ew York is a busy place. With restaurants and bars opening and closing every day, concerts being performed nonstop, and news developing faster than it can be reported, it's hard to stay afloat. You need a guide. Martiniboys is here to help. Keeping our ears to the ground and our eyes to the blogs, we've collected all the hot buzz that you need to stay informed about your fair city. Whether it be a new play opening off Broadway or a sports scandal, you'll find it here. There's no need to thank us, we're just doing our jobs. Okay, you can thank us.



Forget that diet, being healthy and not drinking so much. Celebrity international and American Chefs converge in New York City for one packed weekend of food tastings, panel discussions, presentations and seminars. It's the New York Wine and Food Festival! There will never be so many food events going on in one city at the same time as this. Delve into different taste from all over the world-stuff you have never even heard of, and collect enough recipes to keep you busy for years to come. If you need a bit more incentive, there will be more celebrity chefs than you can count. If you've ever watched an episode of Iron Chef or really any show on the Food Network, you'll be impressed by these names: Bobby Flay, Gordon Ramsay, Rachel Ray, Paula Deen, and Alice Waters. That's just to name a few. So get out there until Sunday and don't worry about packing on a few pounds. It's worth it.





While I appreciate Lewis Black's humor and angry rants, I get a little nervous that he may fall over from a coughing fit. He gets himself so worked up, you’re tentatively giggling in hopes that you’re not caught laughing at a passed out man on the stage. Getting his mainstream breakthrough on The Daily Show helped develop Black's trademark style of political commentary, which usually just results in angrily excited ranting until he inevitably pops a vein. He also continues the trend of Jon Stewart's contributors being much funnier and more poignant than he is. Check him out Friday through Wednesday at Town Hall and prepare to laugh, worry, and get angrier and angrier at McCain, Bush, and Palin.





You never really know what you're going to get with a Beck concert. The 38 year old Scientologist has recorded twelve albums over the fifteen years that he's been in the music industry, and of those it can be said that no two are alike. He's done everything from mournful acoustic ballads to postmodern sample collages while covering everything in between. His latest album, Modern Guilt, is produced by Danger Mouse and so it's heavy on the psychedelia. Some call this eclecticism, while others think it insincerity. Whatever the case, expect to hear things like "that song doesn't usually last three hours, but we got into a serious thing there". Beck's three-night stand at United Palace Theatre begins tonight.





You want to hear something fucked up? The Toronto punk band (represent!) Fucked Up will be playing for 12 hours straight at the Rogan Store today. That's a pretty big feat for any band, but it's especially big for Fucked Up. A Fucked Up show is a sprint, not a marathon. Typically, the band gets on stage, starts screaming and pounding on their instruments, lead singer Yung Cheesy takes off his shirt, some people in the first few rows pound the shit out of each other, and half an hour later everyone leaves sweaty and exhausted. Now imagine that for 12 hours in a clothes store. Yeah, I know, fucked up. You should check it out; I'm sure you can make it for one of the 12 hours. It's free, y'know.





People like to think of the French as snooty purveyors of high culture, as if it would stop the world's rotation to admit that they didn't invent the arts. But that's a big misconception. Just as America's cultural output has been inspired by France, the French have been inspired by the United States. From Jean-Luc Godard's love of Raymond Chandler to French youth's love of Yankees caps, American culture is ever-present in the land of the frogs. I Kiff NY will deliver a full festival schedule of live music, film, dance, visual art, talks and documentaries that present French urban inner city culture and how it relates to New York City. It's transculturalism at its best. The festival starts today and continues until October 28.





If you don't catch Fleet Foxes at the Manhattan Center tomorrow or at Webster Hall on Sunday then your hip friends will never forgive you. Hell, even your not-so-hip friends who think they're hip will never forgive you. Fleet Foxes are one of those bands who started with some honest-to-blog internet hype and soon hipsters began to catch on. The Seattle band's multi-part harmonies and old-school pop sensibilities were the perfect mix to catch the ear of tastemakers everywhere. But the accessibility of it all allows the music to appeal to casual music fans, people who have never heard of Menomena or AIDS Wolf. The story is very familiar as it seems to happen every week nowadays (Arcade Fire, anyone?). Time is running out. This weekend is probably the last time you see them before the inevitable backlash begins to build. They're still cool. Go now.





