by Jonathan Leeder
This Thursday at The Mercury Lounge is one of my favorite bands Exit Clov. You can typically count on this inventive DC band visit once a month, but they have not played here in awhile. They’ve been busy making videos and working on their first full length album after releasing a series of shorter EP’s over the past few years. Check out their crazy new video for MK ULTRA on their Myspace. Do yourself a favor and catch this band in a room like The Mercury Lounge while you still can. Out of the many venues I’ve seen them play, they sound best here. I’m most curious to see what new material they’ve cooked up since their last visit. If you can’t make this gig they’ll also be at Pete’s Candy Store in Billyburg on Fri night.

Friday night at the Lit Lounge is The Aviation Orange, a Brooklyn based indie rock band. These guys are just getting their feet wet and paying dues playing in basements that resemble Buffalo Bill’s dungeon in Silence of the Lambs.

If you can’t handle it, head over to The Bowery Ballroom to check out Jersey’s The Parlor Mob. I can’t say enough positive things about a band that just wants to write and play good old rock and roll music. Why re-invent the wheel, or fix something that ain’t broke?

On Saturday night at The Parkside Lounge (317 E. Houston) is NYC’s electro-punk rockers Wrong. This band was born the day of the New York black-out a few years back and they pride themselves on writing songs through improvisation.

Over at Piano’s is Must Love Trash another DC band playing their first ever show in the big apple. Their sound is wah-wah heavy jamband meets gritty garage rock. They share the bill with five other bands, and it’s only $8 to get in, so that’s easily the best bang for your buck of the weekend.

Closing out the weekend at The Rockwood Music Hall is indie-folk-popster Jesse Harris. Jesse was just part of the ambitous Royal Albert Hall show that featured a group of diverse artists performing songs the Bob Dylan played at the infamous Royal Albert Hall shows where he debuted his electric sound to less then happy Brit folk lovers. On Sunday, he will be playing a full set by himself.

by Jonathan Leeder
After living in southern California the past five years, it’s safe to say my blood has thinned out. I’m cold and I’m over winter. I’m officially marking this weekend as the halfway through the winter weekend. That means spring has got to hurry up and get here. To celebrate this time of the season, this is what is on tap for this weekend…..

On Thursday evening at R Bar on the Bowery is Nervous Cabaret, an experimental rock band that hails from Brooklyn but plays the majority of their gigs abroad.

Or over at Sidewalk Cafe on Ave A is Charles Theodore. Chucky is a guy I mentioned once before. He is an American who did some time in France. He plays folksy Americana type songs and has tasty guitar licks taboot.

Friday night finds Morning 40 Federation at The Mercury Lounge. This is the gig I’m most excited about. These guys are from N’awlins’ 9th Ward and play what the old-timers call FONK music. Not funk mind you, FONK. I’d be doing a disservice trying to describe it in words, your best bet is to listen online and if it grabs you, make your way to the Merc.

Over at The Bowery Ballroom is Au Revoir Simone. When I first heard the name I thought it to be an ode to Philly Flyers star French Canadian winger Simon Gagne, who is suffering post-concussion symptoms. Actually it is just some Indie-pop-electro Brooklynites playing with keyboards and sounding sad.

Saturday night at Mehanata Bulgarian Gypsy Bar (where?! That’s what I thought too. The location is Ludlow and Rivington) is Mission on Mars. This will be a diverse DJ set of world music and it will only set you back $5. When I called the bar, the guy on the other end promised pretty girls too.

Closing out the weekend on Sunday night is Ungdomskulen at The Cake Shop. They are from Bergen, Norway and play new-wave post punk tunes. Their new album CRY BABY just came out and they wanted to try their new material out on some Americanos. Enjoy!

by Jonathan Leeder
This Thursday evening over at The Cake Shop is We Be The Echo, a math-metal-prog-dub band from San Francisco. Supporting is Dysrhythmia, a straight up rock and roll band from Queens. This should be an interesting bill as both bands possess talented multi-instrumentalist players. I wouldn’t be surprised if they collaborated or lend members to one anothers sets.

On Friday night at Arlene’s Grocery is Fat City Reprise, an alt-rock-funk band from Philadelphia. They are a tight live band that plays enthusiastic upbeat sets of diverse music. Also on the bill is VietNam, a rock and soul band from NYC.

Saturday night finds Petra Haden, an Angeleno girl that multi-tracks and sings acappella tunes. Her version of The Beach Boys classic God Only Knows is worth checking out. Not sure how she will pull it off live, but I’m curious. That show is at The Stone (Ave C & 2nd St.)

