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By : Mike Achille and Kevin Dacey
10 min read
*As Covid cases surge we strongly encourage all to take careful precaution when going out to public events! Follow the indoor mask mandate and keep distance from others! Always double check the event online just in case they need to cancel!*
MUSIC + AUDIO
3/11 Bellows, Lady Pills, Lake St. Daniel @O’Brien’s Pub 8PM 21+ $10/12
3/13 The Good Music Series Showcase: 8 Zipp, Nyeusi Loe, Shellz, Naty B, Eye Flo, Allanah J, Son Of The 215, Wreck Dollarz with music DJ Alcide and Megazoyd. Special guests and vendors as well! @Square One Mall 6PM-9PM All Ages $10/15
3/12 Boston Oi! Fest ft. The Welch Boys, The Bluebloods, The Abductors, Ice Cold Killers @Midway Cafe 8PM 21+ $10
3/13 Mega Mass Presents: Artist Showcase! Every second Sunday of the month! Sign up to perform! @The Jungle 9PM-12AM All Ages FREE
3/14 Keepin’ It Fresh 2 presented by Hustle Killer ft. Aaron Bates, Boochini George, Cali J, Cuph GTTB, Cyrus Brxxks, Dean Alves and more! @The Jungle 8PM 21+ $15
3/15 Get to the Gig Boston Presents: Hause Plants, Lazy, Reggie Pearl @The Rockwell 7PM All Ages $13/15
3/18 Mostly Fast Shit Vol. 5 ft. Moisturizer, Skullshitter, Uncle Buck, Torn in Half, Strictly Hip Hop @O’Brien’s Pub 8PM 21+ $8/10
3/18 M.O.B Presents “3rd Thursdays” at Kay’s Oasis! Live Band, After work Jam and Entertainment @1125 Blue HIll Ave 5-10pm 21+ $10
3/19 Sonorium is live streaming from the SATV studio in Salem at 7 PM
3/20 ONCE presents Adi Sun, Bird Language, Little Fuss @The Rockwell 7:30PM 21+ $25/28
3/21 Ava Sophia, Big Stuff, ALDRA, The Vulture @Midway Cafe 7:30PM 21+ $10
3/23 Get to the Gig Boston Presents: Strange Ranger, Bedbug, Kind Being @O’Brien’s Pub 8PM 18+ $13/15
3/26 The Creative Music Series & Evil Clown present Spectral Sequences by Leap of Faith, a free-improv sixtet @The Lilypad 7:30PM-10PM All Ages $15
3/26 Joyer, Squitch, Bleary Eyed, Gunstock @The Lilypad 10PM-12AM All Ages $10
3/26 Rosewater Records Presents: Mei Semones @Brinstar Boston 8PM All Ages $ome Cost
TheMUSEUM TV + The Soundlab present The Testing Lab a bi-weekly event where local musicians can perform their original music and get feedback from a panel of experts! Spots fill up fast so make sure to stay in tune @thesoundlabma or email thetestinglabma@gmail.com
Live music every Thursday! @Notch Brewing Biergarten (Brighton, Charles River Speedway) 7pm 21+ Free
The Lilypad weekly open mic variety show! Every Wednesday hosted by Nighttime Gallagher @The Lilypad, Cambridge 10 pm All Ages $5
BAMS Fest is constantly showing up for the community by organizing live shows, talks, competitions for local artists...not to mention their amazing annual music festival. Learn more at www.bamsfest.org
insideTheMaze is a multimedia platform that is known for its diversity and continuous love and support for independent They cater to all genres such as Hip Hop, R&B, Latin, and so much more. On the radio at 88.5FM. Online at @_insidethemaze and www.insidethemaze.net
ItsLitBoston Podcast has a dope new Spotify playlist called “ItsLitBoston Presents: VIBES FROM THE STATE” updated weekly with local new music you need to check out!! I hear they take submissions too! @itslitboston Also on Youtube and SoundCloud
New England Mic Check Radio is our region’s top dawg for uplifting urban music! Episode #58 out now on all streaming platforms with a special feature on local artist Tamera King! www.nemiccheck.com for podcasts, swag and further updates! @newenglandmiccheck
Check out WECB FM Boston! WECB is a student-run, creatively independent internet radio station at Emerson College in Boston. They host dozens of radio shows by hundreds of DJs and highlight new and exciting music both locally and beyond! Also, check out their music review platform Milk Crate! To listen and for more info, visit: www.wecb.fm
Spark FM at Night with DJ Stix: Every Tuesday/Thursday from 11-1AM plus many more programs! Check out www.sparkfmonline.com
VIDEO + FILM
GRRL HAUS CINEMA is an ongoing program of short films and video art made by women, non-binary, trans and genderqueer artists. A mix of local, national, and international artists present work from a variety of disciplines: narrative, documentary, experimental, and conceptual. With an emphasis on low budget and DIY, GRRL HAUS is a space for underrepresented voices in media arts. SUBMIT your films at www.filmfreeway.com/GRRLHAUSCINEMA to be featured in one of their many showings throughout 2022.
