this week in music

NEW MUSEUM BLOCK PARTY 2010

New Museum will be hosting annual block party Saturday in Sara D. Roosevelt Park

Sara D. Roosevelt Park, Houston & Chrystie Sts.
New Museum, 235 Bowery at Prince St.
Saturday, July 24, free, 12 noon – 5:00 pm
212-219-1222
www.newmuseum.org

This Saturday, the New Museum will be hosting its annual block party, an afternoon of art and family activities held in Sara D. Roosevelt Park and the museum theater on the Lower East Side. There will be live performances by poet and storyteller Pappa Susso, beatboxer Adam Matta, dance company LoVid, and Hisham Akira Bharoocha in addition to workshops, a walking tour of the neighborhood focusing on art and architecture, screenings presented by the REDCAT International Children’s Film Festival, and more. Free passes to the museum will be given out in the park, good for that day only, so you can head over to the Bowery and check out the current exhibits, including “Rivane Neuenschwander: A Day Like Any Other,” “Brion Gysin: Dream Machine,” and “Amy Granat: Light 3 Ways.”

RECLAIM THE COAST

GULF COAST OIL SPILL BENEFIT
City Winery
155 Varick St.
July 23, 25, 30, $15-$22
212-608-0555
www.citywinery.com

Pete Seeger might be ninety-one years old, but that doesn’t mean he’s ready to slow down anytime soon. The activist folksinger has just penned a new song that includes the timely phrase “When drill, baby, drill turns into spill, baby, spill,” and he’ll be performing it Friday night at the first of three benefit concerts at City Winery. Raising funds for the Gulf Restoration Network and Global Green, the shows will feature Seeger with Richard Barone, Julie Gold, Freedy Johnston, the Roches, Mike Doughty, Elysian Fields, and others on July 23; Ian Axel, Ed Romanoff, the Madison Square Gardeners, the Wellspring, Rich Pagano, and more on July 25; and Vienna Teng, Jay Nash, Martin Rivas, Christina Courtin, and Among the Oak and Ash on July 30, with more performers to be added for each night.

BATUSIS

Batusis will be playing good old-fashioned bluesy punk rock at Europa on July 23

Europa
98 Meserole Ave. at Manhattan Ave.
Friday, July 23, $12, 9:30
www.myspace.com/batusis
www.europaclub.com

Named after Batman’s version of the watusi, famously resurrected by John Travolta in PULP FICTION, the Batusis come to town for their only area show on their first-ever tour. Tired of seeing band members and friends dying all around them — Sylvain Sylvain has suffered through the loss of former New York Dolls Arthur “Killer” Kane, Jerry Nolan, Billy Murcia, and Johnny Thunders, while Cheetah Chrome has had to deal with the death of Rocket from the Tombs head Peter Laughner and Dead Boys leader Stiv Bators — the two longtime friends have formed the new group, which is on the road supporting its eponymously titled four-track debut EP (Smog Veil, May 4, 2010). The EP features four garage-glam tunes: “Big Cat Stomp,” “What You Lack in Brains,” a cover of Davie Allan & the Arrows’ “Blues Theme,” and, appropriately enough, “Bury You Alive.” Filling out the rockin’ band are Blackhearts Enzo Penizzotto on bass and Thommy Price on drums, holding down the rhythm. Batusis will be at Brooklyn’s Europa club on July 23, with Pioneers of Seduction and Sister Anne; earlier that day, they will also be holding an in-store meet and greet with fans at Generation Records on Thompson St. at 3:00.

