WED 4/15: Cookies, Talk, Film, Roots, Rap, Punk Film, Chadbourne!

Try not feel any worse today. You pay taxes everyday at stores and in your paycheck... Have a free cookie or enjoy some other fun tonight!

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WED 4/15

10am
Cookie Day
at participating Subway locations
FREE

Looks like they're rolling out a low-carb chocolate chip cookie (and they've supposedly improved all the cookies). The best part is that no purchase is required. From what I've read, you can choose any cookie as supplies last...

There's plenty of Subway locations, so you can get WAY more than one cookie, if you have the time!

WED 4/15

7pm to 8pm
William Marchione, "Boston Miscellany: An Essential History of the Hub": Reading
at 5th Floor Reading Room, Barnes & Noble at BU, 660 Beacon St, Boston
FREE

This guy knows a lot about local history. It appears that Marchione is the leading force behind the Brighton Allston Historical Society. He's written many articles on various subjects, and quite a few are available on the site. "Boston Miscellany" is a book that looks into some of the interesting episodes.

WED 4/15

7pm
"2001: A Space Odyssey": Screening w/ Dava Newman
at Room 100, Bldg 26, 60 Vassar St, Cambridge (MIT Campus)
FREE

Will I ever fully understand "2001" without the assistance of LSD? (I have a feeling that I always nod off at some point, so maybe I need caffeine...?) Film critics can try to explain the symbolism, but there's so little story besides the symbols. Kubrick was so much smarter than me, so I'll keep trying every now and then. Let's just agree that HAL is still one of the coolest computers of all time.

I have a feeling that Prof. Dava Newman (Aeronautics & Astronautics) will discuss lunar exploration instead of film theory. The screening is part of the "Giant Leaps: The 40th Anniversary of the Apollo Moon Landing" series.

WED 4/15

8pm to 11pm
Zack Hickman's House of Ill Repute
Feat: Mark Erelli, Neil Cleary, Barnstar, Ronald Reagan, MC Mr. Napkins
at The Beehive, 541 Tremont St, Boston (South End)
FREE

Moustachioed musical mastermind Zack Hickman has been organizing "musical circus" shows like this for a while at other venues like Club Passim and most recently Lizard Lounge. Being a top-notch musician and producer, he has a lot of friends who'll play along with him like Mark Erelli who is an amazing folk singer-songwriter who could probably fill the club with his fans. I read that he might do a Roy Orbison medley with horn section? Whoa. Barn Star is a bluegrass project that Zack plays in (and maybe Erelli too). Neil Cleary is going to serve up tasty, rootsty, pubby powerpop that might include Madonna or Schoolhouse Rock covers.

It's going to be a good time. My favorite nerdcore rapper MC Mr. Napkins is going to lay down some funny flows... Saxophone/comedy duo Ronald Reagan will do something... You might win a weird prize... Who knows who else might show up... The drinks may not be cheap, but you're not paying a $5 cover for this show like the Lizard Lounge...

WED 4/15

9pm
WTBU Presents:
Rapper Steph / The Throwbacks (Midnight), Front Page (11:15pm), Vikesh Kapoor (10:30pm), Camden (9:45pm), IHaveATummyAche (9pm), DJs Death Star
at Great Scott, 1222 Comm Ave, Allston
$5 / $3 Student ID / 18+

Boston University's WTBU has put together a mostly hip-hop show consisting of BU and Northeastern musicians. If a college has an excellent hockey program, it doesn't preclude a student body who raps. One of the acts that stands out is BU grad student Vikesh Kapoor who plays hardcore folk like it was done in the '60s. IHaveATummyAche does an electronica thing. Rapper Steph and The Throwbacks are usually separate groups, but they're performing a set together to cap the night.

WED 4/15

9:30pm
Cinemental presents:
"Pansy Division: Life In A Gay Rock Band" w/ Jon Ginoli & Joel Reader
at Brattle Theatre, 40 Brattle St, Cambridge (Harvard Sq)
$10

Pansy Division didn't impress me much when I first heard them. They were okay, but I liked plenty of other bands more. However there's little doubt they're real punks. If you don't count Little Richard's flamboyance, Pansy Division were the first rockers to come out of the closet. You don't have to be gay to like their music, but imagine how they helped so many young punks feel welcome.

Besides the new documentary (trailer on YouTube), co-founder Jon Ginoli will appear (after his 7:30pm book signing) for a Q&A and a brief acoustic performance with current guitarist Joel Reader who lives in town and rocks us locally in The Fatal Flaw.

CineMental is a monthly series presenting the best in independent queer cinema.

WED 4/15

9:30pm
Eugene Chadbourne
at Johnny D's, 17 Holland St, Somerville (Davis Sq)
$10

Guitarist/banjoist Eugene Chadbourne is here to take our minds off our tax debt with his mind-blowing music, but he hasn't shied away from political statements in the past. Let's hope he unites everyone by pulling a couple tunes on his infamous "electric rake".

Eugene actually responded to my email yesterday, and he described his current performances as touching on all periods of his career with mostly original songs but some covers. I think I first became aware of Chadbourne around the time of his album with Camper Van Beethoven.

His music has a deep folk, country and blues foundation, but he plays in an experimental vein that touches on avant-garde jazz. He had been frequently collaborating with Jimmy Carl Black (ex- Zappa, Captain Beefheart) in recent years until he died of lung cancer late last year. I bet fans of freak-folkers and avant-noise bands will dig this.

The first gig on his current tour seems to have been in NYC on Monday, and I found a video clip. I think it's "Thoughts of Mary Jane" by Nick Drake: