Category Archives: 2012

[on the road] Alabama Shakes

The Alabama Shakes will be the road this Spring in support of their upcoming LP — Boys & Girls (out April 9th, pre-order).

After generating quite the buzz with their live performances and the fantastic EP they put out in 2011, the band is set for a big 2012.  The tour kicks off this March in Chicago and wraps at Bonnaroo this June.  They’ve got quite the tour schedule, with plenty of North American stops, a handful of European shows, plus some some festival stops along the way, including SXSW and Sasquatch.

I highly recommend catching a show if you can.  As I said earlier, I expect them to have a huge year and it’s only going to get harder (and more expensive) to catch ’em live in the future.  So don’t miss out if you have the chance, I guarantee you’ll regret it.

Alabama Shakes 2012 Tour Dates
03/09 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
03/10 – Milwaukee, WI @ Pabst Theater
03/13 – Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits TV (SXSW)
03/14 – Austin, TX @ Stubb’s (SXSW)
03/23 – Tuscaloosa, AL @ Alabama Theatre
03/29 – Oxford, MS @ Proud Larry’s
03/30 – Huntsville, AL @ Crossroads
03/31 – Birmingham, AL @ Workplay Theatre
04/05 – Athens, GA @ Georgia Theatre *
04/06 – Carrboro, CN @ Cat’s Cradle *
04/07 – Baltimore, MD @ Rams Head Live *
04/09 – Philadelphia, PA @ World Cafe Live *
04/11 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom *
04/12 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg *
04/14 – Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground *
04/15 – Boston, MA @ Paradise *
04/17 – Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace *
04/25 – Cologne, DE @ Gebaude 9
04/26 – Hamburg, DE @ Molotow
04/27 – Berlin, DE @ Comet
04/29 – Amsterdam, NL @ Bitterzoet
04/30 – Brussels, BE @ AB
05/02 – Paris, FR @ La Fleche D’Or
05/03 – London, UK @ Brixton Electric
05/05 – Dublin, IE @ Academy 2
05/06 – Kikenny, IE @ Kikenny Festival
05/09 – Glasgow, UK @ King Tut’s
05/10 – Manchester, UK @ Deaf Institute
05/11 – Birmingham, UK @ Rainbow
05/12 – Brighton, UK @ The Great Escape
05/18-20 – Gulf Shores, AL @ Hangout Music Fest
05/25-27 – George, WA @ Sasquatch!
06/07-10 – Manchester, TN @ Bonnaroo

You Ain’t Alone (from Alabama Shakes EP)
alabamashakes.com
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[watch] Bon Iver’s 4AD Session

I’ve always wanted to see Bon Iver live.  Now after watching this, I really want to see a live show.  The vocals are magical and the only thing better than one grand piano, is two grand pianos.  Read a bit about the session below and then enjoy the video below.

“For the latest installment in the 4AD Sessions series, 4AD and Jagjaguwar have collaborated in order to capture a truly unique Bon Iver live performance. On recent tours fans will have become accustomed to seeing Justin Vernon flanked by an eleven-piece band, with the swell in numbers lending a grandiose element to even his most delicate songs. Sidestepping expectations, the idea Vernon presented for the session was to provide a wildly different experience.

Recorded in AIR Studio’s Lyndurst Hall – a building that was originally a church and missionary school designed in 1880 by the great Victorian architect Alfred Waterhouse (designer of the Natural History Museum) – Vernon was joined only by Sean Carey, with the pair positioning themselves opposite one another at two grand pianos. Although neither Justin nor Sean’s first instrument is piano, they were able to remodel the songs in a way that showcases their complimentary vocals and, perhaps more strikingly, a seemingly effortless ability to experiment with form and structure” [continue].

boniver.org
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[anticipation] Crystal Castles III

2012 just got bit more fantastic.

The lo-fi, electronic duo that is Crystal Castles (Alice Glass & Ethan Kath), are working on their third LP.  In an interview with NME’s print edition, Kath confirmed that the duo will begin work on the new record this month, with an expected release date of “sometime this Summer”.  Seeing as how the first two LPs were both self-titled, i’m gonna go out on a limb and guess they’ll continue this trend.

In other Crystal Castles news, the duo is among the first acts to be confirmed for this year’s Lovebox festival, along with Hot Chip, Friendly Fires, Little Dragon, Penguin Prison, Azealia Banks (check the complete lineup here).  Lovebox 2012 runs July 15-17 in London’s Victoria Park.

♪ Crystal Castles//Courtship Dating (from Crystal Castles I)

 

UPDATE: (III) Tracklist
01 Plague
02 Kerosene
03 Wrath of God
04 Affection
05 Pale Flesh
06 Sad Eyes
07 Insulin
08 Transgender
09 Violent Youth
10 Telepath
11 Mercenary
12 Child I Will Hurt You

crystalcastles.com//facebook// twitter// soundcloud// iTunes

[on the road] SPORTS

Rochester five-piece SPORTS are heading out on a nearly three-week long tour that will take them to Austin for this year’s SxSW. The band released their full-length, self-titled debut last year to sold out shows in their hometown and opening for the likes of Stars and Ra Ra Riot.

If you haven’t heard of them, SPORTS is adept at catchy, pre-New Wave rock that would have sounded just as at home on the radio in the late 1970’s as it does today. The band’s songs are quick and addictive, and the band retains that energy in the live setting as well.

The band’s debut LP is available now: iTunes or Bandcamp.

SPORTS//Started So Tall

March 6: Rochester, NY @ Bug Jar
March 7: Philadelphia, PA @ Comly Haus
March 8: Pittsburgh, PA @ Beach House
March 9: Athens, OH @ TBA
March 10: Columbus, OH @ Double Happiness
March 11: Cincinnati, OH @ Baba Budan’s
March 15: Austin, TX @ Instant Classic Records Showcase @ Weirdo’s
March 16-18: SXSW
March 19: Houston, TX @ Super Happy Fun Land (SXSW Overflow Fest)
March 20: New Orleans, LA @ TBA
March 21: Atlanta, GA @ The Cottage
March 22: Carrboro, NC @ The Ladybird Basement
March 23: Brooklyn, NY @ TBA
March 24: New Brunswick, NJ @ The Wormhole

More SPORTS:
sportsrochester.com
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[source: Flour City PR]