One Night Band

It’s almost time for one of the most entertaining music benefits of every year, One Night Band, which will go down on Saturday, Jan 11, and, as always, is “a day-long music experiment in which 40 Boston musicians are randomly shuffled into bands of five on a Saturday morning” and made “to write 3 original songs and prepare one cover to play in front of an audience that night, with proceeds benefiting Zumix, an amazing music education nonprofit in Boston.” It’s a sight to be heard; here’s the latest update from its social media, where it is highlighting all of the participants individually:

The 40 musicians taking part in One Night Band represent a diverse cross section of what’s currently going on in Boston. We’ve got indie veterans, hip hop upstarts, metal giants, and everything in between. It’s important to note that they all donate their time and talent for the day to help spread the word about ZUMIX.

Eat with Shug

If you have yet to check out Rhythm ’n Wraps at 1096 Comm Ave in Packard’s Corner, the unique spot bills itself as having a “culinary vibe” and being “committed to offering nutritious, full flavored, off the chart bangers that leave your mouth dancing and taste buds on standing ovation.” The vision of music industry veteran Aaron Cohen, who started with a food truck in 2013, the spot aims to pay literal lip service to great music while serving fresh and nutritious bites. 

Local golden-era hip-hop heads may know Rhythm ’n Wraps from last October, when the restaurant had its own GURU Day in honor of the Roxbury-bred rap icon who passed in 2010. With GURU back in headlines on the strength of his outstanding posthumous Gang Starr reunion with DJ Premier, the wrappers are once again welcoming the rap community, this time on Dec 8 from 2 to 6 pm to grub with DJ Nestle Quick and Gang Starr Foundation member (and Mattapan native) Big Shug. Grab a sandwich, enjoy passed apps, and be sure to get a signed copy of Shug’s latest, The Diamond Report.

They are Boston

Some seriously sizzling new videos came out of Mass this past week, starting with “Too Much” by HighKeyRandom. A locally shot ride in the whip type of outing with a supremely catchy hook and theme—he’s got too much awesome shit, to the point that it’s a burden—the track, like its bedazzled video accompaniment, is a punchy tongue-in-cheek pledge to excess that’s slightly reminiscent of ancient No Limit offerings but most definitely rooted in the Hub’s contemporary trap realm.

Also on rotation at Dig headquarters: “She Is Boston” by Nancia, Red Shaydez, Brandie Blaze, and Lord Ju, and Blaze’s latest solo ringer, “Model,” which was filmed at the Dorchester Art Project and packs cameos from several Hub artists, including Genie Santiago. Both directed by Jay Hunt of Smoke House Media, they’re back-to-back proud Boston bangers with enough fuel to power the region through the winter and spring until we get the next crop of summer anthems. To quote Red Shaydez, “Poppin’ in every neighborhood / Man I wish a hater would / It’s Beantown, don’t have no three out unless I say you could.”