Catch these 'old-timers' at Jalopy

By Meredith Deliso

These musicians are old-timers — and they hardly have any wrinkles on their faces.

The twentysomething members of the Union Street Preservation Society don’t touch a track that’s younger than 60, and when writing their own string arrangements, strictly look to rag time and early Americana roots — hence calling themselves the “preservation society.”

“The type of music that we play generally tends to be antique — something to preserve,” said mandolinist Sara Bouchard.

On Sunday, the Park Slope-based band (that’s where Union Street comes in) celebrates its debut EP, “Spring to Rust,” a collection of bluegrass and proto-jazz-inspired songs, at — where else? — Jalopy, the Red Hook home of old-time tunes.

“We’re excited and honored to be doing the CD release there,” said guitarist Dave Leiberman. “There’s really no other place we would want to do it.”

At the release party, you can except the quintet’s own original mix of bluegrass, blues, country and early jazz, along with some newly favorite jazz standards, including “Some of These Days,” made popular by Ella Fitzgerald, and “Crazy Blues,” considered by many to be the first recorded blues song.

“This is universally and objectively the best kind of music,” said Leiberman. “Why wouldn’t anyone love it?”

Union Street Preservation Society at Jalopy [315 Columbia St. between Hamilton Avenue and Woodhull Street in Red Hook, (718) 395-3214], July 24 at 7:30 pm. $5. For info, visit www.jalopy.biz.

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Our Mus-o-meter registers Ladybug Transistor's 'Clutching Stems'

The Ladybug Transistor has been making albums in Brooklyn before Williamsburg was cool, wearing its new wave influences on its sleeve. But to really get a sense of what it’s all about, we leave that up to the math of the Mus-o-meter (you can also check them out at Knitting Factory tonight).

Take the new wave aesthetic of Joy Division’s 1979 debut, “Unknown Pleasures.” Then add …

Morrissey’s inflections and melancholy on The Smiths 1986 album, “The Queens is Dead.” Then add …

The playful melodies of Belle and Sebastian on its 1996 album, “If You’re Feeling Sinister. The result?

The Ladybug Transistor’s seventh album, “Clutching Stems.”

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Our Northside picks — selected by Northside artists

The Northside Festival kicks off tonight, with hundreds of bands over the course of four days in Williamsburg and Greenpoint. Not sure what bands out of the hundreds to check out? We asked some of our local favorites which acts they don’t want to miss. When they’re not playing their own gigs, of course.

THEOPHILOUS LONDON

Catch him: June 16 at Music Hall of Williamsburg

We say: This rapper is considered the driving force of the urban pop movement, gaining fans for his genre-bending sound and distinct style (hello, 1980s!). All before his debut full-length, “Times are Weird These Days,” drops next month.

His picks: Surfer Blood; Dom

Catch them: June 17 at Knitting Factory and June 18 at McCarren Park (Surfer Blood); June 17 at Brooklyn Bowl (Dom)

He says: “These are two of my favorite bands in 2011 — very progressive and amazing personalities.”

SHARON VAN ETTEN

Catch her: June 17 at McCarren Park

We say: This singer-songwriter is one of those rare talents, armed with a captivating voice and heart-rendering lyrics that demand your attention. It’s no wonder Bon Iver covered her break-out single, “Love More.” She opens for the king of indie melancholy, Beirut.

Her pick: Xeno and Oaklander

Catch them: June 16 at Public Assembly

She says: “I have never seen them before. I love everything that Weird Records does. I am curious how their live shows are translated from the records I know.”

Her pick: Mount Eerie from Anacortes

Catch them: June 19 at St. Cecilia’s Church

She says: “I haven’t seen him in years, but he writes really beautiful songs. I started listening to him when I decided to move to New York, so it also feels like music from the soundtrack of my life.”

JEREMY HAINES (from Project Jenny, Project Jan)

Catch him: June 19 at Spike Hill

We say: Joined by partner-in-crime Sammy Rubin, this electronic outfit makes instantly danceable, hilarious music while channeling bands like Basement Jaxx and Gorillaz. You’ll be nodding your head to their catchy beats long after they’ve packed up their laptops.

