On today’s installment of WNYU’s New Afternoon Show, Perfume Genius stops by to play a few songs from the upcoming sophomore album Put Your Back N 2 It. The show starts at 4:00PM EST, which conveniently enough is also when the set starts. Tune in from NYC at 89.1FM, or listen online at wnyu.org. If you like what you hear, might I suggest you pre-order the album?

Connoisseurs of live radio performance have a great deal on their plate today, and you have us to thank for it.

Seattle singer/songwriter (and star of the year’s most controversial ad so far) Perfume Genius performs live on hometown station KEXP today at 2:00PM EST/11:00AM PST. Listen at 90.3FM or online at kexp.org, and pre-order the new Perfume Genius album, Put Your Back N 2 It, here.

Also this afternoon, Girls return to the World Cafe studios to play some songs from last year’s world-beating sophomore album, Father, Son, Holy Ghost. The show starts at 2:00PM EST/11:00AM PST, and can be heard at 88.5FM in Philadelphia, or online at xpn.org. Can’t catch the session when it airs? It’ll be on NPR’s website later in the day, and you can also find out when your local public radio station airs World Cafe at this link. And while you’re here, you might as well pick up a copy of Father, Son, Holy Ghost for yourself, or for a treasured friend.

Finally, the aforementioned Ceremony live session on WNYU starts at 5:00PM EST/2:00PM PST and is not to be missed. Don’t forget to pre-order their upcoming album, Zoo, right here.

We’ve gone on a bit about this Saturday’s completely bonkers all-ages Ceremony show at New York City’s Le Poisson Rouge (which is now SOLD OUT), but what we haven’t told you until literally this very moment is that tomorrow, February 3, WNYU’s New Afternoon Show will be hosting a live performance by Rohnert Park’s finest. They’ll be playing songs from their upcoming album, Zoo (pre-order here), and maybe some golden oldies for good measure. Tune in to 89.1FM or listen online at wnyu.org at 5:00PM EST.

Fucked Up’s whirlwind two days in New York commenced last night with a jaw-dropping performance of David Comes To Life at Le Poisson Rouge, and concludes with a reenactment of the very same album tonight at Warsaw. Sandwiched in-between is today’s live radio session on WNYC Soundcheck, which is sure to be required listening for both the unfortunates who didn’t get tickets for one of the shows AND the lucky ones who did. The show starts at 2:00PM EST and can be heard in NYC at 93.9FM or online at wnyc.org.

Stephen Malkmus And The Jicks continue their trek across these United States today with a stop in Seattle, WA, where they will be commandeering the radio waves for a live session at KEXP. Tune in at 4:00PM EDT/1:00PM PDT at 90.3FM or KEXP.org.

Still a few more Jicks live actions left, catch them on the road while you still can:

Tuesday 11 – Seattle, WA – Neptune Theatre
Wednesday 12 – Vancouver, BC – The Biltmore Cabaret
Thursday 13 – Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom
Sunday 16 – San Francisco, CA - Treasure Island Music Festival
Wednesday 19 – Los Angeles, CA – The Music Box At The Henry Fonda
Thursday 20 – Solano Beach, CA – Belly Up Tavern

Girls are nearing the finish line of their current tour, but those of you who aren’t in the remaining few cities, or who want to re-experience the magic (or who, horrors, somehow missed the band when they came through your town), can tune in to The Current today. The guys play a live session for the Minneapolis airwaves and the world at large via the Internet at 5:00PM EDT/4:00PM CDT. Those in the former jurisdiction can tune in at 89.3FM, while those in the lawless expanse of cyberspace can click on this link to listen.

Remaining Girls tour dates:

October
Tuesday 04 – Vancouver, BC – The Biltmore Cabaret
Wednesday 05 – Seattle, WA – Neptune Theatre
Thursday 06 – Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom
Saturday 08 – San Francisco, CA – Great American Music Hall
Sunday 09 – San Francisco, CA – Great American Music Hall

P.S. Album of the year contender Father, Son, Holy Ghost is still available for purchase and will be for the foreseeable future.

