MON 2/15: Jazz, Moustache, Rock for Haiti

I hope everyone maximiized their Presidents Day Sunday night. I stayed up late and slept in. Everything else is classified information... Woo-hoo.

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MON 2/15

7pm
Claire Dickson 13th Birthday Concert
at Lily Pad, 1353 Cambridge St, Cambridge (Inman Sq)
$10 / $5 under 12

I don't remember what I did when I turned 13 besides my mom baking a cake. Of course, I couldn't sing like a miniature Ella Fitzgerald. She's definitely Dickson's biggest influence, and Claire brings her own take to it. Fans of vocal jazz w/ a piano trio should dig it and get an extra kick out of the likely youngish crowd.

MON 2/15

7:30pm
Moustache-a-thon Opening Event
at 826 Boston, 3035 Washington St, Roxbury (Egleston Sq)
FREE

Maybe you've been thinking about growing a moustache (or maybe you went to a moustache party on Saturday). Tonight's a fine time to start along with about 50 other literary-minded do-gooders to support 826 Boston, a non-profit that offers tutoring for young people to encourage and improve their writing.

It's much cooler than the Jog-athons of yore. Those who don't naturally grow moustaches can participate. (I won't assume that these are women...)

All of the official rules & information will be provided tonight, but you can register ahead of time. There will be music and humor (Rob Crean, Ronald Reagan, Cycle Vision) to further convince you to decorate your upper lip. More fun occurs regularly over the next 6 weeks.

MON 2/15

8pm
A Benefit for the Victims of the Haiti Earthquake
at Middle East - Downstairs, 480 Mass Ave, Cambridge (Central Sq)
$10 minimum donation / 18+

Feat: Big Bear, Ketman, Chris Brokaw, Monique Ortiz, Art Decade, The Dirty Dishes

It's a shame that last month's disaster hit Haiti, but the ongoing support is heartening. Kickass shows like this keep happening for us to help by listening to great music. Even if you're tired of fundraisers, you get to rock out to loud/noisy bands like Big Bear and Ketman, intense solo performances from Chris Brokaw and Monique Ortiz, and catchy indie-rock from Art Decade and The Dirty Dishes

Proceeds to benefit the Red Cross. There's also another -- heavier -- benefit show tomorrow night.

SUN 2/14: Sunday Night Off-Topic Video(s)

For Valentines Day, I'll get a little mushy and show young geeks in love at their wedding -- soundtrack provided by our buddies, The Motion Sick.



I'm still feeling romantic, so let's watch The Eels examine the love of a man, woman (the beautiful Padma Lakshmi!), and a dog...



It also happens to be Chinese New Year, and I found a clip that melds love with the Year of the Tiger...

SUN 2/14: Art, Haiti, Poetry, Punk, Rock

Happy Chinese New Year everybody! “Gong hey fat choy!”

If you still need some last-minute Valentines Day ideas, you take a look below...

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SUN 2/14

2:30pm to 5:30pm
Dr. Sketchy's Anti-Art School Cabaret: Life Drawing Class
at Great Scott, 1222 Comm Ave, Allston
$8 / 18+

There are few times when hanging out at a bar is considered creative or artistic -- napkin origami isn't that special... At Dr Sketchy's, drawing and drinking are combined at whatever ratio you desire as the usually wild models put provocative twist on traditional posing. 

No one is going to criticize your drawing, so don't worry about your skills. You gotta start some time, and you're not going to find a cheaper life-drawing class... with a bar... and no teacher...

A couple of tips: Come on time to get a seat up front. Keep it small so others can crowd in around you. Bring your stuff in a milk crate so you have something to sit on or put your stuff on. (we have lots of seats, but more is helpful) There will be some fancy paper for you to buy if you want.

Just go, get arty, have fun. You'll have some drawings to remember what you did...

Model: "Our very own Anti-Valentine Miss Jaclyn Friedman" who likely discuss love and read erotica while posing.

SUN 2/14

7pm to 1am
Hearts for Haiti
at River Gods, 125 River St, Cambridge (near Central Sq)
$5 Suggested donation / 21+

Listen to good tunes, eat Haitian food, buy raffle tickets to excellent prizes, and help others.

On the Facebook page, they show an impressive list of prizes: tickets to Elvis Costello, Flogging Molly, House of Blues Gospel Brunch, a Stella Artois picnic basket, some Haitian items and other cool stuff. The place ain’t that big, so you’ll probably win if you stay long enough...

