DIGBOSTON.COM 03.15.18 - 03.22.18
NEWS + OPINION
MASSHEALTH NIGHTMARES BAKER KNOCKS A MILLION ON MEDICAID
SUNSHINE WEEK
BURLESQUE
HOMETOWN BRODOWN SAKE TOOMEY ON SEXINESS AND HER NEW SHOW
THE ANNUAL FOILIES DELICIOUS CIA LIE BURRITOS
2
03.15.18 - 03.22.18 |
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Dear Reader, Strange things happen to me at the grocery store often, but something that occurred at Market Basket down in Brockton this past weekend really sticks out as beyond bizarre. I was standing there in the chicken section when over the loudspeaker somebody said, “Will Chelsea Clinton please come to the front? Will Chelsea Clinton please come to the front?” Were my ears deceiving me? Is it possible that somebody is actually named Chelsea Clinton? I mean, I guess it’s possible, but still, the whole thing was nevertheless pretty weird. And I didn’t believe my own ears until a guy standing near me looked at the woman he was with and said, “Lock her up!” It was at this point that I realized just how seriously important the grocery store is. For me at least. I’m no hermit; I ride the train and the bus, and I walk around and eat out. Sometimes I even do Japanese steakhouses, where I have to sit with people I don’t know. But there is an equality to the market experience that none of these other settings have; maybe it’s the intimacy, since we are seeing right there in the open what our neighbors keep inside their cupboards and what brand of tissue they clean out their assholes with, or perhaps it is that we all have to be on the same page to some degree so that the place doesn’t erupt into complete chaos. At the same time, there isn’t too much of the bullshit or fraudulent nicety that you get in a place like church. I shop on Sundays, and in my experience those who are coming from worship are done with the friendly routine for the day. So, what exactly was it about that guy’s Clinton joke that made me think about how critical these supermarket trips are for a balanced life? I think it’s because if somebody I knew said something that insanely stupid, like on my Facebook wall, I would have no choice but to bite their goddamn head off. (I’m no fan of any Clinton, but I assume that anybody making such a quip supports the president, and at this juncture such an endorsement means you’re a despicable bigot and imbecile.) On the other hand, when some dumbass I’ve never met and hopefully won’t see again says it in public, I am capable of laughing it off, and of simply and silently hoping that all of the sugary garbage and junk food in their cart prevents them from making it out to the polls next election. Unlike some Americans, I’m not in any rush to reach out to the other side. I’m far too busy fighting all the evil policies and money grabs that politicians whom conservatives support are helping foster. Of course, that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy watching barbarians in public, then coming home and writing nasty things about them for my readers.
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DEPT. OF COMMERCE
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3
NEWS+OPINION
BAKER’S MASS MEDICAID PURGE OPINION
Wrestling with new MassHealth changes and (not so) accountable care organizations BY LAURA KIESEL @SURVIVALWRITER
The envelope arrived in my mailbox a couple of weeks before Christmas. It had a green stripe at the top and in big bold letters alerted me that I needed to open it immediately. Inside the envelope, I found a letter letting me know that my health insurance under MassHealth— which is the Massachusetts Medicaid program—would be changing drastically as of March 1. In my particular case, I was informed MassHealth would no longer be partnering with the private insurer Neighborhood Health Plan, which had been providing the bulk of my coverage since I became a MassHealth patient in early 2015. Instead, I was being shuffled into something called an accountable care organization, or ACO, which is a group of doctors, hospitals, and other health care providers, who come together to coordinate one’s health care. I was also being reassigned to my former primary care provider (PCP) against my will. This news sent a shock wave through my system. I had recently left Harvard Vanguard after nearly eight years with them due to discriminatory behavior and their refusal to provide me with referrals to specialists outside their hospital system. None of their doctors offered the level of treatment my diagnoses demanded, while due to their high turnover of PCPs, I’d had four different ones in only four years’ time. Instead, I found a new PCP at a different institution who was open to helping me choose what providers would best serve my health needs. But since ACOs usually work by limiting one’s health care team to only those doctors designated under the organization’s umbrella of care, this meant I would be even worse off than before. After spending many hours on the phone with MassHealth and conversing with various customer service representatives over the span of several weeks, I was finally placed into an alternative ACO that allowed me to stay with my current PCP and maintain some of my specialists. Nevertheless, I still stand to lose nearly half of my health care providers, including my acupuncturist, chiropractor, and osteopath—all of whom I have been seeing for years. While these services may sound like an indulgence, seeing them on a semiregular basis is what has restored my function and enabled me to work part time from home as a freelance writer. You see, I have a rare connective tissue disease known as Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and, related to that, extensive degenerative damage in my spine and hips, as well as nerve damage in one of my legs. This makes sitting, standing, and walking for any prolonged period excessively painful. But accessing these services can make all the difference to whether or not I can complete a deadline or go grocery shopping on a given day. Without them, my symptoms would worsen until they interfered completely with my ability to be a productive member of society or even complete routine tasks at home and in my community. I am far from alone in this situation. Approximately one million people were impacted by the March 1 changes to MassHealth—the majority of those in the program. Of these, at least 800,000 have been assigned into ACOs, while many others were assigned to something called the PCC, or Primary Care Clinician plan. In the PCC plan, one’s PCP coordinates all their care, and any providers they see have to be referred and take straight MassHealth. The problem here is that many health care providers who take insurances that 4
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MassHealth has partnered with—such as Neighborhood Health Plan, Tufts, etc.—do not take MassHealth due to its lower rate of compensation and its reputation for being slow in compensating medical claims. I met some others in my boat when I attended an education forum for concerned and confused MassHealth patients held at the end of January at the NonProfit Center in Boston. The forum was sponsored by the collaborative group Disability Advocates Advancing our Healthcare Rights (DAAHR), which consists of local disability advocacy groups, including the Boston Center for Independent Living and the Disability Policy Consortium. At the forum, many MassHealth representatives were present to directly answer questions and clarify information. Unfortunately, many of the responses they offered at the forum contradicted those that I have received from their customer service representatives on the phone both prior to and after attending the seminar. In particular, when I and several other attendees raised the point of losing specialists we’ve spent years cultivating relationships with and who can cater to our unique and rare health needs in ways that most doctors cannot, one MassHealth representative offered that those of us with special needs could request and be granted something called a “single case agreement.” She elaborated that such an agreement would enable us to see certain providers outside the ACO network of care we were being placed into. Upon calling MassHealth to follow up in the weeks after, the representatives I spoke with had never even heard of such a thing as single case agreement. Further research on my part indicated that single case agreements were generally not offered through the PCC plan. And while certain ACO plans do offer the option of such an agreement, it is entirely at their discretion to reject a request, without much regulation or intervention by MassHealth. At least, this is what I have been told most recently. But since I have been told many contradictory things, it’s hard to to be sure of the truth. What’s clear is many MassHealth patients are being blindsided and saddled with the burden of figuring this out more or less on our own. And for those of us struggling with chronic pain and illness, our bandwidth is already very limited. All of this begs the question: Why the changes to MassHealth? The primary answer seems to be that they will make the program more cost efficient. But the scant research conducted on ACOs indicates that they reap limited health care savings in the longer term. Furthermore, the Baker administration’s move to transition MassHealth to an ACOdominant system is just one facet of a larger plan to shear the Medicaid program and kick many of its most vulnerable members off of it. Despite Baker’s public rhetoric supporting the Affordable Care
Act in response to repeated attempts in Washington to repeal the landmark health care law, his officials submitted a request to the federal government last October to roll back part of the Medicaid expansion in the Commonwealth. Specifically, the Baker administration is seeking to remove so-called “nondisabled” adults with incomes above 100 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL)—which would be above $12,140 for a single childless individual and $20,420 for a family of three—from Medicaid. Under the ACA, the income threshold to qualify for Medicaid was increased to 138 percent of the FPL—or $16,643 for individuals and $28,180 for a family of three— in the states that elected to adopt the expansion. The problem here is that the term “nondisabled” nonelderly adults is misleading, as it is solely referring to adhering to the Social Security Administration’s rigid definition of disability. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, an estimated 3 in 10 nonelderly adults are dealing with some level of disability that compromises their ability to function and consistently work full time (even as many of them lack official recognition)— accounting for 42 percent of Medicaid’s overall expenditures. I am one of those people: Though I have been designated “medically frail” under MassHealth, I have been repeatedly denied formal disability status with them, though MassHealth acknowledged in my appeal of that denial that there is no doubt that my medical conditions are “severe” and seriously complicate my daily life. Even for those without major chronic illness or disability, being kicked off Medicaid could pose serious obstacles for lower-income folks in accessing preventive and routine medical care they and their children need to remain healthy. Considering the hostility toward the ACA by the Trump administration, it seems fair to assume it will grant Baker’s request to roll back Medicaid expansion in the Bay State. While this would then require approval by the Democratic-dominated Massachusetts legislature, impending funding shortfalls for the Medicaid program could make it likely to happen, as the federal government currently funds up to 86 percent of the state’s Medicaid expansion. If the purse strings are cut on that aid, the state may be forced to downsize MassHealth if it can’t shore up funding elsewhere. This could spell doom for me and hundreds of thousands of others in the Bay State.
