To wrap up my Best of 2023 lists for Warm Visions, I’ve collected all my favorite concerts I attended this year, along with cataloging every show I went to as well. I’ve done this every year since 2016, when I moved to NYC and started going to a lot of shows, so I have a good idea of how my time here has ebbed and flowed in terms of catching concerts.

After a strong return back to live music in 2022, I felt like 2023 was a bit of a slowing. Sure I technically saw more artists than the year prior, but that was fully on account of attending SXSW, as well as a music conference in Philadelphia, NON-COMMvention, in May. If you remove those, I saw significantly less artists than last year. And I don’t even try to compare my modern stats to my pre-pandemic numbers, since that was when I was out nearly every night as a 20-something, living in Brooklyn and as a bachelor in a long distance relationship. Looking back on 2019 or 2018, man I get tired. It was a lot of fun though. Speaking of which, you can see all my Favorite Show posts on the sidebar of my blog. For mobile users, these posts should be listed in the “Best Of” tab as well.

Dipping back into this year and looking at the raw stats, I attended less shows than usual. Plain and simple. Contributing factors: I moved to the Upper East Side of Manhattan, putting myself farther away from the action of shows and making me less motivated to trek down and see things in Bushwick, for example. I also got a new job which entailed a lot more work, tiring me out. My partner’s job also made her infinitely more busy, so making time to see her instead of seeing Joe Schmo was also an utmost priority. And finally, maybe I’m just becoming disconnected with the roster of acts that smaller NYC clubs are bringing in. Don’t get me wrong, I had a packed calendar for most people’s standards, but I know some people in the city that went to probably three shows a week for the entire year. This is probably just my old, 31 year old brain telling me that I’m old and scared of the future. Alas.

I did happen to have a high percentage of “bucket list” artists crossed off, like The Cure, PJ Harvey, M83, Panda Bear and Laurel Halo, but even beyond that, I saw a fair amount of artists that I thought I’d never see in my lifetime. Arthur Verocai. Unwound. Helen. The Caretaker! Jai Paul for goodness’ sake! These big ticket shows are what marked my 2023, so I’ll absolutely look back on this year with positivity threaded throughout. Below I’ve selected 10 of my favorite shows I attended this year and wrote a chunk about them. After that you’ll find stats (I know you love stats) breaking down how many artists + individual performances I saw this year, as well as the full list. Let the live music flow in 2024!

10 FAVORITE SHOWS OF 2023, ALPHABETICALLY:

Arthur Verocai @ Damrosch Park at Lincoln Center

Oh boy, starting off the list with a BIG one. Arthur Verocai is a Brazilian composer, producer and musician who released an album in 1972 that was more or less ignored by the general populace of Brazil at the time, and didn’t get any international recognition at the time either. Cut to years later and crate-digging hip hop producers start sampling his music thanks to its fat bass, tight drums, and overall brilliant, funky temperament being ample sample food. It was a record that employed an orchestra along with a live band, combining psychedelic rock and funk with strings, horns and guest singers. The result is one of the most magical, impenetrably infectious records ever created. The cult of Verocai spread to where it is now, with a line crawling around the block in the vaunted Lincoln Center to see the man perform his hits with an orchestra, his first-ever show in NYC. This was put on thanks to the efforts of Jazz Is Dead, aka Adrian Younge and Ali-Shaheed Muhammad. Younge’s “What’s In My Bag” video for Amoeba was actually what introduced me to Verocai’s music to begin with, so it was only right, and must have been an insane full-circle moment for him as well.

