SHOPPING THE HOLIDAZE
Corporate holiday greed is only fed by our dollars. SHOPPING LOCAL IS EASY with so many cool, curated holiday markets around town, but also consider the gift of repairing a beloved’s belonging this holiday season in lieu of buying something new. Honor old memories by helping a loved one restore an object from their past, whether it’s a broken necklace, musical instrument, or a family blanket that needs restitching.
General local repair recommendations below, but search online to find what’s local to you and don’t forget to read the reviews:
KNIT REPAIR - Invisible Reweaving invisiblereweaving.com - Not cheap, but the work is unbelievable.
CLOTHING REPAIR / TAILORNewbury Tailoring Co in Back Bay is worth the hype.
SHOE + LEATHER REPAIRJimmy’s Shoe Repair (42 Prospect St Central Sq) is arguably the best.
HOLIDAY MARKET FORECAST
JEWELRY REPAIR - Elleyo in Jamaica Plain elleyo.com or Leo Carroll Jewelers in Cambridge’s Inman Sq leocarrolljewelers.com
12/7
Somerville Flea Holiday Market @ Arts at the Armory
ELECTRONICS REPAIR - Aztec Electronics Inc in Watertown aztechelectronics.com
MUSICAL INSTRUMENT REPAIRNear Berklee College, MISC (Musical Instrument Service Center) can fix a range miscfix.com
Skip the Seaport and SoWa mall vibes this (and every) holiday season. The best pop-up markets are run by and for the locals. Here are some highlights: Additional details in Happenings on Page 4.
12/6 from 11AM-4PM
Boston Women’s Holiday Market @ The Huntington Theater (South End)
12/6 + 12/20
Small Mart Holiday @ Crystal Ballroom
12/6 + 12/7
Krampusfest @ Charles River Speedway
12/7 + 12/21
Boston Hassle Holiday Art & Flea Market @ Cambridge Community Center, $2 Entry
12/12 - 12/14, 12/19 - 12/21
Harvard Square Holiday Fair @ Harvard Sq
12/13 + 12/14
The Hall-iday Bazaar @ Faneuil Hall Marketplace JP Holiday Market @ Spontaneous Celebrations (JP)
12/20 + 12/21
Brighton Bazaar’s Holiday Stroll @ Charles River Speedway
Can’t make the markets? No worries. Boston has some incredible curated stores, selling local art and artisanal goods throughout the week.
We love local jeweler Elleyo’s new shop in Jamaica Plain that also offers jewelry repair services and a killer selection of local pottery, prints, and more. Over in Brighton, the brains behind the Bazaar have their own store called the Brighton Emporium, open everyday 11AM-7PM and filled with a huge variety of gifts. On the other side of the river, we bow to Bow Markets’ variety of small businesses near Union Square and all the great vintage nearby for a gift card or something one-of-a-kind (High Energy Vintage, Blue Bandana Relics, or We Thieves).
KEEP YOUR MONEY LOCAL this (and every) holiday season.
BOSTON MUSIC AWARDS
GIVES FLOWERS TO LOCAL MUSIC PROFESSIONALS
Artists may create, publish, and perform for the sake of art alone, but a little kudos and applause can go a long way.
For nearly 40 years, the Boston Music Awards (BMA) have celebrated New England-based music, artists, and acts across a variety of genres. The BMAs honor those who create and support the Boston music scene while offering an evening for the city’s creatives to meet, connect, and celebrate one another.
The event is organized and produced by Redefned, a creative company whose mission is to “resonate, build community, and leave a mark.” Redefned is deeply involved in music venues and projects across Boston, like O’Brien’s Pub, the Bellforge Arts Center, and the hopefully soon-to-return Great Scott. Redefned claims that they do not participate in the nomination or voting process for the BMAs.
A nomination committee of roughly 400 music-industry professionals selects all BMA nominees. Public voting then takes place on the BMA website, with the public and nomination committee votes each accounting for half of a nominee’s fnal tally.
