Indaba / Underrated / This Side Up Presents...CMJ

I've been working really hard with the wonderful people at Indaba Music and This Side Up to put together an amazing roster of day shows and a Saturday night party for this year's CMJ. Every day during the festival, you are invited to the Indaba Loft on Bowery and Houston to grab a free drink, learn about Indaba and listen to some of my favorite acts from across the country. I'm so incredibly excited to see everyone, so start planning your schedules and make sure the Indaba Loft is a stop on the way! (Did I mention free beer?!?)

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Indaba Music / Underrated Magazine / This Side Up Sounds PRESENTS...

TUESDAY Oct 16
2 - KRYSTLE WARREN
website
3 - QUINTIS
website
4 - ARIZONA
website| Some Kind Of Chill [mp3]
5 - CUT OFF YOUR HANDS!
website | You And I [mp3]
6 - SOME VELVET MORNING
website
7 - MATT SINGER
website | Outrageous [mp3]

WEDNESDAY Oct 17
2 – DIVISION DAY
website| Tigers [mp3]
3 – MIDDLE DISTANCE RUNNER
website | The Sun & The Earth [mp3]
4 – SETH KALLEN AND THE REACTION
website | Shiver [mp3]
5 – NATALIE PRASS
website | Never Satisfied [mp3]
6 – BEAT RADIO
website | Mexico [mp3]
7 - THE UNDISPUTED HEAVYWEIGHTS
website | Roll Your Windows Down [mp3]

THURSDAY Oct 18
2 – A BRIEF SMILE
website | Big Sky [mp3]
3 – LET'S GO SAILING
website | Icicles [mp3]
4 – TIM WILLIAMS
website | Novel [mp3]
5 – MASON PROPER
website | My My (Bad Fruit) [mp3]
6 – THE JAGUAR CLUB
website | The Sirens [mp3]
7 - MANCINO
website | Five Blades [mp3]

FRIDAY Oct 19
2 - THE SISTER LOVERS
website
3 - THE LATE GREATS
website | He's Not It [mp3]
4 - PRINCETON
website | Blackbeard [mp3]
5 - PEASANT
website
6 - EAGLE*SEAGULL
website | Your Beauty Is A Knife I Turn On My Throat [mp3]
7 - WAKEY!WAKEY!
website | Fallin' Apart [mp3]

SATURDAY NIGHT Oct 20
7 – SURE JUROR
website | The Once-Great Gender Debate [mp3]
8 – THE DIGGS
website | Careen [mp3]
9 – NOUS NON PLUS
website | Allo Allo [mp3]
10 – JUKEBOX THE GHOST
website | Hold It In [mp3]
11 – TBA

See you there!

friday's to do

i have a bajillion posts in my head that maybe i'll get to this weekend. but until then, here's what you should do.

1. vote for Nora!

2. come to this

Tonight: Battering Room Presents Knockout! Round 2

More info here.

Valentines Day Mix 2007

Any holiday that gives me an excuse to make a mix is fine by me. Sure, I've been known to say I hate this day and damn all those happy lovey dovey people, but in actuality Valentines Day isn't half bad. Who doesn't like chocolate and cheesy romantic gestures? And let's be honest, who doesn't like love songs. Not this girl.

I woke up this morning to a good amount of snow and an even greater hangover -- the perfect mindset to make a Valentines Day mix. It's a bit of an eclectic bunch of songs: some old, some new, feel free to borrow, but some will make you blue. Regardless it works for both you happy go lucky people and the miserable alike. It's also available in a handy dandy zip file below as well.

Enjoy.

