Farewell to the King of Pop

We'll miss you Michael.

Our friend over at punkphoto.com has a great tribute piece up.

Check it out here.

Jenny Lewis @ Battery Park - 07/04/09

Jenny Lewis opened up for Conor Oberst and The Mystic Valley Band as part of a free 4th of July concert at Battery Park in NYC.

Jenny played some new songs off her latest album Acid Tongue and a few old favorites from her first LP Rabbit Fur Coat like "Rise Up With Fists" and "Born Secular".

The true treat though was when she invited "a brother" out to join the set - cue Conor Oberst who came out and joined in for a cover of The Traveling Wilburys "Handle With Care".




(that's Conor in the hat)

Bjork's Volatic - Screening Dates

As a run up to the June 30th release of her DVD/CD/VNYL recording Volatic, Bjork is offering screenings of Volatic: The Volta Tour Live in Paris in select cities around the country.

Upcoming dates:

June 23-28 - Oxford, MS @ The Amp
June 23-28 - Lake Geneva, WI @ Geneva Theater
June 24 - Minneapolis, MN @ The Trylon Microcinema
June 26, 27 - Seattle, WA @ Northwest Film Forum
June 26, 27 - San Francisco, CA @ The Roxie
June 26, 27 - Bellingham, WA @ Pickford Film Center
June 26, 27 - New Orleans, LA @ Zeitgeist Arts Center
July 20 - Austin, TX @ Alamo Drafthouse Ritz

Check out a trailer for the concert film here.

More screenings will announced soon so if you don't see your city listed, keep an eye on www.cineampurgatorio.com.for more dates.

Amy Speace @ Joe's Pub 6/19

Amy Speace took to the stage, before a packed house, at Joe’s Pub on Friday night. The singer/songwriter was celebrating the release of her second album The Killer in Me (Judy Collin’s Wildflower Records) – and it is a stunner, residing comfortably between the twangy pop rock of Sheryl Crow and the melancholy odes of Shawn Colvin.

Speace, playing guitar and backed by a tight four piece band, kicked the night off with a bluesy rock number with a toe-tapping hook. The rest of the set saw the NYC-based songbird effortlessly switching back and forth between darkly seductive songs like “Blue Horizon” and the openly aching “The Weight of the World”.

Her music may be infused with broken-hearted candor but Amy Speace is such a warm affable performer that a night spent with her music is anything but a downer.

The Killer in Me will be released on June 30th.

Amy Speace can also be heard on the 2008 Judy Collins tribute album Born to the Breed which also features the talents of Joan Baez, Dolly Parton, Leonard Cohen, Chrissie Hynde and Shawn Colvin among others.

Your best bet though is to catch her live on the road this summer – tour dates are here.

Lou Reed @ Blender Theatre 4/23 & 4/24

Music legend Lou Reed will be playing a two night stand (Thursday, April 23rd and Friday, April 24th) at New York City's Blender Theatre at Gramercy as part of the Metal Machine Trio.

In other words, leave your "Sweet Jane" swaying moves at home and get ready to rock!

The Metal Machine Trio is Lou on guitar and electronics, Ulrich Krieger on tenor sax and live electronics and Sarth Calhoun on live processing and Fingerboard Continuum.

Word is that Reed is going to be extremely loose set list-wise so if you're a Lou fan, be sure to scoop up tix for both shows since they'll be completely different.

And about those tickets - here's some good news for younger fans who refuse to let a little thing like the recession stand in the way of a night (or two) of live music appreciation - students get in HALF-PRICE with a valid Student ID when purchased at the Blender Theatre or Irving Plaza box offices!

For the rest of us non-student types, pick up your tix at http://www.livenation.com/artist/metal-machine-trio-tickets.

For a sneak peek of the upcoming Lou Reed experience, you can download "Night 1" and "Night 2" at http://www.loureed.com/00/mp3.

Matisyahu @ Wellmont Theatre - 11/2

Hey NYCers - looking for a good excuse to venture into (gasp!) New Jersey?

Well, here you go . . . Matisyahu, one of our favorites, is playing the Wellmont Theatre in Montclair, NJ on Sunday, November 2nd.

