every Wednesday night at 8 * open mic, featured poet, poetry slam * 738 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Mass.
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The Cantab Lounge: Latest News
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Last night? It was a night to remember at the Cantab Lounge, and those who were there will be talking for months about Patrick S.'s risky (and risque) feature. If you missed it... Well, you'll just have to wait until something else spectacular and scandalous happens. The night's speed slam was won by Hampshire slammer Andy Locke over Providence's Megan Thoma, and it was an awesome show all around. Our next open slam (completing four in the 8x8 series) will be on July 15.
Next week: It's our second Regional Team Slam! Teams from worcester, Manchester, NH, and cross-town rival venue the Lizard Lounge will invade the Cantab to take on the home team. Don't miss it!
Thursday, June 18, 2009Our first-ever youth slam was a raging success. Three Massachusetts teams made the trek down to the Cantab basement to perform for some of the toughest judges in the country: at the end of the night, the veteran team from Worcester took top honors, followed by the home team from Boston and the first-years from Lowell. Congratulations to all, and good luck at Brave New Voices this July!
This week's four-man speed slam was won by Sam Teitel. We've got six more in the series, including next week's, when we'll also have a feature from much-loved regular Patrick S. See you there!
Monday, June 15, 2009NEWS FLASH: due to an unfortunate scheduling conflict, Laura Yes Yes will not be able to feature for us this Wednesday. So, instead... We'll have the Cantab's first ever Youth Slam Invitational, wherein the Boston Youth Slam Team and the Lowell Youth Slam Team will face off! Come on out and support the future of the NorthBEAST slam! (And, yes, we'll still have an open speed slam to close out the night.)
Thursday, June 11, 2009It must be June! We had an easy-going night at the Cantab, with an open mic filled with regulars and a few new faces for suumer... Plus a memorable feature from the powerful Jeanann Verlee from NYC-Urbana. Our first summer speed slam was a great success, with Sean Conlon and April Ranger topping the list of seven slammers. April took the win and the big ten bucks, cementing her spot in next year's individual qualifiers!
Next week: we'll be back with Berkeley poet Laura Yes Yes and another speed slam.
Thursday, June 4, 2009Last night Boston got its first taste of the 2009 team slam season! Our 4x4 Nationals-style slam ended up with the team from Providence taking top honors, with the home team, Hampshire County, and Portland, Maine following behind. It was a fabulous match and a great way to kick off the summer: thanks so much to all who traveled so far to slam for the crowd at the Cantab.
Next week: the illustrious and excellent Jeanann Verlee. Plus, the first of our summer speed slams --bring a 3-minute, a 2-minute, and a 1-minute poem for this summertime 8x8 open poetry slam!
Thursday, May 28, 2009There was more poetry than you can shake a stick at last night at the show: our open mic was highlighted by a featurette from Sarah Morgan, then the double-feature bill of Ryk McIntyre and Carlos Andreas Gomez had us chuckling and gasping by turns. The night finished up with the much-touted Champion of Champions match: in a major upset, 2009 Cantab Slam Team rookie Maxwell R. Kessler defeated reigning champ (and bartender) Adam Stone in six rounds to take the title!
Next week: gear up for the National Poetry Slam with the team at our first 4x4 of the season. Teams from Portland, Providence, and Hampshire County will come to enemy territory to slam against the Cantab team. Come get a little taste of what Nationals will be like this year!
Friday, May 22, 2009It was a fine packed night at the Cantab this week: even though our feature wasn't able to make it (and don't worry, we'll book Mahogany Browne for the fall), we still had an incredible open mic as the centerpiece of our show. Our last-minute slam enjoyed great crowd, who all stuck around to see the Brandeis-v-Brandeis matchup in the finals, wherein Kass took down her own coach, Jason Henry.
Next week: super-double-feature Ryk McIntyre and Carlos Andreas Gomez, followed by Maxwell R. Kessler challenging Adam Stone in the Champion of Champions slam!
Thursday, May 14, 2009Thanks to everyone who came out to see Kevin Spak last night; we had an incredibly solid open mic, topped by Spak's poignant and pleasurable feature. The semi-final slam was won by Maxwell Kessler, who advances to the Champion of Champions slam against current champ Adam Stone!
Next week: the great and powerful Nuyorican SlamMaster Mahogany Browne.
