Results tagged “tvontheradio”

    

Click through the gallery for more on Shudder to Think, Sound Fix, TV on the Radio, and Jay-Z.

TV on the Radio were meant to be seen live. While they might seem like a fussy studio band with their loops and samples and intricate noises, they captivated the crowd Tuesday night in Prospect Park for Celebrate Brooklyn. Tunde Adebimpe led the crowd in a dance fest, slithering across the stage, his hips hula-ing and arms ejecting from his body in sinusoidal jolts and waves to favorites like “Golden Age” and “Playhouses.” Movements seemed to come easily to all, especially since most of their songs seemed about 50% faster (making “Dancing Choose” almost punk rock in speed). Their show is refreshingly organic, and proved that nobody in Brooklyn is too cool to dance. — Jaya Harrover Saxena

   

What was billed as the "2nd Annual" Roots Picnic unfolded on the edge of the Delaware River in Philadelphia yesterday, with two stages (one in a massive air-conditioned tent) hosting over a dozen bands. The lineup had a substantial Brooklyn presence, with dance-punk singer Santigold, art-rockers TV on the Radio, hip-hop artist Kid Cudi and afrobeat preservationists Antibalas. The Roots, who are now commuting to New York regularly for their gig on Jimmy Fallon's show, kicked things off at high noon with a rollicking half-hour performance that set the tone for a day of relaxed partying, and returned later to put the cherry on top with a concluding set that started past 11 p.m.

With Governor Paterson's reelection prospects appearing to dwindle as the months go by, there's a very realistic possibility that he could end up a footnote in history as the man who merely finished up Eliot Spitzer's disastrous administration. But SNL's Fred Armisen seems to be doing his best to see to it that his caricature of the "accidental governor" as a Catskills comedian makes its mark and lives on in SNL political specials and DVD compilations of days to come. Last night Armisen's Paterson said he wasn't too worried about his reelection chances because, "I don't really do elections. I'm more of a 'oh no what are we gonna do?!' last resort type of guy."

Williamsburg art rock quintet TV on the Radio has just released their third full length album, Dear Science. It's an upbeat, danceable departure from their last opus, Return to Cookie Mountain, but listen closely to the lyrics and you'll find them as troubled as ever with life under the Bush occupation. Of course, main lyricists Kyp Malone and Tunde Adebimpe are smart enough to favor the evocative over the polemical, and it continues to work for them: The verdict on Dear Science handed down from Pitchfork and other critics has been favorable indeed. They play a three night stand at the Brooklyn Masonic Temple on October 14th through 16th. We recently spoke with guitarist, singer and songwriter Kyp Malone about the album, the neighborhood and the beard.

MOVIE: Every national election year reminds us of that part in The Dark Crystal where the hideous Skeksis systematically drain the Gelfling’s “essence” and drink it to increase their power. If you don’t know the scene we’re talking about, you need to go see it on the big screen tonight – a regular-sized TV monitor just doesn’t do Jim Henson’s creepy masterpiece justice. The one-night-only screening will be introduced by one of the film’s puppet makers, Cheryl Henson, daughter of Jim. She’ll be joined by Robbie Barnett, who operated some of the main Skeksis; the pair will sign merch after the screening.

For the second year running, the Food Bank for New York City and the Lunchbox Fund of South Africa have enlisted over 100 celebrities in their holiday fundraiser. Boldface names like Kanye West, Elton John, Cameron Diaz, Mike Meyers, William Wegman and, um, Urban Outfitters, have created personalized, autographed lunchboxes that are now onsale via online auction. At Thursday night's kick-off event at Saatchi & Saatchi, a lunchbox by Michael Stipe was snatched up...

Since settling in New York in 2001, promoter Todd Patrick – known through his website as Todd P – has established himself as a major force in the avant-garde rock scene. In the fastidious spirit of a modern day Bill Graham – though without the passion for profits – Patrick has distinguished himself with his commitment to producing shows at atypical, under-the-radar locations like lofts, rooftops and funky, “illegal” clubs. Often eschewing such vagaries as...

