Much Ado About February

Don't let the calendar fool you: though February is the shortest month of the year, it is filled with enticing live music events. So while you might be freezing during the extra six weeks of winter as forecasted by the groundhog, there are bands out there that are Burning for You. Spectator has scoured the city and compiled this list of hand-picked selections that are guaranteed to satisfy.

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Melvin Van Peebles, BAM Café, Feb. 1-22

Is there anything this man can't do? He's fathered the star of Posse, spent five years writing books in Paris, made films, played with his band, and spent time trading stocks on the floor of the stock exchange. This month, experience the powerhouse that is Melvin Van Peebles through a film and jam band retrospective at BAM Café that features Van Peebles' band, Roadkill.

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Blue Öyster Cult, B.B. King Blues Club and Grill, Feb. 8

If just to hear them play "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" once, seeing Blue Öyster Cult live is not to be missed.

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Lucy Pearl, S.O.B.'s, Feb. 9

The onetime R&B super-group tries to pull it together as they perform with Joi after having fired ex-En Vogue diva, Dawn Robinson, whose voice gave the group, composed of former Tribe Called Quest and Tony! Toni! Tone! members, their hit "Dance Tonight."

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Meat Puppets, Bowery Ballroom, Feb. 9

If all you've ever heard of the Meat Puppets is their guest spot on Nirvana's Unplugged, then you've missed a lot of really dark and grungy Rock 'n' Roll. Now you can hear why they became so influential in the first place.

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Talib Kweli, S.O.B.'s, Feb. 11

Mos Def's partner in Black Star and Rawkus Records' newest marvel will bring his intelligent and gorgeous lyricism back to New York this weekend.

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DJ Prince Paul, MC Paul Barman, Maxwell's, Feb. 21

Prince Paul is one of the most innovative and amazing (not to mention underrated) producers in hip-hop history, shining brightest in his work for De La Soul and his most recent solo album under the moniker Handsome Boy Modeling School. Paul Barman is a white boy with a bachelor's degree from Brown who used to rap under the name MC Fibonacci Sequence. It should be an interesting show.

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Death Cab For Cutie, Maxwell's, Feb. 22

The kind of band that makes the emo kids cream, DCFC specializes in quality song craftsmanship and dissonance blended with dreamy, ethereal elements that are influenced by, and even rival the work of The Posies, Elliott Smith and Built to Spill.

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Run DMC, Hammerstein Ballroom, Feb. 26

Long live old school!

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Jeff Tweedy, Irving Plaza, Feb. 26

Wilco's principal songwriter and lead singer is scheduled to premiere new songs from the band's upcoming album on this solo acoustic tour.

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Lords of Acid, Irving Plaza, Feb. 27

If you like to dance, take a lot of drugs, and engage in copious amounts of promiscuous bisexual sex, then Lords of Acid is the band for you … You might want to leave the kids at home for this one.