08.28.08
Al and I are back from Scotland and we would like to wish Lou a very happy birthday! Come celebrate with us this Saturday afternoon at ABC No Rio where we'll be playing a great show with our friends Bridge and Tunnel, Scream! Hello, Static Radio, and Jena Berlin.
Apologies to the bands and folks that went out a few weeks ago to the Martini Red show and also to TJ and everyone else involved with the Europa show. Sorry we had to cancel but I injured my hand right before the Martini Red show pretty seriously and there was no way were going to be able to play (quite frankly if we did play it would have made my hand injury worse).
Thanks for your continued support, see you all soon!
07.30.08
We have two shows left before Al and I do some touring/traveling across the pond, hope to see you there!
07.16.08
First off, Al and I would like to congratulate Lou and Jess on their recent wedding! They've been away on their honeymoon but now they're back so we're going to play a couple shows and finish demoing a couple songs before Al and I do some touring/traveling (with the Eric Hill Band) across the pond in August. Following that trip, NP will hopefully start recording. Fingers crossed.
We'd love to see you at these shows before we go! Please come if you can, thanks!
06.20.08
We have two more shows before our "summer vacation" starts so please come out tonight to Fat Baby and tomorrow to The Brooklyn Kitchen. Thanks!
06.03.08
Thanks so much to everyone that came out this past weekend in Baltimore and Asbury Park to check out us and Young Hearts. If you live in or near NYC, please come to Death By Audio tonight to see both bands rock together one more time!
05.29.08
We just had a great time hanging and playing with our friends in History. They are on tour and have a new record out so please go support them!
This weekend we'll be meeting up with our friends in Young Hearts in Baltimore and Asbury Park so please come out if you're around!
And in case you missed us on Fearless Music this past Saturday...
05.23.08
Hey everyone! We won the poll over at Fearless Music! Thank you so much for all your support! If you're in New York City, you can see us playing "The Strikes" on Fearless Music at 12:30 AM sunday morning (or, as i think about it, saturday night). Check out Fearless Music's Myspace Blog or contact them for where and when Fearless Music is on in other cities. It will also be available to watch at fearlessmusic.tv.
05.19.08
They are still taking votes so please help us be on next week's show by voting here:
http://www.fearlessmusic.tv (scroll down to the bottom right hand corner)
Thank you to those of you who have already voted. We really appreciate it! Also, please feel free to click on "videos" at http://www.fearlessmusic.tv and comment on our video. And in case you missed it this past Saturday night...
05.13.08
Hey! We had a blast playing the New England shows last week with The Jesse Minute. Thanks to them, the promoters, the other bands, and everyone that came to the shows, we had a great time. Special thanks to Jay for all the help as well!
Big news! We're going to be on Fearless Music TV this Saturday night! If you live in NYC, it'll be on at 12:30am (late Saturday night / early Sunday morning) on FOX. If you live outside of NYC, please check out the Fearless Music myspace blog to see where you can view it (which you can do from pretty much anywhere in the world). Also, don't forget to vote for us before and after the episode airs at the Fearless Music website. The band that receives the highest amount of votes will be featured again on next week�s episode.
We're very, very excited about this and I hope you'll all take the time to check it out! Thanks so much!
05.09.08
Providence tonight and Boston tomorrow!!!
05.01.08
Hey everyone! We want to say thanks to everyone that came to the Coco 66 show last Saturday and thanks to the other bands that played. Special thanks to The Reveling for hosting the show. We're playing at The Trash Bar this Saturday with Dynamite Plan so please come out if you can. And next weekend we'll be hitting up Providence and Boston! See you all soon!
04.25.08
Hello! This is just a quick reminder that we are playing tomorrow night at Coco 66 in Greenpoint, Brooklyn with The Reveling, Racing Exit 13, and Dead Set on Destruction. Please come by if you can, if we're all lucky we may unveil a new song or two. Thanks!
04.11.08
Hey everybody! Just wanted to remind you all that we're playing a free show tomorrow (music starts at 9pm) at Lost and Found (113 Franklin at Greenpoint) in Greenpoint, Brooklyn with Scream! Hello, The New Dress, Let Me Run, and Summer People (ex-Fire When Ready). Not only will we be celebrating the millionth birthday of our friend Dave, but it's also the release show for Scream! Hello's new EP and the Red Leader Birthday 10" Picture Disc (featuring us, S!H, The New Dress, and Attica! Attica!). It'll be a fun time for sure and we hope to see you there!
We also want to say thanks to everyone at Tainted Blue and From The Penthouse for having us play an acoustic set this past Monday (we played The Strikes, Retro Is Really In This Year, Not Hopeless, and The Finish Line) along with Young Hearts, Kill The Camera, and The Reveling. We had a great time and hopefully we'll be able to share the recording of that show with you all soon. We also want to thank Soren Anders for having us last Friday at his KaBall series where we got to try out the songs acoustically for the first time in front of a live audience (it was so helpful, thanks Soren!).
