Holly Miranda at Le Poisson Rouge (10/23/09)

Photo: Jon Klemm
DOWNLOAD: Holly Miranda – “Forest Green Oh Forest Green” (mp3)

XL Recordings is excited to announce the release date and title for HOLLY MIRANDA’s debut full-length album. The Magician’s Private Library will be released on February 23, 2010.

The forthcoming 10-track album was produced by Dave Sitek at Staygold Studio in Brooklyn, NY, and includes contributions from Sitek, Kyp Malone and Jaleel Bunton (TV On The Radio), Eric Biondo and Stuart Bogie (Antibalas), and Holly’s long-time violinist, Marques Toliver.

Holly Miranda officially has made her XL Recordings debut with her “Forest Green Oh Forest Green” single (7″ & digital) out NOW! The track is the first from Holly’s and comes backed with her stunning cover of Yoko Ono’s “Nobody Sees Me Like You Do”.

Holly is about to head out on tour with her XL labelmates The xx and Friendly Fires for a series of west coast dates on the “NYLON Winter Music Tour“. While the tour will eventually make its way to NYC, someone else will be filling the opening slot at Webster Hall on December 5 (Buy Tickets).

More Holly Miranda tour dates and pictures from CMJ after the jump.

“Holly Miranda on Tour with The xx, New Single Out Now, New Album Coming Soon + CMJ Pics” continued after the jump

Peggy Sue at Lit Lounge (10/23/09)

Photo: Jon Klemm

Well, I’m finally getting around to posting some more CMJ pics, so here’s a set from Peggy Sue to coincide with the release of their new 7″/digital single “Yo Mama” which came out yesterday (Nov 16) on the UK’s Chess Club Records. It’s the first single from their forthcoming album entitled Fossils and Other Phantoms which is coming out in early 2010 on Yep Roc. The new album was recorded in Brooklyn with John Askew (The Dodos) at Atlantic Sound Studio and Alex Newport (Death Cab For Cutie, Two Gallants) at Future Shock Studios.

Dearest friends,

The first single from our debut album ‘Fossils and Other Phantoms’ (coming out next year!!!) is out today on iTunes. woo.
Tis called ‘Yo Mama‘ and comes with a brand new b-side called ‘Hatstand Blues.’
Go download it now.
Or if you prefer to hold it in your hands it comes out on Chess Club Records next Monday 23rd November.
You can pre-order it from Rough Trade if you so please.
More importantly. I’m going to watch Beyonce tonight at the 02. it’s probably the best day of my life.
Over and out

Katy
x
[Peggy Sue's Facebook Page]

Some UK tour dates and more Peggy Sue photos from the Lit Lounge CMJ show after the jump.

“New Peggy Sue Single Out Now, New Album Coming Next Year + CMJ Pics” continued after the jump

Think About Life at Arlene’s Grocery | “M for Montreal” Showcase at CMJ (10/21/09)

Malajube at Arlene’s Grocery | “M for Montreal” Showcase at CMJ (10/21/09)

Photos: Jon Klemm

M for Montreal 2009 Schedule (Nov 19-21, 2009)

Beast, Malajube and Think About Life were three of the bands I caught at the M for Montreal Showcase at CMJ ‘09 (Oct 21) and two of them will be playing the full on M for Montreal Festival which starts this week (Nov 19-21, 2009) in Montreal, Quebec. Here are some of my thoughts on that night:

Even though they went on a little early, Beast put on highly energized set for the small but attentive crowd at Arlene’s and in the end, they won me over as a fan of their live show (I’m gonna go back and revisit the record now). Think About Life took the stage after Beast and they whipped the full capacity room into a frenzy with their electrified dance tunes. Personally, I think it was probably the most unexpected and enjoyable set I witnessed at CMJ this year. After leaving the club for We Are Wolves, I came back to Arlene’s for Malajube, probably the biggest Francophone indie rock act to cross-over into the US market. After heavily imbibing in their 2006 debut Trompe-L’oeil over the years, I was pretty excited to finally see these guys live and in person. Unfortunately, I’m not sure if it was my high expectations or the band being a bit off, but their performance seemed a little underwhelming to me that night (especially compared to TAL who had torn the place up earlier). Their guitars seemed washed out in the mix, and my favorite riff from the beginning of “Montreal -40″ seemed to lack any of the bite that it has on the album. Since it was CMJ, I’ll give them a pass this time because you never know what head space a band is in during the marathon, a lot of times bands are dealing with multiple shows and no sound-check situations, so things can be hit and miss. I’ll be sure to try and check out Malajube next time they headline a “proper show” somewhere in NYC before I pass final judgment.

