AN INDEPENDENT ARTS & CULTURE GUIDE
ACT UP Boston denounces the recent attempts to evict our unhoused neighbors in Boston’s New Market neighborhood and the new kangaroo court launched at South Bay Prison by Suffolk County Sheriff, Steve Tompkins. We stand in solidarity with individuals, organizations, and public health workers who have been mobilizing a resistance. The Southampton, Bradston, Atkinson, and Topeka Street area was a city within a city, where a multicultural community of people has lived for months, and despite the media narrative, supported and preserved each other. Many living there had previously already been evicted from rental housing or forced to flee domestic violence, homophobia, transphobia, HIV & drug use stigmas, not to mention the constant push of the Boston police department to socially cleanse the more wealthy areas of the city. Many unhoused people in Boston have taken to tents and sidewalks, refusing to enter Boston shelters because of the violence, theft, and undignified treatment to which they are subjected. Even if those being evicted agreed to accept the shelter alternative being “offered” by the Boston Public Health Commission and the Boston police, the beds currently available would be insufficient. In cold winter months, overcrowding has been endemic in Boston shelters, forcing people to sleep on floors or in any available chairs. Conditions are even worse for the many unhoused women, families, LGBTQIAP2S+, disabled people, PWUD, HIV+, and people of an oppressed nationality. This sweep doesn’t exist in a vacuum, it is not just a measure to “maintain sanitary conditions” or “clear sidewalks for travel” (anyone who’s used a Boston sidewalk can tell you that Boston could care less about the accessibility of pedestrian travel) This sweep is a bigoted attack on the poor and oppressed. It is social cleansing, and it won’t stop at tents.
NOTES FROM THE CREW
On October 7th, we were outbid on the first floor and basement space of DAP at 1490 Dorchester Ave. Per our tenant-at-will agreement, we have 60 days to move out starting on November 1st. We retain the 6000 sq ft. second-floor space at 1486 Dorchester Ave which includes our gallery, studios, and theater space. We encourage you to visit the storefront every Saturday, from 12-5 pm and 5-8 pm, through December 18th, to support the Melanin Owned Business Market and the Dorchester Bike Kitchen. We also encourage you to buy artwork, apparel, and body care items from our amazing roster of local artists in the shop this holiday season every Saturday through December 18th from 12-5 pm and online for the rest of the year! Our studio, gallery, and theater program are undergoing an incubation phase with the launch of a new management partnership in 2022. We will not be accepting new studio, gallery, or theater rental requests for the remainder of 2021. Much love for the continuous support! Thanks to you, we have been able to generate over $11K in income for local artists this year through the store alone. Let’s keep it going through the end of the year! —Brain Arts Org, DAP, BCN
December 17th at 8 pm to December 18 at 8 pm, NonEvent TV2 will be the second installment of Non-Events hot new fundraiser show, a result of covid, sure, but one of those good ones. The ones in which you can kick back, tune in, and sample the best experimental music in New England from anywhere in the world, all while supporting the ones keeping the culture alive. Starting at 8 pm on December 17th, supporters will feast on artist videos, interviews, a live call-in show, experimental short films, studio visits, tutorials, random weird stuff, plus tons of live videos and recordings from the Non-Event archives… and puppets. This is actually their second 24-hour streaming fundraiser of the year, the first aired in July; it was everything you would expect from such a trusted force in the effort to discover, uncover, and elevate each other. May all godly beings who crave boundary-pushing art forms (that’s you) support this effort by tuning in HERE (twitch.tv/ nonevent) and contributing anything you can HERE (nonevent.org/membership). Either way and even if the way-out is not for you, please share this event with that friend who is never satisfied with the status quo of music— they will thank you for saving them from boredom. For the second edition, they will rerun some of the best segments from NE TV1 but will mostly be bringing out new and archival footage including some of the great Non-Event performances we have enjoyed over the past 20 years. Oh, and did we mention NE turned 20 this summer? True champions of the scene. Help us keep them programming in 2022. PEEP nonevent.org for complete NETV 2 listings and I’ll see you out there (virtually, of course)! —Sam P
To join the fight, check out: linktr.ee/actupboston LAYOUT DESIGN:
Phoebe Delmonte: p.1,4,5, 7 Hannah Blauner: p.2, 3 Adrian Alvarez: p.6, 8 THIS PAPER IS AN ONGOING PROJECT OF BRAIN ARTS ORGANIZATION, INC., A 501(C)(3) NONPROFIT. PLEASE CONSIDER DONATING TO, VOLUNTEERING OR OTHERWISE SUPPORTING US: BRAIN-ARTS.ORG
THIS PROGRAM IS SUPPORTED IN PART BY A GRANT FROM THE BOSTON CULTURAL COUNCIL, A LOCAL AGENCY WHICH IS FUNDED BY THE MASSACHUSETTS CULTURAL COUNCIL, AS ADMINSTRATED BY THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF ARTS + CULTURE
HYDROPONICS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD BUILDING AUDACITY BUILDS THE FUTURE
In an endeavor to create a consistent source of free, fresh produce for their community food delivery program, the nonprofit Building Audacity launched an indoor hydroponics farm as part of Jean Charles Academy (JCA), their dual-language school that prioritizes and celebrates Black and brown student success. Based in Lynn, Building Audacity’s primary mission is to support youth-led changemaking and foster inclusive, youth-focused learning environments in the greater Boston area. Their program, “On the Grow,” focuses on distributing this hydroponically-grown produce to areas of high POC populations in Boston, Cambridge, Charleston, Lynn, and Lowell. Hydroponic farming refers to the growing of crops without soil; the process also uses substantially less water as compared to traditional agricultural methods and allows for up to 50 pounds of produce to be grown in just 1.4 square feet. In collaboration with Tufts University’s 2020 Green Fund Winners Kevin Cody and René LaPointe Jameson, Building Audacity has allocated 1,100 square feet of space in JCA for their crops and expects a yield of around 50,000 lbs of produce every six weeks. Not only does this growth method minimize the impact of the agricultural industry on the environment, but it also increases the accessibility of fresh produce to low-income BIPOC communities in and around Boston. To Building Audacity Founder Nakia Navarro, the construction of the hydroponic farm speaks to how Black people do not own land in the United States. According to the 2002 USDA report, “Who Owns the Land,” white people own 98 percent of private agricultural land in the United States and account for 96 percent of the owners. Despite making up 13 percent of the national population, Black people own just one percent of America’s rural land.
