Brooklyn Vegan Announces Its FREE Fri. & Sat. CMJ Day Parties (with Free Booze!)

The Brooklyn Vegan CMJ day parties are back this Friday and Saturday, Oct. 16th and 17th, to send the music marathon off with a bang. Once again, BV is combining killer lineups with free booze (Bell's beer on both days, samosas on Saturday, depending on when you get there and while supplies last). Read about 2014's BV CMJ day parties.

You'll notice that a number of the bands we mentioned in our CMJ 2015 post are playing the BV day parties. (Including the popular Car Seat Headrest which, as BV notes, happens to have its new album "Teens of Style" streaming at NPR Music.) Both parties are at Baby's All Right, 184 Broadway in Brooklyn. Friday's BV show runs from Noon to 7 p.m., while Saturday's shindig stretches the day party concept by going from noontime into the night and ending at the stroke of the following morning.

Friday's set times:

12:15 Long Beard
1:00 The Album Leaf
2:00 Ezra Furman
2:45 Car Seat Headrest
3:30 Yung
4:15 Superheaven
5:15 Makthaverskan
6:00 Porches

Saturday's set times: 

11:00 a.m. - Doors
11:29 FREE SAMOSAS BEGIN
11:30 Murals
12:00 FREE KEG OF BELL's BREWERY BEER BEGINS
12:15 Petal
1:00 Martin Courtney of Real Estate
1:45 Methyl Ethel
2:30 The Gotobeds
3:15 Shopping
4:00 Dilly Dally
4:45 Stealing Sheep
5:30 The So So Glos
6:15 Wildhoney
7:00 Frankie Cosmos
7:45 Jessica Lea Mayfield
8:30 Meat Wave
9:15 The Lemon Twigs
10:00 Mothers
10:45 Lilys

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!

Great Free Shows Saturday: Trixie Whitley, Nick Lowe, They Might Be Giants, & More

This could be considered the Super Saturday of the free summer concert season (or one of them, anyway)--and it starts early. At 1 p.m. this afternoon, Lincoln Center Out of Doors continues with its
30th Annual Roots of American Music festival. On the bill are Hurray for the Riff Raff (fresh off their well-received performance at the Newport Folk Festival), the Martha Redbone Roots Project, and Trixie Whitley (member of Black Dub, and daughter of Chris Whitley).


"Look Out Mama" by Hurray for the Riff Raff.

At 6 p.m. LCOOD continues with another great Roots of American Music show, this one featuring Nick Lowe, Jason Isbell (formerly of the Drive-By Truckers), and the Rockin' Rockabilly Revue (featuring Sleepy LaBeef and others).

For those seeking some quirky, catchy rock, the Brooklyn duo They Might Be Giants plays a hometown gig at Celebrate Brooklyn starting at 7:30 p.m. Opening the show is Moon Hooch, a brass and drums band which has gone from playing in the subways to being hand-picked by TMBG to open this show. (And they recently got a nice profile in the Wall Street Journal, which I'll link to if I find it.)

If hip-hop is your style, you'll want to check out today's Central Park SummerStage show featuring DJ Kool Herc, called the "Founder of Hip-Hop Culture." Starting at 3 p.m., the show will include plenty of special guests, including Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, Marley Marl, and many more.

There's no rain in the forecast, so get out and enjoy some great free music outdoors today and tonight.
 
Lincoln Center Out of Doors
1:30 p.m. - 30th Annual Roots of American Music
* Hurray for the Riff Raff
* Martha Redbone Roots Project
* Trixie Whitley
LCOOD description: "Swamp pop, Native American mountain sounds, and a blend of vintage country and new soul."
Location: Hearst Plaza

6:00 p.m. - 30th Annual Roots of American Music
* Nick Lowe
* Jason Isbell
* Rockin' Rockabilly Revue with James Burton, Charlie Gracie, Sleepy LaBeef, Johnny Powers, and Gene Summers
LCOOD description: "A celebration of Americana with country crooners, rockabilly, Southern soul, and early rock 'n' roll."
Location: Damrosch Park Bandshell

SummerStage
3:00 p.m.
40th Anniversary of Hip-Hop Culture with DJ Kool Herc and special guests: Coke La Rock, Roxanne Shante, Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, DJ Premier, GrandWizzard Theodore, DJ Red Alert, Marley Marl, DJ Jerry Dee, Skoob from DASEFX, Soul Sonic Force & many more
Location: Rumsey Playfield, Central Park 

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Note: LCOOD's Roots of American Music fest comes to a close tomorrow with a "roots symposium" (film screening and live interviews with artists) at 12:30 p.m. (at the David Rubenstein Atrium), and then a show at 5 p.m.:
* Bobby Rush
* Allen Toussaint
* Como Mamas
* Eddie and Brian Holland
LCOOD description: "A soulful season closer filled with funky blues, intimate sets by New Orleans' and Motown's finest songwriters, and traditional gospel."

