By James Ammirato
January 24, 2021
For indie labels, the more output the better. In the endless sea of Bandcamp releases, an increase in material means more chance for exposure, or for Boston-based label Denizen Records, it’s just because you want to put out everything you’ve ever made. Made up of co-founders Brad Barker, Sean Burke, Gavin Caine and Seth Loomis, the label hosts over 25 unique artist names, though most of the releases consist merely of some combination of the four of them. I spoke with Brad about Denizen’s prolifi...
By Cheryl Rafuse for Boston Compass (#130)
January 24, 2021
The pandemic rages on, the days get darker, and seasonal affective disorder is in full damn swing. You know what you need. It’s warm and lush. Dewy and fresh. Filled to the brim with leafy friends…aaaaah a (masked) trip to your local greenhouse. Legit the most curative experience for winter blues IMO.
The flowering plants practically SCREAM at you. Their pops of color to remind you that the bleak darkness is actually about to be waning. (No really the days get longer after 12/21 I promise!) L...
By Neil Horsky for Boston Compass (#131)
January 21, 2021
“I am a ceramicist....I make both functional work and sculptural objects. In addition to clay work, I enjoy making small-scale paintings and illustrations....Making [art] is about turning a concept, or even a whim, into a tangible object, bridging the gap between a thought and a thing.”
“Being creative or artistic are natural human processes. Art is, in its most basic form, troubleshooting and problem solving.”
“I believe everyone should have something handmade in their possession, t...
By Jenn Stanley for Boston Compass (#131)
January 20, 2021
Miranda Serra G. doesn’t seek permission or legitimization from others. She refers to obstacles as “insightful challenges,” and is uncomfortable with accolades. All this makes it that much cooler that Boston Music Awards named her studio producer of the year, the first woman ever to hold that title.
“Working through the confusion of being a woman in this field used to mean taking risks and sometimes being treated unfairly, now it means being seen for my totality,” says Serra G., who started ...
By Ben Mazur & Raquel Balboni for Boston Compass (131)
January 19, 2021
Sundown
How the cloudscape changes, yellowing
infinitely. Clumped as suds on my disjunct lashes,
the scene deepens with thoughts of rain.
The wind is a clot of doom among trees,
quivering like a possessed finger. Love’s
another thought, enslaved to another face,
like an image enchained to another time.
It is I who choose whether to love or not,
holding the rose as the suicide’s blade–it rains,
no more sudden than the breezes this way.
The mind once agai...
By Rebecca Kupperstein for Boston Compass (#131)
January 19, 2021
Check out all the art and columns of January's Boston Compass at www.issuu.com/bostoncccompass
...
By Tina for Boston Compass (#131)
January 17, 2021
Hello beautiful Compass peeps!
My name is Tina and I’m the Associate Editor for the Boston Compass Blog! I’m a painting major at MassArt, and I became acquainted with Brain Arts Org through my school’s devotion to artist-community partnerships. I started here back in October, and it’s been so wonderful to see the Compass continue to grow just over the few short months I have been here.
As an artist, seeing what Brain Arts Org is doing in the community is such a powerful and joyful force t...
By Grace Raih for Boston Compass (#131)
January 16, 2021
The police exist to maintain capitalist interests, protect wealth and safeguard property along racial lines. From their inception, they have monitored and suppressed those who seek to disrupt or reimagine the systems of power in this country. Throughout American history, the police have been weaponized by the status quo and their power to observe and control has only intensified in the era of mass surveillance. The expansion of law enforcement monitoring systems are a threat to everyone's privac...
By Tina for Boston Compass
January 15, 2021
Today we're sharing important developments on the Massachusetts State flag, a movement for Indeginous rights highlighted by our friends at the New Democracy Coalition.
Check out this update from changethemassflag.com:
After the House passed S.2848 on a voice vote on Wednesday, January 6th, at 4:30 in the morning, Rep. Nika Elugardo of Boston, a...
By Cheryl Rafuse for Boston Compass (#131)
January 14, 2021
To water or not to water? It’s winter and it's dry as heck but it seems like your plants don’t want much H2O. So what’s the deal? Should you water more because it’s so dry, or less because your plants are dormant?!
It depends on a few factors in your home:
1 - Do you have many plants bunched up together? This might mean that through transpiration they stay a bit more moist.
2 - Is your heat on full blast? Plants nearest to the heater may dry out faster so it’s important to check ...
By James Staub for Boston Compass (#130)
January 13, 2021
These figures were first observed by Dr. Thomas Young, who obtained them by allowing a ray of sunlight to strike a wire on the pianoforte.
Some of the curves given under such circumstances are shown in the figure below. We shall see that the quality of tone depends on the form of the sonorous wave. It is manifest, then, that even when the tension, length, and material of a vibrating string remain the same, the tones elicited from it may vary in quality, just as its vibratory motions may...
By Qadir Shabazz for Boston Compass
January 12, 2021
The virus, when COVID-19 hit the streets of every single neighborhood in the United States of America back in March of 2020 there’s been a feeling of hopelessness for when it could possibly come to an end. Wiping out every single employee away from their jobs, jobless for days, for weeks, for months not knowing when the next check would hit to provide food for the family, clothes and shelter. This impact was truly sinister in the aspect of abruptly causing a worldwide shift in the way we live to...
By Karine Vann for Boston Compass (#131)
January 11, 2021
I don’t know about you, but I am ready to send off 2020 with a middle finger and drop kick to the face. What a garbage year.
A global pandemic has killed hundreds of thousands. Our thoughts are with those who have lost friends and family in this nightmare.
A reaction to that same pandemic has destroyed livelihoods and created an economic environment that has not only decimated small business (RIP to the [more than 100,000 restaurants that have shut down](https://thehill.com/bus...
By MAAPB
January 9, 2021
From Mass Action Against Police Brutality:
Hit the streets with us Mon 1/18 for our Annual MLK March 4 Justice. Starting in Grove Hall at 1pm - exact location to be announced. Share widely. Take action. See you then.
Demands:
1 - Jail Killer Cops! Reopen All Past Cases of Police Brutality!
2- Exonerate and Free All Wrongfully Convicted!
3 - Fire and Prosecute Police Guilty of Assaulting Protesters and Ban All Use of Rubber Bullets and Chemical Weapons on Protesters!
...
By Micah Epstein for Boston Compass (#131)
January 7, 2021
“Ahoy fellow floater! Welcome to the Bay Village ferry, destination Eastie Aquafarm 8. Please board in a non-orderly fashion”
“G’mornin, Rudder. How’s the water?” I asked as I stepped up to the liberated gondola and squeezed in next to Boaz.
“As clean and clear as my maker’s conscience,” It responded, jerkily pointing to the hollow where it’s corporate medallion had sat. The whole work crew shared a good laugh as the gondola began to pick up speed, disturbing the scum of the canal.
...
By C.R. Belgrave for Boston Compass
January 6, 2021
2020 was nuts. Luckily, one of the films that made me smile during some of the chaos was the debut feature of Paul Starkman (Project Runway, Top Chef), titled Wheels. Wheels is a well-written drama with great acting, music, and cinematography. Winner of multiple independent film awards, it shows Brooklyn as beautiful in black and white, using a score of chill hip hop and soul records, with a story led by believable and charismatic actors.
Arnstar (dancer, rapper, and actor) plays an aspiring ...
By Dayanara Mendez for Boston Compass (#131)
January 4, 2021
With our country in the midst of a pandemic and political turmoil, Boston faces its own local tensions and unrest. Luckily, we do have two new candidates running for Mayor November 2021 that will hopefully work to settle this unrest. It is up to us, as Bostonians, to learn more about these candidates and understand how their policies will shape our future.
Andrea Campbell, Boston City Councilor, offers representation that is long overdue. Growing up in Boston, she has first-hand knowledge of ...
By Eva Davenport for Boston Compass Blog
January 4, 2021
Rey Royale
1 - What do you love most about R&B music?
The way it makes me feel when it’s a soulful record, touches my soul.
2 - How do you feel about the current R&B presence in Boston?
We have come a long way in recent years, a lot of great talent.
3 - How do you feel about the R&B presence across New England?
I feel if we all stop competing and create awareness we will become even bigger i...
By Cassie Capewell for Boston Compass (#131)
January 2, 2021
Have you checked out Humbeats’ debut album yet? One of the premier producers out of MA right now, Humbeats has gifted us with Growth, featuring 24 local artists: 12 female and 12 male.
We’ve got some insanely talented female artists in our city, and if you’re not hip to them yet, you can start with Growth, which includes veteran and new voices alike. Here’s a list, because I want all their names in print: Chelley Marie, Cakeswagg, Dutch ReBelle, MonaVeli, Red Shaydez, Tee Luxe, Honey Luv, Emm...
By Mindy Fried and Marie Ghitman
January 1, 2021
Mindy Fried and Marie Ghitman, co-founders of Jamaica Plain Porchfest, are thrilled to announce that this much-treasured event is being handed over - with love and gratitude - to the amazing artists and art-managers from Dunamis, a Boston-based nonprofit organization.
JP Porchfest is a vibrant music and arts festival that takes place on porches (and patios, stoops, driveways, church/community center yard) all over the Jamaica Plain neighborhood.
Their mission is to bridge the d...
By Art and Letters - Ben Mazur & Raquel Balboni for Boston Compass (#130)
December 31, 2020
A Man Enters a Room and Leaves
A man says open the fucking door. A man enters
a room and leaves. A second man enters, staggers,
spilling a whiskey, and opens the door for another. He
enters too, stays a while and puts a cigarette out on
the couch. a drunk slip. They leave, swinging open
the door, which well-oiled, stays ajar in quiet
and minute
motion.
The door stays that way. And no one enters again
that night. And you are the door, you know it! You
sw...
By Neil Horsky for Boston Compass (#130)
December 31, 2020
“I’m a poetic storyteller, observer, mirror and reflector. Poetry found me at a young age (3rd grade), and it allowed me to take...the day’s lessons or occurrences and giv[e] them myth, rhythm and metaphor. I began writing songs in the 8th grade and performing after high school. I write because I love language and the power of words. The pen is mightier...”
*“I was nominated for and received an arts grant earlier this year, and collaborated with a Boston museum....The Muse with both ...
By Melanie Bernier for Boston Compass (#130)
December 30, 2020
Season’s greetings, my trashy babies. We’re going to have fun this holiday season, against all the odds. Is it gonna be weird? Hell yea. I made weed butter. Also, there’s a pandemic. You probably heard about that.
Real talk: maybe this turbulent moment affords us an opportunity to create new holiday traditions that align with the environment. The holidays are an incredibly wasteful time of year, especially when it comes to food. Project Drawdown ranks “reducing food waste” as the third ...
By the BAO Team <3
December 30, 2020
2020 tested everyone. Our whole world went through a paradigm shift that left our community more vulnerable than ever. This year we showed you the power of our resiliency. This year we rose to that challenge. We didn’t just survive 2020, we thrived.
In 2020, we doubled ou...
By Michael Mambrino for Boston Compass
December 29, 2020
Time is an illusion with the year coming to an end simultaneously too late and too soon. These 3 releases I found very settling and they provided temporary transparency while listening to them. Close your eyes and tune in to the sonic catharsis for a bit.
- Anti-Music Brigade - Feedback Queen
T...
By Rory Lambert-Wright for Boston Compass (#130)
December 18, 2020
KFC, Taco Bell, and Arby’s are globally renowned food service establishments. They have fed billions, and together they have a net worth larger than several countries. But within Boston, there’s something outdoing them all in quality, authenticity, and even number of locations. Yes, maybe burger joint Wahlburger’s fits this description too, but if you’d like to eat at a restaurant whose proprietor hasn’t been charged for beating a Vietnamese man into unconsciousness while screaming slurs (This r...
By Qadir for Boston Compass Blog
December 18, 2020
Somewhere in Jamaica Plain there’s a house full of musicians cooking up a batch of colorful tunes, and of course it is a subject that requires you to thoroughly listen to each and every single sound being produced. Within each note there’s a beautiful melody, coming from the string pulling combinations made by the musician. This seed that has been implemented within the craftsmanship of cultivating expression through sound has allowed this wonderful idea of self expression to intertwine with...
By Adam Tuttle for Boston Compass Blog
December 16, 2020
Selfcare is an important part of our mental health tool box and especially so now as we continue to trudge through the ongoing pandemic. Taking time to engage in invigorating activities, giving our bodies time to recuperate, and getting back to once loved past-times is vitally important right now. So how do we go about distinguishing when our hobbies and leisure activities are no longer giving us the release that we need? How do we know when our batteries are no longer being recharged and we ske...
By Karine Vann for Boston Compass (#130)
December 15, 2020
I’ve long targeted corporatocracy and the creeping privatization of American society as a point of concern. But in the last seven months, my fears have accelerated five thousand fold. We are witnessing an erosion of public resources at a rate I could never have fathomed.
The shutting down of our publicly funded institutions—schools, libraries, parks, museums, transportation, even water fountains—has not been without good reason. We are living through a global pandemic that spreads throu...
By Qadir for Boston Compass Blog
December 14, 2020
Of course, there will always be levels to this game of rhythm and poetry. To understand the beauty of a single soundtrack one must listen thoroughly to the compiled work of art, that is the voice, that is the rugged bass and drums and keys that bounce like dropped coins on the concrete. The origin of a single soundtrack traces back to the artist, to the background of the artist, to the life perception of the artist involved. Time plays a factor when it comes to grabbing a pen and pad; it plays a...
By Tina for Boston Compass Blog
December 11, 2020
For this week's BAO Fam Share, we want to give special love to the Freedom Fighters Coalition! We adore FFC for their tenacious and unrelenting fight for what is right and good in the Boston area and beyond. FFC's efforts for mutual aid has been a gift to the Boston community, and continues to thrive under their leadership. Their work in building community and rallying for social justice is a force to be reckoned with, and BAO marches with them with pride.
By Cory for Boston Compass (#130)
December 10, 2020
Hey all,
How are you doing?
Are you having difficulty going outdoors or talking to people? Frequently flooded by despair and acid reflux? Do you want so much more than your dehydrated mind can provide right now?
I'm not selling vitamins, I'm projecting.
My name's Cory and I'm an artist and activist working with Extinction Rebellion Boston ("XR"). We're a climate change resistance movement focused on environmental justice, curbing...
By Tahisha Charles for Boston Compass (#130)
December 9, 2020
When it comes to music, gimmicks will always wither away, but pain music will never go out of style. It’s raw, it’s the truth and it’s a story that you can never take away from a person.
These are the kind of stories that mainstream outlets won’t cover because it’s not a radio hit or related to industry politics, and that’s where the Underground Flex comes in.
This month, I’m highlighting Boston artists Cassh Cartel and B. Blazo.
Having come together earlier this year with singles like,...
By Michael Mambrino
December 8, 2020
November was a holy trinity of outstanding material. You will not be disappointed with these 3 releases coming your way. So let’s jump right into it.