With just a few dates left in his current touring schedule, Kurt Vile has taken time out of his schedule to perform a live session with our friends at KEXP this afternoon. Join Kurt and the Violators at 4:30PM EDT/1:30PM PDT, either by tuning your Seattle-area radio to 90.3FM or by listening online at KEXP.org.

Still a few more chances to catch some live Vile:

Wed – 9/28 – Seattle WA – Paramount Theatre – Bright Eyes
Fri – 9/30 – San Francisco CA – Hardly Strictly Bluegrass
Mon – 10/24 – Portland ME – State Theater – The Flaming Lips
Tue – 10/25 – Rochester NY – Main Street Armory – The Flaming Lips
Thu – 10/27 – Norfolk VA – The NorVa – The Flaming Lips
Fri – 11/11 – New York NY – Webster Hall
Sat – 11/12 – Philadelphia PA – Union Transfer

It seems like only yesterday that Stephen Malkmus And The Jicks wowed New York City’s Webster Hall with a collection of old favorites and instant classics from their new album, Mirror Traffic. Before they say goodbye to the Big Apple, they’ll be appearing live on WNYC’s popular Soundcheck program to play some tunes and chat with host John Schaefer (no word yet on whether SM will be asked to participate in today’s “Smackdown” discussion of the later years of R.E.M.). The fun starts at 2:35 EDT, and can be experienced on New York’s radio waves at 93.9FM or online at WNYC.org.

Those of you who will accept no substitute for the live experience can take solace in the fact that there are plenty more upcoming Jicks shows happening this month and next.

Como te va, fantasy sports fans? Our own Stephen Malkmus And The Jicks are not quite done with Los Angeles, and vice versa. Right now, SM and co. are prepping for their appearance on KCRW’s beloved Morning Becomes Eclectic at 11:15AM PDT (or 2:15PM in the popular EDT format).

Not only did LA get a stellar instore at Amoeba last night, wherein the winning lyric for the already-infamous blowjob contest was revealed (more on that to come), but now you get Malkmus on your radio as well. Don’t ask me why he loves you so much, LA, just go with it.

Oh, and you might want to tune your radio dial to 89.9FM to listen. Go to KCRW.com to listen online if you’re not in the area, or just prefer your radio to be ones and zeros.

Two excellent opportunities to catch Thurston Moore performances on the radio today, true believers. In just under an hour, Thurston plays live in KCRW’s studio as part of their popular Morning Becomes Eclectic program. He’ll be going on at 2:15PM EDT/11:15 PDT, and the session can be heard at 89.9FM in LA or on KCRW.com.

If that’s not enough for you (and really, why would it be?), you can also tune in to The Current to hear a performance that Mr. Moore and company did for them last time they were in Minneapolis. 6:00PM EDT/5:00PM CDT is the time, 89.3FM is the location on your radio dial, and you can point your web browser here to listen online.

Several of Matador’s finest will be playing festivals on opposite sides of the country this weekend, and three of them will also be available to non-festivalgoers through the magic of Mr. Marconi’s marvelous invention (and also the Internet).

UPDATE: Thurston Moore has sadly had to cancel his KEXP session today.

At 8:00PM EDT/5:00PM PDT, Fucked Up will play a live set on Seattle’s KEXP before taking the stage at the Capitol Hill Block Party. The set can be heard at 90.3 on Seattleites’ FM dials, and at KEXP.org for the web-savvy.

Tomorrow, Ted Leo And The Pharmacists will be bringing the noise to WXPN’s XPoNentional Music Festival in the lovely (and incredibly hot) city of Philadelphia. Their 5:15PM EDT/2:15PM PDT set will be broadcast on XPN for those of you unfortunate enough not to experience it live. Tune in (hopefully from somewhere with lower temperatures and/or air-conditioning) at 88.5FM in Philly, or at XPN.org.

Help Stephen Malkmus write an FCC-friendly version of his new single Senator, from the upcoming album Mirror Traffic (out August 23). As you’re probably aware, the chorus features the line “I know what the senator wants – what the senator wants is a blowjob.”