THE JIM JONES REVUE

The Jim Jones Revue will blast their way through three area shows in three nights (photo by Nathan Seabrook)

Thursday, July 22, Mercury Lounge, 217 East Houston St., $10, 9:30
Friday, July 23, Maxwell’s, 1039 Washington St., $10-$12, 10:00
Saturday, July 24, Knitting Factory Brooklyn, 361 Metropolitan Ave., $10-$12, 9:00
www.myspace.com/thejimjonesrevue

There’ll be a helluva whole lot of shakin’ goin’ on this week as the Jim Jones Revue hits the town for three area shows. Former leader of the UK band Thee Hypnotics, Jim Jones has been fronting the Jim Jones Revue since 2007, playing thrashing punk rhythm & blues loud and fast. The five-piece features Rupert Orton joining Jones on guitar, Elliot Mortimer on piano, Gavin Jay on bass, and Nick Jones on drums. They know how to rip it up and spit it out, melding Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, and Elvis Presley with a raw punk aesthetic, highlighted by Mortimer absolutely killing on the keyboards. Their psychotic brand of raucous rock and roll shrieks and shouts on such triumphant tunage as “Princess & the Frog,” “The Meat Man,” “Another Daze,” and, justifiably, “Rock n Roll Psychosis.” The band’s eponymously titled debut album, which came out in England in 2008 but has just been released on vinyl in the States this month, was recorded over forty-eight straight hours on a four track, with no overdubs, succeeding in capturing the frantic energy of their live shows. The Jim Jones Revue will be at the Mercury Lounge on July 22 with Hunters, at Maxwell’s on July 23 with the Ribeye Bros. and Shilpa Ray & Her Happy Hookers, and at the Knitting Factory Brooklyn on July 24 with Des Roar and Stalkers.

Saturday night’s show should be particularly hot, with New York City’s Des Roar one of the opening bands. The quartet, led by singers Ben Wolcott (guitar) and Lyla Vander (drums), is on the road with their debut album, MAD THINGS (December 2009), a potent combo of surfer rock and 1960s guitar pop and harmonies. Just try not to fall for those all-too-familiar riffs on “Ted Bundy Was a Lady’s Man” and “Ballad of Lil Bangs.” Really. We dare you.

PIG OUT!

3rd Ward
195 Morgan St. between Meadow & Stagg Sts.
Sunday, July 18, free, 2:00 – 9:00
718-715-4961
www.3rdward.com/events

Brooklyn arts collective 3rd Ward will be holding their third annual Pig Roast and Dance Party on Sunday, featuring barbecued goodies from chef Alex McCrery of Goods, home of the fried green tomato sandwich. He’ll be spit-roasting two Hampshire-bred pigs for some twenty-one hours, preparing pulled pork sandwiches, pork gumbo, and pork belly salad, which should go down easy with free beer from Fire Island Beer Co. (until it runs out) and cocktails from Band of Bicycles. There will also be live performances by the Fieros, Le Mood, In Cadeo, the Ramblers, and Cletus & the Barnburners, along with DJ sets by Drew Heffron and Matt Taplinger. Admission is free, including art workshops, with all dishes and specialty drinks six bucks and under.

SIREN FESTIVAL 2010

Matt & Kim are one of the headliners for the 2010 Siren Festival in Coney Island (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

Coney Island
Main Stage: West Tenth St. off Surf Ave.
Stillwell Ave.: Stillwell Ave. off Surf Ave.
Saturday, July 17, free, 1:00 – 10:00
www.siren.villagevoice.com/2010

Brooklyn duo Matt & Kim come full circle this weekend at the tenth annual Coney Island Siren Festival. They appeared at the 2007 fest as one of the early acts and have risen each following year, with a glittering appearance at McCarren Park Pool in July 2008 and then a headlining gig at Pier 54 last July as part of RiverRocks. On July 17, they will be sharing the spotlight with the Holy Fuck as the two bands anchoring Siren, an ultracool day of free indie music on two stages just off the boardwalk in Coney Island. Groups who have played Siren in the past, not all of whom were that well known at the time, include M.I.A., Broken Social Scene, Built to Spill, Black Lips, Spoon, Mates of State, Death Cab for Cutie, TV on the Radio, the Fiery Furnaces, Modest Mouse, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Les Savy Fav, Guided by Voices, and Peaches. This year’s lineup features such buzz bands as Surfer Blood, Cymbals Eat Guitars, Earl Greyhound, and Harlem in addition to Siren vet Ted Leo and the Pharmacists (who played the 2003 show and DJ’d last year), local shoegazing faves the Pains of Being Pure at Heart, the offbeat Ponytail, and the well-named Screaming Females. Things get under way at 1:00, with new acts every half hour. You can either arrive early and just keep your good spot at one of the stages or take your chances and go back and forth all day. Expect big crowds, great music, and plenty of surprises since, after all, you’re in Coney Island, one of the best, and oddest, places on the face of the earth.

