Emily Haines @ Union Pool, Brooklyn

Emily Haines, lead singer of Canadian band Metric, played three back to back shows (the latter of which was simply a guest slot with Tall Firs) at Union Pool in Brooklyn on Sunday. I caught the second show.

The original plan, as I understood it, was for Emily to play some of her solo material, which is quite the departure from the up-tempo beats Metric’s known for. As she and Jimmy Shaw (Metric’s guitarist) took the stage, however, they announced that they’d be playing the entirety of the new album, which they’d just finished recording that day. Surprise!

Emily Haines

Jimmy Shaw

The crowd was packed comfortably in the small room and composed of many of the same people who were at the Metric show at the Highline Ballroom last month. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about a pared-down version of the band, just the piano and guitar combo (no synthesizers!), but as the set went on, I found I was really enjoying it. There’s just something about Emily’s lyrics that resonates, bloops and bleeps aside.

As I surveyed the room, it seemed I definitely wasn’t alone with this feeling. I was particularly fond of “Front Row” and “Twilight Galaxies,” the latter of which the band has been performing for awhile, but has yet to make it onto an album.

There was quite a bit of stage banter, even though Haines was initially hesitant. She pointed out that her mouth got her into a lot of trouble, then relayed an anecdote from a show in Portland she claimed was disastrous (my word, not hers) because of it. She also mentioned that the album was as-yet untitled and that suggestions were welcome.

The pair closed out the set with “Live It Out,” which I think is even better acoustic than its better known incarnation. On my way out of the venue, listening to the chatter and overall excitement about the new album, I noticed bassist Josh Winstead descending from the balcony. Overall, it was an amazing performance. Setlist as follows:

Gold
Help
Fantasies
Sympathy
Front Row
Satellite*
Twilight Galaxies
Collect Call
Blindness
Live It Out

* Things got switched up at some point. According to my notes, they played “Front Row” and then “Twilight Galaxies.” I don’t know remember where “Satellite” came in.

Photos: Dese'Rae Stage

Metric: website | myspace
Emily Haines: website | myspace

Emily Haines to Preview New Metric Material

Photo: Wendy Lynch

Solo artist and Metric frontwoman Emily Haines will perform 3 acoustic shows at Brooklyn’s Union Pool on Sunday, September 7th to preview the new forthcoming Metric album. The first show at 7:30 PM will be Emily solo, the second show at 9PM will feature accompaniment by Metric guitarist James Shaw, and the third show at 10:30 Emily will be a guest of the Tall Firs.

Emily will be playing new solo work and Metric songs in a most intimate setting. The set list will also include acoustic versions of never performed songs from the upcoming Metric album. The band recently finished mixing their fourth album in New York.

Tickets cost $12.00 a show are only available through presale, and will go on sale tonight.
Metric: website | myspace
Emily Haines: website | myspace | ticket presale

Fiasco “Native Canadians” Album, Tour

Brooklyn-based power trio Fiasco will be touring (dates below) and ripping up the East Coast with their roaring spaz noise rock in support of forthcoming release Native Canadians on Impose Records, following the selling out of two pressings of their full length debut, God Loves Fiasco, on their own imprint Beautiful Records.

Fiasco, all Brooklyn natives, formed when they were barely teenagers in 2005. Since then, they have self-released a wildly successful album, received lots of critical praise and have shared the stage with the likes of Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, Parts & Labor, Kimya Dawson, Yacht and more.

Play “Oh You Horny Monster”

These kids are sure to blow up.

Look for Native Canadians set to drop on October 14, 2008.

Tour Dates:
Aug 02 – The Bodega / Brooklyn (My Open Bar) [w/ MONOTONIX]
Aug 05 – Market Hotel / Brooklyn [w/ Ninjasonik, The Homosexuals, Pony Pants]
Aug 06 – International Waters / Philadelphia [w/ Pony Pants]
Aug 07 – The Talking Head / Baltimore [w/Eyeball Skeleton, Smarts]
Aug 08 – Comet Pizza and Ping Pong [w/ The Apes, Double Dagger!]- DC, Washington DC
Aug 09 – AD Lib / Lancaster, Pa. [w/ DEERHUNTER, Times New Viking, Hot Guts]
Aug 10 – John Boyle O’Reilly Club Parking Lot / Springfield, MA [w/ Bat Attack & American Business Machines!]
Aug 11 – AS220 / Providence, RI [w/ The Brown Book & Bat Attack]
Aug 12 – House party / Boston, MA
Aug 13 – The Bakery / Burlington, VT [w/ Bat Attack + more tba!]
Aug 14 – Daniel St Club / Milford, CT [w/ PANTHER & Digital Leather]
Aug 15 – Silent Barn / Brooklyn [w/ Future Islands, EAR PWR, more]

Fiasco: website | myspace | download “Oh You Horny Monster”

Chairlift

Brooklyn’s unassuming 80’s-influenced three-piece Chairlift (recommended to us months ago by Violens front man Jorge Elbrecht) is excited to announce the release of its forthcoming debut full-length, Does You Inspire You on Kanine Records on Oct. 28th. The band is currently in the midst of a US tour (dates below) with ever-endearing, psych-weirdo Ariel Pink in support of its new release-to-be.

