NYC Summer Concerts: 5 Best Shows Happening This Week (8/5-8/11)

After last week's show of the week was unfortunately cancelled (feel better D'Angelo), we have a whole host of great runs this week. "The Barber" sitting in with Galactic is just one of the many guests coming to sit-in over the course of their four nights at the Brooklyn Bowl, and the Mad Decent Block Party returns to Williamsburg Park. Here are five of the best options plus a couple extra:

1. Galactic at the Brooklyn Bowl on August 7-10

A collection of great openers (Superhuman Happiness, the High and Mighty Brass Band, The Stepkids, and the Mike Dillon Band) and some great guests lined up to boot (Jon "The Barber" Gutwillig, David Shaw, and Maggie Koerner), this band from New Orleans is one of the funkiest bands around. From a personal perspective, Stanton Moore is one of the best drummers around right now, and their fusion of traditional New Orleans funk with a whole range of new influences makes them one of the best bands around. Tickets are just $15 or you can buy a four night pass for $60 (presumably saving money on the ticket fees that would come from each individual purchase) here.

2. Mad Decent Block Party at Williamsburg Park on Saturday, August 10

Featuring a lineup that includes Dillon Francis, Flosstradamus, Keys N Krates, Major Lazer, Destructo, Rockie Fresh, and Matt & Kim, year two of the Mad Decent Block Party is bigger and better than ever. After last year's free version was a bit of a ... mess, this year, the promoters went with a ticketed (and paid) method, ensuring at least relative stability. The venue is great, the acts are pretty good if that's what you are in to, and this could very well turn in to a mainstay of the electronic music festival scene.

3. The Black Crowes, Tedeschi Trucks Band, and The London Souls in New Jersey and Long Island on August 9-10

A package tour with something for everybody. The Black Crowes are great, the Tedeschi Trucks Band have quickly become one of the best acts touring, and The London Souls are my favorite new band (with new as a relative phrase). After the Black Crowes retirement just a couple of years ago, it is nice to see them on the road again. Meanwhile, while the Tedeschi Trucks Band may have lost an integral member (the incredible Oteil Burbridge of the Allman Brothers Band and the Aquarium Rescue Unit), they have most certainly not lost a step. Meanwhile, nothing brings me more joy than seeing Tash Neal on a stage again, barely a year removed from a near-fatal hit-and-run in Downtown Manhattan. These two shows, one at the PNC Bank Arts Center and one at the Nikon at Jones Beach Theater are most certainly not to be missed with tickets still available for both.

4. Robert Randolph in Morristown and Port Chester on Thursday, August 8 and Saturday, August 10

Robert Randolph learned how to play the sacred steel in a church and barely listened to "secular" music growing up. However, from the Wetlands Preserve to theaters and festivals across the country these days, Robert Randolph has turned the pedal steel guitar sound in to an infectious groove machine. Performing with the incredibly funky Big Sam's Funky Nation on Thursday in Morristown at the Mayo Performing Arts Center and with Tauk on Saturday at the amazing Capitol Theater in Port Chester, you would be doing yourself a favor by getting to one (or both) of these shows.

5. Disclosure and TNGHT at Central Park's Summerstage on Tuesday, August 6

With a pair of Glastonbury appearances, a top-charting album, and one-half of the duo that comprises Disclosure being younger than me, what is not to like about this British electronic act. At one of the best outdoor venues in New York in Central Park, get the neon on for this one as this down-tempo electronic group is paired with another rising star in the electronic music world in TNGHT. Though shows that have door opening times at 5 p.m. and an early curfew are rarely found, if you are going to an outdoor electronic show that will feature remarkable production, go to this one. Tickets are sold out, but keep checking as Ticketmaster tends to release some extra tickets within 24 hours of the show.

6. Honorable Mention

Silversun Pickups - The Capitol Theater - Monday, August 5

Ivan Neville's Dumpstaphunk - Madison Square Park - Wednesday, August 7 (free)

Kermit Ruffins - Highline Ballroom - Thursday, August 8

No Name #1 - Bowery Ballroom - Saturday, August 10

Allen Toussaint - Damrosch Park Bandshell - Sunday, August 11 (free)