See Yula and the eXtended Family and Big Eyes this weekend in Newark

I'm pleased to announce two shows happening in Newark this weekend. It's about time some good rock music comes to Brick City.

Saturday, Aug. 20 is VooDooRock at Hell's Kitchen featuring Brooklyn's multi-instrumental ensemble, Yula and the eXtended family and Shayfer James. $5. 9pm.

Sunday, Aug. 21, a new place called The Bricks Loft is hosting Surf's Up Nebraska, Big Eyes (new release on Don Giovanni called Hard Life), Hermano Stereo, and Boy Things. Party at 7pm, show starts at 8pm, and the it's only $3. More info here. 

Yula and the Extended Family - new album (MP3), NYC CD release show w/ Gato Loco 4/23

DOWNLOAD: Yula and the Extended Family – Kriss (MP3)

Yula and the Extended Family have released their second album, Dark Side of the Bee on Woodland Records. The album was written and recorded in just 24 hours. "It's an experiment with time, simplicity and limited means that went terribly GREAT!" explains Beeri. You can download it, along with the band's first album Victor, here. 

They'll return to NYC next week after a March tour which brought them to Harvest of Hope and SXSW. Yula & Family perform at Santos Party House on Friday, April 23 for their CD release show. Also on the bill is Brooklyn based perform Vic Thrill and the Latin-infused instrumental 9-piece Gato Loco. Tickets are $8 in advance, $10 at the door. Doors at 7pm. Advance tickets available here. The band will have some homemade CD copies of the new album. This is sure to be a good time.

Update: The set times are 7:30pm Gato Loco, 8:30pm Yula & The Extended Family, 9:30pm Vic Thrill. An afterparty will be held at B-Side Bar at 204 Ave B.

Yula Beeri & the Extended Family Announce Tour (Harvest of Hope Festival & SXSW)

The Israeli born multi-instrumentalist Yula Beeri will take her music to the road with the extended Family as they embark on a 2-week long tour starting this Thursday in North Carolina. The tour will take her to the Harvest of Hope Festival and SXSW. This comes after a successful January residency at Knitting Factory's front bar and playing several shows in the New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. area's over the last year. The band's debut full-length Victor is available for free on Woodlands Records here.

Yula Beeri Tour Dates:

Mar. 11 @ Seven Day Weekend, Greensborough NC
Mar. 12 @ The Worm Whole, Savannah GA
Mar. 14 @ Harvest Of Hope Festival, St. Augustine, FL
Mar. 15 @ Engine Room - Tallahassee FL.
Mar. 16  @ Serda’s Coffee Co. - Mobile, AL
Mar. 17 @ Circle Bar - New Orleans, LA
Mar. 19  @ Dunn Bros Coffee - Katy, TX
Mar. 20 @ SXSW (Beyond Race/Org Audio Party) Flamingo Cantina, Austin, TX
Mar. 21 @ Super Happy Funland - Houston TX
Mar. 28 @ NorthStar Bar - Philadelphia PA

Yula Beeri @ Knitting Factory 1-27-10 Review

Yula Beeri is one of those performers who simply delight and get better every time you see her. Beeri played her last show as part of her January residency at Knitting Factory in Brooklyn on Wednesday.  Agent Jay of The Slackers deejayed before the show. During Yula's set she played piano, upright bass, and guitar. There were sing-a-longs, stories, and good times. She opened with a sweet cover of "Feeling Good." Her voice brought a warm feel to the uplifting song. I couldn't help but smile. After setting the mood nicely she played some songs, then let Paul Wallfisch play. Yula came back and there was some backing vocals by Alex and poetry read. She also told a story about a guy and girl, a devil in Barcelona, and how she's happy to be alive. The crowd seemed responsive and singing along. Of course she also played her MySpace and SpacePage and Facebook song. It was a nice evening.

Yula Beeri Residency at Knitting Factory

Yula Beeri played her second residency show at the Knitting Factory in Brooklyn on Wednesday, bringing together friends and fans for an evening of piano-laden songs. Ms. Beeri appeared at her most vulnerable, occasionally stopping midway through her songs to talk directly to the roughly 50 people in the room. The spacious "control bar" was dimly lit and had a nice vibe. Right behind the back bar was a window where you could see the bands performing in the club's main stage.

