WEDNESDAY • 15
QUINTRON AND MISS PUSSYCAT
ORGAN GRINDING
Quintron wails on an organ tripped out with the grill and headlights of an old car (and, yes, they actually work!) while his puppet-wielding wife, Miss Pussycat, shakes her maracas and sings backup like a banshee. Accompanied by the Drum Buddy, a light-activated synth of his own invention, Quintron's one-man band produces both a spectacle and a noise likely to incite fits of mad dancing … or seizures. If you think it doesn't make any sense, then you just have to experience it. With Psychedelic Horseshit at the Old Miami, 3930 Cass Ave., Detroit; 313-831-3830.
THURSDAY • 16
KEYS TO THE CITY
FASHIONABLY MIXED
The official afterparty for the free N.E.R.D. concert at Wayne State University, Keys to the City is also the release event for local rapper-done-good Big Sean's second mixtape, Finally Famous Vol. II. After being signed to Kanye West's G.O.O.D. record label, Big Sean — whose lyrical flow draws him frequent comparisons to West — has released two mixtapes and garnered plenty of hype as rap's next big thing, a promise that his still-pending debut will either make or break. The whole shebang is presented by Pompous Apparel, a clothing line created by two Wayne State students, which will premiere its spring-summer collection between the beats and rhymes. With Mike Posner and the Brain Trust at 9 p.m. at the Majestic Theatre, 4140 Woodward Ave., 313-833-9700. For more info on Pompous Apparel, visit iampompous.com. Big Sean, Michael Posner, N.E.R.D. and others perform 4 p.m. to midnight at WSU's Keast Commons; 313-577-1010.
FRIDAY • 17
FIRST ANNUAL PEEPS SHOW
EAT THE CANVAS
Who would have thought marshmallow candy, mysteriously indestructible, gooey in its numbing sweetness, pastelcolored and chick-shaped, would so capture the popular imagination — from Peeps photo contests to Peeps-centric scientific experiments and now to this — the first annual Peeps art exhibit. Highlights include Masterpeeps, a series by Martine MacDonald incorporating Peeps into classic works of art, such as The Scream, and Give Peeps a Chance, a diorama featuring John and Yoko Peeps in a bedridden vigil for peace. All the fun, none of the flavor at 6-9 p.m. at the Biddle Gallery, 2840 Biddle Ave., Wyandotte; 734-281-4779; biddlegallery.com; display through April 30.
FRIDAY-SATURDAY •17-18
TONY BENNETT
MORE INCHES OF THE MONA LISA
Recently reissued, Tony Bennett's duets with the late pianist Bill Evans from 1975 and 1976 — The Complete Tony Bennett-Bill Evans Recordings (Fantasy) — are Bennett and Evans stripped to essential. In context, this is the craftwork of Bennett before his '80s comeback, during one of his commercial lulls. But here's the work of the artist who knew his stuff and held to a vision even during a slump. For a fan such as Bennett's annotator Will Friedwald, discovering a couple previously unreleased tracks from the sessions is like finding "another couple inches" of the Mona Lisa hidden in the back of the canvas. By that logic, the chance to hear Bennett today should be a reminder that this Leonardo is still painting. Tickets $75 to $125 at the Soundboard in the the MotorCity Casino Hotel, 2901 Grand River Ave., Detroit; 248-645-6666 for tickets or ticketmaster.com.
FRIDAY-SATURDAY • 17-18
WALLY SHOUP, ROBERT BAILEY, BEN HALL
SOUNDS AND MUSIC
A few things about Wally Shoup: 1) He's the kind of freejazz wailer who's worked with Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore and who's penned appreciations of the obscure psychedelic group Touch and Don Gallucci, the group member who went on to produce the Stooges' Fun House. 2) He picked up saxophone and paintbrush at the same time, in his 30s, 30-odd years ago, and makes his mark as an original in both realms from his Seattle-area base. 3) His paintings are on display here along with those of Detroiter Robert Bailey in a show that opens Friday. He returns Saturday to make music with Detroit-based percussionist Ben Hall. Also on the bill Saturday: Chris Riggs, Ryan Kiblawi and their "Michigun," a 16-reed instrument for 16 performers. They're to debut a new, 20-minute Michigun composition. At 7-10 p.m. Friday and starting at 8 p.m. Saturday (suggested Saturday donation $8) at 2739 Edwin, Floor 2, Hamtramck; 2739edwin.com.
SATURDAY • 18
CHESA BOUDIN
SOUTH OF THE BORDER BILDUNGSROMAN
Chesa Boudin left home at 18 to crisscross South America for most of a decade, rubbing shoulders with poverty, politicos and protesters. In the travelogue-cum-political history Gringo: A Coming of Age in South America, he describes both his personal transformations and the politics of the continent with straightforward acuity. The son of members of the '60s radical group Weather Underground (his mother has been released, but Dad is still doing time for a bank robbery that left three dead), and raised by former Weathermen Bill Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn, Boudin is a Rhodes Scholar, Yale and Oxford grad, and a Goldman Sachs Future International Leader. He'll read from and sign copies of his work at 7 p.m. at Shaman Drum Bookshop, 311-315 S. State St., Ann Arbor; 734-662-7407.
SATURDAY-SUNDAY • 18-19
EARTH DAY EXPO
NOT JUST FOR HIPPIES
Michigan's largest Earth Day celebration, the fourth annual Earth Day Expo, highlights the efforts of businesses, governments, nonprofits and grassroots organizations to create a happy, happy green future for our community. The fest features more than 150 exhibits, 50-odd expert presentations, a film festival, kid-friendly activities, organic food
service, multiple stages of music and entertainment, and the chance for earth-minded individuals to network about going green. From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday in downtown Rochester at Third and Water streets; free. Visit earthdayexpo.org for more info.
SUNDAY • 19
MARIA TAYLOR
HOPEFULLY HEARTBROKEN
If a breakup album called Lady Luck seems like a contradiction, well, then so be it. On her third solo disc, Maria Taylor — best quick-referenced as one half of dream poppers Azure Ray — embraces that contrast by pairing heartrending images of love lost with simple and pure upbeat melodies. In her sweet and breathy voice, Taylor acknowledges that breaking up may still be hard to do, but hers is a melancholy from which optimism is born. At 9 p.m. at the Blind Pig, 208 S. First St., Ann Arbor; 734-996- 8555; $10 advance.
ONGOING
DETROIT'S CHINATOWN: WORKS IN PROGRESS
WHAT ABOUT THE DIM SUM?
Through artifacts, photographs and personal accounts, Detroit's Chinatown explores the history of this oft-forgotten neighborhood, as well as the experience of Asian Americans in Detroit. In the '60s, the once-vibrant ethnic borough of Chinatown was razed to make way for the Lodge Freeway and relocated to Cass Avenue and Peterboro Street, where it faltered and ultimately failed. Presented by Friends of Detroit Chinatown, the exhibit will discuss the confluence of events that led to the neighborhood's demise, as well as the emergence of Asian-American communities in the suburbs. Through July 5, at the Detroit Historical Museum, 5401 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-833-1805. Additional info at detroitchinatown.org.