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DEPT. OF COMMERCE
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5
TERROR AT 50 FEET APPARENT HORIZON
Acrimony over Seaport gondola plan speaks to need for expanded MBTA service BY JASON PRAMAS @JASONPRAMAS
Much ink has been spilled in the Boston press over a plan by luxury developer Millennium Partners and its subsidiary Cargo Ventures to spend $100 million to build an aerial gondola system from South Station up Summer Street across Fort Point Channel to the possible future site of what may one day be either its 2 million-squarefoot (Boston Globe) or 2.7 million-square-foot (Boston Business Journal) “office campus.” Millennium and Cargo have development rights on “at least three major parcels in South Boston’s Raymond L. Flynn Marine Park and adjacent Massport Marine Park,” according to BBJ. All of which is public land. According to the Globe, “The proposed gondola system on the South Boston Waterfront would include a hulking terminal across Summer Street near South Station, 13 large towers spanning the one-mile route to the marine industrial park, and about 70 cable cars that can fit 10 passengers each, running every 9 seconds.” The cable cars are currently slated to run from 30 to 50 feet above the street. An early version of the plan would have had the gondola system traveling as high as 160 feet and traversing a Mass Pike interchange to go directly to the Millennium campus, according to BBJ, but the company just released a scaled-back version that terminates on its Summer Street side—after pushback from state port authority Massport over safety concerns and from the owners of the future $550 million Omni hotel. News coverage of Millennium’s Seaport project has focused on the gondola itself over the last several months. Which is understandable because it’s an easy target. In fact, my first reaction to the plan was that a giant catapult would be a better idea—if the developer’s goal was simply to get buzz for its project. But it’s a rather specific solution to a real transit logjam that could help keep lots of cars off Seaport roads daily. And, as Boston.com pointed out, it has been proposed before—in 2016, by the office real estate quarterly Blue by Encompass. So I don’t think that it’s just a marketing scheme. And I don’t think the support it’s garnering from South Boston politicians Mayor Marty Walsh, Rep. Stephen Lynch, Rep. Nick Collins, and Councilor Michael Flaherty is necessarily ill-considered either. Especially since Millennium is already discussing a “second phase” for the gondola project that will go—surprise, surprise— across the Reserved Channel into the heart of South Boston proper. Millennium has an agreement with the city to spend 6
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up to $100 million to mitigate the negative effects to Seaport transportation of dumping a big new job site on an already crowded neighborhood, according to Boston. com. The existing transportation options in that district currently being the MBTA Silver Line restricted access bus service, some regular MBTA bus lines, cars, walking, and bicycles. My problem with the proposed gondola system, then, is not the idea itself. I don’t think it’s practical, but I do think that some kind of elevated mass transit system makes a hell of a lot of sense if you want to avoid existing vehicular traffic and prepare for future global warminginduced flooding. If crosswinds and storms are a serious concern for gondolas—and, in a Twitter dustup with project boosters, critics like former Mass Secretary of Transportation Jim Aloisi have made clear they are—then perhaps a sturdier alternative like a monorail would fit the bill. Sure, the idea would trigger mocking laughter even faster than a gondola system, given how much of the population has seen The Simpsons’ infamous monorail boondoggle episode. But the biggest issue with any private alternative transportation proposal for the Seaport is that it would be yet another example of major corporations having too much power to set public policy agendas. Developers like Millennium both dominate policy that applies to their core business and literally get to change the face of the city by completing their developments. With little or no meaningful input and control by the various communities affected by its several projects around Boston. From the completed Millennium Tower to the nearly greenlighted Winthrop Square Tower. From that perspective, Millennium is cooking up a new way to privatize what should be part of improved and expanded MBTA service. Just like the MBTA’s OnDemand Paratransit Pilot Program—currently extended to April 1—is already doing by contracting some of its “The Ride” service to Uber and Lyft. Instead of developing a municipal ridesharing program that’s a more equitable deal for both drivers and riders like Austin, Texas, did. If more transportation options are required, then better to focus on ideas already under study by government planners and transit advocacy groups like Transportation for Massachusetts. Create more dedicated bus lanes throughout the Seaport, add more buses, and build separated bike lanes. Also, consider one active proposal that hasn’t been mentioned much in the feeding frenzy around the gondola idea—revive
passenger service on the unused Track 61 that runs from Back Bay Station to the Seaport. The MBTA is already adding a third rail to part of that track and using it to test new Red Line subway cars between 2019 and 2023. So it should be possible to fund its reactivation all the way out to Marine Park, as Rep. Collins proposed to the Globe last summer. However this particular fight plays out, local and state governments should never invest in expanded transit alternatives to serve the needs of one particular corporation or group of corporations. And they certainly shouldn’t allow companies like Millennium to create unfunded mandates like a private gondola system that could simply shut down the moment there’s a market downturn or the initial investment is spent. Rather, Boston and Massachusetts should carefully plan public transit expansion that best meets the needs of all the communities it would serve. And properly fund it by taking the Big Dig debt burden off the MBTA, and increasing taxes on corporations (again, like Millennium) and the rich (like its owners) to pay for the markedly improved service that the public at large deserves. If, after a deliberative public process, it turns out that a gondola actually makes sense for parts of Boston like the Seaport, then let the MBTA build and maintain it out of government funds. In a MassLive article last August when the plan was first being floated, Rep. Lynch “said he would prefer the gondola system to be part of the MBTA, rather than a standalone system. “‘If it goes to a private firm, they can pretty much charge whatever the market will bear, which might not accommodate everyone.’” If, as is more likely the case, there are a number of other tried-and-true ways to reduce traffic congestion in the Seaport while increasing development, then do that instead. Just remember that if the city doesn’t construct major defenses around the harbor soon, then ever fiercer and more frequent global warming-driven storms coupled with ongoing sea level rise induced by that same warming—like the three nor’easters we’ve now suffered in a mere 10-day span as of this writing—will wipe the floodplain that is the Seaport cleaner than the surface of the moon within a few decades. Rendering the entire debate over the Millennium gondola even more pointless than it would otherwise be.
However this particular fight plays out, local and state governments should never invest in expanded transit alternatives to serve the needs of one particular corporation or group of corporations.
Apparent Horizon is syndicated by the Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism. Jason Pramas is BINJ’s network director, and executive editor and associate publisher of DigBoston. Copyright 2018 Jason Pramas. Licensed for use by the Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism and media outlets in its network.
DIRTY OLD BOSTON
JOB PROMISES, THEN AND NOW From textiles to technology, and the American House to Amazon BY PETER ROBERGE
BACKGROUND: SEAPORT IN THE ’60S, PHOTO COURTESY OF BOSTON CITY ARCHIVES; LEFT: THE AMERICAN HOUSE SHORTLY BEFORE CLOSING, BOSTON EVENING GLOBE, JULY 15, 1916; MIDDLE: HEALTH EDUCATION EMPLOYMENT PROJECTIONS, BOSTON SUNDAY POST MARCH 2, 1919; “EXPANSION IN NEW ENGLAND,” BOSTON DAILY GLOBE JUNE 2, 1920
Amazon’s creep all throughout the country has resulted in it popping up or growing operations in several major cities. Like this one. Locally, we’ve written lots about major behemoths like Amazon, and General Electric, promising jobs in the region in exchange for government kickbacks. It’s a lot more complicated than that, of course, but you know the routine by now. The promise of new jobs is nothing foreign to the people of Boston; our city has long been sought after as an “up and coming” location for a booming corporate atmosphere. Looking through the job listings of the early 20th century, it seems that there were similarly high promises floating back then. In the heyday of the cotton industry, headlines as well as the classifieds boasted of massive budget increases for the city and its cotton mills. At certain moments, 100,000 jobs were promised to the working citizens of the region in a single swoop. Not surprisingly, as industry grew here and people flocked, those thousands of employees became dispensable. This as wages dropped or remained stagnant, and as taxes often increased to fund corresponding services. The result, according to the Boston Post in 1909, was “an incalculable injury to the city and every laborer.” Looking at the city a century ago, it isn’t hard to find newspapers full of stories about broken promises. There had been big wins for organized labor in the area beginning in the late 1800s, but a depression hit in 1893, leaving more than a third of even organized laborers jobless, and beginning a period of uncertainty that would stretch through the end of WWI in 1918. According to the 1977 book, Boston’s Labor Movement: An oral history of work and union organizing, by Sari Roboff, “by 1895, the percentage of the [Boston] population in industrial production had fallen off significantly, and textile factories began leaving for new regions as early as 1900.” Few industries were spared. In one case, the American House, a long-standing Boston hotel at the time that attracted a number of prominent visitors through the early 20th century, closed in 1918 and displaced hundreds of employees. Despite the promise of opportunity, many workers were forced go out and find a new way to make a living. Fast-forward to today. Unemployment in the region has decreased as of late, dropping from around 10 percent as recently as 2012 to 3.5 percent today, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Furthermore, according to the BLS, from January 2017 to January 2018, Massachusetts added an estimated 29,000 jobs. No doubt much of that comes from an influx in the tech sector and from companies that will be swallowed by or serve the mighty Amazon if its new corporate headquarters lands here. Or perhaps even if it doesn’t. The more things change, the more they stay the same. As one outlet broke it down in 1975, the post-Sputnik era of innovation, kicked off in the late ’50s, placed a heightened importance on the sciences, which soon became an integral part of America’s economy and culture. At the same time, engineers overall endured a 2.5 percent decrease in pay as the market got saturated. A higher unemployment rate for newly graduated engineers followed. No one knows for sure if Amazon increasing its footprint here many times over would lead to the same kind of oversaturation. At the same time, officials may want to study the history that we should be familiar with and be wary of the promises that any industry or corporation brings to the area. This throwback is a collaboration between Dirty Old Boston, the Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism, and DigBoston. For more throwbacks visit facebook.com/ dirtyoldboston and binjonline.org.
