But you can’t stop the music! While Toucan is on hiatus, Entwine’s Karla Moheno is stepping up to the microphone. You may have seen Karla pop from behind the bar to join Toucan for a song or two. You may also know her from her swinging performances in The Tickled Pinks  and Morricone Youth. As Hostess with the Most-est this week, rumor has it that Karla will be hop-scotching across a variety of musical genres starting at 9pm.

Joining Karla onstage on Wednesday:  Marco Argiro  of The Killing Floor & Le Mood and Johnnie Lee Jordan.

Much like the Toucan-headlined evenings, expect a range of musical styles, a bit of improvisation and a couple of very special surprise guests.

9pm at Subtwine

P.S. —The West Village’s best kept “secret” live music event is flying a little less under the radar now that it was profiled in The New York Times. You might want to arrive early to grab a seat…

Another sure sign of the season? Entwine’s Spring Cocktail Menu is in full bloom!

Returning by popular demand: the Hudson Sunset (featuring Entwine’s own Tropical Fruit-Infused Vodka, Canton Finger Liqueur, lemon juice, sparkling wine, fresh strawberries) a drink as vivid as it’s namesake,  the sprightly Rosemary Fresca (Lunazui Silver Tequila, St. Germain, lime juice, rosemary syrup, topped with sparkling wine, garnished with fresh rosemary) and one of my favorites, the Prim Rose  — a revitalizing blend of Absolute Berry Acai Vodka, rose water, lemon juice, fresh raspberries and blackberries splashed with ginger ale —is this the West Village’s first Antioxidant Cocktail? It certainly tastes deliciously healthy!

And of course, we could not get ready for the summer without Entwine’s spin on Kentucky Ice Tea: Evan Williams Bourbon, lemon juice, mint syrup, fresh lemon, fresh mint and Coca-cola.

This spring, Entwine debuts a tastebud-tantalizing creation from Entwine’s cocktail-ologists: the Aromantica. A subtle, scintillating, complex cocktail, the Aromantica features Sobleski Vodka, St. Germaine, Lime Juice, Crème de Biolette, locally-crafted Colonial Bitters and is garnished with Pink Himalayan Salt and Fresh Mint — It is the essence of the season: sweet, savory and a bit unpredictable!

As the weather continues to improve, enjoy the bounty of Hudson River Park (yes, those are pool tables!), explore new art installations in the Chelsea galleries or stroll the High Line (Entwine is only steps away…).  And when your mind and body are invigorated, slip into Entwine for a refreshing spring cocktail or enjoy a glass of wine in the back patio garden. We look forward to celebrating the season with you!

In a few succinct sentences, CoWorker Projects partner Yulia Topchiy summarizes why she and co-founder Jessica Sain are curating the Tuesday Night Video Art evening at Subtwine, the downstairs space at the West Village’s acclaimed cocktail and wine bar, Entwine.

Subtwine provides an intimate setting for the CoWorker Projects to showcase striking video art, spark conversations between artists and audiences, and create opportunities for colleagues and friends to network in a meaningful way.

Jessica and Yulia honed their eye for talent while working together at internationally renowned Goff+Rosenthal, forging deep connections with artists working globally as well as locally. Upcoming artists include New York-based (via Moscow) Vlad Voloshin on April 17^th and the provocative Chris Bors on April 24^th. The month of May is dedicated to female artists, launching with Brooklyn-based Ursula Sommer on May 1^st.

Don’t just take my word for it that this series makes for an interesting Tuesday night — Check out artloversnewyork for their coverage of last Tuesday’s presentation of Nicholas Steindorf by CoWorker Projects: http://tinyurl.com/7dyzq6j

And if you are craving chocolate to accompany your art fix, enjoy Entwine’s Tuesday Sweet Treat Special: 5-piece Jacques Torres Chocolate Tasting paired with two glasses of either the crisp Pinot Grigio or smooth Filon Granacha for the very sweet price of $24

Recent rumors:

The Sunday Night Art Video Series presented by CoWorker Projects is moving to Tuesdays.

