Pela @ Maxwells on 6/15 and the Mercury Lounge on 6/16, 6/17

Pela’s tunes have that classic “give me a hamburger and fries” sound. They are a rare form of American Rock that is both traditional of the genre as well as innovative. Vocals are a bit reminiscent of lead singer Michael Glabicki of Rusted Root, while the music itself is steady, full, and solid. Check out the song “Venom” on their myspace page and their debut album, “Anytown Graffiti,” now available for sale. This song makes you want to wash that fast food down with some whiskey.

Check them out at http://www.myspace.com/pela to prep for the three shows this weekend.

The Stills w/ vhs or beta - Wednesday 6/6 @ Don Hills - $15

These Canadian rockers have been ripping the New York Scene pretty consistently for the past four years. They've been around the world and back on major national and international tours...I say this only to highlight the rarity of seeing a band this established, playing such an intimate venue as Don Hills. Add to it that buzz band VHS or Beta will be spinning DJ sets - this is one show you won't want to miss. Don't thank me now - buy me a drink at the concert.

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

BRIGHT EYES w/ Gillian Welch @ Town Hall – 5/25 – 6/1

Oberst and friends will be in town for a stunning week long run starting this Friday. What is more interesting, though, are his “very special guests” that will be joining him onstage throughout the week. We’re not going to spoil it for you, but some of the biggest names in rock, country, college and underground music will be up there with Conor. Even a casual fan of theirs will get a kick out of this marathon, but undoubtedly there are the hardcore fans that will buy tickets to every single show to see what the surprises are each night. We would tell you, but that would ruin all the fun.

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

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

OOIOO @ Knitting Factory 3/20

When she's not battling pink robots or drumming for Japanese experimental-rock all-stars Boredoms, Yoshimi P-We fronts her all-female side project, OOIOO (pronounced "oh-oh-eye-oh-oh"). Their latest effort, the impressive Taiga, was just released in the USA this past Fall. They'll be at Knitting Factory Tuesday night to show off their chops.

RIYL: Boredoms, Deerhoof, Blonde Redhead, Enon



Knitting Factory, Tuesday 3/20, 8pm. Buy tickets here.

The Double @ Cake Shop 3/16 & 3/17

As far as I'm concerned, The Double are the most underrated act signed to Matador Records (although it could possibly be argued that Dead Meadow hold this title). The Double may also boast the "least-easily-navigable-website" in indie rock. In any case, this Brooklyn quartet is playing 2 shows at Cake Shop thisweekend.

The Double make left-field pop music - allowing dissonant guitar & organ noise to creep into otherwise seemingly harmless melodies.
RIYL: Suicide, Liars, Black Dice, The Fall, Excepter, Animal Collective

Mike Wexler opens up the Friday show. Crystal Stilts and The Japanese Beetles open up the Saturday show. Both shows begin at 8pm.

"Black Diamond" live @ Tonic September '06:

THE GOOD, THE BAD, & THE QUEEN @ Webster Hall – 3/12/07

Damon Albarn’s latest brainchild, The Good, The Bad, & The Queen will be in town tonight at Webster Hall. In his latest effort, Albarn enlists what seems to be comprised of a veritable all-star cast including Clash bassist Paul Simonon, Verve guitarist Simon Tong, and Fela Kuti’s afro-beat enthused drummer, Tony Allen. While virtually taking a 180-degree turn from Gorillaz style synth-hop, GBQ sounds much more like Albarn’s days with Blur, but it is certainly more downbeat than the majority of Blur’s footy-hooligan rowdiness. Since Blur will likely never get back together with their original lineup, this show will act as a good substitute for those Albarn fans out their.


RIYL: Blur, Oasis, Supergrass, Air, Pulp, Super Furry Animals

The Shins @ MSG 3/14

Having successfully changed the life of that dude from Scrubs, indie-pop darlings The Shins are ready to rock yr world too. They're playing @ the Theater @ Madison Square Garden on Wednesday in support of their latest effort Wincing the Night Away.


Tickets are kinda steep @ $37.50 apiece.

OF MONTREAL @ Irving Plaza – 3/9, 3/10

Athens, GA madman Kevin Barnes and his merry band will be invading the Irving Plaza this weekend and you will have a chance to see a real spectacle of a show. Ever since Barnes virtually hijacked Of Montreal and made it his own, they have gotten considerably weirder than they originally were on their Bar/None releases. In fact, Barnes may very well be the weirdest of the former Elephant 6 consortium and that, my friends, is saying a lot. Case in point, earlier this tour, Barnes’ penis made its on stage debut, much to the chagrin of a Las Vegas crowd. Let’s hope this doesn’t happen again. The eccentricities are not all bad, though. Their newest release on Polyvinyl, Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? is a much more mature album in terms of subject matter than their two previous critically acclaimed albums, Satanic Panic in the Attic, and The Sunlandic Twins, but the danceable, upbeat compositions and hyper-intellectual lyrics remain well in tact. We may never know why the bizarre Barnes felt it necessary to whip out his wanker on stage, but it could have just been another Outback Steakhouse advertisement.

RIYL: Olivia Tremor Control, Marshmallow Coast, Apples in Stereo, Elf Power

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

Just Announced: CSS @ Irving Plaza 6.01

Dude - Oh shit, I forgot to cop a ticket and the CSS show is Sold Out.

Other Dude - No dick, that was last time, they just announced their US dates.

