Category Archives: TVD New York City

Brooklyn-based psych-rock label, Beyond Beyond is Beyond Records has started the year off perfectly with their new vinyl subscription service, or “Jamscription” if you will. The label’s first release from Brooklyn’s own amazing Prince Rupert’s Drops came out in November and the next release, from Finnish psychsters Kiki Pau, comes out February 5th.

With BBiB Records’ new Jamscription service, for $75 you can get every 2013 vinyl release from the label delivered to your door…plus some bonus goodies.

Here’s what’s coming from BBiB Records and what you get with your subscription:

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On Tuesday, just after 9 PM, producer and collaborator Jude Cole took to the stage at the Gramercy Theatre in New York City, delivering kind words to the band he’s managed for many years.

It’s rare to see a band manager’s on stage, but this show was unlike any other; here in the heart of the city that never sleeps, the soulful American-Rock band, Lifehouse, was celebrating their 6th studio album, Almeria, on the evening of its release.

On a personal note, I have seen Lifehouse in every type of venue—large arena, small arena, concert hall, amphitheater, and most recently center field of National’s Stadium, but this was my first time seeing them in a club, and I can confidently say they have never sounded better live than on this night.

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Hi there, fellow deep-lobed music lovers. 2012 was a fantastic year for music and obviously so, as I could only narrow down my personal Best of List to a hearty 30 releases over 3 separate installments.

I didn’t even include any reissues (like CAN’s ​The Lost Tapes​ or ​Sensations’ Fix’s Music Is​ Painting in the Air) ​or any 7″ releases. Although I did cheat a little and add a cassette single because I found it to be really special. You’ll see as you peruse the list o’ jams.

Please do keep in mind as you check out this list that I am not a music critic, nor do I have any special schooling that certifies that my taste is better than the guy or gal’s next to me. I simply consume music through many different formats (but always preferably vinyl) out of deep-burning necessity, and here are some things that came out in 2012 that burned the brightest for me—in no particular order. Part 1 is here. Part 2 is here. And Part 3 follows:

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Hi there, fellow deep-lobed music lovers. 2012 was a fantastic year for music and obviously so, as I could only narrow down my personal Best of List to a hearty 30 releases over 3 separate installments.

I didn’t even include any reissues (like CAN’s ​The Lost Tapes​ or ​Sensations’ Fix’s Music Is​ Painting in the Air) ​or any 7″ releases. Although I did cheat a little and add a cassette single because I found it to be really special. You’ll see as you peruse the list o’ jams.

Please do keep in mind as you check out this list that I am not a music critic, nor do I have any special schooling that certifies that my taste is better than the guy or gal’s next to me. I simply consume music through many different formats (but always preferably vinyl) out of deep-burning necessity, and here are some things that came out in 2012 that burned the brightest for me—in no particular order. Part 1 here. Part 3 coming soon.

Read More »

Hi there, fellow deep-lobed music lovers. 2012 was a fantastic year for music and obviously so, as I could only narrow down my personal Best of List to a hearty 30 releases over 3 separate installments.

I didn’t even include any reissues (like CAN’s ​The Lost Tapes​ or ​Sensations’ Fix’s Music Is​ Painting in the Air) ​or any 7″ releases. Although I did cheat a little and add a cassette single because I found it to be really special. You’ll see as you peruse the list o’ jams.

Please do keep in mind as you check out this list that I am not a music critic, nor do I have any special schooling that certifies that my taste is better than the guy or gal’s next to me. I simply consume music through many different formats (but always preferably vinyl) out of deep-burning necessity, and here are some things that came out in 2012 that burned the brightest for me—in no particular order. Parts 2 and 3 coming soon.

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Prince Rupert’s Drops is a Brooklyn band that’s been around for several years now honing their craft, waiting for just the right moment to unleash a perfectly-nuanced collection of jams. And now we have these recordings in all their majesty, care of the brand-new Brooklyn-based label, Beyond Beyond is Beyond Records.

Dig some recent glowing press for Prince Rupert’s Drops:

“…the way the songs of Prince Rupert’s Drops hang together so exquisitely, forming an album that boasts an enormously ear-pleasing equilibrium, equal parts psychedelic strength and folky fragility, balladry merging with badass-ery. Songs long and short, with vocals male and female, merge together in a way that manages to paint a sonic scene of effortless symmetry.”
—Revolt of the Apes

“The album is full of creative guitar leads, as well as out there sing a long hooks. With the accompany of male and female lead vocals, each song bends through the album to create universal choir of diverse mixtures.”
—Sir Psych’s Psychedelic Shack

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There are a couple great Hurricane Sandy benefit shows going on in Brooklyn this weekend. So, not only can you hear and see some great local music, you can help out locally.

And if you are local, then you damn well know that relief efforts are far from over. Keep the love comin’, people!

First up, tonight, Breakthru Radio Presents: Friend Roulette , Flying Pace, Bright Brown, Katie Mullins at Union Hall. You might remember Friend Roulette from a “Grooves Shared” piece we did here at TVD with FR’s Matt Meade. You can find all the info here on the event’s FB page.

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Brooklyn psych outfit, Prince Rupert’s Drops, released their stellar debut album ​Run Slow this week and are celebrating that fact at Wild Kingdom DIY space in Brooklyn on Saturday. And any band who isn’t afraid of following the mighty Endless Boogie must be a force to be reckoned with!

