It's hard to remember a time in NYC before Pacha, which is celebrating its 6th Anniversary with a series of events. To Pacha honchos Eddie Dean and Rob Fernandez, it must seem like yesterday, and yet an eternity since they first opened. Trust me: 6 years in clubland is like 120 in human years. On the top of my list of must-attend events is super DJ Erick Morillo, this coming Saturday. Tiesto was the first event of 6 parties celebrating the anniversary at a sold out soiree at the end of November. Roger Sanchez will DJ at the 5th event next Saturday, December 17th, and for the final installment, they have something super special planned. Stay tuned.

It’s 6:40 on a damp evening in New York when Mark Foster, Mark Pontius, and Cubbie Fink arrive at LexBar, a posh lounge in the St. Giles – The Court hotel frequented by a certain gaggle of raven haired sisters whose names all start with K. The three young men are known collectively as Foster the People, an LA-based indie rock band that rose to prominence last summer with “Pumped Up Kicks,” an addictive party anthem about a guy looking to blast away at some fancily-shod kids with his dad’s six-shooter.

I’ve been busy as a B-list promoter these days. It's Good Friday and I see no reason not to make it great. Tonight I should be cloned, as two "must attend" events are happening at the exact time. I will attend the Limelight film premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival. I was interviewed about a year and change ago for the flick, and I hope I am portrayed correctly. I was assured that I am, but I have been divorced a couple of times, and my reliance on assurances have diminished.

Already up and comers, The Vandelles stepped firmly into buzzband territory with six knockout shows at SXSW, with media nods ranging from NPR to Esquire. And now, courtesy Eric Ervin of Swervewolf fame, here's the world premiere of the video for their single Summer Fling, off the eponymous EP. And you can see the band live at the Knitting Factory on Monday, April 4.

Circumstances beyond my control prevented me from attending the 2011 Jameson Bartenders Ball, which was held just a hop, skip, and a jump away from my abode, at the Knitting Factory in beloved Brooklyn (like me, the Knitting Factory used to have a home in downtown Manhattan). The idea of a Bartenders Ball has been around for a while. The RSVP for this event had a short application that asked which venue you worked at. They were keeping it real, keeping it industry.

For some, this week marks the start of Fashion Week, a time when "front row" means sitting stiffly next to editors and celebrities as a barrage of waifs cascade down a lit runway. For music lovers, "front row" this week will mean getting sweated on by The National, Huey Lewis and the News, and Theophilus London. Here's the best of the week's musical acts.

Michael Dorf first opened the legendary Knitting Factory in 1987. More recently, he's built City Winery, a fully functioning winery in downtown Manhattan. Never one to forget his musical roots, the space doubles as a concert venue. Dorf’s vision of music and wine coexisting in the same place has people flocking to City Winery to sample the grapes and sounds.

In an age when left-of-center lady-rock started flourishing (like that of Tori Amos, who eschewed plucking guitars in favor of tickling ivories), the premise of a cello-centric rock ensemble wasn't terribly farfetched. And from that germ of an idea, eventually Rasputina formed, a rock band that slyly avoided constraints of a single genre and found itself winning admirers everywhere -- even goth rock stalwarts like Marilyn Manson. Despite a constant revolving door of collaborators, the spirit of Rasputina remains sure-footed as ever, with Melora Creager still at the helm. And although Rasputina's next album won't surface for awhile, this Sunday marks a one-off recital at Williamsburg's Knitting Factory, where the setlist has already been pieced together by song requests e-mailed by fans. However, motherhood -- Creager is pregnant with her second child and has been combing through her wardrobe trying to figure out attire for the show accordingly -- hasn't mellowed her in the least.

● Su Casa (Greenwich Village) - Your casa for Mexican-style stealth boozing. ● Knitting Factory (Williamsburg) - Downtown warhorse reborn in Billyburg under new franchise management.

Grab a bite and see a show -- Los Angeles has a thriving music scene and several great venues to catch local as well as far-flung artists. Here are our top 10 choices, along with great in-the-hood spots to chow down before (or after) you rock out.