Sam Rosen stumbled across the Paper Cut Zine Library in Harvard Square earlier this fall because he was at a "speed friending" event in a neighboring room. "We were like 'whoa, what's this place about?'" he says. And so began his love for zines. He's a librarian at the Mount Auburn Street spot now ("anyone can be a librarian," he says), and he's organized one of the library's monthly benefits taking place this Sunday at 6 pm.
The Paper Cut has gotten in some trouble in the past for hosting too-loud shows. "Punk shows, mostly," says Sam. "Because it was punk, it got rowdy." Last month's was folk-acoustic, and this weekend, it'll be experimental-electronic music, with Kris Thompson (ethereal theremin), Encanti (seriously out there IDM), Cars and Trains (mandolins, glockenspiels), and Poltergeist Friction (said to give strange dreams). It's a $5 cover. And they'll be keeping it "as loud as a high school biology lab video." Yes.
The librarians are working on alphabetizing the extensive, growing collection of zines. And Sam's working on creating his own. It's called Magical Thinking, and based on his experiences: "everything from drinking 40's in Pete's bathroom to my funniest childhood memories, and this adventure I had with a friend where we found a boat at three in the morning near the Cambridgeside Galleria and hopped on it and went down the Charles. Zines can be anything."
The benefit is meant to raise a little money, but more so, raise awareness that the spot exists. It's at 45 Mount Auburn Street, Cambridge. Call 617.492.2606.