Morrissey @BAM, Jan. 11th

Shit, it was Friday night in Brooklyn, and none other than one of my all-time favorites, Morrissey, was performing that evening at the Brooklyn Academy of Music aka BAM, which is within walking distance of my apartment.  I had forgotten to look for tickets when the show went on sale a few months ago, so I was disappointed by my misstep, but I also had convinced myself that Moz had already taken enough of my money over the years, so no need to dump another $100 on a performer who always managed to come up short in terms of setlist length for me.  I believed that nothing could top my experience of seeing him at Webster Hall almost 4 year ago where I was up front.  Anyway, umbrella in tow on a drizzly night, I decided to stroll by the venue and see if I could score a last minute miracle.

(More words and pics after the jump.)  

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Stars @Mercury Lounge, Sept. 22nd

The last time I saw Stars, I was in the front row of Town Hall 5 years ago, so I wasn't motivated to catch them at Webster Hall for their most recent tour, figuring that memory would be hard to top.  But thanks to a nifty little iPhone app called Thrillcall, I managed to snag a pair of FREE tix to see the ever charming band at the itty bitty Mercury Lounge for their after-show gig.  And the late start worked out well, as it allowed me to go to a turntable.fm meetup in Williamsburg earlier in the evening and head back into the City with a few of my tt pals -- Angela, Just Dave and jessipedia -- for the gig.

(More words and pics after the jump.)

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Bob Mould @Williamsburg Park, Sept. 7th

A week ago, I remembered that Bob Mould was playing a free show at Williamburg Park that evening, and despite having to work the next morning at 5am, I made sure I was there because he was playing all of Sugar's Copper Blue, an album that was released twenty (!) years ago.  To give you some context, that album came out just as I was starting freshman year of college, and was probably one of the first 50 cds I had ever purchased.  Yeah, I'm that old.

(More pics and words after the jump.  Click photos to enlarge.)

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Afro Punk Fest @Commodore Barry Park, Aug. 26th

Bestest Boy and I wandered over to near the Brooklyn Navy Yard to Commodore Barry Park, the site of this year's totally free Afro Punk Fest, a two day affair that featured an amazing music line-up on two stages, as well as some amazing skateboarders and bikers, and met up with orange bear @eightrack.  We didn't have too much time there, unfortunately, but managed to catch the wonderfully entertaining Reggie Watts, who dazzled the crowd with his beat-boxing and improvisational stylings despite some technical malfunctions.  I wished we had more than the 40 minutes allotted to his set, but you take what you can get when it's free.  Before Reggie, we also caught a local band called Body Language, who, upon hearing them, I immediately thought they'd be good to spin in the turntable.fm room I help run called Indie While You Work.  And, yeah, I got home and spun some, and the song "Falling Out" went over very well.

(More pics and words after the jump.  Click to enlarge.)

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Amadou & Mariam @Central Park Summerstage, Aug. 4th

I love summers in NYC because of the crazy amount of free shows out there, but man, it was a hot afternoon, baking in the sun. Bestest Boy, Jamie and I tolerated the opener, Just A Band, and barely got through Theophilus London, who was very entertaining, but I thought was a bit all over the place.  The payoff came in the form of the headliners, Amadou & Mariam, who were every bit as charming and wonderful as I expected them to be.  Such happy music!

(More pics after the jump.  Click to enlarge.)

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Merrill Garbus (of tUnE-yArDs) w/ Roomful of Teeth @World Financial Center, June 30th

Tonight caught the mesmerizing Merrill Garbus, who is better known as her main project tUnE-yArDs.  I had slept on seeing her in proper form, so when I realized she'd be performing (for FREE) as part of an ensemble in conjunction with The River To River Festival Ecstatic Summer program, I made damn well sure I put that in my calendar and hustled over for some seats in the front row of the World Financial Center, which was a nice outdoor venue by the water.

(More pics and words after the jump.)

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Of Montreal @McCarren Park, June 15th

After winning some free tix from My Free Concert, Bestest Boy and I headed to Williamsburg to check out a groovy foursome of bands playing together as part of the Northside Festival.  We got there in time to catch some of Beach Fossils, who seemed green but had good energy.  Then came The Thermals, who played a typically solid and tight set.  Third was the Swedish troubadour, Jens Lekman, whose band had visa problems, so he did a mostly solo acoustic set comprised of older songs.  He was charming and a good storyteller, though I find his music a bit lackadaisical at times for my taste.  Headlining the whole shebang was Of Montreal, who I found a hot, crazy, fun mess.  Thank god for free tickets.

PS -- Met the amazing Alex K. from turntable.fm.  So psyched!

(More pics after the jump.)

