Nostalgia-punk trio Blood on the Wall look forward

Rebecca Villasenor

In their novelty-drunk neck of the woods (Brooklyn), Blood on the Wall get points just for acknowledging a bunch of good ideas that other people had first: layered, gauzy, shimmering production; jokes about drugs; and mewling male/female vocals—by a brother and sister, no less. Their Liferz—the title perhaps a nod to an obvious lifelong immersion in the music they play—is one of the year's most sublime, equal parts cascading melodies, nausea, and romance. Touchstones—Sonic Youth, Pixies, My Bloody Valentine—abound. But the band's trick is to flip their awe into art: music about loving music, from a band that's atypically easy to like. With Cause Co-Motion, Lights, and Abigail Warchild. At 8:30, Mercury Lounge, 217 East Houston Street, 212-260-4700, $10–$12




Dancers put it down, flip it, and reverse it

Last year's first annual Dance Parade was a nice reminder of the spunk we still have in this town. Created to unify the dance community, celebrate its diversity, and basically have a damn good time, it showed the world that even with all the city's sanitization, we still know how to work it. Thousands of breakers, hoofers, Irish steppers, and everyone in between put on their dopest gear to swing, tap, and shimmy their way down Broadway. It was the party of the season, and this year will be no different: The dancers and organizations are signed up, the floats are prepped, and the costumes are ready. The best part is, anyone can join in, whether you register to dance or watch from the sidelines. And even if you don't make it to the parade, there's always the after-party, a free, four-hour festival in Tompkins Square Park with slick beats (compliments of DJ Jonathan Peters), performances, and dance lessons. Just follow the dancers! At 1, begins at 27th and 28th streets between Broadway and Sixth Avenue and ends in Tompkins Square Park,, free




Waitresses take to the streets, wreak (fun) havoc

Carey Lovelace, curator of "Making It Together," a Bronx Museum exhibition inspired by the feminist movement of the '70s, is taking it to the streets—marching band and all. As an extension of that exhibition, A Day of Collaborative Performance is a six-hour event pushing the boundaries of art coming to life. The "Waitresses Marching Band" kicks off the festivities and later serves drinks during "Unhappy Hour" (women pay 77 cents, men pay $1—to dramatize the inequalities in pay). And another highlight: The artistic duo Ridykeulous will create "That Looks Really Cute On You!"—a sculpture made up of plaster and found objects—and then smash it at the end. At noon, Bronx Museum, 1040 Grand Concourse, Bronx, 718-681-6000, $5


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