Gogol Bordello at The Virgin Mobile Festival (08/09/08)

Photo: Tim Griffin (more)

Gypsy-punk outfit Gogol Bordello has worked a quick run through North America into its late-winter/early spring world tour ahead of the forthcoming Rick Rubin-produced effort, “Transcontinental Hustle.”

Before heading out for an Australian leg, the New York-based group will take the stage at New York City’s Carnegie Hall Feb. 26 for a Tibet House benefit concert, which will also feature Iggy Pop, Patti Smith and Regina Spektor, among others. [LiveDaily.com]

In addition to the Tibet House benefit, Gogol Bordello will play a show of their very own at The Fillmore at Irving Plaza on Mar 9, 2010. Tickets for that show go on Live Nation presale (Password: DRUMS) starting today (Feb 19) at 10AM, public on sale begins on Feb 20 at 10AM. No word yet on when the new album hit the street.

More Gogol Bordello tour dates after the jump.

“Gogol Bordello, New Album, Tour Dates (Carnegie Hall, Irving Plaza)” continued after the jump

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club at Virgin Mobile Festival (more)

Photo: Tim Griffin

Today’s On Sales: Friday, February 19

For today’s presales, go over here.

For those of you that don’t follow @bumpershine on Twitter, there’s lots of stuff there that doesn’t make the blog. Here’s some of what you missed today:

Kindle app for Blackberry (via @internetnews) http://bit.ly/92PFLM

Shara Worden (My Brightest Diamond) performing with Clogs at Bell House on Mar 24 http://bit.ly/9LkaMh Buy Tix: http://bit.ly/d8C6c7

NYTimes feature on Blue-Tongue Films fails to mention Joel Edgerton’s high profile gig as Stanley Kowalski in Streetcar http://bit.ly/devOdk

Gogol Bordello: Mar 9, 2010, Irving Plaza, New York, NY. Free Music Today Presale: Feb 18, 2010 Buy: http://bit.ly/91jEBC

OK so “Idol” outdrew the Olympics, but repeats on CBS outdrew a new episode of “Lost”? http://nyti.ms/aCJ7TP

Natalie Merchant at B&N Union Square Apr 14, 2010. New CD “Leave Your Sleep” hits shelves Apr 13 http://bit.ly/amhvND

OK MySpace, you are dying, but you still have a treasure trove of untapped RSS feeds. Get with the program, let’s publish those feeds!

Feeling weepy? MySpace to push real time status updates out to Google http://bit.ly/dthYUI

Tila Tequila releasing an EP. (Shame on me for tweeting that.)

Josh Rouse playing Bell House on Apr 28, 2010. Tickets on sale soon http://bit.ly/9LkaMh

Elvis Costello joins the already impressive lineup for Hal Willner’s tribute to Neil Young in Vancouver, BC http://bit.ly/9ODbcb

@cupide430 I uploaded El Perro Del Mar’s cover of The xx’s “Shelter” to YouTube http://bit.ly/c9Bu4w

The Wave Pictures at South St. Seaport (more)

Photo: Jessica Amaya

Today’s On Sales: Thursday, February 18

For today’s presales, go over here.

Savoir Adore at Cake Shop (02/11/10)

Photo: Jon Klemm
DOWNLOAD: 3 Free Savoir Adore Tracks

Savoir Adore, an electro pop outfit from Brooklyn, are in the midst of a month long residency at Cake Shop to promote their debut record, In The Wooded Forest. For the most part, ITWF (which came out last year on Cantora Records), is a dreamy and entrancing LP, but I’d be curious to see what kind of energy Paul Hammer and Deidre Muro bring to songs like the drum and disco infused “Merp”, the Fleetwood Mac-ish “Space Travel”, and the balls-out rocker “Bodies” in a live setting. Unfortunately, I don’t know the answer to these questions because couldn’t make it out to their show last week due to some unforeseen circumstances. Fortunately though, I can satisfy my curiosity tonight (Thu, Feb 18) when Savoir Adore play their third and final residency show at Cake Shop with Red Wire Black Wire, Ennui, and The Bloodsugars. They go on at 11PM, but if it’s anything like last week (packed), you’ll want to get there early (and you shouldn’t miss The Bloodsugars either).

