MUSIC
Pop, Etc.
ASHNIKKO After going viral in the pre-pandemic era with the lye-tipped anthem “Stupid,” this electropop daredevil has continued to rage along her own brightly lit path, with her 2025 album “Smoochies” full of rowdy, happily harsh alternate-universe anthems. May 16, 8 p.m. Roadrunner Boston. roadrunnerboston.com
THE MOUNTAIN GOATS Last year, John Darnielle published “This Year,” a tome thoroughly annotating 365 songs from his band’s gem-studded catalog; earlier this week, he announced the August release of “Days,” a new album that includes the intriguingly titled “Best Hard Rock Albums 2013.” May 19, 7 p.m. House of Blues Boston. 888-693-2583, houseofblues.com/boston
BELLE AND SEBASTIAN The gently wry Scottish collective, whose precision-grade pop raised the game for twee in the ‘90s, will play two of their early albums in full during this pair of shows. Tuesday night’s show will feature their debut “Tigermilk,” which became the stuff of import-CD legend as soon as it landed, while on Wednesday they’ll play their breakthrough “If You’re Feeling Sinister.” May 19-20, 8 p.m. Orpheum Theatre. 617-482-0106, crossroadspresehts.com
MAURA K. JOHNSTON
Folk, World & Country
CMAT Irish native Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson has been riding the wave of her latest record, “Euro-Country,” a beguiling mix that is equal parts country pop, indie rock, and the campy wit evidenced in songs such as “Lord, Let That Tesla Crash” and “Janis Joplining.” May 16, 8 p.m. $39.50 House of Blues, 15 Lansdowne St., Boston. 800-653-8000. www.ticketmaster.com
SOUTHERN CULTURE ON THE SKIDS Rick Miller calls the greasy mix of garage, surf, country, and full-tilt rock and roll that SCOTS offers “wobbly Americana,” and he and his bandmates, Mary Huff and Doug Hartman, have been pounding it out for neigh on 40 years. May 17, 8 p.m. $25. 3S Artspace, 319 Vaughan St., Portsmouth, NH. 603-766-3330. www.3sarts.org
BROWN HORSE With their indie-alternative country mix and fast-slow dynamics, this Norwich, UK outfit sounds like Uncle Tupelo reincarnated and lathered with copious pedal steel guitar courtesy of band member Emma Toven. They come to North America in support of their third LP, “Total Dive.” May 19, 8 p.m. $24.65. O’Brien’s Pub, 3 Harvard Ave., Allston. 617-782-6245. www.obrienspubboston.com
STUART MUNRO
Jazz & Blues
ROSLINDALE JAZZ FESTIVAL A jazz jamboree curated by pianist and composer Brian Friedland featuring a conclave of Rozzy-based improvisers on two stages: Performing at Birch St. Plaza will be Clear Audience, Man On Land, David Leach Collective, and AS3; Adams Park artists will include Dan Rosenthal Quintet, Manuel Kaufmann’s Manduca Sexta, TickleJuice, and tenor saxophone master Bill Pierce and his Quartet. May 16, 1-6 p.m. Free. Birch St. Plaza & Adams Park. brianfriedland.com/roslindale-jazz-festival
SETH MEICHT QUARTET Accomplished saxophonist Meicht and his seasoned fellowship of guitarist Steve Fell, electric bassist Nate McBride, and drummer Curt Newton, play overlooked compositions by jazz iconoclasts Carla Bley, Don Cherry, and William Parker. May 17, 5 p.m. Tickets: $10-$15. QArts Gallery, 1229 Hancock St., Quincy. events.humanitix.com/seth-meicht-quartet
A TRIBUTE TO ROYAL LADIES OF BLUES & SOUL A charismatic klatsch of mostly northeast-based blueswomen - Toni Lyn Washington, Christine Ohlman, Diane Blue, Gina Coleman, Patti Parks, and Laura Chavez – perform songs associated with foremothers Koko Taylor, Aretha Franklin, Ruth Brown, Etta James, Big Mama Thornton, and more. May 21, 7:30 p.m. Tickets: $40. Bull Run Restaurant, 215 Great Rd., Rt. 2A, Shirley. bullrunrestaurant.com
KEVIN LOWENTHAL
Classical
HANDEL AND HAYDN SOCIETY Conducted by artistic director Jonathan Cohen, the Handel and Haydn Orchestra offers a vibrant German Baroque program of three cantatas by J.S. Bach and Telemann, with vocal soloists Roben Johanssen, Christopher Lowrey, Guy Cutting, and Dingle Yandell; plus Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 for good measure. May 15, 7:30 o.m., Old South Church, Boston; May 16, 7:30 p.m. Sanders Theatre, Harvard University, Cambridge. www.handelandhaydn.org
