Chic Fellows and Drug Trenches

Awesome show alert. Every now and then you see the lineup for a show and you think to yourself "there's not a single band on this that I only kinda want to see, cuz I wanna see them as much as I want to see Taco Bell Day become a nationally recognized holiday". I'm not alone on that Taco Bell Day thing, right? Anyway. This Friday we have one of those shows. Hop on the ol' reliable G train and come on out to Tommy's Tavern and catch Iron Chic, Fellow Project, Whiskey Trench and Go Sell Drugs. Cheap show, cheep beers, great bands. Win, win and win. Whiskey Trench is in town from Canada so best see em while they're stateside! Bring some dollas to snag some shwag from them too (its tough times for touring bands!) All bands also have amazing records available from the fine folks at Dead Broke Rekerds. Go buy the hell out of them, especially Iron Chic's new 'Shitty Rambo' 7 inch EP. It's good as hell.

Show details below...

Iron Chic
Fellow Project
Whiskey Trench
Go Sell Drugs
at...
Tommy's Tavern
1041 Manhattan Ave - Greenpoint, Brooklyn
Friday, December 4th - 9pm $5

train to Greenpoint Ave (use the India St exit)

B61 and B43 buses to India St

Farewell Cheeky - This Weekend in Brooklyn

Well Cheeky, you had a hell of a run. But as always, great bands usually break up with only a few releases out. They always have their reasons, and they're usually the right ones (or else they wouldn't be breaking up, right?) but ya never wanna see the really great ones go. Cheeky is one of those really great ones. They breathed a reviving breath into punk rock with straight forward, angsty and goddamn-catchy-as-hell songs that hadn't really been seen very often in recent years. Kate Eldridge belts out to the point choruses like "Get out of here! Leave me alone!" that need not go any further than that. Just get out of here, and leave her the hell alone. Simple. Far too many bands lately seem to try so hard to put more insightful or thoughtful meaning masked behind their lyrics, and it's getting fucking annoying (especially cause 90% of those bands are aweful). I think the chorus of that Cheeky song applies to those bands nicely.

Well now unfortunately, it's time to say goodbye to Cheeky. They've decided to wrap things up where they are and if that's the best thing for them, then so it is. That said, come say farewell to them this Saturday in Brooklyn at Death By Audio. Here's the show details:

Cheeky (last show ever!)
Slingshot Dakota
Zombie Dogs
Stupid Party
Shellshag

at Death By Audio
49 S. 2nd St - Brooklyn, NY
Saturday November 28th - $5 - 7pm - All Ages!

to Marcy Ave.

to Bedford Ave.

7" Of The Week: Get Bent - Demo E.P.

Get Bent - Demo E.P.

Well it was nice while it lasted. Get Bent unfortunately is no more but they leave behind a handful of songs for us to enjoy and remember em by. This is their demo released on 7" format by the good folks at Long Island's Dead Broke Rekerds. Four songs of quirky and gritty pop punk. Dynamic guitars bounce around mid tempo shout along songs wrapped around raspy vocals belting out melodies that call for high fiving your nearest buddy. Get Bent, ye is gone far too soon. Don't worry, the dudes are all up to other projects which are just as great, nobody likes staying musically bored around these parts. Seriously how many people in the NYC/LI scene are in more than one band? I'm in three myself. If you supply an actual number I'll buy you a copy of this. Speaking of which, only 30 remain of the 500 pressed, so get on it before you're shit out of luck.

Purchase this 7" from Dead Broke Rekerds! ONLY 30 LEFT!
Purchase the TAPE from Dead Broke Rekerds! *includes bonus track "Barback Mountain"!
Download MP3 from If You Make It! *include bonus track "Ridgewood, Son"!

Leave Home ...and go to this

Who likes art, bands, booze and cheap good times? Yeah, just about anyone I guess... Well if that kinda stuff is your cup of tea, head over to Death By Audio in Williamsbur on Friday evening for Leave Home, an art installation by Kate Wadkins, Lauren Denitzio, Cristy Road and Tamara Waite-Santibanez. There's also booze, usually courtesy of the guy in the back room slingin' cans of Busch from a cooler. Hurray beer! (feel free to throw some tall boys or 40s in your bag as well before heading over). And as if that all wasn't good enough, you'll be fortunate enough to have your ears loved by the sounds of the lovely Laura Stevenson and your face rocked by Brooklyn/New Brunswick's Little Lungs. More artists TBA, who will more than probably be great as well (why ruin a good thing?) Full details and all the what not can be found below:




Leave Home
A Collaborate Art Installation

Artists:
Lauren Denitzio / Black And Red Eye
Cristy Road
Kate Wadkins
Tamara Waite-santibanez / No Guts No Glory

Bands:
Little Lungs
Laura Stevenson
+ More Tba

at Death By Audio
89 S 2nd St in Williamsburg, Brooklyn
8PM - $5 donation

Purchase Little Lungs' 7" Hoist Me Up from Salinas Records.
Download Laura Stevenson's album A Record for free from Quote Unquote Records.

