Every band begins somewhere, and for Steel Phantoms, like so many bands before them, those beginnings took shape in the network of venues that form the bedrock of Brooklyn's music scene. Founded in 2009 by childhood friends from Pittsburgh Aaron Harris (former drummer for Islands) and Yosef Munro, the band cycled through guitarists before discovering the virtuoso talents of Jesse Newkirk IV. Today marks the release of the Forer EP, a tight collection of heady, delicately composed toe-tappers.

Thank god it’s Tuesday! I’m going to plead the fifth about most of what I did over the fourth, but I can say that everything hurts. This was a four-day weekend for me and I’m only designed for two. I stayed in NYC to get some work done but did go to a few events. Alas, I also missed some that I wanted to attend. Top on my list of things I wished I’d done was the Patrick Duffy launch of the BES Beach & Bocce Club on the rooftop of the Chelsea Art Museum.

Smells like teen spirit! Actually it smelled like a million cigarettes. My travels and travails took me to Circa Tabac, where my pal, DJ Uncle Mike, was offering Smoking Lounge Sundays. Circa Tabac is one of a handful of NYC places where smoking is permitted -- and therefore celebrated. Located on Watts Street by that umbilical cord that attaches Manhattan to the hinterlands (otherwise known as the Holland Tunnel), it is the cutest little spot. Sitting there, listening to Mike’s varied tunes, it felt like the old days—before regulations took the edge and threw it over to Brooklyn and other exotic lands.

Live music came up in conversation yesterday in a "should we or shouldn’t we" chat at The Darby. When you build a joint nowadays versatility is a must. There must be a place for an act—even a small one—to perform. There must be visuals to go with audio. Maybe that’s simply a pull-down projection screen to watch the big game, but non traditional revenue streams are often necessary to survive. We in the club biz used to say "all's we’re really selling is air and booze." That’s when people paid admission for entry.

To V.I.P. or not to V.I.P., that is the question. I am always conflicted about which New York to show clients. Should I take them to La Esquina, Lit, White Noise, or Don Hill's? Should I venture out to my beloved BK for Brooklyn Bowl and Manhattan Inn? The Manhattan hot spots are designed for client relations and the special white-glove pick-pocketing that goes with it. It seems to be a dollar-and-cents thing that makes sense when the deal is sealed. My clients with limos and expensive expectations wanted the V.I.P. New York that they understand, because it’s quite similar to the V.I.P. experience they know from Vegas and Los Angeles. We were to meet at Avenue after my DJ gig in Chelsea.

● Stanley Tucci at The Luxury Collection Destination Guide Launch with Assouline: I like to go to a lot of different places, but certainly Mario Batali's restaurants. The beef cheek ravioli at Babbo is so delicious and so incredible. Just about anything he cooks is okay with me. I always stay at the St. Regis, here in New York. ● Rosie Perez: I love Gino's in Bay Ridge. The arroz con gandule at Luz in Brooklyn is a favorite, and the roasted chicken is the best deal in town. Here in the city, Dok Suni's for Korean barbeque, at First Avenue and 7th Street.

James Habacker is the proprietor of The Slipper Room, a burlesque haunt on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Habacker and his wife, Camille, opened the joint in 1999 and hosted their wedding reception there, cabaret-style. The progressive performance space is home to the longest-running burlesque show in New York, Mr. Choade’s Upstairs/Downstairs, and Queens-born Habacker graces the stage weekly as his signature character, Mel Frye (pictured above). Pre-Slipper Room days, Habacker was a part of Plush, the Meatpacking District dance club. The venue has come a long way in the past 10 years and hosts nightly performances that showcase talent from around the world. Renovations taking place this summer will improve the sight lines at the venue and celebrate the next ten years of worthwhile burlesque acts. More after the jump.

So Brooklyn Bowl made a waiter out of me. That's because everybody lined up and waited their turn for the Snoop Dogg gig at the Williamsburg mega-alley. It was so refreshing to see everyone turn in to equals at the show—even the record exec-types, with their limo parked like it’s hot, were made to cue up. Then they carded me! ID'ing me is like asking Ron Jeremy if he's a virgin. Even my shoes were older than 21.

Knocking 'em dead (and down) at Brooklyn Bowl

Peter Shapiro, the owner of Williamsburg’s music venue/bowling alley Brooklyn Bowl, has been a mainstay in the New York music scene since the mid-’90s when he purchased TriBeCa jam band headquarters Wetlands at the age of 23. Environmentally conscious and LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified, Brooklyn Bowl is packed every night of the week. With Bowery Presents promoter Josh Moore and Brooklyn Bowl’s Will Griggs, Shapiro books talent from Snoop Dogg to Galactic to Neon Indian. More on upcoming events and the path to hipster and commercial success after the jump.