Smashbox has a cool product that’s especially handy when temperatures rise to ungodly numbers. Anti-Shine powder gel formula kills the oil slick that seems to surface on your t-zone, usually during an important interview, a hot date with Chip or 14 hour summer weddings. For the ultimate effect, apply Anti-Shine after moisturizing, then Smashbox Primer (what professionals swear by to virtually eliminate “imperfections”) then dab on a little Sheer Focus Tinted Moisturizer with SPF 15 and you’re ready for Chip’s smooth moves over a shared milkshake at The Peach Pit.

For more summertime saviors check out the live online classes where experienced Completely Bare technicians give you the 411 on waxing, here, there and everywhere at their first At-Home Waxing Webinar. Go to Completely Bare and click on Ask Cindy. Imagine, bikini line bruises and 2nd degree upper lip burns, a memory of summer’s past?

--Sheehan McGuirk

A Little Peak at the Exhibit at Museum of Sex

Location: Gramercy, NYC
Art: Action: Sex and the Moving Image
Show time: Sunday - Friday: 11:00 AM to 6:30 PM, Saturday: 11:00 AM to 8:00 PM
Venue: Museum of Sex
Food: Masala Bollywood
Drink: Rodeo Bar
Miscellaneous: Organique

Let’s face it, sex is everywhere. In film. In art. On television, and of course on the internet. Action: Sex and the Moving Image examines the history of sex in
Media, the Internet, and its help in creating the porn industry, on top of being a major influence in almost everything we do. If you love Bollywood films then you probably like Indian food, and Masala Bollywood have combined the two. With giant Indian film still on the walls, and colorful dishes like the Don Fish Tikka Masala (grilled fish tikka masala garnished with garlic and creamy tomato onion sauce ($8)), the menu is surprisingly $10 and under. More white trash than urban cowboy, the Rodeo Bar offers live music, Tex-Mex food, and daily Happy Hour specials like margaritas for $5 and draft beers for $3. For the health conscious, Organique offers organic food including soups, coffee, omelets, burgers, and sandwiches.

Crooklyn Dodgers 2008. Buckshot, Masta Ace & Special Ed Come Back to their Roots

Friday June 27

Location: Park Slope, Brooklyn
Bands: Delta Spirit + AA Bondy + Two Dark Birds
Show time: 8:00 PM
Venue: Union Hall
Food: Press 195
Drink: Union Hall
Miscellaneous: O’Connor’s

This show boasts an excellent lineup of similarly influenced artists in Delta Spirit who make a mix of rock and soul with an interesting mix of instruments, while AA Bondy’s solo act is pure folk, and Two Dark Birds round out the bill of this all Americana influenced show. The theme at Press 195 is pressed comfort food. A sandwich shop with quite the menu, they offer 30 types of delicious sandwiches like the turkey and fontina cheese sandwich with a cranberry and roasted pear chutney on ciabatta ($7.75). While Union Hall looks like a cabin at a ski resort with a fireplace, stone walls, comfy couches, and inexpensive drinks, you may want to stick around rather than barhop. A low-key bar in this hood, O’Connor’s is a hole in the wall where you can grab a cheap drink and watch the game on their TV, just like your grandpa sitting next to you!

Friday June 27

Location: Financial District, NYC
Band: A Place to Bury Strangers + King Khan and the Shrines
Show time: 7:00 PM FREE
Venue: South Street Seaport, Pier 17
Food: Ear Inn
Drink: Village Lantern
Miscellaneous: Jacques Torres

Noise rock act, A Place to Bury Strangers may get you dancing and their wall of sound will have no boundaries at the South Street Seaport. Joining them are psychedelic funk act King Khan and the Shrines. Did I mention that it’s FREE? One of my favorite places for food, Ear Inn is a 200-year-old bar with a small menu featuring burgers, sandwiches, and a chalkboard with specials including Jerk Chicken that’s under $10. With $3 pints Monday thru Friday 12pm to 7pm along with comedy and music performances, the Village Lantern is a great bar to chill at after work, especially now that it’s finally getting warm outside. Watch some of the best chocolate in the world made right in front of your eyes or browse through the store and sample for yourself the fruits of this master chocolatier’s labor.

Saturday June 28

Location: Park Slope, Brooklyn
Bands: The Black Angels + The Warlocks
Show time: 8:00 PM
Venue: Southpaw
Food: Press 195
Drink: The Gate
Miscellaneous: The Chocolate Room

Straight out of Austin, Texas, The Black Angels keep droning fashionable, being heavily influenced by the Velvet Underground and bringing it with fury. Also with them are L.A.’s The Warlocks, bringing their psychedelic fused rock, making this show a possible must see! Taking the pressed sandwich to the gourmet level, Press 195 offers 30 kinds of hot pressed sandwiches that make this place hard to get tired of. One of the more social bars in Park Slope, The Gate is a great bar with a wide selection of local beers on tap and an outdoor patio overlooking the park. A great little dessert and coffee shop, The Chocolate Room has a menu filled with everything made with some form of chocolate. Try the hot chocolate, you won’t regret it.

