Five Reasons to Leave the House This Weekend

Wine in Nantucket, Franklin Park Zoo's birthday, EarthFest, and more.

Posted by Anne Vickman on 5/17/2012 at 10:00AM | No Comments

What about this isn’t appealing? (Photo used with permission.)

Tipple
16th Annual Nantucket Wine Festival
Really the name speaks for itself: Wine Festival! On Nantucket! The main event, the Grand Tasting, will take place at the Nantucket Yacht Club, where more than 200 wineries will be serving tastes alongside Island Creek Oysters’ incomparable mollusks. The Harbor Gala will feature food from local restaurants and celebrity chefs, wine and food seminars will be plentiful, and three luncheon symposia will begin with a discussion lead by distinguished winemakers, followed by a four-course luncheon. A celebrity chef and winemaker auction dinner will give guests a chance to bid on rare and large-bottle wines, while Executive Chef Bernard Guillas of The Marine Room in San Diego and Executive Chef Frederick Bisaillon of Nantucket’s Brant Point Grill make culinary magic.
$40–$800, Wednesday, May 16 through Sunday, May 20, White Elephant Hotel, 50 Easton St., Nantucket, nantucketwinefestival.com. Continue reading “Five Reasons to Leave the House This Weekend” »

Eight Questions for Tall Heights

A Q+A with a local band that's poised to infiltrate your headphones.

Posted by Anne Vickman on 5/10/2012 at 9:17AM | No Comments

Tim Harrington on guitar + Paul Wright on cello = pretty music. (Image courtesy of Tall Heights.)

Ever since catching a live performance of the Boston-based duo Tall Heights at Cafe 939 in February, my ears have been in a enthusiastic, aural tizzy. Formed in 2010 when Tim Harrington and Paul Wright started busking in Faneuil Hall, the guitar and cello player have since released an EP, 2011′s Rafters, performed with David Wilcox and Ryan Montbleau, and played Austin’s South by Southwest. They’ll be recording a live video for NPR in Boston this week, are already hatching plans to record another album this summer, and will be playing a sold out show at Club Passim on Friday night. Harrington and Wright were nice enough to take a few minutes to talk about new music, why playing big venues isn’t on the roster, and Robot Cellos.

How was South by Southwest? What did people think of you guys?
Tim Harrington: It was crazy β€” a lot to handle and take in. We played three shows and did some street performing, then toured for 10 days on the way back. Reactions were great. People are very open-minded and into music down in Austin. Continue reading “Eight Questions for Tall Heights” »

Five Reasons to Leave the House This Weekend

Internet memes, urban puzzle solving, Andrew Bird, and more.

Posted by Anne Vickman on 5/3/2012 at 8:45AM | No Comments

The first rule of The Great Urban Race? Be ready for anything. (Photo courtesy of The Great Urban Race.)

Outdoors
Great Urban Race
Think you know everything to know about Boston? The Great Urban race bills itself as a β€œwild urban adventure,” one that requires brains and brawn to win. Much like network television’s The Amazing Race, teams work together to solve a total of 12 clues that all together take about three to four hours and potentially four to eight miles in distance to complete, depending on strategy. Clues are a mix of physical activity, brain teasers, puzzles, and challenges, and cash prizes are doled out to the first three winners. The first 25 teams to complete the race are automatically ushered into the National Championship race in Vegas, where contenders can out-smart one another to the tune of $10,000. Any team that registers as St. Jude’s Heroes will help raise funds to benefit St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital for cancer research.
$60β€’$70, 11 a.m., Saturday, May 5, race begins on Palmer Street in Harvard Square, greaturbanrace.com. Continue reading “Five Reasons to Leave the House This Weekend” »

Boston Pops: What to Watch This Summer

Check out our six must-see picks for this season's Pops performances, from classical music to comedy.

Posted by Allison Thomasseau on 5/3/2012 at 8:15AM | No Comments

Boston pops Charles Floyd will lead the Pops choir during the 20th anniversary of Gospel Night on June 9. (Photo courtesy of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.)

The Boston Pops returns for their spring season on May 9 with classic performances, such as the Pops Gospel Choir, along with new shows and tributes. Check out our six must-sees for the season from classical music to comedy.

