"There's a Party Going on in My Head and You're All Invited"

You don’t normally get the full on experience of it here in the northeast, but almost everywhere else in the world is barreling through a week long rager that ends on (fat) Tuesday…it’s CARNIVAL time! From Rio to Tobago, from Milan to Barcelona to my sweet Crescent City, it’s basically New Years Eve and Halloween rolled up into an 8-ball and mainlined into the fun gland of your cortex! People are getting dressed up like lunatics, drinking during daylight hours, and promenading down their respective boulevards like peacocks in love. Oh, something about Jesus is in there too, I understand… but didn’t de LAWD drink de WINE? Of course he did, you silly heathen.

This weekend, let’s all simulate the appropriated bacchanal that is really about the pagan goddess of the springs awakening, as there’s SO much going on over the next few days in this damn city that I’m getting the feeling that bookers, bands  and party promoters have gotten caught up in her magick…Read on!

Friday March 4th

Let’s start with the live rock and roll:

This is gonna be the biggest battle for supremacy since The Fabulous Freebirds took on The Road Warriors: The Baxx SiSi’s vs. Organs…IN A STEEL CAGE. Alright, no cage, and no over-the-head chair smashing, but definitely a smashing good time when these two overlords of the New garage rock scene perform tonight at CoCo 66, recording their live sets for a classic two sided “Versus” cassette tape to be released by local imprint Wild Isle records! The Nouvellas are also on hand to add some much needed balm with their smooth and poppy Girl Group sounds, and the night is kicked off by the dinosaur stomp of all chick garage rockers American Sun. Our Fearless Leader Shimmy is on the prowl (aka behind the turntables)  spinning garage, punk and r&b all night long! That’s power. $5 Cover, show starts at 8pm!

Laura Rebel Angel presents a psychobilly brouhaha at The Studio at Webster Hall that should surely frighten the club kids mulling about the block, featuring The Creepshow, The Memphis Morticians and The Dead and Gone…The illustrious Michael T is your emcee of the evening and both Laura and Katie Vicious spin deathly platters between bands. Starts early at 8 and is done by 11pm so if you’re going to this, get to getting. Tickets are only $12 bucks if you get them from here.

Raucous rockers with a crimson message Shark? celebrate the release of their new 7′ inch on the Oops Baby record label tonight at Cakeshop. They’re second on the bill at 9pm that includes Sanctuaries, Motel Motel and Dinosaur Feathers.

Gallic Pop-Rock troupe Les Sans Culottes performs two sets for the German incarnation of Carnival (Karneval) tonight at Loreley Biergarten on Frost and Meeker, under the BQE at the Williamsburg / Greenpoint border. The irony of a faux French band playing for Germans just cannot be lost…no cover, starts at 9 but I’d get there early if you really want to go as a capacity crowd of schnitzel chewing beer fiends is expected…

DJ Dance Parties:

Coming straight from his show at Webster Hall, catch Mike Mortician at Motor City tonight, where he’ll spin the finest vintage rock and roll, r&b and garage tunes for the lower east side’s denizens and invaders from 11pm onwards…

That scuzzy longhaired freak Drew Redmond and his cohort Jerry Lee are at the Bushwick Beauty Bar tonight throwing down frantic ’7 inch platters of trash rock, teenage brat punk and classic R&B dance movers underneath the J train tracks!

Uptown West Side freakazoids are entreated to unite and head over to the last true dive in that part of town, The Ding Dong Lounge, for Linda Rizzo’s weekly garage/punk/soul/funkathon!

