THUR 2/12: Darwin, Art, Rock

Yep, it's Darwin's and Lincoln's 200th birthday today! Haven't spent too much time thinking how they were contemporaries until this past week. I didn't see anything cheap to celebrate Abe's B-day, but three free things are listed below...

I was talking to someone from the BSO tonight. I'll probably write something, but he reminded me about cheap symphony tickets (about $25) if you're under 40. There's an additional fashion event that starts tonight called "Project Mozart" along with the Mozart concert. (And Mozart and George Washington lived during the same period -- think about that too!)

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THUR 2/12

6pm
Janet Browne, "Darwin at 200: Rethinking the Revolution": Lecture
at Harvard Museum of Natural History, 26 Oxford St, Cambridge (Harvard campus)
FREE

Like many other learning institutions around the country, Harvard is whooping it up on Darwin's birthday. As part of the "Evolution Matters" lecture series, tonight's lecture will focus on the cultural impact of evolution's "Chuck D".

You could try to go to a party after the lecture at Cambridge Queen's Head Pub in the basement of Memorial Hall that claims to be open to the public. There's going to be free food & drink (first 200 drinks will be free), birthday cake, music, trivia, etc -- so you can imagine more people will be there than the lecture.

THUR 2/12

7pm to 9pm
Annual CAVS Giant Art Party
at Center for Advanced Visual Studies, 265 Mass Ave, 3rd Floor, Cambridge (MIT Museum building)
FREE

Ironically, the theme appears to be frigid Eastern European climes on such a warm day. The main event is what they're calling "toy theater", but it looks like a puppet show to me. It's an adaptation of a Soviet-era novel "Definitely Maybe". I have a feeling it'll be pretty cool... "Eastern European treats" will be served.

THUR 2/12

10pm
The Diamond Mines, MMOSS, World's Greatest Dad
at Plough & Stars, 912 Mass. Ave, Cambridge (Central Sq)
FREE

The Diamond Mines continue their February residency tonight, and maybe this is where our 16th President would hang out tonight... The tunes will be good, good beer, a chill atmosphere... There's plenty of seating against the wall to minimize getting shot in the back of the head...

I've been listening to their new EP, and it rocks. The Diamond Mines have a bit of psych in their sound, but they're going to be out-psyched by the opening bands. Both have a big ensemble thing going on. MMOSS sound like they found an undiscovered trove of trippy, poppy tunes buried under Haight-Asbury. World's Greatest Dad is from Northampton where they seem to make music solely for the love of music, and they claim to have an omnichord player -- that was one weird little contraption!