Day two of CMJ turned out to be a free form day. A few weeks ago my friend Kathryn got us tickets to the new Karen O psycho rock opera at St. Ann’s Warehouse, Stop the Virgens, with me totally not realizing it was smack dab in the middle of CMJ. Whoopsies!

After the show, I decided to push it and headed over to Williamsburg to try to catch King Krule at Glasslands, but by the time I got there they were no longer letting badges in. As I was standing there, I heard someone call my name, and low-and-behold it was Scott Stereogum, who then invited to come into the ‘Gum showcase next door at 285 Kent.

Before heading in, Scott warned me that it was extremely hot indoors and sure enough, it was in fact a “hipster sauna” inside. So who were the kids all waiting to see? Strong Island (seriously???) buzz band, Twin Sister. Dreamy disco music, with a lead singer who looks like an Olsen, it’s not hard to understand why the room was 75% Sausage Fest.

But more on Stop the Virgens… A lot of folks have been asking me how the show was, and the one-line way I’ve come up with describing the experience is the following: “I’m not sure what I saw, but I’m pretty sure it was awesome.”

The performance is an “opera” in the sense that there is no talking — only singing throughout the entire show. The music is fantastic — and need I mention it’s backed by an incredible all-star band (Brian Chase and Nick Zinner of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Patrick Keeler and Jack “Little Jack” Lawrence of the Raconteurs/ Greenhornes, and Money Mark)? Amazing out of this world costumes by Christian Joy.

* SPOILER ALERT (Skip this paragraph if you don’t want to know anything about the show) *
From what I can surmise, Karen O is this kind of lost woman, who comes upon this world of nymphish “virgens.” The virgens are playful but mischievous, and sometimes cruel, and they taunt and tease Karen O’s character. Then eventually everyone dies, but then they are brought back to life by a ghostly/heavenly looking Karen O.

The show is so weird and crazy, but definitely a fantastic experience. Tonight is the last performance at St. Ann’s, so check it out if you can!

Just announced!  The Yeah Yeah Yeahs to play an intimate NYC gig open to the public on Sept 22nd.

Tickets go on sale tomorrow at Secret Project Robot at 128 River Street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn between 6-8pm. $20 per ticket, limit 2 per person and must have ID. Tickets will NOT be sold day of — so tomorrow is the only chance of getting one.

Gotta love the democracy of it all. YYYs always know how to do the surprise-ish shows!

Details : YYYs site

After I filled my belly with an excellent Easter dinner I headed past Santos Party House on the way home to try my luck at getting into the Yeah Yeah Yeahs “secret” show. Low and behold, when I showed up a little after 10pm, there was no line and the door and I glided in with ease.

Inside it was crowded, but it was still manageable to work your way through the crowd. I spied some familiar faces (“old skool folks” as I liked to call them), and instantly felt like this was going to be a good show.

But how could it not be? The Yeah Yeah Yeahs are one of the most consistently fun and brilliant live bands on the planet, so it was only that much more sweeter that they were doing this last-minute show in the town that served as their launching pad for international stardom.

The band of course did not disappoint–highly energetic, committed, and confident, they played for nearly an hour, going through a mix of new and old songs. (“Gold Lion,” “Hysteric,” “Zero,” “Art Star,” “Phenomena,” to name a few.)

For the encore the band busted out “Maps” and then took requests. After some audience polling, they performed “Turn Into” and then “Date with the Night.”

…and the final song of the night was a touching version of “Poor Song.” Watch the video of the performance below:

What a great show. Love love love the Yeah Yeah Yeahs!

More photos and videos…

Want more on the show? Check out The Music Slut, Stereogum, Punkphoto, Brooklyn Vegan, Metromix, Quiet Color

As Brooklyn Vegan posted, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs are rumored to be doing a “secret” show at Santos Party House tomorrow. The band, who are performing tonight on Saturday Night Live, have not posted anything about the show on their official site, nor have Santos.

If you choose to believe what has been written on Brooklyn Vegan, there are about a billion possible scenarios tomorrow, BUT I put a call in to some folks, and to the best of my knowledge this is what you can expect:

There will be a show tomorrow (Santos can’t officially say who is performing), and the headliner of said show will go on at 10pm. There will also be an opener band who goes on an hour before at 9pm. According to my sources the only way to get in (minus being on some super special list) will be purchasing tickets at the door tomorrow. No word just yet on how many tickets, or what the cost is per tickets but “that’s the only way to get in.”

However, if you would like some alternative options on how you can get into the YYYs show at Santos tomorrow (Easter Sunday!), here are some suggestions:

1. The Ol’ Hiding in the John. Pack a backpack full of rations and hide yourself in the bathrooms after the Apache Beat/Violens early show OR the Four Tet DJ set late show tonight (see flyer below). Pray no one finds you, and surface only after doors have opened for tomorrow night’s show:

2. Pull a Sitcom-Worthy Stunt. The BSB wrote in this option: Put on some cooking gear and a white chef’s hat. Don a crazy curly mustache and acquire an over-the-top French accent. Carry a silver plater with a food cover up to the Santos door. Tell the door people that you are there “too feed zee Yeah Yeah Yeahszz!” When they tell you that they have no idea what you are talking about, start getting aggitated. “Do you knowhh whhhooo I am!??! Look at zee band’s rider. Zee Karen O getz VERY mad if she does not get her fois-gras! Do you want to see an aggitated Karen O?!” then push your way through security.

3. Put Your Back Into It. Dig a secret tunnel from the alleyway that goes under the club and opens into the main stage area. Set up a ticket booth and charge people to get in. What, you’ve got at least 24 hours!

UPDATE: Review of the show!

