Cheap Thrills: 12/28 to 1/4

Wow, it's another year. Good luck to everyone out there, and remember: If you're going somewhere with a cover charge on N.Y.E., they're basically inviting you to bring a flask with you...

I read an article about a guy who has a blog about cheap meals in Manhattan, and he made $1,000 in ad revenue last month. I thought, "WTF?!" I'm going to update my blog regularly (with more of the email's descriptions), post other 'cheap' notes on here, and look into putting up some ads...

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FRI 12/28
* The Killer Abs, Pony, The Big Disappointments,The Big, Big Bucks
* Viceversah, Elemental Zazen, Dominik Omega & Rev. Trxx
* Union Square Round Table

SAT 12/29
* "All Together Now"
* The World's Greatest Sinners, Downbeat 5, The Self Righteous Brothers

SUN 12/30
* "A Night of Duets"
* Seneca, Constants, Caspian, The Cancer Conspiracy, Goes Cube

MON 12/31
* The Konks, The Coffin Lids, The Tampoffs, The Throwaways
* Lyres, Prime Movers, Two Saints, The Boize*
* No Cover, No Commitment, No Problem @ Kings
* Tim Gearan Band, Allen Devine Trio

TUES 1/1
* Marx Brothers Marathon
* O2 Yoga: Open Studio

WED 1/2
* Viva La Revel-UKE-tion!
* The Naked Comedy Showcase

THUR 1/3
* Bitches Brew
* Indie Short Film Night
* Elvis Birthday Bash

FRI 1/4
* Hallelujah the Hills, Faces On Film, Reports

SAT 1/5
* Python-A-Thon

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FRI 12/28

10pm
The Killer Abs, Pony, The Big Disappointments, The Big Big Bucks
at The Midway Cafe, 3496 Washington St, Jamaica Plain
$8


FRI 12/28

9pm
Viceversah (11:30pm), Elemental Zazen (10:30pm), Dominik Omega & Rev. Trxx (9:30pm)
at Lizard Lounge/Cambridge Common, 1667 Mass Ave, Cambridge (between
Harvard Sq & Porter Sq)
$8 advance / $10 door / 21+


FRI 12/28

9pm
Union Square Round Table
at PA's Lounge, 345 Somerville Ave, Somerville (Union Sq)
$8 -- 21+ / $11 -- 18+

Tonight's theme is Astrology. As a Capricorn, I'd like to tell you that people shouldn't believe in it, but there's plenty of material for 2 hours of comedy/spoken word, video, and music.

Regulars Ben Dryer, Nick Branigan, Steven Derocher, Keira Horowitz, and Eugene Mirman will perform as well as Yoni Gordon, Caitlin Roy, Marian Didio, and comedian/former SNL writer Leo Allen.

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SAT 12/29

9:30pm
"All Together Now"
Feat: OMG Michelle, Kingdom, Lone Wolf, Ian Michael Jackson & Brown Bear, E-Marce, Etan + Die Young
at Great Scott, 1222 Comm Ave, Allston
$5 / 21+

Many DJ's from other dance nights (and more) converge for awesome booty-shaking scenario.


SAT 12/29

9pm
The World's Greatest Sinners, Downbeat 5, The Self Righteous Brothers
at Church, 69 Kilmarnock St, Boston (The Fens)
$10 / 21+

The World's Greatest Sinners are a fantastic bunch of local soul revivalists. You may not know many of the songs they breathe new life into, but they sound brand-spankin'-new in the hands (and horns) this snappy-dressing band. You hear the influence of soul music in the Downbeat 5, and it's blended with garage/punk to create one of the best bands in town. Brett Milano described the Self Righteous Brothers as an "avant-garde garage band with a sense of humor." The music are filled with bursts of really cool musical ideas put together in unexpected ways.

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SUN 12/30

5th Annual Last Night on Earth
Feat: Seneca, Constants, Caspian, The Cancer Conspiracy, Goes Cube
at Middle East - Upstairs, 472 Mass Ave, Cambridge (Central Sq)
$10 / 18+


SUN 12/30

9:00 PM
A Night of Duets
at Milky Way Lounge, 403 Centre Street, Jamaica Plain
$7 / 21+

It's impossible to recommend this musical experiment, except you could be pleasantly surprised to hear what different pairs of local musicians might create. The plan was born on a discussion board (Lemmingtrail). People agreed to be randomly paired, and they were given about a month's notice. As most musicians are flakey, this probably means one or two rehearsals. Some could be wonderful; I expect a few trainwrecks, but that can be entertaining.

This is going to be a benefit for 826 Boston, which supports young writers (6 to 18), so consider the cover a charitable donation instead of feeling ripped off if everyone sucks.

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MON 12/31

9pm
The Konks, The Coffin Lids, The Tampoffs, The Throwaways
at Abbey Lounge, 3 Beacon St, Somerville (Inman Sq)
$10

No one expects anything fancy at the Abbey. This might be one of the best places to avoid anything close to Ryan Seacrest or Miley Cyrus. Four different approaches on garage-rock might be your perfect soundtrack to create the first hangover of the new year. Don't forget that Miller High Life is the 'champagne of beers'.


