Ra Ra Riot
Monday, December 11
Blonde Acid Cult
Sin é
$8.00
Unsigned New York outfit, Blonde Acid Cult feed your taste-buds a not-so-healthy slice of psychedelic indie-rock. Fans of Kasabian, Velvet Underground, Primal Scream and their ilk could do worse than checking these promising lads out now before they sign their indie label deal (distributed through a major) and become impossible to chat to at the bar for all the waif models flanking them.
Tuesday, December 12
Damien Rice
Beacon Theatre
$35.00
Continuing his trade of fashioning sentimental - if not heart-wrenching - acoustic delights, Irish singer-songwriter Damien Rice returns to New York with a basket weighed down with tracks from his new record, 9. Pretty…
Wednesday, December 13
Ra Ra Riot
Sin é
$10
Playing a uniquely intelligent brand of indie-folk-rock, tunes dressed with cello and violin in amongst guitar and organ, this Syracuse, NY 6-piece is really starting to turn heads both in the US and overseas. NME recently reported them as being one of their hot 5 favorite bands to play CMJ. Suffice to say you'll be hearing (and saying) more about this act in the months to come.
Thursday, December 14
Aimee Mann
The Town Hall
$39.50 and $29.50
The much-lauded Alt-country artist Aimee Mann has been busy. Having released the acclaimed, The Forgotten Arm in 2005, she has also just put out her Christmas album, One More Drifter In The Snow which she will be featuring tracks from plus some very special guest appearances.
Friday December 15
The Lemonheads
Irving Plaza
$22.50 adv
Oh Evan Dando. You've made some monumental errors in judgment over the years: Selling guitars to buy drugs to then destroy your credibility on stage (with borrowed guitars) in front of your once-adoring audience. Blessed with more talent than his pretty blue eyes rightfully deserve, Dando had the salts to get back to what he does better than fucking things up; writing great songs. The eponymous new album sees Dando writing as good as he ever has (no, I can't believe it's not butter!) Frustratingly consistent, aggressively likable tunes that cause one to wonder finally…are The Lemonheads back?!
Saturday, December 16
Ray LaMontagne
Beacon Theatre
$30
"Timeless", "Classic" and other clichéd descriptions of music styles get passed around like cheap papyrus at a Luxor bazaar but in LaMontagne's case, they're deserved. Though painfully shy on-stage, it is here that LaMontagne belongs. Possessing the most soulfully rich vocals this side of the Mississippi, his carefully crafted songs transcend the notion of lazy labels like "blue-eyed soul". An experience not to be missed.
Sunday, December 17
Matisyahu/ Ben Kweller
Hammerstein Ballroom
$32.00 adv
Taking Hasidic reggae/ hip-hop to the masses, Matisyahu provides a unique perspective on popular music by drawing from influences new and old…or should we say, ancient. Teaming up on this occasion with NY resident indie-rocker, Ben Kweller, this gig promises a celebration of diversity and let's face it, great music.
