Quick! Get your tickets for the Bret Michaels Rock of Love Afterparty at the Hard Rock tonight. Tickets are $30 and we're told "DON'T DICK AROUND" because they will sell out fast.
Escher-esque in appearance, this photo by Pixilista is an excellent example of creative perspective. Taken at the ICA, the interesting patterns and geometric shapes really take you through the photo.
Cymbals Eat Guitars may be one of those bands you just "don't get" until you see them live. Like so many fuzz-infected groups coming out of New York, it's often hard to tell who's another Sonic Youth-meets-Dinosaur Jr. knock off and who's got a unique voice based off of a few sonically-impaired tracks posted on MySpace. It's a challenge so many musicians struggle with today, and with the renaissance of feedback-encased garage rock the stakes are especially high. For many, the case of Cymbals Eat Guitars is still on "to be determined" status, but for those who caught the band members at Great Scott last night saw them deliver.
Movies Nashville (1975) might be the funniest two-and-a-half hour movie without a plot to come out of the United States until Transformers 2. Robert Altman's epic—we remember renting it on, gasp, two videocassettes—doesn't feel as long as it is. Set in the country music industry of the mid-seventies, it's a humanist satire about celebrity and Americana told through a series of dizzying scene changes. Featuring stand-out performances by the other Carradine, Karen Black, Lily Tomlin, and Jeff Goldblum, with a scene-stealing cameo by Elliot Gould that is practically worth the price of admission. Brattle Theatre, 40 Brattle St., Cambridge, 7 p.m. $9.50.
Last week, Bostonist attended The Tradition, the annual honoring of Boston’s best athletes by The Sports Museum. 2009 marked the 8th year of the fundraiser and included some of the biggest names in Boston Sports History. The event was part social event with legends like Bill Russell and Johnny Pesky meeting fans and taking pictures, and part interview session with the guests of honor. Each honoree was interviewed in a relaxed, sit down enviornment by the night’s hosts, Dale and Holley of WEEI. Troy Brown stole the show as he told a story that left the crowd laughing and coach Bill Belichick speechless.
This HDR shot comes from photographer Brian Matiash. Brian and a friend had Trinity Church all to themselves for a brief time on Saturday and came out with some excellent images.
What's Next In Tech 2009 - The Venture Capitalist Panel from Thomas Attila Lewis on Vimeo.
Apocalypse, Drinking So, what's the deal with the Large Hadron Collider? Is it going to tear a rift in the space time continuum that is going to suck the earth, its people, and their shitty jobs through a wormhole into an alternate universe where the sun only stops shining so that the clouds can rain donuts? Maybe. Find out the probable answer tonight when Skeptics in the Pub present physicist Shulamit Moed to distinguish high speed particle collision fact from high speed particle collision fiction. Tommy Doyle's, 96 Winthrop St., Cambridge, 7 p.m. Free.
Through his numerous TV appearances and books (including the recently released The Pluto Files), astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson has shared his infectious enthusiasm for discovery with worldwide audiences. Tyson's show on WGBH, Nova scienceNOW, kicks off its fourth season on Tuesday night at 9:00, and we talked to him beforehand to get his thoughts on the state of science education and space exploration.
African Dance Senegalese dancer Pape N'Diaye, headmaster of the Ndaje School of African Arts, presents a massive festival celebrating West African culture. Events include drum lessons and dance performances from musicians and dancers from Senegal, Guinea, Mali, and the United States. The festival also features vendors selling West African food. Various locations, MIT, Cambridge. More information.
For Film Friday (YAY!!) today we have a photo from rawheadrex. With fake tilt-shift all the rage in some circles we thought we'd bring you a real tilt-shift miniature shot on Kodak Portra 160NC. Excellent capture!
Movies Have you been having the sort of week that can only be improved by watching people get mowed down by machine gun fire? The Brattle Theatre has anticipated your needs. Its repertory series American Independents: The Dawn of New Hollywood opens today with Arthur Penn's Bonnie and Clyde (1967) and Sam Peckinpah's The Wild Bunch (1969). Brattle Theatre, 40 Brattle St., Cambridge. Tickets and showtimes.
Pearl in u took a great shot while shooting at the Butterfly Place in Westford. The shallow depth of field helps isolate the butterfly, and the amount of detail is considerable.
