Coney Island had one of its best years ever, if you measure it by visitors. The city took over seven acres of land, with the intention of preserving the character of the neighborhood and brought in Italian amusement operator Zamperla to run a new Luna Park. But the controversy is far from over, as long-time business owners, Zamperla and the city continue to clash over the future of the storied amusement park and neighborhood.
But as I wrote over atHuffPo, Siren Festival is an annual reminder that the area is far from done. It's a celebration of the vibrant culture and beauty of the area, and also a tremendous showcase for indie stalwarts and rising stars. It's a hope that Coney's future will be as bright as its past.
The South Street Seaport was a staple of the past summer, as it's been for much of the last three years. The atmosphere is incredible - it's a tremendous way to give everyone a reason to come downtown, indicative of the continued transformation of Lower Manhattan, and the city as a whole. Huge credit to the civic groups and, yes, corporate sponsors, who make it possible.
The Friday before the 4th of July, I made my way down to see Beach Fossils and Woven Bones (headliner YellowFever was unable to make it at the last moment), and as usual, it was a great night: jangly guitars under a darkening sky, the East River breeze teasing the air.
A couple months after the show, Beach Fossils played a Daytrotter Session, which you can find here. Rest of the photos after the jump.
So, we had a bit of a storm earlier this week, and while the remnants slowly melt, here's a quick photographic tour down Fifth Avenue as it was on Monday. Also, it's a great reason to post one of the best winter songs ever.
One of the most unusual events of the year was Creators Project, a music and art extravaganza that seemed to come out of nowhere. Sponsored by heavyweights Vice and Intel, the series kicked off in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, before globe-trotting to London, Brazil, Seoul and Beijing. I was fortunate enough to snag a pass for New York through the open signups, and while the festival had some symptoms of exclusivity and corporate sponsorship - open bars, a private penthouse, free food - there was a refreshing focus on creativity, rather than consumerism.
The location was at Milk Studios at 450 West 15th Street, right by the High Line and a Diane von Furstenberg store, two symptoms of the rapidly changing neighborhood. Although rents have skyrocketed, there's also a pretty vibrant local art scene, and Creators capitalized on the environment by bringing a slew of visual and media installations, including work by Nick Zinner, Mira Calix and the xx. But the main draw was the music, which had some nostalgia-inducing locals like the Rapture and Interpol. "House of Jealous Lovers" and "Obstacle 1" have as much kick as they did in the early 2000s, and it was great to see veteran bands killing it.
On the other side were upstarts like Neon Indian and two of the biggest bands of 2010: Die Antwoord and Sleigh Bells. At the latter, I felt an intense deja vu - it was pretty much Justice 2.0, a sweaty, strob and bass-heavy affair, with an astonishing number of cameras clicking away (see above). Although it was all a bit overwhelming, I'm thankful that Alexis Krauss's saccharine vocals provide real hooks, even if they're often obscured by fuzz.
The signs at the event read "Welcome to Year One" - hopefully there will be many more.
(And yes, M.I.A. also played, but I was exhausted and went home. Sorry.)
Check out photos of Interpol here, rest of the shots after the jump
As the year comes to a close, I'd like to take a chance to look back and post some photos from the summer that were taken before I started blogging again. Here's the first installment.
One of the first shows of the summer was the kick-off of the "Gone To Governors" series, sponsored by Bowery Presents and the ubiquitous Converse. Having never been to Governors Island, I was looking forward to checking out the tiny landmass, and after enduring a couple hours on line to the ferry, I was greeted with a sandy beach stage, very similar to the ones by the Seaport and Long Island City.
Openers Delicate Steve and Keepaway played energetic sets, but the real attraction was Yeasayer, who have grown by leaps and bounds since their CMJ days. This band can truly command a big stage - their sweeping multi-part harmonies and battery of instruments proving to be quite a match for the ambitious lighting rig and huge crowd. My one regret is that I didn't make it down to Governors for any other shows, as the heat and daunting lines were both pretty rough, but I'm glad I made it to this one.
