MUSIC
Pop & Rock
CHARLY BLISS “Heaven,” the newest single from this Brooklyn-based grunge-pop quartet, is an ideal soundtrack for fall; it amps up the fuzz that covered their 2017 debut, “Guppy,” in a way that gives Eva Hendricks’s wail extra pathos. They open for indie stalwarts Death Cab for Cutie. Oct. 14-15, 7:30 p.m. $32.50 and up. Boch Center Wang Theatre. 800-982-2787, www.bochcenter.org
KALI UCHIS This Colombian-American pop dynamo has collaborated with similarly fusion-minded musicians like Daniel Caesar and Miguel; her debut full-length, “Isolation,” is a bright spot in this year’s dreary pop landscape, melding genres in ways that highlight her swagger-powered vibe. Oct. 16, 7 p.m. $29.50 and up. House of Blues. 888-693-2583, www.houseofblues.com/boston
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KERO KERO BONITO “Time N’ Place,” the latest album from these London pop explorers, is a giddy homage to the sweater-weather textures and sour-candy hooks of alt-rock’s two-decades-ago glory days. With Oakland-based dream-popper Tanukichan, whose debut, “Sundays,” is bedheaded and hooky. Oct. 16, 7 p.m. $15 and up. Brighton Music Hall. 617-779-0140, www.crossroadspresents.com
MAURA JOHNSTON
Folk & World
MILK CARTON KIDS/BARR BROTHERS A pairing of morphing duos: One of the things that Milk Carton Kids Joey Ryan and Kenneth Pattengale did on their latest, “All the Things That I Did and All the Things That I Didn’t Do,” was record with a band for the first time; brothers Brad and Andrew Barr, having parted ways with marvelous harpist Sarah Page, bring along some new cohorts in support of the Kids. Oct. 17, 8 p.m. $31.50-$41.50. Wilbur Theatre, Boston. 800-745-3000, www.ticketmaster.com
MURDER BY DEATH/WILLIAM ELLIOTT WHITMORE Murder by Death takes its self-styled “whiskey devil music” into space-western opera territory with its latest, “The Other Shore”; on his latest, “Kilonova,” Whitmore applies a sometimes electric and ominous, sometimes old-time-sparse treatment to an eclectic batch of covers that ranges from Bill Withers to Jimmy Driftwood to Captain Beefheart. Oct. 18, 9 p.m. $20. Royale, Boston. 888-929-7849, www.axs.com
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MATTHEW PERRYMAN JONES/MOLLY PARDEN Yet more double-bill goodness: Literate Nashville singer-songwriter Jones comes to town in support of “The Waking Hours,” his first full-length in six years; Parden, who has graced the music of many with her supporting vocals, steps up front with her limpid singing voice and slow-rolling country-folk. Oct. 20, 6 p.m. $12. Thunder Road, Somerville. 866-777-8932, www.ticketweb.com
STUART MUNRO
Jazz & Blues
ALL KEYS: AN EVENING WITH VIJAY IYER & LEWIS PORTER Two marvelous pianist-composers play together: multiple award-winning MacArthur fellow Iyer, known for incorporating Indian classical music and modern jazz, and scholar Porter, author of definitive tomes on seminal tenor saxophonists Lester Young and John Coltrane. Oct. 16, 7 p.m. $20. Scottish Rite Masonic Museum and Library, 33 Marrett Road, Lexington. www.lexingtoncommunityed.com
TONIGHT: THE MUSIC OF LEONARD BERNSTEIN The NEC Jazz Orchestra’s fall season opens with a program celebrating Bernstein’s centennial, including selections from his Broadway classic “West Side Story” and “Prelude, Fugue, and Riffs,” which premiered on the maestro’s television show “The World of Jazz.” Oct. 18, 7:30 p.m. Free. NEC’s Jordan Hall. www.necmusic.edu/events
THE HOT SARDINES Pianist and bandleader Evan “Bibs” Palazzo and lead singer “Miz Elizabeth” Bougerol met in Manhattan and bonded over a mutual love of the great Fats Waller. Together they front an energetic ensemble of brass and rhythm players who conjure the spirit of New York speakeasies, Parisian cabarets, and New Orleans jazz halls for contemporary audiences. Oct. 20, 8 p.m. $30-$58. Berklee Performance Center. 617-876-4275, www.worldmusic.org
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KEVIN LOWENTHAL
Classical
BOSTON LYRIC OPERA Missed opening night on Friday? There’s still plenty of time this week to see the company’s first offering of the season, Rossini’s beloved romantic comedy of errors “The Barber of Seville,” in a new production by Rosetta Cucchi. Daniela Mack, Matthew Worth, and Jesus Garcia star. Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre. Oct. 14-21. 617-542-6772, www.blo.org