She was accompanied by her drummer Issac who's in the extended Family band with her. In addition, Paul Wallfisch who runs and plays at the Small Beast shows every Monday at the Delancey played a few songs, to. I enjoyed how Yula started, then let Paul play, then finished her set.

Before going into one of her songs, she said that people who are depressed shouldn't be and when she was depressed, she'd write songs and from that came the song that followed. In the set included her version of World/Inferno Friendship Society's "Thumb Cinema." The set seemed very impromptu and the stories were heartfelt.

Despite what Yula might think, it was a touching, fun, and inspiring show. After, I said bye to her and she seemed happy that I came and said, "Thanks for writing, don't stop" and then gave me the warmest hug I've had all year.

Tonight, Yula's at Rockwood Music Hall with her Extended Family and Gato Loco. Next Wednesday, 1/20 she plays again at Knitting Factory with Alyson Greenfield.

See below for video and photos.

Yula Bee'ri Knitting Factory Residency every Wednesday in January + New Music Video

Every Wednesday in January starting tonight at 7:30pm Yula Bee'ri will be playing for free at The Knitting Factory front bar in Brooklyn. The Israeli musician is know for her involvement with Star Fucking Hipsters, NaNuchKA, World/Inferno Friendship Society and Yula and the eXtended Family. Her January residency will highlight her new solo project, a piano driven mix of alternative, punk, electronic and soulful melody.

It's the first time they are introducing live music in the front bar space. There is also a happy hour special: $3 tap beers, $4 well drinks $3 Mikes Hard Lemonade, Tetleys Ale and HeBrew Ale. The new Knitting Factory is in Williamsburg Brooklyn right off the Lorimer L train stop. The show is 21+.

For those that want to see her full band, Yula plays a free show with the Extended Family and Gato Loco at Rockwood Music Hall on Jan. 14.

Also, she has a new video off "Back Off America." See it below.

Yula and the eXtended Family @ Maxwell’s w/ Kiss Kiss, and Emilyn Brodsky

photos & story by Star Beat

Yula and the eXtended Family, the multi-instrumental 5-piece from Brooklyn performed at Maxwell's in Hoboken with Kiss Kiss and Emilyn Brodsky. Hank and Cupcakes headlined, but sadly I have to leave before they started. Yula and company know how to craft good, danceable songs. Led by Yula Bee'ri on vocals, bass, and keyboards she brings a personality to the band that is entertaining and yet can be serious. She captures hints of her previous projects, World/Inferno Friendship Society, Star Fucking Hipsters, and Nanuchka. Other instruments include accordion, trumpet, clarinet, trombone, and drums performed by Isaac Gardner, Taylor Galassi, and Stefan Zeniuk. The outfit immediately got the crowd going. They played songs off their latest release, Victor, plus a few new songs including one about "myspace and facebook."

Opening was the ukulele songstress from Brooklyn, Emilyn Brodsky. She to knows how to entertain and tell stories. She started off playing solo, then introduced her bandmates James on drums and Anthony on bass after which Anthony said,“Only Emilyn could display such a fine sense of vulgarity and pop sensibly. Motherfucker. Ahh.” DaCosta. I expected Brian Viglione to play drums, but I guess that was a one time thing for CMJ but this line-up was tight to. There was clap stomping for "Swear to God." The banter between songs was amusing to. Emilyn said, "This is my fake family and I’m excited to see Yula and Extended Family." She also said how she went to her senior prom with someone in the audience and how she broke her nose at a World/Inferno Friendship Society show. while not the most musically on point musician, Emilyn is worth seeing live.

Kiss Kiss was next. They have a way of seamlessly going from a light, beautifully laced keyboard and violin sound to spastic, where the band speeds it up and the music gets hyper and fun to move along. I've dubbed them "circus-punk." They did a version of the Tetris theme song. The way the band move around and interact during their performance is great, to. Catch them on tour with the Venetia Fair and Trophy Scars.

