Williamsburg is Dead

Fire at Zebulon: TV on the Radio to the Rescue

Apparently there was a small fire at Zebulon last Sunday. If you haven't been to Zebulon before, it's a pretty cool space, with no cover and a pretty diverse roster of musical acts. It should reopen on May 9th, but in the meantime some of the venue's friends will be putting on a benefit show at Union Pool.

Members of TV on the Radio (Zebulon's site doesn't say which ones, but I do know that guitarist Kyp Malone has played solo shows there in the past) are teaming up with Pink Noise and Flowers of Flesh and Blood to help get Zebulon back on its feet. Full message from Zebulon's site after the jump.

Zebulon Benefit Show, Thu, May 1st at 8pm, price TBA, at Union Pool, 484 Union Ave, Brooklyn, NY

Rise Above

Local favorites Dirty Projectors played a super-intimate show in Brooklyn. Check it out ...

Williamsburgers Hungry for Love and/or Food

In case you haven't heard, there's an innovative, independent cooking/dating show based right out of our own backyard: Williamsburg's Feed Me Show. It's a pretty simple premise--they provide the studio (the Brooklyn Photo Studio, no less) the kitchen and the supplies, and you provide your single, culinary-savvy self. To sign up, click here. This Gothamist post summed up the casting call, and just a few weeks later, they're already calling for a crossover with Next Top Chef. (Shameless incoming obvious puns alert) So it's gotta be hot and spicy. Or deliciously steamy. Or braised and heavily salted. Fine. That last one didn't  work. Just check out the show. And see what's cooking.

Mo' Mortgages, Mo' Problems

Um, am I missing something here? Aren't hipsters not supposed to identify themselves as hipsters? Do people actually go to these things? I would check it out to satisfy my curiosity, but then I would have to jump off the Williamsburg Bridge in a fit of shame and self-loathing.

Hell, I can save you the time of going to this meeting with my own tips on hipster home ownership:

1. Cocaine is NOT an acceptable down payment.

2. Street art on the outside of your house is a great way to increase property value. Create a stencil out of cardboard, preferably of someone wearing a gas mask, and spray away!

3. When should you refinance your mortgage? The answer will come to you in a dream. Try drinking absinthe before you go to sleep.   

Flux Factory to Continue Using Artistic Pistons to Pump Out Shows

Anyone who's followed the saga of the Williamsburg engendered art collective Flux Factory knows that they're being forced out of the building in their new home in Long Island City, since the MTA is seizing the property as eminent domain. However, the Factory says they'll continue hosting shows until the MTA sends official notice (they just finished their appropriately titled Everything Must Go show last weekend). They're on the lookout for a new spot to lease, but don't expect them back in the Burg--rising rents forced them out six years ago.

For naysayers who complain that Williamsburg is full of lethargic, rich, wannabes, the Flux Factory folks remind us what the rampant inspiration can birth in the Burg--not-for-profit artists and promoters with real integrity and a love for all things creative. Who can't afford to work here anymore.

Around Brooklyn in Several Minutes

Every day, the Greenpoint/Williamsburg darts league gets closer to completion. [Greenpointers]

Vegan bakery to open on Bogart Street. [BushwickBK]

Damn kids at Union Hall won't stop boozin' and yellin', and the neighbors are pissed. [Gowanus Lounge]

Interview with the director of "Brooklyn Matters," a documentary about the Atlantic Yards project. [Brownstoner]

Plant a tree in Fort Greene or Clinton Hill! [Clinton Hill Blog]

Luna Lounge is Dead

The Luna Lounge is temporarily closed. Apparently they are not all about operating on a permit and other lame restrictions the man tries to impose on them. [Eater]

Rock Out With Your Flash Player Out

Heeeeeyyyy! Perhaps you've noticed our new musical contraption on the blog's sidebar. It's a music player from imeem that I've seen on a few blogs lately, and the great thing about it is it allows you to handpick the streaming songs that go in each playlist. We've decided to stock our little jukebox with bands from Williamsburg/Greenpoint/Bushwick, so whenever you need a local music fix, just click on the play or "launch standalone" button.

If You See Only One Show This Weekend

Then see whatever you already have tickets for. If you see two, check out the intense sonic stylings of Black Dice tonight at the Music Hall, if you're into avant-noise-art rock. Which you should be.

Or try Boyskout at the Luna Lounge - they're a sort of Tilly and the Wall, Au Revoir Simone all-girl-aren't-we-adorable-when-we-play-indie-rock band.

And if you're in the mood for a trek, head out to the Silent Barn in Bushwick to catch the quirky, energy-addled buzz band Abe Vigoda.

Enjoy the warm, and have a Williamsburgy weekend. Whatever that means.

Billyburg Bayonetter Behind Bars. Many Thanks, Wburg PD

(Not an actual Williamsburg Police Officer)

The 'Metropolitan Mugger', as the Brooklyn Paper calls him, has been apprehended at long last. The knife weilding thief was apparently out on parole, and was captured thanks to a routine license check by the friendly neighborhood NYPD. It turns out nobody was actually stabbed, just threatened by the man, so we'll likely see a decrease in the abnormally high level of police activity in the Burg. Maybe now it'll be safe to jaywalk again.