Tonight’s edition of Shakin’ All Over Under Sideways Down is the official after party for the sold out Dum Dum Girls show at Bowery Ballroom…find drummer Frankie Rose behind the DJ booth with the always gypsy Jonathan Toubin as they spin a hodgepodge of everything cool that we like. No cover before 11pm, (and we should mention that Metropolis Vintage’s new weekly happy hour party is in effect before the Night Train), $3 bucks afterwards and the password “”FRANKIE TEARDROP” gets you to the front of the line during prime time…

Smashed!Blocked! is on tonight at the Manhattan Beauty Bar of 14th Street – Josh Styles is joined by special guest Joel Stones of fine, FINE vinyl record store Tropicalia in Furs (as well as compiler of the amazing 2LP comp Brazilian Guitar Fuzz Banana) on the decks, so I’d expect to hear a fine helping of amazing Brazilian psych and tropicalia in addition to the unstoppable garage, psych, soul and mod beat that the man normally throws down.

Saturday March 5th

One of the preeminent pop groups of the late 60′s and one of the bands from New York City that we need to proudly hail as our own makes their return to live performance after nearly 40 years: The Left Banke, that group of lads responsible for the timeless hits Walk Away Renee and Pretty Ballerina play the first of two shows this weekend at Joe’s Pub. The Saturday show WAS sold out but I hear tell additional standing room tickets have been released. If you can get in, get in as this is a major happening featuring the full on experience of the records, meaning STRING SECTION and KEYS! Doors at 7:30.

The only monthly night dedicated to real surf rock in this town (or any other town I know of), Unsteady Freddie’s Surf Rock Shindig is a-happening tonight at Otto’s Shrunken Head! Freddie and friends spin devilish guitar driven surf in the front, while the Tiki room hosts live performances by (in order from 9pm) The Octomen, Preston Wayne 4, Beware the Dangers of a Ghost Scorpion and Cool Kitties and Square Cats! No cover for the big kahunas!

The second dress rehearsal for Jonathan Toubin’s novel LAND OF 1000 DANCES party is tonight at Glasslands at 10pm. Learn how to do such classic sixties dance moves as The Hitchhike, The Bug, The Roach, and many others far more obscure than the Mashed Potato while Mr. T spins a bunch of wacko dance craze records! With keytar-triggered, tripped out visual projections by the lovely B.A. Miale, who recently thrilled the eyes of  seafarers on last weeks big Bruise Cruise.

Dj’s Jumpy and GirlSoul hold court at Williamsburg Bk’s Huckleberry for another fine edition of Soul-a-Go-Go! This pair spins fantastic danceable soul ’45′s that always gets this luxurious dancefloor moving, even for weekend people who never ever want to dance in public! They go from 10 till close and there’s never a cover.

Finally, Cockfight is back! Unlike the name might imply the only bloodsport involved is the bunions on the soles of your feet you’ll get from dancing out all that ails you to the sounds of Mr. Vacation and Doug Mosurock and their fearless selections of boogie, psych, stoner rock and feel good funk-i-tude! This goes down at their new home The Commodore on the corner of Metropolitan and Havemeyer in WillyB. No cover, and come correct for the best bar food this side of town and fine-tastic cocktails that will put you down!

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And THAT’s whats up, boppers. If I’m missing anything, leave a comment below and we’ll be sure to ammend!

Mahalo!                                                                                                                                                       -Captain Heartlock

Everybody's Doing It...

There are weekends and there are weekenders.

These are the kinds of nights that all true warriors strive for.

These are the nights we throw in the faces of haters and fakers who dare to tell you rock and roll, nay, that even FUN itself,  is dead in New York City.

The slight chill in the night air only brings the creatures of the night out, like hungry bears looking for that last bit of berry or halibut before first flakes.

So much that is so happening is going down. You’ve got options, brothers and sisters. Consider yourselves blessed, shake off your worries and don’t you dare talk about your work week – fortify yourselves and put on your stylish yet squishy shoes. You’ve got a lot of stompin’ to do.