1. Haemunya - Abner Malaty, Alix Cain, Tom Burris
Diving head first we have a fascinating trio on our hands. Blending folk instrumentation with the ...
By Ava Fields for Boston Compass Blog
December 7, 2020
In Jaina Ciprianos short horror film You don’t have to take orders from the moon (2020), Cynthia feeds us her deepest secrets— exposing all her broken parts. We are immediately jolted into her world and out of our own through a series of chaotic fits. Within those fits she seeks her own salvation- and may have found it by the end.
When we first see Cynthia she is standing in the middle of the road— transfixed by traffic lights, disheveled, and unkept. She is weighted there-her face twisted ...
By Sam for Boston Compass (#130)
December 6, 2020
REST IN PEACE JEFF BREEZE
Last month we lost a real one. Jeff Breeze, the host of Pipeline! on WMBR passed away on November 8, 2020. As a Boston Compass supporter from day one, Jeff holds a special place in our hearts here at Brain Arts Org. Much like our monthly journalistic effort, Pipeline! is a relentless labor of love brought to you by a small handful of dedicated people (shout out engineer Mike Reed) whose collective contribution to the scene defies the logic of profit.
Jeff was a r...
By Julia Shachnik for Boston Compass (#130)
December 6, 2020
What’s up Compass readers! I’m so happy to introduce myself to you here: My name is Julia and I’m the new Director of People & Culture at Brain Arts.
This past February, I was looking for more hands-on opportunities to engage with underrepresented artists in Boston, which led me to fill out the volunteer interest form on the BAO website (do the same if you haven’t yet--we have lots of exciting ways to get involved). Countless amazing meetings and a pandemic later, I’m honored to sit on the l...
By Qadir for Boston Compass Blog
December 4, 2020
One of the most important levels of existing is to recognize the concept of "Self-Love", a level that one could obtain and understand the simplicity that is deeply rooted within. This concept of understanding your emotions and being able to nurture yourself on such a deep level is thoroughly heard through the beautiful, nostalgic sounds and warm-felt vocals of Kass Richards. Her long list of instruments that in which she knows how to play (Dulcimer, electric guitar, nylon string guitar, etc) h...
By Sam & Tina for Boston Compass Blog
December 4, 2020
For this week's Fam Share, we'd like to take a moment to share these incredible photos from the New Democracy Coalition's Boycott Fanuiel Hall Action this past Saturday. The action featured an incredible lineup of Black voices, including poets, community and faith leaders, as well as Sean K Ellis, whose inspiring story is now featured on Netflix.
NDC is a powerful organization, and their efforts to boycott and change the name of Fanuiel Hall embodies ...
By Joye Williams for Boston Compass (#130)
December 3, 2020
I was raised by a parent born into segregation. Who marched on Washington alongside Dr. King. Raised by someone who had actual experience of what we were able to accomplish, desegregation, the Voting Rights Act, Affirmative Action. I understand the continued fight against systemic racism, and how far we’ve come, with that I carried the respect, appreciation, and strength Black people have exhibited in a history of intense, unjust adversity. I also carried with me the anger, fear, and pain of the...
By Naomi Westwater for Boston Compass (#130)
December 2, 2020
The Tarot Forecast is a look at the month ahead in a tarot spread. This forecast is dominated by Cups (our emotions) and by Court Cards. Court Cards represent people in our lives, and aspects of our personalities, so this December, you may find yourself having to play many roles and juggle different aspects of yourself.
The Queen of Swords is the card for the month of December, and brings to us the message of boundaries. When the Queen wields her swords, she forces others to keep a healthy d...
By Mike Achille
December 2, 2020
Let me start out with the disclosure that I’m a South Shore kid. Bias be damned, I spent many nights standing around parking lots in Weymouth, Massachusetts within earshot of the clandestine Odd Fellows Recording Studio where Shawnie Brando (Brando, Bugs and Rats, KTB) recorded one of his more recent basement endeavors “For the Blind” under solo moniker Little Priest with Massachusetts legend Jerry MacDonald. Where previous (and subsequent) Little Priest recordings have touched on Brando’s histo...
By CEEK for Boston Compass (#130)
December 1, 2020
2020 is a wrap with theatre companies reinventing the wheel with new, virtual plays and programming to keep us engaged. Companies near and far have joined forces to create project Play at Home, where various theatre companies have commissioned short plays as a way to create paid work for theatre artists during the pandemic, while offering a source of inspiration and distraction to audiences. See what they all came up with at playathome.org. Check out our listings a...
By Cheryl Rafuse for Boston Compass (#129)
November 30, 2020
First off: to anyone feeling an iota of guilt for indulging your plant-loving inner green goddex during the pandemic--you stop that right now. Plants can’t give you Covid! Stay tf home with all your plant children and never feel bad about it. However, plants can get sick, so if you have mealy bugs, scale, or any other sort of common houseplant pest here’s what to do:
Number One: Separate it from the other plants
One might call this a “quarantine” or something but ultimately you have...
By Brian Coleman for Boston Compass (#130)
November 29, 2020
Buy Me, Boston Vol 2 book release events at DAP – 3 sessions each day Thursday, December 3 (evening) Saturday, December 5 (afternoon / early eve)
Dorchester Art Project will host two days of events (six sessions total, each about 1 hour and 20 mins) to celebrate the release of Brian Coleman’s new book, Buy Me, Boston Volume 2: More Local Ads & Flyers, 1960s – 1980s. The events will be co-hosted by DigBoston and their editor Chris Faraone. All proceeds will go back to DAP and books will be ...
By Neil Horsky for Boston Compass (#130)
November 29, 2020
An interview with Cedric “VISE” Douglas
“I work at the intersection of street art and social intervention. I’m trained as a designer and I’ve always been a graffiti artist.”
“VISE stands for ‘Visually Intercepting Society’s Emotions.’ I use my art as a way to challenge people’s perceptions and think differently about social issues.”
“Coming from the graffiti world, hip-hop culture, it teaches you to speak up and show your skills. It...
By Tina for Boston Compass Blog
November 27, 2020
For this week's Fam Share we're featuring Tran Vu: an awesome organizer and interdisciplinary artist on our Advisory Board here at BAO. Tran Vu describes herself as a "1.5 generation Vietnamese American," and she's been using her artwork and social engagement to build and heal within the Vietnamese community here in Dorchester.
Check out her upcoming event, "Viet Family Stories - Chuyện Gia Đình 2.0":
Viet Family Stories, Chuyện Gia Đình 2.0 is an ...
By Daniela Thomas for Boston Compass (#129)
November 26, 2020
Q: How do I open up to a new person after getting cheated on?
A: TAKE. IT. SLOW. Building a foundation of trust is an ordinary task in a fresh relationship but can seem like a tall order for someone that has been deceived. The thing to keep in mind is exactly in your question: this is a “new person”. Everyone is different. Be transparent about your concerns and ask for reciprocal transparency. If there are moments where you feel a little uneasy and think there is something going on--open ...
By Sherwinn "Dupes" Brice for Boston Compass
November 25, 2020
It has been a very interesting word to read from time to time—“Coexist”. By definition the word means to live in peace with each other, especially as a matter of policy. As a people we have been told that moving forward we have to COEXIST with COVID. I don't mean to set things off in a foul mood, but it has been bothering me lately. Live in peace with something that has taken the lives of the ones we love, and practically upended the industries that we have grown to love. Don’t we coexist with e...
By Cory for Boston Compass
November 24, 2020
Hey all,
My name's Cory and I'm a member of Extinction Rebellion Boston ("XR").
How are you doing?
XR is a decentralized climate activism movement demanding immediate action and truth telling, a just transition away from fossil fuels that prioritizes the people most impacted (such as Indigenous peoples and people of color), and the creation of citizens' assemblies.
This monthly column o'mine focuses on protest art. A lot of people think about food in...
By James Staub for Boston Compass (#129)
November 23, 2020
Mexican-American composer Erv Wilson developed vast and complex microtonal tuning systems and alternative musical scales. Often his work was derived from geometric or other mathematical structures such as the Meru Prastarah (aka Pascal's triangle). The Meru Prastarah is a triangular structure of integers where each number is the sum of the 2 numbers above it.
In standard western tuning, the circle of fifths is a pattern where a particular musical interval (the perfect fifth or 3:2 ratio) can ...
By Rebecca Kupperstein for Boston Compass (#129)
November 22, 2020
—Rebecca Kupperstein @rebeccaeunoia
Check out all the art and columns of November's Boston Compass at www.issuu.com/bostoncccompass...
By Tina for Boston Compass Blog
November 20, 2020
For this week's BAO Fam Share, we're showcasing LFOD's brand new Alumni Cypher! We're always thrilled to share dope organizations that shine the spotlight on our awesome local musicians. Check out their latest share below!
We’re proud to present the Sixth Annual LFOD Alumni Cypher, featuring Brandie Blaze, Time & Lepp, [Jon Hope](https://lfod.life/2018/01/19/lfod...
By Cassie Capewell for Boston Compass Blog
November 19, 2020
Meet Curtistic, a fine artist making a big mark in and around Boston. You might have seen his work already—he painted the murals at the McDonald’s in Central Square, Madison Park Technical Vocational High School in Roxbury, and Out of Town News in the heart of Harvard Square, among others.
A pretty impressive list for someone who has only been making large-scale murals for about a year. And now? A collaboration with the most prestigious ...
By Stephen Sturgeon, Edited by Raquel Balboni & Ben Mazer for Boston Compass (#129)
November 18, 2020
Black Cat Kid
there could be a fence
no difference its material
for ok the sake of the telling it is plastic
but a certain kind of plastic
that is supposed to look like metal
from a distance like wrought iron
a black hard plastic maybe it is a polymer
synthetic polymers seem horrible
it is a black hard plastic that is supposed to look
like wrought iron from a distance
now the fence is a given
everyone thinks it looks very bad
also ...
By Saafyr for Boston Compass Blog
November 17, 2020
Dear beautiful and empowered sexy being,
There is nothing that can break the bond between two who are committed to each other in a galaxy of multiverses. In between the dark matter; IT DOESN’T. What does matter is love, which ignites every sun that’s disguised as stars in between space and time. All that matters in this letter, a love story, is that it always comes back to the right planet. A planet called Moment. It exists somewhere between E-vil and H-eart; eARTh. These tw...
By Sherell for Boston Compass Blog
November 16, 2020
When Alex Miklowski and Olivia Deng began planning their zine Fuck Your Dreams in the spring of 2019, it just made sense for the first issue’s theme to be on death, decay, and destruction. They of course had no idea that one year later a global pandemic would bring those topics into our everyday lives. In its simplest form, Fuck Your Dreams is a punk DIY zine: an idea sparked by two friends who were talking about the end of the world while one was giving the other a tattoo. About a year later, ...
By Naomi Westwater for Boston Compass Blog
November 16, 2020
Since March, the COVID-19 pandemic has hit us all in different ways. Some of us have lost our jobs, having to rely on side hustles or unemployment to get by. Others have had health scares, loved ones getting sick, and experienced deaths in our community. The quarantine has made socializing challenging, and mental health and isolation have been a struggle for many. Recently, I’ve moved in with my parents to save money, and fight off isolation for the winter. All of us have had to adjust; we're al...
By Cassie Capewell for Boston Compass (#129)
November 15, 2020
I’m an Ill Addicts superfan, and you should be too.
“I don’t think we even thought about goals,” says Juelz, a member of local hip hop collective Ill Addicts (pronounced: ill addicts), along with Pro Swervez, Dochee, Zay, and Dalvin.
And I don’t know how, but it makes sense. Of course they started with no plans, no goals. It was all just for fun, and that’s exactly what their music conveys.
If you play any of their projects start to finish, you’ll hear a cacophony of funky beats, ...
By e.b.b. for Boston Compass (#129)
November 14, 2020
Settling into the chilly autumn, my mind typically drifts to thoughts of the warmth found in family, friends and food. The pandemic is sadly preventing me from being with family and having intimate indoor gatherings with friends--a situation that many people will be facing as the days get darker. However, I am in a privileged enough position that I do not experience housing, economic or food insecurity due to the virus like far too many people have. It’s an unfortunate reality that our current s...
By Tina for Boston Compass Blog
November 13, 2020
For this week's Fam Share we're passing some lit tunes your way from our friends in Inspector 34!
Check out their newest release, the Gray House, which just dropped today. Jim Warren, who wrote the song and created the animation himself (talk about multi-talented!) describes the video as a representation of the lyrics and his thought-process as he wrote the song. The backgrounds on the video were created by their drummer, Alexandra Derderian (also of Triple Yeah Productions).
...
By Rosie Fawzi for Boston Compass Blog
November 12, 2020
Social constructionism, “the theory of knowledge that holds characteristics typically thought to be solely biological,” is a big villain in the production of the stereotypes we know in society today. We often see the creation of social constructionism’s ignorant stereotypes to be the underrepresentation of diversifying cultures and undereducated populations. Although these foundations of the problem are true, the bigger causation is hegemony. Hegemony is described as the influence exerted on a p...
By Joye Williams for Boston Compass (#129)
November 11, 2020
Brain Arts Organization and Save the Harbor presents Summer Art Series to support local art and wellness.
What happens when you give two community engaged women of Dorchester leadership in how a grant is utilized?
Environmental Advocacy organization, Save the Harbor/ Save the Bay is known to award grants to organizations in 9 communities through their Better Beaches program. The grants are used to fund free beach events within East Boston, South Boston, Dorchester, Hull, Lynn, Nahant, Reve...
By Amelia for Boston Compass (#129)
November 10, 2020
Hey gleaners and gleamers! My name's Amelia and I'm subbing for Prof. Melanie this month. W.I.W. has just as much alliteration as the regular Trash Is Tragic column, but the acronym is inferior. (I tried.)
Melanie usually picks a food topic for November. I started thinking about preservation methods, farmer's market offerings, bulk stores... all things I'm excited about... but I felt really off. So many people can't afford food to begin with right now. Fuck.
Then I remembered that my...
By Karine Vann for Boston Compass (#129)
November 9, 2020
We interrupt this month’s regular corporate overlord programming to bring you an urgent message from Boston’s Armenian community.
If you’re from this area, the odds are very high that you’ve run into an Armenian at some point. Maybe it’s your best friend from grade school, your dentist, your car salesman, your real estate broker, your mechanic. Or the author of that snarky opinion column in the Boston Compass that you hate to love.
Massachusetts is [home](https://www.boston....
By Amyas McKnight for Boston Compass (#129)
November 8, 2020
Photo: United American Indians of New England (UAINE group)
This year marks the 51st Day Of Mourning for Native Americans. Join the United American Indians of New England on November 26th at 12pm at Cole’s Hill, Plymouth as they rally against the celebration of Thanksgiving; a day that serves as a dark reminder of the genocide of millions of Native people, the theft of Native lands, and the relentless assault on Native culture. The Day Of Mourning aims honor Native ancestors and highlight t...
