Lucius

It's great when you're friends are just that and by far my favorite new local discovery is Lucius, the catchy indie-wop folk-pop group out of Ditmas Park. I first saw them open for Ivan and Alyosha and Hey Rosetta! at the Knitting Factory in Brooklyn and everyone including the bands they supported couldn't stop talking about them. This past Saturday they played their last show of the year with their buddies Chappo at the Mercury Lounge. Again, a great performance and response. In honor of the My Morning Jacket show this past week at MSG, Lucius performed a lovely rendition of "wonderful (the way i feel)". Video included below.

The Bumbys video feature from CBS News

Our FoundTrack Creative Collective fam THE BUMBYS aka the wonky performance artists themselves were just featured in this rad video story by CBS News... keep up the awesome work guys!!:

Recommended shows in NY - December 12th - 18th

Monday / December 12th
- The National, The War on Drugs @ Beacon Theater
- Oh Land, Friends, Savoir Adore @ Bowery Ballroom
- !!! (chik chik chik), Slowdance @ Maxwell's
- Black Onassis, Spirit Animal, Our Mountain @ Mercury Lounge

Tuesday / December 13th
- Devo @ Irving Plaza
- The National, Sharon Van Etten @ Beacon Theater
- Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, The Sugarman 3 @ Bowery Ballroom
- Gary Clark Jr., White Dress @ Mercury Lounge
- Anna Calvi, Eleanor Friedberger (The Fiery Furnaces), New Moods @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
- Pink Martini @ Town Hall

Wednesday / December 14th
- Band of Horses, My Morning Jacket @ Madison Square Garden
- The National, So Percussion @ Beacon Theater
- Wye Oak, Pattern Is Movement @ Rock Shop
- The London Souls, Foley Stewart @ Cameo Gallery
- Sean Bones @ Manhattan Inn (FREE)
- Pink Martini @ Town Hall

Thursday / December 15th
- The National, Wye Oak @ Beacon Theater
- James Murphy (DJ set), Poolside, The Crystal Ark Party Machine, Midnight Magic @ Brooklyn Night Bazaar
- Serenades @ Knitting Factory of Brooklyn
- Penguin Prison, Vacationer, Gemini Club @ Mercury Lounge
- North Highlands, BELL, Parlovr, Leisure @ Glasslands
- Ducktails, Amen Dunes, Big Troubles @ 285 Kent Avenue

Friday / December 16th
- The National, My Brightest Diamond @ Beacon Theater
- Fucked Up, Big Troubles, Radical Dads, Frankie Rose (DJ set), Bill Pearis (DJ set) @ Brookyn Night Bazaar
- Serenades, Parlovr @ Mercury Lounge
- Blondes, Ital, Darius @ 285 Kent Avenue
- Home Video, Warm Ghost, Beacon @ Cameo Gallery
- Bear Hands, Deleted Scenes, Fort Lean @ Cameo Gallery

Saturday / December 17th
- Devo @ The Paramount
- The National, This IsThe Kit @ Beacon Theater
- The Hold Steady, Titus Andronicus, Wakey! Wakey! @ Brooklyn Night Bazaar
- Twin Sister, Widowspeak, Ava Luna @ Bowery Ballroom
- Chappo, Jeff Taylor Band, Monogold, Lucius @ Mercury Lounge
- Escort, Midnight Magic @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
- Atlas Sound, Balkans @ Bell House

Sunday / December 18th
- Atlas Sound, Balkans, Carnivores @ Bowery Ballroom
- Delicate Steve, Milagres @ Brooklyn Bowl

Alabama Shakes Secret Show at Lakeside Lounge (NY)

The Alabama Shakes are everything a live show ought to be. Back in October for CMJ, they conquered NY's lyrical litmus test, the Bowery Ballroom, on their first big stage bout and won the hearts of every music mogul/college radio program director in attendance. This past week, they made their first trip back since the word spread of their invigorating and epic live performance.

