THUR 4/14: Talk, Fest, Play, Rock

If you're a Pink Floyd fan, tonight's the "Dark Side Of The Moon" night ($10/21+) at Johnny D's. The fantastic Rick Berlin will play an opening set.

The advance tickets were $10 for the Sharon Van Etten, Lady Lamb the Beekeeper, St. Claire at Brighton Music Hall (18+). I wish I could tell you how much more they'll be at the door. When I asked, I was told, "a few more."

Or below are some options to learn a thing or get artfully randy or rock out.

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THUR 4/14

6pm
Luba Lukova, "Graphic Guts": Annual Dwiggins Lecture
at Rabb Lecture Hall, Boston Public Library, 700 Boylston St, Boston (Copley Sq)
FREE

Wouldn't you know? There is an award for outstanding contribution to book building in New England.

Succeeding in the role of illustrator as social commentator, Luba Lukova has been published in NY Times, Village Voice, WSJ, Time, etc; and her works are in many major permanent collections.

THUR 4/14

7pm to 8pm
Julia Maranan, "The 100 Best Ways to Stop Aging & Stay Young": Talk & Book Signing
at Brighton Branch Library, 40 Academy Hill Rd, Brighton
FREE

This author may be full of bunk, but I liked the idea of little tips that could benefit your health. If you don't consult with a physician like me, do what makes sense...

THUR 4/14

7:30pm to 11pm
Progress Festival: "Destruction & Rebirth"
at Pozen Center, about 621 Huntington Ave, Boston (MassArt, enter on Evans Way)
FREE

Can you guess what's happening based on the theme listed above? Here's a hint: Freud believed in the deep connection of sex and death in the psyche.

Be ready for a lurid evening of art and performance on the relationship between sexuality and art. The event info suggests to "Come dressed to have fun and "bring an open mind", while the "Goddess of Ceremonies" who is -- to paraphrase Rick James -- quite a kinky woman.

There will also be a DJ, because dance is related to sex too.

THUR 4/14 (thru SAT 4/16)

Various Times
"Waiting for Godot"
at Loeb Drama Center, Experimental Theatre, 64 Brattle St, Cambridge (Harvard Sq)
FREE

THUR 4/14 -- 8:30pm
FRI 4/15 -- 7pm
SAT 4/16 -- 2pm & 7pm

Maybe Beckett's famous play is so acclaimed because it's open to interpretation. The sparse action seems to encourage a variety of options for every production. This one will supposedly "highlight the anger and the suppressed fury of the two comrades as they struggle to maintain hope in a context of almost ritualized deferment."

You can reserve free tickets by email; it's good idea to give your name, performance date, and number of tickets.

THUR 4/14

9pm
Girlfriends, Beware the Dangers of a Ghost Scorpion, NYC UFOs, Whir
at Middle East - Upstairs, 472 Mass Ave, Cambridge (Central Sq)
$10 / 18+

This is a pretty awesome show that unintentionally makes the statement, "Who cares about the Rock 'n Roll Rumble?" Girlfriends are simply fantastic. There are plenty of noisy/punky/garagey bands out there, but few do it as well as them. Add in some surf-rock, indie-pop, and a bit of shoegaze and it's a party.

THUR 4/14

9:30pm
Rock 'n Roll Rumble: Semi-Finals #1
at TT the Bear's Place, 10 Brookline St, Cambridge (Central Sq)
$10 / 18+

Feat: Mellow Bravo (11:45pm), Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling (11pm), Sidewalk Driver (10:15pm), Spirit Kid (9:30pm)

There is nothing wrong in caring about the Rock 'n Roll Rumble. You don't even need to care about it, but the next 2 nights feature the cream of the crop from last week's preliminaries. And they are all quality bands. I can't even guess who will move on to the finals.

Whether it's Mellow Bravo's hard rock revival, or DNFMOMD's minimalist art-punk, Sidewalk Driver's glam, or Spirit Kid's jangly crunch; the listener wins.