The show itself though? Magical. Spellbinding. Groovy. Emotional. A night I won’t ever forget. Verocai himself sang, which was awesome, and Rogê and Samanta Schmutz also contributed vocals. The orchestra was on point. Hearing the heavyweight, prescription-level grooves, the dramatic sweeps of strings and horns, was straight-up medicinal. I mean, what else can you say? A large swath of the crowd was singing in Portuguese. There were a few people in front of me getting emotional at the beginning, these songs clearly meaning a lot to them. It was hard for me not to get emotional, too! There were people standing atop parked construction equipment outside of the venue, trying to look over the wall to see. I went with a friend I hadn’t seen in a long time, and went out to eat at my favorite restaurant with him afterward. I met up with a buddy of mine and his wife, who I helped get into the show, and who had traveled from North Carolina and made a NYC trip around the show alone. I took a picture for two dudes who didn’t know anything about Arthur Verocai but just happened to walk into the show because of the massive line, just to see what was up, and came away completely blown away. It felt like the nerdy music world, from record shop owners, to label heads, to plain old nerds like me, were buzzing on social media for the following week after this show. If I were to have chosen a favorite show of 2023, this would be it.

Braxe & Falcon @ Knockdown Center

I saw a lot of artists I thought I’d never get the chance to see this year, so I don’t want to jinx this, but this is likely the closest I’ll ever get to seeing Daft Punk live. Braxe & Falcon, aka Alan Braxe and DJ Falcon, are two legendary French producers who worked with Daft Punk early on in their careers (for example, Alan Braxe teamed with Daft Punk’s Thomas Bangalter as Stardust, who created the otherworldly French house track “Music Sounds Better With You”, and DJ Falcon also teamed with Bangalter for the euphoric “Together”. These two tracks were often mixed together as the finale of Daft Punk’s 2007 tour) Not to diminish their legacies on their own of course – they’re in the foundation of French house and everything that came after. In 2022 they released the Step By Step EP, and its title track was by far my favorite song of that year, featuring Panda Bear and tapping into a sentiment that we all needed at that point in 2022: the optimism we felt in 2021 was a misnomer, and that we all have to keep pushing ahead in this life, step by step.

Miraculously, Braxe & Falcon opened for Panda Bear & Sonic Boom. In a just world, PB + SB would be opening for Braxe & Falcon. Either way, B + F laid down a killer DJ set that had me and a few other non-nerds around me dancing, mixing in their own tracks, tracks they liked,  along with of course “Together” and a few Daft Punk hits like “Da Funk” and a remix of”Doin It Right”. But the best was yet to come. Conveniently, by opening for Panda Bear, they had access to his vocals when performing “Step By Step” – and that’s exactly what they did. I definitely teared up hearing it live, a performance I recently learned was the first time they performed it live all together, and am so grateful I got the chance to experience it. A restorative track for anyone, that is. Legendary show.

The Cure @ Madison Square Garden

Hell yeah, I finally got to see The Cure, who played three nights at Madison Square Garden. There was some drama to getting these tickets, as you had to submit your name into a lottery to even be chosen to buy. I also didn’t know if I was going to be living in NYC by the time the show rolled around due to my partner’s job, so who knows if even if I got the tickets I’d have to sell them. At the end of the day, I got a ticket, much to the chagrin to my boss, who I was with when I got them (she didn’t get chosen in the lottery, but she still ended up seeing two of the three nights at MSG), and I did not move out of NYC. Crisis averted. These guys played for damn near three hours and sounded AMAZING throughout. Robert Smith’s voice is as good as ever, and hearing all the hits was awesome. “Disintegration” was probably my highlight, but the whole set rocked. Leading up to seeing them I listened to A LOT of The Cure to prepare myself, and found one of my top favorite songs of theirs, “Sinking”. They didn’t play that one, but I’ll always associate the track with the time I saw them. How about that?

Jai Paul @ Brooklyn Steel

Seeing Arthur Verocai this year was a milestone moment, and likely my favorite show of the year, and another one of those artists I never thought I’d see in my life, but no one tops that last feeling more than Jai Paul. Even to this day, two days in 2024, I cannot believe I got to see Jai Paul in 2023. It all happened so fast, from his Coachella performance (which if I remember correctly, was his first-ever live show?), to the announcement that he’d be playing two NYC shows the following week, to the drama of getting tickets (similar to The Cure, you had to be entered into a lottery for the chance to buy tickets – my wonderful partner also submitted her email address and was chosen – I was not chosen. She’s the best), to trying to move my schedule around to see the show on the anointed day (I was originally seeing M83 that night, but thankfully was able to move to the night before). The stars aligned. And I saw Jai Paul.

