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Summer in New York is basically a free-live-music wonderland: You can't pass a park, square or patio without encountering some artist or band—from buskers to big-name talent—holding forth for every passerby's benefit. The NYC fall is comparatively cruel. Time to start actually buying tickets again, as we prepare huddle together in venues large and small, taking in the sounds and staving off the cold. But wait, there's hope for all you cheapskate gig goers: Yesterday, word arrived of two new fall concert series, both 100% free.
First up, we have the Northside Concert Series, taking place at the Brooklyn Flea (in its Williamsburg locale at 50 Kent) on three consecutive Sundays at 3pm. The no-cover shows get underway this coming Sunday, September 21, with everyone's favorite local prog-pop singer-songwriter, Marnie Stern (see video below), and continue September 28 and October 5, respectively, with local indie-rock mainstays Twin Peaks and Small Black. Look at it this way: You'll already be at the Flea, anyway—spending way too much cash on used LPs and artisanal junk food—so you have no excuse not to stick around for the music.
Second, there's the considerably schmancier Sonos Studio NYC Series, sponsored by, yes, wireless-speaker makers Sonos and self-described as a "a week-long exploration of the intersection of music, art and technology in collaboration." You're not writing a graduate thesis here, so you don't really need to know much more than these simple facts: The series runs from September 30 through October 5; highlights include events featuring Spoon, Best Coast and Dev Hynes (all playing separate gigs on September 30), Danny Brown (October 2), Gabriel Kahane (October 4) and more; and you'll need to R.S.V.P. for whichever gigs you want to check out. Sure, you might end up getting spammed by Sonos, but we'd say it's a pretty fair trade-off.