Free Concerts Galore! Buddy Guy, Neko Case, Eleanor Friedberger, Parliament/Funkadelic, & More

If you like free concerts, you're going to love this week. Coming on the heels of last Saturday's twin bill of CBGB Festival shows, there's a boatload more this week. In fact, there are so many concerts leading up to the weekend that I'll have to save Saturday's second 4 Knots Festival at South Street Seaport for a later post.

Neko Case plays the Lowdown Hudson Blues Festival July 12th. Photo: Amanda Hatfield.

Speaking of second timers, tomorrow (Wednesday, July 11th) kicks off the second annual two-day Lowdown Hudson Blues Festival at the World Financial Center. And there are great shows in the various free series around the City. Here's the schedule:

Wed., July 11th: Lowdown Hudson Blues Festival: multiple Grammy winner Buddy Guy headlines a bill that also features 13-year-old guitar prodigy Quinn Sullivan and legendary British blues guitarist John Mayall, whose bands have served as the launching pad for the likes of Eric Clapton and many others since the 1960s.  6 - 9:30 p.m., World Financial Center Plaza, 220 Vesey Street (between North End Ave. and West St.) 

Wed., July 11th: Mad. Sq. Music: In a totally different vein, you can see the quirky and fun singer-songwriter-actress Nellie McKay at Madison Square Park on July 11th. Known for her clever and often offbeat tunes like "David" and "The Dog Song," McKay also won an award for her turn in "The Threepenny Opera" (her Broadway debut). Tomorrow you can see her for free. 7 - 8:30 p.m., Madison Square Park, between Fifth and Madison Aves. & 23rd and 26th Sts.

Thurs., July 12th: Lowdown Hudson Blues Festival: Neko Case, known for her solo albums and her work as a member of The New Pornographers, headlines the festival's second night with her haunting voice and songs that range from country to blues to gospel to rock. I've been a fan of hers for years, and am hoping she'll be breaking out some new songs. Also on the bill: 63-year-old Charles Bradley and His Extraordinaires and He's My Brother She's My Sister, a band that the festival says creates "a mix of folk, glam, and western swing." (Oh, and the band includes a tap dancer as well.) 6 - 9:30 p.m., World Financial Center Plaza, 220 Vesey Street (between North End Ave. and West St.)

Thurs., July 12th: RiverRocks: It'll be loops, fuzz, and snyths galore at Pier 84 as Dan Deacon takes the stage in the first of this year's RiverRocks concerts. If you've been to one of Deacon's live shows or have seen the webcasts, you'll know how he can whip crowds into a wild, gyrating frenzy. Also on the bill are John Maus and Roomrunner. 6 p.m., Pier 84, Hudson River at West 44th St.

Thurs., July 12th: River to River Festival: If funk is more to your liking, catch the longtime master at work as George Clinton and Parliament/Funkadelic play the River to River Festival Thursday night, July 12th. Clinton and company have been creating their own unique version of soul and funk since the 1960s, crafting hits like “Flash Light,” “Give Up the Funk,” and "Dr. Funkenstein." This sprawling collective has included an amazing number of extremely talented musicians over the years, and Thursday's lineup should be no exception. 7 p.m., Rockefeller Park, Battery Park City at the corner of River Terrace and Warren St.

Eleanor Friedberger and band play a free show July 13th.

Friday, July 13th: River to River Festival: Your Friday the 13th might be a bit luckier if you go see Eleanor Friedberger play a free show at South Street Seaport. The lead singer for The Fiery Furnaces stepped out on her own last year with her debut solo album "Last Summer," which garnered a lot of acclaim (you've probably heard the catchy "My Mistakes.") She puts on a good show fronting her own band; I got to see her open for Wild Flag on a previous tour. Also on the bill is Ex Cops. 7 p.m., Pier 17, South Street Seaport (near Fulton St.)

Saturday, July 14th: SummerStage: Latin alternative band Kinky will heat things up at SummerStage on Saturday with its mix of funk, rock, and electronica. The Mexican band will be joined on the bill by Los Auténticos Decadentes, 3Ball MTY, and DJ Raff in a show presented in association with the annual Latin Alternative Music Conference. 3 to 7 p.m., Rumsey Playfield in Central Park

There are lots of great shows this week. And as a special bonus, the temperatures aren't expected to be anywhere near 100 degrees over the next few days (and may not even touch 90). Get out there and see some free live music, folks!

Free Concert Notes: River to River Festival Returns Sunday (Music Schedule)

The downtown River to River Festival is back starting on Sunday, and running until July 15th. Yes, once again River to River, which used to run all summer, will be a one-month series jam packed with multiple events almost every day. And, as always, all the events are free.

Eleanor Friedberger is one of the performers at River to River 2012.

River to River includes dance, art, and more, but naturally Podcast Party is squarely focused on the music. The venues include a range of sites, indoors and out, all over lower Manhattan (see links below for descriptions of artists and location of venues). You'll find the full River to River music schedule here, but below are most of the rock/pop highlights of the month-long free festival:

June
* Thurs., June 21st: Eddie Palmieri, Rockefeller Park, 7 p.m.
* Tues., June 26th: Suzanne Vega and Gabriel Kahane, Rockefeller Park, 7 p.m.
* Wed., June 27th: Emily Elbert, One Liberty Plaza, 12:30 p.m.
* Wed., June 27th: Third World, Rockefeller Park, 7 p.m.
* Fri., June 29th: Veronica Falls with The People's Temple, Pier 17, The Seaport, 7 p.m.
* Sat., June 30th: Ecstatic™ Summer: Roomful of Teeth with Merrill Garbus & William Brittelle and Judd Greenstein's The Yehudim, World Financial Center Plaza, 7 p.m.