“Hydroponics is old—the hanging gardens [of Babylon] are actually hydroponic gardens. So our ancestors have given us this blueprint, and they’ve taught us how to sustain ourselves with it. So why not teach the hood this, right? Why not teach folks who don’t have fresh produce [...] and give them sovereignty over what they ingest? That’s why I chose hydroponics. It speaks to not having access to land and also being sovereign over what you ingest,” said Navarro. The hydroponic center also serves as a space for JCA students to learn about sustainable urban farming techniques and practices, as well as apply mathematical concepts in real-world settings. This projectbased model of learning is an essential part of JCA’s interdisciplinary curriculum and offers students a culturally-engaged pedagogy. For Building Audacity and JCA, youth are always prioritized. “When people ask me what it is like to be a youth-led organization, [I say] I feel like I’m really living our ancestors’ wildest dreams of actually listening and learning with and building something new and different,” said Navarro. Alongside the hydroponic farm and the opening of Jean Charles Academy, the organization is running several covid-relief programs that prioritize community needs during the pandemic; including a GOTVac campaign of phonathons, pop-ups, and canvassing that encourages Black and Latinx communities in Boston, Cambridge, Lowell, and Lynn to create vaccination plans; a mobile pantry, and distributable self-care kits. Building Audacity is always looking for more donations and new volunteers. For more information on how to get involved, visit buildingaudacity.org and follow @buildingaudacity on Instagram.
--------- AKBOTA SAUDABAYEVA
SURVEIL AND CONTROL
Blue Lives Matter is an inversion of racial justice terminology co-opted to reinforce a fraudulent sense of police victimhood within society. It further exaggerates the “thin blue line,” a worldview in which police are the only agents of control against the violent chaos that inherently brews under society. The “thin blue line” dates back to an 1854 British battle formation, yet its contemporary application was popularized in the 1950s by LAPD chief and unabashed racist William H. Parker. The LAPD was one of the first law enforcement agencies to adopt what would be known as SWAT teams, a reactionary to the 1965 Watts Riots that itself was ignited by the relentless violence and discrimination that Black and Latino Watts residents faced from Parker’s LAPD. White paranoia over the Civil Rights Movement, the Black Panther Party, and the emerging War on Drugs was validated by this racially charged copaganda that whitewashed the brutality of the police themselves and inflamed the narrative of all-out war with the public. The growing “War on Cops” narrative was a convenient mechanism during the politically unstable 1960s, used to increase police budgets and fund military-grade weaponry and training in order to transform beat cops into foot soldiers. The threat of ambush killings of police corroborates the “War on Cops” account and is still used as validation for increased police power and resources. According to a 2020 study by Professor of Criminology Michael White, the rate of ambush killings of police has declined more than 90% since the 1970s. 50 years ago, paramilitary police forces like Detroit’s Stop the Robberies, Enjoy Safe Streets (STRESS), and LAPD’s Community Resource Against Street Hoodlums (CRASH) functioned as urban mercenaries who killed
with impunity, developed to wage brutal undercover operations against low-income Black communities. In 1985 the Philadelphia police dropped a bomb on a Black Liberation organization called MOVE, killing 11 people including five children. Despite their role as civil servants, police operate almost exclusively above the law. “Excited delirium” is an unofficial and unsupported pseudo-medical diagnosis opposed by the American Medical Association, yet often used by the state to defend cases of excessive and deadly force by law enforcement. This “diagnosis” is characterized by “extreme aggression” and “sudden death” and is disproportionately applied to Black men who are killed by police. During the trial of Derek Chauvin, defense attorney Eric Nelson suggested that “excited delirium” may have been a cause of George Floyd’s death. Elijah McClain was injected with an unsafe dose of ketamine by paramedics on the suspicion that he was experiencing “excited delirium.” Psychological operatives like Blue Lives Matter, the “War on Cops,” and “excited delirium” are like naming phantoms, calculated racist rhetoric that reinforces police ascendancy and turn marginalized people into enemy combatants. James Baldwin wrote of America, “We are cruelly trapped between what we would like to be and what we actually are.” Police exist under a contradictory axiom—they see the public as a vulnerable mass to protect and serve, yet also a lurking enemy to surveil and control. White fear is a reoccurring American daydream that’s unceasing grip has molded an excessively armed, irrationally violent, paranoid authority with uncheckable extrajudicial powers known as the police.
