CONTEST: Win Tickets to IAN AXEL @ The Beacon Theatre, NYC

While all of your friends are vacationing in far away destinations next week, we have just the solution to get you out of the apartment and away from your cats. Your getaway comes in the form of IAN AXEL.

Starting TODAY, you can ENTER to WIN 2 TICKETS to see IAN AXEL at the BEACON THEATRE in NYC, this MONDAY, AUGUST 1st (Yes, he’s opening for Matthew Morrison from Glee. Don’t judge us)

Winners will be chose at random. The deadline to submit for the contest is Sunday, July 31st at 12pm Noon EST Time.

Please send an email to MODERNMYSTERYBLOG@YAHOO.COM with “IAN AXEL CONTEST” in the header. Please include your FULL NAME and PHONE NUMBER.

Good luck!

ABOUT IAN:


Ian Axel began his career when his typical 20-something job working at a Manhattan Apple Store suddenly became not-so-typical as his bosses caught wind of his musical talents. They flew him around the country to perform at dozens of stores around the United States, and included his songs on the playlists of hundreds of their stores worldwide. Ian officially “touched down” in 2011 when he released his debut full-length, This Is the New Year. The title track received over 1 million YouTube views, he performed on the nationally syndicated Rachael Ray Show and on La Blogothéque’s world-renown Take Away Shows, and his songs were featured on TV shows such as “One Tree Hill,” and as the theme to the MTV documentary series I Used to Be Fat.

However, it’s Ian’s live show that shoots him to new frontiers. He has an energy that recalls the intimacy, energy and excitement of performers like Regina Spektor, Elton John and Randy Newman. NPR described him as “a voice that possesses the sweetness of youth, the stubbornness of a teenager and the swagger of a rock star.” He is capable of captivating an audience as only the greatest performers do, an appeal that has not gone unnoticed, leading to opening gigs for Ingrid Michaelson, Evan Dando and, most recently, for Glee star Matthew Morrison’s at the 2500-capacity Beacon Theater on August 1st.

Life Size Maps Release New EP


Brooklyn based alt-rockers and friends of the site, Life Size Maps, have officially released their new EP, Magnifier. The EP represents an evolution of sound for the band, as this new grouping of tracks is both noisier and more complex.

The band kicked things off with a release party at Monster Island Basement in Williamsburg with Dino Walrus, Total Slacker and Soft Black. Visit the band’s myspace page MySpace page. And, in the meantime, be sure to listen to our exclusive preview of the band’s new track “This Same House,” down below.

 

Cass McCombs Announces Summer Tour, Premieres New Video

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If you were worried Cass McCombs was only going to do those few dates in May to support his album Wit’s End  (Domino Records), rejoice! He just announced a series of dates around the country (and Canada) where he’ll be joined by Lower Dens so you now have the entire month of July to see him play live. Check out where and when at the end of the post but not before you watch the video for the song “County Line,” off of Wit’s End, which Cass directed himself. The slow motion images of the American South blend really well with the mellow sound of the track.

Here are his upcoming tour dates:

Mon. July 18 — Cambridge, MA @ TT the Bears (with Lower Dens)

Tue. July 19 — Northampton, MA @ Iron Horse (with Lower Dens)

Thu. July 21 — Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg (with Lower Dens)

Fri. July 22 — Montreal, QC @ Il Motore (with Lower Dens)

Sat. July 23 — Toronto, ON @ Rivoli (with Lower Dens)

Mon. July 25 — Chicago, IL @ Schuba’s (with Lower Dens)

Wed. July 27 — Minneapolis, MN @ 7th St. Entry (with Lower Dens)

Fri. July 29 — Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge

The Wooden Birds Premiere Tour Diary And Hit The Road

Tour diaries generally only interest die hard fans; the casual listener doesn’t necessarily care about what kind of pranks band members pull on each other or what their favorite food is. The Wooden Birds just released one of their own tour diaries to celebrate the beginning of the summer tour they kicked off in Phoenix, AZ on June 16th, but everyone can find something in it for themselves. Directed and narrated by front Andrew Kenny, this tour diary isn’t just a quick montage of random and silly video; it’s a story. And it’s told so well that Crawdaddy called Kenny “the indie rock Ira Glass.” Watch the video below:

But even better than just hearing about what tour life is like for The Wooden Birds would be to just catch them live supporting their album Two Matchsticks! Check the dates below to see if they’re coming near you in their summer-long trip around North America.