Here’s some overly gushy press blurbage about the band:

Savoir Adore are a fantasy-pop collective, painting songs with imagery and imagination while making fans out of the most cynical of critics. Theirs is a refreshing tale from anything and everything we’ve experienced lately. Savoir Adore principal members Paul Hammer and Deidre Muro never had intentions of recording tracks to be thrown into the blogosphere or gaining major A&R attention, and as their MySpace page states, “Savoir Adore is an accident”. Just for fun, the two multi-instrumentalist songwriters decided to collaborate after two years of catching each other’s solo performances. Challenging themselves in the studio, the duo “formed a basis of experimentation that became the primal essence of Savoir Adore.” Combining inspirations drawn from sounds, atmospheres, classic songwriting and technology, their instinctive approach has earned Savoir Adore’s songs the tag “magical” by the likes of NPR.

More Savoir Adore tour dates, show flyer, and Cake Shop photos after the jump.

“Savoir Adore Cake Shop Pics (Final Residency Show Tonight)” continued after the jump

2010 New Yorker Festival (Oct 1-3, 2010)

Well, it is February already, so I guess I should start making plans for the fall. Ah good, the New Yorker has just announced the dates for this year’s New Yorker Festival.

We’re pleased to announce that the eleventh annual New Yorker Festival will take place on October 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, in New York City.

Check back here in the coming months to find out more about the 2010 Festival, or sign up for Festival Wire to receive e-mail updates.
For more information, and to watch events from previous years, visit www.newyorker.com/festival. [NewYorker.com]

PS Do you ever feel like the year is over before it’s even started?

Major news today for two New York retailing icons (well, okay maybe one icon, and one eye sore).

Duane Reade Bought By Walgreen’s

Walgreen Co. (WAG 34.26, +0.18, +0.53%) said Wednesday it would buy the privately held metropolitan New York drug store chain for about $1.08 billion from private-equity firm Oak Hill Capital Partners.
…
Walgreen, the largest U.S. drug store chain, currently runs 70 of its own stores in the New York metropolitan area, compared to Duane Reade’s 257. The Deerfield, Ill.-based company said it will decide over time how to best “harmonize” the Walgreens and Duane Reade brands. Duane Reade will continue to operate under its brand name after the transaction closes, Walgreen said.

Why they’d keep the battered Duane Reade name is a mystery, surely Walgreens has better brand equity. New Yorkers would likely embrace a Walgreens. Let’s hope it’s only the name that remains the same. [MarketWatch]

I guess DR’s big marketing push didn’t really turn things around for the ubiquitous drugstore chain.

Pearl Paint Closing Stores Around The Country

The self-proclaimed World’s Largest Discount Art Supplier, Pearl Paint is closing up shop around the country. Of the two Manhattan locations, both on Lispenard Street, the framing shop is in the process of closing and surplus products have been making their way over to the main store across the street. Other stores have already closed. As of today, the Web site lists only six locations – two in Manhattan, one in Paramus, New Jersey, and Los Angeles, as well as two others in Florida. (The corporate offices are located in Fort Lauderdale.) The large Chicago store, which was once rated the best art supply store by NewCity.com, closed down last week, with the San Francisco and Iselin, New Jersey locations following suit this week. [ArtFagCity]

The NYTimes also reports that the Pearl stores on Long Island, in Westbury, NY, Selden, NY, and Cambridge, Mass have already closed. Pearl’s problems aren’t just limited to the East Coast either, the stores San Francisco and Los Angeles are running deep-discount sales like those in the final days of the stores that are now gone.

There are a bunch of new customer offers floating around these days (you may have noticed them plastered on the sides of trucks or pay phones)— they aren’t that exciting, but I figured I’d post them anyway. (Heck, FD even sent me a code to post the other day, which is unprecedented.)

