NYC Best Weekend Bets (5/21/2015-5/24/2015)

Well hey, guys, and welcome to your (hopefully) long weekend! If you have not made plans to evacuate the city for some much needed R&R (read: B&B&B, booze ‘n barbecue ‘n beaches // backyards) then feel slightly optimistic about your weekend programming, which should help elevate you from the Swamps of Sadness if only marginally! Before we get into all of our options (which include a brunch screening of The Grand Budapest Hotel at Nitehawk Cinema to remind you that you are not staying at ANY hotel the next few days) let’s briefly discuss some important BYT business from this past week:

First, we interviewed motherfucking Natasha Lyonne. It was great. We talked about Her Majesty Sally Field, what’d happen if Megan from But I’m A Cheerleader and Nicky from OITNB switched places and MORE. Read it here.
In other interview news, we spoke to Jamie N Commons about Oregon Trail and Pitch Perfect 2, and it was pretty excellent // hashtag DYSENTERY.
Meanwhile, ’tis the season to pound the pavement // here is how to dress for an interview according to LOFT-level experts so you stand a chance at beating out the millions of recent grads for the position in question.
Oh, and the kind people over at OREO sent us an advanced package of limited edition S’mores flavored cookies which hit shelves nationwide TOMORROW // find out if you should buy them or not HERE.
Finally, might I suggest a little bit of advanced planning (novel concept, I know) via the purchase of tickets to the final One Step Beyond of the season after-hours at the American Museum of Natural History? Tickets are likely to sell out (it’s music and booze in a planetarium, duh) so get a jump on the competition HERE.

Starting off in Manhattan, Mercury Lounge has got a VERY solid lineup tonight featuringColor Film, The Walking Tree, Bird Courage AND Rexford, and all you have to pay to get in is ten bucks a ticket. Doors are at 7:3opm.
If you’re willing to go slightly higher in price and street number, though, then you might consider heading to Terminal 5 to catch a show from TV On the Radio this evening; tickets will run you about forty bucks a pop.
Similarly, there’s a show from The B-52’s and French Horn Rebellion that’s set to happen over at Irving Plaza tonight, so if you happen to have just under eighty bucks to throw around, then this one might be for you.
But since I highly doubt you’re trying to spend that much dough on a Thursday, I vote we dial it back at Le Poisson Rouge to the tune of SSION and Cakes Da Killa for the MUCH more reasonable price of thirteen bucks in advance, fifteen day of show.
MEANWHILE over in the promised land that is Brooklyn we’ve got a show from Geographer, Empires and Idlehands happening at Music Hall of Williamsburg tonight for the very low price of fifteen bucks a ticket.
However, you should also most definitely consider popping over to Rough Trade tonight, ’cause the legendary Kaki King will be setting up shop with Glockabelle for the insanely reasonable price of twenty bucks a ticket.
If none of those is striking your fancy, however, then you should MAYBE head to Baby’s All Right for two good gigs, the first being from Strange Names at 8pm for all of ZERO DOLLARS!!!

And if you happen to find a wad of cash lying on the floor during Strange Names, stick around Baby’s for the late show from Canon Logic and Futurebrite, which’ll run you ten bucks per ticket.
IN THE CASE that you prefer burlesque shows to regular old shows-shows, then probably make you way to the Bell House for Wasabassco’s Pirate Show tonight; tickets will set you back between twenty and thirty-five bones a pop, and the action kicks off at 8pm.
You can ALSO keep things weird over at Le Poisson Rouge tonight, where there will be another evening of Titillating Tongues: NYC Erotica in Poetry and Prose starting at 7pm for ten dollars per ticket.
And over at the Morbid Anatomy Museum, they’ll be hosting cheery-sounding Psychedelics and Death: A Brief Introduction, which is an illustrated lecture with Neal M. Goldsmith, Ph.D, for eight dollars per seat.
More into comedy? Get yourself to UCB East tonight for Dan + Joe + Charles Show, featuring Sasheer Zamata (SNL), Dave Hill (HBO, This American Life) and Aparna Nancherla (Conan, Totally Biased) for just five bucks a ticket.
There’s also the ever-popular Moth StorySLAM happening at Housing Works Bookstore again, so if you want to go and try your luck at telling a story in front of a captive audience, get there early before the eight dollar tickets all sell out.
Or just get mega-buzzed at Covenhoven, where it’s an Allagash tap takeover starting at 6pm, and ALSO a backyard Mad Libs event where attendees will get a FREE beer-themed book o’ Mad Libs // no fee to participate.

Provided you can escape your work dungeon at a reasonable hour (it IS a Friday, after all…), you should hit up Mercury Lounge for the early gig (doors at 7:30pm) ft. Sam Cohen and Pavo Pavo for ten bucks in advance, twelve day of show.
Meanwhile in Brooklyn, The Rentals are playing Music Hall of Williamsburg with Rey Pila and Radiation City for eighteen bucks in advance, twenty day of show // doors are at 8pm and show starts at 9pm.
But HOLY GOD if I didn’t strongly recommend you head to Rough Trade for Susanne Sundforthen I would be intensely in the wrong // easily one of my favorite live experiences of all time, and tickets are just fifteen each.
Speaking of Rough Trade, the late slot tonight will be filled by Chastity Belt, Mega Bog and Nail Polish thanks to Brooklyn Vegan’s programming! Tickets to this one are ten each, and the show starts at 11pm.

