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 the weather (April showers), award-winning authors, comedy, words, digital media, design, music...

Weather

Here's the paraphrased forecast for this week:

Monday: Sunny and 65.

Tuesday: Cloudy, rainy, windy. Upper 60s.

Wednesday: Sunny, mid 60s.

Thursday: Cloudy, upper 60s.

Friday: Repeat.

Weekend: Sunnier, cooler.

Not bad for May flowers.

Film

American Graffiti
Monday: The Proctors AFI 100 series is showing George Lucas' American Graffiti. various times- $5

Puppet film
Thursday: EMPAC will be screening selections from the work of the Quay Brothers, "renowned for their unparalleled contributions to the field of puppet film." Thursday 7:30 pm - $6

A Place at the Table
Thursday: The Food for Thought series at The Linda will be showing A Place at the Table, which examines "the issue of hunger in America through the lens of three people struggling with food insecurity." 7 pm - $8

Authors

Anne Enright
Monday: Irish author Anne Enright, who won the Man Booker Prize in 2007 for The Gathering, will be at Union College for a reading and talk. Monday 7 pm, Nott Memorial - free

Marilynne Robinson
Wednesday: American novelist Marilynne Robinson, who won the Pulitzer Prize in 2004 for Gilead, will be at RPI as part of the NYS Writers Institute visiting writers series. Here is an appreciation of Robinson's work from the New Yorker's books blog. Wednesday 8 pm, RPI Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies Building - free

Charles Fuller
Thursday: Charles Fuller -- whose play A Soldier's Story won the Pulitzer Prize -- will be at The Egg for a conversation about, and scenes from, the play. The evening is a fundraiser for the African American Cultural Center of the Capital Region. Thursday 7:30 pm - $50-$65

Manil Suri
Friday: Fiction author -- and mathematician -- Manil Suri will be at UAlbany as part of the Writers Institute visiting writers series to talk about his new book The City of Devi, about a Mumbai evacuated because of the threat of nuclear attack. Here are two reviews from the Guardian. Friday 8 pm, Campus Center Assembly Hall, uptown campus - free

Albany Wordfest

The 12th annual Albany Wordfest -- a weeklong celebration of poetry -- starts Sunday and runs through Saturday with a string of events around town. The week concludes with an invitational poetry slam Saturday at Valentine's, with competitors from around the Northeast.

Front Parlor

The Front Parlor storytelling series is back on Monday at Olde English Pub.You can tell stories or just listen. Here's some more about how Front Parlor works. This month's theme is "madness." 7:30 p.m. Free.

Comedy

Wham City
Wednesday: The Wham City Comedy Tour -- "a two-hour cross-genre variety show" -- returns to 51 3rd Street in Troy (as mentioned). Wednesday 8:30 pm - $8

Wacky Chad
Friday: Chadd Deitz -- AKA Wacky Chad -- will be at Proctors for his stunt comedy act, which includes "extreme pogo skills" and balancing "a shopping trolley on his face and rides another human being on his miniature bicycle." Friday 8 pm - $15 / $10 age 10 and under

Best Kept Secret
Saturday: the Comedy's Best Kept Secret tour is at Proctors with comedians Michael Cannon, Dan Frigolette, and Matt Richards. 9 pm - $15

Arts and sciences

Major League Baseball
Monday: Rick Shapiro, an advisor to the MLB Players Association, will be at Skidmore for a talk about "several contemporary issues" baseball. Monday 6 pm, Palamountain Hall - free

The Affective Power of Digital Media
Wednesday: Duke professor N. Katherine Hayles will be at EMPAC for a talk about digital media and its effect on us. Blurbage:

In this talk, N. Katherine Hayles will explore how digital media is changing us, and on what levels and in what ways. She will examine the co-evolution of technical objects and contemporary humans, arguing that our intense engagements with digital media affect us not only through conscious channels but also through unconscious and nonconscious modes, as well. The trajectory of these changes will be discussed, with examples drawn from gaming and electronic literature.

Part of the Observer Effects series. Wednesday 6 pm - free

Swissted
Thursday: accomplished designer (and Troy native) Mike Joyce will be at the Arts Center of the Capital Region for a reception and book signing as part of Swissted, an exhibit of Joyce's redesigns of classic punk rock concert posters in the style Swiss modernism. Joyce's design firm has worked with a bunch of notable music acts. Thursday 6:30 pm - free

Music

The Renaissance show at The Egg on Wednesday is sold out.

Thursday: Aimee Mann + Ted Leo at Helsinki Hudson
They've been performing together as #BOTH. - $55 ahead / $60 at door

Thursday: Scotty McCreery at the Palace
Country singer, American Idol winner. With: Sarah Darling. 7:30 pm - $42.50 and up

Thursday: Ninety Miles at the Massry Center
Jazz. Includes Albany native Stefon Harris. 7:30 pm - $30

Thursday: NRBQ at The Ale House in Troy
Rock/jazz/blues veterans, playing in Troy for the first time in 10 years. 8 pm - $30

Thursday: Space Jesus at Red Square
A live band from an EDM producer. With: BioDiesel, Greenhouse Lounge. 8 pm

Friday: Gospel Jubilee at Proctors
Among the Lineup of choirs and solo singers, Melba Moore. 7 pm - $20

Friday: Alan Evans Trio at Red Square
Drummer and Soulive founder. With: The Chronicles. 8 pm - $12 ahead / $15 day of

Friday: Tom McWatters and the Phil Beddoe Band at Valentine's
With: Esquela, Caroline MotherJudge. 9 pm

Friday: Steel Panther at Upstate Concert Hall
'80s hair metal parody band. With: Hillbilly Herald. 8 pm - $20 ahead / $25 day of

Friday: Christine Ohlman and Rebel Montez at Caffe Lena
Soul singer. Vocalist for the SNL band. Apparently sports an impressive beehive. 8 pm - $20

Friday: The Hornitz at Putnam Den
"A duo consisting of Tenor Saxophone, Keyboards, Organ, Bass Trombone, and a Human Beatbox rhythm section." With: Mitochi. 10 pm - $5

Saturday: Voca People at Proctors
A cappella. "[F]riendly aliens from the planet Voca, somewhere behind the sun...where all communication is made by music and vocal expressions." 8 pm - $20 and up

Saturday: Dan Deacon at MASS MoCA
Now with his own in-concert mobile app. 8 pm - $12 advance / $16 day of / $10 students

Saturday: Iris DeMent at Helsinki Hudson
Country/folk singer/songwriter. Recently on NPR's Mountain Stage. 9 pm - $39 / $46 day of

Saturday: Vishtèn at Proctors
"Essentially Celtic, but with a difference..." From the greater Prince Edward Island area of Canada. An 8th Step show. 7:30 pm - $24 ahead / $26 at door

Saturday: Dakota Dave Hall at Caffe Lena
Ragtime and folk veteran. 8 pm - $16

Saturday: The Machine performs Pink Floyd at Upstate Concert Hall
Pink Floyd tribute act. 8 pm - $20 ahead / $22 day of

Saturday: Elvis Spring Dance at The Linda
Featuring the Lustre Kings. 8 pm - $20

Sunday: Kottonmouth Kings at Upstate Concert Hall
Cali rap rock. 6 pm - $18 ahead / $20 day of

Sunday: Los Angeles Guitar Quartet at the Zankel Center
Four guitarists, all sorts of genres.
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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!

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Aimee Mann via Aimee Mann website | Ted Leo: Shawn Brackbill