Concert Notes: Tickets for Grace Potter, Regina Spektor, Off!, & More Going on Sale Fri.

Friday's another big day for popular concerts going on sale, whether you're interested in the strong female voices of Grace Potter, Regina Spektor, and Erika Wennerstrom of Heartless Bastards to the rousing rock of Off! and the bluesy jams of Gov't Mule (for those who like to plan ahead for New Year's Eve). Here are the details:

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals play the Beacon on Nov. 16th & 17th.

On sale Fri., Aug. 17th:
* Grace Potter & the Nocturnals at the Beacon Theatre, Fri. & Sat., Nov. 16th & 17th. On sale: 1 p.m.
* Gov't Mule at the Beacon Theatre, Sun. & Mon., Dec. 30th & 31st. On sale: 12 p.m.
* Regina Spektor at the Beacon Theatre (with special guest Only Son), Wed., Oct. 24th. On sale: 9 a.m.
* Heartless Bastards at Irving Plaza (with Futurebirds), Sat., Oct. 27th. On sale: 10 a.m.
* Off! at Irving Plaza (with The Spits and Double Negative), Tues., Oct. 16th. On sale: 10 a.m.
* The Dirty Guv'nahs at Highline Ballroom, Tues., Nov. 15th. On sale: 12 p.m.

If you're interested in free shows this weekend, there's no shortage. On Saturday, there's an afternoon Australia Day show at Central Park SummerStage; Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings (with The Electric Sound of Johnny Arrow, Antibalas, and SJDK) at Williamsburg Park; and Tokyo Police Club headlining the Lackawanna Music Festival in Hoboken (see info on the festival layout and set times here).

Free shows on Sunday the 19th include an afternoon Jamaica's 50th Anniversary of Independence Celebration with Inner Circle, Israel Vibration, and more at Central Park SummerStage, and comedy in East River Park as the Upright Citizens Brigade presents "The All-Stars of Improv."

What's Going on New Year's Eve 2011? Live Music in NYC

There's no shortage of live music in the New York area on New Year's Eve, and here's a selective guide to some of shows that still have tickets available (as of around 11:30 p.m. on Dec. 28th). Naturally, a lot of shows are sold out by this time, including Patti Smith at Bowery Ballroom, Gogol Bordello at Terminal 5, and Ted Leo & the Pharmacists at Maxwell's. But there are still some good shows you can get into, depending on your musical preferences, geographical area, and budget.

Deer Tick & friends play at Brooklyn Bowl on New Year's Eve.

Check out websites like the Oh My Rockness show list or Gig-o-Meter for more shows. For parties in NYC at bars, clubs, etc., with or without live music, see the MurphGuide New Year's Eve guide.

Here are some interesting shows that still have tickets as of late Wednesday night:

• The Damnwells play two shows at Rockwood Music Hall's Stage 2, at 8:30 (doors 7:30) and 11 (doors 10:30). Tickets are $20 for each show.
• Assembly of Dust with Jason Crosby & Lucy Chapin at Mercury Lounge, doors: 8:30. $35.
• Deer Tick & Friends (J. Roddy Walston and the Business, Dead Confederate, and Virgin Forest) at Brooklyn Bowl. Show at 8 p.m. (doors 6). $45.
• Matt & Kim at Hammerstein Ballroom, 9 p.m. $55 ($66.75 with fees).
• The Fleshtones, The Waldos (featuring Walter Lure of Johnny Thunders' Heartbreakers), The Todd Youth All-Stars, The Threads, The Dead Tricks, and "a surprise performance by a secret rockabilly legend" at The Bowery Electric, 8:15 p.m. (7:30 doors). $20.
• Los Lobos at City Winery, 7:30 p.m. (5:30 seating); tickets from $60. (There may be literally one or two tickets available for the 11 p.m. Los Lobos show.)
• Gov't Mule at Beacon Theatre, 9 p.m. $59.50 to $84 ($73.35 to $100.45 with fees).
• Chuck Berry at B.B. King's, 8 p.m. (doors at 6) and 11 (doors at 10), $100 ($120 with fees).