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Laura Marling / Michael Kiwanuka, @Prospect Park Bandshell, June 14th

Bestest Boy and I went to Prospect Park to catch our first Celebrate Brooklyn! concert of the summer.  Tonight featured the lovely Laura Marling and soulful Michael Kiwanuka, both from the UK.  I have enjoyed their tunes on turntable.fm so I thought a free concert on a crisp night would be a perfect way to check them out.  Both played gorgeous sets, but I was not completely entranced, as their low key performances seemed better fit for a smaller venue, and I wasn't up front as usual.  I will say, however, that their music is perfect to listen to on a rainy Sunday afternoon while trapped indoors.

Ben Kweller @Irving Plaza, March 24th

(Sorry for the late post! 9/9/12)

I won a pair of tix via Twitter to see Ben Kweller at Irving Plaza from My Free Concert, where I've found out about some fun free shows and won some tickets.  It had been almost three years to the date that I was last at this venue, when I saw PJ Harvey & John Parish.

I know some folks are huge Kweller fans.  He's got a loose, goofy charm and seems like a big, friendly kid who's eager to please.  His tunes are sunny and energetic, and I can see why he got together with Ben Folds and Ben Lee for their side project, The Bens.  I was only vaguely familiar with his stuff prior to the show -- his music, while well-constructed, doesn't particularly stick with me, but I enjoyed his performance, especially having paid nothing for my admission.

Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings @Prospect Park Bandshell, Aug. 7th

Wow...just wow. I don't know why it took me so long to experience the stunning Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, but lawdy, I'm sure glad I went to the concert that closed out a great summer of Celebrate Brooklyn! at the Prospect Park Bandshell and finally got to witness the phenomenon that she is. Sharon Jones blew my mind with her energy, singing, dancing -- you name it, she was a solid gold MVP, James Brown heir-apparent. For 2+ hours, she and her stellar bandmates (including members of the Bushwick Philharmonic) kept the 20,000+ crowd on their feet, grooving along to a wonderful retro-soul/funk sound that did not let up. She was also assisted on a few songs by the charming Lee Fields.

(More words, pics and a video after the jump.)

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Metric @Prospect Park Bandshell, Aug. 5th

After the prior night's amazing Arcade Fire concert, I had already somewhat written off this interesting line-up of female fronted bands. I was pretty exhausted, but figured it's the last week of Celebrate Brooklyn!, so I dragged my butt over to Prospect Park, especially since it'd be a good opportunity to see Holly Miranda again, and to check out Joan As Policewoman and Metric for the first time.

I bought a Metric album (Live It Out) when it came out a handful of years ago and dutifully loaded it onto my iPod, but it never really got a hold of me. I was more interested in other Canadian exports at the time (The Dears and Stars, for example), but always appreciated lead singer Emily Haines' contribution to Broken Social Scene. Last night was my first opportunity to see her own proper work.

I can see why the kids love Metric's music. It's danceable and catchy. I would not call it pithy by any means. But Haines' performance makes it worth watching if you feel like moving. She's got an incredible energy level that's enviable, and a fierce stage persona that alternated between sexy hot and crazy scary. By the time the band hit the stage after 9pm, the sky was dark, which allowed the strobe lights and thumping bass line to put a flutter in your step.

Good to see, but aided by the fact that it was a free show. Plus, there was a truck giving out soft serve ice cream.

(More pics after the jump.)

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The Swell Season @Prospect Park Bandshell, July 30th

By now, everyone and their mother has seen the movie "Once" starring musicians Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, so it came as no surprise that the crowd for The Swell Season was packed to the gills. Luckily, because I am a Friend (member) of Celebrate Brooklyn!, I was able to avoid the tremendous line and secure my seat early -- front row center! There was also a special pre-concert reception for Friends, so you betcha I consumed my share of cheese, fruit, chicken skewers, beer and Vitamin Water. While I had already taken advantage of my Friends pass a number of times this summer (Allen Toussaint and JG Thirlwell just to name a few), this evening alone was worth the meager $50 contribution.

(More words, pics and vids after the jump.)

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The Low Anthem @Prospect Park Bandshell, July 30th

The Low Anthem opened up at Celebrate Brooklyn! in Prospect Park on Friday night for The Swell Season, and they were fantastic! They were very different from Glen Hansard, et al., but the two bands' music really complemented each other well.

I didn't know anything about The Low Anthem prior to the show, but thoroughly enjoyed their eclectic, mostly gentle but at times rockin' sound that had its roots in folky and Appalachian music. I particularly loved how each member of the band played multiple instruments, perhaps the most unique being a pair of cell phones using whistling and feedback, almost mimicking a theremin, on "This God Damn House." Gorgeous harmonies, too. I can't wait to check out more of their music.

(More pics after the jump.)

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The Roots & OkayAfrica@Prospect Park Bandshell, July 11th

My god, yesterday at the Prospect Park Bandshell for Celebrate Brooklyn! was perhaps the biggest crowd I've seen there, ever. By the time Bestest Boy and I got into the Friends line at 4pm, the regular line extended around beyond where we could see. I was so glad we had our passes.

