8/18 & 8/19: "Woodstock" on Boston Common

More Saturday cheapness is coming, but this extravaganza seemed to deserve its own post.

I don't have time to fix the columns...

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SAT 8/18 and SUN 8/19

Noon to 10pm
"Woodstock 4"
at Boston Common, Boston
Four stages:

-- near Soldiers and Sailors Monument
-- Founders Stage, Beacon Street side, North-West
-- Cross Paths, Beacon Street side, North-East
-- near State House

FREE

Usually these Woodstock/Weirdstock events is at the Cambridge YMCA with 20+ bands, so things have gotten really out of control for the 4th annual event.

With so many performers doing 15 minutes right after each other at 4 locations on the Common, it's probably going to feel disorganized.

Maybe it'll feel like the original Woodstock with a lot of unkempt hipsters dancing all over the lawn. It might even rain like 1969...

The idea is for everyone to have a typical busking set-up, and there should be no breaks in between. I'm listing the schedule, but it won't be exact. Some of the spaces are blank on the schedule, and some are listed for longer sets.

The crowd's positive vibrations can make this kind of thing special, so let's shoot for more Woodstock '69 than '99.

The schedule is hopefully current; I've added links to the bands that I recognize and/or like.

Good times to go today: Noon-ish (Cotton Candy, Little War Twins, The Diamond Mines, School for Robots, Lowman) or 3pm-ish (Onslo, Jesse Kaminsky / Steve Norton, Happy Lives) or later in the evening.

Somewhere in the Common, Vic Rawlings is probably going to play experimental cello for 4 hours and Jacob Mashak will perform John Cage's 4'33" consecutively 100 times.

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* * * * SATURDAY * * * *
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STATE HOUSE Noon -- Cotton Candy 12:15 -- We Love You 12:30 -- Retribution Body 12:45 -- Richochet 1pm -- Panterrified 1:15pm -- Plake 1:30 -- Vanzetti 1:45 -- Dom LaColla 2:00 -- Adam Able 2:15 -- A.W.M.A.A 2:30 -- Filthiest Nation 2:45 -- Ray Brown 3:00 -- Onslo 3:15 -- Baylies Band 3:30 -- Orion Russell 3:45 -- Olde Men on Acid 4:00 -- Nathan Ventura 4:15 -- Codeine Schoolboy 4:30 -- Dois Apsaras 4:45 -- NATURALMAGIC 5:00 -- Slothrust 5:15 -- combman 5:30 -- Abortus Fever 5:45 -- Sun Castle 6:00 -- The Great Valley 6:15 -- Zach Phillips 6:30 -- Happy Jawbone 6:45 -- The Over Easies 7:00 -- "Special Guest" 7:15 -- nue collective 7:30 -- Eat Cloud 7:45 -- (New England) Patriots 8:00 -- Middle Kingdom 8:15 -- Not Art 8:30 -- Metal Tiger 8:45 -- Shane Hall 9:00 -- Hunnie Bunnies 9:15 -- Anus Morissette 9:30 -- :| kREW 9:45 -- Vehement Caress

CROSS PATHS Noon -- MBTA 12:15 -- In tub tune pump tropicamide 12:30 -- Little War Twins 12:45 -- Fifth Nation 1:00 -- Jeff Balter / Valerie Thompson 1:15 -- The Diamond Mines 1:30 -- Low Charge 1:45 -- Most Bitter 2:00 -- Uncle Awesome 2:15 -- Triode 2:30 -- Limbs Bin 2:45 -- Valerie Kuehne 3:00 -- Olivia 3:15 -- Ethan T. Parcel 3:30 -- Prince Romney Brass Trio 3:45 -- White Savages 4:00 -- Bruise Breakdown 4:15 -- N JETTY M 4:30 -- Prehistoric Horse 4:45 -- Peaceman and the Firedancers 5:00 -- Jack & Yoda 5:15 -- Banjo Assault 5:30 -- Joey Molinaro 5:45 -- The Lilt 6:00 -- Western Education 6:15 -- Tendrills 6:30 -- Of The Sun 6:45 -- Degan 7:00 -- B Law 7:15 -- Eskimeaux 7:30 -- ACLU Benefit 7:45 -- Brad Henkel 8:00 -- Buckminster 8:15 -- Friendship Ceremonies 8:30 -- Sam Sowyrda 8:45 -- Gmackrr 9:00 -- Ben Hersey 9:15 -- id m theft able 9:30 -- Crank Sturgeon 9:45 -- Andrea Pensado