2013 Today Show, GMA Concert Series Kick Off May 24th (Schedules)

With Memorial Day weekend upon us, it's time for the free morning TV-show concerts to get underway, and you'll find the schedules for "The Today Show" and "Good Morning America" series below.

See Today Show and GMA summer concert schedules below.

"Today" show summer concerts are held outside NBC studios in Rockefeller Center, with one exception: tomorrow's kickoff show, featuring indie-pop band Fun, will take place at the Jersey Shore. The GMA summer concerts take place at Rumsey Playfield in Central Park. See the links for each series' show times, entry procedures, etc.
Enjoy!

(Editor's note: We'll be posting articles in the new future on SummerStage, Celebrate Brooklyn, and other free concert series. And we'll be posting on a regular basis again.)

"The Today Show" Concert Series:
May 24 - Fun (at the Jersey Shore)
May 31 - New Kids on the Bock, 98 Degrees, & Boyz II Men
June 7 - Lionel Richie
June 14 - Maroon 5
June 21 - Hunter Hayes
June 28 - Phillip Phillips
July 5 - John Mayer
July 12 - Ed Sheeran
July 19 - Fall Out Boy
July 26 - Train
August 2 - The Band Perry
August 9 - Michael Buble
August 16 - Luke Bryan
August 23 - One Direction
August 20 - Chris Brown

"Good Morning America" Concert Series:
May 24 -  Mariah Carey
May 31 -  Pitbull
June 7 - Little Mix and Emblem3
June 14 - Carly Rae Jepsen
June 21 - John Legend
June 28 -  Demi Lovato
July 5 - Imagine Dragons
July 12 - OneRepublic
July 19 - Jennifer Lopez
July 26 - Selena Gomez
August 2 - Ne-Yo
August 9 - Kenny Chesney
August 16 - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
August 23 - The Wanted
August 30 - Alicia Keys

2012 4 Knots Music Festival: Schedule, FAQs, Official After Party, & More

The second annual 4 Knots Music Fest takes place Saturday, July 14th, starting at 1 p.m., and you'll find the complete schedule below. The Village Voice-sponsored free festival, which is the successor to the decade-long Siren Festival on Coney Island, will be held at Piers 16 and 17 at South Street Seaport. (See directions to 4 Knots.)

The festival is all-ages and will go on rain or shine.

Archers of Loaf headline the second 4 Knots festival.

A standalone guide to 4 Knots is included in this week's edition of the Voice. If you don't have it handy, you can find out more about 4 Knots at this Voice article, which includes links to articles on some of the bands such as Archers of Loaf and Crocodiles, a map of South Street Seaport, and even a Voice food critic's guide to his favorite eating spots in the area. Also, see the Voice's 4 Knots schedule page, which also includes the 4 Knots Twitter feed; descriptions of the bands; and the 4 Knots FAQ.

Although the official start time being given for the festival is 1 p.m., there will be a couple of brief sets beginning at 12:15, as shown below.

Main Stage
12:15 p.m.: The Smiling Lies
12:30 p.m.: The Fast Years
1:30 p.m.: Nick Waterhouse
2:30 p.m.: Bleached
3:30 p.m.: Hospitality
4:30 p.m.: Crocodiles
5:30 p.m.: The Drums
6:30 p.m.: Archers of Loaf

Skippers Stage
1 p.m.: Doldrums
2 p.m.: Devin
3 p.m.: Team Spirit
4 p.m.: Delicate Steve

There's also an official 4 Knots After Party at the Beekman Beer Garden Beach Club, featuring Black Lips and Kid Congo Powers with DJ Jonathan Toubin serving as host. Tickets are $15 (get tickets and more info here); doors to the party are at 7 p.m., with the show beginning after the Archers of Loaf set wraps up. Learn more about Toubin here and see an interview with him here.

The only 4 Knots act I've seen before is Crocodiles, which I saw at Maxwell's last year and enjoyed, so there will be a number of new discoveries for me. In particular, I'm looking forward to seeing Archers of Loaf, Hospitality, and The Drums, and I've heard good things about Team Spirit as well.

Saturday's temperatures should be in the mid 80s to 90 or so (much better than last weekend's temps of near 100 degrees). There's a chance of stray rain or thunderstorms, but any heavy rain isn't expected until late evening.

It should be another great free music festival in New York; check out the details and head on down to the Seaport Saturday.

Inaugural CBGB Festival - What to See, What's Free

As mentioned here back in May, the inaugural CBGB Festival takes place this week (July 5th through 8th), and besides having more than 300 bands playing, there's a full-fledge movie festival with some great rock film. Oh, and a music conference, film conference, and a spirits festival (now that's something I haven't heard of at most festivals).

The CBGB Festival includes music galore, including two free concerts.

And in addition to the previously announced free SummerStage concert featuring Guided by Voices, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, and more on Saturday afternoon, there's another huge, multistage free show in Times Square that same day, which will feature food vendors, music shop booths, and other attractions, according to Brooklyn Vegan, in addition to live music.

