Dry The River at Pianos

In case for some odd reason you doubted our judgment on Band to Watch Dry The River, here is a nicely edited highlight reel from their recent post-SXSW show at Pianos, which was, simply put, quite incredible. Just watch the above. Did we mention these guys are the real deal? In case you missed them in the US, the 4 will be back soon to work on their new record and play more US shows in the coming month. Stay tuned.

New Ceremony by Dry the River\

TONIGHT! Stark Presents: Roadside Graves @ Piano's

Roadside Graves - "Far & Wide / Jail" from DUKE STREET on Vimeo.

[MP3] Roadside Graves -- "Far and Wide"

Take a taste of what happened last time Stark hosted a Roadside Graves show at Pianos above (recognize anoyone in there??) What's it taste like? Rock? Well then...Yes. It is that time again. It seems like only yesterday that the Roadside Graves were packing out Piano's for a near sold out gig, filled with folk ready to have a ramped up good time. When have you left a Roadside concert unfulfilled? When have you said to yourself, "They were kind off tonight." Rarely if at all. The Roadside Graves are one of the most consistently entertaining, rambunctious, musical sound and fantastically creative bands on the road right now. Gigging behind their newest EP, You Won't Be Happy With Me Roadside return to NYC for what will undoubtedly be a rollicking good time. We caught up with the band almost a year ago -- here. We look forward to seeing how things have progressed since then. The band works extremely hard both on and off the stage leaving the listener with a high level of satisfaction and a longing for more high caliber musicianship. We can't say enough about Roadside Graves other than Stark is a champion, and as champions we will rock tonight. See you at Pianos. Get there early, for the drinks go down smoother before things get white hot.

Tweet

Teletextile EP Release Party Saturday

STARK vs. TELETEXTILE

[mp3] Teletextile: “What If I”
[mp3] Teletextile: “I Don’t Know How To Act Here”

I’m trying to make every show a unique experience from here on out, that’s the advantage of going solo again. I can be as creative as I want and let my imagination be as volcanic as I desire.

Brookyln band Teletextile will be celebrating the release of their new EP Reflector with us this Saturday as part of a stacked line-up featuring Roadside Graves, Motel Motel and Dinosaur Feathers at Pianos. Teletextile purvey a melodic and slightly haunting brand of indie-pop with singer and lead songwriter Pamela Martinez’s wistful, yet powerful vocals dominating the foreground. At times flirting with Florence Welsh power, and Sade subtlety, Martinez carries the day, with more than ample backup coming from her capable bandmates, who cultivate a musical aura that blends Grizzly Bear’s ethereal instrumental ruminations, and (vintage) Sufjan Stevens vocal harmonies. We had a chance to catch up with Martinez via email – read our discussion after the jump!

Tweet

What do you find to be the biggest differences between the musical community in Texas and Brooklyn?

Well I’m not sure if I’m the right person to answer this question considering that the last time I lived in Texas I was a teenager more recently I spent time in Boston and Detroit. But to answer your question…

In Texas I had a luxury, which I will never have in Brooklyn… time. I had time to be creative and grow wild as an artist. Growing up in that slow paced world gave me time to explore. I grew up in a neighborhood called Eden - a very fitting name. I was a latch key kid, home alone a few hours everyday. The time before my mother got home from work was paradise. Most often I actually wasn’t alone, but off gallivanting around the neighborhood.

In big cities there are alleys behind the house or apartment complex, but San Antonio where I grew up the back yard lead to a vast wilderness. Some of my friend’s backyards didn’t even have fences they just kept going. But most of the time there was a loose board in the fence and we could cross over to the other side where there were literally canyons to explore. We picked wild blackberry build a tree houses, but not just one, an entire apartment complex of integrated tree houses.

My dream was to take what we would do in our world and show it to others. It was very “Goonies”-esq. I wanted to do this so badly that I actually started my own music and arts festival at the age of 13. It was called Kookfest, named after the David Bowie song with was our sort of a call to arms for weird crazy fun. I would throw a that music festival every year until I was 18 and it got bigger and bigger. Our last one was at a VFW when I moved away for college.

