Shut up, everybody, because I have HUGE news: Billy Ray Cyrus is teaming up with HomeTown Buffet!

Buffets, Inc.® is proud to announce its latest tie-in with country music, this time with the singer/songwriter/actor Billy Ray Cyrus and his 13th studio album, Change My Mind. Beginning April 11, guests can pick up Cyrus' latest CD at Ryan's®, Country Buffet®, HomeTown® Buffet, Old Country Buffet® and Fire Mountain® for a special $8.99 price, while supplies last. Proceeds from the CDs will support the Armed Services YMCA® (ASYMCA) for Operation Outdoors, a camp program that assists the children of military personnel during deployment.

Count me in! What could be more sublime than listening to a Billy Ray Cyrus record in its natural habitat, pairing each song with authentic HomeTown cooking? Almost everything! But it's also a fine opportunity to combine two iconic American traditions-- doofus pop country and shoveling food into my fat face-- into one gravylogged bacchanal of sensual hillbilly excess.

See also: We Made A Five-Course Meal Out of Action Bronson Raps

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via Satellite Lounge

Due to the crushing prices and lack of real estate, not to mention some straggling anti-racketeering laws, New York City ain't exactly Portland when it comes to fully stocked pinball palaces. While most bars that bother to haul in a pinball game only haul in one or two, things aren't too grim for flipper fanatics. Given inflation, pinball should be about $4.50 per game, but has awesomely stayed at around 50 cents per three balls since around 2000. Hence it's one of your best entertainment options on a cheap night out.

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via Rubulad's Kickstarter

The announcement of this month's Rubulad bash, which takes place this Saturday near the Gowanus Canal, comes with the note "please forward wildly." There are plenty of good reasons for this, the least of which is that it will be awesome; the forthcoming installment of the 18-years-running DIY art party will have a Light Circus Extraordinaire, G. Scopitronic's Non-Stop Film Fest, and an array of dance rooms, live acts, and food.

But not long ago, a typical Rubulad invite warned recipients against posting the information to "any public lists"; even glimpsing the party's often dangerously packed dance environs, let alone knowing its name, was a word-of-mouth treat. That, though, was when the art-party collective had a home, one located a few BQE exits north from this Saturday's Santa-themed extravaganza.

For the past six years, Rubulad has occupied an unassuming two-story building in the Williamsburg/Bed-Stuy hinterland nestled between iron shops, glitzy Bar Mitzvah palaces, and the BQE. But that time is nearing an end. Rubulad's Kickstarter campaign to relocate ends on Thursday, and it's currently raised $21,375—somewhat far from its ambitious fundraising goal of $35,000.

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There are a few things we can expect from Labor Day weekend, and the annual Electric Zoo festival is one of them. The massive three-day rave takes over Randall's Island with twelve-hour days that boast a million DJs over four separate stages; you'll hear trance, techno, deep house, electro, dubstep, bass, and whatever it is that Snoop Dogg DJs live. Yeah, Snoop Dogg—aka DJ Snoopadelic—is playing a mainstage set alongside the debut live performance by Ritchie Hawtin's Plastikman, electropop icon Calvin Harris, and our old friend Moby.

There's plenty to be seen elsewhere, though, and the acts we most look forward to are usually hidden among the smaller stages. While electro-rave (Sebastian, Busy P, Skrillex, Crookers, Fake Blood) and megaproducers (Afrojack, Diplo, Tiesto) dominate, we're more drawn to SBTRKT, Josh Wink, MSTRKFT, and Jack Beats, not to mention house and techno legends like Carl Cox, Danny Tenaglia, and the Martinez Brothers. As far as the audience is concerned, you can expect crazy costumes, Euro rave queens, shirtless teenagers, and PLUR'ed-out hippies alongside your average dance enthusiast. To quote SNL's Stefon, "This thing has got it all." Set times, ticket prices, transportation, and everything else can be found at the Electric Zoo website. For other weekend options, look below.

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Start your weekend off with a trip to the Williamsburg Waterfront, where downtempo DJ duo Thievery Corporation celebrate their new release Culture Of Fear with an epic outdoor hang. Tonight their mix of dub, jazz, classical music, and loungey bossa nova will be complemented by performances by neo-soul crooner Raphael Saddiq and Stones Throw's heady funkmaster DâM-FunK. Show starts at 8; tickets are a spendy $50 at the door.

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Start off your weekend with a well-deserved happy hour: The debut of Nicky Digital and East Side Social Club's Summer Fridays get-together. The casual hang at the Yard at Soho Grand won't be as frou-frou as you might think; features pitcher drink specials, food, and music by tonight's guest Omri S. Quire, who will likely spin a mix of r&b, hip-hop, disco, and relaxed summer vibes from 5 p.m. until sundown. Entrance is free, so grab a friend and order yourself a pitcher of mojitos.

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Memorial Day weekend is upon us! While that usually means barbecuing and rooftop happy hours, we've got a whole list of dance endeavors on the agenda this weekend too. (What better way to work off those tacos, burgers, and margaritas?)

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Hey guys, the rapture is upon us. And what's a better way to greet the end of the world than with a dance party? Luckily, there are a bunch happening this weekend.

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Robert E. Holley

When asked if he had already picked out his set prior to the March installment of his Grits & Biscuits party at Southpaw, DJ Square Biz--a.k.a. Maurice Slade--feigned incredulity. It was 10:15 p.m. Young women in heels trickled onto the dance floor, bobbing their heads and two-stepping with vodka drinks. Twenty-five with a full beard and wearing a retro Houston Rockets cap, Slade scanned the small crowd. His wide smile made him appear both amused and disturbed by the question. "Man, I hate when DJs be doing that," he drawled, stepping back from his equipment as if he was about to deliver a sermon. The most fun parties, he said, are spontaneous, devoid of any master plan (although he does have suggestions for first-time attendees).

Grits started as the brainchild of Maurice Slade and his brother Alzo, along with business partner/friend Erika Lewis; collectively the trio is known as E.Z.Mo Breezy. Southern crunk music has never been shy about its ass-shaking imperative and neither have they. "We're all, I think, trying to change the world," Alzo Slade said of the people that come to Grits. "But there ain't nothing wrong with shaking your ass at the same time."

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It's Cinco de Mayo! We're going to go ahead and admit that we have no idea why Americans celebrate the holiday other than to over-indulge in margaritas, tacos, and cervezas. As it turns out, though, tonight's schedule of dance parties is more than willing to accommodate.

If you want to get your dose of authentic Mexican music in, start your evening at Mex in the City and Que Bajo's Cinco de Gallo fete at Le Poisson Rouge. Mariachi del Pueblo kicks off the festivities with live norteño (a regional music comprised of accordion and the 12-string bajo sexto), but the night's highlight is a special performance by Tijuana's electronic duo Los Macuanos. The pair warps traditional Mexican sounds with "ominously low frequencies" to create a DJ set of electro folklore, digital cumbia, and tropical space disco. And, as always, Que Bajo residents Uproot Andy and Geko Jones play into the mix as well with all of the above and a some salsa, merengue, and Latin house too. (This pair finds their way into this column somewhat frequently because of their overwhelming nerddom. Listen to Geko Jones' appearance on NPR's Alt Latino to get schooled on the music you'll probably dance to later tonight.) $10 at the door.

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