I'm a huge fan of having fun on the weekday, which was instilled in our hearts and souls as kids. We tend to refute that calling when we become adults, simply because responsibilities make the weekday something to get thru, biding time for those two days that make the weekday struggle bearable... Yup, many of us are living for the weekend!
And it will be here before you know it!
Which is why this guide comes in handy, as it's a bunch of things to do in Brooklyn, but maximizing the fun is the goal and I'm trying to help you reach your goals. Think of me as a weekend counselor.
It's a good chance that it will not snow on either Saturday or Sunday this weekend, which is literally a reason to celebrate during this ornery winter. And that's sad. It's sad when a simple sunny day, with the temperature not in the single digits or teens, makes a grown man wanna Krump in public!
So here's some smart picks for you this weekend; have fun, stay warm and feel free to drop some words in the comments section below:
FRIDAY
SIX GIRLS SIX CITIES-Book Release Picture Farm 338 Wythe Ave (Williamsburg)
This book sounds super interesting. The photographer, Cole Barash, traveled around the world, to six cities, Tokyo, Moscow, London, Sao Paulo, Paris and New York and took photographs of six girls, but also shot movie film of them, double exposed the still photos, and just got deep and gritty in his process. Sounds beautiful.
Travel photos always have an element of mystery and journey, especially if the pics are off the beaten path, and combined with the subject matter, Six Girls Six Cities could make a great gift, especially for March, which is the "designated" month to celebrate women. I'm hoping to catch this one! Hit the FB event page Here
WONDERGROUND-Casablanca Cocktail Lounge, 300 Malcolm X Blvd, 9pm-2am (BedStuy)
This is a wonderfully good party and has moved into a bigger venue, but in the same neighborhood. Still all about dancing, with resident DJs Silence & Internal Affairs, visuals by TJ and host duties held down by Comrade Cav. Expect a fun audience, who just got paid cause it's Friday night! Reasonably priced drinks at the bar as well, which is always appreciated!
Hit their Facebook Event Page Here
BRIClab: Amy Evans THE CHAMPION (work in progress)-BRIC 647 Fulton St (Ft. Greene) Friday & Saturday, 7:30pm
Lately, it seems that Nina Simone is getting the Fela Kuti treatment by the entertainment and creative community. They were both vehemently pro-black, equal rights proponents, who were also immensely talented singer/songwriters that became iconic figures, both in life and in death.
If you don't want to wait for the documentary film, "What Happened, Miss Simone" to show on Netflix this summer (June 26/2015) and are not excited about the troubled and controversial Nina biopic, with Zoe Saldana playing the genius jazz musician and classically trained pianist, then you're in luck. Right here in Brooklyn, is a theater production, written by Amy Evans, directed by Mark Rosenblatt and starring Noma Dumezweni. It's a work in progress, which BRIC handles very well and focuses more on her life and professional relationships and not so much on the music.
Check the Brooklyn Reader article on the production here, and check the show this weekend. It's a two day run, so hop to it!
SPACE IS THE PLACE:Bushwick, Bushwick Bizarre, 12 Jefferson St, 1opm
For vinyl records heads, music buffs and crate diggers, Space is The Place might bring to mind a Sun-Ra soundtrack & movie but there's also a Bmore music outfit, with a proper lineup of artists, also named Space is The Place; and they're having a Brooklyn party this weekend at Bushwick Bizarre.
The record label is kinda Bi-meaning it reps both Baltimore & Brooklyn, so expect a melange of DJ styles and programming at the party. The DJ lineup should keep the dance floor locked in and at $0 door entry, it's a good bet for a fun time in the county of Kings this Friday. You can check their FB event page here and below is the flyer, with the DJ lineup. Bushwick Bizarre is in the part of Bushwick that's right next to BedStuy, so it's rather walkable for both neighborhoods.
SATURDAY
BROOKLYN UNITED DRUM ACADEMY-Open house, 1014 Gates Avenue (Bed-Stuy), 9:30am
Have you ever thought your son or daughter can be the next Nick Cannon? Well they wouldn't have to host America's Got Talent, because I'm talking about Nick Cannon when he starred in the movie Drumline. Although a major tenant of HBCU's, which are mostly in the southern states, that movie helped popularize the activity in all corners of the country.
The mission of the BU Drum Academy is to provide inner city youth aged 5-21 with positive marching band experience while promoting the four pillars of: academic support, character development, skills building, and performance opportunities. It's in a church, so if you bring the kiddies, leave the LuLu Lemons at home. Sounds worthy! Check out their FB event page Here, and happy drumming!
KINGS WHO COOK-Concorde Baptist Church, 833 Marcy Ave, 1pm-5pm (Bed-Stuy)
Kings Who Cook is a tasting event that showcases the cooking expertise of some of the "Kings" in the Brooklyn/African-American community. It sounds like a supremely tasty event! I used to cook in the Taste Of New York event, as a guest chef, which was held every year at the Winter Garden Theater, which was in the World Trade Center. But that was when I was a younger dude and before the towers came down.
Kings Who Cook is organized by the Brooklyn Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc, and I believe there is a fundraising component to the event. You can link their FB event page here, and get your taste buds prepped and primed.
LOCO DICE-BKWRHS, Secret Brooklyn Warehouse, 10pm (Bed-Stuy)
Loco Dice is an international DJ and he's making an appearance in Brooklyn this weekend! If you like the big DJ scene, but don't feel like traveling to Vegas or Ibiza this weekend, and don't mind dropping $50-$100 for a ticket and like nothing less than raging at secret warehouse locations, then Saturday is going to be a good look for you.
From Germany, with Tunisian roots and once a rap artist in Europe, Loco Dice has turned into that rare, big room DJ that plays house music (techno, edm, etc), while keeping an essence of Hip-Hop in his programming. It will most likely be an eight our ten hour party, so be prepared to dance dance dance.
You have to hit up this website for tickets, in which case you'll be given an address and directions to the warehouse.
VINTAGE & VINYL WEEKEND-Shwick Market, 6 Charles Place, Sat & Sun, 11am-7pm (Bushwick)
Shwick Market is a weekend vendors market in Bushwick that bills itself as a market for makers, but for this weekend coming, they're going to feature vintage clothing and vinyl record vendors. Expect the tasty food vendors that keeps the market smelling delicious, and the natural juice vendors to address any weekend hangovers, along with the makers of jewelry, home products, accessories and clothing, but it will also be something for the vintage and vinyl lovers.
There will be a few DJs this weekend, including me, DJ Dick At Nite, and many of the DJs will play vinyl from the collections they have for sale at Shwick Market. Expect to bop-while-you-shop and enjoy a rare, recent weekend without snow!
Now get out there and have an awesome weekend!