Chick - Ah La La, ah la la


CSS have extended their UK/Euro trek to include North America. They play New York April 1st.

Peep the video then look out for tickets.

Dirty On Purpose & Saxon Shore @ Mercury Lounge 2/15

This St. Valentine's week seems to be the week of sold-out shows: tickets for Sonic Youth, Explosions in the Sky, and five Arcade Fire shows are all unavailable. Luckily, however, there are some other events going on. This Thursday, for example, Dirty On Purpose, Saxon Shore, and Lymbyc System are playing at Mercury Lounge.

Dirty On Purpose is a Brooklyn-based indie outfit, drawing influence from a range of all-star underground rockers, including Yo La Tengo, Sonic Youth, Guided By Voices, Pixies, etc. This band borrows a good deal from these, their forefathers, yet their music remains very much their own.

Saxon Shore are perhaps the most underrated band in what I'll call the 2nd wave of post-rock (Explosions in the Sky, et al.). RIYL: beautiful soaring instrumental guitar rock music.

Tickets are only 10 bucks.

2007 Plug Awards @ Irving Plaza 2/10

Indie-rock-loving comedian David Cross is hosting this year's Plug Music Awards, featuring an all-star lineup of performers. Sugar-pop-no-wave-freakoutists Deerhoof and ex-Pavement frontman Stephen Malkmus (and his backing band, the Jicks) are the highlights. Silversun Pickups, El-P, and Tokyo Police Club are playing too.

The evening promises to be much hipper than your average award show, and for just ten bucks! It's also not too late to vote, do so here.

DEERHOOF w/ Busdriver + Proton Proton @ Irving Plaza – Friday 1/ 26/07

Half cute, half insane, Deerhoof have carved their way into the independent music consciousness in recent years with the help of several terrific albums courtesy of Kill Rock Stars. Although their lineup has changed several times since their inception in the early 90’s, their mission and sound have stayed relatively constant. Deerhoof manages to toe a fine line between charming indie rock and noisy, no wave inspired punk. Their unique approach to music has garnered opportunities to share the stage with the likes of the Flaming Lips and the Fiery Furnaces. Offbeat rapper Busdriver will be opening this Friday.

RIYL: Black Dice, Cibo Matto, The Microphones

The Juan Maclean & Professor Murder @ Hiro Ballroom 1/18

The Juan Maclean AKA John Maclean: former Six Finger Satellite guitarist reinvents himself as an electronica all-star; the DFA's secret techno weapon. He's going without his backing band on this one, performing a DJ set Thursday night at the Maritime Hotel's Hiro Ballroom.

RIYL: LCD Soundsystem, Hot Chip, Kraftwerk, DFA

Up-and-coming fellow indie-electronicsters Professor Murder are playing as well. Their debut EP Professor Murder Rides the Subway came out this past year, and they're looking to show their live chops.

RIYL: Mixel Pixel, The Rapture, Le Tigre

The show is a steep $20, but evidently one can get in for free via this.

TRACHTENBURG FAMILY SLIDESHOW PLAYERS @ Knitting Factory – Fri. 12/22

Here’s one for you outsider music enthusiasts. This is a band literally comprised of the Trachtenburg family; Jason (the father), Tina (the mother), and Rachel (the daughter). While Jason sings and plays guitar, Rachel drums fairly well for a young’un and Tina clicks her way through old slides of family vacations, various landmarks and road stops. Tina also used to bake food for the audience, but their popularity has increased a little too much so she had to put a stop to that, but you might get lucky. Although Jason looks like a David Cross character, the topics of the songs may be a bit bizarre to most people and his voice can get very annoying at times, however, you will see a better drummer in Rachel than, say, Meg White. You can also pick up their release on Bar/None records if you feel so inclined.

RIYL: Wesley Willis, Daniel Johnston, The Frogs

Dinosaur Jr. @ Rebel 12/1 & 12/2

Last year was the year of the Dinosaur: 2005 saw the reformation of ultra-influential indie-rock group Dinosaur Jr., with a slew of reissues of their classic 1980s releases, and a wildly successful reunion tour. Guitarist J Mascis, bassist Lou Barlow (who went on to form Sebadoh), and drummer Murph appear to have set aside their differences for good, and are again embarking on a tour. 2007 will see the first release of new material of Dinosaur's original lineup since 1989. Awesome.

Mascis & friends will be playing 2 NYC dates, both thisweekend, both at Rebel.
Tickets are a little pricey at $25 apiece, but well worth it. Buy them here and here.

Stream a few essential Dinosaur Jr. cuts on the band's myspace page.

La Laque & The Fabulous Entourage @ The Annex, Thursday, 11/30

Once you’ve heard La Laque’s would-be single, “La Sirène Dort,” you might see their potential or think them too eccentric. The band’s sultry chanteuse, Devry, sings airy vocals in French over weeping violins and colorful guitar riffs. And while La Laque has yet to cut an ep, they are silently ringing the doorbells of the underground with a series of poignant songs. Seeing them play Sin-E a month or so ago had you at the edge of your seat trying to catch that sexy glance. Now, you can see this perceivably Godard-inspired, Brooklyn quintet take it to the the Annex alongside The Fabulous (destin d’Amèlie) Entourage. Expect The Fabulous Entourage to pull you out of the plush red reverie of La Laque, and get you shot up back on your feet again like seven expressos to the dome.