Editor’s Note: Welcome to V3 Weekend, Vanyaland guide to help you sort out your weekend entertainment with curated selections and recommendations across our three pillars of Music, Comedy, and Film/TV. It’s what you should know about, where you need to be, and where you’ll be going, with us riding shotgun along the way.
Music: Sunflower Bean at Brighton Music Hall
“Tomorrow is not promised, no tour is promised, no popularity is promised, no health or money is promised. Why not make what you want to make on your own terms? Why not make a record that makes you want to dance? Why not make a record that makes you want to scream?”
That right there is Julia Cumming, bassist and vocalist of Sunflower Bean, who kick off a North American tour Saturday night (April 30) at Brighton Music Hall, a week before new album Headful of Sugar hits the streams n’ shelves. We show the New York City trio a whole lotta love, because Cumming and crew seem to just crank out hit after hit after hit, some of the most delectable indie-pop and alternative fit for all playlists. Live dance party, commence.
SUNFLOWER BEAN + HELLO MARY + AUBREY HADDARD :: Saturday, April 30 at Brighton Music Hall, 158 Brighton Ave. in Allston, MA :: 8 p.m., 18-plus, $18 :: Venue and ticket info
Comedy: Iliza Shlesinger at The Chevalier
Another week, another banger Mic’d Up, with Ricky Velez, Emma Willmann, Tracy Morgan, and Brian Posehn all in town this weekend. But tonight (April 29) we’re rolling north of Boston to The Chevalier, as Iliza Shlesinger closes out three nights in Medford.
Vanyaland Comedy Editor Jason Greenough with the word: “A lot has happened since the last time Iliza Shlesinger made her way to the area, and since she’s always been more than willing to pull back the curtain on the happenings of her life in front of an audience, we couldn’t be more excited for this next visit. With all that’s gone on over the past two years, with the addition of motherhood thrown into the mix now, the Emerson alum is sure to have some great stories to share with her unbeatable verbal illustrations.”
ILIZA SHLESINGER :: Friday, April 29 at The Chevalier Theatre, 30 Forest St. in Medford, MA :: 7 p.m. and 9:45 p.m. :: Venue and ticket info
Film/TV: ‘Dio: Dreamers Never Die’ at IFFBoston
Holy diver, TGIF! Independent Film Festival Boston is back in action this week across multiple screens around Cambridge, Brookline, and Somerville, and earlier in the week Vanyaland Film Editor detailed seven must-see films from the extended festivities. On the documentary tip, we’re raising the horns at Dio: Dreamers Never Die, where director Don Argott details the life of the heavy metal icon, who died in 2010. Argott will be in attendance as it screens tonight (April 29) at the Somerville Theatre.
Here’s the synopsis: “This career-spanning documentary on heavy metal legend Ronnie James Dio delves deep into his incredible rise from ’50s doo-wop crooner, to his early classic rock days in Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow, to replacing the iconic lead singer Ozzy Osborne in Black Sabbath, to finally cement his legend with DIO. Ronnie’s biography is completely unique to the tired sex, drugs, and rock and roll cliches. The film is about perseverance, dreams, and the power to believe in yourself.”
‘DIO: DREAMERS NEVER DIE’ :: Friday, April 29 at the Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Square in Somerville, MA :: 9:15 p.m. :: Screening and ticket info