"GottaLoveContests": Dirty Derby Prom on SAT 4/26

It's a few bucks over my $10 ceiling, but you can win 2 tix to the Dirty Derby Prom on SAT 4/26 at the Elks Lodge in Cambridge (near Central Sq).

It takes a little work... Not just a random raffle... YOU have to identify -7- Boston Derby Dame gals from their prom photos on this page. Contest details are there, but you have until THUR 4/17 to enter the contest.

You have until SAT 4/19 to buy tickets ($15) in advance; they're not selling any tix at the door.

The Dames always throw a great party...

Here's an extra photo of my favorite Boston Derby Dame, Pussy Venom:

TUES 4/15: Free Donut @ Dunks, Rock, etc

Have you had your free doughnut yet? You may go to Dunkin' Donuts for your (hot) coffee anyway, so you might as well get a donut of your choice as a Tax Day treat. There's other stuff to do tonight, but here's one more...
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TUES 4/15

The Friday Nighters (9pm), Fitless (9:50pm), Dave Crespo (10:40pm), Frit (11:20pm)
at Great Scott, 1222 Comm Ave, Allston
$8 / 18+

Fitless are friends of mine, so I'd normally be there tonight, but I've got a lot of stuff to do before my mom gets to town. They call their stuff 'white-collar punk', and they do some interesting harmonies and rhythms that sound better than their recordings. Get there at 9pm, and hear some 50's/60's covers from The Friday Nighters. Dave Crespo throws down some well-done jammy rock; I've met his keyboardist who's a good guy and player too. I couldn't find much info on Frit except that it's lead by Rob Compa who teaches at the Boston School of Rock. (Remember the Jack Black movie?)

MON 4/14: "Faith Without Fear" / Muslim Film Fest

6:30pm
"Faith Without Fear"
at Room 522, College of Arts & Sciences, 725 Comm Ave, Boston (BU campus)
FREE

Irshad Manji has been examining Islam with a critical eye for several years especially since the release of her book, "The Trouble with Islam Today". Heck, Oprah gave her a "Chutzpah Award"... In this documentary, she travels from the Middle East to Spain to interview Muslims about the current rigidity in Islamic thinking. Raquel Evita Saraswati, from Manji's foundation Project Ijtihad, will be on hand for discussion after the screening.

It's not a bad chance to increase your "Islam IQ", as this is the first night of the Boston Muslim Film Festival that will offer free screenings (mainly at BU) through the rest of April. The theme is "Think-Different Women" to celebrate Muslim women working towards change.

Cheap Thrills: SUN 4/13 to SUN 4/20

Hope your Friday and Saturday rocked! Here's Sunday on... As usual, below is some of the stuff from my weekly email.

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SUN 4/13
* M.O.T.O., Midnight Creeps, The Curses, The Tampoffs, The Throwaways
* Dr. Sketchy's Anti-Art School Cabaret

MON 4/14
* Jeffrey D. Sachs, "Common Wealth: Economics for a Crowded Planet"
* Singer-Songwriter Open Mike
* "Tsotsi": Free Screening

TUES 4/15
* Sorta Free Donut Day
* Greyspoke, Bitches Brew
* Big Nez's Comedy Night

WED 4/16
* Elizabeth Butters, Therese Bellino
* "Mystical Experience: A Direct Reflection of Reality?"
* Cloud Cult, Ezra Furman and the Harpoons, The Forms

THUR 4/17
* The Cello Chix
* "The US Role in International Justice": Discussion
* "After Hours" at Gardner Museum

FRI 4/18
* David Aaronoff
* Muck and the Mires, Topheavy, The Lights Out, The Crushing Low
* Spiritual Rez

SAT 4/19
* J. Cannibal's Feast Of Flesh
* "What Is Change?": Music, Dance, more

SUN 4/20
* Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, Via Audio, The Peasantry

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SUN 4/13

4pm
M.O.T.O., Midnight Creeps, The Curses, The Tampoffs, The Throwaways
at Midway Cafe, 3496 Washington St, Jamaica Plain
$10 / All Ages

You get barbeque included in the admission! Longtime Chicago garage-punks Masters Of The Obvious are joined four excellent local bands.

SUN 4/13

2:30pm
Dr. Sketchy's Anti-Art School Cabaret Life Drawing Class
at Great Scott, 1222 Comm Ave, Allston
$7 / 18+

Dr. Sketchy's Anti-Art School started out in Brooklyn by a couple artists to get some interesting models (burlesque performers, circus freaks, etc) and have some fun and drinks during the 3-hour session.

So get your sketchbook, drawing pad, mini-easel, stolen office paper, whatever -- and experience the coolest & cheapest life-drawing class around.

"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."

There are funny contests with prizes too. "Jess" is the model, and she's looks like a colorful and pleasant subject.

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MON 4/14

5pm
Jeffrey D. Sachs, "Common Wealth: Economics for a Crowded Planet"
at Lecture Hall B, Science Center, 1 Oxford St, Cambridge (Harvard campus)
FREE

(Thanks, Julia!)

MON 4/14

8pm
Singer-Songwriter Open Mike
at Cantab Lounge, 738 Mass Ave, Cambridge (Central Sq)
$3 suggested donation

There was another cheap music option, but the music was starting to make me sick. On the other hand, every Monday night at the Cantab is open to anyone, but most pperformers are rather good. Geoff Bartley hosts the evening and is quite the impressive acoustic guitarist who starts off the program. They say Bartley lives in a burger cottage down the street... Listen or bring your musical instrument of choice and put your name in the hat to play 2 songs. Geoff Bartley is a well-respected folkie gets someone (sometime well-known) to do a set around 9:30, and the open mike continues afterwards 'til closing time. This week's featured performer is ship-shape singer-songwriter Dave Crossland.

