COVER STORY
Off-campus Boston
The music scenes
ROCK
When you're feeling noncommittal or just plain poverty-stricken, it's nice to know you can sample great music without opening the wallet.
Many no-cover pubs have adopted "residencies," whereby a band will play on the same night each week for a month. These pubs tend to be small, 21+, and shaped like a narrow rectangle: Toad, the Plough and Stars, the Brendan Behan, Green Street Grill, to name a few. If you really want to see a band, not just hear it, plan to arrive early for a good seat.
Toad in Cambridge's Porter Square has hosted everything from the rip-snortin' rock-and-R&B of Barrence Whitfield and the Savages to the African juju of Love Whip. Upcoming shows include the Tim Gearan Band, Li'l Memphis, and Juniper's Daughter.
Travel down Mass. Ave. toward Central Square, and you'll stumble upon the Plough and Stars, which also routinely offers incredible freebies. Earlier this year, Cherry 2000, which specialize in Pixies-inflected melodics, did a Monday-night residency. So did Mr. Airplane Man, with their Howlin' Wolf-by-way-of-Gun Club furor. Claustrophobics beware: The Plough tends to get quite crowded.
Same goes for the Green Street Grill, in Central Square. Bands start around 11 p.m. If the group's particularly popular, snag a table early by having dinner there.
The Brendan Behan Pub in Jamaica Plain is another grand emporium of free music and limited floor space. Even on a Sunday (rockabilly night) you need to arrive by 9 p.m. to get a table. The Behan's long been a favorite to neighborhood folks, and what with hip newcomer Milky Way across the street, the Behan is likely to be pulling in some alien bodies.
- Amy Finch
LATIN
You've got to keep your ear to the ground to learn about the Latin scene. Events aren't always well publicized, but here are clubs you can count on:
The Roxy: Located just blocks from the Boylston stop on the Green Line, this elegant club has been presenting the "Latin Quarter" Thursdays for two years now. After winding your way up the marble stairs, you'll see people chatting away on plush couches or gathered in small groups by one of the six bars. DJs Willy D and Jorge Guerrero spin a combination of salsa, merengue, Latin House, and techno. Couples and friends dance in small groups on the 450-capacity dance floor. On a recent visit, the crowd was mostly Latino - the women in revealing dresses and guys looking cool in slacks and shirts.
M-80: You'll know you're there by the long line of folks anxiously waiting to get in. On Fridays and Saturdays, dance to the beat of DJ JC's Latin remixes and techno in the 350-capacity front room. It's packed, mostly with chic international students. The 650-capacity back room booms with Eurohouse (mainstream house music in English). Doors open at 11:30 and close at 2 a.m.; the club is on the Green Line B train. It is 21+.
Trattoria Il Panino: On Sunday's Euro International Night, you can immerse yourself in Latin music at this multi-level club from 10:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. On a recent Sunday night, people sat by the bar on the third floor and at tables with flickering candlelight drinking and talking. By midnight, the place was bursting with people dancing to DJ Zino's Latin remixes of salsa and pop music. DJ Roger spins in the roomier fourth floor, with its mirrored walls and strobe lights. The well-dressed dance crowd is a mix of international students, Anglos, and Asians (young and older). Head up to the fifth floor and look down at the dancers from the balcony. Take the Red Line to Downtown Crossing, then turn right at Franklin Street. It's 21+ and usually has no cover charge.
Among other dance spots, try Ryles' Temporada Latina on Thursdays and (if you have a car) Vincent's Friday Latin night in Randolph (781-986-4000).
On the Web, try http://www.salsaboston.com or http://web.mit.edu/tgriffin/necsem/worldrhythm.html. The latter site is of the World Rhythm Calendar, which can be found in print version at record stores and clubs.
- Tanya Pérez-Brennan
DJs
Boston is being invaded. Once a quiet city known for its subdued nightlife, the Hub is now at the mercy of a string of foreigners, armed with two turntables and a mike, who are forcing crowds to stay up past midnight.