Intent on making music for haunted houses, Caroline Polachek, Aaron Pfenning, and Patrick Wimberly formed Chairlift in the summer of 2006. Frequenting late-night jazz shows at the strange Broker Inn on the outskirts of Boulder, Co., Chairlift were mystified by its 1980’s faux-gothic architecture. The oak-cabinet aquariums, vacant dancefloors, fake trees, and muffled velveteen booths provided the ideal hypothetical setting for a new breed of pop music. With their backgrounds in fine arts, film and jazz, coupled with a move to Williamsburg, Brooklyn in 2007, the trio was in danger of succumbing to art-snobbery and pretension.

Watch “Planet Health”

Instead, they started playing shows with fun and thriving experimental pop magicians, like MGMT, Ponytail, Yeasayer and Mixel Pixel. Merging their Colorado roots with their new urban surroundings, Chairlift’s sound developed into a hypnotic, tongue-in-cheek yet uniquely compelling brand of synth-pop. After much trial and error of experimentation, their newest effort has resulted in something more akin to a John Hughes/80’s film soundtrack, though the band is surprisingly unfamiliar with several of the artists thought to be their very influences.

Tour Dates:
Jul 29 – TT The Bears / Boston
Jul 30 – Knitting Factory / New York City (w/ Mixel Pixel)
Jul 31 – People’s Center / New Haven, Ct.
Aug 01 – M Room / Philadelphia
Aug 02 – Sonar / Baltimore
Aug 03 – Nightlight / Chapel Hill, NC
Aug 04 – Eyedrum / Atlanta
Aug 05 – Ali Baba’s / Tallahassee, Fl.
Aug 06 – Spanish Moon / Baton Rouge, La.
Aug 07 – Walter’s On Washington / Houston
Aug 08 – Hailey’s / Denton, Tx.
Aug 09 – Mohawk / Austin
Aug 11 – Plush / Tucson, Az.
Aug 12 – The Echo / Los Angeles

all tour dates with Ariel Pink

Chairlift: website | myspace | watch “Planet Health”
Kanine Records: website

Spiegelworld at South Street Seaport

Spiegelworld will return to Pier 17 on the South Street Seaport for its third annual Summer carnival, running from August 6 – November 2nd 2008. Once again, Spiegelworld will deliver a non-stop program of ground-breaking theater, intimate concerts, brazen burlesque, the city’s top DJs and superb dining, and dancing under the stars, all at the one stunning waterfront location.

Over the course of 12 weeks, 50 bands and 60+ DJs will play the waterfront under the Brooklyn Bridge in not one but two tents this summer and fall. The second hand-sewn tent known as The Deluxe will mark the first time in American history that two Belgian traveling venues will be side by side.

In addition to dozens of live concerts and dance parties being presented this year, Spiegelworld New York will present the world premiere of Desir, a daring new theatrical circus experience. Inspired by the sexual, intellectual and artistic adventurers of early 20th century Paris, Desir will take audiences backstage at the greatest nightclub the world has known.

Absinthe, the number one NYC summer event since 2006, will once again take New York by storm with a brand new line up of talent from the seediest and sexiest cabaret dens of the world. The 2008 season will also present the filthy-rich host of Absinthe, The Gazillionaire, in the premiere of his very own fully staged variety show of questionable entertainment. The Gazillionaire’s Late Nite Lounge will play six nights a week in The Deluxe, with his band Fish Circus.

The festivities start off with cabaret diva Meow Meow & Tony Award winning performer, Justin Bond followed by Amanda Palmer of the Brechtian punk cabaret duo The Dresden Dolls, brings her electrifying solo repertoire in a reprise of her legendary Spiegeltent engagements across Europe and in celebration of her forthcoming album, Who Killed Amanda Palmer produced by Ben Folds.

Look for the full schedule to be posted soon!

Spiegelworld: website | myspace

Grand Archives & Sera Cahoone @ Union Hall, Brooklyn, 6/14/08

Grand Archives put out their debut album, The Grand Archives (Sub Pop), back in March. The attention grabber for me? Finding out that front man, Mat Brooke, was a former member of Band of Horses. That was reason enough to at least give the album a listen. I didn’t expect to fall in love immediately, especially given what a stubborn listener I can be.

When a tour was announced recently, I made sure to get myself a ticket. Even better, they scheduled a last minute second show at Union Hall in Brooklyn, which ended up being a more intimate (and more successful) affair than the initial Bowery Ballroom show. Sera Cahoone opened. Here are some photos:

Sera Cahoone:

Grand Archives:

Black Swan Wines Present… Matt & Kim

On Wednesday, May 28th, Black Swan Wines Present… a special performance by super cute Brooklyn duo Matt & Kim.

Music by DJ Never Forget & Terry D (Finger On The Pulse)
Black Swan Wine Bar
70 Greene Street (btwb Spring & Broome) 8-11pm

Bear Hands Tour

Brooklyn’s Bear Hands has several tour dates coming up with the likes of Ted Leo & The Pharmacists, Ghostland Observatory and more.