Or over at Fat Baby (112 Rivington) is project222, a folk rock jam band from Jerz.

Closing out the weekend on Sunday night Reid Genauer will be performing at The Bowery Ballroom. Reid started out as part of the excellent Vermont export Strange Folk, then left that band to get a graduate degree in business. Last I heard from him he was fronting his own act Assembly of Dust, but it now seems as if he will be performing solo.

by Yori Yanover
Christina from the East River Park Ecology Center waved to me enthusiastically outside the running track at Sixth Street. She asked me how I liked the new promenade and I said it looked great, and I was hoping they would give me permission to go shoot there. So she told me it was already open; not the whole thing, but the part that’s been renovated is already open and available to the public.

I followed her instructions, which I will now share with you, good readers: You walk past the track and past the baseball field directly to the north of it, and there they are, nicely paved paths leading to the renovated promenade. At least the part of it between 12th and 6th Streets.

What a wonderful job they’ve done, the city’s Department of Parks, and the architects and contractors. A broad pavement, attractive lampposts at regular intervals, many benches, interesting designs of the public spaces, this is going to be a fantastic place for an outing, alone or in groups. I was thoroughly impressed.

Obviously, this is only about a third of the complete itinerary of the old promenade, so it’s hard to tell whether the project will really be finished in time for the summer season. Also, what’s missing still is the landscaping, which will make the place absolutely majestic.

So now when they ask you what’s the difference between former mayor Giuliani and current mayor Bloomberg, you can tell them: Our promenade was broken; Giuliani fenced it off and put up cops to chase as a way – Bloomberg built as a new one. So who you think is the better leader?

by Pat Arnow
The Sunday paper features an open house for the two-story penthouse at Blue, the love-it or hate-it irregularly shaped blue mosaic rising behind the defunct Gem 99-cent store on Delancey. Real estate porn lovers that you are, you have to check it out.

Dizzy, that’s what you get looking out of the forward-angled windows to the Williamsburg Bridge and down to the streets. Lust, that’s what you get looking at palm wood floors and a Viking refrigerator as big as a coat closet. Bigger. Glass tiles in the master bathroom (one of three). Views on three sides from the living room and upstairs bedroom. A big square terrace. Perfect quiet with the windows closed.

You want to live there? Sure. You have nearly $3.5 million to buy it? Nope. So you stop at the Santo Domingo Bakery on Clinton and split a hot hot arepa con queso that steams into the winter air as you unwrap it, a perfect one today with the salty white cheese slightly toasted around the edges. You walk under the bridge admiring the row of plane trees along the chain link fences enclosing the handball courts, the bridge rising high above, the fine way you’ve just wasted a Sunday afternoon in the city.

by Dave Gizele
If a fire hydrant falls, can you park there?

Do dogs still use it for their bodily functions?

Those are the question being posed in front of the Fine Fare located on the corner of Jackson and Grand.

The most important questions are where the @&#£ is the city to fix this and what should we do if there is a @$¥%ing fire?

by Jonathan Leeder
Well, well, well. Happy New Years to all. Here’s to hoping 2008 is even more rockin’ then 2007. To kick the year off proper, Year Long Disaster will be rocking faces at The Mercury Lounge tonight. Rolling Stone Magazine has tapped them on the shoulder and is expecting them to be a break-out band this year, so lets hope the pressure doesn’t get to them.

Over at Crash Mansion on the Bowery is Julius Curcio, an indie meets classic rocker from Philly. His songs sound like cutting room floor edits from a Crosby, Stills, & Nash session that was produced by the Dust Brothers.

On Friday eve over at The Living Room is Juliana Finch singing her blend of Americana acoustic ballads. Her voice sounds like aged bourbon, and her tales are just as warm.

If it’s as cold tomorrow as it is today, get your soul warmed by Juliana. At the Mercury Lounge is a Brooklyn band I’ve mentioned before called Pale Nimbus. They are worth checking out for some guitar driven rock tunes.

Saturday night at Club Midway on Ave B is Blues Control, a band from the borough of Queens. They craft experimental pop-rock nuggets of sound, that sound like they could’ve come out of Haight Ashbury in the late 60’s. I’ve yet to see them, but they sound like they’d be worth the trip.

For a more song-centric display, check out Kerry Politzer who is at Googie’s Lounge, aka the upstairs section at The Living Room. Kerry has a smoky jazz voice, and her music hops back and forth from rock to just about whatever she feels like.

Closing out the weekend at The Living Room is another act I mentioned once before named Basement Band. They are an alt-country folkie band from Brooklyn. Smooth folk for rough city folk, or something like that. They sound like a young, not so road weary Wilco. Stay warm!