For new customers, receive $25 off your first FreshDirect order ($50 order minimum). Offer expires 2/19/2010. Use promotion code 25FREE at checkout. Limited to first-time customers in the New York delivery area.

For new customers, receive 25% off each of your first two orders. First order must be placed by 3/15/2010. Second order must be placed by 3/31/2010. Use promotion code FDTV1 at each checkout. Limited to first-time customers in the New York delivery area.

For existing customers, receive a free delivery on a $75 order or add a free week to your current Delivery Pass if you are a Delivery Pass customer. With a minimum order of $75, use promotion code FDTV2 at checkout. Expires 3/31/2010. Single-use for current customers in New York delivery area.

I believe there is also an FDTV3 code that is good for new customers, but I’m not totally sure what it does or when it expires.

Flaming Lips at ATP NY 2009

Photo: Lisztless (Buy Flaming Lips Tickets | Feb 17 at 11AM)

Today’s Presales: Wednesday, February 17

Janelle Monae at Bumbershoot (09/07/09)

Photo: Drake LeLane

Today’s On Sales: Wednesday, February 17

Sasquatch Music Festival Launch Party at The Crocodile Cafe (02/15/10)

There is a party going on right now at the Crocodile Cafe in Seattle where they are announcing the performers for this year’s Sasquatch Music Festival. The full lineup will be made public tomorrow (Tues, Feb 16), but so far Rage Against The Machine, Soundgarden, Pixies, Orbital and The New Pornographers are the current rumors floating around Twitter. It’ll all be official at midnight PST, stay tuned for more updates.

UPDATE: With the exception of The New Pornographers, the rumors were totally bogus— some of the big name headliners at Sasquatch 2010 are: My Morning Jacket, Massive Attack, Pavement, Vampire Weekend, MGMT, and The National. Tickets go back on sale on Feb 17, 2010 at 10AM PST.

View the full Sasquatch 2010 lineup after the jump.

“Sasquatch Lineup Announced Tonight/Tomorrow” continued after the jump

Mile End Brooklyn (Hoyt and Atlantic)

Louis Riel
Louis David Riel (22 October 1844 – 16 November 1885) was a Canadian politician, a founder of the province of Manitoba, and leader of the Métis people of the Canadian prairies. The third Monday in February is “Louis Riel Day”, a statutory holiday in Manitoba.

Montreal Smoked Meat and Montreal Bagels
Mile End Brooklyn is the name of the recently opened Montreal style Jewish delicatessen in Brooklyn. The first of its kind in the five boroughs, Mile End is a welcome addition to the neighborhood for ex-pats and Brooklynites alike, and it’s doubly exciting for me because I can finally get a real (albeit pricey) bagel in New York. The smoked meat sandwiches (which come with a little kick) are excellent too, they come courtesy of owner Noah Bernamoff who researched and developed his own custom spice rub modeled after the iconic Montreal smoked meat outpost Schwarz’s. Keep track of their daily meat supply (which often sells out) over here.

AT&T Nation with CanadaSM
Get the benefits of an AT&T NationSM and/or FamilyTalk Plan, plus no more long distance or roaming charges for voice calls between the U.S. and Canada. See available plans

The Winter Olympics

Alexandre Bilodeau carved his way into Canadian history Sunday at the Vancouver Winter Olympics.

The 22-year-old from Rosemère, Que., became the first Canadian to win an Olympic gold medal at home, finishing first in the men’s moguls skiing final at Cypress Mountain. [CBC.ca]