As a gift to fans, Yeasayer just released a live recording of their gig at the Ancienne Belgique in Brussels, which you can download for a price of your choosing here. You can also grab a free mp3 of "O.N.E." by signing up for their mailing list below.
I had been meaning to check out the Showpaper Gallery on 42nd Street, and last Tuesday's show provided the ideal opportunity. It's a weird place to see a show, just down the street from Capital Grille, Grand Central and, incidentally, in the vicinity of the most expensive office submarket in the city. But with the help of non-profit Chasama, promoter Todd P managed to secure the space for an indie rock venue and arcade by video game collective Babycastles, creating a cultural interloper in the white collar neighborhood.
As previouslyreported, the location is a nexus of sorts for Showpaper, the free, weekly guide for all-ages shows around the city. The gallery served as the headquarters for an ambitious drop-off operation of specially designed Showpaper boxes throughout the city, and its walls are still covered in the publication's artwork. The installation's games have a retro, nostalgic feel - Rumble Box, which was projected in the front room, was a good example.
On the music end, it was a fantastic lineup: newcomers Friends started things off, the ensemble playing their varied instruments, and singer Samantha Urbani cooing and shimmying on stage, before descending to the crowd's level for the second half. This band could be going places next year - and not just opening for Darwin Deez around the country. They'll also be playing Shea Stadium on Jan. 7.
Next was Sultan, Kayla Cohen's guitar-and-pedals project, saturating the room with reverb and washes of guitar. The songs were long, instrumental pieces, each flowing into another, with a sprinkling of Cohen's ghostly vocals. I'd call it a more eclectric version of Grouper - which is to say, a pretty good thing. (Disclosure: I worked with Kayla at WNYU for a few semesters.)
Cassie Ramone of Vivian Girls played a high-spirited acoustic set, along with two friends. The prolific songwriter, who also plays in the Babies, reiterated relatively simple themes of love and loss. But the music never real sinks into pure despair, as her high, distinct voice is more inclined to yearn than brood.
Ducktails finished things off, with Matt Mondanile setting up with a sampler, keyboard and eventually guitar. It was a woozy, comfortably paced set, building melodies out of minimal elements and stacking Mondanile's vocals on top. He got a little tambourine help from my friend Andy (who drums in Toro Y Moi) on the last song, a nice end to a fun night.
Although the year is winding down, and the rest of this weeks looks pretty dormant, there's some amazing stuff happening tonight. Chairlift is playing at the Knitting Factory in Brooklyn for free, which feels like their first show around these parts in quite a while. (Co-singer Aaron Pfenning has been touring under his Rewards.)
Over at the Showpaper Gallery on 42nd Street is a great lineup: Ducktails' Matt Mondanile, also of Real Estate, is playing a solo set, along with Cassie Ramone from Vivian Girls, Sultan (Kayla Cohen, a long-time DJ at WNYU) and Friends, who were recently profiled here. Suggested donation is $5.
In the wake of Terra Firma's failed lawsuit against Citigroup, the private equity firm appears ready to surrender the smallest major label, EMI, to the bank, according to the Post. Hypebot speculates that the transfer could come as early as Christmas. While EMI's finances have actually improved over recent years, Terra Firma looks unwilling to invest the another £200 million by next June to retain control.
Citigroup isn't particularly known for its love of music, and the bank's next probable move would be to liquidate the record company, which has a lucrative back catalogue. A month ago, it was reported that Warner Music would make a $750 million bid, although EMI CEO Robert Faxton wrote at the time that a move would be "utterly idiotic" and devalue the label's long-term health. Sadly, Citigroup's goal isn't to keep EMI healthy - it's to get rid of it for as much money as possible.
Hopefully, something good will come out of this mess.
(Disclosure: I interned at Astralwerks, an EMI-owned label, over the summer of 2008. There were layoffs.)