Saturday June 28

Location: Park Slope, Brooklyn
Bands: Crooklyn Dodgers Reunion with O.C., Jeru the Damaja, Chubb Rock and EMC + Masta Ace + DJ Premier + Ali Shaheed Muhammad + Buckshot + Special Ed
Show time: 7:00 PM
Venue: Celebrate Brooklyn at the Prospect Park Bandshell
Food: Los Pollitos II
Drink: Pacific Standard
Accessory: Gorilla Coffee

The pioneers of Lyricists Lounge and the MC’s who created the tracks Crooklyn Dodgers and The Return of the Crooklyn Dodgers from Spike Lee’s movies Crooklyn and Clockers come together for this memorable occasion, back in Brooklyn. This should no doubt be amazing! While Mexican restaurants may be everywhere, one that stands out, in that hood, is Los Pollitos II. What makes me come back for more are the Chilaquiles for brunch and the gorditas for dinner. The guacamole is damn good too. Did you say you like beer? I like beer! Hooray for puppies! At Pacific Standard, the front bar has 16 beers on tap and the back room looks like a high school library. I think this is my new favorite bar. Don’t forget to ask about the frequent drinker card program! I’m totally serious. If you like your coffee black, Gorilla Coffee specializes in deep roasted flavors and provides it through fair-trade.

Sunday June 29

Location: Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Bands: JellyNYC Pool Parties with The Hold Steady + The Loved Ones + J Roddy Walston and the Business
Show time: 2:00 PM FREE
Venue: McCarren Park Pool
Food: Chimu
Drink: Union Pool
Miscellaneous: Eks

Brooklyn based indie-rockers, The Hold Steady will release their fourth album, Stay Positive this July, so expect some new material from this much-loved band. Joining them are The Loved Ones and J Roddy Walston and the Business. With so much good food in Williamsburg, you should not forget about Chimu. A Peruvian steakhouse right next to Union Pool, the rotisserie chicken and every other dish I’ve had here is amazing, and it won’t break the bank! For drinks, Union Pool is still one of the best bars in town. If you’re single, it’s a goldmine for ass, the drinks aren’t pricey, and the DJs play an eclectic mix of ridiculously good music. Not exactly Pinkberry, yet just as expensive, Eks is Williamsburg’s answer to the yogurt fad currently popping up.

Unhooked: How Young Women Pursue Sex, Delay Love and Lose at Both
Laura Sessions Stepp
Riverhead





Taking as her focus group young women between the ages of 14 and 22, Laura Sessions Stepp explores the relatively recent culture of “hooking up” in Unhooked. Using a case study model, augmented by her own theories and those of “experts” and “Science,” Stepp retells the sexual experiences of several mostly white, upper middle-class women at Northeast schools and extrapolates a whole lot of assumptions about how all American women learn about and pursue their own sexual desires.

While the landscape of gender, sex, and power is rapidly changing for women growing up in a post-feminist 21st century and certainly deserves scholarly attention, Stepp’s analysis is never nuanced or encompassing enough to offer a compelling argument. Ultimately, she suggests a reversion to traditionally defined gender roles as the only thing capable of restoring the balance of power between the sexes. More worthwhile would have been suggestions for the possibility of what gender, and the role sex plays in that construction, can be.

--Miranda Ganzer

Location: Midtown West, NYC
Theater: In the Heights
Show time: 8:00 PM [See venue website for more dates, times, and prices.]
Venue: Richard Rogers Theatre
Food: Supermac
Drink: Stout
Miscellaneous: Jack’s 99 Cent Store

In the Heights, the new musical set in Washington Heights successfully brings the musical worlds of hip hop and Latin rhythms together in an amazing Broadway performance. Recently, it just won six Tony award’s including Best Musical. Though small, Supermac packs a hearty punch with it’s gourmet mac & cheese’s like the Mac Cheesesteak with shaved steak, caramelized onions, roasted peppers, cremini/shitake, provolone, and white American ($8.25 mini; $10.95 mega). A great place in NYC to get a full-bodied dark beer is at Stout. With a very detailed beer list with descriptions, I’ve never had a bad pint at this bar and restaurant, plus the food menu is American and quite good. Probably the biggest 99-cent store in NYC, Jack’s is three floors of some of the finest values you can find, especially in an overpriced area like Herald Square.

Various Artists
The Love Guru (Soundtrack)
Lakeshore Records





If you're like me, you've seen the trailer for the feature film, The Love Guru about 50 times and you still don't know what the hell it's about. Usually, the way to suss out the meaning of any movie is through it's music, but oh lord, this is one soundtrack that I have to throw my hands up at. It's not enough that the film's star Mike Myers sings on six tracks, but when those tracks include covers of Dolly Parton's "9 to 5" and the Steve Miller Band classic "The Joker" (complete with Meyer's doing his "Love Guru" accent) well, let's just say the kitsch factor is overwhelming. Also thrown into the mess are Celine Dion's cover of Cyndi Lauper's "I Drove All Night" and the 1980's Robbie Nevil tune "C'est La Vie" but at least they didn't get personally mangled by Myers.

