This was I, the Boogiemeister’s, first trip to NYC! I went out every single night for 12 days to check out the nightlife in this amazing music scene, plus I had the honor of DJ’ing two fun events! One was DJ’ing the annual Mermaid Parade after-party Saturday June 17th, the other gig was at the Monday night “Eso” weekly Latin/African/Global EDM night at Bembe in Brooklyn. Good times all around!
The Mermaid Parade 2017 :: NYC’s finest music & art’s “Burning Man” tribe culture came together for this festive parade that had it all! Well, except good weather that day! Last Saturday June 17th, I found myself attending this parade with 4 friends dressed to the nine’s in mermaid garb & myself improvising with any merman-ish costume i could quickly throw together. I was pleased to see the spirit of Burning Man costume & art car culture fully alive & thriving throughout the parade. After it finished there was a block party with DJ Myk 2 Melo put on by the Junxion crew, complete with big soundsystem mobile & school bus painted up quite nifty!
Recommended Weekly Events ::
Mondays
“Eso” weekly Latin/African/Global EDM night at Bembe in Brooklyn.
Not a huge venue, but a laid back intimate affair, with a crowd full of people not shy about dancing! I got to practice some cumbia, cha cha & reggaeton dancing with some sweet senoritas from Mexico were visiting for the weekend. Many people in NYC I talked to about this venue had nothing but good things to say, especially for Monday nights if you like Latin music (both traditional & Latin Electroinca like I played)!
Tuesdays
1) Slavic Soul Party band @ Barbes, Brooklyn. band website venue website
“Fiery Balkan brass, throbbing funk grooves, Roma (Gypsy) accordion wizardry, and virtuoso jazz chops make Slavic Soul Party! NYC’s official #1 brass band for BalkanSoul GypsyFunk. SSP! pumps a strong Balkan brass sound through the filter of life in New York’s outer boroughs, making new music out of the unplanned results of immigration, proximity, and globalization. Over the past 15 years the band has released 7 full-length albums, and toured in the US, Canada, Mexico, Europe, Turkey, and Zimbabwe, from pasha’s palaces to dive bars, Carnegie Hall to Serbian schoolyards, festival stages to prison courtyards.
The band’s music has fans on both sides of the Atlantic, and their tunes have been covered by Serbian brass stars, New Orleans funk stalwarts, and legendary street bands. SSP!’s Tuesday night residency in Brooklyn has become a destination for music fans from around the world, and is famous for “delivering a great time.” (New York Times)
2.) FUNK Night @ Cafe Wha? Greenwich Village. Former hangout of Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Allen Ginsberg & others! website
Every Tuesday night head to Cafe Wha? for one of the most slamming funk, soul, and R&B bands in NYC! This 9 piece band will blow you away, covering the likes of Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Prince, and many more. Plus, they open the mic up at midnight for vocalists and musicians to perform with the band – no cover if you perform!
Other Events:
Ecstatic Dance NYC:
held 1-2x a month on Sundays generally 6:30-11:30pm at the majestic Judson Church near Washington Park Square. This music event reached my top 3 dance experiences ever witnessed over 1000’s! For one, the beautiful stain glass historic church hall space with its high ceilings added a mystical/spiritual element to it all. This non-religious event attracted over 200+ frenzied dancers to unite in the name of “dance church” to move their bodies in unison like I had not seen before! The night began with yoga, then 2 DJ’s brought us into ecstatic dance formations indeed!
The grand finale & icing on the cake was a sound healing session with live crystal bowls, didgeridoo, Native American flutists walking around the room while we all layed down on our backs to decompress. I highly recommend checking out this truly unique event!
https://www.facebook.com/ecstaticdancenyc/
Make Music NYC: This annual festival I attended on Wednesday June 21st featured over 1000 bands, performers, DJs, dancers of all kinds all over NYC in over 100 locations! Best of all, it is FREE! Did you hear that? It is FREE !?$#%
More Venues ::
Check on FB Groups for “The NYC Daily Event List”
Highly recommended by my local musician friends are the following ::
The Django – www.TheDjangoNYC.com Gypsy Jazz “Django Jams” Wednesday-Saturday “Craft cocktails, small plates & live Jazz”. Located in Tribeca.
Drom is the world music go-to. Great place, excellent schedule!
Joe’s Pub will have unusual bands, sometimes more abated style.
Barbes in Park Slope! Tiny but amazing curation. You’re basically on top of the band. Live World music 7 days a week! Tuesday to see Slavic Soul Party.
Littlefield in Brooklyn (where i saw Raya Brass Band perform)
C’mon Everybody
Friends and Lovers
Threes Brewing
Nublu
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Which neighborhoods to stay?
For NYC, there is no easy answer…..Brooklyn, Manhattan, East Side, West Side…all good choices! Explore AirBnB & check out the flats, views, artsy fartsy studios & find one you desire.
Book your AirBnB there & receive $40 free credit (see my blog on how to do this by creating a new account with alternate email):
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Random Pic of the Moment for NYC ::
Need I say more? Its Wall Street on the flip side! It’s the City That Never Sleeps, when it does!! It is what it is. NYC, I’ll never forget you. I had to take naps like this regularly to recuperate from your adventures you revealed to me! Thank you all the random people I met, and photographed without knowing! (insert evil laugh here = “woo haaa haaa”!)
Have you been to NYC? If you know of something that should be added, let us know in the comments!
