Jelly NYC, the folks behind the beloved McCarren Pool parties of yesteryear have shifted their venue this summer to Brooklyn’s East River State Park (90 Kent Ave.) Summer 2009’s kickoff show happens Sunday, July 12 and features Mission Of Burma, Fucked Up, Baltimore’s Ponytail, former Be Your Own Pet vocalist Jemina Pearl and DJ Jonathan Toubin. It all starts at around 2pm and we can promise this will be the hottest free concert to hit the NYC area since Diana Ross played Central Park in 1983. This is an appropriate analogy because a) much like Ms. Ross, Peter Prescott’s performance features many costume changes and b) the two performers previously were a part of historic combos that changed the face of music (Diana with the Supremes, Peter with the Molls).
Times New Viking return to the East Coast this Saturday night at Brooklyn’s Bell House, playing alongside the reunited Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments and the Mad Scene. If this clip from 2008 is any indication, Ron House hasn’t lost a step, but wouldn’t you rather have an informed opinion?
In addition to a June 27 show at Los Angeles’ El Rey Theatre alongside Glasser and Rodriguez, Brightblack Morning Light will be returning to New York City this week for the following gigs :
6/10 – The Studio at Webster Hall
6/11 – Studio B, Brooklyn
Sonic Youth will celebrate the release of their new record ‘The Eternal’ by giving a special free live performance Tuesday, June 9th at at the Apple Store, Soho in NYC
(http://www.apple.com/retail/soho/).
Doors are at 7:30 and the performance is at 9:00. Guest passes are required to attend this event and are available for pickup at 10am Monday June 8th at the Apple Store, SoHo. One non-transferable pass per person (with photo ID) will be granted on a first come, first served basis. Please also bring your ID to the event along with your guest pass.
Cat Power will be on the road this summer playing a series of outdoor venues in support of The Pretenders. With the execption of the 8/29 bill, Juliette & The Licks will open all of the shows below. Tickets are currently on sale. First person to name the former Matador recording artist who has Juliette & The Licks in his MySpace Top 10 wins a Matador back catalog item of our choosing!
8/8, Hampton Beach, NH (Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom)
8/9, Asbury Park, NJ (Stone Pony)
8/10, New York, NY (Central Park Summerstage)
8/12, Boston, MA (Bank of America Pavillion)
8 /13, Upper Darby, PA (Tower Theatre)
8/14, Washington, DC (Warner Theatre)
8/16, Columbus, OH (LC Pavillion Outdoor)
8/18, Chicago, IL (Aragon Ballroom)
8/20, Council Bluffs, IA (Harrah’s Council Bluffs- Stir Cove)
8/22, Littleton, CO (Denver Botanic Gardens at Chatfield)
8/23, Salt Lake City, UT (Red Butte Garden Ampitheatre)
8/25, Troutdale, OR (Edgefield Ampitheatre)
8/26, Vancouver, BC (Malkin Bowl)
8/27, Redmond, WA (Marymoor Ampitheatre)
8/29, Saratoga, CA (The Mountain Winery) *
9/1, Pala, CA (Pala Casino — Starlight Theater)
9/3, Los Angeles, CA (The Greek Theatre)
On August 18, Matador will be releasing the long-anticipated new LP/CD/digital album from Jay Reatard, ‘Watch Me Fall’. Excepting last year’s pair of singles comps for Matador and In The Red, this is Jay’s first album since 2006’s ‘Blood Visions’, and it’s a self-produced full-length that more than lives up to the sky-high standards previously set. Earlier this year, Jay described the making of ‘Watch Me Fall’ to labelmate Andrew Earles :
“This new album has been challenging. It’s the first time I’ve written and recorded an album specifically because a label wants to release it. I’ve never made a record for a record label. I’ve always finished my recordings and then a label is decided on. When I made ’Blood Visions’ I had no idea that it was going to see the light of day. And I’ve never made a record in which the label heard the songs, or anyone heard the songs, before the album was finished, so that’s kind of intense. That’s what singles are for; I always considered my singles as a glimpse between the albums. Labels always had the previous single as an example of where I was going at the time, or of what the next album might sound like. In this situation, people at the label are hearing the songs before the album has been finished, but I try not to let it distract me, I’m trying to go about this process in a way that’s the closest to how I would have done an album in the past. A lot of bands these days, they approach the making of an album like it’s collecting songs, they don’t think about how all of the songs are going to work together. They sequence their albums on iTunes, wondering what songs sound best next to each other rather than putting them together as they were written. That’s not an album.”