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FEATURE
DEPT. OF COMMERCE
ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT
7
PSEUDONYMOUS SEX AND ANONYMOUS EXPERTS DEMOCRACY IN CRISIS
As Trump and Stormy Daniels prepare for battle, prosecutors seek anonymity for “black bloc” expert BY BAYNARD WOODS @BAYNARDWOODS Donald Trump and Stormy Daniels used pseudonyms in the non-disclosure agreement worked out by the nowpresident’s seemingly suicidal lawyer Michael Cohen. They called themselves David Denison and Peggy Peterson—but Trump still didn’t sign it, which has gotten him into a fresh pile of shit. Stormy Daniels is already a nom-de-porn, but even people like Trump and Daniels whose livelihoods require an extreme level of visibility crave privacy almost as much as they demand a spotlight. But privacy is contradictory in our half-online lives. We can post without anyone knowing who we are, but we also broadcast the details of our lives on numerous platforms and essentially carry tracking devices in our pockets. Our emails damn us, even in their absence—just ask Hillary— our texts can be turned against us—as FBI agents Peter Strzok and Lisa Page can surely attest to, as theirs were blasted around the world—and our dumb Facebook posts and tweets follow us as we try to move into more respectable environs—see whatever Nazi sympathizer the Times op-ed page hired and fired this week. In this context, law enforcement officers are demanding a kind of privacy not afforded ordinary citizens. This is particularly clear in a recent filing in the case against protesters and bystanders caught up in the Disrupt J20 protests against Trump’s inauguration. After losing the first trial against six defendants late last year and dropping charges against more than 100 others, who needlessly spent months fighting against what were ultimately unsustainable charges, prosecutor Jennifer Kerkhoff is gearing up to try the remaining 58 defendants. She found an undercover agent who has been infiltrating “the anarchist extremist movement” to testify as an expert witness on the “black bloc” technique—wearing black clothes, covering up identifying features, and moving as a “bloc.” The government is charging numerous people who— even prosecutors admit—did not physically break any of the windows that were smashed during the inauguration and who engaged in no other violence. But if they covered their faces or wore black clothes, they abetted the anonymity of those who did and are therefore guilty of the crimes. 8
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But the government doesn’t want to reveal the name of its witness who is allegedly an expert on these same techniques which are intended to protect privacy. Kerkhoff moved that she be called by a pseudonym “Julie McMahon”—with a possible nod to the McMahons of professional wrestling fame, or maybe to a tabloid divorcee who allegedly pursued Bill Clinton and was named “The Energizer” by the Secret Service. However they came up with the name, the government argues that she won’t be able to continue her undercover activity if her identity is known. “Given the repeated efforts to publicly disseminate identifying information about the prosecutor and law enforcement officers involved in this case (to include an MPD officer who acted in an undercover capacity), the government submits there is a reason to believe that the expert will be targeted in the same manner,” Kerkhoff argues. Kerkhoff argues that when an undercover police officer testified in the first trials, people identified him. That’s not the fault of the press or the public. Don’t call an undercover officer if you don’t want to blow their cover. Or should they get to testify wearing black masks? “Further, when the MPD officer stepped outside of the courthouse during his testimony, his photograph was taken and was disseminated on multiple social media accounts and in various media outlets,” the motion reads. When he is outside of the courthouse, it is neither illegal nor illegtimate to take his photograph. Kerkhoff complains again that “as the prosecutors and lead detective left the courthouse, their photograph was taken and published in media outlets.” So, the black bloc is bad for not wanting to be surveilled and identified—not to mention tear-gassed and chemicalgrenaded—by the state, but the agents of the state deserve anonymity, even in what used to be called “open court.” The government also went to great lengths to prohibit the public from seeing police body cam footage—while Detective Gregg Pemberton spent a year combing through all of the personal data on the cellphones of those who were arrested. He has personally told me that he saw me all over the videos he had scoured and that he was looking
for evidence of an illegal action. He is armed. And he is afraid of a photograph? The department, however, denied a Freedom of Information Act request filed by Unicorn Riot to see his overtime slips during that period, despite allegations that he had falsely charged the city overtime while defending himself against a DUI charge in a previous case. The US attorney’s office in Washington and the MPD fought to protect the identity not only of their undercover officers, but also of the far-right slimeball Project Veritas operative who infiltrated an alleged planning meeting. Meanwhile, a list of the names of everyone arrested during the J20 protest was leaked to far-right site Got News from the official police computer of Metropolitan Police Department employee Rachel Schaerr, according to the metadata on the spreadsheet. The names are still on the site, which calls them “LEFT-WING ANARCHISTS AND ANTIFA TERRORISTS.” This is part of a trend where law enforcement want ever greater access to information about individual citizens, while seeking to further shield themselves. Maryland judiciary recently removed the names of police officers from its public database. If I am arrested and cleared of all charges, my name, address, and birthdate remain public unless I make the effort to expunge it. But the officer who arrested me remains unknown to the public. The move occurred amid one of the craziest police corruption scandals in modern history and stoked a serious uproar that caused the court to reverse its decision. “It’s disgusting and it’s dishonorable,” David Simon, creator of The Wire, said of the attempt to hide police officers’ names in Maryland. “And generations of police officers that were capable of standing by their police work, publicly standing by their use of force, their use of lethal force, and their powers of arrest, those generations are ashamed right now because this present one is pretending they are incapable of that level of responsibility.” Download the Democracy in Crisis podcast on iTunes or Soundcloud.
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CANNABIZ CORNER TALKING JOINTS MEMO
Beth Waterfall’s departure from ‘normal career life’ BY ALEX BRANDON
this year’s upcoming NECANN on March 24 and 25 at the Hynes Convention Center, about her big switch, her ELEVATE New England organization, and how she’s found her footing in the industry.
Beth Waterfall says she was raised to climb the corporate ladder, and to “earn lots of money” without “ruffling any feathers along the way.” By 2015, she “was deep into a career in professional services marketing,” but with salary and title bumps, before long she found herself “doing less and less of the creative marketing work” that she had enjoyed early on. “My daily existence,” she realized, “was mostly about placating egos, balancing budgets, and for the most part helping wealthy white men help other wealthy white men get richer.” To make matters worse, Waterfall “was taking up to six Xanax per workday.” She “needed to quit and be open to new possibilities,” and “had been doing some nonprofit consulting on the side,” so when she quit her full-time sixfigure-salary gig, Waterfall was motivated to look elsewhere for a new career. “Soon after my departure from ‘normal’ career life,” she says, “I read an article about the medical marijuana program in Massachusetts.” The article made her realize two things: first, that she could get a medical marijuana card, and second, “that there was this new industry bubbling up to support [the cannabis] industry.” Despite having been a consumer for 20 years, it was the first time she recalls seeing “an opportunity to make a career combining two things [she] loved: cannabis and creative marketing.” We asked Waterfall, who went from attending the New England Cannabis Convention in 2015 to helping organize 10
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How did you make the transition and begin working in the cannabis business? What has surprised you most? In my previous career I’d helped attorneys and other executives build their professional presence, become thought leaders, and find new clients. It was precisely what I needed to do for myself as a “newbie” in the cannabis industry, so I took my own advice and made networking and writing my priorities. I also identified some people and companies that I thought I may like to work for someday, and offered to do some projects for free. What surprised me most during my transition was just how little I knew about this plant that had been a part of my life for more than 20 years. I wasn’t an expert … but my mind was absolutely blown when I started learning both at NECANN and in the classes that I signed up for immediately thereafter. I was humbled and a fire was ignited inside me to keep on learning and connecting—and to advocate for the plant and people using it and working with it. This kind of motivation and personal satisfaction gained from doing something to help change the world for the better was something I’d never experienced. I never thought my voice really mattered. But it did. It does. So that, too, was as wonderful surprise! You were involved in many of the campaigns that made cannabis legalization possible here in Massachusetts. What was that experience like? Prior to “finding” the cannabis industry in 2015 I had certainly voted for our medical marijuana program and for decriminalization, but it had never occurred to me to get involved in any political campaigns. What would my voice do? How would I find the time? What was actually all that important to me? I didn’t know. And I feel like now I’m making up for decades of lost time that I could have been involved in more activism for causes that are important to me. You recently founded ELEVATE New England. What is this organization and why is it important to our community. It was hard to ignore the fact that there was a deficit in available quality cannabis education in a comfortable and
professional setting—nevermind the glaring lack of public education happening to let people outside the cannabis industry understand the history of the plant, prohibition, motivations and repercussions of the War on Drugs, safe access and dosing, what’s legal, etc. And it seems that each cannabis industry event that I attended or hosted involved at least one person saying how “education is the most important thing” that the industry needs. With ELEVATE, my co-founders, board, and I developed a platform for cannabis and non-cannabis businesses to provide education within and outside the industry by barely lifting a finger. We’re a public benefit corporation providing the public relations and public education that the industry needs. Because our businesses cannot succeed without multiple perspectives, an educated community, and an informed customer base, ELEVATE New England’s mission is to empower underrepresented populations in the cannabis industry, and to empower our communities to be educated customers and responsible consumers. What advice do you have for the Cannabis Control Commission? Don’t forget to sleep is my best advice! What they’re doing is really incredible and I’m sure exhausting. But at the end of the day our commissioners are human beings trying to do right for other human beings. And they need our collaboration and support. I delivered spoken and written testimony to the CCC with recommendations to include and protect workers, including specific recommendations relating to sexual harassment policies and penalties, and creating education and opportunities for women, LGBTQA+, veterans, people of color, people with disabilities, the elderly and other groups who are marginalized in established industries to not only work in the Massachusetts cannabis industry but to be business owners and leaders, too. What three benefits of legalization are you most excited about for the future? I believe that cannabis is changing the world for the better. There are countless benefits of legalization but the three most important to me and the work I’m trying to do with ELEVATE New England and my clients are: • Careers and financial independence: The cannabis industry presents an exciting opportunity for experienced professionals with expertise from working in other industries to transfer their knowledge and be a part of the shaping of the foundation of that new industry. • A kinder, gentler (and safer) society: Legalization means the breaking down of the stigma against cannabis patients and other adult users. • Innovation: From Hempcrete to vape pens and cannabis sequencing, the legalization of cannabis is bringing to our eyes and ears the thrill of experiencing incredible innovations for both medical marijuana patients and adult users. We are witnessing and actively participating in a historical paradigm shift, and I can’t imagine anything else being more exciting. When I’m feeling discouraged or overwhelmed, I remind myself, “Holy crap, I get to do this.” Ed. note: DigBoston’s previous owner is an owner of NECANN, and Dig Editor-in-Chief Chris Faraone sits on the NECANN board.