OKAY2 rollerblading vid featuring shredders from around Boston and beyond is now available to watch for free online! With music by JuiseMoney. Scope www.okboston.blogspot.com and follow @okboston_
Weird Local Film Fest is taking SUBMISSIONS for their next short film fest happening on March 24th. Submissions due March 10th. It may be in person…it may be virtual…all we know is that you gotta go! More info @weirdlocalfilmfestival
Tiny DAP Concert Series Our spin on the NPR Tiny Desk Concert Series! All episodes are available now, including the newest drops featuring musical performances by Kasia Lavon and Tashawn Taylor! Visit dorchesterartproject.com/tiny-dap for more info and subscribe to the Boston Compass Newspaper Youtube channel for video drops!
Farenheight TV has a monthly variety show that celebrates people's greatness through exclusive interviews, performances & more. Check out their latest collab with BAMS Fest interviewing artists from their current performance series Amplify the Soul. www.farenheighttv.com @farenheighttv
Cinema Salem is taking a break to make improvements and renovations…exciting! Check www.cinemasalem.com to see when they open back up!
VISUAL ART
3/5 AOA Supply + SCOPE HQ present Character is Key II ft. works by Gkid, Problak, Sam Stax, Pete Cosmos, Rixy, Bob Floss, Curtistic, Soem and so many more! @SCOPE HQ, JP 7PM-11PM $10
3/5 March Open Studios at Western Avenue Studios & Lofts 12-5pm Free
3/6 Mobius Spiderweb is proud to present artist Mithsuca Berry in an online presentation at 12pm. Spiderweb envisions the vast number of artists throughout the city of Boston as potential individual threads of a web to which Mobius can connect and then act as a connection point for others. Group discussion to follow presentation. Register in advance at www.mobius.org
3/7 Art Battle Boston City Championship @Mighty Squirrel Brewing Co. Live Art Competition. Doors 6pm, Painting 7pm $15-$20
Juniper Rag has a CALL FOR ART until 3/8 for their next gallery show at CUSP Gallery in Provincetown. Find out more @juniperrag and www.juniperrag.com
3/19 Brewed Awakening & Arts Core Presents: Paint and Sip with Briyana Willis
@Brewed Awakening, Lowell 6PM-8PM
3/19 Billboard Hipe Virtual Artist Talkback is a public art project that displays the work of local visual artists on neighborhood billboards to add beauty and inspiration to every day. This year, 13 artists displayed on two Roxbury billboards. It’s time to celebrate!
Join us from 4:30-7:30pm on 3/19. For more information: www.linktr.ee/Billboard_Hope
3/25-27 Mass Greenwoods and Arts District Boston are hosting a weekend long art pop-up called Higher Consciousness at 116 Harvard Ave, Allston from noon to 8pm each day in anticipation of their new dispensary. This event features local Allston based artists and will have live music and live painting on Saturday, March 26th, from noon to 8pm. Hope to see you there!