--Amy Wagner





Nada Surf
Lucky
Barsuk





Nada Surf's latest, Lucky, released in the U.S. this past February via the Barsuk label, presents a radio-friendly air of calm for all to hear. Within those lyrics lies as much realism as the upward gaze at the night’s sky that the cover of the album has. My personal favorite track is "Beautiful Beat," a song that floats along, building its layers, before fading away. It puts me in such a good mood.

Though it was released last February in the U.S., I find this album matches the weather we're now experiencing (the good summer days, I mean), such as the song "From Now On." Lucky is such a cohesive album that it is over before you know it...just like the summer.

--Christine Thelen

Location: Midtown West, NYC
Bands: Dethklok + Chimaira + Soilent Green
Show time: 8:00 PM
Venue: Nokia Theatre Times Square
Food: Island Burgers and Shakes
Drink: Smith’s Bar
Miscellaneous: Colony Music

Dethklok, the death metal band that rule the world in the Cartoon Network show Metalocalypse is one of the funniest and most wrong cartoons on TV, and live, one can easily assume, they will be earsplitting. Playing with them are Chimaira and Soilent Green. For a kickass burger or chicken sandwich, Island Burgers and Shakes specializes in making great burgers like the Bourbon Street Burger that’s blackened, with bacon, Jack, bayou mayo, and onion on sourdough. One cheap bar in midtown, Smith’s is a dive bar with cheap booze, friendly locals, and live music daily in the next room. Though the place is way expensive, Colony Music is a fun music store that sells albums and sheet music. You can walk around and check out the entertainment memorabilia. Whether you’re looking for an autographed guitar signed by the Rolling Stones or an autographed 8x10 of Linda Carter, they’ve got it.

Radiohead
Best of
Capitol





It's not hard to cash in on the last greatest band in the world, and after Radiohead's surreptitious departure from Capitol Records, for its experiments in the Internet age - the label was bound to try.

The greatest hits catalogue comes in three very different packages. With the first, a single-disc collection, Capitol succeeded in repackaging some of the band's biggest hits into a record that lacks cohesion or much care for the artist's catalogue.

The individual tracks are incomparable, Selections from The Bends and OK Computer show how Radiohead pushed the limits of music in the late 90's and for a listener looking for a first taste of what made Radiohead great, the record opens the door.

However, it's the double-disc and record set, which includes more material from Kid A and Amnesiac that truly shows the full breadth and ambition of the band.

--Jonathan Shieber




Plants and Animals
Parc Avenue
Secret City Records





Montreal trio Plants and Animals play whimsical folk rock songs with titles like "Faerie Dance" and "Feedback in the Field." So it's not surprising that there's a pastoral slant to their musical musings. Lead singer Warren C. Spider has a reedy timbre to his voice that gives the band's airy tunes an immediate and authentic quality. It serves them well on joyous woodland romps like "Bye Bye Bye" and an exquisitely hushed song called "Early in the Morning." But if there's one song that brings all of the group's best elements into play, it has to be the chillingly lonesome "Sea Shanty" - a perfect hymn to the mysteries of the deep. The album finishes with an eastern flavored jam called "Guru" that closes things out on a high-spirited note.

Take a listen to Plants and Animals song Faerie Dance

--Amy Wagner

Rasputin by Otto Muehl

Location: Soho, NYC
Art: Otto Muehl: Temple Destroyer
Show time: Tue–Thu 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM . Thru June 28
Venue: Maccarone
Food: Ear Inn
Drink: Naked Lunch
Miscellaneous: Jacques Torres

One of the Austria’s avant-garde “Vienna Actionist” artists of the 1960s, Otto Muehl is primarily known for his photographs and movies in which he tries to show the political importance of the body. In this exhibition, Muehl’s work does not attack the individual art but the entire art system. For dinner, show some respect and go to the Ear Inn. This restaurant and bar is housed in a 200 year old building that strangely enough was built for James Brown, not the godfather of soul, but the aide to George Washington. The food here is better than your standard bar food but the atmosphere makes the place. Named after William S. Burroughs novel, Naked Lunch is a cool and comfortable bar where local artists usually gather. No shooting up though! If you like chocolate, stop in at Jacques Torres for some of the sweetest morsels of chocolate in NYC or anywhere else.

Just Like Anything Else, True Beauty Starts With Great Foundation



Purminerals
4-in-1 Pressed Mineral Makeup Foundation With SPF 15

Did you know that Egyptian commanders painted their nails and curled their hair before war? Historians claim their battle cry was, “Heey girl!” Our girl Cleopatra used Mother Nature to enhance her natural beauty; red ochre, kohl and lead ore were just a few of her divine secrets. Lately, there’s been a rebirth of ancient makeup practices. Purminerals is one of the companies doing mineral makeup well, so that you can have your makeup without the harsh, potentially damaging and allergenic chemicals. Their hot product is called 4-in-1 and is a foundation, concealor, SPF 15, and powder in a compact, along with a mirror and applicator sponge in one. It feels lighter on your face and appears more natural, because, well, it is...even in the harsh light off the Nile.