HIGH ART TALKING JOINTS MEMO
Kerwin’s journey through epilepsy, cannabis, and creativity BY ALEX BRANDON
Commonly missing from the debate over the medical benefits of cannabis is an understanding of the experiences of those who have been treated with it. Michael Kerwin was an average high school sophomore in May 2008, before his first seizure. He attended Peabody Memorial High School, where he was a good student and played basketball and football. Kerwin recalled his excitement after watching a Celtics playoff game that year, then taking a nap that he awoke from later on at Salem Hospital. Doctors informed him he had a seizure in his sleep and was diagnosed with epilepsy. His life changed in an instant. He was prescribed Ativan and other medications that made him anxious and depressed, told he could no longer play sports, and realized it was only a matter of time until his next seizure would occur. The hospital prepared Kerwin for the physical effects of epilepsy, but he found the psychological impact equally challenging. By his junior year, he was experiencing as many as 20 auras daily, where suddenly his speech would slow and motor control cease. It was an aura that caused him to once crash his vehicle. It was the fear of an aura that led him to cease raising his hand or otherwise speaking up in class, since an aura might occur midsentence. Kerwin first tried cannabis recreationally during his junior year of high school when his brother returned home from college. He realized something profound in that experience—it was the first time since he awoke at the hospital that he found relief from the fear of another seizure. He was calm, relaxed, and able to feel lighthearted once again. Cannabis was something that gave Kerwin a break from the stress of his condition. Experiences like those gave Kerwin inspiration as he began focusing his energy on painting, something he had enjoyed intermittently up to that point. He’s used his brush skills to portray subjects including Bill Belichick—in the attire of a Revolutionary War general—as well as the feeling of relief that he experiences with cannabis. With his passions aligned, Kerwin says he felt prepared to confront epilepsy in ways that hadn’t previously seemed possible. In January 2015, Kerwin successfully underwent brain surgery, and he’s been seizure-free ever since. He no longer deals with the physical impact of this medical condition, but as the fear of another seizure lingers, his painting and cannabis regimen continue to motivate and inspire him. At the same time, his creativity and works of art serve as inspiration for others. He now works at Revolutionary Clinics, a medical dispensary in Somerville, where his art is on display and his acute understanding of the medical benefits of cannabis serve to help others. Cannabis may not have been what stopped the seizures, he says, but the psychological benefit it provided was of comparable importance in his fight with epilepsy. Michael’s art is currently on display at Revolutionary Clinics at 67 Broadway in Somerville. Exhibits rotate every 60 days, and are open to the general public during weekly education events held every Thursday.
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THE FOILIES 2018 FEATURE
Service ultimately admitted they’re not actually keeping track. The same can’t be said about Trump’s golf score.
Recognizing the year’s worst in government transparency BY THE ELECTRONIC FRONTIER FOUNDATION | ILLUSTRATIONS BY HUGH D’ANDRADE Government transparency laws like the Freedom of Information Act exist to enforce the public’s right to inspect records so we can all figure out what the heck is being done in our name and with our tax dollars. But when a public agency ignores, breaks or twists the law, your recourse varies by jurisdiction. In some states, when an official improperly responds to your public records request, you can appeal to a higher bureaucratic authority or seek help from an ombudsperson. In most states, you can take the dispute to court. Public shaming and sarcasm, however, are tactics that can be applied anywhere. The California-based news organization Reveal tweets photos of chickpeas or coffee beans to represent each day a FOIA response is overdue, and asks followers to guess how many there are. At the Dig, reporters have sent birthday cakes and edible arrangements to local agencies on the one-year anniversary of delayed public records requests. And at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, we give out The Foilies during Sunshine Week, an annual celebration of open-government advocacy. In its fourth year, The Foilies recognizes the worst responses to records requests, outrageous efforts to stymie transparency and the most absurd redactions. These tongue-in-cheek pseudo-awards are hand-chosen by EFF’s team based on nominations from fellow transparency advocates, participants in #FOIAFriday on Twitter, and, in some cases, our own personal experience. If you haven’t heard of us before, EFF is a nonprofit
based in San Francisco that works on the local, national and global level to defend and advance civil liberties as technology develops. As part of this work, we file scores of public records requests and take agencies like the U.S. Department of Justice, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Los Angeles Police Department to court to liberate information that belongs to the public. Because shining a spotlight is sometimes the best the litigation strategy, we are pleased to announce the 2018 winners of The Foilies.
The Mulligan Award - Pres. Donald J. Trump
Since assuming the presidency, Donald Trump has skipped town more than 55 days to visit his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, according to sites like trumpgolfcount. com and NBC. He calls it his “Winter White House,” where he wines and dines and openly strategizes how to respond to North Korean ballistic missile tests with the Japanese prime minister for all his paid guests to see and post on Facebook. The fact that Trump’s properties have become secondary offices and remain a source of income for his family raises significant questions about transparency, particularly if club membership comes with special access to the president. To hold the administration accountable, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington filed a FOIA request for the visitor logs, but received little in response. CREW sued and, after taking another look, the Secret Service provided details about the Japanese leader’s entourage. As Politico and others reported, the Secret
FOIA Fee of the Year - Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Sexual assault in prison is notoriously difficult to measure due to stigma, intimidation, and apathetic bureaucracy. Nevertheless, MuckRock reporter Nathanael King made a valiant effort to find out whatever he could about these investigations in Texas, a state once described by the Dallas Voice as the “Prison Rape Capital of the U.S.” However, the numbers that the Texas Department of Criminal Justice came back with weren’t quite was he was expecting. TDCJ demanded he fork over a whopping $1,132,024.30 before the agency would release 260,000 pages of records that it said would take 61,000 hours of staff time to process. That in itself may be an indicator of the scope of the problem. However, to the agency’s credit, they pointed the reporter in the direction of other statistical records compiled to comply with the federal Prison Rape Elimination Act, which TDCJ provided for free.
Best Set Design in a Transparency Theater Production - Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed
“Transparency theater” is the term we use to describe an empty gesture meant to look like an agency is embracing open government, when really it’s meant to obfuscate. For example, an agency may dump an overwhelming number of documents and put them on display for cameras. But because there are so many records, the practice actually subverts transparency by making it extremely difficult to find the most relevant records in the haystack. Such was the case with Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, who released 1.476 million documents about a corruption probe to show his office was supporting public accountability. “The documents filled hundreds of white cardboard boxes, many stacked up waist high against walls and spread out over rows of tables in the cavernous old City Council chamber,” Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter Leon Stafford wrote. “Reed used some of the boxes as the backdrop for his remarks, creating a six-foot wall behind him.” Journalists began to dig through the documents and quickly discovered that many were blank pages or fully redacted, and in some cases the type was too small for anyone to read. AJC reporter J. Scott Trubey’s hands became covered in papercut gore. Ultimately, the whole spectacle was a waste of trees: The records already existed in a digital format. It’s just that a couple of hard drives on a desk don’t make for a great photo op.
Special Achievement for Analog Conversion Former Seattle Mayor Ed Murray
In the increasingly digital age, more and more routine office communication is occurring over mobile devices. With that in mind, transparency activist Phil Mocek filed a request for text messages (and other app communications) sent or received by now-former Seattle Mayor Ed Murray and many of his aides. The good news is the city at least partially complied. The weird news is that rather than seek the help of an IT professional to export the text messages, some staff simply plopped a cell phone onto a photocopier. Mocek tells EFF he’s frustrated that the mayor’s office refused to search their personal devices for relevant text messages. They argued that city policy forbids using personal phones for city business—and of course, no one would violate those rules. However, we’ll concede that thwarting transparency is probably the least of the allegations against Murray, who resigned in September 2017 amid a child sex-abuse scandal.
The Exhausted Mailman Award - Bureau of Indian Affairs
Requesting information that has already been made public should be quick and fairly simple—but not when you’re dealing with the Bureau of Indian Affairs. A nomination sent into EFF requested all logs of previously released FOIA information by the BIA. The requester even 12
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burritos are back by popular demand,” with a gigantic redaction covering half the page citing a personal privacy exemption. What are they hiding? Is Anthony Bourdain secretly a covert agent? Did David Petraeus demand extra guac? This could be the CIA’s greatest Latin American mystery since Nicaraguan Contra drug-trafficking.
The Courthouse Bully Award - Every Agency Suing a Requester
stated that he’d prefer links to the information, which agencies typically provide for records they have already put on their website. Instead, BIA printed 1,390 pages of those logs, stuffed them into 10 separate envelopes, and sent them via registered mail for a grand total cost to taxpayers of $179.
The Winger Award for FOIA Feet Dragging - FBI
Thirty years ago, the hair-rock band Winger released “Seventeen”—a song about young love that really hasn’t withstood the test of time. Similarly, the FBI’s claim that it would take 17 years to produce a series of records about civil rights-era surveillance also didn’t withstand the judicial test of time. As Politico reported, George Washington University professor and documentary filmmaker Nina Seavey asked for records about how the FBI spied on antiwar and civil rights activists in the 1960s and 1970s. The FBI claimed they would only process 500 pages a month, which would mean the full set of 110,000 pages wouldn’t be complete until 2034. Just as Winger’s girlfriend’s dad disapproved in the song, so did a federal judge, writing in her opinion: “The agency’s desire for administrative convenience is simply not a valid justification for telling Professor Seavey that she must wait decades for the documents she needs to complete her work.”
The Prime Example Award – Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority (Maine)
When Amazon announced last year it was seeking a home for its second headquarters, municipalities around the country rushed to put together proposals to lure the tech giant to their region. Knowing that in Seattle Amazon left a substantial footprint on a community (particularly around housing), transparency organizations like MuckRock and the Lucy Parsons Labs followed up with records requests for these cities’ sales pitches. More than 20 cities, such as Chula Vista, California, and Toledo, Ohio, produced the records—but other agencies, including Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Jacksonville, Florida, refused to turn over the documents. The excuses varied, but perhaps the worst response came from Maine’s Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority. The agency did provide the records, but claimed that by opening an email containing 37 pages of documents, MuckRock had automatically agreed to pay an exorbitant $750 in “administrative and legal fees.” Remind us to disable oneclick ordering.
El Premio del Desayuno Más Redactado - CIA
Buzzfeed reporter Jason Leopold has filed thousands of records requests over his career, but one redaction has become his all-time favorite. Leopold was curious whether CIA staff are assailed by the same stream of office announcements as every other workplace. So, he filed a FOIA request—and holy Hillenkoetter, do they. Deep in the document set was an announcement that “the breakfast
As director of the privacy advocacy group We See You Watching Lexington, Michael Maharrey filed a public records request to find out how his city was spending money on surveillance cameras. After the Lexington Police Department denied the request, he appealed to the Kentucky Attorney General’s office—and won. Rather than listen to the state’s top law enforcement official, Lexington Police hauled Maharrey into court. As the Associated Press reported last year, lawsuits like these are reaching epidemic proportions. The Louisiana Department of Education sued a retired educator who was seeking school enrollment data for his blog. Portland Public Schools in Oregon sued a parent who was curious about employees paid while on leave for alleged misconduct. Michigan State University sued ESPN after it requested police reports on football players allegedly involved in a sexual assault. Meanwhile, the University of Kentucky and Western Kentucky University have each sued their own student newspapers whose reporters were investigating sexual misconduct by school staff. These lawsuits are despicable. At their most charitable, they expose huge gaps in public records laws that put requesters on the hook for defending lawsuits they never anticipated. At their worst, they are part of a systematic effort to discourage reporters and concerned citizens from even thinking of filing a public records request in the first place.
