20 Great Shows To See in NYC This January - Oh My Rockness

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20 Great Shows To See in NYC This January

Mogwai, PWR BTTM, Blonde Redhead, Sad13, Aesop Rock, We Are Scientists, Shannon and the Clams, Seinfeld, City of Caterpillar, CRX, Sharon Van Etten, Beirut, Deerhunter, Kings of Leon, Purity Ring, Tokyo Police Club, American Football, Austra, TWIABP

January 3, 2017

Written by Patrick McNamara

Here are 20 good shows you can / should see in NYC this January.

Welcome to 2017 A.D.

I luv U!

20 Good Shows To See in NYC This Month

January 2017 A.D.

1. Jerry Seinfeld does two shows at Beacon Theatre on Thursday, January 5th. One early - one late. Tickets to both are sold-out but can still be had if you don't mind refinancing something. Regardless, Jerry's playing here a bunch more times over the next year. Also, what's the deal with the English language you drive on a parkway and park on a driveway what's the deal with that!

2. Did you read our feature about NYC's Hardest-Working Bands of 2016?

Go ahead and read it right now if you didn't. It's no problem. We'll wait.

All done reading? Cool!

So we've turned that digital feature into a real life show with our buddies at Baby's All Right. It's Friday, January 6th (tickets) at Baby's w/ Thick, Stuyedeyed, Surfbort, Rips, Fruit & Flowers, Decorum and Sic Tic. Come hang out w/ those good hard working bands and this blob!

Say nothing if you'll be there.

Sick! See u Friday!

2016_nyc_hardestworking_625

3. PWR BTTM play a show at Joe's Pub on Saturday, January 7th. And a second one on Thursday, January 12th (tickets / tickets). A couple things. A.) PWR BTTM rules. 2). I'm pretty both of these shows are sold-out too but you should check with the venue just to be sure. I can't be doing all the work for you. I've got sick shows like PWR BTTM at Joe's Pub to list!

4. Blonde Redhead play two shows at (le) poisson rouge on Sunday, January 8th. One early - one late (tickets / tickets). (Is there an echo in here? Also, what's the deal with shouting “echo" to see if we can make our voice echo and saying “mic check" during a mic check it's like how literal do we want to live our lives here). This band has been bringing us beautiful jams since 1993, when the Academy decided that “Unforgiven" starring Clint Eastwood (“when he's sober - he's chill. when he drinks - he kills.") should win just about everything and Al Pacino playing a wacky blind guy who helps get Chris O'Donnell through a hard time should get the Best Actor statue for sure. “WHOO-AH!" Oh, Al. U so crazy!

5. We Are Scientists play Music Hall of Williamsburg on Thursday, January 12th (tickets). They play really good pop. A little too good for scientists if you ask me. I don't want to start any Internet rumors about a band I like so I'll just end the scientific speculation there…. but not before saying just this one last thing. Have you ever seen a picture of We Are Scientists in the same room as the periodic table? Think about it. Will you think about it? Say no more. That's a deal!

6. Sad13 (of Speedy Ortiz) / Patio / Painted Zeroes / Jackal Onassis play a benefit for Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) at C'mon Everybody in Clinton Hill on Saturday, January 14th (tickets). That's a solid lineup straight down the line so come for doors and stay late and see four good bands and have fun and support a good cause in the process!

For more upcoming benefit shows - check out this list we made!

Benefitshows_625

7. Oakland's Shannon and the Clams play dope post doo wop punk at Baby's All Right on Sunday, January 15th (tickets) and Monday, January 16th (tickets).

Please note: this band rules!

8. Richmond's City of Caterpillar was an excellently epic (post) hardcore band that broke up in 2003 A.D. but are now back from the (post) dead and their new name is Borough of Butterflies. Just kidding! The reunited thunder makers play their first NYC shows in circa forever at Saint Vitus on Monday, January 16th (tickets) and Tuesday, January 17th (tickets). Both shows are sold-out, I think. Sorry if you don't have a ticket. Console yourself by blasting this album!

9. CRX play Knitting Factory on Tuesday, January 17 (tickets). Please note: according to Wikipedia (the most trusted source in music journalisismism) it appears this band features Nick Valenti of The Strokes. Hmm. I think I've heard of them?

New York City Blobs! New York City Blobs! New York City Blobs! They ain't too smart!

