Archive for May, 2010

Green beans with cumin

By Patrick on Monday, May 31st, 2010

This recipe is really easy and obscenely tasty. It is adapted from Madhur Jaffrey’s An Invitation to Indian Cooking. The original recipe specifies very fresh whole pea pods, to be eaten like artichoke leaves (pull between your teeth, so that you eat not just the peas but the fleshy part of the pod as well). I found that it worked very well with green beans (to be eaten whole, as normally), which I happened to have on hand.

3/4 pound green beans
1 tbs ghee
1/8 tsp ground asafoetida (hing powder)
1/4 tsp whole cumin seeds
1/2 tbs lemon juice
1/2 tsp garam masala (plus addition 1/2 tsp garam masala at end) (see note*)
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 tbs warm water

Clean and snap off the ends of the green beans.

Heat the ghee over moderately high heat in a 10″ skillet. When hot, add the asafoetida and cumin seeds and stir once. When the cumin seeds change color (10-20 seconds), add the green beans and stir for 1 minute. Add lemon juice, the first 1/2 tsp garam masala, salt and pepper. Stir, add the warm water, bring to a boil, turn heat to very low, cover, and cook gently for about 20 minutes, until tender (Jaffrey specifies 20-30 minutes for the pea pods, but I found the beans were done in just under 20). Stir once or twice during cooking.

Serve in a warm dish, sprinkled with the addiitonal garam masala.

* Note: there are many different varieties of garam masala. For this recipe, I used one from Julie Sahni’s Classic Indian Cooking:

3 tbs black cardamom pods
3 cinnamon sticks, about 2-3 inches long
1 tbs whole black cloves
1/4 cup black peppercorns
1/2 cup cumin seeds
1/2 cup coriander seeds

Break open cardamom pods, remove seeds and reserve; discard skin. Crush the cinnamon with a kitchen mallet to break it into small pieces. Combine all the spices including the cardamom seeds and roast them in a thick-bottomed pan, stirring frequently, until they darken slightly and become richly aromatic. Allow to cool, grind in a spice grinder, and then store in an airtight container in a cool, dark place. Recipe may be cut in half.

I served the green beans with Jaffrey’s kheema with fried onions, plus dishes of Kalustyan’s lime pickle, mixed pickle and mango chutney.

Ravers freak out to Delorean

By Patrick on Friday, May 28th, 2010

Loopy rave dudes get down to “Endless Sunset” by Delorean.

By the way, they’ll be back in the US starting next week:

Friday 06.04 New York, NY – Pianos
Saturday 06.05 Brooklyn, NY – Glasslands Gallery
Sunday 06.06 Seattle, WA – Chop Suey
Monday 06.07 Vancouver, British Columbia – Biltmore Cabaret
Tuesday 06.08 Portland, OR – Mississippi Studios
Thursday 06.10 San Francisco, CA – Popscene
Friday 06.11 Los Angeles, CA – Echo

Saturday 07.10 New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom
Monday 07.12 Allston, MA – Great Scott
Tuesday 07.13 Montreal, Quebec – Le Belmont
Wednesday 07.14 Toronto, Ontario – Wrongbar
Thursday 07.15 Cleveland, OH – Grog Shop
Saturday 07.17 Chicago, IL – Pitchfork Music Festival

Shearwater take a trip to Europe

By Stuart on Thursday, May 27th, 2010

Not wanting to feel left out of the summer fun, Shearwater will be heading over for a visit to Europe in July and August with visits to some rather intimate UK venues and to play as part of a special show at London’s (amazing) Barbican Theatre featuring 13 of Andy Warhol’s screen shots being accompanied by live music.

They’ll also be spreading some peace and love/playing songs from their most recent and most excellent album The Golden Archipelago at a bunch of festivals around mainland Europe.

