The Shins

Man, I feel like all you hear about these days are band reunions.  Not that it’s always a bad thing.  I’m just getting the sense that a good chunk of them are cash grabs for bands that were MAYBE semi-relevant a decade ago.  Release some new material, at least…

Before I dive into this week’s usual spiel… I have a VENUE ALERT for you.

Just when you thought you’ve seen everything, and have been to a show EVERYWHERE, another new DIY spot pops up.  It’s hard to keep track of ‘em, but I thought I’d give a heads up to a newer space down in Bed-Stuy called Big Mouth.

The venue, located in the basement of 834 Myrtle Ave, was founded by the owners of Rooftop Shout Records. They originally planned on hosting house parties in the high-ceilinged, over-sized basement, but the space begged for more.  A couple months later, someone let them have a PA on the cheap, a street-art crazed friend went nuts all over the walls and now they’re selling out ragers twice a month in the 200 capacity space.  Co-founder Rowan Antony Bado envisions utilizing the space for more innovative, conceptual shows.

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Refused

I’m dreading the day where I’ll have to announce a holographic show.  By now you’re well aware of the meme that is holographic 2Pac.  If you’re not, check the blog post below.  And while I hate to contribute to the memeification of the internet… this one is pretty relevant here.

Because… it’s probably coming.

Detox?  Fuck, Dr. Dre wasn’t hauled up for the past decade working on rap’s version of Chinese Democracy.  He was potentially ushering in the next era in the live music.  Or… I hope not.  It’s a multi-pronged problem.  Is the era of holographic concerts upon us?  Will artists need to tour anymore?  Will we see a series of bastardized “revivals” or “resurrections” as musicians and record labels attempt to cash in on this hyper-futuristic, post-modern craze?

Cost is a big factor; the holographic 2Pac reportedly cost Dre and Snoop a cool four-hundred grand, so us indie-minded individuals are probably safe.  I don’t think Matador has the cash (or desire/questionable ethics) to book a Jay Reatard hologram tour, but how far away are we from Kurt Cobain fronting a Nirvana show with Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic?  Will Peter Hook try to go on tour with a holographic Ian Curtis in a big “fuck you” to the rest of New Order?  I’m unquestionably bordering on paranoia here – especially with Cobain (Hook is more likely, see the Unknown Pleasures and Closer tours), but hey, anything can happen.  I just hope Courtney Love doesn’t get any wild ideas.

I think I’ll jump off this slippery slope for now and dive into the MOST BLOGGED shows this week.  Refused’s own RESURECTION at Terminal 5 is our most blogged show, and not surprisingly, is sold out.  Ceremony open for the Swedish hardcore-punk legends on Monday, and if you’re sans-ticket, you can stay downtown and catch Ceremony over at Mercury Lounge later in the night.

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Mastodon

It’s really hard for me to write this today.  I haven’t been in the best of moods since Rick Santorum decided to drop out of the race.  It’s just so fresh.  The initial shock has worn off, yes, but it’s a pretty deep cut, and I’m just starting to feel it.  So yeah, I apologize in advance if I’m not my usual chipper self.  I’m sure most of you can relate.  Oh well.  Time to get a head start on #Santorum2016.  Maybe some shows will make me feel better until then…

This week’s MOST BUZZED SHOW is definitely Santorum-approved: Mastadon, Opeth and Ghost: TONIGHT at the Roseland Ballroom.  Apologies to all you Brooklyn metal-heads; this one is sold out.

The (recently) late great John Chamberlain’s abstract expressionist sculpture exhibit Choices has been on display since February at the Guggenheim.  I haven’t had the chance to check it out yet, but I’m kind of glad I haven’t because Friday night is going to be the best time to see it.  This week’s EDITOR’S PICK is the first night of a three-part live music and art series at the Guggenheim, Divine Ricochet, which is inspired by Chamberlain’s 1991 sculpture.  Nothing against Zola Jesus or Cold Cave, who play the other two nights of the series: this is the night to see this exhibit.  Grouper AND Juliana Barwick are on hand for what promises to be a pair of captivating sets that are well-suited for this kind of event.