All proceeds go to Partners In Health.

SUN 2/14

8pm
13th Anniversary Poetry Jam
at Lizard Lounge/Cambridge Common, 1667 Mass Ave, Cambridge (between Harvard Sq & Porter Sq)
$5 / 21+

Seems like we have an amazing pool of slam/poets. Even when things get a little too artsy-fartsy, it goes down easier with with a swinging jazz trio improvising in the background. The Jeff Robinson Trio has been doing it weekly for 13 years, so a lot of talented musicians (Phil Neighbors, John Frazee, Todd Brunel, Larry Roland, Mwalim, Keith Foley, Steve Chagariss, Regie Gibson, Joe Stewart, Rob Rivera) are celebrating with them.

That could be enough for a quality night, then you also have a top-notch group of spoken-word artists: Joyce Cunha, Iyeoka Okoawo, Marlon Carey, Regie Gibson, J*me, Christopher Johnson, Richard Cambridge, Mwalim, Delisile, Ryk McIntyre, Vernon "VCR" Robinson, Trish Ginese, Nicole "Cole" Rodriguez, Margot Malia and more

There will be a tribute to the great Brother Blue to commemorate his passing.

The slam starts at 8pm; the jam starts at 9:30pm.

SUN 2/14

8pm
The Welch Boys, The Blue Bloods, Refuse Resist, Ashers, The Murder, Full Powered Halo
at Great Scott, 1222 Comm Ave, Allston
$10 / 18+

Don’t whine about it being a Sunday night; you probably have Monday off. Get in the thick of it, and flail around to some of the best Boston hardcore punk. I read that Steve Risteen from Slapshot is joining Refuse Resist.

Ron Holbrook was the original drummer for The Welch Boys, and he passed away in '07. The proceeds will benefit his widow and two daughters.

SUN 2/14

9pm
Treat Her Right
at Toad, 1912 Mass Ave, Cambridge (Porter Sq)
FREE

Jim Fitting and David Champagne, along with the great Mark Sandman, had a rocking outfit about 20 years ago called Treat Her Right. Billy Conway was the drummer, but he lives in Montana these days. They had a bluesy flair and solid songwriting.

Why not revive the old tunes after the Sandman tribute concert in September? Tim Gearan, Billy Beard, and Steve Mayone will fill out the band for an evening of great fun.

SUN 2/14

9pm
The Arkanes, The New Frustrations, Forest Henderson
at Church, 69 Kilmarnock St, Boston (Fenway)
$5 / 21+

A young rock band from Liverpool is playing their first US gig in Boston. Will they make it big? Maybe; they seem to be off to a good start. It’s straight-up modern rock that Oasis/Vines fans will dig. They’re in good rockin’ company with the tasty mod/garage styings of The New Frustrations and the straightforward of Forest Henderson.

SAT 2/13: Beards, Pop, Punk, Rock, Videos

If you're still looking for a V-Day gift -- or a gift of any king, I saw on Yelp that there was a local artist market at The Burren this afternoon.

For a couple extra bucks, this is a great (Mardi Gras) show at TT's.

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SAT 2/13

3pm to 6pm
"Get Your Beard On": Beard & Moustache Contest
at Precinct, 70 Union Sq, Somerville (Union Sq)
FREE

Did you grow facial hair for the winter? Maybe you can win a prize in one of these categories:

- natural full beard
- free-style full beard
- free-style moustache
- free-style partial beard
- fake beard

It may be too late enter/register, but I can't imagine they would deny your wonderful whiskers.

If you're fond of facial hair, amused by it, or simply are looking for a day-drinking excuse; all are welcome to hang out and admire beards.

The master of ceremonies will be Somerville celeb and bon-vivant Jimmy DelPonte -- this guy is hilarious. DJ Pace will no doubt spin the hairiest tunes in his bag of tricks.

SAT 2/13

8pm
Tiger Saw, St. Claire, Elizabeth Butters, Carly Sings
at Arts at The Armory Cafe, 191 Highland Ave, Somerville (Spring Hill)
$7 / 21+

And puppet show!

Tiger Saw is a regularly changing collective that revolves around songwriter Dylan Metrano; whatever they do, I always cock my head and listen when hear that forlorn voice tell peculiar stories on top of folky chamber-pop. Tonight should also include some of their puppet show based on Metrano's "part travelogue, part studio diary, and part oral history".