It’s tricky: Hot Chip will still break your legs but now they concede that they are “ready for a fall;” you have a chance of getting out of their New York shows okay. The UK’s pre-eminent dance-pop crew offers splendor-inducing smooth blips, loops, and bedroom-kid ebullience. Riding a comber of blog salivation all the way to a Mercury Prize nomination, several world tours, and sought after remix commissions, Hot Chip continue to fuse esoteric lyrics with party-ready beats. Expect water consumption to hit a high around "Boy From School." Tip: splurge on fortitudinous deodorant. Hot Chip will play Friday and Saturday at Terminal 5. You know a band is getting big when they can guarantee attendance for two New York shows in a row.





People who think Coldplay are an innovative and unique band should take a listen to Echo and the Bunnymen. The 80's era post-punk band has been creating brooding, ballad-heavy songs since long before anyone had ever heard of Chris Martin, or even Gwyneth Paltrow. Chances are you've at least heard "The Killing Moon". Have you seen Donnie Darko. Then you've probably heard "The Killing Moon". At this show you can see them perform their Ocean Rain album in its entirety with a full orchestra. This band is from the 80s after all; they're never short on bombast. If you're a nostalgia person, this is one worth going to. Echo and the Bunnymen play tonight at Radio City Music Hall.





The debate over hip hop names has raged since DJs first picked up microphones. A purist, I long adhered to the rappers-need-superhero-monikers school of thought (see Method Man, Redman, etc.). Free verse poets and spoken word artistes become didactic when they use real names (except for Saul Williams, of course). A sobriquet distances the rapper from the words, thus lessening the sense of proselytization. However, superhero names can occasionally prove distracting, even infantile. But what about an acronym? Georgia's T.I. may not have been the first acronym enthusiast (ahem, remember the Notorious B.I.G.?), but he is the vaguest. And that's cool. He brings his slick lyrics and hip name to HighLine Ballroom tonight. Did I mention that I like acronyms? -S.T.





San Francisco's The Dodos have the standard semi-detached mumbled lyrics typical of acoustic indie-rock, but they also have such a layered and interesting sound that it’s easy to ignore the faux melancholic posing. Good tunes create the most powerful kind of hype: word of mouth. In this day and age, word of mouth is heavily assisted by "the blogosphere" (a term I hate myself for using), and fortunately for the Dodos, Stereogum and Pitchfork have been very kind. If you want to see the psychedelic folk-rock that made their name, head to Spiegelworld tonight. Or wait until the next buzzed-about band heads to New York. It shouldn't be more than a day or two.





Sufjan Stevens' sold out show at BAM last year prompted the legendary space to recruit him for a little shindig. Now in its second year TAKEOVER could hardly be described as "little". The event features four bands chosen by Sufjan himself (Brooklyn Youth Chorus, St. Vincent, Naomi Shelton & The Gospel Queens, The Budos Band), two art installations, three DJs, and sixteen movies. You read that right. That's all in one night! The party starts at 9 p.m. and continues until 4 a.m. The DJs will hold down the dance party room, the bands will bring you the concert aspect, and the four cinemas will house Beerfest, Strange Brew, The Saddest Music in the World, and The Fatal Glass of Beer, The Last Dragon, Perfect, Fright Night, Saturday Night Fever, She's Gotta Have It, The Warriors and Lars Von Trier's The Kingdom: Part I. Oh, and did I mention there's cheap beer? With so much stimulation in one place, you can sleep for the rest of the weekend. The event takes place tomorrow at BAM.





Stop picturing Garfunkel and Flea riding a big-eared elephant. Like an ambitious, well-dressed troglodyte, you can't keep art under a bridge forever. From Friday until Sunday, the Art Under the Bridge Festival yet again takes over DUMBO. Now in its 12th year (did you know "dozenth" isn't a word?), the Fest should welcome over 150 000 visitors, all viewing over 65 projects from over 100 artists. Like a local Nuit Blanche, but without the difficult pronunciation, the experience is free. Look for mixed media curios aplenty to crowd the streets Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass (that abbreviation always seemed a bit forced to me) looking for the next best New York artist. The chances are, he or she could be right under the bridge.





