I have been a fan of this band ever since I first heard them...

[othniel77.livejournal.com]

And now, my dears, I have the honor of playing host to AbSynthe's Boston-area CD Release Party tonight!

The long-awaited new album, DEMONstration, will be available for your listening pleasure tonight, along with a theatrical performance by AbSynthe...and the AbNymphs. Expect shock, horror, darkness, and some brilliant lyricism and musicianship. You'll never be handed anything less. These fellows are as much the bastard children of Alice Cooper, as perhaps the second coming of Pigface, with even a little Manson-from-his-early-days-when-he-was-still-semi-respectable.


Check out AbSynthe on their myspace.com profile:
http://www.myspace.com/absynthe

Opening the show will be Julieanne Dous (some of you may know her as iridescence544. Julieanne's lilting vocals and gentle darkwave compositions will delight even the most cynical of listeners. Her voice is amazing; her songwriting haunting. Please support Julieanne in her Boston area debut, at 9:00 PM promptly.

http://www.myspace.com/julieannedous

Hemlok may be a band you're not yet familiar with in the Boston scene, but it's my aim to break them in like a new pair of Doc Martens. Offering up a new sort of genre they deem "dark psychedelia", Hemlok hails also from the Great State of Rhode Island - http://www.myspace.com/hemlokmyspace

IT ALL HAPPENS TONIGHT, MARCH 2nd, HERE:

The Skybar (http://www.skybar.us)
518 Somerville Avenue
Somerville, MA 02143
*** walking distance from Porter Sq. T stop; free parking if you're driving in ***

Doors @ 8:00 PM
21+; $7 general admission

Truth in Advertising

[mortalister.livejournal.com]

I am currently battling with the new gym in town, Work Out World. They are trying to deny that they sent out a card offering a great deal: $15/month. If you have by any chance saved this small blue postcard (sent to all residents, I believe), I would sincerely appreciate the opportunity to make a copy of it.

Thank you!

The mayor and the DPW

[ron_newman]

Most folks here probably don't read the Somerville Journal, but you might want to this week. I suspect this story is going to resonate for some time:

A former highway superintendent is lashing out at the city’s DPW [Department of Public Works] czar, charging he was ordered to secretly collect campaign cash for Mayor Joe Curtatone and commit other illegal acts.

Charging that DPW Commissioner Stan Koty was "out to get him," respected ex-Highway Superintendent Joe Voutour says he resigned suddenly last month before he could be set up as a "fall guy."

Voutour quits, cites order to raise money for mayor
Letter: Resignation (with regret)

Porter Square Code

[tahnan.livejournal.com]

I've got a stupid question, cut for length and only tangential relevance (i.e. it's about the next square over):

( Strange chalk-written puzzle )

Stolen Bike

[desiringsubject.livejournal.com]

My bike was stolen. Off my porch. Not far from Davis. Between Davis and Tufts. It's a red schwinn.
I'm very cranky about this. And thought you should know.

I'd like to say I'm *sure* it was locked. But there are times that I get off my bike, all hot, sweaty and tired and fail to lock it, and come back out later and lock it. But also, I'm told it only takes a ballpoint pen to open a Kryptonite lock.

Empty Storefronts

[magpie-leah.livejournal.com]

Hey everyone,

I'm a part-owner of Magpie in Davis Sq. I'm also just a big fan of Davis Square -- I lived there for many years but recently moved to the other side of the river. I come back to Davis a lot because there are great coffee shops to meet friends at or do some work at or read a book at... and I love the plaza area in the summer... to poke around in McIntyre and Moore... and so on...

I've been to the last two Davis Square Task Force meetings and I've been thinking more and more that it would be so great if "we the people" who live in or love to visit or own a business in Davis Sq could do something to help determine what goes into the empty storefronts rather than just waking up one day and seeing a sign for who know's what is "coming soon." I know the subject has come up at the last two meetings as to how and whether it would even be possible to proactively attract businesses that people would like to see in Davis but we never really got to talking about this in any depth.

So, I just have a few questions: What storefronts are still empty at this point? I've heard the Buck-a-Book is going to be an Italian restaurant (and the back of Buck-a-Book is now a Planned Parenthood express center.) So does this mean Disc Diggers is now the only storefront still open? And does anyone remember approximately what the square footage of that space is?

Again, I don't know what *can* be done to try to attract businesses that people would like to see but I was thinking maybe we could open up a discussion here and then maybe report the findings to Rebekah Gewirtz at the next Task Force meeting. Maybe she'd have some ideas like coming up with a "fact sheet" with the demographics of the area that could be sent to businesses whom many people like the idea of?

OK. Sorry for such a long message! Just thought it might be interesting to get some focused discussion going!

Leah

EDITED TO ADD: Based on responses to this, here's a list of storefronts that are still empty:
1. space next to Au Bon Pain where the T-Mobile used to be
2. Mini-Mart next to Buck-a-Book
3. former home of Disc Diggers
4. the bottom floor of the Citizens Bank building