Directions and all you need to know for your trip into the wild of NJ are here - just scroll down to the bottom.

Reggae master/ hip hopper / rocker Matisyahu is out on the road in support of his new EP Shattered (Epic Records).

Should be a good time!!

Dar Williams at the Fillmore - Sept. 27th

Dar Williams will play the Fillmore in NYC on Saturday, September 27th. The singer/songwriter is on the road in support of her solid album Promised Land (Razor and Tie) which includes a cover of Fountain of Wayne's "Troubled Times".

I've seen Dar live before and she is an absolute delight so come on out!

Here's the video for her single "It's Alright".

The Duke Spirit @ All Points West - 08/08/08

The Duke Spirit were just in town for a Webster Hall show and an instore at the Soho Apple Store but they turned it on again for a mid-afternoon performance at All Points West.

Lead singer Liela Moss draped in gauzy black over a pair of short shorts vamped it up - kind of a post 70's/new wave mix of Debbie Harry and Stevie Nicks.

The U.K. alt rockers are out in support of their album Neptune(Artists First).

They have a handful of U.S. dates left before they head for home.

The Go! Team @ All Points West - 08/08

U.K.'s The Go! Team were the first act to hit the Blue Comet stage on Friday afternoon and they christened it well! .

Band member Ninja was rocking the rainbow knee socks and bouncing all over the stage.

All Points West - Day #1 - 08/08/08

The first annual All Points West kicked off yesterday in Liberty State Park in Jersey City, NJ and, despite a mid-afternoon downpour and a few gusts of wind that played havoc with those fancy APW banners, the fans showed up early and the band's were ready to rock.

The theme of the festival was overwhelmingly green and the buzz word was "recycle". Led by Jack Johnson's All At Once organization, there were plenty of booths that were ready to help you support whatever environmental cause floated your boat.

Sculptures imported for the festival were also eco-friendly and made from natural materials (the bamboo tower) or recycled materials. They also served a duo-purpose by providing a seat in some much-needed shade - which was definitely lacking in APW portion of the park.

Food was extremely $$$ but if whatever you're jonesing for - pizza, bbq, veggie, chinese - they have it. Just be prepared to sell a kidney.

Band photos to come but for now here are some of the general sites of All Points West - Day #1.

The Interiors @ The Knitting Factory - 08/04/08

Chicago's The Interiors played a raucous set at the Knitting Factory on Monday night.

The three piece are on the road in support of their self-titled debut.

Singer/guitarist Chase Duncan has the perfect rock and roll voice that sets the tone for the band's stripped down sound. For the most part, the group keeps things simple and concentrates on the building blocks of their sound - powerful bass lines and infectious grooves.

The Interiors have a few more stops to make so catch them if you can . . .

Tour Dates

Sat Aug 09, 2008 Rock Room Pittsburgh, PA
Fri Aug 29, 2008 The Frequency Madison, WI
Sat Sep 27, 2008 The Red And The Black Washington,DC

The Subways @ Blender Theatre - 7/25

U.K. garage rockers The Subways set off a mini-earthquake at Blender Theatre in NYC. The hard-playing three piece are currently on the road in support of their upcoming sophpmore LP All or Nothing (Infectious/Sire) due out September 9th in the U.S.

The album follows their promising 2006 debut Young For Eternity and WOW does it sound like the new one is going to be a keeper. Singer/guitarist Billy Lunn had vocal nodes removed in 2007 (ouch!) but, thanks to medical sciene, he made a full recovery and is wailing better than ever.

Last time the band rolled through town, bassist/vocalist Charlotte Cooper rocked the house but this time around - she's a force of nature - an absolute whirlwind in sequined black.

Some of the thrashtastic new songs the band tried out included "Kalifornia" and the absolutely irresistible "Shake Shake" which had the crowd mosh moshing. And of course, the evening ended with an over the top fierce rendition of their hit "Rock and Roll Queen".

The Subways are heading west for stops in Seattle, Portland and then a run of California dates before they head over to Japan and then back to the U.K.

