MON 3/1
Anthony da Costa's music combines folk, rock, Americana and pop, plus what it's like to be a very, very young man, with a very, very old soul (legendary N.Y. DJ, Pete Fornatale).
Now 19 and a freshman at Columbia University, in 2009, Anthony was named a WFUV New Artist to Watch and an MSNBC.com Top 5 Up-&-Coming Young Singer. In 2008, he released two critically-acclaimed albums and was a Folk Alliance Emerging Artist of the Year nominee. In 2007, he became the youngest winner ever at the Falcon Ridge and Kerrville Folk Festivals. With one foot in folk and the other foot loose and wandering into various other genres, he released his 8th record in 2009, Not Afraid of Nothing.
An indie-acoustic group born from the turbulent and tender songwriting of Anna Morsett. Cello, violin and drums wrapped expertly around percussive, guitar-driven melodies and a stormy voice that will leave you a little cut up.
TUE 3/2
Major dispute? You KNOW you're right, and your roommate (band mate, colleague, partner, best friend) thinks you're wrong. Well, it's time to settle it! Send cases in advance to norascourt@gmail.com. It's like People's Court for the social New Yorker. For fun and bragging rights only! Opportunity for audience override. Time to say "I told you so" as Nora brings the gavel down.
WED 3/3
American Roots Music artist, D.B. Rielly was only six months old when, upon hearing David Hasselhoff sing, he immediately soiled his diaper and vowed to bring good music back to a starving generation. Since then, he has tirelessly pursued his quest, all the while narrowly avoiding work, debt collectors, and liver failure.
"He's great!" — Elvin Bishop
"He really knows what time it is." — KRS-One
THU 3/4
featuring Joanna Smith Rakoff, Allison Amend
Joanna Smith Rakoff has written for The New York Times, Time Out New York, the Los Angeles Times, Newsday, Vogue, O: The Oprah Magazine, and other publications. She holds a B.A. from Oberlin College, an M.A. from University College, London, and an M.F.A. from Columbia University. She lives in New York with her husband, son and daughter.
Allison Amend, a Chicago native, is the author of the award-winning short story collection Things That Pass for Love. Stations West, her first novel, was published in March 2010 by Louisiana State University Press. You can find her online at www.allisonamend.com.
The Ditty Committee. Jingles that go for the jugular. Muzak for Masochists. The Residents sodomizing Randy Newman with an old Casio in the frozen food section of the Museum of Natural History. The guys you beat up in middle school. The Ditty Committee. Dinky Sounds for a Stinky Future.
Noah Nite, the front-man of Brooklyn-based Sir Majesty, will be performing acoustic folk and rock music at Pete's using a guitar, a loop pedal, and a bass drum.
FRI 3/5
Joined by the incredible vocals of Tatsuya Adachi & Nat Osborn, Lyle Divinsky will take you on his Crosby, Stills & Nash meets Sam Cooke journey. Just think, three great looking men, singing great sounding original songs, in great three-part harmony... it doesn't get any better.
Darkened folk from new orleans.
Poppy,sweet ,toe tappin' tunes for Brooklyn local Krista Holly and friends!
SAT 3/6
Pete's is putting on great afternoon shows for two more weeks. Come warm up with hot bands in a great sounding room. As always the music is free at Pete's.
Doors at 2:30 PM, bands at 3.
Regressive rock.
Under the leadership of Brooklyn-based Songwriter, Singer and Trumpet player, Adam Levine, Mappa Mundi plays original Chamber Rock compositions. Rooted equally in baroque music, noise rock, minimalism, and romanticism, they combine the unique instrumentation and arrangements of a chamber ensemble with raw, jangled-nerves rock into something totally new. This eclectic amalgam of sounds can be heard on their forthcoming EP, "And in this Way We Come Unmoored…".
