The Bloodsugars CMJ Showcase at Spike Hill (10/23/09)

Photo: Jon Klemm
DOWNLOAD: “Light at the End of the Tunnel” – The Bloodsugars

I was about to call it a night on CMJ Friday (Oct 23), but on my way to the subway I decided to duck into Spike Hill and catch a midnight set by The Bloodsugars. I’m glad I did because the Brooklyn based quartet was previewing new material off of their forthcoming album I Can’t Go, I’ll Go On which comes out on November 17 on Engine Room Recordings. Fans of the BQEP won’t be disappointed, as The Bloodsugars debut LP delivers more of the same catchy and intelligent synth flavored pop that you’ve come to know and love from this band. Here’s a little additional info on the new album from their press release:

According to frontman Jason Rabinowitz, I Can’t Go On, I’ll Go On is “a modern prom playlist.” Of course, prom is not without its awkward, painful moments. Written during a time of personal difficulty for band members, I Can’t Go On, I’ll Go On is about remembering that there is always something to celebrate, even in the face of major adversity. With their combination of thoughtful lyricism and kinetic beats, the album’s ten new tracks reflect a refreshing optimism and sweetness. Imagine a house designed by Paul Simon, built by Prince, and decorated by The Flaming Lips and you’ll have some idea of where The Bloodsugars live.

The album features a host of indie luminaries, including trumpet player Kyle Resnick (The National), cellist Colette Alexander (Rilo Kiley, Jens Lekman, Rachel Yamagata) and indie darling Bell. Additionally, Philadelphia-based recording wiz Bill Moriarty—the man behind albums by Dr. Dog and Man Man—produced and engineered the record.

If you missed them live at CMJ, you can catch them on tour right now, or for those of you in NYC, they’ll be at The Studio @ Webster Hall on November 21 with Project Jenny, Project Jan and Savoir Adore (Buy Tickets). More of The Bloodsugars tour dates and CMJ pics after the jump.

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Islands at Siren Festival (07/19/2008)

Photo: Jon Klemm (more)
DOWNLOAD: Islands – “No You Don’t” (mp3)

Montreal’s Islands released a new record last month entitled Vapours, and in case you forgot, here’s what bumpershine critic-in-residence Drake had to say about it when it came out:

For those that found Islands‘ sophomore release Arm’s Way a bit too prog-y, I’ve got good news for you, Vapours is a return to the kitchen sink-pop that Nick Thorburn joyously captured on their debut, Return to the Sea. At times Vapours is a bit all over the map, and there a couple of tracks (including “Shining” and “The Drums”) that slip into Arm’s Way-like tendencies, but on the whole, the album sounds like the quirky pop-driven Islands you’ve come to know and love. Highlights include the title track, the soulful (and auto-tune utilized) “Heartbeat,” and the bright pop of “Tender Torture.”

Islands are on the road right now promoting Vapours and I’ve got a pair of tickets to give away to their show at the Bowery Ballroom on November 5 with Jemina Pearl (Buy Tickets). To enter, send an email to contests@bumpershine.com and tell me who Islands last opened for last time they played NYC (best guesses will be accepted to). One random winner will be chosen and notified on Monday, November 2.

More Islands tour dates after the jump.

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Here’s another Halloween party I’m probably not cool enough to get into. (Read the info below to find out how to win tickets.)

Hey NYC,

By now you have probably heard that we are throwing the party to end all parties this Halloween to celebrate VICE Magazine’s 15th birthday.

This is a private affair, but we’re kicking-off a contest to win tickets to the Vice 15 year this October 31st. Winners will be notified by email and will be placed on a will call list.

Click here for a chance at winning tickets to the October 31st event. You must be 21+

Lucky winners will have the honor of catching our awe-inspiring roster of performers that includes Bad Brains, The Jesus Lizard, Dave 1 from Chromeo, Peanut Butter Wolf, Nick Catchdubs, Rub-N-Tug, Blu Jemz, and Titus Andronicus & Children performing your favorite jams from ‘94.

All attendees must show up dressed as some sort of a cultural cliché from 1994 or risk public humiliation and denial of entrance.

The 15 anniversary party presented by Hornitos, runs from 10pm to 4am with a complimentary bar provided by Pabst and Hornitos, and an indoor mini skate ramp provided by Quicksilver.

Pearl and The Beard at Pianos (06/23/09)

DOWNLOAD: Pearl and The Beard – “Oh, Death!”