Come up with a replacement for the word “blowjob” that radio stations can air, and Stephen will sing the winning entry for the radio single when we send it to stations at the end of September. PLUS, you’ll win a one-of-a-kind 7″ single featuring your version of “Senator” on one side, and the original version on the flip – the rarest Matador release ever.

Deadline for entries: August 23
Winner to be announced: September 15

Click on the banner above to go to WhatDoesTheSenatorWant.com and submit your entry. All standard contest rules and restrictions apply.

And for inspiration…

Fans of Kurt Vile and/or record label blogs may be aware that a few months ago, Philadelphia’s Kurt Vile took part in hometown station WXPN’s Free At Noon concert series, which was broadcast on WXPN and on the web. If you missed that show and/or the broadcast, you’ll be delighted to know that a portion of the show will be airing on today’s installment of XPN’s World Cafe. It all starts at 2:00PM EDT, and can be heard on 88.5FM in Philly or at xpn.org.

 

This is WFMU’s third year broadcasting from Barcelona’s Primavera Sound festival, and I daresay they’re really getting the hang of it. This year two of Matador’s finest will be featured on WFMU’s Primavera broadcasts. Tune in tonight at 7:00PM EDT to hear Interpol, and tomorrow at 5:45PM EDT for Kurt Vile & The Violators.

WFMU’s predictably stellar Primavera broadcast schedule can be found here. Listening can be accomplished at 91.1FM in the New York City area, 90.1FM in the Hudson Valley, and online at wfmu.org.

In about five hours, the stage of the beautiful new World Cafe Live at The Queen in Wilmington, DE (pictured above) will play host to Thurston Moore, playing a set of new material at the annual Non-Commvention. If you are not attending this august gathering of non-commercial radio’s best and brightest, take solace in the fact that you can listen to Thurston’s set on the air and Internetwaves of Philadelphia’s WXPN. If you’re in the area, tune in to 88.5FM. Anywhere else in the world, point your browser at xpn.org. Both of the above should be done at 11:55PM 11:40PM EDT to ensure maximum enjoyment.

Indeed, NYC synth magicians Cold Cave will help Los Angelinos get through that rough period between most recent coffee to delicious lunchtime with a 30-minute set today on KCRW’s Morning Becomes Eclectic. Tune in at 11:15AM PDT/2:15PM EDT (perhaps it will help us right-coasters with our digestion) to hear Wes Eisold and his band of keyboard warriors unleash tunes from the awesome new Cherish The Light Years under the watchful gaze and alongside the thoughtful questioning of Jason Bentley. As you’re probably well aware, KCRW can be heard at 89.9FM or can be streamed online. Cold Cave also rocks it, nighttime-stylee, tonight at The Music Box at The Henry Fonda. The show is sold out, but perhaps you know a guy who knows a guy.

I’ll start with the bad news: tonight’s Kills/Cold Cave show in Seattle is sold out. Actually, a lot of the tour dates below are sold out. So hopefully you managed to score a ticket or two.

The good news: Cold Cave is playing a live set at Seattle’s KEXP today, allowing those of you who can’t make it to the live show to get a sense of what you’re missing, and fire you up for the inevitable return of Wes Eisold and crew to your city/town/market. The session airs tonight at 6:00PM EST/3:00PM PST, and will wing its way to you on the 90.3FM frequency in Seattle, or at kexp.org in the less rainy parts of the country/world.

Don’t forget that Cold Cave’s new album is available for purchase on all of today’s relevant formats. And here are those tour dates I mentioned. More to come soon.