Thursday, May 7, 2009A fabulous --and packed!-- night at the Cantab last night, thanks in no small part to our double feature: the remarkable Jeff Robinson Trio backed our open mic with their incredible improv jazz, and then the intense and incomparable Matthew Klane turned our heads back inside-in with his own smooth sound. Consider the savage slam beasts of National Poetry Month soothed... But only for a moment: we closed out the night with a head-to-head semi-final slam, wherein April Ranger bested Erich Hagan in a five-round match.
Next week: the hilarious and endearing Kevin Spak features, followed by the second semi-final slam in the 8x8 with Max, Casey, Dee, and Steve.
Thursday, April 30, 2009Thank you, thank you, thank you, to all of last night's audience, judges, and staff who helped us select the 2009 Cantab Slam Team! Final rankings of the slam were as follows:
- Maxwell R. Kessler
- Omoizele Okoawo
- Sean Patrick Conlon
- Carlos Williams
- Brian S. Ellis
- Dee Taylor
- Steve Subrizi
- Adam Stone
- Casey Rocheteau
The top five slammers will represent the Cantab at the 2009 National Poetry Slam in West Palm Beach, Florida. Fundraising for our team starts now: to book the team to perform at your venue or event, you can email cantab@slamnews.com.
Next week: a fabulous double-feature with the Jeff Robinson Trio backing our open mic, then FlimFlam Press editor Matthew Klane. We'll wrap up the night with a semi-final slam with Oz, Erich, April, and Mike.
Thursday, April 23, 2009 Last night's feature, Caroline Harvey, was all that was promised and more: she captivated our audience with her powerful presence and words. This 2005 Cantab Slam Team member also made a great prelude to next week's show... The Cantab Team Selection Finals! Nine poets (that'll be Carlos Williams, Adam Stone, Brian S. Ellis, Sean Conlon, Casey Rocheteau, Omoizele Okoawo, Maxwell Kessler, Steve Subrizi, and Dee Taylor) will slam in four rounds for the five-slot slam team! Remember: it's a $5 cover on April 29 to help raise the money to send our team to the National Poetry Slam in West Palm Beach this August. Last night, our long-lost SlamMaster came home to show us how it's done; Michael Brown brought us some of his newest work, then showed off his years of slam with a retrospective of his repertoire. If you've ever wondered what started the Cantab sounding like the Cantab... All your questions were answered tonight. Next week: San-Jose-turned-Boston poet Caroline Harvey comes out of hiding to bring us a feature. (No open slam: instead, stay a little late and drink with the hosts.) And so it was, after two rounds of NINETEEN POETS (never in the history of the Cantab, people), we narrowed the field of competitors for the 2009 Cantab Team to the top nine:
These slammers will advance to the April 29 Finals. Also slamming in the hard-fought competition: Dee Taylor, Kevin Devaney, Erich Hagan, Trevor Byrne-Smith, Jason Henry, Jesse Welch, Sam Teitel, Mike McGee, Kevin Spak, and Artie Moffa. Thanks to everyone who read, slammed, judged, and worked hard to put together a great show packed with incredible poetry.
This week: we take a break from slamming as we welcome Boston's original SlamMaster himself. After years away in Maine, Michael Brown returns to our stage for a much-deserved feature.
Thursday, April 2, 2009Holy gosh wow! Slam's legendary Shappy, the original sensitive poetry boy himself, had us rolling in the aisles last night with his hilarious persona pieces. Afterwards, the jam-packed Last Chance Slam was won by crowd favorite Spak over the late-arriving but hard-working Febo. Spak advances to next week's show, which will be...
The CANTAB SEMI-FINAL TEAM SELECTION SLAM! Nearly twenty poets are qualified for the Cantab's biggest slam of the year: Jason Henry, Trevor Byrne-Smith, Adam Stone, Maxwell Kessler, Sam Teitel, Kevin Devaney, Sean Conlon, Artie Moffa, Jesse Welch, Omoizele Okoawo, Erich Hagan, April Ranger, Casey Rocheteau, Dee Taylor, Steve Subrizi, and Kevin Spak will slam off in two competitive rounds to determine who will advance to the April 29 Finals! Five-dollar cover! An incredible show practically guaranteed! Zowie!!
Thursday, March 26, 2009The Cantab turned out in full force last night for CUPSI 2009's Best Male Poet, Carlos Williams, who brought us a spectacularly performed feature of his truly excellent work. An extremely competitive open slam was won by Steve Subrizi, who took the win over Andy Locke in the final round.
