Friday February 4

Location: Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Band: Tapes ’n Tapes Get Tickets Here
Show time: 8 PM
Venue: Music Hall of Williamsburg
Food: Dumont Burger
Drink: Radegast Hall & Biergarten
Miscellaneous: Verb Cafe

Minneapolis indie rockers Tapes ’n Tapes have a new record out in Outside which continues to show their growth in writing great songs that take chances both in lyrics and musicianship. With one of the best burgers in Williamsburg, Dumont Burger offers theirs with gourmet toppings, sandwiches, salads, and their amazing mac & cheese. So you consider yourself a beer connoisseur and like to party. You can do all that and eat at Radegast Hall & Biergarten. The Austrian/German menu perfectly compliments the 12 beers on tap and more than 30 German and Austrian bottles at this large beer hall. 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!

Friday February 4

Location: Chelsea, NYC
Bands: Linkin Park Get Tickets Here
Show time: 8 PM
Venue: Madison Square Garden
Food GoGo Curry
Drink Stitch
Miscellaneous Leisure Time Bowl

Nu-metal/Rap metal act Linkin Park have adapted since and thankfully surpassed the genre that has since seen the demise of most acts that started it. Their newest album A Thousand Suns sees the band solidify themselves as a true 21st century rock band. The owner of GoGo 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 February 5

Location: Lower East Side, NYC
Bands: The Giraffes Get Tickets Here
Show time: 8 PM
Venue: Mercury Lounge
Food: Three of Cups
Drink: Whiskey Ward
Miscellaneous: Sugar Sweet Sunshine

This is a special show for longtime NYC sex metal band The Giraffes as frontman Aaron Lazar recently announced that this would be his last show with the band due to being burnt out. Fear not as The Giraffes will go on as they look for a new person to front the band. Joining them are Moon Rabbits and Midnight Show. 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.

Saturday February 5

Location: Tribeca, NYC
Bands: Joseph Arthur
Show time: 8:30 PM
Venue: City Winery
Food: Pakistan Tea House
Drink: Mocca Lounge
Miscellaneous: Chinatown Ice Cream Factory

Hailing from Akron, Ohio, Joseph Arthur is a folky singer/songwriter who has written some compelling music and on top of that is a pretty well-known painter and designer who does the art for his own albums. Joining him is Jesse Malin which makes this a fantastic show featuring two great singer/songwriters in their own right. Holland. Nearby, Pakistan Tea House is a buffet style Indian restaurant where you can choose between chicken, meat, fish and vegetables. It’s affordable and very good. For drinks, check out Mocca Lounge. With a funky interior and a menu of Italian inspired fare, it’s also a bar with a large list of coffees with or without alcohol, beers, and frozen shots. Smack dab in the heart of Chinatown, the Chinatown Ice Cream Factory makes gourmet ice cream flavors like Black Sesame, Ginger, Durian, and more exotic flavors like Taro and Wasabi. Don’t worry, they have the go-to’s like Vanilla, fruits, and chocolate flavors too.

Sunday February 6

George Condo, The Insane Queen, 2006. Oil on canvas, 20 x 16 in (50.8 x 40.6 cm). Collection Per Skarstedt. © George Condo 2010

Location: SoHo, NYC
Event: George Condo: Mental States
Show time: See website for schedule; Through May 8
Venue: New Museum
Food: Nha Trang
Drink: Naked Lunch
Miscellaneous: La Esquina

George Condo first burst onto the art scene in the early 1980s with a provocative style and a unique adaptation of the language of Old Master painting that saw him create one of the most imaginative bodies of work in contemporary art. The exhibition George Condo: Mental States features works spanning the artists career with over 80 paintings and sculptures on two floors. One of the best affordable Vietnamese restaurants in the city, Nha Trang is right near the downtown courthouse, making it a high volume place. Despite that, the food is great and the Pho (rice noodle soup) dishes are $5 and under. Named after William S. Burroughs novel, Naked Lunch is a cool and comfortable bar where local artists usually gather. No shooting up though! One of the best taqueria’s in the city, the Mexican food at La Esquina is authentic and to die for. While tacos will set you back $3, plates are in the $6 to $7.25 range.