Full press release for M for Montreal 2009 plus more Think About Life and Malajube pics after the jump.

““M for Montreal” Starts This Week in Montreal, Think About Life, Malajube CMJ Pics” continued after the jump

Last night was another recovery evening for me (what can I say, I’m old and 30 Rock was calling), so I didn’t get a chance to check out any bands, but tonight I’ll be back at ‘er like a college kid after a few rounds of beer pong. Here’s what’s on my radar for this CMJ Friday (Oct 23):

The Uglysuit – Rockwood Music Hall
Holly Miranda – LPR
Daptone Records Showcase – Knitting Factory
Calypso – Bowery Electric
Cymbals Eat Guitars – LPR
Motel Motel – The Bell House
Octoberman – Local 269
Immaculate Machine – Fat Baby
Acrylics – Bowery Electric
Peggy Sue – Lit Lounge
Inlets – The Delancey
Arms – Pianos
The Blakes – Crash Mansion
Hot Panda – Fat Baby
Beach Fossils – Bruar Falls
Goes Cube – Trash
Holiday Shores – The Delancey
Savoir Adore – Bowery Electric
The Pack A.D. – Fat Baby
Surfer Blood – Cake Shop
The xx – MHOW
Dent May – Cameo
Crystal Antlers – Cake Shop
Portugal. The Man – Bowery
Hercules and Love Affair – Fillmore NY
School of Seven Bells – MHOW
Headlights – Bell House
Japandroids – Bell House
Sissy Wish – Spike Hill
JEFF. The Brotherhood – Charleston
Ted Leo + Pharmacists – The Suffolk
The Bloodsugars – Spike Hill
The Uglysuit – Living Room
The Spinto Band – Union Hall
Japandroids – Bell House
Shout Out Out Out Out – Webster Hall (DJ Set)

Non-CMJ
Richard Thompson at City Winery
Mac McCaughan, Laura Ballance and John Cook at Housing Works (more)
John Oliver and Friends at Skirball Center (more)
Leonard Cohen at MSG (more)
“Secret Loft Party” in Williamsburg

I’d really like to see the Xx before CMJ is over, so I might commit to Williamsburg at some point in the evening. I’d also like to catch Japandroids tonight as well, so The Bell House might end up being my final late night destination. View my full conflicted CMJ sched over here.

So, I finally got out to see some shows last night, and while I got home way too late, it was a pretty productive evening on the whole. I started out* my CMJ at the M for Montreal showcase at Arlene’s Grocery where I took in BEAST, Think About Life, and Malajube. During We Are Wolves set, I snuck over to the Mercury to catch the charming Mumford and Sons. After Malajube went off, I headed over to Cake Shop to catch CMJ buzz band, Surfer Blood and then I capped off the night at Living Room with a couple of songs from Brooklyn singer/songwriter Alina Simone. My only regret, and it’s entirely my own fault for not reading the schedule correctly, is that I didn’t catch more of Jenn Grant’s set upstairs at the Living Room— I literally walked in as she was singing the last verse of her last song to a small group of people gathered around her like a camp fire sing-a-long. I’ll get to some more detailed reviews later when I post pics, but until then, here’s a few recommendations for tonight (Oct 22):

Freelance Whales – Bell House
Male Bonding – Pianos
James Murphy and Pat Mahoney – Brooklyn Bowl
Patrick Watson – Mercury Lounge
Spiral Beach – Arlene’s Grocery
Unicycle Loves You – Union Hall
Robbers On High Street – Bell House
Grand Analog – Arlene’s Grocery
Alec Ounsworth – Mercury Lounge
Golden Silvers – MHOW
pow wow! – Cake Shop
Timber Timbre – Union Pool
Still Life Still – Union Pool
Small Black – Bell House
Chris Denny – Bowery Ballroom
Mumford and Sons – MHOW
Army Navy – Union Hall
Hockey – Mercury Lounge
Deleted Scenes – Union Hall
Kittens Ablaze – Cake Shop
Sky Larkin – Union Hall
Zeus – Union Pool
Deer Tick – Bowery Ballroom
Elliot Brood – Living Room
Hollerado – Union Pool
Local Natives – Mercury Lounge

Late Night
Sub Pop/Barsuk/Merge Party – Hi Fi (midnight-4am)
After The Jump After Hours – Cake Shop (1am-4am)

Tonight is a tough one though because there are competing Canadian showcases, Canadian Blast at Arlene’s Grocery and the Arts and Crafts showcase at Union Pool, and there’s also Jonny Leather and The Music Slut’s showcase at Union Hall, and of course a million other things happening on the Lower East Side. If I had my druthers, I’d probably spend most of the night at Union Pool watching the Arts and Crafts bands, but since I’m going to be around Park Slope tonight, I’ll either end up at Union Hall or The Bell House or my apartment.

