Rockness Recommends
The Best Shows This Weekend!
April 29, 2013
Written by Patrick McNamara
How’s your week so far? Is it good? I bet it’s good, isn’t it. You like it when it’s good? Yeah. You like it. I know you like it when it’s good...realllll good. But how about trying on the best for size? As in the Best Shows This Week. Oh, you’d like that wouldn’t you. To go from good to Best in 1.4 scrolls. You want it? Well, you’re just going to have to scroll on down and get it, Tiger. That’s it. That’s right. Get that. Work that mouse wheel. Yes! Get that! Work that wheel! OH BEST BEST BEST!
The following are The Best Shows This Week. Pay no attention to the dynamically questionable online content immediately preceding this message.
Thursday - May 2nd, 2013 A.D.
Fred Falke leads a solid line-up at Output (with Chrome Sparks + DJ Foals). Freddie here does some of my favorite dance remixes. They’re the best. Like the jam below. That jam has been around for a little bit. But it’s still a big time jam. It pumps me up. Makes me want to go out and crush some serves at my next scheduled Round Robin tournament (next Tuesday night at the court across the street from Elk’s Lodge in Tarrytown - senior players still needed - call Sal Alvarez or Joan Kemper).
Johnny Marr plays Irving Plaza (and again on Friday at Music Hall of Williamsburg). Here is Mr. Marr singing, “Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want.” A great song, to be sure. But is it me, or do the vocals on this just seem....different? Eh. Must just be this old trick ear acting up on me again (*i damaged it saving my brother’s life from a sledding-on-snow-shovels accident at old Crabtree’s pond....the year, I believe, was 1919.)
SEE ALL OF OUR THURSDAY SHOW PICKS.
Friday - May 3rd, 2013 A.D.
Bay Area’s Wax Idols play Cake Shop tonight (and tomorrow at Shea Stadium). They rock some nice and fuzzy yelp punk (powered by a former punx of Hunx, Heather Fedewa). I guarantee you will like these pretty guitar melodies floating up above all the noise too - or my name ain’t Nathan Arizona.
Foals play Terminal 5 (?) with Surfer Blood and Blondfire. Terminal 5? Wait. When did Foals get so huge? I thought they were a nice little band that did some nice little math-rock guitar noodling. (Whattya mean that was like 5 years ago?) What’s with this polished, professional band represented in the video below? (Whattya mean that’s what they sound like now?) When did all this happen? They grow up so fast, I tell you. So, so fast.
Big Ups play Union Pool. I’ve told you about their goodness many times before. But I’m telling you again. It takes at least 10,000 recommendations of a band for that band to be worth a stream. That’s what Malcolm Gladwell says, at least. I think.
SEE ALL OF OUR FRIDAY SHOW PICKS.
Saturday - May 4th, 2013 A.D.
Brian “Legend” Eno is playing a $5 show (a constantly evolving sound and image-scape, to be precise - omg that’s SO Brian!) every other hour from 12am till 6am at Cafe Rouge (I didn’t know where that was either - not necessarily tight with the 32nd street and 7th ave scene). That’s five shows total. Happening throughout Saturday’s early morning. Which is really the middle of the Friday’s night. Confused? Cool. So am I. We probably should have listed this under Friday. But there’s no need to tell us our faults. For we already know them.
By the way, that Brian Eno show is part of the massive Red Bull Music Academy New York - a month long festival with good shows happening around town and at various venues practically every night. You can click that link for the complete listings.
Young Magic plays a free show at the Brooklyn Museum. I like free things because that means you don’t have to give anybody any money to go to them. I also like the Brooklyn Museum. Come for the music. Stay for the mummy room. And then quickly exit the mummy room. That room is terrifying.
SEE ALL OF OUR SATURDAY SHOW PICKS.
Sunday - May 5th, 2013 A.D.
This is kind of a “They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?” epic marathon situation...but with music and art...instead of dancing...and dying...and oops...I just gave away the end of They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Oh, well. The novel came out in 1935 and the movie in 1969, guys. You had plenty of chances.*
The National are going to play their song “Sorrow”....for 6 hours straight from noon to 6pm at PS 1 today. (omg that’s sooo The National!). It’s part of an installation by the Icelandic artist, Ragnar Kjartansson.
Be sure to tell me how the last five hours and 55 minutes of this goes. I’ll be off getting myself wrapped up in a big bowl of guacamole. For I am Cinco de Mayo. You are Cinco de Mayo. We are all. Cinco de Mayo.
(*also, the girl in the Crying Game was really a dude)
SEE ALL OF OUR SUNDAY SHOW PICKS.
Those are the best shows this week. And why so quiet? Oh. I know. I bet I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking, “Who’s to say what’s the best, Rockness? Isn’t this whole weekly Best Shows This Week exercise completely subjective? And therefore your stated claims and intentions are forever rendered meaningless?”
