Our Best Picks

campfire. Festival at Club Passim – All Weekend: It started as a way to fill a bad booking weekend in 1998, but over the course of more than 10 years, the campfire. Festival has become the one of the historic Harvard Square club’s signature events. Celebrating the extensive homegrown talent the region has to offer, the festival runs from Friday night through Monday night. Tickets are $10 per a day or $30 for a full weekend pass. Get the full schedule here.

Boston Calling Festival at City Hall Plaza on Saturday & Sunday: One of the mostly highly anticipated events of the year, the Boston Calling Festival makes its debut this weekend. From locals Bad Rabbits and Caspian to headliners fun. and The National, there is something everyone. Over the course of the two-days, 18 awesome bands will deliver non-stop music from 1:30 to 10:30. General admission tickets are sold out but there are a handful of VIP tickets available.

More shows for your weekend

Friday

Boston Pops with Megan Hilty at Symphony Hall: NBC’s “Smash” was just cancelled but you can still hear some of the songs when the show’s star Megan Hilty joins the Pops for a special night at Symphony Hall. Tickets range in price from $20 to $60.

Red at the Middle East Downstairs: Touring in support of their new album Release the Panic, the Nashville-based rockers bring their message to Cambridge. Tickets for the show, which will also feature openers Southbound Fearing, are available for $21 with $1 benefiting The One Fund.

Fairhaven at Café 939: The Providence-based rockers hit the big city for a show with singer-songwriter Jillian Jensen (a former “X-Factor” contestant) and acoustic duo the Fontaine Brothers. A great showcase of local talent for just $12.

The Rationales at Johnny D’s: The local favorites rock Davis Square with help from Tad Overbaugh and the Late Arrivals, Preacher Roe and a reunion of sorts of Golden West Motor Lodge. Tickets for the show are available for $10.

George Clinton & The Parliament Funkadelic at the MGM Grand Theatre at Foxwoods Casino (CT): Skip out of work early, hit the casino and then get down for “An Evening of Funk” courtesy of George Clinton, Morris Day & The Time and The Ohio Players. Tickets for the show are available for $45 and $65.

Saturday

The Menzingers at the Middle East Downstairs: The punk rockers from Scranton, Pennsylvania continue to tour in support of their latest release, 2012′s On the Impossible Past. Fake Problems, Restorations and Captain, We’re Sinking will also perform. Tickets for the show are available in advance for $13 or $15 on the day of.

Charli XCX at Great Scott: At just 20 years of age, this rising English synthpop star is creating loads of buzz across the pond. See what all the hype is about when she plays the first night of the official Boston Calling After Party for $15. Animal Talk will also perform.

Roy Sludge Trio at Johnny D’s: Two shows in one night from the local standouts. Go at 7:30 or 9:00 – or even stay for both. Enjoy some great classic country and rockabilly for just $5.

Wisin Y Yandel at the Tsongas Center: The Puerto Rican reggaeton duo, who recently denied reports they would be soon breaking up, return to New England this weekend as they promote their latest album Lideres. Tickets for the show in Lowell are still available for $52 and $70.

Royal Southern Brotherhood at the Narrows Center for the Arts: Led by Devon Allman and Cyril Neville, this group sure does have Southern music royalty in their blood. Enjoy some southern blues in Fall River for $25 in advance or $28 on the day of.

Toots & The Maytals at the Newport Yachting Center (RI): The Newport Sunset Music Series kicks off with a mini-reggae festival featuring Toots & The Maytals, who will go unplugged during their headlining set. Also on the bill are Anders Osborne and Ravers. Enjoy some music on the waterfront for $24 in advance or $36 on the day of.

Sunday

Fall Out Boy at the House of Blues: Touring in support of their brand new album, Save Rock and Roll, the recently reunited pop-rockers hit Boston for an intimate soldout show.

The Walkmen at The Sinclair: After rocking City Hall Plaza earlier in the day, the indie rock favorites will play night two of the official Boston Calling after parties. Tickets for the show are available for $25.

The Blind Boys of Alabama at the Bull Run Restaurant: The acclaimed singing group just annoucned they would released a new album produced by Justin Vernon (of Bon Iver) this fall. See if the preview any of it when they plain Shirley. Tickets for the show are available for $48.

