Thursday, March 30, 2006

A Band With No Album Released, Only 5 Previous Live Performances, And 1 Single Sell Out A Gig That Was Only Announced 36 Hours Before In 30 Seconds

And in case you're wondering, I did score a pair of those precious tickets. Check out the comments at Brooklyn Vegan and The Modern Age for not only how it all went down but also what kind of fucked-up state ticket sales are in. There are so many crooks out there, between Ticketmaster, the venue, and middle men, it isn't even funny. Ridiculous surcharges, unpredictable results, and of course - and above all - the vultures who scoop up tickets and sell them to suckers for outrageous prices on Ebay and Craigslist.

Anyway - the opening act has officially been announced: The Muldoons. Cute little lads and their father Brian, who was Jack White's upholsterer teacher and bandmate in their duo The Upholsterers, who issued one glorious single in the olden days. Brian is also in Tin Knocker, another dynamite rock duo from Detroit. This will make for an interesting opening act for all the hipster stiffs in this town.

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Wednesday, March 29, 2006

Raconteurs Update

Tickets will be on sale tomorrow at noon via Ticketmaster, 20 bucks a pop, 2 to an order, according to sponsor Livenation.com

The hipster know-it-all pricks at Pitchfork have made it the top story this afternoon (as I predicted, as I also predicted the venue and price for their NY gig). Here will come the horde of rock snobs and critics to come to sell out the show and have an indifferent or bad time.

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TV Appearances That Are Good For You

  • The Flaming Lips perform on the Late Show with David Letterman tomorrow, Thursday March 30.
  • The Little Willies, Norah Jones' new country side-project, plays Conan O'Brien's show this Friday, March 31.

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Tuesday, March 28, 2006

Blabbermouths

I am torn between spilling the guts myself as a dutiful reporter of rock n roll in New York...or chastize the blabbermouths at the more well known, major local rock blogs for their spilling the beans...

...all I will say at this present time is....it's a gig....a week from Friday....tickets on sale this Thursday....

Oh fuck it....it's the Raconteurs at Irving Plaza.

The album cover was also released today:
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Sunday, March 26, 2006

Blue Republic's My Space Band of the Week: The Flaming Lips

Very few of you need an introduction to the Flaming Lips. So guess what? I'm not going to bother with much of one. Without question, the tripiest band to ever hail from Oklahoma City, the Flaming Lips have evolved into a fine psychadelic pop-band led by the impeccable, inemitable, Wayne Coyne. They're back this year with a new album and tour, and they arrive in New York this Friday and Saturday for sold out shows at Webster Hall.
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Check out "The WAND" on my page, before going to the Lips' page (which they make great use of), and their fantastic official website. Also, go rent or buy the documentary about them, Fearless Freaks.

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Wednesday, March 22, 2006

Gig News

  • I didn't even know until a few moments ago that Exene Cervenka and her Original Sinners were supposed to play Avalon tonight, but it got cancelled. Instead they are playing CBGB's at midnight tonight.
  • Tomorrow night's Richard Hawley gig is sold out.
  • The Gossip show on Saturday is also sold out.
  • The White Rose Movement's 3/27 show at the Merc is cancelled.

Sunday, March 19, 2006

Blue Republic's My Space Band of the Week: The Gossip

From Portland, Oregon come the Gossip. Initially a hard driving garage rock band, their material bordered the line between Ac/Dc and outright hardcore. Their latest material has taken a turn to the trendy dance-rock craze, but it works and works quite well.
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Get your booty shakin' at the Knitting Factory on Saturday night when the band comes to play. In the meantime, check out "Yr Mangled Heart" on my page, before going to their page, and their official site.

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Sunday, March 12, 2006

Blue Republic's My Space Band of the Week: Flogging Molly

So it's St. Patrick's Day on Friday, the day when everyone is either Irish or should be. Good beer, good corned beef, and above all, good music. In New York, the legendary Pogues will be playing the Nokia, and Black 47 will be at the Knitting Factory. My favorite Celtic-based rock band, the band of the week, Flogging Molly, will spending St. Paddy's in Mesa, Arizona of all places. New York was priviledged to have these frequent guests play last month at the Nokia (see my review in the February archives at Blue Republic).
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One thing I've never quite understood about FM. They seem to be associated with the wrong grouping of bands. Perhaps it's because of their record label, or the pounding drums, or a particular demographic in their audience, either way, Flogging Molly gets lumped in with lame, talentless hack fake-punk bands that populate the Warped Tour. Frankly, I don't think they fit into any grouping...they are world-class musicians, and band leader Dave King is a deep story-teller, full of poetry and whimsy, and they don't sound like anything else out there. But that's just how it is I guess...

