Staffpicks

JAN. 28 -31 Free Week Various Locations do502.com/freeweek Free; 8 p.m. (all days) By now, you have probably heard of Free Week — 15 local bands, four venues, four nights, all free — and have plans for what shows you are going to, but here’s a reminder: on Wednesday, Jan. 28, Coliseum, Xerxes, Parlour, The Foxery and Black God play The New Vintage; on Thursday, Jan. 29, A Lion Named Roar, Lydia Burrell, Discount Guns, Satellite Twin and Six Bells play Zanzabar; on Friday, Jan. 30, The Hot Wires, Graffiti, Black Birds of Paradise and New Bravado, play Headliners Music Hall; and, lastly, on Saturday, Jan. 31, 1200, Jalin Roze, Touch AC & The Smoke Shop Kids and Shadowpact, play the Mercury Ballroom. This shouldn’t be missed. — Scott Recker

Jan. 29 - 30 Brahms and Chang Kentucky Center for the Arts 501 W. Main St., 584-7777 louisvilleorchestra.org $15-$75; 10:30 a.m. (Thursday), 8 p.m. (Friday) When Teddy Abrams became music director of the Louisville Orchestra last fall, he promised patrons the orchestra would continue to perform the traditional favorites of the classical music repertory. But he also declared his intention to lead the symphony in a revival of its noted mid-20th century mission of commissioning and premiering important new musical works. This week the old and new are both on the agenda. Abrams and company will perform the Johannes Brahms “Symphony No. 1” — a classic of the classical world that premiered in Vienna in 1876 — and Sebastian Chang’s “Classical Symphony,” which premiers at this concert in Louisville in 2015. — Bill Doolittle

THURSDAY, JAN. 29 ‘Double Vision’ poetry readings PYRO Gallery 909 E. Market St., 587-0106 pyrogallery.com Free; 7 p.m. I recently wrote a Staff Pick on the visual art of “Double Vision” at PYRO Gallery. This exhibition is an unusual one, as it focuses on what’s best expressed in the statement by the poet Horace: “Ut pictura poesis” (As is painting so is poetry). On display is a collaboration between artists and poets — what you see combined with what you hear. Thursday poetry readings are an important part of the show. The Jan. 29 reading will feature works by Sarah Gorman, Lynnell Edwards, Makalani Bandele, Annette Allen and Michael Estes. (The next event is on Feb. 5 with Sean Patrick Hill, Martha Greenwald, Adam Day, John James and Kathryn Welsh.) The exhibition runs through Feb. 15. —Jo Anne Triplett

Jan. 30-31 The Roast of Kim Jong Un The Bard’s Town 1801 Bardstown Rd., 749-5275 thebardstown.com $10 (Adv.) - $15; 10:30 p.m. If there is one thing comedians don’t like, it’s someone trying to suppress freedom of speech … which is exactly why the latest target for the Young Dumb & Full of Comedy crew’s Roast series is none other than North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. Obviously, “The Interview” fiasco was the impetus for this show, and this weekend some of the best local comedians are going to demonstrate exactly how powerful, and hilarious, the spoken word can be. The proceedings will be hosted and moderated by Adolf Hitler, with contributions from a dais that includes Idi Amin, Vladimir Putin and Sadam Hussein (all who were clearly renowned proponents and defenders of free speech in their respective countries). It’s going to be a couple of crowded shows with big laughs bowing the walls with political satire and humor. —Brent Owen

FRIDAY, JAN. 30 Sturgill Simpson Mercury Ballroom 611 S. 4th St., 583-4555 mercuryballroom.com $17; 8 p.m. People like to compare Sturgill Simpson to Waylon Jennings. It’s probably the booming baritone that can erupt into a snarl. Or the honky-tonk sensibilities. He doesn’t seem to like the comparisons, which is fair enough, but they’re seemingly inevitable, if only partial truths with good intentions. The thing is, he’s out there making some of the most well-written, no-bullshit songs with these quotable and candid lines that are direct, yet poetic, armed with both perspective and humility. So, comparisons kind of miss the point, because he avoids the clichés that usually draw them. And that’s what’s valuable about his music: there’s nothing out there like it. —Scott Recker

SATURDAY, JAN. 31 Marbin Tim Faulkner Gallery 1512 Portland Ave., 389-0347 timfaulknergalleryart.com $3; 9 p.m. Living in an explosive, yet technical corner of the Chicago jam scene, Marbin takes elements of jazz, fuses it with gritty aspects of rock ’n roll and the blues, creating a wall of sound that carries both smooth and freewheeling sensibilities, along with enough bite to keep your attention. Armed with speed, sometimes their solos remind of metal shredders, with, of course, lighter tones. And it’s those juxtapositions that make them interesting; not being bolted to the floor of any genre, allowing them to be more intriguing than most instrumental jam bands. —Scott Recker

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 4 Shovels & Rope Headliners 1386 Lexington Rd., 584-8088 headlinerslouisville.com $20; 8 p.m. As they proved on New Year’s Eve in Louisville — when opening for Jason Isbell at the Palace — the husband and wife folk rock duo Shovels and Rope can conquer any room. They can be raucous — generating a crazy amount of controlled chaos for two people — or they can be minimalistic — harvesting their folk roots into bare, melancholy moments of brilliance. They have incredible versatility. I’ve seen them in a cabin with 25 people in it and I’ve seen them in a large theater, both times leaving equally as impressed. They’re too clever and adaptable to disappoint. Caroline Rose opens. —Scott Recker

THROUGH MARCH 2 ‘Three Women of Art’ Kore Art Gallery Mellwood Arts & Entertainment Center 1860 Mellwood Ave., 333-4355 koreartgallery.com Group shows in a gallery do not have to have a theme, although that’s what we’re used to. The title of the exhibition at the co-op art gallery Kore, “Three Women of Art,” is vague enough to let the artists involved stand on their own, resulting in three solo mini-exhibitions. Uneena Jackson is a jewelry artist working in metal, glass and beads; what sets her apart from many other designers is her bridal jewelry sets. Gloria Kemper-O’Neil is a fiber artist who specializes in quilted wall hangings. Barbara Tyson-Mosley is a painter who is showing her “Pueblo” watercolors as well as her “Ethnic Doll” series. The exhibition’s reception is on Friday, Feb. 13, from 6-8 p.m. —Jo Anne Triplett