Cancelled? I hope not.
So what if Boston has declared a snow emergency... It's Friday! Have fun -- weather be damned as long as you have a flask to keep you warm!
Oh, okay. Call ahead or check websites to make sure things are still happening... Heck everything may be cancelled by now. Be safe and warm.
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FRI 2/22
* Boone, Topheavy, Doom Buggies, Dave Clark Band, The Buckners
* Lester Brown, "Plan B 3.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization": Discussion
* Thunderdome XI
* Annual Bugs Bunny Film Festival -- and SAT 2/23
* Darkbuster's 3rd Annual Hometown Throwup -- thru SUN 2/24
SAT 2/23
* Silent Dance Experiment
* Wings Over Cambridge, The Lowest of Lowe, Clock Strikes Ten
* The Everyday Visuals, The Sterns, Thick As Thieves
* Indoor Flea Market
* "Renewal" -- and SUN 2/24
* Boston Globe Travel Show -- and SUN 2/24
* Sarah Borges And The Broken Singles, Jimmy Ryan
SUN 2/24
* Rock-n-Romp, Bon Savants, Wonderful Spells, Neal Pollack, "Alternadad"
* Hallelujah the Hills, Titus Andronicus, Amoroso
* Oscar Night
MON 2/25
* "The Devil Came on Horseback": Free Screening
* Media and Politics: A Ready to Vote Event
* Main Fader, Rachel Mcadamz, La Zen Bee, OH-DEE, One-Man Peyote
TUES 2/26
* Open Mic & Elizabeth Butters
* French Kicks, Bon Savants, Harris
* Anderson Comedy Troupe, "Swayze-oke"
* Session Americana/Session Britannica
* Scott Ritter, "The Case for Peace with Iran"
WED 2/27
* The Motion Sick, Bryan McPherson, Jason Bennet & The Resistance
* Pandora Get-together
THUR 2/28
* Fred Wesley and Berklee's Music of James Brown Ensemble
* Ann Fessler: "The Girls Who Went Away"
* "Tongue, Smell, Color"
FRI 2/29
* Ben Karlin, "Things I've Learned from Women Who've Dumped Me"
* Union Square Round Table
* The Figgs -- and SAT 3/1
SAT 3/1
* 2nd Annual Bacon Eating Contest
* Greg Klyma, Ryan Fitzsimmons
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8pm
Boone, Topheavy, Doom Buggies, Dave Clark Band, The Buckners
at O'Brien’s, 3 Harvard St, Allston
$7 / 21+
I've been told this show has been cancelled.
FRI 2/22
7:30pm
Lester Brown, "Plan B 3.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization"
at First Parish Church, 3 Church St, Cambridge (Harvard Sq)
FREE
Lester Brown of the Earth Policy Institute has been a leading thinker on environventalism/sustainability and the economy for decades. This place will be full.
FRI 2/22
10pm
Thunderdome XI
at Greek American Political Club, 1st floor, 288 Green St, Cambridge (Central Sq)
$8
It's a giant, sweaty dance party. I would go to this if I didn't have plans. I feel way better bumping to great tracks surrounded by indie/hipster kids than go somewhere with a dress code and attitude. People who want to dance but don't like dance clubs should feel welcome here. I heard the guy that organizes Thunderdome is moving, so this could be you chance.
Local DJs Mistaker, DJ Die Young, David Day are joined a crew from Brooklyn: TROUBLE & BASS, Passions, Star Eyes, The Captain. Cool lighting presented by BLOODSUGAR.
FRI 2/22 and SAT 2/23
Various Times
13th Annual Bugs Bunny Film Festival
at Brattle Theatre, 40 Brattle St, Cambridge (Harvard Sq)
$9.50
It's the Looney Tunes Revue (a combo of All Bugs Revue & Looney Centennials) on both days. An encore program screens on MON 2/25.
FRI 2/22 thru SUN 2/24
9pm (last show at 1pm)
Darkbuster's 3rd Annual Hometown Throwup
at Harpers Ferry, 158 Brighton Avenue, Allston
$10 / 18+ (last show: All Ages)
The last 3 shows...
