Titus Andronicus
Whitney Museum; July 10
The Whitney Museum’s performance series starts off with Titus Andronicus, the live-wire New Jersey punk-rockers still touring off last year’s Pitchfork Best New Music–d The Airing of Grievances.
Citysol 2009
The Bandshell at East River Park; July 10-12
The three-day “urban sustainability” fest returns with an eclectic batch of performances, including hip-hop rebels Dead Prez, mix-tape vet D.J. Green Lantern, ramshackle local rockers like Fiasco and the So So Glos, and Rachel Trachtenberg of weirdo performance-art project the Trachtenberg Family Slideshow Players.
Mission of Burma
Williamsburg Waterfront; July 12
The Pool Parties have been kicked out of McCarren Park in favor of a real pool (still in the works), so Jelly NYC has taken the series, dodgeball and all, to the East River (the entrance is at 90 Kent Avenue, to be specific). Mission of Burma, the tinnitus-inducing Bostonians reunited since 2002, and Fucked Up, the genre-transcending Canadian hard-core act, kick things off.
Superchunk
South Street Seaport; July 17
The Seaport Music Festival swings into gear with the proudly independent North Carolinians — it was front man Mac McCaughan and bassist Laura Ballance who founded Merge in 1989, which at one point or another has been home to the likes of Arcade Fire, Spoon, Conor Oberst, and the Magnetic Fields. The band’s own material, including 1991’s beloved No Pocky for Kitty, isn’t too shabby itself.
Abe Vigoda
Whitney Museum; July 17
The cheeky Californians, who are associated with last year’s breakout act No Age and the “shitgaze” scene centered around L.A. DIY venue the Smell, bash out fractured, joyous tunes. Their debut album, Skeleton, was one of 2008’s best.
Siren Music Festival
Coney Island; July 18
Astroland might be down, but the Village Voice’s annually jam-packed festival is not. In its ninth year, Siren boasts a nifty selection of the tried-and-true (Built to Spill, Spank Rock) and the up-and-coming (Japandroids, Frightened Rabbit, A Place to Bury Strangers).
The Dirty Projectors
Williamsburg Waterfront; July 19
Another Pool Party, this one featuring the Brooklyn vets behind arguably this year’s best album: Bitte Orca, a seductive batch of spare noises, vocal gymnastics, and moments of sheer pop exhilaration.
Ted Leo & the Pharmacists
Pier 54 at the Hudson River Park; July 23
Hudson River Park’s River Rocks mini-series is highlighted by this show from the long-running New Jersey favorite, who have been churning out fist-pumping sing-a-longs, in one form or another, since the early nineties.
…Trail of Dead
Williamsburg Waterfront; July 26
The epic Texas act’s recent material may be a bit spotty, but they can always cruise on their notorious live show and one heck of a back catalogue: If you’ve never heard “How Near, How Far,” you need to, now.
Vivian Girls
Whitney Museum; July 31
The sunny punk-rock trio will close out a happening month at the Whitney.