Here's some pics from the show:

Mary Weiss @ South Street Seaport

It was one hot and steamy night down at the Seaport but that didn't keep a crowd from coming out to cheer on Shangri-La Mary Weiss .

Playing a headlining gig, the ex-girl grouper fired off some songs from her 2007 comeback album Dangerous Game (Norton Records) as well as some of her hit "Shang" songs "Remember (Walkin' in the Sand)" and "Leader of the Pack".

Mary is headed west next so you California people can catch her playing Mondo Hollywood on August 9th at Crash Mansion in Los Angeles, CA.

Tim Fite @ Mercury Lounge - 7/11/08

You may know Tim Fite as a singer/songwriter and all around out of this world performer. But the Brooklyn artist played host with the most when he invited a few of us blogger types to a pre-gig pizza party at Mercury Lounge.

Pizza and chatting was a great way to spend a Friday but Tim upped the ante when he pulled out some blocks of clay and told us that the theme of the party was Pizza vs. Monster with the goal being to sculpt your own monster and pizza and then decide who would win in a fight.

I went for a multi-colored shark but Tim won the monster derby hands down.

On the more serious front, his lo-fi genius is at work again on his new album Fair Ain't Fair (Anti). It's out now and has definitely gotten a lot of spin at the SWR lair.

Some notes on the disc . . .

According to Tim, who usually likes to record straight through, the process for this one was more of a stop-and-go affair since his gigs kept getting in the way.

I feel a bit guilty because I was at one of those gigs - Town Hall where he opened for Adam Green- and it's sure to land in our Top 10 shows of the year.

And how did Tim end up playing for Adam - they'd been "peripheral friends" for years and had always wanted to play together and this time around it just worked out.

Now that the album's done, Tim will be hitting the road hard to promote it but we already know how he'll unwind when the tour comes to an end.

Here's the 3 Day Tim Fite Unwind Process straight from the man himself . . .

Day 1 - Sleep
Day 2 - Unpack
Day 3 - Shave

You can catch Tim live in the following cities . . .

Tour Dates

- July 14 - Montreal, Quebec : Club Lambi
- July 15 - Toronto, Ontario : Lee's Palace
- July 16 - Pontiac, Michigan : The Pike Room at the Crofoot
- July 17 - Chicago, Illinois : Lakeshore Theater
- July 18 - St. Paul, Minnesota : Turf Club
- July 19 - Milwaukee, Wisconsin : Cudahay Pub at Pabst Theater
- July 21 - Denver, Colorado : Hi Five
- July 23 - Boise, Idaho : Neurolux
- July 25 - Seattle, Washington : Tractor Tavern
- July 26 - Portland, Oregon : Doug Fir Lounge
- July 28 - San Francisco, California : Bottom of the Hill
- July 29 - Los Angeles, California : The Echo
- August 7 - Salt Lake City, Utah : Gallivan Center (Twilight Concert Series)



Our attempt at a clay shark chomping down on some pizza

Lindsey Buckingham - 2008 Tour Dates

Get ready for a master class in guitar greatness because Fleetwood Mac's Lindsey Buckingham is hitting the road for his 2008 Gift of Screws Tour.

The singer/songwriter will be touring behind an as yet untitled new album due for release late summer/early fall.

NYC date is Sunday, October 19th at the Nokia in Times Square.

