Mercury Lounge

Grandpa’s Hands

Sound Checks

Your Choices Guide to Four Nights of CMJ Music

Garage Daze

Girls Take Center Stage in Their Own 'Warped Tour' Spin-0ff and Other Shows Around the City

Your Guide to CMJ 2004

Girls Take Center Stage in Their Own 'Warped Tour' Spin-0ff and Other Shows Around the City

CMJ Music Marathon

Girls Take Center Stage in Their Own 'Warped Tour' Spin-0ff and Other Shows Around the City

CMJ Music Marathon Highlights

Girls Take Center Stage in Their Own 'Warped Tour' Spin-0ff and Other Shows Around the City

Taynted Love

On the Decemberists' faux-wordly false humility

City-Slicker Rural Folkies Get the Led Out

On the Decemberists' faux-wordly false humility

Droning Chants Warmed by Volcano Suns

On the Decemberists' faux-wordly false humility

CMJ Musicfest 2002

On the Decemberists' faux-wordly false humility

Tonight! Amadou & Mariam, Busdriver, and the Beginning of the Week-Long Hold Steady Onslaught

Amadou & Mariam are superstars everywhere else on the planet -- in 2006, the blind Malian couple co-wrote the official World Cup anthem. But transplant the pair to Manhattan and they can't even fill up Webster Hall... yet. Let's make it happen. The Hold Steady, however, have already sold out ever ... More >>

This Weekend! Saint Vitus, Echo and the Bunnymen, Glenn Branca, and David Bazan

"Basically, I think right now, the world's in shit," Scott "Wino" Weinrich told the Voice's own Phil Freeman recently, by way of explaining the decision to revive the finest iteration of doom-metal giants Saint Vitus for a brief tour. "There's a lot of despair, a lot of economic problems. People h ... More >>

Tonight! Vintage Funk And Psychedelic Folk, Or Maybe The Michael Jackson Flick Instead

​L.A. space cadet and early-'80s bedroom-electro fetishist Dam-Funk reverently evokes the era when Prince looked like this and your equipment looked like this. Whether his debut full-length, Toeachizown, is mere nostalgia-drenched kitsch or heartfelt innovation is a question best pondered in a ... More >>

Japandroids Played Fallon

People who have been fans of this band for years may never have heard either of these two guys sing into the microphone as much (or, uh, as tunefully) as they do here--it's pretty much the exact opposite of whatever bad PA yelling they do out at Brooklyn or the Mercury Lounge, etc. Fallon looks im ... More >>

Still Life Still

People who have been fans of this band for years may never have heard either of these two guys sing into the microphone as much (or, uh, as tunefully) as they do here--it's pretty much the exact opposite of whatever bad PA yelling they do out at Brooklyn or the Mercury Lounge, etc. Fallon looks im ... More >>

Tonight! The Postelles, Harlem, Tim Hecker And Radian, And PC Worship

Harper Smith​Wednesday night is polarizing. First you've got a free show at the Bowery Electric with the Postelles (that's them to the left), an Albert Hammond Jr.-produced retro-rock pack. Then there's the significantly less Motown-ish yet equally vintage lo-fi rock of Harlem at the Mercury L ... More >>

Tonight! We Are Plastic Ono Band, Laura Veirs, and VV Brown

​Tonight at BAM, Yoko Ono revives her Plastic Ono Band, after 30-odd years of hibernation, with fresh blood that includes some of her own (her son Sean's got a hand in it.) A gang of adventurous alt-rockers will frame her signature, pre-verbal, sound-speckled poetry at this dress rehearsal for ... More >>

This Weekend! Leslie & the Ly's, Tinariwen, Lee Fields & the Expressions, Crystal Slilts, Beach Fossils, Sightings, Dum Dum Girls, And More

​If you like your ladies in out-of-this world glittering bodysuits, check out Leslie, a/k/a Mother Gem (the name hints at her collection of shiny jumpsuit splendor, as seen above), and her band the Ly's at Mercury Lounge, where the synth-pop band will induce a keytar frenzy. At the Bell House ... More >>

875 People Were at the Market Hotel for Surfer Blood on Saturday?!?

Probably should've known that the Surfer Blood bill at the Market Hotel on Saturday night was going to be sold way the hell out, especially when even Luke's Lobster in the East Village was playing Astro-Coast on Friday night. Nevermind the ominous symbolism in a bunch of Brooklyn kids texting back ... More >>

Tonight! YACHT, Foreign Born, And Jenny Owen Youngs

​YACHT, the occult-obsessed androgynous duo to your left who have their own belief system (according to their MySpace page), cast their spell at Bowery Ballroom with deadpan vocals, bouncing synths, and paranormal electronic concoctions. Meanwhile, Foreign Born, bolstered by African percussion ... More >>

Tonight! The Lovely Feathers, Hockey, and Josefin Fundin

​It may seem like SXSW is sucking the musical lifeblood out of Gotham this week, but there's plenty of talent swimming up here, against the current, anyway. Take Montreal's the Lovely Feathers (to your left), who'll transform Mercury Lounge into an indie-pop playground with their wooing vocals ... More >>