FRI 2/22
with Mark Lind & The Unloved, The Rum Fits, S4G
SAT 2/23
with: Hub City Stompers, The Allstonians, Band Of Felons
SUN 2/24
with Stigma, Death & Taxes, Reason Enough
All Ages -- 2pm
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SAT 2/23
12:50pm
Silent Dance Experiment
at Faneuil Hall, in front of the Sam Adams Statue, Boston
FREE
These random, public 'interactive performances' seem to be sweeping Boston. If you have an mp3 player, you might want to join in the fun... The special mix mp3 file is available, but you're not supposed to listen to it until you get there...
SAT 2/23
Wings Over Cambridge (9pm), The Lowest of Lowe (10pm), Clock Strikes Ten (11:30pm)
at Lizard Lounge/Cambridge Common, 1667 Mass Ave, Cambridge (between Harvard Sq & Porter Sq)
$8 / 21+
Okay, I basically know what's going on. It's a 30-year celebration/re-release of Nick Lowe's classic album, "Jesus of Cool". It was re-titled "Pure Pop for Now People" in the US, because they didn't think people could handle the use of 'Jesus' on a rock album. (Thank you, Stryper, for fixing that...) Nick Lowe is one of my all-time faves and is somewhat responsible (as a performer/songwriter/producer) for much of what I often call power-pop.
Various tribute shows are going on around the country this weekend. The Lowest of the Lowe will likely be some form of The Gentlemen's rhythm section who'll be joined by some of the best locals to sing one or two Nick Lowe songs. (Expect to see singers from The Rudds, The Pills, The Dirty Truckers, The Click 5, Merrie Amsterburg, Phil Aiken, and more.)
Other special treats are 3/4 of The Pills doing of set of Paul McCartney & Wings; there couldn't be a better match in my mind! The Rudds sound like they are big fans of Cheap Trick and will pay tribute on the other side of Lowe.
SAT 2/23
The Everyday Visuals (11:30pm), The Sterns (10:30pm), Thick As Thieves (9:30pm)
at TT the Bear's Place, 10 Brookline St, Cambridge (Central Sq)
$10
SAT 2/23
10am to 3pm
Huge Indoor Flea Market
at Smith Center Auditorium, 20 Chestnut Hill Ave, Brighton
FREE Admission
Who knows what people have donated to benefit the Brighton-Allston Heritage Museum...
SAT 2/23 and SUN 2/24
10am to 6pm (5pm on SUN)
Boston Globe Travel Show
at Seaport World Trade Center, 1 Seaport Lane, Boston
$10
Had I been on top of this, I could have told you how to get free advance tix, but I thought they'd still be available today and tomorrow... A great resource for travel/vacation info without contacting a travel agent...
SAT 2/23 and SUN 2/24 (and more)
1:45pm (3:50pm on SUN)
"Renewal"
at Museum of Fine Arts, 465 Huntington Ave, Boston (The Fens)
$9 / $8 seniors & students
I always thought environmentalism should be promoted by religious groups, and I guess it's starting to happen. This documentary looks at issue across America and through various belief systems. If co-director Martin Ostrow is there, ask him about his film on the bouncing ball of sing-a-longs. My friend, Lily, wrote about this in her blog.
SAT 2/23
8pm
Sarah Borges And The Broken Singles, Jimmy Ryan
at The Center for Arts in Natick, 14 Summer St, Natick
$16 / $15 students & seniors
Not *cheap*, but I got to ask Sarah a few questions recently.
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SUN 2/24
3:30pm
Rock-n-Romp
Feat: Bon Savants, Wonderful Spells, Neal Pollack reads "Alternadad"
at Great Scott, 1222 Commonwealth Avenue, Allston
$8 advance / $10 door / FREE under 13
There's no reason for kids to listen to Raffi or Jumping Monkey Band or whatever crap is sold to the youngsters of America. Give a young person some Ramones, and they will be happier, more interesting people! This is a new (to Boston) organization that offers a place for young people to hear some real rock with their parents also digging it. Bon Savants and Wonderful Spells are excellent bands. Neal Pollack will read from his book, "Alternadad," which should resonate with the older folks. The guy who wrote children's book "Punk Farm" will also be there.
Children must be accompanied by an adult and adults must be accompanied by a child. If you have kids, and you want to expose them to rock... If you owe your sibling one, you could get the kids out of the house for a few hours... If you like MILFs, and you have access to a kid...
