MUSIC
Pop & Rock
ZIP-TIE HANDCUFFS This Boston power trio pairs chugging riffs and careening drums with almost-baroque touches inspired by the sweetest power-pop offerings. With the shimmergaze solo project TIFFY and Gloucester’s The Lebarons. Aug. 19, 8 p.m. Faces on Pleasant, Malden. 781-851-4672, facesbrewing.com
DISPATCH AND OAR The freewheeling rock acts join forces for a co-headlining tour featuring cuts like Dispatch’s strummy protest song “The General” (recently shouted out on Hulu’s “The Dropout” and rerecorded in Russian) and O.A.R.’s chugging soft rocker “Shattered (Turn the Car Around).” Aug. 20, 7 p.m. Xfinity Center, Mansfield. 800-745-3000, livenation.com
GIVEON “Give or Take,” the debut album from this robust-voiced SoCal crooner, is a thoughtful, hooky R&B album framed as a frank conversation about life and love between the 27-year-old and his mother, who encourages his tender emotionalism. With R&B up-and-comers Fana Hues and Saleka. Aug. 23-24, 7 p.m. House of Blues. 888-693-2583, houseofblues.com/boston
MAURA JOHNSTON
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Folk, World & Country
CHRIS KNIGHT Chris Knight says he follows this credo: “If I don’t have something worth saying, I’m not opening my mouth.” He’s released nine albums over the last quarter-century, so it seems like he’s felt he had quite a lot worth saying. If you’re partial to songs of brutal honesty and gut-punch intensity, you’ll likely agree. Jason Eady opens for Knight Tuesday; he’s worth making the effort to arrive on time. Aug. 23, 8 p.m. $25-$35. City Winery, 80 Beverly St. 617-933-8047, www.citywinery.com/boston
KENNY ROBY It seems like a lifetime ago that Kenny Roby made some noise with his band, 6 String Drag, as part of the great alt-country scare of the 1990s. That wave faded and so did his band (only to reemerge a few years ago); Roby put on a singer-songwriter’s hat and took to recording in that mode. He’s touring in support of his latest, a fine, self-titled effort, out just a few weeks ago. Aug. 24, 8 p.m. $20. Club Passim, 47 Palmer St., Cambridge. 617-492-7679, www.passim.org
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THE GIBSON BROTHERS If you’re after hardcore bluegrass music (and spine-tingling brother harmonies), it’s hard to do better than Leigh and Eric Gibson. But the brothers aren’t afraid to wander outside the confines of that genre, as their 2018 collaboration with Dan Auerbach, “Mockingbird,” demonstrated. They’ll likely sprinkle some of that into their performance Thursday. Aug. 25, 7 p.m. $17.50. Off the Rails, 90 Commercial St., Worcester. 866-468-3399, www.ticketweb.com
STUART MUNRO
Jazz & Blues
GREGORY GROOVER JR. QUINTET This Summer’s Mission Hill Arts Festival concerts, cohosted by Celebrity Series, conclude with a performance led by accomplished tenor saxophonist and educator Groover, entitled “Negro Spiritual Songbook” and exploring traditional Black American sacred music in a jazz context. Aug. 20, 5:30 p.m. $5-$40. The Yard @ Tobin Community Center, 1481 Tremont St. www.mhartsfest.org
CHARLIE KOHLHASE’S EXPLORERS CLUB This adventurous septet, led by the multi-saxophonist and composer — a Boston jazz mainstay for decades — plays engagingly knotty originals by its leader as well as numbers by such jazz notables as Elmo Hope, Ornette Coleman, and Kohlhase mentors and collaborators Roswell Rudd and John Tchicai. Aug. 21, 6:30 p.m. $10. Lilypad, 1353 Cambridge St., Cambridge. www.lilypadinman.com
ERIC GALES The live-wire, left-handed guitarist’s admirers include Carlos Santana, Joe Bonamassa, and Dave Navarro, and his accolades include being dubbed “Blues Rock Artist of the Year” at the 2019 Blues Music Awards. Aug. 24, 7:30 p.m. $35. Bull Run Restaurant, 215 Great Road, Shirley. 978-425-4311, www.bullrunrestaurant.com
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KEVIN LOWENTHAL
Classical
TANGLEWOOD It’s a star-studded weekend at Tanglewood. Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops welcome Broadway luminaries including Nikki Renee Daniels to the stage for a Stephen Sondheim memorial concert (Aug. 19); the next night, the BSO and conductor Ken-David Masur celebrate Pops laureate conductor John Williams’s 90th birthday in grand style with appearances by Yo-Yo Ma, Branford Marsalis, and James Taylor (Aug. 20). Violinist Itzhak Perlman joins the BSO for Bruch’s Violin Concerto on Sunday afternoon, with Dima Slobodeniouk conducting (Aug. 21). Tanglewood, Lenox. 617-266-1200, www.bso.org