Neutral Milk Hotel - Ghost

Broken Social Scene - Lover's Spit

The Postal Service - Against All Odds

The Kinks - Waterloo Sunset

Sure Juror - Ex-Cuties

Let's Go Sailing - All I Want From You Is Love

The Cure - The Love Cats

The Brunettes - Your Heart Dies

Arcade Fire - Crown Of Love

Jeff Buckley - Lover, You Should Have Come Over

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Cheated Hearts

The Wrens - She Sends Kisses

Birdmonster - Janine

Elvis Perkins - Without Love

Radiohead - High And Dry

Levy - So Hard

Jose Gonzalez - Broken Arrows

Marcy Playground - Sex And Candy

Blind Melon - Change

Oh No! Oh My! - Skip The Foreplay

Ryan Adams - Love Is Hell

Download: Valentines Day Mix.zip

And make sure you come to this tonight.

Battering Room Presents: Knockout! Round 2

After today I get a little bit of a vacation before I start the new job on Monday. Well, it's not really a vacation. With a big dj gig tomorrow night (anti-valentines day, you will be there, yes?) plus a bazillion other shows, I may end up more tired than usual. We'll see.

Friday I will be djing Battering Room's Knockout! Round 2. I happened to dj Round 1 as well, but didn't get to see any of the bands. I'll be happy to only have to play tunes between sets this time around, so that I can check out the bands. It's a pretty sweet lineup.

Sure Juror is playing the last show of a month long residency in New York, and this is sure to be their best. If you haven't seen them yet, you should be there. The Muggabears will be a very special guest on The Blog Show this week, so I heart them already. Johan is Dutch and making a special trip over to the US for this show, and The Antlers have an awesome name.

Sold, right?

Right. Head on over to Pop Tarts for an mp3 from each band, and keep a lookout on Battering Room for a post about the show today.

And I'll see you on Friday.

irockiroll presents

I'm off to DC for the night to celebrate Miss Katie's birthday, but will be back in time tomorrow for this...

See you there!

Sure Juror @ Sin-e | Smut For Sale

The first band that played at Sin-e last Saturday was none other than blog band du jour Sure Juror. They didn't show any signs of nerves, but if I were them I would have felt the pressure in the room. After just a four song set during CMJ and a hell of a lot of blog posts about them in the last year, they had a lot to live up to. Hearing "Harry Reems & The Bill Of Rights" during sound check, I knew I was in for something special.

As I expected, they did not disappoint.

I keep trying to put this band into different categories that just do not fit. I want to say they sound like this band or that band, but what makes Sure Juror so gosh darn special is that they really define the word unique. And it keeps getting better. The inclusion of a violin player may be the cool thing to do these days, but it actually gave the band a nice edge. And this band has fun on stage; they don't keep that hidden. Sure Juror looks and sounds like a 24 hour party, complete with drunken sing alongs and snarky sexual advances.

Watch out for this band. If a packed room as the first band on Saturday means anything, I see bright things in their future. Don't forget, the band is kicking off a two-week residency (is it a residency with only two weeks? who knows) at Pianos this Saturday. This week is hosted by Miss Nora and next week is hosted by Mr. Dany (I had to).

See! I told you they were the blog band du jour.

In other news, you can now purchase their second album Smut on iTunes or eMusic. Their first album is available for free on their website.

One Last Call For Alcohol

Just in case you haven't realized it yet, but tomorrow night is our big bash over at Sin-e. Doors open at 8 PM, and we will be having a PBR open bar until 9:30 PM. First band takes the stage a little after 8, so don't be late!

Afterparty at 87 (Ludlow between Delancey & Broome).

It's going to be an awesome night full of great music. Come say hi!

Buy your tickets here.

Underrated Presents: Sure Juror

In case you aren't aware, I'm throwing a bit of a soiree this Saturday night at Sin-e. I could tell you that it will be the best night of your life, that there is a 99% chance you will be drunk off your socks by the time you leave, and will have had to endure my overly excited babble on more than one occasion throughout the night. Whilst all this is true, I feel the need to give you a bit of a sober rundown of these bands beforehand. Because let's face it, both you and I will experience excruciating amounts of awe come Saturday night that all we will be able to mutter is profanities. Just me? Okay, we'll see.

