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Dear Reader, Though I’m not typically a fan of labels, political or otherwise, I absolutely take it as a compliment when right-wing crazies brand me as a “guilty liberal.” I suppose I would prefer “compassionate” to “guilty,” but either way, it’s just as much a sign of their depravity as it’s a show of my apparent weakness. For without that guilt, er, without all my compassion, I would have no guiding light, as an editor or as a human being.

I’ve been thinking quite a bit about such cheap lines of attack against progressives this past week— ever since James O’Keefe, the camera-wielding rightwing troll behind such viral hits as the fraudulent 2009 sting that crippled the poverty action group ACORN, turned up in the 2017 news cycle, this time after one of his sophomoric operatives was busted posing as a rape victim of Alabama US Senate candidate Roy Moore to Washington Post reporters.

I wish that I could say I am surprised that O’Keefe stooped so low, but I researched and reported on him for more than six months about five years ago, and frankly I believe there’s very little that he wouldn’t do in service to his moneyed masters.

Without drilling too deep on the details—those who care to read about the depths of O’Keefe’s actions should check out the long-form feature I wrote all about his moronic exploits, “The Trials of Nadia Naffe,” or my second book, I Killed Breitbart— my simple hope was to shine a quick light onto O’Keefe to reveal what the opposite of caring looks like. From his earliest video hoax days that were funded by the toxic likes of Peter Thiel and Andrew Breitbart to recent activity that was partially bankrolled by pre-President Donald J. Trump’s charitable foundation in 2015, his productions are the sick manifestations of the ideological fuel in his tank and the villains who pump it.

Among other offenses, O’Keefe once doctored footage to make Shirley Sherrod, an experienced agriculture official and an African-American, appear to be making racially insensitive comments.

On another occasion, he targeted labor unions representing working-class minorities in Boston.

That was when he wasn’t attempting to lure a female CNN reporter onto a boat where he was waiting with props that included condoms, dildos, fuzzy handcuffs, and a blindfold. To say the least, O’Keefe has proven that he’s not a guilty goodie two-shoes. His sugar daddies must be proud.

I have no doubt that some people will read this and say that I am holier than thou. They’ll dislike me for my guilty plea and for my ability to give a damn when I see someone sleeping on the street, or hear about a family that has fallen on hard times. Maybe I’m not tough enough for them. Or perhaps it’s because your average rank-and-file right-winger’s a soulless greedy bottom feeder, like the president of the United States. If I’m a guilty liberal, and that means I stand on the opposite side of the fence from the rabid, despicable animals who provide cover for rapists and actively sabotage people who help the poor, then I’m glad I lack the innocence of James O’Keefe or anybody who’d affiliate with his perverted kind.

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NEWS+OPINION CREDIBLE FEAR NEWS

Siham Byah’s “dehumanizing” deportation limbo

BY SARAH BETANCOURT @SWEETADELINEVT

Siham Byah called her experience at the Bristol County House of Correction “the Hannibal Lecter treatment” in a letter she wrote to her attorney and friends during the early morning hours of Monday, Nov 20. In an attempt to deport Byah, 40, a US Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer began packing her things into two trash bags at 2:45 am.

Byah is a single mother and outspoken political activist from Morocco living in Nahant. She was detained

by ICE on Nov 7 during a routine immigration check-in.

“I got no answer to where I’m going, or why,” Byah wrote of the experience. Eventually told she was being moved from Bristol to the South Bay House of Correction in Boston, she was transported in what she called “the cage.”

“At 5am,” Byah wrote, “I got the Hannibal Lecter treatment AGAIN. Cuffs, shackles, and the works. This time, I wasn’t so shocked really; still feeling humiliated and dehumanized … but no shocked. Aren’t these the same people who locked me into solitary with no heat, denied me attorney contact, family contact, finding out Naseem’s [Byah’s 8-year-old son’s] whereabouts, meds, and heat, all because I exercised my right to enter a hunger strike?”

She spent the duration of the day in a cell and at 10:40 pm was led across the jail’s basketball court to another office, where several guards and a lieutenant were waiting. Byah again asked about where she was going and reported she was told, “To NYC, where we’re going to put you on a plane and watch you go home.”

Byah replied that her home was in Nahant, Mass, and that she was trying to “invoke the credible fear clause” to her asylum claim.

“They [guards] said to her, ‘We are going to issue a passport for your kid so that you can take him back to 4

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Morocco,’” Byah’s partner told DigBoston.

Byah eventually refused to get into the transport van to Logan Airport, where she would have been taken to New York City to board a nonstop flight to Morocco. But refusing federal officers is no easy task. One missed call to her attorney was all she got.

At one point, the guards separated to confer. Byah reported that the one officer who remained gave her sound advice: “I cannot tell you this when [other officers] are here, but continue to refuse and face a judge here—it is safer. I’m not particularly enjoying my job tonight.” She continued to decline the transport, thanking the officers when they gave up.

“The lieutenant went to get me new jail clothes, while an officer took me to a large, clean holding cell (unlocked) to wait for him,” she wrote in one letter. As Byah held photos of her son and partner, she thought about how close she had been to getting deported.

She was taken back to the Bristol County House of Correction, where Byah eventually got in contact with her attorney, Matt Cameron.

“Siham resisted deportation, and insisted on her right to a screening interview with an asylum officer to explain her fear of return to Morocco,” Cameron told DigBoston.

Her attorney is hoping to acquire a “reasonable fear” screening for Byah, who has applied for political asylum.

The interview, conducted by an immigration official, is often granted to immigrants who are seeking asylum due to political retribution. In cases where someone’s life is at risk, asylum can be granted.

“Siham Byah’s removal is currently pending,” one ICE official told DigBoston. “For operational security reasons, ICE will not discuss the specific times and dates of any removal.”

As Byah recounted in a 2012 YouTube video, the Moroccan Secret Service court martialed her for treason in 2011 to 2012 and reportedly threatened her for speaking out against human rights violations committed by the ruling Justice and Development Party of Morocco, and Morocco’s current King. Morocco currently prohibits all speech deemed to offend the king.

“I was threatened with rape and that they would rape my two-year-old,” Byah said in the video. “This is how low [the Moroccan government is] willing to stoop.”

“It seems like the Moroccan government wants her back,” said Cameron. Due to pending litigation, he could not go further into his concerns other than to mention that Byah was not the first Moroccan immigrant with similar political ideals to be pursued in New England.

Byah was arrested on an outstanding final order of deportation issued by an immigration judge in 2012, according to ICE. Her one conviction resulted in a fine for a traffic violation. In an odd turn of events, local ICE officials have said that the order for Byah’s removal did not come from the Massachusetts office, but the DC headquarters for ICE. Byah has applied for multiple stays of removal, along with a motion to reopen her case, since her appeal to the US Board of Immigration was denied in 2013. The norm became checking in once a year for multiple stays of removal. Until now. ICE policies under President Donald Trump have changed protocols completely. Nationally, it has become commonplace for immigrants without criminal records to be detained at ICE check-ins or court hearings.

Meanwhile, thousands of immigrants around the country await their fates and deal with day-to-day lives of detainment. By day 14 in custody, Byah was getting her period, and alleges she was denied tampons and could not shower due to lack of soap.

When asked about what hygienic materials are provided to detainees, a senior ICE official sent an online copy of a 2011 Operations Manual, which states, “Female detainees shall be issued and may retain sufficient feminine hygiene items, including sanitary pads or tampons, for use during the menstrual cycle.”

Byah alleges in her letters that she didn’t receive soap to wash her hands after a urine test, and was unable to shower and wash multiple times. Her grievances went beyond hygiene. In one note, Byah wrote, “And according to the ID they issued me, I am a Hispanic female, much much taller than I actually am, weighing 20 lbs less than I actually do with jet black hair and jet black eyes.”

This is not the first time that the Bristol County Sheriff’s Office has been at the center of controversy.

Among other things, Bristol Sheriff Thomas Hodgson has made headlines for denying visitation rights to families of inmates, while last January he proposed sending his inmates to the southern border of the US to help build President Trump’s wall.

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DELLDOS MEDIA FARM

Why are Globe reporters shilling for this billionaire?

BY CHRIS FARAONE @FARA1 For a lot of people in the media, Dell Technologies CEO Michael Dell has been a punching bag these past few months. As one of the hardcores who remained on the White House manufacturing council even after President Donald Trump’s unfortunate comments about white supremacists in Charlottesville, the hardware honcho has been subject to more than couple of disparaging headlines.