7" Of The Week: Bridge & Tunnel / Young Livers split

Bridge & Tunnel / Young Livers - Split Record

Unless you've been living under a big shitty rock, you're probably at least familiar with either of these bands by name. Bridge & Tunnel hail from the same place I like to call home and have been on a steady rise over the past year as word of their dynamic records and passionate live shows spreads amongst buddies. Young Livers offer up a rough and gritty breed of intense punk with gritty vocals and melody heavy songs that seems to becoming a popular thing. This split does a great job of showcasing what both bands do best on the one song contributed by each. Definitely recommended for anyone interested in seeing what either of these bands are all about. Pick it up for a measly $3 from the good folks at No Idea Records.

Metaphorically, that is the punk scene...

The Fest 5 - Mostly Champagne from NationalUnderground on Vimeo.

This is an "interview" (i fucking hate people who make quotes with their hands) with Ryan from Off With Their Heads and Paddy from D4 at Fest 5. Two of my favorite bands doing what they do best (aside from music), be drunk and fuck around. If you're not terribly familiar with one or either of these bands, just watch this and imagine it becoming music.

Also I just remembered Off With Their Heads is playing Death By Audio here in Brooklyn the night I turn 25. Shit rules sometimes.

7" Of The Week: Pregnant - Wanna See My Gun?

Pregnant - Wanna See My Gun?

Brooklyn's own Pregnant have been out and about for a while now hitting the NYC and NJ scenes with their Dischord-influenced brand of punk with all they got. They're currently working on a new LP that is due out this summer on Don Giovanni Records, but if you need some now (which you do) their 7" EP Wanna See My Gun? was released in February and is loaded with awesome. Get your hands on that shit from Don Giovanni Records mailorder. Expect a lot more great things from this band in the future.

Happy Record Store Day!

Happy Record Store Day to all! Every year this day comes around and to celebrate, bands and record stores around the country team up and offer exclusive vinyl releases and in store performances. It's a day to celebrate, and if there's one place with a plentiful amount of record stores taking part in the today, it's NYC. Here's a list of the stores I'll be definitely hitting up today.

Academy Records
96 N 6th St. Brooklyn, NY

Generation Records
210 Thompson St. New York, NY

Bleecker Street Records
239 Bleecker St. New York, NY

Earwax Records
218 Bedford Ave. Brooklyn, NY

SoundFix Records
110 Bedford Ave. Brooklyn, NY

To find stores in your area head to the Record Store Day's list of participating venues. Get out and support your local record. Fuck Best Buy, fuck Target, fuck Walmart, fuck Circuit City... oh wait. Independent records stores care about the music they sell, they do it because they love it. So whether you buy vinyl or CDs, go out and show your appreciation to your local record stores.

Papacito's garden opens May 5th!

Who likes Mexican street style food? You're a liar if you didn't raise your hand. Who likes beer? You fucking liars, get your hands up! Well good news for all, on May 5th Papacitos will open their beloved patio and beer garden! Along with the grand fiesta, Papacitos will be unveiling new nightly specials, a daily $1.50 taco special and $ Tecate special. Not to mention they also have a great new vegan menu! Yes, Papacitos caters to eaters of all walks, and everything is delicious.

Oh and did you know they deliver? Cause they do, TIL 5 AM starting May 5th! And they've just expanded their delivery zone to even include the lower parts of Long Island City. Check out their menu on their website, but honestly you're better off just stopping by, grabbing a 32oz Tecate and kickin back with a burrito that could beat up your dad. If your dad was also a burrito...

Papacitos Brooklyn
999 Manhattan Ave
Greenpoint - Brooklyn 11222

train to Greenpoint Ave

B43 and B61 buses to India St

Recommendations... Again Damnit

Some more crap I like lately, you should like it too.

