WaterCoolerGossip

Jason of Product Shop NYC, a good friend to this blog (and me), has launched a new website: Stories in High Fidelity. Stories will feature first-person essays, tour diaries and reviews from some of the biggest names in music and a ton of buzz acts. Think of it as the Huffington Post for the music industry. Also, the old Product Shop NYC blog radio show on Sirius (Left of Center, Channel 26) will now be Stories in High Fidelity so tune in to that too.

MON., OCTOBER 20, 2008 AT THE HIGHLINE BALLROOM
STORIES IN HIGH FIDELITY PRESENTS
An evening of stories & music with
>> Jaymay (Autumn Fallin')
>> Chuck Klosterman (Downtown Owl, Fargo Rock City)
>> Dan Kennedy (Rock On: An Office Power Ballad)
>> Rob Sheffield (Love Is A Mix Tape)
>> Marc Spitz (A forthcoming biography of David Bowie, We Got the Neutron Bomb)
>> and amazing special guests to be announced

Get your tickets here! Check the hideously awesome flyer below.

UPDATE: Robert Christgau, the "Dean of American Rock Critics," has been added to the list of participants at the STORIES IN HIGH FIDELITY event at the HighLine Ballroom on Monday, October 20th, 2008.

Posted by 3xWes at 12:49 PM | Permalink

Ta-da!

So the ATJ CMJ showcase goes down on all three floors of the Knitting Factory next Wednesday (Oct. 22) at the Knitting Factory. Rough schedule below. Bad Veins, Inlets, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart — it is almost too much. You have about a week to prepare.

Old Office:
8 PM the Beets
8 45 the Lisps
9:30 Inlets
10:30 Motel Motel
11:15 Alina Simone
12:00 the Muggabears

Tap:
8 PM Best Friends Forever
8 45 PM the Depreciation Guild
9 30 PM My Teenage Stride
10:30 A Sunny Day in Glasgow
11:15 the Pains of Being Pure at Heart
12:00 Ringo Deathstarr

Main:
8 PM Starfucker
8 45 PM Unicycle Loves You
9 30 PM Bad Veins
10:30 Crystal Antlers
11:30 Heloise and the Savoir Faire
12:30 Juvelen

Posted by 3xWes at 12:34 PM | Permalink

Fleet Foxes at Bowery were amazing last night, the band brought down the house even with three out of the five foxes seated the entire show. People were cheering like it was the end of their set after the second song. Singer Robin Pecknold was oddly wearing a winter knit hat for half of the show, and between songs, it was obvious he was sick because he would cough uncontrollably then chug a bottle of water.

That did not really seem to hurt the band's performance nor Robin's—he played a few songs by himself and that dude can wail; you can see it in his face. The band is still crucial to the music. J. Tillman is great on the drums and the other guys add in their own harmonies. Christian Wargo and Casey Wescott are also in Crystal Skulls. I don't know what Skye Skjelset does in his spare time but that is a cool name.

I also was under the weather and had to endure gastrointestinal hell towards the end of the show. I puked on the way home and did not even drink. Awesome. But I did stick it out for the whole thing and it was worth it.

Fleet Foxes plays again tonight at Union Hall. They have added a midnight show and tickets are on sale at noon. Union Hall also releases a few tickets at the door but you would have to line up early for the 7:30 show. Go!

