This is what I get for staying up late while writing Cheap Thrills and drinking Spanish wine from the box -- I forget to actually publish my Saturday post! There's still time to have a great time today and tonight...
This used to be the weekend where Eastie would have their Italian festa, but there's one less party to attend this year...
--------------------------------------------------------------
SAT 7/18
Noon to 6pm
ArtBeat Festival 2009: "Somerville...Of the Future"
at Various places around Davis Square, Somerville
$3 donation suggested
Davis Square is closed to traffic due to a wonderful collision of music, art, dance, food, crafts, and activities. The theme is "Somerville...of the Future", which may be a version of robots and rockets where the Green Line extension is obsolete!
There's a parade (of the Future) at 2pm. Somerville is actually a haven of robot activity, so you'll see a bunch of benign automatons of different shapes and sizes. The music is happening on 2 stages, there's dance performances inside the Somerville Theatre, and there's all sorts of cool stuff going on around.
Bands I'd be interested in:
2:30pm: Liz Longley -- Elm Street StageYes, you're not forced to donate but you'll definitely get your $3 worth of fun (and a
3:30pm: The Holey Moleys -- Elm Street Stage
4:30pm: Rakiya -- Elm Street Stage
4pm: The Dirty Truckers -- Seven Hills Park
5pm: You Can Be a Wesley -- Seven Hills Park
SAT 7/18
Noon to 7pm
Annual Mystic River Music Festival
at Condon Shell, about 2617 Mystic Valley Pkwy, Medford (near Mystic River)
FREE
No offense to the other bands, but there are three bands that I'd go to Medford to see:
The Seamonsters (5:30pm), Go Dog Go (4:30pm), Jenny Dee & the Deeliquents (3:30pm)
It's also a green awareness concert, so there are reasons to go. The website is annoying, but there is more info there. Just go and have your fun.
Other bands:
The Well (2:30pm), Creepy Jones (1:30pm), Guillermo Ortiz (12:30pm), Adrian Emberley (Noon)
SAT 7/18
1pm to 4pm
Sailing Open House
at Boston Sailing Center, Lewis Wharf, Boston (North End)
FREE
The sun has been visiting town more frequently in time for the Boston Sailing Center's last open house of the season. No experience necessary to take a free ride in the Harbor. You might even want to sign up for discounted lessons.
It's a "first come, first served", so who knows what kind of wait (if any) there will be. Again, this on Lewis Wharf, north of the Marriott.
SAT 7/18 & SUN 7/19
Various Times
Annual Betances Festival
at Villa Victoria:
Plaza Betances, 100 W. Dedham St, Boston (South End)
O'Day Park, 85 W. Newton St, Boston (South End)
FREE
Saturday: 3:30pm to 9pm
Sunday: 1pm to 7pm
Get a taste of Puerto Rican and Latino culture at the oldest & biggest Latin American festival in New England. There will be 'mucho' pan-Latin American entertainment: music, dancing, arts, crafts, food. (Do you like how I said "mucho"?)
There is musical performances and delicious food today, but the best time to go is tomorrow at 1pm for the Greased Pole Contest (aka Palo Encebao) near O'Day Park. It's pretty fun to watch and cheer, especially if you've never seen it before.
If you get to the approximate area, it's pretty easy to tell where the action is.
SAT 7/18 & SUN 7/19
"Whenever you want to go"
Annual New England Sand Sculpting Festival
at Revere Beach, Revere
FREE
The photos look amazing, so imagine seeing the most amazing sand sculptures up close. They've been working on their giant sand works for a few days now, so it should be pretty cool to walk around tonight or on the weekend. There could be some kind of "live entertainment" from 6pm to 9pm tonight as well as over the weekend. You can even go next week, because the sculptures last for quite a while...
Throw in a fried clam plate from Kelly's, and life will seem beautiful and carefree.
SAT 7/18
4pm
"Hamlet"
at Christian Herter Park, 1175A Soldiers Field Road, Brighton (near Charles River, across from WBZ)
FREE
Why wait until Thursday for free Shakespeare and grilling? The Rebel Shakespeare Company, an intense teen Shakespeare camp from the North Shore, rock the teen angst in "Hamlet" in between today's Orfeo Group performances.
SAT 7/18
7pm
"Viva Nelson Mandela: A Hero For All Seasons": Screening
at Rabb Lecture Hall, Boston Public Library, 700 Boylston St, Boston (Copley Sq)
FREE
July 18 is "Mandela Day". This recent documentary is going to shown, and I'd bet there will be some discussion before or after the screening.
Featuring exclusive interviews with politicians, close friends and comrades of Mandela, including Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Oliver Tambo, Pik Botha, and more!SAT 7/18
8pm
Emily Elbert, Big Tree, Tom Tierney
at Gallery 263, 263 Pearl St, Cambridge (Cambridgeport)
$5
I accidentally found Gallery 263 while strolling to the river from Central Square. It's a little art gallery on the corner of a residential neighborhood in the former location of a beloved furniture store. I like the idea of enjoying three heaping spoonfuls of melodious folkiness in this spot.
Besides the local, soulful pixie Emily Elbert, Big Tree is coming up from New York. Their guitarist, Tom Tierney, will play an opening set. You might be sick of Michael Jackson coverage like me, but I've listened to Emily's cover of "Thriller". It's actually a celebration of his good music and not some ironic bull... I hope she does it.
SAT 7/18
Gibby & The Buzzkills (12:30am), The Wynotts (11:30pm), The Scrapes (10:30pm), The Doug McDonald Band (9:30pm)
at The Midway Cafe, 3496 Washington St, Jamaica Plain
$7-ish
Thankfully, this is a great part of the country for kick-ass punk and garage-rock. It doesn't get much better than The Wynotts. When I listen to their cool tunes with just the right amount of snarl, I forget the circus and want to run away to join this band. The chief Wynott is super-cool-guy Rockin' Bob Cenci, formerly of great Boston punk bands like Jerry's Kids and Gang Green, so how can this not be awesome? When I first saw the name "Gibby & The Buzzkills", I was hoping it was Gibby from Butthole Surfers, but I was disappointed by their tasty garage-pop. Anything by Doug McDonald is worthy of attention too.
SAT 7/18
10pm
Annual Bastille Day A-Go-Go
at Precinct, 70 Union Sq, Somerville (Union Sq)
$10 / 21+
I didn't list it last last year, because the cover was more than $10, but it was a really good time. Who cares if the Bastille Day celebration comes via New Orleans? Old-time NOLA-style R&B is a thousand times better than Gainsbourg-esque French pop! Some of the guests include Boston's creme de la creme: Jen D'Angora, JJ Rassler, John Powhida, Jordan Valentine, Asa Brebner, Mick Mondo, and Al Janik.
SAT 7/18
Three Day Threshold (10pm), The Jinx Brothers (7pm)
at Toad, 1912 Mass Ave, Cambridge (Porter Sq)
FREE
Get ready for some kickass, hard-drinkin', good-time alt-country/Americana. These folks are musical American heroes in my book for doing USO shows down in Central America, and they told me they're ready for a trip to the Middle East. After listening to this honky-tonking, rootsy rock, I almost want a pair of boots and a dusty cowboy hat.
The Jinx Brothers are going to do their county-blues thang earlier on.
No comments:
Post a Comment