MON 11/22: Talk, Jazz, Karaoke, Rock

Ah, there two good flyers I saw for tonight, but I went with the out-of-town bands instead of Viva Viva's.

There is a very strong chance that I'm going to check out the Gong Show Karaoke at TT the Bear's tonight. If you prefer having someone to chat with between songs and share a laugh at some of the performers, I'll be the dorky guy who's still wearing his business-casual work clothes and the green shoulder bag. My lady (who doesn't like karaoke anyway) is out of town, so I will be flying solo.

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MON 11/22

7pm
Rock Shop #9: "Design Shop"
at Middle East - Downstairs, 480 Mass Ave, Cambridge (Central Sq)
FREE / All Ages

Feat: Aaron Belyea (Alphabet Arm), Gary Hedrick (ElefhantWorks), Liz Linder (Liz Linder Photography), Marc Beaupre (Beagle Printing), Marcus Ohanesian (Perfect Evolution)

The Rock Shop series is geared towards the music realm, but maybe anyone in a creative endeavor might hear something beneficial.

Part of a successful musical enterprise is the visual aspect. It's not everything, but it's good to have the right promotional materials, a decent web presence, and a CD (or album/tape) that doesn't look like crap.

The panel is there to answer your questions, so feel free to have one...

MON 11/22

7pm
"Lobsters and Their Kids on the Move in the Gulf of Maine": Lecture
at Harborside Learning Lab, New England Aquarium, 1 Central Wharf, Boston (Waterfront)
FREE

Lobsters migrate for the best temperature for their eggs? How far does a lobster go in 9 to 12 months? Jason Goldstein (Center for Marine Biology, UNH) talks about this kind of stuff tonight.

Registration requested.

I've usually left people find this space in the parking lot area on their own, but copied the relevant part from a PDF map.

"Programs last approximately one hour followed by a reception."

MON 11/22

7:30pm
John Funkhouser Quintet
at David Friend Recital Hall, 921 Boylston St, Boston (Berklee / Back Bay)
FREE

I watched a few clips of the John Funkhouser Trio, and these guys can play. You may or may not like it (I did) or jazz in general, but you can't say it isn't good.

Tonight is a quintet performance with a guitarist and a singer added for an hour of jazz.

MON 11/22

8:30pm
Gong Show Karaoke
at TT the Bear's Place, 10 Brookline St, Cambridge (Central Sq)
FREE

I still haven't seen this yet with my own eyes and ears, but I suspect it's more fun than the usual karaoke night and heavier on the rock than others. Some prizes are awarded to encourage participation.

I think most competitions of this kind don't usually have a panel of critical judges from the music scene -- with access to a gong a la the old TV show. If not a real gong, they'll figure out a way to stop someone awful. Then the fun likely begins...

I'm 90% there tonight. If 5 CTB readers show up, I'll definitely sign up to sing...

MON 11/22

9pm
Weekend, Young Prisms, Young Adults
at O'Brien's, 3 Harvard St, Allston
$8 / 18+

A couple shoegazey bands from San Francisco are playing along with the local Young Adults who have a noisy, punky good thing going on. I liked how they said they wanted to sound like Lightning Bolt meets the Ramones.

Both Weekend and Young Prisms have got their stuff together, but I preferred Weekend. Through all the layers of reverb and distortion, you can still hear a recognizable core of catchy melodies. Even when things get on the droney side, I found myself hanging on longer than I'd normally expect.

MON 11/22

10pm
Viva Viva, The Needy Visions
at Middlesex Lounge, 315 Mass Ave, Cambridge (near Central Sq)
$6 / 21+

When I first heard Viva Viva, they seemed to chug along like a more straightforward rock locomotive. It seems like they've taken a turn towards a lo-fi, rootsy indie-rock vibe. The intensity is still there, and the stage presence is as strong as you'd expect from guys who've led a bunch of excellent bands (The Lot Six, Officer May, The Beat Awfuls, etc).

Their new album may be getting a wider release tomorrow (already available at Newbury Comics), so why not play a gig to celebrate? And why not have The Needy Visions also play some of their buoyant, devil-may-care garagey rock? And why not invite DJ Nighttime Gallagher to keep things grooving between sets?