MOVIE: The Brooklyn Independent Cinemas series (which takes place the first and third Monday of every month) delivers two shorts tonight. First up is Nevel is the Devil, where "a supervisor at a consumer product testing lab interrogates two suspects of a devilish prank." The second is The Last Romantic, which follows Calvin Wizzig, a poet, around New York in hopes of getting published. Watch the trailer here. 7pm // Barbes [376 9th St, Park...

FILM: Ease in to Halloween with classic horror flick The Innocents, based on Henry James' novella The Turn Of The Screw. Evil and innocence, the strange and the everday, will mingle as you...enjoy complimentary vodka an tapas!

(pic via Ear Farm)

COMEDY: This weekend marks the 9th Annual Del Close Marathon. Del Close, if you don't know by now, "was the driving force behind improvisational comedy in Chicago for over 30 years influencing Bill Murray, Tina Fey, Mike Myers, John Belushi, Chris Farley and the Upright Citizens Brigade to name a few." The annual weekend began after Del's passing in 1999.

Thousands of people line McCarren Pool on Sundays, standing in place of where water used to be. This summer JellyNYC's Sunday Pool Parties are continuing, in what has become an instant summer tradition.

It seems that every time The White Stripes fade away for a year or two, people seem to forget exactly how amazing they can be live. Perhaps it takes a show like the one at Irving Plaza last Tuesday...filled with hardcore, line-waiting fans and eager and excited members of the media to really drive home just how good a show Jack White puts on, and exactly how impressive Meg is to keep up with him (though not everyone agrees). Those in attendance were in for a treat, as any time an arena band brings it down for a club show, it's always a spectacle. We were floored at Keyspan Park two years ago, and are excited to see them bring it to another level at the Garden next month. Read the reviews at Productshop, The Modern Age, and Stereogum, to (name a few in attendance.) (Pic Via DanFun)

THEATER: The ever-diminishing returns for theater producers have conditioned many playwrights to pre-emptively cut costs by keeping their character census down. So it's nice to see Tribeca's Flea Theater making room for Mark Greenfield's new play, I.E., In Other Words. "Using highly stylized language, this Boy Meets Girl/Horatio Alger tale-gone-wild" involves thirty-three characters played by a cast of fourteen. Greenfield's sprawling canvas, which is still in previews, is stretched to accommodate "adventure, love, songs, and lots of punch lines." - John Del Signore

Everyone has abandoned an air conditioner or left condiments in the fridge when rushing to move out of an apartment. The NY Times goes behind closed doors to find out what is most commonly left behind when people move out.

As we get closer to the kick-off of the much anticipated High Line Festival, let's take a closer look at what's to come, and at the man who co-founded and curated the whole thing, David Bowie. The eleven days of music, film, art and comedy starts Wednesday at Radio City Music Hall. Who else to play the first event at the inaugural festival than Bowie-beloved Arcade Fire? Pair 'em up with Brooklyn's The National and you've got a lineup that already beats most out there.

VALENTINE PICK: Let Kyp Malone (TV on the Radio) and Scary Mansion serenade you and your valentine tonight. Glasslands is advertising the night as a Valentine's Dinner. The venue was opened last year by artist Brooke Baxter and commercial real estate broker Rolyn Hu, who have created the perfect art-centric space/venue.

