Nicole Atkins Kicks Off Free Madison Square Music Concerts Tonight

Jersey Shore native Nicole Atkins plays the first show of Madison Square Music's annual series of free oval lawn shows tonight at 7 p.m. in Madison Square Park. She's coming off this year's great new album, "Slow Phaser," which was funded partly through Pledge Music crowdfunding and features the infectious tune (and video), "Girl You Look Amazing" (below).

Her vocals can be smoky and sultry, with rock and pop songs that can show blues, country, and torch-song influences, among others. Atkins first made a mark with her song "Neptune City," written about her shore neighborhood, and has since been praised critics ranging from Paste, Rolling, Stone, and American Songwriter. This should be a great show. Oh, and there's a Shake Shack in the park, too, so you can cool off with one of their zillion-calorie milkshakes.



See the rest of Madison Square Park's 2014 oval lawn shows here.

We've written about some of the summer's other free concert series, including SummerStage and Celebrate Brooklyn, in a previous post, so check that out for more free music.

Recap: "A Loveletter to New York" Show at City Winery

It was a great night of music Tuesday night at City Winery, with about a dozen acts (and various backing musicians) playing a benefit to raise funds for victims of Hurricane Sandy.

Despite all the talent that took the stage, the event, called "A Loveletter to New York," had the relaxed feel of a coffeehouse concert. Some artists sang and played guitar, while others performed with only one or two additional players, rather than the full band that might otherwise accompany them.

Jesse Malin (right) at Tuesday's show.

For me, this was a plus: the low-key, mostly acoustic setting meant that there was no downtime between acts for hauling amps, drums, etc. on and off the stage. So the performers got to spend a maximum amount of time singing and playing.

Each artist did two or three songs, and I got to see performances by acts that I'd heard of for years but had never before seen (Sasha Dobson, Ari Hest, Alberta Cross, and most of all, Nicole Atkins), as well as artists I'd seen before and enjoyed (Joan Osborne, Jesse Malin, and Matisyahu). And there were some performers who were new to me: Kevin Devine, Chris Ayer, Lesley Pike, and Bobby Long.

Matisyahu, one of the Tuesday's crowd favorites.

There were many highlights; among them: Jesse Malin rocking the crowd with "If I Should Fall from Grace with God" and "Burning on the Bowery"; Ari Hest singing "The Wake"; and Matisyahu (backed with guitar and stand-up bass) doing "Crossroads," "Live Like a Warrior," and "Happy Hanukkah."

The last two acts were Nicole Atkins and Joan Osborne, and they lived up to what amounted to headline billing. Accompanying herself on guitar, Atkins sang with a voice full of emotion as she did two of her songs, including "Neptune City" (the ode to her Jersey Shore hometown), and a cover of Roy Orbison's "Crying."

Most of the evening's musicians take the stage for the night's finale.

I had seen Joan Osborne once before, maybe a decade or so ago, and last night her voice sounded as good as it did before. I haven't kept up with her album releases since then other than hearing a tune or two on WFUV, so I was glad that two of the three songs she did were from her first album, "Relish": "St. Teresa" and her ubiquitous hit, "One of Us."

The show ended with most of the musicians returning to the stage to perform "Silent Night" and the Beatles' "In My Life," a beautiful and fitting pair of songs considering both the time of year and the concert's occasion, about seeking peace and recalling the people and places that are special to us. All in all, it was a fine concert featuring a great line-up of experienced artists.

The concert was webcast live, and an emcee at the show said some of the songs would be released on an album (no specifics yet on where or when).
 
All proceeds from "A Loveletter to New York" were to benefit the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, a charity set up in memory of FDNY firefighter Stephen Siller, who perished in the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.

Matisyahu, Joan Osborne, Nicole Atkins, & Many More Playing Sandy Benefit Tues. at City Winery

Matisyahu has been added to what was already a great Hurricane Sandy benefit show at City Winery Tuesday, Dec. 18th, the venue announced Monday. The show, called "A Loveletter to New York," features a lot of artists who either live in the City or have close connections to it. [Update: Matisyahu announced today on his Twitter account that he will be performing three acoustic songs at the show.}

Lots of musicians with an NYC connection play a benefit at City Winery.

