What's Going On: 12/8, 12/9, 12/10 & 12/11, 2016

The Blind Shake play our People Appreciation Party this Sunday with gods and Psychiatric Metaphors.

For The People!

Are you feeling the holiday crunch yet? Don't let it stress you out. There are plenty of great things this weekend to help you enjoy the season without having to worry about parties or presents or travel or anything like that.

Thursday is Asbury's big night as the 24th Annual Asbury Music Awards take place at The Stone Pony. I'm humbled and grateful that CoolDad Music received nominations in several categories. I was also happy to see several of our friends nominated as well. There are always oversights and omissions, which can sometimes put a damper on events like this; but, to everyone who has labored to bring music and arts to us throughout 2016, thank you for everything you do. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I'm being serious when I say I'm pretty sure I couldn't live without you. Keep it up.

There are some other things happening on Thursday as well. Our friends at Speak Into My Good Eye present the second installment of their Blox Cord series at The Footlight in Queens with Spowder, A Deer A Horse, Meansiders, and Beehwood. New Brunswick's In The West hosts NULL, Youth Expire, My Heart and The Real World, and Spandex.

On Friday, DJ Hi-Tide returns to Anchor's Bend for a free holiday celebration. Birthwater are re-born with Ba Babes at APYC. The Battery Electric head up to Monty Hall in Jersey City to play with The Blind Shake and Cicada Radio. Wanda Jackson headlines this month's Rent Party in Maplewood. Young Legs, Pixl-Visionary, Fairmont, and The Maravines play Stosh's in Fair Lawn. The Brighton hosts Heart Attack Man, Secret Space, Toy Cars, and Secret Mountain. The Vaughns are at Maxwell's Tavern in Hoboken with The Mylars and Motorboat. In one I've been looking forward to for some time, Parquet Courts come to Wonder Bar with Beth Israel.

Pop-Break hosts their Locals Christmas Party in Convention Hall on Saturday. That one has Jason Robert, Black Flamingos, The Clydes, Lyons, and American Trappist. Archie Alone, Rita Fishbone, Looks Like Mountains, LKFFCT, and Sunflower are at 73 See Gallery in Montclair. Risk Relay play an album release show at The Hive in Jersey City. It's the first (ok, the second) show ever for Exmaid at Volume IV in New Brunswick with Secretary Legs, Adam Finchler, and Blankside.

PJ Rasmussen and his big jazz band play a Christmas show at Langosta on Sunday. Will Wood & The Tapeworms, Reese Van Riper, The Big Drops, and Pat Llewellyn & The Parade are at Scarlet Pub.

Also on Sunday, Little Dickman Records and CoolDad Music bring you the People Appreciation Party. We want to say thank you for supporting us and everything we've done throughout 2016; so we invited The Blind Shake, gods, and Psychiatric Metaphors to The Saint to blow your minds. The show is only $5, but we do ask that you bring a non-perishable food item to donate to local food pantries. This will be a great chance to kick 2016 in the ass on its way out the door, and I hope to see you there. (...and, she doesn't want me to tell you this, but it's also Amy Dickman's birthday. We love her a lot, so we couldn't let that one slide.)

THURSDAY (12/8)

The Asbury Hotel (Asbury): Open Mic, 8pm, FREE

Court Tavern (New Brunswick): Dusters / Dissent / Guttersnipe / Threat 2 Society / Garland Green / Just, 8pm, $10

Crossroads (Garwood): Todd Carey, 7pm, $12 adv, $15 door

Footlight Bar (Ridgewood, Queens): SIMGE Presents: Blox Cord 2 ft. A Deer A Horse / Spowder / Meansiders / Beechwood, 7pm, $10

In The West (New Brunswick): NULL / Youth Expire / My Heart and The Real World / Spandex, 8pm

Meatlocker (Montclair): Stonecutters / Robots and Monsters / Unkempt Herald / Wholewrecker, 9pm, donation

The Stone Pony (Asbury): 24th Annual Asbury Music Awards, 6pm, $15 adv, $20 door

FRIDAY (12/9)

Anchor's Bend (Asbury): Mele Kalikimaka with DJ Hi-Tide, 8pm, FREE

Asbury Park Yacht Club (Asbury): Birthwater / Ba Babes, 9pm, FREE

The Brighton Bar (Long Branch): Secret Space / Heart Attack Man / Toy Cars / Secret Mountain, 7pm, $10

Cake Shop (NYC): Hot Curl / Handgrenades / Samantha / Desert Sharks / Fat Heaven, 7:30pm

Clash Bar (Clifton): Hub City Stompers Holiday Party, 8:30pm, $10

Court Tavern (New Brunswick): Rock N Roll Winter Formal, 8pm, $5 or $10

Footlight Bar (Ridgewood, Queens): Baby Acid (LP Release) / THICK / Parlor Walls / Ex-Girlfriends, 8pm, $10

House of Independents (Asbury): Emo Night BK, 9pm, $10

Langosta Lounge (Asbury): Laketon / Brother Valiant, 9pm, FREE

Maxwell's Tavern (Hoboken): The Vaughns / The Mylars / Motorboat, 8pm, $10

Meatlocker (Montclair): Silence Equals Death / Bottomfed / Electric Sensei / huo, 6:30pm, donations

Monty Hall (Jersey City): The Blind Shake / The Battery Electric / Cicada Radio, 8:30pm, $10 adv, $12 door

Paradise: Lost (New Brunswick): Ghost Camp / Suburban Living / Whiner / Rhea, 8pm, $5

Rent Party (Maplewood): Wanda Jackson / Lil Mo and The Monicats, 7pm, $30

Roxy & Duke's Roadhouse (Dunellen): Bob Lanza / Dennis Gruenling / Ray Grappone / Mr.Revelator / Ed Avila, 9pm, $10

The Saint (Asbury): Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams, 7:30pm, $20 adv, $25 door

Starland Ballroom (Sayreville): Titans of Tribute (covers, I guess), 7pm, $10 adv, $15 door

The Stone Pony (Asbury): The Airplane Family & Friends, 7pm, $25 adv, $30 door

Stosh's (Fair Lawn): Young Legs / Pixl-Visionary / Fairmont / The Maravines, 7:30pm, FREE

Twizzler Factory (Ask): Spur / Living Tradition / Maniac, 8pm, $5

The Wonder Bar (Asbury): Parquet Courts / Beth Israel, 7pm, $18 adv, $20 door