Summer is entering the home stretch, which means long days, hot subway stations, and... free concerts! If you've gotten through June and July without enjoying the city's musical freebies, don't miss out on one of these great shows in August. 8/5 -- Ratking and Bishop Nehru
Rap punks Ratking are joined by 18-year-old rapper/producer Bishop Nehru for a SummerStage show at East River Park.
East River Park Amphitheater, 7pm
8/5 -- Full Band Electric Counterpoint + Dither and friends, featuringLee Ranaldo, Yo La Tengo, and Mark Stewart
Electric guitar quartet Dither will host a night of rock-and-roll experimentation as part of Lincoln Center's Out of Doors series with special guests Sonic Youth guitarist Lee Ranaldo and indie rock veterans Yo La Tengo.
Damrosch Park, Lincoln Center, Amsterdam & W. 62nd St; 7:30pm
8/6 -- U.S. Girls and Yuck
Toronto-based U.S. Girls (aka Meg Remy) brings her feminist pop to River Rocks alongside a set by London indie rockers Yuck.
Pier 84; 6pm
8/6 -- Caribou and Sinkane
Caribou, one persona of Canadian electronic musician and math PhD Dan Snaith, takes the stage with Sudanese soul act Sinkane for an evening on the East River Promenade.
East River Park; 7-9pm
8/8 --30th Anniversary DJ Celebration: Quantic / Gilles Peterson / Afrika Bambaataa
An eclectic assortment of DJs will take over Central Park for this SummerStage event featuring British-born, Caribbean-inspired Quantic, DJ/broadcaster/producer Gilles Peterson, and break-beat pioneer Afrika Bambaataa.
Rumsey Playfield, Central Park; 5pm-10pm
8/8 -- tUnE-yArDs and Shabazz Palaces
Ebullient indie rocker tUnE-yArDs (aka Merrill Garbus) plays a set at the Prospect Park bandshell alongside experimental hip-hop duo Shabazz Palaces.
Prospect Park Bandshell, 62 West Dr., Brooklyn; 7:30pm
8/9 -- Caveman, Rivergazer, and The Fluids
Peruse the Flea's assortment of antiques, crafts, furniture and food to the sounds of Brooklyn-based rock bands Caveman, Rivergazer, and The Fluids.
Brooklyn Flea, 50 Kent Ave., Williamsburg; 2pm-6pm
8/10 -- Coma Serfs and Watermelon Sugar
Portland, OR's psychedelic garage-rock band Coma Serfs and Tacoma's (delicious-sounding) psychedelic sludge-pop group Watermelon Sugar converge at LES mainstay Arlene's Grocery for this freebie show.
Arlene's Grocery, 95 Stanton St; 8pm
Coma Serfs, Watermelon Sugar
8/11 -- Rakim and DJ Tedsmooth
The groundbreaking hip-hop artist and producer and Long Island native, Rakim Allah, will play a set following DJ Teddy Rafael Mendez's beats.
Marcus Garvey Park, 122nd St. and Mt. Morris Park; 7pm-9pm
8/13 --Lower Dens and Newtown Radio DJs
As part of the MoMa Nights series, museum-goers can head out to the Sculpture Garden for free music every Thursday. On the 13th, a Newtown Radio DJ will open for Baltimore-based indie pop band Lower Dens
Museum of Modern Art, 11 W. 53rd St., 5:30pm-8pm
8/16 -- You Blew It!, Sorority Noise, and Microwave
Orlando-based indie-emo band You Blew It! takes its tour to Jacob Riis Park in Far Rockaway with Hartford-based party punkers Sorority Noise and Atlanta-based alt-rock group Microwave.
Riis Park Beach Bazaar, 157 Rockaway Beach Blvd., Queens; 2pm
8/20 -- Annual Block Party feat. Bobby Sanabria Quintet
Grammy-nominated Latin jazz musician and percussionist Bobby Sanabria will appear at Queens hub of jazz history, the Louis Armstrong Museum.
Louis Armstrong Museum, 34-56 107th St., Queens; 4pm
8/22 -- Mykki Blanco and Princess Nokia
Queer rapper, poet, and performance artist Mykki Blanco will be hitting the beach in Far Rockaway with Princess Nokia, the alter-ego of feminist indie artist Destiny Frasqueri.
Riis Park Beach Bazaar, 157 Rockaway Beach Blvd., Queens; 2pm
8/22 -- Complete, Octagrape, and Honey Radar
Cult band Complete is traveling all the way from Fort Worth, TX to Williamsburg's Union Pool for the venue's Summer Thunder series.
Union Pool, 484 Union Ave., Brooklyn; 2pm
8/29 -- Steve Gunn
The singer-songwriter and former guitarist of The Violators will keep the "Summer Thunder" booming at Union Pool after playing there in 2013 and 2014.
Union Pool, 484 Union Ave., Brooklyn; 2pm
8/30 -- Garifuna International
At the northern tip of Central Park, the Harlem Meer Performance festival will highlight jazz, Latin, world, and gospel artists every Sunday this summer. August's last group celebrates the song and dance of West African, Central African, Island Carib, and Arawak descendents known as Garifuna.
Harlem Meer Performance Festival, 110th Street at Lenox; 2pm-4pm
Complete, Octagrape, Honey Radar