this week in music

GRATEFUL DEAD MEET-UP AT THE MOVIES 2015

Who: The Grateful Dead
What: Fifth annual “Grateful Dead Meet-Up at the Movies”
Where: AMC Empire 25, AMC Loews Kips Bay 15, Regal Union Square Stadium 14
When: Monday, May 4, $12.50, 7:00
Why: Fathom Events’ “Classic Music Series” continues with a screening of the the Grateful Dead’s never-before-shown July 19, 1989, concert at Alpine Valley in Wisconsin. For the finale of a three-night stand, Jerry Garcia, Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, Phil Lesh, Brent Mydland, and Bob Weir played a two hour and fifty-minute set that included such gems as “Sugaree,” “Mexicali Blues,” “Deal,” “Box of Rain,” “The Wheel,” and our personal favorite, “Terrapin Station.” In past years, the cinema series screened 4/21/72 in Bremen, 8/27/72 in Oregon, and 7/18/89 at Alpine Valley.

FIRST SATURDAY — KEHINDE WILEY: A NEW REPUBLIC

Kehinde Wiley, “Shantavia Beale II,” oil on canvas, 2012 (Collection of Ana and Lenny Gravier. © Kehinde Wiley. Photo by Jason Wyche, courtesy of Sean Kelly, New York)

Brooklyn Museum
200 Eastern Parkway at Washington St.
Saturday, April 4, free, 5:00 – 11:00
212-864-5400
www.brooklynmuseum.org

You know L.A.-born, New York–based artist Kehinde Wiley has made it, since one of his works is featured in the hit show Empire. Wiley’s new show at the Brooklyn Museum, “Kehinde Wiley: A New Republic,” is the centerpiece for the May edition of the institution’s free First Saturday program. The free evening will feature live musical performances by Chargaux and Zebra Katz and DJ sets by Juliana Huxtable and Total Freedom; a curator talk by Eugenie Tsai about the Wiley show; a Wiley-inspired three-dimensional frame-making workshop; pop-up gallery talks; an interactive space curated by Browntourage combining entertainment and activism; a screening of Jeffrey Dupre’s short 2014 documentary Kehinde Wiley: An Economy of Grace; and a Wiley-inspired dance performance of Leaders of the New School by Art of Legohn. In addition, you can check out such exhibitions as “Revolution! Works from the Black Arts Movement,” “Basquiat: The Unknown Notebooks,” “Diverse Works: Director’s Choice, 1997–2015,” “The Dinner Party by Judy Chicago,” and “Chitra Ganesh: Eyes of Time.”

NORTHSIDE FESTIVAL FREE TICKET ALERT: THE VERY BEST / HEEMS

Who: The Very Best & Heems
What: Free outdoor concert as part of Northside Festival
Where: McCarren Park, Brooklyn
When: Friday, June 12, free with advance RSVP, doors at 2:30, music at 5:30
Why: Tickets have just been made available to the hot double bill of the Very Best and Heems, who will be playing a free Northside Festival show at McCarren Park on June 12. In addition, Against Me! will be taking the stage on June 13. The Northside Festival runs June 8-14 in venues throughout Greenpoint and Williamsburg, featuring art, music, film, and technology talks. Among the more than four hundred participating bands are Zola Jesus, Built to Spill, Neko Case, Sleigh Bells, Best Coast, Ex Hex, Hard Nips, and Life Size Maps.

SAKURA MATSURI 2015

Large crowds will gather to see the blooming cherry trees at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden this weekend (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

Brooklyn Botanic Garden
900 Washington Ave. at Eastern Parkway
Saturday, April 25, and Sunday, April 26, $20-$25 (children under twelve free), 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
718-623-7200
www.bbg.org

It’s been a ridiculously cold and long winter, but springtime finally seems to be here, and with it comes one of our favorite annual festivals, the Sakura Matsuri at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. The weekend celebrates the beauty of the blossoming of the cherry trees with live music and dance, parades, workshops, demonstrations, martial arts, fashion shows, Ikebana flower arranging, a bonsai exhibit, Shogi chess, garden tours, shopping, book signings, Japanese food, and more. Below are just some of the highlights of this always lovely party, with many events going on all day long.

Saturday, April 25

The Battersby Show: Beginner Cosplay Crafting, with Charles Battersby, Ann Milana, Lady Ava, Mink-the-Satyr, and Uncle Yo, J-Lounge at Osborne Garden, 12 noon

Sogetsu Ikebana Demonstration, with Yoko Ikura and Shoko Iwata, auditorium, 1:00

Dancejapan with Sachiyo Ito, Main Stage, Cherry Esplanade, 1:15

Ukioy-e Illustration Demonstration with Artist Jed Henry, J-Lounge at Osborne Garden, 2:00

Samurai Sword Soul, Main Stage, Cherry Esplanade, 2:15

Urasenke Tea Ceremony, auditorium, 3:00 & 4:15

Takarabune Dance, Main Stage, Cherry Esplanade, 3:15

Hanagasa Odori Parade with flower hat dance by the Japanese Folk Dance Institute of New York, J-Lounge at Osborne Garden, 4:15