But not in Boston. Specifically, not in the Boston Globe, which last week went so far as to salute Dell as a major CEO who “[doesn’t] buy the trickle-down promises of [Trump’s] tax bill.” (Don’t get too excited—his primary concern is hardly about the middle-class burden.)

The Globe of late has been a sort of gift for the computer giant, which acquired the Hopkinton-based EMC last year. Sometimes page one even comes wrapped in a holiday ad for Dell products, as was the case last Monday.

Often, the newspaper’s reporters can’t get enough of the chief executive’s wisdom and rarely miss an opportunity to let Globe readers know how well the company is doing now that it’s in Mass. Like this piece from May, which highlighted its generous investments in the local economy: On Monday, Dell detailed its existing roster of more than 70 investments, including in the Boston-area startups Nantero and Nasuni, and Darling said the company plans to write checks at a quicker pace now that the Dell-EMC merger is finished.

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In July, Globe and Red Sox owner John Henry and his wife, Globe Managing Director Linda Pizzuti Henry, attended an exclusive billionaire’s retreat, the Allen & Company conference in Sun Valley, California. Other attendees included Ivanka Trump, her husband, Trump advisor Jared Kushner, and Michael Dell. One can only wonder who ran into whom out by the pool. Or spent quality time eating a meal together…

In September, after so much spite aimed at the holdouts clinging onto Trump’s manufacturing council led to the POTUS dissolving the group, the Globe accelerated its proDell campaign. Check out this first line in a Bloomberg wire piece it ran titled “Dell benefits in first year after EMC merger with sales up”: On the one-year anniversary of its historic tie-up with EMC, Dell Technologies Inc. is showing that bigger can be better.

Then came this humdinger about the CEO’s considerable giving. The headline is actually “Michael Dell’s latest investment? Boston,” and it begins like this: One of our newest chief executives has launched a massive Hurricane Harvey relief effort. But he’s also behind a philanthropic initiative quietly taking shape in Boston.

Of course, Dell doesn’t give all his money to the poor. In early November, the Globe told us that he “may be buying Boston’s priciest penthouse ever”: The three penthouses atop the 61-story Four Seasons tower being built at One Dalton Street are expected to be the most expensive ever sold in Boston, and one might have just found a billionaire buyer … Michael Dell … Sales details were not yet public, but the newspaper said the first two penthouse units at the tower went on the market at $40 million each …

Taking things one step beyond written approval, last week the Globe came out in force for Boston College’s Chief Executives Club luncheon at the Boston Harbor Hotel, where Pizzuti Henry interviewed Dell on stage in front of hundreds. Several Globe editors and business writers attended, with some even using the interview to inform coverage in the following days. In addition to the aforementioned article detaching Dell from Trump on taxes, they threw a bone his way titled “Michael Dell says EMC merger working out better than expected.”

In the past, Michael Dell has reportedly been hostile toward journalists, even telling his employees to “ignore media reports on [the] EMC deal.” Who knows, though— with its nonstop flattery, the Globe may change the CEO’s opinion of the press after all.

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DEMOCRACY IN CRISIS

PROJECT FALSITAS

Prosecutors introduce right-wing propaganda to case against inauguration protesters

BY BAYNARD WOODS @BAYNARDWOODS

Project Veritas, the creepo undercover right-wing sting team run by James O’Keefe, spent months trying to fool the Washington Post into printing false accusations against theocrat and alleged pedophile Roy Moore in order to undermine the real allegations made by women that he was sexually inappropriate with when they were minors. Moore, a twice-deposed former judge, is the only man alive who might make Luther Strange and Jeff Sessions, the two previous occupants of the Alabama Senate seat he is vying for, look almost normal.

Jaime Phillips, the woman trying to claim that Moore impregnated her when she was underage and then urged her to have an abortion, was spotted by Post reporters walking into the offices of Project Veritas. They confronted her on cameras of their own.

“The Washington Post seems to want a Nobel Prize for vetting a source correctly,” O’Keefe later said in response.

On the same day that the Post story broke, prosecutor Jennifer Kerkhoff introduced a Project Veritas video into the trial of the first six of the 193 to be charged under the federal Riot Act for protesting during the inauguration.

It came during the testimony of an undercover officer who infiltrated a Jan 8 meeting in a church where various groups coordinated Inauguration Day activities. Kerkhoff asked the officer if he recorded the meeting, and he said that his supervisors told him not to. But, he said, MPD later obtained a video of the same meeting.

It was filmed by a Project Veritas operative. And here’s where it gets really fucked up. We don’t know how much the Project Veritas video was edited.

“I’m not aware of any edits or anything,” Kerkhoff said in court. When the judge asked her who provided the video to the MPD, she replied: “a third party.”

Even worse, we don’t know how many Project Veritas operatives were in the room, saying things that may have colored undercover Officer Bryan Adelmeyer’s perception of the events. So it taints his testimony as well. Despite the Veritas in its name, O’Keefe’s organization is built on deceit—and may in fact lose nonprofit status in New York because he failed to disclose his criminal record, for using false premises to enter a federal building in an attempted Watergate/Bob the Builder cosplay self-sting.

By contrast, Alexei Wood, a photojournalist who is one of the defendants in the current trial, is almost radically transparent about the livestream video, which occupied much of the motion hearings over the past several months, that he filmed during the protest.

“I didn’t do anything wrong. I livestreamed myself from beginning to end, and the entire world can decide whether I incited a riot,” he said. “It’s out there for the whole world to decide, and I’m glad it is.”

The government, on the other hand, is not only using Project Veritas’ unauthenticated video, but actually edited the videos in order to obscure the identity of the still-unknown Project Veritas operative, as if he were an officer.

The last time O’Keefe tried so hard to sting the media, it involved dildos, hair grease, a boat, and a CNN reporter, Abbie Boudreau, who never got on the boat, causing the explosively bad idea to backfire.

He was later accused by one of his own operatives of drugging her when she refused his romantic overtures and then enlisting an army of right-wing trolls, including her former friend Andrew Breitbart, to harass her when she tried to expose him (listen to this week’s podcast with Chris Faraone, DigBoston editor and author of I Killed Breitbart for more on this).

But, as Moore’s campaign shows, that’s the way the far right works now. If you’re on their side, they will defend almost anything.

Baynard Woods is a reporter at the Real News. Email baynard@therealnews.com.

Twitter @baynardwoods.

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APPARENT HORIZON

EVERSOURCE SCREWS CONSUMERS With help from its friends, the regulators

BY JASON PRAMAS @JASONPRAMAS It is perhaps understandable that one of the most important Massachusetts news stories of the year was buried in the avalanche of reports coming out of Washington last week. But Eversource Energy, a large investor-owned utility serving much of Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts, just got a big rate hike approved by the Commonwealth’s Department of Public Utilities Commission. This despite strong opposition from Mass Attorney General Maura Healey—who believes the company should be forced to cut its rates, rather than being allowed to needlessly accumulate more profits on the backs of consumers.

According to Commonwealth magazine, “Eversource Energy won approval to hike power rates $36.9 million a year for its 1.4 million electricity customers, a slimmeddown boost from the company that initially requested a $96 million increase.” A situation the company had the temerity to complain about when it has already been making solid profits under the rate system that has been in place since 2005. The new rates—which will slam Western Mass especially hard—are slated to go into effect on Jan 1 and last until 2022.

Healey, for her part, said the 10 percent shareholder return the rate increase includes is “one of the highest in the country” for a publicly regulated utility, according to the Boston Herald. And Eversource has some serious rate-related skeletons in its closet, it seems. Even as its rent-seeking drama played out at the DPU, the AG started looking into recent allegations by the Environmental Defense Fund that the Eversource and fellow regional utility Avangrid, Inc. rigged gas pipeline reservations on frigid winter days to artificially drive up electric and gas prices to its customers. Then, according to The Republican, shortly after that charge was leveled several New England residents, represented by Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP, filed a related class action suit against Eversource and Avangrid for using the pipeline scheme to cause “electricity consumers to incur overcharges of $3.6 billion in a yearslong scheme that impacted six states and affected 14.7 million people.”

