Photos: Kimbra, The Kooks & Foster The People @ Central Park SummerStage

Kimbra, The Kooks & Foster The People @ Central Park SummerStage – May 30, 2012
Photos: Dana (distortion) Yavin

Last night, Foster The People headlined their second sold out show for Central Park SummerStage at Rumsey Playfield. The openers for the show were New Zealand singer/songwriter Kimbra and British indie band The Kooks. Our photographer Dana Distortion was there to take photos for us, and you can find a beautiful gallery of all three bands from last night below.

Central Park SummerStage will continue in New York City throughout the next four months, including yet another sold out Foster The People show on June 11 with Tokyo Police Club and Kimbra again. Other shows include Kurt Vile, Alabama Shakes, Beach House, Guided By Voices and so much more. Stay tuned for FN’s Summer Concert Guide for a complete rundown of everything going on this summer.

Photos: Devo @ Irving Plaza

Devo @ Irving Plaza - December 13, 2011
Photos: Dana (distortion) Yavin

Rather than give you a description of a show I was (regrettably) not at, I'm going to let the photos below do the speaking for themselves. Everyone knows the cult-like following Devo has, and if you had any doubts, just check out some of the aerial shots of the crowd proving that the band's iconic "energy domes" are still very much in style. And look at all these wacky costume changes! And all the jumping! Devo are apparently the most fun band to watch on the planet.

Holy shit I wish I went to this show. Full set of photos by Dana (distortion) Yavin, including one of the incredible setlist below...

Photos: The Raveonettes @ Beekman Beer Garden

The Raveonettes @ Beekman Beer Garden – July 31, 2011
Photos: Dana (distortion) Yavin

Everyone’s favorite Danish shoegaze duo came to New York City on Sunday to play a free show at the South Street Seaport’s Beekman Beer Garden. The show was one of two NYC area performances (the other was at Maxwell’s in Hoboken last night) before The Raveonettes play a number of high profile festivals in Europe later this month such as the Pukkelpop Festival in Belgium (w/ Eminem and Foo Fighters) and the For Noise Festival in Switzerland (w/ Blonde Redhead and Elbow).

Our photographer Dana Distortion was able to shoot the show for us and you can check out a full set of photos below. Also be sure to make it to Beekman this Sunday (8/7) for another free show, when Mission of Burma (aka the most incredible band on God’s green Earth) tears through what is sure to be yet another amazing set…

Photos/Review: Black Francis @ Le Poisson Rouge

Black Francis @ Le Poisson Rouge – July 24th, 2011
Photos: Dana (distortion) Yavin / Review: Colin Fitzgerald

My first assignment for this super cool blog was to cover the incomparable newly re-christened Black Francis (aka Charles Thompson, aka Frank Black), at Le Poisson Rouge in Manhattan. (To avoid confusion I will refer to him as Chuck T. for the remainder of the review) The night turned out to be nothing like I expected. I, being a fan of Chuck T's solo career in its entirety, had no trouble picturing the set he would play. I knew he wrote "Another Velvet Nightmare" with the show’s opener, Reid Paley, and I figured most of the material would fall into the category of country-western Frank Black that was prevalent in the late ‘90s and early ‘00s. That expectation was definitely shattered but I’ll get to that later.

LPR was laid out like the kind of place Tony Clifton would be right at home at. Dim lighting, tables with candles, and wine delivered to makeshift booths in ice buckets. It was surreal. No sooner did I picture Andy Kaufman's lounge-singing alter ego did Reid Paley take the stage, reinforcing the parallel with his gruff, conversational demeanor and his acerbic wit. After a long and deadly silent pause between him getting on stage and finally acknowledging the crowd, Reid broke the ice in grand fashion. "Thank you and good night!" he shouted into the mic, and pretty much all the sanctity that was established in the cocktail-party atmosphere of LPR was shattered in an instant.