On the bill are Joan Osborne, Ari Hest, Nicole Atkins (who recently recorded a new version of her song "Neptune City" as a benefit), Alberta Cross, Bobby Long, Kevin Devine, Sasha Dobson, Jesse Malin, and Chris Ayer, as well as what City Winery is billing as "many more VERY big surprise guests."

Matisyahu, the international rap-reggae star, is a native of the NYC area, and performed at Terminal 5 this past Saturday.

There are still tickets available for "A Loveletter to New York," ranging from $35 to $65. The concert is listed as starting at 7 p.m. The show benefits the Tunnel to Towers foundation.

Another talent-packed with a local flavor takes place on Thursday, only this time "local" means the Hoboken/north Jersey area. Maxwell's is the site for the Holiday Banding concert, which features performances by Chris Butler, Tammy Faye Startlite, Julio Fernandez, The Gefkens, Abbe Rivers, Karen Kuhl, Jack Skuller, Dave Calamoneri, The Cucumbers with Jon & Deena, Lloyd Gold, Bianca Bob, Gene Turonis, Emily Turonis & The Ideals, Sputnik, Jim Testa, AnnaLee Van Kleeck, and Tom Vincent & The Holiday Banding House Band.

The show starts at 7 p.m., costs only $7, and all sales will benefit Rebuild Hoboken.

Benefit Shows to Aid Hurricane Sandy Victims

Will Sheff is one of many artists appearing at Thursday's Brooklyn benefit.

Aaaand we're back. Although Podcast Party HQ has power and heat, a lot of people in the tri-state area are still suffering. So instead of our usual early-week post detailing streaming albums for the week, we'd like to spotlight some upcoming shows and events to benefit those affected by Hurricane Sandy. (More will be added as we hear about them.)

[UPDATE, Nov. 6th: Oh My Rockness has put up a list of Hurricane Sandy benefit shows, which will no doubt be growing; you may want to bookmark it. Among the shows added: a Bad Brains tribute tonight, Tuesday, benefiting Amnesty International and the Red Cross featuring H.R. (of the Bad Brains), Jesse Malin, Vernon Reid, Steve Earle, and others at Bowery Electric.]

This Thursday the Knitting Factory in Brooklyn is hosting East Coast Relief, which features a diverse lineup of great performers: Will Sheff (Okkervil River), Jared Evan, Kevin Devine, Jennifer O'Conner, Jean Grae, Holly Miranda, Geoff Rickly (Thursday), Bird of Youth, Jaymay, Brian Bonz, Zumo Kollie, Sonya Kitchell, and DJ Rajni Jacques. Tickets are $40 here, with all proceeds said to be benefiting the Red Cross. [Update, Nov 7th: see set times here.]

Blues guitarist Gark Clark Jr. is playing Brooklyn Bowl Tuesday night (tomorrow), Spinner says, with admission being a minimum donation of $20. Attendees are also urged to bring items such as nonperishable food, bottled water, blanket, clothing, and other similar items.

Dean Ween of the recently broken-up The Weens is playing a benefit show at The Saint in Asbury Park on Nov. 11th, says Brooklyn Vegan. [Update, Nov. 7th: Brooklyn Vegan says the show has now been pushed back to Nov. 28th.] Ween says the gig is to benefit "my good friend Nick Honachefsky who lost his home and all of his worldly possessions in the storm."

The show, called "Dean Ween and Friends," will include Claude Coleman, Glenn McClelland, Chris Harford, Dickie Moist, and others, and Ween says, " The evening will feature new music and old music by Moistboyz, Chris Harford, Jimmy Wilson, members of Ween, etc." Check the website of The Saint later for details; the show doesn't yet appear on their calendar.

There will no doubt be more benefit concerts announced later; we'll post these as we hear about them.

Also: Jersey Shore native Nicole Atkins talks with the Village Voice about the devastation in her home territory. She's planning on re-recording "Neptune City," the title song from her debut album, and donating the proceeds to relief efforts. [UPDATE, Nov. 6th: You can download "Neptune City (for the shore)" here for a minimum donation of two dollars.]

Music Notes: Stream Wild Flag & Zola Jesus Concerts; CMJ's Last Hurrah; Dum Dum Girls Play Maxwell's

Stream Wild Flag's Washingotn, D.C. concert at NPR Music (below).

