this week in music

BIG APPLE BARBECUE BLOCK PARTY 2015

There’s plenty of smokin’ good ’cue at annual BBQ block party in Madison Square Park (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

Madison Square Park
23rd to 26th Sts. between Fifth & Madison Aves.
Saturday, June 13, and Sunday, June 14, 11:00 am – 6:00 pm
Admission: free; $9-$12 per plate of barbecue
Fast Pass: $125; BigPiggin’ Pass: $265
www.bigapplebbq.org
www.madisonsquarepark.org

The immensely popular and ridiculously crowded Big Apple Barbecue Block Party is upon us, as pitmasters from around the country gather in Madison Square Park and serve up some damn fine BBQ. The thirteenth annual event, being held June 13-14, features some old favorites as well as some up-and-comers: Mike Mills of the 17th Street Bar & Grill (Murphysboro, Illinois; baby back ribs with baked beans), Tim Love (the Woodshed Smokehouse, Dallas/Ft. Worth; lamb brisket with borracho beans), Chris Lilly of Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q (Decatur, Alabama; pulled pork sandwich with spicy mustard coleslaw), Mike Emerson of Pappy’s Smokehouse (St. Louis; baby back ribs with baked beans), Jimmy Hagood of BlackJack Barbecue (Charleston, South Carolina; pulled pork with coleslaw), Wayne Mueller of Louie Mueller Barbecue (Taylor, Texas; Texas beef rib with pickled southern vegetables), Patrick Martin of Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint (Nashville; Western Tennessee whole hog sandwich with coleslaw), Garry Roark of Ubon’s Barbeque of Yazoo (Yazoo City, Mississippi; pulled pork shoulder sandwich with coleslaw), Scott Roberts of the Salt Lick Bar-B-Que (Driftwood, Texas; beef brisket, sausage, and coleslaw), Brad Orrison of the Shed Barbeque & Blues Joint (Ocean Springs, Mississippi; pulled whole hog sandwich with baked beans), John Wheeler of Memphis Barbecue Co. (Horn Lake, Mississippi; baby back ribs with baked beans), Drew Robinson of Jim N’ Nick’s Bar-B-Que (Birmingham, Alabama; smoked pork hot links with pimento cheese), Samuel Jones of the Skylight Inn (Ayden, North Carolina; chopped whole hog sandwich with coleslaw), and local purveyors Jean-Paul Bourgeois of Blue Smoke (pork spare ribs with pickled peppers), Charles Grund Jr. of Hill Country (beef brisket sandwich with sweet and spicy pickles), John Stage of Dinosaur Bar-B-Que (beef brisket with BBQ beans), and Bill Durney of Hometown Bar-B-Que (Jamaican jerk St. Louis ribs with Caribbean slaw). The lines can get extremely long, so the best way to enjoy the event is to go with a bunch of friends, get on different lines, and then gather somewhere in the park to devour your meal (while also checking out Teresita Fernandez’s new mirrored installation, “Fata Morgana”). Each plate of ’cue will run you between nine and twelve bucks, with desserts from Sugaree’s and Robicelli’s. The FastPass is no more, so if you want to go VIP, you need to pick up the BigPiggin’ Pass, where for $275 you get your food brought to you in the comfort of the hospitality tent. Saturday’s music lineup consists of the Reed Turner Band at 1:00, Shook Twins at 2:45, and Andrew Combs at 4:30, while Sunday’s is Whiskey Shivers at 1:00, Nikki Lane at 2:45, and Jonny Fritz at 4:30.