By CEEK for Boston Compass (#129)
November 8, 2020
As theatre companies continue to navigate the current limbo, the community is stepping up its commitment to new works by POC and LGBTQ+ artists. American Repertory Theater’s venue, Oberon, bursts back on the scene (virtually) with programming that continues it’s tradition of pushing the boundaries between live performance and what defines theatre--with music and poetry helping to create narratives rarely told. The Arlekin Players are always worth watching while SpeakEasy Stage works to unify and...
By Tina for Boston Compass Blog
November 6, 2020
For this week's Fam Share we are featuring our recent collaborators, Meet the Creators! We love Meet the Creators for the platform they provide for Boston artists and the relationships they foster among creators in the local area.
Meet the Creators regularly posts videos, inspiring artist content, and quotes that remind us about our own journeys as artists.
Are you an artist looking to engage more in the Boston community? Check out Meet the Creator's call for artists to interview!
-...
By Michael Mambrino for Boston Compass
November 5, 2020
Whether you enjoyed Halloween or not, we have to admit that it looked very different this year with less decorations and no local bands doing covers of indie rock giants and so on. While these releases may not necessarily be “spooky” they definitely will be eye-catching and a nice set-list for the fall season.
Jamming in a haunted junkyard wit...
By Kevin D for Boston Compass (#129)
November 4, 2020
I have to admit, when I first saw that our newspaper got nominated for the 2020 Boston Music Awards “Music Publication of the Year”, I didn't feel much of anything. We've never needed an official validation such as an award to feel like our work is worth something. That is something our readers lovingly show us all the time <3. Trophies from the BMA's seemed like an over-glorified token you received for being the most commercially successful nominee. This process seemed to strip the unique local...
By Naomi Westwater for Boston Compass (#129)
November 3, 2020
The Tarot Forecast is a look at the month ahead in a tarot spread. If you follow this column, you’ll notice some cards show up time and time again. When cards create patterns, it means we are working with their energy long term, either as individuals or as a community. The reading this month is also dominated by Swords and Pentacles. The suit of Swords is Air energy and represents matters of the mind: fears, thoughts, and intellect while Pentacles cards rule Earth and the material world, bringin...
By Rory Lambert-Wright for Boston Compass
November 2, 2020
When I first visited Wally’s, the only jazz club which I had visited before was Preservation Hall in New Orleans. I noticed that Wally’s and this storied Louisiana institution had several of the same hallmarks: antique newspapers and posters lining the walls, a lack of refurbished surfaces, a low ceiling, and not an inch of wasted space. Boston, however, is not a “Jazz city” by the standards of New Orleans, which has many jazz clubs and legacy spaces. Boston only has one, and this is one of the ...
By Olivia Deng for Boston Compass (#129)
November 1, 2020
Fuck Your Dreams Zine is by Alex Miklowski and Olivia Deng
Fuck Your Dreams Zine was born from a conversation last year about the end of the world. Our zine covers the ubiquitous but challenging topics of death, decay, and destruction. In facing the end and dealing with the darkest experiences, moments, and thoughts, people oftentimes break through the hopelessness and find respite. The number of ways people reckon with the end and craft their new beginnings is infinite and Fuck Your Dreams...
By Philip Nikolayev
October 31, 2020
The Value of Missed News
Sometimes I stumble
upon old news I somehow missed --
in this vortex of that —
news I would have certainly
worried about, had I not missed it,
yet it is now too late,
the murders of yesteryear,
as if there were ever any shortage of them.
The mind cannot digest the aggregate
miseries of the world
without choking on empathy and fear.
I stumble upon old news I missed,
grateful that it has spared my nerves
without giving me a g...
By Tina for Boston Compass Blog
October 30, 2020
Maze Radio is dropping a brand new Halloween Edition Cypher music video featuring Dalaun, Cake Swagg , Lik Meraki, Brandie Blaze, And Red Shaydez!
Watch the Trailer Here!
Tune into Maze Radio tomorrow night and visit their website for more details and to stay connected!
...
By GRRL HAUS CINEMA
October 29, 2020
GRRL HAUS CINEMA is accepting 2020 Submissions for their short film screenings until November 1st!
All Female and Non-binary filmmakers are welcome to submit.
Here's a 40% off discount code for your last minute submission: GRRLlastminute2020
Here's a message from GRRLHAUS:
"We want to thank all of the filmmakers, artists, producers and writers that we have screen...
By Jessica Sears for Boston Compass Blog
October 27, 2020
Black women, meet Jade, creator of jade(d), your new friend.
“Black women’s voices are often ignored. We have to speak louder until we are screaming to be heard,” Jade states within the About tab of her blog. “Even when we are yelling, people still don’t hear us.” Jade Abston/ jade(d)af
"That was the first time that somebody had ever like questioned something that I was doing. Especially coming from a white man, basically telli...
By Victoria Amelina and Oksana Lutsyshyna
October 26, 2020
Poem
Today
I break quarantine rules
I sneak down a fire escape
To see spring in the city
I see the spring and this couple
They walk as if they're eighty or maybe ninety
They hold hands and look up
To the stars or blooming magnolias
I stop
Would I be their Joe Black?
Unwittingly breathing Death
Aren't lovers left alive?
I turn around and go back home
The spring belongs to them
Not to me
Not today
—Victoria Amelina, translated fr...
By It's Lit Boston with Michelle Wu
October 23, 2020
For today's BAO Fam Share, we're showcasing It's Lit Boston's podcast episode with Michelle Wu. We are so excited to hear from Michelle and the podcast crew digging into the struggles and needs of the AAPI (Asian American Pacific Islander) community that are especially relevant in today's political climate. We encourage you to engage in these conversations as an active citizen and get involved with local politics! ...
By Shane Dylan for Boston Compass Blog
October 22, 2020
In a time of uncertainty, with only sporadic opportunities existing for live music, the local artistic community has been forced to come up with creative platforms to showcase their talents. HipStory has been leading the way, putting together monthly virtual concerts that give a well-promoted space for popular local artists to perform in front of at home audiences. Not only serving as a community concert program, HipStory has made a commitment to supporting national and local justice-based org...
By Daniela Thomas for Boston Compass (#128)
October 21, 2020
Q. How do I love myself? I’m 30 years old and I'm still looking for love in other people.
A. Don’t worry! We are constantly changing, and the love you had for yourself when you were younger is different from your future self-love. Loving yourself and loving others is not mutually exclusive; they both are able to happen in tandem. It’s our nature as humans to desire feedback/care/companionship from others. I really think the whole “self-care” movement is cringey because it revolves so much aro...
By Tahisha Charles For Boston Compass (#128)
October 20, 2020
On the scene for a few years now, Shai Lingo is Boston’s best kept secret.
Inspired to become an artist following the murder of his great grandfather, a famous musician in Portugal, Shai Lingo wanted to carry out his great grandfather’s legacy and bring a different sound from most of the artists coming out of Massachusetts to the local music scene.
Dropping his single, “On Go” at the top of the summer, the Turn Me Up Mau produced track has a different type of vibe in comparison to Shai’s p...
By James Staub for Boston Compass (#128)
October 19, 2020
What cannot be done at all may not only be possible but may be commonly taken completely for granted very soon.
What has no conceivable imaginable purpose may be the solution to problems that may not yet need solving.
The probability that something which is considered a waste of time now will eventually prove itself to have been time well spent increases with the length of time over which knowledge of it survives.
*What has become obsolete may have qualities, properties, character...
By Rebecca Kupperstein for Boston Compass (#128)
October 18, 2020
--Rebecca Kupperstein @rebeccaeunoia
Check out all the art and columns of October's Boston Compass at www.issuu.com/bostoncccompass ...
By Art and Letters - Ben Mazur & Raquel Balboni for Boston Compass (#128)
October 16, 2020
THIS PATIO
The man said,
“What are you going to do
with your mother’s bureau?”
in a French accent
to presumably his wife and I
asked myself, ‘Have you been
hugged lately?’ This
the essence
of childhood and Vick’s
Vapor Rub. Consider
the stunned mind,
its new clock
as I wait for a glass
of Rioja. My shoulders
tense from the vroom
of a passing pick-up
as the two
couples, also...
By Cheryl Rafuse for Boston Compass (#128)
October 15, 2020
5 Ways Your Houseplant is More Responsible than Trump’s Presidency:
Number One: Cleans the air
Plants are great for cleaning the air! They literally purify and take toxins out of the stuff you breathe in everyday. As opposed to removing environmental protections and polluting our waterways.
Number Two: Good for your health
*Just seeing plants helps your brain chill out. Studies have shown that plants lift your mood, lower blood pressure and reduce stress. Legitimately...
By Cory for Boston Compass (#128)
October 14, 2020
Hi everyone,
Cory here with Extinction Rebellion Boston ("XR").
How are you doing?
Fall is such a time of reflection. It can feel really heavy, but sometimes it can also be energizing. This month I interviewed Jason Rudokas, another artist/maker involved with XR, about an action he took part in on 8/10. A small team scaled the CITGO sign during a Sox game and unfurled a banner over it reading "CLIMATE JUSTICE NOW".
XR Boston's of...
By Amaranthia Sepia for Boston Compass (#128)
October 13, 2020
"Social Sensory Overload" is a comic art piece showcasing Sarah, the main character from my in-progress mental health comic, "Emo Bunny."
"Emo Bunny" is about a bunny girl who suffers from anxiety/panic attacks, reflecting my experiences with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and issues around being a disabled minority. Sarah (Emo Bunny) experiences her anxiety disorder in crowded social settings. The artwork illustrates Sarah going to an art gallery she was invited to through connections ...
By e.b.b. for Boston Compass (#128)
October 12, 2020
Let’s cut to the chase--if you are able to, it is absolutely vital that you vote this year, ideally early. Unless you’ve been in a decade-long coma, I hope I don’t have to tell you all of the reasons why this election cycle is different than others. As far as voting rights go, the odds are stacked against the will of the people and these obstacles have become increasingly magnified during this time of turmoil, when people in power are using every opportunity to further their own oppressive a...
By Joye Williams for Boston Compass (#128)
October 9, 2020
I’ve been reflecting on this year and my current state. As the peak of systemic racism continues to take full effect, while COVID-19 leaves us in another crisis that requires a careful balance of separated togetherness, from loved ones lost, the day to day struggles, and the other personal hardships I've endured, this year has brought much strife, yet so much opportunity. I submitted to the low feelings, letting them wash over me. Rather, I’m washing them off like old scales, paying close attent...
By Naomi Westwater for Boston Compass (#128)
October 8, 2020
The Tarot Forecast is a look at the month ahead in a tarot spread. As we get closer to the election, things get intense. This October starts and ends with a full moon, including one on All Hallow’s Eve (Halloween). Prepare for weird, cosmic interactions and heightened energy. If you feel overwhelmed, some table salt in your pockets will help protect you.
For the month of October, I pulled The King of Swords. This King is a seeker of truth, a worshiper of facts. This month try your bes...
By Caitlin Kenney for Boston Compass (#128)
October 7, 2020
While most 2020/2021 seasons have been postponed, there’s plenty of programming and even learning opportunities going on virtually. If anything, this pandemic has enabled local theatres to make their works available to the entire world via Zoom. Gloucester Stage has been able to highlight various voices with their Never Dark Series as their physical theatre remains closed, while New Rep gets creative by redefining the term ‘touring production’ with a live show in Watertown. Creatives are getting...
By Melanie Bernier for Boston Compass (#128)
October 6, 2020
TRASH IS TRAGIC MOVIE NIGHT!!!!
Free online screening of The Story of Plastic
Wednesday, October 21 at 8:30pm
RSVP at https://bit.ly/32IeZpT
Break out the popcorn, you trashy little devils! We’re hosting a free online screening of The Story of Plastic, starring Nicholas Cage. In a career-defining role, Cage portrays a bad husband who secretly transforms into an elderly English lady in order to hang with his estranged children.
...
By Xray Aims for Boston Compass Blog
October 5, 2020
A Dream As A Start...
Weird dreams have been common during the Coronavirus pandemic. On the night of May 13 I was falling asleep and I had a somewhat visual dream of a model of a basketball court, in my hands. The two backboards, without the hoops, were connected to each other, with thread or rope. In the dream, I knew that I had designed the pattern of the ropes tied on the corners of the backboards. The thread went down the front of the backboard, down along the court, and up to the other ...
By Amyas McKnight for What's Happening Boston
October 5, 2020
What’s happening, Boston?
Masks up, Columbus down! Boston, on October 10th, we will rally against the return of the Columbus statue to our waterfront. Mayor Walsh and the City Council have done much to ignore our Native American brothers and sisters whose needs are unmet within our community. The United American Indians of New England (UAINE) and North American Indian Center of Boston (NAICOB) have organized this rally and march to show our government officials that we can not be dismissed....
By Michael Mambrino for Boston Compass Blog
October 1, 2020
Third time’s the charm and this one’s going to be special because we have a special guest interview! 【ＢＡＤ ＣＲＡＶＥ】 is a harsh noise artist out of Eugene, Oregon. In all of her releases she samples movies and conversation or other sounds that she chops, loops, and overdrives with granular synthesis, using the density to control or abolish the rhythm. I got to talk with her via DM about her latest project THOUGHTS OF DEATH and her influences and introduction to experimental music.
MM: Describe th...
By Karine Vann for Boston Compass (#127)
September 30, 2020
This month, I’m continuing on the theme of media literacy to help readers navigate beyond the binary of corporate media. Last month, I offered a resource (the website AllSides.com) to help readers navigate bias in the news they consume. Everything you read has some level of bias (can you guess what mine is???). I want to reinforce that just having a bias—or a guiding philosophy to your work—is not a bad thing. It’s sometimes even a healthy part of a free press. But corporate medi...
By Carlene Mcnair for Boston Compass (#127)
September 30, 2020
What are some activities that are meaningful to you?
Although the question was clear and simple, the answer was foggy and difficult to find. She thought long and hard…
What do I like to do? What brings me joy, healing, and restoration?
At one point in time it was the upbeat music that she danced to, the pages of a book she wrapped her mind in, and her career that gave her purpose. Now, the upbeat music sounded more like a whisper hushing her lively movements. Her mind spent very l...
By Thomas Sayers Ellis for Boston Compass (#127)
September 29, 2020
All the be evil you believe. All the be lie, the lie you be, the living lies you live and be hugged-up with in thy healthy hell of honey, believing in falling, the f-stops and the fucks, strap and shutter, in the be limbs of likeness, like a belief that enters a body then leaves one body for another, environment change, and the bone trust of positions, bent-over in a doorway, lifted and open across the waist, being in earth, not on it, a grade of soft sculpture only pregnancy ca...
By Daniela Thomas for Boston Compass (#127)
September 29, 2020
Q: So I recently broke up with my fiancé... it’s been about a month now and my closest friends and family know about it. I haven't told my more estranged dad and his side of the family and they’ve recently been asking about me and my ex-partner. I don’t really know how to handle telling them because I’m doing really well and my chosen family trusts me, but my other bio fam is really complicated. It's gonna be a thing where they all check up on me and position me as sad and a victim. How do I tel...
