Singer and multi-instrumentalist Josh Kolenik was living in Portland, Ore., when someone suggested using Small Black as a band name. He remembered that upon returning to Long Island. And once there, Kolenik and a musician friend, Ryan Heyner, headed to Kolenik’s uncle’s attic and began recording dreamy pop songs. Their self-titled EP came out last fall, and after rounding out their live sound with Jeff Curtin and Juan Pieczanski, the Brooklyn band began to play live shows. A debut LP is on the horizon, and Small Black (above, performing “Despicable Dogs” for the Tripwire)—with Beach Fossils— plays Mercury Lounge tomorrow night.
Posts Tagged ‘Video’
Lucero Hits The Beach at Governors Island (Plus a Free MP3)
Friday, July 9th, 2010
Lucero, out of Memphis, has been expertly combining country with punk and rock since 1998. They’re as much known for their red-hot live shows as for frontman Ben Nichols’ raspy, evocative growl. And the best news is, as part of the Gone to Governors series, Lucero (above, playing “I Can Get Us Out of Here Tonight” for Fuel TV) is playing for FREE tomorrow night at The Beach at Governors Island.
And as an added bonus, Converse, the Gone to Governors sponsor, is offering you a free MP3 download of “All Summer,” featuring Kid Cudi, Rostam, of Vampire Weekend, and Best Coast’s Bethany Cosentino, here.
Governors Island Ferry Information Update
We encourage everyone to come early and enjoy The Beach. If you are on the island before the show tomorrow, get to The Beach venue by 5:30 p.m., as concert wristbands will be distributed earlier. Governors Island ferries will run from the Battery Maritime Building until 5:30 p.m. There will be no boats to the concert departing from the Battery Maritime Building after 5:30 p.m. Dedicated concert ferries will depart after 5:30 p.m. from Pier 11, located at the corner of South Street and Wall Street in lower Manhattan. Wristbands will be distributed at the ferry departure point on a first-come, first-served basis, starting at 5:30 p.m.
Cass McCombs Hits The Bowery Ballroom Tomorrow
Thursday, July 8th, 2010
Cass McCombs is a California kid who eventually made his way to the East Coast. Although he spent quite a bit of time traveling the country, at one point the talented singer-songwriter settled in Baltimore and recorded his debut EP, Not the Way, released in 2002. Since then, he’s headed back to his home state and has put out four LPs of funny, poppy and dark music—the most recent of which, Catacombs, came out last year. And now Cass McCombs (above, playing “That’s That” on KCRW), along with Lightspeed Champion and Melanie Moser & the Eleventh Hour Band, comes to The Bowery Ballroom tomorrow night.
Two Nights of the Latin Alternative Music Conference
Wednesday, July 7th, 2010
The Latin Alternative Music Conference, which is geared toward the marketing of Spanish-language alternative music, is going on now through this Saturday. Sure, the LAMC provides plenty of networking opportunities, but even better, there’s lots of great music and all different types. Tonight, Mercury Lounge features Chico Mann (below, playing “Anima”), San Pascualito Rey, Furland, Los Punsetes and Maleco Collective. And tomorrow, The Bowery Ballroom hosts Mexican Institute of Sound, La Bien Querida, Isa GT, Los Rakas and Moderatto. Fight these hot nights with cool music.
Happy Fifth of July!
Monday, July 5th, 2010We’re still trying to get our fireworks back, and we will return tomorrow. Enjoy your three-day weekend. Happy birthday, America!
Northside Festival Starts Today
Thursday, June 24th, 2010
Get ready for a flurry of indie rock in Brooklyn this weekend because The L Magazine’s second annual Northside Festival, today through Sunday, brings more than 100 bands to Greenpoint and Williamsburg. Of course you know The Bowery Presents is gonna get in on that, beginning tonight at Music Hall of Williamsburg with Thao and Mira with the Most of All and These United States. Tomorrow brings the Woodsist Records Showcase featuring Real Estate and Woods to Music Hall of Williamsburg while Brooklyn Bowl hosts the Fiery Furnaces (below, playing “Keep Me in the Dark” for Seattle’s KEXP), who will also be at Mercury Lounge the next night. On Saturday, Music Hall plays host to a Brooklyn Vegan showcase, with Memory Tapes, Twin Sister, Dom and ZAZA on hand. And, finally, close out this festival in style on Sunday when Islands hits Music Hall of Williamsburg.
Win Free Tickets to See Hole on 6/25
Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010Don’t call it a comeback because Courtney Love has been here for years. But her band’s fourth album (and first in 12 years), Nobody’s Daughter, came out this past April, and now Hole (above, playing “Skinny Little Bitch” on Late Show with David Letterman) is hitting The Wellmont Theatre on Friday. Want to try to win tickets? Fill out the form below, listing your name, e-mail address, which show you’re trying to win tickets to (Hole, 6/25) and a brief message explaining why you deserve a free night out on The Bowery Presents. The winner will be notified by Friday.
