WED 9/28: Talk, Trivia, Folk, Rock

Even though Summer is over, Bodega Girls still host a free dance night at Middlesex lounge with a rock bent on the last Wednesday of the month; tonight's episode of "Cool Ranch" includes rowdy surf-rock and a set of punk covers.

Tomorrow is "National Coffee Day", so 7-Eleven is coming through with free medium coffees from 7am to 11am. That's bigger than their free slurpees on July 11 every year!

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WED 9/28

7pm
John Warner w/ Chris Monks, "The Funny Man": Discussion
at Harvard Book Store, 1256 Mass Ave, Cambridge (Harvard Sq)
FREE

Never read McSweeney's Internet Tendency? It's pretty darn funny, and you'll feel smart if you find it funny. Contributor John Warner will read from his novel about a comedian and talks with McSweeney's editor Chris Monks.

WED 9/28

8pm
Trivia Wednesdays
at Bell In Hand Tavern, 45 Union St, Boston (near Faneuil Hall)
FREE w/ RSVP / 21+

Unlike most trivia nights, you have to RSVP (sponsored by Boston Event Guide, I think). Possible advantages: There might be a better chance of winning something... It might not be Stump Trivia... There's a mention of food/drink specials...

This is happening every Wednesday through October.

WED 9/28

8pm
Daphne Willis, Madi Diaz, Keegan Dewitt, Megan McCormick
at Cafe 939, 939 Boylston St, Boston (Back Bay)
$10

One top-notch singer-songwriter after another will get onstage, and the highlight may be Madi Diaz.

WED 9/28

9:30pm
Streight Angular, Dirty Virgins, Pajama People, Sinister Turns
at PA's Lounge, 345 Somerville Ave, Somerville (Union Sq)
$8 / 21+

A serious amount of playful, catchy, punky indie-rock.

WED 9/28

9:30pm
Hallelujah The Hills, earthquake party!, The Fagettes
at Great Scott, 1222 Comm Ave, Allston
$10 / 18+

It's not going out on a limb to say that Hallelujah The Hills is a fantastic band. C'mon -- even if you can think of other clever-noisy-folky rock bands with cello, they are still pretty awesome (and they wrote one of my favorite songs that mentions Massachusetts).

I've been rather fond of earthquake party's rough, lo-fi tunes that make you want to bounce around and sing along. The Fagettes are pretty good as well; I'm surprised no one has used that band name before, so good on them.

TUES 9/27: Music, Books, Art, Film

Okay, it often happens that I get a little top-heavy on these posts... There are a couple good rock options tonight.

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TUES 9/27 (and TUES 8/4)

6pm
"The Ames Sessions": Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players, Supercute!
at Woodward, Ames Hotel, 1 Court St, Boston (Downtown Crossing)
FREE w/ RSVP

Although last week's kick-off was taken inside due to rain, the weather and temperature are cooperating for the patio music series.

It would be typical for a hotel like Woodward to have a middle-of-the-road jazz band playing, but kudos to hosting a Tuesday music series that features cool, independent bands. No one expects to hear free live bands on a Tuesday evening at a hotel bar patio!

I went last week and heard a fantastic solo set by Leo Blais, and Anna Rose especially shined on the sassy, more country numbers from her new album as well as her superb Arcade Fire cover.

If you work downtown, I don't see why you wouldn't try to grab a spot on the patio for a couple Tuesday drinks, and the tunes are getting delightfully more peculiar over the next 2 weeks!

I think there was a year when the Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players performed at PA's Lounge on the Conan O'Brien show. Papa, Mama, and daughter Rachel Tractenberg have a slew of off-kilter songs that are based on found slides that they project during their set. Teenage Rachel's own bubblegum group Supercute is opening tonight.

I couldn't see the benefit of RSVP'ing except maybe they'll save you a spot on the patio or maybe it enters you in a giveaway. (I couldn't tell, but things didn't go as planned.)

As I mentioned before: the cocktails are fancy, but they served me $3.50 'Gansett tall boys with no problem. They also have other beers in average price ranges.

If you don't go tonight, check out Kim Boekbinder and Audrey Ryan next week.

TUES 9/27

6pm
Neal Stephenson, "Reamde": Reading
at Coolidge Corner Theatre, 290 Harvard St, Brookline
$5

If you read "Cryptonomicon", you might be interested to see Stephenson read in person.

Get you tickets across the street at Brookline Booksmith.

