Bottomless Pit

Bottomless Pit, the new band from Tim Midgett and Andy Cohen of the incredible Silkworm, are hitting the road next week for three shows with Magnolia Electric Company and Shearwater. What an incredible lineup. If you don't have tickets yet, do yourself a favor and pick one up.

After those three shows, the bands take a short break, and then Magnolia Electric Company and Bottomless Pit (sorry, no Shearwater) hit the road again for a two week Texas/West Coast tour.

Full dates:

15 Sept 2006 - Middle East Downstairs (Boston)***
16 Sept 2006 - Knitting Factory (NYC)***
17 Sept 2006 - First Unitarian Church (Philly)***
28 Sept 2006 - Rudyard's Pub (Houston)%%%
29 Sept 2006 - Emo's (Austin)%%%
30 Sept 2006 - Rubber Gloves (Denton)%%%
6 Oct 2006 - Knitting Factory (LA)%%%
7 Oct 2006 - Great American Music Hall (SF)%%%
9 Oct 2006 - Holocene (Portland, OR)%%%
10 Oct 2006 - Neumo's (Seattle)%%%
11 Oct 2006 - Richard's on Richards (Vancouver, BC)%%%

*** = Magnolia Electric Company, Shearwater and Bottomless Pit
%%% = Magnolia Electric Company and Bottomless Pit

If you haven't heard Bottomless Pit yet, and there's a good chance you haven't, since they haven't circulated any MP3s yet, be sure to check out their brand new website for four new songs. Just click on each of the four runes. I promise they don't sound like Led Zeppelin.

Four Band Night > Three Dog

Busy night last night, which followed a fantastic afternoon beatdown of Notre Dame by my Wolverines.

First up was the Knitting Factory for Shearwater, Bottomless Pit and Magnolia Electic Co.. This was an early show with 7pm doors, so I figured that, like all NYC shows, that meant the first band would go on around 8pm. Err, no. I headed to the Knitting Factory as soon as the Michigan-Notre Dame game ended, and got there around 7:30pm, only to find that Shearwater had started at 7pm sharp. Crap. I managed to only catch about 10 minutes of the band's set. What I heard was great, though.

Shearwater, "Johnny Viola" (from Palo Santo)


Next up was Bottomless Pit, my most anticipated band of the night. Bottomless Pit is the new band from Andy Cohen and Tim Midgett of Silkworm, formed after the tragic death (murder) of Silkworm's drummer, Michael Dahlquist. This is the band's first foray out east, and they were pretty fantastic. Be sure to catch them if they make it to your town.

Bottomless Pit, "The Cardinal Movements" (from their untitled(?) EP)

Silkworm, "Treat the New Guy Right" (from Lifestyle)



Next came headliners Magnolia Electric Co.. I'd never seen them live before, and unfortunately had to cut out after about a 1/2 hour to make it to a friend's birthday party. I definitely like the band, but find that my attention wanders at times when listening to them. Some songs are great, some are just so so. The same seemed to hold true of their live show, but I can't say for sure having only seen about half of their set. I'll definitely try to catch them next time they're in town, and give them a better chance to make an impression.

Magnolia Electric Co., "The Dark Don't Hide It" (from What Comes After the Blues)



After a short foray into Brooklyn for a friend's birthday party, and after several wrong turns wandering around south Williamsburg looking for the J train, I headed back into the city to catch The Whigs at Mercury Lounge. Whereas the band's show on Thursday at Maxwell's in Hoboken was, err, sparsely attended (yet rockin'), the Mercury show was PACKED. They seem to have quite the following among recent University of Georgia graduates, and I had to keep reminding myself that I was standing in the middle of Manhattan rather than a frathouse in Athens. Pretty much the same crowd that forced Jon Auer into the fire hallway back in May. Again, though, the young ladies were quite attractive.

The band? Loud and pummeling as always. And damn good. That said, this was the 5th (!) time I've seen them this year, and I may need to take a break until there's more new material. Or maybe next time I'll just stick with the Maxwell's show and skip Mercury.