The good folks of Pearl and The Beard were gracious enough to play my Cross Pollination show waaaaay back in June of 2009 and I’m embarrassed to say that it has taken me up until now (4 months later) to post those photos. In any event, there is good reason to post today, Pearl and The Beard are playing a big show at Joe’s Pub tonight (Oct 27), their excellent debut record God Bless Your Weary Soul, Amanda Richardson is being released nationally today with new artwork and a bonus track, they’ll be on WNYC’s Soundcheck this afternoon, and their album is streaming on Spinner.com right now. If you don’t have this record yet, I strongly suggest you pick it up, it is truly one of my favorite releases of the year.

More Pearl and The Beard pictures, tour dates and an awesome new video for their “Will Smith Medley” (really, it blows me away how good this video is) after the jump.

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Kyp Malone at the 2009 Sasquatch! Festival (05/24/09)

Photo: Drake LeLane
DOWNLOAD: Rain Machine – “Give Blood”

Kyp Malone’s regular band is taking a hiatus for about a year, but that’s not slowing him down, Kyp recently released a solo record under the name of Rain Machine and now he’s out on tour with his new band to support it. He premiered his new material at The Bell House in September and next week he’ll be making his penultimate tour stop at the Bowery Ballroom on Oct 24 with Sharon Van Etten, Violens, Imaad Wasif, Threes And Nines, Stricken City as part of the CMJ Music Marathon (Buy Tickets). But wait… that’s not all, though Saturday is Kyp’s next to last headlining gig, it has just been announced that he’ll be opening for indie rock stalwarts, Pixies, on their upcoming Doolittle tour. If you don’t have tickets already, they might be a little tough to come by right now, but Rain Machine will be performing on night 3 (Nov 25) of the Pixies Hammerstein residency. Tickets for the Bowery CMJ show are still available, but I’m also giving away a pair of tickets to that show to one lucky reader who emails me at contests@bumpershine.com and tells me the name of Kyp Malone’s other band. A winner will be selected and notified on Wednesday, October 21. (Note: All contest entrants will be added to the Anti- records mailing list, unless they choose opt out in the body of the email.)

Listen to Kyp Malone’s interview with Ben Sisario (who surprisingly didn’t mention the Pixies at all) on last week’s New York Times Music PopCast.

More Rain Machine tour dates after the jump.

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You won’t be able to actually see the show, but you can go for free. Request your FREE tickets to the Rock’n Roll Hall of Fame 25th Anniversary concerts here.

OBSTRUCTED SEATS: We have 750 seats BEHIND the stage that are partially or completely obstructed for most of the performances. Here are some important notes regarding our seats:

You will hear all of the performances perfectly as we have provided extra sound to our sections.

We have multiple video screens in our sections so you can see every performance as it is happening regardless of the view.

The obstructions will cover part or most of the stage from your vantage point. However, you will be able to see the rest of madison Square Garden through a large opening in the stage backdrop. YOU WILL DEFINITELY FEEL THE ENERGY IN THE ROOM.

For the closing acts (U2 and Bruce), you will be able to see most of the performance because we will remove one of the main visual obstructions.

Concessions will be available (cash bar) during the entire show.

Our seats are obstructed but they are FREE and tickets for this event start at $2500/each.

ALTHOUGH YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO SEE MOST OF THE PERFORMANCES, YOU WILL BE PART OF THIS HISTORIC EVENT.

OCT. 29TH LINE UP:

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN AND THE E STREET BAND (closing act)
STEVIE WONDER
SIMON & GARFUNKEL
PAUL SIMON
CROSBY, STILLS, NASH AND FRIENDS

OCT. 30TH LINE UP:

U2 (closing act)
ARETHA FRANKLIN
ERIC CLAPTON
METALLICA

Echo and the Bunnymen play the Mercury Lounge on Oct 17, get your tickets here while they last. Hurry!
- Thx sadotter

Mat Kearney at the Fillmore NY at Irving Plaza (09/29/09)

Photo: Jon Klemm

…Mat Kearney is somewhat of a rhyming lyrical savant – for a white dude, if you don’t mind me saying. He calls himself the hip hop kid and blends beautiful melodious choruses with the occasional lite rap verse.
…
As much as I love Mat, I didn’t expect him to be a great performer. He seemed like one of those guys that just sounds great on an album thanks to heavy production, but I am happy to say that he sounded incredible live. No gimmicks or tricks – he was pure and talented, and his voice sounded just like it does on his albums. He was backed by an awesome band, and all in all they gave a non-stop, high-energy performance. It was over too soon. [Ventures In The Slipstream]

Tour dates and more photos of Mat Kearney at The Fillmore NY at Irving Plaza after the jump.

