Though tickets for the previously discussed Turing Machine/Violent Bullshit show at Union Pool on 5/18 have flown out the door (it is now sold out), at least you didn't entirely miss the train. Williamsburg, Brooklyn venue Union Pool have announced both bands, along with names like Eric Copeland (Black Dice), Rain Machine (Kyp Malone of TV on The Radio), Bubbles, TEEN, Ryan Sawyer / Nate Wooley / C. Spencer Yeh, LONE WOLF and Test House, as the first batch of artists in their Summer Thunder Series, their annual set of FREE shows taking place on the patio on every other Saturday afternoon from May 26th until August 18th. Summer Thunder 2012 is being curated by the venue along with Ryan Sawyer (Lone Wolf/Tall Firs/Glass Rock) and Summer Thunder creator and artist J. Penry, with each week promising free music, "drink specials, free koozies, T-shirts for purchase by J. Penry, and lots of Jameson". That last part just sold me.

Exact dates are on the poster above. Exact lineups TBA soon.

by Andrew Sacher

DOWNLOAD: Spirit Family Reunion - "I Want To Be Relieved" (MP3)

Brooklyn old-time folkies Spirit Family Reunion will release their debut album, No Separation, on June 15. Steeped in the sound of old midwestern country and bluegrass and the rowdiness of other revival bands like The Felice Brothers and Deer Tick, Spirit Family Reunion fit right in with the bands they'll be sharing the stage with at this year's Newport Folk Festival. You can stream three tracks below and download a new one, "I Want to Be Relieved," which is making its premiere in this post above.

Spirit Family Reunion are playing a free show in NYC TONIGHT (5/14) at Living Room. It's their last local show before they hit the road for the next month, returning for a record release show with Hurray for the Riff Raff on June 15 at Mercury Lounge, the day that No Separation comes out. Tickets for the Mercury Lounge show go on sale Friday (5/18) at noon with an AmEx presale starting Wednesday (5/16) at noon. They've also got another free show coming up as part of Celebrate Brooklyn at Prospect Park on August 4 with bluegrass vets The Del McCoury Band and revivalist duo Cahalen Morrison and Eli West.

All dates and streams below...

Continue reading "Spirit Family Reunion releasing 'No Separation' (MP3), touring (dates), playing shows (including a free one tonight)"

Tragedy at Red 7 last week (more by Tim Griffin)

Portland d-beat favorites Tragedy return to NYC with a whallop of a supporting cast in The Boston Strangler, Sickoids and Perdition at Le Poisson Rouge Saturday (5/12). Tickets are still available. The band is touring in support of their new sludge-infested LP Darker Days Ahead out now at their shows and available via a distro near you in the near future. Check out more pictures from their recent Austin show HERE.

In case you were curious, no Portland's Tragedy will NOT be opening for a screening of Saturday Night Fever at Prospect Park on 7/14 but Tragedy, the "all metal tribute to the Bee Gees" will. The full Celebrate Brooklyn Prospect Park concert schedule was announced earlier this week and also includes a Mission of Burma show among many others.

Check out some live video of the Portland Tragedy in action below.

Continue reading "Tragedy are at Le Poisson Rouge Saturday, but not opening for Saturday Night Fever at Prospect Park"

Celebrate Brooklyn's series of free, live music dances parties returns to Brooklyn Bridge Park this month, or tonight (5/10) to be specific. Starting at 7PM, tonight's show features DJ Rich Medina followed by a performance by Booker T Jones. Full schedule below...

Continue reading "free Brooklyn Bridge Park dance parties this month (Booker T Jones tonight)"

What's better than getting a little sexy? Getting sexy for free at noon in the middle of Metrotech, BAM is guessing. That theory will be put to the test once again at the 2012 R&B Festival at Metrotech Commons, the annual, completely free and open to the public series going down throughout the summer. Kicking off on June 7th with a performance from the legendary Larry Graham and Graham Central Station, the party goes down every Thursday at noon until middle August and features appearances from Aloe Blacc, Fishbone, Blitz the Ambassador, The Orchestre Poly-Rythmo, Shemekia Copeland and NRBQ, Ky-Mani Marley, and more. Full shcedule is below.

