Friday, May 02, 2008

Cheap Thrills: FRI 5/2 to FRI 5/9

Free Comic Book Day, 5/3
It's a bare-bones list, but Ma will be spending 'quality time' for about another week.

In fact, my mother likes the Spanish-language soap operas... So she wanted to spend several hours to tell me the whole plot line. It's very interesting with some good twists... Maybe I should have been watching all along, so I wouldn't need the recap...

To those who know me, it also looks like Cheap Thrills Boston HQ will be moving to Somerville in a couple months. Stay tuned...

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FRI 5/2
* The Great Bandini, Cyanide Valentine, Miskatonic, The Hammond Group
* Froy Aagre Quartet
* "Night at the Museum"
* The Music of Bob Marley
* Tom Brosseau, Mieka Pauley
* Augusten Burroughs, "A Wolf at the Table: A Memoir of My Father": Reading
* Classic 3-D films of the '50s -- thru THUR 5/8
* Cambridge Science Festival -- and SUN 5/4

SAT 5/3
* Free Museum Visits for BofA customers
* Nerd Nite w/ Varsity Drag, Conservative Man, In Flight Radio
* Free Comic Book Day
* New England Real Ale Exhibition
* Annual DanceMonth Kickoff Party
* No Age, Neptune, Big Digits, The Big Disappointments
* Somerville Open Studios -- and SUN 5/4

SUN 5/4
* Annual Harvard Mayfair
* Paper Thin Stages, Thunderhole, Mane
* ImprovBoston Bachelor & Bachelorette Auction

MON 5/5
* Thunderhands, Cassavettes, Zero-Four
* Cinco de Mayo

TUES 5/6
* Nicholas Daniloff, "Russia - A New Cold War?": Lecture
* George Johnson, "The Ten Most Beautiful Experiments": Discussion

WED 5/7
* Ben Taylor w/ David Saw, Kim Taylor, Emily Elbert
* "So Wrong for So Long": How the Press, the Pundits -- and the President-- Failed in Iraq

THUR 5/8
* The Motion Sick, Sidewalk Driver, Semi-Precious Weapons, Vivian Darkbloom
* Bread & Roses, Yoni Gordon & the Goods, George Lewis Jr, Where the Land Meets the Sea
* Steve Smith, The Diggs
* Marcus du Sautoy, "The Music of the Primes": Lecture

FRI 5/9
* Eugene Robinson, Duncan Wilder Johnson, Harney/Gittens
* The Wyos, Miss Tess, Josh Lederman & The CSARs
* Drug Rug, Carter Tanton, The Tony the Bookie Orchestra, Marc Pinansky, George Lewis Jr, Chris Warren

SAT 5/10
* Rock N Roll Dance Party w/ The Incredible Casuals

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FRI 5/2

The Great Bandini (11:45pm), Cyanide Valentine (10:45pm), Miskatonic (9:45pm), The Hammond Group (9pm)
at Abbey Lounge, 3 Beacon St, Somerville (Inman Sq)
$8

I wonder if the Rock 'n Roll Rumble is fixed... The Great Bandini scheduled a gig at the Abbey while the eventual champs, Girls Guns & Glory, were already booked on the same night downstairs at The Middle East (for $12). Almost champ-rock from The Great Bandini, and other good stuff.

FRI 5/2

10pm
Froy Aagre Quartet
at Lily Pad, 1353 Cambridge St, Cambridge (Inman Sq)
$10

Norwegian jazz.

FRI 5/2

5pm to 8pm
Night at the Museum
at Harvard Museum of Natural History, 24 Oxford St, Cambridge (Harvard campus)
FREE

"A Special Evening of Exploration and Fun"
Dudes -- they have "Glass Sea Creatures" on exhibit from the guys who made the "Glass Flowers". I'm serious; that's a good thing...

FRI 5/2

7:30pm
The Music of Bob Marley
at David Friend Recital Hall, 921 Boylston St, Boston (Berklee / Back Bay)
FREE

Do I really need to say anything?

FRI 5/2

7:30pm
Tom Brosseau, Mieka Pauley
at Semel Theatre, 10 Boylston Pl, Boston (Emerson College)
FREE

Really. Top folk free.

