Five Reasons to Leave The House This Weekend
Music
The Remains
Descriptions of this local quartet often include superlatives like “best” and “greatest” coupled with “lost,” and “overlooked.” In the mid-’60s, The Remains played a picture perfect blend of timely, polished garage rock a la Beatles, Rolling Stones, and the Zombies. As the opening act for the Beatles’ final tour in 1966, the Remains were poised for stardom — yet broke as an act the same year, never making it big. More recently, though, the band was inducted into the Boston Music Awards’ Hall of Fame in 2010, and released the track “Monbo Time” the same year — a tribute to 1960s Red Sox pitcher Bill Monbouquette.
$20, Friday, January 13, 8 p.m., Brighton Music Hall, 158 Brighton Ave., Allston, 617-779-0140, brightonmusichall.com.
Film
Gob Squad’s Kitchen (You’ve Never Had it So Good)
And speaking of the ’60s, this weekend’s screening of the Gob Squad’s Kitchen (You’ve Never Had it So Good) takes a cue from Andy Warhol’s 1965 film, Kitchen. The Gob Squad, a collective of UK and German artists who collaborate on projects that combine theater, film, and performance, describe it on their website as “a live film with bad coffee, nervous breakdowns, wild parties and modern hairstyles.”
$22–$25; Friday, January 13 and Saturday, January 14 at 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, January 15 at 2 p.m.; ICA Boston, Northern Ave., Boston, 617-478-3103, icaboston.org.
Museums
MFA’s annual Martin Luther King Day Open House
Hit up the MFA’s open house on Martin Luther King Day — where there will be free admission, educational tours, family activities, and live music aplenty. Performances include Afro Caribbean jazz by the Rhythm Earth Ensemble and singing by the Perkins School for the Blind Chorus; tours of the Contemporary and Art of Americas wings will be offered, as well as gallery talks by BU Ph.D. Student Rachel Tolano about the newly acquired Axelrod collection of African American art, which includes works by Hale Woodruff and Eldzier Cortor. There will also be family-friendly workshops throughout the day, including story hour, drawing, weaving, sculpting, and plate-making, as well as screenings of short films by local young filmmakers.
Free, Monday, January 16, 10 a.m. to 4:45 p.m., MFA Boston, 465 Huntington Ave., Boston, 617-267-9300, mfa.org. For a list of programs, tours, and times, click here.
Good Causes
Make Noise to Save a Life 3
This benefit will feature Joe Bermudez — a local DJ who’s remixed for the likes of Britney and Rihanna — spinning tunes for more than 1,000 students and raising funds for Samaritans, a Boston-based suicide prevention foundation. Think beat-driven pop music, black lights, and dancing. “The goal of Make Noise is not only to raise money but also to raise awareness about a silent, yet crucial issue in our culture,” says Blair Ballard, a sophomore at Duke University and the event’s co-chair. “There’s no doubt that it’s a problem we can’t ignore and need to do something about.”
$10–$15, Sunday, January 15, 7 p.m. to 11 p.m., House of Blues Boston, 15 Lansdowne St., Boston, 888-693-2583, makenoisetosavealife.org.
Kids
Magic by Scott Jameson
Expect basketball juggling, umbrellas appearing out of nowhere, lots of laughter, and audience participation from this renowned New England performer. Jameson will be presenting a new juggling routine which he’s dubbed “Lanterns.” “It features the manipulation of a six foot length of rope which has a computer controlled lantern fixed at either end,” says Jameson. “My manipulation of this prop, and the blinking, fading, and intensity of the light are choreographed to a piece of Japanese Shamisen music.”
$7.75 (children) and $9.75 (adults), Saturday, January 14, 10:30 a.m., Coolidge Corner Theater, 290 Harvard St., Brookline, 617-734-2501, coolidge.org.