Discosalt is happy to report that Sunday Best will officially return this summer at BKLYN Yard ! Resident DJ’s Justin Carter, Eamon Harkin & Doug Singer will be joined by special guests every Sunday from Memorial Day Weekend to Labor Day Weekend spinning everything from rare Nigerian disco to shimmering, summertime techno. Returning to the space are Margarita Hernandez’s huraches and of course cold beer and sangria plus some new add on’s like a bocce ball court.
The Dead Weather are going to premiere their new album Sea of Cowards by performing it live in its entirety! The band will premiere the record at the Third Man Records building in downtown Nashville, the same space where they played their very first show in 2009. This exclusive live performance will stream on May 3rd at 3pm PST/6pm EST on MySpace Music and the band’s Myspace page. Prior to Monday’s live performance stream, analog will be going digital for the first time! Fans can tune into Screaming Vinyl Live, a 24-hour listening party for Sea of Cowards. Embeddable UStream players located on both Third Man Records and The Dead Weather websites will be playing the new album on vinyl via a live camera and audio stream. Screaming Vinyl Live kicks off Friday April 30th at 10am PST/1pm EST from locations in both Nashville and Los Angeles and will feature surprise guest DJs.
Tweet-To-Download for a free “Hustle and Cuss” MP3 and automatically be entered to win a VIP package and flyaway to Bonnaroo! http://www.tweematic.com/deadweather/
The Dead Weather combines the furious talents of members Alison Mosshart, Jack White, Jack Lawrence and Dean Fertita. The follow up to last year’s #6 Billboard debut, Sea of Cowards is a robust and vigorous second act filled with primal, bone quaking rock rhythms and the same stellar urban blues and throbbing sleaze as its predecessor. Sea of Cowards drops May 11th via Third Man Records. Check out the Floria Sigismondi-directed clip for “Die By The Drop“ HERE.
Track List:
Blue Blood Blues
Hustle and Cuss
The Difference Between Us
I’m Mad
Die By the Drop
I Can’t Hear You
Gasoline
No Horse
Looking at the Invisible Man
Jawbreaker
Old Mary
Check out the brand new video “NW Apt.” from Band Of Horses off their upcoming release Infinite Arms, which is due out May 18th. The video was directed by Christopher Wilson, who also created the Infinite Arms album artwork. It’s a simple but beautifully shot time-lapse montage of the the Pacific Northwest. Pretty enough to make you hate your job even more and want to get in the car and plan a camping road trip instead of staring at a computer screen.
The band is on tour now:
WITH JOSH ROBERTS & HINGES
04/29/10 LAKE BUENA VISTA, FL -HOUSE OF BLUES
NEW ORLEANS JAZZ FESTIVAL
05/01/10 NEW ORLEANS, LA -FAIRGROUNDS RACE COURSE
BEALE STREET MUSIC FESTIVAL
05/02/10 MEMPHIS, TN- TOM LEE PARK
WITH PEARL JAM
05/03/10 KANSAS CITY, MO -SPRINT CENTER
05/04/10 ST. LOUIS, MO -SCOTTRADE CENTER
05/06/10 COLUMBUS, OH -NATIONWIDE ARENA
05/07/10 NOBLESVILLE, IN -VERIZON WIRELESS AMPHITHEATRE
05/09/10 CLEVELAND, OH -QUICKEN LOANS ARENA
05/10/10 BUFFALO, NY -HSBC ARENA
05/13/10 BRISTOW, VA JIFFY LUBE LIVE
05/15/10 HARTFORD, CT-XL CENTER
05/17/10 BOSTON, MA -TD BANKNORTH GARDEN
05/18/10 NEWARK, NJ – PRUDENTIAL CENTER
05/21/10 NEW YORK, NY -MADISON SQUARE GARDEN
HEADLINE DATES
05/27/10 DAVIS, CA- UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, FREEBORN HALL
05/30/10 BEND, OR -LES SCHWAB AMPHITHEATER
SASQUATCH FESTIVAL
05/31/10 GEORGE, WA-GORGE AMPHITHEATER
06/20/10 BROOKLYN, NY – WILLIAMSBURG WATERFRONT (WITH GRIZZLY BEAR)
Casiotone for the Painfully Alone came to the Mercury Lounge on 4/27 for an incredibly great set. We have been responsible for putting on two shows for Owen, first on Halloween 2008 with No Kids and Pomegranates in the now defunt Pour Haus and again last year with You’re My Density at Skull Alley. On both occasions, Owen sat behind the keyboard and told us his stories, however in New York with opening band Magical Beautiful as his subsequent backing band, Casiotone for the Painfully Alone performed the best set we’ve yet seen from them. Primarily because this time it was a “them” rather than just Owen, and while Owen is all that’s needed to get the essence of the songs, hearing the little something extra the backing band provides made all the difference.
