By Emily Huizenga, News Staff
Dr. Dog Plays House of Blues
Psych-soul Pennsylvanian rockers Dr. Dog play at the House of Blues tonight, after the release of their latest album, “Be The Void.” The band’s oddball pop and lo-fi recording techniques are heavily influenced by bands of the ’60s, such as Guided By Voices and Pavement. They’ll be joined by Purling Hiss and Rick Berlin with The Nickel and Dime Band. Berlin has been writing a distinctly theatrical form of rock ‘n’ roll since the ’70s before performing Monday nights in a Boston transvestite bar, Jacques, until 2003. 15 Lansdowne St.; doors at 7 p.m., show at 8 p.m.; $22.50 advanced, $25 day of show, $35 reserved seating; all ages; www.houseofblues.com.
Thursday, March 22
A fat, lazy slob from Jersey who also happens to be the director of “Clerks” offers life and career advice and discusses his unlikely path to success. Director, actor and writer Kevin Smith is out raising support for his new book “Tough Shit: Life Advice From a Fat, Lazy Slob Who Did Good,” which is part memoir and part collection of life lessons and tips he’s picked up from the likes of Wayne Gretzky and Ferris Bueller. The man behind slacker comedies like “Dogma” and “Mallrats” will speak words of wisdom tonight at the Coolidge Corner Theater. 290 Harvard St., Brookline; 7 – 8:30 p.m.; $28, includes a signed copy of the book to be picked up upon arrival; www.coolidge.org.
Friday, March 23
Whether you like making necklaces from macaroni or just eating it with cheese, chances are you’ll find something of interest at Craftboston Spring, New England’s premier exhibition and sale of contemporary art, craft and design. The show features more than 200 artists showcasing one-of-a-kind baskets, ceramics, decorative fibers, wearables, furniture, glass, jewelry, leather, metal, mixed media, paper and wood. In other words, everything short of a pipe cleaner sculpture. What’s more, this year’s show focuses on Steampunk, a fusion of Victorian-era aesthetics and modern day technology, incorporating elements of either science fiction or fantasy. The show’s happening at the Seaport World Trade Center and runs through Sunday. 200 Seaport Blvd.; 10 a.m. – 6 p.m., 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Sunday; $15; www.societyofcrafts.org.
Saturday, March 24
There’s nothing like your first middle school dance. Good Life Boston bar on Kingston Street downtown brings back the magic that is heavy make-out sessions, streamers, chaperones and cliche music at its monthly Middle School Dance. This month marks the event’s two year anniversary so the party will be extra festive, with Damien Paul, DJ Poke Smot and the Deathstar DJs providing tunes from the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s. The crew at Good Life transforms the downstairs dance floor into a school-style gymnasium, perfect for busting out the worms and awkward slow dances of adolescence. 28 Kingston St.; 9:30 p.m.; $5; 21+; www.goodlifebar.com.
Sunday, March 25
The 2012 Women in Comedy Festival is back for another year. In the past it’s included special guests like Newton-born comedian Jen Kirkman and hits the town at venues including ImprovBoston, the Comedy Studio, Middlesex Lounge and more. This year “The Real Housewives of the Magick Kingdom,” Harry Roasts America, various stand-up showcases and “Pig: A Restaurant” highlight the lineup, along with much more. Special guests include Carol Leifer, an Emmy-winning writer for shows like “Seinfeld” and “Saturday Night Live.” The five-day fest kicks off on Wednesday and features 27 shows, 225 comedians and 11 workshops. Sunday is the last day to catch the comedy. 40 Prospect St., Cambridge; $12; 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.; www.womenincomedyfestival.com.
Monday, March 26
Tunisian street artist el Seed creates a work of “calligraffiti,” a type of street and studio art drawn on the legacies of Arabic calligraphy, on Harvard’s campus. He is featured in the 2012 book “Arabic Graffiti,” curated and authored by Lebanese typographer Pascal Zoghbi and graffiti writer and publisher “Stone,” aka Don Karl. The book explores the developments of graffiti and street art in light of the Arab revolutions currently bringing sweeping changes to the Middle East. Graffiti writers are increasingly experimenting with calligraphy on walls and young designers like el Seed are creating new fonts and type designs in books, galleries and public spaces. The demonstration will be followed by a reception with light refreshments from 5 – 6 p.m. at the Center for Middle Eastern Studies. Science Center A, Harvard University, Cambridge; 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.; free; cmes.hmdc.harvard.edu.
Tuesday, March 27
Head to Blackman Auditorium for the Morton E. Ruderman Memorial lecture, “What the %@&*! Happened to Comics?” by Pulitzer Prize-winning artist/illustrator and author of “MAUS,” “In the Shadow of No Towers” and “Breakdowns” Art Spiegelman. Spiegelman worked for The New Yorker for ten years, was named one of Time Magazine’s “Top 100 Most Influential People” and played himself in an episode of “The Simpsons” alongside Jack Black. Blackman Auditorium, Ell Hall; 5 p.m.; free; www.northeastern.edu.
In conjunction with the English Graduate Student Association’s (EGSA) annual conference, EGSA presents “Memory Remains,” an exhibit at Gallery 360. The exhibit opens this Tuesday, March 27 and runs until June 3, with a film screening next Friday, March 30 at 6 p.m. followed by an opening reception at 7 p.m. The exhibit explores the transitory yet seemingly permanent aspects of memory —how what we think we know relates to both our personal and outward lives. It also questions the contradictions embedded within it: the fact that we rely on memory to draw conclusions about ourselves and others, and yet memory is, at its base, unreliable, biased and transient. Artists Kylie Alexander, Bryan Ramey, John Shorb, Molly Segal, Virginia Hernandez and Alexa Fay will be showing. Gallery 360, Curry Student Center; 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.; free; www.northeastern.edu/northeasterncreates.
Wednesday, March 28
Susan Chira, assistant managing editor for news of The New York Times; Charlie Sennott, vice president, executive editor and co-founder of GlobalPost; and Phil Bennett, managing editor of Frontline come to Harvard Book Store for a tribute to Anthony Shadid, a foreign corespondent that died in Syria this past February. Shadid was a Pulitzer Prize-winner and contributor to The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Associated Press and The Boston Globe. Much has been said about his courage, compassion and great talent as a journalist and writer after his passing. This tribute was organized in an effort to gather those who knew and worked with Shadid for a reflection of his life and work. Alex Jones, director of the Shorenstein Center, will moderate. 1256 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge; 7 p.m.; free; www.harvard.com.
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