Behind the songwriting of William Gross, a Locomotive are a little bit country and a little bit folk with some rock and roll mixed in. With a new set of talent outfitted behind him, Gross' tunes have never shined quite so bright. Currently working on finishing their first record together, a Locomotive will be appearing at Pete's this March, April and also each Friday in May. This show is not to be missed!
SUN 3/7
Bavarian Oskar Party (Schuhplattler) 7
with Leiterhosen, Bratwurst, German Chocolate Cake. What could be better?
MON 3/8
PIGEON LIFE: An Investigation Into A Filthy Bird Slum
w/Jamie Hook
Lorimer Street between Messerole and Calyer is home to a bona-fide pigeon slum. Filthy birds congregate there in curious density, forsaking adjacent inviting areas to crowd in a building-side favela of avian vice and depravity. Most mysteriously, they are supported in their wayward lifestyle by some unseen neighborhood abettor, who reliably find the most fetid offal form the local garbage bins to sustain (or poison?) these flying rodents: rotten vegetables, maggoty meat, and moldy bread are just a few of the regular leavings that join the lice-encrusted feathers and fecal whitewash littering the sidewalk. Who is the filthy enabler, and why do they do it? Why does the Rite Aid not stop them? What is the neighborhood consensus on this menace? Join Jamie Hook for a hard-hitting power-point investigation.
NOTE: As March 8 is the presenter’s birthday, refreshments will be served!!
JAMIE HOOK is the curator of Open City Dialogue. He has previously lectured on Barry White and Santa Claus--both of whom really get him going. His theatre work includes the coast-to-coast fringe smash Point Break Live! His film work includes August Wilson’s only screen role in The Naked Proof. His writing has appeared in Vogue, Harpers and The Village Voice.
Charles shall perform material from his forthcoming album, In Sight of Hounds. He shall be accompanied by cellist Yoed Nir, and whomever else he can drag into the ring. It may not be pretty, but it will be pretty
TUE 3/9
Originals on accordion and guitar.
Gabriel plays regularly with Natalie Merchant and has released 5 albums to date. He'll be playing several selections from his upcoming album Indelible at Pete's Candy Store. Solo acoustic performance.
“Austin's Uncle Lucius is one of the most genuine interpretations of Southern rock and soul since The Black Crowes, with songs both Hank Williams and The Band would appreciate.” - Gavin Paul, Center Stage Chicago
Carter Slade is the solo project of carter maness from Brando Skirts. Mix your Will Oldhams and David Bermans with the warm accompaniment of a Wu-Tang obsession and you're getting close.
WED 3/10
Danish songwriter with charismatic vocals, "in your face"-lyrics and a license from the time-police allowing her to play songs in 3, 4, 5 and 6.
THU 3/11
Voice like a warm wind, stories of a soul caught somewhere between sorrow and orgasm. Songs in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.
FRI 3/12
featuring Amish Trivedi, Claire Donato, Melissa Broder & Jason Koo
Amish Trivedi lives in Providence, RI where he's in Brown's MFA program. His chapbook, Museum of Vandals, is available from Cannibal Books. If you're bored, http://www.amishtrivedi.com
Claire Donato lives in Brooklyn, NY and is the author of Someone Else's Body (Cannibal Books 2009). Recent poems have been published or are forthcoming in Black Warrior Review, Boston Review, Columbia Poetry Review, and Action, Yes. She will finish her receive her MFA from Brown University in May 2010.
Melissa Broder is the author of When You Say One Thing but Mean Your Mother (Ampersand Books, February 2010). She is the curator of the Polestar Poetry Series, the chief editor of La Petite Zine and the winner of the Jerome Lowell Dejur Award and the Stark Prize for Poetry. Broder received her BA from Tufts University and is currently in the MFA program at CCNY. By day, she works as a literary publicist. Her poems have appeared in many journals, including: Opium, Shampoo, Conte and The Del Sol Review. Her website is: www.melissabroder.com
Jason Koo is the author of Man on Extremely Small Island, winner of the 2008 De Novo Poetry Prize. The recipient of fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Vermont Studio Center, he has published his poetry and prose in numerous journals, including The Yale Review, North American Review and The Missouri Review. He teaches at NYU and Lehman College and serves as Poetry Editor of Low Rent. He lives in Brooklyn.