BOSTON LANDMARKS ORCHESTRA Did you miss cuatrist Fabiola Mendez’s performance with the orchestra on the Esplanade this week? Worry not: They’re repeating their program together on Saturday evening indoors. Then you still have time to catch the orchestra’s season finale at the Hatch Shell as music director Christopher Wilkins leads a program including the Boston premiere of William Dawson’s 1934 “Negro Folk Symphony” alongside orchestral favorites like Respighi’s “Pines of Rome.” Aug. 20, 7 p.m., Bethel AME, Jamaica Plain; Aug. 24, 7 p.m. DCR Hatch Memorial Shell. www.landmarksorchestra.org
ALTERA ENSEMBLE The Rhode Island-based professional chamber choir, led by countertenor Christopher Lowrey, presents “The Lamb’s Journey,” a choral depiction of the life of Christ in music from the Renaissance through the present day, including three world premiere compositions. Aug. 20, 8 p.m., St. Paul’s Parish, Cambridge; Aug. 21, 3 p.m., Blessed Sacrament Church, Providence. www.ensemblealtera.com
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A.Z. MADONNA
ARTS
Theater
A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC For her final production as artistic director at Barrington Stage Company, an organization she co-founded nearly three decades ago and built into a potent theatrical force in the Berkshires and beyond, Julianne Boyd has crafted an incandescent “A Little Night Music” that makes for one hell of a swan song. Equally laced with heartache and humor, featuring a witty book by Hugh Wheeler and a matchless score by Stephen Sondheim, “A Little Night Music” gives cast members abundant opportunities to shine, individually and together. And shine they do, led by Emily Skinner, Jason Danieley, Mary Beth Peil, and Sierra Boggess. Through Aug. 28. Barrington Stage Company. At Boyd-Quinson Stage, Pittsfield. 413-236-8888, www.barringtonstageco.org
BUDDY: THE BUDDY HOLLY STORY One of the great what-if? stories of rock ‘n’ roll, Holly died at age 22 in a 1959 plane crash along with Ritchie Valens, J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson, and pilot Roger Peterson. (It was later dubbed “The Day the Music Died” by Don McLean in “American Pie.”) Directed and choreographed by Marcos Santana, “Buddy” features Matt McClure as Holly, Craig Underwood as Richardson, and Ryan Reyes as Valens. Songs include Holly hits such as “That’ll Be the Day,” “Oh Boy,” “Maybe Baby,” and “Peggy Sue,” along with Valens’s “La Bamba” and Richardson’s “Chantilly Lace.” Through Aug. 28. North Shore Music Theatre, Beverly. 978-232-7200, www.nsmt.org
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ANASTASIA The team that collaborated on “Ragtime” reunited for this musical about Anya (Kyla Stone), an orphaned young Russian amnesiac in the early 20th century, who sets out to decode the riddle of her own past while being pursued by a Bolshevik general (Brandon Delgado) intent on silencing her. With music by Stephen Flaherty, lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, and a book by the late Terrence McNally. Through Aug. 28. Presented by Broadway In Boston. At Citizens Bank Opera House. www.BroadwayInBoston.com
DON AUCOIN
Dance
CORNFIELD DANCE As the culmination of its weeklong residency at Windhover Center for the Performing Arts, the New York-based company presents the world premiere of “The Wasp in the Window,” among other works. Choreographed by company artistic director Ellen Cornfield, the new work reflects on the surprising coexistence in everyday life of the dark and the light. Aug. 20-21, $24-$34. Windhover Center for the Performing Arts, Rockport. https://windhover.org/
JACOB’S PILLOW DANCE FESTIVAL The 50-year-old Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble performs at the Pillow this weekend for the first time in two decades, bringing works drawing from the African American experience. Miami City Ballet is on deck to headline the final weekend, bringing a live orchestra and classics by Balanchine, Robbins, and Graham, as well as the world premiere of Margarita Armas’s “Geta.” The outdoor stage will feature programs by Ladies of Hip-Hop Dance Collective, Kayla Hamilton, and Boston Dance Theater. Through Aug. 28, $25-$85. Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, Becket. www.jacobspillow.org
KAREN CAMPBELL
Visual Arts
REVIVAL: MATERIALS AND MONUMENTAL FORMS Since it opened in 2018, the Institute of Contemporary Art’s Watershed Annex across the harbor in East Boston has hosted monumental pieces by a single artist, some made for that very space. This show changes things up — having the Venice Biennale on its plate this spring probably had something to do with it — with a group effort featuring sculptural works by El Anatsui, Madeline Hollander, Ibrahim Mahama, Karyn Olivier, Ebony G. Patterson, and Joe Wardwell. Still, the Watershed’s topical ethos remains intact: The show addresses creative reuse of cast-off materials in a world drowning in trash. Through Sept. 5. ICA Watershed, 256 Marginal St., East Boston. 617-478-3100, www.icaboston.com
