REMINDER: Don't forget to check out the World Science Festival, running through Sunday. And David Byrne needs your help Playing the Building. ART: Honey Space opens their Portrait of Silvia Elena tonight, the collaborative installation will include work by Swoon and Tennessee Jane Watson. "The exhibition- a memorial to Silvia Elena, a 17-year old girl who was murdered in Juarez, Mexico, in 1995- combines text, sound, excavation, shrine elements, and one of Swoon's most intricate......

All signs, and weathervanes, point towards the upcoming outdoor summer concert season, which is just around the corner. The River to River Festival is kicking things off with a nod to the past, featuring Wire at the Seaport Music Festival stage. Why should you care? Unlike other 70s bands that have been over-saturating the concert circuit, these guys haven't taken a stage in the U.S. in quite some time; their last show was in Spain......

Inhabiting what used to be an old retail shop near South Street Seaport is a new DIY space brought to you by the producers of the Seaport Music Festival. The venue is simply called @Seaport, and it's now up and running. The space will host a wide range of events, from art to music to comedy to readings; from the press release:The producers behind the acclaimed Seaport Music series of outdoor indie music concerts......

EVENT: Tonight Duncan Sheik (ah, we still remember when he sang "Barely Breathing" at the Peach Pit After Dark) and Steven Sater pair up for a Spring Awakening book signing. They will be joined from 5–5:30pm by Spring Awakening cast members Jennifer Damiano and John Gallagher, Jr., who will perform acoustic versions of two song selections from the show at the signing. 5 to 7pm // Drama Book Shop [250 W 40th St] // Free......

Time Out New York is telling secrets and talking about all the little things that make up this city (for instance, did you know a baby was baptized in the lobby fountain at the Guggenheim?). Some of our favorite items dished include: • Other Music keeps the gold record The Strokes gave them in their store bathroom, where it has hung for many years. • At Carnegie Hall photographers get their up-close stage shots through......

Battles vs. Deerhunter by the Sea A fine way for the Seaport Music Festival to send off the summer, with two of the year's biggest breakout bands on a lovely evening. We were taking in both Battles and Dearhunter for the first time last Friday and were massively impressed by both bands. Deerhunter, down a man and with their usual shtick toned down, sounded like a young Sonic Youth or stripped down Broken Social Scene.......

EXPLORE: Last call to visit the historic Governors Island this season! Free ferry rides depart hourly right next to the Staten Island Ferry terminal. Sitting 800 yards off the southern tip of Manhattan and about 400 from the Brooklyn waterfront, it isn't often you can get a view of the city and a house like that one to the right all from the same place. All Weekend // Governors Island // More info here READING:......

MUSIC: Ever wonder what former Weezer bassist Matt Sharp has been up to? Well, he's back fronting his other old band, The Rentals. With a long list of former members, amongst them Maya Rudolph and Petra Haden, the group is now six-strong, and playing Nokia Theater tonight in support of their new EP, The Last Little Life. 8pm // Nokia Theatre [1515 Broadway] // $22.50 Over at Sound Fix Camera Obscura will be serving a......

MUSIC: If you haven't checked out the Summer of Love exhibit at the Whitney, head over there after work and get a double dose of rock while you're at it. Tonight Dirty Projectors and Lucky Dragons take the stage at Whitney Live. Get there early to get in. Check out this "Take Away Show" in New York featuring the Dirty Projectors. Friday // 6pm // The Whitney [945 Madison Ave at 75th St] // Free......

Last year Brooklyn band Bishop Allen released twelve EPs, one for each month. This year they're delivering twelve songs which make up their label-debut full length album, The Broken String (out July 24th). The Harvard grads who formed the band, Justin Rice and Christian Rudder, also wear their acting hats from time to time. Perhaps fittingly their band has had a rotating cast of members, and currently includes drummer Cully Symington and vocalist/percussionist Darbie Nowatka......

EVENT: If you haven't taken a trip back to the Summer of Love yet, head over to the Whitney tonight for the exhibit and enjoy their Whitney Live event. DJ Scientific and Dana Leong will be providing the tunes. Friday // 6pm // The Whitney [945 Madison Ave] // Free with museum admission MUSIC: Tonight at the Seaport Music Festival Menomena and Beat the Devil will rock the sun down. Menomena "makes experimental rock that......

MUSIC: There's no better way to end the week by heading over to the Seaport Music Festival on a Friday evening. Sit on the pier with a glass of wine and watch some bands as the sun goes down. The water and ships provide the perfect summer backdrop. Tonight Fujiya & Miyagi will get you moving with some dance beats and Black Moth Super Rainbow will stick to the synth-rock. Friday // 7pm // South......

MUSIC: You know summer is just around the corner when the Seaport Music Festival has their first show of the season. Tonight Animal Collective, Danielson and XXXChange (Spank Rock) will all be on Pier 17 for a FREE show! Come, drink, listen. Friday // 7pm // South Street Seaport, Pier 17 // Free THEATER: Critics are loving Passing Strange and now it’s extending its run at The Public Theater to July 1st. The sly yet......

Here's a heads up on sunny summertime shows. Sure, after the first week we'll be complaining about the heat, the smell of the city as it melts, and the lack of shade...but it's always nice to have some music to look forward to. So stock up on the SPF for the following shows: Celebrate Brooklyn picks (full schedule here, always the most diverse lineup) • June 16th Joan Osborne, The Jazz Passengers: The Supremes Project......

THEATER: Less than a week post-Fringe, another festival is upon us: the Brick's new Clown Theater Festival, which starts tonight with a subway parade and "free-for-all pie-fight." Some of the participating local and international performers wear big red noses but these aren't the sort of clowns that kids get scared of at birthday parties, but rather the promoters of and participants in a vibrant physical format that's re-energizing theater; there are performances like Chiche Capon's......

