MUSIC
Seminal punk band X plays the Troc this weekend. / Frank Gargani
X
Thursday, 8 p.m.
Trocadero Theatre
1003 Arch St.
$22, 877-435-9849
www.thetroc.com
One of the foundational punk rock acts, Los Angeles’ X mixed rockabilly and aggressive art-rock to create a sound both bracing and stealthily catchy, marked by their unique male-female vocals. Their depiction of their home city not as a place of Hollywood glitz and glamour but of suburban decay, desperation and anxiety set a precedent for all LA punks to follow.
Left of Logic
Friday, 8 p.m.
Boot and Saddle
1131 S. Broad St.
$10, 21+, 877-435-9849
www.bootandsaddlephilly.com
This local band trades the guitar for a keytar, in a move that hasn’t been popular since the 1980s, and their synthy sound, though contemporary, definitely has an ’80s feel — especially an ’80s video game feel. Their secret weapon, however, isn’t the keytar but the fuzz-bass, which provides the perfect rough, growling, aggro counterpoint to the chirpy, shimmering synth-tones.
TALKS
The Psychology and Behavior of Cats
Thursday, 11 a.m.
Free Library of Philadelphia
1901 Vine St.
Free, 215-686-5331
www.freelibrary.org
Cats: we love them and we love to share videos of them being adorable and/or strange. But what’s really going on, aside from humorous self-absorption, in those tiny heads of theirs? Nathanael Oster, a veterinarian with the Philadelphia Cat Hospital, will share the latest scientific findings — ones we’re assuming are significantly more rigorous than the average YouTube cat “experiment.”
GALLERY
Lil Sean Day
Saturday, 4 to 11:30 p.m.
PhilaMOCA
531 N. 12th St.
Donation, 267-519-9651
www.philamoca.org
“Lil Sean” Coleman is a creative 12-year-old neighborhood boy who’s become something of a mascot at the Philadelphia Mausoleum of Contemporary Art. He’s so beloved there that they’ve allowed him to curate a whole day of programming, which includes musical performances, the debut of Sean’s film “Undercover Cops” and other delights. Admission is donation-based.
CABARET
A Euro-Kabaret
Sunday, 7 p.m.
L’Etage
624 S. Sixth St.
$10, [email protected]
envoute.wix.com/envoute
Performance troupe Envoute, whose shows mix magic, theater, comedy, burlesque and sideshow elements, present their take on the European climate in the years leading up to World War II — a world of spies, secret police and of course, decadent cabaret spectacles. And it’s presented in a genuine cabaret setting, that your time travel may be complete.
THEATER
‘Juniper Street’
Through Saturday
An unnamed apartment
50th St. and Baltimore Ave.
Pay what you can, [email protected]
www.redactedtheater.org
This interactive experimental theater piece takes place at a semi-secret location — for tickets and the address, you’ve got to shoot an email to the address listed above. The story follows the history of a family’s dealings with Death, and at one point the actors serve the audience a full-on dinner. It ends with a sleepover party, including a little truth-or-dare. As you might have guessed, given the quirkiness, it’s part of Fringe Festival 2014.
‘The Children’s Hour’
Saturday and Sunday
Randall Theater
2020 N. 13th St.
$5-$10, 800-838-3006
www.brownpapertickets.com
Mauckingbird Productions presents a staged reading of this decidedly edgy 1934 play by Lillian Hellman. It tells of a bitter boarding school student named Mary, who attempts to avoid being sent back to school by accusing her two headmistresses of having a lesbian affair. Hellman based the story on a true incident that took place in Scotland in 1810.
ART
See Rick Buttari’s work at F.A.N. Gallery. / Provided
Rick Buttari: ‘Pencil and Paint’
Saturday through Sept. 27
F.A.N. Gallery
221 Arch St.
Free, 215-922-5155
www.thefangallery.com
Rick Buttari is a realist draughtsman and painter whose assiduous detail, at its most assiduous, can easily be confused with photography. Though he has a skill with portraiture and a fondness for pre-war subjects like baseball players and film noir characters, his most interesting works are contemporary urban landscapes, which he depicts with a serene loneliness worthy of Edward Hopper.
‘Begin Where You Are’
Through Sept. 13
Crane Arts
1400 N. American St.
Free, 215-232-3203
www.cranearts.com
This group exhibition brings together 32 Philadelphia-area artists. Its curators aim, through the natural dialogue that results from placing these very different works together in a single space, to create “a renewed appreciation for the breadth and complexity of our common place.” The show also includes three performances; one has passed, but two are still to come in September.
‘All Different Colors’
Through Saturday
Fleisher/Ollman Gallery
1216 Arch St.
Free, 215-545-7562
www.fleisher-ollmangallery.com
Works from students at the Center for Creative Works in Wynnewood, the Creative Vision Factory in Wilmington and Oasis in Philadelphia are on display here. Each institution is dedicated to teaching art to persons with developmental and behavioral disorders. These diverse works display a vivid expressiveness that attests to the power of art for healing and growth.
FOOD
Food Truck Festivus
Thursday, 6 to 9 p.m.
Franklin Square
Sixth and Race streets
Free, 215-629-4026
www.historicphiladelphia.org
This Festivus sounds way better than the one Frank Costanza subjected his family to on “Seinfeld.” Some of the best food trucks in town will offer dinner options galore. Games like volleyball and horseshoes are also part of the fun. Oh, and there’s a beer garden too. If you still want to bring a big metal pole, be our guest, but you’ll look weird.
GOING OUT
Iola Harper’s Paint Night
Friday, 6 p.m.
Urban Art Gallery
262 S. 52nd St.
$20
urbanartgallery.ticketleap.com
Tired of just going out drinking or seeing a movie on a Friday night? Why not get a painting lesson? If you still wanted to drink, it’s BYOB, and wine and hors d’oeuvre will be served. However, we recommend that you do most of your drinking after you’re done painting, so your finished work will look twice as good.
