At the shop, we’re always being asked for recommendations about what’s going on around town. And while there’s no lack of local show listings in print and on-line, poking through a concert calendar can be pretty overwhelming at times. So we’ve decided to start posting the best bets of the week here. By no means a complete listing, these are the shows that we’re excited about. We’ll even post a concert review from time to time. This week’s picks come courtesy of Che, Amanda and Karen.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 27

TINARIWEN @ Highline Ballroom: 431 W 16th Street NYC
Doors at 6PM / $25
Malian musicians Tinariwen will take stage Tuesday night- the night before their own OM instore performance with their Tamashek/French “songs of unemployment, social oppression, rebellion and subjugation, as experienced by theTuareg people- first by French colonizers and later by the Malian government… Often sung in chorus, the singing is underpinned by a kind hollowed-out, bluesy electric guitar that, at times, seems almost droney. Beautifully played, this eerie sound is technically mesmerizing and leaves quite an impact on your emotions. African percussion and lots of handclaps provide an earthy rhythm that seems to sway and roll — it’s trance inducing.”
-from previous OM update

KATIE EASTBURN @ Monkey Town: 58 North 3rd Street Williamsburg, Brooklyn

All Ages / Free - $10 minimum
Young People vocalist/keyboardist Katie Eastburn presents the exciting conclusion of her four-day engagement “B’way Tomorrow,” a series of music described as “post-apocalyptic cabaret soul classics for the uncertain future of mankind.” Eastburn’s solo work falls within the lo-fi, experimental folk-rock style of the LA-based duo for which she is most recognized. The passionate chanteuse has often cited musical theatre and show tunes as an influence for Young People’s sound, whose drama and high energy are reflected even in the quietest of musical moments. Without a doubt, Eastburn helped pave the indie rock sound that warmed modern audiences up for artists like St. Vincent. Eastburn will perform new and old solo material on piano, as well as a few choice Young People favorites. Accompaniment by Nick Hallett, writer of musicals.

SPARKS (PETER EVANS—TRUMPET, TOM BLANCARTE—BASS) @ The Stone: Avenue C and Second Avenue NYC
10PM / $10
Trumpet player Peter Evans has been one of the most consistently mind-blowing figures on the New York improv scene in the last few years. In Sparks, he is joined by bassist Tom Blancarte.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 28

CELEBRATION + HOLY FUCK + EFFI BRIEST @ Bowery Ballroom: 6 Delancey Street NYC
Doors at 8PM / 18+ / $15 (adv tix available at Other Music)
Baltimore’s Celebration has certainly gotten some well-deserved attention with their newest album The Modern Tribe, and Wednesday night I expect they will be fully energized for this Bowery show. For those have yet to see the band live, expect a raucous organ driven show with a dynamic performance from vocalist Katrina Ford.Also not to miss are Effi Briest, Brooklyn’s seven piece all girl wonderband. With cues to early 70 psych folk blended with more jarring punk influences like the Slits and Siouxsie Sioux, the Briest are a truly unique combination and stunning live.

NED ROTHENBERG, MATTHEW WELCH AND JEREMIAH CYMERMAN @ The Stone: Avenue C and Second Avenue. NYC 8PM
A night sure to be filled with top-notch improvisation and extended techniques featuring Ned Rothenberg (Bb and bass clarinet, alto sax, shakuhachi) Matthew Welch (alto and soprano sax, bagpipes) Jeremiah Cymerman (Bb and alto clarinet).

MAX RICHTER + CEPIA + ASSAFF WEISMAN (WORDLESS MUSIC SERIES) @ Good Shepherd Faith Church: 152 West 66th Street NYC
This will be German born UK based composer, Max Richter’s first ever US concert performance. Performing material off of Songs from Before, The Blue Notebooks, and Memoryhouse, with accompaniment from a full chamber as well as video projections, this should be an amazing experience. As usual with the Worldless series, this takes place in gorgeous local at the Good-Shepherd Faith Church.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 29