See below for photos.

Yula and eXtended Family












Emilyn Brodsky (and her fake family)





Kiss Kiss

Yula Bee'ri played at Tommy's Tavern (Brooklyn) pics, Maxwell's show on Wednesday

Yula @ Tommy's Tavern 12-11-09

Story by TJ Olsen
Photos by Konstantin Sergeyev

Last night—saw/booked/experienced/enjoyed Yula Beeri, Jessica Allyn, Jaggery, and Army Of Broken Toys play at Tommy’s Tavern. Tommy’s is a nearly ideal bar/ venue especially from the standpoint of a promoter. Drinks are super cheap and nice and strong to boot, chill laid back environment and a pretty hands off management. We had a solid crowd, though the bar, even though they had such cheap drinks seemed to lack any sort of walk in crowd which very much surprised me, I know if I lived in the area I’d be there often. The only real complaint was the volume which the Jukebox blasted at. Yula simply killed, I can say—and I don’t think i’m to biased that she stole the show, and I’m sooo proud to be able to say I work with her, there’s something special happening around her music. She invited the crowd to sit down on the floor—the bar staff even gave us a mat to sit on. She played piano while Isaac Gardener provided percussion to kick it up.

During her set Ms. Beeri lit a Hanukkah candle and with organ backing sung the traditional prairs. Following her set— a 40 minute set of new material as well as some of her older work, she handed out Gelt—chocolate coins to the crowd. A group of us found ourselves on the now matted floor of this Greenpoint dive playing Dradle. It is indeed moments such as these—simple things even when I remember why I love music, why I love shows, the community. There’s something truly special about a scene such as this in my mind. It’s a reminder of why I care about music and shows and why it’s important—even moreso why all ages music is important.

Jessica Allyn is another performer who keeps getting better—she killed it high notes of her set included a Beatles cover and a brand new track called Nine—based on the Triangle Wastecoat fires—which seemed to connect particularly with the FIT students seated around me. Allyn has a remarkably dinamic voice which Nine and the cover both showed off. Her earliest material did not do this however you can detect increasing comfidence with each time I’ve seen her play, and its really exciting.

Boston’s Jaggery provided an interesting segway of sound, a raw morphing and rithing creature of sound which while not as audience-involving captivated those who sat in front of them. The music was far more technical then anything else on the evening, and would most likely be best suited to a different sort of room, however given the limited facilities the set sounded remarkable. I have a hard time believing tyhat sound system has ever been worked so hard. Closing the night was Army Of Toys—a circus-infused gothic orchestra of sorts who got the crowd to their feet midway through their set and kept their interest rapped.

The show was one of the most fun I’ve ran in a while—I’ve been making a conscious effort to sort of evolve my opporation doing away with big risky events and just booking stuff that sounds good, and will make people have fun. That for me is what music always will be about, people, good vibes and the art. When i first started booking shows, I had jumped in trying to compete with way bigger people, and found myself losing money and stressing out. I think what i’m doing now, and the people I’m working with, it’s perfect. I have to say that everyone I’ve booked lately and everyone I’m talking to—I could not be more excited to be working with.

Music’s not something which is likely to make you rich, but it can bring you endless joy. I am so fortunate in my own eyes to have ended up where I am, doing what I’m doing. I don’t think i’d do it over for anything, it was a sacrifice worth making.


This Wednesday Yula performs at Maxwell's in Hoboken, NJ with her band the extended family, plus Kiss Kiss, Hank & Cupcakes, and Emilyn Brodsky. The show is all ages and $8. Doors are at 7:30pm and the show starts at 8pm.

See below for more pics.

CMJ 2009: Day 1 Photos w/ Fanfarlo, Surfer Blood, Lights Resolve, Demander, and more

The first day of CMJ went splendidly well. I saw Fanfarlo, Grooms, Surfer Blood, Lights Resolve, Demander, Sydney, Jukebox the Ghost, Denise Barbarita, and Yula and the Extended Family.

