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By : Kevin Dacey and Mike Achille
11 min read
**We strongly encourage all to take careful precautions when going out to public events! Follow the venue’s requirements regarding vaccination/negative Covid tests and masking instructions! Always double check the event online just in case they need to cancel!**
MUSIC + AUDIO
10/1 Pine St Inn Benefit with The Welch Boys, Chris Doherty of Gang Green, and more @Midway Cafe 8pm 21+ $25
10/2 Bat House, MAITA, Kind Being @O'Briens 8pm 21+ $12-15
10/4 Bars Over Bars Hip Hop Showcase featuring local artists! Every first Tuesday of the month @Midway Cafe 7:30PM 21+ $10
10/5 Rong, Sink, Foxfires, Death Defier, Zipper @Distant Castle, Worcester 8PM $5 18+ Masks required inside
10/5 Songwriters in the Round. Four songwriters, trading songs and swapping stories. @Arts at the Armory 7PM All Ages $10 **every first and third Wednesday**
10/6-10/9 HONK! Festival of more than 20 Activist Street Bands is back with its irresistible sounds and spectacle of outrageous and unruly brass bands and percussion ensembles, accompanied by gigantic puppets, flag twirlers, street dancers, stilt walkers, hula hoopers, and bike ballets. 4 days, many performances! Check out their website for the schedule and if you’re looking to help out they are looking for volunteers! www.honkfest.org @Outside all over Cambridge and Somerville! All ages FREE
10/6 bedtimemagic, Fracture Type, Dropbear, Miracle Blood @O'Briens 8pm 21+ $10-12
10/7 Vertebrae X Break-fast Present: Morelian, Adam Unknown, Brianna Paon, MX. Blaire and more! @The Lowell Level, Cambridge 10PM-2AM $15-25 21+
10/7 Illegally Blind Presents: SPLLIT, Birthday Ass @Lilypad 10PM All Ages $12
10/8 Roger Clark Miller: "Eight Dream Interpretations for Solo Electric Guitar Ensemble." @Lilypad 7:45pm All Ages $ome Cost (tix at door)
10/8 Electronic Eclectic w/ Brandie Blaze, Andre Obin, Violet Nox + more @O’Briens 8pm 21+ $10-12
10/9 Mega Mass Presents: Artist Showcase! Every second Sunday of the month! Sign up to perform! @The Jungle 9PM-12AM All Ages FREE
10/9 Non-Event Presents: Greg Stuart (solo percussion) @Goethe-Institut Boston 7:30pm All Ages $10-15
10/12 Fully Celebrated Orchestra w/ Steve Fell + The Lonesome Land Trio @Midway Cafe 8pm 21+ $10
10/12 Stud Count (PA), Utmost (NYC), PCP & The Knives, Fraud, Perfectly Lethal @O’Briens 8pm 21+ $12-15
10/13 Illegally Blind Presents: Snooper, Silicone Prairie, Waste Man @Lilypad 10PM All Ages $15
10/17 JRCG (Performed by Dreamdecay Music Group), DJ Eight, Gastric Lavage, Velvet Dreaming @O’Briens 8pm 21+ $12-15
10/18 Illegally Blind Presents: Automatic @Lilypad 7PM All Ages $15
10/18 Absurd Condition, The Kulling, Manuel Barbara, Sadha @Midway Cafe 7:30pm 21+ $5
10/19 Songwriters in the Round. Four songwriters, trading songs and swapping stories. @Arts at the Armory 7PM All Ages $10 **every first and third Wednesday*
10/20 FIND OUT Event series for musicians & artists to try out new ideas every 3rd Thursday of the month. Every show is a partial benefit for radical community orgs @First Church, JP 8PM All Ages $10 @f_i_n_d___o_u_t
10/21 HALLOWEEN BASH: Local performers compete for best performance and best costume! Expect local vendors and food too! Presented by Hustle Killer @Sammy’s Patio, Revere 8PM-2AM 21+ $10adv/$20door
10/22 4752 FEST featuring Blues Dream Box, Garrison Fortress, Germ House, Milky Maze, Picniclunch, Jacquelyn Roy, Shock Value and more! A one day 9 hour music festival featuring 13 acts, 6 venues all in downtown New Bedford, MA. FREE
10/23 DNA in the Lab Cypher #18 Calling all MCs and rappers if you got 32 bars & $25 hit up @cuberef on Instagram. Check out past episodes by searching DNAMUSIC57 on Youtube.
