StereoactiveNYC

Tonight at Fort Useless: The Art Of Shooting Video Premiere, Listening Party, + Acoustic Show

We’re obviously big fans of The Art Of Shooting. Just check out the review of their new album that was featured on the site recently. Or the countless other posts we’ve done about them over the last few years. So, when we were asked to host a video premiere party for one of the songs off the new album that would double as a listening party and triple (is that an acceptable use of the word?) as an acoustic show, we were excited to help to be a part of it.

Please join us as we listen to the band’s excellent album, Traveling Show, and watch the new video for “Japanese.” The band will also play a few songs live, as will friends of the band: Quilty and Caitlin Cannon Eddins. Here are the details:

Friday, May 7th
at Fort Useless

36 Ditmars Street
Brooklyn, NY

8:00pm – DOORS

8:30pm – VIDEO

9:00pm – Caitlin Cannon Eddins

9:30pm – listening to the CD in full

10:30pm – Quilty

11pm – VIDEO AGAIN, followed immediately by The Art Of Shooting

RSVP on Facebook

And here are a couple of mp3s from the album:

mp3: “The Birdcage” by The Art Of Shooting

mp3: “It Goes (Home)” by The Art Of Shooting

Tags: caitlin cannon eddins, fort useless, quilty, stereoactivenyc presents, the art of shooting, traveling show

Recent News + Notables

(image via getglucky: via typicalgirls)

We post and reblog news and notable items on a fairly regular basis on our Tumblr. Here’s a sample of what’s been featured there recently:

NY-Centric:

• Gimme Tinnitus asked Magnetic Island some questionds
• The Deli Magazine’s Best Of NYC Fest will be May 13-15
• Shark? is getting ready to record their first full-length album and could use your help, via Kickstarter
• Buzz Rant & Rave reviewed Miniboone’s performance at Fort Useless

Useful/Interesting:

• Apple To Shut Down Lala On May 31, iTunes.com Launch Impending?
• 120 MINUTES Archive: Episodes from MTV (1986-1995)
• Spin’s 125 Best Albums of the Past 25 Years
• MySpace Gets Serious About Events

Beyond NY:

• 2 tracks from Wolf Parade’s upcoming Expo ’86 album available for streaming
• Download: New Interpol – “Lights”
• Black Francis Streams Complete Solo Catalog Online
• Download Band Of Horses’ “Factory” mp3 from forthcoming album
• New Blonde Redhead – “Not Getting There”
• Stream the new LCD Soundsystem record, This Is Happening
• Roger Waters Reveals 31-Date “The Wall” Tour

Mix Tapes:

• Dog and Pony Show: A Summer Mix
• Sonic Youth / JAMS RUN FREE (1998-2009) by Fluxtumblr
• The Old Bell Mix

Videos:

Diehard – “Cool Kids” music video
[on tumblr]

Nirvana – The Man Who Sold The World
MTV Unplugged, November 1993
[on tumblr]

Shocking Blue – “Love Buzz”
[on tumblr]

Nirvana – “Negative Creep” Live
June 23, 1989 @ Rhino Records
[on tumblr]

New MIA track — “Born Free” — via Pitchfork
[on tumblr]

Pavement – “Summer Babe”
Live in Pomono, 4/15/2010
[on tumblr]

Pavement – “Here”
Live in Pomona, 4/15/2010
[on tumblr]

MARIE STELLA | MySpace Music Videos
CPAB + Taken at Port City Music Hall
[on tumblr]

Tags: 120 minutes, apple, band of horses, best of nyc fest, black francis, blonde redhead, buzz rant &rave, diehard, dog and pony show, fort useless, gimme tinnitus, interpol, itunes, kickstarter, lala, lcd soundsystem, magnetic island, marie stella, MIA, miniboone, mtv, mtv unplugged, myspace, nirvana, pavement, pink floyd, rhino records, roger waters, shark?, shocking blue, sonic youth, spin, the deli magazine, the old bell, wolf parade

Who Will Dance On The Floor In The Round?

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We’ve long believed that “Billie Jean” is about as near a perfect pop song as there is — not necessarily the best, but, for our money, one of them.

The opening drum beat — which barely changes throughout the length of the song — is about as straightforward as can be, but it’s so completely in the pocket that little else is needed. Especially once that fucking bass lick kicks in, as effortlessly badass as James Dean lighting a cigarette off a ninja. And we’re only about five seconds in at this point.

Next up is some random “Tchka Tcha Tcha” vocal noises bouncing around the stereo before some synth-strings kick in with some added syncopation. Now with the thirty second mark approaching, the lyrics start: “She was more like a beauty queen from a movie scene…”

At this point, the song is already in such a groove, it should be hard to push it any more.

Then the third verse becomes a bridge, almost (but not quite) turning the beat around, that launches us into the chorus. And somewhere along the way a jangly guitar straight out of Remain In Light found its way in. If you haven’t started at least tapping your foot or bobbing your head by now, you probably haven’t got a pulse.

At some point along the way, you may realize the song is about disputed paternity and think, “this is a pop song?” Well, yeah, pop music wasn’t always defined by the Disney Channel.