For the longest time, Team Robespierre was one of those things in the ever-crowded musicverse that this Bostonist never took the opportunity to look into. Whenever he'd look at concert listings for an impending trip to New York, their name always came up. But what were they? An underground catchphrase that only the uber-scene folks know the correct definition of and are able to use it in a sentence? A hipster kickball team that constantly put on shows in Brooklyn?
Movies Filmmaker D.L. Polonsky has the best Web site since 1996. Seriously, go look at it, especially if you like animated GIFs and palindromes, which we, for the record, do. We have no idea what his movies are like, but with titles like Midlife Cowboy (about a cowboy who attacks a computer) and A Disease Called Man, they are probably pretty insane. His showcase screens tonight. Coolidge Corner Theatre, 290 Harvard St., Brookline, 7 p.m. $5.
Today's photo by Shoothead shows what a little thinking outside the box will can do. Reflection shots are not uncommon but this one is exceptionally well done. The effect here is more of a double exposure look than a simple reflection.
Notable Progeny Femi Kuti, Fela's son, may be a little more chill than his old man, but he continues the Kuti tradition of telling it like it is in the funkiest way possible. (The Nigerian government allowed him to reopen his nightclub/community center, by the way.) Femi's live show is far more engaging than his recorded work. Performing with IYEOKA & the Rock By Funk Tribe. Paradise Rock Club, 967 Comm. Ave., 7 p.m. $25.
Molly Merrick shot today's photo at a small carnival in Chestnut Hill. We liked the way the water was lit and then spent some time trying figure out those fishes.
New England Innovation Month is drawing to a close this week with several events, among them is What's Next In Tech: Exploring the Growth Opportunities of 2009 and Beyond. #whatsnext09 will happen this Thursday at Boston University's School of Management from 6:00pm-8:30pm.
Movies The Brattle continues its Classic Gangsters series with the John Huston classic Key Largo (1948), which couldn't come with a more hard-boiled cast: Edward G. Robinson, Humhrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, and Lionel Barrymore. Screening with the Raoul Walsh's The Roaring Twenties (1939), which pairs Bogart and James Cagney as bootleggers on the make. Brattle Theatre, 40 Brattle St., Cambridge. Tickets and showtimes.
A bit of a slow week for music. The Needy Visions hit Harper’s (again!) and Children Collide are here all the way from Australia to rock the same venue on Saturday. Also, Dinosaur Jr. put out a new album and it kills.
Well, it's Monday and the answer is yes. We'd love to spend a couple of days at the beach having as much fun as Chris Seufert while he was shooting this:
Movies There really isn't that much going on tonight, which makes it the perfect time to catch Burma VJ, a documentary about the "VJs," or "video journalists," who flouted the Burmese military to cover the pro-democracy protests that swept the country in 2007. It's a look at the diffuse nature of contemporary journalism that's made all the more poignant by the recent events in Iran. Coolidge Corner Theatre, 290 Harvard St., Brookline. Tickets and showtimes.
Since Flag Day was last Sunday, it makes sense that Brookline would have a parade for it today. If by "making sense" we mean Brookline has "stopped" making sense. If it ever did. Anyway, the parade accosted us as we went about our non–Flag Day, and we paused to snap a few photos of the fun, which involved flags, bikes, and bands.
Girl in a Coma is a San Antonio–based trio who are inspired by Morrissey and have toured with Cyndi Lauper. They don't sound nearly as 80s as those influences might lead you to expect, though, incorporating more hardcore and rockabilly sounds for a unique sonic milkshake (note-shake?). The group's latest album, Trio B.C., is named for sisters Phanie and Nina Diaz's grandfather's Tejano band, and features cuts produced by Joan Jett. Nina's deep, affected voice together with Jenn Alva's bass and Phanie's drumming create a heavy yet poppy sound. Make your way to Allston on a rainy Sunday night for hot Texas tunes that will warm you up and get you moving.
John "I'm a PC" Hodgman gave a speech at the 2009 Radio and TV Correspondents' Dinner on Friday night in which he stood up for geeks the world over. Calling Obama the head of the first nerd administration ever, proud Son of Brookline Hodgman quizzed the President on canon and ended with a Vulcan salute.
