Von Shakes (Ireland to Brooklyn Power-Punk) Play Late Show at Knitting Factory on July 20th

Just over a year ago, I reviewed Von Shakes debut EP "Almost Nobody" and called the disc "an enjoyable slice of power-punk that is reminiscent of bands like Rooney and Weezer...high-energy, guitar-driven rock with the focal points being Paddy Brazel’s vocals and the band’s slashing guitar lines."

Von Shakes full-length debut, Bohemia, will be out in October and the band describes the album as capturing the sensation and passion of a live show. In a recent interview with Downtown Magazine, Brazil said: "“Bohemia was recorded live, on tape…the artwork is simple, and we’re producing the record onto vinyl...There’s no fiction in our lyrics, we like to believe everything is real.”

The show at Knitting Factory is listed as starting at 11:55PM (why not say Midnight??) and tickets are $5.00.



Links:
Von Shakes

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Anvil - Live Photos from 'Hope in Hell' Release Party @ Knitting Factory, Brooklyn, NY 5-30-13

"Anvil have more integrity than your favorite five bands combined...Hope in Hell could have been released at any time between 1978 and the present day. It's a very simple, and time-tested formula: in-your-face riffs, screaming leads, great lyrics — pure, uncompromised metal". - Mickey Melchiondo (aka Dean Ween)


It seems somewhat hard to believe that some of the bands that are just now getting commercial recognition have been playing the circuit for over 30 (Anvil) to 40 (Pentagram) years.

Anvil released their 15th disc, Hope in Hell (The End Records), on May 28th and held their record release party two nights later at the Knitting Factory. The new disc is a scorcher and - for all the hardcore Anvil fans out there - there is a limited edition digipak pressing with two bonus tracks ("Hard Wired" and "Fire at Will") and a limited-edition 2LP 180-gram orange vinyl pressing which also includes the same two bonus tracks. For Hope in Hell,  the band once again tapped producer Bob Marlette (Black Sabbath, Alice Cooper) who continues to do an excellent job of capturing the band's live sound in the studio.  The band has also had a lineup change as Sal Italiano (who used to be in A.J. Pero's 1980's side-project Cities) is now on bass and he is a great fit.

One of the things I've always loved about Anvil is that, in addition to having great musical chops, the band always looks like they are having fun and doing something they love (...which is a great counterpoint to those lead guitarists who look painfully constipated every time they take a solo).  Energy like this is contagious though I didn't expect the mini-pit to break out when it did.

 Anvil is off on a European tour next month and, in talking with Robb after the show, the band plans on coming back through the States in the fall.

Anvil 2013 Summer Hope in Hell Tour
7/27/13  - U.K Ebbw Vale - Steelhouse Festival
7/28/13  - U.K Glasgow - Cathouse
7/29/13  - U.K Manchester - Academy 3
7/30/13  - U.K London - Garage
8/01/13  - Germany Cologne - Underground
8/02/13  - Germany Wacken - Wacken Festival
8/03/13  - Holland Haarlem - Patronaat
8/04/13  - Belgium Lokeren - Lokerse Feesten Festival
8/06/13  - Switzerland Zurich - Plaza
8/07/13  - Germany Lichtenfels - Paunchy Cats
8/08/13  - Germany Saarbruecken - Garage
8/10/13  - Sweden Gävle - Getaway Festival

Links:
Anvil

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Tim Kasher (Cursive) Announces March Shows at Knitting Factory and Maxwell's

(Photo: Jess Ewald)

Tim Kasher, frontman for Cursive, has announced a new run of solo tour dates in March. The tour will begin on March 12th at The Space in Hamden, CT and will wrap on on March 23rd at Schuba's in Chicago, IL, and includes two New York area shows on the 14th at the Knitting Factory in Brooklyn and the 15th at Maxwell's in Hoboken, NJ. A full itinerary is below.