Iron Chic - Demo
I'm just gonna say it now, you need this. Just download it now. Remember Latterman? Yea me too, they fucking ruled and they're not a band anymore. Life sucks, move on, as they have. Iron Chic is another chapter of that featuring members of Latterman and the also awesome Small Arms Dealer. Shout along songs that are almost nostalgic in a sense but not in a cheesy way at all. It's just some great pop punk anthems. These guys are gonna make some great records in the future. Listen to the demo, and listen often. I love it more and more every time.

Download from If You Make It


Get Bent - Demo
Some killer dudes from Ridgewood, Queens (gotta support the locals). Some more rough catchy as hell pop punk with some interesting guitar work as well. Sing alongs like woah. Another band we'll hopefully see a lot more from in the future.

Download from If You Make It





These album downloads were once again made available from the awesome site If You Make It and the respective artists. Check out the Pink Couch Sessions on If You Make It for some great exclusive performances by some of the best artists out there right now. Support your local DIY music scene and go see these bands when they play. If they have shit, buy it.

Recommendations... Cause I Said So

Some EPs/demos I've been digging on lately and you should dig too.

Thousandaires - Land Seal Demo
A mixup of members of Bridge & Tunnel, Halo Fauna and Get Bent. Usually listing this kinda information means shit, but not in this case. It pretty much sounds just like a melting pot of those bands, which is a great thing. Hope we see more music from this collective.

Download from In You Make It




Air Raid Barcelona - 4 Song EP
They're a band, then they're not a band. Then they're a band again. Somethin like that. Urgent, driving, catchy punk rock from New Paltz. Rough vocals which compliment the music in a delicious manner. Would be killer to see an LP by these guys one day in the next few years.

Download from If You Make It




The Brass - Demo
The Brass rip. Nuff said. Seriously they just rip hard and that's all you need to know. Listen to this band. People who miss On The Might of Princes will be stoked on this (as it features ex OTMOP, dur). Also features members of Latterman, Air Raid Barcelona and Potboiler. Get into it.

Download from If You Make It




All these albums are available to download for free* by the fine folks of If You Make It. Please support the site, bookmark it and check it daily, like you have anything better to do.


*that means when you go see these bands live, buy shit from them. ya greedy bastids.

Lucero - FINALLY returning to Brooklyn

Well it's finally fuckin' happening. After the last few laps through NYC saw Lucero playing on boats or opening for The Black Keys at Terminal 5 (I'm aware of the Mercury Lounge date that happened after but I had my own drunk punk-country band to tend to), Lucero is finally playing a normal club show. And I cannot really complain about the location. On April 18th they will take the stage at the North Si... err, Music Hall of Williamsburg.

It's a Saturday night, that could not have been more perfectly planned. Why? Because the only way to see Lucero is by trying to out drink them throughout their set. A feat very few can tackle (this is Lucero people). If you're not familiar with Lucero, there is something wrong with you first off. Secondly you need to aquaint yourself with them. I can cite no specific record to dig into first (ok maybe That Much Further West) as they're all whiskey and beer soaked masterpieces. You cannot listen to them and not be affected somehow.

I cannot lie, one of my goals in life is to one day get drunk with Ben Nichols and start playin' songs. Yeah it'll probably never happen, but a guy can dream yeah? Tickets go on sale Friday at noon. Do not miss this. Show details can be found below:

Lucero
w/ Titus Andronicus
Music Hall of Williamsburg
66 N 6th St - Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Saturday April 18th - 8pm doors 18+

train to Bedford Ave.

Lulu and Alligators

Lulu's changed to Lost & Found. No biggy. Lost & Found was an excellent neighborhood establishment in north Greenpoint. It offered a decent draft beer selection, cheap Black Label, PBR and High Life, Simpsons pinball, a photobooth, pool table, skeeball (yep, skeeball), free hot dogs and pretty much the coolest bartenders around. It was never packed unless there was a show going on upstairs. Which was fine because that's how I was introduced to one of my favorite bands right now (Bridge & Tunnel, dig em).

The one night, while severely drunk, they informed me that L&F would be closing soon for renovations due to new ownership. I was crushed. I was also shitfaced. So it wasn't too bad. Then they didn't close for a while, and I thought all was honky dory until the day I rode past on my bike, and saw the site we see documented to the left in that photo. There used to be a ferris wheel and it read "Lost & Found". Devistation.

