The brainchild of dreamy popster Mikey Maramag, San Francisco’s Blackbird Blackbird is in town on the heels of the release of its latest EP, the seven-track Boracay Planet (Lavish Habits, October 16, 2012). Featuring five new songs and two remixes by DJ G and Distal, the EP has occasional subtle lyrics that show up in the background of ethereal electronic journeys. Blackbird Blackbird will be playing the Connect: Explorations in Electronic Psychedelia showcase on October 18 at (le) poisson rouge, along with Rioux, Rimar, Maria Minerva, Aimes, and Heathered Pearls.
this week in music
CMJ MUSIC MARATHON 2012: DAY THREE
The Fiery Furnaces’ Eleanor Friedberger returns to CMJ to play Mercury Lounge (photo by twi-ny/mdr)
Multiple venues
October 16-20
www.cmj.com/marathon
With the weekend on the horizon, things are kicking into full gear on Thursday night at the CMJ Music Marathon, with a great mix of bands from all over the indie spectrum. Below are our best bets for October 18.
Agent Ribbons, Spike Hill, 3:00
Tinderbox Music Festival: Beca, Slowdance, Miracles of Modern Science, Alyson Greenfield, Sorne, Hard Nips, Spike Hill, 7:00
Taiwan Music Showcase: Chemical Monkeys, 831, Da Mouth, Union Square Ballroom, 8:00
Shy Around Strangers, the Paper Box, 7:15
Bear Hands, Irving Plaza, 8:00
Felix da Housecat, Union Pool, 8:00
Eleanor Friedberger, Mercury Lounge, 9:30
CMJ VIDEO OF THE DAY: ARCHIE POWELL & THE EXPORTS
Chicago quartet Archie Powell & the Exports play infectious garage pop rooted in delightful 1960s and 1970s melodies. On their sophomore full-length, Great Ideas in Action (Good Land, October 16, 2012), the follow-up to 2010’s Skip Work, they deliver eleven sparkling tracks bursting with life. “The lights are on but, babe, nobody’s home / And it looks like I’ll sink like a stone,” singer-guitarist Powell explains on “You Might Be Cruel (Or I Might Be Dumb),” but with songs like this, there should be no sinking for the band, who will be at the Rock Shop on October 17 playing the Let’s Get Messy! CMJ showcase with Laura Stevenson and the Cans, Twin Tigers, Pretty & Nice, Trapper Shoepp & the Shades, Roomrunner, and Fantasy Rainbow. If you miss this gig, you can catch them October 21 at the Lone Wolf and October 23 at Piano’s. In addition, you can check out Great Ideas in Action for free here.
CMJ MUSIC MARATHON 2012: DAY TWO
Touring behind their second full-length, TIGER TALK, Canadian indie rockers Yukon Blonde will be pull into Webster Hall on Wednesday night for CMJ
Multiple venues
October 16-20
www.cmj.com/marathon
The 2012 CMJ Music Marathon continues Wednesday, the second of five days of hundreds of bands from all kinds of genres playing venues all over the city, in addition to panel discussions and conferences on the state of the industry. This year there is no film-festival component, which is too bad, but there are plenty of concerts, and you don’t have to have a badge to get in; the majority of CMJ shows are less than ten bucks for the general public, and badge entry is often limited. There are not as many major acts as there have been in recent years, as the marathon is getting back to its purer, more indie roots, although the legendary Johnny Winter will be at B.B. King’s. Here are our recommendations for Wednesday, October 17.
