In what is usually a somber and reflective week, it’s important to remember that should also include some joy and gratitude of what we still have and can achieve. For the purpose of this weekly column, that includes the experience that only live music can bring.
5) Wovenhand, Jaye Jayle at Saint Vitus Bar
Country-tinged goth-rock probably isn’t in the middle of too many people’s venn diagrams but if it is, you’re probably a huge fan of Wovenhand. Some of the overtly-religious themes is a bit too much of a turn-off for me but there’s something to be said about seeing it at Saint Vitus. Saturday 7pm
4) The Growlers, The Lemonheads, The Nude Party at Central Park SummerStage
It always surprises me to see The Growlers play to the size crowds they do these days, I always imagine them playing places like The Knitting Factory where I saw them six years ago. The band are about to release their sixth album, Natural Affair, later in the year. A bigger draw for me is indie-pop legends The Lemonheads, Saturday 5pm
3) Lightning Bolt, Baby Baby, Murderpact at 99 Scott Ave
There’s not a whole lot to say about Lightning Bolt that hasn’t been said before, but this is guaranteed to be the most intense show of the weekend. The Providence duo are about to release their seventh album in October, and if lead single Air Conditioning is anything to go by then Sonic Citadel is going to be a positively pop album by comparison to their previous work. Saturday 7pm
2) Basilica Soundscape Festival at Basilica Hudson
Every year I say “I’ll go to Basilica Soundscape next year” and have yet to go. The lineup is always great and the tickets are always reasonable ($80 for a weekend pass), which is about all you can usually ask for. Sure, it’s a little out the way but at least a straight-shot to Hudson by rail. This year, the festival boasts the likes of Low, SQÜRL, Waxahatchee, Greg Fox, Dilly Dally and many more. Maybe I’ll go to Basilica Soundscape next year. Friday and Saturday
1) The Appleseed Cast, Muscle Worship at Market Hotel
Lawrence, Kansas veterans The Appleseed Cast returned with their first album in six years in June with the release of The Fleeting Light of Impermanence. Having heard some of the songs back in May during a sadly short set opening for Cursive and Mewithoutyou, it will be excellent to see the band deliver a headline set at Market Hotel on Thursday night. The record has plenty of their post-rock signatures. Fellow Lawrence act Muscle Worship open up the show, led by current Appleseed Cast member Sean Bergman joined by former Appleseed Cast drummer Nathan Wilder. Both bands also play at WFMU Monty Hall on Friday. Saturday 8pm
