On albums such as 2007’s Meal Ticket to Purgatory and 2010’s Superpowerfragilis: Or How I Learned to Stop Caring and Love the Drug, Pittsburgh four-piece the Van Allen Belt has created engaging psychedelic pop rooted in 1960s melodies and harmonies, albeit with an edge reminiscent of the Fiery Furnaces. Led by singer Tamar Kamin’s dreamy vocals and multi-instrumentalist B. K. Ferris, the band continually offers up surprising diversions, throwing in a touch of Las Vegas lounge here, some progressive rock there, with even a little military march for good measure. The band has a very simple reason for being: “We stand for the advancement of human civilization. You can try to stop us, but you will fail.” The Van Allen Belt is coming to New York this summer for a series of shows beginning June 21 at Goodbye Blue Monday and June 22 at Lit Lounge, then will be back July 8 at Pianos and July 9 at Cameo Gallery. “I know it’s been a while / Since I showed my mug around these parts,” Kamin sings on “Lovely in Akron,” continuing, “I think I’m gonna smile / And that’s like a good start / So tragic is this city / But I wouldn’t know / When I’m in it with you.” You can be in it with them in this none-too-tragic city on a tour that should highlight songs from their upcoming album, Heaven on a Branch, along with original animations and paintings by Peter Luckner.
this week in music
NORTHSIDE FESTIVAL 2012: DAY FOUR
Welsh alternapunks Future of the Left headline Europa on last night of Northside Festival
The music section of the third annual Northside Festival comes to a close on Sunday with a small lineup that begins in the late afternoon, but there are still some key bands to catch. Among the groups to look out for are Avan Lava, Hard Nips, Future of the Left, Violens, and Amen Dunes. On Monday, Northside Film begins, with four days of dozens of films being shown at indieScreen, Nitehawk Cinema, and Union Docs.
The Deli Magazine presents: Avan Lava, Computer Magic, SAADI, Papertwin, Spacecamp, Osekre & the Luck Bastards, Cameo Gallery, $8, 6:00
Leda, Air Waves, Grooms, Hard Nips, Union Pool, $8, 8:00
Future of the Left, Bomb the Music Industry!, Me You Us Them, Europa, $15, 8:00
Suckers, Violens, Night Manager, Companion, Public Assembly, $12, 8:30
Sacred Bones presents: Crystal Stilts, Amen Dunes, Vår, Wymond Miles, Warthog, Glasslands, $12, 8:45
NEW MUSIC SEMINAR
Today the Moon, Tomorrow the Sun will be part of inaugural New Music Seminar, playing Pianos on Monday night (photo by twi-ny/mdr)
Webster Hall (and other venues)
125 East 11th St.
June 17-20, registration $399 (students $249)
Individual concerts: free – $45 (most $20 and under)
212-353-1600
newmusicseminar.com
The inaugural New Music Seminar is dedicated to supporting all kinds of music based on talent and merit alone, “without regard to its financial resources or connections.” As its name implies, it’s a mix of live performances from up-and-coming bands in addition to workshops, lectures, panel discussions, and seminars. Taking place June 17-20 at Webster Hall and other venues, NMS ’12 gets under way Sunday afternoon with a pair of Songwriters Hall of Fame presentations, followed by an opening-night party with the Fiery Sensations, Samantha Slithers, Evan Shinners, the Pierces, Hoodie Allen, and others, along with DJ sets by Andy Rourke of the Smiths. Things get going early Monday morning with opening remarks by Tom Silverman of Tommy Boy Records and Michael J. Huppe of SoundExchange, followed by the keynote address delivered by Bob Pittman of Clear Channel and Sean Parker of Founders Fund. Over the next several days, Peter Asher will conduct “BMI Presents the Songwriters Movement,” with demonstrations by Desmond Child, Ammar Malik, Billy Mann, and Sandy Vee; Yancey Strickler will host “Kickstarter: Amanda Palmer’s Kickstarter Million and What We Can Learn from It”; various radio program directors and brand managers will team up for “The Gods of Radio: Going Beyond Simulcasting”; and ReverbNation’s Jed Carlson will address the question “How Do You Start a Buzz?” There will also be a Meet the Authors event on Tuesday featuring the writers of a dozen books about the music business. In addition to the special programs at Webster Hall, which require registration of $249 to $399, there are dozens of individually ticketed and/or free concerts, including Alice Smith at City Winery, Ziggy Marley and Bajah + the Dry Eye Crew at Irving Plaza, the Mingus Big Band and Terence Blanchard at the Jazz Standard, Rosie Flores, Mare Winningham, and Garland Jeffreys at the Living Room, Electric Sun at Cameo, Travis Porter at S.O.B.’s, the Great Apes at Cake Shop, NinjaSonik and the Dirty Pearls at Santos Party House, and Today the Moon, Tomorrow the Sun at Pianos.