There is much that can be said about how problematic it is to have former energy industry lawyers like DPU

Commission Chair Angela M. O’Connor and DPU Commissioner Cecile M. Fraser—both appointed by Gov. Charlie Baker (Fraser only in July with the Eversource rate hike vote looming)—playing the role of corporate foxes guarding the chicken coop of the public trust. It’s also worth mentioning that the third commissioner, Robert Hayden, was a longtime DPU staffer—and ran for the Mass 10th Congressional seat as a conservative Republican in 2010 on a “small government” platform, according to the Barnstable Patriot. So don’t expect much consumer protection to come from his corner either. But even if the three-person DPU Commission was all pro-consumer, we’d still have to deal with the structural crisis of energy conglomerates using their money and political clout to continue to make state government dance to whatever tune they care to play.

For example, Eversource and other investor-owned utilities have remained extremely hostile to the new wave of renewable energy options. Especially solar, which they have consistently lobbied heavily and successfully against to prevent it from becoming widespread enough to potentially break their regional monopolies.

Reining in such entrenched corporate utilities will take a long, hard fight by a broad coalition of consumers and local governments. But there is one seemingly small change to state law that would go a long way toward winning such a conflict. A group called the Massachusetts Alliance for Municipal Electric Choice (MAMEC), led by Lexington resident Patrick Mehr, got state legislators to file an important “muni choice” bill with significant support from dozens of cities, towns, and major stakeholder organizations around the state no less than eight times in 16 years between 2000 and 2016. If passed, it would have struck language from state law that gives investor-owned utilities like Eversource veto power over the establishment of new municipal electric utilities in the Commonwealth.

It was shot down all eight times by the cheap and oft-used device of sending each attempt into “study.” Basically the same thing as killing the bill without as much PR blowback for state pols in the pocket of major corporations.

Turns out that 41 cities and towns in Massachusetts already have municipal—that is, publicly owned and NEWS TO US

managed—utilities. And advocates like MAMEC say they provide generally better service and, more to the point, significantly cheaper rates than energy corporations like Eversource. Sadly, the last new muni utility came online in 1926. It will take passage of a muni choice bill to allow more cities and towns to exercise that option.

MAMEC and its allies may have lost many battles against powerful, well-connected foes. But that doesn’t mean the idea of expanding the number of muni utilities is a bad one. Far from it. Because every new muni that comes online is another stake in the heart of the greedy, environmentally destructive, investor-owned utilities that will keep taking Mass consumers for a ride until they are brought to heel. Failing that, consumers can expect to get spanked with regular and ever more painful rate hikes for the foreseeable future.

So, I encourage readers to get active in the fight for a more fair, democratic, and environmentally conscious regional energy system. Working to get more publicspirited DPU commissioners seated is certainly a good interim goal. But creating a larger network of publicly owned and managed municipal energy utilities will go further down the road toward extricating us from the structural mess we’re in thanks to the big investor-owned utilities like Eversource. Though even that won’t solve all the myriad problems with our current byzantine system of electricity generation and distribution.

Regardless, check out MAMEC at massmunichoice.org.

Patrick Mehr told me that the group remains active, and it seems like a good starting place for those of you who don’t want to continue to take rate hikes lying down.

Frankly, increased public pressure on Eversource and other investor-owned utilities in our region cannot come soon enough. Turns out the recent rate hikes are only the first part of the DPU order relating to Eversource. The second part is being released on Dec 31, according to a DPU press release, and advocates are warning that even worse rate shenanigans are in the works. So, find a good group working for utility reform and join it, or start your own utility reform group… or continue to be a victim of price gouging by investor-owned utilities. Those are your options. Choose wisely.

FEATURE

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NOT JUST AN EDUCATION, A COMMUNITY OP-ED

Student testimony to the Nov 29, 2017, UMass Board of Trustees meeting Good morning President Meehan, Chairman Manning, and members of the board. I’d like to thank you for letting me speak to you today on behalf of UMass Boston. My name is Maddi Walker and I’m a sophomore at UMB. I have a history of service in the UMass Boston community, I’ve worked with nonprofits on campus, with the Massachusetts Public Interest Research Group, and with the UAccess food pantry, however, despite my service, my near perfect GPA, and my passion for the UMB community I lost the majority of my financial aid for the 2017-2018 school year. I was eager to return to campus this year and spend my time improving my community, and instead I found myself working two jobs in an attempt to pay for a substantially more expensive education. My story isn’t unique: the narrative of UMass Boston is becoming a narrative of lost opportunities.

Quality schools don’t just provide an education, they provide a community, but the sense of community at UMB is quickly becoming tainted by the anxiety and insecurity of faculty and students in the face of these budget cuts.

Students are expected to be academically successful, but are provided none of the tools. Readings are no longer printed by teachers, so students must pay out of pocket to print their homework. Class sizes are growing, but we’re expected to make the same connections and receive the same attention from our professors. Individuals in the College of Math and Science have to compete with the 1,200 other students their advisor is responsible for in order to make an appointment. Of the handful of students I got know personally through my activism on campus I can name at least five that have already transferred, and many more who are considering the option. They are all dedicated, intelligent individuals who are passionate about their community and UMB will be worse off without them. .

As the trustees for the UMass System, your decisions hold huge weight on the UMB campus; please don’t choose politics over this community of hard-working individuals

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that you have been given the honor of serving. UMB is unique in the UMass system in terms of race and class dynamics, as well as in it’s status as a commuter school, but that is not being displayed in board decisions. Please recognize that UMB is not a private institution, it doesn’t serve the demographics private institutions serve, and it cannot be run like one. I urge that you consider our request to release 5 million dollars of the unrestricted funds that the UMass central office has at their disposal. With those funds at UMB’s disposal, and the board and the UMass community working together, we can find alternate means of closing the deficit gap without gutting UMB’s urban mission, and ruining the school’s ability to work with non-traditional students. Now I ask you, will you transfer 5 million dollars from the Central Office’s unrestricted reserves so that we can maintain a well-functioning 4-year public research university that provides a safe, productive community for its students and faculty?

-Madelin Walker Good morning President Meehan, Chairman Manning, and members of the board, I want to thank you for letting me speak to you today about the situation we are facing at UMass Boston. My name is Juan Pablo Blanco I am both a graduate of UMB and a currently a graduate student.

I am a first generation college student, an immigrant, and a former undocumented person. I have worked full time throughout my education and took 12 long years to finish my undergraduate studies due to my immigration status. In many ways I embody a lot of what our urban mission entails. My story is reflected by a large number of our students at UMB, so I am not an anomaly. We, and our stories, are this university.

Even with my near perfect GPA, high recommendations, awards and prizes, my decision to continue my education

came down to whether or not I would be able to afford it. The program I chose is a program that allows me to pursue research that will hopeful help and empower immigrant communities like the one I came from. However, the austerity measures that continue to attack UMass Boston are putting both my future as a student and programs like mine in jeopardy. I am lucky enough to have a graduate assistantship so that I am able to afford the cost of graduate school, but I know many of peers were not so lucky. I also do not know how long this opportunity will last and neither does my program, and I have to live with the anxiety of not having the means to continue if this assistantship is cut. My education is being left to chance, and while I might get lucky, I know many of us will not and will have to either sacrifice the quality of their education by having to work even more than we already do or will have to stop or stall their studies altogether. Our students are being forced to aspire for academic excellence and global impact while operating behind this veil of uncertainty, anxiety and insecurity.

My peers and I are being forced to pay for the mistakes and shortcomings of those that came before us. One cannot blame the current state of our institution merely on mismanagement while ignoring the historical issues that have gotten us here. From shoddy and illegal construction practices all the way to the treatment of our institution as if it had the same barriers as other schools knowing the unique demographic and socio-economic makeup of our student body. What troubles me is that a lot of the decisions that got us to where we are were decisions made directly or approved by the board of trustees. Just as we are made to pay for the mistakes of those that came before us, I implore you to do the same.

We need you to use $5 million of the unrestricted UMass Central Office funds to buy us the necessary time to find other means of closing the deficit gap. This is a 40year problem, and we need a long-term, intentional plan to solve that problem. Potential revenue from the Bayside Property, the legislative push against state underfunding, and measures like the Fair Share Amendment, which to my understanding you have yet to publicly endorse AND are members of the Mass High Tech Council that is suing to take this decision away from voters, can help us move towards a stable, thriving UMass Boston.

But $5 million won’t solve the problem, the Fair Share Amendment is still just a first step, and cutting 40 jobs just makes the problem worse.

