APRIL 2011 THANGZ-2-DO!! brought to you by... Vernon "VCR" Robinson

APRIL 2011 THANGZ-2-DO!!

brought to you by: Vernon "VCR" Robinson
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Welcome to "Thangz-2-Do!!", the monthly e-newsletter providing information of cultural arts (poetry, theatre, comedy, etc.), as well as several other info to keep people in the loop that includes a link for Black History facts (http://www.yenoba.com), R.I.P. for those that passed away and a B-Day shout-out to those born in April (especially one special child you all should know...LOL). We have also attached a file that include out-of-Massachusetts events for those who plan on traveling outside the state. 

 

Also, please come out to Boston's longest-running open mic gathering, commonly known as VerBaLizAtiOn every second and fourth Tuesday at the Hibernian Hall. We will have an important Poetry Community Forum happening on April 12th. All poets, spoken word artists and others involved in the cultural arts are welcomed for discussion. VerB will also have special guest Jazz artist/storyteller FULANI HAYNES on April 26th.

 

Also, congratulations to TITO JACKSON for his victory in the District 7 City Council candidacy. Congrats to runner-up candidate CORNELL MILLS for a valiant effort as well. Much success to the both of them!!

  

Lastly, I would like to thank all honorees of the NAACP Image Awards of the Boston Chapter who were announced on March 4th, in which I am an awardee this year. Other recipients of this prestigious award are:

AYANNA PRESSLEY (Boston City Council-At-Large)

SHAUMBA DIBINGA (OrigiNation)

CHIP GREENIDGE (Greatest Minds)

BOYCE SLAYMAN JR. (Poppa B's)

NANCY ROUSSEAU

TONY "T-RICH" RICHARDS

VALERIE STEPHENS (singer)

SALIH ROWE (9-Alarms Ent.)

THE MAESTRO Z.O.O.M. (rapper/producer)

MARIAMA WHITE-HAMMOND (Project Hip-Hop)

M.L. VENAY

RAHSAAN HALL

& ALICIA CANADY (YBWS)!

 

Congrats to all!! 

 

Please continue sending prayers to the families of murdered victims in Boston & Haiti and send some to Japan as well!!

 

Enjoy the list and have a day!!

 

Peace,

VCR

 

R.I.P.

SIS. RUBY MUHAMMAD 

(known as "Mother of the Nation of Islam)

MARK ADAMS 

(bass player for funk band Slave)

ST. CLAIR LEE 

(singer/member of soul group Hues Corporation - "Rock The Boat")

NATE DOGG 

(Hip-Hop artist)

LOLEATTA HOLLOWAY 

(Disco singer - "Love Sensation")

 

 

 

APRIL B-DAY WISHES

Makita aka "At Peace", Myriam Ortiz, Thulani DeMarsay,

Lisa Simmons, Ashley Oguadimma, Ernesto "E-Roc" Arroyo,

Crystal Johnson, Elie St. Brice, Irina Martinez, Joanne Pena,

Ramona Lisa Alexander, Tito Jackson, Greta Douglas,

Pat Williams, Wyatt Jackson, Erika Zysman, Mawakana Onifade,

Enisoto Adika Ekunsirinde, Preach Nelson Cepeda, Zenda Walker,

Nicole "Cole" Rodriguez, Dana Gilmore, Iyeoka Ivie Okoawo,

and Vernon C. Robinson aka "VCR" 

 

 

POETRY/OPEN MIC EVENTS

Every Sunday Night

LIZARD LOUNGE SUNDAY NIGHT POETRY JAM

w/The Jeff Robinson Trio

@ The Lizard Lounge

1667 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge

(between Harvard Sq. & Porter Sq.)