Next week: the Bowery Poetry Club's own Shappy Seasholtz comes to share his intense nerdiness! Plus, the Last Chance Slam to qualify for the April 8 semi-finals.
Friday, March 20, 2009Did you know that national and world slam champion Mike McGee is from Worcester? --Well, for 2009, he is, anyway: we welcomed this new NorthBEAST resident to the neighborhood and the stage, celebrating his comedic storytelling talents. A hotly contested open slam was won by Dee, who qualifies for our April 8 semi-final.
Next week: CUPSI Best Male Poet Carlos Williams brings us a full feature of his work, plus an open slam.
Thursday, March 12, 2009Last night, James Lindsay brought us a whole feature of his particular brand of deadpan metaphor and dark comedy, plus two beautiful books. The slam was won by surpise guest Casey Rocheteau. Just three slams left to qualify for team tryouts!
Next week: one-year Worcester resident Mike McGee, plus another open slam.
Friday, March 6, 2009What an incredible night! Thanks so much to all the teams who participated in our first ever NorthBEAST CUPSI Send-Off. The rookies from Brandeis University took top honors for the night, edging out Emerson College, Hampshire College, and Berklee College of Music. The real winners were the audience in the packed house, though: here's hoping we can make this an annual event.
Good luck to everyone at CUPSI next week! While the college kids are away, we'll be featuring the deadpan-wonderful James Lindsay, plus an open slam to qualify for the April 8 team semi-finals.
Friday, February 27, 2009After one of the nerdiest open mics at the Cantab in a long while (tech poems! text poems! and multiple pirate references!), Brooklyn's own Akua Doku brought us a short but intense feature. The open slam was nearly as heady, as Maxwell Kessler overcame a second-round tie with Spak to defeat Kat Mott in the final round.
Next week: the Cantab's first ever CUPSI Warm-Up: we'll celebrate our local College Nationals-bound teams by pitting them against one another in a 4x4 team slam. Come see poets from Emerson College, Hampshire College, Brandeis University, and the Berklee College of Music duke it out for pre-Nats bragging rights.
Thursday, February 19, 2009Last night, we held one of our most intense slams of the year: ten poets, four rounds, and only one winner! After much deliberation and poetry (with special thanks to our judges: Ben, Anna, Tom, Tori, and Becca), we have selected our 2009 Individual World Poetry Slam representative: 2008 NorthBEAST Champion April Ranger! Final round standings:
- April Ranger 29.6
- Brian S. Ellis 29.0
- Artie Moffa 28.3
- Adam Stone 28.3
- Omoizele Okoawo 27.0
Congratulations to all ten of our competitors for putting on an incredible poetry show. Watch for many of them to return for our team semi-finals on April 8!
Next week: dynamic New York/Arizona performance poet Akua Doku, plus a qualifying open slam for the April 8 semi-finals.
Thursday, February 12, 2009Another year, another rambunctious Erotic Poetry Night at the Cantab Lounge: our readers packed an incredible amount of sex into three short hours of open mic. Seriously, who needs the internet? Wrapping up the night was Sean Conlon, who kicked off his tour and debuted his new Pornography Diaries book and CD with a moving feature of his polished work.
Next week: it's the World Qualifier Finals, a $5 cover night! Brian S. Ellis, April Ranger, Adam Stone, Steve Subrizi, Omoizele Okoawo, Kevin Devaney, Artie Moffa, Trevor Byrne-Smith, James Lindsay, and Maxwell Kessler slam off for the chance to represent the Cantab at the 2009 IWPS. Last poet standing wins the trip to compete in Berkeley, California this October!
Friday, February 6, 2009Hot gawddamn! Khary Jackson's feature this week certainly showed his recent top-three finish at the Individual World Poetry Slam was no fluke... In fact, it might have been a little lower than he deserved. Khary brought a very tight set of intense work to his feature slot, packing our ears with poetry and showing a remarkable range of subject and performance. This guy is the real deal, folks. After the feature, a full slam finished out with Mike McGee taking top honors over AJ Krebs.
Next week: thinking of taking your first-date sweetheart out for a night of tender Valentine's poetry? Well, don't do it here: as always, the Wednesday before the 14th of February will be our annual Erotic Poetry Night, a themed open with erotic, sexy, and just plain raunchy poems and poets. After the extended open mic (that's right, we said "extended"), enchantingly bitter Cantab co-host Sean Conlon will kick off his coast-to-coast poetry tour with a featured reprise of his Pornography Diaries show.
