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recommended boston area events

thursday, july 2nd

the church

adam franklin (swervedriver)

@ showcase live, foxborough


sunday, july 5th

city breathing

deep sea diver

adam rich

steve pardo & lindley cameron

@ the middle east upstairs


saturday, july 11th

the luxury

the click five

midatlantic

aloud

@ the paradise


sunday, july 12th

the dead weather

screaming females

@ the house of blues


saturday, july 18th

butterflies

travels

@ pa's lounge


sunday, july 19th

grand duchy (w/frank black)

the bunnies

van elk (w/valerie mistle thrush)

@ the middle east downstairs


sunday, july 19th

lymbyc systym

coralcola

the cush

the pandas

@ the middle east upstairs


monday, july 20th

you can be a wesley (cd release!)

casper & the cookies

everything, now!

magic magic

@ the middle east upstairs


monday, july 20th

green day

the bravery

@ the garden


tuesday, july 21st

mark eitzel & marc capelle

performing american music club songs

@ the lizard lounge


friday, july 24th

varsity drag (cd release!)

the grownup noise

winterpills

brendan boogie & the best intentions

@ the middle east upstairs


sunday, july 26th

pete yorn

@ the house of blues


tuesday, july 28th

cass mccombs

jennifer o'connor & band

mike bones

@ tt the bears


wednesday, july 29th

foreign born

the veils

faces on film

@ tt the bears


thursday, july 30th

justin ripley & his band

@ pa's lounge


friday, july 31st

destroyer (dan bejar)

iran

wooden wand

@ the paradise


friday, july 31st

depeche mode

peter bjorn & john

@ great woods


saturday, august 1st

alasdair roberts

@ lorem ipsum books, inman square


saturday, august 1st

wheat (cd release show!)

the xyz affair

@ great scott


sunday, august 2nd

soft power (featuring mary timony)

gramercy arms (featuring dave derby)

@ tt the bears


monday, august 3rd

billy bragg

@ the berklee performance center


monday, august 3rd

tinted windows

(james iha, adam schlesinger,

taylor hanson, & bun e. carlos)

@ the paradise


monday, august 3rd

coldplay

elbow

kitty daisy & lewis

@ the comcast center


wednesday, august 5th

the rural alberta advantage

joshua english (ex-six going on seven)

with lisa molinaro

baby teeth

@ the middle east upstairs


wednesday, august 5th

arctic monkeys

modey lemon

@ the paradise


wednesday, august 5th

joe pernice (solo show & book tour)

@ the brattle theatre (2 shows)


wednesday and thursday

august 5th and 6th

paul mccartney

@ fenway park


friday, august 7th

the electric prunes

love

sky saxon (of the seeds)

@ the middle east downstairs


saturday, august 8th

blondie

pat benatar

@ the b.o.a. pavilion


wednesday, august 12th

the warlocks

@ great scott


wednesday, august 12th

the pretenders

cat power

juliette lewis

@ the bank of american pavilion


thursday, august 13th

bat for lashes

@ the paradise


friday, august 14th

six finger satellite

@ tt the bears


sunday, august 16th

the decemberists

heartless bastards

@ mountain park, holyoke


sunday, august 16th

trashcan sinatras

@ tt the bears


monday, august 17th

the breeders

@ the paradise


friday, august 21st

choo choo la rouge (cd release!)

the big disappointments

impossible hair

the operators

@ pa's lounge


saturday & sunday

august 22nd & 23rd

bruce springsteen & the e street band

@ the comcast center / great woods


saturday, august 29th

caspain

actors & actresses

irepress

arms & sleepers

@ tt the bears


sunday, august 30th

the flaming lips

explosions in the sky

stardeath and white dwarfs

@ the boa pavilion


thursday, september 3rd

kay hanley (letters to cleo)

antisocialites

ingenue

@ tt the bears


saturday, september 5th

the pains of being pure at heart

cymbals eat guitars

depreciation guild

@ the middle east downstairs


saturday, september 5th

pet shop boys

@ the house of blues


thursday, september 10th

autolux

sleepy sun

@ the paradise


thursday, september 10th

dirty three

@ the i.c.a. boston


friday, september 11th

kings of leon

glasvegas

@ the comcast center / great woods


saturday, september 12th

the cult

performing 'love' in its entirety

@ the house of blues


sunday, september 13th

down

melvins

@ the house of blues


tuesday, september 15th

the horrors

@ the paradise


saturday & sunday

september 19th & 20th

boston lebowski fest

with movie screening & bowling

@ the house of blues & kings


sunday, september 20th

u2

snow patrol

@ gillette stadium


tuesday, september 22nd

son volt

@ the paradise


friday, september 25th

township

the lights out (cd release!)

reverse

gravehaven

@ tt the bears


friday, september 25th

charlatans uk

hatcham social

@ the paradise


saturday, september 26th

kmfdm

@ the house of blues


sunday, september 20th

maximo park

@ the paradise


monday, september 28th

sunny day real estate

@ the house of blues


wednesday, september 30th

mono

maserati

@ the middle east downstairs


sunday, october 4th

the "loud & rich" tour

richard thompson &

loudon wainwright iii

performing solo & together

@ the sanders theatre, harvard


wednesday, october 7th

bob mould

@ the paradise


saturday, october 10th

the psychedelic furs

happy monday

@ the house of blues


wednesday, october 14th

loney dear

asobi seksu

@ great scott


wednesday, october 21st

mum

@ the somerville theatre


saturday, october 31st

pinback

@ the paradise


friday, november 13th

janeane garofalo

rob riggle

two shows @ the wilbur theatre


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.










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