It's All Too Much...

Hey, Flowers! The Weekend – it’s BACK like Rambo!

It’s the penultimate weekend of May, a month that has been as chock full of rock and roll glory as any we’ve seen in some time! For the third weekend in a row there’s SO much competition for your pleasure that you’re going to either have to make some tough choices or figure out that cloning device Dr. Mindbender left down in the laundry room. My job is to inform you of your options, how you choose to blow your mind is your own concern!

Onwards…

Friday May 18th

If you have the true warriors heart, you’ll be starting early and crashing into the morning star:

Bowery Electric hosts a ferocious bill that kicks off at 7:30 pm (still early enough for happy hour) – first up is the electric blues beasts Daddy Long Legs, followed by The Master Plan (rock and roll group comprising members of The Dictators and the Fleshtones) and a group fronted by Deniz Tek, guitarist and founding member of the legendary Radio Birdman! Again, get to this early as the downstairs transforms like a Cinderalla carriage into something fans of our scene will not like at 11pm…not sure of the cover but count on no less than $8 smackers…

The return of Cavestomp is making major waves in the garage punk and power pop scene of New York city, continuing tonight with a stellar lineup that features (in order, from 9pm) Big Riff, a jangly garage duo from Qeubec called PONCTUATION, their fellow countryman and garage punk veteran Skip Jensen and his new band and our own lords of dark surf and reverb nightmares, Twin Guns. This happens tonight at Bushwick’s Brooklyn Fireproof at 9pm, and is a solid, SOLID block of premium rock for a measly $6 dollars! Can not lose.

MEANWHILE not much farther away at the capital of trash known as Don Pedro, is another stellar line up featuring bands I have not previously been privy to but are worthy of your attention: Baba Yaga (an exceptional poppy psych band with garage flourishes) – the extremely rude and weird punk rock and boogey band Baby Erection, and all star cover band The Psycho Hippies! Party kicks off at 9pm…not sure of the cover ($6 dollah?)

Two shows I’m privy to but can’t find too much information on as far as the other acts or times:

The Arkhams bring their Cthulu lovin’ psychobilly swag to Trash Bar

The Horehound rise from the pound at The Fifth Estate

(any other info is welcome, comment section!)

MEANWHILE at Lone Wolf: Another fantastic Pixie 007 production headlined by the harp and horror yells of Organs, fresh off their conquering tour of the south and midwest! They are joined by psych girls American Sun and two of Richmond VA’s finest, Tungs and Heavy Midgets! $5 Cover…

IN THE CITY: It’s the return of the one two punch to end all boredom at Home Sweet Home: DJ Todd Spinn (Front man of The Siberians) plays raucuous garage and frat rock records for Metropolis Vintage Happy Hour from 8pm till 11pm (no cover, 2 for one beers and well drinks!), after which time Jonathan Toubin returns to his rightful place at the helm of Shakin’ All Over Under Sidways Down from 11pm till the end of the night ($3 cover after 11)…it’s a non stop dance party all night and an education for all the squares. Take your sassafras down there and Show them how!

La La Linda is uptown at The Ding Dong Lounge , doing her Friday Night Best to inoculate you from nonsense with healthy doses of garage, psychedelia, soul and funk from 10pm till the rooster crows…no cover!

If you’re gonna be in Manhattan early for the Bowery Electric gig or just wanna shake your 9-5 ya ya’s out, I can’t recommend more checking out the duo of Popwell and Lil’ Jerk for their happy hour throwdown Living for Kicks at Hi-Fi in the East Village! They’re on from 6pm till 10pm and dare you to bear sonic witness to a domestic argument over which format reigns supreme: sultry 60′s soul or dirty Jamaican rub-a-dub dub? Can’t we all just get along? Fuck that! Dance it out. No cover!

It is ALSO that Friday of the month for the best 50′s R&B, twist and rockabilly dance party probably ANYWHERE in the east coast, Rebel Night! Otto’s Shrunken Head is the place, ace, and the kids dress and move like they mean it. Your host DJ’s Dj Sei, Jun, and Hiromu (from The Baxx SiSi’s) are joined by the one and only Dirty Dan on the decks this evening! Kicks off at 10pm, and as usual for everything awesome that happens at Otto’s there is no cover…

Finally for Friday, it’s the return of Knights of the Round Table, where Sir Mikey, Sir Chris and Sir (Mr.) Fine Wine regale all the kids with the finest, choicest and rarest 6o’s soul and R&B on 45′ vinyl, over yonder at trouble palace of fried chicken thighs and the big pina colada The Commodore! 10pm – 4am, with a slow dance session to close the night out at 3 for all the horny toads to pair off to…

Saturday May 19th

If you didn’t blow your wad Friday night and you have the wherewithal to rise during daylight hours like a real human being, there’s some fun to be had in the sun on what is forecast to be a gorgeous Saturday – it’s the annual Brooklyn Flea Spring Record Fair! All you vinyl junkies assemble to peruse amongst 34 vendors (indie record shops, labels and dealers alike), taste all that delicious “Artisinal” shit from Smorgasburg (cupcakes and jerk chicken go together like hot sex and cigarettes!) and do it all to the sounds from various cool kids with cool taste who will DJ for you throughout the affair, including members of the bands Psychic Ills and X-Ray Eyeballs! 11am till 6pm, located at 27 N. 6th Street, down by the East River in (where else) Williamsburg BK…

And then…night falls:

Hullabaloo returns! Tonight’s edition takes place in it’s natural habitat Don Pedro, headlined by Cincinnati OH trashy garage punk band The Long Gones! Check their sound:

These guys are supported by some of our own towns grimiest: Glam rock valkyries The Foxx, the fuzz ladies of American Sun and the squawk and roll frenzy of The Jigglers! Our very own Shimmy and Charles Gaskins spin greasy rock and r&b records between bands and into the not so sweet night! First band is on at 9pm, $ 7 cover!

