popwreckoning

Lollapalooza is celebrating its 20th anniversary and as promised, the recently announced delivers some pretty hefty acts. 

Eminem, Foo Fighters, Coldplay, Muse, My Morning Jacket, Deadmau5 and A Perfect Circle will headline the annual event in Grant Park from August 5-7, 2011.

If you missed Death From Above 1979‘s Coachella reunion, Lolla gives fans another chance. There’s also many other classic acts such as The Cars to up and comers The Naked and Famous. You can see the rest of the announced lineup below:

Eminem, Foo Fighters, Coldplay, Muse, My Morning Jacket, Deadmau5, A Perfect Circle, Cee Lo Green, Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley & Nas, the Cars, Ween, Bright Eyes, Arctic Monkeys, Big Audio Dynamite, Deftones, Beirut, Explosions in the Sky, Death From Above 1979, Ratatat, Crystal Castles, Flogging Molly, Atmosphere, Cold War Kids, Lykke Li, Cage the Elephant, OK GO, Local Natives, The Kills, White Lies, Portugal. The Man, Two Door Cinema Club, Ellie Goulding, Delta Spirit, Beats Antique, Mountain Goats, Sleigh Bells, Manchester Orchestra, Smith Westerns, Best Coast, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, The Drums, Black Lips, Fitz & the Tantrums, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, City and Colour, Ryan Bingham and the Dead Horses, Cults, Noah and the Whale, Sam Adams, J. Roddy Walston and the Business, Tinie Tempah, Lissie, Dom, The Vaccines, Foster the People, Titus Andronicus, Mayer Hawthorne and the County, Chico Trujillo, The Naked and Famous, Phantogram, Rival Schools, Friendly Fires, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., Reptar, Maps & Atlases, Fences, Tennis, An Horse, Young the Giant, Los Bunkers, Imelda May, Grouplove, Wye Oak, The Joy Formidable, Lord Huron, Disappears, Walk the Moon, Gold Motel, Iration, Ryan Leslie, Tab the Band, Skylar Grey, Christina Perri, Black Cards, The Pretty Reckless, Boy and Bear, Patrick Stump, Kids These Days, Young Man, The Kingston Springs, Lia Ices, The Chain Gang of 1974, Ximena Sarinana, Typhoon, Electric Touch, Kerli, Ruby Jane, Julia Easterlin, and DJ Mel.

On Perry’s Stage:

Girl Talk, Pretty Lights, Kid Cudi, the Bloody Beetroots Death Crew 77, AfroJack, Modeselektor, Skrillex, Perryetty vs. Chris Cox, Chuckie, The Glitch MOb, Busy P, Joachim Garraud, Super Mash Bros., Jay Electronica, 12th Planet, Daedulus, Feed Me, JackMaster, Collie Buddz, Savoy, Kyle Lucas and Captain Midnite, Ana Tijouxana, Midnight Conspiracy, L1ght, and Lady D.

Early Bird tickets have already sold out, but you can now buy regular priced tickets for $215 while supplies last. VIP Passes and Travel Packages are also available. A limited number of
Single Day tickets will go on sale June 7. Go here to buy tickets.

Organizers are expecting over 240,000 people.

New York City’s twee pop band the Pains of Being Pure at Heart will be touring with new wave artiste Twin Shadow and several other bands come the end of March. They also make their first appearance in Mexico, ever, at the Indieofest on March 12. The band’s second album, Belong, is expected to be released in late March on Slumberland Records. For a taster of the album, check out the already released singles for “Say No to Love” and “Heart in Your Heartbreak.”

Tour Dates:
Mar 10 – 35 Conferette / Denton, TX
Mar 12 – Indieofest / Mexico City
Mar 31 – First Unitarian Church / Philadelphia
Apr 01 – Black Cat / Washington, DC*
Apr 02 – Cat’s Cradle / Carrboro, NC*
Apr 04 – 40 Watt Club / Athens, GA*@
Apr 05 – Earl / Atlanta*@
Apr 06 – Bottletree Cafe / Birmingham*
Apr 07 – One Eyed Jacks / New Orleans*
Apr 08 – Fitzgerald’s / Houston*
Apr 09 – Emo’s / Austin*
Apr 12 – VFW / Santa Fe*
Apr 13 – Club Congress / Tucson*&+
Apr 18 – Cellar Door / Visalia, CA*&
Apr 19 – Great American Music Hall / San Francisco*&
Apr 20 – Doug Fir / Portland*&
Apr 22 – Crocodile / Seattle*!
Apr 25 – Triple Rock Social Club / Minneapolis*
Apr 26 – Turner Hall / Milwaukee*
Apr 27-28 – Lincoln Hall / Chicago*%
Apr 29 – Rhino’s / Bloomington, IN*%
Apr 30 – Basement / Columbus*%
May 02 – Daniel Street / Milford, CT*
May 03 – Paradise / Boston*#
May 06 – Webster Hall / New York City*^
* with Twin Shadow
@ with Gold-Bears
& with Catwalk
+ with Warpaint
! with Seapony
% with Weakness
^ with Big Troubles