FOUNDERS PLAQUE Noon -- Bodydrama 12:15 -- Gordon Marshall 12:30 -- One Armed Mist 12:45 -- Libras of Sound 1:00 -- School for Robots 1:15 -- Huge Bird 1:30 -- The Nimbleines 1:45 -- Walter Noons 2:00 -- Silas Lang 2:15 -- Nick Janowicz 2:30 -- Stainless 2:45 -- Make It Up 3:00 -- Huge Face 3:15 -- Don's Monkey 3:30 -- No Mayo 3:45 -- Andrew Mello 4:00 -- Cuddle Formation 4:15 -- Little Spoon 4:30 -- Cinnamon Phase 4:45 -- Bright Red Reason 5:00 -- Mixed Feelings 5:15 -- Joaquin Goldstein 5:30 -- Brendan Attridge 5:45 -- Brooke Pridemore 6:00 -- Meaner Pencil 6:15 -- Howdy, Cindy 6:30 -- Tuck Son 6:45 -- Landis Zehrung 7:00 -- Birdorgan 7:15 -- Walter Wright 7:30 -- Liz Roncka 7:45 -- Black Wampum 8:00 -- Harry & The Potters 8:15 -- Harry & The Potters 8:30 -- Ryan Krause 8:45 -- Illlich 9:00 -- Mia Friedman 9:15 -- Elijah Wyman 9:30 -- Hello Shark 9:45 -- Omnivore

SOLDIERS AND SAILORS MONUMENT Noon -- Christopher Strunk 12:15 -- 12:30 -- Sisters of The Moon 12:45 -- 1:00 -- Lowman 1:15 -- Adrian Sympson 1:30 -- Paul Lew 1:45 -- Matt Ress 2:00 -- Miss Olivia Kennett 2:15 -- Jason Belcher 2:30 -- Adventures of Boxhead 2:45 -- Jesse Kaminsky / Steve Norton 3:00 -- Timworld 3:15 -- Slim & Silver 3:30 -- Happy Lives 3:45 -- Munson 4:00 -- Colin and The Semicolons 4:15 -- Speaker For The Dead 4:30 -- Lung Pit 4:45 -- Rainbow Road 5:00 -- Rhythmic Cypher 5:15 -- Rhythmic Cypher 5:30 -- Eddy Luis Martinez IV 5:45 -- Glenn Furman 6:00 -- Erich Haygun 6:15 -- Jared Paul 6:30 -- Cauzamos and The Family Band 6:45 -- Lemon Kid 7:00 -- The Eskalators 7:15 -- The Wicked Hanging Chads 7:30 -- The Wicked Hanging Chads 7:45 -- The Wicked Hanging Chads 8:00 -- Little Emperor 8:15 -- Ray Brown 8:30 -- Dinnersss 8:45 -- Streight Angular 9:00 -- Hyena 9:15 -- Many Mansions 9:30 -- Casey Rocheteau 9:45 -- Michael Collins

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* * * * SUNDAY * * * *
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STATE HOUSE Noon -- Anthro Rex 12:15 -- Ben Hersey 12:30 -- 12:45 -- Zympht 1:00 -- Yop 40 1:15 -- Amygdala 1:30 -- Warped Forest 1:45 -- Mountainshark 2:00 -- Sam Gas Can 2:15 -- Junko Fujiwara 2:30 -- East Cackalack Ascetic Death Marching Band 2:45 -- Empty Phrases 3:00 -- Mutual Benefit 3:15 -- Big Waves of Pretty 3:30 -- Something About Horses 3:45 -- Hands and Knees 4:00 -- The Full Moon 4:15 -- Spiceraq Group 4:30 -- BATHAUS + Zilla 4:45 -- Uncle Tone 5:00 -- KC Solaris 5:15 -- Turtlecat Symphony 5:30 -- Con Tex 5:45 -- Greg Mullen & His Cosmic American Band 6:00 -- James Irwin 6:15 -- Hot Tub Panorama 6:30 -- Morgan Evans Weiler 6:45 -- Gang Clan Mafia 7:00 -- Taylor Richardson 7:15 -- Cave Bears 7:30 -- Abortus Fever 7:45 -- Ghost In Salad 8:00 -- Eggs, Eggs 8:15 -- BFPSP 8:30 -- Sweatshop 8:45 -- Blue Dress 9:00 -- Sophie Dickinson 9:15 -- Zookeepers 9:30 -- The Needy Visions 9:45 -- Guerilla Toss