By Rebecca Eunoia for Boston Compass (#127)
September 28, 2020
-- Rebecca Eunoia
Check out all the art and columns of September's Boston Compass at www.issuu.com/bostoncccompass ...
By Cory for Boston Compass (#127)
September 28, 2020
Hey all,
Cory here.
How are you?
I'm worried. I'm also an artist, Earth dweller, and member of the Arts Working Group of Extinction Rebellion Boston (XR). XR is a decentralized, global activist organization fighting for environmental justice, honest reporting on climate change, people-centered decision making, and immediate action to curb climate destruction. In this column, I mostly write about art's power to communicate social urgency. I also try to share some of my feelingwaves and l...
By DLM for Boston Compass (#127)
September 27, 2020
Rad Apps: Is TikTok spyware?
TikTok is definitely spyware, but it shouldn't be treated differently than other spyware.
Currently, during this time of disease and stress, our elected Big Honcho is using his increasingly short time to broker a highly suspect deal over a Chinese social media app popular in the USA: TikTok. The Trump and crony line is: “TikTok is a security and privacy threat to American interests.” But how true is this? Could there be other interests at play here?
Is T...
By Melanie Bernier for Boston Compass (#127)
September 25, 2020
Every year in late summer, I develop an urgent need to... do shit. I think I know why. In the waning weeks of August, the spirits of my ancestors return. They claw inside my 21st-century mozzarella cheese brain and sound an alarm. “Quit jerkin’ it, sweet summer child. The harvest is here!”
“Waah,” say I. “You ancestors and your fucking harvests. Harvests. Are. Cancelled. I don’t have a root cellar. Canning is for prairie folk. I live in a tiny-ass apartment in a dumbass city built on a ...
By e.b.b. for Boston Compass (#127)
September 25, 2020
Photo courtesy of Boston Globe
I’m sure everyone’s eating habits have been a bit out of whack since the pandemic hit—I know mine certainly have been (who says ice cream isn’t an acceptable breakfast?). I’ve also struggled to find creative ways to move my body these past six months. The combination of sloth and gluttony wasn’t doing anything for my physical or mental health, so I knew I needed to adjust. If you’re like me and looking for a way to change things up and nourish your body with d...
By Lavanyai Dieu for the Boston Compass Blog
September 24, 2020
Looking for inspiration for your next DIY project? Well inspo is all around you, including right in Boston, MA! In this quick and and easy video, Lavanyai shares how you can sew your own pants. This tutorial is friendly to sewing newbies: you can even use your favorite pair of trousers as a pattern for the new pair you're about to make! Check out the tutorial here. ...
By Neil Horsky for Boston Compass (#127)
September 23, 2020
Photo courtesy of Rene Dongo
“I make a mixture of video and audio pieces. I make art to feel alive, to show love to people that I admire, and to make myself excited about expressing ideas.”
“...I learned early on that sometimes you can ask for things, borrow equipment and still make stuff. You can make videos on anything...if you have enough patience...”
“My cameras are like cameras that are everywhere, in your phone, and I have some old cameras....I really like using VHS/ VCRs and I ha...
By Offerings for Boston Compass Blog
September 23, 2020
I discovered Yves through Mykki Blanco and their camaraderie makes a lot of sense. Both individuals are multi-genre, multi-disciplinary artists who toy with the audience's notions about gender and just gush sensuality and desire. And so of course musically, there's absolutely no way to characterize Yves; their previous work darts from harsh noise and industrial to glammed out dark pop and synth heavy motifs. Parts of "Safe In The Hands of Love" poked at the latter style (to some extent). On "Hea...
By Joye Williams for the Boston Compass (#127)
September 21, 2020
When I was a child taking a drive with my family, I remember thinking we were in a completely different town. I asked my father, “Daddy, where are we?” He answered “Dorchester.” I replied, “but Daddy, this doesn’t look anything like where we live, and I thought we lived in Dorchester.” “Well Joye,” he said, “this ain’t our part, this is the white part.”
My sister was interviewing for her medical residency. Everyone was sharing where they were from. Upon my sister saying Dorchester, a white ma...
By What’s Happening Boston
September 20, 2020
If you're looking for some spooky events to (safely) celebrate this Halloween, look no further! Below is a list that can get you started:
The Gallows Hill Main Show— Show in Salem, MA
Haunted Halloween Pizza Tour— Food Tour in North End, Boston
[Halloween Story Walk with Boston Public Library](https://www.facebook.com/events/741303819783343/?eventtimeid=74415...
By Amaranthia Sepia for Boston Compass (#127)
September 19, 2020
"This land of mine remains safe and tranquil."
-Buddha, The Lotus Sutra
"Mending" is a sequel to pieces in my series, "Surviving in Isolation: The Black Mental Health Experience." "Mending" documents my own experiences with self-healing/self-advocacy for my mental health. I used this piece to represent how finding self-worth, recognizing my racial trauma as legitimate, and utilizing spiritual practices as a Buddhist, helped me begin my healing journey. I couldn't find professionals in my c...
By Cassie Capewell for Boston Compass (#127)
September 18, 2020
Photo by @stashthewave
StashtheWave might have luck on his side. After all, the self-made producer’s first released project was the music for a Boston Celtics television commercial. Luck aside, Stash is making a name for himself and his beats in the local music scene.
While Stash, a Randolph native, had been playing around with beat-making since 2015, he started taking it seriously when he met and became friends with some other producers such as Latrell James, LoloTheGod, Twayne the Kidd, ...
By Michael Mambrino
September 17, 2020
What’s that I hear?
That’s right, Freaking returns with their first release since last year. Before the pandemic swept the nation, you may have seen them on bills with Gold Dime, Dust From 1000 Years and Rogozo. If you’ve seen them at any show and you’re wondering what they sound like without the crowds and other background noise, their new single “I’m Not Opposed To Sand” will not disappoint. ...
By Cassie Capewell for Boston Compass Blog
September 16, 2020
Allow me to reintroduce local artist Only Jon, this time as part of a R&B/rap duo with Kasanova. Their entrance to the scene begins with “Soul Snatcher,” their first of many singles dropping in 2020.
“‘Soul Snatcher’ is all about being mindful of the people and items that can lead to an unexpected downfall,” says Only Jon. Both Kasanova and Only Jon express in their own ways that one’s soul is worth more than what meets the eye.
Kasanova starts off the track, and Only Jon joins him for the...
By Naomi Westwater for Boston Compass (#127)
September 16, 2020
The Tarot Forecast is a look at the month ahead in a tarot spread. You’ll notice several cup cards this month. Cups represent water and emotions, so allow yourself plenty of space for feelings. For the month of September, I pulled the King of Cups. The King of Cups gracefully balances masculine and feminine energy. The King is open-minded, diplomatic, and compassionate towards all. As the summer ends, take time to reflect: Are you in touch with yourself? Are you allowing yourself to feel the...
By CEEK for Boston Compass (#127)
September 15, 2020
Photo credits: Lex Weaver, Speakeasy Stage, MJ Halberstadt, Gloucester Stage, WBUR, New Play Exchange, and Commonwealth Shakespeare Company
With the uncertainty of Covid-19 and the incompetence of our government, it’s hard to say when live theatre will return as thousands of companies are adapting to digital formats. Even the famous Williamstown Theatre Festival is producing its entire season via Audible. The 2020-2021 season has had a weak start, but as we look towards the fall we see a more...
By Thuy Nguyen for Boston Compass (#127)
September 14, 2020
The Networking Organization for Vietnamese Americans will be hosting the 8th Trung Thu Festival, also known as the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival. In a typical year, the festival is held at Town Field Park in September and is open for all to celebrate and learn about this Vietnamese holiday. Imagine a small-scale Topsfield fair with lanterns and local flair. There are lion dances, singing and dancing performances, demonstrations, storytelling skits, lantern-making contests, food vendors, and free give...
By Yari Bushell for Boston Compass (#127)
September 14, 2020
Hey everyone!
My name is Yari and I’m currently a senior at Hampshire College over in Amherst, Massachusetts studying Artivism, Community Organizing, and Latinx Studies. For the summer of 2020, I was looking to learn from an arts organization that was deeply involved in serving Black and Brown communities. I was fortunate enough to work alongside the Brain Arts and Dorchester Art Project team as their Programming Intern. As an intern, I learned about the behind the scenes work that Brain Arts...
By HEATHER KAPPLOW
September 5, 2020
This article was originally written for DIG BOSTON. Check out their website for more creative content centering arts and culture in the Greater Boston area!
Greg Cook, of Wonderland, the only local arts reporter who covered the letter, reported on June 17, 2020, that it was authored by curatorial staff from Tufts University [Art](https://digbo...
By Daniela Thomas for Boston Compass (#126)
August 31, 2020
Q: What is the best way to deal with codependency while still being in a relationship? Or do you have to leave a relationship and work on your codependency alone?
A: Battling codependency while maintaining a relationship is a juggle but possible. It could be helpful to work on during a relationship because it allows you to PRACTICE and not just say “ok, this is what I would do”. Being open and conscious of your codependency with your partner/s is a good step. I suggest making a list o...
By by Karine Vann for Boston Compass (#130)
August 31, 2020
I’ve long targeted corporatocracy and the creeping privatization of American society as a point of concern. But in the last seven months, my fears have accelerated five thousand fold. We are witnessing an erosion of public resources at a rate I could never have fathomed.
The shutting down of our publicly funded institutions—schools, libraries, parks, museums, transportation, even water fountains—has not been without good reason. We are living through a global pandemic that spreads throu...
By Michael Mambrino for Boston Compass Blog
August 31, 2020
Experimental Excursion 2: Electric Boogaloo begins with some static bangers this month, August approaches an end and we will be going over some of the most standout releases from the last 30 days.
1. Nicola - ELKA BONG
I always love when there’s a story or inspiration behind projects like these (beyond sonic exploration of course) and this one provides. Nicola Griffith was an award-winning english author behind books like Hild, Ammonite and more. ELKA BONG (Walter Wrigh...
By Joye Williams for Boston Compass Blog
August 28, 2020
Boston Compass contributor and owner of Joyefully Natural, Joye Williams chatted with Herbstalk founder Steph Zabel about the upcoming Virtual Herbstalk, happening this Saturday, August 29th. The two talked herbalism & city life, holistic healing, and the systemic racism and COVID-19 pandemics, check it out below:
Joye: How did your path to herbalism begin and how has your journey evolved?
Steph: My own path to herbalism began as a young gir...
By Rebecca Eunoia for Boston Compass (#126)
August 27, 2020
-- Rebecca Eunoia Follow on Instagram @rebeccaeunoia
Check out all the art and columns of August's Boston Compass at www.issuu.com/bostoncccompass ...
By Axestrumentals for Boston Compass Blog
August 25, 2020
DJ Whysham masterfully maneuvers between her many hats as an entrepreneur, on-air personality, clothing designer, activist, and mentor (to name a few). Her hands sit firmly on the turntables and on the pulse of Boston’s growing hip hop scene. She is a selfless visionary lending her platforms to spotlight the city’s talent and address mental health within the arts community. Now she embarks on a mission to showcase rising emcees and vocalist on her debut album, Finally.
By Cait O'Kane for Boston Compass (#126)
August 24, 2020
Three Chants Against Coronation
After Anne Waldman
Etiology
No
Nobody
Nobody Knows
Nobody Knows What Causes
Nobody Knows What Causes All
Nobody Knows What Causes All These
Nobody Knows What Causes All These Syndromes
Nobody Knows What Causes All These Syndromes We
Nobody Know What Causes All These Syndromes We Have
Bulletin
Three
Three People
Three People Were
Three People Were Shot
Three People Were Shot Under
Thr...
By Carlene Mcnair for Boston Compass (#126)
August 21, 2020
Many times, we fail to realize that our thoughts and beliefs influence our perception. If we are constantly having negative thoughts about ourselves, we will eventually believe them. This can take a toll on our emotions and if not addressed, it can impact our daily functioning. Positive affirmations are used to address those negative thoughts and reprogram our thinking. If we say it and believe it, then we can do it and be it!
What Can Cause These Thoughts?
Although anyone can b...
By Neil Horsky for Boston Compass (#126)
August 20, 2020
AILIrox.wordpress.com
“If emotion and thought had a baby it would be a Spirit-driven, heartfelt, thoughtful child that would heal the world by its existence. I make my art to end the arguments and create a way for the energy to exist on its own.”
“I think it is important to remember that an Artist is a human being—some of us may be aliens, as in off-planet other worlders, so perhaps better said, an Artist is a living being that requires almost all of the same things as the ‘non-Artist’ to ...
By Cory for Boston Compass (#126)
August 20, 2020
Heya,
This is Cory with the Arts Working Group of Extinction Rebellion Boston (XR Boston). We're an environmental activist organization demanding truth-telling, immediate action, the creation of citizens' assemblies, and climate justice from those in power.
How are you?
I've been in a pretty big lull, honestly. Thinking about small actions as energizers for larger ones is helping though. Inertia is the property of matter wherein "objects in motion want to stay in motion, objects at rest...
By Luis B for Boston Compass Blog
August 19, 2020
Egyptian Musk leads us into the inner workings of $ean Wire's mind. With his cohorts by his side, Wire flows effortlessly through a multi-tiered instrumental. I'm actually impressed with the different layers of art in this video. Egyptian Musk offers high quality visuals and introspective direction. It opens with an in-your-face shot of $ean Wire in what seems to be an abandoned lot. Then we progress into the street and then in front of an old house. Going deeper into the video we get deeper...
By Joye Williams for Boston Compass (#126)
August 18, 2020
Joyefully Natural found me at a place where I had been suffering, deep depression, anxiety, and overflowing with insecurities and fears. I had found yoga, meditation, and had delved into eastern philosophy, holistic health, and earth magic, all in what seemed to be an unexpected domino effect.
I’ve suffered from eczema since childhood. At this particular time in my life, I had been undergoing a lot of stress, and anxiety. I was involved in a toxic relationship...
By Miranda Rae for Boston Compass (#126)
August 18, 2020
Black people have defined the sound of music through many generations. From hymns in a field that were sung by enslaved Africans to modern-day young Black men rapping in the Bronx, music is Black history. We have been inspired by different genres and created new sub-genres. Blues to rock-n-roll, house to hip-hop, Black people are the foundation of the music we love today.
As an R&B singer, it brings me joy to witness the creative soul within Black artists. Whether it's dance, art, or music, B...
By Taylor L McTootle for Boston Compass Blog
August 17, 2020
Key’Aira Lockett is many things. And that’s kind of the point! She moves through the world freely, contributing to the many communities that nurture her impulse to create and effect change. Key’Aira has shaped her career in a fluid, non-linear fashion. Her pathway is guided by empathy, activism, and community engagement. Key’Aira is also a black woman of the millennial generation, whose understanding of queer theory and of identity politics has shaped...
