This is shaping up to be a great festival and now the Village Voice is adding to the already stellar line-up by adding local favorites The Babies, Heliotropes and more to the ticket. For more information check out their website.

Despite getting ‘slightly’ interrupted by a fire on Pier 17, last Saturday’s 4Knots Festival ran more or less smoothly. The show was stopped for about 40 minutes, causing set list cuts and delays for the remaining 3 bands on the main stage. At least it wasn’t cancelled altogether as the pier at one point was partially evacuated and the PA system taken down. Be that as it may, the delays in combination with prior obligations made us miss Archers of Loaf’s headlining set. However, we caught Crocodiles and The Drums. Both of which played to a large and very enthusiastic crowd. Videos are below.

Event Poster, via Buzzfeed

Details are just now emerging about Saturday night’s Occupy Williamsburg “Occu-Party.” According to NY Daily News, fifty protesters set up camp at The Bedford, a vacant residential building on N. 8th and Driggs, where they threw garbage cans and spray painted anti-police slogans. When police arrived at 11 p.m., one protester pepper-sprayed an officer, while others threw bottles that injured five other officers. Police arrested four protesters and charged them with obstructing government administration, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, and inciting a riot.

Village Voice staff writer Nick Pinto was on the scene that night and tweeted continuously about the action as it unfolded. Here’s Pinto’s perspective of how things went down, in chronological order:

At 207 N 8th in Williamsburg, an “Occuparty” — squatting in a half-finished luxury apartment — is getting underway. #OWS

Maybe 50 people in the ground-floor apartment. Whole building seems vacant, 75% renovated. Many hope this lasts past tonight.

Police are here, with flashlights. “Guys drop all the beers, that’s it.” not clear they get the scope of the invasion.

Glass on the front door just got smashed. Cop has his nightstick out. “I swear to god, get out of here!”

First arrest, a young woman. Bottle thrown. Cops badly outnumbered. This is getting crazy fast.

Police calling in backup as they push the crowd down 8th. Two cruisers here now.

Tonight Public Assembly will play host to the Village Voice’s Union Benefit– a concert geared toward raising money in the event that they go on strike this weekend.  According to the Voice:

“We have a union at the Village Voice that’s been around since the ’70s. Our three-year contract is up at the end of the month, June 30. After decimating the staff, management is trying to slash our healthcare and retirement benefits. We’re really hoping that it doesn’t come to a strike, but there’s a distinct possibility.”

Things will kick off tonight at 8pm with Alan Watts, an industrially noisey darkwave crew out of Brooklyn.  Local “no goodniks” (as the Voice aptly donned them) K-Holes will play as well followed by the Free Williamsburg approved Fort Lean. Also there will be a special PitchforkReviewsReviews DJ set– a great show for a great cause!  Suggested donation at the door is $10 and you can also donate via pay pal.  Get our there and support writers and print media!

Up until now, the lineup for 4Knots, the Village Voice’s South Street Seaport replacement for the Siren Fest, has seemed basically like a snooze-a-palooza. But today, The Voice announced that on July 9th, before the actual festival which is on July 16th, they will hold a kickoff show at the Seaport featuring Ted Leo and the Pharmacists.

Leo is, of course, fresh off covering Minor Threat for the Our Band Could Be Your Life tribute concert over the weekend; he played the 4Knots predecessor Siren in 2003 and last year; and he and the Seaport have quite the history, weather-and-concert-wise.

We are in agreement with Gothamist on this one when they say, “Ted Leo is amazing, but he can’t be the only one holding up this mist tent.”