i get lotsa msgs asking “is there an nyc noise for [city]??” & hey GOOD QUESTION; if you know of any experimental / avant / improv / noise / “underground” etc show calendars, email me w/ subject line “SITES LIKE THIS”! && i know genre delineations are bs, but not looking for big gigantor sites that include all music events, multi-city conglomerates, pages stacked with ads, etc.*; hurray for curation + community <3 also including other small nyc lists yayyy
*hint: if a site is raking in ad cash from Big Money spots / unethical promoters / gigantor venues & listing f*ckin talk-show host tours… they aren’t here to help independent artists! there are people leveraging the cultural capital of an affiliation with the ~underground~ into hella financial capital, & it is weird & bums me out; plz don’t encourage them!! exceptions to all-genre rule = sites covering places w/ TRULY SMALL scenes; i know how that goes, lol
many of these ppl have been doing this WAY LONGER than me, making nyc noise a site like theirs –– it’s just a cutesy page title for easy recall ok :) non-bold = venues, labels, collectives, etc. in other places… lmk what’s missing, & feel free to remind me if we talked a while back!!
FEATURED = mucnoise.com –– not just bc its builder max gave a sweet lil nyc noise shout-out [tho that’s rly kind :’)] but bc this munich-based event calendar is wicked clean & OPEN SOURCE :””D & yes i am asking for tips on smarter/faster building… GR8 WORK, MAX!!! & bc the world is So Small, max found nyc noise thru tony –– yes as in *our* darling nyc soundperson / percussionist / noise-ster tony!!! :D yayyy for palzzzz!!!
[what’s *not* here + START YR OWN!!]
this page is for event calendar websites / mailing lists / newsletters, specifically ppl listing more than just their own programming; at bottom of each section i’ll add links to other art centers, venues, orgs, etc. in tiny text, but i don’t even know ALL the spots in MY town, def not an authority on others –– which is why i’d rather direct you to lists!
[a few tips]
use qrcode-monkey.com; most other qr code generators show their site name in camera preview, whereas this version shows *yours*. also idk who actually uses cards in the year 2023 other than ME, but i ordered mine thru vistaprint (even tho yes i SHOULD have a local printer hookup); reasonably-priced w/ frequent sales, they save yr past card designs for easy re-order, & the round corners feel nice :’) NOW phones let us grab text & click links, but that wasn’t the case when i made these or i would have written out full instagram url for ~clickability~… would take like 2mins to redesign/order new ones, but i’m broke & resentful about needing to use insta anyway lol so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯doDIY.org (insta) // gr8 site!!! “DoDIY exists to support DIY spaces, organizers, musicians, performers, writers, activists, and other like-minded folks. The site hosts resources for anyone interested in the DIY ethos, as well as maintains a catalog of event spaces and organizers from around the world.” … who: “DoDIY was founded in 2007 by Neil Campau, who put in countless hours of work for many years to create the expansive resource you see before you. Neil passed the site onto Alyssa Giannini in January of 2019. Andy Waldron signed on as the site’s janitor in June of 2019. Alyssa keeps the website up to date and Andy keeps social media active and relevant.”
AT-vienna
schalltaucherin : music events + newsletter (signup) // “Weekly newsletter [AND NOW WEBSITE!] landing in your mailbox every Sunday with a few hand picked crisp local gigs, that you almost missed. Happening in Vienna, next week! Covering fusion/avant/free jazz whatever that may be, electronic, noise, punk, new classical, improvised music, dance performances, post genre, non genre, whatever genre… and more!!” // run by ROYAL SWEETHEART, exuberant fan, & physics grad student (!) lidija radovanovic, who went to so many shows during her 10 days here in september ’22 it felt like she was a local aww :’)
BR-brazil
i feel like i talked to some great brazilian curator ppl a couple years ago, but my memory is so fried ?? if this was you plz send me yr info to include here!
minas gerais: seminal records
rio de janeiro: qtv (label, lee says they’ve done gr8 events)
são paulo: brava (label/curation) • leviatã (venue) • musica insolita (label)
CA-montreal
@ce_qui_se_passe + google doc [tinyurl.com/cequisepasse for access] // subtitled “I crawl thru fb so u don’t have to,” which if you’ve ever run a site like this will make you lol-groan haahaha… run by sasha tимошенко!!
