MUSIC
Pop & Rock
BRANDY CLARK This sparkplug singer-songwriter, who helped craft the goth-tinged devotional “Better Dig Two” for The Band Perry before striking out on her own, writes closely observed, darkly witty story-songs that are energized by her embrace of country music’s open-road possibility. With fellow straight shooter Angaleena Presley, whose 2017 full-length, “Wrangled,” is tart and twangy, upending Nashville convention with glee. Jan. 28, 8 p.m. $24 and up. City Winery Boston. 617-933-8047, www.citywinery.com/boston
HELADO NEGRO Roberto Carlos Lange’s solo project blends sumptuous synthpop with matter-of-fact poetry. With genre-bending Lido Pimienta, whose psychedelia-tinged, beat-heavy “La Papessa” was last year’s pleasantly surprising winner of Canadian hono(u)r the Polaris Prize. Jan. 28, 7 p.m. $15 and up. Brighton Music Hall. 617-779-0140, www.crossroadspresents.com
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BRENT FAIYAZ The frontman for R&B collective Sonder has a gently precise voice that slip-slides around the stretched-out neo-soul of his 2017 solo effort, “Sonder Son.” Feb. 3, 9 p.m. $20 and up. Great Scott, Allston. 617-566-0914, www.greatscottboston.com
Folk & World
JOE PURDY AND AMBER RUBARTH Purdy and Rubarth are touring in support of a movie, “American Folk,” in which they star, and its soundtrack, on which they perform. They’ll be doing songs they sing in the road-trip flick, in which they make their way in a borrowed van from Los Angeles to New York in the wake of the no-fly mandate precipitated by the 9/11 attacks. Feb. 1, 8 p.m. $20. Brighton Music Hall. 800-745-3000, www.ticketmaster.com
TOMMY EMMANUEL The Australian Travis-picking guitar virtuoso has just released “Accomplice One,” a special-guests affair that finds him collaborating with a host of roots luminaries, including Mark Knopfler, Ricky Skaggs, and Jerry Douglas. One of them — Americana elder statesman Rodney Crowell, back from a recent health issue — will open. Feb. 1, 8 p.m. $45-$55. Wilbur Theatre. 800-745-3000, www.ticketmaster.com
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THE BOXCAR LILIES A farewell show of sorts: Boston singer-songwriter Susan Cattaneo, who joined Jenny Goodspeed and Stephanie Marshall in the Boxcar Lilies a couple of years ago, is leaving the group, so this is the last chance to hear the playing, singing, and harmonizing of this iteration. Feb. 2, 8 p.m. $20. Me and Thee Coffeehouse, Marblehead. 800-838-3006, www.brownpapertickets.com
STUART MUNRO
Jazz & Blues
THE BERKLEE KEYS Three great keyboardists — Jetro da Silva, Dennis Montgomery III, and George Russell Jr. — accompanied by drum master Ron Savage in an entirely improvised concert exploring the gospel, R&B, and jazz idioms. Jan. 29, 8 p.m. $8-$16. Berklee Performance Center. 617-747-2261, www.berklee.edu/BPC
JOHNNY HOY & THE BLUEFISH/PROFESSOR LOUIE & THE CROWMATIX The Martha’s Vineyard-based blues four-piece led by singer and harmonica player Hoy ranks among the region’s best roots outfits. Woodstock, N.Y.-based engineer/producer/vocalist/keyboard player Aaron “Professor Louie” Hurwitz — a longtime collaborator with The Band — plays blues and American roots music, featuring both original and traditional tunes. Feb. 2, 8 p.m. $22-$25. Narrows Center for the Arts, 16 Anawan St., Fall River. 508-324-1926, www.narrowscenter.org
DOMINIQUE EADE & RAN BLAKE The longtime New England Conservatory colleagues and collaborators continue the celebration of their near-universally acclaimed 2017 recording, “Town and Country,” pairing Eade’s rangy, ductile voice with Blake’s flinty, film noir-inflected piano on interpretations of compositions by Charles Ives, Leadbelly, Jean Ritchie, Henry Mancini, Bob Dylan, and more. Feb. 3, 8 p.m. $10-$15. MIT’s Killian Hall, 160 Memorial Drive, Cambridge. 617-253-3210, mta.mit.edu/events
KEVIN LOWENTHAL
Classical
CARMEN For their annual semi-staged production, the young musicians of the Boston Youth Symphony take on Bizet’s classic, their 11th full-length opera under the veteran baton of music director Federico Cortese. This year’s staging is directed by Edward Berkeley, with a professional cast headed by Ketevan Kemoklidze in the title role. Jan. 28 at 3 p.m., Sanders Theatre. 617-496-2222, www.BYSOweb.org