Australian singer/songwriter Elizabeth Morris is the frontwoman for Allo Darlin’, a London-based folk pop band that has already gotten mad props from BBC 6music DJs like Steve Lamacq and Lauren Laverne. Morris’s band have just announced plans for a club tour of America in October to occur before and after appearances at CMJ. Their first scheduled date in America is with Philadelphia band Brown Recluse on October 16.

Allo Darlin’ is signed in the UK to Fortuna Pop!, the same label as the Pains of Being at Heart. Their debut album, also called Allo Darlin’, is set to be released on October 5 in America.

Tour Dates
Oct 16 – Venue TBA / Philadelphia*
Oct 17 – Velvet Lounge / Washington, DC
Oct 18 – P.A.’s Lounge / – Boston, MA
Oct 19 – House Show – New Brunswick, NJ
Oct 20-21 – CMJ – New York, NY
Oct 25 – Spaceland / Los Angeles
Oct 27 – Rickshaw Stop / San Francisco
Oct 28 – Venue TBA / Portland
Oct 29 – Rendezvous / Seattle
Oct 30 – Mondo-ween at the Rock Shop / Brooklyn
* with Brown Recluse

Allo Darlin’: website | myspace

New York’s the Pains of Being Pure at Heart have announced on their official website dates for a fall North American tour.

The band recently released a new single, “Say No to Love,” in June on Slumberland Records.

Tour Dates
Oct 20 – Paradise / Boston#
Oct 21 – Music Hall of Williamsburg / Brooklyn#&
Oct 22 – Pi Lam / Philadelphia#
Nov 04 – Venue / Vancouver^
Nov 05 – Vera Project / Seattle^
Nov 06 – Reed College / Portland
Nov 07 – EMU Ballroom / Eugene^
Nov 09 – Independent / San Francisco^
Nov 10 – Fresh and Fabulous Cafe / Oxnard, CA^*
Nov 11 – Loft @ UCSD / San Diego^
Nov 12 – Echoplex / Los Angeles^
# with Yuck
^ with Weekend
& with the Blow + Young Men
* with Sweater Girls, Sea Lions and Avocados

Photo: Mary Chang

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart: website | myspace | @ Monolith Festival 2009, Saturday, September 12 | Interview with | @ Black Cat, 2009 | @ Irvine Auditorium

Cymbals Eat Guitars is now quite the formidable band. When I’m doing my usual trawling through British music magazine web sites, it’s great to see an American band get praised. Here’s an example: a couple months back, respected Fly Magazine brought the band into their London office to record songs for their FlyTV in the Courtyard series; not just any band gets invited to do these. Their profile has dramatically increased since the last time I saw them, in September 2009 at the Black Cat, opening for fellow New Yorkers the Pains of Being Pure at Heart.

At the time, they had a different line-up and amp problems plagued their set. Having been hand-picked by Wayne Coyne to support the Flaming Lips for a London residency last November and having played well-attended and well-received shows across the UK, Cymbals Eat Guitars already have some invaluable experience under their belts. Last Saturday night they played a sold-out show at the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hotel in Washington. I don’t think the gravity of the event was lost on singer Joseph “Ferocious” D’Agostino, who sat cross-legged with guitar in lap prior to playing, as if gathering his thoughts and getting into the zone.

However, there were two opening bands, one of which I’ve missed twice before and the other I knew nothing about. You know you’re in for a unique experience when you see a banjo, a Korg, a xylophone, and a watering can filled with plastic drumsticks lined up on a stage. Collectively, Freelance Whales, a quintet from Queens, New York City, sound as if the masculine synth bits of Passion Pit and the mellowness of folky Fanfarlo has a love child. At times lead singer Judah Dadone sounds like Michael Angelakos but looks more like “the Big Bang Theory”‘s Johnny Galecki when plugging away at his Korg or strumming a guitar or banjo.

