What's Going On: 4/28, 4/29, 4/30 & 5/1, 2016

Bob Mould plays NYC's Webster Hall on Friday.

This Is a Packed One

Lots of friends and favorites playing shows this weekend. I think I'm actually double-booked with tickets in hand for a couple of nights. Nice problem to have I guess.

Things kick off on Thursday night with an open mic night at Groov Cafe in Montclair that has Delicate Flowers, Ice Giant, The Double Negatives, and more as featured artists. New Brunswick's Red Lion Cafe hosts a packed out bill that includes The Dark Matters, Experiment 34, Cold Weather Company, The Vaughns, and more. Lowlight play Wonder Bar when they open for The Sheep Dogs. Way down on the bill for Basement, Turnstile, and Defeater at The Stone Pony is LA's Colleen Green whose I Wanna Grow Up was one of my favorite records of last year. I'll be headed to Brooklyn's Market Hotel for an evening with The Thermals, Summer Cannibals, and Amanda X.

Friday is bursting with stuff. APYC hosts the Fun While You Wait record release / homecoming show with We're Ghosts Now and Cold Weather Company. The Vansaders, The Sex Zombies, Finchler, and Plato Zorba make up a great bill at Brighton Bar. The Citizen in Jersey City has Hell and The High Waters, Sammy Kay, Jared Hart, Rocky Catanese, and John The Gun. Seaside Caves open for new wave icons A Flock Of Seagulls at House of Independents. Shellshag, Teenage Halloween, Ghost Camp, and GULPS are at In The West. The great Laura Stevenson plays Brooklyn's Shea Stadium with Crying and Chris Farren. Bob Mould and his band rattle Webster Hall with Ted Leo.

I told you earlier this week about the Dez Cadena benefit at Brighton Bar this Saturday featuring Lost In Society, Jon Caspi & The First Gun, and more. Since then, they've added Reagan Youth and Suicide Crisis to an already solid bill. Red Bank's 10th Avenue Burrito gets back into the free shows with gods, Von Mons, and The Tide Bends. Following his band's set at Brighton, Zach Moyle heads to APYC for a free show with Sammy Kay and Chris Brown. Seaside Caves are back at it, this time at Atlantic City's Boneyard for TUFF TURF's record release show. The Milwaukees, Magic Mountain, and The RockNRoll Hi-Fives play Pino's in Highland Park for free. It's Rutgers Day all day on the RU College Avenue campus with performances from The Brixton Riot, Hong Kong Graffiti, and more.

Hot Blood head up to Brooklyn's Grand Victory on Sunday for a benefit show that also features Urban Waste, Hyman Holocaust, Examine, and Agitätor. New Brunswick's Scarlet Pub has Fleeting, The Maravines, Keepin' The Family, and Cape Ferello. It's the Hoboken Spring Music & Arts Fest on Washington St. in Hoboken.

There's gotta be something you'll love happening this weekend. Whatever you do, you can take comfort in the idea that CoolMom is finally getting to see Bob Mould!

THURSDAY (4/28)

Asbury Park Yacht Club (Asbury): Sumtin' Good, 9pm, FREE

The Brighton Bar (Long Branch): Faster Pussycat - Don Jamieson's That Metal Show, 6:30pm, $15 adv, $18 door

Court Tavern (New Brunswick): Bad William / Kadian Quartet / Shadowplay / Beggars / Twelve Times Kevin, 7:30pm, $8

Groov Cafe & Juice Bar (Montclair): Delicate Flowers / Ice Giant / The Double Negatives / more, 6pm, donation

Inkwell Coffee House (Long Branch): Music Night at The Inkwell, 9pm

Market Hotel (Brooklyn): The Thermals / Summer Cannibals / Amanda X, 8pm, $15

The Meatlocker (Montclair): Mark Nestman / Will Wood / Young Legs / Heavy Bird / Alec James and The Sweet Release, 9pm, donation

Red Lion Cafe (New Brunswick): The Dark Matters / Experiment 34 / Cold Weather Company / Little Rose / The Vaughns / Jeff Linden & The Black Spot Society / GHyp:See & The Wichts, 7pm

The Saint (Asbury): Broccoli Samurai / Mister F, 7:30pm, $10

The Stone Pony (Asbury): Basement / Turnstile / Defeater / Colleen Green, $16.50 adv, $20 door

The Wonder Bar (Asbury): The Sheepdogs / Lowlight, 7pm, $15

FRIDAY (4/29)

Asbury Park Yacht Club (Asbury): We're Ghosts Now / Fun While You Wait (Record Release) / Cold Weather Company, 9pm, FREE

The Brighton Bar (Long Branch): The Vansaders / The Sex Zombies / Finchler / Plato Zorba, 8pm, $8

The Citizen (Jersey City): Hell and The High Waters / Sammy Kay / Jared Hart / Rocky Catanese / John The Gun, 8pm

Clash Bar (Clifton): Stereo Jo / The Schwam / Tyrannosaurus Sex / The Stripped Down Aces

Court Tavern (New Brunswick): HALFWAY TO HALLOWEEN COVER SHOW! featuring: Rise Against / Coheed And Cambria / Marilyn Manson / Billy Joel, 8pm, $10

House of Independents (Asbury): A Flock Of Seagulls / Seaside Caves, 7pm, $30

In The West (New Brunswick): Shellshag / Teenage Halloween / Ghost Camp / GULPS, 8pm, $5-$7