Stand, a four-piece from Dublin, formed in the late ’90s and put out their first album back in 1999. But the quartet decided to give the New York City music scene a try and began playing small shows across our fair city, which eventually led to an East Coast tour. The band’s high-energy shows earned them a loyal following. And now with a new album, 100,000 Ways to Harvest Hope, in tow, they’re back. See them play Mercury Lounge tomorrow night.
The English five-piece Kasabian put out their fourth studio album, Velociraptor!, last September, and soon they’re on their way to our country in support of it. That tour will bring them to Terminal 5 on 3/22 (with the terrific Hacienda opening). The show is sold out, so if you can’t make it there, you can stream it live here: The Bowery Presents Live. Also check out a playlist of videos, live songs and interviews. And, of course make sure you subscribe to The Bowery Presents Live to keep up with what’s new on the channel.
John Flansburgh and John Linnell have been making music as They Might Be Giants since 1982. For a while it was just the two of them and a drum machine. They didn’t even have a full backing band for nearly a decade. But 30 years is a long career, and over that time TMBG have been prolific: six live albums, nine compilations, 15 LPs, including last year’s Join Us, and 20 EPs. Plus, they’ve covered a wide musical terrain, from alternative to children’s music to TV and movie soundtracks. But make no mistake, when They Might Be Giants play Terminal 5 tomorrow night, they’re coming to rock.
They play in Phosphorescent backing Matthew Houck, but as Virgin Forest the Brooklyn quartet recently released their second LP, Easy Way Out, on Partisan Records. And tonight at Music Hall of Williamsburg they open for Craig Finn. But today, they’re the featured band on The Bowery Presents Live. Watch them, above, talking about things like music from their youth and why they don’t have to practice much. Also check out their Track + Field session, performing “Lifted,” and a playlist of videos, live songs and interviews. And, of course make sure you subscribe to The Bowery Presents Live to keep up with what’s new on the channel.
Although they formed in 1996, initially under the name Parva, Kaiser Chiefs first gained attention with the release of their debut full-length, Employment, in 2005, which leaned on New Wave and punk and perhaps even channeled some of the Jam. The five-piece from Leeds—Ricky Wilson (lead vocals and percussion), Nick Hodgson (drums and backing vocals), Andrew “Whitey” White (guitar), Simon Rix (bass) and Nick “Peanut” Baines (keys and percussion)—stayed busy over the next few years, putting out two more well-received albums, opening for the likes of Green Day and U2 and playing high-energy sets at festivals before deciding to take a break. Fortunately it wasn’t a permanent one. And now Kaiser Chiefs (above, doing “Ruby” for i-concerts.com) are back with a new disc, Start the Revolution Without Me, out yesterday. See them tomorrow night at Terminal 5.
Their reputation preceded them. Shortly after forming, Fanfarlo quickly earned comparisons to Arcade Fire and Broken Social Scene, probably because they also employ some of the overlooked instruments of the indie-rock world, like the mandolin, trumpet and violin—and because of their dreamy sounds and swelling anthems. Simon Balthazar (vocals and guitar), Leon Beckenham (trumpet and keys), Justin Finch (bass and vocals), Cathy Lucas (violin and mandolin) and Amos Memon (drums and percussion) came together as Fanfarlo about six years ago in London. And through a series of singles, the Internet and their frenetic live shows, word of mouth got out. So people knew to see the band (above, playing “Shiny Things”) before they’d ever even heard the band. And since their second full-length album, Rooms Filled with Light, just came out on Tuesday, it’s easier than ever to hear the band. Now go see them play Webster Hall on Tuesday night.
Sometimes all you need is a reason to party, like St. Patrick’s Day, Mardi Gras or Arbor Day. So you’ll be happy to know we’ve got your next excuse to cut loose, on Saturday when Terminal 5 hosts the Fourth Annual Salute to Texas Independence Day with a pretty festive lineup, including Pat Green (above, playing “It Feels Like It Should” for Opry Live), the Eli Young Band, the Randy Rogers Band and the Josh Abbott Band. The show starts early, at 7 p.m., which means there will be a full night of merrymaking. And as a bonus, any patron (21 or older) wearing an article of clothing with a logo from a Texas college on it will receive a complimentary drink. A 176th birthday party has never been so much fun. Come out and celebrate for yourself.
Matt Nathanson doesn’t like to be pigeonholed to just one thing. Sure, he sings and writes songs, but he also plays the guitar—sometimes acoustic, sometimes electric. He always performs solo, that is when he isn’t doing so with a full band. And when he isn’t playing music, he’s doing comedy. Nevertheless, Nathanson has been recording music since he was in college. In fact, his first album, Please, came out when he was just 20. And in the almost 20 years since then, Nathanson’s music has been featured on a variety of TV shows and he’s released a host of live discs, EPs and LPs. The most recent, Modern Love, came out last June. But Nathanson (above, playing “Modern Love” for 101.9 KINK FM in Portland, Ore.) is still on the road, and you can see him tomorrow night at The Wellmont Theatre.
The soul-funk trio Soulive—Alan Evans (drums), Neal Evans (Hammond B3) and Eric Krasno (guitar)—formed in the late ’90s and has been bringing its own bluesy, jammy brand of jazz, funk, classic rock and R&B to the dancing masses ever since. Krasno joined the brothers Evans for a recording session in Woodstock in 1999, which eventually became their first EP, Get Down! A host of studio albums and live discs followed, including 2010’s instrumental take on the Beatles, Rubber Soulive. But despite the trio’s recorded virtuosity, far and away the best way to experience these guys is live. Which works out great because with Bowlive III beginning tonight, you’ve got 10 chances to see them in person. That’s right: Soulive (above, doing “Eleanor Rigby” and “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)” during the first Bowlive) plays Brooklyn Bowl 10 times between now and 3/10.