NORTHSIDE FESTIVAL 2012: DAY THREE
Nashville quartet Turbo Fruits will bust it out at Knitting Factory (photo by Bekah Cope)
The third day of the third annual Northside Festival boasts perhaps the widest range of acts of the fest, from such great duos as Dean & Britta, Exitmusic, and Asobi Seksu to such powerful female-led groups as WOJCIK, Danielia Cotton, and Lily and the Parlour Tricks. Dean & Britta, formerly of Luna, will be part of a free show in McCarren Park with Red Baraat, Mas Ysa, and Hume beginning at 3:15. But we’re most looking forward to the crazy Nashville quartet Turbo Fruits, who will be going wild just before midnight at the Knitting Factory. Below are our five hot picks for Saturday.
Red Baraat, Dean & Britta, Mas Ysa, Hume, McCarren Park, free, 3:15
Windish presents: Asobi Seksu, Exitmusic, Ape School, Field Mouse, Brooklyn Bowl, $10, 6:00
Lily and the Parlour Tricks, Sonnyboy, Danielia Cotton, the Sons of Brooklyn, Them Damn Ninjas, the Paper Box, 8:00
The Whatever Blog presents: Clouder, WOJCIK, Starlight Girls, Bootblacks, Freshkills, the Spare Room at the Gutter, $5, 8:30
Panache Booking presents: Grass Widow, Turbo Fruits, the Black Belles, Gary War, Gap Dream, Snack Machine, Knitting Factory, 8:45
NORTHSIDE FESTIVAL 2012: DAY TWO
LIssy Trullie will be looking for love and more at Northside tonight (photo by Cory Kennedy)
The third annual Northside Festival heads into day two with its biggest show, an outdoor concert in McCarren Park featuring of Montreal, Jens Lekman, the Thermals, and Beach Fossils that should be hipster central. But don’t pass up the smaller, cheaper events at such venues as Bar Matchless, Cameo Gallery, Europa, Glasslands, Music Hall of Williamsburg, the Knitting Factory, Public Assembly, and Legion. Tonight’s promising roster includes St. Lucia, French Horn Rebellion, Lissy Trullie, Buke and Gase, and a record release party for These United States. In addition, Northside Art begins, with dozens of artists opening up their studios to visitors, and Northside Entrepreneurship continues with such panel discussions as “Fundraising for Niche Startups: Lessons from Urban Agriculture Innovators,” “Make Things Not War,” and “GZA on the Spirit of Disruption and Brooklyn.”