To be even more helpful, here’s a full list of all the shows that I’ve just been hinting at…

July:
23rd – De Affaire, Nijmegen
24th – Boomtown Festival, Gent
25th – Pop aan Zee, Domburg
26th – Paradiso, Amsterdam
27th – Audio, Brighton
28th – Stereo, Glasgow
29th – St. Bonaventures, Bristol
30th – The Barbican Theatre, London
31st – The Deaf Institute, Manchester
August:
1st – The Railway, Winchester
4th – Hana B, Marina di Ravenna
5th – Ampere, Munich
6th – Das Bett, Frankfurt
7th – Beatpol, Dresden
8th – Off Festival, Katowice
9th – Comet, Berlin
10th – Uebel & Gefaehrlich (Turmzimmer), Hamburg
12th – Loppen, Copenhagen
13th – Oya @ John Dee, Oslo
14th – Way Out West, Gothenburg

WFMU Primavera broadcasts: Pavement, The New Pornographers, and more

By Hector on Thursday, May 27th, 2010

photo by Bob Weston

WFMU returns to Barcelona’s Primavera Sound festival, which starts tonight and features a lineup that is pretty damned impressive. Just like last year, WFMU will be broadcasting Primavera sets from various artists, including the following Matador bands at the following times (all EDT):

FRIDAY, MAY 28
12:10pm Mission of Burma
5:40pm The New Pornographers
8:45pm Pavement

SATURDAY, MAY 29
1:10pm Condo Fucks
2:20pm Cold Cave

The full WFMU Primavera broadcast schedule, which includes sets by The Fall, Wire, Liquid Liquid, and other luminaries, can be found at WFMU’s Beware of the Blog. All times are subject to change, so pay attention to WFMU’s Twitter and Facebook for updates. Tune in to WFMU at 91.1FM in NY/NJ, 90.1FM in the Hudson Valley, and wfmu.org for everyone else.

What they’re up to: Kathryn Calder, Mogwai, Dead Meadow, Matmos

By Robby on Wednesday, May 26th, 2010

Even though we’d been convinced that all that slaving away at the myriad marketing gimmicks, “promo opportunities” and general suffering we put bands through would leave us with some very exhausted talent, it turns out that these guys just can’t stop doing thangs… read on to see what some of our beloved have been up to.

Though she’s on tour with the New Pornographers, as we speak, Kathryn Calder just put the finishing touches on her new solo record.  On August 11 the world’ll be treated to ‘Are You My Mother?’ which features an all-star band featuring Neko, Kurt and Todd from The New Pornographers and a handful of other Canadian musical luminaries. Check File Under: Music for more info.

Mogwai will be releasing the pretty stunning looking live LP entitled, Special Moves’ to coincide with the release of their first live film ‘Burning’, which was filmed in Brooklyn during the band’s tour in support of ‘The Hawk Is Howling’ in April of 2009. Check Mogwai’s site for info on ordering the record and where you can catch screenings of ‘Burning’.

Dead Meadow shot by 3mmet

Following the release of their live-film, Dead Meadow released their second live album ‘Three Kings’ and soundtrack to aforementioned film, on the Xemu label in April.

Matmos and So Percussion shot by maggiemoo1

Matmos‘ Drew Daniel and Martin Schmitt have teamed up with So Percussion on a collaboration entitled ‘Treasure State‘ — expect to have your mind twisted on July 8. Cantaloupe Records sez: “The record had a complex gestation period: at the invitation of Brett Allen, the members of Matmos and So Percussion went to the SnowGhost Studios in Whitefish, Montana– the Treasure State which gives the album its title– and collaboratively generated the bulk of the songs. San Francisco plunderphonicist Wobbly then chopped and edited the results on several tracks, and finally, with frequent interventions from Matmos’ M. C. Schmidt, “fifth” So Percussion member and producer Lawson White overdubbed extra elements, processed, and mixed the results.” There’s a handful of live dates, to boot!

Free Ted Leo NYC Instore

By Michael on Wednesday, May 26th, 2010

Thursday June 17 Ted Leo will be stopping by hometown haunt Generation Records for a free, all ages acoustic instore featuring a very special guest (Hint: It’s not Oderus Urungus).

In free schwag news, if you stop by Generation between now and the 17th, you can get an autographed poster with purchase of The Brutalist Bricks CD/LP.

And let us not forget Ted is playing Siren Festival shortly thereafter. Bam!

Download Kurt Vile ‘Square Shells EP’ for FREE

By Robby on Tuesday, May 25th, 2010

Around 2008/2009 Kurt Vile was releasing so many amazing recordings (not excluding the Matador-released barnburner, ‘Childish Prodigy’) it at times could get pretty difficult to keep up. It’s been a little quiet on the recorded music front lately; Kurt’s been touring pretty much non-stop only taking time of to put the finishing touches on his third longplayer, which we’ll be telling you about very soon.

But, today we’re excited to release the newest recorded missive from KV, his ‘Square Shells’ EP — in fact, we’re so excited for you to hear this, that we’re giving away a free download of the EP right now and for the next 24 hours, or so.

