THE RIGHT TO REMAIN SILENT It was a long weekend. You stayed out 'til eight in the morning Saturday night, you only half recovered on Sunday, and you spent Monday doing what you wanted to do on Sunday. Stay in tonight. There's a documentary about sampling in music called Copyright Criminals debuting on PBS. It's got George Clinton, De La Soul, Steve Albini and a bunch of other folks in it, and despite its stereotypical beginning (Creative People: Please stop using a dictionary definition to begin your film, essay, album, etc.), the trailer looks promising. Certainly a good look for a night on the couch.

On Thirteen // 10p // free if you've got a TV // more info

LEAVING TOWN We were there on the very first night it opened, when the focus was on the food, and the little theater seemed to be just a bonus. But very quickly Monkey Town's back room became a home for many that had never been able to express themselves as completely as they could on four screens with live video feeds and a synched up surround sound. Now, almost seven years later, the place is closing down, leaving a void in the lives of video artists, experimental filmmakers, musicians working with visualists, folks who like to screen multiple movies at once, and everyone who's loved to watch and listen.  Tonight {R}ake, a regular series of electro-acoustic musicians' collaborations with video artists, takes over for the last time.

Monkey Town // 58 N 3rd St, Brooklyn // 8p // $7 to get in, $10 minimum // directions

note. This is one of a series of special events leading up to the final day on Sunday.

EARLY GRAFFITI'S BIBLE In 1973, right around the birth of hip-hop, writer Norman Mailer and a photographer named Jon Naar teamed up to document the then-burgeoning graffiti scene in New York. The resulting work, The Faith of Graffiti, is considered the definitive work on graffiti from that era. The book's now being republished with new, never before seen photos; and tonight Naar will be at the PowerHouse Arena to show the work and give a talk about what it means almost thirty years on.

PowerHouse Arena // 37 Main St, Brooklyn // 7p - 9p // free // more info // directions

IN TOO DEEP Alton Miller, a great dance music artist from guess where--Detroit--drops into Bar 13 for the Deep See party, a house music institution run by New York staples Eman, Lola and Spider, where we always hear great music, and, most notably, see amazing dancers that we rarely spot elsewhere in New York. It's a real party.

Bar 13 // 35 E 13th St, Manhattan // 10p - 4a // $5 before midnight, $10 after // more info // directions

THERE IS A LIGHT We know his website says smooth jazz. But Bobby Caldwell's voice transcends any genre classification you put on him, good or bad. And whether or not you think you know who he is, you've heard his voice. He's the one sampled here, and he's the one that sang this song. Killer! We're checking him at BB's tonight before we head over to Market Hotel for Mister Saturday Night.

BB King Blues Club // 237 W 42nd St, Manhattan // shows at 7.30p and 10p // $45 // more info // directions
 

NASTY GAL Betty Davis was more than just Miles Davis' wife and more than the catalyst for jazz fusion--the genre that supposedly resulted from her introducing her then-husband to Sly Stone and Jimi Hendrix. She was a wild vocalist, whose music was raw and tight, featuring backing bands made up of west coast musical royalty (players from The Family Stone, Tower of Power and such). Tonight there's a multimedia tribute in her honor at Littlefield put on by a band called Nucomme and the Curators. We can't necessarily vouch for the band, but Betty speaks for herself. 

Littlefield // 622 Degraw St, Brooklyn // 8p // $10 // directions

IN THE CLUB Beck's got this thing he calls 'Record Club'. Essentially, he and his musician friends get together (people like Jeff Tweedy, Davendra Banhart, Leslie Feist... you get the idea) and re-record an album (The Velvet Underground and Nico, Song of Leonard Cohen, etc) with no rehearsal or preparation. They video it and throw it up on a website for all to see. The most recent post on there is killing us, a cover of Skip Spence's 'Books of Moses' featuring Jamie Lidell and GIANT drums from James Gadson. Check it. It's really all you need to do today.

Beck's Record Club