MON 12/31

9pm
Lyres, Prime Movers, Two Saints, The Boize
at The Midway Cafe, 3496 Washington Street, Jamaica Plain
$10

It's similar to the Abbey Lounge show but on the other side of the map, but slightly time-warped. As I can tell, the newest band on the bill might be Two Saints who played in the '89 Rock & Roll Rumble. The Lyres and The Prime Movers are two of my favorites bands, and I would go to almost any show just to see either of them. Jeff ‘ MonoMan’ Conolly of The Lyres is like the ‘energizer bunny’ of Boston garage rock -- they both wear sunglasses and have way too much energy. The Prime Movers rock and move like a new band from a place where bands like The Kinks, The Who, Cheap Trick, Teenage Fanclub, and Guided By Voices co-exist in harmony. I saw a flyer where Blondie opened for The Boize, and supposedly Pete Townshend was a fan of their power-pop.


MON 12/31

8pm
No Cover, No Commitment, No Problem
at Kings Bowl, 10 Scotia St, Boston (Back Bay)
FREE / 21+

After an exhaustive yet also half-hearted search for the cheapest NYE party in Boston Proper, Kings is the winner. Covers band Thick Richard will probably play all the songs you'd expect a band to play.


MON 12/31

Tim Gearan Band (11pm), Allen Devine Trio (8pm)
at Toad, 1912 Mass Ave, Cambridge (Porter Sq)
FREE

I heard that Christopher's next door will be serving food until midnight...

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TUES 1/1

Noon to 10pm
Marx Brothers Marathon
at Brattle Theatre, 40 Brattle St, Cambridge (Harvard Sq)
$7.50 / $6 seniors/children under 12 (All-day Pass $25 / $20)

This may be a new annual New Year's Day; the Marx Brothers Marathon screens for the 2nd year in a row.
Today's program: 'Animal Crackers', 'Duck Soup', 'Horse Feathers', 'A Night At The Opera'


TUES 1/1

9:30am, 11am, 12:30pm
Yoga Open Studio
at O2 Yoga Studio, 121 E Berkeley 2nd Fl, Boston (South End)
FREE

Did you make any resolutions? You could try a free yoga class, if you wake up early enough, because I don't recommend trying this if you've stayed up all night. There are 3 classes: 9:30am - Intermediate, 11am - Power, 12:30pm - Basics

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WED 1/2

8pm
Viva La Revel-UKE-tion!
Feat: The East Boston Make-Out Club Band, Ian Schwartz, Sweet Soubrette, Ed White
at Club Passim, 47 Palmer St, Cambridge (Harvard Sq)
$10

It's time to embrace the ukulele, but don't squeeze too hard or you might crush it. Musicians young and old are finding the guitar much too cumbersome to carry to gigs and are rocking/popping/folking/etc with its wee cousin. Even British school kids are ditching recorders for ukulele -- probably writing songs like 'Ukulele in the UK'.

The star of this show is The East Boston Make-Out Club Band. Their songs are lovely and hilarious, and none of the humor sounds forced. I saw EBMOCB along with Ian Schwartz last week, and Britney's "Baby One More Time" sounded better than ever; but that may be true about any cover of her songs. They're joined by Brooklyn's Sweet Soubrette and Ed White, the "Ukulele King of The Cantab"...


WED 1/2

10pm
The Naked Comedy Showcase
at ImprovBoston, 1253 Cambridge St, Cambridge (Inman Sq)
$10

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THUR 1/3

10pm
Bitches Brew
at Alchemist Lounge, 435 South Huntington Ave, Jamaica Plain
FREE


THUR 1/3

6pm to 9pm
Elvis Birthday Bash
at Hard Rock Cafe, 22 Clinton St, Boston (near Faneuil Hall)
FREE

It's a few days before the King's birthday, but if you're jonesing for a fried banana & peanut butter sandwich, you should find it here. Elvis impersonator Steve Connolly is supposedly performing, but he might not want to divert attention from his subsequent show at the Cutler Majestic. Hopefully the service will be better than at Dick's Last Resort next week...


THUR 1/3

9:30pm to 11:30pm
Indie Short Film Night
at Coolidge Corner Theatre, 290 Harvard St, Brookline
$5

I guess it was snowing on 12/13, because this was postponed.

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FRI 1/4

9:30pm
Hallelujah the Hills, Faces On Film, Reports, DJ Patrick Grenham
at Middle East - Upstairs, 472 Mass Ave, Cambridge (Central Sq)
$9 advance / $10 day of show / 18+

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SAT 1/5

3:30pm to 11:30pm
Python-A-Thon
at Brattle Theatre, 40 Brattle St, Cambridge (Harvard Sq)
$7.50 / $6 seniors/children under 12 (All-day Pass $25 / $20)

'And Now For Something Completely Different', 'Monty Python's Life Of Brian', 'Monty Python And The Holy Grail', 'Monty Python And The Meaning Of Life'

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Cheap Museum of the Week (Month):

Everyday in January

9am to 4pm
Admission for MA Residents
at Old State House Museum, 206 Washington St , Boston
Free

If you're strolling downtown with your MA identification, you can go into the Old State House for free -- the historical museum, not the T station. It's a great to see the exterior standing among the modern buldings, but I wouldn't want to pay $5 to go inside.

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Link of the Week:

The Boston Globe sent 12 questions to the major Democratic & Republican candidates, and I thought it was interesting -- if just to demonstrate that Romney is a jerk who'd be worse than Bush 43. Something to forward your friends in early Primary states...

(Giuliani, Huckabee, & Thompson declined to answer any of the questions.)

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Quotes of the Week:

"For last year's words belong to last year's language
And next year's words await another voice.
And to make an end is to make a beginning."

-- T.S. Eliot


"Appropriate standard cliches of the season to you and yours, assuming that you have some, though it's not a value judgment if you don't."

-- Anonymous