Thursday Calendar

From the Good-Times, Bad-Judgement Department: I accepted an invitation to sample the new Jameson's Black Barrel. Holy moley, this is good stuff! If you thought the regular Jameson's was smooth, wait until you try Black Barrel. (More on that in another post.)

I do believe I'll get my act together tonight and post the weekend cheapness, especially HonkFest -- the best cheap thrill of the year in my book.

There is plenty of good times to be had tonight like watching dodgeball on trampolines in Hyde Park...

If I were going out tonight, I'd probably head to Will Dailey's October Residency kickoff at Precinct (print out the coupon for discounted cover charge). Will is awesome, and there's going to be a load of opening acts who'll hit the stage on a "first-come first-serve open mic style". I also heard a rumor that people going tonight will get a discount coupon for next week's gig...

WED 10/3: Film, Talk, Comedy, Music, Trivia

As it often happens, I begin to wax about one event and give short shrift to others. For the record, blurb length does not necessarily indicate differences in my excitement level.

--------------------------------------------

WED 10/3 (and THUR 10/4)

Various Times
Manhattan Short Film Festival
at Coolidge Corner Theatre, 290 Harvard St, Brookline
$9.25 / $6.25 child, senior

Wednesday -- 11:40am, 2:10pm, 9:30pm
Thursday -- 11:40am, 2:10pm, 6:45pm, 9:30pm

The cool thing about the MSFF is that audiences in Brookline and elsewhere vote for their favorite of the 10 shorts. Based on the numbers, your influence is much greater than the upcoming presidential election.

WED 10/3

5pm
Rock Shop #20: "Show Booking & Promotion"
at O'Brien's, 3 Harvard St, Allston
FREE / 21+

Feat: Jackie Indrisano (Cafe 939), Jim Healey (O'Brien's), Ned Wellbery (Middle East Upstairs)

I wish Rock Shop when I was playing in bands. There is a lot of information on the web, but it's not the same as getting tips from Boston music pros that are especially pertinent to what's happening around here.

You might hear things you already know, but you'll definitely hear something you don't. You may think you know how to get a gig, but you don't know more than a panel of seasoned bookers.

Like the monthly Rock 'n' Roll Social, it's a good place to network with other performers.

WED 10/3

6pm
"Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry": Screening & Discussion
at Tsai Auditorium, CGIS South, 1730 Cambridge St, Cambridge (Harvard campus)
FREE

On face value, the story of Chinese artist Ai Weiwei is a great example of China's growing pains when they realize that economic freedom may instigate citizens to think as well as buy & spend freely.

He was one of the co-designers of the 2008 Olympics' Bird's Nest stadium, yet he's also criticized the whole spectacle. He has refuse to stop speaking his mind and tweaking the establishment, so he gets punished which increases his acclaim.

A panel discussion follows the film with director Alison Klayman, Rebecca Cohen (Harvard Law), and Benny Shaffer (Anthropology grad student with a Chinese emphasis).

WED 10/3

6:30pm to 8:30pm
"Syria: The Struggle for Justice and Freedom": Lectures
at American Islamic Congress, 38 Newbury St #702, Boston (Back Bay)
FREE

Feat: Ousama Nassar, Yaman Al Qadri

The conflict in Syria (revolution? civil war?) is a major news story that han't gripped the average US citizen in relation to its global importance. Maybe hearing two personal stories -- one from Syria via Skype -- can bring some perspective.

WED 10/3

7pm to 9pm
Science in the News: "How Evolution Generates 'Endless Forms, Most Beautiful'”
at Armenise Ampitheatre, 200 Longwood Ave, Boston (Harvard Medical School / Longwood)
FREE

Three Harvard grad students will attempt to illuminate the theory of evolution. As usual with the Science in the News series, they break down the subject with some background, the general state of the topic, then an update so the audience doesn't have to be a biologist to understand the material.

WED 10/3

7pm
"Wiretap Wednesday": Open Stage
at Arts at the Armory Cafe, 191 Highland Ave, Somerville (Spring Hill)
FREE

7pm -- Sign up / social time.
7:30pm -- Open stage begins
8:30pm -- Feature performer: Captain Easychord
9pm to 9:30pm -- Open stage resumes

Performers (up to 20 per night) are invited to sign up and share their best short work (5 minutes or shorter including setup) and be a live-streamed (and archived) Internet star.

Goota love the reasonable limitations:

Nothing illegal, no nudity, no fluids. It's an all-ages venue, so please keep that in mind.

Everything else that's potentially entertaining is in play, folks.

