The next month or so will bring many an opportunity to honor the late, great Leonard Cohen. You’re already aware that Film Forum is screening the tour documentary Leonard Cohen: Bird on a Wire. And you may have heard about “Sincerely, L. Cohen,” the tribute concert scheduled for January 24 at Music Hall of Williamsburg (tickets went on sale today). That show will feature Joan as Policewoman, Richard Thompson, Lenny Kaye of Patti Smith Group, Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth, Ian O’Neil of Deer Tick, and Hannah Cohen (no relation), among others. To top it all off, Anthology Film Archives has announced a film program that will pay tribute to the Canadian crooner, who died in November.
music hall of williamsburg
TV Party, Alright! Newness From Public Access TV, Television, Psychic TV, and TV On the Radio
People say we’re living in a golden era of television and that’s apparently true: not only is Television playing a rare (free!) gig at the House of Vans in October (if you failed to RSVP, they’re also doing a Boston date), but the band’s ex-guitarist, Richard Lloyd, is playing Bowery Electric later in the month.
Shows: Genius Disco-Revival Pop Auteur and a Benefit for Fallen DIY Stalwarts
It’s kind of a somber week (already) for show goers– mainly because one of the most reliable spots for an awesome underground/indie/neo-folk/punk/experimental/whatever show, the Silent Barn, suffered a fire late last week. Everybody’s OK, but the building itself is damaged (more on that later) to the point where shows have been suspended for at least the next month. They’re no dummies, they have insurance. But in order to act fast and get repairs done right-freakin’-now, Silent Barn is asking for donations. If charitable bitcoining isn’t your bag, there are other ways you can help.
Mad For Mac DeMarco? He’s Apparating at Baby’s All Right Tonight
Tonight’s act at Baby’s All Right is mysteriously listed as “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets,” but don’t expect PotterCon redux. That image of Alfred E. Neuman as the Boy the Who Lived is clearly a reference to a certain gap-toothed master of irony. And the opening band, “Another Juan,” would seem to be a play on his newly released mini-LP, Another One. You guessed it: Mac DeMarco is prone to having secret shows, and the folks at Baby’s All Right confirm that this is one of them. If you miss tonight’s all-ages affair (tickets, just $5, will be available at the doors, which open at 8:30 p.m.), feel free to say, “What, me worry?” Mac will be playing some not-so-secret shows at Bowery Ballroom on Aug. 17, Webster Hall on Aug. 18, Music Hall of Williamsburg on Aug. 19 and Warsaw on Aug. 20.
Check out our review of the new album here.
Shows: Gaze at Synth-Psych Legends and Dance to the Sound of Crack Recovery
We’ve got quite a week in music ahead of us, with no shortage of neuron-twisting, brain ‘sploding variety. A week in shows wouldn’t be the same without that post-punk sound that’s so very now. This time around, two (very different) bands of this persuasion are sharing a bill as well as a genre, demonstrating these constraints are as fluid as their riffs. But best of all, a legendary psych band that perhaps you took for extinct will light up the stage at one of our favorite lil’ DIY venues. Hope that’s enough flavor to get you scrolling.
Tags: Appetite, Bookworms, Breathing Problem, Chimes, crazy spirit, flesh world, free concerts, free shows, Giant Claw, Home Sweet Home, How I Quit Crack, Lower East Side, lust for youth, music hall of williamsburg, nothing changes, palisades, Pollen Rx, sannhet, Silver Apples, total control, trans-pecos, Williamsburg
Do Hold Your Breath For Mac DeMarco’s New ‘Mini-LP,’ Another One
If you had a chance to swing by Our Wicked Lady in the hours before their grand opening then maybe you found the loopy singer-songwriter Mac DeMarco throwin down dogs whilst a couple of his new tracks bumped on the boom box. Or perhaps you were stuck behind double-paned office windows, miles from anything resembling summer or fun, let alone new music. Stir not in jealousy, though, for the release of 25-year-old Rockaway resident Mac Demarco’s new “mini-LP” is just on the horizon.
Woo-Hoo! Blur Is Doing a Free Show With Honduras in Williamsburg
If you were psyched about the Jane’s Addiction show at Brooklyn Bowl but not so psyched about the $125 ticket price, here’s another chance to catch some ’90s legends in a fairly intimate venue — for free. Rubber Tracks, the Williamsburg recording studio run by Converse, has announced that Britpop outfit Blur will perform in New York City for the first time in 15 years, at Music Hall of Williamsburg this Friday, May 1. Public registration for tickets starts tomorrow, Wednesday, at noon.
If NYC Is a Girl, Public Access TV’s John Eatherly’s Probably Feeling Hurt
Public Access TV (Photo courtesy of Chad Moore)
John Eatherly has been doing the music thing for a while, having dropped out of high school at 17 to pursue music. “I’ve played in a lot of different bands over the years,” he explained. But Public Access TV seems to be his most focused effort to date. The band has just dropped their first proper release in the United States, Public Access EP on Terrible Records, and Eatherly’s not just songwriting, he’s also spotlighted as the lead vocals and guitars. The fact that Public Access TV really sees Eatherly coming into his own probably has something to do with the fact that he’s supremely close with all the other band members. In fact, three of four members (all except for the drummer) lived together in an East Village apartment. New York’s always been somewhat tough, Eatherly admits, but when their apartment burned down in the East Village fire last month, he realized things could always be harder.
Here’s Why TV On the Radio Threw Shade at the J.Crew Store Last Night
(Photo: Daniel Maurer)
With guitarist Kyp Malone’s former place of employ, Verb Cafe, morphing into an artisanal cupcake-soap shop, how could TV on the Radio resist cracking a few jokes about their old stomping grounds of Williamsburg?
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Photos: Everyone Had a Ball at the Brooklyn Electronic Music Festival
Rebel Rave at Verboten (All photos: Daniel Leinweber/Razberry Photography)
While half of Brooklyn packed into Dumbo’s Festival of Light over the weekend, the lasers were beaming over in Williamsburg as well, as the Brooklyn Electronic Music Festival stormed venues such as Cameo, Music Hall of Williamsburg, Villain, Glasslands, Output, and Verboten. Among the highlights: Cut Chemist and DJ Shadow spinning vinyl from Afrika Bambaata’s personal 40,000-record-strong collection.
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