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 the BoDeans, Richard Buckner, The Burritos, & More

The BoDean's "Indigo Dreams" (out July 26th) is one of this week's free album previews.

There are fewer free album previews this week than usual, but you can find some interesting new releases nonetheless. Among them: the BoDeans' new album, "Indigo Dreams;" "Tripper" by the Fruit Bats; "Rabbits on the Run" by Vanessa Carlton; and "Sound as Ever," an album by a group billed as The Burritos.

If that last name makes you think of the Flying Burrito Brothers, well, it's no accident. This group features Nashville musician Chris James and his brother Fred, as well as Walter Egan (best known for his 1970s song "Magnet and Steel"), and looks to do music in the tradition of the late Gram Parsons and the FBB.

According to a posting on the blog Underground Nashville, Chris James explained that he was approached by British record label SPV and "asked if I might be able to put together a new version of The Flying Burrito Brothers for their label.” The label required that each member of the band be cleared with the label.

That's an album I'm really looking forward to listening to. In the meantime, here's a selection of the other albums available for free preview this week:

NPR First Listen:
"Our Blood" by Richard Buckner
"The Calm Blue Sea" by The Calm Blue Sea

KCRW Album Preview: 
"Tripper" by the Fruit Bats (streaming until Aug. 23)

AOL Music Listening Party: 
"Sound as Ever" by The Burritos
"Indigo Dreams" by the BoDeans
"Rabbits on the Run" by Vanessa Carlton

AOL Music and Spinner also have a number of albums by groups I'm not familiar with, including the Dangerous Summer, Falling in Reverse (the new band of Ronnie Radke, formerly of Escape the Fate), the Features, the Milk Carton Kids, Little Horn, and singer Debbie Neigher (produced by John Vanderslice).

Tonight: The Feelies, Real Estate, & Times New Viking Play Celebrate Brooklyn

The Feelies perform "Too Far Gone."

The Garden State takes center stage at tonight's Celebrate Brooklyn show as the longtime indie band The Feelies headlines a free gig in Prospect Park. The band, which originated in the Passaic County town of Haledon, will be preceded on the bill by Real Estate (from Ridgewood, NJ) and the lo-fi sounds of Columbus, Ohio's Times New Viking.

The Feelies formed in the late '70s and their quirky sound was credited with influencing R.E.M. and other bands. The Village Voice was said to have named them "The Best Underground Band in New York" before their debut album, "Crazy Rhythms," even came out. (And that album was named by Rolling Stone as one of its "Top 50 Albums of the 1980s.) The band became dormant in the early '90s after releasing several albums, but has sporadically recorded and played out since then.

In recent years The Feelies have established a tradition of playing a run of a few shows at Maxwell's in Hoboken, the club they frequently played in their heyday. (See an article of one of this year's Feelies shows by rock critic Ann Powers. She also links to a review of the reissues of their first two albums, which explains The Feelies' sound.) The New York Daily News also has an article on The Feelies and tonight's Celebrate Brooklyn show.

The Feelies now have a new album, "Here Before," on Hoboken's Bar/None Records.

If you can brave today's sweltering weather and get out to Prospect Park, this will be a great show to see.

Details: The Feelies, Real Estate, and Times New Viking at Celebrate Brooklyn
7 p.m. (doors 6 p.m.), Prospect Park bandshell, 9th Street & Prospect Park West (See directions here)
Free, but $3 donation requested.

Free Album Streaming: New CDs from They Might Be Giants, Portugal. The Man, Shonen Knife, & More

Japanese female punk band Shonen Knife pays tribute to the Ramones with their new cover album, streaming for free this week.

Better late than never, here's a sampling of this week's new albums available for free online preview. It's a diverse bunch, including the new CD from Portugal. The Man; a fun set of Ramones covers by Shonen Knife; a live album by the female singers known as Mountain Man; and the latest efforts from They Might Be Giants, 311, and the Swedish pop band Little Dragon.

I'm especially enjoying "Osaka Ramones," the Shonen Knife covers CD, and the new one from Amy LaVere, who ventures beyond traditional singer-songwriter territory on her album "Stranger Me," which was produced by Craig Silvey, who worked on Arcade Fire's "The Suburbs." (Note: Amy LaVere is playing a free gig at the World Financial Center July 28th as part of the inaugural Lowdown Hudson Blues Festival, which also features the Taj Mahal Trio and the new band featuring Mike Farris, who was the frontman of Double Trouble and the Screamin' Cheetah Wheelies.