Musical Artists in Residence, Tucan, will extend their run of Wednesday night performances into April.

What I can confirm is that yes, Kraig Jarret Johnson and Greg Wieczorek of Tucan are juggling their studio sessions and respective touring schedules to continue their Wednesday evening performance at Entwine!  Those of you who have caught previous sets know what to expect: lyrically lush, evocative original songs and rock-the-house classic covers in an intimate setting, with the duo frequently joined by their talented friends such as the incandescent vocalist Angela McCluskey or drummer Linda “The Pitmonster” Pitmon (currently of The Baseball Project), as well as the occasional surprise guest, like Courtney Love jumping in to play acoustic guitar or Chrissy Amphlett of the Divinyls stopping in for a version of “Summer Song”. Even Entwine’s very own Karla Moheno has been known to lend her voice for a song or two.

And no cover charge (be generous with those tips). Expect more great music and impromptu moments Wednesdays in April at Sub-twine.

(I’ll confirm the video art rumors soon…check back in next week!)

International in scope, this series kicks off March 11^th with two extraordinary works by Berlin-based artist Oliver Pietsch, in conjunction with the “Moving Image Contemporary Video Art Fair”:

Blood (in it’s Manhattan debut!) paired with From Here to Eternity

Yulia and Jessica enthusiastically describe Oliver Pietsch’s individual video works as an intense montage of both new and historic films, combining widely recognized and obscure source material into complicated explorations of human emotion.

Born in Munich in 1972, his work has been honored in numerous international exhibitions and festivals such as the Kunsthaus Dresden, Museo National Reina Sofia, the Edinburgh International Film Festival,  the International Short Film Festival  (Oberhausen), Transmediale (Berlin), VideoEx (Zürich), INCAA (Buenos Aires), and the London Film Festival. His work has appeared in Sleek Magazine, Time Out New York, ART Magazine, Flash Art and Art Review.

Please join us for this special evening and remember that on Sundays, Entwine offers every wine available by the glass for only $9!

Sub-twine @ Entwine, 7pm — Midnight

I sat down with Kraig Jarret Johnson (The Jayhawks, Golden Smog, iconic punk band Run Westy Run) & Greg Wieczorek (Twilight Singers, Autumn Defense, upcoming Norah Jones tour) over a glass of wine to get to know a little bit about their collaboration.

First, the origin of the name:

While on tour with Joseph Arthur, Kraig and Greg began collaborating on a few original songs as well as classic covers. They were quickly recruited to perform (which apparently requires an actual name), so the duo dubbed themselves Toucan.

Wordsmith Kraig recalls that the moniker sprang from the notion that “the two of us, we can” as in “just the two of us, we can do it” (although I suspect that there may have been two cans of beer that served as inspiration as well).

When not on tour as Toucan or with the dizzying array of projects they are individually involved with, they catch as much live music as possible, citing Nick Cave’s Grinderman, New York’s Caveman, the moody atmospherics of The Antlers, their friend Joseph Arthur and uber-group U2 as standout shows in the past year.

What else inspires and informs Toucan? Greg is a multi-instrumentalist (Kraig claims Greg plays every major instrument and cites Greg’s Telescope project as proof), while Kraig is also an accomplished visual artist (a painter and collagist, he created the artwork for several Golden Smog album covers).

Kraig and Greg met the folks at Entwine through a mutual friend, after a few drinks and a wide-ranging conversation about art, film and of course, music, the first Entwine Musical Artist Residency was born. All agree that this “experimental” project has been a success for the artists and audiences alike.

Catch Toucan before they head into the studio to record their first album featuring the stripped-down style they are playing at Entwine every week. Recent sessions featured spontaneous performances with guest artists such as Angela McCluskey and Chrissy Amphlett of Divinyls, who joined Kraig and Greg for a rendition of “Summer Song”, their track featured in the 2011 film The Music Never Stopped. Expect more of the unexpected in March!