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Bruce Springsteen at Izod Center (05/23/09)

Photo: Jon Klemm

The Boss kicked off the first of a five show run at Giants Stadium on Wednesday night with a “classic album” concert featuring 1975’s “Born To Run” in its entirely as well as a host of other hits from the Springsteen canon. After taking a night off, the residency resumes this evening (Friday, Oct 2) with another classic album set featuring “Darkness on The Edge of Town”. The Giants Stadium shows run through October 9 and here’s what the remaining nights look like:

10/02 Darkness on The Edge of Town
10/03 Born in the USA
10/08 Born To Run
10/09 Born in the USA
Buy Tickets

Jersey Girl and friend of Bumpershine, Annie Reuter, attended the September 30th performance of “Born To Run” at Giants Stadium, check out her review below:

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band: Giants Stadium Night One
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
By Annie Reuter

“Evening New Jersey! It’s nice to be in my backyard,” Bruce Springsteen said, greeting the crowd at Giants Stadium Wednesday night. “You’ve joined us tonight to shut the old lady down. We’ve had a lot of great nights here. Let’s make this another one.”

Shortly after, the band began a new number, “Wrecking Ball,” which Springsteen wrote specifically for the night. “I was raised out of steel here in the swamps of Jersey/Some misty years ago,” he sang while the lyrics scrolled across the screens. “My home is here in the Meadowlands/Where mosquitoes grow big as airplanes/Here where the blood is spilled, the arena is filled and Giants play the game,” he continued to screams.

Playing just over three hours, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band’s energetic 29-song set, kept concertgoers on their feet. Whether it was newer tracks like, “Working on a Dream” from his most recent release, or the entirety of 1975’s Born To Run cover to cover, Springsteen and the E Street Band continue their legacy of New Jersey’s finest and must-see acts.

Read the rest of the review and see more unpublished photos from Bruce Springsteen’s May 23, 2009 show at the Izod Center after the jump.

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The Weakerthans at MHOW (09/18/09)

Rock Plaza Central at MHOW (09/18/09)

Photos: Matt Fricovsky

I know, I know, a little late to press on this one, but hey, better than never for my Canadian homies. Here’s a review from the Thursday night show:

Rock Plaza Central had a veritable menagerie of instruments on stage, which they switched between with ease – their violinist did double duty on trombone, one guy was switching between a mandolin, guitar, and trumpet, and they all sang in gorgeous sometimes six part harmony. They went through the usual, we’re from Canada, is anyone here from Canada, then: “Does anyone here dream of Canada?” Which, met with a resounding yes, summed up the evening quite well.

As for The Weakerthans: I love these guys, have for a while, John K. Sampson’s lyrics are some of my all time favorites; they express the kinds of sentiments you felt and never had a name for in perfectly poetic fashion, and it’s quite easy to adopt any and all as personal anthems.

…
We were treated to a mix of old and new favorites, a Virtute the cat double header, and a two part encore, as no one was willing to stop screaming and clapping and let the guys leave the stage entirely. [Rockscope.com]

More photos from Friday night’s show after the jump.

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Moby at The Fillmore NY at Irving Plaza (09/21/09)

Photo: Jon Klemm

At the first of a run of three intimate shows in NYC on [Monday] night, Moby got back to his roots (insert mandatory bald joke here)—playing earthy arrangements of his hits with a full band. Sporting a Bad Brains T-shirt, Moby (who got his nickname because his great-great-great-granduncle wrote Moby Dick, fact fans) alternated between playing electric guitar and playing drums. Unsurprisingly, the well-heeled crowd roared loudest for the songs from Play, but it was still good to see Moby put some heart into his electrosoul. [Time Out New York]

Moby’s latest release, Wait For Me, which NPR’s Bob Boilen called his “best new album in a decade”, is out now on Mute Records. More pictures from the Irving Plaza show, a new video for the song “Mistake”, and all upcoming Moby tour dates after the jump.

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OK Go at The Bell House (09/14/09)

Photo: Jon Klemm

OK Go at Bell House (09/14/09)
Shooting*
Get Over It
A Million Ways
White Knuckles*
I Want You*
Oh Lately It’s So Quiet
BFK*
Don’t Ask Me
Here It Goes Again
Last Leaf*
It’s a Disaster
TTSP*
Do What You Want
—
Skyscrapers*
A Good Idea At The Time
Invincible
* Possibly a new song or a cover.