Kasher is currently getting ready to record the follow-up to his 2010 debut solo LP, The Game Of Monogamy, which earned praise from Alternative Press, The A.V. Club, Ghettoblaster, SPIN, Under The Radar, and USA Today, among others. He'll be performing new songs in addition to tracks from Monogamy throughout the tour, and an array of friends will back him on varying accompaniment in each city.

Kasher's most recent album with Cursive, I Am Gemini, was released last February via Saddle Creek.

Tim Kasher Tour Dates:
MAR. 12 - HAMDEN, CT - THE SPACE*
MAR. 13 - PHILADELPHIA, PA - JOHNNY BRENDA'S*
MAR. 14 - BROOKLYN, NY - KNITTING FACTORY* (Advance tickets: $12)
MAR. 15 - HOBOKEN, NJ - MAXWELL'S* (Advance tickets: $12)
MAR. 16 - BOSTON, MA - GREAT SCOTT*
MAR. 20 - OMAHA, NE - O'LEAVER'S
MAR. 21 - OMAHA, NE - O'LEAVER'S**
MAR. 22 - CHAMPAIGN, IL - MIKE N' MOLLY'S**
MAR. 23 - CHICAGO, IL - SCHUBA'S**
* Birthmark supports
** Brighton MA supports

Links:
Tim Kasher

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All Pigs Must Die Kick Off March Tour @ Knitting Factory, Brooklyn on March 9th

Massachusetts' riff-murderers All Pigs Must Die will embark on their latest cross-country killing spree with Narrows, the bands SXSW-bound for several massive live assaults on the legions swarming through Austin next week.

With the tour kicking off in Brooklyn this Friday they will crush their way south towards the SXSW festivities. All Pigs Must Die will perform next Thursday with CTTTOAFF, The Atlas Moth, Kill The Client, Mutilation Rites, more, on Friday they'll storm at the Southern Lord/The Power of the Riff showcase with Ringworm, Black Breath, Narrows, Enabler, Ken Mode and more, and on Saturday a free Death Comes Ripping day party with Ringworm, Kill The Client, Ancient VVisdom, Primitive Weapons, Mutilation Rites and others. Sunday will see APMD invading Dallas for Brofest, performing with Off!, Balaclava, Coliseum, Full of Hell and tons more before touring their way back home via a few stops throughout the Midwest.

All Pigs Must Die - March Tour Dates:
3/09/2012 Knitting Factory - Brooklyn, NY w/ Narrows (Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 DOS)
3/10/2012 Great Scott - Allston, MA w/ Narrows
3/11/2012 DC9 - Washington, DC w/ Narrows
3/12/2012 Local 506 - Chapel Hill, NC w/ Narrows
3/13/2012 529 - Atlanta, GA w/ Narrows
3/15/2012 Club 1808 - Austin, TX @ SXSW w/ CTTTOAFF, The Atlas Moth, Kill The Client, Mutilation Rites, more
3/16/2012 Scoot Inn - Austin, TX @ SXSW TPOTR/Southern Lord showcase w/ Ringworm, Black Breath, Narrows, Enabler, more
3/17/2012 Longbranch Inn - Austin, TX @ FREE SXSW Death Comes Ripping day party w/ Ringworm, Kill The Client, Ancient VVisdom, Primitive Weapons, Mutilation Rites, more
3/18/2012 Club Dada - Dallas, TX @ Brofest w/ Off!, Balaclava, Coliseum, Full of Hell, tons more [info]
3/19/2012 Dickson Theatre - Fayette, AR w/ Narrows
3/20/2012 Fubar - St. Louis, MO w/ Narrows
3/21/2012 Subterranean - Chicago, IL w/ Narrows
3/22/2012 Now That's Class - Cleveland, OH w/ Masakari



A group committed to uncompromising sonic warfare, All Pigs Must Die explode on God Is War, the album's sound and lyrical content assaulting the listener in a fury of death-filled anthems. Their upbeat flurry is slowed only for the occasional snail-paced buildup of mammoth riff tension, the rush of obvious hatred for humanity relentlessly displayed through it all. Recorded and mixed by Converge guitarist Kurt Ballou's God City Studio (Black Breath, Nails, Black Cobra, Disfear) in December, the tone of God Is War is as foreboding as the music itself. All Pigs Must Die contains vocalist Kevin Baker (The Hope Conspiracy), drummer Ben Koller (Converge), guitarist Adam Wentworth (Bloodhorse) and bassist Matt Woods (Bloodhorse).