Anniversaries Jon Bernhardt has been DJing the college radio show Breakfast of Champions for longer than most people who are actually in college have been alive. WMBR, MIT's station, celebrates 25 years of Bernhardt with a couple of shows featuring his favorite bands. Tonight, it's Condo Fucks (that's Yo La Tengo incognito), British hippie rocker Bevis Frond, and Sleepyhead. TT the Bear's Place, 10 Brookline St., Cambridge, 8 p.m. $25.
Roller Derby The Boston Derby Dames welcome Austin's Texacutioners from the inhuman heat of their home state in order to put the beat down on them properly. Not only do Boston and Austin rhyme, both cities have provided the location for notorious shoot-outs. They had Charles Whitman to deal with; we had the entire freaking British army. We think we know who has the upper hand in this bout. The first bout pits the Cosmonaughties against the Nutcrackers. Shriner's Auditorium, 99 Fordham Rd., Wilmington (please carpool), 5 p.m. $14/$16.
AaronBBrown took out a Panasonic DMC-LX3 and came up with a nice angle of the Hancock Tower. The roadway frames the building nicely and there is enough fog to give a nice even light to the shot.
Movies The Brattle continues its Classic Gangsters series with a pair of pre-Code classics. Little Caesar (1931), not to be confused with the Detroit pizza chain, stars Edward G. Robinson as a gangster on the make, clawing his way through the ranks even as his best friend, played by Douglas Fairbanks Jr., drifts away from crime. The Public Enemy (1931) was the Depression's answer to Law & Order, a "ripped from the headlines" thriller starring James Cagney and Edward Woods as a pair of brutal crime lords. Jean Harlow is a highlight. Brattle Theatre, 40 Brattle St., Cambridge. Tickets and showtimes.
One thing this Bostonist has learned is that ambient intros/outros/interludes are never as cool in execution as they are in concept. At their Middle East show last Thursday, Sunset Rubdown abandoned power-pop super-structures in favor of aimless sonic meanderings that left the set stagnating and without context. The saving grace was often keyboardist Camilla Ingr who, perhaps sensing the restlessness, offered comedic relief during one such breakdown: “This is the relaxation portion of our set. You can leave comments at the merch table.”
Moving from a black & white photo, charlieontheradio made good use of selective color in this shot from Swampscott. The desaturation of the background gives an aged feel to the photo and helps isolate the subject. We're really digging all the small details in the sand.
Providence rockers Deer Tick opened for Jenny Lewis at the House of Blues last week, capturing the crowd’s attention from the start by testing their mics with “Happy Birthday” and the “Dan Man” song from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. They band aired well with Lewis’ act, capturing an intensity and rawness that set the tone perfectly for sometime Rilo Kiley frontwoman Lewis.
Clear your schedule for Sunday evening, because Brooklyn trio The Antlers will make the Middle East Upstairs the only worthy destination for the night. Once a project composed of bedroom recordings by Peter Silberman while a student at NYU, the indie-rock group has taken off since Silberman received his diploma. After self-releasing Hospice earlier this year, The Antlers have experienced a wave of critical acclaim, and one that only looks to get bigger when Frenchkiss digitally re-releases the album next Tuesday.
Gentle Music Providence outfit The Low Anthem performs folksy chamber pop that is fancy enough to warrant a Nonesuch reissue of their self-released debut album. Peforming with Anais Mitchell. Brattle Theatre, 40 Brattle St., Cambridge, 8:30 p.m. $15.
shyto has our Wednesday PotD this week with an exceptionally strong black & white image. The detail in this image is amazing, you can feel the grain of the leather or the coolness of the steel just by looking at it. Composition is also solid and the image is sure to promote a reaction from the viewer.
Comedians Eugene Mirman and Kristen Schaal Interview Each Other from Thomas Attila Lewis on Vimeo.
Movies Apparently, it's been legal to get a hand job in Rhode Island massage parlors for the past 25 years. However, Rhode Island legislators might soon close the so-called "indoor prostitution" loophole, which makes Happy Endings?, a documentary about the sex workers in Providence massage parlors, especially topical. Presented by Truth Serum as a part of the Cinemental series. Brattle Theatre, 40 Brattle St., Cambridge, 9:30 p.m. $10.
