WED 10/8: Art, Rock, Art & Rock, College Aquarium Night

It's a good night in Boston: good free options and probably the best $10 you'd spend on a concert.
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WED 10/8

5:30pm to 9:30pm
College Open House
at New England Aquarium, 1 Central Wharf, Boston (Waterfront/Long Wharf)
FREE w/ College ID

Dude/Dudette: If you can get into the Aquarium for free, you might as well go... You also get into the Imax 3-D theatre for free. Sorry, this won't be like a spring-break "get wet" night, but it's got funny penguins and a humongous fish tank. "Space is limited."

WED 10/8

6:00-8:00 pm
Joyce Collier Fearnside, "Brittany Conversations - Monotypes": Opening Reception
at French Library/Alliance Francaise, 53 Marlborough St, Boston (Back Bay)
FREE

I rode through Normandy for one day, and I was filled with a gushing love for the world. Imagine how Joyce Collier Fearnside felt while actually walking the country roads around Brittany. Her monotype prints seem to capture that type of joy. She'll be there tonight and you might hear her stories of encountering some inspirational cows. I have a strong feeling there may be wine and cheese to accompany to art-viewing...

If you don't speak French, they still make you feel welcome at Alliance Francaise, but RSVP is short for "Please respond." They love to know if you're coming, but they let in before without RSVP'ing: 617-912-0400

Tell 'em "monsieur rob" sent you...

(This event is presented in English. Exhibit runs through 10/30.)

WED 10/8

8:15pm
"Women in Rock"
w/ Nona Hendryx, Siedah Garrett, Joyce Kennedy, Meshell Ndegeocello, more
at Berklee Performance Center, 136 Mass Ave, Boston (Back Bay)
$10 / $5 ages 12 - 18 / $5 seniors

This is going to be an amazing concert, and tickets are still available as of this morning. All of these tremendous musicians have been at Berklee for the last couple days giving classes and panels that must have also touched on being a female musician and African-American.

Tonight's concert features the singing of Nona Hendryx (Labelle, great solo work), Siedah Garrett (Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, solo), Joyce Kennedy (the oh-so funky "Baby Love" by Mother's Finest!), and Cindy Blackman (remember Lenny Kravitz's drummer with the big 'fro?).

The band includes Meshell Ndegeocello on bass, drum monster Terri Lyne Carrington (formerly of "Arsenio Hall" show), and guitarist Felicia Collins from "Late Show with David Letterman".

Shea Rose opens the show, and you won't want to miss her set. She hits funk and rock and folk equally well with sexy, soulful power and fine restraint when called for.

"The concert is being filmed for inclusion in a documentary by Sheila Hardy, titled Nice & Rough, exposing the unknown history of black women in rock..."

WED 10/8

6pm to 8pm
Juan Angel Chavez, "The Speaker Project"
Feat: Bye Bye Airplane, Jon Berhardt, Hilken Mancini, Tom Baker
at Paine Gallery, South Bldg, 2nd Fl, about 611 Huntington Ave, Boston (MassArt)
FREE

The cool thing about this exhibit (my post on the opening) is that it's more than a physical installation in the form of a giant box/speaker. A few times per week, performers do their thing inside the speaker -- whatever that might be.

Tonight's program has a specific name, "Warm Blanket: Melting Genres: The Liberation of the Electric Guitar; 1964-1970" ("Curated music by James Hull"). There will be a lot of guitars including folky duo Bye Bye Airplane, songwriter extraordinaire Tom Baker of local rockers, and Hilken Mancini of too many bands to mention. Although as far as I can tell, Jon Berhardt plays the theremin -- which is a very cool, early electronic instrument that will definitely sound familiar to you.

As I listed in my original post regarding the address:
Every building at MassArt is listed as "621 Huntington", but doesn't help people who don't know their way a round. If you look at the campus map [PDF], it looks like the South Building is around 611 Huntington Ave. If you see the Bakalar Gallery on the 2nd floor, you're going to the right way.

WED 10/8

7:30pm
Jared Bernstein, "Crunch: Why Do I Feel So Squeezed?": Discussion
at First Parish Church, 3 Church St, Cambridge (Harvard Sq)
FREE

Harvard Book Store presents Jared Bernstein (of Washington think tank Economic Policy Institute) who'll talk about his new book. I don't know if this will make you feel better or worse about the economy, but it seems like you hear something more insightful than TV or newspaper reports.