Let’s Get Messy! Showcase: Fantasy Rainbow (7:30), Trapper Scheopp & the Shades (8:15), Laura Stevenson & the Can (9:00), Roomrunner (9:45), Pretty & Nice (10:30), Archie Powell & the Exports (11:15), Twin Tigers (12 midnight), the Rock Shop
The Demos, the Delancey, 7:45
Yukon Blonde, Webster Hall, 8:00
Hey Rosetta!, Webster Hall, 8:45
Johnny Winter, B.B. King’s, 9:00
The Virgins, Brooklyn Bowl, 10:00
CMJ MUSIC MARATHON 2012: DAY ONE
Dave Wakeling will be playing both acoustic and full-band sets on the opening day of CMJ (photo © Eugene Iglesias)
Multiple venues
October 16-20
www.cmj.com/marathon
The 2012 CMJ Music Marathon begins Tuesday, kicking off five days of hundreds of bands from all kinds of genres playing venues all over the city, in addition to panel discussions and conferences on the state of the industry. There are a few main ways to go about attending CMJ, especially for those who have either gotten a ShowPass ($149), a Student Badge ($325), or a Full Badge ($549). One is to scout out a specific location, say, the Lower East Side or Williamsburg, and then just wander from club to club, checking out groups along the way. Another is to pick one hot showcase and just hang out there all night long. But you don’t have to have a badge to get in; the majority of CMJ shows are less than ten bucks for the general public. There are not as many major acts as there have been in recent years, with the marathon getting back to its purer, more indie roots, although day one features both an acoustic and full-band set by Dave Wakeling and the English Beat, who still put on quite a show. Here are our recommendations for Tuesday, October 16.
Reybee / Mezzoforte / A-Sides Showcase: Dave Wakeling acoustic (5:00), Luther (6:00), Glocca Morra (7:00), No Way Josie (8:00), Wild Adriatic (9:00), Brick + Mortar (10:00), Teen Commandments (11:00), Basement Batman (12 midnight), Spike Hill
The English Beat, B.B. King’s, 9:00
Live Stand-Up featuring Robert Kelly, Joe Derosa, Colin Quinn, Rich Vos, Keith Robinson, Comedy Cellar at the Village Underground, 9:20
The Mountain Goats, Bowery Ballroom, 10:00
The Ettes, Santos Party House Basement, 11:00
Alex Winston, Santos Party House, 11:15
THE PUBLIC THEATER’S BLOCK PARTY AND OPEN HOUSE
Lafayette St. between Astor Pl. & East Fourth St.
Saturday, October 13, free, 12 noon – 5:00
www.publictheater.org
The Public Theater will show off its $40 million renovated home, which includes a restored facade, new terraced steps and glass canopy, an expanded lobby and balcony with a lounge (the Library at the Public), and more, on Saturday with a free block party. Outside there will be live performances by Jessy Carolina & the Hot Mess, Sasha Allen, banjo legend Tony Trischka, and Colombian band M.A.K.U. SoundSystem, while inside the Public will offer sneak peaks at several upcoming productions: the New York premiere of Giant, a musical by Sybille Pearson and Michael John LaChiusa based on the Edna Ferber novel; the world premiere of Fun Home, a musical by Jeanine Tesori and Lisa Kron adapted from Alison Bechdel’s graphic novel; the world premiere of Here Lies Love, which features music by David Byrne and Fatboy Slim and choreography by Annie B-Parsons; and Stew and Heidi Rodewald’s The Total Bent. Inside, food will be available from their new menu designed by Andrew Carmellini, including pizza popcorn and kielbasa sandwiches on a soft pretzel roll, while seven food trucks will be outside, including Gorilla Cheese, Korilla BBQ, the Treats Truck, Solber Pupusas, Valducci’s Pizza, Rickshaw Dumplings, and Go Burger.
NEW YORK COMIC CON
New York Comic Con celebrates King of the Nerds and more at the Javits Center (photo by twi-ny/mdr)
Jacob K. Javits Convention Center
655 West 34th St. (11th Ave. between 34th & 39th Sts.)
October 11-14, sold out
www.newyorkcomiccon.com
If you’ve ever attended New York Comic Con, you know that the biblical prediction “The geek shall inherit the earth” is certainly true. For four days at the Javits Center, sci-fi and comic-book nerds will descend on the far west side, lining up for autograph signings (beware: some require substantial additional fees), giveaways, film screenings, panel discussions, concerts, and other special events that get bigger and bigger every year. The 2012 edition, which is completely sold out, includes a bevy of A-list, B-list, and C-list celebrities; among the wide variety of guests are Batman’s Adam West and Burt Ward, Carrie Fisher, Bill Paxton, Stan Lee, Bruce Campbell, Chris Columbus, Christopher Lloyd, Dee Snider, Anne Rice, Guillermo Del Toro, Kevin Bacon, Julianne Moore, Kirk Hammett, Tess Gerritsen, Rob Corddry, Ned Vizzini, Sean Astin, Seth Green, Kim Harrison, Terry O’Quinn, Vanessa Williams, Sir Terry Pratchett, Kevin Smith, Ron English, and legendary nerds Curtis Armstrong and Robert Carradine. Below are some of our recommendations for this massive celebration of a lot more than just comic books.