10. There's a big time benefit for the ACLU at Music Hall of Williamsburg on Wednesday, January 18th (tickets) w/ Sharon Van Etten and Beirut and Daniel Rossen and Kevin Morby and more solid peeps playing. Gonna be a good one for a good cause. You heard it here FOURTH!

11. Please note: the second part of that big time ACLU benefit I just mentioned in Lesson #10 happens Thursday, January 19th at Rough Trade w/ Helado Negro, Beirut, Daniel Rossen, Kevin Morby & more (tickets) -- you should go to this one too!

12. Purity Ring do a DJ set at Output on Thursday, January 19th (tickets). I don't know what they're gonna play (it would be fun if they spun a Chastity Belt song but the hook like this joke just might be too subtle) but you can bet the beats are gonna go big time. That's how Edmonton do!

13. Tokyo Police Club play Bowery Ballroom on Friday, January 20th (tickets) and Music Hall of Williamsburg on Saturday, January 21st (tickets). Please note: this year (as a reminder it is now 2017 A.D.) happens to be the ten year anniversary of TPC's top notch jam “The Nature of The Experiment" which was written by these gentlemen when they were still teenagers. They grow up so dope. Let's blast a trip back in time and listen to it right now. Still a hit!

14. Kings of Leon & Deerhunter play this new DIY co-op art space called Madison Square Garden on Friday, January 20th (tickets). Deerhunter is cool. But guess who's never really listened to Kings of Leon (unless they were playing in some fitting room I was in or something). This blob!

15. Aesop Rock brings his legendary prodigious flow (it ain't no fable, bro) to Warsaw on Friday, January 20th (tickets). Watch him for the word changes and try and keep up, alright?

Please note: only 244 days until Labor Day! #classiccut

16. There's a big time tribute to the music of Leonard Cohen on Tuesday, January 24th at Music Hall of Williamsburg w/ Lee Ranaldo (Sonic Youth), Will Sheff (Okkervil River), Lenny Kaye (Patti Smith Group) and a bunch more solid peeps participating (tickets). Go if you like Leonard Cohen. Don't go if you're a sick twisted ____.

On a separate note, someone should really think to cover that song “Hallelujah" sometime!

17. The World Is A Beautiful Place & I'm No Longer Afraid To Die headline Brooklyn Night Bazaar on Thursday, January 26th (tickets) and that's funny because I just included The World Is A Beautiful Place & I'm No Longer Afraid To Die in our Top 20 Songs of 2016 feature. God, that feature was so great. But anyway, The World Is A Beautiful Place & I'm No Longer Afraid To Die rules and I want to sing The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die's praises a lot more on Twitter but I often find myself running out of characters for some reason.

18. Austra plays Warsaw on Thursday, January 26th (tickets).

Please note: Austra is the best.

19. American Football (reunited and it feels oh how it feels) play Terminal 5 on Saturday, January 28th (tickets) but let's keep this excellent show on the down low because I'll be live blobbing my teenage diary between bands and I'd like a little elbow room to emote. Tell no one.

"Let's just forget...

Everything said......ed…....ed…"

20. Mogwai play Town Hall on Sunday, January 29th (tickets). The last time these Scottish post rock heroes / legends / saviors played NYC was in 2014 A.D. (three years before the Apocalypse) so like catching a comet you should try your very best to go to this show because who knows when you'll get another time to see Mogwai, a band you always meant to see, a band you were meant to see.

Other notable shows in NYC this month = Whitney at Rough Trade + Big Ups at Shea Stadium + Chris Gethard / Joe Pera / Spit at Sunnyvale + Forth Wanderers at Baby's All Right + RJD2 at Brooklyn Bowl + godheadsilo at Saint Vitus + Cherry Glazerr at Bowery Ballroom + Holy Ghost! / Classixx at Music Hall of Williamsburg + Cold Cave at Saint Vitus + Old Wounds at Saint Vitus + Dashboard Confessional at Irving Plaza + HEEMS at Brooklyn Night Bazaar + Steve Gunn at The Park Church Co-Op + Priests at Brooklyn Night Bazaar + Lilys at Bowery Ballroom + Joan of Arc at Mercury Lounge

Lead us out, Joan of Arc!

“You got such a pretty voice but you gotta get so ______ up to sing."

*still not sure if I'm allowed to curse on my own blob


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