The set started with one of my favorites, Nashville Parthenon. They also informed us that the new Sun Kill Moon EP titled “I’ll Be There” (which makes me think of the show Friends) will have a cover of “Natural Light” which they also played. One thing you have to love about a band named Casiotone for the Painfully Alone is their way with titles, and among my favorite songs is no exceptions, namely “Traveling Salesman’s Young Wife Home Alone On Christmas In Montpelier, VT” and my girlfriend particularly liked the title “Tom Justice, the Choir Boy Robber, Apprehended at Ace Hardware in Libertyville, IL” which Owen informed us to be a true story. As Owen finished the song Killers it occurred to him and us that someone had been playing their iPod on its loudspeaker in the crowd to combat Owen’s set. What makes this occurrence particularly interesting is that I had a discussion with Owen and Nick from No Kids at the first show on Halloween 2008 about rude crowds and their complaints that “We Can Hear You.” After being called out, the immature kids snickered a few times like 4th grade schoolboys then let it go. I was afraid that Owen was going to be turned off to the crowd by that point, but it was clear that during the course of “You Were Alone” that the set somehow turned in a very positive way and the energy of the crowd really picked up as did Owen’s own. While you’re not going to find crazed or hectic dancing at a CTFPA show, the bouncing increased as did the sing-alongs and the entire atmosphere seemed to have lighted somehow just in time for two more of my favorites, “White Christmas” and “Bobby Malone.” Unfortunately, it seemed the amp couldn’t keep up and Owen blew out his speakers. After playing a few more songs, Owen closed the set with “White Jetta“, warning the crowd that to stay the same is to never change.
I have always greatly enjoyed seeing Owen perform in the past, but seeing him as a full band was an entirely new experience and one I hope to catch again and again.
New York City based photographer Alessandro Zuek Simonetti was born in Italy and grew up parallel to the urban street cultures of the early 90′s. Developing his own distinct photographic language reflects his deep interest in young niche cultures. Quite often each project stretches beyond the photographic medium which serves as a sign of his maturing expression as an artist. After his graduation from the Accademy of Fine Arts of Venice in 2001 he became a professor of Photography at The Institute of Arts in Padova, Italy. His works have been published in important national and international magazines such as Rolling Stone, GQ, Warp Magazine Japan, Tema Celeste, Vice and Theme. He has also collaborated with brands such as Carhartt, Zoo York, 55dsl, Lee, Bijules, Still Life NYC, Redbull, Evisu, Sartoria comunication and Slam Jam. (http://www.zuekphotography.com/?q=bio)
Melancholy at its best. Dredging up decades of gloomy rock carcasses most indie bands have spend the past decade trying to bury, Courage of Others feels like an old ghost. Midlake takes it’s 60′s British progressive folk-rock sound into much darker territory, with a folk album that is more thematically metal. Mystical lyrics about the Druids layered between hypnotically mournful bucolic guitars, echoing flutes and textured keys, create an array of sonic layers best experienced with headphones that is both somber and seducing. Read more articles on Midlake
International cult hip-hopper M.I.A. is back with an aggressive new single “Born Free” and a shocking controversial video. Way more hardcore than “Paper Planes”, “Born Free” features heavy samples from “Ghost Rider” by Suicide, and the intense video, directed by Roman Gavras, addresses themes of racism and militarism through an ultra-violent plot. Its ginger jihad and its pretty disturbing. YouTube pulled the video yesterday for its graphic content, but M.I.A. has no intentions of censoring the video or her message to appease mainstream music fans. She responded on twitter saying: “BOOOOOOO” and has posted the video on her website. Today, it is also available again on youtube but only to registered users. Gavras will take the concept for the video even further, releasing his directorial debut “Redheads” which will draw the plot of “Born Free” into a full length feature film. You can watch the video below:
This Friday, The Dig hit the first ever Truck America Festival at Full Moon Resort in Big Indian, NY. Then on Saturday, May 1, they start a string of dates with The Joy Formidable in NYC with a sold out show at Mercury Lounge. And then on Sunday at noon, they’ll be at The Bamboozle Festival at the Meadowlands. These guys put on an incredible show so don’t miss out seeing them live this time around. We caught them on tour with the Antlers earlier this year and you can check out the Discosalt review HERE.
Download a track from their new album Electric toys, which will now be released on June 8th, below:
TOUR DATES WITH THE JOY FORMIDABLE Apr 30 @ The Truck Festival (Full Moon Resort ) – Big Indian, NY
May 1 @ Mercury Lounge – NYC (SOLD OUT)
May 2 @ The Bamboozle (Meadowlands) – East Rutherford, NJ
May 4 @ Horseshoe Tavern – Toronto
May 5 @ The Green Room – Montreal
May 6 @ Harper’s Ferry – Allston, MA
May 7 @ Kung Fu Necktie – Philly
May 8 @ Jillian’s – Albany
(Photo courtesy: mercurialn)
Much hyped Texas trio Harlem graced New York with a quicky on Thursday (4/22). I can think of lots of adjectives to describe their show: silly, giddy, playful, unpretentious…the list goes on and on. They certainly don’t take themselves too seriously lending to a signature stage presence.
