What's Going On: 6/4, 6/5, 6/6 & 6/7, 2015

Why shell out those big festival bucks when you've got free shows from the likes of Nicole Atkins, River City Extension, and The Battery Electric?

Festivals, AP Night Bazaar, PRIDE Weekend

It is a big, ultra-packed weekend this week. Tons of stuff. Let's get right to it.

Things get started on Thursday as Jon Caspi & The First Gun join Pat DiNizio when he "goes electric" at APYC. That's free as always. AciD, Scattered Hamlets, Dave Simmons & STC hit Brighton Bar in Long Branch. Dentist join We're Ghosts Now and I Am The Heat at Maxwell's Tavern in Hoboken. Our buds in The Everymen are at Rough Trade NYC with The Mother Hips. The Filthy Six headline The Saint. The legendary Buddy Guy plays Count Basie.

This is also Gentlemen Of The Road Seaside Stopover Weekend, and things get started down there with some free shows on Thursday night. The Ocean Terrace Stage features Von Mons, Garden State Line, Deal Casino (who are busy this weekend), Accidental Seabirds (who are also very busy this weekend), and a "Springsteen Block Party" with Tramps Like Us.

The GOTR festival proper begins on Friday night. Friday's lineup features Dawes, Blake Mills, and The Very Best. It's headlined by Alabama Shakes and their front-gentleman Brittany Howard. Free sets on the Ocean Terrace Stage that night from Milan and The Sour Goat, Wyland, Quincy Mumford, Anthony D'Amato, Nicole Atkins, and Kevin Devine. Late free sets there from Brick + Mortar and Vacationer. Jax Garage hosts a GOTR party with Wyland, Hey Anna, Long Faces, and Cold Weather Company.

Also on Friday, Jucifer come to Asbury Lanes. The Gray Company hold their tour kickoff at The Banana Stand with Man Dancing, Fire Is Motion, ROMP, and CachaBacha. There's an interesting psychedelic festival at John & Peter's in New Hope, PA that on Friday has St. James & The Apostles, Meddlesome (x3) Bells, The Orange Drop, Tone, and Grasshoper. Teenage Halloween head up to Montclair's Meatlocker for a show with Feudalism, Cousin Boneless, Eric Funn, and Nate Marks. Roy Orbitron and Daughter Vision are at Wonder Bar helping out Skrizzly Adams. The Battery Electric and The Vansaders head up to Brooklyn's St. Vitus for a show with Buying Time and Old Lady.

NYC's Governor's Ball also kicks off on Friday with Drake headlining. Since it's GovBall weekend, that means it will probably rain.

GOTR closes out on Saturday. That day's lineup features Mumford & Sons, Flaming Lips, The Vaccines, The Maccabees, JEFF The Brotherhood along with gentlemen Jenny Lewis and Little May. Saturday's free Ocean Terrace sets come from Sammy Kay, Modern Chemistry, Thomas Wesley Stern, and Pig Pen Theatre Co. early. River City Extension and Owel play late. Jax Garage has Deal Casino, Braeves, Terrible Terrible, Bounders, Oogee Wawa, and Nonstop To Cairo.

Asbury Park Night Bazaar kicks off on Saturday night. Little Dickman present the musical entertainment that night with The Off White, Psychiatric Metaphors, and DJ Riff Raff at Anchor's Bend. Asbury Lanes features a screening of Back Issues: The Hustler Magazine Story followed by a performance by Wax Darts. The Battery boys are back in town for a free show at APYC with Buffalo's Governess. Overlake and Sink Tapes are at Court Tavern with The Slow Wire, The Schwam, and The Welts. Paper Streets are at Glitterbox in Bruns with Pinegrove, Weak Moon, Happy You, and Professor Caveman. John & Peter's in New Hope continue their Midnight Sun Fest with Ruby The Hatchet, Wreaths, gods, Sun Voyager, and Heavy Temple. The PussyPad hosts We're Ghosts Now, Goodbye Tiger, Ghost Camp, Cherry Mellow, and Krispy Kareem.

GovBall rolls on, headlined by Deadmau5 and Björk (looking at you, Allyson Dwyer).

On Sunday, Jersey Pride holds its annual LGBTI Pride Celebration in Asbury Park: Parade, Music, Rally. Artists for Change hold their third annual chili cook-off to benefit Garden State Equality in Asbury with music from Sweetbones, Black Rhinoceros, Accidental Seabirds, and goodnightmorning. Uke-hunt come to Asbury Lanes with Rocky Cantanese, The Vansaders, and Corrina, Corrina. Deal Casino kick off their free summer residency at APYC. Maeby Funk and Ghost Camp are at Court Tavern with Jackie Paper and Dreambook. The Saint hosts a "Benefit for Barb" to help a friend suffering from breast cancer. That show features Bobby Mahoney & The Seventh Son, Projex Band, and Strawberry Pie.

GovBall closes out with The Black Keys and Lana Del Rey topping the bill.

That is a weekend chock full of stuff. Let's hope the weather holds out for all the festivals and all of your other outdoor activities, and I'll see you out there.

THURSDAY (6/4)

Asbury Park Yacht Club (Asbury): Pat DiNizio / Jon Caspi & The First Gun, 8:30pm, FREE

The Brighton Bar (Long Branch): Acid / Scattered Hamlets / Dave Simmons & STC, 8pm, $7 (18+)

Count Basie Theatre (Red Bank): Buddy Guy, 8pm, $25-79

Maxwell's Tavern (Hoboken): We're Ghosts Now / Dentist / I Am The Heat, 8pm, $5

The Meatlocker (Montclair): Hindsight / Put Under / Polyphony / Hell Mary, 9pm, donations

Ocean Terrace (Seaside): Von Mons / Garden State Line / Deal Casino / Accidental Seabirds / Tramps Like Us, 5pm, FREE

Rough Trade NYC (Brooklyn): The Mother Hips / The Everymen, 8pm, $21.80

The Saint (Asbury): The Filthy Six (ft. Mumford & Sons horn section) / The Soul Project, 7pm, $15 adv, $20 door (18+)

FRIDAY (6/5)

500 Boardwalk (Seaside): Gentlemen Of The Road Seaside Stopover ft. Alabama Shakes / Dawes / Blake Mills / The Very Best, 4:30pm, $180 (!!!)

Asbury Lanes (Asbury): Jucifer / Inertia / Houds, 8pm, $10 adv, $12 door (ALL AGES)