When a truckful of super heroes turned the corner onto Tremont Street during this year's Boston Pride Parade, Bostonist was a little bewildered. Who were those masked men and women?
In contrast to yesterday's colorful PotD, today untitledfragment is taking us to the other side of the spectrum with this evening look at the Longfellow. The green tones are unusual and work well with the orange-brown of the sky.
As we warned yesterday, the somewhat surly singer-songwriter (sorry for the alliteration) Bill Callahan doesn't take kindly to requests. There would be no "Dress Sexy at My Funeral" last night at the Brattle, despite repeated shouts for it. (We like the song, but were mostly disappointed that Callahan never responded "I already do" to any "Dress sexy" requests. Ha! Barefoot, jeans, and button down is sexy to us, apparently. Also, Callahan's hair is getting long these days. We like it.) And an asshole "fan" who called for Callahan to hurry up his tuning—"I have to work tomorrow" is a pretty absurd thing to shout out at a Monday night concert, by the way—were greeted with "Well, you can go." (He didn't. Who would?)
Traditionally, an opera is performed with (a) an orchestra, consisting of many different instruments, and (b) tickets, for which you must pay money. Often a good, fancy-dinner-sized chunk of money. So how is OperaHub getting around that for Claudio Monetverdi's L'Incoronazione di Poppea?
Movies, Beer As we mentioned last week, the Brattle has started serving beer, and reports from the ground claim that the beer it is serving is delicious. To celebrate its newfound freedom to extract huge amounts of money from the beer guzzling hordes, the theater is screening the beer drenched zombie comedy Shaun of the Dead (2004), which was the one that Bostonist voted for in the Brattle's audience poll. Brattle Theatre, 40 Brattle St., Cambridge, 7 p.m. Tickets.
What better way to start the week than with something a little on the loud side. photographynatalia grabbed this super-saturated shot at the DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park in Lincoln. Definitely a unique artistic interpretation, and one that we love.
There's a good deal of shows going on this week, with many indie acts and hyped-up bands performing on the same night. What to do, what to do?! Passion Pit vs. Dirty Projectors on Thursday! The Antlers vs. Condo F***s vs. Patrick Wolf on Sunday! Better Than Ezra vs. nostalgia on Saturday! Who will win? You decide!
Rock and Roll Saints Bill Callahan may never be a Bowie or an Eno, but he will always be our Gary Numan. Callahan may not record as Smog (or "(Smog)") anymore, but he's still our favorite creepy baritone. Be warned: he never takes requests. We found that one out the hard way. Brattle Theatre, 40 Brattle St., Cambridge, 8:30 p.m. $20.
Bloomsday's on Tuesday, but BC celebrates it today with Bloomsday Boston 2009 featuring readings, performances, and other celebrations of James Joyce.
We couldn't stop snapping pictures at this year's Boston Pride Parade. Here's another installment. Look for gay pagans, Unitarians of all orientations, inflatable livestock, and our beloved mayor on a totemic headdress.
Warehouses We have it on good authority that the Harvard Book Store's annual warehouse sale, which began yesterday, is not completely shopped out. Find walls and walls of used and sometimes very rare books on the cheap. Harvard Book Store Warehouse, 14 Park St., Somerville, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Free.
The clouds parted and the sun rejoined New England for one afternoon, at least. It was breezy and pleasant downtown today for the 2009 Boston Pride Parade, which celebrated all things gay, from Batman and Robin to dogs, Deval Patrick to lifeguarding. Bostonist installed ourselves on Tremont Street, in a relatively unpopulated stretch of the parade route, across the street from King's Chapel, which allowed us to watch streams of tourists pass and be bewildered. "Isn't bewildering tourists what any good gay pride parade should be about?" asked a bystander. Indeed. Welcome to Massachusetts; being gay is legal here.
Artist Chris Piascik is opening a new show at Chorus Gallery in Union Square (285 Washington) tonight from 8 to 11. Chorus Gallery is part of open bicycle, a hip bike shop in the area. Piascik's work features a unique, adorable style that lifts up our cold, cold hearts. Come to the show to dig good art, and maybe even meet some fixie riders.
