In New York, good music is never in short supply but when a thoughtfully curated music-meets-comedy-meets-art-meets-film-meets-literature festival like All Tomorrow's Parties heads to the city for the first time, it's worth taking note. The folks behind ATP, which usually takes place upstate, will bring their sister fest, I'll Be Your Mirror (so called for the B-side from The Velvet Underground's track "All Tomorrow's Parties") to Manhattan's Pier 36 this weekend for three days of music, movies, comedy, book discussions and more. Since there's so much going on at the fest (and we're guessing there will be more than a few ATP first timers who couldn't make the out of town dates before), we've put together a little Beginner's Guide so you don't miss anything.
The MusicSonic Youth, Portishead, Tortoise, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, My Bloody Valentine and Simpsons creator Matt Groening have previously lent their curating talents to ATP and this year, the fest is working with The Afghan Whigs' Greg Dulli, whose band is also reuniting to headline the fest after 13 years apart. Dulli selected all of the Saturday acts -- which include The Roots, José González, Mark Lanegan Band, The Antlers and Charles Bradley -- as well as the Friday headliner, Frank Ocean. (And, really, at this point no one needs an excuse to see Frank Ocean but if you're still not convinced, watch this clip of the singer on Jimmy Fallon.) The rest of the fest, curated by ATP, features Philip Glass & Tyondai Braxton, two shows by Sonic Youth's Lee Ranaldo, Godspeed You! Black Emperor (who snagged the Sunday headlining slot) and DJ Jonathan Toubin, the last of which may be a particularly meaningful set considering his recent recovery from a nearly-fatal freak accident that happened last December.
The ComedyOn Friday night, Hannibal Buress, Janeane Garofalo and Kurt Braunholer will take over Stage 2 in the early evening, providing some nice comedic appetizers before the musical entrées.
The MoviesIf you need a break from the music, the Criterion Collection will be presenting a series of film screenings on the Queen of Hearts Boat (docked at Pier 36); they'll be showing classics -- both old and new -- like The Royal Tenenbaums, Harold & Maude, and Quadrophenia. Dulli's picks on Saturday include Dazed & Confused and The Night of the Hunter. Props for all that low-brow/high-brow inter-mingling.
The BooksAlso aboard the Queen of Hearts will be a book club of sorts, presented by Lapham's Quarterly. The Black Dahlia, Geek Love and Play It As It Lays, have been chosen by Dulli and attendees can check out discussions by LQ editors and guests like Evan Michelson & Mike Zohn (who star on the Science Channel show Oddities and own a curio shop on the LES) and comedian Julie Klausner, who will chat about Geek Love and Play It As It Lays on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
For the complete line-up, tickets, and additional information, visit the official ATP website HERE.