Jim has covered Boston arts and events since 1978. In addition to this column, JimSullivanInk, he is a freelance columnist for the likes of the Boston Phoenix, the Christian Science Monitor, Search Boston and Hall of Fame Magazine.
About 12,000 runners will be streaming through the Back Bay beginning at 7:30 p.m. Thursday June 28. JP Morgan Chase has been doing this since 1984, raising money for a variety of charities. About 600 companies are represented. (Morgan has these events up and running all over the world.) To celebrate the fete, Felt is throwing an "Appreciation Party," later that night - well it actually starts at 8 when the runners are still running - with a performance by '80s cover band Fast Times. Felt will be offering a late-night dinner menu and a festive atmosphere throughout. Need we say, running shoes are quite ok. There's no cover and it's open to the public. If you're feeling sheepish about not running, but want to be just a tad altrusistic you can - yes! - drink. That's because a portion of the bar revenues are going to support the Waterfront Peforming Arts Series. (That's JP Morgan's choice this year, too.)
533 Washintong St., 617-350-5555 feltboston.com
Comedy, Baseball, Fundraising at the Connection
Jun 28, 2007 at 12:00 AM
Thurs. June 28
Schmoozing with the Sox? Especially red-hot ageless knuckleballer Tim Wakefield? Is that worth $150? Well, there's more. Wakefield and catcher Jason Varitek are the main Sox supporters of the Pitching In for Kids Foundation and a fundraiser is again being staged by Bill Bluemenreich at his Comedy Connection. A dozen restaurants are supplying top of the line food (Kingfish, Maggiano's etc.) and half a dozen comics, including "Yes, Dear" co-star Mike O'Malley will entertain. That starts at 8 pm Thursday June 28. Prior to, Ernie Boch, Jr. & the Automatics - I guess you can't call it a garage band exactly, but that's what it is sorta - will play on the west end of Faneuil Hall Marketplace, as will Danny Klein & Friends. DK, of course, is the former J. Geils Band bassist and he and his pals put on a wonderful Geils-y show.
1 Faneuil Hall Market Place, second floor, 617-248-9700 symfonee.com/comedyconnection
Barenaked Ladies (painted at 33)
Jun 28, 2007 at 12:00 AM
Thurs. June 28
How many times have you walked into a bar and thought, "Gee, if only they were painting live nude female models tonight? Wouldn't that be swell?" Well, they'll be doing that exactly at 33 Thursday June 28 after 10 p.m. (Boston has some pretty strict provisions against getting naked in public; we're guessing the "art" element of this event is what got it under the wire.) The party features DJ Liam spinning hip-hop, mashups and house music. UV Vodka is your sponsor; they're calling it a "Vodka Glow Party." It's free but you should email a reservation to the address below.
33 Stanhope St., 617-572-3311
Morello, Kensrue: Singer-songwriters jettison loud bands for a bit
Jun 27, 2007 at 12:00 AM
Wed. June 27
Sometimes you can make judgment about artists by the company they keep. In the case of Dustin Kensrue - who sings in the post-hardcore/screamo/metal band Thrice - you might consider he's touring this summer with the Nightwatchman, the one-band politically oriented singer-guitarist Tom Morello, (in photo) who's been with Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave. Both musicians are taking breaks from their main bands and pursuing alternate paths together on tour this summer. Morello, a former Harvard guy, has got politics up front and center. Kensrue takes a deep dive into the alt-country pool fans of Ryan Adams enjoy. Gruff, hard-edged, plaintive. Fans of Neil Young and Johnny Cash will want to pay attention; Thrice fans might scratch their heads. (On one song on his "Please Come Home," Kensrue 'fesses up a fondness for Cat Stevens. (Who does that nowadays?) Says Kensrue of this incarnation: "As an artist, I always want to be as real and honest as I can be in my songs. I feel where powerful songs come from - tapping something inside of you, that actually means something to you and getting that into the song - I think you can hear when a song is not from that place. I try to be an artist who aspires to find hope even in dark places. If I don't, I don't want to bring people down to that place with me. I'm looking for a way out." Kensrue opens the Wedensday June 27 show at T.T.the Bear's around 9; Morello's on about 10:30. Now, as you might expect given the star-power, this one is sold out, meaning it's up to you to find that one friend with a spare ticket and a real fondess for you and lefty politics.