--Sheehan McGuirk

Location: Upper West Side, NYC
Event: Book signing and Reading for Callas Kissed Me...Lenny Too! By John Gruen
Show time: 7:00 PM
Venue: Barnes & Noble
Food: Josie’s
Drink: Candle Bar
Miscellaneous: Emack & Bolio’s

In author John Gruen’s memoir Callas Kissed Me…Lenny Too! he tells of his beginnings including his marriage to painter Jane Wilson and their life together in NYC. Gruen worked as a composer, photographer, and journalist, while Wilson developed as a distinguished painter. They were pretty well connected to many greats in the arts, which are always fun stories to hear. Josie’s offers dishes like Warm Macadamia-Crusted Natural Chicken Breast Dinner Salad ($17.75), several tofu and seitan specialty dishes and the Freshly Ground Char-Grilled Brandt Natural Beef Cheeseburger ($15.75), so everyone here will walk away happy. Comfortable and dimly lit, the Candle Bar has a pool table in the back and drink specials daily. For some of the best and most interesting ice cream in the city, Emack & Bolio’s offers eclectic flavors like Deep Purple Cow (Black Raspberry ice cream with white and dark chocolate chips and blueberries).

The Blue Method
Crash Mansion
June 13, 2008




After sitting through two terrible, hipster, indie-rock bands at Crash Mansion, I thought to myself, "The Blue Method better be as good as I remember them." Luckily for us, they were better. Their bass and guitar lines were funkier, lead singer Brian Williams was fatter, his voice was more soulful, and their drums rocked even harder.

The Blue Method is a five-piece funk band out of Philadelphia that has a sound like a 10-piece ensemble. They opened with a couple tracks from their latest album, followed them up with a James Brown cover, and then played the funkiest version of Van Morrison's "Caravan" I've ever heard by far. Vocalist Brian Williams is a big man with an even bigger voice whose energy and passion accentuates the band's infectious on stage attitude.

Their live show featured a soulful mix of covers and original tracks off their two studio albums Kill the Music Vol. 1 and 2. With an incredibly tight sound, they will make you dance all night.

--Marc Amigone

It Doesn't Matter How Old Blondie Get. They'll Always Be This Hot

Friday June 20

Location: Greenpoint, Brooklyn
Band: Daniel Johnston
Show time: 8:00 PM
Venue: Warsaw at the Polish National Home
Food: La Locanda
Drink: Enid’s
Miscellaneous: Royal Oak

Bipolar and autistic, Daniel Johnston is also a brilliant singer/songwriter and performer who combines music and art to create childlike songs inspired by comic books, love, and religion that have inspired many songwriters like David Bowie and the Flaming Lips. One of the last vestige’s of real Brooklyn in this hipster neighborhood, La Locanda serves simple Italian dishes like Chicken Parmigiana and pasta, but don’t be fooled, the food here is excellent, affordable and the vibe is homey. A good place to drink and talk nearby, Enid’s has cheap beer, a friendly atmosphere, and even food. Another good place for drinks if you feel like bar-hopping, Royal Oak offers a dark and sexy vibe, where excellent DJs play old-school R&B and 80s metal all mixed up like Britney Spears!

Friday June 20

Location: Upper East Side, NYC
Band: Wordless Music at the Whitney with Prefuse 73 + American Contemporary Music Ensemble (ACME)
Show time: 7:00 PM
Venue: Whitney Museum of American Art
Food: Jackson Hole
Drink: Metropolitan Museum of Art Balcony Bar and Roof Garden
Miscellaneous: Café Sabarsky

Prefuse 73’s cut-and-paste method of putting beats together is as original and faraway from hip-hop as classical music, which, though are in no way comparable in style, should make for an interesting evening of music with the American Contemporary Music Ensemble (ACME). If you like your burgers big, Jackson Hole is where you want to bring your appetite. Home of the 7oz. burger, you can get a beef, turkey, or the veggie kind prepared in a number of ways. Try the Eastside, a bacon cheeseburger topped with ham, mushrooms, tomato and fried onions ($12.50). For drinks on top of the world, the Metropolitan Museum of Art Balcony Bar and Roof Garden has an amazing view of the city and some delicious cocktails. Located in the Museum of German and Austrian Art, Café Sabarsky offers a menu of traditional Austrian delights like strudel and linzertorte while it’s design is straight out of Europe’s 1920’s.

Saturday June 21

Location: East Village, NYC
Band: Dan Maxwell & His Band
Show time: 8:00 PM
Venue: Rehab
Food: Oyama
Drink: Grassroots Tavern
Miscellaneous: Mudd Cafe

Rock band with a country twang, Dan Maxwell & His Band stop by Rehab to perform. With a new EP available on iTunes and a new full-length album not too far behind, this looks like a fun show to check out. 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 this 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 this place a great little coffee shop in the area.

