Music
ELEW
Tonight, 8
JFK Library and Museum
Columbia Pt., Boston
MBTA: Red Line to JFK/Umass
Free, 866-535-1960
www/jfklibrary.org
ELEW, a cyborg formerly known as pianist Eric Lewis, is an unholy meshing of man and machine committed to playing an unholy meshing of rock and jazz he calls RockJazz. It’s not exactly a novel concept, but his intensity and theatrics mark him as a unique persona — those robot arms hit hard!
Of Montreal
Tonight, 8
15 Lansdowne St., Boston
MBTA: Green Line to Kenmore
$25-$35, 888-693-BLUE
www.livenation.com
They are Of Montreal, but they are actually from Athens, Ga., and they have had a freaky stage show since Lady Gaga was baby Gaga. Check out Heidi Patalano’s story on their new album, “False Priest,” next week.
Community
Park(ing) Day
Friday, all day
Citywide
www.parkingday.org
An offbeat worldwide project based on the idea that a parking meter is essentially a short-term public space rental device. The idea: Turn a parking space in a particularly ungreen side of the city into a miniature public park for the day.
Weird
Naked Girls Reading: ‘Science Friction’
Saturday, 11:55 p.m.
Coolidge Corner Theatre
290 Harvard St., Brookline
MBTA: Green Line C to Coolidge Corner
$15, 617-734-2500
www.coolidge.org
Normally we’re supposed to say something pithy and witty, but this one is so well summarized by the title: Naked girls will read sci-fi. And just what could we add to that?
Food
New England Dessert Showcase
Saturday, 12 p.m.
The Westin Copley Place
10 Huntington Ave., Boston
MBTA: Green Line to Copley
$35-40, 617-381-4746
www.nedessertshowcase.com
Dozens of exhibitors will be sampling their deliciousness sweet goods at this expo. Whatever you like — pie, chocolate, cakes, cannoli, baklava — it’ll all be here. There will also be the world’s largest Boston Crème Pie — if we’re lucky, it won’t come to life and attack the city.
Festivals
South Boston Street Festival
Saturday, 11 a.m.
647 E. Broadway, South Boston
MBTA: Red Line to Broadway
Free, 617-857-9460
www.southbostonstreetfestival.com
Live music — ranging from Celtic to funk to classic rock — more than 100 local merchants, local artists and more will be at this Southie block party. See little kids Irish step-dancing, and other little kids doing karate demonstrations. Hosted by the lady from the morning show on Mix 104.1.
Art
‘Double Vision’
Tonight, 5
Gallery 360
360 Huntington Ave., Boston
Free, 617-373-2000
www.tonnesenwisdumb.blogspot.com
These two artists, Josh Wisdumb and David Tonnesen, lived in the same building, and as they explain, “with their age and life experience differences and their personal approaches to art, they had been reluctant to work in collaboration until about one
year ago.” What happened one year ago? Well, it’s kinda like those old Reese’s commercials where each gets their art in the others art, and the result is really delicious.
‘The Emperor’s Private
Paradise: Treasures from the Forbidden City’
Through January
Peabody Essex Museum
161 Essex St., Salem
MBTA: Commuter Rail to Salem
$15, 978-745-9500
www.pem.org
This exhibition displays objects from the private garden of the Qianlong Emperor of China, who reigned in the 18th century. No one has seen this stuff, even in China, for centuries. Some rooms are reconstructed as he may have seen them — it’s like traveling through time and space, which is normally something people can only do in the stories those naked girls will read at the Coolidge.
Theater
Steve Cohen: Magician
Friday, 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.
Fairmount Copley Plaza
138 St. James Ave., Boston
MBTA: Green Line to Copley
$75-100, 866-811-4111
www.chambermagic.com
Steve Cohen, the “Millionaire’s Magician,” has carved out a niche performing parlor magic inspired by the early 20th century for very rich people (e.g. the King of Saudi Arabia) — and at his regular gig at New York’s Waldorf Towers.
Lecture
Emergency Fundraiser with Noam Chomsky and Dahr Jamail
Thursday, 7 p.m.
Paulist Center
5 Park St., Boston
MBTA: Green or Red Line
to Park Street
$10, 857-574-0295
www.thefallujahproject.org
Everyone’s favorite anarchist will speak tonight in support of the effort to finance a report from two Iraqi doctors on the public health crisis in Fallujah.
