motorbike guy wrote: Mon Nov 01, 2021 10:14 am Nov. 5th and 6th Boston!

I am travelling to Boston next weekend with my younger son to look at colleges (BC, BU, NE). I lived in Boston from 1983-85 then 1988-95. I was back about 6 years ago for a hot minute and learned that everything has changed. Any recommendations would be appreciated. Mary Chung's for lunch/dinner (I have been missing DunDun Noodles). I know there is a rock show on Friday night (our free night) but I am not so into Titus Andronicus. Any local shows? too bad Black Helicopter was this past weekend, that would have been awesome. Is In Your Ear still worth a trip?

tommy wrote: Mon Nov 01, 2021 9:48 am Going to Madrid and Barcelona in a couple of weeks. Who's got recommendations for things to do and places to eat and drink? I'm a pescatarian, so I'm especially interested in any food finds that aren't land/air animals (I hear Spain is a very meaty place to dine).

twelvepoint wrote: Tue Nov 02, 2021 11:20 am
I haven't been to In Your Ear in a long time but I assume it looks the same. If you are in Cambridge, there's a place called Blue Bag Records that's nice. Run by the old drummer from Bullet Lavolta.

motorbike guy wrote: Wed Nov 03, 2021 8:35 am

twelvepoint wrote: Tue Nov 02, 2021 11:20 am
I haven't been to In Your Ear in a long time but I assume it looks the same. If you are in Cambridge, there's a place called Blue Bag Records that's nice. Run by the old drummer from Bullet Lavolta.

Well I haven't been to In Your Ear since it was in Cambridge, so....

The Blue Bag store - which BL drummer? Chris Guttemacher, or the kid they hired to replace him? I know chris, he played drums in my band for 6 months - did our demo tapes. He just didn't want to play shows, so we found another guy who did want to play shows.....

twelvepoint wrote: Wed Nov 03, 2021 9:08 am

motorbike guy wrote: Wed Nov 03, 2021 8:35 am

twelvepoint wrote: Tue Nov 02, 2021 11:20 am
I haven't been to In Your Ear in a long time but I assume it looks the same. If you are in Cambridge, there's a place called Blue Bag Records that's nice. Run by the old drummer from Bullet Lavolta.

Well I haven't been to In Your Ear since it was in Cambridge, so....

The Blue Bag store - which BL drummer? Chris Guttemacher, or the kid they hired to replace him? I know chris, he played drums in my band for 6 months - did our demo tapes. He just didn't want to play shows, so we found another guy who did want to play shows.....

Yeah it's Chris with the record shop. The later drummer was Todd, who I remember seeing with them back in the day, including one time where he and Yukki switched instruments to play "Lost Cause" by Cosmic Psychos, which is neither here nor there.

I just learned that Red Fang was supposed to be playing in Harvard Square this weekend (with this band Warish, who I'd really like to see) but the show was canceled and I'm not sure why.

Anyway if you're back here again and there's stuff going on, let me know. Always happy to meet up with some fellow PRFers.

tommy wrote: Thanks for the suggestions: jason from volo, tallchris, andyman, OrthodoxEaster, A_Man_Who_Tries, and turnbullac.

OrthodoxEaster, your recs for Brussels/Amsterdam were spot on before, and I look forward to these tips...

motorbike guy wrote: Mon Nov 08, 2021 7:49 am So we found ourselves in Cambridge on Friday night. Mary Chungs was a No Go, as they only have takeout, no dining in. So we ate at the Middle East. Food is not great, but not terrible, as always. Joseph was there. They may have painted the place in the 25 years since I was there, but not much else has changed. I showed my son the upstairs room where I spent many many hours both on stage and in the crowd. During dinner we asked the bartender what shows were on for the evening -- she said both upstairs and downstairs were 18+ Hip Hop shows. My son's ears perked up.

So after we ate, and went and walked around Harvard Sq. a while, we came back to central Sq. I was sort of hoping for the Kristen Hersh gig at TT's (Now called "Sonia") but we wound up at the hip hop show downstairs at the Middle East. It kind of sucked but I think my son loved it.

A lot has changed in Cambridge and Boston. Still awesome, though. Glad to see the Metropolitan Rage Warehouse is still Ire Proof. They named the Brookline Ave bridge next to Fenway Park over the Mass Pike after David Ortiz. the whole Fenway/Brookline Ave/Boylston area is completely different from the run down punk rock shithole it used to be. Queensbury street is, like, nice. Change is the only constant. Now he wants to go to school in Boston. Mission Accomplished.