“It Ain’t Gonna Save Me” is the first MP3 from ‘Watch Me Fall’, and provides only the slightest hint of the album’s depth. A stronger hint = giving away the store, but you’ll be hearing the new songs this summer when Jay visits the following places :
Fri June 12 - Los Angeles @ The Echo with Thee Oh Sees + Earthmen and Strangers
Sat June 13 - San Francisco @ The Independent with Thee Oh Sees + Earthmen and Stangers
Mon June 15 - Seattle @ Crocodile Cafe with Thee Oh Sees
Tue June 16 - Vancouver @ Biltmore
Wed June 17 - Portland @ Dante’s with The Oh Sees + Nice Boys
Fri June 19 - Long Beach, CA @ Alex’s Bar with Digital Leather
Fri June 26 - Chicago @ Bottom Lounge with TV Smith of the Adverts
Sat June 27 - Detroit @ Magic Stick with TV Smith of the Adverts
Sun June 28 - Cleveland @ Grog Shop with TV Smith of the Adverts
Mon June 29 - Toronto @ Mod Club with TV Smith of the Adverts
Tue June 30 - Montreal @ La Sala Rossa with TV Smith of the Adverts
Wed July 1 - New York City @ Stuyvesant Oval, FREE
Thu July 2 - Brooklyn @ Music Hall of Williamsburg with TV Smith of the Adverts
Fri July 3 - Allston, MA @ Harper’s Ferry with TV Smith of the Adverts Sat July 4 – Philadelphia PA @ Johnny Brenda’s with TV Smith of the Advert
Sun July 5 - Washington DC @ Black Cat with TV Smith of the Adverts
Tue July 7 - Asheville @ Orange Peel with TV Smith of the Adverts
Wed July 8 - Knoxville @ Pilot Light with TV Smith of the Adverts
Thu July 9 - Nashville @ The End with TV Smith of the Adverts
Fri July 10 - Memphis @ Hi-Tone Café with TV Smith of the Adverts
Sat July 11 - Oxford MS @ Proud Larry’s with TV Smith of the AdvertsIn addition, Jay will be making his first South American appearances on June 2 (TD Eventos, Sao Paulo, Brasil) and June 2 (Excursionistas Athletic Club).
Not sure exactly how we spaced on this one, but as always, the Matablog is to roster news what Tom Scholz is to Boston albums. VERY LATE BUT WELL-INTENTIONED. From Brainwashed.com :
It may be a bit short to call a tour – a “tourette”, perhaps? – but our European friends will be happy to know that Matmos will be over there very soon for a few performances:
JUNE
1 – Zagreb, HR @ Kset Club
2 – Beograd (Belgrade), RS @ Rex
MATMOS AND LONDON CONTEMPORARY ORCHESTRA
Hugh Brunt, Conductor
Supported by Sarah Nicolls and Micromattic
Tuesday 26 and Wednesday 27 May 2009, 8.00pm
Village Underground, Shoreditch
An adventurous collaboration between musical worlds is headlined by one of the giants of the electronic music scene, Matmos, performing with members of the LCO on material from Supreme Balloon arranged by the young composer Anna Meredith. In the hands of pianist Sarah Nicolls, that most familiar of instruments becomes augmented and reinvented for the 21st century, a bespoke contraption pushing at the boundaries of performance. LCO’s first commission of the season comes from Howard Quin and Micromattic, a thrilling audio-visual installation integrating live performance, electronic soundtracks and fractal animation.
Tickets available online or via Barbican Box Office: 020 7638 8891
(above : the Arch. not shown : St. Louis’ Strangulated Beatoffs)
Sonic Youth will playing a free concert underneath St. Louis’ famed Gateway Arch on July 17 as part of the LIVE on The Levee Summer festival. There’s more details here but please rest assured the 7/17 bill does not feature a performance by Mother 13 Train. You’ve gotta read the fine print. Thank you.