Monday, May 9 – Seattle, WA – Showbox (supporting The Kills)
Tuesday, May 10 – Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom (supporting The Kills)
Wednesday, May 11 – San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore Auditorium (supporting The Kills)
Friday, May 13 — Los Angeles, CA — The Music Box (supporting The Kills)
Saturday, May 14 – Pomona, CA – The Fox Theatre (supporting The Kills)
Monday, May 16 – El Paso, TX – Bombadiers (CC headline)
Wednesday, May 18 – Kansas City, MO – The Record Bar (CC headline)
Thursday, May 19 – St. Louis, MO – Luminary Center for the Arts (CC headline)
Friday, May 20 – Cincinnati, OH – MOTR Pub (CC headline)
Saturday, May 21 – Columbus, OH – Wexner Center (CC headline)
Sunday, May 22 – Pittsburgh, PA – Brillobox (CC headline)
Monday, July 18  — Fargo ND  — The Aquarium (Cult of Youth Supports)
Tuesday,  July 26 –  San Diego CA — Casbah  (Austra Supports)
Friday, July 29 – Salt Lake City – Urban Lounge (Austra Supports)
Saturday, July 30 – Denver – Bluebird Theater (Austra Supports)
Sunday, July 31 — Omaha NE  — Waiting Room    (Austra Supports)
Monday,  August 1  — Saint Louis MO  — Firebird  (Austra Supports)
Tuesday,   August 2  — Cleveland  OH — Grog Shop  (Austra Supports)

If, like most good folk, you keep up with the whats and whys of America’s favorite freeform radio station, WFMU, or if, like most of the music industry, you are in Austin for SXSW, you may have come across the glaring “Special Guest TBA” in the midnight slot of tonight’s WFMU’s SXSW showcase at Barbarella (611 Red River, right in the heart of the fabled 6th Street red light district). Meme-conscious readers may have noted the day of the showcase and assumed that the ever-resourceful WFMU had snared the first-ever live performance by tween sensation Rebecca Black, but if I do say so myself the actual truth is even better: tonight’s Special Guest at the WFMU showcase is Philadelphia’s own Kurt Vile, whose new album Smoke Ring For My Halo is still just as crazily good as we’ve been saying for a while now.

If you happen to be stuck in some cultural backwater that doesn’t even have its very own Stevie Ray Vaughan statue, fear not, because WFMU will be broadcasting the entire showcase, starting at 9:00PM EST/8:00PM CST, at 91.1FM and online at wfmu.org. Those of you who are familiar with time zones will be aware that that means Kurt is on at 1:00AM EST, which is technically Saturday, which kind of screws up the Rebecca Black reference from earlier in this post. What can I say.

As part of Matador’s continued efforts to spread the word about WFMU’s fundraising marathon Gerard is forcing me to I’m happy to bring you the following news regarding tonight’s Best Show On WFMU, this year’s final attempt by our friend Tom Scharpling to separate you from your money (for a very, very good cause):

Kurt Vile (the man/myth/legend behind the stunning Smoke Ring For My Halo, out today on all popular formats), Ted Leo (star of Reginald Van Voorst’s Broadway musical The Brutalist Bricks), and A.C. Newman (inspiration for the character “Carl Newman” from the motion picture Moves: The Rise & Rise Of The New Pornographers) will all be joining Tom on the air tonight. We really don’t know what’s going to happen, but if it’s anything like last week’s show with Ted and Carl, it’ll be must-listen radio, plus you can get cool prizes for pledging money (including a signed Smoke Ring test pressing and the already-infamous “Rated GG” 7″ single). WFMU can be found at 91.1FM on your NY/NJ radio dial, or at wfmu.org.

Finally, lest you think we’re done talking about Kurt on his release day, please note that in addition to lending his talents to WFMU, Mr. Vile will be playing not once, not twice, but thrice at some of New York’s finest recordmongers this evening: 5PM at Academy Records in Williamsburg (with Thurston Moore & Bill Nace’s Northampton Wools), 7PM at Generation Records, and 9PM at Other Music. Who loves ya, indie retail?

During their recent visit to New York, Brighton nightmare pop trio Esben And The Witch paid a visit to the WNYU studio (pictured above) to record a session for the New Afternoon Show. That session airs today, and at the risk of stating the obvious, it is essential listening. The session airs around 5:00PM EST, but the show goes from 4:00PM to 7:30PM EST so why not check out the whole thing? It’s good, I promise. The greater New York area can listen at 89.1FM, those elsewhere can get their fix at wnyu.org.

If you’re in the latter group, you may want to peruse the list below to see if Esben And The Witch will be playing soon in your town. Austin residents/visitors, please note those four days the band will be spending there; more details to come.

