Les Savy Fav Pictures

It's a big (Vampire) Weekend for music, and Capitol Hill

Music & nightlifeThe Capitol Hill Block Party, with Vampire Weekend, DeVotchKa, Les Savy Fav, the Hold Steady, Girl Talk, Chromeo, Kimya Dawson, Fleet Foxes and Menomena, is July 25 and 26 on Seattle's Capitol Hill.

Published: 2008-07-25 Provider: Seattle Times

Video: Adrift With Les Savy Fav at All Tomorrow’s Parties

While over at All Tomorrow’s Parties over the weekend, Rolling Stone’s Christian Hoard caught up with Syd Butler and Tim Harrington from Les Savy Fav in the middle of a lake. Click above to hear Harrigton’s favorite joke and to get a demo of the band’s ramming skills. Related Stories: • My Bloody Valentine, Thurston Moore Bring Big Noise to All Tomorrow’s Parties • Photo Gallery: All Tomorrow’s Parties 2008 • More All Tomorrow’s Parties Coverage at the Backstage Blog [Video: Eric Helton]

Published: 2008-09-23 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News, Festivals, Videos

Les Savy Fav - Let's Stay Friends

Artist: Les Savy Fav Review: Let's stay friends is the first album of new songs in six years from indie-rock madcaps Les Savy Fav, yet it sounds like a band that's just hitting a peak. These Brooklyn-via-Providence, Rhode Island, dudes veer between art-punk guitar and disco drums, managing to fuse Fugazi circa In on the Kill Taker with Chic circa Risque. They built their legend as a furious live band, thanks largely to Tim Harrington's human-tornado energy; with his grizzly beard and Falstaffian bulk, he can dance all over... Rating: 4 Stars

Published: 2007-10-17 Provider: Rolling Stone

Let's Stay Friends by Les Savy Fav

The New York City-based band's fourth studio album. [Rock, Indie]

Published: 2007-09-27 Provider: Metacritic

Introducing: Harlem Shakes

Welcome to Introducing, a new RollingStone.com feature where we’ll be throwing a spotlight on recommended up-and-coming artists. The Hook: New York-based five-piece Harlem Shakes sound like they were made for a groovy loft party: jagged riffs and ’50s doo-wop-inspired backing vocals, all layered atop fast-paced tracks. Secret Weapon: The Venn diagram approach. “All five of us have very different musical tastes and there is a very small area where all five circles in our Venn diagram intersect,” explains drummer Brent Katz. “It often means it takes quite a bit of time to reach the finished product, but when we get there, that makes for something that we are all really proud of,” bassist Jose Soegaard adds. Must-Hear Track: “Sickos,” a beautiful intersection of artful guitar downstrokes, ’60s-inspired background melodies and spooky keyboards, while singer Lexy Benaim urgently recommends, “If there’s a bomb in your hand, just throw it!” What’s Next: After self-releasing their EP Burning Birthdays in February, Harlem Shakes are currently flirting with a variety of labels from across the globe and plan to release an album in February ‘08. When they do hit the studio it will be with Les Savy Fav and Asobi Seksu producer Chris Zane. Until then, check out one of their awesome live shows where their Venn diagram approach leads to Radiohead-meets-Explosions in the Sky-esque mini jams. Where to Find Them: Check out “Sickos” and more tracks on the band’s MySpace, or visit their official Web site.

Published: 2007-08-09 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News, Breaking

Rewind: The Week in Rock Daily

It seemed like old times this week, as Jane’s Addiction got back together for a one-night-only performance. My Bloody Valentine came back around also, as did the reunited Pharcyde and Portishead. Of course, all these groups could have played this place back in the day. All sorts of new music burst onto the web: Madonna premiered Hard Candy, Nine Inch Nails dropped a surprise single and we got a taste of the in-concet stylings of Les Savy Fav. On the American Idol front, there was a David Cook-related conspiracy theory, a David Archuleta photo meme and another exit, this time from Irish lass Carly Smithson. Finally, there’s a music festival in the desert this weekend, so we got you prepared and found out what other stars were excited about. And if you miss out on Coachella, there are plenty of other festivals to check out this summer. [Photo: Getty]

Published: 2008-04-25 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News

Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein Explore Bands, Food Allergies on a First Date: A ThunderAnt Original

Saturday Night Live’s Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein (of the on-hiatus Sleater-Kinney) are ThunderAnt, the comedic duo responsible for the webisode hilarity of “Feminist Bookstore” (check it out here). When the two swung by the Rolling Stone offices recently, they offered to demonstrate their first-date skills by grilling each other on musical preferences (Les Savy Fav and Okkervil River get name-checked), food allergies and more, and marked the close of their encounter with a creepy cell-phone wipe-out. Click above to watch the clip, and here to see the pair singing an ode to Random Notes and other RS staples. And check back tomorrow for our third and final ThunderAnt exclusive.