EX MODELS + THE DEATHSET + MARNIE STERN + TEETH MOUNTAIN @ Death By Audio: 49 South 2nd Street Williamsburg, Brooklyn
8PM / All Ages /$8
Almost a decade old, post-punk-art-rocker legends Ex Models headline this mega-all-star-show-of-all-shows brought to you by Todd P. Don’t miss the ‘Models revisiting their earliest four-piece incarnation, today more spastic and brutal than ever! This will be EXM’s last hometown hurrah before departing on a week-long tour of China. Wide-eyed Ex Models bassist Zach Lehrhoff (with Pterodactyl bandmate Matt Marlin) will be backing Marnie Stern earlier in the evening. Maybe one of your last chances to see Stern in an intimate setting, Kill Rock Stars’ dynamo has been exponentially growing in popularity - this year, her mathy experimental rock shredding attracted such big-time collaborators as Zach Hill (Hella). Sandwiched in-between is a sure-fire crowd-pleaser - scuzzy Sydney, Australia/Baltimore d.i.y. sing-along party-pop anthem heroes the Deathset, featuring Matt Papich from unstoppable dueling guitar outfit Ecstatic Sunshine. Special treat opener is Teeth Mountain, the should-be-buzzed-about Baltimorean fresh faces who drink from the same well as Dan Deacon and the Wham City collective. Be sure to arrive on time to experience Teeth Mountain’s energetically percussive, joyous, dirge-heavy, tribal cacophonies.

BOB BELLECRUE + ACRE (AARON DAVIS OF GOWNS) + ZAIMPH (MARCIA BASSETT of GHQ, HOTOTOGISU & DOUBLE LEOPARDS @ Issue Project Room: The (OA) Can Factory 232 3rd Street, 3rd Floor Brooklyn, NY
West Coast noise/gamelan purveyor, Bob Bellrue, solo drone music by ACRE (Aaron Davis of Gowns), and Zaimph (Marcia Bassett of GHQ, Hototogisu and Double Leopards).

THE CLEAN + IMAGINARY ICONS + GODDESS @ Cakeshop: 152 Ludlow Street NYC
8PM / $10
These New Zealand pop heroes who first came together in the early 1980s have reunited and are residing at the Cakeshop for three nights of magic (in addition to our in-store on the 27th.) Notable openers include local favorites Crystal Stilts and Theo Angell (of Hall of Fame) on Friday as well as purveyors of the new outsider punk scene, Columbus Ohio’s Times New Viking on Saturday.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 30

SHOWPAPER #2 MICROSHOW @ Ivy Mansion: New Brunswick, NJ
4PM / All Ages / $5 to $10 sliding scale ($3 for performers/artists)
The promising second-ever microshow benefit for SHOWPAPER, the youth-organized, Long Island City-based, bi-weekly all-ages show listing newspaper serving the tri-state area. With Issue #15 on the horizon, Showpaper organizers are hosting a fundraiser to help pay off printing costs of the advertisement-free, full-color, fold-out zine with original posters by cutting edge artists on the front (past cover artists include Maya Hayuk of Double Leopards, Ben Jones of Paper Rad, John Freeborn and Jesse Olanday from Space 1026, and Brian Chippendale of Lightning Bolt). ShowPaper’s second Microshow will feature performances by any and all bands whose all-ages show was advertised in ShowPaper issue #14 (anyone from Brooklyn’s math-y quartet Zs to Jersey metal band Cryptovyrus), as well as an art exhibition featuring the work of - you guessed it - anyone who wants to show. Organized chaos for a good cause at a rock’n'roll basement Nearby Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ - easily accessible by NJ Transit. For more details, visit myspace.com/showpaper.

DIRTY PROJECTORS + PONYTAIL + VIDEO HIPPOS @ Vassar College: 124 Raymond Avenue Poughkeepsie, NY
8PM / All Ages / $TBA

Dave Longstreth and current Projectors Angel, Amber, and Brian journey an hour and a half north of New York City to perform unparalleled experimental pop for a dazed college crowd in Poughkeepsie. Longstreth’s most recent project was reworking Black Flag’s “Damaged” from memory after years of not hearing the record, orchestrating the songs to his liking with unparalleled soulful harmonies and funky guitar plucking. While material from “Rise Above” will presumably comprise the bulk of the Brooklyn-based band’s performance this evening, the fast-moving Longstreth is equally likely to unveil some new surprises or fresh takes on old favorites. Ponytail is the finest in untamed Baltimore bands, most recently opening for No Age and Dan Deacon at CMJ, but boisterous powerhouses within their hometown underground scene for years. Frontwoman Molly Siegel’s halting shrieks deeply satisfy fans of Mika Miko or early Bratmobile, upsetting the frenzied guitar and drum interplay which recognizably features Dustin Wong of Ecstatic Sunshine. Don’t miss opener Video Hippos, insane multi-media duo bringing their silhouetted spazzy, beat-driven pop (think the Deathset with gentler vox) to video game-loving youth. Featuring shreddy guitarist Jim Triplett and drummer Kevin O’Meara who sometimes plays with a bucket over his head, perched atop a “throne” anchored to a skateboard.

