Category Archives: the week in awesome

Re-Elect Senator John
the week in awesome

the week in awesome : september 30

This week in Boston is going to be like none previous. If you live within Amtrak range you should maybe think real hard about ditching work this week. Or at least Friday. If you live here, you’re one of the luckiest kids on Earth.

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 30 : BEAT IT RUMMY

Yours truly joins the kids at JM Curley’s, Narragansett, and Sailor Jerry rum for a straight up fun Sunday night party with cocktails, beers, hollering, and pizza. Bartenders will compete in teams of two to create cocktails on the fly given inspirations of genre and time period, and I’ll be improvising music right alongside to keep their minds and arms in motion.

Last time I checked, rum, beer, pizza and loud fun music means dance party. Admission is free and the bar is otherwise closed, so bring a couple friends and come on down for a Sunday Funday like old times.

Details/RSVP on Facebook: Beat It Rummy

MONDAY OCTOBER 1 : RE-ELECT SENATOR JOHN

One of my favorite nights in town, Spin The Bottle, has asked me to return for the first time since opening the six-month old DJ series this spring. Since it’s election season, it’s time to Re-Elect Senator John.

I’ll be spinning music to sway your heart and mind, paired with a full platform of beverages to keep you informed on the issues of the day.

PLUS: Bring along a USB thumb drive and you can receive a government handout of your own – my fall 2011 mixtape magnum opus “the roar of invisible jets” – six 45-minute cassette sides in iTunes playlist format for your listening pleasure. Ask nicely and have disk space and I might even include recordings of the last night of WFNX.

Details/RSVP and the drink list is on Facebook: Re-Elect Senator John at Spin The Bottle

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 3 : SPEED RACK BOSTON

The Boston Cocktail Summit is bringing some of nightlife’s most entertaining people to town for a series of events and seminars. If you want to get an early start on the fun, the party you seek is Speed Rack.

Fifteen lady bartenders compete in timed trials to see who can make drinks fastest and most accurately in a few short rounds of competition. $20 gets you in the door for tons of great drinks and delicious food from local restaurants including Trina’s Starlite Lounge. Best of all, the proceeds go directly to breast cancer research, education and prevention.

Details/RSVP: Speed Rack Boston!; tickets on Eventbrite: Speed Rack Boston

THURSDAY OCTOBER 4 : THE THING

The unofficial welcome bash for the Boston Cocktail Summit is at Locke-Ober this Thursday night at 9pm.

Seriously, this going to be an amazing party: an incredible roster of Boston’s most talented bartenders, a killer DJ, and gorgeous rooms filled with great people dressed up for drinks and dancing in one of the oldest private clubs in the city.

The full story is here: The Thing at Locke-Ober

Tickets are available via Eventbrite: tickets to The Thing

Honestly it’s going to be pretty incredible. #thething

THURSDAY-SATURDAY OCTOBER 4-6 : THE BOSTON COCKTAIL SUMMIT

All this Locke-Ober fun wouldn’t be happening without the Boston Cocktail Summit, happening all over the city this coming weekend. Check their site for a full lineup of events and seminars centered on cocktails and the culture surrounding them.

For those interested, check out a Google+ “Happy Hour Hangout” I did with Sean Frederick of Citizen Public House and Oyster bar. It’s a lo-fi cocktail cooking show sort of thing you’ll be seeing more of in the future.

Happy Hour Hangout with Boston Cocktail Summit and Sean Frederick

For more information, a full schedule, and tickets check out Boston Cocktail Summit, or follow along with the fun on twitter @CocktailSummit

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the week in awesome

the week in awesome : august 13

The next few days are packed with possibilities for fun, particularly the booze and music kind. It all starts tonight!

MONDAY AUGUST 13 : SPIN THE BOTTLE WITH COUSIN RYAN

You may already be familiar with ‘My Dad, Your Drunken Uncle’, a music & video series curated by yours truly and my cousin Ryan. Monday night, Cousin Ryan (also a cocktail lover of the highest order) steps up to the decks at Brick & Mortar to spin three theme sets each paired with drink offerings.

Details/RSVP on Facebook: Spin The Bottle with DJ Rycon

TUESDAY & WEDNESDAY AUGUST 14 & 15 : BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN

Some millionaire from New Jersey is going to show up at Fenway and play a bunch of songs about girls and sadness and cars and being a working-class guy and we are all going to love it.

Tickets available through etix: Bruce Springsteen at Fenway Park

THURSDAY AUGUST 16 EARLY : RADIOBDC LAUNCH PARTY

I’m typing this up while listening online to Boston.com’s new streaming radio station, RadioBDC. It’s been three hours and I’m pretty damned psyched about it both as a listener and friend of the former WFNX folk behind the new project.

Thursday night, they’re throwing a party to celebrate their launch at the Paradise. The BDC crew will in be attendance along with a performance from special guest and Boston rock legend Kay Hanley.

