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Of Montreal Makes Brooklyn Dance Last night Of Montreal took the stage at Music Hall of Williamsburg for the second show of their three-night run at the venue. After frontman Kevin Barnes rode a white stallion onto the stage at a Roseland show last fall, we knew we had to witness this show with our own eyes. While there were no real animals this time around (these are recessionary times after all), the antics were plenty, with tigers, colorful projections and explosions of pink feathers. Accompanying the over-the-top stage show was the music, of course, and their eccentric brand of indie pop was delivered with the usual extra dose of dance. Take a gander for yourself in the video below, and if you are looking for some Friday fun, we hear there may be some $20 tickets at the door for tonight's show. —Jen Carlson more ›

You might better picture Björk in some sort of magical Garden rather than the Garden, but nonetheless the avant-queen took the big stage earlier this week and brought her elaborate, over the top live show with her. She's been a busy gal all summer, headlining many of the major American music festivals, and with this being her second time through NYC. The last time she was in town she played increasingly large theaters night after night, and MSG acted as a spectacular encore. There were lasers, pyro, confetti and, perhaps most exciting, another guest appearance by Antony, whose haunting voice eerily echoed around the arena in a duet. An impeccably executed show, throughout. (pic via elcunzio1's flickr) more ›

Okay Conor, we get it: you have cool friends. This week, during the Bright Eyes 7-night run at Town Hall, the band promised a special guest each night. So far he's brought out the likes of Lou Reed, Steve Earle, Jenny Lewis, Norah Jones and Ben Kweller. Each played a few songs of their own mid set before joining in jamming with the rest of the group. On the night we went, we were treated to a mini acoustic set by Ben Gibbard and a sit in by Nick Zinner, who among other songs, played the haunting Daniel Johnston cover "Devil Town." But as far as Bright Eyes goes, no matter what you think of the guy and his music, there's no denying that he always makes the extra effort to please his fans in NYC. Whether it be avoiding the larger, expensive venues, playing intimate shows or pulling stunts like this. Conor went out of his way to make each of these shows special, and as a fan, we really appreciate that. more ›

THEATER: 2 Husbands is a multimedia work in progress, but don’t let that scare you. It’s the budding creation of Brian Rogers and Ken Urban, whose innovative play I ♥ Kant made a big splash last month. His new collaboration is being developed at Long Island City’s Chocolate Factory and five bucks gets you a ticket and one complimentary drink. (We recommend the Bacardi and Ovaltine.) The production explores themes arising from the recent Terry Schiavo controversy and a true event from the mid-20th century in which a deceased black woman's cells were seized for scientific research without her family's knowledge. - John Del Signore more ›

We hope you like change, because there's sure a lot of it when it comes to who's writing the music picks. Now, on to the picks...while we'll be down in Austin for SXSW this week, we aren't taking every band with us. There will be plenty to rock out to in the city, and as an added bonus, it's St. Patrick's Day this weekend...so your rock will be mixed with green beer. more ›

Hey, happy Chinese New Year, everyone! Time to drive out the old spirits of the past year and welcome the good spirits of the new year. The Chinese do this with explosions and fireworks; we'll do it rock-style, with extremely loud noises. Such as: more ›

As soon as Bright Eyes (and the Faint) are finished hogging Webster Hall this week, former Conor Oberst label mate Rilo Kiley take over for a two day run. Former child actress Jenny Lewis leads this band of safe OC-ready indie pop-rockers. For a taste of Rilo, download MP3s of their entire Coachella performance. Portastatic and The Brunettes open both shows on Thursday and Friday. more ›