This Week's Nostalgia (6/11-6/16)

Kurt Vile @ Williamsburg Waterfront last year

by Trista Hou & Chris

It's one of those weeks where there are so many shows going on, it's inevitable that you're going to miss something really good. Of course, L Magazine's Northside Festival takes over pretty much every Williamsburg-area venue starting Thursday, but then there are also some really great non-Northside shows taking place. One of those will be Kurt Vile & The Violators at Central Park SummerStage, a free show that you won't want to miss on Saturday. It's been a year since I last saw Vile live, when he opened for Sonic Youth at Williamsburg Waterfront. His live show takes the form of long, ambient and droning jams; often hypnotizing, and always interesting. Alt-country act Dawes will open. Get there early.

Northside-wise, be sure to head to our friend NYCTaper's official Northside showcase on Thursday, at 285 Kent. Our friends EULA will open, so get there early, and then stick around to watch White Hills later on in the night. On Friday, your best bet will be to check out Caveman during BrookylnVegan's showcase at Music Hall of Williamsburg. We caught Caveman during Crossing Brooklyn Ferry and were blown away. For Saturday, you may want to check out Olivia Tremor Control at Music Hall of Williamsburg for what is guaranteed to be a fun time. On Sunday, check out Future of the Left (their only US show on the horizon) at Europa, or you can watch old school hip-hop collective Ultramagnetic MC's at Music Hall of Williamsburg. Kool Keith will also be performing solo on Thursday at Brooklyn Bowl.

Don't forget that Mogwai finally plays NYC on Thursday and Friday, and tickets are still available for both. Check out the rest of the shows going on this week below, and try not to stroke out when you realize you can't be in two places at once...

Olivia Tremor Control Playing Brooklyn's Northside Festival 6/16

Olivia Tremor Control @ Le Poisson Rouge last September

God, we love living in the NYC. Fresh off the heels of the Austin Psych Fest and heading across the pond for a few European festival dates, Olivia Tremor Control are coming to the Music Hall of Williamsburg next month as part of Brooklyn's Northside Festival. Tickets go on sale this Friday at noon, or you can take part in the Amex pre-sale that starts on Wednesday.

Photos/Review: All Tomorrow's Parties - Minehead, UK (Day Three)

Lou Barlow with Sebadoh

All Tomorrow's Parties curated by Jeff Mangum
@ Butlin's Holiday Centre, Minehead, UK
Day Three - March 11, 2012
Photos/Review: Rhona "Wiglet Bill" Aquilina

We woke up Sunday morning to find that a thick mist had descended on Minehead. The turrets of the pavilion that were so distinct against yesterday’s bright blue sky had all but disappeared against the white mist. We awoke slowly, already reminiscing about the last two days and recalling that David Yow had said on stage that Boredoms were, and I quote, “The best fucking thing I’ve ever seen!” We began to get excited about their impending set. I made breakfast in our accommodation while we watched A Brief History of Time on Jeff Mangum TV and waited for the bands to start up.

Photos/Review: The Olivia Tremor Control @ The Earl (Atlanta, GA)

The Olivia Tremor Control @ The Earl (Atlanta, GA) - January 7, 2012

Photos & Review: Jeffrey K.

About 10 years ago, a friend of mine was shopping at the famous Wuxtry Records in Athens, GA. After several minutes of filing through CDs, she narrowed down her choices to a few albums and made her way to the checkout line where the clerk was fervidly discussing music with another customer. He cut away from the conversation to thumb through my friend's choices when he lifted up the copy of Olivia Tremor Control's Black Foliage: Animation Music Volume One she picked, and exclaimed, "Oh, hey! I'm in this band!" That clerk: multi-intrumentalist and founding member of Olivia Tremor Control, John Fernandes. OTC is so engrained into the city of Athens and its music scene that you can't walk 2 blocks without bumping into someone involved in OTC or Elephant 6, the collective of musicians and bands that Olivia Tremor Control spawned from. The connection is so tenacious that the entire Elephant 6 collective is assumed to be completely Athens based, even though the majority of the bands that came from it (Neutral Milk Hotel, Apples in Stereo, Beulah, Dressy Bessy, etc.) were not based in Athens at all.

