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words & photos by Keith Marlowe

Turbonegro @ Irving Plaza, 5/18

Turbonegro played Irving Plaza Saturday night (5/18), their only East Coast gig before a short West Coast tour (with Torche opening,) that ends with them headlining Punk Rock Bowling with Bad Religion on May 26. The ever-present Turbojugend jackets illustrated how far people had come -- up and down the East Coast -- to make this show, repping from Boston down to Atlanta.

Turbo opened with "Just Flesh," playing a solid set of classics and songs off the new record, Sensual Harassment. People were streaming over the barricade all night, not letting up until the end of the last song, a furious cover of "Final Solution," by Cleveland punk greats Rocket from the Tombs.

Turbo's Volcom labelmates, NYC's Dirty Fences, opened the show, playing a lot of songs off their new album Too High to Kross. They also closed with a cover that has become a staple of their set, "Can't Tame Me" by the Benders.

More pictures from Irving Plaza are below.

Continue reading "Turbonegro played Irving Plaza with Dirty Fences (pics)" at brooklynvegan

The former Double Dagger drummer Denny Bowen now leads Roomrunner, a Baltimore band whose fuzz-drenched attack brings back the moment before Gap commercial directors figured out what grunge was. Ideal Cities, their debut album, is a big, messy, joyous guitar-assault. If your faith in effects pedals needs reaffirming, this should do the trick. We posted the anthemic opener “Bait Car” already, but now the whole album is streaming at Spin.

Ideal Cities is out 5/28 on Fan Death.

The first lady of Three Six Mafia returns.

It’s finally here, Gangsta Boo‘s It’s Game Involved has been hinted at for what seems like a decade but now it’s landed and what’s more it’s pretty darn good. Mostly produced by Drumma Boy, It’s Game Involved features a number of guest spots from

Death Grips at MHOW in 2012 (more by Fred Pessaro)

Punk-rap crew Death Grips are touring internationally this spring/summer, and in August, surrounding their appearances at Lollapalooza, Osheaga, and FYF Fest, they'll come to NYC for a show on August 7 at Webster Hall. Tickets for the NYC show go on sale Wednesday (5/22) at noon.

In related news, drummer Zach Hill, who isn't currently on tour with them in Europe, is working on a film, which Death Grips will be soundtracking. The group also have a new album planned.

All dates are listed, along with a video, below...

Continue reading "Death Grips going on tour this summer (dates)" at brooklynvegan

Well, this is pretty dope. Rookie has commissioned a theme song for the month of May, and it’s badass both in theory and in execution. Waxahatchee leader Katie Crutchfield and her twin sister, Swearin’ leader Allison have recorded a punked-up cover of a song that never exactly screamed for a punked-up cover: Grimes’ ethereal burble “Oblivion,” which is already pretty punk in its own way. The end result, with ragged guitar-jangles and beautifully sunny harmonies, works as a refreshing take on an already-great song. Listen to it below.

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The Blind Boys of Alabama @ Town Hall, 5/17/2013 (via @danatrixieflynn Instagram)

The Blind Boys of Alabama tour hit NYC on Friday (5/17) at Town Hall with Betty LaVette. The group have just announced they've signed with Sony Masterworks who will release their new album this fall. "We are thrilled to be on our new label, and we have a real surprise on the way with this new album. I think it's the coolest thing we've ever done," says 80-something singer Jimmy Carter who is the last original member still touring with The Blind Boys. That surprise, or at least one of them, is that Justin Vernon of Bon Iver will produce the album. Special guests are promised too and we'll just have to wait to find out what's in store.

In the meantime, Blind Boys of Alamaba's tour rolls on. All dates are listed below.

Continue reading "The Blind Boys of Alabama on tour, played Town Hall; Justin Vernon producing their new album" at brooklynvegan

Kirin J Callinan at BV-CMJ 2012 (more by Nate "Igor" Smith)

Kirin J Callinan, who played 285 Kent and a private show last week, and who will be back next month while on tour with Ariel Pink, has added a FREE last minute Brooklyn show at Public Assembly tonight (5/20) with Diamond Terrifier, Amen Dunes (who played our show at Knitting Factory last week - photos HERE and HERE), Uumans, and more.

The Public Assembly show may be the first time Callinan and Diamond Terrifier aka Sam Hillmer (aka Zs) will be performing as labelmates. DT recently signed to the label co-run by a member of Grizzly Bear, as we briefly mentioned before. The show is the record release party for DT's The Subtle Body Wears A Shadow, due on May 28. Kirin's debut album Embracism is due out July 2nd via Terrible Records in partnership with XL Recordings.

Videos for Diamond Terrifier's "Triple Gem" (which we premiered) and Kirin J Callnin's NSFW "Embracism," as well as the show flyer are below.

Continue reading "Diamond Terrifier celebrating Terrible Records release w/ labelmate Kirin J Callinan, Amen Dunes & more (free show tonight)" at brooklynvegan

by Andrew Sacher

San Francisco producer oOoOO has put out a few solid EPs on the Tri Angle label over the past couple of years, and now he's finally set to release his debut full length, which is called Without Your Love. The album will come out on June 24 via his own label which is called Nihjgt Feelings, and no, that wasn't a typo. oOoOO has released two singles from the album so far, including the super-dark "Mouchette" and "Stay Here," which features some auto-tuned R&B vocals from ML. Check those out, along with the album art and tracklist, below.

As mentioned, oOoOO will be going on a tour with Groundislava, and though that tour doesn't hit NYC, both artists will play their own shows at Brooklyn venue Glasslands before the tour begins. oOoOO's show is a previously discussed date happening on May 23 with Selebrities and Dark Sister. Tickets for that show are still available and we're also giving away a pair. Details on how to enter to win tickets are below.

Groundislava's Glasslands show is a previously discussed date happening exactly a week later on May 30 with Fur and Time Wharp. Tickets for that show are still available too.

In related news, we recently posted pictures and a video from oOoOO collaborator Butterclock on BV Chicago.

All dates are listed, along with those song streams and album info, belo...

Get your earplugs ready.

Last year’s full-length The Seer was a brilliant and succinct culmination of the Swans catalogue to date, and stood as one of the finest albums of 2013. It’s only right then that the album should get a proper tour, and Michael Gira’s boys are due to traipse through the US and Europe from now until the end of the summer.

For those Swans fans who want to see something a little different, Sacred Bones’ Pharmakon will be supporting the band on their Iowa, Kentucky, Ohio and Buffalo, New York dates bringing her particular brand of gruesome, overdriven noise to the party. [via Pitchfork]

05-20 Zagreb, Croatia – Pogon JEedinstvo
05-21 Parma, Italy – Campus Industry Music
05-22 Geneva, Switzerland – L’usinie
05-23 Schorndorf, Germany – Club Manufaktur
05-24 Barcelona, Spain – Primavera Festival
05-25 Paris, France – La Grande Halle de la Villette
05-27 Frankfurt, Germany – Mousonturm
05-28 Berlin, Germany – Volksbühne
05-29 Dresden, Germany – Beatpol
05-30 Munich, Germany – Feierwerk
05-31 Porto, Portugal – Optimus Primavera Sound
06-13 Brooklyn, NY – Northside Music Festival (Warsaw)
06-14 Pittsburgh, PA – Rex Theater
06-16 Manchester, TN – Bonnaroo
06-19 Calgary, Alberta- ...