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."

Free Album Streaming: New CDs from Heartless Bastards, Of Montreal, & More

 New releases from Heartless Bastards, Band of Skulls, Ben Kweller, Chuck Prophet, and Shearwater highlight the notable albums up for free streaming this week. Heartless Bastards made a big splash a few years ago with their breakout album "The Mountain,"and many listeners got hooked on the booming vocals of lead singer and guitarist Erika Wennerstrom. The band, originally from Dayton, Ohio, now calls Austin home and is back with "Arrow,"its much-anticipated follow-up to "The Mountain."

"Arrow" by Heartless Bastards is one of the new albums streaming free this week.

In addition to the albums below, Exclaim.ca is streaming the new album by the Canadian band Islands, "A Sleeping and A Forgetting," and Pitchfork is streaming "Young and Old," the latest release from Tennis.

Some of the albums that were available last week on some streaming services are now available on other ones, such as Sharon Van Etten's "Tramp"and Paul McCartney's new album of 1940s and '50s songs. (Note: The "Tramp" MP3 album is currently $5.99 at Amazon.com.) Also, Van Etten is celebrating the release of today by offering a free download of a "Serpents" demo here.

KCRW Album Preview: 
"Arrow" by Heartless Bastards (streaming until Feb. 14th; also streaming at NPR Music)
"Plumb" by Field Music (streaming until Feb. 14th; also streaming at NPR Music)

NPR First Listen:
"Animal Joy" by Shearwater
"Le Voyage Dans La Lune" by Air

Spinner.com's Listening Party:
"Tramp" by Sharon Van Etten
"Kisses on the Bottom" by Paul McCartney
"Sweet Sour" by Band of Skulls
"Go Fly a Kite" by Ben Kweller
"Barchords" by Bahamas
"Be the Void" by Dr. Dog
"Paralytic Stalks" by Of Montreal
"Temple Beautiful" by Chuck Prophet
"The Singles" by Goldfrapp
"Let It Be Roberta - Roberta Flack Sings the Beatles" by Roberta Flack

AOL Music Listening Party: 
"Lay Your Weapons Down" by Kiros
"Eulogy for the Damned" by Orange Goblin
"Scars and Stories" by The Fray

Free Album Streaming: New CDs from Sharon Van Etten, Paul McCartney, K'Naan, Heartless Bastards, & More

Paul McCartney's new album, "Kisses on the Bottom," is one of the notable new releases streaming online this week, but the album I'm most interested is "Tramp," the latest from Sharon Van Etten (which I've written about before).

Sharon Van Etten's "Tramp" is streaming online this week; hear a live set she performed at WNYC below.

Granted, I pre-ordered "Tramp" and have had the digital version of the album for a couple of weeks, although it doesn't formally come out until February 7th. It's a solid progression from her breakthrough album, "Epic," and was produced by Aaron Dessner of The National, with whom Van Etten has worked with and toured.

(You can listen above to a live performance she did at WNYC a couple of weeks ago, or download the audio here.)

Paul McCartney's new album will no doubt be the most-streamed release this week. I can't say I've really been a fan of McCartney's work in recent years, and cute titles like "Kisses on the Bottom" and "Memory Almost Full" haven't gotten me enthusiastic about him. But I'll probably check this new album out anyway.

Other notable releases streaming online this week: the new album from Heartless Bastards, the follow-up to "The Mountain" ...  an EP from Somali-Canadian rapper K'Naan (best known for the rousing anthem "Wavin' Flag,") ... the new album by Kami Thompson, daughter of British folk legends Richard and Linda Thompson ... and a collection of unreleased recordings by the late folk singer Karen Dalton, who counted Bob Dylan among her many fans.

And if you missed Leonard Cohen's new album on NPR Music or KCRW last week, it's streaming on AOL Music this week.

KCRW Album Preview:  (also streaming at NPR First Listen)
"Kisses on the Bottom" by Paul McCartney
"Tramp" by Sharon Van Etten
"Arrow" by Heartless Bastards

Spinner.com's Listening Party:
"More Beautiful Than Silence" (EP) by K'Naan
"Knew You Were Waiting: The Best of Aretha Franklin" by Aretha Franklin
"Out of Frequency" by The Asteroids Galaxy Tour
"Nature Experiments" by The Big Sleep
"1966" by Karen Dalton
"Love Lies" by Kami Thompson
"sami.the.great." by sami.the.great.

AOL Music Listening Party: 
"Old Ideas" by Leonard Cohen
"Idiot Heart" by Carsie Blanton
"Golden Gate Groove: The Sound of Philadelphia Live 1973" by Various Artists
"Putumayo - Brazilian Beat" by Various Artists