THUR 3/26: Much Music, Talk, & Film

Thursday, the strangest "cheap day" of the week. It's a full night of cheapness. Good variety -AND- U2 is back in Somerville...

Update: Amy H. has mentioned a comedy show tonight. See the comments.

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THUR 3/26

6:30pm
Eclipse: Master Class w/ Peter Gregson
at Trinity Church, 206 Clarendon St, Boston (Copley Sq)
FREE

This is basically a really fancy demonstration for a really fancy speaker system. That said, world-class audio companies don't screw around when it's time to show off their wares.

Peter Gregson is a cellist who actively infuses his music with electronics. Peter and his electric cello performs a set of compositions designed to be played through these Eclipse speakers with the real-time manipulations from Milton Mermikides (Royal Academy of Music, London).

It's classical music, and you'll probably get a spiel about the audio equipment. On the other hand, Trinity Church is beautiful with awesome acoustics. Not only have you not heard something like this before, I'm guessing the sound won't be heard by most people ever again.

You might be able to reserve seats by email.

THUR 3/26

6:30pm
"The End (or a New Beginning?) for the American Dream: Credit, Debt, and the U.S. Economy": Discussion
at C. Walsh Theater, Suffolk University, 55 Temple St, Boston (Beacon Hill)
FREE

This lecture is bound to satisfy the political junkie and horror fan alike. Hear about the bad and good aspects of the National Debt -- and our collective individual debts.

THUR 3/26

7pm to 9pm
"Food Locavorism": Discussion
at 20 Chimneys, 3rd Fl, Student Center, 84 Mass Ave, Cambridge (MIT campus)
FREE

Locavore is the hot trend in eating. (I guess trends really do cycle back every 1,000 years...) From what I know, this is one of the most sensible things we can do to save the human race. I guess it's not as simple as you'd think, and they're going to talk about the benefits as well as the ethical caveats(?) of eating locally.

Interact with the speakers David Pimentel (Cornell), Susanne Freidberg (Dartmouth), Steve Johnson (Rendezvous Restaurant), and moderator Steven Shapin (Harvard). Have some local nibbles provided by City Feed & Supply.

After this session, you'll know as much, if not more, than your favorite foodie.

THUR 3/26

7pm
Peter Moore, Pascal Plantinga
at The Lily Pad, 1353 Cambridge St, Cambridge (Inman Sq)
$10

If you're not familiar with Peter Moore and Count Zero (or Think Tree), he is "da man"! There are plenty of good singers, but he fills the room with his voice. Admittedly, I'm not a Think Tree fan from way back, but Count Zero was always interesting.

Moore's new album is pure-pop wonderful, and he's supposedly playing the album in its entirety tonight on The Lily Pad's grand piano (and his kick drum). Peter Moore should be an intergalactic superstar by now, and it's an example that the world is cruel and godless. I want to buy the physical CD "One Ride" and glue into my clock radio to hear it every morning when I wake up. If I wasn't going to Wes and Eugene’s Cabinet of Wonders at the Brattle, I'd do my best to be here.

I noticed that Count Zero did a remix of a track by Dutch pop eccentric Pascal Plantinga. I assume that has something to do with his appearance in Boston. I want to dig into Pascal's music; it's fun and quirky. Get into him and pass it on to your hip friends of all stripes.

THUR 3/26

8pm
"Side by Side by Sondheim"
at Jordan Hall, 30 Gainsborough St, Boston (New England Conservatory/Fenway)
FREE

Stephen Sondheim has written some of the best Broadway tunes of the last 50 years from "West Side Story" to "Sweeney Todd" to "Into The Woods". Some of NEC's opera students are whipping out 30 (or so) Sondheim songs from this revue. Yes, someone will sing "Send in the Clowns".

THUR 3/26

9:30pm
"Influenza": Girls Guns and Glory, Lipbone Redding, The Molenes
at Great Scott, 1222 Comm Ave, Allston
$10 / 18+

Darn it! Another good show tonight!

Influenza is a new monthly series where bands will play sets where half of the songs are covers by artists that have influenced them. Whatever the listener might think, the musicians often have a completely different version of their sonic genealogy. A band's influences may be so diffused that you couldn't fathom what its members think about their sound (unless they fill it out on MySpace).

If I were to guess/hope, I'd like to hear: Girls Guns and Glory doing Chris Isaak, Lipbone Redding doing G Love & Special Sauce, and The Molenes rocking out Willie Nelson.

THUR 3/26

Various Times
Boston Underground Film Festival
at Kendall Square Cinema, 1 Kendall Sq, Cambridge (Kendall Sq, duh)
$8 (per show)

It's creepy and creepy/funny to fittingly end BUFF. Don't say I didn't tell you about it! Even though I didn't do a dedicated post, I mentioned it almost everyday.

5:30pm -- "Registered Sex Offender" w/ "The Queue"
5:45pm -- "Lo" w/ "On Homeostasis"
7:30pm -- "Isle Of The Damned" w/ "Master Vengeancer"
7:45pm -- "Hausu"
9:30pm -- "Deadgirl" w/ "The Scavengers"
9:45pm -- "Anywhere, USA"

For Somerville residents:

THUR 3/26

4pm, 6pm, 8pm
"U2: Rattle and Hum"
at Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Sq, Somerville
FREE for Somerville residents (ID or stamped mail req'd)

"We want to thank our neighbors for hosting the excitement of last
week's sneak U2 concert by offering these screenings."

$8 Otherwise

This concert film features many more songs than U2's last performance in Somerville...