[just pulling these from a couple @ce_qui_se_passe posts]: casa del popolo / la sala rossa / la sotterenea • l’escogriffe • mai/son mtl • système • the traxide • turbo haüs
DE-berlin
echtzeitmusik.de // “The term ‘Echtzeitmusik‘ was first introduced in the mid-1990s in order to distinguish the musical practices of a younger Berlin scene from music referred to as ‘Improvised Music’, ‘Free Jazz’, ‘New Music’, ‘Experimental Music’ and so on. The website echtzeitmusik.de was launched in 2001 by Gregor Hotz and Kai Fagaschinski to announce concerts at Labor Sonor, the discontinued Raumschiff Zitrone, and the venue ausland (Prenzlauer Berg) and its biegungen series. … The calendar offers related events and other improvised and experimental music concerts in many venues all over Berlin.” // [thanks to great pal + biggest site helper paul feitzinger for the tip!]
field-notes.berlin // “The field notes program by inm – initiative neue musik berlin e.V is a central point of contact for Berlin’s contemporary music scene.”
venues: ://aboutblank (thurs-sun; friedrichshain) • anagram (kreuzberg) • arkaoda (neukölln) • ausland (prenzlauer berg) • ballhaus ost (prenzlauer berg) • berghain (friedrichshain; Th-M) • bUm (kreuzberg) • cashmere radio (wedding) • donau 115 (neukölln) • exploratorium berlin (kreuzberg) • fitzroy (mitte) • hošek (mitte) • KLAK (~kreuzberg) • km28 (neukölln) • koma f • kraftwerk (~mitte) • kühlspot (prenzlauer berg) • kunstquartier bethanie (kreuzberg) • kirche von unten (prenzlauer berg) • laborsonor • loophole (neukölln) • madame claude (kreuzberg) • monom • morphine raum (kreuzberg) • ms hoppetosse (friedrichshain; F-Su) • panda (prenzlauer berg) • p.a.s. (moabit) • radialsystem (friedrichshain) • satellit • schokoladen (mitte) • sisyphos (friedrichshain / rummelsburg; F-M) • sowieso (neukölln) • subversiv (mitte) • supamolly • trickster • villa kuriosum (prenzlauer berg / lichtenberg) • west germany (kreuzberg) • zukunft am ostkreuz
series / festivals / collectives / misc: a’larme! festival (aug @ radialsystem) • atonal (@ kraftwerk) • black truffle fest (@ arkaoda) • bruital events (series, various) • good night out • jazzfest berlin (nov @ haus der berliner, various) • klangwerkstatt (nov @ kunstquartier bethanie) • multiversal (“hard listening” DIY’ers, various) • photomusix (christina marx pix) • radical sounds latin america • refuge worldwide (broadcast from neukölln) • spatial (nov @ monom) • spiral times (&& solispiral fundraising for palestine)
DE-munich
mucnoise.com // “This is an overview of events subject to personal taste, inspired by nyc-noise.com, with a focus on more off-kilter and left-field music-related selections.” // clean & just *pretty* affff, also OPEN SOURCE!!! :D built by max // [thanks to gr8 pal & excellent sound-boards-man / percussionist / noise-ster tony for telling max about nyc noise; u made a new thing happen!! :D]
[~editorial note~: over the years i’ve met w/ a few people about designing an open source site for their city (i’m always happy to give input, in part hoping to adopt the results myself!), but the pandemic threw lots of plans… then in june ’23 i heard from max & learned that IT HAPPENED: someone built an open source live music calendar website!!!! :””) before moving to nyc i lived in various small towns in south-central & central pennsylvania, & Back In The Day used to send emails / print flyers for events in “the tri-state area” (lol) cuz it broke my heart to see low turnout for shows in a place w/ so little happening… so yeah i’m deeply invested in local scenes, & the idea of anyone being able to start a calendar for their town just like :””’) makes me profoundly happy –– mucnoise is lovely & clean & works with local calendar apps & maybe i will end up stealing stuff for here??? && tl;dr: HURRAY OPEN SOURCE YAYYYY]
FR-paris
agenda concerts // “« nébuleuse des amateurs de musique hors-piste » ( © MAB )” → (according to google translate) “nebula of off-road music lovers” ok SOUNDS CORRECT! still need to poke around + find out who runs this [marvelously minimalist site], but it looks like they might track other things, too?? // [thanks to sarah bahr for both this tip & berlin recs!!]