Months go by, and finally it reopens with a new name. Now it's Alligator - Greenpoint. Owned by the same folks who own Crocodile Lounge in the city and Alligator Lounge in Williamsburg, the free hot dogs are gone, replaced by free pizza. Which I'm not against, cause its damn good. But there's so many places to get free pizza in north Brooklyn. I was drunk when I came in to check out the changes, but they were vast. All the cool stuff is gone from the walls. They cleaned off the graffiti in the bathroom. High Life prices went up, no more PBR/Black Label. All the games appear to be gone. New random seating areas. I dunno, it wasn't bad. But it wasn't great. Still the same bar staff though so I can/will enjoy that. I guess you'll just haveta see for yourself. If you're new to it, you'll probably like it. If you're used to Lulu's/Lost & Found, you'll be let down. But I'll give it a chance to grow on me.

Oh yea and they're still doing shows. Bridge & Tunnel on March 12th. Do it.

*Another notable change i realized: happy hour is now only $3 drafts from 3-6 when it used to be half priced til 8. Who the fuck can get there before 6 oclock? I do believe you've lost me now... RIP old friend.

113 Franklin St.
Greenpoint, Brooklyn
train to Greenpoint Ave

or just go somewhere better, like Tommy's or Goodman's ($1.50 Bud draft and nothin but metal).

Off With Their Fucking Heads

I'd like to start by saying fuck the Kaiser Chiefs. Not only do you have one of the shittiest names ever, and really some of the shittiest music ever, but because you chose to title one of your crimes against music "Off With Their Heads" you are stealing Google search results from a band who people will actually like in another six months. I hope this band gets AIDS and dies in front of loved ones on their birthdays.

And now I'm kinda too drunk to remember why I was originally gonna post this. But seriously, fuck the Kaiser Chiefs. Stop making music that dipshit Manhattan hipsters think is putting them on another level. I'd actually love to see Ryan from Off With Their Heads drink a case of Bud, do a buncha meth and fight the singer of the Kaiser Chiefs. I have no idea what this turd looks like but I bet he needs his ass kicked.

I guess what I'm trying to say is go buy Off With Their Heads records. And drink beer. Then listen to those Off With Their Heads records. Then kill a hobo. Just because.

Ben Nichols gone solo

You're probably familiar with Lucero. If not you goddamn better get yourself on it cause you are missing out on one of the best bands you'll ever hear. The heart of Lucero's whiskey soaked country-punk rock lies in the words and voice of frontman Ben Nichols. That signature gravely Memphis howl has been the backbone of their music and the more than perfect conduit for his tales of broken hearts-down on your luck-broke down truck nights at a bar with a broken jukebox and still have a bottle of Jack Daniels left in front of ya.
Next week, Ben Nichols will release his first solo album called "The Last Pale Light In The West". The seven song album was recorded in two days in Memphis and showcases Ben Nichols in a much more stripped down and intimate light than the crunching twang of Lucero. There's acoustic guitars, pedal steel, accordian and piano and that's all ya could really want on it. Just that and Ben's voice. The songs themselves are based on the novel "Blood Meridian" by Cormac McCarthy. If you've read this the record makes even more sense (and if you haven't read it, read it). The record's been available in digital form for quite a while actually, so I'm way late on this post. I tried to hold out til the album's physical release but I caved and pre-ordered yesterday and got my download with it. I'm also crossing my fingers for a vinyl pressing, but we'll see. Click here to pre-order the CD and receive and instant download. You'll be glad you did.

Listen to Bon Iver

I am understanding his music more right now than I did when I first heard him. It's both painful and comforting. That is all.

Get Fucked Up in Brooklyn

Who wants to go see Fucked Up? You'll say yes if you know what's good for you. Anybody who's been to a Fucked Up show knows what I'm talking about. Anybody who hasn't been to a Fucked Up show? It's time you found out what I'm talking about. On Tuesday January 20th they'll be playing at the Inauguration Day Hardcore Show at Danbro Studios Warehouse in Bushwick with Vivian Girls and Pissed Jeans. Both bands you should get to know as well if you don't already. Now I know I know, it's inauguration night for our newly elected president Barack Obama. I'm looking into set times and inauguration schedules as much as I can. This would be an ideal strategy: Drinks and inauguration at Duck Duck or Kings County, pizza at Roberta's, then go see Fucked Up. Sounds like good times, right? Check out the details below.

Tuesday January 20th - 8pm
Fucked Up, Pissed Jeans, Vivian Girls + secret guests TBA
Danbro Studios Warehouse
260 Meserole St
Bushwick, Brooklyn

by subway:
train to Montrose Ave
train to Broadway
trains to Hewes St or Flushing Ave