The Lawless Agency Award - U.S. Customs and Border Protection
In the chaos of President Trump’s immigration ban in early 2017, the actions of U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents and higher-ups verged on unlawful. And if CBP officials already had their mind set on violating all sorts of laws and the Constitution, flouting FOIA seems like small potatoes. Yet that’s precisely what CBP did when the ACLU filed a series of FOIA requests to understand local CBP agents’ actions as they implemented Trump’s immigration order. ACLU affiliates throughout the country filed 18 separate FOIA requests with CBP, each of which targeted records documenting how specific field offices, often located at airports or at physical border crossings, were managing and implementing the ban. The requests made clear that they were not seeking agency-wide documents but rather wanted information about each specific location’s activities. CBP ignored the requests and, when several ACLU affiliates filed 13 different lawsuits, CBP sought to further delay responding by asking a federal court panel to consolidate all the cases into a single lawsuit. To use this procedure—which is usually reserved for class actions or other complex national cases—CBP essentially misled courts about each of the FOIA requests and claimed each was seeking the exact same set of records. The court panel saw through CBP’s shenanigans and refused to consolidate the cases. But CBP basically ignored the panel’s decision, acting as though it had won. First, it behaved as though all the requests came from a single lawsuit by processing and batching all the documents from the various requests into a single production given to the ACLU. Second, it selectively released records to particular ACLU attorneys, even when those records weren’t related to their lawsuits about activities at local CBP offices. Laughably, CBP blames the ACLU for its selfcreated mess, calling their requests and lawsuits “haphazard” and arguing that the ACLU and other FOIA requesters have strained the agency’s
resources in seeking records about the immigration ban. None of that would be a problem if CBP had responded to the FOIA requests in the first place. Of course, the whole mess could also have been avoided if CBP never implemented an unconstitutional immigration order.
The Franz Kafka Award for Most Secrets About Secretive Secrecy - CIA
The CIA’s aversion to FOIA is legendary, but this year the agency doubled down on its mission of thwarting transparency. As Emma Best detailed for MuckRock, the intelligence agency had compiled a 20-page report that laid out at least 126 reasons why it could deny FOIA requests that officials believed would disclose the agency’s “sources and methods.” But that report? Yeah, it’s totally classified. So not only do you not get to know what the CIA’s up to, but its reasons for rejecting your FOIA request are also a state secret.
Special Recognition for Congressional Overreach - U.S. House of Representatives
Because Congress wrote the Freedom of Information Act, it had the awesome and not-at-all-a-conflict-ofinterest power to determine which parts of the federal government must obey it. That’s why it may not shock you that since passing FOIA more than 50 years ago, Congress has never made itself subject to the law. So far, requesters have been able to fill in the gaps by requesting records from federal agencies that correspond with Congress. For example, maybe a lawmaker writes to the U.S. Department of Puppies asking for statistics on labradoodles. That adorable email chain wouldn’t be available through Congress, but you could get it from the Puppies Department’s FOIA office. (Just to be clear: This isn’t a real federal agency. We just wish it was.) In 2017 it’s become increasingly clear that some members of Congress believe that FOIA can never reach anything they do, even when they or their staffs share documents or correspond with federal agencies. The House Committee on Financial Services sent a threatening letter to the Treasury Department telling them to not comply with FOIA. After the Department of Health and Human Services and the Office of Management and Budget released records that came from the House Ways and Means Committee, the House intervened in litigation to argue that their records cannot be obtained under FOIA. In many cases, congressional correspondence with agencies is automatically covered by FOIA, and the fact that a document originated with Congress isn’t by itself enough to shield it from disclosure. The Constitution says Congress gets to write laws; it’s just too bad it doesn’t require Congress to actually read them.
You can read the rest of the Foilies at digboston.com
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EL PALMAR, EAST BOSTON EATS
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A street food spot that even the food nerds don’t know about BY MARC HURWITZ @HIDDENBOSTON
PHOTO BY MARC HURWITZ
East Boston may be one of the best neighborhoods in the city for dining out, and over the past decade or so, it’s really started to get noticed. But while some restaurants there, such as the original Angela’s Cafe on Lexington Street, are frequented by a mix of industry folk, food writers, people in the know, and locals, many others are so far off the radar that you’ll probably never, ever hear of them. One such spot is El Palmar, a Mexican and Salvadoran eatery in Day Square that’s a solid place for cheap eats but is truly a neighborhood restaurant where few outside of Day Square even know of its existence. El Palmar sits among a strip of businesses where Bennington Street meets Chelsea Street that includes the wonderful Spinelli’s pastry shop, and as people who frequent Spinelli’s know, the storefronts here actually have their very own parking lot with a handful of spaces. Looking at the restaurant from the outside can bring about a sense of not quite fear, but perhaps caution, as the window out front is blocked by a poster that completely covers it so you can’t see in at all (and anyone who is familiar with dive bars knows that this can sometimes be a very bad thing). But as questionable as it looks from the parking lot and the street, El Palmar really is a simple, laid-back spot that is frequented by everyone from families to couples to groups of friends to solo diners, and it is by no means a rough-around-the-edges place at all. The brightly lit interior is set up in a simple manner, with about 10 tables, a counter area for takeout orders, and walls that have a number of flags hanging from it, including the flags of a number of Central American, South American, and Caribbean nations. Like so many restaurants in East Boston, El Palmar tends to focus on street foods found in Mexico and El Salvador, though there seems to be just a bit more of a leaning toward Mexican fare here than at some of the other nearby spots in Day Square, Central Square, Maverick Square, and elsewhere in Eastie. One highlight is the burrito, which, much like a favorite spot in downtown Boston does (Villa Mexico), is grilled, which gives some char to the tortilla, adding some extra flavor—and the burritos at El Palmar are stuffed with a slightly crumbly queso fresco, which gives a bit of additional texture inside. The tacos served here are as simple as can be, served in a classic street-food style with the ingredients placed on top of a slightly charred corn tortilla, and the beef tacos are particularly good as the grilled meat has a smokiness and just enough fat left on to add some extra flavor. El Palmar’s version of guacamole is chunkier than some, and it also has more of an onion flavor than the smooth versions you might find at other places, so it may not be for everyone but overall, it’s quite impressive. As is the case with chips and guacamole, it can ruin your appetite in a hurry (but in a good way). The enchiladas Mexicanas rojas plate features a rich red sauce, a mix of cheeses, and rice and beans on the side, while the enchiladas verdes picantes spices things up a bit with hot peppers included in the salsa verde. A few Salvadoran dishes at El Palmar include hen soup, pupusas (with a couple of options being tilapia and lorco, with the latter being an edible flower), fried plantain, and a traditional Salvadoran breakfast with scrambled eggs, onions, tomatoes, chiles, plantains, and avocados, all served with tortillas. El Palmar doesn’t have a liquor license, but it does offer such beverages as a mango smoothie and a very refreshing melon drink. Chances are, you’ve never heard of El Palmar, but no worries, since no one else really has, either. Is it the best option for Mexican/ Central American food in East Boston? Probably not, especially with the likes of Angela’s, La Hacienda, and Mi Pueblito nearby. But its head and shoulders above your typical Mexican-American chain restaurant and actually does compare favorably with the places mentioned above, if not quite at that level. And the fact that it is utterly unknown gives it extra points, at least if you’re a food nerd looking for hidden gems night after night. Eastie is a special place for dining out that is finally starting to get its due, and El Palmar is a good one to include on any list of places to check out when in the Day Square area. >> EL PALMAR. 290 BENNINGTON ST., EAST BOSTON. ELPALMARBOSTON.COM
March 20-24 2018
Presented by Celebrity Series
MARCH 20
e Com
JAZZMEIA HORN
(RED-HOT YOUNG JAZZ SINGER, 2015 THELONIOUS MONK WINNER)
MARCH 21
r tom hea
HOUSE OF WATERS (GENRE-DEFYING HAMMERED DULCIMER ENSEMBLE )
MARCH 22
w orro
ENSEMBLE MIK NAWOOJ (OAKLAND-BASED HIP HOP ORCHESTRA)
DOUBLE-BILL, ONE TICKET, 2 SETS
MARCH 23
CLAIRE CHASE / MY BRIGHTEST DIAMOND (AUDACIOUS SOLO FLUTIST / PROTEAN SINGER-SONGWRITER)
MARCH 24
BENT KNEE
WITH BOSTON CONSERVATORY AT BERKLEE PERCUSSION ENSEMBLE (BOSTON EXPERIMENTAL ROCK BAND WITH VIOLINIST AND LIVE SOUND DESIGNER )
The week-long festival takes place at 160 Mass Ave All shows all ages DOORS OPEN 7:00PM / SHOWS START AT 8:00PM FULL BAR AVAILABLE
SPONSORED BY
MARGARET EAGLE AND ELI RAPOPORT, SUSAN AND MICHAEL THONIS, AND THE BARR FOUNDATION. WITH ADDITIONAL SUPPORT PROVIDED BY
DEBRA AND MICHAEL RAIZMAN, YUKIKO UENO & ERAN EGOZY, RANDOLPH HAWTHORNE & CARLISS BALDWIN, AND MARYLEN STERNWEILER
STAVESESSIONS.ORG NEWS TO US
FEATURE
DEPT. OF COMMERCE
ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT
15
MR. AIRPLANE MAN: BACK IN THE PILOT SEAT MUSIC
