Boston Fuzzstival Day 1 and 2 @Mid East Down 18+ $15-30 How the fuck am I supposed to talk about the musical kaleidoscope that is Boston Fuzzstival in less that 200 words?! A Jackson Pollockesque splattering of the best garagepunk, fuzzpop, freakpsych, weirdofi, all around coma inducing ROCK music that the hub has to offer. Barely contained on TWO stages set up in the cavernous downstairs of the Middle East between August 19th and 20th, this years (the festivals 4th) lineup is so far off the charts that NASA recently reported having trouble seeing it through their most powerful telescopes. Nice Guys, CreaturoS, DENT, (New England) Patriots, Birthing Hips, The Monsieurs, Quilt, Mini Dresses, Doug Tuttle, Major Stars, Black Beach, BOYTOY, Ravi Shavi, Jaw Gems, Milk, Beach Toys, and MORE like really?! That wasn’t enough? Apparently not cause that’s only HALF of what’s on offer thanks to Jason Trefts and the immortal Illegally Blind. If you’re looking for an intro to the Boston music scene: this.is.it. If you’re a vet-
eran....happy holidays! Don’t you wish it came more than once a year?! If only that were possible. It takes an insane, nay inhuman amount of effort to book something like this so come on out, pack ‘em in, and let’s get sweaty. -Mike Achille
Nalini Malani: In Search of Vanished Blood @Institute of Contemporary Art Boston, Jun 29-Oct 16
Nalini Malani’s “In Search of Vanished Blood” is a deep look into histories of violence where the Nation meets the global, powers shift, and the female body is so often a voiceless battleground. The work weaves together a dialogue informed by Malani’s experience as a refugee of the 1947 Partition of India that occurred shortly after her birth. Made up of shadow play, video projec-
tions and recited texts her multi channel narrative blends the past with current fears, underlining how battles have raged in loops of religious division and colonization of country and body throughout history. In her use of overlapping motifs and illustrations Malani contradicts the Western use of abstraction as a way to distant oneself from oppressive ideals. Particularly powerful are her clips of women’s faces, veiled and unveiled, looking across at each other through a haze of bloodstains, religious and mythological icons, and projected text that speak to the divisions made upon them. The work investigates the complexity of local traditions whose imagery can protect you in their familiarity but ideas that can alternatively break you in their intolerance. All to point out that to confront the present fully, one cannot so easily forget the past. -Maggie Jensen
or Walsh. Now, our favorite cryptid has taken on the role of cultural curator, teaming up with the Coolidge to host August’s midnight movie schedule. Each film, handpicked by the Yeti himself, stars a rampaging animal or animals – though, as the Yeti will explain, each is simply misInstallation view, Nalini Malani: In Search of Vanished Blood, The Institute of Contempo- understood. Submitted for our rary Art/Boston, 2016. Photo by Danita Jo. © approval are the ozploitation 2016 Nalini Malani classic RAZORBACK, ALLIGATOR (written by arthouse favorite John Sayles!), William Girdler’s The Boston Yeti Presents: self explanatory GRIZZLY, and, When Animals Attack closing out the month, the immortal PIRANHA II: THE Friday and Saturday nights, SPAWINING, directed – no lie – 8/58/27, @midnight Coolidge by James Cameron! Like Batman, Corner Theatre Mark Wahlberg and Ben Af- the Boston Yeti is the hero fleck may be the ones who get to this city needs. Yeti strong. make all the movies about Boston, -Oscar Goff but we know that our greatest celebrity is clearly the Boston Yeti. First sighted during the truly abominable snowstorms of 2015, the Yeti has become a goodwill figure of sorts, popping up for photo ops at local businesses and even making videos with May-
these grants, grassroots organizations may lack the resources necessary to provide valuable community services. Ultimately, these cuts will not hurt large, venerated cultural institutions as much as lesserknown artists and organizations that are recipients of smallscale grants. However, it is not enough to “support the arts” as a homogenous, monolithic construct. Culture is not ornamental, and is not a consumable that exists in a vacuum of generalist language. Beyond the perspective of economic development, culture enables us to think dynamically, necessitating diverse and authentic perspectives. It is therefore unproductive to embrace large-scale, artsrelated real estate projects, while simultaneously cutting funding for emerging artists and small organizations. Policymakers cannot expect that the same type of value added comes from developersponsored cultural districts, as the value that is provided by small nonprofits and schools curating community events, developing youth programs, and supporting independent work. Such an expectation would be an exercise in false equivalencies, at the very best. Fortunately, advocacy organizations such as MASSCreative are organizing grassroots efforts to speak up against the cuts and demand alternatives. Find out more at masscreative.org and get involved. At the same time, plans are being made for the state to work with Futurecity, a London based placemaking consultancy to develop a cultural district in the Fenway area. Details are still in the works, but such topdown cultural planning initiatives typically emphasize economic viability, i.e., the enhancement of property values. The project is being lauded as a means to demonstrate the value of putting money back into arts and culture. My first apartment in Boston was a monthlong sunny sublet on Boylston two blocks from the small City Feed. The afternoon I moved in, I bought a Moroccan Mint iced tea with honey syrup and texted my BFF that this small pleasure was enough to keep me in Boston forever .A few years later and I’ve moved back to JP from Somerville and graduated to the big City Feed on the corner of Centre, where I purchase a Spindrift cucumber seltzer or hot tea and write in my journal, often sitting in the window seat until they close. City Feed provides a perfect vantage point from which to gaze at our idyllic hamlet (called “The Eden of America” during the 19th century), and I love to watch my neighbors flaneur from the bottom to the top of JP’s main drag, sometimes pausing for a chat, sometimes simply waving from the street. While it’s a symbol of a changing city, (the larger location replaced Videosmith in 2007), their support for non-profits like Girls Rock Camp and Bikes Not Bombs and emphasis on local, quality food provides an oasis for the entire community. Plus, they keep hiring my friends, which is rad, and definitely makes City Feed a place to hang. -Jennie Rose Halperin
Governor Charlie Baker has proposed to cut a significant amount of state funding going towards art and culture in Massachusetts. Though the narrative of struggling arts organizations is not new, the proposed cuts would roll back funding to levels not seen since 1994. Though large cultural institutions in the City and elsewhere may be able to acquire other sources of funding, smaller institutions as well as public schoolsrely on state grants. In the absence of
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This Newspaper is an ongoing project of the BRAIN Arts Organization, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Please consider donating to, volunteering, or otherwise supporting us: Brain-arts.org. bostonhassle@gmail.com July! A hot sweaty one. July saw us through many firsts: Midmonth we hosted our first everOUTDOOR Black Market, which went swimmingly. We successfully transformed a dirt parking lot into a zone of creative and economic empowerment for local and emerging craftspeople and collectors, boo ya. July was our first month of meetings in our new space, a private location across the river. We’re in town, send us a message if you would like to find out where and how to attend. Looking ahead, we are excited to soft launch our READER SUPPORT CAMPAIGN for this here paper! We are seeking financial support from our readers. It’s