Bridges & Powerlines Join CMJ for Showcase at Pete's Candy Store

It’s become an annual tradition. CMJ and Bridges and Powerlines. This year, Bridges and Powerlines will play an Official CMJ Showcase at Pete’s Candy Store on October 22nd as part of CMJ’s Music Marathon and Film Festival which takes over New York from October 19th through October 23rd. This year’s festival features hundreds of musical acts including: Phoenix, Surfer Blood, Two Door Cinema Club, School of Seven Bells, Justin Townes Earle, Black Label Society, Four Tet, The Drums, and many more.

This stop at CMJ is part of Bridges and Powerlines fall tour with dates in New York, Philadelphia, and North Carolina. The tour will preface the release of their second full-length album, Eve, which comes out January 18, 2011. The album examines life before September 11, 2001, a significant date to most Americans, but especially for the members of Bridges and Powerlines. Andrew Wood (keys/vocals), David Boyd (guitar/vocals), Keith Sigel (bass/vocals), and Mason Ingram, of Connecticut, Kentucky, North Carolina and Texas respectively, they were all drawn to the city out of the nostalgic goodwill that developed as the nation recovered. The city they soon called home was beginning a indie pop boom, and the four of them, with their shared love of intricately arranged three-minute pop songs became a part of it.

Bridges and Powerlines has received much praise from the likes of Pitchfork, “now that's power,” Paste, and The Washington Post and their first album Ghost Types, which was produced by Chris Zane (Les Savy Fav, White Rabbits, Asobi Seksu), enjoyed a seven-week run in the CMJ Top 200. Gothamist said they are “worth standing in a crowded club to see,” which audiences all over the east coast may just have to do.

Celebrating its 30th year, CMJ Music Marathon & Film Festival is headquartered this year at New York University’s Greenwich Village campus and dozens of downtown Manhattan and Brooklyn venues. CMJ, New York City’s largest music festival, brings together more than 120,000 music fans, music business professionals, college radio tastemakers, press, artists, filmmakers, and industry icons. Artists from more than 30 international territories are expected to partake in CMJ Music Marathon 2010, from Australia to Japan and everywhere in between.

CMJ Official Showcase
Bridges & Powerlines
October 22nd
Pete’s Candy Store
709 Lorimer Street, Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Show Time: 11:00 PM
21+


Bridges & Powerlines Tour Dates

10/5 Spike Hill, New York, NY
10/22 CMJ Pete’s Candy Store, Brooklyn, NY
10/22 The Beast of The Northeast, Arlene’s Grocery, New York, NY
11/03 -Kung Fu Necktie, Philadelphia, PA
11/05 Cakeshop - New York, NY
11/12 Ronnie’s Bar, Chicago, IL
11/13 Cicero’s, St. Louis, MO
11/16 Al’s Bar, Lexington, KY
11/17 Caledonia Lounge, Athens, GA
11/18 The 529, Atlanta, GA
11/19 Evening Muse, Charlotte, NC
11/20 The Cave, Chapel Hill, NC
11/21 The Pourhouse, Raleigh, NC
Click Here to Read More..

Golden Bloom Opens for Sea Wolf on September 19th at The Mercury Lounge

There’s just something about one-man bands. Sea Wolf, which is the chamber-pop project of Alex Church will be playing a solo acoustic set at The Mercury Lounge on September 19th. Another man famous for doing it all, Shawn Fogel, will be opening for him with his project, Golden Bloom. Patrick Park and Sera Cahoone round out the night.

No two Golden Bloom shows are alike, with the ever-changing line-up of musicians that play with Shawn Fogel keeping things fresh. Fogel constructs intelligent contemporary indie power pop that rivals like-minded peers such as Wilco, Matt Pond PA, and Ben Kweller. The singer and multi-instrumentalist is so fully committed to his music that when he records an album, he plays nearly every instrument himself; tracking layers of his own vocal melodies for some of the purest and most encouraging indie pop out today. His other project, Neutral Uke Hotel has been taking the world by storm with live performances of Neutral Milk Hotel’s In the Aeroplane Over The Sea which is played entirely on ukulele.

Taking its name from novelist Jack London’s 1904 seafaring adventure, Sea Wolf has evolved organically from its hermetic origins in Alex Brown Church’s living room into a muscular, full-bodied musical entity with passion to burn. Dangerbird Records will be releasing a 7" vinyl-and-digital-only single for 'Turn the Dirt Over' (from White Water, White Bloom), which will be available during Sea Wolf’s solo acoustic tour.