Saturday 21

Location: East Village, NYC
Band: Richard Cheese and Lounge Against the Machine + Linnzi Zaorski
Show time: 7:00 PM
Venue: Webster Hall
Food: Momofuku
Drink: The Village Pourhouse
Miscellaneous: Sundaes and Cones

The first time I heard Richard Cheese and Lounge Against the Machine, he was covering Nirvana’s “Rape Me” and doing it swing style. At first it was uncomfortable and slightly funny, and then became downright infectious. That in a nutshell is what you can expect at his live show. Joining the Cheese is torch singer Linnzi Zaorski. If you like ramen noodles and pork, then Momofuku is your spot for food. The Berkshire pork is the best I’ve had and it’s the only place I’ll eat pork period, which should tell you just how good Momofuku really is! What looks like a neighborhood bar to watch sports actually has three more rooms, where you can order food or find a quiet place to smooch! For dessert a little left of the dial, Sundaes & Cones offers eclectic flavors like wasabi and corn and many more flavors that are familiar.

Sunday June 22

Location: Midtown West, NYC
Band: Blondie + Miss Derringer
Show time: 6:00 PM
Venue: Nokia Theatre Times Square
Food: Island Burgers and Shakes
Drink: Smith’s Bar
Miscellaneous: Colony Music

Being the 30th anniversary of their hit album Parallel Lines, everybody’s favorite New York rock band, Blondie, play Webster Hall. Also on board for this show is LA based rockers Miss Derringer who had Blondie drummer Clem Burke play on their new album. For a kickass burger or chicken sandwich, Island Burgers and Shakes specializes in making great burgers like the Bourbon Street Burger that’s blackened, with bacon, Jack, bayou mayo, and onion on sourdough. One cheap bar in midtown, Smith’s is a dive bar with cheap booze, friendly locals, and live music daily in the next room. Though the place is way expensive, Colony Music is a fun music store that sells albums and sheet music. You can walk around and check out the entertainment memorabilia. Whether you’re looking for an autographed guitar signed by the Rolling Stones or an autographed 8x10 of Linda Carter, they’ve got it.

The Storm
Ivor Van Heerden and Mike Bryan
Penguin




Hurricane Katrina is undoubtedly the most haunting humanitarian crisis the United States has faced in recent years. The aftermath of the untimely FEMA response along with improperly built canals and ignored warnings is covered from a different perspective in the Penguin book, The Storm, by Ivor Van Heerden and Mike Bryan. Heerden is a climatologist who runs the Louisiana State Hurricane Center. Heerden discusses the warnings FEMA had prior to Hurricane Katrina from him and many other scientists. He impeccably addresses the incompetence of the bureaucrats, and politicians, which made the disaster even worse. For the first time, someone talks about who messed up Hurricane Katrina and what should have been done instead.

Overall, the book was an interesting read filled with a firsthand account of the devastation faced by the citizens of New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

--Corey Crossfield

Location: Downtown Brooklyn
Band: BAM Rhythm & Blues Festival with The Skatalites
Show time: Noon
Venue: BAM at MetroTech Commons
Food: Junior’s
Drink: O’Connor’s
Miscellaneous: Thomas Beisl

One of the originators of ska, The Skatalites helped define the genre during the 1960s, and to this day still perform. For music fans, it doesn’t get any better than seeing this band, who are the roots of Jamaican and many other genres of music, play live. Known more for its cheesecake than anything else on its menu, Junior’s also offers fantastic diner and deli style eats from steak burgers to deli sandwiches. If you can make it through dinner, the cheesecake will be worth the wait! One of Brooklyn’s most interesting dive bars, O’Connor’s offers cheap drinks in a place where Park Slope hipsters meet old-time drinkers, making for one of the oddest pairings that works. An excellent place to get schnitzel and goulash and other Austrian delights, Thomas Beisl is right across the street from BAM.

Various Artists
My Blueberry Nights (Soundtrack)
Blue Note





The soundtrack for Wong Kar Wai's film My Blueberry Nights features an eclectic collection of musicians - everyone from Ry Cooder to Cat Power contributes. Singer/songwriter Norah Jones, who stars in the film, also lands on the album with a smokey jazzed up song called "The Story." Cooder adds to the desolate dangerous feel of the soundtrack with a trio of songs, the best of which "Ely Nevada," could score plenty of stories in it's 2:33 running time. There's a good amount of heartbreak thrown around in the movie, and no song captures the lovelorn melancholy nature of the film better than Cassandra Wilson's cover of Neil Young's "Harvest Moon." Even more scaled back than the original, Wilson embodies every note and lyric with world-weary loss. Hello Stranger also score points for adding a lighter touch to the disc via their pretty yet winsome track called "Devil's Moon.”