His pick: Tiny Victories

Catch them: June 17 at 285 Kent

He says: “I am really excited for Tiny Victories. They rock.”

His pick :Guided by Voices, Surfer Blood

Catch them: June 18 at McCarren Park

He says:  “I am even more excited for the McCarren Park shows (Surfer Blood and Guided By Voices, although Beirut is cool, too).”

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Deadly music

By Meredith Deliso

All Conrad Keely wants to do is scare you — make you turn the lights on and pull up the covers.

“One of my greatest criticisms of rock music is that it has become a little safe,” said the Williamsburg-based frontman of the prog-rock band, …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead. “I love being frightened by a piece of music, the type of album where listening to it late at night, you have to put the TV on.”

For Keely, that may mean Vivaldi (“the violin concertos can be just eerie”), more obvious things like the soundtrack to the movie “The Omen,” and, if he’s succeeded, his own work.

The band’s seventh album, “Tao of the Dead,” out today with a release party tonight at Littlefield, pays homage to the classics Keely grew up with — Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon” and Rush’s “Hemispheres” — concept albums that are meant to be listened to as continuous piece. Though one clear standout is the driving, urgent single “Summer of All Dead Falls,” which was colored during its recording in El Paso this summer by drug wars just over the border in Mexico, said Keely.

“We couldn’t escape the fact that people were dying a couple miles away from you on a daily basis,” said the artist. “On one side, things are really peaceful, like paradise. On there other, there was war. It was a strange dichotomy to be creating in.”

If Keely’s music fails to send shivers up your spine, maybe his art will. When we spoke last week, the avid painter was in the middle of adding blood to a piece depicting the decapitation of Medusa.

“I looked at all different depictions of this particular instance throughout art, but none of them showed the moment of the actual cutting off of the head,” said Keely, who looks to debut the piece at the Littlefield show. “I’m very curious to get people’s reactions. It’s going to be kind of polarizing.”

…And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead at Littlefield [622 Degraw St. between Third and Fourth avenues in Gowanus, (718) 855-3388], Feb. 8 at 8:30 pm. Tickets $12. For info, visit www.trailofdead.com.

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Bank on this

By Meredith Deliso

When The Inner Banks take to the Sycamore stage this Friday, don’t feel bad if you expected more than two people.

The husband-and-wife duo creates a lush, layered electronic folk sound that belies the fact that it’s only David Gould and Caroline Schultz making all that noise.

It helps that Gould is a multi-instrumentalist who can play banjo with the best of them, as well as bass and guitar. Their recordings also have been known to incorporate such diverse sounds as field recordings from Coney Island, distressed tape loops, Wurlitzers, an antique Californian harpsichord and lap steel — an unlikely hodgepodge so well-produced, in other hands it wouldn’t sound quite as organic.

The band’s first album was mostly instrumental, but since then it has started to smartly incorporate Schultz’s hypnotic, soothing voice.

After two albums, the Windsor Terrace-based couple is at work on a third, which it hopes to share at Sycamore when they play the Ditmas Park bar’s basement space. Just don’t expect the harpsichord.

The Inner Banks at Sycamore [1118 Cortelyou Rd. near Westminster Road in Ditmas Park, (347) 240-5850], Jan. 28 at 10 pm. $10. For info, visit www.sycamorebrooklyn.com.

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The Mus-o-meter registers Buke and Gass's 'Riposte'

Aron Sanchez and Arone Dyer’s latest project, Buke and Gass, has put these veteran musicians on the map. A lot of sound manages to come from these two tiny people, thanks to their employment of foot percussion and homemade instruments (hear them live this Saturday at Silent Barn). But to really get a sense of what it’s all about, we leave that up to the math of the Mus-o-meter.

Take the prog-rock of Fugazi’s 1991 debut, “Repeater.” Then add …

The folk-psych tendencies of Akron/Family’s 2007 album, “Love is Simple.” Then add …

The mesmerizing, hypermelodic vocals by Karen O. on the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ 2004 debut, “Fever to Tell.” The result?

