Results tagged “music”

Jimmy Lee Lindsey, the Memphis-based indie punk musician who was better known as Jay Reatard, was found dead early this morning at his home. He was 29 years old. His record label, Goner Records, confirmed the death on their website. Matador Records wrote: "We are devastated by the death of Jimmy Lee Lindsey Jr., aka Jay Reatard. Jay was as full of life as anyone we've ever met, and responsible for so many memorable moments as a person and artist. We're honored to have known and worked with him, and we will miss him terribly." Reatard released many albums over the last decade with various bands, and four well-received solo albums, including last years "Watch Me Fall." Concert promoter Todd P twittered: "You were talented & troubled & both a great influence and a negative influence on a lot of people. you should not be dead." more ›

The NY Times' David Gallagher linked to this chart earlier on Twitter, which tracks the listening habits of music fans in New York City and compares them to The World. Unsurprisingly, we love Animal Collective way more than anyone else. Seriously, our love for that band is practically off the charts, as they say. In fact, how dare you even try to measure our love for Animal Collective, Last.fm. How. Dare. You. Other trends: we totally stopped listening to Britney in February, it was the summer of Grizzly Bear, and Lady Gaga who? We'll take Karen O, thankyouverymuch. Grab a PDF of the chart here — did your iPod faves make it on there? more ›

Before your precious Lady Gaga shoved a fake penis down her spandex or set her first piano on fire, Tori Amos was out there pushing the limits — making conservatives uncomfortable and religious brethren blush (in '96 she told Spin: “I wanted to marry Lucifer. Even though I had a crush on Jesus."). more ›

This morning on CBS's Early Show, Adam Lambert spoke out about his AMA controversy (which led to Good Morning America cancelling his appearance). To recap: Lambert simulated a blow job and made out with a male during his performance on Sunday night. The Early Show chose to blur out the controversial acts when running the AMA clip this morning — and during the talk segment, that they decided to call "Straight Talk," the openly gay singer defended his actions. more ›

Last week we noted the opening of a charming new restaurant/cocktail lounge/jazz bar called The Manhattan Inn in Greenpoint (located on Manhattan between Bedford and Nassau); but as you can see this place is so good looking it merits its own feature. This weekend we were actually lured there twice; the first visit was occasioned by our desire to wait out the Saturday afternoon rain and read over cocktails. The back room was uniquely suited for our purposes, and the Manhattan's Manhattan ($9) was as big and inviting as a heated private lap pool. (The classic specialty cocktail menu is from James Endicott, formerly of Per Se and Allen & Delancey, and there is also wine and craft beer on tap.) more ›

Our CMJ show (which we're co-hosting with the lovely people at Brooklyn Based) is TONIGHT at the Bell House [149 7th Street in Gowanus]. The show is FREE, and no CMJ badge is required. You can RSVP right here, and the details are below: more ›

Barbra Steisand made a rare club appearance—her last one was in 1961 (!)— in front of a tiny crowd at the Village Vanguard last night. While most of the attendees were selected by lottery on Streisand's website, we have a feeling that former President Bill Clinton, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Chelsea Clinton, Sarah Jessica Parker and Nicole Kidman didn't get their tickets through the lottery. more ›

Who doesn't want free cookies from a complete stranger on an inflatable couch? If the idea doesn't freak you out, then bookmark this Twitter feed, where one seemingly good-intentioned fella updates his whereabouts. Why would you want to know where he is? Because he's going to give you a free homemade vegan cookie! He tells us, "I have been going out a couple times a week, inflating a green couch, giving out FREE COOKIES, and making friends. I'll be out today in Union Square around 4:00-6:00 p.m." If you miss him, you know where to find him next. His name is Scott Alexander, and according to this website, he's got a wife at home, is "a doorman by day and a musician by night." Another blogger recently encountered the cookie man, saying, "everyone knows chocolate chip cookies are a sure way to open hearts-even if they’re vegan. (These really were the best vegan treats I’ve had)." Sounds good to us, even if it is, what he calls, "a reverse promotional experiment" to spread his music. more ›