By Emma Leavitt for Boston Compass (#126)
August 13, 2020
Hello to my dear art-worker family, culture-producers, dreamers, planners, storytellers, and community-builders. Our society is not set up to understand the immense value that we bring to this world. And that is why I’m coming at you with a few tips on how to advocate for yourself and your work in this day and age.
- What’s your hourly rate? Get informed! Track your hours. Research what creative workers get paid by googling “BLS Wage Data.” I guarantee that most people asking for creative l...
By Various Storytellers for Unbound Visual Arts
August 13, 2020
This is the second in a two part storyteller series as part of the New Narratives: Reclaiming Asian Identity Through Story through Unbound Visual Arts. The series was curated by Leslie Anne Condon in partnership with the Asian American Resource Workshop. New Narratives and can be viewed in its entirety at unboundvisualarts.org. Enjoy!
[Tamiko Beyer](https://www.instagra...
By Various Storytellers for Unbound Visual Arts
August 12, 2020
This is the first in a two part storyteller series as part of the New Narratives: Reclaiming Asian Identity Through Story through Unbound Visual Arts. The series was curated by Leslie Anne Condon in partnership with the Asian American Resource Workshop. New Narratives and can be viewed in its entirety at unboundvisualarts.org. Enjoy!
[Amy Pollard](https://www.instagram.com/a...
By Naomi Westwater for Boston Compass (#126)
August 11, 2020
The Tarot Forecast is a look at the month ahead in a tarot spread. For the month of August, I pulled the III of Swords reversed. Swords represent air and the mind. This card comes to us asking that August be a time for rest and forgiveness. The III of Swords indicates there has been some suffering and turmoil in our collective lives. We have met heartbreak and survived; we have felt deep betrayal and survived. But when the III of Swords shows up in reverse, it is time to recover from our pain. T...
By CEEK for Boston Compass (#126)
August 9, 2020
While theaters are still closed and summers are generally the off-season, a few local companies are taking to the internet with readings, important community discussions and female fronted shows galore.
For decades the white male narrative has been dominating the stage with the rest of humanity serving as one-dimensional support. Well, the times they are a changin’. Women and POC aren’t holding their breaths for others to write interesting and complex roles for them, but are taking the ...
By Tahisha Charles for Boston Compass (#126)
August 9, 2020
In the local music scene, there aren’t too many record labels with a plan.
However, when you look at the mainstream landscape, labels like Quality Control, OVO Sound, and the legendary Roc-A-Fella have always stressed the importance of being bound by loyalty.
But, NNCHVLNT is different. Not only are they bound by loyalty, but they are bound by blood. With Sylus Gambino and Trippy at the helm, the two wousins (yes, wousins) recruited their own w...
By Nisaa Jackson for Boston Compass (#126)
August 6, 2020
Public outcry for the protection of Black lives from the hands of White Supremacy and police continues to sweep the nation following an incident with Minnesota police that left 46-year-old George Floyd dead. Black Lives Matter activists and allies are considering what they can do to put an end to centuries-old cycles contributing to Black death and struggle.
As protests and initiatives erupt all over the globe, Boston artist, Lance Jackson, has taken an introspective approach on how he can su...
By Offerings for Boston Compass Blog
August 5, 2020
As a younger person, I often considered science hovering around the fringes of sci-fi to be "white." The portal opening, star gate unlocking, laser pistol wielding heroes were mostly nerdy white guys. Moor Mother and Rasheedah Philips decided to turn that image on its head as Black Quantum Futurism through "living and experiencing reality by way of the manipulation of space-time in order to see into possible futures, and/or collapse space-time into a desired future in order to bring about that f...
By Jose Varon for Boston Compass (#126)
August 5, 2020
The hardest part about the Black Lives Matter protests starting during quarantine was figuring out how to contribute the best, so I was overjoyed when I got a call from Sam Potrykus, director of Brain Arts Organization (BAO), to help make signs during a rally. I have been volunteering with BAO since February and as a culinary/visual artist, I'm always looking to help others explore their creativity. We stocked up on art supplies and PPE, went down to the Fields Corner park, set up a table,...
By Dupes for Boston Compass Blog
August 4, 2020
Lush, is the first word that comes to mind when I listen to Voodoo Doll. I'm taken back to the nineties and I feel like I'm somewhere in south philly at ROOTS concert. That's how ALIVE this record feels to me.
Latrell floats over the rhodes laden synth bass production and then in a subtle but effective way, the beat starts to stutter and trip over itself and I am whisked away into some kinda 70s funky psychedelic space. Time Travel Much?
I...
By Heart Soaked for Boston Compass (#125)
July 30, 2020
Q: How to deal with a break up while still in love! Passion is there but logic tells me it’s not sustainable.
A: I think in the case of there not being an event to cause a stir leading to a break-up it is best to have the whole “I’m not sure this is going to turn into anything” talk. This conversation is so very necessary and might just be a vehicle for addressing each other’s wants and needs and possibly remedying the situation. Communicating intentions and reevaluating your plans together...
By Gilmore Tamny for Boston Compass Blog
July 30, 2020
if you can Feel it, you can Speak it' Open Mic Movement is Boston’s only open mic dedicated to LGBTQI communities of color. Founded by Jha D Williams, and now co-hosted by Phree and D. Ruff, the series has been making space for expression, art, and community for nigh on eleven years. As it says on the FiSi page at the (R.I.P...
By Carlene McNair for Boston Compass (#125)
July 29, 2020
We’re in This Together
Motherhood is an amazing journey; it is filled with many beautiful events and moments. It is worth more than just a date on a calendar, it merits a lifetime of celebration. It is filled with lessons books alone cannot teach, a love for our child(ren) which cannot be explained, and many picture albums filled with dear memories. Although this journey is one to cherish, it can be difficult when we are faced with situations we are not equipped for. These circumstanc...
By Saritha Ramakrishna for Brain Arts Organization
July 28, 2020
“I used to drive by Exit 18, Expressway 93. I used to see some people, who were homeless standing there asking for change. I questioned that. Why are they here? What happened to them? Did they make a mistake?” Ronel Remy describes what was once a familiar scene to him. He came to conclude, “This is what society told me to ask about their situation in regard to mine. But then you ask, why am I not there? When I think about it, I am a few paychecks away from being there.”
Remy is an organizer ...
By Mike Achille for Brain Arts Organization
July 27, 2020
For today’s BAO Fam Share we’re showcasing a new podcast series by Glen Maganzini and Chris DeCarlo of Kids Like You and Me. Documenting our present before it becomes our past is so important, especially when it comes to things so often as fleeting as music scenes. KLYAM began their documentation over 10 years ago by booking local shows and kicked off their label with the release of the s/t Fat Creeps EP. The duo has helped release a wide rang...
By Dana Ferrante for Boston Compass (#125)
July 26, 2020
“Black Farmers and Black Land Matter” —Monica White in Freedom Farmers
“Hunger is a form of violence.” —Michael Twitty, author of The Cooking Gene, in Huff Post 6/15/20
Given this column’s word count, I cannot fully discuss how modern industrial food systems (and capitalism) are directly linked with slavery and systemic oppression. Similarly, I could not, in this small space, do justice to the myriad ways BIPOC, for centuries, have challenged white supremacy through food produ...
By Karine Vann for Boston Compass (#125)
July 26, 2020
I started this column based on the belief that the unfettered growth of massive, profit-seeking, industrial corporations is one of the most damning phenomena taking place in the world today. I am an anti-corporatist, and I want to dig into that because it means a lot of things.
I believe corporatism is not just a way of doing business; it is a manner of structuring society that is manipulative and exploitative at its core. It is a phenomenon out of which I’d argue nearly all subsequent societ...
By James Staub for Boston Compass (#125)
July 25, 2020
Social media companies have commodified you. They got rich by selling your behavioral data which can be used to predict and influence you, while addicting you to the stimulation and necessity of their platforms. There’s a lot of momentum to further centralize the internet in service of this business mod...
By Liz Smith for Boston Compass Blog
July 24, 2020
_I am so grateful to be living in Boston during this time of revolution. The city is home to many empowering activists and community leaders who I have the privilege of learning from and I am able to attend weekly protests and demonstrations. Many organizations with clear mission statements, demands, and plans of action exist in Boston. It is often said that the best thing to do, especially for white activists such as myself, is follow the lead of organizers who have been fighting this fight for...
By Hassan Ghanny for Boston Compass Blog
July 24, 2020
Puerto Rican writer and poet Martín Espada once quipped: “Everybody takes his or her reality for granted… Sometimes we have to unlearn that truth, learn that there is a different or broader reality.” That broader reality — the one that people of color face in the United States — is one that local musician Genie Santiago is firmly taking to task in her new single, “Revelación”. In a social moment dominated by rallying cries for racial justice, “Revelación” is exactly what the stir-crazy masses ne...
By Rebecca Eunoia for Boston Compass (#125)
July 23, 2020
-- Rebecca Eunoia
Check out all the art and columns of July's Boston Compass at www.issuu.com/bostoncccompass
...
By Amelia Young for Boston Compass (#125)
July 22, 2020
Hey good people! My name’s Amelia. I’m guest-writing this month’s Trash is Tragic, with Mel’s blessing. It’s great to be here.
If you’re reading this, I’d bet my finest sidewalk chalk we have two things in common: concern for the environment and knee-jerk neck-crane for sidewalk freebies.
_As of this writing, I’m avoiding all indoor shopping except for groceries. However, I’ve been wearing the same 3 pairs of pants for 6 months, and a roommate and her furniture are moving soon....
By Vincent Xtaino for Boston Compass (#125)
July 22, 2020
When we are face to face
And there is no way around it
I am thinking they are thinking
How am I here and not
Why am I here
And they are thinking
About my body
And the past
And suffering
And pain
And they are thinking
Could history repeat itself
And they are thinking
Things are better now
And they are thinking
What is my last name
And they are thinking
How is a name
forgotten
And they are thinking
Has their name vanished
And they are ...
By Michael Mambrino for Boston Compass Blog
July 22, 2020
Hello all and welcome to the first edition of Experimental Excursion with your host: Michael Mambrino! This is a new segment of the Boston Compass blog where I go over 5 noise / free jazz / improv / weirdo releases every month for you to listen to and enjoy! Most of these projects are New England based and they all had to be released in the month in which I’m writing this. Without further ado the freak endeavor begins!
- SOUL IMPRESSION - Pain Chain
Remembe...
By Hannah Blauner for Boston Compass (#125)
July 20, 2020
An artist to be remembered.
Ailton Correia, known by his close friends as “Nito”, was a multi-talented Cape Verdean-American artist from Amherst, MA. As an accomplished industrial designer, sculptural artist, Capoeira performer, and martial artist, Nito’s positive energy, hard work, and bright personality shined through all his creative pursuits.
At MassArt, Nito’s passion and drive were contagious. He was always in his studio later than everyone else, putting in hours upon hours to re...
By e.b.b. for Boston Compass (#125)
July 18, 2020
In this hot, humid and chaotic world right now it’s important to remember to take care of yourself--and what better way to treat yourself during this time than to give in to your sweet tooth?! This month we strongly recommend that you visit Coco Leaf, a locally-owned business in Fields Corner, Dorchester that has been a staple in the neighborhood and a neighbor of DAP & BAO for the past few years. Coco Leaf, which bills itself as a Dessert Cafe, serves a wide v...
By Stephen Grigelevich for Brain Arts Org
July 18, 2020
*Cloud Cafe is an immersive virtual performance series and fundraiser for artists who have lost work during the pandemic. Each event is curated by a different artist, and uses Zoom in creative ways to replicate that feeling of watching a performance in a room full of people. Right now artists need people who care about their work to rally behind them and support them. If you want to see more Cloud Cafe performances please donate below! 100% of the proceeds will ...
By Various Artists for Dorchester Art Project
July 17, 2020
Hello Luvs!
I am SublimeLuv (@mssublimeluv), a Spoken Word Poet from Boston, Ma. I want to give a brief background of this project that came out so beautifully. The original purpose was for this project to be a substitute for the monthly DAP open mic due to the pandemic. We originally sought out to release the work of these amazing artists at the end of May.
_We were all dealing with the pandemic since March, but the world swiftly changed when...
By Neil Horsky for Boston Compass (#125)
July 16, 2020
TookyKavanagh.com
“I’m a stand-up comedian. I’m a Black woman but I grew up and was educated in predominantly white spaces so I never felt like I had a voice among my peers. Comedy was a way to finally be seen and heard, and humor is often an effective way to get people to listen.”
“I...find humor within the intersection of the questions, ‘what’s happening now?’ and...‘what has happened in my life to shape my opinion on current events?’”
“Pretty much every comic I know has a day job. Yo...
By Dupes for Boston Compass Blog
July 16, 2020
Whoever decided that I should check out and review this track Knows me very WELL my GOOD GOD. From the Visuals to the Overall Organic MOOD this song is a vibe. I was captivated about how this Song felt. The vinyl cracking the way the whole eased its way into my ears was SEDUCTIVE to say the least.
Lyrically the song reflects the times. It's a LOCKDOWN soul bop for real for real and what makes the feeling even more authentic is the fact that I can relate. Everyone has someone that they m...
By Joye Williams for Boston Compass (#125)
July 14, 2020
There has been a major shift as we move through 2020. The global pandemic of COVID-19 that has majorly affected our country and the continued injustice murders of many black people.
Systemic racism has become a norm. Weaved into our everyday systems, backed by ingrained mindsets that take hold of conversations in our personal and professional lives that have a dangerous effect on the decisions that build this country. “People should be judged upon the merit of what they know and how they c...
By Tahisha Charles for MiixtapeChiick
July 13, 2020
Today's Fam Share is another amazing compilation from brought to you by a long time blogger and champion of the arts, Tahisha Charles of MiixTapeChiick. In addition to regularly contributing to the Boston Compass, Tahisha has cultivated an impressive blog with over 3,000 posts covering everything hip hop. Check out her list of 12 powerhouse Boston artists to stream in honor of 617 Day:
Another year, another 617 lis...
By CEEK for Boston Compass (#125)
July 12, 2020
As America searches for rock bottom, some theatre companies are using this unexpected break to address larger issues plaguing both the theatre community and the world, specifically race and gender identity. Theatre has a long history of limited roles for women, people of color and the LBGTQ community and is finally starting to re-evaluate the stories they are telling onstage. In the past few years, there has been progress being made in representation onstage but not nearly enough, and it’s now o...
By Boston Compass (#125)
July 12, 2020
For this month's DAPpening's we took out an ad in our own newspaper!
Sick of broadcasting from your bedroom? Wanna stream like a pro without breaking the bank? Come to DAP! We can take up to 10 people at once and are happy to host your photo/video shoots and streaming sessions! Email us dorchesterartproject@gmail.com to book your spot!
By Stephen Grigelevich for Brain Arts Org
July 11, 2020
*Cloud Cafe is an immersive virtual performance series and fundraiser for artists who have lost work during the pandemic. Each event is curated by a different artist, and uses Zoom in creative ways to replicate that feeling of watching a performance in a room full of people. Right now artists need people who care about their work to rally behind them and support them. If you want to see more Cloud Cafe performances please donate below! 100% of the proceeds will go to Cloud Cafe performers and c...
