Friday May 7
Location: Midtown West, NYC
Band: Sones de Mexico Ensemble
Show time: 10 PM
Venue: Carnegie Hall
Food: Gordon Ramsey at the London
Drink: Social
Miscellaneous: Tuck Shop
Celebrating the legacy of Mexico, Sones de Mexico Ensemble make Spanish music for children and their parents. On their new album Fiesta Mexiicana: Mexican Songs & Stories for Niños & Niñas and their Papás & Mamás they explore Mexican folk songs and Mexican folklore. Everyone’s favorite celebrity chef, who most are likely afraid of, Gordon Ramsey serves a three-course French menu with international flare at Gordon Ramsey at the London. Make reservations early and wear a jacket, as the place only has 45 seats. If you’ve seen his shows, I’m sure you know that you don’t want to piss off this chef! Social, a three floor bar and lounge is big enough to never get bored in and is a great place in that area of town to drink and, well you know the rest! For something different, check out Tuck Shop. This small Australian eatery serves individual sized meat pies wrapped in pastry you have to try if you’re in the hood.
Friday May 7
Location: Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Band: Starscream
Show time: 8 PM
Venue: Glasslands Gallery
Food: Wild Ginger Pan-Asian Vegan Café
Drink: Teddy’s Bar & Grill
Miscellaneous: Verb Café
If you’ve never heard of Starscream, they are named after that Decepticon and employ Game Boy beats along with drums to make some cerebral chiptunes that take videogames to another level. For vegetarians and those not in the mood for meat, Wild Ginger Pan-Asian Vegan Café offers Pan-Asian cuisine in a relaxed earth-toned environment with a menu featuring veggies, tofu, seitan, and soy. The best thing about Teddy’s Bar & Grill is that it’s just got this great neighborhood vibe that’s warm and friendly, while also having a great menu of drinks and American bar food favorites like burgers, salads, sandwiches, and steak. A great place to get good coffee, take a seat, and watch the passing hipsters stroll by, Verb Café even has excellent sandwiches and baked goods to snack on before the show.
Saturday May 8
Location: Midtown West, NYC
Band: Infected Mushroom Get Tickets Here
Show time: 8 PM
Venue: Roseland Ballroom
Food GoGo Curry
Drink Stitch
Miscellaneous Leisure Time Bowl
Electronic rock act Infected Mushroom has quite a few albums under their belt and on their latest, Legend of the Black Shwarma, the band melds rock and dance floor beats along with guest spots by Korn’s Jonathan Davis and Jane’s Addiction frontman Perry Farrell. Joining them are West Coast DJ and producer Kaskade, who makes dance music that’s shaking up crowds. The owner of Go!Go! Curry is obsessed with the Yankees Hideki Matsui and his Jersey (55). The menu’s theme is baseball and katsu, a fried meat, chicken, or shrimp cutlet served in a curry sauce is the specialty here. Portion sizes are Walk (small), Single (Med.), Double (L), and Triple (XL) and are inexpensive. The mascot, a gorilla for some reason, is plastered everywhere, making this place even quirkier. In the heart of the garment district, Stitch, a cozy after-work bar/lounge, stocks a cocktail menu with a design theme. If you still have energy and are in the mood to bowl, check out Leisure Time Bowl. Located in the Port Authority, this place is stylish and fun.
Saturday May 8
Location: Midtown East, NYC
Bands: STEIM (Studio of Electro-Instrumental Music)
Show time: 8 PM
Venue: Japan Society
Food: Peking Duck House
Drink: Blackstones Pub & Restaurant
Miscellaneous: New York Milkshake Company
Featuring renowned artists associated with the Amsterdam-based electronic sound and music laboratory STEIM (Studio of Electro-Instrumental Music), performers assembled by STEIM’s Artistic Director, Takuro Mizuta Lippit (a.k.a. dj sniff) for this show include a lineup of groundbreaking international artists from STEIM’s roster including: Yutaka Makino (Japan/Germany), ABATTOIR (U.S./Netherlands), Digital media composer Yannis Kyriakides (Netherlands) and guitarist Andy Moor (U.K./ Netherlands). At one of my favorite places to get duck, The Peking Duck House, the meat is succulent and the skin crunches like a potato chip. Sometimes you just want to grab a pint without paying a cover charge or playing host to a group of people after work, which is why I like Blackstones Pub & Restaurant. It looks like an old-time saloon and has two pool tables in the back and plenty of other games, while also being big enough to grab traditional American food from the menu. If you’re still hungry, check out the New York Milkshake Company for one of the best $6 shakes of your life.
Sunday May 9
Location: Lower East Side, NYC
Bands: Ikue Mori
Show time: 8 & 10 PM
Venue: The Stone
Food: Supper
Drink: Barramundi
Miscellaneous: Kudos
Ikue Mori was the drummer in the seminal no-wave band DNA and has been collaborating with downtown avant-garde sax legend John Zorn for years as well as doing her own collaborations and solo projects. Here, she will perform solo using her laptop and electronics at 8 PM and return at 10 PM with drummer Susie Ibarra and pianist Sylvie Courvoisier from her Mephista trio to rock out proper. A favorite restaurant of mine, Supper has a dimly lit, all-wood interior giving it a rustic vibe. They even have what looks like a bar overlooking the chefs cooking for you to watch. The Italian menu offers some fantastic food too. Though it might sound like it has to do with Buddhism, Barramundi is actually an Australian owned bar that has infused vodkas, sangria, and a laundry list of mixed drinks like the Champagne Cocktail made with sugar and bitters with Courvoisier, topped with bubbly. If coffee and a snack is your thing, Kudos is an inexpensive place to get baked goods, a cup of coffee and chill before the show.