In recent years, the BMAs have begun incorporating categories for individuals and groups who contribute to the success of the Boston music scene, including Venue, Live Audio Engineer, Lighting Technician, and Box Offce Team of the Year.
Michael Gutierrez—nominated for Music Journalist of the Year and Music Publication of the Year—is the founder of Hump Day News (HDN), an arts, politics, sports, and culture outlet that robustly covers live, local music.
HDN also hosts an annual series called BMAde Betterz, an entertaining review of many of the nominees with earnest shoutouts to those who didn’t make the list. While HDN offers critiques to the BMAs, as any champion for the local music scene should, Gutierrez acknowledges that “Boston Music Awards is making a clear choice to recognize the contribution that small clubs, underground bands, and outsider journalists make to the local music scene.”
“The small fries are the soil out of which everything that’s alive and vital in the local music scene grows,” he added.
The BMAs serve as a place for recognition, celebration, and community for local artists— something well worth commending, especially as they seek out and honor underrepresented talent who may be the next big thing.
You can fnd Gutierrez’s work in his weekly column at Cambridge Day, Hump Day News, EveryDejaVu, Fenway News, QRO Magazine, and even right here in the Boston Compass. He says he is honored by his BMA nominations and thankful that the BMAs have the wisdom to save a space at the table for small clubs and underground bands.
The Boston Music Awards take place on Wednesday, December 17, at Big Night Live.
MASSACHUSETTS
MINUTE
FELIX! IS NOT AN INDUSTRY PLANT
“Industry plant” describes artists who have leveraged their family ties, social status, or industry connections to circumnavigate the grind and artifcially manufacture success in music. The term has gained signifcant prominence in recent years. While there are absolutely real-life examples (sorry Clairo), the term is often used to refer to any artist who experiences an overnight success.
What the stan accounts and anime avatars don’t always take into consideration is that many musicians have had to put in years of work before the almighty algorithm fnally spotlights their sound. What at a glance seems like preferential treatment, unfair advantage, and payola is actually the long-awaited culmination of sleepless nights, self-investment, pain, heartbreak, unrelenting determination, and everything in between.
This is especially the case for FELIX!. A leading member of the beloved, Brockton-rooted music collective Van Buren Records, FELIX! has signifcantly amplifed his global stature since moving to Los Angeles a few years back.
When he eventually found himself on the offcial tracklist of Brent Faiyaz’s 2023 album “Larger Than Life,” it made sense to a lot of people. Supporters watching from home felt this was a natural step forward given FELIX!’s innate musical talent and hardworking demeanor but those unfamiliar with him questioned the legitimacy of his artistic foundation. But what neither realized was that he was fghting with every ounce of his being to bring his dream into reality.
A 13-minute-long revelation that begins with a musical rendition of his struggles before getting into a spoken recollection of what he’s endured, “HOMELESS” is FELIX!’s most unfinchingly honest and soul-baring song yet. Not only does it give listeners perspective into what FELIX! himself has endured, it paints a picture of what it’s like to fght for your dreams in 2025.
It’s a bold, unafraid admission of what goes on behind the scenes for artists. It’s a disclosure of concealed hardship and a testament to what comes attached to pursuing something non-conventional in life. Above all, it’s a vow to never give up –because you never know what your next moment might bring.
If “industry plant” is indicative of anything, it’s a sign that the best of FELIX! Is only just taking shape. It’s also a confrmation that FELIX! himself is anything but an industry plant.