CROSS PATHS Noon -- Streight Angular 12:15 -- The IOA http://www.facebook.com/ioaioaioa 12:30 -- Moniker 12:45 -- The Difference Engine 1:00 -- Goodman Brown 1:15 -- Make It Up 1:30 -- Mammox 1:45 -- bathroomspace 2:00 -- A Campbell Payne 2:15 -- War and Terror 2:30 -- 2:45 -- 3:00 -- The Nimbleines 3:15 -- Doug Linse 3:30 -- Valentin Prince 3:45 -- Sodafrog 4:00 -- So Sol 4:15 -- Scott Mizrachi 4:30 -- Personal Finance 4:45 -- Slow Horse and The Night Owls 5:00 -- Hunnabee & The Sandy Tar Boys 5:15 -- Matt Alvis 5:30 -- The Debate 5:45 -- L.R.A.D 6:00 -- Becoming Animals 6:15 -- Mia Lee 6:30 -- The Craters 6:45 -- 27 Prophets 7:00 -- WhistleJacket 7:15 -- Obsidian Helix 7:30 -- Michael Bloom 7:45 -- Lady Pilot 8:00 -- Cinder Track 8:15 -- Kellzo 8:30 -- Greg Sun 8:45 -- Foom 9:00 -- Marty Barrett 9:15 -- Arkm Foam 9:30 -- Preggy Peggy & The Lazy Babymakers 9:45 -- Xiphoid Dementia

FOUNDERS PLAQUE Noon -- Forbes Graham 12:15 -- Skinny Vinny 12:30 -- Mr. Transylvania 12:45 -- Sara June 1:00 -- Michael Rosenstein 1:15 -- Yesterday's Jam 1:30 -- The Fucktrots 1:45 -- Ryan Beke 2:00 -- Brendan Lawlor 2:15 -- Mobtet 2:30 -- Daniel Harris 2:45 -- 3:00 -- International Flute Army 3:15 -- Steve Norton 3:30 -- EUU 3:45 -- Smarty 4:00 -- ZEBU / NO SOUND 4:15 -- Huge Face 4:30 -- Tud 4:45 -- Michael Richarde 5:00 -- Samuel Holland 5:15 -- Hypnic Jerk 5:30 -- WOOLFMAYN 5:45 -- heavy fragile 6:00 -- Bradley Bailey 6:15 -- Judas Broos 6:30 -- Max Jeffers 6:45 -- Chris Wilson 7:00 -- Underwater Bear Ballet 7:15 -- Sister Mary 7:30 -- Steve Arceri 7:45 -- Kal Marks 8:00 -- Matt Altieri 8:15 -- verbing noun 8:30 -- Arvid Noe 8:45 -- Olden Yolk 9pm -- Ronnie Nordac 9:15 -- Saralee 9:30 -- Camp Hope 9:45 -- Rick Berlin

SOLDIERS AND SAILORS MONUMENT Noon -- Pancho, Moon, North & Sun 12:15 -- Gypsy Joint 12:30 -- Tony Gwynn Stefani 12:45 -- Crashing Cars 1:00 -- Cancer Killing Gemini 1:15 -- Abram Taber 1:30 -- The Rupert Selection 1:45 -- Rusty Things 2:00 -- The Wicked 2:15 -- Chris Kazarian 2:30 -- Fixtures 2:45 -- Charlotte Huffman 3:00 -- Manaia (Jen Strickland) 3:15 -- Moonbeam Fellowship 3:30 -- Bucky Fereke 3:45 -- Jeremy Quick Trio 4:00 -- Chris Cretella 4:15 -- Broken Bottle Boys 4:30 -- Spelt Melk 4:45 -- Jesse and The Hogg Brothers 5:00 -- Deth West 5:15 -- Uniami as Ether 5 Star Dome 5:30 -- Jesse Gallagher 5:45 -- Forest Wizard 6:00 -- Planets Around The Sun 6:15 -- Quilt 6:30 -- Sun Castle 6:45 -- Dark Rodeo 7:00 -- Michael Maloney 7:15 -- Time Solo 7:30 -- Chris North 7:45 -- Tounge Oven 8:00 -- Frozen Corn 8:15 -- Hurricanes of Love 8:30 -- Pelvis McGillicuddy 8:45 -- Soft White Three Way 9:00 -- Pancho The Kidd 9:15 -- Beau Alessi 9:30 -- Rayvon Browne 9:45 -- Gracious Calamity

SAT 7/14: Water Gun Battle

Friday's cheapness is below. Check the CTB calendar for the upcoming week.

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SAT 7/14

2pm
Water Gun 2012: "See Something, Spray Something"
Location: To be announced at Midnight
FREE w/ RSVP

It looks like it's not too late to register for Banditos Misteriosos' 5th annual Water Gun Fight.

There is a different theme every year, and participants will be split up according to the 4 main colors of the MBTA: Red Line, Green Line, Orange Line, and Blue Line.

Hundreds usually show up at the location the Banditos will send you. It's usually at a location where water is available for refills, but they say it's not at the Esplanade.

In the past, some of the suggested supplies have included:

- A water gun of your choice (some bring more than one).
- At least 2 FILLED two-liter bottles
- A back-pack to hold water bottles
- Clothing in the color of your train line

"Bonus points will be awarded to participants who dress up in T-related costumes (points will be distributed in the form of water)."

