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.

Get Personal with St. Vincent. Photo Credit: Tod Seelie


Friday Feb 29

Location: Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Bands: Dean & Britta + Keren Ann
Venue: Warsaw
Food: SEA
Drink: Zablozki’s
Miscellaneous: Hugs

Former members of Luna, Dean & Britta together create 60s sounding pop music that is beautiful, intimate, and playful. On their latest album Back Numbers, expect more of the same. Just as much fun as any show and just as big a venue, SEA is one BIG Thai restaurant. Big enough to have a pool surrounded by tables as a giant Buddha stands above it. Luckily, the food is really great. Offering traditional Pad Thai ($7) to more involved dishes like the Mummy Fish ($14). On N6th, a street full of bars and restaurants, Zablozki’s is the local bar of the bunch, with a pool table and a friendly atmosphere and 12 beers on tap. What looks like some dark basement with tables and some couches, Hugs will end up being a dance party with an awkward blend of music genres that you will grow to love quickly.

Friday Feb 29

Location: Lower East Side, NYC
Bands: St. Vincent + Foreign Born + Basia Bulat
Venue: Bowery Ballroom
Food: Chickie Pig’s
Drink: Mason Dixon
Miscellaneous: 151

Since her solo album “Marry Me, St. Vincent A.K.A Annie Clark, has proven herself a great singer/songwriter as well as being able to help the Polyphonic Spree and Sufjan Stevens shine as side guitarist. Also playing are Foreign Born and Basia Bulat, a Canadian singer/songwriter making waves in music as of late. What sounds like a vegetarian’s nightmare is actually a gourmet pizza restaurant. Chickie Pig’s offers some interesting brick oven thin-crust pies like The Pig’s Fig Pie with fig jam reduction, gorgonzola, proscuitto, and chives ($15). If you have the urge to ride a bull when you order a pint, then you’re in luck! Mason Dixon offers both. Seriously, you can drink and ride a friggin’ mechanical bull here! For a good time or if your goal is to get trashed, hit up 151. There’s no sign outside but know that happy hour is 2 for 1 everyday from 6-10pm.

Saturday March 1

Location: Bushwick, Brooklyn
Event: Perfect from Now On Book Release Party with Times New Viking + Matthew Friedberger + Doug Gillard + Textbook Committee
Venue: Don Pedro's Restaurant
Food: DuMont
Drink: Bushwick Country Club
Miscellaneous: Huckleberry Bar

Rock critic John Sellers celebrates his newly published memoir, Perfect From Now On: How Indie Rock Saved My Life with this release party. Joining him are Times New Viking, Matthew Friedberger (Fiery Furnaces), Doug Gillard (Guided By Voices), and the Guided By Voices cover band, Text Book Committee. This is an indie-rock fan’s wet dream! For dinner, DuMont boasts a revolving menu of new American cuisine, one thing that is constant is the fabulous Dumac & Cheese, made with cheddar, gruyere, parmesan, bacon, and radiatore. One of my favorite Brooklyn bars, Bushwick Country Club has a photo booth in the back, white trash mini-golf in the backyard, cheese doodles to snack on at the bar and cheap booze. Nearby, the newly opened Huckleberry Bar is way upscale for this neighborhood but has the charm of a local hang. Beautifully designed, it offers a great selection of alcoholic beverages.

Saturday March 1

Location: East Village, NYC
Bands: Roky Erickson and the Explosives + Thurston Moore and the New Wave Bandits
Venue: Webster Hall
Food: Hip Hop Chow
Drink: Decibel
Miscellaneous: Sundaes & Cones

Roky Erickson knows psychedelic music having been part of the 13th Floor Elevators and now with the Explosives. Thurston Moore is another musician who takes the spirit of psych and improv, and churns out audio landscapes. This show should be interesting. One place that takes two awesome things and makes them work is Hip Hop Chow. Serving Chinese and soul food, the fried chicken and waffles are fantastic, while the mac & cheese, with it’s hint of cinnamon, will karate kick your taste buds. For drinks that are not beer nor mixed, Decibel has a large menu of Junmai, Ginjo, and Honjozo types of sake’s along with shochu vodka’s. For those with a sweet tooth, Sundaes & Cones has a remarkable list of ice cream. Looking for something different? Try flavors like wasabi, chrysanthemum, honey ginseng, or durian. But don’t worry, they your faves!

Sunday March 2

Location: West Village, NYC
Bands: Ben E. King
Venue: Blue Note
Food: Koo Sushi
Drink: Blind Tiger Ale House
Miscellaneous: Peanut Butter & Co.

One of the greatest R&B singers that’s still alive today and performing, Ben E. King plays the Blue Note, a small and intimate place to see one of soul music’s legends sing “Stand By Me,” and more of his amazing catalog of songs. A little known sushi joint, Koo Sushi offers affordable and fantastic fish with an impressive number of specialty rolls. For a bar that looks like any other, Blind Tiger Ale House offers an impressive number of beers including draught, bottled, cask and one called Louise’s Bloody Beer. Try it if you dare! If you’re in the mood for some comfort food, Peanut Butter & Co., offers some PB heavy hitters like the Elvis, a PB, banana, and bacon sandwich that tastes better than it sounds.

Moto
394 Broadway
Brooklyn, NY 11211
Tel: (718) 599-6895

Diminutive Moto, tucked under the cozy rattle of the JMZ, is a quaint, bubbly bistro frequented by local loft-dwellers and venturesome city-folk alike.With live nightly music, intimate seating arrangements and decent prices, it's hard to focus on the static menu and the so-so service. Gas-lit ambience and antiqued mirrors do make all the difference. Menu standouts include the olives with pomegranates, herb-marinated mushrooms and yes, the oft-written about date cake, which pairs quite nicely with the Black Velvet cocktail.

--Deann Horack