this week in music

GONE TO GOVERNORS: SHE & HIM / OAKLEY HALL

The humble M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel won’t be taking a car to their free July 4 show on Governors Island

The Beach at Governors Island
Free ferry from Battery Maritime Building
Sunday, July 4, free, 4:00
www.watertaxibeach.com
www.myspace.com/sheandhim

In 2008, actress Zooey Deschanel and musician M. Ward dazzled the music world with the release of their utterly charming, irresistible album VOLUME ONE, a collection of bright, cheerful 1960s-sounding songs with lilting melodies and infectious choruses. Deschanel handled the songwriting and lead vocals, while Ward took care of the production and arrangements and added lovely harmony. Earlier this year they released VOLUME TWO (Merge, March 2010), another endearing set of of original songs along with two covers, NRBQ’s “Riding in My Car” and Skeeter Davis’s “Gonna Get Along Without You Now.” New Yorkers who were shut out of She & Him’s sold-out July 6 show at Terminal 5 don’t have to get along without them, as Ward and Deschanel will be headlining a free July 4 concert at Water Taxi Beach on Governors Island, playing with the World Famous Headliner, DJ Todd-o-phonic Todd, and Brooklyn favorites Oakley Hall.

Zooey Deschanel leads She & Him through a heartfelt set on July 4 at Governors Island (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

Update: It might have been very hot on Water Taxi Beach on Governor’s Island, but the free show featuring Oakley Hall and She & Him couldn’t have been much cooler. First up was Brooklyn psych country folksters Oakley Hall, who jammed out on such tunes as “If I Was in El Dorado,” “Color the Shade,” and “Year of Infinity Man” before closing out with a passionate version of Humble Pie’s “Thirty Days in the Hole.” After a way-too-long break in which vendors were dousing the front of the crowd with ice cubes and cold water, M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel took the stage, backed by the World Famous Headliners, traveling through most of the songs from She & Him’s two delightful records, the smartly titled VOLUME 1 and VOLUME 2. Deschanel sang lead vocals, often jumping up and down, banging her tambourine, then taking a turn at the piano and playing the ukulele, while Ward kept things groovin’ on lead guitar and harmonies, sending out a glittering mix of originals and covers based in 1960s pop. False information about the last free ferry back to Manhattan had many fans running to the docks as the band came out for an encore of “Roll Over Beethoven,” which was unfortunate, but it still was a great way to celebrate the Fourth and get ready for the fireworks. (You can find our slideshow of Oakley Hall here and She & Him here.)

INTERNATIONAL HOT DOG EATING CONTEST

Joey Chestnut will go for a fourth straight title on July 4 (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

Sweikert Alley, Nathan’s Famous
1310 Surf Ave. at Stillwell Ave.
Sunday, July 4, free, 12 noon
Admission: free
212-627-5766
www.nathansfamous.com
www.ifoce.com

Since 1916, Nathan’s has been sponsoring a hot dog eating contest in which men and women from all over the world compete to see who can devour the most hot dogs (and buns) in twelve minutes, now reduced to ten. Each contestant has his or her own method; some dunk the bread in water before swallowing, while others just stuff the slimy dogs down their throats. After six years of dominance by Takeru Kobayashi, Joey Chestnut has come up big the last three years, setting a new world record of sixty-eight dogs in 2009, keeping the Coveted Mustard Yellow International Belt where it belongs. (Chestnut has also held records in asparagus, chicken wings, grilled cheese sandwiches, gyoza, horseshoe sandwiches, jalapeno poppers, Krystal Burgers, Pizza Hut P’Zones, pork ribs, pulled pork, and sausage and cheese Kolaches.) Unfortunately, Kobayashi has pulled out of this year’s event, bringing to an end this heated annual rivalry. The festivities begin at 10:00 with a performance by Xclusive with Sonni Dey and DJ 80HD, followed by acrobats, magic acts, trampoline performers, and rapper (and longtime contest participant) Eric “Badlands” Booker, with the competition set to start at noon.

