Hooray for President's Day!

This is why we do not mix Valentine's Day and President's Day.

Sunday

Apparently someone here at GaragePunkNYC has something against Valentine's Day, 'cause the calendar is a complete mess. It appears that the Bowery Boys are playing a free show at Otto's Shrunken Head, a venue which sounds like it needs some Viagra. Okay, in all seriousness it is a free show at a cool if really-really-not-romantic venue, but we have no clue who the other (ahem) four bands on the bill are.

Also tonight is the St. Valentine's Day Massacre at Le Poisson Rouge. It's an evening of dancing to some great DJs including Cowboy Mark, Twig the Wonderkid, and possibly Jukebox Jodi. However, despite what our calendar says it does not appear that The Othermen will be performing. You might also head to Union Pool to catch DJs Dave The Spazz and Andy Maltz spinning their peculiar mix of garage rock and more. Not a bad place to be if you're single on V-Day (or any other day, really), and it's free, depending on what the meaning of the word "it" is. For this particular venue, there may be many valid meanings...

Monday

I am a fan of any holiday which gets me a day off from work, and President's Day is no exception. Unfortunately it appears that pretty much everyone else is also taking the day off... except for The Reverend Vince Anderson, whose gospel/soul residency continues at Union Pool. And even he isn't starting work until 11pm. No cover.

Tuesday

In case you haven't had enough, we've got more Hot Dog! for you at Bar Matchless. Don't know who's DJing this week, but it'll be a free night of Rock-n-Roll, 50's and 60's R'n'B, Soul, Funk, Garage Rock, Punk, and 2-for-1 drinks all night.

Marcus

... is feeling nostalgic today.

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It's still January, dammit.

The Reverend Vince Anderson
on St. Patrick's Day?
Maybe, but he's definitely
on Monday at Union Pool.

Monday

The Rev. Vince Anderson and His Love Choir continue their Monday evening residency tonight at Union Pool. The show starts at 11pm and there is no cover.

Tuesday

Netflix or... Hot Dog! at Bar Matchless, featuring DJs spinning Rock-n-Roll, 50's and 60's R'n'B, Soul, Funk, Garage Rock, Punk, and more. No cover, 2-for-1 drinks all night, from 8 'till late.

Yeah, I know, a bunch of you are going to pick Netflix. All right then, how about this: Anna Copa Cabanna performs at the Knitting Factory as part of the .357 Lover (think Meatloaf) residency/variety show. We can't vouch for all of the other musicians and performers, but Zero Boy is definitely a lot of fun.

Wednesday

It's DJ Night night. Lots and lots of things to do (unlike that slacker, Tuesday):

• DJ Reverend Vince spins Soul, Gospel and R&B at Savalas.
• Juke Joint Howl at Otto's Shrunken Head, with DJs Mike Mortician and Mike Decay spinning Blues and 40s and 50s R&B.
• New York Night Train Wednesdays at Motor City Bar, where weekly guest DJs spin punk, rock, punk rock, and all things loud.
• And of course, Mr. Fine Wine spinning his speciality - Soul music - at Botanica.

The one thing you can't do on Wednesday: pay a cover charge. All four are free.

Thursday

Our calendar says the Bowery Boys and the Tarantinos are playing at Bowery Electric. The venue's calendar doesn't agree, but they're notoriously sloppy, so go anyway.

Also on tap for this week: DJs Avi Spivak and Alex Moyer are taking over Thursday Night Thump at Enid's. We hear it'll be a mix of punk, soul, and early reggae scorchers -- quite a mix! It's also Avi's birthday party, so while there is no cover, you might consider bringing him a little something...

Marcus

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Get ready for a long New Years weekend.

The end of the "whatever it's called" decade.
The Naughts? I prefer "The Naught-ies".
But whatever it's called, it's over.

Note: this post is really, really likely to be updated as we hear about more New Year's Eve parties.

Monday

Snow again (supposedly). Warm 'yerself up at Art Land Bar where DJ Knifefight will be spinning all "pre-Beatles" rock-n-roll. No cover, free pool and drink specials all night starting at 10. And no competition, so go!

Tuesday

The Bowery Electric hosts a Gogol Bordello afterparty upstairs, but we strongly recommend heading downstairs to catch Whooping Crane, The Dirty Shames, Daddy Long Legs and The Bowery Boys. Show starts at 9pm and there's a free vodka bar from 9-10. $5 cover. And/or, head over to Lakeside Lounge to catch The Martinets for free at 9pm.

In Brooklyn, check out Trophy Bar for a "Birthday Blow-Out" with DJs Sophie Thunder, Boogaloo Omnibus and Billy Miller (of Norton Records/The A-Bones). It's a party for folks with birthdays between Dec. 24 and Jan. 1, but everyone is invited. Pretty sure there is no cover, but feel free to bring gifts (I do believe myrrh is traditional). Or you could just go to Hot Dog! at Bar Matchless where they'll have DJs spinning Rock-n-Roll, 50's and 60's R'n'B, Soul, Funk, Garage Rock, Punk, and more. No cover, 2-for-1 drinks all night, starts at 8.