KENDALL SQUARE ORCHESTRA One-handed violinist, Berklee College of Music professor, and adaptive music tech pioneer Adrian Anantwan joins the Kendall Square Orchestra for Tchaikovsky’s iconic Violin Concerto; the concert, conducted by music director Kristo Kondakçi, also includes Carlos Simon’s “Fate Now Conquers” and Brahms’s Symphony No. 4. May 15, 7:30 p.m. Sanders Theatre, Harvard University, Cambridge. www.kendallsquareorchestra.org
CAPPELLA CLAUSURA Antonio Vivaldi’s “Gloria,” a beloved classic of the choral repertoire, sits alongside rarely heard music by late 17th/early 18th century Venetian composer and singer Antonia Bembo, who spent much of her career in France composing at the court of “Sun King” Louis XIV. May 16, 4 p.m., Grace Episcopal Church, Newton; May 17, 4 p.m. Emmanuel Church, Boston. www.clausura.org
A.Z. MADONNA
ARTS
Theater
HAIRSPRAY You’d have to work pretty hard not to have a good time at “Hairspray,’’ and there’s certainly no reason for that kind of arbitrary labor at this lively production. But director-choreographer Najee A. Brown ensures that the frothy fun doesn’t obscure the focus on antiracist barrier-breaking that has always elevated this musical, set in 1962 Baltimore. Featuring a cast that includes Nora Sullivan as the bubbly, indomitable high schooler Tracy Turnblad, determined to land a spot on a TV dance program that typically has not made room for teens who look like her; a hilarious yet poignant Robert Saoud as Edna, Tracy’s mother; Barbara Pierre as the formidable Motormouth Maybelle, who lends her force to efforts to integrate the dance show; and Aimee Doherty as Velma Von Tussle, the Cruella de Vil of TV producers. Through May 17. Umbrella Stage Company, Umbrella Arts Center, Concord. 978-371-0820 ext. 1, theumbrellaarts.org
SOMETHING ROTTEN! Director Ilana Ransom Toeplitz fully embraces the rowdy, dare-to-be-dumb, anything-for-a-laugh spirit of this musical spoof of Bardolatry and musicals themselves. As Nick Bottom, a sputtering, scheming, Shakespeare-hating theater impresario, Ryan Mardesich is a hoot. As Shakespeare himself, the peerless Jared Troilo preens and swivels his hips like an Elizabethan Elvis. With a score by brothers Wayne and Karey Kirkpatrick, a book by Karey Kirkpatrick and John O’Farrell, and dynamic choreography by Christopher Shin. Lyric Stage Boston. Through June 7. 617-585-5678, www.lyricstage.com
SWEPT AWAY A musical about a 19th-century shipwreck and its aftermath, “Swept Away” is a should-see, maybe even a must-see, for, among other reasons: The variety and sheer energy of the indie-folk music by The Avett Brothers, coupled with the emotional directness of their ardent lyrics. The bravura direction by Jeremy Johnson, who stages scenes of stillness and tumult with equal deftness — the squall/shipwreck scene is a doozy — while smoothly transitioning among the musical’s radical mood shifts. The textured performances by the four principals: Peter DiMaggio as the ragged, haunted Mate; Christopher Chew as the curmudgeonly Captain; Max Connor as Little Brother, in flight from farm life and avid for adventure; and Bishop Levesque as Big Brother, a religious and initially starchy man locked in fraternal combat that conceals a deep love for Little Brother. Through May 23. SpeakEasy Stage Company at Wimberly Theatre, Calderwood Pavilion, Boston Center for the Arts. 617-933-8600, speakeasystage.com
DON AUCOIN
Dance
SHAMEL PITTS | TRIBE The award-winning choreographer and his Brooklyn-based multidisciplinary arts collective present “Marks of RED,” described as work of magical realism that explores the complexity of self-expression. Pitts is known for his explorations of Black embodiment and human connection, and this Afrofuturistic group work is narrated by and incorporates the viewpoints of six women who contemplate the regenerative power of the “womb space.” May 15-16, $30-$40. ICA/Boston. www.icaboston.org
LAM DANCE WORKS Building on its successful debut last fall, John Lam’s contemporary ballet company presents “Forward: Dance Transformed.” Bringing together dancers and choreographers from around the US and Europe, the program features three world premieres and three Boston premieres, including Alessandro Giaquinto’s “Yasuragi No Chi,” originally created for The Stuttgart Ballet. May 15-16, $58.85-$278.85. Emerson Paramount Center. www.emersontheatres.org