--Amy Wagner




Tristan Prettyman
Hello…X
Virgin Records






"If someone were to say to me, 'Tell me about yourself,' I would just hand them a copy of Hello…X and say, 'Here, this is everything you need to know.'" Those are the words Tristan Prettyman uses to describe her second full-length album, Hello…X, from Virgin Records, a twelve track storybook collection of thoughts, musings, and portraits that are enticing and edgy.

Prettyman has a sexy, smoky, bluesy alto voice that glides perfectly over the musical backdrop of steel-pedal guitar, Rhodes, bass, and drums throughout her album. She's got a signature style of blues/folk/pop. Her voice is deep but lively, feminine, and sexy. Put simply, Prettyman has character. She plays the type of music that has depth if you care to listen, rhythm if you care to dance, and soul if you care to feel. Hello…X explores Prettyman's love of country-blues and folk from the '60s and '70s, artists like The Band, Joni Mitchell, and Bob Dylan. "There's something really pure and uncontrived about what they do," she says. "I really connect with that simplicity."

----Marc Gabriel Amigone

Wildbirds & Peacedrums

Location: Park Slope, Brooklyn
Bands: Wildbirds & Peacedrums + Jacob Golden + The Battle Of Land and Sea
Show time: 7:30 PM
Venue: Union Hall
Food: Press 195
Drink: The Gate
Miscellaneous: The Chocolate Room

Swedish husband and wife duo, Mariam Wallentin and Andreas Werliin who are Wildbirds & Peacedrums, play their offbeat improv-sounding vocal/drum workouts in support of their new album Heartcore. Others on the bill include noteworthy bands Jacob Golden and The Battle Of Land and Sea. Taking the pressed sandwich to the gourmet level, Press 195 offers 30 kinds of hot pressed sandwiches that make this place hard to get tired of. One of the more social bars in Park Slope, The Gate is a great bar with a wide selection of local beers on tap and an outdoor patio overlooking the park. A great little dessert and coffee shop, The Chocolate Room has a menu filled with everything made with some form of chocolate. Try the hot chocolate, you won’t regret it.

MURS Looking Dapper During His Set, Dog in Tow

Paid Dues Independent Hip-Hop Festival
The Nokia Theatre
June 4, 2008



Blackalicious, GZA, KRS-One, and Rakim were officially crossed off my list of hip-hop artists I want to see live before I die at the Third Annual Paid Dues Independent Hip-Hop Festival. With the legendary lineup of Rakim, GZA, Blackalicious, Murs & 9th Wonder, Buckshot (Boot Camp Clik), Supernatural and Scratch, Kidz in the Hall and Yak Ballz, it's no surprise the event sold out.

The Kidz in the Hall started the night off and got the crowd warmed up. Then Scratch came out with a loop machine and showcased his human beatbox skills. Supernatural joined him onstage and the concert officially began. Buckshot followed and the packed house started going wild. Smith and Wesson came out with him and kicked things up a notch, but then, the dj dropped "The Bridge is Over" and the teacher himself, KRS-One, walked out on stage and started rapping. The place went totally nuts.

Murs, the festival organizer, came after and did a set with 9th Wonder which was followed by an awesome set by Blackalicious. Gift of Gab showcased his skills as a killer mc, freestyling a mile-a-minute and energizing the crowd.

GZA followed Blackalicious and absolutely killed it. The highlight of his set was a four-minute long freestyle about Ol' Dirty Bastard before the dj dropped "I Like It Raw."

Kid Capri came out to start Rakim's set, which closed out the show. Rakim played all the classics from Paid in Full and Follow the Leader. The crowd sang all his lyrics word-for-word. There was a special moment when Rakim told the crowd he had a death in his family only a couple days prior and had the theater turn all the lights off and the crowd hold up their lighters and cell phones for a moment of silence, dedicated to everyone's lost loved ones. Kid Kapri broke the silence perfectly when he dropped "Check Out My Melody." Without question, it was the best hip-hop show I've ever been to.

--Marc Amigone

You Don’t Mess With Barbara Walters!

Location: Upper East Side, NYC
Who: Barbara Walters
Show time: 8:00 PM
Venue: 92nd Street Y
Food: Brother Jimmy’s Bait Shack
Drink: Cavatappo Wine Bar
Miscellaneous: Ship of Fools

Legendary news journalist and View host, Barbara Walters has a pretty damn revealing memoir out called Audition which has been getting praise and criticism for her honesty and opinions on her past experiences and people she’s worked with. But we like hearing the dirt, and she spills plenty! Now that it’s getting warmer out, what better way to celebrate than with some BBQ. Jimmy’s Bait Shack is known for their BBQ’d meats, smoked in house. The menu is all Southern favorites like po boys, catfish, fried chicken, along with burgers. Though it’s small, Cavatappo Wine Bar packs a mighty punch, offering an amazing selection of wines from all over the world for under $10 a glass. With more than 40 TVs featuring sports, Ship of Fools also has darts, pool tables, and video games.

