I gots those Metafilter blues...

January 5, 2009 6:19 AM

Boston Blues Jam Meetup?

As discussed at the last Boston meetup I swear I'll have those photos on flickr any day now..., let's get together at Johnny D's for some blues jammin', dancin', and general carousin'.

The Place: Johnny D's, Davis Square, Somerville.
The Time: a Sunday TBD. Jam starts at 4:30 with a set by the house band.
What to Bring: $3 to get in. Instruments if you want to jam (amps and drum kit are available). Dance shoes if you're serious about that kind of thing. Pants.

As far as I can tell, they only serve the bar menu during the jam - salads and burgers, mostly.

So, come out, enjoy some music, and have some fun!

posted by backseatpilot to MetaFilter gatherings at 6:19 AM (73 comments total)

Oh, Sundays are good. The 11th or the 18th would work best for me.
posted by lunit at 6:44 AM on January 5

Pants? Really?
posted by cocoagirl at 6:55 AM on January 5

That sounds like fun! I'm determined to make it to a meetup in 2009...
posted by cider at 7:12 AM on January 5

11th or 18th are both doable for me.
posted by Ryvar at 7:47 AM on January 5

Hey, this sounds good and potentially doable. The potential for some swing dancing sweetens the deal. So far both days are good.
posted by Miko at 8:06 AM on January 5

I am required by the terms of my parole to claim that I am extremely excited to go to this meetup. Both Sundays are equally acceptable.
posted by Plutor at 11:17 AM on January 5

Sounds great! I missed the last couple of meetups so I'll try extra hard to make this one. Do you know how long this usually lasts? Chances are I'll arrive on the late side.
posted by emd3737 at 11:17 AM on January 5

I believe it officially runs 4:30-8:30. Should be plenty of time for people to arrive at their leisure.

I will actually be out of town on the 18th, so if next weekend is not too early for anyone, let's do that. I'll await further responses before making it all official-like.
posted by backseatpilot at 11:53 AM on January 5

Oooo, this sounds like fun. I might try to make this one.
posted by The Great Big Mulp at 1:13 PM on January 5

I'm out of town for both of the next two weekends.
posted by Eideteker at 3:22 PM on January 5

Oh hell yes. Either weekend.
posted by danb at 6:37 PM on January 5

Oooh!! But the afternoon of the 11th is the easy Scandinavian dance in Arlington. I suppose I could get there around 6pm, but I'd prefer the 18th or 25th.
posted by nonane at 7:05 PM on January 5

Would anyone be terribly opposed to the 25th?
posted by backseatpilot at 9:50 AM on January 6

I'd love to go, and I can make it on either the 18th or 25th but not on the 11th.
posted by em at 12:44 PM on January 6

The 18th or 25th for me too...
posted by of strange foe at 1:29 PM on January 6

I don't think I can make the 25th, but I could always just catch the next one.
posted by lunit at 2:55 PM on January 6

Do I really have to bring Pants? (Actually I'm not in town until Feb, so unless y'all wait that long I'll miss it... but... pants!...)
posted by nat at 7:19 PM on January 6

I've never been to this place; what kind of experience are we talking about? I ask because "blues jamming and swing dancing" is a menu of things I don't begin to know how to do.

(The 25th seems to be the night before a final exam, but the other dates are cool.)
posted by grobstein at 8:27 PM on January 6

25th is the only good option for me, but don't hold off for my sake.
posted by brett at 9:31 PM on January 6

Ok, based on the responses it looks like the 11th would be best. Apologies to those who can't make it then; if it works out well we could have another gathering there in the near future.

As far as experience, it's really whatever you want to make of it. Come to dance or play, or just sit with a beer and enjoy the music. I definitely fall into the "sit and enjoy" category myself.
posted by backseatpilot at 6:25 AM on January 7

My Boston meetup curse continues! The 11th is now out. Sigh.

Great idea, though - love the venue!
posted by Miko at 8:16 AM on January 7

11th, 18th, or 25th all work for me! Way to go, bsp! Only, now you must page all of these MeFites.
posted by not_on_display at 10:56 AM on January 7

11th, yes
18th, no
25th, yes

It looks like a lot of the Providence crew are going so I should tag along too.
posted by Kattullus at 9:31 PM on January 7

I'd rather not do the 11th, but I could probably be talked into it.
The 18th and 25th are AOK.
posted by The Great Big Mulp at 10:09 PM on January 7

backseatpilot: "Come to dance or play, or just sit with a beer and enjoy the music. I definitely fall into the "sit and enjoy" category myself."