After spending recent nights in sweaty dives and mega-clubs, it was a breath of fresh air to return to Mister Saturday Night's cozy loft. The key word is comfort, with residents Eamon Harkin and Justin Carter keeping things melodic and groovy, but not too loud, for the first part of the night. Unfortunately, projectionist Sam Wiehl, who worked past parties, is back in Liverpool, so the lighting was just the disco ball and a couple of lights, but the DJ selections kept things warm.
The night's guest was Superpitcher, born Aksel Schaufler, a Kompakt stalwart with a playful take on disco and techno. He was all over the place, dancing around, tweaking knobs in the mixer and running to grab the next piece of vinyl for the turntables, which were suspended from the ceiling to prevent vibrations. His set was agile and fun, although not quite as immediate as some of his recorded stuff.
In related news, Kompakt is currently celebrating the holidays with daily giveaways and Resident Advisor published a recent feature on throwing the ideal party, with quotes from Mr. Carter.
Mister Saturday Night and Superpitcher will do it again tonight at the Standard on 848 Washington Street in the West Village. The residents will also be throwing what should be a tremendous party on New Year's Eve with Kyle Hall and Martyn, details here. Flier for tonight and Superpitcher's "Heroin" below.
Four years and a few months ago, as a college freshman, I walked into a record store near St. Mark's and asked for a good place to see concert listings. The guy at the store, which sadly isn't around anymore, recommended the Village Voice, which happily still is. Although I've never had the pleasure at working at the weekly, a number of friends have, and their offices were just a few doors away from N.Y.U.'s journalism department.
The Voice has gone through some changes in the last few years, but their consistently entertaining culture coverage and excellentlong-formfeatures have made the paper a mandatory read for me. And they've boosted their online presence, with Runnin' Scared, Sound of the City and Fork in the Road offering daily goodness. So, with its current blog focus and the rapid rise of social media in recent years, it was a good time for the paper to hold its first annual Web Awards on Tuesday night at Santos.
Astronomical Kid, a 14-year-old rapper with a song about his mother, kicked things off, and then it was on to the winners. Host Todd Barry kept a dry sense of humor throughout the night, and while the internet can be a pretty ridiculous thing, it's also got an undeniable grip on this town. From music heroes like Oh My Rockness and East Village Radio to Deadspin to Four Loko advocate Eddie Huang, the web is the record, as well as the playground, of the city.
Christopher Weingarten offered an abbreviated version of his rant on online music coverage halfway through the event, and then it was on to the big awards. Particularly pleasing was the recognition of the two (fake) sides of former Observer editor Peter Kaplan, a frequently hilarious and sometimes poignant chronicle of life in the city, and a fitting tribute to cats at the end. Until next year!
Rest of the photos, including Astronomical Kid, Todd Barry, Christopher Weingarten and most of the winners below. For a complete list, look here.
Wrapping up a twodaystretch last weekend, I made my way down to Santos Party House in Chinatown to catch the end of Blkmarket Membership's birthday party for resident Fahad. The lineup was diverse, although I unfortunately missed Isolée, of "Beau Mot Plage" microhouse fame. The Hamburg DJ will be releasing a new album, Well Spent Youth, on Feb. 7, appropriately enough on DJ Koze's label.
Koze was holding court in Santos' main room when I entered, his beats and the pulsing red lights making the space resembling the chamber of a heart. His restrained style of techno has splashes of the exotic - "I Want To Sleep" is a recent example - and the addition adds a funkiness to the sometimes bare genre.
But the real action was downstairs, with Cassy Britton, a regular at Berlin's Panoramabar, part of the legendary Bergain, absolutely tearing it up. A pounding, perpetual beat was a welcome sound after nights of minimalism. Cassy's also a singer, and while she didn't perform on this night, she used a generous amount of vocal tracks, keeping a bit of humanity with the machinery.
Check out Cassy's haunting voice on Swayzak's "Smile and Receive."
