Friday August 13
Location: DUMBO, Brooklyn
Event: GUMBO
Show time: 10 PM
Venue: Galapagos
Food: RICE
Drink: Low Bar
Miscellaneous: Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory
Celebrating their first anniversary, GUMBO, (Gay.DUMBO.Party), Real World: Brooklyn’s Scott Herman will bartend for a cause, plus there will be guest DJs and giveaways. RICE not surprisingly offers a pretty intense variety of rice, from brown to Bhutanese red. Most of the rice based dishes come in large and small sizes. Right below RICE is Low Bar, an extremely convenient place to grab a drink and catch some great DJs spin in a lounge environment. Right off the water, with a view of the South Street Seaport and the Brooklyn Bridge so close you can touch it, the only thing that could make this view better is ice cream. You’ll usually find a long line for Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory, but the sweet flavors are worth it!
Friday August 13
Location: Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Bands: Sunny and the Sunsets
Show time: 8 PM
Venue: NY Cinders Gallery
Food: The Lodge
Drink: Hope Lounge
Miscellaneous: The City Reliquary
San Francisco’s Sunny and the Sunsets make sweet beach pop and have a new album coming out in Tomorrow is Alright. Joining them are Beach Fossils. For dinner, The Lodge, with décor reminiscent of a log cabin and a menu coming from the same forest, serves comfort food in a warm and inviting setting. For drinks, Hope Lounge is a great stop. Exposed brick and earth tones mingle and the outdoor patio is big. The drink list is deep with beers from all over the world and tonight, expect a DJ to spin classic party jams. You may or may not have noticed The City Reliquary, a small storefront museum that shows artifacts of NYC, including a flashlight collection, but this place is definitely interesting to check out.
Saturday August 14
Location: Lower East Side, NYC
Band: Psychic Ills
Show time: 8 PM
Venue: Cake Shop
Food: Social
Drink: 151
Miscellaneous: Bereket
Brooklyn electronic act Psychic Ills make instrumental compositions heavy on visuals that are both stunning and lush. Joining them are CAVE and Prince Rama. Where to go afterwards? Go straight to the bar, and that bar would be 151, where happy hour is 7 days a week from 6pm till 10pm and includes 2 for 1 drinks. For those that don’t want a liquid dinner first, check Social for comfort food including the Mac and Cheese (Macaroni covered in Three Cheese Truffled Mornay Sauce and topped w/Seasoned Bread Crumbs). For a late night eat, a favorite spot of mine is Bereket for falafels and to watch drunks succeed at spilling their food all over themselves and failing at picking up chicks. Not for the faint of heart!
Saturday August 14
Location: Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Bands: Nite Jewel
Show time: 8 PM
Venue: Glasslands Gallery
Food: Wild Ginger Pan-Asian Vegan Café
Drink: Teddy’s Bar & Grill
Miscellaneous: Verb Café
Nite Jewel make indie-pop with a retro 80s synth feel and some great vocals. Joining them are The Samps, Blood Orange, and ARP. 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.
Sunday August 15
Location: Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Bands: !!!
Show time: 2 PM
Venue: East River State Park
Food: Relish
Drink: Radegast Hall & Biergarten
Miscellaneous: Zebulon
A pretty interesting lineup to say the least as electro-indie rockers !!! play this outdoor show with the likes of one of the best soul legends around, Lee Fields. Also on board are two great acts in Strange Boys and Future Islands. Though Relish looks like a 50s diner, this restaurant offers up some gourmet treats for dinner. With influences from all over the globe, Relish features diner classics like burgers and onion rings, and step it up with the likes of Blackened Yellow Fin Tuna ($21). Williamsburg’s first beer garden, Radegast Hall & Biergarten, has a beautiful all-wood interior, an enclosed outdoor backyard, and 12 German/Austrian beers on tap and more than 30 bottles. Another great bar in the area, Zebulon offers free live jazz and afrobeat. The drinks here are inexpensive, and I’ve never seen a bad show here.
