RA RA RIOT @ Bowery Ballroom - Fri 3/7 and @ Living Room - 3/9

Syracuse, NY's Ra Ra Riot will be playing a couple of shows in the city this weekend, both of which should be very cool. Following the untimely death of John Pike, the original drummer this summer, the band has regrouped and are creating some refreshing and heartfelt music. SPIN magazine claimed they are "one of the best young bands we've heard in a really long time." Big words from a very powerful publication, but it would be hard to argue otherwise. They fit the indie rock bill quite nicely (save for some beautiful cello/violin work), but they have some other intangible quality that most bands do not have. It's a wonder why they are still unsigned. It would be worth your time to check these guys out, the Ballroom Show is sold out, but you can still snag a ticket for the Living Room show.

RIYL: Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Cursive, Spinto Band, Yo La Tengo, ZOX

Ra Ra Riot performing "Dying is Fine" live in Chicago:

VAMPIRE WEEKEND @ Bowery Ballroom - 1/29 - 1/30

The kids from Brooklyn are having a short homecoming this week when they swing through lower Manhattan. Although the shows are sold out, there are usually scalpers kicking around the Bowery and of course you can always try Craigslist at the last minute. There has been a good amount of press behind Vampire Weekend for their debut release on XL Recordings and with good cause. It's hard to tell how the public will eventually judge this band, their music is unconventional and yet it is very listenable at the same time. The boys take their music to an interesting level by adding various world instruments and styles such as African drums/percussion and Caribbean sounds. Think about Paul Simon's Graceland if it came out today and was packed full of indie pop goodness.

RIYL: Gogol Bordello, Beirut, The Walkmen

Pela: A Midnight Snack For Your Ears

Music can be food for the soul. Some bands taste like Thanksgiving gravy and others like a tart lollipop – each tune satisfies specific cravings, of course. Seeing Pela the other night made me feel like a kid again, shoving gummy bears and ding dongs into my ears. Like most desserts, they provide an immediate rush with a side of instant gratification.

The Brooklyn based band played a sincere show last week at the Mercury Lounge, ending their 19-day tour with “Brakes, Brakes, Brakes,” and “Electric Soft Parade.” The vibe was intimate, and the crowd was casual. I was surprised to see so many bodies out on a Sunday night, but these people didn’t just drop by to try and dig a new sound. They were here for the music they had come to love—obvious from their dead-on lip-synching. When the music started I felt as though I was seeing the first performance of a garage band that had spent years banging and plucking away and was just now emerging from their metal cocoon. Their sound was real, yet polished and therefore spectacularly ripe. Pela played engaging, tight songs with high energy. Tunes included crowd pleasers such as “Philadelphia,” “Lost Highway,” and “Saving Clyde the Cop.” Each member of the band kept a careful watch on the others, connecting with each other, and in turn, connecting with the audience.

I caught up with bassist Eric Sanderson after the show for a closer look. In a search for beer, I was lead down to the dingy dressing room where the bands reconvened after a thrilling performance of, “Calvary” where each member of the tour took the stage with instruments such as tambourines, water coolers and toilet plungers. Lead singer Billy McCarthy entered soaked in sweat with a wide grin on his face shouting, “That was amazing!” Eric and I escaped to the hallway where I tried to see where this band had been and where they were going.

“You’ve been together for 5 years, but have just now released your first album, ‘Anytown Graffiti.’ Why has it taken so long?”
“Money. Half of this album is compromised in our eyes. We really piecemealed everything together.”

He informs me that they paid for and produced the album themselves. Dan Long engineered and mixed a lot of the tracks, but they couldn’t get enough funds together to have him work on the entire album.

“You’ve been traveling around America for nearly three weeks. What is the first thing you will do once you get home?”
“Sleep—I think all of us are really shot at this point. Billy might have a broken foot and I’ve been sick for days. We’ve been driving a lot and drinking a lot.”

Eric continues to tell me that the group got an average of 4-5 hours of sleep per night. He surmises that this might be a good time for some much needed detox.

“What can Pela fans expect from the new album? Will you keep the sound you’ve cultivated or go in a new direction?”
“It’s definitely going to change, but not drastically. We’re going to bring out a lot more horns. We’re really going to push ourselves and be a lot more experimental. We kinda reinvent ourselves every time we go into the studio.”

For my taste, this band is not palatable like a fine piece of fish accompanied with a dry wine. I didn’t go home and savor the flavors of the night or reflect on the composition of what I ingested. Instead, I got into bed, worn out from a sugar high of rock and roll.