As you are probably already aware, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs are ready to unleash a new album upon the world in just a matter of weeks. We’ve already heard the very snythy streams of “Zero,” the new single off the new LP It’s a Blitz.

As per usual, the YYYs are having fun with their latest release, putting out a webisode series giving fans a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the new album. Although I’m not sure how much information you can glean from these clips. The first installment is a surreal bit called “The Scientist.” The black and white short looks like something Salvador Dali would have put together:

Confusing or not, I’m always excited to hear about any offering from the YYYs. Always fabulous, always fearless.

LISTEN: “Zero”

Oh, and just for fun… Salvador Dali on “What’s My Line?”

Tonight I headed over to Union Pool in Williamsburg to catch the early show of Native Korean Rock and the Fishnets (aka- Karen O’s new side project).

The stage was set up like a kid’s school production of “South Pacific”, with a nautical extravaganza situated on the stage. A ship bow dead smack front and center, silver cellophane covering the floor, reflecting the blue and purple clear cellophane positioned by the monitors and drum kit–giving the impression of a dreamy sea. A foamy seascape hung as a backdrop.

When the band came out, they were all clad in white, with little sailor’s caps donning their heads. As the ship’s leader, Miss Karen was decked out in a checked button down shirt, black poofy skirt with pockets, and a captain’s hat with “Native Korean Rock” written in the band.

The subdued, 30-minute set was charming way to spend the evening. The songs were quiet, sweet, and whimsical–perfectly showcasing Karen O’s uncanny ability to sing songs with an intimate vulnerability that always rings true.

Here’s a video I took of the band performing part of “Day Go By,” by far the most “festive” song of the night. If NKR had an anthem, it would be this little ditty:

Although she was subdued in her stage mannerisms–mainly standing at the front of the stage, swaying back and forth with her eyes closed–Karen O broke out in an enthusiastic dance, and unleashed her familiar ear-to-ear grin during the song.

Before the encore, Karen declared, “I BELIEVE IN SUMMER LOVE!,” then launched into a song called “Indian Summer.”

No fellow YYYs sightings for the early show (but apparently were in the balcony for the late show), but frequent collaborator/personal costume designer Christian Joy was also on hand.

Another video…this one of “Comes the Night”:

More over at The Music Slut, Self-Titled Magazine, New York Times, Friction NYC

Tired of just seeing Yeah Yeah Yeahs members anonymously milling about at various events in the city, but miss the good ol’ fashion feel of Karen O spitting beer on you from the front of the stage? Check out Karen’s new side project, Native Korean Rock, this Monday in one of two shows at Union Pool.

From the YYY’s official blog:

Native Korean Rock and the Fishnets COME DROWN WITH US
Posted 7/17/2008 by KarenO

Native Korean Rock is a side project of mine comprised of a body of love songs written over the last two years, to be performed with a motley crew of NYC natives. Expect high drama, high stakes in two intimate performances.

Does Native Korean Rock have anything to do with Yeah Yeah Yeahs? NO

Are these the leaked demos of years ago? NO

Tickets available July 18 at 12pm EST via ticketweb.com

More over at The Music Slut

Spike Jonze‘s ex-girlfriend, Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs will be writing nearly the entire soundtrack of his upcoming film adaption of Where the Wild Things Are, according to The Playlist via NYMag.com.

While we were standing outside the Morrison Hotel, the Backseat Blogger thought that he saw Julian Casablancas walking by. (I have my doubts.) I didn’t get a good look, my back was toward the sidewalk, so I can’t confirm or deny, but it made me get a hankering for some Strokes and all things NYC circa 2001. As luck would have it, I got this email today:

Hello,

Please check out this video of the Strokes. It’s an unedited film by Colin Lane, their unofficial official photographer and shot in the style of Andy Warhol’s Factory screen tests. FYI there is no sound. Check it out and let me know what you think if you have a sec.

The clip can be seen here:
http://www.thefader.com/features/2007/11/21/fader-50-new-york-rock

The video is a lead up to the upcoming 50th issue of the FADER and more extras (such as this video) will be available on the site in the coming weeks. The 50th issue of the FADER will be available for download for free at iTunes very soon, along with an accompanying audio mix.

The above linked story makes me a little nostalgic to those simpler times. A time before everyone and their mom had a blog, where bands still given the room to grow and mature before being heralded as the NEXT BIG THING (of this week). Maybe I’m just getting old, but I look back fondly at those days.

Here’s a semi-recent photo of Julian at a Jets game with Jason Schwartzman:

Discuss.

This Saturday, Jason Friedman (The Boggs) and Aurelio Valleare (Calla) are set to perform at the closing show of “Set In Concrete,” a art show which is displaying the work of a number of musicians. (Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth, Lizzie Bougatsos of Gang Gang Dance, and Nick Zinner of Yeah Yeah Yeahs, to name a few.) The closing performance is at Spool MFG, in Johnson City, NY (near Binghamton) from 7-10pm.

The full list of exhibiting artists:

Lee Ranaldo
Lizzi Bougatsos
Jason Baron
Jon Santos
Jess Holzworth
NIck Zinner
Aramis Gutierrez
Moh Azima
Richard Alvarez
Aliya Naumoff
Pedro Mena
Tom Vadakan
Mike Vorrasi
Aurelio Valle
Wayne B. Magruder
Scott Irvine
Jason Freidman
Todd Bura
Johnny Harrison

Curated by Aurelio Valle and Pedro Mena / Production by Julian Duff

Saturday Sep 29, 2007 / 7-10pm
“Set In Concrete”
Spool Mfg
138 Baldwin St
Johnson City, NY 13790
607-797-3703