UPDATE: Thanks for checking in, the free download is now closed but the EP is available to purchase over at our webstore, in record shops around the world and through your favorite online retailers.

You’ve probably already heard the the track we leaked a few weeks ago, “Invisibility: Non-Existent”, but you’re gonna want to dig into this EP to hear all of it’s perfect summery strummers and psyched-out soundscapes.

By entering your email address below, you’ll get an instant download (and be on a very special Kurt Vile mailing list — we promise we won’t share, sell, or make fun of your email address)

The Square Shells vinyl 12″ is also in stores today and at 12″x12″, the art by Matt Horseshit and Sore Eros has never looked better…

Kurt Vile will also embark on a few awesome live jaunts this summer, don’t miss em:

Sat-Jun-05 Seattle, WA High Dive  w/ The Sadies
Sun-Jun-06 Bellingham, WA Wild Buffalo w/ The Sadies
Mon-Jun-07 Portland, OR Doug Fir w/ The Sadies



Fri-Jun-11 San Francisco, CA Slims  w/ Woods
Sat-Jun-12 Big Sur, CA Henry Miller Library / Woodsist Festival
Mon-Jun-14 Santa Barbara, CA Jensen’s w/ Woods
Tue-Jun-15 Los Angeles, CA Echoplex – Woodsist Festival


Fri-Jun-18 Brooklyn, NY Union Pool w/ The Mad Scene, Meg Baird


Fri-Jul-09 New York, NY Le Poisson Rouge w/ Real Estate
Sat-Jul-10 Hoboken, NJ Maxwell’s w/ Real Estate
Sun-Jul-11 Philadelphia, PA Johnny Brenda’s w/ Real Estate
Mon-Jul-12 Baltimore, MD Ottobar w/ Real Estate
Tue-Jul-13 Pittsburgh, PA Garfield Artworks w/ Real Estate
Wed-Jul-14 Cleveland, OH Beachland Tavern w/ Real Estate
Thu-Jul-15 Bloomington, IN The Bishop w/ Real Estate


Sat-Jul-17 Chicago, IL Pitchfork Music Festival
Mon-Jul-19 Detroit, MI Magic Stick w/ Real Estate
Tue-Jul-20 Toronto, ON The Great Hall w/ Real Estate
Wed-Jul-21 Ottawa, ON Babylon w/ Real Estate
Thu-Jul-22 Montreal, QC Il Motore w/ Real Estate
Fri-Jul-23 Boston, MA Harpers Ferry w/ Real Estate
Sat-Jul-24 New Haven, CT Lilly Pad w/ Real Estate
Tue-Aug-10 Charlottesville, VA Jefferson Theatre w/ Deerhunter
Fri-Aug-13 Boston, MA Royale Nightclub w/ Deerhunter
Sat-Aug14 Northampton, MA Pearl Street w/ Deerhunter


Summerholidays Vs. Punkroutine

By Stuart on Tuesday, May 25th, 2010

It seems everyone is after some sort of Euro trip this summer, with Fucked Up joining (what feels like) the rest of the Matador roster in having a jolly overseas, playing a load of festival dates and a some headline shows in between.  Presumably just to break up the travelling and to hopefully stop the arguing in the back of the van, fights over the stereo and never ending “Are we there yet?!” pestering.

They’ll be tearing up stages on the following dates

15th July – The Barfly, Cardiff, UK

16th July – Guilfest (Rocksound Stage), Guildford, UK

17th July – Dour Festival, Belgium

18th July – Melt Festival, Gräfenhainichen, Germany

19th July – MTC, Cologne, Germany

20th July – De Affaire Festival, Nijmegen, Netherlands

21st July – Hana Bi Beach, Marina Di Ravenna, Italy

22nd July – Spaziale Festival, Turin, Italy

24th July – 1234 Festival, London, UK

25th July – Truck Festival, Oxford, UK

26th July – Klubi, Tampere, Finland

27th July – Klubi, Turku, Finland

28th July – Tavastia, Helsinki, Finland

29th July – Tanci Venue, St Petersburg, Russia

30th July – Aktzal, Moscow, Russia

6th August – Standon Calling, Hertfordshire, UK

7th August – Hevy Festival,  Kent, UK

8th August – Rebellion Festival, Blackpool, UK

9th August – Hoxton Bar and Kitchen, London, UK

11th August – OYA Festival, Oslo, Norway

Spare A Thought (Or Preferably, Some Records) For Buffalo’s Spiral Scratch

By Gerard on Tuesday, May 25th, 2010

The Buffalo News reported nearly $100K worth of fire damage to North Buffalo’s beloved Spiral Scratch Records this past Thursday morning. There’s a benefit taking place at this lovely establishment tomorrow night, and if you’re an out-of-towner sitting on doubles you’d otherwise ignore or eBay (HINT, HINT, don’t be a jerk.

