Though its not happening at MASS MoCA, we recommend a FREE concert taking place at 8 p.m. on Thursday, October 16, at the Berkshire Museum in Pittsfield. MASS MoCA regulars will recognize the jazz musicians performing with Evan Lurie in an improvisatory concert inspired by To Kill A Mockingbird, with accompanying clips from the classic film.  Charlie Burnham who performed here just two months ago with Hidden City is part of the group as is Steve Bernstein who’s graced our stage more than once  — first as part of Sex Mob who played for the opening of the Vienna Project in May 2002 and more recently as part of the Millenial Territory Orchestra accompanying Laurel & Hardy films in August 2007.

Evan Lurie is an internationally known musician and composer for over 20 films, the musical director of the award-winning children’s television series “The Backyardigans”, and a co-founder of the groundbreaking alt-jazz ensemble, the Lounge Lizards.

The concert is FREE.  Come early and visit our table at downtown Pittsfield’s Third Thursday!

Here’s a nice shout out to our well-prepared and ingenious production crew for their labors on Nick Brooke and Jenny Rohn’s Time and Motion Study and  which sold out on Saturday.

I feel like it was just a few days ago that I was writing about welcoming summer, but already we are facing the beginnings of Fall. To send off Summer in style we have a multitude of events happening in the next few days that will hopefully help take your mind off cooling temperatures and turning leaves. Both the Flutterbox concert on Friday and the Retro Soul Dance Party on Sunday are going to be great events but I wanted to focus a little of my blogging attention on the last Moonlit Movie of the summer.

Due to the Dance Party happening in the courtyard on Sunday, Bagdad Cafe will be screened inside Club B-10 but don’t let that get you down. Here are my top five reasons why I’m excited to see Bagdad Cafe on Thursday.

1. Specialty cocktail! Since coffee plays such a large role in the film, we are featuring a rum, coffee and Kahlua cocktail at the MASS MoCA bar for purchase during the screening. Yum.

2. Truck Stops. I recently watched a TV show about the most extreme truck stops on the planet. The Cafe/truck stop featured in the film may not offer marble showers or a Ferris Wheel in the parking lot, but it does have a water tower that was built just for the shooting of the movie.

3. Visit Bagdad Cafe. The film was shot at what was originally the Sidewinder Cafe in Newberry Springs, California. Since then, the cafe has become something of a tourist destination, and has changed its name to Bagdad Cafe.

4. Snacks. As always Lickety Split will be providing plenty of snacks including popcorn and Herrells ice cream before and during the film.

5. Bingo. To enhance your movie watching we have developed a bingo card specifically for the movie that will get everyone at your table involved. No prize will be awarded for bingo winners, but at least you get bragging rights if you win.

Cheers,
Brittany

Great piece by Jeffrey Brown ran last night. In case you missed it check it online.

Last month spoken word poetess Abena Koomson performed as part of our Alt Cab series for an audience that was awestruck by her talent and her presence. A group of Summer Seminar students from MCLA attended the performance and were lucky enough to meet Abena after the show and have their photo taken with her (see below). One of the organizers of the program wrote, “There a number of students in this year’s Summer Seminar who enjoy writing poetry, so this event was perfect for them (and for all of us!)” the students also shared their enthusiasm for the event adding “I’ve never attended anything like this before” and “she really moved me.” One student even ranked the performance as her favorite event of the summer.

In the photo: (from left to right) Kim Harris, MCLA ‘08, academic tutor counselor in writing, (Burlington); Tanya Germain (Sharon); Monique Symes, academic tutor counselor in writing (Boston); Jarred Jeter (Boston); Ms. Koomson; Tyeson Bell (Roxbury); Marlene Romero (Boston), and Georgiana Swaray (Dorchester).

We are glad these students were able to join us for the show and hope we will see them all again.

Cheers,

Brittany

PS. Check out our next installment of the Alt Cab series with Dark Dark Dark this coming Saturday, August 9.

You can’t find out for sure until November, but you can see a great band by that name at Cafe Latino on Friday, August 1 at 10 PM. Next President, a post-punk, modern rock band from North Adams will be joined by indie-rock duo Morpholino from Bennington, VT. No cover, just come on down.