5) Mineral, Into It. Over It. At Bowery Ballroom
The whole 90s reunion thing has proven to be a pretty successful booking template over the course of the past 16 months or so, with the likes of My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, Slint, and American Football all selling out multi-night stints in and around the tri-state. This weekend, Texas emo icons, Mineral, become the latest to join the nostalgia party, with a four (yes, four) night NYC stand at both Saint Vitus (Thursday) and Bowery Ballroom (Friday, Saturday, Sunday). The former is our pick of the litter based on size and sound system alone, but since it doesn’t technically fall within the weekend parameters, we will default to its Friday night cousin, which is also more than worth a trip to the ol’ Stub Hub well for.
Friday, doors at 8pm
4) Fucked Up, Speedy Ortiz, Give at Irving Plaza
Ok, it’s Fucked Up’s third NYC show of 2014, but so what? This is Fucked Up—probably the preceding decade’s most fascinating and vital hardcore band—are talking about here. Everybody’s favorite band who I still can’t really get into, Speedy Ortiz, open and Irving Plaza hosts, both of which dock this one some points in my imaginary show point book, but as I wrote in this week’s installment of This One Goes To Eleven, if you happened to miss the Toronto legends-to-be on one or both of their early forays, this is the perfect opportunity to make amends.
Saturday, doors at 8pm
3) Cerebral Ballzy, Unstoppable Death Machines, Shellshag, Cutters, Sunny Gang at Brooklyn Night Bazaar
Love it or hate it, Brooklyn Night Bazaar is one of only a few institutions that has semi-successfully bridged the gap between the increasingly frat-tastic cultural makeup of Williamsburg/Greenpoint and the DIY art ideals of first-wave North Brooklyn gentrification. With great booking—evidenced by this weekend’s Cerebral Ballzy/Unstoppable Death Machines punk rock rager—to keep the latter trudging in, and more than enough bespoke earring pop-ups and artisan tacos stands to keep everyone else occupied, the Bazaar is genuine success story, and even more fascinating business model, given the whole free entry/beer thing that has kept people pouring through the door Thursday-Sunday all summer long. So get out there and mosh till you drop this weekend and, while you’re at it, get a glimpse of how the other side lives.
Saturday, doors at 8pm
2) California X, Slothrust, Manequin Pussy, Vomitface at Death by Audio
Western Mass grungers California X had a breakthrough 2013, stringing together a seemingly endless stream of killer riffs and crusty live shows on their way to becoming one of our favorite bands on the DIY carousel. This weekend, the traveling carnival comes back around to Death by Audio, where the Northampton quartet will be joined by local mainstays Slothrust and Manequin Pussy for what is sure to be a perfect work-week antidote. Just remember though, the dress code is strictly Cobain casual.
Saturday, doors at 7pm
1) Buzzcocks, Titus Andronicus at Webster Hall
There are two kinds of people in this world: Clash people and Sex Pistols people, both of whom will be mercifully absent when the best of Britain’s 70s punk exports, The Buzzcocks, hit Webster Hall on Saturday night with local scene stalwarts Titus Andronicus for what is probably the best show of the weekend. Like everything at Webster this one, at $30, feels like a mark-up, but the pedigree simply cannot be denied. Get drunk beforehand and don’t bring a bag to check, and you just might make it out with your 401(k) intact.
Saturday, doors at 8pm
Honorable Mentions
‘Roid Raging
Modern Baseball at Brooklyn Night Bazaar
IT’S ALIVE! (Indie, that is)
Total Slacker, Paws, Flashlights at Music Hall of Williamsburg
All Livers Must Go
Organ Dealer at Saint Vitus
It’s amazing that all the best blogs and sites featuring NYC events and highlighting music festivals and shows don’t seem to know about the largest indie music festival happening in Brooklyn this weekend. Brooklyn Wildlife Summer Festival 2014’s opening event is at The Paper Box this Saturday, September 6 from 2pm to 2AM. See details about the event below.
Brooklyn Wildlife Summer Festival is an annual diverse and synergistic, indoor and outdoor festival featuring some of the best Independent talent from New York and beyond. The goal of the event is to galvanize the Indie arts and music community and represent its flourishing cultural growth within Brooklyn, with a special focus on Bushwick. BWSF2014 caters to a new youth culture that is multi- faceted, variegated, ethnically ambiguous and racially interwoven. Black, white, red, brown, gay, straight, trans – whatever color or gender… everyone parties together.
The festival is created by artists and is 100% Independent. There is no corporate sponsorship or outside funding. BWSF is unique in that it is the only festival to offer such a large and varied selection of independent artists and musicians, active within the community, gathered in one space. This is the second year for BWSF and it has vastly grown from one event in 2013 to four events in 2014.
BWSF focuses on performers in the Brooklyn arts and entertainment scene and due to the large presence of international artists in Brooklyn, the festival includes performers and participants from all around the world. There will be representation from UK, Germany, Denmark, Australia, Caribbean, Jamaica, Russia and more.
The opening show is this saturday, September 6th at The Paper Box from 2pm to 2am.
Location: Paperbox, 17 Meadow St Brooklyn
Price: $20 advance tickets
About: A 12-hour event featuring 60 + performers, 3 stages locatedlocated indoors and outdoors. The opening show presents a diverse mix of dance, performance art and live music acts. Artists include: LiKWUquiDiTYd, Rebblelmatic, The Joe Jjordan Experiment (JJX) and various Brooklyn Wildlife performers. No other festival in Brooklyn offers this many independent bands in the span of a one-day eventa day.