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 (the right direction), to St. Patrick's Day, to Gypsy, to in-vitro meat, to Solomon Northup, to drones, to figure drawing, to music...

Weather

Here's the paraphrased forecast for this week:

Monday: Sunny, mid 20s.

Tuesday: Sunny, mid 30s.

Wednesday: Cloudy, maybe some rain, low 40s.

Thursday: Sunny, mid 40s.

Friday: Again.

Weekend: Cloudy, maybe some rain. 40s.

Headed in the right direction.

St. Patrick's Day

It's Monday, though much of the celebrating was this past weekend. Plan accordingly.

Chaplin

Monday: The AFI 100 series at Proctors is showing the Charlie Chaplin classic Modern Times in the GE Theater. various times- $5

Gypsy

Tuesday: Capital Rep opens its production of Gypsy, the Sondheim/Arthur Laurents musical based on the life of Gypsy Rose Lee. The show features Broadway veterans and a number of talented actors from the Capital Region, including Benita Zahn and George Franklin. The production runs through April 13. various times - $20 and up

Arts and sciences

Growing meat and synthetic biology
Tuesday: Artist/researcher Oron Catts will be at EMPAC to talk about his work on tissue engineering, including growing in-vitro meat and in-vitro leather."Catts will lead this workshop which will cover some of the main techniques of regenerative biology that are used for in vitro meat and will explore the broader cultural and artistic implication of using living tissue within non-medical context." Tuesday 4 pm - free

Wednesday: Catts will also be at the Sanctuary for Independent Media for a talk. "Avoiding utopian and dystopian postures, opting instead to present scenarios open to be contestably challenged, this talk will also highlight some philosophical and ethical considerations stemming from new technological approaches to life, relating fields such as synthetic biology and metagenomics." Wednesday 7 pm - $10 donation / $5 students

Painting
Tuesday: Painter Joan Snyder will be at Skidmore for a talk. Her work is part of the collections of museums such as MoMA and the Met. And she was a MacArthur fellow in 2007. Tuesday 6 pm, Filene Recital Hall - free

Solomon Northup
Wednesday: Rachel Seligman and Clifford Brown -- two of the authors of Solomon Northup: The Complete Story of the Author of Twelve Years a Slave -- will be at Skidmore for a talk "about the significance of the Northup story for contemporary America." Seligman is assistant director for curatorial affairs and associate curator at the Tang Museum, and Brown is a professor of government at Union College. Wednesday 7 pm, Skidmore Wilson Chapel - free

"A Game of Drones"
Thursday: Albany Law has an event lined up to look at some of the topics related to the use of drones, including targeted killing, domestic drone use, and drone journalism (as mentioned). Thursday 1-5 pm - free

"The State of Education in New York State"
Thursday: State education commissioner John King will be at Sage for a talk titled "The State of Education in New York State." King has been in the spotlight recently because of the focus on the state's implementation of the Common Core standards. Thursday 7:30 pm, Sage Troy campus, Bush Memorial - free

Architecture
Thursday: Chilean architect Smiljan Radic will be at EMPAC for a talk as part of the RPI architecture program's lecture series. Radic was recently selected for a prominent annual design project in the UK. Here's more about his work. Thursday 6 pm - free

Pasties, Pencils, and Pints

Thursday: The sassy drink 'n draw Pasties, Pencils, and Pints returns, now at a new venue -- The Hangar, 675 River Street in Troy. The new venue includes space for easels, if you'd like to bring one. Also new: a coloring book for people who aren't confident about jumping right into figure drawing. PPP is both BYOB and bring your own supplies. Thursday 8:30 pm - $10

Mike Birbiglia

Friday: Comedian/storyteller/actor/writer/director/This American Life regular Mike Birbiglia will be at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall for a show. His current tour is titled "Thank God for Jokes." Blurbage: "Mike Birbiglia returns to the stage with more painfully awkward stories about telling jokes ... and how that can get you in trouble. Join Birbiglia as he visits Cats-a-chusetts, argues with someone about their nut allergy, hosts an awards show for angry celebrities, and learns that Fozzie Bear is a tough act to follow." Friday 8 pm - $29 and up

An Irrepressible Conflict

The State Museum's exhibit about New York State during the Civil War -- An Irrepressible Conflict -- closes this Sunday after its long, extended run. So this is the last week to catch if you'd wanting to see it, or see it again.

Music

Monday: The Felice Brothers at Helsinki Hudson
Roots rock, back close to the beginning (in the Catskills). With: Dawn Landes. 8 pm - $20 ahead / $22 day of

Monday: Jonathan Richman at The Low Beat
Veteran singer/songwriter. 8 pm - $12

Tuesday: Porches. at The Low Beat
Indie rock. With: The Slaughterhouse Chorus, Soft Powers. 8:30 pm - $8

Wednesday: Reel Big Fish at Upstate Concert Hall
The ska goes on. With: Suburban Legends, Beebs & Her Money Makers. 8 pm - $16 ahead / $18 day of

Thursday: Keb' Mo' at The Egg
Blues man. 7:30 pm - $34.50 and up

Thursday: Ed Kowalczyk at The Egg
The guy from Live, playing an acoustic show. 8 pm - $35

Thursday: Pat Metheny at Proctors
Veteran jazz guitarist with band. 8 pm - $20 and up

Thursday: Justin Townes Earle at Helsinki Hudson
Americana, son of Steve. With: Natalia Zukerman. 8 pm - $25

Thursday: Peggy Seeger at Proctors
Part of a royal folk family. 7 pm - $26 ahead / $28 day of

Friday: Switchfoot at Upstate Concert Hall
Alt rock. With: The Royal Concept. 8 pm - $20 ahead / $22 day of

Friday: Glen David Andrews at Helsinki Hudson
"[J]azzy, horn-laced New Orleans funk and soul." 9 pm - $20 ahead / $22 day of

Friday: Gurf Morlix at Caffe Lena
Longtime Texas songwriter/producer. 8 pm - $18

Saturday: Betty at MASS MoCA
Veteran alt rockers. A performance in conjunction with Darren Waterston's installation "Uncertain Beauty." 8 pm - $12 ahead / $16 day of / $10 students

Sunday: Empire State Youth Orchestra at Troy Music Hall
Playing music by Russian composers, including Rachmaninoff and Prokofiev. 3 pm - $20

Sunday: Low 'n Lonesome at Caffe Lena
"[A] 20-finger pickin' party" for a new CD. 7 pm - $14
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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!

Troy Music Hall, Capital Rep, and Albany Law advertise on AOA.

photo: Brian Friedman