The E-Xecutioners - The Knitting Factory - 09/05

The New York based, DJ group extraordinaire known as The X-Ecutioners are heading downtown for a night of scratch mayhem. It's a rare occasion to witness multiple turntablists working together on one stage. Since the disbanding of The Invisibl Skratch Picklz in 2000, there have been hardly any followers nothwithstanding the X who've excelled and gained comparable recognition as a turntablist band. Consisting of Rob Swift, Roc Raida, DJ Eclipse and Mista Sinista, the X-Ecutioners tend to dismiss melody in favor of a kind of rhythm that could be considered experimental or avant-garde. The idea that not one, but four DJs can scratch a word, such as "Fresh" and break down its sound and pitch into a sequence of reverberating fragments is something worth seeing.

Melt Banana @ Knitting Factory 6/10

Melt Banana is sort of a misnomer. This Japanese noise-troupe is really in the business of melting faces, not potassium-rich fruits. Equally as tasty, they'll be at Knitting Factory Sunday evening in support of their latest, Bambi's Dilemma. Bring earplugs.

RIYL: Lightning Bolt, Boredoms, John Zorn, Merzbow

Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso U.F.O. 4/26 & 4/27

Japanese experimental-psychedelic-unearthly-surf-rock occultists Acid Mothers Temple (in their "Melting Paraiso Underground Freak Out" incarnation) launched their North American "Crystal Rainbow Pyramid Tour" last week, and are hitting NYC this Thursday (@ Knitting Factory) and Friday (@ Southpaw). They're like the aural equivalent of the "Jupiter and Beyond the Infinite" scene in 2001: A Space Odyssey.

RIYL: Boredoms, Melt Banana, Amon Duul, John Zorn, Guitar Wolf

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.

Jonathan Richman @ Knitting Factory 2/1, 2/2 2/3, & 2/4

Since the eponymous Modern Lovers' album dropped way back in 1976, Jonathan Richman has been a prominent figure in underground rock music. That first album, culled from demos recorded by the Velvet Underground's John Cale, led directly to what would become American punk rock & new wave. Regardless of his backing band, Richman has been putting out solid gold ever since. His influence extended well into the 1990s, paving the way for indie rock groups like the Replacements, Pixies, and Pavement.

This former Modern Lover is kicking off his 2007 North American tour with four successive nights on the Knitting Factory's main stage.

RIYL: Talking Heads , Television, Lou Reed, Iggy Pop

Get tickets here, here, here, and here. They're $20 apiece.

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

Psychic Ills & Indian Jewelry @ Knitting Factory 12/16

Psychic Ills and Indian Jewelry are closing their joint U.S. tour this Saturday at the Knitting Factory. It is a night of kicked-out jamz not to be missed.

The Social Registry's latest it-band, NYC's own Psychic Ills, create a seamless blend of psychedelia, drone, and shoegaze; imagine an even-spacier Spacemen 3. Their live show is a captivating and somewhat overwhelming spectacle (expect a full-on wall-of-sound assault). Check out some of their tunes on the band's myspace.

Indian Jewelry come from a similar school of thought as their touring buddies: they too encorporate electronics and psychedelia amidst their (carefully-planned) chaos & confusion. Have a listen here.


Psychic Ill's fellow Social Reg. labelmates Telepathe are opening.

tix

THE EX w/ Aloha @ Knitting Factory – 12/13

Post-punk granddaddies The Ex reprieve their angst-ridden songwriting from the early 80’s to a new generation of the disenfranchised, all of which is on display this week at the Knitting Factory. Formed in Holland over two decades ago, The Ex was a forerunner in the experimental noise genre coupled with the political and social commentary mostly associated with punk music. They were never really overly commercially successful and some claim their pitfall may have been their ingenuity, as due to their guidance, the post-punk genre started to lead to other genres such as industrial music in the late 80’s. No one can argue their influence, however, which has led them to work with such music industry giants as the late John Peel and Steve Albini. Jazzy experimentalists Aloha will join them this Wednesday.

RIYL: Crass, Sonic Youth, Wire, Einsturzende Neubauten

PERE UBU w/ Bush Tetras – Wed. 11/22 – Knitting Factory

Pere Ubu has been around for quite a while now and they have been saying for years that they are finally going to call it quits, but that has not happened yet, leaving you with a chance to catch them in Tribeca’s Knitting Factory.