Here are their upcoming tour dates:

7/8 – Chicago, IL @ The Hideout (21+)
7/9 – Grand Rapids, MI @ Founders Brewery (21+)
7/10 – Toronto, ON @ The Drake (all ages)
7/11 – Montreal, QC @ Casa Del Popolo  (all ages)
7/12 – Boston, MA @ Great Scott (18+)
7/14 – New York, NY @ Mercury (21+)
7/15 – Brooklyn, NY @ Rock Shop (21+)
7/16 – Washington, DC @ DC9 (all ages)
7/17 – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl (21+)
7/20 – Austin, TX @ The Mohawk (all ages)

This Week in NYC Shows!

MONDAY

The Kooks, Smoke Signal @ The Bowery Ballroom

Jump Into The Gospel, Your 33 Black Angels, Hospitality (FREE SHOW) 
@ The Rock Shop

Golden Animals, Sky Picnic, Twin Killers @ Cameo Gallery

 

TUESDAY

Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players @ Bowery Electric

The Present, People Get Ready, Man Forever (Guitar Quintet) @ Union Pool

 

WEDNESDAY

Sloan, Hotkid @ Bowery Ballroom

Seefeel @ Brooklyn Bowl CANCELED

Greg Laswell, Elizabeth Ziman (of Elizabeth and The Catapult) @ City Winery

Hussle Club, Jump Into The Gospel, Fort Lean, The Stationary Set  (FREE)
@ Pianos

Matt & Kim, The Thermals, Autobot (from Flosstradomus) @ Terminal 5

 

THURSDAY

Sloan, Hotkid @ Knitting Factory

Sean Bones, New Moods, Keelay, Popular Music @ Cameo Gallery

ArpLine, Bad Girlfriend, Hard Nips, Huntronik @ Coco66

No Age, HEALTH, Cults, Ceremony @ House of Vans
RSVP HERE

I’m Turning Into, Clouder, Quiet Loudly, EULA, Little Racer @ Silent Barn

Josiah Wolf, First Nature, Prussia, ohnomoon @ The Rock Shop

 

FRIDAY

Ceremony, Veins, Give, Wet Witch @ Death by Audio

Memory Tapes, New Moods @ Mercury Lounge

Dinowalrus, Total Slacker, Soft Black, Life Size Maps
@ Monster Island Basement

Lower Dens, Dirty Beaches @ South Street Seaport

The Thermals, Big Troubles, EULA @ The Bell House

Hunx and His Punx Take Their Act on the Road


Hunx and His Punx is like a modern gay Everly Brother with an entourage of three hot vixens singing raunchy doo-wop back up vocals. Whatever it is these punk darlings featuring Seth Bogart as Hunx, and four lovely ladies – or “punkettes – are doing comes together in a reckless display of playful lamentation. Their first album release, Too Young to be In Love offers 10 oldies style songs about heartbreak masked by the freedom of youth. The music and their stage antics as seen in the video for “Bad Boy” begs for a sweaty house show or a dingy dive bar small enough so as to gyrate on your neighbor. There’s a chance to do just that at one of the shows listed below, so go, dance, and find an angsty Johnny Angel of your very own.

05/13 San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore !

06/22 Seattle, WA Crocodile $

06/24 – 06/25 Calgary, AB – Sled Island

06/27 Vancouver, BC – Waldorf Cabaret $*

06/28 Portland, OR – Doug Fir $

! = w/ Of Montreal

$ = w/ Shannon and the Clams

* = w/ Sonny and the Sunsets