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 (warm-ish), to Kanye, to Sister Act, to upstate mayors, to the universe as a computer, to beer, to flowers, to lots of music...

Weather

Here's the paraphrased forecast for this week:

Monday: Sunny. 25.

Tuesday: Maybe some snow from overnight, then snow through the day. Maybe 4 inches of accumulation. Upper 20s.

Wednesday: Possible rain/snow mix. Temps around 40.

Thursday: Sunny and 44.

Friday: Cloudy, probably some rain. Mid 40s.

Weekend: Some sun, some clouds. Around 40.

Warm-ish.

In the habit

Tuesday: A touring company of the the musical Sister Act starts a six-day run at Proctors. The show is based on the film of the same name. various times - $20 and up

Saratoga Beer Week

Tuesday: Saratoga Beer Week returns will events around Saratoga Springs through Saturday, including tastings, specials, beer dinners, and so on. On Saturday there's the Saratoga Beer Summit at the City Center, with more than 80 breweries (tickets are $40 ahead / $50 at door).

Arts and sciences

The Vietnam War
Tuesday: Journalist Nick Turse will be at Union College for a talk about the history of the Vietnam War. His most recent book is Kill Anything That Moves, about violence against Vietnamese civilians during the war. Tuesday 6:30 pm, Reamer Campus Center Auditorium - free

Turse will also be at UAlbany Wednesday for a reading and discussion as part of the NYS Writers Institute visiting writers series. Wednesday 4:15 pm, uptown campus, PAC - free

Upstate mayors
Wednesday: The mayors of Albany, Rochester, and Saratoga Springs -- Kathy Sheehan, Lovely Warren, and Joanne Yepsen -- will be at Albany Law to "discuss their journeys to elected leadership seats, their personal insights on the equitable participation of women in politics and government, and the unique responsibility of running a city government." Wednesday 4 pm, Dean Alexander Moot Court Room - free / post-event reception also open to the public, but registration is required (details at link)

The universe as computer
Wednesday: MIT professor and "quantum mechanic" Seth Lloyd will be at EMPAC for a talk about the universe as a computer. Blurbage:

In the traditional scientific account, the universe is composed of matter and energy. However, there is another key ingredient: information. Every atom and elementary particle carries with it bits of information, and when two atoms collide, those bits flip. The universe computes. The history of the universe is an intricate dance in which energy and information twirl and entwine. By understanding how and why the universe computes, we gain insight into the nature of reality itself.

After Lloyd's talk, there will be a panel discussion with RPI computer science professors James Hendler and Christopher Carothers. (This was rescheduled from a previous date.) Wednesday 7 pm - free

The Lake Placid Olympics
Wednesday: Lake Placid News editor Andy Flynn will be at Union College for a talk about Lake Placid and the Olympics -- the village has hosted the winter games twice. Wednesday 5:30 pm, Nott Memorial - free

Cooking

Canning
Tuesday: Christina Davis will be at the Arts Center of the Capital Region to teach her popular waterbath canning class. Tuesday 6:30 pm - $65

Pasta
Thursday: There's a hands-on pasta making class at Gio Culinary Studio: fettuccine, penne, agnolotti. 6:15 pm - $60

New York in Bloom

Friday-Sunday: The annual New York in Bloom event returns to the State Museum. Blurbage:

It features floral arrangements created by floral designers, garden club members and flower enthusiasts. Other event highlights are the demonstrations on floral design and entertaining, children's activities and a flower market.

There are also classes. The event runs each day from 9:30 am-5 pm. It's $5 (cash only).

Weather Event: By the way, the exhibit of Lake Erie-area paintings by Charles E. Burchfield at the State Museum closes February 23.

Music

Monday: The 3 Doors Down show at The Egg is sold out.

Wednesday: Kanye West at the TU Center
It's Kanye. What more is there to say. 8 pm - $49.50 and up

Tuesday: Neil Rolnick at Troy Music Hall
RPI iEAR founder with a piece for piano and computer: "Dynamic RAM & Concert Grand." 7:30 pm - pay what you will

Thursday: Taj Mahal at Helsinki Hudson
Half a century of blues/world music. 8 pm - $85

Thursday: Twiddle at The Hollow
"[A] Vermont based quartet, spins tall tales over an intricate soundscape of hi-def shred." 8 pm - $15

Friday: Bobby Long at The Linda
Folksy and bluesy and British-y. With: Tor & the Fjords. 8 pm - $17

Friday: Holly Williams at Helsinki Hudson
Granddaughter of Hank Sr, daughter of Hank Jr. 9 pm - $15 ahead / $18 day of

Friday: Gospel Gala 2014 at The Palace
More than 15 choirs. 7 pm - free, seating is first come, first sit

Friday: Line of Swords at Proctors
Trombonist Josh Roseman. Part of the Party Horns series. 7:30 pm - $15

Saturday: Mike Doughty at The Linda
Doughty's "Question Jar Show." "Doughty picks audience questions and requests out of a jar--and his audience is wickedly good at coming up with extremely weird things to ask." Also: Apparently he's decided to play Soul Coughing songs again. With: Ashley Sofia. 8 pm - $22

Saturday: Surfer Blood at Nanola
One-time 'fork and NPR fave. A free show thanks to EQX. (Nanola, run be one of the people who formerly ran the Bayou in Albany, is in Malta.) 7 pm

Saturday: Aoife O'Donovan at Helsinki Hudson
Singer/songwriter, from Crooked Still, played at Tanglewood this past summer as part of Goat Rodeo with Yo-Yo Ma and Chris Thile. 8 pm - $20 ahead / $25 day of

Saturday: Thruway: A Sing Off at Proctors
Union College a cappella groups engage in a pitched battle to the death with the visiting groups. OK, maybe not the death. 7:30 pm - $15

Saturday: Future Rock at Red Square
Electronic rock. 10 pm - $12 ahead / $15 day of

Saturday: Alarms and Controls at The Low Beat
Discordant post punk. With: Poor Lilly, Kimono Dragons. 8 pm

Sunday: Freedy Johnston at Caffe Lena
Knows he's got a bad reputation. 7 pm - $18

Sunday: Kristian Bezuidenhout at EMPAC
"Called 'the finest living exponent of the fortepiano' (the Herald, UK), Kristian Bezuidenhout is best known for bringing a new dimension to the interpretation of Mozart's piano music." 4 pm - $18

Sunday: Noam Pikelny & Friends at Helsinki Hudson
Bluegrass banjo, a member of the Punch Brothers. Featuring Bryan Sutton, Luke Bulla, Barry Bales & Jesse Cobb. 8 pm - $18 ahead / $20

Sunday: The Band of Horses show at The Egg is sold out.

Sunday: The Wood Brothers show at The Egg is sold out.
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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!

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photo via Kanye West FB