There's no way to overstate how much music New York City has to offer. And we're not a genre-specific town, either, as you may expect mostly country music in Nashville, or lots and lots of jazz in New Orleans.
Yes, NYC's music scene is all over the freakin' place. But if there is one thing we know how to do with absolute certainty better than many places in the world, it's throw down some sick jams.
Some of the best music in history came out of NYC.
Hip-hop was basically invented the Bronx, and the CBGB's scene throughout the 70s had a lot to do with changing how the world saw rock n roll.
Afro-cuban jazz is so foundational to the ambiance of many outer borough communities that lots of people don't even give it a second thought when they hear it, or they can't help but dance. House music didn't come from here, but we damn sure adopted it.
So because we have so many amazing music groups, recording artists, bands, or whatever you want to call them, we're running down a list of 9 of our favorites. We're aiming for a pretty specific spectrum here; a list of NYC's top music acts would be 800 pages long and many of them aren't touring, like, ever, so screw that.
We're talking about acts that aren't superstars: acts that grind it out on stage as much as possible, acts that are based in NYC but you can catch them around the country, acts that have that magical ineffable quality of amazingness, acts that are magnetic...
Queens' Action Bronson is by far and away the biggest name on this list. He's almost disqualified, but we can't do a NYC recording artist list in 2015 without him. Let's be real, Bronson was a chef for the longest, until he broke through.
Part of why he broke through was his undeniable similarities to NYC hip-hop giant Ghostface Killah, of the Wu Tang Clan. In cadence and delivery, Bronson sounds a lot like Ghostface. Everybody noticed it, lots of people denied it, a lot of people liked it, and eventually things boiled over.
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Both Bronson and Ghostface had gotten sick of the constant comparisons, Bronson talked a little sh*t on the radio and then Ghostface, in so many words, just said, "I'll have you killed if you mention my name again."
Bronson, of course, apologized. Because when someone called Ghostface Killah threatens you, you take it seriously. But really, Action Bronson's talent shouldn't need media hype mixing him up with an already legendary MC. Bronson's clearly dope enough to be appreciated without being contextualized by another artist.
theshackband The Shack Up artist of the day: Consider the Source Dubbed “Sci-Fi Middle Eastern Fusion”, the band’s music strikes a rare balance between cerebral and emotional, intellectual and primal. A relentless touring schedule has won the band a fervent following from California to Israel, with fans ranging from jam-band hippies and jazz cats to corpse-painted headbangers and prog geeks. #thecamel #TheShackUpRVa #theshackup #thebroadberry #considerthesource
New York City's best and only Sci-Fi Middle Eastern Fusion trio is a force to be reckoned with. They sound something like the cosmic funky metal-jazz fusion sound track to an astro-whirling dervish's life.
They've had a consistent presence in clubs and festivals all around the country, and even did a world tour a few years back.
More recently, CTS held a crowd funding campaign asking for $20,000 to record a double album. Fans donated $30,000, and the band made a triple album called War World Trio. Classy, gentlemen.
3. Dopapod
Dopapod is, in a single phrase, crushing it. They're a four-piece slinging tunes that make you shake your booty.
Over the last two years or so, they've blown up considerably, going from playing B Stages at festivals mainly in the North East to graduating to national touring and playing Bonnaroo this year.
Rolling Stone referred to them as, "Bonnarroo's best kept secret." We're going to have to go ahead and disagree with them there.
Dopapod hasn't been a secret for years. They have multiple albums, a giant body of work to design sets from, and serious chops, as guitarist Rob Compa demonstrated most recently during his sit in with Zappa Plays Zappa at Catskill Chill Music Festival.
They slayed "Cosmik Debris" harder than anyone knew could be done without Zappa senior himself.
4. Lettuce
lettucemusic Check out @patrickhughesphotography dope shot from our #NYC #Halloween Ball at @terminal5nyc
Lettuce is a funk band through and through. In past years it would have been easier to describe them as sounding more like Tower of Power than other bands of the sort.
They used to mainly go between heavy jams that demand severe dance floor grooves and lighter, in between parts.
But as time's gone on, Lettuce has broadened their horizons to include a variety of subcategories to their sound. They've always been tighter than tight, but they've matured.
They're mainly instrumental, and can go deep into space in a P-Funk-ish way, or they can be super cohesive and consistently stomp through the progression with ease and style and class.
Run the Jewels is a hip-hop duo comprised of Killer Mike and El-P. Now, Killer Mike is not NYC-based; he's from Atlanta, Georgia.
But El-P is a Brooklyn-bred rapper/producer and proud of it. He's been on hip-hop's radar for years, notably co-founding Company Flow back in 1992 with Mr. Len.
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Run the Jewels has captivated audiences for good reasons. The lyrics are arguably better than 85-90% of other popular hip-hop today, meaning they actually rap with real words. What they're saying with those words is equally important.
On top of that, the beats are ferocious. When they combine, what you get is prime contemporary hip-hop made by adults who have experience in the game and perspective on where the art form is coming from, and they do it right.
We saw them earlier this year in Brooklyn when Nas made a guest appearance. You already know it was hot.
,6. Sharkmuffin
They've been described as "noise-punk-meets-psychedelic power pop," and that basically hits the nail on the head. They're an all-female group who manage to melange seemingly incompatible elements in the catchiest and most surprising ways.
There's a reason why Sharkmuffin is playing about as many CMJ showcases as anyone else this week. There's a reason why NPR, Billboard Magazine, and The Village Voice all sing their praises.
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There's a reason why they can rock a basement show with as much grit as glam. The reason is that they're badass and great at music, encapsulating much of what our generation is looking for in listening material with creative juxtapositions.
7. TAUK
taukband Who cut the Night Cheese?! Cheesin' out at The Mousetrap! Thanks Indianapolis! #Tauk #taukband #tauklife #tauktour #bigcheese #nightcheese
TAUK is a band kind of along the lines of Dopapod, except TAUK is fully instrumental. They play heavy instrumental rock fusion. There is a dance element, but they're definitely not a dance music band in as much of a capacity as many of their peers.
TAUK has the tendency to explore deep waters of groove. They get heavy, too, in a way many others don't dare. When a lesser band would stick to one vibe and play it to death, TAUK injects two, even three more atmospheres into the track.
They're only a four-piece, but what they're able to achieve with four people is astonishing. Each member is capable of exploring their own territory without stepping on the others' toes, and that's a feat in the improvisational realm.
8. Turkuaz
Turkuaz is also a funk band, through and through. One of their main weapons is the multi-part harmony, which they do a lot. There are nine people in the band, and most of them can sing like crazy in addition to playing instruments.
There are always two sultry lady singers complimenting the vocals provided by the rest of the band, and really you could just listen to Turkuaz vocals and be pretty content.
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Other than singing, they're known for being extremely precise while bringing out the goofball in everybody on the dance floor. Turkuaz is always sexy and on point, but they're also just fun too, you know?
9. Wet
Wet is a trio taking things over in NYC right now. We're always primed for next indie band to sweep us off our feet and cradle our hearts, but wow, Wet, way to go above and beyond.
But really, they're not just an indie band. It's more indie/R&B and that's cool with us. They're kind of tapping into a market similar to the one going bonkers for The Weeknd right now. Kind of.
They have everyone dying for show tickets and labels in a bidding war. What else do you need to know? Go listen.
Check out 27 Can't-Miss Indoor Concerts This October in NYC.