As the dreaded end of summer approaches, NYC's glorious free outdoor shows begin to dry up, and we settle back into crummy weather/indoor activity mode. Use these final few weeks of summer to take one last carefree frolic on the beach, then check out some of these pre-fall happenings. Get out of the house now, before your Netflix turnaround becomes faster than an excursion from the sofa to your fridge.
High Brow Enrichment
Future of Music Coalition Policy Summit - Anyone interested in the ways music, technology, i.p. law, and policy simultaneously grind and slamdance together should head out to Washington, D.C. on Sept. 17-18. Hot button music industry issues like net neutrality, sampling, royalties, payola, social media, and the digital revolution will be discussed by panels of experts, regulators, and musicians (full schedule here). It's bound to be an interesting conference, but don't take it from me, I'm a geek when it comes to this stuff. Take it from someone much cooler: Ted Leo (MP3).
High Concept Outings
Rocks Off Boat Cruise - Rock concerts on a boat. Simple. Genius. With a seafaring schedule that includes Lee "Scratch" Perry, Kid Koala, Holly Golightly, Bit Shifter, and a Pink Floyd tribute band, what's not to love? I'm personally a fan of their unicorn-dolphin-rainbow logo and impeccable customer service (one show in particular is "SOLD THE FUCK OUT, BITCHES - Get your tix sooner next time").
Pickin' Pockets at the Atlantic Antic - Though it technically lies within the fall season, I'm still including Brooklyn's best street fair with my list of late summer activities, because hey, it's outdoors. Check it out on Sept. 30 from 10am-6pm, and be sure to swing by the WFMU table and allow us to shower you with public displays of freeform affection. Pony rides! Tube socks! Greasy sausage sandwiches!
Scavenger Hunt in Brooklyn, afterparty with free booze and Dan Deacon - Instead of dropping $300 to pass out from heatstroke and hallucinogen-induced constipation at Burning Man, spend Sunday, Sept. 2 (date has been postponed until sometime in Oct) searching the city for arcane objects and sites, as you compete for prizes with teams of other wired adventurers. Or just hang out for a few hours, then drink it up and snap your glowsticks to the happy, glitched-out sounds of Baltimore's Dan Deacon. More details and ticket info here.
Gosh, this all sounds remarkably fantastic and civil. We just had Dan Deacon play on a canal barge in Manchester. Indeed, showboats are the way ahead.
Posted by: Dan | August 23, 2007 at 10:18 AM
Actually, it costs a LOT more than $300 to attend the burn, esp. coming from the east coast. Suffice it to say that it's a lot more than a scavenger hunt going on there, though. But you WON'T be able to give a bunch of music industry execs/lawyer types a piece of your mind there, either, so it all evens out.
Posted by: impboy | August 23, 2007 at 12:42 PM
It costs a lot more than 300 even if you live 1.5 hrs. away! Trust me when I say there are much cheaper dry lake beds around here.
Posted by: computronic2040 | August 25, 2007 at 06:06 PM