1:00 DOM, Main Stage
1:30 Apache Beat, Stillwell Stage
2:00 Screaming Females, Main Stage
2:30 Wye Oak, Stillwell Stage
3:00 Surfer Blood, Main Stage
3:30 Ponytail, Stillwell Stage
4:00 Night Marchers, Main Stage
4:30 Earl Greyhound, Stillwell Stage
5:00 The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Main Stage
5:30 Harlem, Stillwell Stage
6:00 Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, Main Stage
6:30 Cymbals Eat Guitars, Stillwell Stage
7:30 Matt & Kim, Main Stage
8:00 Holy Fuck, Stillwell Stage

Surfer Blood percussionist Marcos Marchesani takes it to the crowd at 2010 Siren Festival (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

Siren Festival Wrap-Up: twi-ny top twenty

Most Enthusiastic Band: Matt & Kim
Best Psychedelic Pink Guitar: Dom
Best Makeup: Kamara Thomas, Earl Greyhound
Best Guitar Solo: Marissa Paternoster, Screaming Females
Best Set Without a Setlist: Harlem
Best Vogueing: John Paul Pitts, Surfer Blood
Best, er, Male Package: Molly Siegel, Ponytail
Best Barefoot Singer: Ilirjana Alusha, Apache Beat
Best Guitar Solo Faces: Joe D’Agostino, Cymbals Eat Guitars
Most Corporate Looking Punk Rocker: John Reis, Night Marchers
Best Use of Children’s Toy: Graham Walsh, Holy Fuck
Silliest Stage Patter: Harlem
Best Eye Shadow: Kim Schifino, Matt & Kim
Best Crowd Surfing: Ponytail
Best Tattoo: Jenn Wasner, Wye Oak
Best Barricade Breaking Crowd: Holy Fuck
Best Guitar God Hair (chest & head): Matt Whyte, Earl Greyhound
Best Siren Festival Veteran: Ted Leo, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists
Sweatiest Lead Singer: Joe D’Agostino, Cymbals Eat Guitars
Best Screamer: Marissa Paternoster, Screaming Females

TAMAR-KALI: BLACK BOTTOM RECORD RELEASE SHOW

Tamar-Kali will prove she’s your grrl at Brooklyn record release party on July 16

Littlefield
622 Degraw St. between Third & Fourth Aves.
Friday, July 16, $12, 9:00
718-855-3388
www.tamar-kali.com
www.littlefieldnyc.com

“I love hard and play harder,” says Brooklyn native Tamar-Kali. A purveyor of hardcore soul, Tamar-Kali first made a name for herself in James Spooner’s 2003 documentary, AFRO-PUNK, showing off her aggressive style and intense live performance. Born Tamara Colletta Brown, she has sung with such acts as Fishbone, OutKast, and Jean Grae, but she is now out there front and center with the release of her debut full-length, BLACK BOTTOM (OyaWarrior, July 2010). The album’s lead single is the raucous “Pearl” and also features the searing ballad “Caught” as well as such tunes as “Hollow,” “Maimed,” Warrior Bones,” and “Necromancer.” Tamar-Kali will be celebrating the release of BLACK BOTTOM at Littlefield on July 16, joined by DJ Soul Punk, the Cool and Deadly, Brown Girls Burlesque, and other special guests.