THUR 1/20: Art Talk, Drinks, Science, Music

I know the weekend is more important than Thursday to most people, so I'll be brief today.

Do you or someone you know like smooth jazz? Sculler's is offering $10 (half-price) tickets to a few upcoming shows including tonight's show by Gerald Clayton. The discount code is: 10410.

For a few bucks more ($15), there's Oscar-winning Uruguayan singer-songwriter Jorge Drexler at the Berklee Performance Center.

BTW: Starting next Thursday, Dewar's is hosting about a dozen tastings in Boston. If you like scotch and haven't been to one of these things, you get a decent amount to drink for free...

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THUR 1/20

6pm to 9pm
"All Works Guaranteed Stolen": Reception & Presentation/Discussion
at Atlantic Works Gallery, 80 Border St, East Boston (near Maverick Sq)
FREE

This art exhibit opened a couple weeks ago where the theme is the artist and the appropriation of intellectual property. There will be a presentation to discuss the legal rights of artists, which may be appealing to some.

THUR 1/20

6:30pm
ABC Club Boston: Season #3, Bar #1
at An Tua Nua, 835 Beacon St, Boston (near Kenmore Sq)
- Whatever you drink

A group of friends had the idea to drink the alphabet, and the weekly sessions have gone A to Z twice already.

You can join them anytime, but isn't more fun to try running the gamut from the beginning?

THUR 1/20

7:30pm to 8:30pm
Douglas Finkbeiner, "Mysterious Gamma-Ray Bubbles in the Milky Way"
at Phillips Auditorium, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden St, Cambridge (between Porter Sq and Fresh Pond)
FREE

Harvard's Dr. Finkbeiner was the leader of the team that recently discovered these two gigantic balls of energy that basically hover "above and below" the center of the Milky Way.

This isn't just a lecture about the topic -- it's a lecture by the guy who knows more about it than anyone else, and he's aiming the presentation for non-scientists.

THUR 1/20

8pm
Tall Heights, Julia Easterlin
at Club Passim, 47 Palmer St, Cambridge (Harvard Sq)
$10

For a venue that usually doesn't have many $10 gigs, they've had two good ones in a week.

On one hand, Tall Heights is an acoustic ensemble led by a pair of friends who share delicate harmonies over guitar, cello, and rhythm section.

On the other hand, Julia Easterlin backs makes her catchy, slightly jazzy tunes with a bunch of loops, etc. One was stuck in my head this morning while I was stuck on the T.

I'm not encouraging you to stay home when I say that many Passim shows are viewable through a site called Concert Window.

THUR 1/20

9pm
The Darlings, Dave Aaronoff & The Protagonists
at Rosebud Bar & Grill (behind Diner), 381 Summer St, Somerville (Davis Sq)
$5 / 21+

As part of "Third Thursdays" series, it feels like "When rockers get twangy" night. The Darlings center around two longtime Boston rockers, Simon Ritt and Kelly Knapp, who went country quite a few years ago.

Dave Aaronoff has played in killers bands such as The Shods, The Pills, and a little band called The Mighty Mighty Bosstones. In his latest project, he's got a killer band that includes pedal steel guitar and fiddle.

THUR 1/20

9pm
Tab the Band, Build A Machine, Sunshine Riot, Fairhaven
at Middle East - Upstairs, 472 Mass Ave, Cambridge (Central Sq)
$10 / 18+

For those who want to usher the weekend with big 'n bold rock, this is a damn good show. After having some trepidation about Tab The Band because the brothers in the band have a famous father, I just listen to the music that does have some classic rock influence and distills it into something modern. If a rock band from Boston can still "make it big", it might be these guys (they already toured with Stone Temple Pilots & Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and opened for Slash).

Build A Machine doest the funk/rock/reggae thing, Fairhaven leans towards the hard progressive rock, and Sunshine Riot seem like a bunch of guys who have a lot of fun while they're playing.