“Divine Ricochet takes its thematic cue from the poetic fusion, chaotic riffing, explosive color and sublime assemblage that characterized Chamberlain’s work.”

I can think of few musicians whose work better accompanies the work of John Chamberlain than Grouper.  She’s no stranger to experimental performances; just last year she composed a live score for Weston Currie’s visually stunning feature film, The Perception of Moving Targets.   And hey, Barwick’s ambient folk is nothing to scoff at either.

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Perfume Genius

I got out of the city for a bit this past weekend.  Every now and then, it can be refreshing.  New York really is like no other place in the world and it can take its toll on even the most wild of us all.

Well, not according to everyone.  Some places are JUST like New York.  I drove up to Binghamton on Friday to spend a couple nights with my girlfriend’s Mennonite cousins.  Absurdly nice, chill people.  Of course, the topic of the “bright lights” and “hustle and bustle” of New York came up.  They said they could relate.

“Lancaster is crazy too, just like New York.”

I smiled politely and nodded.  “Yup, just like New York.”

Anyway, it was a nice break.  Post-prayer homemade meals, alcohol-free nights over board games and casual strolls through foggy, mountainous farmland can be a nice change of pace, but by Sunday morning, I found myself thirsty for some booze and bloggable shows.  Thankfully, we come from the land of booze and bloggable shows, and there’s plenty of them to satisfy my thirst this week.

The MOST BLOGGED ABOUT SHOW (and EDITORS PICK) this week is Perfume Genius at Glasslands Gallery.  Sure to show up on pretty much everyone’s “album of the year” list, Perfume Genius’s second full-length, Put Your Back In 2 It finds the Seattle singer-songwriter again exploring familiar heart-wrenching territory, recalling the best moments of early Sufjan Stevens or Devendra Banhart.  I hope you got tickets early because this bad boy is sold out.  If you missed out, I’m going to make you feel even worse because Parenthetical Girls are also on the bill.  Score another one for Popgun.

Don’t worry… there’s still tickets for some top flight shows this week.  Black Dice are kicking off a tour in support of their upcoming EP Saturday at Living Bread Deli.  The “how the hell do you pronounce this band” electro of Oneothrix Point Never and Turn To Crime round out this “cutting edge” lineup out in “cutting edge” Bushwick.

Next up is one that hits close to home for me; Screaming Females are down in Gowanus for a show at the Bell House on Friday night.  As a New Jersey native… I gotta show some love for the first awesome punk band to come out of New Brunswick in a realllllllly long time.  Not forgetting their roots; they play Maxwell’s over in Hoboken on Thursday night, properly kicking off a tour in support of their latest release, Ugly.

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Osekre & the Lucky Bastards - Photo by Chris Mather

This past weekend was an absolutely unreal weekend for music, fueled by our very own Aputumpu music festival.  I just want to say thanks to everyone who was able to make it out.  If you did, maybe we got to chat for a bit in between sets; I was there three of the four nights.

I had to miss Japanther on Sunday.  Sorry guys.  Word to the wise… don’t ever eat a pancake wrap for brunch.  Sure, an omelet with sausage, ham, bacon and pepper jack cheese wrapped in a buttermilk pancake, doused in syrup SOUNDS awesome (and to be fair, it TASTED awesome), but it doesn’t mix too well with a stomach that just got done processing a lot of PBR and vodka clubs.  I’ll spare you guys the details.  But hey, I did manage to make it out to the other nights.  SOME HIGHLIGHTS:

Osekre and the Lucky Bastards, who booked Aputumpu, stole the show Thursday night at Shea. My man Osekre knows how to get a crowd pumped up, no doubt.

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Aputumpu Festival

It feels more like July in Brooklyn this week, as record highs offer a preview of the summer months to come.  Our very own Aputumpu festival similarly alludes to the warmer months ahead as we kick off the summer concert season with four nights of music from some of the hottest up-and-coming acts in Brooklyn.