How engrained is OTC with Athens? Atlanta--Athens' neighbor a mere 70 miles to the west--has not seen an Olivia Tremor Control show in 13 years. Granted, there weren't many shows in their hometown either (I remember a great one at the 40 Watt Club in 2005 and an incredible show performed in the woods of the conservation community where many members reside). I had always felt a little gipped being so close to the music that defined my college years, but had to travel 90 minutes by car just to see it. That all changed on Saturday. Olivia Tremor Control finally made it's triumphant return to Atlanta and they sounded just as good as ever.

Scott Spillane opened the show with a subdued and intimate performance, playing many old songs he wrote with his Athens band The Gerbils. As with many solo performances in general, the barflies in the back engaged with each other while the faithful in the front hung on Scott's every word.

Olivia Tremor Control finally took the stage as the familiar warbled tones of Black Foliage's "Opening" floated over the sold out crowd. That led right into "A Familiar Noise Called 'Train Conductor,'" a song that could define the band's dense sound. OTC's records had a timeless quality to them. The songs seemed to melt into each other, creating a cohesive mass of harmonies and noises. The same could be said of their live show, though the energy was far more palpable. William Cullen Hart's performance was clearly the band's focal point. Hopping around on bare feet, he was electric. It was absolutely wonderful to see him so energetic after a decade of toiling through painful health issues.

The exhausting two-hour show covered about everything you would have wanted to hear from the band's output. Highlights included "Jumping Fences," "Hideaway" (my personal favorite), "I Have Been Floated" (with Pipes You See, Pipes You Don't's Peter Erchick on lead vocals), "NYC 25", and "The Sylvain Screen." The pacing of the show was also well constructed, with the more experimental compositions ("Green Typewriters") book-ended with their more traditional material. The middle of the show also saw a new song, "The Game You Play is in Your Head, Parts 1, 2, & 3" that blended in with the show nicely.

The encore was brilliant, displaying the two best songs from Dusk At Cubist Castle: "Holiday Surprise 1,2,3" and the explosive "Opera House." It was the perfect cap to a memorable show that made me both nostalgic and excited for the possibility of more music in the future.

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Check out some photos Jeff shot at the Earl, and also be sure to order the wonderful new vinyl editions of OTC's Dusk at Cubist Castle and Black Foliage directly from Chunklet...

Julian Koster (The Music Tapes) Confirms 2011 Holiday Caroling Tour, Coming To NYC On 12/9

More shots and a review of The Music Tapes @ LPR here!

We're just chock full of Elephant 6 Collective news today, it seems. Not too long ago, The Music Tapes frontman Julian Koster announced that he'd begun accepting requests for the 2011 iteration of his annual Holiday Caroling Tour.

And now the prophecy has come to pass: Koster, his Caroling Ambassadors, and their singing saws will be patrolling up the East Coast and stopping by several homes to drop some Yuletide cheer on anyone within listening radius. As announced by Merge, the tour kicks off tomorrow in... "Virginia" (we'll get to specifics in a sec) and ends on December 12 in "Upstate NY / New England," passing through our fair NYC on December 9. And maybe part of the 8th, too.

Naturally, you'll want more info as to where these performances are actually taking place. We've listed the general areas and dates after the jump, and you can email musictapescaroling2011@gmail.com to get a list of the houses / private residences that are allowing outside guests to come by for the shows. Or you can slip in a last-minute request for them to come to your house, as the route is mainly projected and subject to change.

Weird, we know, but totally awesome. Get on it.

Julian Koster (The Music Tapes) Announces 2011 Holiday Caroling Tour, Releases New Music Tapes Video

Check out more photos and a review of The Music Tapes and Olivia Tremor Control @ LPR over here!

Julian Koster, former touring member of Neutral Milk Hotel, current touring member of Olivia Tremor Control, and frontman for his own The Music Tapes, is an eccentric guy. I think that quality is a prerequisite for admission to the Elephant Six Collective… they’re all pretty wacky in their own ways. So it really comes as no surprise that Koster today has announced that, following an annual tradition since 2008, he and his Caroling Ambassadors of singing saws will be accepting invitations to carol at homes along the East Coast of the US and Canada from November 28 to December 12.

That’s right… invite Julian to carol at your home and he will make it happen. The final list of dates will be announced just prior to the commencement of the tour. If you’d like to invite Koster, email musictapescaroling2011@gmail.com. Also be sure to check out a new video from The Music Tapes (who we saw give a great opening performance for the Olivia Tremor Control back in September) below, courtesy of Merge Records.

