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."

Now Streaming: New Albums from Japandroids, Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Kelly Hogan, & More

The new albums from Japandroids and Neil Young and Crazy Horse are two of the biggest attractions in this week's crop of albums streaming online, but there are some other much-anticipated releases as well. But first, a bit about the Neil Young album.

Japandroids at Maxwell's in Hoboken in late 2010.

Aptly called "Americana," it's Young's take on classical folk and traditional tunes such as "Oh! Susanna," "Gallows Pole," "Wayfarin' Stranger," and "This Land Is Your Land." And the album ends with a rousing version of "God Save the Queen" (the one that has the same melody as "My Country 'Tis of Thee," not the Sex Pistols' tune). This is the first album Young has put out with his old pals Crazy Horse in nine years, and all of his fans will want to check it out.

The wonderfully noisy Canadian duo Japandroids are back with "Celebration Rock," and they've got a lot to celebrate. They've gained a lot of buzz over the last year or so, and their New York shows next month sold out quickly. Which makes me all the more glad that I got to see them about a year and a half ago at the intimate room at Maxwell's.

I loved last year's self-titled album by Marissa Nadler, and will be looking forward to hearing her new release, "The Sister," which is available for preview over at Spinner. Another female singer I'm eager to listen to is Kelly Hogan, the longtime backup singer for Neko Case. Having always liked her voice, I've been interested to see what songs she would choose to tackle. On "I Like To Keep Myself In Pain," she sings songs written for her by some of her well-known collaborators besides case: such as Stephin Merritt, John Wesley Harding, M. Ward, and Vic Chestnutt. There's also one tune that Hogan wrote.

There's a lot more good stuff for preview this week, including the new releases by Liars, Gemma Ray, Julia Stone (without her brother Angus), and more. [Update, May 30: Rolling Stone has added the new album by Crocodiles; see link below.]

And you'll get a second chance at listening to new albums by artists including Sigur Rós, Regina Spektor, and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros.

It's a jam-packed week of album previews; dig in and enjoy.

Rolling Stone:
"Americana" by Neil Young and Crazy Horse
"Endless Flowers" by Crocodiles (if that link doesn't work, try here)

NPR First Listen:
"Celebration Rock" by Japandroids
"I Like To Keep Myself In Pain" by Kelly Hogan
"Valtari" by Sigur Rós
"WIXIW" by Liars

KCRW Album Preview: 
"Heaven" by The Walkmen

Spinner.com's Listening Party:
"The Sister" by Marissa Nadler
"By the Horns" by Julia Stone
"Here" by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
"What We Saw From The Cheap Seats" by Regina Spektor
"Internal Logic" by Grass Widow
"Anxiety" by Ladyhawke
"Island Fire" by Gemma Ray
"Oh Michael, Look What You've Done: Friends Play Michael Chapman" by various artists (featuring Thurston Moore, Meg Bairds, Maddy Prior, and Lucinda Williams)
(and many more albums at Spinner's website)

Free Album Streaming: New CDs from The Walkmen, Regina Spektor, Sigur Rós, & More

New albums by some much-loved indie musicians are streaming online this week, including The Walkmen, Regina Spektor, Sigur Rós, Saint Etienne, and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. I'm looking forward to listening to all of those.



Some other streaming releases I'm interested in checking out: the new live album by the Tedeschi Trucks Band, the new disc from Gossip, and the first album in five years from '80s/'90s British band The Cult. (Note: Gossip plays New York's Terminal 5 Tuesday the 22nd; tickets are still available. And the Gossip set will be streamed live at 9:45 at www.youtube.com/thebowerypresents.)

Also of interest: "Occupy This Album," a collection inspired by/dedicated to the Occupy Wall Steet movement and related endeavors. It features contributions by longtime activist musicians such as Jackson Browne, Ani DiFranco, and David Crosby and Graham Nash, as well as by Richard Barone (of The Bongos), Thievery Corporation, Our Lady Peace, the Warren Haynes Band, and James McMurtry with Joan Baez and Steve Earle.  

As with other such "cause"-related collections featuring contributions by diverse artists, I'm not sure how it will hang together as a cohesive album, but the good thing about streaming is the ability to "try before you buy."

Also this week are new albums by John Mayer, Shannon Stephens, The Cult, and another chance to stream the debut album by Kimbra.

NPR First Listen:
"What We Saw From The Cheap Seats" by Regina Spektor
"Valtari" by Sigur Rós
"Words And Music" by Saint Etienne
"Heaven" by The Walkmen
"Here" by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

Spinner.com's Listening Party:
"A Joyful Noise" by Gossip
"Everybody's Talkin'" by the Tedeschi Trucks Band
"Vows" by Kimbra
"Choice of Weapon" by The Cult
"Too Tough to Live" by Dan Sartain
"Continuity Girl" by Modern Time Machines
"Pull It Together" by Shannon Stephens

AOL Music Listening Party: 
"Born and Raised" by John Mayer
"Constantinople" by The Ides of Gemini
"Occupy This Album" by Various Artists

It's Record Store Day 2011! - Events, Special Releases, More - Sat., April 16th

Today the third Saturday in April, and that means one thing to music geeks: Record Store Day, the time for you to head out to your local independent music store (if you're lucky enough to still have one). As usual, there will be plenty of special vinyl releases as well as live events at many of the 700 or so indie music stores in the U.S. and hundreds of others worldwide.

