Fresh Off the Griddle - Music News

Yuck frontman Daniel Blumberg sometimes records solo as Oupa; we recently posted his Smog cover. And now he’s teamed up with one Tony Crow to record a gorgeous acoustic cover of “Backwords,” a piece of breezy, blissy synthpop from Porcelain Raft. Download Oupa’s cover below.

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Folk punk singer/songwriter Frank Turner, who would probably not join At The Drive-In, is currently on a North American tour which includes some dates with Social Distortion and others with Dropkick Murphys, who are both working on new albums. He doesn't hit NYC with either of those bands but he'll stop by Brooklyn during the tour for a small headlining show on March 12 at Knitting Factory. Tickets for that show are on sale now. All dates are listed below.

Punk News points to atweet that Frank posted last month, "Long day of demoing. 15 new songs of varying quality down. Time for a curry and a pint." As they also mention, it's not clear if he means he is working on a new Frank Turner album or if he is referring to his hardcore side project, which he announced towards the end of last year. He also talked about that project in an interview with NME last week, which you can watch the video of below.

All dates and video below...

Continue reading "Frank Turner announces tour, Knitting Factory show (dates)" at brooklynvegan

As mentioned, Lambchop are releasing their new album, Mr. M, on February 21 via Merge, and touring in support of it. When we first announced that they'll play NYC on April 19 at Le Poisson Rouge, it was one of a few North American dates scheduled at the moment. They've since revealed the entire tour and it also includes a Brooklyn show happening one day later at The Bell House on 4/20. Tickets for the LPR show and the Bell House show are on sale now. All dates are listed with new song "Gone Tomorrow", below...

Continue reading "updated Lambchop tour dates, Brooklyn show included" at brooklynvegan

In December, we reported that elusive, damaged genius Brian Wilson was back together with the Beach Boys, the once-estranged group he’d helped to make great. This year, they plan to tour together and release a new album. And at this Sunday’s Grammys, Billboard reports that they’ll all perform together for the first time in decades. But here’s the catch: They’ll do it in a joint performance with Foster The People and Maroon 5. Grammys! You’re fucking everything up! Again!

The Grammy producers’ thinking, I suppose, is that the Beach Boys, Maroon 5, and Foster The People are all rock bands from California. Seriously, that’s all I can come up with. That’s it. If anyone can think of a justification for this trainwreck, the comments section is all yours.

Yesterday, Lana Del Rey sang Born To Die songs at a jam-packed Amoeba Records as rumors swirled about her upcoming tour (the NY Post claimed that the tour had been cancelled because of the poorly-received SNL appearance before her camp squashed the rumor, though SXSW dates were cancelled and the Australian leg has been postponed). Building on the momentum from a really nice performance on Letterman, the singer looked relaxed and happy as fans squealed around her. She’s growing more confident and improving fast; it’s fun to watch. Oh, and she debuted at #2 on the Billboard chart, selling a pretty-solid 77,000 copies, so that’s nice, too. Check out some performance clips from the short set below and scope the photo gallery above.

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​ Once upon a time, LL Cool J was merely a Kangol wearing rapper who aimed for the ladies long before urban radio knew of such things from rappers. Now, he's on CBS Tuesdays on an NCIS spinoff an... Brando

What exactly do you remember from the summer of 2002? Stop and think -- of the music on the radio, the CDs you were most excited for, who won the Grammy for Best Album, and so on. What exactly ... Ricardo J. Rivera

Bill Callahan @ MHOW 2009 (more by Ryan Muir)

today in NYC
* Primus @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
* Anthrax, Testament @ Best Buy Theater
* Auditorium, Sea of Bees @ Mercury Lounge
* Bill Callahan @ Lincoln Center's Allen Room
* The Big Terrific @ Cameo Gallery
* Dierks Bentley, Will Hoge @ Bowery Ballroom
* Lost Boy, Shark?, Zula & Fast Years @ Big Snow
* Twells, Ning Nong, Burning Star Core @ The Stone
* Twi the Humble Feather, Universe @ Manhattan Inn
* Dan Peck, Pulverize The Sound, Timosaurus @ Zebulon
* Kishi Bashi, Hard Nips, Not Blood Paint @ Spike Hill
* Jeremy Jay, Slowdance, Quilt, Backwords @ Glasslands
* Lymbyc Systym, Noveller, Lushlife @ Knitting Factory
* The Wellington Papers, The Tye Trybe @ Mercury Lounge
* Richard Reed Parry, Son Lux, yMusic @ Merkin Concert Hall
* Howlin Rain, D. Charles Speer & The Helix @ Brooklyn Bowl
* Karl Denson's Tiny Universe, Anders Osborne @ Webster Hall
* Smif n Wessun, Buckshot, Skyzoo, DJ Evil Dee @ Public Assembly
* Hail! Hornet, Zoroaster & "Slow Southern Steel" screening) @ Europa
* Old Monk, Haybaby, Year of The Tiger, Code Name Viper @ Cake Shop
* Bernard Fowler & His Rock 'n' Roll All-Star Band @ Highline Ballroom
* JEFF The Brotherhood, Uncle Bad Touch, The Numerators @ Death By Audio
* George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic @ B.B. King Blues Club and Grill
* Larkin Grimm, Bell, Railbird, Little Anchor, Ed Vallance, Pursesnatchers @ Pianos