So who's playing the Times Square concert? BV speculates that Superchunk, the Hold Steady, and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah may be on the bill. [Update: also confirmed for the free CBGB Times Square show are Duff McKagen's Loaded, Upper West, Zulu Wave, and Glint.]

As of now you can buy passes for the non-free events of the music festival for only $79, which is more than reasonable considering all the acts playing (although many showcases are going on simultaneously, and you'll need to get to venues early since it's first come, first serve).
 
See the CBGB Festival music page for details on all the showcase acts and venues, and see the complete music schedule for who's playing where and when. Some of the acts playing on each day:

Thursday, July 5th: Richard Lloyd, Agnostic Front, The Rattlers, Tuff Darts, David Johansen, Glen Matlock, the Sick F*cks, Tommy Ramone, Steve Almaas, The Baseball Project, Craig Finn, FIDLAR, My Pet Dragon

Friday, July 6th: Willie Nile, Redd Kross, Reggie Watts, Elliot & the Ghost, Sick of It All, Cro-Mags, JD Samson & MEN, So So Glos, DJ Jonathan Toubin, PS I Love You, Donovan Frankenreiter, Sick F*cks, Wyldlife

Saturday, July 7th: Guided By Voices, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, The War on Drugs, and Cloud Nothings (all in one FREE show at Central Park SummerStage, starting at 3 p.m.), as well as the other free concert at Time Square. There are also for-pay shows at other venues with sets by D Generation, The Whores, and more.

Sunday, July 8th: Fishbone and Paranoid Social Club

Jimmy Cliff Kicks Off 2012 Celebrate Brooklyn Free Concerts June 5th (Schedule)

Reggae legend Jimmy Cliff takes the stage this Tuesday, June 5th to open the 2012 season of free concerts at Celebrate Brooklyn. Tuesday's show begins at 8 p.m.

Celebrate Brooklyn returns this week. Mark your calendars!

The Celebrate Brooklyn concerts take place at the Prospect Park bandshell, near 9th Street and Prospect Park West. Although all the shows below are free, a $3 contribution is suggested. There are some great folk/rock/indie acts such as Cliff, Laura Marling, Keb' Mo, Wild Flag, and Lyle Lovett, but you'll also find Latin, gospel, soul, and R&B. I find that these free shows are good for checking out artists and genres that I might not ordinarily see live. (Listen to songs from the artists at the "Celebrate Brooklyn Shuffle" SoundCloud page.)

Here's the lineup; click on the links for each artist/show to see more details (and, in many cases, videos):

• Tues., June 5th - Jimmy Cliff - 8 p.m. (NPR Music will webcast this show)
• Sat., June 9th - AfroCubism (a collaboration of all-star Malian and Cuban musicians / Alsarah & The Nubatones - 7:30 p.m.
• Thurs., June 14th - Laura Marling / Michael Kiwanuka / Willy Mason - 7 p.m.
• Sat., June 16th - Balkan Beat Box / Chico Trujillo / Nation Beat - 6:30 p.m.
• Thurs., June 21st - Mary Mary / Latice Crawford - 7:30 p.m.
• Fri., June 22nd - Keb' Mo' / Natalia Zukerman - 7:30 p.m.
• Sat., June 23rd - Bud Light Music Series: Lyricist Lounge 20th Anniversary featuring Ghostface Killah / Camp Lo / Astro / & More - 7:30 p.m.
• Fri., June 29th - Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue / The Brooklyn Steppers / Dayna Kurtz - 7:30 p.m.
• Sat., June 30th - Angélique Kidjo's Women Waging Peace with Special Guests Laurie Anderson / Sibongile Khumalo / Somi - 7:30 p.m.
• Sat., July 7th - Souad Massi / Simon Shaheen - 7:30 p.m.
• Sun., July 8th - Ezra Jack Keats Family Concert: Sweet Honey in The Rock - 4 p.m.
• Fri., July 13th - Bud Light Latin Music Series: Celebrate Brooklyn & LAMC present Calle 13 / Ana Tijoux / Ritmo Machine - 7 p.m.
• Fri., July 20th - Machel Montano / BélO - 7:30 p.m.
• Sat., July 21st - Bud Light Latin Music Series: Arturo Sandoval / Arturo O'Farrill & The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra - 7:30 p.m.
• Fri., July 27th - The Head and the Heart / Lost in the Trees - 7:30 p.m.
• Fri., August 3rd - Wild Flag / Mission of Burma - 7:30 p.m.
• Sat., August 4th - The Del McCoury Band / Cahalen Morrison & Eli West / Spirit Family Reunion - 6:30 p.m.
• Fri., August 10th - Bud Light Music Series: Little Dragon / Frankie Rose / Voices of Black - 7:30 p.m.
• Sat., August 11th - Lyle Lovett and His Acoustic Group / Aoife O'Donovan - 7:30 p.m.

