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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Just mentally edit out the ice and snow.

The charming young men of Wellington Ladies' Welfare League
headline at Don Pedro on Thursday.
Don't they look warm?

Monday

DJ Knifefight spins all "pre-Beatles" rock-n-roll at Art Land Bar. No cover, free heated pool (you wish... free billiards), starts at 10.

Tuesday

Well now here's something a little different. Over at Goodbye Blue Monday in Brooklyn, Legs McNeil will give a free reading from his new book "I Slept With Joey Ramone". Mr. Neil is the founder and editor of Punk magazine, so he might be serious, or at least really entertaining. I'm going to mentally edit out the slideshow, though.

As always you can and should check out Hot Dog! at Bar Matchless. Featuring DJs spinning 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.

Wednesday

Hopefully it's time once again for CopyCat at Otto's Shrunken Head. I say hopefully because one band canceled. We know that The Siberians and DJ Xerox will be there. Anyone want to volunteer to be the "special guests"? No cover.

Once again Wednesday is the day for free DJ nights. In Brooklyn, DJ Reverend Vince will spin Soul, Gospel and R&B at Savalas. In Manhattan you can head on over to Motor City Bar for New York Night Train Wednesdays, featuring DJs spinning punk/rock/hard stuff all night. Then of course there's Mr. Fine Wine spinning his best Soul grooves at Botanica (in Manhattan).

Thursday

Finally, time for some rock-n-roll! Journey to deepest darkest Greenpoint (namely Coco66, a block from the Greenpoint G stop) Thursday night to catch LoveStruck, The Dirty Shames, Humboldt Fog and Fuck Fuck (a band which I refuse to Google). Or head on over to the Center of the Universe (aka Don Pedro) for Punk Rawk with WLWL, Foster Care and Gimmehead (not, even, thinking about Googling that one). No clue how much either show costs, but they should both be good.

And more... The hardest-workin' band in soul business, Nouvellas play their latest "last show of the year" at Mercury Lounge where they're opening for British folk-blues singers Holly Golightly & The Brokeoffs. And over at Enids, this week's Thursday Night Thump features recently married celebrity(-ish) DJ couple Josh Styles and Sophie Thunders.

Marcus

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It's time to find out what you're made of.

The Choke begin a cross-country tour on Thursday.
Photo by "ndinneen".

So, you gonna let a little rain stop you from having fun? Everything's indoors now, no more pool parties or any of that Summery crap. So get out there! But not on Monday...

Monday

Spend the evening shining your shoes, matching up your socks, polishing your cell phone, or whatever. Just don't go out, 'cause that will be really boring. We got nuthin' for Monday.

Tuesday

Bring your cold-weather duds and matching socks to a great Underclass Revue at Bowery Electric. This week The Othermen, GeTSeT, and the The Dirty Shames will rock the place to its foundations (which is roughly where the stage is). DJ Joe Western spins the tunes between sets from the fortress above the stage. No requests or he may pour boiling oil on you.

Hot Dog! lights up Bar Matchless once again. Lots of new records being played now that everyone is back from vacation. 2-for-1 drinks, good bar food, from 8 'till late, no cover.

Wednesday

Weird Atlanta punks The Coathangers share the stage at Cake Shop with somewhat normal ex-Atlanta punks Ex-Humans and somewhat pronounceable local punks PRSMS. Over in Brooklyn, garage-rockers Two Tears open for Jemina Pearl at Bruar Falls.

As always you can chill out with Mr. Fine Wine as he spins classic soul music at Botanica or fire it up at Motor City Bar as the guest DJs of New York Night Train Wednesdays spin punk, garage, and all things earsplitting. No cover for either.

Thursday

Nouvellas headline a show at Bowery Electric which also features psych-rockers Revival Times. Richard Lloyd (of the band Television) headlines at Maxwell's. The Choke and Images are in for a surprise at the Slipper Room. Based on the one previous occasion on which I saw a band there, the sound is actually pretty good but the pole in the middle of the stage is annoying. Anyway, this is the first of The Choke's three shows in New York before they head off to San Diego for six months.

Oh, and there's the Jay Reatard/NoBunny show at Le Poisson Rouge. Almost forgot about that...

Lots of shows tonight, and lots of DJ night options too. There's Boogaloo Shampoo, a night of Soul music at Beauty Bar Brooklyn. DJs Mr. Robinson and DosPlatos spin 50s, 60s, and Soul music at Heathers. For something a little more different there is Thursday Thump, an evening of Punk, Glam, Psych rock at Enids. All three are free, so go to as many as you can!

Marcus

Still your #1 source for "thank you reliable hot dog".

