FRI 5/1: Rock-Art, Rock, Dance Party

I've been working this week to get back to my old form and more advance notice and sending a good weekly e-list. Let's see how it goes...

Happy May Day!

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FRI 5/1

4pm to 9pm
"Put Down Ya Mic, Pick Up Yer Paintbrush": Opening Reception
at Honan-Allston Branch, 300 North Harvard St, Allston
FREE

About 50 rockers from awesome Boston bands are showing their paintings & photography. It's a wide window of time, but I have a feeling things will really pick up around 5:30pm when the acoustic punk sets begin.

There is supposed to be wine and cheese. I don't know how rowdy it'll get at the library, but this crowd could definitely push the envelope. (Do the librarians know what they're doing??)

5:35pm -- Nick James
6:10pm -- Mark Doherty, Jimmy Burke, Tom-O-Pugs
6:45pm -- Confront
7:20pm -- Swaggerin Growlers
7:55pm -- Bryan McPherson
8:30pm -- Mark Lind

FRI 5/1

Now Now Every Children (Midnight), The Hush Now (11pm), You Can Be A Wesley (10pm), Let's Whisper (9:15pm)
at TT the Bear's Place, 10 Brookline St, Cambridge (Central Sq)
$10

Bradley's Almanac is one of the top-tier music blogs based in Boston -- heck, Bradley has a simply awesome music site, period. When the mood strikes him and the planets are properly aligned he puts together a lineup of excellent bands to tickle your ears and eyes. (You're responsible for getting your other senses tickled.)

Now Now Every Children (from Minneapolis) are playing their first local gig, and they'll hopefully keep coming around. Minimalist bands with female vocals can leave me hot or cold, and there's a charm here that draws them to my warm side. The Hush Now and You Can Be A Wesley are kickass yet thoughtful local indie-rockers. Let's Whisper gently warms up the crowd with some acoustic pop from Vermont.

If you haven't been to Bradley's Almanac, you should. And you should check out this show. Expect giveaways and other surprises.

FRI 5/1

9pm
Buraka Som Sistema, DJ Sega, Bodega Girls
at Harpers Ferry, 158 Brighton Ave, Allston
$10 / 18+

This is going to be a sick night of dancing and bumping and sweating. Buraka Som Sistema mixes up a wicked brew of Portuguese/African hip-hop/electronica. (I wonder if the Portuguese crowd is going to show up tonight...?) Add Bodega Girls who I think are hilariously good, because I don't think it's a joke. The music sounds disco-funky, and the group's rock pedigree adds more texture over lyrically clever jams.

FRI 5/1

9pm
Bone Gunn, Super Volcano, Metaphor for Everything
at Church, 69 Kilmarnock St, Boston (Fenway)
$5 / 21+

With a name like Bone Gunn, I was expecting a stupid metal band. They asked, I listened, and I wasn't even close. It's more like progressive rock, and I got a bit of a world music vibe to my ears. Metaphor for Everything hits a similar vein. Recently I lamented that I don't hear a lot of bands influenced by The Talking Heads (because I love that band); I wonder if this is what it would sound like. I was hoping for something a little more funky-punky, but this is good. (And they might not even listen to The 'Heads...) SuperVolcano is a bit more aggro than the other bands without sacrificing musicianship. I doubt there's any bad music here. Give a listen and head down.