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Brookyn’s indie impresario Todd Patrick has a stable of DIY venues for the shows he books, this one being as close to the water as one can get without exiting the borough. Surrounded by nascent condo buildings and dead factories, Monster Island Basement’s colorful art-dipped exterior belies the spare set-up inside. Spiritually akin to 285 Kent (a similar hole in another wall down the street) the room is as boiled-down as it gets – floor, dingy couch, tiny makeshift bar, and so much loud music. It tends to get sweaty during crowded shows, but patrons can cool off on the tiny deck that lines the entrance and not have to worry about being too loud – the rest of Monster Island proper consists of rented-out spaces for bands and artists. — Ray Rahman