Check out "Salty Dog" from their debut album of 2000, Swagger, on my page, then head on over to their page and official site, and have fun on St. Patrick's Day.

Slainte!

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Friday, March 10, 2006

Gig News

  • No more gigs at Scenic...the Ave B venue has closed up.
  • Tonight's Metric show at Webster Hall is sold out. Go see Les Sans Cullotes at Magnetic Field. The upcoming Arctic Monkeys, Editors, and Flaming Lips shows at Webster Hall are also sold out.
  • John Doe is also playing Joe's Pub next Thursday, in addition to his show at Maxwell's a week from tonight.
  • The New York Dolls are playing CBGB on Tuesday, March 28. The Magic Numbers are playing Webster Hall the same night.

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Sunday, March 05, 2006

Blue Republic's My Space Band of the Week: Les Sans Culottes

From the heart of France comes the resurrection of John Lennon...no wait, it's a lookalike with a band from Brooklyn. Sure it's a little gimmicky, but Les Sans Culottes is good clean rock n roll fun with a twist of frogs legs. They're playing Magnetic Field on Friday, so come check 'em out.
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In the meantime, listen to a tune on my page, then go to their page, and their official site. Tre bien!

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Friday, March 03, 2006

March: In Like A Lion, Out Like A Lion

Ok so I missed a couple days. Sue me. All I missed was a Strokes show and a Belle & Sebastien show and a Jonny Lives show....yeah, ok.

But that's March. It is jam-packed, chocked-full, and other annoying descriptions worth of gigs.

Start the month off right on a Friday anyway, I say. And we pick up where we left off...The Strokes and Eagles of Death Metal play the Hammerstein Ballroom tonight and tomorrow night while Belle & Sebastien wrap up their stand at the Nokia Theater tonight. Both shows are sold out (which is ok, since moshing assholes have crashed the Strokes gigs), but have no fear: Les Sans Culottes is back at Southpaw tonight, and the Mooney Suzuki will finally play at the Annex tomorrow night for the Tiswas party. Sunday night is Oscar night but if you feel like doing something, go see the Misteriosos at Sin-é or Curtis Eller at the Living Room.

The local acts have a field day starting next week: Jonny Lives is a local pop rocker who basically never stops performing so you have no excuse to not go (unless my word of praise means shit to you, then I understand). Next week, Tuesday, he's at Southpaw, then back there 2 weeks later. Then a week after that he's back at Sin-é. Meanwhile, the Violets are playing CBGB's next Tuesday as well and Crash Mansion on the 27th. Langhorne Slim is doin' time at the Mercury Lounge next Wednesday.

British indie-gal Carina Round has a 3 night stand next week at 3 different venues: Pianos on Thursday, Rothko on Friday, and Mercury Lounge on Saturday. And also next Thursday, the Allman Brothers Band begin their annual two week stand at the Beacon Theater.

Friday March 10 is a frustrating night. What to choose?! Metric at Webster Hall? or Les Sans Culottes at Magnetic Field? Argh! Some of you should split the difference and go see the Datsuns at Maxwell's. Some of you must like them. You can also see them the next night at the Merc.

Isobell Campbell comes to Southpaw on the Ides of March while the Pogues (yes that's right...the POGUES!!!) begin a 4 night sold-out stand at the Nokia Theater on the 16th. And that brings us to St. Patrick's Day. If you don't have a ticket to the Pogues (like me, the idiot), you can see Black 47 at the Knitting Factory. They are playing two shows in one night. You can skip the Corned Beef and Potatoes and Parade, and go see the one and only John Doe at Maxwell's.

Indie darlings Jenny Lewis & The Watson Twins return to New York for the second time in a month for two nights at Irving Plaza, starting on the 18th.

There's nothing going on until the 23rd (as far as I can tell, it's always subject to change) then you have more hard choices: Richard Hawley at Sin-é? Controller.Controller at the Merc? Animal Collective at Webster Hall? Sigh.
The next night, Ray Davies begins three nights at Irving Plaza. And Saturday the 25th is again full of choices: Davies, Animal Collective again - this time at the Bowery Ballroom, The Gossip at the Knitting Factory, and the most hyped band in the world, the Arctic Monkeys, making their New York debut at Webster Hall.