July
* Mon., July 2nd: The Bridge to Broadway starring Rebecca Luker, Marin Mazzie, Matt Munisteri, Gretchen Parlato, Sachal Vasandani, and Tia Fuller, Rockefeller Park, Battery Park City, 7 p.m.
* Tues., July 3rd: Pakistani singer-songwriter Arieb Azhar, Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts, 7:30 p.m.
* Thurs., July 5th: Megan Burtt & The Cure for Love, One New York Plaza, 12:30 p.m.
* Fri., July 6th: Patrick Watson with Loney Dear, Pier 17, The Seaport, 7 p.m.
* Tues., July 10th: Afro-Caribbean band Locos Por Juana, World Financial Center Plaza, 5:30 p.m.
* Tues., July 10th: Salsa legend La India with Aurora & Zon del Barrio, Rockefeller Park, 7 p.m.
* Wed., July 11th: Singer Ian Link, One Liberty Plaza, 12:30 p.m.
* Thurs., July 12th: George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic, Rockefeller Park, 7 p.m.
* Fri., July 13th: Eleanor Friedberger with Ex Cops, Pier 17, The Seaport, 8 p.m.

For more details, see the River to River website. And for breaking word on cancellations or venue changes related to weather, follow River to River on Twitter at @R2RFestival.

Music Notes: Bangles on "DWTS" Tonight, Wild Flag in Town, Throwing Muses Played NYC (Photos)

The Bangles will play a medley of their hits on "Dancing with the Stars" tonight.

From concerts to TV appearances, this is a "women who rock" edition of Music Notes. Here are a few music news items of interest:

• The Bangles appear on TV tonight on "Dancing with the Stars," where it's said they will play a medley of their hits. This is a timely gig for Susanna Hoffs and the band, who are currently on tour to support "Sweetheart of the Sun," their first new album in eight years (which was streaming recently). (Update: You can find videos of the Bangles doing "Eternal Flame"/"Walk Like an Egyptian" here, and "Manic Monday" from "DWTS" here. If those videos get removed, you watch the entire "'80s Night" episode featuring the Bangles here.)
  
  
• Wild Flag plays Bowery Ballroom tomorrow night in the second half of the New York leg of its inaugural tour. The band played Brooklyn's Bell House on Sunday. Both shows sold out long ago, but there might still be a handful of tickets on StubHub or other ticket sites. Eleanor Friedberger of Fiery Furnaces opens both shows. (Read rock writer Caryn Rose's review of Wild Flag's Bell House show.) Note: Wild Flag's self-titled debut album is only $3.99 at Amazon.comtoday, Oct. 17th.
  
  
• Throwing Muses returned to New York last night for a show at Bowery Ballroom. Although not sold out, the show had a large crowd of enthusiastic Muses fans. (Ticket sales may have been affected by the fact that the band hasn't released a new album in eight years, unlike when it played in town back then.)
  
  They played a a selection of songs from their long career, including "Bea," "Devil's Roof," "Shark," "Limbo," "Start," "Shimmer," and "Bright Yellow Gun."
  
  The band next heads off to Europe for a slate of shows. Below are a couple of photos from last night's Throwing Muses show at Bowery Ballroom.

Kristin Hersh opened the show by playing a few songs solo.

 

Throwing Muses: Hersh, Rob Ahlers, and Georges Bernard.

Today's Inaugural 4 Knots Festival - Lineup, Set Times, Directions, & More

The inaugural 4 Knots Festival runs from 1-8 p.m. today at South Street Seaport.

Relocated from Coney Island and with a new name, the 4 Knots Festival today seeks to bring the vibe of the Village Voice's long-running Siren Festival to a new location at South Street Seaport.

The Festival takes place at Pier 17 and runs from 1 to 8 p.m. If you can't be there, East Village Radio is said to be streaming some of the content live.

The 4 Knots Festival features one stage (though it's still called the Main Stage), as well as the "4 Knots Indoor Lounge" (at 210 Front St.), which will have DJ sets from Yeasayer, Dan Deacon, Finger on the Pulse, Punches, and Brahms. The lounge is open from 2 p.m. to midnight, and is 21 and over, while the rest of the festival is an all-ages affair.

[UPDATE: Set times for the bands and for the Indoor Lounge DJ sets are posted below, or you can find them at the Village Voice website.]

You can also check the 4 Knots website and its Twitter page for information. You can also download a 4 Knots app (for iPhone, Android, and Blackberry) from Livetapp here.

Here are the 4 Knots set times:

• 7:00 p.m. - The Black Angels
  
• 5:30 - Titus Andronicus
  
• 4:30 - Davila 666
  
• 3:30 - Oberhofer
  
• 2:30 - Eleanor Friedberger
  
• 1:30 - Mr. Dream 

Set times for the 4 Knots Fest, screen grab from VV website.

Directions: See the 4 Knots directions page for all the details and a Google map, but here's the condensed version: By subway, take the 2, 3, 4, 5, J, Z or M trains to Fulton Street, or the A or C to Broadway-Nassau. Then walk east on Fulton Street toward Water Street and the East River.

You can also get there by bus and by ferry (appropriately enough for this nautical-themed event); see NY Waterway's route map for boats from New Jersey to Wall St. and Pier 11.