Amanda Palmer coined the term and genre "Brechtian punk cabaret" for her band The Dresden Dolls so that critics wouldn't describe them as Goth. After two albums with the Dolls and a live show that has earned a reputation for doubling as a circus act, she is just beginning her first tour on her own. Her upcoming solo album sports the Twin Peaks-inspired title "Who Killed Amanda Palmer?" and will be released in September alongside a book with same title that is a collaboration between Palmer and graphic novelist Neil Gaiman. Tonight Amanda brings her unique brand of theatricality into town with a show at Spiegelworld. She talked to Gothamist last week about blogging, opening herself up to new collaborations, and what Britney Spears's next tour should look like. more ›

The Time Warner on-screen guide simply said "Tila Tequila" on MTV when the clock struck midnight last Monday, leading a casual observer to assume they were blowing through a marathon of her depressing reality show. But oh no! The oddly shaped, elfish face of the network apparently gets sole, top billing over the biggest night of the year as the host of MTV's annual New Years Eve party. She was mostly responsible for stumbling through some lines on her way to introducing the lineup of bands on tap, including the likes of Good Charlotte, Kid Rock and a somehow still relevant Wyclef. While those in attendance seemed to be having a fine time, it may pain music fans to see the network has no sign of changing their tune in the new year, rolling out the same rehashed schlock they've been shoveling for most of the decade. Cobra Starship summed it up best in their post-balldrop interview: "A lot of bands are trying to be credible...we wanna be in-credible in '08!" No word yet what role Gabe Saporta will play in "Shot of Love, Season 2." (pic via MTV) more ›

Rosie O'Donnell made an appearance at BEA this past weekend, though her involvement with the expo was toned down significantly after The View fued. Variety reports: more ›

Horray, more music! Day 2 of Bonnaroo got off to a great start with Dungen at the That Tent. It's quite a trip to hear thousands of people singing along in a language they don't actually understand. Lots of people knew the words, few actually knew what they were saying. Regardless, the energy and presence of this band always impresses, and they left the early risers in high spirits to take on the day. After them were Gothamist pals Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, who played to what we assume was the largest crowd they've been in front of that was the most unfamiliar with the songs. We actually had people ask us "Who is Clap Your Hands whatever whatever?" For the first time in over a year. This touches on one of the great things about the festival. Even though the lineup skewed more towards the indie scene than in previous years, the majority of the crowd was still there for the major jam bands. This put bands like CYHSY in a position to show off their talents in front of musically open minded people who may not have otherwise have gone to see them. Their set was marred with technical difficulties, which was a shame cause it hindered the flow a bit, but nonetheless, once the songs came out, the crowd was bouncing along and enjoying themselves as expected. That’s what we always like to see. more ›

Last week we lost a dear friend and old contributor at Gothamist, Ben Chappel. We wanted to take a moment to remember the work he did and the wonderful person he was. more ›

A few times a week, Gothamist publishes music reviews by our contributor Jeff Baum. The opinions below belong entirely to the author. more ›

“Scary” Music by Ensemble Pamplemousse (who we interviewed last year) on Mischief Night! more ›

In case somebody is reading Gothmamist at the hour on a Friday... more ›

This is where Gothamist tells you what tickets to buy...before they sell out and you are left bargaining on Craigslist. more ›

Gothamist has missed far too many sold out shows to know that buying tickets ahead of time is imperative. In that vain, every other week we'll make it a point to update you with a list of shows we think may sell out. This way you can buy tickets ahead of time and avoid that last minute Craigslist surfing. more ›