More photos from OK Go at The Bell House after the jump.

PS Sorry for the lack editorial on this one, I wasn’t at the show and I couldn’t find any reviews online.

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Blink-182 at Virgin Mobile Free Fest (08/30/09)

Photos: PJ Sykes

Jesus Christ, Blink-182 is still making dick jokes? The crowd was lucky to hear a single late-’90s pop-punk song end without an immediate reference to “cock n’ balls,” guitarist Tom Delonge’s fondness for handjobs, or bassist Mark Hoppus’ desire to “go down on Oprah.” And after awkwardly discussing the key of the next song, the California trio returned to form by blasting out “The Blow Job Song.” At least the past decade hasn’t changed Blink-182 too much—and based on the crowd’s reaction to each mention of a penis, the teenagers that first laughed at their hijinks in 1999 are apparently stuck in the same state of arrested development.

But shit, Travis Barker can wail, and I’ll admit it: Blink’s show was shamefully fun. I think we all missed their old little-persons-on-trampolines shtick during “All The Small Things,” though. [DC Decider]

After VFF, Blink-182 decided to take some time off to mourn the passing of Travis Barker’s friend, collaborator and fellow plane crash survivor, DJ AM. In order give Travis some time to grieve, Blink-182 recently cancelled a show in Saratoga, NY and postponed two dates in Cleveland and St. Louis. The St. Louis show has been rescheduled for September 29 and the new date for the Cleveland show is September 30, no word on whether the Saratoga gig will be rescheduled.

More photos of Blink-182, Taking Back Sunday, Richard Branson, Flavor Flav and other famous and non-famous people at the 2009 Virgin Mobile Free Fest after the jump.

PS Thanks again to PJ Sykes for all his hard work at VFF this year.

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Weezer at Virgin Free Fest (08/30/09)

Photos: PJ Sykes

Weezer, who recently launched their own 24 hour web radio station at A.P.E. Radio, shared the headlining duties at this year’s Virgin Free Fest with the reunited Blink-182. Weezer’s Brian Bell recently shared a few insights about their new radio venture with MTV.com:

“It’s a little insight into the things that turn us on and things we’ve been inspired by,” said rhythm guitarist Brian Bell. “There’s things that have inspired me like classical pieces by Franz Schubert, some soul pieces, some rock things and even things you’ve heard a million times but people should listen to again like the Beatles’ ‘Twist and Shout,’ which has one of the most fantastic rock vocal deliveries ever. It embodies rock and roll.”
…
“I’m embarrassed by some of the things I picked because I take it very seriously, but I don’t want it to come back and haunt me,” Bell admitted. “But I tried not to pick things just because they were obscure and cool.” Then again, alongside songs by early influences like the B-52s, Bob Dylan and the Cars, he did pick some more obscure stuff, like songs by Kid America and the Action Figures, early synth punk act Suicide and the unreleased “Ugly Things” from his side project the Relationship, whose debut is due out later this year. [MTV.com]

The Weezer/Blink-182 joint tour (which has been without Blink-182 for a couple of nights) concludes on September 17 in Irvine, CA. Weezer’s new album, Raditude (yup, that’s what it’s called), will be released on October 27, 2009.

The “Radio Weezer” widget and more pictures of Weezer, Public Enemy and The Hold Steady from the Virgin Free Fest after the jump.

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This is a huge coup for 92Y Tribeca, in case you don’t recall, the last time The Swell Season were here, they played the slightly larger Radio City Music Hall.

THE SWELL SEASON
Mon, Sep 14, Doors 8 pm, $35

92YTribeca hosts an intimate pre-release showcase of The Swell Season’s eagerly anticipated follow-up to their soundtrack to the film Once, Strict Joy, out October 27. The Swell Season is most noted as being the inspiration behind John Carney’s Once, a low budget Irish film that became one of the most successful independent features of 2007. The pair not only wrote the songs for the movie, but starred in it and won the Academy Award for Best Original Song, which they performed live at the Oscars. www.92YTribeca.org/music

You can watch a live performance of 6 new songs from Strict Joy (performed for NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert Series) over here. Tickets for the 92Y Tribeca show go on sale tomorrow (Sep 3).

The full set of dates for The Swell Season upcoming North American fall tour will be announced on Tuesday, September 8, 2009. Presales for most shows will take place from September 9 – September 10, 2009. General on sale for most shows will begin on Friday, September 11. View the current Swell Season tour dates after the jump.

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