THUR 5/1: May Day Cheapness

Happy May Day!

I forgot to put "Beer Club" in my crappy collage, but you can forgive me, right? A "Sneak Peek" should be up before the end of the day...

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THUR 5/1

4pm
May Day Rally & March
at the Boston Common Bandstand
FREE

Various speakers will touch on labor and immigration issues, and there will be some entertainment including the first US appearance of Bolivian folk-singer Manuel "Papirri" Monroy. I don't know Papirri, but they say it's his first visit to America.

A march to Copley Sq will leave around 5:30pm. More info on the website.

THUR 5/1

Grigory Goryachev
at St. Botolph Hall, 241 St. Botolph St, Boston (New England Conservatory/Fenway)
FREE

When I saw this guy play, I turned to my friend who plays classical guitar, and he said something like "This guy's good." And I agreed; Grigory is a pretty awesome flamenco guitarist. He doesn't seem like he's arrogant, even though he was admitted special admission into the U.S. because of his "extraordinary talent" (or something like that.

THUR 5/1

10pm
M.G. Lederman, Reid Paley
at Plough & Stars, 912 Mass. Ave, Cambridge (Central Sq)
$5

So many critics wax how Reid Paley is underrated, undiscovered talent -- but it's actually true. He's an immensely talented singer-guitarist-songwriter. When you listen to that subtly swinging rock and his deep bellow, it's easy to tell something special is afoot. This is the "real thing", but it doesn't comfortably fit in any category to reach the masses. Someone wrote: "Think: Screamin' Jay, Sam Beckett, and a seemingly limitless capacity for laughing in the face of life's unrelenting ugliness." (Personally I think of Nick Cave instead of Screaming Jay Hawkins.) Reid used to live in Boston and is a friend/collaborator of Frank Black, so it could be an interesting crowd.

Mel Lederman invited Reid to open the first night of his May residency. He's played keyboards for Victory at Sea and Thalia Zedek, and Lederman creates delicate, mesmerizing songs.

THUR 5/1

6pm to 8pm
Beer Club
at Jacob Wirth, 31 Stuart St, Boston (Theatre District)
FREE / 21+

As far as I can tell, Jacob Wirth's monthly club is a couple hours of sampling a few brews, having some munchies, and maybe winning one of the prizes. You might not get drunk on the samples, but it's a good start. This month's featured brewers: Stella Artois, Leffe, and Hoegaarden. This could be "so-so" or "really good". I heard a rumor of a $6 bratwurst & beer special...

THUR 5/1 thru SAT 5/31

Various Times
DanceMonth
around Cambridge
Most under $10

May is "Dance Month" in Cambridge. You can dance on the street or watch/participate one of the scheduled events. The kickoff party is on SAT 5/3 at The Dance Complex.

And the first "Tango by Moonlight" is SAT 5/24...