Boston Liberation Center Culture is at the heart of the conception of ideas and consciousness, so culture and the arts must be at the center of our movement building. We are inviting anyone to SUBMIT new or past 2D work that reflects on the question, “What does Women’s Liberation mean to you?” Art will be displayed as part of a new exhibit entitled "Breaking the Chains!” at the Boston Liberation Center (194 Blue Hill Avenue, Roxbury) from March 9th-31st in honor of Women's History Month. A special gallery showing and open mic event will be hosted at the Boston Liberation Center on March 25 from 7-10pm to celebrate the exhibit. Submissions open until midnight 3/4 tinyurl.com/BostonWHM22 (link in bio). If you have any questions, please DM us on social media (@bostonliberationcenter) or send an email to bostonliberationcenter@gmail.com
Praise Shadows Art Gallery presents the solo exhibition of Boston-based artist Katherine Mitchell DiRico, i’ll believe in anything for a while. The gallery will house a site-specific multi-media installation that brings together objects, photographs, sounds, video, and light. On view until 3/13. Their next exhibition All Put Together by Helina Metaferia opens 3/18. In this multifaceted presentation, the artist draws from her interdisciplinary practice to emphasize narratives centered on social engagement.
Support the Nubian Square Public Art Initiative, a newly launched initiative spearheaded by Black Market Nubian to develop a series of public murals and installations as a catalyst for neighborhood economic empowerment by the community, for the community. Support the cause and donate to their gofundme! www.blackmarketnubian.com/nspai
PERFORMANCE ART
3/5 Good Luck Comedy hosted by J Smity & Sam Ike ft. Derek Gaines and more special guests. @The Rockwell 9PM 21+ $20
Thru 3/5 People, Places & Things is one of the best productions in town, with the audiences finding laughter while dealing with addiction and trauma. The local cast is stellar too. Tix at SpeakEasyStage.com $60 general/$25 if under 25 y-o
3/12-3/27 Local theatre company Sleeping Weazel employs live theatre, technology and dance to portray life with Parkinson’s disease in Everyday Life and Other Odds and Ends at Emerson’s Black Box. Tix at ArtsEmerson.org $60/students $15
Thru 3/13 Toni Morrison’s literary masterpiece, The Bluest Eye, is translated to the stage by the Huntington Theatre Company at the BCA. Tix at HuntingtonTheatre.org $25 & up
3/17 Wicked Awesome Women of Boston Comedy Show ft. Kindra Lansburg, Allie Genereux, Tooky Kavanagh, Maya Manion @The Rockwell 21+ $20
Thru 3/20 The Huntington Theatre is bringing Heidi Schreck’s important 2019 play, What the Constitution Means to Me, to the Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre downtown. Tux at HuntingtonTheatre.org $25 & up
Check out Artists’ Theater of Boston! They produce “thoughtful, evocative work that challenges systemic injustices facing our communities through the collaborative process of making theater.” Online opportunities and performances can be found at artiststheater.org
Midway or the Highway Ever wondered what hilarious comedians from big fancy TV shows do the rest of the week? Sometimes they appear at your neighborhood bar! The funniest in New England and beyond can now be found in the wilds of JP on every single Sunday night at 9PM FOR FREE. Open mic at 10PM @Midway Cafe 21+
ZINES
“Can We Talk With Spirit Friends?” is a series of digital collage zines, compositions of images and text found in books from the 19th-Century to the present, sequenced to create surreal interpretive narratives. There are currently 24 zines in this ongoing series. Buy them online at www.horskyprojects.com/store.
Gay Ghost stories seeks anything queer, spooky, and printable for a full color Halloween zine. Trans ghosts? Queer campfire tales? Haunted gay clubs? Anything spooky goes! Email submissions to Lavendermenacepress@gmail.com
Penny Magazine was created as a means to discuss how different areas of the music industry have been affected and changed in lieu of the coronavirus pandemic. Read this beautifully colorful zine at www.penny-mag.com and follow @pennythemag
Zinesters Club All ages and experience levels are welcome every second Thursday of the month to come down to the Teen Room at Watertown Free Public Library and make zines! Supplies provided!
