Good Music New York

Friday, July 15th
9:30 pm
Joe's Pub
425 Lafayette St.
(between 4th St. and Astor Place)
$15.00 (Buy Tickets)

Combining the kick and exuberance of youth with the finesse and style of musicians twice their ages, King Wilkie is fast becoming a major force in the Americana/roots music sweepstakes, with a growing reputation for clearwater pickin' and high lonesome singin'--all presented with grace, flair and enough juice to launch one of them rocket ship.

Monday, July 11th
7:00 pm
Joe's Pub
425 Lafayette St.
(between 4th St. and Astor Place)
$15.00 Buy Tickets

A double bill of two great bands.

Las Rubias del Norte
Las Rubias del Norte (the Blondes of the North,) are a group of musicians from the U.S, France and Colombia, who perform the music of, among many others, Guillermo Portabales of Cuba, Simon Diaz of Venezuela, Oscar Aviles of Peru and W.A. Mozart of Austria. The Rubias play mostly popular Latin music such as boleros, cha cha cha's and cumbias as well as lieder and cowboy songs - and manage to make it all sound like it belongs on Cuban radio. The Rubias make it all sound distinctly different thanks to the fabulous vocals of Allyssa Lamb and Emily Hurst and the various Rubios and Morenos who back them up.

Every Sunday Night
9:00pm
Barbes
376 9th St.
(at 6th Ave.) Brooklyn
$5.00 Suggested donation

French virtuoso guitarist Stephane Wrembel may not be a gypsy by definition, but his music has all the nostalgia, joy and jangle of a true gypsy musician. Passed down from father to son in a rich oral tradition, gypsy music paints an impressionist landscape of the Bohemian lifestyle: traveling gypsies in horse-drawn caravans, dancers careening around campfires, gypsy women in long skirts with carefree children at their knees while a band of musicians plays through the night. The music of Stephane Wrembel takes us to the gypsy camp to dance around the campfire with the same sense of freedom, abandon and vitality as the gypsies. In addtion to his core band, stephane invites different guests every week including violinist Olivier Manchon, Washboard Kit master David Langlois or Cellist Rushad Egggleston.

Friday, July 15th
8pm
FREE
Barbes
376 9th St.
Park Slope
Brooklyn

This Klezmer band from central Virginia draws its inspiration from a combination of north European, Balkan, Middle Eastern, Gypsy and American musical styles using Clarinet, fiddle, bass, and drums/percussion.

Sunday, July 10th
9pm
FREE
Barbes
376 9th St.
Park Slope
Brooklyn

This combo has been playing the djangofest circuit for years. Their sound is pure Gypsy Swing in the tradition of Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grapelli and features Barry Warhoftig on Guitar, Mark Campiglia on violin as well as Jim Stager on acoustic bass and guitarist Tony Hughes. They will be joined by Master Washboard player (and stephane wrembel regular) David Langlois.

Wednesday, July 13th
9pm - 11pm
FREE
Village Bistro
13 Carmine St.
triangle of Bleecker St. and Sixth Ave.
Full Dinner Menu

River Alexander’s Mad Jazz Hatters deliver a vibrant madcap mix of Hot Speakeasy Jazz and Jubilant Jugband Fervor straight out of the teens and 20’s. They are replete with soulful vocals and harmonies, violin, clarinet, guitar, chromatic harmonica, tin whistle and washtub bass. When upbeat dirges on the jaw harp and spirited original song enter the fray, it becomes a kaleidescopic mix of roaring 20’s exuberance, rural gutbucket soul and dreamtime journey.

Friday, July 8th
2 shows: 7:30 and 10:00
$25.00 Admission
La Belle Epoque
827 Broadway
(between 12th & 13th streets)
For reservations: 212 254-6426

Since forming in 1975, Grammy winners BeauSoleil have claimed their undisputed role as the most esteemed Cajun group in music. Michael Doucet avec BeauSoleil take the rich Cajun traditions of Louisiana and artfully blend elements of zydeco, New Orleans jazz, Tex-Mex, country, blues and more into a satisfying musical recipe. From The Grand Ole Opry to Newport Folk, from concert hall to dance floor, the music of BeauSoleil has captivated audiences the world over.

Sunday, August 7th
8:00pm
FREE
Pete's Candy Store
709 Lorimer Street
Williamsburg, Brooklyn

"They say it isn't easy being the hardest working band in show business. That's why the Flanks don't even try."

As far back as 2002, the legendary Flanks have been playing in and around New York, converting everyone within shouting distance to belief in their all-spit-and-no-polish country jug stylings. Most of their songs are originals, the rest are forgotten old-time gems. In sweet, crowd-pleasing harmony, the Flanks sing about shady characters, questionable goings-on, regrettable sets of personal circumstances, petty thievery, chemical impairments, and hitting on recently divorced women.

Their sound has been variously described as old-time music, jug music, string band music, and "garage country"; one commentator has said that "the Flanks are sort of like post-war Blind Willie McTell meets pre-A Star Is Born Kris Kristofferson meets Jimmie Rodgers without the tuberculosis. In other words, you don't want to miss them."

Saturday, July 16th
10:30pm
FREE
Delta Grill
700 9th Avenue at 48th Street
Manhttan
Full dinner and drinks menu

The Jimmy Nations Combo is one of those rare New York bands who knows their strengths and plays them up. They call themselves Jazz-a-billy. If you're like me and have a hard time decyphering that then just imagine an upright bass being straddled by the bassist, songs performed in a vintage style and material which is influenced by the sounds of the South: Blues, Country, Western Swing, & Rockabilly.

These guys know how to swing and make their audience dance. The love of the music they play pervades their performances and their energy is contagious. 'Nough said.

Saturday, July 16th
6:30pm
FREE
Hudson River Festival,
Esplanade Plaza,
Battery Park City, Manhattan

Somewhere on a lonely desert road between New Orleans and Bakersfield, there’s a dusty pickup truck with New York plates, a stack of guitars and accordions and rubboards in the back, and a hazy AM station that keeps slipping between slick Buck Owens heartache and some raucous back-bayou Cajun jam. Such is the effect of the Doc Marshalls, a Brooklyn-based five-piece who, depending on the track, belt out smooth ballads or bar-stomping Louisiana-style free-for-alls. At the forefront, particularly on the latter, are the sizzling fiddle work of Mat Kane and the hyperactive Cajun accordion of Nick Beaudoing, who also sings. On the less frantic tunes, lead guitarist Will Solomon steps in, lacing the poppy vocals with echoing retro-Nashville runs.