TUES 9/27

6pm
Central Library
Daniel Yergin, "The Quest: Energy, Security, and the Remaking of the Modern World": Discussion
at Rabb Lecture Hall, Boston Public Library, 700 Boylston St, Boston (Copley Sq)
FREE

Daniel Yergin knows a lot about energy and politics, so it would be difficult to leave the hall without more knowledge about the issues.

TUES 9/27

6:30pm to 8:30pm
"Sting! XI: Object Relations"
at The Beehive, 541 Tremont St, Boston (South End)
FREE

Performance by Nat Mugavero SW-Rats Quartet

Feat: Arisa Boit, John Guthrie, Andrew Mowbray, Ross Normandin, Joshi Radin, Isabel Riley, Daniela Rivera, Jim Stroud, Bill Thompson, Doug Weathersby, Brian Zink

For their 11th "Sting" exhibit, the Beehive has invited 11 artists to show a broad array of work that "centers around the principles of abstraction". I think all of them are Boston-based, so it's a good night to ask the artists about their inspirations.

What's labeled as Nat Mugavero SW-Rats Quartet is probably close to Mugavero's Sewer Ratz project where he gets other tremendous players to create the abstract version of jazz.

TUES 9/27

7pm
Susan N. Herman, "Taking Liberties: The War on Terror and the Erosion of American Democracy": Discussion
at Harvard Book Store, 1256 Mass Ave, Cambridge (Harvard Sq)
FREE

The president of the ACLU questions whether the Patriot Act has done more good than harm in the last 10 years. (Would you like to guess what she thinks?)

TUES 9/27

7:30pm to 9:30pm
Dr. Sketchy Boston: Evening Session
at Club Cafe, 209 Columbus Ave, Boston (South End)
$8 / 18+

Tonight's Models: Polly Surely & Busty Keaton

Have you wanted to go to Dr. Sketchy, but Sunday afternoons at Great Scott just don't work for you?

From first-timers to professionals, all are welcome to have some art fun with no one to tell you what to do. Just bring something to draw on and enjoy a judgement-free session while a couple burlesque gals pose.

Club Cafe is short walk from the Back Bay T station (if you exit to Clarendon St). The art is happening in the back room.

How many life-drawing classes have a cash bar...?

TUES 9/27

8pm
"Short & Sweet III": Animated Films from Germany
at Goethe-Institut Boston, 170 Beacon St, Boston (Back Bay)
FREE

Tonight's 79-minute program is titled "Dreams and Demons", so maybe you can get some scary ideas from German shorts of the last decade. Do I have to remind you about scary Germans (Nosferatu, Heidi Klum, etc)?

In German w/ English subtitles.

TUES 9/27

9pm
Banditas, Lanie Lane
at O'Brien's, 3 Harvard St, Allston
$8 / 18+

Retro styles meet with Australia's Lanie Lane who is a rockabilly gal with a bluesy/jazzy undercurrent and the country-tinged indie-rock of Boston's Banditas.

Lanie Lane has played at Big Day Out and recorded a couple songs with Jack White a couple months ago. While the songs are new, this is the sound of someone looking backwards -- with splendid results. Banditas may remind me of a female-fronted version of early-70's Stones, there's a modern edge which is pretty damn cool.

TUES 9/27

9:30pm
We Are Augustines, Leisure
at Great Scott, 1222 Comm Ave, Allston
$10 / 18+

Out of the ashes of Pela, one finds We Are Augustines. When I saw Pela a few years ago it was one of those "future of rock 'n roll" moments. It definitely wasn't their first time in Boston, because the crowd was going (appropriately) crazy. That early-Springsteen vibe has matured a bit, but there is still something there.

MON 9/26: Beer, Cupcakes, Music, Talk, Improv

I don't feel right about writing a full Monday post after dropping the weekend ball.

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MON 9/26

5pm to 7pm
"Narragansett Neighbor Day"
at Mass Ave Tavern, 94 Mass Ave, Boston (Back Bay)
FREE

A chance to get a free 'Gansett and some protoinal shwag.

MON 9/26

5pm to 7pm
Cupcake Tastings: Cupcake Happy Hour
at Kickass Cupcakes, 378 Highland Ave, Somerville (Davis Sq)
FREE

Yeah, there are free cupcake samples on the last Monday of the month, and they're cocktail-inspired flavors.

Beware of the urge to leave with a bag of goodies.