Boston’s beloved ’90s blues rock duo ends their hiatus to record a new LP BY NINA CORCORAN @NINA_CORCORAN Mr. Airplane Man has been making music for 20 years, but not a single second has been spent pining for the spotlight—even if it’s landed on them periodically over the years. The blues rock duo formed back in 1998 when best friends Margaret Garrett and Tara McManus wanted to jam. While the two gained attention from the most unlikely of fans—Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and acts like the White Stripes, for instance—they still remained an in-the-know, underground staple in the roots scene. Now, at the young age of 47, both women are stepping out of a shadowed hiatus to reveal their first album of new music, Jacaranda Blue, since 2004 and the reinvigorated passion for music that comes with it. To understand the lackadaisical tone that bonds Mr. Airplane Man together, it’s best to look backward. Garrett and McManus met when they were 10 years old, holed up at an all-girls sleepaway camp in New Hampshire. “We weren’t popular girls,” says Garrett, “so we stuck together and bonded right away through music.” As children do, the two shared everything they knew that summer, from punk discoveries in Maximum Rocknroll to the offbeat songs on the Beatles’ Revolver, over the five years they attended camp. Though they grew up in different towns—McManus outside of Worcester and Garrett outside of Boston—they took turns hopping on the bus to visit each other. Garrett, who taught herself how to play guitar early on in life, rubbed elbows with Mark Sandman, the frontman of Boston alt-rock act Morphine. It was 1995 and she was in her mid-20s. As eager as she was to find a role model, Garrett underestimated what a strong impact he would have on her life, as a guitar teacher and as a mentor outside of music. “I think the whole time we hung out, he maybe showed me one chord, which I don’t even remember anymore,” Garrett laughs. “We hung out, listened to records, and talked about music. … I wasn’t trying to find a teacher to give me technical advice. … Mark was super dynamic and knew how to create atmosphere, and he created layers and energy in a textured, low way. All I knew was that I wanted to learn that from him.” The band eventually formed because of Sandman’s advice. Garrett told him she wanted to start a band but didn’t know how to. Surprisingly, he told her to “travel, see the world, and not worry about starting a band.” Because McManus was her best friend and attending school in Arizona at the time, Garrett booked a trip there. Next thing she knew, the two of them were goofing around on instruments, even though McManus never studied the drums. Mr. Airplane Man busted out loose, impromptu jams that rattled blues guitar over thumping bass drum, their vocals criss-crossing in a feelings-driven fashion. Because they couldn’t replicate their ideas, the two recorded every practice session, those tapes acting as a faint sketch for them to redraw the more defined moments of a practice session jam. “She didn’t really know what she was doing, and to be fair I didn’t really either,” says Garrett. “Playing along to the Stooges was one of the first things we tried to do. We never thought about being a duo because there weren’t a lot of
duos back then. We just took off once we started playing American musician he knew, asking how to contact the because we were so into it, and eventually we moved to band, and upon reaching the duo by phone, asked if he San Francisco and got a practice space there.” could help them create their next record. After creating When the two returned to Boston, they quit their jobs an Indiegogo campaign and getting in touch with a solid to busk. Mr. Airplane Man started in Inman Square, moved group of fans, Mr. Airplane Man were on schedule to record closer to the Common, and then finally rooted itself in a follow-up to 2004’s C’mon DJ. That record, Jacaranda Blue, Harvard Square. All in all, the duo busked for four months comes out this Friday. before playing smaller clubs and eventually working their Mr. Airplane Man wanted the world to hear them like way up. That year, Garrett ran into Sandman at a coffee how they sound on stage. Jacaranda Blue accomplishes shop where he asked her how the travels went. After that task. It’s big and textured—like something Mark updating him on the escapade, she invited him to their Sandman would make—in a way that capitalizes on blues next show. Not only did Sandman trek out to their concert, rock without losing the rough edge of garage rock. Garrett but he was hooked by their performance enough to invite tackles guitar and vocals with a passive but undeniably them to his studio to record for free—and then went on to sturdy approach. As usual, McManus can be found giving a record their self-titled debut album in 1998. sneaking, mischievous flair to her drumming, turning every Over the next five years, everything sped up. Mr. backup vocal part and additional smattering of percussion Airplane Man started touring the US frequently. They into a mood-heavy painting. Girod occasionally enters the recorded three more albums and one EP. They played shows picture, too, offering assistance on bass, theremin, and with Hot Snakes, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Dirtbombs, vibraphone. The whole album is rich but never overwhelms. and more. Soon a labelmate had them open for the White Given it’s nearly 15 years between their last album Stripes. Same thing happened with the Strokes. Next thing and this one, that may come as a surprise, but those who the duo knew, Karen O called to ask if they wanted to play know Mr. Airplane Man are familiar with the style. This duo with Yeah Yeah Yeahs. has been perfecting their version of blues rock for longer Shortly after releasing their fourth album, Mr. Airplane than most duos in the field, and the best part is how they Man decided to go on a break. Garrett and McManus were update their sound so not a single minute sounds like a about to start families, and the thought of moving to new cobwebbed, outdated version of the genre. cities was tempting. “To be honest, we felt burned out, and we realized we had burned out,” says Garrett. Perhaps unexpectedly, it was an invite to perform at a European music festival that reunited Mr. Airplane Man. In the spring of 2015, a German promoter reached out to ask if the two would be willing to play the festival because, as he put it, he was a massive fan. Garrett and McManus shrugged. They decided to see how things felt and accepted the offer. Right after that show, the two realized it felt amazing playing together again. “We knew this album, a reunion album, would happen before there was any demand for it, and even though we were energized and willing to go to new lengths, the hardest part was getting [the album] to where we wanted it to be,” says Garrett. Now Mr. Airplane Man have something to show for that, thanks to a transatlantic call PHOTO COURTESY OF MR AIRPLANE MAN from Swiss producer Robin Girod. He talked to every
>>MR. AIRPLANE MAN, BARRENCE WHITFIELD & THE SAVAGES. FRI 3.23. MIDDLE EAST UPSTAIRS, 472 MASS. AVE., CAMBRIDGE. 9PM/18+/$15. MIDEASTOFFERS.COM
MUSIC EVENTS THU 03.15
THE KINGS OF ST. PATRICK’S DAY DROPKICK MURPHYS + HATEBREED
[House of Blues, 15 Lansdowne St., Boston. 6pm/all ages/$35. houseofblues.com]
16
03.15.18 - 03.22.18 |
FRI 03.16
EXPERIMENTAL HIP-HOP GETS ELECTRONIC ED BALLOON + GARTH. + MARCELA CRUZ
[Great Scott, 1222 Comm. Ave., Allston. 10pm/21+/$10. greatscottboston.com]
DIGBOSTON.COM
SAT 03.17
BLUES SOUL IN A FOLK BODY ALI MCGUIRK
[Atwood’s Tavern, 877 Cambridge St., Cambridge. 10pm/21+/$7. atwoodstavern.com]
SAT 03.17
SAT 03.17
[O’Brien’s Pub, 3 Harvard Ave., Allston. 8pm/21+/$8. obrienspubboston.com]
[Berklee Performance Center, 136 Mass. Ave., Boston. 8pm/all ages/$40. berklee.edu]
ALLSTON’S FINEST INDIE ROCK BEEEF + FOOTINGS + MOON ROOM + THE WATER CYCLE
THE GRAND LADY OF IRANIAN FOLK MUSIC SIMA BINA + ROHAB ENSEMBLE
MON 03.19
THE PIANIST: MINIMALIST GERMAN EDITION NILS FRAHM
[The Sinclair, 52 Church St., Cambridge. 7pm/18+/$28. sinclaircambridge.com]
PALEHOUND WHEEL OF TUNES
Gun ranges, Girl Scout cookies, and late-night phone calls home BY NINA CORCORAN @NINA_CORCORAN
Everyone grieves differently. If you’re Ellen Kempner, the frontwoman behind Allstonbased indie rock trio Palehound, your pathway to healing just happens to sound melodic no matter how solemn it gets. Kempner has been penning songs about pet carrots, young adulthood, and a plethora of insecurities ever since she released her first EP under the moniker back in 2013. It wasn’t until losing both a close friend and her grandmother that Kempner began facing heavier issues in her music. The band’s sophomore LP, A Place I’ll Always Go, gave her room to discuss loss and sadness, and she does with a surprisingly swift and mature hand. Kempner’s voice hangs like a raspy whisper, clinging to her pained guitar, while drummer Jesse Weiss and bassist Larz Brogan carry her forward on a propulsive rhythm. The trio’s sound makes songs like sleeper hit “Carnations” and heavy memoriam “If You Met Her” easier to swallow, even if they’re sad in subject. “I’m proud of ‘If You Met Her’ because it’s impacted people like it impacted me,” Kempner says over the phone. “To see it have a real impact on people in real time was special. Something that’s weird about writing songs from a vulnerable place is playing them every night on tour, because you eventually play it at times where you spend the whole set feeling hungry, or you’re giddy, or you’re in a bar with a loud couple talking the whole time. You’re not always in a position to totally tap into the feeling of a song. In a way, I think that’s good, because it would be hard to be that emotional every night.” To shed some light on some of Palehound’s goofier interests, we interviewed Ellen Kempner for a round of Wheel of Tunes, a series where we ask musicians questions inspired by their song titles. Somewhat like A Place I’ll Always Go, the answers highlight Kempner’s nurturing, thoughtful side—a perfect complement to the band’s headlining the Sinclair this Friday.
LIVE MUSIC • PRIVATE EVENTS 3/15
Nosleep Podcast
1. “Hunter’s Gun” Have you ever shot a gun for sport, like hunting, or for fun, like in a shooting range? I have, actually, which is weird. My mom moved to Wyoming and I went out there with her two years ago. We went to a shooting range where we shot disks. I would never go hunting because I love animals too much. I don’t know if I could ever kill something, but I did agree to do that because we were shooting at targets. It was outdoors and beautiful. The guy [who] instructed us was super nice. I was really good at disk shooting, too, which was very surprising! It’s something I don’t think I ever need to do again, though.
Anthology series of original horror stories 3/16
Fruition, Daniel Edward Rodriguez Folk roots rock 3/20
Heavy Metal Tuesday
2. “Carnations” When is the last time you bought a carnation? Oh my god, maybe prom? Honestly, I haven’t bought a carnation since then. I don’t remember much, just that it was one of those things where you have to get it for the dumb guy taking you to prom. I should buy some, though. It feels weird to have a song named after them but not buy them.
Headbanging social for Metalheads 3/21
The Moth True Stories Told Live Aftermath! Consequences, aftershocks and fallout
3. “Room” Can you describe what your current bedroom looks like? Yeah, I’m in it right now! There’s the bed, the cat who is pacing around, and a really big wall with a rug hanging on it that has a reclining woman—with a very big body and a very small head, mind you—with a snail at her feet. It’s weird. There’s a few guitars hanging because [my partner] Ari and I both play guitar, and we live together. There’s two guitars and a bass, two dressers, baseball caps, and some art on the wall — some by Sami [Martasian], some from art fairs.