Facial Fuel Anti-Wrinkle Cream
Kiehl’s



Kiehl’s has been around long before the dawn of the metro sexual. In 1851, it was formulated for men whose faces were thickened and stained by coal, various manures, scratched by horse and mule hair, and pocked by burning embers from lunch. Their faces told stories, stories that even back then, nobody wanted to read! Ye olde timey men wanted to feel purdy too! Kiehl’s Facial Fuel Anti-Wrinkle Cream isn’t greasy and easily absorbs to combat wrinkles and environmental stresses of the modern man. Made with chestnut extract, soy and vitamins, it hydrates while making skin feel denser and strengthened. Open the jar and the minty coolness tempts you to submerge your snout and never come up for air. While you’re down there you may hear the distant voices of your forefathers reminding you to exfoliate.

--Sheehan McGuirk

Làszlò Moholy–Nagy. Yellow Circle 1921. Oil on canvas. Gift of The Riklis Collection of McCrory Corporation © 2008 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/VG Bild–Kunst, Bonn

Location: Midtown West, NYC
Art: Geometry of Motion 1920s/1970s
Show time: Sat to Mon and Wed and Thurs 10:30 AM to 5:30 PM, Tuesday closed, Fri 10:30 AM to 8:00 PM thru July 28.
Venue: Museum of Modern Art
Food: Supermac
Drink: Stout
Miscellaneous: Jack’s 99 Cent Store

This show compares the unconventional optical techniques that the “New Vision” generation of artists used in the 1920s (László Moholy-Nagy, Hans Richter, and Marcel Duchamp) and those same techniques that were used and improved on by artists of the 1970s (Gordon Matta-Clark, Robert Smithson, and Anthony McCall). Though small, Supermac packs a hearty punch with it’s gourmet mac & cheese’s like the Mac Cheesesteak with shaved steak, caramelized onions, roasted peppers, cremini/shitake, provolone, and white American ($8.25 mini; $10.95 mega). A great place in NYC to get a full-bodied dark beer is at Stout. With a very detailed beer list with descriptions, I’ve never had a bad pint at this bar and restaurant, plus the food menu is American and quite good. Probably the biggest 99-cent store in NYC, Jack’s is three floors of some of the finest values you can find, especially in an overpriced area like Herald Square.

You Don't Have to be a Loser to see The Loser's Lounge. Illustration by Mott

Friday June 13

Location: Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Band: Friday the 13th Zombie Party with Pterodactyl + Fiasco + Puttin’ on the Ritz + Bat Attack
Show time: 8:00 PM
Venue: Death By Audio
Food: Dumont Burger
Drink: Radegast Hall & Biergarten
Miscellaneous: Verb Cafe

It’s Friday 13th, a day made famous by a hockey mask wearing psycho wielding a machete. (Don’t quote me on that!) At this show, dress up as a zombie and get in for the reduced admission of $2 and see Pteredactyl, Fiasco, Bat Attack, Puttin’ on the Ritz, and more. 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. 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 offers up excellent coffee and baked goods, a boho vibe, and big windows to watch the days pass while collecting unemployment!

Friday June 13

Location: Lower East Side, NYC
Bands: Bang Camaro + The Giraffes + Demander
Show time: 8:00 PM
Venue: Bowery Ballroom
Food: Sammy’s Roumanian Steak House
Drink: Sweet & Vicious
Miscellaneous: Pravda

With at least six band members and a choir of 10 to 15 lead singers, Bang Camaro is not your typical 80s inspired hard rocking metal band. Joining them are local favorites The Giraffes, whose live show is always explosive and Demander, a female led rock trio with great songs. At Sammy’s Roumanian Steakhouse, expect an atmosphere involving some sort of scene, dancing, and plenty of vodka. The eastern European menu comes down to steaks and chops, and Jewish delicacies like Kasha Varniskes and Kreplach. One of the hipper bars in Nolita, Sweet & Vicious has an all-wood interior featuring big round circular fixtures with lights that make Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire” come to mind, and the prices won’t burn a hole in your wallet! Want a $12 martini that’s worth more? Pravda has an extensive selection of Russian vodkas, and who knows vodka better than the Russians?

Saturday June 14

Location: East Village, NYC
Band: The Loser’s Lounge Tribute to the Kinks
Show time: 7:00 PM and 9:30 PM
Venue: Joe’s Pub
Food: Oyama
Drink: Grassroots Tavern
Miscellaneous: Mudd Cafe

One of the top tribute bands in the city, The Loser’s Lounge pays respect to one of the greatest garage rock bands and songwriters in music history, The Kinks. Look out for special guest singers. 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 this 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 this place a great little coffee shop in the area.

Saturday and Sunday June 14 & 15

Location: Lower East Side, NYC
Band: Mission of Burma
Show time: 8:00 PM
Venue: Bowery Ballroom
Food: San Loco
Drink: Max Fish
Miscellaneous: Sugar Sweet Sunshine

Wow, on Saturday Mission of Burma are playing their complete first EP from 1981, Signals, Calls, and Marches from front to back and on Sunday they will play their complete first album, 1982s VS. For fans of the Boston band, this is one of those things that may never happen again. At San Loco, the Mexican food is 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.

