Michael T and Co. have saved the best for last this year, and are holding court at Don Hill's from the final hours of 2008 until 8am (with drinks served the whole time) on the dawn of 2009. 

 

Rated X, their semi-weekly exhibitionist bash that's called countless downtown venues home over the years, lives on with a holiday edition tonight and is as fascinating as ever. The pervs in the crowd are a little creepy, sure, but at the end of the day, you're one of them. Bottom line: at least one hot girl always gets naked, and indie-centric dance hits c/o DJ Jess, Michael T and the gorgeous Theo never fail to move a crowd.  It's a combo that works for everyone - gay, straight, trans -- all represented here.

 

Tonight features the usual hot body contest at 3am, plus, a 2am "America's Next Porn Star" contest hosted by Joanna Angel and friends.  For those still standing at 5am, there's a fetish show of some sort. Kicking off the dirty stuff are our friends from the Brooklyn punk house party set, Team Robespierre, with a sweet midnight timeslot.

 

Isn't it nice to see all these people getting along - synth-punk squatters, porn stars, trannies, 9-to-5ers, former models? It's a heartwarming way to ring in the New Year. Buy tickets in advance and all this can be yours for $15. Currently on sale here for $10!

If I could get a date that wasn't my cat or a Craigslist hooker, this would most definitely be our destination tonight.

 

Several favorite local acts, all of whom we've admired in the past year, The Wild Yaks, Shilpa Ray and Lone Wolf & Cub (on trapeze), will be performing in the back room for a modest cover fee (they could easily charge three times more), and the delicious nouveau food and drink menu will be available, always a treat. With foul-mouthed DJ Tha Pumpsta, in the masterfully curated Williamsburg 4-walled theater. Expect sick visuals as usual. Reservations recommended.

How better to ring in the New Year than with a bad-ass hardcore cover show with some of NY's coolest high school kids (and some kids twice their age, like me)? It's at Death by Audio, one of Williamsburg's blissfully rundown DIY joints with no rules!

Party on, bros:

• Necking as Black Flag
• Love or Perish as The Misfits
• Asa Ransom as The Clash
• Liturgy as Black Sabbath
• The So So Glos as a mystery band (woo)

Check here for any last-minute changes to the lineup.

 

 

All the rip-off Bowery Presents shows, the Knitting Factory show, the MSG show, the Santos show, le (Le) Poisson Rouge show, and all the other heavily advertised NYE lineups can eat it, 'cause These Are Powers and Dan Friel from Parts and Labor headline the best bill in town tonight -- for a measly $8. 

 

Another advantage to spending your NYE at Cake Shop? Duh, vegan whoopie pie.

Pals with Quintron, buds with King Khan, and an ex of Jay Reatard, retro art-rockers Golden Triangle play a show that would be a bargain even if it weren't the price-gouging holiday of the year. 

They're best experienced in balls-out performance art mode, so let's hope that's in the works. Canadians Chocolat start things off at 9, and Soul Imperial provides plenty of dance grooves from 11 to 4.

 

A bunch of cool kids from Park Slope (and we do mean kids, like 17) rented a loft and are throwing a free New Year's Eve party. Of course, there will be no booze, since 17 year-olds don't drink. A certain popular high school band outta Brooklyn could be a special guest.

An hour of the best cheap vodka (really, a superb product) out there with a PBR midnight toast. Worth the $10 cover if you plan to stay and get down for a few hours with DJs Prince Language, Sean Dak, Sean Fightcats, Kid Indie, Spencer Product, TKOmri, and Denny Le Nimh. Dress code is your standard LES American Apparel n' vintage.

"Four floors, a fashion show, Talibam!, pancakes and yoga in the morning, a Balkan brass band, homemade pomegranate wine, Afro-Caribbean, Latin, Chicano-electro-punk, hip hop, dubstep..."

 

Whoa, ADHD. Probably could have done without the fashion show, ya think? The yoga's a nice touch though.

 

P.S. Hippie crossing.

 

Normally, we throw flaming garbage at parties with a $25 cover, but the joint's full of Colt 45 tonight, and we'd hate to cause an explosion -- that stuff's basically lighter fluid. If you want to pay $25 for a $7 party, go for it.

 

Pros include: shampoo at midnight, airbrush body painting, toys, treats, balloons and a lineup that compels you to dance:

• Heartsrevolution -performance, DJ set, tomfoolery
• Nick Catchdubs - DJ set by Fool's Gold-founder 
• Bubbly Fish -  live set with visuals
• RUDE - DJ set

Buy tickets here.

 

 

One of the most widely promoted parties in central Williamsburg, this one's sure to be a clusterfuck. The venue's a new music space behind the former Anytime. Lots of performers, including:

• Apollo Heights
• The Unstoppable Death Machines
• Your 33 Black Angels

DJs Justin Carter and Probus have inspired enough of a following from their Manhattan techno joints at NuBlu and APT, that they can safely count on a mass of people to trek out to a loft in Queens and pay $25 each for the pleasure. Good luck finding a car service home, homies.

 

RSVP to easyloverloft@gmail.com for reduced cover.

Here's one for broke people who are determined to go out on NYE, but don't feel like putting any effort whatsoever into coming up with interesting plans.

I hardly need to be told to "bring drugs!" and "sneak in a flask!" to a bar. But thanks boys, for the heads up in the invite.

 

DJs, bands and a "late-night mega-jam" (oof). The one redeeming factor, of course, is the champagne toast at midnight with The Goddamn Rattlesnake.

Maison Française and art-duo Mint and Serf have assembled "French Hipsters, Japanese Wizards on Psychedelics, and Sleeping Norwegians" in a Dumbo loft space. Sounds like the beginning of a terrible joke, and come 10pm, it may well be. 

 

A New Year's Eve bargain in the East Village to kick off your night (before heading to Williamsburg to crash all the house parties) with free vodka and beer. What else did Santa bring this year? A live set by The Action Painters. If that's not good enough, go back to your own country where St. Nick dresses in blue.

 

 

Back in the day (like, last spring), Studio B still enjoyed its status as an international destination for electronic music, on par with the city of Berlin. Fast-forward to this New Year's Eve, and we have the last ever Studio B show. What went wrong? This former booker will never tell.

 

Grandmaster Mele Mel of the Furious Five will be unironically performing the hit "White Lines." There's other performers, too, like Mickey Factz and Ninasonik (wait, aren't they at Happy Ending tonight for an even more inflated ticket price?) plus an army of DJs: Sinden, Jokers of the Scene, Scott Henry, Reid Speed, Trouble & Bass, Cowboy Mark, Alexander Technique and Van Scott.

 

Is it a demolition party? I wish!