News

Jimmy Fallon May Not Be Funny, But He Knows Good Music

Matt Kiebus :: Friday, March 12th, 2010 3:00 pm

Jimmy Fallon seems to be a likeable guy. Sure, he laughs at his own jokes, he’s awkward when interviewing people and comes up with dumb half-thought out games. All of these things are fine, for your average drinking buddy. But for some reason Jimmy Fallon isn’t average. In fact he’s really fucking famous, so all these in adequacies add up to 55 minutes of god awful late night television. However the whole hour isn’t a complete waste of time, because those last 5 minutes are normally music gold. MORE »

Ted Leo Works the Late Night Stage

Shannon Hassett :: Friday, March 12th, 2010 2:05 pm

Perhaps unbeknownst to him, Ted Leo’s got a thing for birds: Hearts of Oak had “The Crane Takes Flight” and The Tyranny of Distance had “The Gold Finch and the Red Oak.” In keeping with tradition, his latest effort with the Pharmacists, The Brutalist Bricks, features song “The Mighty Sparrow,” which the band performed last night on Jimmy Fallon. You know it’s a success when a late night spot feels like any other gig — minus all those awkward closeups of Leo (however adorable that face) — and the energy was definitely all there, as were the pulsing drums, catchy guitar and consistently fun little breakdowns we’ve come to love from TL/RX. There’s even an awesome full pause at 2:18, a risky move with a TV crowd, and they pull it off swimmingly. Check out the whole thing at the Matablog!

Hall & Oates Bass Player Dies at 58

Shannon Hassett :: Monday, March 1st, 2010 6:00 pm

It has just been reported that longtime bassist for pop-rocker’s Hall and Oates, Tom ‘T-Bone’ Wolk, died yesterday evening from what is believed to be a heart attack. He was rushed to the hospital in New York hours after completing work in the studio with Daryl Hall, who is currently finishing up a solo album. A seasoned musician, Wolk, the self-described ‘guy in the hat,’ played with everyone from Bette Middler and Billy Joel to Elvis Costello and Carly Simon, as well as a six year stint as the bass player in Saturday Night Live’s house band (1986-92). The news is made even more tragic by Hall and Oates’ scheduled performance on tonight’s episode of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.

Craig Ferguson Revisits Late Late Show History

Matt Kiebus :: Wednesday, February 24th, 2010 4:15 pm

There were a lot of winners and losers in the most recent “late night war.” Conan O’Brien lost The Tonight Show, but walked away with 140 million quarters. Jay Leno regained The Tonight Show, but lost a lot of respect in the process. Dave Letterman, the reigning king of late night, reignited his rivalry with Leno and NBC by throwing a flaming bag of shit on peacocks whenever possible. Jimmy Kimmel became relevant, if only for a brief moment, by chastising Leno while a guest on his show. Carson Daly died from shrapnel injuries and Jimmy Fallon was just happy to be there. However the biggest winner was the Scotsman from CBS, Craig Ferguson.

It is refreshing when someone displays honesty in the entertainment industry especially after the cynicism that followed the betrayal on NBC. Last night Ferguson paid homage to the originator of the Late Late Show, Tom Snyder. When Snyder hosted the show from ’95-99 it functioned quite differently. There was no studio audience and no laugh track, just Snyder interviewing one guest for one hour. It was intimate and simple. MORE »

Neon Indian Does Jimmy Fallon; Announces Tour

Shannon Hassett :: Wednesday, February 10th, 2010 5:10 pm

For all you fans of Todd Rundgren out there, of which there should be many, you’ll be happy to know that Neon Indian backbone Alan Palomo is of your number — so much so that one of his songs samples directly from Rundgren’s own library without offering any credit. The track “Deadbeat Summer,” off Pitchfork darling Psychic Chasms, generously helps itself to Rundgren’s “Izzat Love;” a fact that is made abundantly clear here. In any event, Neon Indian will be performing tomorrow night on Jimmy Fallon, kicking off a small national tour that includes South by Southwest and Bonnaroo in June. Check out the jump for a full listing of dates. MORE »

Strength Through Unity Review

Zach Custer :: Thursday, January 28th, 2010 2:10 pm

Last night, on ticket sales alone, The Bell House raised over $35,000 for the Haiti Relief effort in what was an amazingly entertaining night filled with booze, music, comedy and of course, a packed house devouring Asia Dogs. MORE »

Yeasayer Puts Second Free Track Up for Download

Shannon Hassett :: Wednesday, January 27th, 2010 1:45 pm

In preparation of the arrival of new album Odd Blood, Yeasayer has announced the release of a second free download. “O.N.E.”, a track from the album (which will be available February 9th on Secretly Canadian), is up for the taking at yeasayer.net. The band’s two dates in New York have been sold out for months, but lucky for you, they’ve added a show March 4th at Webster Hall. Short on cash? Yeasayer is also scheduled to take the late night stage with Jimmy Fallon on February 10th, just in time for Odd Blood’s big drop.