Doors at 7:30pm - $5.00 cover

21+ w/ID required

April 17th - 2011 Lizard Lounge Poetry Slam Team Finals 

April 24th - Mwalim

For info visit www.poetryjam.org

 

Every 2nd & 4th Tuesday

VerBaLizAtiOn

@ Roxbury Center for Arts at Hibernian Hall

184 Dudley St., Roxbury/Dudley Sq.

(across from the fire dept. and barber shop)

7:00pm start / doors and open mic sign-up at 6:30pm

Free 2 The Public - All ages welcomed

(parental discretion suggested) 

Hosted by VCR

Poetry Community Forum: April 12th

Fulani Haynes: April 26th 

4 info contact VCR at 617-480-7663 or bloodskinland@yahoo.com 

 

Every Wednesday Night

OPEN MIC NIGHT AT KINGS

Some of Boston's most talented performers take

over the King's Lounge. If you are a musician, poet,

comedian or magician...this is the night for you!

@ Kings Lounge

50 Dalton St., Boston/Back Bay

9:00pm start (sign-up at 8:00pm) / 18+ event

For more info contact kingsopenmic@gmail.com or 617-266-2695 

 

Wednesday, April 27th 2011

POETIC ESCAPE

@ Blue Wave Bar & Lounge

343 Congress St., Boston

Doors at 8:30pm / $5.00 before 9:30pm

Proper dress required - no baseball caps or Timbs allowed 

Hosted by Eli & Nuri

Music by DJ Razor Kutz (of Simply Sweet Entertainment)

spinning the best of Neo-Soul, R&B, Old School and Hip-Hop 

For more info to feature or to sign-up in advance for the open mic,

E-mail poeticescape3@gmail.com or call 617-549-2700 

 

Every Thursday Night

ART IS LIFE ITSELF

@ The Haley House Bakery & Café

12 Dade St., Roxbury/Dudley Sq.

(off Washington St . – next to Tropical Foods)

7:00pm – 10:00pm / No cover charge

Hosted by Nina LaNegra & Fulani Haynes 

 

 

THEATRE

Friday, April 1st 2011 - Saturday, April 23rd 2011

"BROKE-OLOGY"

A play by Nathan Louis Jackson

A warm and wrenching play about a loving African-American family facing its troubles with humor, resiliency, and grace. Set in a beleaguered Kansas City neighborhood, two grown brothers try to balance the challenges of their own lives with their desire to care for their ailing father. Even as they remember simpler times, tension builds between the brothers as their conflicting interests churn into a surprising outcome.

Starring David Curtis, Johnny Lee Davenport,

Monte Cole and Patrice Jean-Baptiste 

@ The Lyric Stage Company of Boston

140 Clarendon St., Boston/Copley Sq.

Friday shows at 8:00pm / Saturday shows at 3:00pm & 8:00pm

Sunday shows at 3:00pm

Wednesday & Thursday shows at 7:30pm (2:00pm show on April 20th)

Talk-backs on Sun., April 10th after 3:00pm performance

(an informal way to meet and chat with the artists)

For tickets call 617-585-5678 or visit www.lyricstage.com

 

Saturday, April 23rd 2011

Peace Boston presents

HIP HOP 9.1.1.

A Play Featuring Ebony & the Ghosts of Hip-Hop Past, Present & Future

Directed by Naheem Garcia / written by Queen Vivian

Featuring Cindy Diggs, Dilania Tirado, Shaquan Reed and Mr. Harvey

@ Roxbury Community College - Media Arts Center

1234 Columbus Ave., Roxbury

(across from MBTA Roxbury Crossings & Domino's Pizza)

Doors open at 6:30pm - performance at 7:00pm

General seating: $15.00 adults / $10.00 youth under 21 / $25.00 VIP Tickets can be purchased at A Nubian Notions in Dudley Square

(148 Dudley St., Roxbury MA)

For more info contact peaceboston@gmail.com

 

 

 

COMMUNITY EVENTS

Saturday, April 2nd 2011

8TH ANNUAL URBAN WALK FOR HAITI

@ St. Paul's Church Courtyard

29 Mt. Auburn St., Cambridge MA

12:00pm - 2:00pm 

Hosted & emcee'd by Ashley Rose

Please join H.B.N.N. and friends for this 8th Annual event. Beginning promptly at 12pm pre-walk festivities will include the fabulous Caribbean female group Zili Misik, poets, dancers, a gospel group, food, vendors and more! The walk will begin at 2pm, which consists of a 3-mile walk along the Charles River.