Five Questions with…Chris “Critter” Eldridge
Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010
Punch Brothers Photo by C. Taylor Crothers
After the breakup of Nickel Creek, mandolin badass Chris Thile gathered some seriously talented musicians, Chris “Critter” Eldridge (guitar), Paul Kowert (bass), Noam Pikelny (banjo) and Gabe Witcher (violin), and formed the progressive-bluegrass outfit Punch Brothers. Their first album, Punch, came out two years ago while their second disc, Antifogmatic, is just a week old, and its accompanying tour brings Punch Brothers—below, playing “This Is the Song (Good Luck),”—to Music Hall of Williamsburg tomorrow night. Expect original material with some cool covers (think: Radiohead and the Strokes) in the mix. Ahead of this show, Brooklyn resident Critter (pictured, above far right) e-mailed The House List to answer Five Questions.
Which band have you seen play live the most often (excluding bands you’ve toured with)?
It’s hard to say, but when I lived in Nashville I used to always go to the Station Inn to see the Time Jumpers, an old-school Western swing/classic country group. I am convinced that they are one of the greatest bands in the world.
Which bands that you listened to growing up do you still listen to?
Since both of my parents are banjo players, bluegrass is the music that I was surrounded by during my childhood. Probably because of that, I wanted nothing to do with it for years. However, lately I feel that I can learn a lot by hearing how direct really good bluegrass, like Bill Monroe or the Stanley Brothers, can be.
What’s the toughest part of playing New York City?
This city has been one of the world’s epicenters of great art and music for a long time, which can be intimidating. But ultimately it is actually a good thing because it absolutely demands that you dig deep and pull the very best out of yourself. A disproportionate number of best shows that I’ve been a part of have taken place here.
Do you have any crutches when writing a song—are there certain words or styles you feel you lean on too much?
I do have a crutch in that I have four great musical minds that I get to develop musical ideas with. If ever I have an idea that seems worthwhile but I can’t figure out how to proceed, they always have a good solution.
Your after-party is at Hi-Fi, the Avenue A bar known for its endless jukebox, and The House List gives you a buck. Which three songs are you playing?
“Move It on Over” by Hank Williams Sr., “The Curse” by Josh Ritter and, finally, “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” by the Band. —R. Zizmor
Double Down with Ryan Leslie
Monday, June 21st, 2010Don’t take this the wrong way, but Ryan Leslie is smarter than you are. He aced the SATs, getting a perfect score, when he was just 14 and then graduated from Harvard at 19. Leslie has gone on to become a successful, producer, rapper, singer and multi-instrumentalist (all documented on his YouTube channel). He’s written and produced for Beyoncé, Britney Spears and New Addition while still finding time to put out a few of his own singles and mixtapes. As if he weren’t busy enough with that, Leslie released two albums, Ryan Leslie and Transition, last year. Recently, he was in Europe touring in support of Ne-Yo, but now he’s back in the US, previewing music from his next album, Les Is More, at The Bowery Ballroom tomorrow and Wednesday.
The Morning Benders on a Saturday Night
Friday, June 18th, 2010
(Photo: Michael Jurick)
Hallelujah! It’s finally Friday and the weekend is upon us. And with sunny skies ahead, why not spend some quality time outside at The Beach at Governors Island? Tomorrow night the Morning Benders, Freelance Whales and Wild Nothing play the second FREE show as part of Converse’s Gone to Governors series. And you should definitely be there.
What began as a project for just one guy with a laptop and a microphone blossomed into a full-fledged band when Chris Chu invited three UC Berkeley classmates to join him as the Morning Benders. Chu, who recently moved to NYC essentially for Joe Shanghai’s soup dumplings, recorded the EP Loose Change on his own but the quartet has since put out several EPs plus two full-lengths, and the most recent, Big Echo, which came out this past March, is filled with well-crafted atmospheric pop tunes. (Chu has cited Brian Wilson as an inspiration.) So if you think about it, the Morning Benders (below, doing “Excuses” with some friends) are kind of the perfect band to see for free outside with your feet in the sand.
The Morning Benders with Freelance Whales and Wild Nothing
June 19, 2010 – 8:00 p.m. (doors open at 6:00 p.m.)
FREE SHOW
All Ages
Governors Island Ferry Information Update
We encourage everyone to come early and enjoy The Beach. If you are on the island before the show, make sure you get to The Beach venue by 5:30 p.m., at which time concert wristbands will be distributed. Governors Island ferries will run from the Battery Maritime Building until 5:30 p.m. There will be no boats to the concert departing from the Battery Maritime Building after 5:30 p.m. Dedicated concert ferries will depart after 5:30 p.m. from two locations:
Manhattan
Pier 11, which is located at the corner of South Street and Wall Street in lower Manhattan (about four blocks south of South Street Seaport).
Brooklyn
Pier 6, which is in Brooklyn Bridge Park at the foot of Atlantic Avenue (where Furman Street turns into Columbia Street).
Wristbands will be distributed at both the Manhattan and Brooklyn ferry departure points on a first-come, first-served basis, starting at 5:30 p.m.
