Finally, an official announcement…

Funny video and a text version of the lineup after the jump.

“JellyNYC Pool Parties Lineup Announced (East River State Park)” continued after the jump

Littlefield

More Photos

Brooklyn Bowl

More Photos | Flickr

UPDATE 1: Shortly after this post went up, Brooklyn Bowl announced that it will be open for business on Tuesday, July 7 at 6:00 p.m. The first music show will take place on July 10 with O’Death, Justin Carter, Eamon Harkin, and Terror Pigeon Dance Revolt (Buy Tickets).

UPDATE 2: I received an email from Ben Sisario tonight stating that he wasn’t aware of Littlefield’s green factor and that he would have included the club in his story had he known about their efforts. (I did indeed try to contact him before I published this article.)

There was a feature in NYTimes Arts section the other day by Ben Sisario on the “soon to be opening” bowling alley and performance space, Brooklyn Bowl. In the piece, Sisario praises Brooklyn Bowl for its high style and environmentally conscious construction:

But the thing that sets it apart from most every club in the country is not as readily apparent. As part of its mission to operate in an environmentally responsible way, Brooklyn Bowl was built according to the strict standards of the United States Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program, which call for, among other things, efficient use of energy and water. Scrupulous attention was paid to construction materials: the stage was made from recycled tires, for example, and the wood was certified to have come from well-managed forests. [NYTimes.com]

After remarking on Brooklyn Bowl’s bleeding edge L.E.E.D. construction, Sisario then goes on to cite some instances where local clubs or promoters have made various trifling efforts at being more environmentally friendly; for instance, Irving Plaza “uses energy-efficient lighting”, and AEG Live, “is studying the environmental footprints of its spaces across the country.” Really, one club switches to compact fluorescents and a promoter is studying the amount of environmental damage it inflicts around the country, and you single out those two things as examples of going “green”? Littlefield, on the other hand, a new performance and art space in Gowanus, Brooklyn, has done infinitely more than Irving Plaza or AEG at reducing its environmental impact and it didn’t even receive a perfunctory mention in the article. Take a look at this description of Littlefield’s eco-approach and I think you’ll agree that they are the most environmentally conscious venue operating New York right now:

Housed in an old, 6200-square foot warehouse, littlefield merges the Gowanus’ industrial past with an organic, eco-friendly future. These green elements include a landscaped interior courtyard, sound walls formed from recycled rubber tires, a bar constructed of salvaged bowling alley lanes, and energy supplied by wind power. Future projects include a greywater system and a landscaped roof that will reduce littlefield’s footprint to virtually zero. [littlefieldnyc.com]

Finally, what really got my blood boiling was when Sisario made it sound like Brooklyn Bowl was the first “Green” venue in the city by stating that, “[t]here are few models for a truly green club…”, and, “…if anyone can build one, it is Mr. [Peter] Shapiro.” Well, maybe there are “few models” out there (I honestly don’t know how many other green clubs exist), but certainly Littlefield, which has been up and running since Memorial Day, should count as one of them. It remains to be seen whether Sisario’s failure to acknowledge Littlefield’s existence was a slap in the face to the club or just a glaring oversight on his part (I suspect the latter, but he never responded to my email so I can’t say for sure it is indeed the latter, he responded to my email today).

Littlefield is currently open on the weekends, and has already hosted a few live shows. The next “big” scheduled music show at Littlefield is Malajube on July 24th (though there are other things happening before that). Check out the full Littlefield performance space schedule after the jump.

According to their website Brooklyn Bowl’s opening date is, “very, very close” (which I guess means that they are not opening “this week”, as the NYTimes article states). The first scheduled event on their calendar is the Lebowski Fest on September 23-24, 2009. Flyer for that after the jump.

PS Brooklyn Bowl does look very cool and I applaud the thought and effort that went into its construction and design, my problem is not with them, just the incompleteness of the article about them.