Let’s get to the gig at hand though. Paul didn’t have much stage presence to start, which is understandable. This was his… what, 3rd performance ever? Any indication of green-ness is passable. The songs though. They slapped. He started off with one of his elusive guest appearances, “Higher Res”, a bonus track off of Big Boi’s 2012 record Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors, a song that also happens to feature the artist directly below this entry. After that, he blazed through his visionary hits, like the face-melting “100,000”, to the slow-jam duo of “Chix” and “All Night”, and the unrelenting thump of “Genevieve” and “Jasmine”. Of course he saved the best for last though, playing his breakout first single “BTSTU”, the song that melted my brain in the waning weeks of my senior year of high school, and “Str8 Outta Mumbai”, a track that has developed into potentially his most beloved song in his discography, with its blood-pumping rhythm section and electric sampling of the legendary, nationally-recognized track “Bala main bairagan hoongi”, as sang by Vani Jairam. When this sample came through, the crowd absolutely exploded, the brown folks around me that had been waiting to hear this sample blasted live by the dude that brought it to a wider audience do it live. Representation! Jai Paul is that guy! It was a MOMENT moment. Feeling blown away would be an understatement. As a funny note to end on, I was outside the venue just chatting about the show with friends when we noticed all of HAIM, along with fred again leave the venue and take a picture together, just like us common folk. This show was clearly an event, and like I’ll say with every other major show I attended this year, I’m just so happy and feel so lucky I got to be a part of it all.

Little Dragon @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

Looking through this Top 10 Favorite Shows of 2023, Little Dragon is the only artist in this list I’d seen before 2023. I saw some great repeat shows this year, of course. But Little Dragon really put on one killer performance, going through their hits while also playing tunes off their newest record Slugs of Love. They did two underplay shows at Baby’s All Right and Music Hall of Williamsburg, all arranged around a promo run that included a Tiny Desk concert and a SiriusXMU session. They could have mailed this in, they were only in the US for a bit. But nah man – they were locked in. Yukimi is such an infectious frontperson, and her voice is undeniable balm. It was a great show, and I had the opportunity to hang out with them after the show. All fabulous people, of course. But I do want to put in writing a little experience that happened after the show that made this ultra memorable.

I exited the venue well after the crowd had cleared out and was about to call a car to get home since it was so late, but was approached by three people outside Music Hall. They were Little Dragon superfans, two friends and one of their partners, and asked if I knew if the band would be coming out anytime soon. I mentioned that they had family with them backstage, and it might be a little longer. One of the women explained that Little Dragon had been her favorite band since 2008, and they had traveled from New Jersey to see them. She even had snatched a setlist that night. At that point, my friend I was at the show with came out of the venue, and with access to an open door, I roped her into getting the superfan’s setlist signed, as well as getting another for her friend. My friend disappeared back into the venue, with Music Hall’s security clearly invested in this saga as well, not trying to shoo anyone away at this point. Waiting for the setlists in the meantime, the superfans were emotional, saying like “oh my god I can’t believe this is happening”, and one of them started vlogging, and asked if I could be in the vlog, haha. Eventually my friend reemerges with two signed setlists, and chaos ensued. Absolute bliss. Nothing could top this moment. Until about three or four minutes later, when the band came out of the venue at last, and then it was pandemonium. The superfans were at a loss, but just thanking Little Dragon profusely for their music, and expressing how much they’re fans. Of course they got pictures together. I would have stayed longer, but at that point a car I had called showed up, but the driver was kind enough to let me linger a bit. It was a magical moment that I feel lucky to have been privy to, as well as help facilitate. You know those setlists are undoubtably framed, and those memories will last forever.