As a music scene San Antonio, TX or even Texas in general will never compare to what we have in Brooklyn, but as a place to be creative it was perfectly dreamy.

How have things changed playing with a fixed line-up as opposed to playing and writing solo?

Well I always write the songs before I ever take them to the band. The band is really helps create the mood of the song. How it is colored and textured. Luke was especially helpful at creating a swells and bangs that only a drummer can do. And Caitlin has a great ear for harmonies, so that inspired me to invest more time in that. My biggest collaborator is actually Al Carlson, my current producer. He really helps me clean up my ideas and put them in some kind of order. I generally have a lot going on in my head and I have to be subtractive more than additive most of the time. But things are constantly changing and I’m not going to be working as closely with Luke and Caitlin anymore. The album just kind of turned out to me a record of that brief period of my life and I’m on to new things now. I’ve already begun writing what will become the new record. I foresee lots of toy percussion, vocals, and found sounds plus guitar, harp, keys and strings as usual. I’m excited about some future collaborations I have in the works.

What artists, old or new, have blown your hair back this year?

Jonsi, Oh Land, Active Child, Ava Luna, Arms, Fanfarlo, Bermuda Bonnie. These are all groups I’ve seen live I preferred to be wowed in a live concert than on a recording. I think that’s a big challenge as a musician. I personally feel more comfortable in a studio than I do on a stage. I’ve seen Jonsi / Sigur Ros play probably more than any other band live. Not only because I like them, but because somewhere along the way we met each other through a friend. As far as a live performer I think Jonsi is the best. He has really strong ideas about how sound and image go together, about how to be the music instead of just being a musician. He is a true artist and I love to see him live.

What are the band’s plans behind the new EP and into 2011?

Like I said I’m going to be working as a solo artist again. So I want to start working on music for a new recording right away. I’ve been writing a lot on harp and guitar lately. I just started playing guitar live again. I hadn’t done that in 5 years or so. I’d really like to start touring as well, but I have to do get things in order before I can commit to that.

What should the Stark faithful expect from your live show on Saturday?

Bubbles, no really I bought a bubble wand and I’m really trying to work it in there! You can also expect feathers, which I’m always into. Other than that I’m going to play guitar live which is a new thing for me. I’ll be performing with a small chorus of 4 people to help recreate a lot of the vocal harmonies that I came up with in the studio. I’ll also be playing with an ambient guitarist that my friend Doris of the Freelance Whales was a match-maker for. She said “you have to play with Alex, I don’t know why I never thought of this before.” He’d be perfect for Teletextile.” I’m trying to make every show a unique experience from here on out, that’s the advantage of going solo again. I can be as creative as I want and let me imagination be as volcanic as I desire. So for this show it’s all about singing. The next show I might get a string quartet in on the mix or go solo or do a loop based set. Experiments, Experiments that’s the way I see the future.

Stark Presents: Blair

STARK ONLINE and AQUARIUM DRUNKARD PRESENT: BLAIR

with Gunfight and Shark?
Tuesday, February 16th at Pianos

[mp3] Blair: "Hello Halo"
[mp3] Blair: "Rampage"

Stark and Aquarium Drunkard are extremely excited to once again be presenting Blair, this time with excellent New York bands Shark? and Gunfight. Blair's debut effort Die Young is an eclectic amalgamation of carefully-wrought, folk-inspired, acoustic songs alongside straight-ahead, 90s alternative rock-style compositions. There is a subtle melancholy that permeates each track, while Blair's charisma and energy give Die Young a buoyancy and strong undercurrent of positive energy. Blair channels vintage Neil Young and Bowie alongside more contemporary influences such as Yo La Tengo and Feist. We caught up with her by phone to discuss the new album, the differences between her recorded material and live show, and her love for classic 90s FM radio. Read our conversation after the jump.

So you're originally from New Orleans. Are you living in New York full time now? Do you miss New Orleans?

Yes, I'm living in Brooklyn now; I've been here since March of last year. It was a clean move, and haven't been back since I moved here. I miss it so much, especially now with Mardi Gras and the Saints winning. I'll be playing one show there in March on the way to SXSW.