Spiral Scratch c/o Dave Palumbo
72 Nassau Ave
Kenmore, Ny 14217

watch God Help The Girl’s new video and single now!

By Robby on Monday, May 24th, 2010

Though he’s been in the studio with Belle & Sebastian (follow them on twitter for in-studio updates!), Stuart Murdoch‘s God Help The Girl project keeps rocking with a brand new pure-pop single, “Baby You’re Blind”

The track, which is not on the album nor part of the GHTG subscription package, was recorded in Glasgow last year with Linnea Jönsson, the lead singer of Swedish band, Those Dancing Days on vocals.

The download also features a new version of “A Down and Dusky Blonde” with lead vocals by Dina Bankole.

Both tracks will also be available to buy digitally via www.godhelpthegirl.com, and will be bundled with the artwork and video for “Baby You’re Blind,” which was filmed in Stockholm in January of this year.

Harlem – July Dates With The Dead Weather

By Gerard on Monday, May 24th, 2010

(photos courtesy Tread)

As noted by new addition to Team Matador Stuart Davie, Harlem are just starting their first European tour.  While they’re out of the country and don’t have access to email or telephones (seeing as those are American inventions we’ve yet to share with the rest of the world), we thought it would be fun to sign them up for another tour without their knowledge.

Turns out, however, that’s not so easy. For starters, the tour we were shooting for had already committed to another support band. Also, Harlem’s agent had already accepted an invitation from The Dead Weather to play the dates listed below. I’m sure you’ll agree this is a far more favorable result than anything we had in mind, but it’s a very long year. Sooner or later, we’re gonna make someone do something with someone they don’t wanna be doing it with. Because that’s why we’re in show business.

Tue 07/13/10     Washington, DC                930 Club
Wed 07/14/10   Boston                                  House Of Blues
Mon 07/19/10   San Diego                            House Of Blues
Wed 07/21/10   Los Angeles                        Palladium
Thu 07/22/10     San Francisco                     Warfield
Sat 07/24/10       Portland                               Crystal Ballroom
Mon 07/26/10   Billings, MT                         Babcock Theater
Wed 07/28/10   Minneapolis                       First Avenue
Thu 07/29/10     Milwaukee                         The Rave
Fri 07/30/10        Chicago                                Congress
Sat 07/31/10       Detroit                                  Fillmore
Mon 08/02/10   Baltimore                            Rams Head
Tue 08/03/10     Brooklyn, NY                      Celebrate Brooklyn

(‘Hippies’ on LP/CD and digital files, available from the Matador Store)

Champ

By Patrick on Sunday, May 23rd, 2010

The incomparable John Thorne provided this American with an introduction to champ, an Irish mashed potato dish made with greens cooked in milk. The recipe can be found in Pot on the Fire, which I recommend for general reading about food and food history.

This came out fantastic the first time around, and it’s very simple to make. Take 3 “all-purpose” potatoes (I used Yukon Gold), peel them and put them in a pot with a tight-fitting lid. Dissolve 1/2 teaspoon sea salt in 1/2 cup water and pour that over the potatoes. Cover, bring to a boil, lower heat to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes or until the water is gone and the potatoes cooked through. This is not simple (Thorne writes that it will take several tries until you figure out the right proportion of water to potato) – in my case, I ended up raising the heat, cooking for an extra 10 minutes, then adding another 1/4 cup water, boiling again, and cooking for another 4-5 minutes. Much depends on the size of the potato.

Remove from heat and crush potatoes in your fingers until fully mashed and all lumps are gone. Return to pot and cover.

Meanwhile mince 4 scallions – the whole thing including all of the green stalk that isn’t wilted – sprinkle lightly with salt, pour boiling water on top, and drain. Add minced scallions to 1/2 cup milk and gently bring to a simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes so that the milk has absorbed the scallion flavor.

Now put the flame to low under the potato pot, and gradually add the scallion milk, beating with a wooden paddle until luscious and creamy. Add more milk if necessary (I added a splash), as well as generous amounts of salt and freshly ground pepper.

