Weekend Events, March 12, 2010

Friday, Dan Kirouac sings early at the Black Sheep Tavern in Shirley; Ariband is at the Hotel Vernon; Birch Hill Dam joins Burn The Witch, Born Of Thunder, Bring The Knife and The River Neva at the Lucky Dog; The Disaster March headlines, along with Flatout Jones, Force Fed Lies and Orphan Killbot at The Raven; BB Kings Las Vegas does the blues at Gilrein’s; Bad Andy returns to JJ’s; Cooper’s Escape makes its debut at Irish Times; Kung Fu Grip kicks out rock covers at Mint.

Saturday, No Alibi’s playing rock covers at Beatnik’s; Chuck and Mud are performing right in the front room at WCUW with the Hole in the Dam Banders; Fourth Gear makes a rare appearance at the Blue Plate; Dana Lewis is performing at the Verona Grill; Lisa Marie’s fronting the Workingman’s Jazz Band at the Concord Inn; Auntie Trainwreck returns to the Wheelock Inn; Flock of A-holes does a full night at the 5th Amendment; Revolver fires one off at Irish Times; the Road Dawgs bark at 3-G’s Sports Pub; The Roosters return to Greendale’s; New Bay Colony heads back to Jillian’s for a second time; Deejay Dee is spinning at the Belfry, also running karaoke.

Next Wednesday, The Curtain Society, Gene Loves Jezebel, Tommy Tutone help open for Missing Persons at Mill Street Brews.
Other events:

The Worcester Spring Home Show is happening all weekend at the DCU Center.
Educating Rita is being performed at Alternatives Unlimited in Whitinsville through Sunday.

The Salem Cross Inn is hosting a CSI Mystery Dinner Theatre on Friday at 6:30 p.m., when the guests help to solve the crime while eating a yummy dinner. Also Friday, Break-Away Billiards in Clinton hosts an APA pool tournament. The film Pirate Radio is being shown at Holy Cross’s Kimball Hall. It’s $1 dog night, which means hot dogs are a buck, at the Worcester Sharks game at the DCU Center. The Odessa Philharmonic performs at Mechanics Hall.

Saturday, there’s a Swedish dinner at Chaffin Church in Holden.

MSB now My Silent Bravery

According to frontman Matt Schwachman, they are "changing the game."

The MSB announced that they have a new band name, My Silent Bravery.

This name builds upon the MSB identity and to us symbolizes the idea of inner strength and perseverance. MSB will not only still carry the same original lineup and appreciative fans, but will also use this group name to catapult Matt's new CD, Are You Prepared? available March 23.

My Silent Bravery will be celebrating the CD Release with a great line up of shows, starting with a Boston CD Release Show at Harpers Ferry on Saturday March 27 at 8 p.m. and Jillian's on April 3.

Events, Friday, March 5

Friday, the legendary Mocha Java is in the equally legendary Shiproom at the Vernon; Ed and Dave sing at Greendale’s Pub; Dan joins his brother Steve Kirouac for a show at the Nines; Sara Ashleigh’s Pushin’ the Blues at the Cannery; The Franks join Brothers McCann and Philosopher King at Tammany Hall; Sam James is back at the House of Blues; The Bubbleheads rock Beatnik’s; Kreator blasts the Palladium; Gross opens for a Cat Whisker Radio and Leicester band the Golden Spurs at the Raven; there’s karaoke at both the West Boylston VFW as well as Halligan’s in Auburn; Dirty Deeds gets done dirt cheap at JJ’s in Northboro; Drivin’ Rain splashes at the Blue Plate in Holden; the Granitemen do Irish stuff at the Fiddler’s Green; Stomping Melvin plays covers at Irish Times; The Stumbleweeds blow through Vincent’s; and the Crow Hop Blues band does the blues at Gilrein’s.

Saturday, it’s the Lucky Dog’s 11th anniversary and they’ve got the Fear Nuttin’ Band, Mafia Bong Hit, Speak and Drivin’ Rain; Brett and Lisa Brumby harmonize at Oxford’s Restaurant; The Bee’s Knees plays right here at the WCUW studios in the front room; Nicktoberfest includes live music, a yodeling contest and a chocolate cake eating contest at Nick’s; Bret Talbert sings at Tavern on the Common in Rutland; Whalebone Farmhouse does its eclectic show at Vincent’s; Banned Loot is at the Mill Church Café in Millbury.

