MUSIC
Pop & Rock
GIRL FRIDAY One of this year’s most satisfying rock singles is this Los Angeles quartet’s “Decoration/Currency,” which gains steam as it shape-shifts from blasé post-punk observation to chiming tweepop anthem. Then, with 90 seconds to go, the tempo begins to tick up and the members raise their voices with increased urgency, their yelps uniting and splintering until things screech to a halt. If their live show has even half the joyous vigor of this track, expect a sweaty, giddy time. Oct. 18, 10 p.m. $15. Great Scott, Allston. 617-566-0914, www.greatscottboston.com
GALLANT On his forthcoming “Sweet Insomnia,” this D.C.-based belter flaunts his silky voice, which sounds as great over the slippery synth-soul of “Sharpest Edges” as it does over the sparkling skip-step beat of “Crimes.” He opens for R&B upstart (and duet partner) Sabrina Claudio. Oct. 14, 7:30 p.m. $27.50 and up. House of Blues. 888-693-2583, www.houseofblues.com/boston
MISS JUNE “Bad Luck Party,” the debut from this Auckland four-piece, is an indie-rock romp, with lead singer Annabel Liddell and her bandmates bounding through grungy powerpop, mud-in-your-eye punk, and swaggering jams that sound like better-universe AOR smashes. Oct. 15, 8 p.m. doors. $12. ONCE Somerville. 617-285-0167, www.oncesomerville.com
Folk & World
JESSE COOK Cook comes to town on his “Follow the Road” tour; the road the acclaimed guitar instrumentalist has been following over the past few albums is one that has led to a world-music hybrid that incorporates South American, Middle Eastern, and other flavors into his music. Oct. 16, 8 p.m. $35-$47. Wilbur Theatre. 800-745-3000, www.ticketmaster.com
DRIFTWOOD SOLDIER You’d be reading about Saturday’s Dale Watson show at Atwood’s here, but it’s sold out except for a few door tickets (good luck!). Instead, consider the Philadelphia twosome of Owen Lyman-Schmidt and Bobby Szafranski, who play what they call “gutter folk” as Driftwood Soldier. They’ll be preceded by another duo, Hawthorn, who open. Oct. 17, 10 p.m. $10. Atwood’s Tavern, Cambridge. 800-838-3006, www.brownpapertickets.com
THE WOLFF SISTERS; BOB BRADSHAW A couple of shows this week at this Davis Square venue from area artists celebrating new CDs (the titles of both coincidentally referencing queens). Thursday, up-and-comers the Wolff Sisters present the sometimes loping, sometimes raucous Americana sounds of their new one, “Queendom of Nothing.” The next night, veteran singer-songwriter Bob Bradshaw marks the release of his fine new loose concept album, “Queen of the West.” Oct. 17, 7 p.m. $16; Oct. 18, 7 p.m. $14. The Burren, Somerville. 617-776-6896, www.burren.com
Jazz & Blues
ROY BOOK BINDER The master of finger-style country blues guitar learned his craft firsthand from the legendary blind street singer and guitarist Reverend Gary Davis, and has since appeared with the likes of Bonnie Raitt, Hot Tuna, and J.J. Cale. Oct. 17, 8 p.m. $18-$20. Club Passim, 47 Palmer St., Cambridge. 617-492-7679, www.passim.org
CHRISTINA GOH & NOAH PREMINGER DUO Boiler House Jazz kicks off its fall season with the first-ever collaboration between Goh, the celebrated French singer and songwriter of Caribbean and Ivorian descent, and acclaimed and wide-ranging American saxophonist Preminger. Oct. 17, 8 p.m. $15-$20. Charles River Museum, 154 Moody St., Waltham. www.charlesrivermuseum.org
JAZZ ADVANCE: THE LEGACY OF CECIL TAYLOR Among the New England Conservatory’s most consequential alumni, pianist and composer Taylor was a prime mover of avant-garde “free” jazz. This concert features performances by NEC faculty and alumni, including piano solos by Ran Blake, Bruce Brubaker, Ethan Iverson, Matthew Shipp, and Dan Tepfer, plus the NEC Jazz Orchestra rendering arrangements of early collaborator Steve Lacy’s “Rain” and Taylor’s own “Bulbs.” Oct. 18, 7:30 p.m. Free (tickets required). NEC’s Jordan Hall, Boston. 617-587-1100, www.necmusic.edu