“Our band wish to convey their support and love for the City of Boston and The One Fund, and it is with great regret that we are not able to perform for the greatest fans in the world, along with some of the greatest artists to ever come out of Boston,” said Godsmack in a statement. Dropkick Murphys, who recently released a digital EP feature a re-recording of their song “Rose Tattoo” with Bruce Springsteen, had been scheduled to perform in Albuquerque on the night Boston Strong but were able to reschedule the New Mexico show.

As previously reported, “Boston Strong: An Evening of Support and Celebration” will feature a lineup of major stars across all genres of music, with most having roots in the Boston area. The legendary “Bad Boys of Boston” Aerosmith top the bill, along fellow hometown legends James Taylor, New Kids on the Block, The J. Geils Band, Boston, Extreme and Godsmack. Also set to perform are Jimmy Buffett, Jason Aldean and Carole King. Boston-bred comedians Dane Cook and and Steven Wright will also appear, while Lenny Clarke and Steve Sweeney have been added as honorary event emcees.

Tickets for this once in a lifetime event are sold out, but fans are encouraged to check Ticketmaster periodically as select blocks of tickets will be released at random between now and the day of show. If available, tickets range in price from $35 to $285 (including all fees and service charges). Net ticket proceeds from the historic concert will benefit The One Fund Boston, set up by Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino to help the people most affected by the tragic events that occurred in Boston on April 15. In an effort to make sure all net proceeds from ticket sales go directly to The One Fund, all tickets will be sold through Ticketmaster’s paperless ticket delivery. Fans must have the credit card used to make the purchase and a valid, government-issued ID to gain entry.

Fans can also enter an online raffle through Garden Neighborhood Charities, TD Garden’s philanthropic arm, for the chance to attend the concert. One lucky winner will receive 12 tickets in a Premium Club suite at TD Garden, in-suite catering, a $500 TD Garden shopping spree, and a commemorative show banner. To purchase raffle tickets ($5 each, minimum of 2; all proceeds to The One Fund Boston) for the chance to win, go here.

Earlier this year, Dan Auerbach (guitar, vocals) and Patrick Carney (drums) revealed they had begun work on the follow-up to 2011′s El Camino. The duo plan to team up with frequent collaborator Brian “Danger Mouse” Burton on the new album, though no further information has been released.

“We’re basically going to make this record more like we made Brothers, where we had some help from Brian but we did a lot of it on our own,” explained Carney in an interview with MTV News earlier this year. “We’re just going to play it by ear and when we do need help, we’ll ask for Brian to come in and help us out. He’s kind of our guy.”

El Camino, The Black Keys’ seventh studio effort and follow-up to 2010′s Brothers, won the award for Best Rock Album at the Grammy Awards earlier this year. They also won Grammys for Best Rock Performance and Best Rock Song with “Lonely Boy”. The album also produced hit singles “Gold on the Ceiling” and “Little Black Submarines”.

Welsh rockers The Joy Formidable will be promoting their new album, Wolf’s Law.

The festival gates will open at 1 p.m. and the music, which will take place across two stages with no overlapping sets, is scheduled to run till 10:30 p.m. Local favorites Bad Rabbits will open the festival on Saturday, while fellow Bostonians Caspian will open on Sunday. Headlining Saturday will be fun., while The National will close out the two-day festival on Sunday. The complete lineup with estimated set times is available below.

Boston Calling will allow attendees to enter and exit the festival grounds as they please to enjoy the surrounding area. When attendees enter the festival for the first time, they will be given a wristband that allows for re-entry.

Attendees are strongly encouraged to take public transportation to the festival, which is accessible from multiple MBTA stations: Haymarket (Orange Line), State Street (Orange and Blue Lines), Government Center (Green Line) and Park Street (Red Line).

General Admission tickets for Boston Calling are sold out, but a limited number of VIP single day tickets and weekend passes are still available through the festival’s website. Children age 10 and under will be admitted for free.

Boston Calling will also feature a variety of food trucks and vendors, along with two beer gardens with brews curated by Boston’s Beer Summit. For more information on the dining options, go here.

