Some Business for you.

As your local former Ser Biz intern, it is my duty to inform you that disbanded as of I-don't-remember-when SBR band Man In Gray are back with a one-show reunion at Union Hall on 20 Feb. :



Man in Gray
With not-on-Ser-Biz-but-much-beloved-by-them-nonetheless El Jezel and Coyote Eyes (who, if you'll remember, I saw at Northside back in June)
8 pm
8 dollars
21+


There's some other Business going on (upcoming shows and records) that I haven't quite caught up on, so you'll have to wait for that. In the meantime, feel free to download SBR's annual free compilation of last year's releases and hits, The Year In Business : 2009.



Tracklisting :

1) SAADI - "Bad City (Serious Business Remix)"
2) The Two Man Gentlemen Band - "Me, I Get High on Reefer" (live)
3) The Paparazzi - "The Rococo Tape"
4) The Octagon - "Suicide Kings"
5) Higgins - "What Don't You Want?"
6) Jack and the Pulpits - "Francypants"
7) Rocketship Park - "Spinning Globes"
8) Benji Cossa - "Annie Delia"
9) The Unsacred Hearts - "Fake Kisses"
10) The Two Man Gentlemen Band - "Drip Dryin'(Reprise!)"

You can download the whole thing in a .zip here.

In case you missed out, The Year in Business : 2008 is here and 2007 over here.

Serious Business Holiday Party + a new song from Benji Cossa.

SERIOUS BUSINESS Holiday Party and Revue!
starring…
The Homosexuals
Benji Cossa
Secret Dakota Ring
The Unsacred Hearts
Higgins
Rocketship Park
Jack and the Pulpits
The Octagon
Boshra al Saadi of Looker
but not the Two Man Gentlemen Band!

SATURDAY DECEMBER 20 2008
7PM-10:30PM don’t be late!!! * REVUE BEGINS AT 7:30 SHARP!
@ THE STUDIO @ WEBSTER HALL
125 E. 11th Street between 3rd and 4th Avenues
NEW YORK, NY
A three hour tour of non-stop music from your favorite Serious Business super-friends.

There is no better time than the Holidays to celebrate togetherness! Community! Feeling good! Serious Business dares to get happy on Saturday, December 20 with its now-annual Holiday Party and Revue. We’re cramming everyone we know into the new Studio at Webster Hall, we’re cramming nine acts into three hours, we’re cramming multitudinous musical gifts into your tender ear-holes, we’re cramming love in your hearts!

Its an old school 60s styled REVUE with the Serious Business super-family sharing the following: equipment, points of view, an evening of revelry and celebration! Your best Christmas party! No egg nog! Your first New Year’s Party! Yes!! SERIOUS BUSINESS!!! Bring it on!

Some fun facts—
–Gift giving!! We’ll be giving away lovingly crafted CD copies of The Year In Business: 2008, the second annual installment of our all-free year-end hits compilation series.
-The show starts EARLY! 7PM SHARP! COME EARLY!! Make a night of it! Dress nicely! Don’t roll in late like a jerk! You’ll miss everything! People will leer at you! Its Christmas! Be nice! Make it nice around the TREE!
-Benji Cossa will be performing all Christmas numbers!
-Jack and the Pulpits make their first ever official public appearance! Hopefully they’ll play “Dance Area”
-Sadly The Two Man Gentlemen Band will be absent. In their place they send new recorded music, their 4th album Drip Drying with the Two Man Gentlemen Band, which we’ll listen to some of!
-In the absence of Andy Bean (see previous fun fact), the Unsacred Hearts will reunite with original bass-man Andy Ross who will also be fronting his band Secret Dakota Ring (which features members of the Unsacred Hearts, Rocketship Park and Higgins…and the Homosexuals…and Jack and the Pulpits…and more.)
-The Homosexuals play their last show until spring 2009!


Was it mentioned that this shindig is free? That The Homsexuals are headlining and that Secret Dakota Ring will be playing their second show like, ever? Yes? Well, I just mentioned it again.

In other news, Benji Cossa, who put out a free Christmas record last year, recorded a new, original Christmas song, "Christmas (It's The End of the Year)," for TimeOutNY. You can listen to it and a few others over here.

SerBiz Holiday Party

Mark your 2007 calendars, kids (the year ain't over yet)- Serious Business Record's Holiday Party is going down on 20 December at Piano's in NYC.

A certain inside source has told me that he wants it to be "a total fire hazard" (or words to that effect), so come out to the LES next Thursday to see Rocketship Park, Benji Cossa, Higgins, and The 'Hearts. Guaranteed good times. I'll be there, if that's any incentive.

It'll set you back $8 and as always, it's 21+.

And while you're at it, don't forget to download Benji Cossa's Christmas record, Merry Christmas to Friends and Family. Love, Benji Cossa, for FREE. Yes, free.

Happy Belated Turkey Day!

And Happy Belated Birthday to myself.

I guess now that it's post-Thanksgiving and that the Christmas season has officially started (HAHA LOOK AT ALL OF YOU SUCKERS DRIVING AROUND THE MALL PARKING LOT, TRYING TO GET A SPOT HAHAHA....sorry....), I can't yell about people putting up Christmas decorations or playing Christmas music anymore.

So if you're going to get your season started, musically at least, then do it the right way: Benji Cossa, indie recording genius and the guy who brought you "What's That Sound?" for Hallowe'en, has released a Christmas record entitled Merry Christmas to Friends and Family. Love, Benji Cossa. Mostly long-standing Christmas carols and classics, offered up Cossa-style (think lo-fi, think banjos, acoustic guitars, harmonicas, and steel drums), plus a new song, "Friends and Family," by Mr. Cossa himself. (Check out this pretty awesome rendition of "Silver Bells".)

Best part of it all is that the entire record is available for free. Think of it as an early Christmas gift from Benji and SBR.

Click here to see track listing, commentary, etc.
Click here if you're in a total rush to download a .Zip file of the entire record.




Okay, I've got some leftovers to eat and some partying to do, so if you'll excuse me...


ETA: So it's a day late, but mixlist master EarFarm whipped together a Thanksgiving Day mix, so maybe you should listen to that one before you run out of turkey and stuffing.

TPC & Happy Hallowe'en!

So I know there are a bunch of people out there who like Tokyo Police Club. They seem pretty popular, in any case.

But I was listening to "Citizens of Tomorrow" (link courtesy of Brooklyn Vegan) and found myself wondering, "...are they supposed to sound just like The Strokes?"

It's not necessarily a bad thing; I do quite like The Strokes. (Also, Nick Valensi is teh pretty.) And maybe that's an oversimplification. But actually, maybe it's not.

Perhaps I'll go stream some of their stuff later. But I have other bands that I want to write about first.

And besides, it's Hallowe'en! Favourite holiday of the year. So I'm off to get dressed and celebrate, as you should, too. (Me, trick-or-treating at nearly-22? Never! Well. Maybe.)

/crazy font


PS: EarFarm has a pretty awesome Halloween Mix up for download. Plus a post about Benji Cossa's new Halloween song, "What's That Sound," which actually you can download here and save yourself the hassle of clicking.