Weekend Picks, animal edition: Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds; Pet World benefit concerts; Jayhawk football; Paper Buffalo farewell; Mountain Goats bonus pick
Our showcase event for this weekend is a massive Pet World benefit concert at the Replay. As a further tribute to our pals from Pet World, we're doing a very special themed-installment of this week's column: every event below has an animal connection. We've got birds, mythical birds, Paper Buffalo, and even Mountain Goats on the docket.
Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds, doors at 8 p.m., show at 9 p.m. Thursday at Bottleneck
It's hard to resist kicking off the long Labor Day weekend a night early when Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds, an acclaimed seven-piece "soul-funk" band from Brooklyn, rolls through.
Frontwoman Arleigh Kincheloe has a killer blues-belting voice that has been described by Glamour as a cross between Amy Winehouse, Tina Turner and Mick Jagger. Sold! She and her horn-heavy band will surely rattle you out of your Thursday stupor and get you primed for the upcoming holiday.
Find more details on the band's official website.
Pet World benefit concerts, 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. Friday at Replay Lounge
The fire at LFK's beloved Pet World was a traumatic incident in the Lawrence community, and many of our feathered, furry and fuzzy friends did not survive the flames. You can play a small role in facilitating the long rebuilding process by stopping by one or both of Friday's benefit shows at the Replay.
The early, all-ages matinee features the soothing Americana of The Bus Company, the not-so-soothing "science folktion" of Throckmorton Potentate and the Weird Machine, and the "progressive pop" of Real Adults.
The harder-rocking late show features Godzillionaire (will Pet Company's Goliath show up to rock along?) as well as Waterdog Nation and Scrappy's Attic..
Throckmorton Potentate sent us this blurb as to why these shows MUST be atttended: "It's a benefit show for a beloved local pet store featuring six great local bands. Why wouldn't you go? Unless you're some kinda jerk. You're not some kinda jerk are you? Plus, I play a mean kazoo and we've been working really hard on our choreography."
Find Facebook event pages for the early show here and the late show here. The above photo from LJ-World's John Young shows Pet World employees at a candlelight vigil.
KU Football vs. South Dakota State, 11 a.m. Saturday at Memorial Stadium
What?? We're including sports in our Weekend Picks? And the sport we're choosing to include is not scenester kickball but KU football? Well, yes. There's always a bit of excitement swirling around the first fall game. And new coach David Beaty has spurred our optimism (at least slightly) for this season.
So get up early, crack a beer, cook a nice tailgating breakfast, and hope for the best this season. Go Hawks!
Paper Buffalo final Lawrence show (with BAIOWOLF and Young Bull), doors at 8 p.m. Saturday at Bottleneck
Bands are bidding Lawrence adieu right and left these days. First Drakkar Sauna and now Paper Buffalo. Unlike Drakkar, Paper Buffalo has only been around a few years (three), but the young band has nonetheless become a solid part of the local scene.
Don't fret, though. Paper Buffalo will continue in some fashion since lead songwriter John Fitzgerald is relocating the project to Olympia. They'll probably come back and visit in the future.
If the prospect of another farewell makes you sad, take solace in the fact that this show also serves as a reunion show, with BAIOWOLF making one of its periodic returns from its home planet.
Buzzy newcomers Young Bull are also on the docket. Isn't this week's animal theme working out absolutely swimmingly?? (Swimmingly, that is, except for the fourth band on the bill, The Fog, but we're sure they're cool too).
Find more details at the Facebook event page.
940 Live Concert Series: Mountain Goats' John Darnielle, 8 p.m. Wednesday at Lawrence Arts Center
Sure, this is technically a WEEKEND picks column, but we can't resist the occasional midweek pick when events as appealing as this one pop up.
John Darnielle, founder of the prolific Mountain Goats and one of our personal songwriting heroes, visits the Arts Center's 940 Live series to liven up your midweek with lyrics that are often humorous and often heartbreaking (and sometimes both at once). If he happens to play our favorite, "New Chevrolet in Flames," we'll squeal like tween girls at a One Direction show.
The Mountain Goats' newest work is a concept album about pro wrestling (yes, seriously) called "Beat the Champ." Darnielle also wrote an acclaimed recent novel called "Wolf in White Van," which was nominated for a National Book Award.
Expect this show to sell out or come awfully close. Stop by and find out if you agree with Sasha Frere-Jones' assessment of Darnielle in the New Yorker as "America's best non-hip-hop lyricist."
Find more info at the Facebook event page.
Editor's note: The Arts Center announced Friday that this show has sold out.
Enjoy the holiday weekend and tweet us @LarryvilleLife.
Weekend Picks: Final Friday, Paper Buffalo EP release show; YART Sale; Kansas City Bear Fighters; Comedy Freakout; more Marx Madness
With KU making a(nother) frustrating pre-Sweet Sixteen exit from the NCAA tournament, you should have some extra free time on your hands this weekend, so let's see what LFK has in store for you.
Our column has been heavy on music and theater in recent weeks but light on art offerings, so let's rectify that with a number of options for the first official Final Friday of spring.
Don't worry, though. There's a lot of music and comedy and movies included as well for the non-Final Friday fans.
Walk the Moon/The Griswolds, doors at 7 p.m., show at 8 p.m. Thursday, Granada,
If you're looking for a packed house of young indie-rock fans, you'll find it at the Granada on Thursday as Cincinnati's "dance-rock" and festival-favorite sensation Walk the Moon takes the stage.