“NYTimes Praises Brooklyn Bowl for Eco-Friendly Efforts, Doesn’t Mention Eco-Friendly Littlefield” continued after the jump

Joyeux Anniversaire Canada! Ah, I couldn’t have said it better myself. Here’s a look at the Canada Day festivities going on in NYC tonight (July 1):

Canadians in NYC Party
Date: Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Time: 7:00pm – 11:55pm
Location: Mama’s Bar
Street: 34 Avenue B, at East 3rd St. (SW corner)
City: New York, NY

No cover charge.
FREE POUTINE all night.
Canadian drink specials, including:
$4 Molson Canadian, Labatt Blue and Moosehead pints on tap.
$5 Rye & Ginger and Seagrams/7 mixers

Great Canadian tunes all night.

Don’t miss the annual singing of our anthem at 10pm.

Wear your best Red & White & maple leaves, or a hockey jersey, or a beaver hat.

Canada’s Birthday Bash, featuring the Great Canadian Songbook
Wednesday, July 1, 7 and 9:30 pm
Joe`s Pub at the Public Theater
425 Lafayette Street
New York, NY
(212) 967-7555

Celebrate Canada`s 142nd birthday with this all-star tribute to the Great Canadian Songbook, featuring a stellar international line-up singing Canada`s greatest hits.

Join Canadian legend Carole Pope (pictured), BETTY`s Alyson Palmer and Tony Salvatore, the East Village Opera Company`s Tyley Ross, jazz great Carolyn Leonhart, singer-songwriter Greg Naughton, Irish rocker Joe Hurley, jazz-soulstress Kellylee Evans, singer-songwriter Anthony Da Costa, jazz singers Amy Cervini and Melissa Stylianou (in a special duet), and Peter Kiesewalter and the all-star ‘Workin` for the Weekend House Band,’ as they lay down unforgettable versions of favorite Canuck anthems.

Also, the The National Post’s music and pop culture blog, The Ampersand, just listed the top 10 Canadian acts you should be listening to this Canada Day and they are:

10. Patrick Watson
9. In-Flight Safety
8. Malajube
7. Jenn Grant
6. Elliott Brood
5. Coeur de Pirate
4. Cadence Weapon
3. The Acorn
2. Hey Rosetta!
1. Royal City

Special mention: The Warped 45s

Yesterday, the lineup for the Virgin Festival Alberta was announced.

In case you missed it, you can find the CBC’s list of the most anticipated Canadian albums of 2009 over here.

Once again, in case you missed it, you can find Bob Mersereau’s list of the “100 Top Canadian Album of All Time” over here.

Finally, the Polaris Music Prize Short List will be announced on July 7.

Andrew Bird at the Hiro Ballroom (10/07/08)

Andrew Bird just announced a string of new dates on his Noble Beast tour and a return engagement to NYC is absent from the itinerary. This isn’t really a huge surprise though given that I don’t think his recent Radio City show sold out despite the relentless promotion on Google and in other media outlets. Having said that, there is still a chance for an NYC show to be announced at a later date, as there are a few open days between his gig in Buffalo, NY and his show at the South Portland High School Auditorium in South Portland, ME. Of course, if you’re an Andrew Bird fan and you live in NYC, chances are you’ve seen him once or twice in the past few years, we really haven’t been deprived.

Fan pre-sales for all of the fall headlining dates begin today (June 30) at MusicToday.com. General on sales begin July 10, with the exception of Buffalo and Madison which begin July 11.

More Andrew Bird tour dates after the jump.

“Andrew Bird Adds New Tour Dates (No NYC)” continued after the jump

In case you were over at the “Dark Was The Night” show at Radio City that night (May 3), you can catch the Pete Seeger tribute concert on PBS starting on July 30.

Pete Seeger 90th birthday celebration concert will air July 30 on PBS Television’s “Great Performances, according to a press release.