Every weekend, clubs play host to some of the biggest names in spinning. The trend began more than a year ago at clubs like Hibernia, the Roxy, and Chaps. It has reached its apex at the mammoth Avalon and now everyone has gotten into the act. Even small clubs in Cambridge are now flying in DJs from Sweden.
The best place to hear big-name DJs spinning is Avalon. This huge space has hosted Junior Vasquez, Frankie Knuckles, Sasha and Digweed, and Victor Calderone. In early October, master mixer Todd Terry is slated to spin there. Brace yourself for the steep $15 cover charge.
Thursday nights at Axis are usually a good opportunity to hear international DJs. Karma hosts guests DJs every Friday night for "Sonic," and Friday night's "Life" party at the Lava Bar hosts garage and house DJs. Even small clubs, such as Irish bars Phoenix Landing and Tua Nua, are bringing in international DJs.
Let's not forget the local DJ legends. Best known is John Debo, who spins Thursday nights at Axis and Friday nights at Avalon. His anthem-style mixing conjures up New York clubs. Tim Ryan spins progressive house and techno at Axis on Fridays and at Tua Nua on Sundays.
While some clubs tend to be fairly consistent in musical style and crowd (M-80 and Joy generally play to an international crowd, Man Ray is goth), most clubs change dramatically from night to night. For instance, RiRa is progressive house on Sunday, but turns goth on Mondays.
- Christopher Muther
FOLK
Greater Boston is home to more folk venues than anywhere else in the country, ranging from cozy cellar coffeehouses to ambitious concert series.
Urban clubs like Passim in Harvard Square, and Johnny D'sBurren Pub, both in Davis Square, get most of the attention. But many suburban coffeehouses offer folk music in the casual, neighborly ambience that many feel suits it best.
In addition to the listings in Calendar, radio is the ideal place to begin exploring - and hearing - what the scene has to offer:
WUMB-FM (91.9) plays acoustic music from dawn till dusk. The hosts are knowledgeable, offering regular concert listings and cuts of performers appearing in the area.
WGBH-FM airs Brian O'Donovan's "Celtic Sojourn" Saturday noon-2 p.m., a cozy program of music from Ireland, Scotland, and Great Britain that is also a good source for concert updates. From 2 to 6 p.m. on WGBH, Dick Pleasants, who is also a WUMB regular, hosts his venerable "Folk Heritage" program. No one is better at offering lively explanations of who's who in the folk world.
WERS-FM (88.9) presents "Coffeehouse" weekdays 6-9 a.m.
If you want to get in on the act, open stages and jam sessions abound in the area. Perhaps the best places to start are the Tuesday open mike at Club Passim, and the Monday open mike and Tuesday bluegrass and old-time music jam at Central Square's Cantab Lounge. They are particularly known for being welcoming to newcomers.
- Scott Alarik
JAZZ
While clubs provide a number of live-music options for jazz lovers, the budget-minded should also consider the concerts presented at local music schools.
Jordan Hall (30 Gainsborough St., 617-536-2412) presents free concerts with New England Conservatory students and faculty Monday-Thursday at 8 p.m., with an emphasis on classical music and some jazz.
Berklee College also calls upon its students and instructors for weeknight jazz and rock concerts at the Performance Center (136 Mass. Ave., 617-747-8820) - they start at 8:15 p.m. and have a nominal admission fee - as well as more intimate presentations in the David Friend Recital Hall (933 Boylston St.), a 150-seat, state-of-the-art performance space, where shows are free.
And if you want a signature Boston jazz experience, go to the Lizard Lounge in Cambridge on Monday nights to hear The Fringe, the freeform trio of saxophonist George Garzone, bassist John Lockwood, and drummer Bob Gullotti; their weekly sessions have attained legendary status.
- Bob Blumenthal
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