Friday November 19th

Tiki Gods be praised! Otto’s Shrunken Head is BACK, you mothers, and the brand new back room has risen like a phoenix from the ashes and will be christened by the return of  REBEL NIGHT, where fine young chickies in poodle skirts and hip shaking slicksters reign supreme on the dance floor to unstoppable rockabilly and 50′s R&B ragers. Never a cover, kicks off at 10…

Nick Gazin and Lady Bree present what may be the last Midnite Till Death party for some time, if ever. You know how you love something after it’s gone and you took it for granted all those other times, I KNOW you, you heartless jerk…They’re going out with a bang with a killer lineup featuring the Suicide meets meets Outer Space meets Spartacus troupe Food Stamps, the obtuse psychedelia of  Strange Rivals, the wild, westward-leading fuzz-proceeding howl of Organs, a Brooklyn band I’ve never heard before but who seems to be going for a Fleetwood Mac sound called Dutch Treat and fresh from Detroit, the dirty garage punkers Gardens. Nick DJ’s fresh 45′s between bands and into the night. All that and a can of Joose (get it while it’s legal – Joose sold separately) for only $6 dollars at Don Pedro in Bushwick…

Also in that still dingy hood, catch those dangerous, hairy & loud freaks Born Loose along with the apologetically hard rocking, glam punk / horror band Hell Bent Hooker and health advocates Beer and Cable at The Acheron, a heretofore unknown all-ages rock and art venue located at 57 Waterbury Street off the Montrose (L) train stop in Bushwick BK. Long may she last.

Tonight at Home Sweet Home, Your host emeritus and DJ Jonathan Toubin welcomes Portland OR soul mistress DJ BEYONDA. That pair will be dropping knowledge on the squares while having a grand ole’ shit giggling time – won’t you join in the laughs? Free before 11pm, get to the front of the line and save some coin with secret password I Got a Hole in My Soul.

It’s a really, really special edition of The Subway Soul Club tonight, as it is hostess with the mostess, Lady Dawn’s birthday (Happy Birthday, amazing red) tonight! Celebrate her in style with dance, as Phast Phreddie and guest Leah from The Nouvellas spin natural high and shaky thigh soul boogie to take you through.  Find this up the stairs at The Loft next to Public Assembly on N. 6th Street in Williamsburg, priced at $6 dollars to keep the douche quotient at bay. Bring powder.

Hey, Uptown! DJ Linda Rizzo presents MONDO DING DONG! at The Ding Dong Lounge on Columbus Ave. and West 106th Street. The electric mistress will spin a special blend of punk, garage, psych, soul, freakbeat and funk, all the sounds for getting down and / or making yourself a fool on a Friday night! No cover and cheap-ish booze abound…

Saturday November 20th

The HULLABALOO All Day and All of the Night RAGER at Public Assembly. Pardon my cliche, but yeah motherfucker, this IS where it’s at. There’s so much going on, in one place, over a marathon of time, that your face may melt, your feet may detach themselves from your ankle bones and walk off on their lonesome, and your brain may collapse upon itself like a dying supernova.

First: From 3pm-6pm WFMU‘s Terre T does a LIVE broadcast of her amazing weekly Saturday afternoon rock and roll radio show The Cherry Blossom Clinic, on which the amazing The Above and The Split Signals perform. Live! Then, at 6:30 Shimmy plays emotional games with the hearts of vinyl junkies with his torturous game  BUY IT OR BREAK IT. He will play a record, and if you don’t buy it from him for .50 cents after he’s done with it, he will smash it over a hard surface or perhaps even HIS OWN HEAD.  THEN from about 7:30 tonight, yours truly will commandeer the turntables and spin my latest and greatest acquisitions of heady psych, garage, and international beat records to take us into the evening portion of festivities, where Charles Gaskins will host a trivia contest for goofy prizes! Trashy garage hobos The Jigglers, Charles Gaskin’s new surf band The Ape Hangers, The near legendary psych pop dandies The Insomniacs and everyone’s favorite unstoppable terrors The Back CC’s will drag you into the night screaming. Gaskins and Shimmy will continue to keep the party going with their rude danceable sounds till they turn on the bright lights and chase us out with brooms.