This is a family-freindly event.
Ways to get involved:
-attend the walk and bring a donation to benefit Partners in Health's (PIH) work in Haiti
-collect donations at work, school or form friends and family to bring to the walk
-organize a walk team or go to www.walkforhaiti.org to dowload a pledge form or start a fundraising page to get people to sponsor your participation in the walk.Saturday, April 2nd 2011

BROTHERS FOR BOSTON MARCHWhere Are The Men in our Community??

Men, Women, youth, elders, Black, Latino, Cape Verdean,
Roxbury, Dorchester, Mattapan, Jamaica Plain, South End
TAKE A STAND!!
(education, crime, violence, drugs, guns, gangs, housing, family)

WEAR BLACK!!!

@ The Grove Hall Mecca

Dorchester / Grove Hall
Gather 1:00pm at the Stop & Shop parking lot

March at 1:30pm from Grove Hall to Dudley Square

Arrive 2:00pm at Hibernian Hall for "Facing Love IV"
Brothers for Boston will attend the "Facing Love IV"
community forum on Black/Latino relationships & family.
Organized by Brothers For Boston
ALL ARE WELCOME!!

Saturday, April 2nd 2011 

FACING LOVE IV

The 4th symposium focusing on the dynamics and intricacies of Black male/Black female relationships in order to strengthen lines of communication and empathetic perceptions between the genders and among our people overall. Facing Love works to the elevate the

number of marriages that occur between men and women of the Black community.

@ Roxbury Center for  Arts at Hibernian Hall

184 Dudley St. - 3rd floor, Roxbury/Dudley Sq.

(next to fire department & barber shop)

1:00pm - 7:00pm / Free event

Free buffet + Giveaways + "Facing Love IV" soundtrack

Subject matters are as follows:

- Is slavery a relevant factor or just an excuse?

- What role does music play in our relationships and perceptions

of each other?

- Do men get more physically attractive with money, success,

fame or position?

- Is there too much comparison between Black relationships

and white relationships?

Panelists on "What role does music play in our relationships/perceptions

of each other?"

include: Angel Babbitt, Sherie Graves, Catch Wreck,

Hassan Smith (road manager for John Legend),Reggie Beasley, Hammad S. N'Cho, G. Valentino Ball, TaShawn King,

Eric Hardin (Eclipse Magazine) & Tekitha (of the Wu-Tang Clan)

Also featuring Dr. Kathryn Silva Banks

(asst. history professor - Andrew Univ.)

And special guest Mayor Setti Warren 

(Newton mayor - 1st Black mayor elected in Massachusetts)  

Musical performances by Tekitha and TaShawn King 

 

Saturday, April 9th 2011

25 YEARS AFTER CRACK!

The Effect of Crack Cocaine On Boston's Black Community (1986-2011)

Join 25 community leaders, non-profit agency directors, social workers,

ministers, health professionals, judges, politicians, university professors,

law enforcement officers, youth, former drug dealers, former crack users, youth advocates and ex-offenders for a retrospective discussion and symposium on the arrival of crack cocaine and how 25 years later

it has effected community building planning sessions. This will help develop grassroots and non-profit solutions to build a new infrastructure

for our Black communities.

@ Roxbury Center for Arts at Hibernian Hall

184 Dudley St. - 3rd floor, Roxbury/Dudley Sq.

(next to the fire department & barber shop)

9:00pm - 4:00pm / Free to the public

To RSVP or for more info, please e-mail your name and number to

greatestminds@gmail.com

 

Saturday, April 9th 2011

Concerned Black Men of Massachusetts (CBMM) presents

THE 22ND ANNIVERSARY ANDREW J. DAVIS JR.

"UNITY BREAKFAST"

Mentoring Boys to Manhood!