Two members of the National were announced as special guests at tonight's Ecstatic Music Festival which already includes a member of Arcade Fire. We're giving away a pair of tickets at the BV Facebook.

Follow BrooklynVegan on Twitter.

St. Vincent has a new video for her Strange Mercy stand-out "Cheerleader," in which she plays an art gallery giantess. Watch below...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Wednesday?" at brooklynvegan

The Beach Boys will be showing off their newly reunited selves at this year’s Grammy Awards this Sunday night. Joining them for the performance will be Foster The People and Maroon 5. Sigh. The surviving members of The Beach Boys will perform together for the first time in more than 20 years at Sunday’s Grammy [...]

As a human being, Gucci Mane is a mess. Back when he was on his hot streak about three years ago, that was part of his charm. Like fellow Southern-rap face-tat aficionado Lil Wayne before him, Gucci rose to the top of the heap by methodically cranking out mixtape after mixtape in which he cleverly described his total inability/unwillingness to resist any sort of vice, delivering it all in a disarming mushmouthed singsong flow that predictably annoyed the hell out of many. People derided Gucci as mindless, even borderline-retarded, but his genius was there if you were willing to hear it. It was in his tricky voice patterns, his unashamed Alabama yokel charm, and the slippery verbal economy that would switch to outright brutality at a moment’s notice: “East Atlanta, cockin’ hammers, bandanas on car antennas / No, we do not talk to strangers / Just cut off these niggas’ fingers.” But as time wore on, that messiness came to affect his work as well as his life. And after the repeated prison stints, the face-tattoo of an ice-cream cone, and the time he threw a woman out of a moving car, he’s no longer rapping with the absurd verve he once had. Or, at least, he’s not doing it dependably. Last year, though, one of the many mixtapes he released was Return Of Mr. Zone 6, an extremely solid and enjoyable affair that seemed to promise a return to form. That didn’t happen. But how he’s back again with another moment of clarity in the new tape Trap Back. Chances are it won’t return Gucci to former glory. But it’s still a ridiculously entertaining hour of rap music. That’s all we can ask from Gucci Mane.

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by BBG

High on Fire at Fun Fun Fun Fest (more by BBG)

March 16th, March 16th, March 16th! If you're going to be in Austin, save the date on your calendar folks! On Friday March 16th, 2012 at Scoot Inn (1308 e4th St), BrooklynVegan, The Power of The Riff, and Southern Lord will combine forces for a MARATHON of events that kickoff at noon and end waaaaay after the sun goes down.

The FREE daytime portion, in conjunction with the four-day Thrasher/Converse "Death Match" event at the venue, is an all-ages shindig that will kick off at noon and feature a skateramp with skaters and bands all day long. Shortly after doors open, expect to see eleven bands across two stages including sets from the following:March 16, 2012 @ Scoot Inn, Austin, TX (noon-6pm)
* High on Fire
* Off!
* Trash Talk
* Black Cobra
* Ceremony
* Deafheaven
* Full of Hell
* Heartless
* Balaclava
* Dead in The Dirt
* DNF (members of Trash Talk, Touche Amore)That's right... High on Fire AND Off! AND Trash Talk (playing their FOURTH year of SXSW shows with us) AND Black Cobra AND Ceremony all in the same space, not to mention the awesome undercard of bands like Deafheaven (playing their second year of SXSW shows with BV), new favorites Full of Hell, Balaclava, Heartless and Dead in The Dirt. It is going to be insane, so bring a hard hat.

As the day show comes to a close, we'll get ready for our night show at the same venue... amounting to a total of FOURTEEN HOURS of destruction! Not to mention the food trucks, a full bar, and so much more to keep you fed and hydrated (or buzzed, depending on your poison) during the onslaught. Stay tuned to BrooklynVegan for details regarding the official night showcase, and for more about the day show, including set times. In the meantime, head below for video of some of the bands playing our MEGA-show at Scoot Inn on March 16th!