Buke and Gass’s debut full-length, “Riposte.”

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Feeling lucky?

By Meredith Deliso

This lottery has nothing to do with scratch-offs.

Since 1996, the Rock Lottery has been an annual pastime in Denton, Texas, where 25 musicians are randomly placed into five bands and given 12 hours to come up with original music to play before a waiting, eager audience.

Given the wealth and diversity of talent in Brooklyn, it’s almost shameful that the idea hasn’t been tested here since (even Seattle has one by now). But that changes on Dec. 18, when the Knitting Factory hosts the inaugural Rock Lottery in Brooklyn.

Music publicist Tierney Scout experienced the Rock Lottery in Denton during her four years of college there and figured it was high time Brooklyn had its own.

 “I thought Brooklyn would be a perfect place. It’s probably as diverse as you’re going to get. The spirit of the Rock Lottery has always been to run the gamut regarding genre,” said Scout. “At the same time, the community is pretty incestuous here.”

Indeed, Scout found it particularly challenging to find 25 musicians who had never played with each other before. But she was able to come up with a diverse (albeit indie-heavy) list that includes Bradford Reed of King Missile III, who plays his own invented instrument, the pencilina; Juile Potash of Northern State; Seth Jabour of Les Savy Fav (band pictured above); Jon Philpot of Bear In Heaven; and Stephen Patterson of White Rabbits.

It’s a gamble if the resulting bands will work well together, but whether it’s terrible, silly or awesome, it doesn’t matter, said Rock Lottery founder Chris Weber.

“The audience is always supportive and screaming for the first band, no matter what,” said Weber. “They’re yelling as if it’s their favorite band, even if they don’t know who any of the people are on stage. It’s just the sense of people working very hard for our delight and amusement. I’m curious to see how it works in Brooklyn.”

Rock Lottery at the Knitting Factory [361 Metropolitan Ave. at Havemeyer Street in Williamsburg, (347) 529-6696], Dec. 18 at 10 pm. Tickets $10, with all proceeds going to World Savvy. For info, visit www.bk.knittingfactory.com.

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Our exclusive Mus-o-meter registers Boom Chick

It’s a guy on slide guitar, and an inexperienced girl on drums, playing the Delta blues. The comparison to the White Stripes is inevitable, but to really get a sense of what the Red Hook-based Boom Chick is all about, we leave that up to the math of the Mus-o-meter (and catch them at Trash Bar on Sunday).

Take the roaring, frenetic guitar of T-Rex’s “20th Century Boy” from the 1973 album “Tanx.” Then add …

The swinging dirty Delta blues of “The Originator” on Bo Diddley’s self-titled 1957 album. Then add …

The spooky Mississippi blues of Johnny Lee Hooker from “Boom Boom.” The sum?

Boom Chick’s debut album, “Show Pony.”

-Meredith Deliso

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Our exclusive Mus-o-meter registers Mia Riddle

By Meredith Deliso

Mia Riddle began as a solo artist, and while she’s added a full band over the past few years, her soft, emotive voice is still front and center (hear them for yourself tonight at Union Pool). To really get a sense of what she and her band is all about, we leave that up to the math of the Mus-o-meter.

Take the vulnerable vocal stylings of Jenny Lewis on her 2006 album “Rabbit Fur Coat.” Then add …

The sleepy, laid back alt-country of Wilco’s 2007 album, “Sky Blue Sky.” Then add …

The sad, soulful yearning of Neil Young’s classic country-tinged “Harvest.” The sum?

Mia Riddle and Her Band’s new album, “Ticonderoga.”

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Your destination for indie rock

By Michelle Manetti

Next stop: Atlantic/Pacific.

Garrett Klahn, previously of Texas Is the Reason, and John Herguth of House and Parish, have joined forces for their latest musical venture — Atlantic/Pacific.

The rockers borrow the moniker not from the widely known oceans, but from Brooklyn’s busy Downtown subway station — Klahn’s own, to be precise.

