Week Ahead in New York Music: October 16 to October 21

Weekend, The So So Glos, Skaters, October 16 at Shea Stadium

Well, CMJ Week has returned to New York, and frankly we're so overwhelmed we don't know what to do with ourselves. There's so much going on this week it's hard to make a choice without worrying that there's three other hot new things you should be seeing instead. So basically, it's like any regular week in New York, but more so, and you should just not worry about it and see what looks interesting to you. In that spirit, could we recommend Nonstop favorites So So Glos? Their devoutly working class ska-tinged punk is not the hippest thing going, but it's good for you, and it might be just the thing you need to get through this week. 

Flying Lotus, Death Grips, Buke And Gase, October 17 at (Le) Poisson Rouge, Free with RSVP

Art-folkies Buke And Gase will charm the NPR listeners with their whimsical tunes and homemade instruments, rap-punk provocateurs Death Grips will threaten to murder those NPR listeners with the bones of their own previously murdered children, and then Flying Lotus will blow minds and move butts with his next level DJ set. This is a weird bill.

GZA, Sweet Valley, Killer Mike, Bear Hands at Irving Plaza, October 18, $25

GZA will drop knowledge from Liquid Swords on you, and also give you some solid chess advice. Killer Mike will let you know his thoughts on Ronald Reagan's legacy (spoiler: he doesn't care for it) and threaten you with harm should he feel you are not appreciating his efforts, and Bear Hands will be serene and wonder why they are on this lineup.

Local H, The Life And Times, October 18, The Bell House, $13

Local H's Hallelujah! I'm A Bum is one of the best rock albums of the year, and probably the best political album period. We are being very serious about this. Impassioned, stuffed with burning riffs, doubt and battered resilience, Scott Lucas takes the pulse of this country, tries to empathize with your crazy uncle and admits that just because there's no easy answers doesn't mean we can give up. This is going to be the least buzzworthy show this week, and also one of the best. 

Sky Ferreira, The Orwells, San Cisco, October 20, Pianos, Free.

First, Sky Ferreira made us laugh. Then, she made us cry. Neither were intentional, we think, and the second was unexpected on our end. Suddenly, seeing one of the million shows featuring this pop pixie has become a high priority. 

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