Childrens' music for adults. High-octane, toy infested renditions of your favorite My Friend Other tunes. Featuring stylophone, melodica, toy pianos, tiny voices, and whatever else we could find lying around the attic.
SAT 3/13
Pete's is putting on great afternoon shows for two more weeks. Come warm up with hot bands in a great sounding room. As always the music is free at Pete's.
Doors at 2:30 PM, bands at 3.
The music of Justin Keller made lovely by his bandmates. Crafted with honesty and myriad influences, featuring pretty melodies and harmonies, and surprising textures.
SUN 3/14
Roots rock and blues, real instruments and vocals.
The Briars of North America are psychedelic-indie-folk band from from Brooklyn. Members of the band have played with The National, Vetiver, Espers, and the Instruments.
Solo show for Yaya Herman Dune, frontman in and writer for his band Herman Dune
Diaspora Singer-Songwriter, has performed across The Old and the New World with respect for the troubadour tradition of Great Jonathan Richman, Bob Dylan or The Silver Jews
Last album to date is Next Year In Zion released on Everloving Records, California
He's also an illustrator and an artist and lives in Paris, France
http://yayayart.blogspot.com/
MON 3/15
Mal Madrigal features moody, articulate songwriting which incorporates folk, Latin, and experimental influences. Born out of a crew of tight knit musical collaborators from Omaha, Nebraska, songwriter Stephen Bartolomei recently has transplanted Mal Madrigal to New York, bringing with him a style that is both engaging and intimate.
TUE 3/16
The Hedges play slightly deranged and unique arrangements of old appalachian ballads, blues, spirituals and originals driven by the intense harmonies/melodies of singers Lethia Nall and Louise Rozett, Dave Zydallis on guitar, and Bob DesJardins on upright bass.
Brooklyn-based Attics have spent the last few years writing love songs to ghosts. These are the ghosts that live inside buildings, relationships, families, and collective memory. They try to arrange these songs in as ghost-friendly a manner as possible. Certainly, you will find the obligatory glockenspiel, banjo, and vocal harmony. But, as it turns out, ghosts are also suckers for catchy melodies, primitive synthesizers, angular guitars, and drum machines. Who knew?
Two parts strong, one part sweet, and one part sour. Amy Merrill, Daru Oda, Rich Hinman, and Rob Heath (rotating flavor roles) A classic. Sometimes also called a combination, an outfit, or a rig. Open late and may occasionally "sugar the rim." Enjoy!
Sonnet is an original Roots Music songwriter and composer. Drawing from Folk, Blues, Country n’ Western greats like Johnny Cash, Townes Van Zandt, J.J. Cale, Leonard Cohen and Bob Dylan, Sonnet tells the tales of today with the tools of tradition.
WED 3/17
The Koren Ansambel blend quirky classical music fused with comedic absurdity. Not to be missed!
THU 3/18
Tam Lin is a Brooklyn-based singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist whose ambient brand of folk-rock has been compared to the music of Leonard Cohen, Lee Hazelwood, and Nick Drake, as well as to experimental artists such as Talk Talk and John Martyn. 2009 marks the release of his third album, Begin Again, produced by Mario McNulty (David Bowie, Philip Glass).
hol·ler def.-- a loud cry, a valley between mountains, and a country duo by Rachael Benjamin and Beth Price. Formed in 2009 by former band members of the all-girl country group, The Havens, Holler sings appalatian traditionals, country covers and some heart-felt originals with harmonies to boot.
FRI 3/19
When I Was 12 is Adrianne Gold, Dan Houwen, Carolyn Haynes, and Eric Resnick. We like to write silly love songs and we want to feel alive. With charming lyrics sprinkled on top of cute melodies let this capture your heart!