Continue reading "BrooklynVegan, Southern Lord & Power of The Riff present a back-to-back day show/official SXSW showcase at Scoot Inn" at brooklynvegan

UPDATE: Activist Quannell X is organizing a protest in front of Roosevelt at 4 p.m. Sunday afternoon, Fox's Isiah Carey reports. Two apparently unrelated incidents at Roosevelt Lounge over the w... Chris Gray

by BBG

Some encouraging news. Chi Cheng of Deftones, who was badly injured and went into a coma after a car crash, is recovering slowly but surely. Check out a new video of Chi Cheng in the hospital, which was posted along with an ongoing campaign to raise money for his family and medical care, below. Best of luck to him.

The band has soldiered on without him, with Deftones vocalist Chino also taking on a new project Crosses in addition to the band. The new Crosses 7" is available via IndieMerch.

Continue reading "Chi Cheng of Deftones shows signs of improvement in coma (video posted)" at brooklynvegan

Yonder Mountain String Band hits the road for their Cabin Fever tour starting in Fayetteville, AR tonight and playing Baton Rouge tomorrow (where Wes will be). Yonder Mountain String Band Tour Dates February 8, 2012 @ George’s Majestic in Fayetteville, AR February 9, 2012 @ Varsity Theatre in Baton Rouge, LA February 10, 2012 @ [...]

We have been all about sisters Cristi Jo and Jessica and their project Zambri. The ethereal duo is getting ready to release their full-length debut, House of Baasa, on April 10th through Kanine Records. They were kind enough to give MOKB this excellent remix of ICBYS, the first single off the album, reworked [...]

This is only a post summary. Please visit MyOldKentuckyBlog.com for the full post and downloads. We know this pisses some of you off, and we're sorry.

Every big-time touring musician has a slightly ridiculous tour rider, but most of those riders don’t appear on the Smoking Gun. M.I.A., once again notorious thanks to her bird-flipping stunt at the Super Bowl, appears to be the exception. As the Smoking Gun reports, M.I.A.’s 2011 tour rider includes all the luxuries you’d expect: absinthe, hummus, Italian chocolate. And, in faintly ridiculous language, it also sheds some light on M.I.A.’s stagecraft. It requests three female extras with stage presence who are willing to stand onstage for the entire show, “groove to the music,” and wear full Burkas throughout. Producers for alarmist Fox News talk shows now have something else to worry about. Observe.

The lineup for this year’s Hangout Music Fest was released earlier this week and they had promised us one more headliner that will join Dave Matthews Band, Jack White and Skrillex for the top honors at the beach side party. Consequence of Sound just dropped the news that Red Hot Chili Peppers confirmed themselves as [...]

Cali synthpop standout Nite Jewel has a new record coming out in March from which we’ve heard the title track “One Second Of Love” and “She’s Always Watching You” (the rollout has also produced the B-side “Sister” and this pretty cover of Stevie Wonder’s “Visions”). Today, Ramona Gonzalez posted another track from One Second Of Love, the soulful “In The Dark.” Stream it below.

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by BBG

Jeff Tandy, creator of the above photo, writes:"I'm calling you out, Hunt-Hendrix! I'll be at Martyrdoom Fest in Brooklyn on June 30, 2012. I hate you. I hate what you do. Come down and we'll fight!... I will feed you all the Brooklyn sidewalk you can eat, HHH. I'll show you the side of black metal you don't have the fortitude or will to explore. Seriously, I will fuck you up."The above challenge was issued to the the Liturgy frontman in a Facebook group called "Hunter Hunt-Hendrix, come fight me." The creator, Jeff Tandy of Birth A.D., Averse Sefira and an ex-live member of Krieg, is not making his feelings about the Liturgy frontman secret, though it's hard to take the group completely seriously with photos like the one above. I hope it's not real though. Exerting your energy into bands you don't like takes away from finding bands that you do.

Though Jeff Tandy will be there, neither Jeff nor Hunter will be performing at the Martyrdoom Festival on June 30th at Public Assembly. Tickets are still available (no word on whether Hunter plans to attend).

Hunter will be performing at Metallica's Orion Festival in June though... along with bands like (?!?) Modest Mouse and Arctic Monkeys.

Continue reading ""Hunter Hunt-Hendrix, come fight me"" at brooklynvegan

​The other night I watched Beauty and the Beast for the first time in roughly forever. I was shocked by two things: How much of the plot I had forgotten, and how many of the songs I remembered. ... Cory Garcia