Alison Clancy is a Brooklynite who just can't help but churn out art, and in this case we are not only referring to music - she fronts two bands: HUFF THIS! and Loving You. A dancer by trade (at the Metropolitan Opera), Alison is also involved in visual arts, and not just simply as a model/dancer. Recently she worked on a cross-continental collaboration with several artists from Brooklyn and Copenhagen to realize the video of Loving You's song 'Wasted Love' (streaming) which was used in the theatrical Street Ballet 'NINE BY SEVEN', directed and produced by Danish conceptual artist Marco Evaristti. Tomorrow Friday 07.24 the duo will be bringing their edgy, cello and vocals (and dance) propelled music to 1172 Eastern Parkway in Crown Heights Brooklyn.

Stuck in the city over the three-day weekend? Quit pining for warm beaches, throw on a sweater and hit up these awesome local shows.

Tonight, Saturday, May 26 at the Great American Music Hall discover some great bands at "Sean Healy Presents: Steer the Stars CD Release Party with the Bay's Best Unsigned Bands!" Steer the Stars, Debbie Neigher, Handshake and The Deli SF's very own Artist of the Month, HUFF THIS! All guests who purchase presale tickets will receive entry into an intimate house show/after celebration on June 9 where all the bands will cook dinner for attendees. Tickets available here. 

Tonight is your second-to-last chance to catch indie rocker Boy in the Bubble before the "boy" Josh Seidenfeld moves to Durham, NC. It's an early show at the Make-Out Room at 7:30 PM and another on Thursday, July 5 at 6:00 pm at the UC Berkeley Botanical Garden Redwood Grove Amphitheater. Download his album "The King" for free here.

On Sunday, May 27, don't miss a first look at music videos from WATERS, Mist Giant, Elle Niño, William Ryan Fritch, French Cassettes, The 21st Century, Cormorant, Conspiracy of Venus, Vandella, Seatraffic, The Hot Toddies, Cash Pony, C H U R C H E S, doppio, Le VICE and Big Light. The Music Video Race Screening Party will also have live performances by doppio, Le VICE, and Big Light. Tickets available here and at the door.

Monday, well, you'll likely need a day to recover.

--Whitney Phaneuf

Dividing its time between Northern California and New York City, we're lucky enough to call HUFF THIS! our very own all summer and through Burning Man. Clearly fans are happy to have the band in the Bay Area since they just voted HUFF THIS! Artist of the Month.

"One part love, one part flight, one part nervous, one part fearless," HUFF THIS! has made a beautiful album called Tuff Love, which depicts the pain and hardship of love through lush, experimental folk pop songs. The album was made in 2010 by a collaboration between lead singer, keyboardist and guitarist Alison Clancy and electro-acoustic cellist and composer Chrissy Lancaster of the Bill T. Jones Dance Company. The band also features drummer Tony Long and bass player/producer Sonny Ratcliff. 

Tuff Love is a six-song collection of ambitious, passionate songs. Opener "River" features Clancy's haunting vocals singing "Take me, take me, take me to the river/I want to swim" and sets the theme of yearning for something that you can't have. "Big Love" is a simple track, with just a simple guitar and Clancy's voice, and tells the story of a girl with a big heart who will miss her lover's tender heart that she knows so well. What's so immediately grabbing about the album is its strings, the layering of voices and soundscapes to create music that makes you feel like you're in a lovely dream. 

Tuff Love is an album to listen to over and over in order to fully grasp the nostalgic and bittersweet tone of the music and the story of a lost love. Download Tuff Love here or stream below, and watch the music video for "Lovin' You." --Amanda Dissinger

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