We have many more shows coming up so please check our sites for updates. And we're nearly done writing the new record and will soon be having the ever fun discussion comparing studios, producers, what's right for us, gear purchases and rentals, artwork, and blah blah blah - I just want to record already!
Part of my current enthusiasm to record is because I saw the legendary Geoff Emerick give a lecture last night. For those of you who don't know, Mr. Emerick was The Beatles' recording engineer from Revolver to Abbey Road. It was quite an honor to hear him speak and I'll be listening to those records with fresh ears once again having heard his insights. And not to be cheesy but I think I learned the secrets to making good music last night and I don't mind sharing them:
Discipline. Heart and Soul.
Think about it...
03.28.08
Hey all, we have something new for sale! I'm personally very proud of this record as I was involved with the production for 3 of 4 of these songs and the whole thing is rad.
From Red Leader Records:
"...we have a new release coming out in the next 2 weeks. The record is an EXTREMELY LIMITED EDITION hand numbered 10" Picture Disc. We pressed 500 copies and when they are gone they are gone for good. They aren't going to stores, and will only be available from us or the bands at shows. What's on it you ask? Four of the sweetheart bands on Red Leader recorded four of their and our favorite songs to celebrate one of our birthdays. SCREAM HELLO covers SUPERCHUNK's "Hyper Enough", THE NEW DRESS covers "No Depression" by THE CARTER FAMILY (inspired by UNCLE TUPELO as well), ATTICA! ATTICA! covers "No Children" by THE MOUNTAIN GOATS, and NAKATOMI PLAZA covers "Car" by BUILT TO SPILL. This record is really amazing, if you don't know those songs or artists you should be ashamed of yourself and then go buy their records...and then get excited for these interpetations.
The 10" is $10 plus $4.50 shipping and handling, but if you order it from us we will get you the mp3's of the songs if you want and throw in a bunch of neat cool stuff for you with your order. IF YOU ORDER OUTSIDE THE U.S. you need to double the shipping! Sorry. Limited Edition vinyl costs a lot to make and put in your hands...
Anyway, a few select randomly chosen orders will get the option of getting a test pressing of the record. Include a note with your preorder if you want to be in the running. Good luck and thanks!"
So head over to www.redleaderrecords.com and pick this up now, don't waste a second. Like we keep saying, there's only 500 of these that'll ever be in existence!
We want to say thanks to SUNY Oneonta, Ryan, Phil, and No Radio Records for having us play upstate NY last weekend and I want to thank everyone that attended the shows and supported the benefit. The shows were so much fun for us and it looked like you all were having a great time too. Thanks for making us feel at home.
And on one last very serious note, Al and I would like to say thanks to everyone that has gotten in touch with us with their condolences, thoughts, and kind words about Mr. Frog and her recent passing. We are starting to do better over here but admittedly the apartment feels empty and we miss her more than you can imagine. We realized one thing before each of the last two upstate NY shows: one, Mr. Frog can now be with us in spirit at all NP shows - and that's really comforting, and two, Mr. Frog is no longer sick and suffering (she had been quite ill for the last couple months). So here's to Mr. Frog, 1985 - 2008, RIP. We love and miss you.
-oscar
03.18.08
We're back from SXSW! Thanks to all our new and old friends that came to see us play, we really had a great time! Special thanks to Afshin and Singer for the shows, Low Red Lands for the gear, and Matt Caron for the hanging and schlepping. Extra special thanks to Travis for literally everything, it would've been so much harder to take the trip had it not been for his generosity and help.
We're heading upstate this Thursday and Friday, check the shows page for more info, thanks!
03.12.08
It all came together over the last week, and now we'll be seeing you all in Austin, TX in a few short hours where we'll be playing 3 (yes, three!) shows during the SXSW Music Festival!!
Thursday, March 13
Austin, TX - SXSW
@ The Parlor
w/ Spain Colored Orange, Monster Sleeps Quiet, Nakatomi Plaza (we play at 8pm), and Low Red Land. all ages, free show!, 7pm.
Friday, March 14
Austin, TX - SXSW
@ Parts and Labour (back parking lot)
w/ TBA (we play at 5pm). all ages, free show!
Saturday, March 15
Austin, TX - SXSW
@ Agave Bar (415 6th St.)
w/ TBA (we play at 3pm). 21+, free show!
We're way too excited about this and you should be too! Thanks so much in advance to Travis, Singer, and Afshin for hooking this all up. We could use all the support we can get so if you will be at SXSW (or know someone that will be) please spread the word about our shows.
Over the next few weeks while we continue to write and record new songs and demos we'll also be playing a few more shows around the north east; check out the shows page for more info on that.
And lastly there's a rumor circulating that we might have some cdrs at SXSW with new songs and demos (cleverly titled "New Songs/Demos 2008"). Is it true?
Ask us. In person. In Texas. See you there!
03.06.08
Hey everyone. We're playing tonight at Maxwell's in Hoboken, NJ so if you're around please come to the show!
We've also confirmed one show in Austin, TX during the SXSW Music Festival next week. It's on Saturday March 15th, I believe we play at 3pm, and the show is at the Agave Bar (plus, it's FREE!). If you or someone you know will be in the Austin area next week please let them know about this; we'd really appreciate it. And of course, if you have any leads for any other shows or parties we could play while we're down there please let us know!
