Get Down With Shilpa Ray and Her Happy Hookers Photo Credit: Leslie Torre

Location: Lower East Side, NYC
Band: Shilpa Ray and Her Happy Hookers
Show time: 9:00 PM
Venue: Cake Shop
Food: San Loco
Drink: Max Fish
Miscellaneous: Sugar Sweet Sunshine

Former Beat The Devil singer, Shilpa Ray leads a new line-up with a more pop friendly sound that takes serious grooves and walls of sonic guitar to a new place with enchanting vocals that harmonize with her harmonium. San Loco serves inexpensive Mexican food. 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.

Yoav Live

Yoav
Piano’s
July 7, 2008




Yoav's gig at Piano's this past Tuesday, July 8th, helped me realize how truly beautiful and multifaceted the acoustic guitar really is when it's in the right hands. He cradled it, tapped against it, drummed it, sang into it, and slid his fingers carefully up and down its neck as of it was his lover. It was absolutely romantic to watch this.

He played nearly all of the songs off Charmed and Strange, his debut album, plus a cover of Radiohead’s "Idioteque," which was a good choice since I'd likened the wails on a couple of his songs to Thom Yorke. The small, intimate space at Pianos allowed his strumming and hollow beat sounds to cut the silent room of listeners, who could catch his every word. It was certain that all of the people in that room could feel what he felt. It was the most responsive audience I'd seen in a long time.

--Christine Thelen

No Punch and Pie at this Show, Just the HITS!

Location: Chelsea, NYC
Bands: Bon Jovi + All-American Rejects
Show time: 7:30 PM
Venue: Madison Square Garden
Food: Supermac
Drink: Stout
Miscellaneous: Jack’s 99 Cent Store

Bon Jovi makes a stop close to his New Jersey hometown here in NYC at MSG! Expect lots of hair and lots of hits from one of the 80s biggest bands. Joining them are All-American Rejects. 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.


Location: East Village, NYC
Band: Baye Kouyate
Show time: 9:30 PM
Venue: Joe's Pub
Food: Minca
Drink: Common Ground
Miscellaneous: Beard Papa Sweets Cafe

Baye Kouyate is a talking-drum master from Mali. One of the most up-and-coming African musicians on the NY scene, he has collaborated with Salif Keita and Vieux Farka Toure, and recently released an album, Danama. If you love African music, or just quality music in general, check him out. If you’ve never been to Minca for dinner, go right now! This small noodle bar makes some amazing ramen noodles from scratch. Try the Minca Ramen, a mild broth with pork, chicken & dried seafood ($8.50). One of the newer bars in the East Village, Common Ground has a dark wood interior, a relaxed atmosphere, and excellent cocktails like the Blueberry Pie. If you like pastries filled with cream, check out Beard Papa Sweets Café. They offer cream fillings like earl grey, green tea, coffee, and the standard vanilla, chocolate, strawberry among others.

Clinique
Long Last Glosswear SPF 15 and Self-Sun

Before the big eighth grade dance, I bought my first tube of tanning cream and applied it liberally. The effect was neither subtle nor human. However, it did match the globs of glittery gloss covering my orange lips. Needless to say, tanning technology has come a long way. Now you can confidently apply Clinique Self-Sun, a body lotion with just a touch of bronzing power, and not worry so much about streaking or looking like a golden chicken mcnugget on the dance floor. Whip out Clinique’s Long Last Glosswear SPF 15 in front of the other girls in the bathroom and be prepared to share...except with you know who, who is the cold sore queen.

--Sheehan McGuirk

Larry Fink
Barack Obama, TX, 2008
gelatin silver print,
18 x 18 inches
© Larry Fink

Location: Midtown East, NYC
Art: Larry Fink: The Democrats
Show time: Mon. to Thurs. 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM; Fri. 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM. Thru August 15
Venue: Pace/MacGill
Food: Peking Duck House
Drink: Blackstones Pub & Restaurant
Miscellaneous: New York Milkshake Company

In this exhibition of 20 photographs, photographer Larry Fink gives a much closer look at Barack Obama and Hilary Clinton on the campaign trail for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination. At one of my favorite places to get duck, The Peking Duck House, the meat is succulent and the skin crunches like a potato chip. Sometimes you just want to grab a pint without paying a cover charge or playing host to a group of people after work, which is why I like Blackstones Pub & Restaurant. It looks like an old-time saloon and has two pool tables in the back and plenty of other games, while also being big enough to grab traditional American food from the menu. If you’re still hungry, check out the New York Milkshake Company for one of the best $6 shakes of your life.

