Tuesday, April 20, 2010

TUES 4/20: Words, Strings, Magic, Rock, Slow, Folk


Hey, everybody... It's 4/20! You know what I mean...? Yeah, man. You don't have to wait until 4:20pm... I think there may be even be a sale at the head shop underneath Great Scott. (Enter on Harvard St?)

Be careful when celebrating in public. I don't think it's a good idea to test law enforcement officers.

OR... You can go about your day as usual.

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TUES 4/20

6pm to 8:45pm
"The Big Mouth Off"
at Rabb Lecture Hall, Boston Public Library, 700 Boylston St, Boston (Copley Sq)
FREE

Every now and then I would sit in on the storytelling sessions led by Brother Blue, and I can vouch that some of Boston's creative people can really structure their tales far better than the average townie at a bar. Those townie stories are great, however I'm guessing these might be more entertaining in the long run.

There have been preliminary story slams with themes like "scared to death", "dining disasters", "it's my job", "so embarrassing", "it's relative", "errors of eros", etc. Tonight 21 contestants from many walks of life will tell real-life stories to win a week at a medieval Tuscan townhouse.

Scheduled judges know their way around a worthy yarn: Jay O'Callahan, Charlie Pierce, Brian O'Donovan, Josna Rege, and Jay Allison.

TUES 4/20

7pm
Muir String Quartet, "The Beethoven Cycle, Part 6"
at Metcalf Trustee Center, 9th fl, 1 Silber Way, Boston (BU campus)
FREE

One of the most respected string quartets has participated in an annual residence at BU for more than 25 years, so you get longtime pros playing masterful material for free.

The program will likely be:

Quartets in C Minor, Op. 18 No. 4
F Major, Op. 135; E Minor, Op. 59 No. 2
This is the last recital in the Beethoven cycle. There are other concerts by the ensemble this month.

TUES 4/20

7pm
FLo'ology: Tell It Like It 'Tis
at Cafe 939, 939 Boylston St, Boston (Back Bay)
FREE

The students of Berklee's "Flo'Ology: Spoken Word and Improvisation" are hitting the stage to see if they can hack it in front of an audience.

Others scheduled to appear are: Keppie Coutts, Cleveland Jones, Sid Sriram, and Aziza Miller who is the real special guest. Miller has taught at the Professional Performing Arts School (NYC) where Alicia Keys was one of her vocal improv and theory students for 3 years.

TUES 4/20

8pm
"Mystery Lounge"
at The Comedy Studio/Hong Kong Restaurant, 1236 Mass Ave, Cambridge (Harvard Sq)
$10

Feat: Joel Acevedo, Steve Kradolfer, Joe Howard, Bob Riordan, George Saterial, Jenny Z

If you're looking for a little magic in your life, this humorous and casual performance takes place every Tuesday night (and it's been going for more then 10 years). From the little I know, these guys are seriously good who like having a more casual venue away from their usual professional gigs. Of course, there's going to be a few laughs besides the prestidigitation.

Those who show up early might see some pre-magic around 7pm at the bar (2nd floor).

Print this for a $1 discount.

TUES 4/20

8:30pm
Hero(n) of Alexandria, HUAK, The Rattlesnakes, Bookkeeper
at O'Brien's, 3 Harvard St, Allston
$7 / 18+

The guy at HeadsUpBoston is booking the TWO PLUS TWO music series that is going to take place on most Tuesdays at O'Brien's where two local bands get together two out-of-town bands to offer a consistent spot to catch bands that don't normally play in the area.

To add another "two" to the gig, Hero(n) of Alexandria are a drum-bass duo raging about to fill as much sonic space as they can.

HUAK (from Portland) are in the noisy post-punk vein yet the din occasionally breaks into relatively sweet melodies and tight, focused riffs. It sounds like The Rattlesnakes dig in a similar vein without worrying much about the the tightness; think Pavement, Pixies, and The Fall.

Bookkeeper goes on my "lousy name" list -- it's rather boring and too similar another Boston band (Taxpayer) that doesn't move me. The problem is they make a glorious messy ruckus that sounds really good. (Change your name before it's too late!)

TUES 4/20

9pm
"SSLLOOWW Party"
at Enormous Room, 567 Mass Ave, Cambridge (Central Sq)
FREE

Feat: "DJ Die Slow", "Coralslowla", "El Slowsur", "DJ Slow Foxx"

What a perfect way to celebrate "4/20" than to get real slow. Really slow/slowed down music is on deck including some 'slow-eoke'.

It's sponsored by Drank, which is a new anti-energy beverage with unofficial taglines like "pot in a can" or "not a substitute for but an alternative to marijuana". There should be Drank shwag and prizes to be had. Try it for free to chill out, and I think they're going to create some cocktails with the stuff.

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TUES 4/20

9:30pm
Margaret Glaspy, Rose Polenzani
at Lizard Lounge/Cambridge Common, 1667 Mass Ave, Cambridge (between Harvard Sq & Porter Sq)
$5 / 21+

On MySpace, Margaret Glaspy's genre descriptors are soul/folk/roots; and it's easy to hear the references. What I hear with that swinging ensemble behind her is a young woman who love Billie Holiday, and it sounds great. (Maybe a soulful Carole King or something bluesier.)

Rose Polenzani is a fantastic singer-songwriter with a beautiful voice and songs full of wit and emotion. If you have some time, check out the videos of various songs on her site, including some fun covers with her talented friends.

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