Concert Notes: Red Hot Chili Peppers, Death Cab Going on Sale

See below for links to tickets to Springsteen and other NYC-area concerts.

Springsteen's New York area shows aren't the only high-demand concerts going on sale this weekend. (See my post with links to tickets for the NYC-region Springsteen shows.) Here are some other gigs on sale today and tomorrow that should sell pretty briskly:

• Red Hot Chili Peppers, Prudential Center in Newark, Fri, May 4th. On sale Sat., Jan. 28th. This is said to be the band's only NYC/NJ area appearance, so pounce if you're into RHCP, pounce. [UPDATE: Second RHCP show added at Prudential Center, May 5th; on sale now.]
• Death Cab for Cutie, Beacon Theatre, with The Magik*Magik Orchestra, Sat., April 28th. Tickets went on sale this morning. (The first show on April 27th is sold out already.)

And there are some interesting upcoming shows now on sale that, while not as popular as Springsteen or the others, are in small venues and will be well worth attending for fans of this blog:

• Suzanne Vega and Duncan Shiek at Highline Ballroom, April 25th and 26th. Tickets went on sale at Noon today. I've seen Vega live many times in different venues, and it's always a good set from her diverse catalog of tunes.
• Graham Parker and the Figgs, City Winery, April 20th. On sale now.
• Richard Barone at City Winery, May 4th,  "Cool Blue Halo" 25th Anniversary Concert with special guests. On sale now. A recreation of the former Bongos frontman's first solo album, plus additional songs, featuring the original quartet from "Cool Blue Halo" with additional musicians. (See an NPR article on the album here.)

By the way, congrats if you got tickets to see The Boss: I got shut out of the Prudential Center and MSG shows. The wait times on Ticketmaster were unlike anything I had ever seen. No doubt scalpers were out in force to snap up the tickets. No doubt Springsteen and band will add more shows, maybe at MetLife Stadium or other outdoor venues in the late summer after they wrap up their European tour in late July.

Music Notes, Ladies' Edition: Willie Mae Benefit Show & More

Help support girls who rock at the Willie Mae benefit in Brooklyn Saturday.

Any regular reader of this blog knows that I'm a big fan of female artists, but this edition of Music Notes is devotedly solely to women (and girls) who rock.

* 7th Sound Wave: Benefit for Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls: the Brooklyn training ground for female rockers will be the beneficiary of a show this Saturday night at Manifesta Loft in Brooklyn (315 Seigel St., Apt 217). The performers will be female or female-fronted bands, including teen punk-pop trio Care Bears on Fire and Big Nils (featuring Coco Moore, daughter of Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon).

Also on the bill: Bad Credit No Credit, Shady Hawkins, and Titus Andronicus member Amy Klein (her feminist group Permanent Wave is organizing the benefit). Klein will also be taking part in a panel discussion on women in music, with participants spanning the generations.

I've missed several Willie Mae benefits in the past, but really want to catch this one—though it overlaps somewhat with a good country/bluegrass show in the Roots of American Music series at Lincoln Center Out of Doors. (The good news is that the 7th Sound Wave show begins with the panel at 8 p.m., and since the LCOOD show is at 6, it's possible to catch part of the first and then see all the music at the second.)

The Willie Mae benefit is only $7, and for that you get to see a number of up-and-coming female rockers (plus the panel, if you get there early). You can't beat that, in my book.

Permanent Wave's 7th SOUND WAVE: Benefit for the Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls
Manifesta Loft, 315 Seigel St., Apt 217
Brooklyn, NY
All ages; admission: $7
(link to brief article with map)

Celebrate the release of the Runaways tribute record tonight at the Jersey Shore.

* Speaking of spanning the generations of female rockers (and of Care Bears on Fire), CBOF will be playing tonight, Aug. 12th, at the release party for Take It or Leave it, a tribute album to The Runaways. The show is at Brighton Bar in Long Branch, NJ. Also playing will be Richard Barone (formerly of the Bongos), Frankenstein 3000, The Easy Outs, Clinical Trials, and more.

The album, Take It Or Leave It - A Tribute To the Queens of Noise: The Runaways, is a two-disc set that was released on June 28th and features contributions from Shonen Knife, The Donnas, the Dandy Warhols, and David Johansen of The New York Dolls, and many others. (Buy Take It Or Leave It at Amazon.com)

The Runaways Tribute Album Release Party
Brighton Bar, 121 Brighton Ave., Long Branch, NJ
Admission: $10
(directions and info on the venue)

The Go-Go's (seen here playing in NYC) received their star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

* Coincidentally, these concerts are happening the same week that perhaps the most successful all-female rock band, the Go-Go's, got a big honor. Yesterday the band received its star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and as far as I know all of the current band members were on hand. You can see photos from the Go-Go's Walk of Fame festivities here.

Congratulations to the Go-Go's!

Live This Week: Sarah Harmer, Kristin Hersh, The Posies, Roky Erickson, Care Bears on Fire & More

Every week is a good week for live music in the New York area, but this one has something that piques my interest almost every night. Here's the rundown on my selected list of gigs:

Wed., Nov. 10: Sarah Harmer and Hey Rosetta!, Gramercy Theatre, 8 p.m. - You may remember Harmer from her breakout hit "Basement Apartment" back in the 1990s, but she's put out a lot of great folk-pop-rock music since then. She's at the Gramercy to support her latest album, "Oh Little Fire."

