MINI TRENDS
A now and then column by Ian F Svenonius exclusively for the Boston Compass As the guest columnist this month, I Ian Svenonius, am proud to announce the search for a Boston Compass MASCOT. That’s right, a contest to determine the Compass’ official mascot. Starring YOU, the constituency. The Compass staff might disagree, but I put it to you dear reader: isn’t it time this venerated magazine had a mascot? Some sort of symbolic creature who embodies the ethos of the mag and its faithful, idealistic readership? Just as Mad Magazine had Alfred E Newman, the USA has its bald eagle, the Grateful Dead had their “steal your face” death mask and Hefner had his pagan bunny head, so does the compass require an insignia. Let’s take this thing to the next level. Start scrawling on your napkin and come up with something NOW. Some thoughts on what to consider when conjuring the mascot: Each of the aforementioned icons represented the mores and agendas of its respective institution. Playboy’s cocksure rabbit represented rampant fertility with the unfeeling de-
meanor we associate with the lagomorph. Newman, a sociopathic man-child proto-punk, was intent on spreading mischief and harm on the hypocrite moralists of post-war America. Grateful Dead’s skull man has erased his ego and identity with LSD and belladonna and lives in another dimension altogether, a parking lot of the soul. The bald eagle is capitalism personified, preying on defenseless critters; anti-social in the extreme, terrifying to behold. The Compass mascot needs the qualities that embody not only the magazine but the readership. It has to represent the can-do attitude of the Hassle crew, the resourcefulness and uncompromising show-must-go-on ethos of the bands it promulgates, and the rough hewn beauty of its aesthetic. Should it be a toad? A snail? A cheetah? A lichen? A mollusk? An asteroid? A piece of plasma in the cosmos, ready to birth a new universe? A dish? A kitten? I can’t say. This is up to the Compass readers who are hereby encouraged to submit their ideas. Whoever wins the contest will be rewarded with a large french fry from the restaurant of your choice. May the most appropriate mascot win. - Ian Svenonius
ART BLAST .............................................. PAGE 2 Get a little bizarre in Lowell and LEARN SOMETHING FOR ONCE in Boston
FILM FLAM ............................................. PAGE 3 MARCH CINE-MADNESS: BUFF, SFF, & SFPF (Scorsese’s Favorite Polish Films!)
THE TARDY EAGLE ................................ PAGE 6 SXSW, History, Heartbreak, Uterus Stuff
BOSTON HASSLE BRIEF........................ PAGE 7 Androgynous Mind, KRILL, Olho Seco, GROOMS, Cherry Glazerr and more
The Boston Compass is produced by the Boston Hassle Email us at ThatBostonCompass@gmail.com or visit us online at BostonHassle.com
Listen To BACKWOODS on WMBR Every Saturday Morn
Every Saturday morning get a dose of feel-good kookiness courtesy of DJ JOHN FUNKE. It’s been 3 years to the month since we last mentioned our favorite weekly radio program and it hasn’t changed a lick. You’ll have the best vintage Rock and Roll, obscure Rhythm N Blues and incorrigible Country and Western flying at your ear holes amidst zany sound effects and the jive wisdom of legendary area-nut JONBENET BERLUSCONI. Feel the carefree Saturday morning vibe and keep it tuned to Backwoods on WMBR 88.1FM every week from 10am-Noon. - Sam Potrykus
NEW GROUP: Holiday Music Releases First Full Length
From the mysterious minds that brought us Magic Magic comes a new project, HOLIDAY MUSIC. With a more ethereal sound, this crew released their first full-length “Atlantis” last month via PUEBLO 2012. It’s a beautifully blissed-out album with centrifugal force that you can snatch up on their bandcamp. Pueblo2012’s Mike Chew also has clothing brand called Pueblo that will be sponsoring a show @Video Underground Friday 3/14 with HOLIDAY MUSIC, SOFT FANGS, and DOZE. Be sure not to miss this one, ‘cause it could be your last chance to catch a show at VU! - Sarah Martin
Glenwood Garden Launches Locally Sourced Food E-Market
A for-profit business with a social mission, Glenwood Garden aims to help non-profits by providing an e-market for them to sell their locally-sourced goods via GlenwoodGarden.com. They also feature a line of sustainably made food ready for consumption. Now that they are operational, they’re reaching out to other non-profits like the FOOD PROJECT (MA) and GREENING OF DETROIT (MI) to share in net profits from sales on their website. If you have any suggestions for food producers they should work with or non-profits to partner with, email info@glenwoodgarden. - Ron Kwon
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On OSR Tapes!
PALBERTA: Lily, Ani, and Nina; instrument-switching American original singers. Ask somebody and it might be punk rock, ask someone else and they might not care to stab it with a name. Are Palberta a sign of things to come, a genetically mutated oasis in the post-industrial wasteland of contemporary music? OSR says yes, and for only 6 dollars you can own thousands of feet of electromagnetic tape in full and reckless agreement. This album is incredible, go see Palberta and listen to “When I Come” on the Internet now! - Nals Goring
Soulelujah/Cultures Of Soul Co-Release Obscure Soul 45
BIG NEWS for collectors of little-known funk and R&B gems: the crack team behind award-winning dance night/veritable Boston institution SOULELUJAH joined forces with crate-digging, local rare reissue label CULTURES OF SOUL to release a new 45 last month! This hot slab o’ wax combines the furious femme funk of IRENE REID’s “Dirty Old Man” with a weirdo R&B jam, allegedly tracked by a mysterious CUPPY RECORDS studio band, on the B side. Hear this prodigious platter at CulturesOfSoul.com, where you’ll find clips galore. - Ben Potrykus
A Marathon of Jams 3/20-3/28 The WHITEHAUS FAMILY RECORD is back with the seventh installment of BLASTFEST—the record label/collective/residence’s annual celebration of fringe music and comradeship. To say that this year’s fest is bigger than ever is no hyperbole according to the organizers, who boast a 9-day schedule this year, including not just unkempt music at clubs/galleries/DIY venues across the city (Cambridge YMCA, Aviary Gallery, Midway Café, 119 Gallery, etc) but also improv, comedy, workshops and more. According to WFR’s ARKM FOAM, the institution is still “pumping purely,” so get in while the flowing is good. - Jonathan Donaldson
azing First Reco
ase Am PALBERTA Rele
WHITEHAUS’ BLASTFEST SEVEN:
3/2 sees the SOMERVILLE ARMORY @191 Highland Ave hosting a day of FREE CLASSES, taught by some talented Somervillians themselves. There’ll be nearly 40 wild workshops in seven spaces, covering everything from urban beekeeping (Best Bees Company) and bicycle maintenance (Emily Thibodeau) to basic silkscreening (Liz Corkery) and link-stitch bookbinding (Athena Moore)—drop in whenever, and take as many or as few courses as you like! Not enough for you? How about FREE STUFF (Pizza! Beer! Chocolate!) from local sponsors? This event is all-ages and did we mention it’s FREE? 12-6PM SomervilleSkillShare.org - Ben Potrykus
Illusion Of Porpoise Debut Record Out Now On WFR
Submerge yourself in the cerebral and psychedelic swamp that is the ILLUSION OF PORPOISE. This 7-piece Boston supergroup features prominent players of all ages, ready to push your brain into the blender. The heavenly brothers and sisters at the WHITEHAUS FAMILY RECORD present their debut album of six syrupy jams that wield weird grooves relentlessly and clock in at just under 80 minutes. This album is truly a hazardous masterpiece full of intentional spaces to bring you back to earth, just before sending you right back into the next trimention. Find it on Archive.Org and WhitehausFamilyRecord.com. Stay trippy. - Mark Johnson
Knewbody Presents: Rainbows Are Just Refracted White Light
Come engage in a FREE Artvention with DARKMATTER @SMFA on Sunday 3/2 at 5pm. Darkmatter is a queer South Asian performance and literary arts duo by ALOK VAID-MENON & JANANI BALASUBRAMANIAN. The group uses spoken word to renegotiate ways of loving your body and confront ideas of colonialism, white supremacy and desire. The event is organized by folks at KNEWBODY, a local performance/lecture series that brings together POC creatives to bounce ideas off each other & build community. Past programming includes SUZY X and Black Radical Imagination—check DarkMatterRage.com & KnewBody.info - Nabeela Vega
SCATV Will Make A Filmmaker Out Of You!
It’s hard for filmmakers to get out there and do their thing in this city we call home (I know, you know, we all know). There’s always shooting your friends smashing up a TV, but Boston has more to offer if you look for it. SOMERVILLE COMMUNITY ACCESS TELEVISION, the oldest of its kind in MA, offers a space to work on your craft through classes, group projects, and networking events. On Sunday 3/9, SCATV is hosting ROUGH CUT SOCIAL at The Uniun in Union Square—a night for media makers of all shapes and sizes to share their works-in-progress and get creative feedback. RSVP & find more info online! - Ari Shvartsman