Why not cool off with a giant crowd of strangers dousing you in good clean fun?

Remember to NOT be an asshole to people that aren't participating.

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SAT 5/5: Tango By Moonlight (thru October)

7:30pm to 11pm
Tango By Moonlight
at Weeks Memorial Footbridge, Memorial Dr & DeWolfe St, Harvard Sq
FREE

I'm surprised there haven't been other mentions of the season debut of moonlight dancing on the bridge. I wish I had been more ahead of it, but they'll be out there every time the moon is full, at least, through October.

As usual, they'll start with brief tango lesson for the first 15 minutes or so, then you can try for as long as you like until the tango stymies you and dancing and sway in your own style.

It's a fun time with and without a partner, since you can usually find a partner or two. Perhaps the spirit will move you. I've gone several times over the years, and it's always a good time.

Date night material? Yeah, I think so.

The moon will look huge tonight, so why not...?

4/28 & 4/29: Free Sails in Boston & Charlestown

Yes, there is more cheapness for the weekend, but you've got to start somewhere.

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SAT 4/28 and SUN 4/29

Noon to 3pm
Sailing Open House
at Courageous Sailing, Pier 4, Charlestown Navy Yard
FREE

1pm to 5pm
Sailing Open House
at Boston Sailing Center, Lewis Wharf, Boston (North End)
FREE

Sure, they're trying to get you interested in sailing with them -- whether you're a salty dog or landlubber or somewhere in between. It's usually a no-pressure experience, because they also know most people just want to a free ride on a boat.

As these sailing events start happening, it's good to remember to wear clothes that can get wet. Keep in mind it will feel colder on the boat.

And if you are interested in taking lessons or becoming a member, both places offer discounts on days like these.

SUN 7/3: Sunday Night Off-Topic Video

In full picnic season, it may be good to know how to open a wine bottle without a corkscrew.

I've seen a few techniques, and this seems a good one.

SAT 6/18: Water Gun Fight... Somewhere...

FYI: There is Friday & Saturday stuff on the calendar. More to come...

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SAT 6/18

2pm
Water Gun Fight 2011: The Battle for Boston
Location: TBA
FREE

Registration strongly recommended.

Last year, the theme was time travel. Another year, it was a twisted revolutionary war thing.

I love the topical nature of this year's water fight: Since popular political figures can't get Boston history right, let's have an alternate history battle.

In a recreation of the famous confrontation between the Back Bay Swamp Creatures and the Revere Horse Men, we'll find out who should've really controlled the signing of the Boston Constitution...

Maybe you'll learn something you didn't know (or couldn't know)...

The Swamp Creatures will be the green army. The Horse Men will be the brown army. But be creative, because that's more fun.

Supplies you should bring:

- 1 water gun of your choice.
- At least 2 FILLED two-liter bottles
- A back-pack to hold water bottles
- "Fighting vigor and a love of Boston's history"

As I've said before, expect somewhere with a water source to refill -- because why not keep the party rolling? And it's probably going to be somewhere relatively easy to go by T.

Registration requested before 6pm on Friday. (It helps, so just do it if you're going.) You'll likely get the location slightly before it's posted at midnight.

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(Rain Date: Sunday 6/19)

SAT 1/15: Somerville Fun with Snow

There is so much good music tomorrow night, there are plenty of options on the calendar.

Before it gets any later, you should know about the Snow fun in Somerville.

As part of their 15th anniversary, Anna's Taqueria is offering freebies on the 15th of the month through May. This Saturday is a Mexican coffee (with the order of any burrito, taco, quesadilla, or plate).

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SAT 1/15

1pm to 4pm
Snow Art Flash Mob
at Union Sq Plaza, Somerville (nexus of Somerville Ave, Washington St , Bow St)
FREE

The folks at nearby art space Artisan's Asylum have put together a few hours of creative snow play.

They say:

We want you and all your friends to come make epic snow art[...]

Grab your gloves and jackets and come help us build snow forts, scenes from Calvin & Hobbes, elaborate snow sculpture and anything else you can imagine!

Even if you don't have an idea for an art piece, come by anyway and help us lug massive amounts of snow around the square.

Some shovels will be there for anyone to use, but feel free to bring whatever tools work for you.

You can also enjoy a complimentary Mexican hot chocolate from Cantina La Mexicana.

If that's not enough art for you, there's an art reception at the Washington Street Art Center at 7pm.

FREE: Walking Along the Esplanade

I've been watching as I cross the Longfellow Bridge, and the trees are turning quite nicely.

This picture above is a bit too red for me to believe it, but I'm going to walk along the Esplanade and enjoy whatever local colors of Autumn I find.

This is best time in New England. There are no roses to smell, so just enjoy the Fall flavor in the air and the lovely vistas.