this week in music

TICKET ALERT: BLACK N’ BLUE BOWL

Who: The Regulators, BURN, Crumbsuckers, Candiria, Madball, Sick of It All, the Rival Mob, Turnstile, Earth Crisis, Fury of Five, Expire, Suburban Scum, Everybody Gets Hurt, Dave Smalley, and more
What: 2015 Black N’ Blue Bowl
Where: Webster Hall, 125 East 11th St.,
When: Saturday, May 16, and Sunday, May 17, $40 single day, $70 weekend pass, 1:30
Why: Formerly known as the Superbowl of Hardcore, the newly redubbed Black N’ Blue Bowl comes to Webster Hall — the event began in the 1980s at the old Ritz in the same space — on May 16-17 with more than two dozen hardcore punk bands, including an exclusive appearance by the reunited BURN. “Hardcore music has been instrumental in my life and I’m excited about getting onstage with Gavin again,” BURN leader Chaka Malik said in a statement. “We’ve been approached to do this for well over a decade and it never felt like it was the right time,” guitarist Gavin Van Vlack added. “Finally the stars have aligned at a time when it all feels so right, where the pure desire that Chaka and I have to play these songs has come to fruit.” Other highlights include the Regulators, with Darryl Jenifer and Dr. Know from Bad Brains and John Joseph and Mackie Jayson from Cro-Mags, and the Wilding Incident, with Lord Ezec on vocals, Jimmy Williams on drums, and Sacha Jenkins on guitar.

FIRST SATURDAY: BASQUIAT

The opening of “Basquiat: The Unknown Notebooks” will be celebrated at free First Saturday program at the Brooklyn Museum

The opening of “Basquiat: The Unknown Notebooks” will be celebrated at free First Saturdays program at the Brooklyn Museum

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

The April edition of the Brooklyn Museum’s First Saturdays program celebrates the opening of its latest exhibit on Jean-Michel Basquiat, “Basquiat: The Unknown Notebooks,” a collection of 160 pages from his never-before-shown notebooks, focusing on his use of text and image, along with works on paper and large-scale paintings. The free evening will feature live musical performances by the James Francies Trio and Lion Babe and a DJ set by Natasha Diggs; a curator talk by Tricia Laughlin Bloom about the new exhibition; a Basquiat crown-making workshop; a Basquiat-inspired writing workshop led by Tom La Farge and Wendy Walker; Cave Canem “Poetry Meets Art” readings from LaTasha N. Nevada Diggs and Roger Reeves; a children’s book presentation with illustrator Javaka Steptoe discussing Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat; a screening of Tamra Davis’s 2010 documentary Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child; a performance of Dark Swan by Urban Bush Women; and an interactive performance and dance workshop with W.A.F.F.L.E. (We Are Family for Life Entertainment). In addition, you can check out such exhibitions as “Revolution! Works from the Black Arts Movement,” “Kehinde Wiley: A New Republic,” “The Dinner Party by Judy Chicago,” and “Chitra Ganesh: Eyes of Time.”

VIDEO OF THE DAY: “HEAVEN SENT” BY BEST COAST

Who: Best Coast
What: Northside Festival
Where: Brooklyn Live at the Inlet, 50 Kent Ave.
When: Saturday, June 13, $30, 5:00 – 10:00
Why: Singer/songwriter/guitarist Bethany Cosentino and guitarist Bobb Bruno, better known as Best Coast, are hitting the road in support of their third full-length, California Nights (Harvest, May 4). The follow-up to 2010’s Crazy for You and 2013’s The Only Place, the disc, which explores the darker sides of Los Angeles, features such tracks as “Feeling OK,” “Fine without You,” “Jealousy,” and “Wasted Time.” “It’s about a journey, accepting the things you have no control over,” Cosentino says of the record. “It’s about dealing with life like an adult, and at the end of the day, reminding yourself that there really is no reason to be sad, and you have every right to feel okay.” The California duo will be in New York City on June 13 for the Northside Festival, playing Brooklyn Live at the Inlet with Built to Spill, Alvvays, and Bully.

