The Surfrajettes, a beehive-bedecked, all-female quartet from Toronto, bring their updated surf-rock sounds to the Colony in Woodstock, N.Y., tonight at 7pm. The group originally became online sensations via their 2018 version of Britney Spears’s “Toxic” and their adaptations of other hits, including Blondie’s “Heart of Glass” and the Beatles’ “She Loves You.” The group is a throwback to such surf-rock pioneers as the Ventures, Dick Dale, and Link Wray. (Fri, Mar 7)
Drummer, pianist and composer John Hollenbeck brings his quartet GEORGE to Studio 9 in North Adams, Mass., on Saturday at 7pm. The quartet combines strategies from experimental jazz, ambient electronics, chamber music, and more. The project—which Hollenbeck says is a quiet tribute to the slain George Floyd, takes its thematic inspiration from such well-known Georges as George Washington Carver, George Clooney, Georgia O’Keefe, George Saunders, George Michael, George Carlin, George Clinton, George Frideric Handel, George Orwell, Boy George, and Curious George. (Sat, Mar 8)
Artist Kiki Smith will be in conversation with curator Kathleen Morris at The Clark in Williamstown, Mass., on Saturday at 2pm. The free event is in conjunction with the Clark’s exhibition Wall Power! Modern French Tapestry from the Mobilier national, Paris. Smith’s tapestry Seven Seas is the latest work in the Wall Power! exhibition. (Sat, Mar 8)
Academy Award-nominated actress and Ulster County resident Vera Farmiga is now the lead singer of an alt-metal band called the Yagas, which makes its live debut at The Assembly in Kingston, N.Y., on Saturday at 8pm. The Yagas shift from metal to industrial to thrash-rock, featuring serpentine riffs, moody synths, and Farmiga’s sinuous, alluring vocals. Their songs have a somewhat surprising melodic quality one does not always find in alt-metal. The band has embraced Farmiga’s roots as a Ukrainian-American; the group’s name draws on Baba Yaga, a character depicted both as a helpful being and an antagonist in much of Slavic folklore. (Sat, Mar 8)
Trumpeter Aaron Shragge brings his Whispering Worlds ensemble to Tourists in North Adams, Mass., on Sunday at 8pm. Whispering Worlds seamlessly integrates looping, live processing, and sampling with the compelling melodic development found in Raga and the music of the shakuhachi. The end result is a fusion of world music and experimental jazz that pays tribute to the late Jon Hassell's innovative Fourth World music. (Sun, Mar 9)
Alsarah & the Nubatones bring their self-described East-African Retro-Pop to the Falcon in Marlboro, N.Y., on Sunday at 7:30pm. Alsarah is a Sudanese-born singer, songwriter, bandleader, and a somewhat reluctant ethnomusicologist who names Joan Baez, Lebanese singer Fairuz, and Yemeni and Balkan music as influences. (Sun, Mar 9)
Also of note:
The Berkshire Symphony performs a free concert featuring works by Debussy, Dvorak, and Grace Hale at Chapin Hall on the Williams College campus in Williamstown, Mass., tonight at 7:30pm.
The Crescent City’s iconic Preservation Hall Jazz Band brings the sounds of New Orleans to the Egg in Albany, N.Y., on Saturday at 8pm.
Sage City Symphony performs works by Verdi, Glinka, Sibelius, Mozart and others in a free concert in Greenwall Auditorium at Bennington College in Bennington, Vt., on Sunday at 4pm.
The popular public radio program Selected Shorts visits the Stissing Center in Pine Plains, N.Y., on Sunday at 3pm, when host Ophira Eisenberg will be joined by Teagle F. Bougere, David Strathairn, and Lauren Ambrose for an evening of stories about transformation.
The Itay Goren Piano Trio performs works by Beethoven, Schubert, Enescu, and Mendelssohn in a free concert at the Saugerties United Methodist Church in Saugerties, N.Y., on Sunday at 3pm, in a program presented by Saugerties Pro Musica. Pianist Goren will be joined by one half of the esteemed Madison String Quartet.
Seth Rogovoy is editor of the Rogovoy Report, available at rogovoyreport.substack.com.
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