Celebrate Brooklyn also includes a number of benefit concerts (some, if not most, may be already sold out). And there are some free shows that I haven't listed above (movies, ballet, etc.) See the Celebrate Brooklyn home page for the full lineup.

2011 CMJ Music Marathon Kicks Off Today

Yes, it does! The 2011 CMJ Music Marathon kicks off at noon.

That annual unwieldy explosion of live music known as the CMJ Music Marathon kicks off today, and in all there will be more than 1,000 bands playing between now and the end of the festival on Oct. 22nd. How to find out what to see amid all those offerings? One way is to check out the picks of various critics and publications (see some selections after the photo), and decide what sounds interesting to you (and which gigs you can get to, dashing between various far-flung venues in Manhattan and Brooklyn).

If you want to just plunge into the massive listings, see the CMJ Music home page here, view the CMJ daily music showcase schedule, or search the CMJ site for artists, venues, or tags. You can also get an official CMJ 2011 smartphone app. And don't forget to download CMJ's 19-song sampler playlist.

Puerto Rico's Davila 666 (shown here at 4 Knots) plays the Knitting Factory Wed.

Here are some guides to help you choose what to see at CMJ:

• Spin offers "30 Can't-Miss Acts at CMJ 2011" (annoyingly presented in one-band-per-webpage format). Among their picks: Pujol, King Krule, Davila 666, Jacuzzi Boys, Machine Gun Kelly, and Stepkids. (Download Spin's free 20-track CMJ 2011 mixtape)
  
  
• NPR Music offers a stream of selections from this year's CMJ bands, with songs by acts including Balkans, Capybara, Davila 666, Dum Dum Girls, Neon Indian, Peelander-Z, Portual. The Man, Shonen Knife, We are Augustines, We Were Promised Jetpacks, and Wild Flag.
  
  
• Brooklyn Vegan will have frequently updated coverage of CMJ 2011; currently you can checkout its picks for the daytime Tuesday shows (most, if not all, are free). Brooklyn Vegan is also sponsoring its own CMJ showcase once again.
  
  
• TimeOut New York has a CMJ 2011 guide with tips on how to get the most out of the festival, staff picks for the best shows to see, and photos from the gigs.
  
  
• NYCGO.com offers its own day-by-day list of recommended CMJ acts, along with a guide to CMJ venues throughout the City. Among its choices: Shonen Knife, Titus Andronicus, and Wild Flag (all playing tonight), as well as The Wombats, Metronomy, CSS, and Dum Dum Girls.

As for me, I'll be taking in Wild Flag and Eleanor Friedberger tonight at Bowery Ballroom and just winging it after that. I'm hoping to see The Duke Spirit in a daytime show tomorrow, and at least one show on the 22nd: CSS, Peelander-Z, or Shonen Knife.

If you're going to CMJ 2011, what acts are you going to see?

Nicole Atkins Plays Free Show at City Winery Monday

Above: A backstage film of Nicole Atkins performing a live version of "My Baby Don't Lie."

The free Nicole Atkins City Winery show that was cancelled in August has been rescheduled for Monday night, Oct. 10th. As you may remember, that show was to be part of City Winery's outdoor Hudson Square music festival series, but heavy rain forced the show to be scratched.

Unlike the summertime show, Monday's gig will be indoors at City Winery. Showtime is 8 p.m. and seating begins at 6:30; the show is first-come, first-served. Opening for Nicole Atkins and her band the Black Sea is an act called My Best Fiend, which I'm not familiar with. 

The Neptune, New Jersey native has been playing in her home stomping ground quite a bit recently, having performed at the Union Country Music Fest a few weeks ago.

You can get a free download of an EP from a show that Nicole Atkins and the Black Sea performed at the Music Hall of Williamsburg. The EP is called "Nicole Atkins and the Black Sea... Till Dawn." The EP features five songs: "This Is For Love," "You Come To Me," "Hotel Plaster," "My Baby Don’t Lie," and "The Tower."

Atkins will be playing in New York again on Dec. 8th at Symphony Space.

Live Music: Sloan at Maxwell's, Union County Music Fest & Other Free Shows, More

Blondie performs "Mother" on the Today Show earlier this week.

For anyone who thought that free outdoor concerts, like wearing white shoes, disappear after Labor Day, here's some good news: there are a number of free outdoor shows and festivals this weekend.

But first, here's a show that's not free but that you might want to catch: Canada's Sloan is playing Maxwell's in Hoboken tonight, and as of now tickets are still available. The band, which is celebrating its 20 year, released its lastest album, "The Double Cross," earlier this year. You Am I and Taylor Locke & The Roughs are also on the bill, and tickets are only $20.

Now to the free stuff. The big event this weekend is the Union County Music Fest, which starts in earnest tonight and runs through Sunday in Oak Ridge Park in Clark, NJ. (See directions page here.) I had a great time at last year's Union County festival and highly recommend this event; it's a nice blend of big-name acts and up-and-comers, classic rockers and new bands, with music on three stages. And it's totally free.

