NYC summer concert calendar: June

Orange numbers indicate outdoor concerts
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1,2,3,4,5 Art Brut
London pop-punks Art Brut may have upped the ante by inviting Pixies’ Frank Black to produce their latest disc, Art Brut vs. Satan, but fans of the band’s ramshackle vibe needn’t worry. Under the redoubtable leadership of charismatic frontman Eddie Argos, the music is still deliciously shambolic. Mercury Lounge. 8pm; advance $16, day of show $18. June 4, 5 sold out.

2 Isis
The L.A. avant-metal titans hit town behind the new Wavering Radiant, their fifth full-length. The disc features the trademark Isis mix of plaintive drift and dire catharsis, proving once again that they’re among the most dependable acts on the heavy-music landscape. With or without chemical assistance, this one will be a serious trip. Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza. 9pm; advance $20, day of show $22.

2,4,5 Phish
To the dismay of the haters, the preeminent post–Grateful Dead jam band is back in action—in a major way. The Vermont quartet’s March reunion performances were heralded by Phans as a return to form (phorm?), which sold out the band’s summer shows from coast to coast. But if Craigslist is any indication, you might be able to cop a spot for around $100. Nikon at Jones Beach Theater. 7:30pm, sold out.

5 TV on the Radio + Dirty Projectors
Two experimental local acts that have also emerged as players on the national scene (or soon-to-be, in the case of Dirty Ps) kick off the season at Rumsey Playfield. The show is sold out, but don’t fret: TV on the Radio also plays a Celebrate Brooklyn show August 11 at the Prospect Park Bandshell, and Dirty Projectors headlines June 19 in its own (free) gig at the McCarren-replacing Williamsburg Waterfront. Central Park SummerStage. 5:30pm, sold out.

WHAT TO EXPECT: TV ON THE RADIO
A while back: “A highlight was the double-time version of ‘Satellite’ while a couple was damn near copulating by the back bathroom,” says local fan Piotr Orlov of a 2003 Starfoods show.
This summer: Having honed and refined their sound on latest album Dear Science, which was universally drooled over by critics and fans, TVOTR has had a big year. They’ve already headlined the Coachella fest and played on SNL and The Colbert Report; their summer performances will capture a band at the peak of its powers. Expect to get very, very sweaty at these shows (SummerStage on June 5 and Celebrate Brooklyn on August 11), which pretty much amount to a victory lap for the group.

7 Nine Inch Nails + Jane’s Addiction
Despite being dubbed the “NIN/JA” tour, the season’s biggest alt-rock package will be anything but stealthy. Trent Reznor has turned over a fan-friendly new leaf, with free downloads, an iPhone app, a regular presence on Twitter, and a taping policy allowing both audio and video documentation. The core members of Jane’s Addiction, reunited for the first time since 1991, are said to be working on new material. And openers Street Sweeper Social Club—a collaboration between Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello and the Coup’s Boots Riley—might outscorch the sun-baked pavement. Nikon at Jones Beach Theater. 7pm, $26–$85.

8 Amadou and Mariam
Husband-and-wife duo Amadou and Mariam met 30 years ago at Mali’s institute for the blind, and now cheerfully bill themselves as “the blind couple from Mali.” Theirs is a joyful, celebratory attitude that’s taken the pair from homeland celebrity to global superstardom. Plus, this year’s Welcome to Mali is as irresistibly rockin’ a party record as you could hope to find, featuring contributions from Gorillaz man Damon Albarn and kora maestro Toumani Diabaté (who is also playing August 3). Webster Hall. 8pm, $30.

8 David Byrne
Is there any currently touring artist more creatively generous than David Byrne? Not if the show we caught at Radio City Music Hall in February was anything to go by. Byrne’s ongoing tour, Songs of David Byrne and Brian Eno, is half devoted to the pair’s recent, appealingly homespun album, Everything That Happens Will Happen Today. The rest features earlier collaborations, including joyous updates of classic Talking Heads material performed by a tight band, three soulful backing singers and a trio of kinetic dancers. Celebrate Brooklyn at the Prospect Park Bandshell. 8pm, suggested donation $3.

9,10,11,12,13,14,15 Vision Festival 14
This DIY convocation is usually overlooked on the list of summer jazz festivals. But since there’s no JVC fest for 2009, Vision all of a sudden seems like a marquee event of its kind. This year’s edition fetes Sun Ra acolyte Marshall Allen, and will feature a host of international avant-jazz stars, including Peter Brötzmann, Sunny Murray, Fred Anderson, Matthew Shipp and Darius Jones. Abrons Arts Center, Angel Orensanz Foundation Center for the Arts. Various times. Single-night admission: advance $25, day of show $30, seniors and students $20; full-festival pass $150.