We can’t move forward by destroying our university and what it stands for with more staff layoffs, threats to our academic programs, or further disenfranchisement of those of us that needs a place like UMass Boston the most. All we need is more time, and you have the power to make that happen.

-Juan Pablo Blanco

HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE

Dec. 14, 2017 • 4:30-7:30 PM Rejoice, Regale, Revel!

Enjoy refreshments, meet neighbors and colleagues and groove to live music. Let’s also celebrate the contributions of our dedicated team of volunteers at the first annual Volunteer Appreciation event.

THIS EVENT IS FREE & OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.

1175 Tremont Street, Roxbury 617-373-2555 • info@northeasterncrossing.org NEWS TO US

FEATURE

DEPT. OF COMMERCE

ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT

11

BOSTON HASSLE BLACK MARKET

FLEA SCENE DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

A near-definitive list of holiday markets

BY C. SHARDAE JOBSON

The term “flea market” is lifted and true to its provenance of “marché aux puces.” According to Mental Floss, the phrase was first uttered in France during the 1880s, when shoppers coined it to describe items on sale, such as used furniture, that looked as if they had become sanctuaries for said insects. Despite themselves, shoppers still wanted that dang chair or that plumed hat nearby.

“Flea market” made its Oxford dictionary debut in 1922, and since then certain secondhand experiences have become endearingly shabby chic.

Meanwhile, independent artists everywhere have elevated the concept into experimental zones where fashion, technology, and food can merge, giving shoppers much to glean and support.

In recent years, flea organizers in these parts have exhibited a drive to give back to their local communities. Boston has a great flea market set and, next to the summertime, December is when it especially thrives in the name of holiday shopping and treat yo’ self fever. Following are a handful of markets you should check out before ringing in 2018.

And remember: While a lot of vendors accept plastic nowadays, cash is highly recommended.

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BOSTON HASSLE BLACK MARKET Hosted by Boston Hassle & Ignore Rock’n’Roll Heroes December 10 Massasoit Elks Lodge, Cambridge Entry Fee: $1 Its slogan: “Together We Can Keep Things Strange in Boston and Beyond.” But Boston Hassle’s spearheading of festivals and exploration of underground culture emanate an increasingly entrepreneurial spirit (all while staying true to the DIY miscellanea free-for-all ethos Hassle initially stepped on the scene with). One impressive project is its seasonal Black Market; for six hours and a dollar, you can get close to everything from vintage copies of Playboy, to a massive collection of mainstream and horror B-movies on VHS, to homemade bath and body products with a feminist kick. The list goes on: vinyl; girl-power patches; jackets and cowboy boots; Caribbean food; quirky artwork and macrame; that tarot card reading you know you might really want to indulge in; and books, from various vendors.

Held at the Elks Lodge in Central Square, the Black Market transforms into a cozy cottage, a semisubterranean grunge plaza wonderland. It’s not particularly holiday-themed, but still come see what the grassroots fuss is all about.

ALLSTON-BRIGHTON WINTER MARKET w/ Harvard Ceramics Holiday Show and Sale December 7-10 224 Western Ave., Allston Entry Fee: Free This year’s opening of the Allston-Brighton Winter Market will be an inaugural occasion. A four-day event in connection with Allston Open Studios and the Harvard Ceramics Holiday Show and Sale, and programmed by the Harvard Ed Portal, the spread will feature more than 20 vendors, as well as live music on Saturday and Sunday. Also on Sunday, the glorious Lord Hobo Brewery will provide a beer garden, while vendors on deck will offer the proverbial array of jewelry, skincare (such as plant-powered Brown & Coconut), accessories, silkscreened bags, apparel, prints, and photography. The Bon Me food truck will be on hand too. There are also planned interactive “pop-ups” thanks to Allston Open Studios, plus special exhibitions and installations. Overall, expect a smorgasbord of information and unique goodie collecting.

SOUTH END VINTAGE MARKET Sundays, year-round 450 Harrison Ave., Boston Entry Fee: Free The South End Vintage Market is an odyssey that hoarders and seekers will appreciate most. Voyeurs will love seeing an old teacup set from the ’60s. Aficionados will want to know if the vendor also has the matching flatware. Other finds will include lived-in leather jackets, the possible spotting of a rare top from the fashion houses of Chanel or Moschino (it happened to me once!), affordable vinyl, lots of home decor, and artwork.

Located in the South End arts district, the Vintage Market is a part of the larger SoWa Open Market that proffers more current takes on items and a credible food display. If you missed its Winter Festival last weekend, be sure to check out the Vintage Market every other Sunday for plenty of idiosyncratic blasts from the past.

ROCKIN HOLIDAY FLEA MARKET & BLOODY MARY BASH Sunday, December 10 ONCE Ballroom, Somerville Entry Fee: Free “Be warned: This ain’t your Nana’s flea market.” So claims the Rockin’ Holiday Flea Market on its vainglorious poster, which packs an R. Crumb-style illustration of Saint Nick having had one too many spiked eggnogs. Scheduled to be held at ONCE, kids are welcome to tag along for face painting and the Panda Claus photo booth, while the Rockin’ Holiday experience promises more than 40 vendors selling “vintage, vinyl, knick knacks, hand-crafted items, plants” and more. It’s not all for the kiddies, though, as there will also be a fully operating bar. With DJ Mike the Considerate providing a soundtrack, it’s basically a day party. (Organizers ask that people bring small toiletries that they will donate to the Boston women’s shelter Rosie’s Place.)

THE SOMERVILLE FLEA December 10-17 Arts at the Armory, Somerville Entry Fee: Free The four R’s rule the roost at the Somerville Flea: “Reclaim, Repurpose, Rediscover, and Reconnect.” This embodies most markets that intend on celebrating the mantra of what’s old is new again, and this flea is particularly fond of the past. Classic dinnerware, kitschy silk scarfs, kitchen tins, vintage makeup tools and cases, and lots of vinyl and posters. Last year, a vendor had a

SOUTH END HOLIDAY MARKET

BLACK MARKET IN ROXBURY

table showcasing a handful of Charlie Brown and Peanuts memorabilia. Another was selling original artwork that included a collage of iconic female super heroines. One find of mine: a mint copy of Prince’s 1978 debut album, For You, for a mere $3 (and this was after the Purple One’s untimely passing). Overall, it’s a hidden gem, not unlike its sister fair that pops up in Davis Square in the summer and spring months.

BLACK MARKET December 9, 10, 16, 17, 23, 24 (Saturdays and Sundays) 2136 Washington St., Roxbury Entry Fee: Free Founded by wife and husband, Kai and Chris, the Black Market is similar to some other markets offering a cornucopia of items with a “shop small” state of mind.

But this spot also has the massively heartfelt goal of reinvigorating community in Roxbury. Beneath the reputation as a historically rough area, for decades Dudley Square and the area around it have been something of haven for artistic expression, streets where Boston’s black residents owned legendary storefronts like the now-defunct beauty supply shop Lookin’ Good.

Impassioned about bridging the gap between the destitute and the wealthy in Boston, Kai opened Black Market in June.

Part of its mission is to educate shoppers and vendors alike, in the process showing that business acumen and the ability to create beautiful artwork and goods aren’t mutually exclusive. The space is wonderfully diverse, with a heavy emphasis on ethnic artists and women creators, and that includes products that speak to cultures ranging from Ugandan to Russian. In its words:

NEWS TO US

“hand-made, small-batch, upcycled, locally-crafted.”

SOUTH BOSTON HOLIDAY MARKET December 9 Innovation and Design Building, Boston Entry Fee: Free This year is the third annual South Boston Holiday Market, a display of more than a hundred regional vendors.

Many are the usual market suspects; nonetheless, expect some serious handmade goodies from passionate local artisans. Curated by the New England Open Markets, there will also be four “container restaurants.” What’s that?!

They’re like food trucks, but without the wheels. As a bonus, while perusing, you will also be able to drop by and check out the Design Center’s fabulous fabric and furniture showrooms. Get your Snapchat filters ready.

ICA WINTER HARBOR MARKET Saturday, December 9 Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston Entry Fee: Free The ICA’s Harbor Market project is still fairly new, having only launched this past September. Still, it’s true to promised form in bringing local treats, ephemera, and activities in a flea setting.