New Jersey native Nicole Atkins will once again play the Union County Music Fest. Photo: Flickr user Kirk Stauffer.

You can check the Union County Music Fest lineup page to see the acts playing each day (I've shown the major acts below, with set times). The music starts earlier each day (4 p.m. on Friday and 11 a.m. on Saturday, for example); see the lineup for each day for the full listing. (Unfortunately, they are on a series of PDF files.)

Friday, Sept 16th
7 - 8:15 p.m.: LIVE's Ed Kowalczyk
8:30 - 10 p.m.: Collective Soul

Saturday, Sept 17th
12 - 1 p.m.: The School of Rock Allstars - the music of The Alarm (with the band's Mike Peters)
1 - 1:30 p.m.: Cy Curnin (of The Fixx)
2 - 3 p.m.: Nicole Atkins and The Black Sea
3:30 - 4:45 p.m.: Toad the Wet Sprocket
5:15 - 6:30 p.m.: Paul Rodgers (of Free, Bad Company, and now Queen)
7 - 8:15 p.m.: Neon Trees
8:45 - 10 p.m.: Blondie

Sunday, Sept 18th
1:30 - 3 p.m.: School of Rock Tribute to Bruce Springsteen
3:45 - 5:15 p.m.: The Smithereens
6 - 7:30 p.m.: Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes

Also this weekend are two free folk festivals, one in Manhattan and one in nearby Weehawken, NJ.

The Washington Square Park Folk Festival takes place Saturday and Sunday in the legendary Greenwich Village park, starting at 2 p.m. each day. The lineups:

Saturday: The Calamity Janes, Ferel Foster, East River String Band, and Whiskey Spitters

Sunday: Bob Malenky, Brotherhood of the Jug Band Blues, The Dust Busters with John Cohen, Willy Gantrim & the Phantoms, Peter Stampfel and the Ether Frolic Mob

The Hudson River West Folk Festival takes place Sunday at Lincoln Harbor Park in Weehawken, with great views of the Manhattan skyline. (Directions to Lincoln Harbor Park here.) Susan Werner and Vance Gilbert are the big draws here, and former Weehawken resident Jane Kelly Williams kicks things off. The lineup:

2 p.m.: Jane Kelly Williams
3 p.m.: Vance Gilbert
4 p.m.: Julian Peterson, solo and with Hudson Crossing
5 p.m.: Eugene Ruffolo
6 p.m.: Susan Werner

Free Music Tonight For Fashion's Night Out: Best Coast, Joss Stone, The Roots, & More

Get More: MTV Supervideo, Music, Best Coast

Above: Best Coast's video for "Our Deal," directed by Drew Barrymore.

Tonight is annual event known as Fashion's Night Out, and in New York that means plenty of free music gigs around town amid the fashion shows and late-night shopping. See the listings from Brooklyn Vegan and Oh My Rockness to see what bands are playing where and when. You can try using the search at the Fashion's Night Out website, but there doesn't seem to be a way to view just the music events, so you pretty much need to search the site by location (searching by band name doesn't work).

Here are some of the events, according to the above sources:

• Best Coast at Helmut Lang, 6 p.m. (event listed as running till 11 p.m., but it's not clear what time Best Coast is playing)
• Ronnie Spector, Lypskinka, and many others at Bergdorf Goodman, 6:45 p.m.
• The Roots at John Varvatos, 9 p.m.
• Real Estate at Ash Footwear Soho, 6 to 10 p.m. (playing acoustic at 8; DJ'ing the rest of the time)
• Kelly Rowland (Destiny's Child) at Macy's Herald Square, 4th Floor, 7 p.m.
• Joss Stone at Macy's Herald Square, 7 p.m.
• Justin Townes Earle (doing songs from the "Rave On!" Buddy Holly tribute album) at Partners and Spade, 6 p.m.
• School of Seven Bells (acoustic) at Treasure & Bond, 8 p.m.

Totally unrelated to Fashion's Night Out, Patti Smith is playing a free concert at Webster Hall. No ticket required, but you'll need to RSVP to get in.

Concert Updates & Free Music Downloads for Hurricane Irene

Spend the hurricane weekend downloading free MP3 sampler albums, like this Kill Rock Stars 20th anniversary compilation.

I was set to write a post yesterday about free concerts coming up for this weekend... and then the news of Hurricane Irene broke. Needless to say, if the storm comes anywhere near shore, any outdoor concerts are going to be cancelled.

I wish that I had posted info about Thursday's free show featuring Wavves and Dee Dee from the Dum Dum Girls at the East River Amphitheater, since today's rain apparently held up and the concert indeed took place. (If anyone went to it, please post your reactions in the comments section below.)

