Don't miss Midnight Juggernauts play (Le) Poisson Rouge Saturday

Friday September 12

Location: Tribeca, NYC
Bands: Fender 50th Anniversary Jazzmaster Concert with Tom Verlaine + Nels Cline + Thurston Moore + Lee Ranaldo + J Mascis
Show time: 7 PM
Venue: Knitting Factory
Food: Pakistani Tea house
Drink: Walker’s
Miscellaneous: J&R

Some really inventive and amazing guitarists get together to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Fender’s Jazzmaster guitar. This show features the legendary likes of Television’s Tom Verlaine, Wilco’s Nels Cline, Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo and Dinosaur Jr.’s J Mascis. A gathering like this may never happen again. For eats, the Pakistani Tea house is a great little discreet Indian restaurant serving five to six different types of Indian food that is way cheaper than this show. For a drink, try Walker’s. This local hang serves up inexpensive drinks and makes a great burger. Being in the financial district, there’s not a lot going on in Tribeca, but thank god for J&R. With music, electronics, and computer stores all in one area, you chances of getting bored are slim.

Friday September 12

Location: Midtown West, NYC
Bands: Goldfrapp + Martha Wainwright
Show time: 8 PM
Venue: Radio City Music Hall
Food: Empanada Mama
Drink: Circus
Miscellaneous: Vintage

Who can resist the siren songs of the two lovely and very talented ladies who are Goldfrapp and Martha Wainwright? I can’t and I’m sure many won’t either when they play tonight at Radio City Music Hall. Though small, Empanada Mama packs a hefty punch with more than 40 kinds of empanadas. Choose from a wheat or corn flour shell to start as ingredients include basic rice and beans to what they have dubbed “Viagra,” a wheat flour empanada stuffed with shrimp, scallop, and crab ($3). Appropriately, at Circus, you’ll get free hot dogs, peanuts, and popcorn without the animals, screaming babies, and clowns at this Rudy’s Bar spin-off that has beer just as cheap and a neighborhood feel. If cheap beer ain’t your thing, Vintage has a wine list with over 200 wines by the glass or bottle from most of the boutique wineries in Long Island and Upstate New York.

Saturday September 13

Location: West Village, NYC
Bands: Fashion Rocks with Midnight Juggernauts + Grandmaster Flash
Show time: 11 PM
Venue: (Le) Poisson Rouge
Food: Tortilla Flats
Drink: White Horse Tavern
Accessory: Magnolia Bakery

An underlooked electronic rock band with an album full of songs that will make you dance now and then get stuck in your head later, Midnight Juggernauts are also great live. When they’re playing with a legend like Grandmaster Flash, Australian rockers Bumblebeez and DJs Spencer Product and Alex English, it’s a win win situation. For dinner, check out Tortilla Flats. The food is Mexican and delicious, but it’s the insanity within (bingo and hula-hoop nights) that is the real calling for this place. For drinks afterwards, hit the White Horse Tavern, a great bar and the old haunting grounds for Dylan Thomas. If you somehow have time before all of this, stop by Magnolia Bakery for some of the best tasting cupcakes in the city.

Saturday September 13

Location: Gramercy, NYC
Band: Fashion Rocks with Lez Zeppelin + In Flight Radio
Show time: 8 PM
Venue: Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza
Food: Kelley & Ping Gramercy
Drink: Rodeo Bar
Miscellaneous: City Bakery

Tribute bands are a dime a dozen, but what makes Lez Zeppelin stand out from the rest is not just the fact that they’re all ladies playing music of the rock gods but that they play it damn well and put on a kickass show too. Joining them are In Flight Radio, a great band combining elements of folk and rock. For dinner, Kelley & Ping offers a taste of the food stalls from all over Asia including noodles, curries, and of course street food like pad Thai. The food is delish! Though honky-tonk doesn’t spell R-O-C-K, the Rodeo Bar offers both. With the bar itself being an old horse trailer and the bartender offering up 10 kinds of margarita's, this place is white trash awesome! For some of the best bakery goods and hot chocolate in the city, indulge in City Bakery’s delectable morsels. Expect to pay for every delicious cent of em’ cause they ain’t cheap, but they’re worth it!

Sunday September 14

Location: Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Bands: Apollo Sunshine
Show time: 6 PM FREE
Venue: Sound Fix
Food: Wild Ginger Pan-Asian Vegan Café
Drink: Teddy’s Bar & Grill
Miscellaneous: Verb Café

A great band on the rise with their new album Shall Noise Upon out now, Apollo Sunshine play a FREE show at Soundfix, a record store that doubles as a bar and live venue giving plenty of established bands the opportunity to perform acoustic sets right in front of their biggest fans. For vegetarians and those not in the mood for meat, Wild Ginger 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 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.