We really like these guys – by the way, if you are a MOG subscriber you should check out our playlist of awesome female NYC based artists here. Dark Dark Dark is about to embark on a tour that from now until July will take them from Omaha to Bremen (Germany). During the European dates they’ll be alternatively opening for The National, Black Heart Procession and Low. The band just released this stunning video shot in South Africa by Santiago Mostyn.

Husker Du was one of the most influential bands of the 80s, but it doesn’t happen very often to hear a rock band inspired by their sound these days. NJ based Stuyvesant re-elaborates the power trio sonics of the Saint Paul based band with a modern approach, it’s power pop as it should be, without whining melodies nor over-produced recordings. The band will be releasing their sophomore CD "Fret Sounds" in June 2011 on Dromedary Records.

Mp3: Stuyvesant – St. Cloud

Deli’s senior designer Ursula Viglietta deserves a medal for going days without sleep to curate ART + ARCHITECTURE 2011 at Gowanus Ballroom – the best event I have attended all year in Brooklyn. The event’s opening night was this past Friday and the turnout was amazing. Gowanus Ballroom is a 12,000-square-foot space beneath 50-foot cathedral ceilings with a 4,000-square-foot mezzanine overlooking the lower gallery. In 2010, Josh Young of Serett Metal retooled the space as a working space for artists.
This event had massive Burning Man worthy installations, and a complete lineup of bluegrass/old-time bands, the event combined the relevancy of an indie art with the honest fun of a bluegrass festival.

The installations included a tree house and a cozy area of wooden igloos put together with chicken wire. I caught a great old time jazz band called Apocolypse 5 and Dime (pictured) which played old jazzy tunes with the tuba bumping the bass line, the fiddler player is incredibly melodic, and the horn section truly sets the band apart. Other great NYC bands that played included Yula and the Extended Family and Morgan O’Kane (photo below).

The show will be up throughout this week, with a closing party on Saturday the 15th. Saturday’s lineup brings in music – amongst others – by Melody Allegra Berger, Union Street Preservation Society. More info about the show here. – Alex Borsody

Although No Surrender is billed as an alt-rap group, there isn’t much actual rapping done on their upcoming LP “Medicine Babies.” There’s a lot of crooning, and some emphatic chanting, and some good-natured wailing, but if you’re expecting typical 16s of staccato bravado, you best pick another battle. That being said, this album is still a triumph. Its primarily electro vibe is peppered with nuances of new-wave and shoegaze. Guest appearances by Costanza Francavilla and TVOTR’s Tunde Adebimpe function as critical reinforcements to this otherwise bumpalistic mission. Building on the critical success of their first release and a headlining spot at this year’s Sonar Festival in Spain, No Surrender is in a strategic position to win the war. “Medicine Babies” will be yours in June, 2011. – BrokeMC

So, it may not be goodbye forever, but this Friday, DC’s rock quartet [velvet] will take to the Black Cat mainstage for the last time as a whole, with drummer Udi Farber returning to his home country. Formed back in 1995, “the Simpsons of indie rock” Joe Brewer (vox, guitar), Joe Calvarese (guitar, vox), Andrew Walker (bass), and Udi have built a discography of 4 albums on the label Signal to Noise, achieved a following of loyal listeners, and critical appraise for their live performances up and down the east coast and all over the DMV. Check out a recent live video of [velvet] performing this past March.

And come early to check out the DC based rock/soul band The Honeyguns (their Black Cat debut), and the epic rock sounds of The Chance. Doors @9. $10