this week in music

WHATEVER . . . BLOG PRESENTS THE DIAMOND CENTER

Bruar Falls
245 Grand St. between Driggs & Robeling Sts.
Thursday, July 28, $10, 8:00
http://wwwwhatever-amy.blogspot.com
www.bruarfalls.com

For nearly two years, Amy Grimm, creator of the intellectual and rebellious Whatever . . . blog, has been hosting monthly parties in Brooklyn clubs, featuring some of the best up-and-coming bands from across the country. “You know you’re at the right show if indie music princess Amy Grimm is there,” we wrote last year in our introduction to our twi-ny talk with the charming and enthusiastic music lover. Amy has put together another great Whatever . . . Blog Party for July 28 at Bruar Falls, featuring Rumanian Buck (7:00), Libel (8:00), the Nico Blues (9:00), Wojcik (10:00), and the Diamond Center (11:00). The sparkling Diamond Center, which consists of Brandi Price, Kyle Harris, and an ever-changing roster of drummers and other accompanists, blew us away with their 2009 sophomore release, My Only Companion, and have recently put out an awesome limited-edition seven-inch of “Caraway” backed with “20Twin,” fifteen minutes of haunting experimental wanderings; the former would have sounded great over the closing credits of Cowboys & Aliens. The Diamond Center are actual wanderers; they’ve moved from Athens, Georgia, to Lubbock, Texas, and now to Richmond, Virginia, during their four-year history. Brooklyn-based duo Wojcik, featuring Geoff Lewitt on drums and the multitalented Hailey Wojcik on guitar and vocals, mix in elements of 1970s and ’80s girl-group power pop and punk, melding Ike and Tina Turner’s “River Deep, Mountain High” with Kim Gordon from Dirty/Goo–era Sonic Youth filtered through Joan Jett, as evidenced on The [VOY-chek] EP and their recent cover of LCD Soundsystem’s “I Can Change.” Wojcik is the group’s fearless leader; “But have I got plans when it’s my turn / I’ll be warming my hands on the bridges I burn,” she declares on “Tiny Mussels.” New Jersey’s the Nico Blues go from loud and aggressive (“Unprofessional”) to bouncy (“Exit 6”) to melodic (“Adjust Accordingly”) on its latest album, Blame the Boredom, Blame the Basements. The Brooklyn trio Libel, made up of Julie Rozansky, Jonathan Hanson, and Gavin Dunaway, delve into fear on their most recent disc, No Regrets for Our Youth, with such high points as “TLO” and “A Fatality.” On “Wasp Lane” they proclaim, “Resist, resist / all augmentation / Insist, insist / on assimilation.” And Greenpoint’s Aaron Lazar of the Giraffes is resurrecting his essentially one-man band, Rumanian Buck, responsible for such well-titled tracks as “Tineretze” and “Slippercrumble,” as a trio for this reunion show. Once again Grimm has curated what should be a great night of indie rock from bands you probably haven’t heard of but will be glad you now do.

SUMMERGARDEN: NEW MUSIC FOR NEW YORK

Pianist Geri Allen will lead Timeline in a jazz show July 31 in MoMA’s sculpture garden

Museum of Modern Art
The Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Sculpture Garden
West 54th St. between Fifth & Sixth Aves.
Sunday, July 24 & 31, free, gates open at 7:00, concert begins at 8:00
www.moma.org
sculpture garden slideshow