THE CLEAN + CRYSTAL STILTS + THEO ANGELL @ Cakeshop: 152 Ludlow Street NYC
8PM / $10

ANDREW BIRD, GLENN KOTCHE @ Beacon Theatre: 2124 Broadway NYC
8PM

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 1

SUNBURNED HAND OF THE MAN + WHITEOUT (FEATURING MARK MORGAN OF SIGHTINGS)

@ Midway: 25 Avenue B NYC
Long running Northeast hippy/jam/noise/improv collective Sunburned Hand of the Man and drums and analog synth duo Whiteout (with special guest Mark Morgan of Sightings) share a bill in Alphabet City.

RICHARD HAWLEY (OF PULP) + FERRABY LIONHEART @ Bowery Ballroom: 6 Delancey Street NYC
7PM / $15
Richard Hawley’s lonesome crooning songs have been favorites at OM for some years now and I imagine the live performance to be intimate in nature even in a venue as large as the Bowery. With five solo records under his belt plus much acknowledgment from his previous work as the guitarist for Pulp, this show might just sell out before too long…

BENEFIT FOR STEVE TRIMBOLI/GOODBYE BLUE MONDAY:
MENEGUAR + BLUES CONTROL + CAR CLUTCH + URXED (mem HIGH PLACES) + LOCKS + TOTALLY DAD @ Silent Barn: Ridgewood, Brooklyn
8PM / All Ages
It would be impossible to imagine the musical underground in Brooklyn without Goodbye Blue Monday owner Steve Trimboli. The charmingly tough-while-dog-walking, honorary grandfather of countless up-and-coming local and touring bands has recently been diagnosed with cancer and is in dire financial straits. Come out and give back all you can at this benefit, which features several of the awesome bands that Steve has booked over the years at his quirky d.i.y. spot on Broadway. Brooklyn’s Meneguar (mems Woods), Blues Control, Car Clutch, Urxed (Mary Pearson from High Places), Totally Dad, and Chicago’s Locks are all on board for this all-night, all-out bash!

ANIMAL TRAIN PARTY W/ QUINTRON & MISS PUSSYCAT + GOLDEN TRIANGLE + ANIMAL TRAIN DJS @ Glasslands Gallery: 289 Kent Ave Williamsburg, Brooklyn
8PM / 21+ / $7
Hustle back and forth between the Trimboli benefit and this unreal sixth edition of the Animal Train Party at Glasslands! New Orleans “swamp-tech” savior Quintron will be in town to deliver a hand-made, cypress wood-encased Drum Buddy, his own invention, to a fan who commissioned the project - Laurie Anderson. The Animal Train Party’s theme this time around is “Happy Garden” and will not only feature Quintron’s no-holds-barred performance piece for three Drum Buddies, but the world premier of his wickedly creative puppeteering cohort Miss Pussycat’s film, “Trixie & The Tree Trunks.” Additionally, there will be a live set by Golden Triangle, DJ sets by Quintron, Mr. Jonathan Toubin, and Eric Z of Mighty Robot, go-go dancing by the Marmaladies, projections by Secret Project Robot, and decor by Live With Animals.

THE CLEAN + TIMES NEW VIKING + THE MAD SCENE @ Cakeshop: 152 Ludlow Street NYC
8PM / $10

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 2

MADLIB & KARRIEM RIGGINS AS SUPREME TEAM + J ROCC + PEANUT BUTTER WOLF + PERCEE P @ Highline Ballroom: 431 W 16th Street NYC
Doors at 7PM / $25
The entirety of Stone’s Throw collaborating masterminds will be together for this night of creative and groundbreaking beats- holiday style.

MUDHONEY, PISSED JEANS, INT’L SHADES @ Bowery Ballroom: 6 Delancey Street NYC
Doors at 7PM / 21+ / $20 (adv tix available at Other Music)