Written by Patrick McNamara

Let’s talk about the good shows this weekend. And then let’s be sure to save some time at the end to talk about whatever else you’d like to talk about - books… tacos… how the mind relates to nature… how we launched a spaceship in 1977 and it just left the solar system (the solar system, man, the SOLAR system!)... you know, whatevs. My time is your time.

These are The Best Shows This Weekend.

Thursday - September 19th, 2013 A.D.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs play Barclays Center for the first time. A message for Karen, Nick, and Brian - I highly recommend you guys get your locally-sourced nachos from the Calexico stand EARLY. The last thing you want is to be stuck in a long line waiting for this delicious, delicious American-invented cuisine (with cheese melted in microwaves right here in Brooklyn!) and then hear the PA guy say, “Ladies and Gentleman, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs!” and then the crowd roars and the curtain goes up and you guys are totally not on stage! You’re in line for nachos! So yeah. I’d say make a beeline for the delicious heart attack snack as soon as doors open. My advice. Take it or leave it.



Big Ups play Death by Audio. I mention these punks a lot on this thing. And guess what? I’m mentioning them again. Now THAT’S punk rock, sucka (uhhh, recycling content is punk?)(hell yeah it’s punk and guess what, sucka? I can read what’s in your parentheses). But moving on, this is the latest Big Ups song. And ho-hum, it’s just another really good one. Ho-hum.



Wistful pop (the close-but-not-like-creepily-close-cousin of bliss pop) can sometimes be the best pop too. Youth Lagoon play for the melancholy dreamers at (le) poisson rouge tonight (with Pure X). Score one of for the sad. Cool. We could use a few more points on our board. We’ll never beat the happy. But us sads at least wanna be competitive and make a game of it.



Terry Malts play Glasslands, Slumberland style. Did you know Terry Malts are a good band? It’s totally true. Both the song below and Wikipedia told me so.



Other good shows tonight = Deerhunter + Crystal Stilts + Blues Control at Webster Hall (already mentioned) + good old boy Willie at The Capitol (already mentioned) + FLAG (Black Flag without Greg Ginn and Ron Reyes - not to be confused with the other touring Black Flag - which isn’t the real Black Flag, either) at Irving Plaza + DJ Bradford Cox (stop sabotaging this thing, Deerhunter!) at Glasslands + Russell Brand at Town Hall who will now serenade you…..



SEE ALL OF OUR THURSDAY SHOW PICKS.

Friday - September 20th, 2013 A.D.

The #1 Most Popular Show on Rockness (as decided by you extremely attractive My Rockness users) is tonight. And it’s Vampire Weekend + Solange + Sky Ferriera at that intimate Barclays Center club again . Full disclosure for no one asking. I didn’t used to like Vampire Weekend. And now I do. I think “Modern Vampires of the City” is a terrific album. If I can change! And you can change! Everybody can change! (it helps that Vampire Weekend changed from tropical pseudo world pop to something, you know, better sounding…. but that’s of no matter or great importance here.)



I casually mentioned in passing earlier in the week (Wednesday, to be specific) that Goldroom was playing (le) poisson rouge. Well, let’s take a minute to stop being so goddamn cavalier about things. Because Goldroom plays Brooklyn Bowl tonight, too. And that deserves at least a danceable stream or something, don’t you think?



Nude Beach play Mercury Lounge. I once (on May 15, 2013 A.D.) compared this straight-up hard-working real talk true spit rock ‘n roll band to Elvis Costello (reminder: he’s playing this week too) + Springsteen (he’s not) + Johnny Cougar (no idea his whereabouts). So I guess I just did that again (on September 16, 2013 A. D.) Go get yourself liquored up (or, just assume a sunny disposition) and let the rowdy good times flow at this show.



This seems like a slight Friday night, but it’s not. Other good shows = Pixies at Bowery Ballroom (already mentioned) with Parquet Courts (didn’t mention that) + Icona Pop (already mentioned them too) at Webster Hall + Patti Smith at this hot new club called The Metropolitan Museum of Art + Oh Land at MHOW + some more probably actually no I’m sure there are more. Click that link right down there.

SEE ALL OF OUR FRIDAY SHOW PICKS.

Saturday - September 21st, 2013 A.D.

And you thought there were no more free summer shows. Well, you were right. Because it’s the first day of fall. But there is a free Parquet Courts (this used to be DIIV - no longer DIIV) + Guards + Fletcher C. Johnson show happening in Havemeyer Park tonight. So we can all keep the delusional dream alive that the darkness will never arrive… at least for one more night. This is still such a pretty song.

(EDITOR’S UPDATE: good news - tomorrow is actually the first day of fall - therefore this IS a free summer show - yay! - the darkness doesn’t arrive until tomorrow! - and as long as I’m here and interrupting things what’s been going on with you lately? - see any cool new bands and stuff?)



The always solid Obits play The Bell House (with Prince Rupert’s Drops + All Nines). These post-something-present-Froberg-punks have a brand new album out called “Bed and Bugs” (yep, total New Yorkers) on Sub Pop. Would you like to hear a song from it? Terrific!



Three good LOUD bands at Death by Audio tonight. Toronto noise punks Odonis Odonis + sinister Brooklyn soundscapers, Eraas, + bombastic new band, HSY (as in, “Hussy also be from Toronto and Hussy also be crazzzzy!”).



And I guess you can go see Metallica at Apollo Theater tonight. For free. If you RSVP. Which gives you the “chance” to “win” entry. (Here’s the actual copy from the event: “You could win a trip to see Metallica up close, personal, and in your face at Harlem’s world famous Apollo Theater in New York City!” Huh. I’ve been to the Apollo. Sat in the balcony. The Sandman was extremely far away from my face.) So if this, and other gimmicky sponsored show things like it, is something you find worth pursuing.. .even though the chances of you actually “winning” is miniscule… and it’s Metallica… and it’s 2013… you go ahead and do it. It’s your journey, man. It’s your journey.

Finally, DJ Dog Dick plays a free show at Union Pool. Once again, that’s DJ Dog Dick. The whole dog will NOT be DJ’ing today. Just the dog’s dick. Will the dog’s dick wear headphones? Or, will the dog’s dick spin naked? I guess I’ll never know.

SEE ALL OF OUR SATURDAY SHOW PICKS.

Sunday - September 22nd, 2013 A.D.

CHVRCHES play Terminal 5 tonight. And this is perhaps the greatest song ever made about someone giving a pep talk to their step-sibling.



The sublimely talented and slightly tormented, Austra, play Webster Hall (tormented in sound style only - probably - I don’t know Austra - because they never return any of my calls - or acknowledge the nice skywriting message I commissioned over Toronto that said simply said, AUSTRA FOREVA - oh well). Anyway, lots and lots of Austra is played at Rockness HQ. We’re actually trying to figure out a way to dicky our door buzzer to play this song anytime we have any gentleman callers (i.e. dudes on bikes with online ordered food). Dickying with door buzzers is the new ringtones. You heard it here first.



SEE ALL OF OUR SUNDAY SHOW PICKS.

Those were The Best Shows This Week. Now. About that time we were saving for the end to talk about whatever you want. Guess what? That time is right now. So go ahead. Throw out a topic. Any topic at all. Whenever you’re ready. Just toss something towards me. I’ll toss it back. Because great conversation is like a tennis match…. so serve it up… I’m waiting to return it…… anytime now….. I’m slightly crouched and ready….. just toss that ball…. my knees are starting to hurt a little… but it’s totally chill… whenever you’re ready… to toss that ball….