The concert, held May 3 at New York’s Madison Square Garden, featured more than 40 artists, including Bruce Springsteen, Arlo Guthrie, Joan Baez and Dave Matthews. Others on the bill who performed songs inspired by Seeger’s music and activism include Kris Kristofferson, Richie Havens, John Mellencamp, Roger McGuinn, Ani DiFranco, Taj Mahal and Ben Harper. [LiveDaily.com]

The audio of the “Dark Was The Night” concert from that same night is streaming over at NPR.org.

Virgin Festival Alberta

Today marked the announcement of the penultimate Canadian Virgin Festival which will take place at Canada Olympic Park in Calgary, Alberta on August 8-9, 2009. Here’s what the initial and somewhat promising lineup looks like:

Virgin Festival Alberta: August 8-9, 2009 (Canada Olympic Park, Calgary, AB)
August 8, 2009
Pearl Jam, K-OS, Thunderheist, Arkells, Mother Mother, The Cliks

August 9, 2009
Billy Talent, Metric, Tokyo Police Club, White Lies, Shout Out Out Out Out

Day 1 definitely has the bigger headliner, in fact, Pearl Jam is probably the biggest act playing any Canadian Virgin Festival this year, but I’d still say Day 2 has the slight edge in overall quality. It’s kind of a close call though, because in addition to Pearl Jam, I wouldn’t mind seeing Thunderheist, Arkells and Mother Mother, but I suppose you could see those bands at your local club on any given day.

In other Virgin Festival news, The Roots, Metric, Broken Social Scene, Chris Velan, Carly Rae Jepsen, and Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros were just added to the lineup for Virgin Festival BC which makes it a lot more interesting.

Pixies – Minotaur Box Set (Limited Edition)

ProductShopNYC favorite Pixies, are planning a special set of European dates to coincide with the release of their new comprehensive box set entitled Minotaur and the 20th anniversary of the release of their classic album, Doolittle. For the Doolittle tour, the Pixies will perform all of the songs from Doolittle and its related B-sides. The press release announcing the tour coyly stated that “[t]here are no plans at current time to bring the tour to North American audiences.” But let’s face it, I’d imagine it would be pretty hard for the band to pass up the payday that would result from touring the US. In fact, ProductShopNYC recently reported a rumored New Year’s Eve date at MSG.

While the Pixies appear not to have any US tour plans for Doolittle, Black Francis side project Grand Duchy will be hitting the road fairly soon to and making stops in both Brooklyn (Siren Festival) and Hoboken (Maxwell’s) to promote their recently released album, Petit Fours. Speaking of new albums, in a recent interview with NME.com Black hinted that the Pixies are planning to record new album (the first since 1991’s Trompe Le Monde) with a Hollywood film director. If you read the whole article, it seems like the plans for the new record are still pretty speculative at this point, but in the meantime Pixies fans can savor the fruits of the past.

Pixies and Grand Duchy tour dates and more information on the Minotaur box set after the jump.

“Pixies Playing “Doolittle” on European Tour, Releasing “Minotaur” Box Set, Grand Duchy Touring” continued after the jump

Regina Spektor at the Beacon Theatre (06/17/09)

Photos: Jon Klemm

Regina Spektor’s new record Far came out on June 23 (last week) and she played a big pre-record release show at the Beacon Theater on June 17, her first and only US date before heading out on a European Festival tour.

Regina Spektor at the Beacon Theatre (June 17, 2009)

Regina Spektor is talented, cute and charming and that’s a good thing. In fact, she’s so charming that she suffered no ill-will from the audience after starting her off her Beacon Theatre set with no less than seven unfamiliar tunes. As you might expect, her eighth song of the night, the bouncy and beloved “On The Radio”, was greeted with a rapturous applause of recognition. On the whole, the evening was pretty heavily weighted on new and unreleased material (see the setlist here) with a total of 11 songs from the Far album proper or the deluxe edition, and maybe only six or so truly recognizable tunes.