Photos/Review: The Olivia Tremor Control @ Le Poisson Rouge

Bill Doss of The Olivia Tremor Control

The Olivia Tremor Control / The Music Tapes @ Le Poisson Rouge
Photos: Chris / Review: Mike Koene

In the mid 90’s, as the guitars of grunge disintegrated angstily overhead, The Elephant 6 Collective began to not so quietly make a name for themselves on the burdgeoning underground neo-psych scene. Actually, they pretty much created the scene. Merging the sounds of '60s psychedelia with elements of musique concrète, jazz, and eastern european music (and with more than a dash of the aforementioned grunge), the bands of the Elephant 6 Collective succeeded in building a colorful body of music based on melody, experimentalism and a commitment to weirdness. Of the three original E6 bands (the other two being The Apples In Stereo and Neutral Milk Hotel) The Olivia Tremor Control are perhaps the best example of the E6 aesthetic in all its floral glory.

The band took the stage at Le Poisson Rouge, joined by Neutral Milk Hotel alumni Scott Spillane and Julian Koster (who’s excellent band The Music Tapes opened the show), and started into “A Peculiar Noise Called “Train Director”” from 1999’s Black Foliage: Animation Music Volume One. From then on, it was all California harmonies, tambourines and fuzz guitar (plus banjo, trumpet, a handful of organs, noisemakers, etc.). The band launched into a fan-friendly set, that while heavy on tunes from Black Foliage and their first album Dusk at Cubist Castle, also drew songs from their early singles to paint a picture that was at once almost unrelentingly sunny, but with an ominous underbelly. Highlights included “I’m Not Feeling Human”, the beatific “Define A Transparent Dream” (a personal favorite) and the nostalgic “California Demise” (their first release on E6). 

True to their free-wheeling form, bizarre tape loops sporadically sprouted unannounced and untethered from song-to-song. As the room suddenly became a little less solid, the assembled were treated to a medleyesque procession of tunes punctuated by a time-warp guitar meltdown courtesy of founding fathers and chief songwriters, Will Cullen Hart and Bill Doss. The psychedelic revival was again in full flower at Le Poisson Rouge, and as The Olivia Tremor Control took the stage for an encore, the feeling of communion and mutual gratitude between the audience and performers was undeniable. The band closed the show with a rousing version of “The Opera House," the first song off their first record, and graciously left the stage.

Be sure to stream the entire show over at NPR. Below, check out a full set of photos from last night's show including a photo of the setlist (that differs slightly from what they actually played)...

This Week's Nostalgia (9/19-9/25)

Holy shit, there's a lot of stuff going on this week. And for some god forsaken reason I've waited until this late to write about it. Okay, not wasting anymore time, here it is...

Deerhoof @ Europa (more)

Deerhoof @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
Tuesday, September 20

It really doesn't get much better than seeing Deerhoof live. Forget the fact that they're one of the most progressive musical acts of the 21st century, or that they're practically a genre unto themselves, or that they feature one of the greatest drummers of all time... Deerhoof are a phenomenal fucking band to see live. And the fact that they're so weird and off-putting to some people ensures that they will continue to play in small venues throughout the duration of their career. So wallow in the fact that Deerhoof come to NYC every few months to melt our faces with their unique brand of psychedelic, jazz-tinged indie rock. Tickets are still on sale.

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark @ Irving Plaza
Tuesday, September 20 / Wednesday September 21

OMD, despite having that song in Pretty in Pink, are actually one of the more influential electronic acts to emerge from the sea of god awful pop acts of the '80s. Having reunited with the classic lineup in 2007, the band played their first North American tour since 1988 earlier this year and received rave reviews throughout. They also just released a very limited edition live album last month, that, having listened to, I can assure is pleasantly awesome. Definitely check out OMD at Irving Plaza on either Tuesday or Wednesday, for which tickets are still on sale for both.

