From the Snowbound Fest to THANGsgiving (yes, that’s how it is spelled)
THU 11.18 – SUN 11.21
slope show
Snowbound Festival
“The Snowbound Festivals are premium, multi-sensory, immersive experiences that serve as the official kick off for winter and a cultural moment that brings the entire industry and community together to celebrate our collective excitement about the coming season. They are the ultimate destination for the latest products, legendary athletes, top resorts, film premiers, shopping, music, art, food, and the biggest brands, while also being inclusive, community focused experiences where memories are made, families are brought together, old friends are reunited, and new friendships are forged.”
[Hynes Convention Center, 900 Boylston St., Boston. snowboundfest.com/festivals]
FRI 11.19
porch jam
The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band
“Two time BMA nominee’s The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band are the greatest front-porch blues band in the world. They are led by Reverend Peyton, who most consider to be the premier finger picker playing today. He has earned a reputation as both a singularly compelling performer and a persuasive evangelist for the rootsy, country blues styles that captured his imagination early in life and inspired him and his band to make pilgrimages to Clarksdale, Mississippi to study under such blues masters as T-Model Ford, Robert Belfour and David ‘Honeyboy’ Edwards. Now The Big Damn Band is back with a new record, Dance Songs For Hard Times, that debuted at #1 on the Billboard and iTunes Blues Charts and was produced by Vance Powell (Jack White, Chris Stapleton). The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band will be supporting ZZ Top on tour this fall.”
[The Porch Southern Fare and Juke Joint, 175 Rivers Edge Dr., Medford. 10pm/$20-$25. theporchsouthern.com]
FRI 11.19
free pass
Alejandra Cuadra Sanchez’ Pasajes de Pertenecer
“Alejandra Cuadra Sanchez’s exhibition Pasajes de Pertenecer, or Passages of Belonging, contemplates the process of creating a sense of belonging and a place to call home, as the artist aims to find ways of redefining her own sense of belonging and freedom. Embracing clay, steel, wood, mixed media, and sensibility she weaves, braids, and knots together her history—what was, what is, and what is to come. Feeling neither here nor there, Cuadra re-connects to her roots in Peru using the language of craft in hopes of discovering an unknown home as she dwells in a space with barriers to belonging.”
[Boston Sculptors Gallery, 486 Harrison Ave., Boston. First Friday Reception November 5, 5 – 8:30pm Gallery Hours Wed – Sun 11am – 5pm & by appointment. bostonsculptors.com]
FRI 11.19 – SUN 11.21
puns & roses
GTFO: Paradise City Arts Festival
“Paradise City’s show in Marlborough, Massachusetts, the weekend before Thanksgiving, has been New England’s ‘kick off the holidays’ tradition for more than twenty years. A highly selective, beautifully curated showcase for 175 of the finest of independent American artists and makers, this event is a “must-see” for lovers of the arts in the Greater Boston region and beyond. Recommended by the Boston Globe, the New York Times, and many other publications, Paradise City Marlborough is a treasure-trove of gift ideas, one-of-a-kind home furnishings, fashion, jewelry and fine art.”
[Best Western Royal Plaza Hotel & Trade Center, 181 Boston Post Rd. W, Marlborough. $8 – $14/10am – 5pm. festivals.paradisecityarts.com/shows/marlborough-november-show]
TUE 11.23
folk yeah
Roots & Revival In New England Folk Music
“Between 1959 and 1968, New England saw a folk revival emerge in more than fifty clubs and coffeehouses; a revolution led by college dropouts, young bohemians, and lovers of traditional music. From Club 47 in Harvard Square to candlelit venues in Amherst, musicians and audiences alike embraced folk music and progressive ideals. While the Folk Revival was short-lived, the youthful attention that it spurred played a crucial role in the emerging civil rights, world peace, and back-to-the-land movements. I Believe I’ll Go Back Home author Thomas Curren traces a direct line from Yankee revolutionaries and nineteenth-century pacifists to the emergence of blues and rock ‘n’ roll, ultimately landing at the period of the folk revival.”
[Mass Historical Society, 1154 Boylston St., Boston. 5:30pm/free. masshist.org/events]
FRI 11.26
war on xmas warmup
THANGsgiving 2021 Cold Turkey Edition
“Come for the performances, stay for the (totally optional) participation (more workshoppy, with more chances to bust right through the fourth wall and boogie or learn).” Featuring: dei xhrist, molly hess, mary teuscher, duane ingalls, ej hampson, joe brown, karen klein, sean murphy, cassandre j charles, mary carlton swope, walter wright, mirror void industries (shereen salem, james krendel-clark), rachel roccoberton, paul kafka-gibbons, andy taylor-blenis, joanie block, lynn frederiksen, paul kafka-gibbons, karen klein, julie leavitt, eliza mallouk & vicky steinitz, joe burgio, paul kafka-gibbons asking, robert perkins.”
[Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Somerville. 10am – 4pm/free/all ages. Thangthang.org]
THU 12.2
pounding fathers
Independence Pub Crawl
“Let Boston Crawling show you Boston in the most exciting way possible — a good old-fashioned pub crawl! Come along and learn about the birthplace of a city and a country, and hear how it all started in a bar. Visit four historic taverns. Learn about the influence of beer on famous American events, such as the landing on Plymouth Rock and the Boston Massacre. Enjoy local Boston beers you can’t find anywhere else. Let our expert guides entertain you with tales of Boston’s secret history while you crawl from bar to bar along the historic Freedom Trail.”
[Sam Adams Statue at Faneuil Hall, 6 Faneuil Hall Sq., Boston. 7pm (or other dates and times available)/$39.99 – 64.99/21+. bostoncrawling.com]
THROUGH 12.19
nine by four
The Importance of Being Earnest
“Four actors take on nine characters for 15 nights of high octane fun with Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest! Join us for this meta-comedy as some of Apollinaire’s favorite actors bring you on their wild ride through this Wilde production. Actors Brooks Reeves (The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart, Hamlet), Kody Grassett (The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart), Ron Lacey (Uncle Vanya, Pool No Water), and Apollinaire new-comer Abigail Erdelatz play the the young lovers who fall in love with Ernest, the irresistible bad boy of London society. The trouble is, Ernest doesn’t exist. Under the watchful eye of Lady Bracknell(s), will the pairs of young lovers untangle their own web of lies, and will the newly minted Ernest win her approval despite an unlikely start in life in a handbag abandoned at Victoria station?”
[Chelsea Theatre Works, 189 Winnisimmet St., Chelsea. $15 – $30. Nov. 19 – Dec. 19, Fri. & Sat. @ 8pm, Sun @ 3pm. apollinairetheatre.com]
Dig Staff means this article was a collaborative effort. Teamwork, as we like to call it.