Links:
All Pigs Must Die

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EULA Posts "Maurice Narcisse" as Free Download / Multiple Area Shows in September

DOWNLOAD: EULA - "Maurice Narcisse"



Punk rock trio EULA is coming coming back through town next month and the band is playing five shows in Brooklyn over the course of the next few weeks.



EULA is continuing to tour behind their new 10-track disc Maurice Narcisse which, in parts, sounds like the bastard child of Big Black. Check out QRO Magazine's in-depth review of the new disc.



EULA Sept/Oct Tour Dates

9/03-- The Lamp Post (Jersey City NJ)

9/10-- Tinderbox Music Festival @ Knitting Factory (Brooklyn)

9/15-- Elm City Pop Fest @ Popeye's Garage (New Haven CT)

9/17-- Paper Garden Records' Multiverse Playground III Fest (@ 106 Emerson Place, Brooklyn) ~ EULA @ 6pm

9/17-- Living Bread (2 Knickerbocker Ave., Brooklyn) w/ Shark? & Dinosaur Feathers ~ EULA @ 11pm

9/18-- Brick City Sound Riot Music Festival @ Kilkenny Ale House (Newark NJ) ~ EULA @ 9pm

9/22-- Bar Matchless (Brooklyn) w/ Ritz Riot

10/8 -- The Gutter (Brooklyn)







Links:

EULA

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The Dwarves: Photos/Review from Knitting Factory, Brooklyn 7-15-11

"It is all fun and games until somebody gets hurt" - Unknown

The show last Friday at the Knitting Factory started off fairly quiet but crowd really filled in prior to The Dwarves taking the stage. The Dwarves were more fired up than I've seen them in recent years and Blag was in and out of the crowd while beer was flying through the air.



The band played as a four-piece - too many members have come and gone over the years for me to identify the lineup with certainty but a best guess would be Fresh Prince of Darkness, Gregory Pecker and Whölley Smökkes. The band blasted through their set, which spanned their back catalog from Blood, Gut and P*ssy to the present, and a very clean-cut looking Sgt. Saltpeter made a guest appearance on one song.









This is the first time that I've seen the band play without HeWhoCannotBeNamed (so no nudity at the show) but HeWho made an appearance toward the end of the set dressed in his wrestling mask and a pair of tighty-whities and stage-dived into the crowd. The show seemed to get cut short as there was one guy (photo below) who kept climbing onto and diving off the stage. His last time off - no one caught him so he hit the floor. He was bleeding (I didn't get a good look) and ended up in an ambulance and the show stopped there.



Links:
The Dwarves

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The Stalkers: Photos from the Knitting Factory, Brooklyn 7-15-11

Stalkers - Lady Sonia by Oops Baby Records

Last month, The Stalkers released a limited edition 400 black vinyl/100 blue vinyl 7" and digital single, "Lady Sonia" / "When We Get There" on Oops Baby Records. This release is the follow-up to the band's debut album, Yesterday Is No Tomorrow, which was released in 2008 on One Little Indian. The record received positive reviews from the British press and the band has toured extensively, appearing at major UK festivals and playing packed houses all over the States. The band has built a steady following since forming in 2007 - the five members; Andy Animal (vocals), Dave (rhythm guitar), Danny (bass), John (lead guitar) and Josh (drums) create a live energy that brings to mind The Dictators and the MC5.