Funny, but true: If you leave out the hyphen in the Cantab's url, it's a porn site! Oh, I suggest you don't wear a Yankees cap -- unfunny, but true.

MON 4/14

6pm
"Tsotsi"
at Rabb Lecture Hall, Boston Public Library, 700 Boylston St, Boston (Copley Sq)
FREE

This Oscar-winning foreign language film (2006) tells the story about a young man who finds a baby in the back seat of the car he stole.

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TUES 4/15

All Day
Sorta Free Donut
at Dunkin' Donuts locations
FREE w/ purchase of hot coffee

You probably already go to Dunks for the coffee, so they're going to give you a free donut to ease your tax-aying pain.
Buy any sized hot coffee, and get any style donut you want.

TUES 4/15

Greyspoke (10:45pm), Bitches Brew (9pm)
at Church, 69 Kilmarnock St, Boston (Fenway)
$5 / 21+

TUES 4/15

10pm
Big Nezz's Comedy Night
at Middle East Corner, 480 Mass Ave, Cambridge (Central Sq)
$5

There's a good chance to find a few laughs with Big Nezz, Shawn Bedgood, Matt McAuthor, Jay Margasa, Shereen, Lamont Price. There's also song from Steve Lanza Jr and rap from Big T-Red Falcon (whoever he might be).

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WED 4/16

10pm
Elizabeth Butters, Therese Bellino
at Plough & Stars, 912 Mass. Ave, Cambridge (Central Sq)
$3

WED 4/16

7:30pm to 9:30pm
The Philosophy Cafe: "Mystical Experience: A Direct Reflection of Reality?"
at Harvard Book Store, 1256 Mass Ave, Cambridge (Harvard Sq)
FREE

McIntyre & Moore has moved to Porter Sq, but they don't have the room to host Philosophy Cafe anymore. So philosophical discussion will now take place downstairs at the Harvard Book Store. Join the exchange and absorb interesting ideas. Here's a blurb on the topic:

In some religious traditions, the true nature of existence is thought to be revealed in mystical experience. How might we evaluate this claim? Are some experiences indubitable reflections of the reality outside our heads? If so, how do they grasp the world? If not, might there still be non-cognitive reasons to seek out mystical experience?

WED 4/16

9:30pm
Cloud Cult, Ezra Furman and the Harpoons, The Forms
at Middle East - Downstairs, 480 Mass Ave, Cambridge (Central Sq)
$10 advance / $12 day of show / 18+

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THUR 4/17

10pm
The Cello Chix
at Squawk Coffeehouse, 1555 Mass Ave, Cambridge (inside Harvard Epworth Church)
$5 suggested donation / All ages

It's slim pickings for cheapness tonight, but The Cello Chix are defifintely worthwhile to see at least once. I'd like to believe they're the only all-female, 2-cellists-n-drummer rock covers band. They sound great, and it's fun to wonder what the next song will be.

THUR 4/17

7pm
"The US Role in International Justice": Discussion
at Democracy Center, 45 Mt. Auburn St, Cambridge (Harvard Sq)
FREE

THUR 4/17

5pm to 9pm
"After Hours"
at Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, 280 The Fenway, Boston
$12 / $5 students / $10 seniors

So close to $10, it had to be shared. The Gardner Museum is already one of the most beautiful places in Boston; it seems a bit cooler to hang out there at night in a social atmosphere. Have a drink or two, a bite to eat, and soak in the culture.

Tonight's theme is "Caught on Paper", so instead of merely strolling throught the rooms, you can take a "poetry tour" of the museum written by poet and a Gardner Artist-in-Residence Ann Lauterbach. There will be poetry readings throughout the galleries as well. I like how they like to add an interactive aspect by encouraging you to pick up a pen/pencil and do a little sketching or poetry-writing. The courtyard band will be a Renaissance-style quartet, Seven Times Salt.

Make sure you see the "Luxury for Export" exhibit! Very cool stuff from a period of Portuguses and Indian cross-cuturalism.

There's a concert of vocal jazz group, Syncopation, in the tapestry room for some extra dollars.

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FRI 4/18

10pm
David Aaronoff
at Plough & Stars, 912 Mass. Ave, Cambridge (Central Sq)
$5

FRI 4/18 and SAT 4/19

9:30pm
Spiritual Rez
at Bill's Bar, 5.5 Lansdowne St, Boston (Kenmore Sq)
$10 advance / $12 day of show / 18+

With Erin Barra and The One Hitters (Night #1) and The Old Silver Band (#2)

FRI 4/18

9:30pm
Muck and the Mires, Topheavy, The Lights Out, The Crushing Low
at Middle East - Upstairs, 472 Mass Ave, Cambridge (Central Sq)
$10 / 18+

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SAT 4/19

Midnight
J. Cannibal's Feast Of Flesh
Feat: "Dawn Of The Dead", Black Cat Burlesque, Devil In The Kitchen
at Coolidge Corner Theatre, 290 Harvard St, Brookline
$10

SAT 4/19

11am to 5pm
"What Is Change?": Music, Dance, more
at Boston Common, Charles St. and Beacon St
FREE

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SUN 4/20

9:30pm
Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, Via Audio, The Peasantry
at Great Scott, 1222 Commonwealth Avenue, Allston
$10 / 18+

This will sell out, if it hasn't already.

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Link of the Week:

This is a study/game that supposedly measures how you react to African/Caucasion men.

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Quote of the Week:

"Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does."

-- William James

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th-th-that's all, folks.

~r

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A Sunday post should get us up-to-date...