Siren is always a half-empty/half-full type situation. On one hand, you're getting top tier indie bands playing in New York City for free. On the other, you know going into it the sound will be lousy, the crowds unbearable and the heat incapacitating. Depending on how you play your expectations, it can be a great day or a miserable one. This was my 4th Siren, and while always prepared for the worst, it turned out......

The Village Voice has announced some of the bands that will be playing at this years Siren Festival. We've enjoyed going to these for the past few years, and are always excited to start hearing about who's going to play. Here's what they've got so far: Stars Tapes 'N Tapes The Stills The Cribs Celebration She Wants Revenge Aside from those last two, that's the foundation for a pretty good lineup. Actually, we don't......

So, while part of Gothamist opted to take in an intimate show by the Dandies at CBGB's, the rest of us spent most of our night at Bowery for the Worlds Fair showcase. But that doesn't mean we didn't get around. To start off the night, we went down to the Cake Shop to check out Hopewell, who we were completely unfamiliar with until we heard them play a KEXP in-studio on the radio Monday......

It's CMJ week in NYC. Arcade Fire, Devendra Banhart, Lady Sovereign, Feist, Nouvelle Vague, Doves, The Wrens, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Cursive, !!!, Wolf Parade, The Hold Steady, Brian Jonestown Massacare... we can't even begin to list everything going on. Why should we? CMJ's listings reveal everything you need to know. Further inspection of CMJ.OhMyRockness.com lets you in on even more. The CMJ archives at BrooklynVegan will clue you in even further, and......

With our tape recorder running and pressed firmly against the headset of our cell phone last Thursday, we sat down to talk to the Kaiser Chiefs as they prepared for their show in Chicago that night. Ricky was tending to an ankle problem but assured us that their show at Bowery Ballroom the next night would be high energy despite his ailment. We were unable to answer his inquiry on a pharmacy in Chicago at......