Nightlife Highlights: February 2011

by Peter Aaron, January 28, 2011

First Thursday Hosted by Shana Falana
February 3. Psychedelic song-spinner Shana Falana’s flight path has taken her from San Francisco to Brooklyn to Rosendale. And her music—a dreamy, far-off aural mist recalling Galaxie 500—gives the strong impression that all of Ms. Falana’s winging, metaphorical or reality-based, has only been relaxed and easy. Live, she uses hazy video projections to complement her effects-soaked guitar and voice, and starting this month she hosts Market Market’s first Thursday showcase night. (Nina Violet visits February 11; Setting Sun settles in February 18.)  8pm. Donation. Rosendale. (845) 658-3164; www.marketmarketcafe.com.

Bob Lusk
February 5. Kingston’s Bob Lusk is a living repository of folk songs of the Hudson River and the Catskills, not to mention the British Isles, the American South, and the sailing ships of old. The singer and multi-instrumentalist (guitar, banjo, cittern, button accordion), who regularly holds forth at Taste Budd’s Cafe, plainly knows his stuff: He’s also a former staff member of folk bible Sing Out! and a longtime associate of the Hudson Valley Folk Guild. Hear history here. (C. B. Smith checks in February 26; Nashville’s Kevin Masch croons February 27.) 2pm. Free. Red Hook. (845) 758-6500; www.tastebudds.com.

“Nixon in China”
February 12, 19, 20. Last July vital venue Time & Space Limited (TSL) not only celebrated its 20th year of operations, it also marked its fifth season of presenting live high-definition broadcasts of the Met Opera. For the world-renowned company’s premiere of “Nixon in China” the composer himself, John Adams, conducts his 1987 saga of the controversial American president’s headline-making 1972 meeting with Communist leader Mao Tse Tung. Baritone James Maddalena stars in the title role. (Gluck’s “Phigenie En Tauride” screens February 26 and March 5 and 6.) 1pm. $25, $15. Hudson. (518) 822-8100; www.timeandspace.org.

Kane Brothers Blues Band
February 26. Formed in Woodstock in 1972 by then-teenagers Anthony (vocals, harmonica) and Jonathan (drums) Kane, the Kane Brothers Blues Band opened for Muddy Waters, James Cotton, and Willie Dixon. The group eventually found a welcoming home at CBGB, where its powerfully minimal blues fit right in with the nascent New York punk scene. After the band broke up, Anthony went to Chicago to play with Waters, Sam Lay, Koko Taylor, and other legends; Jonathan remained in Manhattan, co-founding noise-rockers Swans and working with avant-gardists Rhys Chatham, John Zorn, and La Monte Young. This Bearsville Theater date features the quintet’s original lineup. (Syd Straw sings February 12; Dr. Dog makes a Valentine’s Day house call February 14.) 8pm. $15. Bearsville. (845) 679-4406; www.bearsvilletheater.com.

Loretta Lynn
March 4. Edging into next month, comes this rare UPAC show by the living queen of country music: the one and only Loretta Lynn. One of this nation’s greatest artists, Lynn is the unmistakable and alternately rollicking and pathos-rich voice of such classics as “You Ain’t Woman Enough,” “Don’t Come Home a Drinkin’ (With Lovin’ on Your Mind),” and the autobiographical “Coal Miner’s Daughter” (the latter was remade into the eponymous 1980 movie starring Sissy Spacek). In 2004 Lynn connected with a new audience, thanks to her acclaimed album Van Lear Rose, which was produced by the White Stripes’ Jack White. Not to be missed. (Bluesman Taj Mahal appears February 27.) 8pm. $46, $51, $66. Kingston. (845) 339-6088; www.bardavon.org.