We profiled a couple of ‘em last week, Brooklyn-based (via Minneapolis) electro-producer Mux Mool and Brooklyn institutions, Japanther, but they’re not the only acts we managed to book for our weekend of debauchery.  Although, maybe it would not be beyond the conceptual realm of Japanther to attempt to play an entire festival BY THEMSELVES.  But yeah, we’ve booked over twenty bands that should get you psyched for another summer here in Brooklyn.  Oh, and the fun starts TONIGHT.

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THE TIME IS NEAR.

Nooooo, not for SXSW. That time IS ALREADY here.

We’re just ONE WEEK away from Aputumpu… or NXNE, as I like to call it.

Alright, maybe we’re not QUITE on a par with SXSW yet, but we’ve got some sick acts lined up for our little four day festival. And hey, we even got at shout out in the New Yorker today!

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The Black Keys

I gotta be honest.

The “Most Blogged About Shows” this week seems to be a bit… thin.  That doesn’t mean there aren’t some really good options for you, if you happen to be “hangin’ round these parts” this week.  But if you’re like a lot of the bands we normally feature here… you WON’T be “hangin’ round these parts” this week.  You’ll be down in Austin for SXSW.  Oh, and my usage of “hangin’ round these parts” in a paragraph about Austin, Texas, is purely coincidental.  I assure you.

Anyway, I digress.  I will be here for the week.  And I’ve got some shows that will make you and I both feel A LITTLE better about being in Brooklyn, while everyone else sweats their asses off at “south by.”

Our most blogged about show this week is SOLD OUT (as is GENERALLY the case), and it’s a big one – The Black Keys and Arctic Monkeys at Madison Square Garden.  It’s kind of crazy how HUGE The Black Keys have gotten, but I guess it makes sense; they’re talented and have a pretty “inoffensive” sound.  I gotta be honest.  Again.  I’ve never personally been able to get into either of these bands, but hey, if you got a ticket, enjoy.

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Aputumpu Flyer

Platinum Badge: $1395

Gold Badge: $1150

Interactive Badge: $950

Music Badge: $750

Aputumpu 4 Day Festival Pass… Priceless.

Alright.  Maybe not PRICELESS, but honestly, who has the money to burn on one of the above SXSW badges – and that’s not even accounting for travel and hotel?  Especially when you’ve got an amazing music festival going on in your own backyard, the following weekend, for the LOW COST of $30?  That’s right, THREE – ZERO DOLLARS for FOUR DAYS of music.

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The Roots

This week’s edition of “Most Blogged About Shows” falls on a leap day.  Much has changed since the last leap day.

On February 29, 2008:

-      George W. Bush was in the White House.

-      “Road margaritas” were readily available from Turkey’s Nest on Bedford Ave.

-      The domestication of dogs continued, unabated.

-      Zucotti Park was just some concrete slab.

-      Chillwave was nothing more than a twinkle in Ernest Greene’s eye

What was our MOST BUZZED artist, The Roots, doing in 2008?

Why, they embarrassingly cut a single with FALL OUT BOY lead singer Patrick Stump!  Sorry guys, we didn’t forget about that (even if you tried to make us by cutting it from the LP.)  Don’t let that dissuade you from seeing them on Tuesday at the Apollo Theater.  One thing has NOT changed; The Roots are an INCREDIBLE live act and one of the best hip-hop acts of all time.  Don’t miss out.

My personal CAN’T MISS shows this week are Cults, Writer and Mrs. Magician on Friday night over at Maxwell’s, and Tennis and Hospitality, Monday night at Music Hall of Williamsburg.  I’m all about the female-fronted acts this week.

If you can’t make it all the way out to Maxwell’s on Friday, Matthew Dear, Blondes and Helado Negro bring their electronic stylings to Bowery Ballroom.  Don’t end the night there – hop on the M for the after-party over at Glasslands, which features a DJ set by Dabrye.

Speaking of Glasslands, they have an absurdly good hip-hop show this weekend with Oakland’s own Main Attrakionz, with BBU, Greedhead’s Big Baby Gandhi and Beans of Antipop Consortium.  Also at Glasslands, shoegaze-revivalists Widowspeak front a Captured Tracks showcase Saturday night, with Mac DeMarco and Quilt supporting.

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