This whole day is augmented with various vinyl record dealers, vintage couture from Laura Rebel Angel, delicious Cajun delights from the sensational Honeychiles and your chance to get your FREE copy of issue number 2 of BANANAS, the only living, non-digital, hard copy old school zine covering simultaneously the garage, punk and psych scenes in New York City (and beyooooooooond)!

Food. Fun. Surprises. APESHIT! What else do you want from life?

Doors open at 2pm, $4 before 7pm, $7 after, all day passes for $10!

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What else is going on Saturday night…very great things, sons and daughters…

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One of the last of the GREAT thrifts in Manhattan is nowadays known not just for it’s vintage wardrobe treasures and studded chelsea boots and Chucks, but for putting on some epic, fantastic parties and rock shows. Metropolis Vintage presents THE RETURN OF DETROIT! Four scrap metal punk & garage trash bands from the Hades of the Midwest that is the Motor City - The Mahonies, The Terrible Twos, Timmy Vulgar and Tyvek – stomp into Bushwick’s Brooklyn Fireproof to destroy your ears and make you cry into your whiskey. None other than Mick Collins of The Dirtbombs and The Gories Dj’s between and after sets. Imagine what THAT guy must have in his record arsenal…Power!

Jonathan Toubin‘s Soul Clap and Dance Off is happening at Glasslands tonight! Nothing brings more joy to my heart than watching hipsters embarrass themselves with flailing  interpretive dance moves for that $100 cash prize or $75 Metropolis Vintage gift card, makin’ moves until it whittles down to the final four kids who can REALLY boogaloo. Expect your usual gaggle of local underground celebrity judges…Mr. T promises  a SUPER SPECIAL SURPRISE guest DJ this month, so you’re gonna have to be there to be, well, surprised! Doors at 10, Dance-Off at 1am!

The walls of Bar Matchless in Greenpoint BK can hardly contain the majesty before it this evening: Portland Oregon’s Federale, whose music evokes the best of Ennio Morricone‘s epic Spaghetti Western soundtracks, and our own psychedelic stoner-astronauts from the future’s past, Heavy Hands. Don’t know what the cover is but whatever it may be, pay it gladly.

Mr. Fine Wine and friends have the power to move the jaded and afraid to move their rumps to the sounds of rare, ass shaking soul and r&b 45′s from the great decade at The Commodore, on Metropolitan and Havemeyer in Williamsburg. Never a cover and always delicious and deadly cocktails on hand.

The lovely Pixie 007 and Mike Mortician present another edition of  Mods Love Rockers! Mic Lo of Whooping Crane, fresh from playing psych rock for bourbon drunk Yalies at 10 in the morning, joins Memphis Mike for a night of cross cultural understanding. Go on over at least to wish Miss Pixie HAPPY BIRTHDAY – she’s baking cupcakes for you people, while really you should be bringing presents to HER! All happening at Bushwick’s Beauty Bar for no cover at all…

Lastly, and not leastly, Lady Bree presents another fantastic congregation of cutting edge, pre-buzz rock and roll bands you need to know about: Los ToughFists, who blew my mind with their shamanic, demented garage boogie at Don Pedro last weekend, kick off a night featuring the frenzied, keyboard and tambourine psychedelic jambalaya of The Electric Tickle Machine, Gardens, the haunting, reverb drenched, dark jangle-pop of X-Ray Eyeballs and Yvette, an experimental, so-much distortion and overdosing phaser garagepunk band that bills itself as “the hard-edged, ultraviolent, spooktacular response to years of the fluttery squish of Animal Collective and HEALTH”…right on ya, Yvette, I’m with you and will follow you to the ends of the earth. This is happening at Bohemian Grove, yet another new, hip, all ages speakeasy party space right next door to Glasslands. Long may she live.

And long may YOU live – through all your days and through this over stuffed, explosively rock and roll weekend.

Be safe and stay wild.

-Captain Heartlock

No Direction Home...