Intrepid rock fans are preparing for the final day (and night) of CMJ 2011, but in the New York area the live music continues every day. A few CMJ-related items of note...

• If you missed Wild Flag at CMJ or their other NYC appearances, you can still get a feel for what their live show is like because NPR Music has posted a stream of the gig they played in Washington, D.C. earlier this week (it was webcast live).
  
  The setlist is pretty similar to the one from Tuesday's CMJ show at Bowery Ballroom, including one of their cover tunes (Television's "See No Evil"). The web page for the Wild Flag concert stream has the setlist as well. It doesn't appear than you can download this show, however.
  


• The singer known as Zola Jesus performed at Le Poisson Rouge on Wednesday as part of CMJ, and you can stream or download the set here from NPR Music.
  
  
• The Dum Dum Girls show at CMJ last night sold out well in advance, but the good news is that they're playing at Maxwell's in Hoboken on Monday night the 24th, and as of this writing there are still some tickets left. Crocodiles and Royal Baths are also on the bill. (Link to Dum Dum Girls tickets at Maxwell's.) You can stream "Only in Dreams" by the Dum Dum Girls here at TheFader.com.
  
  
• CMJ 2011 is going out with a bang on Saturday, with more than 12 hours of live music at venues all over the City. Check the CMJ Music schedule for listings by time, or search CMJ gigs by artist, venue, etc.
  
  And don't forget, a lot of the CMJ shows won't cost you a thing (see the Oh My Rockness listing of free gigs, CMJ and otherwise). Bands performing on Saturday include DOM, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Shonen Knife, Givers, Wavves, Purity Ring, Nicole Atkins, Wise Blood, Casiokids, Memoryhouse, Cold War Kids, and a couple of bands with two of the more inventive names, Diarrhea Planet and Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs.

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 Summer Concerts: Nicole Atkins Tonight; Deer Tick Thurs.; Roots of American Music Fest. this Weekend

Nicole Atkins plays a free show outside City Winery at 5:30 Tuesday.

Another week of free concerts is underway, and here are some of my picks.

[UPDATE: The Nicole Atkins show is postponed because of the heavy rain, City Winery announced at 4:30 p.m. on its Twitter and Facebook pages. They say they will try to reschedule a make-up date.]

Tues., Aug. 9th: Nicole Atkins at Hudson Square: the South Jersey native plays the second-to-last show in the after-work Hudson Square series, which takes place in the parking lot behind City Winery. Atkins recently came out with her second album, "Mondo Amore." Showtime is 5:30 p.m. City Winery is at 155 Varick St. between Vandam and Spring Street; you can enter the festival area from Spring Street (between Varick and Hudson) or from Vandam between Varick and Hudson.

Wed., Aug. 10th: performance artist Laurie Anderson takes the stage at Lincoln Center Out of Doors; also on the bill is fiddler and composer Todd Reynolds in a debut collaboration with Sxip Shirey and Adam Matta (of the Carolina Chocolate Drops) and a section of violinists. Showtime is 7:30 p.m. at Damrosch Park Bandshell (map/directions) in Lincoln Center.

Thurs., Aug. 11th: Deer Tick and Dom at RiverRocks (Pier 54): Led by John McCauley, Deer Tick brings its blend of punk, blues, country and more to the RiverRocks series at Hudson River Park. (Hear an early performance by Deer Tick in what may have been their first radio broadcast set, from WNYC in January 2006.) Also on the Thursday's bill are Dom and Translations. Doors: 6 p.m. Hudson River Park, Pier 54 (map and directions to Pier 54.)

And the Roots of American Music Festival closes out Lincoln Center Out of Doors this weekend, with a series of great roots/Americana musicians Saturday and Sunday. The whole thing ends with a bang late Sunday afternoon with a show featuring legendary soul guitarist Steve Cropper, Bettye Lavette, The Bar-Kays, and the North Mississippi All-Stars Duo. On the schedule:

Sat., Aug. 13th, 2 p.m.: banjo player and singer Abigail Washburn; folk-rock singer Sid Selvidge with Sons of Mud Boy; and Sun Records oral histories. Location: Hearst Plaza Stage (venue info), Lincoln Center.

