1 THIS MONTH'S MUSIC
I thought it prudent to give some love to the MONTHLYS and gosh darnit, the WEEKLYS that are on offer on the regs around here. No I don’t mean rags like this here paper you’re reading, I mean recurring events that provide a guaranteed good time. Do you long for sleepy afternoons down by the river and classic, Americana-infused country tunes (before all the Miller Lite and short shorts ruined the genre)? Well hazy, sun-lit houses of internal worship and glorious musical praise abound every month for Jesus Drinks Free at the Jeanie Johnston in JP. Gospel, soul, classic country—all on tap and spun by a couple atheists. Pour one out for whatever deity can’t partake on the first Thursday of EVERY MONTH. If you’re looking for something a little harsher, with some live tunes to go with the ample amounts of wax, check out Shea’s Lounge (also @ Jeanie Johnston). Street punk, hardcore, proto-punk, thrash, English punk...you get the idea. Classic and contemporary tunes make up a different black leather clad, studded theme on the third Thursday of EVERY MONTH. The March theme is Post-punk, with a special guest live band Gizzards!! Or if you’re in the mood for a laugh and feel like lettin’ loose yourself, head to the Midway Cafe EVERY SUNDAY and join local legend Angela Sawyer for Midway or the Highway: Open Mic Night in JP. Music, comedy, stories, noises, you name it—just bring your participation shoes. Finally, for those who wanna get lost in the moment and join with some like minded jam lovers, Deep Thoughts JP has just announced their Grateful Dead Family Night, a new weekly series featuring live musicians playing all your favorite Dead tunes. And maybe contemporary, like minded musicians playing some originals—who knows?! No cut is too deep, no solo too long. Join hands with your fellow family members and experience the love for yourself EVERY FRIDAY at Deep Thoughts. Take comfort in the fact that you literally can’t miss these events, because the next is just around the corner. —Mike Achille
MOMENT OF CLARITY: WTF IS NET NEUTRALITY?
You may have heard some buzzing about Net Neutrality, big telecoms, and the FCC’s chairman Ajit Pai lately. If you’re out of the loop, the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) chaired by Ajit Pai recently voted to repeal Title II classification for the internet—which had established the internet as a public utility—to almost unanimous public reproach. Regardless of the brouhaha leading up to this decision, it’s worth more to look ahead at what the vote means for you and, frankly, to everyone connected to the internet. Applying Title II Classification means that ISP’s (Internet Service Providers) must treat all internet traffic equally, without slowing down or stopping individual websites or charging consumers more for access to any particular services. While Title II didn’t cover Internet service until 2015, it’s worth noting that ISPs have an extensive history of abusing customers: blocking apps from working, blocking website access, hijacking people’s browsing experiences, and more. Clearly, Verizon, Comcast, AT&T, and the other major players stand to tighten their stranglehold on consumers’ relationship with the rest of the web. The repeal of Title II, a vote made late last year, could very well bring anti-consumer changes to your Internet plan very soon. Don’t trust that any ISP or cable backed ‘Net Neutrality bill’ will do anything but cement relaxed regulations into codified law—ISPs have spent over half a billion dollars since 2008 lobbying against net neutrality, and for the time being, it appears to be paying off. —DLM
THE BIG THREE 2
[Photo caption: LIQUID SKY (1982) dir. Slava Tsukerman] TH
THE 20 ANNUAL BOSTON UNDERGROUND FILM FESTIVAL
Wed 3/21 - Sun 3/25 @ BRATTLE / HFA Ticketing info available at http://www.bostonunderground.org Ahh, spring—when the post-Oscar b-movie dump makes way for a fresh crop of film festival darlings. But what if you like film festival prestige and brain-assaulting weirdness? For that, one need only turn to the Boston Underground Film Festival (or BUFF), currently entering its 20th year. According to program director Nicole McControversy, BUFF “celebrates unconventional stories, idiosyncratic voices, fever dreams, nightmarish visions, and all manner of cinematic forms, in service of an audience ravenous for an annual sensory bacchanalia from beyond the mainstream.” In a typical year, BUFF’s programming ranges from horror (“We like film to be confrontational about the many unpleasant facets of life,” says McControversy) to foreign film and dark comedy, as well as multiple blocks of short films, a program of music videos, and even a kid-Friendly block of Saturday morning cartoons. Notable features this year include Gus Krieger’s much-buzzed psychedelic hip hop musical MY NAME IS MYEISHA (with the director and star Rhaechyl Walker in attendance) and LET THE CORPSES TAN, the new horror head trip from Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani, as well as a 35th anniversary of the cult classic LIQUID SKY, introduced by director Slava Tsukerman! Check out the fest’s official website (above) for full schedule and ticket info, and, as always, keep an eye on the Hassle site for our extensive coverage of the fest’s offerings! —Oscar Goff
