Brooklyn Museum is celebrating their newest exhibit: Who Shot Rock: A Photographic History, 1955 to the Present and their Target free First Saturday event this past Saturday celebrated music and photography. Aside from the three indie rock bands that played (The Beets, Grass Widow, and Crystal Stilts), there was an excellent high school marching band complete with drums, horns, flags, and a baton twirler. I missed the Beets’ set, but I did see San Francisco’s Grass Widow. The all-female trio reminded me of similar all-female group Electrelane, with their off-beat harmonies and somewhat atonal vocals. The Crsytal Stilts followed with their garage-rockish vibe, but the sound was kind of off for them. The museum did its best to promote rock show photography in honor of the exhibit by reserving the section in front for anyone with any kind of camera and encouraged people to put up their photos on the museum’s Flick pool. More photos after the jump.

All Images: Devorah Klein

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Monsters of Folk, the supergroup made up of M. Ward, Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis (Bright Eyes), and Jim James (My Morning Jacket), played two New York-area shows this weekend: Friday at United Palace and Sunday at the Beacon Theatre. I was lucky enough to go to the Friday show.

The men looked super snazzy in their dark suits and skinny ties, and played for about 3 hours with no opener–quite a skill in itself. They had with them drummer Will Johnson (Centro-Matic and South San Gabriel) to play on the tour. The fellas were energetic and happy and genuinely seemed to be having a grand old time. They played songs off their new, self-titled album, as well as songs written by each individual musician. Sometimes M. Ward would back up Jim James, or Jim James would sing with Conor Oberst, or M. Ward would do a solo…you think of the combination and they did it.

M. Ward was in full f0rm, especially when he was rollicking on the upright piano. His voice is like no other and every time I hear it come out of his small frame I am shocked. Jim James guitar playing was superb, and the songs where he was led vocalist stood out for me as touching and beautiful. By contrast, I felt Conor Oberst’s songs were dull and immature, both in lyrics and vocals. But he had plenty of fans there and none of them seemed to mind. I guess that’s why I’m not a Bright Eyes fan.

Monsters of Folk is a fun but soulful album and definitely worth checking out. It will be interesting to see if this group is just a one-time thing or if they will release others albums together. More pictures after the jump.

All images: Devorah Klein

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Cast Spells and Good Old War. Images via: Dave Clifford, Us/Them

Lots of good stuff on sale today, including all of the shows for Lincoln Center’s American Songbook series, which will host Marianne Faithfull, St. Vincent, Dirty Projectors, and many others. Good Old War and Cast Spells (solo project of Dave Davison of Maps & Atlases), are releasing a split EP on Sargeant Records for their December tour and their show at the Knitting Factory is definitely one to see.