Presented by Crash Line Productions (founded by former WFNX colleagues Brian Appel and Mike Snow) in a partnership with Bowery Presents, Boston Calling’s lineup was curated by Aaron Dessner of The National.

Boston Calling Festival Schedule

Saturday
1:30 – Bad Rabbits (Main Stage)
2:00 – St. Lucia (City Hall Stage)
2:45 – Cults (Main Stage)
3:30 – Ms. Mr. (City Hall Stage)
4:30 – Matt and Kim (Main Stage)
5:30 – Portugal. The Man (City Hall Stage)
6:30 – The Shins (Main Stage)
7:45 – Marina and The Diamond (City Hall Stage)
9:00 – fun. (Main Stage)

Sunday
1:30 – Caspian (Main Stage)
2:00 – Youth Lagoon (City Hall Stage)
2:45 – Dirty Projectors (Main Stage)
3:30 – Ra Ra Riot (City Hall Stage)
4:30 – The Walkmen (Main Stage)
5:30 – Andrew Bird (City Hall Stage)
6:30 – Of Monsters And Men (Main Stage)
7:45 – Young The Giant (City Hall Stage)
9:00 – The National (Main Stage)

*the lineup and order are subject to change without notice

Ritter will be touring in support of his brand new album, The Beast In Its Tracks. Released last month, the singer-songwriter’s sixth studio effort and follow-up to 2010′s So Runs The World Away, debuted at #22 on the Billboard 200 and #8 on Billboard’s Top Rock Albums chart. Recorded during 2011 and 2012 at the Great North Sound Society in Parsonsfield, Maine, The Beast In Its Tracks continues Ritter’s longtime collaboration with producer and keyboard player Sam Kassirer. Lead single “Joy To You Baby” is streaming below.

“In the year after my marriage ended, I realized that I had more new songs than I’d ever had at one time,” explained Ritter in a press release. “Far from the grand, sweeping feel of the songs on So Runs the World Away, these new songs felt like rocks in the shoe, hard little nuggets of whatever they were, be it spite, remorse, or happiness.

“I hadn’t composed this stuff, I’d scrawled it down, just trying to keep ahead of the heartbreak. They needed to be recorded like that. We needed to work fast, make decisions quickly, keep the songs as spare as they could be kept, and above all never allow ourselves to blunt the sharp edges. Some of the songs were mean or evil. So be it.”

Originally called, “On the Cutting Edge of the Campfire,” the festival combined the idea of artists sitting around the campfire playing music with our commitment to bringing new talent to discerning listeners. Today, the campfire. festival (known simply now as campfire.) is as much about the community as it is about the music. Along with solo and full band sets, the weekend features a plethora of “in the round” performances with songwriters sharing the stage as the trade tunes and tell stories together.

Among the many highlights scheduled for this weekend at campfire. is a set from  Will Dailey, Sonya Kitchell and Chrissi Poland on Saturday night. Earlier in the day at 10 a.m., the three will lead a panel discussion on crowd funding in the ever-changing landscape of the independent music business.

The complete schedule with estimated set times for this weekend’s campfire. festival is available below. Tickets for the festival are available in advance or at the door for $10 per a day. A full weekend pass can also be purchased for $30.

Along with Memorial Day weekend, Club Passim’s campfire. festival also takes place over Labor Day weekend in September.

Club Passim’s campfire. festival – Memorial Day Weekend Schedule

Friday
6:00  – The Second Hands
6:45  – As The Sparrow
7:30  – Christoph Krey, Kate Klim, Jake Hill
8:45  – T.H.E.M.
9:45  – The Wednesdays
10:30 – Amy Correia, Kimon Kirk, David Champagne, Corin Ashley

Saturday
12:00 – June & The Bee
12:45 – Jean Rohe
1:30  – Kellen Zakula
2:15  – Fiona Luray, Hayley Reardon, Paige Chaplin,Jake Lewis
3:45  – Jake Klar, Anna Rae, Joe Young, Nate Leavitt
5:15  – Hoot and Holler
6:00  – Liz Wood
6:45  – Anjimile
7:30  – “PledgeMusic Round” with Will Dailey, Sonya Kitchell, Chrissi Poland
9:00  – Fideles
9:45  – Andrew Kerr, Lloyd Thayer, Peter Katz, Connor Garvey
11:15 – Mike Block