FLEET FOXES TOUR DATES
Jul 10 :: Union Hall :: Bohan, Liberty City :: Midnight tix here
Jul 12 :: Sub Pop 20th Anniversary Shindig :: Marymoor Park, WA
Jul 14 :: Middle East Upstairs :: Boston, MA
Jul 15 :: Le Divan Orange :: Montreal, QC
Jul 16 :: The Phoenix W/ Malkmus :: Toronto
Jul 17 :: Pitchfork Music Festival Preview Event :: Chicago, IL :: Free
Jul 18 :: Terrace - University Thing :: Madison, WI
Jul 19 :: Pitchfork Music Festival :: Chicago, IL
Jul 20 :: 7th Street Entry :: Minneapolis, MI
Jul 22 :: Hi Dive :: Denver, CO
Jul 23 :: Kilby Court :: SLC
Jul 25 :: The Douglas Fir :: Portland, OR
Jul 26 :: Capitol Hill Block Party & Hibernation :: Xachua’bsh, WA
Aug 07 :: Haldern Pop Fest :: Rees-Haldern, Germany
Aug 08 :: Oya Festival - Homeland Beckons :: Oslo, Norway, Oslo
Aug 09 :: Way Out West Fest! :: Gothenburg, Sweden
Aug 10 :: Beatday Oh-Eight :: Copenhagen, Denmark
Aug 18 :: Red Butte Garden W/ Wilco :: Salt Lake City, UT
Aug 20 :: Eagle Knoll Winery W/ Wilco :: Boise, ID
Aug 21 :: Inb Arts Center W/ Wilco :: Spokane, WA
Aug 23 :: Les Schwab Amphitheater W / Wilco :: Bend, OR
Sep 17 :: Back ’Round The US of a Americatown
Sep 21 :: Treasure Island Fest :: San Fran, CA
Oct 24 :: Coming Back To UK & EU! :: Old World
Nov 05 :: Shepherd’s Bush Empire :: London, UK

Posted by 3xWes at 10:02 AM | Permalink

After The Jump was a success. Over forty bands played and a good crowd was there for all of it. Props to anybody who was there for the full 15 hours of the festival. Check out the photo stream here. Brian took the awesome photo of Pela on the mainstage outside.


Also, tomorrow DJs Finger on the Pulse are have a rooftop BBQ at Studio B and thus calling it Studio BBQ. You can come hangout for free and eat for only $4! Food served from 7-10pm. Click the flyer for a larger view.

Posted by 3xWes at 04:17 PM | Permalink

Laura Marling played Mercury Lounge yesterday and despite the crappy weather there was a huge line to get it. I am not quite sure why the show was not really talked about on other NY music blogs but she has gotten nods from SFJ and Jon Pareles.

The girl is British folk music in its purest form. When she sings, her face goes blank and she looks like she is in a trance but the gaze is very fitting to her dark lyrics. Her band was actually most of Mumford & Sons, who opened and they pulled out many string instruments like ukulele, violin, and banjo. This was an excellent show and I am sure she will be back for a proper headlining show at a bigger venue. So young. So talented.

Posted by 3xWes at 06:25 PM | Permalink

Don't for get to drop by the second-annual After the Jump Fest on Saturday, which will be going all day and late into the night. See this post for more info and the schedule. There are a few tickets left to the night show, you can get them here.

After thousands of votes, the band Evil BBC has won the Stereofame contest. Thus they will get $2k and a spot on the bill at the fest. Thanks to everyone who voted and to Stereofame for making the contest happen.

If you are planning on coming, why not RSVP at Metromix for a chance to win an iPod shuffle. Thanks to Metromix for also sponsoring the fest.

Hope to see you there.

Posted by 3xWes at 06:09 PM | Permalink

Herman Düne (technically the band name) seems to find themselves in New York by surprise. This time they are rolling along with Yael Naim and Jeffrey Lewis. They have strung together a little mini-tour of New York that starts tomorrow at Sound Fix. I have no idea if The Baby Skins are available to sing back up or if the band will have a horn section featuring members of Arcade Fire and Beirut like last time. Still these shows are not to miss especially when the bill includes one of the handful people who you can definitely say is "anti-folk," JEFFREY LEWIS.

Get your tickets here. Thanks to Horses Think for the heads up.

HERMAN DUNE TOUR DATES
June 20th 2008 800PM
Instore show at Soundfix Williamsburg
Bedford Avenue, Record Store, Brooklyn, NY
--
June 22nd 2008 800PM
Central Park Summer Stage
W/Yael Naim
Manhattan, NY
--
June 23rd 2008 800PM
Maxwell's
W/Jeffrey Lewis
Hoboken, New Jersey
--
June 24th 2008 800PM
Iron Horse Music Hall
W/Jeffrey Lewis
Northampton, Massachussets
--
June 25th 2008 800PM
Union Pool (Williamsburg, NOT Union Hall)
W/Jeffrey Lewis
Brooklyn, New York

Posted by 3xWes at 05:33 PM | Permalink

New York's climbing real-estate prices show no sign of letting up even in the sour economy. Slowly one by one, a wealthier group of New Yorkers commandeers the space of the New Yorkers who are in the income bracket directly below them. This has been going on for years in the East Village / Lower East Side and we are somewhere between the stage of when the wealthy artists/musicians/scenesters get kicked out by wealthier doctors/lawyers/bankers who are in search of cool at a "reasonable" price.