Details/RSVP at Eventbrite via Boston.com: RadioBDC Launch Party

THURSDAY AUGUST 16 LATE : MISTER DIPLOMAT

The original event listing is here, but here’s the gist:

I’ll be joining MISTER DIPLOMAT onstage as a “guest monologist”, which for those of you not neck-deep in improv theater means I’ll be telling a true story, chosen in the moment by audience suggestion, from which the actors in M.D. will create scenes that weave together into a larger story, intertwined with my own. It’s pretty awesome when it works and fun to watch the narrative parts assemble on the fly. Plus, you know, I’m gonna tell some weird story.

Details and tickets available online: Harold Night @ Improv Boston

SATURDAY AUGUST 18 : FUTURES AT FENWAY

Once a year, Fenway Park transforms into a minor league ballpark for a family-priced doubleheader featuring spinning bat races, sound effects, and mascot races. This year has an added twist: Futures will feature a Star Wars theme, complete with costumed characters and free lightsabers for the first 1,000 kids to visit Kid Nation booths inside the park.

Meanwhile yours truly is making a return to what was one of the first regular events I ever worked at Fenway Park. The doubleheader often serves as a wonderful opportunity to try out tunes in front of a live audience before they reach the major league crowd.

In short: Chewbacca, indie rock, frisbee dogs, and free lightsabers; seriously, beat that for an afternoon at the ballpark.

Details & tickets at redsox.com

SUNDAY AUGUST 19, DAY : FORD LINCOLN MERCURY DAY

Most folks don’t know I’m kind of a nut for old cars. Not exactly a rare condition for your average American, but I actually spent ten years tracking down my dream car back when I had a normal day job.

This Sunday morning, the 1967 Ford Galaxie 500 XL Convertible and I will be at the Larz Anderson Auto Museum in Brookline for Ford Lincoln Mercury Day on the lawn. Behind the museum are the grounds of the former estate, which make a wonderful Sunday stop, and the weather forecast looks great.

You can find more information (and preregister if you like) at the Larz Anderson museum: Ford Lincoln Mercury Day

SUNDAY AUGUST 19, NIGHT : THE PEOPLE’S KARAOKE

We’ve started a new night at the Hong Kong in Harvard Square. The combination of classic tiki cocktails, Chinese food, and karaoke makes for instant hilarity and good times. Come join us Sunday night at 10pm for some late night merriment before the entirely of the Harvard student body swarms over us in the fall. Yours truly is hosting!

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MONDAY AUGUST 20 : APPLETON ESTATE REMIXOLOGY

Appleton Estate Rum’s Remixology competition returns to Boston, this year downtown at Julep. Five local bartenders create original cocktails with a musical theme, and must mix and serve their drinks scored by chosen soundtrack and a panel of cocktail judges who vote to determine who continues to the finals in September.

It’s a big wild silly cocktail party with loud music and good booze. Yours truly is spinning all night, and last year Sean Frederick wore tearaway pants and blew the room away. I’m not 100% sure on the RSVP situation, but I think you can basically just show up for the fun. I’ll update once I have details.

For a list of Boston’s finalists and their cocktails, visit Appleton Reserve Remixology

…

The next week is full of red squares as the Sox take on the Royals and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, California, United States, North America, Planet Earth. Meanwhile, there’s gonna be a singing party on a boat.

SUNDAY AUGUST 26 : BLT BATTLE AT SEA

This spring The People’s Karaoke teamed up with Eat Boston for an afternoon karaoke booze cruise to cap off the 2011 Boston Bacon & Beer Festival. Sunday August 26th we’re putting the band back together with a parade of local delights: Staff Meal, Trina’s Starlite Lounge, Roxy’s Grilled Cheese,

Details/tickets available at BLT Battle At Sea

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the week in awesome

the week in awesome : july 23

A slightly abbreviated off week for those in the Boston area, but no less packed with events that promise good times with great people.

TUESDAY JULY 24 EARLY : MEET RADIOBDC

Your friends formerly of Boston’s greatest alternative radio station WFNX are throwing a warmup party for the new enterprise: @RadioBDC, streaming live online at Boston.com. The launch is rumored to take place in the next 2-3 weeks (as soon as their brand-new studio is built out) so come say hello, have a pint, and talk with the voices you’ve missed Tuesday at the Landsdowne Pub by Fenway Park.

Details/RSVP on Eventbrite: http://meetradiobdc.eventbrite.com/

TUESDAY JULY 24 LATER : MY DAD, YOUR DRUNKEN UNCLE

You can check out the full rundown on the events page, but here’s the skinny.

Cousin Ryan and I will be spinning early rock, surf, british invasion, classic rock, psychedelica and 80′s in a far-ranging tribute to the music our respective dads made us listen to as kids. Our music provides the score to the family treasure, a digitized archive of color 16mm home movies dating from the late 1930′s to the early 1970′s, including such occasionally-narrated highlights as Machete Cake:

The fun starts at 9 and goes until closing. It just so happens that this Tuesday is my dad’s actual birthday, and those who come early may get to meet the boy with the machete himself along with some more of our deeply entertaining extended family.

