skip to main | skip to sidebar
 Mos photo gallery up on our site; and a glowing review on the okayplayer boards. UPDATE: review at Brooklyn Vegan:His performance was that kind of performance - provided you went in with an open mind, and permitted Mos and his band Black Radio the room to breathe, groove, and explore the different areas of funk and jazz that Mos has gravitated towards recently. Once their groove took hold, Mos Def rolled through inspired versions of 'Umi Says', 'Boogie Man Song' and 'Napoleon’s Dynamite'. He even threw in a batch of eclectic covers including a Stevie Wonder and Cyndi Lauper song, Bel Biv Devoe's 'Poison', and a portion of The Pharcyde’s 'Passing Me By'. The real fun and show stopper came when Mos brought out special guest, Q-Tip. Tip led the crowd through the chorus of 'Lyrics To Go' as well as 'Bonita Applebum' before jumping into 'Check the Rhime', with Mos picking up Phife’s lines. You on point Mos? All the time Tip!
GROOVIN': Farrell of Satellite Party at South by Southwest.
May 27, 2007 -- WHILE Satellite Party, the new outfit from Jane's Addiction vocalist and Lollapalooza founder Perry Farrell, is a smooth hybrid of rock and dance styles, Farrell's mission wasn't just to unite the two, but to make the music feel at home in the natural habitat of each.
"I wanted to bring rock into the clubs," says Farrell. "You go and you're listening to hip-hop or dance music, but not rock. I wanted to bring [rock] cuts for the DJs to put on after Jay-Z." That Satellite Party fits that bill is surprising, considering that the guitarist for the project, whose debut CD drops Tuesday, is ex-Extreme shredder Nuno Bettencourt, better known for Van Halenish frills than booty-shaking grooves. But for Farrell, Bettencourt was the special ingredient that made this music a true genre hybrid. "People think it's hard to create a new sound, and it isn't," he says. "It just takes adding a simple part. Nuno doesn't come from electronic house music, but bringing him into that is that part." Beyond Bettencourt, Farrell loaded the CD with talented friends such as Fergie, Flea and John Frusciante. But perhaps his most unusual guest is the one who passed away more than 35 years ago - The Doors' vocalist Jim Morrison. The song "Woman in the Window" features a never-before-heard vocal from The Doors' shaman, which Farrell remixed with the permission of the surviving band members. Farrell considers Morrison's chorus of "just try and stop us, we're going to love," his personal mantra. "It was an a cappella stream of consciousness," says Farrell. "It didn't have a chorus, and I organized it as a song. I always felt that Jim Morrison was the most courageous guy for helping us recognize our freedoms. He was our greatest American poet." But making inspired music is just a small part of Farrell's mission these days. An ardent environmentalist, he made sure the Satellite Party CD came in eco-friendly packaging and participated in a meeting this past January on global warming held by British Prime Minister Tony Blair. "He's got a young heart," Farrell says of the outgoing British leader. "He smiles easily and his eyes are bright. He's a good man." While Farrell seems to have kind words for everyone, his tone turns when discussing Jane's Addiction. "When that ended, it was like something blew up," says Farrell. "I haven't heard from [them] since [our last show]." Despite any animosity, Farrell says that Jane's fans won't be disappointed by Satellite Party's live show, which the band brings to New York's Highline Ballroom on June 4. "We'll play Satellite Party songs, Jane's songs, Porno for Pyros songs, covers," says Farrell. "It's a lot of fun being at rehearsal. I stay a lot longer than I ever stayed with Jane's."
By JON PARELES Published: May 18, 2007
Two-thirds of the lineup made obvious sense at the Highline Ballroom show on Wednesday night, which was curated by David Bowie. Daniel Johnston, the headliner, and the Legendary Stardust Cowboy, who opened, are two Texas characters with longtime cult followings.
