Auntie & the Arts

You are currently browsing the archive for the Auntie & the Arts category.

Club Femme MA debuts offering a new transgender friendly nightclub in Greater Boston

June 6, 2010 in Auntie & the Arts by Rebecca | 2 comments

Club Femme MA, hosted at Indian Meadows Country Club in Westborough, MA, is held the second Friday of the month, has a great DJ, a large and excellent dance floor, and a quiet, well lit, lounge for conversation. The club’s focus is on the MtF crossdresser, transgender woman, supporters and admirers.  It’s a space for flirting, having fun, dancing, meeting a new friend and maybe finding romance just like at any other dance club, but, Club Femme MA happens to target the transgender community.  There are a number of population specific dance clubs in Greater Boston most notably Dyke Night leading the way with lesbian targeted nights in Greater Boston, The Neighborhood, a transgender/queer targeted dance club that used to meet the first Saturday of the month at The Midway Cafe and FoRCC Transgender Party which meets at RCC the fourth Saturday of the month.  Club Femme  carries on that style of a themed nightclub.

I visited Club Femme with my friend Paula in May.  Prior to that, I had several conversations with Club Femme’s promoter, Jon. Jon’s been a supporter of the transgender community for some time and told me his motivation for starting Club Femme. He really felt that the Greater Boston area needed a transgender friendly social space for the MtF transgender community, supporters and admirers to feel comfortable mingling together at.  He felt a transgender specific club would be especially helpful to those crossdressers and trans-women who had not had the opportunity to be out in public.

My first impressions?  Club Femme succeeds on most of its goals.  For those gals who like a bit more discretion or are starting to get their confidence up going out in public, Club Femme is really perfect since you will be with other trans-persons in a welcoming environment. If you are out and about in the world, Club Femme’s DJ is worth bringing friends with you to go dancing.  He’s that good and takes requests.  Parking is free and the entrance fee is $15.00, but, given that Boston clubs cost $10 to get in with $15 for parking, the $15.00 is reasonable.  Drink prices were reasonable.

For more info, email Club Femme’s promoter, Jon at hottimesforall@yahoo.com you can also join their mailing list off their Yahoo Group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/friendsofclubfemme/

Tags: ,

Classic Cartoon Music Powerhouse makes you laugh even if you hate cartoons

March 22, 2010 in Auntie & the Arts, Coffee Chat by Rebecca | No comments

I heard this song on Slacker Radio’s Classic Jazz Channel last week and nearly fell off my chair laughing.   It’s the song Powerhouse composed by Raymond Scott…it’s really classic jazz that was so good and so goofy it HAD to go into Cartoons!

Powerhouse Song: Done by a harmonica band; amazing skill!

Powerhouse as led by Raymond Scott

Raymond Scott’s Web Site

Coyote Grace interview from SistersTalk Radio

December 16, 2009 in Auntie & the Arts, Gender by Rebecca | No comments

Sister’s Talk Radio’s Genia did a fun and informative interview with Coyote Grace, a singing duo featuring guitarist Joe Stevens, a transman, and upright bassist, Ingrid Elizabeth.  Their bluesy and bluegrass style you will really find enjoyable.  The interview lasts about 20 minutes; just enough time to enjoy a smooth cup of coffee and take a little breather in your day; you can here the interview at this link:  Sister’s Talk Radio interview of Coyote Grace.

Jamie Cullen live concert from Monterey Jazz Festival on Jazzset

September 26, 2009 in Auntie & the Arts by Rebecca | No comments

I was coming home late last night from having dinner and drinks and great conversation with two friends when I turned on my radio and happened to hear Jamie Cullum live from the Monterey Jazz Festival on Jazzset.    Who is Jamie Cullum?  I had no idea last night but let me tell you dear readers and coffee swillers, if you like Jazz, this guy is an amazing pop/jazz vocalist.   His tune, “”Singin’ in the Rain” (Brown, Freed) / “Umbrella” (Carter, Harrell, Nash, Stewart)” made me cry.