Happy Autumnal Equinox, Friends and Fiends! Summer is now not only formally over, but scientifically DONE. Put away them flip flops and put on them boots a-go-go.  Put down that ice cone and have a warm slap in the face of apple pie. The slight chill in the air when the night falls is the promise that things are only going to get witchy from here on out. Let’s welcome it into our hearts and go go bananas.

My picks this week match the feelings of the season quite perfectly, I’ll say. Onwards…

Wednesday, September 22nd

The promotion collective behind many a lysergically influenced bill, Memory Burn, present a night of heavy skull scrambling psychedelic rock and roll, featuring luminaries of the fuzz Heavy Hands, ELKS, Future Hunter and Long Distance Poison (who specialize in weirdscape sound walls and synthetic textures). Djs Wyld Thymes (Adam from La Otracina), Tommy C (excellent Greenpoint Brooklyn record store Co-Op 87) and NonFormat will spin appropriately out-there psychedelia to match the night. Only $5 and kicking off at 9pm at CoCo 66, down by the river in Greenpoint Brooklyn.

Over at The Knitting Factory, Brooklyn is blessed to once again play host to the living torch bearers of tropicalia, Sao Paolo Brazil’s Garotas Suercas. It’s a guaran-damn-teed dance party every time these kids play. As the cherry on this sundae, The Reverend Vince Anderson will also be performing, looking to cleanse your souls through the power of sound. And you know damn well you need the shower. 8pm doors, $10 dollar cover…

If you haven’t grabbed them yesterday in person it’s likely too late for you, but you ought to know that The Yeah Yeah Yeahs are playing a not so secret party at Secret Project Robot tonight, celebrating their anniversary of their existence. For those lucky enough, you better believe it’s going to be crowded, sweaty, messy and cathartic.

It’s the week for CopyCat at the rock and roll tiki bar of Alphabet City, Otto’s Shrunken Head, and tonight’s edition is CATMOSPHERE: A Joy Division Tribute. A punk rock supergroup featuring members whose affiliations span across such NYC underground royalty as  WLWL, The Othermen, Miss Jilly, The Back CC’s and The Horehound will lay dark, punked-out doom all over the floor so you can dance like a spaz like Ian would want you to. Host Xerox is joined by DJ Omega (from the monthly RockEM SockEM party) to spin crazy covers and remixes of the songs of your youth, and tonight’s deceptively potent concotion is the $5  “She’s Lost Control” drink. Love may not tear us apart, but your excesses might do it…

You’ll can always expect and therefore can never duck the one two punch of Wednesday night DJ domination - Mr. Fine Wine and his fantastic 60′s soul and r&b selections at Botanica and Jonathan Toubin’s New York Night Train at Motor City. Both free, both funky as all hell.

Thursday, September 23rd

Open up and say aaaaaaaaaaaaah, I promise this won’t hurt a bit, and the co-pay is well within your reach, lepers legion: It’s Perfect Prescription at  Secret Project Robot in Williamsburg Brooklyn. Tonights remedy against boredom and bad taste are the big sky, dream pop stylings of Beloved Rogue, local space rockers gone asteroid Oceanographer and the rolling psychedelic thunder, warm Vox tones and 12 string swagger of The Runaway Suns. Hosts and DJ’s Paul Dillon and Voidsong are dispensing the vaccinations and the lollipops for a mere $5 pop – doors at 9, first band at 10.

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And that’s how it went down. If anything else is going on we ought to know about, just leave a comment below and we’ll track it down like a Baskerville hound…

Be Seeing You,

Captain Heartlock

"Oh my God it’s full on! Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh. My. God...WOW!!!! Fuckin' RAINBOWS. How do they WORK????"

Come on down to my ark, baby. Come on down where we can play. Come on down, two by two. Giraffes in the front, party in the back, no baboons permitted on top deck. We board promptly at 8. No stragglers, cause the End Times don’t wait for NOBODY, don’t care WHO your band is opening for. 40 days and nights of champagne showers and a undercurrent that will guide you towards destination: Ouchies! Step lively…

Wednesday August 25th

Mercury Lounge plays host to a “Psychedelic Pop-Rock Spectacle”, where you can lose your marbles and pantaloons to the sweet vibrations of the wild, Exile Stones era shambolics and histrionics of local boys done good Your 33 Black Angels and Darlings, who play a kind of hard pop style that brings to mind Brian Wilson if he was a little more biker than bathrobe. 9pm, Ten Dollar Cover, son!