Otherwordly synths may seem at odds with the folk music aesthetic but for Freelance Whales, it works. “Ghosting,” a highlight of their set, was described by Dadone as being about “sleepwalking to try and find your soul mate.” There’s quite a lot of industry buzz about this band, and it’s well-deserved: whether it’s masterful instrumentation or rich harmonies that ring your bell, there’s a lot to like about this band. Their self-released debut album Weathervanes will be released on April 13 in America.

I didn’t know anything about Brooklyn-based Bear in Heaven going into this gig, so I was pleasantly surprised – and even a bit wowed! – by the trio’s eclectic mix of experimental, rock, and dance sounds. The band is definitely rocking the facial hair: drummer Joe Stickney has a beard that makes him look like a cross between George Carlin and Jarvis Cocker, and the other two have mustaches. Memorably, leader Jon Philpot (vocals / synth / guitar) responded with a jovial “mustaches forever!” when crowd-goers went ape about their love of what was described by someone near me as “one fierce mustache.”

Based on their grungy lumberjack look, you would not expect such interesting music. I definitely was not expecting the sheer power of drumming from Stickney, which worked great as the backbeat for the experimental numbers (like the fabulous “Lovesick Teenagers”) as well as the more dancey ones (“Wholehearted Mess,” for one). Guitarist Adam Wills gets kudos for discussing his pedal set-up with the guitar heads down at the front.

In their current incarnation, Cymbals Eat Guitars appear tighter live, a more well-oiled machine, with little discussion between band members required to move from one song to the next. In addition to playing tracks from their critically received Why There Are Mountains, they also debuted several new songs, including one that required keyboardist Brian Hamilton to artfully balance a triangle to hang from his mike stand. The highlights for me were “Under a Hazy Sea” and a personal favorite, “Indiana” (described to me by new bassist Matt Whipple with “I like to think of it as our Sonic Youth song that becomes a Beatles song“). On most songs, D’Agostino looked blissfully lost in the music while wailing on his guitar but when singing, the emotions pour out of his body as easily as the sweat beads roll off his cheeks. Whipple is an asset, his backing vocals a welcome addition to the live Cymbals Eat Guitars sound. These are four guys who are still very young and have a lot of promise.

Tour Dates
Mar 10 – Pilot Light / Knoxville, TN
Mar 11 – Ear / Atlanta
Mar 12 – Harvest Of Hope Festival / St. Augustine, FL
Mar 13 – Will’s Pub / Orlando
Mar 14 – Engine Room / Tallahassee
Mar 16 – Mango’s / Houston
Mar 17-21 – South by Southwest / Austin
Mar 22 – Rhythm Room / Phoenix
Mar 23 – Casbah / San Diego
Mar 24 – Echo / Los Angeles
Mar 25 – Bottom Of The Hill / San Francisco
Mar 28 – Crocodile Café / Seattle
Mar 29 – Biltmore Cabaret / Vancouver
Mar 31 – Kilby Court / Salt Lake City
Apr 01 – Hi Dive / Denver
Apr 02 – Replay Lounge / Lawrence, KS
Apr 03 – Turf Club / St. Paul
Apr 04 – Schuba’s / Chicago
Apr 06 – El Mocambo Club / Toronto
Apr 07 – Il Motore / Montreal
Apr 08 – Middle East / Boston

Cymbals Eat Guitars: website | myspace | @ Black Cat
Freelance Whales: website | myspace
Bear in Heaven: website | myspace | interview with

Last night, mostly local The Walkmen performed at the University of Pennsylvania’s Irvine Auditorium in University City, Philadelphia. Despite some parking issues and then list frustrations (i.e.- not being on it, but thanks Matt Barrick, The Walkmen’s drummer, for taking care of business), I was impressed when I walked into the space. Built in 1926, it appears to have been a church at some point, mostly it was the high vaulted ceilings, but it’s a wonderful live performance space with a capacity of over 1,000 and great acoustics.

Openers The Pains of Being Pure at Heart put on an impressive performance that was equal parts sentimental, lively and poppy. Front man Kip Berman, whose soft vocals were complimented beautifully by those of keyboardist Peggy Wang-East, beseeched the audience to not heckle (which they did not), as his grandparents were in the crowd and he wanted them to “think we’re cool.” It was rather endearing, but unnecessary as the entire audience was either transfixed by the sweet indie pop songs or dancing along with the catchy beats emanating from the stage.