Folk music warrior Spitzer Space Telescope (Boston) empties an arsenal of relic songs and onstage antics at every show. As much a sober balladeer as he is a screaming maniac, Spitzer Space Telescope makes the crowd listen to his booming voice and otherworldly imagery.
The Lenny Molotov Band works the tantalizing border of early jazz and delta blues--with the complexity of the former and the aggression of the latter. Lenny's a virtuoso fingerpicker and his songs are literate, relevant and at times, humorous. Jake Engel on harmonica and Ray Sapirstein on trumpet are stellar soloists--but they can also harmonize like a horn section. All this is supported by a the solid upright bass playing of J.D. Wood and the swinging soulful drumming of Angela Webster.
Proud Simon returns to Pete's with an all new 6-piece band. Led by Brooklyn singer/songwriter Brian Keenan, Proud Simon is "stars and stripes, prairies and canyons, roots and rock" (CMJ) Their most recent album "Anchors Aweigh" was produced by Jamie Candiloro (Ryan Adams & the Cardinals, R.E.M.) and the band is currently in the studio recording their follow-up full length, to be released in Summer 2010.
SAT 3/20
Phoebe Blue and Tom Bones combine their Staten Island acoustic clout to bring you quirky songs with gleefully nostalgic undertones.
Les Vinyl is an Indie Rock band. Their sound is upbeat but they’re cool about it. They don’t try too hard and they don’t over complicate things. The “standard” two guitars, bass, and drums set up, is a platform for songwriting that is familiar while still being, at times, unconventional. “Quirky and Catchy” are common descriptions of this very original Staten Island treasure.
New York natives Harry Zittel and Emily Walton are playing at Pete's Candy Store with new original material. The newest American pop sensation musical group is playing Brooklyn's top joint for a one hour run! Check out a short movie they made together and bring your feets to Pete's!
SUN 3/21
Zane Alan is a singer/songwriter from the wide open lands of West Texas. Zane sets his inimitable lyrics against popular country/blues and folk forms. Creating songs that are at once familiar yet strange and new.
Tough to categorize, The Compact's sensitivity, sensual musicality and social awareness span too many musical genres to count. The eponymous lead singer has a clear, gorgeous voice and a delightful countenance, making her great to listen to and fun to watch. She’s slight in stature, but don’t let that fool you: This woman wails viciously on an electric guitar! On stage, Hobson exudes a sense of unself-conscious joy as she colors her songs with lush chords and expands them with virtuoso solos.
Winston Troy is somewhere between a late night road trip and a living sound painting, created by solo member/performer Kelley Vaughn-Kauffman (ex Heavy Creatures). She plays guitar, sings and shakes the groovy fun feather on top of live-looped background sounds to create layers of dark and mysterious musical incantations.
MON 3/22
EXPLORING THE MULTIVERSE: Life Beyond our Pitiful 3 Dimensions
w/Dr. Schuler
What happens beyond the dull confines of our own three dimensions? Can you hold Time in a Bottle? Tesser-actor Dr. Schüler discusses physics, the possibility of parallel realities, and our place in the multiverse, in a lively exposition that links together disparate physical phenomena. Join us and share this experience as we attempt to peek under the fabric of reality in a paradoxical attempt to discuss the absurd.
Jason Schuler entertains audiences with unusual, innovative, provocative performance, creating art that can only be fully experienced in a live forum. He experiments with perception and explores the visceral subjectivity of the human experience. His performance event, The Garden of Forked Tongues was listed in “The Year According to PaperMag: The Best of the Best of 2009” as a top ten Downtown Performance Favorite.
Guitar, Fender VI, Glockenspiel, drums, and singing. Nice Rock Music.
