It's that time of year again when the call of the wild gets the better of me. So i'll be putting away my keyboard, picking up my surfboard, and heading off to destinations unknown for a few weeks. The next newsletter you'll get from me will be on the 30th August (yes, i know, but even your favourite Ron needs a break sometimes!). In the meantime you can enjoy this week's newsletter, with some extra tips for the long, lonely August ahead. I miss you already.
Give my love to the city...

If the idea of venturing into a hot, dark gig to get your musical fix doesn't appeal to you as summer shines on outside, then Stadtsommer is here to save the day, or rather your evening. Ten bands, with styles ranging from electronica to trash rock, will be playing live, over the next couple of weekends, in five outdoor locations around town, and all are free. My highlights include the hip-hop-soul of Pablo Nouvelles at Bäckeranlage (Friday), the sweet soul of Priya Ragu at Zeughaushof (Fri, 3rd Aug) and the psychedelic rock of Annie Taylor in the Helsinki courtyard(Sat, 4th Aug). See line-up here.

The new pop-up, 24h Shop, isn't actually open for 24 hours and, goddamn it, isn't even a shop! But i'm a forgiving kind of guy and, despite their lies, i'll definitely be paying them a visit. 24h Shop will be taking over the location of Kir Royal from Saturday to 23rd August, and will be part bar, part club, and part cultural centre, with performances, concerts, movies, readings, and parties taking place. They may not be open 24 hours a day, but they're definitely trying to squeeze that much in each night. Full programme here.

Sam Himself wears New York like a cool thrift-store leather jacket. Whether it's in his look, his music, or his attitude, he effortlessly exudes that New York City stank. The strange thing is that he comes from Switzerland. He moved to New York in 2010, fell in love with the place and, like a musical vampire, sucked in the city's sound and music. He'll be returning to his homeland on Tuesday, playing his soaring indie-rock live at Bar3000. Free entry.

The Plaza Club doesn't have the luxury of a summer terrace so, with the sun (hopefully) shining and it being Switzerland's birthday the next day, they've just thought, 'screw it, let's take over the street instead', and on Monday night that's just what they're doing. The ExTELLent StreetFest will be taking place outside Plaza on Ankerstrasse, and will have djs SiDisco and Louis de Fumer adding to the club vibe. They'll also have some streetfood stalls, a bar and lounge area. At 11pm the party moves inside with more djs and a surprise midnight music act. The StreetFest is free to enter but the indoor party requires tickets (20.-).

Don’t be sad while I’m away. There's still plenty for you to do. Here's my selection of a few of the best in August:

3rd to 4th AUG Werdinsel Openair combines music, food and socialising
8th to 19th AUG Free concerts and a great line-up at Musikfestwochen in Winterthur
10th to 12th AUG It's time for Lethargy. If you just want to hang out on Sunday, after Streetparade, you need to purchase a ticket beforehand
11th AUG Streetparade!
16th AUG to 2nd SEPT Theater Spektakel brings the weird and wonderful to the lake
18th AUG Float through town from Frauenbadi to Letten at Limmatschwimmen
18th AUG Celebrate 20 years of RiffRaff
19th AUG The annual Idaplatzfest invites to music, food and drinks
22nd to 26th AUG Zurich’s very own Open Air Music Festival
24th to 26th AUG The city is celebrating at Röntgenplatz, Brupbacherplatz, Niederdorf and Oerlikon
24th to 27 AUG Fahraway Circus resides in Helsinki’s yard for a few days
30th AUG Ron is back

And aside from all the events above, i've created this wonderful and exciting summer bucket list: «30 things to do this summer!», to make sure that you won't be bored while i'm on holiday. Check it out.

And for all music lovers amongst you, i compiled the best concerts in August. If you really want to attend a concert in a closed room when the sun is shining and temperatures soar, you must be crazy. But who am i to judge? So here you go...