------------------------------------------------------ GRACE RAIH
NEW LOCAL MUSIC UNDERGROUND FLEX SHANE DYLAN
AFFECTED ACCENT
CERCE - COWBOY MUSIC (PUNK/HARDCORE) Cowboy Music comes right out of the gate with fast-paced, driving rock, and it doesn’t let up. Two guitars (Tim and Zac), drums (Patrick), and bass (Zach) are extremely tight as they go from one hard-hitting punk/hardcore riff to another. Each riff could be its own song, but they move from one to another in quick succession. And with songs as short as 55 seconds and little to no break between songs, Cowboy Music can be relentless. The highlight of the album for me is Becca’s vocals. Her voice is clear and direct. The lyrics tell a haunting tale, and Becca brings the story to life with an impressive range of tone and inflection. Stabs, growls, questions, objections, derision, hate, indifference—she hits them all. On the tenth track, “Pink Rose,” the album drops into a dirge. The song starts with a slow, dissonant guitar riff that builds in speed and intensity, as do the vocals. The song ends by devolving into chaos, before immediately launching into the final track, “Worthless Cheaters.” Cowboy Music marks the rebirth of the band Cerce. They formed in 2011 as a pop band (hard to believe) when they were freshmen in college, but they reformed after summer break focused instead on punk with hardcore influences. The band describes those early days: “We were a bunch of teenage weirdo nerds (still are, just not teenagers) and just wanted to make music that we all enjoyed making for ourselves, which is still the general
mission of the band today.” Those first few years marked an intense period for the band—they were writing, recording, and touring at every opportunity. The creative output from that time (recorded in multiple studios over 13 months) was later collected into a single remastered album. But in 2013, the band broke up. As they describe it, “Too much too soon…. We were young and in college and just pushing it way too hard [and] everything boiled over.” Cerce reunited in 2018 for a handful of shows, and that sparked the idea that would become Cowboy Music. “[W]e enjoyed playing music together again so much that after about a year of sitting on the idea, we all respectively started working on material for a new record with the intention of it being fun. If we weren’t having fun or anything felt ‘forced,’ we weren’t going to continue pursuing it.” The guitars and drums were recorded right before the lockdown in March 2020, and the vocals and bass were recorded during the pandemic, all at God City Studio in Salem, Massachusetts. The band “wanted to make a new album for the sake of having a good time with it,” and that passion comes through. Make sure to check out Cowboy Music, available on Bandcamp and the major streaming services. Also, check out their collected 2011-2013 recordings, recently released on vinyl by Kerk Records.
----------------------------------------------------------------------- STEVE B
ANALOGUE ADVERTISING DIRTY BABIES CLUB
I saw the Dirty Babies Club on yet another Tourist Trap poster for a show that I couldn’t make it to because I was scheduled to work. I gotta start skipping my shifts, as I’m missing out on a lot of good shit (hey boss, if you’re reading this I’m kidding!) Dirty Babies Club is a good old Allston Rock band that I found out about near a Pavement, which made me feel like a lifelong Boston resident even though I’m yet another person who moved here for college and decided to stay here after graduation because I had nowhere else to move to. The band has 184 followers on Instagram. They don’t have a Spotify (good for you, fuck the man that pays fractions of pennies per stream) but they do have a Bandcamp. They released their first E.P., “demo ‘21” in July, and have already played at a bunch of classic Allston venues since then, like O’Briens Pub, the Tourist Trap, and Trixie’s Palace. I’m friends with people in a couple of bands and I think it took them longer than a few months to play a single show outside of their own basement. I think that listening to the Dirty Babies Club would instantly transport me back to the 1970s if I were alive at the time. I absolutely adore the early punk rock sound, and these
dudes have it. They really make all my dreams about reincarnating the Sex Pistols and Black Flag come true. I hope none of the band members are anything like Sid Vicious. Their latest EP, “more demos 21,” released November 5, has four tracks, and it’s really hard for me to pick a favorite. The songs are unusually short for rock. The longest track is two and a half minutes long. Instead of feeling incomplete, it’s like the band eliminated all the dead space of a song and just left the best parts. The lead singer sounds a lot like Dick Lucas with a hint of Julian Casablancas and can perform those incredibly gritty yelling vocals. The drums are strong, the guitar work is great; I really have no notes. If I had to pick a favorite song off of this E.P., I think that it would be “Everybody Hates You” because of the sick guitar work that especially shines in the middle of the song. What I love so much about 70’s punk rock is the rough, nothing-held-back, rebellious energy that is pervasive throughout the genre, and the Dirty Babies club definitely captures that.
------------------------------- GANNOPY URENA
A Star or a Lonely Dreamer is the newest project from Shane Dylan, Boston’s own pianist/composer/producer triple threat. Dylan beautifully blends jazz and hip hop, featuring live band instrumentation and some of Boston’s best hip hop vocalists on each track. Dylan and his A-team take us through a series of journal entries, offering a peek into the complex feelings of creators and performers. Jolee Gordon, Red Shaydez, and SeeFour paint both sides of a broken relationship in “Around Me,” and Tashawn Taylor, Evan Wright, and Amanda Shea reflect on love on “In My Solitude.” “Storm” will pump you all the way up (SeeFour’s second verse is valid), and on “Moon Girl,” one of the album’s more stripped-down interludes, Dylan’s sister shares about the loneliness of introspection and finding peace with yourself. Dylan said, “the album is about that contrast between the crazy amazing feeling you get as a performer, up on stage with the crowd and the bright lights, and then when it’s over, and the lights turn off, just being another person trying to get through life.” Running through the whole project, in addition to Dylan’s signature keys, are the horns, which he calls the emblematic sound of the album. The instrumentation shines just
as bright as the vocals, an intentional feature of the project. “I really tried to combine both of those styles while still being true to both of them,” said Dylan. “There’s obviously jazz elements, but I also wanted to give the instruments a moment to shine. This might be the first time fans of either genre hear this music, and these instruments, and these artists.” Dylan called the album a tribute to the city: “It’s something I’m super passionate about, bringing together different people, getting a lot of people involved, and making connections. I really believe you get back what you give out. I’ve seen so many people help me without asking for anything in return, so I’m always thinking of what I can do to help other people.” Between the multi-player live band, the numerous vocalists featured on the tracks, and the behind-the-scenes team of familiar faces, each individual perspective creates a dynamic and welcomed relatability. I am Moon Girl. I am In My Solitude. I am Storm. I am a Star. I am a Lonely Dreamer. And I bet you are too. A Star or a Lonely Dreamer is out now on all platforms.
