If You Slap Me on Wednesday I'll Cry on Thursday

Yo, I heard they was givin' some free PBR's, Yo.

Hi. My name is Oweinama. You may know me as Captain Heartlock, DJ and multi-instrumentalist in some bands of some sorts. I like long walks on the beach, picking at my aching teeth, drag queen musicals, and being beaten about the head with rock-stale baguettes. But most of all I love 60’s flavored rock and soul, and going to events where such sounds thrive and fill me with feelings, feelings that make me want to dance and to live, as opposed to kill and destroy. I’ll be your man, your Wednesday man and your Thursday lover on this here GaragePunk NYC blog.

There’s something about going out in the middle of the week – often all the big heavies of event-hood save their mojo for the weekends, either because they’re day jobbers or damned traditionalists…but a lot of good stuff happens in the middle. It’s the cream filling in the Ding-Dong of nightlife. Not having to compete so much with the drooling troglodytes who crawl out from their rancid bogs at the Friday 5’o'clock whistle doesn’t hurt either.

WEDNESDAY

This Wednesday night, not a lot of options if it’s live music you’re after, but I’d recommend checking out The Bowery Boys at Public Assembly in Williamsburg. They play a literate yet pretty infectious style of melodic, jingle-jangle punk that reminds me of later period Kinks with a bit of The Raspberries/Big Star. They’re on at 10pm for an $8 cover. There’s TONS of DJ action tonight, though – Brooklyn babies can regale to Reverend Vince and his weekly spin at Savalas. His selections of soul and gospel tracks might be enough to wash the stain of sin off your pathetic backs. Then there’s Living For Kicks at The Satellite Lounge, where DJs Popwell and Bunny Punch spin a bunch of groovy garage, psych, soul & r&b in one of the newest and more understated joints in the hood. Both of these happenings are free and the drinks run cheap. Across the river is Mr. Fine Wine and his unbeatable collection of rare soul 45’s at Botanica on Houston Street, and "The Man Who Need Not Sleep", Mr. Jonathan Toubin for New York Night Train, playing crazy soul, garage and psych at the dangerous Motor City Bar down on old Ludlow Street.

THURSDAY

Thursday’s move for live music is THE RUNAWAY SUNS and their shimmery, pop-tastic psychedelia at CoCo 66 in Greenpoint. If you haven’t caught them yet, do it before everyone else starts telling you how they always thought they were the coolest. I’m pretty sure it’s a free Lady Bree production. Not too far away and also in Little Poland at relatively new joint The Blackout Bar you can check out the infamous Bushwick Ronnie Seward (Whooping Crane), Alex Moyer and Josh Styles (Smashed! Blocked! and The Stalkers) where they will be educating you kids on the finer points of the Jamaican soul and rocksteady scene of the mid-late 60’s. Or, get your soul saved again by Reverend Vince at Bushwick’s Beauty Bar. If you’re off the beaten path and in Manhattan check out one of the last of the real bars on the island (and you can tell it's alright if the neighbors are trying to shut it down), Heathers, where Mr. Robinson, Dos Platos and BamaLama Mike spin 50's and 60's era soul. All of these happenings are free to get in to.

Staying home, my agoraphobic / broke friends? I recommend prepping for this weekends reading and Smashed!Block! sessions by listening to Dave the Spazz’s show on WFMU tonight, as he’s joined by the legendary Andre Williams, who I hear is gonna be on for the full 3 hours.

BOFFO!

-Oweinama

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YOUR BOYFRIEND IS BACK... LET'S GET IN TROUBLE!

I've returned! While bruised, bleeding, coughing and sneezing from Portugal's Barreiro Rocks festival, where I encountered Andre Williams in the flesh for the first time and made tons of Portuguese, Spanish, Czech and American folks dance to 50's doowop (AGAIN), I came back just so that I could write on this stinkin' blog. Aren't you lucky!

Few would argue (except calendar-sticklers) that we've arrived in full-blown Winter (even if you haven't removed the AC from your window yet, that doesn't change anything). It's shaping up to be a long and cold one but there's plenty of ways to warm up this cold-snappin' week.

You can kick off tonight with WFMU's Mr Fine Wine's longest-running-in-NYC (good) DJ party at Botanica where he'll spin his usual amazing assortment of soul goodies-- it's free and starts around 10pm. Also We THINK there's the usual NYNT gig at Motor City Bar but couldn't confirm...

Tomorrow night, there's... wait, there's nothing! Watch some TV or something ferchristsake.

The weekend easily makes up for this hole in the calendar. I'll just tackle Friday night and leave the best of the rest to Charles to cover (and shamelessly self-promote).

First off, there's the first show of Brooklyn rockabilly/punkers Dirty Work in quite a while at Don Pedro-- this band is NOT psychobilly as you know it-- instead a true fusion of rockabilly and punk and must be seen live!

Sticking with rockabilly, there's also NYC's best rockabilly party at Otto's, Rebel Night, with host Jun, FREE!

AND Subway Soul Club at Fontana's, this week with special guests Ty Jesso and Jennie Wasserman (Sweet Divines) plus the regulars Phast Phreddie and Lady Dawn.

Also happening are Midnite Till Death at Cake Shop with a hardcore theme this time (?) featuring bands and DJs plus the Stick-Ups, 50's-style RNB band at Rockwood Music Hall around 1AM.

And that's just FRIDAY... stay tuned!

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