Mass of the Fermenting Dregs @ Elsewhere

Chalk this one up as another artist I thought I’d never see in my lifetime. Long-running Japanese noise rock band Mass of the Fermenting Dregs embarked on their first-ever US tour this year, and although I hadn’t regularly listened to them since 2012 or so when I first discovered them, I wasn’t about to pass up a show where I knew the most devoted fans, who’ve been waiting with much more anticipation than I, were going to go buckwild. That was definitely the case, and it helped that an anime convention was in town that same weekend, so people in cosplay were there as well. It was a kickass show, with lead singer Natsuko Yamamoto fully showing off her years of experience playing live, with plenty of ROCK MOVES and absolutely furious bass playing. The guitarist and drummer were also on fire, and the crowd bounced it right back to them. By the end of the show, Natsuko + her bandmates were at a loss for words, but just repeated their thanks over and over any way they could to the crowd. It was a celebratory moment, with a beloved cult band finally getting some well-deserved flowers from some of their most dedicated fans.

M83 @ Terminal 5

After being a fan for fourteen years, I finally got to see M83 play one of two shows at Terminal 5, a massive venue here in NYC. Hearing the hits I’ve been obsessed with all this time, along with the pretty awesome new cuts from their most recent album Fantasy, was a revelatory experience. The highlights were of course my personal favorite M83 tracks, like “Run Into Flowers” (a BIG high school track for me), “We Own The Sky” (the first song of theirs I heard), and of course “Midnight City”, the song I most closely associate with my final month living in Michigan after high school. But the song that put the show over the edge for me was “Don’t Save Us From The Flames”, which absolutely blew the roof off the venue in terms of volume and grandiosity. The song is of course amazing, but the energy from the band, along with the crowd and the visuals and lights, made me think, “THIS is what live music is all about. This is epic”. This was a rock show through and through, and I can’t wait to see them again.

Pearl & The Oysters @ Scholz Garden (SXSW)

Very happy I got to catch Pearl & The Oysters at SXSW – it just happened to be at 9am on the last day of SXSW, outdoors, on maybe the coldest day of that week. Pearl were playing live for a local radio station’s showcase, but even playing a show at midnight the night before, it didn’t inhibit Pearl from laying down their infectiously bubbly, effervescent grooves. It illuminated that all of Pearl’s players are immensely skilled, with athletic bass lines fusing with tight percussion and agile keyboard stings. So charming! I love them!

Son Rompe Pera @ Speakeasy (SXSW)

By far my favorite show I saw at SXSW. Son Rompe Pera are a cumbia punk band from Mexico who, like “cumbia punk” suggests, combine cumbia instrumentation like marimba and hand percussion with fierce punk speed and attitude. The result is a wildly raucous show, no matter where you see them. In the video I posted above, the group is playing in a bigger theater, which is fine, don’t get me wrong. When I saw them they played this smaller bar a bit off the beaten SXSW path. It seemed like there were mostly locals there, predominantly Hispanic, all dancing or moshing up front. The atmosphere was purely electric, with band members snagging joints from audience members to take a hit, or commandeering a cowboy hat or two from the wild revelers. At this point too it was probably 1am or 2am, so we were delirious, but these guys really put it over the edge and ended the night on the highest of high notes.

Unwound @ Irving Plaza

The last entry in my top 10 of “artists I never thought I’d seen in my lifetime”, although technically I did have a ticket to this show since mid 2022. Unwound reunited to tour and played three shows in NYC. One of my friends even came up to the city from North Carolina just for that show. It was a gig I’d gladly wait in the merch line for, one that I just felt lucky to be in the presence of. The band played two sets, and were ferocious throughout both. The crowd was electric, and hearing personal favorites like “Corpse Pose”, “Lady Elect” and “Hexenzsene” was amazing. It was the closer that really put the stamp on it being a truly memorable, incredible show though. They finished with the suite of “Valentine Card” + “Kantina” + “Were, Are, and Was or Is”, which was the perfect amount of aggression mixed with smoldering afterwards.