Dan Deacon and the Wham City crew compose the most irresistible arts community in America, consistently producing great music and art and promoting it in new and challenging ways. So it pains Bostonist to no end when he discovered the answer to the following equation last night: Experiment + ICA = Epic Fail
Pride Boston's annual Pride Parade happens today, which means that it's time to get out the feathers, leather, strollers, and parasols. (You can leave the Crocs at home this year.) It's the day when the solidarity between New England's queer communities and its straight communities is on full display. And, if the sunny afternoon forecast is to be believed, God loves gay people. Parade Route begins at Tremont Street in Back Bay and ends at Cambridge Street in the West End. Noon. More information.
Everybody's favorite just-not-that-funnyman Dane Cook was on Conan Wednesday night, and since we're days behind in everything, we only just watched the fabulous awkwardness that was Cook on Conan. Our buddy O'Brien was quite obviously disinterested in most of what Daney boy had to say, but he did his hostly best to accommodate Cook's inane stories about heading into the wrong dressing room and also having a stupid wife who doesn't understand that a "universal remote" doesn't work from anywhere in the world. Gee, it's so hilarious when women are dumb! it's even more hilarious when you've voluntarily committed yourself to one of the dumb ones!
atomicjeep has today's Film Friday shot. This Esplanade shot was taken on Fuji Superia and has great tonal qualities. The photo also has some natural vignetting which helps with the framing.What we love most about this photo however are the reflections in the foreground and the soft waves on the water.
The old rock 'n roll cliché asks, "Is it better to burn out or fade away?" Thankfully, punk knows that such trivial questions get in the way of things.
Art The Odysseus Project: Finding Home is a collection of artwork by and about veterans returning from war. The exhibition also includes an oral history and literary component; readings will take place in a couple of weeks. Tonight, check out the drawings, photographs, videos, and installations that attempt to distill the indescribable experiences of combat and violence, alienation and death. It's a chance for those of us who have only seen war from afar gain an inkling of its effects on those who waged it. Art @ 12, 12 Farnsworth ST., South Boston, 5 p.m., through June 27. Free.
historygradguy was around Arlington station when they opened the new Arlington street entrance and came up with this shot. The perspective and tones are good, and the "light at the end of the tunnel" composition is solid.
Comedian Ira Proctor takes us to Fenway from Thomas Attila Lewis on Vimeo.
Music Montreal quartet Sunset Rubdown sounds like a glam-inflected prog rock band except without all of that pesky songwriting talent or performance virtuosity. The kids love this stuff. Performing with the pleasantly folksy Elfin Saddle and the likeably melodramatic 4AD throwback band Witchies. Middle East Downstairs, 472 Mass. Ave., Cambridge, 8 p.m. $12.
It's not too early to tell you about what we think is a great show this coming weekend: They Might Be Giants are coming to the Berklee Performance Center for not one, but two shows! At 3pm on Saturday, June 13th, They Might Be Giants will perform a family oriented matinee that will include plenty of tunes from their Grammy winning Here Come the 123s.
The Brattle Theatre finally has its beer and wine license from the City of Cambridge, and it will start selling beer today. The new beer menu continues the theater's tradition of selling only independently made beverages. The menu includes Cambridge Brewing Company's Hefeweizen and Cambridge Amber Ale, both Bostonist-approved. The Brattle will celebrate its new found freedom-to-booze with a special screening, and you get to choose the movie for the event. We'll put aside our natural antipathy toward Canada and endorse Strange Brew, with the caveat that we'd actually rather re-watch Shaun of the Dead with a beer in hand.
Comedian Tyler Boeh at Fenway Park from Thomas Attila Lewis on Vimeo.
mer-made has a shot from an ongoing photography project which reminds us that life can get a little hectic at times. The apparent lack of formal composition actually lends itself well to the photo.
The gridiron at the opening of the annual Jimmy Fund Scooper Bowl was simply grueling. The conditions were bleak, with the temperature in the fifties and a slight drizzle fluttering in from every which way. Most of the competition that fills the fenced-off court in previous years was gone, leaving the pavement at Government Center slick. Despite the uneasy conditions, with potential to lose one's grip, balance, or feeling in one's extremities at every turn, those with guts of steel and gullets of gargantuan strength made it out for all the tough licks and delicious hits at the Scooper Bowl.
Some weeks, we get ambitious with our music picks. This week, we're taking a laid-back approach that matches the music of (some of) our selections.