Wed, 3/9                      Akron, OH                                    Musica

Thu, 3/10                     Chicago, IL                                   Empty Bottle

Fri, 3/11                        Toronto, ON                                 Wrongbar

Sat, 3/12                        Denton, TX                                   35 Conferette

3/16-3/19                       Austin, TX                                    SXSW

Mon, 3/21                      San Diego, CA                             The Casbah

Tue, 3/22                        Los Angeles, CA                         Bootleg Theater

Wed, 3/23                       San Francisco, CA                     Bottom of the Hill

Thu, 3/24                        Portland, OR                                Mississippi Studios

Fri, 3/25                          Seattle, WA                                   Sunset Tavern

Sat, 3/26                          Vancouver, BC                             The Waldorf Hotel

 

Lest you think Matador Records is quite done twisting arms on behalf of WFMU‘s annual Marathon, THINK AGAIN. Not only are Ted Leo and A.C. Newman returning to Tom Scharpling’s “The Best Show On WFMU” for a second consecutive appearance next Tuesday, March 8th at 9pm, but Yo La Tengo will make their annual visit to the free-form station’s Jersey City studios tonight on Psue Braun‘s program (9pm eastern).

In what should be the greatest fund raising effort to hit the region since…..well, since this, Yo La Tengo will take your requests for covers, but not without an appropriate donation on your part to America’s no. 1, 100% listener supported radio station. Unlike the rest of WFMU’s sprawling schedule, this program will not be archived for later use on your iPhone, iPad, etc. so if you don’t tune in…you must have a pretty exciting Friday night planned.

As a former WFMU dj, I’ve long stressed to my colleagues the importance of the station’s unfocused, pretentious programming huge cultural contributions to the tri-state area and during Matador’s early years, it was actually mandatory for staffers (and recording artists) to contribute 10% of their annual income to the listener supported broadcaster.

Sadly, a state court ruled a few years ago that this arrangement was highly illegal — particularly as Matador refused to match the donations. However, just because we can no longer strong-arm our workforce into handing over money, that doesn’t preclude us strongly advising (HINT, HINT) that if certain self-styled “musical geniuses” don’t play ball with our friends in Jersey City, their recording careers might hang in the balance.

So with no prodding whatsoever from Matador ownership, Ted Leo and A.C. Newman will be appearing tonight on Tom Scharpling’s “The Best Show On WFMU” as part of WFMU’s premium-tastic annual cash-grab. We hope you can tune in. And if you can’t, we hope you won’t mind that we’ve already sent the station your credit card details.

If the headline above fills you with questions, questions such as ‘why would I write to the FCC?’ or ‘what’s KUSF?’ or ‘isn’t the Belle And Sebastian plug kind of gratuitous?’, well, allow me to answer the first two.

The condensed version: KUSF is the University of San Francisco’s community radio station, and has been since 1977. That means they’ve been around almost as long as The Fall (though I don’t think they’ve had as much staff turnover). Last month, USF secretly sold KUSF’s transmitter, abruptly took them off the air, and kicked everyone out of the station, with plans to transition the place to an Internet-only concern. Not surprisingly, KUSF’s DJs and staff, almost none of whom had any notice of the sale until they were escorted from the premises, think that’s a pretty fucked up thing to do, and we agree with them (as does Ty Segall).

By now you may be wondering what you can do to help KUSF get back on the air and back to being the incredibly valuable community resource it’s been for over three decades. Well, as the title of this post states, today is the LAST DAY that you can write to the FCC urging them to stop the sale. There are succinct directions on how exactly to do so posted HERE.

Additionally, the exiled KUSF volunteers have set up a Paypal account for people to donate toward their legal fees. Generous souls can open up their pocketbooks HERE.

Finally, if you love Twitter as much as I do, you can get breaking news by following KUSF’s Twitter account, which is HERE.