For all the energy that The Pains of Being Pure at Heart produced with their energetic sound, the atmosphere took on a much more relaxed feel once the Walkmen took to the stage. The band’s lack of energy throughout the beginning of the set brought down the entire room, save for the one really drunk [he had to be] guy jumping up and down the entire set. While aforementioned drummer Matt Barrick really amped up the energy behind his kit throughout the entire set, it wasn’t until about halfway through the set that the rest of the band began to visibly enjoy being on stage.

Front man Hamilton Leithauser announced that the fivesome had been in the studio all week writing a follow up to last year’s You and Me, which the crowd applauded with vigor. The only portion of the set which the crowd wasn’t thrilled about was Hamilton’s mention of the Yankees, who is seems he’s a fan of, but quickly won back the crowd with letting us know that most of the band are Phillies fan.

Baseball rivalries aside, the Walkmen put on a great show. If you’re the Chicago area this week, you can catch the guys playing Schubas 20th Anniversary Concert, which is already sold out, so I hope you’ve got your tickets. If not, we’ve all got a new album to look forward to in 2010.

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart: website | myspace | interview with: Hamilton Leithauser | @ the bowery ballroom | @ wonder ballroom | @ beachland ballroom | @ monolith | interview with | @ black cat | perform “Twins”
The Walkmen: website | myspace | | @ monolith 2009 | @ acl 2009

Opening for the Walkmen at University of Pennsylvania’s Irvine Auditorium in Philadelphia tonight was The Pains of Being Pure at Heart. They put on an endearing and energetic indie pop set, winning over the entire crowd. They performed a new song called “Twins,” which you can watch above.

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart: website | myspace | @ monolith | interview with | @ black cat

My first listen of the Pains of Being Pure at Heart live was a little over four months ago. From a precarious balcony view, high above a packed crowd at the Nottingham-Trent Uni main room (one of several venues for the English city’s Dot to Dot Festival), I could make out several figures onstage. I could hear the great music and I watched as the people on the floor cheered loudly for the band: swaying to the music and clearly enjoying themselves. So I promised myself that sometime soon I’d see them live, up close and personal, preferably in our country. I finally got that wish Wednesday night at the Black Cat, when they made a stop in Washington on the last day of September with two fellow New York bands.

The first to appear was Cymbals Eat Guitars from Staten Island. This is a band of extremes. At one point in time, you’re thinking, okay, this band is a mellow, woozy, college rock kind of sound. Then they decide to unleash their fury on everyone in the room: drummer Matthew Miller‘s sticks flying and arms playing guitars flailing. And this switch of mood – and possibly back and forth a couple times- can happen in one song. Lead singer/guitarist Joseph Ferocious (as he is named on the band’s MySpace) favors a manic strumming technique when he’s not singing, lending to the band’s sometimes outrageously punkish sound. But all is not punk with Cymbals Eat Guitars – they have a keyboardist, Brian Hamilton, who adds an unexpected layer to the band’s tunes. “And the Hazy Sea” is an example; it’s like riding on a roller coaster, wondering what’s coming around the bend with baited breath.

Ferocious was giving it his all, the perspiration visibly dripping off his nose by the second song. Halfway through the set, Ferocious realized there was something wrong with the way his guitar sounded. Hamilton and bassist Neil Berenholz tried to help by fiddling with recalcitrant amp to no avail; eventually, they “borrowed” equipment from the Depreciation Guild and the Pains of Being Pure at Heart touring guitarist Christoph Hochheim. Their set closed with “Wind Phoenix” and the crowd clapping loudly for soldiering on despite technical difficulties.

When a guy and a girl were setting up things at the merch table before anyone started playing, I thought I recognized the guy as being one of the people in the Pains of Being Pure at Heart press shots. Imagine my surprise when the same guy sang and played guitar the Depreciation Guild as well as drummed for the Pains. Turns out I was right: the man in question was Kurt Feldman. The band is made up of Feldman and twin brothers Christoph (guitar) and Anton Hochheim (drums).

The band’s set-up had to one of the most unusual I’d ever witnessed; Feldman set up a small, black wooden table and then opened a plastic box to reveal – wait for it – a red, early era Nintendo set, complete with ancient controllers. If you’re wondering how the band gets some of those electronic sound effects into their songs, wonder no more. Then there was a big screen behind the drum kit to which blocks of color were projected onto, flashing throughout the band’s performance. Somehow, they were able to sync the movement of the blocks to match the song rhythms – really cool because it felt like you were standing inside a kaleidoscope while they played. Songs like “Sky Ghosts” and “Dream About Me” sound just as floaty dream pop as their titles suggest.