------------------------------- CASSIE CAPEWELL
THE MASSACHUSETTS MINUTE BROCKTON’S SAINT LYOR STRIVES FOR CHANGE
Just thirty minutes south of Boston lies the historical city of Brockton. Known by locals as the City of Champions, this part of Massachusetts is vastly rich in terms of culture and diversity—ultimately resting as the Blackest city in the state according to the most recent census reports. Nestled within the hustle and bustle that constructs the day-to-day existence of Brockton citizens is a musical reputation that increases in size with each passing moment. Though Boston has long-maintained the position of the Bay State’s most prominent city, this South Shore hub has developed into a recognizable name to many not familiar with the state. This is a change that did not happen overnight and has largely been brought on by Van Buren Records—a twelve-man roster of rappers, producers, and creatives that are making some of the most groundbreaking music that the state of Massachusetts has to offer. Helping to further this dialogue is SAINT LYOR, born Etinosa Odigie, who just recently delivered the newest component of his catalog of music, “Talking Drums.” Utilizing production at the hands of fellow Van Buren affiliate Kiron, SAINT LYOR takes flight on this track’s 130 seconds of runtime. Serving as the Brockton native’s first solo offering since his 2020 project IF MY SINS COULD TALK,
“Talking Drums” exemplifies SAINT LYOR’s lyrical prowess and innate ability to flow. Debuting alongside a black and white clip of the rapper emphatically performing the track in an open field, SAINT LYOR lets the music do the talking. He isn’t flashy or trying to keep up any form of dramatized persona, but rather, aims to continue the development towards his truest form of self. His life’s mission is to restructure the view of what it means to be someone from Brockton or any Black community in America, maintaining the stance that disenfranchised youth can excel within their environment. Not only is this a point of emphasis within SAINT LYOR’s music, but this is also something that is attached to other initiatives that this Brockton artist is a part of. Earlier this year, he teamed up with fellow Brockton resident, Brandon Tory, to help launch Little Hackers—a book for children six and older that serves as an introduction to coding. Instead of talking about what he would like to happen, SAINT LYOR is on a mission to see change through. Whether it is in the studio or not, he’s positioned to truly impact his community in the most positive of ways, and for this reason alone, he’s someone that deserves immense support and recognition.
------------------------------------------------- SHAMUS HILL
ompassnewspaper.co more at bostonc m 12/17 KLYAM Holiday Party! featuring Colleen Green, Children of the Flaming Wheel, Kremlin Bats (solo), Johnnie and the Foodmasters @Club Bohemia 12/3 Karen Bella, Aye Marcay, 7:30pm 21+ $10 Todd Trusty, Amy Kucharik @Arts at the Armory 7pm All Ages Free 12/18 Brandie Blaze “Broken Rainbows” Release Party! @ 12/3 Bill Nace 10F Residency ONCE at Crystal Ballroom Night 2 featuring Bill Nace, (Somerville) 7pm All Ages $15 Julie Bodian, Krefting, Noise Nomads + DJ 45 hz @Ten Forward 12/22 Black Beach, (Greenfield) 8pm All Ages $10-20 Cronies(NYC), Betties, Anxious Wave @O’Briens 8pm 21+ $1012/5 Rosewater Records presents: 12 Model/Actriz, Lady Pills, Pure Adult, Jenna Doe @The Pelvic 12/30 and 12/31 Rebuilder NYE Floor 7pm All Ages $7-10 Night 1 featuring Leopard Print Taser & Special Guests + Night 2 12/7 ONCE Somerville presents: featuring Secret Spirit(final show), REZN, Lesser Glow, SEA, Losst Perfectly Lethal, Kitner @O’Briens @The Rockwell 7PM All 8pm 21+ $12-15 Ages $15
MUSIC & AUDIO
12/8 Fully Celebrated Orchestra w/ Blues Dream Box and Allie Genereux @Midway Cafe 8pm 21+ $5 12/10 DYR FASER, Tequila Sirens, Your 33 Black Angels (NYC) @Lilypad 2pm All Ages $10 12/10 Boston Hassle Benefit Show featuring HiFi, Scare City, Rusty Mullet, Exit 18 @O’Briens 8pm 21+ $10 12/10 Live Skull!! with Thalia Zedek Band @Midway Cafe 10pm 21+ $10 12/10 Rosewater Records presents: Raavi, ADDIE, spoons, and Reggie pearl @Tourist Trap 8PM All Ages $7-10 12/12 Experimental noise show: Pain Chain, New Grasping Machina, Mellified Man, DOG+, Idol Brain @Ralph’s Rock Diner, Worcster 7:30pm All Ages $7 12/12 Mega Mass Presents: Artist Showcase! Every second Sunday of the month! Sign up to perform! @The Jungle 9PM-12AM All Ages FREE 12/13, 20, 27 Boss Roots Reggae Party @The Jungle 10PM 21+ Suggested Donations 12/16 Stay Mad Productions Presents Mostly Fast Shit Vol. Deuce fearuing Mollusk, Bedtime Magic, Greylock, The Freqs @O’Briens 8pm 21+ $7 12/17 8PM-8PM Nonevent is hosting its 2nd 24-hour fundraiser performance variety show including a live call-in show hosted by Mary Staubitz & Russ Waterhouse, more neverbefore-aired archival Non-Event footage, original artist videos by Arkm Foam, Judy Dunaway, Wendy Eisenberg, FRKSE, Id m theft able, Anne-F Jacques, and more, long form interviews of Forbes Graham & Sarah Hennies by Gilmore Tamny, highlights from their 2021 programming including sets by Lautaro Mantilla, Andrea Pensado, Stan Strickland, Forbes Graham & Bonnie Jones, Greg Kelley & Henry Fraser, David Dogan, and more, experimental short films, curated by Wenhua Shi of the Revolutions Per Minute festival, and even children’s programming, including Storytime with Chris Strunk and puppets with Jeff Czerkaj. Tune in at twitch. tv/nonevent. Nonevent is a Bostonbased concert series devoted to the presentation of experimental, abstract, improvised and new music from New England and around the world