11The Fiery Furnaces + Newspeak
Brooklyn siblings Matthew and Eleanor Friedberger will be issuing their latest Thrill Jockey CD, I’m Going Away, in July. And while the Fiery Furnaces are famously unpredictable live, maybe they’ll treat you to a preview of their wry, gangly new songs during this intimate show. (Or maybe they’ll preview their new “nonrecord record,” reportedly out by year’s end.) Show up in time to catch Newspeak, metal-drummer-cum-contemporary-composer David T. Little’s politically engaged combo. (Le) Poisson Rouge. 7:30pm; advance $18, day of show $20.

WHAT TO EXPECT: The fiery furnaces
A while back: “The most memorable moment was watching Eleanor Friedberger deliver ‘Tropical Ice-Land’ in full,” says Troy Brookins, who saw the pair play Bowery Ballroom on its Blueberry Boat tour in 2004.
This summer: On July 21, the brother-and-sister Friedberger team is releasing its eighth record, I’m Going Away, which is a subtler, less experimental and extremely focused effort. Usually, Matthew does most of the songwriting, but they wrote this record together, a bond that bodes well for the duo’s summer show (June 11).

17 Regina Spektor + Little Joy
The big story here is that Spektor will be bringing new songs to the Beacon from Far (out June 23), her follow-up to 2006’s smash, Begin to Hope. (In fact, every online ticket purchase to this show includes a two-song download.) The side story: Opening is Spektor’s old pal and Stroke, Fab Moretti, and his band, Little Joy. Beacon Theatre. 8pm; $35.50, $40.50, $42.50.

What to expect: Regina spektor
A while back: “I was most impressed by the extreme reactions from her young fans,” says Anna Bond, remembering Spektor’s 2008 show at Sound Fix. “They were overjoyed—in tears, just so earnest and happy.”
This summer: Spektor jokingly refers to Far, her forthcoming disc, as Far(t) on her MySpace page, but that’s no reason to expect anything other than the singer-pianist’s trademark bittersweet quirk at this gig (Beacon Theatre on June 17). If her odd vocal acrobatics sometimes seemed affected at her earlier, more sparsely attended gigs, here—with an adoring crowd singing along—they’re likely to come across as endearingly sincere.

19,20 Passion Pit
By the time these two shows roll around, your mother may be listening to Passion Pit. Not just because songs like “Little Secrets” and “The Reeling” from Michael Angelakos & Co.’s debut, Manners, are sure to be playing in clubs and bars nationwide (we know, your mom doesn’t frequent those places); it’s also due to Passion Pit’s ability to channel fond memories of the Bee Gees and ’80s synth-pop, which gives them practically universal appeal. Bowery Ballroom. 8pm, sold out.

21,22 Beyoncé
Damn if we can think of a bigger diva these days. She goes by a single name, is involved in a high-profile marriage and has released a string of genre-defying hits—most recently, “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It).” Her royal highness steps off a magazine cover (which will it be this month?) to hold court at the Garden. Madison Square Garden. 7:30pm, $20.75–$175.75.

24 Easy Star All-Stars
Stuy Town’s Music on the Oval series is billed as family-friendly; hopefully your family is down for blazing a fat spliff tonight. The All-Stars put reggae and dub spins on classic material, having previously tackled Pink Floyd and Radiohead. Now they’ve gone after the Beatles with the recent Easy Star’s Lonely Hearts Dub Band. The results can be hilarious and are always impressive. FREE Stuyvesant Town Oval. 7pm.

27 Steven Bernstein’s Baby Loves Jazz
Trumpeter Steven Bernstein has the mind of a pop-music savant, the soul of a downtown hipster and the blues-enriched sound of a venerable trad-jazz hornman. Fresh off a tour with Levon Helm and John Prine, Bernstein hits Roosevelt Island with Baby Loves Jazz, a project that offers a swinging take on kiddie fare like “Old MacDonald Had a Farm” and “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad.” FREE Roosevelt Live. 4pm.

28 Café Tacuba
Protean and possessed of an unstoppable energy, iconic Mexican alt-rock combo Café Tacuba stops at the Hammerstein Ballroom on its celebratory 20th-anniversary tour. The group’s mix of punk, ska, norteño, banda, electronica and the kitchen sink has influenced countless acts on both sides of the border, but don’t expect any coasting: Last year’s keyboard-heavy, nearly proggy Sino proved Café Tacuba is still one of the most restless creative forces in contemporary music. Hammerstein Ballroom. 7pm, $38.50.

30 Explosions in the Sky + Constantines
Austin’s post-rocking, Friday Night Lights–soundtracking Explosions in the Sky has been around for ten years now and is celebrating with just a few dates scattered across the globe. Tonight it’s sure to break out an arsenal of behemoth guitar shredders and soaring epicness. Support comes from Canada’s Constantines, who howl loudly and play rough, complicated punk. Central Park SummerStage. 6:30pm, $25.

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JULY

AUGUST

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