Other Events:

Curious George Live happens throughout the weekend – Friday through Sunday – at the Hanover Theatre.

Friday, the Supergirl cup brings together the best in junior gymnasts from across the country to the DCU Center. Also, there’s a benefit for the Sutton Little League and New Bay Colony with food and live music at the Singletary Rod and Gun Club.

On Saturday, the annual St. Patrick’s Irish Festival takes place at Mt. Carmel. There’s a book launch party for Louis Despres’s “Five Months,” which is a book of photos he took around Worcester clubs and beyond. The party’s at Dr. Gonzo’s Uncommon Condiments on Main Street at 5:30 p.m.

Christian band at The Mill

Guitarist-singer Paul Lanier wouldn’t say Christian rock is growing by leaps and bounds, but it isn’t losing any fans, either. Like his band Banned Loot, his says it’s “stagnant.” It’s not the most positive sounding word. Perhaps we’ll call it maintaining. Or, better yet, one of the words of the year: It’s got “sustainability.”

Banned Loot is a Christian band hailing from the Hartford area of Connecticut. It grew out of a duo with Paul and his son David, who plays electric guitar. They started the duo in 2003, and shortly after, David brought in his friend Mike Shonk on drums. Through connections at the local churches, Maggie Massicotte joined on lead vocals, as did Mike Smith on bass and Benlio Bussinguer on keys and vocals.
With someone of a generational gap within the band (David and Shonk are now 24), Paul says the age differences add a variety of influences and approaches to the songwriting and style, which gets compared to that of Third Day or Jars of Clay.

“We all pitch in,” said Paul. “If someone has a melody or lyrics, we work on them. I’ve had to stretch myself and other people have had to stretch, too. I think it’s fun.”

Paul writes most of the lyrics, which have found their way onto a Banned Loot disc in 2006 called Refuge, an EP last year called Because You are Loved, and a solo release that came out nine years ago called Ponder the Road.
“Most of my lyrics are about how God interacts in our lives and in other people’s lives, and what we see from our perspectives,” said Paul. “There is an appeal of our music to the non-religious crowd, too.”

DETAILS:
What: Banned Loot
When: Friday, March 5, at 7 p.m.
Where: Mill Church Café, 45 River St., Millbury
Cost: Free-will offering

club notes friday, feb. 26

Friday, Orange Crush is at the Skybox in Southwick; the Tokyo tramps bring blues and rock Japanese style to Beatnik’s; Adam Trudel’s singing at The Q; Whalebone Farmhouse makes its Greendale’s debut; Sun Jones headlines Tammany Hall; Tori Pyne is singing at the Dive Bar; Mike O’Connell and the Backstabbers play blues rock at the Nines; there’s a Celtic Traditions show at the Hudson Town Hall with Kate Chadbourne and the Irish Music Guy; Dave Magario’s at the Lucky Dog along with headliners the Glenn Stewart Band, the Great Whiskey Rebellion and Merrick Station; Face Full of Shotgun, Two Tickets to the Gun Show, Cadence, Bears and a few more split the bill at London Billiards; Not Boxed rocks Irish Times; Pete the Polak’s the deejay at 3-G’s Sports Pub; Dan Burke is hosting his “Island Getaway Night” at Nick’s; the Drunken Uncles do their weekly acoustic duo thing at Allgo’s; Switchblade Suicide’s with Musclecah at Ralph’s; and the Superchief Trio debuts at Vincent’s.
Saturday, the Brett and Lisa Duo perform at Chuck’s Steakhouse in Auburn; The Brennan Brothers do a benefit in memory of their brother, Jimmy, at the Leicester Country Club to raise money for scholarships; Commander Cody’s rocking at Mill Street Brews in Southbridge; it’s the Rock Your Face Off show with ten bands, including Empire Shall Fall at Ralph’s; Ellis Paul sings at Fitchburg State College; Fat City’s blasting the Bull Run in Shirley; and there’s a Jagfest "Pre-Party2" with Brand New Sin, Stonewall, Orange Diesel, Fuel Of War, Truman Highway, Justice Hill, Bottlefight and more at the Lucky Dog Music Hall.
On Sunday,
Every Tuesday night, the Q hosts an open mic.
Other Events:
It’s the last week to see the Faculty Exhibit at the Worcester Center for Crafts.
“Curtains,” a whodunit sort of play, is being performed throughout the weekend at the Mount Wachusett Community Theatre.
Refreshed American Galleries opens on Saturday at the Worcester Museum, which means they’ve brought back some old favorites to the lower third level. Also Saturday, Blissful Meadows Country Club in Uxbridge hosts a dinner comedy show with Ira Proctor as the headliner. Barnes and Noble in Worcester hosts a poetry reading.

