Like many singer-songwriters (especially those with country leanings), Hayes Carll was influenced by the likes of Kris Kristofferson and John Prine, not to mention Bob Dylan. He got a guitar at 15 and began writing his own songs soon after that. Upon college graduation, Carll left Arkansas for Texas—first for Austin and then closer to his hometown, in Houston and Galveston—and began performing in bars. He was clearly talented and began to develop a local following, which has since blown up with the release of each of his albums, including the fourth and most recent, last winter’s KMAG YOYO (& Other American Stories). And since the acronym in the title comes from the military expression “Kiss My Ass, Guys, You’re on Your Own,” it’s safe to say this is one musician with a sense of humor. Back in July, he opened for Emmylou Harris and the Levon Helm Band at SummerStage (not too shabby!), but this time through, with Caitlin Rose opening, Hayes Carll (above, playing “Stomp and Holler” at the IFC Crossroads House during this year’s SXSW) headlines Music Hall of Williamsburg on Friday night.
Church can bring people together, which is exactly what happened when Mac Powell (vocals and guitar) and Mark Lee (guitar and vocals) were playing at theirs the same night as Tai Anderson (bass and vocals) and David Carr (drums) were. Suddenly Third Day became a quartet. Actually, there were five of them, but in 1993 Billy Wilkins (keys) left the band to become a teacher. No matter, Third Day, an LP bridging Christian rock and Southern rock—a sound that would stay with the band—came out in 1996. Since then the group has toured across the US and abroad and put out a slew of new music. Their 10th and most recent studio album, Move, came out about a year ago. And Georgia Music Hall of Fame members Third Day (above, performing “Revelation” on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson) play Terminal 5 tomorrow night.
The Sounds have been making top-notch New Wave pop since the late ’90s. The group originally came together when Swedish classmates Johan Bengtsson (bass), Fredrik Blond (drums), Marja Ivarsson (vocals) and Félix Rodríguez (guitar) met in school. After a chance meeting with Jesper Anderberg (keys), the quartet became a quintet. Their debut album, Living in America, was performed in English but recorded in Stockholm. A second disc, Dying to Say This to You, followed in 2006. It was recorded in Oakland and due to Ivarsson’s vocals, drew comparisons to Blondie. The band self-produced and self-released Crossing the Rubicon, out in 2009, and Something to Die For, which leans more toward synthpop than ’80s rock, was released this past spring. Above, the Sounds do “No One Sleeps When I’m Awake” on Swedish TV, and they play Music Hall of Williamsburg tomorrow night and Webster Hall on Friday with Natalia Kills and the Limousines opening and Kids at the Bar DJing between sets.
What’s better than two nights of the Black Angels? That’s right: three nights. The Austin, Texas, quintet plays Music Hall of Williamsburg tomorrow, Sunday and on Monday. (And, really, what’s a better way to celebrate Halloween than with some dark and dirty psychedelic rock?) The band, which takes its name from a Velvet Underground song, has consistently been putting out quality albums since the release of Passover in 2006. Their most recent disc, last year’s Phosphene Dream, finds them in equally fine form. And they always blow it out when the play live, which you can discover (or relive) for yourself over the next three nights. Watch the Black Angels, above, playing “Bad Vibrations” for Billboard.com and then do yourself a favor and go see them live.
Four teenagers, singer-guitarist Cole Alexander, drummer Joe Bradley, guitarist Ben Eberbaugh and bassist Jared Swilley, bonded over a love of music and formed a band, Black Lips, in the Atlanta suburbs more than 10 years ago. Their first couple of singles gained them some attention and their antics, both onstage and off, got them banned from several local venues. But the group persevered, getting past their shenanigans and lineup changes, including the death of Eberbaugh, who was killed by a drunk driver. He was replaced on guitar by Ian Saint Pé Brown, but that hasn’t affected the band’s sound. In fact Black Lips (above, playing “Dumpster Dive” for Billboard.com) have been churning out quality Southern-tinged garage punk for years, most recently on this past summer’s Arabia Mountain. You can see them—with Davilla 666, Xray Eyeballs and DJ Jonathan Toubin—celebrate Halloween on Saturday at Webster Hall. And as an added bonus, the good people of Vice are offering up some free tickets.
Halloween isn’t a traditional holiday in the sense that people go home to spend time with their families. Instead they do something with their friends. And this year Medeski Martin & Wood (above, doing “Broken Mirror”) will be celebrating with their friends Antibalas (perhaps you saw them as the house band in the Broadway smash Fela!) at Terminal 5 on Saturday. The jazz-funk experimentalist trio and the Brooklyn groove ensemble will each play a set followed by one performed together. Expect plenty of Afrobeat, funk, hip-hop and Latin jazz. And expect to have a blast.
And since this is in celebration of Halloween, the two groups will host a pumpkin-carving contest. So bring your fantastically carved pumpkin to the venue between 6 and 6:30. The competition will be held on the roof deck at 6:45. Band members will select their favorite pumpkin, and the winner will receive a goodie bag of merch and six drink tickets as well as a chance meet and chat with the bands. All pumpkins must be carved in advance. Bring an LED light to place inside your pumpkin. (No candles permitted.) Please place your name inside your pumpkin. No admittance to the venue without a ticket.
