News: Last night's Showpaper benefit shut down. The saga begins.

(Showpaper cover art credit Peter Edwards)

We actually sat this one out last night (our fucking day job is killing us more quickly these days), but Ruth from Famous Friends (the crew that the culture of me has been this-close to lately) hit us up with this today:

From our dear friend Jay of Rage Mountain -

As I'm sure you heard, last night's benefit for Showpaper was shut down by 10:30. The show was not shut down by Brooklyn cops for noise violations or anything else, but by higher up in the department police from Manhattan, on a mission which was based on tips they received possibly from a larger Manhattan based concert and promotion company. This was very unnecessary especially because you had four of Brooklyn's biggest all ages and DIY show promoters working together to support one common goal, raising money to keep Showpaper, a free, adless newsletter which organizes all the all ages shows in the tri-state area into one handy sheet (not to mention the fact that it also gives great artists a forum to show their work as well). This aggression will not stand, man. Working outside of the established system for organizing shows and musical events, setbacks like this will come up from time to time, but it is important that we keep supporting this scene which has given so much and helped to keep Brooklyn a creative and interesting place when at times it seems like such an impossibility. Upset by the comments on Brooklyn Vegan regarding this event I posted a reply:

The whole reply after the jump.

R.I.P.: M.I.A. singer Mike Conley murdered in Chicago.

The Daily Swarm led us in the direction of this tragic news, breaking this morning about former hardcore thrash group M.I.A.'s lead singer Mike Conley and his untimely death.

...a California man was found dead in a hotel parking lot in unincorporated Leyden  Township early Thursday.

Michael Conley, of Costa Mesa, Calif., was found unresponsive at 5:40 a.m. by a person staying in the hotel in the 2300 block of North Mannheim Road, sheriff's police spokeswoman Penny Mateck said. He appeared to have suffered head injuries.

Conley was taken to Gottlieb Memorial Hospital in Melrose Park, where he  was pronounced dead at 6:25 a.m., according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.

More news on this front as the story develops.  Stay tuned guys.  This fucking blows.

(mp3)    M.I.A. - Boredom Is The Reason

(mp3)    M.I.A. - Never Again (demo)

Godspeed!

Video: Kenna featuring Pharrell - "Say Goodbye To Love" (live on "Late Show with David Letterman")

The Ethiopian-American wunderkind Kenna (who just so happened to have recently signed to Star Trak, hence the cameo by Williams) has had a bad couple of years.  In terms of releases, that is.  We mean, dude's had to put up with all sorts of malarkey for the past 3 years while sitting on the basically-finished product of last year's finally released Make Sure They See My Face.

But it doesn't look to have phased the guy, as evidenced by this wonderful performance of Face track "Say Goodbye To Love".  As a side note, please remember that when Face did finally come out, it erupted and debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top 20 Heatseekers.

Enjoy the video and download this remix of the performed track.

(mp3)   Say Goodbye To Love (DJ Kevin S. remix)

Godspeed!

News: Beach House tours + video + album out now

The Baltimore duo's new video for “Heart Of Chambers” is now up on the Internets.  Go and see the clip which Alistair Legrand, brother to BH's Victoria, directed.  Pick up your copy of Devotion wherever you can, it fucking destroys with beauty.

Then go see them live:

Feb 28 Baltimore, MD Gspot
Feb 29 Chapel Hill, NC Local 506
Mar 01 Atlanta, GA The Earl
Mar 02 Birmingham, AL BottleTree Cafe
Mar 03 Memphis, TN The Hi Tone Cafe
Mar 04 Hattiesburg, MS The Thirsty Hippo
Mar 05 Baton Rouge, LA Spanish Moon
Mar 06 Houston, TX Walter's on Washington
Mar 07 Austin, TX Emo's
Mar 08 Denton, TX Hailey's
Mar 10 Tucson, AZ Solar Culture
Mar 11 Phoenix, AZ Modified
Mar 12 San Diego, CA The Casbah
Mar 13 Los Angeles, CA The Echo
Mar 14 San Luis Obispo, CA Steynberg Gallery
Mar 15 San Francisco, CA Bottom of the Hill
Mar 17 Portland, OR Holocene
Mar 18 Seattle, WA Chop Suey
Mar 19 Vancouver, BC Media Club
Mar 21 Salt Lake City, UT Kilby Court
Mar 22 Denver, CO Hi-Dive
Mar 24 Omaha, NE The Slowdown
Mar 25 Minneapolis, MN 7th Street Entry
Mar 26 Chicago, IL Schubas
Mar 27 Cleveland, OH The Grog Shop
Mar 28 Toronto, ON El Mocambo
Mar 29 Montreal, PQ Casa del Popolo
Mar 31 Cambridge, MA The Middle East
Apr 01 Middleton, CT. Wesleyan University
Apr 02 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom
Apr 03 Philadelphia, PA The Barbery
Apr 04 Washington, DC Rock and Roll Hotel

(mp3)   D.A.R.L.I.N.G.