Allergic to dancing, haven't played in 8 years. But I'm an expert sit/drink/enjoyer. T minus 3 days and I still plan on showing up.
posted by Plutor at 8:50 AM on January 8

The Great Big Mulp: I'd rather not do the 11th, but I could probably be talked into it. The 18th and 25th are AOK.

C'mon! You know you wanna.
posted by not_on_display at 9:19 AM on January 8

Well .... yeah, I do.
Okay, I'm in.
posted by The Great Big Mulp at 11:44 AM on January 8

Awesome, sounds like a party. I will try to get there around 4:30-ish and, um... pull some tables together or something.
posted by backseatpilot at 1:04 PM on January 8

I'll probably be there too, in the "sit and enjoy" group.
posted by martinX's bellbottoms at 4:10 PM on January 10

I seem to have a full day tomorrow, but I'll drop in at some point, anyway.
posted by grobstein at 5:28 PM on January 10

Oh dear... tonight I got introduced to the espresso martini. I may be a wreck tomorrow. Hopefully I'll fall asleep with the caffeine crash.

Well, at least the Providence contingent is meeting for a bloody mary brunch beforehand so if worst comes to worst I'll at least be pleasantly buzzed when we arrive.
posted by Kattullus at 11:58 PM on January 10

Good on you. Also: holy shit, snow!
posted by Ryvar at 8:38 AM on January 11

You know, I was thinking I would just come to sit and enjoy, but now I'm thinking I should bring the Strat in case anyone halfway decent wants to play. :-) I should get strings.
posted by danb at 10:54 AM on January 11 [1 favorite]

Share and Enjoy
posted by grobstein at 11:17 AM on January 11

I'm afraid to bring the only guitar I have because the innards make loud crackly sounds and half the buttons and knobs don't work for no apparent reason. I'd gladly play your strat, danb!
posted by not_on_display at 12:32 PM on January 11

That was fun! I like this idea of having a meetup five minutes from my house! It was a bit loud for conversation, though.

Also I should probably stick to acoustic guitar :-)
posted by danb at 5:14 PM on January 11

Also whoever was sitting across from martinX's bellbottoms (grobstein, maybe?) totally owes me $10 for bailing on the bill.
posted by danb at 5:15 PM on January 11

Yeah, that was me; sorry. Next time!
posted by grobstein at 6:37 PM on January 11

I called Ryvar right after I got home, realizing I bailed on the bill, too, hoping he'd still be there and I could hammer out a beer-for-beer deal with one of you all; he was already on his way home, though. So next time, I'll buy you all a shot of beer or smile sheepishly or something.

I learned at this meetup what happens to the crabs that neurobiologists study, after they've been done being studied! I participated in my very first open-stage blues jam! I found my old bass strap, too, after thinking I totally walked off with danb's... it was mine! And I had a great time seeing you all again and meeting those of you whom I hadn't before! Exclamation point! WILL SOMEONE GET THE PHONE ALREADY? IT'S BEEN RINGING FOR HOURS!!

And great idea for a meetup, backseatpilot; I had fun, even with all the necessary shouting. Next time, not so much shouting, more roundish type table so lunit doesn't have to escape to the bathroom by tunneling through; it's all good.
posted by not_on_display at 6:47 PM on January 11 [1 favorite]

For variety, the next meet-up should be in a library. I bet we could build an awesome tower out of library books. No matter where we go, I will be shouting. I've started to like the sound of my own shouting. I hope my neighbors feel the same way!
posted by Humanzee at 7:53 PM on January 11

So, in this blues jam, do they have vocals? Would there be a point to sitting in and singing? I could go and play rhythm, but that gets awfully boring. SO what's the story?
posted by Miko at 8:07 PM on January 11

Yeah, this was an awesome meetup! Great idea, backseatpilot! (I wrote "Mike" first... it's a bit weird to refer to people one has met in real life by their internet handles).