And as always, there will be special guests galore, like John Scofield and Luther Dickinson tonight and tomorrow, Rahzel, ?uestlove and Karl Denson on 3/1, Karl Denson, Jennifer Hartswick and the Alecia Chakour Band on 3/2, Jennifer Hartswick, Marco Benevento and the Nigel Hall Band on 3/3, Lettuce, Zach Deputy, Skerik and Allen Stone on 3/6, Lettuce, Zach Deputy and Skerik on 3/7, ?uestlove, George Porter Jr., Billy Martin, Citizen Cope and Alice Smith on 3/8, and George Porter Jr., Nigel Hall, Alecia Chakour and Kenny Olson on 3/9. Put on your dancing shoes or your bowling shoes and prepare to get down.
In the studio, the Twilight Sad is a trio—James Graham on vocals, Mark Devine on drums and Andy MacFarlane on guitar—but when the group plays live, Johnny Docherty, on bass, and Martin Doherty, on keys and backing vocals, round out the sound. The Scottish rockers are known for a few things: singer Graham’s brogue, layers of noise and that old rock and roll standby the accordion. The Twilight Sad (above, playing “Cold Days from the Birdhouse” for Seattle’s KEXP FM) recently released their third album, the sparser but well-reviewed No One Can Ever Know, a few weeks ago, and you can see them in person on Saturday at Music Hall of Williamsburg. While the band had some visa issues earlier in the week, this show will go on.
When it comes to St Patrick’s Day, everybody’s Irish. And it when it comes to Mardi Gras, everyone’s from New Orleans. But you don’t have to head to the Crescent City to celebrate because the NOLA-based instrumental-funk outfit Galactic is bringing its shake-your-hips music our way. They started out as an eight-piece with Theryl DeClouet (House Man) as their singer. Over the years, they’ve paired down to five and parted ways with DeClouet. But no doubt, they’re still bringing the funk: Witness their most recent album, the Mardi Gras-themed Carnivale Eletricos. Of course, when they come to play it’s rarely alone, and this visit is no different. Expect plenty of special guests, like Corey Glover (of Living Colour) and Corey Henry (of Rebirth Brass Band), plus reggae legends Steel Pulse and New Orleans’ own Soul Rebels (download their Sweet Dreams EP for free here). Esquire magazine writes: “In a perfect world, Galactic would be 2012’s Black Keys—consistently underrated veterans who get belatedly huge.” And you can find out why when Galactic (above, doing “Heart of Steel” with Corey Glover and Corey Henry at last year’s Bonnaroo) and friends play Terminal 5 on Saturday night.
Back in the ’80s the garage-rock quartet the Del Fuegos won over critics and gained a local following first in Boston and then throughout the Northeast, thanks in part to appearing in a beer commercial. The original lineup—singer-guitarist Dan Zanes, guitarist Warren Zanes, bassist Tom Lloyd and drummer Steve Morrell—didn’t stay together too long. By the time their first album, The Longest Day, came out, Morrell had left and been replaced by Woody Giessman. When the group’s third LP, Stand Up, didn’t fare well commercially or critically, Warren Zanes and then Giessman next left the band. There was just one more album and that was it. As Dan Zanes said, “The ’80s were over, we were over.” And each guy went his own way. Most notably, Dan became the frontman of Dan Zanes and Friends, delighting children everywhere. And that’s where this tale would end if they hadn’t reunited last summer—for the first time in 21 years—to raise money for a charity. It went so well that the Del Fuegos (above, playing “I Still Want You”) are out on the road. See them tomorrow night at The Bowery Ballroom.
These days it seems like electronic music is as big as big as it’s ever been. So you’d think it would be tough to stand out in such a crowded field. But that hasn’t been the case with Big Gigantic. With only two members, producer Dominic Lalli and drummer Jeremy Salken, Big Gigantic refers to the band’s sound, not its size. They began making music together in Boulder, Colo., in 2008, and if they had stuck to just putting jazz melodies over dance beats, that might have been enough for them to have a different sound. But what really makes people notice Big Gigantic’s music is that Lalli also plays the sax. The duo put out A Place Behind the Moon in 2010 and they haven’t looked back since. A new disc, Nocturnal, came out last month and you can download it for free here. Check out Big Gigantic, above, doing “Rise and Shine” for livewiremusic.com, and make sure you act fast next time they’re in town, because Sunday’s show at Webster Hall is sold out.
Singer-songwriter-guitarist Sam Cohen is a talented, busy dude. In Boston, where the Houston native attended the famed Berklee College of Music, he formed the psychedelic-rock trio Apollo Sunshine. That would’ve been enough for some musicians. But Cohen is also a sideman in demand, appearing on albums for Shakira and Norah Jones, among others. That, too, would’ve been enough for some musicians. But not Cohen. No, he decided to go it alone with the solo project Yellowbirds in 2009. Full-length The Color followed in 2011, and tomorrow night at Mercury Lounge you can see Yellowbirds (above, playing “In Our World” for KDHX FM in St. Louis) for yourself.
The Minneapolis hip-hop collective Doomtree—comprised or rappers, DJs and producers—has been doing its own alternative take on hip-hop, combining rap and punk with introspective lyrics, since releasing False Hopes in 2007. The large band’s members have known one another since they were kids and that familiarity comes across when Doomtree (above, doing “Bangarang” for 89.3 FM Minnesota Public Radio) performs live. Last November the group released its third full-length, the well-received No Kings. And now they’re out on the road, which brings them to The Bowery Ballroom tomorrow night.
