THUR 8/13: Baseball, Shakespeare, Much Music

Rarely is this a late weekday post late because I overslept, but I'm taking a sick day. There's much to choose from; here are some cheap options. Depending on your mood, there's cheap music all over...

Do you remember that it's free to get into the ICA after 5pm on Thursdays? Instead of a live band, they're have a CD listening party for The Cave Singers. You can also win tickets to their September gig at TT's.

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THUR 8/13

7pm
Old-Time Baseball
at St. Peter's Field, 57 Sherman St, Cambridge (near Fresh Pond)
FREE

A vintage baseball game was put together during the '94 baseball strike, and it's become an annual event. It's a casual evening of baseball with college players and occasionally a retired pro playing in vintage-style uniforms from various teams and eras.

I went a couple years ago and had a fun time. Johnny Pesky is still one of the team managers, and he was awesome. People flocked to him, but he easily obliged my autograph request. "It won't buy you a cup of coffee," he said. Pesky is scheduled to be one of the managers again, and Lou Merloni is going to play.

They already collected corporate sponsorships to make a charitable donation to the Hospitality Homes, but a portion of the concession proceeds probably benefit the cause too. (The sausage was darn good...) It's not a bad idea to bring a blanket or a chair, if you want to sit down; a good-sized crowd always shows up.

There will also be a sports memorabilia silent auction, raffles, etc.

THUR 8/13

8pm
"The Comedy Of Errors"
at Parkman Bandstand, about 165 Tremont St, Boston (Boston Common)
FREE-ish

Don't moan and groan if "Shakespeare in the Common" packs it up one day, and your stuck with crazy people yelling around the fountain near Park Street T. It's free, but the Commonwealth Shakespeare Company consistently deliver a great production every year. If you don't drop a few bucks in the basket, at least show up and appreciate their efforts.

They've taken one of early farces about two pairs of identical twins separated at birth and set it in Miami South Beach of the '30s. It's still the original text, but they inject Latin flavor all over the place.

Have a few laughs with a culture and sabor caliente...

Shows run through SUN 8/16 -- 8pm on most nights, 7pm on Sundays.

THUR 8/13

It's From The Sky (Midnight), Logan 5 & The Runners (11pm), Sera del Fuego (10pm), Silent Century (9pm)
at Great Scott, 1222 Comm Ave, Allston
$8 / 18+

Four really solid, modern-sounding Boston rock bands. Logan 5 & The Runners may be my fave. Something very clever and/or themed is going with It's From The Sky, and it's pretty good; they called it "like sci-fi, horror, noise rock." Sera del Fuego is moving to Brooklyn after this, and we wish them luck.

THUR 8/13

9pm
"Midnight in the Garden of Agave" Party
at Jose McIntyre's, 160 Milk St, Boston (Financial District)
FREE w/ RSVP

I even tried to mention it the other day. Maybe you can still RSVP... There may still be a free Hornitos drink in your future...

It's a Stuff party, so everyone who wants to go needs to RSVP. If you don't like the emails they may send you in the future, it's easy to click 'delete'...

THUR 8/13

9:30pm
Starlight Mints, Wye Oak, JP Inc (fka Pleaseeasaur)
at Middle East - Upstairs, 472 Mass Ave, Cambridge (Central Sq)
$10 / 18+

There's something about Wye Oak's sound that makes me think this might have been how shoegazer music would sound like if My Bloody Valentine was from Appalachia. The guitar-drums duo hails from Baltimore, and the music swirls and crunches in a wonderful way. Check them out!

There's a good chance that Starlight Mints will deliver on the jagged powerpop of the recordings, or it could be so-so... Unfortunately, I think JP Inc / Pleaseeasaur is supposed to be funny; maybe they deliver in concert... (I don't think they're even from Jamaica Plain.)

Update: Help me appreciate JP Inc/Pleaseeasaur. What are your favorite songs? Give me some pointers.

THUR 8/13

9:30pm
Suit of Hair, Smallboypants, The Devil & a Penny, The Horns of Happiness
at PA's Lounge, 345 Somerville Ave, Somerville (Union Sq)
$7 -- 21+ / $10 -- 18+

It's cool when a band uses one of my blurbs, so I'll repeat it: I really like the name "Suit of Hair", so they start on the right foot. There's a slightly askew vibe to their spiky indie-rock...makes me think of GBV and TMBG, but you can listen and let them create a new alphabet soup for you.

The Devil & a Penny make an appealing lo-fi folky indie-rock. SmallboyPants seem like a bunch of guys from NJ who may take turns leading the group. The Horns of Happiness are a weird keybord-drums duo with not much lyrics but quite a bit of charm and organ riffs.

THUR 8/13

10pm
Three Day Threshold
at Atwoods Tavern, 877 Cambridge St, Cambridge (near Inman & Kendall Sq)
FREE / 21+

Besides swaggering, honky-tonk roots-rock; part of their charm is their hard-drinking joie de vivre. Three Day Threshold is a group of really awesome, hard-drinkin', good-time guys who rock out some kickass alt-coutry/Americana. If you don't have fun at a TDT show, then you should check your pulse

Get started early with a Six Point Brewery Tasting from 6pm to 8pm.