Classical
BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA András Schiff does double duty as conductor and piano soloist with the BSO in this week’s program of four “B”s over three centuries: Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, and Bartók. Oct. 17-19. Symphony Hall. 888-266-1200, www.bso.org
BOSTON PHILHARMONIC Pianist Alessandro Deljavan makes his Boston debut with Brahms’s Piano Concerto No. 2, under the baton of Benjamin Zander. Program also includes Mozart’s appealing overture to “The Magic Flute” and Bartók’s heady “Concerto for Orchestra.” Oct. 17-20. Sanders Theatre, Harvard University, Cambridge (Oct. 17 and 20); Jordan Hall (Oct. 19). 617-236-0999, www.bostonphil.org
CELLISTS CELEBRATE CASALS Celebrity Series honors the venerable cellist Pablo Casals and his lasting legacy. An all-star lineup of nine cellists (including Casals’s godson and NEC string chair Lluís Claret, and BSO principal Blaise Déjardin) performs music from Casals’s 1901 Boston debut, at Union United Methodist Church (Oct. 18). Then, 56 cellists crowd the stage at the Wimberly Theatre at Boston Center for the Arts for a free cello orchestra extravaganza (Oct. 20). 617-482-2595, www.celebrityseries.org
ARTS
Theater
THE BOOK CLUB PLAY Truth in storytelling becomes a very personal issue for the members of a book club who open up their meetings to a documentary filmmaker in this heartfelt comedy by Karen Zacarías, directed by Shana Gozansky. The leader of the book club is a newspaper columnist played by Becca A. Lewis with the skill at incisive portraiture that invariably characterizes her work, and the rest of the cast — Sean Patrick Gibbons, Rachel Cognata, Greg Maraio, Meredith Gosselin, Anthony Goes — give similarly nuanced shadings to their characters. The inimitable Brooks Reeves is also on hand to deliver a series of hilarious interstitial cameos as a Wal-Mart greeter and a Secret Service agent, among other persons. Through Oct. 13. Boston Playwrights’ Theatre. 866-811-4111, www.bostonplaywrights.org
CORIOLANUS This streamlined production of Shakespeare’s tragedy is set in the year 2049, in a society coming apart at the seams thanks to abuses of power by leaders who are perfectly willing to enter into war if it helps protect their positions. Zair Silva plays the title figure, a general and would-be autocrat. Also featuring Sharon Squires as Volumnia, his mother, and Jonah Toussaint as his rival Aufidius. Codirected by Audrey Seraphin and Daniel Boudreau. Oct. 17-Nov. 3. Praxis Stage. At Little House, 275 East Cottage St., Dorchester. 617-997-7796, www.artful.ly/praxis-stage
ROSENCRANTZ & GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD In Peter DuBois’s splendidly executed production, Tom Stoppard’s breakthrough play retains its power as a breathtakingly audacious intellectual gambit. Crucially, DuBois and his cast do full justice to the knotty philosophical conundrums, the humor, and the subtle aura of dread that suffuse “Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead.’’ Existential angst has seldom been funnier — but a genuine chill is palpable, too, just under all those laughs. Through Oct. 20. Huntington Theatre Company. At Huntington Avenue Theatre. 617-266-0800, www.huntingtontheatre.org
CHOIR BOY Directed by Maurice Emmanuel Parent, Tarell Alvin McCraney’s Tony-nominated drama-with-music powerfully if sometimes choppily explores the complexities that arise when young men try to forge individual identities within the charged atmosphere of a group. Isaiah Reynolds brings a blend of insouciance and vulnerability to his portrayal of Pharus, a gay prep school student dealing with questions about his sexuality as he assumes the leadership of a highly competitive choir. With superb choreography by Yewande Odetoyinbo and Ruka White, razor-sharp music direction by David Freeman Coleman, and excellent vocals by the cast. Through Oct. 19. SpeakEasy Stage Company. At Roberts Studio Theatre, Calderwood Pavilion, Boston Center for the Arts. 617-933-8600, www.speakeasystage.com
