Photo by Michael Rusch for c/o the New York Times

The Times takes a long, hard look at just how Senator Charles E. Schumer came to back Jelly's Pool Parties as they faced contract renewal problems following last year's shows. It reveals there actually came a time when park officials grew frustrated with Jelly and began looking for alternative promoters.

But Schumer put the kibosh on those talks by "insisting that Jelly be part of the concerts series for this year, that there be no discussion with other people," according to Steve Hindy, chairman of the Open Space Alliance (and Brooklyn Brewery president). After a winter of negotiations, Jelly finally signed a contract last week for seven free Sunday concerts this summer. The bands have yet to be announced, but hopefully we'll get word soon of who's playing.

Like all upsides to a story, there is a downside. Bowery Presents, the promoter behind the Music Hall, Brooklyn Bowl, and a majority of the other venues here in the city, feels left out. Joe Lentol, our state assemblyman, thinks Senator Schumer got a little muscley, getting "a little more involved than he should have." But once he was in, it was all-in for the Senator. Lentol adds "when Chuck Schumer gets involved in something, it doesn’t matter if it seems to be small for a United States senator. He will not let it go until he’s resolved it.”

The first show will be July 11th.

Posted by Brian Ries at 10:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

PopGun kicked off their incredible summer lineup Saturday night with a sold out show of the best stuff out there in dance-pop right now... and one lucky reader was there thanks to, well, FREEwilliamsburg. Here's how the night went down, in the words of the ticket winner himself:

MillionYoung, two gentle youngsters from Florida, make squeaky clean guitar-driven electronica. To augment the precision, the vocals were washed with more fuzz and echo than perhaps any band I've seen save a beach-pop act or two that sparked up last year. THIS is chillwave riding its crest. Marco Diaz has crafted an early version of the future sound of pop, and would have played a spectacular set but for the "William Jean"-pegged MJ cover at the end that, sadly, just didn't work. Nonetheless, I look forward to more.

Restless People, yet to release an album (the self-titled EP is due mid-September), got the crowd dancing with their Tropical Rock-tronic sound. Recently signed to IAMSOUND Records and partially composed of our beloved Tanlines, the two tracks floating around, "Days of our Lives" and "Victimless Crimes", are furthering the dance rock that is coming to define this summer. Stereogum links them to another "sunny, globally minded dance-pop group... Delorean, zeitgeist-nailers making a lot of people sweat in 2010."

But Delorean is nearly a class unto its own, and this Barcelona fourtet drew a packed, sold out crowd. Almost as if The Avalanches finally achieved that perfect dance album, "Subiza" is becoming the sound of Summer '10. Tinged with the tongue-in-cheek cheesiness of the House music they surely grew up on, Delorean oozes a danceably hazy feast of pop sounds that also recalls fellow Spaniard El Guincho's pension of an Animal Collective aesthetic. "Simple Graces" and "Come Wander" are my jams for the hot days, but each track appealed to its own crowd as Delorean rocked the international hip scene they drew.

--Claiborne McDonald

More photos from Saturday night's show after the jump...

Continue reading "Delorean Kicks Off Summer at Glasslands" »

Posted by Nicole Wasilewicz at 04:56 PM | Permalink

photo via mybrokenmouth on flickr

Yeasayer kicked off their summer-through-fall 2010 tour opening The Beach at Governors Island Saturday night. The music was fantastic, as expected (Yeasayer setlist). The logistics of getting thousands of sweaty hipsters out to an island accessible only by boat, on the other hand, were insane. Kudos to Bowery Presents, Highline Ballroom and Mad Dog Present for even trying, and thanks for keeping the taxis and music free.

It all started with a very long line, as such things do, that spanned from the gates of the Water Taxi building allll the wayyyy to Battery Park. Almost everyone behind me never even made it to the show as the island hit capacity about ten minutes after 7:00pm. The spot itself is awesome -- right there on the Governors Island "beach" overlooking the East River and NYC skyline. Best of all, they have dayglo fake palm trees.

Opening bands Keepaway and Delicate Steve were the openers, Yeasayer the main event. All rocked it solidly, but let's talk logistics, after the jump. In the meantime, here's Yeasayer performing O.N.E., via eyots:

Gone to Governor's - Yeasayer from The Big Secret on Vimeo.

Continue reading "Yeasayer Opens The Beach at Governors Island: Lines, Boats, and Coconuts" »

Posted by Brian Ries at 11:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

You can get your twee on at noon, that's when tickets go on sale.

Beloved twee-pop cult heroes Belle and Sebastian haven't played a show on American soil since 2006. But this fall, the Matablog reports that the band will breeze through North American venues on a way-too-brief tour that'll include a pair of Mexican dates.

This announcement comes on the heels of news that the band is back at work, writing songs in Glasgow and recording in Los Angeles. According to a Friday news update on the band's site, they're currently in "the final stages" of recording a new album. They'll also tour through Europe and Asia in the coming months, and also promise some UK dates and "a trip to South America" before year's end. And they'll curate and headline the Bowlie 2 festival, which takes over Butlins in Minehead, England December 10-12. Taking twee global!

More information here.

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 11:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)