Friday February 25

Location: Gowanus, Brooklyn
Bands: Los Straightjackets Rock’n’Burlesque Spectacular Get Tickets Here
Show time: 8 PM
Venue: Bell House
Food: Press 195
Drink: Union Hall
Miscellaneous: O’Connor’s

At Los Straightjackets Rock’n’Burlesque Spectacular, the masked surf rockers perform while joined on the stage by some of burlesque’s best: The World Famous Pontini Sisters, Miss Saturn & Ruby Valentine. The theme at Press 195 is pressed comfort food. A sandwich shop with quite the menu, they offer 30 types of delicious sandwiches like the turkey and fontina cheese sandwich with a cranberry and roasted pear chutney on ciabatta ($7.75). While Union Hall looks like a cabin at a ski resort with a fireplace, stone walls, comfy couches, and inexpensive drinks, you may want to stick around rather than barhop. A low-key bar in this hood, O’Connor’s is a hole in the wall where you can grab a cheap drink and watch the game on their TV, just like your grandpa sitting next to you!

Friday February 25

Location: Midtown West, NYC
Band: Lower Dens Get Tickets Here
Show time: 8 PM
Venue: Music Hall of Williamsburg
Food: SEA
Drink: Zablozki’s
Miscellaneous: Hugs

Reverb heavy Lower Dens hailing from Baltimore put out a great first album in Twin-Hand Movement last year featuring Jana Hunter wailing on vocals and swarming fuzz and bass. Should be great live. Joining them are two solid openers in Ducktails and Glory Girls. Just as much fun as any show and just as big a venue, SEA is one BIG Thai restaurant. Big enough to have a pool surrounded by tables as a giant Buddha stands above it. Luckily, the food is really great. Offering traditional Pad Thai ($7) to more involved dishes like the Mummy Fish ($14). On N6th, a street full of bars and restaurants, Zablozki’s is the local bar of the bunch, with a pool table and a friendly atmosphere and 12 beers on tap. What looks like some dark basement with tables and some couches, Hugs will end up being a dance party with an awkward blend of music genres that you will grow to love quickly.

Saturday February 26

Location: Gowanus, Brooklyn
Event: The Johnny Cash 79th Birthday Bash
Show time: 8 PM
Venue: Bell House
Food: El Viejo Yayo
Drink: Buttermilk Bar
Miscellaneous: The Chocolate Room

Join Alex Battles & the Whiskey Rebellion as they help celebrate the life of one of music’s most influential and badass frontmen to ever grace the stage at The Johnny Cash 79th Birthday Bash. Keeping the night going, try El Viejo Yayo for dinner. This gorgeous and warm restaurant has an elegant dining room and an affordable menu offering Dominican/Latin cuisine. The outside of Buttermilk Bar may look non-descript, but looks are deceiving . . . just not in this case, as this low-key watering hole is where you can grab a cheap drink in a friendly atmosphere, while playing a board game or two. With a near insane menu of chocolates from coffee and tea to delectable dessert, and even beer, The The Chocolate Room is a great way to end the night on a high note.

Saturday February 26

Location: Midtown, NYC
Exhibit: Looking at Music 3.0
Show time: See website for schedule; Through June 6
Venue: MoMA
Food: Pig ‘n’ Whistle
Drink: Keats
Miscellaneous: Momofuku Milk Bar

S’up homie? Sad the 90’s are over? Still longing for the days of cassette tapes, zines and Run DMC? Re-visit this defining time in the New York music scene at the new MoMA exhibit, Looking at Music 3.0, which runs now through June 6th. Don’t mistake this as some kind of “I Love the [insert decade]” show though. This exhibit digs deep into the “remix culture” of the 80’s and 90’s, discussing the birth of hip hop, performance art, and other counter-culture forms of art, bringing you 70 works from artists and musicians like the Beastie Boys, Le Tigre, and Keith Haring. Pretty bitchin’! Then be sure to grab a bite to eat at the Pig ‘n’ Whistle. Don’t be fooled though, this is not your average Irish pub food. Try any of their highly-acclaimed traditional favorites like Shepherd’s Pie or Fish and Chips, or do some taste-testing with a variety of options from their tapas menu. After, indulge in some Crack Pie at Momofuku Milk Bar and you just might see God (yeah, it’s THAT good). Finally, finish off your evening with a pint and some karaoke at Keats.

Sunday February 27

Location: East Village, NYC
Art: Lynda Benglis
Show time: See website for schedule; Through June 19
Venue: New Museum
Food: Oyama
Drink: Grassroots Tavern
Miscellaneous: Mudd Cafe

Sculptor Lynda Benglis is known for her wax paintings and latex sculptures that see organic imagery confront new media. Here, the New Museum presents a retrospective featuring many of the works that influenced and continue to influence the art world. With sushi that’s 50 percent off all the time, you might think, “Something’s wrong with that?” but the fish is good and the rolls are inventive, making Oyama one of the best low-priced sushi joints in the city. Though St. Marks all of a sudden lost its charm, Grassroots Tavern hasn’t. This large dive bar has cheap drinks, darts in the back, and old men behind the bar, things a good dive bar should have. Excellent coffee served in a big mug and a healthy menu of food coupled with a year round enclosed outdoor backyard patio make Mudd Cafe a great little coffee shop in the area.