* I actually started out the night at the Mercury Lounge waiting on line for Xx, but then decided to pull up stakes and head to Arlene’s for M for Montreal.

Some flyers for tonight’s shows after the jump. My full conflicted sched over here.

“Thursday CMJ Picks” continued after the jump

Last night was kind of a bust for me CMJ-wise, (well I didn’t go out, so it wasn’t like I went out and was disappointed or anything), but tonight should prove to be a different story. It looks I’ll be dividing my time between the Mercury Lounge (early/late), Bowery Ballroom, Arlene’s Grocery (M for Montreal), and perhaps a late night visit to the Cake Shop (After the Jump Late Night Party) or the Bell House. Here are some of my Wednesday night picks:

Parlovr – Arlene’s Grocery
Beach Fossils – Santos Party House
Silly Kissers – Arlene’s Grocery
Drink Up Buttercup – Cake Shop
Blood Warrior – Knitting Factory
BEAST – Arlene’s Grocery
Findlay Brown – Bowery Ballroom
Takka Takka – Knitting Factory
Dawn Landes – The Bell House
Ribbons – Glasslands
The Xx – Mercury Lounge
Think About Life – Arlene’s Grocery
Tigercity – Bowery Ballroom
Atlas Sound – MHOW
Mumford and Sons – Mercury Lounge
We Are Wolves – Arlene’s Grocery
Fanfarlo – Bowery Ballroom
Let’s Wrestle – Bell House
Malajube – Arlene’s Grocery
Alina Simone – Living Room
Pete and the Pirates – Bell House
Screaming Females – Mercury Lounge
Surfer Blood – Cake Shop
Alina Simone – Living Room
Jenn Grant – Googies Lounge at Living Room
Helado Negro – Cake Shop
Western States Motel (Just added!) – Cake Shop

My full sched with even more ridiculous options and conflicts is over here. More flyers after the jump.

“Wednesday Night CMJ Picks” continued after the jump

You can view my full CMJ 2009 over here (though its so crazy and conflicted, it’s not really of that much use).

The “CMJ Flickr Flyer Set” is now well over a hundred items, you can check the whole thing out over here.

Here are some of my top CMJ picks for Tuesday night (Oct 20):

Beat Radio – Glasslands Gallery
Care Bears On Fire – Bowery Ballroom
Black Swan Green – Delancey
Surfer Blood – Santos Party House
Laura Marling – MHOW
Atlas Sound – LPR
The Western States Motel – Local 269
The Antlers – MHOW
Fanfarlo – MHOW
Here We Go Magic – Webster Hall (free w/ Going.com iPhone app or RSVP here)
Jukebox The Ghost – Bowery
Lovvers – Santos Party House
Heavy Trash – Santos Party House

Also going on today (Oct 20), during the day, and worth checking out:

The Music Slut/Sneak Attack Day Party – Cake Shop
Pop Tarts Suck Toasted CMJ Day Party – Pianos

On a final note, a lot of these bands, have many CMJ shows lined up and/or visit NYC often, the one exception being The Western States Motel, whose EP Painted Birds Flying In The Orange Mirror Sun was one of the great unsung short players of 2008. Catch them tonight for their one and only CMJ appearance at the Local 269 (269 E. Houston at Suffolk).

Check out this list of all 41 Canadian artists at CMJ this year:

Download the “2009 CMJ Canadian Artist Sampler” over here.