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BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA This week Andris Nelsons forges ahead in the BSO’s traversal of the complete Shostakovich symphonies. The haunting Fourteenth (with Kristine Opolais, soprano, and Alexander Tsymbalyuk, bass) will be heard in the company of Mozart’s “Gran Partita.” Feb. 1-3, Symphony Hall. 617-266-1200, www.bso.org
STEPHEN DRURY Known for his fearless new-music advocacy, Drury casts a wider net in this upcoming solo recital devoted to works by Schumann (“Kinderszenen”), Schubert (B flat-major Sonata, D. 960), Debussy, and Helmut Lachenmann. Feb. 4, 8 p.m., Jordan Hall, Free. 617-585-1260, www.necmusic.edu
JEREMY EICHLER
ARTS
Theater
HYPE MAN: A BREAK BEAT PLAY World premiere of a new work by Idris Goodwin, returning to Company One Theatre after a successful staging five years ago of his splendid “How We Got On.’’ Goodwin’s “Hype Man’’ is a play with music, focusing on a hip-hop trio that is on the cusp of big success when a police shooting of an unarmed black teenager forces them to confront what are described as “issues of friendship, race, and privilege.’’ Directed by Shawn LaCount. Through Feb. 24. Company One Theatre. At Plaza Theatre, Boston Center for the Arts. 617-933-8600, www.companyone.org
BAD DATES Theresa Rebeck’s solo comedy about a restaurant manager who is venturing back into the dating world was presented at the Huntington Theatre Company in 2004. This production stars Haneefah Wood, who previously excelled at the Huntington as Cassandra in Christopher Durang’s “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike.’’ Directed by Jessica Stone, who also helmed “Vanya.’’ Through Feb. 25. Huntington Theatre Company. At Huntington Avenue Theatre, Boston. 617-266-0800, www.huntingtontheatre.org
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SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE Coursing through this lively production is the sheer love of theater and the eccentric, obsessive, theatrical people who make it. A New England premiere of the stage adaptation of the 1998 film, “Shakespeare in Love’’ stars George Olesky as the besotted Bard and Jennifer Ellis as the woman (disguised as a man) who captures his heart. Directed by Scott Edmiston with his customary elan. Through Feb. 10. SpeakEasy Stage Company at Wimberly Theatre, Calderwood Pavilion, Boston Center for the Arts. 617-933-8600, www.speakeasystage.com
DON AUCOIN
Dance
BJM/LES BALLETS JAZZ DE MONTRÉAL The internationally acclaimed Canadian troupe returns to Boston via World Music/CRASHarts with a world premiere by Israeli choreographer Itzak Galili and four Boston premieres — one by Galili and three pieces excerpted from “Dance Me,” choreographed by Andonis Foniadakis and inspired by the poetry and music of Leonard Cohen. Feb. 2-3. $40-$65. Cutler Majestic Theatre. 617-876-4275, www.worldmusic.org
COMPAGNIE ACCRORAP Celebrity Series of Boston presents French hip-hop pioneer Kader Attou and his company in the evening-length work “The Roots,” a theatrically provocative blend of street dance, contemporary movement, and circus arts. The piece’s stark aesthetic replaces the urban sass of hip-hop with a humanistic context that is both visceral and emotional. Feb. 2-3. $60-$75. Boch Center Shubert Theatre. 617-482-6661, www.celebrityseries.org
NACHMO This one often sells out, so an early heads up: For National Choreography Month, area dance makers have spent much of January creating work to be presented in a showcase finale. Two different culminating performances provide audiences with a sampler of diverse choreographic initiatives by 26 artists, from veteran modern dancers like Kelley Donovan and the theatrical ladies of Monkeyhouse to classical Indian dancer Deepa Srinath. Feb. 9-10. $10-$15. Dance Complex, Cambridge. 617-547-9363, www.dancecomplex.org
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KAREN CAMPBELL
Galleries
BOSTON PRINTMAKERS 2017 NORTH AMERICAN PRINT BIENNIAL The Boston Printmakers celebrates its 70th anniversary with this show. Judith Brodie, curator at the National Portrait Gallery, selected 86 works spotlighting a variety of techniques. One print even grows grass. Pictured: Linda Mahoney’s “Schoodic Island.” Through March 4. Lunder Arts Center, Lesley University, 1801 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge. 617-908-1486, www.lesley.edu/events/the-boston-printmakers-2017-north-american-print-biennial
