A view from the Peking deck

By divine intervention or monkey's paw or just some genius marketing department work (bias fully acknowledged), the VIP area of yesterday's 4Knots Festival was the entire Peking ship, a four-mast barque with a steel hull the size of a football field. There weren't bathrooms on the boat, though, so breaking the seal was a dangerous proposition: the toilets were two Port-a-Potties aligned stage left; braving the line required commitment. Fortunately, some of you managed to fill the time by striking up conversations with attractive strangers. One of you even had such a nice flirtation that you posted a Missed Connection this morning at 8 about it. It's really cute!

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"Below is a video we made to celebrate and get pumped up!" says Jelly NYC. Ok.

Hey, internet people who think confronting nature in Williamsburg means getting drunk outside. Another series of free outdoor shows were just announced five minutes before they're about to start. The organizers are Jelly NYC, the famous people behind the Pool Parties at the Williamsburg Waterfront, and these Saturday-afternoon shows will take place at a new venue called the Rock Yard. The first one is this weekend, but since you'll be at Siren's 10th anniversary Festival, let's just pretend that the first one is July 31 with Priestbird. Other notable names are Bun B (!), Frankie and the Outs, Motel Motel, and ZAZA. There is also "A VERY SPECIAL GUEST" on September 11, curated by Bikes in the Kitchen. Obvious guesses: Japanther, Spank Rock, pr Matt & Kim, which could actually be feasible since their fall tour doesn't start until September 15, but you didn't hear it from us. Full schedule and flyer after the jump.

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all photos Sam Horine

Chuck Schumer with the JellyNYC gang, Sarah Hooper and Alexander Kane. Full gallery from Sunday's first Pool Party here.

The line-up announcement for this season's slew of Jelly NYC Pool Parties wasn't quite as mercilessly drawn out as Big Boi's solo record, but it certainly felt that way. Then, after breathless internet speculation and even a leaked fake schedule was passed around as the real thing, word went out a week and a half ago that not only this year East River Park would be hosting seven free, rain or shine, Sunday-afternoon shows, but that the first Pool Party would be in merely nine days, on July 11. And so yesterday, the Williamsburg Waterfront filled up dutifully to watch Xiu Xiu and Deerhoof cover Joy Division's Unknown Pleasures, Why?, Fang Island, and a girl in a fat suit. Such familiar faces were also there, like the Fiery Furnaces' Eleanor Friedberger, Fiasco's Lucien Buscemi, and the Pool Parties very own saviour, Chuck Schumer. Our friendly neighborhood photographer Sam Horine was there, and endless gallery of shots is here, selected photos below.

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Jones Beach

With the Rihanna/Ke$ha bill already announced for Nikon at Jones Beach Theater this summer, a pop-superheroine double-threat that Nicki Minaj sadly abandoned, there was a momentary glimmer of possibility that the Lon Guyland outdoor amphitheater's other bookings would give metropolitan lollygaggers another reason to voyage to the land of camera sponsorships and alcohol-free concerts. Take in the spectacle, breathe fresh air, not smell decaying rats, etc. Not exactly.

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