Written by Patrick McNamara

Happy first week of September. Remember last week when I was all, “Boo-hoo! Summer’s over! There aren't as many free shows! Days are getting darker! We’re all gonna die! Boo-hoo!” Well, I was just kidding. September is pretty great. Crisp clean air makes for crisp clean hearts. I hope you remember that, man.

So let’s get to it, girl. These are The Best Shows This Weekend. I'm going to tell you about a bunch. And then I'm going to talk about THE OH MY ROCKNESS TURNS TEN FEST. So stick around.

Thursday - September 4th, 2014 A.D.

Austin’s Mineral have reunited to see what this Emo Revival thing is all about. They start their emotional run of 4 shows tonight. Saint Vitus starts off the emotional action (before this Emo Revival moves to Bowery). Below is the best Mineral song of all time. If anyone tells you otherwise, there are some severe emotional skeletons in their past and they should not be trusted.

Remember when I was talking earlier about how Interpol was playing live in an Egyptian monument this week? And how it's sold-out? Well good news. The band also plays Bowery Ballroom this week. Tonight, actually. Now, Bowery Ballroom may not be an Egyptian Monument, but it’s the closest thing we longtime NYC alts have to relic anymore. Shoot. I forgot the bad news. This show is also sold-out. Oh wells. Should’ve saved Interpol to your free “My Rockness” account and you would have been alerted right when we listed the show and thus reminded to get tickets when they first went on sale. Oh wells. #oh #wells

“Cut the music with so much class.” DJ Shadow + Cut Chemist will scratch your soul itch at Irving Plaza (and tomorrow too). Man, I bought that limited “Brainfreeze” CD way back 1999. And then I sold it on eBay shortly thereafter. That's how o.g. I am with these two dudes. Thank god technology has come along to allow me (and you) to listen to that entire album again, whenever, wherever, and however many times as I want. Whew.

Minneapolis’ Motion City Soundtrack play a free show (w/RSVP) at Music Hall of Williamsburg. Guess who’s never listened to Motion City Soundtrack but has seen their name around for years and years and years. THIS BLOB. But again, it’s free, so…. just thought you might want to know. OK. Off I go to spend another day not listening to Motion City Soundtrack. I probably won't even stream this video below, tbh.

Other notable shows = Big Ups and Fiasco and Heeney at Shea Stadium + ZZ Top at Jones Beach + Shark? and Dinosaur Feathers at Death by Audio + Tits of Clay at Mercury Lounge...that’s Tits of Clay, dear Rockness reader...Tits...of...Clay

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Friday - September 5th, 2014 A.D.

Let’s hear it for happy punk pop*. Modern Baseball + Beach Slang + Chumped + Crow Bait are all massively melodic. And they all play Brooklyn Night Bazaar. This is a free show. Every week I tell you how all shows at Brooklyn Night Bazaar are free. You probably all know by now. Certainly the 13 regular readers of this thing do. But I just can’t stop. It’s like a tic. Free Free Free Free Free Fr

(* I’ve heard from credible Music Industry insiders that pop punk bands don’t like being called pop punk so instead I call them punk pop because I just want everybody to be happy.)

NYC’s Total Slacker (aka The Hardest Working Punk Band in The Bidness) + Scottish punk fuzzers PAWS + Orlando punker popsters Flashlights play Music Hall of Williamsburg. Should be pretty punk. Or, at least three variations of it anyway.

San Francisco garage popsters Sonny and the Sunsets + Cassie Ramone (heard from a VERY credible Music Industry source that that’s not even her real last name - next thing you know we’ll find out the Vivian Girls vocals were really sung by Milli Vanilli) and Athens garager rogers The Whigs play Death by Audio. It should be a pretty fun one. If you’re into fun.

Sublime gaze swirlers Field Mouse open the action at Glasslands. Money and Lowell are also on this bill and play later. What do those two bands sound like? You got this blob. Maybe they’re great. Don't know. I’m just here for Field Mouse.

Other notable shows = Mike Birbiglia at BAM + Saul Williams at (le) poisson rouge + Part Time and Sea Lions at Cake Shop + Mineral (again) at Bowery Ballroom + DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist at Irving Plaza (again) + Dead Stars and The Teen Age at Palisades + Vulture Shit and Flagland at Shea Stadium + Social Distortion at The Paramount

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Saturday - September 6th, 2014 A.D.

OK. It’s really all led up to this. Tonight is the start of The Oh My Rockness Turns Ten Fest! Click that link. But I’ll also summarize what you need to know to the best of my blob abilities. #1: We’re turning 10 years old this year. #2: Tonight is Night #1 of the 4 Night Celebration at Irving Plaza throughout September. #3: You can buy a special 4-Night Pass to all of the shows for only $50 total. #4: That’s $12.50 per show! #5: Whoa! #6: Fucked Up + Speedy Ortiz + Give all play tonight. #7: We hope you’ll come. #8: C’mon. #9: It’ll be. #10: FUN!!!!!!!!!

If you don’t want to come to our birthday show, fine, be that way. Go see Fujiya & Miyagi at Brooklyn Bowl if you want. Whatever. You do you. It’s your journey, man. The ball is in your court. And there is no referee. Think on that some.

(JK. It’s totalllllly cool if you wanna do something else, of course! Fujiya & Miyagi are great! I get it! They’re so poppy! Totally!)

Cayetana and Chumped play Saint Vitus. Damn. That’s a good 1-2 punk pop lineup right there. I wouldn’t blame you if you picked this show over ours. With great taste comes great responsibility. And sometimes you have to choose one set of good over another set of good. 100% got it. We’re all in this together. One world. Imagine. Hope.

Legendary British punks Buzzcocks and legendary Glen Rock punks Titus Andronicus play Emmanuel Lewis Hall. Sheeeeeeit, String! Why is our birthday show on such a great day? WHY?!

………...all is quiet…………….when the record ends.

Oh yeah. Rivergazer play Shea Stadium. That dude is good too. I should know. I just saw him play guitar in Porches. So I’m not sweating it either.

Other notable shows = Modern Baseball at The Stone Pony + Mineral at Bowery Ballroom (again) + Pictureplane at Glasslands + The Velvet Teen at Baby’s All Right + California X and Slothrust at Death By Audio

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Sunday - September 7th, 2014 A.D.

CocoRosie* and Antony (minus his Johnsons) and some friends and casual acquaintances do something dramatic at Webster Hall. Come for the lights. Stay for the sounds. Leave Planet Earth during the falsettos.

(*ha - that profile I wrote 9 years ago, tho)

And what the hell. I know I already talked about Mineral on this thing. But let’s talk about them twice. It’s not every day an emo band from the ‘90s gets back together (wacka wacka wacka). They close their emotional 4 night run at Bowery Ballroom. And remember how I was saying “July” was the best Mineral song? I stand by the statement. Fully. But this song I’m about to post below is the 2nd best. Especially when you want to throw the world the bird. Bet.

Other notable shows = S. Carey and Califone and Doe Paoro at (le) poisson rouge + Hannibal Buress at Knitting Factory

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Thanks for reading this thing again this week! Especially the 13 of you who made it all the way to the end. I almost didn’t! Let’s do this again…..when the fighting stops.