In June of this year singer/songwriter Aimee Mann released her sixth solo album, called @#%&*! Smilers; in August she played two sold out shows in New York, as well as a free show at Barnes & Noble. At the end of that week she told us about a quintessential New York moment she had that started at the latter show and ended at the rooftop of the Hotel Chelsea, as well as how to pronounce her new album title. more ›

Image credit: Nature abhors a vacuum more ›

THEATER: This week is your last chance to see Roundabout’s acclaimed revival of George Bernard Shaw’s comedy Heartbreak House, which dips into the unlikely romantic combos that blossom on an estate on the English countryside. But amidst all the clever conversation and flirtation, Shaw hones in on the stunning complacency that pervaded the privileged classes at the dawn of World War I. Heartbreak House stars the brilliant Swoozie Kurtz, who the Times says “may just be the most seductive woman on a New York stage right now.” - John Del Signore more ›

Last night the Starbucks Salon opened with a private event for press which included a performance by Aimee Mann and free cocktails and coffee drinks. We forgot to go. We do look forward to heading out there at some point though for one of the following performances. Love 'em or hate 'em, they have some good acts coming up: more ›

We loved that show "Ed", we really did. Did you know that the town in it, Stuckeyville, is Nyack, NY? Anyway, we were quite happy to see Tom Cavanagh (Ed, himself) is back on the tube, this time in the form of Tom Farrell in a show called Love Monkey. more ›

"When Mawangu Mingiedi, 72, a musician and truck driver from Kinshasa in Congo, built a sound system for his street band, Konono No. 1, years ago, he wasn't aiming for sonic innovation." [NY TIMES] All the way from Africa, Konono No. 1 make their NYC debut at Joe's Pub on Wednesday. The dance party continues Thursday at S.O.B.'s with an early and late show. Joe's Pub is way sold out, but tickets for the other shows are still available. more ›

Camera phone looky-loos, this one's for you. We're talking about the biggest band to hit small to medium sized NYC venues since Sufjan Stevens, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, and The Arcade Fire. We're talking about Montreal's latest buzz band Wolf Parade. You've got three chances to see them this week. That's three chances to see them before they come back to play Webster Hall. If you can't find a ticket to the sold out shows Monday and Tuesday at Bowery Ballroom and Northsix, try to snag one of the non-student tickets available at the door to the NYU performance on Thursday. Listen to songs at their MySpace page. more ›

As we all know, CMJ is about to take over...however, non-CMJ events will also be taking place that week, unphased by the marathon. One that caught our eye is this Housing Works event starring Bright Eyes. Tickets are on sale now for $40. From the website: more ›

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Newsday tells which musicians are performing at Central Park's SummerStage: more ›