"Each ticket is good for admission for one adult and one child under 13." (I don't know what happens with multiple kids.)
SUN 2/24
9:30pm
Hallelujah The Hills, Amoroso, Titus Andronicus
at Milky Way Lounge, 403 Centre St, Jamaica Plain
FREE / Donation Suggested
Hallelujah The Hills is kicking off their tour with a free show, but you could kick in a buck or two. (The free part is a Sunday experiment at Milky Way.) Maybe they'll be too big to play the Milky Way when they return... Or not. Amoroso does some heavy, experimental rock. I thought Titus Andronicus would sound pretentious, but I really like their straight-forward rawk!
SUN 2/24
Or you could watch the Oscars.
I think Daniel Day-Lewis will win, and "No Country..." gets best picture.
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MON 2/25
6pm
"The Devil Came on Horseback": Screening & Discussion
at Wiener Auditorium, Taubman Building, 79 JFK St, Cambridge (Kennedy School of Govt)
FREE
MON 2/25
6:30pm to 8pm
"Media and Politics": A Ready to Vote Event
at Tsai Performance Center, 685 Comm Ave, Boston (BU campus)
FREE
The panel includes Jonathan Alter (Newsweek, CNN, etc), Tom Ashbrook ("On Point", WBUR), David S. Bernstein (Boston Phoenix), Renee Loth (Boston Globe) and other national journalists.
How does a newspaper choose a candidate to endorse? How have 24-hour news networks, blogs and the internet changed campaigning? How do sexism, racism, religion and ageism factor in the electing of a candidate? How does the media influence the American voter and a candidate's campaign? Explore these question, bring your curiosity and directly engage a panel of distinguished experts from various fields of media. Learn about the issues that concern you in the upcoming presidential election.
The flyer as
PDF file.
MON 2/25
10pm to 1am
Main Fader,
Rachel Mcadamz,
La Zen Bee,
OH-DEE,
Truman Peyoteat
All Asia Cafe, 334 Massachusetts Ave. , Cambridge
$5 / 18+
Plenty of live electronica that spans ambient/folky stuff to house/crunk. I feel so strange using 'crunk' in a sentence... Hey, I love the name "Truman Peyote".
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TUES 2/26
7pm
Open Mic &
Elizabeth Buttersat
Club Passim, 47 Palmer St, Cambridge (Harvard Sq)
$5
TUES 2/26
10pm
Anderson Comedy Troupe: "Swayze-oke"
at
Middle East - Corner, 480 Mass Ave, Cambridge (Central Sq)
FREE
TUES 2/26
8:30pm
French Kicks,
Bon Savants,
Harris,
Aloudat
Harpers Ferry, 158 Brighton Avenue, Allston
FREE w/ RSVP / 21+
My friends at
Going.com have topped themselves. They had a free Bang Camaro show a month (or so) ago, but I actually like French Kicks -- and other people around the country like them too! Bon Savants and Harris are cool bands, so I should be there! Be there too. It's really not a big deal to register on Going if you haven't already, and you get as much email as you want.
RSVP here.
TUES 2/26
9pm
Session Americana/Session Britannica
at
Lizard Lounge/Cambridge Common, 1667 Mass Ave, Cambridge (between Harvard Sq & Porter Sq)
$6
advance / $8 door
I don't know why there's so much good, cheap music this Tuesday, but there is. Local princes of roots-music Session Americana are doing a special show with friends like Bill Janovitz (Buffalo Tom), John Powhida (The Rudds), and more to join them on songs from the other side of the pond.
TUES 2/26
7:30 PM - 9:00 PM
Scott Ritter, "
The Case for Peace with Iran"
at
West Newton Cinema, 1295 Washington St. Newton
Suggested donation: $10
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WED 2/27
The Motion Sick (11pm),
Bryan McPherson (10pm),
Jason Bennett & The Resistance (9pm)
at
Church, 69 Kilmarnock St, Boston (Fenway)
FREE / 21+
WED 2/27
7:00pm
Pandora Get-together
at
Morse Auditorium, 602 Comm Ave Boston (BU campus)
FREE w/ RSVP
Pandora is a fascinating type of Internet radio that you help to program by indicating why you didn't like a song they chose for you. They call it the Music Genome Project. You can learn more about it.