Here's A Quick, Weird Video Further Proving That This New MGMT Record Is Gonna Be A Handful

Fresh from Sunday night's Mercury Lounge invasion comes this brief shot of wacky whimsy, ostensibly to hype next month's Congratulations, which from the cover to the first available track looks to be a rampantly schizo affair pretty much guaranteed to not leave you bored. (Note: If you're appalled ... More >>

Tonight! Oh No Ono, Black Lips, Julian Casablancas, And Clogs

​Never pass up the opportunity to see a self-proclaimed group of Danish "Internet Warriors" who have specifically branded themselves as human-headed "Lion Fish." That'd be Oh No Ono (to your left), performing their springy, game-show post-punk at Mercury Lounge tonight. Meanwhile, at Bowery Ba ... More >>

Tonight! Lemonade, Foxy Shazam, And She & Him

​Lemonade (to your left) quench your thirst at Mercury Lounge with an irresistible concoction of boy-band vocals and punchy electronic dancehall. Then, get buckwild at Webster Hall, where Foxy Shazam's sex-charged, '70s-rock stage antics are reason enough to stop by. Or join doting She & Him f ... More >>

Tonight! Abe Vigoda, the xx, and Dappled Cities

​Behold: fresh from the Los Angeles DIY scene, Abe Vigoda (the band, not the actor, to your left) mauls instruments with punk ferocity while dabbling in steel drums and syncopated rhythms at the Mercury Lounge. Then, the xx play another gig at Webster Hall...and you might not want to miss thei ... More >>

Tonight! Acid Mothers Temple, Best Coast, The Babies, So Cow, Surprisers, and Midlake

Best Coast just needs a friend.​Japanese psych-rock emperors Acid Mothers Temple are playing tonight at the Knitting Factory. But "psych-rock" is not a term to be taken lightly here -- the band's latest effort destroys the beautiful Terry Riley piano orchestration In C and instead erects a mas ... More >>

Tonight! Cave, Penguin Prison, And High Places

Caves pic by Laura Coleman​This could be another day of cursing the gods, considering that both Black Rebel Motorcycle Club's Webster Hall show and Midlake's gig at the Bowery Ballroom are sold out, but hey, there are plenty of excellent consolatory shows. You could start a therapeutic sing-al ... More >>

Tonight! The Low Anthem, Monotonix, And Blackbells

​The Low Anthem's American folk and roots music does exude "hymnal purity," (well put, Uncut Magazine), but don't worry about being lulled to sleep, as the quartet (to your left) will dynamically shuffle around zithers, pump organs, and clarinets within a single set at the Bowery Ballroom. Or, ... More >>

Jason Collett+Zeus

​The Low Anthem's American folk and roots music does exude "hymnal purity," (well put, Uncut Magazine), but don't worry about being lulled to sleep, as the quartet (to your left) will dynamically shuffle around zithers, pump organs, and clarinets within a single set at the Bowery Ballroom. Or, ... More >>

Tonight! Gang Gang Dance, Harlem, And Javelin

Leslie van Steltein​Well-dressed art rockers Gang Gang Dance (to your left) will show you how to lose control (and snatch it back) as Lizzi Bougatsos screeches and coos at tonight's MHOW dance party. Elsewhere, Austin-bred merry pranksters Harlem (c'mon, their first record was called Free Drug ... More >>

This Weekend! Crystal Stilts, Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad, Gossip, Royal Bangs, And More

​This Friday, slow it down at the Bell House with Brooklyn quartet Crystal Stilts (to your left), whose acid-tripping guitars and bellowing vocals have chill-pill-type effects. Elsewhere, Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad (yes, every part of that name is necessary) spread good vibrations at Mercu ... More >>

Tonight! Beach Fossils, Woods w/ the Joshua Light Show, Phosphorescent, Everybody Was In The French Resistance...Now!, These are Powers, Buzzcocks, Das Racist, And Lady Gaga w/ Elton John

Tonight, The Deli's "Best of NYC" festival kicks off with Beach Fossils, the sensitive, disaffectedly distorted surf bums with a mobile drummer. At the Abrons Art Center, the Joshua Light Show splashes lava-lamp gurgling, polka-dotted hallucinogen projections atop Woods, a lo-fi folk act whose psy ... More >>

Tonight! Public Image Ltd., Keepaway, DOM, Janelle Monae, Phantogram, BRAHMS, BELL, And ARMS

Tonight, find Mr. Johnny Rotten aged to post-punk perfection with Public Image Ltd. at Terminal 5, where you'll catch the ex-Sex Pistols frontman wailing about "Death Disco," songs that aren't love songs, and the like. At Mercury Lounge, discover a couple of Christopher R. Weingarten-approved acts ... More >>

