Editor’s Note: Welcome to V3 Weekend, Vanyaland‘s 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: Here And There Festival at MASS MoCA
It is Festival Weekend across the commonwealth, and while we have the eastern part of the state covered (more on that below), Courtney Barnett holds it down this Saturday (August 13) in Western Mass. with her roving Here And There Festival. The New England stop on the 15-show run pulls into MASS MoCa in North Adams with an impressive line-up that’s quite road-trip-worthy, as Barnett leads a charge with Lucy Dacus, Men I Trust, Faye Webster, The Beths, Bartees Strange, and Hana Vu. Hot damn.
“When I was a kid I would make mixtapes and dream up my own festivals, I’d even design the t-shirts and pair up musicians for iconic collaborations,” says Barnett. “I’d listen to the mixtape and pretend it was the live recording of a concert, all my favorite artists on stage together. Ten years ago I wrote this lyric: ‘I got lost somewhere between here and there, I’m not sure what the town was called’. Whether that was meant to be interpreted as a geographical, emotional or philosophical journey, I thought it was the perfect title for my roaming festival.”
HERE AND THERE FESTIVAL :: Saturday, August 13 at MASS MoCA, 1040 MASS MoCA Way in North Adams, MA :: Noon, $60.50 :: Bowery event page :: Advance tickets
Comedy: Vanyaland’s Comedy Festival
A few years ago Vanyaland expanded its focus to Comedy and Film/TV, and this Saturday (August 13) we showcase the former with our first-ever IRL comedy festival. It goes down at Bellforge Arts Center in Medfield, the site of the old Medfield State Hospital filming location of Shutter Island, and full slate of summer programming. And it packs a doozy of a stand-up lineup: Wilbur headliner Brian Glowacki, Ken Reid, Emily Ruskowski (pictured), Shaun Connolly, Andrew Mayer, Brieana Woodward, Nick Ortolani, Tiny, and hosts Will Smalley and Rob Crean.
It’s also free, all ages, and outside. And because it’s a Vanyaland event, there’s gotta be some music action, so editors Michael Marotta, Victoria Wasylak, and Jason Greenough will be spinning vinyl in between the comics. Spend today watching video previews of all the performers, and join us southwest of Boston for a fun day under the sun (which thankfully has chilled the fuck out over the past few days).
Vanyaland Comedy Festival :: Saturday, August 13 at Bellforge Arts Center, 45 Hospital Road in Medfield, MA :: Noon to 7 p.m., free, all ages :: Bellforge events page
Film/TV: ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ at Boston Harbor Hotel
Ok, sure, we’re looking ahead a tiny little bit to August 26’s screening of Dune, but tonight (August 12), the Boston Harbor Hotel shows Guardians of the Galaxy outside Rowes Wharf as part of the Movies by Moonlight: Summer in the City series, and it feels like a good opportunity to shake loose after a scorching hot summer week. We’re not even stressed about how this here first Guardians flick came out almost a decade ago. Yikes!
Here’s the word from Boston Central: “The Boston Harbor Hotel will once again transform its harbor side terrace into an outdoor cinema beneath the stars for its Annual Movies by Moonlight series on the waterfront. Visit Hollywood by enjoying an all-star lineup of both classic and contemporary movies every Friday night against the backdrop of the starlit harbor. The cool evening breeze and view from Intrigue Café set the stage for the perfect opportunity to view these classic films under the stars. Movies begin at dusk.”
‘GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY’ :: Friday, August 12 at Boston Harbor Hotel, 70 Rowes Wharf in Boston, MA :: Dusk, free, all ages :: Event info