The Providence pre-meet-up brunch at The Great Big Mulp's place with SheMulp a.k.a. PlusOne, GenjiandProust and lunit was an excellent idea and did wonders for my espresso martini hangover. Nothing like a bloody mary and a cup of coffee to get over a hangover. Mixing caffeine and alcohol again... will I ever learn? No, no I won't. Also, I learned to play Settlers of Catan which is a fun game and I was starting to understand a bit when we had to leave to catch the train. SheMulp a.k.a. PlusOne and GenjiandProust had to remain behind in Providence.

Finding people from the internet was easy. I was a bit unsure of the place at first as the house band was terrible. Let me revise that. The rhythm section was quite good and impressive, actually, but the guitarist... well... in my head I named him Guitarface McWankysolo. But once the house band left the stage, I'd had a portobello mushroom burger and the jamming had started the awesomeness of having a meetup at a blues jam fully revealed itself.

I met a couple of MeFites I hadn't met before, Humanzee and Of Strange Foe and met again a bunch of others who I had met at the post-ROFLcon meetup, grobstein, danb (who jammed excellently... twice on stage!), martinX's bellbottoms, Ryvar, Plutor, not_on_display (who also jammed excellently) and also backseatpilot's girlfriend Nancy who's not a MeFite but should be, since she went to a meetup. Oh, and Jessamyn made a telephonic appearance but the plans to have her sing into the microphone were scuppered because the MetaFilter crew failed to take over the stage.

Oh, and I learned that the man who danced like a pillock on the dance floor was also a pillock when not on the dance floor.
posted by Kattullus at 8:09 PM on January 11

Miko: So, in this blues jam, do they have vocals?

Yeah, there were people who just sang. There were also people who played instruments and sang (though not necessarily at the same time).
posted by Kattullus at 8:11 PM on January 11

I think I did the 'Add Photo' thing wrong. Ryvar and martinX's bellbottoms, I hope you can recognize yourselves in these two terribly blurry photos. (The second one is the next one.)

Kattullus, I don't think you've sold me on espresso martinis, but I do think I learned something about male swing dancers...
posted by of strange foe at 8:23 PM on January 11

Oh! I just realized I actually did pay for my beer at the bar! So I owe y'all nothing! Except that sheepish smile I said before. Sorry for the panicked call, Ryvar!

Yes, Miko! And people dance all fancy-like and non-fancy-like, too. I think it's a "thing" that people go to regularly. I wondered if they all have their in-jokes and stuff in their community, too. It's a big world!

Guitarface McWankysolo... (stifling giggle)
posted by not_on_display at 8:24 PM on January 11

The pictures aren't blurry, of strange foe, Ryvar's hands were just moving to fast for the human eye to see. Oh, I bet the swing dancers have tons of in-jokes and community stuff and I bet they enjoy it all. I certainly enjoyed the reminiscing about now-disappeared MeFites and old memes. Todd Lokken.
posted by Kattullus at 8:38 PM on January 11

Oh, and the song I couldn't remember how to sing yesterday was davejay's You Need More MeFi in Your Life.
posted by Kattullus at 4:55 AM on January 12

I feel so bad about only showing up for an hour of the fun and only talking to like four of you who were there. On the other hand, I feel good that I didn't completely bail on the meetup, like the last four or ten or whatever.

I second the library meetup proposal.
posted by Plutor at 5:21 AM on January 12

I swear I will cut off my own hand if I don't get these photos up within the week.
posted by backseatpilot at 5:30 AM on January 12

Okay, but then you have to photograph your severed hand. May I suggest having "A Farewell to Arms" somewhere in the background?

Miko: Almost all the songs had vocals, and almost all the vocals were performed by guitarists (including Guitarface McWankysolo). And... damn. To be fair, I suspect that it's hard enough to play the guitar, but switching back and forth is much harder. Also, the guitarists were all dudes, and the male mode of blues singing seems to be, "I'm so beaten down by life, I can barely mumble through the throat cancer", which from the mouth of a distracted amateur comes across as rythmic zombie grunting. The female vocalist they had was one notch above "I sound good in the shower" and that provided a major improvement. If you sound good in the shower, I think you'd be welcome.
posted by Humanzee at 6:39 AM on January 12

I bet the swing dancers have tons of in-jokes and community stuff and I bet they enjoy it all.