The first band up on Saturday night is Jersey's own Sure Juror. They go on at 8 PM.

So it's quite genius, really when you think about it. A band that has been hyped up on a good number of the blogs finally books a show in New York City, during CMJ. And yet we only get to hear four songs. Even if it was completely unintentional, I can assure you everyone in that room wanted to hear more. So what if it took them almost three months? Better late than never.

I'm completely thrilled to have this band open up the night, as I found them most intriguing over the past year or so. Their two albums have crept up the ranks on my iTunes, and each time I listen to them I find something else I like about them. And with how intricate their recordings are, you'd think they wouldn't be able to pull this off live. Well, four songs and I was convinced. Who knows what more will bring.

Rumor is they have added some new members to their band and it's bound to be quite the performance. If I were you I'd get there early to check it out. And if not? Well you have a couple more chances to check this band out live over the next month: February 3 and 10 at Pianos, and February 16 at Union Hall for Battering Room's next show.

But if I were you, I'd check out them all, starting with this one here. And in preparation, check out their myspace and purchase their music (where their first album is available for FREE - so no excuses, really).

My my, I'm quite demanding aren't I?

While I'm at it...download these too.

Sure Juror - The Once-Great Gender Debate (Live from West Chester, PA 3.24.06)

Sure Juror - Christmas Shopping

Sure Juror - The Drive Will Do You Good

Underrated Presents: January 27 @ Sin-e

I keep saying I'm going to stop doing these shows, but I can't help myself. I want to see all these bands, and if I can do it all in one night with all my friends, well then let's go for it. This show has been my biggest accomplishment to date....with five (yes FIVE) bands. It's a Saturday night, so get on your dancing shoes and get ready for some fabulous music. I've decided to hand over all dj duties to Miss Nora K so I won't be running around like a chicken with its head cut off. But don't worry...there will be an afterparty.

A huge thanks to Carolyn for yet another fabulous flyer.

More details, mp3s, and info on each band to come in the next two weeks. Here's the lineup...

Sure Juror (8 PM)
Seth Kallen + The Reaction (9 PM)
White Rabbits (10 PM)
The GoStation (11 PM)
Liam & Me (12 AM)

Get ready!

Sure Juror - SMUT

I was told I wasn't allowed to post about this album for some time. Not cool. I've had this album for a couple months now, and have listened to it habitually. I would have even included it on my Top 25 Albums of 2006 but I wasn't sure whether it was to be released this year or not. Their loss.

Kidding.

SMUT is the second album from New Jersey's Sure Juror. If you remember, I quite liked their first album, and was excited about their new tracks. As cliché as it sounds, I really can't think of a band that sounds anything like them. Quirky always comes to mind, but it's a bit more than that. SMUT proves that they really take song structuring to a new level. No where in this album will you find a mundane verse/chorus/verse palate. With songs that run into each other, and interspersed clips from various movies and TV shows, it's honestly a work of art from beginning to end.

It's a lot to digest, and yet most of the songs will be immediately memorable. Quite the accomplishment, I'd say. Each time I listen I find a new moment in a new song that I have to listen to over and over again to figure it out. Don't worry though; this album doesn't take a lot of work to like. You'll be hooked.

When I first listened to their debut album, I was captivated by "Sleeping Pill (what to do the morning after)" for no reason other than I really didn't understand it. The same thing happened once again, but in a completely different fashion, with the closing track of SMUT "Barking Dogs (Pt 2)." Clocking in at just short of 8 minutes, I cannot describe it other than using the word epic. Perhaps that's what I like most about Sure Juror, the indescribable. "Barking Dogs (Pt 2)" takes you through basically a roller-coaster of recording techniques, putting everything you've just heard throughout the entire blender and letting it loose. Sped up vocals, obscure clips, a haunting melody, and something resembling a techno loop is just part of what makes this song stand out. By end you are left completely confused, but incredibly impressed.