Regular Matablog readers will be both familiar with and appreciative of the restraint with which we discuss the various going-on that are inevitably a part of life here in the music industry’s fast lane. It’s at the risk of ruining our reputation for understatement, then, that I describe the anticipation for Kurt Vile’s forthcoming album, Smoke Ring For My Halo, as approaching a fever pitch. Kurt & The Violators are happy to contribute to that build-up with today’s live broadcast of their WXPN Free at Noon show, which starts exactly when you would think it would: 12:00 noon EST. Philadelphia, tune in at 88.5FM. Rest of the world, do yourself a favor and listen online.

They may not be spinning the Wheel of Whatever but Yo La Tengo will indeed be performing live on KEXP today at 4PM PST/7PM EST ahead of their show this evening at The Showbox at the Market. Tonight’s gig will mark the first date on the West Coast leg of their Spinning Wheel tour, with other shows to follow Seattle in Portland, Eugene, Oaktown, LA, and ending in Costa Mesa on 2/24. There is a Vancouver date thrown in between Seattle and Portland, but I don’t speak Canadian, so I didn’t include that initially.

Tune in to the pending awesomeness on 90.3FM in the greater 206 or listen online on KEXP’s site.

Provided that were a real thing, perhaps. But Yo La Tengo’s Ira Kaplan will, indeed, be the first Matador artist to take part in any radio promo in 2011. A mere five days into the new year, Ira will take to the airwaves at WNYC to chat with host John Schaefer in a segment entitled “The Art of the Set List”. Sure to be discussed will be Yo La’s upcoming tour dates and the fascinating Wheel of Wonder/Mystery/Confusion/Something that will be present during all the gigs on this run. Tune in to gain a behind-the-curtain glance at the YLT set list decision process at 2:30PM on 93.9FM or click on over to WNYC’s website for your inside look.

Fans of modern American troubadour Kurt Vile (and we hope that’s a category that includes each and every one of you) aren’t getting a chance to catch their breath this week. Hot on the heels of yesterday’s announcement of Mr. Vile’s forthcoming opus, Smoke Ring For My Halo, comes the news that Kurt will be appearing tonight on Tom Scharpling’s The Best Show On WFMU. Given the Best Show’s well-known connection to Kurt’s hometown of Philadelphia, we can only imagine what will transpire on this broadcast.

On top of that, Andrew Earles of Earles & Jensen fame will also be in the studio with Tom to discuss his recently published book on the legendary Husker Du.

This explosion of star power starts tonight at 9:00PM EST and goes all the way til midnight, so there’s plenty of time for you to tune in at 91.1FM or wfmu.org.

Indeed, tonight, there will be a super-concert at Terminal 5 in New York City as The New Pornographers will join forces with Ted Leo & The Pharmacists, in what can only be described as the Justice League of Awesome, and take the city by storm. To warm up their golden throats and shreddy fingers, the New Pornos will also perform live in a scant few hours on WNYC’s Soundcheck. Listen live on the web at 2PM EST or tune your car radio dial to 93.9FM and 820AM to hear the session in all its stereophonic glory.

As you probably already know, Shearwater is on tour. If you’re in Chicago, not only should you check out their show tonight at Lincoln Hall, you should get a taste of what to expect by tuning in to WLUW at 4:00PM CST for a live session with Jonathan Meiburg and company. Listen in at 88.7FM.

In addition to tonight’s show in Chicago, there are a few more dates remaining on Shearwater’s November jaunt across these United States, so catch them if you can.

Tue Nov 16, 2010 – Chicago IL – Lincoln Hall
Wed Nov 17, 2010 – South Bend IN -  Subkirke
Thu Nov 18, 2010 – St. Louis MO – Duck Room
Fri Nov 19, 2010 – Lawrence KS – Jackpot Saloon
Sat Nov 20, 2010 – Norman OK – The Opolis

Damian Jurado supports on all dates.

Indeed. Philly’s own Kurt Vile and his band of merry minstrels, known as The Violators, will be taking over the airwaves at Seattle’s KEXP today at 12 Noon PDT/3PM EDT. Listen to Kurt showcase his wares, possibly including tracks from his new 7″, “In My Time”, available starting November 9. Tune in on 90.3FM or click on over to KEXP’s website to listen in real time.

And if you’re in Seattle, go check out Kurt and his band live this evening at Neumos. You’ll be glad you did.