The final two concerts in MoMA’s free annual Summergarden series take place July 24 & 31 in the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Sculpture Garden, where you can hear classical music and jazz amid some of the finest sculptures from the Museum of Modern Art’s collection. On July 24, “Juilliard Concert II: New Music for String Quartet” will feature violinists David Fulmer and Rebekah Durham, violist Jennifer Chang, and cellist Avery Waite from the New Juilliard Ensemble performing the Western Hemisphere premiere of Jiří Kadeřábek’s “Barefoot Boy!” and the New York premieres of Judith Lang Zaimont’s “The Fugue” for string quartet, Carson Cooman’s “Four Aphoristic Inventions,” “Tombeau-Aria,” and “Estampie” for two violins, and Louis Andriessen’s “Facing Death.” On July 31, “Jazz Concert II: Geri Allen and Timeline” will combine music and movement with pianist Geri Allen, saxophonist JD Allen, bassist Kenny Davis, drummer Kassa Overall, and tap-dancer Maurice Chestnut in the premiere of Allen’s “Flower of May,” which honors Bill Cosby and his wife, Camille. Free admission is first come, first served, with gates opening at 7:00 and the concert starting at 8:00. Although the MoMA galleries are closed, you can enjoy the wonderful sculptures in the garden, including Auguste Rodin’s “St. John the Baptist Preaching,” Elie Nadelman’s “Man in the Open Air,” Gaston Lachaise’s “Floating Figure,” Tom Otterness’s “Head,” Henry Moore’s “Family Group,” Renee Sintenis’s “Daphne,” Henri Matisse’s “Back” series, and one of the most colorful works to ever grace the sculpture garden, Katharina Fritsch’s “Figurengruppe (Group of Figures).”

PIG OUT!

3rd Ward
195 Morgan Ave.
Saturday, July 23, free with RSVP, 2:00 – 9:00
www.3rdward.com

Brooklyn art collective 3rd Ward considers itself “an incubator for innovation and possibility” where anyone and everyone is invited “to work, play, learn, grow, and, ultimately, transform.” On July 23, the public is also invited to eat to their heart’s content at 3rd Ward’s fourth annual Pig Out! From 2:00 to 9:00, attendees will be lining up for barbecue from the Lower East Side’s Brindle Room (and you thought all those artistic types were either vegetarian or vegan), local produce from Plovgh, and live music by Union Street Preservation Society, Northern Bells, Alana & the Rough Gems, and DJs the Gorges Boys. There will also be workshops and demonstrations, including “Alginate Casting,” “Chocolate Sculpture,” “The Bicycle Doctor Is In,” and “Ingredient Challenge.”

GET WEIRD: GRAY

Gray will be getting weird again at the New Museum on July 21 (photo by Linda Covello)

New Museum of Contemporary Art
235 Bowery at Prince St.
Thursday, July 21, $15, 7:00 & 9:00
212-219-1222
www.newmuseum.org

In 1979, Jean-Michel Basquiat teamed up with performance artist Michael Holman to form the jazzy, funky experimental No Wave ambient industrial band Gray, named after Gray’s Anatomy, an influential book on Basquiat’s career. “New York is my town / Lower East Side I get down,” they declared on “Life on the Streets.” On July 21, Holman and original Gray member Nicholas Taylor, who have re-formed and released the album Shades of . . . last year, consisting of new and old songs, will play two special shows at the New Museum on the Lower East Side as part of the monthly Get Weird series, which focuses on “experimental and freaky jams.” In the past twenty-three years, the band — which has also included such members as Justin Thyme (Wayne Clifford), Shannon Dawson, and Vincent Gallo — has played live only twice, including at Basquiat’s memorial service, so this is a rare occasion indeed. There will be two performances, one at 7:00 and another at 9:00. The New Museum is very busy this weekend as well. On Friday night, Shaina Anand and Ashok Sukumaran will give the talk “CAMP, or the Love of Technology,” and on Saturday the New Museum Block Party in Sara D. Roosevelt Park will include such acts as Lumberob, Geo Wyeth, BowWow, and Isle of Klezbos, art activities and workshops, and free admission to the museum, where you can check out the new exhibits “Ostalgia” and “Charles Atlas: Joints Array.”

GOTHAM ROCKS 3 YEAR ANNIVERSARY

Charetta is one of seven local hard-rocking bands celebrating the third anniversary of Gotham Rocks at Irving Plaza Thursday night

Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza
17 Irving Pl. at East 15th St.
Thursday, July 21, $27 (with fees), 7:00
www.gothamrocks.net
www.irvingplaza.com