At Ev Grieve you can read about a few real-estate generations back when this process was just beginning. And when below 14th Street and west of Bowery meant the Lower East Side not The East Village. I would love to see a companion article about Williamsburg circa the late 1990s. This cycle seems natural to the development of urban environments but you have wonder if it will ever level off.

Also note that the photos in the article are by famed photojournalist Steve McCurry.

Link via The Morning News. Also check out their interview with Jello Biafra, lead singer of punk's original political band The Dead Kennedys and founder of Alternative Tentacles Records (also home of Wesley Willis!). Jello Biafra is still at it and plans to perform at his 50th birthday tonight in San Francisco at the Great American Music Hall. Happy Birthday Jello.

Posted by 3xWes at 10:26 AM | Permalink

Laura Marling is back in the states for two small shows to prep for the release of Alas I Cannot Swim in August. She played yesterday at Glasslands and will play again tomorrow at Mercury Lounge.

Laura Marling, while only eighteen (born in 1990!), easily grasps the pains and sorrows of heartbreak and channels them through a long history of British folk music into an album that is far beyond her years. Maybe her youth is what allows her to take these dark feelings and tie a pretty white bow around them. She dresses up her sad lyrics with an innocent voice and beautiful folk instrumentation that yields a warm feeling when the music stops.

Anyway, these songs are too well crafted for you not to like them. I have yet to see her live but her album Alas I Cannot Swim is easily in my top five of 2008 midway through the year.

Go see her tomorrow at Mercury Lounge and check out the two songs or the video below.

DOWNLOAD
Laura Marling - Ghosts (MP3)
Laura Marling - I'm a Fly (MP3)

LAURA MARLING—GHOSTS

Posted by 3xWes at 09:28 AM | Permalink

Below is an email from Matt & Kim, I regret they are not on this blog more. They seem to have a huge summer planned.

This summer is going to be crazy!! … We have been hiding out for a bit recording a new album (which will blow everything else we did out of the water) as well as doing some tours overseas.… We fly from there to seattle and play on my birthday, 6/14 flag day!!

On tuesday we begin the FUCK YEAH TOUR!!! This tour is going to be totally nuts. I mean how often can you grab a bunch of your friends who play in rad bands like THE DEATH SET, TEAM ROBESPIERRE, MONOTONIX, and select dates with such bands as CIRCLE JERKS!, DILLINGER FOUR! and DAN DEACON among others. Throw them all in a veggie diesel bus … add some comedians, book sellers, and some awesome artists from space 1026 into the mix and create was kinda bound to be the most epic traveling fest ever!!

We will be on that tour for a few weeks and then depart with our friends THE DEATH SET to start a hand full of shows for the Vice/Colt 45 tour. We will be playing in LA, Atlanta, Chicago, Philly and Brooklyn. These shows will be free and will offer free colt 45 … which means they are 21+ ( i am really sorry about that … psst … sneak in!!)

You have to RSVP to these shows and they are in smaller spaces so if you want to go you should do it now. In the subject of this put HANGOVER. It basically lets them know you are there to see us. I also think the subject explains it all!

You would think at this point summer is over … well we didn't want it to end so we figured we should head to the west coast the end of august to do a tour up the coast. Those shows are still being worked out and if anyone has suggestions of places you think we should play we would love to hear! Sometime it is hard to know what are the sweet new venues or loft spaces when it isn't the coast you live on.

Hope to see you out and taking over the summer with us!!

Matt and Kim recently played a Black Swan party. Lots of people's teeth were red from all the free wine. Also, Here is another dance style remix of a Matt and Kim jam. None of the remixes have ever matched the energy of their original, but I am impressed people keep trying. If you live in New York RSVP for the Vice show at Hugs now; Finger on the Pulse will also DJ. Check out the rest of the dates below.

