This weekend, Waste Of Paint caught four rather different bands united by their status as beloved standbys of the Brooklyn DIY scene. It also marked the beginning of uncomfortably sweaty show season.

Ain't it grand when some sensory input makes you feel like you're on Mars, even though you're totally sober? We devoted this weekend to the weirder side of the New York music scene, discovering two bands just feeling their way in the world, and re-discovering another that's ridden its twisted take on New Orleans blues to relative indie stardom.

Maybe it was just the warm weather messing with my head, but everyone in New York seemed a little bit friskier this weekend. From the black-clad romantics swaying back and forth to Zambri to the feral nerds who worship Black Pus, bands and fans alike were in it to win it.

This week, we packed up our paint and headed down to Austin for the annual hurricane of musical adventure that is South By Southwest. I feel both like I just got to the jam-packed music festival and like I've been here my whole life, and I'm both bummed and relieved to discover that I do not actually live in a perpetual bubble of free alcohol, loud music, and promotional swag.

This weekend brought the end of one driving force in underground music and the beginnings of a new one, all within the confines of 285 Kent. But I'm not going to turn that into a sign of the times re: Where New York's Sound Is Headed, because that would be depressing. (It would also not be true.)

This weekend we found ourselves in the rare situation that all the shows we wanted to see were in "the city": one at the Lower East Side's anachronistically good Cake Shop, the other at hulking mega-club Webster Hall. Maybe it's time to remove that "give Manhattan back to the Indians" pin from my messenger bag.

Remember when you had to drive an hour to a town you'd never been to just to see whatever D.I.Y. shit was going down in your state that weekend? You'd bitch about it at the time, but it gave you a kind of treasure hunt-like satisfaction. Waste of Paint recaptured some of that (suburban) adolescent spirit this weekend by voyaging to two exotic locales: Ridgewood and Hoboken.

This weekend had a diverse array of musical entertainments, from the nails-on-a-chalkboard sounds of a crapcore experimental group to the genre-bending garage-hop of Bosco Delrey. We even got out of North Brooklyn!

This weekend, the New York music scene continued to show its support for injured rock and soul DJ Jonathan Toubin with numerous benefits in his honor. Brooklyn Bowl, Glasslands, and Motor City all pitched in, joining venues across the country in bringing people together to help the man whose tireless crate-digging has kept us dancing into the wee hours on many nights. Even the shows that were not specifically Jonathan-related were still peppered with discussion of how best to help the Wonka-esque mensch, and the same sentiment was on everyone's lips: Get well soon, buddy.

This weekend we learned Manhattan has no monopoly on holiday cheer. Sure, the decorations on Fifth Avenue might cost a little more, but not even the gaudiest department store display shines as brightly as the talent, creativity and camaraderie we found at Shea Stadium and Secret Project Robot.