• WRXP Presents Matt Pinfield’s Holiday Extravaganza featuring Phoenix, Passion Pit, Jack’s Mannequin, and Manchester Orchestra at Hammerstein Ballroom on December 2. Tickets
• Neon Indian, one of my new favorites, will be at Mercury Lounge on December 16. Tickets
• Devendra Banhart and Little Joy have added a show after their Town Hall appearance at Music Hall of Williamsburg on November 23. Tickets
• Screaming Females at the Bell House on November 25. Tickets
• Shaky Hands, Takka Takka, and U.S. Royalty at Knitting Factory Brooklyn on December 2. Tickets
• Good Old War and Cast Spells at Knitting Factory Brooklyn on December 3. Tickets
• Suckers at Knitting Factory Brooklyn on December 10. Tickets
• A Sunny Day in Glasgow at Union Hall on December 12. Tickets
• Fabolous at Irving Plaza on December 12. Tickets
• Keren Ann and Clare and the Reasons at City Winery on December 13 and Knitting Factory Brooklyn on December 14. Tickets for CW and for KF
• Lee “Scratch” Perry at Highline Ballroom on December 13. Tickets
• Talib Kweli at Highline Ballroom on December 23. Tickets
• Fischerspooner at Irving Plaza on December 31. Tickets
• Okkervil River with The Levon Helm Band at Terminal 5 on January 7. Tickets
• The Dutchess & The Duke at Mercury Lounge on January 8. Tickets
• Joe Pernice at Mercury Lounge on January 15. Tickets
• Serena Maneesh at Mercury Lounge on January 22. Tickets
• Aventura at Madison Square Garden on January 20, 21, and February 1. Tickets
• Marianne Faithfull at Lincoln Center, The Allen Room, on January 13. Tickets
• Martha Plimpton at Lincoln Center, The Allen Room, on January 16. Tickets
• Suzanne Vega at Lincoln Center, The Allen Room, on January 28. Tickets
• St. Vincent at Lincoln Center, The Allen Room, on January 29. Tickets
• DOOM featuring Mos Def at Nokia Theatre on January 30. Tickets
• B.B. King and Buddy Guy at United Palace on February 12. Tickets on presale now with password “record,” regular sale tomorrow.
• Nellie McKay at Lincoln Center, The Allen Room, on February 18. Tickets
• Dirty Projectors at Lincoln Center, The Allen Room, on February 19. Tickets
• Gabriel Kahane at Lincoln Center, The Allen Room, on March 3. Tickets
• Miike Snow at Music Hall of Williamsburg on March 26 and Webster Hall on March 27. Tickets

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The Yeah Yeah Yeahs are playing a free show tonight but to get in you need to buy the new Verizon DROID phone. Here’s the details:

“You can be one of the first to experience the brand new Droid by Motorola – the world’s first smartphone with Android 2.0 – available exclusively on the Verizon Wireless network. Follow Verizon Wireless’ New York Street Teams at Twitter.com/vcastmusic to find out where they will be so you can be one of the first to try the Droid out for yourself and win tickets to attend an exclusive celebration in Manhattan’s Lower East Side featuring a performance by Yeah Yeah Yeahs and mingle with celebrity guests including Adrian Grenier, Kim Delaney, Katrina Bowden and more.

Anyone who purchases a Droid on November 6 will also win tickets to attend the event.

For more information visit Twitter.com/vcastmusic“

Also, if you haven’t heard the soundtrack Karen O did for Where the Wild Things Are, make sure you do because it’s awesome.

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This month’s Target First Saturday party at the Brooklyn Museum (happening this Saturday, November 7) should be a good one because it is promoting the new exhibit: Who Shot Rock and Roll: A Photographic History, 1955 to the Present.

Aside from some curators’ talks and a screening of Purple Rain, Todd P is hosting some great bands: Grass Widow, a San Fransisco girl group who have many more shows this week while they are in town, see below for a complete listing, The Beets, locals making good, 60s-type garage rock, and the more well-known Crystal Stilts, also locals, who play danceable pop tunes with a dark undertone. The FREE show will go from 5-8 pm. The exhibit will be open until 11 pm. And don’t forget the dance party they always have in the atrium, this month DJ Evil Dee is spinning.

Other Grass Widow Shows coming up:

• Thursday, November 5 at The Woodser (141 South 5th St. at Bedford Ave. in Williamsburg) with Frankie & The Outs, Airwaves, and Hot Box
• Friday, November 6 at Market Hotel (1142 Myrtle Ave. in Bushwick) with Vivian Girls, Bitters (members of Fucked Up), and Stupid Party
• Saturday, November 7 (after the Museum show) at Market Hotel with Small Black, Pictureplane, Cale Parks, and The Girls At Dawn

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Curated by Michaelangelo L’Acqua (international music expert and W Hotels’ Global Music Director), “Symmetry: A DJ Series” is designed as a platform for emerging artists and the line-up is a veritable who’s who of cutting-edge musicians, including:
November 4 – Hercules And Love Affair
November 18 – Michaelangelo L’Acqua
December 2 – Holy Ghost
December 16 – Treasure Fingers

