Superblast!

My Bloody Valentine lead sweet NYC fest lineup

Hey. You like your rock catchy, but slightly experimental? You like feedback, drone, slo-core, blips, beeps and squeeks? You like My Bloody Valentine? In other words -- are you COOL?

Then from September 19-21, you'll be in NYC for the new-and-improved U.S. version of All Tomorrow's Parties fest. Here's why:

My Bloody Valentine will perform in the United States for the first time in 16 years.

Also why:
Built to Spill performing Perfect From Now On
Meat Puppets performing Meat Puppets II
Thurston Moore performing Psychic Hearts
Tortoise performing Millions Now Living Will Never Die
Shellac
Mogwai
Polvo
Fuck Buttons
Autolux
The Drones
Low
Wooden Shjips
Edan with Dagha
Thee Silver Mount Zion Orchestra

The event is being curated by MBV and ATP. You are being curated by good feelings of happy times. This...this is just awesome. If they added Boris, it would be just too awesome for words.

The Feelies reunite, set NYC date with Sonic Youth

According to Billboard, N.J. powerpop/indie legends The Feelies have officially reunited and have set their first gig in 15 years! They'll be opening for Sonic Youth at NYC's River to River Festival on July 4.

The summerlong River to River Festival also includes shows from Atlas Sound, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, St. Vincent, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Kieran Hebden and Steve Reid, Akron/Family, and Jóhann Jóhannsson.

Lou Reed, Thurston Moore to speak at SXSW

Lou Reed -- singer, guitarist, Velvet Underground frontman, friend of the Killers, legend, icon, etc. -- will be the keynote speaker at March's South by Southwest fest in the Austin.

Reed's appearance will include a screening of Julian Schnabel's "rockumentary" Lou Reed's 'Berlin.'

Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth), composer Steve Reich and Daryl Hall (as in "& Oates") are also set to speak.

The mega-fest thing takes place March 12-16.

Thurston Moore goes solo again

Sonic Youth guiterrorist/vocalist Thurston Moore is setting a solo tour to kick out some jams from his upcoming solo album Trees Outside the Academy (Ecstatic Peace Records). So, that'll be cool.

Trees is the rock legend's first solo disc since 1995 underrated Psychic Hearts.

9/24 - Hoboken, NJ - Maxwell's
9/26 - Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg
9/27 - Boston, MA - Museum of Fine Arts
9/28 - Princeton, NJ - Princeton University Terrace Club
9/29 - Washington, DC - Rock and Roll Hotel
9/30 - Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda's
10/24 - Seattle, WA - Neumos
10/25 - Portland, OR - Doug Fir
10/26 - Arcata, CA - Humbolt State University
10/29 - San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall
10/30 - Los Angeles, CA - Echoplex

'I'm Not There': Hopefully better than 'Velvet Goldmine'

Can Todd Haynes' "experimental" take on Bob Dylan, "I'm Not There," sound any cooler? Cate Blanchett? Check. David Cross? Check. Just-announced soundtrack featuring Eddie Vedder, Stephen Malkmus, Cat Power, Yo La Tengo, Jeff Tweedy and John Doe? Ummmm...CHECK.

And, like his "Velvet Goldmine," Haynes' "I'm Not There" will have a "houseband" playing on many of the tracks. The so-called Million Dollar Bashers was assembled by Sonic Youth's Lee Ranaldo and also features SY's Steve Shelley on drums, Television guitarist Tom Verlaine, Wilco guitarist Nels Cline (all better!), Beck guitarist Smokey Hormel, keyboardist John Medeski (as in "...Martin and Wood") and Dylan bassist Tony Garnier.

Review: Sonic Youth @ Urban Outfitters

7/21/7, Los Angeles: Minneapolis got Tapes n Tapes, Philly got The Rapture and NYC got El-P, but L.A. landed the biggest fish with Sonic Youth. Toyota's admirable Free Yr Radio live series came to a close at the Santa Monica Urban Outfitters with a brief, invigorating set from the iconic NY noise band. All the clothes were moved aside, turning the retail store into an intimate club, with a pretty cool onstage backdrop featuring the band's logo.

Each Free Yr Radio show benefitted a local indie radio station, with SMC's KXLU receiving the goods from the Sonic Youth event.

Primarily culled from their latest album, Rather Ripped, Sonic's setlist also included the early jam "The World Looks Red" and the well-received "Bull in the Heather." Bassist/vocalist Kim Gordon, guitarist Thurston Moore, and guitarist Lee Ranaldo shared vocal duties

Postal Service's DNTEL opened to a largely tuned-out crowd, most of whom were chatting during his overlong set.

Photos by the pugnacious Chinapixie.

Review: Sonic Youth @ Greek Theater

7/20/07, Los Angeles: Daydream Nation, first released in 1988, always seemed destined for icon status, and is often celebrated as one of the great albums of the 1980s, and usually mentioned early on in recaps of American post-punk.

Continuing the trend set by All Tomorrow's Parties' Don't Look Back series, Sonic Youth played Daydream all the way through on Friday at the Greek Theatre in Hollywood (following similar performances in Chicago and London), and for a few hours, the band recaptured the zeitgeist surrounding the album's original time period. Stripping down to a quartet again (with new bassist Mark Ibold waiting in the wings), the band played the double-album straight ahead with few frills, and little stage banter. Guitarist Lee Ranaldo seemed to be the driving force behind the night's production, whether singing his tracks or slowly destroying his small army of guitars. The songs themselves sound as fresh as ever, awash in feedback and also threatening to spin out of control, but still laced with unforgettable melodies.

Strangely enough, the band seemed to be having more fun during the encore, when Ibold joined them for a handful of songs off their latest disc, Rather Ripped. His presence allowed Kim Gordon to ditch her bass and get some infectious dancing in. In fact, they were having such a blast, they ought to think about playing that album in its entirety as well. Or how about all of them? In a row. In my apartment.

Poster of the Week: Sonic Youth by Malleus

Sonic Youth at Spazio 211 in Torino, Italy. Art by Malleus.

Review: Sonic Youth/Boredoms @ Studio Coast

4/20/7, Tokyo: A few weeks ago I was in the Japan for PERSONAL BUSINESS. But I peeped Sonic Youth and the Vooredoms (code for the Boredoms) at Studio Coast in Tokyo. Boredoms stomped ASS. Three drumsets. One crazy, 4-guitar contraption. All Japanese stage banter. Maybe three long pieces of music. Fucking awesome. Then Tokyo resident Jim O'Rourke (previously of SY, also Wilco producer) spun some weird found sounds and experimental rock, which was cool. Then, Sonic Youth came on and pulled out "Candle" from Dayream Nation. They followed it with a few Rather Ripped tracks, "Mote" and a few other oldies, before slowly sinking into some kinda boring slow jamz. Two encores! The Japanese crowd went nuts during the music, but stayed very quiet in between tunes. The loudest peeps there were all Westerners. Studio Coast fits about 2,000 and is in a danky, industrial part of town. Sorry I don't have any photos. Just use your imagination. It was Tokyo, so there were giant robots and maids everywhere.

Special shout-out goes to "Scott" from Kirkland, WA. He helped me out with the Japanese instructions, plus he was at the same Argo/Architecture in Helsinki show I went to at Chop Suey in May, 2005. In Seattle. Where I'm not from. Strange things are afoot at Studio Coast.