As usual at this point of the week I am doing very little but think about all of the exciting upcoming events. I will probably add to this list but I am simply too excited to keep them to myself any longer.

First off you should check out my earlier post for tonight’s events and those that are ongoing. The St. Mark’s Bookshop Reading Seriestakes place tonight at Solas and I also wrote about the Rendez-Vous with French Cinema and the Short Film Festival.

Tonight at Joe’s Pub Eleni Mandell will be playing her characteristic blend of jazz, blues and folk; The New Yorker says

Mandell was weaned on artists like Tom Waits and X, and her dark and sexy songs have been compared to those of everyone from Chan Marshall to Patsy Cline. She has a sometimes smoky, sometimes wistful delivery, and, more often than not, her songs take on love from some new perspective.

Armory Arts Week begins today:

With one admission ticket, visitors to The Armory Show on March 4 – 8 will now have access not only to the newest trends in the art world in our celebrated International Fair of New Art on Pier 94, but also to the masterpieces that heralded these developments in The Armory Show – Modern on Pier 92.

www.TheArmoryShow.com

The Armory Show is only part of the fun, check out Volta and Art Fair Now  for even more snobbishness and deep hidden meaning. If you’d rather take your art in small, concentrated doses head downtown tonight for Soho Night– an evening of extended exhibition viewing and special programs by the not-for-profit visual arts institutions in SoHo. Don’t miss “Kick My Heart’s Ass: Short Films About Love” curated by Davy Rothbart. Check the website for more artsy fun this weekend.

Far and away one of the absurd events happening this weekend- Gypsy-Bhangra-Balkan bacchanalia at the Banya Russian Steambaths.

The event is being hosted by party mavens Gemini & Scorpio:

Break out your bikini or swim trunks, and join 100 artsy, funky (and nearly naked) New Yorkers for a steamy dance night at a real Russian Banya. Things will get sweaty on the dance floor with DJ Joro Boro curating an array of EthnoMesh DJs throwing down brass freakout, slum funk carioca, bangin bhangra, percussion insurgency, and cumbia from south of the wall: an uninhibited globalized party fed back into music without borders.

Get your tickets now before they sell out!

For those of you who are Anti-Armory check out the equal and opposite show- the Eyebeam Mixer. There will be crazy installations and too-cool-for-the-Armory DJs.

Also on Friday educate your tastebuds at a FREE whiskey tasting! You can sample local whiskey from New York distiller Tuthilltown Spirits at Bottlerocket Wine & Spirit.

Saturday night B is going to Le Poisson Rouge to see Glass Candy perform their weird 60’s performance art / disco.

Also on Saturday, Draw-a-Thon will be happening at ‘One Taste’ on Grand St. between Mott and Mulberry.

 A striped down version of our production, the focus will be drawing long and short poses of love, hugs, emotion, joy, and embraces, followed at 11pm the interview of the nude, questions and answers on what makes us tick.

Also on Saturday, go back to Joe’s Pub for ‘Beat it Burlesque,’

an all-star cast for a night of striptease, live music and comedy dedicated to the Jackson family’s titanic range of pop hits, from the Jackson 5 to Michael to Janet, maybe even Jermaine—and their 40 years of pop culture craziness.

This Sunday if you happen to know how to knit or crochet (I am not nearly that skilled but I admire those who are) and you’re interested in increasing your good karma, check this out:

Knitters or Crocheters needed for a Mother’s Day donation drive.  Sue Rock Originals Everyone, Inc., will be bringing your beautiful hand crafted items to  a domestic violence residence in the New York area. We have yarn and knitting needles available for your use from 11a-4p on March 8. Sue Rock Originals Everyone, Inc. is the first textile nonprofit committed to supporting the lives of survivors of domestic violence. We partner volunteers with the raw materials to create clothing and accessories for survivors of domestic violence living in transitional housing. For five years we have donated over 2,000 items to women living in residences held by Safe Horizon, Center Against Domestic Violence, and Sanctuary for Families. Contact Sue Rock at 347 365 8747.

Also on Sunday I am tremendously pleased to announce that my favorite comedy act, The Raspberry Brothers, will be performing at Pianos. They will be applying their tremendous wit to ‘Snakes on a Plane.’ I cannot imagine a movie so uniquely suited to their brand of mockery. Go and enjoy!

Stay tuned for additions!