DOWN TO THE BONE: EDWARD KOREN AND STEPHEN GORMAN Pairing two artists across media with common purpose — Koren is a much-loved cartoonist and illustrator best known for his work in the New Yorker magazine; Gorman is a renowned nature photographer — this exhibition captures the ever-worsening climate crisis from opposite ends. Gorman’s photographs of polar bears struggling to survive in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge feel like the “before,” while Koren’s dystopic drawings of wildlife wandering the ruins of human society appear as what seems more every day like an inevitable “after.” Through Feb. 5. Peabody Essex Museum, 161 Essex St., Salem. 978-745-9500, pem.org
MARC SWANSON: A MEMORIAL TO ICE AT THE DEAD DEER DISCO Loss freights every inch of Swanson’s largest-ever installation — of his jubilant youth spent in queer dance clubs, of friends to AIDS, and, in the throes of climate disaster, of the worsening of the very planet itself. Inspired by the life-size dioramas favored by natural history museums, the work is an amalgam of sculpture, video, light, and taxidermy, conjuring an otherworldly lament for an imagined apocalyptic future rooted far too deeply in the here and now. Through Dec. 22. Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, 1040 Mass MoCA Way, North Adams. 413-662-2111, www.massmoca.org
MURRAY WHYTE
THE MEANING OF MEMORY This show, a family affair, features artifacts of John Hersey, the maverick journalist who died in 1993. His reporting on the atomic bomb the US dropped on Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945 told the harrowing tales of six survivors. Hersey’s son, painter John R. Hersey Jr. (who died in 2018), addresses freedom of expression in large-scale abstract canvases. Grandson Cannon Hersey’s photos, textiles, and silkscreens revisit sites and relics of the blast, including so-called “survivor trees” near atomic ground zero. Through Sept. 25. Carrie Chen Gallery, 16 Railroad St., Great Barrington. www.carriechengallery.com
CATE McQUAID
EVENTS
Comedy
PHIL HANLEY “My girlfriend’s mom doesn’t approve of me ‘cause I didn’t go to college,” says Hanley. “Which is very frustrating, because I feel like if she got to know me she’d realize that is the least of my problems.” Aug. 19 at 7:30 p.m. and Aug. 20 at 7:30 p.m. and 9:45 p.m. $25. Laugh Boston, 425 Summer St. 617-725-2844, www.laughboston.com
RYAN DONAHUE Donahue, who came up through the Boston scene and is now a staff writer for “Pause with Sam Jay,” grew up collecting baseball cards, which he realized as an adult was a strange thing. “They’re pictures of professional athletes, so it’s normal I guess,” he says. “But if I was collecting Polaroids of local softball players, people would have a problem with that.” Aug. 19-20, 7:30 p.m. $20. The White Bull Tavern, 1 Union St. 617-681-4600, www.thewhitebulltavern.com
COMEDY BANG! BANG! LIVE Host Scott Aukerman celebrates 13 years of comic madness with the live version of his podcast, featuring Paul F. Tompkins and the CBB All-Stars improvising and doing character work. All the shows on the tour will be released as podcast episodes for subscribers. Aug. 22, 7 p.m. $41.74-$111.75. The Chevalier Theatre, 30 Forest St., Medford. www.chevaliertheatre.com
NICK A. ZAINO III
Family
BLUE MAN GROUP AT FISHERMAN’S FEAST What, exactly, is Blue Man Group? The “hard to describe, easy to love” (according to their website) international sensation is an immersive comedy show that features mute blue characters who interact with the audience throughout the performance. They’ve had residencies around the world, but you can see them for free this weekend at a pop-up show at the North End’s Fisherman’s Feast. Aug. 20, 7:30 p.m. Free. Fleet and North streets. fishermansfeast.com
ICE CREAM FESTIVAL At Walpole’s Bird Park, enjoy a range of delicious ice cream selections for only $4 a bowl, along with music by DJ Ed, games, activities, and Jimmy’s famous pizza (only $2 a slice!). All proceeds from the food sales will go to support park improvements and upcoming events. Aug. 20, 4-7 p.m. Free entry. Francis Williams Bird Park, 135 Polley Lane, East Walpole. facebook.com
FRETS & PLECTRUMS — MUSIC OF BACH AND BEYOND Funded by a grant from the Mayor’s Office of Arts & Culture, this free concert series hosted by Now Musique works to curate family-friendly, high-quality performances set outside a conventional concert hall setting. This week, head over to St. Mary’s Episcopal Church for a night of classical guitar and harpsichord music, performed by Frederick Jodry and Aaron Larget-Caplan. Aug. 20, 7 p.m. Free. St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, 14 Cushing Ave, Belmont. alcguitar.com
JOY ASHFORD