Here’s who I’d put on my must see list:
Beast – According to Bill, these Montrealers are lots of fun live. I like what I’ve heard on record so far.
Black Diamond Bay – I’ve been a long time fan of BDB’s self titled debut and Patrick Krief always brings his best “O” face to the stage.
Elliot Brood – Though they haven’t quite cracked the fickle US market yet, with a 2009 Polaris Prize shortlist nomination under their belt, these indie folksters are already the darlings of the Canadian independent music scene. The opportunity to showcase their new album Mountain Meadows (which is named after a Mormon massacre in 1857) at CMJ just might just get them the recognition they deserve.
Hey Rosetta! – What can I say, I love chamber pop and anytime I can see “New Goodbye” live, I’ll take it. (Last time I saw them at Pianos, I think lead singer Tim Baker was a little under the weather, I’d like to see what they can do firing on all cylinders.)
Hot Panda! – I caught a bit of this Mint Records outfit last year at CMJ and they’ve certainly got energy to spare in their live set, (though I can’t decide if I’m a huge fan of the music or not).
Immaculate Machine – I’m interested to see what a Kathryn Calder-less Immaculate Machine sounds like, and I haven’t heard the songs off of High On Jackson Hill live yet.
Japandroids – Hmm, the above list is incomplete I guess. Having played here just a few times before, the Pitchfork approved Japandroids is still one of the hottest exports Vancouver and Canada has to offer.
Jenn Grant – Amidst all of the hustle and bustle of CMJ, Jenn Grant’s gorgeous voice is worth sitting back and enjoying for a while.
Malajube – Since they broke onto the scene with the irresistibly catchy “Montreal -40″, I’ve been wanting to catch Malajube live, perhaps this week will be the ticket.
Matt Mays & El Torpedo – Little known to the American masses, Matt Mays has actually been making music in Canada for quite a while now. He’s got a new record coming out soon and I’d like to hear the new songs.
Octoberman – I’ve pretty much loved everything Marc Morrissette and his alter ego/band Octoberman have put out, so I’m looking forward to hearing the live debut of his new album Fortresses.
Patrick Watson – If his 2009 Polaris Prize Gala performance was any indication, Patrick Watson should be bringing an impressive stage show to CMJ this year. Looking forward to hearing some cuts off of his second Polaris Prize shortlisted album, Wooden Arms.
Shout Out Out Out Out Out – My kids literally drop everything and dance whenever they hear the latest SOOOO album, so I feel I owe it to them to see these guys live.
The Pack A.D. – Another Mint act that more or less makes a stop at CMJ every year, it’s been a while since their last record, so I expect to hear some new songs on this visit.
Timber Timbre – One of the latest artists to sign with the Arts and Crafts label, his new album is simultaneously eerie and compelling.
Zeus – I was impressed with Zeus when they backed up labelmate Jason Collet on his most recent tour and I’m a big fan of their Arts and Craft debut as well.

Check out a couple of CMJ canadian showcase flyers after the jump.

“Must See Canadian Artists at CMJ, Plus Download A Canadian Artist CMJ Sampler” continued after the jump

In case you forgot, CMJ is just around the corner (Oct 20-24), and since it was a kind of fun to do last year, I decided to make another go of it this year with the “CMJ 2009 Flickr Flyer Set”, you can view the results so far over here. I’m trying to make it comprehensive, so if you’ve got something to add, or would like your flyer removed, please send me an email. See you at CMJ!

You can view the entire set with the Wordpress “Flickr Gallery” plugin after the jump.

“CMJ 2009 Flickr Flyer Set” continued after the jump

The press release below doesn’t actually list all the acts performing at CMJ this year, so you’re probably better off checking out cmj.sched.org to get a true idea of what’s happening during this year’s marathon. Of course, sched.org is a little confusing too and it doesn’t list unofficial events and day parties (as far as I know), so you’ll have to wait a little bit longer for info to trickle out from the blogs and other unofficial sources. Lastly, even though the press release says the schedule is “final”, you can pretty much bet that things will shift around a little bit between now and then, so also keep your eyes to cmj.com/marathon for last minute updates.

October 6, 2009 – New York, NY – CMJ Music Marathon & Film Festival, New York’s largest music event and one of the world’s most important showcases of new music artists, is announcing its full lineup for this year’s event throughout online at www.cmj.com/marathon.

Performing artists this year include: Broadcast; School of Seven Bells, Busta Rhymes, Múm, Zac Brown Band, Atlas Sound, Saul Williams, Japandroids, Pitbull, Hercules Love Affair, 69 Eyes, Julian Marley, Pig Destroyer, The Very Best, Teo Leo + Pharmacists, Deer Tick, Margaret Cho, U-God, Portugal. The Man, Joan As Police Woman, A-Trak, Midnight Juggernauts, Superdrag, The xx, The Temper Trap, Speech Debelle, Crystal Antlers, Yacht, Flying Machines, Cymbals Eat Guitars, Malajube, Kidz In The Hall, Laura Marling, The Foreign Exchange, The Antlers, Diane Birch, Bear Hands, Rain Machine, Local Natives, Fanfarlo, Das Racist, Free Energy, Real Estate, Suckers, Pissed Jeans, Screaming Females and hundreds more.

