What: Sounds Like Brooklyn Music Festival
Where: BAM, BAMcafé, and 13 other Brooklyn venues
When: Jan 29, 30; Feb 4-6
Cost: Varies, Free for some locations.
Why: Over the next two weekends, the musically devoted can sample from a wish list of 60+ bands who are waiting for you to be part of their cult following.
The festival’s initial sound off begins in Fort Greene at BAM’s Howard Gilman Opera house where the Vivian Girls will open for the antic-inclined Les Savy Fav. The following weekend Ra Ra Riot and The Antlers will convince you there is genius that can come from collaborative chaos. If you’re looking for some emotionally laced instrumentation, check out the loops of lyricist Merrill Garbus of tUnE-YarDs, feel Kelli Rudick touch your heart while plucking strings and let The Revelations rock your soul slow.
Being that the list of featured acts are as diverse as the music venues be sure and check out the shows at new venue Brooklyn Bowl and the relocated Knitting Factory in Williamsburg, indie music staple SouthPaw in Park Slope, and Clinton Hill’s Le Grand Dakar for afro-based beats. If your pocket is tight, there’s always the option to check out BAMcafés free program featuring the jazz-bob The Dred Scott Trio and the sugary soul sounds of The Sweet Divines.
For a complete lineup of artists and venues visit Sounds Like Brooklyn.
How to get there: Be sure to visit the event website for the venue locations. Take the 2, 3, 4, 5, B, Q to Atlantic Avenue, the G to Fulton St, or the C to Lafayette Ave. (BAM, 30 Lafayette Ave., Brooklyn, NY, 718.636.4100, bam.org)
Sarah Knapp is a Brooklyn based entrepreneur whose love for the outdoors and community building led her to the October 2013 creation of OutdoorFest. She has a BA in History, is a Wilderness First Responder and a NY state hiking, camp and boating guide. Her proudest achievement to date is reading the Aeneid in Latin. 
Allison was one of our first top writers and Chief Editor but is no longer working with offMetro. Allison is a native New Yorker, who has lived in Rome, Tuscany, Melbourne, Toronto and Los Angeles. She frequently contributed travel pieces to Family Travel Forum, using her own children as guinea pigs as they travel the globe. She never missed a chance to sample local delicacies, as her love for travel goes hand-in-hand with her love for food and wine. 
Josh Laskin is a freelance travel writer and photographer based in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. When he is not at work or on the road, you can find him in the mountains snowboarding, climbing, hiking, fly fishing, mountain biking, and eating bagel bites.
Annie is a travel writer, environmentalist, and surfer based in Venice, CA. She heads up our West Coast team, keeps our grammatical errors in check, and makes sure our California writers always have a plan for their next adventure. Follow Annie’s travels @annelisemcb.
Carly Pifer is a freelance writer who has been known to follow whims inspired by romantic movie scenes or colorful street style shots to India, Japan, Tunisia and Argentina. After stints living in Seoul, Boston, Paris and Los Angeles, writing and searching for something intangible, she landed somewhat steadily in Brooklyn and has begun to find inspiration in her more immediate surroundings. 
Kate E. O’Hara is a New York based freelance writer and photographer who loves all things food—especially the people who make it and market it. Her writing aims to capture the essence of the food experience; the stories that go well beyond a plate of ingredients. In addition to her love of food, Kate is also known to have a hankering for red wine and craft beer. You can also find Kate on Instagram