Friday — @the 201, She Rides, Hollow, Lifers, White Load @AS220, Troop of Echoes, Zun Zun Egui, People of Color, Divets @Lupo’s, Chevelle, The Letter Black @Club Hell, Lost in Layaway, Indiana Handshake, Stealing Harvard, Amoretti @Jerky’s, Inspectah Deck (Leon Redbone at the Narrows is sold out.)

Saturday — @AS220, Vaz, Soul Control, Todd, The Network, Drunkdriver, Outrage

Sunday — @Lupo’s, Alkaline Trio, Cursive @AS220, Mother of Dylan, Jesse Mack, Meghan Yates @Club Hell, Kilslug, For Tha Worse, Gutbucket, Rampant Decay @Jerky’s, Joell Ortiz, Joe Budden

(photo by mattie dunlap)

Manton Avenue Project (MAP) Founder and Artistic Director Jenny Peek and The Hive Archive Executive Director Alyssa Holland Short on collaborating for MAP’s “You’re Not The Boss Of Me! the empowerment plays”, on stage March 26 thru 28.

MAP teams up children living in Olneyville with adult theater artists, and together they create original theater; the vast majority of MAP’s plays are written by kids and acted and directed by adults. The Hive is women-run feminist arts organization with a mission to promote gender equality and a focus on empowerment through art, creative expression, and civic involvement. A bit of collaborative brainstorming last year led to this month’s homage to Women’s History Month, “YOU’RE NOT THE BOSS OF ME! the empowerment plays.“ Reps from The Hive will visit MAP’s playmaking classroom of young playwrights (all of them first-time playwrights, all in third grade, half of them boys) to talk about women’s issues and the feminist movement; the kids will then each write a short play all about Girl Power. Join Peek and Short for a conversation about collaboration, art, and empowerment.

For info on MAP and the 3/26-28 performances: mantonavenueproject.org; for info on The Hive Archive: hivearchive.org

5pm to 7pm, Friday at the Athenaeum, and Daily Dose readers are welcome to attend for free.

A national panel, coordinated by the National Governors’ Association, has just proposed implementing a set of academic “Common Core State Standards” to be adopted by every state.

Don Carcieri put out a press release praising the panel’s work and quoting Robert G. Flanders, Jr., Esq., Rhode Island’s Chairman of the Board of Regents for Elementary and Secondary Education in saying, “We need these standards so that our students can compete against the best in the world and succeed in the global economy. The Common Core State Standards represent a major step toward that goal.”

A reasonable person ought to take heed and be apprehensive, even while understanding that this is not a complete big government, big brother takeover of education — for now — for as the New York Times points out, “Under current law, there is no penalty for states that choose not to participate.” And, fortunately, the standards have only been outlined for math and English disciplines, leaving some room for states to design curricula that celebrate their local and regional assets, and some defense to the mass indoctrination and group-think that could follow from greater rigidity.

The NGA is now soliciting public comment on the new standards — To look them over, click here.

A highly scientific survey from the Daily Beast has us the third-craziest town in the country:

#3, Providence

Psychiatrists per capita: 6
Stress: 38
Eccentricity: 21
Drinking: 7

Head down to the 201 for some loud and fast ass-kickage, and you will forever be telling friends how you saw local acts Chinese Stars and Tinsel Teeth just before they performed at the SXSW festival where their careers totally blew up! (I hope that means what I think it does.) I take this as a sign that music is taking a turn towards the metal (a check of the festival band grid even turns up Motorhead — and I know there is an umlaut in there, I just don’t know how to do it). According to Lots of Noise the show starts at 12pm which does not sound quite right (Thursday night? In Providence?) According to the Chinese Stars the show starts at 8pm. Tinsel Teeth say 9pm. Opening band Arcing also say 9pm, so let’s go with that.

(photo of chinese stars by molly booker)

9-ish, $6, Thursday, the 201, 201 Westminster Street

That’s Thursday, March 18, at the Hi Hat.  Facebook here.  More details on the event below, but first, Tom’s take on why you really oughtta give a hoot about who your State Treasurer happens to be:

Why should you care about the treasurer’s race?  The treasurer’s office is an underused asset to our state government, with important levers of power that seldom get used.  The treasurer isn’t just about finance, but also housing, education, the environment and more.  We deserve a treasurer who understands that it’s not just about managing the state’s finances more efficiently, but also about using those levers to benefit the state’s working families, its water and air, housing, education and more.  Read more about finance, or about me at the campaign web site, or at whatcheer.net, or — better yet — come to the party and ask me.