3/22
Icon For Hire
Alternative pop punk
156 Highland Ave • Somerville, MA 617-285-0167 oncesomerville.com a @oncesomerville b/ONCEsomerville
>> PALEHOUND, OOMPA, MELISSA LOZADA-OLIVA, DAZEY AND THE SCOUTS. FRI 3.16. THE SINCLAIR, 52 CHURCH ST., CAMBRIDGE. 7:30PM/ALL AGES/$18. SINCLAIRCAMBRIDGE.COM NEWS TO US
FEATURE
DEPT. OF COMMERCE
ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT
17
PERFORMING ARTS
SAKE TOOMEY WANTS YOU TO THROW DOWN, BRO A wicked good time at the Midway Cafe BY DAN PECCI @DANPECCI Sake Toomey is a local burlesque producer, performer, and internet celebrity performing in the Hometown Brodown at the Midway Cafe in JP this Saturday. I got the chance to speak with her by phone about her upcoming St. Patrick’s Day spectacular, which promises to delight anyone who bleeds Dunkin’ Donuts coffee, can’t get enough of A Gronking to Remember, or believes that Ben Carr of the Mighty Mighty Bosstones would be their Harry Potter patronus. Thank you so much for making time to speak with me. I know you keep a busy schedule so it’s very much appreciated. Of course! I’m on vacation right now from my muggle job so I’m in a good headspace. Oh, great! Did you go anywhere? Yes, I’m in Disney World right now. Amazing! It sounds pretty crowded on your end of the line. Are you at the parks or something? No, at breakfast. One of those character buffets? I love it. So classic. Right? I mean, I just don’t get how anybody could say no to a buffet. Like, right now in front of me I have eggs Benedict, bread pudding, cheese blintzes, lox, biscuits, gravy, bacon, and a Mickey waffle. Sounds like you’re on vacation all right. I’m just living my best life, friend. Okay, before we get into it, am I allowed to refer to you by your legal name? Or I guess maybe I should call it your “muggle” name? Well, I do try to keep my muggle identity separate from the burlesque one. And muggle me is so boring so you’re better off just going by the cooler one. Okay, Sake Toomey it is, then. To be honest, Sake’s really not a character that I play, because she definitely is me. Maybe even more me than regular me, you know? How do you mean? Well, through being Sake, I really found my voice on social justice issues and body positivity—things a lot of my fans tend to follow me for. Well, those things and probably also for my outrageous sense of humor.
one, I was literally eating Asian food with my friends. So we threw out names like: Crab Rangboob? Egg Boob Young? Pad Thigh? A veritable buffet of character names. Right. But then “Sake Toomey” just came out. And that was just … I mean, too perfect. One of the best I’ve ever heard, to be honest. Hey, I do what I can. So your latest show at the Midway Cafe in Jamaica Plain is called Hometown Brodown: A Tribute to Beantown, and you describe it as—and I quote: “a drag, burlesque, and WTF?? ‘tribute’ to the city we call home.” That’s correct. Good job. Hey, I do what I can. Did you just wink over the phone? I might have just winked over the phone. Okay, don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone. Phew! Okay, so what kind of vibe should we expect at the show? So I’m going for a Comedy Central roast vibe. But like any good roast, it’s a loving satire for sure. If you liked those Bostonian sketches from SNL then you’ll probably love this show. I’ve lived here my whole life, and I’m super proud about where I’m from, but Boston’s not without its flaws. And I think we can all agree that the city’s #BostonStrong enough to stand some ribbing. The show’s on St. Patrick’s Day, too, no less. How apropos. Oh, I know what I’m doing. Mind you, I am also zero percent Irish, but that’s not going to stop me from throwing down and having a really great time. You’re also a founding and contributing editor of Burlesque Boston. Would you tell me more about that? Yes. Everybody should visit burlesqueboston.com to see what’s coming up for shows in the area. It’s a really great resource whether you’re a hardcore burlesque fan or someone looking to experience your first show ever.
Totally. You are so funny on social media. I suspect that you must get a lot of direct-message fan mail? Thank you! So when I’m not getting random dick pics I do get a lot of messages from seemingly wonderful people. This one person from Brazil, she wrote: “It’s so refreshing to see you put yourself out there with such confidence. You have a real body, you’re funny and smart and articulate. And it just inspires me to not be afraid to be myself.” And that’s like… wow. I would have never expected my antics to elicit that kind of response from a total stranger. Sounds like you might have a lot of responsibility then with your platform. Ugh, social media: It can be so, so terrible but then also so super great when you get notes like that. Out of curiosity, how did the name “Sake Toomey” come about? Well, once you get cast by a burlesque troupe, you need a name. And when I first got notice that I had been cast in >> HOMETOWN BRODOWN: A TRIBUTE TO BEANTOWN. 3.17. 9PM. THE MIDWAY CAFE, 3496 WASHINGTON ST., JAMAICA PLAIN. TICKETS $10 AND AVAILABLE ONLINE VIA MIDWAYCAFE.COM. 21+. 18
03.15.18 - 03.22.18 |
DIGBOSTON.COM
For the uninitiated, how would you describe a typical burlesque show? That’s probably a better question for a book on the topic, but I will say quickly that in my experience it’s about having a good time, being creative, being relaxed, expressing emotion, and also telling a story. There’s the classic idea of burlesque—like rhinestones and feathers and mirrors and whatnot—you know, glamour and elegance and sort of a throwback appeal. But then there are so many gradations within and beyond that, too, so while I don’t want to say it can be anything, it can really be anything. I dig that. I also like how calling something burlesque asks us to reconsider and then maybe also redefine what we consider to be “sexy.” Oh, for sure. How would you define “sexiness” when it comes to burlesque? I think a lot of it has to do with showing strength in your vulnerability, and in doing so reclaiming what is often used to shame you. Which maybe brings us back to the responsibility you hold as an inspirational public persona. I’m not going to say I’m an inspiration. Then I will for you! Did you just wink over the phone again? No, actually I had a frog in my throat. Sorry. Sure… sure… All right, this was a lot of fun. Thank you so much again for your time. Thank you! And likewise! Have fun at the parks! Oh, I don’t need any encouragement. Instead, please just imagine me taking off into the sky while streaming a magical trail of pixie glitter. Will do! Have a magical day! Byyyyyeeeee!!!!!
Break the chains queer dance party presents
MIRAH (yes *that* mirah)
Secret drum (members of !!!)
Join Cagen Luse of LunchTime ComiX for an
EVAN GREER (Will have a new album out!)
SATURDAY, APRIL 7 Tickets on sale now!
ARTIST RECEPTION In addition to the LunchTime ComiX "Joy and Pain" Opening Reception, there will be an interview of Artist Cagen Luse as part of Nina LaNegra's AiLi Live Performance Series plus:
THURSDAY, MARCH 15 Haley House Bakery Cafe 12 Dade St, Roxbury
*Presentation on MLK, Jr. Memorial in Boston by Ed Gaskins Grove Hall Main Streets *Screening & Discussion of short films on Harriet Tubman [it's her Birthday Month] *Open Mic
Gregory Csikos, CPA csikoscpa.com TAXATION ACCOUNTING PLANNING I’m a Boston-based CPA here to provide a full spectrum of accounting and tax services to meet the needs of individuals, small businesses, start-ups, and non-profit organizations. My clients get more than an experienced and dedicated accountant, they get a problem solver. I thrive on breaking down complex issues into practical steps, allowing you to focus your energies on what matters most to you. From helping you keep accurate books to the filing of your tax returns, I handle the numbers while you focus on handling your life. Call to find
out more at 857.636.1694 NEWS TO US
FEATURE
DEPT. OF COMMERCE
ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT
19
LAURA SEVERSE COMEDY
Meet the Dorchester mom rocking Boston comedy BY DENNIS MALER @DEADAIRDENNIS worried they’ll be offended by the jokes you tell people about them? They have seen me perform. In fact I did a show where I devoted an entire 10 minutes to my son’s circumcision. … while he was in the audience. I then did a reverse heckle and called him out for peeing all over the toilet. He loved it. Like any kid, or human, they like attention. So no, I’m not worried about how they’ll feel about my jokes. Comedy is a way of life in our household, and nothing is off the table. Have you ever used making a joke about your kids as a threat or punishment? No. But I have said, “I’m writing that one down. That’s gold. Thank you for my next three minutes, you moron.”