The Orchestre Poly-Rythmo also play Central Park Summerstage while they're in town.

Aloe Blacc's appearance is one of THREE scheduled for NYC, including another free show at Lincoln Center on August 12th. He'll also be on hand to celebrate the late, great Curtis Mayfield on July 20th.

All Aloe Blacc dates, some video and the R&B Festival schedule, below....

Continue reading "2012 BAM R&B Fest schedule (free daytime shows in Brooklyn) (Fishbone, Aloe Blacc, Larry Graham, and more)"

Ghostface at Rock The Bells 2011 (more by Dana (distortion) Yavin)

Lyricist Lounge will celebrate 20 years of events and releases with a free Celebrate Brooklyn show at Prospect Park on June 23rd. Ghostface Killah (who celebrated his birthday yesterday, May 9th!) will join the kings of "Luchini" Camp Lo, Astro, and more for this FREE event that kicks off at 7:30. Ghostdeini currently has no other US dates planned, but will go on the road for a string of Australian dates at the beginning of June. Details are below. Check out the full Celebrate Brooklyn schedule HERE.

In other classic hip hop news, Prodigy of Mobb Deep will team up with The Beatnuts, Heems of Das Racist, DJ Rob Swift, Big Baby Gandhi and more as part of an event called "Queens Day" on 6/19 at Irving Plaza. Tickets are still available. Prodigy recently completed recording of his new album HNIC3, which is due for release on July 3rd. Stream the recent track "Gangsta Love" featuring Esther below.

All Ghostface Killah dates, some video, and that Prodigy stream is below. Pay close attention to the tail end of that "Luchini" video and you'll see Butterfly of Digable Planets (aka Ishmael Butler) drop a verse from Camp Lo's "Swing". Butler's new project Shabazz Palaces play Williamsburg Park this summer.

Continue reading "Ghostface & Camp Lo celebrate 20 years of Lyricist Lounge; Prodigy & The Beatnuts celebrate Queens day"

Bang on a Can Marathon last year (more by Andrew Frisicano)

Bang on a Can, who recently celebrated their 25th anniversary with a big show at Lincoln Center, bring the annual, free Marathon back to the World Financial Center Winter Garden this year from June 17,12PM - June 18, 12AM...

Bang on a Can brings its 25 Year celebration back downtown with its incomparable 12-hour super-mix of boundary-busting music from around the corner and around the globe. What started as a scruffy loft concert in Soho back in 1987, now ranks among the iconic annual concert events in NYC. This year's edition features rare performances by some of the most innovative musicians of our time side-by-side with some of today's newest music pioneers. Some highlights include Bang on a Can All-Stars, astonishing cellist Maya Beiser, Pauline Oliveros' Deep Listening Band, sound pioneer Alvin Lucier, indie guitar sensation Kaki King, jazz genius Matthew Shipp, music by David Longstreth (Dirty Projectors), Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth), Steve Reich, David T Little, Ruby Fulton, Michael Harrison; film by Bill Morrison, and much more. Stay all Day!
Presented by River To River Festival, Arts Brookfield and Bang on a Can.

Little Dragon @ Le Baron (as seen on the BrooklynVegan Instagram)

Little Dragon, who were just in town to play and record a show at Le Baron (picture above), will headline a free Celebrate Brooklyn show in Prospect Park on Friday, August 10 (five days after they play Lollapalooza) with Frankie Rose and a DJ set by Voices of Black.

Meanwhile, Frankie Rose, who just played a show at Mercury Lounge with DIIV (who she also played Chicago and Austin with), will co-headline the BrooklynVegan Northside Festival showcase at Music Hall of Williamsburg (more details TBA).

Frankie is also on the lineup of the just-announced, multi-venue Pygmalion Music Festival in the Chicago area (September 27-29, 2012). Also on that lineup are Grizzly Bear, Dinosaur Jr., Cloud Nothings, Tennis, Owen, Willis Earl Beal, and many more.

All Little Dragon dates are listed below...

Continue reading "Little Dragon playing Prospect Park w/ Frankie Rose who's playing a BrooklynVegan Northside show"

That's the cover art of the new Mission of Burma album called Unsound which will be out July 9, 2012 via Fire Records. The tracklist, featuring some songs you may recognize from their recent shows is below along with a stream of new song "Dust Devil".

