Angie Pontani and her "world famous sisters" are arguably the brightest stars in the city's booming burlesque scene; or at least the most recognizable to mainstream audiences who don't spend much time at the Slipper Room. Pontani is currently starring in a funny/sexy revue she co-wrote with incorrigible cut-up Murray Hill, who emcees the evening. Called This is Burlesque, the two-act extravaganza tap-dances along a fine line between unrepentantly ribald humor and classy, atavistic......

Young New York-based band The Virgins, who presumably picked their name with the untapped jihadist demographic in mind, play sweaty yet tightly-coiled garage rock that recalls a dirtier, pre-Interpol era. They've been generating buzz through relentless touring in the U.S. and Europe, and the single off their self-titled debut album, "Rich Girls," has been on Gossip Girl and a bunch of other shows we won't cop to watching. (Hear it on their MySpace page.)......

Every article you'll read about Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson mentions what a tough life he's had...and he has. From addiction to homelessness, you can hear the experience of rock-bottomness in his voice. The likes of Grizzly Bear's Chris Taylor and TV on the Radio's Kyp Malone were amongst those who recognized his talent, and have helped him record his material. He'll be hitting the road soon, but you can catch him at Music Hall of......

This summer the Van Leeuwen Ice Cream Trucks (there are two now) have successfully elbowed their way into New York City's booming "dessert truck" market by peddling a creamy, gourmet ice cream that makes Kool Man look like Fool Man. Made with meticulously sourced ingredients and an emphasis on sustainability (the ice cream comes in cups produced from Bagasse, a chemical-free fiber made from sugar cane; the spoons are made from cornhusks), it's a dessert......

New York-based photographer Mark Seliger has photographed everyone from Johnny Cash to Kurt Cobain. He was the chief photographer at Rolling Stone for over a decade, and has now compiled many of his images for The Music Book, due out this fall. He has also released his own album (called Luck’s Changing Lanes), recording original songs under the name Rusty Truck that were produced by the likes of Lenny Kravitz, Willie Nelson and Sheryl Crow.......

At 26-years-old, Nico Muhly has an impressive resume; on top of studying at Julliard and being the subject of an extensive New Yorker piece, the musician/composer/wunderkind has worked with Philip Glass, Rufus Wainwright, Antony (of Antony and the Johnsons), Björk and even Brooklyn boys The National. If you're not impressed yet, just take a listen to his latest album, Mothertongue, or his 2006 debut Speaks Volumes--and you'll understand that he doesn't need the big names......

In June of this year singer/songwriter Aimee Mann released her sixth solo album, called @#%&*! Smilers; in August she played two sold out shows in New York, as well as a free show at Barnes & Noble. At the end of that week she told us about a quintessential New York moment she had that started at the latter show and ended at the rooftop of the Hotel Chelsea, as well as how to pronounce......

Hamilton Leithauser's voice sounds older than its years. The singer of The Walkmen adds an experienced rasp to the band, and if there's any innocence to counterbalance, you'd have to strain to get a glimpse. Leithauser has often been compared to Bob Dylan (when Bob Dylan was at his best); a barstool baritone with a troublesome tone. The Walkmen are just about to put out their fifth album, You and Me, and in support of......

Last month chef Michael White and his business partner Chris Cannon opened Convivio in the space formerly occupied by L'Impero, which White took over after the abrupt departure of chef Scott Conant (who has since opened Scarpetta). Where L'Impero was perceived by some as stuffy and overly formal (Times critic Frank Bruni said it evoked "the upholstered interior of a very large coffin"), Convivio aims for a more casual, though still elegant, atmosphere, with "burnt......

Wendy Williams has been on the radio waves for 22 years--15 year of them in NYC--currently hosting the number one Wendy Williams Experience on WBLS, she's also written two New York Times bestsellers, and had a VH1 show called Wendy Williams is on Fire. Now she has launched a six-week "sneak peek" of her TV talk show, The Wendy Williams Show. The show made a splash when former Apprentice contest-villain Omarosa made a stir (see......

All Points West, the ambitious three day rock festival in Liberty State Park in New Jersey, starts today. With over 40 bands on three stages and multiple appearances from a little headliner called Radiohead, the new kid on the booming festival circuit has already established itself as the biggest event of its kind in the Northeast. It's also distinguishing itself for an ecologically mindful approach to festival planning; for one thing the only drivers permitted......

Lowry has entered the summer of '08 with a record deal under their belts, a new album in the can, and a booking at the All Points West festival this weekend--which has them sharing a bill with some heavy hitters. The Brooklyn band won't have to travel far to get to the big stage, but they've been down many roads to get to where they are now. If you are heading to the festival, be......

Last week Steven Hirsch got some NY Times attention for his blog, Courthouse Confessions. Perching himself outside of the Manhattan Criminal Court while working as a court photographer for the NY Post, he asks everyday defendants, upon their departure, what got them there. The stories are culled together for his Confessions project, giving a broad snapshot of just who is going in and out of the building each day while the press waits for the......

In twelve years, Mark Elijah Rosenberg has transformed Rooftop Films from a party he threw on his East Village roof with a sheet and a projector to a summer long short film festival with screenings at unique locations all over the five boroughs. The organization has forged collaborations with more than 30 film festivals, schools, and social service organizations throughout New York's five boroughs and across the country. Tomorrow night Rooftop will hold a free......

Tonight Plants and Animals open up Central Park's SummerStage show, warming the crowd for both Yeasayer and headliners The National. The Canadian trio has had the honors of doing the same for both Wolf Parade and Gnarls Barkley, something not many bands can put on their resume. Appealing to a wide range of artists while simultaneously being pigeon-holed as having "jam band" influences is no easy feat, and it certainly speaks volumes about the band's......