Dave Zirin's Take on the Games People Play Professionally
Jun 27, 2007 at 12:00 AM
Wed. June 27
If the title "Welcome to the Terrordome" sounds familiar, it's because it's also the title of a great album by one of hip hop's best, most radical, bands, Public Enemy. By choosing that title for his book about - at least in part - sports, Dave Zirin is telling you he's on the radical wing of things. Indeed his book begins with Hurricane Katrina and the roots of the Superdome construction - a working class section of New Orleans was destroyed to make room - and then the role it played in the aftermath of the hurricane. When he gets to sports, per se, Zirin looks at how players are forced to conform, how baseball ownership (and its blind eye) played a major role in the steroid scandal, how the NBA both exploits hip hop culture and attacks its roots. He looks at pervasive racism. He references sports rebels past, like Jim Boutin. Zirin's take on sports is one we often try to ignore. We just want the scores, we just want to root for the home team, we want to pretend the rest of it doesn't exist. It's the kid in all of us. Unfortunately, it all does and if you're up for that rocky ride go the Brookline BooksmithWednesday June 27 at 7 p.m. to hear Zirin speak about the book. Free.
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re the main Sox supporters of the Pitching In for Kids Foundation and a fundraiser is again being staged by Bill Bluemenreich at his Comedy Connection. A dozen restaurants are supplying top of the line food (Kingfish, Maggiano's etc.) and half a dozen comics, including "Yes, Dear" co-star Mike O'Malley will entertain. That starts at 8 pm Thursday June 28. Prior to, Ernie Boch, Jr. & the Automatics - I guess you can't call it a garage band exactly, but that's what it is sorta - will play on the west end of Faneuil Hall Marketplace, as will Danny Klein & Friends. DK, of course, is the former J. Geils Band bassist and he and his pals put on a wonderful Geils-y show.
nd Thrice - you might consider he's touring this summer with the Nightwatchman, the one-band politically oriented singer-guitarist Tom Morello, (in photo) who's been with Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave. Both musicians are taking breaks from their main bands and pursuing alternate paths together on tour this summer. Morello, a former Harvard guy, has got politics up front and center. Kensrue takes a deep dive into the alt-country pool fans of Ryan Adams enjoy. Gruff, hard-edged, plaintive. Fans of Neil Young and Johnny Cash will want to pay attention; Thrice fans might scratch their heads. (On one song on his "Please Come Home," Kensrue 'fesses up a fondness for Cat Stevens. (Who does that nowadays?) Says Kensrue of this incarnation: "As an artist, I always want to be as real and honest as I can be in my songs. I feel where powerful songs come from - tapping something inside of you, that actually means something to you and getting that into the song - I think you can hear when a song is not from that place. I try to be an artist who aspires to find hope even in dark places. If I don't, I don't want to bring people down to that place with me. I'm looking for a way out." Kensrue opens the Wedensday June 27 show at T.T. the Bear's around 9; Morello's on about 10:30. Now, as you might expect given the star-power, this one is sold out, meaning it's up to you to find that one friend with a spare ticket and a real fondess for you and lefty politics.
rricane Katrina and the roots of the Superdome construction - a working class section of New Orleans was destroyed to make room - and then the role it played in the aftermath of the hurricane. When he gets to sports, per se, Zirin looks at how players are forced to conform, how baseball ownership (and its blind eye) played a major role in the steroid scandal, how the NBA both exploits hip hop culture and attacks its roots. He looks at pervasive racism. He references sports rebels past, like Jim Boutin. Zirin's take on sports is one we often try to ignore. We just want the scores, we just want to root for the home team, we want to pretend the rest of it doesn't exist. It's the kid in all of us. Unfortunately, it all does and if you're up for that rocky ride go the Brookline Booksmith Wednesday June 27 at 7 p.m. to hear Zirin speak about the book. Free.