Mission of Burma return to Brooklyn on August 3rd when they'll share a bill with Wild Flag as part of a free Celebrate Brooklyn show at the Prospect Park Bandshell. It's one of three upcoming Wild Flag shows which are listed, along with the MoB album info, below...

Continue reading "Mission of Burma reveal new album info, playing Prospect Park with Wild Flag"

celebrate brooklyn (more by Ryan Muir)

The entire 2012 lineup of free concerts in Prospect Park is announced.

The free shows include Jimmy Cliff, Laura Marling, Little Dragon/Frankie Rose, Wild Flag/Mission of Burma, and The Head and the Heart/Lost in the Trees.

Pay shows include Wilco, Sigur Ros, M Ward/Yo La Tengo, Dirty Projectors/Purity Ring/Wye Oak, Hot Chip/Gang Gang Dance

South Street Seaport concert (more by Chris La Putt)

The initial lineup of this year's free NYC concerts at the South Street Seaport is announced. The shows are part of the River to River Festival and some of them are also part of the Friday night Seaport Music Festival (which sadly doesn't host as many shows as it used to). Check out the list below...

Continue reading "South Street Seaport (Pier 17) shows announced (initial lineup)"

Lou with Refused at Terminal 5 (more by BBG)

As originally discovered back in January, and further confirmed in Summerstage's 2012 schedule (but previously with no artists) CBGB is throwing a festival...

The four-day festival is scheduled to begin on July 5 and will showcase about 300 rock bands. Concerts will take place at around 30 places, from large stages like Central Park Summerstage and Webster Hall to small clubs like the Trash Bar in Williamsburg and the Living Room on the Lower East Side...

The festival will also stage a free concert in Central Park with Guided by Voices, the Pains of Being Pure at Heart and Cloud Nothings [on July 7]. A few veteran rockers have agreed to appear: David Johansen, a former member of the New York Dolls, has committed to do a show, as has the Baseball Project, the supergroup formed by Peter Buck of R.E.M. and Steve Wynn of Dream Syndicate. -[NY Times]

D Generation will headline Bowery Electric on July 7th with ROMANS, Brass Knuckle Evangelists and The Bamboo Kids. Tickets are on sale.

Stay tuned for more (including the full lineup announcement).

Montreal's Patrick Watson is opening for Andrew Bird on his current tour which hits NYC Friday night (5/4) at Beacon Theatre. (Tift Merrit is opening the Saturday 5/5 show at the same venue.) If you can't make the Friday show or want to see Watson again, he's playing a free show at Brooklyn's Manhattan Inn on Saturday. Doors are at 4:30PM and the show is at 5PM.

The Manhattan Inn show is a release party for his new album Adventures in Your Own Backyard which was released this week, his first for Domino Records. You can stream it on Spotify and watch the video for "Into Giants" below.

After his tour with Andrew Bird wraps up, Watson will go on a headlining tour of the Midwest and West Coast. All tour dates are below.

Continue reading "Patrick Watson released 'Adventures in Your Own Backyard,' touring, opening for Andrew Bird, playing free show in Brooklyn"

Popular Williamsburg outtdoor film (and music) series Summerscreen is back for another season in McCarren Park, put on by the good folks at The L Magazine. Bands haven't been announced yet, but the films have. Here's the schedule:

Continue reading "Summerscreen 2012 lineup -- free movies in McCarren Park"

by Bill Pearis

Titus Andronicus' Patrick Stickles in the crowd at 4Knots 2011 (more)

While no bands have been mentioned yet, The Village Voice have announced the 4Knots Music Festival will return to Pier 17 at South St. Seaport for a second year: Saturday, July 14 is this year's date of the festival that has taken the place of the Coney Island Siren Festival (RIP). Says the Voice:

"We're thrilled about the return of the 4Knots Music Festival this summer," commented Village Voice publisher Josh Fromson. "Last year's inaugural event was a massive success and we've got a great deal of special things in store for this summer. Make sure to circle July 14th on your social calendar because it's going to be a great day of music at the Seaport."