And yet the month is still not over! On Monday the 27th, the White Rose Movement finally plays the Mercury Lounge. And the month ends triumphantly with the Flaming Lips at Webster Hall on the 31st. And sure enough, they kick off what's going to be another insane month, the next night.

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Thursday, March 02, 2006

Call Me Crazy...

...But people crowd surf and mosh to the Strokes?
And this is a good thing?

I don't get New York. No one moves an inch for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs but they go ballistic for the Strokes...I love my city, I love just about everything there is, but I don't get this inconsistency of when to go nuts and when not to...

Of course, I never go nuts. I like to dance and headbang a little. Moshing and crowd surfing is for the birds. And for the Strokes? What are you fucking kidding me here??? Maybe it has to do with the age rules at certain gigs? I really don't know.

While I'm at it, other things I hate about my beloved hometown:
  • The fucking cost of living, particularly in the housing department.
  • The weather in winter. This ice...I hate it. I hate ice. Oh lord do I hate ice. I hate it so.
Blue Republic has drifted off to some neurotic, personal place tonight. Good night everybody.

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Wednesday, March 01, 2006

Fire In The Disco

There is no escape. Rock magazines, web-zines, message boards, even NPR...the Arctic Monkeys are everywhere. A DIY band like Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, these boys from Sheffield (I think the last band to make it out of that town was Def Leppard...yeesh) have the most hype of any band I have seen come around since the Strokes. Personally, the hype ruined the Strokes for me until I gave them another listen and liked them for what they are. I listened to the Arctic Monkeys before the hype even really kicked in and I wasn't impressed. My girlfriend thinks they're good and I am willing to give them a second chance, so let's give it some time. They remind of me old timers like the Jam and new blood like Franz Ferdinand...so it's not horrible...it's just not special.

And in case you can't tell, this dance-rock thing is everywhere. It isn't just the Arctic Monkeys and Franz Ferdinand. It's We Are Scientists. It's The Editors. It's She Wants Revenge. It's Metric (Metric's "Monster Hospital" is probably the best song by any of these bands, with their own "Combat Baby" and a few Franz Ferdinand singles to rival). Last year, it was The Killers and Bloc Party. Before that, Interpol. Even The Strokes turned to dance-rock on a couple of tracks on their latest (and most dissapointing) album, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs have new, dancey sounds. And of course, there's Electric Six, who sound just a little bit different from the rest of these cats.

Someone took the garage and put it in the disco. Everyone wants to be the Talking Heads or the Jam (which explains why almost all these bands are either from New York City or from Britain) or, if they're darker, The Cure. Fire in the disco, indeed.

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Yeah New York

Yeah Yeah Yeahs; Oakley Hall
@Bowery Ballroom
New York, NY – February 25, 2006


When the indie rock scene was smoking hot at the turn of the century, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs were considered the cream of the crop without really doing much. Along with the Strokes and the Mooney Suzuki, they represented New York’s presence in the scene, standing out with an art-rock edge, taking chances (rather than sticking to a repeated formula), and led by an ambitious, talented young woman who recalled the aura of New York’s great rock n roll dames before her. And all this happened before YYY put out their first full-length album. Once that full-length album dropped, the band faced the inevitable backlash from the picky critics but managed to pick up an unexpected surprise mainstream radio hit with “Maps”. Fast forward a couple years, and YYY is finally back, taking more chances, defying the odds, and doing it all in more ways than one. First, Karen O, Nick Zinner, Brian Chase, and a new keyboardist/guitarist decide to take the band’s sound in a new direction: a darker but smoother form of pop music one can move to, without sounding Goth or industrial. For the sake of comparison, I’ll throw Roxy Music out there, but I expect to be properly chastised for such a size-up. The next step: playing live with almost exclusive concentration on the new material. With the exception of “Art Star”, “Y Control”, the aforementioned “Maps”, the hidden track on Fever to Tell, and “Tick”, YYY played nearly 2 full hours of brand new music that sounded different from the work that made them a success, both critical and commercial (Well, “Maps” is sort of dark pop, but it’s not very danceable). But is this new stuff any good? The studio results remain to be seen but live wise, it’s fantastic. The band is entirely in synch, Karen O’s voice was perfect on this night, and the songs, both old and new, resonate with syncopated clarity. In a word…outstanding.
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Openers Oakley Hall looked like the entire set-up for Lynyrd Skynyrd, and tried to sound more like Whiskeytown and My Morning Jacket and it just didn’t work. Snooze factor on 10.

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