Great Lake Swimmers stop by the Big Apple this Wednesday.

If you’re among those of us drowning in the leftover heat from Memorial Day … well, there’s actually no remedy for that (if anyone knows of a cure for sunburned elbows, you should let us know). But, you can find some relief of the musical kind at the air-conditioned Bowery Ballroom on Wednesday when Great Lake Swimmers returns to New York. The next night, Joe Pug and David Wax Museum will also play Bowery … so camp out, or come on back for round two on Thursday.

North Carolina’s The Honeycutters play a little further up-town on Thursday, as well. Check them out at Rodeo Bar … they’re sweet as pie. Below is video of one of my favorite tunes of theirs performed at a house show earlier this year.

Finally, I urge y’all to head to Rockwood Music Hall on Saturday night to check out the extremely talented Julia Easterlin. I knew her a few years back when she was a fresh face in the Boston music scene, still a Berklee undergrad. Can’t wait to see what she and her talents are doing present-day.

Wednesday, May 30
Great Lake Swimmers, Cold Specks — 8 p.m. at Bowery Ballroom

Thursday, May 31
The Honeycutters – 7 p.m. at Rodeo Bar
Joe Pug, David Wax Museum — 8 p.m. at Bowery Ballroom

Friday, June 1
Freelance Whales, Spanish Prisoners — 8:30 p.m. at Bowery Ballroom
tune-yards, Micachu and the Shapes — 8 p.m. at Terminal 5

Saturday, June 2
Julia Easterlin — 7 p.m. at Rockwood Music Hall Stage 1

Monday, June 4
Kopecky Family Band, mynameisjohnmichael, New Bears — 7 p.m. at Mercury Lounge

Charles Bradley and his Extraordinaires perform at the Great Googa Mooga 2012 at Prospect Park on May 20, 2012. (Source: Mike Lawrie/Getty Images North America)

In a two-day smorgasbord that saw thousands upon thousands of people from Brooklyn and beyond waiting in hour-long lines to shove lobster rolls, crack pies (the Momofuku kind, people) and Magic Hat (or maybe that was just me…) down our throats, the music of one man left an impression that will linger a whole lot longer than any foie gras doughnut. I didn’t know much about Charles Bradley when he kicked off his 12:30 p.m. set on Sunday at The Great GoogaMooga; I had listened to the album in passing and liked his sound and was equally impressed by his Googa set. His energy compelled the whole audience to get on their feet, dance, and inwardly plead for him to do another split. That’s right — a 63-year-old … doing splits … that I will never – be – able – to – do.

But it was when Bradley began tearing into his last song, a slower ballad than his usual upbeat James Brown-esque soul, called “Why Is It So Hard,” that the earnestness of his lyrics and the grit with which he sang cut right to the bone and tore at heartstrings. He ended the set by jumping down from the stage and into the crowd mid-song, promising to give everyone and anyone who wanted one a hug. I’ll admit it – I welled up. I was even more intrigued once I pieced together a bit of his personal backstory. The singer’s life has been more than rough-and-tumble, to say the least — he went from growing up as a homeless kid in New York City, to enduring the ups and downs of being a hitchiking cook on the nation’s West Coast. Then finally years later he returned to his family in Bushwick, Brooklyn only to wake up one morning soon after to find that his brother had been shot and killed.

Still, despite setback after setback, Bradley’s passion for music sustained him, and now at a time that would usually find a person gearing up for retirement and readying to hang up his hat, Bradley fulfilled his life’s dream at the age of 62 — releasing a record. And it’s an amazing record, at that.

Bradley and his Extraordinaires will be bringing their unique soul to Newport Folk Festival in July, and I can’t wait to see him do what he does once again. Below is the trailer for a documentary on Bradley’s life, rightfully called “Charles Bradley: Soul of America.” His music may not be the typical grass clippings Americana feature, but I think you’ll agree that if his isn’t the music of America, I’m not sure what is.

Watch the trailer and try to catch Bradley at one of his tour stops in a city near you.

Upset that you didn’t snag tickets to Jack White and Alabama Shakes’ back-to-back shows this week at Roseland? Uh huh, us too. But look on the bright side …… um ….. okay, yeah, nevermind.

