Free this Sunday? Like the idea of mingling with Gavin Friday, Scarlett Johansson, Courtney Love, Laurie Anderson, Antony, U2, Andrea Corr, Joel Grey, Bill Frisell, Guggi, Lydia Lunch, Patrick McCabe, Maria McKee, Shane MacGowan, Eric Mingus, Larry Mullen, Martha Wainwright and Rufus Wainwright? At an event curated by the iconic music producer Hal Willner? In support of the (RED) charity, which fights AIDS in Africa? If so, you’re in luck. We have a pair of tickets to give away, if you answer one easy-peasy question correctly, right here (if you need a clue, check our Q&A with Friday, here).

Photo by James Mooney

It’s a dream scenario for most musicians—to have producer Hal Willner organize your birthday party. Willner is the music mastermind behind all of Saturday Night Live’s music bookings since the ’70s, and has put together star-studded tributes to Tim Buckley, Mingus and the Marquis de Sade (most recently, he curated the Rogue’s Gallery pirate show and album).

And at Carnegie Hall on October 4 (that’s this Sunday, people), Laurie Anderson, Bono, Scarlett Johansson and more take the stage for a mighty musical knees-up, to celebrate Gavin Friday’s 50th birthday. Singer-songwriter Friday is a cult musical figure; childhood friends with Bono (the two grew up in Ireland together), Friday found recognition of his own in goth-punk outfit the Virgin Prunes. A painter and actor (he joins Cillian Murphy in Breakfast on Pluto), he’s also released four solo albums and scored for films including Get Rich or Die Tryin’. After the jump, Friday talks to TONY about how the event came together. Stay tuned for your chance to win tickets!

“It definitely will be a rare and wonderful occasion. No matter what happens it will be a night to remember.”

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Yesterday, we advised you to go see John Fogerty, and today we’re championing an event celebrating Tom Petty.… Have we gone all geezerish on you? Nah, Petty Fest 2009, going down tonight at Bowery Ballroom, features an impressive cast of hot, young indie types, including lovable Stroke Fab Moretti, offbeat crooner Adam Green, atmospheric neo–torch singer Nicole Atkins and more. Get warmed up with this vintage clip from one of the ugliest-yet-coolest men in rock:

Those looking for something a little more adventurous, get thee to Glasslands. The Billyburg space hosts a stellar quartet of local avant-rock acts—Liturgy, Zs, Extra Life and TONY fave Larkin Grimm—all of whom are remarkably adept at combining the brainy with the visceral.

Jauntier tunes prevail at Music Hall of Williamsburg, where lush, classy pop outfit Elizabeth and the Catapult continues to support its recent Verve Forecast debut, Taller Children. For a much scrappier brand of popcraft, try punk veteran Kevin Seconds at Union Hall or the great pairing of The Octagon and Graham Smith’s Kleenex Girl Wonder at Bruar Falls.

At the jazz clubs, your best bet is probably Iridium, which hosts James Moody, the sentimental sax man whose solo was the basis for the famed slow jam “Moody’s Mood for Love.” A few avenues over, you can catch saxist John Surman at Birdland, or you can head downtown to hear pianist Kenny Werner at Blue Note, or the venerable Frisell/Motian/Lovano trio at Village Vanguard.

There are a lot of cool shows going down tonight, but John Fogerty’s gig at South Street Seaport stands out for a number of reasons, the main one being that it’s absolutely, positively free. If you’re not already psyched by the prospect, let us remind you that Fogerty once fronted one of the most badass roots-rock outfits the world has ever known, not to mention one of Jeff “The Dude” Lebowski’s favorite bands. Check it:

If you’re into that down-home vibe and have some dough to burn, we’d definitely recommend heading over to Rumsey Playfield, where The Black Crowes—supporting a compellingly groovy new album, Before the Frost… Until the Freeze—share a bill with justly legendary ex–Band member Levon Helm, playing behind his recent Electric Dirt effort.

Those with broader musical horizons and a somewhat lighter cash flow can check out recently reunited glam-prog champions Shudder to Think at Bowery Ballroom, rousing postpunkers Titus Andronicus at Monster Island or neo–No Wave duo Talk Normal at Market Hotel.

Out in jazz land, there are few excellent events going down. First and foremost, don’t miss a rare chance to hear downtown firebrand John Zorn flaunt his sensitive side, as a piano trio helmed by Rob Burger performs the composer’s touchingly breezy Alhambra Love Songs at the Stone. Beyond that, you can catch British sax powerhouse John Surman and his all-star band at Birdland (read the TONY preview here); avant-jazz percussionist extraordinaire Tom Rainey helming a trio at Barbès; the magisterial team of drummer Paul Motian, saxist Joe Lovano and guitarist Bill Frisell at Village Vanguard; and former Lounge Lizard Michael Blake joining forces with the Dred Scott Trio at 55 Bar.

If none of those choices strikes your fancy, why not check out a one-of-kind veteran act, namely shrewd pop duo Pet Shop Boys (read the TONY feature here) at Hammerstein Ballroom or esteemed reggae crew Toots and the Maytals at Brooklyn Bowl?

Assuming you’re not holding a ticket to tonight’s sold-out Nine Inch Nails show at Terminal 5—purportedly the band’s last ever performance in our fair city—you’ve got a few options: You can brave the scalpers, either on the sidewalk or online; you can experience NIN’s incendiary power vicariously via Lizz Kuehl’s Volume slide show (reposted below) from the band’s Bowery Ballroom show this past Saturday; or you can read on for some other worthy live-music options.