All Psychos converge on Otto’s Shrunken Head tonight for yet another thrilling edition of CopyCat! as The Back CC’s and The Dirty Shames pay tribute to the all time king daddies THE SONICS in the way only these wild, punktastic bands can. Host and professor emeritus of obscure covers, DJ Xerox, is joined tonight by none other than “The Boogaloo Omnibus” himself, Phast Phreddie, who threatens (and you better buy it!) to play Sonics, Sonics covers, endless Louie Louie variations and more rare platters from bands that owe their bread, butter and boogers to the legendary band that still stands as the prime movers of the American Garage / Punk movement. No cover, and be sure to loose your shit on this editions themed drink special, $5 rounds of  “Sonic Blue”…

Beep Beep YEAH! SCION (in conjunction with Vice Magazine) is doing it AGAIN with another great edition of the Scion Garage Fest at Knitting Factory Brooklyn – if you haven’t already you better RSVP HERE to get in and you’d best show up early. Nobunny, those rabbits on acid, are gonna play psychotic garage rock to riot to. Hopefully the crowd will be slightly more behaved and not heave a bag of feces at the man (as happened last time they were here at Cakeshop a few months ago, by all accounts). Opening up for them are  Miami based rock kids The Jacuzzi Boys. Fa Fa Fa!

For international mod beat and exotic pop flavor, may I recommend a potent double dose of Les Sans Culottes and Stereo Total? Catch them at the luscious Le Poisson Rouge in the West Village at 8pm and get ready to go all Continental on le dance floor. $12 Cover

Soul and Girl-Group enthusiasts need to get down to Rockwood Music Hall for The Sweet Devines! They’re putting on A Heckuva Summer Soul Party! on Stage 2 at 8pm in celebration of their new ’45 release Hecukuva Man, and are accompanied by an all star line up of special guests, including such luminaries as Binky Griptite (Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings), Maxine Brown, Eli “Paperboy” Reed and more! There’s a chance that $12 advance tickets can still be had here.

DJ Glamourpuss can be found over at the dark and lovely St. Jerome, providing a soundtrack of glam, punk and decadent rock music for watching debauched lower east siders. Sure to be fun, and certainly free, with cheap libations by Ashley Moree.

Rounding out Wednesdays travels, I needn’t remind you of the two eminent DJ nights that make it happen every damn week, that being Mr. Fine Wine’s fantastic soul and R&B ’45 night at Botanica’s and Jonathan Toubin and The New York Night Train at Motor City. If I have to, then where’ve you been baby?

Thursday August 25th

Glam Rockers, New Age Dandies, Fucked Up Fashionistas, Models on Gumdrops, Beautiful Street Urchins,  and all kind of decadents of the rock and roll variety assemble weekly for the bachhanal that is Kelle Calco’s party LADYLAND : A ROCK N ROLL DANCE PARTY at The Library at The Hudson Hotel. He, along with Miss Guy (The Toilet Boys) and Ian El Dorado DJ this hot mess. Come dressed for vanity as tonights party is going to be filmed for NYC-TV CHANNEL 25 and indie fashion blog Style Like You for some New York nightlife themed program that I look forward to watching in the back of a belligerent yellow cab.

The Grunge Revival is not a rumor: whether that’s good or bad depends on your particular inclinations, but it really doesn’t matter because it’s completely out of your hands, sugar: Dead Stars, who wear their Dinosaur Jr. influence on their torn sleeves and throw melodic “punch you in the gut” sound, are playing at The Charleston in Williamsburg this fine Thursday evening, along with the extremely 1992 sounding Violent Soho from Brisbane, Australia. Get some Hush Puppies from the punk rock southern food stall Honeychiles upstairs and then go down to the basement and wade in the bonecrush sound. While this is not exactly a scene that’s going to be an ongoing focus of this blog, I think…you ought to know (if I may quote another song of the era…) See what I did there?