Otherwise, the ICA is known for its willingness to present the oeuvre of artists such as Nick Cave, Diane Simpson, Meleko Mokgosi, and Geoffrey Farmer, so expect nothing but fun oddities as well as everyday items. Among the vendors will be Pan + Scan Illustration, Sculpture to Wear, Grace Makes Things, and BURROW Handmade Goods. For bath, body, and beauty lovers, LipSense and Femmeviolet (soy candles and body oils) will be there. Stina & Mae will have a booth for all the mamas in our lives who deserve cute and classy accessories, while foodwise, there’s Union Square Donuts, Bon Me, and Aeronaut Brewing or a hot cocoa bar to wash it all down.

Finally, there’s Yuletide caroling from the Boston City Singers Children’s Chorus, and Santa will be hanging around from 11 to 3 pm.

FEATURE

DEPT. OF COMMERCE

ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT

13

TERMS OF SERVICE

’TIS THE SEASON TO BEHAVE How to not be a dick at your company party

BY HALEY HAMILTON @SAUCYLIT

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The leftovers are mostly gone, the family spats over politics and grandpa’s casual racism have simmered and been repaired (for the time being), and now you have a whole new set of potentially awkward holiday-related interactions ahead of you: the work party.

I don’t know if I can help you not get drunk in front of your boss, or avoid making out with Bob from accounting, but as someone who’s worked several midDecember gatherings for the 9 to 5 world, here’s what you can do to not be the bane of your servers’, bartenders’ and hosting establishment’s existences. ’Tis the season, and all.

You are guests in our house I don’t care if you’re on the way to curing cancer, creating affordable housing, or getting the Spice Girls back together—we agreed to host your party and augment your experience with our ambience, food, beverage, and expertise. You are not gracing us with your presence. We do not care how much money you make, or where you go to school, or who you work for, especially since, in my experience, the more money you make, the more prestigious the university or company, often the more intolerable you are as a guest.

Be the exception to the rule. Show us you understand how hospitality works.

You don’t have to be on your best behavior; this is a party, after all. But if it wouldn’t fly at your friend’s friend’s house, it definitely won’t fly in ours.

“Open Bar” doesn’t mean “I Don’t Have to Tip” If you’re fortunate enough to be dining and imbibing on your company’s dollar, you aren’t paying a darn thing for your food and drink throughout the evening—so do your part to take care of the staff.

For large parties, where a portion if not all of the restaurant is reserved for you and your colleagues—a “buy-out,” for those on my side of the bar—there is often a minimum dollar amount that must be spent on food and drink, and a tip (often 18 percent) is included on the tab that whoever is in charge of the event (not typically the person actually paying the tab) signs at the end of the night.

So, yes, without your money on the bar we’re still getting paid, but we’re getting paid less than the bare minimum of what it is acceptable to tip. Customers who aren’t tipping on an open bar are like silent canaries in a coal mine, a clear sign that things are going to bad. Except unlike coal miners, we can’t bolt for the exit.

People who think it’s okay to tip badly also generally behave like assholes, and not tipping at an open bar, where you are drinking whatever you want for free, says loud and clear that you, my friend, are just that.

Respect the inventory I’m not going to make you a Pappy Van Winkle sour. Sure, I can, but unless you want me to stand on bar with a megaphone and single you out as the guy who just ordered an $85 spiked lemonade because you’re not responsible for paying for it, I’m going to make that sour with something reasonable instead.

Yes, I can cut you off In fact, it’s my job to do so, regardless of the letters that come after your name.

Have fun We want you to have a great time - that’s what we’re here for. Just, you know: don’t be a dick.

107 Brimbal Ave

(978) 927-3400 cycles128.com NEWS TO US

FEATURE

DEPT. OF COMMERCE

ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT

15

EATS

| RESTAURANT | INTIMATE CONCERT VENUE | | URBAN WINERY | PRIVATE EVENT SPACE |

BAR & RESTAURANT OPENS AT 5PM DAILY

CHIHARU SUSHI & NOODLE

A first look at this cozy Brookline outpost for soups and rolls.

BY MARC HURWITZ @HIDDENBOSTON

upcoming shows

12.7

12.10

12.13-14 SUZANNE VEGA

12.15 RHETT MILLER

12.17 BEBEL GILBERTO

12.19 SHEMEKIA COPELAND

JOE HENRY W/ ROSE COUSINS CATIE CURTIS HOLIDAY SHOW

12.20

12.21

ZOSO: THE ULTIMATE LED ZEPPELIN EXPERIENCE

THE ALTERNATE ROUTES & NICK FRADIANI

12.22

12.27 QUINN SULLIVAN

MASTERS OF THE TELECASTER

12.31 LOS LOBOS | 2 SPECIAL NYE SHOWS!

&

12.19

city winery and american airlines present

sake wine dinner 12.24 christmas eve

chinese buffet 1.16

Ridge wine dinner

email eventsboston@citywinery.com for more info

1 canal St. Boston Ma 02114 | (617) 933-8047

w w w . c i t y w i n e r y. c o m / b o s t o n

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PHOTOS BY OLIVIA FALCIGNO

The Coolidge Corner section of Brookline has always been a solid area for dining out with its mix of cheap eats spots, upscale eateries, delis, and neighborhood bars, but now there are other parts of town that are becoming hot as well, including Washington Square and Brookline Village. Recently, a terrific burger and cocktail place in the village called Best Burger Bar was given a first look here, and now another relatively new spot just outside of the heart of Brookline Village gets a peek—and if initial visits are any indication, Chiharu Sushi & Noodle on Boylston Street (Route 9) has the makings of a real winner while also bringing to light a little-known section of Brookline that has a handful of outstanding eateries that don’t seem to get noticed all that much.

Chiharu Sushi & Noodle first opened back in June, taking over the space near the intersection of Boylston Street and Cypress Street where King Fung Garden II had been. The restaurant is one of a few spots located along or just off of the “other” side of Route 9, which separates a little section of Brookline from much of the rest of the community and includes two neighborhoods with great names—Pill Hill, a historic area with beautiful houses whose northern border is home to the wonderful Italian restaurant La Morra, and Whiskey Point, one of Brookline’s few working-class areas that is home to one of the town’s most impressive (and littleknown) dining spots in Bess’s Cafe. Chiharu is a very short stroll from both of these eateries, residing in a small but attractive and comfortable room that includes several tables along the right side of the space, a counter area to the left, and a tiny sushi bar in back with a few stools. Because of its lack of space, the restaurant can get packed in a hurry, but even when full, it seems to remain a calm and serene place overall.

The people behind Chiharu Sushi & Noodle may be familiar to some, as Mei Pan used to run the now-closed May’s Cafe in Allston while Qun Li came from such places as Haru in Boston’s Back Bay and New Taste of Asia in Brookline (both of which are shuttered as well). Those three spots were highly rated back in the day, and it shows in the food served at Chiharu, with great takes on a variety of items on the menu. The signature items—as can be guessed by the restaurant’s name—are sushi and noodle dishes, and both are solid options here, with the sushi tried on an initial visit (including a spicy tuna roll and a California roll) being well-presented and having very fresh-tasting ingredients. The noodle dishes at Chiharu include an outstanding spicy noodle soup with ground pork in a dark broth, with the noodles having a smooth and chewy consistency not unlike udon noodles.

Three ramen options are also offered among the noodle dishes, including a mild tan tan ramen with a creamy sesame sauce and sliced pork (if you ask), while a similarly creamy miso ramen with sliced pork and a shoya ramen with ground pork and a soy-based sauce are also available. One other noodle dish to mention is the house-made zhajiang noodle dish, which has thick and hearty wheat noodles coated in a rich brown sauce made with soybeans.

The rest of the menu includes miso soup, several types of salads (including an avocado salad), and cold and hot appetizers, with the steamed juicy pork buns being a can’t-miss item; while not quite the same as traditional soup dumplings that “squirt” when you bite into them, these dumplings do have a bit of broth inside the dumplings that goes perfectly with the ground pork and the relatively thick dough wrapper. A handful of beer and wine options are available at Chiharu, and desserts include mochi, which is basically sticky rice with an ice cream filling.