There are still a bunch of great shows to catch. Of note, Brooklyn’s fave brother-sister duo This Frontier Needs Heroes is playing Teddy’s Bar and Grill in Williamsburg on Wednesday. I dare say it’s an interesting choice of venue, but could be cool because of its intimacy. Check out their latest single called ’2012′ below … it has me swooning and sighing. Also, you know you don’t work next Monday, so you really should head to Rockwood or the Ace Hotel on Sunday — the former’s got a night of ‘amped-up’ Americana planned, and the ever-so-cool Ace continues their Sunday free music nights with the impressive new band Shenandoah and the Night.

Monday, May 21
Brain Cloud — 7 p.m. at Barbes
Jack White, Alabama Shakes — 8 p.m. at Roseland Ballroom
Dry the River – 10 p.m. at Mercury Lounge

Tuesday, May 22
Jack White, Alabama Shakes – 8 p.m. at Roseland Ballroom
Michael Daves — 10 p.m. at Rockwood Music Hall Stage 1

Wednesday, May 23
Rocky Votolato, CALLmeKAT — 7:30 p.m. at The Studio at Webster Hall
This Frontier Needs Heroes — 8 p.m. at Teddy’s Bar and Grill
Great Elk — 8 p.m. at Mercury Lounge

Thursday, May 24
Dylan Fest — at Irving Plaza
Robby Hecht — 6:00 p.m. at Bowery Poetry Club

Friday, May 25
Dylan Fest – at Irving Plaza
Dangermuffin, American Babies, Tall Tall Trees – 6 p.m. at Brooklyn Bowl
Hoots and Hellmouth, Tall Heights, Darlingside — 7 p.m. at Mercury Lounge

Sunday, May 27
The Snake Oil Review: A Night of Amped Up Americana – 7:00 p.m. at Rockwood Music Hall (With Frankenpine, Rooselvelt Dime, Spuyten Duyvil, The Stray Birds, The Boxcar Lillies)
Shenandoah and the Night — 9:30 p.m. at Ace Hotel (Free Music Series)

Hope For Agoldensummer

Swedish Folk duo First Aid Kit might be all the rage at the moment (and rightly so), but let’s give due attention to another set of sweet sounding folk sisters from the biggest little town in Georgia. Claire and Page Campbell, whose gentle Vic-Chesnutt-style folk have won Hope for Agoldensummer years of critical acclaim in and outside of the artist haven known as Athens, released Life Inside The Body (AmazonMP3 & Spotify) earlier this month.

Recorded over a two-year span with bandmate & engineer, Suny Lyons, the new album of sixteen gorgeous tracks moves back and forth from ominous contemporary songs to traditional folk a capella songs.

Here are first two singles from the album. Uniquely different, but both are great. The band just wrapped a tour, which included an appearance at Charlottesville’s Tom Tom Founders Festival, watch their Facebook page for future shows.

Deer Tick

This year’s Newport Folk Festival is just two months out. Today, tickets for an amazing Deer Tick hosted after party on Friday, Saturday and Sunday went on sale…and already sold out.

Deer Tick will be curating three Newport Folk Fest after parties at the Newport Blues Cafe on July 27-29. According to the band’s publicist, there are going to be some very special guests announced in the weeks leading up to the festival. All proceeds of these benefit shows will go to the Newport Festivals Foundation and Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation.

We didn’t make it to the after parties last year, but there was much regret in seeing the tweets from them. Last year, some of the guests included Dawes, Delta Spirit’s Matt Vasquez, M. Ward for a brief “La Bamba” guitar solo.  You can find out more (and see the SOLD OUT tage) on the Newport Blues Café Web site. Also, check out the flier below.

Radiohead, Bon Iver and more headline 2012′s Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Manchester, Tenn.

Festival season is officially kicking into high gear. This afternoon, Bonnaroo’s lineup schedule for the 4-day music and arts fest in Manchester, Tenn. was announced. In case you need a lineup refresher, one of the most notable acts *is (*IMHO) Fruit Bats – the band fronted by Eric D. Johnson that fell off the radar for a few years when Johnson’s role with the likes of The Shins and Califone became more prominent. Last year’s Tripper followed 2009′s The Ruminant Band and showed them back with a vengeance with songs like ‘You’re Too Weird’ and ‘So Long.’ May be biased, but nothing can beat Mouthfuls‘ (2003) ‘When U Love Somebody.’ You can listen to it here … over and over again. For any New Yorkers who won’t be able to make it to the Volunteer State this go ’round, you’ll be able to catch them at The Knitting Factory on July 2.