A Free MP3 from Sage Francis
Wednesday, June 16th, 2010
Paul “Sage” Francis is an interesting dude. He’s a hip-hop guy out of Providence, R.I., but in addition to rapping, he’s got his own label—Strange Famous Records—he’s worked on movie soundtracks and as a spoken-word performer, he’s spent a considerable amount of time in Providence’s poetry-slam community. Over the years he’s release a slew of material: singles, mixtapes, EPs, LPs, instrumental work and live albums. But he’s gone in a different direction with his newest disc, last month’s Li(f)e. It was produced by just one person, Brian Deck, and it found Francis collaborating with musicians from Death Cab for Cutie and Sparklehorse, and on “The Best of Times,” which you can download here, French composer Yann Tiersen (Amélie soundtrack) wrote the music. Sage Francis (his video for “The Best of Times” is above) plays Webster Hall on Friday, June 25th.
One Last Chance to See Isis
Wednesday, June 16th, 2010
The post-metal L.A.-based band Isis has deftly balanced ambience and aggression since originally forming in Boston in 1997. The quintet has released five studio albums, including last year’s Wavering Radiant. And last month they announced plans to retire at the end of this tour. Fittingly, the band’s final show—a week from today—will be played in the same city as their first gig, Montreal. Kind of a bummer, right? Well the good news is that Isis and the Melvins are playing two shows in NYC this weekend. Saturday’s show at Music Hall of Williamsburg is already sold out, but you can still see Isis (above, in the studio for the Wavering Radiant sessions) one last time on Friday at Webster Hall.
CocoRosie Comes to Terminal 5 Tomorrow Night
Thursday, June 10th, 2010
The Casady sisters, Bianca (vocals, guitar and harp) and Sierra (vocals and percussion), grew up traveling across the United States and later formed the freak-folk band CocoRosie in Paris. The moniker is a combination of their mother’s nicknames for them: Coco for Bianca and Rosie for Sierra. Their first album, La Maison de Mon Rêve, came out in 2004, and soon the band, which performs live with additional musicians, was playing alongside the likes of Devendra Banhart and Battles. They’ve since released three more LPs, the most recent of which, Grey Oceans, came out last month, and their current tour brings CocoRosie (above, playing “Werewolf” on French television) to Terminal 5 tomorrow night.
Dig on This: a Record-Release Party at Mercury Lounge
Friday, June 4th, 2010David Baldwin and Emile Mosseri became fast friends in sixth grade and started playing in bands together. They met Erick Eiser at a high school summer music program, and three years ago, they all moved to New York City and began writing songs under the name the Dig. They did whatever it took to get their name out—playing wherever and whenever and blanketing the streets with a never-ending supply of posters. Soon the Dig (above, playing “Carry Me Home” for Fearless Music) released their debut EP, Good Luck and Games, and with a little perseverance they earned three month-long residencies at Piano’s. Somewhere along the way, a fourth member, Jamie Alegre, joined the group, and as their fan base increased, so did the size of the venues they played in while opening for others. And now the band has a full-length disc, Electric Toys, coming out next Tuesday. So before the Dig hits the road, they’re having a record-release party at Mercury Lounge on Saturday. Consider yourself invited.
This Drummer Is at the Wrong Gig
Thursday, June 3rd, 2010Watch the drummer (as if your eye would be drawn to anything else in the clip).
Three Nights of Funk with Galactic
Tuesday, June 1st, 2010
The New Orleans-based instrumental-funk outfit Galactic has been bringing shake-your-hips music to the masses since 1994. 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 they’re still bringing the funk: Witness this year’s Ya-Ka-May, with notable sit-ins from Irma Thomas, Allen Toussaint, Trombone Shorty (who opens for Michael Franti & Spearhead at The Beach at Governors Island on Thursday) and the Rebirth Brass Band. You never know what to expect from Galactic (above, playing “Heart of Steel” with Cyril Neville on Jimmy Kimmel Live!). They could just as easily bump a hip-hop groove, drop some smooth jazz or rip a terrific Zeppelin cover. See for yourself when (featuring Cyril Neville and Rebirth’s Corey Henry) they play Brooklyn Bowl on Thursday (Living Colour singer Corey Glover sits in and Some Cat from Japan opens), Friday (High and Mighty Brass Band opens) and Saturday (Buzz Universe opens).
Don’t Miss Alberta Cross Tomorrow Night—Seriously
Tuesday, June 1st, 2010
The Swedish born Petter Ericson Stakee (vocals, guitar) and Englishman Terry Wolfers (bass) met in a London bar and bonded over their shared appreciation of blues- and country-tinged rock. They formed a band, Alberta Cross, which expertly specializes in that very type of music, and with Stakee’s upper-register voice and the group’s guitar-heavy licks, they somehow make what is old, ’70s guitar rock (think Neil Young and Crazy Horse), sound completely new. Alberta Cross (above, playing “ATX” for Rolling Stone) burst onto the scene with their 2007 EP, The Thief & the Heartbreaker. A follow-up LP, Broken Side of Time, came out to much acclaim last year. And after just completing a tour with Them Crooked Vultures, the band, now based in Brooklyn, is playing a hometown gig at Music Hall of Williamsburg tomorrow night. Welcome them home because if you like good music, you’d be crazy to miss this.
© 2010