LES TALENS LYRIQUES Presented by Boston Early Music Festival, this vigorous, intelligent French period-instrument band stops in Boston on its only North American excursion this year. A five-person chamber ensemble, including director and harpsichordist Christophe Rousset, performs an all-Couperin program just one month shy of the French Baroque era composer’s 350th birthday. Emmanuel Church. Oct. 14, 4 p.m. 617-661-1812, www.bemf.org
BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA BSO associate conductor Ken-David Masur leads the orchestra in Boston composer John Harbison’s “Remembering Gatsby,” following that with sumptuous Russian works. Pianist Garrick Ohlsson features in Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 1, and the program closes with excerpts from Prokofiev’s ballet “Romeo and Juliet.” Symphony Hall. Oct. 18-23. 888-266-1200, www.bso.org
BOSTON MODERN ORCHESTRA PROJECT Concertos for rare solo instruments are on offer at BMOP. Steven Mackey’s percussion concerto “Time Release” will feature Colin Currie, for whom the piece was written, and Hannah Lash will take the spotlight in her own Concerto No. 2 for Harp and Orchestra. Mackey’s “Tonic” and Harold Meltzer’s “Vision Machine” complete the program. Jordan Hall. Oct. 19, 8 p.m. 781-324-0396, www.bmop.org
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Zoë Madonna
ARTS
Theater
WITH GLITTERING EYES Premiere of a family drama by Tricia Elam Walker about the impact on an African-American family when the father, a military pilot, asks his wife to raise a biracial child, along with their older son, but keeps the child’s origins a secret for decades. Directed by Dawn M. Simmons. Hibernian Hall, Boston. Oct. 18-28. 617-849-6324, www.madison-park.org//events//Hibernian
THE TRAGIC ECSTASY OF GIRLHOOD Five teen girls in a Texas residential care facility try to come to grips with the suicide of a resident. Kira Rockwell’s new drama is directed by Leila Ghaemi. Oct. 11-21. Boston Playwrights’ Theatre and Boston University College of Fine Arts School of Theatre. At Boston Playwrights’ Theatre. 866-811-4111, www.bostonplaywrights.org
SHERLOCK’S LAST CASE While the production needs to be tighter and snappier, Charles Marowitz’s comedy is laden with enough twists and expectation-confounding turnabouts to keep you engaged as it delves into the complex psychodynamics of literature’s longest-running bromance: the partnership of Sherlock Holmes (Rufus Collins), that towering genius of deductive logic, and Doctor John Watson (Mark Zeisler), his aide-de-camp and chronicler of his exploits. Directed by Maria Aitken. Through Oct. 28. Huntington Theatre Company. At Huntington Avenue Theatre, Boston. 617-266-0800, www.huntingtontheatre.org
DON AUCOIN
Dance
PLACES PLEASE! Larry Keigwin and Nicole Wolcott explore relationships, aging, and the creative process in this Boston premiere, presented by World Music/CRASHarts. It’s described as a zany duet evoking the playfulness and anxiety that take place backstage before the curtain goes up. Lorraine Chapman, Alexander Davis, and Lynn Modell collaborate as guest artists. Oct. 19-20. $32-$36. The Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston. 617-876-4275, www.worldmusic.org
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EXIT DANCE THEATRE This Newburyport-based company in its 31st year presents “Still Undone,” an evening of seven dances that mine rich thematic territory, from the bonds of family and marriage to the burdens and expectations of society. Oct. 20. $20-$22. Dance Complex, Cambridge. 978-465-1485, www.exitdancetheatre.org
TRIVENI SCHOOL OF DANCE Neenah Gulati’s acclaimed school of Indian classical dance presents its 42nd annual recital, which promises a lively showcase of three major Indian dance styles by 400 performers in total, ranging in age from 5 to 55. Expect colorful traditional costumes, rousing music, and spirited performances. Oct. 21, 2 p.m. Free. Strand Theatre. 617-232-5485, www.trivenidance.org
KAREN CAMPBELL
Galleries
CROSSING BOUNDARIES: ART/MAPS Works by contemporary artists with a cartographic bent are displayed alongside historic maps. Themes relevant centuries ago — borders, making order from chaos, and more — echo through the ages. Through April 21. Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center, Boston Public Library, 700 Boylston St. 617-859-2387, www.bpl.org
VAUGHN SILLS: TRUE POEMS FLEE The show’s title, from Emily Dickinson, cites the poetry of a summer sky. In her photographs of Prince Edward Island, Sills seeks to capture the fleeting, and the link between outer landscapes and inner life. Through Nov. 9. Trustman Art Gallery, Simmons College, 300 The Fenway, 617-521-2268, www2.simmons.edu/trustman/
