Artist profiles Revolutionary Snake Ensemble Odaiko New England Liber UnUsualis Julie Kaufmann Dancin' Trent Arterberry Tony V Janice Allen Airborne Comedians Opera UnMet William Tremblay and Rob Gonsalves Excelsior Artie Barsamian Weepin' Willie Karen Aqua and Jane Gillooly Harriet Casdin-Silver and Kevin Brown Through the Looking Glass Artists Mitch Ryerson Babaloo Angry Salad Leeny Del Seamonds and Gideon Freudmann Program guide Events by category Friday's schedule Saturday's schedule Sunday's schedule More information The basics; tips; highlights Last-minute ideas Return to the main feature Official First Night site Weekly Health | Science (Mon.) Food (Wed.) Calendar (Thu.) At Home (Thu.) Picture This (Fri.) Sunday Automotive Focus Learning Magazine New England Real Estate Travel City Weekly South Weekly West Weekly North Weekly NorthWest Weekly NH Weekly Features Archives Book Reviews Columns Comics Crossword Horoscopes Death Notices Lottery Movie Reviews Music Reviews Obituaries Special Reports Today's stories A-Z TV & Radio Weather Classifieds Autos Classifieds Help Wanted Real Estate Help Contact the Globe Send us feedback Alternative views Low-graphics version Acrobat version (.pdf)

COVER STORY First Night 2000: A sampler They don't bite     The Revolutionary Snake Ensemble mixes New Orleans jazz with African and Latin rhythms. In front: Ethan Meyer. (Globe Staff Photo/Jonathan Wiggs) MORE INFORMATION Fri. 7:30-10 p.m., 11:15 p.m-12:30 a.m.; Sat. 7-10 p.m. Common: Parkman Bandstand. Revolutionary Snake Ensemble If you want the snap and sizzle of Mardi Gras a few weeks early to warm up the Boston winter, stop by the Parkman Bandstand on Friday or Saturday evening to welcome in the new year with the Revolutionary Snake Ensemble. The band, led by Ken Field, spices a brassy New Orleans sound with African and Latin rhythms. "We're a horn and percussion ensemble, and we play urban tribal music," says Field. "It's good, but it's also really a lot of fun street-festival music." The show offers not only music that will set your hips swaying, but also spectacular lighting and sets by Max Azenow. "If you look over at the Common and see bright colors and all sorts of reflections and changing lights, you'll know it's us," Field says. The Revolutionary Snake Ensemble, made up of top-notch Boston musicians - regulars in bands such as the Either/Orchestra, Count Zero, and Birdsongs of the Mesozoic - will get into the Mardi Gras groove by tossing beads and other prizes into the audience. They'll be playing party music on both evenings, and counting down to midnight on New Year's Eve. This will be the third year the band has played through midnight on the Common. The first year, musicians had no heat, and nearly froze their fingers off on their cold horns. Last year, the bandstand was equipped with heaters, and the band rocked. "It keeps on getting better," Field says, and the party to end the millennium ought to continue that trend. - Cate McQuaid Previous page | Next page

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