Black Mountain
Checkout Black Mountain live on Jimmy Fallon. We're BIG fans of both the band and the show.
Let Them Eat Cake
SWAK would like to congratulate THE BESNARD LAKES, OWEN PALLETT, BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE and CARIBOU on making the 2010 Polaris Prize Short List. This is going to make for an awesome telecast on September 25th. We might even watch it live...unless there is a show that night, then we'll have to tape it on the PVR. Either way, we're looking forward to watching the Gala. Who doesn't love a good Gala?Fruit Bats
Sub Pop recording artists Fruit Bats, play the Media Club on August 9th. We realize it's barely even July, but we wanted to give you time to get hooked on The Ruminant Band.Delorean...and Marty McFly
If you're lucky enough to have a flux capacitor, we suggest setting your coordinates to June 7th, 2010 at the Biltmore. Delorean put on a awesome Monday night dance party. It felt like summer underground! For those that missed the show, we suggest picking up a copy of Subiza. It's instant sunshine.Joanna Newsom
Joanna Newsom has an opinion. In a May interview with The Guardian,
the harp playing songstress sounds off on Lady Gaga and Madonna.
We however, are more interested in her music than what she thinks of Madge. Checkout the Pitchfork review of her ambitious 3-disc release, Have One on Me.
See Joanna live in Vancouver on August 5th at the Vogue Theatre.
Go Tell It on the Mountain
The Mountain Goats latest release, The Life of the World to Come, is composed of twelve tracks, each one inspired by, and titled after, a single verse of the Christian Bible."This film of the same name depicts [John] Darnielle playing these songs to an empty Pomona auditorium (the same place he first played a piano recital at age 8)..."
See The Mountain Goats live in Victoria on June 1st, and in Vancouver on June 2nd.
Welcome to Jamrock
We hope you are one of the lucky people that got tickets for the sold out Nas and Damian Marley concert at The Showbox SoDo in Seattle tonight. The duo are on tour promoting their new album Distant Relatives. Beg, borrow, or steal. Do whatever it takes. This show is not to be missed...okay, okay, maybe don't steal, just beg or borrow.
Caribou
2008 Polaris Prize winner Daniel Snaith, better known as Caribou, released his sixth full-length album Swim, on April 20th. Stereogum says it's, "an ambitious/dense/compositionally rich/well-produced record." Have a listen to Odessa, the first track off the new album. Leave a comment and let us know what you think.
Caribou plays the Rickshaw Theatre on May 29th. Tickets on sale now.
Walk All Over Me
We'd let Matt Berninger walk all over us. The National, live at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (May 15th, 2010).
This One is for the Ladies
Delorean's Subiza has us dreaming of Spanish beaches and carousels...but we'd settle for a dusty field, just as long as it's hot and sunny. Bonnaroo is under a month away. Ladies, if you're wondering what to wear, checkout the festival fashion from this year's Coachella, care of Beyonce and WhoWhatWearDaily.
Delorean plays The Biltmore on June 7, 2010. Prepare to get sweaty.
Broken Social Scene
How do you describe a Broken Social Scene show? Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone compared their performances to The Band's Last Waltz. That's one of the best analogies we've come across. BSS play Vancouver October 13th. Tickets on sale now. Click here for a full list of tour dates. We suggest you pick a city and go see this captivating live band.
Mumford & Sons
Mark your calendar (or set your PVR), Mumford & Sons play Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on May 19th.
Mumford & Sons play live in Vancouver, to a sold out crowd, on May 30th at the 560 Club.
Six Degrees of Betty White
It's common knowledge that Betty White killed it on Saturday Night Live. Since there is no need to discuss how AMAZING she was, we thought perhaps we would acknowledge how amazing Jay-Z was. While looking for images of the Jigga Man, we came across this little gem. Jay-Z talking to Ira Wolf Tuton of Yeasayer at Coachella. Are we witnessing the beginnings of a future collaboration?
For those of you that missed Yeasayer's April 21st show at the Commodore, checkout photos on BackstageRider.com.
Wolf Parade
To say we're excited about this album would be an understatement. Read more about Expo 86 on Stereogum. Album in stores June 29th.
Wolf Parade play The Vogue Theatre on July 25th, 2010.
Porn
This is our kind of pornography; The New Pornographers performing "Crash Years" on the Jimmy Fallon Show. Who doesn't love a song with whistling?
The New Pornographers play The Vogue Theatre on July 14th and 15th, 2010. Be sure not to miss opening act, The Dodos.
Free National
The good people at NPR are streaming The National's first new studio album in three years, High Violet, in its entirety until its release on May 11. Do your ears a favor and have a listen.
For more information about the band and tour, checkout their fantastic website.
The National play Malkin Bowl in Stanley Park on September 10th, 2010. Get your tickets soon because they're selling out fast. Seriously.
Frightened Rabbit
Scottish lads, Frightened Rabbit, play The Biltmore on May 15th. Listen to their album, "Winter Mixed Drinks" on MySpace.
Final Fantasy
Move over Mimi...
Owen Pallett (aka Final Fantasy) plays The Vogue Theatre on May 9th, 2010.
The Besnard Lakes
"There is a war now. The message has been sent through short wave in code. The Besnard Lakes twisting chronicle, or fever dream, of spies, double agents, novelists and aspiring rock gods has turned violent. Loyalty, dishonor, love, hatred all seen through the eyes of two spies, fighting a war that may not be real. One follows the other as they receive coded messages and spread destruction. The city is burning, and it's to the benefit of music obsessives everywhere."
- jagjaguwar
Want more? Checkout the article in The Montreal Gazette.
The Besnard Lakes play the Media Club on May 5th, 2010. Come see them at this intimate venue...while you still can.
Japandroids
We found a few photos from the April 30th show at Lifetime on Lindsays Diet. If you have great photos from this SWAK show, leave us a comment with a link to your flickr, blog, website, etc. We'd love to check them out!
Upcoming Shows