Meet me in SoHo. I've always wanted to say that. Tonight, the swanky 'hood will be hosting a SoHo Art Crawl tonight. From Houston to Canal Street, crawlers can check out a wide array of painting, photography, video, installation art, and all sorts of mixed media in between. From 6 to 9 p.m. Participants can discover new art spaces, artists, and art works by visiting galleries and non-profit art spaces all over SoHo. It's like a pub crawl, but without the drinks. Wait, hold on a second, there are also drinks. Just head to the afterparty at Naked Lunch for some Blue Ice Vodka drinks and Radeberger Pilsner beer. Then you can gather with all of your artsy friends and discuss the new works by Rirkrit Tiravanija and Stan VanDerBeek. If you don't know who those people are, then meet me in SoHo.





Don't look now, but Canadian cities like Vancouver are challenging Brooklyn for indie-rock supremacy. Vancouver already has a deservedly high-esteemed indie-rock collective in the New Pornographers and now they've also got Black Mountain. King of the Canadian West Coast collectives, Stephen McBean is off the Pink Mountaintop(s) and back on the black one. Good. His art(ish) rock consortium returns. Expect a horn-rimmed outdoorsman's wet dream coupled with dirge sublimity. Despite all the noise they've been making in alternative circles, their musical sensibility is very much rooted in classic rock, specifically drug-addled bands like Pink Floyd and Jefferson Airplane. These guys know how to stretch out a song to seven and eight minutes without boring you, which is a tough feat. And they're even better live. Check them out tonight at the Bowery Ballroom.





My Bloody Valentine are generally recognized as the greatest band to emerge from the early to mid 90's Shoegaze craze and their 1991 album Loveless is considered an undisputed masterpiece. Yet, lead singer Kevin Shields' obsessive perfectionism bankrupted the record label and sent the follow-up album into unfinished limbo. Then the band broke up and the legend only grew. This past weekend at All Tomorrow's Parties, My Bloody Valentine played their first American show in 16 years. But, if you didn't get tickets, there are still two more chances to see them in New York. They play today and tomorrow at Roseland Ballroom. Live is the way to see these guys. They don't move much, but it's one of the loudest and most unrelenting performances you'll ever see. You should go just to say you did.






The critically renowned All Tomorrow's Parties music festival was started in the UK as an avant-garde alternative to large corporate festivals like Glastonbury and Reading. Now, for the first time, the festival is coming to the US. The three days of music and comedy will unfold at Kutshers Country Club in Monticello, New York. This is a pretty special lineup, largely because it includes the recently reunited British shoegazers My Bloody Valentine's first performance in the US in 16 years. Plus, MBV gets to curate an entire day of the festival. They've got good taste. Check it out: Mogwai, Yo La Tengo, Dinosaur Jr, Bob Mould, Brian Jonestown Massacre, …And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead, and more. The other two days are curated by the festival organizers and bring such experimental heavyweights as Built to Spill, Meat Puppets, Tortoise, Thurston Moore, Shellac, Fuck Buttons, Low, Lightning Bolt, Les Savy Fav, and Low. The festival goes from Friday until Sunday.





There was a time in the late 90's and early 00's where it seemed as though The Dandy Warhols were going to be huge. With the success the clever and super-catchy "Not If You Were the Last Junkie On Earth" and "Bohemian Like You", along with the entire Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia album, it seemed as though the Dandys could do no wrong. Then they did some wrong. 2003's Welcome to the Monkey House took a serious turn into 80's territory and packed some solid tunes, but just wasn't up to the standard that they had already set. Then they released their last two albums, Odditorium or Warlords of Mars and …Earth to the Dandy Warhols… and it became obvious that either they've either lost whatever talent they once had, or they just aren't trying any more. Considering the carefully cultivated "we don't give a shit" attitude, the answer may be the latter. It's unfortunate since they really did show a lot of promise. I guess for every Radiohead, there's one Dandy Warhols. The band plays tonight at Terminal 5. Go and hope that they can recapture some of their old magic.