ROSANNE CASH

New Yorker Rosanne Cash will be playing free July 4 concert on Governors Island

Governors Island
Free ferry from Battery Maritime Building
Sunday, July 4, free, 2:00
www.trinitywallstreet.org
www.rosannecash.com

Great live music on the Fourth of July is a tradition in New York City. Some of the best free concerts of the last twenty years have taken place on Independence Day, from Yo La Tengo and Dr. John in Battery Park to Sonic Youth and the Sun Ra Arkestra at SummerStage to many, many more. This year’s musical festivities include the one and only Rosanne Cash, who will be playing on Governors Island in a free show sponsored by Trinity Wall Street. Last year Cash followed up her emotional tribute to her late father, 2006’s outstanding BLACK CADILLAC, with THE LIST, an album of classic country, folk, and blues taken from a list of one hundred American songs Johnny had given to her when she was eighteen. She brought in such friends as Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Costello, Jeffy Tweedy, and Rufus Wainwright to help out on such songs as “Sea of Heartbreak,” “Heartaches by the Numbers,” “Long Black Veil,” and “Silver Wings,” in addition to eight other tunes, including “Motherless Children” and “Girl from the North Country.” She’s a terrific live performer who does not play in the city very often; we caught her at SummerStage a bunch of years ago and she was just beautiful. Cash will also be playing a sold-out show with Steve Earle and Allison Moorer at City Winery on July 8, and she will be releasing her memoir, COMPOSED, on August 10.

Rosanne Cash lets it all out at July Fourth gig on Governors Island (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

Update: Longtime New Yorker Rosanne Cash made her first-ever foray onto Governors Island on July 4, as she played a rousing set to a crowd that laid itself out in a long V to keep out of the hot sun. Cash, along with husband John Leventhal on lead guitar, John Cowherd on keyboards, Tim Luntzel on bass, Rich Hinman on guitar and keys, and Dan Rieser on drums, offered a generous, wide-ranging selections of songs from throughout her career, from “Man Smart, Woman Smarter” off her 1979 record, RIGHT OR WRONG, to 1981’s “Seven Year Ache,” to her father’s “Tennessee Flat Top Box” (which she released on 1987’s KING’S RECORD SHOP), to the title track from 1993’s THE WHEEL, to a bevy of songs from her most recent discs, the excellent BLACK CADILLAC (“Burn Down This Town,” “Dreams Are Not My Home”) and last year’s THE LIST (“Motherless Children,” “Long Black Veil,” “Girl from the North Country”), taken from a list of one hundred songs she needed to know that her father gave her on her eighteenth birthday. She added what she thinks should be song 101, getting down with a bluesy version of Bobbie Gentry’s “Ode to Billie Joe.” (Speaking of Billie Joe, she even threw in a verse of Billie Joe Armstrong and Green Day’s “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” as part of a Fourth of July medley that also included “500 Miles” and “This Land Is Your Land.”) Cash could barely wipe the smile off her face the whole time, having a blast onstage, interacting with the musicians and even dancing a bit. You can check out our concert slideshow here.

KRISTEENYOUNG

Kristeen Young and Baby Jef White will get down and dirty at the Knitting Factory on July 5

Knitting Factory Brooklyn
Monday, July 5, $10-$12, 8:00
www.myspace.com/kristeenyoung
www.bk.knittingfactory.com

KRISTEENYOUNG — consisting of the eclectic duo of Baby Jef White on drums and percussion and Kristeen Young on vocals and keyboards — are coming back to town in support of their fifth full-length, the awesomely titled MUSIC FOR STRIPPERS, HOOKERS, AND THE ODD-ONLOOKER (Test Tube Baby, September 2009). On the record, Young croons such ditties as “Son of Man,” “That’s What It Takes, Dear,” and “He’s Sickened by Crude Emotion” as if she’s a burlesque punk Kate Bush on X, with the music soaring inside out and upside down around her while her lyrics get right to the point: “My pain is more abstract,” she explains on “The Depression Contest,” continuing, “Ha, ha, ha, ha and greater than yours. My tears are more nuanced . . . Ha, ha, ha, ha and deeper than yours.” And on “I Won’t Be Home for Christmas” she sings, “I won’t be home for Christmas / I’ve got better things to do with my time.” Everything comes together for the smashing rave-up “Comfort Is Never a Goal,” which grabs you by the neck and never lets go. The band reveals some of its many influences on the CD package, which includes photos of H.R. Pufnstuf and Dorothy Parker. Plus, the whole deal was produced by the one and only Tony Visconti and features guest spots by Fall Out Boy Patrick Vaughn Stump and head Pharmacist Ted Leo, so what’s not to love? KRISTEENYOUNG will be at the Knitting Factory on July 5, on a bill with Saadi and Alyson Greenfield.

