Hasn’t this month of folk been awesome?  You’ve been going to lots of concerts in and around the square, right?  Attending the discussion groups, speeches and workshops?  You’ve at least been noticing the photos in shops all over the square?

Okay, maybe not.  Noice hadn’t realized either until recently, but it turns out that the entire month of November marks the celebration of “Forever Young: Folk Music History Month in Harvard Square,” an effort co-organized by the New England Folk Music Archives and the Harvard Square Business Association.  More information on the concerts and other events happening in the Square all month long can be found here.  To name a few, the legendary Club Passim has folk concerts every night, Tommy Doyle’s has a few special events planned, and the Brattle Theatre is showing “Festival!,” a documentary on the Newport Folk Festival.

The most exciting part of the History Month is that businesses all over the Square from J.P. Licks to The Tannery have exhibits on folk history set up.  At each business, photographs are set up in the window and a page of history about an influential photographer, club owner, concert promoter, band manager, musician, or artist is displayed.  The full list can be viewed here.  This blogger recommends not walking the distance to the Irving House because he couldn’t find any set-up there, but the rest of the businesses have some great photographs displayed in the window.  Examples follow after the jump. (Read more…)

Recently there has been much hubbub on the sightings of major stars filming in the Square. These soon to be films will be joining in a long line of films set at our famous institution. In case your ego doesn’t feel bloated enough, here is a list of some of the most well known movies that use Harvard as a plot subject and some fun facts about them!

Legally Blonde (2001) – Everyone’s favorite Harvard-centered movie (or just mine). We are all well versed in the story of Elle Woods and her unlikely acceptance to Harvard Law School through which she plans to win back her ex, Waner Huntington III.

Fun Fact 1: Reese Witherspoon spent two weeks spending time with and studying actual sorority girls for the project. She also attended law school for a day. Now that’s what I call dedication to a role.

Fun Fact 2: The final graduation scene was shot in the Great Hall of Dulwich College in London because it was not included in the original script. When it was added to the movie, Witherspoon was already filming “The Importance of Being Earnest” in England.

Fun Fact 3: Witherspoon got to keep every piece of clothing from the movie, as per her contract. That’s a whole lot of pink.

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Last night I tried to explain the production of Sleep No More to someone at Harvard who had yet to hear anything about it. “Well you see, it’s an adaptation of Macbeth… but there are no words….and there isn’t a stage… and it’s actually in this big old school building… and you wear this weird mask… and you have to follow characters around to figure out what is going on…but you never actually know what is going on.” I realized about halfway through my explanation that not only was I not doing the production the justice it deserved, but also I myself was not entirely sure how to explain the experience that was Sleep No More.  The production, created by a London based group called Punchdrunk Theatricals known for their installation immersive theater in Europe, was brought to Boston this year by the A.R.T.. in an attempt to bring this new experience of theater to America. It certainly was an experience, and by far the most interesting one I have had in a while.

On Saturday night, I ventured out of Harvard Square with three friends to a place Harvard students would not journey to if it weren’t for the prospect of free theater required by one of our classes. Two subway lines and one hour later we arrived in what felt like the middle of nowhere, Massachusetts, otherwise known as Brookline. I’m sure in the light of day Brookline is just another respectable and well-to-do suburb of Boston. However, on a cold night when you are holding a small slip of directions that more or less ends with, “Follow the small hard-to-find path up to the looming school building on your right. ” you are more than willing to huddle closer to those with whom you came. Once you finally find the Old Lincoln School Building (which is the name of the venue on your ticket), Cambridge already feels very far away. But incase you are not entirely out of your comfort zone yet, you are ushered through a black corridor and are forced to navigate your way to the Manderlay Bar, a night club signaling the other influence of the production, Alfred Hitchcocks 1940 film Rebecca. There are servants to greet you, music, and other patrons waiting with drinks in hand for their turn to enter the “show” portion of the night. About twenty minutes later my group was called and we finally entered into the world we had come to see. (Read more…)

Guys, gals, tourists, and Dins alike were greeted with a pleasant pelvic-thrusting, slicked-hair sporting, and tight-pants wearing surprise this Thursday afternoon.

