Saturday Calendar Items

Been busy, but I put Saturday events on the Google calendar if you want to take a look.

FRI 7/17: ArtBeat, Scooter Rally, Sand Sculptures

The Internet is pretty cool sometimes. I write about stuff, and sometimes people invite me to things.

I could've gone to any of the musical/cultural events on yesterday's Cheap Thrills list, but I went to a party in Charlestown. Instead of meditating on death over Buddhist lanterns, I was enjoying free beer and appetizers on a roof deck. So thanks to all my new friends!

I guess this the cheapnesss I like for tonight. Lots of other stuff happening over the weekend. I hope to get it up here soon...

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FRI 7/17 (& SAT 7/18)

5pm to 10pm
ArtBeat Festival 2009: "Somerville...Of the Future"
at Various places around Davis Square, Somerville
$3 donation suggested

On top of the usual coolness of Davis Square, a wonderful culture bomb of music, art, dance, food, crafts, etc. hits this weekend. This year's theme is "Somerville...Of the Future", so it looks like robots and spaceships. It's unclear whether this future includes an extension of the Green Line...

Yes, you're not forced to donate but you'll definitely get your $3 worth of fun (and a necklace -- or something -- to show you chipped in). The money funds events like ArtBeat.

Saturday has all of the arts/crafts/food/etc. Most of the Friday action is happening at the performance stage at Seven Hills Park (behind Somerville Theatre):

5pm to 7pm (in field, near stage)
"Parade Workshop for Futuristic Fashion Parade"
If you really want to get into "futuristic Somerville" spirit, there's a workshop (for children & adults) to create fun outfits -- out of recycled & reused materials -- for Saturday's 2pm parade.

6pm -- Hornitz
6:45pm -- Umi no Bodi perform “Fakutori”
7:30pm -- Jenny Dee & the Deelinquents
8:30pm -- Magic Magic

I love Jenny Dee & the Deelinquents, and it's practically impossible not to enjoy this excellent renewal of '60s girl-group/soul. Check out Magic Magic's poppish, retro/psych indie-rock under the sky and space out -- excellent tripping-out-on-the-lawn music...

Get there early for The Hornitz who may be the best fun-loving, funk-bringing horn-y hip-hop trio in Somerville! Even the Japanese/butoh-style dance performance sounds cool.

There is a "Black Hole Robot Dance Party" from 7pm to 10pm in the main traffic island of Davis Sq, so you can boogie down while stopping the traffic.

If you're still in the mood to party, the club behind the Rosebud Diner is active again. Have a few drinks and dance to solid soul music. I heard people will get a free mix CD while supplies last. (Doesn't seem like there's a cover...)

FRI 7/17

8pm
Rippin'est Town Rally V: Meet 'n Greet
at The Baseball Tavern, 1270 Boylston St, Boston (Fenway)
FREE-ish

Feat: The Allstonians (11:30pm), The Swinedells (10:30pm), Riki Rocksteady (9:30pm), "Special Guest" (8:30pm)

You don't have to ride a scooter, but you will be surrounded by mods and rockers who are gathering for the weekend. The music happens downstairs (straight down when you walk in), but the roof deck has a pretty sweet view.

The Roots & Razors DJs will spin between the top-notch ska and rockabilly bands.

FRI 7/17 (thru SUN 7/19)

Various Times
Annual New England Sand Sculpting Festival
at Revere Beach, Revere
FREE

They've been working on their giant sand works for a few days now, so it should be pretty cool to walk around tonight or on the weekend. There could be some kind of "live entertainment" from 6pm to 9pm tonight as well as over the weekend.

Throw in a fried clam plate from Kelly's, and life will seem beautiful and carefree.

THUR 7/16: Candy, Science, Lanterns, Shakespeare, Rock, Etc

I know there's a chance of rain tonight, but I'm listing outdoor events. Check at the website or call if you're wondering.

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THUR 7/16

Noon
"Golden Ticket Giveaway"
at TD Garden (North Station) and TD Bank Boston branches
FREE

If you can get there quick enough, you might get a prize-winning candy bar. As I mentioned earlier, the grand prize is a pair of tickets to every event at The Garden for a year.

THUR 7/16

5pm to 8pm
Summer Museum Nights: "Life's a Niche"
at Harvard Museum of Natural History, 26 Oxford St, Cambridge (Harvard Sq)
$4.50 / $3.50 seniors, non-Harvard students / $3 ages 3 to 18

It's the second "Summer Nights at the Museum", and next month will be "The Best Fossils Darwin Never Saw"... One Thursday per summer month, you can get into the HMNH for half the usual admission (after 5pm).

Besides the mind-blowing "Glass Flowers" and some of the weirdest fossils et cetera, there will be gallery talks by Harvard grad students at 5pm and 7pm based on the theme: Evolutionary biology graduate student Luke Mahler examines biodiversity tonight ("Life's a Niche") with gallery talks at 6pm and 7pm that shows what a Caribbean lizard tells us about life in the present and past.

THUR 7/16

6pm to 9pm
Annual Lantern Festival
at Lake Hibiscus, Forest Hills Cemetery, 95 Forest Hills Ave, Jamaica Plain
FREE ($10 suggested donation per lantern)

This is based on the Japanese midsummer Bon Festival, a Buddhist ritual in memory of loved ones in which lanterns represent the souls of the dead are floated out to sea and prayers are offered so that they might rest in peace. You can write some thoughts about your departed on the shades of the lantern, then watch it float about Lake Hibiscus at sunset. Flickr is full of beautiful scenes from previous years.