A number of good new restaurants have been checked out over the past year, and two of the best happen to be almost within sight of each other—the aforementioned Bess’s Cafe and Chiharu Sushi & Noodle. Interestingly enough, the two spots are somewhat similar even though one focuses mainly on Chinese fare while the other features mostly Japanese dishes, but there is indeed some overlap between the two. Who knew that Cypress Street in Brookline would be a destination spot, but there you have it, and in the case of Chiharu, you have the addition of a warm and comforting atmosphere to go along with the food. >> CHIHARU SUSHI & NOODLE. 370 BOYLSTON ST., BROOKLINE. CHIHARUSUSHI.COM

NEWS TO US

FEATURE

DEPT. OF COMMERCE

ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT

17

WHEEL OF TUNES: CONVERGE MUSIC

Boston’s metalcore heroes talk ’80s sci-fi, bird migration, and breaking orbital bones

BY NINA CORCORAN @NINA_CORCORAN No [laughs]. I don’t really listen to them. It’s not something that connects with me. We certainly didn’t listen to them as a family, so it’s not part of my upbringing the way it is for some people.

2. “Eye of the Quarrel” When having an argument with someone, what do you do to make sure it remains constructive?

PHOTO BY DAVID ROBINSON

Well, I try not to have arguments at all [laughs].

Everyone will have some struggle and turmoil or strife in their life with heated moments, but I feel that as long as you communicate clearly and respect the person you’re speaking to, you can usually navigate it without it actually being an argument. It should be a conversation.

If you want to improve on an unwavering incline, look to Converge for inspiration. The Boston metalcore act formed back in 1990 when it was just vocalist Jacob Bannon and guitarist Kurt Ballou, trying their hand in the hardcore punk and heavy metal genres until they unintentionally helped pioneer its hybrid genre, metalcore.

Converge has never taken a break since its formation.

While there’s been a gap between records, the band has released nine studio albums in total, not including live records, EPs, or 7”s. Its latest, this year’s powerful The Dusk in Us, sees the band subtly reach new heights, both sonically and lyrically. But in Bannon’s eyes, it’s in line with what he’s been doing all along.

“The blueprint that I follow as an artist is the one I followed as a kid: The lyricists who appeal to me are the ones who write personal songs,” he says over the phone.

“I didn’t engage with songs of a more social or political leaning bent. The personal stuff that connected with me as a listener was the path I went down. From being 13 years old writing about stuff to now, where I’m 41, where I haven’t changed. I’m a broken record in that regard. There’s never a lack of motivation to write or lack of subject matter.

Life is a very gray thing that goes through ups and downs.

As a band, we use our music and the contributions we bring to the table as a way to navigate those things. This record isn’t any different in that sense, because it aims to deal with difficulties in a positive, personal way.”

To dig deeper into Converge’s record before they headline Brighton Music Hall, we interviewed Jacob Bannon for a round of Wheel of Tunes, a series where we ask bands questions inspired by their song titles. True to his onstage persona, Bannon was honest and open, choosing his words carefully without wasting breath.

4. “Arkhipov Calm” Who do you think is today’s equivalent of Vasili Arkhipov, the Soviet Navy officer whose vote prevented a nuclear strike during the Cuban Missile Crisis?

1. “A Single Tear” Are there any holiday songs that make you a smidge emotional?

The historical significance is so great that one individual couldn’t replace him. That would be so hard, even for a current version. People do that with artists all

3. “Under Duress” Is there a reliable method for getting someone to admit they lied? Because you’re a parent, I assume you may have experience with this with your own kid.

I suppose so. My kids aren’t at an age where they can fully realize a lesson like that. It’s more of an educational direction, acknowledging that this direction they’re trying to give you isn’t working and that it isn’t real. They move past it without it becoming a source of embarrassment instead of making it a point of learning.

the time, you know? Like, “Who’s the new version of Black Flag? Who’s the new Metallica?” There is no new; it’s just music. I’m sure there’s historic figures that have had even larger stresses than Vasili, or people internationally dealing with that. I can imagine the amount of stress and pressure that social political figures have to feel as they navigate these really complex waters of brutal history and current events, and try to come out the other end a better person while serving the people they represent. That’s gotta be intense. So I’d say anyone who brings responsibility to other people whose lives are in their hands.

5. “I Can Tell You About Pain” What’s the most physically painful injury you’ve ever had?

It’s two combined things on a tour. I’ve broken bones and whatever, those things happen, which is frustrating.

Any human deals with that. But I broke my orbital bone on tour once and that was really uncomfortable because there was a lot of pressure on my head and around my eye. A few days prior to that, I actually got cut onstage on a microphone ball. If you ever look at one, they’re woven pieces of metal. Over time, they can break and become hooks. Most vocalists have had to deal with cuts from those before.

I got cut from one a few days before I broke that bone—well, I didn’t break it, someone else did by kicking me accidentally— and the cut that I got from the microphone got infected with a form of staph infection. I had no insurance and no time, because I’m playing show to show, so I didn’t go to the ER until I came home. The infection was really intense, just brutally painful, and it spread. It became a mess on my face and in my mouth, plus I had this broken orbital bone where my eyeball turned black. It was a lot.

6. “The Dusk in Us” What’s the last memorable sunset you saw?

That’s a good question. It had to have been on a weekend. The way my office is oriented, I have to pull the shades, otherwise I get blinded during the day, so I keep them down on week days. But I live on the coast, so I get to watch some pretty cool natural things like that.

>> CONVERGE, PILE, GIVE. FRI 12.8. BRIGHTON MUSIC HALL, 158 BRIGHTON AVE., ALLSTON. 8PM/18+/$20. CROSSROADSPRESENTS.COM

MUSIC EVENTS THU 12.07

THU 12.07

FRI 12.08

[House of Blues, 15 Lansdowne St., Boston.

6:30pm/all ages/$30. houseofblues.com]

[Royale, 279 Tremont St., Boston. 7pm/18+/$25. royaleboston.com]

[Lilypad Inman, 1353 Cambridge St., Cambridge. 7pm/18+/$10. lilypadinman.com]

AND THE AWARD GOES TO...

BOSTON MUSIC AWARDS

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WOW, YOU’RE SOOO POST-ROCK MOGWAI + XANDER HARRIS

DIGBOSTON.COM

FEMME PUNK FROM THE DARK BASEMENT DEADBEAT CLUB

SAT 12.09

SLAPPA DA BASS, MAN THE VICTOR WOOTEN TRIO FEAT. DENNIS CHAMBERS AND BOB FRANCESCHINI

[The Sinclair, 52 Church St., Cambridge. 6pm/18+/$30. sinclaircambridge.com]

MON 12.11

FROM DANCE TO POP, THE BODY WON’T STOP’ SHAMIR + PARTNER

[Great Scott, 1222 Comm.

Ave., Allston. 9pm/18+/$18. greatscottboston.com]

TUE 12.12

COSMIC TROUBLES FROM LOW-KEY FOLK MUSINGS FAITH HEALER + CECIL FRENA

[Lilypad Inman, 1353 Cambridge St., Cambridge. 7pm/18+/$10. lilypadinman.com]

MUSIC

BOSTON’S CHRISTMAS CAVALCADE The 13th annual music event returns and everyone is on the nice list

BY NINA CORCORAN @NINA_CORCORAN Christmas is inching closer every day. That means there’s only so much time left to get off the naughty list and onto the nice list so Santa will give you some kickass gifts. Warning: If your first response to reading that was that Santa isn’t real, then you’re really high up on the naughty list. Thoughts and prayers.

For those of you who want to get the grease off your halo, head over to ONCE Ballroom in Somerville this Wednesday because the annual Boston Christmas Cavalcade for the Homeless is back. Now in its 13th year, the music event aims to bring our city’s finest together to help raise money for the Somerville Homeless Coalition. It’s a worthy cause—especially as the temperatures drop—where every penny counts. Suggested donation is $20 in advance or $25 at the door, which is easy to shell out when you know that all proceeds will be donated.

It’s a stacked bill that will take your breath away, if only because it’s so many names. The Chandler Travis Philharmonic, Livingston Taylor, Jen Kimball, the Boy With the Amplifier Head feat. Sal Baglio, Merrie Amsterburg, Carla Ryder, Sarah Borges, Duke Levine, Alastair Moock, Amy Fairchild, Jenny Dee, Erin Harpe’s Country Blues Trio, the Boston Typewriter Orchestra, Ken Field, Boogaloo Swamis, Bird Mancini, the Danny Devereaux & Ding Donnelly Christmas Special, Shaun Wortis, the Classic Ruins, the Philharmonic Trombone Shout Band, and the Athol Thingerth are all set to play. Okay, take another deep breath, because there’s more artists to be announced, too.

