Jazz – Salem Happenings

Rock Out at Somerville PorchFest 2016

My friend Bill’s birthday is tomorrow, and Bill, much like myself, has an eclectic taste in music. In fact, I have to admit that you would be hard-pressed to find a list of songs that Bill and I didn’t like (there are definitely some out there, but they are few and far between.) As a result, I’m sure if Bill was still living on the East Coast, he would definitely be up for checking out a music festival in the area this weekend, and if you’re looking for a way to get outside and enjoy a wide assortment of different music yourself, PorchFest may be the event for you. This is because PorchFest, which is scheduled to take place from 12:00 P.M. to 6:00 P.M. tomorrow (Saturday, May 21, 2016), is an annual event sponsored by the Somerville Arts Council that features a collection of independent musicians and bands playing from porches throughout the City of Somerville. This event will feature virtually every kind of music, including alternative, Americana, blues, bluegrass, classical, country, dance, disco, folk, funk, gospel, jazz, hip hop, metal, pop, punk, rap, reggae, rock, show tunes, ska, techno, traditional music from around the world, and pretty much every other type of music you can think of. Best of all, the event is completely free and open to everyone, so you can hear a ton of good music without breaking the bank. For more information on PorchFest 2016, including a map detailing where to find each band, please visit the Somerville Arts Council’s website.

Photo via VisualHunt

Boston’s Alive with the Sound of Music

You may hear people saying may day today, but there’s no reason to panic. They’re not talking about a potential crash. They’re talking about the age-old celebration of the warm weather and all the things that warmth brings to the world around us. In fact, the only crash you will probably have to worry about this weekend is the crash on your couch after you check out all of the music and merrymaking that’s happening in the Boston area.

First, what do you get when you combine an improvisational comedy troupe in the style of “Whose Line Is It Anyway” with a Musical? Well, you would probably get something along the lines of Boston’s Unscripted Musical Project. Boston’s Unscripted Musical Project, or B.U.M.P. for short, is an improvisational musical performed at 8:00 P.M. on the first and third Friday of every month at the Catalyst Comedy Club on Melcher Street in Boston. This show will allow you and your fellow audience members to suggest a title for the show that the cast will then use to create a unique set of characters and songs on the fly. There’s no rehearsing, no script, and virtually no rules, so the only guarantee is that most of the audience will be laughing. For more information on B.U.M.P, please visit the Catalyst Comedy Club’s Website.

Secondly, if you’re a big fan of jazz and you’re looking for something that may be a little more rehearsed, you may want to check out all of the festivities surrounding Jazz Week. Jazz Week, which takes place at a number of locations throughout Boston, is a weeklong jazz festival that ends this Sunday. This festival will give you the chance to see over 200 live performances by jazz musicians from around the world, and most of these performances are completely free. For more information on Jazz Week, including where each performance is, please visit Jazz Boston’s Jazz Week page.

Finally, if you’ve always been a fan of 80’s movies and you love the idea of going to a musical, but you’re looking for something a little more scripted than B.U.M.P., you may want to check out the Emerson Colonial Theatre. This is because Dirty Dancing: The Classic Story on Stage is playing at the Emerson Colonial Theatre from now until May 10, 2015. This show features almost all of the hit songs from the classic movie and a number of special effects that are beyond anything you’ve probably seen in a stage production before. For more information on the show and/or to order tickets, please visit the Broadway in Boston website.

Photo credit: raphaelstrada / Source / CC BY

Massachusetts Tax-Free Weekend

It may have been Benjamin Franklin that once said that “in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes”, but he certainly wasn’t alone in the sentiment. In fact, Christopher Bullock, Daniel Defoe, Edward Ward, Mark Twain, Dorothy Parker, Margaret Mitchell, and a slew of other famous authors have expressed the same rather depressing idea that life may be uncertain, but you’re pretty much stuck paying taxes until you die (and many of them said it before Franklin.) However, if you’re in Massachusetts this weekend, where Franklin’s quote could be the state motto, you may be in luck because this weekend is actually Massachusetts’ Tax Free Weekend. As a result, you can now go out and enjoy all of the big box stores and all of the little shops that Massachusetts has to offer without giving 6.25% to the tax man. Even better still, there are a number of local festivals this weekend that will allow you to enjoy food, music, and more as you take full advantage of the lack of sales tax.

First, if you’ve been dying to spend some time by the water, Gloucester has a festival this weekend that you won’t want to miss. This is because the 33rd Annual Gloucester Waterfront Festival is this Saturday (August 16, 2014) and Sunday (August 17, 2014) from 9:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M. The Waterfront Festival, which is located at Stage Fort Park in Gloucester, will feature a pancake breakfast, over 175 artists and craftsmen, food, music, an antique car show, and more. Best of all, the event is completely free (until you buy stuff from the vendors.) For more information on the 33rd Annual Gloucester Waterfront Festival, please visit the Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce website or the Waterfront Festivals website.

Secondly, if you’ve always been a big fan of jazz, soul, and rock and roll, Salem, MA is definitely the place to be this weekend. This is because the Salem Jazz and Soul Festival is this Saturday (August 16, 2014) and Sunday (August 17, 2014) from 11:00 A.M. to 7:15 P.M. This festival, which is scheduled to take place at the Salem Willows, will feature artists; a beer garden; a tent with activities and games for kids; music education classes; and, of course, live music from over 10 bands that are extremely skilled in jazz, soul, rock, funk, swing, and more. For more information on the Salem Jazz and Soul Festival, which is completely free (again, until you buy stuff from the vendors), please visit the Salem Jazz and Soul Festival website.

Finally, if you have a young girl between the ages of 8 and 17 who loves music or you really just like seeing little girls rock out, you may want to check out the Girls Rock Campaign Boston performance at the Brighton Music Hall tomorrow (Saturday, August 16, 2014.) The Girls Rock Campaign Boston is a volunteer summer program that gives girls between the ages of 8 and 17 a chance to form their own band, write their own music, learn to rock their favorite instrument, and more. In fact, the girls not only form their own band and learn everything they need to strut their stuff, but also get the opportunity to perform in front of a live audience at the end of the program. The show tomorrow, as you might have guessed, is that opportunity and it can be a lot of fun to see what these kids and teens can really do. For more information on the Girls Rock Campaign Boston program, please visit the Girls Rock Boston website, and if you would like to order tickets to the performance, please visit Ticketmaster.

Photo credit: DonkeyHotey / Foter / Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)