FRI 5/2

6pm
Augusten Burroughs, "A Wolf at the Table: A Memoir of My Father": Reading
at Rabb Lecture Hall, Boston Public Library, 700 Boylston St, Boston (Copley Sq)
FREE

In case you're a fan and didn't know...

FRI 5/2 thru THUR 5/8

Various Times
Classic 3-D films of the '50s
at Coolidge Corner Theatre, 290 Harvard St, Brookline
$9

These are "newly restored, 35mm prints featuring polarized 3-D. This process requires two film prints to be projected side-by-side onto a silver screen, a complex set-up that is significantly different that the 'red and blue' anaglyph system, allowing for a much clearer 3-D effect, more colorful films, and the effect is seen wearing clear 3-D glasses that won't cause eye-crossing headaches."

Except for "Creature From The Black Lagoon" & "It Came From Outer Space" that are running as a double-feature.

FRI 5/2 -- 7:30pm, 9:45pm
TUES 5/6 -- 4:30pm, 7pm, 9:45pm
"House Of Wax" (w/ Bugs Bunny in "Lumberjack Rabbit")

SAT 5/3 -- Noon, 2:30pm, 5pm, 7:30pm, 10pm
WED 5/7 -- 2pm, 4:30pm, 7pm, 9:30pm

"Dial M For Murder" (I forgot Hitchcock made a 3D film.)

SUN 5/4 -- 5:30pm, 8pm
"Kiss Me Kate"

MON 5/5 & THUR 5/8 --

4:15pm, 7:45pm
"Creature From The Black Lagoon"
6pm, 9:30pm
"It Came From Outer Space"

FRI 5/2 to SUN 5/4

Various Times
Cambridge Science Festival
at Various Places
Mostly FREE

It's not just for nerds anymore! Whenever you walk around Cambridge, you're practically tripping over major science & technology advancements. At other spots, you're probably tripping over scientific history -- or a homeless person...

There is still fun science to be had like:

Saturday 5/3

12pm to 4pm
"ThinkSwiss/MIT Museum Climate Change Walking Tour"
Starts at MIT Museum, 265 Mass Ave, Cambridge (Central Sq)
FREE

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SAT 5/3

Noon to 7pm
New England Real Ale Exhibition
at VFW George Dilboy Post, 371 Summer St, Somerville (Davis Sq)
$5

Think about it this way: You can have TEN 10oz beers for $30 ($5 + 10 x $2.50)... I assume you don't have to tip... Just keeping going to the next station...

This year, we are making a special effort to ensure a pleasant, pub-like atmosphere for all sessions.

As in 2007, we will offer about 80 firkins of Real Ale. Half will be U.K. beers from England, Scotland, and Wales; half will be American beers from New England. All the beers are cask-conditioned, served by gravity or hand-pump. As always, there will be new casks tapped every day, with special British beers reserved for Saturday. We encourage you to attend the "off-peak" sessions on Wednesday and Saturday.

This year we trying an experiment this year with a single Saturday afternoon / early evening session.

Cash Bar Prices
Imperial Pint (20 oz) $5.00
Half Pint (10 oz) $2.50
Quarter Pint (5 oz) $1.50
SAT 5/3

All Day
Museum Visits for BofA customers
At Participating Museums
FREE

The three closest participating museums are:
* Museum of Fine Arts, 465 Huntington Ave, Boston (The Fens)
* Harvard Museum of Natural History, 24 Oxford St, Cambridge (Harvard campus)
* DeCordova Museum & Sculpture Park, 51 Sandy Pond Rd, Lincoln
These are also three of the best museums in the area. Present you BofA ATM or credit card for free admission.

It's that easy.

SAT 5/3

8pm
Nerd Nite w/ Varsity Drag, Conservative Man, In Flight Radio
at Midway Cafe, 3496 Washington St. in JP
Maybe Free

Nerd Nite has returned, and there are three excellent bands after the "nerd presentations". I was told it would be free, but the bands would be worth a few bucks -- I'm partial to Varsity Drag -- and should start around 10pm. Get there early and drink a lot...