The Whigs, "Violet Furs" (from Give Em All a Big Fat Lip)

New Silkworm Album

As you know, Michael Dahlquist, drummer for the incredible Silkworm, was killed in an automobile accident (I use that term loosely) last year. Sad to say, next week is actually the one year anniversary of that incident.

Following Michael's death, the other members of the band, Andy Cohen and Tim Midgett, announced that they would retire Silkworm. What they didn't mention, however, was that in the weeks prior to Michael's death, the band had apparently started tracking several songs for a new album. Well, Tim recently announced on the band's website that those tracks have been completed with the help of some friends, and will be released by the 12XU record label in October.

The album's tentative title is Chokes, and will include the following songs:

"Bar Ice" (new)
"Low Blow" (new)
"Internat'l Harbor of Grace" (new)
"Lilly White and Cherry Red" (new)
"Wrote a Song for Everyone" (CCR cover)
"Spanish Harlem Incident" (Dylan cover)

Good stuff. In related news, Andy Cohen and Tim Midgett have formed a new band called Bottomless Pit, and will be venturing out for a short tour in September with Magnolia Electric Co. and Shearwater. Tour dates are as follows:

9/15: Boston (Middle East)*
9/16: NYC (Knitting Factory)*
9/17: Philly (First Unitarian Church)*
9/28: Houston (TBA)**
9/29: Austin (Emo's)**
9/30: Dallas (TBA)**

* = with Magnolia Electric Co. and Shearwater
**= with Magnolia Electric Co.

PS: Check out this great photo of the band by Jim Newberry.

(Thanks to Matt for the head's up on this news!)

Magnolia Electric Co. @ Black Cat, DC [9/27/07]

(Short review. Busy day. Sorry.)

Fantastic show by Magnolia Electric Co. last night at the Black Cat. I'd seen the band once before at the Knitting Factory in New York and wasn't terribly impressed. Looking back, though, it had to have either been an off night, or I just wasn't paying attention, because their performance last night was nothing less than stunning. Truly one of the best performances I've seen this year.





Next show: Tonight, an artist who will not be named. Going as a favor to a friend. There will be no writeup or pictures, in the interest of protecting my "street cred". And no, it's not Jackopierce.

Decisions, Decisions

Tonight's quandary? Go see Jon Auer and The Whigs at Mercury Lounge, or scalp a ticket to see Guns n' Roses at Hammerstein? I'm seeing GNR on Monday too, but if there's a surprise or two, I'd like to be there when it's unveiled.. tough call.

Speaking of shows, a ton of news the last day or so:

(1) Recent favorites The Little Ones have announced a show opening for Matt Costa and Elvis Perkins (who and who?) at Bowery Ballroom on [July 1st.

My plan? Catch the Little Ones early, and then run over to Knitting Factory to see Birdmonster.

(2) How's this for advance notice? Magnolia Electric Co., Shearwater and Bottomless Pit are playing Knitting Factory on Saturday, September 16th.

Shearwater, as you know, features members of Okkervil River. Bottomless Pit is the new band from Tim Midgett and Andy Cohen of Silkworm. Still can't believe Michael's gone...

Anyway, I bought a ticket before I realized this is the same weekend as ACL Fest in Austin. Crap. Guess this also means no Magnolia or Okkervil at ACL. Oh well. Guess if I end up having to bail on ACL again due to work, I've got a backup.

(3) Speaking of ACL, Ted Leo has been added to the lineup. This show is finally starting to shape up into something special. Flaming Lips, Shins, Iron and Wine, New Pornographers, Son Volt, Centro-matic, Calexico, Marah... still needs a few more quality adds, but this is twice the show it was just earlier this week.

(4) And, finally, Bloc Party have announced two NYC-area shows in July. Go read Brooklyn Vegan for more info.

Lots more coming later in the day... It's Friday and I'm in a bloggin' mood.