Free Album Streaming: New CDs from the Dropkick Murphys, Warren Haynes, & More

New live albums from the Dropkick Murphys and Warren Haynes and friends highlight the new CDs up for free online preview this week. These two releases from musicians who specialize in high-energy live shows should make up in quality for what's missing in quantity in yet another week with a relatively slim number of titles available for preview.

The Haynes album is a two-disc set to benefit Habitat for Humanity and it features the guitarist and some of his very talented friends: there's his own band, Gov't Mule; Bob Weir & Friends; John Hiatt & The Goners; Robert Randolph & The Family Band, and others. According to Haynes' website, the show was recorded at his annual Christmas jam in 2002. I'm not sure why it took so long to see the light of day, but nevertheless it's here now.


The new Dropkick Murphys album includes 10 live songs from their Fenway Park shows.

The new Dropkick Murphys release, "Going Out in Style: Live at Fenway Park Edition," includes the band's full "Going Out In Style" album as well as 10 songs recorded live at their Fenway Park shows in the fall. Among the live tracks are "Hang 'Em High," "Sunday Hardcore Matinee," and of course the title track.

Another notable new album streaming this week is "The Very Best of Neil Diamond," featuring 23 of the original studio recordings by the singer and songwriting legend whose tunes have been covered by everyone from The Monkees to Barbra Streisand to Urge Overkill. Just this week Diamond was feted at the prestigious Kennedy Center Honors.

Also on preview this week is a release I'm really looking forward to hearing: "Whitehorse," the self-titled album by the duo of acclaimed Canadian roots singer-songwriters Luke Doucet and Melissa McClelland. (This isn't exactly a "new" release since it dropped in August, but in any case it's up for streaming this week.)

For R&B fans, there are new albums by Anthony David and Anthony Hamilton.

Spinner.com's Listening Party:
"Going Out in Style: Live at Fenway Park Edition" by the Dropkick Murphys
"New Album" by Boris
"Sweet Creatures" by Crash Street Kids
"Dog Year" by Miracles of Modern Science
"The Lost and Found" by The White Buffalo

AOL Music Listening Party: 
"Warren Haynes Presents The Benefit Concert Volume 4" featuring Warren Haynes and others
"The Very Best of Neil Diamond" by Neil Diamond
"Whitehorse" by Whitehorse
"Live from Paris" by Shakira
"Location, Location, Location" by Anthony David
"Damn Son" by Kid Is Qual
"Hats Off to the Bull" by Chevelle

NPR First Listen:
"Back to Love" by Anthony Hamilton

Live Music in NYC on New Year's Eve

For people who don't want to pay outrageous amounts of money for an open-bar party on New Year's Eve or, at the opposite extreme, stay home that night, there are plenty of options for the music fan in New York.

Some musicians love performing in NYC on New Year's Eve, and have made a tradition of it. Blues and roots rockers Gov't Mule are doing their usual multi-night stand at the Beacon Theatre, Dec. 28th to 31st, with different opening acts each night. Tickets cost the most on the New Year's Eve show, but that gig features three full sets of Mule.

Patti Smith and her band also perform several shows in NYC at the end of the year, Dec. 29th to 31st, at Bowery Ballroom. All three are sold out, but you can probably buy tickets from a scalper outside the hall.

Chris Rock performs at Madison Square Garden, with musical guest Jill Scott also on the bill.

Gogol Bordello brings its gypsy punk rock to Midtown's Terminal 5. Tickets are still available as of Saturday p.m., Dec. 29th.

Studio B is having a New Year's Eve party with Slick Rick the Ruler, Moby, Frankie Bones , Kudu, Holy Ghost!, Jacques Renault, The Bangers, and Eamon Harkin.

The Village Voice has a whole page full of New Year's Eve parties and events.

Happy New Year!