Live music every Thursday! @Notch Brewing Biergarten (Brighton, Charles River Speedway) 7pm 21+ Free The Lilypad weekly open mic variety show! Every Wednesday hosted by Nighttime Gallagher @The Lilypad, Cambridge 10pm All Ages $5 BAMS Fest is constantly showing up for the community by organizing live shows, talks, competitions for local artists...not to mention their amazing annual music festival. Learn more at www.bamsfest.org insideTheMaze is a multimedia platform that is known for its diversity and continuous love and support for independent Artists/Creatives. Although, InsideTheMaze is based out of Boston MA, we specialize in bringing light to the independent artists/creatives from around the world. We cater to all genres such as Hip Hop, R&B, Latin, and so much more. On the radio at 88.5FM. Online at @_insidethemaze and www.insidethemaze.net Tiny DAP Concert Series Our spin on the NPR Tiny Desk Concert Series! All episodes are available now, including the newest drops featuring Kasia Lavon and Tashawn Taylor! Visit
dorchesterartproject.com/tiny-dap
for more info and subscribe to the Boston Compass Newspaper Youtube channel for video drops! ItsLitBoston Podcast has a dope new Spotify playlist called “ItsLitBoston Presents: VIBES FROM THE STATE” updated weekly with local new music you need to check out!! I hear they take submissions too! @itslitboston Also on Youtube and SoundCloud New England Mic Check Radio is our region’s top dawg for uplifting urban music! Episode #58 out now on all streaming platforms with a special feature on local artist Tamera King! www.nemiccheck.com for podcasts, swag and further updates! @newenglandmiccheck Check out WECB FM Boston! WECB is a student-run, creatively independent internet radio station at Emerson College in Boston. They host dozens of radio shows by hundreds of DJs and highlight new and exciting music both locally and beyond! Also, check out their music review platform Milk Crate! To listen and for more info, visit: www.wecb.fm
LFOD Life A radio show, event promoter, artist uplifter, blog, video series. LFOD does it all! They go live Tuesdays @ 10PM on 91.5FM in Boston. @lfodlife www.lfod.life Spark FM at Night with DJ Stix: Every Tuesday/Thursday from 11-1AM plus many more programs! Check out www.sparkfmonline.com Subcentral is a unique space that spored from the subculture in the heart of Cambridge. They are dedicated to promoting and producing electronic music and performance arts, while nourishing creative minds through classes, workshops and art installations. @subcentral.studio and www.subcentral.studio
VIDEO & FILM 12/5 GRRL HAUS CINEMA returns to the Brattle Theatre with short films by trans, nonbinary and women artists international and local! Local artists include Vincy Wang, Alex Miklowski, Sam Elwood, Jaina Cipriano and more! @Brattle Theatre 7PM $14 All Ages TheMUSEUM TV “Bringing The Creative Community Together In Our Own Fashion!”. That’s for sure! Check out their website www.tmtv.world for local art and hiphop news and so many dope exclusive artist interviews. Subscribe on Youtube for endless video content! Wenham St Cinema (Jamaica Plain) Free neighborhood theater that seeks to build community through film, food, and discussion. All showings are free and open to the public! No Price Tag Productions is dedicated to bringing artistry to life by highlighting creatives through film production and events. They have a dope artist interview series on their Youtube Channel No Price Tags Productions!
www.nopricetagsproductions.com
@nopricetagsproductions
Farenheight TV has a monthly variety show that celebrates people’s greatness through exclusive interviews, performances & more. Check out their latest collab with BAMS Fest interviewing artists from their current performance series Amplify the Soul. www.farenheighttv.com @farenheighttv Cinema Salem has been resurrected under new leadership! They aim to provide more cult classics and art haus obscurities to Massachusetts film buffs. All start at 10PM and cost $11: 12/10 Krampus, 12/17 Xanadu More showtimes TBA. Check www.cinemasalem.com Weird Local Film Festival has their 6th Virtual film series live for you to check out! Nothing beats this lineup of local filmmakers. Get introduced into the world of New England experimental filmmaking. On Youtube @Weird Local Productions and IG @ weirdlocalfilmfestival
VISUAL ART
FREQUENCIES is a crowdsourced audio/visual mural that features
the sounds and sights of Allston-Brighton, straight from the people who live, work, and play in this vibrant Boston neighborhood! By Allison Tanenhaus and Maria Finkelmeier, the work will be beamed into our street-facing gallery on Western Avenue—and reverberate off the sidewalk— from November 2021 – February 2022, creating a nightly pulsating performance for all. EXIT Galleries is a Bostonbased pop-up art gallery. EXIT transforms underutilized spaces into site-specific art installations and environments. Now in Lower Allston this fall at 99 Franklin St. Check @exitgalleries www.exitgalleries.com for rad events they throw! SPOKE Presents: ‘Touched’ – 30th Installation of Days Without Art 2021. Contribute a live offering performance during one of their 24-hour vigils on World AIDS Day, December 1st, at the Boston Center for the Arts Cyclorama or on February 7th, National Black HIV Awareness Day at a site to be determined. Or make a prerecorded offering to mark the hours of 3:00 am and 6:00 pm for the 67 days between Dec 1 and Feb. 7. www.mwponline.org Humphreys Street Studio (HSS) is a dynamic and expansive property in the Uphams Corner neighborhood of Dorchester, MA, housing working artists and artisans since its beginnings in 2002. HSS members have been valuable contributors to the beauty and cultural vitality of the Boston area; engaged in art, craft, design, and artisan production providing services, experiences, and public, private & commercial artwork. Look out for more exhibition at this great Dorchester studio and gallery Support the Nubian Square Public Art Initiative, a newly launched initiative spearheaded by Black Market Nubian to develop a series of public murals and installations as a catalyst for neighborhood economic empowerment by the community, for the community.
