COMPASS PRODUCTION FACES SUSPENSION: This Rag Seeks Interim Editor-In-Chief! By: Reynaldo De La Fuente Our founder and editor-in-chief will be stepping away from the newspaper production as of March 2016 to focus on the Brain Arts nonprofit. Brain Arts events and other outsider events will continue along with the listings and resources we provide through the hassle website. As will the nonprofit’s efforts to establish a venue of our own, but the day-to-day and monthly operations of the newspaper must be carried on some else’s shoulders for a while. We seek an interim Editor-In-Chief who is able to coordinate content/writers, set deadlines, create and maintain a schedule for content/production, and is able to cover costs or figure out how to get this thing paid for every month. Ideally, the Compass seeks an Editor-In-Chief who already knows the landscape of the local arts com-
WINTER @ Everywhere, until it ends. We can’t deny it anymore - it’s going to happen no matter how nice November was. Maybe we’re better prepared for it this time around. Maybe we won’t be trapped in our homes by five-foot snowdrifts for weeks at a time. Maybe you won’t get into a fistfight with your neighbor over the lawn chair they stuck in YOUR parking spot. In the meantime, enjoy these last few days of sunshine and streets that aren’t littered with gray snow, frozen cigarettes and dead pigeons. Here are a couple of ways you can stay warm in December: THE BLACK MARKET @ THE CAMBRIDGE ELKS LODGE, DECEMBER 13
It’s time to take a look at that holiday gift list you jotted down when you saw that thing at that one flea market back in March that your friend Sandra would like, TOTALLY love but it was 60 bucks and you could probably make it yourself but now it’s December and really, who has the time? That’s alright, though, because the Black Market is back for all your holiday needs. There’ll be a little something for everyone - records, clothing, jewelry, zines, prints and more. Vendor list TBA – check the Hassle website for news! JP HOLIDAY FLEA @ SPONTANEOUS CELEBRATIONS 12/5-12/6
Also you totally forgot to buy a gift for your aunt’s friend’s brother’s kid’s roommate. Don’t worry about it; the JP HOLIDAY FLEA MARKET is here. Handmade soaps and lotions? Got it. Hand-printed holiday cards for the Hallmark-averse? Got it. Zines? GOT IT. Uterus and Necronomicon-shaped earrings, for those special occasions? Got. It. Just early enough to avoid those awkward “Um, sorry, your gift is still in the mail…” situations.
munity here, but as long as this individual is dedicated and can grasp the potential of our organization, it could be anyone. This endeavor, however, comes with an amazing team that is ready to help every step of the way. Moreover, it is supplemented with the resources of BRAIN Arts: Volunteers, a place to meet, and the momentum of the past six years. Think about it. If no one steps up to fill this void The Compass newspaper will be suspended until we get our own venue or find a way to generate reliable revenue on which to sustain these labor-intensive projects. We urge you to consider taking the helm for a while and to share this opportunity with anyone you know who is serious about making a difference in the New England arts scene.
ART BLAST..............................................................PAGE 2 Lots Of Shows Closing!! The Second Installment Of The Reclamation Show, Working With The Landscape, Etc.
HASSLE BRIEF & PURE IMPACT..........................PAGE 3 Laurel Halo, Frostlake, Weyes Blood, Screaming Females, Pc Worship, Birthing Hip Interview
HERE BE THE SHOWS..........................................PAGE 4-5 Post-Rock Remedies, Noisy Experimentalism, Pile Residency, America’s Hardcore Fest, Plus Basement Blasts And Gangly Garage Gut Punchersthe
TARDY EAGLE.................................................,......PAGE 6 Yay A Fantastic Gift Guide!!! Where The Comedy Shows Are!!! Et Plus
FILM FLAM.............................................................PAGE 7 Ring In The Holidays With John Mcclane, Alfred Hitchcock, Etheria, And The Boston Yeti!
COMICS..................................................................PAGE 8 More Monthly Boston Comics And All-Too-Relevant Horoscopes
LEAP BEFORE YOU LOOK: BLACK MOUNTAIN COLLEGE 1933-1957 @ THE ICA
You should already be at the ICA anyway, but if you’re not, make the trip – the BLACK MOUNTAIN COLLEGE exhibition is only here until January 24th. During its short existence, BMC fostered the avantgarde in American music, dance, and visual art and produced influential artists like John Cage, de Kooning, and Merce Cunningham, among many others. Leap Before You Look features their student work, soundscapes, archival materials and performances. It’s the first exhibition of its kind in the U.S – leap over to the ICA to see it today! BREAK-BOX ZINING @ THE LUCY PARSONS CENTER, 2ND AND 4TH MONDAYS
The world is a frustrating place. Society is constantly squeezing us into these narrow little boxes, and so few of us fit. It can be so hard to make your unique voice heard, but luckily BREAK-BOX ZINING is here to help us bust out of our pigeonholes and put our thoughts and frustrations into physical form. The feminist zine workshop meets from 7-9pm every 2nd and 4th Monday at the Lucy Parsons Center, located at 358 Centre Street in JP. Don’t you want to break out of the box? THE SLUTCRACKER @ SOMERVILLE THEATER, DEC 4 - 31
It’s the holiday season, and that means the return of my favorite tradition. A ballet tells a story through the power of dance and music; the story of a young girl coming of age in a magical kingdom. A kingdom from your wildest fantasies, full of dancing sugar plum fairies, flowers, belly dancers, and a dildo prince. That’s right bitches, the SLUTCRACKER is back in town. The ballet has been on the very, VERY naughty list since 2008 and features John Waters as its opening-night special guest. Catch it at the Somerville Theater December 4-31st.
THE LONG NOD:
DONATE TO SPARK MAG! Artists over time have produced great works inspired by political and social ideas and movements to help convey and spread their messages to a greater audience; from the time Mozart brought Allegri’s Miserere out of the Vatican and into the ears of the masses to Gil Scott-Heron proclaiming that the revolution would not be televised. It is the end of 2015, and the intersection of art and politics still calls out, loud and clear, to all those who allow themselves open ears. A new online magazine has been started in collaboration between David Segal’s DemandProgress, the Future of Music Coalition, and New England’s best punk band: Downtown Boys. Spark Mag highlights artists and musicians pushing for social progress through their work. It is an exciting project that reminds the reader that progressive politics and art are oftentimes symbiotic. An IndieGoGo campaign was launched last month to help fund and support this effort. “The site will be posting weekly interviews, profiles, and tracks for streaming and download,” the campaign states, “Many of the pieces will be written by artists themselves, allowing musicians to speak directly about music and politics.” You might tell yourself that art should only be about art -- but you’d be lying to yourself if you said that art doesn’t have an impact on the world. Visit http://thesparkmag.com/ -- there’s already tons of content on there from artists such as ex-Bostonian Faye Orlove, Katie Alice Greer from Priests, and Boston band the Kominas, among much more. Donate to their campaign to make sure that the effort is successful. You can find the “Donate” button right at the top there.