Vicky Marcelino is a Dominicanx illustrator making beautiful works including fantastical and realist comics! She even publishes comics in Spanish! Follow at @magicalgrlbicky browse more at www.victoriamarcelino.com
Superfroot Magazine Dedicated to uplifting underrepresented artists and writers, this zine focuses on a new theme each issue. Issue #2 NOSTALGIA now available to read online at www.superfroot.com
The Negro Flowers Series An online zine of writings, poetry, art and photography by various local BIPOC authors compiled by BCN contributor Qadir Shabazz. ‘People & Places’ Issue #3 is now available! It includes “A concept where Photographers of color share their work which focuses on their own unique perspective of what community looks like to them”. Read online at www.linktr.ee/qadir__shabazz
Pleasure Pie is a grassroots sex-positive organization in Boston, MA. They make zines, illustrations, publications, events, and conversations on sexual empowerment and consent. They also put out a monthly email newsletter called Boston's Sex Positive Newsletter, which lists local sexuality-related events and job openings. They now distribute sex-positive zines by others outside their org! Check this link to SUBMIT YOUR ZINES! www.pleasurepie.org/submit
Reflective Zines makes mental health, poetry and music zines! They cover trauma therapy, dissociation, DBT, identity, healing from abuse, queer love and much more. You can find them at the Paper Asylum in Beverly, MA and more info at @reflectivezines. Browse online at www.etsy.com/shop/reflectivezines
Wack Mag Their mission is to bring people together through art + creation. They want to be a space where people feel comfortable to submit any work they are excited about, get published, gain experience, and create their own community of creatives. Sound familiar? Found out how to SUBMIT your work or even join the team at @wack.mag and www.wackmag.com
COMMUNITY
Melanin Owned Business Vendors Flea Market: Every Saturday at Kay’s Oasis 1125 Blue Hill Ave from 12-5pm. Open Mic 1st and 4th Saturdays. Contact 585-237-8487 for vending opportunities. Vendors of color please reach out!
3/21 Electronics 101 This educational workshop introduces the fundamental principles of electricity and electronics. There will be a brief presentation on how electricity works, followed by hands-on work with motors, switches, multimeters, and LEDs (light emitting diodes) to see the forces in action. Bring your curiosity and your questions. @Hatch Makerspace, Watertown 7PM-9PM Free with pre-registration www.watertownlib.org/hatch
3/27 No Frills All Fun Clothing Swap presented by We Thieves A down and dirty, no frills, and all fun community swap for your gently used clothes, accessories, and small home goods/decor. Save money, save the environment, keep garments with loads of life left in circulation and in the community! @Warehouse XI 11AM-4PM All Ages $10 or three pieces of clothing to swap
Black Market Nubian is a Black-Owned, cooperative-style retail business that operates within a Pan-African pop-up paradigm. The Market has been widely accepted as one of Boston’s premiere spaces to gather, meet and shop, understanding the need for micro-business Founders to develop the business acumen and literacy needed to move towards sustainability. Located at 2136 Washington St, Roxbury. More info at @blackmarketnubian
Apparel Brand, Music Label and Entertainment Company Scope Apparel has opened a storefront and HQ AT 484 B Center St, Jamaica Plain. They throw shows, events and fundraisers there! Check it out! @scopeapparel and www.scopeapparel.com
ArtAssembled in Assembly Row! There is a new pop-up art space in Assembly Row that you can rent for $5/hour. Art Assembled is a project of the Somerville Arts Council with support from Federal Reality/Assembly Row.
Unbound Visual Arts is a unique Allston-Brighton based non-profit art organization. They serve the Greater Boston community with impactful educational programs and exhibits to encourage learning, engagement, and change with a special focus on racial justice. Exhibition and class info at www.unboundvisualarts.com and @unboundvisualarts
Boston LGBTQIA+ Artists Association is revamping with a new director and a new website! They just released a survey asking what LGBTQIA+ artists in Boston would like to see happen with this new organization. Find it at www.blaa.us
Boston GLASS operates Drop-In Community Centers for LGBTQ+ youth of color between the ages of 13–25! GLASS provides a continuum of services to LGBTQ+ youth of color and their allies in the Greater Boston and Greater Framingham areas and also provides education and consultation to other providers and community organizations. @boston_glass
Women Explore Lecture and Discussion Forum: Women Explore provides lecture series within a feminist learning community for women, to connect with the sacred dimensions of their experience and to support and encourage each other in the world community.