Photo Credits: Danielle Parhizkaran
12/5 Stl Gld House Party with Bad Rabbits ft Red Shaydez & DJ Troy Frost @ The Sinclair 8pm All Ages
12/6 Bridging The Music Presents: Boston miniFEST
An evening of music, art & community @ The Cantab Lounge 5:45pm 21+ $22
12/6 Free Collective Disco Disco as meditation, experimental community joy and expression @ Lilypad 4:30pm-6:30pm All Ages Free
12/6 Honky Tonk Holiday With The Talking Hearts Country music, dance lesson, and live band @ Arts at the Armory 7pm All Ages $30
12/6 Monterrey Mountain & Housatonic S.E. (A benefit for the Roslindale Food Collective) @ The Square Root Cafe 8pm10:30pm 21+
12/7 State Park's Western World presents "Both Kinds", Country AND Western DJ Night with DJ Groan Man ft special guests Sweet Petunia Every first Sunday of the month @ State Park Bar 21+ FREE
12/10 Fully Celebrated
12/19 Exit 18, Little Oso, Tysk Tysk Task, Literaly/Nobody Night one of Snowgaze Fest: shoegaze, dream-pop, and grunge @ Deep Cuts Deli 7pm 18+ $17
12/20 Clifford, Glimmer, Plight, The Dreamtoday Night two of Snowgaze Fest: shoegaze, dream-pop, grunge @ Deep Cuts Deli 7pm 18+ $17
12/21 Kids Like You & Me Holiday Party ft Johnnie & The Foodmasters, Adult Learners, Noah Britton, Kremlin Bats @ Midway Cafe 3pm-7pm 21+ $10
12/31 Battlemode, Linnea’s Garden, Truckers Atlas Live music event featuring multiple bands @ The Jungle 8pm 21+ $15
performance art
12/5-1/3 Slutcracker This tongue in cheek burlesque take on the classic ballet has been around 17 years for a reason Don’t miss! @ Somerville Theatre 18+ $50
12/6 Your Truth Belongs A storytelling open mic for liberated self expression and radical honesty @ The Space in Charlestown 6pm-9pm All Ages $25
12/6 The Sugar Plum Fairy & Her Friends A magical performance of music, dance, and wonder @ Northeast Arts 1:30pm-3:30pm All Ages FREE
12/7 Comedy For Jamaica ft Kam Patterson Benefit comedy show for Jamaica hurricane relief @ Laugh Boston 6pm7:30pm 16+ $50
12/12 Zero Point Arts presents Triptych An Immersive Dance Performance ft Callie Chapman and Chris Konopka @ SomArt at the Hive 7:30pm All Ages
12/16 Total Recall Presents: The Body Shop A transhumanist sci-fi drag revue at Midway Cafe @ Midway Cafe 7:30pm 21+ $10
12/6-12/7 Krampusfest
Food, beer, German folklore and a dark holiday market with 60+ vendors makes this an unforgettable annual fest from the folks at Brighton Bazaar Sat 3-9pm Sun 11am-5pm @ Charles River Speedway 3pm5pm All Ages FREE
12/7-12/21 Somerville Flea Holiday Markets This holiday staple returns to the Armory twice for their 13th annual market with two floors of gift shopping from locals Dec 7th and 21st @ Arts at the Armory 10am-4pm All Ages FREE
12/7 Boston Hassle Holiday Art & Flea Market Huge market for the freaks in Central Sq @ Cambridge Community Center 12:30pm-5pm All Ages $2
12/11 Be·com·ing: A Lectureish Series A lecture-ish series featuring Biplaw Rai, curated by Porsha Olayiwola @ Just Book-ish 6:30pm-8pm All Ages
12/12-12/21 Harvard Square
Holiday Fair One of the oldest Holiday markets in town, happening Fridays thru Sundays 11am-6pm All Ages FREE
12/13 Pages for Poses: Book
Lovers' Yoga with Live Music Yoga, live music, snacks, and book talk for all ages @ Lilypad 10am-12pm All Ages $35
12/20 Boston Food Forest Coalition presents: Winter Solstice Tree ID Walk Guided winter tree identification walk and solstice celebration @ Leland St Cooperative Garden 2pm-3:30pm Sliding scale
12/20-12/21 Brighton
Bazaar’s Holiday Stroll The largest, coolest market in town and happening all weekend @ Charles River Speedway 11am6pm All Ages FREE
12/6 Loving Men Documentary & Dialogue Film screening and discussion on men ' s experiences @ Boston Liberation Center 11:30am-2pm All Ages
12/6-12/7 Massachusetts Independent Comics Expo New England’s premiere event for independent comics and hi l t 808 G ll