Aside from the Beacon gig being her biggest headlining engagement to date (festivals aside), it was a night of firsts in a couple of other ways. It was the first time many fans got to hear the new songs, it was the first time Regina played the new music before a live audience (Planned Parenthood gig aside), and it was also the first time she played with her new string quartet (at least I think so). Having said that, I wasn’t surprised that there were a few “opening-night jitters” type moments in the show; she flubbed the lyrics for “Consequence of Sound” and on one occasion, she wasn’t quite sure how to initiate the cues she specifically came up with for the show. I’m sure this stuff will disappear in time, and I really don’t think it ruined anyone’s evening, but when the scale of the gig is a little higher, you kind of expect these things not to happen.

It was my first Regina show, and despite my quibbles, I’d have to say that I had a pretty good time (after all, it’s so hard not to like her). As for the new tunes, I was pretty impressed with “Folding Chair”, “The Calculation”, “Eet”, “Laughing With” and “Human of the Year”. “Blue Lips” and “Machine” on the other hand, would not make a list of my favorite cuts off of the new album. Though I also wasn’t so familiar with the older and unreleased tunes like “Consequence of Sound”, “Lucky Penny” and “Poor Little Rich Boy”, I thought they were nice additions to the set as well. On the flip side, I felt the unreleased “Holocaust Deniers” fell a little flat (it made me a little uncomfortable in fact, but that may have been the point). I’ll say one thing though, Regina Spektor is not afraid of taking risks with her song choices, when you’ve got fan favorites like “Better” and “Hotel Song” in your back pocket, its pretty ballsy (for lack of a better word) to go with an unknown tune like “Holocaust Deniers” to just about close out your set.

More pictures from the Beacon and the video of “Laughing With” from Letterman after the jump.

PS Much like I predicted, she ended the night by saying, “hope to see you back in the fall.”

PPS NYCTaper has audio of this show over here.

“Regina Spektor at The Beacon Theatre, “Far” Out Now + Letterman Video” continued after the jump

Reunited jam band Phish just put up a teaser splash page on their website announcing an upcoming 3 day festival to be held “somewhere in the US” from October 30 – November 1, 2009. According to Phish.net the rumored festival location is Empire Polo Grounds in Indio, CA, otherwise known as the site of the Coachella. In other Phish news, much to the delight of phriends, phans and phamily everywhere, the band is planning a new album (a comeback album?) which they will be releasing on their own label, JEMP records, “later this summer.”

Phish will be releasing Joy, their first studio album in five years, later this summer on JEMP Records. The record was recorded in New York City this spring with producer Steve Lillywhite. Stay tuned for further details and pre-order information in the coming weeks! The last track, “Time Turns Elastic”, is available now at iTunes.

The track listing for Joy is as follows:

1. Twenty Years Later
2. Backwards Down the Number Line
3. Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan
4. Light
5. Joy
6. Sugar Shack
7. Ocelot
8. Kill Devil Falls
9. I Been Around
10. Time Turns Elastic [Phish.com]

All Phish tour dates after the jump.

“Phish Planning New Album and 3 Day Festival” continued after the jump

There’s no question that AC/DC is a major touring act, but it seems like they’re having a little trouble filling the barn that is Giants Stadium for their upcoming July 31 gig on the Black Ice tour. They’re currently selling single tickets for that show for the low price of $26.50 + service charges (reduced from $29.50) and they’re also selling ticket 4-packs for $87.50 + service charges (reduced from the original $99). The password for the Giants Stadium “Ticketdeals 4-Pack Partner Offer” is TMDEAL (Buy Tickets).

In addition to the Giants Stadium show, they’re also playing another huge stadium gig in Foxborough, MA just three days prior. Tickets to the Gillette Stadium show may also be moving a little less swiftly than expected because they’re currently offering $29.50 single tickets and $99 4-packs for that show as well. The password for the $29.50 single ticket offer at Gillette Stadium is ANVIL and the 4-pack ticket offer requires no password (Buy Tickets). Also, its no coincidence that the “Recession Rocker” password for this show is “ANVIL” as AC/DC has tapped the Canadian hard rockers (and recent documentary subjects) to be their sole support act for both arena shows.

