The Weekend Shortlist Feb 29 – March 2

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.