Serve immediately with butter at the table. Can be a main course or side.

Sky Smith & E

By Patrick on Sunday, May 23rd, 2010

Attn : 304 Hudson Street Marketing Geniuses

By Gerard on Friday, May 21st, 2010

Look, I know you guys are the best in the business. We’re practically choking to death on gold record plaques, high chart entries and major label copy-cat campaigners trying to sweat your hottest innovations.

All of that said, I am very, no check that, MEGA disappointed that we’ve yet to introduce a scheme for one of our elite artists (Kurt Vile? Julian Plenti? Ted Leo?) nearly as exciting as THE RICHIE KOTZEN PEACE SIGN VIP EXPERIENCE.  You know that expression, “freedom’s just a word for nothing left to lose?”  Well, in this instance, $100.00 is just another sum that will grant you access to a Richie Kotzen soundcheck.  But wait…….keep waiting…..a bit longer.  OK, that’s enough waiting.  THERE’S MORE!

* – A meet and greet with Richie!   Come meet RIchie, have your photo taken with him and get one personal item signed.
* -  An autographed, limited edition RICHIE KOTZEN 2010 PEACE SIGN WORLD TOUR COMMEMORATIVE POSTER!  (In addition to your personal item, RIchie will also personalize the poster for you at the meet and greet if you’d like)
* – A RICHIE KOTZEN VIP COMMEMORATIVE LAMINATE!
*  A RICHIE KOTZEN 2010 PEACE SIGN WORLD TOUR T-SHIRT.
* -  A copy of Richie’s new CD PEACE SIGN

Hot stuff, eh?  Keep in  mind, while Kotzen’s handlers have some mild disclaimers in place, there’s no mention, for instance, of the legendary axeman placing any restrictions on what sort of personalization you’d like on your poster or signed item.  So presumably, “C.C. Deville sucks, with love, RItchie” is still within bounds.

The 50 greatest samples of all time…

By Patrick on Thursday, May 20th, 2010

In this fascinating Complex article, DJs Kon and Amir list the 50 greatest samples of all time, with sound files of the originals and of their uses. Ranging from David Axelrod to the Honeydrippers, from Busta Rhymes to Public Enemy, the article feels topical now that Matador is releasing hip hop again.

The ‘Together’ bus keeps on rolling…

By Stuart on Thursday, May 20th, 2010

photo credit: James Berry for Gigwise

All this togetherness that The New Pornographers have been spreading shows no sign of slowing down, as hot on the heels of last nights sold-out London Electric Ballroom show they’ve announced details for a brace of UK festival dates and headline shows.

They’re heading back this way in September before returning to headline London’s Shepherd’s Bush Empire and play the Belle & Sebastian curated ‘Bowlie 2‘ ATP weekend in December – full dates below:

September
5th Electric Picnic Festival, Portlaoise, Ireland
7th Oran Mor,  Glasgow
8th Ruby Lounge,  Manchester
9th Concorde 2,  Brighton
10th End of the Road festival, Larmer Tree Gardens, Dorest

December
9th Shepherds Bush Empire, London
10-12th ATP Belle & Sebastian ‘Bowlie 2′ Weekender, Minehead, Somerset.

The band also performed “Crash Years” and “What Turns Up In The Dark” live on Mark Riley’s BBC radio show, which you can listen to here (only in the UK, sadly), just skip 12 minutes in.

Matador Archival Madness Extends Prior To Our Formation

By Gerard on Thursday, May 20th, 2010

With our 21st birthday pending, Matador’s research department is currently combing thru microfilm, dental records and ancient shrouds for clues that might shed light on how exactly American’s Most Beloved Independent Label came to fruition. It’s a painstaking process — much like the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge, human lives have been lost. And don’t think I’m not feeling guilty about it ; what’s the point of sending bright young men into a cavern without protective headgear when I could’ve just asked them to check out Michael Duane’s Facebook page?

Shearwater’s Jonathan Meiburg at The Whitney

By Claire T on Wednesday, May 19th, 2010

Photo by: Shawn Robbins / Kata Rokkar

On Friday, June 25 Shearwater’s Jonathan Meiburg will perform at The Whitney Museum as part of the program Backyard Birds: An evening of prose and music celebrating Charles Burchfield.

The evening will include a reading of excerpts from artist Charles Burchfield’s journals by Jonathan Rosen, author of The Life of the Skies: Birding at the End of Nature, along with a performance by Jonathan Meiburg who will be joined by Andy Stack of Wye Oak.

