Learn about the cosmos through theater, listen to live music, and hear comedy gold in this week’s round-up of local events in the Hudson Valley.
Big Head Todd and the Monsters
February 12 at Levon Helm Studios
Closing in on their 40th year, Colorado’s Big Head Todd and the Monsters have hit the road to promote “Her Way Out,” the lead single from their forthcoming 12th studio album. “It has become a band favorite for how it’s musically reminiscent of Tom Petty, but also for its original and compelling lyrics and Springsteen-esque bridge,” says leader Todd Park Mohr. “The song has a chorus that shifts meaning after each of the verses…Basically, ‘Her Way Out’ is tough guitar and piano rock betrayed by a lyric that implies trust is fragile, and true love is a difficult but empowering achievement if it is maintained.” (Glen Phillips and Shawn Mullins appear February 23; Driftwood floats by March 1.) 7:30pm. $90-$100. Woodstock.
“The Effects of Gravity” at the Bardavon
February 16
Besides being a playwright, composer, and musician, Rosendale-resident David Gonzalez is also a storyteller, poet, and producer. His latest production, born from a poem on quantum entanglement and developed into a work for the stage with Ithaca physics and astronomy professor Luke Keller, is dubbed“The Effects of Gravity: A Cosmic Journey, Cosmology & Art.” It takes a novel approach to educating about the cosmos and Earth’s place in it, combining scientific explanations, poetry, and music with stunning images of space projected on a giant screen.
Related
“The Effects of Gravity” at UPAC on April 17
Eleanor Roosevelt Banned Book Awards
February 17 at Bard College
There are currently more books being banned than ever before in US history. To combat this, the Eleanor Roosevelt Center and the Fisher Center at Bard present the inaugural Eleanor Roosevelt Banned Book Awards ceremony celebrating those championing intellectual freedom and the fight against censorship. Judy Blume—no stranger to having her books banned—will receive the award for Bravery in Literature. Six other authors will receive awards for their work focusing on racial justice, LGBTQ+ rights, and gender equality: Laurie Halse Anderson for Shout, Mike Curato for Flamer, Alex Gino for Melissa, George M. Johnson for All Boys Aren’t Blue, Jelani Memory for A Kids Book About Racism, and Maia Kobabe for Gender Queer. 7:30pm. $25-$65. Annandale-on-Hudson.
Fortune Feimster
February 18 at the Bardavon
At a time when a number of comedians are spilling hate and vitriol on marginalized groups in front of stadium-sized crowds—all the while complaining that their speech is being constrained—Fortune Feimster’s humanistic stand-up is needed more than ever. The confessional comic bridges ages, backgrounds, and sexual orientations through her very peronsal storytelling and ability to create intimacy in front of hundreds of strangers every night. She’s your funniest cousin who isn’t afraid to spill the tea about her insecurities and good fortune. (Her bit about realizing she was gay while watching a Lifetime special about a girl struggling to come out to her mother is comedy gold.) Shows at 4:30pm and 7pm. $29.50-$65. VIP: $165. Poughkeepsie.
This article appears in February 2024.
