School of Seven Bells
Sunday March 8 (8 pm) @ Bang Bang Club
(Psychedelic)
www.myspace.com/schoolofsevenbells

School of Seven Bells’ new album falls a bit short of producing any aphorisms but Alpinisms’ thick, dreamy and mystical music is resoundingly fun to listen to anyways. Complete with esoteric lyrics (which the New York trio reportedly writes before the music), SVIIB songs’ create an expansive experience, encasing the listener in a swirling, psychedelic haze. SVIIB is comprised of identical twins Alejandra and Claudia Deheza, formerly of On! Air! Library! and Benjamin Curtis, whose previous band, Secret Machines, played in Berlin last month. Anyone who was a fan of John Lennon’s late-1960s turn towards the mystical should definitely give SVIIB a listen.

MaerzMusik – Festival of Contemporary Music
Friday March 20 – Sunday March 29
www.berlinerfestspiele.de/en/aktuell/festivals/02_maerzmusik/mm_start.php

While the theme of MaerzMusik’s 2009 festival, “Reduction, Structure, Deconstruction,” may more readily bring to mind French philosophy, the nine day festival is actually an annual celebration of contemporary music. Run by the Berliner Festspiele, the festival defines itself as a platform to present a wide range of auditory experiences – from new orchestral works to sound art to experimental electronica. This year’s festival offers such highlights as the debut of Micheal Nyman and Carsten Nicolai’s homage to George Brecht and the legendary talking budgerigar Sparkie, a mixed media sound installation by renowned Canadian artists Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller and a complete performance of American composer George Crumb’s piano cycle. Check out the festival’s website for more details and other exciting events.

Kaki King
Wednesday March 25 (9 pm) @ Magnet
(Experimental, indie)    
www.myspace.com/kakiking

Assessing the guitar world, Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl famously said: "There are really good guitarists, and then there are really [expletive] good guitarists. And then there's Kaki King." While the 29-year-old from Atlanta has been virtuosically playing guitar for years, it is her recent album, Dreaming of Revenge produced by Malcolm Burn, which finally caught the attention of the mainstream press. Named as a guitar god by Rolling Stone in 2007, King is infamous in the music world for her experimental playing. In her hands, the guitar becomes a new instrument. King picks her guitar strings with both hands and even turns it into a percussive tool by slapping its strings and body (to get an idea of her style, watch this video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wsFeXWc82Y). Now’s your chance to catch King in a venue smaller than O2 World!

Listings:

Super 700
Friday March 6 (9 pm) @ Huxleys
(Alternative, melodramatic pop)
www.myspace.com/super700

DJ Food
Friday March 6 (11:30 pm) @ Icon
(Visual, psychedelic)
www.myspace.com/strictlykev

Golden Diskó Ship
Saturday March 7 (10 pm) @ Coffee Karma
(One girl band)
www.myspace.com/goldendiskoship

We Are Wolves
Saturday March 7 (9:00) @ Cassiopeia
(Indie)
www.myspace.com/wearewolvesnoussommesloups

Friendly Fires
Saturday March 7 (11 pm) @ Bang Bang Club
(Pop, disco, house)
www.myspace.com/friendlyfires

School of Seven Bells
Sunday March 8 (8 pm) @ Bang Bang Club
(Psychedelic)
www.myspace.com/schoolofsevenbells
 
Kante, Ghost Bees, The Aim of Design is to Define Space, Apparat, Modeselektor
Sunday March 8 (8 pm) @ Volksbühne
(Indie, folk)
www.myspace.com/kantemusik
www.myspace.com/ghostbees

Mitch Ryder
Tuesday March 10 (9 pm) @ Kesselhaus
(Blues)    
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewProfile&friendID=185344131

Barbara Morgenstern
Tuesday March 10 (8 pm) @ Admiralpalast    
(Electronica, indie)
www.myspace.com/barbaramorgenstern

White Lies
Thursday March 12 (9 pm) @ Lido
(Indie)
www.myspace.com/whitelies

Sunday Sidekicks & Songband
Sunday March 15 (9 pm) @ Schokoladen-Mitte
(Puppets, banjo, accordion)
www.myspace.com/sidekicksberlin
www.myspace.com/songbandmyspace

The Killers, Louis XIV
Saturday March 14 (8:30 pm) @ Max-Schmeling-Halle
(Indie)
www.myspace.com/thekillers

OMarch-Rodriguez-Lopez, Zechs Marchquise
Sunday March 15 (9:30) @ Festsaal Kreuzberg
www.myspace.com/oMarchrodriguezquintet

The Kills
Monday March 16 (8 pm) @ Postbahnhof
(Rock, electronia, indie)
www.myspace.com/thekills

Pink
Wednesday March 18 (8 pm) @ O2 World
(Pop)
www.myspace.com/pinkspage

Jay Reatard, Jimmy Trash & The Gunpowder Temple of Heaven, Charles Megira & The Modern Dance Club
Saturday March 21 (9:30 pm) @ Festsaal Kreuzberg
(Garage punk)
www.myspace.com/jayreatard

WhoMadeWho, Errors, Munk    
Friday March 20 (10 pm) @ Marchia
(Electroclash)
www.myspace.com/whomadewhomusic

Fall Out Boy
Saturday March 21 (8 pm) @ Columbiahalle
(Pop, punk)
www.myspace.com/falloutboy

Nazareth
Sunday March 22 (9:30 pm) @ ColumbiaClub
(Hard rock)
www.myspace.com/nazarethdirect

David Byrne
Monday March 23 (8 pm) @ Tempodrom
(New wave, alternative, experimental)
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=119709231

Kaki King
Wednesday March 25 (9 pm) @ Magnet
(Experimental, indie)
www.myspace.com/kakiking

Franz Ferdinand
Wednesday March 25 (9 pm) @ Columbiahalle
(Pop, indie)
www.myspace.com/franzferdinand

Lyle Lovett
Wednesday March 25 (8 pm) @ Passionkirche
(Country)
www.myspace.com/lylelovett

D12 & Obie Trice & Royce 5’9
Friday March 27 (9 pm) @ Columbiaclub
(Rap, R&B)
www.myspace.com/d12

The Sun Ra Arkestra
Friday March 27 (10 pm) @ A-Trane
(Jazz, jam band, funk)
www.myspace.com/raisonsnails

Peter, Björn & John
Saturday March 28 (8 pm) @ Kesselhaus
(Pop, indie, new wave)
www.myspace.com/peterbjornandjohn

Bob Dylan and his band
Wednesday Apr 1 (8 pm) @ Max-Schmeling-Halle
(Bob Dylan)
www.myspace.com/bobdylan

Jessica Dorrance/Expatica