In keeping with The Dictators comparison, Impose Magazine did a write-up on the band in 2007 and said: "Five minutes with Andy and you know why they call him Animal. He's sometimes possessed, with a crazed look in his clear blue eye. He's been spotted wearing an eye patch, and his long hair has not had the rock washed out of it. He's garage in the sense that he looks like he lives in one. Upon mention that I was traveling with Andy, out came the stories… "That guy used to be our roadie," "This one time we were all so fucked up…" Seems we have a living legend here."





The Stalkers played immediately prior to The Dwarves and got the crowd fired up as the band came off the stage and finished their set from the floor.





Links:
The Stalkers

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Not Blood, Paint Play Knitting Factory on July 16th w/ Jangula, Yellow Dogs and Charlie Slick

Tommy by notbloodpaint

I've been a fan of Not Blood, Paint for a while so rather than rehash some of my past write-ups...FreeWilliamsburg.com described the band as follows: "They are music, they are spectacle, they are hit ’n run theater, car crash club night, they are a disorientating re-imagining of what four men, five coats of make-up and accomplished musicality can do with a six by ten space."

Also on the bill is Brooklyn synth-pop/college rock band Jangula who put on a h*ll of a show (check out Genji Glove from the band's self-titled EP). I don't know much about The Yellow Dogs (Iran to Brooklyn trasnplants) but they have gotten positive write-ups on their post-punk sound. The Knitting Factory website describes Charlie Slick as "a musician and inventor who resides in Ann Arbor, MI. He currently performs with Molly Mascow and Micah Vanderhoof. He has released 5 full length albums, his most recent, ELRON HUBBARD, is available on Vinyl." (check out Charlie Slick - "Money")

Advanced tickets for the show are $9 and $13 (DOS). Doors are at 7PM and the show starts at 8PM.



Links:
Not Blood, Paint

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The Dwarves Plays Knitting Factory and The Studio at Webster Hall This Month on Their 25th Anniversary Tour

Here are five items from the list of "25 Things You Don't Know About The Dwarves":

1 - THE DWARVES first tour in 1988 covered over 6,000 miles and highlights were featured in the Village Voice. The tour consisted of 3 cities, 4 shows and $165 dollars cash. The band slept in a cargo van and booked gigs on stolen telephone cards.

2 - THE DWARVES have recorded for visionary independent labels including Sympathy For The Record Industry, Epitaph, Fat, Sub/Pop, Bomp!, Amphetamine Reptile, Man’s Ruin, Recess, Theologian, Glitterhouse, Burning Heart, White Jazz, High Voltage, No Balls, Zodiac Killer, MVD, Midnight, Reptilian and Greedy. Some of them even paid royalties.

3 - THE DWARVES have been stabbed, bludgeoned, swarmed, arrested, shut down, sabotaged and even fellated onstage and much of it is available on video, like the free dvd that comes with the Dwarves Are Born Again.

4 - THE DWARVES were one of the first hardcore bands to regularly use samples, drum loops and found sounds, even on their earliest recordings where they used cassette tapes to generate them.

5 - THE DWARVES were kicked off tour with a UK metal band for sleeping with the girls the headliners had hired to hang out backstage. They were banned from venerable punk dive CBGBs for breaking a table and bleeding on the floor making the venue cleaner and improving its décor.

The Dwarves are touring behind their latest disc, Born Again, which is their first new studio disc since 2004's The Dwarves Must Die. (see my previously posted review of The Dwarves are Born Again)

The band just finished up a European tour and is kicking off their US tour in Baltimore on July 13th. The Dwarves play Knitting Factory on July 15th and The Studio at Webster Hall on July 16th. The show at the Knitting Factory includes The Stalkers and Lugosi and tickets are $15.

Tickets for the show at Webster Hall are also $15 and The Dwarves are playing with The Stalkers, The Threads and Cvlt War.



Links:
The Dwarves

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