DOWNLOAD
Matt & Kim – No More Long Years [Radioclit Remix] (MP3)

MATT & KIM SUMMER TOUR DATES
Sat 6/14 :: SEATTLE WA :: Neumo’s :: show 8pm set time 11:30pm :: All ages
Tue 6/17 :: BALTIMORE MD :: Sonar - F Yeah Fest :: 407 East Saratoga St :: All ages
Wed 6/18 :: WASHINGTON DC :: The Black Cat - F Yeah Fest :: 1811 14th Street :: All ages
Thu 6/19 :: WINSTON-SALEM NC :: The Werehouse :: F Yeah Fest :: 255 N. Front St. :: All ages
Fri 6/20 :: ROSWELL GA :: WhirlyBall Atlanta - F Yeah Fest :: 608 Holcomb Bridge Rd. :: All ages
Sat 6/21 :: BIRMINGHAM AL :: The Bottletree - F Yeah Fest :: 2718 3rd Ave. South :: All ages
Sun 6/22 :: GAINESVILLE FL :: The Atlantic - F Yeah Fest :: 14 N. Main St. :: 18+
Mon 6/23 :: TAMPA FL :: Transitions Art Gallery - F Yeah Fest :: 4215 East Columbus Drive :: All ages
Wed 6/25 :: BATON ROUGE LA :: The Spanish Moon - F Yeah Fest :: 1109 Highland Rd. :: 18+
Thu 6/26 :: HOUSTON TX :: Walter’s on Washington - F Yeah Fest :: 4215 Washington Ave :: All ages
Fri 6/27 :: AUSTIN TX :: The Mohawk - F Yeah Fest :: 912 Red River :: All ages
Sat 6/28 :: FT. WORTH TX :: 1919 Hemphill - F Yeah Fest :: 1919 Hemphill St. :: All ages
Mon 6/30 :: LOS ANGELES CA :: King King :: 6553 Hollywood Blvd :: 21+ :: Free w/ RSVP
Wed 7/2 :: ATLANTA GA :: Drunken Unicorn :: 736 Ponce de Leon Place :: All ages :: Free w/ RSVP
Thu 7/3 :: CHICAGO IL :: The Hideout :: 1354 W. Wabansia :: 21+ Free w/ RSVP
Thu 7/3 :: CHICAGO IL :: The Stan Mansion - F Yeah Fest :: 2408 N Kedzie :: All Ages
Fri 7/ 4 :: PHILADELPHIA PA :: The Barbary :: 951 Frankford Ave :: 21+ :: Free w/ RSVP
Sat 7/5 :: BROOKLYN NY :: Hugs :: 108 N 6th St. :: 21+ :: Free w/ RSVP
Fri 7/11 :: PHILADELPHIA PA :: Starlight Ballroom - F Yeah Fest :: 460 N 9th St :: w/ Circle Jerks, Dillinger Four, Paint it Black, Monotonix & Team Robespierre :: All ages 6PM $16
Sat 7/12 :: MANHATTAN NY :: Highline ballroom - F Yeah Fest :: 431 W 16th St :: w/ Circle Jerks,Dillinger Four & Team Robespierre :: All ages 6pm $17
Sun 7/13 :: BROOKLYN NY :: McCarren Pool :: 900 Lorimer Street :: Free day show :: supporting The Breeders
Sun 7/13 :: BROOKLYN NY :: TBA - F Yeah Fest :: evening show
Wed 7/30 :: Minneapolis MI :: First Avenue :: supporting CSS & The Go Team!
Thu 7/31 :: MILWAUKEE WI :: Turner Hall :: 701 First Ave. North :: supporting CSS & The Go Team! :: 18+
Tue 8/5 :: TORONTO CANADA :: Kool Haus :: 132 Queen’s Quay East :: supporting CSS & The Go Team! :: All ages
Sat 8/9 :: WORCESTER MA :: Palladium :: 261 Main St. :: supporting CSS & The Go Team! :: All ages
Sun 8/10 :: ATLANTIC CITY NJ :: House of Blues :: 801 Boardwalk :: supporting CSS :: All ages
Tue 9/2 :: San Francisco CA :: Bottom of the hill :: 1233 17th St. :: All ages
Fri 9/5 :: Portland OR :: @ Backspace :: 115 NW 5th Ave. :: All ages

Posted by 3xWes at 11:31 AM | Permalink

For those of you bitter about being shut out of Love Is All at Cake Shop during, Sigur Ros at MoMA, Bon Iver anywhere, or any other show that sold out before you had a chance to get a ticket, Todd P is giving you another chance tomorrow. The always stellar Love Is All is back in the States for a first-come-first-serve show at Market Hotel or Harket Motel. And as far I can tell this motel does not take reservations. Details below.

