To say it’s impressive for Lou Barlow to be performing and creating at this consistent level for 20 years is an understatement. He reinvented lo-fi and inspired an army of four-track home-recording artists in the ’90s. He’s been a part of more than his share of pioneering indie-rock bands, all the while tempering sincere moments with an experimental sound collage. To be transported into his bedroom in those early Sebadoh tapes was an education in home recording and songwriting. He has nothing to prove but you wouldn’t have known it last night at Mercury Lounge.

Barlow is at his best unguarded with just an acoustic guitar, and that’s how the night began with a Folk Implosion classic, “Easy,” “Magnets Coil” and even “Puzzle,” off his proper solo album, Emoh. He’s always worn his emotions on his sleeve and isn’t precious about performing these early-career songs. It’s clear, when played stripped down, that the strengths of each are his vocals and how he can be both heartbreakingly intimate and punk rock in the same verse.

The Missingmen joined the reluctant Barlow, who was in good spirits, to flesh out material from his latest, Sentridoh III. They tackled the distortion-ridden tracks, swapping guitars, and inevitably Barlow’s glasses would fall off when things got thrashing. The night ended with him going back to playing solo, a ukulele on his knee and happily taking requests from the audience. It was a great balance of an entire body of incredible songwriting, acknowledging the past and looking ahead to the future. All this success hasn’t come without setbacks: Barlow has persevered through band and label breakups, recently patching up things with ex-bandmate J Mascis and recording with Dinosaur Jr. He’s proved over and over that the nice, sensitive guy can get the girl in the end…and he actually seems pretty happy about it. —Jason Dean

Photos courtesy of Jennifer Macchiarelli | www.jennylow.com

We’ve got a three-day weekend coming, and if you’re not skipping town, you’ll be looking for something good to do. Now you’ve got it because grunge pioneers Mudhoney play The Bowery Ballroom on Saturday. Want to Grow a Pair of tickets? Then fill out the form below, including your name, e-mail address, which show you’re trying to win tickets to (Mudhoney, 9/4) and a brief message explaining why Singles is better than Say Anything…. Eddie Bruiser, who’s actually partial to Almost Famous, will notify the winner by Thursday. Good luck.

With less than a month remaining in the summer, many of hip-hop’s living legends and cunning contemporaries assembled on South Island Field at Governor’s Island for the seventh annual Rock the Bells. Thousands dressed in Wu-Tang Clan T-shirts and tank tops took the short ferry ride to the festival grounds where thousands more crowded around two stages to share in the American pastime of hot dogs, lemonade and blunts. With so many great acts to see and ridiculous people watching, the following is a list of the best moments at this year’s festival:

Best Underdog: Brother Ali, the self-proclaimed, “Fat-ass Muslim, albino rapper,” used his competing set time with KRS-One to captivate his loyal audience. Although the sun’s unforgiving rays seemed to deep-fry the MC, Brother Ali fought back with fierce rhymes, preaching tolerance and thoughtfulness. You came for the Minnesota rapper but you stayed for DJ Snuggles, the multitalented 22-year-old who spun, beat-boxed and even rapped on Brother Ali’s beats.

Best Looking Tent Food: Sweet corn cakes with mozzarella. I didn’t get them but I’ll be damned if I didn’t ogle the precarious sounding treats every time I walked past the tent.

Best Extended Breakdown: More than a decade after The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, Ms. Lauryn Hill played Rock the Bell’s main stage with a full band, backing singers and an outfit somewhere in between Little Miss Muffet and a church lady. It was a treat to see her perform such songs as the Fugees’ “Ready or Not” and “How Many Mics,” however the best moments came when versions of “To Zion” and “Fu-Gee-La” spun into a pageant for friends and family members. Highlights included Hill calling all her children to the stage as well as Chris Rock, Jay-Z and a very pregnant Alicia Keys.

Best in Show: A Tribe Called Quest and Wu-Tang Clan (tied). Call me biased, but how can you top New York City’s two legendary hip-hop groups playing their classic albums? You can’t, and that is why the Queens and Staten Island natives drew the largest and most devoted crowds at the festival. Q-Tip and Method Man played frontman to their respective group’s sets, both coming out into the crowd for their go-for-broke performances. Personally, I give the slight edge to A Tribe Called Quest solely for Busta Rhymes’ ground-shaking cameo during “Scenario.” However, the late ODB’s son Boy Jones’ flawless impersonation of his father during Wu-Tang Clan’s set is a very close second. —Jared Levy

Photos courtesy of Jennifer Macchiarelli | www.jennylow.com

Photos courtesy of Greg Notch | photography.notch.org/music

Photos courtesy of Jennifer Macchiarelli | www.jennylow.com