How did growing up in New Orleans influence you musically? It's more of a Jazz and Funk city, but it's still extremely musical.

I was more influenced by FM radio in my room, and MTV more-so. Even though New Orleans is buzzing with that music, I didn't live right in the quarter or anything, I lived on the outskirts. I was listening to what MTV told me to listen to. When I got older, I became more aware of the importance of Jazz, but for whatever reason I tapped more into pop.

What specifically sticks out in your mind from that era?

I guess I remember the "Loser" video from Beck. I remember that being really big. I started buying everything that Beck ever did. Dookie from Green Day; they just have great melodies and great songs. Metallica the Black Album, and Nirvana -- still my favorite band. I'm a product of modern FM radio.

I was frightened by those early Metallica records [laughs] with like, blood on the cover. I was like 'I want the one with the black cover.' Blood Sugar Sex Magic, my older cousin had that, and I ended up really loving it.

You cover a lot of ground stylistically on the record. What do you feel is the overarching element that ties the album together stylistically or lyrically?

The fact that there is a variety of styles on there. I think comes from the songs being collected over time. One of them might be four years old and one is six months old. I was influenced by different things at different times. The thing that holds it together is that I tend to write, verse-chorus, verse-chorus; the melodies are slightly melancholy, but the subject matter is a mix of sweet of and sour. As I reflect on my music, I would say that I am trying make something ugly, pretty; an attempt to make something painful, beautiful or to convey abstract stories beautifully.

Die Young is sort of a darkly romantic album title; where did that come from?

The phrase kind of stuck in my head while living in California. It's a concept that is dark, but there is something alluring and romantic about it as you said. Young heroes, young rock stars, dying young. The concept is at odds with the approach to life that I feel is ingrained, which is to play it safe and make sure things will last...and make sure that things make sense before you try it. To be willing to die for what you're doing -- to not think it through so much -- to follow your instincts or whatever your first choice was. To disregard the consequences when you do it. But that's not always the best way to go [laughs]. I think sometimes people are fearful of just jumping into things. I think people are afraid to do that.

What have you been listening to recently? New, old?

I listen to a lot of David Bowie, The Beatles, guitar music, like John Frusciante's solo stuff...it's really melodic. I try learn a lot of that on the guitar. Most recently, Grizzly Bear, Wavves I liked a lot. I'll definitely check out music from blogs; I like the XX. Mostly Neil Young, a lot of Dylan. We played with this band Oberhofer and they were great. I bought their CD and I've been listening to it a lot. It's really lo-fi and great.

Favorite Dylan record? Sorry, that's a tough question...
[Laughs] my most favorite Dylan record? Probably Blonde on Blonde

What's next for you after the residencies and for the rest of the year?

The plan is to do some extensive touring, funding permitted, and to try and play as much as possible in the states...maybe go over to Europe to play dates. There is a possibility of that. I'm always writing.

I want to keep playing this record in its live form and for people to hear it that way. The live act is a little more rocking and has a different energy to it.

Can you talk some more about the differences between your recorded material and the live show?

I think probably something that influences this, is that when you're making the record you have an infinite amount of tracks -- you can have five horns and five guitars. You're limited as to your instrumentation live. You have to decide what's going to push the show. On the record, I can sing softly into a microphone; live you're just trying to go for it and not make it the prettiest thing I've ever heard. It's that that rock set up and interpreting the songs...just trying to stay exciting. We often change things up not to get bored. Adam has been on keyboards for seven years, Zach on drums and Brian on bass. It's much more what people bring to the table; the live act is collaborative. It's also about having a producer in the studio. You can't just rock out on a record...there has to be a sound. Maybe if there were 12 people on stage we could match that dynamic.

Video: Roadside Graves at Pianos

The Roadside Graves at Pianos 1/16/10
"Far and Wide / Jail"
"My Father Sat Me Down"
"Anthony's Gate"

We're not lying about the Roadside Graves. Besides the testimony of every fan in attendance at the Stark/Aquarium Drunkard presented show earlier this month, the great folks at Duke Street Blog have provided us with video evidence of the awesomeness that was The 'Graves set on January 16th. It's like goddamn Stark where's Waldo in the below video. How many bloggers can you spot? The second half of the in-the-crowd encore is "Jail" and no, it's not recorded yet, so stop asking us! Enjoy these three vids.