Tonight! Julianna Barwick, Todd P, Ryan Schreiber, Blissed Out, Lou Reed, Sonic Youth, Moby, And Black Keys

via PitchforkThe Barwick-meister​Tonight, Julianna Barwick mimics the cries of weeping dolphins and angels with Bieber Fever at Le Poisson Rouge, her latest vocal-loop monastery. For the show's after-party, venture out to Monster Island Basement, where she's spinning her first DJ set alongside ... More >>

Spoon Are Playing A Free Show At The Cake Shop At 1 P.M. Today

​Those forlorn Spoon fans shut out of tonight's Music Hall of Williamsburg gig have another option, if your definition of "lunch hour" is flexible enough and you're willing to wait in line on the L.E.S. for... what? Three hours? Two? Maybe an hour will do it? How many people does the Cake Shop ... More >>

Urge Overkill Play Mercury Lounge Tonight; Tickets Still Available

​Given the public's abiding interest in '90s bands that may or may not have reunited, we thought we'd point out that proudly hedonistic Chicago power-pop goofballs Urge Overkill are taking another crack at it, playing their first live show in forever tonight at Mercury Lounge, and at least las ... More >>

The Best Thing I Ate Yesterday

Welcome to The Best Thing I Ate Yesterday, where we endeavor to remember the very best thing we stuffed down our gullets over the past 24 hours. Why? Because the only thing better than enjoying a meal is wallowing in the memory of one savored in the recent past. Today's fond reminiscences ... Vic ... More >>

MOTOR CITY LOVERS

Tyvek wants to get with you

Live: Snowden Bring Their Rousing Songs of Doom And Gloom To Mercury Lounge

Jordan Jeffares, bringing back the better parts of the '80s. Pics by Chris.​Snowden/Fan-Tan Mercury Lounge Friday, January 21 Better Than: Reading Catch-22 all alone at home. Friday night's blizzard-like conditions only serve to remind us that everyone's favorite winter-themed, synth-happy, ... More >>

Tonight's Yuck Show At Mercury Lounge Is Canceled

Alas, per above, classic indie-guitar-crunch revivalists Yuck have axed their Mercury Lounge show tonight due to VISA issues, though tomorrow's gig at Glasslands is still on as of now. In the interim, please spell yourself by watching their ridiculous sexy-dog-washing video, which is a real thing: ... More >>

Music Venue With the Most Foursquare Check-Ins in 2010? Terminal 5. (Mercury Lounge's Third.)

pic by Rob HarvillaFlorence, trying to unlock the Crunked badge with her mind at Terminal 5. Somewhat interesting: the music venue with the most Foursquare check-ins for 2010 was NY-concert airplane hanger Terminal 5, announced on the Foursquare blog earlier this week. This is a global ranking too, ... More >>

Princeton

pic by Rob HarvillaFlorence, trying to unlock the Crunked badge with her mind at Terminal 5. Somewhat interesting: the music venue with the most Foursquare check-ins for 2010 was NY-concert airplane hanger Terminal 5, announced on the Foursquare blog earlier this week. This is a global ranking too, ... More >>

Stream Titus Andronicus Siren Amy Klein's I Know What You Want, And See Her Tonight At Glasslands

​During a recent Mercury Lounge invasion by majestic New Jersey angst-punk deities Titus Andronicus, we grew to greatly appreciate the presence of guitarist/violinist/backup vocalist Amy Klein, a bouncing, gleeful antidote to all that hyper-masculine self-recrimination. That someone in this ba ... More >>

Live: Stepkids Throw A Startling Psych-R&B Dance Party At Mercury Lounge

Pics by Sophia Betz​The Stepkids Mercury Lounge Thursday, March 10 Better Than: Being dry. Maybe. "I couldn't believe it, bro! "My mouth was hanging open the whole time!" Down in the basement dressing rooms of Mercury Lounge, a childhood friend of Connecticut band the Stepkids is trying t ... More >>

Five Fantastic Songs By Holly Golightly, Who Is Playing NYC Tonight And Tomorrow

​The voice of Holly Golightly--a British singer who first entered the music world as a member of Thee Headcoatees, the all-lady spinoff of Thee Headcoats, and who has also lent her vocals to songs by Rocket From The Crypt and the White Stripes--is a whiskey-soaked marvel, communicating pain an ... More >>

WEEKEND WARRIORS

Working hard and playing harder

LOVERS' LANE

Go cruising with Hunx and His Punx

Live: Youth Lagoon Brings You Back To His Bedroom At Mercury Lounge

Mark Ghuneim​Youth Lagoon Mercury Lounge November 15 Better Than: Sitting at home waiting for Questlove's predictions about OWS to come true. Before Youth Lagoon's set at the Mercury Lounge, I had tried to describe the Boise, Idaho native's music to a friend by saying that his debut album Th ... More >>

Live: Ed Sheeran Rubs Elbows With The Crowd At Mercury Lounge

Benjamin LozovskyALSO: See more photos from Ed Sheeran's show at Mercury Lounge​Ed Sheeran Mercury Lounge Monday, January 30 Better than: Finding a Sugababes album in the 99-cent bin. British pop stars have had something of a rough go when trying to break America, despite often working with ... More >>