Club stuff and events, Friday, Feb. 19

Friday, The Ten Foot Polecats are back at Beatnik’s; the Delta Generators are at Tommy Doyle’s; Fergus celebrates the release of “Green Street” at Fiddler’s Green; The Nate Wilson Group is at the Dive Bar; Shane Hall’s singing at The Q with the Ticklebomb Orchestra; the Delta Generators are out at Tommy Doyle’s; Dan Kirouac sings at King Phillip Restaurant in Phillipston; Cirkestra is back at Nick’s.

Saturday, the Whiskerite Beardathon is at the Dive at 6 p.m., raising money for the Worcester County Food Bank; The QVCC holds a community banquet at 6 p.m. as a fundraiser for renovations; Dopapod heads back to Tammany Hall; Whalebone Farmhouse is back at Beatnik’s; Tigerlily’s at the Blue Dog Sports Bar in Milford; The Boogaloo Swamis swamp up the Bull Run in Shirley; The Numbskulls are with the Guns of Navarone at Ralph’s; Dana Lewis is out at the Old Post Office Pub in Grafton; Kung Fu Vampire performs with Twiztid, Blaza and Fury at the Palladium; Tripleshot rocks the Pump House.

Dr. Robert’s got both weekend nights at Sakura Tokyo.

Sunday, there’s a Grafton house concert with Tony Bird, and you can find out more about that by looking him up on facebook, or Googling Bird’s site; Whalebone Farmhouse is playing under the moose on the first floor of Ralph’s; and Peter DePasquale, Paul Provost, Glenn DiTamasso and Chet Williamson get together at Frank’s Pub.

On Monday, Sarah McQuaid is Patrick Moriarty’s guest on WCUW’s “In the Tradition,” which airs 5-8 p.m.

Next Thursday, there’s a Grafton house concert with Sarah McQuaid – and again you can facebook and Google that name for more information.

Other events:

The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek, a coming of age story set in the Depression, is being performed at the Michelson Theatre at Clark University through Saturday.

On Saturday, Helen Beaumont is the main presenter at PechaKucha night at 55 Pearl, starting at 7 p.m.

Seeking artists for Grafton Fine Arts and Music Festival

The fifth annual Grafton Fine Arts and Music Festival will be held on Friday, March 26, Saturday March 27 and Sunday March 28 at the Grafton Municipal Center. Both adults and school age youth are encouraged to submit their art work for display at the Festival.

The interest and participation in this well-received event has resulted in expanding the art categories to include: oil and acrylic painting, watercolor painting, traditional photography, digitally enhanced photography, sculpture, mixed media and assemblage, fiber art and graphic art (pencil, pastels, pen and ink). Thanks to the generosity of the Grafton Suburban Credit Union, cash prizes will be awarded to adults for first, second and third place in the listed categories. Youth will be eligible for savings bonds in two categories: children 11 and under and youth from 12through high school. Art awards will be determined by a panel of qualified judges; adult artists will be recognized in a Friday evening Reception and youth on Saturday morning at 11 AM. Artists will have the opportunity to price and sell their works at the Festival.

The artist prospectus can be found on-line at graftonartsfestival.org or obtained at the Grafton Municipal Center and Library, the Art and Frame Emporium in Westboro and Gaston’s Art and Frame in Shrewsbury.

The postmarked deadline to register art work for the Festival is Wednesday, March 17. There is a $7 per work registration fee which entitles the artist to a free weekend pass for admission to the Festival including all music performances and workshops. Funds generated by admission fees will help fund future festivals. Call 508-887-9969 for more information.