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recommended boston area events

wednesday, march 17th

joanna newsom

@ the sanders theatre, harvard


wednesday, march 17th

henry rollins (spoken word)

@ the somerville theatre


thursday, march 18th

TOURFILTER DJ NIGHT!

when tourfilter's chris +

the almanac's brad (aka, me)

spin songs by bands coming to

the boston area sometime soon

9pm sharp @ river gods


thursday, march 18th

apollo sunshine

drug rug

@ the paradise


friday, march 19th

i, pistol

mascara

planetoid

forgetful jones

@ tt the bears


saturday, march 20th

the whitehaus family blastfest

needy visions, manners,

morgan shaker, avi jacob,

and many more

@ cambridge ymca theatre


saturday, march 20th

air

am

@ berklee performance center


sunday, march 21st

the clientele

field music

@ great scott


wednesday, march 24th

extraneous noise presents...

golden spurs

spirit kid

some say fire

the novel ideas

@ the middle east upstairs


thursday, march 25th

"thursday night alright!" with

the beatings

aloud

action camp

hello ninja

@ great scott


thursday, march 25th

the donnas

@ the paradise


friday, march 26th

eldridge rodriguez (the beatings)

ryan lee crosby

ted billings (age rings/hot protestants)

@ the somerville armory


friday, march 26th

basia bulat

marissa nadler

lady lamb the beekeeper

@ tt the bears


saturday, march 27th

your say party! we say die!

the new collisions

static of the gods (cd release)

@ tt the bears


saturday, march 27th

the big pink

a place to bury strangers

magic magic

@ the paradise


saturday, march 27th

spoon

deerhunter

@ the house of blues


sunday, march 28th

beach house

bachelorette

@ the paradise


monday, march 29th

the soft pack

nodzzz

beaters

@ great scott


tuesday, march 30th

shearwater

wye oak

hospital ships

@ tt the bears


tuesday, march 30th

manchester orchestra

the features

biffy clyro

o'brother

@ the paradise


wednesday, march 31st

japandroids

love is all

girlfriends

@ the middle east downstairs


wednesday, march 31st

miike snow

delorean

@ the paradise


wednesday, march 31st

a sunny day in glasgow

pants yell!

bearstronaut

@ great scott


thursday, april 1st

girls

dum dum girls

@ the paradise


friday, april 2nd

the xx

jj (late show only)

two shows @ the paradise


friday, april 2nd

drive-by truckers

lucero

langhorne slim

@ the house of blues


saturday, april 3rd

cassavettes

the grownup noise

kingsley flood (cd release)

spouse

@ the middle east upstairs


saturday, april 3rd

black rebel motorcycle club

alberta cross

@ the house of blues


saturday, april 3rd

nada surf

dawn landes & the hounds

@ the paradise


sunday, april 4th

serena maneesh

depreciation guild

black fortress of opium

@ tt the bears


tuesday, april 6th

wilco

@ the orpheum


tuesday, april 6th

ben folds & a piano

kate miller-heidke

@ the house of blues


wednesday, april 7th

florence & the machine

@ the paradise


wednesday, april 7th

rocky votolato

brooke waggoner

@ great scott


thursday, april 8th

faces on film

hands & knees

st. claire (cd release!)

mr. sister

@ tt the bears


thursday, april 8th

thom yorke + atoms for peace

flying lotus

@ the citi/wang theatre


friday, april 9th

midlake

@ the paradise


saturday, april 10th

xiu xiu

tune-yards

@ the middle east downstairs


saturday, april 10th

ted leo & the pharmacists

obits

screaming females

@ the paradise


saturday, april 10th

pissed jeans

confines

sqrm

@ great scott


sunday, april 11th

fanfarlo

lawrence arabia

robert francis

@ the paradise


monday, april 12th

the wedding present

play their 1989 lp 'bizarro'

with openers girl in a coma

@ the middle east downstairs


monday, april 12th

titus andronicus

the babies

@ great scott


thursday, april 15th

jakob dylan with guests

neko case + kelly hogan

@ the wilbur theatre


thursday, april 15th

red sparowes

doomriders

@ the middle east downstairs


friday, april 16th

guillermo sexo

freddie t and the people

(ex-june of 44 / hoover)

travels

ghost box orchestra

@ pa's lounge


friday, april 16th

have nots (vinyl release!)