The Birthday Party: A Memoir of Survival
Stanley N. Alpert
Putnam




Having survived a kidnapping, Stanley Alpert wrote a book as a catharsis for what was a difficult and damaging experience. Unfortunately, he may have also written it because he thought it would be an impressive piece of writing. The Birthday Party is readable, mostly interesting, and the author’s memory of events and survival are impressive. However, it reads like a piece done by an amateur writer who desperately wants to impress the reader. It is an incident pushed into a book for 306 pages, told in an earnest though unsuccessful attempt at presenting detail without much of an understanding of craft.

It is a somewhat shocking story, whose fangs are pulled by flat storytelling, and an ending given away in the very beginning of the book. One day, a Hollywood trained screenwriter may be able to mine this for suspenseful film that will do the experience justice.

--Gidalya

Location: Park Slope, Brooklyn
Band: Venue: Isaac Hayes
Show time: 8:00 PM
Venue: Celebrate Brooklyn at the Prospect Park Bandshell
Food: Press 195
Drink: The Gate
Miscellaneous: The Chocolate Room

Opening Celebrate Brooklyn’s 30th summer season of outdoor concerts in Prospect Park is Shaft himself, Isaac Hayes. With his distinctive voice that oozes soul, expect a kickass show from this soul legend and icon. Taking the pressed sandwich to the gourmet level, Press 195 offers 30 kinds of hot pressed sandwiches that make this place hard to get tired of. One of the more social bars in Park Slope, The Gate is a great bar with a wide selection of local beers on tap and an outdoor patio overlooking the park. A great little dessert and coffee shop, The Chocolate Room has a menu filled with everything made with some form of chocolate. Try the hot chocolate, you won’t regret it.

Nomo
Ghost Rock
Ubiquity Records






Do you like music that's unique, music that takes elements of music you love and transforms it into something totally different and amazing? If your answers to those questions are yes, then you need to check out Nomo's new album Ghost Rock.

Nomo is a jazz fusion band out of Ann Arbor, Michigan. While they have a sound reminiscent of Afrobeat, they're simply too unique to classify. They have an aggressively dynamic horn section that cuts hard horn lines over an even nastier rhythm section.

Ghost Rock, the band's second release with Ubiquity Records, accentuates an other-worldly electronic vibe that brings in an entirely new element to their already incomparable sound. Nomo will simultaneously make you dance and expand your mind. If you haven't heard their first full-length album, Nu Tones, go out and buy it today to tide you over until Ghost Rock comes out on June 17th.

--Marc Amigone





Ladytron
Velocifero
Nettwerk





Remember how you thought Ladytron was good? You were right. This is dirty, champagne drinking, I’d go to the club, but I’m too cool for that music. If you were a really good DJ, and a robot took over your brain, this is music you would make. Dirty synths and drum machines doing a theatrical Gary Glitter thing. They loop over and over till you’re back where you started and aren’t sure how you got there. Prozac vocals lay on top of all this with the nonchalance of a model from Antonioni’s Blowup. You get the idea. So stop reading this review and go buy the CD. Then put on a very small dress (guys too), buy an 8 ball, and get home 3 days later.

--Gidalya

Location: Upper West Side, NYC
Band: Robert Plant and Alison Krauss with T Bone Burnett
Show time: 8:00 PM
Venue: Beacon Theatre
Food: Josie’s
Drink: Candle Bar
Miscellaneous: Emack & Bolio’s

At first, the thought of legendary Led Zep frontman Robert Plant collaborating with bluegrass singer Alison Krauss sounds like an odd pairing, but after hearing their album Raising Sand, it’s clear that these two will probably put on one of the more memorable shows this year. Dairy free, organic, and free-range are things that come up often on the menu at Josie’s, that include several tofu and seitan specialty dishes and the Freshly Ground Char-Grilled Brandt Natural Beef Cheeseburger ($15.75), so everyone here will walk away happy. Comfortable and dimly lit, the Candle Bar has a pool table in the back and drink specials daily. For some of the best and most interesting ice cream in the city, Emack & Bolio’s offers some eclectic flavors like Deep Purple Cow (Black Raspberry ice cream with white and dark chocolate chips and blueberries). This place thakes their ice cream serious.

Radiohead
Radiohead: The Best of (DVD)
Capitol Records





Capitol is going all out to celebrate the best of Radiohead - even if the band isn't exactly on board with their plans. Regardless, there are no fewer than five different planned "best of" configurations, one of which is a DVD featuring 21 videos from the adventurous rockers. Radiohead always put the same amount of energy and focus into creating their videos as they did their songs so it's not surprising that they attracted major talent in the filmmaking field. Noted directors who had a hand at making a video or two include Michel Gondry and Sophie Muller. Casual fans of the band will be happy to see the more popular favorites like "Karma Police" and "Just," but what really makes this collection are the inclusion of experimental pieces that were created for songs that did not get an official "single" release and nine videos making their DVD debut.

--Amy Wagner