Published: 2007-10-23 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News, Videos

After The Balls Drop by Les Savy Fav

The group releases its 3:00 a.m. performance at Bowery Ballroom in New York City on January 1, 2008 for download only. [Rock]

Published: 2008-05-20 Provider: Metacritic

Coachella Day One: The Breeders, Tegan and Sara, Black Kids and More

While most attendees were still smuggling their stashes past security at the front gates on Coachella’s Day One, math-rock outfit Battles had a large, vocal crowd enraptured at the Gobi tent with their pounding single “Atlas.” Battles are more concerned with complex rhythms than melody, and with a pumped festival crowd feeding off their energy, the band effortlessly locked into curious, mind-blowing grooves, turning what can come off on record as slightly joyless exercises in syncopated songwriting into something spectacular and energetic, like a dancey, mutant Rage Against the Machine. A tent away, the Black Kids were proving that they’re rapidly growing into the band their early buzz promised they would become. The Jacksonville, Florida five-piece’s Motown-garage jangle came off as robust and charming in the mid-afternoon heat. The band got the crowd moving to single “I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance With You,” a bit of poppy disco-rock that brings out the Robert Smith in frontman Reggie Young’s yelpy voice, and hit their peak on “Look at Me When I Rock With You” as Youngblood took a break from ripping out smooth-toned guitar flourishes to sling his instrument off his shoulder and boogie. Back at the Gobi tent, Dan Deacon took the stage — or rather, the floor just in front of it — and smashed away at his keyboard as walls of synth noise kept the kids jumping around to no particular rhythm, while at the Outdoor Theatre, Les Savy Fav frontman Tim Harrington scaled the scaffolding and threatened to jump, to the delight of his fans and dismay of security (he didn’t make the leap). Click here for photos from Day One of Coachella Meanwhile a modest (and slightly older) crowd gathered at the main stage to watch the Breeders play “some songs from Pod, some songs from Last Splash, Title TK and Mountain Battles,” as Kelley Deal put it. “I can feel it,” Kim Deal intoned as the band kicked into “Overglazed,” the triumphantly droning opening

Published: 2008-04-26 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News, Coachella

Exclusive: Stream the Entire Les Savy Fav Live Album “After the Balls Drop”

This past New Year’s Eve, while many were staring at Dick Clark or standing frigidly in Times Square, art-punk icons Les Savy Fav were preparing to bring their trademark live performance to a sold-out audience of diehard fans at NY’s Bowery Ballroom, which the band will release as a digital album entitled After the Balls Drop on April 29th. But you don’t have to wait until then to hear the live album, as we’re exclusively streaming the entire affair here. “The atmosphere of the show was unique. Our shows are known for being somewhat unique, so it was sort of a double-down, triple unique,” singer Tim Harrington says of the band’s first live album in their thirteen year tenure. It was a night for the band to delve deep into their catalogue, to bust out live renditions of their then-new album Lets Stay Friends and to play a few choice covers of songs. “We thought, ‘What would a party band do,’ Harrington says of the night. “‘If I were DJing, what songs would I just play that you know everyone would just get psyched on?’” Unfortunately, Harrington’s favorite memory of his band’s post-New Year’s Eve show didn’t make After the Balls Drop, due to right issues: The day before, Harrington went to a wholesale distributor of party supplies in NY’s Chinatown area to purchase about a hundred and twenty three-foot-long tubes that shot out confetti when twisted. The tubes were handed out during that show, and fired in unison during the band’s performance of AC/DC’s “TNT.” “It was such a cacophonous mess. It was like swimming in a sea of confetti, or a Backstreet Boys video on crack,” Harrington remembers. Thankfully, covers of the Misfits‘ “Astro Zombies,” Nirvana’s “Sliver,” Pixies‘ “Debaser” and Creedence’s “Hey Tonight” remained unscathed by legalities. ̶

Published: 2008-04-25 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News

Live Review: Les Savy Fav - El Rey Theatre, Los Angeles

Les Savy Fav frontman Tim Harrington ranks as one of the more entertaining showmen in indie rock, and it's a testament to him that his "what will he do or wear next?" routine hasn't gone

Published: 2007-12-17 Provider: Artist Direct

Les Savy Fav Announces Rare Round of Shows

While we wouldn't exactly call it a tour—what, with all the breathing room between stops to ensure everyone stays sane—Les Savy Fav has announced seven shows in major markets over the

Published: 2007-11-07 Provider: Artist Direct