By Farah Jeune for Farenheight TV
July 10, 2020
The following article was originally posted on FarenheightTV.com. Check out more amazing posts and videos from the creator, host, producer, AND editor Farah Jeune on her site:
Hi ºF-TV family,
How are you? I know that question may be hard to answer nowadays for some. Our world is facing two pandemics; one we're trying to find a cure to (COVID19) a...
By Danielle Lauretano for Boston Compass (#125)
July 9, 2020
In early May, me and other tenants realized that our artist studio building, Joy St. Studios, was being sold without notifying any of the artists. We were disturbed by this lack of transparency, and the past couple of months we have been organizing and advocating for our right to exist here in Somerville. At this point, the fate of the building is up in the air, and we fear that we may lose our spaces like so many others have in the city. Obviously much bigger issues are happening alongside my o...
By Naomi Westwater for Boston Compass (#125)
July 8, 2020
The Tarot Forecast is a look at the month ahead in a tarot spread. For July, I pulled the II of Swords reversed. The II of Swords is here to tell us that we may need to make some difficult decisions in July, and we will feel like there is no right answer, or no best choice for us. If you’re feeling stuck this July, ask yourself: What would it look like if I took a break from making decisions right now? We might not have all the information we need to make the best choices for ourselves...
By Liz Smith for Boston Compass (#125)
July 7, 2020
What a time for independent journalism! Things are changing and I’m extremely grateful to be serving as the Web Editor for the newly-dubbed Boston Compass Blog during this time. The recent global revolution and momentum is reflected in the microcosm that is the Boston Compass. As COVID-19 shut down all events and gatherings, the blog quickly became a vital resource for community and sharing art. It has always been a part of Brain Arts’ mission to provide a platform...
By Cory for Boston Compass (#125)
July 6, 2020
Hi all,
Cory here. How are you doing?
This is a regular Compass column about protest art from Extinction Rebellion ("XR") Boston. XR is an international, decentralized protest movement demanding:
Truthtelling from corporations, governments, and the media about the climate crisis and ecological collapse
Immediate action to reduce global carbon emissions and halt biodiversity loss
The creation of official Citizens Assemblies to lead decisions on climate and ecological j...
By Cassie Capewell for Boston Compass (#125)
July 6, 2020
Feel Red Shaydez’s Aura
Get ready for the shayde—and the aura—this summer. Boston-based rapper Red Shaydez is releasing Feel the Aura, a followup album to her 2016 debut Magnetic Aura.
The new project features “They Call Me Shaydez,” an unreserved self-introduction of sorts. Red’s confidence is on full display as she paints an authentic picture of her dynamic artistry.
Story...
By Jason Pramas for Dig Boston
July 3, 2020
Originally posted on June 25th in Dig Boston.
Wearing a mask sucks.
On that I think we can all agree. But we’re still in what is probably the early stages of a global pandemic that has already claimed more than 400,000 lives worldwide, according to NPR—and probably many more unofficially. And scientists stil...
By Stephen Grigelevich for Boston Compass (#125)
July 2, 2020
The symbolism almost escaped me. “On July 4th, join Black Lives Matter Boston to lament, honor, and celebrate the lives of Black womxn.” 3pm, Nubian Square. March to the Boston Commons. Only later did I remember that July 4th was Independence Day. But my realization was a hollow one (see Frederick Douglass’ “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?”). When Christopher Columbus was beheaded in the North End on June 10th, the message was clear. Our leaders have been our enemies all along. BIPOC ...
By Heart Soaked for Boston Compass (#124)
July 1, 2020
Q: I have a friend. We both admitted to having feelings for the other, yet he doesn’t want anything serious. I suggested friends with benefits, but he told me he can’t do it anymore because he’d rather stay friends, and now we aren’t easily friends. What to do?
A: The declaration that he'd “rather stay friends'' is irrelevant - both parties have shared feelings of more. I think that is a way of avoiding what is inevitably going to happen for two people who feel deeply for each other, especi...
By Dana Ferrante for Boston Compass (#124)
June 30, 2020
As Mass. eateries begin to re-open, it’s more important than ever to mindfully support local biz and treat service industry folx with respect. (Note: you don’t need the excuse of a global pandemic to start treating others like human beings). Here’s some tips on how to (safeishly) procure to-go food:
- Call ahead or do some quick research on social media. Each business will tackle the so-called ‘new normal’ differently. Avoid feeling guilty, and of course, endangering others by fami...
By Karine Vann for Boston Compass (#124)
June 30, 2020
I live in one of the Boston area’s most iconic styles of housing: the multi-family, triple-decker home. Our house was built in 1910, and much about the original floor plan has remained intact. Modern real estate developers salivate over the bones of homes like ours, which architectural historian and native Bostonian Arthur Krim described in 1977 as “neither tenement nor mansion, but rather good solid housing.” Back then, these homes were affordable housing, designed for Boston’s emerging middle ...
By Matthew McGovern for Boston Compass (#124)
June 29, 2020
The match was slated to start in ten minutes and we were huddled in a side room that Johnson had strong-armed from the librarian. Inside this room there was a circular table that almost touched the four walls, over which four players and one ‘coach’ huddled.
We convened in the side room because we feared losing, and Johnson had noticed. Our opponents’ reputations preceded them to the public library.
Firstly, they were known to have two brutal players at the 1 and 2 positions, l...
By Daniel Lloyd-Miller for Boston Compass (#124)
June 29, 2020
Contact tracing will be a digital privacy nightmare, and should absolutely not be implemented. Contact tracing is a proposed system by which people are informed if they’ve walked near someone who tests positive for novel coronavirus. In theory, this system works by utilizing the near field technology of bluetooth, keeping logs of every bluetooth device in 100-200ft range, and “anonymously” warning you if someone you’ve recently been near contracts COVID-19. In practice, this system primarily fun...
By Craig Hard for Boston Compass (#124)
June 28, 2020
my heart hasn’t ironed out the details
the ducks are playing
enough cliches
enough games, flukes and hooded wolves
I’m slowly filling the chip on my shoulder with whatever sticks;
gum, dirt, refuse and wood glue
One day I’ll smooth over my edges
I don’t punch mirrors anymore
my eyes drool without care
It’s fun to let the wind lead the dance
my feet just go, one after another
I try not to question their eagerness
*Craig Hard is a filmmaker and multi-media...
By Melanie Bernier for Boston Compass (#124)
June 28, 2020
Hello, my trashy babies! Since the dawn of COVID-19, my “going out look” has featured a Budweiser bandana, draped elegantly across my mug in a makeshift face mask. That ends now. I’m clearing my busy schedule - which mainly involves blasting Candle in the Wind and weeping - and making a proper face mask.
Why the sudden change of heart, you ask? While “King of Beers” is a strong fashion statement, it’s prolly not the identity I wish to project during a pandemic. No one likes a braggart i...
By Zach Fairbrother for Boston Compass (#124)
June 27, 2020
American propaganda film, Top Gun starring Tom Cruise, is like a high gloss 80’s fashion mag at 30fps. Besides the aviators, cool bomber jackets and clean haircuts, one of the defining aspects of the film is the soundtrack, and in particular the title song, “Danger Zone”, written by Giorgio Moroder and Tom Whitlock, and sung by Kenny Loggins. Despite Loggins iconic performance, he was the 5th choice to perform the track. While having over 300 songs to choose from for the title scene, the produce...
By Neil Horsky for Boston Compass (#124)
June 26, 2020
Stating the State of the State of The Art Arts:
“I’m a classical musician (singer - countertenor)... I do it to pay rent and for scotch, but I really do it because it’s what I am: a human....Bach, Handel, and Schutz...understood that music... relates us to each other regardless of time period, and the human experience is one that transcends time, race, sex, and social class. I do it because it’s an inoculation against social rot.”
“100% of my money comes from performing and di...
By Cory for Boston Compass (#124)
June 26, 2020
Hey everyone,
Cory here. How are you doing?
This is a monthly column about local protest art, coming to you from the Boston chapter of Extinction Rebellion ("XR"). XR is a worldwide, decentralized resistance movement fighting human extinction and ecological collapse. We demand truthtelling, immediate government response, and the creation of citizens assemblies to combat these threats. In the US, we also specifically demand a just transition that centers the most-impacted, including i...
By Michael Eisan for Boston Compass (#124)
June 25, 2020
Visitors
I started work as an aide at a nursing facility. After school I would drive down the long industrial park, and the lonely driveway that led to the halfhearted facade that greeted its “visitors”. We rarely got visitors, outside of the health inspectors that remembered the building’s old nickname, “murderplex,” all too well. I would park out back and submit to the time clock that had the same cracked screen the whole six years I worked there, a memento from one of the countless...
By Offerings for Brain Arts Organization
June 24, 2020
BAO is dedicated to uplifting and supporting the voices of Black content creators and we recognize the discussions of white supremacy and police brutality are essential and ongoing. Click here to check out our recent blog post, a toolkit of resources for supporting BIPOC creatives.
**We believe art is essential to revolution, and are also dedicated to covering experimental music. We asked...
By Boston Compass (#124)
June 23, 2020
Physical theaters may still be down for the count, but some local theatre companies are finding new ways to share new work. Fresh off some big wins at the 2020 Elliot Norton Awards, Needham’s Arlekin Players Theatre is leading the way with an innovative new form for their next production State vs. Natasha Banina, blending live theatre with video, performing live via Zoom. Their secret weapon is dazzling director Igor Golyak, who was the visionary behind Arlekin...
By Jelani Haynes for Brain Arts Organization
June 22, 2020
BAO is dedicated to uplifting and supporting the voices of Black content creators and we recognize the discussions of white supremacy and police brutality are essential and ongoing. Click here to check out our recent blog post, a toolkit of resources for supporting BIPOC creatives.
*We believe art is essential to revolution, and are also dedicated to covering experimental music. Rah Zen has...
By Sam Potrykus for Boston Compass (#124)
June 21, 2020
Hey Folks! We are closely following the shitstorm of reopening plans our silly governor is rolling out, but we are also consulting with peers to decide what makes the most sense for our community and commitment to cultivating a safe space. Follow us on IG for the latest reopening plans. We may partially open by the end of June and this baby will already be sittin on the newsrack. Until then check out the latest virtual programming from DAP:
[...
By Stephen Grigelevich for Brain Arts Org
June 20, 2020
“It looks like a suburb”
-Alexanda Ocasio-Cortez, on what an America with defunded police looks like.
“Brookline was one of those places I was told that if you visited, you better be prepared to be stopped by police.”
-Chiuba Obele, Brookline Resident
By Naomi Westwater for Boston Compass (#124)
June 18, 2020
The Tarot Forecast is a look at the month ahead in a tarot spread.
For the month of June, I pulled the VIII of Pentacles. This is a card that I pulled for you all in April as well, but in April the energy of this card was revered, now it is right side up, and brings a new meaning to it. The VIII of Pentacles is here to talk to us about work. It reminds us to reflect on what the last few months have been like for us and our relationship to work. This card reminds us that work is not ab...
By Sam Gruca for Brain Arts Organization
June 17, 2020
BAO is dedicated to uplifting and supporting the voices of Black content creators and we recognize the discussions of white supremacy and police brutality are essential and ongoing. Click here to check out our recent blog post, a toolkit of resources for supporting BIPOC creatives.
*We believe art is essential to revolution, and are also dedicated to covering experimental music. Evicshen (a...
By Tahisha Charles (@MiixtapeChiick) for Boston Compass #124
June 16, 2020
When the quarantine pandemic began back in March, it left artists unprepared and in a frenzy. Venues were being shut down with no reopening date, performances scheduled throughout the summer were being rescheduled to the next calendar year, curfews were being put in place statewide and buildings that served as a safe haven for those to create, were no longer.
Artists have since had to come up with a new game plan for visual treatments and project rollouts in efforts to keep their audience ent...
By BAO Staff for Brain Arts Organization
June 15, 2020
Last updated: 8/3 at 11:15am
Hi all! The following is a compilation of resources for political activism and education as well as black and brown creatives to support.
BAO stands in solidarity and support of the Black Lives Matter movement to defund the police, end police brutality and dismantle white supremacy.
Free ways to be politically active from home:
- BirthdayForBreonna: This site provides 10 action items for honoring ...
By Stephen Grigelevich for Brain Arts Org
June 13, 2020
*I first saw standwithmashpee on facebook in late March. The hashtag was spreading due to Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt's recent executive action. On March 27, Bernhardt disestablished the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe and took their land out of federal trust status; this was done during the beginning of the COVID-19 state of emergency and while litigation regarding the tribe's land status was pending. For the last couple of months, I have been following the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe's case...
By Jaypix Belmer for Brain Arts Organization
June 12, 2020
*My name is Jaypix Belmer, and I am a Black, Queer photographer who understands that being Black and LGBTQ has a power and a fate of its own. Sonny Oram, Qwear’s Founding Editor, and Rupi, Qwear’s Fashion Director have enlisted hundreds of artists and activists, sharing a platform where all LGBTQIA+ people are free to express themselves without fear of violence. Qwear, the fashion platform, has found a way of creating events and meaningful content online that mak...
By Travis Benson for Boston Compass #124
June 11, 2020
We’ve come a long way with humor that makes my aunt uncomfortable at Thanksgiving dinners. After a certain duo brought a certain funniness to the masses a little over a decade ago, there’s been a steady growth in both derivatives and successors in what might be called “anti-humor,” a genre name about as accurately descriptive as “intelligent dance music.”
My poor music taste aside, Advanced Education for Average Adults is here to help teach us what else comedy has to offer, and to “breakdown...
By Olivia Deng for Boston Compass (#124)
June 9, 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic has derailed any possibility of in-person events, but people have found ways to adapt to these strange and uncertain times, connecting with their communities through virtual events. In the past two months, Zoom hangs and Instagram Live shows have become the norm. Qwear Pride 2020 joins the fray of online events with an all-day virtual Pride festival on June 13, hosted on Facebook Live. Qwear Pride 2020 states on their site that the event is “An all-day virtual Pride festiva...
By Paloma Valenzula for La Gringa Loca Productions
June 8, 2020
Today's Fam Share is Paloma Valenzula's coverage of the Black Lives Matter Protest on May 31st. Valenzula is Boston native and an accomplished Dominican-American writer, director and actress. As of late, mainstream media coverage has been disheartening and frustrating to say the least, so Brain Arts is happy to share this powerful video from an independent voice.
Filmed and edited by Valenzula herself, the video documents protesters marching from Nubi...
By Stephen Grigelevich for Brain Arts Org
June 6, 2020
Feburary 5th would have been Trayvon Martin’s 25th birthday. As someone who began my young adult life in education programs with Black and Brown youth, it makes me shutter to think about those elementary school aged kids, who are now adults, and what world they have been given. How do they reconcile the education that told them that scholarship, ingenuity, and initiative are significant factors in leading a fulfilling life, with the countless number of videos that show that it doesn’t matter wha...