This is a live concert recorded at this years Monterey Jazz Festival and I have no idea how long it’ll be online  but, it’s totally worth your time.  Tune in now to the Jamie Cullum concert at Jazzset and please enjoy!

Club Passim, Amy Campbell, and Natalia Zukerman

June 20, 2009 in Auntie & the Arts, Local Buzz by Rebecca | 4 comments

Though it’s been around for 51 years, Club Passim was not a place I ever went to.  I’m not sure why though I have some ideas I can share over coffee sometime.  But Thursday night a dear friend Denise emailed and said, “Hey, what are you doing…want to go to a concert at Passim in Cambridge?”

Friday night commuting is a nightmare so I had to think about it for, oh, 32 seconds.

“Yeah sure I’ll go this will be fun”.   And so we attended and saw these two amazing folk singing women:

Holy COW were they good.  And so now the brief review…since as usual I am running late!   And speaking of running late, getting to Cambridge from the South Shore was only 2.5 hours worth of commute on a Friday night.  Talk about sucking.  But the ride was oh so worth it.

And of course, even walking in Cambridge I got lost.  I’m sure I looked like a tourist, eyes squinting, walking up one street after another in Cambridge, asking directions and only by accident stumbling into Club Passim.  But find it I did.

The food at Passim is great.   The restaurant that is co-located with them is called Veggie Planet.   Seeing that I’m on the Cavewoman diet and actually losing weight this fare was right on target for my palate.   We had the Caeser Salad on some kind of veggie pizza thing.  I was good and had water to drink.   And it was very good.   The post-salad coffee was good too: robust, dark and soothing.  And the wait staff was friendly and smiled.  And for once in the past month it actually was not raining in Massachusetts…Halleluijah!

Amy was the opener (starter?) and she was the more brooding and quiet of the two in her style.  An excellent voice with terrific lyrics, Amy, who had been enjoying the kind hospitality of Toronto Pearson’s Airport earlier in the day (having spent alot of time there in the past I can tell ya it’s not so bad BUT 6 hours plus in any airport will make you want to go into a coma), literally got off the plane and into Passim and was there crooning away.  She’s terrific kind coffee swillers so have a peak at her site here http://www.amycampbell.ca/ and enjoy!

Natalia, a friend of my friend Denise (so now I have another friend who has famous friends, not bad!) was her own genre. First, this woman can PICK an guitar. I thought she had like 5 instruments on stage not just one and she was fabulous in making her guitar do things that I didn’t know you could with a guitar.  Her vocal range is incredible and her songs, even the sad ones, are very uplifting.   She’s got a great sense of humour too.   I’d highly recommend getting her music or taking in her act if you can.  You can read all about Natalia here: http://www.nataliazukerman.com/

The night was terrific.  Many thanks to my gal pal Denise for inviting me out to share her love for folk music.   She took the train in from the South Shore and, bizarrely, met neighbors at Passim.  How weird is that.   Denise is growing by leaps and bounds lately in her life so a big shout out of love to ya gal! …. Both Denise and I were thinking of Sonia whilst we were folkin’ out at Passim and Denise told me Sonia was out protesting (?)  Okay Sonia if you are reading this what were you doing, exactly? …. Whilst dining our friend June text’d in to say she was still buried at work (on a Friday night?  I thought I was the only geek doing that?) so a big Beck’s Cafe HUG and MUG to our gal June; the hardest working, rock mama executive I know.  By the by, June is a big supporter of Fenway Health and she tells me that her recent tour of their new facility was amazing, impressive and welcoming.  So hop on over there too if you’ve got some coffee left in your mug

Under the Tuscan Sun – redux

March 28, 2009 in Auntie & the Arts by Rebecca | No comments

“Unthinkably good things can happen even late in the game. It’s such a surprise.” (quote from Frances, the Heroine, in the movie, “Under the Tuscan Sun”)

Under the Tuscan Sun was on again here in my town!

I so love this movie.

I reviewed this movie back in September 2006 and it still remains one of my favorite movies.

Of late I’ve been seeing more darker films like Batman, The Dark Knight and Watchmen.  Both excellent films but, in both, it’s hard not to come away feeling so torn that the hero has to be ruined and in some cases killed.