NEDRET ANDRE: UPROOTED Green crabs, an invasive species, are destroying seagrass at an alarming rate. Andre examines the phenomenon in energetic abstract paintings, and a video about local marine ecology. Through Oct. 28. Beacon Gallery, 524B Harrison Ave. 857-277-1700, www.beacongallery.com
CATE McQUAID
Museums
SERIOUSLY FUNNY: CARICATURE THROUGH THE CENTURIES One way to cope with a discomforting news cycle is to laugh. Artists have long skewered the mighty; this show begins during the Renaissance, with Titian, celebrates 19th-century French satirists, and wraps up with today’s political cartoonists. Through Jan. 27. Yale University Art Gallery, 1111 Chapel St., New Haven. 203-432-0600, artgallery.yale.edu
UNEASY BEAUTY: DISCOMFORT IN CONTEMPORARY ADORNMENT Sometimes beauty hurts, and sometimes it snarls. The latest exhibition in the style-focused Mass Fashion collaborative — programming across eight local institutions — features jewelry that binds, irritates, or makes unnerving statements about death, loss, and violence. Through April 21. Fuller Craft Museum, 455 Oak St., Brockton. 508-588-6000, www.fullercraft.org
LET’S GET LOST and LISTENING GLASS Artist linn meyers’s wall drawing works hand in hand with participatory sound art by Rebecca Bray, James Bigbee Garver, and Josh Knowles. Viewers devise their own musical compositions in response to the drawing. Through Sept. 29, 2019. Bowdoin College Museum of Art, 245 Maine St., Brunswick, Maine. 207-725-3275, www.bowdoin.edu/art-museum
CATE McQUAID
EVENTS
Comedy
CHRIS GETHARD: LOSE WELL TOUR The host of TruTV’s “The Chris Gethard Show” mixes a beautiful earnestness with a flair for goofy stunts. His new book on how to beat the fear of failure, out this week, is called “Lose Well.” Hosted by Rob Crean of The Gas. Oct. 19, 7:15 p.m. $22-$35. The Sinclair, 52 Church St., Cambridge. 617-547-5200, www.sinclaircambridge.com
GOREFEST XVI: 2280 A SPACE SLAUGHTERSSEY ImprovBoston puts a lot of sweat, not to mentions gallons of fake blood, into this annual scripted musical celebration of Halloween. They sell ponchos at the door to keep the splatter off your clothes. Oct. 18, Oct. 24-25 at 8 p.m. Oct. 19, Oct. 20, Oct. 26-27 at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Oct. 21, Oct. 28, and Oct. 31 at 7:30 p.m. $20-$25. ImprovBoston, 40 Prospect St., Cambridge. 617-576-1253, www.improvboston.com
NORTH SHORE COMEDY BLOWOUT In what is becoming an increasingly regular format, four Boston headliners come together for a night of stand-up. Featuring Kenny Rogerson, Kelly MacFarland, Dave Russo, and Will Noonan. Oct. 20, 8 p.m. $22.50-$37.50. The Cabot, 286 Cabot St., Beverly. 800-745-3000, www.thecabot.org
NICK A. ZAINO III
Family
FUTURE INNOVATORS DAY @ HUBWEEK While Sunday at HUBweek is all about the future, focusing on kids and technology, it’s fun for the whole family. Join the HUBweek staff for youth performances, STEAM programming, product demos, and more. The day also includes the annual Robot Block Party with dozens of robots. Kids under 16 don’t need to register. Oct. 14, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Free. City Hall Plaza, 1 City Hall Square. 2018.hubweek.org
PLAY NIGHT @ CCTV Join the folks at Cambridge Community Television as they bring out some of the new equipment they purchased in 2018. Attendees will get to try out a 360 camera, virtual reality headsets, a Playtronica set, GoPros, and drawing tablets, among other gadgets. People will also get a chance to check out the makeover of CCTV’s “Lab 2.” Make sure to register ahead of time. Oct. 17, 6-8 p.m. Free. Cambridge Community Television, 438 Mass. Ave., Cambridge, cctvcambridge.org
HARVEST HARRY POTTER DONUT POP UP Open to muggles and wizards alike, Harvest in Harvard Square is ready to take you back to Hogwarts for some culinary fun. Join Executive Pastry Chef Josh Livsey for some Harry Potter-inspired doughnuts. Flavors include Hogwarts House Doughnuts, Butter Beer, Apple Cider, Pumpkin Pasty, and Golden Snitch. $3 for 1 donut and $15 for 6 donuts. Oct. 20, 9:45 a.m.-2 p.m. Free. Harvest at Harvard Square, 44 Brattle St., Cambridge, harvestcambridge.com
LILLIAN BROWN
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
Oct. 22 Jessie J at House of Blues Boston livenation.com
Oct. 29 Ezra Furman at the Sinclair axs.com
Nov. 2 Billie Eilish at House of Blues Boston livenation.com
Nov. 2 Wu Tang Clan at Tsongas Center ticketmaster.com
Nov. 5-6 Maggie Rogers at Royale Boston axs.com
Nov. 15 Los Campesinos at the Sinclair axs.com
Nov. 17 Toto at Lynn Memorial Auditorium ticketmaster.com
Nov. 24 Kurt Vile at House of Blues Boston livenation.com
LILLIAN BROWN