Reid Paley was the consummate bar-room troubadour, equal parts Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, and Johnny Lee Hooker. That’s not to say he was derivative. In all the sing-along-ready, blues-punk-drunken tunes he cranked out, nothing felt anything less than honest. He strummed nasty guitar and sang hangover-inspired lyrics with abandon, or so he would have you believe. His style of 'make it seem easy, seat of the pants performing was deceptively easy-going. He knows how to play and sing like anybody, but he also knows how to put you at ease with the artist. He often paused mid-song to elevate the crowd’s awareness of him just long enough to gaze into the crowd with a smirk before launching back into the song. He was raw, unpolished, honest, and absolutely soulful. He commanded the dinner party crowd with his somewhat familiar and personable style. Just another down on his luck everyman, who just happens to be able to draw the listener in totally, leaving them no choice but to live the debaucherous stories with him.

Fucking Nostalgic Presents... Look Back and Laugh

We said it wouldn't be long before we announced our next event, and we weren't lying. If you missed us at Motor City last Saturday, mark your calendars because we're bringing the party to Fontanas Bar (a.k.a. the coolest bar in Manhattan) on August 5th. On the decks will be Fucking Nostalgic photographer Dana Distortion, and the DCD Collective (Debbsnake, DJ Drago and DJ CGerzzz), who inadvertently also happen to run Fucking Nostalgic. Weird, I know...

As we did at our last event, we'll be giving away some awesome items, including a brand new cassette mixtape curated by all the above DJ's. If you haven't picked up one of our incredibly groovy mixtapes yet, head over to our Etsy shop and buy one for a cool five bucks. Getting to Fontanas is easy, just a short walk from the Grand St. stop off the B or D train. The party goes from 10pm-4am, and is 100% FREE to get into. Hope to see you there!

Introducing... the Fucking Nostalgic Etsy Shop

Currently the only thing on sale... that will change soon!

If you didn't hear, Fucking Nostalgic threw a party at Motor City Bar on Saturday night and raged it till 4am, spinning the likes of the Buzzcocks, T. Rex, the Stooges, Echo & the Bunnymen and much, much more. We also gave away mixtapes (pictured above) to seven lucky fans, and we would have given away more had we been able to mass produce them quicker. But if you weren't there, you now have the opportunity to purchase one from the Etsy shop we just opened.

For now, all we have for sale is Fucking Nostalgic #1, which was compiled by myself and FN photographer Dana Distortion, but that will change soon as we plan to rollout a series of cassette mixtapes curated by other Fucking Nostalgic writers & photographers. Each tape costs you only $5.00, and comes encased with the artwork shown above, as well as your very own Fucking Nostalgic sticker. Below, check out the tracklisting for Fucking Nostalgic #1, and head over to our Etsy shop to buy yourself a copy.

This Week's Nostalgia (6/27-7/3)

Ah, what a crazy week. To recap: we announced that Mission of Burma will be playing a free show at the new Beekman Beer Garden on August 7th, the Descendents are playing Roseland Ballroom on September 23rd, Radiohead released a new song and played a surprise set at Glastonbury, Nirvana announced a 20th anniversary reissue of Nevermind, Thurston Moore and Bob Mould stopped by Jimmy Fallon, and Dinosaur Jr. played an amazing show at Terminal 5. Shit.

We're checking out the Archers of Loaf show at Webster Hall tonight and will have a review and full set of photos up tomorrow. Moving on, let's take a look at what's in store for us this week:

Matt & Kim @ Terminal 5
Wednesday, June 29th

I first saw Matt & Kim at the Lollapalooza festival in 2007, playing to a pretty full crowd at like 1pm. Since then, they've become one of the bigger "indie" acts out there, who are about to go on tour with Blink-182 (wow, really?). If you're into two really smiley people playing silly synth-driven dance-punk, then they should be right up your alley. Tickets are so very sold out, but I'm sure you can pickup a pair on craigslist from some guy who was just dumped by the girl he was going to take as his date. Punk band the Thermals open.

Sloan @ Bowery Ballroom / Knitting Factory
Wednesday, June 29th / Thursday, June 30th

Sloan, the Canadian band whose lineup has not changed since forming in 1991, have long struggled to become as big in the US as they have in their home country. Pitchfork recently gave their latest album, The Double Cross, an 8.1--a feat most bands this day and age only dream of. You have two chances to catch the band, on Wednesday at Bowery Ballroom in Manhattan, and Thursday at the Knitting Factory in Williamsburg. Tickets are still on sale for both.