THEATER: The end of the Fringe Festival draws near, and the dilemma sharpens: what should you not miss? Of the shows that are still on, a good bet is Chris Harcum's http://www.chrisharcum.com/ Some Kind of Pink Breakfast, a solo comedy (but multi-character) with music by Debby Schwartz that melds '80's songs and movies with events from his own experiences, making for a hilarious yet poignant retro performance that should be a perfect way to end......

Tonight marks the five year anniversary of Ted Leo and the Seaport Music Festival (they really are such a cute couple). The relationship is quite literally a stormy one, however. Legend has it if you hold your ear up to a seashell on the day of a Ted Leo performance at the Seaport, you will hear the sound of the SMF's Stephen Dima weeping. Nearly every year something crazy happens on this night, and tonight......

MOVIES: Seriously, like there is anything else to see this weekend besides Snakes on a Plane. C'mon, you know you wanna. Everytime // Everywhere // $10.75(ish) THEATER: One of the few things the Fringe Festival doesn't have, somewhat surprisingly, is a full-fledged outdoor production. If you want to take advantage of good weather this weekend, check out Pulse Ensemble Theatre's urban adaptation of Romeo and Juliet. Directed by Alexa Kelly and performed on a small......

This just in: the New York Dolls are playing the Seaport Music Festival on August 18th. We can't imagine what it's like to see the Dolls in daylight, but we're sure looking forward to finding out. The above is the trailer for an early 70's documentary by rock photographer Bob Gruen and his wife Nadya, who in a period of three years shot over 40 hours of New York Dolls footage. Early performances in......

EVENT: Fat Baby is turning in to Craft Baby tonight, with a Make Workshop event that will teach you to reconstruct your boring 'ol clothes. You can als how to embroider, knit and crochet...your grams would be so proud of you. And don't forget to stop by the silk screen and iron-on station (byo-witticisms). Friday // 5 to 8pm // Fat Baby [122 Rivington St] // Free READING: Jennifer Egan, Curtis Sittenfeld, Elizabeth Merrick, and......

COMEDY: The Del Close Marathon is happening this weekend, the full schedule is here. "Del Close was the driving force behind improvisational comedy in Chicago for over 30 years influencing Bill Murray, Tina Fey, Mike Myers, John Belushi, Chris Farley and the Upright Citizens Brigade to name a few. After Del's passing in 1999, the UCB started the Del Close Marathon to celebrate their mentor and keep alive his name and teachings for future generations"......

COMEDY: If you missed Paul Scheer, Rob Huebel and Aziz Ansari at Summerstage last night - you can catch them all together tonight as Human Giant takes over UCB tonight. What to expect?: "Each week they present a collection of sketches, short films, and presentations that have all been pre-approved by the other "human giant" - Michael Clarke Duncan. In addition, if anyone leaves the show unsatisfied, Mr. Duncan has agreed to go to......

We caught the "free outdoor music bug" this past weekend, thanks to Siren, and we're determined to go to as many of these shows as possible. Even if it's 18,000 degrees outside and our face is melting. One of our favorite venues of all time is the Seaport Music Festival stage down on Pier 17. There have been some changes (additions) that we're really excited about to some upcoming shows there: July 28th - Nicolai......

MUSIC: Tonight head down to the Pier 17 for another Seaport Music Festival show. Lineup: 7pm Mike Wexler, 7:45pm Juana Molina, 8:45pm White Magic Friday // 7pm // Pier 17 // Free COMEDY: We just happened to check out the UCB site and found out that God's Pottery is playing tonight! We saw these guys months ago and they made us laugh quite a bit. Go check them out! To give you an idea of......

Stephen Dima, Seaport Music...

The week is short and there really isn't a huge amount going on in the venues until the weekend. Plus, it's going to be about 1000 degrees, so packing in to a small sweaty venue isn't highest on our list of priorities. Here's what we do suggest, and as usual - feel free to list some shows in the comments. Tonight Sunn O:))), Oren Ambarchi, Boris are at Avalon. Sunn O:))) is probably the most......

Brooklyn Vegan is listing some of the summer concert lineups, so we thought we'd add to that list with some more information on the Seaport Music Festival. Hands down our favorite one in the city. Last year we spent many afterwork hours sitting on the pier, sipping wine, watching bands play...not to mention the amazing nautical backdrop. We caught Clap Your Hands Say Yeah there, and a couple of days later this video surfaced......

It's the weekend before Labor Day and we're gettin' out of town. If we weren't, we'd be headed to one of the following: MUSIC: Ted Leo plays a free show tonight at the Seaport Music Festival. We've been to a lot of these this summer and trust us, they're the perfect way to spend the after work hours. Tigers and Monkeys are opening. Get there early, sit on the pier, grab a drink and relax.......

Tonight at the ongoing Seaport Music Festival Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and Devotchka perform to happy fans that don't have to pay to get in. The 2005 festival schedule is pretty solid and diverse, so if you can't make it to tonight's free show check out the lineup for the rest of the summer. Our picks: The Double on August 24th The Sugar Hill Gang on August 25th Ted Leo on August 26th. You......

It's a bit of a musical gamble: a girl, her voice, and her harp. But the folks at Drag City records are betting on Joanna Newsom. Newsom is a young, twenty-something harpist from San Francisco. The music is lush and delicate, and as refined as you'd expect given her over 10 years of training on the instrument. Her vocals, on the otherhand, are a tougher sell: girlish and soft at times, but fluctuating to what......