Free Shows Aplenty

Sick of paying money from your hard-earned dole cheques to see bands play live? Me too. That's why I love in-stores. They really are the best of all worlds: they start early, involve no crappy opening bands, take place in intimate spaces, and cost nothing.

In New York, there are three primary record stores that host quality in-store performances: Virgin Megastore Union Square, Other Music and Sound Fix. Other Music seems to have become a little lazy when it comes to in-store bookings, but Virgin and Sound Fix are more than making up the difference. Here's what's scheduled at both:

Virgin Megastore Union Square

3/10 - Grand National (6pm)
3/21 - The Brakes (2pm)
3/21 - Mates of State (7pm)
4/07 - South (tba)
4/18 - Calexico (tba)
4/22 - Dresden Dolls (tba)

(By the way, does anyone have a good quality MP3 of Dresden Dolls' version of Two-Headed Boy? If so, I would be grateful if you would email it to me. Many thanks.)

Sound Fix

3/12 - Mi and L'au (2pm)
3/12 - Film School (4pm)
3/26 - Kelly Stoltz (4pm)

Another great place to see shows, though rarely for free, is the Housing Works Bookstore Cafe. They have two big shows coming up this month:

3/10 - Sondre Lerche (7:30pm) ($25)
3/28 - Ben, Ian and Tom from Gomez (8pm) ($25)