Tour Dates

Sun, Sept 7 - Saratoga, CA - Mountain Winery
Tue, Sept 9 - Seattle, WA - Moore Theatre
Wed, Sept 10 - Portland, OR - Newmark Theatre
Fri, Sept 12 - Lake Tahoe, NV - Harrah's Casino
Sat, Sept 13 - San Francisco - tbd
Sun, Sept 14 - Los Angeles, CA - Royce Hall
Tue, Sept 16 - San Diego, CA - Humphreys
Thu, Sept 18 - Phoenix, AZ - The Orpheum Theatre
Fri, Sept 19 - Anaheim, CA - The Grove of Anaheim
Sat, Sept 20 - Las Vegas, NV - The Joint
Mon, Sept 22 - Salt Lake City, UT - Depot
Wed, Sept 24 - Denver, CO - Opera House
Fri, Sept 26 - Tulsa, OK - Brady Theatre
Sun, Sept 28 - Kansas City, MO - Uptown Theatre
Mon, Sept 29 - St Louis, MO - Pageant
Wed, Oct 1 - Cleveland, OH - House of Blues
Thu, Oct 2 - Chicago, IL - House of Blues
Sat, Oct 4 - Milwaukee, WI - Pabst Theatre
Sun, Oct 5 - Indianapolis, IN - Eygptian Theatre
Wed, Oct 8 - Toronto, ON - Music Hall
Fri, Oct 10 - Reading, PA - Sovereign PAC
Sat, Oct 11 - Atlantic City, NJ - Taj Mahal
Tue, Oct 14 - Northampton, MA - Calvin Theatre
Wed, Oct 15 - Ridgefield, CT - Ridgefield Play House
Fri, Oct 17 - Boston, MA - Berklee Performing Arts
Sat, Oct 18 - Glenside, PA - Keswick Theater
Sun, Oct 19 - New York, NY - Nokia Live

The Interiors - Debut Album Out Now!

Chicago rock trio The Interiors dropped their self-titled debut full-length via 54-40 Or Fight! Records on June 17th and we it's been on near constant spin here at the SWR lair.

The band (Chase Duncan - vox/guitar, Collin Jordan - bass and Brian Lubinsky - drums) kicks out a fierce rhythm, at times pounding - at times syncopated, that's backed with some killer guitar licks, great rock vocals and Americana-style songwriting.

There's nothing fancy or over-produced about what these guys do. They stick to the rock and roll basics and keep it simple and stripped down favoring a strong musical through line and infectious grooves over glitz and glam.

And, if that isn't enough to make you buy the record . . . prepare to go "Ooowww!" . . . guitar player Chase had to have half an inch of his left index finger amputated after those nasty Chicago winds slammed a steel door shut on his hand just one day after they signed their record deal.

Mr. Duncan has made a full recovery since then and that makes us want to do our happy dance (We'd post a video of it but since it looks something like Elaine dancing on Seinfeld we'll spare your eyes.)

The Interiors are currently on the road so go do that ticket thing . . .

Tour Dates:

Thu Jul 10, 2008 Melody Inn Indianapolis,IN
Fri Jul 11, 2008 Peach's Bar + Grill Yellow Springs,OH
Thu Jul 17, 2008 Davey's Uptown Ramblers Kansas City, MO
Fri Jul 18, 2008 Vaudeville Mews Des Moines, IA
Thu Jul 31, 2008 The Modern Exchange Detroit,MI
Fri Aug 01, 2008 Canal Street Tavern Dayton,OH
Sat Aug 02, 2008 Southgate House Newport,KY
Sun Aug 03, 2008 The Red And The Black Washington,DC
Mon Aug 04, 2008 The Knitting Factory New York, NY
Tue Aug 05, 2008 The Court Tavern New Brunswick, NJ
Wed Aug 06, 2008 Church Boston, MA
Thu Aug 07, 2008 Millcreek Tavern Philadelphia, PA
Fri Aug 08, 2008 Now That's Class Cleveland, OH
Sat Aug 09, 2008 Rock Room Pittsburgh, PA
Fri Aug 29, 2008 The Frequency Madison, WI
Sat Sep 27, 2008 The Red And The Black Washington,DC

Tom Tom Club - "Genius of Love" Video

Here they are at McCarren Park Pool . . .


Tom Tom Club - Genius of Love @ McCarren Park Pool 2008 from Amy Wagner on Vimeo.

Tom Tom Club @ McCarren Park Pool

Talking Heads may still be AWOL on the reunion front but band members Chris Franz and Tina Weymouth aren't the kind to sit back and rest on their royalties.

The duo brought their other band Tom Tom Club to McCarren for a set full of funky tunes including their oft-sampled hit "Genius of Love" and our personal favorite "Wordy Rappinghood".

They got the crowd bouncing before the sun had even set.

It was already plenty hot out but leave it to TTC to up the temp by pulling out a cover of Hot Chocolate's "You Sexy Thing".

Enjoy some pics!! Video to come . . .