After a long absence, in which I amassed both a busy day job and a broken wrist, your weekly run-down of concerts that are worth a damn has returned to FreeWilly. Now you can be generally clued into the Brooklyn music scene and of interest to talk to at parties. You’re welcome.

Upcoming Shows:

3/25 – After appearing as second banana at a lot of big area shows, most recently The Pogues at Terminal 5, The So So Glos get a headlining spot at 285 Kent Avenue. Sundelles, Snakes Say Hiss and Teen Witch also play. Tickets are only $7 and all ages are welcome (cool?).

3/25 – J Mascis from Dinosaur Jr. is bringing his epic hair and rock ‘n roll skills to Music Hall of Williamsburg to promote the release of his solo, “Several Shades of Why”.  Kurt Vile (who has a pretty killer set of locks himself) & the Violators, who just played around at SXSW, are opening. Head to CraigsList for tickets.

3/25 – Thurston Moore plays The Stone, a non-profit venue dedicated “to the experimental and avant-garde”, at 8:00p. Tickets are only $10 and available at the door prior to the show.

3/25 – The Drums continue to play every show they can get their grubby mits on tonight at Tribeca Grand Hotel. Go party down trust fund hipster-style for free with RSVP to events@grandlifenyc.com. With openers Big Troubles and a DJ set from Patrick Cleandenim.

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Gnocchi del 29 is a culinary and art event around the 29th of each month to build community and celebrate abundance and prosperity, partially by eating a shitload of homemade gnocchi made by the host, Patricia Buraschi.

The coming March Gnocchi del 29 is a collaboration with the Goddamn Cobras and featuring photographs by their very own Molly Brolin. The series, “Forever Young,” is one part road trip, one part soft core porn. For the photo-inclined out there, it’s more risque than Robert Frank, but not as naked as Ryan McGinley.

The event will be hosted at Brooklyn Brainery this Saturday at 7pm. For 15 bucks you get a full gnocchi dinner, complete with wine and dessert (vegan chocolate truffles provided by Woodside Bakehouse). Its a small space so RSVP here to get in: Gnocchi del 29 + Goddamn Cobras featuring Photography by Molly Brolin

Wordless music that screams louder than Slayer’s “Angel of Death”. Controlled Bleeding and Zilmrah live at the Silent Barn last night.

We love all the new openings in Williamsburg & Greenpoint, but there are three in particular that that we think deserve a visit.

Post Office: Whiskey lovers will enjoy visiting Post Office which offers 30 plus varieties of it, with an emphasis places on small-batch brands. In addition to whiskey, classic cocktails are also served in addition to craft beer and wine. There are small bar snacks offered including sandwiches, soup, and cheese. See the full listing here. 188 Havemeyer St. Brooklyn, NY 11211

Check out all these awesome moves that Merrill Garbus and everyone has in the tUnE-yArDs video for the song “Bizness.” The track comes from the forthcoming w h o k i l l record, that by all accounts will blow everyone’s mind. Put this on repeat and just dance your way through to the end of the bizness week.

Agalloch was at (Le) Poisson Rouge last night. Below is the first song (“Into the Painted Grey”) from their sold out show. After doors were opened, people ran to the front row like it was a Metallica show. THIS I have not seen in quite a while!

After releasing barely more than a 7” worth of material – great, smart, catchy indie-pop material – Cults (comprised primarily of Brian Oblivion and Madeline Follin) were signed to Columbia Records. And we’ve got good news! Being signed to a major label to release their debut LP, these guys have not lost an ounce of their charm. “You Know What I Mean” is the leading track from that record, and it is great. It does that thing where it goes from soft and singsong-y to louder and much more immediate. All while feeling very consistent and a perfect continuation from their previous single “Go Outside.” Listen to “You Know What I Mean” below.
Cults – You Know What I Mean by cultscultscults

You can catch Cults at the Knitting Factory March 30, along with fellow indie-popsters Magic Kids. I can hardly think of a better pairing for a night of fun musical enjoyment.

Elephant 6′s About page begins like this: “A Collective, a Label.. a Cult? Elephant 6 may be all of these things or none of these depending on your point of view. And we’re certainly not going to try to define what it is now!” Seems about right. And with Jeff Mangum coming out of the woodwork for a bunch of shows (including All Tomorrow’s Parties at Asbury Park), anything the collective does is sure to stir up some excitement. That, plus everything they do is actually exciting.

I’m not sure which holiday this tour is commemorating, but that might be part of the surprise. The way it works is about a dozen musicians take the stage together for a marathon show known to last over two hours. The musicians swap out instruments, play each others songs, create new configurations and sometimes all play together at once in a giant climax of psych-out radness. Also, Julian Koster organizes the audience in crowd participation games. Fun!

The lineup includes a ton of people: Will Cullen Hart, Bill Doss, Peter Erchick, John Fernandes, Julian Koster, Scott Spillane, Andrew Rieger, Laura Carter, Derek Almstead, Heather McIntosh, Bryan Poole, Theo Hilton, Robbie Cucchiaro and others play the music of The Olivia Tremor Control, Elf Power, Circulatory System, Neutral Milk Hotel, The Gerbils, The Music Tapes, Major Organ and Adding Machine, Pipes You See, Pipes You Don’t , The Instruments, The Late BP Helium and Nana Grizol. Plus, possibly more!

The surprise takes place tonight and tomorrow at Knitting Factory.

This past Friday I had the pleasure of attending the sold out Jeff Buckley Tribute Show at The Knitting Factory which was curated by legendary guitarist Gary Lucas. This was a benefit for Road Recovery, a charity for helping young people battle addiction.  The bands he hand-picked for this intimate evening were wide-ranging to say the least. Some standouts were the Gothic folk music of Villa Delirium complete with a singing saw, kora infused pop from German singer song writer Jan Klose, Jeffrey Lewis’ unique anti-folk sound complete with a handmade comic book for his interpretation of Jeff Buckley’s Mojo Pin, and a number of amazing singer songwriters backed up by Gary on guitar. What the artists did have in common was raw talent and a passion for a man that inspired them.

Each artist played 2 or 3 songs, a nice format for getting a taste for so many bands in the space of a couple hours. I wanted to share a few of the special moments from the show. First up is Diana Silveira backed up by Gary Lucas, she is a Portuguese singer and her vocal energy almost immediately silenced the crowd:

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