Sunday September 7

The Somerville Rock ‘n’ Roll Yard Sale has been moved to Sunday, due to the heavy rain predicted for Saturday. Okay, so this is not technically a local event, but it features local talent and some local stuff.  You just might find my greasy fingerprints on some of that vintage vinyl — is Ten Years After cool yet?  Also for sale  —  cd’s, posters, tapes, t-shirts, stereo equipment, DIY crafts, vintage clothing and the best vegan cupcakes. (I’m a carnivore — I can eat any old cupcakes I want —  but I choose to eat these cupcakes.) List of vendors so far. Weather updates here.

Live music provided by Costarr, The ‘mericans, The Blind King, Chris Monti.

From Boston Globe, and improved upon by Richard Florida:

The article claims that out of all major metro areas in the U.S., Boston and surrounding areas have the most even single male-to-single female ration.

Hmmm, I wonder how Providence measures up.

Disclaimer: I’m in The Cold War. What of it? Direct from Sunderland in the UK, School Of Language, who sound like Modest Mouse and V. Weekend, bring their sweeping US tour through Boston, specifically TT The Bears. Their songs are very cool, check them out. They’re so American sounding you’d never guess they were British. People say the exact opposite of us, probably ’cause of the fake accents and all. Playing somewhere on the show are Boston’s Cyanide Valentine, who chase computer-squelchy electro and vibrant electric and acoustic guitar rock down the Radiohead rabbit hole. TT The Bears Place, Cambridge MA, cheap cover. 9pm?

It has been hard for me lately to keep an open mind about the Lone Star State, what with the current administration in Washington, and Halliburton and Enron, and the evil Belo corporation cutting and gutting our once-fine newspaper, the Providence Journal. And as if that wasn’t enough, yesterday I tuned in to the congressional hearings on steroid use in baseball and within a minute I was hearing a discussion of the palpable mass on Roger Clemens’ buttocks — an image I can not get out of my head!!!

But then I remembered that spring training had started, and the wonderful (Texan) Josh Beckett would soon be back on my TV, and maybe Texas isn’t such a bad place after all.

(The views expressed here are strictly my own and in no way reflect those of The Providence Daily Dose… although I bet they kinda really do… certainly the part about Roger Clemens’ buttocks.)

TexasMonthly Editor Evan Smith has a beef with Rhode Island. He claims:

Some of you may be aware of a two-plus-year-old dust-up between TEXAS MONTHLY and Boston Magazine over a purloined cover concept. In February 2005, we put Tom Craddick on the cover of our “Power” issue, only to discover, a few months later, that our neighbors to the far northeast did a clumsy job of ripping off our design. (The cover subject for their “Power” issue was Mitt Romney. Hey, how’d that work out for you?) Now comes this: Rhode Island Monthly’s February 2008 issue on steak. Look familiar? The art director of that fine publication has a future. Elsewhere in New England.

We know you’re out there, Boston. For beantown Dose fans who want the bittersweet taste of Providence in their mouths tonight, head to Hennessy’s Upstairs Rock Club to see our own synthpop bangers Triangle Forest and the awesome n’ smooth San Serac. Hennessy’s is like the Magic Kingdom version of an old-timey public house, there are fake barrels glued to the floor that pirates may or may not jump out of. Hennessy’s, 25 Union st. Faneuil Hall Boston 9pm, $8

Encouraging news from the National Law Journal this week:

BOSTON ­— A federal judge in Boston has issued a ruling allowing an interlocutory appeal of a lawsuit challenging a Massachusetts state constitutional amendment and a state law banning imprisoned felons from voting in state and federal elections.

The three plaintiffs suing Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin claim the rules’ disproportionate impact on African-American and Hispanic-American voters in Massachusetts violate the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965. The 2000 Massachusetts constitutional change prohibits incarcerated felons from voting in certain election categories. The 2001 law expanded the bar to all elections held in the state. Simmons v. Galvin, No. 01-11040 (D. Mass.)

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Former Providence person-now perpetual world traveler and velvetvoiced singer of all things dark and beautiful, Marissa Nadler will be at the Paradise Lounge in Boston tonight. If you happen to be up there, or are one of our Boston readers (they exist…) do yourself a tremendous favor and see her. After the jump, a “video” accompanied by her gorgeous re-working of Radiohead’s “No Surprises” from last summer. I’m not sure if the video was made by her or someone she knows, but it’s oddly hypnotic. Can anyone tell the city in the distance? (more…)