Thursday, October 11
Neal Adams Spotlight, with Josh Adams and Neal Adams, 1A14, 3:45
Robert Kirkman Autographing, Booth #1229, 5:00 – 6:00
Comic Studies Conference: Power and Sexuality in Comics, with Beverly Taylor, Cameron McKee, Evan Johnson, Mark Head, and Sam Cannon, 1A07, 5:15
Friday, October 12
CBLDF: The History of Comics Censorship, with Charles Brownstein, 1A08, 11:00 am
Adam West and Burt Ward Spotlight, with Adam West and Burt Ward, 1A23, 12:15
Christopher Lloyd Q&A, with Christopher Lloyd, 1A10, 12:30
Sir Terry Pratchett Introduces . . . Dodger, with Sir Terry Pratchett, Unbound Stage, 1:00
AMC Presents Kevin Smith’s Comic Book Men, with Bryan Johnson, Kevin Smith, Michael Zapcic, Ming Chen, and Walter Flanagan, IGN Theater, 2:45
Joe Simon Memorial Celebration, with Angelo Torres, Carmine Infantino, Jim Simon, Mark Waid, Paul Levitz, and Stephen Saffel, 1A01, 5:15
Robot Chicken, with Clare Grant, Kevin Shinick, Matthew Senreich, and Seth Green, IGN Theater, 6:30
Kirk Hammett, Lead Guitarist for Metallica, Talks to Kevin Clement about His Passion for Collecting Monster Movie Memorabilia, with Kevin Clement and Kirk Hammett, 1A23, 9:00
Fans will be on their hands and knees, begging to get in to several special WALKING DEAD events at this year’s New York Comic Con
Saturday, October 13
Once More with Feeling: 15 Years of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, with Jane Espenson, Jenny Frison, Rebekah Isaacs, Scott Allie, and Sierra Hahn, 1A21, 11:15 am
Mad about MAD, with Al Jaffee, Bob Wayne, Drew Friedman, John Ficarra, Peter Kuper, Ryan Flanders, and Sam Viviano, 1A23, 12:15
Bill Paxton and Johnn McLaughlin’s Seven Holes for Air Introduction, with Bill Paxton, David Uslan, Eric Reid, and John McLaughlin, 1E13, 12:30
Stan Lee’s World of Heroes, with Peter David and Stan Lee, 1E13, 3:00
Carrie, with Chloë Grace Moretz, Julianne Moore, Kevin Misher, and Kimberly Peirce, IGN Theater, 3:45
AMC’s The Walking Dead Panel Event, with Andrew Lincoln, Chandler Riggs, Chris Hardwick, Danai Gurira, David Morrissey, Gale Anne Hurd, Glen Mazzara, Michael Rooker, Norman Reedus, and Robert Kirkman, IGN Theater, 5:00
Sunday, October 14
666 Park Avenue Special Video Presentation and Q&A, with Dave Annable, David Wilcox, Erik Palladino, Helena Mattson, Matthew Miller, Mercedes Masöhn, Rachael Taylor, Robert Buckley, Samantha Logan, Terry O’Quinn, and Vanessa Williams, 1E13, 11:00 am
The Following Pilot Screening and Q&A, with Annie Parisse, James Purefoy, Kevin Bacon, Kevin Williamson, Marcos Siega, Natalie Zea, and Shawn Ashmore, 1E07, 12 noon
Josh Gates Q&A, with Josh Gates, 1A10, 1:30
Ian McDiarmid Spotlight, 1E13, 2:45