Roadside Graves - "Far & Wide / Jail" from DUKE STREET on Vimeo.

Roadside Graves - "My Father Sat Me Down" from DUKE STREET on Vimeo.

Roadside Graves - "Anthony's Gate" from DUKE STREET on Vimeo.

Ezra Furman & The Harpoons - Video Reprise

http://vimeo.com/5825462 from Adam Holz on Vimeo.

"This song is called Mother's Day, it's about a whore I knew in Chicago. Here it goes, goes, ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR!"

Yes, that is Furman's prolific uttering made at the beginning of "Mother's Day" a key track off 2007's Banging Down the Doors. This album was our introduction found after filtering through a number of influential sources and landing in our lap, . Upon arrival, the record found a home on our iPods and in our (insert cheesy cliche beginning with "H" here.) Since moving on from 2007's release, Furman found different musical friends including the Clash, Green Day, and Johnathan Richman of the Modern Lovers. Influences abound, Furman began to sow his punk-rock oats, culminating in the release of 2008's Inside the Human Body.

Since then, Stark has become closer with Furman and his entourage, learning more about what makes the band tick, smile, cry, eat, the usual. Please enjoy the video above taken from the Stark-sponsored Ezra Furman & the Harpoons Show @ Piano's. See our interview here as well. Speical thanks of course to videographer, Adam Holz.

STARK PRESENTS EZRA FURMAN & THE HARPOONS TONIGHT! @ PIANO'S

Stark Online Interview with Ezra Furman and the Harpoons from Adam Holz on Vimeo.

[mp3] Ezra Furman & The Harpoons - "Halloween Snow"

Ezra Furman & The Harpoons -- "We Should Fight"

Stark will be presenting Ezra Furman & The Harpoon's last show of their Piano's residency TONIGHT. Showtime: 10 p.m. In preparation, Stark wanted to talk with Ezra, in person this time, and we did. Oh, how we did. REPOST!

STARK PRESENTS: EZRA FURMAN & THE HARPOONS, JUNE 30 @ PIANO'S

Stark Online Interview with Ezra Furman and the Harpoons from Adam Holz on Vimeo.

[mp3] Ezra Furman & The Harpoons - "Halloween Snow"

[mp3] Ezra Furman & The Harpoons - "We Should Fight"

Stark will be presenting Ezra Furman & The Harpoon's last show of their Piano's residency June 30. Showtime: 10 p.m. In preparation, Stark wanted to talk with Ezra, in person this time, and we did. Oh, how we did.

Stark had the chance to sit down with Ezra Furman and Harpoon's drummer Adam Abrutyn at Hi Fi in NYC's East Village. Topics of conversation included, New York City audiences, women, geese, a trip to Barcelona for the Primavera Music Fest (hence Spanish women,) new city apprehensions and more. Ezra is...well... a character in-and-of himself. Every statement made seems like a marathon as he plunges the depths of his consciousness for the best possible answer. He keeps you on your toes as you never know where the conversation will head next, or what will be said; Ezra's music carries the same mysteriously spontaneous quality. You never know which Ezra you are going to get from night-to-night, which makes it worth attending his concerts every time. So join us, Ezra, and the Harpoons on June 30 as the band finishes off their fourth Piano's show as part of their residency.

Special, special thanks to Adam Holz who filmed, edited and generally kicked video-ass for us, as you can see per the video above.

See you there!

TONIGHT: STARK AND AQUARIUM DRUNKARD PRESENT THE ROADSIDE GRAVES AT PIANOS

TONIGHT

THE ROADSIDE GRAVES
PIANOS: NY, NY
Stanton & Ludlow St.

