Where are the Weirdos? (Boston, Worcester: spring break, hotel, house)

[ThinkingThinking]

I guess I've been stuck south of the Mason/Dixon too long, but I sure do miss weirdos.

Not the creepy kind of weirdos, or the ones that scream on street corners... but the arty kind of weirdos. The musicians and painters, philosophers and for lack of a better word, "bohemian" types. All my old weirdo friends live up in Portland OR and around the world now... and I miss them. Unfortunately my husbands job isn't located in Portland, but thankfully MA is a close match. I know we're going to love it there.

So on to my point... I am now entering my 30s and have 2 kids, and have spent the last 10 years or so living all over the south, so finding like-minded people has been a bit difficult for my husband and I. We hope to make some new friends when we move to Massachusetts, ideally weirdos like ourselves who have children as well. We will be moving into the Marlborough area this summer.

Does anyone have any suggestions for things to do, places to go, areas to live in, or visit? My husband especially wants to know about music venues... most notably Metal and Rock. Also also, if anyone can recommend a good guitar shop he'd appreciate that as well.

We'll be heading up this spring during our spring break to house hunt and get to know the area.

Thanks in advance!

[western mass and love it]

well if it's"weirdos" you want Northampton certainly fits the bill,it's about an hour away from Marlborough but certainly a doable trip. Northampton has the iron horse and calvin theater,and a bunch of other small clubs plus other little shops that have bands perform on the sidewalks.On a side note some of the most popular metal bands out now hail from WMass , bands like Shadows fall ,All that remains ,Killswitch engage and a few other minor bands (dark day sunday to name one) all hail from the region,also we have Staind but they have kind of lost their shine and are now kinda a nostalgic type of act.
But as far as a bohemian type crowd and area Northampton is the place,also amherst where the state college is located,a little more polished and outside of the college crowd a little more of an artsy older crowd but still very bohemian.

[goyguy]

Metro West (including Marlborough) is pretty much a dead zone for anybody "artistically inclined," but the Palladium in Worcester has made a name for itself by booking outside the box. On any given weekend there's a slate of fringe hiphop or metal acts performing. Something tells me this is an oasis/Mecca for many a forlorn metalhead or punk or would-be "b-person" within an hour's drive, LOL. Then there's also Providence with its still-kicking music scene (Strand, Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel, etc) that harkens back to the days when some RISD students birthed the band which became Talking Heads. Interstates 495 and 95 will have you in Providence within an hour of leaving Marlborough.
I know Texas has no lack of cowboy hats or chili or megachurches, but have you never been to Austin? Lately I think "Keep Austin Weird" has gotten to be its official slogan. The one time I was there, I was rolling in music and eccentricity everywhere I went. You might not want to leave the warmer climate once you've experienced that city.
The latest hit Boston and vicinity has taken with respect to the alt/metal/punk scene was the closing last year of the black-walled Abbey Lounge on the Cambridge/Somerville line. Today it's (cue up non-punk puke) yet another student/yuppie martini bar, called the Twilite Lounge. And now not a trace remains of the renowned Rathskeller ("The Rat") in Kenmore Square. But fear not, the music roars on - most strongly in the perpetual student slum called Allston. A greasy-spoon restaurant dating back to the 1920's called the Model Cafe is now an HQ of sorts, and the practice of basement/attic parties promoted by word-of-mouth and flyers survives and thrives. If you were to Google "Radio Allston," "Allston music," and such you'd probably score all kinds of leads.
The Middle East Cafe complex, and the adjacent TT the Bear's Place, in Cambridge's Central Square also keep the faith.
Amherst, and "Noho" even more so, are undebatably hot spots for all that's "alternative." But the population is heavy with college students and people who refuse to grow up. At least in Worcester, Boston, and Cambridge there are plenty of chronological and emotional grown-ups to keep things on an even keel.
Give some serious thought to living in "Wuss-tah." Good housing there is dirt cheap by way of comparison with Greater Boston and the Metro West suburbs. There are some sections which are the worse for wear (steer way clear of "Main South" near Clark University) but a lot of the neighborhoods are perfectly fine. A smoking-area buddy from my office building just moved there with his gf; they found a "classic suburban" style two-story '60s-era Colonial - brick first floor, wood second floor - near the city's preppie Burncoat High School for under $300k. Worcester is home to a half-dozen or so colleges, but is mainly blue-collar and "ethnic" (Italian, Hispanic, Jewish) in composition. Therefore it has a boatload more character than its outlying neighbors from Shrewsbury to Marlborough to the east.

[redpanda]

Well, in much of the greater Boston area it's pretty difficult to spit and not hit someone arty/bohemian/hipsterish/musically-inclined, etc. You'll definitely see them in greater numbers in places like Cambridge, Somerville, and Jamaica Plain, but they're everywhere. I think you're probably better off exploring the area and looking for a vibe that suits you, along with a community that suits your financial/family needs, and going from there.

Bottom line--you won't have trouble finding people like you.

[ThinkingThinking]

Wow, thanks guys! Before we go up in the spring, I will look up some of those places and maybe we'll go see a show one evening. I knew there was a pretty healthy music scene in MA on the whole, a lot of great bands have come from there.

I grew up in the Northwest during the sub pop era, and boy do I miss a healthy arts scene sometimes. I want my kids to have the same well rounded experiences I did, with plenty of positive exposure to arts, food, music, and people of different backgrounds and beliefs.

west mass: Yes, Austin is a great town. I have an old high school chum who lives there and has an 80's synth band complete with costumes and flock of seagulls hairdos!

Sadly, we live in Houston, and Austin is not a reasonable trip for us to take often just to get good music. Plus, we just hate Texas. We long for the cold, rain, dark winters, actual seasons, and culture beyond "what church y'all attend?".

goyguy: You always have such great posts. have you ever considered writing a book about massachusetts?

[professorsenator]

Originally Posted by ThinkingThinking

I guess I've been stuck south of the Mason/Dixon too long, but I sure do miss weirdos....

ThinkingThinking, I figured you have a "Keep Austin Weird" sticker on the back of your car. Alas, I am rather out of vogue on the Texas capital -- while certainly a Texas bohemian mecca (such as it is), I actually find it highly overrated.

Northampton, in Western Mass. Places in Cambridge, Boston's South End (not to be confused with South Boston). And Providence, RI. Providence has a rather lively scene given it's size.

[ThinkingThinking]

Austin is, in comparison to the rest of Texas, pretty weird. But it pales in comparison to other cities around the US.

[seeriously]

They live amongst you but mostly in the cities. Cape Cod in the winter months harbors some creative types. As someone mentioned... Cambridge and Somerville. I'd say any city that supports the arts and has galleries, and off-the-wall coffee shops and restaurants.

[goyguy]

Non-stop gentrification over the past quarter-century or so has pretty much squashed any alt scene in the South End. But there may still be some surviving in the warehouse district near the expressway, even as it's converting to "loft living" and going under the name SoWa (South of Washington St.)

Thanks for the "love" - I catch myself writing a book every time I log in to this site!

The Weekly Dig and The Boston Phoenix carry all show listings. Other print media of the free-from-the-street-rack variety are glossy rags for trend slaves.

[Xenos]

Interesting question -- is there an interesting, artistically and musically inclined part of Worcester? In general I find that area of central Mass to be depressed and, frankly, depressing. But I must confess ignorance about Worcester itself - is there a fun area for creative people?

Or would there be entrepreneurial opportunities for anyone opening a club, bookstore, or the like?