12/6 New Guinea Joy Virtual Tour Mapping the when & where of African American History in Boston @ The West End Museum 11am-1:30pm All Ages $0-$20
12/6 Boston Women’s Holiday Market 25+ vendors pop-up in the South End’s
12/13-12/14 JP Holiday
Markets 2 days, 2 floors of local vendors, warm drinks and community @ Spontaneous Celebrations 12pm-5pm All Ages FREE
12/13 Boston Little Saigon Gala & Awards Join Dorchester community to celebrate New England’s first Vietnamese cultural district @ advocacy
Boston Liberation Center Birthday Fundraiser Donate to support this community group ' s birthday fundraising goal: $4000 for 4 years! Donate at bit ly/BLC-donate
Know Your Rights: What to Do if You Are Arrested or Detained by Immigration This resource provides general information on what to do if you or someone you know is stopped, arrested, or detained by immigration or other law enforcement Visit www nilc org/resources for more information
Stop Gaza Genocide Toolkit Visit uscpr org/StopGaza Genocide to find actionable items from US Campaign for Palestinian Right's Toolkits
Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition MTPC works to ensure the wellbeing, safety, and lived equity of all trans, nonbinary, and gender expansive community members in Massachusetts Visit masstpc org for more information
12/12 Centering Palestine: A
Lif Of A i i m Conversation d educator Layla ook-ish 6:30pm-
Road by the Charles where unwary trucks get decapitated
Before, poetically
School of the Minutemen
Gorilla, orangutan, or human
Store that sells MALM, MELLTORP, and meatballs
letter
w w w . n a u t i l u s p u z . c o m
1 Sense of taste
2 World's most populous country
3 Paper with a famous crossword, for short 4 Siddhartha : birth name of the Buddha 5 Acquire 6 Track and field legend Jesse 7 Secret romantic encounter 8 Sounds of kvetching 9 Fine kind of wool
10 Instruments that can be "grand" or "upright"
11 Fasteners with threads
12 Certain kind of priest 15 Stop sleeping
16 Sticky tree substance
20 "Guns," to gym-goers
22 More recent
24 Part of a song that might fade out
27 "Truthfully," online
29 "Your majesty"
30 Popular non-dairy milk brand
31 Major lack in a windowless apartment room
32 Joe (average guy)
33 Moving day rentals 34 Rapid increases 36 Physicist Einstein
37 Fluffy decorative flower
38 Looked at 40 Third-largest city in Japan 41 Tear up
43 Silver Line destination
46
N E W - I S H I N 2 0 2 6
W e d i d a s u r v e y l a s t m o n t h ( c h e c k o u t o u r I n s t a g r a m
@ b o s t o n c o m p a s s n e w s p a p e r ) a n d a r e c h a n g i n g t h i n g s u p
f o r t h e n e w y e a r b a s e d o n w h a t p e o p l e v a l u e t h e m o s t
E m b r a c i n g o u r v o l u n t e e r l e a d e r s h i p
F o c u s i n g o n p a i d g i g s o v e r s t a f f i n g
C o n t i n u i n g t o c o v e r l o c a l a r t i s t s M a t c h i n g c o n t e n t t o c a p a c i t y i n c l u d i n g : H i g h l y - c u r a t e d H a p p e n i n g s ( “ T o p 2 5 e v e n t s o f t h e
m o n t h ! ” e t c ) M o r e i n t e r a c t i v e c o n t e n t ( l i k e t h e b r a n d n e w
C o m p a s s C r o s s w o r d ! )
M o r e c h a n g e s t o c o m e i n 2 0 2 6 ! P l e a s e s h a r e y o u r f e e d b a c k w i t h u s a t i n f o @ b r a i n - a r t s o r g o r s i g n u p
t o o u r P a t r e o n ( F r e e - $ 4 0 / m o ! ) t o c o n t r i b u t e t o t h e
c o n v e r s a t i o n w w w b o s t o n c o m p a s s n e w s p a p e r c o m
Social Fuel by Kieran Teare-Thomas
A Communist Santa in America by Jared Kellogg
Local Lore: Arsenal of Arms by Jillian D. King @jilliandking
@britdeart
Closing Shift by Brit Parry
Friendly Fella by Austin Ickes
@sticky ickes
RECORD STORE RUNDOWN
As a bona fde Gen X oldster, I can’t recall a time when the record (vinyls to some of our younger readers) store scene in Boston has been as vital as it is now. The post-pandemic proliferation of shops, even in the suburbs, has been something to see.