[mp3] Roadside Graves: "Ruby"
[mp3] Roadside Graves "Far and Wide"
[mp3] Roadside Graves "Take a Train"

We're thrilled to join Aquarium Drunkard in presenting one of the best new bands to come out of New Jersey in the past several years, The Roadside Graves, as they celebrate the release of their third record My Son's Home out now on Autumn Tone Records. The band is in the middle of a tour which found them sharing the stage recently with another Stark fave Lucero. Their live show is not to be missed. We've been dedicated followers of this band since they released their fantastic and grossly overlooked last record No One Will Know Where You've Been. Interweaving elements of The Band, John Prine, Townes Van Zandt and a dose of Bruce Springsteen, The Roadside Graves manage to produce a unique and coherent sound, pulsing with the energy of their large ensemble and anchored by the gritty and melodic vocals of lead singer John Gleason. My Son's Home is an 18-song comprehensive tour of quality American music. Deftly moving from folk, to rock, to back-porch country, The Roadside Graves have produced one of the best roots-Americana records of the past five years, hands down. Click after the jump to see the full Piano's bill and the rest of The Roadside Graves' tour dates. It's going to be amazing tonight. We can't wait. Email us if you want to say hi - we'll buy you a beer.*

*probably not, but we'll drink one with you.

PIANOS
9pm Blair
10pm Gunfight!
11pm Roadside Graves
12am The Loom
1am Afterparty at Piano's with R.E.Y. as guest DJ

Jul 3 2009 Union Hall/opening for Chuck Mead Park Slope/Brooklyn, New York
Jul 18 2009 Lampost Jersey City, New Jersey
Jul 25 2009 Trash Bar w/ Chainsaw Trio, Any Day Parade Brooklyn, New York
Jul 28 2009 summer tour begins WEST COAST and back
Aug 29 2009 The Court Tavern New Brunswick, New Jersey
Sep 12 2009 1Monolith Festival Red Rocks, Colorado
Sep 19 2009 Let it Roll Music Festival Ghent, New York

Holiday Shores Cover Art - mp3

[mp3] Holiday Shores: "Phones Don't Feud" (via Fader)

Kill yourself Blogger. Due to technical difficulties - you can find the cover art HERE.

After posting about Holiday Shores and taking a few spins through their promising new record Columbus'd The Whim, we decided to take a gander at them at Pianos a few weeks ago. It was an early set (7:30) that these Florida kids played before heading off to headline a private party at Spin Magazine's head-quarters. How posh. The set was good not great, and besides the high quantity of great looking people (hot fanbase I guess) the show was fairly unremarkable. Yet, there is something about this band and their record that keeps us coming back. They posses a youthful sloppiness and produce sunny melodies hidden by dirty guitars and vintage keyboard sounds. Holiday Shores have the potential to be that band blog-buzz and hype push into the limelight before they are fully ready; but what band would ever turn that down? It remains to be seen how the rest of the blog community takes to the band, but for now, we'll let their music do the talking and leave it up to y'all. Certainly some youngsters with great potential, songwriting chops and charm to spare.

New Linfinity Record & Residency at Piano's

[mp3] Linfinity: "Molly Mar of Rome"

We accidentally caught Linfinity a few months ago opening for Lissy Trullie, and with no back-story they stopped us in our tracks. It was mostly the weird Nick Cave-esqe fashion and vocal style emanating from sweat-drenched lead singer Dylan Von Wagner. (He's even got a creepy name). Linfinity cultivate a Beirut-cum-Tom Waits cum-Cave style of balkan rock: strange and dark, yet melodic and captivating. It's all in the songs and the stage show here. They take care to dress for their roles and convey a powerful performance centering around Von Wagner and violinist Megan Leach. It has shtick potential, but the musicians and songs are strong enough to keep the group from looking, well, silly. Linfinity have just finished recording a full set of new songs, and will be performing them tomorrow night, the first night of a three-week residency at Pianos. Check out their Myspace for new tunes. See you there.

Crocodiles at Pianos 3/4/09

[mp3]

Crocodiles: "Summer of Hate"

First off, we want to give a special shout out to photog Danielle Lobosco for her shots of Crocodiles. We're hoping to work together on many a show in the future!

It’s clear singer Brandon Welchez has studied 1965 Bob Dylan carefully. Shockingly, he’s all the better for it. Donning tight, pointy black boots, an aggressively-confident stage posture, polka dot shirt, and black sunglasses, Welchez, and equally decked out guitarist Charles Rowell, had dressed for the performance. Bathed in the red light of their DIY work-lamp light show, Crocodiles were here to rock. Thank god.