This week we saw the new Guitar Hero 5 featuring the late Kurt Cobain. Who approved this? Who knows, but no one is willing to take credit for the avatar, which once unlocked can move beyond the Nirvana catalog and plays tunes by Bush, Bon Jovi and other bands Mr. Cobain would have likely never covered without a slight ironic half-smile on his face. Stereogum aggregates the fallout, which pitted Courtney Love against Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic and Activision. "Courtney Love very calmly took to Twitter to call out Activision and threaten filing suit. In her words: 'FOR THE RECORD I DID NOT APPROVE KURTS AVATAR FOR GUYITARHERO5. i think Kurt would despise this game alone let alone this avatar ... WE are going to sue the shit out of ACtivision we being the Trust the Estate the LLC the various LLCs Cobain Enterprises'." Once the internet got a hold of all this, a statement from Grohl and Novoselic landed in our inbox, stating in part, "We want people to know that we are dismayed and very disappointed in the way a facsimile of Kurt is used in the Guitar Hero game. The name and likeness of Kurt Cobain are the sole property of his estate—we have no control whatsoever in that area. It's hard to watch an image of Kurt pantomiming other artists' music alongside cartoon characters. Kurt Cobain wrote songs that hold a lot of meaning to people all over the world. We feel he deserves better." more ›

All Tomorrow's Parties (better known as ATP) got a New York home last year in the Catskills, and the old upstate resort Kutshers provided such a perfect space that it'll all be happening again this year. The fest is hands down the most enjoyable event we've ever personally attended, and the soundtrack provided isn't too shabby either. This year Animal Collective, Sufjan Stevens, Flaming Lips, Deerhoof and many many many more will be performing throughout the three days; there's also poker with Steve Albini (don't miss his band Shellac, either), and plenty of other distractions to keep you entertained (check out photos from last year here). If you're free this weekend, we highly recommend buying yourself a ticket—but first, get to know the organizer a little better. more ›

This summer two college kids, Nick and Katharine, were challenged to go see 50 free concerts in 50 days throughout the city. This of course was made more difficult by the never-ending rainy season, but they managed to reach their goal. You can read about the entire experience on their blog. Sounds fun right? Even if it is a rip-off of 100 Bands in 100 Days. more ›

TV on the Radio were meant to be seen live. While they might seem like a fussy studio band with their loops and samples and intricate noises, they captivated the crowd Tuesday night in Prospect Park for Celebrate Brooklyn. Tunde Adebimpe led the crowd in a dance fest, slithering across the stage, his hips hula-ing and arms ejecting from his body in sinusoidal jolts and waves to favorites like “Golden Age” and “Playhouses.” Movements seemed to come easily to all, especially since most of their songs seemed about 50% faster (making “Dancing Choose” almost punk rock in speed). Their show is refreshingly organic, and proved that nobody in Brooklyn is too cool to dance. — Jaya Harrover Saxena more ›

It was nearly three years ago that we booked Cincinnati band Bad Veins for one of our Movable Hype shows, after hearing just a few rough demos—and now, at long last, their much-anticipated debut full length is here! The duo, Benjamin Davis and Sebastien Schultz, just ended their first tour in support of the album, but they'll be heading back on the road shortly (you can catch them next month at the Bell House). Last week, prior to their Mercury Lounge show, they stopped by our offices to play a few songs (and drink some beer, of course)—enjoy the videos from that below, where Ben also tells us all about Gossip Girl, Irene and what it's like to finally have the album out there. more ›

Last night Joe's Pub hosted a Michael Jackson edition of their Our Hit Parade series. Some adorable kids joined in on the fun (video here), performing as the Jackson 6, only to be upstaged by one Mr. Alan Cumming. Watch him adorably fumble over the words to "You Are Not Alone" and "Smile": more ›