In May 2008, indie metal heads Cary Tamura and Mike Sankari formed Tech-9 Music, staging Gotham Rocks and No Mercy Metal showcases in New York City, Jersey, Long Island, and other locations. Focused on building a modern hard rock community of fans and musicians, the duo, both of whom have their own bands, put together shows featuring local groups at small clubs as well as Six Flags Great Adventure. They will be celebrating the third anniversary of Gotham Rocks on July 21 with a gala event at Irving Plaza. Staten Island hard rockers Woods of Arden kicks things off at 7:00, followed at 7:45 by New York glam rockers Sweet Fix. At 8:30, Queens foursome Bound by Substance is hoping to have recovered from their blowout show at the Gramercy back in December. At 9:15, New York City’s Charetta, led by vocalist Angelina DelCarmen, will be playing songs from their new EP, A Nation Distracted; if you buy a ticket to Gotham Rocks through their website, you get a free digital download of the album. At 10:00, Brooklyn’s the August Infinity, who discovered their singer, Joshua Hawksley, in the subway, will be partying with tracks from their new CD, To Whom It May Concern. Southern metal rockers Killcode take the stage at 10:45, highlighting songs from their upcoming follow-up to 2008’s Truce. The evening concludes at 11:30 with the bass-guitar-drums trio Crush of Empires. “I just might make you crazy,” Hawksley sings on the August Infinity’s new album. Indeed, this should be one crazy night at Irving Plaza.

BROOKLYN FOOD TRUCK RALLY

Souvlaki GR will be one of the food trucks meeting up Sunday afternoon in Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

Grand Army Plaza
Union Street & Eastern Parkway
Sunday, July 17, free, 11:00 am – 5:00 pm
Third monthly Sundays through October
www.nycfoodtrucks.org
www.prospectpark.org

Thirteen of New York City’s ever-growing fleet of food trucks will meet up on July 17 for the monthly Food Truck Rally in Grand Army Plaza in front of Prospect Park; the roster includes Cupcake Stop, Joyride, Mud Truck, the Red Hook Lobster Pound, Rickshaw Dumpling, Souvlaki GR, Schnitzel&Things, Taim Mobile, Eddie’s Pizza, the Treats Truck, Vanleeuwen Ice Cream, Wafels&Dinges, and Wall St. Burgers, so you can craft your own multicourse feast. In addition, the Wahoos will be on hand to provide live music between 12 noon and 3:00. The Food Truck Rally will be back for more on August 21, September 18, and October 16.

ARMITAGE GONE! DANCE AND SPECIAL MUSICAL GUEST VIJAY IYER

Jazz pianist, composer, and producer Vijay Iyer will be at SummerStage this weekend, teaming up for a specially commissioned work with Armitage Gone! Dance (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

Central Park SummerStage
Rumsey Playfield
Saturday, July 16, and Sunday, July 17, free, 8:00
212-360-2777
www.summerstage.org

New York-based choreographer Karole Armitage and her aggressive, physical company, Armitage Gone! Dance, are teaming up with jazz pianist Vijay Iyer to present the world premiere of the SummerStage commission UnEasy on July 16-17. The work will involve the dancers moving around Iyer and his band, which will also include a bassist, drummer, violinist, and cellist. Over the past few years, Armitage has staged such exciting pieces as GAGA-Gaku, Ligeti Essays, and an updated version of her 1981 breakthrough, Drastic-Classicisim, mixing in elements of punk and street dance; the SummerStage program will begin with the Quantum Theory section of her recent Three Theories, which also tackles the Big Bang, the Theory of Relativity, and String Theory. The Rochester-born Iyer is a jazz prodigy who has been playing the piano and violin since he was a young child. The Grammy nominee, who has released such well-titled albums as Memorophilia, Architextures, Panoptic Modes, Historicity, and Tirtha over the course of his fifteen-year career, played Castle Clinton earlier this summer and next month will take part in the Pi Recordings series at the Stone, joined by saxophonist Steve Lehman and drummer Tyshawn Sorey on August 17 and 18 and guitarist Libery Ellman, violinist Matt Maneri, bassist Stephan Crump, and drummer Damion Reid on August 20. The SummerStage evenings will begin with the world premiere of The Melting Pot from Harlem-born Juilliard graduate Darrell Grand Moultrie’s new company, Dance Grand Moultrie, along with the New York City premiere of Regality, performed with the August Wilson Center Dance Ensemble.