New Yorker neo-lords of ball-stomping indie rock, the Secret Machines hammered through the second show of a three-date residency at Manhattan's Annex club last night (Sept. 19), debuting new material from their still nameless third LP with reckless abandon.

Who? A jangle-popster match made in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 2006, Drug Rug features one girlfriend named Sarah Cronin, one boyfriend named Thomas Allen. The shamble guitar duo met slinging drinks at the in(die)famous Middle East nightclub, that led to demo swapping, and then some whiskey drinking, and many a twisted Byrds-meets-backwoods-blues harmonies.

On the final evening (Aug.1) of his three-night stint at Brooklyn's Southpaw, and one song shy of completing his 2006 self-titled effort, a fan demanded that Ben Kweller "PLAY ANOTHER ALBUM." The Brooklyn-based popster raised a little smile while tuning his guitar, while a pit of 18-year-old girls screamed their nod of approval.

Word on New York's Coney Island boardwalk this year was that the world famous hot dog staple would be torn down and shadowed by condos. Though it's a half-truth -- see the evil Thor Equities and their renovation plans -- The Village Voice's 7th annual music festival was, once again, all sunshine and free rock on Saturday (July 21).