After celebrating Christmas the night before, Saturday was an opportunity to commemorate Hanukkah at Yo La Tengo's almost-annual bash at Maxwell's. I had been to Hoboken a few times before and, while Jersey has that reputation, I think Hoboken is a vibrant town with a neat restaurant district. Alas, Maxwell's was a bit of a hike from the PATH station, particularly in the blistering cold, but I arrived just as it was filling up. The venue places its bar and restaurant up front, with a pretty tiny concert space in the back. It can get pretty cozy, but it was a treat to catch such a renowned band in an intimate space.
One of the great mysteries of Yo La Tengo's eight-night residence is the identity of the guests. (BrooklynVegan has been keeping score.) The anticipation only grew when Ira Kaplan of Yo La Tengo, who played M.C. throughout the night, came on stage to introduce the first performer. I'm ashamed to admit that I had no idea who Syl Johnson was, but any ignorance was soon irrelevant, as he launched into a brilliant, soulful performance with a full band. What a voice!
Listening now to his records - which date back to the 1950s - I'm struck by how great he still sounds, at age 74. Moreover, he threw in guitar and harmonica, along with some effortlessly hilarious banter, and his band was awesome as well, particularly the full brass section, which included a trumpet, tenor saxophone and horn. Amazing.
Johnson has a boxed set out that mines his many hits and the Times has a profile of him.
Next, comedian Jon Glaser, as "Rabbi Attitude," had a mercifully brief monologue about putting his cat to sleep, finding out it could talk and then admitting it was all a lie and cursing out the crowd. Quite a few people thought it was funny, but I'd rather get my laughs elsewhere.
Finally, it was time for Yo La Tengo. The set was comparable to their CMJ show at Brooklyn Bowl, as an eclectic mix that spanned everything from gargantuan, feedback-drenched epics to sharp, taut indie pop to lovely acoustic meanderings. Again, Ira Kaplan, Gorgia Hubley and James McNew's vocals were all on full display, weaving together on the fuller arrangements and each member singing lead on a few tracks each.
It was a bit of a family affair, with McNew dedicating a song to his wife, who was celebrating her birthday, and Kaplan inviting his mother on stage to close the set. During the encore, the band also enlisted Peter Wolf, an old school Massachusetts rocker who was in the J. Geils Band and Glaser, who hid his face in a mask.
As the band said themselves, despite growing up in relatively secular households, they've really transformed Hanukkah, and the holidays as a whole, into a special time. Going beyond the boldfaced names of the guests and the songs that were played. Yo La Tengo's Hanukkah marathons are a reminder of how generations can come together and share a moment. And that, at the risk of getting sentimental, is the greatest gift of all.
Update: The Voiceis reporting Wednesday night's guest is the National.
Exiting the subway station at Herald Square, I was struck by an immediate feeling of displacement. Midtown South, with its mid-rise office buildings, skyscrapers and proximity to Times Square, is a weird, weird place to see minimal techno. But to their credit, Blkmarket Membership and District 36 are betting that Manhattan is ready for a big, new venue dedicated to electronic music. I really hope they're right.
The building is near Fifth Avenue on 36th Street, with the Empire State Building peaking out a couple blocks south. Barricades and ropes corral the entrance from the street, and bouncers flank the doors. Middle-aged pedestrians walked by in the night, glancing curiously at the black-clad smokers and the throbbing bass escaping the walls. Once inside, another bouncer frisks each patron thoroughly, and then it's up another set of stairs to the ticket booth, another ticket check, and finally into the club proper.
The space is enormous. The sound system is robust, enveloping. Bass reverberates like thunder and dozens of strobe lights flicker and pirouette, hitting an enormous disco ball and forming a splash of colors and images on the imposing walls. It is a venue built for maximum effect, a two-level arrangement that recalls the aircraft hanger aesthetic of Terminal 5. But instead of an expansive stage, DJs are suspended over the crowd in a booth, confirming District 36's monogamy with electronic music, but displacing the intimacy of warehouse and loft parties.
