THIS WEEK IN SHOWS

The most noteworthy concert this week is Sonic Youth with Dinosaur Jr. and Cold Cave, one of the few lineups that’d get me to Terminal 5, but that’s been sold out, so let us non-ticket holders lick our wounds at some of these other, very worthwhile shows.

MON, NOV. 16

The Jesus Lizard, Skeleton Key
Irving Plaza
9:00 PM, $25, 16+
In case you haven’t heard, The Jesus Lizard have been kicking ass all over the place this year, crowd surfing and stage diving like its 1989. It’s Monday night, and who knows how long this reunion thing will last. Get in front, put your arms up, and get ready for a handful of David Yow.

TUES, NOV. 17

Kurt Vile, Wild Yaks, Home Blitz, Pink Reason
Europa
7:00 PM,  $10, 18+
I think it would be really fun to book a show with either Kurt Vile or Wild Yaks, because both mesh well with any number of bands on a lineup, but you can’t automatically pair them with anybody in particular. There’s something more “classic rock” – I almost want to say masculine – about Kurt Vile than a lot of other “woozy” psychedelic pop acts, and there’s a poignancy to Wild Yaks’ songs that’s lacking in other bands who’re equally rowdy and debauched. Maybe they go perfectly together? Maybe not, but I feel like you can’t go wrong with this one. (For something completely different, check out Kurt Vile on Wednesday with Big Star.)
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THIS WEEK IN SHOWS

Whoa, this is one of those weeks where we’ll need to carefully balance our stimulants and disco naps in order to show-hop without crashing till Sunday night. I have a feeling that some of our writers will be trying to see The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart at Webster Hall, while others will be headed to WFMU Fest, but these are the shows that I want to check out most:

WEDS, SEPT. 30

Thomas Function, Yussef Jerusalem, Liquor Store, Pink Reason
Silent Barn
10:00 PM, ALL AGES
Ever since I got “Belly Of The Beast” stuck in my head for like a month sometime in 2008, I’ve wanted to see these bouncy southern guys, Thomas Function, live. They’re playing a few shows this week with Yussuf Jerusalem of France, who I’m equally excited about, but I dig mid-week shows, and I think that the one at Silent Barn will have a lot of energy, especially with Pink Reason and Liquor Store as openers. (Lord knows Liquor Store likes to rock out.)

THURS, OCT. 1

Jay Reatard, Nobunny, Hunx and His Punx…and more!
(le) poisson rouge
11:00 PM, $15a/$18d, 21+
Jay Reatard is a wild sweaty performer, but really, if you listen to his music it’s hard to imagine how he couldn’t be. So this would be a cool show no matter what, but the openers this time are exciting too. In case you haven’t heard of Nobunny, he performs catchy punk very much inspired by 50s rock ‘n roll. But that’s really not the interesting part. He also wears this gnarled up, gross bunny mask and likes to strip down to his underwear. Well alright!
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