(Awesome Color, right after asking “how do you get to the House Of Blues?” and being given the most predicatble of answers)
Sat-Jun-27 Chicago, IL Vic Theatre w/ The Entrance Band
Sun-Jun-28 Chicago, IL Vic Theatre w/ White/Light
Mon-Jun-29 Royal Oak, MI Royal Oak Music Theatre w/ The Entrance Band
Tue-Jun-30 Toronto, ONT Massey Hall w/ The Entrance Band
Thu-Jul-02 Philadelphia, PA Electric Factory w/ The Entrance Band
Fri-Jul-03 New York, NY United Palace w/ The Entrance Band
Mon-Jul-06 Washington, DC 9:30 Club w/ Endless Boogie
Tue-Jul-07 Washington, DC 9:30 Club w/ The Entrance Band
Wed-Jul-08 Richmond, VA The National w/ The Entrance Band
Fri-Jul-10 Knoxville, TN Bijou Theatre w/ The Entrance Band
Sat-Jul-11 Nashville, TN War Memorial w/ The Entrance Band
Sun-Jul-12 Birmingham, AL Sloss Furnace w/ The Entrance Band
Mon-Jul-13 Atlanta, GA Variety Playhouse w/ The Entrance Band
Wed-Jul-15 Dallas, TX House of Blues w/ Awesome Color
Thu-Jul-16 Tulsa, OK Cain’s Ballroom w/ Awesome Color
Fri-Jul-17 St. Louis, MO Live on the Levee w/ Awesome Color
Sat-Jul-18 Kansas City, MO Uptown Theatre w/ Awesome Color
Mon-Jul-20 Milwaukee, WI Turner Hall w/ Awesome Color
Tue-Jul-21 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue w/ Awesome Color
Thu-Jul-23 Boise, ID Knitting Factory – Boise w/ Awesome Color
Fri-Jul-24 Spokane, WA Knitting Factory - Spokane w/ Awesome Color
Following the wildly successful Freewheeling Yo La Tengo U.S. dates of 2007 and 2008, Ira, Georgia and James are bringing what was previously billed as “an almost-acoustic set” of career-spanning material & covers to other parts of the whole wide world.
Sunday, May 31- Ferrera, Italy – Sala Estense- Doors are at 8:00 pm. Tickets are €20, and are available here.
Thursday, June 4 -Paris, France- L’Alhambra – Tickets are €25, and are available here.
Sunday, June 7 -Hamburg, Germany – Imperial Theater – Doors are at 8:00 pm. Tickets are €16/21, and areavailable here.
Monday, June 8 – Berlin, Germany- Babylon – Doors are at 7:00 pm. Tickets are €16/21, and are available here.
Thursday, June 11 – Amsterdam, Holland – Bimhuis – Tickets are €16, and are available here.
Friday, June 12- Brussels, Belgium – Botanic, Orangerie – Tickets are available here.
Monday, June 15 – London, England – Southbank Centre, Queen Elizabeth Hall Part of the Ornette Coleman’s Meltdown line-up. Tickets are available here.
In addition, Yo La Tengo will revert to more amplified fashion at the following outdoor events ;
Thursday, May 28 – Primavera Sound Festival, Barcelona, Spain (tickets)
Monday, July 13 – Keyspan Park, Coney Island, Brooklyn, NY (supporting Wilco) (tickets)
Friday, July 17 – Pitchfork Music Festival, Union Park, Chicago, IL (with Built To Spill, Tortoise) (tickets)
Sonic Youth have added a 2nd night at Washington DC’s 9:30 Club to their summer tour — July 7. Tickets are available to the general public starting this Saturday at 10am, however persons nabbing ‘The Eternal’ via Matador’s Buy Early Get Now scheme will have an opportunity to purchase tickets as early as Thursday morning, May 14 at 10.
There’s also a July 24 show happening at Spokane’s Knitting Factory. Ticket info TBA.
Just a friendly reminder that tonight there’s a Matador double header in London. Having played the shopping mall interior at this weekend’s ATP vs The Fans, we felt the need for a more illustrious setting for Shearwater and The Cave Singers – the beautiful Union Chapel in Islington. You can see The Cave Singers from 8pm and Shearwater say grace from 9pm.
