Who said summer was supposed to be nice anyway… with thunderstorms forecast for much of the weekend, you might as well spend it inside somewhere watching bands! Let’s not beat around the bush, here are some recommendations…
5) Hoops, B Boys, David West at Shea Stadium
Bloomington, Indiana four-piece Hoops are releasing an EP at the end of the month via Fat Possum Records and new song Gemini sounds like a summer breeze, which we could all use right now. B Boys are also one of my favourite Brooklyn bands and they recently played on The Special Without Brett Davis (which you can watch here), don’t miss them if you like Wire circa-1978. Thursday 8pm
4) Kool & the Gang, Bootsy Collins, Morris Day & The Time, Doug E. Fresh at The Amphitheater at Coney Island Boardwalk
I’m going to put in a caveat here to say I’m not sure what a Kool & the Gang show really entails these days, what is certain is that the band’s output circa 1969-73 is some of the best funk you can lay your hands on before they went off the rails. I can’t believe, however, that they don’t play classics like N.T. Parts 1&2 and of course, Jungle Boogie. I could be wrong, however, and it might all be pretty cheesy… you’ve also got Bootsy Collins on the bill if there wasn’t enough funk to go around already. The listings at the newly opened Coney Island Amphitheater have been at best hit and miss if you ask me, but this should be a good one. Friday 7pm
3) X, Dead Rock West at Irving Plaza
While X haven’t released any records since 1993, they have played live with some regularity and there aren’t too many bands from that first wave of punk who are still playing, let alone ones so critically loved, don’t sleep on this one. Saturday 7:30pm
2) Parquet Courts, Decisions, Jordonna at Market Hotel
Of all the venues that are still standing, Market Hotel seems like the best fit for Parquet Courts. Come to think of it I haven’t seen the band since they last played at Death By Audio where they said they “learned how to be a band”, so I’m looking forward to this one a lot. This show is a mini-send off before they head off for some dates on the West Coast (via Austin), ending with a tour of Europe in October. This year’s record Human Performance is a bit more of a grower than previous efforts and is a fine addition to their discography. Saturday 8pm
1) Drive Like Jehu at The Bell House and Irving Plaza
In 1995, Drive Like Jehu didn’t exactly break up (leaving behind two cult classic albums), but the idea of seeing them get back together before playing a show in 2014 seemed unrealistic. Indeed, they still remained on the unlikely bands to ever see live list for a while after that too. It’s no surprise that these two shows sold out quickly as their reputation has only grown over the years. However, just yesterday, The Bell House did put up some extra tickets so grab them now, I also noticed that people were selling spares at face value on the facebook events pages, if you want to try your luck. The Bell House is an infinitely better venue than Irving, but that show went on sale first and I’ll see you there. Now, how about some Hot Snakes shows too? Thursday 8pm at The Bell House and Friday 7:30 at Irving Plaza.
