From Punk to Witchy R&B, All the Cant-Miss Acts This Year

Deervana performs at the 2011 Northside Festival. Photo by Signe Pierce.

The fifth annual Northside Festival starts tonight, shutting down ten blocks of Bedford Avenue. Since its inception, the Festival has added a tech conference (NExT, for "Northside Entrepreneurship and Technology") and a film festival (starting next week), but the core attraction remains the over 350 bands playing in dozens of venues throughout Williamsburg and Greenpoint. Shows are ticketed individually, but an $80 pass will get you into any show (provided you arrive early enough). We've sketched a schedule of sets for badgeholders to flit through all weekend, but remember that festivals still run on rock 'n' roll time and admission is not guaranteed.

Thursday, 6/13

8:30, 9:15 Pop Zeus, Butter the Children

Two local bands playing short, catchy dream-pop.

Knitting Factory, 361 Metropolitan Avenue. $13, all ages. Tickets here.

~10:00 The Casualties

The spikey-haired street-punk mainstays have been pumping out catchy sing-alongs for over twenty years (I saw them at Warped Tour '03); their Northside show is bound to be a respite from Brooklyn blog-rock.

The Grand Victory, 245 Grand Street. $12, 21+.

~11:00 The Julie Ruin, Body/Head

Kathleen Hanna's recently revived lo-fi project joins Kim Gordon's noisy new duo (with guitarist Bill Nace) at Pitchfork's showcase, which will probably be packed but is still worth a shot.

Saint Vitus, 1120 Manhattan Avenue. $15, 21+. Tickets here.

~12:30 ?uestlove

Before the Internet discovered how awesome it is to pair pop hits with Soul Train footage, Roots drummer and fried chicken purveyor ?uestlove was doing just that at his monthly "Bowl Train" shindig, now three years in the running.

Brooklyn Bowl, 61 Wythe Ave. $5 advance/$8 door, 21+. Tickets here.

Friday, 6/14

~7:30 Supercute!

Teenagers Julia Cumming and Rachel Trachtenburg (of the Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players) play ukulele-driven ditties like "Dreamsicle" and "Candy City."

The Grand Victory, 245 Grand Street. $12, 21+.

8:30 Ludwig Persik

Smartass electrofunk from Jamie Lidell's protégé.

Cameo Gallery, 93 North 6th Street. $15, 21+. Tickets here.

9:15 Ken Mode

The long-running Winnipeg noise-rock trio swings as much as it thrashes.

285 Kent Avenue. $12, all ages. Tickets here.

10:00 Oneida w/ Rhys Chatham

Brooklyn psych princes Oneida and downtown minimalist composer Rhys Chatham reprise the droney melange of jazz-, punk- and metal-influenced pieces they debuted at last year's Ecstatic Music Festival.

Europa, 98 Meserole Avenue. $20, all ages. Tickets here.

~11:00 Black Flag

Ok, if you don't have a ticket you're gonna need a badge and to get there really early, but still -- Greg Ginn playing Black Flag songs! Even the Times's Ben Ratliff approves of the seminal hardcore band's reunion, led by songwriter/string strangler/SST label head Ginn -- not to be confused with the former bandmates who have been touring under the name Flag.

Warsaw, 261 Driggs Avenue. Sold out (badges still accepted), all ages.

12:00 The So So Glos

Brooklyn DIY punks and Papermag tour diarists the So So Glos' raucous live show and big NOFXy hooks are the perfect way to cap off a Friday night.

Public Assembly (back room), 70 North 6th St. $10, 18+. Tickets here.

1:15 Ian Isiah

Card-carrying member of the Ghe20 g0th1k and Hood By Air crews, Ian Isiah blends smooth R&B with witchy house beats. End your night at his 285 Kent set, dancing with bindi-wearing and septum ring-sporting party kids.

285 Kent Avenue. $10 advance/$12 door.

Saturday, 6/15

5:00 Juniper Rising

Lap steel guitar (fretted by the Men's Kevin Faulkner) adds some country musk to this quartet's Burger Records-approved garage pop.

Dr. Marten's Stage, North 3rd Street and Bedford Avenue. Free, all ages.

6:00 Harmonica Lewinskies

This funky local septet's good-natured sound leans variously toward blues and bossa nova, depending on when they swap out their namesake reed for a more traditional horn section.

Muchmore's, 2 Havemeyer Street. $7, all ages.

7:30 Cities Aviv

Former hardcore screamer Gavin Mays synthesizes two great '80s New York sounds: no wave and rap.

Knitting Factory, 361 Metropolitan Avenue. $10, all ages. Tickets here.

8:15 Turnip King

If the thought of drunk 18-year-olds thrashing around frightens your old soul, don't worry: the Long Island band's easily digestible indie rock melodies will cheer you up.

Public Assembly (back room), 70 North 6th Street. $10, 18+.

9:00 Chance the Rapper

Chicago's Chancelor Bennett is giving positive hip-hop a good name with the recent mixtape Acid Rap. Expect this to be crowded.

Europa, 98 Meserole Avenue. $15, all ages. Tickets here.

10:00 Milk Music

The Olympia band dragged their grimy grunge further into Neil Young territory on this year's Cruise Your Illusion.

285 Kent Avenue. $13, all ages.

11:00 Lost Boy?

Davey Jones's catchy lo-fi anthems (think Pavement at 78 rpm) get beefed up onstage with a powerful rhythm section and an exquisite guitar sound.

Brooklyn Fireproof, 119 Ingraham Street. $10, 21+.

12:00 New York Night Train

This installment of 45" master Jonathan Toubin's '60s soul dance party includes a set by Detroit garage rocker (Gories/Dirtbombs) Mick Collins and a dance-off with a $100 cash prize. Bring your moves!

Brooklyn Bowl, 61 Wythe Avenue. $7, 21+.

2:30 Stretch Armstrong

Known on the New York circuit for his aggressive mixes of hip-hop, reggae and house, Stretch Armstrong has been spinning since 1990.

Cameo Gallery, 93 North 6th Street. $10 with RSVP to rsvp@resonatenyc.com/$15 without, 21+.

3:00 Pharmakon

Margaret Chardiet's abrasive industrial noise should help you stay awake at this early-morning hour.

Public Assembly (Back Room), 70 North 6th Street. $TBA, 21+.