GREASE the Harvard student musical gave a teaser performance this afternoon featuring the entire GREASE cast. They serenaded and scintillated the massive crowd with favorites “Summer Nights” and “Grease Lightning.”

Senior Tali Friedman (“Sandy”) and freshman Ben Moss (“Danny”) embodied the sweet and innocent good girl and suave softie-inside tough guy that made this a classic story of boy re-meets girl for the ages.

And if this preview was any indication, this musical’s gearing to be one hell of a good time.

Enjoy!

PS – You know the saying “lightning never strikes twice?” False. You’ll be able to catch the performance again today on the Science Center lawn @ 12 pm.

you know you need to see them

With Freshman Parents’ Weekend looming in the near future, some of you might be looking for one final excursion out of Cambridge before Mom and Dad enthusiastically fill the role of the Proud Harvard Parent. As you’re currently scrambling to finish that paper, we understand that you might not have the time to look up awesomely fantastic omgz-that-was-so-amazing concerts. No worries, Harvard, we got your back.

This Thursday at 8pm, Playing for Change, “a multimedia movement created to inspire, connect, and bring peace to the world through music” will be performing at Boston’s Orpheum Theater. Playing for Change has gained international fame with their YouTube slam dunk, “Stand by Me” which featured street musicians from across the world. In addition to “Stand by Me,” the group has produced several other videos including “One Love,” “Don’t Worry,” and “War, No More Trouble.” What’s amazing is that these videos were produced without the performers ever physically interacting. Not to be too melodramatic, but seriously man, this music is intense. What’s even more amazing though is the fact that on Thursday night we’ll be able to see international world class musicians only a few T-stops away. When you’re considering that performers, Titi Tsira and Louisa Mhlanga will be coming all the way from Guguutu, South Africa and Harare, Zimbabwe respectively the ride to Park Street just doesn’t seem that bad…

Check the clip to see how incredible Thursday night will be sure to be!

Photo and Video Courtesy of PlayingforChange.com

Artists Nancy Brooks Brody and Carrie Yamaoko assemble the fierce pussy installation.

With the flu season upon us, dear old UHS has been constantly urging Harvard students to wash wash wash our hands. But the next time you want to de-germify, head over to the bathrooms in the Carpenter Center or the Sackler Museum where you’ll get not only a dollop of soap but the chance to experience powerful activist art works.  fierce pussy, an artist collective focusing “around lesbian identity and visibility”  has transformed sets of Harvard bathrooms into installation pieces. Formed in New York City during the early 1990’s, fierce pussy has used wheat pasting, a type of postering technique, and text as their chosen medium to reclaim derogatory words used towards lesbian women.

We dropped by the exhibit while the some of the group’s founding members, Joy Episalla, Carrie Yamaoko, Zoe Leonard, and Nancy Brooks Brody, were in the process of gluing posters along the bathroom walls. They Harvard students were also involved in the construction through out the day. With our formal art background consisting of only elementary school paint fights, the application processed seemed a little random. However, these awesome women freed us from our ignorance and showed us how the different layers of the paper was representative of the different layers of identity and sexuality within individuals.

Keep reading to find out more about this work.

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Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise must be feeling a bit neglected lately. With HarvardFML.com launching Harvard students to fame almost daily, students just don’t get excited anymore by the so-called celebrities frequenting our campus. Rather, our attention has been captured by the likes of red scarf Polish girl, Wigg A girl, or — most recently – K-pop Loving Turk.

The last person — Mr. Turk, let’s call him — is perhaps the most obscure of all. Sure, we know where Wigg A is, and what red scarves are, and hopefully where Poland is, but what’s all this about a K-pop loving Turk? Is K-pop a type of soda? Should we stock up, so that we can sip it conspicuously during Gov20 in the hopes that we’ll capture the attention of some tanned Turkish hottie?

Noice knows such questions are running through the minds of Harvard students everywhere, so we’re here to unravel a bit of the mystery surrounding Mr. Turk. Thus, Noice presents A Guide to K-pop. Because how else are you going to impress this famed personage without versing yourself in his interests?

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