It’s almost June, and that means its time to start planning for the crazy hip Northside Festival, which will be held at various locations throughout Greenpoint and Williamsburg. At a week-long festival with hundreds of options of bands to go see, it may get overwhelming trying to decide which ones to go check out. Muchmore’s and Pete’s Candy Store are a couple of our fave venues on the Northside list, and if you ever find yourself tired and unsure where to go next or you just want to get out of the heat for an hour, these places are sure to supply you with both your physical and musical needs.
Muchmore’s is definitely a multi-purposeful little place on 2 Havemeyer Street in Williamsburg.Owned by Andrew Muchmore, it serves as a full time coffee shop, bar, music venue, and laundromat. They serve everything from pour overs made with locally roasted beans, a variety of Chinese and herbal teas, baked pastries, New Orleans-inspired sandwiches, red and white wines, draft beer, and soju cocktails (soju being a clear, distilled liquor from Korea and Japan having up to a 20% alcohol content). Even though there’s such a wide variety of drinks to choose from, they’re actually a relatively small venue with comfy couches and enough standing
room by the stage for 40-50 people to rock out. And the people who go here like to have fun. So much so that the owner actually sued the city for the customers’ right to dance if they so desired. If you’re looking to just have a good time in a laid back environment and are tired of being shoved around by the large crowds, this may be the place to check out.
During the festival, expect to see Holly Overton, Dumb Wolves, Bodega Bay, The Yin Yangs, No Ice, and The Regrets perform here. The scheduling is slated to be set in stone later this month.
Pete’s Candy Store has a fascinating history, and impressive past lineup of bands who have gone on to make it big in the indie world like Devendra Banhart, Sufjan Stevens, Will Oldham, Regina Spektor, Joanna Newsom, Jeffrey Lewis, and The Dirty Projectors. The storefront has been owned by the same family for almost a century and evolved from a general store to a diner to a bar and music venue.
The inside is so aptly decorated, that people frequently have photo and music video shoots inside. Pete’s also holds a reading series, open mic, poetry series, and comedy night when they are not busy hosting soon-to-be-popular acts or bands for the Northside Festival. Located at 709 Lorimer Street, its surely a hipster hot spot that you can’t miss during the festival. Expect to see Juliet K, Shadow Monster, and Reba Hasko play here.
Northside Festival will be held June 6-12 at various locations in Williamsburg and Greenpoint in Brooklyn.
Sources: Muchmores, New York Post, Northside Festival, Pete’s Candy Store
