So weird! The Boston Globe spent a week hyperfocusing on a tiny lesbian bar in the middle of the woods in Greenfield, the Last Ditch.

Before the music and marching starts for the Honk! festival running Oct. 9-11, Somerville City Hall opens “Looking Back at 20 Years of Honk! Festival of Activist Street Bands,” a retrospective celebrating the homegrown festival and the movement it helped inspire. The exhibit of photographs, posters, quotes... The post ‘Looking Back at 20 Years of Honk!’ exhibit at Somerville City Hall celebrates the October music festival appeared first on Cambridge | Somerville Independent.

More than 100 years old, the Association of Notre Dame lives along Massachusetts Avenue, sandwiched unassumingly between Eclipse Video and the wine bar Zusammen and beneath a judo club. The establishment, known colloquially as Le French Club, is an old-school “members only” club that tries to embody... The post Joke, smoke and play horseshoes with friends at Cambridge’s Le French Club appeared first on Cambridge | Somerville Independent.

The three-eyed cat, a perennial mascot for Fuzzstival, is ready to pounce Oct. 2-3. The music festival returns to The Armory with 18 bands, gathering a lineup that’s become an annual temperature check on a certain kind of art rock mood cultivated by local booking outfit Illegally... The post Fuzzstival, home of the three-eyed cat, returns at the start of October appeared first on Cambridge | Somerville Independent.

There’s a name and opening date for the pop-up art gallery coming to Davis Square, filling the showpiece storefront space of a Starbucks coffee shop that closed a year ago. The Diamond Factory has a ribbon-cutting at 4 p.m. Oct. 17, a spokesperson said. An opening exhibition... The post Davis Square’s pop-up art gallery opens in October under the name The Diamond Factory appeared first on Cambridge | Somerville Independent.

“A new setting, same vibrant spirit and celebration” was the unofficial motto for this year’s Gilman Square Arts &  Music Festival, which relocated to Edward L. Leathers Community Park in response to ongoing construction at its usual home on Pearl Street. The relocation shuffled the annual Somerville... The post New setting, same vibrant spirit for Gilman Square Arts & Music Festival appeared first on Cambridge | Somerville Independent.

Moon Over Salem, the annual indie music festival in downtown Salem, returns Saturday with a scaled-down version of its typically citywide event. The 2026 edition is centered at a single venue, Cinema Salem, and features a one-day lineup instead of what’s become the traditional two-day schedule. While... The post Where there’s a will, there’s a Moon Over (Cinema) Salem appeared first on Cambridge | Somerville Independent.

What does it take for small independent businesses to remain competitive in a challenging and constantly evolving landscape? Cambridge Local First, a nonprofit network of more than 400 local businesses, has a few ideas it put to work in the classroom with this year’s Digital Era Small... The post A small business boot camp that’s about more than trading business cards appeared first on Cambridge | Somerville Independent.

When does the circus sideshow of celebrity breakups take the main stage? When the British singer-songwriter Lily Allen comes through town on her “West End Girl” tour, promoting a 2025 album by the same name – on the short list for the most elaborate and highest-profile takedown of... The post Lily Allen tells all on her “West End Girl” tour appeared first on Cambridge | Somerville Independent.

 Blood, guts and gore. An unhinged serial killer invested with a supernatural level of homicidal malice. The obsessive eye of the camera constantly tracking the curves of nubile teen flesh in between, and sometimes during, episodes of slaughter. A final girl. All the tropes of your... The post A genre that dare not speak its name in ‘Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma’ appeared first on Cambridge | Somerville Independent.

Summer still has its hooks in us, and we’re thankful for it. There are a few late season fests to mention before we get to the main event. The Arcadia Folk Festival (Aug. 29) is held on the grounds of a nature reserve in Easthampton. Sounds groovy.... The post Fall Festival Preview appeared first on Cambridge | Somerville Independent.

Happy birthday, Kyle! The bass player for opening act Swamphead celebrated his birthday Thursday while onstage at Somergloom, the four-day “heavy” music jamboree at Deep Cuts and Crystal Ballroom, that dropped decibels by the thousands on last weekend’s dog days heatwave. Or rather, his bandmates celebrated for... The post Somergloom is our fever dream of choice during the dog days appeared first on Cambridge | Somerville Independent.

A roomful of punks, and music lovers, and music-loving punks gathered for a special event on a sleepy side street off Massachusetts Avenue in late July. The occasion was a listening party in honor of Bedtimemagic’s latest album, “Lie Down With Dogs.” The noise rocker two-piece consisting... The post Come for the punk rock, stay for the fruit salad at a Cambridge listening party appeared first on Cambridge | Somerville Independent.

The ’Gloom descends! The annual heavy music jamboree Somergloom returns as a four-day spectacle Aug. 6-9, spanning stages from the Crystal Ballroom in Davis Square to Deep Cuts in Medford. Last year marked the festival’s fifth anniversary. The young upstart that was born out of the hot... The post Somergloom is the final boss of the summer festival season appeared first on Cambridge | Somerville Independent.

The music and arts jamboree born out of a surf and skate shop stretched out like a sleepy golden retriever for two days in the middle of July at the Marshfield Fairgrounds. It’s Levitate Music Festival, where all of your reggae and rock/pop dreams come true. Cloudy... The post Levitate Music Festival platforms local musicians and big name stars alike at the Marshfield Fairgrounds appeared first on Cambridge | Somerville Independent.