Music
Tegan & Sara at MHOW (02/15/10) SOLD OUT
Daniel Lanois at Bowery Ballroom (02/17/10)
Po’ Girl at The Living Room (02/26/10)
Basia Bulat at The Mercury Lounge (03/27/10)
Jason Collett, Zeus, Bahamas at Union Hall (04/24/10)
Jason Collett at The Mercury Lounge (04/23/10)
Still Life Still at Bowery Ballroom (02/26/10), at MHOW (02/28/10)
The Sadies, Zeus at Mercury Lounge (02/27/10)
Zeus at Knitting Factory (02/26/10)
Cuff The Duke at Knitting Factory (04/30/10)
Broken Social Scene at Webster Hall (05/07/10)
Japandroids at Bowery Ballroom (04/01/10)
Tune-Yards at Bowery Ballroom (04/09/10)
Junior Boys (DJ Set) at Bowery Ballroom (02/27/10)
Woodhands at Brooklyn Bowl (04/03/10)
Owen Pallett at Webster Hall (04/22/10)
Timber Timbre at Bowery Ballroom (04/14/10), The Bell House (04/16/10)
You Say Party, We Say Die! at Knitting Factory (03/26/10)
You Say Party, We Say Die! at Pianos (03/29/10)
Laura Barrett Town Hall (03/10/10)

Elvis Costello at the Nokia Theatre (05/16/07)

Photo: D. Caplan

This week Drake sees if Yeasayer can avoid the dreaded sophomore slump and if Hot Chip can “crack it wide open” on their fourth full length. – ed.

Drake’s Take: New Releases 02.09.10

February can be the cruelest of months, even with its brevity. One week you’d swear it was Spring, the next week, you’re spitting icicles. The release schedule kind of feels like that as well. To wit, we’re (mostly) blessed this week with new releases from Hot Chip, Yeasayer and the influential Gil Scott-Heron’s first in 28 years. There’s also notable new joints from The Watson Twins, Panthu Du Prince, Kath Bloom, Massive Attack and also staging a comeback, Sade.

Playlist: New Releases 02.09.10

With their fourth release, Hot Chip seem to have matured and realized they’re romantics at heart. One Life Stand is an awfully serious album in comparison to prior releases, its fuller, richer and their most consistent affair. If it doesn’t attract as much attention, it’s only because they don’t have a killer track like “Over and Over,” or “Ready For the Floor.” Instead, it’s a collection of great songs that are closely related to each other, a thematic collection. The title track is the closest thing to a hit here, while the rest are content to just be good-to-great, a contentment that washes over the album lyrically as well. If Hot Chip are indeed content, at least they’re resting their laurels at a nice peak.

Free AOL album stream

When Brooklyn’s Yeasayer came out of nowhere in 2007 with their Eastern-tinged debut All Hour Cymbals, they didn’t seem so much polarizing as just part of the scene with fellow artists Animal Collective and Dirty Projectors. After hearing their follow-up Odd Blood, that debut almost seems like an elaborate set up now. Even the opening track here, “Children,” sets us off in all kinds of wrong directions, with its industrial edge and weird vocal treatment, as the rest of the album really aims to please far more than freak us out. Between the pugilistic fantasy of “Ambling Alp,” the bouncy “Rome” and an oddly romantic “O.N.E.,” Yeasayer manage to please as well as remain as just strange enough in it’s embrace of world rhythms to avoid a saccharin existence. As I mentioned in a previous post, Security-era Peter Gabriel is a good comparison here, mixing romanticism, pop and African polyrhythms. While it’s bound to confound early fans, I feel like Odd Blood, with time, will win them all back in the before they’re through.

Free AOL Album Stream
Download: “Ambling Alp” [mp3]

REISSUES
Buzzcocks – Another Music in a Different Kitchen

John Butler Trio at Summerstage (06/15/10)

Buy Tickets (Presale: Feb 17 | On Sale: Feb 19)

After playing an intimate show at the Bowery Ballroom last night (Feb 11), the John Butler Trio have just announced a new show at Central Park Summerstage on Tuesday, June 15 with State Radio. Tickets for that benefit show go on Amex presale on Feb 17, regular on sale begins Feb 19 at noon. In other JBT news, the band will be releasing a new album entitled April Uprising on April 6, 2010 on ATO Records. The first single off of the new record, “One Way Road“, is available now at the usual outlets.

More John Butler Trio tour dates after the jump.

“John Butler Trio Announce Summerstage Show w/ State Radio” continued after the jump

Bad Lieutenant at Webster Hall (04/21/10)

Buy Tickets