Don't let a little rain scare you from heading out tonight--why stay home when there are so many new places to drink the pain away? This week we review Public Assembly the new (but mostly unchanged) incarnation of the old Galapagos in Williamsburg.

Hits: If you liked Galapagos, you'll love Public Assembly's full slate of weird and wonderful acts, as well as the affordable beers.

Misses: Arrive early in the eve or on an off night, and Public Assembly can feel oppressively huge and intimidating. It's a venue best patronized on packed nights.

Check out our full editorial review of Public Assembly, then peruse other new and notable bar reviews, nightlife news, recent closings and our list of spots that are too new to review (but not too new to get you bombed).

Next week, we'll take you inside Sasha Petraske's new absinthe den, White Star.

You have goals! Ideas! Ambitions! And a growing list of "Things To Do While Living in NYC," which you started with the best intentions but have since neglected in favor of a longer, more important list of Ways to Get Drunk in the City. Lucky for you, there's a fun, easy way to scratch "walk across the Brooklyn Bridge" off that dusty old list. Head over to the bridge at 6pm tonight for Fashion Indie's No Sleep 'Til Brooklyn fashion show. There you'll find a crowd of spectators eyeing the procession of models and previewing looks from labels like Love Brigade, Brooklyn Royalty, Mandate of Heaven, New York Couture, all of which will be featured during the next 8 days of Fashion Indie Week Brooklyn.

For more fashion-related news, check out our coverage of New York shops.

Monday I was traipsing about Williamsburg when I saw a sign in front of Mulholland's advertising "Free Beer 8-9pm." Now, I'm no economist, but this sounded like a pretty good deal. However, it was only 10pm and the bar was completely empty. It seems like there should have been at least a few freeloading stragglers, but no--apparently free beer just wasn't enough.

This might have been because Mulholland's is a fairly non-descript sports bar right in the middle of Hipstertown, USA. I've passed by on Friday nights and seen it barely occupied while Clem's, just a block away, was packed to the gills. Occasionally if there is a big game, say, the Super Bowl, there will be a respectable number of people there, but I think it's fair to say that if free beer doesn't bring in a crowd, not much will.

The problem is a matter of taste. Hipsters enjoy sporting events only if they are ironic (see The Gutter, McCarren Park kickball, etc.), so a slick, modern look coupled with un-ironic $2 Jäger shot specials were probably a bad idea.

Seven easy steps for turning Mulholland's around:

1. Weathered photos of old-school sports heroes like Vince Lombardi and Dr. J.
2. Table hockey games circa 1970.
3. Skeeball!
4. No drinks called the "Orange Flirtini."
5. For the love of god, slick doesn't work in Williamsburg. Just distress the hell out of everything in your bar and you're good to go. Everything should look like it was built in 1935.
6. Indie rock jukebox featuring ironic nods to your sports bar theme like "Eye of the Tiger."
7. If you must be about sports, focus on soccer games. Hipsters love to pretend they know things about soccer, and the numerous Italians and French people in the 'hood would totally be into it.

There are definitely sports fans in Williamsburg, they are just a picky people with an aversion to anything that looks like it could just as easily exist in midtown. In Mulholland's defense, I've heard that the staff is super-friendly, so all it needs is a makeover. Or it could just start paying people to drink there.

Photo borrowed from blog.

It's hard to justify having the blues on a Friday. But listening to the blues is another story listening--especially when it's free of charge. Tonight, August 22nd, Danny Kalb, renowned guitarist and former member of the 1960s band, The Blues Project, performs with Bob Jones on bass and Mark Ambrosino on drums. The trio will do two sets, starting at 9:30pm at Two Boots Brooklyn. There's no drink minimum or cover charge, but reservations at the restaurant are recommended, and since the entertainment's complimentary, you might as well drop some dough to eat, drink and be blue.

For more stuff to do this weekend, check out our Weekly Go List (*formerly the Weekly Hot List).

It's Friday again, and this week we review Carroll Gardens' swanky new cocktail den, Clover Club.

Hits: Though cocktail hounds may sneer, the menu graciously explains the distinctions between cobblers and highballs, bucks and mules, and swizzles versus royales, introducing the uninitiated to the nuances of high-class cocktails.

Misses: Those left without a table or a seat in the back room are forced to precariously clutch precious stemware at the main bar, amid the at-times ferocious weekend crowds.

Read our full editorial review of Clover Club then peruse other New & Notable bar reviews or check out our list of spots that are too new to review (but not too new to get you hammered).

Coming next week: The fancy new Pool Deck at the Empire Hotel.

Jarvis Cocker performing at the Music Hall of Williamsburg

If you plan to pretend you were at all cool in the mid-'90s, you have to at least know something about the British band Pulp and its frontman, Jarvis Cocker.

These days, in addition to contributing to the "Harry Potter" soundtracks, Cocker channels his talent into a burgeoning solo career. Last night at the Music Hall of Williamsburg Cocker was in top form, wearing large, dark-rimmed glasses and a skinny tie, providing the perfect excuse to abandon couch for concert on a Monday night. Between songs he used the spotlight to share pithy anecdotes, allowing long-time devotees to swoon over his still-thriving wit and making for a unique performance overall. For the encore he was especially animated, breaking into a jumping jack-type spastic dance that had the crowd jumping too.

For more event coverage and ideas on what to do this week, from concerts to booze cruises, check out our Weekly Hot List.

'Twas a year ago that we created this absurd video about outdoor bars in Williamsburg. Good times.

Undercover New York: Lumberjacks in Williamsburg from Citysearch on Vimeo.

Above: A painting by Shawn Gilheeney entitled "To Undergo Damage"

Brothers John J. and Whitney McGurk have assembled an exhibition featuring various emerging artists--entitled Use It Up--at Rabbit Hole Studio in DUMBO (at 33 Washington Street, between Water and Plymouth Streets). The show is on view through June 30th (Wed-Fri from 6pm-8pm or by appointment) and its tail end coincides perfectly with the debut of The New York City Waterfalls, a summer-long public art project by the internationally acclaimed Danish artist, Olafur Eliasson. Starting Thursday you can swing by Rabbit Hole for an optimal view of one of the four citywide waterfall installations that will tumble off the Brooklyn Bridge. Then check out the gallery, where you’ll find pieces by artists whose work, though varied in style and medium, all reflects the language of Providence, Rhode Island, where each of them are from.

For more information, visit Elwa Productions.