Sunday
12:00 – Blues Ensemble
12:45 – Reverend Freakchild
1:30  – Jack Devereaux
2:15  – Rabbit In The Rye
3:00  – Camela Widad
3:45  – Lloyd Thayer
4:30  – Lottie & the Manatee
5:15  – The Beerworth Sisters
6:o0  – Mark Kilianski
6:45  – Wishbone Zoe
7:30  – Linda Draper, Kat Quinn, Jean Rohe, Rachel McCartney
9:00  – Mark Whitaker
9:45  – Matt Wheeler, Brad Cole, Max Garcia Conover
11:00 – Jaggery

Monday
12:00 – Sarah Green, Zoe Sundra, Annalise Emerick, Hadley Kennary
1:30  – Hannah Williams, Rachael Kilgour, Sam Cook-Stuntz
2:45  – Satoru Nakagawa
3:30  – Clara Berry & Wooldog
4:15  – Beth Colegrove
5:00  – Wishbone Zoe
5:45  – The Suitcase Junket
6:30  – Ed Romanoff, Andrew Kerr, Audrey Ryan, Caitlin Canty
8:00  – Emily Peal
8:45  – Ariel + the Undertow
9:30  – Lina Tullgren, Eva Walsh, Kellen Zakula, Mark Whitaker

Prior to the Boston show, Isaak will perform at the Newport Yachting Center in Newport, Rhode Island on Wednesday, July 10. Tickets for the show, which is part of the Newport Sunset Music Series, are now on sale through Ticketmaster and range in price from $39.50 to $59.50.

Beyond the Sun, Isaak’s tenth studio effort and follow-up to 2009′s Mr. Lucky, was released in October of 2011. The album is primarily a collection of songs recorded by Sun Records artists Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis. It also includes ones original song called “Live It Up”. Produced by Isaak, Beyond the Sun was recorded mostly at the historic Sun Studio in Memphis with his longtime band—bass player Rowland Salley and drummer Kenney Dale Johnson, guitarist Hershel Yatovitz, pianist Scott Plunkett and percussionist Rafael Padilla. The album also features a guest performance by the Memphis legend, “Cowboy” Jack Clement.

Last November, Isaak released a concert DVD called “Chris Isaak Live! Beyond The Sun”. The film captures his performance at the Moody Theater in Austin, Texas on February 13, 2012, as well as variety of bonus footage. Fans can get a taste of the DVD with the video for “Live It Up”, which is streaming below.

Nightingale Floors, Rogue Wave’s fifth studio effort and follow-up to 2010′s Permalight, is scheduled to hit stores on June 4. The band recorded the album with producer at Prairie Sun Recording Studios in Cotati, California. Frontman Zach Rogue (born Zach Schwartz) and drummer Pat Spurgeon were joined by touring bassist Masanori Mark Christianson, Peter Wolf Crier’s Peter Pisano (guitar), Sea Of Bees’ Jules Baenziger (vocals) and Mwahaha’s Ross Peacock (synth manipulation). Fans can get a taste of the new material with “College”, which is streaming below.

“The thing I like about the new album is I can envision playing all of the songs live,” explained Rogue in a press release. “For Permalight, it was like, ‘How will we do this?’ That’s not a good sign. For this, it’s like, ‘How are we going to play all of them?’ And that’s exciting.”

Forever Halloween, The Maine’s fourth studio effort and follow-up to 2011′s Pioneer, is scheduled to hit stores on June 4. The album was recorded live through analog tape with producer Brendan Benson (of The Raconteurs). Lead single “Love & Drugs” is streaming below.

“The tape machine was like having an older, wiser, intimidatingly glowing woman in the room,” said frontman John O’Callaghan on the recording process in a press release. “We were all meeting her for the first time, but she already knew everything there was to know about the five of us. In no single way judgmental, but she sniffed out the bullshit and wouldn’t allow us to be anyone we are not. We are now better men for meeting that woman.”