Magda and Marc Houle are dominant names in techno, and their sets were suitably physical affairs, pummeling the speakers with brutal force, but also with a certain anonymity. In a recent conversation on Resident Advisor, their new albums were afterthoughts. Although such works encapsulate their styles - Magda's fascination with cinematic noir and dark disco, Houle's more rockist leanings - the mettle of a DJ is demonstrated in his or her ability to command a dance floor, rather than recording original material. Their particular style is pretty much devoid of those one-hit "bangers," creating an overall mood over the span of tracks, rather than fist-pumping through recognition.
It's dark, often difficult stuff, and I still struggle to fully enjoy the music, as much as I respect the people and the concepts. The technical expertise is astounding - Magda's She's A Dancing Machinemakes Girl Talk look like child's play - but accessible, it isn't. So, I left District 36 feeling satisfied, but not entirely at ease. And perhaps that's the point.
The holidays are an extended season, stretching from mid-November to the end of the year. So, it wasn't too much of a stretch to celebrate Christmas last night at Shea Stadium with Kanine Records for a special holiday gig. I was introduced to Kanine years ago through Crashin' In, a weekly party at Public Assembly (then called Galapagos - I feel old!). Sadly, Crashin' In no longer around, but the spirit of unknown bands in cool Brooklyn spaces lives on.
I got there for the second band, Roanoke, Virginia's Eternal Summers, whom I had missed just a couple weeks back at 285 Kent. The duo of Nicole Yun and Daniel Cundiff have a simple organization: guitar and drums, with Yun singing lead and Cundiff adding vocals here and there. Shea's sound system tends to add a searing immediacy to instruments, so despite the lean setup, the band filled up the venue. They call themselves "dream punk," a pretty concise description, although the set was more about impact than hooks.
Dream Diary was next, and I can't think of a more appropriate name for the band. They take the jangly guitars and airy boy-girl vocals of a Pains of Being Pure at Heart and push it to an even more delicate place, strumming shimmering, gauzy riffs. I eat this stuff up and really enjoyed the set, which included a cover of Tom Petty's "Christmas All Over," complete with glockenspiel accompaniment. Check out the cover below, via BrooklynVegan.
Afterwards, there were some awesome and surprising selections for inter-set music, including Ride, R.E.M., Nine Inch Nails (!), and also one of the best songs ever.
Finally, before heading out to Magda, I saw Xray Eyeballs, an ensemble that played bass-heavy grooves. Although there were a couple of guitars and synth in the mix, what struck me was the relentless thunk at the bottom, pretty much dominating the vocals of singer O.J. Thus, it was kind of difficult to discern what the songs were about, exactly, although "Ice Cream Sundae" was definitely the title of one track, which can only be a good thing. Check them out on WFMU.
Whoa, is it going to be a spectacular weekend for dance music!
The action kicks off tonight, with DFA's Juan Maclean and Tim Sweeney of Beats in Space on WNYU teaming up at 287 Kent Avenue. Not sure if that's the same as 285 Kent, but close enough. Expect melodic, funky house and disco all night, and catch a preview with Maclean's guest mix on Sweeney's show. Maclean will return next Thursday, Dec. 9, to Tammany Hall - details on the space, formerly known as the Annex, over at BrooklynVegan.
On the more minimal end, Minus' Magda and Marc Houle will play at Blkmarket Membership's party at District 36, the new midtown spots. I'm really excited to check this place out - here's hoping a large new dance venue can work! No advance sales - tickets are at the door, $20 before midnight and $30 afterwards. Check out a revealing conversation between the two at Resident Advisor.
Finally, English DJ (and journalist) Mary Anne Hobbs will take over Music Hall of Williamsburg, along with Toro Y Moi's Chaz Budnick, who is known to get down under the moniker Les Sins. Tickets are $20 at the door. (Disclosure: Andy, the drummer for Toro Y Moi, interned with me at Astralwerks a couple years back and is totally awesome.)
So, it's a tough choice between the three, but they all start late and end late, just as we like it, and it's definitely feasible to hit up a rock show first (I'll be at Shea Stadium). And this is just the beginning! More to come on Saturday...