MORE MEMORABLE MOMENTS IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER:

• Meeting African music legend Baaba Maal, and seeing the Rough Trade store audience sit totally entranced by his songs.
• Seeing Black Country, New Road pack out and enrapture the massive Knockdown Center, and wrapping up their tour with a jovial bow to the crowd.
• Absolutely blissing out to “Sit Down For Dinner, Pt. 1” and then dancing to “Sit Down For Dinner, Pt. 2” at Blonde Redhead. I was the only one dancing to “Pt. 2” in my little area, but jeez that song is so fun, I can’t believe more people weren’t moving.
• Finally seeing Bonny Doon perform “Long Wave” and sending the vid to my partner, who was about to receive insane life news the following day.
• I have to hand it to The Caretaker – the dude has a good sense of humor. He was on a bill with Moor Mother at Lincoln Center for Unsound programming, a strange pairing for sure, but one that brought out the nerds. He came out and played a long dedication video, shouting out all his inspirations and thanks, as well as lip-synced to a Motörhead cover of David Bowie’s “Heroes”, complete with an inflatable guitar. Then he got into his set, which included hitting play on a laptop and sipping whiskey. At a certain point he sat in a chair in the middle of the stage and pretended to read. He was having a laugh, taking the piss, goofing around. Heavyweight ambient champion.
• There was a guy that was country waltz dancing with two different women in the front row of the Esther Rose show. At first we weren’t sure if this guy was with the band, but it became clear they weren’t. They were just having a good old time.
• Christopher Owens from Girls coming out and playing harmonica with Hayden Pedigo at Union Pool. Completely unexpected, but the connection was they’re both from Amarillo, and they shared a nice moment together onstage.
• Anytime seeing Liz Harris perform live is a treat, but seeing her garage rock group Helen at Union Pool, one of my favorite venues, was a lovely springtime treat.
• Finally seeing John Carroll Kirby was a treat, but his flautist Logan Hone was the real star. Dude was in the center of the stage, dancing, hamming it up for the crowd, laying down smoooooth ass flute lines, and absolutely soaking his shirt with sweat by the end of the show. It was so sick, and really hard not to have a good time thanks to him. Plus “Nucleo” from JCK’s album Septet put me in a true trance. It was so sick.
• I was put into a realm of hypnosis during Laurel Halo’s Atlas exploration at Le Poisson Rouge. For about a quarter to a third of the set I had my eyes closed, just letting my mind wander. I pictured the Earth’s lifecycle, from the entire planet being covered in a deep ocean, to it drying up to a desert, to eventually bulging out mountains and forests and fungi.
• The torrential rainstorm that swept through the middle of Meg Baird & Mary Lattimore’s Central Park Summerstage set was so sudden, it felt like it got a pass from the audience members. It was a classic summer storm, where an otherwise sunny day was obscured by a passing raincloud for about fifteen minutes, only to quickly dissipate and return to the sunny day once more. Everyone was sitting out on the lawn, pretty nonchalant, until we started to feel a few raindrops. Then in less than five seconds, it was pouring. People huddled to the front of the stage where a bit of an awning protruded out over the audience, and people huddled together under umbrellas.
• The absolute pin-drop silence that blanketed the Sultan Room for the entirety of Maple Glider’s set, her second-ever show in the US.
• Mega Bog and band (which included James Krivchenia of Big Thief, and Angel Deradoorian on guest vocals) were on another level with their performance, and I had forgotten that Erin Birgy liked to use a wrap-around headset mic, adding to the camp factor of the performance, but the intense skill and groove of the band was something to behold.
• Mr Twin Sister being the best band in existence, playing (as far as I know) their only NYC show this year in an atrium in Lincoln Center. I will always highlight a Mr Twin Sister show, because they are always notable.
• Finally getting to see Panda Bear perform “Bros”, as well as Sonic Boom’s arsenal of different whistles he used throughout the performance, from train whistles, to slide whistles, to those whizzing whistles.
• PJ Harvey reading some poetry from her book Orlam, and saying words like “jizz” among other vulgarities in one of her poems. Also Michael Stipe being in the audience and one of my friends absolutely losing his mind about it. Also the fact that I got to see PJ Harvey, I mean cmon now.
• Stumbling into seeing Rogê at the Central Presbyterian Church in Austin for SXSW. Wasn’t familiar with his music, but this was a soul-replenishing performance. I later got to see him perform with Arthur Verocai, so that was a cool callback.
• I saw Thee Sacred Souls five times this year. That’s probably the most I’ve ever seen one artist in one year. Shout out to Thee Sacred Souls, they’re good guys.
• War at NON-COMMvention in Philly was a massive surprise, in a super fun way. So terrifically groovy, and the frontman was just having a great time. Seeing songs like “Low Rider” and “Why Can’t We Be Friends” performed live was something I didn’t think I’d ever see live. It was a blast.
• I mean, Yo La Tengo of course. My partner came along for her first-ever YLT Hanukkah show, along with my YLT partner in crime Kate and her partner. The set was good, with a long and jammy “Pass The Hatchet”, along with first-time appearances (for me) of “Big Day Coming (Second Version)” and “From A Motel 6”. The guests were Meg Baird, her Heron Oblivion bandmate Charlie Saufley, along with Damon & Naomi (notably 2/3s of Galaxie 500). The encore guest was Ben Gibbard of Death Cab For Cutie & The Postal Service – a total surprise. Pretty damn cool. I also decided that Yo La Tengo is my all-time favorite band as of right now. Hard to beat them.
• A quiet moment during the Yussef Dayes show where someone yelled out “ayo where the coke at?” which elicited groans, immediately followed up by the same guy yelling “uhh I mean, FREE PALESTINE!”, which led to cheering. Also Yussef and his band were on one.

