Nightlife Highlights: February 2012

by Peter Aaron, January 30, 2012

Zammuto
February 3. Experimental pop duo the Books got its start in Brooklyn before falling in love with the scene around MassMOCA and relocating nearby in 2004. Fitting, then, that member Nick Zammuto should reserve the arts center as the venue to unveil his new band, Zammuto. The quartet recently tested the indie waters with an EP, Idiom Wind, and prior to its debut set will screen Achante, a documentary on Haitian voudou scored by the maestro. (Saakumu featuring Bernard Woma visits February 2; Catherine Russell sings February 18.) 8pm. $20, $24, $10 students. North Adams, Massachusetts.
(413) 662-2111; Massmoca.org.

Weasel Walter Trio
February 4. Another new unit is the Weasel Walter Trio, which is headed by Chicago noise/free jazz/grindcore multi-instrumentalist Weasel Walter (Flying Luttenbachers, Hatewave, Lake of Dracula) and hits the Spotty Dog this month. Walter plays drums for the band, which also includes saxophonist Matt Nelson (tUnE-YaRdS) and bassist Evan Lipson (Normal Love, Satanized). In store: “tightly focused, relentlessly blistering improvisations intertwined with labyrinthian compositional structures. Militaristic tactics and strategy meet TOTAL CHAOS!” With Nondor Nevai and C. Lavender. (Last Good Tooth and P. Everett play February 3; Tica Douglas checks in February 25.) 8pm. $5. Hudson.
(518) 671-6006; Thespottydog.com.

An Evening with Alice Bag and Donna Lethal
February 6. West Coast punk icon Alice Bag was the lead singer of the Bags, the first female-fronted band to play the infamous Los Angeles club the Masque; the group further cemented its legend with a single on the seminal Dangerhouse label and an appearance in the 1981 film The Decline of Western Civilization. For this date at the Flywheel Arts Collective, Bag performs songs, reads from her newly published memoir, Violence Girl, and is joined by writer Donna Lethal, who reads from her own book, Milk of Amnesia. (Whirl, Hellal, and Grey Skull rock February 3; Waxahatchee, Parasol, and more arrive February 7.) 8pm. $8. East Hampton, Massachusetts. (413) 527-9800; Flywheelarts.org.

Richard McGraw
February 11. Singer-songwriter Richard McGraw is no stranger to these pages. The fatalist crooner, who here celebrates the release of his latest album, Popular Music, at the Ritz Theater, was profiled in the August 2006 issue of Chronogram. Heck, he even played our rockin’ Halloween party a few years back. For the covers-dominated Popular Music, McGraw takes on tracks by his hero Leonard Cohen, as well as those of such less likely sources as REO Speedwagon, Bob Segar, Rick James, and Lady Gaga. We’re not kidding. 8pm. $10. Newburgh. (845) 784-1199; Ritztheaternewburgh.org.

The Vagina Monologues
February 25, 26. Organized by Chronogram staffer Lara Hope, this installment of the annual Vagina Monologues brings its female-empowering themes to Oasis Cafe. As with similar summits across the country this month, the event is linked to V Day, which is aimed at raising awareness of violence against women. In addition to spoken-word performances, there’s music from Hope’s band Tigeriss, Shana Falana, the Raw Milk, and others. Proceeds aid Family of Woodstock’s domestic violence services wing. (Upstairs at Cabaloosa, Plan 9 brings dubstep, grime, and electro-house February 4; reggae revue Royal Heart Sound comes to Cabaloosa February 11.) February 25: 8pm. February 26: 2pm. $10. New Paltz. (845) 255-2400; Cabaloosa.com.