www.blackmarketnubian.com/nspai
Praise Shadows Art Gallery is pleased to present Frontier Romance by Yowshien Kuo. The exhibition’s six paintings are a continuation of Kuo’s exploration of the entangled psychologies and histories of assimilation into American culture. On exhibit from 11/19 through 12/24 13FOREST Gallery Pop-Up recently suffered damages from a fire. Please consider supporting them by buying art from their website www.13forest.com They even provide payment plans for customers!
Kingston Gallery will be opening three more new exhibitions on view 12/1-1/16! Reception held on 12/3 from 5-8PM Jennifer Moses: Rock, Paper Scissors | Antoinette M. Winters: Once upon a time...| Chantal Zakari: The Bookshop is open
PERFORMANCE ART 12/1-12/12 The Half-Life of Marie Curie at the Central Square Theatre explores the Nobel Prize winner’s friendship with the brilliant Hertha Aryton. Tix at CentralSquareTheatre.org $25-55 general/$20 students 12/7-12/12 White Rabbit Red Rabbit is an avant-garde virtual play by Iranian playwright Nassim
Soleimonpour. Each performance is completely different. Tix at ArtsEmerson.org $35 general/$15 students 12/10-1/23 Witness is a profound new virtual documentary play by the Arlekin Players Theatre about over 900 Jews fleeing Germany by boat in 1939. Tix at ArlekinPlayers.com $25 general/$12 students 12/11 Mess + Finesse Presents: Somerville Night Live. Come see the indie basement sketch show sensation, dubbed “impressive” by other comedy theatres, as it returns to The Rockwell for another show! One hour+ of absurd, high energy, and hilarious original sketch comedy. The show is written the week-of and performed by some of Boston’s best comedic talent. @The Rockwell 9PM 21+ $25 12/16 Improv Boston at The Rockwell! Inspired by you, the audience, the ImprovBoston cast seamlessly and hilariously immerses our audience into the most interesting scenes one could ever ask for. With skillful storytelling, off-the-cuff music, and “follow the fun” this will certainly be one unforgettable night. Our improvisers will take you on a laugh filled journey all based on a simple suggestion, from you. @The Rockwell 9PM 21+ $25 The Square Root A Roslindale cafe with a great variety of performances! Standup comedy every other Thursday of the month and many more events throughout the month. @squarerootrozzie and www.squarerootrozzie.com Check out Artists’ Theater of Boston! They produce “thoughtful, evocative work that challenges systemic injustices facing our communities through the collaborative process of making theater.” Online opportunities and performances can be found at artiststheater.org The Comedy Studio: one of Boston’s best standup comedy venues is back with in-person events. Shows every Thursday, Friday, Saturday @Vera’s 8PM and 10PM start times $20 21+ Midway or the Highway Ever wondered what hilarious comedians from big fancy TV shows do the rest of the week? Sometimes they appear at your neighborhood bar! The funniest in New England and beyond can now be found in the wilds of JP on every single Sunday night at 9PM FOR FREE. Open mic at 10PM hosted by Angela Sawyer @Midway Cafe 21+ The Black Comedy Explosion: Wednesday nights at Slades Bar and Grill starting at 7pm. Join us as we bring you some of today’s funniest comedians from BET Comic View, HBO DEF Comedy Jam, and more, with both national and local acts. Sladesbarandgrill. com @slades.boston
LITERARY ART The Negro Flower Series A collection of writings and poetry by various POC authors compiled by BCN contributor Qadir Shabazz. Read online at www.linktr.ee/qadir__shabazz Wack Mag Their mission is to bring people together through art + creation. We want to be a space where people feel comfortable to submit any work they are excited about, get published, gain experience, and create their own community of creatives. Sound familiar?? Found out how to submit your work and even join the team at @wack.mag and www.wackmag.com
Moral Crema Zine has released its Fall 2021 edition dedicated to the archiving and promotion of experimental artists who are primarily queer, POC, working class, and women. Look out for zine events and basement shows they started hosting! Find out more @moralcrema and purchase at www.moralcrema.com Lucy Parsons Center is an independent, non-profit, radical bookstore and community space. They also do a Free Store for the People every 2nd Sunday of the month 12-2PM across the street. www.lucyparsonscenter.org Art & Letters Poetry Zine has two new special issues out now: “14 International Younger Poets” and “Mexico: Photographs.” Learn more and order now at www.artnletters.com Superfroot Magazine Dedicated to uplifting underrepresented artists and writers, this zine focuses on a new theme each issue. If you can’t get enough spooky in your life, check out the latest mini-zine Spooky Fruit for sale now. Also look out for Issue #2 NOSTALGIA coming soon. Learn more at www.superfroot.com Mass Love Distro is a Massachusetts-based distro focused on creating and distributing engaging, immersive multimedia artwork from local area artists, with an emphasis on zines, books, records, CDs, pins, patches, stickers, and other merch. Check them out online and follow them @masslovedistro Pleasure Pie zines and illustrations about sexual empowerment and consent! @pleasurepie www.pleasurepie.org
COMMUNITY Creatives of Color Boston presents #GIVINGTOYOURSELFWEEK a series of workshops. 12/4 Rebel. Rest. Release. Restore. with Marlene Boyette @Online at Eventbrite 11AM $5 12/4 Live and Let Art: Daily Practice for art as Self-Care with Zahirah Nur Truth @Online at Eventbrite 6PM $5 Black Legacy Holiday Marketplace! Visit Black Market in Nubian Square these Saturdays 12/4, 12/11, and 12/18 (with Santa for the kids). They will have a plethora of gifts provided by the most talented group of Vendors in the region, hot cider, the best Music, Art and more! 1pm-6pm each day T 2136 Washington Street, Roxbury. Masks required! 12/11 Seek+Find Boston present JP Flea! @First Church JP 11-4pm All Ages Shop local this holiday season! A multicultural marketplace in Boston’s beautiful Jamaica Plain neighborhood, featuring local artists, zine distros/publishers, vintage and antique dealers, small businesses, community nonprofits, and artisans of all kinds! Apply to be a vendor www.thejpflea.com Building Audacity is a non-profit organization that seeks to support youth-led change-making and to provide resources for adults looking to create inclusive, youthfocused learning environments. They are running several programs right now that prioritize community needs during the pandemic, including a GOTVac campaign, hydroponic produce farm, and grocery delivery services. Learn more at www. buildingaudacity.org and @buildingaudacity Bipop music instrument & production lessons: An online music instruction