If you’re in the mood for something a whole heck of a lot mellower, try The Low Anthem, a subtle Rhode Island folk outfit, which plays tonight at the Bell House. Get a preview via an exclusive live performance the band filmed for the Volume back in June. More fine alt-roots sounds can be heard at Bruar Falls, where the twangy coed outfit Georgiana Starlington holds court.

It’s a busy night at the city’s experimental-music haunts. At Barbès, catch a rare glimpse of Tartar Lamb, a spin-off of the ever-visionary metallic art-pop ensemble Kayo Dot. Over at Roulette, Sparks—the free-improv duo of trumpeter Peter Evans and bassist Tom Blancarte—ropes in pals such as Nate Wooley, Okkyung Lee and Brandon Seabrook for some top-notch impromptu madness. And at the Stone, recent TONY star Tyshawn Sorey presents the next two chapters in his multinight work Wu-Wei.

If it’s inspired irreverence you seek, look no further than the left-field pop revue Our Hit Parade at Joe’s Pub, with Bridget Everett, Neal Medlyn and others. Afrobeat fans can catch the funky Nigerian artist Michael Olatuja earlier at the same venue.

Lastly, jazz heads have a variety of strong shows to choose from, including bassist Drew Gress’s 7 Black Butterflies project, playing for free at Bruno Walter Auditorium; pianist George Colligan’s band, featuring saxist Donny McCaslin and drummer E.J. Strickland, at Smoke; and the outstanding (and longstanding) trio of horn man Joe Lovano, guitarist Bill Frisell and drummer Paul Motian at Village Vanguard.

Are the lads of Boy Crisis “Williamsburg hipster douche bags,” as thee mighty Pitchfork bluntly asserted? Are they a fun-lovin’, hip-shakin’ buzz band in fluorescent togs, as TONY’s own Sophie Harris stated in her preview? Or, given the presence of frontman Victor Vazquez (of Das Racist renown), might Boy Crisis be the most elaborate in-joke foisted upon music journalists since the meme that Jim Morrison was a great poet? Judge for yourself when Vazquez & Co. hit the Mercury Lounge tonight.

After all, you should never believe anything you read. We’re here to tell you, for instance, that there’s no truth to the rumor that Trent Reznor—pissed off by all the critics on Twitter who complained that Nine Inch Nails didn’t play its cover of Queen’s “Get Down Make Love” during its Bowery Ballroom show on Saturday (photos here) or at Webster Hall on Sunday (where the band played The Downward Spiral in its entirety)—will be devoting tonight’s show at Terminal 5 (the first of two) to playing Queen’s Jazz front to back. No sir, that’s not going to happen.

But say, kids, the greatest show on earth is in town, with Britney Spears in the center ring, skillfully moving her lips along to the words from her latest CD, Circus (reviewed here). Show two of three is coming at you live in the OMG-too-much-exposed flesh at Madison Square Garden this evening.

Curious about those slightly scary-looking older dudes hanging around outside the Garden? Don’t call the cops on ’em! They’re actually heading to the WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden for tonight’s show by Tony Iommi (interviewed here) and his bandmates in Heaven and Hell—which, if you haven’t heard, is Black Sabbath with a little something different. (Yes, Ronnie James Dio, that was the obligatory joke about your diminutive height, but you know we worship you all the same.) Opening is chameleonic emo-prog-metal-whatsit band Coheed and Cambria, which some of us here not so secretly dig quite a bit.

Got a jazz itch that needs scratchin’? Three’s the magic number: Catch the Hank Jones Trio at Birdland, cozy up to the Fred Hersch Trio at Smalls or head down for Paul Motian, Joe Lovano and Bill Frisell at the Village Vanguard.

In a way, saxist Tim Berne and pianist Ethan Iverson’s duo gig at the Stone on Friday began online a few days earlier. Last Monday, Iverson—best known for his work with The Bad Plus—posted a fascinating long-form interview with Berne on his blog, Do the Math, and the show’s intimate nature made it seem like a continuation of that wide-ranging chat. As in the Q&A, the contrast between the two musicians (pictured, as half of the collaborative quartet Buffalo Collison: from left, Berne, Iverson, cellist Hank Roberts and drummer Dave King) was striking in the live setting: If their rapport seemed uneasy at times, it also displayed a compelling tension.

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We know that the Mercury Lounge has weathered a lot over the years, but we’re not altogether convinced that the intimate space will be able to contain the explosive psych-punk outbursts of Long Beach, CA’s amazing Crystal Antlers. The band plays tonight in support of a newly issued full-length debut album, Tentacles, on Touch & Go. (If you’re on the fence, hit the label website for gobs of live audio and video.)

Feeling more sedate? The Pains of Being Pure at Heart bring their dreamy pop to Bowery Ballroom tonight; the show is technically sold out, but if you’re really determined to get in, we’ll keep our fingers crossed for you.

Eclectic guitar visionary Bill Frisell marks a whole bunch of new releases—a Nonesuch anthology, two live DVDs and his evocative soundtrack for the 2007 film All Hat—with a run at the Village Vanguard, opening tonight.

Veteran tenor man Frank Wess, best known for his years fronting the Count Basie Orchestra during the 1950s and ’60s, brings an outstanding new band, the Frank Wess Celebration Nonet, into Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola for a weeklong engagement.

And torched-roots legend Ramblin’ Jack Elliott rambles into Highline Ballroom for an evening of rough-hewn songs from his latest Anti- release, A Stranger Here.