MUSIC
Pop & Rock
DEERHOOF Hot on the heels of "Balter/Saunier," an arrestingly gorgeous collaboration with Chicago new-music ensemble Dal Niente, this inimitable quartet comes to town heralding "The Magic," its newest collection of tunefully itchy art-pop gems, which arrives the same day. June 24, 8 p.m. $16. Brighton Music Hall. 617-653-8000, www.ticketmaster.com
FLAG
Whatever one makes of the turmoil continually afflicting the iconic hardcore-punk band Black Flag, there's no denying the abrasive catharsis songs like "Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie," "TV Party," and "My War" provide — and no better way to hear them played right than by ex-members Keith Morris, Dez Cadena, Chuck Dukowski, and Bill Stevenson, joined by Descendents guitarist Stephen Egerton. June 26, 7 p.m. $28, advance $25. The Sinclair, Cambridge. 617-547-5200,
www.sinclaircambridge.com
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QUILT + WIDOWSPEAK Wistful, dreamy songs from wandering minstrels is tonight's theme, brought to you by Quilt (pictured), a Boston band that scattered to assorted points in New York, and Widowspeak, a Brooklyn duo that relocated to Tacoma. Show up in time to see opener Doug Tuttle, whose sweetly harmonized psych-rock style prompts bliss. June 24, 8 p.m. $15. The Sinclair, Cambridge. 617-547-5200, www.sinclaircambridge.com
STEVE SMITH
Folk & World
USTAD NASEERUDDIN SAAMI AND THE SAAMI BROTHERS The family of Pakistan's legendary classical vocalist traces its musical lineage some 800 years back. Sammi is joined by his four sons and by tabla player Nitin Mitta for an afternoon of qawwali, the devotional music that draws on the mystical poetry of Sufism. June 26, 3 p.m. Free with museum admission. Peabody Essex Museum, Salem. 978-542-1511, www.pem.org
DENNIS STROUGHMATT AND HIS HONKY TONK CIRCUS A nice Sunday afternoon drive with some western swing at the end of it, courtesy of a man who's doing his part to keep the style alive. Stroughmatt's show celebrates the release of his latest record, a tribute to the legendary Ray Price and his band, the Cherokee Cowboys. June 26, 4 p.m. $20. German Club, Pawtucket, R.I. 401-965-0849. www.salsproductions.com
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PROMISED LAND SOUND + STEVE GUNN "For Use and Delight," the latest record from Promised Land Sound, shows the Nashville band expanding its country-rock template to include '70s-redolent psychedelica and American Primitive-style acoustic fingerpicking, among other things. Also playing: prolific, collaborative singer-songwriter and guitar wizard Steve Gunn, with a band he's dubbed the Outliners. June 29, 9 p.m. $12. Great Scott. 800-745-3000. www.ticketmaster.com
STUART MUNRO
Jazz & Blues
DANE VANNATTER The cabaret singer with the swinging touch celebrates his latest critically acclaimed disc, "Give Me Something Real," featuring engaging interpretations of tunes by writers ranging from Billy Strayhorn to Leonard Cohen. June 24, 7:30 p.m. $20. Regattabar, Cambridge. 617-395-7757, www.regattabarjazz.com
CHARLIE KOHLHASE & THE TRIOS x2 Adventurous multi-saxophonist Kohlhase performs with two simpatico groups: one with drummer Devin Drobka, the other, Pocket Aces, including guitarist Eric Hofbauer and drummer Curt Newton, and both featuring bassist Aaron Darrell. June 24, 8 p.m. $15. Third Life Studio, Somerville, www.thirdlifestudio.com
DOR HERSKOVITS TRIO: A TRIBUTE TO CONLON NANCARROW Israeli drummer Herskovits and Americans Isaac Wilson (piano) and Max Ridley (bass) bonded as students in Boston, and play together to this day in the tradition of such piano-trio trailblazers as Ahmad Jamal, Keith Jarrett, and the Bad Plus. This gig debuts their arrangements of Conlon Nancarrow's Studies for Player Piano, which combine blues, jazz, and Latin American melodies with mind-blowingly complex rhythms. June 26, 10 p.m. $10. Lily Pad, Cambridge. 617-395-1393, www.lilypadinman.com
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KEVIN LOWENTHAL
Classical
ROCKPORT CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL Next up at the charming seaside festival: a solo recital by pianist George Li (Thursday); an evening of piano trios with David Deveau, violinist Andres Cardenes, and cellist Anne Martindale Williams (Friday); and a recital by the New York Philharmonic's new concertmaster, Frank Huang, with pianist Gilles Vonsattel (Saturday). Shalin Liu Performance Center, Rockport. 978-546-7391, www.rockportmusic.org
