All Over Albany

The week ahead

Here are a few things to keep in mind, look forward to, or keep busy with this short week, from the weather (fantastic), to Davis-Franzen-Bryson, to Seinfeld, to a ghost tour, to Oktoberfest, to music...

Weather

Here's the paraphrased forecast for this week:

Monday: Sunny and 73.

Tuesday: Sunny and 74.

Wednesday: Sunny and 81.

Thursday: Sunny and 74.

Friday: Sunny and 75.

Weekend: Cloudy, 70s.

For the first week of October? Fantastic.

So many authors

A trio of high-profile authors appearing around the Capital Region this week:

Lydia Davis
Tuesday: 2013 Man Booker International Prize winner (and UAlbany professor) Lydia Davis will read from her work at UAlbany as part of the NYS Writers Institute visiting writers series. Davis is known for her short stories -- some of them as short as just a sentence or two. Tuesday 4:15 pm, performing arts center, uptown campus - free

Jonathan Franzen
Thursday: Jonathan Franzen, among the most famous and acclaimed of modern American writers, will be at Skidmore for a reading and discussion (as mentioned). He has a new book of translations of a Viennese satirist. And his recent "what's wrong with the modern world" piece for the Guardian has been much talked about. Thursday 8 pm, Palamountain Hall - free

Bill Bryson
Saturday: Nonfiction author Bill Bryson will be at the State Museum as part of the NYS Writers Institute visiting writers series. Bryson is famous for his books on travel and science. His new book is One Summer: America, 1927. Saturday 7:30 pm, State Museum, Clark Auditorium - free

Arts and sciences

Laurie Anderson
Tuesday: Performance artist -- and current distinguished artist in residence at EMPAC -- Laurie Anderson will be at the venue for a discussion. Blurbage: "Through examples and an exchange with EMPAC Director Johannes Goebel, she will discuss the concrete steps she takes to archive her tapes, instruments, performances, texts, films, videos, drawings, sculptures, and media--intangible and tangible." 7 pm - free

Girl Rising
Wednesday: There will be a screening of the film Girl Rising at the Sage Colleges Albany campus. Blurbage: "Girl Rising is a groundbreaking film directed by Academy Award nominee Richard Robbins, which tells the stories of nine extraordinary girls from nine countries, written by nine celebrated writers and narrated by nine renowned actresses." Trailer. A panel discussion will follow. Wednesday 6 pm - free (registration required)

Public health and human rights
Wednesday: Physician and activist Dr. Padmini Murthy will be at Union College for a talk about public health and human rights titled "Global Health and Human Rights: Is There a Missing Link?" Wednesday 5 pm, Nott Memorial - free

Film
Wednesday: EMPAC will be screening Film, the 1965 film written by Samuel Beckett and starring Buster Keaton. Also on the slate: Un Chant D'Amour, a 1950 film by novelist Jean Genet. Film theorist Ed Halter will be there to talk about both works. Wednesday 7:30 pm - $6

White Rabbit, Red Rabbit
Wednesday-Saturday: The UAlbany Performing Arts Center has a production of White Rabbit, Red Rabbit. Blurbage: "29 years old and forbidden to leave his country, playwright Nassim Soleimanpour distills the experience of an entire generation in a wild, utterly original play about contemporary Iran and those born amidst the hardship of the Iran-Iraq war." The production will include a rotating list of featured performers. $15 ahead ($10 students) / $20 day of ($15 students)

Jerry Seinfeld

Friday: Jerry Seinfeld will be at the Palace for a stand-up show (as mentioned). In addition to sleeping on what is surely an enormous bed of money from his sitcom, Seinfeld lately has been doing an online video series: Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee. The one with Alec Baldwin is a good place to start. Friday 7 pm - $48 and up

Ghost tour

Friday: Proctors has multiple ghost tours of its theater lined up. Blurbage: "The tour takes you on a spine-tingling journey through places in the historic theatre that few dare to go. Explore creaky backstage hallways, haunted dressing rooms and eerie balcony boxes while hearing firsthand accounts and tales of ghostly haunting." Also: "a paranormal investigation" Friday various times - $15 / $30 ghost tour and paranormal investigation

Looking ahead to the weekend...

A few things to look forward to:

Oktoberfest Block Party
Saturday: Broadway in North Albany will be closed off for Wolff's annual Oktoberfest Block Party. Beer, food, music, dirndls, lederhosen, weiner dog races. Saturday 11 am-7 pm

Albany All Stars
Saturday: The Albany All Stars Roller Derby starts its home 2013-2014 season at the Washington Ave Armory against the Beast of the East. 7 pm - $10 ahead / $12 at the door / $4 kids under 12

Paula Poundstone
Saturday: Paula Poundstone will be at the Troy Music Hall for a stand-up show. (Our all-star Wait, Wait includes her.) Saturday 8 pm - $26 and up

Music

Tuesday: Diana Krall at Proctors
Top-flight jazz vocalist, on the main stage. 8 pm - $30 and up

Wednesday: Joe Satriani at The Palace
Instrumental rock guitarist. With: The Steve Morse Band. 7:30 pm - $38 and up

Thursday: Above & Beyond at Upstate Concert Hall
Electronic dance music from England. 9 pm - $30

Thursday: Jill Sobule at Caffe Lena
Kissed a girl before Katy Perry did. With: MaryLeigh Roohan. 7 pm - $20

Thursday: Walt Wilkins and Tina Mitchell Wilkins at The Linda
Texas roots. 8 pm - $15

Friday: Danny Brown, Action Bronson at Skidmore
Two hip hop characters for the Fall Big Show. From Grantland: "A week with Action Bronson." 8 pm - $20

Friday: Jeremy Denk at Union College
Pianist and newly tabbed MacArthur "genius." (As mentioned.) 8 pm - $25 / $10 students

Friday: Northern Faces + Stellar Young + Titanics at Valentine's
Trio of local indie/alt rock. 8 pm

Friday: Maria Zemantauski at Caffe Lena
Flamenco guitarist and composer. 8 pm - $15

Saturday: Bayside + Motion City Soundtrack at Upstate Concert Hall
Punk and emo rock. With: Whats Eating Gilbert, State Champs. 7:30 pm - $17 ahead / $20 at door

Sunday: Gramatik at Upstate Concert Hall
DJ/remixer originally from Slovenia. On the Pretty Lights label. With: EXMAG. 8 pm - $20

Sunday: The Battlefield Band at Sanctuary for Independent Media
Modern interpretations of Celtic music. 7 pm - $10

Sunday: Claire Lynch Band at Caffe Lena
Bluegrass/country singer. 7 pm - $28
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These are a just a few things for this week, not a comprehensive list. Know of something people should be looking forward to this week? Please share!

The Troy Music Hall and Proctors advertises on AOA.

photo: Greg Martin