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Eric M. Townsend

What's going on Saturday? (EL VY, Dilly Dally, Nobunny, US Girls, ATCQ, Firestone Fest, King Khan, Nada Surf, more)

photo: Nada Surf at Webster Hall in 2012 (more by Eric M. Townsend)
Nada Surf

You can browse our full NYC show calendar for all of tonight’s shows, but here are some highlights…

Nada Surf, Slothrust @ Webster Hall
For over 20 years, Nada Surf have been making smart, heartfelt indie rock. New year will be the 20th anniversary of their debut album and should see a new record on the way as well. The band say they’ll be dusting off some lesser-played songs tonight.

EL VY (Matt Berninger of The National and Brent Knopf of Menomena), Wye Oak, Mina Tindle @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
EL VY is the new collaborative project of The National frontman Matt Berninger and former Menomena / current Ramona Falls member Brent Knopf. It’s no tossed off side project though — if you’re a fan of either band you’ll probably dig this too. Tonight’s show is great all around, with the ever-evolving Wye Oak and French art pop artist Mina Tindle. UPDATE: Julian Baker is now opening this show instead of Mina, like she did at Bowery Ballroom last night.

NY Comedy Festival
The NYCF continues and Saturday highlights include: A Sit-Down With The Tonight Show Writers at The TimesCenter; Judd Apatow and Friends (including Mike Birbiglia) at Carnegie Hall; Trevor Noah at Town Hall; Kumail Nanjiani at NYU Skirball Center; and more.

Firestone Fest feat. Jo Firestone, DJ Amato, Dylan Marron, Joe Perra, Julio Torres, Max Wittert, Mara Wilson, Coccoon Central Dance Team & more @ Hand & Detail Car Wash Center
For a comedy festival of a different kind there’s Joe Firestone who is putting on the 10-hour Firestone Festival in a Williamsburg car wash featuring stand up, live sketch, and storytelling, along with art displays and exactly one comedic dance troupe.

U.S. Girls, ESCAPE-ISM, 999Reversus @ Babycastles
U.S. Girls, aka Meg Remy, made her 4AD debut this year with the terrific Half Free, her most refined — yet still highly charged — set of songs yet. This is her second of two NYC shows with Ian Svenonius’ “found-sound dream drama” project ESCAPE-ISM.

Elysian Fields @ The Owl
Venerable NYC band Elysian Fields are celebrating their 20th anniversary with a run of shows where they’re performing their entire catalog live. Tonight it’s 2009’s The Afterlife.

Stephin Merritt @ City Winery
With a new vinyl box set of Magnetic Fields’ classic 69 Love Songs, let’s hope Stephin Merritt plays lots from that one tonight.

King Khan & BBQ Show, Milk Lines, OCDPP @ Knitting Factory
Garage rock and soul royalty that he is, King Khan reteamed with his old pal BBQ for new album Bad News Boys. Their shows are a wild, wooly good time.

Nobunny, David Peel, Crazy and the Brains @ Palisades
Speaking of wild and wooly good times, Nobunny shows are generally anything goes, especially at a venue like Palisades.

Wand, Operator @ Rough Trade
LA group Wand have released two albums this year — the fuzz-overload Golem, and the more nuanced, melodic 1000 Days — both of which are great. They are seriously good, and seriously loud, live. This is Wand’s second of two NYC shows this weekend.

A.C. Newman (Carl Newman), Hrishikesh Hirway @ The Greene Space
Tonight, AC Newman takes part in a live taping of podcast “Song Exploder” where “musicians take apart their songs, and piece by piece, tell the story of how they were made.” Sold out.

Donovan Wolfington, Slightshot Dakota, Doubting Thomas Cruise Control, Stringer @ Aviv
Topshelf labelmates Donovan Wolfington (fuzzy indie-punk) and Slingshot Dakota (driving piano-pop) team up for this show, which is a pretty cool pairing.

Dilly Dally, LVL UP, Turf Durt @ Baby’s All Right
Toronto’s Dilly Dally make indie rock in the tradition of the Pixies/Breeders (and the Nirvana songs that those bands inspired), and Katie Monks’ raging vocals and a super-tight rhythm section are no small part of why their live shows always rip. Tonight’s the first of two NYC shows on this tour.

Gesaffelstein (DJ Set), Jon Hopkins, GENER8ION, Flat White, NSR, Tummetott, MASHA @ Brooklyn Hangar
London musician Jon Hopkins makes beautifully melodic yet still danceable electronic music. He plays a live set tonight, co-healining with Kanye collaborator Gesaffelstein who will be DJing. The show goes from 10 PM to 6 AM.

Tigue @ National Sawdust
Tigue is a trio of percussionists featuring members of Jherek Bischoff collaborators Contemporaneous Ensemble and Damon Albarn collaborators Ensemble Signal. Special guests are promised at tonight’s show.

Jessica Lea Mayfield @ Living Room
Jessica Lea Mayfield has transitioned from raw folk to alt-country to heavier, bluesier rock. Whatever mode she’s in, she’s good.

Chandra @ Rough Trade
Chandra Oppenheim led the NYC no wave band Chandra back in 1980 at the age of 12. Now she’s bringing the project back on tour with help from Toronto band Bile Sister, members of New Chance, Century Palm, and Jay Holy, and original Chandra guitarist Steven Alexander. This is a free afternoon day show, and then…

Chandra, Future Punx, Olivia Neutron-John, Bile Sister feat. New Chance @ Trans-Pecos
…They do it again at night at Trans-Pecos. Bile Sister play their own set at this one, as do Future Punx and Olivia Neutron-John.

A Tribe Called Quest reissue release party feat. Ali Shaheed Muhammad (DJ Set), Q-Tip (DJ Set) & appearances by Phife & Jarobi @ Santos Party House
There’s no word on whether or not all of A Tribe Called Quest plan to perform together at this show like they did on Fallon last night, but they’ll all be in the house so who knows what will happen? It’s a release party for the reissue of their classic debut, People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm.

The Men, Wild Moth, PC Worship @ The Acheron
This is a cool show all around, with local punks-turned-jammers The Men, San Francisco’s shoegazy punks Wild Moth, and local avant-punks PC Worship.

Nude Beach, Savoy Motel, Fur Helmet, Eyes of Love @ Union Pool
Brooklyn rockers Nude Beach make driving power pop like it’s 1977. They’re always a band worth catching.

Class Actress, Starchild and The New Romantic @ Cameo Gallery
Cameo closes for good next weekend and for their last week the venue are having some of their favorite artists, including Class Actress who has been quiet of late.

Pat Mahoney (of Museum of Love, LCD Soundsystem – DJ Set), Higgins, Beto Cravioto @ Cameo Gallery
After Class Actress it’s a late night danceparty featuring Pat Mahoney who has DJ’d cameo many many times.

Matthew Dear @ Verboten
Avant-pop artist, producer and interesting fellow, Matthew Dear spins records tonight.

Norman Westberg, Wharton Tiers Ensemble, Western Estates, Faith NY @ Bar Matchless
Swans guitarist Norman Westberg has a new solo album and he celebrates with two shows: tonight at Bar Matchless and tomorrow at Union Pool.

Elliott Brood, Julien Baker @ Mercury Lounge
Canadian alt-country trio Elliott Brood headline this show, and if you’re going we especially recommend showing up early for hushed singer/songwriter Julien Baker who’s in town from Memphis (she just opened for EL VY last night).

For all of tonight’s shows, and tomorrow’s, check out our NYC concert calendar.

For laughs, check out the NYC Comedy calendar too.

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