SAT 7/21: Night Cheapness

I screwed up the time for "2-Piece Fest", so we're starting the night listings at 6pm...

Still plenty of time for daytime cheapness (below).

Sunday fun and beyond can be found on the calendar.

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SAT 7/21

6pm
2-Piece Fest
at O'Brien's, 3 Harvard St, Allston
$8 / 21+

Feat: The Clippers, Fat History Month, Lushes, King Orchid, Black Norse, Trach

If all 2-piece sounded like The White Stripes, it would be difficult that to Wye Oak, Japandroids, Matt & Kim, Death From Above 1979, The Ting Tings, No Age, Quasi, The Spinanes, and all the bands on this bill.

Two of the these bands that I really like are The Clippers that bash through fun, punky pop and the heavy, instrumental King Orchid who swing in a way that made me yearn to hear Chris Cornell scream over it (his Soundgarden days, not Audioslave). The other bands add a variety of indie, post-punk, metal sounds and other sonic territories.

If you get there early, the grill will be going in the back.

SAT 7/21 (thru SAT 7/28)

7:30pm
"Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead"
at Mary O'Malley Park, Commandant’s Way, Chelsea Waterfront
FREE

Alternating Bilingual Nights:

English: Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday
Spanish: Friday, Sunday

The movie was rather funny in an absurd way, so I can imagine the source play should be even better.

The titular characters were two minor players i Shakespeare's "Hamlet" who do play an important part in serving the overall plot despite their short appearances. The premise of this play is "What were Rosencrantz and Guildenstern doing?"

There are still 7 performances: 4 in English and 3 en Espanol.

The #111 bus may be your best bet for an adventure in free theatre on the other side of the Tobin. (They recommend bringing lawn chairs or blankets -- I sat on the grass.)

SAT 7/21

8pm
JVD & the Backporch Smokers (Midnight), The Big Lonesome (11pm), The Buckners (10pm), Tall Boys (9pm), American Beauties (8pm)
at Precinct, 70 Union Sq, Somerville (Union Sq)
$10 / 21+

The Buckners caught my eye on this lineup, because I've enjoyed their crunchy powerpop in the past. The rest is a mix of twangy/folky rockers and heavy/blues-rock.

SAT 7/21

9:30pm
Runner & The Thermodynamics, Gnarlemagne, Ken Reid
at Great Scott, 1222 Comm Ave, Allston
$10 / 21+

Around the beginning of the millennium, Runner & The Thermodynamics was kicking ass all over the place with fresh take on classic power-trio rock yet pulled the plug after 5 years. They played a reunion gig a couple years ago and are playing a couple more shows for the love of rock 'n roll. Why else would they also record 2 phenomenal new songs as a free download?

It's going to be a fun night with soul-rocksters Gnarlemagne and the very funny Ken Reid opening up.

I wonder Runner's Marc Pinansky will be joined by his former bandmates at Precinct on Sunday night?

SAT 7/21 (and SUN 7/22)

Various Times
"Hooked On Who"
at Brattle Theatre, 40 Brattle St, Cambridge (Harvard Sq)
$7 Suggested Donation

Saturday:

9:30pm -- "Destiny of the Daleks"

Sunday:

1:30pm -- "Carnival of Monsters"

9:30pm -- Torchwood: "Everything Changes" & "They Keep Killing Suzie"

The improbable popularity of Doctor Who is greater than my childhood watching the curly-haired 4th Doctor on PBS when I thought I was the only kid watching.

Today's 4-episode arc is a classic from that era with the (now) hilariously evil Daleks. Tomorrow goes back and forth in time with a story featuring the Third Doctor in the afternoon; take a romp through contemporary Wales where things get weird in the spinoff show "Torchwood".