10/23 Lady Pills, Little Fuss, and Olivia Sisay @The Rockwell 6pm 18+ $15
10/23 Nightfeeder, Mountain Man, Black Beach, Chained, Sink @Ralphs Rock Diner 8pm 21+ $10
10/26 ONCE Presents SKA-LLOWEEN: Sorry, Ma! as The Replacements, Battle Mode as Daft Punk, Threat Level Burgundy as Aquabats and more! Costume contest is happenin’ so throw on your best! @The Rockwell, Somerville 7PM $15/20 All Ages
10/26 Duma, Masma Dream World, Xen Chron @O'Briens 9pm 21+ $17-20
10/28 Open Mic presented by Fort Point Arts Community Last Friday of every month! @Assemblage Art Space 70a Sleeper St. Boston 5PM-9PM All Ages @fortpointarts
10/29 Rosewater Records Presents Paper Lady, Babehoven, Joyer, Mingko @The Tourist Trap 8PM *Costumes required!* $7-10 18+
10/29 ONCE Presents Halloween Cover Extravaganza: The music of David Bowie, The Cure, Siouxsie & The Banshees, and The B52’s performed by some of your favorite Boston all stars. @The Center for Arts at the Armory Performance Hall, Somerville 7PM $15/20 All Ages
10/30 Scrunchies, Pink Lids, BAABES @O'Briens 9pm 21+ $10-12
Darry’s Corner Bar Open Mic hosted by The Mastadonis Project Open to all vocalists and instrumentalists every Thursday 7PM @Darry’s Corner Bar + Kitchen, Boston. Reservations encouraged.
Queeraoke: Join EVERY Thursday and break into song with supa dupa karaoke tracks and bursts of ferocious dance sets by our own DJ Summer's Eve & DJ Moxie. @Midway Cafe 8PM 21+ $8
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
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
PERFORMANCE ART
10/5-10/16 Step Afrika! brings their inspiring percussive show Drumfolk to Boston, exploring the history of how stepping evolved when African Americans had their drums taken. Tix at ArtsEmerson.org $25+
Thru 10/8 Heroes of the Fourth Turning by SpeakEasy Stage Company @BCA. Tix at Speakeasystage.com $25
Thru 10/9 The Lyric Stage brings the laughter in Lynn Nottage’s Fabulation, or, The Re-education of Undinea, a comedy about a woman who seemingly loses everything only to move back home. Tix at LyricStage.com $15+
10/7-10/8 Common Circus: Boston Dancemakers Residency Showcase: a three-ring exploration of the mundane, in which common tasks and notions will be shown through a lens of performance and spectacle by Kimberleigh Holman @Plaza Theatres, Boston 8PM $25 All Ages www.bostonarts.org
10/29 ALIVE: An original, dynamic dance-theatre experience with immersive elements and live music @Hibernian Hall, Boston 7:30PM-9PM $20-25 All Ages
10/5 Open Armory is an open mic for all performance practices. Sign up at 7PM. Every first Wednesday of the month @Arts at the Armory 7PM-10PM All Ages Free
9/9-10/8 Heroes of the Fourth Turning by SpeakEasy Stage Company @BCA. Tix at Speakeasystage.com $25+
10/21 Subcontinental Drift Boston (SubDrift) Open Mic Through regular open mics on the Third Friday of each month and other programming, they create space for powerful artistic expression and collaboration. All are welcome! Please fill out the form at www.subdriftboston.contactin.bio/ if you're interested in performing. @subdriftboston @Democracy Center 7PM-11PM
Thru 10/23 Head to the Central Square Theatre for Ada and the Engine, the next installment of MIT-produced plays that feature little-known women in the sciences. Tix at CentralSquareTheatre.org $19+
10/26-10/30 Bill Irwin’s one man show, On Beckett, delves into the cultural impact of legendary playwright Samuel Beckett @ Arts Emerson. Tix at ArtsEmerson.org $25+
Comedy At The Jungle Peter Lio hosts a comedy open mic with a lineup of great Boston comedians every Tuesday @The Jungle 9:30PM 21+ $ome Cost
Duck Duck Goofs Presents Night School $4 Drinks. The funniest comedians. A true late night show. Enter through the hidden door on the side of the building, and walk into an abandoned classroom that we've transformed into a speakeasy. Every Saturday night! @Cambridge Community Center 8PM + 10PM 21+ $15
Duck Duck Goofs Presents Goofs Underground: Comedy Under the Cantab Every Thursday enjoy local comedians, live music openers, and drink specials @Cantab Lounge Basement 8PM 21+ $10
VIDEO + FILM
10/7 Friday Night at the Movies - Beetlejuice (1988) @Loring Greenough House Lawn 7pm All Ages $5-7
10/31 Halloween (1978) @Coolidge Corner Theatre 7pm All Ages $13-15
10/31 Arts at the Armory and ONCE Presents: The Rocky Horror Picture Show with The Teseracte Players @Arts at the Armory 7pm All Ages $25
Wenham Street Cinema is a free theater in a JP garage. They aim to build community through film and informal gatherings. Donations very optional! Showtimes at @wenhamstreetcinema
VISUAL ART