ROCKIN’ THE RIVER CRUISES

Circle-Line 42
Pier 83, West 42nd St. & the Hudson River
July 8 – September 16
Tickets: $25-$50
www.rtrcruises.com

Formerly known as the New York City Blues Cruise, the New York City Rockin’ the River cruises, aboard the double-decker Circle Line, is celebrating its fifteenth anniversary with another diverse lineup of live music and dance parties. The Smithereens get things going on July 8, with other highlights including Canadian singer-songwriter Kathleen Edwards on July 22, Grammy winner Raul Malo taking the wheel July 29-30, the Radiators letting loose August 5, Buckwheat Zydeco rolling on the river August 12, pianist Marcia Ball on August 26, and folk rockers Donna the Buffalo on August 27. We can’t wait for August 19, when Howlin’ for Hubert pays tribute to the great Hubert Sumlin with David Johansen, Jimmy Vivino, and other special guests. And the next night one of our faves, DJ Rekha, brings her Basement Bhangra Party to the Hudson. The season concludes as it started, on June 25, with a Floating Dance Party benefiting WFUV.

WARM UP

Prepare for some massive crowds at weekly PS1 Warm Up (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

MoMAPS1
22-25 Jackson Ave. at 46th Ave.
Saturdays from 2:00 to 9:00, July 3 – September 4
Tickets: $15 (free for Long Island City residents)
718-784-2084
www.ps1.org/warmup

One of the hottest, sweatiest weekly dance parties of every summer will get people moving and grooving beginning on July 3 when Warm Up returns to PS1 in Queens. The series features live bands and DJs from all over the world, including Spain, Sierra Leone, France, Sweden, Canada, and Brooklyn, playing in the shadow of Solid Obectives — Idenburg Liu’s “Pole Dance,” winner of the annual Young Architects Program and displayed in the courtyard. The opening-day lineup is a mere taste of things to come, with live sets from Delorean, Janka Nabay and the Bubu Gang, and Glasser, with John Talabot and Korallreven manning the turntables. On the horizon are Kalup Linzy and JD Samson on July 24, Animal Collective DJ’ing on July 31, a DFA showcase with James Murphy and Pat Mahoney on August 7, DJ ?uestlove and These Are Powers on August 14, and Holy Ghost!, House of House, and DJ Mehdi on closing night, September 4. And don’t forget to check out the expansive “Greater New York” exhibition. PS1 is one of the treasures of New York City, with something to see and do in every little nook and cranny, so be prepared for anything and everything.

FIRST SATURDAYS: AMERICAN ICONS

Brooklyn Museum
200 Eastern Parkway
Saturday, July 3, free, 5:00 – 11:00 (some events require free tickets distributed at the Visitor Center)
212-864-5400
www.brooklynmuseum.org

The Brooklyn Museum’s monthly late-night party goes silver instead of red, white, and blue on July 3, paying tribute to the late Andy Warhol with a screening of Mary Harron’s 1996 flick I SHOT ANDY WARHOL, gallery talks on the new exhibit “Andy Warhol: The Last Decade,” Society HAE’s dance party “The Factory 2010,” a workshop in which participants can make a Warhol-like print, and “15 Minutes of Fame,” an art battle between Antony Zito, Lexi Bella, Concep, and Marthalicia Matarrita. In addition, the museum will be showing Alan Parker’s 1980 film FAME, and Brooklyn bands Analogue Transit and Dynasty Electric will perform live.