With a slightly less crazy schedule than SXSW, at least show-wise, I headed down to NYC with the intention of hanging out. And that’s pretty much what I did. Lets start with Tuesday…
Getting in late on the bus, I went straight to Music Hall of Williamsburg for a BrooklynVegan showcase. Too late to catch Laura [...]

 
I laughed at first when I saw the note on Pitchfork about the Lucksmiths. I figured Pitchfork must have it wrong, what do they know about the Lucksmiths? So I checked their website and slowly, grudgingly, I read their “sad message to all our friends”. How could it be true? They were going strong with [...]

Saturday…
 
The last day was finally here. We decided to kick it off slow at a free festival in a park called Mess With Texas. It didn’t turn out to be so slow. Cut Off Your Hands started and played some solid rock songs to a scattering of kids sitting on the lawn. Team Robespierre and [...]

Friday…
We started Friday early. I got up to head down and help set up an AAM party which garnered me my only drink ticket of the festival. In other words, not worth the 9 AM wake up but who knew? I ran to the Flamingo Cantina, a small reggae bar, at 12 to catch my [...]

Thursday…
 
Worn out but happy we got up early to get to the Found Magazine Party at the Red 7. We tried to get there early because we were worried about getting in (I don’t know why) but we had a terrible time parking and ended up missing the first few acts. We did make it [...]

The first in a quick run through of all the bands I saw at SXSW last week. 
Wednesday…
We started at the Red 7 with Terrorbird/Forcefield party yesterday. Wavves was cool but obviously 17. Loney, Dear had sound issues. The Thermals were tight and full of powerpop joy as always. Yoni Wolf (lead singer of Why?) ruled! [...]

Last night I took my first listen to a demo track of “21st Century Breakdown”, the forthcoming first single from the new Green Day album of the same name. And goddamn, I think I’m excited to hear the rest.
At times in my life, I’ve been a pretty huge Green Day fan. A superfan you might [...]

We knew already that The Hold Steady had fine taste in rock and roll and facial hair (see Franz Nicolay’s moustache) but as it turns out, they appreciate fine cuisine as well.
Rachel Ray, cooking guru, talk show host, etc., is continuing her bid at indie fame with another SXSW showcase this year. Following up last [...]

So I just turned 20 a few weeks ago and it passed quietly. No big issues concerning the beginning of the third decade of my life. Just like any birthday, I didn’t feel particularly older than I had been. A slow descent into 20ism.
Now I’m home in Seattle for the holidays and taking advantage of [...]

1. Hold Steady – Stay Positive
2. Bon Iver – For Emma, Forever ago
3. Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes
4. Man Man – Rabbit Habits
5. Why? – Alopecia
6. Wolf Parade – At Mt. Zoomer
7. The Lucksmiths – First Frost
8. Dutchess and the Duke – She’s the Dutchess, He’s the Duke
9. Blitzen Trapper – Furr
10. Okkervil River – [...]

Recently I came across a sampler for the brooklyn label Kanine records. With the popularity explosion of Chairlift, largely due to landing their song “Bruises” in the new ipod nano commercial, I was intrigued enough to give some of their other artists a listen. And I am amazed. Not only did they release the debut [...]

Portugal. The Man was kind enough to stop by the ICB studios last monday and perform a few songs from their new album Censored Colors on the Eclectic Revolution. They were all really nice guys (and girl!) along with being wonderful singers. With just a toy piano, acoustic guitar, and assorted percussive objects, they crooned [...]

Just mere months after the Flaming Lips finally revealed their seven year opus Christmas on Mars to select festival goers Memorial Day weekend at the Sasquatch Music Festival in Washington, they are bequeathing it to you, dear Lips fanatic, for use however you please. A DVD version of the sensory experience dubbed Christmas on Mars will be [...]

I can think of no better word to descibe Jeff Mangum’s slowly accelerating return to the public eye. After years of rumors following the mythical, reclusive singer of the legendary Neutral Milk Hotel, he is here. And he is looming.
Mangum made his first public appearance on October 11th in New York City as a part [...]

The Watson twins just finished up their on-air set on WICB and it was quite a treat! The lovely Twins treated us to renditions of “How am I to Be”(with an extra verse of Ain’t No Sunshine at the end), “Just like Heaven” (the Cure), and “Bar Woman Blues” from their debut album Fire Songs.  [...]

There’s only one name that comes to mind when you think of glam indie rock…Of Montreal of course. With their recent promise “We will only propagate exceptional objects” in mind, their current tour proved to be nothing short of one gigantic exceptional object. Preceding the concert, I couldn’t help but wonder to myself if it [...]

Scanning some tours coming nearby about a week ago I came across a little support act for Laura Marling and Johnny Flynn. Hailing from across the pond, they go by the name of Mumford & Sons. Mark my words, they won’t be so little for long.
Lead by the multi-talented Marcus Mumford, this group of lads [...]

I took a break from South Hill last week to charge down to NYC on Wednesday afternoon for my first experience with Iceland’s most epic post rockers, Sigur Ros. It was the first of two sold out nights that began their US tour at the United Theater in (way) uptown Manhattan. Per what I had [...]