What to do in Larry tonight

By lawrence.com homies

Friday, August 21, 2009

Free outdoor concert with Amanda Shaw

Hawk Week winds down with a free outdoor concert at 6 p.m. at the Lied Center featuring fiddler and singer Amanda Shaw. Shaw’s distinct Cajun-influenced pop sound has made waves at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and with collaborators like Charlie Daniels and Delbert McClinton. Tonight she'll perform with her band, the Cute Guys. Check out our preview of this show.

Lawrence Busker Festival

The Lawrence Busker Festival returns with wilder and weirder street performing. Strong woman Mama Lou and Sword Swallowers The Wicked Liars join a large group of jugglers, magicians, musicians, chalk artists, living statues, aerialists, and other variety artists on selected sites in downtown Lawrence on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

This one-man play by Ron Willis at 8 p.m. at the Lawrence Arts Center tells the story of Boston Corbett, the man who shot and killed Lincoln's hated assassin, John Wilkes Booth. Because of that single deed, many regarded him as a hero. He was also mercilessly hounded by Booth defenders who threatened Corbett's life. In his later years, he lived in Concordia and Topeka for over a decade before inexplicably disappearing without a trace. His life was tempestuous and controversial, marking him a truly complex historical personage.

Blue Turtle Seduction and The Uglysuit at the Bottleneck

Blue Turtle Seduction has quickly become a staple on the jam-band circuit with their fusion of rock, reggae, bluegrass, and funk styles. The group's eclectic sound helps them stand out in a crowded scene — and did we mention they have a pan-flutist? If phrases like "funk bluegrass" really trip your trigger, head on over to the Bottleneck at 10 p.m. tonight.

The Cool Kids at the Granada

Every so often, Lawrence hosts THE hip-hop act of the moment: tonight is one of those nights. After early round weigh-ins from Pitchfork and mp3 blogs, the Chicago-based duo of Mikey Rocks and Chuck Inglish — a.k.a. The Cool Kids — hitched onto an M.I.A. tour and signed to the elite Chocolate Industries label. With a fresh, laid-back flow that elongates every syllable and less-is-more 808 beats, the Cool Kids are less about copying hip-hop's golden age than reminding us why it was so fun in the first place. The group's new album "Gone Fishing" is available as a free download via its website. Local studs Approach and Stik Figa set the stage beginning at 10 p.m.

DON CANNON AND THE COOL KIDS - GONE FISHIN' from zachwolfe.com/live on Vimeo.

SUNU at the Jazzhaus

Lawrence's SUNU incorporates West African rhythms, jazz improvisation, and funky grooves while drawing on influences from Fela Kuti to James Brown to Miles Davis. The dance-friendly band includes members of The Band that Saved the World, The Yards, Central Atmosphere, and Floyd the Barber. The current lineup is: The Rev on vocals and trumpet, Dan Pem on tenor sax, Michael Hamm on guitar, Chris Shaw on bass, and Alex Thiessen and Dylan Bassett on percussion. They'll play an all-night set at the Jazzhaus beginning at 10 p.m.

"Pulp Fiction" at Liberty Hall

A midnight screening of Quentin Tarantino's modern classic on 35mm film. Enjoy the obscenity-laced soliloquies and leather-clad sex gimps the way God intended them to be seen. Be sure to reach into your wallet, the one that says "Bad Mother F***er" on it, and get medieval on some beer and popcorn while you watch one of the best crime films ever made.

FREE admission with a T-Shirt. Doors @ 11:30pm. All ages (21+ to drink).



Of course, our full listing of happenings tonight is here and all movie listings are here.