There are a few more shows in the works including SUNY Oneonta, No Radio Records in Ithaca, and O'Brien's in Boston just to name a few. Keep checking our shows page for updates.
About two weeks ago, WNYC ran a story by reporter Lisa Chow on the underground basement show scene that includes interviews with The New Dress, End Of A Year, New Brunswick house show promoters, Nakatomi Plaza, and Against Me! There's also a little bit of live audio of Nakatomi from our last New Brunswick basement show. Check out the story here:
or by copying and pasting this address into your browser window:
http://www.wnyc.org/news/articles/93810
Thanks so much for your support, hope to see you all soon!
-oscar
02.19.08
Here's a quick reminder that we're playing Mercury Lounge tonight! Please come out if you can, it's really one of the best sounding rooms in NYC so it's sure to be a fun time.
Also, we want to thank Fearless Music TV for having us over at their studio this past Friday. We taped four songs (The Strikes, The Ghost Intrigue, Finish Line, and A Manifest Destiny Grows In Brooklyn) and an interview for them and had a really great time over there. They're going to let us know when it'll air so stay tuned.
True to form I totally slept through today's show Morning Edition on WNYC where they aired a story (by Lisa Chow) on DIY house shows. It featured interviews with me, Laura from The New Dress, Patrick of End of The Year, Tom from Against! Me, and the hosts of New Brunswick house shows. It'll air again later this week on the show Soundcheck (which knowing me I will probably unfortunately also miss). I will post links to their archive MP3s once we get them. Thanks to Lisa Chow, Paul Schneider, and WNYC for doing this story and having us involved; it was nice to have a public forum to explain what it is bands like us do and what we're trying to accomplish within and outside our community.
We are making progress booking shows (Details TBA) in Austin, TX during the SXSW music festival but still need your help! If you have any leads for shows/parties we can play please get in touch with us!
And lastly, we've just confirmed our show at Maxwell's for Thursday March 6. Please see our shows page for more info, thanks!
-oscar
02.15.08
Hey everyone! Lots to talk about today, we just got added to a Mercury Lounge show for this Tuesday February 19 night at 10pm. Mercury's one of my favorite rooms to play in NYC so please come out if you can. Thanks to The Teenage Prayers for hooking that up for us. We'll also be playing at MCC on Friday February 22 as part of a great night of new music curated by our good friend Soren Anders; you don't want to miss that either! More details at our shows page.
We are also still looking for shows in and around Austin, TX from March 12 - 15. If you have any leads for shows or parties we can play please get in touch with us at oscar[at]nakatomiplaza[dot]com (trying to fend off the spam bots)!
Tonight we'll be taping our segment for Fearless Music TV. No, we didn't win the second round of the online contest (but we do appreciate the hundreds of you that did vote for us!) but they liked us enough to have us on the show anyway! We're very excited about this so please wish us luck! I'm not sure when it'll air but as soon as we know we'll make a lot of noise about it.
I guess that's it for now. We are still in the midst of writing and demoing new songs. If you'd like to hear some of these new works then please come to our shows! Thanks and have a great weekend!
01.30.08
We have a few shows this week starting tonight at Fontana's! We'll be playing a few new songs and would love to see all of you if you can make it out:
TONIGHT! January 30
NYC! @ Fontana's w/
8pm Lorem Ipsum
9pm Nakatomi Plaza
10pm the Golden Age of Radio
11pm Paper & Sand
$7, 21+.
Friday, February 1
New Brunswick, NJ @ 90 Central Ave.
w/ Scream! Hello, Nakatomi Plaza, and more TBA. Details TBA.
Saturday, February 2
Brooklyn, NY @ Lost and Found
w/ Landmines, Cheeky, and Nakatomi Plaza. Free show! 8pm.
We are also currently looking for shows to play in the Austin, TX area around and during SXSW (March 12 - 16). If you have any leads for any possible shows please get in touch with us! Thanks so much!
01.16.08
Hey Everyone! Today marks the 9th anniversary of our first show as a band. It was at a VFW hall in Providence, RI, we opened the show and only played 3 songs, but it was surely the start of something special. Thank you so much to everyone that's been supporting us throughout these many years; thank you for listening and understanding, and for letting us share our music, art, and thoughts. We're so lucky to have met so many wonderful people because of this band, to have traveled to some amazing places, and to have shared in some great life-changing experiences. Here's to many more good times to come!
-oscar
ps - Come celebrate with us this Saturday at our show at Lost and Found!
01.09.08
Happy New Year! Thanks so much to everyone that came out to our shows with Polar Bear Club, it was a great way to close out 2007 (our busiest year ever)! And thanks to Polar Bear Club and the promoters for having us!
We're continuing to write and demo new songs (thanks for all the kind words you've sent about "The Finish Line"), some of which we may perform at our next two shows, Saturday January 19 at Lost and Found and Wednesday January 30 at Fontana's. Check the shows page for info. Thanks!