Now Streaming: Hear New CDs from Savages, She & Him, Natalie Maines, & More

M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel are back with their third non-holiday album as the duo She & Him, creatively called "Volume 3," and it's one of the new releases streaming online this week. Also streaming is the new solo album by Natalie Maines, former lead singer of the Dixie Chicks, the debut album by all-female British band Savages, and others.

On a related note, there may be fewer albums being streamed each week as the result of AOL's decision to close down AOL Music and its Spinner component. Even sadder than the loss of the music content is the fact that all the employees lost their jobs. Maybe other websites will pick up the slack, in terms of streaming and in hiring some of the now-former AOLers.

[Updated May 2nd: Patty Griffin added.]
[Updated May 1st: see below to stream new releases from Fleetwood Mac and The Boxer Rebellion.]




"Silence Yourself" by Savages (below)


iTunes:
"Promises" by The Boxer Rebellion

WSJ Music Journal:
"American Kid" by Patty Griffin

NPR First Listen:
"Extended Play" EP by Fleetwood Mac [streaming for a limited time] 
"Volume 3" by She & Him
"Mother" by Natalie Maines
"MCII" by Mikal Cronin
"Sera" by La Vida Boheme

KCRW Album Preview: 
"Bigfoot" by Cayucas
"Haunted Head" by Kid Congo and the Pink Monkey Birds

 Spinner.com's Listening Party:
"The Still Life" by Alessi's Ark
"The Yesterday Will Never End" by Hawk and Dove
"Iron Man 3 Original Sountrack" by various artists (including Imagine Dragons, Neon Trees, Passion Pit, and Rogue Wave)

AOL Music Listening Party: 
"Small Town Talk" by Shannon McNally feat. Dr. John

Concert Notes: Tickets for Garbage, Final Allman Bros. Show, The Killers, & More on Sale Friday

There are a couple of good second chances coming up for bands you may have missed before. The Allman Brothers Band has added one final show to its annual Beacon Theatre run, on St. Patrick's Day, and Shirley Manson and Garbage are returning to New York nine months after their sold-out show at Hammerstein Ballroom.

Garbage returns to New York on March 22nd.

Also, Jim James goes on tour to promote his first solo album,  The Killers are at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, and She & Him (M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel) play Central Park SummerStage in July.

All shows go on sale this Friday, Feb. 1st, at the times indicated.

* Allman Brothers Band at the Beacon Theatre, Sun., March 17th. On sale Friday at 9 a.m.

* Garbage at Terminal 5, Fri., March 22nd. On sale at 12 Noon.

* Los Amigos Invisibles at Webster Hall, Sat., April 6th. On sale at 12 Noon.

* Jim James at Webster Hall, Mon., April 29th. On sale at 12 Noon.

* Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes at the Wellmont Theatre (Montclair, NJ), Fri., May 10th. On sale at 12 Noon.

* Paramore and Kitten at Hammerstein Ballroom, Thurs., May 16th. On sale at 10 a.m.

* The Killers at the Barclays Center, Sat., May 18th. On sale at 10 a.m.

* Marina and the Diamonds and Charli XCX at Rumsey Playfield, Wed., May 29. On sale at 12 Noon.

* The B-52s at the Capitol Theatre (Port Chester, NY), Thurs., June 6th. On sale at 12 Noon.

* Fleetwood Mac at Nikon at Jones Beach Theater, Sat., June 22nd. On sale at 10 a.m.

* She & Him and Camera Obscura at Central Park SummerStage, Sat., July 6th. On sale at 12 Noon.

Free Fourth of July Concerts in NYC: Rosanne Cash, She & Him on Governors Island

Above: Rosanne Cash plays New York's Governors Island in a free Fourth of July concert. Here she and bandmate (and husband) John Leventhal are seen playing a Fourth of July show last year in Minnesota. Photo: Jonathunder

New York is famous for the free Macy's Fourth of July fireworks, but there's a lot more going on for the nation's birthday, including free music. Two excellent choices are the free pop-rock concerts that happen to be taking place on the same island--no, not Manhattan, but Governors Island. And both take place in the afternoon, giving you plenty of time to catch the fireworks.

In one show, singer-songwriter Rosanne Cash plays and sings her blend of pop, folk, country, and rock music. A daughter of Johnny Cash, she has more than 10 albums under her belt, the most recent of which is "The List," covers of classic tunes she learned from her father.

The free Rosanne Cash concert runs from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Colonels Row section of Governors Island.

Also on Governors Island is the latest free show in the Water Taxi Beach series, featuring She and Him. If you're not familiar with this band, "she" is multitalented actress/singer Zooey Deschanel, and the "him" is indie singer-songwriter Matt Ward, who has recorded a number of albums under the name M. Ward. They play bright, catchy tunes--as their website says, "They occupy an alternate universe where the saddest of songs feel as warm as sun showers."

Their latest album is the imaginatively titled "She and Him: Volume Two."

The free She and Him show runs from 4 to 6 p.m., and though it's free only the first 3,500 customers will be admitted, so get there early.

See the Governors Island blog for details on both shows, including links for directions and ferry schedule to Governors Island.