SO MUCH GOOD STUFF, UPPER VALLEY!
Friday
Well, for starters, it’s First Friday in WRJ, which means downtown will be hopping with events, open restaurants, galleries open late, and more, including:
River Roost Brewery has been celebrating its 10th anniversary this week, and Friday night it’s got Corey Unger and Dan Weintraub (Dead Men Strumming) along with Big Fatty’s serving up brisket chili bowls. And maybe cake? Starts up around 5 pm.
Around the corner, Putnam’s vine/yard has live music with Tom Horton Davis starting at 6:30—plus lasagna and pots de crème.
Kishka Gallery is hosting an opening reception for NYC building superintendent and artist dan Waller and “Mary Madgalene’s Treasures,” pieces created using “detritus pulled from New York City streets or trash from buildings for which he was caretaker.” Starts at 5 pm.
And at JAM, the local punk band Phrogs will give a live accompaniment to a screening of the 1920 silent film, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. Here’s the VN’s Alex Hanson on the event. 7 pm.
At the Hood Museum, a winter exhibition opening reception. An evening of in-gallery exploration, music, refreshments, a chance to learn what’s coming up at the Hood, and remarks by museum director John Stomberg. 5-6:30 pm.
Organ concert by Tim Pyper at the Church of Christ at Dartmouth College. The former Director of Music at Church of the Holy Apostles in NYC and currently a music prof at Williams College, Pyper will give a concert of works that span four centuries. No charge, 7 pm.
Aca-lympics at the Hop. Winter Carnival concert by Dartmouth’s a cappella groups, the Dartmouth Sings, Decibelles, Cords, Rockapellas, Subtleties, Brovertones, and Dodecaphonics. 7 pm in Spaulding.
Hop Film screens Omoiyari: A Song Film by Kishi Bashi. The violinist, singer, songwriter, and dedicated eschewer of genres is in town this weekend for his Hop concert on Saturday. Friday, he’ll be on hand for Justin Taylor and Kaoru Ishibashi’s film built off his 2019 album and his project delving into the US’s WWII Japanese internment camps and their resonance today. 7 pm in the Loew.
At Lebanon Opera House: Changes in Latitudes: The Premier Jimmy Buffett Tribute Show. “We’re hosting a midwinter beach party!” LOH declares. Your chance to bathe in Margaritaville, Come Monday, Cheeseburger in Paradise, It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere, and, of course, Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes. 7:30 pm.
Moondogs at Sawtooth Kitchen. The Burlington psych-rock band returns with Will Sturcke on lead vocals and guitar, David Battit on bass, and Jimmy Martucci on drums. 9 pm.
Saturday
Magician Andrew Pinard at Artistree in S. Pomfret. “Using the most ordinary of objects, accomplished actor, conjuror, puppeteer, storyteller, and award-winning performer Andrew Pinard brings the everyday to life with astonishing results. Drawing on sleight of hand, con games, psychology, history, science, comedy, and storytelling,” he explores distortion, deception, and imagination. Shows at 11 am and 6 pm.
Sustainable Lebanon hosts “Poking the Climate Beast: What We Eat Matters.” A discussion of how the foods we eat affect the environment, land use, and water consumption with retired U of MD environmental studies prof Bruce James. 2 pm in the Damren Room at the Lebanon Public Library (the one downtown).
Recycled Percussion at Lebanon Opera House. As LOH puts it: “epic musical performances with gut-busting comedy that families worldwide have enjoyed for almost 30 years. No two shows are the same — from interactive elements to jaw-dropping visual moments, it’s a playground of creativity you won’t find anywhere else.” Shows at 3 pm and 7 pm.
Patrick Ross and Doug Perkins at the West Newbury Town Hall. Ross, the veteran fiddler and mandolin player, and Perkins, on guitar, have been playing together for decades, as well as with bands like Smokin’ Grass, Joe Fishman (of Phish), Counting Crows, and others. This is a fundraiser for Music Helps, the Upper Valley music ed nonprofit. Refreshments by Haverhill’s Molly Sharp and Bakestere. 7 pm.
Hop Film screens The Wiz. Free, no tix, it’s Sidney Lumet’s 1978 classic with Diana Ross as Dorothy (“as a shy Harlem schoolteacher”), Michael Jackson as Scarecrow, Lena Horne as Glinda, and Richard Pryor as The Wiz. 7 pm in the Loew.
Kishi Bashi at the Hop. He may compose on violin, but his performances include guitar, keyboard, vocal looping, and beatboxing—and songs in both English and Japanese. While his earlier albums explored history and social commentary (see Omoiyari above), he’s headed off in a more internal direction recently, happily blending pop, funk, jazz, and rock opera. It’ll be an experience, whatever he brings onto the stage. 7:30 pm in Spaulding, and there are still tix left.
Sunday
Hop Film screens Merrily We Roll Along. The Stephen Sondheim musical charts the relationship between composer Franklin Shepard and his two lifelong friends: “Told in reverse chronology over decades, the musical follows their friendship—Shepard (Jonathan Groff), writer Mary Flynn (Lindsay Mendez) and playwright Charley Kringas (Daniel Radcliffe).” 2 pm in the Loew.
At the Howe Library, Karuara, People of the River. Part of the library’s winter film series, it’s a look at a Peruvian indigenous group, the Kukama, and their effort to safeguard the Marañón River. 2:30 pm in the Mayer Room.
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