Cambridge Porchfest spread its wings throughout the city on two temperate summer days last weekend, growing in size and scope from last year’s inaugural edition. What stayed the same: The city reupped the bifurcated Porchfest model, reserving Saturday for a more residential affair with music in the... The post Cambridge Porchfest covers three neighborhoods and two squares as it expands in its second year appeared first on Cambridge | Somerville Independent.

July 2024. Biden was president. Gas was cheaper. Theaters had just dropped “Deadpool & Wolverine”. It wasn’t the best of times, but what we wouldn’t give to go back to that year’s Nice, A Fest. It was the fourth iteration of Nice, and it felt like the... The post Nice, a Fest returns to Davis Square, July 24-26, after a year hiatus appeared first on Cambridge | Somerville Independent.

Cambridge Porchfest runs it back for a second year July 11-12, a local highlight on the Indie’s Summer Festival Preview. The city continues to experiment with its own brand of Porchfesting, outside of the colossal variant minted by its neighbor Somerville, which boasted more than 500 bands... The post Cambridge Porchfest is coming to a stoop near you next weekend appeared first on Cambridge | Somerville Independent.

For two days and nights in Marshfield, experience all the good vibes of a beach rock destination without all the sand that ends up in unmentionable places. It’s Levitate Festival, New England’s favorite music festival that used to be a surf and skate shop, returning July 18-19... The post A sunny weekend of music in Marshfield appeared first on Cambridge | Somerville Independent.

 A Moon, a Minotaur and Don DeLillo walk into a bar. Hilarity ensues! No, not really. Ben Rivers’ latest feature film, “Mare’s Nest,” is an experimental blunderbuss for the arthouse circuit. Expect dreamy meditations on language, history and the Anthropocene, couched in oblique dialogue and blocking... The post The primitive meets the playground in Ben Rivers’ ‘Mare’s Nest’ appeared first on Cambridge | Somerville Independent.

 A Moon, a Minotaur and Don DeLillo walk into a bar. Hilarity ensues! No, not really. Ben Rivers’ latest feature film, “Mare’s Nest,” is an experimental blunderbuss for the arthouse circuit. Expect dreamy meditations on language, history and the Anthropocene, couched in oblique dialogue and blocking... The post The primitive meets the playground in Ben Rivers’ ‘Mare’s Nest’ appeared first on Cambridge | Somerville Independent.

If you’re not headed north to the Montreal Jazz Fest at the end of June and start of July, don’t fret. Plenty of local jazz gems are waiting your arrival. And the beautiful kicker is that our list is full of venues that offer A-plus air conditioning.... The post Hot summer days, cool jazz nights appeared first on Cambridge | Somerville Independent.

Repertory movie theater unionization drives have been successful in Cambridge and Somerville, but one in Brookline is not going smoothly. Legal representation for the Coolidge Corner Theater filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board on June 3 alleging that the Coolidge Corner Theater Union, which... The post Now playing at a theater near you: class warfare appeared first on Cambridge | Somerville Independent.

A number of politicians were on the prowl in Union Square in Somerville on Monday, shaking hands and pushing policy. At Sally O’Brien’s, a pub on Somerville Street, Erika Uyterhoeven and her team set up a campaign event to promote her election bid for the state Senate’s... The post Erika Uyterhoeven emphasizes affordability at Union Square campaign stop in state senate bid appeared first on Cambridge | Somerville Independent.

What the world needs now is love, sweet love. But we’ll settle for a “Global Prayer,” the latest album from the Ize Trio. The global jazz outfit celebrated its recent release in the well-appointed interior of Regattabar at Harvard Square on Sunday. The trio, which includes Chase... The post Prayers up for global jazz at Regattabar in Harvard Square appeared first on Cambridge | Somerville Independent.

“Noir City Boston,” a noir film festival currently running at the Brattle, kicked off Friday with a pair of films introduced by noted author, professor (Brooklyn College) and film critic, Foster Hirsch. Hirsch has been a fixture at the festival over the years, lending the audience a... The post Author Foster Hirsch introduces us to the dark side of the screen appeared first on Cambridge | Somerville Independent.

The start of summer is more than a date on the calendar. It’s a state of mind that begins to coalesce when the students graduate and we all experience the first stretch of warm weather that has us wondering how humanity survived before the advent of air... The post Summer Festival Preview appeared first on Cambridge | Somerville Independent.

Step into the quarter-acre lot at the corner of Nunziato Park and you’ll step into a world removed from the usual urban sprawl. The Somerville Community Growing Center, a green berg in a sea of asphalt, is a home to those who love to nurture nature. It’s... The post ‘Now Is Still Here’ is still here now (for a limited time only) appeared first on Cambridge | Somerville Independent.

Joyer has called much of the Northeast Corridor home. Since starting the shoegaze duo in 2017, brothers Nick and Shane Sullivan have lived in New Jersey, Brooklyn, Boston, and Philadelphia. To keep it simple, they say it’s an “east coast” band. Their fifth and most recent album,... The post Artist Spotlight: Joyer appeared first on Cambridge | Somerville Independent.

Ambient astral jazz horn player Cole Pulice rolled through Medford’s Deep Cuts with guitarist Pat Horigan for a night of mood music directed at the ASMR crowd. If there’s a youth movement in jazz, it’s here. A far cry from the zooted histrionics of a late John... The post Cole Pulice and Pat Horigan explore new horizons at Deep Cuts appeared first on Cambridge | Somerville Independent.

WBCN, the Boston rock ’n’ roll radio station of yore that helped popularize the underground music of the ’60s and ’70s and stirred the pot of political dissent during Vietnam, felt like it was back in business if only for one more night at the Somerville Theatre.... The post You say you want a revolution appeared first on Cambridge | Somerville Independent.