PLACES YOU CAN HANG
Ever dream of finding out what’s really going on in that wild old sourdough starter in your fridge, or what makes your body odor different from your friends’? Or are you just wondering about what the hell they do in biotech labs, for real? Just outside of Davis square, there's a place where you can explore all your micro- and molecular bio-wonderings. BosLab and their crew of underground researchers run a space where anyone can do experiments. Membership fees are reasonable and access is, well, accessible. Don't know much about biology? Never worked in a lab? They have a cache of resources to help you catch up, and attendants are on hand to help you with getting the hang of operating in a laboratory. Their setup has everything you need to explore real research questions in biology. The staff takes care of all the equipment and basic lab supplies you'll go through while you’re investigating. If you need anything special, they'll help you with ordering it. No hassling with permits or figuring out where you get these things from. If you don't even know where to start, there are always group projects that need more hands. If research projects aren’t your thing, or if you already work in the field and don’t want to do the same thing on the weekends, BosLab always needs volunteers. Their org is always looking for people who want to help in their mission of bringing molecular biology to the people, from teaching labs to administrative work or event coordination.
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TRACE: A SOLEI ART EXHIBITION
On March 3rd, from 6 to 10 p.m., the South End’s historic Piano Craft Gallery is hosting the opening reception of Trace—a Solei Art Expo. The event will feature an artist talk at 7 p.m. as well as a live musical performance by Solei at 8 p.m. What began as set backgrounds for Solei’s band Atlas Lab’s performances has evolved into a body of work exploring themes of time, boundary, repetition, and control. To begin her process, Solei dilutes acrylic paint until it is close to water texture. Then she drops cupfuls from a height of up to six feet—in the artist’s words, “harnessing gravity and fluidity to create large natural splatters.” Once the paint dries, Solei balances the chaotic freedom of her splatters by tracing focused, specific details around them. Outlining the edges of her lawless splotches becomes a devotional practice. “To me the process of creating Trace paintings is like replicating history,” Solei says—“Drop, splatter, trace, repeat.” For more information on Solei’s Trace paintings, you can read her artist statement at www.soleiarts.com/ trace. Solei is an interdisciplinary artist living in Somerville with roots in Maine. A graduate of Tufts University, she has previously exhibited work in Boston, Cambridge, Somerville, New York, and Maine. When not creating art, she works as Designer-in-Chief of Boston Compass and Art Director at the nonprofit Brain Arts. The Piano Craft Gallery is located at 793 Tremont Street, a five minute walk from the Mass. Ave. T stop. If you miss opening night, the exhibition can still be seen on Fridays from 6-8 p.m. and Saturdays & Sundays from noon-5pm between March 3rd and 25th. A closing reception will be held March 24th from 6-9 p.m. —Caitlin Thornbrugh
NOTES FROM THE CREW
At my second Brain Arts meeting there were donuts. I’m not saying I joined Brain Arts as an admin intern for the free baked goods, but I’m not going to say they hurt. After all, attending weekly Monday night meetings isn’t always an exciting prospect. Yet honestly, as far as reasons to return each week go, I’ve found that no sugar glazed delight comes close to the laughter, mutual respect and joint purpose shared at each meeting. The first time I met with the organizers, someone said “sometimes people flake out. It’s taken me a long time to say that without judgment, because volunteering is hard.” It is; I’m still figuring out how to best use my time usefully each week— and go to shows and be a part of other exciting projects in the org. There’s almost too much to do. But from all I’ve seen, there’s love, and patience, and then some for that development. Something else I’ve loved seeing firsthand is Hassle’s dedication to collaborating with other organizations. Volunteering at January’s Teen Band Night at the Newton YCCA, co-hosted with Girls Rock Camp, Zumix and Brookline Teen Centre, I got to see teens from across Boston sing their little teen hearts out. Not only was that event a joyful, amazing, and at times beautifully awkward thing to see, for me it encapsulated an important ethos: not only is it less fun and harder work to organize without the involvement of other groups, it’s also less worthwhile. I’m excited to help build more bridges with the org, and keep up with the ones that are already there. —Lauren Shapiro
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
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 OR BOSTONHASSLE@GMAIL.COM