The event starts at 7PM and is free with Museum admission, which is pay-what-you-wish on Fridays from 6-9 pm. No special tickets or reservations are required.

For further details on the event visit the Whitney’s site, here.

YouTube Preview Image

And to those of you in the Philadelphia area, tune in to WHYY this evening for Shearwater’s performance on On Canvas filmed at Johnny Brenda’s in March. The program will also be available to view online as of this Thursday.

Tex and Lucky

By Patrick on Tuesday, May 18th, 2010

We are very honored to welcome Tex and Lucky to the Matador family. Tex and Lucky emerged on the local Atlanta music scene in December 2008, where they were contemporary to bands such as The Wig and The Babycakes, and later followed by Shiva’s Headband and The Conqueroo. The band was formed when Tex left his group The Spades, and joined up with Stacy Sutherland, Benny Thurman, and John Ike Walton who had been playing Texas coastal towns as The Lingsmen.[3] Tommy Hall was instrumental in bringing the band members together, and joined the group as lyricist and electric jug player. Ultimately Lucky joined on vocals and the rest, as they say, is history.

It has been noted that the letter “M” (for marijuana) is the thirteenth letter of the alphabet.

Pavement add Brooklyn show

By Robby on Tuesday, May 18th, 2010

Hey, did you hear?
Pavement are coming to Brooklyn this year… get your tickets Friday.

Sat            5/30            George WA            Sasquatch Festival
Sat            6/19            Toronto ON            Olympic Island
Fri            6/25            Berkeley CA            Greek Theatre
Sun            7/18            Chicago IL            Pitchfork Music Festival
Fri            9/3            Portland OR            Edgefield Amphitheater
Sun            9/5            Seattle WA            The Paramount Theatre
Tue            9/7            Vancouver BC            Queen Elizabeth Theatre
Thu            9/9            Denver CO            First Bank Center
Sat            9/11            Kansas City MO            Uptown Theater
Sun            9/12            St. Paul MN            Wilkins Auditorium
Fri            9/17            Philadelphia PA            Mann Center
Sat            9/18            Boston MA            Agganis Arena
Sun            9/19            Brooklyn, NY            Williamsburg Waterfront

Tue            9/21            New York NY            Central Park
Wed            9/22            New York NY            Central Park
Thu            9/23            New York NY            Central Park
Fri            9/24            New York NY            Central Park
Sun            9/26            Atlanta GA            The Tabernacle
Wed            9/30            Los Angeles CA            Hollywood Bowl            Sonic Youth, No Age

Harlem – For No One session

By Gabe on Tuesday, May 18th, 2010

For No One, a brand-new, formidable entrant in the world of online music video, recently brought Harlem in to perform some tunes from their still-new album Hippies (buy Hippies here):

Harlem will tour in Europe and the UK very shortly:

May 25th – La Maroquinerie, Paris, France
May 26th – Tout A Fond, Saint Jean De Vedas, France
May 28th – Primavera Sound festival, Barcelona, Spain
May 30th – Poste A Galene, Marseille, France
May 31st – Brasserie Du Chateau, Lausanne, Switzerland
1st June – Circolo Magnolia (Magnolia Summer Festival), Milan, Italy
2nd June – PMH, Innsbruck, Austria
3rd June – Ponyhof, Frankfurt, Germany
4th June – Pleasure Night, Gent, Belgium
5th June – Beursschouwburg, Brussels, Belgium,
6th June – Rotown, Rotterdam, Holland
7th June – Paradiso (Small Room), Amsterdam, Netherlands
9th June – Jalouse Festival, Paris, France
10th June – Flowerpot, London, UK
11th June – Lexington, London, UK
12th June – Captains Rest, Glasgow, UK
14th June – Head Of Steam, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK
15th June – Nation of Shopkeepers, Leeds, UK
16th June – The Corner, Manchester, UK
17th June – Spanky Van Dykes, Notingham, UK

Yo La Tengo – Here To Fall (Pete Rock remix)

By Patrick on Tuesday, May 18th, 2010


 

Pete Rock remixes Yo La Tengo’s “Here To Fall,” the lead-off track on their most recent album, the monumental Popular Songs:

Here To Fall (Pete Rock remix) (160k mp3)

Buy the track in high-quality digital at iTunes this morning, or wait for the full Here To Fall Remixes EP to come out on 12″ EP and CDEP on June 8. You can preorder it from the Matador Store. We are also offering a limited-time bundle deal when you buy the EP together with the Popular Songs LP or CD.

