Twitter: @AndreaGompf
For some, March Madness means college basketball. For us, it means one fillion overlapping music festivals to cover (SXSW, Vive Latino, Winter Music Conference, NRML, etc.). While we’re excited to bring you the latest on the line ups, performances, and party scenes, we also understand that March Madness can be a trying time to be on social media. “After all,” you might think, “why would I want to scroll through an entire timeline of tweets about people eating the best BBQ of their life in Austin or partying pool-side in Miami when I’m stuck in dreary not-quite-Spring NYC?” To which I would reply “Turn that frown upside down my fren – there’s plenty to do here this week, and unlike the people at aforementioned festivals, none of it involves waiting in porta potty lines.”
With that said, later this week some of us – yours truly included – will be heading off to Mexico City to bring you the scoop on the biggest music festival in Latin America: VIVE LATINO. And you should totally keep tabs on our coverage, because we’re gonna be totally fun and not annoying about it, obvi. Till then, here’s where I’m blowing off steam this week:
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WEDNESDAY
People always talk about how crazy NYC was in the 70s – dirty, dangerous and destitute, yes, but also gritty and exciting. At least, that’s how I romanticize it from the safe vantage point of our loft office in 2013 gentrified Williamsburg…Anyway, tomorrow I’ll be checking out a screening of documentary Rubble Kings, which explores the NYC street gangs of the 60s and 70s and their influence on the development of hip-hop culture. The documentary has already gotten lots of buzz The Tribeca Film Institute Youth Screening Series and HBO’s International Latino Film Festival, and this event will also serve as a fundraiser to help it get wider distribution. Word to the wise: whatever you do, don’t take out cash at The Griffin (where the fundraiser is being held), their ATM fee is $8 or something insane like that. EVENT DETAILS HERE.
FRIDAY
After living in NYC for a while, there are a few things you come to regard as luxuries: working within walking distance of your apt, having at least three good delis within a five block radius of your living quarters, and being able to plan a party-hopping night that involves zero cabs. This Friday is one of the latter, with two great parties happening within 7 blocks of each other. The first is our fave tropical bass party Que Bajo?!, which will feature beats from one of Colombia’s finest DJs, El Freaky. EVENT DETAILS HERE. The second is the Afro-Colombian NYC-based band M.A.K.U. Soundsystem show at DROM, who will be performing along side DJ 2Melo. EVENT DETAILS HERE. Stumble to one, then stumble to the other, then stumble to the Snack Dragon Taco shack for late night monchis.
SATURDAY
I got my first official introduction to son jarocho over the summer, when I hung out with L.A.-based band Las Cafeteras. After hearing the music and seeing the awesome zapateo that goes with it, I kicked myself for not having known about this amazing genre sooner. Thankfully, there is a chance to rectify my ignorance – Los Vega, an iconic son jarocho group from the Veracruz region of Mexico are on a U.S. tour and will be performing alongside Radio Jarocho in Queens this Saturday. Even better: we’re giving away two tickets! EVENT DETAILS HERE.