And to that we reply, “Subjective? You betcha your assa!”
How’s your week so far? Is it good? I bet it’s good, isn’t it. You like it when it’s good? Yeah. You like it. I know you like it when it’s good...realllll good. But how about trying on the best for size? As in the Best Shows This Week. Oh, you’d like that wouldn’t you. To go from good to Best in 1.4 scrolls. You want it? Well, you’re just going to have to scroll on down and get it, Tiger. That’s it. That’s right. Get that. Work that mouse wheel. Yes! Get that! Work that wheel! OH BEST BEST BEST!
The following are The Best Shows This Week. Pay no attention to the dynamically questionable online content immediately preceding this message.
Thursday - May 2nd, 2013 A.D.
Fred Falke leads a solid line-up at Output (with Chrome Sparks + DJ Foals). Freddie here does some of my favorite dance remixes. They’re the best. Like the jam below. That jam has been around for a little bit. But it’s still a big time jam. It pumps me up. Makes me want to go out and crush some serves at my next scheduled Round Robin tournament (next Tuesday night at the court across the street from Elk’s Lodge in Tarrytown - senior players still needed - call Sal Alvarez or Joan Kemper).
Johnny Marr plays Irving Plaza (and again on Friday at Music Hall of Williamsburg). Here is Mr. Marr singing, “Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want.” A great song, to be sure. But is it me, or do the vocals on this just seem....different? Eh. Must just be this old trick ear acting up on me again (*i damaged it saving my brother’s life from a sledding-on-snow-shovels accident at old Crabtree’s pond....the year, I believe, was 1919.)
SEE ALL OF OUR THURSDAY SHOW PICKS.
Friday - May 3rd, 2013 A.D.
Bay Area’s Wax Idols play Cake Shop tonight (and tomorrow at Shea Stadium). They rock some nice and fuzzy yelp punk (powered by a former punx of Hunx, Heather Fedewa). I guarantee you will like these pretty guitar melodies floating up above all the noise too - or my name ain’t Nathan Arizona.
Foals play Terminal 5 (?) with Surfer Blood and Blondfire. Terminal 5? Wait. When did Foals get so huge? I thought they were a nice little band that did some nice little math-rock guitar noodling. (Whattya mean that was like 5 years ago?) What’s with this polished, professional band represented in the video below? (Whattya mean that’s what they sound like now?) When did all this happen? They grow up so fast, I tell you. So, so fast.
Big Ups play Union Pool. I’ve told you about their goodness many times before. But I’m telling you again. It takes at least 10,000 recommendations of a band for that band to be worth a stream. That’s what Malcolm Gladwell says, at least. I think.
SEE ALL OF OUR FRIDAY SHOW PICKS.
Saturday - May 4th, 2013 A.D.
Brian “Legend” Eno is playing a $5 show (a constantly evolving sound and image-scape, to be precise - omg that’s SO Brian!) every other hour from 12am till 6am at Cafe Rouge (I didn’t know where that was either - not necessarily tight with the 32nd street and 7th ave scene). That’s five shows total. Happening throughout Saturday’s early morning. Which is really the middle of the Friday’s night. Confused? Cool. So am I. We probably should have listed this under Friday. But there’s no need to tell us our faults. For we already know them.
By the way, that Brian Eno show is part of the massive Red Bull Music Academy New York - a month long festival with good shows happening around town and at various venues practically every night. You can click that link for the complete listings.
Young Magic plays a free show at the Brooklyn Museum. I like free things because that means you don’t have to give anybody any money to go to them. I also like the Brooklyn Museum. Come for the music. Stay for the mummy room. And then quickly exit the mummy room. That room is terrifying.
SEE ALL OF OUR SATURDAY SHOW PICKS.
Sunday - May 5th, 2013 A.D.
This is kind of a “They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?” epic marathon situation...but with music and art...instead of dancing...and dying...and oops...I just gave away the end of They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Oh, well. The novel came out in 1935 and the movie in 1969, guys. You had plenty of chances.*
The National are going to play their song “Sorrow”....for 6 hours straight from noon to 6pm at PS 1 today. (omg that’s sooo The National!). It’s part of an installation by the Icelandic artist, Ragnar Kjartansson.
Be sure to tell me how the last five hours and 55 minutes of this goes. I’ll be off getting myself wrapped up in a big bowl of guacamole. For I am Cinco de Mayo. You are Cinco de Mayo. We are all. Cinco de Mayo.
(*also, the girl in the Crying Game was really a dude)
SEE ALL OF OUR SUNDAY SHOW PICKS.
Those are the best shows this week. And why so quiet? Oh. I know. I bet I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking, “Who’s to say what’s the best, Rockness? Isn’t this whole weekly Best Shows This Week exercise completely subjective? And therefore your stated claims and intentions are forever rendered meaningless?”
And to that we reply, “Subjective? You betcha your assa!”
