The summer concert season is upon us and we here at HT know that it’s virtually impossible for us to afford every show we want to hit, and still be able to pay our insanely expensive NYC rents. Luckily for us, there are a plethora of fantastic free concerts throughout the summer that don’t cost a dime. We decided to weed through them to give you our 1st Annual Free Summer Concert Picks…

HT Recommends: Abigail Washburn & The Sparrow Quartet f. Bela Fleck

Where: Castle Clinton National Monument, Battery Park

When: Thursday, May 29, 7:00pm

Official Info: This all-star acoustic quartet led by Abigail Washburn (Uncle Earl) and partner Béla Fleck explores intricate, thoughtful arrangements of old songs and gripping instrumental tunes, all with the underlying influence of the Far East. Along with co-members Casey Driessen and Ben Sollee, the Sparrow Quartet has visited China and Tibet as musical ambassadors, doing what mass media cannot in representing contemporary American culture.

Other Free Shows At Castle Clinton:

7/10 - St. Vincent, 7/17 - Ted Leo & The Pharmacists, 7/24 - Akron/Family, 7/31 - The Long Winters

READ ON for more free shows to check out this summer…

You may be well familiar with the bands featured in this section, but Some Dude from Hits from the Blog wants to ensure there’s No Jambandfan Left Behind…

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before, but [insert random singer-songwriter’s name here] is the new Bob Dylan. I swear!

How many times have you seen or heard that weighty comparison thrown around for any number of wordy songsmiths? It’s a lofty and mostly unfair expectation to live up to, considering the profound impact on music of the former Mr. Robert Zimmerman. Who else could have come up with such nuggets like “Jewels and binoculars hang from the head of a mule” or “The sun’s not yellow, it’s chicken” and a) be taken seriously and b) have said lines dissected with a fine-toothed comb, or at the very least a giant Jewfro-pick.

That’s not to say that there aren’t some fine, fine singer-songwriters out there that at the very least are the next Gordon Lightfoot (Canada’s Bob Dylan – Anyone? Anyone? Is this thing on?). While it would be too easy to go with indie-rock pin-up boy Connor Oberst (Bright Eyes for those of you scoring at home), I’ll dig a little deeper. So read on after the jump with me and let’s take a look at someone else that I think deserves your attention: Elvis Perkins.