The holiday gods did a damn fine job making sure the 4th of July fell on a Friday this year. Now, instead of awkward mid-week recesses or anticlimactic Monday get-downs - both scenarios cruelly bookended with bleary retreats back to the cubicle - we get a perfectly placed day for grilling, chilling, chanting U.S.A. and enjoying us some music. Hooray America! And like the fast food options available to us throughout our great country, this week offers supersized portions of music-related goodness to those brave souls choosing to remain in the five boroughs. So, for this week’s Countdown, may we suggest some holiday week plans?

The magic number is 8:

8. Wax Nostalgic - Relive the halcyon days of the early 90s with The Wackness, a coming-of-age “period piece” (the period being 1994) with a similarly “retro” soundtrack featuring The Notorious B.I.G., Raekwon, Nas, DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, Biz Markie, and lots more nineties rap. Opens Thursday, July 3rd

Watch: The Wackness official trailer (YouTube)

7. Get In While The Gettin’s Still Good - The goodship Takka Takka is about to blast off into hyperspace with the release of their sophomore album Migration on July 29th. Head to Union Hall while you still have the chance to see them at such an intimate venue. Thursday, July 3rd

Listen: “The Takers”

6. Do(n’t) Go Chasing Waterfalls - Olafur Eliasson’s awesome New York City Waterfalls public art project opened last week. Head to the East River and see for yourself; just make sure your On-The-Go playlist is set accordingly - we’re thinking of the songs titled “Waterfalls” by Why?, ELO, Carly Simon, and Paul McCartney. A quick warning to those expecting Terminator 2-era CGI liquid dancers: you might be disappointed by Eliasson’s Waterfalls. But we’ve still got what you’re looking for, just click below. Ongoing through October 13th

Watch: “Waterfalls” by TLC (YouTube)

5. Play Apes and Indians - Or more accurately, Ponytail and Apes and Marnie Stern and Indian Jewelry as the Yard has put together a pretty amazing alternative to the more heralded Sonic Youth show at Battery Park. Also on the bill are Double Dagger and Power Douglas. Friday, July 4th

Listen: “Pompeii” by Indian Jewelry

4. Look Out for a “Roman Method Incident” - A euphemism for the spontaneous regurgitations that tend to occur at the end of competitive eating contests, you just may be lucky enough to see the drama firsthand at Coney Island’s own Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest. If live regurgitation isn’t your thing, get a jump on everyone else and look out for a spot to claim for the Siren Festival in a few weeks’ time. Friday, July 4th

Watch: Joey Chestnut Tribute Video (YouTube)

3. Learn Spanish - Or just pretend to by repeating “¿cómo te llama?” over and over at Mercury Lounge, where Albert Hammond, Jr. plays a private show previewing material from his forthcoming album called, you guessed it, ¿Cómo Te Llama? We’ve got more tickets to give away today, so stay tuned! Tuesday, July 2nd

Listen: “GfC”

2. Do What You Normally Would On A Tuesday Night - Watch TV. Or at least set your DVRs accordingly, because Grizzly Bear will be debuting a brand new song on Letterman. If it’s half as good as “While You Wait For The Others” we’re already satisfied. Tuesday, July 2nd

Listen: “While You Wait For The Others” (live on KCRW)

1. See Sonic Youth and The Feelies at Battery Park, duh - No seriously, you should really be there.

Watch: “Incinerate” (live on Letterman 6/16/06)

*lead image found HERE