Recently street artist Chris Stain has been pasting up his art around town with Swoon. He says that in 1984, he was one of the "kids who became infected by graffiti's bold colors, striking form, and independent nature." Decades later he looked at his own work, describing it as a direct reflection of his surroundings -- "the people, neighborhoods, and struggles, that are swept along with the every day lives of the common American." Still......

In May a lavishly appointed homage to New Orleans's French Quarter opened in the theater district. Called Bourbon Street Bar & Grille, the two-story restaurant evokes the Big Easy with gas lamps, wrought iron railings, reclaimed stained glass windows, and a massive high-topped bar that dominates the ground floor lounge, where Allen Boyd's classic New Orleans cocktails are served with all fresh ingredients and accompany a casual dining menu. Upstairs, there is an outdoor......

Jen Dunlap, a painter, and Celia Rowlson-Hall, a writer-director-choreographer, decided to combine their many talents for a one-of-a-kind art show. Wanna Come to My Place? will saturate Supreme Trading with their art, performance and everyday life tomorrow night. They even traveled all the way to Coney Island to create a video invite. How did you come up with the idea to combine paintings and performance? We respect each other's work, have a fun time together,......

In August 1974, Philippe Petit, a Frenchman with a passion for walking on wires, captivated New York City as he stealthy made his way to the top of the World Trade Center. Once there, he walked across a cable strung between the Twin Towers, a historic feat that's vividly depicted in a new documentary, Man On Wire (which will be screening tonight). The famous walk turned a void 1/4 mile above the streets into a......

Kenley Collins is one of the designers competing in the season's Project Runway. Hailing from Florida, she now lives and designs in New York, where she's been working on her own line in a small boutique, as well as freelancing and teaching. She recently told us about the show, her fellow designers and what trends appear to be back in New York. How did you get started in fashion? I started reconstructing vintage when I......

Multi-instrumentalist Mike Gordon – revered for his virtuoso bass playing and distinctive singing with the trailblazing jam band Phish – is releasing a new solo album on August 5th, right in the midst of feverish speculation about a Phish reunion; speculation that's been all but confirmed by the band members themselves. As Gordon tells us in this interview, the timing of all this increased Phish chatter is a bit "weird," mainly because he's so excited......

Millions know fashion photographer Nigel Barker as a judge on America's Next Top Model. But Barker, who has had a photography studio in New York City for over a decade, is also spokesperson for The Humane Society of the United States' Protect Seals program and visited the Canadian seal hunt earlier this year. On Friday, an exhibit including his photographs and a documentary from the hunt, "A Sealed Fate?," will open at 401 Projects (running......

Since beloved Washington State punk band Sleater-Kinney dissolved two years ago into an "indefinite hiatus," drummer Janet Weiss has carved out a new niche for herself in Stephen Malkmus's small family of musicians, the Jicks. Weiss played an active role in the creation of Malkmus's fourth full-length "solo" album, Real Emotional Trash, which came out in March. In its wake she's been tearing up the road in the U.S. and Europe with Malkmus and......

The highly idiosyncratic yet surprisingly catchy experimental rock band Deerhoof has been called "one of the most original rock bands to have come along in the last decade." And that's not coming from some dude's blog, that's the New York Times talking. Yet though they've been around since the early '90s, describing their music is still vexing, so we'll kindly refer you to their website, where YouTube clips abound. It's also in your best......

Director David Gordon Green, called "one of the most interesting and idiosyncratic independent filmmakers of the last decade" by The Believer, will be sharing his lyrical take on southern culture with Brooklyn moviegoers starting Thursday, when BAMcinematek kicks off All the Real Americans: The World of David Gordon Green. What's interesting about the week-long, early-career retrospective is that Green has paired each of his four feature films with six movies from the '70s and '80s......

20 years ago this summer, Fabio Trabocchi started his culinary career in the Marche region of Italy. The chef-to-be was fourteen at the time, and found himself occupied with odd jobs such as shucking mussels, cutting vegetables, and even serving as ad hoc valet at a small restaurant close to the beach. Next month marks Trabocchi’s one-year anniversary at SoHo restaurant Fiamma, where, with a kitchen staff of 12, he serves plates like Burrata di......

Not since Jacob took the birthright of his older brother Esau back in the Old Testament has a younger twin grabbed a bigger chunk of the spotlight than Kim Deal has over her sister Kelley throughout the years. However, Kelley is no slouch on her own. She has just written her first knitting book that will be released this fall, titled "Bags That Rock: Knitting on the Road with Kelley Deal." And of course, she......

People tend to either love The Hold Steady or hate them, but even those in the latter camp don't really despise them in a 30 Seconds to Mars sort of way. Say what you want about frontman Craig Finn's half-spoken/half-sung vocalizations, it's hard to knock a group with such an affable lack of pretension. A couple years after the dissolution of his previous band Lifter Puller, Finn started The Hold Steady in 2002 with no......

Julia Nunes has impressed everyone from Molly Ringwald to Ben Folds to random YouTube spectators, and she's only 19-years-old. The musician composes original music (her debut album Left Right Wrong just came out), but has become an overnight sensation through her original covers of familiar songs -- which she sonically weaves together in upstate New York. Check out her YouTube videos here, her music (both original and covers) here, and catch her live at the......

NYCTV plays host to just about any New York-centric show worth watching, and Trevor Scotland is at the helm of many of them. Scotland executive produces a handful of the programs, and will even step up as host in the near future. This summer the network celebrates their 5th year, and this week Scotland told us about his shows, his city and that time he stood next to the Mayor at the urinal. What NYCTV......