The Great Camouflage by Joiri Minaya features three new large-scale photographic collages; never before exhibited paintings, photographs, and wallpaper; and the video Sábila / Leche. In this exhibition, Minaya explores her relationship to changing landscapes as a migrant, a diasporic subject, all while grappling with the contested and intertwined colonial histories of the Caribbean and the Northeast United States. On view 10/5-11/13 with opening reception 10/5 6PM-8PM @Praise Shadows Art Gallery, Brookline
Project Room No. 2: Azadeh Tajpour is a multidisciplinary artist born in Tehran and based in Boston. This installation is based on camera footage that documents an encounter with a US border patrolman in front of a library, while he was preventing a family from meeting inside the library. Each piece in this installation represents a part of that footage. On view 10/8-11/12 Wed-Sat 1PM-6PM @BCA Mills Gallery, Boston
10/9 Shapeshifting Pop-up Group Show & Joint Performance: a group show & performance piece in a constant state of change. Chosen artists will install their work where they wish prior to the public showing. During the event, a certain song will play every 20-30 minutes advising artists to pause what they are doing and move the location of their piece again and again. The show aims to place these works in a transitory process. Readings and performances will take place between shifts. Curated by Maya Rubio & Gabi Abrao @Gallery 263, Cambridge 6PM-9PM
10/13 Life Drawing a monthly drawing session, which features a live nude model and a fun & welcoming environment for people of all skill levels to hone their craft. Artists must provide their own materials. Proof of vaccine is required. @Jameson & Thompson Picture Framers, JP 6:45PM $15
Dreamscapes: Finding the Light Through Immersive Design Boston-based artist and filmmaker Jaina Cipriano constructs emotive and enveloping experiences for viewers with her installations and photographs. Through illusionistic set designs – devoid of any digital manipulation – Cipriano’s work wrestles with themes of trauma, grief, and self-discovery. On view until 10/13 Tues-Sat 11AM-5PM @808 Gallery
Hopscotch, layered with meaning, is imbued with physicality, psychology, entertainment, and challenge. This multimedia exhibition marks the grid in a child’s game of Hopscotch as a starting point. It quickly diverges into various topics, including play, gender, mathematics, philosophy, literature, and art history. The exhibition plays Hopscotch by evoking movement and conveying a sense of passing through geographical areas or fields of endeavor. On view 10/5-10/29 with opening reception 10/16 4PM-6PM @Wedeman Gallery, Newton
Fort Point Arts Community Open Studios will welcome Boston area residents, as well as visitors from afar, into their spaces for a casual (informal) weekend of experiencing art, growing friendships and enjoying all our neighborhood has to offer! Come view what our members have been making! On view 10/14-10/16 12PM-6PM @FPAC Gallery, Boston
Shared Habitat Earth is an art exhibit and a call for action, and it is returning to Boston’s Waterfront! SHE suggests cross species respect, intercultural solidarity, and a shared sense of responsibility. It celebrates the beauty of nature and exposes the dramatic impact of human activity on the environment. On view 9/17-12/10 Sun-Sat 7AM-10PM @The Gallery at Atlantic Wharf
“Art Therapy” features works by Meclina and Amy Ford that will focus on the important theme of art as therapy, for both the artist and the audience, through their unique figurative styles. Their colorful works illustrate the explorative role that art can play in our lives, while also providing a sense of shared emotional connection with the viewer. On view until 10/30 @Beacon Gallery, Boston
ZINES
10/16 MICE Preview Party Celebrate the return of MICE with the Boston comics community! Featuring Mini-Grant Winners, new comics debuting at the show, and local special guests: Dave Ortega, Alex Graudins, Joel Christian Gill and Marika McCoola. @Hub Comics, Somerville 4PM-7PM
10/22-10/23 The Massachusetts Independent Comics Expo (MICE) is New England’s premier independent comics event focused on celebrating comics as a creative medium and expressive art form. MICE runs hands-on workshops for cartoonists of all ages and skill levels, engaging panel discussions on the craft and creation of comics, and features acclaimed special guests from around the world. @The Fuller Building at Boston University. Sat 11AM-6PM Sun 11AM-5PM All Ages FREE Masks Required
An Empty Zine is a collection of art, photography, poetry, and prose, inspired by a specific theme with the intention to explore and experiment with the ways that texts and images can interact and intersect with each other and most importantly, get the work of incredibly talented artists, poets, and writers out there in the universe. The fourth edition “Cosmic Compost” will explore the way that decay feeds life creatively. www.decadentcosmos.com