Dance
¡ALEGRIA! AN EVENING OF FLAMENCO MUSIC AND DANCE It’s always a treat to witness the artistry of dancer Isaac de los Reyes. But showcase his acclaimed “flamenco puro” up close and personal in an intimate setting, along with singer Ismael Fernandez and guitarist Hector Marquez, and you have the promise of a special experience. The concert also includes performances by some of Reyes’s students. Oct. 13, $30-$35. Dante Alighieri Society of Massachusetts, Cambridge. 617-301-8354, www.dantemass.org
ALL READY The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is showcasing this South Korean dance duo, its current choreographers-in-residence. Featured on NBC’s “World of Dance,” the two female collaborators and longtime friends, Salang Yang and Hyein Kang, are known for their lively, unusual fusion of Latin, hip-hop, and street dance styles. The day of performances will include three world premieres inspired by the museum’s collections. Oct. 17, multiple performances noon-8 p.m., Free with admission. Gardner Museum. 617-566-1401, www.gardnermuseum.org
ROOTS & ROUTES The Dance Complex presents three evenings of original work by five very different choreographers, each exploring how their geographic, spiritual, and creative roots combine to affect their journey as an artist and spiritual being. Choreography by Amirah Sackett, Jean Appolon, Aysha Upchurch, Michael Winward, and Soumaya MaRose will rotate over the three evenings. Oct. 18-20, $10-$100. Dance Complex, Cambridge. 617-547-9363, www.dancecomplex.org
Galleries
SANFORD BIGGERS Biggers reflects on national traumas. In one body of work, his “BAM” sculptures, he honors unarmed black men and women who lost their lives to police shootings. To make them, he riddles African figural sculptures coated in wax with gunshots, then he casts them in bronze, a material associated with memorials and heroic statuary. Through Dec. 15. Tufts University Art Galleries, 40 Talbot Ave., Medford. 617-627-3518, artgalleries.tufts.edu
BUILT | NATURAL: PHOTOGRAPHS BY PETER VANDERWARKER The photographer, who has written three books about Boston architecture, shows large-format prints, including landscapes and images of manmade structures as old as the 13th-century Siena Cathedral. The show celebrates the 20th anniversary of the gallery at architectural firm CambridgeSeven. Through Dec. 6. Paul Dietrich Gallery, CambridgeSeven Associates, 1050 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge. 617-492-7000, www.cambridgeseven.com
SANDY LOCKWOOD: UNEARTHED ELEMENTS Lockwood, a British-born Australian ceramicist, draws on her native and adopted cultures in works that recall neolithic artifacts and rock formations. Using a sure hand, a capricious firing technique — salt glaze in a wood kiln — and a range of textures, she crafts sculptures and vessels with formal precision and rugged grace. Through Oct. 26. Lacoste Keane Gallery, 25 Main St., Concord. 978-369-0278, www.lacostekeane.com
Museums
JENNY HOLZER Holzer, who became a giant of American post-conceptual art in the 1970s with her flinty, political text works, already has a huge permanent footprint at Mass MoCA, so it makes sense that the museum would want to deepen the relationship with one of its marquee draws. This fall, it’s presenting a broad survey of Holzer’s works, stretching back to the ’70s — almost 1,000 or so posters, as well as vitrines chock-full of scribbled notes and various bits and pieces collected by the artist over decades. Through summer 2020, Mass MoCA, 1040 Mass MoCA Way, North Adams. 413-662-2111, massmoca.org