Sat., Aug. 13th, 5 p.m.: Ebony Hillbillies, a black string band with "a rootsy, homegrown style that was a key element in the genesis of all-American music: jazz, blues, bluegrass, rockabilly, rock and roll, and country." Location: Josie Robertson Plaza (map/directions), Lincoln Center.

Sat., Aug 13th, 6 p.m.:  country and bluegrass show with Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives; Sonny Burgess; Cowboy Jack Clement; Rudy “Tutti” Grayzell and Hayden Thompson; Dailey and Vincent. Location: Damrosch Park Bandshell (map/directions)

Sun., Aug. 14th, 5 p.m.: Steve Cropper and Friends: Tribute to the 5 Royales (New York debut) with Bettye Lavette, Ellis Hooks, and Dylan LeBlanc; The Bar-Kays; North Mississippi All-Stars Duo; Big Sam's Funky Nation. Location: Damrosch Park Bandshell (map/directions)

NJ Natives Done Good Playing Tonight: Pete Yorn, Nicole Atkins, Anthony D'Amato

Jersey Shore native Nicole Atkins plays Maxwell's in Hoboken tonight. She's seen here playing South by Southwest last year. Photo: Flickr user Kirk Stauffer.

Some musicians from the Garden State who've made a big splash are playing shows in the New York/New Jersey area tonight. Montville native Pete Yorn returns for a long-awaited concert at NYC's Terminal 5, his first gig in the area since one at Bowery Ballroom a few months ago that sold out in minutes.

Opening for Yorn is Ben Kweller and Anthony D'Amato, a 23-year-old singer-songwriter who got help writing lyrics from poet Paul Muldoon while attending Princeton University. I first heard of D'Amato when the New York Times did an article about him and his work with Muldoon a couple of months ago.

Nicole Atkins has made a big splash since coming out of Neptune, NJ a few years back, and returns to the state for a show tonight at Maxwell's in Hoboken (which sold out a day or so ago; you may be able to find someone selling extra tickets outside the club). She and her newly named band The Black Sea are supporting their new album "Mondo Amore." (Note: Atkins is playing an early show scheduled to start at 7:30; The Blasters play a late show at the club scheduled for 10 p.m.)

After tonight's Maxwell's gig, Atkins will play a number of set at South by Southwest in Austin next week.

Free Album Streaming: New CDs from PJ Harvey, Adele, Nicole Atkins, Foo Fighters (Sort of), & More

Above: Foo Fighters performing "Rope," from their forthcoming album. You can preview live versions of what's said to be all the songs on the new album at the link at the bottom of this post.

Some much-anticipated new albums are up for free streaming, including Adele's follow-up to her acclaimed "19," the latest twist in the ever-changing musical journey of PJ Harvey, the sophomore album from New Jersey native Nicole Atkins, and the new work from Bright Eyes. And you can preview the new Foo Fighters album (sort of: a blog has put together videos of live versions of what it says are every song on the band's new album).

See the respective websites for a full listing of album previews being offered. The date that streaming ends is given, when known.

KCRW Album Preview: 
"Let England Shake" by PJ Harvey (streaming until March 8; release date: Feb. 15)
"21" by Adele (streaming until March 8; release date: Feb. 22)
"Bella" by Teddy Thompson (streaming until March 1; album out now)

NPR First Listen:
"The People's Key" by Bright Eyes (streaming until Feb. 15, its release date)

Spinner.com's Listening Party has albums including:
"Mondo Amore" by Nicole Atkins"Tao of the Dead" by ...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead
"The Long Surrender" by Over the Rhine
... and three albums by legendary Nigerian singer, songwriter, and activist Fela Kuti

AOL Music Listening Party has album previews including: 
"Now That's What I Call Music! #37" by Various Artists
"Now That's What I Call Music! Modern Songbook" by Various Artists
"The Sing-Off: The Best of Season 2" by Various Artists
"The Music Inside - A Collaboration Dedicated to Waylon Jennings, Vol. I" by Various Artists

Music blog Consequence of Sound has put together videos of what it believes to be all the songs on the new, so-far-untitled Foo Fighters album, which comes out in April, in the order they'll appear. These videos were made at different times and places by different people, so the quality may vary widely.