Today it was announced that the City Parks Foundation would announce a portion of its upcoming 26th SummerStage season through, of course, Twitter. This wil all begin on April 1st, at which point one performance will be announced each day for twenty days. By the end, the full season will be public, which will include over 300 artists at over 100 performances in all five boroughs. more ›

Sunday's Central Park Summerstage show at Rumsey Playfield brought together three talented young female singer-songwriters—Basia Bulat, tUnE-YaRdS (Merrill Garbus), and St. Vincent—in a night of surprising contrasts (videos below). In particular, tUnE-YaRdS and St. Vincent, two acts that might be thought of as carrots-and-peas because of their intricate electronic instrumentation, turned out to offer powerful yet distinct pleasures. more ›

To the desperate audiophile strapped for cash, thou shalt not fear: This summer there are free concerts aplenty, featuring names both MTV-friendly and ruthlessly obscure. Just make sure to get there early, to avoid getting shut out (or worse, risk being trampled by a mob). We've selected various shows to look out for, but visit the concert series' websites for full details. Tonight, be sure to check out DJ Brennan Green and Delorean at Stuyvesant Oval's Music on the Oval, or hear Dark Dark Dark provide a live score to the road movie Flood Tide: Remixed at Socrates Sculpture Park! more ›

Hey look, the Counting Crows are still around. Recently frontman Adam Duritz answered a few of our questions prior to playing at Summerstage (which goes down this evening at 6). We'll always love "August and Everything After," but it speaks volumes that the New Yorker he admires most is Robert Moses. more ›

After hearing about how much Ghostland Observatory's Aaron Behrens admired the work of M. Ward (pictured), we decided to ask him to interview the musician for us. Ward recently released his sixth solo effort, Hold Time, and will be delivering tunes in his soothingly achy voice to those in attendance at his Central Park Summerstage show this Saturday. As for Behrens, his band will be playing this Sunday at the All Points West Festival. Catch them both! But first listen in as the two talk shop... more ›

Over the years more and more outdoor venues have sprung up out of the lush park land and the not-so-lush concrete spaces of New York. From Central Park Summerstage to the Seaport to McCarren Pool (RIP), there's no shortage of outdoor music venues during the summer months. But now the NY Post is pitting them against each other! They say that while Summerstage used to be "a magnet for denizens of the five boroughs, as well as hordes of tourists," its reign may be challenged as people are beginning to voice complaints of it "being too hot, too crowded, too greedy." more ›

The 2009 festival season has begun. Coachella went off without a hitch last weekend, signaling the beginning of the Summer for many music fans. Despite fears that the economy would keep many home and out of the sun this year, attendance did not seem to be an issue out in the dessert, with the festival reporting the second largest crowd they've ever hosted. This was the 10th year of the fest, which has grown to become one of the biggest festivals in the world, attracting celebrity attendees shoulder to shoulder with the masses. While the likes of Paul McCartney, Morrissey, The Killers and The Cure all lived up to fan's expectations, the lasting memory of Coachella 2009 will be, of course, the naked wizard getting tazed. Congrats, young man, you've upstaged a Beatle. more ›

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As Central Park's SummerStage enters its 23rd season, James Burke has taken the helms. The massive task includes organizing festival lineups, music, dance, film and more. This year began with a bang last Saturday as the sky opened up over the outdoor venue; hopefully they'll see drier days to come. After nature's wrath subsided, Burke told us about his role in entertaining the masses, the best place to dine before attending one of the CPSS shows, and something about Lou Reed in a chicken outfit. more ›

Ah, Spring. The weather feels fresh, the trees start to bloom and the free outdoor music events around the city start trickling out. This week saw the release of the Central Park Summerstage lineups, which is one of the best and longest running summer music series in town. Always a treat, this year is one of the most impressive, with a list of shows that seem too good to be free. The artists span from the indie elite (Vampire Weekend, Santogold and Battles) to the more contemporary selections like Los Lonely Boys, Sharon Jones, Mavis Staples. Check out the entire lineup here, as well as some of the benefit shows announced so far. Go Summer! more ›