Lease = Signed

So I'm not technically moving to D.C. after all. Instead, I'm moving to Northern Virginia. Specifically, southern Arlington, in the Pentagon City/Crystal City area. Not New York City by a long shot, but also not particularly suburban either. Kinda like Jersey City without the Jersey.

The good parts? Cheaper rent, significantly bigger "loft" apartment, 5-minute drive (in good traffic) directly into D.C., relatively easy subway access, and a pretty good lineup of music coming over the next couple of months (New Pornographers, The National, Okkervil River, Lucero, Magnolia Electric Co. and more).

The bad parts? It ain't New York. Oh, and the nearest "cuisine" is Chevy's, California Pizza Kitchen and Ruby Tuesday. Mmmm, good.

Then again, at least I don't need to live my life in N. Va. in constant fear of a predatory horseshoe crabs.

The saving grace? It's a one-year move. Next summer, I decide between New York and Chicago. Or Akron, if my new business does poorly.

Initial D.C. Show Schedule

While I realize that my new D.C.-area home won't afford me quite the same show schedule as New York - i.e., no "secret" late night Ryan Adams show at the Bowery, or Interpol or Franz Ferdinand, and no free outdoor Seaport or Castle Clinton shows, and, worst of all, no CMJ - things aren't all that dire down in DC.

So, in an effort to transition this blog to more of a D.C.-area music scene focus (but with regular references to NYC shows I'll be missing), here's some of the good shows coming up in D.C. over the next couple of months. I'm not including August because I'll still be in NYC.

September
4: Editors, Ra Ra Riot (9:30 Club)
5: The National (9:30 Club)
6: Midlake (Black Cat)
19: The Cure (Patriot Center)
20: Mountain Goats (Black Cat)
23: Kings of Leon (9:30 Club)
24: Kings of Leon (9:30 Club)
26: Rilo Kiley (9:30 Club)
27: Rilo Kiley (9:30 Club)
27: Magnolia Electric Co. (Black Cat)
28: Sea and Cake (Sonar/Baltimore)
29: Andrew Bird (Sonar/Baltimore)
30: Okkervil River (Rock and Roll Hotel)

OCTOBER
6: Voxtrot (Black Cat)
11: Sunset Rubdown (Black Cat)
27: New Pornographers (9:30 Club)
31: Lucero (Black Cat)

Two other things. One, yes, this list is largely an attempt to convince myself that I'm not making a huge mistake leaving NYC. Second, I still plan on finding a way to come up for CMJ, which runs October 16th-20th.

D.C. Concert Update

There's a lot of new shows this week, though unfortunately only a couple of them are interesting (to me, at least).

Before I get to the list, though, I wanted to point out a show I just discovered a few minutes ago - Vandaveer is playing tomorrow night (Thurs. 9/27) at the Urban Outfitters in Georgetown at 7pm. I'm going to try to make it, if I can, before the Magnolia Electric Co. show at the Black Cat.

On to the listings:

Rock and Roll Hotel (all on sale Fri. 9/28 at 10am
Mon. 11/5: The Warlocks and Darker My Love (DML were one of my favorite discoveries at last year's CMJ. Kind of a more shoegazey Mudhoney.)
Thurs., 11/8: Juliet and the Licks, Scissors for Lefty (yep, that's Juliette Lewis' band)
Tues., 11/20: Black Dice

Black Cat (all on sale Fri. 9/28)
Sun., 10/14: The Alphabetical Order (CD release party), Red Racer
Tues., 10/16: Screen Vinyl Image, Ceremony (CD release party)
Sun., 10/28: Van Hunt
Sun., 11/18: Chrisette Michele, Keite Young

9:30 Club (all on sale Thurs. 9/29 at 10am)
Thurs., 11/1: Pepper (??)
Fri., 11/2: Band of Horses (late show)
Sat., 11/3: Koop (??)
Mon., 11/5: Colbie Caillat and Brett Dennen (??)
Tues., 11/13: Against Me!, Sage Francis, World Inferno Friendship Society

Iota (all tickets at door)
Tues., 10/23: J Roddy Walston and the Business

This Week's On-Sales

I'm posting this on Tuesday night... new things (CMJ?) may pop up overnight, so don't take it as gospel. Also, I'm only listing shows that interest me, so if you're expecting another show to go on sale, you best check for yourself.

