ABC No Rio returns to Tompkins Square Park with a free afternoon of music

Photos by Stacie Joy 

ABC No Rio hosted a free afternoon of music in Tompkins Square Park on Saturday as a fundraiser for its long-awaited new home on Rivington Street... part of a weekend that included the annual Riot Reunion show.

Five bands performed during the event. We caught sets by headliners, indie vets Ted Leo & the Pharmacists, and Crush Fund. Organizers also passed the bucket to help fund a new PA system for the new ABC No Rio building, expected to open later this year. 

From the day...starting with NYC's Crush Fund, who released a debut record on Friday...

... and Ted Leo, who played in the OG ABC No Rio space in the early 1990s...

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• Inside the new ABC No Rio

Sunday's opening shot

Photo of Scotty Skitzo by Stacie Joy 

The 38th annual Tompkins Square Riot Reunion show takes place TODAY from 3 to 7 p.m. ... in the Park. 

The free concert, commemorating the Tompkins Square Park police riot of Aug. 6, 1988, includes several bands, Kartel, Drunken Rampage, and Citizens Arrest, among others, and several speakers.

Ted Leo & the Pharmacists headline ABC No Rio show Saturday in Tompkins Square Park

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Previously on EV Grieve: 

• Inside the new ABC No Rio

Pippy and Star's Revenge at Tompkins Square Park

Photos by Stacie Joy

This past Saturday afternoon's free Show Brain gathering in Tompkins Square Park featured a five-band bill, including Bonny, T!LT and Dallas Wax. 

We caught Pippy and the closing set from Star's Revenge, a project featuring Olive Faber (Sunflower Bean) and Emily Green (Geese). 

First up, the Brooklyn indie quartet Pippy, who recently released their excellent self-titled debut record ...

... and Star's Revenge...

Emily Green

Olive Faber

... and the full band with Show Brain founder Ozzie (in the shades) ...

... and in the crowd...

5 bands on tap for tomorrow's free Show Brain show in Tompkins Square Park

Five bands are on tomorrow's bill for the latest free Show Brain concert in Tompkins Square Park, closing out with Star's Revenge. 

Approximate set times: 

• 1:55 to 2:25 Bonny 

• 2:45 to 3:20 T!LT 

• 3:40 to 4:15 Pippy 

• 4:35 to 5:10 Dallas Wax

• 5:25 to 6:00 Star's Revenge

First president of japan caps Show Brain show with a joyous set in Tompkins Square Park

Photos by Stacie Joy

If you like your Sunday afternoon concerts fun and unpredictable, first president of japan delivered.

The Brooklyn punk band headlined Sunday's free Show Brain concert in Tompkins Square Park, capping the afternoon with a joyous, high-energy set that blurred the line between performance and audience participation.

Lead vocalist Non Kuramoto (also a comedian and actress by trade) spent much of the set in the crowd — crowd-surfing, dancing and encouraging fans to join the fun as the audience eagerly obliged.

The band's sound blends punk, garage rock and math rock with a healthy dose of absurdity. (Their latest EP, Your Recommended Daily Intake of first president of japan, includes songs featuring humor, heart... and whale facts.) 

And faces in the crowd on this Sunday...