BeatCrave brings you band, Blonde Acid Cult, as part of our Know Your NYC Bands series. Appropriate for their name, these guys have been gaining a cult following in the NYC music scene in the last year. They’ve got their own swagger to combining rock and funk which has allowed music lovers to easily agree with their fresh sound. Although they may have vocals similar to Julian Casablanca, don’t make the rookie mistake of lumping Blonde Acid Cult into the same genre as The Strokes. Sonny, Michael and Phil have got enough guts to do things differently (like perform in dance clubs instead of the typical indie rock venues), and it seems to be working just fine for setting themselves apart from the many bands who fall a little too deep in their influences.

Their singles such as “Kick the Funk” and “Shake It Loose” have been released via Ripe Records. You can pre-order the vinyl on their MySpace, and the tunes should be available on iTunes fairly soon. Until then, check out our exclusive interview with Michael from Blonde Acid Cult and their “Shake It Loose” video below!

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BeatCrave is proud to finally bring you noise pop band, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, as part of our Know Your NYC Bands series. It’s going to be too hard to hide this obvious crush of ours, so we’re just going to take it one step further and confess right now: We are head over heels in love with this band. Although their name can be quite a mouthful, The Pains of Being Pure At Heart (or POBPAH) makes us embarrassingly giddy. They’re like that one guy who flirts with all the girls because he’s just a nice guy in general. So you know anything he does for you shouldn’t be blown out of proportion… but you bond both your names with a plus sign inside a heart on your notebook over and over again anyway.

POBPAH’s Kip (guitar/vox), Peggy (keys/vox), Alex (bass), and Kurt (drums) are incredibly romantic as they are noisy. (“Come Saturday.”) However, in this case, it isn’t a racket. It’s blissful reminiscing through fuzzy guitars and sweet boy/girl harmonies. It’s the music John Hughes wished he had to end his movies with in the 80′s, the tunes too cool for anything serious by Zach Braff, and the sound of a Sofia Coppola film that actually has a happy synopsis.

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BeatCrave is stoked to bring you art-rock band, Bugs in the Dark, as part of our Know Your NYC Bands series. This Brooklyn punk band is taking NYC by storm with their throwback style to the 90s (when there was actually honest music). Karen Rockower (vox/guitar), Zach Glass (vox/guitar), and Zeph Courtney (drums) have revived the DIY sound and it’s never sounded so good (at least in this millennium). The hype is all true, kids. Bugs in the Dark is making that grimey but empowering roar in their music to give us hope again. Rockower’s vocals could easily be mistaken for Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Karen O when their lyrics are relayed through a megaphone in “Gasoline,” and the lengthy intro in “Ave M” punches you in the gut telling it to tell your brain something great is coming your way.

Want to see them live? Their next show is on February 19th at Cake Shop. A good venue with a good band will probably produce a good crowd… which means you should make sure you get there early to get a good view. We hear their performances have been “fuck yeah” inducing. Until then, check out our exclusive interview with vocalist, Karen Rockower, below!

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BeatCrave is excited to bring you Brooklyn duo, Matt and Kim, as part of our Know Your NYC Bands series. If you haven’t heard of these two yet, all you need to know is that indie music got ten shades brighter somewhere in a warehouse because of them. Lilting keyboard riffs (Matt Johnson) and hyperactive drumming (Kim Schifino) have never come together so flawlessly underneath vocals that remind you of a kid running free with chocolate on his face.

Their spanking new album, Grand, is as New York as it gets. Named after their street in Brooklyn, the follow-up album to 2006′s Matt and Kim is nothing less than what the title presents. Released on the same day as the inauguration of our new President, the album exceeds high expectations.

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BeatCrave brings you band, The Jealous Girlfriends, as part of our Know Your NYC Bands series. After being called the “best kept secret” in the NYC music scene for some time, the masses have finally discovered The Jealous Girlfriends. Slowly but surely, music lovers outside of New York have quickly become fans of the four piece band.

