Do you live in NYC, love music, and want to see a cool show this week? Look no further – Music journalist Maddie is bringing a live music roundup every week to the (online) pages of Alt Citizen. If you trust the best local music mag around for new music recs, there’s no reason to sleep on this finely curated list of gigs.
Read about this week’s players, pop out your checkbook (or Apple Pay) to buy a ticket, and enlighten your ears at one or all of these upcoming shows. Support local music! And avoid fomo!
Monday 6/16:
- Night Club 101: Renny Conti and Hiding Places
- In the works for four years, Renny Conti’s recently released self-titled album is for fans of lo-fi indie folk. Showcasing his catalog of warm, twangy songs Monday night, here’s to hoping there is a live pedal steel player at Conti’s gig.
Tuesday 6/17:
- Hart Bar: Rafsdeli, Deep Sky Objects, Felton, Keefer and The Romance
- Naming themselves after the classic Bowery Electric track, NYC skygazers Deep Sky Objects are hosting a night of shoegaze at Hart Bar. If you go to this show, plan on losing yourself within luscious waves of distortion.
Wednesday 6/18:
- Union Pool: Truman Sinclair and Oldstar
- Truman Sinclair of Frat Mouse’ s pivot from midwest emo to folk culminated in his new album American Recordings. The show is sold out, but there is no harm in hanging out at Union Pool to see if you can get in.
- Pianos: Uncensored New York Presents Club Della Morte: with Chris Lock, Death Dance Music, Pain Annihilator, and DJs: SLIC + Charity Kill + Godhole
- Uncensored New York always puts on a fun event. If you’re in the mood for experimental music, check out this gig. Chris Lock is an electroacoustic violist and drone musician, Death Dance Music plays “nihilistic dance music,” and Pain Annihilator is a “primordial symphony of a tragic chrysalis.” Go see what those adjectives mean for yourself.
Thursday 6/19:
- Bowery Ballroom: SoftCult with She’s Green
- A year after the release of Heaven, Mercedes and Phoenix Arn-Horn of SoftCult are back with their new single Pill to Swallow. Dubbing their music as “riotgaze,” Softcult marries grunge, shoegaze, and the riotgrrl ethos — truly, a holy trinity. Their show at Bowery Ballroom is bound to be electric.
- Elsewhere: Noir Fever Juneteenth: Aluna, Gabsoul, Kesh, Niara Sterling + More
- Celebrate Juneteenth at Elsewhere with DJ sets! See Aluna headline; her upbeat house sets (obsessed with this one) are bound to get you dancing.
- Footlight Underground at the Windjammer: Ditch, Hiding Places, Oldstar
- One day, you’ll be in the ditch. But not on Thursday night at the Windjammer! Oldstar, Hiding Places, and Ditch’s alt-country and indie-rock never disappoint. Before the show, check out Oldstar’s new album Of the Highway.
Friday 6/20:
- Pioneer Works: Sun Ra Arkestra with Marshall Allen, Special Guests, Colin Self, Cel Genesis, Relaxer b2b Baby Leo
- Led by saxophonist Marshall Allen, who recently turned 101, Sun Ra Arkestra will bring their celestial, Afrofuturist jazz to Pioneer Works. The band’s rich history and foundational role in the early avant-garde jazz movement make this show a rare and special event.
- Trans Pecos: Uniflora with Boy Factory and Sunshine Convention
- Uniflora’s new singles To My Zombie and Elongated Cat Fist are an idyllic blend of all my favorite 90s-inspired bands: think Pixies x Horsegirl. The band is joined by Boy Factory, who recently put out their EP Works on Paper and Sunshine Convention.
Saturday 6/21:
- The Ground Rooftop: Hotline TNT “Raspberry Moon” LP Release Show
- Hotline TNT returns with their new album, Raspberry Moon, dropping June 20th. The three singles off the album—Break Right, Candle, and Julia’s War—are brimming with dizzying distortion, pop-oriented melodies, and jangly hooks. This show is for anyone who is a fan of catchy, guitar-driven music.
Sunday 6/22:
- Sony Hall: Sun Kil Moon
- Ghosts of the Great Highway is a perfect album. To see Sun Kil Moon play Salvador Sanchez live would bring a tear to my eye. “How have they gone/ fell by leather /so alone/ bound together;” Mark Kozelek’s lyricism is harrowing. General admission is sold out, but there are a few VIP tickets available.