By name alone, it’s clear the Somerville Homeless Coalition is worth supporting, but a deeper dive into its mission and programs shows that it goes above and beyond. While the SHC helps to provide homeless and near-homeless families with stable footing, it also helps tailor housing solutions to each family to make sure their goals are attainable. SHC shelters are a short-term program to aid in a long-term goal. That means the prevention programs they create help those in the housing community stabilize their life. Best of all, they help reduce the need for emergency care, building an alliance with local housing providers while building stronger bonds at large to move forward confidently and safely.

This holiday season, sign yourself up for some music while helping those in need. It’s the very least you could do to convince Santa you aren’t the worst person in the world.

LIVE MUSIC • LOCAVORE MENU PRIVATE EVENTS 12/7

CENTRAL SQUARE CAMBRIDGE

MIDEASTCLUB.COM | ZUZUBAR.COM

(617)864-EAST

Wage War, Oceans Ate Alaska, Gideon, Varials, Loathe Metal core 12/8

Justine and the Unclean Record Release Party With Worshipper, Roy Sludge Trio, Hey Zeus, Tom Baker, and more 12/9

Vinnie Moore & Gus G Legendary rock guitarists

THU 12/7 - 7PM

12/10 (11am - 5pm)

Rockin’ Flea Market & Bloody Mary Bash

MCCAFFERTY, HEART ATTACK MAN, FUTURE TEENST

Over 40 vendors, Panda Claus Photo Booth, & DJ Mike the Considerate

FRI 12/8 - 6PM

12/10

THE GUITAR COLLECTIVE SAT 12/9 - 9PM

Hank Wonder Album Release Show Country soul

12TH PLANET

SUN 12/10 - 7PM

156 Highland Ave • Somerville, MA

‘68

617-285-0167 oncesomerville.com   @oncesomerville /ONCEsomerville

TUE 12/12

SAMMY WILK, DEREK LUH WED 12/13

TROPHY EYES, FREE THROW, HEAD NORTH /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

DOWNSTAIRS

>> 13TH ANNUAL BOSTON CHRISTMAS CAVALCADE FOR THE HOMELESS. WED 12.13. ONCE BALLROOM, 156 HIGHLAND AVE., SOMERVILLE. 6PM/18+/$20. ONCESOMERVILLE.COM

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THU 12/7 9PM

BEAR GRILLZ FRI 12/8 - 9PM

XMORTIS SAT 12/9 - 10:30PM

AZEALIA BANKS, SHUG

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UPSTAIRS

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THU 12/7 - 8PM

REPLACIRE, AVERSED, SCALPEL

FRI 12/8 - 8PM

QTY, DAISYBONES SAT 12/9 - 7PM

THE LOST COLLECTIVE, BILLA JOINTS SAT 12/9 - 11PM

SOULELUJAH!

SUN 12/10 - 7PM

OKEY DOKEY

TUE 12/12 - 7PM

BREAKFAST FOR THE BOYS, MAX TRIBE CHANDLER TRAVIS PHILHARMONIC

WED 12/13 - 7PM

THE NUMBER TWELVE LOOKS LIKE YOU

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BUY TICKETS @ TICKETWEB.COM SOCIAL MEDIA:

@MIDEASTCLUB @ZUZUBAR @SONIAMIDEAST NEWS TO US

FEATURE

DEPT. OF COMMERCE

ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT

19

FILM

HARDLY FURIOUS

On Logan Lucky and its professional sense of calm

BY JAKE MULLIGAN @_JAKEMULLIGAN Though you don’t actually see it happen, Logan Lucky [2017] begins with a commute: The first scene depicts Jimmy Logan (Channing Tatum) speaking with his daughter Sadie (Farah McKenzie) outside their home in Boone County, West Virginia; then a cut brings us to Charlotte, North Carolina, where Jimmy works a construction job at the Motor Speedway. He gets laid off that day (a preexisting medical condition is the reason), and in some ensuing scenes, we meet two other members of his family, who both get introduced within the context of their jobs too. Jimmy’s sister Mellie (Riley Keough) works at a beauty salon and delivers a monologue on West Virginia traffic patterns while in the midst of brushing out an older woman’s hair; and his brother Clyde (Adam Driver) bartends impeccably at a local place, despite the fact that his arm was amputated below the elbow following an injury suffered on the last day of his second tour of duty in Iraq. This all serves as a mere prologue to the heist movie that follows, wherein Jimmy organizes a plan to rob the Motor Speedway of its cash gross during one of the year’s busiest races, using his family members and some additional friends as his accomplices. But this prologue is what calibrates the film’s intensely pleasurable rhythm: a patient one, wherein director/editor/cinematographer Steven Soderbergh’s frames usually wait still while the performers/characters work inside them. And Soderbergh’s

abilities as a workman are, like the bartender’s, impeccable.

Clyde’s introductory scene runs for about six minutes, during which time we see both a fistfight and a car explosion. It’s staged with astonishing precision. Perfectly timed edits and focus changes constantly reorient our attention to different spaces within the room or frame.

Soderbergh utilizes only six or seven camera movements in this scene—even including the fight and the fire—and each one is properly motivated and decidedly unshowy.

And most importantly, for about 45 seconds in the middle of this six minutes, his frames are content to simply watch Driver’s Clyde prepare an extra dry martini, with a formal attention that borders on the loving.

The heist sequences that take up the bulk of the film, as devised and executed by Soderbergh and screenwriter “Rebecca Blunt” (a pseudonym), achieve a similarly voyeuristic quality. Their dramatic structure doesn’t let us in on the character’s plans, for the most part, so every physical action that happens during the Speedway heist itself becomes instilled with the distinct pleasure of discovery (and that’s a concept the movie is self-aware about—such as when one sequence of the heist gets stopped cold for the sake of a chalk-on-the-wall science lesson, used to properly contextualize one of the film’s most implausible “physical actions”). The focus is not so much on the concept, nor on the “effects,” but more

on the actors, and on their expressive way of carrying it out. And this, of course, stands in noted opposition to certain tendencies of the contemporary Hollywood genre cinema—a subcategory that brings to mind the Fast & Furious franchise [2001-], which is, in fact, name-dropped during Logan Lucky. Jimmy’s ex-wife Bobbie Jo (Katie Holmes) has remarried, and her new husband at one point mentions bringing all their kids to see the latest Furious picture, primarily because its chaotic nature ensures the young ones will just “stare at the screen,” “scared shitless”.

To scare you shitless is quite explicitly not the goal of Logan Lucky. Its high points are depictions of everyday occurrences, all performed with the sort of physical charisma that Soderbergh’s films have long thrived off of: Keough’s Mellie scooping an incomprehensible number of bags from her car’s trunk in one fell swoop whilst delivering another of her monologues; or Tatum’s Jimmy enjoying a Hostess snack with the sort of adorably Neanderthalian quality that pretty much only he can bring to such an action; or just Driver’s Clyde making that drink, in that loving succession of unmoving images.

What separates Logan Lucky from the pack is not just the low-fi nature of its narrative details but also its aesthetic deference to the individuals performing those tasks. Its surface does suggest a “working-class genre cinema,” but there’s one profession it values most: performer.

>> LOGAN LUCKY. RATED PG-13. CURRENTLY AVAILABLE ON VOD/DVD/BLU-RAY.

FILM EVENTS THU 12.07

MUBI PRESENTS OLIVIER ASSAYAS’ IRMA VEP [1996]

[Brattle Theatre, 40 Brattle St., Harvard Sq., Cambridge. 7pm/NR/$9-11.

35mm. brattlefilm.org]

20

12.07.17 - 12.14.17 |

FRI 12.08

COOLIDGE AFTER MIDNIGHT PRESENTS TALES FROM THE CRYPT [1972]

[Coolidge Corner Theatre, 290 Harvard St., Brookline.

11:59pm/PG/$12.25. 35mm. coolidge.org]

DIGBOSTON.COM

SAT 12.09

SAT 12.09

SUN 12.10

MON 12.11

[Brattle Theatre, 40 Brattle St., Harv Sq., Camb. Visit brattlefilm.org for times]

[Harvard Film Archive, 24 Quincy St., Harv Sq., Camb.

5pm/NR/$7-9. 16mm. Intro

by Saul Levine. hcl.harvard. edu/hfa]

[Museum of Fine Arts, 465 Huntington Ave., Boston.

3:30pm/R/$11. 35mm. Also screens on 12.15. For more info see mfa.org]

[Harvard Film Archive, 24 Quincy St., Harv Sq., Camb.