Each month will also include a featured artist playing a 25-minute set. Gotta love a featured performer named Captain Easychord -- no fancy jazz voicings, just stories in song.

WED 10/3

7:30pm
The Horse's Mouth: "Everything is Weird"
at Middlesex Lounge, 315 Mass Ave, Cambridge (Central Sq)
Donations Welcome

Feat: Lillian DeVane, Ryan Douglass, Ethan Marsh, Chris Braiotta, Raj Sivaraman, more

10pm
Quilt, Zoo
at Middlesex Lounge, 315 Mass Ave, Cambridge (Central Sq)
$3 / 21+

Go early for some laughs or later for the trippy tunes presented by pRIMORDIAL sOUNDS whether it's Quilt's hometown folky psych rock or Zoo from SF that look weird with banjo and a cello worn like a guitar that don't seem to conform to conventions of any type.

WED 10/3

8pm
"Undressed: Fashion Burlesque"
at The Beehive, 541 Tremont St, Boston (South End)
FREE

Feat: Calamity Chang, Medianoche, Bettina May, music by Aabaraki

Yes, it's true. People have been strutting around town more than usual, because it's Boston Fashion Week. There are a lot of fashion shows, etc. Most of them cost more than $10 and/or they bore me.

At least this event has burlesque women from NYC and Canada as well as live Brooklyn funk-soul.

WED 10/3

9pm
"Champion Of Champions": Pub Trivia
at Middle East - Corner, 480 Mass Ave, Cambridge (Central Sq)
FREE

This is another recurring night of fun that I haven't personally enjoyed yet seems like a good bet. Experienced the 'interactive trivia' fun (Combining elements that are reminiscent of Dicecapades and Cranium?) and see how you may have been playing at the wrong trivia nights.

WED 10/3

10pm
Members of Morphine & Jeremy Lyons
at Atwoods Tavern, 877 Cambridge St, Cambridge (near Inman & Kendall Sq)
FREE

Sax-man Dana Colley and drummer Jerome Deupree revive the "low-rock" sound they pioneered in Morphine with New Orleans blues-guitar ex-pat Jeremy Lyons. It's not like seeing Mark Sandman, but it's still pretty damn good especially whenever Dana Colley is doing his thing.

TUES 10/2: Film, Games, Art, Talk, Music

Yes, I give everyone permission to have a good time on a Tuesday night.

--------------------------------------------

TUES 10/2 (thru THUR 10/4)

Various Times
Manhattan Short Film Festival
at Coolidge Corner Theatre, 290 Harvard St, Brookline
$9.25 / $6.25 child, senior

Tuesday -- 2:10pm, 6:45pm, 9:30pm
Wednesday -- 11:40am, 2:10pm, 9:30pm
Thursday -- 11:40am, 2:10pm, 6:45pm, 9:30pm

The cool thing about the MSFF is that audiences in Brookline and elsewhere vote for their favorite of the 10 shorts. Based on the numbers, your influence is much greater than the upcoming presidential election.

TUES 10/2

5pm
"Game Over": A Night by Gamers for Gamers
at Good Life, 28 Kingston St, Boston (Downtown Crossing)
FREE / 18+

Whatever your game may be (board, cards, electronic), you'll probably find it and some people to play with you. You'd probably find some takers for something you bring from home...

Tonight won't be my night, but soon! The photos must be a good indicator that plenty of people are showing up. And the Metro gave them a good write-up when they went to a weekly schedule recently.

TUES 10/2

6pm to 8pm
"Sting! XIII: Indoor, Outdoor...": Evening of Art, Music and Performance
at The Beehive, 541 Tremont St, Boston (South End)
FREE

Feat: Candice Smith Corby, Lori Nix, Rene Holm, Shay Kun, Jeff Perrott, Brad Phillips, Ryan Schneider, Craig Taylor, Joe Wardwell, Doug Weathersby, Nabila Santa-Cristo

The "Sting!" events have occurred on different dates over the years, but today is actually Sting's birthday.

Celebrate with art and jazzy funk from the Bruce Bartlett Trio. It's probably too much to ask for a Police cover...

TUES 10/2

6pm to 7:30pm
Soap Box Series: "Risky Politics (Climate and Conflict, Part 1)"
at MIT Museum, 265 Mass Ave, Cambridge (near Central Sq)
FREE

MIT Professor John Sterman gets on the soapbox to discuss climate change even though we won't hear it at all during tomorrow's debate.

TUES 10/2

6pm
Dennis Lehane, "Live By Night": Reading
at Coolidge Corner Theatre, 290 Harvard St, Brookline
$5

Tickets available through Brookline Booksmith.

