BlackBook

FRIDAY: Rock & LoHo At Downtown Music Festival
The Lower East Side’s music cup runneth over as Downtown Records brings a second year of the Downtown Music Festival. The venues are a greatest-hits package of below-Houston spots. Mercury Lounge hosts Teengirl Fantasy, Cake Shop has Beach Fossils and Trash Talk, and nine different acts will take the stage at Tammany Hall. Even swank event space Capitale is in on the groove, hosting L.A.’s Black Hippy. The spaces are all intimate, so get your tickets quick.

With just under a month to go till the Downtown NYC Festival kicks off on May 10, two-day passes are already sold out, but $75 one-day tickets are still on sale. The event spans great venues including Mercury Lounge, Bowery Ballroom, Angel Orensanz, Pianos, Cake Shop, Tammany Hall, Element, Capitale, and Rockwood Music Hall—and features some of the hottest emerging bands.

New York-based performer Breedlove brings the avant-garde back to NYC nightlife with his weekly show, Magic Monday.

Earlier today, we took you on the road with Brooklyn-based indie rockers Slowdance as they traveled to DC for their first-ever show outside of Brooklyn. Now we've got an exclusive video of the five budding rockstars speaking about their origin story and creative process. Interspersed is some performance footage, in the background a docile New York waterfront, lending the whole thing a rather enticing air. Slowdance plays tomorrow at Tammany Hall in New York. Check it out after the jump.

● Tammany Hall (Lower East Side) - Three-level rock bar from the Crash Mansion peeps. ● Luke's Lobster (Upper West Side) - Sarsaparilla and crustaceans from rustic uptown lobster shack.