Just when we thought we were finally done having to think about the music of 2006, we get one last hurrah of ultimate listage. The 34th annual Pazz and Jop poll finally made landfall this week, and unsurprisingly, there were few shockers. Some feigned outrage/interest that Bob Dylan's latest overtook the otherwise consensus disc of the year by TV on the Radio (see image), but a few minor swaps at the top won't be enough to change many opinions at this point, as we approach Presidents Day 2007. The one thing this (hopefully) final 2006 list brings to our attention is just how, and we’ll just say it, mediocre the last year in music was. A good chunk of these albums were seen as letdowns upon release, yet they find their way up on here regardless. With the exception of TVotR, many of the albums on the final list are seen as some of the respective band's weaker efforts. Few fans thought the newest Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Decemberists, or even the very well received Hold Steady albums were their best to date, yet they all comfortably make the list. Perhaps when we look back at 2006 as the year that "indie rock" started heading towards the mainstream, this list will act more as a tribute to many of the bands that pushed the undefined genre towards the breaking point, rather than a direct celebration of the works themselves. For now, it's just a final reminder that there was so little we truly fell in love with last year.

Speaking of new venues...this one may not be new, but we're just hearing about it: Zebulon. It's in Willliamsburg (has been around since at least 2005 from what we can gather) and hosts every type of music your little ears could ever desire, including (but not limited to): jazz! Finally, a jazz venue we can afford. Zebulon may very well be the (more eclectic) version of the old Luna Lounge, offering no cover every night. Tonight Kyp Malone of TV on the Radio will be there playing a free show.

Right on the tail of the groundbreaking "bloggers drink in the LES" article in The Observer, The New York Times will not be outdone! Their article, Truly Indie Fans, is about black people listening to rock music, and it has caused quite a stir, with good reason. The article uses the term "blipsters" to describe black indie rock fans, as if another form of the already overused word "hipster" needs to exist - nevermind one based on race. The blog Colonel K Speaks has written an emotional response to the piece.

Story of the Year: Beirut

This just in from Stereogum, Karen O recordings were found in TV on the Radio guitarist, Dave Sitek's, old Brooklyn apartment. This seems like an indie rock time capsule to us, opened a little bit too soon. The inscription, written by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs singer, on the cd cover reads:

THEATER: The Gershwin Hotel hosts a reading of History of Man, “an irreverent look at the past, the fear of aging and the meaning of plastic surgery.” It’s the second collaboration between award-winning director Esther Bell, whose feature films Exist and Godass (starring TV on the Radio’s Tunde Adebimpe) made a big splash, and Bruce Mason, who describes himself as a “freelance publicist/consultant/drifter.” (The Times dubbed him a “swarthy Noel Coward”.) - John Del Signore

In 2004 we asked a bunch of New York bloggers to suggest sonic stocking stuffers. This year, we asked New York bloggers, bookers, musicians and more, what they'd give as a gift this holiday season. Here you go...commence shopping!

Ah, the end of the year is upon us...and that means one thing: end of the year lists. Information Leafblower is a little ahead of the game and has posted his fourth annual "Top 40 Bands In America (As Voted On By A Bunch Of Effing Music Bloggers That Only Listen To Cooler Than You Guitar Based Indie Rock And Not Much Else)" list.

Hi Gothamist night readers! We are at Roseland liveblogging the 2006 MTVu Woodie awards. Not exactly sure what we've got in store for the rest of the night...kind of playing it by ear here...but the kids are filing in, Beck and TV on the Radio are performing in a bit, and we are gonna try and keep up with all that's going on for the next few hours.

THEATER: Emergence-See! is a new one-man show in previews at the Public Theater. Conceived and performed by Daniel Beaty, the work imagines what would happen in present-day New York if, say, a slave ship were to rise out of the Hudson River in front of the Statue of Liberty. Beaty portrays 40 New York characters and uses slam poetry and song to examine the toll that centuries of slavery have taken on the human psyche. - John Del Signore

A documentary on the music scene in Brooklyn was bound to happen sooner or later. Luckily, Rockin' Brooklyn (despite the name) sounds like it will be a good one. It will delve in to the whole migration from downtown New York to Brooklyn, as high rent in Manhattan has forced artists out. Yes, Williamsburg is expensive these days too - however there is much more space provided for the money. Plus, artists don't really live in "Williamsburg proper", they all live a bit further to the east. Unless they have a trust fund.

The video above was filmed at Staygold Studios on Wythe Ave in Brooklyn.