Not surprising the least bit that they sold out Mercury Lounge, but selling out Brooklyn Bowl immediately in a late add the following night is very telling of the promise of this Athens Alabama band. Luckily, I live a few blocks away from where their impromptu 3rd show in three nights took place. This time, a secret show at the Lakeside Lounge, an east village neighborhood staple that fits 150 max and is charmed by paintings by Steve Keene, and likely the smallest place they will ever play again.

I got there 1.5 hours early and it was a very unusual vibe in the bar. Almost everyone seemed in on the secret and living up to the theme, they were all talking in low suspicious tones, perhaps mostly because the Shakes were busy taping an interview with myspace in the main room. Before i could order a round of beer, the floodgates had opened and the main room was filled to the brim. Luckily, i found a prime spot in the middle of the action. Brittany Howard, main singer and star of the Shakes, warmed the crowd up and it must have been seeping through the glass windows because there were a large group of passerbys waiting outside of the lounge in one of the early winter's coldest nights just to eavesedrop on the spectacle happening before them. It was true greatness. Here is the proof in the pudding.



here is a link to their upcoming tour dates.

Recommended shows in NY - December 5th - 11th

Monday / December 5th
- Lana Del Rey @ Bowery Ballroom (SOLD OUT)
- Mavis Staples, The Head and the Heart, Dawes @ Beacon Theater - WFUV Holiday Benefit Concert
- Jamie Woon, Erika Spring (ex- Au Revoir Simone) @ Mercury Lounge

Tuesday / December 6th
- Ryan Adams, Jessica Lea Mayfield @ Carnegie Hall - Isaac Stern Auditorium
- Dawes @ Maxwell's (Hoboken)
- Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, Naomi Shelton & Gospel Queens @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
- Tristen, Ravens & Chimes, Tracy Shedd @ The Rock Shop

Wednesday / December 7th
- Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, WATERS, Radical Dads @ Webster Hall
- Dawes @ Maxwell's
- Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, The Sugarman 3 @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
- City and Colour, Hacienda @ Terminal 5
- Plants and Animals, Takka Takka, Balene @ The Rock Shop

Thursday / December 8th
- Alabama Shakes @ Brooklyn Bowl
- Yelle, Housse de Racket @ Webster Hall
- Friends, Zambri, Royal Baths, Doldrums, X-Ray Eyeballs @ Glasslands

Friday / December 9th
- Foster the People @ Bowery Electric (Sirius Satelite Invite Only)
- Yelle, Housse de Racket @ Music Hall of Williamsburg (SOLD OUT)
- Blitzen Trapper @ Maxwell's

Saturday / December 10th
- The Antlers, Suuns @ Webster Hall
- The Dig, The Canon Logic, 1,2,3, Dirty Dishes @ Glasslands
- The Twees, Black Taxi, Edelweiss, Jangula, Bearstronaut @ Knitting Factory Brooklyn
- The People's Champs, The Hipstones @ 92Y Tribeca

Sunday / December 11th
- !!! (chik chik chik), Friends, MNDR (DJ Set) @ 285 Kent Avenue
- The War on Drugs, Still Corners, Arc in Round @ Bowery Ballroom
- Oh Land, Savoir Adore, Friends @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
- Laura Marling @ McKittrick Hotel

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LOOKING AHEAD
- 12/13 - The National, Sharon Van Etten @ Beacon Theater
- 12/13 - Gary Clark Jr., White Dress @ Mercury Lounge
- 12/13 - Anna Calvi @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
- 12/14 - Band of Horses, My Morning Jacket @ Madison Square Garden
- 12/14 - Wye Oak, Pattern Is Movement @ Rock Shop
- 12/15 - The National, Wye Oak @ Beacon Theater
- 12/15 - James Murphy (DJ set), Poolside, The Crystal Ark Party Machine, Midnight Magic @ Brooklyn Night Bazaar
- 12/15 - Serenades @ Knitting Factory of Brooklyn
- 12/15 - Penguin Prison, Vacationer, Gemini Club @ Mercury Lounge
- 12/16 - The National, My Brightest Diamond @ Beacon Theater
- 12/16 - Fucked Up, Big Troubles, Radical Dads, Frankie Rose (DJ set), Bill Pearis (DJ set) @ Brookyn Night Bazaar
- 12/16 - Serenades, Parlovr @ Mercury Lounge
- 12/17 - The National, This IsThe Kit @ Beacon Theater
- 12/17 - Chappo, Jeff Taylor Band, Monogold, Lucius @ Mercury Lounge
- 12/17 - Escort, Midnight Magic @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
- 12/17 - Atlas Sound, Balkans @ Bell House
- 12/18 - Atlas Sound, Balkans, Carnivores @ Bowery Ballroom
- 12/19 - Delicate Steve, Milagres @ Brooklyn Bowl (FREE with RSVP)

