Free Concerts: Wanda Jackson, Billy Bragg, David Wax Museum Play Tonight

Wanda Jackson performs "Shakin' All Over" on Letterman with special guest Jack White.

There are plenty of free gigs in the city this week, including several tonight:

* Wanda Jackson, the queen of rockabilly, plays the SummerStage Main Stage in Central Park tonight. Her amazing career spans many years: Elvis Presley was an old boyfriend, and her latest album was produced by Jack White of the White Stripes. Imelda May, a rising blues/rockabilly singer originally from Ireland, opens tonight's show. I'm hoping to make it to this one; it should be a lot of fun. 7 p.m. (directions to Central Park Main Stage)

* British singer-songwriter Billy Bragg opens the live music season of Lincoln Center Out of Doors tonight, combining political and social awareness with a generous helping of humor. Also on the bill are the Black Earth Boys, which includes two African musicians and a former member of Bragg's old band, the Blokes. The show begins at 7:30 p.m. at the Damrosch Park Bandshell (see directions to Lincoln Center), but the festivities begin earlier with a "Big Busk" event. From the LCOOD website:

"Billy Bragg will lead a group rehearsal at 4:00 for anyone who brings an acoustic guitar to practice that evening’s songs. Between the rehearsal and the 5:30 show, buskers who sign up at rehearsal can perform their own material at locations throughout Lincoln Center’s plazas."

You can find out more at the Big Busk YouTube site.

* Americana group David Wax Museum plays the Mad. Sq. Music series at Madison Square Park. The band blends folk, country, bluegrass, and Mexican music and its live shows have made it a hit this year. 7 p.m. Between Fifth and Madison Aves., 23rd to 26th Sts. (directions to Madison Square Park)
 

Free Album Streaming: New CDs from Gang of Four and Wanda Jackson

Gang of Four's first new album in over 15 years is available for free streaming.

There are only a couple of new albums streaming that I came across this week, but they're from two time-honored, well-established artists. The first is Gang of Four, the punk/rock/funk group that formed in the mid-1970s. It apparently hasn't made an album of all-new material since 1995, but it's back with "Content."

As it did 30 years ago, Gang of Four tackles issues such as unbridled capitalism and government oppression in catchy tunes. As their website says in talking about the new album, "The record is called Content, in recognition of the way every creative form has been reduced to just that: content, the obligatory filling for the advertising sandwich." In the case of Gang of Four, it's a pretty tasty sandwich.

Wanda Jackson, the "queen of rockabilly" who's been singing and playing guitar since the 1950s, is back with a new album of cover songs, "The Party Ain't Over," that shows she's not ready to stop rocking just yet. And the album is produced by Jack White of the White Stripes, who a few years ago worked with another female legend, Loretta Lynn, on her album "Van Lear Rose."

Oh, and Wanda Jackson will be appearing this week in the Jan. 20th performance of Broadway's "Million Dollar Quartet," about the legendary 1956 recording session featuring Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Elvis Presley.

KCRW Album Preview: 
"Content" by Gang of Four (streaming until Feb. 15)
(Note: You can get a free download of "You'll Never Pay for the Farm" from "Content" by signing up for the band's mailing list at the Gang of Four website.)

NPR First Listen:
"The Party Ain't Over" by Wanda Jackson (streaming until Jan. 25)