They both straddle the line between primitive and primitivist, but to very different effect. Mr. Johnson is a nervous, tenderhearted introvert, crooning childlike songs about heartbreak and loneliness. And the Ledge, as he calls himself, is a rowdy psychobilly pioneer who made his wild-eyed debut single, “Paralyzed,” in 1968. In between were the Bang on a Can All-Stars, a contemporary chamber-music group, playing the part of their repertory — drum-driven, motoric, yet by no means primitive — closest to rock. Whatever the curatorial point was, it was a prime triple bill.
(continue at nytimes.com)
LAURIE ANDERSON (Tonight) Ms. Anderson’s entrancing performances weave coolly surrealistic songs and reflective monologues with a witty, seamless dream logic. She unveils a new piece as part of David Bowie’s High Line Festival. TALIB KWELI (Tonight) This socially conscious Brooklyn rapper, the former partner of Mos Def in the seminal ’90s group Black Star, is interested in much more than bling. With a hard-nosed, staccato style, he rhymes about ghetto entropy and geopolitics: “I wanna write the songs to right the wrongs.” SECRET MACHINES (Tomorrow) The slowly unfolding, keyboard-driven compositions of Secret Machines have a stark, minimalist side; a glimmer of country; some pulsating; and a streak of Pink Floyd grandeur that swells to fill the room. There’s a haunted undercurrent amid the pomp. The band plays with the Bellmer Dolls and Dragons of Zynth as part of the High Line Festival.
In January, a fire swept through the Michigan home of the musician known as ? (phone solicitors would ask for Mr. Mark), killing some of his pets and destroying his uninsured possessions. Unlike those artists felled by health issues, Question Mark at least has the advantage of being able to sing for his supper, and the musician’s appearance at his own show lends an immediacy that many fund-raisers lack. Personal devastation aside, Question Mark’s performance should prove alluring in its own right. His band, ? and the Mysterians, is a one-hit wonder—yet their hit was “96 Tears,” the 1966 chart topper whose monstrous organ drone presaged the Velvet Underground. The group’s influence is evinced in the colossal lineup of artists gathered tonight, which extends from Paul Shaffer and Tommy Ramone to Langhorne Slim and the Paul Green School of Rock Music. — Jay Ruttenberg
 May 17-18: Laurie Anderson’s performances are not the multimedia events that they used to be, but they do hit on a variety of levels. Her small group (usually a trio, though her husband, Lou Reed, has been known to sit in) creates a blend of keyboard, synthesizer, violin, and guitar sounds, sometimes rhythmic, sometimes breaking through the strictures of time signatures and achieving a meditative euphoria. But the most arresting instrument in the band is Anderson’s voice. Often, she’s not singing so much as speaking in pitch, every word precisely presented, offering lyrics that are epigrammatic, politically and culturally astute, funny, and cosmic. To quote from “Transitory Life,” one of her recent compositions, “It takes a long time for a mouse to realize he’s in a trap, but, once he does, something inside him never stops shaking.” (Part of the High Line Festival.) May 19: The Secret Machines started off as a Texas trio, then decamped to Brooklyn to bring their sprawling sound and sense-engulfing live shows to a larger audience. After two popular and critically acclaimed major-label albums, the guitarist Benjamin Curtis has announced that he is heading out on his own. The band, known for a prog-ish, stentorian approach, is now entering a new phase. (Part of the High Line Festival.)
Spank Rock Upstages Ghostface, Girls Go Wild We were peeved when we found out that Wu-Tang’s surrealist-wordplay champ Ghostface Killah was the opening act at his HighLine Ballroom show. But last night, it only took one raunchy, stage-burning set to convince us that Spank Rock deserved the headlining slot. Ghost ambled onstage with his usual Theodore Unit crew, swilling a decanter of orange juice, his endearingly goofy off-key croon on point for a brief, punchy set. The whole thing would have been a total tease if not for the RZA, who materialized — Ghost seemed genuinely surprised to see him — for the crushing first verse of “Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nuthing ta Fuck Wit.” Said Spank Rock's hype man Pace Rock: “We played with Björk at the Apollo last week, and it didn’t come close to that!” (continue at nymag.com)
UPDATE: more pics and review over at Angry Citizen and Brooklyn Vegan
 Picture: S Melot / NMEU.K. trio The Pipettes, who've dragged the '60s girl group sound kicking and screaming into the 21st century, are readying a mini-invasion of North America.