According to their website's tour page, however, all of the band's upcoming shows (including this one) are sold out, so let's hope you planned ahead. Australia's buzzy The Griswolds open the show and, yes, of course, the name is a reference to the family in "National Lampoon's Vacation."
Edible Books Festival viewing and voting, 6-9 p.m. Friday, Lawrence Public Library
This unusual Final Friday event allows visitors to view and vote on "edible book" art submitted by participants who have created their "own edible work of art based on the title, form, or content of a book."
Are visitors allowed to eat this art as well? Probably not. But we might steal a bite when they're not looking.
Find details on the submission process at the LPL website.
Quilter and historian Marla Jackson is pictured in front of her quilts on display at the Percolator, 913 Rhode Island St., as part of Jackson’s upcoming exhibition, “Tell Mama.” The exhibit, which opens during this month’s Final Friday, features 10 quilts that honor her mother, Fern Hill. by Mike Yoder
"Tell Mama" art opening, 5-9 p.m. Friday, The Percolator
The Percolator's "Tell Mama" exhibition of quilts by Marla Jackson may not immediately sound like a hot-spot scenester destination, but a quilt based on Tina Turner sounds pretty intriguing to us! Check out Lawrence.com's recent piece on the exhibit and quilter/historian/teacher Jackson's inspirational relationship with her mother here.
The event coincides with Women's History Month and according to the FB event page, "This exhibition of 10 quilts reflects the stories of notable women in Marla’s personal life, as well as personal heroes. Included in the exhibition are two story quilts never before displayed for the public." In addition to the aforementioned Tina Turner quilt, you can also see quilts that are based on the Middle Passage and Cuban salsa-star Celia Cruz.
Is it possible to access the Percolator now that the Marriott TownePlace Suites loom imposingly over the area? Yes. We're confident that you can still find your way to this show!
"Variations on a Theme" art opening + music, 6 p.m. Friday, Love Garden
We know that some of you can't tolerate art unless you are also being serenaded by the likes of CS Luxem, Taryn Blake Miller, and Youngest Children. Listen to them while looking at Sam Wardy's drawings and Christian Kennedy's embroidery. For more info, check out the Facebook event page.
Paper Buffalo EP release, doors at 8 p.m., show at 9 p.m. Friday, The Bottleneck
The week's best local rock show (well, arguably the best, but we're pretty sure) is at the Bottleneck, which seems to be picking up the pace a bit in booking great local shows such as the recent Psychic Heat cassette release show that scenesters are STILL raving about.
Tonight brings four stellar local acts, headlined by an EP release set from the ever-rising youngsters in Paper Buffalo, one of those bands that seemed already fully-polished when we caught some of their early-career Replay patio gigs. We can only imagine that they're really killing it these days.
When asked for a blurb about this show, Paper Buffalo sent along this mysterious and somewhat frightening missive: "We're hosting a blood ceremony at the Bottleneck on March 27th to celebrate our EP's manifestation into the physical realm." Don't be alarmed, though. They seem nice.
Opening up will be Westerners, Arc Flash, and our pal Craig Comstock's always interesting (and always noisy!) one-man project This is My Condition (Craig still mostly exists on MySpace, God bless him!).
You will want to attend. Check out the FB event page here.
YART Sale, 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, New York Elementary School
Looking for a quirky, family-friendly daytime event for Saturday? Look no further than the annual East Lawrence YART (yard/art) sale at New York Elementary School. The Facebook event page assures attendees that, yes, this year's sale WILL be at New York Elementary despite the construction there.
The YART sale is a fundraiser for ELNA (East Lawrence Neighborhood Association) and features donated merchandise, local art and neighborhood musicians. If nothing else, this is surely the best place to hear live music on a Saturday at 8 a.m. since the Farmers Market hasn't opened for the year yet.
Comedy Freakout, 10 p.m. Saturday, Frank's North Star Tavern
Comedy Freakout is upon us again, and the touring headliners for this month's "Good Hermanos Edition" are Colorado's The Bueno Brothers alongside a slate of local comedians. The event is hosted as always by the muy divertido Peter Lyrene and Chance Dibben. The Facebook event page claims that the event is "all ages" (really?? or is this one of their jests and japes?) and requests "no policia" at the event.
Kansas City Bear Fighters, doors at 8 p.m., show at 9 p.m. Saturday, The Bottleneck
Are we recommending two consecutive evenings of music at the Bottleneck? Yes, even though the always-wacky Kansas City Bear Fighters would really be better-suited to the bear-baiting pit at Frank's North Star. Even so, their bouncy singalongs about cannibals and wolfmen are welcome and usually well-received in any venue.
Combine the Bear Fighters' antics with the hot-picking bluegrass of the Ready Brothers, plus performances (and a kissing booth) from a few of the Foxy by Proxy gals, and you've got yourself a guaranteed good time. But you can find a few more details about the show and set times here.
Marx Madness, Round 2, 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. Sunday, Liberty Hall
With KU making a sad second-round tournament exit, you may find yourself weary of basketball and ready for a few laughs. Consider catching a couple of lesser-known Marx Brothers films, "The Cocoanuts" (4 p.m.) and "Horse Feathers" (6 p.m.) as this year's Marx Madness enters its second and final round at Liberty Hall on Sunday.
The plot of "Horse Feathers" involves silly campus hijinks such as Chico and Harpo joining a college football team, so this should provide a particularly welcome respite for any non-basketball fans at this time of year. Visit the Liberty Hall website page for "Horse Feathers" here.
Finally, a shout out to Lawrence Public Library and Love Garden for tweeting us tips and getting their events included here this week. It can happen for you too! Just visit us @LarryvilleLife.