KCRW Album Preview: 
"In the Mountain In the Cloud" by Portugal. The Man (streaming through August 9)
"Come Back to Us" by Release the Sunbird (side project of Zach Rogue of Rogue Wave) (streaming through August 17)

AOL Music Listening Party: 
"Universal Pulse" by 311
"Top Contenders: The Best of Strung Out" by Strung Out
"Everything's Fine" by The Summer Set

NPR First Listen:
"Stranger Me" by Amy LaVere
"Ritual Union" by Little Dragon

Spinner.com's Listening Party:
"Live at the Wiltern" by Mountain Man
"Join Us" by They Might Be Giants
"Lostboy" by Lostboy (Jim Kerr of Simple Minds)
"Osaka Ramones" by Shonen Knife
"WHATWAVE" by The Dead Trees
"Strong Killings" by Strong Killings
"Two-Way Mirror" by Crystal Antlers

Black Angels Play Free Show at Mercury Lounge Tonight (& Photos from 4 Knots)

The Black Keys at the 4 Knots Festival Saturday.

After playing Maxwell's on Friday night and closing the 4 Knots festival on Saturday, Austin's Black Angels continue their NYC-area gigs with a FREE concert Monday night at the Mercury Lounge.

The gig, which the band announced from the stage at 4 Knots, is sponsored by Spotify and is part of effort surrounding the online music service's recent U.S. launch. Here are the details on the free Black Angels show: admission is first come, first served, and people can start lining up outside the club starting at 11 p.m. Monday. Doors open at 11:30, and the Black Angels are scheduled to hit the stage at 12:30 a.m.

I'm guessing that you'll be able to get Spotify invites at the event.

The Black Angels put on a fine show at 4 Knots, and actually I enjoyed the bands I saw, the last three of the day (Davila 666 and Titus Andronicus, in addition to Black Angels). I have never seen any of these bands, and had never heard of Davila 666, who are from Puerto Rico.

Some more photos from 4 Knots:

The Black Angels:

Titus Andronicus:

Davila 666:

Today's Inaugural 4 Knots Festival - Lineup, Set Times, Directions, & More

The inaugural 4 Knots Festival runs from 1-8 p.m. today at South Street Seaport.

Relocated from Coney Island and with a new name, the 4 Knots Festival today seeks to bring the vibe of the Village Voice's long-running Siren Festival to a new location at South Street Seaport.

The Festival takes place at Pier 17 and runs from 1 to 8 p.m. If you can't be there, East Village Radio is said to be streaming some of the content live.

The 4 Knots Festival features one stage (though it's still called the Main Stage), as well as the "4 Knots Indoor Lounge" (at 210 Front St.), which will have DJ sets from Yeasayer, Dan Deacon, Finger on the Pulse, Punches, and Brahms. The lounge is open from 2 p.m. to midnight, and is 21 and over, while the rest of the festival is an all-ages affair.

[UPDATE: Set times for the bands and for the Indoor Lounge DJ sets are posted below, or you can find them at the Village Voice website.]

You can also check the 4 Knots website and its Twitter page for information. You can also download a 4 Knots app (for iPhone, Android, and Blackberry) from Livetapp here.

Here are the 4 Knots set times:

• 7:00 p.m. - The Black Angels
  
• 5:30 - Titus Andronicus
  
• 4:30 - Davila 666
  
• 3:30 - Oberhofer
  
• 2:30 - Eleanor Friedberger
  
• 1:30 - Mr. Dream 

Set times for the 4 Knots Fest, screen grab from VV website.

Directions: See the 4 Knots directions page for all the details and a Google map, but here's the condensed version: By subway, take the 2, 3, 4, 5, J, Z or M trains to Fulton Street, or the A or C to Broadway-Nassau. Then walk east on Fulton Street toward Water Street and the East River.

You can also get there by bus and by ferry (appropriately enough for this nautical-themed event); see NY Waterway's route map for boats from New Jersey to Wall St. and Pier 11.