I started to feel a little claustrophobic frankly about life.

But Under the Tuscan Sun always makes me cry; not tears of sadness but those of a hopeful heart that has been touched and somehow reawakened to who I am as a woman, providing for others from a full heart and hopeful for the future of those near me.

You completely owe it to yourself to see Under the Tuscan Sun.  You’ll feel brighter after you do :)

The Neighborhood – Mixed Spaces;Fun Places

October 11, 2007 in Auntie & the Arts, Local Buzz by Rebecca | 2 comments

The Neighborhood is billed as:

A space for all queer and transgender folks…We like mixed up spaces and so should you! Always femme, butch, gender varient, fairy, leather, & CD friendly

This place lives up to it’s billing and then some. The organizers, Gunner Scott of XGender productions see: http://www.Gendercrash.Com and dj d’hana of Cherub Productions, http://www.Myspace.Com/chubrubproductions have created a welcoming and high energy environment that is worth the trip to.

The vibe at The Neighborhood, which is held the second Saturday of the month at The Midway Cafe, located at 3496 Washington Street in Jamaica Plain is decidely good. I’m not sure there is a better way to describe it. Really good vibe. My co-conspirators and I met femme’s, butch’s, FtM’s, and straight folk just being themselves and having fun. Dj d’hana is an excellent DJ. She moved effortlessly from one music genre to the next mixing up hip hop, techno, 80′s and various other types of music in a style that kept the crowd on it’s feet and not bored. I remember standing with two other women, both femmes and an incredibly cute couple, and having just met and chattinng and hearing a smooth transition from a hip hop tune to The Cure’s “Just Like Heaven“. All our eyes met and simultaneoulsly the three of us yelled out, ‘WE LOVE THIS SONG” and we just started spontaneously dancing. That typifies The Neighborhood “experience” for me. Fully accepting, packed, good vibe. To top it off, Gunner is one of the coolest guys around and donates part of the procedes from The Neighborhood to a charity every month. It doesn’t get any better than that.

Go visit the neighborhood. Get their by 9PM or you’ll end waiting in line out front to get in.

For more details see: http://www.myspace.com/theneighborhoodjp

———————————————

Updates
September 5, 2009:  GenderCrash site taken down.  You can still follow Gunner on Twitter @gendercrash

The Bitch in the House

January 7, 2007 in Auntie & the Arts by Rebecca | 2 comments

I’ve been reading a book called, “The Bitch in the House” for the past few months (yeah I’m slow) and I would highly recommend this book. The basic premise is as the title states: 26 Women Tell the Truth About Sex, Solitude, Work, Motherhood, and Marriage.

And it does exactly that.

It’s a no hold barred look at:

  • the angst of being a woman and wanting to be liberated and yet feeling intense guilt that she’s not the star hostess she perceived her mother always was.
  • the choices women make to be in love and to have children and in how they do that and negotiate that. This will surprise you.
  • the anger women feel deep down at how they are seen and even how they see themselves at work vs at home and how that effects them.

It’s a very good book to get a sense for how some women feel today about some very basic life issues and life choices as well. There are some short comings and that’s the point about this book being about “some” women and not all. Virtually all of the writers are just that, professional writers. So we don’t have stories from women who live on the farm and grew up in that community and what they think of life and their choices. We don’t necessarily have the views of women in poverty either. I’m sure there are works in that area for sure, but this is not necessarily one of them.

Overall the book is very good. You’ll learn aspects of women’s lives you didn’t know and many of which you’ll likely to be able to relate to. This is especially true if your a transgender women. Many times it’s the outward expressions that get focused on due to safety and acceptance factors. Sometimes something as basic as getting a job is predicated on if you pass or if you don’t. And let’s face it, having a job and paycheck beat living on the street any day. But it’s our hearts that matter most and from that springs your true life. And people can see that. I can assure you that if you read and think on the stories and lessons from reading “The Bitch in the House” your heart will be changed too.

