Going home for the Holidays always seems like a good idea. Until, that is, you actually start spending “quality” time at home. If the past few days have meant drowning your sorrows inside your parents’ liquor cabinet, all the while dodging an endless array of questions from various family members on why your life STILL isn’t going anywhere (um, a friend, not me), then you’re probably looking to let loose this weekend. You know, kind of like our good friend Macaulay Culkin. One minute, you’re the precocious star of a beloved Christmas classic; the next, you’re all grown up and assembling your very own pizza-themed rock ‘n’ roll cover band. If Kevin McAllister is any indication, it’s never too late for a career change. So instead of that third (or seventh) glass of spiked egg nog, why not down a few excellent music shows this weekend? (Starring Psychic TV, Las Rosas, an Exploding in Sounds Records blow-out, and more!)
#4 Ryan Elliot, Troy Pierce With DJ Garth, Jeno & Paul Raffaele @ Output (FRI 10PM, $20)
If dancing is the best way to sweat out those post-holiday toxins, consider Friday night at Output your weekend workout plan. Ryan Elliot, Troy Pierce, DJ Garth, Jeno & Paul Raffaele will be spinning the sweet jams for this stellar pre- New Years Eve warm-up. (Here’s a secret: tickets are $20 but there’s no cover before midnight with online RSVP, so do it!)
#3 Liquor Store, Las Rosas & Shalom @ Glasslands (SAT 8PM, $10)
We dig local band Las Rosas and their easy, breezy, jangly good times, which is why we’re stoked they’re playing Glasslands this Saturday. Also on the bill are New Jersey’s aptly-titled Liquor Store and dark wave act Shalom.
#2 Psychic TV @ Brooklyn Night Bazaar (FRI & SAT 8PM, FREE)
Experimental UK act Psychic TV is hitting Brooklyn Night Bazaar not once, but twice this weekend; first on Friday with Heliotropes and House of Blondes, then Saturday with Daddy Long Legs and Bryin Dall. Either night is a pretty solid choice, and as always, both shows are totally free.
#1 Exploding In Sound Records New Year’s Eve Eve @ Baby’s All Right (MON 2PM, $10)
What’s that you say? Monday isn’t the weekend? Well, when it’s the last day before New Year’s Eve 2013, we think it is. This Monday, celebrate New Year’s Eve Eve with one of our favorite labels, Exploding in Sound Records. The night’s certifiably insane, fourteen-band-deep lineup includes Big Ups, Ovlov, Roomrunner, Grass is Green, Two Inch Astronaut, Porches., and special surprise headliners “Average Cock.” The festivities kick off early at Baby’s All Right, all for the low low price of just ten measly bucks. We did the math, and that’s roughly 71 cents per band (we think). We’re not math majors or anything over here. Just be there!