New York is unparalleled as a live music city. Most nights, let alone weeks, present an array of world-class gig options in every genre imaginable. But with that vast menu comes a certain degree of bewilderment: What\u2019s the best way to sift through it all?<\/p>\n
That\u2019s where Gothamist comes in. Each month, we\u2019ll scan the listings for jazz clubs, rock clubs, dance clubs and more to bring you an expertly curated, genre-spanning round-up of can\u2019t-miss shows. The only criteria for inclusion is that anything listed here is something we\u2019d actually recommend to a friend \u2014 or pick up tickets to ourselves.<\/p>\n
Whatever kind of love-centric soundtrack you might have in mind as we head into Valentine\u2019s season, the February live music calendar has you covered. We\u2019ve got romantic jazz ballads, raunchy club bangers and everything in between for your next 28 days.<\/p>\n
SHOW OF THE MONTH Coming across the work of Sheer Mag can feel like discovering a species long thought extinct: In a time of streaming glut and AI encroachment, could a rock band this impossibly badass still be grinding it out in the clubs? Debuting around a decade ago with a series of gloriously lo-fi 7-inches, the Philadelphia outfit combines the razor-sharp riffing of \u201970s and \u201980s hard rock with the plush AM radio songcraft that flourished during the same era. Imagine Judas Priest covering Fleetwood Mac and you\u2019ll get a good idea of their singular blend of grit and sophistication. Whether you\u2019re catching the Mag for the first time or the 10th (raises hand), these two intimate gigs are a must.<\/p>\n Underground Resistance All Day \u201cMy arch enemy: major record companies,\u201d Underground Resistance cofounder \u201cMad\u201d Mike Banks has said<\/a> of the driving ethos of his pioneering Detroit techno collective. \u201cIn they need for greed, they kill culture.\u201d The group he cofounded with Jeff Mills in 1989 has pushed back against that homogeneity for more than 35 years, producing psychedelic, richly layered beatscapes. Banks brings the UR experience east, for a marathon takeover at Queens dance-music haven Nowadays \u2014 a prime chance to connect with a homegrown electronic-music legacy<\/p>\n Real Young and Lazy Horse As the founder of Shea Stadium BK, a bygone Bushwick DIY venue that was ground zero for sweaty Brooklyn shows in the 2010s, engineer and multi-instrumentalist Adam Reich knows a thing or two about making a neighborhood gig feel like rock and roll heaven. More recently, he\u2019s applied that ethos to the immortal catalog of Neil Young and Crazy Horse, shouting and shredding his way through classics like \u201cTonight\u2019s the Night\u201d and \u201cDown by the River\u201d during regular summer appearances at beloved Rockaway Beach burger joint Rippers. Here, Reich, a.k.a. Real Young, and his Lazy Horse backing band continue their so-called Winterlong Residency at another local institution, Williamsburg\u2019s Union Pool, whose vibey back room is the perfect home for their faithfully rowdy renditions.<\/p>\n ESG No list of the quintessential New York bands is complete without ESG. Informed equally by James Brown and the Latin percussion its founding members, the four Scroggins sisters, heard growing up in the South Bronx in the \u201970s, the band famously landed a deal with tastemaking Manchester post-punk label Factory and honed a danceable and wildly catchy brand of minimalist funk that would prove both hugely influential (and, to the band\u2019s dismay<\/a>, highly sampleable). The band is currently in the midst of what\u2019s being billed as its Final Dance Tour, so this could be one of your last chances to catch these sui generis local icons.<\/p>\n Dianne Reeves There are Valentine\u2019s Day shows in New York, and then there\u2019s Dianne Reeves\u2019 annual mid-February stand at Jazz at Lincoln Center, which has been ongoing for more than a decade. Reeves is a jazz vocal technician of the highest order, with five Grammys to her name and a discography populated by legendary names such as Herbie Hancock and Clark Terry. But what makes her unmissable, and what makes this the classiest Cupid-themed show on this month\u2019s calendar, is the way she keeps jazz standards fresh with contemporary arrangements and the palpable warmth of her voice, which she uses both to belt out the words and to soar in horn-like improv flights.<\/p>\n Gary Bartz Gary Bartz \u2014 a veteran saxophonist known for his work alongside Miles Davis, McCoy Tyner and other top jazz names \u2014 had a simple vision for his latest album: He wanted to record songs that he likes to sing in the shower. The result \u2014 featuring smooth and soulful takes on classics by Earth, Wind & Fire; Midnight Star; Curtis Mayfield and others \u2014 is a lovely showcase for a saxophonist who has always transcended genre distinctions. Since his \u201970s days leading the funky and socially conscious NTU Troop, he\u2019s excelled at reaching diverse audiences with his poignant alto sound, which makes this gig a great bet for both insiders and the jazz-curious.<\/p>\n Peaches + Model\/Actriz \u201cI\u2019m a horny little f—er and I\u2019ll bring you to your knees,\u201d Peaches coolly announces on a recent single<\/a>, instantly reassuring anyone that the Canadian electropunk icon who blessed the early aughts with \u201cF— the Pain Away\u201d hasn\u2019t toned down her act in the slightest in the decade-plus since she last put out an album. Expect an NSFW dance party for the ages as she hits Queens\u2019 cavernous Knockdown Center in the wake of the release of her new LP, No Lube So Rude, with support from buzzy industrial-punks Model\/Actriz, whose proudly queer, sex-positive perspective makes them a perfect fit for the bill.<\/p>\n Mavis Staples and Allison Russell Mavis Staples has never had to try very hard to remain relevant: There\u2019s something about the conviction of her delivery, tough and tender in equal measure, that naturally resonates across generations. The recent “Sad and Beautiful World” finds the Staple Singers veteran covering everyone from Frank Ocean to Curtis Mayfield and Sparklehorse<\/a>, with help from a diverse cast that includes roots-music royalty such as Buddy Guy and Bonnie Raitt as well as indie-sphere luminaries like MJ Lenderman, Wilco\u2019s Jeff Tweedy, Bon Iver\u2019s Justin Vernon and Waxahatchee\u2019s Katie Crutchfield. We wouldn\u2019t be surprised to see a special guest or three turn up at this Beacon Theatre gig, also featuring singer-songwriter Allison Russell, who cowrote a track on Staples\u2019s latest.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"New York is unparalleled as a live music city. 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Sheer Mag
<\/b>Mercury Lounge; Feb. 27<\/a>
TV Eye; Feb. 28<\/a><\/p>\n
<\/b>Nowadays; Feb. 1<\/a><\/p>\n
<\/b>Union Pool; Feb. 1<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n
<\/b>Elsewhere; Feb. 13<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n
<\/b>Jazz at Lincoln Center: Rose Theater; Feb. 13 and 14<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n
<\/b>Le Poisson Rouge; Feb. 26<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n
<\/b> Knockdown Center; Feb. 28<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n
<\/b>Beacon Theatre; Feb. 28<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n