Toucan @ Entwine 9pm Wednesdays

Kraig Jarret Johnson & Greg Wieczorek of Toucan

Like Entwine’s curated cocktail program, which highlights seasonal and hyper-local sourcing, each of these chocolates are made from scratch with premium ingredients selected by Master Pastry Chef Jacques Torres himself.

Reflecting Entwine’s seasonal cocktail menu, the chocolate offerings will feature a rotating, seasonal selection. So in addition to these classics:

• GRAND CRU Fine Red Wine Complemented by Rich Dark Chocolate
• MÉNAGE A TROIS Twist of Three Flavors, Always Delicious
• LOVE POTION #9 Jacque’s Secret Recipe for Pure Dark Chocolate Ganache

Entwine is featuring two limited-edition specials:

• WICKED FUN Ganache Spiced up with Ancho & Chipotle Chilies
• ALIZÉ HEARTS OF PASSION Fresh Passion Fruit & Alizé Liquor (my personal favorite, try it with a glass of Pinot Noir!)

Come in for a tasting of cheese and charcuterie, finish off with a 3-piece or 5-piece chocolate tasting! Or cap off your evening with chocolates and a glass of port.

The staff at Entwine is hard at work tasting chocolates with spirits and wines (what a job!), so check back in here for pairing suggestions. In the meanwhile, stop in on a Sunday or Tuesday for Entwine’s Sweet Treat Special Offer:

A complete 5-piece Entwine Jacques Torres chocolates tasting PLUS your choice of two glasses of wine: select either the smooth Filon Granacha from Zaragoza, Spain or the crisp Seale Pinot Grigio Montecchio from Maggiore, Italy for the very sweet price of $24.

Sweet Treat Special Offer $24  (Sundays & Tuesdays)

Kraig Jarret Johnson (member of the Jayhawks, Iffy and the iconic punk band Run Westy Run) & Greg Wieczorek (Twilight Singers, Wilco members’ Autumn Defense, upcoming Norah Jones tour) formed Toucan while on tour with Golden Smog, Kraig’s band he started with Gary Louris, Dan Murphy and Jeff Tweedy, and Greg joined as their drummer. Kraig & Greg teamed to create a number of original songs and take on a wide range of covers from the likes of Nick Cave, Keith Richards, Tom Petty, Neil Young and Peter Tosh.

Catch Toucan at 9pm on Mondays in February, and expect guest artists such as Joseph Arthur, Angela McCluskey, Steve Wynn, and a few other friends to come down and sing along.

No cover charge. And don’t forget every Monday, every bottle of wine is 50% off at Entwine. It’s the West Village wine and music deal of the week!

Entwine is often heralded as an utterly romantic date spot, it is also beloved by neighborhood residents for it’s congenial atmosphere and remarkably knowledgeable, incredibly attitude-free staff. Entering Entwine, you are welcomed by a bartender, a partner, or one of the wait staff — this is, after all, a place with a corporate contact e.mail address that is smile@entwinenyc.com.

When the weather permits, the back patio is a whole world away from the hyperactivity of the Meatpacking District, a relaxing outdoor space just steps from The Highline where you can unwind with a glass of wine and a cheese tasting, or sip Etwine’s celebrated Spicy Margarita. I’ve celebrated every kind of occasion at Entwine — anniversaries, engagements, career promotions, impromptu girls night out and one over-the-top milestone birthday party in the downstairs Sub-twine space where the birthday twins brought in their own house-soul-funk music to propel the private party into the wee hours. The partners and staff at Entwine pride themselves on their ability to create events that are as special as the reason for your celebration.

So the next time you are in the neighborhood, or looking to do something just a little bit special, join us at Entwine. We’d love to see you.