We were lured into venturing out in the questionable weather (it was 90+ degrees out, muggy, and raining at times) mainly by headliners Talib Kweli and The Roots (both of whom I hadn't seen since a very sweaty show at Webster four years ago). The long afternoon showcased lots of other music, however, as this afternoon also served as the launch of Okay Africa, a new blog highlighting music that is African and/or African-influenced. We got a tease of The Roots to open the show, and then emcee Sahr Ngaujah, the star of Broadway's Fela!, led us through a lineup of bands from several African nations. We heard from diverse bands such as Dragons of Zynth, Zakee, Baja + The Dry Eye Crew, and Ngaujah himself, but my personal favorite was hearing the excellent hip hop artist Blitz the Ambassador from Ghana, who made the crowd forget the sticky humidity and got us on our feet, with his rapid lightning lyrics and big horn sound.

Unfortunately, Bestest Boy had an early call time the next morning, so we had to leave before Talib Kweli and The Roots' main set since the show was running up to an hour late. Even with our premature departure, we didn't feel that the time spent in the gross outdoors was a complete waste of time, for we did get a good 3+ hours of entertainment.

(More pics after the jump.)

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Ozomatli @Prospect Park Bandshell, July 9th

If I had to characterize LA band Ozomatli's sound, it would not be an easy task, for they play music with a sound that varies as much as its performers, ranging from rock to hip hop to Latin to R&B to soul...anyway, you get the idea. With every song came a different lead vocalist from the prior. A few of the band members also proved adept at playing multiple instruments. Also, with such different styles, the band was able to cover much ground in terms of sentiment, be it political or love or just plain fun. What resulted was a great energetic blend that had the crowd stomping, clapping and dancing along with the beat.

(More words and pics after the jump.)

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Smithville Fiddlers' Jamboree @Smithville Town Square (TN), July 3rd

Last weekend, we traveled down to Smithville, TN, about an hour east of Nashville for some family-related fun. Our trip coincided with the 39th annual Smithville Fiddler's Jamboree, a two-day bluegrass country music festival in which musicians and dancers from across the region squared off against each other in judged competition in numerous categories, culminating in some eventual winners. We arrived at the Town Square in time for the last few hours of the jamboree, so we got to witness some of the finest banjo-pickin' and strummin' that side of the Mississippi, or something like that.

(More words and pics after the jump.)

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JG Thirlwell @Prospect Park Bandshell, June 18th

We rallied up the troops for this Celebrate Brooklyn show at Prospect Park because our friend Karen (of The Roulette Sisters) was playing in a twenty piece orchestra led by composer JG Thirlwell. They performed his Steroid Maximus project as well as some music from The Venture Brothers (which pleased Bestest Boy a lot, he being a fan of the Cartoon Network show). What does this all mean, you might ask? Well, for orchestra music, this was perhaps the grooviest, funkiest stuff I've ever heard live in such a format, sounding like something straight off of a '70s James Bond soundtrack. I often expected some villains to storm across the stage. It was quite fantastic to see the audience bopping their heads and feet along to the retro beat.

(More words and pics after the jump.)

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Dan Deacon @Red Hook Park, June 15th

Bolstered by perfect weather and a chance to spend time with The Susannah, I ventured deeper into my borough to Red Hook Park, which last night hosted a concert by the oft-scorned or completely adored Dan Deacon and his ensemble. Oh, and did I mention it was free?

Based on the crowd assembled near the stage by me, I had many misgivings about whether I'd enjoy the show. I so desperately wanted to shove a few people, but that would have involved making actual contact with their sweaty bodies. Rather, I opted to chill and just have a good time, and that I did.

(More words and pics after the jump.)

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Allen Toussaint @Prospect Park Bandshell, June 12th

Despite having to work the next morning, I dragged Bestest Boy out to Prospect Park on Saturday to make use of our Friend passes we received for contributing to Celebrate Brooklyn!, the group responsible for the excellent line up at the Bandshell summer after summer. We caught a great pairing of New Orleans pianists, the legendary Allen Toussaint, and the entertaining Davell Crawford.

(More words and pics after the jump.)

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Tokyo Police Club @The Studio at Webster Hall, June 2nd

Occasionally, writing this little crap blog affords me the opportunity to attend out gigs at the behest of a publicist, and as you might know, I'm all about the free. Such was the case with this mostly invite-only record release show for Tokyo Police Club, a buzz band that up until this point, I had little reason to check out. But with the lure of free booze and a chance to see the Studio at Webster Hall, and an early start that worked well with proceeding work day, I brought along Shana and Julie for what ended up being an enjoyable evening.

(More words and setlist after the jump.)

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