With a look of innocence with a bit of mischief, Kip Berman asked, “are you ready to fall in love tonight?” The crowd responded riotously to the Pains of Being Pure at Heart singer- this was likely due to the fact that the band knows a lot of people in the D.C. area, as evidenced by Berman’s sociable fluttering around before their set, shaking hands and talking with devoted fans and friends. We also learned that Archie Moore, another D.C.-er, mixed their latest EP, “Higher Than the Stars,” but was unable to attend because of a new addition to his family. So this didn’t feel like just another gig. It felt warm and inviting, like a family gathering. “This Love is Fucking Right!”, the band’s first song out of the gate, got things off to a rollicking start.

Guitars, keyboards, and drums with vocals from Berman and keyboardist Peggy Wang combine to create one cohesive sound that can only be described as feel good pop. Given in short, sharp doses, this is the kind of music that gets into atom of your being and just feels…right. Watch the animated playing of Berman, Wang, Christoph Hochheim (guitar), Alex Naidus (bass), and Kurt Feldman (drums), and you see that everything just works together splendidly. Shoegaze, making a big comeback this year, has never sounded better or more gorgeous in the Pains’ hands. This night, instead of being miles away from the band, I had a front row view to the swirling, droning guitars and Berman’s gentle vocals about what else? Love. They are a pop band after all. Berman prefaced my favorite song prior to seeing them live, “Everything With You,” with “it’s about that best friend you want to make out with. Sometimes!” I argue that it’s one of the sweetest songs ever written about that four-letter word.

We also got to hear songs from their new EP, just released last week on Slumberland Records. “Higher Than the Stars” and “103″ were wonderful live, so I expect that whenever the band can make it back to the studio, they can make magic again. Thanks to the efforts of the great KEXP in Seattle, you can watch the band playing the title track of the EP live at the Doug Fir in Portland. It’s fab.

So ladies and gentlemen, I do believe I have a new favorite live band. In answer to Berman’s question, yes, I was ready to fall in love. Yep, I lost my heart to the Pains of Being Pure at Heart Wednesday night. I’m eagerly looking forward to the next time I can experience this band live.

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart: website | myspace | @ Monolith Festival, Saturday, September 12 | Interview with: the Pains of Being Pure at Heart
Cymbals Eat Guitars: website | myspace
The Depreciation Guild: website | myspace

Tipped last month by Britain’s Q magazine as one of the “10 Best New Bands on Earth”, NYC indie rock band the Pains of Being Pure at Heart have posted on their official website a string of North American tour dates for July, September, and October. Catch them at a club near you. They’re also playing the Pitchfork and Monolith festivals. The band’s debut album The Pains of Being Pure at Heart was released on February 3.

Tour dates:
Jul 10 – South Street Seaport / New York City
Jul 18 – Pitchfork Festival / Chicago
Jul 20 – The Echo / Los Angeles
Jul 21 – Rickshaw Stop / San Francisco
Jul 23 – Backspace / Portland
Jul 24 – Biltmore Cabaret / Vancouver
Jul 25 – Capitol Hill Block Party / Seattle
Sept 05 – Middle East / Cambridge, MA
Sept 06 – La Sala Rossa / Montreal
Sept 07 – Legendary Horseshoe / Toronto
Sept 08 – Logan Square Auditorium / Chicago
Sept 09 – Orpheum Stage Door / Madison
Sept 10 – Slowdown / Omaha
Sept 12 – Monolith Festival / Morrison, CO
Sept 13 – Kilby Court / Salt Lake City
Sept 14 - Neurolux / Boise
Sept 17 – Doug Fir / Portland
Sept 21 – Casbah / San Diego
Sept 22 – Club Congress / Tucson
Sept 24 – Lola’s / Fort Worth
Sept 25 – Mohawk / Austin
Sept 26 – One Eyed Jacks / New Orleans
Sept 27 – Club Down Under (FSU) / Tallahassee
Sept 28 – Earl / Atlanta
Sept 29 – Local 506 / Chapel Hill, NC
Sept 30 – Black Cat / Washington, DC
Oct 01 – Ottobar / Baltimore
Oct 05 – First Unitarian Church / Philadelphia

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart : website | myspace

Photo: Annie Powers