Wednesday

DJs and more DJs. DJ Reverend Vince spins Soul, Gospel and R&B at Savalas. New York Night Train Wednesdays at Motor City Bar features guest DJs spinning punk/rock/hard stuff all night. Mr. Fine Wine spins fine Soul music at Botanica. And furthermore... DJs Gregg D and Dave Ready (of Sorceress) will spin glam, rock-n-roll and "teenage boogie" at St. Jerome's (the bar -- it's at 155 Rivington in Manhattan). There's supposed to be a special secret guest live performer at that last one. They're all free, so as long as you go, you can not go wrong.

Thursday

Yeah, there miiiight just be something happening this Thursday. But considering that you'll probably get charged a $5 cover just for stepping outside, you might want to plan ahead.

Our suggestions:

1. Don't plan on taking a cab anywhere.

a. Golden Triangle and Electric Tickle Machine at Glasslands Gallery. Also with DJ Thirwell, a "secret performance", and an open vodka bar from 9-10. $10 cover.

α (that's an "alpha" - all of our suggestions should be considered equal). Your 33 Black Angels,The Hoa Hoa's, Hollands, Hobsons Choice, Apollo Heights, akg's Humboldt Fog, and perhaps more at Don Pedro. $8 cover and free Colt 45 from 11-midnight. Served in champagne glasses. Okay, not really.

ℵ. The Detriot Cobras, The A-Bones and The Underthings at Mercury Lounge. Tickets are... $25 advance, $30 at the door. Oy vey!

$. The Subway Soul Club presents Eli 'Paperboy' Reed and Obits at The Bell House. DJs after the bands include the Boogaloo Omnibus (that guy again!) Tickets are $30 in advance, $40 at the door, though after the bands the cover drops to $5.

Edit: and more... DJ Jahna Rain spins funk and soul all night at The Lamp Post Bar and Grill in Jersey City. New York Night Train is throwing all-night parties at Cake Shop, Motor City Bar and Home Sweet Home. Covers range from $0 to $15, check out their website for more info. The Trash Bar is doing a punk rock New Years with Murphy's Law, No Redeeming Social Value, World War IX, Blackout Shoppers and Skum City. $12 cover includes an open bar from 8-9.

Marcus

PS. Anyone know the story behind all these open vodka bars? There's one every week lately, two this week. Did some company hire a really good rep or what? And also, how did Don Pedro get stuck with those little bottles of Colt 45?

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As an alternative to listening to Christmas carols all week...

The Specific Heats bring their garage-psych sound and
their Thanksgiving dinner to Bruar Falls on Tuesday
because even poultry deserves its 15 minutes of fame.

Monday

Glad All Over! hosts a show at Bowery Electric featuring the (cheese-inspired?) heavy rock of Humboldt Fog and the crunchy-like-a-cracker psych-rock of Whooping Crane, with DJ Lupe Loop spinning the platters. Sounds delicious. Not sure how much it will cost, and no the show does not start at 6pm like it says on someone's MySpace calendar (more like 9pm, which is to say, 10pm).

Also on the agenda, DJ Knifefight spins all "pre-Beatles" rock-n-roll at Art Land Bar. Great music, convenient location, free pool all night, and no cover. It all starts at 10pm (which is to say, 9pm, at least the last time I was there).

I saw a webpage for a show this weekend which said that the show "starts at 9pm, doors at 12pm"*. Have we forgotten how time works, folks?

Tuesday

The Bowery Electric has another good show tonight featuring Organs, Love Pirates and Kelle Calco. Sorceress is probably not on the bill, unless perhaps the show was double-booked? That has been known to happen. Their show this weekend featured a comedian in between two of the bands Maybe this time there will be a contortionist or magician or human floor or something?

Did we mention that the Specific Heats are headlining at Bruar Falls? Not so sure about the other bands, but it's a free show, so check 'em out.

As always, Hot Dog! is at at Bar Matchless on Tuesdays. Featuring DJs spinning 50's and 60's R'n'B, Doowop, Gospel, Soul, Funk, Garage Rock, Punk, and more. No cover, 2-for-1 drinks all night, from 8 'till late. Oh, and it's our friend Tara's 30th birthday party, so you might be able to mooch some free cake.

Wednesday

Time once again for CopyCat at Otto's Shrunken Head. Not sure what they're covering this week, but for the low low price of $0 you get to catch The Bowery Boys and Sousalves. DJ Xerox spins cover songs all night. Oh, and there's free pumpkin pie "while supplies last" (you know it's the holidays when people start offering you dessert everywhere).

If you're looking for a DJ, have you ever come to the right night. DJ Reverend Vince spins Soul, Gospel and R&B at Savalas. Motor City Bar hosts its traditional Thanksgiving celebration called New York Night Train Wednesdays, a night of punk, rock, and other loud musical offerings. And of course there's Mr. Fine Wine at Botanica spinning his finest Soul grooves (you know, the ones on his records).

Thursday

It's Thanksgiving, so go hang with your family!

If your family happens to like going out and partying while listening to Punk Rock, Rockabilly and more (and that don't mean Christmas carols, folks) then may we suggest the No Thanks-Giving party at Bruar Falls with DJs Just Derek and Seanzi Dirtbag. That's where Mommy and I will be. As an alternative, Jonathan Toubin is DJing Thursday Night Thump this week at Enid's, where they have a wonderful apple pie (and some tasty beats no doubt).

Marcus

* By the way, 12pm is actually noon. Yeah, come on in nine hours early to have a "few" drinks before the show. Not sure if that was a little bit of stupidity or a huge heapin' pile of audacity...

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