NORTHSIDE FESTIVAL 2015 VIDEO OF THE DAY: “DAMN, GIRL” BY HEEMS

Who: Heems
What: Northside Festival International Showcase
Where: McCarren Park, North Twelfth St., Lorimer St., and Manhattan Ave. between Bayard St. and Berry St. and Nassau Ave.
When: Friday, June 12, free with RSVP, 8:30
Why: Queens native and Das Racist cofounder Himanshu “Heems” Suri has struck out on his own, touring behind his debut solo album, Eat Pray Thug, which was released in March in conjunction with a similarly titled art exhibition at Aicon Gallery. The politically tinged record, with a deep personal connection, features such tracks as “So NY,” “Flag Shopping,” “Hubba Hubba,” “Al Q8a,” “Suicide by Cop,” and “Patriot Act.” Heems is playing a free show with St. Grandson, Sevdaliza, Oy, Jacco Gardner, Irie Maffia, and the Very Best on June 12 in McCarren Park as part of the Northside Festival, which runs through June 14 in venues all over Brooklyn’s north side, featuring innovation speakers, panel discussions, and a trade-show expo June 11-12, music June 11-14, and art walks June 13-14; among the other bands performing on June 12 are Morello Twins at Cameo, Sons of an Illustrious Father at Muchmore’s, Vomitface at Pet Rescue, Walking Shapes at the Polish National Church, and Beach Fossils at Rough Trade.

NORTHSIDE FESTIVAL 2015 VIDEO OF THE DAY: “CHAINSAW MORNING” BY RINGO DEATHSTARR

Who: Ringo Deathstarr
What: Rocky Road showcase at the Northside Festival
Where: The Grand Victory, 245 Grand St., 347-529-6610
When: Thursday, June 11, $13, 10:30
Why: Sure, Ringo Deathstarr has one of the best band names ever, but the Austin trio also knows its way around trippy psychedelia shoegazing, taking listeners on its own version of a magical mystery tour on such records as God’s Dream and Mauve. Elliot Frazier, Daniel Coborn, and G. G. Alex are headlining the Rocky Road showcase at Northside Festival on Thursday night at the Grand Victory with Casual Strangers, New Myths, Armstrong Leigh, and RIG1. The Northside Festival runs through June 14 in venues all over Brooklyn’s north side, featuring film June 8-10, innovation speakers, panel discussions, and a trade-show expo June 11-12, music June 11-14, and art walks June 13-14; among the other bands performing on June 11 are White Suns at Aviv, Health at Baby’s All Right, Femi Kuti & the Positive Force at Brooklyn Bowl, the Rosewood Girl at Pete’s Candy Store, and Sharkmuffin at the Gutter.

NORTHSIDE FESTIVAL 2015 VIDEO OF THE DAY: “HUNGER” BY ZOLA JESUS

Who: Zola Jesus
What: Scenic & Northside Festival Present
Where: Warsaw @ the Polish National Home, 261 Driggs Ave. at Eckford St., 718-387-0505
When: Sunday, June 14, $25, 10:45
Why: Zola Jesus’s dark, gothic sound and style has been building buzz for quite a while now. It’s a treat to see her again, this time at Northside; the last place we saw her was when she went wild onstage at the 2012 Catalpa Festival on Randall’s Island, so we’re, um, hungry for more. Zola Jesus will be at Warsaw on Sunday night with Container, and Blanck Mass. The Northside Festival runs June 8-14 in venues all over Brooklyn’s north side, featuring film June 8-10, innovation speakers, panel discussions, and a trade-show expo June 11-12, music June 11-14, and art walks June 13-14; among the other bands performing on June 14 are Sleigh Bells at 50 Kent Avenue, Hard Nips at Black Bear Bar, Future Punx at Cameo, Viet Cong at the Music Hall of Williamsburg, and Sun Ra Arkestra at Rough Trade.

MUSEUM MILE FESTIVAL 2015

Uptown institutions stay open late and open their doors for free for Museum Mile Festival

Multiple locations on Fifth Ave. between 82nd & 105th Sts.
Tuesday, June 9, 6:00 – 9:00 pm
Admission: free
www.museummilefestival.org