One more centrally located establishment worth raving about is the brilliantly named Big Dig Records in Porter Square. Wellstocked across the board, their punk section is particularly stellar. There’s also some deep dance music knowledge among the True Heads who run the place. In contrast to its name, you’ll fnd good, honest prices all around.
Another wonderful spot is the Music Research Library. Nestled in a quaint Beacon Hill side street, their name refers to the beloved cult genre of ‘library music’ of which
they have plenty. Folks praise their international, jazz, and hip hop selections, and it’s far cleaner than most stores, which is a plus. They even have plants!
High Fidelity-style record store snobbery, as entertaining as it can be, is all but dead and gone, and good riddance. That said, we’re not here to evangelize against digital streaming platforms per se. While records do sound better, they’re not cheap anymore. So don’t bum out if you can’t swing it right now. We’ve all been there. If and when you decide to take a plunge into collecting and, more importantly, listening to vinyl records, you have plenty of fantastic places to buy them.
N.A. HAVUSHA
WHERE ART MEETS WONDER
JOE LEDOUX’S HOME STUDIO
On Saturday, November 15, local artist and magician Joe Ledoux held a studio show in his Brighton home. He displayed artwork in a miniature gallery, featuring paint, ink, and mixed media, and coupled this exhibition with a magical performance on his makeshift living room stage. He wasn't just trying to display his art or show off tricks; Ledoux created a textured, interactive experience that engaged his audience’s senses. Ledoux has been featured in numerous galleries and museums, including the Dorchester Art Project, the Institute of Contemporary Art, and the West End Museum. His favorite type of venue is twofold - a gallery exhibiting his art alongside a performance space to host his magic. Ledoux started holding home studio shows to connect more frequently and intimately with his audience, curating the exact environment - using lighting, scents, and sounds - he envisions for his guests.
The featured pieces in Ledoux’s gallery were acrylic painting and mixed media on canvas, alongside smaller paint and ink pieces. All of the works on display featured Muhachi, an animated bear inspired by a gift from Ledoux’s mother
Over the years, Muhachi turned into an avatar for Ledoux to express himself in works like “Junkyard.” Ledoux explores collage and painting together in this piece, which was new territory for him. “In my youth, there was a place down the road called The Sand Pit,” Ledoux shared about the piece. “It was this junkyard full of old cars, objects, tires, etc. I would look at it as a kid in awe. Everything was broken, but kind of took on a new life as I played there; it was like living in a cartoon.”
Attendee Eric Schoonover highlighted the variety found in the evening. "Whimsical, personal, and sometimes supernatural-inspired tricks provided a magical experience for the entire audience," he said. Ledoux's home studio show wasn't just an opportunity to exhibit or perform. He delved deeper to create an interactive experience that proved the most memorable art can be found where creativity, wonder, and community meet. His event demonstrated that the art that sticks with you isn't just a physical, static object - it’s a dynamic space where everyone feels a sense of wonder and a community gathers to share a moment. He transformed his home studio into a vibrant hub, blurring the lines between the artist, the work, and the audience.
The central event of the evening was a magic performance by Ledoux. His interactive tricks engaged his audience with storytelling from the heart and visual dynamism, incorporating dramatic lights, fog, and a soundtrack. Ledoux said the purpose of his magic is to “make the audience feel more animated than they did before the show.”
Find Ledoux on Instagram: @JoeLedouxMagic Website: joeledoux.com
ASHLEY RINE
MEET THE ARTIST
Welcome Hersey is a 12-year-old artist living in western Massachusetts. He enjoys making art and music. His comic book series, "The Book of Odd" can be found at Comics n' More in Easthampton, MA. Find him on Instagram at @welx_art.