Dancing Hipsters Toronto-based electrohipsters MSTRKRFT have remixed everybody from E-40 to Annie, adding a balls-out techno squall to any danceable rhythm. Or, in clothing terms, it can taper the fattest jeans until they only fit an art school student. Performing live on synthesizers and turntables. The Roxy, 279 Tremont St., 9 p.m. $20. More information.
joscelynb has a view of Fenway for us before tonight's Sox/Yankees matchup. With 300-esque processing the reds of the banners and bricks really stand out in this image. The repetition and angles add interest as well.
Ice Cream The annual Jimmy Fund Scooper Bowl brings ice cream and good intentions to Government Center. Ticket proceeds go to the Jimmy Fund, obviously, and several dozen flavors of ice cream to pack your mouth. You'll be the envy of every Jerry and Jane on the block. City Hall Plaza, noon to 8 p.m., through June 11.
Bill Burr will be the first comedian to perform on "The Tonight Show With Conan O'Brien" tonight! Burr, who hails from Boston and who cut his teeth on the local comedy scene will be the first to bring stand-up comedy to Conan's new set after a variety of musical performers have performed on the first week of the relaunch of "The Tonight Show".
katherineofchicago from surprisingly, Chicago, has this shot from the Riverside station on the D Line. The silhouette and lens flare definitely make this shot a keeper.
Love can change the world. Distilling years of Roman history into a single, frenzied day of dagger-brandishing and lyre-strumming, Monteverdi's L'Incoronazione di Poppea demonstrates this platitude, and also an important corollary: Love doesn't care whether the world changes for the better or the considerably worse. Poppea and Nerone are both the latter.
"Our songs are all autobiographical," quipped Gogol Bordello frontman Eugene Hütz during a short break in the band's set Friday night at House of Blues. Hütz may have been referring to his lyrics - punk poetry preaching to the immigrant experience - but the group's unique sound is more fitting than anything else. From Hütz's singing style rife with Eastern European accentuations right down to the band's caustic mix of gypsy folk-meets-anthemic punk, Gogol Bordello are representative of many an emigration tale most Americans grow up learning. The fusion of old world Europe and new world US of A is more distinct and striking in Gogol than any other "punk-meets-(insert "old world" cultural musical tradition here)" on the market today. Considering celebratory, all-out dancing goes hand-in-hand with Ukrainian and Balkan-based folk, it's no wonder Gogol Bordello's live set tended to veer a bit away from the stylistically conservative three-chord punk of the group's peers and create an engaging and exuberant set.
Bravo's had a rough time recently: the complete FAIL that is The Fashion Show and far too much Real Housewives of Wherever made us wonder how the network that brought us The Rachel Zoe Project, Project Runway, and perennial favorite Top Chef could fall so low, so fast. Things (maybe) change this week! Make sure to catch the premiere of Bostonist favorite, Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D List tonight at 10 PM. Stay tuned for our Top Chef Masters rundown on Wednesday.
South African Rock BLK JKS is a band from Johannesburg, but you might not guess it from their music, which has more in common with Japanese psychedelia than it does with Ladysmith Black Mambazo. But, in fact, BLK JKS is the tip of a sprawling South African rock iceberg that could sink even the most stalwart unwary; it's the unassuming plastic top of a paper shredder that uses rock music instead of gears and shreds minds instead of paper. Performing with the So So Glos and Viva Viva. TT the Bear's Place, 10 Brookline St., Cambridge, 9 p.m. $10.
Monday, June 8, 7:00 pm, Porter Square Books Frances Osborne, The Bolter
Grizzly Bear played live at Berklee Performance Center last Wednesday, and Bostonist was on hand to catch the action. It's taken us this long to recover from the greatness that was a quartet featuring beautiful voices in harmony eerily lit on a halfdark stage.
The HFA screens Labyrinth of Passion (1982), which has little in common with David Bowie's Labyrinth aside from the eye make-up. Almodóvar weds Hitchcockian suspense with elements of the screwball comedy and the pansexual sex romp. Harvard Film Archive, Carpenter Center, 24 Quincy St., Cambridge, 7 p.m. $8/$6.