Many thanks for Fiona Diffley for photos from this weekend.
July 16 Teatre Gran Rex, Buenos Aires, Argentina (tickets)
July 18 Via Funchal, Sao Paulo, Brazil (tickets)
July 21 Teatre Teatro Caupolicán, Santiago, Chile (tickets)
Though Shearwater are in the midst of recording the followup to 2008’s ‘Rook‘, the band are taking time from a busy international schedule to play a May 21 benefit for Austin’s Yellow Bike Project at Red 7. YBP is is a community supported ALL-VOLUNTEER 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to providing human-powered transportation for the people of Austin, running a community bike shop, and educating kids and adults. Here’s some more info courtesy a recent KLRU documentary short ;
Many years ago, I used to answer telephones at WMBR. Never would I have imagined during the station’s oh-so-cool early ’80’s they would one day see fit to recognize a bunch of talented musicians from Connecticut. But enough about Death Threat, it seems the Condo Fucks are playing an WMBR-related event in the near future.
WMBR DJ Jon Bernhardt will celebrate his 25th anniversary with the morning Breakfast of Champions radio program on June 26, from 8-10 a.m. To mark this auspicious occasion, he has convinced the bands that have been played the most on his program to perform at a pair of benefit concerts at two Boston area clubs. UK legend Bevis Frond will play in his only U.S. appearance on Sunday, June 21 at TT the Bear’s along with the Condo Fucks and Sleepyhead. Versus reunites to play Church with Rebecca Gates (The Spinanes) and more guests TBA, on Saturday, June 27. Proceeds will benefit WMBR. Tickets for both shows are on sale now.
Sunday, June 21, TT the Bear’s, 10 Brookline St., Cambridge
The Bevis Frond – #1 on Bernhardt’s career playlist – makes a rare appearance, having last played the United States in 2002. Matador recording artists the Condo Fucks feature all three members of Bernhardt’s #2 band, Yo La Tengo. Sleepyhead, who released a song that tied for #1 on the list, opens.
Saturday, June 27, Church, 69 Kilmarnock St., Boston
Versus, who haven’t played in Boston since 2003, and are the #4 band on the list, reunite especially for the occasion. Also appearing is Rebecca Gates, whose band The Spinanes, released the other song tied for #1. More artists TBA.
When we found out that Brightblack Morning Light would be playing with My Bloody Valentine in Denver and Seattle, Matador’s staff collectively searched Orbitz for cheap airfare. Could we charter a plane to either city? wait, what about to both cities?
Anyhow like from any good dream, we woke up abruptly and a tad grumpy because dreams are often so much better than reality. Though for the lucky couple of thousands in Denver and Seattle this is no dream. Brightblack Morning Light and My Bloody Valentine performing the same night! For us I guess it’s simply back to Motion To Rejoin and Loveless on shuffle, and repeat, on the office iTunes. Which actually is sort of a beautiful way to spend an afternoon in the office.
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opening for My Bloody Valentine this April 2009!
We’re pleased to launch the first MP3 from Sonic Youth’s upcoming album The Eternal (June 8 Europe, June 9 North America). It’s entitled “Sacred Trickster” and can be downloaded here:
“Sacred Trickster” is a 2:10 out-of-the gate hardcore matinee track with Kim singing salutes to French painter Yves Klein and Western Massachusetts noise artist Noise Nomads. It sets the tone for ‘The Eternal’, which comprises twelve tunes that are a fireworks display of Sonic Youth touchstones. From the primal no wave attack of its earliest days, to the radical chording and song structures of its ’90s period, to the more focused and contemporary explorations of the last five years. This their 16th album, and their first for the Matador label, consolidates their move to a more lush, sensual sound as displayed on last album ‘Rather Ripped’ – but if anything punchier and cleaner, and now backstopped by the addition of Mark Ibold (Pavement, Dustdevils) on bass.