PT-lisbon
desterro • disgraça • flur • musicbox • patch point • zaratan • zdb
UK-london
another subculture (@anothersubculture) // “Another Subculture has been putting out cassette magazines, gig listings and wallet destroying pandemic printer zines since 2013, trying to signal boost London DIY punk and hardcore in whatever format makes sense at the time. 2019-21 saw monthly calendars with details of hundreds of gigs all across the capital. At the moment, we’re giving fanzines and gigs another go, seeing where punk world is twisting and turning in London and further afield.” // curated by ben perkins // [thanks to beautiful genius activist artist wordsmyth & friend-of-decades bryony for sharing this one!]
USA-AL-birmingham
diy birmingham (insta) // “DIY Birmingham is a grassroots collective that exists to promote alternative expression in alternative spaces in the city of Birmingham, AL. The DIY movement aims to break out of the social and economic hierarchies of the traditional music industry to make creative expression and creative experience available to all people. This site is for folks who want to know what’s happening around our city.” [thanks to dodiy.org!]
USA-CA-bay (san francisco, oakland)
bayimproviser.com // “Experimental, Improvised, Noise, Electronic, Free-Jazz, Avant Garde, Modern Composition, and Other Forms of Contemporary Sound in the San Francisco Bay Area” // curated by i think john lee tho i need to check that // venues incl. bird & beckett, ccrma, center for new music, the lab, the laundry, various mills zones, temescal
the list // punk shows! “This is a WWW version of Steve Koepke‘s excellent (San Francisco) Bay Area concert guide. All of the content is Steve’s, I’ve just HTMLized everything. Please send Steve mail if you have questions or corrections related to the list content. My program automatically converts Steve’s listings into HTML, so please mail him if you’d like to add or update a show. You can contact Graham Spencer if there’s a bug in translation from Steve’s flat file to this version.”
@whitecratesf // bay area show recs + interviews & reviews thru substack, newsletter, radio show, & more! (we’ll forgive the sp*tify playlists) // started by ronny kerr, i think live stuff’s maybe curated by elliot engel // venues incl. the lab, el rio, uc theatre, public works, ivy room, center for new music, the chapel (just from aug 26-27 recs) // [thanks to ryen banihashemi for rec!]
diy sf bay area (list of spaces)
USA-CA-los angeles
2220 arts • the smell • wasteland
send me a calendar plz!!
USA-CO
diy casual (denver *&* boulder) • seventh circle music collective (denver)
USA-CT-new haven
cafe 9 • ct scramble • ct verses • firehouse 12 • never ending books (@v0lume_tw0) • new haven independent • nhv noise
haven’t found an active event calendar… email me if you know it!!
USA-IL-chicago
nowis.org // jazz realmz! + new music, improv, noise, performance & sound art // curated by tushar samant // note: there’s a *new* “now is” on the horizon! link goes to https://beta.now-is.org; site’s supposedly still “under construction” but hey it’s already fancier than mine! // venues incl. constellation, elastic, the hideout, the hungry brain
anagram series • constellation • elastic arts • hideout • hungry brain • lampo
USA-MA-boston
bostonshowcal.com // “local music happening in Boston!”; at a glance –– which glance includes malaby, beam splitter, leo chang, PEK, forbes graham –– seems to highlight experimental / avant-jazz rippers & has perhaps the most appealing submission form i’ve ever seen [thanks to solon for incl. other cals w/ submission!!]
cambridgeshows.org // solon gordon‘s calendar of live music in the greater boston area (easily filter-able by location); not delineated by genre / communities –– includes “all the live music [Solon] can find” –– but a marvelously clean / minimalist site that prioritizes independent / house shows & has FAVE feature (EVERYONE TAKE NOTE) of allowing u to filter out ticketmaster venues!!! :D
wmbr.org/cr.html // “the wmbr rock/pop/punk concert report” [thanks to solon for incl. other cals w/ submission!!]