After a calm week of Thanksgiving, it was good to hit the concert circuit once again. The destination was Mercury Lounge, one of the best intimate venues in the Manhattan, and a great spot to see an up-and-coming band. It was a pretty sprawling lineup, spanning the better part of four hours, although I unfortunately missed opener La Big Vic.
As they began setting up, it was clear that Miracles of Modern Science were not your typical rock band. They had a full string quartet: double bass, mandolin, violin and cello, along with drums. And while most pop groups use strings as a flourish, MOMS, as they're known by, use them to lay a foundation. On top was double bassist Evan Younger's baritone, a strong voice that was joined during particularly intense parts by the rest of the band. As the set progressed, things got looser, less reliant on vocals, and more beat-driven, culminating in one last blast.
There are a bunch of free songs on the band's official site, and as they told the crowd at the end of the show, they're raising money for the mixing and distribution of their debut full-length album on the website Kickstarter. So far, they've raised almost $14,000 of the $15,000 that they need, but if they don't hit their goal by next Thursday, Dec. 7, they don't get any of it. So, by all means, if you like them, support them.
After seeing Family Portraitover CMJ (has it really been almost six weeks?), I had a rough idea of what to expect. But their set was a total reversal of the raucous density of the Shea Stadium show. For one, there were only three of them, and the keyboards and electronics were front-and-center, with a sampler displacing the drum kit. I didn't even realize at first they had started playing after a looping beat entered the speakers, until I saw that they were, in fact, moving.
But I actually really enjoyed them more than the last time - the repetitious, woozy notes and Evan Brody's filtered voice really hit a sweet spot. Apparently a lot of this was new material - Brody called it the "death" and "rebirth" of Family Portrait - and I'm definitely interested to see where they go.
The good times only got better with Tennis. As the story goes, husband and wife Alaina Moore and Patrick Riley took a seventh-month sailing trip, and the experience influences all of their songs. Their set was a journey to a lush destination, with Moore's achingly pretty voice as buoyant as a sailboat. She was also sweet and personable, responding gracefully to random shouts from the crowd and helpfully naming most of the songs before the band did its thing.
On the other side of the stage, Riley and drummer James Barone kept pretty fixed positions, with the former in a perpetual crouch. When an eager person in the crowd wanted him to add some banter, he said, away from a mic, "I don't have a voice," but his agile guitar-playing created a nice dialogue with Moore's singing. The pace was mostly a brisk trot, although a few selections were set aside for "slow dancing," and a few in the crowd did just that.
The band played pretty much every song they had and covered Brenda Lee, clocking in at around 35 minutes with no encore, but the warmth lasted for hours, despite the freezing night.
Check out Tennis' fantastic Daytrotter Session and their MySpace. Also, someone was pretty awesome and recorded the entire Tennis performance. The sound quality is really good, too! Check out "Marathon."
For a while there, it looked as if the Swedes were going to rule the world. From the creepiness of the Knife to the effusive pop of Air France to the hushed tones of José González, the Nordic country seemed to have it all (along with good health care!).
Lykke Li has actually spent a decent chunk of time in Portugal and Nepal and India, according to her bio at Le Poisson Rouge, where she'll be playing tonight. But she definitely has Swedish cred, with Björn of Peter Björn and John producing her first album, a nice mix of acoustic and electronic.
The show's sold out, but since she just announced her second album, Wounded Rhymes, out March 1 in the U.S., expect a return.
Video for "I'm Good I'm Gone" below. Also check out the Friendly Fires cover.
Print may be dying, but every day, newspaper presses churn out miles of copy, creating a sketch of what happened. Matthew Herbert, producer extraordinaire, transformed the idea further, creating a musical piece out of the Guardian's print edition on Sept. 25. I have to admit I'm more into his dancier stuff, but this is really interesting, up there with Matmos.
A review of the show is at theGuardian, as well as a video (via Prefix) below. Way meta.
