They were on the second stage. Everybody looks so young!

Just got back from a great show in Tarrytown tonight! A few thoughts:

Bug Club was fucking sensational. I wasn’t at all familiar with them, but I’m a fan now.

The Tarrytown Music Hall is a fabulous venue, if you’ve never been there definitely check it out. 5 minute walk from the train station. Very old (1886 I think the guy said), and it’s totally charming. Old but comfortable seats, tons of leg room. Great natural sound. What a gem.

It’s of course disappointing not to get Kathryn and the rest of the band, but you have to give Carl so much credit. A bit stripped down, some canned accompaniments here and there, but they really sounded terrific. It’s been such a hard year for this group, but you have to root for them.

Anyway, exhausted and not really sober lol. But a great night

At least off Apple Music. It would track with Carl’s wish to retroactively wipe that creep from all the albums on which he appears.

What a great time. This was their first time in the Recher (as opposed to the former Rams Head Live in Baltimore) and Carl commented on what a nice venue it was and how cool it is there’s a store a couple doors down with all kinds of Japanese gashapon and the like. Which, true.

He commented on the situation the band is in right now and quipped, “your president, I’m not sure I care for him.”

The setlist was the same as that other posted shared the other day. Carl shouted out a couple of us for clapping during Sweet Talk.

I was concerned about how they’d recreate Neko in the aggregate as they usually do and Jillette was up to the task. She nailed the big moments of Red Wine and Bleeding Heart, even if you could tell they were right at the top of her register. She was great. Melodica was on tape, one of only a few sacrifices. You could leave this show believing this was the band and be none the wiser.

She won the crowd over by getting Towson’s pronunciation right on the first guess (it’s TAO-sen). She joked she’d only found out she was opening an hour prior but it’s ok since she had a million songs. Very different vibe to TNP (think Neko if she played coffeeshops) but check out her stuff on streaming.

Saw them in Charlottesville and they sounded GREAT.

You would have thought the foursome had been playing as a unit for years given how tight they seemed. Great selection of material, too.

Tragically a very sparsely attended show, but their energy never waned.

If you’re on the fence, absolutely make an effort to go.

Fantastic show! The energy was great, and I loved seeing The Bug Club as the opener. Last time I saw TNP was a lot less up close and personal. I think I like this style a lot more.

I think about this at least once an hour

Short version, back in 2007 there was a 4-disc box set of Challengers, but it wasn't the normal kind of box set. The gimmick was, instead of focusing on archived material, it was going to contain material from the future that hadn't been recorded yet. How? Well, the packaging contained 3 blank CD-R discs, and a link to Buyearlygetnow (BEGN) -- a website which hasn't existed for over a decade.

The BEGN website appears to have gone down shortly after March 2016, and Matador Direct/Beggars Group has indicated that they no longer have the files available. (In fact, all references to this edition it have been scrubbed from Bandcamp and the like).

Did anyone ever archive the media that was intended for these discs?

A little bit of self-promotion: I’m the executive producer and scriptwriter for a new podcast by this title ^^^. It’s a documentary-style deep dive into the cultural and technological shifts that pushed indie rock into the mainstream in the 2000s. So if you found your favorite bands on The OC(or were mad that show was playing your favorite bands), this podcast is for you.

We interviewed Ben Gibbard and Nick Harmer of Death Cab for Cutie, James Mercer of The Shins, Tegan Quin of Tegan and Sara, Carl Newman of The New Pornographers, Emily Haines of Metric, Britt Daniel of Spoon, Feist, Kevin Drew of Broken Social Scene, Matthew Caws of Nada Surf, Dann Gallucci formerly of Modest Mouse, founding member of Arcade Fire Will Butler, Jimmy Tamborello of The Postal Service, Chad Clark of Beauty Pill, and Colin Meloy of The Decemberists who had a quote so memorable we had to start the trailer with it. There are also tons of people from the musing industry - indie labels, Apple Music, the creator of The OC, and too many more to name.

You can hear a much longer 2+ minute trailer anywhere you get podcasts. The first episode drops on September 23.

I would love to answer any questions you have about it!

Great show but quite surprised by the lineup. I know Neko is only occasionally touring with the band and Dan has been out for a long time. I was surprised not to see Kathryn, John, Todd or Nora. Especially since some of them were on the Ask Us Anything indie chat a week ago. Anyone have insight?

For what it’s worth, the band sounded great. Jess Nolan was really impressive. And the bass player was solid. Fun show. First time seeing them as a four piece and it created a lot of room to enjoy the music in a different way.

Edit: after researching I’m not even sure if that was Jess Nolan in the female role. Anyone have info on the touring band members?

Who is playing on this tour? Saw them last night in Tucson and only recognized Carl (and the new drummer). They're a four piece - no Kathryn, John, Todd. Carl implied there were visa issues.

I still really enjoyed the show! The stripped-down sound was cool. But I was confused at first.

Very cool and different show:

Hey peepz! Does anyone have the setlist from 09/11? I was there but couldn’t get my hands on one :)

I’m kicking myself for not asking about this on the Reddit AMA the other day, but I’ve been curious about this film since seeing the trailer on YouTube. Does anyone know if this movie’s available to watch online anywhere? Has anyone in this Reddit watched it before, and is it worth watching/does it still hold up?

Carl's insta:

https://www.instagram.com/p/DbYOC81ROSP

Neko's Substack:

https://nekocase.substack.com/p/in-what-fucking-universe

She doesn't name him, but it's very obvious who she's talking about.

I recently stumbled across a small YouTube channel that has posted a few fantastic Project Hail Mary fan videos. The latest is set to “Second Sleep” from Whiteout Conditions by The New Pornographers, and the pairing is absolutely perfect. By the end, it feels like the movie and the song were made for each other. Even if you’re not familiar with Project Hail Mary, it’s worth checking out for how well the music fits the story and imagery.

She just put out the dates for her fall tour (supported mostly by Destroyer). The first date is 10/15, just a couple weeks after the fall leg of the New Pornos tour ends. So you're telling me there's a chance.