Fanfarlo @ Piano's


Fanfarlo were impressive with their instrumentation. This is what I like about indie bands. They look outside the box. Rock is no longer just guitar, bass, and drums and I think indie bands work to make their music a little more interesting. The indie folk 5-piece use trumpet, violin, and mandolin. They played songs off their latest release Reservoir such as "I'm a Pilot" and "The Walls are Coming Down." It would've been cool to hear a Neutral Milk Hotel cover, but they only had a 30-minute and they played well. The tiny room of Piano's was packed. I would've seen them at their next two shows if I could. They come back to NYC in December.

Grooms @ Cake Shop


I saw Grooms for their last song and liked it, but it wasn't enough to write any sort of review.

Surfer Blood @ Cake Shop




Surfer Blood played about 10 shows the week of CMJ in NYC. This indie-pop 5-piece from Florida delivered a great set that had me wonderng why more people weren't dancing. Again, I would've caught this band more if I could. They tour with Art Brut in November.

Pics of Lights Resolve, Demander, Denise Barbarita, Jukebox the Ghost, and more below.



Lights Resolve @ Bowery Ballroom






Lights Resolve jumped on this bill last minute according to singer Matt. It had been over a year since I've seen this 3-piece New York band, so it was definitely a treat to see them at CMJ. I had forgotten how energetic this band is live and how fun they are. Their songs are rockin' and getting you dancing. "The Hills and Michael Jackson" started it off nicely. At one point Matt put the tambourine around his bassist Luke's neck who kept on playing. Also, Matt called the crowd closer so he could sing to them. It was also nice to see the band smiling for practically the whole set, especially drummer Neal. It's good seeing bands moving around, getting into the music, and putting their all into their performance. Bravo.

Demander @ Crash Mansion






I had heard of the New York based Demander for months because a few of my friends had booked them for shows, but it wasn't until this evening at CMJ that I actually saw the band live. It's hard to describe their sound but rockin' is simple one. Their myspace says "rock/indie/happy hardcore," so take that for what you will. I think that's mostly correct. Singer and bassist Karen, guitarist Dave, drummer Sivan, and the new keyboardist come together very nicely. They have a great groove that makes you want to move around and "Books" is an amazing song that had me hooked. Karen's vocals are pleasant with the catchy "oohs" and the songs have a punk/folk feel to them, but they aren't very much of either. Karen used to play bass for World/Inferno Friendship Society so that might say something.

At one point during the bands set the mic stand either fell or lowered (can't recall) and someone in the crowd either caught it or adjusted it and I remember seeing Karen stare at that person for at least a minute as if saying thank you with her eyes and looking so happy. It was pretty amazing to see and after the song finished she gave a verbal thanks. Karen moved to her drummer at one point all that way in the back (the stage was huge) and played next to her, which was cool. Also, Sivan smiled for most of the set. Demander has a great combination of good songs and good performance that make them one of the best surprises of CMJ, not because I didn't expect it to be good and then it was but because they got me into their music just from their first song, that's something not too many bands can pull off.

Sydney Wayser @ Crash Mansion

Sydney Wayser reminds me of Regina Spektor! Not sure if this is a good or bad thing. The music was pleasant.

Jukebox the Ghost @ Bowery Ballroom


Jukebox the Ghost seemed to play mostly new songs. The keyboard pulls you into the music quickly and watching singer Ben play is something. The band has little ghost hanging around on stage, appropriate for a band with ghost in their name and with Halloween coming up. It was a cute idea. "Hold It In" was a fun dancing along to. The new songs sounded great.

Denise Barbarita and the Morning Papers @ Crash Mansion




Denise Barbarita performed with the Morning Papers for a rocking set that included song off her upcoming release A Beautiful Mess and from the older album Chaos and Congeniality. The band sounded tight and it was great to finally hear the songs come to life, as I've only heard Denise acoustic solo. "Hush Hush" was a great one and also the angry closer, I believe was titled, "I Don't Like."

Yula Beeri and the Extended Family @ Crash Mansion




Great punk rock instrumentation! Lots of fun seeing this band. Yula is a great frontwoman and very entertaining. See the show and meet the extended family.