And the March 18 details:

A week from this Thursday, on the evening of March 18, please join me for a fundraising party for my campaign for Rhode Island General Treasurer.  It will be at the Hi-Hat, in Davol Square, Providence, from 6-9, and will feature an invasion, I mean appearance, by the fabulous What Cheer?  Brigade, a 16-piece street band with four drummers, three tubas and heaven knows how many trombones and trumpets.  My friend Aaron Wade of the band Santamamba will also be around to fight back on the piano.  And I’ll probably speak for a little bit, too.  The suggested donation is $100.

There are more than fifty co-hosts helping me with this affair:
Craig O’Connor and Lauren Goddard - Melody Drnach - Dave Heckman- Matt Jerzyk - Karen McAninch and Steve Markovitz - Rachel Miller - Jane Murphy and Jim Dean - Marvin Ronning - Marti Rosenberg - Roxie and Tom Sgouros Sr. - Jim Tull - Councilman Seth Yurdin - Representative Frank Ferri - John Roney - Senator Rhoda Perry - Ray Rickman - John and Letitia Carter - Robert Walsh, Jr. - Harry and Alice Beckwith - Marc B. Gertsacov, Esq. - Jim Harris - K. Nicholas Tsiongas - Lawrence Purtill - Ric McIntyre - Paul McNeil - Dave Ortiz - Representative David Segal - Henry and Peggy Sharpe - Bruce Vild and Faith Lamprey - Jay Walsh - Rick Brooks - Bert Crenca - Brian Hull - Representative Scott Guthrie -Representative Art Handy - Ed and Cathy Hardie - Meg Kerr and Bob Vanderslice - Nancy Evans Lloyd - Lynne McCormack and Al Chin - Garrett Bliss - Patrick Crowley - Representative Bob DaSilva - Johnny Dollar - Scott Duhamel - Representative Jay Edwards - Alisa Gallo - Roberta Hazen Aaronson and - Michael Aaronson - Representative Edie Ajello - Michael Alper - Representative Chris Fierro - Representative Rod Driver - and Dan Bass

If you said ‘absolutely nothing’ (or ‘fat children’) congratulations, you get it. If you said ‘adult supervision’ or ‘helmets’ then you are a tedious fool. I have not seen the movie Where Do the Children Play? but I’m pretty sure I’m on board with the central theme.

This thought-provoking documentary examines an issue of growing concern among pediatricians, mental health experts, educators and environmentalists: more and more children are growing up with few opportunities for unstructured play, especially outdoors.

You don’t even see kids playing outside in the snow any more. Children used to be kicked out of the house by their parents and told not to come back until dinner. They then roamed the neighborhood in noisy gangs — usually with a pack of dogs — got into trouble, made up contests and games, staged plays, devised money-making schemes, formed weirdass clubs, and learned how to navigate social situations and become autonomous and independent citizens of the world. (And that world is not a scarier place, parents just do not assess risk properly.) The movie will be shown at Temple Beth-El next Tuesday evening and will be followed by a panel discussion. It will screen again on March 30th down at the URI Kingston Campus.

[I originally had this incorrectly slated for tonight. The event takes place one week from tonight. My apologies to the commenter and anyone else who has been inconvenienced. I usually check and double check, but I was rushing. BC]

Tuesday, March 16, 7pm to 9pm, Temple Beth-El, 70 Orchard Avenue

Via Brian-

Join founding members of the Uncaucus, friends, fellow voters, and comrades from the city of Providence in an UnDebate, where those interested in serving as our next Mayor listen instead of talk.

Thursday, April 1, 2010, 6:30pm - 10:00pm

Bravo Brasserie
123 Empire Street
Providence, RI

Candidates Steven Constantino, John Lombardi, Daniel Harrop, and Angel Taveras have agreed to participate (thank you!). Carrie Marsh, Joe Paolino, and Myrth York who have yet to declare candidacy but remain interested in the race, will also join us. All candidates, declared and undeclared, are welcome to join. Will update the invite as more RSVPs from candidates come in.

The event will be moderated by Mike Ritz, who will help keep the conversation positive, forward looking, and, in true Uncaucus style, fun.

The venue has limited capacity and admission, which is free, will be first-come, first served. So don’t be late!

I like the idea of this a lot, but I can never go. One thing that bothers me is that they seem to like Navy time which seems too precious by half, maybe they are trying to recruit more sailors. As to this particular evening I see among the presenters — Dan Bass. Is that the Dan Bass? Is that our Dan Bass? The Bassmaster?! (Hey, plug this blog why doncha?) At any rate, the Providence PK chapter has now lasted one year and is celebrating with a party at the Waterplace Restaurant. After the usual presentations all the people will jump up and dance to DJ Micah Jackson. (More info, go here.)