As many of you are already aware, we have a Buy Early Get Now campaign running for this release. If you preorder (& pay) for the album at selected indie retailers now, you’ll get lots of extra material that won’t be available if you wait until June. You get:
- a code to stream the album early, from April 28
- bonus limited exclusive vinyl live LP on street date recorded at the River To River Festival July 4th, 2008 Concert in Battery Park NYC, either in your mailbox or your favorite record store (while supplies last)
- an exclusive poster
- exclusive additional mp3 downloads of outtakes & more live material
- early access to concert tickets in the US (especially if you sign up now)
Check buyearlygetnow.com for more info. (After April 28, you will also be able to preorder online.)
Plus — SECRET SHOW NEXT WEEK! We are also excited to announce that Sonic Youth will be playing an exclusive show NEXT MONDAY, 27 April, at The Scala, tickets available to purchase online from 10am tomorrow Tuesday 21 April, £25, doors 7.30pm.
US tour dates this summer should be announced very soon. New Yorkers can see the band play at the annual noise fest No Fun on May 16.
Finally, news just in that the band have been confirmed to play at the My Bloody Valentine-curated ATP Nightmare Before Christmas to be held at Butlins Holiday Resort in Minehead from December 4th – 6th, 2009.
We’ll be making a major announcement pretty soon regarding Jay Reatard’s just-completed new album. Prior to that, you’ll have to settle for this extensive pile of tour dates. Did you think you’d get to see TV Smith touring the USA in 2009? Us neither.
Sat Apr 18 - Memphis @ Goner Records (Record Store Day, 5:30pm), FREE
Thu May 28 - Barcelona @ Primavera Festival
Thu June 11 - San Diego @ Casbah with Thee Oh Sees + Earthmen and Strangers
Fri June 12 - Los Angeles @ The Echo with Thee Oh Sees + Earthmen and Strangers
Sat June 13 - San Francisco @ The Independent with Thee Oh Sees
Mon June 15 - Seattle @ Crocodile Cafe with Thee Oh Sees
Tue June 16 - Vancouver @ Biltmore
Wed June 17 - Portland @ Dante’s with The Oh Sees + NIce Boys
Fri June 26 - Chicago @ Bottom Lounge with TV Smith of the Adverts
Sat June 27 - Detroit @ Magic Stick with TV Smith of the Adverts
Sun June 28 - Cleveland @ Grog Shop with TV Smith of the Adverts
Mon June 29 - Toronto @ Mod Club with TV Smith of the Adverts
Tue June 30 - Montreal @ La Sala Rossa with TV Smith of the Adverts
Wed July 1 - New York City @ Stuyvesant Oval, FREE
Thu July 2 - Brooklyn @ Music Hall of Williamsburg with TV Smith of the Adverts
Fri July 3 - Allston, MA @ Harper’s Ferry with TV Smith of the Adverts
Sun July 5 - Washington DC @ Black Cat with TV Smith of the Adverts
Tue July 7 - Asheville @ Orange Peel with TV Smith of the Adverts
Wed July 8 - Knoxville @ Pilot Light with TV Smith of the Adverts
Thu July 9 - Nashville @ The End with TV Smith of the Adverts
Fri July 10 - Memphis @ Hi-Tone Café with TV Smith of the Adverts
Sat July 11 - Oxford MS @ Proud Larry’s with TV Smith of the Adverts
(Matmos and So Percussion at the Whitney, 2006, pic taken from maggiemoo1’s flickr feed)
We were fortunate enough to receive the following communication from Matmos earlier this week ;
We (Matmos) are playing quite an unusual show this weekend in the extremely important city of New York at a venue called the Kitchen. We are playing with the So Percussion Quartet and the Princeton Laptop Orchestra-at the same time…it’s really quite an extravaganza of sound, both timbre-wise and spacially. Fans of the Acousmonium take note, this sort of thing doesn’t happen often in the United States.
All the information you might need (except plane tickets and stuff, if you don’t live in New York) is here:
http://www.thekitchen.org/
Thank you for reading my spam,
love,
M.C. Schmidt
Matmos
p.s. If you are REALLY in this for the spacial thing, we’re doing this evening again in Princeton itself (considered possibly more pleasant than New York by some) with 25 laptoppists! Count ‘em TWENTY FIVE! A month later on May 16th. Princeton University’s Richardson Auditorium.
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