Friday, January 30, 2009What a night we had this past Wednesday! As always, our IWPS Semi-Final Speed Slam showed off some of our favorite poets doing some highly unusual slam work; the one- and two-minute rounds always flush out some fascinating, original poems, and this slam was no exception. When the dust clared, slammers Erich Hagan, Jason Henry, and Jesse Welch had been eliminated, leaving Brian S. Ellis, April Ranger, Adam Stone, Steve Subrizi, Omoizele Okoawo, Kevin Devaney, Artie Moffa, Trevor Byrne-Smith, James Lindsay, and Maxwell Kessler to advance to finals on February 18. Yowza!
Next week: #3 ranked poet in the world Khary Jackson (a.k.a. 6 is 9) will travel to us from St. Paul.
Thursday, January 22, 2009Last night, the Cantab welcomed back Scott Woods, Columbus Writers' Block player-coach and nerd extraordinaire, for a fine half hour of his biting wit and pointed intelligence. The packed slam came down to an all-women semi-final and finished out with April Ranger over Danielle Goncalves, giving April the last qualifier spot for next week's IWPS slam.
Next week: a $5 cover charge for the annual IWPS Semi-Final Speeed Slam. Come see the fastest slam in town, with two- and one-minute rounds with Adam Stone, Cassandra de Alba, Brian S. Ellis, Anais Tai, James Lindsay, McKendy, Jason Simon-Bierenbaum, Steve Subrizi, Artie Moffa, Trevor Byrne-Smith, Maxwell Kessler, Sam Teitel, Kevin Devaney, Sean Conlon, Carlos Williams, Jesse Welch, Omoizele Okoawo, Erich Hagan, and April Ranger. Top ten poets advance to the February 11 Finals to select our 2009 Individual World Poetry Slam representative!
Saturday, January 17, 2009This past Wednesday, the Cantab welcomed Twain Dooley from D.C. for an awesome show; Twain dazzled the audience with his dirty puns, dance moves, and laugh-out-loud fun. The Champion of Champions slam went a remarkable eight rounds --some of them truly unconventional indeed-- with defending champion Adam Stone just edging out challenger Sean Conlon.
Next week: the prolific and pointed Scott Woods, President of Like Everything, returns with lots of new work. Also, the last open 8x8 slam to qualify for our IWPS speed slam!
Sunday, January 11, 2009Could you think of a better way to start of 2009 at the Cantab than to have Shira Erlichman, 2007 Cantab Team slammer, Spilljoy Ensemble member, and incredibly original poet and musician read for us? ...If you can, then you must not have been there for Shira's heartfelt set of work both new and old. How nice to welcome her back to the venue! After Shira's feature, top honors in the night's poetry slam went to Erich Hagan.
Next week: D.C. funk poet Twain Dooley, plus Adam Stone vs. Sean Conlon in the Champion of Champions poetry slam!
Tuesday, January 6, 2009Happy New Year, Cantabbers! In case you missed it, we rang in 2009 at Boston's First Night at the Hynes Convention Center, slamming with Artie Moffa, Patrick S., April Ranger, Brian S. Ellis, Adam Stone, Erin Jackson, Trevor Byrne-Smith, Ken Arkind, Danny Sherrard, Erich Hagan, Sean Conlon, and Christian Drake. A hearty welcome to all the folks who found us this year through the First Night slams!
Now, if you thought the First Night slams were all-star, wait until you see our January line-up. It all kicks off this Wednesday with Spilljoy Collective member Shira Erlichman, a national slam favorite with one of the most refreshing voices in the genre. Come early for the open mic, and stay late for the open 8x8 slam!
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NEXT BIG SHOW
The CHICKEN Slam
Wednesday, July 8
With apologies to Marty McFly: SlamMaster Simone Beaubien takes on the five-man 2009 Cantab Slam Team in a cut-throat five-round match.
The Cantab Lounge has selected our 2009 Slam Team. Click here to find out who will represent the venue this August at the National Poetry Slam in West Palm Beach, Florida.
The Cantab Lounge has selected our 2009 Individual World Poetry Slam representative. Congratulations to April Ranger, who will represent the venue this October at IWPS in Berkeley, California!
Michael Brown, former Cantab Slammaster, has moved! Please update your bookmarks to point to his new homepage, michael.brown.name.
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