Sunday, September 19th
Mercury Lounge
217 E. Houston St., New York, NY
Opening for Patrick Park, Sera Cahoone, and Sea Wolf (solo acoustic)
7:00pm
21+
$12 in advance (tickets)
$14 at the door

Additional Golden Bloom Tour Dates:
9/7/10 TT the Bears, Cambridge MA (w/Telekinesis and Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin)

Neutral Uke Hotel Tour Dates:
8/25/10 Mills City Café, Washington, DC
8/29/10 Luckey's, Eugene, OR
8/30/10 Mississippi Studios, Portland, OR
8/31/10 The Sunset , Seattle, WA
Click Here to Read More..

Favorite Friday with Avi Wisnia

Avi Wisnia's
Top 5 TV Theme Songs From My Childhood

No stranger to turning others' familiar songs into something entirely his own with his unique cover songs, Avi Wisnia finds his musical influences in all facets of pop culture, even cartoons. Wisnia believes strongly in where each of his "favorites" list are numbered, and he totally saw Neil Patrick Harris at the grocery store. Wisnia explains all....and believe us, you want to read it all. This piano man is a character. He not only provided us this fresh photo but an mp3 of a rough demo to his #1 Favorite TV theme. Amazing.

"As I have been compiling a set list for my upcoming NYC CD Release show on June 3 (at Triad Theater), I've been fooling around with some of my favorite songs - and it struck me how many of the most memorable melodies stuck in my head are the ones from TV shows I watched when I was a kid."

5. Muppet Babies
"There's something about Kermit's voice, I could listen to that frog sing all day."

4. Zoobilee Zoo
"How was I not totally freaked out by all the giant horrifying people-animals? The theme song!"

3. Doogie Howser, M.D.
"Also doubles as great ice cream truck soundtrack. It reminds me of when I bumped into Neil Patrick Harris at the grocery store. I bet that song just follows him everywhere."

2. DuckTales
"I challenge you to blurt out those two words and not have someone follow with 'WOO HOO!'"

1. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
"So I was backpacking around the Highlands of Scotland in late summer and I stopped into a local pub. I was by far the only foreigner. As I waited to get in on a game of pool, the guys playing asked me where I was from. 'Philadelphia.' They knew Philadelphia. 'Born and raised they asked. I countered, 'On the playground, that's where I spent most of my days.' It didn't take long for the ENTIRE PUB to join in with the entire song, including the sideways cap/head-bob finale. That's right, you heard it here first: Will Smith brings world peace."

Honorable mention: The Smurfs
"This is the great all-time palette cleanser. If you have a song stuck in your head - the latest Gaga, let's say - just hum this tune, and you'll be fine to go about your day."


Avi Wisnia NYC Album Release Event
Triad Theater - 158 West 72nd Street New York, NY
A special concert event featuring full-band performance by Avi Wisnia, with special guests and tons of surprises.
7pm doors
Show: 7:30-9:30pm
$7 early-bird tickets available till May 4, 2010, $9 advanced tickets, $12 day-of tickets
This show is open to all ages, 21+ to drink
2 drink minimum, cash only
Reservations recommended
Meet and Greet following set

Each Friday, hence the name Favorite Friday - one GLG band/artist will send us a list and comments about their "favorites" of the week. It could be a list of albums they are listening to in the van, books they are reading, guilty pleasure TV, and so on. We hope these various "favorites" will give you unique glimpse into the lives of our bands. Click Here to Read More..

Leopold and His Fiction Adds Third New York Show on March 31st

Leopold and his Fiction brings their cohesive blend of Detroit garage-rock 'n' roll, Grass Valley folk and Western darkness to the Marlin Room at Webster Hall on Wednesday, March 31st. They will also play two additional shows in New York on 4/1 at Union Pool and 4/2 at Pianos. An exclusive unreleased tour single of "Golden Friends" from the upcoming Thom Monahan (Devendra Banhart, Little Joy, Vetiver) produced album will be available at all the shows beginning at SXSW.