Touring with bands such as Nada Surf and Delta Spirit, playing CMJ, and having a few of their songs land on TV shows like CSI: Miami and Grey’s Anataomy have gotten people to listen, but fans have had supported them since their first live show. Holly Miranda (guitar/keys/vox/trombone), Josh Abbot (guitar/vox/drums), Alex Lipsen (keys, synth, bass modules), and Mike Fadem (drums) create a passionate tension with soulful vocals and lilting yet compelling intoxicating arrangements that have no choice but to yield a mesmerizing sound.

Check out our exclusive interview with The Jealous Girlfriend’s drummer, Mike, and be shocked at how laid back they take things when they’re known for such powerful performances.

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BeatCrave brings you band, Fiasco, as part of our Know Your NYC Bands series. Coming out of Brooklyn, Jonathan Edelstein (guitar/vox), Lucian Buscemi (bass/vox), and Julian Bennett Holmes (drums) all bring a fierce punch to the other bands in the area. They were barely in their teens when they came out with their first album, God Loves Fiasco, and now as they come out with their second record, Native Canadians, they are just reaching the legal age. With this said, it’s even more impressive that their music is completely rad.

With off the wall guitar riffs, chaotic drumming and tight bass lines, Fiasco justify the name they chose. Think they’ve got everything as a band right now? Just think of what they’ll do years from now when they make the right decisions as well as the wrong ones. (The wrong ones are most entertaining.) With titles such as “Oh You Horny Monster” and solid tunes to back up the random names, they’ll be wanted on tour with everyone and everywhere. (When they have contests, send stuff in, people!) They’re just getting started.

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BeatCrave brings you artist, Ivana XL, as part of Know Your NYC Bands series. She may be compared to Cat Power but what’s most enchanting about Ivana is the nakedness of her voice. A little more folk than blues with a style reminiscent of the unusual Mirah, her voice manages to come off as as gentle and unyielding at the same time. Her lyrics are raw and honest as they can get and her soft-spoken lyrics can be heard miles away. Ivana XL is one of the few artists who can beautifully compose music that is stripped down to the core of every hidden feeling.

Constantly traveling with her mother as child, Ivana’s musical influences have helped her become the shy but eclectically talented songwriter she is today. Performing in the heart of Brooklyn, she is now influenced by a surplus of local talents but still manages to create her own niche of style.

Catch her at an upcoming show! Ivana XL performs at Cake Shop on December 29th and at Pianos on January 8th. If you make it, you can pick up her new EP, EP2. Until then, check out our exclusive interview with her below!

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BeatCrave brings you Brooklyn-based band, Low Water, as part of our Know Your NYC Bands series. They may be from NYC’s hipsterville capitol, but take a moment and forget the tight pants, chucks, and american apparel posers. Or not; all anyone needs is just one listen to Low Water’s music, and all pretense will be forgotten. Low water embodies a laid back sound that is reminiscent of Wilco and Elvis Costello that is paired up with scratchy yet gentle vocals; On the contrary, this band is not anti-hipster but perhaps pre-hipster – a band that plays music to only play music without too much emphasis on what others think. They just happen to sound good while they do this.

If you’re in the area, see them live at their upcoming show on December 6th at Club Cafe with Lowry and Round Black Ghosts! The show starts at 8:00 pm.

They’ve also just released their third album, Twisting the Neck of the Swan, and have made a video for the track, “Go.” Check out the video as part of our exclusive interview with them below!

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BeatCrave brings you band, The Mood, as part of our Know Your NYC Bands series. Who says pop music is ruined? The Mood envelopes good sunshine (and some glockenspiel) in their retro-kissed sound as they also fuse it with familiarity for fans of The Kinks, OK Go, and Elvis Costello. Marco Argrio (vox/guitar), Corrine Callen (vox/glockenspiel/keys), Kenton Langstroth (guitar), Chris Bunatta (drums), and Brian Karp (bass) are all giving pop a better name as they embrace undeniably catchy melodies on top of rock and roll.

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