From 6pm to 8pm, the evening starts with performances from gospel singer Ron Murphy, the Samurai drummers of Tsuji Daiko, Quincy Choral Society, and dance performances from Cynthia Laksawana & Jennifer Hannigan, Tsai-Fong Dance Troupe, and Showa Boston Institute.

If you don't have anything to say to the dead, you can sit back and just enjoy the proceedings (but you could donate for a lantern)... It's also okay to bring picnic. A flashlight is suggested, but you'd be okay without one -- in my experience.

THUR 7/16 (thru THUR 8/6)

6:45pm
"The Complete Works Of William Shakespeare (abridged)"
at Christian Herter Park, 1175A Soldiers Field Road, Brighton (near Charles River, across from WBZ)
FREE

It doesn't hurt to support the art buy paying ($15) at a Friday-thru-Sunday performance, but I'm hear to tell you about the free shows for 5 consecutive Thursdays. I tried to attend a production of this show a few years ago (it was r-a-i-n-e-d out), but it sounds hilarious. About 20 years ago, a 3-man troupe premiered their mash-up of 37 Shakespeare plays in slightly more than 90 minutes at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

It's happening where the Publick Theatre has performed Shakespeare on a yearly basis, but they're "on hiatus." Besides the Bard being twisted for free, there are grills at the park for anyone to make burgers or whatever...

If you have valid student ID, you can get in for free on Fridays too.

THUR 7/16 (thru SAT 7/25)

7:30pm
"The Wedding on the Eiffel Tower" (and other absurdities of Love)
at Mary O’Malley Park, Commandant’s Way, Chelsea (Waterfront)
FREE

Apollinaire's annual bilingual theatre production returns to Chelsea. I know it's not easy to get there by public transportation, but I rarely list anything over there.

Three short plays are performed Wednesday through Sunday -- in English on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays; in Spanish on Fridays and Sundays.

The program includes:

- "The Wedding on the Eiffel Tower" by Jean Cocteau
- "Jack or the Submission" by Eugene Ionesco
- "Humulus the Mute" by Jean Anouilh

All quality choices to spark an adventure on the other side of the Tobin...

THUR 7/16

Sarah Borges & The Broken Singles (11:55pm), The Dirty Truckers (10:55pm), Stonehoney (9:55pm), The Sneaks (9pm)
at TT the Bear's Place, 10 Brookline St, Cambridge (Central Sq)
$9

I've been a fan of Sarah Borges from the first few notes I heard. Beautiful voice, killer band, great songs, excellent choice of covers, and her live shows are a guaranteed good time. If you've ever thought her sound was too country for you, give the new stuff a listen -- it's still excellent without much twang.

Although The Dirty Truckers get inject some twang, these Rumble finalists are mainly going to deliver some kick-ass guitar-rock in a Petty/Stones vein. On the other hand, Stonehoney has twang coming out of their collective ears. This group is overflowing with songwriters -- including Phil Hurley from Gigolo Aunts and it's very country-rock with harmonies like Eagles for people that don't like Eagles. The practically twangless Sneaks get things started.

THUR 7/16

10pm
Micachu & The Shapes, Anni Rossi
at Great Scott, 1222 Comm Ave, Allston
$10 / 18+

Micachu & The Shapes basically play avant-garde music that happens to be catchy. With unorthodox instruments and loads of dissonance, it still comes out a little poppy. However I don't know if I'd enjoy a full live set or CD if I was sober. Anni Rossi seems relatively normal, but there's a slightly skewed vibe to her indie-pop.

THUR 7/16: Get a Free Candy Bar; Maybe Win a Prizes

Noon
"Golden Ticket Giveaway"
at TD Garden (North Station) and TD Bank Boston branches
FREE

There are various prizes, but one lucky devil will win a pair of tickets to every event at The Garden for a year. That's Bruins, Celtics, Blazers, concerts, the circus... "Snoopy on Ice"... (if it's there).

At the very least, you might get a free candy bar... There are only 19,600 chocolate bars spread between The Garden and Boston-area branches of TD Bank, and about 500 are prize winners.

IF you get a "golden ticket", you aren't automatically the grand prize winner. You are 1 of 5 finalists however. They'll announce the big winner tomorrow. [official rules]

Update: According to someone I know who works at The Garden, the candy bar crowd was estimated at 20,000!

WED 7/15: Biff Rose

10pm
An Evening with Biff Rose
at The Lily Pad, 1353 Cambridge St, Cambridge (Inman Sq)
$10 suggested donation

I haven't put enough time into becoming a Biff Rose fan, but this should be a bizarre night of melodious song and sardonically (I think) offensive lyrics. This New Orleans pianist was a cult favorite in the '60s and '70s, and Jesse Gallagher of Apollo Sunshine. There was an article in The Phoenix last week, and I was going to list it, but didn't.

I was reminded about this, so it's an addendum to let you make up your own mind. It's going to be a night that might not ever happen again in Cambridge... Audience members are encouraged to bring their own instruments too!

This is "Molly", one of his "popular" songs (in a sentimental mood):