Have you noticed that Bushwick has been suspiciously silent lately? That’s because the neighborhood is bracing itself for the biggest event of the year. Yes, Bushwick is gearing up for the annual Pigeon Flight Parade on the first weekend on June! The pigeon keepers from all over Bushwick will meet at Maria Hernandez Park, with their pigeon flocks on a leash early morning on June 1. They will release their pigeons from the leash with an uneasy task: to fly around the planet Earth and bring back artifacts from every continent. The first flock to return wins the eternal glory!*

However, despite the glorious Pigeon Flight Parade being in preparation, some brave Bushwickians set themselves to organize awesome events for us even this week. Here is 5 coolest ones!

#1 Charting the Not @ Centotto (Friday, 7-10pm)

With all the DIY charm that belongs to an apartment gallery, luckily still not forgotten in Bushwick, Centotto’s founder Paul D’Agostino will open the doors to his home, gallery and heart in a friendly manner, nonchalantly presenting his curatorial mastery. Charting the Nod will feature 4 brilliant artists: Austin Thomas, Meg Lipke, Josh Willis and Gili Levy, and will remain open also for the subsequent weekend of Pigeon Flight Parade.

#2 R O O F T O P / / M E M O R I A L D A Y Z @ a Bushwick roof (Saturday, 2-10pm)

It’s Memorial Day weekend, and the weather looks promising! David Teller of BirdDog who is getting ready to open his very own music venue off Mogan L stop, is throwing an amazing rooftop party with bands (Not Blood, Paint; Monogold, and more), booze and kiddie pools. Sounds terrific? It will sound even better when we tell you it’s free!

#3 Outdoor Yard Party @ Secret Project Robot (Saturday, 3-8pm)

Secret Project Robot is one of the coolest venues in Bushwick, and we love it’s quirkiness and DIYness. On Saturday they are inviting you to their outdoor yard party with bands (Call of the Wild; Animals; Black Dice), BBQ and watermelon drinks.

#4 Exquisite Fucking Boredom @ Microscope Gallery (Thursday, 6-9pm)

Microscope similarly like Centotto belongs to the good kids who are ready for Pigeon Fly Parade already one week before and are inviting you to escape the madness and simply enjoy their opening. The exhibition will feature Polaroids by Emma Bee Bernstein (curated by Phong Bui). And we simply want to see them!

#5 Concerts @ Shea Stadium (Friday, 8pm-2am)

Shea Stadium is organizing many concerts, which is making the entire Bushwick very happy. On Friday they will present something exceptionally good. Amen Dunes, Gary War, Highlife and Woodman will play to make you jump and tune in to the Memorial Weekend atmosphere.  $8 will get you in!

*It’s a total lie Bushwick is gearing up for Bushwick Open Studios!!

By Maria Gotay

Tiny Victories have won our hearts in the past, and are back at it again with their recent EP release party at Public Assembly. One half of the electronic duo hails from Bushwick and they’ve made waves throughout the borough for their intelligent sound, strong fan base, and always fun live shows. They are a local band that strikes the perfect balance in a sound as catchy as it is complex.

Last week they performed in a typically stellar BirdDog showcase with other New Yorkers NewVillager and Bushwick-ees Slam Donahue. But Tiny Victories, known endearingly as Tiny Vix, stole the show, playing a loud, intricate, and interactive set that included many opportunities for fans and friends in the audience to collaborate with Tiny Victories’ Greg and Cason, who passed the mic around for random vocal samples. The duo then built elaborate compositions overtop these (sometimes hilarious) sound scraps, transforming them into beats for their various songs. Their sound is so dramatic and so lyrically personal it’s hard to see it translating into such a fun experience, but these guys have the best stage presence ever. The crowd almost lost it jumping hysterically to the arena-poppy yet terrific beats and best-night-of-your-life arena chanting in “Get Lost.”

Let’s not forget this isn’t Tiny Vix’s first time around the block, although Those of Us Still Alive is their first official LP. They were picked on NPR as a “next favorite band” and their single, “Lost Weekend” was even featured on MTV.  Lost Weekend is laden with buzzing baselines, shimmering synths, helicopter-wing beats, and a matter-of-fact rhythmic choral line that gives you no chance but to get sucked into the song. Download it below.

What makes Tiny Victories so special? Is it the gentle calm somehow found among layer upon layer of white noise, electronic scribbles, and echoing vid-kid beats? Is it Greg’s incredible voice (better than ever live) droning beautifully like an opera-quality, angelic-y Interpol? Or is it the intense smatterings of percussion?  You’ll just have to go figure out for yourself. Download “Lost Weekend” below, listen to the rest of their album on bandcamp, and go see them May 3^rd at Glasslands people!

Tiny Victories- Lost Weekend [right-click!]

By Maria Gotay

David Teller over at BirdDog Promo really knows how to throw some parties. Between his fantastic Northside shows (featuring Monogold, Teengirl Fantasy and Sunairway) and the 2-day festivals he’s been booking at Brooklyn FireProof (featuring the likes of Headless Horseman, Slam Donahue and more), BirdDog is getting press for throwing some of the best shows in Brooklyn. So when I got the chance to be his intern I basically drooled at the opporunity. Last weekend was an infamous free << WAREHOUSE PARTY >> that involved a incredible line-up featuring bands hailing from BK, Baltimore, Richmond and beyond- Celestial Shore, Lands and Peoples, Heaven’s Gate, Jeff Kessel, Night Manager, Black Girls, Secret Mountains, and Tiberius. The space, called “Delinquency BLVD (basically at Grand and Morgan in Bushwick) is probably the best-looking warehouse I’ve been to- with a skylight, walls covered in autographs and drawings, and an amazing light installation from Andrew Thomas. I caught the latter half of the show, with 3 great bands, and ended the night with shots of georgi and epic R&B dance party that was both unforgettable and really hard to recall.