MUSIC
Rock & Pop
2016 ROCK & ROLL RUMBLE Long viewed as the World Series of Boston rock, the Rumble rolls through the second half of its preliminary round, pitching heated battles among four worthy acts on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. (Semifinals will be held April 15 and 16, and the grand finale arrives on April 22.) April 7-9, 8 p.m. $15, advance $10. ONCE Lounge & Ballroom, Somerville. 617-285-0167, www.oncesomerville.com
CLOUD CULT There’s an unwritten rule that says you can’t write about this Duluth, Minn., outfit without using the terms “environmentally conscious” and “art rock.” Done! More to the point, the latest LP from Craig Minowa & Co., “The Seeker,” is glorious, mixing Arcade Fire’s scrappy chamber-band pluck and Pink Floyd’s cosmic swell in a song cycle by turns elegiac and (mostly) affirmative. April 9, 8 p.m. $18. The Sinclair, Cambridge. 617-547-5200, www.sinclaircambridge.com
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RIHANNA The most surprising thing about this arena date with the potent Barbadian R&B star is that tickets can still be had. Don’t take it as a sign that Rihanna’s star has dipped since her last solo trek in 2013; view it as proof that her latest album, “Anti,” confirms her appetite for confrontation and reinvention. Travis Scott, the Houston MC at the center of 2015’s sonically engrossing “Rodeo,” starts the party. April 10, 7:30 p.m. $35-$155. TD Garden. 800-745-3000, www.ticketmaster.com
STEVE SMITH
Folk & World
ROSS DALY AND KELLY THOMA He was born in England, but Daly has lived in Crete since 1975, devoting his life to playing the lyra (a Mediterranean multi-stringed instrument) while investigating and drawing upon African, Middle Eastern, and other modal traditions. He’ll be performing with fellow lyra player Thoma and other accompanists. April 7, 7:30 p.m. Tickets: no cover; donations suggested. MIT Chapel, Cambridge. 617-253-3913. www.facebook.com/events/804837779621832
INFAMOUS STRINGDUSTERS WITH NICKI BLUHM The Infamous Stringdusters’ latest record, “Ladies and Gentlemen,” finds the band collaborating with a host of female singers, so it only makes sense that they’ve brought one along for the ride on their supporting tour. Their strings and Bluhm’s pipes should make for quite a combination. April 9, 8 p.m. Tickets: $16. Paradise Rock Club. 800-745-3000. www.ticketmaster.com
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CHICK COREA AND BéLA FLECK Two masters at work, together, collaborating and improvising their way through jazz, bluegrass, blues, Latin styles, and more with their piano-banjo duo. Their Sunday show in Boston is virtually sold out, but head west and you can see them play in Worcester two days later. April 12, 7:30 p.m. Tickets: $25-$55. Hanover Theatre, Worcester. 877-571-7469. www.thehanovertheatre.org
STUART MUNRO
Jazz & Blues
JOSH ROSEN & STAN STRICKLAND Pianist/composer Rosen and saxophonist/singer Strickland have been performing as a near-telepathic duo since 2007. For this quartet gig, they’ll be joined by bassist Bruno Råberg and drummer Dave Fox. April 8, 8 p.m. Tickets: $15-$20. Third Life Studio, 33 Union Square, Somerville. 617-628-0916, www.thirdlifestudio.com
THE WIT & WISDOM OF COMDEN & GREEN Light-music specialists American Classics pay tribute to the incomparable pair who wrote the lyrics for “On the Town,” “Bells Are Ringing,” and more, with music by Leonard Bernstein, Jule Styne, and Andre Previn, performed by a slew of fine singers. April 8, 7:30 p.m. Follen Church, 755 Mass. Ave., Lexington; April 10, 3 p.m. Longy School of Music, 27 Garden St., Cambridge. Tickets: $20-$25. 617-254-1125, www.amclass.org
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SHEMEKIA COPELAND In 2011, the singer, daughter of late Texas blues guitar legend Johnny Clyde Copeland, was proclaimed “Queen of the Blues” by the City of Chicago and the State of Illinois, succeeding the late Koko Taylor. Possessor of a soulful, gritty, and powerful voice, she wears her crown well. April 14, 7:30 p.m. Tickets: $25. Regattabar. 617-395-7757, www.regattabarjazz.com
KEVIN LOWENTHAL
Classical
BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA It’s not all about Shostakovich these days. Andris Nelsons resumes his ongoing Bruckner project, turning to the Third Symphony this week on a program that also includes Mozart’s sublime Sinfonia Concertante with concertmaster Malcolm Lowe and principal violist Steven Ansell as soloists. April 7-12, Symphony Hall. 617-266-1200, www.bso.org