Since forming two years ago, the band’s also been branded with the “indie” label by critics — an all-too-common catchall for bands whose genre can’t be figured out. That might do a disservice to the duo’s soothing melodies, fuzzed out guitars, and well-crafted arrangements. But Herguth said he doesn’t mind.

“Some people say it’s psychedelic, folk-type, but ‘indie’ is not a bad way to describe it,” he said. This month sees the release of the band’s debut album, “Meet Your New Love,” a collection of trippy, lushly layered tunes.

To celebrate the release, the band is going on a cross-country tour, but not before kicking it off on Oct. 28 with a record release party at the Bell House in Gowanus.

It may be months of fast food and cramped spaces from then on, but for Klahn and Herguth, it’s merely the price you pay for getting to do what you love.

“When you’re with your friends, touring is an experience unlike any other,” said Klahn.

To bid them farewell, just catch the Coney Island-bound R train at Atlantic/Pacific and take it to Ninth Street.

Atlantic/Pacific at the Bell House [149 Seventh Ave. between Second and Third Avenues in Park Slope, (718) 643-6510], Oct. 28 at 8 pm. Tickets $12. For info, visit www.thebellhouseny.com.

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CMJ Day 3

It's the back-to-back edition.

At the Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn Vegan throws a showcase, headlined by fuzzed-out cuties The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, who just wrapped their second album, so expect some tunes from that. Also on the bill are The Blow, Screaming Females, Suuns and Young Man.

Right next door, Public Assembly is hosting New Shapes, a showcase thrown by Neon Gold and Chess Club. And there's a lot of music going on - 20 bands, to be exact.

In the front room, brought to you by Neon Gold, check out The Good Natured, Savoir Adore, Body Language, Samuel, Spark, Emil and Friends, Brahms, Fenech Soler, Sound of Arrows, Penguin Prison, and The Knocks.

In the back, the Chess Club Roomm,, Santah, Alex Winston, Keepaway, Ava Luna, Oberhofer, Devin Therriault, 1,2,3, Grouplove, and The Postelles.

So even while bands set up at one stage, you won't be without a live act somewhere on these three stages.


Music Hall of Williamsburg [66 N. Sixth St. between Kent and Wythe avenues in Williamsburg, (718) 486-5400]; Public Assembly [70 N. Sixth St. between Kent and Wythe avenues in Williamsburg, (718) 384-4586].

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Our exclusive Mus-o-meter registers Frankie Rose and the Outs

By Meredith Deliso

Frankie Rose has drifted from one retro-pop outfit to another — from Vivian Girls to Dum Dum Girls — but with The Outs, she’s further developed her reverb-drenched, lo-fi garage sound and head-in-the-clouds feel. To really get a sense of what it’s all about, we leave that up to the math of the Mus-o-meter (and hear them live tonight at Glasslands Gallery).

Take the irresistible, all-girl harmonies of The Shangri-Las’s 1964 debut, “Leader of the Pack.” Then add …

The hazy, distorted touches and searing guitars of Jesus and Mary Chain’s 1985 debut “Psychocandy.” Then add …

The Beach Boy’s 1967 album “Smiley Smile,” mainly for the psychedelic “Good Vibrations.” The sum?

Frankie Rose and the Out’s self-titled debut.

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Our exclusive Mus-o-meter registers School of Seven Bells

By Meredith Deliso

School of Seven Bells quickly gained attention two years ago with its debut, “Alpinisms,” a hazy, dreamy collection of synth, gentle guitars and clear, unaffected harmonies that drew connections to shoegazers My Bloody Valentine and Cocteau Twins. This summer, the band released a follow-up, “Disconnect from Desire,” which explores more of the same (hear it this Thursday at Brooklyn Bowl). But to really get a sense of what this music is all about, we leave that up to the math of the Mus-o-meter.

Take the careful harmonies and soaring vocals of Fleetwood Mac’s 1977 classic, “Rumours.” Then add …

The Eastern-tinged, dream-like qualities of the Beatles’ 1966 album “Revolver.” Then add …

The laid-back electronics-angelic vocal combination on Zero 7’s 2004 breakthrough, “When It Falls.” The result?

School of Seven Bells sophomore album, “Disconnect From Desire.”

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