Godspeed!

Video: Bonde Do Role break out 2(!) new female leads.

You may have been asking yourself (just like us) about how a band like Bonde Do Role would go on after losing the group's female mouthpiece Marina Vello.  Right?

Well, Gorky and Pedro have come through with an answer: get TWO female mouthpieces instead!  We now introduce to you Laura Taylor and Ana Bernardino, in what almost certainly is the most striking music video (can we even call it that?) the group has made yet.

P.S. putting hamburger meat in your butt and then throwing it into the crowd = awesome, no matter how you look at it.

(mp3)    Bonde Do Role - James Bonde

Godspeed!

Stream: new DAT politics remix up, "Step Back" (AMFM autoRMX)

Lille, French laptop geek-chic threesome DAT politics are back with a remix of their awesome track "Step Back".  You can stream it in all of its awesomeness on the band's MySpace page.  In keeping with Claude, Gaetan, and Vincent's notion of immediate, slightly manic take on glitch pop, the AMFM version puts more emphasis on the blips and polishes off all of the rough edges, nonetheless harnessing all of the punch one would expect from the ADD-infused party kids from the EU.

(mp3)    DAT politics - 3

Godspeed!

Video: Phantom Planet post teaser for Raise The Dead

The album drops April 15 and features the single "Do The Panic".  The group has also offered up an EP of some material from the upcoming record, which you can download for $2.99 right over here.  Oh yeah, and they'll be on tour for most of the month of April (with more dates obviously to be announced).

Dates for the dead:

Mar 28 Boutwell Auditorium Birmingham, AL
Apr 10 Warfield San Francisco, CA   
Apr 11 Warfield San Francisco, CA   
Apr 12 Soma San Diego, CA   
Apr 13 Mesa Amp Phoenix, AZ   
Apr 15 Brady Theater Tulsa, OK   
Apr 17 Thomas Center Ruston, LA   
Apr 18 Palladium Ballroom Dallas, TX   
Apr 19 Stubb's BBQ Austin, TX   
Apr 20 Verizon Theater Houston, TX   
Apr 22 Ruth Eckerd Hall Tampa, FL   
Apr 23 The Fillmore Miami, FL   
Apr 24 House Of Blues Orlando, FL   
Apr 26 The Tabernacle Atlanta, GA   
Apr 27 The Tabernacle Atlanta, GA

(mp3)    Phantom Planet - Leader

Godspeed!

mp-FREE: Les Savy Fav on KEXP

(photo credit Gregory A. Perez)

Finally!  The boys in LSF recorded this interview and performance in November of last year for the venerable KEXP (following the September drop of their massively anticipated first record in 6 years, Let's Stay Friends) and it's finally been released for streaming/downloading/lovemaking.

Track list:

01 Patty Lee
02 The Sweat Descends
03 Scotch
04 Lover

"Let's do the vocals in sign language."

(mp3)    Les Savy Fav - Interview & Performance on KEXP, November 30, 2007

Godspeed!

Video: Tilly and the Wall - "Beat Control"

Here's the deal.  Tilly and the Wall's "Beat Control" is a limited edition 7" single (or digital download) that will not be released on the group's upcoming third LP, the follow-up to the most excellent Bottoms of Barrels.  The Team Love group will only be making the record available on their upcoming tour and via their label's website as of March 4.  The video itself is a really big departure from the cutie-pie-crew's earlier work, looking and sounding more like a Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam hit than something from the Omaha five-piece.

(mp3)    Patience, Babe

Godspeed!

News: The Verve announce US dates!!!

Richard Ashcroft and company are coming to the US for the first time since it was announced the band would be getting back together in June of last year.  Since that point, dudes have played a number of venues throughout the British Isles.

Tickets go on sale for the MSG shows this Saturday March 1 at 11am.

Dates (as of right now)

Apr 25 Indio, CA Coachella
Apr 26 Las Vegas, NV The Pearl Concert Theater at the Palms
Apr 28 New York, NY WaMu Theater at MSG
Apr 29 New York, NY WaMu Theater at MSG

(mp3)    The Verve - Lucky Man

Godspeed!