All tickets are available via Ticketweb and go on sale tomorrow (Wednesday) at noon unless otherwise noted.

Bowery Ballroom
Sat., 11/11: Mouse on Mars plus Birdy Nam Nam / Lithops, $15
Mon., 11/13: Robert Pollard plus Starling Electric, $23
Wed., 11/15: Hidden Cameras plus Spiral Beach, $15
Sun., 12/3: Straylight Run plus Matt Pond PA / Street to Nowhere / Kevin Devine, $15 (on sale Friday, 9/29 at noon)

Maxwell's
Sat., 11/18: Robyn Hitchcock & the Venus 3, $15 (on sale now)

Mercury Lounge
Fri., 11/17: Centro-Matic / Bobby Bare Jr., $12 (on sale now)
Sat., 11/18: Centro-Matic / Bobby Bare Jr., $12 (on sale now)

North Six
Wed., 11/1: CMJ/Kork Agency, Magnolia Electric Co. with 5 others, $15 (on sale now)
Fri., 11/3: CMJ/Jade Tree, David Bazan, Snowden, and 5 others, $15 (on sale now)

More CMJ Shows Announced

Is it me, or is the process of announcing CMJ shows really, really, really drawn out this year?

A huge list of shows were announced today, but still no word as to dates, locations or on-sales for most of them.

Key new additions:

Archie Bronson Outfit
Architecture in Helsinki
City on Film
David Bazan
De Novo Dahl
Elvis Perkins
Forget Cassettes
Forward, Russia
George Clinton
Human Television
La Rocca
Magnolia Electric Co.
Medeski, Martin and Wanker Wood
Portastatic
Snowden
Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin
Steve Earle and Alison Moorer (I already tipped you to this)
Tapes n' Tapes
The Clipse
The M's
The Thermals (I think we knew this already)
White Whale

The current full list can be found here (bottom of the page).

Golden Smog Return to NYC

Via Brooklyn Vegan comes word that Golden Smog will be making a return trip to New York on Sunday, September 17th in support of their excellent new CD, Another Fine Day.

Unfortunately, the show is at Webster Hall, one of my least favorite venues, and even worse, the show is on a Sunday night. And, if that weren't enough, it falls during a busy week with Magnolia Electric Co., Shearwater, Bottomless Pit and the Whigs all on Saturday, then Eric Bachmann on Wednesday and Drive By Truckers on Thursday. Soooooo, call me a maybe. (Add Senor Tweedy to the mix, though, and I'll find a way to be there.)

For those less reluctant than I, tickets are on sale now.

The Whigs Return to NYC

I just can't get enough of The Whigs. And, thankfully, it seems like they can't get enough of New York, because they're coming back to NYC for the fourth time this year.

The details:

Saturday, September 16th at Mercury Lounge
Tickets on sale today at noon via Ticketweb.

The show is the same night at the Magnolia Electric Co., Shearwater and Bottomless Pit show at Knitting Factory, but the KF site says that that show is an early 7pm show, and that there's a different event starting at 11pm. So, assuming the Whigs play after 11pm (and they did last week), I should be able to do both... fingers crossed.

They're Baaaack

Just noticed on the Mercury Lounge's website that The Whigs are coming back to town on Friday, July 14th. No tickets on sale yet. Consider me there.

Also, Shearwater is playing Mercury Lounge a week earlier, on Friday, July 7th. Tickets for that one are on sale.

And don't forget that Shearwater's also playing with Magnolia Electric Co. and Bottomless Pit (ex-Silkworm) at the Knitting Factory on Saturday, September 16th. Now that I'm going to Lollapalooza instead of the Austin City Limits festival, I can go to that one too. (If, of course, I'm still in NYC...)