Details/RSVP on Facebook: My Dad, Your Drunken Uncle at The Independent

WEDNESDAY JULY 25 : POP-UP WINE TASTING WITH 90+ CELLARS

Wednesday night yours truly is spinning from 6-9pm at the Boston Wine School for a 90+ Cellars tasting. $25 gets you in for tons of wine and excellent music featuring cuts from what I will baselessly claim is the city’s largest private library of clean hiphop along with favorites from every other kind of music you can imagine. A portion of every ticket sold goes to benefit the Greater Boston Food Bank.

Details/RSVP/tix on Facebook: Pop-Up Tasting Room at the Boston Wine School

THURSDAY JULY 26 : TALES OF THE COCKTAIL in New Orleans, LA

Yours truly departs for 48 hours of cocktails and fun in murderous humidity at Tales Of The Cocktail in New Orleans. onthebar is starting to partner more and more with conventions and liquor events so at last after two years of interest but conflicted scheduling, I finally get to make my rookie appearance at the largest liquor industry convocation of the year. It should be a great time. Tales from Tales when I get back.

SUNDAY JULY 29 : THE PEOPLE’S KARAOKE at the Hong Kong Harvard Square

Last night was our second outing at the new spot, and so far the vibe has been completely excellent. The drinks are giant and quite reasonably priced, and you can order Chinese food from downstairs while hanging out and singing along with your karaoke favorites. I’ll be arriving by from New York on the return leg from New Orleans to join the show in progress and bathe in their AC and Fog Cutters after two days of 100% humidity and craft cocktails.

Music, wine, booze, and singing with friends makes for a good week. The Sox return Monday.

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the week in awesome

this week in awesome : july 9

As usual, a midsummer week with the Sox out of town has a lot going on. If you’re in the city and looking for the kind of fun with good drinks, great people, and excellent music check out the would-be calendar:

MONDAY JULY 9 : SPIN THE BOTTLE with Garrett Harker

The Master Blaster of Harkertown makes a rare PRC appearance at Brick & Mortar in Central Square as the latest host/DJ in their Monday night “Spin The Bottle” series. From 9:30-closing, the man behind Eastern Standard, Island Creek Oyster Bar, and The Hawthorne will unearth the treasures of his musical collection – or just play dance music for the enthusiastic and gorgeous. The bar features his personally selected cocktail list. I’m looking forward to it.

Details/RSVP on Facebook: Spin The Bottle welcomes the Sweet Stylings of Garrett Harker

WEDNESDAY JULY 11: THE PEOPLE’S KARAOKE at Highland Kitchen

If you’ve never been before, you should immediately cancel all other commitments. If you’ve been to our nights at Highland before, I don’t need to explain. Join Ed McNamara and I for good times, friendship, and voices raised in song. I’ll say your name and make awkward jokes, he’ll work your mix and make you sound beautiful. We start at 10pm.

THURSDAY JULY 12: TJ PLAYS SONGS JOSH CHILDS WILL LIKE at Trina’s Starlite Lounge

You can look back and check out the earlier events post here, but in short I’ll be spinning tons of near-obscurities and pop eclectica from 9pm to closing at Starlite. Shazam your new favorites all you want, but you’re probably better off saving battery power and just asking what’s on. It’s a fun low-key summer night with friends and cocktails, and occasionally it becomes a full-house dance party if the mood is right.

Details/RSVP (or don’t, whatever) on Facebook: TJ Plays Songs Josh Childs Will Like; You Can Come Too.

FRIDAY + SATURDAY JULY 13-14: HOPE NUMBER NINE

The fun capades make a trip to New York City for the biannual conference of people I talked to very slowly over a computer and a device called a “phone line” in my youth. HOPE is the Hackers On Planet Earth conference, held at the Hotel Pennsylvania and also the terrible Irish bar across the street.

It’s sort of like a reunion for all the people you remember wearing black t-shirts, pogoing around to They Might Be Giants, and rarely playing lacrosse in high school. Except most of us still talk all the time using an ancient internet science called irc.

I think it will be quite fun, though perhaps daunting to outsiders. HOPE Number Nine.

SUNDAY JULY 15: THE BIG PARTY at Eastern Standard Kitchen & Drinks

Meet and greet with the art elite! Graham Wright’s Opus Affair takes over Boston’s finest record store and rock club turned restaurant and hotel bar Sunday Afternoon for a first-ever event they can only call The Big Party. One $75 ticket gets you into a Gatsby-style 1920′s garden party with food, drinks, games, prizes, entertainment, music, and much more. At this time I will not confirm the rumor of an unofficial People’s Karaoke afterparty at an undisclosed Chinese restaurant to be named later.

Details & tickets: The Big Party

Looks like a great week. The Sox return Monday.

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