Jennifer O’Connor To Channel Her Inner Stevie Nicks In Philly

By Adam F on Thursday, May 13th, 2010

This news just in from the JOC camp….

She will be joining a loose cabal of “not-so-star-ish-indie-rock-stars” at Johnny Brenda’s in Philly next Monday to perform Tusk front to back.  I think this thing is also at Union Hall this Sunday.

A full press release right after the jump.

MARCH 29, 2010: In appreciation and celebration of musician Lindsey Buckingham’s mad genius and one of modern music’s most “punk rock-soft rock” albums, Fleetwood Mac’s Tusk, The Lindsey Buckingham Appreciation Society will perform its interpretation of the classic 1979 double album in its entirety Monday, May 17 at Johnny Brenda’s in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with special guest Jennifer O’Connor.
(more…)

Carl Newman’s been moonlighting as a blogger

By Robby on Tuesday, May 11th, 2010

photo poached from alterna2‘s flickr stream

Astute Matablog readers may have noticed that The New Pornographers released their much-celebrated new LP, ‘Together’ last week while, at the same time, teaching Roger Waters a thing or two on late nite tv, gearing up for a huge tour and unveiled a kick-ass video… as if that wasn’t enough, Carl Newman has been throwing some pretty insightful tidbits up on Rolling Stone’s website. There’s some highly-recommended reading below and if this table-of-contents doesn’t encourage you to click through and read these gems, please allow us to do so.

Harlem touring in Europe

By Stuart on Tuesday, May 11th, 2010

Yet more Matador touring action hits Europe and the UK later this month with Harlem bringing the party to a town (possibly) near you (barring any other international air travel chaos), dates below:

May 25th – La Maroquinerie, Paris, France
May 26th – Tout A Fond, Saint Jean De Vedas, France
May 28th – Primavera Sound festival, Barcelona, Spain
May 30th – Poste A Galene, Marseille, France
May 31st – Brasserie Du Chateau, Lausanne, Switzerland
1st June – Circolo Magnolia (Magnolia Summer Festival), Milan, Italy
2nd June – PMH, Innsbruck, Austria
3rd June – Ponyhof, Frankfurt, Germany
4th June – Pleasure Night, Gent, Belgium
5th June – Beursschouwburg, Brussels, Belgium,
6th June – Rotown, Rotterdam, Holland
7th June – Paradiso (Small Room), Amsterdam, Netherlands
9th June – Jalouse Festival, Paris, France
10th June – Flowerpot, London, UK
11th June – Lexington, London, UK
12th June – Captains Rest, Glasgow, UK
14th June – Head Of Steam, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK
15th June – Nation of Shopkeepers, Leeds, UK
16th June – The Corner, Manchester, UK
17th June – Spanky Van Dykes, Notingham, UK

Mission Of Burma In (Temporary) Exile

By Gerard on Monday, May 10th, 2010
YouTube Preview Image

(performing ‘The Obliterati”s “Donna Sumeria”, September 5, 2009)

Persons familiar with the crazy econo-touring habits of Mission Of Burma circa 1980-82 will recall the band’s American jaunts were often managed via numerous connecting flights and mind-numbing layovers.  Despite label suggestions they hit the continent via boat, there’s a similar scheme at work this week, bringing Burma to Ireland, the UK, Porugal and Spain for the first time since the release of 2009′s fantastic ‘The Sound, The Speed, The Light’.

12 May – Crawdaddy, Dublin
13 May- Dingwall’s, London
14 May – Butlin’s Holiday Centre (Pavement-curated ATP)
24 May – Ze Dos Bois, Lisbon
25 May – Serralves, Porto
26 May – Festival Sinsal Oito, Sala Mondo, Vigo
27 May – Primavera Sound, Barcelona

Optimo remix Cold Cave, pt. 2

By Robby on Monday, May 10th, 2010

Last week, we gave you a download of “Life Magazine (An Optimo (Espacio) Mix)” which will appear on Cold Cave’s Life Magazine Remixes 12″.

Because we just can’t stop sharing, we’re kicking off this week with a free download of an entirely different mix provided by Optimo. The alternate, “Optimo (Espacio) Flexi Pop Mix” of “Life Magazine” will NOT be available on the vinyl version of the EP and is available right now as what we in the biz tenderly call “a freakin’ awesome online exclusive”.

