Upcoming Shows: Raekwon (!!!!!!) + more

TOMORROW! Wednesday, September 2

Titus Andronicus, So So Glos @ Secret Project Robot | Williamsburg, Brooklyn | $9
Hardcore punk updated for 2009. Two of the best and not at all mean folks. [SSG MySpace] [TA MySpace]


Thursday, September 3

Darlings @ Cake Shop | LES, Manhattan | $7
Darlings are some crazy mothafuckas who play messy, unpredictable, loud indie rock/punk. I reviewed them in July. [MySpace]


Saturday, September 5

Phosphorescent @ Music Hall of Williamsburg | Wmsburg, Brooklyn | $13
Ages ago, I accidentally went to a Phosphorescent show. I'd never heard the name, but I liked the music. It's got a rootsy feel that points to southern roots, but it's also got a lot of drunken-ish yelling and noise, with some great melodies that could fit in with the best of late 90's indie rock (which was a good era for melodies in indie rock, if you were wondering). [MySpace]

Grooms @ 502 West 25th Street | Chelsea, Manhattan
Less Artists More Condos was one of NYC's best DIY operations and one of many DIY venue casualties in recent months. But the mastermind of LAMC is carrying on with his booking operations and has set up this lovely night with up-and-comers Grooms (fka Muggabears), who blend dark, experimental guitar sound with memorable melodies. The band's debut album, due out later this fall, is sure to make a splash. [MySpace]


Tuesday, September 8

Raekwon w/ special guests @ Santos Party House | Chinatown, Manhattan | $30 SOLD OUT
In a night hosted by P Diddy, Wu-Tang member Raekwon will celebrate the release of his LP Only Built 4 Cuban Linx 2, perhaps the most anticipated rap album of the decade. It's predecessor, released fourteen years ago, was hailed as one of the best and most influential gangsta rap albums ever. Raekwon will be joined by fellow Wu-Tang alums Ghostface Killah and Method Man and legendary rap artists Talib Kweli and Busta Rhymes, among others. Shockingly, this doesn't seem to be a private event. Unsurprisingly, tickets sold out earlier this afternoon (while I was putting this post together, sorry). If you can score tickets, just remember these rappers aren't joking - they and the members of their inner circle not only lived the gangsta lives they describe, they still live it. In a venue this intimate, you should be prepared for an experience that stands in contrast to, say, your typical indie rock show.

Upcoming Shows: A Place To Bury Strangers, Marnie Stern + more

There are some OK shows this week, but none good enough for my endorsement until Friday....


Friday, May 1

A Place to Bury Strangers + Dinowalrus @ Less Artists More Condos | Greenwich Village, Manhattan | $?
This show is so badass, I don't even know what to say about it. APTBS are one of New York's finest psychedelic bands. They are loud as hell, with great melodies and a guitar sound that's basically equivilant to being run over by a train. LAMC is one of NYC's premier DIY venues run by bookers who may well be the coolest people in the entire city. It's going to fill up and then some, so get there good and early! [MySpace]


Saturday, May 2

Bellmer Dolls @ Webster Studio | East Village, Manhattan | $10
Garage goths the Bellmer Dolls are a pretty common topic on this blog. In my last live review, I remarked that this band is "worthy not only of an audience but of a lasting legacy in the American underground." I don't say things like that very often. [MySpace]

Kurt Vile @ Silent Barn | Ridgewood, Queens
It's a long trek to Silent Barn, but it might be worth the trip this time to check out Kurt Vile, who runs with the likes of Wavves, Nodzzz, Woods and the rest of the ultra-lo-fi punx who currently own the blog circuit. I haven't heard him, but he's rumoured to be on the mellow/folk end of that spectrum. But he also had the balls to release an album called Constant Hitmaker, so he can't be too wussy. [MySpace]


Sunday, May 3

Marnie Stern @ Bell House | Gowanus, Brooklyn | $13 adv / $15 drs
Marnie Stern is badassest wielder of an electric guitar that New York has seen in ages. Her album, which was the #1 album of 2008, features non-stop shredding, explosive rhythms and pop hooks that all together sound nothing like anyone else I've ever heard. For serious. [MySpace]


Monday, May 4

The Kills @ Music Hall of Williamsburg | Williamsburg, Brooklyn | SOLD OUT
I'm sure if you put your minds to it, you can find tickets to this sold out show next Monday. The Kills might be the only two people on earth who can make indie rock sexy, a talent they proved in 2008 with their album Midnight Boom. Their garage rock has the careful production usually reserved for electronica - I can't explain how that works, because I don't understand. I just know it does work, and it's awesome. [MySpace]


Tuesday, May 5

Lady Sovereign @ Highline Ballroom | Chelsea, Manhattan | $15 adv / $18 drs
"Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Na, it's the biggest midget in the game." In other words, Lady Sovereign is one of the best garage rappers ever, period. As a white woman barely over five feet tall, she made it big in a predominantly black, male genre - so you know she's gotta kick some ass. She grew up in the same London projects as her fellow grime MCs and she's as pissed off as anyone. Don't fuck with her. Do go hear her next week at the Highline Ballroom. [MySpace]