@ Marriott Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel

606 Congress St., Boston

10:00am - 1:00pm

Tickets $40.00 in advance / $50.00 at the door

Featuring the 2011 recipient of the Paul Robeson Leadership Award

Hill Harper (award-winning actor in "CSI: NY", "Get On The Bus")

plus Outstanding Community Service & Student Achievement Awards

Proceeds benefit the Paul Robeson Institute for Positive Self-Development

For sponsor opportunities and more info call 617-541-8642

or visit www.cbmm.net 

 

 

PARTIES/SOCIAL NETWORKING 

Every Friday Night

Soul Cafe presents

GROWN & CLASSY FRIDAY

Voted "Best Old School Night" in the city

@ The Blue Wave

343 Congress St., Boston

9:00pm - 2:00am

$5.00 before 10pm / $10.00 until 11pm w/RSVP

Proper dress required

Each night with a different DJ each week 

For info and RSVP contact stephenanglin_firstfridays@msn.com 

 

Every Friday & Saturday Night

BARE YOUR SOUL WEEKENDS

We are excited to now offer enhanced entertainment for the discriminating mature professional that seeks to shake off the worries of a long week. We will now feature some of the areas best DJs and dancing weekly. Bare Your Soul will be a compilation of music to make you move!
That may be R&B, Neo Soul, Funk, Latin, Carribean, Throwbacks & Deep Soulful House!!

@ Darryl's Corner Bar & Kitchen
604 Columbus Ave., Boston/South End

(diagonally across from NY Pizza)
11:00pm - 2:00pm
$10.00 admission / Proper dress required

Darryls is an chic quaint restaurant, bar and lounge with great quality food and people. Darryl's will continue having a full range of live bands and dinner in the early evening.

 

Saturday, April 9th 2011

Establised Entertainment presents

THE 6TH ANNUAL ARIES GALA

Come Party in Style at Boston's Premier Grown-Up Affair

@ William E. Reed Auditorium

24 Washington St., Dorchester/Grove Hall

8:00pm - 2:00am (performance at 10;00pm)

$8.00 tickets in advance...FOR ARIES ONLY!!

Reduced tickets in advance - $15.00 at the door

Hosted by T. Brown

21+ event w/cocktail attire

Music by Ill Neil (playing the hottest music)

Tickets sold at the following locations:

- Chanique's Hair Salon: 900 Morton St. (617-265-2500)

- Sun-Ah's Cafe: 503 Washington St. (617-297-5912)

- On Topp Clothing: 10 Walk Hill (617-522-8050)

For tickets or info contact 617-759-4130 or 757-303-8395

 

 

Saturday, April 9th 2011

Fam IV Life presents

"I'M SO FUNKY FRESH" 80's & 90's SHOW/PARTY

With live performance by legendary Hip-Hop group Whodini

@ China Pearl Lounge

219-237 Quincy Ave., Quincy MA

(in the President Plaza - 9 mins. south of Quincy Ctr.)

Doors open at 9:00pm - performance at 11:00pm SHARP!

$20.00 limited advanced tickets

21+ event / proper ID required

No hats, sneakers, yellow Timbs or athletic gear (jeans OK)

Featuring DJ Dex & DJ Philly Black

(spinning the best of R&B, Reggae, Hip-Hop and Old Skool)

Advanced tickets located at these outlets:

Mattapan's Finest Barber (Grove Hall)

Lawson's Beauty Supply (Egleston Sq.)

Silver Slipper Restaurant (Dudley Sq.)

