This Week's Live Picks

Monday: Sharon Van Etten @ City Winery 9pm $12
This has been a very good year for a couple of the better Brooklyn bands out there. Bands like The Antlers, Here We Go Magic, and now Sharon Van Etten have grown in leaps and bounds with their new releases and have finally started to garner the attention they deserve. Tonight you can check out what all the fuss is about by watching Sharon and listening to her incredible voice. It's a damn fine way to start off a week.
Sharon Van Etten - "Consolation Prize"

Tuesday: Explosions in the Sky @ Central Park Summerstage 5:30pm $25
I've been listening to a lot of Explosions in the Sky lately, or more specifically one of their songs a whole lot - "Your Hand In Mine", which serves as the theme song for NBC's Friday Night Lights. I've been catching up on the show on DVD and have fallen in love with the soap opera based on football. You already should know that seeing Explosions in the Sky in the middle of Central Park on a (hopefully) nice summer evening will be mind expanding.
Explosions in the Sky - "Your Hand In Mine"

Wednesday: Jay Reatard @ Music on the Oval 6pm FREE
The first of three free shows this week is a really, really good one as Jay Reatard takes his 25-minute long set to the family friendly Stuyvesant Town Oval. Not really sure how well the two will mesh, Jay Reatard certainly has a history for being brash, loud, and aggressive, but I know fans of Reatard's will be there in droves to push the kiddies out of harms way. And if you feel like paying to see Jay Reatard this week he plays Music Hall of Williamsburg Thursday night.
Jay Reatard - "See/Saw"

Thursday: Thee Oh Sees, Golden Triangle, + The Beets @ Glasslands 8pm $8
To be fair most of these bands are playing again either Friday or Saturday night as part of the Woodsist/Captured Tracks festival (see below), but it's such a good bill for really damn cheap that it's worth mentioning these guys again. Thee Oh Sees might be the finest of a strong group of garage acts coming out of San Francisco these days and The Beets are up-and-coming favorites of mine. This show should be effing awesome!
Thee Oh Sees - "Ruby Go Home"
Golden Triangle - "Red Coats"
The Beets - "What Did I Do"

Friday: Here We Go Magic + Bachelorette @ South Street Seaport 6pm FREE
Last week's Kid Cudi/Chester French lineup was not actually the kick off of the 2009 Seaport Music Festival, no the actual kickoff is tonight's excellent show catering to the indie music fans of New York City. It may not be as big as some of the recent kick off shows, but it's still a damn sweet lineup for the right price. And if you ask me nicely I may even tell you where to buy the really big really cheap beers!
Here We Go Magic - "Only Pieces"
Bachelorette - "Mindwarp"

then...pow wow!, Dinosaur Feathers, + Darlings @ The Studio @ Webster Hall 8pm $8
One of the great things about the Seaport shows is that they are over and done with early so you can add on some fun activities to your night. This week I'm thinking that involves heading up to Webster Hall for a show featuring three up-and-comers we just adore. Check it out!
pow wow! - "So Weird"
Dinosaur Feathers - "Teenage Whore"
Darlings - "Teenage Girl"

Saturday: Woodsist/Captured Tracks Fest @ 979 Broadway 2pm $15
This is actually the second day of the Woodsist/Captured Tracks fest, but for my money day 2 has the slightly better lineup (2 day tickets are $25 though). With band like Vivian Girls, Woods, Tyvek, Thee Oh Sees, and a lot more it's a lot of bang for your buck. Seriously check this out!
Vivian Girls - "Death"
Kurt Vile - "Slow Talkers"
Woods - "To Clean"
Tyvek - "Stand and Fight"

Sunday: Afro-Punk Fest @ Brooklyn Academy of Music 3pm FREE
As far as I know this is the first time this Afro-Punk Fest is happening but it's a pretty solid lineup and a damn free way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Day 2, which takes place on Monday, may have a slightly better lineup (hello, Janelle Monae!) but this seems like a good precursor for the JellyNYC shows!
Apollo Heights - "Shallow By Shallow"