Sweet and soulful, edgy and lyrical, Lisa Jaeggi's amalgam of acoustic pop, soul, and folk draws from influences like Citizen Cope, Ray LaMontagne, Lykke Li and Cat Power. A native of Maryland and a Brooklyn transplant, Jaeggi weathers the New York singer-songwriter scene armed with a well-worn voice and themes that range from melancholy narratives to carefully constructed observations about city life.
TUE 3/23
Original Circus-Country, Dixieland-Swing, Dueling Kazoos and Vaudeville Charm. Pickathon Roots Music Festival, World Café, Musikfest, CMJ, NACA Showcase Artist, Paradise Theater, Music on the Square, Bristol Rhythm and Roots Festival, Blue Plum Festival, Festival de Jazz de Almodovar. OPENED BOB DYLAN'S SOUTHEAST SUMMER STADIUM TOUR DATES 2009!
Roto 9
Dark Globe: The Strange World of Syd Barrett, performed by Roto, with Jason Crosby and Dave Diamond.
While Syd Barrett, original frontman and guitarist for Pink Floyd, may have made rock history with Fl
oyd's astonishing 1967 debut, Piper At the Gates Of Dawn, he's equally revered in the underground for the ragged, fractally poetic, and haunting songs he recorded in the wake of his acid-damaged departure from the band in 1968. Brooklyn songwriter, guitarist and actor Roto (aka James Rotondi), a former member of Mr. Bungle and French band Air, will resurrect Barrett gems like "Terrapin," "Lucifer Sam," "Baby Lemonade," and "Octopus," channeling both the sound and persona of the lost cult figure, joined by musicians Jason Crosby (Robert Randolph Band) and Dave Diamond (Pozzy Guru).
Dead Heart Bloom was founded by songwriter Boris Skalsky in 2006 and has since released 5 recordings, including a 3 EP series in 2008 that Rolling Stone called "A sublime combination of dour, druggy vocals and corkscrewing guitars". The EP series also explored other styles: rock, dream pop, and ambient folk. Dead Heart Bloom is releasing new material in 2010.
singer/songwriter with a folk/rock influence - silver jews/pavement/will oldham/michael Hurley
WED 3/24
THU 3/25
Born in the hills of Western Pennsylvania, Mark Hamm grew up singing rounds in the backseat of the family minivan and playing poorly executed renditions of Greensleeves on recorder with his sisters before one day picking up his father’s 12-string guitar and clunking out chords that slightly resembled songs. Soon after he began writing his own music about summer nights, young love, and the prospects of what will happen two days from tomorrow.
Mark now makes his home in Brooklyn where he adds to the ever-constant stream of indie-folk sounds pouring from every apartment window. RIYL Bon Iver, Damien Rice, and William Fitzsimmon
Rhythmic trio Private Income (formerly Zero Spanish) take their indie-rock lineup to a place less precious and more authoritative, weaving energy and rawness into the members’ structured playing. Kelly Rae Kerwin makes the keyboard do her bidding as she alternates between sweet church organ, pounding assaults, and swirling scales, bringing classical training to the level of rock. Her vocals are feathery and girlish, not unlike the layered ladies of Au Revoir Simone, but are delivered with an emotive and tone-bending power that betrays her sweetness and sounds more like Nico. Private Income’s tempos are driving, and their songs tend to pound forward in some sort of dark unison. Through their tunes, these guys have a distinct mood, as if they’re not to be messed with, making their gutsy pop demand attention."
~ Liz Levine, Knocks From The Underground
FRI 3/26
with Amy McNamara, Ekoko Omadeke, Priscilla Becker, Mark Leidner & Ben Mirov
Priscilla Becker’s first book of poems, Internal West, won The Paris Review book prize, and was published in 2003. Her poems have appeared in Fence, The Paris Review, Small Spiral Notebook, American Poetry Review, and The Swallow Anthology of New American Poets; her music reviews in The Nation and Filter ; her book reviews in The New York Sun; and her essays in Cabinet and Open City. Her essays have also been anthologized by Soft Skull Press, Anchor Books, and Sarabande. She teaches poetry at Pratt Institute, Columbia University, and in her apartment. Her second book, Stories That Listen, is forthcoming from Four Way Books.