MON 9/26

"Mahler's Legacy" (5:30pm) & "The First of Mahler" (7:30pm)
at Jordan Hall, 30 Gainsborough St, Boston (New England Conservatory/Fenway)
FREE

Program (8pm):

Mahler, "Symphony No. 1"
Strauss, "Don Juan"

There is going to be a bunch of Mahler events at NEC this season, and it begins with a hour-long multimedia presentation followed by a version of his first symphony.

MON 9/26

7pm to 9:30pm
Boston Skeptics in the Pub: "Amanda Knief: Travails of a Godless Lobbyist"
at Tommy Doyle's, 96 Winthrop St, Cambridge (Harvard Sq)
FREE

As their site says:

Amanda will tell us "true tales of working as an atheist on Capitol Hill and with the Obama administration, and also how we need everyone to get involved."

MON 9/26

8pm
The Dangling Conversation: Improv Theatre
at The Lily Pad, 1353 Cambridge St, Cambridge (Inman Sq)
$7

The two-person improv group, The Dangling Conversation, describe themeslves:

Our improv explores the small scale mania and beauty behind everyday relationships. Our performances are loopy, developed, strangely true to life, and yet hopefully different from what you’ve seen before.

Should be interesting as 2 people who are improvising to be funny 100% of the time. This is a video sample.

MON 9/26

9:30pm
Viva Voce, The Parson Red Heads, Let's Whisper
at Great Scott, 1222 Comm Ave, Allston
$10 / 18+

Wow. Some trippy, catchy, folky indie-rock from Alabama, Oregon, and Vermont.

9/24 & 9/25: Weekend Preview

Let's not kid ourselves. With a quartet of rowdy Mainers visiting town tonight, I will not type anything else before the morning.

These are some cheap highlights for the weekend.

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On Saturday:

Smithsonian Magazine's Museum Day lets you choose from a long list of museums in the USA and print a free pass for two...

Or you can visit the studios of artists all over JP on both days...

The South End hosts the Beantown Jazz Festival along the usual stretch of Columbus Ave. P-Funk's Bernie Worrell is playing with two groups...

For a guy who doesn't eat fluff, I often got a kick out of the annual "What the Fluff?" Festival (invented in Somerville!) and its program of music and zany fluff fun...

Of course, I've mentioned "Crash Safely" and "One Night Band #3" as two standout musical offerings (both $10 advance tickets)...

On Sunday:

Harvard Ave will be even livelier than usual courtesy of the Allston Village Street Fair...

Mobius has moved to Cambridge, and they invite folks to draw performance art. (They're even having an 'open house' reception on Saturday night...)

Further up Mass Ave, you'll find a "Hootenanny" nestled in a Harvard Square courtyard...

Even further up Mass Ave in Arlington, the Regent Theatre is having a 95th anniversary concert ($10 advance)...

You probably can still RSVP for a "Boardwalk Empire" party; there might be a free Canadian whiskey drink in it for you...

See below for my full cheap suggestions.



Type to you in the morning...

FRI 9/23: Ideas, Stories, Jokes, Acrobatics, Songs

Wow, I guess the Autumnal Equinox is playng with my mind!

Saturday & Sunday cheapness is on the calendar -- including "One Night Band #3" tomorrow ($10 advance tix).

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FRI 9/23

6pm to 9pm
[LAB] Annual Fall Exhibition
at The Laboratory, Northwest Bldg, 52 Oxford St, Cambridge (Harvard campus)
FREE

Feat: Whiskey Barons / Flavorheard

On display will be 11 student ideas that are aimed at providing various community-based and environmental solutions. It's interesting that several projects relate to water purification, which isn't a bad thing.

The first hour is a cocktail reception followed by panel discussion regarding 'experiential education' with a short film. You may not want to sneak out before the discussion, because there's more 'refreshments and music' afterwards for another hour.

FRI 9/23

7pm
Karl Marlantes, "What It Is Like to Go to War": Reading
at Porter Square Books, 25 White St, Cambridge (near Star Market)
FREE

What can be described as 'decades in the making', Rhodes Scholar and Vietnam vet Karl Marlantes has novelized his war experiences into what many have described as a powerful depiction its horrors.

This could bum you out at the beginning of the weekend or make you grateful that you didn't experience the war.

FRI 9/23

7:30pm
Anderson Comedy: "The Gas"
at Great Scott, 1222 Comm Ave, Allston
$5 / 18+

Feat: Belinda Borrelli, John Staley, Peter Bowers, Sam Ike, Sanjay Salomon, Maria Ciampa, Tom Dunlap, Tim Vargulish

I stand by my belief that this weekly comedy show is worth the cover whether or not there is a 2-for-1 coupon available. Hang out at any bar on a Friday night for a while, and $5 will mysteriously disappear... You might as well laugh for those dollars.