The parties are from 8-11 pm and feature special (free) cocktails in the hotels Living Room. It’s going down at the W at 541 Lexington Ave. To get in RSVP to nychappeningsrsvp@whotels.com. See flyer below

Image via: Sarah Pallack, THINK PR

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Image: Amazon

• Neon Indian is the latest project from producer Alan Palomo of VEGA. His tunes are poppy and joyful, but not cheesy. While the stuff sounds professional, he did it in his bedroom so it doesn’t suffer from over-production and you’re left with fun music you can dance to. It also happens to make a great subway record. The album is called Psychic Chasms and you can get it here. Neon Indian is playing Mercury Lounge on December 16. Tickets go on sale Wednesday at noon.

Image: Amazon

• BLK JKS wasn’t actually at CMJ (unfortunately) but I can’t stop listening to their brand of African music. They’re from Johannesburg, South Africa and their music is a blend of various African styles, along with reggae, jazz, prog, and of course, rock. Their unique tunes are catchy and I for one am itching to see them live. For now I’ll have to seytle for their album, After Robots (available here) and their Daytrotter session.

• Freelance Whales seemed to pop out of nowhere–you know, one of those bands you had previously never heard of and now you can’t stop hearing about? Well, they seem worthy of the hype. They’re a bit different than msot of the stuff we are seeing out of Brooklyn (specifically Williamsburg) today, with less fuzz and distortion and more interesting instruments and actual lyrics. Their album Weathervanes is self-produced and you can get it here. They will be at Pianos on Friday, November 6 before they head off on tour with Fanfarlo, where they will hit Webster Hall on December 18.

Image: Amazon

• Lightning Dust is the side project of Black Mountain members Amber Webber and Joshua Wells. I was just in Vancouver this weekend, where these guys hail from, and it’s nice to picture that beautiful city as the backdrop for these beautiful folk songs. Webber’s voice wavers and trembles with emotion but glimmers with strength. Infinite Light is the groups’ sophomore album, you can get it here.

Image: Amazon

• Wild Beasts are here to give you something a bit different: rollicking falsetto Queen/Man Man-esque tunes to make you laugh and rock out at the same time. Naturally they are from England (Leeds to be precise) and their latest album, Two Dancers, is a fun romp that champions outcasts and weirdos round the globe. Get it here.

Image: Amazon

• The xx were probably the most-hyped band going into CMJ, and I think they may be the most-hyped coming out. That’s a good sign, and I for one can say they definitely live up to the hype and then some. Also from England (London), the group consists of four members and vocals are carried by the haunting Romy Madley Croft and Oliver Sim, who often create a back-and-forth set-up. Vocals are definitely showcased and it’s hard to get Madley Croft’s sexy, low and breathy voice out of your mind, but the background music is something to notice and will keep your toes tapping. Their debut, self-tited album is available here. They play the Bowery Ballroom on November 11 and Webster Hall with Friendly Fires on December 5.

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• A third Passion Pit show has been added at Terminal 5 after the first two sold out. This one is on January 10. Tickets
• Rural Alberta Advantage, who are opening for Passion Pit at their January 8 show, have a show at Mercury Lounge on January 9. Tickets
• Wolfmother added a smaller show at Music Hall of Williamsburg on November 9 to pump their latest release, Cosmic Egg. They’re at the much larger Terminal 5 the night before. Tickets
• Arctic Monkeys added another show at Terminal 5 on December 10. Tickets
• Pete and J are at Bowery Ballroom on December 17. Tickets
• Lake Trout is at Mercury Lounge on December 17. Tickets
• Patti Smith is doing her New Year’s Shows again at Bowery Ballroom on December 29, 30, and 31. Tickets
• City and Colour at Webster Hall on January 8. Tickets
• Cold War Kids are at Terminal 5 on January 29. Tickets
• Au Revoir Simone at Highline Ballroom on January 7. Tickets
• Jazz maven Brad Mehldau at Highline Ballroom on January 14. Tickets
• Imogen Heap is at Irving Plaza on December 2. Tickets
• The Greyboy Allstars at Irving Plaza on December 19. Tickets
• Girls & Boys Party with DJ Jazzy Jeff and Viking DJ set at Webster Hall on November 6. Tickets

On sale Saturday at noon:

• Bon Jovi at the New Meadowlands Stadium in NJ on May 26, 27, and 29. Tickets
• Sting at at The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine in New York on December 8 and 9. Tickets
• Chris Brown at Nokia Theater on December 15. Tickets

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Tonight there is a members preview with a performance by Blondie. Membership is $55. Details here.