Cold Cave – “Life Magazine (Optimo (Espacio) Flexi Pop Mix)” [160 kbps]

The Life Magazine Remixes EP will be available on vinyl on June 8 and is available on the Matador Store for pre-order now.

Don’t forget to catch Cold Cave on their UK/EU tour, which is happening RIGHT NOW.

Doing Fine In The 209 : Pavement Prove Local Pundit Wrong, Hometown Show Scheduled For June 24

By Gerard on Monday, May 10th, 2010

(Stockton vets The Authorities react to news that all their friends think they’re getting in free to see them play with Pavement on 6/24)

Days after baseball etiquette expert Dallas Braden warned Alex Rodriguez, “we don’t do much talking in the 209″, the former Stockton, CA Little Leaguer made history Sunday by becoming just the 19th pitcher to throw a perfect game.

Amazingly, this was the 2nd biggest Stockton-related story to hit the newswires yesterday, as Pavement have confirmed they’ll be playing the venerable Bob Hope Theatre on June 24.  Said announcement is a blatant nose-thumbing to San Joanquin.com’s Ian Hill, who’d previously promised his readers, “the most influential indie band to emerge from Stockton, won’t be stopping here on its reunion tour.” Hill, apparently the Cindy Adams of the Central Valley, admits his error in a subsequent post, but attempts to focus on whether or not the June 24 show is likely to turn a profit (“we’ll probably never know how Another Planet and Pavement set up the June 24 concert. The financial details of the show most likely never will be disclosed, as information about performance fees is typically kept secret in the concert industry.”)

Indeed, it’s a highly secretive business, and perhaps someday another savvy journalist (Albert Goldman? Fredric Dannen? Rob Jovanovic?) will get to the bottom of how Pavement could manage to play a 2000 capacity venue and still cover their vast production costs (pyro, lasers, mothership, etc.)

Harlem In The Western Parts (Of N.A.)

By Gerard on Monday, May 10th, 2010

(photos taken from Mary Rehak‘s Flickr page)

After the first ever European tour later this month, Harlem return to some of the West Coast’s most glamorous nightspots …AND the Echo, as well. We’re working on that European announcement, just as soon as our automated English-to-English translator is fixed (not all Word Press plug-ins work as promised).   (‘Hippies’ on LP/CD and digital files, available from the Matador Store)

Fri, 6/25 – Tucson AZ – Plush
Sat, 6/26 – Costa Mesa CA – The Detroit Bar
Tue, 6/29 – San Francisco CA – The Independent
Fri, 7/2 – Seattle WA – Sunset Tavern
Sat, 7/3 – Vancouver BC – 917 Main
Mon, 7/4 – Portland OR – East End
Fri, 7/9 – Los Angeles CA – Echo
Sat, 7/10 – San Diego CA – Bar Pink (free show. “The Rumble”)
Sat, 7/17 – Coney Island, Brooklyn NY – Siren Festival
Fri 8/6- Sun 8/8 – Lollapalooza, Chicago IL (Harlem’s day/time TBA)

Tamales three ways

By Patrick on Sunday, May 9th, 2010

Now that I’ve finally figured out how to make them, I can’t get enough of tamales. And neither should you.

After a Zipcar expedition to Linden, New Jersey for sliders at White Rose System, I happened to drive back through the Mexican neighborhood in Port Richmond, Staten Island. The main drag is lined with Mexican groceries, and I thought (correctly, as it turned out) that they might be superior to what’s available in Manhattan. At the first place, they were totally confused when I asked for lard, and I couldn’t remember the Spanish word (pork fat! you know, the kind you use to make tamales!), but at the second place, my memory revived – it’s manteca. The guy was delighted that we were making tamales and insisted that we buy Oaxacan string cheese for a Oaxacan version. The next time we came, he promised, he’d give us directions for sweet dessert tamales.

In the event, I ended up preparing Diana Kennedy‘s chicken tamales for a second time (link at the top of this post), as well Oaxacan cheese ones (main contents: Oaxacan cheese and jalapenos) and a marinated skirt steak tamale recipe that I found online. Unfortunately I can’t find the recipe any longer – post yours.

Serve with limes and copious quantities of different kinds of El Yucateco hot sauce.

P.S. I need to do this with fresh masa sometime… available from Tortilleria Nixtamal in Corona. See this excellent article on where to buy Mexican ingredients in NYC (Port Richmond, sadly, is overlooked).

 
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