This weekend's shows were to include the H-Mag Music Festival at Hoboken's Pier A park on Saturday, featuring The Walkmen and School of Seven Bells, among others. The good news is that the show will be taking place, and soon. A note on the H-Mag Music Festival website says, "The Music Fest WILL be rescheduled to an upcoming weekend in September with date TBA as soon as possible."

The Afro-Punk Festival in Commodore Barry Park in Brooklyn is still a go, it seems... for now. Santigold, Das Racist, Gym Class Heroes, and others are scheduled to play on Saturday, while Cee Lo Green, Toshi Reagan, Janelle Monae, and others are set to take the stage on Sunday.

An update on the Afro-Punk site reads, "The program of the Afro-Punk Festival hasn't changed until further notice, as this is a rain or shine event. We care about your safety and we'll make announcements if we have to modify the program." For the latest weather updates, check the Afro-Punk Twitter account.

(Brooklyn Vegan notes that a couple of artists have said that the Afro-Punk fest is cancelled. Let's hope the organizers issue an announcement soon to sort this all out.)

For indoor free shows that may or may not be taking place this weekend, see the Oh My Rockness free shows list.

Regarding the big for-pay festival set to take place this weekend—the Dave Matthews Band Caravan on Governors Island—the show will take place as scheduled on Friday, but the Saturday and Sunday shows have been postponed.

If you're hanging out indoors this weekend and don't have to evacuate the premises, this will be the perfect chance to download some free music, and Amazon.com has a new batch of free samplers to choose from. Among them:

• 23 This Year: The Sub Pop Amazon Sampler, with tunes by artists such as Fleet Foxes, the Head and the Heart, Chad Vangaalen, Dum Dum Girls, J Mascis, and Sebadoh.
  
• Merge Records 2011 Sampler, featuring Times New Viking, Apex Manor, Mountain Goats, Wye Oak, and Destroyer, among others.
  
• Kill Rock Stars 20 Year Anniversary Sampler, with songs by performers including Elliott Smith, The Thermals, Bratmobile, Sleater-Kinney, Bikini Kill, Quasi, Corin Tucker Band, and The Decemberists.
  
• Bloodshot Indie-Pendants Sampler, with contributions from artists such as Exene Cervenka, The Detroit Cobras, Justin Townes Earle, Firewater, and Maggie Bjorklund with Mark Lanegan.

There are many more, so check them out and get downloading. Assuming your electricity doesn't go out...

Free Album Streaming: New CDs from Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks, Jeff Bridges, Beirut, Muppets Covers, & More

Above: Preview the self-titled first album by Jeff Bridges this week (link below). In the album trailer above, Bridges talks about the album (which drops today), with snippets from some of the tunes.

There's an unusual mix of old and new musicians in this week's free album previews. Pavement member Stephen Malkmus is back with his latest solo album with his backing band The Jicks, and Beirut returns with its third full-length release.

But there's also the first album from Jeff Bridges—yes, The Dude abides with his own disc of tunes, produced by T-Bone Burnett. Although Bridges says he's been playing music since he was 13, playing a country singer in the movie "Crazy Heart" left him with some songs and the impetus to record them.

And if you're a fan of The Muppets, you'll want to check out the album of pop and rock heavyweights (including OK Go, Weezer, Amy Lee, and My Morning Jacket) covering tunes made famous by the soft-and-fuzzy stars of TV and film.

As usual, the albums are generally available for free streaming only for a week (sometimes more); the exact date is listed if known.

KCRW Album Preview: 
"Mirror Traffic" by Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks (available for streaming through Aug. 28)
"Ghostbird" by Zee Avi (streaming through Sept. 13)

NPR First Listen:
"The Rip Tide" by Beirut
"Apokalypsis" by Chelsea Wolfe
"Muppets: The Green Album" by various artists
"Neon Blue Bird" by Ollabelle

AOL Music Listening Party: 
"Shallow Bay: The Best of Breaking Benjamin" by Breaking Benjamin
"Songs and Stories" by Guy Clark

Spinner.com's Listening Party:
"Jeff Bridges" by Jeff Bridges
"The Duke and the King" by The Duke and the King

And AOL Music and Spinner have many more new albums for free preview this week, including "Bright Lights" by Dead Man Winter (featuring Dave Simonett from Trampled by Turtles), "Shine" by Speed the Plough, "Burning Your House Down" by The Jim Jones Revue, "Out of Love" by Mister Heavenly (featuring members of Islands, Man Man, and Modest Mouse), and "Girl Graffiti" by Hotel Lights (featuring former Ben Folds Five drummer Darren Jessee).

Free Concerts: Wanda Jackson, Billy Bragg, David Wax Museum Play Tonight

Wanda Jackson performs "Shakin' All Over" on Letterman with special guest Jack White.

