By Emily Huizenga, News Staff
Featured Event: Sleeper Agent makes afterHOURS debut
AfterHOURS hosts Sleeper Agent, a band that has not only toured with Cage the Elephant, Weezer and Fun., but is lined up to play the Coachella Music Festival this April. Rolling Stone has described Sleeper Agent as “shaggy Kentucky kids whose songs are sweet, fizzy and combustible as a can of shook soda.” Tracks like “Get It Daddy” and “Get Burned” off the band’s first album, Celebrasion, have summoned support from music blogs for their conveyed restlessness, beefy hooks and schoolyard sing-along choruses – all from six kids under the age of 20. Boston’s Art Decade and Brooklyn’s EULA will also be playing the show. AfterHOURS; 7 – 10:30 p.m.; free; www.facebook.com/nuafterhours.
Thursday, Feb. 23
New Jersey native Sharon van Etten comes to Paradise Rock Club tonight, bringing with her deeply introspective songs and a voice NPR has described as “wrapped in enough rasp and sorrow to keep from sounding too pure or confident.” Van Etten will play tracks off her latest album, Tramp, which was produced by The National’s Aaron Dessner and debuted Feb. 7. Dreamy folk-rock vets Sheartwater will join her on stage. 967 Commonwealth Ave.; 8 p.m.; $15; 18+; www.thedise.com.
Not-for-profit literary arts journal Gigantic Sequins celebrates the release of its fifth issue, “3.1,” tonight at Trident Booksellers & Cafe. Featured contributors Meg Cameron, Olivia Kate Cerrone, LaTanya McQueen and Kelli Trapnell will share their work in a live reading. The magazine is known for its quality of writing as well as unique design and aesthetic, and determined to cultivate an artistic community over a widespread area – beginning in Boston. 338 Newbury St.; 8 – 10 p.m.; free; giganticsequins.com.
Friday, Feb. 24
Anyone who doesn’t “know a girl” – a Girl Scout, that is – can buy the classic cookies in the Curry Student Center this Friday. Boxes are $4 each and will benefit the troop from Saint Katherine’s in lower Roxbury, which Campus Girl Scouts at NU leads. Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) has sold favorites like Thin Mints, Samoas and Tagalongs since 1917. As of 2007, sales were estimated at 200 million boxes per year. The sale starts just in time for New Year’s resolutions to wear off. Curry Student Center; 3 – 5 p.m.; $4 per box; www.northeastern.edu/studentlife.
Not only was Henry Wordsworth Longfellow, one of the world’s foremost 19th century poets, the first American to translate Dante’s “The Divine Comedy,” he also lived in George Washington’s former Massachusetts command headquarters. Washington inhabited the Cambridge house during the Siege of Boston, July 1775-April 1776. Now, Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site preserves the Longfellow House and is hosting a special tour about both Longfellow and Dante this Friday. 105 Brattle St., Cambridge; 1 – 4 p.m.; free; www.nps.gov/long.
Saturday, Feb. 25
Though Fenway bar Sweet Caroline’s has technically been open to the public for several months, its official grand opening is this Saturday. The 4,000 square-foot multi-level space will feature a celebratory atmosphere and complimentary appetizers, which, according to the restaurant’s website, consist of some of the “finest handcrafted American comfort food Boston has seen in years.” Sweet Caroline’s also boasts 11 high definition flat screens, three 100-inch projectors, floor-to-ceiling windows and Boston’s largest live vertical garden. The farm wood and earth tone clad restaurant is open seven days a week, for both lunch and dinner. 1260 Boylston St.; 9 p.m.; free appetizers; sweetcarolinesboston.com.
Sunday, Feb. 26
There’s only one way to find out what a flea market has to offer – go. The Drill Hall Flea Market runs every other Sunday in Somerville’s Center for Arts at the Armory, just a mile out of Davis Square, and features antiques, collectibles, vintage clothes, vinyl records and various knick-knacks. This week, DJ Infinite Jeff will provide live music and Baxter Brewing will supply a sampling of its brews, creating what some patrons have described as a “fabulous vibe.” 191 Highland Ave., Somerville; 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.; free; www.artsatthearmory.org.
Monday, Feb. 27
The Independent Film Festival Boston (IFFBoston) presents the Tobolowsky Files live, this Monday night at the Coolidge Corner Theatre. The event doubles as a fundraiser for IFFBoston and a chance to hear actor and podcaster Stephen Tobolowsky’s expansive, personal brand of storytelling. Tobolowsky, a veteran actor who has made small appearances in big movies like “Momento” and “Groundhog Day,” will guide listeners down an engaging, emotional path addressing topics ranging from his struggle of an acting career to recent open heart surgery. Live on stage, Tobowowsky will recount these experiences with his signature flair and theatrical command. 290 Harvard St., Brookline; 7:30 p.m.; $20, $15 with student ID; www.coolidge.org.
Tuesday, Feb. 28
Northeastern’s campus is filled with talent from all around the world. This Tuesday, afterHOURS will host International Idol, a fresh take on the reality show classic. Whether amateur or professional, whether singing in Spanish, Hindi, French or Swahili, students of all origins and languages are invited to soak up a few minutes of spotlight on the afterHOURS stage. There will be two segments to the event: one non-competitive and one competitive, whose winner will be determined by the noise level of the cheering audience. afterHOURS; 8 p.m.; free; www.northeastern.edu/studentlife.
Wednesday, Feb. 29
Long Island native Jodi Picoult, author of noteable novels “My Sister’s Keeper” and “Sing You Home,” will be at the Prudential Center’s Barnes and Noble this Wednesday to promote her latest book, “Lone Wolf.” Picoult, known for exploring topics like love, family and relationships in her writing, explores the intersection between medical science and moral values in “Lone Wolf,” which raises questions about controversial topics like organ donation and life support. 800 Boylston St. Suite 179; 12 p.m.; free; www.barnesandnoble.com.
Have an event coming up? E-mail the details to [email protected].
Events may be canceled or rescheduled. Call ahead to confirm.