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This Week's Specials

It's the hottest month of the year. Hell, it's probably the hottest week of the year right now. Get the feeling there's somethin' cooking, and it's you?

Now, it's easy to get lazy and hang out at home when it's hot enough outside to make your flask boil over. Resist that temptation... and please enjoy these other temptations:

Monday

Closed on Monday. GaragePunk religious holiday (the "Feast of the Passouter").

Tuesday

The Bowery Electric is quickly becoming one of my favorite venues. Their daily special is a primo three-course meal featuring tasty garage-rockers The Dirty Shames, old-fashioned rock-n-rollers Charlie and the Crybabies, and the punk/garage/rockabilly brew of LoveStruck. Starts at 9, $5 cover.

On the budget menu for the evening (meaning no cover and 2-for-1 drinks) we've got Hot Dog! at Bar Matchless. Different DJs every week spinning Garage Rock, Soul and R&B. Starts at 8, goes till late. Oh, and they have good bar food there too.

Wednesday

More great rock-n-roll on tap for tonight. If you're over in New Jersey or know how to get there you can catch the Electric Six from Detroit at Maxwell's. They're backed by faux-French rockers Les Sans Culottes. If that's not your thing, maybe Atlanta's Gringo Star will satisfy your palate? They're at the Mercury Lounge, and will be backed by local rockers Des Roar among others. Both shows are a bit pricey ($10 for Gringo Star, $15 for Electric Six), but surely it is worth it for top-shelf stuff like this?

If you're looking for a nightcap (or just somewhere to hang) there are plenty of DJ night options tonight. Juke Joint Howl, an evening of 40s, 50s and R&B with DJs Mike Mortician and Mike Decay, kicks into gear at Otto's Shrunken Head. On a (much) louder note, Motor City Bar hosts New York Night Train Wednesdays, a night of Punk and Garage Rock featuring guest DJs every week. All of 'em start at 10pm, and they're all free. And for something with a subtler bouquet. Mr. Fine Wine will bring his classic Soul sounds to Botanica.

Thursday

Try our Boogaloo Shampoo, a night of Soul music and dancing at Beauty Bar Brooklyn! Also check out the link to Beauty Bar Brooklyn ('cause I got it right for once). If your tastes run towards Punk, Glam and Psych rock instead, then may we recommend Thursday Thump at Enids. They're both no cover, so feel free to sample.

Music. You can't live without it. Music. It's like food, only louder.

Marcus

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Short Week

Hooray for short week! In honor of the 4th of July (which is our nation's wedding anniversary or bat mitzvah or something) many of us have Friday off from work. We will celebrate our nation's history by getting bombed on a Thursday.

Also, according to our calendar there's nothing on Monday. Nada. Not even the usual thing at Public Assembly. I asked Captain Heartlock in person and he says they're not spinning Garage and Soul music this week, but may be back the future.

SO, in honor of this very very short short week, and since I'm posting late anyway, I shall hereby do my shortest post ever, starting.......... NOW.

Tuesday

The Vondelles, The Dirty Shames, The Victims at Bowery Electric. All punk, all 3 for $5.

Dance to Soul, Garage, R&B with Hot Dog! at Bar Matchless. 2-for-1 drinks, FREE.

Enjoy Soul, Funk, and Latin grooves with Lost & Found at Savalas. FREE.

Wednesday

Jay Reatard at Stuy Town. Wild, Weird, (New) Wavy. FREE.

Copycat at Otto's. Covers! Hosey! The Dirty Shames again! DJ Allan Dias of PIL! FREE!

Living For Kicks at Satellite Lounge. Where? Here. Soul, Garage, R&B, Rocksteady. FREE!

Mr. Fine Wine. Soul Music downstairs at Botanica. FREE!

New York Night Train at Motor City Bar. Garage, Punk, Ambiance! FREE!

Swimsuit Edition at Savalas! Garage, Surf, Rockabilly. Dress appropriately! FREE!

FREE FREE FREE FREE FREE!

(And suddenly I remind myself of Charles)

Thursday

Heavy Hands, Traveling Circle, Up Died Sound at Union Pool. Trippy! $8

Jay Reatard and TV Smith at Music Hall of Williamsburg. Crazy pop! $15

Thee Oh Sees, Golden Triangle, Beets, German Measles at Glasslands. Catchy punk! $8

The Germs at Mercury Lounge. Classic Punk!

DJs Mr. Robinson and DosPlatos at Heathers. Soul music in Manhattan. FREE.

Boogaloo Shampoo at Beauty Bar NYC. Soul music in Brooklyn. FREE.

Thursday Night Thump at Enids. Punk, Glam, Psych. Dance! FREE.

Done.

Marcus

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