7pm/NR/$12. 16mm. hcl. harvard.edu/hfa]

‘IN OUR WORDS: FILMS BY AFRICANAMERICAN WOMEN’ LOVE & BASKETBALL [2000] AND BEYOND THE LIGHTS [2014]

STAN BRAKHAGE’SF THE ART OF VISION [1965]

‘HARRY DEAN STANTON: SAY SOMETHING TRUE’ CONTINUES COCKFIGHTER [1974]

‘JODIE MACK’S POSTHASTE PERENNIAL PATTERNS’’ SEVEN FILMS BY JODIE MACK [2010-2014]

NEWS TO US

FEATURE

DEPT. OF COMMERCE

ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT

21

SAVAGE LOVE

PEERING, SQUIRTING

BY DAN SAVAGE @FAKEDANSAVAGE | MAIL@SAVAGELOVE.NET

I’m a middle-aged married dude. Sex life with my wife is good, but I also masturbate because, you know, I’m a person. Sometimes I masturbate while surfing through pictures on Facebook of attractive women I know. These aren’t stolen nudes off of someone’s phone; they’re public pictures. I’m progressive when it comes to politics and gender issues. Face-to-face, I’m respectful and would never do anything to make these women—or any other woman—feel uncomfortable. I don’t leer, and I’m not a creeper. I know what I’m doing is pervy, but is it pervy bad?

Am I crossing a line?

Peering Is Creepy, Sometimes Okay, PICS. Masturbating to someone is fine; masturbating at someone is not. (To be clear: Masturbating to thoughts of someone without their knowledge is fine; masturbating at someone who does not wish to be masturbated at is not.) Our erotic imaginations are free to roam—and that includes roaming through Facebook. No one needs our permission to fantasize about us or anything else, and we can’t control when, where, and how the pics we share on social media will be enjoyed. Provided you aren’t doing or saying anything to make your Facebook “friends” uncomfortable (no supposedly-friendly-but-transparently-thirsty comments, no tongue-hanging-out emojis), you’re doing something no one wants to think about, PICS, but you’re not crossing a line.

A couple of weeks ago, my girlfriend and I were engaging in mutual masturbation when she squirted all over my hand—a large amount—and she was completely mortified. It was the first time it happened for her, and it’s happened several times since. She is upset. I’ve been with a couple of other women in the past who squirted, and I am absolutely fine with it. I love it, in fact! I did my absolute best to reassure her that I think it’s great and there’s nothing to be ashamed of, but she’s really embarrassed every time. The last time, she was close to tears with fears that she’d urinated. My question: There’s so much great writing about female ejaculation around, but rather than bombard my GF—who is the most amazing, incredible person—with links to article upon article, how can I help her feel okay about this?

Sincere Questioner Understands It’s Really Terrific Okay, SQUIRT. You can help her feel okay about this by continuing to use your words (“I love this, it’s so hot!”), by sharing those articles with her (she needs to hear from and about other women with her superpower, not just from her boyfriend), and by lapping that shit up. Swallow, SQUIRT. And so what if it is piss? (And many argue it isn’t.)

Piss isn’t sterile, as Mike Pesca took time out of his day to explain to me on the Savage Lovecast back when alleged human being Donald Trump’s alleged pee tape was all over the news. (Goddammit. Our current political climate snuck up on me. Sorry about that, READER.) There are a lot more bacteria and whatever else in saliva, and we dump spit into each other’s mouths like it’s maple fucking syrup.

If you guys are swapping other fluids regularly, why not swap a little of this one, too?

On this week’s Lovecast, comedian extraordinaire Cameron Esposito: savagelovecast.com.

COMEDY EVENTS THU 12.07

SWEET COMEDY @ SWEET LIFE BAKERY & CAFE

Featuring: Zenobia Del Mar, Terence Pennington, Denise Morin, Craig Martin, Lauren Kirby, & Susanne Boitano Hosted by Mindy Mazur

2243 DORCHESTER AVE., DORCHESTER | 7PM | FREE THU 12.7

TONGUE IN CHEEK: A COMEDY BENEFIT @ NICK’S COMEDY STOP

The proceeds from the show will benefit the wonderful & magical Monica Higgins who has recently been diagnosed with ALS. Featuring Emily Ruskowski, Liz Hall, Xazmin Garza, James Huessy, & music by Steve Sarro Hosted by Sam Ike

100 WARRENTON ST., BOSTON | 8PM | $30-$50 FRI 12.08

COMEDY NIGHT @ PAVEMENT COFFEEHOUSE

Featuring: Carolyn Riley, Rob Pooley, Amamah Sardar, Trent Wells, Ben Keefe, Kindra Lansburg, Rob Crean, & Erik Anker Hosted by Brett Johnson

736 COMM AVE., BOSTON | 7PM | $5 FRI 12.08 - SAT 12.09

MICHELLE WOLF @ LAUGH BOSTON

Michelle Wolf is a NY-based writer, actor & standup comedian & one of the fastest rising comedic talents in the city. She currently works as an on-air contributor & writer for Comedy Central’s The Daily Show with Trevor Noah.

Most recently, Michelle created & starred in two new digital series, Now Hiring & Used People for Comedy Central. Used People is currently being developed as a half-hour television series for the network.

425 SUMMER ST., BOSTON | 8PM & 10PM | $25-$29 SAT 12.09

KICKIN’ IT WITH DANGERFIELD: A VARIETY HOUR @ IMPROVBOSTON

Featuring: Comedian Kate Procyshyn, Musical Comedy by Erin Farrington, & Improv by Dangerfield

40 PROSPECT ST., CAMBRIDGE | 7PM | $12 SAT 12.09

LAUGHING LIBERALLY @ ARTS AT THE ARMORY

Featuring: Nick Chambers, Sumbul Siddiqui, Pamela Ross, Justin P. Drew, Srilatha Rajamani, & Kwasi Mensah

191 HIGHLAND AVE SOMERVILLE | 8PM | $10 SUN 12.10

MATT BELLASSAI @ THE WILBUR

Every ticket includes a copy of Matt’s new book & after show M&G/signing.

Matt Bellassai is a touring comedian, Internet personality, noted life critic, & now… esteemed author. Celebrate the release of EVERYTHING IS AWFUL: & OTHER OBSERVATIONS with a one-of-a-kind live comedy show full of anger, judgement, & fully-clothed full-frontal nudity as Matt whines about life, liberty & the pursuit of unhappiness.

Every ticket comes with a signed book & an evening of irreversible, potentially-scarring memories.

246 TREMONT ST., BOSTON | 4 & 8PM | $42 MON 12.11

SUPPER CLUB COMEDY @ CAPO Hosted by Will Noonan

443 WEST BROADWAY BOSTON | 7PM | FREE WED 12.13

WHAT ELSE YA GONNA DO WEDNESDAY? @ MAGGY’S LOUNGE Hosted by Hosted by Billy Cox & Greg Tregallis

609 WASHINGTON ST., QUINCY | 8PM | FREE savagelovecast.com 22

12.07.17 - 12.14.17 |

DIGBOSTON.COM

MORE LISTINGS AT BOSTONCOMEDYSHOWS.COM

WHAT'S FOR BREAKFAST

BY PATT KELLEY PATTKELLEY.COM

HEADLINING THIS WEEK!

Michelle Wolf

The Daily Show with Trevor Noah Friday + Saturday

COMING SOON Chris Distefano

Girl Code, Comedy Central’s The Half Hour Dec 15+16

Ringside with Jim Ross Special Engagement: Sat, Dec 16

THE WAY WE WEREN’T

BY PAT FALCO ILLFALCO.COM

Jess Hilarious

BET, MTV’s Wild ‘n Out Special Engagements: 2 Shows Tues, Dec 19

The Best of Laugh Boston

Jim Colliton, Sean Sullivan, Chris Pennie + more Dec 21-23

OUR VALUED CUSTOMERS

BY TIM CHAMBERLAIN OURVC.NET

Sam Morril

Comedy Central, Last Comic Standing Dec 29-31 (New Year’s Eve!)

617.72.LAUGH | laughboston.com 425 Summer Street at the Westin Hotel in Boston’s Seaport District NEWS TO US

FEATURE

DEPT. OF COMMERCE

ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT

23

BMW of Cambridge 1098 Massachusetts Ave Arlington, MA 02476-4328 781-648-1300 www.greaterbostonmotorsports.com