The Feelies @ Maxwell's
Friday, July 1st / Saturday, July 2nd / Sunday, July 3rd

When I think of Hoboken music venue Maxwell's, I think of two things: Yo La Tengo, and the Feelies. The latter will be playing my favorite venue outside of New York City three nights in a row, still celebrating the release of their first album since reuniting in 2008, Here Before, which came out in March 2011. As usual with the Feelies (and shows at Maxwell's), you can expect special guests and surprises, and there's still tickets for Sunday's show (Friday & Saturday are both sold out). Definitely a great way to spend your Fourth of July weekend, so don't miss out on your chance to see this classic underground band.

The (English) Beat @ Irving Plaza
Saturday, July 2nd

I've written before about my waning interest in ska, but if there's one band whose records still stand the test of time, it's the English Beat. Dave Wakeling, who has recently dubbed himself "the King of Ska," still tours regularly with his band and shows no signs of stopping anytime soon. Last time I caught the Beat was around 1999 or so, and even back then it seemed pretty amazing to still see them live. Saturday's show at Irving Plaza should be no exception. Tickets are still available. Make sure to say hi to Dave, as from everything I've heard, he's one of the nicest guys out there.

Fucking Nostalgic Presents: A Fucking Nostalgic Saturday Night Out! @ Motor City
Saturday, July 2nd

We here at Fucking Nostalgic are very proud to present our first party in the Lower East Side of Manhattan at Motor City Bar (which will be the first of many events). If you're into drinking on Saturday nights in dive bars and hearing great music blasting on the sound system, than this is the party for you. I will be spinning vinyl along with DJ Boozy Jo and Fucking Nostalgic contributor Dana Distortion, who made the event happen. Expect loads of old school punk, garage rock, psychedelia, new wave, no wave, noise rock, indie, and everything awesome. We'll also have some free stuff to take home with you, so be sure to come down this Fourth of July weekend to party your face off. Motor City is located at 127 Ludlow Street and admission is 100% free. Can't wait to see you there.

Notable mentions: Radiohead will be performing their latest album the King of Limbs on Friday, July 1st on Palladia here in the US, though according to Radiohead fan site At Ease, no air time has been confirmed. We'll be sure to keep you updated on that one. And if it tickles your fancy the same night, my band the Barrens will be celebrating the release of our self-titled debut album at Cameo Bar in Williamsburg.

If there are any shows you feel we failed to mention, please let us know about it in the comments section below. Until next week...

Fucking Nostalgic presents...

We are very excited to announce the first event presented by Fucking Nostalgic, "A Fucking Nostalgic Saturday Night Out," which will be held at the extremely awesome Motor City Bar in the Lower East Side of Manhattan on Saturday, July 2nd! The party goes from 10pm-4am, is totally free to get into, and we will have plenty of giveaways for you to take home with you, so make sure you come say hi and grab some freebies.

On the decks, spinning high voltage rock & roll, will be myself (DJ CGerzzz), FN contributor DJ Dana Distortion (who organized the event), and DJ Boozy Jo. Motor City is located at 127 Ludlow Street (between Rivington & Delancey), and is easy to get to via the F train to Delancey St. If you haven’t been there before, it is the epitome of LES rock & roll dive bars, and 100% fitting for Fucking Nostalgic. Can’t wait to see you there!

Photos: Echo & The Bunnymen @ Irving Plaza

Echo & The Bunnymen @ Irving Plaza, May 14th, 2011
Photos: Dana (distortion) Yavin

Over the past decade or so, revered post-punk band Echo & The Bunnymen have popped back up every now and then to remind everyone of how influential they truly were. What better way to do that than to dedicate a tour to playing their first two albums Crocodiles and Heaven Up Here in full? That's just what they did on Friday, May 13th and again on Saturday, May 14th at Irving Plaza. Breaking up the two albums with a few b-sides and a cover of Lou Reed's "Walk on the Wild Side," the band also returned for an encore with their hits "Lips Like Sugar," "The Killing Moon" and "The Cutter."

This is only the beginning of the tour, as Echo & The Bunnymen have a bunch of tour dates ahead of them through September. Our photographer Dana (distortion) Yavin was at the show on Saturday and her full set of photos along with the setlist are below...