It was the last night before the city-leveling, apocalypse-inciting, where-is-your-God-now natural disaster of the century that was (or wasn’t?) Hurricane Irene so, naturally, things at Webster Hall‘s Friday night Trash party were going to get a little weird. Well…take a look for yourself…

“Why is he looking at us like that?…Hey! You tripping balls, dude? What’s going on?…”

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The day before hurricane Irene was supposed to hit New York City, the end of the world was celebrated on a Bushwick roof top. Among the Artists performing that night was Vuk from Finland.

Hurricane Preparedness

How did you survive Irene? Gorge yourself on canned goods? Swim in a bathtub of Poland Spring? Me? I evacuated, only to lose power in that apartment while my apartment stayed fine.

Pinkies out! There ain’t nothing wrong with killer tunes, a stellar view, and vodka cocktail specials on a Monday night. The folks over at Kanon have been keeping the guests of their Summer Sessions very happy all season with their organic vodka-fueled soirées in the disgustingly beautiful penthouse of the Mondrian Soho. Stay tuned to host Nicky Digital for details on their next event!

No, this is a birthday suit.

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I’ll spare you from all the “This is nothing compared to where I’m from” triteness our Californian friends put us through during the earthquake. I’ve learned my lesson after talking shit about a little hurricane named Katrina that caused barely more than a drizzle over southwest Florida but subsequently destroyed New Orleans.

Here are the lessons I’ve learned after sitting through—or running from, in the case of Hurricane Andrew—after a dozen or so hurricanes.

1) Electric is going to go down so stock up on food that can stay out. If ConEd doesn’t have their act together, we could be without electric for days after the hurricane. Open up your fridge as rarely as possible because there is little worse than a fridge reeking of rotting foods in the heat. Try eating anything tonight or early tomorrow that would be a shame to let go bad. This also means at the very least that you’re going to need a cooler and ice to keep the beer cold that you will need to steady your nerves and pass the time.

2) Water stops working when the treatment plants go offline. Make sure you are showered and then fill up your bathtub with water. You’ll need this and a bucket to flush your toilet.

3) Towels, lots of them. There is something about hurricanes that bring out the leaks. Also, if you’re on the first floor, you’ll want them for your doorway. We’ve had a lot of rain to soak up already and depending on what quadrant of the hurricane hits us (the upper-right quadrant produces the biggest storm surge, strongest wind and most chance of tornadoes), we might get some serious flooding.

4) Batteries, water, etc. Charge your stuff. Buy Cheetos. You know this drill.

5) We use to tape a big X on windows so that if the glass did break, it would break into bigger pieces. This has been disproved, but I might do it, for old times sake.

6) Those plants on your fire escape? They are now flying projectiles. Bring them in now while you’re thinking about it. Anything outside that can be picked up and tossed around also needs to be secured.

7) Find a Florida friend that isn’t in the evac zone and get an invite to their hurricane party. We are all having them and will be complaining nonstop that we thought we had moved away from all this nonsense. But we will still be the ones with the best board games and the most beer. And the first ones playing outside when its deemed safe(ish).

Mondays suck? Not anymore, Garfields of the world, not anymore…
Once a month, DJs Max and Sören hop over to (le) Poisson Rouge from Spain (it’s a pretty big hop) for Nasty Monday, bringing with them their own special mix of 50′s rockabilly, 80′s new wave, 90′s grunge, and the best of what’s spinning today. Max and Sören hit LPR last Monday and, well, let’s just say Tuesday morning wasn’t so hot…

We though Irene wasn’t supposed to hit until Sunday…
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Image c/o Brooklyn 11211

Not to be hyperbolic or anything, but…WE MIGHT DIE THIS WEEKEND. For reals.

Should [the currently Category 3] Hurricane Irene grace us with her presence, forecasts predict flooding, high winds and your typical apocalyptic havoc along East River neighborhoods. According to Brownstoner and Here’s Williamsburg, those on the Williamsburg Waterfront – a Zone A category – will be at the highest risk of flooding and “extensive” damage. Those of us more inland fall into Zone B, where we need only fear “moderate” damage potential and “winds possibly reaching velocities of up to 110 MPH”. Also note that The Department of Buildings has issued an advisory stating that all construction sites must be secured or face violations and Work Stop Orders.

To determine your degree of devastation, simply type in your address into the Hurricane Evacuation Zone Finder set up by the New York City Office of Emergency Management (OEM).

Then start packing those emergency kits, kids! Supplies should include: a gallon of drinking water per person per day, nonperishable foods, a can opener, a first-aid kit, a flashlight, a battery-operation radio and extra batteries, a whistle, iodine tablets, personal hygiene items, a phone that does not rely on electricity, and child care supplies. For more helpful preparation/survival tips, check out the Ready New York guide.

Good luck!

Sun Araw

We know it’s unconstitutional in schools, but let’s begin this week’s Most Blogged-About Shows column with a prayer for Hurricane Irene to change course and not ruin this week’s outdoor shows.

Now that that’s out of the way, let’s begin with your top priority: Spending the weekend in Commodore Barry Park for the Afro-Punk Festival. For NO COST you can see or most buzzed-about show with Santigold, Das Racist, Cee-Lo, Janelle Monae and many, many more on Saturday and Sunday.

If you’re still hungry for more, we’ll humor you with a few more great options this week. Tonight, St Vincent will be performing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (although no longer on the roof). PS1 Warm Up on Saturday has another great lineup, featuring Tanlines, Nguzunguzu, Teengirl Fantasy, Sun Araw and Physical Therapy. And Spotify presents another FREE show at Mercury Lounge, with the U.S. debut of CANT and Blood Orange on Sunday night. Get there early or spend the night in line.

TOP 10 SHOWS FOR THE NEXT SEVEN DAYS

10. Wavves @ East River Park w/ Dum Dum Girls
Thursday, August 25th at 7pm – All Ages, FREE!

9. Pepper Rabbits @ The Mercury Lounge w/ We Barbarians and ANR
Wednesday, August 31st at 7pm – 21+, $10 -> tickets

8. Dave Matthews Band Caravan @ Governs Island w/ DMB, The Roots, Gogol Bordello, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Ave, Bela Fleck & the Flecktones and Eric Lewis
Sunday, August 28th at 1pm – All Ages, $85 -> tickets

7. Sun Araw @ Music Hall of Williamsburg w/ Prince Rama, Julianna Barwick, Pterodactyl and Teengirl Fantasy DJ set
Friday, August 26th at 8pm – 18+, $10 -> tickets

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