SAMPADĀ: TRADITIONAL TREASURES Three artists share works that fuse their individual choreographic ideas with two distinct movement traditions from India. The artistry of Sutikshna Veeravalli is grounded in Bharatanatyam, while Sapna Govindan and Gayathri Thampatty will present dance from the Sougandhikam bani (tradition or style) of Mohiniyattam. May 16, $25. Dance Complex, Cambridge. www.dancecomplex.org
KAREN CAMPBELL
Visual art
DANNY LYON: THE BIKERIDERS Just opened: One of the definitive documentary photography projects of the 1960s, Danny Lyon joined the Chicago Outlaws Motorcycle Club while still an undergraduate at the University of Chicago to capture his subjects from the inside. The result, a raw portrait of a subculture that helped define a generation of America, is now a totem of the form. Through Aug. 16. Currier Museum of Art, 150 Ash Street, Manchester, NH. 603-669-6144, currier.org
FRAMING AMERICAN DEMOCRACY: RADICAL ROOTS The Wadsworth Atheneum, one of the oldest art museums in the country, has stood in Hartford, Connecticut, since 1844, making it as much a participant in American history as a repository of its art and culture. As the US celebrates its 250th birthday, the museum digs deep into its vast collection to tell the story of the state’s role in the country’s many convulsions — intellectual, political, and artistic — on its path to an ever-evolving freedom. It’s a timely endeavor for the nation’s current sclerotic moment. Through Sept. 27, Wadsworth Atheneum, 600 Main Street, Hartford, Connecticutcq. 860-278-2670,thewadsworth.org
LOOKING FOR AMERICA, FEATURING HANK WILLIS THOMAS Thomas will be best known to Bostonians for The Embrace, the colossal bronze memorial to Coretta Scott King and Martin Luther King Jr. on Boston Common. But Thomas has spent a career contemplating the thornier elements of American history and culture, and this is the latest installment on the theme, in time for the country’s 250th. The exhibition will focus on collaboration and community, critical through struggle, and will include contributions from artists including Karinne Smith and Hector René Membreño-Canales, and his mother, the esteemed historian Deborah Willis. Through July 19. Ogunquit Museum, 543 Shore Road, Ogunquit, ME. 207-646-4909,ogunquitmuseum.org
MURRAY WHYTE
SEEING AGAINST SEEING Memory and history are porous; gaps in official records may hide or obscure what really happened. Alexey Yurenev’s artist’s book and two-channel film use AI, which is equally hard to pin down, to delve into the challenges of visualizing what has been blotted from history books. He trained an AI model on thousands of World War II portraits and landscapes, then showed the images to centenarian veterans and prompted them to revisit their own wartime stories. Yurenev will give a 6 p.m. talk at the May 15 opening. Through June 5. Temporary Institute for Unification of Knowledge, 19 Bishop Allen Drive, Cambridge. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/seeing-against-seeing-by-alexey-yurenev-registration-1989009057634?aff=oddtdtcreator
CATE McQUAID
EVENTS
Comedy
DRAG-O-VISION To celebrate this week’s Eurovision Song Contest, Gorgonzola and Jadie Cadenza are hosting this drag and burlesque competition with competitors from around the world and a winner decided by audience vote. In the Moonshine Room. May 15, 7 p.m. $30-$35. Club Café, 209 Columbus Ave., Boston. 617-536-0966, clubcafe.com
RYAN SICKLER He delights in finding the funny in dark moments, which is a defining feature of his “HoneyDew” podcast, so if Sickler gets you to share a near-death experience at Laug Boston, don’t be surprised if he reacts with an endearingly off-kilter giggle and tries to talk you through it. May 15 at 7 p.m. and May 16 at 6:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. $39.90. Laugh Boston, 425 Summer St., Boston. 617-725-2844, laughboston.com
K. TREVOR WILSON Forever remembered as Squirrelly Dan from “Letterkenny,” Wilson has had a long career in acting and stand-up, and never listened to friends who told him to settle down and quit show business. “Those friends are always like, ‘What are you doing, out there living your dream? Traveling the world, seeing new places, meeting interesting people. It’s not a life.’” May 20, 7:30 p.m. $30-$54. City Winery Boston, 80 Beverly St., Boston. citywinery.com
NICK A. ZAINO III