platform tailored towards WOC & the non-gender conforming community taught by WOC and the non-gender conforming community of Boston. Become a student or a teacher! Learn more at www.bipop.org @bipopbops The BYTE Shop is a computer and electronics repair, resale, and recycling shop at 48 South St in Jamaica Plain. Available now by appointment! Home to one of the largest collections of historic home computers in New England. www.byteshop.io Springboard for the Arts: Free Business Skills workshops for artists! Check out the packed calendar at www.
springboardforthearts.org/events.
Creative fun for the whole family! Apparel Brand, Music Label and Entertainment Company Scope Apparel has opened a storefront and HQ AT 484 B Center St, Jamaica Plain. They throw shows, events and fundraisers there! Check it out! @scopeapparel and www. scopeapparel.com The Lucky Jungle, a new Cambridge community space, has spawned from the depths of quarantine. Selling work of local artists and beautiful plants, providing specialized art classes, and soon putting on live performances, this space seems to offer everything we need after a year trapped in our rooms. @theluckyjungle and www.theluckyjungle.com ArtAssembled in Assembly Row! There is a new pop-up art space in Assembly Row that you can rent for $5/hour. Art Assembled is a project of the Somerville Arts Council with support from Federal Reality/Assembly Row. Check out the Daily Table at 684 Mass. Ave in Central Square! They sell affordable, sustainable food for all. Check out their other locations in Dorchester and Roxbury! They are open from 9AM - 8PM on Monday - Friday, and 11AM - 7PM on Sundays. Boston GLASS operates Drop-In Community Centers for LGBTQ+ youth of color between the ages of 13–25! GLASS provides a continuum of services to LGBTQ+ youth of color and their allies in the Greater Boston and Greater Framingham areas and also provides education and consultation to other providers and community organizations. Women Explore Lecture and Discussion Forum: Women Explore provides lecture series within a feminist learning community for women, to connect with the sacred dimensions of their experience and to support and encourage each other in the world community. womenexplore.org Community Fridges! There’s a bunch of these popping up all around the city! They provide food for all and are totally volunteer-run! Check Out @bostoncommunityfridge @dotcommunityfridge @allstoncommunityfridge @matcommunityfridge @cambridgecommunityfridge @roslindalecommunityfridge Some are relocating and need your help finding businesses and people to host them! Boston LGBTQIA+ Artists Association is revamping with a new director and a new website! They just released a survey asking what LGBTQIA+ artists in Boston would like to see happen with this new organization. Find it at www.blaa.us
ADVOCACY
a safer, friendlier, and more vibrant place to live. @wowcoalition and on Facebook to stay up to date with their community events and actions
The Fang Collective organizes with our community to build a decolonized world free of prisons and police, where systems of oppression are uprooted and healed, while taking action to avert the worst impacts of climate change. To find out about actions and events follow @fangcollective and visit www.thefangcollective.org Violence In Boston is committed to creating safer, healthier, and empowered Black and brown communities. Their Social Impact Center seeks to prevent and reduce the impact of violence by providing immediate and basic needs for the community. Food pantry open Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm in Hyde Park. More info at @violenceinboston and www.violenceinboston.org World Worker’s Party Boston Join the fight against capitalism, bigotry and human injustice with WWPB. They organize many many actions covering a slew of extremely important humans rights issues. They also publish lots of articles to inform the public on these issues. Learn much more at www. bostonwwp.org Boston Liberation Center, Boston PSL’s new community space, is an educational and organizing hub for people to connect and talk with organizers, study in the reading room, and purchase BLC merch. They will be holding a Liberation forum on 12/18 7-9PM (masks required, childcare provided). Located at 194 Blue Hill Avenue, Roxbury. Learn more at @bostonpsl
Blue Crime Blue Dime is a community initiative working to have police pay for their own lawsuits and settlements instead of the state draining the wallets of taxpayers. Check out their IG @bluecrimebluedime and Twitter @dime_crime for community events Sunrise Movement Boston works every day to stop climate change and create jobs in the process. Find them at @sunrisemvmtboston to cue into all the rad actions and workshops they have going on. Asian American Resource Workshop is a political home for pan-Asian communities in Greater Boston. They are a member-led organization committed to building grassroots power through political education, creative expression, and issue-based and neighborhood organizing. Join today! @aarw.boston and www. aarw.org Mass Action Against Police Brutality A campaign to prosecute the police and jail those who are guilty, open all past cases of police brutality, and end the harassment of victims and witnesses. Visit www. maapb.org for info on actions/ protests in the Boston area.