====> SATURDAY 6/14 @ HARKET MOTEL <====

:: LOVE IS ALL
:::: VIVIAN GIRLS
:::::: caUSE co-MOTION!

[ HARKET MOTEL ]
1142 Myrtle @ Bdwy | Bushwick, Brooklyn
JMZ-Myrtle, L-Jefferson, G-Myrtle-Willoughby | 8pm | $9 | all ages

Posted by 3xWes at 10:21 AM | Permalink

The After the Jump Fest is happening next Saturday 6/21 in Williamsburg. There is so much going on I can't even summarize it all here. At night show you can catch Titus Andronicus, Health, Pattern is Movement, and DJ XXXchange (Spank Rock) with a late night dance party all on the same bill. Totally worth the $10.

Although you can see Pela, Ponytail, Chairlift, Bell, and all the other bands that are playing at the four day stages for FREE (and some of them outside).

The best thing about the fest is all these bands are in the same place but I am really stoked to see Titus Andronicus from Jersey, of all places. I gave their album another spin and although they might not like to hear this, dude really sounds like Bright Eyes except their music is faster and reckless. But they are cooler than that comparison and deserve something that sounds more pretentious.

Anyway, come to N6th near Galapagos / Music Hall of Williamsburg area next Saturday sometime between 12pm–12am Sunday and you won't be disappointed. See the full schedule below. Buy tickets to the night show here. Enter the awesome raffle when you get there – I think two CMJ badges are the grand prize.

Oh yeah and per usual, all proceeds from the night show will be donated to NYC school music programs. Thanks to these sponsors for making the fest possible: Gen Art Pulse, Snoozer Loser, CMJ Music Marathon, Metromix.com, The MuseBox, Uncensored Interview, Blog Fresh Radio, Rize, Brooklyn Brewery, Vitamin Water, and Stereofame (check the band battle /contest here).

DOWNLOAD
Titus Andronicus – My Time Outside the Womb (MP3)
Ponytail – Celebrate the Body Electric ... (MP3)

AFTER THE JUMP IS ORGANIZED BY:

themusicslut . batteringroom . disconap . earfarm . ryspace . irockiroll . merryswankster . softcommunication . theunderratedblog . sitdownstandup . watercoolergossip . bumpershine . themodernage . productshopnyc . subinev . punkphoto . poptartssucktoasted . stereoactivenyc . jinners . music is art

SHOW FLYER (CLICK FOR LARGER)
Art by Rad Rox

Posted by 3xWes at 09:41 PM | Permalink

This show was last Wednesday but I can't let it go unmentioned. Cut Copy played Bowery Ballroom along with T + T [Tim Goldsworthy (who helped produce the record) + Tim Sweeney] DJing beforehand. Shows that require lots of dancing can usually be a little awkward at Bowery but the crowd really got into this one; I was in the back and people were still moving around. Almost every Cut Copy song has a breakdown and they used them to their full advantage to drive people crazy. With this album and on this tour, Cut Copy has arrived in the pantheon of great bands like LCD Soundsystem, Hot Chip, and !!! that makes dance music come alive at a show.

Posted by 3xWes at 03:02 PM | Permalink

Mates of State played an early show at Mercury Lounge yesterday. It was good enough for seven o'clock at night. Full review at Product Shop. I regret not going to trivia directly after the show. Jason, Hal, Amrit, and Scott cleaned up.

Posted by 3xWes at 02:32 PM | Permalink

I saw Fuck Buttons at Mercury Monday, although I am not sure if Merc was the right venue. These two guys make some awesome noise with laptops, synth keyboards, and toy instruments. Their music drones, twinkles, and clicks along sometimes to weird tribal beats or screaming in the background, which would be more fitting if we were all outside, around a campfire, with robots flying overhead and blowing things up, marking the end of human civilization. True those environs are not really possible but maybe they could have played on the floor.

Also in regards to their stupid name one would think the would at least have buttons at their merch table either that say "fuck" or have one letter per button. You could collect them all.

(image credit)

Posted by 3xWes at 11:39 AM | Permalink