For those of you with a sweet tooth, check out Pela next on August 25th, 2007 8:00pm @ Bowery Ballroom (Advice: Get tickets early. Their last two New York shows have sold out.)

PANDA BEAR @ Bowery Ballroom – 6/23

The Animal Collective’s co-founder will be in the city this weekend to promote his newest release on the Paw Tracks label entitled Person Pitch. While Noah Lennox’s solo work is different and less experimental from Animal Collective, there are still and awful lot of similarities in the overall feel and mood of the music, as would be expected. His solo work is not as disjointed as Animal Collective and there are a lot more vocal harmonies, conjuring up shades of Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys. The compositions themselves are also slightly more conservative in the indie rock sense and not as avant-garde. His shows prove to be a fun time and you can check it out for yourself.

RIYL: Animal Collective, Xiu Xiu, Four Tet, The Unicorns

The Clientele @ Bowery Ballroom, Fri 6/8

Usually I adhere pretty closely to the old piece of wisdom that says: if you’re in a band, and you sound at all like the Monkees, it’s probably about time to hang up the old tambourine.

Enter The Clientele. These cheery British balladeers, who may evoke a little Davy Jones from time to time, do it only in the most tasteful and unapologetic of ways. Blending pure pop with more than a touch of the psychedelic, The Clientele are a blast from the past and a breath of fresh air all at once. There’s no pretension here, and the lack of angst is as refreshing as you'd think it would be.

Wistful, sincere, and definitely cheesy- The Clientele do it all, and while they may not become your favorite band of the year (although they just might), these indie vets have a style not often heard these days, and are definitely a great act to catch live. Tickets are only $15, so start your weekend off with a little British invasion and you’ll be feeling groovy before you can say bloody fantastic. Myspace | Website

THE NATIONAL @ Bowery Ballroom- 5/28 - 6/1

Touring in support of their latest release, The Boxer, The National hit Bowery Ballroom for a run of shows this week (May 28- June 1). While they’re all technically sold out, keep an eye out for last-minute ticket releases from the box office-- as always, these guys are bound to put on a great show. Had the chance to see them open up for Arcade Fire a few weeks ago, and while I can’t say they stole the show (I mean, it was Arcade Fire), they definitely held their own to say the least and played a great set for those of us who arrived before the suits rolled in -- playing a lot of their new material but also peppering in some cuts from earlier albums The Alligator, etc.

If you haven’t seen or heard of the National yet, give these guys a listen. I hear them compared to U2 from time to time, which really isn’t a fair comparison because really the only things about The National that are actually similar to U2 can be probably summed up in two words: “epic” and, well “reverb.” Even so, one of my favorite rainy day bands, and another New York band done good. Check ‘em out. website | myspace

POP LEVI w/ Mando Diao and the Films @ Bowery Ballroom – 5/14

English born and bred Pop Levi is one artist to watch in the upcoming months. Borrowing heavily from Marc Bolan / T. Rex style glam rock and dipping into drug-addled folk to boot, Levi makes a sound that is somehow both unique and familiar. The final result is a set that schizophrenically whiplashes between both wildly energetic and intensely soulful. How a musician of this caliber wallowed in the quagmire of British music for so long with little or no exposure is a mystery, but be glad he finally broke out of his shell. He will be in town this upcoming week, though technically, he is opening for the not-so-interesting Mando Diao, but you don’t really have to stick around for that.

RIYL: T. Rex, Roxy Music, Devendra Banhart, Beck, Spacemen 3

KONONO NO. 1 @ Bowery Ballroom – 5/5/07

In the spirit of opening our readers up to new types of music, this week NYC will be hosting one of the stranger stories in popular music, that of Konono No. 1. Part electronic music, part afro-beat Konono No. 1 is a group of Congolese musicians who literally built their soundsystem themselves out of spare parts, trash, and other paraphernalia. As it wasn’t a perfect science, the experiment resulted in the system emitting a huge and intense reverberation throughout their sets. Instead of scrapping the system, they decided to build their sound around it, making it their signature style. The final product is music that somehow toes the line between traditional and cutting edge. Now you will have a chance to get lost in the intensity of the sound Konono No. 1 puts together.