Certainly, the slacker, indie-rock-style of thrift store T-shirts and jackets, coupled with a “just get up there and play” attitude has its place, and often succeeds compared to the trashy excess and faux pretension of a crap band like Amazing Baby. Yet, every once in awhile a band succeeds in straddling the line between this laissez-faire approach to rock and the leftovers from the Bowie era. That band was Crocodiles.

For all photos and more review continue after the jump...


The duo play almost exclusively to pre-recorded electronic drum and bass tracks. The sound at Pianos was pleasurably deafening in the way I had expected Wavves to be, but wasn’t. It was the type of loud that moved your pants and you felt in your chest. It was refreshing and great. Crocodiles’ music reflects little of the late 60s style their clothes would suggest. The songs from their excellent debut Summer of Hate (4/28 Fat Possum), at times recalled late period Beatles psychadelia, but mostly limited itself to a more modern, scuzzed-up, post-punk ethos.

The set was well executed, creative, and highly efficient; they got their point across. Limited stage banter and a compact song list gave them a confident air of professionalism. The only low point of the set came during an ambient, electronic-noise segment while the duo tuned and programmed effects. Yet, directly following the delay, they launched into a three song, pop-infused mini-set, closing with their strongest track, the immediately recognizable and repeatable song “I Wanna Kill.”

For lack of better terms, Crocodiles posses that intangible “it” quality displayed by great artists. Their show at Pianos was the best performance I’ve seen in 2009.

Red Wire Black Wire, Bell, Hockey - Saturday at Pianos

Red Wire Black Wire "Compass" mp3

Oft buzzed about Brooklyn group Red Wire Black Wire will be headlining a great bill this Saturday night at Pianos in NY. The fuzzed-out bass tones and high-end synths on RWBW's Compass EP assure the audience that they are indeed listening to dance music, yet, there is something darker and more melancholic about the melodies of these songs. Ultimately though, danceability wins out, with solid four-on-the-floor kick drum hits and throbbing bass lines.

Also on Saturday night's bill are newcomers and Capitol Records signees Hockey. Hockey also draw their tunes from the synth-heavy new wave pool, but they add more guitar while dialing back the thick bed of bass that RWBW employ. We've heard some good things about these kids, not to mention we also have the Center Ice Package at home. It's pretty much win-win here for us. Hockey play the Mercury Lounge tonight as well.

Rounding out this great evening are Brooklyn's Bell. Lead vocalist Olga Bell often draws comparisons to Bjork, but her songs are less jagged yet equally as charming. Laced with piano and gauzy electronics Bell's composistions manage to remain melodic while also keeping an experimental edge. Should be a great night of synths, gee-tars and pop tunes.

Fredrik - Pianos - 11/15

A lovely group from Sweden called Fredrik, will be playing this Saturday night at Pianos. I know it seems like we keep repeating the same adjectives "wintry" "autumnal" "indie-folk" - but it's fuckin' cold, rainy, and cloudy and these songs just sound really great right now ok??

No matter what your mood or mindset, Fredrik are great, and certainly worth the trip to Pianos on Saturday night. Make sure you stay away from the meat market upstaris though, as it serves as the weekend home of all those little Murray Hill prepsters who decide to "slum it" on the Lower East Side for the night. Stay in the warm embrace of Fredrik downstairs instead.

Fredrik's debut record, Na Na Ni is out now.

New Friendy Fires Tour Dates - NY/LA

Our favorite band coming out of CMJ this year was hands down the Friendly Fires. After catching them at the Annex and the Brooklyn Vegan party, we were instantly sold. So, of course, we were excited to read that they are coming back to NY to play another show at the Annex on Dec. 9. Tix are on sale now. Head to BV for more photos from their Piano's show during CMJ.

Friendly Fires - 2008 Tour Dates
Sun 12/07 - Spaceland, Los Angeles CA
Tue 12/09 - The Annex, New York NY

(Photo Credit: Leia Jospe for Brooklyn Vegan)