AAAAAND scene. Keep your flippers on and the beer cans off the street. Charlie Po-Po is watching you.

-Captain Heartlock.

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream...(Scultpure by Austrailian artist Orest Keywan)

Ruminating on crazy JetBlue guy and this oppressive heat wave that’s got the entire planet in a camel clutch, I was thinking about what needs to happen to make this summer even more awesome/batshit loony than it’s already been: Some guy behind an ice cream truck, who just can’t take it anymore, who has had it with that damn song playing in his head for the last 4 months and with the chubby, sticky faced street urchins haranguing him from frosty treats – he takes the wheel and goes on a soft serve RAMPAGE across the city, hurling snow cones, Firecracker popsicles and Choco-Taco’s at passerbys before smashing the truck through the display window of an American Apparel***, all the while laughing maniacically and making up filthy lyrics to “Turkey in the Straw”…you know, THAT SONG.

Now THAT’s a hero. Which ain’t nothin’ but a sandwich, you jive turkey!

(*** Please note that no underage models or underpaid clerks were hurt during the crafting of this vision of delight.)

Wednesday August 11th

The Knitting Factory is hosting a fantastic line up of classic soul and R&B tonight, featuring Fred Thomas (principle bass player of the James Brown band!!!!) and his new group The Fred Thomas Band, and legendary 60′s/70′s Soul & Funk supernovas The Ex Caminos! Both groups are supporting the headliner Baba Ola Jagun and The Ancestral Rhythms, who are a must see for fans of the rhythms of AfroRock, especially given his work with Fela Kuti’s Egypt 80. That’s a hell of a lot of sonic edutainment for a meager $10 cover.  Show starts at 9pm.

Can you believe it’s already been three years since the Copycat party started? Time is obviously on it’s side as it’s just been consistently fun rock and roll times at one of the last true bastions of rock and roll fun left in Manhattan, Otto’s Shrunken Head. Tonight’s anniversary edition features Miss Jilly and the Belles, Jill’s brand new power lineup featuring everyone’s favorite amazon of funk Kathleen Chowlewka on bass, performing along with garage punk loony toons with the ole’ left right hooks The Horehound! Spinning between and after sets with host DJ Xerox will be superstar DJ and Producer Ursula 1000 -  No cover as usual, and expect some ridiculously powerful drink special that tastes like candy but will put you under the table after two rounds…

Wednesday is always a good night for DJ action:

Mr. Fine Wine continues to keep on keeping on with his rare and vintage soul and R&B platters at Botanica Bar on East Houston Street! New York Night Train rolls on at Motor City even though conductor Jonathan Toubin is headed west, with downtown scenesters JR from the punk band Jailbait and artist/photographer Nikki Sneakers…meanwhile at St. Jerome on Rivington St. there’s a birthday party happening for bartendress extraordinare and all around cool girl Ashley Moree featuring an all star cast of sublimely special guest DJ’s – Andy Animal and Josh Styles (The Stalkers, Smashed!Blocked!) Kelle Calco, Glamourpuss and Gregg D (Sorceress) will all be on hand to help the girl make merry. This should make for quite the barhop for the brave and iron bellied.

Thursday August 12

It’s the long awaited ’45 record release party for the seminal lords of the garage punk dirge, Organs, on Puta Records! It’s a family affair, as they’re supported by their brethren at arms Olaf and the Siberians, The Back CC’s, Madam Robot and the Lust Brigade (fronted by yours truly, in case ya didn’t know) and The Dirty Shames, with DJ Red Rocket weaving psych, garage and punk records between and through…This Megalon vs. Gigantor sized spectacle is at Public Assembly on 70 N. 6th and Whythe in Williamsburg Brooklyn (home to multicolored pants!) for a mere $7 Cover!

