I’ve been in town all summer, so it’s time for a holiday. But you won’t be all on your own; I’ve included at least one preview for each week while I’m gone. I wish you a great start into autumn and you’ll hear from me again on 27. September.
Give my love to the city, Ron

The Stepkids are 3 white boys from Connecticut; so guess what kind of music they make? That’s right, 70’s psychedelic soul and funk in a Sly Stone or P-Funk type way. It’s obvious really.  They do have some pedigree, however, as the live backing band for the likes of 50-cent and Lauryn Hill. They are playing on Friday at Rivington and Sons, which always seems a perfectly good night to go get your groove on. Entry is free.
Friday 9 pm, Rivington and Sons

On Saturday is the Lange Nacht der Museen (long night of the museum’s), where 40 of Zurich’s museums will open their doors until 2am, but as usual there will be many events taking place in conjunction with the long night. At the Landesmuseum two of Zurich’s finest street artists, Toast and Shark, will be tagging a special Streetart Wall set up in the courtyard, you can also add your own detail to the work. Djs, food and drinks will also be served as part of the impromptu party. At the Kunsthaus the ‘Buffet of Design’ will be showcasing some of Zurich’s best chef designed food as well as a dj set led by Kalabrese.
Saturday 7pm til most of the night, various locations

It was one of my musical heroes who said it best – ‘We learnt more from a 3-minute record, baby, than we ever learnt in school’. Graphic designer Marcus Kraft has taken this sentiment to heart and built his graphic exhibition around life lessons given in song titles from the last 50 years of pop culture– from folk and rock to punk and hip-hop. The exhibition is in the pop-up container at Hardturm and is called, Don’t Eat The Yellow Snow, which is both a Frank Zappa song and some of the sagest advice i ever received as a young Ron. 
Saturday til 14th September, Haltestelle Hardturm, 8005

It’s been ten years since Fantoche, the international festival for animations, had its launch in Baden. I’ve visited the festival several times over the last years and can recommend this trip out of town to all of you. This year, next to animation shorts, cut scenes from video games will be screened for the first time. To give this new field more support, they invited  Zurich based author and artist Chris Solarski to hold his first reading of his about to be launched book 'Drawing Basics and Video Game Art', in which he links traditional art to video game design and explains gaming’s future. Programme
4. to 9. September, Fantoche, Baden /
reading: Friday, 7. September, 4.30 pm

Setting: Japan, Protagonist: Jacob de Zoet, a young salesman. In his latest novel „The thousand autumns of Jacob de Zoet“, David Mitchell illustrates the clash of two cultures. Jacob, instead of making business, falls in love with a daughter of a samurai and gets caught up in murder and betrayal. A poetic novel that combines Japan’s history with dangerous situations and colourful characters. At Kaufleuten, you’ll be able to get a glimpse of the polyglot author and hear him read, combined with a German translation. Entry: 25 francs
Wednesday, 12. September, 8 pm, Kaufleuten

The London-based band We Have Band may only have 3 members but there are enough layers going on here to make you wonder whether their name is really just a short ransom note and they have a whole other musical combo hidden away in a back room somewhere, helping out. Bringing in elements of indie- and synth-pop as well as splashes of electronica they perhaps sound like an early Depeche Mode without the leather sex or maybe a more urban Metronomy. 
Thursday 20^th September 8pm, Exil

There is something special about the relatively small size of Switzerland that means a nationwide event can also have an intimate feel to it as well. This is Tigerr is a new weeklong music festival that will be hosting 40 new bands, across 18 venues, in 9 cities across Switzerland. The only criteria is that they’ve never played in your town before, and from what I can see of the line-up, they need to be pretty good too. Check the website for the artists as well as the Zurich dates and venues but I can tell you that Ren Harvieu, Benjamin Francis Leftwich and Ben Caplan are well worth a peek.
Monday 24^th til 30^th September, various venues and times

Panama, formerly called Pier West before its refurbishment, at Obere Letten will extend summer and serve brunch every Saturday and Sunday until the end of October. So even if the temperatures drop - as the weather forecast announces – it’s a beautiful place to sit right at the Limmat. And you’ll have a roof over your head. As September usually brings us beautifully autumn sunshine, make sure you don’t miss your last chance this season to go for a swim in the river.  
Saturday & Sunday, 10 am to 2 pm, Panama

A banker suffocates. A diamond dealer slits his wrists. A media magnate freezes in the snow. A CEO inhales exhaust fumes. Four unpopular businessmen, four apparent suicides. Until Interpol find the same DNA at each death.  Beatrice Stubbs, arrives in Switzerland to lead the investigation... The crime novel “Behind Closed Doors” by Welsh born and Zurich based author Jill Mash is set in Zurich. So, I wanted to find out, how the city inspired her and asked her about her favourite spots in town. You can read the interview on my website. I have one signed hardback copy of the book to give away, so you won’t get bored while I’m on holiday. Just send me an email.
E-mail me to win the signed copy (don't forget your address so I can send it to you)

Many people argue that a helmet will be of no use in case of an accident or that it just looks stupid. Especially to the latter, I recommend Hövding. It’s an airbag helmet for cyclists, which is worn like a scarf around your neck. It’s a fashion item, which realizes when you fall and then blows up like an airbag to protect head and neck. Unfortunately, Hövding chic doesn’t come cheap but you’re able to buy it in their online shop. Watch video