RUMOURS: A TRIBUTE TO FLEETWOOD MAC

Who: Karen, Katherine & Jen, Paul Bertolino, Jaime Dejesus, Sarah Factor, Samantha Feldman, Andi Rae Healy, 5j Barrow, Joanna Levine, Jeff Litman, Andrea Nardello, Abby Payne, Gerianne Pérez, Gerry Rosenthal, Jason Spiewak, Kate Steinberg, Jenn Summers, Casey Solomon, Maddy Wyatt, and others
What: The “Leave a Lasting Mark” Concert Series presents “Rumours: A Tribute to Fleetwood Mac”
Where: The Bitter End, 147 Bleecker St. between Thompson St. & La Guardia Pl., 212-673-7030
When: Tuesday, March 31, suggested donation $10, 7:00
Why: Nearly two dozen artists will be at the Bitter End on March 31 performing the songs of Fleetwood Mac, including the entire classic Rumours album, as a fundraiser for the Foundation Fighting Blindness, whose stated mission “is to drive the research that will provide preventions, treatments, and cures for people affected by retinitis pigmentosa, macular degeneration, Usher syndrome, and the entire spectrum of retinal degenerative diseases.” The organization’s annual New York City VisionWalk will take place April 18 beginning at the Central Park Bandshell.

TICKET ALERT: BUGS BUNNY AT THE SYMPHONY II

Twenty-fifth anniversary show (photo © 2012 by George Daugherty)

Who: New York Philharmonic, conductor George Daugherty, and special guest Whoopi Goldberg (May 15-16)
What: Bugs Bunny at the Symphony II
Where: Avery Fisher Hall, 10 Lincoln Center Plaza, Broadway between West 62nd & West 65th Sts.
When: May 14-16, $55–$145, 7:30 (plus 2:00 matinee on May 16)
Why: Tickets are going fast for the twenty-fifth anniversary of “Bugs Bunny at the Symphony,” in which the New York Philharmonic plays live scores to classic Warner Bros. cartoons projected behind the orchestra on a big screen. Among the Looney Tunes favorites, all featuring classical music, of course, are What’s Opera, Doc?, Rabbit of Seville, A Corny Concerto, and Rhapsody Rabbit. We learned everything we know about classical music from two sources, Merrie Melodies and Stanley Kubrick films, so we were thrilled when we saw “Bugs Bunny on Broadway” back in 1990, and now we’re even more thrilled that it’s coming back our way for four shows at Avery Fisher Hall May 14-16.

VIDEO OF THE DAY: “NOTHING BUT A HEARTACHE” BY NEIL DIAMOND

Who: Neil Diamond
What: Neil Diamond Live in Concert
Where: Barclays Center, 620 Atlantic Ave., 800-745-3000
When: Thursday, March 26, $30-$175, 8:00
Why: It’s hard to believe, but on Thursday night, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Neil Diamond will be playing his first public show ever in his home borough of Brooklyn, where he was born on January 24, 1941, highlighting songs from throughout his career as well as from his latest album, Melody Road (CMG, October 2014), which was produced by Don Was and Jacknife Lee. Get ready for a major lovefest, especially given the tour’s setlist, which includes “I’m a Believer,” “Love on the Rocks,” “Cherry, Cherry,” “I Am . . . I Said,” “Cracklin’ Rosie,” and “Sweet Caroline.” As Diamond himself recently proclaimed, “It’s going to be so good, so good, so good.”

CONEY ISLAND USA SPRING FUNDRAISING GALA: CONEY ISLAND HORROR STORY

Coney Island USA
1208 Surf Ave. between Stillwell Ave. & West 12th St.
Saturday, March 28, $100-$150, 7:00 – 12 midnight
www.coneyisland.com

Arts fundraisers can be pretty stuffy affairs, so leave it to Coney Island USA to do things just a little bit differently. On March 28, their gala spring fundraiser — taking place for the first time ever in its home base on Surf Ave. — will feature daring burlesque, sideshow performers, a Mystery in a Box, and more. The Coney Island Horror Story theme is a riff on this past season of American Horror Story, which was set at a freak show, and AHS star Mat Fraser will take part in the festivities, along with his wife, Julie Atlas Muz, and a fab cast of characters that also includes Deity Von Cuchi, Velvet Crayon, Jennifer Miller, Clara Coquette, Ginger Twist, La Maia, Puss n Boots, Sincerely Yours, Sizzle Dizzle, Tiny D, Zoe Ziegfeld, Adam Realman, Wae Messed, Betsy Propane, Divina GranSparkle, Sabrena Sunshine, Agent Topchik, Betty Bloomerz, Ray Valenz, Princess Pat, Alejandro DuBois, Sean Coleman and the Quasars, and Lara Hope and the Ark-Tones. In addition, the Great Fredini will be on hand, making his Scan-a-Rama 3D portrait, and there will be a silent auction. All of the proceeds go into Coney Island USA’s unique programming, consisting of such favorites as the Mermaid Parade, the Coney Island Film Festival, the Coney Island Museum, Burlesque at the Beach, and the Coney Island Circus Sideshow. (VIP tickets entitle you to early admission, a meet-and-greet with some of the performers, a gift bag, and unlimited beer, wine, and food.)