Impresario of Baltimore's Wham City loft, Deacon's rocking is experimental, freaky, funny and hard-driving. His look pretty much redefines unassuming, but onstage he has a huge pied piper personality and can get a crowd to do pretty much anything. Tourfilter was at a Middle East show where Dan talked the entire audience of 600 into walking out of the club onto Brookline Street, and continued to play to an empty room for a few minutes before everyone shambled back in again.

Samara Lubelski has recorded the likes of Fiery Furnaces and Deerhunter at her Brooklyn studio the Rare Book Room; her solo material is gorgeous singer/songwriter psychedelia. She plays at small venues which feels like a huge gift.

The Black Angels borrow their name from a Velvet Underground song ("The Black Angel's Death Song") and their echoey, tambourine-fringed dirges owe a lot to John Cale & Co. as well. This tour is all about their third disc, Phosphene Dream, set to be released on 9.14.

Gary Numan's had an active past decade + he's blessing his US fans with a tour featuring a complete playthrough of the mindblowing 1979 LP "The Pleasure Principle".

Cincinnati/Brooklyn croon-rockers The National are touring in front of their follow-up to 2007's acclaimed Boxer, coming in May of this year.