Upcoming Shows: Northside Festival + more

Tonight!! Thursday, June 16

Northside & Popfest Present: Eternal Summers, Reading Rainbow, Secret History, Seapony @ Bruar Falls * Williamsburg, Brooklyn
I heard Reading Rainbow once and I liked them.  They play indie pop, I guess (this is the popfest showcase, after all) but it's raw and at least as much punk as it is twee.  I haven't seen Eternal Summers yet, but I think they might okay despite the name (oh my gosh I am so sick of summer/beach/surfing/vacation themed band names!!!). [rr video]

HoZac Presents: K-Holes, Xray Eyeballs, My Teenage Stride @ Shea Stadium * Bushwick, Brooklyn
K-Holes are a female-fronted dark, agressive post-punk outfit whose membership overlaps with Black Lips.  Xray Eyeballs are one of those boring bands that uses too much reverb and too little songwriting.  My Teenage Stride play spirited, delightfully imperfect indie pop. [k-video] [xray video] [my teenage video]

Swervedriver @ Irving Plaza * Union Square, Manhattan
Original shoegazers Swervedriver are among the best of their genre, playing British rock songs with swirling layers of guitar.  Like every shoegaze band ever, they've recently reunited.


Tomorrow!! Friday, June 17

Northside Festival * Williamsburg/Greenpoint/Bushwick, Brooklyn
Northside starts today, but the awesomeness really gets going tomorrow.  For those who like their music gentle, Beirut [vid] and Sharon Van Etten [vid] will play McCarren Park.  For those on the other end of the spectrum, experimental noise bands Yvette [vid] and PC Worship [vid] will be playing (along with the poppier German Measles [vid]) at Bruar Falls ($8).  If you like female lo-fi bands, Frankie Rose (of Crystal Stilts and Vivian Girls renown) [vid] and Brilliant Colors [vid] will be at Glasslands ($8 adv./$12 dos.).  Meanwhile, Kanine Records will showcase reverbed lamewads Surfer Blood [vid], awesome discordant post-punkers Grooms [vid], Eternal Summers (see above), Xray Eyeballs (see above) and Dream Diary at Knitting Factory ($12 adv./$14 dos.).

Dean Wareham (plays Galaxie 500), Vacant Lots @ Bell House * Gowanus, Brooklyn * $15 adv./$20 dos.
Galaxie 500 were the ultimate slowcore band, at least on the psychedelic/shoegaze end of the spectrum (as opposed to the folky lo-fi of Red House Painters and Low).  Dean Wareham is the guy from Galaxie 500.

The Books @ Prospect Park * Brooklyn * Free!
The Books are one of the better experimental acts to emerge in the last decade.  Their electronic sound collages have a folky feel but can also generate some noize.


Saturday, June 18

Northside Festival: Guided By Voices ("classic" line-up), Wavves, Surfer Blood, The Babies @ McCarren Park * Greenpoint, Brooklyn * $30 adv./$35 dos.
On a list of my favorite bands of all time, Guided By Voices comes in about fifth or sixth.  After Pavement and Neutral Milk Hotel, they were the most important lo-fi act of the 90's.  Unlike those bands, Guided By Voices songs' usually clock in under two minutes.  They are more emotional than Pavement but less emotional than Neutral Milk Hotel with heartfelt nonsense lyrics that sound, truthfully, like the subject lines for the e-mails in your spam filter.  The "classic" line-up with co-songwriters Robert Pollard and Tobin Sprout has recently reunited. I still like surf-punk minimalists Wavves, although I might be the only one.  I still don't like Surfer Blood, although I might be the only one. (See above)  The Babies are members of Woods and Vivian Girls and as that might lead you to expect, they are good but kind of generic. [gbv last.fm] [wavves vvideo] [surfer video] [babies video]

Other Shows
Bardo Pond, White Out (Thurston Moore) @ Le Poisson Rouge ($10)
Strange Boys, White Fence, Easter Vomit (mems Beets) @ Knitting Factory ($10/$12)
Thee Oh Sees + special guest @ Brooklyn Bowl ($10)


Sunday, June 19

Slzrd Wzrd (mem Lightning Bolt) @ Coco 66 * Greenpoint, Brooklyn
I don't know anything about this show or what Slzrd Wzrd sounds like, but it's got one of the two members of xxxxtreme noize duo Lightning Bolt, so it's probably awesome.