EMMANUEL MUSIC Ryan Turner directs an evening titled “Bach Reinvented,” featuring Bach’s “The Contest Between Phoebus and Pan” and Weill’s “The Seven Deadly Sins” in a semi-staged performance collaboration with Urbanity Dance. April 9, 7:30 p.m., Emmanuel Church. 617-536-3356, www.emmanuelmusic.org
HANDEL AND HAYDN SOCIETY The eloquent clarinetist Eric Hoeprich joins H&H concertmaster Aisslinn Nosky and fellow string principals on a program of period-instrument chamber music. On the bill: Beethoven’s “Septet,” his String Trio Op. 9, No. 3, and more. April 8 at 7:30 p.m., Jordan Hall; April 10 at 3 p.m., Sanders Theatre. 617-266-3605, www.handelandhaydn.org
JEREMY EICHLER
ARTS
Theater
BOOTYCANDY Part kaleidoscope, part funhouse mirror, Robert O’Hara’s comedy unfolds in a series of freewheeling sketches that weigh the complications of identity, especially being black and gay. Directed by Summer L. Williams, who demonstrates her usual dexterity in assembling shards of meta-theatrical material into a lucidly compelling production. Contains nudity. Through April 9. SpeakEasy Stage Company at Roberts Studio Theatre, Calderwood Pavilion, Boston Center for the Arts. 617-933-8600, www.speakeasystage.com
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BLACKBERRY WINTER Boston actress Adrianne Krstansky, who has few peers when it comes to crafting portraits of the Everywoman-in-extremis, excels as Vivienne, a middle-age baker forced to confront the decline of her mother from Alzheimer’s disease. Steve Yockey’s fine new drama is directed by Bridget Kathleen O’Leary and also features Paula Langton and Ken Cheeseman. Through April 17. New Repertory Theatre, Charles Mosesian Theater, Arsenal Center for the Arts, Watertown. 617-923-8487, www.newrep.org
MR. BURNS, A POST-ELECTRIC PLAY After a global catastrophe, a small band of survivors attempts to recount an episode of “The Simpsons’’ from memory. The cast includes Aimee Doherty, Lindsey McWhorter, Jordan Clark, Nael Nacer, Joseph Marrella, Gillian Mackay-Smith, and Brandon G. Green. Anne Washburn’s play is directed by A. Nora Long, with music direction by Allyssa Jones and choreography by Yo-El Cassell. April 8-May 7. Lyric Stage Company of Boston. 617-585-5678, www.lyricstage.com
DON AUCOIN
Dance
COURT/GARDEN In this spectacle in three acts, which takes inspiration from the imperial ballets of Louis XIV’s royal court, Yanira Castro and her Brooklyn-based company, a canary torsi, explore the concept of power, asking “Who will be king for a day?” April 8-9, $15-$30. Institute of Contemporary Art. 617-478-3103, www.icaboston.org
PENTACLE PRESENTS: THE GALLERY AND GUESTS: BOSTON The New York-based artist services organization Pentacle returns to Boston with a showcase of dance companies in the current roster, featuring the Moving Architects, Barkin/Selissen Project, and Dante Brown/Warehouse Dance. Those with local ties include Lorraine Chapman The Company and guests Angie Moon Dance Theatre and Doppelgänger Dance Collective. April 8-9, $15-$20. Dance Complex, Cambridge. 617-547-9363, www.brownpapertickets.com
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BOSTON BALLET AT THE STRAND THEATRE With this program in Dorchester, the company urges the community to “rethink ballet” with an accessible slate of diverse pieces and a variety of pre-show dance-oriented activities (starting at 5:30). In addition to members of the company, the annual concert includes performances by Boston Ballet II, students, and adults from the Adaptive Dance program. April 8, $10. Strand Theatre. 617-695-6955, www.bostonballet.org
KAREN CAMPBELL
Galleries
JESSICA STRAUS: UH OH! and MICHELLE LOUGEE: CONTRA NATURAM Two shows about water: Lougee ironically uses plastic waste to depict the microorganisms in a single drop. Straus’s comic and cautionary works highlight rising sea levels and water scarcity. Pictured: installation from Straus’s show. Through May 1. Boston Sculptors Gallery, 486 Harrison Ave. 617-482-7781, www.bostonsculptors.com