Wild Kingdom: 97 S. 6th—between Bedford and Berry. Saturday, 11/17, 9pm

You can order Prince Rupert’s Drops ​Run Slow ​on vinyl, cassette, or digi right here. And RSVP for the release show on Facebook.

I do believe you’ve heard you some Tame Impala before as these dudes are getting huge. But it’s for good reason, for once! A little justice for great music.

Take a look & listen to their trippy new one for “Feels Like We Only Go Backwards” from the new Lonerism album.

Tame Impala plays NYC’s Webster Hall Saturday night with the aptly titled Swedish band, The Amazing. If you can score a ticket, it is not to be missed! Happy to say, I’ll be there.

Hey NYC cats, I hope you’re getting back to some degree of normalcy since Hurricane Sandy, and that you have – and continue to – lend support to those still suffering.

Well, if you’ve been a bigger homebody than you’re used to the last couple weeks like I have since trains have been fucked, then get back in the NY groove by seeing some excellent live music on Friday night with Psychic Ills, Guardian Alien and Starring at the Knitting Factory.

Check out headliners Psychic Ills if you haven’t yet been enchanted.

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If this is what the Scorpions meant by being rocked like a hurricane, then the New York, New Jersey, Connecticut tri-state will pass on the offer next time…thank you very much, Klaus Meine.

Jam-rocker Trey Anastasio from Phish (seen above in Red Hook, photo by John Del Signore at Gothamist) was among the multitudes of people who helped in Hurricane Sandy relief efforts over the weekend. And since people will be needing help, food, supplies, warmth and more for quite some time going forward, we all need to find time to volunteer as often as we can. So, I wanted to provide some good ways and resources for getting involved.

I’m sure if you are in the area, the opportunities to help have presented themselves to you in many ways and many of you have already been pitching in or have plans to. But as for people outside of the tri-state area who are wondering what are some of the best ways to help, well I’m glad you asked. Dig this list:

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All right, Nashville’s young pop-psych outfit The Paperhead is definitely one of my favorite new bands out there now. And this ​Focus in on the Looking Glass LP, originally recorded in 2009/10 and released on cassette on Infinity Cat when the lads were a mere 17/18 years old, is delightfully-far out ear and mind candy.

So what better time than Halloween season for us to hand out some of that candy to you? Thanks to the good folks at Ample Play, we have a copy for one lucky commenter.

So to be entered to win The Paperhead’s ​Focus in on the Looking Glass ​comment below with your favorite candy, psychedelic or otherwise.

One winner will be chosen on Monday, November 5th and we are able to accommodate European entries too, so fire away!

Another CMJ Music Marathon has come and gone, but if you missed out on the panels this year, or if you’re curious of how this conference gets on, let me piece together my adventures, showing just how easy it is to be fully immersed during such a stay in NYC.

Day 1, Tuesday | My plane lands at JFK at 9:58am, leaving enough time to trek through Brooklyn to drop my things at my host’s place near Prospect Park. Badge pick-up and the daytime panels are held at NYU at Washington Square, so I arrive there in time to get my press credentials before getting settled at my first panel, Galleries Are Venues, too! I’m out of luck at this one because the room is at capacity. Bummer.

At 2pm I score second-row seats for Advanced PR Techniques For the Digital World. When discussing what is the most critical of all promo material, Jon Ostrow of Cyper PR suggested it’s the bio that still reigns king. Mark Satlof, Senior VP at Shore Fire Media, believes an artist should have a variety of fifty photos that really pop to get a consumer’s attention. We are told Kickstarter has now become a device for obtaining press, more than it is a tool for securing funds. We are warned that many journalists today are overworked and underpaid, so getting people to just spell band names correctly or getting the right promo shot for an article is becoming another hassle for publicists to deal with.

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This year’s CMJ Music Marathon has come and gone in its usual debaucherous rush. Last week’s five-day sprint of official and unofficial showcases and parties (day-, after-, etc.) was enough to exhaust even the most diehard of music fans, journalists, and photographers, but somehow we all made it out alive.

While we had our own sold-out showcase with partners Beyond Beyond is Beyond Records and Easy Apple at Arlene’s Grocery on the opening Tuesday night (10/16) of CMJ, TVD was fortunate enough to include among its many, many collective stops last week:

NYCTaper at CMJ 2012 at Cake Shop (10/18), a day party where we caught alt-country North Carolinians and recent Merge label signees Mount Moriah.

Notes From the Underground: Modular Recordings at CMJ at Ace Hotel (10/18), an event so low-key that I doubt many of the attendees in the hotel’s busy lobby had any idea that it was a CMJ-related event.

Vitalic Noise CMJ Launch Party at The DL (10/18), which featured the Miami Horror DJs in a body-to-body meltdown, accompanied by lazers.

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I’ve seen my fair share of shows, attending roughly two a week for probably the last six or seven years. Even after all those concerts and all those bands, there are few that I’ve seen that match the energy and performance level of Los Angeles’ Say Anything.

This was my sixth time seeing the band live, and after their Long Island show at the Paramount Theater, there was no doubt in my mind that this was their best performance yet.

Although it took a bit of effort to get to the show (the Long Island Railroad stopped servicing the stop where the venue was located), I made it inside just in time to find a packed (and huge) venue screaming for the band. Led by frontman Max Bemis, the band came out and opened their set with “The Writhing South” from their debut album …Is A Real Boy. A couple more songs were played before Bemis (unnecessarily) announced who they were—but it was clear that every single person was there for them.

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