RSVP (with number of guests) at: tour@pandora.com
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THUR 2/28
8:15 p.m
Fred Wesley and
Berklee's Music of James Brown Ensembleat
Berklee Performance Center, 136 Mass Ave, Boston (Back Bay)
$10 / $5 students & seniors
The music of James Brown may one day save the world when funk-loving aliens spare us thanks to the bottomless grooves of Soul Brother #1. Fred Wesley was the badass trombomist and one of the pillars of the James Brown bands. Don't forget he also played with Parliament/Funkadelic/etc. The Godfather of Soul won't be there, but his spirit will be felt in every booty in motion.
THUR 2/28
6pm to 9pm
Brenda Dixon Gottschild and Helmut Gottschild, "
Tongue, Smell, Color"
at
Broad Institute Auditorium, 7 Cambridge Center, Cambridge (Kendall Sq)
FREE
THUR 2/28
7pm
Ann Fessler, "Along the Pale Blue River":
Screening & Discussionat Paresky Conference Center,
Main College Bldg, 300 The Fenway, Boston (Simmons College)
FREE
Ann Fessler is chair of the photography at RISD and the author of "
The Girls Who Went Away: The Hidden History of Women Who Surrendered Children for Adoption in the Decades Before Roe v. Wade". (A rather wordy yet descriptive title...) She will screen her short film that tells the story of a young mother who gives up her child, and that child seeking out the mother. I rarely post events at Simmons, and this should interest some. "A reception will follow" = free food and drink!
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FRI 2/29
6 pm
Ben Karlin, "
Things I've Learned from Women Who've Dumped Me"
at
Brattle Theatre, 40 Brattle St, Cambridge (Harvard Sq)
$5 (tix available at Harvard Book Store or 617-661-1515)
Ben Karlin used to work on "The Daily Show" & "The Colbert Report" and has compiled stories of getting dumped written by the likes of Andy Richter, Stephen Colbert, Dan Savage, Nick Hornby, Patton Oswalt, and so on.
Submit a story (fact or fiction) of lessons learned from getting dumped, being rejected, having a broken heart, or any other (likely embarrassing) tale of woe in the world of love -- and you might win a copy of the book and a $25 Harvard Book Store gift certificate. Deadline: midnight, 2/27.
FRI 2/29
9pm
Union Square Round Tableat
PA's Lounge, 345 Somerville Ave, Somerville (Union Sq)
$8 -- 21+ / $11 -- 18+
FRI 2/29 and SAT 3/1
9pm
The Figgs,
Watts (FRI),
The Rudds (SAT)
at
Church, 69 Kilmarnock St, Boston (Fenway)
$10 / 21+
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SAT 3/1
Noon
2nd Annual Bacon Eating Contest
at
Atwood's Tavern, 877 Cambridge St , Cambridge
FREE
Supposedly you can register at the website, but you might have to go in or send them an email. If you compete, I might cheer you on.
SAT 3/1
8pm
Greg Klyma,
Ryan Fitzsimmonsat
Loring-Greenough House, 12 South St, Jamaica Plain
$10 advance / $12.50 door
Two excellent artists at an amazing place for concerts. Reserve a spot by emailing Jeff at least 24 hours in advance, and please show up if you do! Get the info
here.
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Favorite
Animated GIF of the Week.
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Book Sale of the Week:
McIntyre and Moore Booksellers Moving Sale
30% Off thru WED 3/5
40% Off thru WED 3/12
50% Off thru WED 3/19
Sadly my favorite Davis Sq late-night bookstore is closing and will eventually open in a smaller space near Porter Sq. You can help lighten their move.
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Link of the Week:
People have mixed feelings about these "
Restaurant Weeks"; I do as well, but I've had some wonderful meals at places I wouldn't normally go. It's coming up again...
I heard about this on the radio, and I guess I was inspired to share by the Fessler event above. Anyone can call and just talk to someone about an abortion experience. (Y'know... If you want to talk to someone...) --
866-4 EXHALE* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Quote of the Week:
"If a man would register all his opinions upon love, politics, religion, learning, etc., beginning from his youth and so go on to old age, what a bundle of inconsistencies and contradictions would appear at last!"
-- Jonathan Swift
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th-th-that's all, folks.
~r