Best of the Weekend – May 8-10, 2015
Welcome to Best of the Day, our daily recommendation for what to check out around town. If you’re wondering what to do in Boston this weekend, consider these events.
Friday, May 8
Momix’s Alchemia is coming to the Cutler Majestic Theatre. / Photo by Max Pucciariello, courtesy of World Music/CRASHarts
Momix
No traditional tutus here. The dancers of Momix transform into centaurs, wave tentacles, and get trampled by giant stampeding Triceratops skeletons. Or so they did for choreographer Moses Pendleton’s last show, Botanica, which explored themes of flora and fauna. For Momix’s latest, Alchemia, they take on the four elements: earth, air, fire, and water. If you’ve ever watched The Cell and thought it would make for some excellent dance numbers, you’re going to want to check this out.
$35-$69, May 8-9, 8 p.m., May 10, 3 p.m., Cutler Majestic Theatre, 219 Tremont St., Boston, 617-876-4275, worldmusic.org.
Saturday, May 9
Watch City Steampunk Festival photo by Rodney Brown on Flickr
Watch City Steampunk Festival
In the 1850s, a cadre of local watchmakers revolutionized industrial manufacturing forever. They figured out a way to build watch parts with such precision that they could be mass-produced, thus changing the face of horology—and earning Waltham the nickname “Watch City.” So L.A. can have their Edison bar and Jersey can throw their annual anachronistic World’s Fair, but we all know the truth: Steampunk belongs to Waltham. And so it is that every spring, we celebrate the Watch City Steampunk Festival, a celebration of an imaginary alternate universe where all technology runs off 19th-century industrial machinery. It happens to be a great excuse to dress up in tiny hats, goggles, corsets, and parasols (separately, or all at once).
On Saturday, the steampunk revolution takes over Waltham. Events of note:
- STEM to STEAM: A Steampunk Artists Salon (featuring ModVic artist Bruce Rosenbaum).
- Captain Edward Von Arkham’s Tesla coil demos.
- Live antique bike demos from the Wheelmen, who specialize in such old-fangled conveyances as Draissines, Velocipedes, Boneshakers, and Penny Farthings.
Free, May 9, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Waltham Common, watchcityfestival.com.
Sunday, May 10
Sea Oleena will play T.T. the Bear’s Place as part of Together Boston. / Courtesy photo
Together Boston 2015
Now in its sixth year, Together Boston returns with its annual onslaught of “all things music, art, and technology.” In addition to a plethora of concerts, the fest brings us plenty of opportunities to meet the humans behind the machine music. For example, check out the “Set Your Songs & Ideas Free” talk with Joe Berkovitz, the founder of Noteflight and co-chair of the W3C Web Audio Working Group. There’s even a Synthesizer Petting Zoo.
With Together Boston events happening all over the city May 10-17, here are a few topping our short list:
Together Opening Night Party with Andy Stott and Andre Obin
$20 ($15 before 11 p.m.), May 10, 8 p.m., Middlesex Lounge, 315 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge.
East India Youth and W00dy
$10 advance/$12 day of show, May 11, 9 p.m., Great Scott, 1222 Commonwealth Ave., Allston.
Re:Set and Together present: John Tejada
$20, May 13, 10 p.m., Phoenix Landing, 512 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge.
Make It New with Scuba
$20 ($15 before 11 p.m.), May 14, 9 p.m., Middlesex Lounge, 315 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge.
Palmbomen II, Sea Oleena, and Ellie Herring
$10 advance/$15 day of show, May 15, 8:30 p.m., T.T. the Bear’s Place, 10 Brookline St, Cambridge.
