The Airborne Toxic Event hit the road today on a U.S. and European tour in support of their sophomore album All At Once. The band tours the East coast before flying across the pond for the V Festival, followed by more U.S. and European dates through December.

The band is also scheduled to play “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” September 30.

We caught up with the guys who told us a little bit about making it big, and passed along some advice from a music industry vet.

Mars Bar has been closed to make way for the B&T bourgeoisie, and Hank’s Saloon may be next. The Bowery is no longer a grimy haven, and it’s easier to find an artisanally-made vegan scoop of fat-free ice cream than it is to find a decent bagel in New York City.

Luckily, some are still kicking it old-school. The founder of the Knitting Factory, Michael Dorf, was sick of the slick, so he opened up a place where New Yorkers can still embrace their inner crusty even if they’ve grown up a bit.

Not only is it the only winery in the city in which you can actually make your own wine from scratch, you can also just kick back, enjoy some fancy fermented grape juice, and catch shows from bands who could play at much bigger venues, but choose to play there.

Check out an interview with Dorf on his history in NYC as he prepares to open a second City Winery location in the Second City this fall.

Brooklyn’s Vivian Girls have released a new video for “Take It As It Comes” from their recent album Share the Joy. Directed by Travis Peterson (Ariel Pink, Nite Jewel), check the retro-styled video here.

Vivian Girls are currently playing dates in Europe, and in September they return to the U.S. for a string of dates along with Widowspeak, Coliseum and Black Lips. The band members stopped by our studio to talk about life on the road, in all its glory (and not so glorious parts).

Travis, a post-Britpop Scottish band, tread the murky detritus of mid-level Top-40 fame with their late-90s song “Why Does It Always Rain on Me?” and gained some of the benefits of rock stardom (recording at Abbey Road Studio and random chateaus in France, a legendary Glastonbury show).

They eventually broke up to hang out with their kids and wives, to avoid each other and to recover from their late 20th century Oasis-powered rocket ride to semi-cheesy success. But they’re back, and focused on what the music world still has to offer.

“Each festival you go to, festivals are always the same, it’s just that some have better food than others. It’s always pizza or sh*t food, but the food was amazing here,” Frans Healy tells Hurriyet Daily of Istanbul’s Rock N’ Coke Festival.

Also on Healy’s mind is his recent solo album:

Metric are set to release a remix album, Fantasies Flashbacks, on October 11. The album is entirely crowdsourced via Indaba Music, with fans contributing remixes of songs from the band’s 2009 album Fantasies. To top it off, all proceeds will be donated to the Center for Addiction and Mental Health, a teaching hospital in Ontario.

The band is also testing out the tech waters with a new app via Hear Now. Fans can check in at record stores in Austin and Seattle, unlocking a free download from the new album.

Metric dropped by our studio to talk about the possibilities of technology, something they’re clearly putting into action.

Let’s go for a dip, shall we? The latest foodie craze has come to Brooklyn via Cali courtesy of Richard Sloven, better known as the Gorilla Guac.

So WTF is Gorilla Guac?

According to an interview over at NachosNY, Sloven hails from the Mission District of San Francisco, where he began slinging bruised avocados at various corners and gathered quite a following among itinerant, drunken weekend hipsters with his movable feast and punk rock “pay what you want” MO.

And now he’s here! Sloven moved East to book shows and bartend at the Knitting Factory, but his most notable contribution has indubitably been his impromptu dip-makin’ and smack-talkin’ at random corners of Brooklyn.

He has also presented his wares in a somewhat more staid and contained capacity at the Knitting Factory’s Quiz Rock and a Side of Guac, and at the Guac Rock Boat Cruise on July 18th. Check out his happenings via his Twitter feed here.

It seems everyone’s a fan of guacamole, particularly those who don’t have regular access to great Mexican food. Gorilla Guac, UK version?

Escape to New York, an art, music and interactive git-down, has created a credulity-defying line-up of bands and general punk-rock awesomeness in one of the most un-punk rock places on Earth–the Hamptons.

Patti Smith, the Vaccines, Au Revoir Simone, Chairlift, Graffiti 6, The Submarines and so many more take the stage August 5th-7th. Concertgoers can also check out performance art, experimental theater and traditional Shinnecock arts/crafts (the festival is on the site of Shinnecock Nation Reservation).

Silkstone, the group behind The Fat Radish and Ruschmeyer’s, is organizing much of the deliciousness: Look for fresh seafood from Luke’s Lobster, American BBQ from Brinkley’s, ceviche, hanger steaks and tostadas from Ofrenda, and traditional tacos with homemade guacamole from the soon-to-open Pulqueria.

Sure, the Hamptons isn’t the Lower East Side, but Patti Smith makes it all work.