FULL LIST OF SHOWS + STATS:

• 116 different artists seen
• 130 individual performances seen
• 79 artists seen for the first time in 2023
• 11 artists seen more than once during 2023
• Performances seen at SXSW & NON-COMM: 37 & 11, respectively

+++

• Adi Oasis @ Brooklyn Made
• ALASKALASKA @ The Courtyard (SXSW)
• Albertine Sarges @ Wax Myrtle’s (SXSW)
• Altin Gün @ Brooklyn Steel
• Aoife Nessa Frances @ Austin Convention Center (SXSW)
• Arlo Parks @ World Cafe Live (NON-COMM)
• Arthur Verocai @ Damrosch Park at Lincoln Center
• Baaba Maal @ Rough Trade
• Baby Rose @ Hotel Saint Cecilia (SXSW)
• BAILEN @ Cheer Up Charlies (SXSW) + Hotel Saint Cecilia (SXSW) + World Cafe Live (NON-COMM)
• Black Belt Eagle Scout @ Baby’s All Right + Central Park Summerstage
• Black Country, New Road @ Knockdown Center
• Blonde Redhead @ Brooklyn Steel
• Blondshell @ World Cafe Live (NON-COMM)
• Bonny Doon @ Cheer Up Charlie’s (SXSW)
• Braids @ Racket
• Brandt Brauer Frick @ Kingdom (SXSW)
• Braxe & Falcon @ Knockdown Center
• Bully @ World Cafe Live (NON-COMM)
• The Caretaker @ David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center
• Caroline Rose @ Webster Hall
• Cerrone @ Kingdom (SXSW)
• CHAI @ Warsaw
• Charlotte Adigery & Bolis Pupul @ Elsewhere
• The Cure @ Madison Square Garden
• Danielle Ponder @ Mohawk (SXSW)
• Danny Brown @ SILO
• Devendra Banhart @ Webster Hall
• Diatom Deli @ Central Presbyterian Church (SXSW)
• Divino Niño @ Clive Bar (SXSW)
• Dusk @ The Broadway
• Esther Rose @ Antones (SXSW)
• Florist @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
• Geese @ Mercury Lounge + Warsaw
• Genesis Owusu @ World Cafe Live (NON-COMM) + Elsewhere
• Girl Ray @ The Sultan Room
• The Golden Dregs @ Hotel Saint Cecilia (SXSW)
• Hannah Jadagu @ World Cafe Live (NON-COMM)
• Hayden Pedigo @ Union Pool
• Helen @ Union Pool
• Hermanos Gutiérrez @ Austin Convention Center (SXSW)
• Horsegirl @ Irving Plaza
• Hotline TNT @ Cheer Up Charlie’s (SXSW)
• Iguana Death Cult @ Seven Grand (SXSW)
• Indigo De Souza @ Mohawk (SXSW) + Webster Hall
• Jackie Mendoza @ Speakeasy (SXSW)
• Jai Paul @ Brooklyn Steel
• Jalen Ngonda @ Racket
• Jeff Rosenstock @ Terminal 5
• Jessy Lanza @ Racket
• John Carroll Kirby @ Bowery Ballroom
• Julia Jacklin @ Central Park Summerstage
• Julianna Riolino @ Swan Dive (SXSW)
• Ka Baird @ Le Poisson Rouge
• Kate NV @ Public Records
• Killer Mike @ the Apollo Theater
• Knifeplay @ Cheer Up Charlie’s (SXSW)
