Weekend Music Picks

Here are musician Ken Beasley’s top music picks on the Lower East Side for this weekend:

CASEY SHEA BAND– Fri Jan. 27 | 11pm at Rockwood Music Hall

Floridian rocker Casey Shea proves that pop can be edgy. After beginning his music career in Nashville, Shea moved to New York where he continued to cultivate his smart, rock sound. With a mind for melody, Shae writes songs with handfuls of hooks and layered arrangements, many with a tongue-in-cheek nod. He plays Rockwood this weekend in support of his third recording “In Your Head”. FREE//196 Allen St.

GAMBIT – Sat Jan. 28 | 9:30pm at the Mercury Lounge

Apparently Gambit is a former Harvard grad who allegedly dropped a sweet 6-figure job in venture capital to live the life of a working musician. Whether or not that is true hasn’t been clearly verified, but, in the end, it doesn’t really matter. He’s certainly creating heady dance-rock at an aggressive clip and is blessed with a natural stage presence. For a high-energy concert experience, it would be hard to go wrong at a Gambit show. $12//217 E. Houston St.

FRANK TEDESSO – Sun Jan. 29 | 7pm at The Living Room

Frank Tedesso is a large, equal parts sweet and ferocious, grizzly bear of a poet/songwriter. The bearded Tedesso hails from Chicago, but came to New York in the 80’s and quickly became and active member of the Greenwich Village folk scene. With a knack for tender storytelling, he paints scenes and characters that highlight his mystified and awestruck perspective on the human condition and matters of the heart. Tedesso will be performing in the round with fellow Chicago native, Matt Kanelos, sensitive songstress Heather Flynn, and haunting banjo plucker Laura Dunn. FREE//154 Ludlow St.

Splitting his time between performing and producing, contributor Ken Beasley primarily plays with his own roots/rock band, Ken Beasley & Co., as well as the power punk outfit, Missy Sport, while also curating the Underground at the Abrons music series on the Lower East Side.