The Show Must Go On!: Tight Crew announce new date, location for prehistoric-themed event In the wake of increased efforts to contain the coronavirus in our capital city, Tight Crew’s upcoming Jurassic Ruckus party has been moved. The prehistoric-themed celebration of music and rave subculture was originally scheduled for April 18 at Fete in PVD. Fortunately, the show will go on — in a major way! In a post to its social media and website, the EDM event production company announced that the party is moving to Platforms Dance Club on July 11. In part, it reads: “Given the uncertainty of our event and all other events at Fete, the venue has asked us to cancel this event. We’re doing everything we can to make sure everyone gets refunded … “We will do our best to keep as many of the same DJs on as we can, and we will restructure to bring you something even more amazing. This gives us time to start new and bigger art projects to transform the event to new levels. “This containment is hitting everybody but especially those in the entertainment and service industries. Please support all of the small businesses you love as we come out of these trying times. “We hope that all of you and your families stay safe and have enough toilet paper to ride this one out. “PEACE LOVE UNITY RESPECT Tight Crew” One thing is for-sure: Jurassic Ruckus will be well worth the wait. If you’ve attended any of Tight Crew’s past block parties before, or even if you haven’t, I’ll bet you have a sense of just how epic this one will be. This indoor/outdoor party is something amazing that we can look forward to right now! For more information and to purchase tickets for the party, head to TightCrew.net. Billy F. Gibbons, Matt Sorum, and Mike Flanigin to Headline Three words: Ernie Boch Junior. Did you just sing them in your mind? If so, you’re definitely not alone. Although the Providence-born businessman sold most of his family’s third-generational car dealerships a few years ago, we can still quickly recall their radio commercials — and for good reasons. They proliferated local airwaves for quite a while, and they were catchy AF. Nowadays, Boch Jr. serves as the president, CEO, and spokesman for Boch Enterprises, a $1 billion operation. He’s also the CEO of Subaru New England, and in 2006, he started Music Drives Us (MDU), a registered 501(C)(3) nonprofit organization. Music Drives Us supports music and arts education throughout New England. He seeded MDU in 2004 with $2 million. Boch Jr., who’s a graduate and former board member of the Berklee College of Music (in Boston), says, “I have always liked music since when I was a kid. When Woodstock hit, I was 10 years old, it changed my life.” In the ’80s, he met Brad Whitford and the rest of the members of Aerosmith. Since then, Boch Jr.’s forged strong bonds with many more musical artists. His best friend, Paul Geary, is an artist manager and a drummer. “Then I started seeing music as education and I saw the giant hole. At the time, I discovered VH1’s Save the Music.” Boch Jr. tells me that it was a one-on-one lunch with one of Save the Music’s founders that got the ball rolling for him in terms of creating MDU. After its launch, he says, “It took a bit to get familiar with the environment. Then we realized there was so much need.” To date, he says, “We’ve put in over 1,000 instruments, completed 300 projects and funded millions of dollars.” Recently, for instance, the charity donated instruments to schools in Block Island, Providence, Woonsocket and the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra & Music School. To raise money for their cause, Music Drives Us (MDU) hosts two big events each year. Next Friday, December 13, MDU is hosting The BFG Three, an evening when Billy F. Gibbons, Matt Sorum, and Mike Flanigin rock the stage at the Norwood Space Center in Norwood, Mass. Gibbons was the lead guitarist and singer for ZZ Top and Sorum used to drum for Guns N’ Roses. Flanigin is a respected blues rocker who plays the hammond organ. For Boch Jr., the process of booking acts for his events is personal. “Billy Gibbons stood at my house last year and I got to know him. And I know Matt Sorum. I went to his wedding,” he explains. It’s good that Boch Jr. knows such talented musicians, because that’s what attracts people to attend MDU’s event drives, thus forwarding its mission. In the next year, he hopes to raise between $100,000 and $150,000 for his philanthropic venture According to Boch Jr., the BFG is MDU’s biggest event of the year. It