Tour Dates:
May 22 – Mercury Lounge/New York City (w/ Action Painters, Saints & Lovers, The Jaguar Club)
May 31 – Grog Shop/Cleveland (w/ Broken Spindles)
Jun 01 – Do-Division Festival/Chicago (w/ Ted Leo & the Pharmacists)
Jun 02 – The Barbary/Philadelphia (EARLY ALL AGES SHOW! w/ Die! Die! Die!)
Jun 26 – Cuneen Hackett Theatre/Poughkeepsie, NY (ALL AGES! w/ Ted Leo & The Pharmacists)
Jul 26 – Prospect Park/Brooklyn (w/ Ghostland Observatory)

Bear Hands: myspace

The XYZ Affair – The Khyber, Philadelphia

When I was told that Brooklyn based The XYZ Affair is “adorable,” I was slightly skeptical. Indie rockers are hip or ironic or cool. Rarely does Brooklyn associate itself with “adorable,” unless you’re talking to a Park Slope mom about her children, and even then you’re more likely to hear “precocious.” As soon as the quartet began loading their equipment, I discovered that “adorable” was more than an apt adjective.

Jokes were cracked throughout the load and sound check, and keyboardist / guitarist / vocalist Russ Maschmeyer was deadpan as he told the audience, “You all look very attractive. I like your haircuts.” Maschmeyer’s bandmates, Alex Feder (guitar, vocals), Chris Bonner (bass) and Sam Rockwell (drums) then laughed with each other, though Maschmeyer reiterated his sentiment moments before the band launched into their first song.

The quartet began their first song a cappella and stomping their feet commanding the audience’s attention before segueing into melodic indie pop with dynamic drums, a pulsing bass line and falsetto vocals. Another song in the set began a cappella and had a 1950s feel to it, yet wasn’t quite the doo wop it had the potential to be. Maschmeyer’s falsetto stood out especially in the a cappella parts, giving those songs a unique and welcome character.

Rockwell, despite problems with his monitor, went absolutely crazy on the next song while Bonner maintained his pulsing bass line on a fast and catchy pop song. While Rockwell’s monitor problems were being sorted out by the sound guy, the other band members gave stage banter a try. They asked, “Who bought 7 new tires in the past 3 months?” A strange question, it understandably caught the audience off guard.

Bonner answered the rhetorical question with, “We did. 7 new tires in 3 months. [pause] That’s a lot!” Later in the set, Maschmeyer apologized, saying, “We are notoriously bad at stage banter. Jukebox the Ghost [headlining band] is great at it! We’d come just to watch them banter for a whole set.” By then, Rockwell’s monitor problems were mostly solved and the band broke into “Smile,” which Maschmeyer used to tell the crowd, “so please feel free to.” They began hard and rocking but the song soon mellowed out, bringing prominence to the excess reverb in the monitors and amps.

Several new songs decorated the XYZ Affair’s set and the band announced that they’d be recording them later this month. Fans should look forward to a new EP dropping by June 1st, assuming all goes well. While their spring tour has wrapped, the XYZ Affair will be touring again in July for a few more weeks of hitting the road. Check back for tour dates!

more @ flickr

The XYZ Affair: website | myspace

Dirty On Purpose Free EP

Brooklyn shoegaze band Dirty On Purpose have released a 4-song EP they’re giving away for free download via RCRD LBL. The Dead Volcanoes EPis the band’s third release, following the successful debut full-length Hallelujah Sirens and the Like Bees EP.

The first single off this EP is “Leaving,” which introduces slide guitar to the group’s music for the first time ever. It’s a somber tune about drummer/singer Doug Marvin‘s wife Annie Hart from Au Revoir Simone always leaving home for tour and the hardships of being apart from the one you love. Download here!

The second song, “Hard To Tell You,” has singer/guitarist Joe Jurewicz singing to his daughter Sophie, trying to explain the unexpected trips and falls that life can and will bring, warning and encouraging her to tackle reality and become her own strong person. Download here!

The third track, “The Thing About Getaways,” was written when singer/drummer Doug Marvin was walking about the streets of Chicago, breathing in the spirit of the Windy City. There is an airy, poppy sensibility to the number that really draws listeners in. Download here!

Today, the fourth and final song, “Canned Fumes,” on the EP was revealed! Singer/guitarist George Wilson sings on this track, which takes the band to a new level of songwriting — the song beautifully builds and layers atmospherics until the whole arrangement swells with emotion. Download here!

The foursome’s sound has grown exponentially over the years, and the Dead Volcanoes EP truly achieves a maturation in the band’s music. You can catch the band live at the upcoming shows:

Tour Dates:
June 06 – Sound Fix Presents… Rooftop Films (Opening Party) @ The Open Road Rooftop Project at New Design -Doors 8pm, Music 8:45, Films 9:30 // $8 :: All Ages

June 07 @ The Bug Jar/Rochester, NY

June 11 @ Bowery Ballroom/New York, NY
w/ Swervedriver

Dirty on Purpose: website | myspace | rcrd lbl