This weekend marks the 2nd annual All Points West festival, and Jay-Z (filling in for the Beastie Boys) is set to headline the first night at the Liberty State Park venue. What's the best way to warm up for a mostly indie crowd? Secretly join the lineup tonight for the pre-APW Diesel party going down at Webster Hall; the lineup features The Roots, Passion Pit and Drake. Blackbook says they have it on good authority this rumor's got legs, providing a detailed list as to why (Lykke Li fans, they also say she'll be stopping by)—#5 on that list claims, "an unnamed source close to the event says that Hov’s showing up to jam on a few songs at the end of The Roots’ set.“ Oh, and his sister-in-law, Solange Knowles, was already announced as a special guest. And a quick note for those heading to APW this weekend: the Observer talked to organizer Paul Tollet, who says the kinks should all be worked out this year—regarding the lines, he told them, “We felt there were a lot of things we didn’t like about last year. I walked around as a fan and stood in those lines, and when you go stand in that line, you get mad." more ›

Yesterday afternoon the Pool Parties made their debut off the McCarren Pool grounds and on the Williamsburg waterfront, at East River State Park (Mission of Burma, Fucked Up, Ponytail and Jemina Pearl all played). This new home is even more temporary than the last—which is currently undergoing a $50 million makeover—only one summer of shows will be held here before it's time to find a new home. In the meantime, the crowds from yesterday were aTwitter with thoughts on the new space. Most of the reviews have been positive, and for the most part the same elements are there, with some slight changes. more ›

Also this week: more ›

Yesterday, millions of people watched the Michael Jackson memorial—whether at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, at screenings around the country (including a few in NYC), or online. One woman in Times Square told the Post, "It's such a sad day, but it's nice to be with people who feel like I do," while another said, "This is like someone in my family has died. I've just been a wreck all week. I can't stop shaking." And the Reverend Al Sharpton delivered strong words at the memorial in L.A., telling Jackson's children, "There weren't nothing strange about your daddy. It was strange what your daddy had to deal with but he dealt with it," which brought Sharpton a standing ovation. more ›

Well, they didn't knock him on the noggin like the Tony Awards, but they did play his song "Talk Dirty to Me" without permission. Cityfile reports on the latest in ASCAP/BMI lawsuits filed against New York clubs, saying "Earlier this week, BMI and a collection of labels and artists filed suit against Pianos on the Lower East Side" for playing that tune and others. The companies have been on a rampage, attacking Jay-Z's 40/40 club, Hiro, Cafe Wha? and others, but the site makes a good point: "securing the rights isn't all that expensive. A blanket license from ASCAP, for example, supposedly goes for as little as a dollar a day." Maybe a little more; when we talked to ASCAP VP Vincent Candilora, he told us "the average annual license fee for all bars, restaurants, nightclubs and similar establishments is less than $2.50 a day. With a maximum annual cost of $912.50." Well, the club certainly charges enough for their drinks to cover that cost, no? more ›

JetBlue's T5 still has that new terminal smell to it, and it just keeps getting better. On top being so pretty, the airline has now teamed up with some music and marketing folks to bring their Live from T5 event to travelers. The six-month, 12-date live music concert series at their JFK outpost "takes place on select Fridays throughout the year, will feature hand-picked emerging artists from around the U.S. as well as bands chosen based on public votes in a national online competition." The series kicks off tomorrow with Nicole Atkins, and other upcoming acts include Alberta Cross and Justin Townes Earle. Maybe on-air live performances are next? more ›

Need your live music fix back on North 11th Street? Williamsburg's Sound Fix had to shut down their lounge earlier this year, which housed comedy and music events, as well as a cafe and bar. In order to bring back the events, owner James Bradley has announced he's moving out, and re-opening in September at a new location just about a block away on Berry Street. Hopefully the neighbors over there won't have any complaints; Bradley told the Brooklyn Paper, “Record stores all over the nation [have live music]. Why can’t we?'" more ›

Is there anyone left in the world who thinks that aging icon Lou Reed is all sunshine and rainbows? The grumpy old man/legendary rock star was at it again this week when he "demanded the bar be shut down when he sang at Persol's Incognito design exhibit at the Whitney." The Daily News reports that he didn't want to hear those pesky bar noises as he performed, and once onstage he addressed his audience by shouting: "Shut the [bleep] up - you're talking too much!" That kind of outburst would have never flown at the Factory, man. Earlier this year he griped about a garage, maintenance facility and salt shed the city is planning for the corner of Washington and Spring Streets. Reed resides in a nearby penthouse with wife Laurie Anderson, and the couple are now part of a lawsuit against the city. more ›

