THURSDAY
What: The People’s Blues of Richmond
Where: Funky Biscuit, 303 S.E. Mizner Blvd., Boca Raton
When: 8 p.m.
Cost: $10-$15
Contact: 561/395-2929, funkybiscuit.com
Affectionately known as PBR to its fans, Virginia’s People’s Blues of Richmond are unlike any so-called blues band you’ve heard. Some of its songs do begin with the spartan howl of traditional acoustic blues, but they usually end of up somewhere else: a rollicking, intoxicating trip into molten psychedelia, urgent punk rock and acid-drenched klezmer. And lyrically, they plumb recesses so dark and intense they make conventional bluesmen look like practitioners of sunny pop. It’s no surprise that the band formed as a way for its two constant members, guitarist Tim Beavers and bassist Matt Volkes, to grieve the loss of a mutual friend. Don’t miss what looks to be an intense and unpredictable set of tunes from the band’s two ominously titled albums, along with potential cover songs from the likes of Modest Mouse and Leftover Crack.
What: Extraordinary 5×5 Art Sale
Where: Cornell Museum of Art at Delray Beach Center for the Arts, 51 N. Swinton Ave., Delray Beach
When: 6 to 8 p.m.
Cost: $5
Contact: 561/243-7922, delraycenterforthearts.org
Small and square doesn’t mean inconsequential and unhip: In fact, you’ll be surprised at the amount of depth, versatility and raw talent on display at the Cornell Museum’s one-night-only “5×5” art fundraiser—in which all of the donated works, in both 2D and 3D, will be 5 inches by 5 inches framed. The pieces will then be sold for a bargain price of $25 at this event, whose $5 cover charge includes light hors d’oeuvres and one drink. This charge also grants access to both floors of the Cornell, where you can absorb its “From Ordinary to Extraordinary: Paper as Art” show, an exhibition that lives up to its title. All proceeds from the event will benefit the Musuem.
FRIDAY
What: Jimmy Stowe and the Stowaways
Where: Mizner Park Amphitheater, 590 Plaza Real, Boca Raton
When: 7:30 p.m.
Cost: Free
Contact: myboca.com/pages/mizneramphi
Apparently Jimmy Buffett has a residence in Palm Beach, but the famously reclusive and interview-shy singer-songwriter emerges into the public eye about as often as J.D. Salinger did. A free concert appearance in Boca might seem unlikely for the “Margaritaville” maestro himself, but audiences can imbibe the next best thing, courtesy of the city of Boca Raton’s summer music series. Jimmy Stowe, a singer-songwriter in his own right who has made frequent appearances with Buffett and Rick Nelson—and who performed with Jim Croce early on—will take the stage with his band The Stowaways for a night of tropical music. Though their repertoire of island rock is eclectic, this night is billed as a Jimmy Buffett tribute, so bring a lawn chair, buy a cold one, and prepare for a couple hours of paradise.
FRIDAY TO SUNDAY
What: “Swan Lake”
Where: Olympic Heights Performing Arts Theater, 20101 Lyons Road, Boca Raton
When: 7 p.m. Friday, 8 p.m. Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday
Cost: $10-$35
Contact: 561/995-0709, bocaballet.org
This weekend, Boca Ballet Theatre will (swan) dive into one of the most influential ballets of all time: Tchaikovsky’s four-act epic of light and dark, “Swan Lake,” a work that has cast its shadow over everything from movies, pop music and television to literature, video games and even Chinese acrobatics. Central to the success of any production of “Swan Lake” is the ballerina selected to play its dual protagonist/antagonist, Odette/Odile. And Boca Ballet Theatre has attracted the talents of Sara Mearns (pictured), principal dancer with New York City Ballet, which the New York Times called the “world’s foremost interpreter of the double role of Odette/Odile of the last 20 years.” The comparably skilled Simon Ball, a principal dancer with Houston Ballet, joins her as Prince Siegfried, in this version using the 1895 choreography by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov.
SATURDAY
What: Swede Fest 3
Where: Borland Center for the Arts, 4485 PGA Blvd., Palm Beach Gardens
When: 7 p.m.
Cost: $8
Contact: 561/282-4623, swedefestpalmbeach.com
Swede Fest Palm Beach, one of the funniest film festivals you’ll ever encounter, has absolutely nothing to do with Scandinavian cinema and everything to do with satirizing Hollywood gravitas. Owing its origins to the underrated 2008 comedy “Be Kind Rewind”—in which Jack Black and Mos Def re-create blockbusters using low budgets and cheap video—the term “swede” refers to any such parody. The swedes selected for this increasingly popular festival run a few minutes in length, during which time the director may condense an entire feature or spoof an isolated scene. Some 40 videos screened last year, with the Audience Favorite Award winners, for their “Back to the Future” swede, walking away with the coveted Best Buy gift card. This year’s entrants will take on the likes of “Casablanca,” “The Wolf of Wall Street,” “Rocky III” and “Twilight.” The festival’s tagline says it all: “bad movies by good people.”
What: Zombie Rush 5K
Where: Vista View Park, Shelter 8, 4001 S.W. 142nd Ave., Fort Lauderdale
When: 7 a.m.
Cost: $25-$59 for runners, free for spectators
Contact: 954/444-2431, zombierush5k.com
Gone are the quaint old days when zombies moved like bovine lummoxes, arms outstretched and trudging along brainlessly at a glacial pace. Zombies these days have acquired more speed and ferocity, running as often as ambling, and attendees at this unique undead-themed 5K run will likely encounter all types. Ticket-buyers can choose to be human runners or a zombie runner—the latter chase after the humans—where they’ll charge through an immersive chase zone patterned after a post-apocalyptic landscape. There are two types of runs: a Zombie Rush 5K run only and a Zombie Rush 5K Mud-Obstacle Run. Everything is perfectly safe, though this clearly a race designed for thrill-seekers. And it has plenty of ancillary benefits, even for non-runners, including a party room with a live Miami DJ, and a live zombie invasion show complete with moving vehicles, a cast of actors and smoke effects.
SUNDAY
What: Screening of “Knife in the Water”
Where: Cosford Cinema at University of Miami, 5030 Brunson Drive, Coral Gables
When: 6 p.m.
Cost: $7 to $9
Contact: 305/284-4861, cosfordcinema.com
Rarely has anything positive come from picking up a hitchhiker, but this dangerous plot device has propelled countless compelling narratives. One of them is “Knife in the Water,” Roman Polanski’s auspicious debut feature, from 1962: Lovers en route to a sailing sojourn pick up a handsome drifter, invite him onto their boat, and wait for Trouble to come. A black-and-white, triangular psychodrama whose editing and cinematography still look strikingly modern today, this disturbing mood piece put Polanski, as well as Polish cinema, on the map, earning that country’s first Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film. See it this weekend on its original, vanishing format of 35mm, part of the venue’s “Cosford Classics” film series of vintage masterpieces.
