FRI 4/3: Variety of Music, Film

Things that help my productivity: Staying home on Thursday nights. Something that doesn't help my productivity: wine in a box. Overall, it was a good night of typing, etc.

Hopefully more stuff is coming today, but other things that are happening over the weekend include a pillow fight and poetry marathon tomorrow (separate events), a green festival on both weekend days, The Rumble starts on Sunday, and there's a hip-hop & spoken word show to benefit mental health needs in Gaza.

I'm still working on populating the new calendar, but there is more links for most of these events there.

--------------------------------------------------------------

FRI 4/3

Pop County (Midnight), The Milling Gowns (11pm), Orange Nichole (10pm), Sam Wheeler (9pm)
at Cantab Underground / Club Bohemia, 738 Mass Ave, Cambridge (Central Sq)
$8

It's some relief for those who'd like to try something bit more textured than a loud distorted guitar. A couple of these bands don't even have a guitar. One might term these acts as different flavors of noir pop.

The Milling Gowns mine the lyrical territory of Smiths-era Morrissey, and the music reminds me of The Tindersticks. Orange Nichole describes her sound as, "If artist Edward Gorey and actress Doris Day had a daughter who had a band," and that's spot on. There's something creepy in that sweet voice. It looks like sam wheeler performs solo minor-key, dirgey folk (with an acoustic guitar).

FRI 4/3

The Queers (Midnight), The Downbeat 5 (11pm), Meat Depressed (10pm), Goodbye Sluggo (9:05pm)
at TT the Bear's Place, 10 Brookline St, Cambridge (Central Sq)
$11

Just a dollar over my usual limit, The Queers and The Downbeat 5 are just awesome. They shared a bill at TT's a few years ago, and I couldn't help moshing in front. (It wasn't extreme mosh...)

For 25 years, The Queers haven’t changed the formula -- loud, fast, fun -- just the way their buddies, The Ramones, did it. JJ Rassler of Downbeat 5 used to be a Queer back in the day. I don't know if DB5 can ever get the props they deserve, but they will rock you with their ferocious blend of punk 'n soul.

Of the opening bands, I already liked Meat Depressed who do that romantic love song "It's Time To Fuck" and "(Here We Go) Patriots" that lists all the football teams that suck -- all of the them except the Patriots.

FRI 4/3

10pm
The Pill w/ Black Joe Lewis & The Honey Bears
at Great Scott, 1222 Comm Ave, Allston
$5 / 21+

Wow, I wish I had a skinny black suit and porkpie hat. The idea of dancing to rock and listening to a live set by soul phenom Black Joe Lewis & The Honey Bears is blowing my mind in a 60's mod kind of way. Out of all the retro-soul outfits that I can think of, only Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings are in the same league. Our homeboy Eli Reed is good and authentic, but he harkens a bit further back than Joe Lewis. Lewis is deep in the Stax sound with modern songs like "Bitch, I Love You."

FRI 4/3 to SUN 4/5

Various Times
Lowell Film Fest
at Various Locations in Lowell
FREE

Lowell maintains their rep as town with a strong workers movement with this second annual Film Fest. Films and discussions will happen at various spots around downtown Lowell "on the issues of fair trade, garment production, sustainability, and food supply & demand in today’s complex global market." And all the events are free!

The opening reception starts at 6pm tonight at Revolving Museum, and there are two screenings elsewhere.

Besides the website, their Google mashup probably has all the info you'd need.