Rocket from the Crypt play Riot Festival in Chicago
Photo: Kirstie Shanley

What's going on Wednesday? (Kraftwerk, Ex Hex, Rocket from the Crypt, Cosmonauts, Lucky Dragons, Nine of Swords, more)

Rocket from the Crypt at Riot Fest Chicago 2013 (more by Kirstie Shanley)
RFTC

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

Rocket from the Crypt, Ex Hex @ Bowery Ballroom
Rocket From the Crypt is one of the great John Reis’ many bands (also of Drive Like Jehu, Hot Snakes, Sultans, Night Marchers, etc), and their mix of ’90s punk and horn-filled rock ‘n’ roll swagger resulted in a handful of great records before their breakup in the mid 2000s. Now they’re back on a reunion tour, and tonight’s their first of two sold-out NYC shows this week. And it’s a hell of a double bill with Mary TImony’s (WIld Flag, Helium, Autoclave) glammy rock trio Ex Hex, who are opening and not to be missed.

Kraftwerk @ United Palace Theater
Electronic music pioneers Kraftwerk bring their 3-D tour to NYC for two shows at one of the prettiest venues in the city.

Habibi, Cosmonauts, LODRO, Black Sea @ Death by Audio
Local garagey girl groupers Habibi share the bill with their Burger Records labelmates Cosmonauts for what should be a fun night that also includes the dark, twisted sounds of Lodro.

Leverage Models, Zula, Trabajo, Salt Cathedral, Isn’t Ours, Human Resources @ Shea Stadium
If you love Big ’80s music like The Associates, ABC, and (early) Spandau Ballet, you will probably dig the widescreen sounds of Leverage Models who have a firm grasp on that, right down to the saxaphone and syn-toms.

Javelin, Delicate Steve, Helado Negro @ LPR
Chillwave survivors Javelin play tonight with their jammy Luaka Bop labelmates Delicate Steve. The night opens with the warped pop of Helado Negro.

Oren Ambarchi, EVOL @ Issue Project Room (Unsound Festival)
This year’s NYC installment of the Polish-based experimental/electronic Unsound Festival begins tonight and continues through Sunday. Tonight’s show is at Issue Project Room and features the US premiere of EVOL playing Hanne Darboven’s 1984 piece “Opus 17a,” followed by Oren Ambarchi’s US premiere of his 2012 work, “Knots.”

Lucky Dragons, Daniel Wohl, Tristan Perich @ Baby’s All Right
Fronted by Luke Fischbeck and Sarah Rara, LA’s arty Lucky Dragons make spare, laptop pop whose shows are ofter interactive and crowd-participatory. Tonight’s openers — Daniel Wohl and Tristan Perich — are regulars on the NYC avant scene.

Flavor Flav and the Flavortronz @ Iridium
Public Enemy’s Flavor Flav fronts a new band called the FlavorTronZ, who “cover hit songs from the ’70s thru the ’90s […] from such greats like Wild Cherry, Sly & The Family Stone, Elton John, Led Zeppelin, The Gap Band and many others.” You can’t make this stuff up, and if you need to see it to believe it, you can do so at the Iridium twice tonight (8:30 PM & 10:30 PM).

The Pack A.D., Dinowalrus @ Mercury Lounge
Vancouver’s The Pack A.D. do the guitar-drums duo thing but manage to not sound like any of the other bands with a similar configuration. Opening are chameleon-like Brooklynites Dinowalrus who seem to molt off their previous sound every season.

Tom Blacklung and the Smokestacks, Bluffing, Bears, Nine of Swords @ The Grand Victory
Good local bands at Grand Victory tonight, including dissonant sludge punks Tom Blacklung and the Smokestacks, indie pop band Bluffing, and Nine of Swords, aka the screamo/punk band fronted by Rachel Gordon who makes much softer music as Baby Mollusk.

Lady Gaga @ Roseland Ballroom
The long-lived NYC venue Roseland Ballroom will be closing its doors in early April, but before then it will go out with seven Lady Gaga shows, this being the fourth.

Big Terrific @ Cameo
Max Silvestri hosts the free weekly comedy show in the back of Williamsburg’s Lovin’ Cup. Tonight’s talent includes Jared Logan, James Patterson, and Jacqueline Novak.

Art Garfunkel @ Bergen PAC
Maybe Simon wrote the songs, but Garfunkel’s voice was a key part of that legendary duo’s sound too, and you can catch him on his own at 3 NYC-area shows this week, this being the first.

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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