By Kevin Dacey, Editor-In-Chief for Boston Compass (#124)
June 4, 2020
*As a foreword to this month's note from the crew, Boston Compass and Brain Arts Org would like you to know that we stand with the oppressed black people and POC in America and worldwide. No group of people should have to live in fear everyday of their lives and feel silenced because of the color of their skin. We believe one way to uplift oppressed and marginalized people is to give them a voice, a stage, a space, a column in a newspaper! We will continue to publish our newspaper during these d...
By LFOD Radio- Ep. 175 (Season VI Finale)
June 1, 2020
This Monday's Fam Share is LFOD (that's Live Free or Die) Radio. In last week's episode, Sam and A-Ball wrapped up the 6th season of their show and reflected on all 25 episodes.
Their discussion includes some musings on a post-COVID world and reflections on the development of LFOD radio. They also take a look back at their many interviews with musicians, producers, and other industry professionals and creators. This year had them on the road, featuring independents artists from all around Ne...
By Jannie Chang
May 30, 2020
Disclaimer: I fully recognize the privilege I hold right now being able to stay at home and remain relatively stress-free. I realize that this is not the case for many right now. In no way do I mean to speak for those who are in a different situation than I am right now.
Music is cool but have you heard about making stickers?
Little doodles and renditions of my favorite snacks are turned into stickers, thanks to a newfound passion for Adobe Illustrator and Redbubble. Although I do ...
By Stephen Grigelevich for Brain Arts Org
May 29, 2020
Did you know that 67% of Bostonians haven’t changed their socks since the State of Emergency was delcared? It’s a fact. You are living passively in a sad epoch known (by me) as “pandemic-induced post fashion.” Still, many of us, eyes bleary, spend our nights, days, day-nights, whatever time it is, binge watching shows on Netflix and thinking “I could rock those pants. I could make those shoes…werk?” Apathy towards public presentation, driven in part by the idea that world will end soon so nothin...
By Karine Vann for Boston Compass #123
May 28, 2020
Sometimes, I write letters to corporations. In fact, that was the initial inspiration for this column! In general, I’d like to use this precious real estate talking about more than the fact that everything we buy is garbage, and also focus current issues that matter—much more on Covid-19 next month! But I’m still happy to sprinkle in some of these “love letters” to consumerism. For now, enjoy one angry letter I wrote a long time ago to a company, complaining that their product (which used to be ...
By Lexx Saint Leonard for Brain Arts Org
May 27, 2020
There was once a precocious teenage prince who strayed off of the trodden path. He chased a beautiful pheasant with his hunting hound, but to no avail. In the heat of the chase, he lost track of his surroundings and found himself completely lost. He followed his hound for a few hours, but never recovered the path. You see, it was still a very young hound who hadn’t yet grown out of his puppy fur. Underneath a towering pine tree, young Prince Simon wept. His hound looked puzzled into his eyes and...
By Zachary Fairbrother for Boston Compass (#123)
May 26, 2020
Anton Karas’ iconic zither music to the movie “The Third Man” happened by a twist of fate. While director Carol Reed and actor Orson Wells were drinking at a café in Vienna after a long day of shooting the film, they overheard Anton in the background playing for tips. Instantly, Reed knew that was the music he wanted in his film. Carol approached Anton after the show but he spoke no English and none of Reed’s party spoke German, so staff and patrons helped translate Reed’s offer. At first, Anton...
By Liz Smith for Brain Arts Org
May 25, 2020
This week's Fam Share is the ItsLitBoston podcast, winner of "Best Music Podcast" at the 2019 Boston Music Awards. Every Wednesday, Sam, Sho, and Mikey of ItsLitBoston are joined by up and coming Boston-based musicians to discuss all things hip-hop and beyond. This episode is a throwback to the start of 2020, which can feel like another lifetime these days. Sam, Sho, and Mikey were joined by Red Shaydez to discuss her s...
By Tory Quinn for Brain Arts Org
May 25, 2020
Update 6/26:
After Tony's fundraiser was successful, Indiegogo suspended his campaign and refunded all of the donations without any explanation.
This is such an upsetting turn of events but alas, Tony is still trying to re-fundraise the same amount so he can stay true to the promise he had made to his students. You can donate to and share his fundraiser on Facebook here.
*This week I caught up with T...
By Dig Staff for DigBoston
May 24, 2020
The following article was originally posted on DigBoston. Check out their amazing work covering the resiliency of the Boston community in the face of the coronavirus crisis below and on their site:
Chris Faraone and Jason Pramas host weekly streaming program
On Friday, DigBoston’s top editors Chris Faraone and Jason Pramas launched the pilot episode of a new weekly streaming public affairs show: InDIGnation. The program will fea...
By Liz Smith for Brain Arts Org
May 23, 2020
Earlier this week I connected with Stephanie Lee and Ellen Shakespear, co-founders of Space Us. Space Us invites the Boston community to "imagine your idea here". Where exactly? Anywhere!
Anyone with an idea- such as an art project, event, or digital collaboration- is welcome to connect with Space Us. They aim to find the perfect location for any idea, utilizing vacant and underutilized spaces in the process. Keep reading to hear about how Stephanie and Ellen are adva...
By Stephen Grigelevich for Brain Arts Org
May 22, 2020
“A lot of us were running on adrenaline, wanting to do something to support the community now.” This is how music producer and Union Sound founder Erik “Loman” Sarno describes the experience of collaborating on a new local arts initiative, titled Mission:Music. Loman founded the venture along with Flagg Street Studio and Bret Silverman of record label Dust Collectors. Their goal: connect local ...
By Dani Thomas for Boston Compass (#123)
May 21, 2020
Q: I’ve been talking to someone online that I’m really into from OkC. I haven’t had such a connection with someone before. Next step would normally be to meet, but that’s not possible during quarantine. I don’t want this to fizzle out but I can only text so much till I wanna meet to see if we have the same chemistry in person. What can I do?
A: This quarantine is definitely going to set the dating situation back, but there are ways to get creative. I do think with online dating we tend to sa...
By Amelia Hall for Brain Arts Org
May 20, 2020
As we all avoid one another, report from home, and muffle our mouths in makeshift coverings, things have hushed into a quiet. Yes, there are the newfound sounds in songs from separate windows showcasing neighbors coming together and scheduled bursts of noise to thank our healthcare workers. There are still the voices of roommates and dogs barking with increased satisfaction as their human pals are home for even more hours of the day. There are still the birds that whistle early, now more often g...
By Neil Horsky for Boston Compass (#123)
May 19, 2020
Neil Horsky is a community artist, educator, musician and writer based in Boston. Learn more about his amazing work at horskyprojects.com
Check out all the art and columns of May's Boston Compass at www.issuu.com/bostoncccompass
...
By Liz Smith for Brain Arts Org
May 18, 2020
Today’s Fam Share features a goliath in Boston hip hop scene,eXposedTV. As a media platform showcasing local musicians, eXpozedtv has a variety of projects including their magazine, podcast, and eXpozedtv TV show series. Creator and host Katiria Colón creates masterfully composed interviews/documentaries featuring local artist...
By Adam Tuttle for Brain Arts Organization
May 17, 2020
The past few months have been a scary and stressful time for everyone in so many different ways. Whether you are working on the front lines, remotely from home, lost your job, or were struggling to find employment in the first place we are all being met with new and challenging situations. I often explore our relationship to the unknown with my clients in therapy and how we are able to manage our ability to navigate the stress of leaving our comfort zone. This is not to say that our comfort zone...
By Sam Potrykus for Brain Arts Org
May 16, 2020
*Last Week local musicians Olivia W-B (RONG, Hairbrush, P.V.H.P., Other Joliah) and Raef (of Birthday Ass, JJ JHNSN, Tropos Ensemble) released a massive 3 vol. benefit compilation with 100% of the proceeds going to various Coronavirus relief mutual aid networks across Boston. Inspired by similar efforts in the music community THE BIG FLATTENING is a collection of work by current and former NEC students although it is not an NEC project - it is an entirel...
By Amanda Shea for Brain Arts Organization
May 15, 2020
In uncertain times, artists are finding new ways of releasing their content. Never short of innovation, Dutch Rebelle dropped a new track titled, “Stony” produced by Intl Show.
It’s no surprise with a career spanning over 10 years: Rebelle knows how to keep her audience engaged. Last week, Dutch commenced a call to action utilizing her social media platforms on Instagram and [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/Dutc...
By Melanie Bernier for Boston Compass (#123)
May 14, 2020
Hello my trashy babies! Inspired by the Bureau of Linguistical Reality, I’ve penned three new words to describe pandemic realness:
emergatory, noun. Origin: “emergency” and “purgatory.” In crisis, but all forward action is suspended in a purgatory-like state. “Seeing fossil fuels sicken my community, yet having no political recourse to fight it, I can only watch as the problem worsens. I feel stuck in a state of emergatory.”
raw jaw, verb. Origin: “raw dog.” The act of venturing into ...
By Stephen Lafume for Brain Arts Org
May 14, 2020
Brockton! artist Seefour dropped his latest music video "On God" last week. The video just starts on 100 with some great black & white BTS footage of the crowd going crazy at his Big Nite Live performance. Watching it definitely is going to make you wish you were there so maybe you should uhh, go to a seefour show, who knows ¯_(ツ)_/¯. And okay I wasn't there either TT-TT but then the video transitions to Seefour in his hometown of Brockton! (You gotta emphasize Brockton! they lit) in a nice a**...
By Gail Miglorie for Brain Arts Org
May 13, 2020
Distilled Disorder
We filed for unemployment under a vortex wind that isn’t controlled: disorganizing contained disorder. Now only the Six Red candles I bought online since our shop closed light my walls and I'm waiting for the power to go out and turn the wind cold forcing us into the 'safety' of our sterilized homes where we hibernate, but nothing about this is safe here. I've probably killed a handful of ants and centipedes by now, they're taking over the kitchen and the bathroom spider...
By Adrian Alvarez for Boston Compass (#123)
May 12, 2020
“Out of limitations, new forms emerge,” said Fauvist Georges Braques. Emerging from our current spate of limitations, the Shelter in Place Gallery from Eben Haines allows the isolated artists of Boston to exhibit large-scale at time when studio space is at a minimum. Originally conceived in 2019 as a personal project to work through the crummy weather that left his studio inaccessible, Eben revisited his 1:12 scale model of a loft studio space as COVID cl...
By Tahisha Charles for MiixtapeChiick
May 11, 2020
*Today's Fam Share is brought to you by a long time blogger and champion of the arts, Tahisha Charles of MiixTapeChiick. In addition to regularly contributing to the Boston Compass, Tahisha has cultivated an impressive blog with over 3,000 posts covering everything hip hop. Check out one of her MASS. Mondays. posts below where she highlights the best new releases from Mass...
By Seraah For Brain Arts Org
May 10, 2020
ONO has risen yet again! Their new body of art is called “Red Summer”, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. These creative juggernauts have been serving the people since the 1980s—decades later they still have the perspective and creative means to push the thresholds of thought through discordant soundscapes, evocative lyrics, and grooves that have the gift and persistence of inertia. In an interview with [Impose Ma...
By Chris Strunk For Brain Arts Org
May 9, 2020
id m theft able, also known as Scott Spear, is one of the most unique players in the current noise/experimental music scene. Hailing from rural Maine, his live sets are a mixture of sound poetry, harsh noise, manipulated household objects, cassette abuse, and performance art. What always fascinated me about id m theft able is his ability to coax interesting sounds out of the most unlikely of objects. I once saw id m play a set with nothing but two coffee mug...
By Liz Smith for Brain Arts Org
May 8, 2020
This week I checked in with Adam Tuttle, Bostonian, musician, and licensed mental health therapist. Back in January, Adam hosted a Heavy Mediation event at Dorchester Art Project and I was curious to learn more about this unique form of music therapy. During these tumultuous times, we could all benefit from new methods of de-stressing and I am so glad I got to hear from Adam and learn more about how he sharing his therapeutic work with the world .
First off, hi! How are you doing?
...
By Audrey Sutter for Boston Compass (#123)
May 7, 2020
Hello Compass readership! My name is Audrey Sutter, and last month I was a junior studying journalism at Boston University; now I’m writing this and all my assignments from my home in Austin, Texas. I’m the EIC of a magazine called The Beat and the host of two radio shows on WTBU. I’ve also been the Compass’ design intern since the beginning of December 2019.
I’ve gotten the unique opportunity to be a part of a massive period of growth for the Compass....
By Pauline Kaba for Brain Arts Org
May 6, 2020
Remaining optimistic and faithful during these times of high uncertainty and social unrest, can be extremely challenging and can sometimes feel foolish, and even unreasonable.
How does one remain hopeful, when everything around them screams devastation and major confusion?
I looked down at my body, my thighs we’re getting thicker and my stomach fatter, the isolation was getting to me, heavily. I hadn’t washed my hair or practiced effective, good self-care in what felt like a decade an...
By Dana Ferrante for Boston Compass (#123)
May 5, 2020
What’s in your pandemic pantry? In recent weeks, spin-offs of this question and cascades of answers have flooded social feeds and spurred many an ‘uplifting’ article in national news outlets. I don’t give a damn what’s in your pantry. I want to know, what’s in your community’s pantry? What are we doing to help one another stay safe and nourished in this crisis? We may be holed up in our own caves, but now is especially not the time to succumb to the egotistic eco-terrorism of a single-serving si...
By Liz Smith for Brain Arts Org
May 4, 2020
"We're Exhibiting The Culture's Stories."
This is TheMuseum TV's promise since 2014.
They fulfill this promise on their website and YouTube channel where they post performances and interviews from Boston based creatives, and keep you up to date with the latest news on music videos and events.
On TheMuseum TV’s website and [YouTube channel](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC...
By INAKI ESTIVALIZ for DigBoston
May 2, 2020
The following article was originally posted on DigBoston. Check out their amazing work covering the resiliency of the Boston community in the face of the coronavirus crisis below and on their site:
TRANSLATION BY ADRIENNE EVANS
With her first 100 days in office coinciding with the COVID-19 crisis, Boston City Councilor Julia Mejia perseveres in the interest of most vulnerable, disconnected populations
Boston City Councilor-at-Large Jul...
By Emma Leavitt for Brain Arts Org
May 1, 2020
*In the growing category of “Things I Was Excited for That Got Cancelled by Corona”, the Dorchester Art Project Gallery programs are top tier. As Gallery Director, I curate with community and the Brain Arts Org mission first in mind. We had an awesome suite of shows lined up, and the thing I was looking forward to most was collaborating with some amazing curators, and seeing their vision come to life. In a non-Rona parallel universe, we would be opening the gallery this weekend for Bundok | Moun...
By Ben Mazer for Boston Compass (#122)
April 30, 2020
This piece originally appeared in Viscous Verses, a monthly poetry column in the Boston Compass Newspaper edited by Art & Letters Magazine
It rains. One steps up through the haze
of tan and violet to the maze
of memory--misty where one stands,
twisting, separating strands.