There are plenty of free gigs in the city this week, including several tonight:

* Wanda Jackson, the queen of rockabilly, plays the SummerStage Main Stage in Central Park tonight. Her amazing career spans many years: Elvis Presley was an old boyfriend, and her latest album was produced by Jack White of the White Stripes. Imelda May, a rising blues/rockabilly singer originally from Ireland, opens tonight's show. I'm hoping to make it to this one; it should be a lot of fun. 7 p.m. (directions to Central Park Main Stage)

* British singer-songwriter Billy Bragg opens the live music season of Lincoln Center Out of Doors tonight, combining political and social awareness with a generous helping of humor. Also on the bill are the Black Earth Boys, which includes two African musicians and a former member of Bragg's old band, the Blokes. The show begins at 7:30 p.m. at the Damrosch Park Bandshell (see directions to Lincoln Center), but the festivities begin earlier with a "Big Busk" event. From the LCOOD website:

"Billy Bragg will lead a group rehearsal at 4:00 for anyone who brings an acoustic guitar to practice that evening’s songs. Between the rehearsal and the 5:30 show, buskers who sign up at rehearsal can perform their own material at locations throughout Lincoln Center’s plazas."

You can find out more at the Big Busk YouTube site.

* Americana group David Wax Museum plays the Mad. Sq. Music series at Madison Square Park. The band blends folk, country, bluegrass, and Mexican music and its live shows have made it a hit this year. 7 p.m. Between Fifth and Madison Aves., 23rd to 26th Sts. (directions to Madison Square Park)
 

Spotify Launches in the U.S.; Joan Jett, Patti Smith Play Free Shows Tonight

The wait is over: Spotify is available to American music lovers as of July 14.

Spotify U.S. launches: After many false starts, the Spotify music streaming service arrived stateside today, July 14th. If you want to use the free service, you'll need to enter your e-mail address to get an invite (I have no idea how long it might take to get one). Spotify also has two options for paid service, at $4.99 and $9.99 a month, that you can sign up for now, without an invite.

If you use the website Klout, you may be able to get a free Spotify account right away through their "perks" program, depending on your "klout" level. (That's how I got my Spotify account today, although my klout score is not that high.)

So far I've been able to listen to a few albums in their entirety (the new Foo Fighters and Taking Back Sunday), so haven't had time to really explore the service too much. It works and sounds good so far, and the ads weren't too intrusive, in my opinion. I'll post more of my impressions of Spotify once I kick the tires a little more.

There was one disturbing note in using Spotify: when I opened the application with my iPod plugged in and iTunes open, Spotify was encouraging me to erase the music, movies, and similar content on my iPod. Huh? Needless to say, I didn't click on that option, and ejected my iPod so there was not even a possibility that its contents could be wiped out.

So what can Spotify do, in its free and paid versions? Spotify's blog introduces the services and explains the options. And Electronista has a quick hands-on guide to the premium Spotify features, with screen shots.

Free NYC shows tonight: Tonight is a good night for free gigs in the City. Here are some of the options:

* Joan Jett and Girl in a Coma, Seaside Summer Concerts, Coney Island, 7:30 p.m.
* Patti Smith and her band, River to River Festival, Castle Clinton, 7 p.m. (free tickets available at 5 p.m. at the site; first come, first served)
* Tune-Yards with Austra, RiverRocks, Hudson River Park (Pier 54), doors: 6 p.m. (show time not listed)

Tonight: Gary U.S. Bonds FREE Show (Photos) in Weehawken to Open Series

Gary U.S. Bonds kicks off Weehawken's free summer concerts tonight.

I know this is late notice, but if you're in the Weehawken/Hoboken area tonight, you might want to check out the free concert by the legendary Gary U.S. Bonds at 7 p.m. on the Hudson River waterfront. (The band Finish This opens the show at 6 p.m.) (UPDATE: See photos from the Gary U.S. Bonds show below.)

This is the first show of the annual Hudson Riverfront Performing Arts Center series, with most shows held on Wednesday nights at 7 p.m. The shows are held in Lincoln Harbor Park (directions), which is just a few blocks from the Lincoln Tunnel. (If you look east you'll see the stage, and the Hudson; look to the west and you'll see the underside of the Lincoln Tunnel helix.)

I'm definitely heading out to this show.

The rest of the HRPAC summer concert series in Weehawken:

• Wed., July 20, 7 p.m.: Paquito and Friends (Latin jazz great Paquito D'Rivera)
  
• Wed., Aug. 10, 7 p.m.: Fusion Tango (musicians and dancers from Argentina)
  
• Mon., Aug. 29, 7 p.m.: Broadway on the Hudson (performing the hits of the golden age of Broadway)
  
• Sun., Sept. 18, 2 p.m.: Hudson River West Folk Festival (established and emerging singer-songwriters)

There are fewer shows this summer than I recall from past years, but considering how the economy has pummeled government budgets, it's good to see this series is still happening.

Photos from the Gary U.S. Bonds Weehawken show:

Gary U.S. Bonds with guitarist Mark Leimbach.