FTP Boston is a community of Black & Brown organizers from the Boston area committed to Abolition. They do pop-up ACT UP Boston is an Aids Coalition community thrift stores and to Unleash Power Boston is a accept donations in addition to multi-national, multi-generational many other things! @ftpboston coalition committed to direct www.ftpbos.com action to end the world AIDS crisis. Check out their recently uploaded CityLife/VidaUrbana: Organizing Youtube video on overdose for racial, economic, and gender reversal training! justice since 1973. Building @actupboston solidarity to put people before profits. Support their Homes For West Of Washington Coalition A neighborhood group of Dorchester All Act at homesforallmass.org/act! seeking to make our community
Community Happenings curated by Side Presents @Jackfruit_everythang Komeal Hullum and Key’Aira Lockett are two women who have embarked on a journey to become and promote the importance of being a conscious food consumer. Jackfruit Everythang was created to inspire their communities to include Jackfruit into their plant friendly lifestyle. They serve our community by providing pre-seasoned and flavored Jackfruit that is distributed in freezer bags https://www.jackfruiteverythang.shop/team-1 Now available at LuluLemon Newbury St SILK is a monthly R&B experience that has built a reputation as the region’s premier R&B event. Date: December 16th @ La Fabrica Central (450 Mass Ave. Cambridge, MA) Featuring only R&B, Soul, Classics, & Dance Jams all night by Baby Indiglo & ReaL P SIDE presents NUDE - the extension - Sign up via NUDEBoston.com to receive more information on December’s private event •NUDE is an interactive live figure drawing experience paired with music, giveaways, and vibes to last all night. The event will include a lesson from Lee Beard on figure drawing with live models, along with live musical performances and a DJ to set the tone SOL SEDUCTION - at Hard Rock Cafe ft @AvaSophia, @TaylorKellyMusic and @Rymed An @afrodesiacity production December 2nd 2021 Organization: @LittyLigo run by @sharonislit Event: Litty Ligo Presents: The Monochromatic Skate Party Date: December 23rd 2021 All proceeds go to the super litty kids committee Enjoy a great night of skating, good music and good vibes for a great cause! Kids 14 and under skate free! (there is a practice pit for beginners and itty bitties!) Litty Ligo is a Boston based outreach and advocacy network for people living with vitiligo and other visible differences. Founded by Sharon King in 2017, raising awareness about the social and mental health aspect of living with differences is our thing. Utilizing positive language, lived experience and education we’re always creating initiatives to provide peer mentorship, advocacy opportunities, and promote a narrative of unconditional self acceptance for people, families and professionals seeking support.
REJECTED BOSTON MASCOTS
BY JENNA MILES
@JENNAMILESART
The Adventures of Cat Barge by Will Quinn
@willquinnart
DO YOU THINK I COULD FIT THAT WHOLE BOAT IN MY MOUTH? BY TRISTAN PATINO
Sparkly Angst by Lou Gervais
BUSINESS AS USUAL
@TRISTANANDTHEWILD
@sparklyangstcomics
BY MEG SCRIBNER
The Boston ake us m 0% p l e H Compass is 10 hing! run t ree s nt i lu vo h t
Amplify new vo ices!
>>
Email to learn how
kevin@brain-arts.org
t our Ar See Y ! Here?
@MEGSCRIBNERART
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work to send your -ar ts.org in ra adrian@b
tear this poster out and put it on a wall! -
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HeLa Henrietta Lacks, Helen Lane, most people know her by her immortal cell name, HeLa Beautiful black woman standing at 5 feet The system is threatened by a woman as beautiful as she, Melanated as she, Maybe, the root of white supremacy is really jealousy The self-hatred so deep it spews racist tendencies So convenient misdiagnosis to slow her heart beat Mistreatment, Racial depletion, Rise my beautiful queens We fight for freedom We will take it Like they took their bodies without their consent And the court ruled in favor of those perverted white men Commercialize our bodies in the name of science Bodies they wish they could have in silence Rise my beautiful queens we will not be silent We are the diamonds, this our body, We the only pilot They talk about polio, aids, A sacrifice was made, She saved so many lives but her life, it’s such a shame A black woman gives life after her own I never seen another person who gives more of their own Her body was taken; this was more than a loan We know more about her body, her cells have clones Who was Henrietta Lacks, The world failed to acknowledge her throne Like your cells, our queens will never die Reproducing an entire generation every 24 hours Our children will know you’re not theirs, you’re ours Henrietta Lacks is beautiful black power. Save our queens, From the hands of the rich and billion dollar industries Save our queens, From Mississippi appendectomies Save our queens, Denying reproductive justice, that scene is obscene Save our queens.
ESSMAA LITIM
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