Joseph D’Agostino (vocals and guitar) and Matthew Miller (drums) began making music together while still in high school in New Jersey. A year after graduating, they decided to form a band. Needing more than just two guys, they turned to Craigslist. But before ever recording any music, that band, Cymbals Eat Guitars, earned the reputation as a live act not to miss. A few years later, the lineup changed and the group was now rounded out with Brian Hamilton (keys and vocals) and Matt Whipple (bass and vocals). The quartet’s first album, Why There Are Mountains, earned rave reviews and comparisons to Pavement and Built to Spill and found them out on the road with the likes of the Pains of Being Pure at Heart and the Flaming Lips. Sometimes a stellar debut album can be tough to follow up on, but the band’s second release, this year’s Lenses Alien, proves that is not the case with Cymbals Eat Guitars (above, playing “Definite Darkness” for WFUV’s the Alternate Side). See them at The Bowery Ballroom tomorrow night.
It’s safe to say Christofer Drew got started early. He began making music, as Never Shout Never, when he was just 14 years old. Those songs eventually found their way to MySpace before Drew released The Yippee EP in 2008. A longer recording, somewhere between and EP and LP with a focus on acoustic emo, What Is Love?, followed next. But Drew’s third effort, Time Travel, has a different feel with a whole-band sound. Check it out for yourself when Never Shout Never (above, playing “Coffee & Cigarettes” for billboard.com) comes to Terminal 5 tomorrow.
Neon Indian is the brainchild of composer Alan Palomo. He had been writing and creating music as part of the band Ghosthustler and then as the artist VEGA prior to creating the dreamy lullabies and grinding guitar of Neon Indian. After Palomo missed a date to take acid with a friend—Alicia Scardetta, who now provides Neon Indian’s visuals—he sent her a musical apology called “Should Have Taken Acid with You.” When she responded positively to the tune, it spurred him on to create more. The results of which, Psychic Chasms, were released in 2009 to much acclaim. A second disc, Era Extraña, came out last month and so Palomo is now on the road in support of it. And when he plays live, he doesn’t go it alone, instead he’s joined onstage by drums, keys and guitar. See for yourself when Neon Indian (above, doing “Mind Trips” last year at The Beach at Governors Island for Fader TV) plays Webster Hall tomorrow night.
Soulive (Alan Evans on drums, Neal Evans on the Hammond B3 and Eric Krasno on 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 discs has followed, including last year’s Rubber Soulive, which, as you can imagine, reinterpreted the Beatles. But despite the trio’s recorded virtuosity, far and away the best way to experience these guys is live, which works out great because Soulive (above, doing “Eleanor Rigby” > “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)”) hosts the Royal Family Ball—with all sorts of friends, including Lettuce, Roy Hargrove, Pharoahe Monch, Rahzel, Raul Midón and the Shady Horns—tomorrow night at Terminal 5.
The Copenhagen-based Anders Trentemøller began DJing in the late ’90s. And despite the fact that he sometimes performed live, it wasn’t until several years later that he began to focus on his own electronic material. He’s gone on to have a series of releases and remixes, plus two full-on proper albums, The Last Resort, in 2006, and last year’s Into the Great Wide Yonder, which is more of a downtempo affair. And even more important, the producer and multi-instrumentalist has brought his act—and his band—on the road, which means you can see Trentemøller live tomorrow night at Webster Hall.
Singer-songwriter Ryan Lynch had an office job that ended like so many other office jobs—that is, he no longer had it. So he began writing songs. Somewhere along the way the one-time Girls guitarist met singer-keys player Hannah Hunt through friends, and they began making cheery pop and folk music together. The duo, as Dominant Legs, put out an EP, Young at Love and Life, last year. But since then the band has expanded in size and sound, adding bassist Andrew Connors, guitarist Garett Goddard and drummer Rene Solomon. The now five-piece released its first LP, Invitation, earlier this year, and, along with Nurses, Dominant Legs (above, doing “Hoop of Love” for echolocale.com) play Mercury Lounge on Friday.
Some people need their space. Sure, they love their spouse or significant other, but they couldn’t, shouldn’t or wouldn’t be around that person all day. Thankfully, that’s not the case with Jason Hammel (vocals and drums) and Kori Gardner (vocals and keys). No, this husband-and-wife team has been making music as Mates of State, including last month’s Mountaintops, since 1997. Their songs have plenty of hooks and their passionate live shows are exciting and fun, which works out great because Mates of State (above, performing “You Are Free” for KEXP FM) and Other Lives and Yawn play Webster Hall tomorrow night.
Remember on MTV Cribs when people would show their bedroom and say, “This is where the magic happens”? Well singer-songwriter Samuel Beam actually did create magic in his very own bedroom. In fact the songs he recorded there caught the attention of Sub Pop Records and ultimately led to the auspicious The Creek Drank the Cradle, the very first Iron & Wine release, in 2002. Since then, he’s gone on to release a raft of new music, EPs, LPs, compilations and live stuff. And although these recordings are much more high fidelity than his original offerings, Beam’s hallmark remains his deft lyrics and soft voice. Iron & Wine (above, doing “Lovesong of the Buzzard” at this year’s Austin City Limits) released a new disc, the well-received Kiss Each Other Clean, last winter. And you can see the band at Terminal 5 tomorrow with Low and on Thursday with the Low Anthem.
Sometimes you want synthpop, but other times you want shoegaze rock. It’s a conundrum, but it doesn’t have to be because have we got a Venn diagram for you. That’s right, the electro quartet Ladytron—Helen Marnie (lead vocals, synthesizers), Mira Aroyo (vocals, synthesizers), Daniel Hunt (synthesizers, electric guitar and vocals) and Reuben Wu (synthesizers)—has been expertly combining the two genres since forming in Liverpool in the late ’90s. And since then, the band has released five albums, including Gravity the Seducer, which came out just a few weeks ago. With a new album, comes a new tour, and you can see Ladytron (above, doing “He Took Her to a Movie”) tomorrow night at Terminal 5.