Kung Fu Video & DVD (Downtown Boston - 2nd fl. at Jewelry Exchange)

Threadz (Dorchester - across from Franklin Park)

Star Styles Unisex (Brockton)

For more info, Facebook "Fam IV Life Entertainment"

or contact famIVlife@gmail.com, check out famIVlifeblogspot.com

or follow us on Twitter at famIVlife 

Saturday, April 23rd 2011

30+ Event presents
"THE PARTY ON THE CHARLES"

A monthly meet-up for a diverse and progressive group of

professional men and women seeking to socialize, mix and

mingle with like-minded peers.@ Courtyard Marriott Hotel
777 Memorial Drive, Cambridge MA

9:00pm - 2:00amFeaturing a live band playing Jazz and R&B

Music by DJ Reggie Beas

(spinning R&B, Neo-Soul, Soulful House and Old School Classics) 

 

COMEDY NIGHTS

Every Monday Night

SoulKore Productions presents

THE HAPPY HOUR

Express Yourself!!

@ 270 Medford St., Malden MA

6:30pm - 10:00pm / Free 2 enter

Come early for open mic sign-up

All forms of entertainment welcomed

Open mic slots are limited (5 minutes each)

Hosted by Bigg Nez / Music by DJ Nomadik

For more info contact info@soulkore.com  

Every Wednesday Night

BLACK COMEDY EXPLOSION

@ Slade's Bar & Grill

958 Tremont St., Boston/South End

9:00pm showtime / $15.00 admission

Hosted by Jonathon Gates

For more information contact Jonathon Gates

617-590-8334 or jgates1963@aol.com

 

 

CULTURE/PERFORMANCES

Every Thursday Night

The Roxbury Center for the Arts at Hibernian Hall presents

CAFE TATANT

An Upscale Venue for Jazz, R&B and Sweet Soul Music

Come early for socializing and enjoy fine dining, dancing and the most

evocative talent around as the grand ballroom is transformed into a

relaxed listening lounge & supper club

@ Hibernian Hall

184 Dudley St., Roxbury/Dudley Sq.

(next to fire dept. and barber shop)

Drinks at 6:00pm / Dinner served at 7:00pm / Show starts at 7:30pm

Cash bar available

Dinner & show: $39.00 / $69.00 for couples

Show only: $19.00

Tickets can be purchased online at www.madison-park.org/cafetatant

Parking behind Hibernian Hall off Zeigler St.

Additional free parking available at Peking House on Harrison Ave.

For more info visit www.madison-park.org/cafe-tatant

 

Thursday, April 28th 2011

New England Up Front presents

A.M.B. (African Man Born): BIGGER THAN HIP-HOP!

@ Sammy's Patio

63 Revere Beach Blvd., Revere MA

9:00pm - 1:00pm

$10.00 in advance / $15.00 at the door

21+ event with ID required (no ID...no entry)

With guest performances by

Simone Iman, Cassius The 5th, Lyfe Styles, Genius and Mike Biggs

Special performances by The Knowbodies

Hosted by D.Loopz

Sounds by DJ Daz-One

Tight security will be present!

 

Saturday, April 30th 2011

THE 2011 NEW ENGLAND URBAN MUSIC AWARDS

A Tribute To Womem In Music!

Join us as we celebrate women in the music industry at the

UMA's 6th annual award ceremony. we will acknowledge the

talented women who don't get enough recognition for all of

their hard work and dedication in the performing arts. 

@ The Strand Theatre

543 Columbia Rd., Dorchester/Uphams Corner

For more info call 617-686-1377

or visit www.urbanmusicawards.org

 

Saturday, April 30th 2011

K-Ghee Productions presents

A PRE-MOTHER'S DAY CELEBRATION

featuring Cuba Gooding Sr. & The Main Ingredient

("Everybody Plays The Fool", "Just Don't Want To Be Lonely")

Performing with a live band

@ Moseley's On The Charles

50 Bridge St., Dedham MA

Doors open at 8:30pm

$45.00 advanced tickets / $55.00 VIP tickets

Celebrating the birthday of Cuba Gooding Sr.

Also featuring "The Time Tunnel Reunion" with J. Michaels

(80's voice of WILD 1090AM's "The Time Tunnel")

Tickets available at these outlets:

A Nubian Notions (Dudley Sq.) 617-442-2622

Skippy White's (Egleston Sq.) 617-524-4500

For more info call 617-792-8328