Back From Hiatus, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Photo Credit: Steve Gullick

Location: Midtown West, NYC
Event: 2008 Plug Awards with Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds + St. Vincent + Dizzee Rascal + José González
Venue: Terminal 5
Food: Eatery
Drink: Valhalla
Miscellaneous: Central Park

Terminal 5 hosts the 2008 Plug Awards for indie-music and though this is not the best venue to see shows, it’s hard to pass this up as comedian Patton Oswald hosts and performers include Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, St. Vincent, Dizzee Rascal, and Jose Gonzalez. Nearby and delicious, Eatery offers a new American menu that’s asian influenced. Try the Red Curry Chicken Breast over roti pancake, with baby carrots and red curry coconut sauce ($16.95). Valhalla’s minimalist space is chill, letting the 24 brands of beer from all over the world on tap be the main attraction at this bar. While its warm out, waste a little time walking through Central Park, relax, and get out of the hustle and bustle of the city. Just watch your step. The working horses tend to leave surprises behind them!

Michael Jackson
Thriller (25th Anniversary album)
Epic/Legacy





Michael Jackson is a man of extremes – sensationally bad press (child molestation charges, anyone?), undeniable weirdness (think Neverland Ranch), and his self-proclaimed title, the “King of Pop.” It’s obvious his talent has been eclipsed by his turmoiled personal life. Let’s try for just a minute to forget all the lawsuits, financial pandemonium and countless rumors that have enveloped Jacko’s career for the last two decades. Despite his personal downfall, hits like “Billie Jean,” “Beat It,” and title track “Thriller” are still considered classic. Epic/Legacy’s 25th Anniversary Thriller release consists of the classic album Thriller, with extras including remixes by will.i.am, Akon, and Fergie. Unless you’re really into crappy remixes, skip those tracks and pop in the DVD, which includes music videos for “Billie Jean,” “Beat It,” and of course, “Thriller.” Let’s not forget that a man with such a penchant for glitter, moon walking, and that rhinestone-studded glove can’t be all bad.
--Patricia Scull




The Whigs
Mission Control
ATO





Mission Control is like the sack of candy you carried each Halloween as a kid. Sure, it held treasures, chocolate bars, and sweet, colorful candies, but it also contained junk that tasted bad and stuck to your teeth. Of course, you ate every bit of it. You'll tolerate Mission Control's lows, because when the songs are good, they’re very good. The title track shows enormous self-restraint, and it features a melancholy and beautifully grotesque melody. The bridge reveals a bright, capable horn section, and the song ends simply as it began, on a lonely, beachy guitar riff. But some songs are very boring. “Already Young” is cacophonous, featuring uninteresting melodies and lackluster instrumentation. On “Need You Need You,” Parker Gispert growls over his loud, inelegant guitar, sounding almost Dave Grohl-ish, but lacking Grohl's heart and lungs. The sound fits Gispert like a hipster's thrift-store herringbone suit—not well at all.
--Gregory Hyman

Song and Dance Man Jonathan Richman

Location: Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Bands: Jonathan Richman + Vic Chestnutt
Venue: The Music Hall of Williamsburg
Food: Wild Ginger Pan-Asian Vegan Café
Drink: Teddy’s Bar & Grill
Miscellaneous: Verb Café

Ex-Modern Lovers front man and one of the most amazing singer/songwriters to rise out of the ashes of the original punk scene, Jonathan Richman stops by Williamsburg to perform, along with opening act Vic Chestnutt. 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.

by: Amy Wagner



Canadian singer/songwriter Basia Bulat scored the opening slot at St. Vincent's Bowery Ballroom gig and she made the most of it! Specializing in the kind of joyful tunes that make you want to romp through enchanted forests at twilight, the spunky young singer took turns switching back and forth between an auto harp and a guitar. Bulat's songs definitely fall into the folk category but there's nothing fey or shy and retreating about her performance. She has a husky full-bodied voice and a rousingly energetic stage presence that is nothing short of radiant. Though she only played a short set, Bulat did a great job of picking the best songs from her solid debut disc Oh, My Darling (Rough Trade). "In the Night" with it's joie de vivre and the more thoughtful "The Pilgriming Vine" were note perfect while "I Was A Daughter" had the audience clapping along. Here's a video of Basia Bulat singing "In the Night."

The Beastie Boys Take it Back to the Old School . . . Hopefully!

Location: Midtown West, NYC
Band: The Beastie Boys
Venue: Terminal 5
Food: Whistlin’ Dixie’s Texas Tavern
Drink: Druids
Miscellaneous: Ruby et Violette

Though the Beastie Boys have revisited playing instrumental on their recent album “The Mix Up,” expect them to throw down some old-school rhymes too at Terminal 5. With different drink specials for every day of the week and a Tex-mex menu, you’re almost guaranteed a good time at Whistlin’ Dixie’s Texas Tavern. The atmosphere here is fun and the food and drink aren’t expensive. With a beautiful backyard patio for dining and a menu featuring American and Irish faves like sirloin burgers ($8) and Guinness Beef Tenderloin Stew ($19), Druids is a great neighborhood bar in a less than great neighborhood. Specializing in cookies, Ruby et Violette makes some amazing and inventive kinds like the traditional chocolate chunk and toffee with vanilla chunks.

Sabon
93 Spring Street
(btwn Broadway and Mercer Street)
New York, NY 10012
Tel: (212) 925-0742

Like a singing ice cream shop or a one eyed, clairvoyant witch, Sabon has their thing that sets them apart from the competition. Sabon is a suds shop on Spring Street that sells all natural, animal free, handmade products from Israel (yeah, don’t pretend like you knew it from the name of the place). They slice up delicious smelling soap loaves and sell it to you by the morsel. You can get a 3.5 oz piece for about $6.00. With choices like Jasmine, Clove, Lemon Grass Olive Oil or Dulce de Leche, body salts, body creams, room sprays and candles, you’ll want to bring your competitive, long distance, sniffing skills. Also, you might want to bring dirty, unwashed, stinking hands because they will be washed, scrubbed and moisturized in public bathing ritual after which your hands will be vibrating from the power of the Dead Sea. That’s their thing.

--Sheehan McGuirk

Dyno-mite! Wham City Brings Jurassic Park to the Stage.

Location: Bushwick, Brooklyn
Event: Wham City Presents: Jurassic Park, The Play
Venue: Market Hotel
Food: The Northeast Kingdom
Drink: Life Café Nine 83
Miscellaneous: Stain

Baltimore comedy troupe Wham City brings the funny to the Market Hotel as they reinterpret the Michael Crichton movie Jurassic Park on stage. Expect lot’s of dinosaurs made of paper-mache. For food in this neighborhood, Northeast Kingdom is where you want to go. With a seasonal menu of American cuisine with a culinary twist, like the Beef Bourguignon with herbed dumplings ($17), this place offers a relaxing atmosphere for an artist heavy crowd. For drinks, check out Life Café. 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.