 The group will whet appetites for the release of their full-length debut, We Are The Pipettes - due to drop in August - with an EP, Your Kisses Are Wasted On Me, on June 5 and will mark the occasion with a 12-city tour.
The polka-dotted Pips will spend the first half of June hitting clubs around the U.S. and Canada including Lee's Palace in Toronto (June 1), Washington, D.C.'s Black Cat (June 2), Chicago's Empty Bottle (June 7), The Troubadour in Los Angeles (June 11) and Seattle's Chop Suey (June 14).
The Pipettes comprise three wickedly sly gals - RiotBecki, Rosay and Gwenno - who decided in 2003 to "put an end to stodgy, standardized boy rock by embracing their love of classic Brill building pop and polka-dot dresses."
The trio's subversively catchy tunes have scored them a number of hit singles in the U.K., including "Dirty Mind," "Pull Shapes," "Judy," and "Your Kisses Are Wasted On Me."
They've been sharpening their live show, which has won them raves from the U.K. press, the past couple of years opening for the likes of Sleater-Kinney, Maximo Park and current British bad girl, Amy Winehouse.
Flipping the bird Performance artist Laurie Anderson gets “weird” again, filling another show with feathered friends. A David Bowie interview. Some people know Laurie Anderson only as the one-hit wondress behind “O Superman.” David Bowie knows better. He selected the prolific and versatile multimedia artist to debut a new (and as yet under-wraps) musical work at the High Line Festival. His selection criterion? All participants are “artists and acts I’d go out of my way to see.” Recently, Bowie went out of his way to talk to Anderson about birds, wheezing and the fine art of making visual music.
David Bowie: This is the first year of the High Line Festival. What, other than my irresistible charm, tipped you over into participating? Laurie Anderson: I think festivals designed by artists are so much wackier and riskier than the ones designed by institutions. Maybe because the institutional festivals often have themes, and you always get the feeling that artists are trying to squeeze their work into the theme. What piece will you be debuting at the festival? Would you give me a few teasers as to its subject—or even its content? I’ll be playing with two of my favorite musicians: Skuli Sverrisson, who plays bass, and Peter Scherer on keyboards. We’ve been working on these combinations of electronics and real instruments—like violin and hurdy-gurdy and weird electronic wheezing.
(continue reading at Time Out)
Laurie performs May 17 and May 18 at Highline Ballroom.
A big thanks to everyone that has purchased High Line Festival tickets here. All of the events *SOLD OUT* But we've just released a handfull of tix that have become available; when i say a handful I mean you can count them on your fingers....so move fast! Daniel JohnstonLaurie AndersonSecret Machinesand some previews in the NY Times: LAURIE ANDERSON (Thursday) Ms. Anderson’s entrancing performances weave coolly surrealistic songs and reflective monologues with a witty, seamless dream logic. She unveils a new piece as part of David Bowie’s High Line Festival. At 7:30 p.m., Highline Ballroom, 431 West 16th Street, Chelsea, (212) 414-5994, highlineballroom.com or highlinefestival.com; $37. (Sisario) ★ DANIEL JOHNSTON, BANG ON A CAN ALL-STARS, THE LEGENDARY STARDUST COWBOY (Wednesday) In a feat of inspired programming, David Bowie has put together this bill for his High Line Festival, with some of the brainiest of the New York avant-garde (Bang on a Can All-Stars) meeting two of Texas’s most extreme outsider musicians. Daniel Johnston writes stirringly candid songs that sound as if they could be the dreams or nightmares of John Lennon. The Legendary Stardust Cowboy has earned an indelible rock footnote: his wild 1968 song “Paralyzed” inspired Mr. Bowie to create his glam-era alter ego Ziggy Stardust. At 8 p.m., Highline Ballroom, 431 West 16th Street, Chelsea, (212) 414-5994, highlineballroom.com or highlinefestival.com; sold out. (Sisario)