Elephant 6 Orchestra @ LPR (more)

Olivia Tremor Control @ Le Poisson Rouge
Wednesday, September 21

This is the show this week that I'm most excited about. When I first came back to New York City in 2005 after spending four years in Plattsburgh, NY for school, I was given an extra ticket to see Olivia Tremor Control at Bowery Ballroom by my brother. It was a revelatory moment for me, when I realized that psychedelic music was very much alive and present in music today, and could be just as accessible as anything that was on the radio at the time. Still, not many people know the importance of Olivia Tremor Control--which is a shame. If you're curious what the pinnacle Elephant Six band sounds like, do yourself a favor and pick up a ticket for their show at the intimate Le Poisson Rouge for Wednesday, where I also saw many of the same band members play as the Elephant Six Collective back in May. Fellow E6 band The Music Tapes open. Rock.

Jeff Tweedy @ Maxwell's (more)

Nick Lowe / Wilco @ Central Park SummerStage
Thursday, September 22 / Friday, September 23

It's always kind of weird when the influencer opens for the influenced - when Pixies opened for Radiohead at Coachella in 2004, Thom Yorke was very open about how embarrassed he was of his band's headlining spot. Not so sure Jeff Tweedy will be as open, but you never know. I'm excited to get to see Nick Lowe play live after recently discovering his greatness (I was slow on this one), and Wilco is inevitably going to do well after releasing a very great new album this month. It's kind of sad that the outdoor concert season is winding down, so be sure to pack in as many summer shows as you can and make it special. Tickets for both shows are sold out, but keep your eye on craigslist and StubHub on the day of... I'm sure you'll be able to get a good deal.

The Descendents @ Roseland Ballroom
Friday, September 23

Shit, this is gonna be a great fucking show. The Descendents were one of the earliest punk bands (if not the first) to crossover to the skateboarding/pop-punk scene that emerged in the mid-to-late '80s. Chalk it up to their catchy hooks, slick production, and songs about having sex and puking. Yep, it's all there. It would be awesome to see them in a smaller venue like Bowery Ballroom or Maxwell's, but if their popularity demands they play the massive Roseland Ballroom, so be it. At least it's not Terminal 5. H20 and The Suicide Machines open. Tickets are sold out and StubHub's cheapest options are currently at $65, so craigslist may be your best bet. Good luck, it's gonna be a great one.

Malkmus @ Other Music (more)

Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks @ Webster Hall
Sunday, September 25

This was a show we announced a long time ago, and although it seemed a little weird to me at the time for The Jicks to be playing the 3,000 capacity Terminal 5, in a post-Pavement reunion world, anything is possible. Except I suspect that just may have been the problem. Now that seeing Stephen Malkmus live is no longer the next best thing to seeing Pavement live (and hopefully you had the chance to do that last summer), something tells me he is not as in high demand as he used to be. Hence the moving of this show to the smaller (but still pretty huge) Webster Hall. I, for one, am not complaining at all. The recently released Mirror Traffic is a fine album, and after catching the band's stripped down performance at Other Music a few weeks ago I'm really excited to see the band at its full potential. Tickets are still on sale.

Notable mentions:
The Rapture @ Webster Hall - Friday, September 23 (Tickets)
The Human League / Men Without Hats @ Best Buy Theater - Friday, September 23 (Tickets)

There you go. Tons of stuff happening to get your nostalgia fix this week. Be sure to check out the playlist we made for This Week's Nostalgia on Spotify and subscribe to it so you have new songs to listen to each week. If there are any shows you feel we missed this week, let us know about it in the comments below. Until next time...

NPR Interview With Will Cullen Hart + New Olivia Tremor Control Song

NPR continues to deliver the goods this morning with an exclusive interview with Will Cullen Hart of the O.G. Elephant 6 collective band Olivia Tremor Control - the group who "released some of the most sonically adventurous, fantastically beautiful music of the mid- to late '90s, then promptly went into hiding." Robin Hilton of NPR's All Songs Considered blog speaks to Hart about the reasons behind the hiatus, the upcoming Olivia Tremor Control album due out early next year, and their upcoming tour which will bring them through NYC's Le Poisson Rouge on September 21 (oh hey that's my birthday!). Check out all of that goodness over here.

And, as if you needed another reason to do so, that interview is also where you'll find a stream of the first new  Olivia Tremor Control song in 10 years, the trippy "The Game You Play Is in Your Head Parts 1, 2, 3." So yeah, listen to that, get your LPR ticket now, and check out the rest of OTC's tour dates below - almost all of which are with fellow E6 collective mates The Music Tapes.

