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: The Ghouls at Thirsty First
What will The Ghouls do for an encore? The rock and roll libertines of Lowell had a spectacular 2024, winning the damn Rock And Roll Rumble, scoring Rock Artist of the Year at the Boston Music Awards (just moments after performing live), and unleashing a string of rippin’ singles like “Pocket of Gold,” “Lovestruck,” and the holiday-wasted “Will We Even Have A Christmas Time?”. Now they post up at Thirsty First for a hometown matinee on Sunday (January 12) that features The Only Things, Ruffian Dick, and Vanyaland faves The Downhauls. We’ve been asking for more afternoon shows, and this one should be a lively affair in Massachusetts’ new rock city.
THE GHOULS + THE ONLY THINGS + THE DOWNHAULS + RUFFIAN DICK :: Sunday, January 12 at Thirsty First, 103 Market St. in Lowell, MA :: noon, all ages, $5 :: Event info
Comedy: Roast Battle Boston at The Rockwell
They say 2025 will be one of the most combative and confrontational years on record, so it makes sense that Boston comedians are taking on each other in an ultimate battle of laughs. Tonight (January 10) in Somerville’s Davis Square, Roast Battle Boston takes over The Rockwell, as hosts Logan O’Brien and Garrett Finn hold court over five ha-ha showdowns pairing up 10 of the city’s finest smile slingers. The rotisserie chickens on the awesome poster below tells us how serious this will be. “Some of Boston’s best up-and-coming comics go head to head in a roast battle,” teases the event description. “One of the most fun shows in the city, come watch friends rib each other for the title of biggest jerk in comedy!” Let’s get it on!
ROAST BATTLE BOSTON :: Friday, January 10 at The Rockwell, 255 Elm St. in Somerville, MA :: 9:30 p.m., $15 to $20 :: Event info and tickets
Film/TV: Sunday Scaries at Sam Adams Brewery
Usually a monthly film series in an unexpected place is reserved for the summer or holidays, but Sam Adams Brewery is filling the January calendar (and beyond!) with some winter warm-up screenings to help get us through the worst month on the calendar. The Jamaica Plain taproom’s Sunday Scaries this weekend (January 12) serves up Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 psychological horror classic The Shining, with Grand Budapest Hotel (January 19) and Ice Age (January 26) to close out the month. It’s a “winter movie theme and it’s free to attend. “Each month, we’ll explore a new theme,” the brewery writes, “from heartwarming romances to pulse-pounding thrillers, timeless classics to animated adventures. Grab a brewery exclusive beer or your favorite seasonal and cozy up in from the big screen in the taproom with the sound up.”
‘THE SHINING’ :: Sunday, January 12 at Sam Adams Boston Brewery, 30 Germania St. in Jamaica Plain, MA :: 6 p.m., free :: Event info