MINOO EMAMI: THE AURA OF WAR Emami, an Iranian artist, uses prosthetic limbs to examine the repercussions of war. Her paintings and 3-D works describe permanent loss, yet her vividly painted Persian patterns suggest healing. Through April 26. Harbor Gallery, University of Massachusetts, Boston, 100 Morrissey Boulevard. 617-287-5852, www.umb.edu/joinerinstitute/the_aura_of_war_1
SCOTT TULAY: SPACE IS THE PLACE In these works on paper, Tulay, whose day job is as an architect, deploys glimmering light and contrasts of texture to create dreamlike spaces in which structures exaggerate perceptions of depth and motion. Through May 1. Gurari Collections, 460 Harrison Ave. 617-367-9800, www.gurari.com
CATE McQUAID
Museums
MEGACITIES ASIA Sculptures, installations, and other large-scale work grounded in an aesthetic of accumulation by artists based in Asian cities of 10 million people or more (Mumbai, Beijing, Shanghai, Delhi, Seoul). Includes installations and sculptures by Ai Weiwei, Song Dong, Hema Upadhyay, Subodh Gupta, Asim Waqif, Yin Xiuzhen, Hu Xiangcheng, the collective flyingCity, and Aaditi Joshi. Through July 17. Museum of Fine Arts. 617-267-9300, www.mfa.org
EVERYWHEN: THE ETERNAL PRESENT IN INDIGENOUS ART FROM AUSTRALIA An overview of indigenous art from Australia, most of it made over the last 40 years. Through Sept. 18. Harvard Art Museums. 617-495-9400, www.harvardartmuseums.org
THE IDEA OF NORTH: THE PAINTINGS OF LAWREN HARRIS The great Canadian visionary landscape painter is the subject of a retrospective organized by the comedian, actor, novelist, playwright, and art collector Steve Martin. Through June 12. Museum of Fine Arts. 617-267-9300, www.mfa.org
SEBASTIAN SMEE
EVENTS
Comedy
BIG JAY OAKERSON The New York comic’s act revolves around dirty stories and jokes (his podcast is called “Legion of Skanks”), but without the more aggressive posturing that usually comes with such an act. Call it friendly and filthy. April 7 at 8 p.m., April 8-9 at 7:30 and 10 p.m. $29-$39. Laugh Boston, 425 Summer St., Boston. 617-725-2844, www.laughboston.com
DUNCAN TRUSSELL The trippy comic and follower of Buddhism, known for his “Duncan Trussell Family Hour” podcast and association with Joe Rogan, comes to Boston on his “You Are God Tour.” April 8, 9:45 p.m. $23.50. The Wilbur Theatre, 246 Tremont St., Boston. 866-448-7849, www.thewilbur.com
COMEDY NIGHT AT CLUB CAFÉ Myq Kaplan headlines an evening of up-and-coming comedians, with Nick Lavalle, Don Zollo, Tricia Auld, Tooky Kavanagh, and Tim Sturtevant, and host Sean Doherty. April 9, 8 p.m. $20. Club Café, 209 Columbus Ave., Boston. 617-536-0966, www.clubcafe.com
NICK A. ZAINO III
Family
Union Square Outdoor Dance Party It might not have looked much like it lately, but it really is spring out there. If a giant outdoor dance party with treats from Union Square’s tastiest doesn’t ward off more snow, then what hope do we have? April 9, 3-5 p.m. Free. Union Square, Somerville. 617-625-6600. www.somervilleartscouncil.org/artsunion/2016/danceparty
Boston Roller Derby Season Opener Baseball’s great and all, but you’re not going to see David Ortiz body check a roller-skating Oriole. In this double header, the Boston B-Party and the Boston Massacre take on Pittsburgh for some fiendish family fun. April 9, 5-11:30 p.m. $6-16. Shriners Auditorium, 99 Fordham Road, Wilmington. 978-657-4202. www.digtickets.boldtypetickets.com/events/32424544
Robot Race and Human 5K Ride the Red Line out to Alewife to enjoy some refreshments, raffles, and robotics. For would-be racers, registration is available online, and fees vary. Note that humans and robots race separately — for now. April 10, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Free. Vecna, 36 Cambridgepark Drive, Cambridge. 617-864-0636. www.active.com/cambridge-ma/running/distance-running-races/second-annual-vecna-cares-robot-race-and-human-5k-2016
JOE INCOLLINGO
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
April 14 San Fermin at Paradise Rock Club www.ticketmaster.com
April 15 Brad Mehldau Trio at Berklee College of Music www.berklee.edu
April 19 Dream Theater at Orpheum Theatre www.ticketmaster.com
April 22 Good Charlotte at Paradise Rock Club www.ticketmaster.com
May 5 Babymetal at House of Blues concerts.livenation.com
May 6 Del the Funky Homosapien at Middle East Downstairs www.ticketweb.com
May 7 Ben Folds at Orpheum Theatre www.ticketmaster.com
May 10-29 In the Body of the World at American Repertory Theater americanrepertorytheater.org
JOE INCOLLINGO