Community Fridges! There’s a bunch of these popping up all around the city and beyond! They provide food for all and are totally volunteer-run! @southbostoncommunityfridge needs help starting up! Email southbostoncommunityfridge@gmail.com to find how to get involved. @dotcommunityfridge is not open but does regular food drives. The following are now open! @watertowncommunityfridge @bostoncommunityfridge @allstonbrightonfridges @matcommunityfridge @cambridgefridge @cambridgecitygrowers @roslindalecommunityfridge @somervillecommunityfridge @newtoncommunityfreedge @numutualaid @southendfridge @brooklinecommunityfridge
ADVOCACY
DeeDee’s Cry provides resources and education on the importance of mental health and wellness within communities of color. They collaborate with organizations and agencies to create events, programs, projects and activities within communities of color that are centered on family, mental health and wellness. Find out about upcoming events at www.deedeescry.com
Building Audacity is a non-profit organization that seeks to support youth-led change-making and to provide resources for adults looking to create inclusive, youth-focused learning environments. They are running several programs right now that prioritize community needs during the pandemic, including a GOTVac campaign, hydroponic produce farm, and grocery delivery services. Learn more at www.buildingaudacity.org and @buildingaudacity
Creatives of Color Boston is a collective dedicated to the creation of intersectional safe spaces for BIPOC artists to connect and create together, while also celebrating and uplifting the voices and work of BIPOC artists from around the Boston area. They plan three main events each year including concerts, workshops, and exhibitions. More at www.creativesofcolorboston.com
Dunamis ignites agency and transformative growth for emerging artists and arts-managers of color by serving as a nexus for professional development, community-building, consultation, production, advocacy and developing equitable pipelines for access and leadership in creative spaces. Check out their website for info on their programs like fellowships for artists, workshops, concerts and more. www.dunamisboston.org
Greater Boston Artist Collective strengthens our artist community with their many programs. From filming music videos to artist interviews…from monthly artist features to their yearly art event they strive to keep artists thriving! Check out their very active IG at @greaterbostonartistcollective and website www.greaterbostonartistcollective.com
Rebel Cause, Inc. was founded in 2016 and has evolved to promote various forms of activism and advocacy. They focus on storytelling, mutual aid, and capacity and coalition building to promote equity and representation for marginalized communities throughout Boston and beyond. www.rebelcauseinc.org @rebelcauseinc
The Fang Collective organizes with our community to build a decolonized world free of prisons and police, where systems of oppression are uprooted and healed, while taking action to avert the worst impacts of climate change. To find out about actions and events follow @fangcollective and visit www.thefangcollective.org
ACT UP Boston is an Aids Coalition to Unleash Power Boston is a multinational, multi-generational coalition committed to direct action to end the world AIDS crisis. Check out their recently uploaded Youtube video on overdose reversal training! @actupboston
Violence In Boston is committed to creating safer, healthier, and empowered Black and brown communities. Their Social Impact Center seeks to prevent and reduce the impact of violence by providing immediate and basic needs for the community. Food pantry open Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm in Hyde Park. More info at @violenceinboston and www.violenceinboston.org
World Worker’s Party Boston Join the fight against capitalism, bigotry and human injustice with WWPB. They organize many many actions covering a slew of extremely important human rights issues. They also publish lots of articles to inform the public on these issues. Learn much more at www.bostonwwp.org
West Of Washington Coalition A neighborhood group of Dorchester seeking to make our community a safer, friendlier, and more vibrant place to live. @wowcoalition and on Facebook to stay up to date with their community events and actions
VietAID aims to build a strong Vietnamese community and a vibrant Fields Corner through community building; developing affordable space; providing small business assistance and micro-enterprise development; and child care services. Visit their headquarters at the Vietnamese American Community Center at 42 Charles St, Dorchester. www.vietaid.org
Asian American Resource Workshop is a political home for pan-Asian communities in Greater Boston. They are a member-led organization committed to building grassroots power through political education, creative expression, and issue-based and neighborhood organizing. Join today! @aarw.boston and www.aarw.org
* Originally published in-print in Boston Compass Newspaper #144 March 2022
Check out all the art and columns of March's Boston Compass at www.issuu.com/bostoncccompass