Fri., Nov. 12: Roky Erickson, The Above, and The Happen-Ins, Maxwell's, 9:30 p.m. - Erickson is a legendary pioneer of psychdelic rock, best known for his work with 13th Floor Elevators. He disappeared for years due to mental illness, but has made a comeback in recent years.

Fri., Nov. 12: Kristin Hersh, 92nd Street Y Tribeca, 8 p.m. - Known as the leader of Throwing Muses and 50 Foot Wave and for her extensive solo work, Hersh will play music at this gig as well as read from her recently released memoir, "Rat Girl."She's been one of my all-time favorites since the 1980s.

Sat., Nov. 13: Brendan Benson, The Posies, and Aqueduct, Highline Ballroom, 6:30 p.m. - Many people may know Brendan Benson, who is a member of Jack White's project The Raconteurs, but older rock & roll fans will jump at the chance to see The Posies. This band, led by Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow, has been crafting great pop music for more than two decades. Amazingly, this show is not yet sold out (as of Wednesday afternoon). (Check for Posies/brendan Benson tickets here.)

Sat., Nov. 13: Richard Barone, Maxwell's, 7:30 p.m. - The former leader of Hoboken's own The Bongos returns to the club where it all began for them. Barone has a number of solo albums under his belt; his latest album is "Glow."

Sun., Nov. 14: Care Bears on Fire, Jack Skuller, and Indian Rebound, Rockwood Music Hall Stage 2, 2 p.m. - The Brooklyn teen pop-punk trio plays a record release party to celebrate its new EP, "Girls Like it Loud." I missed them at the recent Hoboken Arts & Music Festival, but look forward to catching them at Rockwood.

Richard Barone, Care Bears on Fire, Losers Lounge to Play Hoboken Arts & Music Festival

Above: Richard Barone (right) and James Mastro playing at the reunion show of The Bongos at the Hoboken Arts & Music Festival in October 2007. 

The two annual editions of the Hoboken Arts & Music Festival usually attract good musical talent, and this year's Fall festival (Sunday, Oct. 3rd) is no exception. Richard Barone, best known as the leader of the much-loved 1980s Hoboken band The Bongos, will be playing the event, and I wouldn't be surprised to see a former Bongo or two getting on stage to join him. (Bongos guitarist James Mastro, who was later in The Health and Happiness Show, owns the Hoboken music shop Guitar Bar, and the the Guitar Bar All-Stars will be playing the festival.)

The Bongos reunited at the Festival three years ago and sounded as good as ever.

The Hoboken Arts & Music Festival runs from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday on Washington Street, from near City Hall up to 7th Street.

Also at the Fall edition of the festival: the Losers Lounge Disco Tribute (the headliners, playing at 4:30 p.m.), all-female teen pop/punk outfit Care Bears on Fire, the Guitar Bar All-Stars, and Hoboken band The Fave. There are also a variety of local acts and family entertainers. Find out the entertainment schedule at the Hoboken festival's web page.

The Bongos Reunion: Drums (and Guitars) Along the Hudson

James Mastro (left) and Richard Barone (right) of The Bongos

Back in the early '80s, Hoboken, New Jersey gave birth to a thriving alternative rock scene epitomized by The Bongos. Though lead singer and guitarist Richard Barone and guitarist James Mastro have both continued music careers since then, The Bongos have not performed more than a few shows together since they broke up 20 years ago.

They had a rousing reunion yesterday as the headliners of the Hoboken Music and Arts Festival, which also featured sets by other New Jersey artists from the same era. The Bongos' set was preceded by The Health and Happiness Show, Mastro's 1980s roots-rock ensemble; Glenn Mercer, leader of The Feelies, the much-loved and acclaimed late '70s/'early '80s band from Haledon, NJ; and Chris Stamey, former frontman for The dB's.

The Bongos sounded like they picked up right where they left off: they played a tight set of their old tunes, including most of their Drums Along the Hudson album. The reunion timing was uncanny: this summer saw the issuing of a remastered, expanded version of the CD, including live tracks from a concert in London and the first recorded Bongos show... and even a 2007 remix of the song "Bulrushes" by Moby.

Before beginning their set, The Bongos were presented with a proclamation by the mayor of Hoboken. While I couldn't hear the whole thing--I'm not sure if they proclaimed Sept 30th "Bongos Day" or something--it was great to see them getting this recognition from the city that was their home base. And judging from the amount of gray-haired folks I saw standing in the front of the audience, I'm not the only person in the crowd who remembers The Bongos from their heyday at Maxwell's more than 20 years ago.

Seeing the sets at the Festival reminded me of just how much I enjoyed these bands in the past, and still do. Creative, inventive pop with catchy hooks galore. Some music from that era sounds dated and I can't listen to it anymore. I bought the new version of "Drums Along the Hudson" at Tunes, the local record store, while walking home from the festival, and it still sounds good.