Speaking of The Back CC’s, they’ll be hopping across town after their set over to the CBGB’s of Bushwick, Don Pedro, to close out a birthday rager for a great friend of the bar! Other acts of note playing beforehand are the light show and noise frenzy of weirdo electronics/guitar/roman gladiator duo Food Stamps and the decibel baiting, shamanistic mania of Caterpillars, a band that every garage loving fiend should really keep on their radar. $5 dollars and your mind blown!

Closing out a stacked night of fuzzed out greatness are local punks on love and scuzz Black Market Bombshell at Trash Bar on Grand St in the WB. They’re on at 11 and bring the old school NYC city sound and  frenzy tight, fast, and furious – just like I like my omlettes

That’s the word, bird! Stay cool and Don’t hijack anything not worth hawking on Craiglist!

-Captain Heartlock, esq.

It’s real hard to find photos of these guys to rip off
when I can’t read the links of their webpage.

I’m late, so this is gonna go quick.

Sunday

Right now-as-in-4pm-now the Psychobilly vs. Punk BBQ is starting up at Public Assembly.  We know the “Punk” side includes the 45 Adapters.  Who else?  Who knows?  Go check it out.  It’s $10, not sure if the BBQ is included.

Just an hour thereafter the last Big Ten Inch of the Summer gets rollin’ at The Bell House.  DJ Phast Phreddie spins nothing but 10″ 78RPM records.  Bring your own and they’ll let you be a DJ too!  No cover.

At 8 the third night of the Rebel Night Weekender takes off. No more band, but there’s a DJ dance party with some folks they flew in from countries much closer to the real Warsaw (you know, the city).  I think it’s still $25 per night, so this is probably just for those of you who bought the weekender passes.

The one-man-band known as Bob Log III plays the first of two shows tonight at Mercury Lounge.  He’s joined by some bands I don’t have the time to look up.  $12 at the door, Mr. Log is on around 10.

Some folks have the sense to start their DJ nights nice and late.  DJs Dave The Spazz and Andy Maltz start spinning garage rock, soul, oldies and rarities around 10pm over at Union Pool.  No cover.

At 11 Soul Sunday begins at Manhattan Inn.  Not sure who the guest DJ is this week, but someone should be spinning Soul music until the late hours of the night.  No cover.

Monday

Bob Log III has a second gig in town, this time at The Knitting Factory.  This time he brought along local trash blues group Daddy Long Legs.  Should be a fantastic show.  $10 advance, $12 at the door.

The Stompin’ Riffraffs blew peoples’ minds at the Rebel Night Weekender.  Meanwhile due to unpaid parking tickets or somesuch nonsense they have to stay in NYC for a bit so they’re playing a show at Don Pedro with… Jesus Christ!… The Othermen, The Back CCs, Organs, WLWL and Olaf and the Siberians (edit: and LoveStruck!)  Bob Log probably wants to go to this show (sorry guy!)  Starts around (?) and the cover is (?) (Those are Don Pedro (TM) brand question marks, by the way.)

Also available for your aural pleasure, Spindletop Soul-Jazz-R&B at Botanica.  That’s DJ Perry Lane‘s mod music night in the city.  No cover, starts at 10.

Tuesday

Everybody’s getting on the boat boat these days.  The latest Rocks Off Concert Cruise that we bothered to notice features local garage-rockers The Mess Around and catchy as hell rock-n-rollers Miniboone.  It’s $10 in advance, $15 at the dock, amd the boat leaves at 8pm so get there early unless you can jump reeeeally far.

Or just be lazy and cheap and go to Hot Dog! at Bar Matchless.  It’s a night of DJs spinning 50s and 60s, garage rock, soul, psych, and other good stuff.  The music’s good, the drinks are 2-for-1, and we will either be there or still staggering home from Don Pedro…

Marcus

Proofreaders? We don’t need no steenkin’ proofreeders!