Y'know, I like the sound of "Festival of Lights"...
"Yuletide" has a good ring to it... "Saturnalia" is sadly seldom said...
I hope everyone has a merry whatever-you-call-the-holiday-season!
If you're going to shop for the holidays, wouldn't it be nice to put those dollars in the hands of independent businesses? For those who don't want to rush around, many stores in Davis Square have special 6pm to midnight hours tonight.
I saw this ZuZu dance party flyer this morning. I think it could be a good time, especially if you recognize a name or two...
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THUR 12/2
6pm to 8pm
Boston Official Tree Lighting Ceremony
near Visitors Info Center, about 165 Tremont St, Boston (Boston Common)
FREE
Feat: Radio City Rockettes, Katharine McPhee, Patti Austin, Boston Pops Gospel Choir, Five O'Clock Shadow
Your faithful guide went last year, arrived 45 minutes late, and still felt it was too long.
If you feel like standing around watching yuletide song and dance, go early. If you want to see the tree lighting and some fireworks, get there about 7:45pm and stand behind the stage. Or watch it on WCVB.
There is a lot of other holiday stuff around Boston.
THUR 12/2
6pm to 9pm
"Lunatic or Saint?: A Look at John Brown's Boston"
at Abiel Smith School, Museum of African American History, 46 Joy St, Boston
$5 / $3 17-and-under, 62-and-over
John Brown was hanged 151 years ago today for attempting to start a slave rebellion at Harper's Ferry (Virginia, not Brighton).
He was a wild Bostonian abolitionist, and a Boston park ranger will discuss his life, death, and that sort of thing.
RSVP appreciated by email or 617-725-0022 (ext. 225)
THUR 12/2
7:30pm
"The Ego & The Oracle" w/ Jim's Big Ego
at The Burren, 247 Elm St, Somerville (Davis Sq)
$10 / 13+
The first time I saw "The Ego & The Oracle", I really just wanted to see Jim's Big Ego perform and was amused by the interactive question portion. ("Elvis Costello did a "wheel of song" tour back in the '80s, so that's cool," I thought.)
It turned out to be rather eerie and mystical as the audience would have their questions answered by the song that they spun and subsequently played by JBE. After the song, there's a discussion to interpret the answer provided by nebulous "The Oracle".
The beauty is Jim's Big Ego has a giant barrel of awesome folky-rockish songs, and the subject matter is varied to offer almost any response to any question. I'll repeat myself:
If there was any justice, this metaphysical music/comedy show would be playing 6 nights a week in a big theatre, and no one would know "Shear Madness". (Maybe the guys in the band should paint their faces blue...?)There is a lot of good options tonight, but I highly recommend this one. I tried to do some promotional work for the production once, but I failed miserably. Seriously, it's a fun and clever experience.
THUR 12/2 (and FRI 12/3)
8pm
"Little Black Topsy and the Magical White Fairy Soap"
at Pozen Center, about 621 Huntington Ave, Boston (MassArt, enter on Evans Way)
FREE
Doors: 7:30pm
Whoa! I had an idea that race would be addressed from the title, and it sounds rather clever. Live performance is blended with video to create a rather twisted fairy tale about a black girl who goes on a quest to find the titular cleansing agent.
Writer-director-star Cori Spencer says, "... it has been my goal to implement a movement vocabulary which not only expresses the tension that I witness between whiteness and blackness, but manifests that tension in the movements of a singular body."
THUR 12/2
Pray For Polanski (11:15pm), Hey Now Morris Fader (10:30pm), Eddie Japan (9:45pm), Hello Ninja (9pm)
at Church, 69 Kilmarnock St, Boston (Fenway)
$8 / 21+
Wow, there's too much good stuff tonight! This is just a sick show from top to bottom. Hello Ninja rocks... Eddie Japan has a great classic pop vibe; Morrissey should do stuff like this -- but it's unnecessary thanks to Eddie J and company... Hey Now Morris Fader brings the keyboard rock... Pray For Polanski is simply fantastic...
THUR 12/2
9pm
Rob Potylo, Mellow Bravo, Planetoid, Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling
at Middle East - Downstairs, 480 Mass Ave, Cambridge (Central Sq)
$10 / 18+
MC: Mehran
Rob Potylo is an intriguing guy. I became aware of his creative output when he was dressing up as shock-rock parody Robbie Roadsteamer as well as doing stand-up comedy, and now the music has become more heartfelt. It's a generally direct, sincere approach that still maintains a sense of humor. (When I met him last year, he didn't seem to appreciate that I thought he was funny -- but I could be wrong.)
There is no doubt you will be entertained, because his CD release show is an extravaganza of rock and comedy. The hilarious Mehran will surely keep the party going between sets from the hard rock revival of Mellow Bravo to the alien-robot stoner-rock axis of Planetoid to the badass, arty spy-themed minimalism of Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling.
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THUR 12/2
Buke And Gass (11:45pm), Talk Normal (10:30pm), Royal Blood (9:30pm)
at TT the Bear's Place, 10 Brookline St, Cambridge (Central Sq)
$10
The real draw is the peculiar duo Buke and Gass, that is homemade instruments (the dude makes instruments for Blue Man Group) of baritone ukulele -- or "buke" -- and guitar-bass -- i.e. "gass".
Get your weird on all night long.
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