Yep - I'm a swing dancer and it's a complete subculture with all that stuff going on.
posted by Miko at 8:13 AM on January 12

This is not the THIRD meetup I've missed by one weekend. I should browse on Fridays, not Mondays.
posted by bensherman at 11:29 AM on January 12

Oh hey... I screwed up the link... here's You Need More MeFi in Your Life, which has lived on my iPod pretty much since the minute I downloaded it. It's my MetaFilter themesong.
posted by Kattullus at 5:21 PM on January 12

Check it. Photos.
posted by backseatpilot at 7:07 PM on January 12 [1 favorite]

Awesome photos

That place was a ton of fun - volume was a bit high, but I loved the vibe and activity.

That second tower of beer mats (the one with three base pairs) lasted quite a while.
posted by Ryvar at 7:19 PM on January 12

Yeah, those photos are nice. I wanted to see what ISO, aperture, etc you were shooting at, but Flickr says f/0 and that was a 0 mm lens. So I guess that lens was older than the body or some such. Love the ISO 3200, though.
posted by Plutor at 5:10 AM on January 13

Yup, old lenses. My brand new auto-focus zoom broke just before New Year's, so I'm to all my old manual primes. I was using a 28mm/f2.8 and a 100mm/f3.5 most of the evening, wide open - it was dark in there!
posted by backseatpilot at 6:04 AM on January 13

Yeah, pictures. Nice to meet everyone!
posted by lunit at 7:00 AM on January 13

Oooo yeah, it is a lot more colorful in those pix than my eyes were able to record -- thanks!
posted by not_on_display at 11:15 AM on January 13

Thank you for the great photos, backseatpilot!
posted by of strange foe at 9:22 PM on January 13

That was quite a bit of fun! Though I promise that, eventually, I'll get over the whole shy/awkward/silent thing.
posted by The Great Big Mulp at 10:47 AM on January 14

What about the photos, Mulp? We mustn't let people think the Providence Preemie Tupp was all just one big lie :)
posted by Kattullus at 11:38 AM on January 14

Ha! I completely forgot about them! Give me a bit ... I'll get them up.
posted by The Great Big Mulp at 11:56 AM on January 14

You guys just blew my flickr stats out of the water. The scaling on the graph makes the previous month look like a flat line at zero compared to the 430 pageviews yesterday...
posted by backseatpilot at 2:36 PM on January 15

I now have photos up as well (which include the pre-meetup brunch)! Huzzah!
posted by The Great Big Mulp at 5:17 PM on January 15

Shoot, I didn't get any of not_on_display playing. I got a few of danb, though. I hardly ever bring cameras with me, so I tend to forget that I have one when I do.
posted by The Great Big Mulp at 5:40 PM on January 15

I took a bunch of the pictures on Mulp's camera (which is why I'm in so few) and I'm most proud of this one. That's a veritable coasterhenge.

Also, I came to work dressed like that and one of my coworkers stopped in a hallway and said to another coworker: "Look at his clothes! Isn't that self-expression or what?" I still don't know what to think of that :)
posted by Kattullus at 5:49 PM on January 15

Yes, those pants are very expressive. What are they saying, you ask? You mean you don't know? Oh, hum, ehem, well I shouldn't say.
posted by grobstein at 6:13 PM on January 15

They say: We are secret plaid.
posted by Kattullus at 7:40 PM on January 15

Kattullus: "Look at his clothes! Isn't that self-expression or what?" I still don't know what to think of that :)

NWA says hell yeah.*

And pre-meetup brunches should be de rigueur for visiting MeFites. I propose that the Boston contingent have a round of bloody marys and a game of Apples to Oranges before going to the next PVD meetup.
posted by not_on_display at 10:15 AM on January 16

I've been thinking about having a brunch, actually -- got a new food processor and want to make latkes! -- but there's really no way I can squeeze the whole Boston meetup contingent into my apartment.
posted by grobstein at 10:46 AM on January 16

grobstein: I've been thinking about having a brunch, actually -- got a new food processor and want to make latkes! -- but there's really no way I can squeeze the whole Boston meetup contingent into my apartment.

With a food processor, you can definitely fit the whole lot of us into, say, three large storage containers like these.
posted by not_on_display at 1:13 PM on January 16 [1 favorite]

It'd be like a Fargo-style meetup!

On second thought, don't food process me, please.
posted by The Great Big Mulp at 3:22 PM on January 16 [1 favorite]