For our (unconscionably high) rent money, the best thing about living in NYC is its endless supply of fun, odd, and inspired cultural events — especially during the summer months. But with so many options, it can be hard to know where to even begin. To help you make sense of it all, Flavorpill Deputy Editor Mindy Bond shares the very best of what’s on offer this week. It’s just a taste of what you can find on the new Flavorpill, so if you like what you see, be sure to sign up.
Monday, July 8
BOOKS: Books Beneath the Bridge Remember last year, when you saw big names like Patti Smith and Martin Amis read underneath the Brooklyn Bridge? Block out your Mondays, because with the success of last year’s Books Beneath the Bridge, this year’s assemblage of events underneath one of the greatest structures on earth will blow last year’s away. — Jason Diamond
Tuesday, July 9
ART: Enjoy the Experience, Homemade Records 1958-1992Enjoy the Experience, Homemade Records 1958-1992, Johan Kugelberg, Paul Major and Michael P. Daley’s much beloved coffee-table book exploring the quirky world of private-press LPs, is the subject of a new art exhibit at Milk Studios. Thanks to Boo-Hooray and Sincere Books, the show presents thousands of privately pressed records, along with listening stations. Endless Boogie and Dutch sensation Bud Benderbe stop in to perform at tonight’s opening reception. Be sure to email in your RSVP if you want to attend. — Mindy Bond
Wednesday, July 10
COMEDY: A Night of Comedy to Benefit 826NYC Holy comedy convention, Batman! Tonight, comedians from near and far descend on the Bell House to aid 826NYC, the nonprofit organization dedicated to developing grade- and high-school students’ writing skills. Eugene Mirman, Sarah Vowell, Reggie Watts, and Daniel Kitson are just some of the funny people you’ll find behind the mic. Best grab a ticket soon, and get ready to laugh, because this evening’s entertainers are notorious jokers — not in the green-haired, comic-book criminal way — but in the funny, ha-ha way. — Mindy Bond
FILM: SummerScreen: Can’t Hardly Wait SummerScreen is back. The popular outdoor film series that sees hundreds of folks flocking to McCarren Park for free movies, music, and food-truck fare kicks off tonight with the late-’90s teen comedy Can’t Hardly Wait. Following the antics of a group of high school students the night after graduation, this fun cult classic stars Jennifer Love Hewitt, Ethan Embry, Seth Green, and Lauren Ambrose. Anti-folk singer/songwriter Jeffrey Lewis chimes in before the screening. Let’s hope for a starry sky. — Mindy Bond
Thursday, July 11
MUSIC: New York Philharmonic: Concerts in the Parks It’s that magical time of year again when the New York Philharmonic bring their classical brilliance to various parks in the city. Under the direction of Alan Gilbert, the Philharmonic performs four free evening outdoor concerts, including a program spotlighting Principal Cello Carter Brey. A fifth free concert featuring the New York Philharmonic Brass is also slated to take place indoors at the College of Staten Island, CUNY. And be sure to stick around until the end of the performances at Prospect, Central and Van Cortlandt Parks; fireworks follow. — Mindy Bond
Friday, July 12
CITY GEM: Come Out & Play: After Dark 2013
Saturday, July 13
FESTIVAL: The 2013 Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival
MUSIC: River to River Festival: So Percussion and the Joshua Light Show The River to River Festival invites you to trip the light fantastic at their closing concert featuring So Percussion and the Joshua Light Show. Joined by special guests, the New York-based drumming quartet perform their own compositions while the collective founded by Joshua White create a stunning, improvised light show. If you aren’t familiar with White’s handiwork, he began his career back in 1967 providing visual support to acts such as the Grateful Dead, The Doors, and The Who, transforming their performances into hallucinatory experiences. For those into space cakes and psychedelia, we suggest loading up and getting to this indoor freebie early. — Mindy Bond
Sunday, July 14
City Gem: Bastille Day on 60th Street Remember freedom fries? Thankfully those days are more than a presidential term behind us, and we’re back to appreciating all that is good about France. The wine, the cheese, the macarons — it’s all paraded today at Bastille Day on 60th Street, New York’s biggest annual public celebration marking France’s independence. Spanning three Upper East Side blocks, the family-friendly festivities include music, culinary treats, and performances. This year, eccentric, cult French rocker Philippe Katerine is flying in to perform a special “d’avant-match” concert on Friday night, and FIAF is introducing the inaugural Bastille Day Banquet, a savory three-course boxed lunch that can be purchased in advance or at the event. Grab a beret, brush up on “La Mareillaise,” and make your way over to this culturally rich soiree. — Mindy Bond
Ongoing
PERFORMING ARTS: Lincoln Center Festival 2013 A three-week international summertime celebration of the performing arts, the Lincoln Center Festival prides itself on its adventurous, eclectic, and unique programming. For 2013, audiences can take a fantastical Damon Albarn- and Jamie Hewlett-guided trek from China to India with their spectacular production, Monkey: Journey to the West; or become consumed by a multimedia performance of Karlheinz Stockhausen’s Michael’s Journey Around the World. Other highlights include a John Malkovich-directed edition of Dangerous Liasions featuring actors from Paris’ Theatre de L’Atelier, Victoria Thierree Chaplin’s whimsical Murmurs, a performance by Mongolian rock seven-piece Hanggai Band, and two concerts celebrating the 60th birthday of avant-garde composer John Zorn. In all, over 60 performances are planned throughout this laudable festival’s run. — Mindy Bond