 By JON PARELES Published: May 10, 2007
Amy Winehouse is a tease. The songs on her second album, “Back to Black” (Universal Republic), revive the sound of 1960s and 1970s soul with tales of plunging into temptation and toughing out the consequences. She drinks, she cheats, she falls for the wrong guys, she cries; she refuses rehab with a magnificently simple refrain, “I said no, no, no.” ( continue)
 Plenty of reviews and such on the way. For now there are some photo sets up on flickr. UPDATE: post at BrooklynVeganand some video here
 New York Magazine review: No "Sweet Jane" or "Walk on the Wild Side," but the crowd ate up Reed's epic spoken pieces, plus enjoyable oddities like "Who Am I" from his Edgar Allan Poe album, The Raven. And then there was that Andy Warhol diary recitation (sample: "Lou Reed got married and didn't invite me. I don't get it. Why doesn't he call me? I hate Lou, I really do"). After a satisfying rendition of "Baton Rouge," Reed brought out the real surprise of the evening: no, not David Bowie (he didn't show). Instead, the crowd got a truly awesome guest appearance by John Zorn, defunct Tonic's honorary godfather. As Zorn wailed away on his sax, with even Reed looking a little starstruck, it was easy to forget Ziggy Stardust and just enjoy what this new venue will focus on: the music. — Rebecca Milzoff
 moe. is currently in the middle of a sold-out five night run at New York's Highline Ballroom. The Meat Packing district venue, which officially opened earlier this week with a performance by Lou Reed, will also host rare, multi-night club shows by the Greyboy Allstars and the Disco Biscuits in the coming weeks. Last night yielded the most stage diving and crowd surfing at a moe. show since the band’s early Buffalo days, as Fishbone took the stage with the group for an extended encore. During a version of "Time Ed," the members of Fishbone slowly stepped up for a full band segue, until only the veteran funk-punk band remained onstage. Fishbone, who had performed on the Rocks Off Boat Cruise earlier in the night, then delivered a short set of its songs to close out the night, including versions of "Everyday Sunshine” and "Alcoholic." moe.'s multi-night residency at the Highline will continue tonight. For a slideshow of photos click here
Perry Farrell's Satellite Party Gets Ultra Payloaded
 Book your reservations now, revelers: former James Addiction/Porno for Pyros frontman Perry Farrell has a party planned that should make all that new rave hoopla look like your 1st grade Chuck E. Cheese's birthday non-bash. It's called Satellite Party, and as Farrell enthused to Pitchfork last fall, "it could be the best work I've ever done." Satellite Party transmit their debut full-length-- a concept record, titled Ultra Payloaded Satellite Party, about partying it up on a satellite orbiting the Earth-- on May 15 (Columbia). The eleven-track set features contributions from a whole mess of folks, including New Order bassist Peter Hook, Red Hot Chili Peppers Flea and John Frusciante, Thievery Corporation, film composer Harry Gregson-Williams, and the mysterious pop product known only as Fergie. Stoners will be especially pleased to learn that Jim Morrison makes an appearance on Ultra Payloaded as well: Farrell unearthed a previously unheard Morrison spoken-word vocal for the album's closing track, "Woman in the Window". Other Party jams include "Celebrate", "Awesome", "Mr. Sunshine", and first single "Wish Upon a Dog Star". As for the disc's sound, thus spake Farrell: "[It's] this great hybrid of sound, using electronics and hip hop beats and the power and strength of rock'n'roll, and even symphony." ( read on) TICKETS ONSALE TODAY
  some pics and a review of Highline over at gothamist.comand some fan video of Lou Reed here.
|
Mos photo gallery up on our site; and a glowing review on the okayplayer boards.