SICK PUPPY This annual new-music seminar at New England Conservatory draws its memorable nickname from its acronym, SICPP, or the Summer Institute for Contemporary Performance Practice. Vinko Globokar is this year's composer-in-residence, and his works are featured in free performances at NEC's Jordan Hall on Thursday and Friday. Saturday in Brown Hall, the festival culminates in a six-hour-plus marathon concert aptly dubbed the "Iditarod." 617-585-1122, www.sicpp.org
ASTON MAGNA The festival premieres a new work for period instruments by Alex Burtzos on a program that also includes works by Handel, Corelli, Purcell, and Leclair. June 23, 7 p.m., Slosberg Music Center. 888-492-1283, www.astonmagna.org
JEREMY EICHLER
ARTS
Theater
MATILDA THE MUSICAL While it's not as consistently transporting as the Broadway production, the distinctive strengths of this rich, dark, and satisfyingly strange musical adaptation of Roald Dahl's children's novel still come through, including a superbly varied score by composer-lyricist Tim Minchin. There are strong performances by 9-year-old Sarah McKinley Austin as Matilda (the role rotates among several young performers) and Dan Chameroy as the bonkers Miss Trunchbull. Through June 26. Production by Royal Shakespeare Company and the Dodgers presented by Broadway In Boston at Boston Opera House. 800-982-2787, www.broadwayinboston.com
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I WAS MOST ALIVE WITH YOU The world premiere of Craig Lucas's intricate, frequently absorbing, occasionally sluggish new drama, enacted in spoken word and American Sign Language, about the struggles of a Southern California family to cope and to communicate when adversity hits, and hits, and hits again. Through June 26. Huntington Theatre Company at Wimberly Theatre, Calderwood Pavilion, Boston Center for the Arts. 617-266-0800, www.huntingtontheatre.org
PETER AND THE STARCATCHER Turns out there is a cure for Peter Pan fatigue, and it can be found in Rick Elice's whimsical, family-friendly prequel, which explores how an unnamed orphan was transformed into The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up. There are no special effects to speak of in Spiro Veloudos's high-spirited, low-tech, hard-to-resist production, unless you consider charm to be a special effect. Added bonus: The return to a Boston stage of the gifted Erica Spyres. Through June 26. Lyric Stage Company of Boston. 617-585-5678, www.lyricstage.com
DON AUCOIN
Dance
ASPEN SANTA FE BALLET Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival opens its season with the return of a festival favorite. Known for presenting works that fluidly shift between contemporary and classical aesthetics, the company offers a program featuring Alejandro Cerrudo's "Silent Ghost," Fernando Melo's "Re:play," and Cayetano Soto's "Huma Rojo." June 22-26, $45-$75. Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, Becket. 413-243-0745, www.jacobspillow.org
2nd FESTIVAL OF US & YOU & WE & THEM For this three-day fest, the Dance Complex aims to open its doors wide to bring the greater community in for a variety of free classes, rehearsals, installations, and pop-up performances. The more formal ticketed concerts happen each evening with a rotating cast of performers, including Kairos Dance Theater and EgoArt Inc. June 24-26, $12-$17. Dance Complex, Cambridge. 617-547-9363, www.dancecomplex.org
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JUAN SIDDI FLAMENCO SANTA FE Flamenco fans will want to head to the Berkshires next week as this New Mexico-based troupe of 14 dancers and musicians presents six works showcasing flamenco that fuses the traditional with the contemporary, drawing on the dance form's deep multicultural roots. June 22-26, $25-$45. Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, Becket. 413-243-0745, www.jacobspillow.org
KAREN CAMPBELL
Galleries
ROBIN RHODE This South African artist makes chalk drawings on the streets of Johannesburg. Performers play with the drawings — a basketball hoop, a bicycle — as if they're real. Rhode records the interactions for his charming stop-motion animations. Three are on view. Through July 9. Rosebud, 683 Main St., Waltham. 781-736-3434, www.brandeis.edu/rose/bud.html
RESPONDING TO PLACE