JOANNE GREENBAUM: THINGS WE SAID TODAY This abstract artist’s work evolves organically. She skips from medium to medium and adds layers upon layers, in big, brashly colored canvases, painted ceramics, and sculptural drawings. Through April 7. School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University, 230 The Fenway. 617-627-0047, smfa.tufts.edu/events-exhibits/galleries
OFF THE WALL Rosy Keyser and Ryan Wallace, featured artists in this show, make paintings that push into three dimensions, challenging traditional notions of sculpture and painting. Through Feb. 23. Institute of Contemporary Art at Maine College of Art, 522 Congress St., Portland. 207-699-5025, www.meca.edu/about/institute-of-contemporary-art/currently-on-view/
CATE McQUAID
Museums
THE 2018 PORTLAND MUSEUM OF ART BIENNIAL Guest curator Nat May tapped 25 artists who have never exhibited at the museum before, and whose works — paintings, textiles, video installations, and more — often tackle today’s issues. Through June 3. Portland Museum of Art, 7 Congress Square, Portland. 207-775-6148, www.portlandmuseum.org
CONVERGENCE: ANILA QUAYYUM AGHA, LALLA ESSAYDI, YUN-FEI JI, AND FRED HAN CHANG LIANG The artists, all immigrants to the United States, use traditional techniques to approach contemporary topics such as subjectivity, gender, migration, and climate change. Through July 31. Addison Gallery of American Art, Phillips Academy, 180 Main St., Andover. 978-749-4015, www.addisongallery.org
FERNANDO BRYCE: THE BOOK OF NEEDS Since 1948, UNESCO has published a journal, the Courier. In what he calls “mimetic analysis,” Bryce has made ink drawings of early pages, shedding light on mid-20th-century ideologies about race still pertinent today. Through May 6. Harvard Art Museums, 32 Quincy St., Cambridge. 617-495-9400, www.harvardartmuseums.org
CATE McQUAID
EVENTS
Comedy
RAZOR SHARP COMEDY A great lineup for a comedy club, even better for a barbershop. Ryan Chani hosts Dan Boulger, Nick Chambers, Emily Ruskowski, Chris Post, and Travis Libman for one night only at a Somerville parlor. Jan. 29, 7 p.m. $10. Razors Barbershop & Shave Parlor, 308 Highland Ave., Somerville. 617-625-4444, www.razorsbarbershop.com
DAN BOULGER Boulger is one of Boston’s best younger headliners, and you can catch him doing a headlining set in the shadow of Gillette Stadium. Feb. 2-3, 8 p.m. $20. The Comedy Scene, 200 Patriot Place, Foxborough. www.thecomedyscene.club
SHAWN CARTER, STEVE HALLIGAN, AND FRIENDS Carter is a clever and good-natured up-and-comer in the Boston scene and host of the podcast “Pick A Side Stupid: A Comedy Debate Show.” Feb. 3, 7:30 p.m. $20. Dick Doherty’s Comedy Den at Howl at the Moon, Boston. 800-401-2221, www.dickdoherty.com
NICK A. ZAINO III
Family
THE PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH JR . Take a trip to the Kingdom of Wisdom in a 60-minute journey through the Phantom Tollbooth. Meet a ticking dog named Tock, jump to the land of Conclusions, and sing and dance along the way. Jan. 28, 11 a.m.-noon. $15. Greater Boston Stage Company, 395 Main St., Stoneham. www.greaterbostonstage.org/the-phantom-tollbooth-jr.html
GROUNDHOG DAY Will it finally be time for spring or will shadows spook Punxsutawney Phil back into the ground? Find out at the Children’s Museum in Easton while making groundhog-themed arts and crafts. Feb. 2, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. $9 admission to the museum. Children’s Museum in Easton, 9 Sullivan Ave., North Easton. childrensmuseumineaston.org/whats-new/
KIDS IN THE KITCHEN You know what they say about too many cooks in the kitchen? That it’s all the more fun! At this class for culinary kiddies ages 6-12, the young chefs learn about sustainable food and make tasty treats with a theme. This week: chocolate. Feb. 3, 10-11 a.m. $15. The Boston Public Market, 100 Hanover St., Boston. www.eventbrite.com/e/kids-in-the-kitchen-tickets-38481811133?aff=es2
SOPHIE CANNON
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
Feb. 7 First Aid Kit at the House of Blues www.boston-theater.com
Feb. 9 Lauv at Brighton Music Hall www.ticketmaster.com
Feb. 15 Carla Bruni at Berklee Performing Arts Center www.boston-theater.com
Feb. 17 ZZ Ward at Paradise Rock Club www.ticketmaster.com
Feb. 22 Quinn XCII at the House of Blues www.ticketmaster.com
SOPHIE CANNON