Last night I ventured fifteen minutes from the L train to see The Press play at The Glasslands Gallery. I was not disappointed. Located across the street from the old Domino Sugar factory, Glasslands epitomizes the gritty/beautiful aesthetic of Williamsburg. It’s one of the few places in its vicinity that’s not abandoned, let alone open
Red Christmas lights lined the grungy showroom at The Mercury Lounge last night, heralding a night of “ROCKDECEMBER.” A handful of mostly unknown bands played to a mostly empty dance floor. The Nenad Bach Band and Alan Merill (songwriter and member of The Arrows) drew an older crowd than The Lounge is used to (more
Via Audio has been getting a bit of press at BestNewBands recently. Their song “Babies,” was nominated for the site’s Best Song of 2010. We’ve got live footage of them playing “Wanted” at the NX25 2010 conference. And our very own Laurel called them “one of the freshest indie pop bands to come out of
The LA-based indie band Grouplove is really, really good. They exude an honesty that comes straight from musical self-confidence and trust between band members. Their powerful, folk-tinged rock first hit my eardrums about a month ago at The Bowery Ballroom, and ever since, I’ve been listening to their self-titled EP on repeat. Drummer/Producer Ryan Rabin
Arlene’s Grocery is a great little venue on Stanton St., between Ludlow and Orchard. A cozy bar with plenty of tables (a big plus, compared to similar venues like Pianos) complements an equally inviting showroom with a great sound system. Friday night, after getting some dinner at the Noodles & Company across the street, I
Most of the time, Emil & Friends is just the genre-bending, time-traveling, pop-rock-electro-folk “produsingermusicianista” Emil Hewitt. Whatever he is, Hewitt’s production is spotless, and his melodies mellifluous. He has created an enthusiastic fan base, a fantastic EP, and a music video in which he rides a horse through Boston dressed in superhero tights. I got
Today, Robot Elephant Records, in collaboration with Disaro Records, is releasing pre-ordered copies of an amazing compilation entitled ISVOLT. Robot Elephant Records bills this release as including “a host of artists who are regarded as the harbingers of an exciting new kind of electronic music, amalgamating elements of Hip Hop, Industrial, Shoegaze and Noise, referred
Pianos is a cool little music bar on the Lower East Side. The showroom is small enough to be cozy but large enough to be comfortable in case of a crowd, with great lighting and good sound for such an ad hoc venue. Surrounded by bars, late night burger joints (try Mikey’s!) and relatively cheap
Last night, the packed crowd at The Bowery Ballroom was in for a treat. The Dig, Grouplove, and The Joy Formidable, three groups of varying notoriety but consistent musicianship, were about to step onstage. As it turned out, the tastiest treat wouldn’t be saved for last. The Dig opened the night, and they played a
The Mercury Lounge is a cozy little venue situated close to the crossroads of the two hippest streets in Manhattan, Houston and Bowery. Weekend nights this area is bursting with club-goers, bar-hoppers, couples getting shawarma at Bereket Turkish Kebabs and packs of twenty-somethings getting midnight snacks from Katz Delicatessen. An equally hopping crowd could be