Haiti Benefit Shows in New York City

Zach Custer :: Monday, January 18th, 2010 2:10 pm

Check out these shows in the next two weeks and help the relief effort in Haiti!

Check out The Bell House’s January 27th Benefit Show featuring Jimmy Fallon and the Cold War Kids! Tickets can be purchased here.

Brooklyn Bowl’s Haiti Benefit on January 20th featuring Robert Randolph and the Family Band!

Support the Haiti Relief effort with The Love is Love Showcase tonight at the Highline Ballroom!

Tomorrow, January 19th L’Union Fait Force Groove Collective featuring DJ Logic, Bernie Worrell, Dr. Lonnie Smith and Roy Hargrove will put on a Haiti Benefit show at Le Poisson Rouge.

City Winery will feature Haiti Benefit Shows over 4 nights (January 20, 21, 24 and 25) which will include Patti Smith, Lewis Black, Yo La Tengo and many more.

Haiti native, Wyclef Jean will be at the helm of the “Hope for Haiti” Telethon at Radio City Music Hall.

All proceeds, including merchandise sales, from Lady Gaga’s performance at Radio City Music Hall on January 24 will go to relief organizations for Haiti.

Japandroids Visit Jimmy Fallon Tonight

Isaac Lekach :: Monday, January 4th, 2010 2:00 pm

Don’t forget kids. Japandroids will be on Jimmy Fallon tonight. 12:35 ET. They’ve also got a massive tour lined up. Check the dates after the jump. And we’re pretty sure you already own Post-Nothing, but in case you don’t, download the track “Young Hearts Spark Fire” here. Consider it a New Year’s present.

Julian Casablancas Spread Christmas Cheer On Fallon

Isaac Lekach :: Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009 9:00 am

Julian Casablancas brought his cover of “I Wish It Was Christmas Today” to Late Night With Jimmy Fallon last night and performed it with the show’s host and Horatio Sanz. Watch the performance of the SNL classic here. If only Tracy Morgan and Chris Kattan were on hand, then we could call it a reunion. If you’re curious, or can remember the original-find it here.

Japandroids Are Blowing Up, Fallon Fuels The Flames

Isaac Lekach :: Friday, December 18th, 2009 2:30 pm

We love ‘em. You love ‘em. And apparently, so does Jimmy Fallon. Japandroids will be on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on January 4th. Maybe the Roots will perform with them? Maybe ?uestlove will twitter about them. If you don’t already, follow the twits of the very vocal Questo here.

Jawbox performs tomorrow on Jimmy Fallon

Elissa Suh :: Monday, December 7th, 2009 2:00 pm

A few months back, we proudly relayed news of Jawbox’s long awaited reunion performance.The wait is over, and the D.C. punk band will perform tomorrow night on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon in celebration of their reissue of For Your Own Special Sweetheart. The release will include three additional tracks from the limited edition Savory+3 EP. Check out Jawbox perform tomorrow night on NBC.

Maybe Jimmy Fallon Doesn’t Suck

Elissa Suh :: Monday, November 30th, 2009 11:35 am

Response has been temperamental with regards to Jimmy Fallon’s late night show. However, those with lukewarm feelings may change their minds on the SNL alum. Just check out this clip of Fallon as Neil Young covering “Fresh Prince” or click after the jump. Also included: The Pixies’ performance of “Debaser” from last week’s show.
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Har Mar Superstar Brings the Glitter to Late Night With Jimmy Fallon

Danielle Johnsen :: Tuesday, October 27th, 2009 11:55 am

While for most of us 2009 might seem to be a blight on the human condition, I’m fairly certain Sean Tillman sees this year differently. With a supporting role in Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut Whip It, the successful web series Crappy Holidays, music videos starring Eva Mendes in support of his recently dropped album Dark Touches and a freshly inked production deal with HBO, Tillman is leaving his mark on all areas of entertainment.

Tillman introduced the magic that is Har Mar Superstar to America last night, well at least the ones up past 12AM. He performed his first single “Tall Boy” from his recently dropped album Dark Touches on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, draped in an African caftan and gold lame gloves. MORE »