You don't need me to tell you that New York City has an effervescent arts community. But even with the MoMa, the Met, and a number of site-specific installations, the city's art events still manage to stay fresh and creative. Starting today is the second annual Crossing the Line: FIAF Fall Festival. Presented by the French Institute Alliance Française, the festival aims to prove that our Francophone friends are some creative mo-fos. Just look at some of the pieces starting today. Catherine Bay's "Snow White Project" has multiple Snow Whites pop up all over Manhattan, washing windows, stocking groceries, and just hanging out on a bench as if it's nothing. Virginie Yassef's "Alloy" is a film piece that includes music, text, sculpture, photography, and a child's interaction with one of her own moveable relief-sculptures. A child playing with art? Well I never. Meanwhile Marie Losier's "Outtakes" puts unused footage of her Ballad of Genesis and Lady Jaye to the task of retelling film history in new and innovative ways. The festival continues with projects such as this until October 5.





Sometimes it really is surprising (and occasionally depressing) just how much influence pop culture has over politics. In recent years, this has been easily noticeable in shows like The Daily Show and The Colbert Report, but this has been going on for years. Arguably the most influential of all political satire comes to us by way of Saturday Night Live a show that has brought such classic imitations as Dana Carvey's George Bush I, Phil Hartman's Bill Clinton, and recently Tina Fey's Sarah Palin. Tonight at the Museum of the Moving Image, there will be a discussion examining the role of satire in politics featuring some of SNL's modern greats. The panel, entitled Saturday Night Live and Presidential Politics, includes "Weekend Update" co-anchors Amy Poehler and Seth Meyers (who's also the head writer), veteran writer James Downey, and Lorne Michaels himself, the man behind the show (and the network). This will be nothing if not intriguing and hilarious.





If you're only familiar with Chris Rock from movies like Down to Earth, Head of State, or Lethal Weapon 4, shame on you. Even if you've seen some of his more excellent movie roles (like Rufus in Dogma), you still haven't caught the best of Chris Rock until you've seen his stand-up routine. Chris Rock doesn't so much tell jokes as he does rant about whatever is on his mind that day, but when he does you'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll get angry, and you'll leave way more impressed than you ever thought you would be. You would never think stand-up comedy could be so poignant and so thought provoking. Especially not from the guy who played Daddy Tang in Pootie Tang. Chris Rock will do two shows at the legendary Apollo Theatre, today and tomorrow. You should go if you get the chance.





A birthday party for a guitar may seem a bit frivolous to some people. Granted, the guitar is one of the most iconic instruments ever used in rock music, but still. It's a good thing, then, that the Fender 50th Anniversary Jazzmaster Concert has put together such a stellar lineup of musicians. Rather than opt for the most virtuosic shredders out there, the organizers have upped their hipster cred by inviting some of the best alternative post-punk musicians. These guys are practically royalty. The band will be made up of Tom Verlaine (of Television), Nels Cline (of Wilco), Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo (of Sonic Youth), and a man who's never afraid to let out a blistering solo, J Mascis (of Dinosaur Jr). If you're saying "who?", then this probably isn't for you. But if you've even heard of any of these guys, you should be there. The show takes place Friday at Knitting Factory.





Paul Weller has a chip of Ruffles proportions on his shoulder. But it's a deserving chip. As the guiding force and lead singer behind both The Jam and The Style Council, Weller was the guy behind the Mod Revival, finally allowing suburban kids to wear tailored suits, grow out their hair, and buy Vespa scooters. Countless Brit Pop bands have followed his example, but the most obvious would be Blur. But Blur is awesome, so who are we to complain? Fresh off Toronto's Virgin Festival, where he helped pull an attacking fan off of Noel Gallagher, Weller will take on Nokia Theatre Times Square this Wednesday. Get ready for some catchy catchy music and be prepared to hum it for days afterwards.





