Saturday, September 25, 2010

SAT 9/25: Art, Jazz, Fluff, Music, Horror


There's a lot going on. Personally, I'm fond of the Jazz Fest and the Fluff Fest.

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SAT 9/25

Various Times
Smithsonian Magazine Museum Day
at many Museums around MA and the country
FREE w/ Registration

It's not too late to go to a museum for free today.

It's an easy process to basically enter your name, address, and email -- then you print an "admission card" for you and a guest.

You'll probably get on museum mailing lists, but it hasn't been too bad since I registered last year...

Local participating museums include: Museum of Fine Arts, Museum of Science, JFK Presidential Library, Harvard Museums, Mary Baker Eddy Library, Nichols House Museum, Boston Children's Museum, New England Wild Flower Society's Garden in the Woods (Framingham), Salem Witch Museum, and more.

Card must be presented for free general admission only. Does not include entry to special exhibits or IMAX screenings.

SAT 9/25

10am to 6pm
Massachusetts Independent Comics Expo
at Art Institute of Boston, 700 Beacon St, Boston (Kenmore Sq)
FREE

Comic books aren't just comic books anymore. They're thoughtful stories and serious drawing. And they're not so thoughtful and serious...

All sorts of independent comics, graphic novels, 'zines, etc are being created in the Bay State and many of them will be displaying their work as well as several panels that could appeal to the diehards and simply curious lake.

SAT 9/25 & SUN 9/26

11am to 6pm
Annual Jamaica Plain Open Studios
all around Jamaica Plain [Pamphlet/Map]
FREE

11am to 6pm
South End Open Studios
at Various Locations, many around 450 Harrison Ave, Boston (South End)
FREE

11am to 5pm
Lowell Open Studios
at Various Locations, most around Historic Downtown, Lowell
FREE

It's "Open Studio" season again. There's a lot of art out there. If you'd like to meet the artists while checking out their stuff instead going to a museum, people are opening their doors -- North, South, and a bit Souther than that.

SAT 9/25

Noon to 6pm
Beantown Jazz Festival
on (about 580) Columbus Ave [PDF Map], between Mass Ave and Carter Playground, Boston (South End)
FREE

You could just enjoy a casual stroll at any point in the 6 hours, but *IF* you're going to see only one band, I suggest the Wild Magnolias from New Orleans (4:45pm --Target Family Park Stage). This is more than a band -- it's a slice of the Crescent City coming to our town for an hour.

Some of my other highlights:

1:15pm -- Andy Milne & Dapp Theory (Target Stage)
2:15pm -- Greg Osby w/ guest Mark Turner (Berklee Stage)
3:30pm -- Nona Hendryx (Target Stage)
5pm -- Al Kooper & the Funky Faculty (BeanTown Stage)
There's a little bit of straight-up jazz, hip-hop fusion, soul-rock, and Al friggin' Kooper probably whipping up something up-tempo and fun.

SAT 9/25

3pm to 7pm
"What the Fluff?" Festival
at Union Sq Plaza, Somerville (nexus of Somerville Ave, Washington St, Bow St)
FREE

Feat: Booty Vortex, Hot Molasses, Kieran Ridge Band, Thru the Keyhole Burlesque (as Flufferettes)

It's the fifth annual afternoon of food, fun, and music in celebration of the weird, white edible goo invented in Somerville.

Fluff Fest might be more fun if you like eating the stuff, but I do enjoy looking at the silly Fluff combinations and the Fluff-related fun. Besides the live music and the old-school Flufferettes, I enjoy everyone else having a good time -- and I can drink at The Indo and still feel I'm in the middle of the fun.

This year's "guest of honor" may be the Whoopie Pie.

SAT 9/25

4:30pm
Spider John Koerner & the Rag Tag Trio
at Plough & Stars, 912 Mass. Ave, Cambridge (Central Sq)
FREE-ish / Maybe $5 / 21+

I missed Spider John's gig at Sally O'Brien's earlier this week, but you have another chance to see a folk-blues legend who's been around so long that he was a contemporary of Bob Dylan on the '60s folk club scene. Dylan even mentions being impressed in his memoir "Chronicles, Vol. 1". (Have we seen Volume 2 yet?) The Rag Tag Trio might look something like this -- with a harmonica player.

Apparently Koerner used to be a regular play at the Plough back in the '70s. I wonder if he likes the new set-up...

SAT 9/25

8pm
"The Why": Boston Premiere
Feat: Walter Sickert & the Army of Broken Toys
at Cafe 939, 939 Boylston St, Boston (Back Bay)
$10

When there was a show to raise funds to complete "The Why", I watched some of the available footage had thought it was a decent Bergman-esque examination of life, death, love, and drugs that successfully transferred the characters' disorientation to the viewer.

Supposedly it has gone on to win prizes at the Manhattan Film Festival, Heart of England Film Festival, International Film Festival Ireland, and others (am taking their word on these accolades).

Before the Boston premiere of the finished film, Walter Sickert & the Army of Broken Toys (one of the soundtrack contributors) will play a set of their theatrical, splendidly weird rock-art hodgepodge. They're going to start at 8pm, and you shouldn't miss any of their performance.

[Facebook]

SAT 9/25

9:30pm
Midatlantic, Endless Wave, The Crushing Low
at Great Scott, 1222 Comm Ave, Allston
$10 / 21+

It seems like Midatlantic hasn't been around much lately. It turns out they've been working on a new CD of their big, anthemic rock that can also be reflective. Endless Wave get shoegazey in all sorts of good ways. The Crushing Low rock out somewhere in the middle with a fuzzy, ringing rock goodness.

If you don't go tonight, Midatlantic is playing a daytime (1pm) gig at Precinct tomorrow ($5). Day-drinking!

SAT 9/25

9:30pm
Exploit Boston! Presents Midriff Records Showcase
at Precinct, 70 Union Sq, Somerville (Union Sq)
$10

Feat: Louder My Dear, Eldridge Rodriguez, Ian Adams, Greg Lyon

If you didn't know, I'm not a fan of Facebook. I'm not a fan of MySpace either, but I like how they give me a good band snapshot -- until the music player won't work for me. MySpace crapped out on me, so I had to listen to Louder My Dear on Facebook.

It was good, but that's not a surprise from the team at Exploit Boston who is presenting some of the very good stuff at local label Midriff Records started by Eldridge Rodriguez and his band The Beatings. Get ready to be impressed with a good variety of flavor and volume.

Wear your Fluff Festival shirt for a $5 admission.

SAT 9/25

10pm
Spookadelica
at Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Square, Somerville
$10 advance / $12 door / 21+

I really can't say what's going on at this show, but it will be a horror spectacle of a multi-media fright fest as part of the Terrorthon that's showing movies through SAT 10/2. It will be wild, it will be provocative, and hundreds will be there. Oh, yeah -- and burlesque dancers too from Black Cat Burlesque and Babes in Boinkland.

They say it's not for the faint of heart, and I'm inclined to believe them...

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