Akim Funk Buddha’s Urban Tea Ceremony, Main Stage, Cherry Esplanade, 5:00

Sunday, April 26

Children’s Suzuki Recital, Brooklyn College Preparatory Center, auditorium, 11:30

Awa Odori Parade, with Takarabune Dance, J-Lounge at Osborne Garden, 12 noon & 3:00

The Battersby Show: What Is Cosplay? with Charles Battersby, Aleta Pardalis, Dokudel, Mario Bueno, Uncle Yo, and YuffieBunny, J-Lounge at Osborne Garden, 1:00

Rock and Roll Love book signing with Misako Rocks!, J-Lounge at Osborne Garden, 2:00

Sohenryu-Style Tea Ceremony with Soumi Shimizu and Sōkyo Shimizu, auditorium, 2:30

Japanese Folk Dance Institute of New York performs Minbu dances, Main Stage, Cherry Esplanade, 3:00

Magician Rich Kameda, J-Lounge at Osborne Garden, 4:00

NY Suwa Taiko Kids All Stars, Main Stage, Cherry Esplanade, 4:15

The Sixth Annual Sakura Matsuri Cosplay Fashion Show, with original music by Taiko Masala, Main Stage, Cherry Esplanade, 5:15

SHAKESPEARE BIRTHDAY BASH

Jonathan Slaff reads from HENRY VI at 2014 birthday bash for the Bard in Bryant Park (photo by Claire Taddei)

Jonathan Slaff reads from HENRY V at 2014 birthday bash for the Bard in Bryant Park (photo by Claire Taddei)

Who: The Drilling Company, with artistic director Jonathan Eric Foster, managing director Sarah George, and more than fifty actors, including company members Kyle Acheson, Sam De Roest, Nyssa Duchow, and Corley Pillsbury
What: Second annual Shakespeare Birthday Bash
Where: Bryant Park, 40th to 42nd Sts. between Fifth & Sixth Aves.
When: Wednesday, April 23, free, 12:30 – 2:30
Why: The Drilling Company, those creative folks behind Shakespeare in the Parking Lot and who brought Hamlet to Bryant Park last year, will celebrate the Bard’s 451st birthday with a free party in the park on Thursday afternoon. At 12:30, a flash mob of actors will be roaming the area, presenting “Wonderful Words,” consisting of famous speeches, sonnets, and lines. At 1:00, folk band Thicket & Thistle will perform original music based on Shakespeare sonnets on the Fountain Terrace. At 1:30, anyone can join the festivities by reading a speech from a Bard play to win a T-shirt. Finally, at 2:00, banners will be raised, filled with quotations that people have been adding to all afternoon. The Drilling Company will be back in the park later this spring and summer, presenting Two Gentlemen of Verona May 15-31, followed by Romeo and Juliet July 10-26 and The Taming of the Shrew September 4-20; they will also perform As You Like It July 9-26 and Macbeth July 30 to August 15 in their new parking lot home on Norfolk St. behind the Clemente Soto Velez Cultural and Educational Center.

RECITAL SERIES: THE NIGHT DANCES

Who: Charlotte Rampling and Sonia Wieder-Atherton
What: Recital Series: The Night Dances
Where: Park Avenue Armory, Board of Officers Room, 643 Park Ave. at 67th St., 212-933-5812
When: April 22-26, $75
Why: New York City’s most diverse and captivating space, the Park Avenue Armory, will host the U.S. premiere of “Recital Series: The Night Dances,” what should be a mesmerizing performance that features the one and only Charlotte Rampling (The Night Porter, Swimming Pool) reading the poetry of Sylvia Plath, accompanied by cellist Sonia Wieder-Atherton (Little Girl Blue, from Nina Simone; Vita Monteverdi Scelsi) playing suites by Benjamin Britten.

VIDEO OF THE DAY: “KIM’S CARAVAN” BY COURTNEY BARNETT

Who: Courtney Barnett
What: Three-night stand in New York City with Chastity Belt and Darren Hanlon
Where: Bowery Ballroom, 6 Delancey St. between Bowery & Chrystie St., 212-260-4700
When: May 19-21, $20, 8:00
Why: Courtney Barnett might have a new song called “Pedestrian at Best,” but there’s nothing pedestrian about the twenty-six-year-old Australian guitarist and her breakthrough debut full-length, Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit (Mom & Pop Music, March 2015). Barnett’s rep has been growing with the critical success of her EPs I’ve Got a Friend Called Emily Ferris and How to Carve a Carrot into a Rose, but she’s absolutely exploded with the record, a diverse collection of indie rockers and intelligent ballads with complex arrangements, featuring such tracks as “Elevator Operator,” “An Illustration of Loneliness (Sleepless in New York),” “Debbie Downer,” and “Nobody Really Cares If You Don’t Go to the Party.” However, you’re likely to care if you miss this three-night party at the Bowery Ballroom May 19-21. “I’m not what you’re looking for,” Barnett might claim on “Boxing Day Blues,” but she’s exactly what you need. (For Record Store Day on Saturday, Barnett will be releasing “Kim’s Caravan” backed with a cover of John Cale’s “Close Watch.”)