takes a village to produce the event. At the helm is Jackie Bell, MDU’s Director of Development & Special Events. Bell’s a seasoned PR pro who’s be worked for the organization for four years. BFG Three drinks will be provided by Castle Island Brewery (of Norwood) and URE Vodka. The food will be prepared by Mansfield, Mass. chef who’s worked with MDU for a decade. General admission tickets for the BFG Three are $50. VIP tickets go for $300. With VIP tickets, concertgoers get food and drinks, a meet and greet with the band, and a reserved spots in a special viewing area. This is a 21+ show. To purchase tickets, visit eventbrite.com/e/the-bfg-three-ft-billy-f- gibbons-matt-sorum-and-mike-flanigin-tickets-79535377455 Coffin-Bangers: Tight Crew + RI Indoor Karting = “Monster” Halloween Do you like scary movies? What about costume parties? If you answered yes to one or both of those questions, pay attention! On Saturday, October 26, EDM event super-producers Tight Crew is throwing their annual Halloween blowout. The’ll transform RI Indoor Karting (RIIK) in Lincoln into a real-life Monster Mash. Mash-goers can rage from 8pm to 3am among immersive decorations and state-of-the-art audiovisuals that will provide an unforgettable Halloween experience. As far the tunes are concerned, there will be two stages of music. Our local prince of darkness, the legendary DJ Venom, is scheduled to perform. If that’s not enough, consider this: Guests can also try their luck at an axe throwing bar, race the high speed go-karts, bowl in one of the event’s performance spaces or enjoy a game of billiards. It’ll be the perfect night to make amazing memories. Tight Crew explained their venue choice. “We have been patrons of RIIK since they opened. We always had the idea to throw a party here, and we figured Halloween was the perfect time to start! The venue is expanding with an arcade and a massive virtual reality experience, which should increase the amount of awesome times we can have here.” One of the coolest things about Tight Crew is how big they are huge on positive vibes and family traditions. Even though the activities alone at Monster Mash are bananas, they’re not holding back. True to form, they’ll be showing out with for their guests. This once-in-a-lifetime night will feature free fresh fruit, Halloween candy, and a kandi-making area. Lastly, creatures of the night can rock their ghoulish garb and enter the Halloween-themed costume contest. Entry for the Monster Mash is 18+ (21+ to drink), and all of the dope activities available can be paid for a la carte. “We are offering a discount on races on our ticketing page. Anyone who wants to guarantee a race or axe-throwing lane (space is limited, and the axe bar will close at midnight) should reserve in advance.” Heed their warning, people! Grab your tickets (while they last) at TightCrew.net. Equitable Extracurriculars: Budget cuts cut experiences Anyone who has children or works in school settings knows that overall, today’s school children have considerably less options when it comes to extracurriculars than older people did when were were growing up. This begs the question: Do the after-school programs that are offered state-wide make up for scaled back arts and physical/health education, and other extras no longer offered in public schools? To put things in perspective, I am 29 years old. When I attended Western Hills Middle School and Cranston High School West (both Cranston public schools), it seemed like there were so many choices for itinerant courses and after-school programs — including sports and foreign languages, plural — that it was tough to choose which to participate in. We had Mock Trial, Model United Nations, school newspapers, yearbooks, Science Olympiad, debate, golf, cheer, dance, Spanish, French, Italian, home Ec, volleyball, lacrosse, etc. It was a wonderful problem to have! Having worked in elementary and middle schools throughout RI for the past year and a half, I’ve seen first-hand how relatively fewer opportunities like these that there are for children now. When addressing the “big question” that I mentioned above, I started by speaking with Shannon Fogel, a New York transplant and Master of Fine Arts (RISD) who has been teaching art in Pawtucket public schools and after-school programs in RI for more than five years. Fogel has a relationship with Providence ¡CityArts! for Youth, the nonprofit Americorps program that provides free, high-quality arts education to children at its Broad Street studio.