This post certainly wouldn't have been possibly without my trusty showguide, Ohmyrockness

Florence and the Machine - Take That (Drake cover)

wasn't incredibly taken by the latest florence and the machine LP but really enjoyed watching her cover Drake on a recent bbc sesh. check it out.

Darkside < --- new project from Nico Jaar

This week i missed the world debut of the new collaboration between Nico Jaar and Dave Harrington at Music Hall of Williamsburgh. By all accounts, it was something special. Just heard the EP, also special and free for a stream at the soundcloud page for Nico's Clown & Sunset label. embedification below. Don't sleep on this or it will wake you when you least expect it.

DARKSIDE - DARKSIDE EP by Clown & Sunset

Orkes Kroncong Mutiara - Langgam Suling Bambu

thanks to the KCRW app, i can now listen to amazing songs like the one played at the tail end of Chris Douridas' show yesterday live while i'm in NY while walking through Classon St. in the previously unexplored territory of Flatbush, Brooklyn. It seems like the only digital place you can find it is in itunes ; however, it comes off of a volume of indonesian music collected by the highly esteemed people at Smithsonian Folkways so the whole album would be a great way to explore popular music of Indonesia. Below is a link for more info. happy shopping.

ttp://www.folkways.si.edu/TrackDetails.aspx?itemid=40865

Odjbox

spent most of my first official workout in NY at the gym over-indulging in the plentiful apps on my iphone...hype radio's popular section turned me on to this killer track from the UK's electro-swing producer Odjbox. I happened to be doing power cleans at the time. It may not sound like the perfect soundtrack but it defly got the juices flowing.

Birmingham by Odjbox

Good interview with him to check out with Music for Morons over here
http://www.facebook.com/odjbox

Everynone

it's as if a production company had taken all the moments of life that i hold closest and the others i take for granted and put them into little packages of short documentary essay films for me to appreciate. < --- the feeling of discovering the greatness of the NY collaborative everynone. Here is the one that opened pandora's box, featuring the work of my favorite artist of all time.

Symmetry from Everynone on Vimeo.

The videos started as a companion piece to the popular WNYC program Radiolab. Now they're gearing up for their first feature film, Everyday, due out next year. Here is a good article for more information.

Veronica Falls Mixtape is worthy

When not making my own, I enjoy listening to other mixtapes. This one happens to be from the lead bassist Marion Herbain (Top Right) of the hip London four piece indie pop band Veronica Falls. Would suggest a stream/download if you will. My personal faves are highlighted below with spotify links if available.

Marion's Mix by Veronica Falls

Tracklist:
01 The Modern Lovers – “Someone I Care About”
02 The Stinky Toys – “Birthday Party”
03 Moondogs – “Baby Snatcher
04 Henry’s Dress – “Target Practice”
05 Television Personalities – “A Girl Called Charity”
06 Twa Toots – “Running Away”
07 Dee Dee Ramone – “Baby Doll”
08 Slant 6 – “What Kind of Monster Are You?”
09 The Lemonheads – “It’s a Shame About Ray”
10 Roky Erickson – “You Don’t Love Me Yet”
11 Jeanette – “Porque Te Vas”
12 Young Michelins – “Elle m’ oubliera” (FREE Download)

Veronica Falls is coming to the US Feb 2012 including dates in LA and New York ; you can find their self-titled debut LP out now on Slumberland (listen/sample for free on spotify here)