Bernadette Peters
Broadway actress Bernadette Peters will open the spring Pops season singing selections including “Some Enchanted Evening,” “There Is Nothing Like a Dame,” “Let Me Entertain You,” and “Being Alive.” There is also be a reception and post-concert CD signing. Peters is most known for her performances in Annie Get Your Gun, Song and Dance, and Gypsy. (Bernadette Peters, May 9, 8 p.m., Symphony Hall, 301 Massachusetts Ave., 617-266-1492, $41-$125.) Continue reading “Boston Pops: What to Watch This Summer” »

Five Reasons to Leave the House this Weekend

Badass jazz, pop culture and comic books, a healthy dose of wine, and more.

Posted by Anne Vickman on 4/18/2012 at 8:40AM | No Comments

Esperanza Spalding: the baddest one-chick hit squad that ever hit town. (Photo by Sandrine Lee.)

Music
Esperanza Spalding
27-year-old jazz bassist and singer Esperanza Spalding was only four years old when she saw Cambridge-resident Yo-Yo Ma perform on Mister Rogers and decided to be a musician. The Berklee grad β€” originally from Oregon β€” was the school’s youngest faculty member at the age of 20, and the first jazz musician to win a Grammy. We’re talking about the definition of badass here, but if you can’t make it to her show on Sunday, consider picking up her latest album, Radio Music Society, on Record Store Day this Saturday.
$28–$45, Sunday, April 22, 7:30 p.m., Orpheum Theater, One Hamilton Pl., Boston, worldmusic.org. Continue reading “Five Reasons to Leave the House this Weekend” »

Five Reasons to Leave the House this Weekend

Hint: Two must-see shows, cask ale, architectural photography, and more.

Posted by Anne Vickman on 4/12/2012 at 8:35AM | No Comments

lost in the treesLost in the Trees: If you don’t like them, I don’t like you. (Image courtesy of Anti & Epitaph Records)

Music
Lost in the Trees, Poor Moon
It doesn’t get much more personal than this: North Carolina-based Lost in the Trees’ frontman, Ari Picker, wrote the band’s latest release, A Church to Fit Our Needs, for his mother, who passed away in 2008 from suicide. At times haunting, intensely layered, and vulnerable, the album is a work of beauty β€” and seeing the group perform live is not to be missed.
$16β€’$20, Friday, April 13, 7:30 p.m., Remis Auditorium, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 800-440-6975, mfa.org. Continue reading “Five Reasons to Leave the House this Weekend” »

A Layman’s Guide to Marathon Monday

Where to eat, watch, and party for the Boston Marathon.

Posted by Allison Thomasseau on 4/12/2012 at 7:00AM | No Comments

Photo by John Beagle/Flickr

Get your folding chairs, coolers, and noisemakers in gear, because Marathon Monday is right around the corner. From the best places to watch the marathon to the best restaurants to go to for a post-race meal, we’ve got you covered. β€” Prepared with additional reporting from Becca Fox and viewing tips from Dan Hocking Continue reading “A Layman’s Guide to Marathon Monday” »

Five Reasons to Leave the House this Weekend

Geek heaven, Easter egg hunts, The Magnetic Fields, and more!

Posted by Anne Vickman on 4/5/2012 at 8:35AM | No Comments

Kirby is only the tip of the Anime Boston iceberg. (Photograph courtesy of Anime Boston.)

Geekery
Anime Boston & PAX East
Oh. My. Goodness. I’m not sure if it was the best or worst idea ever to schedule both the East Coast’s largest Japanese animation and video gaming conventions over the same weekend. I mean, what if I want to learn how to survive a robot apocalypse and design a D&D dungeon? Well of course robots always win over D&D, but I guess I’ll have to make sure mom can give me a ride. Betwixt hundreds of panels, screenings, demos, vendors, and (indubitably) legions of outrageous attendees (check out our slideshow from last year), fans, who will have crossover conflicts, no doubt, will have quite an epic challenge in sorting out which events to attend.
$55, Anime Boston, Friday, April 6 through Sunday, April 8, Hynes Convention Center, animeboston.com; $35, PAX East, Friday, April 6 through Sunday, April 8, Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, 415 Summer St., Boston, east.paxsite.com. Continue reading “Five Reasons to Leave the House this Weekend” »

Five Reasons to Leave the House this Weekend

Gotye, experimental film, Together Boston, and more.

Posted by Anne Vickman on 3/29/2012 at 8:38AM | No Comments

Saul Levine image

A still from Saul Levine’s “Whole Note.” (Image courtesy of the ICA.)

