The Mekons
June 9 at the Bearsville Theater in Bearsville
Launched in Leeds during the 1976 UK punk explosion, the Mekons expanded their rough sound with routes through experimentalism and, more recently, country and folk. The Sadies open.
The Wood Brothers
June 13 at Arrowood Farms in Accord
The roots trio of siblings Oliver (vocals, guitar) and Chris Wood (bass; also of Medeski, Martin and Wood) and Jano Rix (various instruments) is touring on the vinyl reissue of their 2006 debut.
Shakey Graves
June 14 at Tarrytown Music Hall in TarrytownAcclaimed Austin, Texas, alternative folk/Americana artist Shakey Graves (AKA Alejandro Rose-Garcia) is also known as actor thanks to his recurring role on “Friday Night Lights.”
Band of Horses/Dinosaur Jr.
July 10 at UPAC in Kingston
Here’s a coheadline that’s tough to beat: Seattle’s rootsy indie luminaries Band of Horses and Western Mass’s proto-grunge greats Dinosaur Jr., each playing one of their top albums in full.
Taj Mahal and the Phantom Blues Band
July 16 at Troy Savings Bank Music Hall in Troy
A living legend of modern blues, Taj Mahal is a devoted disciple of the idiom as well as one of its most impactful boundary pushers, having worked with artists from cultures around the world.
Fruit Bats
July 25 at Assembly in Kingston
Fruit Bats are led by singer-songwriter Eric D. Johnson and have recorded for the iconic indie imprints Sub Pop and Merge. Pop of the ’60s and ’70s, VU, Big Star, and the Dead are muses.
Houndmouth
August 4 at Basilica Hudson in Hudson
Youthful folk rock outfit Houndmouth hit like Indiana’s answer to the Hudson Valley’s own Felice Brothers; earnest, poetic, and impressionistic vagabond songs for dusty book readers.
Franz Ferdinand
August 4 at Empire Live in Albany
Back to rock the US as part of an effort called the Greater Glasgow Cultural Exchange, the Scottish postpunk revivalists (2004’s hit “Take Me Out”) make their way to the Capitol Region.
Cheater Slicks/ Sunburned Hand of the Man
August 5 at Tubby’s in Kingston
The Cheater Slicks are true titans of trash rock, garage punk greats who formed in Boston in 1987 and now call Ohio home. Wooly weirdos Sunburned Hand of the Man bring the freak folk.
Sun Ra Arkestra
August 15 at Storm King Art Center in New Windsor
Piloted by saxophonist Marshall Allen, 101(!), the musical force that is the Sun Ra Arkestra carries on the intergalactic jazz mission of its namesake founder. And what a venue for them!
Liz Phair
September 14 at the Egg in Albany
Liz Phair’s 1993 debut Exile in Guyville and its 1994 followup Whip Smart are exemplified the decade’s alt-rock zeitgeist. Expect to hear tracks from those and Phair’s six other albums here.
This article appears in June 2026.