The Breeders Play for FREE at McCarren Park Pool This Sunday

Friday July 11

Location: Park Slope, Brooklyn
Band: Brazilian Girls + Chicha Libre + Ticklah
Show time: 8:00 PM FREE
Venue: Celebrate Brooklyn at the Prospect Park Bandshell
Food: Press 195
Drink: The Gate
Miscellaneous: The Chocolate Room

Brazilian Girls headlines this FREE show in Prospect Park. Blending electronic and South American rhythms, this should be a booty shaking good time. Joining them are newly added Ticklah and Chicha Libre whose blend of South American and psychedelic styles are infectious and gorgeous. 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.

Friday July 11

Location: DUMBO, Brooklyn
Show: Brooklyn Keeps on Takin’ It
Show time: 6:00-9:00 PM FREE
Venue: powerHouse Arena
Food: RICE
Drink: Low Bar
Miscellaneous: Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory

To help celebrate the 2008 Brooklyn Hip Hop festival, powerHouse Books plays host to the launch party at their bookstore in DUMBO. On the mic will be Fresh Daily, Sputnik Brown, Sucio Smash, and P.Casso. See the future all-stars of hip hop for FREE! RICE not surprisingly offers a pretty intense variety of rice, from brown to Bhutanese red. Most of the rice based dishes come in large and small sizes. Right below RICE is Low Bar, an extremely convenient place to grab a drink and catch some great DJs spin in a lounge environment. Right off the water, with a view of the South Street Seaport and the Brooklyn Bridge so close you can touch it, the only thing that could make this view better is ice cream. You’ll usually find a long line for Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory, but the sweet flavors are worth it!

Saturday July 12

Location: Upper West Side, NYC
Band: Damon Albarn and the Honest Jon’s Revue
Show time: 8:00 PM
Venue: Avery Fisher Hall (at Lincoln Center)
Food: Josie’s
Drink: Candle Bar
Miscellaneous: Emack & Bolio’s

In recent years Blur’s frontman, Damon Albarn has gone in any musical direction he’s felt like, from Gorillaz to Malian music. He’s even started his own record label Honest Jon’s. Tonight, he plays with many of the artists who have recorded for his label including Tony Allen, Afel Bocoum, Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, Kokanko Sata, Candi Staton, Lobi Traore, Simone White and Victoria Williams. 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 takes their ice cream serious.

Saturday July 12

Location: Lower East Side, NYC
Band: Cover Me Badd + The Black Tie Party
Show time: 9:00 PM
Venue: Parkside Lounge
Food: Chickie Pig’s
Drink: Mason Dixon
Miscellaneous: 151

Cover Me Badd are an awesome cover band that break the mold of what a cover band is supposed to be. Replace the bad lead singer with a badass trombone player and you get one kickass good time. Expect lot’s of classic rock, pop and a few surprise hits! 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 desire 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 inside, happy hour is 2 for 1 everyday from 6-10pm.

Sunday July 13

Location: Greenpoint, Brooklyn
Bands: The Jelly NYC Pool Parties with The Breeders + Matt and Kim + The Whip
Show time: 2:00 PM FREE
Venue: McCarren Park Pool
Food: La Locanda
Drink: Enid’s
Miscellaneous: Royal Oak

Since when do the Breeders play a free show? Who cares, all I know is that I’ll be there enjoying their hits and cuts off their new album April’s Mountain Battles. Matt and Kim will be there too and this duo smiles a lot and we will too as they play their fun and quirky songs. 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!

The Naked Civil Servant
Quentin Crisp
Penguin Classics






“Even hooligans marry, though they know that marriage is for a little while. It is alimony that is forever.” Witticisms such as this can be found on just about every page of Quentin Crisp’s classic autobiography The Naked Civil Servant. Beginning with his birth (“as soon as I stepped out of my mother’s womb…I realized that I had made a mistake”) to his cynical reflections on old(er) age (he was 60 at the time of writing and lived to be 90), Crisp’s writing is unflaggingly lively, at times outright hilarious.

Crisp came out as a gay man in 1931 in a virulently homophobic England. His autobiography chronicles his struggles to pursue his own way of life and remain fiscally solvent throughout the tumultuous years of the early twentieth century. Ultimately, between the lines of self-deprecating humor, The Naked Civil Servant is a testament to a brave life lived deeply for the causes of personal dignity and self-expression.

--Miranda Ganzer