8pm:
Alyson Dame: "Payback's a Bitch"
Harvard Divinity School student Alyson Dame recaps the goriest highlights of revenge, Old Testament style.
9pm:
Dan Michaelson (Yale School of Art), "A Secret Life of Machines"
"A secret life of machines: What goes on when you request a web page":
When you type an address into your web browser, a series of invisible requests and responses ping across the internet, so that your page can be constructed and presented to you. Much of this hidden conversation between machines takes place in English even though you never see or hear it. In this talk we'll request a web page and then we'll listen in to the network as machines build it for us step by step.
10pm: Let it rock!

SAT 5/3

Various Times
Free Comic Book Day
at Participating (Cool) Stores
FREE

Pick up a free comic book, or take a kid you know to the comic book store. (It's mainly good writing & artwork these days -- and considering other things they could be doing, reading comic books is good behavior.)

According to the website, these are some participating shops:

* Newbury Comics (Govt Center, Back Bay, Alewife)
* New England Comics (Coolidge Corner, Allston, Harvard Sq)
* Hub Comics (Union Sq)
* Comicopia (Kenmore Sq)
* Million Year Picnic (Harvard Sq)

SAT 5/3

8pm to 11pm
Annual DanceMonth Kickoff Party
at The Dance Complex, 536 Mass Ave, Cambridge (Central Sq)
$1 Suggested Donation

Dance to a live band. There's a non-alcoholic cash "barre" and some food seems to be provided. Maybe buy some raffle tickets to win a prize (and support the annual dance festivities).

SAT 5/3

WZBC 35th Anniversary Party
Feat: No Age (12:15am), Neptune (11:15pm), Big Digits (10:15pm), The Big Disappointments (9:15pm)
at TT the Bear's Place, 10 Brookline St, Cambridge (Central Sq)
$10

I think No Age are f---ing rocktastic. You can enjoy it if you go with an open mind, but you really should be ready to succumb to their awesomeness. The singing drummer sometimes even drums with one hand while he holds the microphone.

SAT 5/3 and SUN 5/4

Noon to 6pm
Somerville Open Studios '08: "The First Decade”
throughout Somerville
FREE

Somerville is an art haven! After 10 years of sharing art (and cheese & wine), it's always bigger and bigger. See the work of about 350 artists in more than 100 locations. Trolleys will do a 14-stop route around Somerville (approx. 15 minute intervals) if you don't feel like walking... (Map & trolley schedule available here, but you might find them in various spots and on the trolleys.)

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SUN 5/4

Noon to 6pm
Annual Mayfair
around Harvard Square, Cambridge
FREE

This might be the perfect year to go, because it's usually too crowded. Maybe some people will be freaked out by flaming manholes!

The Brattle has free shorts from Noon to 4pm. These are some bands to check out, but there should be/could be 6 stages of music altogether:

Action Verbs (1pm), Girls Guns and Glory (3pm), Hallelujah the Hills (4pm), Dr. Dog (5pm)
at Main Stage, Eliot St and Mount Auburn St

Elizabeth Butters (Noon), Tim Gearan (1pm), Ryan Fitzsimmons (3pm),
at Club Passim Stage, Church St and Brattle St

SUN 5/4

9pm
Paper Thin Stages, Thunderhole, Mane
at Milky Way Lounge, 403 Centre St, Jamaica Plain
Free / 21+

Free rock at the Milky Way while it lasts -- they are closing in a year or less...

SUN 5/4

8pm
ImprovBoston's Bachelor & Bachelorette Auction
at Venu, 100 Warrenton St, Boston (Theatre District)
$7 online / $10 door

Bidding starts at $25 for a date (donated by local businesses) with 10 male and 9 female comedians. This could be fun and funny. You can see videos of the bachelor and bachelorettes on the site.

TIP: Keep an eye on the bidders, and ask one of them out at some point.

This is one of the fundraisers for ImprovBoston's new, larger theater in Central Sq; so expect a few raffles as well. I don't go to posh clubs, so I think this place might be like that.

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MON 5/5

10pm
Thunderhands, Cassavettes, Zero-Four
at Charlie's Kitchen, 10 Eliot St, Cambridge (Harvard Sq)
$5

Mostly Americana/countryish rock.

