On March 4, Greenwich Village’s Players Theatre bustled with feathers and glitter for the “Masquerade Ball,” the first of CitizenMusic’s Theatre Shows. Verona, NJ’s Old Wives, a jazzy, soulful quintet, brought sway to the sold-out venue with swanky sass. Although seating was available, the audience was uncontainable, especially when The Shake appeared. Masked and made-up, the quartet blasted through an explosive set, accompanied by confetti cannons, noise-makers, and a slinky dancer, armed with flashlights for their final “Got No Soul.” Brooklyn’s Black Taxi energized the audience to a climax, as masqueraders formed a fire-hazard in the aisles, dancing to new tunes and released favorites. Despite some first-night sound jitters, the music set the bar high for the subsequent shows.

 “Prohibition Night” commenced copacetically with the bees’ knees, Black Taxi. The joint encouraged viewers to stay put, but rules at a rock show proved baloney as flappers and bootleggers moved stage front. Apollo Run, donning fedoras and suspenders, captivated with nuanced vocal range and powerful lead keyboard.  Finishing their set, the trio mingled and serenaded admirers from atop the arms of the theater seats. Milo and the Fuzz (in the picture), another band of three cool cats, played with mature confidence and put on the Ritz, wrapping with a swell performance.

The finale, “PoMo Night,” featured an anything-goes theme with outfits that would normally not leave the house. New Madrid cleverly fused Spanish and English lyrics, engaged the bizarrely dressed with adrenaline-infused rock, and flung souvenir spiders during “La Araña.” Toy Soldiers, out-of-towners from Philadelphia, brought a classic, rootsy vibe that left listeners swooning. Still standing, Black Taxi amped up the pace with perfected sound and were cheered on for multiple encores. As the imaginary curtain closed and reopened, the leading men from the entire production reunited for a celebratory bow before an exeunt omnes.  The Theatre Shows' all-around success promises a repeat of the event and proves that New York is home to pre-eminent music. - Meijin Bruttomesso

Admittedly, The Deli hasn't given much love to The Hundred in the Hands this far. But the Brooklyn based electro-rock duo was obviously on the radar of super awesome British label Warp, that recently signed them. Their debut single, entitled "Dressed in Dresden" will be released in early April - followed by an EP and later on by a full length album. Don't miss their show at Santos Party House on April 6 with James Fucking Friedman, Max Pask, Jacques Renault and The Rapture (DJ set).

Charles Burst was probably the main force behind psych rock quartet The Occasion, with whom he sang and played the drums - the band was featured on the cover of our 5th print issue in 2006. His solo material - less dreamy and more folky - seems made to be performed at the most intimate and pretty of the small Williamsburg venues: Pete's Candy's Store. Free show there on March 8.

The Candles is Josh Lattanzi's band. Josh has toured with Ben Kweller, Albert Hammond Jr, Tinted Windows, among others and is now stepping out on his own. His music combines elements of the 70s and 90s, creating a sound that will find fans amongst those who like Jackson Browne, Wilco and Lemonhead's Evan Dando, for whom he will open on March 18 at The Ale House in Austin during SXSW.

We've always liked Chris Garneau's unique, quirky orchestral ballads. After releasing his sophomore album "El Radio" Chris released this beautiful video of the single "Fireflies" and recently announced a 5 dates residency at The Living Room (every Tuesday in March). The video was shot by a crew of only five people over the course of five days, who traveled hundreds of miles from Sequoia National Park, to Yosemite, to Death Valley and everywhere in between, filming it with limited resources, Shooting mostly guerrilla style. Garneau was outfitted with home-made rigging and equipment to create the specific look and feel of the "Fireflies" video... which is a play on the famous Nintendo game "Legend Of Zelda".