If you're looking for something to do, Celebrate Mexico Now at Celebrate Mexico Now, the first, and only, annual festival of contemporary Mexican art and culture in New York City. This year's event marks the festival's fifth anniversary of Mexican architecture, dance, film, music, theater, and visual art. There are also readings, panel discussions, performances, and anything else that can be fit under the "cultural" banner. In the 80's, Mexico experienced a cultural boom that has just continued to grow every year. Thus, so does the festival. The best part of this festival, though, is the delicious Mexican food. Some of the best Mexican restaurants in the city will be providing three-course prix-fixe menus filled with deliciousness. In case you can't tell, I'm a big fan of Mexican food. The festival runs from today until September 15.





The Howl Festival at Tompkins Square Park is the kind of thing that made me fall in love with New York City. Where else in the world will you get an entire three day festival devoted to a Beat poem? Named for Allen Ginsberg's legendary ode to some of the best minds of his generation, the Howl Festival will mix high and low culture to create a fun and interesting amalgam (much like the poem itself). Not only will there be a number of readings of Howl and other Beat-era masterworks, but there will also be a ton of original poetry readings, art installations (and lessons), live New Orleans jazz, a book expo, a youth oriented program of events, and punk rock karaoke. You should take advantage of this event; if you ever move out of New York, you'll never find anything else like it. The festival goes from today until Sunday.





David Berman, after years of trying, finally seems to have shed the notion that Silver Jews are a Pavement side project. It might have something to do with the fact that Stephen Malkmus is no longer contributing to the band and Pavement broke up nearly 10 years ago, but it's still about damn time. Of course, it may also be due to Berman's growing reputation in his own right. His idiosyncratic vocal delivery and clever sardonic lyrics, which are so good as to have been often compared to Bob Dylan, have made him somewhat of a cult figure amongst indie rock fans. He's a reluctant live performer (as a musician, not a poet), so you should take any chance you have to see the Silver Jews live. If you live in Brooklyn, you have two chances. They're playing the Music Hall of Williamsburg Saturday and Sunday.






Every time a new female soul singer emerges with a powerful voice and old school aesthetic, she's automatically dubbed "the next Amy Winehouse". I hardly think Winehouse has even proved herself enough to be the measuring stick against which all new soul singers are measured. Anyways, Adele is the next "next Amy Winehouse". Like fellow Brit Joss Stone, Adele possesses a voice that seems way beyond her in years (she's only 20 years old) and a knack for writing break up songs. You may not have heard of her yet, but she's already been selling out shows all throughout North America and the UK including two at Joe's Pub. Tonight she sets her sights a little bit higher (or a lot higher) with a show at Webster Hall.





This live collaboration between Lou Reed and John Zorn is one to get excited about. Their performance tonight at Le Poisson Rouge is strongly reminiscent of the old-school (read:1960's) New York avant-garde music and art scene, especially since Lou Reed and John Zorn were both largely involved in the scene. Despite both having aged considerably since then, they have both retained their spirit of experimentation and boundary-pushing. Expect a ton of improvisation, skewed interpretations of jazz standards, and lyrics about down-on-their-luck prostitutes and junkies. If this sounds like your cup of tea, you've got to be there.





Lovers of disturbing imagery and black comedy should be thrilled to learn that Chuck Palahniuk will be in town giving a reading from his latest book. The man has had people faint at readings of his infamous short story "Gag," so you know this will be good. Palahniuk will be reading from his latest novel Snuff, which follows the story of a porn star attempting to have rapid-fire sex with 600 men in one day. Another family classic from the author of Fight Club. The reading will be held at The Strand this Saturday. Make sure to bring your own barf bags. They might run out.





In 1988 Sonic Youth were on top of their game: respected, successful, and…well… youthful. Much older and married (some of them to each other) with children, they returned to their heyday last summer by performing their critically acclaimed album, Daydream Nation in its entirety at McCarren Park Pool. It went well. This Saturday, they're back at the same venue, but this time playing a proper gig (i.e. not a tribute to themselves). I'd suggest you go, if not to see the noise rock pioneers, then to wave goodbye to McCarren Park Pool as a concert venue for the summer (and possibly forever). Now what are all the hipsters supposed to do? Swim?