COMIXSCAPE LJ-Baptiste, art educator and cartoonist, runs this vibrant comic book series featuring the adventures of a bright-eyed, perpetually preteen boy and his raccoon sidekick. Learn more and buy a copy www.comixscape.net @xscapistlj
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
How to Fight Hundutva from the Diaspora & more! Payal Kumar creates powerful, unique digital zines that are available for free online! Explore these beautiful pieces and learn tools of knowledge to expand your notion of a “zine”. www.riotlrrrkhi.contactin.bio/
LONER Magazine is a publication that strives to showcase the raw, unfiltered and saturated life we experience on a daily basis. This publication aims to be a creative safe space for Artists, POC, LGBTQ and those who have a desire to change the world with their work. Read at www.lonerofficial.com and follow @loner.magazine
Middle of Nowhere (Part One) This is the journey of two main characters; Andre and Tracey. The story is true to its title, as you are dropped in a random point of their lives. You literally navigate the timeline with them as their journeys intertwine. What seems like nothing, or nowhere, wherever you are... means something. Book created by Mechillwave. Grab a copy here and check out other cool wares! www.mechillwave-collection.myshopify.com @chillwvy
Stay Kind! publishes and distributes creative works including zines and buttons. A portion of all sales are donated to initiatives supporting positive change in our communities. Shop multitudes of zines at www.staykind.com and connect with @staykinddistro
Visual Magazine provides a platform for creative spirits to tell stories through visuals. As growing proof that people want substantive artistic media in their hands, the quarterly platform is proving again and again that people want to lift the veil on uncomfortable and fascinating topics with art as the hand. Purchase their latest issues at www.visualmag.ink and connect with @visualmag_
Wisteria Magazine beautiful digital local art and music zine published weekly with love! Peek now at www.wisteriamag.com @wisteria.mag
COMMUNITY
10/16 Bartlett Square Makers Market is a summer/fall monthly market featuring local creatives, artisans, and craftspeople. The goal is to bring together the local artisans of JP in a safe, accessible space where people can meet, share their skills and materials, and learn from one another. @18 Bartlett Square, JP. Every 3rd Sunday 11AM to 3PM from May to November
10/16 5th Curated Vintage Market Some of the best vintage vendors in the area (including our friends High Energy Vintage) will be there slinging their finest goods! Spruce up your fall & winter wardrobe, or get a jump on your holiday shopping! @Bow Market, Somerville 12PM-8PM
10/23 We Thieves Presents Clothing Swap + Repair Day A down-and-dirty, community-focused clothing swap and fundraiser for your gently used clothes and accessories. Sign up + more info www.wethieves.com @Warehouse XI, Somerville 11AM-4PM $5 Suggested Donation All ages
Chez-Vous Skating Halloween Weekend: 10/29 Family Halloween Costume Party 12PM-3PM + 4PM-7PM $15 All Ages. 10/30 Silent Halloween 8PM-12AM $ome Cost 21+ @Chez Vous Roller Skating Rink, Boston
Melanin Owned Business Vendors Flea Market is back at a new location 1351 Hyde Park Ave every Saturday 12PM-5PM. Spoken Word open mics too! Contact 585-237-8487 for vending opportunities. Vendors of color please reach out! @m.o.b_vendors21
The Somerville Flea happens every Saturday Vintage, artisan, fresh produce and live music smack dab in the middle of Davis Square Somerville. @56 Holland St, Somerville 10AM-4PM
Egleston Farmers Market is back every Saturday 10AM-2PM at the Community Servings parking lot in JP! The market is expanding to include a bunch of low waste living resources like textile recycling, DIY workshops, bicycle repair, live tailors and lots more! On 10/22 bring old Halloween costumes to participate in Mendi’s Monthly Swaps! @eglestonfarmersmarket
Original Markets Presents Fenway Flea every Sunday in October vintage clothing, vinyl, jewelry, sneakers, live DJs and games! @Check Instagram for location @fenwayflea
Greenway Artisan Market happens every 1st + 3rd Sunday A vibrant open-air market featuring talented area artists, makers, and independent designers. @Rose Kennedy Greenway, Boston 11AM-5PM
Popportunity Pop-up Shops every weekend, shop local and get to know Central's newest small businesses. All operated by local entrepreneurs and artists. Open Sat + Sun 12PM-5PM, weather permitting. @Starlight Square, Cambridge
Central Square Farmer’s Market open every Monday 12PM-6PM from until 11/21. Their footprint, like last year, includes Norfolk Street and Starlight to increase space for vendors and distancing for shoppers.