Mark Leidner is the author of two chapbooks, The Night of 1,000 Murders (Factory Hollow Press, 2007) and The Empire (Scantily Clad Press, 2009). He lives and tweets in western Massachusetts.
Ben Mirov is the author of the chapbooks I is to Vorticism (New Michigan Press, 2010) and Ghost Machine (forthcoming from Caketrain Press, 2010). He is general editor of pax americana. He is also poetry editor of LIT Magazine. Sometimes, he blogs at isaghost.blogspot.com.
Indie-soul songstress Eleanor Dubinsky fuses a sultry combination of jazzy vocals and world guitar with Latin and African rhythms, riding on a groove that will make you move. She sings in English, French and Spanish, so think Norah Jones plus the Brazilian Girls with a shot of ooh la la..
Eleanor is joined by the ever-fantastic musicians Ben Zwerin (bass), Vita Tanga (guitar) and Scott Morehouse (drums).
SAT 3/27
Fun and quirky folk pop with a melancholy edge.
"good music" - The New Yorker
"lovely riffs on bluegrass, country and folk music" - The New York Times
SUN 3/28
“With an unusually deep and original voice this Swedish singer/songwriter portrays her travels and tells fascinating stories.”- SVD
Raised in Paris and Stockholm by her artistic parents Halina Larsson has always been fascinated by jazz and folk music from all corners of the world. She has been compared to Janis Joplin, Billie Holiday and Erykah Badu.
After touring the world as a background vocalist for rockband Coheed and Cambria she now finds herself in NY performing music from her EP “Puget Sounds”.
Emily Long and Zach Jones learned to play, sing and write music 3,000 miles away from each other. Inspired by the punk and grunge of the 90s, Emily spent her teenage years sneaking out to meet boys and smoke pot. Zach, on the other hand, divided his time between playing leading roles in community theater (he remains staunchly heterosexual) and drumming along to his Dad's favorite records. Fast forward to July 2009. Despite their vastly different backgrounds, Emily and Zach found themselves gravitating toward the simplicity and honesty of country music. Several months and as many bottles of whiskey later, The Stone Lonesome was born.
"Pourbaix is determined. He is not afraid of working hard. And within his work ethic, he’s smart about the moves he makes – he’s crafty and pragmatic. He is obsessed with the act of creation. He is a lifetime learner. He is wide awake and listening to what you’re saying. He is not afraid of running hard, drinking fast and smoking a lot. But best of all, Tim Pourbaix is passionate about being passionate. You can see it in his eyes. "
- denversyntax.com
MON 3/29
Lady Blanche is a pop punk princess rooted in a slight country drawl who sings Flight of the Conchords-esque compositions, not so ladylike confessionals, and stream of consciousness rambles. Her live performances are often ruckus affairs including much laughter, an occasional tear, and more often that not a really bad 90's cover song.
Brooklyn, NY band, I’m turning into, was conceived by childhood friends, Edd Chittenden, Jhon Grewell and Steve Tarkington in Norfolk, VA in 2004. Their music ranges from a garagy punk sock hop, to a Pixies flavored rock or Sonic Youth inspired experimental guitar rock. Or it’s something else.
TUE 3/30
Songwriter from Ireland on US Spring tour.
Brooklyn-based singer songwriter Michelle Amador's songs resonate with sincerity and passion. Whether performing solo accompanying herself on Rhodes or with a full live band, the sound created is one that is "bliss with heart" (PopMatters) -- intimate, classic, and relevant.
“A new breed of musician.” –Mercury News
“Silken-voiced.” –SF Chronicle
WED 3/31
Keith Abbott is folk who's been at the craft for the better part of six years; hailing originally from California, recently transplanted to Brooklyn