But I digress. Other acts to note include headliners Radiohead, Bon Iver and the Beach Boys, as well as Blind Pilot, St. Vincent, The Civil Wars, Punch Brothers, Dawes, The Infamous Stringdusters, Trampled By Turtles, Laura Marling, Sarah Jarosz, Hey Rosetta!, Robert Ellis, Sara Watkins, Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds, Bhi Bhiman, and The Deep Dark Woods. That’s just scratching the surface, so refresh your memory of the full lineup at the fest’s website. Tickets are still available for the highest price level, but will probably go fast now that the schedule’s out, so act fast.

Michael Daves and a score more will play the 4th Annual Brooklyn Folk Fest this weekend. (Photo by Linus Gelber)

Not only are there a few handfuls of awesome shows happening around the five boroughs this week, there’s a helluva lot goin’ on this weekend in the way of festivals. Basically, it’s going to be like Mardi Gras … minus the beads … and a lot of other things. First, it’s the 4th Annual Brooklyn Folk Fest that kicks off Friday, with acts like grass clippings fave Michael Daves and the frequently mentioned Brain Cloud. The hoedown continues through Saturday and Sunday with sets by a swarm of grass-loving bands, including M. Shanghai String Band, The Calamity Janes and Blind Boy Paxton. Personally, I was more than impressed by the Janes when I saw them in a tiny Williamsburg bar late last year and can’t wait to see them in this setting (check them out playing Gospel Plow in the vid below). And get all the details on the fest right here, including how to get tickets — it’s $20 per day or $45 for the whole weekend. The full lineup follows at the end of the post.

As if that wasn’t enough, this is also the weekend of the Great GoogaMooga Festival (am I the only one tempted to keep adding more and more -ooga, -mooga, -loogas to the end of that?) in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park. According to the fest’s site, we should prepare ourselves for an ‘amusement park of food and drink’ … um, are you there, God? It’s me, ‘Heaven.’ Not only will there be booths hosting the best and most delicious chefs and restaurants in the city (think: Marcus Samuelsson’s Red Rooster, Brian Leth’s Vinegar Hill House, the devil’s own Momofuku Milk Bar and more and more and more), but each day also hosts a lineup of great music. On Saturday, it’s The Roots, Holy Ghost!, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Bear Hands, to name a few. Sunday - Daryl Hall & John Oates (hair crimper and sweatbands ready), Fitz & the Tantrums, Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaires, We Barbarians and the NYC-based Lucius. While the free-ticket lottery sold out weeks ago, there are still ExtraMooga tickets available for $250. Click here for all the deets.

Check out the full Folk Fest lineup below:

FRIDAY MAY 18TH
6:30 PM: Doors

7:30 PM: Woody Guthrie’s 100th B-day Sing-Along

8:30 PM: Elizabeth Butters

9:15 PM: Michael Daves

10:00 PM: Dennis Lichtman’s Brain Cloud

10:45 PM: Peter Stampfel & the Ether Frolic Mob

11:30 PM: The Whiskey Spitters

12:15 AM: Four O’Clock Flowers

SATURDAY MAY 19TH
12:00PM BOOK READING: Scott Alarik “Revival: A Folk Music Novel” and Ray Allen, Folklorist at Brooklyn College “Gone to the Country: The New Lost City Ramblers”

1:30PM Jackson Lynch

2:00PM WORKSHOP: Kentucky Banjo Styles with Brett Ratliff

2:00PM The East River String Band

2:45PM Jessy Carolina and the Hot Mess

3:00PM WORKSHOP: Tennessee Blues Mandolin with Ernie Vega

3:30PM M. Shanghai String Band

4:15PM Harmonica Competition

5:00PM Bodoma

5:45PM The Calamity Janes

6:30PM Willy Gantrim

7:15PM Piedmont Bluz

8:00PM The Feral Foster

9:30PM The Little Brothers

10:15PM Cherven Traktor

11:00PM Blind Boy Paxton

11:45PM Whistling Wolves

12:30AM Veveritse

SUNDAY MAY 20TH
12:00PM – 2:00PM WORKSHOP: Vocal Harmony Duos and Trios Workshop Taught by Emily Eagen and Don Friedman

12:30PM – 2:00PM KIDS: Jarana Beat Family Concert Kids under 14 are free!