When did the Lemonheads write a song called “Big Gay Heart” and why was this Bostonist never informed? Hearing Evan Dando sing “I don't need you to suck my dick or to help me feel good about myself” to thousands of families lounging along the Charles at EarthFest last Saturday gave us the same awkward trying-to-crawl-out-of-my-skin feeling that most Ben Stiller films evoke. Luckily for the families, most of them were hardly paying attention. On the packed Hatch shell lawn, just upwards of sixty people stood near guardrail, actually watching the band.
A new show opens at the Nave Gallery in Somerville this afternoon. From 3-5 p.m. check out Surprise the Tender Alphabet: Image Meets Text, a show curated by Ann Forbush and Jenny Lawton Grassl. The exhibit incorporates many different media, from printmaking to performance art; the featured artists demonstate the common thread of using text or language in their work. As the show description says, "Our 'alphabet' takes many forms, from intimate handwriting scrawled in a diary to disintegrating messages found on the street; allowing the fusion of words and images to seduce, comfort or incite." See what you can decipher this afternoon, or later—the show runs through June 26.
Malian Rock Amadou and Mariam are a pair of blind pop stars from Mali who fuse traditional Malian music with sounds from throughout the African diaspora and beyond to create an idiosyncratic fusion music. Living in North Carolina these days, their tunes can still be heard on dancefloors from Berlin to Bamako. Performing with Club d'Elf and Anjulie. Paradise Rock Club, 967 Comm. Ave., 8 p.m. $30.
atomicjeep took this shot along the Charles. It's a great Film Friday throwback taken on Fuji Superia. The tranquility of the scene is pleasing, and it certainly makes us want to skip out on work and go relax by the water.
This Bostonist can still recall a time, years ago, when he grabbed a couple of tickets to a taping of the Last Call with Carson Daly (don't judge) just to see TV On The Radio. The two-song set by the fiery and still-blooming Brooklyn quintet was forever burned into Bostonist's memory and made the embarrassment of having to watch Daly blather on for half an hour more than worth it. Since that day in April 2004, this Bostonist saw nothing but a bright future for TV On The Radio; while he pushed songs from Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes onto his friends for a solid year, hoping that one day the band would get its proper due. Thankfully, that day came, and those at the House of Blues last evening were all a part of it.
Movies Bostonist is a big fan of cross dressing and all things Billy Wilder, which puts Some Like it Hot (1959) among our favorite things. Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis evade the mob by passing as women in an all-female band that, coincidentally, also includes Marilyn Monroe. The trailer promises that "you've never laughed more at sex, or a picture about it," so there's that. Brattle Theatre, 40 Brattle St., Cambridge. Tickets and showtimes.
Will Cady has posted a review of Phish's recent show at Fenway. The heaviness of the music took him away from it all, making him dance and even "stop worrying about the OD’d guy I saw on the ground on my way in" (eek, let's hope that dude was okay). Trey and company came out of the Sox dugout singing the “Star Spangled Banner” and "played the audience like an instrument," commanding the attention of Phishheads parkwide. Phish fans who missed the show or want to remember it forever can download the concert online. Anyone else make it to the show and have a review?
Contributor nathantia joined other members of the flickr Boston, Massachusetts group for a night shoot from Piers Park. Although there are many great shots from that meetup, this one stands out for us. The fog encompassing the city, the golden colors, the composition, and the softness of the water all add upon each other to complete an excellent photo.
Quick! You have less than two weeks to sign up and start stretching your vocal cords for the American Idol Auditions in Boston! Whether you want to be the next Kris Allen, or would prefer to be an eminently lovable runner-up like Adam Lambert, it's high time to get your voice in shape. Registration takes place June 12 and 13, and the Boston American Idol auditions will be held on Sunday, June 14. Best of luck to all the aspiring Kellys and Justins out there.
Southern Rock Athens, Georgia band Dark Meat follows in the fine refried, southern psychedelic tradition of the Allman Brothers and the Butthole Surfers, with saxophones added for good measure. Performing with Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band and Mighty Tiny. Middle East Upstairs, 472 Mass. Ave., Cambridge, 8 p.m. $10
Though The Brother Kite hails from the tiny state of Rhode Island, the band filled the Middle East Upstairs on Monday night with a big sound characterized by guitars, reverb, tambourine, drums, and the haunting voice of lead singer Patrick Boutwell. The band consists of Mark Howard on guitar, keyboard, and vocals; Matt Rozzero on drums and sampler; Andrea Downs on bass guitar; Jon Downs on guitar and vocals; and the aforementioned Boutwell on guitar and lead vocals. Though the band has a heavy guitar presence, plenty of other instruments balance them out, imbuing the songs with a sound that's both exuberant and sorrowful.