More of the press release and a full list of artists performing at CMJ 2009 after the jump.

“Full CMJ Schedule Released Today” continued after the jump

The initial CMJ 2009 lineup was announced today, and while there was nothing super exciting about it in my opinion, I’m not going to complain. These days CMJ is less about bringing in big name headliners and more about getting the chance to see up and coming acts and bands that don’t tour that often. In the end, there will be over a thousand artists at the marathon this year, so keep your eyes on cmj09.sched.org for the most up to date info (I’ll also be posting additional lineup updates as I receive them).

CMJ Music Marathon & Film Festival, October 20th-24th has announced its first round of performing artists to include Broadcast, School of Seven Bells, Zac Brown Band, Múm, Atlas Sound, Japandroids, Margaret Cho, The Budos Band, Pitbull, The Very Best, The Temper Trap, Crystal Antlers, Portugal. The Man, Cymbals Eat Guitars, Malajube, Local Natives, Wild Light, The Antlers, Das Racist, Suckers, Pissed Jeans, and Screaming Females. Hundreds more artists will be announced in the upcoming weeks, visit www.cmj.com/marathon for continuous artist announcements.

Read the rest of the press release after the jump.

“CMJ Music Marathon Initial Lineup Announced” continued after the jump

What’s that you say? You’re still recovering from CMJ 2008? Well, the good news is you can get the early jump on CMJ 2009 which will be taking place from October 20-24, 2009 in New York, NY. CMJ badges are on sale now and they are 40% off (only $275 and only $85 for students) until December 19, 2008.

The Awkward Stage at Fat Baby (10/24/08)

Novillero at Fat Baby (10/24/08)

The Rosebuds at The Bell House (10/24/08)

This is the last set of CMJ pictures I have and I apologize for the delay, but I hope they were worth the wait. On Friday, October 24, I headed down to Fat Baby (for the first time ever) to check out the Mint Records showcase and I caught sets from Vancouver’s The Awkward Stage, Winnipeg’s Novillero, and Edmonton’s Hot Panda. Like I mentioned earlier, both The Awkward Stage and Novillero have new records out now and both bands were in fine form, but honestly, Novillero just killed it. In fact, keyboardist Rod Slaughter was rocking so hard that he knocked over his own instrument and barely missed a beat. If you haven’t heard it yet, I highly recommend checking out A Little Tradition, which is the latest offering from Novillero, it’s a fine rock’n roll album. After Novillero’s set I left the Mint show and headed home via The Bell House where I caught part of The Rosebuds set which frankly left me a little underwhelmed. They were playing some tracks off of their new record, Life Like, and I guess I just didn’t connect with the material.

Lots more pictures after the jump.

“Mint Records Showcase (Novilerro, The Awkward Stage), Rosebuds at The Bell House” continued after the jump

Even though Jon really went to Webster Hall on Saturday night (10/25) to catch Annuals, he stuck around after their set to check out Seattle’s Minus The Bear in the headlining slot. Here’s a little bit of that looked like:

Photos: Jon Klemm

Minus The Bear just released a new EP called Acoustics on October 7, and, as you might have guessed, they are in the middle of a headlining tour right now promoting it. More MTB pictures and tour dates after the jump.

“Minus The Bear at Webster Hall | New EP, Tour” continued after the jump

Annuals at Webster Hall (10/25/08)

Photos: Jon Klemm

Raleigh’s Annuals have a new record out now called Such Fun (with a genius cover by the late painter Bob Ross) and they were just in town to play a CMJ show at Webster Hall on Saturday (10/25) with Minus The Bear and Sylvie. I really enjoyed Be He Me when it came out and though I think Annuals output has remained consistent since then, including their split EP and new record, for some reason they haven’t quite been able to recapture that lightning in a bottle that surrounded the release of their debut (bloggers are a fickle bunch I suppose). Having said that, judging from the crowd reaction on Saturday night, it looks like they still know how to put on a pretty great show.

More Annuals tour dates and more of Jon’s amazing pictures after the jump.

“Annuals Played Webster Hall | New Record, Tour Dates” continued after the jump