I'm not sure I'd pay $5 to hear Dennis Lehane read from his new novel, but I'm not a super-fan.

TUES 10/2

6pm to 8pm
"City of Mirages: Baghdad, 1952–1982": Reception
at BSA Space, Suite 200, 290 Congress St, Boston (near South Station/Fort Point)
FREE

Yes, there was a time in the recent past when Iraq was prospering Western-friendly (enough) society with big-time architects designing buildings.

TUES 10/2 (and TUES 10/9)

7:30pm
Jocie Adams
at Toad, 1912 Mass Ave, Cambridge (Porter Sq)
FREE

Fans of the Low Anthem will probably pack the sardine-can-sized room to hear multi-instrumentalist Jocie Adams do her own thing, but you can try to get there early...

TUES 10/2

9pm
Scott Damgaard & The E.A.R., Stained Glass Eye, William Topley
at Lizard Lounge/Cambridge Common, 1667 Mass Ave, Cambridge (between Harvard Sq & Porter Sq)
$5

I've usually seen Scott Damgaard entertaining folks with cover songs in the downtown area. He does a good job, so his original stuff hopefully doesn't suck with his 2 groups -- The Electrified Acoustic Rockers and Stained Glass Eye -- although the names don't give me a good feeling...

When I saw Feasting With Panthers listed as a 'William Topley Tribute Band', I had to investigate and it's the actual folk-rocking Brit himself.

TUES 10/2

9:30pm
White Arrows, Family of the Year, New Cassettes
at Great Scott, 1222 Comm Ave, Allston
$10 / 18+

The most interesting thing I read about White Arrows is that the singer was blind as a kid (take that with a grain of salt), but their dancey/punky indie-pop is still pretty good.

I personally enjoy the lush indie/folk-rock from Family of the Year with no bias from reading that a couple guys in the band are originally from around here.

The 2 LA bands are joined by British rockers New Cassettes who sonically must feel quite at home in Brooklyn. And anyone of these guys could end up playing on Conan's show in the next 6 months.

MON 10/1: Talk & Rock

Ah, well, it's one of those days that leans heavily on Cambridge. I promise the rest of town -- including Boston proper -- is represented as the week goes on. The calendar will be updated tonight.

Oh, I meant to include the Manhattan Short Film Festival that's playing at the Coolidge Corner Theatre today through THUR 10/4...

-------------------------------

MON 10/1

7pm
Jill Lepore, "The Story of America: Essays on Origins": Discussion
at Harvard Book Store, 1256 Mass Ave, Cambridge (Harvard Sq)
FREE

Of course you would expect to a Harvard history professor to know her stuff. I find the articles and book excerpts to be so well-written, and she has an eye for interesting topics for the lay person (like American origin stories).

MON 10/1

7pm
Science & Cooking Lecture Series
at Science Center, Hall C, 1 Oxford St, Cambridge (Harvard campus)
FREE

Feat: Fina Puigdevall & Pere Planagumà (Les Cols), Paco Perez (Miramar)

For the past few years, the great culinary minds of the world have shown up to speak to the students of the Science & Cooking course. It's difficult to say how much room is available for the general public, but we're invited to listen as well.

From what I can tell, tonight's Spanish chefs are on the forefront of locavorism and modern gastronomy at their respective restaurants.

MON 10/1

8:30pm
Skimask, Casanovas in Heat, No Sir I Won't, Beach Cops
at TT the Bear's Place, 10 Brookline St, Cambridge (Central Sq)
$5 to $10 Sliding Scale / 18+

9pm
Weak Teeth, Natural Disasters, Luther, Choke Up, Luau
at Charlie's Kitchen, 10 Eliot St, Cambridge (Harvard Sq)
$5 / 21+

Well, it's tough to pick between these two shows that are both jam-packed with young, noisy punk.

The TT's gig is also a release party for the October issue of Boston Counter Cultural Compass, if you want to handle the paper. Admission is on a sliding scale of what you can afford from $5 to $10, which is cool.

If you're into hearing bands from out of town, there'll be groups visiting from Kalamazoo, Philadelphia, and Providence at Charlie's.

For what it's worth, I probably spent more time listening to Casanovas in Heat than any of the others...

SUN 9/30: Sunday Night Off-Topic Video

I saw Les 7 Doigts de la Main when they were in Boston last year with their show based on various mental conditions, and it was awesome. I enjoyed the thematic acrobatics without the affected whimsy of another famous Canadian cirque...

If you want to splurge for something over $10, there are 5 more shows of the current program "Sequence 8" from TUES 10/4 to FRI 10/7 at the Cutler Majestic Theatre.