of Montreal, Jens Lekman, the Thermals, Beach Fossils, McCarren Park, $33.50, 5:00
Northside Art: Katie Nielsen, “Many Conversations” group show at Present Company, opening reception 6:00 – midnight, “Space Half Empty” group show at Fowler Arts Collective, opening reception 7:00 – 10:00
Neon Gold Records present: St. Lucia, French Horn Rebellion, Black Light Dinner Party, Slowdance, Lovelife, Nini Fabi, Chrome Canyon (DJ), Cameo Gallery, $15, 7:00
These United States (album release show), Grand Rapids, Your 33 Black Angels, Knitting Factory, $15, 8:00
The Whatever Blog presents: LUFF, Gold Streets, the Planes, Crazy Pills, Alyson Greenfield, Legion, $5, 8:00
PopGun presents: Lissy Trullie, the Young Rapscallions, Motive, Glasslands Gallery, $10, 8:30
NORTHSIDE FESTIVAL 2012: DAY ONE
GZA will be performing his 1995 classic, LIQUID SWORDS, on the opening night of Northside
The third annual Northside Festival gets under way tonight, expanding to eight days of special programs and events throughout Greenpoint and Williamsburg. Hundreds of bands will be playing Northside Music June 14-17, from name groups to local newcomers. Overlapping the music section will be Northside Art, comprising more than fifty open studios, group shows, and art walks June 15-17, as well as Northside Entrepreneurship on June 14-15, consisting of more than three dozen panel discussions and seminars on the business of entertainment. The festival continues next week with Northside Film, with more than sixty shorts, features, documentaries, and animated works being screened June 18-21. We’ll be posting our daily recommendations through the first part of the festival, so keep checking back as we narrow Northside down to its key ingredients. For Thursday’s opening night, the highlights include the psychedelic White Hills, the experimental Dustin Wong, eclectic duo Eternal Summers, dance funksters Aabaraki, and Wu Tang genius GZA.
Monarch presents: Pass Kontrol, Aabaraki, Mitten, Scott Matthew, Bar Matchless, $8, 7:00
NYCTaper presents: Pontiak, White Hills, Rhyton, EULA, 285 Kent, $12, 9:00
Kanine Records & Terrorbird Media present: Class Actress, Eternal Summers, Bleeding Rainbow, Beach Day, Zambri, Air Waves, Knitting Factory, $15, 7:30
GZA performing Liquid Swords, Orchestra Grupo Fantasma, Brownout (early show only), Music Hall of Williamsburg, $30, 7:30 & 11:00
Strange Victory Touring Co. presents: Mucca Pazza, Chain and the Gang, Magik Markers, M.A.K.U. SoundSystem, Starring, Dustin Wong, Dope Body, Public Assembly, $14, 10:00
TASTE OF TIMES SQUARE 2012
Live music and a wide variety of food are on the menu at annual Taste of Times Square
46th St. between Broadway & Ninth Ave.
Monday, June 11, most dishes $2-$6, 5:00 – 9:00
www.timessquarenyc.org
The international culinary flavor of the Times Square area will be on display tonight at the annual Taste of Times Square, where more than fifty local restaurants will be serving their signature dishes on West 46th St. The menu lineup, with most dishes costing between two and six dollars (purchased with dollar tasting tickets), incudes blackened tenderloin tips from Shula’s American Steakhouse, pork and bean sausage with Tori’s buffalo chips from Ca Va Brasserie, beef sliders from the Library at the Paramount Hotel, salmon caviar blini and chicken Kiev from Firebird, traditional spinach and feta cheese spanakopitas from Hourglass Tavern, chicken pot pie from O’Lunney’s, empanadas from Nuchas, sliced steak sandwiches from Gallagher’s, Memphis pork ribs from Virgil’s, lobster rolls from Snackbox, paella from Meson Sevilla, doners from Dervish, pulled pork sandwiches from Joe Allen, steak frites sushi hand rolls from Mr. Robata, penne alla vodka from Carmine’s, crespelle alla Savolarda from Barbetta, and yellowfin tuna, pickled enoki, miso aioli, and ginger soy glaze from Nios. For dessert, there’s the classic Junior’s original cheesecake, Le Rivage’s bread pudding with crème Anglaise, flan from Sangria 46, strawberry sundaes from Blue Fin, gelato from Salume, and shaved ice from Rickshaw Dumpling Bar. Free live entertainment will be provided by Paul Mueller, the Ebony Hillbillies, the Baby Soda Jazz Band, Mariachi Real de Mexico, Moses Josiah, Alais Lucette, Don Witter Jr., the Jazz Collective, and George Gee and the Jump Jive n’ Wail Swing Orchestra.