MON 5/5

A good cheap way to enjoy Cinco de Mayo is a bottle of tequila and some margarita mix.

Just don't call it "Mexican Independence Day":

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TUES 5/6

6pm to 7:30pm
Nicholas Daniloff, "Russia - A New Cold War?"
at Mezzanine Conference Room, Boston Public Library, 700 Boylston St, Boston (Copley Sq)
FREE

Professor Daniloff (Journalism, Northeastern) was arrested by the KGB for espionage in '86?!?

TUES 5/6

7pm
George Johnson, "The Ten Most Beautiful Experiments": Discussion
at Harvard Book Store, 1256 Mass Ave, Cambridge (Harvard Sq)
FREE

NY Times science writer George Johnson doesn't really say these are the most famous moments in science. Guys like Galileo and Newton are in there along with some folks you don't remember (or maybe you were sick that day)...

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WED 5/7

8pm
Ben Taylor, David Saw, Kim Taylor, Emily Elbert
at Cafe 939, 939 Boylston St, Boston (Back Bay)
$10

When your parents are James Taylor and Carly Simon, some musical talent HAS to rub off. The rest are no slouches either. Get there to see Emily Elbert.

WED 5/7

6pm to 7:30pm
Greg Mitchell, "So Wrong for So Long: How the Press, the Pundits -- and the President -- Failed in Iraq": Discussion
at Room 141, Stata Center, 32 Vassar St, Cambridge (MIT campus)
FREE

Greg Mitchell of Editor & Publisher (and other publications) will give way more "straight talk" than John McCain -- meaning that he'll give you straight talk.

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I couldn't pick which of these shows to recommend:

THUR 5/8

The Motion Sick (Midnight), Semi-Precious Weapons (11pm), Vivian Darkbloom (10pm), Sidewalk Driver (9pm)
at TT the Bear's Place, 10 Brookline St, Cambridge (Central Sq)
$8 / 18+

Bigger rock.

THUR 5/8

9:30pm
Bread & Roses, Yoni Gordon & the Goods, George Lewis Jr, Where the Land Meets the Sea
at Great Scott, 1222 Comm Ave, Allston
$8 / 18+

More roots/folk/indie stuff.

THUR 5/8

9:30pm
Steve Smith, The Diggs
at Harpers Ferry, 158 Brighton Avenue, Allston
$10 / 18+

Steve Smith is one of the dudes from Dirty Vegas, and now he lives on the South Shore.

THUR 5/8

6pm to 9pm
Marcus du Sautoy, "The Music of the Primes": Lecture
at Room 100, Building 26, 60 Vassar St, Cambridge (MIT Campus)
FREE

For all the numerology fans out there. This guy teaches at Oxford, so it might be fascinating and perplexing.

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FRI 5/9

9pm
Eugene Robinson, Duncan Wilder Johnson, Harney/Gittens
at Church, 69 Kilmarnock St, Boston (Fenway)
$8 / 21+

FRI 5/9

8:30pm
The Wyos, Miss Tess, Josh Lederman & The CSARs -- hosted by Curtis Eller
at Lizard Lounge/Cambridge Common, 1667 Mass Ave, Cambridge (between Harvard Sq & Porter Sq)
$10 / 21+

FRI 5/9

9:30pm
Band In Boston Donor Awareness Benefit
Feat: Drug Rug, Carter Tanton, Tony the Bookie Orchestra, Marc Pinansky, George Lewis Jr, Chris Warren
at PA's Lounge, 345 Somerville Ave, Somerville (Union Sq)
$10 / 18+

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SAT 5/10

6pm to 9pm
Rock N Roll Dance Party w/ The Incredible Casuals
at Midway Cafe, 3496 Washington Street, Jamaica Plain
$10 / All Ages

(Tentative)

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Link of the Week:

Another cheap way to get to New York City.

Full, high-res video of old and new TV shows that might not be blocked by your employer yet,

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Quote of the Week:

"We should try to be the parents of our future rather than the offspring of our past."

-- Miguel de Unamuno

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th-th-that's all, folks.

~r

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