Tunabunny is headed to New York this week to celebrate their upcoming release, Genius Fatigue, and headline the Happy Happy Birthday To Me Records Showcase at Public Assembly (with gprecs favorites Ocra Team!).

One thing I never really thought about was how intimidating it would be to be unfamiliar with the food in New York and trying to find reasonably priced places to eat and drink.  Tunabunny wrote an open letter seeking some help in that area, and I’m going to attempt to give some good reasonably priced options near their showcase!

More about their new album, Genius Fatigue, and live dates after this open letter from Tunabunny.

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Hey,

Eating in NYC is terrifying for a band from Athens, Georgia on a tight budget. Order a Budweiser in the wrong bar and suddenly you’re out ten bucks. So when we come to the big city we eat nothing but bagels and pizza (by the way, the gluttonous amount of cream cheese you serve on your bagels is unnerving).  I remember there used to be a place on the lower east side called Kiev that served amazing pierogies—the kind the made that an Irishman like myself curse his family members, whose method of cooking potatoes was to boil them within an inch of their lives and then cover them in salt. Anyway, I heard that place went out of business a long time ago, and is probably a recovery house for suicidal investment bankers or something. But if anyone out there has any suggestions, we’re all ears. We’ll be playing Public Assembly Saturday night Oct. 20^th, and we’re willing to walk up to ten blocks in any direction for a good cheap dinner.

All the best,
Tunabunny
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Tunnabunny,

It’s easy to find a mediocre slice of pizza, but if you are willing to walk 10 minutes you might get one of the best slices you’ve ever eaten.

Some cheap eats in Williamsburg to check out:

Best Pizza - Although you might pay a dollar more per slice Best Pizza it is worth it.  I would say the best pizza by the slice that you can get in New York City. As far as I know this pizza is by the folks behind Brooklyn Star and Roberta’s. (33 Havemeyer Street. Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY 11211)

Vanessa’s Dumplings- Great for the meat-eater and the vegetarian alike.  Quick, cheap, and delicious (you can get enough food to be full for less than $5), and they also typically have decent beer on tap for $4 or $5.  (310 Bedford Avenue. Williamsburg, Brooklyn 11211)

The Commodore- A place known for their fried chicken…I go here for the burger.  In a city where $10 or more is the norm, the Commodore serves up a modest sized burger that is, in my opinion, one of the best in the city for $7. A small order of fries isn’t that small at $3, and if you get there during happy hour beer and well drinks are buy one get one free.  (366 Metropolitan Avenue. Williamsburg, Brooklyn 11211)

If you are looking for a reasonably priced watering hole…Williamsburg is filled with them, but some decent dives around Public Assembly are:

The Levee- This place has cheap booze for everyone.  Whether you are looking for a beer and a shot combo, or a high alcohol craft brew something at the Levee will suit you just fine.  Also there are free cheese balls, pinball, pool, and darts.  (212 Berry Street. Williamsburg, Brooklyn 11211)

Lucky Dog- A great pub with a wonderful front and back porch.  Good beer on tap, and for the neighborhood very reasonably priced.  Pints and pitchers depending on how many people are drinking. (303 Bedford Avenue. Williamsburg, Brooklyn 11211)

And if you feel the sleepiness coming on from all night partying:

Blue Bottle Coffee- If a quick jolt of caffeine is what you need to keep you going through the rest of CMJ I highly recommend a Kyoto Iced Coffee from Blue Bottle.  This is rocket fuel, and not for the faint of heart.  If you need something to ligher order a New Orleans Iced Coffee for something more on the sweet side.  Their coffee isn’t necessarily cheap, but it will sure as hell keep you awake.  (160 Berry Street. Williamsburg, Brooklyn 11211)

These are some of my favorites, what are yours?  Do you have a killer recommendation for Tunabunny (or any other CMJ visitor for that matter?  Let us know!

Cheers,

Tom

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Tunabunny was in New York this time last year too (around their wonderful release Minima Moralia, which I wrote about when I was music blogging) if you caught them you know you are in for a treat, and if you missed them this is your chance to get in on the action.

Happy Happy Birthday to Me is putting out Tunabunny’s new record,  Genius Fatigue, and throwing a party tomorrow night at Public Assembly! I’m hoping to get my hands on a copy of the new record tomorrow!

You can check out the first single from Tunabunny’s new album here:

And pick up the limited edition LP over at Happy Happy Birthday To Me Records!

If you are in NYC don’t forget to hit up Public Assembly tomorrow night for an amazing night of indie rock!  Happy Happy Birthday To Me and NYC Pop Fest are thowing thier CMJ showcase, and it’s hard to find another show with as many great acts! Get your tickets here it’s only $10 (or use your CMJ badge)!

~HHBTM // Pop Fest CMJ 2012~

Some of my personal favorites like Orca Team (DC did an interview with us if you haven’t checked that out yet!) and Eureka California are both playing in addition to Tunabunny!

Tunabunny have a couple other East Coast dates lined up as well!

• Oct 20th – Brooklyn NY – HHBTM showcase w/ Orca Team, Eureka California, Chalk & Numbers, BamBam and Beach Day
• Oct 25th – Athens, GA – New Earth Music Hall, Genius Fatigue release show w/Orca Team
• Nov 10th – Athens, GA – 40 Watt Club w/Deerhoof