Maria Ciampa is practically a guarantee you will laugh your ass off. I recall meeting Belinda Borrelli, the Brown professor, and she was quite witty. The evening is hosted by Lillian DeVane. (Yep, I only mentioned the ladies. Sometimes that happens.)

FRI 9/23

9pm
"The Autumnal FREAKquinox"
at Plough & Stars, 912 Mass Ave, Cambridge (Central Sq)
$10ish / 21+

Yeah, these folks have performed acrobatic feats in that tiny corner of the Plough on previous season changes.

There is usually some music & comedy acts as well. Be prepared for almost anything from people who think trapeze work I this cramped space is a good idea...

FRI 9/23 (and SAT 9/24)

8pm
"Crash Safely": A Benefit For Bike MS
at Church, 69 Kilmarnock St, Boston (Fenway)
$10 advance / $12 day of show / 2-day pass for $18 / 18+

Friday Schedule:

11:30pm -- The Titanics
10:30pm -- John Powhida International Airport
9:45pm -- Pete Hayes' Rock Shop
8:45pm --The Russians
8pm -- The In Out

I hope all of you know that The Figgs are one of the great American rock 'n roll bands, period. What you probably don't know is that drummer Pete Hayes was diagnosed with MS about 3 years ago.

Pete and his team are participating in a fundraising bike ride next weekend. You can simply donate or rock out with minimal awareness of your philanthropy.

Tonight's show includes the excellent John Powhida International Airport and The Russians that leads up to a reunion set from classic Boston band, The Titanics. In the middle, Pete Hayes is going to debut a side project too!

Tomorrow's show is awesome enough to consider the 2-night discounted pass.

Saturday Schedule:

11:30pm -- Easy Action
10:30pm -- Triple Thick
9:45pm -- Gene Dante & The Future Starlets
8:45pm -- Kevin Stevenson
8pm -- Jason Bennett

Of course, there will be raffles, silent auctions, and probably a couple surprise appearances.

FRI 9/23

Emergency Music (Midnight), Soccer Mom (11pm), Autochrome (10pm), Marconi (9pm)
at TT the Bear's Place, 10 Brookline St, Cambridge (Central Sq)
$10

There will be loads of cool sounds, but you really are waiting for Emergency Music to knock you out at the end something like Mike Tyson's old Nintendo game... I was digging their power-poppy goodness a few years ago, and they're back with new material.

FRI 9/23

9:15pm
Joan Jett Birthday Tribute Show
at Rosebud Bar & Grill (behind Diner), 381 Summer St, Somerville (Davis Sq)
$10-ish / 21+

Feat: "Fit To Be Tied" (11:20pm), "Leather Snatch" (10:40pm), "Jett Streamer & The Neon Angels" (9:40pm), The Other Girls (9:15pm)

Movies are wonderful. After "Kick Ass", I had to drop "Bad Reputation" on my ipod. I watched "The Runaways" film this year, and it again reminded me that Joan Jett is a damn good rocker.

I doubt she spent her birthday in Somerville last night. It's still a good idea to throw her a party tonight with cake and party favors.

For the record, "Fit To Be Tied" includes members of The Dirty Truckers, Tijuana Sweetheart, Full Body Anchor, etc. "Leather Snatch" is basically The Acrobrats, and "Jett Streamer & The Neon Angels" contains the same number of syllables as Gene Dants & the Future Starlets. The Other Girls are an all-star team of women (Andrea Gillis and members of Muck & the Mires, The Marvels, Coffin Lids, etc) who do a bunch of rock/punk covers every now and then.

FRI 9/23 (and SAT 9/24)

10pm
Deva Mahal/Fredricks Brown
at The Beehive, 541 Tremont St, Boston (South End)
FREE

There a few weekends throughout the year that Fredricks Brown comes to town for a couple shows, so I'll repeat what I recently wrote:

I like Fredricks Brown and Deva Mahal enough to suggest you go to The Beehive and drink slightly overpriced drinks. (There's no cover charge, so it evens out.)

This is the kind of soulful, funky music that could have wide appeal yet there's enough substance that you stand up proud to love it. And Deva Mahal possesses one of my favorite voices ever. It may be a good night get your groove on.