For this exhibition rooted in plein air painting, seven notable artists — including John Walker, Lois Dodd, and Wolf Kahn — tapped some of their favorite painters to join the show. Through Aug. 13. Concord Center for the Visual Arts, 37 Lexington Road, Concord. 978-369-2578,
www.concordart.org
¯\_(ツ)_/¯ (THE SHRUG SHOW) Nine artists examine the ramifications and meanings of the emoticon that signifies a shrug: digital communication across languages, a copy-and-paste reflex with repercussions for making original art, and the ubiquity of this symbol of ambivalence. Through July 9. Dorchester Art Project, 1486 Dorchester Ave., www.dorchesterartproject.org
CATE McQUAID
Museums
EXPLODE EVERY DAY: AN INQUIRY INTO THE PHENOMENA OF WONDER More than 20 contemporary artists from the United States, as well as Canada and France, feature in an ambitious show designed to explore — and activate! — the condition of wonder. Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, 1040 Mass MoCA Way, North Adams. 413-662-2111, www.massmoca.org
SPLENDOR, MYTH, AND VISION: NUDES FROM THE PRADO Twenty-eight Old Master paintings, all representing the nude, on loan from Spain's great museum. Includes work by Titian, Tintoretto, Rubens, Velazquez, Ribera, and Poussin. All but four have never previously been seen in the United States. The Clark is the show's only venue. Through Oct. 10. Clark Art Institute, 225 South St., Williamstown. 413-458-2303, www.clarkart.edu
GRANDMA MOSES: AMERICAN MODERN More than 60 paintings and works on paper by the legendary self-taught artist, who is presented here in a context of developments in Modernism, alongside work by other 19th- and 20th-century folk and modern artists. Through Oct. 30. Shelburne Museum, 6000 Shelburne Road, Shelburne, Vt. 802-985-3346, www.shelburnemuseum.org
SEBASTIAN SMEE
EVENTS
Comedy
J.B. SMOOVE There are few comics more ballistic than Smoove, who played Leon on "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and hosted the eighth season of "Last Comic Standing." Show rescheduled from April. June 24, 7:30 p.m. $37. Wilbur Theatre, 246 Tremont St., Boston. 617-248-9700, www.thewilbur.com
ARTIE JANUARIO There is probably no funnier pharmacist in stand-up than Januario, who sometimes wears the lab coat from his day job onstage. With Steve Bjork and Steve Halligan. June 24-25, 8:30 p.m. $20. Giggles Comedy Club, 517 Broadway (Route 1), Saugus. 781-233-9950, www.gigglescomedy.com
THE LADIES ROOM A showcase of female comedians from the New England region, starring Sue Schmidt, Julee Antonellis, Jennifer Myszkowski, Erin Spencer, Mariel Cabral, and Kathe Farris. Presented by the Boston Comedy Project. June 25, 7 p.m. $12. ImprovBoston, 40 Prospect St., Cambridge. 617-576-1253, www.improvboston.com
NICK A. ZAINO III
Family
Phantom Gourmet BBQ and Country Fest Masters of meat from Texas to Australia descend on Rochester Fairgrounds for this three-day slew of 'que. If that's not your scene, there's also pig racing, a packed bill of country music, and a ride called "Swamp Gator." If that's not your scene, stay home and be boring. June 24-26, 11 a.m.-8 p.m. $5. Rochester Fairgrounds, 72 Lafayette St., Rochester, N.H. 603-332-6585, phantomgourmetbbq.com
Monster Fun Day This first-ever Sox fan shindig promises the Yawkey Way experience without the mob of the Fenway, including food, live music, and an "autograph alley" featuring Red Sox royalty. June 25, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Free. Hunnewell Field, 438 Washington St., Wellesley. 617-779-3500. www.monsterfunday.com
Monster Jam A note to kids: any parent who says they're not interested in the calamitous carnage and dizzying decibels of the major league of monster trucks is lying to you. Do them a favor and insist you go early, since from 1:30-4:30 p.m. the "Party in the Pits" will give you up-close access to Grave Digger, Carolina Crusher, and more. June 25, 1:30-9 p.m. $10-25. Gillette Stadium, 1 Patriot Place, Foxborough. 800-543-1776, www.monsterjam.com/events/foxboro-ma
Joe Incollingo
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
July 5-17 If/Then at Boston Opera House boston.broadway.com
July 9 The Beach Boys at Wilbur Theatre www.ticketmaster.com
July 14 Bob Dylan and Mavis Staples at Blue Hills Bank Pavilion concerts.livenation.com
July 15 Modest Mouse and Brand New at Xfinity Center concerts.livenation.com
July 17 Paul McCartney at Fenway Park mlb.com
July 18 Amanda Palmer at Lexington First Parish Church www.eventbrite.com
July 21 M83 at Blue Hills Bank Pavilion concerts.livenation.com
Joe Incollingo