Tue, 7/7: The Secret Life Of Sofia @ Cake Shop

Live This Week July 6-12 /// mp3 Mix

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Here are mp3s by some artists playing live this week:

“Keep It To Yourself” by The Sundelles (Monday, Wednesday, Saturday)
“Radio Silence” by Boy Genius (Monday)
“Moon On The Sea’s Gate” by The Secret Life Of Sofia (Tuesday)
“U & I” by Pink Noise (Tuesday)
“Dreamsucker” by Grooms (Thursday, Friday)
“History Lessons” by Dinosaur Feathers (Saturday)
“Short Name” by Pet Ghost Project (Saturday)
“Champagne And Cold Coffee” by El Jezel (Saturday)
“Kiss The Lawn Goodbye” by Spanish Prisoners (Sunday)
“Heaven Or Hell” by Werewolves (Sunday)

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Also playing this week:

deVries on MySpace (Thursday)
La Strada on MySpace (Friday)
The Binary Marketing Show on MySpace (Friday)
Birdcage on MySpace (Saturday)

Visit our SHOWLIST for more information about these and other upcoming shows.

Sat, 6/20: The Secret Life Of Sofia @ Cameo (JEZEBEL MUSIC)

Live This Week /// mp3 Mix

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Here are mp3s by some artists playing live this week:

“Crickets” by chopshop (Wednesday)
“History Lessons” by Dinosaur Feathers (Wednesday, Saturday)
“Creep Academy” by My Teenage Stride (Wednesday)
“It’s Like I’m Sayin’” by pow wow! (Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday x4)
“Champagne And Cold Coffee” by El Jezel (Friday)
“Sleepwalking” by The Jaguar Club (Friday)
“What’s Your Mother Say About You Guys?” by Le Rug (Friday)
“My Weakness” by A Place To Bury Strangers (Friday)
“Universal Love” by 28 Degrees Taurus (Saturday)
“Spank Me Slowly” by Gracefully (Saturday)
“Moon On The Sea’s Gate” by The Secret Life Of Sofia (Saturday)
“This Machine Is Dying” by Kittens Ablaze (Saturday)
“Fight Song” by Renminbi (Sunday)

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Also playing this week:

Bridges And Powerlines (Wednesday)
The Whisperians (Sunday)

Visit our SHOWLIST for more information about these and other upcoming shows.

Northside Festival: Ear Farm Showcase at Spike Hill

This past weekend, The L Magazine held their first of what, after a seemingly successful time, we assume will be their annual Northside Festival, featuring music and art all around Williamsburg, Brooklyn. We were able to make it out to a few shows to see some favorite bands of ours, as well as a few new ones.

On Friday night, we caught the showcase curated by Ear Farm at Spike Hill, featuring Shilpa Ray & Her Happy Hookers, tUnE-YaRdS, The Secret Life Of Sofia, pow wow!, and Coyote Eyes. Here are some photos and thoughts about most of them:

pow wow!

Just as the last time we saw them, pow wow! brought their scrappy, retro-ish indie-pop and got many heads bopping and toes tapping. They’re a fun band to watch live and we look forward to seeing them again soon.

mp3: “No One’s Gotta Know” by pow wow!

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The Secret Life Of Sofia

The Secret Life Of Sofia continues to be one of the most consistently impressive bands we know in NYC/Brooklyn. About half the set was new to us, which was nice, and the new sound system at Spike Hill really allowed the band to sound the way they need to — something we were frankly wondering about before arriving to see that there was indeed a new sound system in place. We’re looking forward to becoming more familiar with the new material at upcoming shows.

mp3: “Moon On The Sea’s Gate” by The Secret Life Of Sofia

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tUnE-YaRdS

Sister Suvi was originally scheduled to play the showcase, but unfortunately had to cancel. Bandmember Merrill Garbus was still available, however, and stepped in to perform as her solo project: tUnE-YaRdS. We weren’t really sure what to expect, but as we saw her set up and line-check a floor tom, a snare drum, a ukulele, a loop station, and a keyboard to be played with her foot, we guessed it would be interesting. There was something refreshingly primitive about the way she went about building her songs, looping simple beats on the drums and rims into multi-tracked  grooves before venturing in with her electrified uke and vocals. We’ve seen and heard people do this sort of thing before, but it’s usually come across as somewhat gimmicky. Not here, though. Garbus makes it work well, but it’s not just her ability to craft songs from loops that’s impressive. She’s got a phenomenal voice.

mp3: “Hatari” by tUnE-YaRdS

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Shilpa Ray & Her Happy Hookers

After stepping outside to get some air after tUnE-YaRdS, we went back in to find the room even more packed than it was before and were never able to get as close to the front as we would have liked (hence the single wideshot photo). We’ve been a fan of Shilpa Ray since her days in Beat The Devil, but, until Friday, had not had the pleasure of really seeing her and her new(er) band at full power. We saw a somewhat loungey set upstairs at Pianos a while back and while her voice then was, of course, impressive as always, we assumed a show on a full stage in a bigger room would incorporate some of the ferocity she put on display in Beat The Devil. So, yeah, that assumption was correct. She and the band boosted the intensity in the room up a couple of notches and never let up, their gyspy-esque rock providing just what was needed to leave everyone exhausted the way a great showcase should finish.

mp3: “Filthy And Free” by Shilpa Ray And Her Happy Hookers

Our thanks to the fine fold at Ear Farm for putting together such an entertaining show. They always do.

You can view more photos from the Northside Festival on Flickr.

Fri, 6/12 – pow wow!
+ The Secret Life Of Sofia
+ Shilpa Ray
& Her Happy Hookers
(EAR FARM SHOWCASE) – Spike Hill

Sun, 5/10: The Secret Life Of Sofia + Takka Takka @ The Bell House (THE DELI MAGAZINE’S BEST OF NYC FEST)

The Deli Magazine’s Best Of NYC Festival

The Deli Magazine has announced the line-up for its “Best Of NYC Festival,” which will be taking place at The Bell House, Joe’s Pub, and Southpaw on May 6th, 8th, 9th, and 10th. Included in the impressive line-ups are a couple of StereoactiveNYC favorites: The Secret Life Of Sofia and Takka Takka.