IMAGE VIA BOSTON COMEDY CHICKS Why did you get into comedy so late in life? I’ve always loved comedy. I was raised on Carlin and Pryor. My parents didn’t believe in censoring anything I read or watched, so I knew things I shouldn’t at a very young age. I started being actively funny in my teen years as a defense mechanism. Disarm and charm was my goal. And it worked. I was always the “funny friend,” and that just continued for years. In 2001, I took a stand-up class at the Boston Center for Adult Education. It was taught by Katie Grady, and our “graduation” was at the Comedy Studio. I remember being on that stage thinking, “This is where I belong, this is what I want to do, this is my calling.” I did really well that night. But I was terrified to do it again, and I had also just met my husband-to-be. Being madly in love with him and terrified of comedy was a bad combination, because I ended up just walking away. But I thought about it all the time. It got to the point where being funny for my friends just wasn’t enough. So four years ago a friend and I took another stand-up class at BCAE. This time the teacher was Dana J. Bein, and I fell in love with comedy all over again, and I stayed with it; the timing was right. I came into comedy older, wiser, slightly less scared, and 100 percent committed to seeing it through. Besides being a mother, a wife, and a comedian, what is it you do? I’m at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. To put it succinctly, I oversee the fiscal management of a departmental budget of $2.3 million and a $43.7 million majority federally funded research program. I manage nine people including two assistant directors, six research administrators, and one accounts payable person. I have an amazing team and am grateful for each and every one of them. … There are moments of utter silence and then bursts of activity and noise. We’re a hardworking, dedicated group. A lot of comedians who have “real” jobs worry about their job finding out about the comedy they do. Are you one of those people? Yes and no. It depends on who knows. Some colleagues and peers know. They’ve come to shows. I really don’t mind if people at my level or under me find out I do comedy. I’m more worried about the next level up of management finding out. Also, when I first started working there I 20
03.15.18 - 03.22.18 |
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contacted HR and explained I was a stand-up and asked what the rules were regarding that. They were very cool about it and said what I do outside of work is my business and so long as I didn’t name specific people in my set there was no issue. So I just don’t do that. … well, except for one specific joke, but I cleared it with that person and he’s seen me perform it and loves it, so it’s fine. I do have work jokes, but they are an amalgamation of my previous job and my current job. Unlike a lot of your peers, you have children. Do you think being a mother influences your comedy differently? Absolutely. There’s only a handful of parents on the scene in Boston, so there’s very little overlap or parallel thinking with the younger comics because I’m doing parent humor. The thing is, I never started out trying to be a mom comic. In fact, in the first two years I was doing comedy I barely mentioned my kids. They were young then and weren’t particularly amusing. As they get older they seem to be providing me with an endless supply of material. I’d be a fool not to take advantage of that. But I also work hard to have variety in my sets because I am many things. Being a parent is just one of those things. Does it change the way you interact with other comedians or how they interact with you? I think so. I think people are more respectful to me because I’m a mother. And I’m older than 95 percent of the people on the scene too. I think people have treated me with respect and kindness and patience. An example would be that if I’m late to a show, they know it’s not because I was goofing off but rather because I was dealing with some sort of child drama. I think people give me a lot of leeway, and I’m exceptionally grateful for that. I try my best to repay that by getting on their stage and giving them my very best. Have your kids grasped the concept that you’re a comedian? Oh yeah. They know. I’ve taken my son to open mics and shows. We also sit around the dinner table and tell jokes. My kids are both very funny although my youngest is shaping up to be a wicked hack. Your comedy is very personal. I know your kids aren’t old enough to see a show, but when they are, are you
How do you feel about your kids getting involved with performing? I have no issue with that. I 100 percent support my kids in whatever they want to do. I want them to do whatever will make them happy in life. If it’s in the arts, so be it. It will be a long, hard road, but I’m raising tough, smart kids who can and will do anything they want. I only want them to be well-rounded, gracious, hardworking, respectful humans who love their lives, give back, and make the most of the time they have on this Earth. How do you manage your time between work, kids, comedy? I have a small army of people I trust and rely on to help me out. From my parents to my babysitters to my parent friends, I have a network of people that will jump in and help out. I’m very lucky; everyone in my life is supportive of my comedy and understand when I say I have to go. I can drop my son off at football practice and there are 10 parents there that will take care of him. … I have a husband who supports my comedy goals and parents alongside me. He takes up a lot of the slack. I will say this, though: I am very tired, and things do fall by the wayside. I haven’t had my hair done in four months. I need to work on making more time for myself. How does Boston Comedy Chicks fit into your schedule? BCC is run by women, and the majority of us have children, so there’s a ton of flexibility and understanding. We all pitch in and help each other out. If one person can’t do something, someone else will pick it up. We expanded our producing team this year; that has been a godsend. What are the things that get the most preferential treatment in your life? Husband, kids, comedy. Then everything else. Does your husband have a hobby, or passion similar to you and comedy? He loves to play pool, he’s a huge sports guy, he’s a reader, he’s big into music, crossword puzzles. He’s also a web developer/computer geek, and he loves his job, so it’s not unusual for him to be on his laptop well into the night. Does he have a driving force in him like I do with comedy? I would say his No. 1 priority is us, me and the kids. He’s an incredible human being. I’m very lucky. Check out one of Laura’s upcoming shows: March 16 at Gallery 263, March 18 at Meadhall, April 4 at 730 Tavern, April 8 at the Boston Comedy Chicks Showcase at Doyle’s, and April 19–22 during the Women in Comedy Festival. For more info about these shows and other comedy shows in the area, be sure to visit bostoncomedyshows. com.
NEWS TO US
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GROUPTHINK SAVAGE LOVE
BY DAN SAVAGE @FAKEDANSAVAGE | MAIL@SAVAGELOVE.NET
My boyfriend of 1.5 years shared (several months into dating) that he has a fantasy of having a threesome. I shared that I had also fantasized about this but I never took my fantasies seriously. Right away, he started sending me Craigslist posts from women and couples looking for casual sex partners. I told him I wasn’t interested in doing anything for real. A few months later, we went on vacation and I said I wanted to get a massage. He found a place that did “sensual” couples massage. I wanted nothing to do with this. During sex, he talks about the idea of someone else being around. This does turn me on and I like thinking about it when we are messing around. But I don’t want to have any other partners. I’m like a mashup of Jessica Day, Leslie Knope, and Liz Lemon if that gives you an idea of how not-for-me this all is. When I say no to one idea, he comes up with another one. I would truly appreciate some advice. Boyfriend Into Group Sex I’m Not Short answer: Sexual compatibility is important. It’s particularly important in a sexually-exclusive relationship. You want a sexually-exclusive relationship; your boyfriend doesn’t want a sexually-exclusive relationship—so you two aren’t sexually compatible, BIGSIN, and you should break up. Slightly longer answer: Your boyfriend did the right thing by laying his kink cards on the table early in the relationship—he’s into threesomes, group sex, and public sex—and you copped to having fantasies about threesomes, BIGSIN, but not a desire to experience one. He took that as an opening: maybe if he could find the right person/couple/ scenario/club, you would change your mind. Further fueling his false hopes: you get turned on when he talks about having “someone else around” when you two have sex. Now lots of people who very much enjoy threesomes and/ or group sex were unsure or hesitant at first, but gave in to please (or shut up) a partner, and wound up being glad they did. If you’re certain you could never be one of those people—reluctant at first but happy your partner pressed the issue—you need to shut this shit down, Liz Lemon style. Tell him no more dirty talking about this shit during sex, no more entertaining the idea at all. Being with you means giving up this fantasy, BIGSIN, and if he’s not willing to give it up—and to shut up about it—then you’ll have to break up. On the Lovecast—A sexy toy review that will send you packing: savagelovecast.com.
COMEDY EVENTS THU 03.15
COLIN QUINN: ONE IN EVERY CROWD @ THE WILBUR From the old MTV days to SNL to Comedy Central to Broadway, CQ is apparently refusing to leave the business. So if you enjoyed his other one man shows, or you just are at a place in your life where you are lost & you need intelligent laughs, come see his new show One In Every Crowd.
246 TREMONT ST., BOSTON | 7:30PM | $27-$35 THU 03.15
CASTLE OF COMEDY @ ARTS AT THE ARMORY
Featuring: Jere Pilapil, Tawanda Gona, Ricardo Perez, Srilatha Rajamani, Nick Chambers, Xazmin Garza, & Sam Ike. Hosted by Etrane Martinez
191 HIGHLAND AVE., SOMERVILLE | 9PM | FREE FRI 03.16
ADAM RAY @ LAUGH BOSTON
Adam Ray most recently joined the cast of the newly rebooted MADtv for the CW & just wrapped production on The Joey Mac Project where he plays Joey Mac’s manager. Adam is known as the bad guy opposite Sandra Bullock & Melissa McCarthy in Paul Feig’s buddy cop comedy THE HEAT, from McCarthy’s SPY, & Paul Feig’s reboot of GHOSTBUSTERS in which he voices the iconic character of Slimer.
425 SUMMER ST., BOSTON | 8 & 10PM | $20-$25 FRI 03.16
OFF-MIC @ GALLERY 263
Featuring: Dan Boulger, Nick Chambers, Joe Medoff, Laura Severse, Sam Ike, Katie McCarthy, & Etrane Martinez. Hosted by Chris Post & Ryan Chani
263 PEARL ST., CAMBRIDGE | 8PM | $10 FRI 03.16 - SAT 03.17
JOHN PERROTTA @ NICK’S COMEDY STOP
This career RI Department of Corrections Officer works at the ACI by day & on the comedy stage by night. John Perrotta uses very little prepared comedy material. John’s act is the audience & his stage is right at your table. John’s rapid fire comedy has been a crowd favorite & John remains one of the most requested comedians for birthday, bachelor parties & other events in RI.
100 WARRENTON ST., BOSTON | 8PM | $20 SAT 03.17
THE BAD BAD SHOW @ STUDIO 52
Featuring: Etrane Martinez, Zenobia Del Mar, Chris Post, Dylan Krasinski, Carrie Ross, Dylan Uscher, Val Kappa, & Dave Robinson. Hosted by Brandon Vallee & Killian McAssey
52 EVERETT ST., ALLSTON | 7PM | $5 MON 03.19
COMEDY NIGHT IN THE SUPPER CLUB @ CAPO Featuring: Al Park, & Xazmin Garza. Hosted by Will Noonan
443 WEST BROADWAY, BOSTON | 7PM | FREE MON 03.19
LAUGHTER ON TAP @ MEADHALL savagelovecast.com
Featuring: Laura Severse, Alex Giampapa, Vally D., Robert Pooley, Erin Spencer, & Will Martin. Hosted by Kristin Carnes & Kathleen DeMarle
4 CAMBRIDGE CTR., CAMBRIDGE | 8PM | FREE WED 03.14
LIMELIGHT COMEDY CLUB @ LIMELIGHT STAGE & STUDIO
Featuring: Rob Crean, Nick Ortolani, Kwasi Mensah, Pamela Ross, Kindra Lansburg, & Kathleen DeMarle. Hosted by Terence Pennington & Elisha Seigel
204 TREMONT ST., BOSTON | 7:30PM | FREE 22
03.15.18 - 03.22.18 |
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Lineup & shows to change without notice. For more shows & info visit BostonComedyShows.com
WHAT'S FOR BREAKFAST BY PATT KELLEY PATTKELLEY.COM
HEADLINING THIS WEEK!
Adam Ray
Spy, The Heat, Ghostbusters Thursday - Saturday
COMING SOON Chris Franjola
Netflix, Chelsea Lately Mar 22-24
Kurt Braunohler
Netflix’s Lady Dynamite, Comedy Central Mar 30+31
THE WAY WE WEREN’T BY PAT FALCO ILLFALCO.COM
Jon Stetson
America’s Master Mentalist Special Engagement: Sat, Mar 31
Jimmy O. Yang
HBO’s Silicon Valley Special Engagement: Sun, Apr 8
OUR VALUED CUSTOMERS BY TIM CHAMBERLAIN OURVC.NET
Ben Gleib
Idiotest, Chelsea Lately Apr 12-14
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