Lucy Parsons Center, your favorite radical bookstore and community space, is moving back to the South End (Into MakeShift’s former spot). They need your help fundraising to make the transition smooth and help keep this Boston staple going! To donate visit www.tinyurl.com/lpcfunds or check their social media @lucyparsonscenter
Hatch Makerspace Workshops Tons of free with registration workshops all month long. From programming to sewing to making paper flowers, Hatch is a really cool community spot you have to check out! www.watertownlib.org/hatch
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! @dotcommunityfridge is not open but does regular food drives. The following are now open! @allstonbrightonfridges @bostoncommunityfridge @brooklinecommunityfridge @cambridgefridge @cambridgecitygrowers @matcommunityfridge @newtoncommunityfreedge @numutualaid @roslindalecommunityfridge @somervillecommunityfridge @southendfridge @southbostoncommunityfridge @watertowncommunityfridge
ADVOCACY
10/9 Mass Struggle October Organizing Forum Public aims to bring together tenant, labor, student, LGBTQ+ & womens rights organizers @Democracy Center, Cambridge 2PM-5PM @mass_struggle
10/15 Cambridge Equity Ordinance Memorial Join Big Hope Project for the commemoration of the historic 2019 Cambridge, MA Cannabis Business Permitting Ordinance which led to the first Social Equity Priority Period in the nation. Learn about key events that led the Social Equity MA cannabis equity community to triumph over the corporate greed of medical marijuana giants. @Democracy Center, Cambridge 6PM-10PM
BDS Boston recognizes that Israel has been involved in the oppression of not only Palestinians, but people in the Caribbean, Central, South, and North America, Africa, and Asia. Israel and the US have been jointly responsible for developing the infrastructure of surveillance and repression of people of color and immigrants. They are committed to building alliances with other groups to fight this oppression. Join the movement! @bdsboston
Community Care in Reach is a free medical mobile clinic providing STI testing, pap smears, check-ups, HIV testing, wound care, and vaccines to Boston youths under 24. This program was created by the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program who drives this service TO YOU on Tuesdays 3PM-7PM and Thursdays 5PM-8PM. Reach out to them by dming their Instagram @harmreductionists or text/call us at 617-645-7649
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
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
The Eastern Mass Abortion Fund provides assistance to people who live in or are coming to Eastern Massachusetts for an abortion and provides people with funding and practical support to access abortion care. They help them get onto MassHealth quickly or find doctors that will take their insurance. They negotiate with abortion providers and pay for callers’ bus or train tickets, car rides, hotels, childcare, and translation services. www.emafund.org
HAWC (Healing Abuse Working for Change) strives to help abused women, children, men, and nonbinary people live free from violence and fear. As a leading domestic violence agency in Massachusetts, HAWC provides a domestic violence helpline, emergency shelter, legal services, advocacy and counseling services to more than 2,500 families in the North Shore area each year. @hawcnorthshore www.hawcdv.org
North American Indian Center of Boston Their mission is to empower the Native American community with the goal of improving the quality of life of Indigenous peoples. They honor Indigenous people who may or may not be part of a federally recognized or state recognized tribe, as well as the peoples whose tribes have been split by the U.S.-Canada border and the U.S.-Mexico border. Lookout for all kinds of awesome community events and gatherings! www.naicob.org @naicob91
OPPORTUNITY
Boston Cultural Council Grant Program Up to $5,000 available for organizations that benefit the public by offering arts programming in Boston’s neighborhoods. Deadline to apply: 10/17 www.boston.gov/arts-grants
Cambridge Arts Grants three funding opportunities: Art for Social Justice Grants, Local Cultural Council Grants, and Organizational Investment Grants. Total funding for the program is $250,000. Deadline to apply: 10/17 www.cambridgema.gov/arts/Programs/Grants
Mass Cultural Council’s Cultural Sector Recovery Grants for Individuals are unrestricted $5,000 grants to creatives and gig workers to support recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and set a path for growth. Opens: 8/15 Info sessions: 8/23 + 10/6 Deadline to apply: 11/1
Apply at www.massculturalcouncil.org/artists-art/cultural-sector-recovery-grants-for-individuals
Originally published in-print in Boston Compass Newspaper #151 October 2022
Check out all the art and columns of October's Boston Compass at www.issuu.com/bostoncccompass