Trent Reznor and the boys (or girls, depending on who he decides to surround himself with that day) have been going strong since 1989. One of the few Industrial acts to cross-over into the mainstream, it's more than a little impressive that Nine Inch Nails have been able to stay there for 19 years. Reznor knows how to play the publicity game, even to this day. Adopting the Radiohead model, NIN's last two projects were released in close proximity and both as "Pay What You Want" projects available as an online download. Unfortunately, you won't be able to choose your own price for their performance at the Izod Centre tonight, but you will be able to see his tight band rock the rafters.





Nada Surf, who hail from the Big Apple, have spent the better part of the last decade trying to redefine themselves as a hip Death Cab-esque indie rock band. To a large extent this has worked, gaining them more than a few good Pitchfork and Stereogum reviews. But to me, they'll still always be that band that did "Popular" the 1996 Weezer-aping novelty hit. So, for the sake of entertaining me and me alone, here are some lyrics from that gem:

"Being attractive is the most important thing there is
If you wanna catch the biggest fish in your pond
You have to be as attractive as possible
Make sure to keep your hair spotless and clean
Wash it at least every two weeks
Once every two weeks
And if you see Johnny football hero in the hall
Tell him he played a great game
Tell him you like his article in the newspaper"

That's just good advice. Nada Surf plays tonight at the Bowery Ballroom.






I honestly don't know how they find participants, but they do. Mortified presents grown men and women who willingly confront their past in front of an audience of friends and strangers. Uncovering journals, poems, love letters, and art projects, participants bear their adolescent souls for all to hear. Self-humiliation is a wonderful thing, but other-humiliation is even better. That's why you need to head to Comix tonight to check out this show. When else will you get to hear this kind of hilariously bad poetry? At least until the next time Smashing Pumpkins come to town.





Many people consider Charlie Parker to beone of the most influential jazz musicians who ever lived. In fact, I can name you at least eight people who feel that way: Hank Jones, Vanessa Rubin, Rashied Ali, Robert Glasper, Randy Weston, Jerry Gonzalez, Eric Lewis, and Gretchen Parlato. Those are the musicians who will pay tribute to the legendary saxophonist at the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival, staged in the two neighborhoods that Parker is most associated with: Marcus Garvey Park on Saturday and Tompkins Square Park on Sunday. Musicians of various styles will remember and reinterpret the compositions of the famous saxophonists. If you're a jazz fan, it's a can't miss.





Let's just pretend the last years didn't happen. Bill Clinton is still president. Y2K is still just a glimmer in apocalyptics' eyes. The Simpsons is still funny. Oh, and everyone's grooving to alternative-tinged soft rock. That was a fun trip to 1998, don't you think? It's a shame we've got to go back to the present. Actually, you don't have to. Just go to this show at Webster Hall tonight. Not only do you have the California groove (via Oregon) of Everclear, but also the 90s-rock wonders of Soul Asylum and Cracker. 2008 is so overrated.





There's no arguing against the point that New York is a cinematic city. Countless films have been made that are little more than love letters to the fine metropolis. Granted, most of these are actually filmed in Toronto, but the subject is still the same. The Central Park Film Festival will serve New York's favorite purpose: celebrating itself. For five consecutive days, each of the five boroughs will be saluted with a film about each. The festival starts tonight with a screening of Working Girl, the story of a Staten Island secretary portrayed by Melanie Griffith. The film will be screened for free outdoors in Central Park's Rumsey Playfield and will feature free gourmet popcorn and a DJ. How could you not go?





The Walkmen, no matter how popular they get on the world stage, no matter how many glowing reviews they get from Pitchfork, are still a quintessentially New York band. It's only fitting, then, that they play two shows in good ol' NYC to coincide with the release of their new album, You And Me. Expect retro-rock, skinny jeans, and a whole lot of Harry Nilsson covers. I mean a lot of Harry Nilsson covers. The shows both take place at Bowery Ballroom tonight and tomorrow. O.C. lovers are permitted, but not welcome.





