Jack Dakin and Corbin Plays are two Northern California Bay boys who came to New York City to create lounges and restaurants that combine functional design with the cool factor. They ended up working for the likes of Serge Becker, Sean MacPherson, and Eric Goode and on venues such as: Joe's Pub, The Bowery Hotel, Jane Hotel Ballroom, The Park, Dirty Disco, and Duke & Duchess. The duo plans to soon branch out to New Orleans, Dallas, and Philadelphia. We caught up with them before their national invasion.

Eight musicians of different stripes and a gaggle of assorted instruments form the Phenomenal Handclap Band, who took the stage recently during a recent sold-out show at Joe’s Pub. The brainchild of DJs Daniel Collas (producer, songwriter, organ, synthesizers, vox) and Sean Marquand (producer, songwriter, synthesizers), the collective from Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn have seamlessly synthesized common threads of funk, psychedelic rock, disco, electro, and prog rock into authenticity-testing airs of nostalgia. The songs on their recently released self-titled debut are also undeniably dance floor-worthy—“15 to 20” was labeled by Rolling Stone "the first summer jam of 2009"—but Collas and Marquand are quick to distance themselves from ‘party band’ labels. “We want people to have a good time at our show of course, but I think that there’s a lot more to what it is than just being some pastiche of dance music,” says Marquand. We met Collas and Marquand—who'll be playing at Le Poisson Rouge Wednesday night—at their favorite East Village hangout, Lil’ Frankie’s Pizza before the last show, waxing on their debut, their drawing board, and their Swedish obsession.

I’d never in a million years peg singing songstress Diane Birch as a former goth. Apparently it’s true, and she told this to over a hundred people during her Joe’s Pub performance last night. Diane’s recent album release -- Bible Belt -- received a great deal of critical and popular acclaim earlier this month. Her music bleeds raw truth told through her deep, soulful voice and piano keys; her tone is up, peppered with moody temperament. Certainly not goth, though ... it’s more Carly Simon and Carole King, not Marilyn Manson or The Sisters of Mercy.

As of tomorrow, Pete Yorn’s fourth studio album, Back & Fourth, will be officially released. I wanted to talk with Pete about his latest sonics, and thankfully an opportunity presented itself for us to meet at Joe’s Pub. When I arrived -- thinking it’d just be Pete and his manager -- I walked into a full-blown performance from Yorn and his band. Apparently, he was performing a special set for a small group of fans. As I entered the venue, Pete was playing “Paradise Cove,” my favorite track on his new album. The song -- and quite frankly the entire album -- breeds a wave of fresh warmth with layers of musical journeys. I must say it was quite a treat and huge surprise to walk into a blissful room of music and smiles.

Joe’s Pub on Lafayette Street in Manhattan is the perfect environment for an artist like Via Tania. Lights are dim, the mood is soothing, and you feel as though you can finally “let go” -- just like Tania with her calming voice and vibe. Last night I saw her perform in front a packed house of open-eyed fans hanging on to each song she played. The Hours Entertainment hosted a showcase of sorts for a few artists on the rise, with Miss Tania headlining at 11pm.

Every few years, a knockout solo siren comes along. I’m talking within the vein of Carly Simon, Tori Amos, and Liz Phair. Sorry Britney, Christina, and Jessica -- I love ya, but you’re not the same. Miss Diane Birch, however, sits alongside the former group of ladies. Diane’s debut album, Bible Belt, came out last week to much acclaim. (Held through Sunday at #3 on iTunes' pop charts and #15 overall. I’m impressed!) Her voice is as soft as silk, yet oozes grand strength as though she’s been struck down to rise again like a phoenix. Only in her mid-20s, one would think the wisdom and honesty shared in her lyrics would stem from an older soul.

Serge Becker is a partner in New York dining and nightlife staples like The Box, Joe's Pub, Café Select, and La Esquina. His stake in the nightlife industry began as art director at Area and continued with his involvement in some of the city’s most exclusive spots (MK and Bowery Bar). Currently, he's taking a break from nightlife and exercising his green thumb.

How did you start in this business?
I started as Eric Goode's art director at Area, doing art installations. There were six or seven of us that were the core group.

Walter Durkacz is an extraordinary human being. He tells me this in the course of our interview, and you don’t find me disagreeing. In the movie business -- a place Walter tells me that he wants to be -- the real players are often quiet participants, while other less brainy but maybe more brawny folk tend to get all the credit. Take Gone with the Wind for instance, most people know its mega stars Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, Olivia de Havilland and even Hattie McDaniel. But these were all just interchangeable hired guns, and so many others might have done just as well. The heavy lifting was done by the far lesser known (at least these days) producer David O. Selznick and the director Victor Fleming. How many of you knew Victor Fleming’s name? Yet, in that same year, 1939, Victor also directed The Wizard of Oz, so you really should know him. Walter Durkacz is that kind of player. If you take the time to read this, you will see a list of names and places that Walter made happen, and you will be impressed and wonder how come you’ve never heard of him. Although he is very quiet (unless you speak to him), Walter is making moves.

The evening of the Academy Awards is one of those arbitrary, easy reasons to have people over, cook a few dishes, let your guests scuff up your floors, and be forced to clean up the mess by yourself at the end of the night -- sans a few dollars and with a dirtier apartment and the inevitable humorless letdown of watching a movie like Crash take Best Picture. Luckily, New Yorkers live in a city rife with far better places to be and far less irritating things to do. It helps that this year more than ever, it's easy to have a decent time on the cheap, and watch the show on a screen (or twelve) ten times the size of your boob-tube at home. We've dug up the best parties going down Sunday night; all we ask is that you don't forget your ballot, and your Nate Silver-endorsed cheat sheet with it.

James Murphy met Sam Lipsyte when the celebrated novelist went by the name Sam Shit, and Murphy was the sound engineer for his band Dung Beetle. Last night, the two old friends took the stage at Joe’s Pub for a free-form discussion which revealed, among other things, that in the LCD Soundsystem song “New York I Love You,” Murphy consciously made the decision to tweak his voice to sound like the perennially downtrodden Kermit the Frog. This is awesome because it brings new dimension to this independently inspired video (in which Murphy appears). A few more choice details from the evening’s chat after the jump.