All in the family: Bonds with (most of) his band, including the backup singers Laurie Anderson (his daughter) and Laurie Anderson (his wife).

Bonds and Leimbach, assisted by a couple of young fans.

Free Summer 2011 Concerts: River to River Festival

The River to River Festival in lower Manhattan has become a favorite for its diverse lineup of musicians and variety of venues. Although it's been around for only a decade (compared to a quarter-century for SummerStage), the series offers a good mix of up-and-coming artists, established names, and quirky performers in outdoor locations ranging from Battery Park and South Street Seaport to Castle Clinton and the World Financial Center among many others.

You'll find the complete 2011 River to River music lineup here, but below are some of the interesting highlights:

The Bottom Line Presents New York on My Mind
June 22, Rockefeller Park - 7 p.m.
A celebration of the much-loved departed Greenwich Village club, with performances by a stellar line-up of NYC-area artists including Rosanne Cash, Marshall Crenshaw, Garland Jeffreys, Willie Nile, and Dar Williams, among others.

The Ghost Of a Saber-Toothed Tiger
June 24, South Street Seaport - 7 p.m.
Musical and romantic partners Sean Lennon and Charlotte Kemp Muhl bring their new electric band to New York, following up on the success of their first album, "Acoustic Sessions."

Lower Dens/Dirty Beaches
July 1, South Street Seaport - 7 p.m.
Baltimore’s Lower Dens feature the vocals of singer-songwriter Jana Hunter, who has played with bands including Jracula, Castanets, and Matty & Mossy.

My Brightest Diamond with yMusic
July 7, Castle Clinton - 7 p.m.
Opera-trained Shara Worden, who has worked with musicians including David Byrne and The Decemberists, plays River to River with her band and with the musicians known as yMusic.

The Holmes Brothers
July 5, City Winery - 5:30 p.m.
These old-timers can still kick up a powerful set of blues and R&B music, and you can see them live in this indoor River to River show.

All in Good Time: A Celebration for Jonathan Schwartz; hosted by and starring John Pizzarelli and Jessica Molaskey
July 13, Rockefeller Park - 7 p.m.
Pizzarelli and other singers and musicians pay tribute to Jonathan Schwartz, the longtime WNYC deejay and promoter of the American popular song.

Patti Smith and Her Band
July 14, Castle Clinton - 7 p.m.
The punk-poet legend, who has long performed New Year's Eve shows in NYC, takes the stage in prime time with her band, which puts on a powerful show.

The Radio Dept. with Asobi Seksu
July 15, South Street Seaport - 7 p.m.
Swedish band The Radio Dept. takes the stage on a bill with dream pop group Asobi Seksu, which came out with "Fluorescence" earlier this year.

Other River to River concerts include '80s indie pop group The Wake (July 8), Laurie Anderson and Bill Laswell (June 30), and the "Sound Bites" series (various dates), which features bands including My Teenage Stride, The Hairs, Pow Wow!, and Hospitality.

Free Album Streaming: New CDs from Thurston Moore, Joseph Arthur, Ben Harper, Laura Cantrell, & More

Thurston Moore's new solo album (out May 24th) is now available for free preview.

I didn't expect to post another sample of free album previews so soon, but most of the ones I mentioned last week are no longer available. Obviously it's good to post these sooner rather than later, lest they disappear, so I'll try to post new ones each Monday, which is when they seem to be offered for preview.

Some of the latest free album previews that got my attention when I saw them: a new solo album by Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore; new CDs by singer-songwriters Joseph Arthur and Ben Harper (hear an interview with Harper here); a disc of Iggy Pop bootlegs; several reissues from Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds on Spinner.com; and an album of Kitty Wells tunes by Laura Cantrell, the singer and former host of WFMU's much-loved Radio Thrift Shop show.

And contrary to what I mentioned in last week's post of free album previews, Spinner and AOL Music are still doing separate (though overlapping) listings of album previews. Here's a selection of some of the albums available for preview this week:

NPR First Listen:
Demolished Thoughts by Thurston Moore
The Graduation Ceremony by Joseph Arthur

Spinner.com's Listening Party:
Roadkill Rising: The Bootleg Collection 1977-2009 by Iggy Pop
Euphoric Heartbreak by Glasvegas
Pink Strat by Bahamas (Afie Jurvanen, Feist's guitarist)
Give Til Its Gone by Ben Harper
Diaper Island by Chad VanGaalen
Daydream Nation Soundtrack by various artists (includes tracks by Devendra Banhart, Sebadoh, Emily Haines, Lou Reed, and the Constantines)
Cosmic Ocean Ship by Mia Doi Todd
Let Love In by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds (one of several reissues of the band's albums available on Spinner)
Bury Me in My Rings by The Elected (led by Rilo Kiley's Blake Sennett)

AOL Music Listening Party: 
Kitty Wells Dresses by Laura Cantrell
The Dreaming Fields by Matraca Berg
Cicada by Hazmat Modine