USA-NE-omaha
bemis center • no coast noise collective • omaha under the radar • project project
lmk what’s happening here??
USA-NJ
flemington diy • the grander canyon (nb)
i hear about lotsa great nj house shows, lemme know who’s listing them plz!!
USA-NYC
<NYC REGULARS> + COMMUNITY: 3afak (bc | insta) • Black Science Fiction (insta) • brooklyn trans core (insta) Chaos Computer (gofund | insta) • CfPT (insta) • LiveCode.NYC (insta) • PTP (bc | insta) • Relative Pitch (bc | insta) • Synth Library (insta) • Trevorshaus • Voluminous Arts (bc | insta) + LABOR & ACTIVISM: Artists Against Displacement (insta) • Bandcamp United (insta) • Music Workers Alliance (insta) • United Musicians & Allied Workers (insta) • W.A.G.E. (insta) + OBJECTS: Downtown Music Gallery (insta) • Ergot Records (insta) • The Record Shop • Thousands of Dead Gods (insta)
nonsense nyc // weekly mailing list: “a discriminating resource for independent art, weird events, strange happenings, unique parties, and senseless culture in New York City.” // curated by jeff stark for a ZILLION YEARS (started in september 2000!! mad respect), hits yr inbox every friday // very explicitly not for “just music” events, but hell interdisciplinary / rule-of-3-style stuff is becoming more the norm anyway // you can donate here & also the FAQ-style “about” page is really excellent, i would like to copy large chunks of it lol
new music calendar // “Your resource for new music in New York” + helpful gloss of new music as “contemporary concert music“; about specifies “concert music events at which the majority of work presented is by living composers” // curated & updated by todd tarantino “to replace the old paper Calendar for New Music that Bill Hellerman used to mail out”; v good site!! spreadsheet-style, super clean & minimalist, no ads or trash, scroll right for links & prices // to support new music calendar, you can send a tip
reader, i know you prolly want price listings on this site, too; i’m ambivalent cuz i think people should pay for stuff if they can, & often free events have more funding/support, but as a Poor Person i def see the appeal (hence “$$” warnings)… maybe i’ll start marking which events are NOTAFLOF??
extended techniques // “new music” + contemporary classical + jazz zones // list curated by alex minkin, who usually recs ~30 events/month; leans a liiittle fancier than me, but i def check this to make sure i’m not missing anything important cuz it’s solid! // venues incl. barbés, dimenna center, the jazz gallery, roulette, the stone, zürcher
go out! // weekly list for music, dance, opera, theater, performance (& food!!) w/ a very pretty website! // also trends ~fancier~ but great range, jazz & new music & experimental, includes some soundwalk stuffs // list curated & (v thoroughly annotated!) by barry michael okun // recent venues include green-wood cemetery, bk botanic garden, lpr, public records, the armory, roulette
max levin’s radar // max levin is a nyc writer who goes to lots of GR8 STUFF, & this is a list of ~plans~ on max’s site (also a “past” page w/ the events he attended) –– max has v good taste, avant sounds + some film, & since it’s one person’s plans there’s a helpful ~slimming~ (that is, unlikely to see more than 2 events per day) // [thanks to shredding vox/drumster andrya ambro (of gold dime), who thought *i* told *her* about this page (i did not!!) (…except wait max says maybe i did??? wow my memory is SO BAD wtf)]
ok not *quite* public, but… dada strain / bklyn sounds // piotr orlov is ALSO a nyc writer who goes to lots of gr8 stuff (also curation + radio!), tho he’s been doing this stuff way longer than max or me –– what a nice lil interview here :’) –– he says [somewhere, where did i find this] he “launched Dada Strain as an outlet for [his] thinking about rhythm, improvisation and community – and about the importance of ‘local‘,” which threads also organize the weekly substack show recs. those are ~subscribers only~!! but u can do a free trial & maybe some will be public?? idk, worth checking!! [thanks to piotr orlov, who didn’t actually send me this but links to nyc noise sometimes; i found the substack in referrers!]