The 4Knots Music Festival will feature renowned and emerging artists from today's music scene performing live all day in front of what is sure to be yet again an extremely large and enthusiastic audience. A full lineup of the day's events will be announced in coming weeks.

No word yet on this summer's Seaport Music Festival, though it will be back. (As will the Sound Bites Summer Series curated, full-disclosure, by me.) Hudson River Rocks, though, have announced their schedule which includes the just-added DIIV in addition to Grimes, Wild Nothing, Dan Deacon, Oberhofer, and more .

The band-less flyer for 4Knots Music Festival is below.

Continue reading "4Knots Music Festival is returning to the Seaport this summer"

by Bill Pearis

DIIV, pre-name change, at Red 7 in Austin, April 14 (more Tim Griffin)

While currently busy out on the road supporting Frankie Rose, Dive have changed their name to DIIV. While Allmusic.com lists about 10 artists with the name Dive, Cole Smith tells Pitchfork that the spelling change comes specifically "out of respect" to the Dive that was the pseudonymn of German industrial musician Dirk Ivens. "A name is nothing," Smith told Pitchfork. "I don't really give a fuck what the band is called. I originated this project in a bedroom with no internet and didn't know it would ever leave." Whether the rest of his apartment or his phone had the internet and access to Google.com is undetermined at this time.

DIIV's tour with Frankie Rose, recently hit the Mohawk in Austin and wraps up this Saturday (5/5) with a sold-out at Mercury Lounge that also features Scotland's Spectrals and ex-Team Robespierre duo Black Marble. The band's debut album, Oshin, is out June 26 and you can stream a new song from it, "Doused," at the bottom of this post. DIIV (who played our Hotel Vegan parties during SXSW this year) will headline a record release show at Glasslands on June 23 and tickets are on sale now.

After the record release show, DIIV's only other scheduled show is opening for Grimes and Wild Nothing at Hudson River Rocks on August 9 (DIIV was just added to that bill). Click though for all DIIV tour dates and the stream of "Doused."..

Continue reading "DIVE change name to DIIV, add 2 more NYC dates to tour, streaming new track & other news"

JC Brooks @ BV-SXSW 2012 (more by Nate Igor Smith)

The most non-vegan, free NYC event of the year once again curates a great lineup of rock and soul to accompany the food at Madison Square Park on June 9th and 10th. Bands and set times listed below...

Continue reading "Big Apple BBQ 2012 music lineup announced"

Pretty Good Friends @ Williamsburg Waterfront 2011 (more by David Andrako)

New Brooklyn outdoor venue Williamsburg Park (located at 50 Kent), which formally announced itself along with news that Refused were playing there, and then today announced a My Morning Jacket show, also have three other shows on the schedule, and they are all listed below...

Continue reading "Williamsburg Park announces more shows (5 total, 1 is free) "

Betsy Head Park Pool

The first venue to kick off SummerStage 2012 shows is Betsy Head Park in Brooklyn. Artists include Buckshot, Smif n Wessun, and a few more. Check out the short schedule below.

Continue reading "Summerstage shows in Betsy Head Park this summer"

Free NYC summer concert series "Hudson River Rocks" has moved from Pier 54 to Pier 84 (at 44th Street). You can see this year's schedule in the picture.

Meanwhile you can catch Dan Deacon in Union Square on May 1st.

ANNOUNCING LINCOLN CENTER OUT OF DOORS 42nd SEASON
JULY 25-AUGUST 12, 2012

100 FREE PERFORMANCES AND EVENTS ACROSS THE PLAZAS OF LINCOLN CENTER

17 World, US and NY Debuts, Premieres and Commissions, Including:
* Phil Kline's dreamcitynine - festival-long GPS-based audio app installation plus live performance
* Art meets sport this Olympics summer with Kimmo Pohjonen's Accordion Wrestling
dance theater piece featuring the accordion experimentalist and ten Finnish wrestlers
Los Irreales de Ondatrópica - Quantic and Frente Cumbiero lead an intergenerational all-star gathering of Colombian musicians
* Celebrated Turkish psych-folk icon, singer Selda Bagcan, highlights Istanbulive
* The Bad Plus: On Sacred Ground - Re-envisioning Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring
* Brandt Brauer Frick Ensemble - German minimal techno group's chamber orchestra
* Polyglot Theatre's Tangle - site-specific, audience-created installation and kids' "play space"

