MON 6/29: Climbing, Science, History, Rock

So there wasn't much dry time to chalk up a sidewalk to win Wilco tickets, but you still have until tomorrow to enter. I was told there's going to be drawings tickets at 3 farmer's markets this week. You could enter today at Central Square -- or at Davis Sq on Wednesday or Copley Sq on Friday.

Look for the Wilco table. If you "donate" $5 to the Mass Farmers Markets, you'll get a Wilco organic tote bag and be entered in that day's drawing.

Wilco rocks in concert, and I like Conor Oberst too. You could buy tix to the show in Lowell, but winning them isn't bad.

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MON 6/29

5:30pm to 7:30pm
Rock Climbing Wall Open House
at Fitness and Recreation Center, 915 Comm Ave, Boston (BU campus)
FREE w/ Registration

This is a good chance to try rock climbing at no cost -- and you don't need to crack your head open at the quarry where no one will find you for days. For some reason, BU is offering their climbing wall for free.

Try to register here. There are a few steps, but maybe you'll want to do something free again in the future. You'll be halfway there for the next time...

Warning: This is may be exhilarating, and you'll want to pay to do it again.

MON 6/29

7pm
Cafe Sci: "Music & Science"
at People's Republik, 876 Mass Ave, Cambridge (Central Sq)
FREE / 21+

Every now and then, the folks at WGBH have an event that corresponds to the latest episode of Nova scienceNOW.

One of the segments in the season premiere is about "autotune" software that's becoming more and prevalent in music to the point where it's not just used to fixed a singer's flat or sharp notes. Autotune is the effect when you hear Kanye or T-Pain sounding like a melody robot.

Tristan Jehan, co-founder of local music technology company The Echo Nest, will speak about the music of the future. They'll also show a clip from the show.

The good thing about Cafe Sci is that the speakers consciously avoid using technical terms with which the average person may not be familiar. It's also a freewheeling forum for anyone to ask questions, and there's a lot of directions for the discussion to go.

Did I mention free appetizers? Yes, there'll be free food. With the combo of the presentation and the free bites, I had a great time at a previous session.

MON 6/29

7pm to 10pm
Julie Arrison, "Franklin Park Photo History": Book Release Celebration
at Doyle's Cafe, 3484 Washington St, Jamaica Plain
FREE

Since 1880, Franklin Park has been a prominent green space for the city, which covers 527 acres. "The Images of America" photobook series do a great job of collecting archival images of different neighborhoods and towns.

It's unclear if Julie Arrison, who put the book together and is a Franklin Park volunteer, will give an organized address; but I imagine it would be around 7pm. Otherwise, she'll be around talking about the project and the history of the "jewel" in Frederick Law Olmsted's Emerald Necklace.

MON 6/29

9:30pm
Magic Magic, Cymbals Eat Guitars, Bedtime
at Great Scott, 1222 Comm Ave, Allston
$8 / 18+

Magic Magic and Cymbals Eat Guitars played together downstairs at the Middle East last month. Both bands have been getting a lot of buzz on the music blogs as well as positive reviews in the UK press. Magic Magic might be more popular in England than in Boston, but it's not too late get into their poppish, retro/psych indie-rock that might remind you of The Flaming Lips. I dig the two-drummer lineup.

With Cymbals Eat Guitars, there's definitely an influence from bands like Pavement or Modest Mouse when they were trippier and noisier. But it's better to listen to the jangly, droney guitars and the cool melodies, and enjoy it for what their songs sound like to you.

Kentucky band Bedtime fits right in with blasts noisy tunefulness.