kevin reilly // kevin runs relative pitch records, a “NYC-based independent record label specializing in avant-garde, free jazz, free improvisation, experimental” musics, & his monthly email recommendations are very in-line with the kinda music he puts out (& documents on his youtube channel) // he’s stopped sending those, but if you wanna make sure you get any future mailings (or encourage him to start again?? cuz c’mon kevin i’m bad at checking insta!!) you can write him: kreilly@aol.com // he also v helpfully used to include a pdf of monthly listings from the…
…new york city jazz record // …jazz! both ~avant~ & cap-J; they include listings at the end of every (monthly) issue (tho since you can’t update a print pub you’ll obvs wanna confirm elsewhere)
jazz generation // this is the ~parent entity~ (i think??) for keyed up, which i think is a booking entity pairing jazz artists & venues…? sorry i didn’t fully check background on this yet––point is Jazz of a more capital-J persuasion, including some sessions & jam-type things // venues include williamsburg music center, the flying lobster, rebar chelsea, 11th st. bar, lowlands, bar bayeux
resident advisor // “A platform to discover electronic music, artists and events.” // if you found my site, you’ve likely encountered the infinitely-more-popular resident advisor––they’re a multi-city site, which (along w/ ticket cuts) makes me nervous… but for their size, these days they seem to be doing a pretty ok job of staying “independent” & supporting locals (tho y’know tell me if there’s f*ckery behind the scenes).. ??? idk i would LOVE for someone *else* to cover dance music culture who isn’t taking cuts; lmk if this is you!!
nyc insta roundups: most post w/in 24 hrs of events, but worth following if you’re on insta lots (&& send those i’ve missed!): @new_york_underground_official (sermon3–affiliated, curated by sweet + nymph, gr8 electronic-leaning weirdo selections), @tappedinnyc (piles!), @performanceart_nyc (bet u can guess!!)
inactive: @chaoscalendarnyc (punk gigs!), @kharaxresidency (dance / electronic / dj-based music)
FILMS // i only list screenings if there’s a live component, but screen slate has the full rundown if you’re looking for that kinda thing! // “It’s difficult to define exactly what we feature, but generally: arthouse, repertory/restoration titles, radical film, genre cinema, pornography, experimental film, media art, and more. Throughout our history we have placed an emphasis on historically under-represented filmmakers, genres, modes of expression, and filmmakers.” // founded (& run!) by jon dieringer // [one of my fave soundsters (*&* big film nerd) c. spencer yeh first tipped me off to screenslate; ty pal!!]
++ cc sometimes does screenings on mondays & tuesdays; i don’t list those on the main site, but if you send me a flyer i’ll include it on the cc page. [update: RIP CC]
USA-OH-cleveland
blk punx press • new ghosts (insta)
USA-OH-columbus
cringe.com // “Cringe.com focuses on music in the central Columbus, Ohio area. It began in 1995 as an extension of the Live Shows Calendar. The Live Shows Calendar began in 1990. The calendar is updated every Sunday with the next 4 weeks of events. Inquiries, contributions and submissions can be sent to info@cringe.com [or joel@cringe.com].” // run by Joel Treadway! (& only joel treadway, since literally can u *believe* 1990???) // [thanks to wicked photographer / artist pal alexander perrelli for this one!!]