2:30PM Alan Friend and Friends

3:15PM Heather Wood, Alice Backer and Bob Malenky

4:00PM SQUAREDANCE 5:00PM Pat Conte

5:45PM Wretched Refuse String Band

6:30PM Lydia Sylvia

7:15PM Brett Ratliff & the Giant Rooster Sideshow

8:00PM Pat Conte & Joe Bellulovich

8:45PM Alice Gerrard & Beverly Smith

9:30PM Brotherhood of the Jug Band Blues

10:15PM Litvakus

11:00PM Stephanie Nilles

Local ‘grass: The Whiskey Collection plays Rockwood Music Hall on Friday, May 18

So many good shows this week, so little time. Justin Townes Earle is back in town, up-and-comers The Whiskey Collection hit Rockwood again, Jonathan Wilson and Jenny O do their thing, and the list goes on. Keepin’ it short and sweet, folks — check out the packed lineup below, and plan wisely!

Monday, May 14
Brain Cloud — 7 p.m. at Barbes
Olof Arnalds — 7:30 p.m. at Rockwood Music Hall Stage 2
Spirit Family Reunion — 8 p.m. at The Living Room

Tuesday, May 15
James Morrison, honeyhoney — 7 p.m. at Webster Hall
Sea of Bees, The Loom – 8:30 p.m.at Mercury Lounge
Michael Daves — 10 p.m. at Rockwood Music Hall

Thursday, May 16
The David Mayfield Parade — 6:30 p.m. at Mercury Lounge
Justin Townes Earle, Tristen — 8 p.m. at Webster Hall

Friday, May 17
Jonathan Wilson, Jenny O — 7 p.m. at Mercury Lounge
KaiserCartel — 8 p.m. at Rockwood Music Hall Stage 2
Wyatt, Tall Tall Trees and Jeff Taylor — 8 p.m. at Union Hall
Father John Misty — 10:30 p.m. at Mercury Lounge
The Whiskey Collection — 11 p.m. at Rockwood Music Hall

Saturday, May 18
Damien Jurado — 8 p.m. at Rock Shop

Mount Moriah – Photo by Andrew Synowiez

A lot of crazy things happen to folks while working at record stores…and sometimes great bands are born out of them.

Following a stint as punk and metal musicians, Heather McEntire and Jenks Miller met while working at Schoolkids Records in Chapel Hill in 2005 (that location closed, but the Raleigh location is still open). The two first collaborated on some other projects, but eventually found their way through a mutual admiration for folk music, establishing Mount Moriah. After releasing a three track EP in 2010 called The Letting Go (AmazonMP3 & Spotify), the band’s full length and self-titled album (AmazonMP3 & Spotify) was released in 2011.

Currently on tour with Portland’s Horse Feathers, McEntire and Milleband played an impressive show at the Bowery Ballroom on Wednesday with their full band of North Carolina musicians. The album is equally impressive, with great story telling, memorable guitar solos and some fine pedal steel. Influenced by church hymns from growing up, McEntire’s voice artfully moves from gentle and quiet verses into powerful and passionate choruses. “Only Way Out” and “Reckoning” are my favorite tracks. Get to know the band a bit better in this interview with Paste from last year.

Celebrate Brooklyn! lineup announced for summer of 2012.

A press release out from BRIC this morning quoted the fact that last summer, the Celebrate Brooklyn! lineup topped Gothamist‘s list of “100 Reasons Why Brooklyn Lives up to the Hype.” This year’s lineup was just announced in this morning’s wee hours, and it promises similarly to not disappoint. Of note, Lyle Lovett, Aoife O’Donovan, The Head and the Heart, Lost in the Trees and grass clippings friends Spirit Family Reunion will be among those taking the stage at the Prospect Park Bandshell.

Check out some of the shows we’re most excited about, below. You can read the full lineup here, plus listen to a Celebrate Brooklyn! playlist. (Note: the festival kicks off June 5 with a free concert by reggae icon Jimmy Cliff.)

June 14: Laura Marling / Michael Kiwanuka / Willy Mason

June 29: Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue / The Brooklyn Steppers / Dayna Kurtz

July 27: The Head and the Heart / Lost in the Trees

August 3: Wild Flag / Mission of Burma

August 4: The Del McCoury Band / Cahalen Morrison & Eli West / Spirit Family Reunion

August 7: M. Ward / Yo La Tengo

August 11: Lyle Lovett & His Large Band / Aoife O’Donovan