Friday October 22
Location: Lower East Side, NYC
Art: Alternative Press’s 25th Anniversary Art Show
Show time: noon to 6pm each day; Through October 23
Venue: Sloane Fine Art
Food: San Loco
Drink: Max Fish
Miscellaneous: Sugar Sweet Sunshine
One of Alt Rocks best magazines celebrates 25 years at Alternative Press’s 25th Anniversary Art Show with works on display by Adam Jones (Tool), Andy “The Butcher†Mrotek (The Academy Is…), Anthony Green (Circa Survive), Black Francis (Pixies), Camille Rose Garcia, Colin Frangicetto (Circa Survive), Derek Hess, Gerard Way (My Chemical Romance), and many more artists in bands. Let’s face it, San Loco does not serve the greatest Mexican food ever. But it certainly isn’t bad. The prices are inexpensive, you can get a heaping amount of nachos for as little as $3.75, and telling by the heavy traffic, the place is doing just fine. What I like about Max Fish is that it’s a local bar for local artists. It’s walls play host monthly for art exhibitions, there’s a pool table in the back, and drinks aren’t pricey, like many new bars springing up in this neighborhood. For one of the best cupcakes in the city, Sugar Sweet Sunshine has 10 varieties, on top of cakes. Try the Sexy Red Velvet or the Bob, a yellow cupcake with chocolate almond buttercream.
Friday October 22
Location: East Village, NYC
Bands: CMJ: Brahms + Bear Hands Get Tickets Here
Show time: 7 PM
Venue: Bowery Electric
Food: Oyama
Drink: Grassroots Tavern
Miscellaneous: Mudd Cafe
It’s CMJ and there are TONS of shows happening everywhere but you should definitely check out Brahms who make really catchy dance rock. Live they are fun and really get their crowds moving. Joining them are Bear Hands who make 60s influenced indie dance rock that’s both melodic and fun, which always makes for a good live show. With sushi that’s 50 percent off all the time, you might think, “Something’s wrong with that?†but the fish is good and the rolls are inventive, making Oyama one of the best low-priced sushi joints in the city. Though St. Marks all of a sudden lost its charm, Grassroots Tavern hasn’t. This large dive bar has cheap drinks, darts in the back, and old men behind the bar, things a good dive bar should have. Excellent coffee served in a big mug and a healthy menu of food coupled with a year round enclosed outdoor backyard patio make Mudd Cafe a great little coffee shop in the area.
Saturday October 23
Location: Lower East Side, NYC
Bands: CMJ: Neon Indian
Show time: 5 PM
Venue: Bowery Ballroom
Food: The Stanton Social
Drink: The Magician
Miscellaneous: The Pink Pony
One of the pioneers of the recently termed genre “Chillwave,†Neon Indian heads up this CMJ showcase that includes DOM, Wild Nothing, Lower Dens, Lia Ices, Fake Problems, Lord Huron, The Static Jacks, and more. 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.
Saturday October 23
Location: Lower East Side, NYC
Bands: CMJ: The Windish Showcase
Show time: 12 PM
Venue: Arlene’s Grocery
Food: Three of Cups
Drink: Whiskey Ward
Miscellaneous: Sugar Sweet Sunshine
Looks like CMJ is upon us and with tons of shows featuring all the best up-and-coming bands in music right now, it will be difficult to catch everything. The Windish Showcase offers a great lineup of musical acts and features Light Pollution, Lower Dens, Kisses, Young Empires, Everything Everything, and Shilpa Ray. What I like about Three of Cups the most is that the food is classic Italian fare like Pizza made in a wood-fired oven, risotto, pasta, while also offering more exciting dishes like lamb stew in a barolo wine reduction, served with potato gnocchi. The atmosphere is relaxing, bordering on romantic. With a name like Whiskey Ward, it’s expected that they deliver the goods, which lucky for this bar, they do. Whether it’s Scotch, Bourbon, Whiskey, or Single Malts, they got em’ along with a pool table and a damn good jukebox. Who doesn’t like cupcakes? Sugar Sweet Sunshine has one of the best in the city. With 10 different kinds, it’s hard to beat.
Sunday October 24
Location: Prospect Park, Brooklyn
Art: Seductive Subversion: Women Pop Artists, 1958–1968
Show time: See website for schedule; Through January 9, 2011
Venue: Brooklyn Museum
Food: Chiles & Chocolate Oaxacan Kitchen
Drink: The Gate
Miscellaneous: Brooklyn Superhero Supply Co.
The exhibition Seductive Subversion: Women Pop Artists, 1958–1968 focuses on the role women have played in breaking through in the male dominated field of pop art. More than 50 works will be shown from female artists including Chryssa, Niki de Saint Phalle, Rosalyn Drexler, Marisol, Yayoi Kusama, Jann Haworth, Vija Celmins, Lee Lozano, Marjorie Strider, Idelle Weber, and Joyce Wieland, among others. Ever have Oaxacan food? Chiles & Chocolate Oaxacan Kitchen serves up some fantastic, not exactly Mexican food. Try the smoky flavored Mole Negro, one of the best mole sauces I’ve had in NYC. Before leaving, you must try one of the hot chocolates like the Chiles Y Chocolate. A hint of chipotle without too much heat is a nice kick start for the night. The Gate is a great Park Slope bar with excellent beers on tap and a outdoor courtyard to chill. If time permits, you must, and I mean MUST go to the Brooklyn Superhero Supply Co., a non-profit organization that helps kids with their writing, that’s fronted by a store selling super powers.
Sunday October 24
Location: Bushwick, Brooklyn
Bands: CMJ: The Twees
Show time: 6:30 PM
Venue: McKibbon Lofts
Food: Potion Café
Drink: Life Café Nine 83
Miscellaneous: Stain
The Musebox, Modern Mystery Blog, and Weakend Warriors presents Post CMJ Party at the Musicberg of Williamshall in the McKibbin Lofts (248 McKibbin St, Brooklyn). $3 and cheap beer. Doors at 6:30 pm. Bands Include- The Twees, Reckless Sons, The Static Jacks, Etta Place, SHAPES, Wyldlife, and The Lines. For food in this neighborhood, Potion Café offers organically grown and traded food that’s part of the “slow food†movement and make delicious and creative food like the poached eggs in white wine sauce. For drinks, check out Life Café Nine 83. While it’s THE same Life Café that the RENT musical features in the play, it’s not the same location. This new Bushwick locale also possesses a boho vibe, an Americanized menu of ethnic food, and a fun selection of mixed drinks including martini’s and lemonade cocktails. A HUGE space decked out in old couches, Stain is an artsy bar that looks like an old-school coffeehouse yet serves local wines and beers.
