Friday June 25
Location: Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Band: Fiery Furnaces Get Tickets Here
Show time: 8 PM
Venue: Brooklyn Bowl
Food: Blue Ribbon
Drink: Brooklyn Bowl
Miscellaneous: Bowling at Brooklyn Bowl
The Fiery Furnaces return with their eighth album I’m Going Away and expect to hear plenty of new experiemental indie rock goodness at their show. Joining them John Mulaney and WOOM. Brooklyn Bowl is a self contained playland for adults that you don’t even have to leave, so your night is wrapped up in one venue. For dinner, check out Blue Ribbon, part of the highly rated eateries in the city, you’ll find southern fare including fried chicken and BBQ, some crazy shakes & floats, and more. For drinks, just walk about 20 feet to the bar where they offer nine draft beers from Brooklyn. Finally, and most obvious, there’s 16 lanes of bowling. While the wait is generally long, where else can you throw a strike and see a great band at the same time?
Friday June 25
Location: Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Band: Silversun Pickups Get Tickets Here
Show time: 8 PM
Venue: Williamsburg Waterfront
Food: SEA
Drink: Zablozki’s
Miscellaneous: Verb Cafe
Indie rock darlings the Silversun Pickups play an outdoor show at The Williamsburg Waterfront and their recent album, last year’s Swoon sees them developing quite nicely into music’s big thing. Just as much fun as any show and just as big a venue, SEA is one BIG Thai restaurant. Big enough to have a pool surrounded by tables as a giant Buddha stands above it. Luckily, the food is really great. Offering traditional Pad Thai ($7) to more involved dishes like the Mummy Fish ($14). On N6th, a street full of bars and restaurants, Zablozki’s is the local bar of the bunch, with a pool table and a friendly atmosphere and 12 beers on tap. One of the oldest and best hipster hangout coffee shops, The Verb Cafe offers up excellent coffee and baked goods, a boho vibe, and big windows to watch the days pass while collecting unemployment!
Saturday June 26
Location: Lower East Side, NYC
Bands: Shilpa Ray & Her Happy Hookers
Show time: 8 PM
Venue: Pianos
Food: Paladar
Drink: Libation
Miscellaneous: Bereket
Shilpa Ray, a husky voiced little cherub playing her harmonium, is one powerhouse of a singer and backed by Her Happy Hookers, they add the pop sensibilities to her music that makes the band one of the most engaging musical and most talked about acts in NYC. Will somebody sign this band already? Joining them are the Makebelieves & Hot Cha Cha. One of the best Pan-Latin restaurants in the city, Paladar, helmed by Chef Aarón Sanchez, creates eclectic dishes that tickle your palate like the Salmon con Parcha, a seared salmon with black squid rice and spicy passion fruit glaze ($17). Very swanky for Ludlow Street, Libation is a three-floor bar and nightclub beautifully designed with mostly warm brown and gold colors. Though the drinks are pricey, it’s worth trying this place, at least once. One of my favorite late night places for eats, Bereket has some of the best falafels on the L.E.S. and is one of the funniest places to eat after 2 a.m., because everyone there is just as drunk as you are.
Saturday June 26
Location: Greenpoint, Brooklyn
Band: High Places
Show time: 6 PM
Venue: Newton Bridge Park: Metro PCS Stage
Food: Wasabi
Drink: Black Rabbit
Miscellaneous: The Pencil Factory
As part of the Northside Festival, electro-indie rockers from Los Angeles, High Places perform. Joining them are the incredible Liars and Fucked Up. There’s a lot of restaurants popping up in Greenpoint nowadays. The Japanese restaurant Wasabi has been there before many of them and serves up some of the best sushi in that hood. Probably one of the nicest editions of bars to Greenpoint, Black Rabbit is my fave. Who can resist dark wood interior, cozy booths, and an excellent selection of beers? With a fireplace in the back and a small menu of snack foods, it’s the place to unwind. Another good bar nearby is The Pencil Factory. With an all wood décor, big windows, and an excellent selection of beers on tap, you’ll find neighborhood artists and musicians making conversation here.
Sunday June 27
Location: Lower East Side, NYC
Bands: Rookie of the Year
Show time: 4-11 PM
Venue: The Bowery Electric
Food: The Stanton Social
Drink: The Magician
Miscellaneous: The Pink Pony
Check out indie/acoustic rock outfit Rookie of the Year who not only write some beautiful songs but have a new album out The Most Beautiful. Also on the bill are School Boy Humor, Kids of Survival, The After Party, Weatherstar, & Easy Tiger. For dinner, The Stanton Social has earned a reputation for being a beautifully designed restaurant/lounge while serving up some delicious multi-ethnic cuisine. For drinks, a favorite of mine is The Magician, this bar’s chill atmosphere just may be the cure for a well-earned night of rocking. A great way to end the night? Stop by The Pink Pony. This boho café has been serving French food and coffee since the 80s and has a relaxing vibe. It’s as punk as that neighborhood gets nowadays.
