Here’s something new we’re trying out as we close out July and say hello August. We’ve assembled a list of our recommended shows for the week in New York City. We’re planning on making this a weekly column. For this inaugural list, we’ve steered clear of sold-out shows, but we can’t say we won’t throw one or two in from time to time. Services like Stubhub and Lyte are things after all (but please be weary of randos selling tickets on Facebook event pages). Without further ado, below are our picks for July 30-August 4, 2019.

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A Giant Dog w/Ghost Funk Orchestra and Godcaster

@ Zone One at Elsewhere, 599 Johnson Ave #1, Brooklyn, NY 11237
Tuesday, July 30, 2019
8pm
$13-15
Austin’s Sabrina Ellis takes to a New York City stage for her third time this summer. In June, Ellis and her soulful power-pop band Sweet Spirit got the crowd hopping at Rough Trade. A month later she was back with Sean Tillmann (aka Har Mar Superstar) performing ballads as Heart Bones at Le Poisson Rouge. Now, she returns once again, this time with her main gig, A Giant Dog. The band come through fresh off their appearance at MRG30, Merge Records’ music festival/birthday celebration in North Carolina where they played alongside label mates The Mountain Goats, Fruit Bats, Waxahatchee, Titus Andronicus and more. Continuing to tour off Toy, their 4th LP (second for Merge), the punk rock quintet comprises Ellis on vocals, Andrew Cashen and Andy Bauer on guitar, Graham Low on bass and Daniel Blanchard on drums. Their live shows are unbridled, with Ellis channeling the energy of a Tasmanian devil. Joining them for this show are Seth Applebaum’s psychedelic collective Ghost Funk Orchestra, and Godcaster.

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Winnetka Bowling League w/Cheerleader and Rebounder

@ Zone One at Elsewhere, 599 Johnson Ave #1, Brooklyn, NY 11237
Wednesday, July 31, 2019
7pm
$13-15
Recently signed to RCA, Winnetka Bowling League is the musical project of Matthew Koma. Koma already has quite a career under his belt. He wrote Zedd’s Grammy Award-winning song “Clarity,” and has collaborated with the likes of Sebastian Ingrosso, Alesso, The Knocks, and Tiësto. He also produced several songs for Shania Twain’s Now. Winnetka Bowling League is a step in a different direction for the singer/songwriter, who, incidentally, is dating Hilary Duff. We see big things in this band’s future based on their RCA signing and initial musical output, Cloudy With a Chance of Sun EP. Singles “Kombucha” and “On The 5” should appeal to fans of Weezer and Beck’s Odelay days. If you want to get in on the ground floor with this band, check them out when they stop in to play Elsewhere’s tiny Zone One.

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The Chemical Brothers w/Charlotte de Witte

@ Forest Hills Stadium, 1 Tennis Place, Queens, NY 11375
Thursday, August 1, 2019
6:30pm
$49 & up
An epic dance party with awesome visual stimulation is going down at Forest Hills Stadium this week as The Chemical Brothers roll in for their first New York City headlining show in 12 years. That’s right, you don’t have to wade through an exhausting day of opening acts or festival goers for the artist you actually came for to take to the stage. Making music together for over 20 years, the Manchester duo dropped their ninth album, No Geography, earlier this year. Based on their track record, we expect this show, which features visuals by Adam Smith and Marcus Lyall, to be jaw droppingly good. It’s not electronic dance music, it’s The Chemical Brothers. Belgian DJ/producer Charlotte de Witte opens.

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Kyle Craft Showboat Honey w/The Silver Triplets and Sam Himself

@ Baby’s All Right, 146 Broadway, Brooklyn, NY
Thursday, August 1, 2019
9:30pm
$12-14
Kyle Craft is back! This time with a new band and moniker, Kyle Craft & Showboat Honey. Based in Portland, OR, the Sub Pop-signed group dropped their self-titled debut, Showboat Honey, on July 12 and are now making the rounds. Similar to Kraft’s previous project, the band wield a vintage glam-rock sound with hints of Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones, Leon Russell and Patti Smith. Personally, Craft had us at his ambitious debut Dolls of Highland, for which he tracked every instrument on the album. Kyle Craft & Showboat Honey’s current tour included an appearance at the Newport Folk Festival, where they partied with Kermit the Frog. For this late show at Baby’s All Right, The Silver Triplets and Sam Himself are also on the bill.

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Dope Body w/Wume and File Select

@ Alphaville, 140 Wilson Ave, New York, New York 11237
Saturday, August 3, 2019
8pm
$10
It looked like the party was over for fans of Dope Body. In 2016, the band announced they were calling it quits. They played a pair of final shows in their hometown. Someone made a documentary. It definitely seemed like it was goodnight for the Drag City-signed noise rockers. But then, earlier this month, the foursome announced they were coming out of retirement to play a couple of shows. One in Baltimore and one in New York City. Is the magic still there? We’re betting so. Wume and File Select are openers.

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City Farm Presents Summer Series at Industry City: Steve Gunn w/Hand Habits

@ Industry City, 238 36th Street, Brooklyn, NY
Saturday, August 3, 2019
8pm
$20 Advance/$25 Day of Show
We could get lost all day in the atmospheric folk-rock stylings of Steve Gunn. A once member of Kurt Vile’s Violators, Gunn now has four solo studio albums to his credit. The last being the 2019 Matador release The Unseen In Between. Don’t expect this show to be a raucous affair, rather Gunn is more or less somber as he artfully weaves in and out of his textured riffs. Also on the bill is Hand Habits, the musical project of guitar virtuoso Meg Duffy, an ideal pairing with Gunn. Duffy was a long-time member of Kevin Morby’s band. She tours in support of her Saddle Creek release, Placeholder, which came out earlier this year.