Reissued, Yo: Olivia Tremor Control’s Dusk at Cubist Castle and Black Foliage

Here’s why reissues are actually really great. For the past couple years I’ve been looking for The Olivia Tremor Control’s excellent album Music From the Unrealized Film Script: Dusk at Cubist Castle on vinyl and I’ve only come across really expensive copies on eBay. It’s an album that begs to be heard on some kind of analog format, considering it was initially recorded entirely on 4-track. Well now it looks like we’ll have the chance to experience Dusk as well as their great second album Black Foliage: Animation Music Vol 1. on glorious vinyl on November 15, and we won’t have to take out a mortgage to do so.

According to Pitchfork, both Dusk and Black Foliage will be reissued as deluxe double LP’s by Chunklet Industries, with their original artwork retouched, as well as a download card containing hours of bonus material. Considering how prolific members of the Elephant 6 Collective can be, it’s no surprise that OTC have a vault of unheard material lying around. And if you haven’t heard these albums yet, slap on some headphones and listen to both Dusk and Black Foliage over at Spotify.

In other OTC news, the band is hitting the road at the end of the month which will bring them to Le Poisson Rouge on September 21. Fellow E6 Collective act The Music Tapes are opening for them and tickets are still available for $18. Below, check out OTC’s full tour schedule for the rest of the year…

The Music Tapes announce tour with Olivia Tremor Control, released new EP

When people say the Elephant Six Collective are an incestuous group of musicians, what they mean is: "My god these fucking people are attached at the hip!" In what I’m sure could be proven by someone with a doctorate in “Obscure ‘90s Psychedelic Pop,” any time a member of the E6 is up to something (a tour, an album, decorating an apartment), another member of the E6 is at all times within a maximum radius of twelve feet away. Case in point: Julian Koster (who recently played in the Elephant Six Holiday Surprise Tour, and was also a touring member of some group called Neutral Milk Hotel) and his band The Music Tapes will hit the road in August on a tour opening for E6 stalwarts The Olivia Tremor Control. Shocker.

The Music Tapes’ tour will hit NYC at the previously mentioned Le Poisson Rouge show opening for the OTC on September 21, for which you can still grab a ticket. And in case you wanted to freshen up on the group, you can download the brand new Music Tapes digital EP Purim’s Shadows which is available now in the Merge Store, and anywhere else digital music is sold. Yep, even at the recently launched US version of Spotify, so head to our Facebook page where we are sharing Purim’s Shadows right now if you have an account. And believe me, you should definitely have an account! But if you do happen to go with ordering from the Merge Store (and we do love supporting one of our favorite indie labels), you will receive a special limited-edition Music Tapes Kazoo (see below), a bonus track, and what Merge describes as a “special surprise from Julian Koster himself.” I’m all for the first two goodies, but that last part just sounds creepy…

Below, check out all of the Music Tapes’ tour dates, with all but one date opening for The Olivia Tremor Control, and also get a look at what these “Music Tapes” kazoos look like…

Olivia Tremor Control playing Le Poisson Rouge, tickets on sale now

In what appears to be an announcement made to blow my mind, Elephant 6 mainstays The Olivia Tremor Control are embarking on a tour in August, starting in Austin, TX and eventually coming to New York City’s Le Poisson Rouge on 9/21. Tickets are on sale now. The Elephant Six Collective must have some sort of relationship with that venue, as they played there back in March and have held numerous events there in the past. But this one takes the cake.

Check out the rest of OTC’s tour dates below…

Photos: The Elephant 6 Holiday Surprise Tour @ Le Poisson Rouge

The Elephant 6 Holiday Surprise Tour hit the Knitting Factory on 3/21 & 3/22 and then Le Poisson Rouge on 3/23. The seminal indie-rock collective played close to a four hour set on their final New York City stop of the tour, shuffling through a vast catalogue of favorites from Elf Power, the Gerbils, Music Tapes and of course, Olivia Tremor Control. I didn't notice any Neutral Milk Hotel songs, and if Jeff Mangum was in attendance (as was reported during the Knitting Factory shows), he didn't make an appearance onstage. Upon the band's return from intermission, four audience members were given the chance to throw a styrofoam snowball through a paper moon. The fourth contestant finally got it, and he was given the chance to request the band play any song outside of the E6 family of bands. He chose a Black Sabbath's "Sweet Leaf". Full set of photos below!