildbirds & Peacedrums Pics from Mercury Lounge 6/3/11

Yuka VS. tUnE-YarDs! Yuka Honda of If By Yes and Cibo Matto interviews Merrill Garbus of tUnE-yArDs

Yuka Honda of If By Yes and Cibo Matto interviews Merrill Garbus of tUnE-yArDs. Honda invited Merrill to her house for lunch after her show at Williamsburg Hall of Music. Merrill talked about finding her musical roots in puppetry, how horns were first implemented on her new album, w h o k i l l, and how she was first introduced to African music. Read the interview here.

Man Man, Shilpa Ray & Her Happy Hookers Williamsburg Hall of Music 6/1/11

Last time I saw Shilpa Ray & Her Happy Hookers she killed it at Brooklyn Bowl in early January 2011. Since then the band have toured the US twice. Once with Acid Mothers Temple and currently closing out another US tour with fellow east coaster's Man Man. Shilpa and her band of Happy Hooker's have given a new meaning of the word tight. The band were amazing. The songs were still energetic but even more incredibly tight. Each member of the band felt so comfortable with the songs they have each added little nuances. At the end of their set Man Man's brass section joined Shilpa Ray and Her Happy Hooker for a bone crushing version of "Liquidation Sale." The band left the stage and Shilpa played a new tune called "Pipe Dreams, Ponzi Schemes" (See video clip on bottom of this post) by herself with her harmonium the lyrics went "Well I got my free will and nobody's gonna be my man/so thank God if all I take is your money." The band returned and played an new song called "The Burning Bride" which was a real treat. She thanked her friend Ratso for naming the song. They ended their set with a punk rock cover of Red Kross's "Neurotica!"

I had never seen Man Man before. I've seen Man Man's front man Honus Honus perform with Mister Heavenly with Islands' Nick Thorburn, Modest Mouse's Joe Plummer, and actor Michael Cera. As I I noticed a large majority of the fans were dressed in warpaint and yielding kazoo's, I knew I was in for a treat. Man Man's stage set up looked like the film set of Steven Spielberg's E.T., with bikes, television sets, child sized drums kits set behind a glowing star back ground. The bands music was so complex with sudden changes and very diverse sounds at times it sounded like Sonic The Hedgehog, The Smurfs, Pirates of The Caribbean, Tom Waits, Gogol Bordello and even the soul group The Dap-Kings! I have a lot of mental processing to do and tons of catching up on hearing Man Man's new album Life Fantastic, as well as their past LPs.

Both bands put on amazing high energy sets.

Photos & Review by Kevin Serra



My Favorite NYC bassist Nick Hundley of Shilpa Ray!

RIP Gil Scott-Heron

Sad news poet and musician Gil Scott-Heron died this Friday afternoon. He was 62.

Enter our Nick Cave Collector's Editions Contest!

Enter for a chance to win our Nick Cave Collector's Editions. One lucky winner will win the prizepack of all four titles on CD: Let Love In, Murder Ballads, The Boatman’s Call, and No More Shall We Part. Enter here!

Arcade Fire tune with David Byrne

Arcade Fire will be releasing a deluxe edition CD/DVD package of The Suburbs on August 2nd. The deluxe edition will include the Spike Jonze-directed short film Scenes From the Suburbs, plus two new tracks. One called "Culture War" and the David Byrne/Arcade Fire collaboration "Speaking in Tongues." You can hear them both below.

Arcade Fire - Speaking in Tongues (feat. David Byrne) by MergeRecords

Arcade Fire - Culture War by MergeRecords

tUnE-YaRdS Buke and Gass live @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

We sadly missed the opening band Afuche but luckily we caught Brooklyn's Buke & Gass early in there set. The two piece duo both named Aron delivered a hyper-charged set while sitting in wooden chairs. Arone’s bandmate’s name is Aron. Aaron Sanchez drums with his feet and plays a gāss which is a a guitar-bass hybrid. Arone Dyer plays būke which is a a self-modified six string baritone ukelele and sings. The duo have been touring with tUnE-YaRdS and the Brooklyn show was the last date. Buke & Gass's songs have a jarring rocking power like bands like No Means No or even Gang of Four but the bands overall sound is very unique and original maybe Sonic Youth come to mind but all explanations so far are vague at best. The duo played songs from their LP Riposte and +/- EP and kept the crowd entranced through their entire set.

After a brief intermission Merrill Garbus better know as tUnE-YaRdS took the stage by herself and kept the night going strong as she built up some of her drum beats thru a looper in real time and played some ukulele and built up some amazing vocal melodies. Later bassist Nate Brenner and a pair of saxophonists joined her adding more textures to the already powerful compositions.



Pics & Words to come by Kevin Serra