Film
International Experimental Cinema Exposition
According to Wikipedia, β€œan experimental film is often characterized by the absence of linear narrative, the use of various abstracting techniques β€” out-of-focus, painting or scratching on film, rapid editing β€” the use of asynchronous sound or even the absence of any sound track. The goal is often to place the viewer in a more active and more thoughtful relationship to the film.” Sound up your alley? This Colorado-based, non-profit expo seeks to call out experimental artistry in film. Founded by Christopher May (supported by Stan Brakhage), screenings will include a shorts from New England filmmakers Jonathan Schwartz and Saul Levine.
$11–$13, 4 p.m., Sunday, April 1, Institute of Contemporary Art, 100 Northern Ave., Boston, 617-478-3103, icaboston.org.

Music
Gotye
In case you’ve been living under a rock, Australia’s Belgian-born Gotye has been burning up the interwebs with his single, β€œSomebody That I Used to Know” (see the vid below, then check out this sweet cover version) from last year’s album, Making Mirrors. His voice smacks of Sting and Peter Gabriel (have a listen and tell me you don’t agree), while his style is all over the map β€” running the gamut from quiet ballads to synth-y, atmospheric works to neo-soul-infused numbers.
$25–$35, Thursday, March 29, 8 p.m., House of Blues, 15 Lansdowne St., Boston, 888-693-2583, houseblues.com.

Wellness
Violet Spa Spring Wellness Event
This Brookline spa is kicking off a week of discounted products and services with a free seminar on health and wellness. Meredith Mills, health counselor and founder of trunourish.com will speak about the connection between food, mood, and health, while Katherine Bicer, the founder of Om in the Office, will talk about ways to include yoga, meditation, and relaxation into your everyday life. Violet’s Organic Flax Seed Facial, Green Tea Purifying Facial, and Lemon Body Glow Treatment will all be $30 off, while skin care products will be on sale, too.
Free, Sunday, April 1, 12 p.m.-6 p.m., Violet Skin Boutique, 1362 Beacon St., Brookline, 617-264-7546, violetskinboutique.com.

Tech
Together Boston
So technically this is next week, but forgive me the technicality in exchange for advance notice of Together, Boston’s week long, electro-fabulous amalgamation of all things music, art, technology, and production. This year has an even bigger roster of acts, including RJD2 and Dubfire, and events like an installation competition, a demonstration of Sonotron β€” a 13-foot spherical, steel sculpture with speakers and amplifiers β€” and oodles of free tech seminars.
Monday, April 2 – Sunday, April 8, check the schedule here, togetherboston.com.

Beer
Five Napkin Burger Beer Dinner
If you’re not familiar with Stone Brewing, the San Diego-based brewery known for its hoppy brews, then a four-course dinner pairing with their Levitation Ale, IPA, Arrogant Bastard Ale, and Smoked Porter is a great place to start. The menu includes hors d’oeuvres like pork taquitos and spicy salmon wontons followed by gruyere mac ‘n cheese, a burger (or a veggie burger), and cheesecake with strawberry glaze.
$45, 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, April 3, Five Napkin Burger, 105 Huntington Ave., Boston, 617-375-2277, buy tickets here.

How to Celebrate Spring

Get outdoors and try out picnic spots and nature events.

Posted by Allison Thomasseau on 3/29/2012 at 6:00AM | No Comments

See the blooming Magnolia and Cherry blossom trees at Arnold Arboretum this Saturday during the Spring into Health walk. (Photo courtesy of the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University.)

Flowers are blooming and high temperatures have us putting our winter parkas in storage (except this week, perhaps). It’s time to head to the great outdoors to enjoy sunshine and all the benefits fresh air is supposed to give us. Check out this roundup of outdoor events from nature walks to scavenger hunts β€” or if you’re looking for something a little more relaxed, just pack up a meal and hit up one of our prime picnic spots.

Boston Food Truck Tour
If you haven’t sampled Boston’s food trucks yet, now’s your chance. Tours begin downtown, and include samples from all the trucks on the tour. It’s a chance not only to learn how the food trucks emerged in Boston, but with spring around the corner, you’ll actually be able to enjoy eating your food truck lunch outside. Purchase tickets here. Friday, March 30, 11:30 a.m., Dewey Square Park at Rose Kennedy Greenway, $30. Continue reading “How to Celebrate Spring” »
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