Other Shows
Asobi Seksu, Air Waves @ Glasslands ($12/$15)


Tuesday, June 21

Hunters @ Death By Audio * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $7
Hunters are a very aggressive punk/post-punk band who look cool and sound even cooler. [video]

Chairlift @ Cameo * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $10
Last I checked, Chairlift only had one good song.  It's that song "Bruises" that was on an iPod commercial ("I tried to handstands for you / I tried to headstands for you").  As far as adorable indie pop love songs go, it's one of the best.  Not sure it's worth sitting through a whole set for, but it actually might be.  And to be fair, I haven't checked in on the band in a while so maybe they have more going on now.  Regardless, this is a small venue and a good price even if the band's 15 minutes expired in 2008. [video (bruises live)]

Other shows
Talib Kweli @ Red Hook Park (free!)


The long view...

June
23
Dinosaur Jr (performing Bug), Fucked Up @ Terminal 5
Art Brut, Reptar @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
Chairlift, Telepathe @ Glasslands ($10)

24
Bush Tetras (!!), Coathangers, Religious to Damn @ 285 Kent
Sic Alps, Spectre Folk, Weekends @ Death By Audio ($7)

25
Archers of Loaf @ Music Hall of Williamsburg (sold out!)
Jeff the Brotherhood (one of the best 90's indie bands) + special guest (?!) @ 285 Kent

26
Archers of Loaf @ Webster Hall
My Teenage Stride @ South Street Seaport


July
3
Panda Bear, Ducktails @ Music Hall of Williamsburg (sold out!)
Ringo Deathstarr, the Vandelles, Dead Leaf Echo @ Shea Stadium

8
The Wake, Weekend @ South Street Seaport

9
Ted Leo @ South Street Seaport (free!)

12
Animal Collective @ Prospect Park (sold out!)
Cold Cave @ Knitting Factory
Slick Rick @ Crotona Park (free!)

14
Tune-Yards @ River Rocks (free!)
Marly Marl @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
Gary War, K-Holes, Pop. 1280 @ Union Hall

15
Radio Dept., Asobi Seksu (shoegaze/ambient pop) @ South Street Seaport

16
4 Knots Festival: Black Angels, Titus Andronicus, Obits, Eleanor Friedberger (Fiery Furnaces) + more

19
Kool Moe Dee (one of the first and best rappers of all time) @ Queensbridge (free!)

22
Death From Above 1979 @ Williamsburg Waterfront ($43)

23
The Feelies, Real Estate, Times New Viking @ Prospect Park (free!)
Heartless Bastards (acoustic) @ Mercury Lounge (sold out!)

24
Heartless Bastards (acoustic) @ Mercury Lounge

28
Walt Mink (great 90's indie band that split up over 10 years ago) @ Bell House

29
West Memphis Three Benefit with Dez Cadena @ Southpaw
Black Lips @ Bowery Ballroom


August
2
Sugarhill Gang @ Tappan Park (free!)
Sufjan Stevens @ Prospect Park

6
Cold Cave @ Bowery Ballroom
Crystal Antlers @ Glasslands ($10)

7
Friendly Fires, Cults @ Central Park (free!)

12
Sonic Youth @ Williamsburg Waterfront ($40)
*CANCELLED* Streets, El-P @ Terminal 5

21
Rakim, EPMD @ Central Park (free!)

22
Deerhunter @ Webster Hall

25
Wavves @ East River Park (free!)


September
8
TV on the Radio @ Williamsburg Waterfront ($48)


October
22
The Damned @ Irving Plaza

29
Jeff Mangum (Neutral Milk Hotel) @ Town Hall (sold out!)