Catch Leopold and His Fiction in a city near you!
3/16/10 – Art Disaster’s Unofficial Kick-Off Party at Beauty Bar (SXSW) – Austin, TX
3/18/10 - Bay Area Takeover at SXSW at Beauty Bar – Austin, TX
3/23/10 - Lounge on Elm Street – Dallas, TX
3/25/10 - Highland Inn - Atlanta, GA
3/27/10 - My Favorite Things Records - Greensboro, NC
3/28/10 -The Milestone - Charlotte, NC
3/29/10 – BoBo Gallery, Asheville, NC
3/30/10 - The Nightlight - Chapel Hill, NC
3/31/10 - Lach Presents (Marlin Room at Webster Hall) – New York NY
4/1/10 - Union Pool - Brooklyn, NY
4/2/10 - Piano's - New York, NY
4/3/10 - PA's Lounge - Somerville, MA
4/4/10 - The Khyber - Philadelphia, PA
4/7/10 - The Lager House - Detroit, MI
4/8/10 - The Southgate House - Newport, KY
4/10/10 - Cal's Bar - Chicago, IL
4/11/10 - 400 Bar - Minneapolis, MN
4/12/10 - Vaudeville Mews - Des Moines, IA
4/14/10 - Replay Lounge - Lawrence, KS
4/15/10 -Larimer Lounger - Denver, CO
4/29/10 - The Echo - Los Angeles, CA
4/30/10 - Bar Pink - San Diego, CA
5/2/10 -The Continental Room Fullerton, CA Click Here to Read More..

Fan-Tan Release Age of Discovery Nationally on May 11th

Brooklyn-based via Chapel Hill, NC quartet Fan-Tan, brood with post-punk Gang of Four mentality and synth-pop melodies ala The Cure. On their May 11th release Age of Discovery, Fan-Tan have brewed moody Brit-pop with tones of Arcade Fire sonic layers, honed on building on evocative and moody new wave pop infused with guitar hums since forming in 2006 in NC. New Yorker’s will get a sneak peak of Fan-Tan’s upcoming release at the local record release party at Mercury Lounge tonight with Surf City!

Back in North Carolina, Indonesian expatriates Kuki and Sandee Kooks joined with Ryan Lee Dunlap to draw on influence of the Manchester, England music scene circa 1983. After adding Mike Walter on synthesizers, the group decided on the name Fan-Tan, an ancient Chinese gambling game that was repeatedly mentioned in much of the history of the American west due to the many Chinese immigrant laborers in the area during that time, creating an “east meets west” connection similar to the band’s lineup.

Age of Discovery represents Fan-Tan’s self-discovery as a band and the spirit of adventure and exploration that keeps the excitement within making music. Exhibiting a somewhat vague overtone in order to allow fans to create their own interpretation, the album addresses the various devastating emotions and circumstances of life. The second track, “On Your Wall” shimmers and soars sonically and lyrically, while “Good Men” gives you a rush Interpol wishes they could. In five songs alone, Age of Discovery verges on epic soundscapes and soul gutting emotions. Discover what it makes you feel.

Age of Discovery EP Track Listing
1. Good Men
2. On Your Wall (Download the free mp3!)
3. AOD
4. Earrings
5. No Complaint

Don't miss out on Fan-Tan's upcoming Spring tour dates
May 11 2010 The M Room--Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
May 13 2010 The Plaza Bowl--Richmond, Virginia
May 14 2010 Local 506--Chapel Hill, NC
May 16 2010 Snug Harbor--Charlotte, North Carolina
May 18 2010 Drunken Unicorn--Atlanta, Georgia Click Here to Read More..

NYC Artists on the Rise

The Deli Magazine deems Brooklyn's Fan-Tan one of "NYC Artists on the Rise" stating, "Fan-Tan’s origins lie in the college town of Chapel Hill, N.C., which has sparked the musical careers of the likes of Superchunk and Archers of Loaf and more recently, The Love Language.The quintet’s distinctive “city” sound – dark, mysterious and alluring – probably disoriented the town’s residents and sonically clashed with other local musicians. Now based in Brooklyn, Fan-Tan is comfortably playing shows with artists that compliment its synth-pop sound such as Cale Parks and Led Er Est. On the band’s second EP “The Age of Discovery,” the urgent vocals compel the vivid guitar and looming bass with an overlay of atmospheric, subtle synths. The music is full of dramatics and tension, and it has an unyielding ability to remain in listeners’ heads for days. ”  - Nancy Chow

Fan-Tan celebrates the NY release of The Age of Discovery at the Mercury Lounge on March 26 when they join Surf City, the band Stereogum annointed as "Band to Watch" in 2008. Get your tickets in advance for only $10. Click Here to Read More..