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Image: Newscom

From this year’s Thompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade, October 26, 2009.

Still figuring out what to do for Halloween? Aside from lots of dog-costume parades, there are a ton of concerts, of course. Listed below are the shows happening on Halloween (Saturday, October 31), including some that were just announced. My picks are in orange.

• Flavorpill Halloween: Gods and Heroes. With The Very Best, Bajah + The Dry Eye Crew, DJ Stretch Armstrong, Subswara at a “secret location” (I’m pretty sure it is Brooklyn Masonic Temple). Buy tickets here.
• Hiroween with Talib Kweli and Paul Banks (of Interpol) DJ set at Hiro Ballroom. Costume required for admission. Tickets here.
• Mike Doughty at (le) Poisson Rouge. Tickets here.
• Mystery Roar, Cymbals Eat Guitars, Teletextile at 14 Steuben Street, Brooklyn. Tickets
• Vivian Girls, Wooden Shjips, Crystal Stilts, Religious Knives at 171 Lombardy Street in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. No advance tickets.
• Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe at Bowery Ballroom. Tickets
• The Long Count: Bryce & Aaron Dessner (of The National), Matthew Ritchie, Kim & Kelley Deal (guest vocalists), Shara Worden (My Brightest Diamond) (guest vocalist), Matt Berninger (guest vocalist) performing at Brooklyn Academy of Music Howard Gilman Opera House. Tickets.
• Deer Tick as the Sex Pistols at Brooklyn Bowl. Tickets.
• Weezer, Matt & Kim, PT Walkley at Hammerstein Ballroom. Tickets
• The Figgs, Teenage Prayers, Ghost Front at The Knitting Factory in Brooklyn. Tickets
• World/Inferno Friendship Society, O’Death at Manhattan Center Grand Ballroom. Tickets
• Mount Eerie, Liturgy, Malkuth, Tara Jane O’Neil, No Kids at Market Hotel. No advance tickets.
• Black Heart Procession, Bellini, The Mumlers at Maxwell’s. Tickets
• Black Taxi, Mike Krum, Les Sans Culottes at Mercury Lounge. Tickets
• Fixed Party with Boys Noize at Santos Party House. Tickets
• Vice 15th Anniversary Party with Bad Brains, The Jesus Lizard, Dave1 from Chromeo, Peanut Butter Wolf, Nick Catchdubs, Titus Andronicus, Children. Win tickets.
• Thievery Corporation at Terminal 5. Tickets
• King Khan & BBQ Show, Dum Dum Girls at The Bell House at 7:30 pm. Tickets
• Junior Boys and Woodhands at The Bell House at 11 pm. Tickets
• The Get Up Kids, Kevin Devine, The Life & Times at Irving Plaza. Tickets
• Tegan & Sara at Town Hall. Tickets
• Tim Fite, Via Audio at Union Hall. Tickets
• Wizardry, Pink Noise, Growler at Union Pool. No advance tickets.
• The Annhilation of Oz: The Vandelles, Toys in Trouble, Dragons of Zynth at The Warsaw. Costume required for entry. Tickets
• Lemonade live and Jessica 6 (feat. Nomi of Hercules & Love Affair) playing to accompanying laser show at Tribeca Grand. Free. RSVP to Tribecagrand@gbh.tv with your name and number of guests. When you arrive, tell the door person you are on the GBH Guest List. Admission is at doorperson’s discretion.

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