Free NYC Shows Honor Pete Seeger

A variety of performers will celebrate the long life and career of folk-music legend Pete Seeger in a pair of free upcoming NYC shows. These events are part of the five-day "Seeger Fest," which has so far featured performances in the Bronx and in the neighborhood of the Seegers' Beacon, New York home.

Free Pete Seeger Memorial Concert at Lincoln Center Today

This afternoon, Lincoln Center Out of Doors presents a memorial concert for Seeger and his wife Toshi at 4 p.m. that will include a bevvy of musical heavy hitters. Judy Collins, Peter Yarrow (of Peter, Paul & Mary), Holly Near, Tom Chapin and the Chapin Sisters, Dar Williams, Sarah Lee Guthrie and Johnny Irion, and many more will be performing at the Damrosch Bandshell concert. Speakers will include Harry Belafonte, Fred Hellerman of The Weavers, and George Wein, founder of the Newport Folk Festival.

Can't make it to Lincoln Center? The event will be streamed live at watch.LincolnCenter.org.

Monday: "New Songs of Justice: An Evening Honoring Pete Seeger"

On Monday SummerStage hosts its own celebration of Pete Seeger, but with a much more diverse cast of performers. Reflecting Seeger's impact on a variety of musical genres, and on the world of activism, "New Songs of Justice: An Evening Honoring Pete Seeger" features acoustic performances by Amanda Palmer (solo) and Anti-Flag, as well as Steve Earle, Elizabeth Mitchell, Aurora Barnes, and some of the artists who appeared at Lincoln Center, including Guthrie and Irion and the Chapin Sisters. And there will be DJ sets by hip-hop pioneer Kool Herc.

"New Songs of Justice" is free and takes place Monday night at 7 p.m. at the main SummerStage location in Central Park.

The weather should be great both days, so if you're interested in folk history get out there for these two unique, multigenerational celebrations of this legend in music and activism.

Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, Lake Street Dive Play Free NYC Show Tonight

The Lowdown Hudson Blues Festival returns to lower Manhattan tonight and tomorrow, and as usual the organizers have put together a good lineup. Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings bring their popular old-style soul to the Brookfield Place stage tonight as the headliners. The No BS! Brass Band opens the show at 6 p.m., followed by up-and-coming pop-soul favorites Lake Street Dive at 7. Sharon Jones and her band take the stage at 8:30.

Above: "Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings at Pori Jazz 2" by kallerna - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

Tomorrow night the headliner is legendary blues-rock singer-songwriter John Hiatt, whose songs have been covered by everyone from Bonnie Raitt to Sheryl Crow. Hiatt is scheduled to take the stage at 8:45 p.m., preceded by the James Carter Organ Trio (6 p.m.) and five-time Grammy-winning blues outfit the Robert Cray Band (7 p.m.).

The shows take place at the waterfront plaza at Brookfield Place (outside the World Financial Center Winter Garden), west of the World Trade Center near the intersection of West and Vesey Streets. (See map.) Seating is limited, but standing room is available. See the Lowdown Hudson Blues Festival website for instructions for getting seats.

A quick recap of the set times for this year's Lowdown Hudson Blues Festival:

July 16
6:00 PM - No BS! Brass Band
7:00 PM - Lake Street Dive
8:30 PM - Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings

July 17
6:00 PM - James Carter Organ Trio
7:00 PM - The Robert Cray Band
8:45 PM - John Hiatt & The Combo

FREE 4 Knots Festival Today wth Dinosaur Jr., Speedy Ortiz, & More

The 2014 Village Voice 4 Knots Festival is TODAY, and once again it's all totally free. As always, it takes place at South Street Seaport and runs from early afternoon to early evening (1 p.m. to 8 p.m.).

Dinosaur Jr. is the headliner, going on at 7 p.m. Set times were just posting this morning; see the image below for the full lineup.

Also see a map of the 4 Knots Festival location.

The weather forecast looks great for today, enjoy!