I must admit Rancid has really impressed me, here. Sure, they were one of the main bands credited with reviving mainstream interest in punk rock in the 1990s. And sure, their particular brand of California ska-punk has remained as catchy as ever. But how on Earth is a band like Rancid able to sustain a five night stand in New York City? You would expect that from Radiohead or U2 maybe, but Rancid? Obviously their fan base has remained alive and kicking. They played their first show yesterday, but it doesn't matter if you missed it, because they'll be playing again from Thursday until Sunday at the Fillmore. Add some extra glue to your Mohawk: the weather is making follicles temperamental.





Like it or not, summer is dwindling; soak it up while you still can. McCarren Park Pool's concert series is quickly becoming a New York summer institution, one of the biggest highlights of the glorious season. That's why you should be at this concert tonight, one of the final big Pool shows of the year. The guest of honor will be Wilco, everyone's girlfriend's favorite alt-country twangers. In recent months, Wilco has been drawing from all of their albums, playing every one of their songs at least once. That's good news for anyone who wants to hear songs off of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot rather than Sky Blue Sky. In other words, everyone.





What can you say about Bob Dylan that hasn't already been said? The man is a music pioneer, a genius, a living legend. If given the chance, you see him live, especially in New York City. Sure, his voice may not be what it once was and his songs are performed in sometimes unrecognizable rearrangements, but it's not everyday you get the chance to see a legend. I mean, he is on a Never Ending Tour, so chances are you will get another chance, but I'd say choose this one. He's performing at Prospect Park Bandshell tonight and you should be there.





Don't get upset that I'm recommending something in New Jersey. I know that this is New York Radar and New Yorkers try to avoid Jersey like the plague. But a good summer festival, especially one so close to home, is always worth mentioning. And this weekend's All Points West is looking to be a great one. There's a reason that the lineup is so stellar; this is being organized by the people behind Coachella, perennially the best of the bunch. Both Friday and Saturday are headlined by Radiohead, a band that thrives on the festival circuit. Sunday's headliner is Jack Johnson, so that might be a good time to head back to the Big Apple early. Rounding out the lineup are The New Pornographers, Kings of Leon, Grizzly Bear Animal Collective, CSS, Trey Anastasio, Andrew Bird, Mates of State, , Ben Harper, and Cat Power. There are a number of other bands, but I'm sure by the time you got to Grizzly Bear you were already sold.





It's always a good day when the best band in the world comes to town. Wear rubber, I'm about to effuse all over your polo. Bloc Party is a zeitgeist capturing, post-punk dynamo that fuses the greatest rhythm section in Brit rock history (thanks, Matt Tong) with profuse front-stage charisma. Vital, technically deft, absorbing, and riveting, the Bloc Party live show finds the band seamlessly roving from sonic booms to regal snail builds, and Mayan pyramid layering to resonant, sad-kid, weep induction. At this Webster Hall two-night stand, look for a preview of the in-process new record.





Galapagos Art Space, for over ten years, has been a favorite of Williamsburg hipsters. But the location was too good to be true. The rent went up by $10,000 a month at the end of 2005 and was destined to keep increasing. Towards the end, the art venue was forced to stage rock concerts and club nights, which veered from its intent to focus on high art and performance. Rather than move to Berlin (which was the original plan) Galapagos has found a new home in DUMBO. The new space is two-storeys tall with a mezzanine, a reflecting pool, and a grandiose stage. It has to be seen to be truly appreciated. Now's your chance. Tonight Galapagos' celebrates its grand opening (or re-opening) at the new space with an event called WELCOME WAGON! Featuring an eclectic mix of vaudeville and artiste performers from Broadway to the Bowery, this is bound to be a good representation of what the venue will bring in its latest incarnation.