RIYL: Lightning Bolt, Sun Ra, Fela Kuti, Black Dice

THE BLACK LIPS / THE PONYS @ Bowery Ballroom – 3/26/07

The Bowery Ballroom will be host to two of the hottest bands on the brink tonight in The Ponys and the Black Lips. The Black Lips have gained a huge amount of press/notoriety following breakout performances in last year’s CMJ Music Marathon and last week’s SXSW Festival in Austin, TX. You can read NYCUG’s previous post about them here. Chicago’s Ponys are former In The Red labelmates of the Black Lips and, like the Black Lips, they have made the jump to a larger label, in this case Matador. And while their music has certainly dropped off since their 2004 debut, they are still worth checking out live. Although, it must be said that their shows are either really good or really bad (i.e. stomping off the stage after 20 minutes for seemingly no reason) so be forewarned.


RIYL: The Dirtbombs, The Monks, Pavement

THE THERMALS @ Bowery Ballroom – 3/4/07

Oft discussed Lo-Fi indie punkers the Thermals will be hitting the
ballroom this Sunday night in NYC. It's pretty much a guarantee the
Hipsterati will come out in droves to see the Portland, OR all-star
team work the crowd with their high energy stage show. They have a
tendency to combine fuzzy punk riffs and the typical snotty sarcastic
indie vocals/lyrics to create songs that barely top three minutes in
duration. While not the best nor the most innovative band in their
field, they do put on a good show and it is a lot of fun. They are
touring on the heels of their latest release The Body The Blood The
Machine on "independent" label SubPop.

RIYL: Bratmobile, Nerf Herder, Nada Surf, Presidents of the United
States of America

BRIGHT EYES @ Bowery Ballroom – 3/2/07, 3/3/07

Conor Oberst et al. will be in New York’s Bowery Ballroom for two dates this weekend behind their upcoming Saddle Creek release Cassadaga. Seemingly every review for any Bright Eyes album or show brings up two points: how young Oberst is (he’s fucking 6!) and how he is such a gifted songwriter. And while most of his work up until this point has been basically folk music coupled with Oberst’s signature vocal warble, his newer compositions take a decidedly more country turn, opening up a whole new spectrum for the Bright Eyes faithful. Don’t worry though; his style has not changed enough as to alienate his audience. His bleak and cathartic outlook on life is still intact, so if you hate governments and relationships, you will still be right at home.

RIYL: Cursive, early Wilco, Rilo Kiley, Commander Venus

Black Dice & Excepter @ Bowery Ballroom 1/6

I've seen both of these acts in the last 2 months. I've even written about both acts on this very website. Here is what I had to say:

"Black Dice, in case you don't know, are something of an anomaly. The only experimental act on an otherwise disco label (DFA records), the band makes use of all sorts of electronics to create the otherwordly tones their soundscapes are made up of. Use caution, though, casual music listener- a Black Dice show can prove to be overwhelming (and possibly pretentious?) to the unready ear."

"NYC's own Excepter kick out some of the most interesting electronic music of the 00's. This group seamlessly fuses experimental and house music, with results that can fall anywhere between psychedelic krautrock, abrasive noise squeals, and squiggly techno.
What should you expect from Excepter? Warbly synth tones, driving drum box beats, incoherent ramblings, the unexpected."

RIYL: carefully organized confusion

Prepare to be captivated/have your mind blown.

buy tickets here.

LOW @ Bowery Ballroom – Wed 12/06

Low hails from Duluth, MN as a forerunner in the slowcore movement in the mid 90’s. Along with bands such as Calla and Red House Painters, Low creates an unsettlingly soft and quiet sound with a certain trademark roughness. However, Low isn’t all about sparse guitars, as every occasionally they will surprise their audience by turning up the amps. As an added bonus, Low’s album Christmas is an extremely underrated seasonal album: a perfect pairing for the annual tofurkey and box-of-wine dinner at your Williamsburgian friend’s house. Members of Ida, another band in the genre, are also performing, so get ready for an exciting night of quiet admiration!

RIYL: Palace, P:ano, Kind of like Spitting

HIDDEN CAMERAS w/ Spiral Beach @ Bowery Ballroom – Wed. 11/15

The Hidden Cameras mix upbeat and poppy music with a strange variety of lyrics that the average listener would not notice upon first listen. Their lyrics range from singing about pissing on someone to singing about pooping on someone, all with a cheeky smile and guitar. The real golden shower about this band, however, is the live show, which includes anything from puppets to slideshows to strippers all with a lot of audience participation.

Come for the songs; stay for the go-go dancers!

