Free Concerts: Madison Square Park and RiverRocks (Pier 84)

Here's information on two very different free-music series going on in NYC this summer, the Mad. Sq. Music series and the RiverRocks concerts at Pier 84.


Bettye LaVette plays Madison Square Park on Aug. 8th.

* Mad. Sq. Music features roots music on the lawn on Wednesday nights (usually), from June 20th to August 8th (oops, I'm writing this too late for the first show).

• June 27th, 6:30 p.m.: Gretchen Parlato and Gregory Porter (jazz vocalists)
• July 4th, 3 p.m.: Noam Pikelny and Friends, The Sweetback Sisters, and Spuyten Duyvil (folk/roots music)
• July 11th, 7 p.m.: Nellie McKay (pop)
• July 18th, 7 p.m.: Jeff "Tain" Watts Quartet (jazz)
• July 25th, 7 p.m.: Regina Carter’s “Reverse Thread” (jazz)
• Aug. 1st, 6:30 p.m.: An evening with Suzzy and Maggie Roche, Sloan Wainwright and Lucy Wainwright Roche (folk)
• Aug. 8th, 7 p.m.: Bettye LaVette (blues)

* RiverRocks, whose concerts skew towards indie artists, is once again limited to a small number of shows (three), but it has a good lineup of popular, in-demand acts. Shows take place Thursday nights at Pier 84 (Hudson River at 44th Street).

• July 12th, 6 p.m.: Dan Deacon and John Maus
• July 26th, 6 p.m.: Oberhofer and The Soft Pack
• Aug. 9th, 6 p.m.: Wild Nothing, Grimes, and DIIV (formerly Dive)

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)

Spotify Launches in the U.S.; Joan Jett, Patti Smith Play Free Shows Tonight

The wait is over: Spotify is available to American music lovers as of July 14.

Spotify U.S. launches: After many false starts, the Spotify music streaming service arrived stateside today, July 14th. If you want to use the free service, you'll need to enter your e-mail address to get an invite (I have no idea how long it might take to get one). Spotify also has two options for paid service, at $4.99 and $9.99 a month, that you can sign up for now, without an invite.

If you use the website Klout, you may be able to get a free Spotify account right away through their "perks" program, depending on your "klout" level. (That's how I got my Spotify account today, although my klout score is not that high.)

So far I've been able to listen to a few albums in their entirety (the new Foo Fighters and Taking Back Sunday), so haven't had time to really explore the service too much. It works and sounds good so far, and the ads weren't too intrusive, in my opinion. I'll post more of my impressions of Spotify once I kick the tires a little more.

There was one disturbing note in using Spotify: when I opened the application with my iPod plugged in and iTunes open, Spotify was encouraging me to erase the music, movies, and similar content on my iPod. Huh? Needless to say, I didn't click on that option, and ejected my iPod so there was not even a possibility that its contents could be wiped out.

So what can Spotify do, in its free and paid versions? Spotify's blog introduces the services and explains the options. And Electronista has a quick hands-on guide to the premium Spotify features, with screen shots.

Free NYC shows tonight: Tonight is a good night for free gigs in the City. Here are some of the options:

* Joan Jett and Girl in a Coma, Seaside Summer Concerts, Coney Island, 7:30 p.m.
* Patti Smith and her band, River to River Festival, Castle Clinton, 7 p.m. (free tickets available at 5 p.m. at the site; first come, first served)
* Tune-Yards with Austra, RiverRocks, Hudson River Park (Pier 54), doors: 6 p.m. (show time not listed)