Under the Tuscan Sun – Review

September 17, 2006 in Auntie & the Arts by Rebecca | No comments

under-the-tuscan-sun-cover.jpg I love this movie, Under the Tuscan Sun (or Sotto il sole della Toscana in Italian) It is rich, gently textured, unpredictable, nurturing and satisfying. It is a movie with such memorable quotes such as:

  • A fountain and a magnum of champagne will always set you right
  • I am going to make love all over you!
  • Regrets are a waste of time. They’re the past crippling you in the present.
  • Any arbitrary turning along the way, and I would be elsewhere. I would be different.

This comedy and drama movie is about a woman named Frances (played by Diane Lane) who, divorced from her husband, becomes very depressed and goes to Tuscany Italy with a tour group. While she is there she impulsively buys an old villa with all her savings, and she has a wish. Her wish is that there will be a wedding at the villa and a family too. And it is the rich story and excellent acting that leads her to the fulfilling of those wishes.

The acting is well done. Diane Lane, as Frances, is excellent as the novelist turned general contractor as she works with a polish speaking contractors, in Italy, to bring the suddenly bought house to life. The story and scenes of that subplot will make any homeowner wince in empathy. But that’s not the only thing Frances is up to as romance, unexpected visits and further plots twists are weaved through the movie. The movie has a gentle but not slow pace. It’s carefully crafted and best enjoyed with wine.

There are many memorable scenes, among them:
* Francis grabbing the arm of a strange man to avoid some other Italian “admirers” from stalking her. Her choice in a stranger leads her in a path in life that she didn’t expect
* The collapse of the main wall in the house during the construction. It’s priceless.
* The incredible “luck” of Frances, now living in Italy, unable to speak Italian, who has hired Polish laborers, and she doesn’t speak Polish either.
* Katherine, her ex pat British friend, who poses naked for her artist friend 20 years her junior and then invites Frances up just to say hello.

Under the Tuscan Sun was nominated for a Golden Globe award and won the GLAAD Media Award. It stars Diane Lane, Sandra Oh, Raoul Bova and Lindsay Duncan.

I’ll end with the best quote from the movie, by Frances:

What are four walls, anyway? They are what they contain. The house protects the dreamer. Unthinkably good things can happen, even late in the game. It’s such a surprise.

Guy warning, it’s mostly a chic flick, so girls, get your friends together for this one and bring the wine, chocolate and tissues. The tears you’ll shed are not in saddness but for how your heart is touched by this wonderful movie.

Pirates of the Caribbean – Dead Man’s Chest, review

July 10, 2006 in Auntie & the Arts by Rebecca | No comments

pirates 2.jpg Ar de ar mate and hoist the jolly roger your bound to set sail for fun with Dead Man’s Chest!

Pirates of the Caribbean, Dead Man’s Chest is a really fun movie. I liked the original, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Curse of the Black Pearl and was hooked on Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp), the Undead crew and the man who most embodies what a pirate is (in my opinion) Captain Barbosa (Geoffrey Rush). Pirates of the Caribbean, Dead Man’s Chest, is no slouch either.

The movie begins with Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightly) being served a summons for their arrest in helping Captain Jack Sparrow in the first film. Through various means (that I shant reveal less the movie be spoiled) Will and Elizabeth escape to find Jack in order to clear both their names. And here is where things get interesting as both Will and Elizabeth are thrust into the midst of Captain Sparrows grave misfortune; he owes a blood debt to none other than Davey Jones, himself cursed and the Captain of the Flying Dutchman. Jack must figure out how to pay off this debt while Elizabeth and Wil try to figure out how to clear their own names. Sound straight forward enough? Well it might be except this is a pirate movie.

Ahhhh pirates. You can’t trust them, or can you? One double cross and surprise leads to the next as personal vendettas are intertwined with others. It seems you can’t trust anyone.

The movie starts a bit slow and picks up the pace gradually until the finish. Ahhh the finish, it will surprise you and is the best bridge to a third movie I’ve ever seen. Well worth seeing, mate!

(Photo courtesy of Venturout Photos, used under Creative Commons license)