More AC/DC tour dates after the jump.

“AC/DC Slashes Gillette and Giants Stadium Ticket Prices” continued after the jump

Starting today (June 29), you can redeem your Starwood Preferred Guest Points for Live Nation concert tickets; hold on Jonas Brothers, here I come!

Your chance to redeem Starpoints for Live Nation concert tickets.

Reserve your tickets beginning on June 29, 2009, at noon EST.

Amp up your summer with a Starpoints redemption offer that really rocks: premium seats to see your favorite bands. Choose from an amazing list of today’s hottest musical artists and most exciting concert venues.

Here’s how it works:

* Tickets are offered in pairs for either 5,000 or 10,000 Starpoints.
* Redeem on a first-come, first-served basis.
* 1 pair of tickets per member.
* Select your tickets beginning on June 29, 2009.

Tickets will go quickly, so remember to bookmark this site and check back on June 29, 2009, at noon EST to make sure you score tickets to your favorite summer show!

Check the list of the available dates and artists after the jump. (It’s actually a better promotion than I thought it would be; Depeche Mode at MSG, U2 at Giants Stadium, and the aforementioned Jonas Brothers!)

“Buy Concert Tickets with Starpoints (U2, Coldplay, Depeche Mode)” continued after the jump

They Might Be Giants at Port City Music Hall (06/12/09)

Photo: Bryan Bruchman for HillyTown.com

I’m sure I’m missing a bunch of things, but here’s what popped up after a not so exhaustive search.

Upcoming Kids Concerts in New York & New Jersey
06/27 Ziggy Marley, Audra Rox – Gramercy Theatre, New York, NY (Buy Tickets)
06/28 Laurie Berkner – The Town Hall, New York, NY 1:00pm (Buy Tickets)
06/28 Laurie Berkner – The Town Hall, New York, NY 4:00pm (Buy Tickets)
06/28 Audra Rox – Smith Street Fair, Brooklyn, NY FREE
06/30 The Jimmies – Madison Square Park, New York, NY 10:30 AM FREE
07/02 Moey’s Music Party – Madison Square Park, New York, NY 10:30 AM FREE
07/07 Hot Peas N’ Butter – Madison Square Park, New York, NY 10:30 AM FREE
07/09 Ernie and Neal – Madison Square Park, New York, NY 10:30 AM FREE
07/09 The Bossy Frog Band – Pier I at 70th Street, New York, NY 10:30 AM FREE
07/11 They Might Be Giants – Prospect Park Bandshell, Brooklyn, NY FREE
07/12 DJ Lance Rock & Brobee & more – Summerstage, New York, NY FREE
07/14 Audra Rox w/ Gordon of Sesame St – Madison Square Park, NYC 10:30 AM FREE
07/15 Audra Rox – Carroll Park, Brooklyn, NY 4 PM FREE
07/16 Jazz-a-ma-tazz w/ Hayes Greenfield – Pier I at 70th Street, NYC 10:30 AM FREE
07/16 Trout Fishing in America – Madison Square Park, New York, NY 10:30 AM FREE
07/18 Laurie Berkner – Tilles Center, Long Island, NY 11:00am (Buy Tickets)
07/21 Jazz-a-ma-tazz w/ Hayes Greenfield – Madison Square Park, NYC 10:30 AM FREE
07/23 Suzi Shelton – Madison Square Park, New York, NY 10:30 AM FREE
07/26 Milkshake – Little Airplane Productions @ South St Seaport, NYC ($8 Adv/$10 Door)
07/28 Dirty Sock Funtime Band – Madison Square Park, New York, NY 10:30 AM FREE
07/29 Starfish – Carroll Park, Brooklyn, NY 4 PM FREE
07/16 Robbi K. – Pier I at 70th Street, New York, NY 10:30 AM FREE
07/30 Astrograss – Madison Square Park, New York, NY 10:30 AM FREE
08/04 The Deedle Deedle Dee’s – Madison Square Park, New York, NY 10:30 AM FREE
08/06 Dog on Fleas – Madison Square Park, New York, NY 10:30 AM FREE
08/06 The Family Jam w/ Tony Corsano – Pier I at 70th Street, NYC 10:30 AM FREE
08/11 Danna Banana – Madison Square Park, New York, NY 10:30 AM FREE
08/13 Robbi K. – Madison Square Park, New York, NY 10:30 AM FREE
10/04 They Might Be Giants – American Museum of Natural History, New York NY
10/10 Dan Zanes – NJ Performing Arts Center, Newark, NJ (Buy Tickets)
10/18 They Might Be Giants – Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, New York, NY
10/24 Ralph’s World – The Bell House, Brooklyn, NY (Buy Tickets)
12/05 The Sippy Cups – TBA, New York, NY

