All Over Albany

The week ahead

Here are a few things to keep in mind, look forward to, or keep busy with this holiday week, from the weather (January-ish), to Harry Potter, to health care, to monster trucks, to food and wine, to music...

Weather

Here's the paraphrased forecast for this week:

Monday: Cloudy, rainy, windy. Highs in the upper 40s.

Tuesday: Sunny, colder, upper 30s.

Wednesday: Repeat.

Thursday: Some sun, also small chance of snow. Mid 30s.

Friday: Sunny, low 30s..

Weekend: And so on.

Well, OK, then.

The sound of... motorcycles

Both the Palace and Proctors have classic movies on Monday:

+ The Palace is showing The Sound of Music. 7 pm - $5 adults / $3 kids

+ Proctors' AFI 100 series is showing Easy Rider. various times - $5

Potted Potter

Opening Tuesday at Proctors: Potted Potter, a two-man stage show parody of the Harry Potter story. "All seven Harry Potter books in seventy hilarious minutes." Blurbage:

Potted Potter takes on the ultimate challenge of condensing all seven Harry Potter books (and a real life game of Quidditch) into seventy hilarious minutes. This fantastically funny show features all your favorite characters, a special appearance from a fire-breathing dragon, endless costumes, brilliant songs, ridiculous props and a generous helping of Hogwarts magic!

A NYT reviewer said the show's "flavor is Monty Python meets vaudeville." Tuesday-Sunday various times - $45 and up

Arts and Sciences

Fish 101
Monday at Different Drummer's at Stuyvesant Plaza: a class on seafood, "from the hunt to the plate," with chef Mark Graham (of Max London's) and fishmonger Doug Freeman. "Doug will discuss the current fishing practices and sustainability of commercial markets, while Chef Mark will share cooking techniques, fabrication skills, and storage suggestions." 6 pm - $75

Atul Gawande
Surgeon and New Yorker writer Dr. Atul Gawande will be at The Egg Wednesday at 5 pm for a talk and panel discussion. Gawande has pushed for improvements in the American health care system through the use of practices such as checklists and standardization. Gawande's talk is sponsored by the The University at Albany School of Public Health, and panel discussion of local health care and business leaders will follow the talk.

Admission is free, but registration is required. And there's already an overflow crowd registered. Seating will be first-come, first-seat in The Egg's Hart Theatre. There will be a video stream for the overflow crowd in the Swyer Theatre. Doors open at 4 pm.

Ellsworth's Avengers
Wednesday at the State Museum: a talk by Siena historian Bruce Eelman about the 44th New York Infantry that served during the Civil War. 7 pm - free

The First Season
Thursday at The Linda: a screening of The First Season, a documentary about a family starting a dairy farm in Sharon Springs (trailer). 7 pm - $8

Wine and Dine for the Arts

The Albany Chefs' Food and Wine Festival starts Thursday and runs through Saturday. Events include tastings, a rising star chefs event, the slider slam, and a barista competition. Tickets are available on online -- and some events are already sold out.

Food swaps

The popular From Scratch Club food swaps are starting back up for the new year. There's a swap in Schenectady Wednesday evening at 7 pm. And the next Troy swap is this Saturday Sunday -- it's already full for people looking to swap, but if there are still a few spots available if you're "swap curious." There's a $4 suggestion donation to help cover event costs.

Monster Jam

A "date with destruction" -- Monster Jam -- is back at the TU Center this Friday and Saturday. Big trucks, lots of crushing. 7:30 pm - $22 and up / some $12 kids seats

Roller derby

The Albany All Stars open a new season Saturday against the Assault City Roller Derby (Syracuse) at the Washington Ave Armory. Hot Cousin will be playing during intermissions. first whistle at 7 pm - $10 ahead / $12 at the door / kids under 12 $4

Music

Monday: Alex Culbreth and the Dead Country All Stars at Valentine's
Americana. With: Neversink. 8 pm

Tuesday: GAMBLE/PREVITE/RUCKER at Red Square
Jazz improv trio. With: Doctor Magnum. 8 pm - $10

Wednesday: Billy Martin and Wil Blades Duo at Helsinki Hudson
Martin, a drummer, is the Martin in Medeski Martin & Wood. Blades plays organ. 8 pm - $18

Friday: Jesse Cook at The Egg
New-school flamenco/jazz guitarist. 8 pm - $29.50

Friday: Sgt Dunbar and the Hobo Banned at Valentine's
Release show for a new EP -- the band plans to release a new EP each month this year. With: Bear Grass, Breakfast in Fur. 9 pm -

Friday: Lake Street Dive at Helsinki Hudson
"A string band with soul." 9 pm - $15 ahead / $18 day of

Friday: Brother Sun at Caffe Lena
Trio of folk veterans. With: Robin O'Herin. 8 pm - $18

Friday: Jimkata at Red Square
Electro-rock. 8 pm

Saturday: A Far Cry at Troy Music Hall
A "self-conducted" orchestra. 8 pm - $15 and up

Saturday: Brown Bird at Helsinki Hudson
Indie folk/roots duo. With: Joe Fletcher. 9 pm - $12 ahead / $15 day of

Sunday: Joe Lovano Us Five at The Egg
Ace jazz saxophonist with a band that includes Esperanza Spalding. 7:30 pm - $29.50

Sunday: Pierce and Grace Pettis at Caffe Lena
Father and daughter, contemporary folk. 7 pm - $18

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

photo: Geraint Lewis