• Laurel Halo @ Le Poisson Rouge
• Little Dragon @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
• Low Cut Connie @ World Cafe Live (NON-COMM)
• Madison McFerrin @ Central Presbyterian Church (SXSW) + Elsewhere Zone One
• Mali Obomsawin Sextet @ Public Records
• Maple Glider @ The Sultan Room
• Mary Lattimore @ Union Pool
• Mass of the Fermenting Dregs @ Elsewhere
• Matt Evans @ Public Records
• Mdou Moctar @ Central Park Summerstage
• Meernaa @ 13th Floor (SXSW)
• Mega Bog @ Baby’s All Right
• Meg Baird @ Bowery Ballroom
• Meg Baird & Mary Lattimore @ Central Park Summerstage
• Mitski @ The Town Hall
• Moor Mother @ David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center
• Mr Twin Sister @ David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center
• mui zyu @ Vaquero Taquero (SXSW)
• M83 @ Terminal 5
• Nabihah Iqbal @ Public Records
• Natalie Merchant @ World Cafe Live (NON-COMM)
• Nick Hakim @ Brooklyn Steel
• The Nude Party @ Scholz Garden (SXSW)
• Obongjayar @ Empire Garage (SXSW)
• Panda Bear & Sonic Boom @ Knockdown Center
• Pearla @ Central Presbyterian Church (SXSW)
• Pearl & The Oysters @ Scholz Garden (SXSW) + Terminal 5
• PJ Harvey @ Warsaw
• Rahill @ Baby’s All Right
• Ric Wilson @ Empire Garage (SXSW)
• Rogê @ Central Presbyterian Church (SXSW)
• Roy Ayers @ Elsewhere
• Salami Rose Joe Louis @ Elsewhere Zone One
• Say She She @ Brooklyn Steel + World Cafe Live (NON-COMM)
• shallowhalo @ Baby’s All Right
• Shirley Hurt @ Seven Grand (SXSW)
• Skullcrusher @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
• SOFI TUKKER @ BK Navy Yard BLDG 293
• Son Rompe Pera @ Speakeasy (SXSW)
• SPELLLING @ Elsewhere
• Thee Sacred Souls @ Brooklyn Steel + Austin Convention Center (SXSW) + Scholz Garden (SXSW) + World Cafe Live (NON-COMM) + The Beacon Theatre
• Time Wharp @ Union Pool
• Tinariwen @ Webster Hall
• Truth Club @ Velveeta Room (SXSW)
• TV Girl @ Terminal 5
• Twain @ 13th Floor (SXSW)
• Unknown Mortal Orchestra @ Webster Hall
• Unwound @ Irving Plaza
• Voces8 @ Merkin Hall
• War @ World Cafe Live (NON-COMM)
• Westerman @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
• Weval @ Elsewhere
• Will Butler + Sister Squares @ Elsewhere Zone One
• Yasmin Williams & William Tyler @ Merkin Hall
• Yaya Bey @ Elsewhere
• Y La Bamba @ Lustre Pearl (SXSW) + Central Park Summerstage
• Yo La Tengo @ Bowery Ballroom
• Yussef Dayes @ Irving Plaza
• zzzahara @ Baby’s All Right