No word if Cleveland is steaming.

RIYL: Magnetic Fields, Mosquitos, Belle and Sebastian, Jens Lekman

Voxtrot @ Bowery Ballroom 10/7

Austin's Voxtrot have an absurd amount of buzz behind them for a group that hasn't even released a full-length album yet. We have, however, gotten a glimpse of this act's delightful brand of indie-pop by way of a handful of EPs they've released this year. It is clear (from the blogs anyway) that Voxtrot are destined to be the next biggest thing.

Their new EP "Your Biggest Fan" drops Tuesday, and to celebrate, they're playing Bowery Ballroom. You can stream the 3-track EP on the band's myspace & you can buy tickets to the show here.

RIYL: Belle & Sebastian, the Smiths, Clap Yr Hands Say Yeah, Stone Roses, the Lucksmiths

CARY BROTHERS w/ the Hotel Café Tour @ Bowery Ballroom – Sat. 10/28 - $20/$17 Adv.

If you have seen the movie Garden State or heard the soundtrack (if you’re reading this I’m guessing you have) then you might recognize Cary Brothers’ hit song “Blue Eyes”. While in fact a singular human being and not a combination of siblings, Brothers has been making quite a buzz in the past couple of years, mainly with the help of Zach Braff’s nose and the person connected to it by way of musical placement on the sometimes clever television show Scrubs. Brothers originally made his name, along with many other artists, at the LA singer/songwriter joint Hotel Café, from which the name of this tour comes. And while just the thought of Los Angeles with its sunshine and perma-smiles makes most New Yorkers physically ill, it’s never too late to jump on a bandwagon and catch the presumably soon-to-be very popular Brothers in concert.

Find out more about the Hotel Café Tour here.

Check out Cary’s Myspace page here.

Okkervil River @ Bowery Ballroom 10/14 & 10/15

Austin's Okkervil River is bringin' it for a pair of shows at Bowery thisweekend, with their particular blend of indie-folk-rock. Just one listen to their outstanding 2005 single "For Real" is reason enough to go. Soaring vocals + intelligent lyrics + an interesting alt-country instrumentation = a good time.

RIYL: Wilco, Band Of Horses, the Decemberists, the Mountain Goats

Folkster Elvis Perkins is opening the Saturday show, &indie-pop sensation the Mendoza line is opening the Sunday show.

GRIZZLY BEAR, Dirty Projectors, and Stars Like Fleas- Tuesday 9/26- Bowery Ballroom

Frontman Edward Droste will be the first to tell you that he never expected Grizzly Bear to get so big. Begun as a pet project in his Green Point apartment, Grizzly Bear began when Droste locked himself up for months on end to record the sketches for what would later become Grizzly's 2005 debut, Horn of Plenty, later enlisting the help of soon-to-be bandmate Christopher Bear.

Debut album drops.

Fast forward two months.

A glowing SPIN review and a Scandinavian tour later, Droste, Bear, and Co find themselves thrust in the spotlight- and suddenly equipped to take on more than just Green Point.

Now almost a full year later, Grizzly Bear is hitting the road again, this time in support of their brand new release, Yellow House. An awesomely atmospheric collection of mostly-acoustic tunes tight enough to have earned "Best New Music" from Pitchfork, this latest Grizzly release is already drawing comparisons ranging from Animal Collective to Sufjan Stevens to Nick Drake. With a haunting dreaminess and honesty that has to be heard to be believed, Yellow House is easily among the top albums of 2006.


Check these guys out this Tuesday with Dirty Projectors and Stars Like Fleas at Bowery Ballroom before they head out West for the start of their North American tour, and see some of Brooklyn's finest right here at home.

Website Myspace Venue Download BuyCD

The Wood Brothers @ The Bowery 8/13 - $18

The fact that so many people still don’t know Oliver and Chris Wood is simply laughable. The fact that their show at the Bowery Ballroom is not sold out is possibly a gift from above. Together making music since childhood, these brothers are two of the most talented, hard working, and inspired musicians alive… Period.

Perhaps you’ve heard of MMW(Medeski, Martin and Wood) or their collaboration with John Scofield (Medeski, Scofield and Wood). The fact is these guys stay in the studio, making impeccable music…and then they spend the rest of their time playing concerts live. What a Life!!

All the info is below for you to check them out and decide for yourself if they are that good. They are on my show list. I’m going myself, and I highly recommend this concert.

Website Myspace Venue Download BuyCD Bid