In a fantastic night of acoustic music, they're joined by the smokey, folky St Claire; the delightful, old-time jump back about a century with Elizabeth Butters; and the Irish-French chanteuse that really is a special treat for us Americans (a 4-star review in Rolling Stone/France)

SAT 2/13 (& SUN 2/14)

8pm
The Welch Boys, Drago, Dead Friends, Beantown Boozehounds, Burning Streets, The Snipes
at Great Scott, 1222 Comm Ave, Allston
$10 / 21+

Sunday:
The Welch Boys, The Blue Bloods, Refuse Resist, Ashers, The Murder, Full Powered Halo

On either night you'll see a shitload of great Boston punk. Ron Holbrook was the original drummer for The Welch Boys, and he passed away in '07. The proceeds will benefit his widow and two daughters.

SAT 2/13

9pm
Jeddo Stars, Tijuana Sweetheart, Tired Old Bones, The Furiousity
at The Baseball Tavern, 1270 Boylston St, Boston (Fenway)
$7 / 21+

For a rocking night with full-on grrrl-power, this is a winner. The nasty, hard-rocking punk of Tijuana Sweetheart (who is the new mutation of Vagiant -- who should get some credit for their song "Fuck the Kells") and the sloppy, sassy Furiousity are flanked by the poppy indie-rock of Jeddo Stars and the heavy swing of Tired Old Bones.

Yes, go downstairs for rock -- or to the roof for the view.

SAT 2/13

10pm
Viva Viva Valentines Prom w/ Full Fang, DJ Claw
at Middle East - Upstairs, 472 Mass Ave, Cambridge (Central Sq)
$10 / 18+

Dave of Viva Viva says, "We want people to come dressed in prom attire, its gonna be really cool, I think!" Formal-ish dress is encourage, but not required. Perhaps you and your date are already getting dressed up tonight, yet you want to remind yourselves that you will always want to rock out like you really wanted to at your prom.

We didn't have a band at my prom, that would've made memorable for something other than my date jumping out of the car before it stopped moving… It would've been a pretty twisted high-school experience with the creaky, creepy rock of Viva Viva that reminds me of The Dandy Warhols today.

Full Fang is a new band filled with dudes that have played in many cool bands like Frank Smith, Mittens, Thalia Zedek Band, and Fuzzy. While I couldn't find any worthwhile link, an earlier name was Underbite (another 'tooth-related' handle). I think all of these guys have played with Hilken Mancini at some point, so I can only assume this is some king of JP all-star band. It's a prom so there will be a DJ, of course.

SAT 2/13

Midnight
The Action Pack presents:
"Total Eclipse Of The Heart: 80s Love Song Sing-Along"
at Coolidge Corner Theatre, 290 Harvard St, Brookline
$10

The cheesy, kitschy, ironic way to celebrate love or wallow en masse for your broken heart. You'll probably feel better either with a few laughs.

Cheap Valentine Ideas

I think people should celebrate their love throughout the year, and Valentines Day is an artificial and total BS. However, you might get some action with minimal effort... Good luck!

(Most of these ideas are from my old post, but...)

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* Write a note of adoration in 25 words or less. Brevity is forceful, there's less opportunity to screw it up. Make it a haiku for poetic flair. Use some creative paper -- creative doesn't have to be fancy...

* Get some help from the pros and find a love poem for your situation. There images with romantic quotes, or you could send a Flash poem (various categories including "anti-Valentines") that can be personalized.

* Just look into their eyes, and say something heartfelt.

* Get a jug of wine and incense; call it "60s free love night".

* A good shag is nice any time of year.

* Rent a movie and make up a sexy game -- like "Inglorious Basterds": kiss/strip/naughty-act whenever they kill a Nazi...

* Have an indoor picnic of any kind. Even if you get fancy stuff, it'll probably be cheaper and no reservation is required.

* When was the last time you gave them a massage?

* If you're going to give a present, consider supporting an independent store of any kind (some hints).

* I like making a mix CD.

* Wherever you are, someone sent links to playlists that can be played on your smartphone or the web at Slacker Radio (you're loved one doesn't need to know the name): "Love Songs", "Rock Ballads", "Country Love", "Broken Heart", "Metropolitan Mood".

* Digital valentine candy is fun, low calorie, sustainable, and cheap: