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ART BLAST.............................................................PAGE 2 All hail Nia King, MFA Thesis shows & “The Original Boston Bruins” HASSLE BRIEF & PURE IMPACT.........................PAGE 3 Old Wave, Little Star, SP-MOLD, Félicia Atkinson, The Como Mamas and CHARLIE. PI: DAME HERE BE THE SHOWS......................................PAGE 4-5 Wake Up The Earth!, Fred Thomas, Lightning Bolt, Lescalleet and Cold Beat and two SCANNERS (Container + M Dwinell)! THE TARDY EAGLE..............................................PAGE 6 Comedy You Will Regret Not Seeing, Advice from a Timelord, Beer, Other Things Too!!!!!!! FILM FLAM.............................................................PAGE 7 Movies Galore: Horror @HFA, Psychedelia @ICA, The Peculiar NIGHTBREED @BRATTLE, & Much, Much, More. COMICS..................................................................PAGE 8 Salesman!, GOODBYE, two-headed David Beyers and the debut of WOOZAT SHRIMP?! PYCH: Doughboy Donuts
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Spontaneous Celebrations have shown us that it’s truly the people, working together in communities, that make big things happen. They’ve certainly been an inspiration for us, which is one reason we are so thrilled that our nonprofit, BRAIN Arts, was asked to program this year’s late-night afterparty. The Boston Hassle show-booking arm of BRAIN Arts does over a dozen DIY shows a month. They’re always a wild mix, but tonight we’ve pulled out all the stops. Kick things off with Old Wave’s country-style dance party, listen close as hip hop hound Lewis M bestows beat-based enlightenment, experience Western Mass diva Mal Devisa’s sweet, soulful lo-fi realness, JP trio The Channels’ weird noisy groove, and, finally, the unparalleled hypnotic, microtonal rock of Horse Lords, coming from Baltimore just to blow you away. It all happens 8 PMMidnight for a $10-15 suggested donation (all proceeds go to BRAIN Arts/Spontaneous Celebrations). The event is 21+ (sorry young friends), but the all-day fest is all-ages, as always! Come out and celebrate JP, spring and each other! -Sam Potrykus
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Spontaneous Celebrations: Wake Up The Earth! Saturday 5/2 Here in Jamaica Plain, birthplace of this very paper, there’s a legendary festival called Wake Up The Earth. Started 36 years ago by uninhibited artists and activists whose collective, Spontaneous Celebrations, continues to work tirelessly to preserve the radicalism and diversity of JP, WUTE celebrates everything that makes our neighborhood special. People take back their streets each May to enjoy the offerings of a plethora of local food vendors and musicians, and an epic parade led by dancing monarchs in costumes or on stilts. Meanwhile, collectives, small businesses, nonprofits and intrepid individuals set up shop all the way down the Southwest Corridor to share their projects with the community. The whole day is pure magic, but we owe it to ourselves to give props to the many volunteers and sponsors who put countless hours into making it a success. WUTE’s miracle vibes resonate throughout our city in a positive and powerful way, and whenever you pass by Stony Brook Station, even on a frigid winter day, you can feel the warmth of the flame that it keeps burning all year long.
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The Boston Compass is produced by the BRAIN Arts Organization Email us at ThatBostonCompass@gmail.com Visit us online at www.Brain-Arts.org
KEY VOLUNTEER POSITIONS AVAILABLE AT BRAIN ARTS:
DROPS ALBUM & DROPS EL
BOWS 5/4
If you’re searching for the perfect soundtrack for stuffing boys in lockers, your prayers have been answered. Tomboy’s unique flavor of pissed-off bubblegum shall suit your needs. Tomboy is a long running Boston lady punk institution who have yet to release a definitive document…until now. Tomboy’s debut 12”--titled “Sweetie”--is out now on Ride the Snake Records. Monday 5/4 at 7pm @Middle East Upstairs will be the RRRAGING record release show with Alice (NYC), and locals Ursula and Phantom Rides. All ages! Order the LP at ridethesnakerecords.com -Chris Strunk
MASSART FEATURES FUTURE FASHION ROYALTY @ THE CASTLE 5/9 Another year, another treasure trove of talent coming out of MassArt’s fashion department. From Erin Robertson’s handmade, graphic textiles to Gloria Im’s clean but conceptual unisex designs, we promise you’ll be impressed. This year’s show “Vision” is @The Castle at Park Plaza on Saturday 5/9 at 7pm. $40 advance tickets are available at MassArtFashion2015.eventbrite.com. -CEEK
YOUTH PRIDE FESTIVAL 5/16
The Boston Alliance of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Youth (BAGLY) is making 5/16 a daylong celebration Massachusetts of Youth Pride. BAGLY provides a huge range of support for queer youth, including “everything from social support to radical activism to free health services,” says development director Kurtlan Massarsky. Join in a day-long pride festival @City Hall Plaza starting at 11am, including a march at noon and BAGLY prom at 7pm. If you’re looking for a way to get into queer activism, check it out. More info at BAGLY.org. -Josie Grove
FIRST, YOU’SDAYS, KATIE MCSHANE TAKE THE REIGNS Women’s music is wonderful music. First Tuesday of every month, 8pm @Midway in JP. Katie McShane showcases composers, improvisers, songwriters & bandleaders who are making Boston sound better. Vital underground sounds and a huge range of way-out experiments where some of the best folks in town are in charge. This month, the first T is crossed on 5/5 and features Cassandra, Listening Woman, Phurnne, Leah Raczynski, and me too. -Angela Sawyer. “I went last month and it was rad” -Sam P
SISTER SISTER RELEASES NEW ANTHOLOGY WITH EXHIBIT 5/21
CHAPBOOK
Esther White, founder of Sister Sister Books & Fugitive Arts Project, has been busy assembling her new knockout multimedia collage exhibition “Piecework” @Mill Arts Project in Easthampton--including a new chapbook anthology of “remnant and scrap-based poetry” with guest editor Halie Theoharides. The installation is a collaboration with painter/sculptor Cathe Janke and musician/multi-media artist Meghan Minior evolving throughout the run from 5/5 to 5/30. Make the trip on 5/9 from 5-8pm for the opening or on Saturday, 5/21 from 5-8pm for the chapbook release party. SisterSisterBooks.tumblr.com. -CEEK
BRAIN ARTS ORG MARKETING AND PROMOTION MANAGER This position entails working with our shows and events team, and the BRAIN Arts Org’s managerial team in promoting and creating public understanding of our non-profit’s projects and functions within Boston and New England’s art and music communities. Press releases, community relations, and press and promotional relationship building are all part of the functions of this position. HASSLE WEBSITE CONTENT CURATOR This position entails fostering, and foraging for and creating a place on the web for interesting, weird, and awesome videos (short films, docs, sketch comedy, “video podcasts”, interviews, performance, web series), animation, photography, podcasts, streaming radio programs, and other forms of web based creativity. Various forms of the written word; from journalistic adventures on through creative and experimental writing, and short stories are included among the breadth of content that the Boston Hassle website so craves. FILM SECTION MANAGER This position entails managing and curating film content and listings, as well as the writers creating each, in the Compass newspaper and on the Hassle website. Join our non-profit arts organization and create a dynamic, entertaining, and thoughtful portal for the broad spectrum of the film of the world, all while contextualizing Boston and New England’s film community as part of this world of moving images.
FEMMECHANICS PRESENT GRRREASE TIME @BIKES NOT BOMBS 5/11 The mercury is rising and the snow has cleared which means it’s time to get those two-wheelers back in gear. If you’re a femme/trans/woman cyclist who is looking for some tips and tools to keep your wheels turning smoothly, Femmechanics offers GRRREASE TIME, a free monthly workshop every second Monday from 7 to 9pm @Bikes Not Bombs in JP. Don’t let a flat tire slow you down this spring. Save your money, get some exercise, and avoid the MBTA by riding a bike! Femmechanics.wordpress.com. -CEEK
BOSTON REPRESENTS AS SOCIALISM CONVERGES IN CHICAGO ON 7/2-7/5
“Socialism 2015” is a four-day conference put on by the International Socialist Organization that brings together over 1,500 socialists and radical activists from around the country to take part in discussions about Marxism, working-class history, debates, and strategies for organizing today. Every year, the conference aims to be a place where activists can share lessons from their struggles—with topics ranging from the boycott, divestment, and sanction campaign for Palestine, to the fight for LGBT liberation, the Fight for $15, the struggle to stop the destruction of the planet, the fight against racism, and more. With well over 100 meetings, the weekend will feature leftwing authors and thinkers discussing the critical debates of today, as well as meetings on the hidden history of working-class and socialist struggles. The Boston Branch of the ISO will be mobilizing people to Chicago, so if you’re interested in coming, please email keeganxobrien89@Gmail.com. For more information, go to socialismconference.org - Keegan O’Brien
DOWNTOWN BOYS UNLEASH FULL COMMUNISM
This month PVD’s Downtown Boys are set to bring their new album/ way of life “Full Communism” to a city near you! Catch the boisterous band’s record release show on 5/8 at 8pm @Machines with Magnets in Pawtucket, RI with Fleabite, Secret Lover, and Lovesick ($8). Can’t make it to Rhode Island? Catch them in Boston 5/9 @Make Shift Boston at the Break the Chains all ages/all gender dance party with Bad Boys, Bell’s Roar, BlackOUT!, Evan Greer + Friends, and SO many more. Later this month on 5/30 the band will be playing at Flywheel in WMass with local darlings Laika’s Orbit and Potty Mouth. Can’t wait to get your hands on a record? Head over to Don Giovanni Records and order yourself a copy. Don’t snooze, or you might miss the revolution. – Ali Donohue
Pro Arts Seeks Student Art ists!
Turn “The Wheel” When we think of wheels, ideas such as progress, revolution, energy, and modernity spring to mind. Boston’s art community embodies these qualities, absorbing the current condition of art, music, performance, writing, and design, and spinning them on a new axis. The Wheel, a new online gallery, aims to showcase the innovative efforts of these students. If you’re an undergraduate or graduate student working in the creative arts, The Wheel wants to know what you’re doing. Help spread the word about fresh talent in our schools to the Greater Boston Area and beyond. Submit your work at: proartswheel.org/submit. -Melanie Bernier
REMEMBERING LILLY KATE CHRISTOPHER Last month the Hassle family lost our friend and fellow volunteer, Lilly Christopher. A sophomore journalism student at Emerson College and a volunteer with The Hassle for the past 2 years, Lilly came to weekly meetings, documented shows and contributed killer flyers. Not only did she make great art, she brought a positive energy and enthusiasm that is truly rare, even in a large collective such as ours. Lilly really got it. She was very passionate about our culture and was a very active member of it. She will be deeply missed by her friends and fellow volunteers, and remembered as a radical artist and lover of the counter culture. Thanks for everything, Lilly <3 -Sam Potrykus