If you showed up to Metrotech at noon today, you probably noticed that Rokia Traoré wasn't there. In fact, her entire U.S. tour was cancelled this time around. Zap Mama played the free afternoon show today instead, and Meshell Ndegeocello takes her place at Friday night's free Lincoln Center Out of Doors show (8/7).

DOWNLOAD: Naomi Shelton and the Gospel Queens: What Have You Done (MP3)

Sarah Siskind @ Living Room in April (by Chris La Putt)

tonight in NYC
* DANCE
* Zap Mama @ Joe's Pub
* Toadies @ Irving Plaza
* Blacklist @ Home Sweet Home
* Ciam, Bell @ (Le) Poisson Rouge
* Your Nature, Real Estate @ The Annex
* Unwigged & Unplugged @ the Beacon Theater
* BLK JKS, The Present, Popo @ The Bell House
* Kylesa, Wetnurse, The Nolan Gate @ Maxwell's
* Naomi Shelton and the Gospel Queens @ Joe's Pub
* Keane & the Helio Sequence @ Radio City Music Hall
* Angel ov Death (Jamie Saft & Mike Pride) @ Zebulon
* Lary Seven, Nonhorse: Non-Amoral Confusion/Drone @ The Stone
* Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers @ Rubin Museum of Art
* Cymbals Eat Guitars, Hallelujah The Hills, Ford and Fitzroy @ Southpaw
* Sarah Siskind, Catherine MacLellan, Waz, Kate Havnevik @ The Living Room
* Buru Style, Faith, Hanuman Sextet & John Sinclair, DJ Spirit @ Cake Shop
* Jukebox The Ghost, Jenny Owen Youngs, These United States @ Bowery Ballroom
* A Place To Bury Strangers, Shilpa Ray & Her Happy Hookers, Sisters, Coin Under Tongue @ Pianos

Tonight, the Living Room hosts Sarah Siskind (Bon Iver & Bill Frisell tourmate & collaborator), Kate Havnevik and others. Kate will be joined by Kaki King on drums, Mike Savino (from Tall Tall Trees) on upright bass and Daniel Cho on cello.

Bowery Presents is hosting a big birthday party with five bands at Music Hall of Williamsburg tonight. It's free, but invite only. The birthday party happening at Pianos is open to the public, but costs money.

Naomi Shelton & the Gospel Queens celebrate the release of their new album, at Joe's Pub tonight.

Zap Mama plays the first of three shows in a row at Joe's Pub tonight.

A video of the Thermals making things with clay on IFC, below...

Continue reading "What's going on Wednesday?"

"Though promoters around the country report strong early ticket sales for festivals and summer tours, the recession is causing jitters. This year Coachella, which has the most glamorous reputation of all American festivals, began selling tickets on layaway, and 18 percent of its customers took that option, Mr. Tollett said.

The proliferation of big festivals, like Bonnaroo near Nashville and Lollapalooza in Chicago, has not been without casualties. This year Langerado in Miami shut down, citing the economy. The Pemberton Festival in British Columbia is on hiatus after only one year, although its promoter, Live Nation, said the problem was permit delays." [NY Times]

With all the leaks of bands playing Lollapalooza this year, there are almost no surprises in the official lineup announcement, except maybe the Animal Collective DJ set... The whole thing below...

Continue reading "Lollapalooza 2009 - the official & complete lineup"