Sure Juror - Barking Dogs (Pt 2)

SMUT is now available for purchase over at the band's website for a measly $8. There are a few more mp3s from SMUT as well as their first album in its entirety for free.

You will see the band back in NYC for their first full set at Underrated Presents on January 27 at Sin-e. More details soon, I promise.

Blog Show TEN!

Uh oh. We've reached double digits.

This week Nora and I recorded from the lovely oasis also known as my apartment. We were lucky enough to have Sean cook us a yummy yummy dinner while we babbled, and babbled, and babbled.

Congrats to our friends at Crackers United for being our bloggers of the week! They put on an amazing show last night, which...according to Nora....was the best, ever.

PLAYLIST!

Stagg – The Diggs
Faith In Strangers – The Diggs
It's Just Like You Say – The Diggs

Glossy-Eyed Sweetheart – The Hard Tomorrows
Stop + Shoot – The Hard Tomorrows
Patterns – The Hard Tomorrows

Fifteen On Ice – Tall Hands
Three Full Virginias – Tall Hands
On Top Of Time – Tall Hands

Click Click Click Click – Bishop Allen
The Same Fire – Bishop Allen
Clementines – Bishop Allen

Everyone's Starting Over (Cassettes Wont Listen Remix) – The Diggs

Listen in at www.breakthruradio.com and click on "the Blog Show!

The Blog Show: Best Of

Well it's been seven weeks and we thought it was time for a recap. Plus, it's Thanksgiving so Nora and I thought it best to give thanks to all our favorite bands. Tune in today and all week to "The Blog Show" as we go back and pay respect where respect is due. And sorry if I sound a bit cracked out on this week's episode. I was on a lot of cold medicine.

Head on over to www.breakthruradio.com and click on "The Blog Show."

Here's the playlist:

Brother - Annuals
Modern Class - The Head Set
Tigers - Division Day

Modern Love - The Changes
Someday - The Silent Years
Saved Your Life - Army Of Me

Rented A Tent - A Tent, A Tent - Bound Stems
Lost (On An Island) - The Undisputed Heavyweights
Pretty Mess - A Brief Smile

Wound Up - Office
The Blue Around You - The Benzos
Fast As You Can - Liam & Me

The Once-Great Gender Debate - Sure Juror
Tokyo, Japan - Princeton
Tonight - Ennui

Welcome To Tally Hall - Tally Hall
Be Born - Tally Hall
Ruler Of Everything - Tally Hall

Feel free to gather round the whole fam for a listen. Or maybe not. But either way it'll be up all week for you to enjoy.

Happy Thanksgiving :)

CMJ: The Recap | Pictures

I am ready to move on past CMJ related posts, but I must say as exhausting as this entire week was, I had a really great time. With the chance to see a lot of my favorite bands all within hours of eachother, catch up with some old friends, and find an excuse to start drinking at 11 AM...for free, I can't really complain about anything.

Except that I know I missed all of the amazing shows that everyone else will repremand me for, but I am only one gal. I am also partial to the bands I hold near and dear to my heart, and will never pass up the opportunity to sing and dance my heart out seeing them live. So no, I didn't go to even half the shows I expected/wanted to, but I did get to see some really incredible ones. I have a bunch of pictures up on flickr, but here are some of my favorites.

Birdmonster @ Pianos

Sure Juror @ Pianos

The Undisputed Heavyweights @ Rockwood

The Changes @ Fader Lounge

Tall Hands @ White Rabbit

Wrens @ Skirball

The Walkmen @ Skirball

Kevin Devine @ Bowery

Annuals @ Bowery

White Rabbits @ Cake Shop

But of course the real highlight of the whole entire week was the Underrated Party at Sin-e. Seriously couldn't have asked for a better bill, and I thank all the bands and everyone that came out. It was so much fun.

The Head Set

Division Day

Ra Ra Riot

Birdmonster

Find all pictures from CMJ here.