Everyone's favorite BQE-enthusiast musician will be coming to town this summer for a special outdoor concert. Sensitive indie dude-turned-dayglo prancer Sufjan Stevens will be playing a rare outdoor show at Prospect Park on Tuesday August 2 for the annual Celebrate Brooklyn! festival. And tickets are on-sale now! more ›

This weekend we sent Pat from Pop Tarts Suck Toasted to soak up some music at the Catskills-based ATP Festival; here's his report from Friday and Saturday. (Check back later for an update from yesterday.) more ›

Last year the first Takeover BAM went down, and the number one complaint was that it was a bit overcrowded. Hopefully they've worked out some kinks in the past year, because the 2nd one-night-only, all-night open house party is coming up on September 27th. more ›

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Professor, author and activist Robert Thurman is widely regarded as the leading American expert on Tibetan Buddhism, having been a major force in the widespread introduction of Tibetan culture and religion to the west. In 1962, Thurman became the first American ordained as a Tibetan Buddhist monk, but after a few years he shifted from strict monasticism to the more conventional lifestyle of an academic. Though currently on sabbatical to write another book, Thurman remains a beloved professor in the Religion Department of Columbia University. At the behest of the Dalai Lama, Thurman co-founded Tibet House with composer Philip Glass and others; this year’s annual Carnegie Hall benefit for the organization takes place next Wednesday, February 13th. The lineup thus far includes performances by Glass, Ray Davies, Phamie Gow, Nawang Khechog, Ashley MacIsaac, Marisa Monte, Sufjan Stevens & Tom Verlaine. more ›

MUSIC: Merkin Concert Hall is reopening, and to help celebrate some of the piano greats will be on hand for a free, six hour concert. Philip Glass and John Medeski will be amongst those who will perform. Get more details here. more ›

EVENT: Julian Schnabel will be screening clips from his latest flick, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly tonight. Lou Reed, who Schnabel recently documented in Lou Reed’s Berlin, will also be on hand. 7pm // Apple Store [103 Prince St] // Free READING: The Desk Set's "Drinks with an Author" series continues tonight at Greenpoint's WORD. This evening chat with Kara Jesella and Marisa Meltzer, authors of How Sassy Changed My Life: A Love Letter... more ›

Takeover BAM went down Saturday night after Sufjan Stevens’s last BQE show. There were 5 bands playing until 4am in the Opera House, bawdy burlesque shows, DJs and dancing in the swank BAM café, art by Mighty Robot and others, rock documentaries, a Lindsay Lohan Mid-Career Retrospective (“Mid-Career” – get it?) and $3 beer. It sounded like such a great time that we eagerly showed up at 11:30, only to realize that we weren’t the... more ›

The serenader of the 50 states, Sufjan Stevens, grew his midwestern roots and reached New York in the late 90s -- where he has resided since. So it's only fitting a tribute to our state has arrived, after nearly a decade of soaking up the city. And perhaps separating himself from the rest of the city, he's found something special in the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. As announced this summer, Sufjan's latest muse is none other than the BQE, something he chose when commissioned by BAM to create an arrangement with a Brooklyn theme. 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 ›

Stephen Dima, Seaport Music more ›

For a long time we didn't listen to Wolfmother just because they had "wolf" in their name. We were sick it. Wolfmother, Wolf Eyes, We Are Wolves..."how could any of them be better than Wolf Parade?" we thought. more ›

Thank god the holidays are finally over and bands are getting back into the swing of things. Now we can sell off all our unwanted gifts on eBay (how much do you think we can get for a hypercolor "hip" bible?) and spend the cash on evil rock and roll, which is back with a vengeance in our fine, fine city. more ›

Move over Brooklyn Vegan, now there's something leaner. And tastier, too. Mmmm, meat. Hello, I'm Catherine's Pita (henceforth known as Gothamist), and I'm here to tell you about the shows most likely to satisfy your hunger for the rock this week. Here's what's on the menu: 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 ›

We don't know where to begin with show recommendations this week. Emily Haines is in town with her band Metric for shows at Bowery Ballroom and Southpaw. Today Pitchfork declared the new Broken Social Scene album, on which she appears, "best new music." Broken Social Scene's new label-mates, The Most Serene Republic, are opening both shows. Then there's the Decemberists. Back in town once again, they're also playing two shows - Webster Hall tonight (Tuesday) and Wednesday. Nada Surf, Beck, U2, Keane, Robbers on High Street, King of France, Paul McCartney, Social Distortion, Zap Mama, David Gray, East Village Opera Company, Sufjan Stevens, Sons & Daughters, The Raveonettes, Radio 4, The Working Title, and even Jethro Tull are ALL playing two shows each in or around town this week. At least you've got options. more ›

Since it's late in the day, and the benefit show featuring Sufjan Stevens and Adam Green at Bowery Ballroom is sold out, we're going to quickly highlight one other show happening tonight in Brooklyn. The band is Architecture in Helsinki. The venue is Warsaw. more ›

Gothamist loves Sufjan Stevens. We think Illinois is perhaps the best album of 2005 and that he is one of the finest songwriters of our generation. So maybe we just had too many expectations for one of our favorites. Or maybe it was too many margaritas at Festival while waiting for the (awfully late) 11:45 start time to come around. Hate to say it, but we were rather disappointed by Saturday night's show. more ›

Will the real Neil Diamond please step forward?
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There's a lot going on this weekend, as per usual. While we didn't celebrate Cinco de Mayo last night, nor were we at the New Order show...we are finding ourselves a little bit tired today. We blame the weather and lack of caffeine in our system, so we're hoping the sun will come out and we'll be able to motivate to some of these events: more ›

This is where Gothamist tells you what tickets to buy...before they sell out and you are left bargaining on Craigslist. more ›

Back in June Gothamist's favorite radio station, KEXP, came for a week long visit as it broadcasted live out of the Museum of Television & Radio. At that time we had a chance to sit and chat with morning deejay extroidanaire John Richards. Very (very) early in the morning, mind you. We also got a chance to catch some great bands in the intimate in-studio performance space. KEXP never ceases to amaze us with what it can pull off with no commercial sponsorship, and that's why we love it and we want to tell you more about it...so read about our chat with the man himself here. more ›

Gothamist has retained its passes for the upcoming CMJ Music Marathon and is a bit overwhelmed by the schedule. Shows, lectures, panels and events we want to attend + time in the day is not equalling out very well, but we're going to load up on caffeine and do our best to attend and cover it all. Space-Time Continuum be damned, we'll be everywhere at once. more ›

It's a good week for live music, kids. Check it: more ›

Just a reminder incase you didn't see this post last month: Gothamist has missed far too many sold out shows to know that buying tickets ahead of time is imperative. In that vein, every month or so we'll make it a point to update you with a list of shows we think may sell out. This way you can buy tickets ahead of time and avoid that last minute Craigslist surfing. more ›

As with most three-day weekends, a great number of New Yorkers ditch the city to enjoy the extra day of R&R. Sunday night is pretty dead at most of the city's clubs, but all other nights are as happening as ever. more ›