It's no surprise that many hip hop pundits (rapundits?) have been referring to Rock the Bells '08 as the Woodstock of Hip Hop. To risk sounding hyperbolic: this may be the best hip hop lineup ever assembled in one place. Granted, the majority of the big name artists aren't exactly new and cutting-edge, but that's what makes this card look so impressive: these guys aren't kids (well, except The Cool Kids and Kidz in the Hall), they're living legends. Who would have thought you would ever see A Tribe Called Quest, The Pharcyde, De La Soul and Rakim all play at the same time? Or that on the undercard of that same lineup (the undercard!) you'd see Nas, Method Man, Redman, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, MF Doom, Immortal Technique and Dead Prez? This is not even mentioning the (I guess) opening acts, mainly of the hipster rap variety. On that list you've got Little Brother, Kid Sister, Sage Francis, and The Pack. If you're a hip hop fan and you're not drooling, there's something wrong with you. The festival comes to Nikon at Jones Beach Theater this Sunday.





Justin Vernon A.K.A Bon Iver is an example of the classic underdog story. Depressed about the breakup of his earlier band, Mount Vernon, he went into "hibernation" for 3 months in a cabin in Wisconsin. While he was there, he happened to write a few songs on his acoustic guitar. Eventually, these songs started adding up, and he decided to record them. Flashforward a few months; Vernon gets back to find that his little record has sold a ton of copies. It's an accidental success that will continue to reward him, at least until the buzz wears off. You never know, music is a fickle industry. If so, maybe he'll end up back in the woods to record another album. His show tonight at the Music Hall of Williamsburg will be a packed house, so show up early if you don't already have a ticket.





Yes, New York City has a lot of musicals, but believe me when I tell you that this is buzzworthy. No normal musical, Fela! recounts the life of legendary Nigerian composer, Fela Kuti. Kuti pioneered the Afrobeat genre, a mix of soul, funk, jazz, and African rhythms, but he was also an outspoken human rights activist and political advocate. Quite possibly the most popular African musician of all time, this off-Broadway production has its work cut out for it. The involvement of Tony-winning choreographer Bill T. Jones certainly doesn't hurt, nor does the fact that a full band performs Fela Kuti's bass-heavy music on-stage. Part concert, part theatre, Fela! is one worth checking out. It starts tonight and continues until September 21 at 37 Arts Theater.





If you've never been to a summer McCarren Park Pool party, then you haven't lived my friend. Not only are the artists impeccably chosen, but the concerts are outdoors and the admission is free. This Saturday's event brings two indie-rockers: The Ting Tings and MGMT. Both bands have raised their stature considerably due to excessive coverage on music blogs. But, if you want to feel as though you're part of the scene, then this is the place to be. Expect to hear many synthesizers, drums that sound like drum machines, and hipster babble. Did I mention it's free?





New York Loft Hostel: a brand new haven for hipsters. I'm not categorizing their clientele as hipsters; they are. The hostel's advertisement is emblazoned with the words "live like a hipster king." I always thought of the hipster world as more of a democracy. The 1912 loft, located at 249 Varet Street in Brooklyn, costs a little over $25 dollars per night, about the average price for a hostel in New York City, but it offers some serious luxury. Amenities include a pool, a Jacuzzi, wifi internet, and a 2000 square foot garden. But the real benefit is knowing you're among your own kind – hipster royalty.





Every time super-designer Yohji Yamamoto releases a new line of clothes, it creates a stir in the fashion world. The Tokyo-born artist has received high praise for his chromatic design scheme, which often shies away from current trends. So when Yamamoto's new line is released exclusively to one store in the U.S., it's a big deal. Trust me. It's called Coming Soon (clever name, I know), and it's available exclusively at Odin's at 199 Lafayette Street. The store is carrying select pieces from the Coming Soon men's collection. This is the only place to get the line until 2009, but you'll pay for it. Apparently the biggest seller so far goes for a crisp $240.





The NY International Fringe Festival is a good way to experience some edgy and new theater. But it's utterly exhausting. Sometimes you need something of an escape. Enter the Binge Festival, designed as a late-night alternative to the Fringe, a way to let loose after a performance. This is the third annual Binge Festival, and the first to occur in sync with the Olympics. To fit the occasion, the Binge will include, in addition to short plays, comedy and drinking, competitive eating and drinking. When's the last time you've drank till you passed out? If you've answered never, you've probably never been to college. Let out your inner 20-something. The NYUers will be proud. Or at least, I will.