Yesterday, the citywide project Make Music New York came together on different street corners and in unusual venues around town. Chances are if you were out, you ran into a performance of some type... like this glockenspiel jam session at East 97th Street. What did you see? more ›

By now you've probably heard the Phoenix song "Lisztomania," and you've probably seen the Brat Pack tribute video that hit the Internet soon after its release, but it's always worth another few hundred listens. Leave it to a bunch of Brooklynites to create a tribute to the tribute. How delightfully derivative! That's right, here, contained within the same 4 minutes and 16 seconds, you get hipsters, '80s nostalgia, graffiti, rooftops, the Manhattan skyline, the Water Taxi, and dancing dancing dancing. more ›

Unsurprisingly, even the jazz world isn't immune to the current financial climate. The NY Times reports that the annual JVC Jazz Festival, which would normally be taking place in New York next month, won't be happening here or in other cities that it has in the past. In fact, the company has no festivals to announce this year, even losing their contract "for the Newport jazz and folk festivals in Rhode Island because of late payments for use of state parkland." This is the first cancellation of the city's jazz fest in 37 years, and fans are likely to be singin' the blues. The company who puts on these events, Festival Network, turned ownership over to an (over)ambitious Chris Shields just two years ago. He blames the economy and losing a top sponsor on this year's woes, but some say he "overspent on booking talent and took unnecessary risks, including opening four new festivals last summer without securing sufficient sponsorship." Meanwhile, the old Festival Network head honcho, 83-year-old George Wein announced that he would present a folk and jazz festival in Newport this August. more ›

Everyone's an expert! 50-year-old newscaster Brian Williams is getting into the music blogging game with a "new music reporting project" called BriTunes (pronounced like iTunes). Let's just say the original BriTunes is less than thrilled about this, however Mr. Williams says, "I didn't name this thing, but I did come up with the idea." The idea of music blogging? So ahead of his time. He continues, saying, "I have always loved identifying good music and good groups—discovering them early (bar bands are best) and following them through their journey. While we'll interview some established musicians, mostly I'd like this to be a place where people can sample some of the great music being created every day." He starts with the band Deer Tick, who have been around since 2004 and are currently on a major national tour, which included plenty of dates with Jenny Lewis earlier this year. more ›

Someone has added some new theme music to the Diff'rent Strokes opening, and even he admits, "This has turned out far more creepy than I thought it would." Aside from the new music, the video is unedited except for some color hue alterations. more ›

Currently the band Phish is recording an album in an unidentified "fun city" (New York?) before they head out on the Most Important Reunion Tour of Our Time. Tonight, however, something related to the band is going down at Brooklyn's Monkeytown, and it's called Gamehenge. For those who don't know, Gamehenge was frontman Trey Anastasio's senior thesis at Goddard College (you can read it here, though we suggest listening to it). But what exactly is going down at Monkeytown tonight?

In the spirit of experimentation, collaboration and fun, 100 sound artists have re-interpreted Phish's coveted Gamehendge album to create Gamehenge '09! This is a kaleidoscopic joyride through bizarre sound demi-genres. more ›

The bleak underground recently got a little brighter with the Xylopholks (who you've seen here before). The ragtime-playin' troupe dons colorful, furry costumes while they play in the subway system, including a Cookie Monster, a chicken, a pink gorilla, and a skunk. They recently talked to Flavorpill about the upcoming humid season, and said, "When we first started out, Pinky (Bridget) thought about doing a swimsuit version for the summer." This might even draw more attention from the cops, however, who have already nabbed them for playing illegally. Check out their style in the video... more ›

Earlier this week, the NY Times reported that budget cuts were forcing the Juilliard School to cut its Music Advancement Program, which has been offering mostly free musical training to African-American, Latino, and Native American students (grades 3 through 8). Luckily, the article also sparked concern: Today the NY Times reports there are "numerous offers of help, including a major pledge from the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation of Los Angeles." more ›