Pere Ubu was formed in the 1970’s in Cleveland after members of local favorite Rocket from the Tombs disbanded to pursue other goals. Using his No-Wave and experimental music backgrounds, David Thomas began Pere Ubu and since then, the band’s lineup has included such underground legends like Tim Wright of DNA and Mayo Thompson of the Red Krayola.

This is a good opportunity if you’d like to see underground legends and one of the most important bands of the ever-growing nu-wave and noise genres.

RIYL: Captain Beefheart, Wire, Can, Sonic Youth

ZOX w/ Tally Hall @ Knitting Factory – Wed. 11/8 - $10

Providence, RI’s Zox combines elements of new-school ska and the jam band sound but with one vital difference: Spencer Swain’s virtuous violin arrangements add a mostly untapped feature in the indie music world. This band was originally pinned as the type that would nicely fill any fraternity’s booze soaked basement, but with their latest release entitled The Wait (licensed by the primarily punk label Side One Dummy) strives to dissociate themselves from that style. With a turn towards the more heartfelt ballad, primary songwriter Eli Miller opens his heart for all to hear resulting in an incredibly fun and listenable sound. Zox is currently on a North American tour and you will have a chance to catch them at the Knitting Factory with Tally Hall.

RIYL: Counting Crows, 311, The Specials, Boyd Tinsley

LOVE IS ALL @ Knitting Factory main stage, 10/27

Straight out of Sweden, Love is All has all the energy of a pack of mentos dropping into a Coke bottle, taking a decidedly upbeat and fun twist on the post-punk scene. Even so, this quintet’s sound is anything but naïve.

The four guys- Nicholaus, Fredrick, Markus, Johan (yes, they’re REALLY Swedish), and female lead singer and keyboardist- Josephine Olausson (she’s Swedish too) churn out steady-bopping baselines and sing-along choruses, but even so, there remains a thread of the uncertainty and angst that lends a sense of credibility and know-how to every shining-happy note.

These guys had some serious buzz building up earlier this year after a substantial tour, and now’s your chance to check them out again in New York. They’re at the Knitting Factory main stage this Friday with Cause Co-Motion! and Devastations. (listen)

SKALOWEEN f. TOASTERS + PIETASTERS @ Knitting Factory – Sun. 10/29 - $17

An incredibly stupid name veils a big time concert at a bargain price. The Toasters were virtually one of the first American ska bands to exist and paved the way for the ska explosion of the 90’s. Influenced by the likes of Madness and the Specials, British ex-pat Robert Hingley formed the band in New York in the early 1980’s and released a few singles on his own label, Moon. Since then, the Toasters have released several albums and changed their lineup many times, but Hingley still remains at the core. The Pietasters, on the other hand, are a much more recent ska band, hailing from Washington DC and have also released a few records on the Moon label. Now you have a chance to catch them both on the main stage at the Knitting Factory this Sunday. Skank!

Here is the Toasters website.

Here is the Pietasters website.

Joan of Arc @ The Knitting Factory - $10 - Wednesday 9/6, 8PM

Joan of Arc and ever-changing frontman Tim Kinsellas are back at it at the Knitting Factory this Wednesday, supporting their 2006 release, "Eventually, All at Once." JOA's easy-going, but still energetic, tunes are filled with entrancing, finger-picking guitar progressions, and enough boings and blips to put your old school Nintendo to shame. These indie vets will keep things alive and humming til the night is done, so look no further than Joan of Arc to cure that midweek shuffle.

Website| Myspace| Venue| Download| BuyCD

The Clientele @ The Knitting Factory - $14 – Tuesday 9/5

Where are those dreamy vibes flowing up from under the sea coming from? The word is starting to spread about this London-based indie group whose reverb-enhanced vocals and enchanting riffs are already making their way across the country. Since teaming up with Merge and labelmates Arcade Fire and Camera Obscura, The Clientele has released “Strange Geometry,” along with another album scheduled to drop in the near future. If you haven’t caught them already, take this opportunity to escape into an "Octopus’s Garden" on their latest nationwide tour.

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