the appreciation post

razors in the night

wicked whiskey

the swaggerin growlers

@ tt the bears


saturday, april 17th

kaki king

an horse

@ the middle east downstairs


saturday, april 17th

the morning benders

miniature tigers

@ tt the bears


sunday, april 18th

heavy trash (w/jon spencer)

the konks

the cobra-matics

@ tt the bears


sunday, april 18th

the thermals

past lives

@ the middle east downstairs


monday, april 19th

trans am

@ the middle east downstairs


tuesday, april 20th

owen pallett (aka final fantasy)

@ the ica boston


tuesday, april 20th

elvis costello & the sugarcanes

@ the orpheum


tuesday, april 20th

the low anthem

timber timbre

@ the paradise


tuesday, april 20th

quasi

let's wrestle

@ the middle east downstairs


wednesday, april 21st

the church

special 30th anniversary

acoustic career retrospective

@ the somerville armory


wednesday, april 21st through

wednesday, april 28th

the 8th annual independent

film festival of boston

@ various boston area theatres

including the somerville + brattle


thursday, april 22nd

the mary onettes

@ great scott


saturday, april 24th

graham parker with

the figgs

@ johnny d's, somerville


saturday, april 24th

los campesinos!

here we go magic

@ the paradise


sunday, april 25th

harlem

@ great scott


monday, april 26th

echo + the bunneymen

hatcham social

@ the paradise


wednesday, april 28th

gogol bordello

devotchka

jesse malin

st. mark's social

@ the house of blues


thursday, april 29th

frightened rabbit

@ the paradise


friday, april 30th

the everyday visuals

the lights out

the flying machines

aloud

@ tt the bears


friday, april 30th

corinne bailey ray

@ the house of blues


friday, april 30th

the album leaf

sea wolf

@ the paradise


wednesday, april 28th

little boots

dragonette

fan death

@ the middle east downstairs


saturday, may 1st

white rabbits

here we go magic

@ the paradise


monday, may 3rd

yeasayer

sleigh bells

@ the paradise


tuesday, may 4th

gregory & the hawk

lady lamb the beekeeper

@ tt the bears


tuesday & wednesday

may 4th & 5th

public image ltd.

@ the royale (formerly the roxy)


wednesday, may 5th

minus the bear


@ the wilbur theatre


wednesday & thursday

may 5th & 6th

jonsi (from sigur ros)

@ the house of blues


thursday, may 6th

shout out louds

@ the paradise


friday, may 7th

ok go

earl greyhound

robert francis

@ the paradise


saturday, may 8th

local natives

@ great scott


tuesday & wednesday

may 11th & 12th

dr. dog

deer tick

@ the paradise


thursday, may 13th

small brown bike

bridge and tunnel

your skull my closet

wallcreeper

@ great scott


saturday, may 22nd

killing joke

@ the paradise


tuesday, may 18th

spectrum (featuring sonic boom

from spacemen 3 + e.a.r.)

with the broken river prophet

@ the middle east upstairs


tuesday, may 25th

the smittens

allo darlin'

one happy island

hearts!attack

a smile and a ribbon

horowitz

@ the lizard lounge


wednesday, may 26th

reverend horton heat

cracker

miss derringer

@ the house of blues


friday, may 28th

mono

the twilight sad

@ the middle east downstairs


wednesday, june 2nd

kings of convenience

franklin for short

@ the paradise


wednesday, june 2nd

ryan bingham & the dead horses

@ tt the bears


wednesday & thursday

june 2nd & 3rd

the national

@ the house of blues


friday, june 4th

brian jonestown massacre

@ the paradise


friday, june 18th

reigning sound

movers & shakers

triplethick

@ tt the bears


saturday, june 19th

james taylor

carole king

@ the garden


sunday + monday

june 20th + 21st

isis

melvins

totimoshi

@ the paradise


thursday + saturday

august 19th + 21st

tom petty + the heartbreakers

my morning jacket

@ the comcast center


visit tourfilter for more shows



Wednesday, August 11, 2004

Remembering Kirsten Malone

Two months ago tomorrow, a Saturday morning on the 12th of June, Kirsten Malone was up early, biking through Boston to work on yet another art project, one of many she'd made in her 29-year life. At the intersection of Lincoln & Franklin Streets in Lower Allston, at the bottom of the caged footbridge over the MassPike, she collided with an unseen car. Her injuries were too severe, and she wouldn't recover. In the early hours of Wednesday the 16th of June, Lady K was gone.