The.D80.Project makes great use of lighting and color in today's PotD. But the solid reflections are what really sell the photo.
This week we have Death Vessel and Grizzly Bear playing the same night on opposite ends of town, TV on the Radio at the House of Blues and the Needy Visions, the must-see power-pop band of the moment, playing at Great Scott. It's going to be a good week.
In contrast to yesterday's vibrant PotD, today's photo by ilumnight is a simple but well done photo. The tower, and scene, seem straight out of an old King Arthur movie, and the blue gradient covers a great range of hues.
Synthy Throwback Music Extrapolating from the results of our flagrantly unscientific survey, Telepathe's Brooklynite synthpop is likely to please vinyl-hoarding curmudgeons and feckless, Freezepop-consuming youth alike. Bostonist does not know how the pronounce their name or whether their album title, Dance Mother, is meant as a compound noun or a command. Middle East Upstairs, 472 Mass. Ave., Cambridge, 8 pm. $10.
If someone at Bostonist isn't rooting for our boy, Conan. Andy Richter is back. Max Weinberg moved to the Left Coast. Fingers are crossed that the masturbating bear hitched a ride...
Monday, June 1, 7:00 pm, Brookline Booksmith Dr. Nick Trout, Tell me Where It Hurts Monday, June 1st 7:00 PM, Harvard Book Store *Rita Dove, Sonata Mulattica: Poems
We're big Conan O'Brien fans over here: ever since Late Night ended, we've drifted, helpless and alone, searching for meaning and tasteless jokes. Luckily for us, O'Brien's back tonight with his sparkly new take on The Tonight Show!
Dave Eggers was joined by John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph last night at the Coolidge Corner Theatre for an advance screening of Away We Go, presented by Eggers' tutoring center 826 Boston. The movie, which opens June 12, stars Newton native Krasinski (Jim from The Office) and Rudolph, who is also currently filming Grown Ups in town along with Adam Sandler, Kevin James, and Chris Rock. Anyone have exciting celebrity encounters as a result of this event or Grown Ups?
Follow along with Bostonist as we watch the first "Tonight Show" with Conan O'Brien. We'll offer our blow-by-blow, smirk-to-laugh take as the Brookline native moves to L.A. and replaces Andover's Jay Leno in the 11:30 slot. Will Conan hit a home run or fall flat as Globe commenters expect? Scheduled guests are Will Ferrell and Pearl Jam.
iMatthew has an abstract shot for today, a closeup of some exceptionally colorful marbles. The colors and patterns are both fun and interesting, and the focus is spot on. A great macro shot.
We wondered for a bit whether the Brooklyn born Neil Diamond had a problem with the fact that "Sweet Caroline" now has a permanent place in the Boston scene. But when Diamond performed at Fenway Park last year, playing the song three times over the course of the evening, we figured that he'd finally accepted his honorary Bostonian status.
These days, filmmakers are testing out new and exciting ways to draw viewers into their narratives. Take the recent insurgence of 3D films. But where some grumble at the enhanced technology forcing viewers out of the movie, the folks behind Split/Signal decided to try an ear-popping way of marrying audiences with screened images. On Saturday night, The Center for Arts at the Armory played host to eight teams of filmmakers and musical acts, each group meticulously merging sound and picture, celluloid (or, in this case, digital) frame for musical note.
Pictures of Rock It's a nostalgia trip for Boston old-timers as photographer, locavore (and erstwhile Bostonist contributor) JJ Gonson displays her rock photos from the late 80s and early nineties. Tonight's opening features a DJ and a surprise guest. Flannel encouraged but not required. ZuZu, 474 Mass. Ave., Cambridge, 8 p.m. Free.
It's time for cyclists and pedestrians to take back the streets.
[more]
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Photo of the Day, November 24, 2009: Hook, Line, and Sinker
Photo of the Day, November 25, 2009: Boston as seen from the harbor
Cheap Eats: Burtons Grill
Sports Redux: Nobody Puts Bergey In the Corner
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