All Over Albany

The week ahead

Here are a few things to keep in mind, look forward to, or keep busy with this week, from silent film, crime fiction, to modern art, to Rocky, to satyrs, to all sorts of music...

Weather

Here's the paraphrased forecast:

Monday: Mostly sunny, high in the upper 50s.

Tuesday: Mostly sunny, high in the mid 50s.

Wednesday: Sunny, high in the mid 50s.

Thursday: Chance of showers and mostly cloudy, high in the mid 50s.

Friday: Chance of showers and mostly cloudy, high in the lower 50s.

Weekend: Mixed showers and sun, high near 50.

Mostly perfect for mid-November.

Ken Johnson

Ken Johnson -- New York Times art critic, UAlbany graduate, and author of the new book Are You Experienced?: How Psychedelic Consciousness Transformed Modern Art -- will be at UAlbany Monday as part of the NYS Writers Institute visiting writers series. 7 pm at University Art Museum, uptown campus - free

Election Day

It's this Tuesday. While there aren't any federal or statewide elections, there are many local elections for positions such as supervisor and school board. A few of the most prominent: Schenectady mayor, Colonie supervisor, Troy mayor, and Saratoga Springs mayor (Albany County exec is also up -- Democrat Dan McCoy is running un-opposed). Also, redistricting may have resulted in your polling place changing. Don't know where to vote? Check with your county board of election: Albany | Rensselaer | Saratoga | Schenectady.

Election Day rumble

Proctors' It Came From Schenectady movie series will present two movies about struggle and bad guys: John Carpenter's They Live and Rocky III. Tuesday at 7pm - $6-$9

Music for silent films

The Albany Public Library's series in which local musicians perform their original scores to classic silent films is back. This Wednesday, it will be the Shape Shifting Shepherds performing their music to the German Expressionist film Warning Shadows: A Nocturnal Hallucination. 7 pm - free

Dava Sobel

Dava Sobel, science writer and the author of the new book A More Perfect Heaven: How Copernicus Revolutionized the Cosmos, will be at UAlbany Thursday as part of the NYS Writers Institute visiting writers series. Sobel is also the author of Longitude and Galileo's Daughter. 4:15 pm seminar at Assembly Hall in the UAlbany Uptown Campus. 8 pm reading at the same location. free

Memoirama

The Arts Center of the Capital Region is offering a one-night, condensed version of the Marion Roach Smith's very popular eight-week class on how to get your life down on paper. Thursday at 6 pm - $72.00-$80.00

Mysteries

Crime fiction writer Megan Abbott will be at St. Rose Thursday as part of the Frequency North series. In 2008 Abbot won an Edgar for her book Queenpin. Her latest book is The End of Everything. 7:30 pm - free

Theater

Man of La Mancha
The Cervantes tale starts a five-week run at Cap Rep on Friday. The opening night features pre- and post-show entertainment. 7:30pm, $40-$70

Les Miserables
The classic French Revolution-era tale, performed entirely by students, starts its run at the Cohoes Music Hall on Thursday. 8pm, $15-$20

Dionysia
EMPAC is presenting Poor Dog Group: Dionysia, a musical play that looks at the life of the mythical satyr. Friday at 8pm - $6-$18

Avant garde hair

The Orlo school in Albany has its second "Orlo Goes Global" show Thursday at The Linda, featuring "avant garde hair and makeup from around the world." With music from DJ Trumastr and DJ Nate Da Great. It's a benefit Irene relief. 7 pm - $20

Music

Tuesday: Anthrax and Testament at Northern Lights
Classic thrash metal at its finest. 7:50pm - $27.50-$30

Wednesday: Ani DiFranco at the Colonial Theater in Pittsfield
The emotive wordsmith will be playing songs from throughout her lengthy career. 7pm - $20-$60

Wednesday: Joe Bonamassa at the Palace
The underrated blues-rock guitarist. 8 pm - $51-$71

Wednesday: Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger at the Egg
Half of the Doors have regrouped to play their old songs. 8 pm - $35.50-$59.50

Wednesday: Piano Waves at EMPAC
RPI and St. Rose have put together the latest Piano Waves concert, this time featuring pieces by Debussy, Feldman, Rosell, Vivier, and Ravel. 7:30pm - free

Thursday: Benny Goodman: A Carnegie Hall Tribute at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall
Hear the music of the big-band master. 7:30 pm - $30-$39

Thursday: Bel Biv Devoe at Saratoga Casino
It's our understanding that girl is poison. 9 pm - $15 ahead / $20 day of

Friday: Shawn Colvin and Melissa Ferrick at the Egg
TWo singer-songwriters. 8 pm - $34.50

Saturday: Charlie Hunter at Red Square
The virtuoso string man who's built his reputation as a side man plays his own music. 8 pm - $10-$12

These are a just a few things for this week. Know of something people should be looking forward to this week? Please share!

Look for our "Stuff to do this weekend" post on Friday.

The Troy Music Hall advertises on AOA.

Dionysia photo: Poor Dog Group. Megan Abbott: Drew Reilly. Joe Bonamass: Flickr user MisfitKid. Dava Sobel via her website.