Hey there, my friends — let’s raise a glass to the weekend, yes? It’s been a jam-packed week in NYC, from a media event at my day job at NYC’s Coyne PR to some excellent rock shows on the side, including a long-awaited retun from my pals in the West Coast-based indie rock band Mainland. They played the legendary Mercury Lounge on Wednesday night as part of a sold-out tour alongside fellow rockers The Wrecks — talk about a great night of guitar-driven jams. And for what it’s worth, the latest Mainland release, the anthemic “I Found God,” is an excellent, high-voltage song packed with power and a poignant, moving music video to go along with it. A heck of a way to spend a Wednesday night, certainly! This weekend promises more fun, too — I’m heading upstate for a quick day trip to the lovely town of Beacon, home to the world-class Dia: Beacon art museum. It’ll be a nice getaway after a busy week, and I’m bringing my favorite fall style essentials with me, of course. For full coverage, be sure to check out my Instagram. What’s on the docket this weekend for you? On the style front, I’d say you should prep to dress for your next tailgate in style if you’re heading out to a ballgame. Taking things just a bit more casually? We’ve also got you set when it comes to weekend style essentials. Again, I hope you enjoy the weekend — and I hope it’s filled with great coffee, great brunch and great beer!

• It’s never too early to start shopping around for the best men’s holiday gifts — right? Right? Luckily, our pals at Huckberry have darn near everything you need for a great stocking stuffer (and beyond). Some initial favorites of mine? Ursa Major’s Essential Face Wipes, the cool and cozy Acorn Astronaut Slippers, Fulton & Roark Shave Cream, and of course, the Be Home Copper Bar Set. Fear not, though — we’ll cover plenty of holiday gift suggestions and Black Friday deals in the week ahead.
• If you’re on the hunt for a new timepiece — which you certainly should be — your search might just be ending … well, today. Martenero lovingly crafts durable, striking timepieces with heritage quality and a modern edge. The Kerrison, the brand’s latest effort is A) Assembled in New York and B) Made with some seriously cool design touches. We’re talking a crisp, simple and stylish everyday watch. It’s available for pre-funding on Kickstarter now and if I were you … I’d hop over to that page and hand over some money.

• While we’re talking all things Kickstarter, how about upgrading your everyday carry? Maybe with something as simple as the Minimal Mechanical Pencil? From Modern Fuel, this excellently designed mechanical pencil is simple enough to be essential — in short, it’s a pencil you’ll want to pre-fund now … before you find yourself using it all the time, everyday. Plege $340 or more and get the Collector’s Set, featuring one of each pencil. Tell me that’s not a great deal, ehh?
• Now, aside from menswear writing and live music, I’ve got another passion — that of excellent craft beer. It’s easy to find so many great spots serving up richly crafted beer in NYC, but October (a recently launched beer and music-centric publication) delves into a cool question: What if you only had two taps at your restaurant or bar? What would you serve? The examples seen in this feature are pretty neat, to say the least.

That’s going to do it for this week’s Friday Read — enjoy a nice weekend, shop a few of my fall men’s style essentials, and see you tomorrow for the Style Pick of the Week. Cheers!

-Beau