USA-OR-portland
bitter half booking (corvallis) • black water (pdx) • bud tapes (pdx) • corvallis diy • corvallis experiments in noise • lose yr mind fest (pdx) • mud house (pdx) • my vinyl underground (pdx)
flyerescape.dad // covers both portland, or & vancouver, wa with a slew of FLYERS & links & also heavy geocities vibes… // curated by vern avola, who founded ems records & had a pioneer works residency in nyc! :D // “Please submit all JPG IMAGES along with a short text description (band names, time, date, ages, cost) for events to shows@flyerescape.dad”
USA-PA-philadelphia
playinpossum.org // noise, avant-jazz, “new music,” weirdo hangs, shared ~areas of interest~ w/ wonderfully minimal site, gr8 job (just add a page for the past!!!) // venues incl. century bar, philly argentine tango school, solar myth (boot & saddle), big farma, ukie club, johnny brenda’s, evangelical lutheran church of the atonement, philamoca, haw den // [ty to captivating weirdo ben bennett for the tip!]
philly-shows.org // like playin possum, also v new (looks like august 2022)??? technically goes against my own rules to include it bc about says the aim is to list *EVERY* show, but it’s minimalist + no ads + seems to skew avant / experimental / indie
wprb.com concert calendar // “WPRB Recommends… Some concert recommendations in the NJ, Philly, and NYC areas from wprb to you.”
philly insta roundups: @labelrockers (inactive; hip hop!)
4333 collective (insta) • Anthorna • Ars Nova Workshop (insta) • The Barbary • Beautiful World Syndicate • Bowerbird (insta) • Building Bok • Cherry Street Pier (insta) • Common Beat Music • Dear Life Records (insta; nyc & philly) • Electric Factory • Foto Club • Haus (fka Haus of Yarga) • House Cat Presents • Institute of Contemporary Art (insta) • Johnny Brenda’s (insta) • Kung Fu Necktie • MaasBuilding • Machines with Magnets (insta) • PhilaMOCA (insta) • philly fringe fest • R5 Productions (insta) • Ramp Local (insta; philly & nyc) • The Rotunda (insta) • Sera Phi (insta) • Underground Arts (insta) • Union Transfer (insta) • Vox Populi (insta) • The Woodlands • WXPN (insta) • World Cafe Live (insta)
USA-PA-pittsburgh
arcane.city // more OPEN SOURCE woooo!!! “The site is an open source project built by Geoff Maddock, using Laravel, PHP, MySQL and Javascript. You can view and contribute to the code base on Github.” // [ty to pittsburgh sound preserve [below] for listing other local calendars like this one!!]
pittsburgh sound preserve // “Pittsburgh Sound Preserve is a community music organization dedicated to finding, promoting, and celebrating creative music in Pittsburgh.” … thru “A fortnightly community improvisation series, presented every other Monday at Telephone” + zine + calendar, which “compiles creative music events around Pittsburgh,” incl. those hosted by PSP & more // ppl = Theresa Seguritan Abalos, Mai Khoi, Mark Micchelli, Eli Namay, Jay Rauch // [ty to soon-to-be-pittsburgh-er ethan isaac for this –– i met jay after grein played cutelab, but didn’t know abt calendar til ethan put us in touch!!]
collision • the deli • diy tour network • inverted music • mr. roboto project (insta) • never tell me the odds
USA-SC-columbia
bigsound.live // “A selective listing of experimental and otherwise groovy sound events in what some call ‘the magic city.’” // run by hollis beach, who i met at trans-pecos summer ’22 (& who a few months later fatefully texted “I need to launch a website for Columbia shows”…); v clean, but so far not listing much!
capital city cola // my usual rule against “pages that list everything” doesn’t apply when there’s v little happening, so for now, a link to ambree‘s contribution!
701 cca • 711 saluda • all good books • art bar • cola town bike collective • gardener’s outpost • if art gallery • jam room music festival • koger center • the looney bin • mike williams art (1221 lincoln) • new brookland tavern • the senate • southern exposure new music series • the spaze • usc school of music events • usc jazz festival • wusc
USA-VT
USA-WA-vancouver
flyerescape.dad // covers both portland, or & vancouver, wa with a slew of FLYERS & links & also heavy geocities vibes… // curated by vern avola, who founded ems records & had a pioneer works residency in nyc! :D // “Please submit all JPG IMAGES along with a short text description (band names, time, date, ages, cost) for events to shows@flyerescape.dad”