At the Record Store Day website you can get the location of your local store(s), see what special RSD releases are available, and more. Some of the releases are available only on Record Store Day, others will be at additional stores in the future, and some will be sold only in certain stores or regions. (Note: The Beastie Boys had a single out to benefit the Red Cross Japan Relief Fund, but that now sold out before Noon.)

Besides the usual vinyl-gasm, Record Store Day will include live performances, giveaways, and more. (Find the full list of Record Store Day releases here.) And the RSD website has a number of contests in which you can win a variety of goodies. And as I mentioned last month the Foo Fighters will be driving around to different indie music stores in the white limousine used in their video, "White Limo."

If you're in the NYC area, check out Brooklyn Vegan's guide to Record Store Day events. Here are notes on a few releases and specials for your RSD enjoyment, as well as some random notes:
* Regina Spektor will perform at NYC's Other Music (but you had to be one of the first 100 people to buy her vinyl single there to get access, Brooklyn Vegan says). If you didn't make it, there will be a screening of Spektor's "Live in London" film at Lincoln Center tonight, along with "Sound It Out," a documentary about a record store in the northern English town of Teesside
* Lez Zeppelin, the all-female Led Zep cover band, appears at J&R Music World at 3 p.m. for an in-store performance and signing. J&R will also have a number of special releases including Nirvana's "Hormoaning" 12" EP, Pearl Jam's "Immortality" 7", and R.E.M.'s "First Three Singles From Collapse Into View"
* Utne Reader looks at some of the interesting collections, compilations, and collaborations among today's RSD releases, and offers free streams of the tracks from Sub Pop's collection, "Terminal Sales Vol. 4: Please to Enjoy"
* Bern and the Brights will perform an acoustic set at 4 p.m. at Tunes in Hoboken
* Joan Jett will have a clear-vinyl version of "I Love Rock N' Roll," to celebrate the album's 30th anniversary. See where to find it here
* Billboard looks at Record Store Day and how it has grown in its three years (2011 is the fourth year), and mentions some of the notable musicians who'll be out performing today

And, you can listen to Radiohead's exclusive Record Store Day 2011 songs here.

You can find the latest Record Store Day updates on Twitter at @recordstoreday.

It's looking like rainy weather here in the NYC area, but that won't deter me from visiting my local indie music store for Record Store Day 2011. Get out there and support your local independent music retailer (while it's still there)!

New York Concerts on Sale: Glee, Massive Attack, Public Image Limited, Broken Social Scene, Thom Yorke, and More

I usually don't do two consecutive posts about tickets on sale for New York City concerts, but there are some great ones that will be in high demand and that just went on sale or are about to. The first few listed are already on sale; after that the public on-sale date is listed.

* Massive Attack, Tues. May 11th, Terminal 5
* Atoms for Peace (Thom Yorke's new band), Mon. & Tues. April 5th & 6th, Roseland Ballroom
* Regina Spektor (benefit for Doctors without Borders), Tues. March 23rd, The Fillmore at Irving Plaza
* Public Image Ltd., Tues. May 18th, Terminal 5
* Broken Social Scene, Sat. September 19th, Central Park Summerstage 
* The Thermals, Wed. April 21st, Brooklyn Bowl
* Glee "Live in Concert!," Fri., Sat., Sun. May 28th, 29th, & 30th, Radio City Music Hall (ON SALE: March 23rd)
* Willie Nelson & Family, with special guest the Levon Helm Band, Wed. July 28th, Radio City Music Hall (ON SALE: March 12th)
* Carole King & James Taylor "Troubadour Reunion" (3rd show), Wed., July 30th, Madison Square Garden (ON SALE: March 15th)

Concert News: English Beat, Kristin Hersh, Kate Voegele, Regina Spektor

Lots of concert news in the New York area...

First off, the English Beat is following up its NYC shows from a few months back with three shows at Maxwell's in Hoboken. Tonight's show is a $75 benefit (tickets still available), but tomorrow's show is $25. Friday's show at Maxwell's is sold out.

Young singer-songwriter Kate Voegele returns to the area to promote her new album, "A Fine Mess," due out May 18th. She's at the Highline Ballroom in NYC tonight, and at the School of Rock in South Hackensack, NJ on May 15th.

Some upcoming shows from a couple of other female singer-songwriters that are favorites of mine: Brooklyn Vegan notes that Regina Spektor is coming to the Beacon Theatre for a show on June 17th. A pre-sale began this afternoon, and Warner Bros. is giving away two free song downloads from Spektor's upcoming album "Far" with each ticket purchased.

BV also mentions that Kristin Hersh is going on the road this week, touring Europe for the second half of May. There's one gig scheduled in June, in Brooklyn at The Bell House (a venue I'm not familiar with) on June 18th. Hersh is also doing a couple of shows in Europe with her old mates, Throwing Muses. As Hersh noted on her Twitter account, there was some tense last-minute wrangling to get band member Bernard Georges into the UK, but all has been resolved.

The Donnas greatest hits CD and tour dates mentioned here a few days ago have now been confirmed by the band. More on that later.