Here’s the demo of “Billie Jean” included on the 2001 Special Edition of Thriller:

mp3: “Billie Jean (home demo from 1981)” by Michael Jackson

Tags: billie jean, michael jackson

Tonight: El Jezel CD Release Show

By the way, the El Jezel video for “Champagne And Cold Coffee” that the band released earlier this week along with a free digital EP is on YouTube:

And don’t forget to head to Crash Mansion tonight as El Jezel releases their second full-length album, The Warm Frequency:

Friday, May 30th

El Jezel
@ Crash Mansion / 11pm
199 Bowery Street (corner of Spring Street)
New York, NY
FREE admission before 11pm if you RSVP to rsvp@newyorkunderbelly.com
Regular admission – $5 before 11pm / $10 after 11pm
Open bar from 9pm-10pm

Tags: crash mansion, el jezel, music video, release

El Jezel Release New Video + Digital EP; CD Release Party On Friday

(still from “Champagne And Cold Coffee” video)

El Jezel has a new album out this week, which they’ll be celebrating with a show at Crash Mansion on Friday. In anticipation of this, they’ve just released a new music video and a free digital EP on their newly relaunched website.

The music video is for “Champagne And Cold Coffee,” a track from the full-length that also anchors the digital EP, and features the ever-charming Jessica and George — along with bandmate Dan — as protagonists in a story centered loosely around the lyrics. Directors Paul Rondeau and Chris Brunelle have provided some rather skillful production values to match an impressive song. You can view it here.

“Crossing 21st Street” and “Side Effects” — two El Jezel songs we know from recent shows — join “Champagne And Cold Coffee” along with a cover of The Breeders’ “Do You Love Me Now” on the four-song EP. Listen and download it here.

And make sure to be at Crash Mansion on Friday night to celebrate the release of El Jezel’s second full-length album, The Warm Frequency. The band is on at 11pm. Here are details:

Friday, May 30th

El Jezel
@ Crash Mansion / 11pm
199 Bowery Street (corner of Spring Street)
New York, NY
FREE admission before 11pm if you RSVP to rsvp@newyorkunderbelly.com
Regular admission – $5 before 11pm / $10 after 11pm
Open bar from 9pm-10pm

Tags: crash mansion, digital ep, el jezel, music video, the warm frequency

Live This Week: April 21st-27th

Monday, April 21st

The Secret Life Of Sofia + Via Audio
@ Union Hall / 8pm
702 Union Street
Brooklyn, NY
w/ Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin

Tuesday, April 22nd

Holy Moly! + Frauke
@ Cake Shop (FRAUKE RELEASE SHOW) / 8pm
152 Ludlow Street
New York, NY
w/ Monster Eiffel Tower

Via Audio
@ Mercury Lounge / 9pm
217 East Houston Street
New York, NY
7pm – American Princes
8pm – Spanish Priosners
9pm – Via Audio
10pm – Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin

Wednesday, April 23rd

El Jezel
@ Rehab (LOVELESS MUSIC GROUP) / 9pm
25 Avenue B
New York, NY
8pm – Ports Of Call
9pm – El Jezel
10pm – Dead Leaf Echo
11pm – The Soundscapes

Thursday, April 24th

Autodrone
@ Supreme Trading
213 North 8th Street
Brooklyn, NY
w/ Stellarscope, Bellhollow

Friday, April 25th

Gold Streets VIDEO PREMIERE PARTY
@ reBar / 8pm
147 Front Street
Brooklyn, NY
w/ videos from Turbotronics, The States, The Jupiter Deluxe, and GOLD STREETS!!!

Saturday, April 26th

Abigail Warchild
@ Luna Lounge / 11pm
(JEZEBEL MUSIC/COMMON GROUND BENEFIT)
361 Metropolitan Avenue
Brooklyn, NY
8:00pm – Charles Theodore Zerner
8:30pm – Kat Hayman
9:20pm – lowry
10:00pm – Project Jenny, Project Jan
10:40pm – Meowskers
11:15pm – Abigail Warchild
11:55pm – j.a.c.k
12:40am – Elizabeth Harper

Tags: abigail warchild, el jezel, frauke, gold streets, the secret life of sofia, via audio

Music Video: The Big Sleep – “Murder”

Yes, we’re a little late on this, but it’s still worth mentioning that The Big Sleep recently unveiled an excellent music video for “Murder” from their recently released album, Son Of The Tiger.

It’s a great video with a futuristic sci-fi look that brings Philip K. Dick and movie adaptions of his work like Minority Report and Blade Runner to mind.

Tags: the big sleep

Music Video: OK Go – “Here It Goes Again”

Former Unsacred Hearts bassist and forever ongoing Secret Dakota Ring alter-ego, Andy Ross, has been busy training for the as yet non-existent Indie Pop Olympics with his current band, OK Go. The video for “Here It Goes Again” features the band (Andy’s the one wearing the jacket), with endurance levels set to “high,” dancing on treadmills:

To download the video in Quicktime, Windows Media, or Real formats, visit the band’s website.

Tags: secret dakota ring, unsacred hearts