The next few weeks are chock full of goings on in the neighborhood, so let's just get right down to it, shall we?
On Wednesday, May 27, you can check out the bands Edhochuli, Radium Girls, Mostly Only and In Droves at Zissimo's (1023 W 36th St.). Doors open at 8 p.m. and admission will cost you $7. That's less than $2 per band!
On Thursday, May 28, you'll get a chance to meet John Waters as he comes to Atomic Books (3620 Falls Rd.) again to sign copies of his excellent hitching adventure, "Carsick" – which is new in paperback. John will be at Atomic from 7-9 p.m..
Also on May 28, there is a closing party for the art show Planned Obsolescence at the Golden West Café (1105 W. 36th St.). from 7-9 p.m. Planned Obsolescence (which is currently up and running on the Golden West Long Bar through the closing party date) features the work of custom tattoo artist Darl. According to the artist, "Obsolescence explores the relationship between gender politics and vegetarian ethics. With influences as diverse as Rousseau and Buckminster Fuller, new tensions are synthesized from both constructed and discovered textures."
Then, the following Thursday, June 4, there's an opening reception for Sondra N. Arkin's new show, Permutations, at Fleckenstein Gallery (3316 Keswick Rd). from 5-8 p.m. According to the artist, the works in this show "offer a Mandelbrot fractal-like beauty. To explain the permutations: each group of nine images presents a virtually infinite potential of visual patterns. Each grid, not just interchangeable but rotatable to all four orientations, can be rearranged into a vast number of aesthetically viable patterns — with the absolute permutations from any single grid being more than 95 billion (N!*4N = 95,126,814,720)."
Premutations runs through Aug. 22.
Friday, June 5 is First Fridays in Hampden. And Atomic Books celebrates with a new art show opening in Eightbar. Hampden In Pictures is a Hampden-themed photography group show curated by Patrick Joust and Josh Sinn. The opening is from 7-10 p.m. with snacks provided by Golden West Café.
And then on Saturday, June 6, the Eightbar-based poetry series Writers Under The Influence presents "Clash By Night" from 7-9 p.m.. This is a group reading to celebrate the new poetry anthology "Clash By Night" – a collection of work inspired by the Clash's seminal work "London Calling." The series is hosted by local author Elizabeh Hazen and this installment will feature readings by Brendan Stephens, Donald Illich, Dean Smith, Gregg Wilhelm, Jerry LaFemina, Jane Satterfield and Ned Balbo.
Fiinally, you can bookend these two weeks of events by going back to Zissimo's on Tuesday, June 9, and checking out the bands Weakwick (Noise Punk from Minneapolis), CP/M (self-described "Slab-Chunk Apportioners" from Baltimore), Heavy Friends (Sludge Ppop from Baltimore) and Steamy Wolves (Electronics from Baltimore). Doors open at 8 p.m. Music starts at 9 sharp and the show will wrap up at midnight on the dot. It's all about precision.