A lot of bands attempt to play everything technically correctly in their live shows, but Harlem certainly isn’t one of them. Not only did they restart songs several times, but at one point during the show, singer/guitarist/drummer Michael Coomers said “Its only been four minutes and I already fucked up”. The great thing about this show was how much fun the band was having, they were on stage rocking out, talking to each other over the mics, and entertaining all of us. Instead of worrying about playing a flawless show, their wild on stage attitude lends itself to a true rock and roll vibe. Everything about them was, in a word, badass. The experience of seeing them interacting on stage was as important as the actual music.
The set was relatively short, as is the nature of their dizzying, all-out intensity songs. They covered a great deal of Hippies bringing the messy characteristic of their tracks to life. Every song felt impromptu, as though they had a loose set list and they certainly didn’t feel any need to stick to it or even discuss the changes amongst themselves. They seemed to be constantly surprised at themselves, taking a moment to get into the groove of each song. I liked the unrehearsed nature of the show. Abandoning the shiny, pretty boy rock of most pop music seems to be their MO, and it works.
After all of this talk about sloppy performance, I should clarify that there was a great deal of musicianship displayed on stage. The show began with Coomers as lead singer/guitarist with Curtis O’Mara on drums and Jose Boyer on bass. About half way through the set, O’Mara and Coomers traded positions and assumed new roles. The transition was seamless, and I hadn’t expected that from the recordings. If either Coomer or O’Mara prefer one role over another, it isn’t apparent.
Supporting Harlem were Brooklyn based The Girls at Dawn. As my concert buddy said, they were “total babes”. As a chick myself I was certainly envious of their position opening up for three other sexy rock boys. They played punk inspired grunge/psych rock. The Girls aren’t trying to float by on their looks: they played a tight set which felt well rehearsed and solid. They didn’t have a strong stage presence though, it felt a little bit timid and shy. This could be the result of almost constant harmonic vocals, preventing any serious dancing and jumping around, but the show was static. As an opener for Harlem they seemed organized but reserved.
Polo Jeans Co. is presenting a showcase of work from 50 of Europe’s most recognized up and coming contemporary artists called ART STARS. Inspired by the iconic American Star Spangled Banner and synonymous with the Polo Jeans Co. brand, the artists will create 3D pieces on stars made from the finest American denim. These will be displayed in select Polo Jeans Co. stores in key cities across Europe, before coming together in a public exhibition in London in late 2010. We were really excited to learn that Discosalt artist Pam Glew was selected as one of the featured artists! We love Pam’s work which you can check out more of right HERE or browse the last of her spray paint on horror fiction prints available in the Discosalt MERCH section. These move fast, so grab it!
Last time I saw real Estate they were opening for Woods at Market Hotel. I liked them well enough then to catch them at another Todd P show this weekend, featuring a total of 4 bands, although we only saw 3 of them.
Liam the Younger was on stage when we got there, and they were going at it. They weren’t bad, but they did need some help in the vocals department. Both of the singers were a little bit weak. Neither projected enough and there wasn’t any balance, you could barely hear the poor kids. I am going to chalk it up to a little bit of inexperience and a little bit of nerves.
Family Portrait was up next, and in my opinion, they stole the show. Their music has a lot of variety and a lot of energy. Styles swing from 60′s surfer songs to Nirvana inspired rock songs. Despite the range of influences, it was still a consistent sound, and enjoyable the whole way through. I look forward to hearing more from these boys (guys? we were guessing at their ages, and the results were inconclusive). Whatever they are doing, I hope playing Todd P basement shows is the springboard for a real record. Stay tuned, I’ll be following up on them.
Real Estate headlined the show. Here’s the thing about them: they are extremely consistent in their sound. They all sort of blend together a little bit. They put on a good show technically, despite a crowd of adoring fans, people weren’t getting into it. On another note, they had some er…supporters there who were sort of shouting in between songs and it was rather unprofessional. I don’t want to be that uptight person at a show…but I feel like these guys are probably going to do very well for themselves in the next couple of years and the time to establish themselves as professionals is now. As far as their musical performance was concerned they played like top notch gentleman, I think they just need to get their friends under control a little bit.
A few words about Monster Island Basement: I miss Market Hotel. It had such character (i think that character was old nicotine) and it was a good shape so that you were never in a bad sopt. MIB has lots of suppor beams, and a weird corner stage that makes it easy to be in a blind zone or stuck right next to a speaker. I’ll take it over nothing for sure, but I amholding out hope that Todd P can get proper licensing in place for MH so that it will come back to life. Without the nicotine.