AND...
Marking the 40th Anniversary of "Soul and the Center," Lincoln Center's Landmark Festival of African-American Artists
With: * Black Rock Coalition's Pardon Our Analysis
Nile Rodgers * Lenny Williams * Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Company * Otis Clay * Aloe Blacc
* Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls All-Stars * Swamp Dogg
Celebrating The Music That Shaped the Culture:
Laura Nyro, Frisner Augustin, Tite Curet Alonso, Gil Scott-Heron, Sister Songwriters, Irish American Songbook

Blitzen Trapper at Webster Hall in 2011 (more by Kurt Christensen)

Portland folk rockers Blitzen Trapper, who just celebrated their 12th anniversary as a band, have added dates surrounding their run with Wilco, who they also play a pre-Newport Folk Festival show with. The new dates include a free'Concerts on the Oval' show at NYC's Stuyvesant Town Oval on July 14 and a not-free, Brooklyn show at Music Hall of Williamsburg on July 15. Tickets for the MHOW go on sale Friday (4/27) at noon with an AmEx presale starting Wednesday (4/25) at noon. All dates are listed below.

The band just made a video for "Stranger in a Strange Land" off their 2011 LP, American Goldwing. The video was created by filmmaker Luke Norby and Blitzen Trapper drummer Brian Adrian Koch. You can watch it below.

They also released a Record Store Day 7" with a cover of "Hey Joe" and the previously unreleased Blitzen Trapper song, "Skirts on Fire." Sub Pop pressed a limited 1,800 copies of the 7" on yellow vinyl. It's currently going for pretty cheap on eBay and you can try your luck with some of the downloads that are out there. Stream "Skirts on Fire" here.

All dates and video below...

Continue reading "Blitzen Trapper tour includes a free NYC show in Stuy Town (updated 2012 dates)"

Amadou & Mariam

As you may remember from the past couple of years, "Summerstage" now encompasses more than just Central Park, but Central Park Summerstage will still always be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of the series. Here's the 2012 schedule. Check it out below...

Continue reading "Central Park Summerstage 2012 schedule (Alabama Shakes, Dawes, Kurt Vile, Gary Clark Jr, Amadou & Mariam & more)"

Deer Tick (more by Tim Griffin)

As part of SummerStage 2012, Red Hook Park in Brooklyn will host free shows for a week in June including, AraabMUZIK, Das Racist, Deer Tick, and a Comedy Central showcase featuring Hannibal Buress, Kevin Barnett, and Josh Rabintowitz. Check out the full schedule below...

Continue reading "June shows in Red Hook Park (Deer Tick, Das Racist & more)"

WE WILL OPEN AT 8AM!
10AM - DJ MUSH1 (WNYU TUNNEL ONE REGGAE SHOW)
12PM - NEW AFTERNOON SHOW DJS (WNYU)
3PM - X-RAY EYEBALLS DJ SET (OJ)
4PM - PRINCE RAMA DJ SET (TARAKA)
5PM - MIKE WEXLER (MEXICAN SUMMER)
6PM - WOODSMAN (MEXICAN SUMMER/LEFSE/FIRE TALK)

THIS SATURDAY APRIL 21ST IS RECORD STORE DAY WHICH MEANS TONS OF EXCLUSIVE, ULTRA LIMITED RELEASES THAT WILL ONLY BE AVAILABLE ON A FIRST COME FIRST SERVE BASIS! WE CANNOT GUARANTEE QUANTITIES, SO WE RECOMMEND GETTING HERE EARLY, EARLY, EARLY!! (OPENING AT 8AM) THIS YEAR WILL BE THE MOST FUN EVER!
NOT ONLY WILL WE HAVE OVER 150 DIFFERENT EXCLUSIVE RSD TITLES, BUT WE WILL ALSO HAVE A FULL DAY OF GUEST DJ SETS, IN-STORE PERFORMANCES AND SPECIAL SALES ON SELECT VINYL & CDS! PLUS BEER & PIZZA IN THE AFTERNOON!!! (WHILE SUPPLIES LAST...)
SEE OUR LIST!