I didn't know Kirsten Malone, but I sure knew her face. She was one of the familiar crew of local show-goers, people I'd cross paths with a couple times a month, characters who always stood out from the crowd. It wasn't just at shows that I'd notice her... it was on the streets, on her bike, as I passed her in my car or she cruised by as I walked.

We had some mutual friends, more than I'd realized, and it would take her death for me to learn that. I'd heard some good things about her band, the Faux, but had never seen them. I would've walked into some club and thought "Ah ha! It's that biking girl behind the keyboard!". I just wish I'd had the chance.

The week she died, before I'd heard about the accident, I first noticed all the flowers and candles appearing by the footbridge, just a short block from my house. I turned that corner in my car, wondering briefly about it on my way to work. When I read about the accident, when I saw her picture, and then learned exactly where it happened... it hit me.

And it hit far harder than I would have expected, especially for someone I didn't actually know. Reading the outpourings of emotion on messageboards, the articles about her, finding out about our shared friends... I felt a real loss, and part of me felt I didn't even deserve to feel it. I thought about those who were really close to her and can't even imagine what they were going through, must still be going through.

But here I am anyway, finally writing some words for her, hoping that her family and those who knew her well are doing ok. After she died, Amie and I joined some of her friends at the site of the accident to remember her.


Goodbye notes, pictures, little memories of her life surrounding a big orange sign that simply said "K".


That makeshift memorial at the foot of the bridge is gone now, nothing left but a few ribbons and tattered bits of string hanging from the fence. I still think about Lady K on her bike every morning I pass it, though. Maybe I always will.

Wondering if some kind of permanent memorial for Kirsten would even be possible, I spoke with someone at City Councilor Jerry McDermott's office a few weeks ago. Not surprisingly, I wasn't the first person to ask about this, and even though memorial plaques or streetsigns are usually reserved for veterans, it looks like something for Kirsten could actually happen (much like the corner at Brookline & Mass. Ave. being named for Mark Sandman).

I also found out that Kirsten's death has finally triggered some much needed change at that dangerous intersection where Franklin & Lincoln Streets meet. Living so near to it, I've seen the evidence of more than a few accidents, and been involved in some close calls myself. There's no signal, no stop sign, not even a crosswalk at the bottom of a bridge that gets a ton of foot and bike traffic. I take a risk every time I pull out from Franklin onto Lincoln, hoping that a car isn't speeding towards me, completely obstructed by cars parked too close to the corner.

One change has already happened: "No Parking Here To Corner" signs have been put up that greatly help people trying to cross the street, or cars pulling onto Lincoln. But it's not enough...

Thankfully, a special public hearing has been called, to take place at 5:30 pm on Monday, September 20th at the Honan-Allston Library on North Harvard Street, where possible improvements to that intersection will be discussed. I'll be there, and hopefully so will many of my neighbors.

At the same meeting, Councilor McDermott will present a drafted order requesting a permanent memorial for Kirsten. The council will consider the request within a week or so, and if all goes well, something could be in place by early fall. I know I'd be proud to live near "Lady K Corner".

A few days before the hearing, on Thursday, September 16th, a special show in Kirsten's memory will take place at the Middle East Downstairs. Proceeds will help her band, The Faux, release a record they were never able to during their time as a band. In turn, money from sales of those discs will go to a scholarship fund at Mass Art for young female artists. The lineup for the show is Neptune, Gold, Mahi Mahi, Fat Day, U.V. Protection, Plunge Into Death, Cathy Cathodic, and Shore Leave, and the doors are at 8pm.


Online words and memories of Kirsten remain, so I've gathered the ones I've collected here. Set aside some time, click around, explore the impression she left on this city, on the people in her life, and even on those who never met her. If you know of any other links, feel free to leave them in the comments...

  • Kirsten's Love R�sum� Project

  • Kirsten's "Kiss and Tell" Project

  • The original discussion thread from the Honeypump messageboard.

  • Aliza's photos from Kirsten's Memorial Gathering

  • From the Boston Globe, her obituary, by Sofia Santana

  • A follow-up article at Boston.com, by Johnny Diaz

  • From Pitchfork, a write-up, by Chris Ott

  • From the Boston Phoenix, Queen of the DIY Scene, by Camille Dodero

  • From the Weekly Dig, Lady K: A Death in the Boston Rock Family, by Duncan Wilder Johnson

  • A gallery of Kirsten photos at Plastique People, where I got the first photo above.












  • featured mp3 download
    sparklehorse
    live at the paradise
    in boston, mass.
    on monday, february 26th, 2009

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