Free, Wednesday, doors open 19:20, presentations 20:20, Waterplace, 1 Finance Way, downtown, 272.1040

More things for me to covet — urchins! These fabulous creatures, created by Jennifer Maestre, are on display and for sale ($125 each) at the ‘Material Desires’ show at Craftland. Curated by Rebecca Siemering — and up through Saturday, March 13th — the show also features artists Jenine Bressner, Lynne Harlow, Peter Lutz, Barbara Owen and Islay Taylor. (More pix after the jump.)

Show through Saturday, Craftland, 235 Westminster Street, 272.4285

more »

After a month on the lam, the perp finally got what it had coming. Salami update in the Projo:

The two distributors that supplied pepper to Daniele Inc., the Burrillville salami-maker, have recalled several lots of both black and red pepper, as a complex multi-agency investigation points ever more surely toward pepper as the source of a nationwide salmonella outbreak.

All the recalled pepper was distributed to commercial customers rather than stores. But the companies that bought the pepper may have used it in their products, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is determining whether additional recalls are necessary.

This is by Bruce Reilly, via RIFuture:

A hearing will be held tomorrow in the House Judiciary Committee at 4pm to weigh the current practice of counting prisoners as residents of Cranston, thereby artificially adding people to House Districts 15 and 16, and Senate District 27.  Being a Census year, the General Assembly will be redistricting in 2011 based on data from 2010.  Supporters of the move to count prisoners as residents of their last known address include Direct Action for Rights and Equality, Common Cause, the ACLU, Prison Policy Initiative, Demos, and the National Urban League.

more »

Dave, bartender at Local 121, requests your company at the bar down the street.

On the Washington Post’s home page all day long-

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Mayor David Cicilline claims he has cleaned up Providence after the corruption of his predecessor, but his family relationships and connection to a former staffer could raise new questions about his reformer credentials.

His father is a mafia lawyer. His brother just got out of federal prison after serving time for a courthouse corruption scheme. Now, his former police driver, the husband of his longtime executive assistant, has been arrested as part of a state police bust of a cocaine dealing ring that also netted two other Providence police officers.

Today marks the 100th annual International Women’s Day.  Conceived in 1910 at the second International Conference of Working Women, the day’s original purpose was to draw attention to women’s equality and, hopefully, to give them the right to vote.  (At that point New Zealand women, the first to vote, had only been doing it for seventeen years.)

The first event took place the following year, in 1911.  It was formally recognized by the UN in 1975, and International Women’s Day is now a national holiday in fourteen countries, most of them former Communist nations.  Though it originally took place on March 19, it was moved to March 8 in 1913 later and has taken place on this day ever since.

There’s a website showcasing this year’s events around the world, the closest of which seems to be in Boston.

I didn’t intend to make this an annual post, but really, I just love how quirky little Rhode Island has a quirky little presence at the Academy Awards.

Once again, local company Orion retail|exhibit|design has teamed up with famed architect and Oscars set designer David Rockwell. Orion invented and built the system that makes it possible to take 100,000 individual Swarovski crystals and string them together into an embodiment of Rockwell’s 2010 Academy Awards vision.

(You do know Swarovski, right?  Makers of the only brand of crystal Jennifer Love Hewitt will trust to encrust her “precious lady”?)

These Swarovski crystals have a higher purpose than vajazzling.  They traveled from Austria to Smithfield, RI, where Orion craftsmen strung them into 6,000 different meter-long chains.  Next, the three-ton curtain shipped to L.A. and was assembled under Orion supervision into a 60-foot-tall, dazzling sight.

What’s that you say?  Seen one 100-foot-wide Swarovski crystal curtain, seen ‘em all?  Ah, but Orion has been hinting at “new and unexpected features” which will create “even more theatrical effect” this year.  If you’re not into speeches, at least you can enjoy the shine.

2010 Academy Awards, Sunday, 8pm on ABC

I meant to post this earlier but there is still plenty of time to register for the spring and summer courses at the Steel Yard. Learn ceramics, glass casting, stained glass, jewelry, welding, or perhaps metalsmithing with Lu Heintz who makes gorgeous stuff in many categories (including the very cool window grate at B Sharp Music). She has the item here under ‘Functional’ at her website. I don’t know what it could possibly do, but I know I want it. Ditch the stupid book club, learn how to do something awesome.

The Steel Yard, 27 Sims Street, 273.7101