It’s eerie and unfortunate that a just as powerful garage punk bill is happening at exactly the same time across the water, courtesy once again of Cavestomp: at Parkside Lounge, which looks to be holding the mantle for live non-douche rock and roll in the East Village, the garage show purveyors present a killer bill: PONCTUATION and Skip Jensen back for a second night in a row and are joined by the Farfisa drenched psychedelic fury of The Living Kills and King’s County’s Kings of Freakbeat The Above, who are debuting a brand new lineup and configuration! All of this for only $6? PRIMITIVE. 8pm start time, children!

Nick Waterhouse and his Tarots perform their neuvo retro soul revue tonight at Mercury Lounge, with Mr. Robinson (Dig Deeper) as your DJ…the show is SOLD OUT…but hey, hang out in front of the club and somebody might sell you a ticket, miracles HAPPEN, baby…

Not much farther away at Idle Hands catch DJ C’Mon for The Saturday Takeover, as she battles the beasts of village mediocrity with choice selections of garage, indie, power pop and punk records from 10pm till close in the land of bourbon and burgers! No cover…

And that’s the weekend, folks! Check back here on SUNDAY to see what Drew Redmond has to say whats going on for the early week. Have a Good Time, Ya’ll. Go Do You, Girl – Go Do You.

-Captain Heartlock.

So, I’m late at posting again.  I’m a busy man, dammit!  I can’t always be on time with this blogging stuff!

OK, I’ll try to do better in the future.  Here’s a little look at what you can do tonight and tomorrow!

MONDAY

Mondays aren’t very exciting.  Seriously.  Most people have to go back to work that morning and they don’t feel like going out.  They just want to slump into an arm chair and maintain that warm, fuzzy feeling only depression can give you.  That, and lots of masturbation.  Netflix is involved, too, I think.

Big surprise, the only thing going on that involves good music is Spindletop Soul-Jazz night at Botanica.  This night doesn’t involve depression, Netflix, or masturbation.  Well, possibly mutual masturbation.  The night is free!  I think No Good Nick is the guest DJ this week.  I’ve been hearing good things about this night.  Lots of good music and quality people.  It goes from 10:00 to 4:00.

TUESDAY

Head over to the Bell House for what should be a pretty good show.  Headlining are Australia’s Hoodoo Gurus.  I never got to see them back in the ’80s — because I was going to school and thinking about Gobots — and I’m sure a lot of you reading this didn’t get to see them then either.  Now, they’re getting old, but I’m sure they’re can still play well.  Also on the bill is a band called The Master Plan — which has two members of Fleshtones, some dude from Waxing Poetics, and Adny Shernoff of The Dictators fame.  Their name makes them sound like they should be singing about the third reich, but they sing about other white people things like 14th street and a “suburban soul man.”  Opening the bill are locals Daddy Long Legs.  $15/$17

If you’d rather not pay a cover change and spend all of your money on booze, then head over to Matchless for HOT DOG! Mary-Clancey, Todd Spinn, and Rachell will be DJing all kinds of bad ass shit.  Also, Todd and Rach are getting married this weekend, so go wish them a happy married life by giving them money and jewels.  This shit is free!  There are two for one drinks all night!  There’s good music!  And the place is full of whores that will suck and fuck you with no effort on your part!  How could you not go?

A nice and easy start to your week.

SUNDAY

Sunday Sounds is going on at Niagra.  The lovely Grace Of Spades spins records from ten to four!  Expect Soul, R&B, Ska, Oi, and all other types of goodness that she’s known for providing you with.  Free entry and $3 bottles of beer.

Over at Manhattan Inn you can check out their Heaven & Hell night.  It starts at seven with the Rev. Vince Anderson playing “Dirty Gospel” on the ol’ Joanna, then at eleven switches to Jahna Rain and Das Booty DJing Soul 45.  This shit is FREE.

And, as always, you can check out Dave The Spazz and Andy Maltz at Union Pool.  They do their thing, and they do it well.  It’s free entry and they have pretty great tacos for sale out back.

MONDAY

The only thing I know about tonight, as usual, is the Spindletop Soul-Jazz night at Botanica.  There is nothing else I know of going on this night, so go to this if you want to mod out with your rod out.

TUESDAY

Twig The Wonderkid is DJing at Happy Endings for his Disco Down night.  It’s a mix of New Wave, Post Punk, Disco, Indie, and Electro.  I have no clue about cover charge or time.

And then we have trusty ol’ Hot Dog at Matchless.  This week Mary-Clancey is DJing the early shift.  I think Todd Spinn is doing the middle shift, and I think I, Charles Gaskins, might do the late shift.  Two for one drinks all night.  Free entry!  Drunk whores.