Sun. Aug. 29

It's a doggie dog world. We just live in it. Personally, my wife and I are cat people - in temrs of ownership, emotional investment - but darned if we don't pet all the little canine critters we see in our hood. Sometimes, in a very soothing voice, I tell the ones tied to a pole outside a shop or restuarant, that, "No, they don't love you, they're never coming back for you." It's the vocal tone that soothes 'em, dogs not being real big on the specifics of words. Now, there's a pretty good debate raging - we hear - about the appropriateness of your dog at other people's functions. Some have the love me, love my dog attitude - which we think is wrong. Look, some events are just not dog-appropriate and the people who must go everywhere with Fido are a little daffy, I think. C'mon, who's the one going through separation anxiety here? (Of note, we never drag any of our cats out for a stroll. They don't do that kind of thing. Too proud to be dragged on leash, y'know.)
How does this pertain to something you might do? Thought you'd wonder. The Beehive is hosting "K-9 and Cocktails," one of those owner/dog cocktail parties Sunday afternoon Aug. 29, 3-5. You, you can drink a lovely Ketel One or Grey Goose martini and let your sunny afternoon slide pleasantly into that haze. Your dog? No booze for Astro!

Sun. Aug. 29

Jerry’s Kids, Gang Green (in photo), Antidote, DYS, and the FUs are playing an all-ages show at Club Lido in Revere Sunday Aug. 29. No, this is not an item that magically time-traveled from 1982 to today. It's true. Some of the seminal bands from Boston's hardcore punk era - remember the album, "This Is Boston, Not L.A," our local response to the much trumpeted L.A. scene? - are reuniting.  This is not just a gig. It's a film shoot. The film is called "xxx All Ages xxx," and it's being made by Gallery East founder and owner Duane Lucia, in association with Stone Films NYC and the Boston Punk Rock Oral History Project (BPROHP). The film is not just this concert shoot. It will explore the origins and lasting cultural impact of Boston hardcore.
     “The Gallery East Reunion is an opportunity for the tribe to reconvene and reconnect,” said Drew Stone, the film’s director and singer of Antidote. “The concert will bridge the past and the present for those who were there back in the day and an introduction to hardcore for a new generation.”

Fri. Aug. 27

Lovewhip is where synth pop, rocking guitar lines, punk rock and funky drums serve as the basis for Empress Erin's soulful vocals. Erin is Erin Harpe who not long ago released a rootsy blues album, but the gal's obviously at home with genre switching, wearing two hats, if you will. Lovewhip is her booty-shaker band and they're at the Midway Friday Aug. 27, with Bonfire Bandits, Ghost Quaret and My Boys List.  Wanna get a look at Lovewhip? Check out their vid,"Gimme That" at www.lovewhip.net and/or www.myspace.com/lovewhip.  Now this is no ordinary Lovewhip show.. That's the idea at least. Cover: $7.

197 Portland St., 617-227-4059 www.celticweb.com/mcganns

Thurs. Aug. 26 & Fri. Aug. 27 

Wrapping up ....August. The dog days of summer. Perhaps you're on the Cape. Perhaps you're at Tanglewood. And that's at least part of the reason Boston Restaurant Week exists this time of year. (Well, it happens twice a year - this is now the start of that second sweek - and, guess what, the other time it's pretty durn cold out, generally speaking. Now, what Restaurant Week means is more than 210 restaurants in the Boston metro area are offering three-course prix-fixe meals. Lunch is (two course) $15.10 and (three course) $20.10.. Dinner is $33.19. (Oddly enough, these prix-fixe lunches have gone up a penny since last year. Seems like a lot to ask in this hurtin' economy, but what the heck.) Are they a good deal for you? Yes. For one thing, you're not slaving over a hot stove. For another, the price of food in grocery stores probably equals what you'd spend going out to eat. We're not saying that you should abandon your beachfront abode in Truro and race into Beantown, but if you're here - stuck, live here, on vacation going up and down the Bunker Hill Monument for no good reason - take advantage of restaurants you might be hesitant to try because of the usual prices (or whatever) and remember they all have air-conditioning. Where to go? There are so many choices - Azure, Davio's, Top of the Hub, L'Espalier, etc. - we're just going to have to refer you to the website below, where you can click through and get menu and direction info. American Express Cardmembers: You lucky dogs can make early reservations through July 24. (The photo here is of Davio's bar.)

www.restaurantweekboston.com

Sat. Aug. 21

Brother Cleve - former Del Fuegos, Combustible Edison keyboardist, current Singhs keyboardist, mixologist and DJ extraordinaire - checks in. "The best DJ gigs are the ones that take me into the extremes of my record collection, where I get to explore a particular sound for an evening.....and then move on to something different the next. A lot of DJ's become like a brand, where they're known for just one thing. There's nothing wrong with that, but I love a lot of different kinds of music and I'd rather play it all!

 "On Saturday August 21st, I'll be back once again for dancing under the McGrath Highway, for the fifth installation of the ARTSomerville/NAVE Gallery Project MuM. It sounded like such a weird concept when I first was told about it years ago (I DJ'd it the first year they had it), but it turned out to be so much cooler than I had ever expected. This year's event is a special tribute to George Clinton & P-Funk and the Mothership Connection. I've been a lifelong fan of Parliament Funkadelic, having bought their records when they first came out and seen them live back in the '70s and '80s. I'll be digging out a bunch of my really rare 12" singles (ever heard the one by George Clinton and Sly Stone? Not many have.