Summer Music Preview

Summertime in New York City is a magical time. All the pretty girls come out of hibernation and from underneath their layers of wintry clothes. The street vendors roll out their seasonal delectables to droves of adoring foodies’ delights all huddled around tiny food trucks. Summertime in New York City is the best time. There’s no other city like it, but one can argue that the best part about it are all the free shows that go on all throughout the five boroughs. New York City is blessed to be such an important cultural center that we don’t need festivals to attract fans. There are literally hundreds of shows going on in every corner of the city—It would be impossible to put them into one page of text. From Death by Audio to Prospect Park and Shea Stadium to Lincoln Center, there is never a shortage of amazing music to get down with.

So without further pomp and adieu, I present you with the best of the best of summertime music in New York City. (Oh did I mention that each and every single one of these shows is FREE, with the exception of Northside Fest? Because they are!)


Celebrate Brooklyn
Prospect Park

Andrew Bird - June 10th
The Books - June 17th
Raekwon / Smif-N-Wessun / Large Professor – July 9th
The Feelies / Real Estate / Times New Viking – July 23rd
Ra Ra Riot / Buke & Grass / Delicate Steve – August 5th


Seaport Music Series
South Street Seaport

The Ghost of a Sabre Tooth Tiger (Sean Lennon) – June 24th
Lower Dens – July 1st
The Wake / Weekend – July 8th
Asobi Seksu – July 15th
Pow Wow! – July 10th


Summer Stage
Central Park

Yo-Yo Ma / Silk Road Ensemble – June 7th
Medeski, Martin & Wood – June 11th
Reggie Watts – June 22nd
Hugh Masekela – June 26th
Jim Gaffigan – June 29th
Friendly Fires / Cults – August 7th
Rakim / EPMD – August 21st

Red Hook Park (BK)

Talib Kweli – June 21st
Ozomatli – June 22nd
We Are Scientists / Milagres – June 23rd
Reggie Watts – June 24th

Crotona Park (BX)

Slick Rick – July 12th

Tappen Park (SI)

Sugarhill Gang – August 2nd
Budos Band – August 3rd


Rock Yard
Williamsburg

The Beets / Xray Eyeballs – July 17th
Priestbird / Family Band – July 31st
Frankie Rose & the Outs / Chief / Minks / Total Slacker – August 14th
ZAZA / Motel Motel / The Stationary Set – August 28th
Currensy – September 4th


Northside Festival
North Brooklyn

June 16th – 19th
Ava Luna / Beirut / Deer Tick (performing as Deervana) / DOM / Eternal Summers / Frankie Rose / Grooms / Guided by Voices / Javelin / Sharon Van Etten / The Sleepies / Surfer Blood / Teengirl Fantasy / Terror Pigeon Dance Revolt! / Theophilus London / Twin Sister / Wavves / Xray Eyeballs / Dream Diary / I’m Turning Into / Radical Dads / Iceage / Atlas Sound / Woods / Mount Eerie / Eleanor Friedberger / The Babies / Delicate Steve / Marie Stella / and more...

So, I guess this summer music preview is a bit misleading, as even on nights when these shows aren’t happening, you can always walk into any random venue in New York and find a band playing. I don’t care what excuse you may be able to come up with to not go to a show, your ass is getting out and you will have fun.

Releases

And now, I present you with an abbreviated list of all of the albums (the noteworthy ones anyway) that are coming out this summer. I like these bands and so should you.

Arcade Fire / Scenes from the Suburbs – August 2nd
Battles / Gloss Drop – June 7th
Beirut / TBA – Summer TBA
Bon Iver / Self-titled – June 21st
Death Cab for Cutie / Codes & Keys – May 31st
Brian Eno and Rick Holland / Drums Between the Bells – July 5th
Handsome Furs / Sound Kapital – June 28th
Memory Tapes / Player Piano – July 5th
Thurston Moore / Demolished Thoughts – May 24th
Yacht / Shangri-La – June 21st
Washed Out / Within & Without – July 12th
Cults / Self-titled – June 7th
Friendly Fires / Pala – May 24th (US)
Jeff the Brotherhood / We are the Champions – June 21st
Crystal Antlers / Two-Way Mirror – July 12th
Danger Mouse and Daniele Luppi / Rome – May 17th
Depeche Mode / Remixes 2: 81-11 – June 7th
Jane’s Addiction / The Great Escape Artist – August TBA
Junior Boys / It’s All True – June 14th
The Rosebuds / Loud Planes Fly Low – June 7th
My Morning Jacket / Circuital – May 31st
Jill Scott / The Light of the Sun – June 28th