There’s really only one main problem with the annual Museum Mile Festival: It’s too short. On Tuesday, June 9, from 6:00 to 9:00, nine uptown art and cultural institutions will open their doors for free and fill Fifth Ave. between 82nd & 105th Sts. with family-friendly activities for the thirty-sixth year. There will be live outdoor performances by Calpulli Mexican Dance Company, Paul Miller aka DJ Spooky That Subliminal Kid, Evolfo, Kim David Smith, the Martha Graham Dance Company, Sammie & Trudie’s Imagination Playhouse, Silly Billy the Very Funny Clown, and Magic Brian, in addition to face painting, art workshops, chalk drawing, and more. The participating museums (with at least one of their current shows listed here) are El Museo del Barrio (“Under the Mexican Sky: Gabriel Figueroa — Art and Film”), the Museum of the City of New York (“Saving Place: 50 Years of New York City Landmarks”), the Jewish Museum (“Revolution of the Eye: Modern Art and the Birth of American Television,” “Laurie Simmons: How We See”), the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum (“How Posters Work,” “Making Design”), the National Academy (“The Annual 2015: The Depth of the Surface”), the Guggenheim (“Storylines: Contemporary Art at the Guggenheim”), the Neue Galerie (“Gustav Klimt and Adele Bloch-Bauer: The Woman in Gold”), and the Metropolitan Museum of Art (“Van Gogh: Irises and Roses,” “Robert Motherwell: Lyric Suite”), along with the Africa Center (which is building a new home). Don’t try to do too much, because it can get rather crowded; just pick one or two exhibitions in one or two museums and enjoy.

NORTHSIDE FESTIVAL 2015 VIDEO OF THE DAY: “ALL I WANT IS TO BE YOUR GIRL” BY HOLLY MIRANDA

Who: Holly Miranda
What: Northside Festival
Where: Knitting Factory Brooklyn, 361 Metropolitan Ave., 347-529-6696
When: Saturday, June 13, $15, 10:00
Why: It took five years for Holly Miranda to follow up her debut album, 2010’s The Magician’s Private Library, but her eponymous sophomore record came out in May, and it features a more wide-ranging, diverse sound, in addition to fiery lyrics. “The days are shorter but the nights are long / We could fuck in the sun and dance till dawn / and all I want is to be your girl,” she proclaims on the disc. Miranda, formerly of the Jealous Girlfriends, plays piano, drums, guitar, and bass on the record, joined by bandmates Timmy Mislock, Maria Eisen, and David Jack Daniels. Suffering from writer’s block, she wrote the tunes, which also include “Mark My Words,” “Pelican Rapids,” “The Only One,” and “Hymnal,” in the desert in Joshua Tree, then recorded them in Brooklyn. Miranda will be performing at a Northside Festival showcase on Saturday night at the Knitting Factory with Shigeto, the Landing, Lord RAJA, Coastgaard, the Fantastic Plastics, Vivid Dreams, and others; each ticket comes with a free digital download of Miranda’s new record. The Northside Festival runs June 8-14 in venues all over Brooklyn’s north side, featuring film June 8-10, innovation speakers, panel discussions, and a trade-show expo June 11-12, music June 11-14, and art walks June 13-14; among the other bands performing on June 13 are Built to Spill and Best Coast at 50 Kent Avenue, Against Me! At McCarren Park, Psychic Blood at Shea Stadium, Chargaux at the Living Room, Nude Beach at Union Pool, and Blonde Redhead at Warsaw.

NORTHSIDE FESTIVAL 2015 VIDEO OF THE DAY: “EVERYONE ELSE” BY HELIOTROPES

Who: Heliotropes
What: Greenpointers/Supercrush Studios Showcase at the Northside Festival
Where: Bar Matchless, 557 Manhattan Ave. between Driggs & Nassau Aves., 718-383-5333
When: Friday, June 12, $7, 11:30 pm
Why: At the 2013 4Knots Music Festival at the South Street Seaport, we were blown away by Brooklyn’s Heliotropes, who were touring behind their debut album, A Constant Sea, one of the best records of the summer. Lead singer and guitarist Jessica Numsuwankijkul, bassist Nya Abudu, drummer Cici Harrison, and vocalist and tambourine player Amber Myers are heading back out on the road (with an additional guitarist), highlighting songs from their upcoming sophomore disc, and they’ll be headlining the Greenpointers/Supercrush Studios Showcase at Bar Matchless on Friday night, on a bill with the Meaning of Life, Spritzer, Shark Week, the Teen Age, and Oracle Room. The Northside Festival runs June 8-14 in venues all over Brooklyn’s north side, featuring film June 8-10, innovation speakers, panel discussions, and a trade-show expo June 11-12, music June 11-14, and art walks June 13-14; among the other bands performing on June 12 are Neko Case at 50 Kent Avenue, Heems and the Very Best at McCarren Park, Alden Penner and Michael Cera at the Knitting Factory, Beach Fossils at Rough Trade, and Crazy Pills at the Gutter.