I should ALSO mention that today marks the first day of Mysteryland USA, which is located about an hour and a half from the city and will feature an entire weekend of camping and tunes with an extensive ticket option situation, so peruse that HERE.
But everybody likes a good old fashioned Morrissey party, so might I suggest we all get ourselves to the Bell House for At Last I Am Born: A Morrissey Birthday Celebration ft. a tribute to The Smiths and Morrissey?! Tickets are fourteen bucks in advance, eighteen day of show.
And speaking of things that are the most upbeat, we can get back over to the Morbid Anatomy Museum tonight for Mirror, Black Mirror: A Launch + Illustrated Lecture w/ Artist Camille Rose Garcia for five bucks a ticket.
No? Focus on getting to Videology instead tonight, where they’ll be hosting another edition of Live Dubbed Sitcoms ft. Fresh Prince of Bel Air AND 30 Rock tonight for the very low price of five bucks per person.

If you find yourself awake and alive today, you might consider getting yourself a brand new Tinder profile picture over at the Color Run in Queens; registration costs a hundred bucks, but it goes to a good cause AND you will get that aforementioned profile picture that no Tinder user will be able to resist, maybe.
Or slap on some sunscreen and get yourself to Riis Park Beach for sun ‘n tunes by MOTHXR and AVAN LAVA! For just thirty-three bucks, you can get admission to the show, round-trip transport, a cold brew coffee on the bus, plus a meal AND a beer, wine or batched cocktail. (NOT BAD!)
It’s also another day of Mysteryland USA, so if you don’t mind getting yourself an hour and a half outside of the city for tunes in ye olde wilderness with a bunch of other people for lots of money, then this is for you.
Back in civilization, though, we’ve got a show from Cold Blood Club, Vinyette, Marco With Love, The Clydes AND Lady happening at Mercury Lounge for ten bucks in advance, twelve day of show.
You can also swing by Webster Hall for what’s sure to be a very dance-worthy evening fromBoys Noize AND Mr. Oizo for between twenty-five and thirty-five bucks per ticket.
Not feelin’ those Manhattan vibes? Head on into Brooklyn to Rough Trade for two solid shows, the first being from Shilpa Ray and James Chance starting at 8pm for twelve bucks in advance, fifteen day of show.
Of course, if you don’t mind sticking around for the late show (11pm), then Rough Trade’s ALSO got you covered with a gig from Follakzoid for just twelve bones per ticket tonight.

Speaking of late shows, just around the corner at Cameo Gallery we’ve got Ben Browning (Cut Copy) and Pat Mahoney (Museum of Love // LCD Soundsystem) doing DJ sets starting at 11:59pm for fifteen bucks a ticket.
Down the street at Baby’s All Right, meanwhile, there’s a VERY good show setup ft.Norwegian Arms, Cassandra Jenkins, Conveyor and Cantina tonight starting at 8:30pm for just eight bucks in advance, ten day of show.
No money? NO WORRIES! House of Vans has you covered (provided you get on the RSVP list) for a show from Parquet Courts tonight, which means free tunes AND free food ‘n booze if you beat the usual crowds.
It’s also Brunch Night at Union Hall this evening with Jamie LeeLo, Sasheer Zamata AND Jo Firestone, so if you think you might be able to spare eight bucks in advance // ten day of show, then this might be up your alley.
And speaking of Union Hall, the LOLs are set to expand with Picture This! ft. (again) Sasheer Zamata, Julio Torres, John Early, Michelle Biloon, Nick Rutherford and MORE. Tickets to this one are also eight bucks in advance, ten day of show.
Not your comedic jam? Head to UCB East instead tonight, where It’s A Long Story will be happening with special guests Adam Newman, Sabrina Jalees, Anna Roisman and Frank Liotti for five bucks a ticket.

I’m not really sure why you would trek your hungover body out to day three of Mysteryland USA today, but it does seem that it’s in the realm of possibilities, so I will give it a shout-out just in case you’re into that.
Personally I think we should all head out to Riis Park Beach for a day with Computer Magic, which (like yesterday) will cost you just thirty-three bones for round-trip transport, cold brew coffee, a meal, a drink and a show!
Or if you’re hiding from the sun all day long like I usually do from now until October, then you might just head to City Winery instead for an evening with William Fitzsimmons; tickets are eighteen to twenty-two bucks each.
If you’d prefer to watch something on a screen during your warm weather hibernation, then might I suggest swinging by Union Hall for another round of Muppet Vault (this time ft. Miss Piggy in what they are calling the MOI-MORIAL DAY PARADE) for eight bucks?

Or if you’re not a fan of Los Muppets, then maybe focus on hitting up a mega-early screening of Disney Cartoon Milestones at the Film Forum starting at 11am this morning as part of the Film Forum Jr. series.
If that’s not grown-up enough for you, then get to Nitehawk for a special brunch screening of The Grand Budapest Hotel, which we have to thank for our glorious if slightly unpatriotic GIF theme this Memorial Day weekend.
It’ll also be just about dark out by the time Habana Outpost begins to screen Krush Groove as part of their outdoor series, so if you FINALLY want to emerge from the shadows of your room into the shadows of the outdoors, this is for you.
And I should also mention that you can catch a special screening of Kirikou and the Sorceress just up the street from Habana at BAM at 2pm, so if that’s your animation jam, then plan to make an afternoon of it.