THE FINAL CURTAIN: EDWARD HOPPER’S LAST PAINTING Bringing new meaning to the term “solo show,” this exhibition of a single painting — by Edward Hopper, one of few who could justify so narrow a frame — is surely among the strangest you’ll see. Hopper was a bard of bleak modernity — cityscapes and isolation, sun-bleached sidewalks and solitary figures. His final work, “Two Comedians,” from 1966, is a mawkish oddity, with the titular figures — Hopper and his wife, Jo — taking a bow. (More drama: the painting was once owned by Frank Sinatra.) Was all that darkness an elaborate performance, with Hopper finally letting us in on the joke? That hardly seems possible. But can you help but wonder? Through Jan. 31, 2020. At the Currier Museum, 150 Ash St., Manchester, N.H. 603-669-6144, currier.org
WITH CHILD: OTTO DIX/CARMEN WINANT Has there ever been a more viscerally creepy genius than Otto Dix? Maybe, but not by much. This show in Worcester gloms on to Dix at his most unflinching — portraying female nudes in late pregnancy — but answers his borderline-objectification with works by two women, linked across generations: contemporary artist Carmen Winant and Dix’s student Gussy Hippold-Ahnert. Through Dec. 15, Worcester Art Museum, 55 Salisbury St., Worcester. 508-799-4406, www.worcesterart.org
EVENTS
Comedy
GOREFEST! MAUL OF AMERICA ImprovBoston’s Halloween special returns with an original script and music, and plenty of fake blood and guts with which to spray the audience. A poncho is recommended, but they’ll sell you one at the door. Oct. 17-31. Check website for times. $25. ImprovBoston, 40 Prospect St., Cambridge. 617-576-1253, www.improvboston.com
JAMIE KALER A Boston University graduate and Navy veteran, Kaler is a comic jack-of-all-trades, doing stand-up, popping up in sitcoms, and hosting the history-themed “America: Fact vs. Fiction” on the American Heroes Channel, and he’s the founder of “The DadLands” podcast and online community. Oct. 17 at 8 p.m., Oct. 18 at 7:30 p.m., Oct. 19 at 7:30 p.m. and 9:45 p.m. $20-$25. Laugh Boston, 425 Summer St. 617-725-2844, www.laughboston.com
RYAN HAMILTON The former “Last Comic Standing” contestant doesn’t enjoy communicating through social media. “Do you feel pressure as an adult in an adult society to communicate like a 14-yar-old girl?” he says. “I’m so sick of it. Every time I send out a smiley face there’s a voice in the back of my head that goes, ‘You’re not a man anymore.’ ” Oct. 19, 7 p.m. $25. Wilbur Theatre. 866-448-7849, www.thewilbur.com
Family
COLUMBUS DAY PARADE See members of the Boston Police and Fire honor guard, military personnel, marching bands, drum and bugle corps, antique cars, feast floats, and more at the city’s annual Columbus Day Parade. The parade will make its way through downtown Boston and the waterfront. We recommend Hanover and Endicott Streets in the North End to get a good view. Oct. 13, 1 p.m. Free. Hanover Street. northendwaterfront.com
INDIGENOUS PEOPLES’ DAY AT THE MFA Free admission, special activities, music, and dancing — what more could you ask for? Head over to the Museum of Fine Arts for a fun-filled day that celebrates the art and traditions of various Native cultures. Oct. 14, 5 p.m. Free. Museum of Fine Arts, 465 Huntington Ave. mfa.org
BOSTON BOOK FESTIVAL Comic-Con who? Back for another fun year, the Boston Book Festival will feature author presentations, panels, and hands-on demonstrations at venues throughout Copley Square. A street fair will also run all day, with exhibitors and live music. Oct. 19, all day. Free. Copley Square. bostonbookfest.org
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
Nov. 1 Mumiy Troll at Royale royaleboston.com
Nov. 8 The Bruisers at Royale royaleboston.com
Nov. 8 mxmtoon at Sinclair axs.com
Nov. 13 Mayday Parade at Paradise Rock Club crossroadspresents.com
Nov. 17 Neon Indian at Big Night Live ticketmaster.com
Nov. 19 Angel Olsen at Royale royaleboston.com
Nov. 23 Mandolin Orange at Shubert Theatre bochcenter.org
Dec. 2 SiR at Paradise Rock Club crossroadspresents.com