The hour's dim, and no one calls;
obligation mutely falls
through floors of mountains, origin:
anonymously you begin.
The blasted lantern of t...
By Liz Smith for Brain Arts Org
April 29, 2020
“Do you need content that inspires you? Stories you can relate to? Or talent that is simply too dope to describe? Welcome to Farenheight TV”
These opening lines perfectly capture the work of Farenheight TV, today’s BAO Fam Share.
Creator, host, producer, AND editor Farah Jeune creates live monthly episodes on the Boston Neighborhood Network (BNN) and describes the show as, “a community television variety show that celebrates people's greatness through narratives and artist...
By Matthew McGovern for Boston Compass (#122)
April 28, 2020
Runaway
I woke with the first light in an open field of rough and dead grass. This was late in the fall. I could feel in my legs and in the back of my mind that I had been running, at least that I was being searched for. There’s a predictable pattern when you are being chased. You gather your money, and buy a ticket headed far away. You would high tail it to Canada. You would go back home, where breakfast used to be served, when you weren't on the run. Or you would go to your s...
By Stephen Grigelevich for Brain Arts Org
April 27, 2020
On Sunday, I was bird watching on Great Blue Hill, reminiscing on my days as a Boy Scout, and on my return to Nature. I was also reflecting on my unborn twins lying in my love Rebecca’s belly. They were due in early summer. But they came the next night, suddenly, on April 20th. 8:45pm: “I feel water running down my leg.” 9:00pm: “If you can walk, we can bring you to our ambulance outside.” 9:45pm: “In order to keep the babies safe, we are going to do an emergency c-section, and we ...
By Sam Potrykus for Brain Arts Org
April 26, 2020
Genres do little to capture the importance of our favorite musics. Obsessive music fans among us know this. However for the purposes of sharing the wealth we do well to cover the experimental noise, punk and rock on which this organization was founded in addition to the incredible spoken word and hip hop that protects and furthers our mission of highlighting undervalued artists. It's all DIY to me. Enter Shawnie Brando AKA Little Priest. Lifer.
Based on ...
By DLM for Boston Compass (#122)
April 25, 2020
This is my first official return to any Rad Apps articles. I’ve been keeping it fresh for sixteen 250-word mini-articles but given that my word limit, like tech, has changed, I’d like to take an opportunity to once again invite you to use the chat app: ‘Signal’ for all of your chat needs.
Last time, I was excited to tell you about Signal because it’s one of the very few end-to-end encrypted and open-source chat apps out there. As I’ve mentioned before, open-source means...
By Shira Laucharoen for DigBoston
April 24, 2020
The following article was originally posted on DigBoston. Check out their amazing work covering the resiliency of the Boston community in the face of the coronavirus crisis below and on their site:
“I’m concerned for the economic welfare and health of our artists, but I’m not afraid and not nervous about what creativity is actually taking place right now.”
Maiden Voyage was slated to take its first journey in May. The production, a play about an all-female ...
By Cassie Capewell for Boston Compass (#122)
April 23, 2020
Saint Lyor lets his dark side speak on his debut EP, If My Sins Could Talk. Lyor came on the scene to a strong reception thanks to early breakout track “Gossip” and the fraternity of his Brockton-based collective Van Buren Records. In this eleven-track debut, Lyor offers his confessions with big flex confidence.
“I wanted to embrace my vices in a celebratory way,” says...
By Grace Ward for Input/Output Magazine
April 22, 2020
In honor of the season finale of their podcast, In Conversation, today’s BAO Fam Share spotlights INPUT/OUTPUT Magazine. I/O aims to provide a platform for women and non-binary musicians, especially those whose music defies the label of a specific genre. As Founder and Editor in Chief Magdalena Abrego explains, ““Input” refers to the gender discrimination that women and non-binary artists exper...
By Sam Correa for Boston Compass (#122)
April 21, 2020
COLLAGE as a Visual Identity
Hi everyone! My name is Sam Correa. I'm a design coordinator at Brain-Arts.Org. I've been volunteering for BAO for over a year now and have helped Emma Leavitt, the creative director of the organization, develop the visual identity of Brain Arts. I'm no expert in design. In fact, the reason I decided to get involved was to hone my skills as a visual artist. Developing the brand of Brain Arts has been a great lesson in how simple design can be. Brain Arts as a who...
By Stephen Grigelevich for Brain Arts Org
April 21, 2020
Brain Arts’ own Stephen Grigelevich reached out to Jonathan Nankof of ERASED! Tapes, a Boston-based record label, to chat about their COVID-19 benefit compilation album. Titled “Outline the Sun,” this 69-song (yes, 69 songs) compilation was released on Monday. Here’s what Jonathan had to say about the compilation, the wonderful organizations they are helping, and coping with the COVID-19 crisis:
The music is awesome, and often entrancing. And 69 son...
By Live Free Or Die Radio (Ep. 167)
April 20, 2020
Today's BAO FAM SHARE comes from Live Free or Die Radio- we are so excited to share their content with you! Check out their interview and mix with DJ Troy Frost below and more interviews with local creatives on their website.
DJ, educator, afrofuturist, and overall hip-hop head TROY Frost is our guest this week. There’s no way you could ever predict the direction this convo went. We were certainly caught off g...
By Cory for Boston Compass (#122)
April 19, 2020
Hi, It’s 9:13pm on 3/17/20. This week's been a tornado of anxiety, canned goods, safety texts, and antiseptic due to corona virus lock downs. I really hope you, reading this, are ok.
This is a monthly column about Boston-area protest art, the climate crisis, and the urgent need for systemic change. Many problems underlying our current emergency - underdeveloped social programs, wealth inequality, xenophobia, extreme capitalist greed - are also fueling worldwide ecological collapse. The skil...
By Stephen Grigelevich for Brain Arts Org
April 18, 2020
My dad was a landscaper. I remember sitting on his lap as he operated the backhoe, and we'd shake as the yellow metal dinosaur did its thing. Even after we lost touch, memories of being a young kid in my sweatpants-with-holes-in-the-knees, shoveling fresh mulch into the faded company truck on the nursery lot still stick with me. With its ripe, earthy stench, and its moist, chewy feeling, these red clumps of wood sinew in my hands gave life. Later on as a Boy Scout, I spent a lot of time in the...
By Stephen Lafume for Brain Arts Org
April 18, 2020
AYOOOO! Boston based rap collective Most High Kingdom just dropped another banger, titled "The Virus''. The track, a breath of fresh air amongst the seemingly endless days of social distancing, attacks the root of the problem that is coronavirus. Us. Or more specifically our lack of awareness. The group's Instagram caption reads as follows: "S...
By Micaela Kimball for DigBoston
April 17, 2020
The following article was originally posted on DigBoston. Check out their amazing work covering the resiliency of the Boston community in the face of the coronavirus crisis below and on their site:
“Just having something outside of news, some connection—we’ve found people are really thirsty for it.”
It’s 1:30 pm on Sunday afternoon and Leslie Salmon Jones is setting up to teach her Afro Flow Yoga cla...
By Emma Leavitt for Brain Arts Org
April 15, 2020
"What does art look like if we cannot touch, be in physical space, or collaborate in person anymore? How can we be a mirror for the world and ourselves as artists?"
*I was scrolling through Facebook the other day when I caught a glimpse of local noise and performance artist Lani Asuncion picking up a megaphone, hoisting herself up a rock wall to stand upon a bridge in Franklin Park, and singing “Imagine” by John Lennon into the abyss. A couple folks walk by the screen with their...
By Naomi Westwater for Boston Compass (#122)
April 14, 2020
The Tarot Forecast is a look at the month ahead in a tarot spread. You’ll notice several cup cards this month. Cups represent water and emotions, so allow yourself plenty of space for feelings. For the month of September, I pulled the King of Cups. The King of Cups gracefully balances masculine and feminine energy. The King is open-minded, diplomatic, and compassionate towards all. As the summer ends, take time to reflect: Are you in touch with yourself? Are you allowing yourself to feel the wid...
By Taylor Lena McTootle for Brain Arts Org
April 13, 2020
As the creator of the Black Cotton Club, a slam poet, and an educator, performance artist Dzidzor Azaglo is a pillar of the Boston art community. Brain Arts Organization was extremely excited to be asked to experience the exclusive debut of her EP entitled “Bush Woman,” quoted as "potently medicinal and textured project." The following is Taylor Lena McTootle’s review of the EP from the interactive virtual listening party held via Zoom on April 3rd.
Radical a...
By Lex Weaver for Boston Compass (#122)
April 12, 2020
While you may be cooped up in the crib for a bit, it doesn’t mean you can’t keep learning how to build your powerhouse—and the Arts Equity Summit has your back! This year’s summit will run for three days—virtually—from April 24-26th. Remaining true to its values, the summit gives emerging artists and cultural leaders of color the foundations and connections needed in order to achieve equitable means… while staying safe and healthy! In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, this new web-based form...
By Stephen Grigelevich for Brain Arts Org
April 11, 2020
Lately, I've been watching birds in the sky again. I’m not alone, I think, in appreciating the innocence I assume when gazing upward. From down here, the sky is a vast, exquisite realm of reality, and the birds are the most vivid pulses of the universe…
So, admittedly, I was already soaking in this sweet poetry of birdsong, and feeling particularly deferential to Mother Nature's wise ways, when I received an invitation from a dear environmentalist friend of mine to attend the online seminar *...
By Karine Vann for Boston Compass (#130)
April 10, 2020
I’ve long targeted corporatocracy and the creeping privatization of American society as a point of concern. But in the last seven months, my fears have accelerated five thousand fold. We are witnessing an erosion of public resources at a rate I could never have fathomed.
The shutting down of our publicly funded institutions—schools, libraries, parks, museums, transportation, even water fountains—has not been without good reason. We are living through a global pandemic that spreads throu...
By Rob Duguay for DigBoston
April 9, 2020
Welcome to a new blog post series spotlighting content we love from other creators. First up Rob Duguay's article, "WHEN WILL THE SHOW GO ON? UNCERTAINTY FOR MUSIC VENUES AND EMPLOYEES" originally posted on DigBoston's site. Check it out:
“It’s a wild freeze frame when your job and your passion both stop dead in their tracks." On March 12, culture as we knew it basically stopped due to the coronavirus crisis.
Sports across the board got either cancelled or postponed, while theaters and...
By Tahisha Charles @miixtapechiick for Boston Compass
April 5, 2020
There aren’t too many R&B acts in Boston that can give you a nostalgic 90s feel.
However, 20-year-old KAE is here to restore the feeling. Inspired by acts like Brandy, Jasmine Sullivan, Babyface, Janet Jackson and more, it’s a no-brainer that the Somerville native’s influences helped shape the sound and theme of vulnerability on her debut EP, KAE Alayah.
Discovering her singing voice at the age of four, KAE recalls writing her first couple of songs in 6th grade. “I had a yellow, big noteb...
By Rent Strike MA for Brain Arts Org
April 2, 2020
Rent Strike MA and Allston Brighton Mutual Aid have put together this amazing resource list in response to the COVID-19 crisis. Check it out for info about keeping your rent, organizing resources for renters, housing resources, Mutual Aid groups & more.
You can follow Rent Strike MA on insta and twitter @rentstrikema. ...
By Angela Sawyer for Brain Arts Org
March 31, 2020
Tired of your upstairs neighbor practicing acoustic guitar? Watched everything on Netflix and it's only Wednesday? Even though you can't leave your house, you can attend a comedy show. Comedians across the country are stuck at home too, and they've started virtual versions of their local shows and workout sessions. Join their zoom meeting and you're at a show supporting local artists, and also likely seeing a few folks from far away! You're not required to talk at these if you don't want to, but...
By Saritha Ramakrishna for Brain Arts Org
March 30, 2020
Legislation you can Support
As of 4/9/20, here are pieces of state legislation you can call your representatives to support, and organize around. You can find your representatives here. Note that the list below does not cover Federal legislation or municipal law or orders. While the Federal government recently passed a stimulus bill, its provisions are inadequate to cover the financial burdens, health risks and housing insecurity that the...
By Liz Smith for Brain Arts Org
March 29, 2020
Last Updated: June 30th at 12:45pm First Things First
Official updates about Covid 19 and the city of Boston can be found here including multilingual content. Details about Massachusetts' Reopening Plan can be found here.
We also recommend Dig Boston for ongoing coronavirus coverage as well as other [BINJ](https://binjonline...
By Steve Grigelevich for Brain Arts Org
March 26, 2020
PART 1
2020 is not a throw away year, folx! If you are worth your weight in human reflection, in fact, 2020 is, and will continue to be, a time to suffer, heal, rage, come together, and celebrate…oh yes, and ORGANIZE. Many citizens are confused, and not just by the evolving science of COVID-19 infection control theory. We’re confused existentially and relationally; we don’t know where our fellow human beings, and for some of us, where we, ourselves, stand on the ethical principle of interde...
By Steve Grigelevich for Brain Arts Org
March 26, 2020
PART II
As I wrote in Part I of this series…basically, shit’s weird for everyone, including for the arts. Right now, many of us artists and creative types are going back to the drawing board, reorganizing ourselves, contemplating, grieving, experimenting, possibly scheming? Some have a hashed out plan for creating art, delivering it to their audiences, and getting funds. Some don’t. Many don’t. Most don’t. That’s because COVID-19 ripped the carpet from under our feet, leaving many artists...
By Nick Blauner for Boston Compass (#122)
March 25, 2020
On March 20, the city of Wuhan had forty-eight consecutive hours without a newly infected patient. The first case of corona virus in the city was documented in late December 2019. America’s preliminary patient was not documented until January 20, almost a full month after the cluster of outbreaks in Wuhan. It would be unwise to use Wuhan’s timeline as a way to chart where America stands in the current epidemic. By doing that, you would also be assuming the situation in Wuhan is over. In any ca...
By Ghost
December 18, 2019
Nevermind the 250 word limit, Here's PURE IMPACT! Recently, I had the chance to chat about band history, heroin addiction, recovery, and what is yet to come from Upstate NY D-beat Master, No Fucker. To start off, could you give us a brief history for those who may be unfamiliar? And what is the current No Fucker line-up?Johnny and I started the band in the fall of 2002. We were in a bland generic crust band that wasn’t meeting our expectations. We needed something more. We had a vision of an American noise dbeat band, something that other people told us was impossible...
By Claire Foley
December 1, 2019
On Thursday, the 17th of October, the local Dorchester organization DOT Not For Sale (DN4S) met in the cafeteria of the Vietnamese American Community Center for their monthly community dinner. At the beginning of the gathering, folks were asked to raise their hands in response to a series of questions. “How many people here are renters? Homeowners? How many are landlords?” Most people attending were renters, but there were several homeowners, and a lone landlord. “Who spends more than 30% of their monthly income on rent? More than 50%? Who is fighting for their home?” Hands were in the air for all three questions...