2009 Virgin Free Fest

Get Tickets!

Additional tickets will be available to the general public on Sat 6/27 at 10am. Tickets and t-shirts will be delivered no earlier than 8/22. Tickets are available only through Ticketmaster.com. Will call orders may be picked up at MPP or 9:30 Club box offices, but not tickets without a pre-existing order. Will call pickup dates are Fri 8/21 10am – Fri 8/28 9pm. Unclaimed will call will be released to the general public after 8/28! There is a 2 ticket limit per customer. A credit card is required to order tickets, even if you choose the no charge will call option. This is for identification and control purposes. All tickets are general admission. There are no reserved seats.

The ticket options are:
1. Free ticket with optional $5 per ticket delivery fee. No delivery fee on tickets picked up at will call at Merriweather or 9:30 Club box offices from 8/21-28.

2. Free ticket with $5 donation to youth homelessness & optional $5 per ticket delivery fee. No delivery fee on tickets picked up at will call at Merriweather or 9:30 Club box offices from 8/21-28.

3. Karma Package – get a free ticket & 1 t-shirt for $30 or get 2 tickets & 2 t-shirts for $55. Prices include $5 donation to youth homelessness.

Michael Jackson (1958-2009)

According to BNO News, Michael Jackson (aka “The King of Pop”) died today (June 25, 2009) at age 50, but the story has not yet been confirmed by a major news outlet the story has now been confirmed by the LA Times.

Here’s the story from the BNO Newswire:

LOS ANGELES (BNO NEWS) — Michael Jackson, often referred to as “The King of Pop”, died at the age of 50 on Thursday afternoon, TMZ.com reported.

Jackson was taken to UCLA hospital in Los Angeles after a 911 call at 12.21 p.m. local time. When paramedics arrived at his home in Holmby Hills they performed CPR but were unable to revive him. Streets surrounding the hospital were blockaded by police with yellow tape.

The cause of death was not immediately known.

Jackson took to the stage as a child star and set the world dancing to the thumping rhythms of his music in the 1970s. He was planning a comeback this year.

Michael is survived by three children: Michael Joseph Jackson, Jr., Paris Michael Katherine Jackson and Prince “Blanket” Michael Jackson II. [BNONews.com]

UPDATE 1: OK! Magazine has confirmed the story.
UPDATE 2: TMZ.com has also confirmed the story.

There’s a trio of great shows coming up at Celebrate Brooklyn! starting tonight (Tursday, June 25). All of these are FREE*, but unless you are destitute, I would highly recommend forking over the $3 suggested donation. I’d also suggest getting there early, especially for the Blonde Redhead and Dr. Dog shows. View the whole Celebrate Brooklyn! schedule over here.

Femi Kuti, Melvin Gibbs (06/25/09)

Blonde Redhead, Ólöf Arnalds (06/26/09)

Dr. Dog, Phosphorescent, These United States (06/27/09)